Work Text:
"Has Metal ever acted… weird, around you?"
Tails stopped soldering for a moment, thinking, before turning around.
"No," he answered truthfully, because he hasn't seen Metal Sonic in ages now. "Should he have?"
"No, no, of course not," Sonic gave that ugly laugh of his, the kind of laugh that was barely a laugh, smiled pulled a little too tight. "Of course not."
Tails waited for something else, but Sonic's eyes were far away again, his body curling up even more on the window seat, cheeks pressed against the glass.
His eyes were getting shiny again.
(Sonic had come home an hour ago, falling to his knees and desperately pulling Tails into a hug. And Tails could see the mussed up fur on his cheeks, the bags under red-tinged eyes, and felt the shivers rippling across Sonic's body as Tails hugged him back.)
Tails put down the soldering iron and solder, lifted his googles, and went to get the hot chocolate warming up on the oven.
Something had happened, maybe with Metal Sonic. Something had happened, something real bad, because things didn't shake Sonic up easily. Sonic had stared at the end of the world, time and time again, and he had faced it head on, smiling all the way. That's who Sonic was. Things happened, sometimes bad, but Sonic always believed there was so much more good in the world, in every path he carves.
So something really bad must've happened, if he had come to Tails to feel better.
(Tails knows Sonic doesn't like him worrying. Doesn't like anyone worrying about him, so he keeps things to himself. But if he's willing to share what's happening with anyone-
He's always come to Tails first, whenever he was ready to talk about what was hurting. And Tails wasn't one to disappoint.)
Tails poured the hot chocolate into two mugs, topped one of them off with whip cream and carried them to the living room, joining Sonic on the window seat.
"I don't think the 'distract me' option is really working right now Sonic," he said, holding up the mug for Sonic to hold. His older brother stared at it, for one heartbeat, for two, before reaching forward to grab it, cradling it with both hands. "Maybe you want to try talking about it instead?"
Sonic breathed in the steam, a smile whispering across his face, before his frown deepened. "I can't."
Tails felt his shoulders sag. Sonic must've promised somebody something again, and he would never break his promise.
But. That doesn't make sense.
Sonic called him this morning. He was going to explore some woods somewhere. He wasn't planning on going to an Eggman base or looking for trouble, and even if trouble found Sonic more often than not, his adventures take days. Weeks sometimes. So unless some kind of time shenanigans had occurred, Sonic shouldn't have been completely fine at noon, only to come home devastated just a few hours later.
"You really don't remember him acting weird around you?" Sonic whispered, his knees almost brushing his chin as he curled up tighter. "Never?"
"Recently?"
"No, just. Anytime. Has he ever acted… off around you?"
"I don't see Metal Sonic very often," he responded and for some reason, that made Sonic's lip quiver. "Did you promise it you wouldn't tell anyone?"
"Metal he…" Sonic used one hand to cover his eyes, to rub away the tiny pinpricks of tears that had tried gathering there. "He scared me today."
"…Metal scared you?"
"Has he ever acted off around you Tails?" Sonic asked again, bringing the mug closer to his face, steam gathering. "Ever?"
Tails had several questions now, like what could Metal ever do to actually scare Sonic when his one true attempt failed years ago, but Tails set his glass down and crawled closer to Sonic, clasping his hands around Sonic's, smiling when Sonic's eyes met his.
"How about you take a sip first," Tails said, crawling even closer to kiss the crown of Sonic's forehead. "Give me a minute to think about it."
Sonic blinked for a moment, then his whole face softened, before he lifted his mug again. Tails complied, scooting back to grab his own mug and cling it against Sonic's softly, but waited until Sonic took his first sip before he started drinking.
(Tails didn't really like hot chocolate. Too sweet and no real positive drawbacks like coffee, but whenever Sonic gets like this, distracting him with little things helps him talk a little. Sonic hates coffee, doesn't even really like that Tails drinks it to stay awake longer, but he loves hot chocolate. Loves it enough that Tails knew he just needed to wait before hearing the telltale sound of Sonic's soft moan, to see him licking his lips to get all the whip cream, his smile soft and goofy, the first real smile since he arrived.
Tails doesn't like hot chocolate, not at all, but he would do anything to make sure his big brother stays comfortable enough to keep coming to him with whatever is on his mind.)
"Actually," he started, watching as Sonic's ears pricked up. "There was one instance. It was a long time ago though. Like, we barely knew the guy back then."
Sonic nodded, before squinting his eyes. "Wait, when'd you get meet him without me that early?"
"I don't think I was supposed to meet him at all honestly. But remember when Eggman kidnapped me for a few hours around that time?"
"…No?"
Tails snorted, shaking his head. "I don't blame you, I got out before you could even really miss me. You were proud of me, we destroyed the machine of the month, and we went home. Probably got ice cream or something. It was a long time ago."
Sonic's eyes were darting around, thinking, but Tails just waved him off. "Sonic, that barely counted as a kidnapping. I wasn't even gone for half an hour."
