Chapter Text
The dusk of evening fell over Station Square, an orange hue casting over the city, leaving a somewhat ‘painted’ look. The once beaming sun was now saying farewell for the day, the half destroyed moon starting to take its place for the night. This Beautiful sight however went unnoticed by the young fox sitting on the train, his face glued to the tablet he named the ‘Miles Electric’.
The sunset was not the only thing that become ignored by the Kit, with his entire focus on the tablet in his hands and not his surroundings. The Miles Electric had managed to pick up some unusual frequencies while he was out shopping for some extra parts for the Tornado, something that intrigued the kit to no end.
Tails didn’t usually take the train when he needed to do his usual errands, he would either fly himself if it was only a small haul or he took the Tornado. Today however was a bit more windy than he would like for himself to fly, and the Tornado had quite a few repairs it needed. He did have more than one plane, but they were stationed in his other workshops he had around the globe so they were out of the question and he really didn’t want to wait another day, just in case a situation came up in where he needed the Tornado. The only other option was to take the train, which on this occasion he really didn’t mind. Having chose to go to Station Square during the middle of the week made it much quieter than usual on the typically busy train, which was very welcomed by the Fox.
He managed to get the parts he needed from the mechanics, alongside some groceries he needed for the house. He also made sure to grab the pack of hotdogs Sonic liked and a bag of his favourite mints to replace his alarmingly low stash. All in all, a successful trip in his books. He made his way back to the train where he currently was now, having felt like he deserved the reward of getting to go on his Miles Electric on the way home. Maybe he should do this more often, it was quite nice just to relax and let something else do the journey for you for a change.
The frequencies that the Miles Electric picked up perked his interest. They were faint but it was definitely a frequency of the Chaos emeralds being used. It had only been a few days since him and Sonic had dealt with the mad Doctor, hence why the Tornado needed quite a few repairs. Would Eggman be the cause of these? Hard to say but it isn’t too far fetched. He mentioned about having a plan when they last saw him but they managed to crash another one of his air crafts before he got to revealing his purpose. Maybe it was the same plan?
“Excuse me…”
Tails nearly jumped out of his seat, the sudden voice startling him. He turned to the person whose voice came out of. A young adult male mobian, resembling a dog with dark brown fur who was wearing a black hooddie and cap. The mobian sat right next to him, a somewhat star struck expression plastered on his face, his yellow eyes sparkling with admiration. The kit gulped, not realising that someone was sitting this close to him.
“Are you Tails? As in Sonic’s sidekick?” He eagerly asked, moving a little too close for Tails’ liking.
The fox leaned a little back to create a bit more space as he politely nodded and gave a smile, albeit a nervous one, not wanting to seem rude. “Um, yeah that’s me.”
The stranger didn’t seem to get the message about personal space as he moved forward to fill in the gap. “Oh wow I can’t believe it! I’m such a big fan of yours- well mostly Sonic to be honest- but I’m still a big fan of yours too!”
Tails nodded again, not quite knowing why as he finally took in his surrounding a little more. He didn’t notice at first, but now the train was pretty quiet with only a few passengers scattered across a few carriages ahead, with them being out of earshot. Meaning this guy, or fan, decided to sit right right next to him, despite the other free seats. A unsettling knot settled in his stomach, not really liking being so close to a stranger and having no way of getting out. No it’s fine, he’s probably just overthinking it, that’s all. He is a fan after all, he’s just excited.
He realised he didn’t respond when the mobian tilted his head at him, his eyes yearning for a reply. “Oh that’s nice of you to say. I’ll make sure to tell Sonic I met one of his fans, he’ll be happy to hear that.”
“Oh really? Well I wanted to ask if maybe you could introduce us, you’re probably going to see him now right?” The dog pleaded, nodding his head.
Okay, definitely not the response he thought he’d get. This was starting to get a bit too forward for Tails’ liking, he should probably shut this down before it went anywhere else. This wasn’t the first time he had encountered fans, but this was probably the most direct he’s seen a fan been, at least by himself. He smiled, trying to appear as understanding as he could. He needed to be tactful but firm.
“Oh no sorry, I was just heading back home, I’m not too sure of when the next time I’ll actually see Sonic.” He lied, hoping that will end the ongoing questions.
“Oh really? So you do live not too far from here then?”
Oh crud, Tails let that slip. He panicky replied, “Oh well no, not exactly…”
“I already assumed you did, wasn’t too hard to figure out where you lived. It’s in the Mystic Ruins right? Or just beyond there at least, though I bet you have quite a few workshops scattered around huh?” The dog interjected, the casualness of his tone felt like he was relying some kind of common knowledge he heard on TV once.
