Archive of Our Own ^beta

1

Miraculously, despite all the fighting that had happened just a few miles away, the town of Green Hills was mostly intact. It hadn't escaped unharmed, but Tails had been expecting to come back to little more than a pile of rubble and bodies. Instead, he, Knuckles, Sonic, and Mrs. Wachowski were able to walk down a clean, well-kept sidewalk to the local veterinary office. Mr. Wachowski was on his way to check on the house and Ozzie, promising to meet up with them later. Now, Knuckles and Tails were trailing behind Sonic and Mrs. Wachowski as they discussed the damage to the forest. Knuckles was holding on tightly to the Master Emerald, staring into his green reflection and just barely keeping up with the group.

When they finally arrived, Mrs. Wachowski ushered them into an exam room. Promising she'd be back in a moment, she left to placate her panicked coworkers. It hasn't changed at all since the last time Tails peeked into the security cameras; same baby blue walls and grey furniture. It was nice that he could finally make out the pictures and diagrams on the walls, instead of deciphering the pixelated mess the security feed gave him. There were butterfly stickers on the table in the middle of it all and on the cabinet doors lining the wall too, livening up the otherwise clinical room. 

"You guys are gonna have to help Pretzel Lady out some," Sonic says, breaking the silence. "We don't know a lot about my biology, so we've kinda been making this up as we go along. So if she starts to freak out over something totally normal, just let her know."

"Understood." Knuckles takes his eyes off the emerald for only a moment. His expression is impossible to read, stoic in almost every way.

Tails hums in response, absolutely enamored by the posters on the walls. Diagrams of animals he vaguely recognizes from the security feeds he used to watch, labeled with bone names and organs. Anatomy is what they call it. Just like what the village doctor would talk about. Now he knows the meaning of the word. Its organs and bones and blood given shape and form with words. Anatomy: the science of the body.

Another human, this one with short green hair, hesitantly peeks into the room, asking if there's anything they need.

"Someplace cool for the Master Emerald to reside. It likes the cold." Knuckles says.

The human leaves and quickly returns with a red and white box, which they open to show is filled with ice. A "cooler" they call it. The name is incredibly on the nose, but Knuckles deems it sufficient. Mrs. Wachowski comes in soon after, this time with three clipboards.

"Alright. No one has any major injuries, right?" She looks to the boys, none of whom respond. "I'll take that as a no, so we're going to do some standard check-ups to make sure we didn't miss anything and to establish somewhat of a baseline. I'm going to start with Sonic first, so you two know what to expect. Does that sound alright?"

"Yes Mrs. Wachowski." Tails says. Knuckles simply nods.

"It's just Maddie, Mrs. Wachowski makes me sound like I'm ancient."

"Aren't you forty?" Sonic snickers.

"Watch it, young man."

Sonic holds his tongue and climbs onto the table in the middle of the room, smirking as he does.

"First," Mrs. Wachowski begins, grabbing something akin to a bundle of thick wires from a drawer. "I'm going to use my stethoscope to check your heart and lungs." She puts the two ends into her ears and the other onto Sonic's chest.

Knuckles balks. "What sorcery is this?"

"The metal amplifies the sounds of your heartbeat and breathing. Would you like to try?" She takes off the instrument and holds it towards Knuckles, who stares it down.

Tails tries his luck instead. "May I please try, Mrs. Wachowski?" Even having watched the Wachowski household for two cycles, even knowing that Mrs. Wachowski has never once punished Sonic for simply asking a question, his heart still sticks in his throat.

"Of course. And it's just Maddie, sweetheart." Her smile sends goosebumps down his spine.

Maddie wipes off the ends of the stethoscope and helps Tails to put it in his ears (as well as they can manage). He hovers up to the height of the exam table, and she guides it to Sonic's heart. The warmth of her hands is intoxicating. The only thing that draws his attention away from the warmth is Sonic's heartbeat.

He can hear Sonic's heartbeat. It's faster than Tails' has ever been, even when it pounded in his ears and felt like it would burst. The rapid lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-dub running double time.

"Whoa."

"I know, right?" Sonic cheers. "Fastest heartbeat on record right here. Four hundred beats per minute!"

"It was three eighty and you know it." Maddie corrects. "You want to hear your own?"

"Yes, please." Tails lands, and Maddie guides the stethoscope over to his chest instead. This time, the ever-familiar sound of his own heartbeat rings true. Much slower in comparison to Sonic's, but strong and steadfast. 

Tails could have listened to it for ages, but Knuckles demands a turn of his own. It's strangely quiet for a moment, without his own heartbeat echoing, but he moves on in the next breath.The loss of Maddie's hand on his own, however, leaves behind a bitter, cold dread. Tails pushes it away, though, and that too is gone in the next breath.

After Knuckles has had his fill of the stethoscope, Maddie moves on to the rest of the checkup. She looks over Sonic's body for wounds, gently pushing aside his quills when necessary. She looks into his eyes and ears with a light, and knocks his knee with a miniature hammer to see it kick (which nearly sends Knuckles into a frenzy, before she lets Sonic do it to her, explaining it's a harmless reflex and nothing more). When Maddie has given Sonic a clean bill of health, Knuckles volunteers to go next. Climbing atop the exam table with his chin held high.

"I'll be asking you both some questions, alright? There aren't any wrong answers, it's just to help me know a bit more about you and your biology."

"I assure you, Lady of the Pretzel, I will give you nothing but the truth."

"Thank you." Maddie gets the small light. "What species are you two?"

"I am an Echidna Warrior, the last of my kind."

"I'm a fox."

Maddie chuckles. "I've handled plenty of foxes before, but I'll have to pick up a book or two on echidnas if you boys are sticking around."

Knuckles blinks into the bright light, his voice far, far smaller than Tails has ever heard. "There are books about us?"

"About Earth echidna." Sonic corrects. He runs from the room and returns in an instant with a book in hand. "Like this one about earth hedgehogs."

Knuckles takes the book and inspects the cover, quickly bursting into raucous laughter. "They are so small! Look, it can fit inside that human's hand!"

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Sonic grumbles.

"I'm sure these earth echidnas are just as strong and mighty as I am! Warriors fit for battle at a moments notice!"

Maddie chuckles, gently tapping Knuckles' knee. "There are a lot of differences between you all and your Earth counterparts. Like, an earth hedgehog can't be blue, but alien hedgehogs can."

"Hedgehog mobians." Tails corrects before he can stop himself. "We're mobians, just like you're humans."

"Mobians, then." She nods. "It's normal for hedgehog mobians to be blue, but not for earth hedgehogs. Just like it's normal for echidna mobians to lift five times their body mass and for fox mobians to have two tails."

That's the moment when everything stops. Not even the stethoscope could detect any sound.

Sonic knows that his tails are wrong, Tails had told him that himself. Knuckles surely knew from just a glance like everyone else from their world, but Maddie didn't.

Maddie didn't know.

None of the humans would. Why would they? They had no baseline for what to expect from mobians. He could have seven arms and a dozen eyes, and they still wouldn't think anything was abnormal. It's terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, the idea that he could be seen as normal.

"Right." Tails says, cementing the lie before the others could correct her.

Sonic looks at him with quiet understanding behind his smile. Knuckles is confused, but stays silent. 

Maddie continues on like she hasn't just changed the course of Tails' life. "That's why I'm taking this so slowly. I can make pretty good guesses at what makes you tick, but ultimately that's all it is: guesswork at best. You would not believe the number of online classes I've taken since Sonic showed up. Speaking of, Sonic, grab the two blank clipboards for me, will you? We should fill out their basic information for the files."

"Got it!"

"Can I ask for your full names?" Maddie says, finally putting down her instruments. She is looking over Knuckles for injuries now. "You especially," She looks at Tails. "Sonic loves to give out those literal nicknames, and they have a habit of sticking if we don't stop him fast."

"Come on, you love it, Pretzel Lady!" Sonic plays along with her assumption easily.

"My name is Knuckles the Echidna."

Sonic eyes him. "Nothing else, big guy?"

"No. Do you have more to your name, Hedgehog?"

There is a moment where it looks like Sonic will retort, but that passes with a shy look back at Maddie.

"It's very common to only have one name. Up until the last century, the concept of a family or last name was pretty much unheard of." Tails interjects. "The practice started in the more populous mammalian species, such as wolves and foxes, as a way to better keep track of family units within a tribe. During the Great Mixing of the last century, it was adopted by many different tribes and species. Though it's still most common in densely populated areas, such as cities." The memorized passage rolls right off his tongue.

"So you have one, then." Maddie surmises.

"It's Prower. My full name is Miles Prower."

Sonic stops writing and looks at the fox, obviously holding back laughter. "You're serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Nothing, never mind. I'll explain later."

A hiss of pain drags the attention back to Knuckles. Maddie has discovered a cut along his shoulder, blood obscured by his spines. Maddie has him bandaged up quickly, and soon Tails finds himself on the examination table.

"Alright, back to questions," Maddie says while looking in his ears. "When were you both born?"

"I was born late into the Deep Snow, right after the first Skylights." Knuckles examines his bandage as he speaks. "It was a good omen."

"The seventh of Fragin. I'm not sure exactly where that translates onto your calendar system, but I'd place it about mid-autumn." Tails responds. "I'd guess Deep Snow is in late winter."

"How do you spell that? Fray-huh?"

"Just guess for now, we'll clean it up and look at calenders later." Maddie is close to done now, beginning to check his arms for injuries. "How old does that make you both?"

Knuckles hesitates for just a second. "Sixteen cycles."

"Cycles are like your years. So he's sixteen years old and I'm eight."

Maddie's hands freeze. "You're how old?"

Sonic is grinning. "Seriously? Dude, I wasn't nearly this cool at eight. I thought you were twelve at least."

Tails shrugs.

"Is that— how do mobains divide ages? For example, we have children and adults— am I explaining this properly?"