"Okay?" Sonic didn't look very convinced, but he kept talking. "What does Metal have anything to do with that?"
"Well…"
—
"Sonic is going to get me out of here!"
"Uh-huh."
"And then he'll kick your butt!"
"Sure."
"He's better than you!"
Dr. Eggman turned to Tails, slowly, raising a single eyebrow. "You think any of these juvenile attempts to rile me up will work?"
'It works whenever Sonic says them' he thought, but he bit his tongue and huffed.
"I have better things to do than listen to your pointless prattle," Dr. Eggman punched a fist in the air, his evil laughter echoing across the room he had Tails tied up in. "I'm going to prepare for my duel! Thank you Tails, for being the perfect bait."
Sonic won't fall for it. Tails knew Sonic was too fast and smart to fall for any kind of trick made by the Doctor. Sonic calls him Dr. Eggman! He was way too good to get captured like Tails did! He would save Tails!
…Not that he even knew where Tail was right now.
Dr. Eggman was still rambling on about whatever his dumb plan was, but he was leaving the room as he was doing so. Eventually, the mechanical doors slid shut behind him, and it was just Tails and his thoughts left alone in the room.
Tails squirmed, wincing as he felt the restraints pull at his tails. Maybe it was smart for Eggman to tie his tails down, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. He needed to figure out a way to get out of here and make it back to Sonic before he worried. Tails had a job to do and he couldn't do it trapped here.
(Would Sonic be mad at him?)
No, no. Those were bad thoughts. Mean thoughts. Sonic loved him, Sonic said Tails was his best friend! He wouldn't be mad at him that he got captured.
…Right?
Sonic had told him to stay back and diable some of the containment units. Trusted him to have his back. To help him free the little creatures that were trapped. Would he be disappointed in him? Tells Tails to go back home?
Tails felt his lips wobble, but he blinked his eyes quickly. Sonic didn't cry! He always said Tails was smart enough to do anything, so Tails just needed to figure out how to escape and go back to where he was before.
(Then, Sonic wouldn't leave him behind.)
Tails squirmed, wriggling about as he pulled and pulled and pulled at his restraints. It was just rope- just rope!- Eggman could've done way worse! He could've used some kind of steel to wrap Tails up in, or some pod or even some robot! There were plenty of little creatures here trapped in so much worse circumstances than he was, he needed to get out of here! Sonic had brought him here to help save them. He shouldn't have to worry about the dumb little fox that followed him!
He needed to get out he needed to get out he needed to get out!!
The tears were falling for real now, ugly sobs as he tried freeing himself because the more he pulled the more the rope hurt. Every time he moved they yanked at his tails and he had to get out but he doesn't know if he can because his tails felt like they were burning but he needed to get back to Sonic and he needed to be better and-!
The mechanical doors opened, then slid shut.
Tails sniffled loudly and tried blinking his tears away again, tried to get the water out of his eyes because he couldn't see and the footsteps were so much heavier than Eggman's were and they were approaching him fast and-
The Badnik was blue.
Tails felt his blood run cold as the Badnik approached because the Badnik was blue.
Red feet stood still right in front of him and when Tails looked up, Metal Sonic was staring right into his soul.
(Sonic was so strong and brave. Sonic was the one who always told him to laugh at the Doctor, who had given the Doctor the dumb nickname Eggman, because the two of them were so much better, that good always prevailed against evil, always!)
Miles sniffled and his tears began anew, because he hadn't learned how to be brave without the living ray of sunshine that had taken him under his win yet.
Metal Sonic took a step closer, claws lifting his Miles' chin higher as Miles inhaled sharply, his ears pressed as closer to his skull as he could get them.
Metal Sonic stared at him, for an impossibly long moment. Metal Sonic did nothing but stare with red eyes glowing so bright as Miles hiccuped quietly and begged his tears to stop, begged for just an ounce of that bravery that Sonic always had.
He didn't know what to do.
Metal Sonic's other hand lifted, claws extending forward, his eyes becoming so incredibly bright Miles had to squint just to keep eye contact, so bright he could see where the light bounced off his yellow fur. Metal Sonic's claws approached and Miles slammed his eyes shut and-
And there was nothing for a single, very long second.
There was nothing, until there was a small crackle of sound as the underside of a claw pressed under his eye and rubbed the tears away.
Tails blinked as Metal Sonic adjusted his hold, slowly, slowly, reaching towards his face to wipe every new teardrop away. The underside of his claws were still sharp, small scratches everytime they made contact with his skin, but Sonic's voice was emitting from Metal Sonic's speakers, warped and crackling from unuse and age but still playing the lullaby Sonic would sing to him when he had nightmares sometimes.
("Where did you hear that from? It's really nice."
A smile, a teasing poke. "I made it up silly. That's where all the best lullabies come from!")
Tails swallowed as the song continued, Metal wiping his tears away as gently as he could. Eventually, Tails tears were all dried up, nothing left at all, and Metal simply held him in his hand, staring, staring.
