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“Come on guys! This’ll be great!” Amy’s skipping along the path to Sonic and Tails’ house followed by a few people she gathered along the way.Knuckles sighs, “I don’t really see the importance of this Amy. We’re just gonna be looking through some of Sonic’s junk.”He crosses his arms. “I can’t believe you pulled me away from guarding the Master Emerald for this. You said it was important!” He points an accusing finger towards Amy, who raises both her hands up in the universal sign of peace.“But this is important! Sonic’s been mentioning not having enough time to clear this room out. And him and Tails have done SO much for all of us. The least we can do is help them out!” Amy brings her hands together and sends them all a pleading look. “Please guys?”Knuckles tries to maintain her gaze, before breaking almost immediately and begrudgingly agreeing.He hears Shadow scoff at him and mutter, “Weakling,” under his breath. However, when Knuckles glances at him, his head is noticeably turned away from Amy, which is about as much agreement from Shadow as she’s going to receive.“I’m already all in sweetheart.” Rogue replies as she flies overhead. “Although I do admit, I’m just here to see what Sonic and Tails have. They probably have some good stuff they don’t want anymore hiding in that treasure trove of a junk room.” She rubs her hands together a touch too gleefully as she perches on Omega’s shoulder.“AND I AM HERE TO ASSIST HER SINCE WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO ONGOING ASSIGNMENTS!” Omega’s voice is a touch too loud, but by now everyone just ignores it.Amy sighs a little dejectedly before shooting them a smile. “I suppose that’ll have to do. Now onward team!” Amy spins around on her heels and begins marching towards the house that’s now in view. Everyone glances at each other before obediently following Rose up towards the house.This was not how Knuckles expected his day to go…He might as well make the best of it and try to find something that’ll embarrass Sonic when he returns.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shadow huffed from his side of the room. He’d been organizing this pile of books by the authors’ last name for a while now. He looked at the one currently in his hands. ‘The Innovators’ seemed to be one of the fox’s books, since it had to do with engineering. Sonic clearly wouldn’t read a book like this, especially of his own free will.Smirking at the thought, Shadow set the book down and glanced around the room. Amy was humming to herself from where she was going through a multitude of old clothes. Knuckles appeared to be moving some of the heavier items aside for both Rogue and Omega to look at. Rogue was eyeing the room greedily while Omega was just standing beside her waiting to be of use.Shadow narrowed his eyes when Rogue caught his gaze and winked. Turning around, he rummaged through a pile of books he hadn’t gotten to yet. That being said, something shiny caused him to stop.He moved aside some of the books to reveal a computer. The model looked way more advanced than anything he’d seen on the Ark, yet it didn’t look quite as new as Tails’ current computer. He hefted it into his arms before waking to one of the tables in the room. He set it down and clicked a button that seemed to turn it on. (If it also happened to be the only button on the computer, that information would be for him and him only.)The sound of it booting up caused most of the rooms’ occupants to glance over at what he was doing. He paid them no mind as he reached the login page. He hummed contemplatively as he considered a passcode to try before Knuckles wandered over and typed something in.When the computer successfully unlocked, Shadow gave Knuckles a look, to which he only shrugged and muttered something about “knowing Tails for a long time.”Not dwelling on that, Shadow began navigating through the screen, glancing between the different apps available before settling on one that looked like a camera.Inside was a bunch of mini folders. “You should pick one.” Rogue stated as she peered over his shoulder. Shadow glared at the different files on the computer. “Why do I need to pick one? Why can’t one of you do it?”Rogue tsked from behind him, crossing her arms and giving him a very unimpressed look when Shadow glanced at her. “You’re the one who found the computer in the first place. Plus, don’t you wanna know more about your rival? You’re always complaining that he’s sooo~ secretive.”Rogue finished her statement by placing her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at Shadow and staring at him expectantly. Grumbling under his breath, Shadow looked around at the other lesser lifeforms in the room. Amy and Knuckles were looking at him expectantly while Omega was off looking at other items in the room, clearly not paying him any attention.Shadow heaved an internal sigh as he looked back at the computer. He squinted at the screen, trying to read the small text before ultimately clicking on the first folder and tapping the first video.
[A blurry video starts playing. All that’s shown for a few seconds is a yellow blur against a bluish background.
“Come on~. Work with me here.”
The video slowly focuses until the face of a younger Tails is shown. His tongue is slightly sticking out as his brow scrunches in concentration as he fiddles with something out of sight.]
