The world lit up in a blinding flash, followed by an explosive crack of thunder milliseconds later.
Tails flinched, his breathing speeding up as he struggled to keep control of the biplane, adrenaline being pumped into his veins with a speed that could rival Sonic's.
"Just hang on," he chanted to himself, trying his hardest not to hyperventilate as his heartbeat thundered in his ears, "just keep her steady for a little while longer."
Sucking in a sharp breath and letting it out in a futile attempt to calm himself, the young aviator scanned the sky for a sign of his brother who had jumped off to intercept their enemy's camouflaged aircraft a minute ago. He knew the other had landed, he saw Sonic's shoes touch down on a grey wing and then his brother had disappeared into the storm with the small jet.
It was difficult to spot them in the hurricane.
The sea below raged as the sky that had been bright and blue mere hours ago darkened to a near blackness, lit only by the frequent flashes of lightning that were sparking up too close for comfort.
The air had grown chilly and the winds turbulent, blowing around the curtains of rain as if a mere silk cloth. Tails shivered when a current brushed over him, blowing his bangs to the side and pelting him with bullets of water, his fur on the right side growing damp.
More lightning sparked the sky, the astraphobic fox yelping as he was shook to the core by the earth shattering bang that followed, whimpering with terror as his fur that hadn't gotten drenched stood on end.
The storm had gotten worse.
As the frequency of the lightning bolts and accompanying cracks increased significantly, the fox grew even more apprehensive, practically putting all his energy into trying to keep his mind clear of terror and his fingers from trembling, trying his absolute hardest to not lose control of his brother's biplane.
His fox ears twitched at hearing another explosion and the little part of his mind that wasn't thrown in a frenzy due to fear brought logistics and science to the forefront of his brain, pointing out how the sound hadn't followed a flash of lightning.
Perhaps it was confusion or curiosity, or maybe it was just his worry. But as soon as he subconsciously made the deduction, his eyes snapped where the noise had come from and a shocked gasp escaped him. The aircraft he had been trying to locate a while ago was clearly visible, broken up by an explosion and its pieces being snatched away by the winds and waves but that was not what had caught his attention.
Sonic was falling.
Tails froze, eyes wide and sight fixated on his falling brother. The world slowed down to a halt in that moment and the paralyzing terror that gripped at his heart dissolved away like ink.
Thunder rumbled and the sky roared, the world lighting up in an explosion of white that illuminated the speeding raindrops but it all felt muffled to him, the only thing he could hear being the heartbeat thundering in his ears, the only thing he could see being the dropping form of a blue hedgehog.
Sonic. He had to save Sonic. Nothing else mattered.
Tails fell a strange calm wash over him and deep focus took over his mind. His eyes narrowed in subconscious determination, the world falling away in a slow blur as he adjusted the controls and moved the yoke, throwing the biplane into a steep nosedive towards the limp hedgehog, taking care not to let it stall.
As the Tornado overtook the unconscious mobian, he pulled the yoke hard, switching the flaps with the other hand and managing to pull the biplane straight, the close proximity of it to the sea leaving a sharp cut streak over the water's surface.
Tails kept the plane steady, no longer able to see or hear the storm he was piloting straight through as he lined the beloved aircraft with the falling form at just the right moment, catching Sonic in the seat behind him, the hedgehog letting out a grunt at the impact that went unheard in the noise of the storm.
The blue speedster blinked his eyes open, groaning as he rubbed his head and sat up, a hand reaching to the side to grab the edge of the cockpit to steady himself against the turbulence. He looked ahead to address Tails with a witty remark only to fall silent as he dropped his hand, eyes widening in awe at the view up front, his trusted biplane smoothly flying a few meters above the sea as it was expertly maneuvered around the massive black waves that tried to swallow it whole, neither the wind nor the rain slowing it down.
Sonic looked on, chest welling up with pride for his younger brother who was piloting the aircraft with tremendous skill and without a hint of fear even as he flew straight through the lightning storm, determination dripping from his posture and demeanor.
Sonic reached forth and laid a hand over Tails' shoulder in silent support, saying a thousand words with a single gesture. A gesture that was perfectly understood as some tension seemed to leak away from the fox's stiff body and the flight path somehow grew even steadier.
It felt like hours before the biplane finally left the vicinity of the dark storm, strong, cold tempests that carried icy pellets of water falling away to give way to humid and salty air, the warm rays of afternoon sun welcoming on the dampened fur of the two mobians.
If the radar on the screen upfront was anything to go by, Tails had rerouted their destination to the closest piece of land from their current coordinates and was flying towards it.
Throughout the long flight, Sonic remained silent, not attempting to break the intense focus that seemed to have overtaken his younger brother's thoughts. There would be plenty of time for that once they landed.
An island soon began to come into view over the smooth curve of the planet's horizon, a welcome change from the endless blue both above and below.
Tails still hadn't spoken a word since he caught Sonic. The hedgehog breathed out a silent sigh as the biplane gradually descended in altitude the closer they got to the piece of land.
Sonic jumped out and stretched his arms and back as the biplane came to a stop over a stretch of grassy field, the whir of the engine dying down as his companion turned it off.
The spot that had been chosen for landing was located in a pretty serene and secluded area of the island, only sounds there being of the flickies chirping nearby and the light breeze ruffling the tall blades.
"Pretty cool place, huh, Tails?"
Silence greeted him.
Sonic turned towards his brother with a worried frown marring his features. "Tails?"
The fox didn't respond, simply staring down with a faraway look in his eyes, his hands still frozen over the controls. Sonic took note of the light trembles that ran through him and immediately jumped up to land inside the cockpit, taking a hold of his brother's shoulders, a pit of concern forming in his stomach.
"Talk to me, buddy. Are you okay?"
A minute, high pitched whimper sounded from the upset kit before Sonic was tackled by an armful of yellow fluff, small arms wrapping around him with a force he hadn't been expecting as Tails buried his face in the peach fur, all but shuddering in distress.
Sonic stared down at his little brother before exhaling and wrapping an arm around the kit, one hand moving to stroke the back of his head.
A brief muffled whine was heard and the younger boy let out a sob, unable to hold back his emotions now that he was held in the comfort of the older's arms, facing the aftermath of the harrowing experience.
"Hey hey, it's okay. I got you, Lil' Bro. You're safe. We're both safe."
Tails weeped and Sonic held him for as long as he needed, whispering soothing words and encouragements.
This went on for a long while until the child eventually stopped crying, sensing a dull ache behind his eyes as his body sagged against the other in exhaustion.
"I'm so proud of you, little brother," Sonic mumbled after long moments of calming silence as he held the kit. "I know how much lightning scares you and what you did back there was pretty epic and brave, flying through all that and facing it head on."
"I-" The younger took a trembling yet sharp breath, his arms that were still locked in a hug tightening around the other. And even before Tails had fully said anything, Sonic knew.
"I couldn't lose you."
Because what was greater than fear but love?