DAY 4

Sonic the hedgehog rose up with the sun.

The first rays of light were just starting to appear on the horizon. Ocean reflecting the warm hues over the water.

He yawned as he stretched, rotating his arms and moving his head around. After he was satisfied, he carefully got up. Taking care of not waking the little figure on the sleeping bag next to his.

He stared fondly at him. Yesterday had been an eventful day, but Sonic was happy that he got to meet this kid, that he got to meet Tails.

It was clear this kid had gone through some rough stuff in life and it broke Sonic's heart in many ways. What, with the way his ears flickered at the most imperceptible sounds, or how he flinched each time Sonic tried to touch him. He had no idea how deep the damage went, but Sonic vowed he would do anything in his power to make his life a little easier.

No one deserved to live a life of solitude and pain.

Sonic quietly made his way over to the Tornado's cockpit, looking under the seat and taking out the small chest that held his most precious possessions.

He took out the chili cans, a sausage package and some bowls. Carefully settling them down in the Tornado's lower alerion and taking the bowls with him.

After making sure they wouldn't fall off, he made his way out of their makeshift camp. Taking a long look around the beachside, eyes focusing on a palm tree at the edge of the forest.

Perfect. Sonic dashed to its side, he looked up and… yup, some coconuts were resting just below its fronds.

He took a few steps back and set the bowls in the ground, crouching down and spindashing into it. Careful of not using too much force to damage the plant but enough for two coconuts to drop down into the sand.

Sonic spared a look back at Tails. His ears were pointed in his direction, but otherwise it seemed as if he was still asleep. Good, Sonic would like to surprise him.

He grabbed one of the coconuts, took one of his quills from his head and poked a hole in it, letting the water drop into one of the bowls before doing the same with the other.

There, first part of breakfast done, now onto the second.

He returned to their camp, tiptoeing a little as he put the bowls by the lantern in the middle, and started working on making a small fire.

Grabbing a few sticks and twigs, Sonic made a perimeter with rocks from the beachside and worked on getting a spark. He almost cheered out loud when he managed, having to silence himself at the last second. Right, it wasn't just him anymore. It was something weird to think about now, huh.

He sat down by the fire, grabbing a pointy stick and stabbing a sausage in it. It wasn't long until the smell of something cooking expanded in the air and, just as Sonic expected, the sound of someone sniffing following.

"Morning, buddy. Slept well?"

A yawn was his answer, Sonic just chuckled as the fox kit slowly sat down beside him, sleep still clear in his movements.

"Good morning, Spike."

Ohhh right. He was going by Spike now, wasn't he? Wasn't the worst name he has been called, Egghead came up with plenty of creative names for him, but it was… weird. He would have to get used to it.

It wasn't as if he was going to share his true name with the kid, he already knew what type of reaction that would follow. Sonic was happy with how things were.

And as much as he hated to admit it, a part of him was scared that Tails would start treating him differently after he found out who he was.

"You hungry, buddy?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

Sonic gave him the sausage he had been cooking, grabbing a new one and repeating the process. "Here, it'll take a while before they are done. But hey! It's the process what matters, right? At least that's what I've been told."

Tails giggled at his complaining. "I didn't take you for one to wait around."

"And I'm not! I would much rather just buy 'em at a stand or something. But I doubt anything's open at this hour. Besides," Sonic reached behind him and grabbed one of the chili cans. "I wanted to share this with you, it's my favorite recipe! Right off my especial stash!"

Tails' ears flattened against his head at that, hands coming together to grasp at the stick. "Are you sure you want to share that with me? It sounds… important to you."

"That's exactly why I wanna share it with you!" Sonic's heart clenched at the way the kid referred to himself, almost with disgust, but he kept his high spirits. "Today's special buddy."

"Is it?"

"Yeah! It's our first breakfast as friends!"

Tails looked at him with a hint of doubt. "Is that a thing?"

"Yup!" Totally didn't just make that up to justify giving this kid a proper meal, he would refuse if Sonic told him the truth. He was certain.

"Huh." Thankfully, Tails seemed to drop the topic, just spinning his food until it was evenly cooked.