"Not at all." Sonic supplies.

Maddie tries again. "When are you considered an adult? Fully grown? Sonic acts almost identically to how humans his age do, is that normal?"

"I'd say so." Tails says, slipping into quoting the same book. "The 'age of maturity' is, again, largely dependent on where you're located, as well as your species. Avian mobians generally agree that six or seventeen cycles are adulthood. Most mammalian mobians are somewhere around nineteen or twenty-two. It's becoming more common for eighteen to be considered the beginning of adulthood in cities, though. Lots of things are becoming more standardized as different species begin to intermingle more."

"Echida are considered to be of contributing age after their twelfth cycle and should complete the final trial before their seventeenth. That is when they are considered a true warrior." Knuckles puffs out his chest. "I completed all of my trials at eight."

"You know a lot about mobian cultures, Miles." The name feels foreign in her honeyed voice, but not in a bad way. She says it with care, like it's something special. "I couldn't tell you half as much about different cultures here on earth."

"I found a history book last year. A recent one too. It's a fascinating read." Tails is ready to explain more about the books dropped from the back of a traveling merchant's cart, but a light touch to one of his tails shuts him down immediately. His fur puffs up, and he flinches away.

Maddie yanks her hand away. "I'm sorry, are you alright? I should have asked."

"It's okay." It's not, not really, but he's dealt with worse. This is nothing.

"Are they sensitive?" Tails nods. "Alright, I won't touch them. Just let me know if you feel anything wrong."

"Come on, Mads." Sonic rolls his eyes. "He was flying like, five minutes ago. I'm sure it's alright."

Maddie shoots Sonic a look that lasts just a moment before her phone starts to ring. She steps out to take the call, and Knuckles doesn't let the silence sit for even a second. He's standing in front of Tails with crossed arms and a question burning in his eyes.

"Why did you lie, Fox?"

Even knowing that they're on the same side now, even knowing that they've both sworn to protect the same thing, Tails can't stop the bolt of fear that shoots down his spine. He may have fooled Maddie, but they still know.

"I just want to be normal." He feels dirty as he says it. It's a filthy lie, and he knows it can only be upheld for so long.

"Why?" Knuckles prys. "You have an outstanding ability, and it deserves to be recognized. I'm sure-"

"Stop." Tails snaps, wilting immediately afterward. "I'm sorry, just- I just want to be normal. Please, don't tell them." Tails musters the most pitiful face he can, the one that used to work on the old ladies of the village, back when they would still take pity and give him leftovers.

Knuckles nods gravely. "Very well, if that is what you wish. As long as there is no danger to us or the Master Emerald, we shall keep your secret."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm my own person, Knux. Let me speak for myself." Sonic flashes a cheesy grin. "We've got your back, buddy." He holds out a closed fist, an invitation for another Power Bump.

Tails considers himself, just for a moment, to be a master actor as he keeps himself from letting anything show. Just a straight face and a small smile instead of breaking down in overwhelming gratitude. Even so, his heart never stops sinking. Even Knuckles and Sonic, who know he's a freak, don't know the truth. They don't know he's a cursed freak. He hasn't told them about the storm and plagues he's brought. The crops he's ruined with a misplaced thought or careless word. Some part of Tails still clings to the idea that by leaving Mobius, he's left the curse behind. That it was somehow tethered to Westside Island instead of his mutation. He knows better. (But, he'd sworn an oath, so here he'll stay. At least until his hand is forced.)

Maddie finally returns, all smiles even as she explains that with all the damage to the house, they'd opted to stay in a hotel for the night. (Another term for an inn, as it's quickly explained.) Maddie doesn't ask, but she gives Sonic that look again, and he quickly begins to try to explain exactly what happened at the house. He dances around Knuckles and Tails' involvement, but by the time they're walking out of the clinic, Sonic has moved on to trying to minimize their involvement instead. Maddie isn't buying a word of it. Sonic tries anyway. Tails falls into his familiar role of an onlooker, and when Knuckles asks questions about things they bring up, he explains as best he can.

What Maddie had neglected to mention about the hotel is that nearly half of the town is there. (Sonic insists it's not actually half of the town; they're not that small, but it sure feels like it.) The walls are lined with adults chatting with each other as kids run underfoot. Maddie has gone straight to the front desk to sign in, and Sonic is quickly swarmed by other teens and kids. Most Tails recognizes, but some he doesn't.

In the sea of questions, Tails expects at least a few to be thrown his way, but he's barely given a second glance. Everyone is focused on Sonic.

"What happened?"

"Was that Eggman? I thought he was on that weird mushroom planet?"

"Dude, that was sick!"

"Do you know if the field was damaged? We've got that game next week and-"

"Weren't you supposed to be on vacation?"

"I got a video of when you went Super Saiyan! That was you, right?"

"Of course it was him, dumbass! What other aliens are there in town?"

"Are you hurt?"

Sonic finally puts his hands up. "Alright, alright! One at a time, please."

The crowd quiets, and one of the younger kids, a girl with pigtails, raises her hand.

"Yes, Lizzy," Sonic calls on her.

"Who are they?" She points to Tails, and all eyes slide to him.

Tails freezes for just a moment under the weight before Sonic easily slides an arm around his shoulder, pulling them both into some odd sort of hug. (And again, it's so warm Tails feels like he'll melt.)

"These," Sonic pauses for dramatic effect. "Are my new sidekicks!"

"I am side-nothing, Hedgehog." Knuckles scowls, wrenching himself from Sonic's grasp and breaking the contact.

"Fine, fine. Teammates then."

A teen from the baseball team interjects next. "Do they have superpowers too? Or are they like, you know, normal aliens?"

"Oh, you'd better believe they've got superpowers! Knuckles here," Sonic dashes to the echidna's other side. "Is crazy strong. Like, Hulk levels at least. Probably more."

The group gapes at Knuckles, who smirks and puffs up with pride.

"Could he pick up a house?" Another kid asks.

Sonic pauses. "I mean, probably? I haven't seen him try yet, but he did lift a giant stone pillar. Either way, he's awesome. And this guy," Suddenly Sonic is at his side. "Is Tails! Apart from being smarter than every other person in this room combined, he can fly!" Sonic lowers his voice, softening it for him. "You want to show them?"

And despite every instinct telling him to say no, he wants to. The faces looking at him aren't full of disgust or revulsion. No one seems even remotely upset by Sonic's statement. If anything, they're excited. Interested in another taste of adventure. The children had two years to adjust to Sonic's abnormality, and just like the Wachowskis, they hadn't just accepted it, they'd embraced it. For all they knew, Tails was just like any other fox mobian. He was just like anyone else to them.

With bated breath, the crowd watches as Tails takes a few steps back and readies himself. He only hovers a few feet above the ground, not even higher than the tallest teen, but they go wild. Laughter and cheers that give Tails such a rush, he's rising before he can stop himself. High above the crowd, he can see just how many people are watching him. Not a single one is scared or upset. He's so giddy that he does a few laps around the room before landing.

Tails returns straight to Sonic's side. As childish as it is, as much as he hates it, Tails hides his face in Sonic's arm. It was all so much. So overwhelming. Tails feels like he might burst from the joy filling his chest. It doesn't feel real. He listens as Sonic prattles on about the "butt-copter" and answers as many questions as he can. Soon, answering questions turns into recounting their entire adventure from start to finish. Sonic steps away from Tails to begin a dramatic reenactment, getting Knuckles in on the fun as well. Grand sweeping gestures and over-embellished details. 

The fun ends quickly when Knuckles almost punches the hotel wall for real.

Luckily, Maddie comes to their rescue with two room keys. Sonic says his goodbyes and promises to catch up with them all later in the week before leading their group to the metal sliding doors.

"Are these the lifting machines?" Tails asks, recognizing the button panels.

"You mean the elevators?" Sonic asks.

"Elevators." The word is a good one, just the right amount of weight on his tongue. "Like the word elevate? To lift?"

"Exactly," Maddie adds.

Sonic makes an odd face before pressing the button labeled five. "How do you know so much about Earth and not know what an elevator is?"

"Well, I've seen you use them before, I've just never heard you say the name. Most of the cameras I could hack into didn't have audio."

"Hack into?" Maddie asks.

Tails freezes. "I— When I found Sonic's energy signature—"

"He basically did the same thing I did." Sonic interrupts. "Nothing to worry about."

Maddie nods, though the odd look hasn't gone away. Looking for a way to change the topic, Tails circles back.

"How do the elevators work?"

"I dunno. A pulley?" Sonic shrugs.

"I don't think so." Maddie sighs. "But I'm not quite sure either."

"I could figure it out." Tails is taking out a screwdriver before his thought is even finished. "I could plug in my Miles Electric—"

"Not while we're in it!" Sonic whines.

"Not at all, period." Maddie corrects. "Miles, you can't just take apart public property."

"I'm sorry."

The doors slide open before Maddie can respond, and Sonic speeds down the hallway. With a fond sigh, Maddie leads them out of the elevator. Sonic unlocks their door with the key and dashes inside. The Wachowski's pet, Ozzie (a strange earth animal that Tails had been shocked to learn was supposed to be a dog), trots out of the room, low to the ground and growling. When his gaze locks onto Knuckles, he tries to lunge.

Maddie catches him before he can do anything, and Knuckles is more than capable of dodging the odd beast, but they still have to wait in the hallway for Ozzie to be put into the bathroom. At least until he can get used to Knuckles' scent and learn he's not a threat anymore.

Tom introduces himself to them all properly and is only partially cut off by Sonic begging to order pizza for dinner. The call is placed, and after fifteen minutes of explaining things in the room to Knuckles (and Tails), they were stuffing their faces with delicious, greasy pizzas.

"So," Tom asks, halfway through the meal. "What's the plan?"

"Whaddya mean?" Sonic asks through a mouthful of cheese.

