Merry Christmas, everybody! This was based on a tumblr post so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 28: Christmas Time
"Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!" Sonic sang with the music on the radio, wearing a red Santa coat and hat. "You stand in splendid beauty!"
Tom then walked into the room and shut off the radio.
"Aw…" Sonic slumped over sadly.
"Sorry, bud. Now c'mon, help us set up the tree." Tom nudged him with a fond smile.
Quickly getting over it, Sonic quickly followed his father towards the main door.
"I still do not understand this 'Christmas'." Knuckles stated as he carried the tree in through the door. "Would you mind explaining it to me again?"
Sonic glanced at his eldest brother before noticing Tails was heading upstairs towards their room.
A solemn look graced the young kit's face. His tails, which were usually swishing with liveliness, were drooping, the tips almost touching the floor.
Whenever this happened, it usually meant two things. One: Tails was tired. Or two: he was upset about something.
"Uh, yeah, just a sec."
While Knuckles went over to help Tom and Maddie with the tree, Sonic rushed up the steps of the ladder toward his, Tails, and Knuckles' shared room in the attic.
Reaching the top of the steps, Sonic stepped up into the attic, his bright red shoes creaking on the hard-wood floor. The Christmas lights which were normally a bright orange had been changed to a more traditional red and green.
The air was brisk with the skylight partially open, allowing a cool breeze and some flakes of snow to blow inside.
Tails sat on his airplane-shaped bed with a large book in hands detailing quantum mechanics. His brow was pierced while his eyes were entirely focused on the lines on the page, eyeing them with an analytical twinkle way beyond his years.
"Hey." Sonic broke the silence.
Tails glanced up from his book. "Hey."
Sonic sat down at the foot of the bed, smiling a bit. "You're not gonna decorate the tree with us? We could use someone like you to put the star at the top."
Silently, Tails shook his head, looking down at his lap.
"Why not?" Sonic asked, gently grasping Tails' book and pulling it out of his hands before setting it down on the floor.
"Well… Christmas wasn't a big deal where I'm from." Tails stated.
"You guys have Christmas back on Mobius?" Sonic asked in surprise.
Tails nodded. "Yeah, but it's not really as big a deal as it is here." He continued. "Back in my village, I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with. And no one was gonna give me any presents anytime soon. So after a while, I just stopped asking for anything." He looked down, his ears folding slightly. "I figured I didn't deserve luxury gifts."
He pulled his legs close to his chest, his ears fully folding against his head. "Sometimes I wonder if any of this is real, " He looked around the cozy attic, breathing in the fresh wintry Montana air. "Like one I'll wake up and you, Knuckles, Mom, and Dad will all be gone and I'll be back in my village." He looked down and closed his eyes. "Alone."
You hear that? That's the sound of Sonic's heart breaking.
"Oh, buddy…" Sonic scooted closer to his baby brother, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a side hug. "I'm… I'm really sorry to hear that."
Tails shrugged. "It's okay, really. I'm used to it."
"Doesn't mean that it's okay." Sonic shook his head before resting his chin in between the little fox's ears. "Believe it or not, I used to think the same thing sometimes."
Tails' ears perked up. "Really?" He asked, looking up at his brother with wide surprised eyes.
"Yeah." Sonic nodded. "Right after Tom and Maddie took me in, it was kinda shocking for me at first. I sometimes wondered if this was all just some beautiful dream and that in reality I'd just wake up back in my cave. But guess what?"
"What?" Tails asked quietly.
"I'm still here." Sonic smiled. "And now not only do I have a mom and a dad, but two awesome brothers who I wouldn't trade for anything in the universe!" He lightly poked Tails' white-furred stomach, earning a giggle from the kit.
"We're here for you, Tails. Always." Sonic smiled softly. "Because no one deserves to celebrate Christmas alone, especially not you." He then pulled Tails into his lap and hugged him tightly. "We all love you so much, little bro. Don't ever forget that."
Tails sniffled slightly as he snuggled into his brother's chest, his tails twitching happily. "Thanks, Sonic." He smiled. "I love you guys too."
Sonic smiled back before taking off his Santa hat and placing it on Tails' head.
"C'mon, little bro! Let's go help Mom, Dad, and Knux decorate!" Sonic scooped Tails up in his arms and placed him on his shoulder, the little fox giggling and laughing happily as he was carried downstairs.
Knuckles grunted as he helped Tom and Maddie carry several boxes out from the garage and into the house.
"May I inquire what exactly the contents of these boxes are, healer Maddie?" Knuckles asked as he carefully set the boxes down next to the tree.
"They're ornaments, sweetie." Maddie replied, opening the first box. "They're for decorating the tree."
"We also need to put some lights up." Tom added, getting out said lights.
Knuckles raised a brow. "Why must we decorate the tree when we already have it right here?" He looked to the tree sitting idly by the couch.
"Well, it's a tradition. People started decorating trees for Christmas because they stayed green even in the cold. A symbol of life enduring through the freezing winter." Maddie said as she hung up one of the ornaments. "Plus, it's fun."
Knuckles nodded. "I see…" He murmured ponderously. He then glanced at one of the boxes containing the ornaments. "May I… hang one of these decorations?"
Maddie smiled. "Of course, sweetie." She pointed to one of the boxes. "You can grab one from the boxes. Just be careful with them, okay? Most of them are very fragile."
