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The kids outside of the rink are restless, eager to play.
Babysitting duty is nothing new. Keeping an eye on these particular children is something Tails does frequently.
He would never deny Sonic anything. Really, he wouldn’t. It’s just—
Cream elbows him in the side, poking a claw into his furrowed brow. “Try not to look so upset. You’re going to scare someone.”
“I am upset,” Tails grouses, dragging a paw across his face. He heaves a long-suffering sigh, sky blue eyes trained at blurs. Ivory, Coral, and Hazel are only allowed to cause so much havoc before he has to bust out the tech and tie them up.
“Let me guess,” she says, squeezing his thigh with a lopsided smile. “This is about the wedding?”
Of course this is about the wedding. What else would it be about? He has thought about precious little else since Sonic stopped by to make the announcement.
Yesterday, Sonic’s sitter bailed at the last second. He had been prepared to call off date night, but Tails offered his services, extending an olive branch. Sonic had taken him up on it with a hug. “You’re the best, buddy. I mean it,” he said, then he sped off, returning half an hour later with the kids in tow.
Cream giggles, toying with his fur. “I don’t understand why it’s got you all worked up. You, of all creatures, should have seen this coming from a mile away.”
Tails grimaces. It’s true that the announcement didn’t come as a surprise, their youngest is five for god’s sake, it’s just that on some level, he was still in denial.
“Sonic could have picked anyone,” Tails insists, frustrated. “I don’t see why he had to choose…” He trails off before he can say the accursed name.
Sensing trouble brewing, Tails stands up, silently demanding obedience. Instantly, the kids fall in line. They’re scared of him for reasons Tails can’t fathom—their non-Sonic genetic provider is a million times scarier than Tails could ever be.
Cream squeezes his hand. “Things change.”
Doesn’t he fucking know it.
The minute Sonic gets the a-okay, he zips out of sight, uttering some excuse about getting back to wedding planning.
Amy rolls her eyes. “I don’t know who he’s trying to fool. I would be surprised if he knew which venue Shadow picked.”
Tails narrowly refrains from hissing at The Name Which Shall Not Be Said, but he doesn’t manage to repress a flinch. Amy, unfortunately, has known him since he was little. His reaction does not escape her notice.
She pinches one of his ears, then twists. Tails yowls, tears springing to his eyes. Amy’s strength is no joke and it sure as shit doesn’t seem like she’s holding back. “Ow, ow, ow—I give.”
Amy releases him with a scowl, lips pursed. “Sonic is about to get married and you’re still acting like this?”
Tails has no idea why Amy is surprised. Tails had come to all three baby showers with lavish gifts, kindly pretending it was Sonic’s big day rather than Shadow’s. This allowed Tails to act appropriately cordial and also gave him a good excuse to avoid touching Shadow’s abdomen while everyone else rubbed him like he was a statue capable of bestowing good luck. Sonic and I are bros. That’s against the bro code, he said.
Tails throws up his paws. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He doesn’t like Shadow. He never will. It doesn’t matter how many photographs Sonic sends him of his partner smiling, sharp edges blunted by time. Shadow has never been in bad shape, but he has spent a decade letting go. Moving on. Living life.
Marriage is an old-fashioned tradition that introduces meaningless legalese, anchoring the most free-spirited individual Tails has ever met.
Amy jabs a claw into his nose. It hurts. “You’re Sonic’s best man. You’re going to get up on a podium and say nice things about Shadow and that speech is going to be recorded. I don’t want you looking like you’re at a funeral when this may very well be the most important day of Sonic’s life.”
Tails groans. There’s a reason all of his drafts remained drafts. A virtual pile of documents has built up in a bin.
“Defeating Eggman and saving the world—”
“Is something he does all the time,” Amy insists.
He hates it when Amy is right. Unfortunately, she is often right.
After a beat, her expression softens. “What’s this all about, huh? Do you feel like Shadow took Sonic away from you?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I have plenty of time to talk. Let’s get drinks.”
Tails winds up getting blisteringly inebriated. The truth comes out in bits and pieces. Yes, Shadow had stolen his big brother, but Shadow didn’t mean to—over time, their rivalry morphed into something new. Sonic is a busy guy who makes friends wherever he goes, maintaining tightly knit relationships with Tails, Amy, and Knuckles year after year.
