Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The fight was over. Well and truly over. Sonic let out a breath of relief as he watched the Death Egg Robot go down, heard the communication from Knuckles that the enemies- the illusions- were disappearing. 

6 months of capture - another of fighting in the resistance. Finding Tails again and fighting for his livelihood and it was finally over. They were free. 

Sonic hears a commotion and turns, spotting Classic fading away. He watches Tails say goodbye, and he’s pretty sure he says a few words of his own, but the fog overtaking his senses means he honestly doesn’t remember the words coming out of his mouth. 

And he can feel the tiredness now - exhaustion pulling at his muscles now that the enemy is gone. He’s safe. His family is safe. Infinite was good, but he couldn’t replicate this. His eyelids feel heavy and his shoes could be filled with concrete for how well he could move. Sonic turns to his friends, a loose and easy smile on his face. Tails watches him with concern - no doubt the kit connecting the dots on his condition. 

“Alright guys! It’s time we clean up the mess that Eggman left this world in,” Sonic starts, and his vision swims dangerously. Sonic pauses in the start of what was almost certainly going to be a very heartfelt and motivating speech to shake his head, trying to clear the dizziness. Tails takes an aborted step forward as Sonic presses a hand to his temple.

“Sonic? Are you alright?” Tails asks- and honestly Sonic wishes he could assure the kid he’s okay, honest- but the lightheadedness swoops in his stomach, sending him to his knees. He doesn’t notice the pain racket up his knees, nor does he notice hands catching him as he pitches forward. 

There’s more voices now, but they’re muffled in the grand scheme of things. Sonic’s brain is just telling him he’s safe now - and all the stuff his body has been holding back the last seven months is now coming back to tell him there’s a problem.

But that’s a problem for future Sonic- present Sonic is going to pass out, and he’ll face the consequences of his own actions when he wakes up.

- - - - - - - -

A couple hours later, in another part of the city, the actual plot is unfolding.

Once the line is clear he picks up his bag, heading down the ramp and getting off the boat. The figure waves to the captain in thanks before heading into the city. He pulls his cloak tighter around his shoulders, wary of any strangers approaching. 

There’s a flash on his communicator and he looks, confirming the coordinates he’s looking for. It’s been over a decade, but having friends helps get things done. He ignores the curl of panic in his chest as he makes his way through town. He’s not considering the consequences of him being here. Just that he needs to be.

The sky was dark, rain sprinkling down on the quiet city. Anyone who was out and about was still in recovery, trying to get to their home. He skirts them by, going on a straight shot to the hospital.

He’s sure he made for a scary sight, hooded figure walking into a hospital on a dark and (slightly) stormy night. He lets the hood drop as he heads up to the receptionist, the muted panic in his chest finally being allowed to bloom. 

“Name?” He hesitates. Saying his name might be dangerous. He pushes forward, feeling eyes on him as he speaks.

“I’m here to see Arthur Mobis? I’m family- I was told he’d be here,” he speaks quietly, a far cry from his normal personality. The quiet of the hospital room is oppressive as the receptionist - a wolf - levels him with a flat look. The receptionist turns to her computer, looking up the name in question. He can feel stares from the two souls in the room on his back.

“Sorry, we don’t have an Arthur Mobis in this hospital- did you want me to call around and see if maybe he’s in a different one?” He winces, half expecting that answer. 

He clears his throat, looking around before speaking even quieter, “I’m looking for Sonic. I was told he’d be here?” 

Instantly, he can see the walls shutter on the wolf’s face, and he knows what’s coming next.

“Sorry sir, Sonic is not at this hospital.”

“But- I was- a friend told me-”

“Sonic is not here, sir.”

“I’m his family-”

“I’m sorry sir, Sonic is not at this hospital. Please leave before I call security.”

His arms shake as he swallows the rage in his chest. He gets it. He does - Sonic’s a big name hotshot now- Hero of Mobius. They wouldn’t disclose it to him if he begged, pleaded, some third example. He exhales his pride and nods, accepting defeat. 

“Okay. Thank you.”

He turns around to leave, pulling his hood over his head. He does spot the two others in the waiting room now- a pink hedgehog and a young fox watch him with wide eyes. The fox is worrying at one of his tails, watching him almost critically, taking in what features he could remember. The hedgehog is not so analytical, watching him with a clear warning. If he doesn’t leave soon it won’t be just security he has to worry about. 

He pulls his hood down over his eyes, taking in a shaky breath before leaving. Whatever, he’ll see Sonic soon, he’s sure.

- - - - - - - -

Amy watches the figure leave, a deep pit settling in her stomach. The war just ended; it was far too early for Sonic to be bombarded with fans trying to be creepy. She wrapped an arm around Tails, holding him close. Tails let her, and his namesakes wrapped around himself for more comfort.

Amy’s mind wandered. A fan claiming to be family- that’s a whole new level of deranged - they didn’t even look alike. At least from what Amy could tell. An embarrassed worm settled in her stomach as she thought back to her own misadventures being a fan more than a friend. She’s so glad she moved past that- remembering a conversation from before the war- before Sonic- well. 

Footsteps interrupted Amy’s thoughts. She looked up to see the tired form of Knuckles entering the waiting room. He’s accompanied by the doctor, and the tension in his shoulders looks lighter, better than it had been in months. Amy nudges a dozing Tails, letting him extricate himself before standing. 

“How is he?” Amy speaks quietly, worrying at the hem of her dress. 

“He’ll be right. Over-exhausted, dehydrated, on the edge of starvation were the biggest effects on his health. With any luck with the war over he should be able to get to a solid sleeping and eating schedule.” Tails and Amy both nod as they process the information. Amy is already formulating a plan and- from the look on his face- Amy is sure Tails is as well.

They let themselves get ushered to Sonic’s hospital room, and when the door opens it takes all of their energy not to run to him. The hedgehog in question is sitting up in bed, a pensive look on his face as he flips through the TV. His ears swivel when he hears the door open, and Amy can see the switch flip in his brain. He smiles wide, giving a mock salute.

“Hey you guys! Was wondering when you’d show, I was starting to get bored!” Amy shakes her head, huffing a laugh at Sonic’s antics. Tails rushes forward to hug Sonic, and the others file in. the doctor leaves, letting the door close behind him. Sonic catches the fox when he jumps on the bed, careful of his IV as he hugs him close.

“Not to worry Sonic! We’ll keep you company!” Amy shakes her head in amusement, settling down in a nearby chair. Knuckles sits at the other chair, watching the antics with an amused huff. He checks his communicator idly, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Amy thinks he must be speaking with the Resistance. 

“Anything fun happen while I was out?” Sonic says, still flipping through channels. Almost all of them are news, regular broadcasting being interrupted with the news on the war and the final battle with Eggman. As well as Sonic’s embarrassing moment after- jeez, was it too much to ask that he had a little privacy? He snorts a laugh at his own internal joke. Ha. Privacy. Y’know- because he spent 6 months in solitary confinement-

“The news just never lets up on ya, huh?” Knuckles speaks up, catching Sonic’s attention before it could keep going down that path. 

Sonic huffs a laugh, “yeah- I’m surprised there’s not a whole crowd outside- they’ve been good about keeping my hospital stay secret.”

Amy perks up at that, “really? There was one guy at the counter earlier- askin for you. Said he was family.”

“That’s nothing new- anyone’ll say anything these days,” Sonic laughs, making light of what is honestly a very serious situation. 

“What’d he look like?” Knuckles chimes in, raising an incredulous eyebrow. He finally looks up from his communicator, having finished what he was looking for.

“Didn’t even look like Sonic, honestly-” Amy starts, and Tails continues.

“Green spikes, really messy bangs- brown eyes I think? I think he called you Arthur first- said a friend told him you were here.”

“He did? I didn’t even hear that- he was so quiet asking the receptionist. I didn’t catch it-” Amy tilts her head as she processes the new information. Tails nods, but stops as he notices Sonic has gone deathly still.

“....Sonic?” The hedgehog in question blinks as he remembers where he is. He looks to Knuckles, who has very conveniently gotten very quiet. A ping comes in on Knuckle’s communicator, and Sonic glances down at it for a moment before making eye contact with an increasingly uncomfortable echidna.

“A green hedgehog? That’s fascinating, isn’t it, Knuckles?”

“...Very.”

“What’s the message? Something from the Resistance?”

“No. It's a friend.”

“A friend? Wow, that’s cool- must be a good friend to tell them the hospital I’m staying at.” 

The sudden tension was palpable now, even to Amy and Tails. They watch the conversation quietly, not daring to breathe in case Sonic turned his ire on the two of them.

“He deserved to know.”

“Oh did he? Because if I remember right I was keeping them distant for a reason, Knuckles.” 

“Distant enough that Amy doesn’t know? Did you even tell Tails?” Sonic blinks in surprise, like he just remembered that the two in question were here. He hugs Tails tighter to him, ears pinning down as his quills flared.

“That’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair is leaving them to question if you were alive-”

“They knew I was alive-”

“Did they?” 

This seems to be the tipping point. Sonic snarls, looking away. He avoids eye contact with everyone, looking out the window. Knuckles flexes his hands, letting the motion calm him before he speaks again.

“...Manic wouldn’t be reaching out if it wasn’t important. Right now he’s alone, in a city he doesn’t know, because he needs you.”

Sonic bristles, his arm tightening around Tails before he forces himself to relax. Tails catalogues the name, sure he’ll be meeting the hedgehog soon.

Sonic eventually speaks, voice quiet, “if he’s still in town then get him. I’ll see what he wants.” and try and get him to leave goes unsaid, but Knuckles understood.

The echidna stands, sending another message out on his communicator.

“Thanks ‘your highness,’ I’m sure he’ll be glad you deemed him worthy of your presence,” Knuckles stalks out. He doesn’t slam the hospital door, but it's a near thing. Sonic glares at the door, looking like he could set it on fire with his mind if he tried hard enough.

In the quiet, Tails carefully scratches at Sonic’s back, careful of his spines. The hedgehog takes a soft breath, slowly relaxing into Tail’s ministrations.

Amy speaks up quietly, almost nervous for the answer, “Sonic, who was here? Who’s Manic?”

Sonic remembers himself, and his shoulders slump. His hands worry with the cheap hospital blanket, letting the crinkle of the blanket along with the scratches on his back ground him. He speaks just as quiet, mourning the end of the calm before the storm.

“Manic is…my brother.”

Chapter Text

“You have a brother?” “What?” Sonic winces. He was expecting confusion- and the anger at the edge of Tail’s question promises for a Discussion later. He side-steps that live bomb for right now to nod and answer Amy’s question.

“...and a sister. I’m a triplet.”

“What?!” Amy and Tails speak at the same time again, Tails much angrier than before.

“Now I know that sounds bad-”

“Sounds bad? You have family- and you didn’t say anything?” Tails gets out of bed now, and Sonic silently mourns the loss of contact. The hero’s still avoiding eye contact, looking at the bed. 

A ping rings on Amy’s communicator, and she takes the escape opportunity for what it is. She stands, “that’s my cue- work never stops with the Resistance. Try not to kill each other, okay?”

“No promises,” Tails snarks, not looking away from Sonic. The hedgehog gives Amy a weak smile and a thumbs up. They’ll be alright. Amy nods, giving a smile of her own before heading out.

Sonic tracks Amy leaving before his eyes land on a very irritated Tails.

The fox in question is glaring, arms crossed over his chest almost protectively. His namesakes flick behind him, and Sonic wonders if Tails is thinking about hitting him for keeping this secret. 

Tails is older now, too- and Sonic's never seen it more clearly. He's taller- might be taller than his older brother now. His yellow fur is more mottled now- darkening to a brown that disappears into his gloves and into his boots. Dark bags that could rival Sonic's own are dragging at Tail's eyes, showing only part of the toll the war had on the kit.

Sky blue eyes watch Sonic intently, and he almost squirms in his seat at the scrutiny. He starts to speak when he feels his throat lock up. Honestly could be worse, losing the ability to speak during a conversation that needed to be had with his little brother. Awesome job, Sonic.

He swallows around the rock in his throat and lifts his hands to sign, “I was going to tell you.”

Tails scoffs with all the snark of a 15 year old boy that doesn’t believe his brother, “really? It's been what- 10? 11 years since you became my brother? There just wasn’t time?”

“I was going to tell you,” Sonic signs again, hands moving more aggressively this time, “it should have been sooner but I didn’t want to talk about it early on and then it was too late.”

“Oh sorry- I didn’t realize your alive family was a sore subject,” Tails can tell from the way Sonic is shrinking he’s hit a nerve, feelings hurt. He takes a deep breath to collect himself. 

He wants to understand.

Tails sits on the side of the bed, giving enough distance for his own comfort but he wants Sonic to know he’s listening. Sonic watches him with wary eyes.

“Why did you leave?” at Sonic’s confused look he continues, “you don’t leave your family for anything- so why?”

This is the chance Sonic’s been waiting for- surely he can come up with a thought provoking, succinct answer that both reassures Tails and also keeps him from looking like an idiot. Probably a really funny quip about him liking to run would do it, yeah-

“I was scared.”

“What?” He fumbled it.

Sonic twists at his fingers for a moment before elaborating, “I was scared. Eggman was threatening my siblings and he wasn’t going to stop until someone took his attention away from my home.”

“So you took his attention away from your home by-”

“Taking the fight to him. I took my Uncle’s plane and I left. Didn’t tell anyone I was leaving and Eggman didn’t find out until I was breaking down his main base.”

Tails nods slowly, processing the information. He understands- he thinks. Sonic’s been selfless to a fault when it comes to doing what's right. He can definitely see the hedgehog pulling a stunt like that to keep everyone safe. There’s just one thing still bothering him now…

“Why pick me up then?”

“What?”

“Why pick me up- I mean- if you were busy keeping Eggman distracted, why pick up a 4 year old to come with? I can’t imagine that’d be helpful, if not a detriment- just a bur-”

Sonic reaches forward and grabs Tails’s hands, shaking his head vehemently. Tails stops his spiral and watches his brother collect his thoughts. 

He only lets go of Tails' hands so that he can sign again, “I don’t know what got into your head these last couple months but you are not and never will be a burden. You are my brother, and I’d do anything to keep my family safe.”

Sonic hesitates, a rare sight for the blue blur- to hesitate. Think about what he says before he says it. 

“...At the time. Your big brain and your bigger heart- you reminded me of them,” and Sonic doesn’t let the shock stay on Tails’ face long so he continues, “and that was shitty of me and I’m sorry but I wouldn’t change my decision for anything- you hear me? Well- see me?” He waves his hands when he finishes signing to accentuate his pun, and Tails cracks the smallest of smiles.

“You are my best friend and my little brother. I have made mistakes in my life but meeting you will never be one of them.”

Sonic grunts as his brother rushes forward, hugging him tightly. A rough sob escapes Tails’ throat as he shakes in his arms. The hedgehog hugs back just as tight, and if his arms shake as he holds Tails, then the kit won’t tell anyone.

- - - - - - - -

While that very important talk is happening, Amy makes her way back to the waiting room. She pulls out her tarot card deck, shuffling it idly so she can focus.

A brother? Siblings? What was Sonic getting at? Why didn’t he tell them? And how did Knuckles know about them? Amy almost wishes she could still be in that hospital room, hearing the conversation between brothers. Almost. 

At the waiting room, her shuffling gets hastier, and a tarot card jumps out of her shuffle. Amy yips in surprise, setting the deck aside so she can grab the card.

Wheel of Fortune, upright. A critical turning point, and big changes. Hm.

The hospital doors open and Amy startles. She puts the cards back in their case before looking over. 