After Sonic's was done too, he opened the lid and poured the chili over the sausages. "I usually eat them in a hot dog bun, but oh well, hope you enjoy, Tails!"

The kit's ears seemed to perk up at the nickname, a gentle wagging of his tails following. "Thanks."

Sonic watched in endearment as Tails' eyes widened after taking the first bite, practically shoving the rest of the food onto his mouth. "Wow, don't go too fast there, bud! That's my thing!"

"So'wy." Tails shrugged his arm as he responded, mouth still full as he used the back of his palm to clean his muzzle.

"There's some coconut water too if you'd like. Figured you'd get thirsty." He signaled bowls with a nod of his head.

"Wow, thanks! I've always had trouble getting them down from the palm trees." The kid happily took one of them and started drinking, tails picking up speed.

"Really?" Sonic arched a brow. "Huh, I thought flying made that easy for you."

His tails went stiff, the kid hiding his face in the bowl. Shot, way to go, Sonic! You made him nervous!

"I-I'm sorry about that-" Sonic jumped to try and fix his mistake, but Tails merely shook his head.

"No, is just…" The kit shrug both shoulders, hiding his face between them. "I still don't know if I can fly-? I kinda figured that out yesterday and I'm pretty sure it was just luck."

"Really?! Huh, could have fooled me! What, with the way you ran yesterday!" Sonic moved one of his hands from one side to the other, imitating a 'Whoosh!' sound as he did.

Tails snickered a little at that. "Yeah, but it's nothing special, really."

"Uhh dude? We're talking about flying, right?! 'Cause I'd say that's really special." Sonic stood up then, dusting himself off and extending a hand towards Tails. "Come on, I'm sure you can do it again. And if anything happens, I'll be there to catch you."

Tails stared at his hand, blue eyes going over multiple emotions before they settled in determination. "Okay."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Sonic helped him onto his feet, a part of him worried of how light the fox kit was, but he pushed it aside for now.

"Okay, Tails." Sonic rubbed the base of his nose with his knuckles, a grin on his face. "Let's see what you've got!"

Tails was having the time of his life.

The morning sun left a nice, warm feeling over his body, wind brushing against his fur and a friend at his side.

The hedgehog, Spike as he had come to call him, had been with him every step of the way. True to his word, he stood watch as Tails continued with his attempts at flying, dashing over in the blink of an eye whenever he lost balance or a current of wind threw him off course.

He was careful with him, cheering him up when things didn't work out or advising him when he made mistakes. Is this what having a friend was like?

Tails almost felt empty then, was it possible to miss something you never had? All those years spend on his own, looking for anything that could help him on those cold nights… Tails wasn't sure he could go back to that now.

They spend their morning running around, switching between racing with each other as Spike taught him more things and Tails trying to control his flying.

He had gotten more consistent with it over the course of the morning, Spike's advice being surprisingly on point most of the time.

It wasn't until the sun was at its highest point that they decided to rest for a bit, his tails were feeling pretty tired.

He may be getting better at controlling himself while airborne, but it still took a lot out of him doing that for long periods of time.

However, Tails wasn't one to just sit around, and it didn't look like Spike liked it either.

Instead, Tails got started on properly fixing the Tornado. Now that he didn't have to worry about looking over his shoulder every minute, he could focus on salvaging what he could from her engine.

The moment Spike showed him the toolbox he usually carried on his biplane made him fly in excitement, doing laps around the plane despite his exhaustion.

Tails got immersed in his work, using his namesakes to grab or store the tools he needed and humming a little song to himself as he continued restoring some of the burnt parts.

"How you doing there, bud?" Tails flinched a little as the hedgehog dashed to his side, having stopped running laps around to look at his work.

"I'm doing good, I guess. I managed to repair most of the pieces, but these are the ones I couldn't fix, sorry about that." Tails gave him a list of the pieces he had to buy, a pit of guilt in his chest.

Spike gave a whistle as he skimmed past it. "You kidding? I thought I had to buy a whole new plane at this point! This is nothing!" He even puffed some air from his nose, shaking his head in disbelief. "And these are some things that even I know what they are! How did you do it, Tails?"

He just brushed off his hands dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing, really."