"You three are all guarding this emerald, yeah? Does that mean you're staying on Earth?"

"Of course." Knuckles says. "The Master Emerald has stayed hidden on this planet for centuries. The only ones still living who know of its location are us five. I see no reason to risk relocating it. Besides, it quite likes this planet, and if anyone were to come looking for it, we would have the upper hand."

"Well, alright then." Tom sighs. "We'll need to find some space for you to stay..."

"There's room in the attic!" Sonic cheers. "We can all fit in there! It'll be like a huge sleepover every night! Probably. I've never actually had one of those before."

"Does that mean you're staying too, Miles?" Maddie asks.

Every bit of Tails is begging to say yes, but he can't bring himself to impose. "If you'll have me."

"Duh, of course we will!" Sonic grins so wide you can see the cheese stuck in his teeth. "This is going to be so much fun!"

2

For how absurd their current situation was, Tom figured it was going well. The two new aliens mobians had acclimated to Earth as well as could be expected within only a few weeks. They were slowly finding their new rhythm in the wake of the chaos. Tom's days were spent helping to clean up the forest and town, making way for the construction crews, and sending emails to get what they were owed in damages from the government for making a mess of their town and of Rachel's wedding. Maddie was doing much the same whenever she was free from the clinic.

Knuckles had been going for runs every morning and was constructing some sort of exercise course for himself. Tom privately hoped that he would get so caught up in his side project that he'd be too busy to mess with any more contractors. For all his help with cleaning things up, he was impossible to convince that they were just here to do their jobs. Either at home or around town. Their other guest, Tails (or Miles, depending on the day), was similarly busy, though Tom had far less of an idea what the fox was up to. When questioned, he said something about "upgrades" to a "security system" that he refused to elaborate on. Sonic had assured Tom there wasn't anything to worry about, which only made him worry even more.

And Sonic. He called Tom Dad. Just once, out on the baseball field where no one could overhear, but it still echoed in Tom's mind. He tried not to make a big deal out of it (really, he didn't), but come on. He called him dad! He had a son! Tom had known it was true over a year ago—hell, he and Maddie had talked about looking into adoption (even if it wouldn't be entirely legal, what with the whole alien thing. Judge Underwood would turn a blind eye and sign the papers)—but to have Sonic acknowledge it himself meant everything. The kid had wormed his way into his heart too easily, blended into their family so seamlessly. Tom could barely imagine what life would be like now without the blue hedgehog.

And Tom saw it happening again. In every dinner that they managed to get everyone to the table for. In the early mornings he found the boys (still) awake, watching movies. In every squabble over which side of the room was whose. In every noggie and laugh and scheming look. He had seen it a thousand times between his own brothers. They had gained two new family members overnight.

Yet, there wasn't that same ease between Tom and Maddie and their newest additions. Knuckles and Tails had the same sharp suspension that Sonic did at first, all rough edges from having to rely on themselves to survive. Nothing about their new situation came easily to them, especially not relying on an adult for help.

Tom had made a fool of himself that night in the hotel, asking them if they needed to portal home and ask their parents for permission to stay on earth. He didn't see Maddie signaling him to shut up until it was too late.

Luckily, Knuckles had laughed. "If that is the concern, then worry not. I am the last of my kind. I will accommodate myself just fine." Tom hadn't known how to respond, so he shut up and went back to his pizza.

Tails never answered the question.

Tom would have brought it up again, but one look at Maddie and Sonic told him that his time for talking was up for the night. So he trusted them to work things out.

He still wondered, though.

Knuckles was extremely upfront about where he came from. Every horrifying detail. Stories about being kidnapped and sold into fighting rings, tales about how he survived in the woods without food for days on end. They slipped out like it was nothing, and Knuckles never noticed when everyone else had to take a moment to compose themselves. He was as open of a book as you could get. Tails was the exact opposite. No matter how much you probed, he danced around every detail. Anytime he came even close to letting something slip, he clammed up and went rigid. Honestly, Tom was impressed with how tight-lipped the eight-year-old was. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't mask his body language in the same way, and Tom had more than enough training and experience to read the child like a book.

Just because Green Hills was small didn't mean it was perfect. Just because his days were usually uneventful didn't mean he hadn't needed to step in. Property disputes, shoplifting, family arguments that got out of hand, high school parties that got their hands on things they shouldn't have, but the time that had stuck with him the most was the Murray family; a few noise complaints, and a report of suspected domestic violence. After Melissa Green was finally in the backseat of the cruiser and Hank was on his way to the hospital, Tom spent the next few hours sitting in the front yard with Tracy and Lewin, waiting for their aunt to pick them up. They had been trained to recognize signs of child abuse, but it was another thing entirely to see it in person. How Tracy has spent the entire time staring at the ground, curled around herself. How Lewin flinched away anytime Tom tried to play or check them for wounds. Even when their aunt arrived, they were tense and wary. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Always ready to be hurt.

He saw the same thing in Tails.

Anytime Tom entered the room, Tails sat up straighter and stopped talking. He flinched away from physical contact more often than he leaned into it. Even around Knuckles, a loud noise or sudden turn sent him into survival mode, even if it was just for a moment. He never took food without asking for it, no matter how many times he was reminded he didn't need to.

When Maddie had done her initial checkups, she had noticed dozens of old wounds on both of the boys. With everything that Knuckles had said about being a warrior (and the fighting arenas, and his daring escapes, and every other harrowing tale), his scars at least made sense. Tails had made no mention of being in fighting games or training. His scars were inexplicable, unless Tom's theory was correct. Tails had been abused.

Tom hadn't told Maddie his theory just yet, because if he was wrong, he didn't need to worry her. There were still odd, fringe explanations to his behavior. Cultural clues that they might still be missing, maybe. An invention-gone-wrong, perhaps. It's why he was writing everything down in a notebook. Something akin to the scientific method, or a portable conspiracy board. (If it worked for one of his college roommates, surely it would work for him.)

"Excuse me, Mr. Tom. May I please get myself a snack?"

Speak of the devil, Tails had snuck up on Tom while he was writing. He closed the notebook quickly.

"Of course, bud. Help yourself." He didn't bother to correct his name. No matter how much they said it, Tails never dropped the honorifics.

Tails slipped into the kitchen and returned shortly with a bowl filled with the berries Maddie had picked up the other day. Just before he goes back up the stairs, Tom takes a chance.

"Hey, Miles, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"It's a bit personal, so you don't have to answer. Alright? Just tell me to drop it and I will." Tails didn't say anything, but he had the same look that Sonic got before he asked Tom to hurry it up. "Do you have parents?"

Tails gripped his bowl tightly. "No. They died."

And god, should Tom have seen that coming. He swallowed down the urge to explain his line of reasoning, instead pressing onward.

"Who were you staying with then? Before this."

"Around the village." Tails refuses to make eye contact, staring at his bowl. "Fox communities are extremely close-knit." Tails was reciting something from one of his books again, the tone was telltale. "When a kit is orphaned, they become a community responsibility. Though the eventual goal is most often for them to fully integrate with a family unit. They were still trying to figure out where I should stay. But now I'm here, so that solved that problem."

Tom isn't sure what else to say, so he sticks with: "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Me too." There's a low growl to the kit's voice. Resentment, if Tom didn't know any better.

Before Tails can leave, he asks one more question.

"Did any of the other adults ever hurt you?"

"No." There's more to say (so, so much more), but Tails doesn't look back as he rushes up the stairs, and Tom knows that he's crossed a line again. Tails had curled into himself throughout the conversation.

It was all so much easier with Sonic. The kid had burst into their lives, dragged him on a crazy adventure, and then fit so snugly in between them. They had rough patches and fights, but Tom had never felt this lost before. Now there were two other kids that he couldn't seem to help, no matter how hard he tried. Knuckles pushed away any help or advice he tried to give, and anytime Tom got through to him, he would withdraw for days. Avoiding him at every turn. Tails was similar. There were days when everything felt as easy as breathing. Then, suddenly, Tails could barely meet their eyes and stayed in the attic for days on end.

Turning back to his notebook, Tom jots down dead parents. That's one pair of candidates off the list, but dozens more added. Tails had said no, but he could be lying, still scared to tell the truth. Then again, surely, if the entire village had been looking out for him, someone would have noticed something. Then again, no teachers or classmates had said anything about Tracy or Lewin.

There were still too many uncertainties. Too many questions.

Tom sighed and closed the notebook. He should get ready for his shift anyhow.

3

Somehow, things were slowly falling into place. The house did end up finally, fully, fixed, after Knuckles had run away (While grounded. To Reno, of all places. For a bowling tournament. With Wade. That had been a lovely conversation she could have never prepared herself for.), and while they were still in talks about just how much the residents of Green Hills were owed in damages, things were looking to be in their favor. Maddie finally felt like she could breath.

It also helped that Knuckles had found a project to work on upon his return: an arena. A compromise to his need to fight and destroy and Maddie's need to keep her house intact. It was a ways into the woods, maybe a ten minute walk if you made good time. He spent his free time building it up, and when it was finally done it became a great place for the boys to hang out. Knuckles used it the most; to train in. Sonic would practice his pitching and Miles liked to read in the fresh air. Occasionally, the two teens would spar with each other. Sometimes just for fun, other times to settle some-sort of disagreement or to dole out chores.

Like now. Tom declared next weekend to be the time they finally clear out the garage, saying he needed a "special helper" for the job. The children saw right through his charade. Knuckles and Sonic had been out in the arena for the better half of the morning "settling the argument". Miles had left an hour ago to watch, book tucked tightly under his arm. None of them had returned for lunch, so Maddie decided to bring them some snacks. Just some fruit (mostly grapes) and a couple of chip bags. Nothing special. She put them all on the sole serving tray they owned and started out into the woods.

Balancing the snack tray in one hand and pushing open the arena gate with her other, Maddie called out to the two teens. They dropped the fight and rushed to her side, grabbing at the food.