“Oh… My… Gosh… It’s baby Tails!!” Amy’s screech ultimately startles everyone in the room. Shadow accidentally clicks something that freezes the screen in place as he glares at her.“Oops. I didn’t mean to startle anyone.” She appears slightly sheepish as she links her hands together in front of her.“He’s just so cute!!” She continues cooing over the image as Rogue leans closer to examine the screen.“I mean, she’s not wrong. Just look at those adorable little cheeks. I could just eat him right up.”“WHY ARE WE CONSUMING THE BLUE MENACE’S COMPANION?”Rogue’s statement drew Omega’s attention to them as he comes over to investigate.“I don’t mean literally Omega. It’s just an expression.” Rogue rolls her eyes exasperatedly and turns to meet Shadow’s gaze. “It just means he looks cute and cuddly.”“You know, Tails would probably punch you if he heard you say that,” Knuckles observes as he crosses his arms. Shadow scoffs.“Oh please, he wouldn’t be able to reach anywhere significant.”Knuckles leans back against the wall. “He’d at least kick her shins. He’s a vicious little bastard when he wants to be.” Knuckles sentence trails off after that. He spaces out for a bit before forcefully shaking his head to refocus.Shadow rolls his eyes as he looks back at the video.He stares at the screen for a few seconds before defeatedly turning towards Rogue. “How do I make it start again?”She chuckles slightly as she walks over, taking the mouse from him and hitting a small triangle in the corner of the screen.
[Tails disappears from view before coming back a few seconds later beaming ear to ear.
“Sonic! Come see, come see! I finally got that old camera to work!”
Tails excitedly jumps in place as a blue blur zips on screen. A younger Sonic beams at his even younger brother as he ruffles his fringe. Tails giggles as he pushes Sonic’s hand away, halfheartedly trying to fix his fur.
“Sonic!”
His voice takes on a slightly whiny tone despite his giggling. Sonic shrugs at him before wrapping an arm around Tails’ shoulders, pulling him in close for a side hug .
Sonic slightly tilts Tails head towards him with his other hand until Tails meets his eyes. Tails eyes gleam with unadulterated happiness. Sonic’s smile takes on a more fond look as he taps Tails on the nose.]
The screen stops again as Rogue clicks another button. This one looks like two lines side by side. Shadow furrows his brows in slight confusion before a sigh from Amy draws his attention.“Sonic is such a good brother. You see that look he’s giving Tails? That’s nothing but love. It’s so sweet!” Amy ends her statement in giggles as she stares longingly at the younger pair.“The hedgehog is an adequate brother. He always has been for as long as I’ve known him,” is Knuckles contribution to the conversation before he wanders off. Shadow briefly wonders where he’s going before dismissing it entirely when Rogue catches his attention.She’s leaning against the table the computer rests on, idly tapping her finger. “Blue’s always been good with Tails. It’s quite sweet to watch.” She tilts her head back to stare at the ceiling. “Though it does make you wonder if the reason they are the way they are is because they’ve only ever had each other.” She shrugs like her statement means nothing, yet Shadow can see a gleaming curiosity in her eyes when she lowers her head back down.Shadow just shrugs, glancing off to the side, appearing completely uninterested despite sharing Rogue’s intrigue.Knuckles chooses this moment to re-enter the room, only this time he’s carrying a multitude of chairs. “I figured if we’re gonna be here a while, we might as well get comfy.” He places them all down in a way that everyone will be able to see the computer screen.“Aww~ Knuckles! You shouldn’t have!” Rogue goes over and pinches Knuckle’s cheek before claiming a chair for herself. Knuckles just scowls at her, grumbling to himself as he sits in a chair as far away from her as he possibly could get. Omega had taken the chair next to Rogue while Amy sits between him and Knuckles.Shadow contemplates sitting on Rogue’s other side before deciding against it. He instead clicks the little triangle Rogue had previously and starts up the video.
[They stay like that for a second before Tails ducks under Sonic’s arm and disappears behind the camera.
“Alright Sonic. Now that this is working, I can finally document some of the awesome stuff you do! Like fighting bad guys and.. and building forts and…!”
Sonic looks slightly exasperated as Tails continues to ramble on and on about the type of stuff he’d like to record. His foot begins tapping rapidly the longer he stands in place.
“Now before I end this first video,” Tails’ voice begins, “You gotta do something cool for the camera!”
Sonic tilts his head a bit, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. His ear flicks slightly. “Come on Sonic! Pleaseeee~”
From the camera’s view, it looks like Sonic has a stare down with Tails for a few seconds. Nothing moves besides the tapping of his foot. Eventually, Sonic rolls his eyes, but obediently starts jogging in place. He runs in a circle for a few seconds, gaining speed and sending dust flying everywhere. Then, he jumps high into the air, Tails likely following him with the camera since it moves up with him. Sonic does 3 backflips on the way down before sticking the landing directly inside the circle. He has a smug look in his face when he stands back up, cocks his hip out, and winks at the camera.