Spike gave him a serious look then. "Dude, you really gotta start giving yourself more credit." He went to touch his shoulder, but stopped halfway through. "This stuff you do? I don't know anybody else who could do it. And trust me, I know lots of people."

Tails just brought his hands together and gave an awkward laugh. Looking everywhere but at the hedgehog.

Thankfully, Spike decided to change the topic. "Anyhow, it's a good thing you gave me this list," He brought a hand to rest on his neck, posture now a little nervous. "I kinda have to go back to town, we need more provisions for the night and stuff. Is there anything you need?"

Tails stopped fidgeting with his hands, a cold feeling washing over him at the mention of the place. Of the reminders of what he truly was. "Not really."

Spike took notice of his change in demeanor, a worried expression on his face. "You sure about that, Tails?"

"Yes." His bluntness surprised even him. The hedgehog almost visibly flinching but trying to cover it up. Tails took notice.

Spike looked like he wanted to say something else, opening his mouth but shutting it just as fast. "Alright, then."

Spike folded the note Tails gave him and stored it in his quills, walking down to the edge of the beach and turning his face to him. "I should be back in a few hours, see you here then?"

"Yeah… yeah. I'll continue working on the Tornado."

Spike gave a thumbs up, but even he could tell it felt empty. "Catch ya later, buddy."

And with that, he was gone. A trail of dust and cyan was left in his place.

Tails gave a sigh he didn't know he was holding. That had been… weird. Even he couldn't tell what caused his high spirits to disappear, but the mention of that place… of the people there and what they said about him…

He brought his hands to his arms, hugging himself close. He didn't want to think about that, at least not when he had been feeling so happy just moments ago. He wanted to feel happy.

His gaze wandered back to the Tornado. Maybe fixing her would help him? Fixing stuff always brought peace to him, this time wouldn't be any different.

Except, it was.

His hands started to tremble, his grip loosening and Tails found himself on the ground in multiple occasions trying to grab the tools he had dropped.

What was happening to him? He couldn't focus no matter how hard he tried, the edges of his vision blurring and a tight feeling in his chest.

This wasn't normal, right? There must be something wrong.

There's always been something wrong about you, Miles.

Miles' breathing began to pick up, his own thoughts weren't doing him any favors. He had to calm down.

His gazed focused on the forest in front of him. Going for a walk there usually helped when he felt like this. Yeah, yeah that would help him figure out… whatever was going on right now.

His feet began to move before he could process it, the rays of the sun disappearing the further he got in. He started to blink rapidly, just focus on something else, Miles, anything….

His hands were holding tightly onto his arms, tails tensed and close to him. Every sound seemed to be amplified around him, the leaves' rustling in the wind, a flickie's cries for his mother in the distance, the laughter of children-

Wait, that wasn't right. He must be imagining things, right? His breathing came in ragged, a dryness in his throat following soon after. He had to calm down.

He tried to remember the breathing technique Spike had been doing yesterday. How did he do it? Was it up for seven and held by four? No, no that wasn't right. There was an eight in there somewhere, but how did he do it-?!

He yelped as he tripped over something. There was no one there to catch him.

Miles felt the air leaving his lungs, pain expanding over his body like a disease.

A hiss escaped from his clenched teeth as he brought his knee close to his chest. Why did it hurt so much-? His body's trembling on the ground just made it worse.

"Yo! Guys! Over here!"

That voice was… familiar, somehow? Miles thought he had heard it before. But when-?

"What is it now, Lev? It better not be another false alarm."

Miles forced his eyes to open. Two figures, a tall green one and a smaller peach colored one were approaching him. The sight was familiar to him, a cold feeling growing in his chest with each step they took.

"See? I told you guys I heard something! And you didn't believe me, tch. There he is, Slash."

No, no no no no. This can't be happening, it can't! It can't be him.

"Huh, will you look at that. Turns out you ain't as useless as I thought, Lev." A shadow moved behind his eyelids, a third figure joining the group. "So, this is where you've been hiding, hm?"

Small, cold grains fell against his body. The sound of a boot hitting the ground coming soon after. "What a dumpster, then again only something like you could live in such a place."

"Ha! Look at the way it trembles! Oh man, I've missed this." Wicked laughter filled Miles' ears. "Don't you think it's time we showed it its place again, Slash?"