"Hey," She lifted it over her head. "You two know better than that."

"May we please have a snack, Maddie?" Sonic said crossing his arms, tone as close to sarcastic teen as he could get without crossing the line.

"Yes you may."

Knuckles took the tray with reverence. "Thank you, Matriarch Wachowski." She had long since stopped trying to correct the boys on her name. It would work itself out eventually.

"Where's Miles?"

Sonic responds through a mouthful of chips. "Whadya mean?"

"He came out here to read, right? I saw him leaving the house with his books." Of course, she had never actually seen him at the arena. But it made sense. Back in college she had always preferred to study somewhere with fresh air.

"Haven't seen him since this morning." Sonic wipes his mouth off.

"The fox has yet to step foot into the arena to my knowledge." Knuckles adds.

And that's what makes Maddie concerned. Call her a worrywart, but she prefers knowing where her family members are. Especially when they're not even double digits. (Especially when they still flinch when someone approaches them from behind.)

"I'm going to look for him. Sonic, let me know if he turns up."

"Will do, captain."

Right before she leaves, Maddie turns back. "And make sure you bring the tray in when you're done."

It takes a couple of minutes (read: thirty) before Maddie finds the fox. It's a minor miracle she even sees the sliver of golden-yellow fur through the window of the shed. It's not the worst place to read, but no one had touched it in a little over a year. It was sure to be grimy and dusty.

She cracked the door open and peeked in. There are more boxes than she remembers piled inside. Miles is curled up beneath the old desk, tucked tightly in between the legs and wall. His book is slid into a patch of sunlight. Just looking at him, surrounded on all sides by boxes and underneath the desk, makes Maddie feel claustrophobic. Still, she slides a few boxes out of the way to sit, grabbing the kit's attention. He flinches, just slightly, at her shadow.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine, Mrs. Maddie." Miles pulls himself out from under the desk, book clutched tightly in his hands.

"What were you reading?" 

Miles turns the book around, displaying the cover of one of her old veterinary text books. One about small animal cardiology. "I'm sorry, I know I should have asked."

"It's alright, I know that book cover to cover. Just make sure to double check in the future, alright? Tom is pretty protective over his fantasy novels." Miles nods, but keeps starting at the floor. Refusing to properly meet her eyes. "Are you hungry?"

Miles follows her into the kitchen not unlike a duckling. It would be cute if it wasn't so concerning. How he never felt at ease inside the house. How he was always looking for reassurance that it was okay for him to do even the simplest of things. Maddie had read dozens of blog posts and articles about child psychology in the past month—specifically in relation to trauma responses—because as much as Sonic denied it, as much as she wished it wasn't true, they were all at least a little traumatized. Herself included. Saving the world would do that, as would living in the woods alone, as would losing your entire civilization. As would whatever Miles had gone through before they met. 

One of the biggest things they emphasized was being patient. Maddie couldn't force the boys to be comfortable in the house, but she could give them space to explore it themselves. She could turn a blind eye to the bags of chips she found stashed in the attic and the late nights spent chatting in the living room. In time, when they trusted her enough, they could talk about solutions. For now, she took it one step at a time. 

This step just so happened to be making two ham and cheese sandwiches and sitting with Miles as he ate. 

"So, any particular reason you chose that book to read?" Maddie kept the question light and only asked after he had finished one whole sandwich. "Not that I'm not thrilled your interested in biology."

Miles shrugged. "It looked interesting. And I've already read everything on technology I can."

An idea struck. "Would you like to take a trip down to the library to see if they have anything you'd like there?"

"Could I?" His eyes shone, sandwich forgotten. 

"Sure, I have the afternoon off. Run and ask Knuckles if he'd like to join us while I get the car started." 

Unsurprisingly, it was just Maddie and Miles that drove up to the library. The young fox could barely keep still the entire ride, and was out of his seat before Maddie had even gotten a chance to park the car properly. When Maddie finally made it in the librarian pointed her in the right direction with a very pointed look. (Unrelated, Sonic was still technically banned from the library until he paid for the books he lost on a run through the Dakotas.)

Miles was sitting against one of the shelves, a large encyclopedia sitting in his lap. Two more books were at his side, one on foxes and another on car engines. Maddie wasn't an expert on the libraries layout, but their sections were quite far apart.

Maddie slid down next to him. "I'm assuming you watched us take Sonic here?"

The silence, and wilted ears, spoke volumes. Honestly, Maddie was proud of how quickly she had adapted to yet another mobian knowing her routines before she even knew of their existence. At least Miles had learned their names.

"Have you been wanting to come here?"

"Yes ma'am." Miles muttered into the book.

"You know you could have asked us for a ride down, right? I'm more than happy to drive you around." 

Again, silence from the fox. 

"Hey," Maddie gently pushed the book into his lap, bringing his attention back to her. "If you ever need or want anything, tell us. Okay? The worst we can do is say no, and even if we can't do something right then we can try and plan for it in the future. Making this whole thing work hinges on communication from all of us. You can tell us anything. You understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Miles said, eyes shining ever so slightly this time.

"Alright. I'm going to go grab a few books of my own while we're here. Come get me if you need anything."

She had just stood up to leave when he spoke again. "Mrs. Maddie?"

"Yes?"

"Can I— Would it be okay if..." He looked down at the book. "If I want you to call me Tails instead of Miles, would that be okay?"

"Of course honey. I didn't know it was bugging you." She bent down again. 

"Not that you can never use my name, just— I'd like it—" He stammered. "I like the nickname."

"Not a problem, I'll tell Tom when we get back. Can I ask you something?" Tails nodded. "Can you call me just Maddie? The Mrs. bit is a bit formal." She chuckled.

"I can do that."

"Perfect." She stood back up and looked around. "Now about those books."

They ended up with seven books between them to bring home. Five for Tails, ranging from aerodynamics to programing to native wildlife, and two for Maddie, one on homeschooling and a cheesy romance novel she had been meaning to read. They registered Tails for a library card on their way out and his tails spun wildly as he signed the slip of plastic.

"I can really check out as many books as I want? Any time?"

"Of course," The librarian grinned, though it didn't quite meet her eyes. "As long as you keep them in good condition and bring them back when your done."

"Don't worry, I'm not bringing them to South Dakota anytime soon." He said, stunning the librarian just enough to break into small laughter.

The drive back was filled with Tails reading aloud from his book on plane construction. Maddie knew some of it from high school physics, but much of the book flew right over her head. In a small lull, she took a chance to probe for info. Just a bit.

"You really love books, don't you."

Tails hummed an enthusiastic agreement. "They're incredible! Years worth of knowledge for anyone to learn. Like this, it's even got diagrams! I never knew the names of all this stuff."

That was odd. She had watched Tails refill a biplane and then pilot it to rescue Sonic. Clearly he had experience with the machines. 

"You never did mention who taught you about planes." She tries. 

"I taught myself."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've always been good with machines."

Maddie couldn't help but laugh. "You never fail to surprise me. I bet your teachers loved you."

"They sure did." Tails responded, though he fell quiet soon after. "I always preferred books. They don't lie." 

Unsure how to respond, Maddie focused on the road. Note to self, bad experience with teachers. 

4

Sonic's mouth was just like everything else about him: fast. So fast, that often he said things before him mind had fully caught up with them. Most of the time he'll realize what he said within a few seconds and can do damage control right then and there, but he never realizes the nicknaming. Not until well after it happens, usually days later when it happens again. Sometimes he doesn't notice at all, Knuckles just becomes Knux at some-point. Usually it's harmless enough, and if it causes a problem (like Knucklehead did) he's confronted rather quickly. So when Tails chases after him one day, grabbing his wrist to stop him, he knows he's messed up.

"Did you mean it?" The fox asks and god the kid has tears welling in his eyes. 

"Mean what? What did I say?" Sonic hates how dumb he sounds. 

Somehow, Tails smiles and drops his wrist. "Nothing. Forget it."

It only gets weirder as time goes on. Suddenly, Tails will be smiling as he leaves a room. Tom will shoot him a proud look overtop a book. The one time that he asks about it, while helping Maddie clean the table when she wouldn't stop smiling at him, she just laughs.

"You know what you said, you little devil." Then she slips him a cookie which, again, does not clear up his confusion. (Though he gladly accepts the treat.)

Finally, he gets his answer. After digging through his camera roll to show Tails some meme he had saved, they stopped to watch an odd video. Knuckles had been filming their game of Uno, determined to become a "master at technology". The video is half obscured by his gloves, which is why they clicked on it in the first place, but the audio is clear as day. Tails had failed to call out Uno in time, and Sonic had called him out on it.

"You snooze you loose, lil' bro." The recording says, and Sonic freezes for a second. 

Ah. That cookie makes a lot more sense now. 

Tails hasn't reacted in the slightest, just giggling over Knuckles inability to record, so it's up to Sonic to breach the topic. 

"Is that what I've been calling you lately?" It comes out much quieter than he'd anticipated, and Tails wilts almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you—"

"No, no, not that." Sonic cuts him off. "I just couldn't ever get a straight answer from anybody." The phone screen shuts off, automatically, and again his mouth runs faster than his head. "Are you okay with it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I never asked, and I know that I can get overzealous with the nicknames sometimes so just let me know if I should stop or anything like that." He says it faster than normal, rushed with the fear of rejection.

Tails twists the tip of his namesake before responding, eyes downcast. "I didn't chose my nickname. Tails. It— Other people chose it for me. To be mean." He's all short, stilted sentences. Choosing his words carefully. "I hated it, but I hated my real name too. They said Miles like it was worse than Tails." There's another pause, a long one. "Then I saw you. And when people called you things to be mean, like the Blue Devil, you worked with it. You made it your own. You took it back from them. That's how I wanted to be. So, I started making the name my own. Now it doesn't hurt anymore. I still don't like Miles. Not really. But you helped me find a real name." Tails looks up at him again. "So you can use whatever nickname you'd like. Really."