Knuckles is back again - now with the green hedgehog in tow. Manic. Amy stands, putting her cards in her pocket before heading over. 

“Hey Knuckles! And you must be Manic, right?” Knuckles gives a nod at the greeting, and Manic gives a light smile. Only Amy’s intuition (and years of watching Sonic) could tell her the smile was strained. 

They really do look alike- now that she’s closer to him. 

A beep interrupts Amy’s thoughts and she checks her communicator. Oh they really need her back at base- she tells Manic and Knuckles as such, and they nod.

“Tails is still with Sonic- they’re talking it out. Just knock before entering, okay?” 

“Will do,” Knuckles replies. Manic gives a curt nod.

Amy starts heading out, waving at the two as she does, “try not to destroy the place! It was nice meeting you, Manic!”

The door closes behind her, and Knuckles and Manic are left alone.

“Well- no time like the present.” Manic shrugs, and he lets Knuckles lead him to the hospital room. 

Knuckles heeds Amy’s warning and knocks, and he does wait to hear Tails say to come in before opening the door.

Tails is out of the bed at this point, sitting in the chair next to it. Sonic is sitting up, and Knuckles can see the redness in their eyes. They’re both smiling though, so the echidna is assured the talk was a good one. 

Sonic sees Manic, and his smile becomes much more subdued. 

“Brother delivery- and then I’m off. Master Emerald and Resistance check-ins- you know how it is.” Sonic nods, giving a wave. Knuckles gives a pat to Manic’s back, causing the hedgehog to stumble further into the room.

Knuckles leaves, and then there were three.

The silence is thick, weighing down on the three of them. Tails worries with his namesakes before standing, offering a polite hand to Manic. A peace offering.

“Hey! You must be Sonic’s brother. I’m Miles Prower, please call me Tails.”

“...Call me Manic. You’re Sonic’s younger brother?” He takes his hand, shaking it. Tails relaxes slightly, his smile becoming a little more genuine. 

“I am!” Manic looks so much like his brother now that Tails can properly see him. They have the same peach muzzle, and the green of his quills is almost identical to the emerald in Sonic’s eyes. Colors aside they still looked alike. Tails is fairly certain if Manic shaved his bangs and got some dye he could pass as Sonic without effort. The way he held himself was even the same, with cool confidence and an easy smile. 

Sonic knocks on the side of the bed to get their attention, “hey Manic. Long time no see.”

Manic is admittedly rusty with signs, and he takes a second to read Sonic’s hands before he snorts, “and who’s fault is that, big guy? Leaving an island with Uncle Chuck’s plane- I can’t believe you.”

Sonic laughs awkwardly, scratching behind his head. Tails makes his way back to his chair and takes a seat, and Manic sits at the end of the bed, arms crossed.

“Do you know how hard it was to find you?” Manic asks, leveling a look at Sonic.

“Someone as fast as me? No way-”

“Your adventures really took you all around the world- why not home?”

“Keeping Egghead distracted. Can’t target Christmas Island if he’s busy dealing with me breaking his toys.”

“Kept ya busy enough to not reach out.” Manic snipes at him.

“Hey. It was too dangerous.” Sonic's signs get sharper in response, a little more defensive.

“And you still need to trust that Sonia n I know how to take care of ourselves-”

“Yourselves yes but the whole kingdom? Could you and Sonia protect the whole kingdom?”

“That's what we have the freedom fighters for- to help”

“Freedom fighters? They should be adults now, why aren't they knights?”

“We've been busy trying to find you!” Manic's quills flare up as he glares at him.

“Well here I am! You found me! So what's stopping Mom from promoting them?”

“Ma’s dead.”

The room got so silent you could hear a pin drop. Blue eyes flick between the two hedgehogs as Tails takes in this new information. Sonic is stock still, a cold shock worming his way through his heart. 

“...what?” Has he really been gone for that long? Mom's dead- just like that? Memories pop up unbidden in Sonic’s brain, old faded images of him and his siblings, his mom-

He doesn't remember what she sounds like.

“...she passed about six years ago. A few months after we turned eighteen. There was an accident.” 

Sonic's mother has been dead for six years and he never knew. A few months after June- that would've been Soleanna. 

Sonic stares off into the middle distance to try and will the burning in his eyes to go away. He can't have a breakdown here- he can't.

He takes a deep, shaky breath, “So why reach out now?”

Manic regards him with a careful look before responding, “we couldn't find you. I only managed to get in contact with Knuckles during the war- he had reached out when he thought that you- well.”

When everyone thought he died. Got it.

“Okay. So why are you here.”

“Well- you're the oldest. Which means-” Manic drags out the word, and realization dawns on Sonic’s face.

“No-”

“You are-”

“Absolutely not-”

“The rightful ruler of Christmas Island.”

Sonic pauses only for a moment before signing out a very long and complicated set of swears and curses, and Tails has to stop himself from bursting out laughing at the colorful language.

“So what now?”

“Well- the moment you're able to get checked out, we're getting packed and going home.”

Sonic silently groans and puts his head in his hands. Tails pats at his back in mock comfort as Manic barks out a laugh.

Chapter Text

It was a completely normal night, all things considered.

Sonia and Aleena had spent the day together, Sonia learning all she could about taking up the crown, and the inner workings of politics and social standings and all that super cool super fun stuff.

Manic, who didn’t nearly care as much being third in line and unlikely to be in any position of power higher than Prince, had spent his day out with the people. Forming bonds and making connections with the people that helped them grow. He spoke with the Freedom Fighters- now that Sonia and him were 18, they could make a formal bill to make them knights. Manic doesn’t know why Aleena was so hesitant about it, to be honest- they were some of the country’s fiercest protectors. 

Speaking of protectors- Manic also was the one who kept tabs on Sonic.

Well- tried to, at least. It’s very often he hears about events happening months after the fact, with how much his brother does. Last he heard was something with an alien invasion in Central City? He’s glad he wasn’t there for that, to be sure.

Anyway, it was a normal day. 

The three of them had just settled for dinner, not in the dining hall, but in a quiet corner of the library (Manic’s idea- the dining hall had been getting too big and too stifling so he convinced his Ma and Sonia to try eating in other places of the home). Manic had settled in a reading nook with his plate, while Sonia and Aleena were seated at a nearby table. Aleena because she isn’t quite comfortable not eating at a table, and Sonia wanting to make sure his Ma felt comfortable.

The food was good, too- some stir fry the chef was excited to make for them. The sauce had a solid heat to it, something Manic hadn’t had in years, and the meat was well seasoned, sitting warm in his stomach.

Was Sonic eating okay?

Aleena coughing startles him out of his thoughts. Her face is a bright red, no doubt from the spices in the sauce. Sonia isn’t coughing, from the flush crawling along her muzzle she’s not faring too well either. Manic snorts, and Sonia flips him the middle finger.

“You guys having trouble with your plates?” Manic teases, if only to see the glare from his sister. 

“No! You’re ridiculous,” Sonia soldiers on with her plate, and Aleena rises to the bait as well, diving into her plate. His Ma might be a queen, but her kids didn’t get their competitive streak from just anyone.

Manic notices the faster pace and laughs, diving into his own food. 

Manic finishes his plate first, with Sonia two bites behind. Aleena finishes her plate while Manic is teasing Sonia.

“You’re just mad I can handle spices and you can’t.”

“You’re so immature-”

“We’re the same age!”

“I’m 30 minutes older, little brother.”

“You’re so lame.”

Soft laughter interrupts their arguing and they both look to their mother, who is covering her mouth to hide her soft laughter. She watches them with fond eyes. When she speaks, Manic notes she sounded tired, but with the day they’ve had, he doesn’t blame her.

“Now kids, behave,” she says, still smiling and clearly teasing.

Manic takes the bait, “kids? But we’re 18! We’re adults!”

“Adults, yes, but you’ll always be my kids.” Aleena laughs, pinching at Manic’s cheek. Manic groans, half-heartedly pushing her away.

“Maaa! You’re lame too- Gaia!” His Ma smiles, scooping him up in a hug, much to his embarrassment.

“What? Can’t a mother love her kids?” Manic spots Sonia laughing and grins evilly.

“Well all I’m seein is me getting hugs! What about Sonia?” Aleena and her son make eye contact before looking at Sonia, who is very quickly realizing what’s about to happen.

“Oh no don’t you dare-!” Mother and son both move and tackle Sonia, trapping her in a hug. The hedgehog in question yells in indignation, swatting at the two of them. 

“Get off! You two are heavy!” She complains, pushing at Manic’s cheek. The brother laughs and hugs her tighter. He knows if Sonia truly didn’t want them there, she had the strength to get them off. 

Aleena is eventually the one to release the hug, a soft smile still on her face. Manic follows soon after, a much more shit-eating grin on his own face. 

Sonia rolls her eyes before turning to Manic, “any huge plans for coming up? Other than going into town?”

“Ah you know me- nothing too crazy, why?” Manic settles at the table now, hands behind his head.

Sonia hums, “Mother and I have been talking- have you had any contact with Sonic’s friends?”

Manic sits up straighter now, eyes flicking warily between Aleena and Sonia, “...not yet. They’re hard to get a hold of. Even Knuckles if you can believe it,” he laughs, but it fades when he sees the look on his family’s face. “Why?”

Aleena lays her hands on the table, eyes glazed as she tries to get her thoughts in order, “the royal council has been a little more…insistent on your involvement with royal matters. Both of you.” She glances at Sonia at that, and they both nod. “With that being said, that also means that…”

Comprehension dawns on Manic’s face, “they want Sonic back.”

Aleena nods, face grim. 

Sonia stands, anger lacing her posture, “no way. He’s been gone for how many years now? He’s out protecting the world, he wouldn’t want to rule!”

“I know dear- but they insisted,” Aleena frowns softly. “But they insist. Since Sonic is the oldest he’ll need to be present so he can at least relinquish his place in line.” Sonia huffs at that, looking away.

Manic understands her anger. Sonic being gone for so many years- and those stuffy creeps at the council want him back? To lead? When Sonia’s been training for this since they were thirteen? Yeah, no way. He’d be pissed too. 

Manic taps his foot as he thinks on what to do, “...what if I went after Sonic?

“What?” Both Aleena and Sonia look at him, confused.

“What if I went after him? I know people, I can try and find him and bring him back? At least long enough to sign whatever papers the council needs so that he can remove himself from the royal line-” Manic’s interrupted by Aleena scooping him up into another hug. Gaia, when had his mom gotten so huggy?

When Sonic left. Ha. Answered his own question. 

“Thank you,” she says quietly, and oh. Manic thinks he gets it now- he may not understand it from a mother’s perspective, but he’s always got that fear, that sinking feeling in his chest that he might neve talk to Sonic again. That the hedgehog would get into an adventure bigger than he could handle, and would never be able to come home.

Manic hugs his mother tight, “I’ll bring him back, Ma. promise.”

Aleena gives one more squeeze before pulling away, “good. Now- I believe its later, and we should be getting to bed. Its late, and we have a long day tomorrow.”

Sonia yawns almost on cue, and Manic groans just thinking of tomorrow. 

Aleena smiles, and presses kisses to her kids foreheads, much to their embarrassment. 

“I’ll see you both tomorrow, okay? Sleep well, and have good dreams.”

“Night ma!” “Good night, Mother,” 

Aleena smiles at them again, waving before heading out to her own bedchambers. 

Manic and Sonia leave together, and say their own goodnights before heading to their rooms. Manic gets ready for bed and he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. 

His sleep is dreamless. In the early morning, he’s startled awake by the lady in waiting finding his mother’s body, and the screech she lets out after. 

- - - - - - - -

Cyanide poisoning, and her slipping into a coma caused her to drown while taking her nightly bath (Manic wonders, if she wasn’t challenged to eat that whole plate, would she still be here?). 

The world is a blur after that. Investigation, interrogation (they thought Manic and Sonia did something, that they killed their mother-), the funeral. Manic and his sister get shunted from meeting to meeting, plans and interviews and meeting and questions and plans and interviews and- 

Not a coronation.

Because Sonic’s not there to take the throne. The council has Sonia working and making decisions but she can’t be crowned queen, no. Because it's supposed to be Sonic.

Manic and Sonia have a sit down conversation after a year of this, and that night Manic leaves, starting what would turn into a 5 year search for his older brother. 

While he’s gone he doesn’t see Sonic, but he does see the world be affected by him. The world breaking apart and reforming with the release and defeat of Dark Gaia, the re-emergence of wisps.

Sonic’s fall, and the war. 

Manic does try and get back to Christmas Island during the war, honest. With the war and those duplicated enemies, most big forms of transport were taken out, and he doesn’t trust his own abilities to man a boat. 

So he stays inland. He helps where he can but he stays clear of the resistance. The last thing he wants is to be made a bigger target. He needs to get home to his sister. He wants to talk with her again- not just messages or calls with communicators, he wants to hug his sister again. 

He won’t get to hug Sonic again. 

About three months into the war he gets a ping on his communicator from an unknown number. On a hunch, he responds, and that's how he starts talking with Knuckles again. 

Knuckles had reached out initially to let him know about Sonic (which he already knew) but then. Then Sonic was alive again. Then the war was over, and Sonic was alive.

Manic made a last ditch effort and asked Knuckles to help. And he did.

- - - - - - - -

The next morning, Manic gets a ping on his communicator that rouses him from sleep. Rubbing at his eyes, he checks his messages. One from Sonia. 

keyboard sis: took a bit, but it looks like GUN is operational now. theyre gonna help get u and sonic back to christmas island, and any guests sonic wants ofc

me: sounds good, thx. waiting fr doc 2 clear him n pack n well be otw. shld b this wknd fs

Sonia sends a thumbs up emoji at that, and Manic smiles softly. He missed his sister so badly. 

He feels eyes on him and makes eye contact with Sonic, who flinches back at being caught. He plays it off, giving an almost teasing smile.

“Sooo, who’s the lucky girl?” Good to hear Sonic’s voice is back, if not raspy from nonuse. Manic still cringes from the question nonetheless.

“Ew, no. That's our sister.”

Sonic recoils, regretting his actions pretty immediately, “oh ew! C’mon, why’d you let me make that joke!”

“I didn’t know you were making that joke!”

“I still blame you!”

There’s a snort from behind Sonic, and he turns to find a sleepy, but awake Tails laughing at the both of them. 

Manic huffs, “Sonia texted. Apparently G.U.N. is working enough to get us some escorts for Christmas Island. You, me, and whatever guests you want. I’m assuming your brother wants to go?” His eyes flick over to Tails, who nods enthusiastically. If Sonic is bothered by the police escort, he doesn’t say anything, but Manic can see the annoyance flash in his eyes.

Sonic nods, “Tails is coming. I’ll ask Ames and Knucks, but they’ll be busy with Resistance stuff I think.” He gets out his own communicator to do just that, shooting a message to the two parties.

Manic nods, putting his own communicator away after letting Sonia know about the extra guest.

Later that day, they get the clearance from the doctor of food and liquid rest and Sonic’s clear to leave the hospital. 

Tails leads them back to Resistance HQ, with the meek explanation that his and Sonic’s home had been wiped out in the initial wave of attacks. Sonic’s face falls, unseen by Tails. 

They make their way to their respective bedrooms to pack and get their things together. Manic is already packed, in that he’s got a satchel under his cloak with some spare socks and gloves, and that's about it.

Tails makes sure Sonic is okay to pack by himself before scurrying off, eager to let the two talk while he packs on his own.

Well he’s sure Tails is going to be disappointed, because Manic helps Sonic pack in relative silence. It’s a comfortable silence at least, and the two are quick to get packed. 

