A/N: This is a story focusing on Tails' fear of lightning and thunder (phobia called 'astraphobia,' but it also goes by other names), which is addressed for the first time in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie/OVA. This was the first Sonic fic idea I had, actually, upon re-watching the movie for the first time in years a few days ago. Hope you enjoy!

On another note, Sonic and Tails is my favorite relationship (personally, I go for brother/friend-ship, but you can go any way you'd like) in the Sonicverse, with Sonic/Knuckles friendship being second and Knuckles/Tails being third. Expect a lot of all of them, as well as just Sonic fics in general.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or anything associated. SEGA and anyone affiliated does.

Of Wind, Earth, and Sky

The rain came down in torrents outside, the wind whipping the palm trees and kicking up swirls of grainy sand. Sonic's umbrella, boom-box, and beach chair were probably long gone, as he and his best friend had just gotten back from defeating Eggman again and hadn't thought to move anything inside.

Tails just couldn't understand it. The weather had been beautiful a few hours ago, but then this horrible storm had just come out of nowhere—

Lightning streaked across the sky, and he yelped loudly, though the sound was drowned out as thunder made itself known almost immediately after the ethereal light had passed. The poor little fox shivered violently under his bedcovers, eyes closed tightly, pointer fingers plugging his ears, and twin tails hidden between his legs. He whimpered pitifully, tears threatening to fall.

Stupid storms… They always ruin everything and make me look like a crybaby… Tails thought, caught between anger and sadness. He didn't want to feel this weak; he wanted to be strong like Sonic always was… But Sonic hates water, Tails mused, so it's not a bad thing if I'm scared of a little—

The white-blue electricity shot across the sky again, a brighter and longer-lasting one than its predecessor, and the eight-year-old's tears flew. His sobs were loud and unrelenting as his shivering increased a thousand-fold and the fingers in his ears forced themselves so far inside it hurt.

Why, oh, why did he have to be cursed with astraphobia?

A boom of thunder came now, one so monstrous Tails swore it shook the entirety of South Island, and the small fox toppled to the floor as his bed was jostled. Too petrified to even attempt to get up, the baby kitsune laid there on the floor, shivering and crying anew as he burrowed as far as he could into his blanket.

Unfortunately for him, Tails had a great knowledge of storms, and he knew just from the nature of this thunder and lightning that a storm such as this would not be over for a long while yet.

How in all of Mobius or Planet Freedom did Sonic sleep through something like this?

Wait! That was it! Sonic!

Cracking open his eyes with a mighty effort, he saw that his door was open. Planting one gloved hand on the metal floor, Tails shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position and rested on his knees for a few moments. Waiting for the next bout of nature's atrocities to pass, the fox strove to stand, but found his knees were shaking too badly to support even his small weight. So instead, he forced his stubborn, quivering tails to do the work for him.

Hovering in mid-air not fifteen seconds later, Tails flew down the hall and turned the corner to Sonic's room. (He didn't need to see to know where he was going; that was one major benefit of having lived here all these years.)

Breathing a sigh of relief as he stopped in front of the familiar door, Tails tentatively let his feet touch the ground and slowly added the pressure of his trembling legs. He nearly fell over at first, but he braced himself against the door and took many a deep breath before figuring his knocking knees would (if he were lucky) hold out as long as necessary.

Reaching up to grab the door handle, the kitsune carefully pulled the door open as quietly as he could. As expected, there was the blue hedgehog, curled up in his blankets and sleeping like a baby.

Tiptoeing into the room, Tails stopped beside his big brother's bed. He looked so peaceful that the child hoped he wouldn't have to wake him. Perhaps he could just crawl in with him…? It was worth a try, at any rate.

Making as little noise as possible, Tails lifted one side of the blue covers and made to slide in—

—When lightning flashed.

That was it.

A yelp jumped from the kit's throat as he zoomed under the blankets, eyes scrunched closed as he sniveled and covered his head with his hands.

What he didn't know was that his fear had caused him to crash straight into Sonic.

"Wha—what?" Sonic's groggy, confused voice spluttered. Yet, after hearing the thunder and seeing the newly-arrived genius's reaction to it, the hedgehog understood. Concerned, he laid a tender hand on the young hero's back. "Tails? You okay, buddy?"