The last thing heard is Tails telling Sonic that he’s awesome before the video screen turns black.]
The end of the video leaves all 5 of them sitting in silence for a moment. “These videos appear to be from before I met Sonic. Both him and the kit look too young.” Knuckles voice draws Shadow’s attention. He mulls over the echidna’s words for a moment before Amy interrupts his thoughts.“Does that mean we’ll get to see what Sonic and Tails were like before we all got super close?” Amy’s voice takes on a shrill like quality. “Oh, this is so exciting!” She claps her hands together while she leans forward in the chair.“I will admit, I am curious about Blue’s life before he settled a bit.” Rogue leans against Omega while he reaches up a hand to stabilize her when she tilts her chair back on two legs. Omega doesn’t contribute to the conversation, but he doesn’t leave either, which means he is curious to some degree.Shadow himself shrugs before eventually exiting the video and clicking on the next one located right beside it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[The video begins with the camera facing a young Tails as he fiddles with something out of sight. He takes a few steps back and the video goes slightly blurry before focusing back on him holding some sticks.
“I got the camera set up!”
This time, Sonic doesn’t zoom on screen, but Tails must receive some response since he transfers the sticks to one hand and picks up the camera with the other.
Now, instead of Tails’ face, the video shows the beginning of a campsite. The landscape around them is just trees, while a campfire is steadily burning somewhere loosely located in the middle of the clearing they’ve found. There’s a ring of stones containing the fire and a few logs that appear to be set aside for sitting. Tails moves through the area with ease, briefly stopping to toss the sticks in a growing pile of firewood by the fire. A briefly mumbled, “Score!” can be heard when the sticks land on top before Tails continues on his way. He stops when the camera’s view lands on Sonic. “Where do you want me to put the camera?” Tails questions. Sonic waves vaguely towards his left as he focuses on rummaging through the backpack in front of him.]
“What do you think he’s looking for?” Amy whispers to Knuckles as she leans towards him.
Knuckles just shrugs, eyes never leaving the video. Amy huffs in mild annoyance before resettling in her chair, turning back towards the screen.
[The camera zips away from Sonic as Tails walks off to the left towards a tree stump that Sonic had obviously been referring to. The video stops bouncing as Tails walks around the tree stump, and situates the camera on top of it, Sonic now in view. He’s still pulling things out of the backpack, setting them off to the side as he continues searching. Tails’ back comes onto the screen as he scampers over to Sonic. He situates himself by the items Sonic has thrown to the side and begins sorting through them.] This time the video pauses when Amy reaches over to the mouse and clicks the pause button. Everyone turns to look at her as she leans back in her chair.“Alright people! I want predictions! What do you guys think Sonic is looking for?” She places her hands in her lap and looks at them expectantly.Shadow scoffs from his position still standing by the computer. Amy doesn’t know why he isn’t sitting, but that’s not really any of her concern.“Why would I do an idiotic thing like that. There’s no point if we’re going to see what it is in a few minutes anyway.” Amy narrows her eyes at Shadow, crossing her arms as she huffs at him.“Becauseee~” she stresses, “it’ll be fun!” When Shadow just stares at her, she admits, “and I kinda just want to talk for a bit while we watch these videos. I didn’t bring us all the way out here just to sit in silence!” She throws her hands in the air exasperatedly before once again looking at all of them.“Please~ guys?” She makes eye contact with everyone there before Rogue eventually hums in amusement. “I, for one, think he’s looking for food. I mean, he’s already got a fire going.”“I doubt it,” Knuckles chimes in immediately after, leaning back in his chair and making eye contact with Rogue. She rolls her eyes. “Alright mister ‘hot shot’. What do you think he’s looking for?”Knuckles ignores her tease and appears contemplative as he leans forward to analyze the screen. “Probably something to build shelter with,” he settles on, seemingly content with his answer when he sits back in his seat. He offers no further explanation, so Shadow huffs as he, too, turns towards the screen.“Maybe some water?” he grumbles after a moment, glaring at the screen in offense for not revealing whatever item Sonic’s looking for. Amy hums in consideration before deciding, “I think he’s looking for a game or something. I mean, he has to do something to keep Tails busy.”“A GUN.”Everyone whips around to stare at Omega. “A… gun,” Rogue repeats slowly, blinking at Omega in disbelief. “Why a gun?”