The silence is broken by a knock on the door and a “yoohoo! Hello Blue, and a new boy!”

The brothers turn, and Manic sees a white bat smiling at the two of them. A surly black and red hedgehog is standing behind her, arms crossed. 

Sonic blinks in surprise before standing, smiling lightly, “Shads! Rouge! What brings you two around! I feel like I haven’t seen either of you since I got back!”

“Been busy, Blue- now, are you gonna introduce us to your new friend?” The bat gestures to Manic, and Sonic grins.

“Of course! Manic, these are my friends, Rouge is the bat, and the grumpy pants behind her is Shadow. Guys, this is my brother, Manic.”

Manic gives a lazy wave, “nice to meet you both.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” “Hmph.”

Sonic ignores Shadow’s attitude and regards Rouge, “so what brings you guys here? Can’t imagine Shads being here for fun-”

“Got it in one, Blue- we’re here on business. War’s been over maybe a week and G.U.N.s already back like they didn’t get decimated. You two are looking at your Christmas Island escort team!”

Sonic blinks in surprise. Oh this trip just got a whole lot more interesting. And from the look on Shadow’s face it was about to be a lot more fun.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long for G.U.N. to come back after the war. Shadow would argue that it was suspicious, but the part of him that needed a distraction frankly didn’t care. As soon as communications came out about new missions and assisting with clean up Shadow dived in, taking as many as he could without reading what they entailed until he was there.

Now, sitting in front of Commander Tower and glaring at a picture of Sonic, he wishes he read these better.

Rouge and Shadow are in a small meeting room- in one of the few remaining buildings from the war. Tower is in front of them, hands behind his back as he watches them process the mission. 

The crown princess Sonia has reached out, and requested for assisted transport for her siblings- crown princes Arthur and Wentworth - aliases Sonic and Manic. Rouge had cackled, filing away Sonic’s legal name for later teasing. If Shadow could glare at the pictures any harder he’s fairly certain he could set them on fire.

Family. A brother and a sister. Sonic has a blood family.

“I’m not doing this,” Shadow growls out, standing. Tower and Rouge look at him, barely hiding their surprise. 

Tower recovers first, leveling Shadow with a look, “you accepted the mission. You will be taking it.”

“With all due respect, why are both of us needed?” Rouge chimes in, trying to give Shadow an out. “If all this is just an escort mission, surely you don’t need both of us. Sonic and Tails are more than capable, and the prince would just need one of us. Which I’m happy to do, of course.”

Tower gives Rouge an exasperated look, and Shadow understands why. Rouge with a prince and ending up at a castle full of goodies is just asking for a diplomatic crisis.The bat in question rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, leaning back into her chair with a pout.

“So why am I going? Surely I'm not here to just be a babysitter.”

“Correct. You’re not there to be Rouge’s keeper.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow, and the Commander continues, “this is a recon mission as well.”

“Recon?”

Tower nods, putting down another folder. The Mobians lean forward, and Shadow opens the folder. 

Inside are photos and some documents. The picture is of an older pink hedgehog. She’s smiling serenely at the camera while three young hedgehogs crowd around her. Of the three children, Shadow can easily spot the cobalt blue of Sonic’s fur. He’s younger than Shadow’s ever seen him, including when he met the younger Sonic during the Time Eater event. There’s a strange twisting feeling in Shadow’s chest, and he distracts himself by looking at the next photograph.

He almost immediately wishes he hadn’t, and judging by the gasp Rouge lets out, she saw it at the same time as he did.

It’s the pink hedgehog again, shortly after she was found, and her autopsy report. The report after that is court dates, arrest reports, interviews and interrogations from the Queen’s family and staff. They have the arrest report of the one that was convicted, the Queen’s head chef. They also have the court reports of him screaming he was innocent while he was being taken away.

This isn’t an escort mission, this is a murder investigation. 

“Does the princess know that we’re looking into this?” Rouge speaks, voicing Shadow’s exact thoughts. Princess Sonia reached out to get her brothers home, not to dig up a murder from five years ago.

“The Princess does not know. Neither does the Prince, or Sonic, for that matter,” Tower lets them digest that information. “This is an investigation initiated by G.U.N.. Christmas Island kept the assassination of their Queen relatively secret to anyone outside the island. We only found out as we needed information from Princess Sonia about why Sonic needed to return.”

Shadow notes that Tower doesn’t refer to Sonic with the Prince title directly. It makes sense- Sonic? A Prince? Actually, with the Queen dead, that would make him King. King Sonic. The hybrid just barely suppresses a shiver of disgust. He's fairly certain Sonic would hate that title almost as much as Shadow hates thinking about it. 

“So we’re making sure they got the right guy,” Rouge tears her eyes away from the paper to look at the Commander, “Princess and Manic don’t know because they’re suspects. Blue doesn’t know because it would break him.”

Tower nods, grim. 

“So why investigate? It's a small kingdom, surely digging up old scars will do anyone good. Nothing’s happened in the five years since the murder.” Shadow asks, still looking at the autopsy report. 

“G.U.N. is worried that with the world still healing after the war, the real killer might make a move to take power,” and that’s that. 

Shadow groans, long and heavy. He's going to regret this, he's sure. “...fine. I’ll do it.” 

Tower nods, “good. You both are dismissed. Please head to the Prower residence as soon as possible to begin the mission.”

Shadow and Rouge say their goodbyes and they depart. 

They both opt to walk to walk, letting a comfortable silence surround them. 

After about 15 minutes, Rouge speaks up, “haven’t seen you in awhile, hon.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Too busy to say hi? I’m hurt,” Rouge pouts playfully, only dropping it when she sees Shadow's ears pin back. 

“Shadow…speak to me, hon. What’s going on?” Shadow barely suppresses a wince.

“During the war…” Rouge does wince at that, and Shadow continues, “Infinite used clones of me. I figured people wouldn’t want me nearby. I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

“Shadow…” and Shadow hates that tone. It isn’t pity, and he knows that, but the embarrassment in his chest reads her tone otherwise. 

“What? People being scared of me isn’t new. I know this.” Shadow remembers the Black Arms invasion, and how long it had taken the people in Westopolis to not run away from him in fear. Even then, there were still whispers when he had to travel into town.

“As scary as you claim to be- your friends aren’t scared of you, hun. I’m not,” Rouge bumps him with her hip, and he shoves her gently in response.

“And I know Blue isn’t scared of you either.” Shadow looks away, and Rouge knows she’s hit the real issue at hand. “He isn’t. It takes a lot more than that to be terrified of someone.”

“He was captured for six months and Infinite could make clones- he could’ve-”

“But he didn’t. Not from what I saw, at least. Infinite…liked to visit Sonic as Infinite, no one else.” Shadow notes that this is the most Rouge has talked about her spy work on the Death Egg, She always played it off, teasing that it wasn’t her story to tell. Sonic’s time in the Death Egg was Sonic’s, and she didn’t give up any information for anything.

Until now. Because she wanted to make Shadow feel better.

He bumps shoulders with her gently, “you don’t have to tell me the Faker’s business to make me feel better. But thank you.”

“What was that? Could you repeat that?” Rouge lights up, and she flies in front of him. She holds a hand over her ear to pretend she’s hearing him better. Shadow knows full well she heard her, and he rolls his eyes at her antics.

“Alright, enough emotions. We have some princes to escort.” Rouge pouts at Shadow’s words but doesn’t stop flying. Shadow takes the opportunity to break out in a slow job, and Rouge follows. 

- - - - - - - -

“A boat?!”

“It’s the only thing that’ll fit all of us.”

Back in the Prower household, Sonic, his brothers, and the two G.U.N. agents are sitting in the living room, talking about the travel plans. Manic and Tails were settled on the couch, watching the argument with bored expressions. Rouge was settled in a nearby recliner, looking incredibly happy to be there. 

Sonic and Shadow were the unintentional main event, both crossing their arms and glaring at each other, quills flaring. Sonic's foot is tapping so fast that it's a blur, and Shadow's ears are pinned back in anger. Tails is fairly certain if they got any angrier they would start hissing.

Ah well. As long as he herded them outside before the physical fight started, he was happy. 

“We can take the Tornado,” Sonic points in the direction of Tail's workshop, where the aforementioned plane sits.

Tails raises his hand to speak up when Shadow interrupts him, “There’s only one seat aside from the cockpit, who would you have sit?”

“Manic. I’m used to standing on the wings, and I’m sure you’d get used to it, big guy.” Sonic leans forward, sneering at him. 

Shadow would normally take the bait, but instead he rolls his eyes and jerks a thumb towards the recliner.

“And what about Rouge?” Sonic looks over to the bat in question as if just remembering that she's there, and she waves.

“I- agh! Why can’t you just Chaos Control us?”

“I don’t have a Chaos Emerald. Even if I did, I wouldn't have the power.”

“I thought we did,” Sonic turns to Tails, who's already shaking his head with a sympathetic smile. He groans and faces Shadow again.

“You suck- can’t G.U.N. provide a plane?”

“G.U.N. has declined to send transport.”

Sonic throws his hands up in exasperation, a frustrated hiss escaping his chest as he runs his hands over his face. 

“Question,” Manic speaks up, raising his hand. “Why can’t we split up? Some of us go on the Tornado, some on a boat or whatever.”

“I can answer that, actually,” Tails chimes in. “The Tornado doesn’t work anyway, the engine gave out after I got it back to the workshop and with Resistance- sorry- Restoration stuff going on- I haven’t been able to work on it since.” 

Upon seeing Sonic’s crestfallen look, Tails adds a sympathetic “Sorry, Sonic.”

“So we take a boat.” Shadow says, smug.

“Fucking- fine. Whatever. We’ll boat it up. I’m gonna go pack,” Sonic storms out, shoulder checking Shadow as he does. 

Once he’s gone Shadow snarls, “what the hell is his problem?”

“He’s afraid of water,” two voices speak up. Shadow’s head snaps toward the sources, and Manic and Tails are sharing a surprised glance. 

Tails breaks out of his stupor first, shaking his head and turning to Shadow, “he’s terrified of water. I’d call it a full blown aquaphobia, but don’t let Sonic know I told you that.”

Shadow feels the shame bloom in his chest and as a flush on his cheeks. Well now he feels bad. He raises his hands in defeat and walks outside.

“I’m going for a walk. Rouge, call if you need me.”

“Will do, hun!” Rouge calls out after him, and the door closes with just a touch too much force.

“Do they usually fight like this?” Manic asks, still watching the door Shadow stormed out of.

“Yep.” “This is actually pretty tame for them, honestly.”

“...Huh.” 

“Well. I better go convince Sonic he'll survive being on a boat, otherwise he'll try to argue running across the ocean,” Tails stands, stretching until he hears his back crack. 

“I can do it, you need to pack too, dontcha?”

“I can do both, no problem.” Tails gives a light smile, “make yourself at home, keep Rouge company.”

“I can keep myself plenty company, don't worry.” Rouge gives a teasing smile. 

Tails watches her for a moment before looking back at Manic, “please keep Rouge company. A bored Rouge is a thievey Rouge.”

“Ugh. You're no fun.”

Tails leaves after that, and Manic chuckles softly. Rogue raises an eyebrow in question and Manic smirks at her.

“Sooo, a thief?”

“The best in the world, baby.”

“Wanna bet?”

In the end, Manic couldn't trick a highly trained international spy, but the look on Shadow's face when he realized his wallet was missing? Fucking priceless.

And if Sonic broke out in the first real laugh he's had in months? Even better.

Chapter Text

“Nope. Not doing it. I changed my mind. I can help Tails fix the Tornado I’m not getting on the boat.”

“I will throw you onto the boat if you don’t get on in a second.”

The rest of the entourage watches Sonic and Shadow snipe at each other. The group is at the docks in front of the boat they rented to get to Christmas Island. It’s admittedly not the most glamorous thing - big enough to house them with a single bedroom for the five of them. The boat will survive the trip. 

Not that that will convince the Hero of Mobius, who’s feet are planted on the dock. Tails is pushing at his back to try and get him to move with no progress. Manic and Rouge are watching them with varying degrees of concern and humor, sitting with their luggage.

“It will not be that bad- you’ve been on boats before.” Tails tries to reason with the increasingly frantic hedgehog. Shadow has to at least give him some credit.

“Yeah, when either you made it or Eggman, and Eggman’s always tried to kill me.”

“Well this boat isn’t made by Eggman, so it's fine.”

“What if it is?”

“Sonic.”

“I’ve had enough, c’mon.” Shadow snaps, and he scoops Sonic up. He tosses Sonic over his shoulder in a fireman's carry as he makes his way to the loading dock.

“No-!” A desperate noise crawls out of Sonic’s throat. His heart squeezes in his chest as he tries to escape. Real fear starts to leak into his voice as he tries to bargain, “C-c’mon Shads, you don’t gotta do this, put me down, I won’t run I promise-”

“You weren’t planning on running earlier?” That gets Sonic to shut up, and Shadow knows he’s caught him.

“You were-”

“Fuck off.”

Tails makes his way onto the boat, carrying both his and Sonic’s luggage. Manic and Rouge aren’t far behind, and Rouge is carrying Shadow’s suitcase as well.

The room in question isn’t large. In fact, it's tiny. The room is cramped, with just enough space for two bunk beds and a laughably small couch in the middle. There’s barely enough space under the beds for their luggage. They make it work, and debate the sleeping situation. Rouge and Tails take the two top bunks, and Sonic and Shadow take the bottoms. Manic laughs off the question of taking a bed, stating that he’s certainly slept in more precarious situations as he claims the sofa. 

Sonic looks a little more settled now that he can’t see the water. Still on his perch being slung over Shadow’s shoulder. He takes the opportunity to unceremoniously dump Sonic on his chosen bed. The blue hedgehog yelps, glaring at Shadow.

“Hey! Uncalled for, Shads”

“I wasn't planning on carrying you the whole boat ride. I figured you would prefer this alternative to the floor.”

Sonic grumbles, but doesn’t disagree. Manic speaks up, getting the room’s attention, “I’m gonna check on the food situation. You gonna survive while I’m out?” Sonic gives a thumbs up and Manic nods, leaving. He passes Shadow on his way out, and Shadow grabs his wrist. 

“...yes?”

“My wallet.”

Manic groans dramatically, fishing out the aforementioned wallet and handing it back. Rouge cackles, and Tails watches with a bewildered amusement. He’s honestly just shocked the hedgehog isn’t killing Manic for the slight. 

“That’s 3-2!” Rouge crows, tapping away at her communicator. Manic rolls his eyes, but its clear he’s been having fun with their impromptu game.

Shadow is not having it, “please don’t turn pickpocketing me into a game.”

“Too late!”

“I have the worst teammate.”

“But the best friend!”

“Debatable.”

Rouge gasps in offense, hand on her heart. Manic really does take the opportunity to escape at this point, this time without Shadow’s wallet.

Once he’s free, he does a lap around the boat to see what’s up. Truthfully, it is pretty barren. It’s an old boat, with many patch jobs on it. No wonder Sonic was freaking out over the trip. He makes his way to the eating quarters to see what food’s there. 

It's not a lot, but Manic’s certainly had less when he was on the streets. A carton of eggs, a half gallon of milk, a loaf of bread. He can spot some meat and cans of soup for what he assumes to be dinner. Little to no seasonings. Great. He can work with this. 

He turns around to leave when he comes face to face with yellow fur and bright blue eyes.

Manic curses, and Tails jumps in surprise. The green hedgehog leans on the counter to catch his breath while Tails stamers out apologies. 