The knot in Tails’ stomach started getting bigger, his gut telling him to get out of there, a warning of all kinds going off in his head. The thought of someone not only knowing the whereabouts of where they live but also his private life, like some sort of case to be solved left a bad taste in his mouth. Before he could shut that conversation down, the mobian piped up once more.
“I knew you’d be on this train eventually, I made sure to try and get on most trains to and from Station Square when I could when I heard Sonic had ridden them in the past. Took so long I nearly gave up, but I’m so glad I didn’t! Must have been destiny to have met you!”
The kit was left speechless, his mouth starting to feel dry. His eye caught the scenery outside and he knew he wouldn’t be too long till the next stop. It wasn’t the one he would usually get off, but he’d do anything to get away from this conversation. Not to mention he didn’t want to give any hint as to where his workshop was located. He needed to act.
“Oh well that’s eh… something! But I’ve got to get off this stop coming up, so uh see ya.” Never again Tails thought but didn’t dare voice.
He made a move to get up but the mobian grabbed his wrist, his grip tightening so hard that the Fox just about managed to hold in a yelp. Tails felt his heart plummet.
“Well hold on, there has to be a way I can meet Sonic, right? I made all this effort to see him, the least he could do is say hello to his biggest fan? You’ve got a way to call him or something right? Call him.” The mobian’s last sentence sounded more like a command then a question, a slight impatient tone seeping through his otherwise cheerful demeanour.
Tails gave a hurried reply; “Oh well, I don’t think that-“ he was cut off as the grip got tighter, his wrist feeling dangerously close to snapping in half. He couldn’t hold back his yelp this time, as he looked back at the Dog, his cheerful demeanour now completely gone, replaced with a steel cold stare.
“I’m not asking. Call him, otherwise I won’t be responsible for my own actions.” His tone was low and serious, daring not to disagree with him.
Chills went down Tails’ spine, knowing fully well this guy wasn’t going to take no for an answer unless he wanted his wrist broken. What was he going to do? He felt trapped. The last thing the kit wanted to do is call his brother, but he might not have a choice. Tails bit his lip as he glanced outside, he had approximately 40 seconds till the train made its stop, he had to think.
“Well…okay. Lets get off this stop and I’ll give him a call, I’m sure he’ll stop by if I ask.” He replied, using his best superficial tone and fake smile to seem convincing.
Thankfully the young dog seemed pleased with this answer, his expression lightning up the second the kit mentioned calling Sonic, as if he never had the cold tone to begin with. “That sounds great, I’m sure he’ll come if you ask.”
Tails nervously laughed to seem chummy as he firmly took his wrist back from the iron grip. The train started to slow, with the announcement coming through the train speakers that they are approaching their stop. He only had one shot at this.
The Fox stood up, purposely leaving his bags and only having his Miles Electric in his hand. They’d only slow him, he just hoped the guy wouldn’t notice.
By some miracle, the dog didn’t catch that he left his possessions behind as he followed close behind Tails, who was standing near the door. The train came to an agonisingly slow stop, the wait feeling like a lifetime to the young kit. It felt like a whole other eternity before the doors actually opened, the familiar chimes ringing around him.
They both stepped out of the carriage and onto the platform, a smaller station then usual. The young genius made sure to step beside the dog, closest to the train side when they hopped off, in case the fan tried to make an attempt of grabbing him from behind with what he had planned to do.
“I can’t believe I’m finally going to meet Sonic The Hedgehog! You have no idea how long…”
Tails drowned him out, his ears too focused on a particular sound he was waiting to hear. He had to act the moment he heard it, otherwise he’d be stuck. The thought alone made his heartbeat quicken his pace. He cannot mess this up.
The millisecond the yellow Fox heard the chimes of the train doors, warning passengers of closing before taking off, he spun his namesakes as fast as he could, rushing back though the doors he come out of. Following Sonic around had clearly paid off, as he ran back inside the train with a whole two seconds too spare. The Dog was caught off guard, still rambling by the time Tails managed to get back on the carriage. By the time he noticed the sidekick was no longer by his side, it was too late as the train doors were now firmly shut, not to be opened again until the next stop. He still ran to the doors despite of this, bashing his fits into them and yelling for them to be opened. Thankfully his wishes fell upon death ears as the train started to move, taking no time at all until they were fully out of the station.
Tails heaved a sigh of relief, releasing a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. His hands started to shake, not being able to fully process what just happened. He quickly and quietly moved back to his original seat, his possessions still where he had left them. He looked around his surroundings, feeling like there may be someone else watching him now, waiting for him to be alone again. But there was no one else in the carriage, with the next stop being the last one.
