here be inconsistent fan art

"Okay… what did you lie about, Tails?" Sonic asked.

Tails sniffled, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his glove. "That."

Sonic's confusion was audible even without looking at him. "I'm not following, keed."

"My name." Tails finally turned to look up at him. "You told me my name's Tails when we learned to sign it, but it isn't. And I never told you. That's lying, isn't it?"

Sonic, for once, was at a loss for words. "I- well… sort of…?" he hedged, eyes widening with panic as Tails's lower lip quivered and a shaky breath escaped. "Hold off on the waterworks just a sec, squirt. C'mere." Sonic set aside his chili dog and scooped him up, setting the kit down on the log beside him so he could tuck an arm around him. "That's better. Okay. So you remember your name? From before we met?"

Tails nodded miserably. "I didn't know how to tell you. We never learned the sign for it and then by the time I figured it out, you were already calling me Tails and- and I didn't want you to stop."

"That doesn't sound like much of a lie to me, keed." Sonic rubbed his shoulder.

"But then we started talking and I know how to say it. I could've told you any time, but I didn't!"

"Because you didn't want me to stop calling you ‘Tails,'" Sonic said, just to be sure he was following, waiting for his nod. "Well, I can tell you right now, I'll call you whatever you want me to call you. Doesn't matter if it's not your name."

Tails blinked up at him tearfully. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course! It's your life, bud. You should get to be called by a name that you like. If that's the one I gave you, then that's what we'll stick with. Okay? And if it changes someday, and you don't want to be called Tails anymore, that's fine, too."

"Oh." Tails sniffed again, wiping his nose with the back of his glove even though it made Sonic roll his eyes and give him a pinch. "So you're not mad I didn't tell you?"

"Nah. I'd be more upset if you didn't like being called Tails this whole time and let me do it anyway! Your name should be something that feels right to you." Sonic poked him in the middle of his fluffy chest, surprising a small laugh out of him. "Everyone else can deal. Including me. So nothing to get so upset about. We're good, Tails."

Tails nodded again, then took a bite of his chili dog. He could feel Sonic's laugh against his side and immediately a weight felt like it had been removed from his chest. Enough that he realized how hungry he was. He scarfed down the rest of his chili dog while Sonic resumed eating his, deeming the crisis averted for now.

"Do you wanna know what it is?" Tails asked once he was done.

Sonic shrugged. "You can tell me if you want. Up to you, pal."

Tails glanced down at his sneakers, swinging his feet back and forth since he was too little to reach the ground, unlike Sonic. "It's Miles."

Sonic looked at him and Tails looked back. "Miles, huh?"

"Mmhm. Miles Prower."

Sonic choked. Started coughing hard and pounding on his own chest. Worried he had a bit of hot dog stuck in his throat, Tails flew behind him and tried patting his back while avoiding his spines. 

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. I'm fine, keed," Sonic wheezed, actual tears in his eyes as he tried to catch his breath.

"Do you need some water?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, that'd be good."

Tails flew over to the backpack and got out one of their water bottles. "Here, Sonic. Drink slow."

He didn't. He gulped it down hard and fast, but at least he looked a bit more collected when he was done. "Thanks, little buddy."

"You're welcome. You gotta be careful to chew, Sonic."