“Gaia, kid, you got one hell of a sneak- fuck, you got me good. Chaos damn.” Manic presses a hand to his chest and he can feel his heart hammering against his ribcage. Tails has the decency to look ashamed, wringing at one of his namesakes as he watches Manic.

“...are you alright?” Manic nods, taking one more moment to make sure his heart won’t jump out of his chest to give a thumbs up.

“Yeah- I’m good. I needed the wake up call, don’t worry about it.” Tails still looks doubtful, but lets it slide.

“And how are you doing with- all of this?”

“This?”

Tails waffles, struggling to put his feelings into words. Manic lets him have the time he needs.

“Isn’t it weird though? You go to find your brother and- and he’s adopted some kid you don’t know as a younger brother? I- I dunno, sorry.” Tails dissolves into muttering, and Manic watches him twist at his tails harder. He suddenly doesn’t look like the teenager Manic knows him as, but the four year old he thinks Sonic would remember.

“Nope, none of that,” Manic moves forward, gently prying the kit’s hands away so he doesn’t start bruising. “I didn’t know fully about what Sonic was up to, but I knew about you.”

“What?” Tails lets him, watching him in confusion.

“Christmas Island may be small, but word does get to us about you guys. Especially when it's their crown prince. Sonia and I knew about you about five months after you met Sonic.” Tails stays silent, so he continues, “Sonia didn’t know what to make of it, at first. Neither did I. But we’re glad he had you, y’know?”

“Really?”

“Really. Sonic wasn’t alone anymore. And I’ve got you to thank for that. So thank you.” Tails seems to relax at this, and Manic ruffles at his hair. 

“Besides, this means I’m not the youngest anymore.” Tails squawks in mock offense, and Manic laughs at the kit’s newfound misery.

“What! That’s not fair, I can’t be the youngest of four, that's so mean.” 

“It’s too late! That’s what you get for befriending my brother,” Manic smiles wide, and Tails giggles.

“Did you hear how we met?”

“Nah, just that you had started showing up with him. Why?”

“I was the one who upgraded the Tornado- found it in the forest while Sonic was adventuring and I started fixing it.”

“Stop- no way! Uncle Chuck’s been dying to hear about the new schematics on that bad boy.”

“Uncle Chuck?”

Manic blinks in surprise. He hops up on the counter, fully tired of standing at this point. Tails settles next to him. 

“Yeah, Uncle Chuck. Our Pa’s brother. Helped raise us essentially after Pa passed. He’s the one who taught Sonic how to fly and what does he do? Steal it.”

Tails barks out a laugh, and then immediately covers his mouth in surprise. Manic laughs at Tails’ reaction, and that gets the both of them laughing all over again. 

“He mentioned he stole it. It just didn’t hit me until now that it actually belonged to someone else, huh.” 

“Ah, Chuck won’t be mad at you- at Sonic, for sure. But he’ll just want to hear all about your tech when you get the time.”

“Good- that’s. That's good.” Tails seems to relax and Manic smiles. The fox has no need to worry about being liked by Sonic’s family. They’ve loved him for years already. They sit in a comfortable silence for a moment before Manic hops off the counter, stretching. 

“Suppose we should be getting back, yea? It’s such a large boat, they probably think we got kidnapped.” Tails laughs, hopping down from the counter.

“Oh, right- before I forget,” Tails grabs something from his pocket and holds it out for Manic to take.

It's Manic’s wallet.

He laughs once, loud. Manic ruffles the kit's fur as he puts his wallet back in his quills. As they head back to the bedroom, Manic smiles to himself. They’ll be okay.

- - - - - - - -

Sonic bolts upright in bed, stifling his choked off scream by biting into his hand. His heart pounds against his chest as his adrenaline tells him that he needs to run he needs to hide Infinite can’t see him cry again he knows what happened last time- 

He bites his hand harder, and the pain lacing his palm and up his wrist helps ground him to reality. 

He’s on the boat. He’s going home. There are people sleeping, he can’t be too loud. Sonic looks around and the room is pitch black. His chest seizes in panic again and he stumbles to get out of bed. Sonic leaves the room as quietly as he can, getting outside so he can breathe and not be trapped in the dark.

The moment he’s out of the room Sonic feels like he needs to smack himself. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. He’s still on an old ass boat in the middle of the ocean. Fucking Gaia above he can’t catch a break. 

His back thunks on the wall behind him and he slides down, curling into a protective ball as he tries to get his breathing under control. Sonic feels his quills flare as he remembers the dream- no, the memory.

Sonic couldn’t breathe. He knew this was an illusion. He knew Chaos was gone. That didn’t stop the illusion, however. It held Sonic up, trapping his head in an orb of water. Sonic kicks out, trying to hit anything that would get Chaos to let go, to let him breathe. 

Infinite wasn’t far off, watching the torture with a sadistic grin. He snaps his fingers and Sonic falls, crumpling on the ground. He dry heaves, his body trying to throw up the water that didn’t exist. Chaos disappears, and it's just him and Infinite in that cold cell.

Infinite grabs him by the base of his quills, yanking him up to make eye contact. The jackal is talking about something, but the adrenaline pumping through Sonic is muddling the words, fogging it all together.

He takes the opportunity to spit in Infinite’s eye, the stupid one that's unblocked by the mask. 

Infinite shouts, letting go of Sonic. The hedgehog falls to the ground, verifiable dead weight. He tries as hard as he can, but his limbs are no longer working, leaving him on the ground. Panic grips at him as Infinite snarls. 

“You’ll pay for that.” It's the only clear words Sonic hears from him. Infinite grabs his throat and pins him down, and Sonic can’t breathe.

He can’t breathe. He can’t breathe he can’t breathe hecan’tbreathehecan’thecan’t-

“Sonic!” 

A shuddering gasp escapes his chest, followed by a sob. His blurry vision sees a hand, and he grips at it like a lifeline. He can feel the bones of the other’s hand creak with the force, and he wishes he had the capacity to feel bad about it.

The hand in question moves, and rests against a chest. The chest is moving, slow and steady. Sonic’s own chest tries to match in response, stuttered breaths leaving him. 

Sonic becomes unaware of time, so he doesn’t know how long it takes for his breathing to get under control. It's about the same time it takes for his quills to relax, for him to be able to leave the protective ball he’s been in.

His hearing comes back last, and he can make out the words of the person helping him.

“In…two…three...four…and out…there we go. You’re doing great Sonic. You back with us here?”

Sonic looks over, and crimson eyes stare back. Sonic doesn’t feel so bad for nearly breaking a hand now, he knows Shadow’s been through worse. He gives a weak nod to answer the hybrid’s question, and he slumps against the wall. 

“Didn’t think you’d give me a compliment.” He signs. He tries to speak, and the words catch in his throat. Sonic hopes the moonlight is enough for Shadow to be able to read what he’s saying.

He must be in luck, because Shadow responds, “Don’t get used to it.”

“Too late. Already memorized. Will be going on my gravestone. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog. Shadow said he was doing great one time’.” Sonic quirks a small smile, and Shadow rolls his eyes.

“You must be feeling better if you’re cracking jokes. Ready to head back?”

Sonic’s heart beats hard at the thought of going into the room again- that pitch black. He hesitates, and Shadow shrugs. He settles next to the cobalt hedgehog.

“...what are you doing?”

“Waiting for you. What does it look like?”

“...alright then.”

They sit in a comfortable silence, and Sonic keeps his eyes resolutely on the moon. He just can’t look at the water right now, it’s not a good idea. He’ll just keep looking at the moon, and it’ll be okay. Shadow’s also looking at the moon, but Sonic can tell when his gaze slid to Sonic’s profile. 

He lets it sit for about thirty seconds before turning to Shadow, “What’s up?”

“Me? Nothing, Faker.”

“Alright, man. You don’t have to tell me anything.” He raises his hands in surrender, and they lapse back into silence.

“When did you…” so there was something, Sonic was and forever will be right- “Why did you leave? Your family, I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that-” Shadow cuts himself off. He takes a deep breath to let out his frustration before continuing. “You have a family. You left them willingly and would never see them again. Why?”

Oh. He understands now. He looks over, and Shadow is watching him with a complicated expression. Shadow’s family was taken from him by force, while, to him, Sonic had abandoned them willingly. Sonic’s gotta play his cards right, he knows Shadow would not hesitate to attack him post-panic attack.

“Maria…she was your older sister. Right?” Shadow blinks in surprise at the question, and nods.

“Yes. I don’t see how that explains you-”

“Maria was your older sister. She would do anything to make sure her little brother was happy and safe. And she gave everything for it.” Sonic signs, “I’m an older brother. I would do the same.”

Shadow is silent while he processes the information. Sonic doesn’t give him the chance to respond, standing and stretching.

“Well- I’m hitting the hay. Been out here too long my butt’s starting to go numb. I’ll see you inside.” Sonic almost runs back into the bedroom to escape the conversation, and he’s quick to leap into bed, burrowing himself into the thin blanket.

Shadow arrives a few moments later, and he doesn’t close the door all the way. He lets a small sliver of moonlight in, its rays landing on Sonic. Shadow gets into bed and dozes off soon after.

Sonic doesn’t wake up again until morning, and Shadow will mark that as a win.

- - - - - - - -

The next morning moves with little fanfare. They eat breakfast, get washed up as best they can, and then the ship’s docking on Christmas Island. Shadow doesn’t bring up Sonic’s breakdown, and Sonic is eternally grateful. 

Sonic is the first one on the ship when it docks, not even waiting for the ramp to get added as he jumps off the side and lands on the dock. The others track the blue stream of light as he runs onto solid ground and promptly collapses on the nearest patch of grass he can find.

Tails huffs and grabs Sonic’s bag again, and he flies over to be with him. Rouge, Manic, and Shadow all wait for the ramp. Like civilized people. 

The trip to the castle is short, filled with stories courtesy of Manic and then occasional interjections from Sonic about how much the land changed. It’s been 13 years since he was back, and he’s glad to see that Eggman’s influence is gone- for the most part. Some buildings still have the metal architecture familiar with Eggman’s creations. 

They’re quick to get to the castle, and the guards look more than surprised to see Sonic. They let the group in, and they’re escorted to the throne room. 

Sonic realizes he should’ve prepared mentally for seeing his sister again, but by the time he even thinks to prepare for it, the doors are opening. 

Sonia’s older, is his first thought. She’s writing something on a nearby table, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her magenta fur has taken on a much more blue undertone, darkening her fur with it. Her bangs are braided back, held in place by pins and the crown on her head. Her quills have gotten longer too, falling at about mid-back.

Sonia hears the doors open, and looks up. Sonic can see the exact moment Sonia registers who’s there, as Sonia looks like she’s seeing a ghost. Emerald eyes meet lapis, and his sister gasps softly.

“Hey Sonia. Long time no see.”

The princess screeches, scrambling out of her chair as she runs full pelt at Sonic. Shadow and Rouge tense up in anticipation, but Sonic laughs, meeting her in the middle. Sonia spins them, and Sonic’s feet lift off the floor with the force. He laughs, bright and happy. 

Manic runs in and joins the hug, and his siblings catch him with no effort. Sonia spins the both of them, and the laughter of the triplets echo through the halls.

Sonic the Hedgehog is home.

Chapter Text

The first thing Sonia does is hug her brothers. It's been 13 years since she’s seen Sonic, and 5 since she’s seen Manic face to face, can you really blame the woman for wanting to hug her brothers? She takes a moment to just hold them close, to have the reminder that they’re both safe, they’re alive and they’re home. 

The second thing she does, once the hug is done, is grab Sonic by the ear and start lecturing. Manic moves away, stifling his laughter, and their company is watching with varying levels of concern (the fox) and absolute delight (the red and black hedgehog). 

“Ow ow ow Sonia- Sonia you have my ear- ow-.”

“Arthur Maurice Mobis, do you know how worried we were? Taking Uncle Chuck’s plane, are you absolutely insane?” 

“Ow- I think I can make a guess- hey!” 

Sonia lets go of his ear to flick at his forehead, and Sonic rubs at the spot, pouting.

“Next time you go on a suicide mission, you tell us, y’hear?” She jabs a finger into his chest, and he stumbles slightly at the strength. He forgot how strong Sonia is.

“Wasn’t a suicide mission if I lived-”

“Sonic.” Sonia interrupts him, her voice like ice.

“Okay! Okay I promise- No more suicide missions, me being alive after or no.” He raises his hands in surrender. His sister scrutinizes him for a moment, cobalt blue eyes glaring at emerald. 

“Thank you,” Sonia moves back once she finds what she’s looking for, dusting her hands on her dress. Sonic sighs in relief. Manic is still stifling his own laughter, and breaks out into proper laughs when Sonic catches him.

“I see Manic didn’t get the third degree-” He pouts, crossing his arms.

Sonia turns her attention back to him, resting her hands on her hips. “Manic didn’t leave with no warning- and he texted while he was gone, to boot. You were silent for thirteen years with no contact to us and we only had rumors that you were alive.”

“Okay, point,” Sonic does have the decency to look ashamed, and Sonia decides to cut him a break. Sibling check-in, over, time for sibling embarrassment.

Sonia turns to the three new people, clapping her hands together. She smiles wide, just on the edge of teasing.

“So! Sonic- care to introduce your friends?” She already is aware of the three, but she likes to see Sonic squirm.

“Ah- yes- these are my friends! Sonia, this is-” He starts gesturing to the first of the three, but the bat interrupts him.

“Call me Rouge, your highness. It's a pleasure to meet you.” She bows, and for extra dramatics- she takes Sonia’s hand and kisses the back of it with a wink. Sonia feels her face flame, and she laughs, waving her off. Sonic is watching Rouge with an incredulous glare. 

“Oh please, just call me Sonia. Pleasantries are so boring.” Rouge covers her mouth to hide a giggle. 

“Of course, Sonia.” She winks, and Sonia flushes more, if possible. 

“Okay! You- go-” Sonic shoves Rouge away, thoroughly done with her shenanigans. The bat flies out of reach, landing on the other side of Manic. Sonic levels her a suspicious glare before Shadow steps forward, offering his own hand to Sonia to shake.

“Shadow. A pleasure to meet you, Sonia.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” She shakes his hand politely. Shadow’s own intro is short and sweet, and he makes his way off to the side with Manic after. 

Sonic watches them warily for a moment more before turning back to Sonia. He’s dramatic, gesturing with wide arms to the increasingly embarrassed 15 year old kit, “last but certainly not least, this is-”

“Tails! Right?” Both Sonic and Tails blink in surprise, and their confusion grows when they see Sonia. She looks genuinely excited to see Tails, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Y- yeah- how did you-”

“We know about all of you- or at least, of you.” Manic snorts, smiling at their bewildered confusion, “You guys are famous- Christmas Island is small, but not that small.”

“Right? And all those world wide events affected us too-” Sonia shrugs. “Like that thing with the world breaking apart? And the moon exploding?”

“The just recently finished war?” Sonic scratches the back of his head awkwardly. He really has had a lot of world-ending adventures, huh?

“That being said- we do know of you.” Sonia turns back to Tails at this point, and smiles at the confused kit, “And we’ve been the most excited to meet you- circumstances notwithstanding.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because we have a new little brother! And about eleven or so birthdays and holidays we have to make up for.” Tails squawks, and his namesakes puff in surprise. Manic barks out a laugh close by. 

“Wh-! You don’t have to-”

“But did you consider that we wanted to?” Sonia smiles, a small, gentle one. “You’re family too, and you deserve to get the same treatment.”

Tails is fifteen years old. That's basically an adult. He’s an adult and therefore doesn’t cry. However, that doesn’t stop the twisting in his chest and the burning in his eyes. He nods, and skillfully avoids saying anything by hiding behind Sonic. The hero chuckles, ruffling at his little brother’s fur. 