“WHY NOT A GUN?” Omega counters, turning to the screen and staring, waiting for it to resume. Amy blinks at him, baffled, before obediently turning towards the computer and unpausing it. [Sonic continues his search, pulling out item after item. He seems to get frustrated since his foot begins rapidly tapping against the grass. Tails glances at him briefly when he notices the foot but stays quiet as he keeps sorting. Sonic’s shoulders finally loose their tension as he finds whatever he’s looking for. In his hands is a strong looking rope that looks brand new since it’s still coiled. Sonic gestures towards Tails, who obediently stands up, leaving his finished item sorting on the ground. Sonic begins gesturing with his hands before holding them apart at a certain distance, like he’s showing off a measurement. “Aye, Sonic!” Tails stands at attention and gives him a salute before flying off into the forest. Sonic’s shoulders shake in silent laughter as he turns towards the camera. His eyes are squinted shut from how big his smile is. He bends down towards the items on the grass, likely to put them back in the backpack, before pausing. He looks over Tails work with an extremely fond look. He rolls his eyes at the camera, shrugging his shoulders in a ‘what can you do’ kind of manner before beginning to pack everything back up.] The video continues playing as Rogue sighs, “Guess I was wrong. Poor Blue’s gonna starve the kid.” She slouches dramatically down her seat in defeat as Omega consoles her by patting her on the back. The force of his hand almost sends her to the floor and she turns to glare at him but he’s already turned away.“IT SHOULD’VE BEEN A GUN!”This time, Shadow rolls his eyes. “I doubt that faker even knows how to shoot a gun, let alone owns one.” He glares at Omega, then turns that glare to the screen.Amy, more than used to Shadow being- well- Shadow, says good-naturedly, “I’m still holding out hope that it’s a game. What else are you gonna do with rope?” Knuckles hums in mild disagreement with her statement as Tails finally comes back into view. [Tails returns carrying an armload of sticks. “I got the sticks Sonic!” Tails drops them all at Sonic’s feet. His ears then flatten as he looks steadily at the ground. “I hope I grabbed enough. I couldn’t hold anymore. They were all really big.” Sonic sets the rope aside and kneels down beside Tails. He places his hand under Tails chin, gently nudging it up until they’re both making eye contact and gives Tails a warm smile. Tails namesakes begin wagging in a slow circle behind him as he returns Sonic’s smile. When Sonic stands back up, he’s now holding some of the sticks. He holds up a finger at Tails in a ‘wait here’ motion before he becomes a blur. Sonic angles the sticks in a circle, one end of the sticks resting in the grass and the other ends coming in together at the top to form a teepee. Sonic holds them in place as Tails wordlessly flies to the top, rope in hand. He ties the sticks together, knotting it a few times before giving Sonic a thumbs up. Sonic returns it and steps away from the structure confidently. Sonic admires his shelter, hands on his hips as Tails flies over and lands on his shoulder. “This looks great Sonic! How long do you think we’re gonna stay here?” Sonic tilts his head side to side in thought. His ears swivel back and forth before he holds up 4 fingers. Tails nods in understanding before his mouth opens. Wherever he was going to say gets drowned out by a yawn instead. Surprised, Tails glances towards the sky. He looks towards Sonic curiously. “Why am I tired? It’s still the middle of the day.” Sonic sets Tails on the ground and pokes him in the chest. He then holds his hand above his own head before moving it to above Tails’ head instead. “Hey!” Tails says offended, “I am not short!” Sonic raises a disbelieving eyebrow. Tails looks away with his arms crossed, mumbling, “You’re just tall.” Sonic gives another chuckle, this one audible. Tails’ ears perk up at the sound, swiveling towards Sonic as Tails looks at him with stars in his eyes. Sonic doesn’t seem to notice as he wanders over to the backpack, this time successfully pulling a blanket out on the first try. He ushers Tails towards the shelter, who continues to complain despite yawning with every other sentence. Sonic settles in next to him, urging Tails to lay down beside him by tapping the grass with his hand. Tails looks at the ground, then at Sonic, then the ground again, before turning determinedly towards Sonic and curling up in his lap. He looks momentarily surprised before his shoulders lower in defeat and he drapes the blanket over Tails. Tails begins snoring pretty much as soon as Sonic begins rubbing his fur, smoothing it out in a soothing manner. Sonic waits to make sure Tails is fully asleep before gently picking him up and setting him to the side. He stands up, taking a moment to stretch out each of his limbs one by one before walking towards the camera. He stares at it in contemplation before determinedly hitting a button. When the camera doesn’t turn off, he wilts and sends it a sheepish smile before hitting another button. This time, the video ends and the screen turns black.]Amy sinks into her chair when Knuckles sends her a smug smirk. “I told you he would use it for shelter.” Amy narrows her eyes at him and he sheepishly coughs.He glances away from her and continues, “Though your ‘game’ idea wasn’t half bad.”