"How did you get that recording?" Tails whispered, because anything louder felt like it would break whatever trance Metal Sonic was in that made him soft, gentle. "Are you spying on Sonic to learn how to be the real Sonic?"
Metal Sonic, who had moved to play with the tips of Tails' head fur, froze. Metal Sonic, who had been staring at him with the brightest red optics Tails had even seen on any Badnik, froze, before his optics slowly faded away, leaving a black husk to stare at him.
Tails waited for a minute, but Metal Sonic's grip on his face was starting to become painful, so he began squirming again.
He didn't expect Metal Sonic's eyes to snap back to life.
He didn't expect to be released from Metal Sonic's grasp in the same moment that Metal Sonic would use his claws and slice the ropes.
Tails fell forward, bumping his chin against the ground as he heard heavy footsteps walk away, much faster than the brisk pace it was before, before he heard a door slide open then shut.
(Tails laid on that floor, simply breathing, before he beelined it to the door and walked out of the base.)
—
"It was weird," Tails concluded, swinging the empty cup in his hand. "He didn't hurt me, at least not intentionally, but he didn't… it was weird. The conclusion I came up with at the time was that Eggman had programmed him to like me because. Y'know. You do and Metal's whole thing was 'I'm the real Sonic', but I don't think that's the case anymore. Maybe he was just glitching that day or something."
Sonic's head was lowered throughout most of Tails' recollection, his grip on the mug tight.
(He hadn't had another sip.)
"Anything else?" he asked and it was so quiet, small, sad. Like it hurt just to ask.
(Like Sonic was hurting.)
"No," and Tails was certain about it. He hadn't thought about Metal Sonic wiping his tears away in a long time, because Metal Sonic had attacked him during Neo Metal Sonic. His theory was thoroughly and violently debunked after. He didn't understand what kind of glitch would make Metal Sonic of all Badniks free him, but he was still pretty new then. Maybe he was recreating actions he had seen Sonic do, try to assert himself as the true Sonic. "I don't actually think Metal Sonic cares about any of us that aren't you Sonic."
Sonic took a shuddering breath in and out, bringing his hands into his head spines and pulling. He scratched himself desperately, inhaling and exhaling too fast so Tails rushed towards him, catching his wrists.
"Sonic?!"
Sonic paused as Tails grabbed his fists, before taking one final breath in and out. When he lifted his head to look at Tails again-
He looked miserable.
(Sonic wouldn't break his promise, even if it was to Metal Sonic. And Tails doesn't know what Metal Sonic did to scare him or freak Sonic out this much, but Tails knows how to take care of his brother.)
So Tails pulled Sonic away from his corner and closer towards him, holding Sonic's mug in one hand. He adjusted Sonic until his brother was tucked under his chin, cheek pressed against Tails' chest. Tails wrapped his namesakes around Sonic's legs, keeping it secure- because Sonic hated that from anyone that wasn't him, hated his legs being pinned by anything that wasn't his little brother's tails- and handed Sonic his mug. It wasn't too warm anymore, but it was good enough, and Tails held it up to Sonic's lips for him to take a sip.
Sonic swallowed heavily, let out a small nervous laugh, before grabbing the cup with shaky hands and drinking. Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic's shoulder and held him close, close enough for Sonic to hear Tails' heart in his chest, close enough so he would know that Tails would always be there for him.
Eventually, Sonic finished. Eventually, Sonic let the cup slip through his fingers and fall onto the cushion. Eventually, Sonic's breathing was just that tad bit calmer, just a little more relaxed.
"You learned something bad about Metal Sonic, didn't you," Tails said, because asking would be asking Sonic to break his promise and asking Sonic to break his promise was mean. "I'm sorry I can't help you more."
"You're helping so much Tails, I-" Sonic swallowed again, a shaky smile on his face. "You're perfect. I'm so lucky to have you here."
Tails smiled, nuzzling his chin against Sonic's cheek. "Always."
Sonic's fingers were opening and closing, his eyes darting to Tails' face.
"May I…?"
"Sure," Tails agreed, even though he wasn't sure as to what exactly. Sonic lifted a finger and brushed the fur under his eyes, warm fingers tingling against his cheekbone and-
"Sonic," Tails said, a small laugh in his voice. "He didn't maim me or anything. It doesn't hurt at all."
Something cracked in Sonic's expression, just for a second, before he turned his face into Tails' chest, hiding away from him.
Tails nuzzled him again, kissing his temple when Sonic whimpered.
"Promise it didn't hurt?"
Tails thinks back to sharp claws cupping his face, the rough metal scratching against his cheek, red eyes that felt like they knew everything about him in an instant.
(He thinks about Sonic's lullaby crackling through an old speaker, about how Metal's claws hadn't once drawn blood, how swiftly he was freed.)
"It didn't hurt," he said, pulling Sonic closer so he could bump their heads together. "I promise."
Tails felt Sonic's eyelashes fluttering, before they slowly closed.
(Sonic fell asleep against Tails' chest that night, listening as Tails sung that lullaby that was made just for Tails' ears.)