Day Ten, Prompt: You said you'd never leave me.
With Sonic gone, Tails is a wreck. Everything doesn't make sense. Nothing matters anymore. A whirlwind of emotions is eating away at him every passing day. He just wanted his brother back.
It felt as his whole world that he had built for himself fell apart in a matter of seconds
Sonic, his friend. His brother. His family. Gone like a switch of a light.
Tails sat at the edge of the bed with the curtains drawn and sitting in complete darkness other than the dim moonlight light that attempted to shine through. It was his guest bedroom at his house but it might as well have been Sonic's room for the amount of times he had stayed the night here.
He felt numb, it felt like nothing mattered. Sitting there just like how he was when Sonic was being attacked by his past enemies. Standing there doing nothing. The weight of his guilt that held onto his heart was never going to leave for as long as he lived.
This was all his fault. Everything that was happening was his fault as much as it hurt to admit. He let Sonic be thrown around like some rag doll while he just stood there looking aimlessly like a coward. If he had listened to Sonic, his brother would still be here.
The air felt cold. Nowhere near as cold as his heart. He couldn't feel. Everything and everyone was numb to him. Knuckles and Amy tried to talk to him after the initial ambush but Tails couldn't have cared any less about what they had to say. He's been keeping himself inside his home for the last six months. Nothing changed.
There's nothing to look forward to, nothing to be excited about. The world had gone to hell since Eggman took over. There was suffering everywhere. The Resistance was trying to fight back but if Tails was being honest with himself, he doesn't think they've made any progress so far. Poor Knuckles, he knew he was trying.
For the last six months, he had been living in his own personal hell. Physically he found himself in a world of literal brink of collapse. Mentally he was burdening himself with his guilt. Tails found himself in a hole. A hole that he couldn't come back out of no matter how hard he tried. He kept digging himself deeper and deeper until eventually he felt that it was impossible to get out. Not without Sonic by his side.
Finally, Emotionally a wreck. He cried every day for months on end. Every day was the same. Tails couldn't stop crying even if he wanted to. The tears just overflowed without being able to try to stop them. At some point, he stopped trying.
Losing Sonic was always a possibility knowing his line of work and the hero made sure to prepare Tails for that day if it ever came. Tails supposed he wasn't expecting it so soon nor did he expect it at all. The fox had turned into this mess. He promised Sonic that he would move forward and live his life regardless if something were to happen. He promised he'd be okay and he gave Sonic his word that he had nothing to worry about. He was fully capable of taking care of himself.
Tails promised Sonic he'd be alright but that was a lie.
He wasn't okay. None of this was okay. Maybe he said so to Sonic fully expecting it to never happen. He thought Sonic could be exaggerating and over-preparing. That was ironic coming from Tails as he was the one who was always prepared for just about anything.
Maybe he did want Sonic to prepare him for circumstances like this because he didn't want to face the reality that maybe it could happen. Life happens. He hates that.
Tails always thought that no matter what happened, they would always stick together. Sonic promised they would. The kit knew Sonic wouldn't leave him voluntarily but it didn't hurt him any less of the fact that he was still gone.
Sonic left him. To fend for the world and for himself.
Tails thought he'd be okay.
Yet here he was, still wallowing and shunning everyone out of his life half a year on.
Tails laid back, his legs hanging off the bed. He couldn't cry anymore, he'd already cried enough. Tails is tired of crying.
He laid there for Chaos knows how long. He's spent many sleepless nights on this bed. It was the only thing that still carried the scent of his brother. Oh, how he missed him.
A gloved hand found the pillow that had been set aside and buried his face into it. Hugging it as though it were the blue hero as the scent that still lingered made his imagination believe such.
He pulled the covers around himself like a warm hug. Tails hadn't slept in his bed since the day Sonic was taken from him. He couldn't. The kit couldn't remember the last time when he had slept in his own home alone, a night without Sonic sleeping in the guest bedroom. It had been a very long time since then.
Every day he felt himself get sadder and sadder. He was probably falling into a depression but he didn't think about that for too long.
His friends came by often, making sure to keep checking up on the young fox knowing that's what Sonic would've wanted. Every time he answered the door he swore to his friends he was fine. To further ensure such, Tails would insist on working on his next big invention but the reality is he had stopped working on anything by the fourth-month mark.
At first, he was determined to try to get Sonic back. He didn't know how or where he was but he would try everything in his power to find his lost brother.
His efforts were of no use though when Rouge revealed that Sonic was dead. There was no point in continuing his work that would prove fruitless. His motivation for moving on was to find Sonic alive but with the revelation provided. Everything came to a stop.
The universe gives and takes. It gave Tails, Sonic when he needed someone the most but it took him away when the universe felt his services were enough.
Tails didn't know if he believed in a higher being but if he did, he hated them. Hated them for taking away the one individual who helped him be who he is today. Tails wouldn't be the genius master inventor that everyone came to care about and love without Sonic. None of this would've been possible without his brother.
His parents were no good to him. They hated him for his abnormality, he was the odd man out. The black sheep. No one wanted him. Sonic was the only one who did. Tails owed him everything.
He didn't know how long he laid there curled up in those covers, thinking. Just thinking. Nothing more. He hadn't been eating but he tried to. The young fox knew Sonic was probably watching over him, scolding him for not doing what he should to take care of himself.
Every night he apologized to Sonic. For not keeping his promises and for letting things happen. He was the reason Sonic's dead and as much as all his friends want to tell him differently, at the end of the day they knew it too. No need to sugarcoat anything. It was the cold hard truth. Tails accepted that.
He's not sure when he closed his eyes or what time of night he found himself in a deep slumber. The next time he woke up it was to a soft buzzing at his wrist. Through half-lidded eyes, Tails looked at his wristwatch. The time was 9:17 in the morning. It wasn't the time that was important however, it was the 53 missed calls and 20 unanswered messages from his friends that woke his mind up.
Something happened. 'For Gaia's sake now what?'
He reads the latest message and it makes him sit upright so fast he's dizzy. Bright blue eyes are so wide they might fall out of their sockets. He rubs his eyes once or twice to make sure he's read the message right. It was short and simply read;
"Answer our calls. Sonic's alive. Come to HQ."
- Knuckles
Tails doesn't move, he's a statue in place. He rereads the message over and over again like he had read it wrong. As if his mind was playing games with him.
He stood up, the covers from the bed sliding off of him yet his eyes remained glued to the small screen. He can't think. It's taking him an awful long time to process this. When he does, the fox is at his knees and loud sobs rip throughout his house not caring if someone outside could hear him.
Tails cried with excitement. Cried of relief. Cried in shock. He wasn't sure anymore. The only thing Tails was sure of at this very moment in time was that Sonic was okay. He was alive and that was enough.
Sonic didn't leave him just yet.
For Tails, that was enough.
So my English class was canceled so now I have some free time to write here which is pretty neat. I understand this isn't exactly the whumpiest chapter however our child was suffering in forces and they brushed it off like it was nothing smh… Also need to find a 10x10 in. block for printmaking for my art class and I can't find that crap anywhere and I need it for Thursday bro. UGHHHHHH.