A fake humming noise came from in front of him. "Yeah, it has been a while since I've punched something." Miles could feel the smile coming from him. "Tusk?"

"Yes, Slash?" A third voice joined from his left, the cracking of knuckles coming from his direction.

"You know the drill."

Miles couldn't stop the scream that left him as harsh hands grabbed his tails, raw coughing coming soon after when his back hit the trunk he had been launched into.

A punch in his cheek made him lose his balance, body landing against the dirt. His fur tinted in greens and browns.

He didn't bother trying to get back up. The punch against his stomach was expected, but it didn't stop his body's response, tails weakly hugging him in an attempt to shield him.

Laughter bounced against the trees around him, the sound getting drilled into his head with each punch he took.

A particular hard kick managed to get a sound out of him, body desperately trying to curl further in himself at the pain. He didn't manage to move before rough hands grabbed his arms and held him up, feet hanging limply from the ground.

Miles let his head fall; it was easier this way. He bit his tongue to prevent any noise from escaping him, it would be worse if that happened.

Two hands grabbed his cheeks almost delicately. Their touch quickly turned bruising as a knee hit his jaw. Miles could taste blood.

There were multiple voices around him, but Miles didn't try to understand them. The pain coming from his tails as they were used to drag him in the ground clouding his brain.

He weakly felt his body getting thrown further away from the group, a kick at his back making him roll into a puddle. He couldn't distinguish if the wetness in his face came from his tears or the dirty water.

Silently, he just begged for it to be over.

Just waiting for someone, anyone to help him.

For Spike to help him.

"'The hell's this thing talking about?"

"I think you hit it too hard this time, Slash, you broke it."

Miles gave a hiss as his head was forcefully dragged backwards by the locks in his head. "Just what do you think you're doing, huh?!"

His vision flashed white as he was once again shoved into the puddle, rocks hitting his head. "You really think that someone's gonna help you? Please."

He gritted his teeth as more of his head was buried in the water. "Listen here you abomination. You are nothing. You hear me? Nothing. There's not a single person on this whole planet who would give a damn about you. Tch, just look at yourself."

"You are nothing more than a freak, a mistake. We're doing the world a favor by taking care of you." Miles brought his ears as close to his head as he could, Slash coming to whisper. "This is exactly what you deserve. You got that?"

Miles weakly nodded his head. He was slammed into the ground again.

"Answer me, you monster."

"Y-yes, Slash."

"Good."

The pressure finally left his head and Miles was left to his own in the muddy water.

"Oh, and one more thing." The voices were getting further away, but Miles still heard the message. "Don't bother trying to hide from me again, I'll always find you."

The laughter finally went away, the silence from the forest being of no comfort to him.

Miles just closed his eyes, letting sleep take him where he could no longer feel the pain in his body. Tear tracks mixing with the dirt in the puddle.

Tails was nowhere to be found.

That fact shouldn't bother Sonic as much as it did. The kid was free to come and go as he pleased, after all.

But he couldn't help a slight worry from creeping in.

Mainly because Tails had acted… weirdly before he left.

He should have seen it coming, what, with the way he reacted to anything and everything, but at the time, Sonic didn't consider that the mention of the town would affect him this badly.

Tails had completely shut down. The spark in his eyes disappearing in a blink, posture stiff and an emptiness in his words.

That worried Sonic.

And that worry only got worse when he arrived at the town. He made a mental note to come back as soon as he could, wanting to check up on Tails but giving him some time to himself, so he didn't bother with the usual greetings or autographs he usually gave around town.

He made a beeline towards the closest grocery store he saw. Skimming past the aisles and grabbing everything he could need for a few days. Enough to feed two people.

As he was checking out in the register, he decided to confirm his suspicions regarding Tails' reaction and the town itself.

"Hey, you haven't seen a yellow fox around, have you?" Sonic asked casually, pretending to be really interested in a random magazine by the counter.

The cashier, who seconds ago was vibrating with happiness, stopped in the middle of her work. A look of utter disgust on her face. "Oh no, did that two-tailed freak bother you, mister Sonic? I'm so, so sorry you had to see that."