Sonic isn't sure how to respond to that for a few seconds, and finally settles on pulling the kit into a hug. He pulls away rather quickly, and can't stop the nervous ramblings. "I always wanted a brother. Well, I always wanted a family just in general, but brothers and sisters looked extra cool. Like you can fight and get into trouble together and still always have each others backs? How awesome is that? So I was really hoping that you and Knuckles would be okay with it but I didn't want to—" Sonic stops himself, refocusing. "I guess, what I'm trying to ask is: can we be brothers?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure this is alright? It doesn't bother you at all?" Sonic can't help but ask, familiar doubt creeping up his spine. Just like when he used to watch movies with Tom and Maddie through the window. Could he ever deserve this? 

"Not at all." Tails is smiling widely, cheeks wet, as he hugs Sonic again. Tight and soul crushing. And yet.

And yet.

He had hesitated. Just for a second, before saying yes. There had been fear in his eyes. A stutter in his breath. Sonic tries to put it out of his mind, to chalk it up to the familiar anxiety that haunted the fox; the same one that stopped him from grabbing snacks without asking. Somehow he couldn't. Not entirely.

5

Knuckles wasn't the brightest. He was far from stupid, but he wasn't oblivious to what he didn't know. He had stopped being taught as a child and never started again. He had to focus on surviving on his own, then on learning to fight in, and later escape, the Arenas. In a way, it was easier to start over again on an entirely new planet. At least here, he wasn't expected to already understand things. Soon enough, Knuckles was finding his role in this new world. He had begun helping to patrol the area around Green Hills to make sure it was safe. He had made friends in town, his own age as well as older. He was figuring out his role in the Wachowski tribe: something more than Sonic and Tails, but less than Tom or Maddie. Something in between a protector and a ward. (Something he wasn't quite ready to admit.)

Becoming part of a tribe, a family, again brought back memories he thought for sure were buried. Ones he had tried so hard to suppress.

His father, showing him how to plant his feet for a proper punch. (Tom, explaining how humans fished with sticks instead of their hands.)

His mother, telling him stories of their history, of heroes long since gone. (Maddie, patiently walking him through how to use every bit of technology he didn't recognize.)

Neighbor kids, always teasing him for being the youngest of their kind. (Sonic and Tails, always pushing him to play dumb games and forget his duties.)

Sonic had taken to calling the fox "brother", and Knuckles followed suit. It felt right. They had made a solemn vow; it was only natural that brotherhood should follow. He couldn't call himself a son again. Not now (maybe not ever), but he could be a brother. A protector.

So, when a rain-shower drove their newly christened youngest to their room, Knuckles followed him up the stairs to do what he did best. Protect. 

Tails is halfway under his bed when Knuckles catches up

"May I join you?" In lack of a response, Knuckles slides himself under Sonic's bed. Right across from Tails.

After a few minutes, Tails finally speaks up. "What do you want?"

"As the oldest, it is my duty to look out for those younger. So tell me, brother, what is 'up'?"

Tails snorts, the intended response from his still-developing understanding of "slang".

"How do you do it?" Tails is running a finger along the floorboard's seam. "How can you just— let yourself be a part of this so easily?" 

"It is far from easy." Knuckles admits.

"But you make it look easy. Even after— You look so okay with everything."

"I am not okay with everything." Knuckles braces himself. "Tom and Maddie wish to call me son. I have told them not to."

"Why?" Tails' eyes are wide as saucers. 

"Because I am not ready." Not when he can still remember visiting his mother's memorial with his father. Not when he can still feel the burn in his arms from making his father's memorial, right next to hers. "I might be, one day. But I am not now."

He can see the gears turning in the fox's mind. Trying to comprehend why. "But then, where do you fit?"

"I am a protector." It was as simple as that.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Tails is distraught, flinching away from another roll of thunder. "Families are structured. They might not always follow biology, but they have structure. They have roles. Parents have children. Children have siblings. Stuff like that. That's how it works."

"There are more ways to be a family than to be a son or a mother. My tribe was all family, in one way or another."

Tails is silent in his disbelief. Such a concept was clearly one he hadn't encountered before. Disregarding the circumstances, it felt nice to know something that the genius did not.

"How can you... move on?" Tails' whisper is almost lost to the rain. "How can you let yourself be a part of a new family? How can you leave them behind?"

Knuckles sees his chance for answers. "Did you have a family back on Mobius?"

There's a pause, seconds too long. "No." Tails refuses to meet his eyes. "I didn't."

Knuckles doesn't know much about where the fox came from, but it is clear that he had lost his family somehow. It takes Knuckles several minutes to come up with a satisfactory answer to the fox's question. One that explained the concept that he knew intrinsically. Just as Tails and Maddie always answered him.

"Enfolding. Any good tribe, or family, or community, looks out for one another. That means enfolding when need be, to ensure that no one is left behind." He had to pause, fighting the old lump of grief in his throat. (He had been the exception to prove the rule. There had been no one left to enfold him.) Tails needed his explanation. "There had been a plague, just a year before That Day." The euphemism they had chosen for the fight that destroyed both Sonic and Knuckles' worlds. It was easier, in a way, to dance around what had happened.

"What happened?" Tails was looking at him again, morbid curiosity getting the best of him.

"It killed many of us; all of the children younger than I, all the parents who had insisted on staying with their sick children, and most of our medics. There were many orphans." So, so many. "After we grieved, we enfolded. Some children moved in with aunts or grandfathers, others with friends or volunteers. I knew a pair of siblings who were enfolded; they lived near us." Exactly one-thousand and eight steps away, under the care of Chaac and Aapo. (Don't think about them right now. You have a job to do and someone to protect; you can grieve them again later.)

Thunder echoes through the attic, pulling Knuckles from his spiral and forcing Tails into a tight ball. Sliding out from underneath Sonic's bed, Knuckles curls right next to Tails. "They visited their parents' memorials often. I believe, if they had been given more time, Itzel and Nicte would have come to call them both father."

"I'm sorry you lost them." Tails mumbles. "It sounds like they were important to you."

"It was not your fault." It was not Sonic's either, as he was slowly coming to terms with. "The point being, there is no shame in finding family in others. It does not negate who you have lost, and it does not betray them either." A saying his father had mentioned once comes to mind. "When a Chief dies, another steps up to take the mantle in order to protect their people. That is the order of things." Knuckles draws Tails closer to him, resting a hand on his back. "Keep those you have lost in your heart, and you will have done no disservice."

"Then where do I fit?" Tails asks, once again whispering as if he's saying something forbidden. "If I'm part of a..." He stopped himself. "Where do I fit?"

The tech expert. Their son. My brother.

"Wherever you want."

Tails laughs. "I don't get it. You don't know how a television or a toaster works, but you can give lectures on family structure? How does that work?" There is no insult in his words, just confusion and desperation.

"The same way that you can create machines beyond my comprehension, and I get to explain all of this to you." 

More thunder, causing the fox to flinch yet again. It would be so much easier if this were a problem that Knuckles could properly protect against. Something he could punch away. Instead, all he could do was try to shield Tails from the ever-increasing sound. No matter what Knuckles said, the thunder was still becoming more frequent.

The attic hatch is pushed up, and Sonic peeks in. "Hello? Anyone up here?"

"Under the beds, Hedgehog."

Sonic is in front of the pair instantly, right where Knuckles had been minutes before.

"Hasn't the Lord of the Doughnuts asked you to stop running in the house?"

"That's not important right now. What are we doing under here?"

"The weather is distressing him. I am helping."

"Can I join too?"

Tails' nod is nearly lost in how violently his shaking had become, but somehow they both see it. Sonic squeezes himself in on the other side of Tails, officially taking the space from "pleasantly enclosed" to "tightly cramped". Knuckles bites back his complaints, focusing on how Tails visibly relaxes, even just a bit, at the pressure. If this is what it took to make the fox feel protected, then so be it.

+ 1

The lies had piled up too quickly. Tails should have just come clean and left at the beginning, but he hadn't. He had stayed and soaked up every ounce of their misplaced kindness. Basking in the life he could have had. He had thrown their well-being to the wayside in exchange for his own selfish desires.

And now he was paying for it.

The news had been warning about a bad storm for hours. All day, the sky had grown darker, and no one else seemed to care. Tom double checked the rain cover was on the grill. Maddie mentioned that it was a good thing she had gone to the store the day before. Knuckles moaned about having to train in the mud soon. Sonic shrugged and kept reading his comics.

No one else cared about the storm.

No one else cared about the storm.

Tails paced around the attic, shaking his hands. A storm was on the way. A storm that he had caused, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. There had been plenty of rain since he arrived on earth, even a few cases of thunder. Last time it stormed, when Knuckles and Sonic had joined him under the bed, lightning had struck a tree. It fell onto a farm, just barely missing their barn. It had killed a cow. 

Still, Tails had ignored every single warning shot, digging himself a deeper grave. Leeching off every ounce of misplaced kindness that the Wachowskis could offer. Pretending that he had found a real family, that he could leave his old one behind. That he could belong. Now all their lives were in danger. It was bad enough seeing people who hated him die from his storms; he wouldn't be able to live if something happened to the Wachowskis.

A dull roll of thunder echoed in the distance. It was nearly too late.

The only thing he could do now was leave, to pray that the storm would follow. That it would spare them.

It was the only way.

Tails had a family on Mobius. No matter how much he wished he didn't. His family was nothing but cold, distant flesh. His parents had abandoned him as soon as they could. His aunt and uncle had ignored his cries for help and refused to even throw him scraps. His cousins laughed at his misery and relished in causing him pain. The rest of the village wasn't anything different. They all hated him. They were all right to hate him. Regardless, they were still his family. They were still the ones that were supposed to be there for him no matter what, and even they couldn't do that. What chance did he have with anyone else? What obligation did they have to suffer through his worst?

