Based on a pic by Speedy1236 over on DeviantArt which had Sonic doing a handstand in very striking weather - I did a not-nearly-s0-good pic response and this fic... I do words better than pictures but both are fun. FFNet is mangling links at the moment, whether by accident or design, but both me and Speedy1236 use the same username there are here so should be findable!

"You're wearing a path in the carpet, Knuckles." Tails looked up from whatever it was he was tinkering with as Knuckles stopped and looked down at his boots. "Figure of speech. Sorry about the weather."

Knuckles paced back to the window and stared out. "There's really no chance of flying back to the Island today?"

Tails put aside his tools and joined him at the window, half the sky was black with cloud, the other clearing but with an eerie yellow light reflecting from the undersides of the clouds. "Nu-Uh. D'you know how far the gust fronts can extend out from storm clouds that big?"

Knuckles shrugged.

"Miles and miles," Tails said, ducking slightly to look up at the cloudy sky through the runnels of rain blurring the window. "Ten miles, twenty, more... The Tornado wouldn't stand a chance."

"It's improving though, isn't it?" Knuckles pressed closer to the window, looking up at one ragged patch of blue.

"Yeah but we'd still have to fly out through it. It won't calm down enough until after dark. And last time I checked you didn't have runway lights installed up there."

Knuckles turned his back on the window to survey Tails. The little fox was more confident when discussing the ins and outs of his machines. Unhesitating in his decision making.

"What?" he said in response to Knuckles' sudden scrutiny.

Knuckles shook his head. "Nothing. I'm sure you're right. What do I know about aircraft?"

Tails smiled, relieved perhaps that Knuckles hadn't pressed the issue. "The only thing you need to remember is the rule about it always being better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground!"

Knuckles considered this, unable to quite work out if it was a joke or good sense.

"Where's Sonic?" he asked instead. He'd have expected the hedgehog to be climbing the walls stuck indoors.

Tails made a face. "He went up the hill to watch the lightning. Hopefully not outside wishing he was in..."

"Shall I go and see?"

It was a thin excuse to leave the house and of course he didn't really need anyone's permission least of all Tails', and if the fox had any real doubts at all about Sonic's safety he'd be out there himself. But Knuckles had learned slowly that it was such things which passed for courtesy where a simple statement of intent -"I'm going out" -would not.

Tails smiled. Probably he was well used to whatever excuses Sonic gave for itchy feet.

"Sure. You'll get wet though."

Since that was clear to see, Knuckles hesitated for an answer before falling back on something he'd heard Sonic say. "That's okay - I won't melt."

Tails laughed. 'Nope, I guess not."

Knuckles headed for the door, as behind him, Tails returned to his workbench.

The air was heavy with moisture outside, the light throwing everything into sharp crisp relief, smells stronger, the wind erratic, calm one moment, and whipping the drops off the grass and trees the next. It wasn't cold except in those moments.

Knuckles headed uphill, the rain whipping his wet spines around his face easing as he came over the leeward side. Sonic was not on the top but Knuckles spotted him racing down the opposite hill, apparently intent on using the whole valley as a kind of halfpipe. Skidding through the puddles in the grass, tumbling headlong into a spin and springing out off it to leap over other puddles.

Knuckles loped down the hill, acutely aware of how muddy and slippery the ground had become beneath the long grass. What on earth was Sonic trying to achieve out here?

The hedgehog tore down into the dip of the valley once more, and traversed it in a series of handflips and cartwheels before using what little momentum remained to dash up the slope to where Knuckles had stopped to watch.

"Knuckles!" he cried in apparent delight. He pitched over into a handstand calling "Hello!" while still upside down and poking his tongue out.

Knuckles looked down at him, baffled.

"Sonic..." Sonic flipped back to his feet grinning. "What are you doing?"

Sonic's face took on a solemn expression.