Sensing she might have overstepped a boundary, Sonia decides to get things back on track, “Okay- now that we all know each other. Who’s hungry?”

The group is led to the kitchens, where Sonia gets started on a meal for everyone. Manic and Rouge take residence on a counter to stay out of the way. Sonic and Tails are nearby, ready to help if need be, and Shadow is teased into helping prepare the food. Sonic thinks that's the case, at least- he can see the way Shadow keeps an eye on Sonia’s hands. He can also see that while Rouge is in a conversation with Manic, her ear keeps flicking in Sonia’s direction. 

They’re keeping an eye on her. Why?

Sonic’s attention gets pulled away from that thread by Shadow’s voice, “Doesn’t seem to be a lot of staff here.” The quiet in the room is broken up by the cutting of vegetables.

Sonia laughs, it's a painful, awkward thing. Her hands stutter, her grip on the knife tightening. “Ah, well. You know. When a member of the staff gets arrested for the murder of the queen- and then later a war. People leave.” 

The temperature of the room drops a few degrees, and conversation gets quiet. A line of tension runs through Sonia’s shoulders as she tosses the cut up onions into the pot, “What? You asked.”

Shadow hesitates before tossing his own ingredients in, “I did ask. I apologize.” Sonia turns to get more ingredients, and realizes halfway through that she’s defaulted to making chili. Ha. She gets a pot of water going and gets some hot dogs. If she’s gonna make chili she may as well, right?

“It’s not your fault. It’s natural to be curious,” Sonia smiles weakly. 

The food just needs to be cooked now. Shadow leans against the counter next to Sonic while Sonia works, stirring at the pot. Sonic is quiet, watching his sister with a somber look. 

“You look like Mom now, you know.” Sonia freezes for a moment, her spoon splashing the chili against the side of the pot. A watery laugh tears out of her chest, and she rubs at her eyes surreptitiously. The motion is not missed by her brothers.

“And you and Manic look like Father. You should take another look at Mom’s photo albums when you get the chance, the resemblance is truly uncanny.” 

They don’t talk about their father much. The former prince of Mobius had passed away when they were very young, during Eggman’s first wave of attacks. Sonic’s heart aches at the mention of his father. Would he be proud? Would Mom be proud?

“Both of us? That’s a stretch-” There’s an indignant shout from Manic as Sonia laughs.

“I mean it! You look like him- obviously- but Manic has more of his face shape. Yours matches Mother’s.”

“Face shape? You really were lookin at those photos for a while, huh?”

“Shut up.” The siblings laugh softly, and the food gets plated. They end up staying in the kitchen, everyone settling on the counters as they dived in. Sonic notes to himself that this must be Uncle Chuck’s recipe, the way warmth and home fills his chest in a way only nostalgia can.

The meal itself is quiet- Sonia’s more distracted in the feeling of having company, and the others having their first good meal in the last few days. 

Sonic finishes his food first, and speaks up quietly, “So- I know a little bit from what Manic told me. Why did the council want me back? There’s gotta be some rule about moving the throne if next in line is MIA.”

“You’d think,” Sonia snorts derisively, stabbing at her chili with a spoon. She had forgone the hot dogs, herself. “But no, it's some specific rule that was listed. Since we knew you were alive, you had to come back. To both abdicate the throne and also vouch that I could take it. If you wanted me to, of course.”

“Of course! You think I’d let Manic take the throne?”

“Hey! That’s true but hey.” The triplets laugh softly, and Sonic cheers internally when he hears Tails let out a soft chuckle.

“So what happens tomorrow?” Shadow chimes in once the laughter dies down, curious. He’d also decided to not have chili dogs, opting for the regular chili, much to Sonic’s disdain.

Sonia sighs, “paperwork.” Sonic groans at this, and she continues, “Paperwork, meeting with the council so we can prove you’re Sonic. Official ceremony for you abdicating the crown. If you want to stay, my own coronation should happen after that. Once the Freedom Fighters get home they’ll be made knights- the ones who want to be, anyways.”

“How are they, by the way?” Sonic perks up at the mention of the Freedom Fighters.

“Good- last I heard. They were helping the Resistance where extra hands were needed. Uncle Chuck should be back tomorrow.” Sonia smiles softly.

“Anyway- those are the big ones. Realistically, when your initial ceremony is done you’re free to go wherever.”

“And leave you guys again? No way.” 

The siblings look up, and Sonic’s giving them both a meaningful look, “look- I can’t promise I won’t leave. What I do is just too crazy for that. But- I don’t want to leave for so long again. I missed you guys.” 

“Awwww, our big bro misses us.” Sonic rolls his eyes, shoving a hand to push away Manic’s teasing smile.

The rest of the meal is finished with stories and laughter. Sonic shares stories of his adventures, with interspersed commentary from Tails and Rouge, and corrections from Shadow. Sonia and Manic share stories about their kingdom. How everyone’s grown and changed since Sonic’s left. 

It's good. These are stories Sonic needs to hear, despite the ache in his chest. He’s missed so much, being gone. He doesn’t regret it- he’s not allowed to, feeling the weight of his youngest brother at his side. He just wonders how his life would’ve been different, had he stayed at home. 

He hears Tails chime in to make a joke, and Manic’s resounding roar of laughter, and he smiles.

Yeah, he wouldn’t change his decisions for anything.

The food gets eaten and the dishes cleaned. The day is spent similarly, they talk to each other. Siblings relearning how to exist by each other. Despite Sonic’s best attempts, Shadow’s pretty quiet all day. Rouge Does take part in conversation more, but it's mostly to playfully flirt with Sonia- which. Hm. Sonic’s a brother, can you blame him for being protective? Rouge certainly can’t, with the laughter that escapes every time he glares at her for it. 

Eventually it’s time for bed. Plans are made for tomorrow, paperwork and meetings on the horizon. They decide the rooms quickly, Manic and Sonia making their way to their respective rooms, Rouge and Shadow crashing in one, and Sonic and Tails taking another. A second bed is moved in.

Sonic’s old room. It’s- admittedly pretty much the same as when he left. The room is very clearly designed with a young boy in mind, comics and racecar bed and posters all over the room. Tails snorts at the design, and Sonic chucks a pillow at him for his grievance.

They’re getting ready for bed when Tails speaks quietly, “You really missed them, huh?”

Sonic settles at the edge of his bed, yawning softly, “yeah. I did. D’you like them?”

“I do. They’re a lot like you.”

“Ahh, don’t say that- they’re better than me.” Sonic scratches at the back of his head. He yelps when he has to dodge another pillow from Tails. “Hey!”

“Don’t talk down about my brother and maybe I won’t throw pillows at you.” Tails sticks out his tongue, and Sonic snorts.

“Fair enough- Now, it's time for bed, I’m exhausted. If we’re lucky Shadow can help you get the Tornado tomorrow.” Sonic lays down in bed, yawning. His eyes drift to the window, where he can see the moon shining in.

“I Hope so- she really needs some TLC after everything.” Tails gets the lights, climbing into his own bed soon after. 

“Well let me know if you need help,” Sonic offers, already knowing the answer of-

“Sure! I’ll let you know.” Ah, that wasn’t the answer Sonic was expecting. Tails must’ve missed him more than he thought to allow the hedgehog to work on the Tornado. 

“No problem,” Sonic yawns, loud and long, “Alright, now we’re done talking. Time to sleep for real.” 

Tails laughs, and gets into his own bed with a yawn, “Alright, alright. Night, Sonic.”

Tails’ soft snores fill the room about 15 minutes later, soothed by the knowledge Sonic is nearby- that his older brother is alive, and safe. Sonic takes a bit longer to fall asleep, the light of the moon guiding him into slumber. 

Hours later, Sonic sits bolt upright in bed, a choked off cry escaping his lips. The memory of the nightmare he had slips through his fingers like sand, blurring into colors and sound until there was nothing left. 

Sonic flops back into the bed, an exhausted sigh leaving his lips. He glances over to Tails, making sure the kit was still sleeping. His brother was sleeping deeply, tails cocooning him protectively. 

The hero relaxes into the sheets, allowing sleep to take him once more. As he’s dozing off, he looks to the window again to see the moonlight and- 

There’s someone at the side of Sonic’s bed.

All Sonic sees is a flash of too-bright eyes and the glint of metal before the knife swings down for his heart.

Chapter Text

Sonic is the fastest thing alive. That is the only thing that saves him from taking a knife to the chest. He reacts on instinct, rolling away and kicking out, trying to fend off his surprise attacker.

However, the blue blur is running on minimal sleep and is only half awake at this exact moment, so the knife does connect, stabbing into his right shoulder, and his foot meets air. It burns, the knife digging into the space between his collarbone and his shoulder. He can feel his hand spasm as the knife cuts deeper, and he curses internally. That’s gonna be a bitch to heal.

When Sonic kicks out again, this one connects. His assailant flies across the room and hits the wall below the window. The impact rattles the room, and Sonic knows he’s woken at least one other person up. Fire burns along his shoulder, and he grips at the knife to keep it where it is. Some part of him yells at him to make sure he didn’t hit anything important.

His would-be assassin stands, and Sonic can finally get a proper look at him. 

They’re a Mobian, that’s easy enough for Sonic to see- but the gender and what type are hard to decipher, hidden by layers of black clothing and a dark hood that obscures their face. All Sonic can make out is dark fur and those too-bright eyes. Heterochromia. Green and blue eyes almost shine in the dark, and Sonic isn’t sure if that’s a hint as to what they are or the blood loss. 

The assassin takes another step forward. Sonic goes to stand when a blur of yellow flies over his head and tackles the Mobian to the ground. 

“Tails!”

“Stay away from my brother!”   Tails is almost feral in the way he attacks, all claws and teeth and cheap shots. Sonic stands up on shaky legs to try and get them separated, before someone gets killed- when the attacker kicks out, sending Tails back into Sonic’s chest. They both fall back into the bed. The knife in Sonic’s shoulder moves, and he gasps as another wave of pain rips through him.

The Mobian must sense they’re outclassed, now that there’s two opponents and the noise surely promises more trouble. They climb up to the window, resting on the sill to send their last message. The moon casts them in an eerie glow, and their eyes shine brighter than ever in the low light.

“Glory to the Eggman Empire.”

With a rush of wind, they’re gone. Tails gets up to rush to the window when the bedroom door opens. Sonic spins around, expecting another attacker, and almost immediately regrets it, the stab wound reminding him it exists.

Shadow’s at the door. Rouge is as well, but there’s a look between the two agents and Rouge is off to who knows where. Shadow rushes forward, not quite running, but the tension in his posture belies what Sonic believes could be actual concern. 

“What the hell happened? Who did this?” Shadow’s hands cover Sonic’s, holding him still as he investigates the wound. Sonic’s avoiding looking right at it, and for good reason. If he looks then it’ll hurt worse. He can still feel the blood tracking down his shoulder. Shadow says something to Tails and the kit flies off, determination filling his frame.

“I dunno- woke up and they were there. I’m just glad they didn’t go after Tails.” And doesn’t that send a shiver down Sonic’s spine- the hedgehog had been sleeping. They could’ve taken him or Tails out- and no one would’ve known until the morning. 

Shadow hums, and he’s about to say something else when Tails enters, first aid kit in hand. So that’s where he went. Tails is followed by Rouge, who has Sonic’s siblings in tow. She’s also carrying some towels, which she hands to Shadow. 

A curl of embarrassment flares in Sonic’s chest and he laughs awkwardly, “Ah c’mon- we didn’t all need to be awake- Shadow’ll patch me up just fine and then we can go back to bed.” He’s not used to being this open. He gasps as Shadow starts tending to the wound, the knife being removed now that Shadow is sure it didn’t hit anything vital. The towels get situated, catching any extra blood as well.

“Normally I would, but we have to rethink sleeping arrangements,” Rouge gives a sympathetic smile. “With the attempt on your life we have to reorganize.”

“Lame-ass attempt. 0/10, they hesitated.” Sonic quips, using his jokes to mask his discomfort. 

Crimson eyes flick up to meet emerald, and Shadow speaks, “I can patch him up. Rouge, stay with Manic and the princess. I’ll stay here with Sonic and Miles.” Rouge watches them carefully, and Sonic’s skin crawls at being so seen. So vulnerable. He avoids eye contact, focusing on a particularly interesting spot of blood on the sheets.

“I’ll…get some new sheets.” Sonia rushes out, and Manic follows, mentioning getting some new blankets and pillows as well. Rouge makes sure the remaining Mobians are okay before leaving to follow. Sonic wants to make fun of Rouge for being attached to Sonia, but he’s just too tired.

“...Thank you.” Sonic speaks quietly enough for Shadow to hear, and the agent nods imperceptibly. And that’s that. 

His wounds get stitched up with little fanfare, and Shadow wraps it up before declaring Sonic good to go. Rouge arrives by herself with the bedding later, and Sonic takes it gratefully. The bat bids them goodnight before flying off, presumably going to the room Manic and Sonia are crashing in.

The sleeping arrangements for the last three are another situation. Sonic’s bed gets stripped down and the sheets replaced, the three of them deciding to just bleach the mattress itself in the morning. There’s another spat about who’s sleeping where, and it's a fight to get Tails to take his own bed again. It’s only when Shadow points out aggravating Sonic’s injuries that Tails takes the second bed, grumbling softly. 

Shadow takes perch in a nearby chair, ever the dutiful sentry. Sonic doesn’t say anything about it until he’s sure Tails is back asleep, his namesakes wrapping around him protectively.

“You could sleep, you know.” Sonic watches him from his bed, green eyes reflected in the moonlight.

Crimson eyes glow faintly in the dark, Shadow’s side of the room not illuminated by the window. “I don’t need sleep, I’m-”

“The Ultimate Life Form, I’m aware.” Sonic yawns softly, “Just get in the bed dude. When’s the last time you slept? A full eight hours, mind you.”

“When’s the last time you have?” Sonic can’t see it, but he can feel Shadow’s judgemental eyebrow. 

“I’m trying tonight, but there’s a stubborn hedgehog not going to bed.”

“Yeah, you.”

“Get in the fucking bed.” Sonic lays back, covering his eyes with an arm. A few moments later, he feels the bed sink beside him and he counts this as a win. 

They don’t speak after that, comfortable in each other's company until sleep comes to take them both. 

- - - - - - - -

“Oh no Tails, Sonic should have his own bed, you’ll aggravate his injuries, Tails.” Shadow gets woken up by muttering, his ears flicking in irritation. He’s comfortable, and there’s a nice weight on his chest, what is going on-?

Shadow’s eyes blink open and the first thing he sees is Tails. The kit is watching with a look that could either be in annoyance or amusement. His arms are crossed, and his tails flick behind him in irritation. 

The second thing he sees is blue.

Sonic had moved while he slept, splaying himself across Shadow and sleeping on his chest. He’s balanced precariously, his injured shoulder out of the way from where it could be hit. He’s sleeping deeply, soft snores ruffling at Shadow’s chest fur. 

He looks peaceful, like this. Shadow comes to that realization, followed almost immediately with remembering that Sonic’s younger brother is watching him. His very angry younger brother. 

Ruby eyes flick back to Tails, who looks largely unimpressed at Shadow’s growing panic. 

Tails leans over, speaking quietly enough that he doesn’t wake the sleeping hedgehog, “I don’t care what biology the Black Arms or Gerald gave you. If you hurt my brother I will find a way to permanently end your life. Are we clear?”

