What it means to become a family...

Chapter 7

Hello everyone, I'm finally back! I'm so sorry that you guys had to wait so long. But I have a lot on my plate and not as much free time as I thought I would have, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, while it didn't quite hit the usual word count, I hope you guys like it :D

"What... are you doing with our beanbags?" Tails asked, looking at Tom with a curious and puzzled expression, his blue eyes scanning the beanbags that Tom was holding.

He was screwed.

But to his credit, how could he have guessed Tails would be awake at this hour?

"Well... um..." Tom started struggling to think of an excuse. "I'm... uh... I'm going to wash them! They were dirty." Tom lied, finally coming up with some kind of excuse that, hopefully, would satisfy Tails' smart four-year-old brain.

"Then... why aren't they dirty?" Tails asked, his face now a bit turned from curiosity and from caughting on his (that seemed great but was actually poorly done) excuse.

Tom looked at the bags more attentively than he had done before. He had been moving some things from Sonic's attic by himself since Maddie had a big day ahead and he wanted her to rest. He had been so focused on his task that he didn't notice how clean the beanbags were, even though they had been stored in a cave. He thought that the dim light would prevent Tails from noticing anything suspicious.

But, of course, he did.

So, to avoid ruining the surprise, Tom changed the subject. "Isn't it way past your curfew?" Which was a fair question. He should be sleeping by now, after all.

Tails flinched, his face and posture changing from relaxed to tense. He had made a mistake, hadn't he?

"I'm- I'm sorry, Tom. I didn't mean to-" Tails tried to reply back, more anxious and guilty than ever, before Tom stopped him.

Which, in return, made Tom even more guilty. What did Tails even live for to have a reaction like that ? It... couldn't be... Sonic, right?

"Buddy," Tom started, disrupting his line of thought and kneeling down so he could be at a similar height to Tails'. "You don't have to apologize."

"Really?" Tails asked, his eyes showing a glimpse of hope.

"Of course. I just asked because I was worried-" 'And because I needed to change the conversation '... which worked too well. Tails gave a brief smile, and Tom noticed that Tails' eyes seemed a little... reddish?

Wait, had he been... crying? Tom stood up and walked over to the switch, flicking it on. The hall becomes illuminated by the artificial lights. He looked back at Tails, and...

He had definitely been crying.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Tom asked, his face now filled with concern.

Tails looked to the ground.

The kid definitely had a nightmare.