Despite no one else being around, Tails held his composure, not allowing the tears that welled up in his eyes to fall down or for him to panic out loud, making sure his shaky breaths stayed to a minimum. He rubbed his sore wrist, hoping the aching will soon subdue. He didn’t want to be left with a reminder of what just happened, of what could have happened.
He didn’t feel like looking on his Miles Electric anymore.
The train to the last stop felt like an endless journey, like some horrible unceasing nightmare. Despite being alone he couldn’t help the ever growing paranoia, feeling like someone was watching him. Every few minutes he looked around his surroundings just in case someone walked down from the other carriages to get close. But fortunately for the young fox, no one came.
The train finally drew to the last stop at the Mystic Ruins, the dusk of nightfall now in set. Tails wasted no time grabbing his belongings and rushing out the train doors, not wanting to stay in this trapped space any longer. He flew as fast as he could to his workshop, making sure every few seconds he looked behind just in case someone was stalking him. The dark of night made this more difficult, hard to distinguish between a shadow of a tree or an actual person following his tail.
He knew he was letting his paranoia get the better of him and that he was acting childish, but no matter how much he tried to just push it down, he couldn’t help but feel spooked. He just needed to get home and then he’ll feel better. He thought that he maybe should tell Sonic what happened but he rejected that idea, not wanting to bother him over something that essentially led to nothing. He was overreacting anyway, something like this wouldn’t bother his brother so why should he let it bother himself so much? He just needed to toughen up and forget about what happened.
He made it to the workshop in record time, inputting his PIN code in lightning speed, wanting nothing more but to hide and shut himself away from the rest of the world.
Once the door was fully closed and locked (even putting on the safely bolt that he’s rarely used since he had the place), he dropped his shopping bags and placed his Miles Electric on the side cabinet. It was dark inside, but as he went to to turn on the light switch, the thought of adding illumination made him feel exposed. He retracted his hand as he decided against it.
Tails could feel his breathing pick up pace but he forced himself to steady it. A glass of water would help, maybe he just needed a drink. Now that he thought about it, his mouth was really dry.
He walked to the kitchen and got a glass out of the cabinet, noticing his hands still hadn’t stopped shaking, his wrist now a dull ache. He ignored it, hoping that it’ll eventually go on its on. He went to the sink, his back now to the wall when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
Tails gasped as the glass fell out of his hand and shattered to the floor but he didn’t notice nor cared. Panic ran riot in his brain, alerting the fox of the danger that was behind him, yelling at him to run, fight and scream all at once. He felt trapped, like the walls were closing in around him, suffocating. How could be such an idiot and let someone come in to their home, their life without him even noticing? The feeling of someone following him was right, that someone was indeed on his tail and yet, despite being on such high alert, he still managed to let his guard down, allowed someone to follow him to one of the few places he felt fully secure in. Managed to somehow let a stranger believe they had full access to his and his brothers private life and he just let it happen.
Logic went out of the window as he turned round and pushed the offender who grabbed him, shouting what was most likely gibberish to scare the person off and thrusting his arms out, thrashing his body around to shake the hand off. He couldn’t see clearly, the world around felt like it was spinning a hundred miles a minute.
The person didn’t let go though, instead putting both hands on his shoulders instead of one. It was firm but it didn’t feel like they were using force to out strength him. He then managed to catch a few words from the offender.
“Woah woah Tails calm down, it’s okay, it’s just me.”
The kit recognised that voice, a voice that instantly made him feel more calm. He stopped moving around and managed to catch the form of blue in front of him, a blue he’d seen so many times before.
“…Sonic?” He whispered, the irrational part in his brain scared that he could be wrong and he was letting his guard down, exactly what the perpetrator would want.
But no, as he focused more clearly on the person in front of him, it was no doubt his older brother.
“Yeah buddy it’s me, I’m here lil bro.”
An instant relief washed over him at the realisation that it was indeed his brother. But a whole bucket load of emotions came crashing down along with it a second later, all washing over him.
“Are you okay? What was that about?” Sonic questioned, his hand still on the kit’s shoulders. All Tails could do was stare, his mind switching to panic and numb like someone flicking a light switch up and down. He didn’t know what he was feeling or how he should be feeling, the mix of emotions all too intense to distinguish. He opened his mouth hoping something, anything will come out.
“Its nothing, I…I just…I…” The fox croaked out, his mind going blank. His body felt like it was going to shut down, like he was drowning. He tried to breathe but no oxygen was going in, he started to panic, unable to stop it with rational thinking that would usually work. He was gasping for air, his chest feeling like it was being crushed with an unimaginable weight. He felt the grip on his shoulders tighten.