Knuckles was the easiest to find. With training in the arena off-limits due to the weather (direct orders from Maddie), Knuckles had set up shop in the house's basement. Tom had called it "unfinished and perfect to make a mess in". Knuckles hadn't cared much, just grateful he could still train. Still, he stops his pushups the moment he sees Tails on the stairs.

"What is 'up', Fox?"

"I just— I just wanted to say thank you. For helping me last time. With the— with the rain. I mean."

"Of course, it is my duty. I will help you again tonight as well." Knuckles leaves no room for disagreement, as blunt as ever.

Tails smiles as he nods, as cowardly as ever, and goes back up the stairs. Pointedly not thinking about everything that Knuckles had told him that night.

Enfolding is what he called it. When holes in families were filled. Children given parents and siblings when they had none left. Enfolding: giving love someplace to go instead of letting it fizzle out and die. Enfolding: something that was almost identical to what his own village did with wayward kits, finding them new homes. Enfolding: a practice that Tails could never be a part of.

Tails wasn't anyone's brother. Not really. How could he, when he had broken so many families? Separated so many siblings by death? Sonic had given him the nickname, Tails had allowed it, Knuckles had taken to it, but it wasn't real. It would all crumble away the second the truth came out and his sham was revealed. Tails wouldn't blame any of them. It would be his own fault. Because he had lied in the first place. He had let them build up the lie, playing along with the idea that he could be normal. When their ideas of him crumbled, when they realized what he had been pretending to be was fake, it would be no ones fault but his own. He deserved the fallout. He deserved every ounce of righteous anger he knew awaited him.

Maddie was pulling colorful boxes out of the living room cabinets, one that Tails hadn't mustered up the courage to search through himself. They had paintings on top and numbers on the sides. Puzzles. Tails stamps out his excitement, focusing on what he needs to do. Still, she sees him before he's ready.

"Perfect, I was just about to come and find you. Do you like puzzles? I was thinking we could do some tonight in case the power goes out." Tails' stomach drops at the thought. "The last thing we need is a stir-crazy Sonic with nothing to do."

Tails shrugs. "I'm okay with anything."

"If you like doing them, they have puzzles you can check out at the library. We could add that to our list for next time." Because, of course, Maddie had made a point to take him there once a week. She was too kind.

"Thank you." Tails blurts. "For the library. I don't— I can't remember if I ever said that." 

"Of course, honey. It was no problem. And for the record, you have thanked me already."

The conversation dies there, and Tails turns to leave. There's so much more he wants to say (to at least give her an explanation), but he can't risk it. He can't risk them following him. It's far, far too risky. 

The whole point of leaving was to keep them safe.

Tails hadn't stepped into school once in his life. When everyone couldn't even look at you without revulsion, no one wanted to sit you down and teach you how to read. Tails had learned everything by sitting on the schoolhouse roof and listening in, stealing the reading primers to practice on his own. When he finally figured out letters and numbers, he turned to every book he got his hands on. Stolen from homes and borrowed from traveling merchants. He taught himself everything on his own. He listened in on doctors appointments so he could treat his own injuries. He spied on scout meetings to learn which plants he could forage during winter. He read every book in the village; and when that wasn't enough, he turned to the mysteries within metals and wire. Machines made sense. They followed patterns and structure. They were reliable and helpful. Tails buried himself in scrap metal and old knickknacks saved from the garbage cans. Books and machines had never failed him.

Tom was in the kitchen, making dinner plans. He smiled at Tails, just like Maddie had.

"I'm stuck between pasta or stew. Do you have any preference?"

Tails shook his head. 

"I'll figure it out. You up to anything fun?" His full attention was now on Tails. Bad, he needed to slip away to get his raincoat.

"Just working on some upgrades." An idea struck. "I think Maddie said something about wanting stew the other day." Maddie had said nothing of the sort.

"Perfect! I'll score some favoritism points." Tom wiggled his eyebrows and laughed at his own joke.

With his back turned, looking for something in the fridge, Tails rushed away. 

It would have been nice to stay for stew. Just one more time. 

Tails' parents hadn't died. They were living wonderful, fulfilling lives in Central City. They wrote about it to his uncle all of the time; he read the letters aloud to his family around the fireplace after dinner. (Tails used to sit outside the window and listen in, before it hurt too much. Before he realized they really weren't coming back.) His cousins would taunt him with their words constantly. He had told the truth once; none of the adults had ever hurt him. Not really. Snapish words, of course. Things thrown at him, sure. But they never hit or kicked him. The adults watched from afar, hoping that one day he would leave them be. They never did anything to possibly trigger the curse. That was always the other children. Because it hadn't been enough to watch his parents abandon him and the village exile him. They had to seek him out to taunt and hurt him. To break his things and spit in his face. To tear up his books. To leave scars for fun. Tails couldn't even blame them. 

"Hey, Tails," Sonic pops up from the ladder, nearly startling the gadget out of Tails' hands. "Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" 

Sonic gestured to the window. "I thought I'd check in. See what you were up to."

"Not much." Tails shrugged, lifting the gadget in his hands. "Just upgrading this casing. I haven't made it waterproof yet."

"Fancy," Sonic wiggled his eyebrows, the same way that Tom did. "Remind me what this one does again?"

"My Geo-locator." 

Sonic nodded intently, even though they both knew he had no clue what that actually meant. "Welp, if you're just doing parts replacements, I won't distract you with my awesomeness."

Tails laughed even as his chest tightened. It was just like Sonic to leave their last conversation like that. Tails waved as he went back down the ladder, savoring their last moment together.

Tails wasn't normal. He was the farthest thing from it. Tails was cursed. He brought floods to the village and drowned the crops. He had brought the plague that devastated families. He had brought storm after storm after storm to Westside Island. People died from the wreckage he caused. Houses were destroyed. He was a walking curse. A blight on everyone around him. He should have left the second the security systems were set up for the Master Emerald. Explained to them all that the best way he could keep the Master Emerald safe was to stay as far away as possible. Yet he didn't. Instead, Tails clung to the idea that he could be more than a curse. That he could be a friend or brother or son. How selfish. How stupid.

Something hadn't sat right with Sonic. Tails was acting off, even more than usual. This wasn't just the usual anxieties he dealt with. This was something more. He had been scared. Almost secretive? It made Sonic's own anxieties bubble in his chest, but he managed to walk away. It was something that he had been working on: letting things sit. Letting people ask him for help instead of butting into their business. Tails had also gotten better at asking for help. So it was just a matter of waiting. It sucked, but Sonic was determined to be a good brother. Just like Maddie had talked to him about the other day.

Speaking of, she was in desperate need of his input on their "rainy day activities". He sat next to her, eyeing the box covers.

"Why bother with puzzles? Tom just lent me his old d-whatever and it's got Mario Kart on there!"

"Because," Maddie replied. "If the power goes out, you won't be able to charge it, and I'd rather you save the battery. Besides, it'd be nice to do something as a family."

"We all know Tails is gonna solve it in like, two seconds. That's not much of a 'family' activity." Sonic reached for the remote at her side.

"Then Tails can help the rest of us out. If you're putting the TV on, keep it on the weather channel."

Reluctantly, he complied. At least they showed cool storm footage. Sometimes, the reporters were even out in the middle of storms. It was as cool as it was terrifying. Sonic had been caught out in bad storms before, when he still lived in the woods. They were fun for a while, until he got cold. Maddie went into the kitchen at some point after the commercial break, leaving Sonic alone with the news. There was a reporter in the field, but it wasn't raining there yet. Still, she was in a slick yellow raincoat. Almost the same color as Tails' fur. The same color he insisted on making every gadget he made.

"Just upgrading this casing. I haven't made it waterproof yet."

Sonic sat up, a terrible thought intruding in his mind. He was overthinking things. He had to be. There was no reason that Tails would be thinking about going out in the storm. That would be stupidly dangerous, and Tails was anything but stupid.

All of his gadgets had been laid out on the bed, along with his raincoat. Right next to his backpack. The gray one that Tom had gotten him for camping. The one that Tails had been ecstatically singing the praises of. The one that was waterproof.

A quick check wouldn't hurt anyone. He'd just claim he had wanted one of his comic books and then go back downstairs. No pressuring Tails to talk before he was ready, just putting his own anxieties to rest. A perfectly sound plan from a perfectly calm hedgehog.

Pushing the attic hatch open, he was greeted with an empty room. No Tails, no bag, no mess on the bed. Nothing. Anxieties flaring, he ran through the rest of the house. He would deal with the lecture from Tom later. Right now, he needed to find Tails. He checked every corner of the house. Nothing. He even checked the outside shed, just in case he had gone outside to read again. Nothing. 

There was a time when he would have gone ahead alone. Sonic would have taken off into the woods immediately, calling out for his younger brother and refusing to stop until he found him. Unfortunately, he had been working on his "impulsiveness" and "learning to ask for help", just like Tails was supposed to have been.

"Tom!"

He was in the kitchen now, both adults looking at him with concern. "He's gone."

"Who's gone?" 

"Tails. He's not—" Sonic was having trouble talking. "His bag—" An indescribable fear was choking him. Blue electricity sparking off of him."He left."

Tom said something to Maddie, who left the room. Then, he was at his side. "You're certain he's not here? Not hiding—"

"I checked." Sonic cut him off. "He's not under any beds or in any closets or anything. He's gone."

"Okay, okay." Tom took a deep breath, collecting himself. "Sonic, I need you to breathe. Panicking won't help Tails. I'm going to the living room to talk with Maddie. Come get us when you're together. Alright? Run a few laps if you have to."

Sonic took him up on the offer, dashing around the house several times. The icy wind and rain helped to ground him, though they just stoked his worst fears even more. (Shivering beneath a tree branch, begging for the storm to stop. All alone with no one coming to help him. Longclaw was dead, had been for weeks. His fault, all of it.) Maddie handed him a towel when he came back inside. 