He tells her something he’s never told anyone before. “Until I saw the bump, I had no idea who was. Y’know.”
“In charge,” Amy offers, muzzle dusted pink.
“Yeah,” Tails mumbles. “Nobody likes to think about their siblings having sex.”
“Enjoying it, you mean.”
Tails half-heartedly glares at her. “Whatever.”
He rehashes stories from eons ago, long before Sonic and Shadow got together. Most of them revolve around Shadow beating the shit out of him—and, to be fair, Shadow had beaten the shit out of almost every creature in their circle with the most frequent recipient of his wrath being Sonic.
“Shadow isn’t a bad guy. I know that,” Tails says. “He talks like an old man and he’s arrogant and he likes to pick fights for no reason.”
Amy giggles. “Sounds a lot like someone else we know, doesn’t it? Well, except for the age thing.”
Tails frowns. She’s far from the first creature to make the comparison, but that doesn’t mean Tails has to like it. “He’s a jerk. He doesn’t smile enough. He smells bad.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”
It’s true, Tails is taking cheap shots. His standards are high and he knows it. Knuckles, Tails would have understood, but he knows that Sonic feels the same way about Knuckles as Sonic does about him. They’re friends, best friends, but that’s it.
In childhood, Amy had been somewhat exasperating, but Tails got used to her. He would have accepted their relationship—would have expected it, even, given her proximity—but she had swiftly grown out of her hero worship crush.
As Cream said, things changed.
Amy and Sonic continue to be excellent friends to this day. As of late, she’s been doing a lot of community outreach, flexing her engineering skills.
There’s a beta version of Metal that she’s attached to. She takes care of it. He has a personality, Amy promises, keeping him updated whilst dialing down the whole I am the superior Sonic and I must kill the real Sonic to prove it thing.
The real Sonic doesn’t mind. Given that he’s marrying the guy who is the most capable of killing him in his sleep, it’s safe to say that Amy’s robotic beau isn’t a problem.
Amy places a paw on Tails’ wrist, using a handkerchief to wipe his tears. “You should talk to Sonic before the wedding,” she says, wise beyond her years.
Tails sniffles, feeling pathetic. “I know.”
The problem with telling Sonic that he wants to talk is that Sonic (rightfully) assumes it’s an emergency, promising to run over immediately. Tails has to calm him down and finagle Sonic into making a proper appointment and he has to do so whilst clutching his head, nursing the hangover headache from hell.
It takes two days for Sonic to meet him out at the lake, decked out in full fishing gear. Tails will be lucky if Sonic sticks around for an hour.
They exchange pleasantries, including a secret handshake, if it can be called that when they have full sets of paws and also his tails are involved. There are jumps involved and it ends with a fist-bump—it’s good to know that some things are set in stone.
Tails preps his hook, setting it with bait. They cast their lines and wait, though Sonic starts humming to himself immediately. When Tails closes his eyes, he can almost let himself believe that it’s a simpler time, back when it was him, his plane, and Sonic against the world. No significant others, no interdimensional adventures, just two best buds hanging out kicking robo-butt.
“I’m guessing this is about the wedding?” Sonic asks, startling Tails out of his reverie.
Tails groans. “Who told you, Amy?”
“Shadow, actually.”
Taken aback, Tails fails to deliver a reply in time. Silence falls.
Mercifully, Sonic is the one to break it. “The fox is not fond of me,” he quotes. “He thinks I’m bad for you.”
“He is bad for you.”
“When was the last time I did something that was good for me?” Sonic quips. Once again, Tails draws a blank. “He makes me happy. What more can I ask for?”
Tails knows. Shadow can do something that no one else can do—keep up. Yes, he has to supplement Sonic’s natural speed with his air shoes and a chaos emerald, but he’s clever where Sonic is brash and he gives as good as he gets. They’re well-matched.
Abruptly, Tails starts crying. “I know you are and I'm happy for you, I really am, but.”
Sonic pulls Tails into his arms, shushing him. Tails hiccups, hugging Sonic as tightly as he can. Sonic has always been fearless. Headstrong. Powerful. Blindingly fast. His hero. It feels like the end of an era. The dawn of a new horizon.