“Woah slow down, Tails breathe. It’s okay I’m here, just breath in and then breathe out, like how I’m doing it okay? Breathe in, breathe out. That’s it, you got it, keep going!” Sonic encouraged, him demonstrating to his little brother the right way to take in oxygen.
He copied his best friend as best as he could, breathing in for six seconds and exhaling for six. He kept this up for a few minutes, with encouragement from the hedgehog, until he felt stable enough.
“Feeling better?” Sonic asked, dropping it to just one hand resting on the kit’s shoulder, the grip still firm. He nodded, still not quite able to speak just yet. The Speedster moved his hand to wipe under Tails’ eyes with his thumb, the fox not realising tears had spilled down his cheeks.
“Okay, that’s a start. How about we move away from the broken glass and go sit on the couch? Sound good?” The Hedgehog smiled, his reassurance radiating a warmth that he does so effortlessly.
Ah the glass, Tails forgot about that. He looked down at it momentarily but Sonic was already guiding him to the living room. His brother was most likely ushering him out quickly because he knew that the fox would feel guilty and try to clean it up.
He was guided to the couch, where both he and Sonic sat. It felt eerily quiet instead of the usual upbeat atmosphere of the workshop.
“I’m so so sorry buddy, I didn’t mean to scare you like that, I feel awful.” The hedgehog apologised, gently scratching behind the kit’s ear, both in a way to offer his apologies and to help calm his little brother.
“When I got here before you did, I thought it was the perfect time to get pay back for when you snuck up on me last week. In hindsight, it may not have been the best idea to try and make you jump with glass in your hands.” The hedgehog awkwardly laughed, retracting his hand to scratch the side of his cheek.
Tails shook his head, not wanting Sonic to feel guilty for something that wasn’t even his fault. “No it’s not your fault, I was being stupid and overreacted. I’m Sorry.”
The hedgehog shot him a worried look. “Hey, you’re not stupid to react like that. But that is the first time you’ve ever been that spooked it caused an actual panic attack. Are you okay, did something happen?”
Sudden shame and embarrassment swarm at the forefront of the fox’s swirling emotions. He looked away from Sonic’s stare.
“Something did happen didn’t it? You can tell me bud, I promise I won’t laugh or anything.”
“It’s stupid-”
Before Tails could continue, Sonic held his hand out, making sure they were in the kit’s view.
“There’s that word again. You and stupid are like oil and water, they just don’t mix.” The hedgehog paused, gently lifting Tails’ chin so he could see his blue eyes. He gave a reassuring smile before adding; “Im here for you lil bro, you just gotta let me in.”
Even though the kit wanted to shut him out, pretend that he was just overreacting and everything was all dandy, he couldn’t. He couldn’t pretend that he felt okay to the one person who was able to read him like a book. The one person he knew that deep down, wouldn’t judge him for how he felt.
He closed his eyes and sighed, knowing he couldn’t evade him any longer.
“I met a fan of yours, or well I suppose ours, on the train home today.”
Sonic hummed, not looking like he was expecting that answer. “Oh you took the train? How did that go?”
“It was…” Tails paused, trying to think of the right words.”…intense.”
The blue Hedgehog sat up, slight concern flashed across his otherwise sympathetic expression. “How so?”
“Well he kinda caught me off guard. At first it was fine, he just seemed like an eager fan. But then he said that he worked out that we lived in the Mystic Ruins and that he’d take the train as much as he can so that he could meet you. He wouldn’t take the hint either that I clearly wasn’t comfortable.” The fox disclosed, his hands pulling the lose tuffs of fur on his tail, wanting to keep his hands busy.
“The dude probably did notice but he chose to ignore it.” Sonic interjected, his voice flat from his usual upbeat tone.
“That wasn’t even the worst of it. He then grabbed my wrist and insisted I call you to meet him, even when I had already told him I wasn’t going to see you today.”
The hedgehog stared at him in disbelief, not quite being able to take in the sentence that his brother just casually told him, “I’m sorry, he grabbed you? What did you do, did you push him off? He didn’t hurt you did he?” Sonic questioned, his voice raising with a hint of anger.
Tails grimaced as he subconsciously rubbed the wrist that was seized, which still hurt, feeling a little pathetic. “I tried to tell him no but he made it clear that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer…or…well he said he wouldn’t be responsible for his own actions…” He trailed off, not knowing how to continue.
The hedgehog frowned, anger clearly not being just a hint anymore. “This guy threatened you?” His voice was a smidge erratic as he learned forward, putting his hand on the fox’s shoulder, “You didn’t answer my question either, did this dude hurt you?”