"I understand. I shall be as gentle as possible." Knuckles replied, flashing her his most charming grin.
Looking down at the cardboard box, Knuckles reached into it. Feeling around the contents of the box, Knuckles felt his hand brush against a round-shaped ornament.
His muscles tensed as he carefully wrapped his palm around the ornament, being as gentle as he possibly could.
Pulling his arm out of the box, the ornament was a sparkling red in the shape of a small ball. The shiny surface reflecting the light from the ceiling lamp.
He gazed upon his reflection in the glass of the ornament. "Maddie…"
Maddie turned to him. "Yes, sweetie?"
"Why do people celebrate Christmas?"
Maddie paused in her hanging of the ornaments. She looked down and tapped her foot as she tried to think of something. How were you supposed to tell a teenage warrior about the true meaning of Christmas?
"Well… for a lot of people, Christmas is about spending time with those you love." Maddie explained. "Being with family and friends, having fun and enjoying the time you have together while it lasts."
"Christmas is a time where you celebrate the joy and kindness of the world, where you can share joy with complete strangers without having to know them."
Maddie smiled softly as she knelt down, gently running her hand through his dreadlocks. "But most of all, it's a time to cherish peace and goodwill."
Knuckles gazed up at her before smiling slightly. "That sounds very nice." His smile widened. "I would like to experience this 'Christmas' with all of you."
Maddie smiled back before gently pulling him into a brief hug. "Well, you can help me and Tom put up the decorations on the tree." She then broke the hug as she headed back to the tree. "Make sure to put the heavier ornaments on the stronger branches so they don't fall off."
Knuckles nodded before he hung the red ornament on the strongest branch he could find.
Just then, Sonic came down the stairs from the attic, a wide smile on his face as he carried Tails on his left shoulder. Tails was slumped over the hedgehog's head wearing an equally joyful smile.
"Still any ornaments left to hang?" Sonic asked as he set Tails down on the floor.
"A few. We still have to put the star up too." Maddie replied.
Tails stepped forward, twiddling his fingers. "Um… Mom…?" He spoke up shyly.
"Hmm?" Maddie looked down at her youngest. "What, sweetie?"
"Can…" Tails sucked in a deep breath before looking up to meet her eyes. "Can I put up the star… please?"
Tom shrugged. "I don't see why not." He said. "Go ahead."
Tails blinked in surprise before he smiled widely.
Going over to the boxes, Tails reached inside and pulled out the star. It was a nice golden star with a little peg at the bottom to fit onto the tree.
Whirling his namesakes, Tails hovered up to the ceiling. With careful precision, Tails gently placed the star on top of the tree. And as he did, he felt a strange warmth bursting through his chest. A feeling of joy and wonder that was almost foreign to him, yet he welcomed it nonetheless.
"Nice, little bro!" Sonic smiled proudly as Tails landed, wrapping his arm around the little fox's shoulder.
"Thanks, Sonic." Tails smiled back at his older brother.
"You deserved to put up the tree, fox." Knuckles stated with a small smile, gently ruffling the kit's bangs.
"Thanks, Knuckles." Tails grinned, playfully shoving his eldest brother's hand off.
"Star looks nice. Nice job, buddy." Tom smirked, affectionately patting Tails on the head.
"It looks beautiful, sweetie." Maddie smiled, gently kissing Tails on the forehead.
"C'mon, let's start a fire and watch some Christmas movies." Tom said, waving them over to the couch.
"Whoo! Christmas movies!" Sonic cheered, leaping onto the couch.
"Christmas movies? Yeah!" Tails exclaimed joyfully, jumping up and whirling his tails before landing next to Sonic on the couch.
"Time for the fun!" Knuckles smiled as he sat down on Tails left, leaving the kit squeezed between his older brothers.
Once they had got the fire going, Tom and Maddie both sat down on both ends of the couch.
"So, what should we watch?" Tom asked as he grabbed the remote.
"Ooh! Can we watch Home Alone again?" Sonic asked.
"I wanna watch Rudolph!" Tails exclaimed.
"Can we please watch A Christmas Carol?" Knuckles asked.
"Let's find something we can all enjoy, okay?" Maddie said.
Tom raised a brow as he scrolled to one movie in particular. "How about… Santa Claus is Coming to Town?" He suggested.
"Ooh, I don't think I've seen that one." Sonic admitted before he grinned. "Let's watch that!"
"What's it about?" Tails asked.
"Oh, it's classic." Tom replied. "It's the origin of Santa Claus."
Tails' eyes shined, his interest piqued. "Ooh… can we watch that?"
"I too wish to know the origins of this 'Santa Claus.'" Knuckles added.
"Okay, let's watch." Maddie stated.
Tom pressed the play button, selecting the movie.
As the movie started, everyone got as comfortable as they could. Tom rested his right arm over the side of the couch while his left arm rested over the back of the couch. Sonic had his arm wrapped around Tails, pulling the kit closer to him while leaning against Tom's side. Tails leaned into the blue hedgehog's embrace while his tails wrapped around each of his brothers. Knuckles leaned into Maddie's side, folding both arms across his chest. Maddie leaned back against the couch with her arms wrapped around Knuckles.
The family of five enjoyed the movie while the fire crackled and the Christmas tree shined brightly as it stood tall and proud.
It was definitely the start of a very merry Christmas.
And as he watched the movie, Sonic inwardly contemplated what gifts to get for his family.