Amy turns back to the screen and pouts. “I still think it should’ve been a game.”“AND I THINK IT SHOULD’VE BEEN A GUN!”Rogue, fed up with Omega and still sore from losing the competition, yells, “Blue doesn’t even own a gun! It wouldn’t have been a gun Omega!”She places her face in her hands and groans. “I need a drink.” Shadow takes this as an invitation to leave the room. He returns shortly with a glass of water.Rogue glances up from her fingers and heaves a loud sigh. “Not the type of drink I had in mind.” Shadow falters, ears twisting down as he hunches in on himself a bit. It’s barely noticeable, but Rogue clearly sees this since she takes the cup from him and takes a sip.“Still, thanks hun. I appreciate it.” She sends him a warm smile. Shadow wordlessly turns away, though his ears do perk back up. Amy shares an amused glance with Knuckles as Shadow walks back over to the computer.Shadow pauses for a second and glares at the chair there, then at Knuckles, who innocently looks away like Amy didn’t watch him drag the extra chair from beside Rogue to that spot.This time, Shadow’s the one who sighs heavily. Despite this, he still sits down and taps on a new video.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[Nothing is shown on the screen expect for leaves and branches blocking the view. Heavy breathing can be heard from behind the camera, accompanied by some shuffling noises. The only noise heard for about a minute is the breathing and shuffling sounds. So it’s noticeable when both abruptly stop and only the sounds of the forest greet the people watching.]Amy leans over and pauses the video. “Okay guys! What are our guesses for this video?”“Well,” Rogue leans back in her chair, “we don’t really have a lot to go off of yet. So far we’ve just know the camera’s in a tree.”“And it is likely the fox who is behind the camera, based off of the last few videos,” Knuckles chimes in.Amy examines the screen. “Maybe they’re playing a game? It kinda looks like hide and seek!”“That faker’s probably training the fox,” Shadow adds, staring intently at the screen.Rogue hears Omega muttering to himself about a gun, causing her to roll her eyes a bit as Shadow plays the video again. [The camera moves slightly when a shadow begins to appear on the grass. The outline pauses, only the top of its head shown across the grass. An ear twitches minutely before the shadow rapidly approaches the camera. Sonic finally steps into view, carrying something. The video blurs a bit before focusing on him, his blurry outline diminishing the closer he gets. Sonic runs into view, gun in hand, and slowly tilts his face upwards towards the camera. He gives a menacing smirk, his eyes glinting eerily, and cocks the gun once before aiming.]This time, Rogue reaches over to stop the video. They all sit in a tense silence, trying to digest what they’ve just witnessed.“Sonic… has a gun?” Knuckles tries to state, but his voice is more questioning than factual. Amy nods wordlessly, leaning back heavily in her chair. “Sonic has a gun.” She hazily confirms, hiding her face in her hands.Shadow just sits in silence, his eyes slightly wider than normal. Rogue tries to get his attention, flying over to him and waving her hand in his face. He hardly flinches, stuck staring intently at the screen.Rogue settles on the ground in front of him, still trying to get his attention when Omega yells out, “HE HAS A GUN!” Victorious music plays out from Omega’s speakers as a compartment on his chest opens. Confetti pops out and covers the floor as Omega does a few victory spins before sitting back down in his chair, looking slightly more eager for the video to continue.Rogue manages to reel in her shock and take stock of everyone else in the room. Amy’s still covering her face, Knuckles looks like everything he’s been told has been a lie, and poor Shadow still hasn’t stopped staring at the screen.She eventually makes an executive decision, reaching past Shadow to once again play the video. She hurries back to her seat once the camera starts rolling again. [A sharp gasp is heard, before the camera lifts out of the tree and into the air. The sound of Tails hovering in the air is drowned out by his giggles as he flies away from Sonic. A few pops are heard and the camera is jerked shakily, likely a result of Tails dodging whatever Sonic was shooting at him. The camera pans down towards the ground where Sonic is keeping up with Tails, occasionally perching in trees to try and get a hit on him. His eyes still glow a little menacingly, attributing to the fact that this is clearly a little more serious than just a game. The screen becomes crowded with trees once more as Tails flies a little lower into the tree line. They whiz by him as he dodges, a blue blur occasionally crossing along the video followed by more popping noises. Eventually, heavy breathing is heard