“…He hurt my wrist but that’s all, I swear.” He held up his open hands as if showing them would prove he’s telling the truth.
Sonic stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a breath. “What happened next?”
“Well I didn’t want to create a scene or make him angry, so I lied again and said that I would call you once we get off the stop. Which, thankfully was the one before Mystic Ruins. We got off the train and before the doors closed I rushed back on. He didn’t notice until it was too late.”
A few beats of silence went by before Sonic responded.
“Well I’m glad you got out of that situation, but you know, you could have called me anyway. If you didn’t get back on that train on time who knows what that guy would have done. Do you know how dangerous that could have gotten, and I wouldn’t have had any clue about it?!” Sonic’s voice got louder as he went on, slightly shaking Tails’ shoulder.
The kit looked away, feeling slightly guilt. “I didn’t want to bother you and drag you into something that wasn’t a big deal,” he mumbled.
The hedgehog scoffed as he shook his head, “Tails, someone threatened you. That’s a very big deal in my books. If this guy felt comfortable enough to grab you on a public train, I don’t wanna think about what he would do if you were alone. Were you just not gonna tell me about any of this? What were you thinking?!”
Tails felt really guilty now, tears starting to prick in his eyes. “…I’m sorry…I just thought it was something I could handle myself, I didn’t really think of it that way. I was so caught up in the moment I didn’t think much else besides getting away.”
The kit quickly rubbed his eyes, not wanting to cry again. He heard his brother sigh next to him as an arm wrapped round his shoulders and pulled him into a side hug.
“I’m sorry lil bro, I get that must have been really intense. But next time you gotta at least let someone know if something like that happens the moment you can, in case the situation takes the turn for the worse.” The hedgehog explained, rubbing his back in a circular motion. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you.”
The fox nodded slowly, understanding the gravity of the situation a little better now. He really could have been in danger if that plan hadn’t worked out. A shudder went down his spine at the thought.
“I just thought that I was being overly paranoid and that I just needed to get over it,” Tails admitted.
“Buddy, I get that you want to handle things on your own and that’s great, but that doesn’t mean you have to push your feelings down or feel like you have to tackle everything on your own. Its okay to ask for help.” Sonic explained, a soft but firm tone to his voice.
“And it’s even more important to understand that if you’re in any type of danger, at least let me know of your whereabouts, even if it’s a false alarm. I would rather come and meet you and it turns out you were just paranoid rather than something happening and I wasn’t there to help.”
Tails looked at him properly this time, his blue orbs eyes filled with regret and unshed tears. “…I really am sorry…”
Sonic chuckled as he gave another friendly squeeze. “I know Kiddo, I’m just doing my job as being the ever responsible older brother.” The Hedgehog winked to his charge, a cheeky grin appearing on his face.
Tails chuckled at that, playfully rolling his eyes. The Hedgehog always knew how to cheer him up, even just slightly.
“Speaking of though, it’s probably best you don’t take the train for a while, at least by yourself.”
The fox shook his head before Sonic even finished his sentence. “Don’t worry, I don’t ever want to ride the train again. I’ll stick to flying.” A shiver run down the kit’s spine just thinking about it. That definitely will be the last time for a long while till he gets back on that form of transportation again.
“Here I am, performing my duties yet again! They clearly come natural to me.” The hedgehog boasted, a fake arrogance to his otherwise chirpy tone. Tails smiled, appreciating the help to lighten the mood.
“But I am glad you’re safe Bud, that’s the important thing.”
The kit nodded, laying his head on his shoulder. “Yeah I know.”
They sat there for a while, both just taking in the hug. His older brother’s presence already making the experience feel less distressing, his steady and rhythmic heartbeat making him feel more at ease with each beat.
Sonic was the first one to break the silence. “I dunno about you, but I definitely think this calls for a distracting movie night and to crack open the good o’l stash of mints, whaddya say?”
The mentioning of mints made Tails feel more calm, the sound of the tasty treat making the Kit’s dry mouth salivate.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I also brought more of the hotdogs you like so we can make chilli dogs if you want.”
“Now your talking lil bro, let’s get this movie night started.” Sonic excitedly replied, already heading to the kitchen to make start on their dinner.
Tails quietly chuckled as he got up to join him, remembering he better clean up the shattered glass that he left before his brother causes havoc in the kitchen.
He looked down to his wrist, the dull throbbing and the slight shaking still leaving a reminder of the day he had, and it will keep reminding him despite how much he’ll try and push down the events that happened on the train.
Tails sighed, hoping that he’ll never have to cross paths with that fan ever again.