“Sonic can very well take care of himself-”

“Am I clear?” Tails’ tails puff out in agitation, and Shadow raises his hands in surrender. If anyone could find a way to kill him, it would be Tails.

“Crystal.” He still doesn’t quite know what he did- aside from possibly irritating Sonic’s wounds. That must be it.

Shadow’s thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. Before Shadow can even think about possibly moving out of his current position the door opens, with Rouge peeking in. 

“Boys, are you- oh!” Rouge covers her mouth, and Shadow musters the harshest glare he can muster to get her to shut up. However, he is not very intimidating as Sonic nuzzles into his chest, with a small murmur of “five more minutes.”

Shadow’s had enough. He sits up, and Sonic tumbles, landing on his good shoulder. Sonic startles awake, looking around with sleepy eyes. “Bwuh- what’s goin on? Wha- Shadow?”

Sonic is much quicker to process their position, and almost falls off the bed in his haste to get away from the hybrid. Shadow’s chest is cold.

“Sorry, Shads! Uh- what did you guys need?” Sonic laughs nervously, scratching at the back of his head as he watches Tails and Rouge. 

Rouge looks entirely too happy to be there, and Shadow sends her another glare for his trouble. The bat takes Sonic’s obvious misdirection attempt for what it is, allowing him that olive branch, “Time to get up boys- big day. That Council meeting and all, and we need to talk about that attack.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

“We’ll meet in Sonia’s room then. See ya soon.” Rouge winks before flitting away, and the boys get started with their day. 

Breakfast itself is a talkative affair, and Shadow learns a lot. The siblings are sitting cross legged on the bed, and Rouge has parked in a nearby recliner. Shadow opted to sit on Sonia’s desk chair, legs crossed. Sonia talks about the members of the council more specifically. There are five members, four are much older, left over from before Eggman’s invasions and were instated in Aleena’s early days of being queen. They’re old fashioned, which means they like to make things as hard as possible for Sonia, who’s making decisions, but not able to make any changes since she’s not officially queen. 

Alton, a wizened old owl. Hamlin, a short tempered warthog. Evangeline, a kindly peahen. Linus, an ornery beaver and the oldest of the council. And the fifth and youngest was Luca, a bat who had been voted in after an older member died. Luca and Evangeline were nicer, and were more willing to listen to Sonia’s ideas, but they were often outvoted by Alton, Hamlin, and Linus. 

Sonic recounts the attack, although leaves out why he was awake- and delivers the message the assassin had left. Shadow catches the way Sonia’s face pales.

“There’s still sympathizers? Now?”

“What do you mean?” 

At Sonic’s bewildered look, Sonia explains, “Well, I don’t know how it is in other parts of the world, but there’s some parts of the kingdom here who…agree with Eggman.”

“What?” Sonic looks like someone just told him he wouldn’t be able to run anymore. Shadow is similarly confused. Sonic’s been fighting Eggman for over half his life, and there are those that agree with him? In the kingdom he was born in and left to keep protecting? A wave of white hot rage swipes through Shadow, and he swallows back the snarl tearing out of his chest. 

“It’s a small minority-”

“Small enough to have assassins trying to take you guys out?” Shadow snaps, and Sonia has the grace to look sheepish, “Did you know this would happen?”

“No- well- not this soon-”

“You thought there would be a murder attempt on Sonic’s life and invited him home?” Shadow’s voice gets colder as he speaks. The other Mobians watch the debate with worried eyes.

“Well if my mother was killed, it’s safe to assume that the next in line would also be targeted. I thought I would’ve at least had time to warn you guys.” Sonia’s quills flare, some falling out of the careful pinned-back do. 

“We didn’t have time the first day we were here?” 

“I-!” Sonia scrambles to explain herself, and Shadow waits.

“Alright- that’s enough.” Sonic steps in at this point, “Yesterday was a lot of emotions, it's perfectly reasonable we didn’t want to talk about Eggman immediately. We know now, and we can plan for it.” 

“But-”

“Shadow, I appreciate you being worried-” Shadow feels his quills flare as he bristles, “-but I trust my sister. Sonia must have just forgotten. We’ll do better.”

Shadow doesn’t like this. Sonia knows something, he’s sure of it. He glances at Rouge and pauses. The other agent gives a subtle shake of her head, and glancing at the others tells Shadow he’s pushing too far. Tails looks incredibly uncomfortable, and Manic looks angry. If he keeps pushing, there’s going to be bigger problems to worry about. 

The hybrid sighs, “Fine.”

Sonic shoots him a grateful look before turning back to Sonia, “So. Council meeting. What should we look out for?”

“Well- not much I can say. They’re usually pretty ornery with me, but maybe they’ll be more amenable if you’re there? We’ll just need to find out.”

They talk a bit more about the Council, determining the plan of action. Eventually its decided for Sonic, Sonia, and Shadow to go to the meeting. Sonia, because she knows the most politically- Sonic, because the Council will definitely need to see him, and Shadow, because its important for at least one G.U.N. agent to be present. Rouge, Manic and Tails are staying behind. Manic had gotten news that their Uncle Chuck would be arriving again today, so the three were taking a day trip to the docks to pick the man up.

Sonic had brightened at the mention of Uncle Chuck, and Shadow was quietly pleased that there was more family Sonic hadn’t lost. 

With the plan in place, they separate, onto the next adventure. 

Surely nothing could go wrong, right?

Chapter Text

Shadow is gonna be honest, he doesn’t think he’s seen a less productive council meeting. And he’s been working for G.U.N. for the last seven years.

Sonic and Sonia are sitting side by side, with the council members sitting across from them. Shadow was standing behind them, and he was supposed to be acting as liaison for G.U.N.- if he was allowed to speak at all. Shadow’s arms are crossed, and his ear flicks in irritation at the mundanity of it all.

Judging from the two sibling’s bristled quills and Sonic’s tapping foot, they were frustrated as well. Shadow’s willing to bet if Sonic gripped the arms of his chair any harder the wood would splinter. Sonia looked calmer by comparison, but it was clear it was due to exposure to this sort of thing. She was used to this.

The meeting had started easy enough, with Sonic and Shadow introducing themselves, and the Council welcoming Sonic back home. 

Then, the comments started. 

“So, on the subject of Sonic’s coronation-”

“Time-out, what?” Sonic holds up his hands in a T. “I’m not taking the throne. I was told if I came here I could give it up to Sonia or whatever.”

“We just can’t do that,” Linus continues, and Sonic watches with an incredulous look, “you need your coronation first, and then it can be rescinded.” 

Shadow chances a glance at Sonia, who looks similarly shocked- and angry at this new development. On the Council, Luca looks similarly surprised.

“Pardon my interruption-”

“You are pardoned.” Hamlin spoke up. 

Sonia visibly bristles, but continues, ”-but I was told he just had to be here and say he didn’t want it.”

“And I’m here. And I’m saying I don’t want it. I don’t know the first thing about running a kingdom, and Sonia could rule laps around me.” He circles a finger in the air to illustrate his point. 

“Clearly you’re not ready. We’d be here to teach you.” Sonic bristles at the warthog’s tone, and Shadow feels his own hackles raise in response.

“Why teach someone new when there’s someone who’s been raised since basically birth to do it?” Sonic points a thumb at his sister, who nods in agreement.

“Exactly- this would not have been a fight if-” Sonia catches herself, but the rest of the sentence is clear.

If anyone else was supposed to take the throne other than Sonic. The pieces click in Shadow’s brain, and he grimaces at the implications.

They didn’t want Sonic to be King because he was more qualified than Sonia- far from it. They wanted him to be King for the right to say that the Hero of Mobius was the King of Christmas Island. 

How…illogical. Shadow barely restrains the sneer from overtaking his face.

“Bottom line is, I don’t want the throne. I’ll sit through some pithy coronation  if that’s what it takes, but I think you’re wasting our time.” Evangeline gasps at Sonic’s brash tone, and Sonia barely restrains herself from shushing her brother. 

“Can I see the rule?” Shadow speaks up now, and the Council members watch him warily, “I’m sure you all are referring to succession rules. I would like to see the passage that says Sonic needs to be King before abdicating it to Sonia.” Sonia sends him a grateful look, her muzzle sporting the first grin she’s had all morning.

“I would like to see this passage as well- I think I might’ve missed it when reading through.” Luca raises a hand, and Alton- the Mobian sitting closest to Luca- glares. Luca shrinks back, and avoids eye contact. His wings twitch, a nervous tick. 

“It's a reasonable request, Alton. Don’t be mean to the kid.” Evangeline tries to placate him, and it sort of works- the owl huffing softly. Shadow catches the way Luca bristles at being called a kid, but notably doesn’t speak up to defend himself.

Alton, Hamlin, and Linus glance at each other, a silent conversation happening between the three. Linus is the one who decides to speak up, “We’ll find a work around. Sonic will have to at least stay until the throne is abdicated.”

“Fine by me.” and that was that. 

From there, the conversation had steered into commonplace meeting stuff. Budgets, food, trade agreement, recovery from the war- all stuff Shadow doesn’t really care to pay attention to and the author doesn’t know enough to write about.

However, Shadow does pay attention to how little the Council disrespects Sonia. Every complaint the Council lobbies up, Sonia has a response for. They’re good responses too, clearly thought out and pay attention to the needs that need to be met. 

Then the Council turns to Sonic, and asks for his opinion, disregarding Sonia’s answer. 

Sonic seems to catch on pretty quick, given that he’s 100% out of his element with these answers - he deflects back to Sonia, who reiterates her answer, and he jerks a thumb at her and raises an eyebrow, as if to say “what she said- that’s what I want.”

The Council would then rebuttal with another “we can’t do that,” and Shadow would chime in, asking what passage or what rule indicates that whatever suggestion was made is not allowed, and then they’d waffle and then acquiesce. 

It was all so frustrating. 

All of the main points are covered, and the actual details are ironed out for Sonic’s abdication  and Sonia’s ascent to the throne. They will have to stay here for three months minimum, up to six depending on how planning goes.

At the end of the meeting, it's clear no one is happy. The council members are varying levels of agitated and tired, or outright foaming at the mouth in anger (Linus). Sonia’s quills have almost completely fallen out of the complicated updo it was in, only a few strands holding the clips in place. 

Shadow doesn’t think he’s seen Sonic so antsy in his life. His foot is a blur with how fast it taps against the ground, and his hand taps against his crossed arms. During the meeting his quills never relaxed once, always subtly flared. It got worse whenever one of Sonia’s ideas was shot down as well. Once the meeting is cleared Sonic bolts, leaving a streak of blue behind him. 

Shadow chances a glance to Sonia to make sure she’s alright, and with a nod from the princess, he’s after Sonic. 

He finds Sonic in the courtyard, pacing quite the track in the grass as he muttered angrily to himself. Words about the council that definitely shouldn’t be overheard by anyone else. Shadow stalks toward him and vivid emerald eyes snap to him.

“What?” Sonic all but snarls, glaring at him. Shadow raises his hands placatingly.

“No reason to talk to me like that, hedgehog.”

Sonic groans, rubbing a paw over his face with a groan, “Sorry, I just- they always talked to her like that? Was it worse when I was gone? What the fuck.” 

Shadow’s eyes widen at the curse, and Sonic continues to spiral.

“I mean- Chaos- they didn’t even listen to her unless I told them to. They’re impossible, I can’t believe Sonia’s been dealing with them this whole time. They want me to rule, tch. I can barely take care of myself, let alone a kingdom, and I’d rather die than be shackled to another place again- three months? I have to be here for three months? Up to six? I can’t- I can’t-” Sonic’s still pacing, and his voice breaks off into a wheeze. 

Shadow moves into his line of vision again, and Sonic watches him warily. Emerald eyes are glassy, and he’s continuing to fidget, shuffling in place and his hands gripping air. Sonic’s going to spiral himself into a panic attack, at this point.

“Spar with me.”

“What?”

“Spar with me,” Shadow repeats, and Sonic looks at him like he’s crazy.

“What- here? Now?”

“Why not? It's annoying seeing you working a dirt track into the grass.” 

Sonic doesn’t seem to have a response for that, laughing lightly before getting into a defensive stance. 

Shadow matches the stance, throws a kick, and then they’re off.

It’s been at least a year since they last sparred, but they fall into old habits easily. A familiar dance plays out between the two hedgehogs. The first kick is dodged, and Sonic ducks down for a sweeping kick to knock Shadow off his feet. The hybrid backflips away, and once he’s on his feet he narrowly dodges a punch to the face. He retaliates with a punch to the stomach, and Sonic grunts when it lands. 

The fight continues like this, punches and kicks being traded, and some landing. Shadow’s heart pounds and his blood thrums in his ears. His smile is wide, unrestrained and feral. Across from him Sonic’s in a similar state, his eyes no longer having that glassy panic from earlier. He’s smiling brightly, and his quills are less flared now than they had been the entire council meeting.

At some point Sonic snarls, and tackles Shadow to the ground. Shadow falls and lands on his back, the wind effectively being knocked out of him. He rolls to dodge a punch from Sonic, and the fight turns into a scuffle on the ground, the two hedgehogs rolling in the dirt. The punches and kicks turn into scratches and bites, the fight turning into something much more feral than earlier. 

The fight ends when Sonic successfully pins Shadow. One leg is pressed into Shadow’s torso and his other foot is pinning his arm down. Sonic’s hands are occupied with holding Shadow’s other arm down and the other one is holding him down by the throat. 

Shadow makes a weak attempt to get up, and Sonic bears down on him harder, smiling wildly, “I got you, faker.”

The silence stretches between them, the only thing breaking it is the sound of their breath. Shadow takes a moment to catch his breath, and he can feel Sonic doing the same.

Shadow opens his eyes, and Sonic is staring at him with something close to wonder. 

A heavy beat passes. Sonic opens his mouth to say something when another voice breaks through the clearing.

“Sonic! Are you out here?” Sonic falls into the dirt in his scramble to get off Shadow. The hybrid can feel his heart pounding in his chest as he sits up, and he’s sure his muzzle is a bright green. 

Shadow takes the 5 seconds to collect himself and he stands, looking at who called them. 

Its Tails, and next to him is- 

“Uncle Chuck!” The blue blur races forward, capturing his uncle in a tight hug. Even from a difference, Shadow can see the resemblance. He looks the spitting image of Sonic, if not with a mustache. 

Shadow’s gaze drifts away from the family reunion and he spots Tails. Who is glaring at him, he feels the injuries he got from the spar burn, and he looks back to Sonic, if only to avoid the kit’s judgemental gaze.

“I missed you, sonny! It’s been too long, how have you been?”

“You know me, Unc’- free as the wind.”

“Ha haaa, don’t I know it. Now- who’s this young man?” Shadow starts when Uncle Chuck turns to him, and he offers a hand that the older man takes.

“Shadow the Hedgehog, sir.”

“Bah! Call me Chuck, son. Sir is too formal for an old geezer like me.” Shadow flounders, clearly unsure what to do, and Sonic laughs at his misery. 

“A pleasure.” The handshake ends, and Chuck turns to whack Sonic over the head with his cane.

“Ow-! Why does everyone keep hitting me??”

“Because you’re a dumbass, sonny- taking my plane like that, I’ll tell ya-” He hugs Sonic again, and the hero looks very confused at the conflicting emotions coming off of his uncle. 

“I’m? Sorry?”

“Don’t do that again, and maybe I’ll forgive you. Now-” He turns to Shadow, who is just as bewildered at the sequence of events, “- a certain fox told me you’d be interested in one of these. I found it after the war was over.”

Chuck holds out a hand, and Shadow would recognize that glowing green anywhere.

A Chaos Emerald.