His eye twitched behind the magazine he held in his face. "Why do you say that?"

"It's just that that thing just loves messing around with our nice town, always taking things, tampering with the machines at the back or scaring the kids," A chill went down her spine. "it's just a curse. Everywhere it goes, trouble follows. I just hope it didn't ruin your stay on our island, mister Sonic. I can always call the kids to get it off your back."

Sonic grabbed his bags and headed out, gritting his teeth together. "That won't be necessary."

He didn't bother sticking around to hear the cashier's reply, stomping down the street and drawing deep breaths.

This town was full of hypocrites.

Sonic finished the rest of his shopping at record speed, pulling the note from his quills and buying the pieces written there at the walrus' hardware store without a word.

It wasn't long until he was back at the Tornado, with no Tails in sight.

He set the bags down near the biplane, the uneasiness in his chest continuing to grow.

"Tails? Buddy? You in here?"

No response. But it was fine, right? The kid just probably went off to… calm himself down, maybe?

Yeah, yeah, he had been pretty agitated before he left. He just had to give him some time.

He would come back, there was no way he would just leave the Tornado like that.

There was no way he would just leave Sonic like that.

Right?

Sonic just gave a sigh.

If Tails wanted to leave Sonic wasn't about to stop him. Just like how he couldn't stop the hurt in his chest from forming, a familiar emptiness making his way back to his heart.

He really enjoyed spending time with the kid, he was the most intriguing person he had ever met. A young, brilliant kit with a bright future ahead of him. One that treated him like he was normal, like he wasn't just some freak show or untouchable celebrity. Someone who appreciated him for who he was, not what he represented.

Sonic would be lying if he said he wouldn't miss him, not to mention he wanted to be there to help him, given no one else intended to, but he wouldn't force him to stay either.

Tails would return if he wanted to. Sonic would respect his decision.

He turned to face the Tornado. There were only a few things left before she could take flight again; Tails had done wonders in fixing her.

He grabbed the blueprints and the components Tails had written, he was no mechanic, but Sonic was certain he could follow the design and continue the work from here.

He shook his hands, jumped a little in place and set his brows in determination, time to get to work.

He continued to install the new pieces, making an effort to not think about how late it was getting and how he missed a fluffy yellow presence at his side, when he heard a sound.

His ears flickered slightly in the direction, his hands stopping their motion at tightening some screws, and he turned his face to the forest's edge.

He held his breath, expecting a little fox to come out and greet him, but instead, he was met with three kids coming out of the forest. Laughter following their movements,

"I swear to Gaia, if you got us lost again, Tusk I swear I'm gonna- Oh my gosh." A gray bear cub stopped in his tracks, eyes wide as he set his sight on Sonic, hand dropping from where he had been attempting to punch his friend from what it seemed.

"Look! My dad never lies, Slash. There he is!" A small walrus, who appeared to be Tusk, had stars in his eyes as he rushed closer to him. "He even got me his autograph!"

"Remind me never to insult mechanics again." The third kid, a red monkey, whispered as he, too, was left frozen at the sight of the hedgehog.

Sonic merely sighed, drawing a deep breath before putting on his easy-going smile. Turning to face the kids. "Hey there! Aren't you guys a little far from home? It's getting late."

The bear cub practically threw himself towards Sonic, grinning with too much enthusiasm for his liking. "Oh, it's okay, Mister Sonic. It's okay if we call you Mister Sonic?" He didn't give him time to reply before he continued. "We were looking for you actually!"

"You were?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" the monkey replied, "Well, technically we came to get rid of the thing, but who says we can't do both things?"

Sonic felt a shiver going down his spine, a sudden stiffness to his movements. "What are you talking about?"

The walrus kid was oblivious to Sonic' change in demeanor. "People around town told us it had been bothering you, Mister Sonic, we just came here to fix that."

"I'm sorry it happened in the first place," The bear continued. "it won't happen again, I promise." A sick smile formed in his face; pride clear in his posture. "I took care of it."

Sonic could feel his fist tightening, he didn't bother trying to hide the coldness in his voice. Didn't bother with the way the bear flinched as he practically materialized in front of him. "Where."