Tom was standing in front of the TV with a notebook in his hands. Fully shifted into "work mode", stern face masking the fear that his fidgeting hands gave away. He always spun his pen like that when he was nervous. Knuckles was already pulling on a poncho, Maddie helping him with his spines. 

"We're going out to look for him. Sonic, do you remember how we looked for Mrs. Eggers' nephew? In circles—"

"—around town, expanding the range each time. Yeah." That had been the biggest thing to happen last summer. The kid was from out of town and got turned around on a hike. 

"We're going to do the same thing now. If it wasn't storming, I'd call in a team, but I don't trust the roads. So it's just us. Knuckles and I are going to search the property while Maddie stays here as base."

"If I call, you all need to come back home." Maddie already had the first-aid kit open and ready. "You understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sonic and Knuckles said in unison. 

Rain didn't bother Sonic when he ran. It slid off his quills just as fast as it landed, thanks to his speed. He only got wet when he stopped. Which was a blessing he only really considered right now. He hadn't bothered to put on his raincoat, rushing out as soon as Tom gave the go-ahead. The communicators that Tails had made for them were waterproof anyway. (How hadn't he noticed it sooner? The raincoat had been right there. Maybe he could have stopped him from leaving.) 

Sonic fought back the memories that kept resurfacing as best he could. (Storms that flooded his home, leaving him sick for weeks. Snowstorms that still made him shiver. There had been a tornado once. Sonic still had nightmares about that day. How the wind threatened to tear him from the ground.)

Thunder shook the ground, only seconds after the lightning. It was close.

Sonic tried to do the same thing Tom did, to push all his emotions to the side while he searched. It had worked last time with Mrs. Eggers' nephew. Sonic had found him within fifteen minutes, hiding in a cave he used to stay in. The kid was even reading his old comic books. After that, people came to him whenever pets went missing. He was something of a local hero, even without the whole "saved the town twice" thing. So why was this taking so long? He knew these woods better than he knew the back of his hand. Every hideyhole, every berry bush, every rusted bike. He had found two rabbits already, both golden-brown that looked just similar enough to Tails in the gloom, and one earth fox.

There, in the bushes by the road. Fur that he just barely recognized was almost hidden from view. Another bolt of lightning chased the shadows away, letting its true hue shine through. Golden-yellow. Waves of relief were immediately squashed by the state of his brother. Tails looked unharmed, but he was soaked to the bone and shivering like mad, even with his coat on. He had landed in a puddle, and his coat was torn at the bottom. He flinched away from another roll of thunder, curling ever tighter around his backpack. He flinched again when Sonic bent down to pick him up. 

"It's just me, lil' bro. I've gotcha." 

Tails looked up at the sound of his voice, eyes full of fear. "No, no. You can't—" He pushed Sonic away when he tried again to pick him up. "You can't bring me back. You can't."

There was something so raw in his voice that it gave Sonic pause, enough that Tails was able to scramble to his feet and attempt to run away. Sonic caught him as he fell, legs giving way. 

"Did anyone hurt you?" Sonic asked, voice low. It was unbelievable that someone would, but his mind was spiraling, throwing out horrible, intrusive thoughts. 

"No one h-hurt me. But I have to leave. It's not safe." Tails' nose was running. If he wasn't already hypothermic, then he would be soon.

Sonic scooped him up, doing his best to block out Tails' screams of protest. "We've got to get you warmed up." He couldn't run as fast as he usually did, with Tails doing everything in his power to push Sonic away, but he went as fast as he could.

Tails fought him the entire way home, screaming about how Sonic didn't understand. It was dangerous. He was trying to help. 

It made Sonic sick, seeing his brother like this.

Maddie had just finished opening one of their emergency cans of chicken noodle soup when Sonic came back, door slamming behind him. The giant puddle beneath them, and probable water damage,  was another day's problem; she couldn't focus on that. Not when Tails was kicking and screaming like he had been kidnapped. She took him from Sonic, not caring about how wet her shirt would get or how she could feel the tips of claws through his gloves.

"Sonic, I need you to call your father and tell them to come home. Then grab a towel and start cleaning this up."

All the towels were already in the living room, right next to the first-aid kit. Maddie wasted no time drying him off. The repetitive motions calmed him some, enough that he was no longer fighting her. Instead, he cried, loud and ugly tears mixing with the rainwater as he held onto his bag for dear life. It wasn't helping his breathing return to normal, but it was a start at least. Sonic was beside her now, looking on with worry.

"What can I do?" He asked. (Because of course he did. Underneath all the bravado, Sonic cared so deeply it hurt. How did she get so lucky?)

"There's a can of soup on the counter. Can you heat that up for me?"

Instead of a reply, there was the sound of the stove lighting.

Thankfully, Tails didn't appear to be injured. Just cold and scared. Slowly, Maddie removed the damp towel from around his shoulders. She was taking deep, intentional breaths. Hoping that the parenting forum she had bookmarked was right and that he would begin to mimic her. The lightning seemed to be moving away from them, as the thunder slowly grew quieter.
Knuckles slammed the door open, startling even Maddie. He looked ready to berate their youngest for taking off, but stopped himself when he saw the fox. Tom closed the door gently, taking off his coat and signaling for Knuckles to do the same.

"Can you help Sonic with the stove?" She asked. Tom nodded and went straight to the kitchen.

Knuckles sat next to her, staring at Tails like he was some new device. A mystery he hadn't quite figured out.

"Will he be alright?"

"He will be. Would you mind grabbing me the blankets from his bed? He's still too cold."

Knuckles nodded solemnly, walking past Sonic without care for the soup in his hands.

Maddie softened her voice. "We've got some soup for you, honey. Can you have some for me?"

Tails didn't respond, burying his face in his bag.

"Can we at least put the bag up? It's still wet." Waterproof it may be, it wasn't helping him warm up.

With still no response, Maddie tried gently pulling the bag away from the fox. He only gripped it tighter.

Tom took the bowl from Sonic. "I'll leave this in the microwave until he's ready." Sonic awkwardly followed, leaving Maddie and Tails alone again. Maddie kept her breathing slow, pleased when Tails finally began to mimic it.

Thunder shattered their peace, practically in sync with the lightning it was supposed to follow.

Tails pushed himself away from Maddie, eyes wild. His bag was forgotten as he ran towards the door, far too fast for her to follow. He would have made it back outside if not for Knuckles scooping him up into a blanket. Kicking and screaming again, Tails fought Knuckles with all his might. It wasn't enough. The echidna carried him to the couch, wrapping him in a second blanket there and keeping the fox securely in his arms.

"Pressure calms him." Knuckles said as he noticed Maddie's stares.

"How did you figure that out?" She asks, keeping a close eye on Tails.

"He hides in small spaces whenever he feels scared or threatened." Sure enough, it seemed to be working. While he was still obviously panicked and crying, Tails had stopped screaming. Beyond the two blankets he was tightly wrapped in, Knuckles was still hugging him tightly.

"Make sure you're breathing slowly." She said, sitting next to him. "So he can mimic you. It'll help him calm down."

"Of course." 

Tails woke up to a ringtone, the one that Tom had reserved for Wade and work calls. It shut off quickly enough, but Tails was already stirred from sleep. Opening his bleary eyes, he tried to make sense of where he was and why he couldn't move. It was the living room, that much was clear enough, and the sun was shining brightly, illuminating the room even without any lights turned on, so it was later than he usually woke up. He was wrapped in several blankets, which wasn't too unusual, and Knuckles' arms, which was very unusual. It did, however, explain how he couldn't move. The blankets even covered his ears, muffling whatever Tom was saying. Tom hung up the phone, deep bags hanging beneath his eyes. He said something else that Tails also didn't hear, before going to Maddie's side. She was asleep in one of the chairs, neck at an angle so odd he knew it would ache the rest of the day. A few moments later, Tails' tired mind caught up with the rest of his body. Reminding him exactly why they had all slept in the living room.

(Screaming terror, they couldn't bring him back. That was a death sentence. The weather was already so bad that if it got any worse, someone would get hurt. Someone would die. He couldn’t be the reason they died. He couldn’t.)

Staying stone still, Tails let the pressure on all sides ground him. Whatever had happened, at least it was over now.

Tom woke Maddie up with a gentle shake. Tails managed to catch fragments of what he said. Something about helping to clean up and Wade. Smiling, Maddie sat up to give her husband a quick peck on the cheek before he turned to leave. Kissing like this was second nature to the couple. Between themselves and even with the boys. It was sickeningly sweet and domestic. Usually, something that comforted Tails. Now it just made his stomach roll. 

As Maddie woke herself up fully, Tails reflexively shut his eyes and slowed his breath. It was a trick he had learned in the village: pretending to sleep. Sometimes it kept the others from messing with him. There was too much happening in Tails' mind and heart; he couldn't bear Maddie acknowledging him now. The blanket on his head was moved, freeing his ears. It took everything in him not to lean into Maddie's touch as her warm hand brushed through his fur. 

"If we're both up, we might as well get something to eat," Maddie said. For a moment, Tails thought he had been caught.

"I cannot move." Knuckles, apparently also awake, responded. His voice reverberated through Tails' limbs, low and comforting. "I do not want to wake him. It is why I did not follow Tom."

"I'll help you move him." 

Lifted gently in the air, Tails felt the loss of Knuckles' arms. He was set down on the couch alone. 

"How about I teach you to make an omelet?" Maddie asked as the two left for the kitchen. 

When the cabinets began to open, Tails dared to open his eyes. Finally alone, he let himself try and untangle the facts. 