The only answer he got was a choked sob and a shudder that traveled up his arm and threatened to shake him as well. Bringing the boy close to him, Sonic soothingly stroked the kitsune's back as the eight-year-old wrapped his arms around the hedgehog's stomach and held on as if the teen were his lifeline.

And darn it all, if that was what the kid needed Sonic to be, he'd be it.

For a long time, they just laid there, Sonic trying to console the poor fox as Tails cried into his chest. Sonic could only pray the storm would end soon…

Hey, wait… Maybe there was an idea hidden in there… Yeah!

"Tails?" Sonic suddenly whispered, gently nudging the little guy when he received no response. "Hey, Tails? When do you think this storm'll end, buddy?" It was something to get his mind off of things, sort of…or at least for a few minutes while he did the calculations.

Those minutes seemed to fly by, and soon the kit was answering tearfully, "I-If I'm r-right, the s-s-storm should be o-over in ab-about thr-three h-h-hours…" He broke into a crying fit again as a particularly harsh lightning-and-thunder spell sprang up, shaking the makeshift house's foundations once more. "I—I'm s-sorry, Sonic. I'm just so s-scared…!"

His cut-and-paste family only held him tighter. "Ah, Tails… Don't cry, little bro. It'll be all right. We just have to wait it out, like always. It's okay." But even as he took the small ball of fur into a safe, loving embrace, Sonic could feel the extent of Tails' fear in his ever-trembling body, and the hedgehog knew he would have to find some other way to distract his friend's mind.

Ever since he'd found the little guy on his run past the outskirts of Knothole years ago, Tails had carried his irrational fear of lightning and thunder…astraphobia, did he call it? And as far back as he could remember he himself had been deathly afraid of water…something like hydrophobia, right?

But within those words, within the two fears they defined, there was something so very vital waiting to break out. Now, if only Sonic could put his finger on it…

Eyes widening, the Blue Blur felt his chest swell with pride. Aha!

Forcing himself to exhale slowly, he waited until he was calm again to speak. "That's one thing I don't get, Tails."

"W-what?" the kitsune stuttered.

"Well, for starters, you and this storm," Sonic clarified, loosening his grip on his little brother as the Mobian dared to gaze up at him curiously, head still resting on the hedgehog's chest. "I mean, how can you be afraid of something that is you?"

There was silence for a few seconds before a resounding "Huh?" filled the room.

Sonic chuckled and ruffled the kitsune's head-fur. "What, and you're supposed to be my little genius?"

For the first time, the smallest of smiles appeared on the fox's face, and Sonic couldn't help but smile back. Well, at least he was getting somewhere.

"Look at it this way, kiddo. You're afraid of lighting and thunder, even though they belong to the sky just as much as you do. Why do you think you were given those two tails? For balance on a scientifically-enhanced body-board?" he teased, eliciting both a wider smile and a slight blush from his young charge. "It's just like me and Knuckles, kid. The wind is my domain because of my speed, and the earth is Knux's heritage." Sonic affectionately brushed back the child's unruly bangs, his voice softening in adoration. "We're all connected to something inanimate in this life, Tails," his expression revealed his love for the boy, "just as we are all connected to each other."

Wiping his eyes with the back of his gloved hand, Tails nodded, his smile now bright. "I see, Sonic." A loud yawn escaped him without warning, and as he sank down to snuggle against Sonic's chest, the hedgehog suddenly realized how tired the kit must be. As long as Sonic had known him, Tails'd never been able to sleep with a thunderstorm afoot. "Thanks, big bro."

Sonic leaned down to touch noses with the fox: their sacred nighttime ritual. "No problem, little bro. Anytime and always."

And for the first time in years, Miles "Tails" Prower slept through the night as a thunderstorm raged just outside.

"Is that why we're so close, Sonic?" Tails would ask the next morning. "Because our inanimate essences just fit?"

"Yeah, I suppose that's part of it," Sonic would reply, "but the most important piece only exists when we're together."

"What do you mean?" Tails would query, puzzled.

"You and me, Tails?" The Fastest Thing Alive would point at Tails and then himself, winking as he crossed his heart. "Close as brothers till the end."

And till the end it was…as well as after.

A/N: Thanks for reading!