“I’m still me, buddy,” Sonic murmurs, muzzle pressed to the top of Tails’ head. “That’s never gonna change. We’re gonna go on more adventures together. I’ll need your gizmos to kick Egghead’s butt. Are ya with me?”
Tails nods. As there could ever be a doubt.
He clears his throat, tails swishing behind him, as he sets up a holographic display for the script. In the audience, there are old and new acquaintances. Despite himself, Tails was snottier than everyone else when Shadow walked down the aisle, dress self-selected. It hugs his curves. Sonic certainly seems appreciative, dipping his claws into the peekaboo panels. Shadow mouthed the word behave.
Now, the atmosphere is relaxed, tongues loose thanks to the open bar. Tails is the last shebang before they can cut the cake and boisterously celebrate the union.
“The first thing Shadow tried to do was intimidate Sonic,” Tails says. “As you can see, it didn’t work.”
Chortles fill the hall.
The anecdotes continue, stories abbreviated. Sonic’s tenderness and longing had been mirrored by Shadow, who fought tooth and nail to rescue Sonic. Some call them soulmates. Yin and yang.
“I’m proud of you, Sonic. You’re the best big brother I could ever ask for. And Shadow?” Here, he looks up, catching Shadow’s gaze. “You’re not so bad, I guess.”
Once more, laughter resounds. Shadow himself smiles.
Tails is applauded as he flies to his seat, honorably placed right next to the groomsmen.
The clamors of, “Uncle Tails, Uncle Tails,” are familiar in a way that is soothing. Hazel is growing like a weed, closer to Sonic’s coloration than Shadow’s, but her sclera are yellow and the high point of her ears makes her genealogy undeniable.
Ivory and Coral look more like Shadow, though they resemble Sonic in personality. Keeping up with three miniature speedsters is hard work, but they’re sweet kids. Hyperactive, but sweet.
It’s been a while since he’s been to Sonic and Shadow’s house. They’ve repainted, going for some sort of beach theme.
It’s not often that Sonic leaves Shadow and Tails alone, but Tails is a big boy. Their relationship has improved since the wedding. Hell, he texted Shadow of his own volition to check in, genuinely curious to see how marriage was treating him.
Life is the same as usual. This is not exactly an earth-shattering statement. They’ve been together a third of Sonic’s life.
Unable to turn off his whirring brain, Tails can’t help but notice that Shadow’s movements are sluggish. “Are you sick?”
Shadow snorts, amused. “I suppose you could say that.” Tellingly, he presses a paw to his abdomen.
Tails marvels. “Seriously? Another one? I thought you were done.”
Red eyes roll. “You know how Sonic is. Annoyingly persistent. Easily amused. Relationships come with certain concessions.” Coyly, Shadow lifts an eyebrow. “Speaking of, it’s high time for you and that rabbit to produce offspring.”
Flushed furiously red, Tails tucks Hazel, Ivory, and Coral into his arms. “See ya, gotta go,” he splutters, flying into the distance.
There is a rush of wind as Sonic barrels out of the bushes, wrapping an arm around Shadow’s waist. “You shouldn’t tease him. I don’t even know if Tails wants to have kids.”
“He does,” Shadow says, deadpan.
Sonic lifts an eyebrow. “You some sort of authority on my little brother all of the sudden?”
Shadow scoffs. “He wouldn’t offer to babysit so often if he didn’t like children. I think he was trying to convince himself that it was a bad idea because he didn’t want to be unavailable.”
Sonic frowns. “We have more than enough money to pay for a sitter.”
Shadow bites him. “You need to tell him that, not me.”
Convinced, Sonic fires off a text. Tails texts him back twenty minutes later. Tell Shadow he isn’t allowed to give me relationship advice ever again. This is as good a confirmation as any.
Shadow hurls Sonic’s communicator out of the window. “You can talk to Tails later. Don’t you have important business to take care of?”
Sonic laughs, dipping Shadow for a dramatic kiss. “Temper, temper. My husband is so needy. I’m on the job.”
He zips to the bedroom with Shadow in a bridal carry. The house is empty, which means Shadow gets to be as loud as he wants.
All in all, it’s a good night.