You knock on Tails’ door like a raccoon trying not to alert a predator. You know he stays up late, usually working on some kind of completely overengineered toaster or “anti-static sleep socks,” but you still feel a little bad.
The door slides open almost instantly.
“[Name]? Everything okay?” His voice is soft, but alert. He’s in pajama pants and one of those tech-conference freebie shirts.
“I… didn’t mean to bother you. I just… had a nightmare and kinda freaked myself out.”
Instead of questioning it, Tails just opens the door wider. “Come in. Want me to scan the area? Just in case it’s not all in your head?”
You chuckle nervously. “That would be very on-brand for me, yeah.”
As you step in, he taps on a console and drones begin hovering around the room with a soft hum. “No electromagnetic spikes, thermal readings are normal… looks like no ghosts tonight.”
“Cool. Love when my hut is ghost-free.”
Tails hands you a blanket. “You want tea? Cocoa? Blueberry smoothie with melatonin micro-beads?”
“…That last one sounds fake.”
“Fake delicious,” he corrects, already walking to the kitchen area. “You can sit on the couch. I’ll load up some calm background noise. You want jungle ambience, wind chimes, or soothing robot noises?”
“Robot noises? Seriously?”
“It helps me sleep. They say ‘beep boop, relax’.”
You can’t help but laugh. And somehow, just sitting there with him, surrounded by softly blinking machines and Tails’ kind presence, your heartbeat finally starts to calm.