Chapter Text

Sonic blinks dumbly when the Chaos Emerald is produced. The green shines brilliantly, making the grass around them look dull in comparison. 

Shadow reacts first, taking the Emerald with a quiet “thank you.” Chuck smiles at Shadow, and the hedgehog waffles slightly before nodding.

“Now- from what I’ve heard you’ve got some special abilities, right son?” Chuck speaks to Shadow now, who nods.

“Yes, si- Chuck. With an Emerald I can do some offensive moves, as well as-” The pieces click in Shadow’s brain the same time it clicks in Sonic’s

Chaos Healing. Right. They’re both so dumb. Sonic laughs softly as Shadow’s face burns an embarrassed green. Tails stifles a laugh behind his hand. Only Uncle Chuck has the decency to not laugh at Shadow’s expense, but it's clear its a close fight.

However, his Uncle is the one to grant a small reprieve, nodding at them both. “Right. Well I suppose I should go say hello to my niece. Will you two be alright here?”

“We’ll be fine Unk’- thanks though!”

They say their goodbyes and Tails gives Shadow another glare before leaving. Shadow winces, but honestly Sonic’s too out of it to really try and dive into whatever mess That is. 

Sonic instead opts to sit down right where he is, sighing deeply. Shadow settles next to him, Emerald in hand.

“Is…is it alright if I touch you?” Shadow’s hands hover just over Sonic’s bandaged shoulder, and he nods, letting the hybrid do what he needs to do.

Chaos Healing is always weird. Sonic feels his quills flare as the energy skates over his wound. It’s not that it hurts- far from it. It’s just very uncomfortable. The Chaos Energy he naturally makes wars with Shadow’s and the Chaos Emeralds, trying to protect Sonic from outside forces automatically. However, Sonic is aware that Shadow’s helping, so he has to manually keep the Chaos Energy in him from lashing out, and letting Shadow heal the wound.

The space is quiet, and Sonic’s ears flick as the wind blows gently past them. Shadow works silently, as he does with all of his work. Sonic’s shoulder feels warm from where the hybrid is touching him. 

All too soon, Shadow pulls away, and Sonic rolls his shoulder to find that no pain remains. The bandages get removed to reveal the cut is gone, all that remains is some dried blood in his fur. Nothing terrible- it’ll wash out. 

“Thanks, Shads! Ten outta ten, I’d let you heal me again.” Sonic winks playfully, and Shadow grumbles, looking away.

“Don’t let yourself get hurt so I need to heal you, idiot.”

“Yeah, yeah- whatever.” Whatever moment they had is broken. Sonic stands and stretches, exhaling as his spine lets out a series of satisfying cracks.

“See you at dinner?” Shadow nods, and Sonic is off again, leaving to whatever he needs to do next.

The night was quiet. Shadow had waited until he was sure Sonic and Tails were asleep before slinking out of the room. The door closes, and he makes sure he’s silent as he makes his way out to the courtyard. 

The courtyard is so much quieter now, with all sounds of life asleep. The moon casts everything in a faint glow, and the blowing wind warns of incoming cold. Shadow can see where the grass is still ripped up from his scuffle with Sonic earlier today. His heart twists with a strange emotion at the memory. 

The memory is still crystal clear, even hours later. The grass pressing into Shadow’s back and behind his head. Sonic’s victorious smile above him.

The look in Sonic’s eyes, the moment where he had looked at Shadow like the whole world didn’t matter, and it was just them.

A rustling snaps Shadow out of his thoughts, and he spots Rouge entering the clearing. 

Rouge looks as tired as he feels, in all honesty. However, they needed to check in and get a report sent and this was the best time they could combine information without prying eyes. 

“So- did anything interesting happen today?” Rouge speaks quietly, stifling a yawn. They settle on a bench just out of view.

“Nothing of value. That Council meeting was a fucking joke. I’m not surprised Sonia hasn’t snapped yet.” 

“That bad?” So Shadow talks, and Rouge’s face gets increasingly more incredulous as he describes just how bad that meeting went.

“Chaos, that’s bad.” 

“No shit.” She snorts.

“So, none of the council members are suspects?” Rouge asks, and Shadow hums in thought.

“I wouldn’t rule them out. The older members really got in the way of progress. They want to keep Sonic here for something. If any of them are innocent, it’d be the bat.”

“You’re just biased because your best friend’s a bat.” Rouge teases, and yelps when Shadow shoves at her shoulder.

“Not because of that. He’s younger. And seemed to try and reason with the rest of the council when they were in opposition with Sonia. He also wouldn’t hire an assassin.” Shadow doesn’t know quite how to explain it, but the way the bat flinched at the meeting, let himself be walked all over- it's not conducive to someone who would hire a hit. 

“I’ll take your word for it. You know them better than I do at this point.” Rouge hums, leaning back so she can look at the sky. “Chuck was out travelling at the time of the murder, so I’d write him off. Manic certainly didn’t do it.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. Tails tried to bring it up, the poor dear. Not the murder, but asked what Queen Aleena was like. You’d think she’d just died the way the grief came back.” Something shutters behind Rouge’s eyes, and she sighs. “I’m not writing him off completely because we never do, but that boy loved his mom.”

Shadow nods quietly, crossing Manic’s name off his mental list anyways, “We didn’t talk much about the Queen. Not much time with the council meeting being so horrendous. Sonia does know what she’s doing, though. She knows her calling.”

“And she’s cute, to boot.” Rouge smiles, and Shadow raises an eyebrow.

“We cannot be writing off murder suspects because they’re cute, bat.” Rouge laughs at Shadow’s griping, raising her hands in surrender.

“And if the murder makes her hotter?”

“Stop it.” Rouge continues to laugh at Shadow’s face, and Shadow tries to ignore his incoming migraine. “Have you at least told Knuckles?”

“Of course! I’m polyamorous, not a cheater.” Rouge pouts, indignant. Shadow remembers when Rouge first came out, bursting into his bedroom in a flurry of tears and panic. She was never worried about Shadow’s reaction, but rather, about Knuckles, who she had been pursuing at the time. It ended pretty anticlimactically, in Shadow’s opinion; after Knuckles had learned what the term meant, he had shrugged and told her to just tell him before Rouge started actively pursuing another relationship. They were together a week later, and Shadow’s noise-proof earbuds came in the day after that.

“I didn’t say you were, I just wanted to make sure you said something before you pissed off Sonic’s best friend and his sister.” He raises his hands placatingly, and Rouge cringes as she realizes the hole she’s in.

“Speaking of Blue- heard you two got in a scuffle after the meeting.”

“A spar, nothing more.”

“Mhm- and totally unrelated to you both sleeping in the same bed.” 

Shadow’s face burns as he pointedly avoids eye contact. That weird squirming feeling is back, twisting his stomach and clenching at his heart. “Similarly, nothing. Sonic was just insistent that I sleep and there was not another bed.”

“There was Tails’ bed.”

“No.” Rouge stifles a laugh, and Shadow shoves at her to try and get her to fall off the bench again. He fails, and his cheeks feel like they’re on fire. 

“So- nothing going on? Nothing I might need to worry about and threaten Sonic’s life for if he fucks you up?"

“Why- no. There’s nothing going on.” Shadow’s face burns at the implication. 

“If you say so.”

“There’s not.” Rouge shrugs, clearly not believing him, and Shadow rolls his eyes, letting the issue drop.

“I’ll get the mission report to G.U.N. then. No primary suspects, but writing off Manic, Sonia, Chuck, and one council member potentially.” Rouge lets the subject change, and Shadow is grateful. If he had to talk about feelings any longer he was going to Chaos Control to the ARK.

They say their goodbyes, and Shadow makes his way back to the room. He’s just as silent sliding in, and he’s grateful when he hears the quiet snores of the other residents.

He carefully climbs into bed again, careful to once again keep his distance from Sonic. His injuries might be healed but Shadow would rather avoid the teasing from his friends if at all possible. 

He drifts off to sleep slowly, his breath slowing to match the hedgehog’s beside him.

The next couple days progress like this- meetings, more meetings, Sonic and Sonia fighting the council every step of the way, and more meetings as a treat. 

Despite all this, a new habit has started forming- Sonic’s started sparring with Shadow again. It's not anything new in that they’ve never sparred before- but it's new that they started sparring regularly now, after the war. 

Shadow’s grown a knack for knowing when Sonic’s nearing his limit. When his skin crawls and his brain screams at him to run, to get out, to flee and never come back. Shadow can see it and he pulls Sonic to the courtyard, and they spar. 

It’s a very even spar as well- Shadow wins about as much as Sonic does, and he finds he doesn’t really mind it. The fight itself is the most fun- that rush of adrenaline that pushes out the fear in his chest. He’s pretty sure Shadow enjoys it, too- as loath as the hedgehog is to admit it. 

With the uptick in spars with Shadow- more teasing has started cropping up. Sonic’s not sure why, but after a spar he always gets mischievous grins from his siblings, and teasing words from Rouge. One time, Sonia had made a comment about Shadow’s preferred form of flirting being fighting, and Sonic had responded with a quip about Rouge that turned Sonia’s face a violent shade of red. 

All that aside- today’s a chill day. It’s finally the weekend, so that means no inane council meeting. However- that doesn’t stop planning. Sonia and Sonic are in the library, looking over some texts as Sonia researches a water supply issue the council wanted them to fix. Sonic himself is looking into coronation stuff, as Sonia was busy with the aforementioned water issue. 

“What would you do?” Sonia speaks up, breaking Sonic out of his concentration. A map is pushed in front of him, and when his eyes focus he sees the water irrigation system for Christmas Island. “The farms on this side aren’t getting enough water, and the irrigation system can’t have an extension because these farms would lose the water they need for crops.”

His brain is running on auto-pilot, so he answers. 

“Build another reservoir here, and connect it with the original. When it rains it’ll collect in both basins, and neither side will be without water.”

There’s a pregnant pause, and Sonic looks up when it lasts a little too long. Sonia’s watching him with wide eyes, and then it hits him what he said.

“I mean-”

“You’ve done this before.” Sonia’s tone is sharp, accusing. Sonic raises his hands in surrender and winces.

“If I said where I learned it you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

Sonic waffles for a moment more before sighing. Ah well, here goes nothing. “I was transported into a story book and ruled Camelot for five years.”

“...you’re right, I don’t believe you.”

Sonic snorts a derisive laugh. He knew it-

“But I’ll hear you out.” Oh. Sonia’s watching him with an expectant look, but open. She wants to listen. 

Slowly, the story comes out. It’s been a while since he’s talked about his time in Camelot. His time with Merlina and Caliburn. Stories about his knights- Percival, Gawain, and Lancelot. His unwilling ascent to power and then his bleeding heart that convinced him to stay.

His five years being king, and then when he came back home he had only been gone for about five hours. No one believed him aside from Tails, and he’s pretty sure Tails was just humoring him.

Sonia listens as he speaks, and he watches understanding dawn across her face when his story draws to a close. He fidgets, avoiding eye contact.

“So- you’ve been king before.”

“I have.”

“Did you like it?”

“I mean- as much as I could’ve? You know me- I like to be as free as I can. This- this stuff isn’t meant for me. As much as they want it to be.” He shrugs, and Sonia nods slowly.

“I think I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

“...thanks for listening, sis” They smile at each other, and the impossible chasm between the two gets a little smaller.

Sonic thinks, for just a moment, about telling her about the Death Egg. About what they did to him- at least part of it. He can feel the words bubbling up, and he swallows heavily to push them back. Now isn’t the time. 

When will there be a right time? A small voice in the back of his head speaks, and he’s quick to shut that up, too.

Chapter Text

Dinner is a lively affair. With Chuck there they decided to have dinner in the mess hall, the first time in years. Manic and Sonic teamed up to cook dinner, a large pan of vegetables and meats that were mouthwatering. Shadow and Sonia take the other half of the kitchen, working together to make a batch of cookies with the efficiency of soldiers. 

The table itself is electric with energy. Chuck sits at the head of the table, with Manic and Sonia on one side and Tails and Sonic on the other. Shadow and Rouge are separated, with Shadow next to Sonic and Rouge next to Sonia. The large pan of food sits in the middle of it all, allowing the group to spoon their own serving sizes, and the plate of cookies sits far enough away that it won’t get sauce on it. 

Sonic would argue it’s a perfect night, bar the rain outside. He hadn’t heard anything about lightning, but he’s still got an ear out for it. Tails has certainly grown, but his fear of lightning has never quite gone away. Sonic can’t fault the kit, he’s still got shaky knees at the sight of large bodies of water. 

He shakes his head to clear his thoughts. Sonic’s been doing much better, he thinks. The nightmares have been lessening, and he hasn’t thought about Infi- nope. Not thinking about him. Sonic looks up from his plate to listen in on the friendly banter happening in front of him. 

“All I’m saying is, if Sonic’s got his speed and Sonia her strength, what does Manic have?” Tails is speaking with his hands, namesakes flicking in amusement.

“I’ve got these nuts, how about that?” Manic snarks at him, laughing when Tails makes an offended noise. 

Sonia chimes in at this point, “well Tails certainly took the brains, soooo-”

“You can take these nuts, you son of a-”

“Wentworth Jules.”

“Sorry, Chuck.” Manic raises his hands in surrender and Sonia stifles a laugh at Manic getting scolded. Chuck even has to stifle a laugh at Manic’s pout.

“Real answer though, kid, we don’t know,” Manic turns to Tails to give a proper answer now, “I’ve got my drums, and that’s all I need to kick ass. If I get some cool Chaos powers like those two did then awesome, but I’m not holding my breath.”

“Speaking of- can I do some scans on our necklaces? I’ve been so curious about how they work and Sonic’s always been so cagey about his.”

“Oh?” Fuschia eyes meet emerald as Manic glances at his brother. Sonic shrugs in response. It was the only thing he had of home when he left, he trusted the kit with his life, but he’d be devastated if anything happened to it.

“Well I mean- It was a gift from my Ma, you get it.,” Sonic plays it off, laughing softly, “I’ll let you run some scans later this week, alright? Just let me know when.” Tails nods, satisfied with that answer, and dives back into his food.

They lapse into a comfortable silence, and Sonic quietly takes comfort in the rain pattering on the roof of the castle. It's so calming. He may not like running in it, and he doesn’t like how it has the potential to scare his brother, but Sonic can appreciate some good rain sounds. 

The rain sounds so good in fact, they all completely miss the sound of someone running up the palace steps. They don’t miss the sound of someone slamming on the door. 

Immediately everyone’s on alert, Sonic and Shadow standing up out of their chairs. Rouge and Tails take to the air, positions defensive. Manic and Sonia rest their hands on their necklaces, ready to summon their weapons if needed. 

There’s another bang on the door, and then it opens slowly. 

Sonic can just barely make out red quills before Rouge is flying forward, wrapping her partner in a tight hug.

“Knuckles! What are you doing here- you’re hurt-” at Rouge’s words everyone moves forward, trying to get a closer look at the echidna.

He’s worse for wear for sure, looking at them all with a pained grimace. They can see scuffs on his fur, smatterings of blood where the grazes got a little too deep. 

What catches Shadow’s attention, however, is the gun Knuckles has in his bag. His eyes snap up to meet Knuckles’, and the echidna raises his hands in surrender.

“Sorry to break up the fun. Resistance wanted me to deliver this for Tails. There’s a new weapon going around underground markets, and they’re having issues finding out what’s powering it. We just recently got our hands on one.”

Violet eyes turn to Tails, who straightens, “I can take a look. Hand it over.” 

Even with verbal permission, Knuckles waits until everyone’s calm before setting the gun on the table. 