followed quickly by a loud whine. The camera slowly comes to a stop, the ground now much closer than before as Tails safely lands. The camera turns around showing Tails face. His ears are drooping a little in exhaustion, but there’s a triumphant smile on his face. He sets the camera on a low hanging branch as Sonic enters the screen from behind Tails. The gun strap is slung over his shoulder, the gun itself resting comfortably against his back as Tails scrambles over to meet him. This angle gives the camera a clear view of Tails back, which has a couple of dark blue spots staining his normally bright yellow fur.]Shadow, after composing himself, pauses the screen once more. Rogue settles into her chair a little, as she glances around at her companions. Knuckles has a hand under his chin, judging the frozen image of Tails running towards Sonic.“I didn’t know Sonic owned a paintball gun.” Knuckles looks slightly disturbed as he turns to Amy. “Has he ever said anything to you about paintball?”Amy rapidly shakes her head. “Nope. This is the first I’m hearing of it. I didn’t even know he owned a gun!” Omega looks pleased with himself when he contributes, “I TOTALLY CALLED THAT! I TOLD YOU GUYS SONIC HAD A GUN!”Rogue watches Shadow tilt his head back, pinching the bridge of his nose. He heaves a full body sigh, his shoulders rising and falling, before tilting his head in Omega’s direction, reluctantly conceding to his point.Omega sits back smugly and crosses his arms, content now that it was revealed Sonic could shoot a gun.Shadow clears his throat before speaking up. “While I will admit a gun was the last thing I expected the Faker to own, he is a pretty good shot.” Shadow moves his head to make eye contact with Amy. “And I think this means I win our little guessing contest.”Amy narrows her eyes at Shadow. “What are you insinuating?” Shadow gives her a deadpan look. “He was clearly training Tails in something. Otherwise they both would have been laughing.”Shadow tilted his head towards the ceiling in consideration. “Sonic seemed a lot more serious in that video than he usually does.”
Rogue watches Knuckles nod his head along to Shadow’s dissertation. “The hedgehog is rarely that serious. When he is, he’s usually trying to achieve something he himself deems to be of utmost importance.”Amy blows out some air as she both comes to terms with, once again, loosing the contest and taking in Knuckles statement. “Could he be worried about something.” She looks questioningly towards Knuckles.He immediately shakes his head. “He’s probably just preparing for a worst case scenario. He’s always taken extreme precautions when it comes to Tails’ safety.”Rogue lets out a groan that catches everyone’s attention. “All this talk is great and all, but can we finish the video?” She blinks innocently at Shadow, who huffs out in amusement as he hits play. [Tails runs up to Sonic and stops right in front of him, bouncing up and down while talking at breathtaking speeds. “Did you see, did you see?! I lasted a whole 5 minutes longer than last time!” He does a little twirl as his tails flick back and forth happily. “I’m getting better at dodging! That was the longest it took for you to hit me yet. Right Sonic?” Tails looks up towards Sonic at an angle that makes his eyes shine in the evening sun. Sonic beams back down at his brother, ruffling his fringe as adoration fills up his own eyes. He moves his hands around, signing something to Tails that makes his eyes water up the tiniest bit. He tackles Sonic in a hug, making Sonic tense upon the initial contact before quickly relaxing against him. He scoops Tails up, resting him against his side as Tails wraps his arms around Sonic’s neck and his legs around his waist. Tails’ head nuzzles into the side of Sonic’s neck as he begins walking towards the camera. He picks it up, examining the lens and tapping it a few times. He stares into the screen for a couple more seconds before his eyes flick towards the side and the video fades to black.]Rogue immediately gets up from her seat and begins rifling through some items left on an old desk. She hears footsteps approaching, but pays them no heed as she opens a drawer to look through.“Do you need any assistance in your search?” Rogue shakes her head to Shadow’s question as she continues on her quest. She makes a triumphant noise as she finds what she was looking for.She opens the notebook to a blank page and looks at Shadow. “Do you have a pen or something?” Shadow looks apprehensive, but dutifully reaches into his quills and pulls out a pen. “Thanks hun~” she pats Shadow on the cheek before reclaiming her seat.Shadow follows her in confusion as she begins to rapidly write in the notebook. “What did ya need that notebook for?” Knuckles questions, trying to tilt his body to see what she’s writing without getting up.Rogue rolls her eyes before flipping the notebook towards him. Inside is each of their names, with a tally mark beside Shadow, Omega, and Knuckles.