"What the-! Huh, where's- what?" The bear choked on his words; Sonic paid him no mind.

"Where is he."

"Are you talking about the freak?" The monkey asked incredulously, having composed himself enough from the shock to have a look of utter disgust. "Uh, we just took care of him back at the forest, why?"

"Oh, don't tell me you want to have a go at it too?!" The walrus gushed. "I would love to see that! Do you mind if we take pictures while you do tha-"

"Now you listen here." Sonic cut him the kid off before his words caused him to do something someone of his status shouldn't. "I don't want to see you, any of you close to me or that kid. Got it?"

It was the monkey's time to choke on his own words, pathetically trying to come up with excuses. "What? but- we just- that thing was- we were helping you-?"

"I said. Got. It?" Sonic hissed, taking a step towards the kids.

They moved their arms around, failing to form any actual words before the bear stopped them, teeth grit together. "Let's go guys."

He didn't give time for his friends to respond, already turning around with his fists tightened. "Come on."

Sonic didn't stick around long enough to hear the rest of the conversation. Already dashing deep into the forest, heart beating loudly in his ears.

The kids usually take care of it, making sure it doesn't cause any trouble.

Sonic pushed his feet to move faster, forcing his eyes to focus on anything that resembled him from the blur of color around him.

I can always call the kids to get it off your back.

How could he have been so stupid?! It was all there, right in front of him. Why didn't he realize it sooner?

We came to get rid of the thing.

No, no, no. Please, tell me he's okay. He has to-

I took care of it.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Sonic was too late.

He weakly knelt in the middle of the forest, hands shaking as he saw the small, bruised form in front of him.

"T-Tails?"

He recoiled his hands as quickly as he could when the kid flinched at his touch. His muddy fur trembling with his movement.

Sonic brought his hand to his face, the other one curling into a fist.

Why did I let it happen?

He forced his gaze to focus on the kid.

He was trembling, his frame rocking with every shiver he could manage, weakly trying to regain some warmth. His fur was so dirty, it seemed it didn't belong to the kid he saw that same morning, barely any yellow left among the browns and greens and… reds.

Sonic drew in a sharp breath. He sent whispered apologies as he once again brought his hands to the kit, trying to soothe him when he once again flinched and yelped. Words slurring together in a panic.

"n-no please. don't I-I can't, I'm sorry-" His trembling got worse, Sonic could feel his breathing picking up as he held the kid in his arms. Carefully lifting him up from the puddle he was in.

"Shh, It's okay, Tails. It's okay. It's me." Sonic's voice felt weak to his own ears, hugging the kid close and drawing deep breaths. Hoping the kid would follow like he did before.

"Do you remember our little game, buddy?" Sonic drew in breaths for four seconds, held them for seven, and let them go in eight. Repeating the process and counting quietly so Tails could pick it up.

The kid didn't follow. He shook his head, more apologies coming from his lips and breathing picking up in speed. Sonic's heart broke.

"Shh, it's okay Tails, please. It's me. It's Spike." Sonic tried to reassure him, letting Tails' head rest near his heart. Forcing his breaths to be stable.

That caused a reaction, one of his ears perking up at the name while the other one remained glued to Sonic's chest. Sonic felt how his rambling stopped. One of his eyes slowly opening. "S-Spike-?"

"Yeah, it's me, little buddy. It's me." Sonic let a small, genuine smile show in his face. A wetness in his cheeks.

"Y-you are here… what- what are you doing here…?" His breathing picked up again from where he had momentarily calmed down. "You s-shouldn't be here- they- they-!"

"Shh. Listen to me, buddy, okay? Are you listening to me?" Sonic made eye contact with him, a determined look in his face as he spoke. "I won't let them hurt you, okay? You are safe with me."

Sonic hugged him closer, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on his head. "I promise."

Tails went limp in his hold, breathing stopping completely for long enough that Sonic worried something worse had happened to him. His voice was hoarse, but sweet when he spoke. "O-Okay."

"Okay." Sonic replied. "Okay…"

He slowly made his way back to the Tornado. Every step measured as he carefully held the kid in his arms, breathing stably as he slept. Ears listening to his heartbeat.

Gaia, Sonic thought. What am I going to do with him?