None of it made sense. Nothing about last night made any sense. He had let himself get attached, yes. He had let the others get attached to himself, yes. That's why sneaking out should have worked. No goodbyes to arouse suspicion, no plans that he would be absent from in the near future. He knew the others would look for him; it's what he used to excuse his selfishness. The storm was supposed to fix that problem. Even if they noticed early enough to come looking for him, the storm would keep them in place. Then, when Tails led it away, it would be too late for them to look. He had left no clues and given them every opportunity to let him go silently in the night. They still brought him back, kicking and screaming. Ignoring every warning he gave them, even as he finally broke down. Knuckles stopped him from leaving a second time. Maddie toweled him dry. Sonic carried him home.

Sonic found him in the storm.

Sonic wasn't here.

Anxiety burned under his skin. In the panicked haze of last night, he could remember Sonic bringing him back. They had both come inside. After that, he couldn't remember anything more about Sonic. Doing his best to breathe through the, hopefully, irrational fear clawing at his lungs, Tails looked at the facts. One, the others would have absolutely reacted if Sonic had been missing before Tom left. Two, if he were ill or injured, they would be acting differently. Maddie would be in full vet mode instead of teaching Knuckles how to cook. Three, Tails had only seen the living room. It was entirely possible that Sonic was just asleep in his bed, like any normal person would be.

Without Knuckles holding him in place, Tails began to slowly untangle himself from the blankets. He would check upstairs for Sonic and make sure that he was alright. If not, he would go looking for him. When he was sure that Sonic was alright, he would grab his bag and leave while they were all distracted. He couldn't risk them keeping a closer eye on him after this, so he had to go now. 

His plans were dashed the moment he set foot in the kitchen, on his way to the stairs. Even distracted by Knuckles attempting to crack eggs, Maddie saw him. 

"Morning, Tails! You up for breakfast?"

With a foiled plan and no backups, Tails said the first thing that came to mind. "Is Sonic okay? He's not— He wasn't—" 

"He's perfectly fine, I promise." Maddie stopped a stray egg from falling off the counter.

"He is out with Wade. Several trees fell onto the road last night, and they are attempting to move them. Tom has gone to their aid, as would I had Maddie not required my assistance."

They were cleaning up Tails' mess. Just like always. "You promise?"

"We would not lie about their safety." Knuckles gestures to the island stools. "Now sit. We are making a breakfast feast. You shall eat first."

His anxiety was still lurking, but Knuckles was right. They wouldn't lie. Not like he had. Every logical cell in his body screamed for him to run now. While Sonic was too busy to find him again. Yet, Tails didn't. He sat down and watched as Knuckles shattered another egg in his hands. Just as selfish as he always was. 

Eventually, Knuckles figured out how much strength was the right amount to crack the eggshell without shattering it. The cooking went smoothly from there, and Tails ended up with a slightly misshapen omelet on his plate. 

"Eat up, Fox." Knuckles proclaimed, proud as ever. The rest of the omelets were about the same in quality (disregarding the one that was half burnt). Knuckles sat on the other stool while Maddie stood. 

Tails tried to eat, he really did, but he couldn't choke down more than a few bites. Sitting here, acting like nothing was wrong, was too much. He couldn't pretend to be normal anymore. He couldn't pretend that he was allowed to have a family anymore. He would have to tell them the truth. To make them see that he had to leave. They had survived this storm, but the next time they wouldn't be as lucky. 

It was the best food that Tails had ever eaten. The eggs tasted rotten in his mouth. 

Maddie, to give herself credit, was keeping it together exceptionally well. She held back from smothering the fox in hugs, resisted the urge to check every vital sign she could. She ate her omelet and let Tails ride out the wave of emotions. They would talk about everything later. Right now, her boy needed as much warm food as he could stomach and some good, calm company. 

Sonic and Tom came home soon enough, boasting about how quickly they managed to clear the roads. To their credit, they kept very calm as well. Even though Sonic eyes Tails' still-full plate with worry, and Tom practically radiated anxious dad. Leaving Tom to get the dishes cleared away, Maddie ushered the boys back into the living room. She hated to break the peace, but they needed to have the conversation sooner instead of later. 

"We need to talk about what happened last night." She let the sentiment linger, preparing herself for the conversation ahead. "Tails, why did you leave?"

Maddie hated that she wasn't even shocked when Tails began to cry. "I'm sorry." He whimpered. "You guys didn't do anything wrong. I didn't want to leave."

"Then why?" Knuckles interjected.

"Is there something going on? Is Eggman back?" Sonic asked. "We're a team now, we do the hero stuff together. Remember?"

"No, no." Tails fiercely shook his head. "It's not that. Everything is fine."

"Then why?" Tom sat next to Maddie. "You're not in trouble, Tails. If we did anything to make you feel like you had to leave—"

"No, no!" Tails' namesakes wrapped around him. "It's— None of you get it." He was shaking now.

"Then help us understand, sweetheart. Take as long as you need." 

Knuckles and Sonic didn't take their eyes off the fox kit, but Maddie tried to focus on holding Tom's hand. She wished that her parenting blogs had covered this. Had explained step-by-step how to deal with these big conversations. 

"They're not normal." Tails nearly whispered, low enough that Maddie nearly missed it. 

"What aren't?"

"My tails. They're— I'm—" Tears cut him off. Still, he pressed on. "I'm cursed."

Out of everything he could have said, this wasn't anywhere in her expectations. It made enough sense that she was wrong on her assumption that the two tails were standard for the species. She was working from the ground up on understanding mobian biology; she was bound to mess up somewhere along the way. But for Tails to be cursed? For curses to be real? That was much farther of a stretch. 

"What does that mean, exactly?" Tom tried to be delicate. "Are curses real? Is that something we need to be concerned about?"

Knuckles shook his head as Tails nodded emphatically. "Not in the manner he is speaking on. Curses are old magic, cast by spellsmiths. They are always a hindrance. Never a boon." 

"It's not a boon." Tails spat the word like it was poison. "It's a curse. There was a flood right after I was born. I brought the plague when I was four. I bring storms. I ruin crops. I kill people." Tails was screaming now, hugging himself tight. It made something in Maddie break. "I'm a danger to the Master Emerald. I'm a danger to all of you." Fat tears spilled from his eyes, voice breaking. He was quieter now. "I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry I put you all in danger. I caused the storm last night, that's why I had to go. I couldn't hurt you too."

The room was silent except for the fox's sobs. Maddie closed her eyes, focusing as much as she could. Clearly, someone had lied to him, blamed him for disasters outside of their control. That was the only possible explanation. The problem was how to convince Tails of that. Deep breaths, stay calm first. Start from square one.

"Honey, can we talk about some facts? Make sure that everyone is on the same page?"

Hesitantly, he nodded. 

"Alright. There was a storm last night, a big one. But we've had storms here before you arrived. Bigger ones, even."

"That doesn't mean I didn't cause this one." Tails retorted. "Storms are punishments. Maybe I didn't cause every storm in the village, but they got worse after I was born. More flooding, more damage."

"What would the storm be punishing you for?"

"For staying." 

"Then why wait?" Sonic asked. "Why would whoever's doling out cosmic punishments give you a grace period?"

"Because—" Tails paused. "Maybe it wasn't a punishment for staying, maybe it was for getting attached."

"Why would that be a reason for punishment?" Knuckles asked.

"Because I'm cursed."

Circular reasoning wasn't going to get them anywhere. "What about the science?"

"What science?" A bit of curiosity peeked through Tails' tone. Bingo. There was their opening.

"The weather. Air pressure, rain seasons, and the water cycle. Things like that. I'm not sure what the technical names are."

For the first time since he arrived, Tails was giving Maddie a blank stare. He had no idea what she was talking about. 

"I'll tell you what. How about Tom and I run to the library and pick up some books about storms and weather? We can read over them together, alright? We'll only be gone a few minutes."

Slowly, Tails nodded. They were out the door in seconds. 

"Why aren't we just pulling up some articles online?" Tom asked as he started the car.

"Because he trusts his books. If he won't listen to us, maybe he'll listen to them."

The air felt thick. It was hard to move, hard to breathe. Maddie said that there was science that could explain away his curse. The very idea was ridiculous. Except she believed it. So did Tom. And Sonic. And Knuckles. They all did, wholeheartedly.

Knuckles scoffed. "I meant what I said earlier, curses do not work the way you say they do, and all the great spellsmiths died long before our ancestors were born. Even if that is somehow false, following your logic of plagues and floods, then my tribe must have been cursed as well, and we never had anyone with two tails."

"Yeah, buddy. And who would curse you? You're awesome!"

Tails' response died on his tongue. That was a question he had never asked before. Who had cursed him? Not why it happened, but who caused it. 

Sonic sat next to him now, pulling him close to his side. "Besides, even if someone did make the horrible decision to curse you, we'll just break it."

"You can break curses?"

"Duh!" Sonic cheered. "That's in like, every story ever. Someone gets cursed, the heroes go on an epic quest, and then they break it. We really need to watch more movies. Get some fairy tales inside that big brain of yours."

"I am very good at breaking things." Knuckles confirmed. "If you remain sure that there is a curse, I will break it as easily as I did the eggs for our food. Then you will have no more worries."

"There, you see? Easy as pie. There's no reason to run away. Without saying goodbye, I might add." Sonic poked at his ribs for emphasis, managing a giggle from the fox.

Maddie was wrong about there not being a curse (she had to be. Why else would his parents abandon him? Why else would the village leave him for dead?), but Sonic made sense. One of his new books said that everything had an equal and opposite reaction. Water could put out flames. The show that Tom watched last week was about exorcisms: rituals that could expel demons and evil spirits.

"You really think we could break it?"

"What, you think we couldn't? Nothing stops Sonic the Hedgehog!" Knuckles cleared his throat. "And his trusted teammates."

"Teammates and brothers." Knuckles corrected. "We made a pact, Fox. One that will take more than a storm to break."

It wasn't much, but a small spark of hope blossomed in Tails' chest. Maybe it really could work. Maybe they could break his curse. 

Maybe he could let himself be selfish just a bit longer. Just to try.