"It's called a hand-stand, Knux." Sonic drew out the words slowly and carefully a smirk breaking across his lecturing tone.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "I can see that, Sonic. Why?"

Sonic shrugged. "Kicks and giggles? 'Cause it's a fizzy, bubbly, sparky sort of weather-day? Fun?" He drew out the last word too as though Knuckles might not recognise that one either but didn't wait for a response. "Or y'know healthy outdoor exercise, important training for saving the world, all that stuff. You pick."

"You consider pulling faces upside down in the rain a combat skill, do you?" Knuckles asked dryly.

"Meh, you're just jealous because you can't do 'em."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Well have you ever done one?"

"Of course not, what would be the point?"

"Hah! So I'm right - you can't do them!" Sonic zoomed around him twice, laughing. Knuckles didn't bother to try and watch him.

"Sonic, there are any number of things which I can't do which I feel no inclination whatsoever to do."

"Like what?" Sonic came to a stop.

Knuckles rubbed his forehead and stared at Sonic from under his hand. "What?"

"Like what? I wanna hear some more - I mean it's not often the oh so great Guardian admits something's beyond him. Handstands... what else?"

"I didn't say it was 'beyond me', Sonic."

"Go on then - do a handstand."

"No!"

"Thought you said it wasn't beyond you? Go on - I'll even give you another demo."

Sonic stepped briskly forward throwing his hands out and down and kicking off to end up upside down again, standing on his hands and grinning up at Knuckles.

After a moment he dipped his elbows, dropped into a roll and sprang back to his feet.

"You next!"

"I said 'no'."

"Go on! Don't tell me the big brave guardian's scared of falling on his head?"

Knuckles sighed. He mentally replayed Sonic's antics in his head. Arm strength and balance was all it was really. He had both of those. How hard could it be?

"If I do one will you stop prattling on about it?"

"Course!" Sonic grinned. "Go on then!"

Knuckles stretched out his arms above his head and stepped back feeling mildly ridiculous.

"Go for it!" Sonic encouraged.

Knuckles swung himself forward and kicked off hard with his back foot.

Sonic gave a whoop but Knuckles realised instantly he'd misjudged it. He had the momentum to get upright, but his spines had swung down over his face and his right hand had come down squarely on one of them yanking his head back.

"Gah..ooww!"

He tried instinctively to snatch that hand back up again, realised an instant later that bending that elbow was a mistake and felt himself going over sideways. To the sound of Sonic's helpless laughter, he kicked once, wildly, in a vain effort to regain his balance then just had time to whip his tail out of injury's way as he landed in a puddle with enough force to send muddy water shooting straight up his nose.

Between the fall and the water he'd gasped in, he struggled for breath for several seconds. Then, spluttering and swearing, he rolled to his hands and knees to find Sonic at his shoulder with inexplicable concern instead of laughter now on his face.

"Er..." Sonic was already backing off. "Y'know they say you can drown in an inch of water..." The hedgehog looked distinctly pink around the muzzle. "But uh, I can see you're fine so..."

Knuckles considered the embarrassment all over Sonic's face as almost fair payback for his own. Almost.

He contemplated the distance between himself and the hedgehog for a second, then still kneeling, kicked off with his feet again, this time horizontally. He tackled Sonic around the knees, sending him keeling over backwards and both of them skidding through the mud all the way to the bottom of the hill.

Knuckles picked himself up and a moment later so did Sonic - now just as muddy as Knuckles himself.

"Now I'm fine." Knuckles said firmly.

Slowly the indignation on Sonic's face gave way to reluctant laughter.

"Fair enough." The hedgehog looked them both up and down. "Though I think Tails might want to hose us both off before he lets us back in the house!"

Knuckles glanced up. "The rain will do that."

He hesitated, still looking up. "It's stopped."

Sonic looked up too then pointed silently.

In the west the clouds had cleared on the horizon and the sun was setting beneath them, turning the whole sky to red and gold.

Without a word they stopped moving and watched until it faded.