A/n: This is a test one-shot, so take it with a grain of salt.
Sonic's fur was mussed and dirty, he was gaunt and pale, and the bags under the hedgehog's eyes were far too dark for Tails' liking. His usually vibrant green eyes were dull, and exhaustion riddled every movement.
Tails itched to run to his brother, to hug him as tightly as he could and curl up in the hedgehog's side on their couch at home.
But he couldn't. The gray patches of metal spreading over Sonic's body made sure of that. Tails didn't really see the hedgehog much anymore; if he wasn't rounding up the survivors, he was running, and if he wasn't running, he was hidden somewhere no one could find him.
Granted, they were on the shuttle, so there weren't many places for him to hide, but he always managed to find one.
It hurt Tails to see his hero like this. Shut out from the rest of the world, becoming the very thing he had always sought to destroy. Tails was even afraid he was beginning to hate the thing he loved the most - his speed. It was the only thing keeping the wretched Metal Virus at bay, and both were draining Sonic's energy faster than he could generate it.
"Have you seen Sonic?" Tails asked as he jogged up the shuttle ramp, slowing in front of Amy as she turned to look at him. She shook her head.
"Still out there," she said, sighing as she turned to look out at the gray, bleak world stretching beyond them. "Probably being held up by a horde. He'll show up eventually."
Tails frowned, and he was about to suggest he go looking for the hedgehog, but just as he opened his mouth, Sonic skidded to a halt in front of them, his breaths coming in short puffs. He only had two patches of metal on him; one on his arm, and one on his temple.
"Let's clear out," the hedgehog said breathlessly, trudging up the ramp and disappearing into the shuttle. Tails hurried after him as Amy signaled to close the ramp.
"Sonic, wait!" he called. The blue hedgehog glanced back at him expectantly, though he didn't slow. "Um...are you hungry? You did just run off a whole ton of energy."
"I'll eat later," Sonic said evasively.
"Well, wherever you're going, can I come?" the fox asked, refusing to be brushed off. "You know, the rest of the shuttle is kind of packed, and Amy's busy helping everyone get settled, Whisper doesn't want to talk to anyone, and Espio's a little shut down right now, so..."
"'S not so bad out here," Sonic said, wrapping his fingers around the gray patch on his arm. "Maybe Amy wants your help. You're good with math; you can help divide stuff between people."
Tails ran to get in front of Sonic, the hedgehog fumbling to catch himself before he ran into the fox. "Amy's got that handled," Tails said stubbornly, lifting his chin. "Right now, I'm worried about you." A half smile lifted Sonic's lips, the Metal Virus crawling over the left side of his mouth.
"I appreciate that, buddy." He jerked his head upwards. "I'm gonna head to the roof. Less danger of running into anyone there." Tails smiled wearily, glad the hedgehog had told him at least that much.
"Okay," he said. "I'll meet you up there."
~
Tails balanced the two mugs in his arms as he shoved through the door to the roof. He was met with a burst of cold air and he instantly shivered, scanning the roof for his brother.
He spotted Sonic sitting on the edge, head resting on his palm. He shuffled over to the hero, clearing his throat to announce his presence. Sonic startled, blinking several times as he turned to look at Tails. He smiled at the fox, rubbing beneath his right eye and leaving a smudge of gray.