“Since we’re gonna be here a while,” she snaps the book shut and sets it down beside her, “I figured we might as well keep track of how many bets each person wins.” Knuckles looks intrigues as Amy nods her head excitedly. “That’s a great idea! Oh this is so exciting!” She claps her hands together rapidly, swaying lightly in her seat.Knuckles looks ready to steady her in case she falls as Rogue looks at Shadow and waves him back to the computer. He sighs in mild annoyance but obediently walks over and clicks on a new video.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[Tails is standing directly in front of the camera this time, holding a remote with some buttons on it. “Yes! It works!” Tails looks around the clearing searching for something. “Sonic! My remote works!” Tails holds up the remote for emphasis, waving it around in the air. Sonic zooms into frame, coming to a stop right beside Tails. He ruffles Tails’ fringe, holding a hand up for a high five. Tails beams at his brother as he jumps to meet his hand, using his tails to give him an extra boost. Instead of landing on the ground, Tails starts giggling and flies above Sonic’s head, hovering for a moment before settling atop his shoulders. He’s small enough that he’s able to relax there comfortably with no problem, his tails swinging lazily behind him. Sonic reaches up to help support the kit, one hand holding him steady. Tails waves the remote in front of Sonic, making him cross-eyed on camera as he begins talking about all the test runs he did on the remote before he finally figured out the right configuration of wires needed to connect it to the camera and… Sonic does little head nods along with Tails, making sure not to nod too much to throw Tails off but still hard enough to show he acknowledges Tails’ tangent. He moves confidently over to a log in the background and takes a seat, perfectly balancing Tails on the way over. Eventually, the video gets noticeably darker. Sonic seems to notice this too since he reaches up with his other hand to grab Tails firmly around the waist. Tails pauses in his speech as Sonic gently lifts him over his head and holds him out at arms length. Sonic and Tails stare at each other for a moment before Sonic brings Tails closer and touches his forehead to his. Tails goes limp as he throws his arms over Sonic’s shoulder, hugging his neck tightly and closing his eyes to bask in his older brother’s presence.]“Aww!” Amy can’t help it! They’re both just so sweet with each other.Shadow pauses the video at the sound of Amy’s voice, turning to look at her. She’s leaning dramatically against Knuckles, who’s doing his best to keep her steady from where she’s lying against him. Knuckles makes eye contact with Shadow and rolls his eyes in exasperation.Rogue, leaning forward in her chair, chimes in, “They’re just a bunch of cuties! I can’t believe I missed out on meeting them this young.” She throws her hand dramatically against her forehead, lamenting about the missed opportunities for blackmail.Shadow flicks his ear in annoyance before turning back to the video. However, looking at the paused screen brings forth a glare. The image on the screen is a slightly distorted picture of the scene they had just watched. Shadow growls lightly in confusion, stopping all conversations behind him. Rogue and Omega walk up to stand behind him, trying to figure out what was making Shadow irritable.“Huh,” Rogue hums, tilting her head sideways, “never seen that before.” She looks towards Omega. “What do you thinks wrong with it?” Something in Omega vibrates loudly as he processes the screen. Knuckles and Amy walk up beside them and everyone watches Omega a little impatiently while he reaches a conclusion. A chime sound rings out and Omega turns to Rogue.“IT SEEMS AS IF THE CONNECTION TO THE REMOTE CAUSED A GLITCH!” Rogue hums in intrigue as Knuckles nods his head in agreement. “Makes sense.” Shadow turns to look at him in confusion. He elaborates, “It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes the fox’s contraptions malfunction. It makes sense that it would likely happen more frequently due to his younger age.”Amy nods her head to that. “Yeah! One time, Tails had made this robot that was supposed to help me pick out my outfit for the day. Instead, it started attacking anyone that wore the same color I had on. It was really sweet of him though!”Everyone stares blankly at Amy, while she smiles at them all unperturbed. Shadow wordlessly glances away from her and unpauses the video.
[The screen glitches for a few seconds, switching rapidly between Tails and Sonic touching foreheads to Sonic alone on camera at night. It finally settles and refocuses, showing Sonic picking up Tails’ remote and examining it.
