#eternal brothers btw bc tails is a kitsune now also

[marrowthefairy]

kitsune tails aus where he outlives sonic are good but you know what else is good? sonic with a bittersweet smile on his face asking shadow to please, please take care of his little brother when he's gone. shadows the only one who could understand what tails is about to go through. sonic leaves to save the world and this time he does not come back. shadow is now the big brother to the heartbroken grieving child he once was.

tails won't accept this at first. sonic is going to come back bc he always comes back. slowly, though, his own logical mind forces him through the stages of grief: sonic is not coming back. there is no way he could have survived that. he's angry at first, but no matter how much he screams, cries, kicks, shadow doesnt leave. he's too stubborn for that.

shadow is there whenever tails is desperately searching for ways to bring him back. through ths long nights of running simulations and tests, when he falls asleep at his keyboard, shadow carefully wraps a blanket around him. idiot, shadow thinks. no wonder he wanted me to take care of you so badly.

nothing is working. every simulation fails. the emeralds refuse to give up their powers for this. with each passing failure tails cant even bring himself to get out of bed. amy comes over for a few days to help clean up and make food- but eventually she just shows shadow the basics of how to use a stove and has to leave to take care of herself. shes grieving too, after all. shadow makes boxed mac and cheese and hamburger helper meals. he decides to throw out the canned chilli in the cabinet

tails takes the help bc he feels so numb, this might as well happen. this goes on for longer than either of them are proud of. shadow comes in to clean tail's room one day (shadow can't bear it when things become too dirty) but he's too fast about it. he only gets halfway through before tails breaks down in tears, wrapping himself in a blanket, weeping

through sobs, tails asks him. "when does it stop hurting?"

shadow is silent for too long. what would sonic have done? what would maria say? then he slowly sits on the bed beside him. he puts a hand awkwardly on tails back. he speaks, quietly. "it doesnt. i am sorry"

tails misses affection so much he leans into shadow, who hugs him, and eventually hes weeping and shivvering in shadows lap, just like he did when he was small in sonics. when he calms down, he thanks shadow for staying with him, through hiccups.

shadow thinks about how pathetic this is. he knows exactly how it feels. "i promised him i would be here." he says. he doesnt want tails to end up like he is.

things do get better, but it takes a long time. at least now they have each other.

#and theyre brothers now. thank you for coming to my ted talk. #eternal brothers btw bc tails is a kitsune now also #this ended up being much longer than i wanted it to be and i still have more to say #someone ask me about this au please. #sonic the hedgehog #sth #sonic #tails the fox #shadow the hedgehog #surviving siblings au #thats what im calling it i think #i will be posting more. and yes i am writing a fic and also drawing art.