Hello everyone! So, first of all, I wanna thank 'Uncorrectly_Correct' (on ao3) for allowing me to write his prompt :D Without him this fic wouldn't exist, after all :3
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one :) A lot of fluff on this one (and yes, I wrote this instead of updating my other fics 💀💀)
A year had gone by since Tails had decided to follow his own path and explore the world. He had traveled to places he had never seen and helped everyone he found on his way. After depending on Sonic for too long, he had become more than just Sonic's brother—he had become a hero in his own right. And he couldn't be happier.
And his big brother, Sonic, couldn't be more proud.
The blue hedgehog who had taken him in, the first who had shown him kindness and love, who saw his two tails not as a curse but as a gift, who had given him confidence and courage to be himself, who shaped who he is today, the one who had been more than a friend to him. The one who had become his family.
They kept in touch, of course. Tails had joked with Sonic, saying he wouldn't recognize him when he got back.
But Sonic didn't let him go without them maintaining any sort of contact.
Not that Tails expected anything else, of course.
Sonic had made sure that they talked at least once a week and met up every six months at their home (which, pretty much, had become Sonic's house since last year), with just the two of them (and sometimes, the next day, the whole gang sprinkled in).
Tails had agreed, even though he wanted to prove his independence and not rely on Sonic. He knew that Sonic loved him, and he loved Sonic too. He would miss him a lot if they hadn't maintained contact.
And today was one of those special days.
Tails had flown back to their home for their biannual reunion, which meant a whole day (and night) just for themselves. They had ordered all kinds of junk food (which meant mint ice cream for dessert), played video games, watched movies, and cashed up on everything.
Eventually, they played a game of Monopoly that lasted two and a half hours. Tails won, and Sonic got his revenge by throwing a pillow at his brother's face.
Needless to say, the next hour, their hangout turned into a wild pillow fight.
Somehow that led to a karaoke battle, which eventually became random conversations with extremely random and gibberish jokes about whatever their tired minds could think of at the moment.
They had enjoyed every moment of it until they had to go to sleep. They said good night to each other as they headed to their own rooms and closed their eyes, drifting into a peaceful sleep.
But their sleep was interrupted by a loud boom of thunder that shook the house, followed by a flash of lightning that lit up the room. Tails opened his eyes and sat up, startled by the noise. He looked out the window and saw the dark clouds and the rain pouring down. He looked at the clock.
4:29 AM
"Ugh, I wanna sleep." Tails said, mildly annoyed, as he scrubbed his eyes. He wished the storm would just go away.
He was about to lie down again when he realized that... he wasn't scared of the storm?
Tails immediately got up, as he realized that he hadn't felt any fear or panic.
Had he… overcome his fear of lightning without even noticing?
He remembered how he used to be terrified of lightning, how he would curl up in a ball and cover his ears, and how he would cry until Sonic would come to help him.
He always felt like a burden.
Useless.
He fought alongside his brother and his friends, made complex machinery, and did so many things an adult could only dream of (let alone a child).
But… yet, he was afraid of something as "little" as lightning.
And despite him being afraid of something so stupid, Sonic would always come, no matter what. Sonic always came back (not like his progenitors).
The Blue Blur would always hug him, comfort him, and make him feel safe and loved.
He didn't get it…
Until one day, a few years ago, after a particularly bad storm, Tails confessed what was going on inside his mind.
A day he still vividly remembered...
"If I were the one scared, bud, would you think I was a burden?" Sonic asked, knowing exactly what the answer would be.
"No!" Tails immediately said, with the highest amount of energy he could accomplish at the moment, "Of course not. I would never see you like that."
"Then, why should I think you're a burden?" Sonic asked rhetorically.
"Because-"
"Tails," Sonic started affectionately, looking at the little kid, who he could have sworn that, just yesterday, was only four. "We are brothers, and I will always love you. When we care about someone, we want them to be happy and well. So, even if you got some kind of real bad illness or whatever disease you couldn't fix and you couldn't invent or help us fight Eggman, you still wouldn't be a burden to me. You'll never be a burden to me, okay?"
"Really?" Tails asked as his baby blue eyes searched Sonic's green eyes to see if his big brother was being honest.
"Really." Sonic said, smiling. And Tails knew, at that moment, that everything Sonic had said was the truth. He felt warm inside as he let go of a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding.
Tails smiled as he remembered what Sonic had told him. Even after the years that followed, he still felt somewhat like a burden whenever a storm raged.
But Sonic's words always echoed Tails' mind every time, putting him at ease.
But now, he had no reason to question his worth anymore. He had made it. He had faced his fear, and he had conquered it without even realizing it.
A knock on the door disrupted Tails' thoughts…
'It must be Sonic', Tails thought.
"Hey, little bro. Are you okay? I brought you a chili dog and some mints to cheer you up!" Sonic smiled as he held a tray with the perfect snack (that Sonic prepared whatever a storm happened) that made his mouth water.
"I'm… pretty good, actually, Sonic." Sonic gave a surprised look. "Thanks for the food, though. It looks delicious. But I'm not scared of lightning anymore." Tails said, smiling and looking into Sonic's eyes.
"You ain't bluffing, right?" Sonic asked, clearly dubious about whether or not Tails was telling the truth.
Tails nodded. "Yeah, I just got annoyed by it. I didn't even notice I wasn't scared of them anymore, until I tried to go to sleep again."
Sonic looked surprised and impressed. He put down the tray, hugged Tails back, and smiled back.
"Wow, little bro, you've really grown up. I can already see the gray quills." Sonic said it half-jokingly, earning a chuckle from Tails. "But seriously… I'm so proud of you, bud. You're growing up so fast." Sonic said, smiling proudly at his little brother, as Tails' heart felt warm.
He really had grown up, hadn't he?
He was so different from the little scared kit he was when Sonic had first found him on the West Side Island. And Sonic knew that.
"It's a shame I made this snack for nothin'... Guess I'll have to eat it, then." Sonic smirked, leaving Tails in a state of shock.
WHAT A TRAITOR! He knows how much I enjoy it!
"No! I still wanna eat it!"
After the two brothers bickered and Tails ate his favorite snack, they both ended up falling asleep on Tails' bed happy and content…