He doesn’t press any buttons, just smiles fondly at it before setting it aside. His smile falls a bit as he looks towards the fire that’s blazing. Tails is lying on the ground, right between it and the log they had sat on earlier. There’s small movements every so often, but he mostly remains still. Sonic seems to heave a sigh as he sinks to the ground beside Tails. He lays a gentle hand on his head, swiping through the fox’s fur. Tails nuzzles into his hand, whimpering softly in contentment. Sonic leans his head back against the log behind him, and stares up at the sky while keeping one hand on Tails’ head. He lays in that position for a while before turning his head towards the camera, now laying on the side of his face. He opens his mouth, like he’s about to say something, but closes it in frustration a few seconds later. He does this a few more times, getting progressively more and more upset with each failed attempt at doing… something, before aggressively standing up and running out of frame.]Shadow pauses the video in confusion. He turns around to look at Knuckles, who’s now sitting back in his seat and looking at him. Shadow raises an eyebrow and leans back in his chair, copying Knuckles position.Knuckles raises an eyebrow in turn, before gesturing back at the video. Shadow scowls at him before turning back to the computer. [Sonic races back into view holding something. He settles down beside Tails, revealing a small book. It’s too dark to see the cover, but Sonic is clearly enraptured as he rapidly flips through the pages. He opens his mouth every now and then, but never makes a sound.]This time Rogue comes up and pauses the screen. She looks like she’s just realized something that should’ve been obvious. She rounds on Knuckles, flying towards him with an accusing finger, “I’ve just noticed something. Sonic hasn’t spoken at all since we’ve been watching these videos.” She gets up in Knuckles’ face, “The most audible thing he’s done is laugh. And you know something, don’t you?”Knuckles slaps her hand away and resettles in his chair. He looks a little confused. “I thought you guys knew?” It comes out questioning as he looks around the room at each of his companions. When he’s only met with confused expressions, his eyebrows furrow. He hesitantly continues, “Sonic — didn’t really know how to talk.”Some of the fire leaves Rogue as she lands on the ground. “What do you mean,” Shadow starts slowly, “he didn’t ‘really’ know how to talk.” Knuckles sighs aggressively and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sonic grew up by himself in the forest,” Knuckles explains, making eye contact with each of them. “He never had anyone to teach him how to talk until he met Tails. The most he knew was things he picked up from towns he ran through.” Knuckles shrugs his shoulders like this revelation isn’t that big of a deal. The room delves into a tense silence.“That makes so much sense!” Amy’s exclamation startles almost everyone, making Knuckles and Rogue jump in surprise. Shadow flicks an ear in her direction while Omega seems unbothered. “Sorry,” she sheepishly fiddles with her fingers. “It’s just I thought Sonic didn’t like me when we first met because he barely spoke at all. Now you’re telling me he didn’t really know how!” She groans in annoyance, hiding her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice!”Knuckles rubs her back in consolation while Rogue turns to Shadow. He looks a little shocked by the new admission, but seems to take it in stride. “Well,” she starts, getting everyone’s attention, “I never would have guessed that Blue used to not talk.”Shadow grumbles, “He should go back to not talking. He never shuts up now.”Amy laughs a little wetly, looking up at Shadow. “Can you imagine Sonic not talking at all? I think I’d have a heart attack.” Knuckles nods solemnly, “Sonic is a blabber mouth.”Shadow hides a snort, turning away from everyone. Rogue doesn’t even bother hiding her laughter, flying over to Omega to lean against him. Omega chimes in, “IT WOULD BE MOST STRANGE! BASED ON MY PREVIOUS 58 CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM, SONIC NORMALLY AVERAGES CLOSE TO 200 WORDS PER MINUTE!”No one looks surprised by this. Shadow’s shoulders shake in repressed laughter as everyone settles down. He takes a few seconds to compose himself, breathing in deeply, before pressing play. [The video continues to show Sonic reading his book, occasionally opening his mouth before predictably closing it every time. Eventually, he throws the book to the side and brings his knees up to his chest. He wraps his arms around them and buries his head. The video glitches in and out for a while, flashing between Sonic sitting down and then him laying beside Tails. Eventually, the video refocuses on what looks like the beginning of the day. The camera view gets progressively lighter as Tails begins to stir. He sits up slowly, blinking lazily as he looks around the clearing. His face breaks out into a grin at the sight of Sonic beside him. He drapes the blanket that was on him over Sonic’s form before standing up and walking over to a pile of logs. Tails restarts the fire before going around the campsite. He comes in and out of the camera’s view, cleaning up their living space. He eventually picks up the remote for the camera, causing the screen to glitch again before fading to black.]As the video ends, Knuckles stands up. “I’m going to go locate some snacks. Would anyone like to accompany me?” Amy jumps up from her seat. “I could use a break. Be back soon~!” She called out as her and Knuckles leave the room.Rogue waits to make sure they’re both out of earshot before rounding on Shadow and Omega. “So what do you guys think of this so far?” Shadow bites his lip slightly as he thinks. “These videos are very informative…” Omega cuts him off, “I’M GAINING A MULTITUDE OF INFORMATION FOR SONIC’S PROFILE!”Shadow looks a little uneasy at Omega’s statement, but can’t say anything in response as Knuckles and Amy walk back in. After the snacks are passed around, Shadow clicks on a new video.