It can hardly be considered a gun, all things considered. Shadow would almost mistake it for one of Tails’ blasters if it weren’t for the fact that it was slimmer, and had Eggman’s ugly logo emblazoned on the side. Where the magazine for a pistol would normally sit is instead a heavy duty glass container, where electric blue Chaos Energy swirls inside. 

A beat, “...and you’re sure no one had any idea what was powering it?” Tails speaks quietly, almost scared to shatter the illusion.

“Well. I had a few ideas, but I wanted to go straight to the source and ask.” Knuckles responds, and his eyes flick over to a silent hedgehog. 

Sonic’s gripping the back of his chair like a lifeline, watching the gun on the table like it might bite him. His eyes are glassy, and it's clear he is mentally nowhere near the conversation at hand.

A hand rests on Sonic’s shoulder and he flinches like it burns him. Shadow moves his hand back, eyes wide in surprise. An awkward laugh forces its way out of Sonic’s throat, the cobalt hedgehog trying to break the suffocating tension. “Man, that’s crazy stuff. I didn’t know the crazy bastard had it in him.”

“Had what- Sonic, what is this?” Manic speaks up now, gesturing to the gun.

“It’s what it looks like, a weapon powered with Sonic’s Chaos Energy,” Shadow speaks quietly, and Sonic flinches again at the words. He knew. “Eggman’s been working at this, hasn’t he?”

“Why does it matter? I didn’t know he’d actually figure it out.” Sonic bites out.

“It matters because people are dying, Sonic. The people getting shot with these are dying because your Chaos Energy is killing them. You didn’t think this would be a good thing to mention during- I don’t know- the war?” Knuckles glares at him, and Sonic levels his own back.

“He didn’t have this figured out then. It wasn’t important.” Sonic’s hands grip the chair harder, and Shadow can see his quills flaring up in defense. 

“Well now he’s ‘figured it out,’  so I think we need an explanation, hedgehog.” Knuckles leans on the table, which creaks under the pressure.

“What do you want me to say? Huh?” Sonic snaps, “Boo hoo, poor hero of mobius gets kidnapped for SIX MONTHS by an evil scientist and the evil scientist does evil science shit. Poor me, who didn’t die in space because Egghead thought my body was more useful alive.”

Sonic can hear himself speaking, but he can’t get himself to stop, confessions spilling past his lips without his consent, “poor Sonic the Hedgehog. Got captured and went through 6 months of experimentation and torture while Egghead tried to figure out how to steal his Chaos Energy and then did it. And it hurt like a bitch. The helpless little hero had to watch Eggman try and make a weapon that would be used to kill his friends but it's okay! Because he couldn’t figure it out! He had to deal with Eggman’s stupid gloating and fucking Infinite but its okay because he lived, right? He’s doing better than most, being alive after the war. Shame on him for not wanting to think about being used as a fucking Lab Rat. ” 

The chair splinters under Sonic’s grip and that's what gets him to snap out of it. Wild green eyes look around the room, watching the varying expressions of shock, to devastation. 

Pity.

Shame curdles in Sonic’s gut and he turns away. There’s a flash of blue and a rush of wind and he’s gone. 

Shadow’s the one who finds him, because of course it is. Although, Sonic reasons Shadow would be one of the only ones to get up to him, up on the roof of one of the higher towers. Sonic hears Shadow sit beside him and he curls up tighter in his protective ball, spines flaring in warning. 

Shadow doesn’t say anything, and just sits. Sonic lets the silence wash over them, and he can feel himself relaxing despite himself. He doesn’t unfurl though, not quite ready to face the music.

“...Thought Tails would’ve found me first.” A silent question. 

“He did. He asked me to talk with you instead. Thought I’d be able to get through to you better.”

“How?”

“You’re asking the lab experiment how he would relate to your situation?”

A beat. “...sorry.”

“Not your fault, hedgehog.”

The silence stretches between them again. 

“...did you ever get over it? What they did to you?” Sonic speaks so quietly, he’s not even sure Shadow hears it until he responds.

“I didn’t. I don’t think I ever will.” Shadow sounds almost remorseful, and Sonic curls up tighter at the admission. “But. I learned coping methods. Went to therapy. Got help.”

“Shadow the Hedgehog, needing help? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Trust me, my first few sessions weren’t me going willingly.”

“Then why-”

“Had a flashback during a GUN mission. Rouge got shot, I went back. Was a complete liability,” Shadow speaks softly, and Sonic listens. “GUN pulled me from fieldwork until I got therapy, and Rouge had dragged me to my first session after two weeks of doing missions without me.”

Sonic snorts softly, “she missed her bestie.”

“She did. She also knew I needed help- and that I wasn’t going to get it myself,” Shadow hums, remembering back to that day.

“...So it helps? The therapy?”

“It does. But that does require wanting help. And doing what they say. Even if you might not like it, or see the point.” 

“Doesn’t sound like fun,” Sonic snarks quietly.

“It’s not supposed to be,” Shadow snarks back, “sometimes it can be, but it's supposed to be about working through trauma.”

“Trauma?”

“You’re gonna look at me and tell me what you’ve been through the last 20 years wasn’t trauma?”

“...I suppose not,” Sonic sounds thoughtful. He’s never really considered what he’s been through as trauma. They’ve just been events. Rough events for sure, but he’s never considered it trauma. Not to him. Sonic doesn’t get traumatized, he just bounces up and goes to his next adventure, even if he almost died.

Hm. He might see where Shadow’s coming from.

“...Think Sonia knows of any therapists in the area?”

“I’m sure she can recommend some. Are you ready to head down?”

Sonic hesitates, “...not yet. A few more minutes?”

“Sure.” and that’s that.

It's another 15 minutes before Sonic’s ready to head down, and Shadow gives him that time. Sonic lets the hybrid lead him down the stairs and into the common area, where Shadow continues to be the best ever and ward off any questions directed to Sonic. Exhaustion pulls at Sonic’s limbs, filling his brain with cotton and pulling to close his eyelids. He’s cognizant enough to stand, but not much else. Who knew sharing your emotions could be so exhausting?

Sonic doesn’t hear the new sleeping arrangements. Sonic and Shadow in a room, Tails and Knuckles take another, Sonia, Manic, and Rouge take a third. Sonic is none the wiser, content in letting Shadow lead him to a new bedroom and being tucked in. 

He feels Shadow moving away and he grabs Shadow’s wrist on instinct. He mumbles something he’s pretty sure could be the word “stay,” with the way Shadow hesitates before crawling into bed with him. 

He’s out fairly quick after that, the warmth next to him and the soft breath he can feel on his quills lulling him into slumber. 

Chapter Text

The next morning is awkward, all things considered. Knuckles wakes up with the sun, and just takes a moment to bask in the silence. The rest of the castle is silent, no doubt still sleeping off the revelations from last night. 

Experimentation. The sound of it leaves a sick taste in the back of his throat. Knuckles had known something had happened, when Sonic was saved from the Death Egg he had been Just too thin, his smile Just too strained. He had believed Sonic’s jokes- that nothing had happened, that boredom was the real killer while he was trapped. He didn’t push harder.

Maybe he should have. 

Knuckles doesn’t regret what he did, not fully. People are getting hurt- getting killed from these new weapons. Chaos Energy wasn’t something to be played around with, Knuckles knew he had to confront the hero about the weapons.

That, however, doesn’t stop the guilt swirling in his gut from how Sonic reacted. He doesn’t regret confronting him, but he does feel bad that this affected Sonic this badly. He hates that the only reason he talks with anyone now is because of this damn war, and the aftereffects of it. 

The reason he had even started talking with Sonia and Manic again was because he- they all thought Sonic was- and Knuckles was the head of the Resistance. Someone had to tell them.

Then Sonic was alive. He wasn’t okay, but he was alive. After the war was done Manic had all but begged for Knuckles to let him see his older brother again. 

Knuckles has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but reuniting family would not be one of them- no matter how mad Sonic was at him for it.

He’s broken out of his reverie by rustling in the next bed over. Tails peeks up from under the blankets, his fur an unruly mess as bleary eyes scan the room. 

He spots Knuckles, and the echidna waves lazily as Tails wakes up. They both sit up slowly, letting the silence surround them.

“...you stayin all day?” Tails speaks first. Right to business, with this one. 

Knuckles nods, “at least until we can figure out how to reverse the effects of the gun. Or how to neutralize it without giving Eggman the tools to neutralize Sonic.”

Tails hums in agreement. If Knuckles has time as well he’d like to see Sonia again. Actually talk to her outside of strictly business. He missed her. The thought of talking to Rouge and Sonia again sends a warm feeling in his chest. 

“Alright. If you’re here then- do you think I’ll be able to convince Shadow to help me get the Tornado back?” Tails muses, partly to himself, “since you’re here, surely they don’t need both Shadow and Rouge here, and I’d like to get the plane fixed up as soon as possible.”

“Think you could convince Shadow to leave like that?”

“That’s why I asked if you were stayin- maybe I’ll be lucky.” They both laugh softly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be our backup,” Knuckles smiles, and the kit smiles back.

The silence stretches, and Tails anxiously picks at some stray hair on his tail.

“...Did you see? What he went through?” He speaks so quietly Knuckles almost misses the question entirely. 

“I didn’t. Rouge was the one who spotted him on the security feed, and she won’t let anything slip about what happened,” and Knuckles is sure even Rouge doesn’t know the full extent of what Sonic went through. She looked as shocked as the rest of them at the sight of the gun. 

“How are we supposed to help?” Tails twists his namesake, “if he won’t tell us, how are we supposed to help?”

“Just be there. If he tells us, he tells us. But you know him. He’d rather die than admit he was anything other than strong.” Especially to Tails goes unsaid. The kit hears it all the same.

A sudden crash breaks them out of their reverie, and they can hear muffled shouting in the next room over. Where Sonic and Shadow are staying.

The two scramble to get out of bed and to the next room over. Knuckles throws open the door and blanches at what he sees. 

Shadow has his back to the door, quills flared as he holds an arm back. He’s not letting anyone get close to the scene at hand.

Sonic looks absolutely feral. A glassy look in his eyes as he snarls at the hedgehog. Emerald eyes catch the new company and his mouth turns into a taunting leer.

“Really, Infinite? Couldn’t just have Shads here? Had to bring my brothers into this, too?” The two freeze at Sonic’s words, “what are you gonna do this time? Huh? What fun scene do you have planned for me this time?”

“Sonic-” Shadow starts.

“Shut up! I’m not hearing anything you have to say. Get out. Now.” Electricity crackles along Sonic’s quills, and Knuckles carefully moves an arm to shield Tails. Tails looks about one word away from crying. 

There’s noises from down the hall, and Knuckles doesn’t have time to warn them before Manic and Sonia are running in, Rouge close behind.  

Which means everyone can see the moment Sonic sees his siblings. Confusion flashes in his eyes, then recognition. 

“What…he doesn’t…wait.” The glass sheen in Sonic’s eyes clear the more he focuses on the two. Manic’s the first to walk past Shadow, and Knuckles is surprised to see him let it happen.

“Hey bro. We’re here. Do you know where you are?” Manic keeps his hands clear and out in the open, and Sonic watches him with no small amount of panic. Knuckles makes an executive decision, waving for everyone to get out. Tails lets himself be led by Rouge, and he walks with Sonia out of the door. Shadow is the only one who stays, just in case. 

The door closes with a resounding thud, and Knuckles leaves them to it. 

“Are you sure that was the right thing to do?” Sonia speaks quietly, clearly nervous for her brothers.

Knuckles nods, “too many people will just spook him. He recognized Manic, and Shadow’s there in case anything goes wrong. He’ll be alright.” Sonia looks back at the door, a pensive look on her face. 

“Let's get breakfast started. I’m sure the boys will be hungry when they’re done.” Rouge steps in, flying down to  rest a hand on Sonia’s shoulder. It's a flimsy attempt at distraction, but Sonia takes the opportunity for what it is. The princess takes a slow breath, running her hands over her quills to settle herself before nodding.

“Okay- okay. Breakfast. Breakfast is something we can do.”

The princess leads everyone to the kitchens, where they start on a simple breakfast. Quick, easy, easy to stomach. 

They’re eating when Sonic arrives, almost hiding behind Manic with Shadow trailing behind him. No one says anything about it aside from a few quiet “good mornings” and Sonic takes the out, giving a small, grateful smile as he does.

Tails is the one to break the silence, asking Shadow about going back to Resistance HQ for the Tornado. Knuckles is surprised when Shadow nods without any argument. 

“After breakfast. Unless you have something you’d like to do first?”

“After breakfast is fine! Thank you!” Shadow nods, something in his face softening at Tails’ excitement over his plane. 

Knuckles can spot Sonic shooting the hybrid a grateful look, but wisely decides not to comment. They’ll work it out together, he’s sure.

Shadow is tired, to say the least. 

Chaos Emerald or no, teleporting with a fucking plane will wear him out. He helps Tails get the Tornado into the hangar, where Chuck is waiting for the two. 

Shadow’s quick to bid his goodbyes and get away, not sparing a glance back as the fox and the older hedgehog dive into schematics and tech and other stuff he doesn’t really care about.

Shadow has a different mission. 

He meets up with Rouge outside a small prison. A small prison for a small kingdom, with few guards and a smaller population of residents. Shadow would feel bad if he didn’t already know that only the worst of them were kept here. 

Among them was their target - Fleet, the wolf who was the head chef at the royal palace. The one that was also arrested and charged for the murder of Queen Aleena.

It had been a fight to get this meeting set up- especially doing so without the prying eyes of the council as well as not letting the royal family- Sonic- know what was happening. GUN was the one to arrange it, getting in contact with the head of the jail. Shadow nods in greeting to the deer (he forgot her name- he knew it started with an F, but what was it?) as they enter, and he and Rouge are led to a small interrogation room.

The room itself is as bleak as the rest of the building, grey, grey, and then more grey, as a treat. A single light sways from the ceiling, casting everything in a similarly depressing light. Shadow and Rouge enter, and across from them is Fleet, who’s handcuffed to a grey table.

Brown eyes snap up to the pair when he hears the door open, and he watches them enter and take seats at the two chairs at the other end of the table. 

“Hello Fleet. Do you know who we are?”

“It’d be hard not to. Especially that one.” The wolf points to Shadow, and his ear flicks in irritation. “You two are GUN agents, right?”

“We are,” Rouge nods, “we just wanted to ask a few questions-”

“I’m not answering shit. They already made their judgement five years ago. If the council says I did it, then I did it.”

“Despite the court records showing your breakdown as you were getting carried away?” Shadow speaks up.

Fleet sneers, “So what? A few crocodile tears didn’t sway the court. Who am I to judge the wise council’s decisions?”

“It sounds like you don’t like them much,” Rouge hums curiously.

“I don’t know who does at this point. If you’re trying to catch me on another treason charge you’ve hit a dead end. I’m here until I die.”

“So the kingdom doesn’t like the council?”

“That's what I said. Bunch of old fuckers who don’t know how to run shit, and the princess lets them walk all over her.”

“Is that why Eggman sympathizers are in the kingdom?”

“I wasn’t one before bein locked up here,” the wolf’s hackles raise, “if you think I killed the queen because of some ‘I think he could do better’ shit then you’re dead wrong. Her death was unexpected, but that minority has been getting bigger since then. I’m stuck here, but this old wolf hears plenty.”

“Do you think her death was a hit?”

“Wouldn’t shock me. The royal family probably wouldn’t tell you this, but families were not doin great here. There was a drought right around when Chaos went nuts, we never fully recovered, and no one did shit about it. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone placed a bounty and someone in my kitchen took advantage.”

“So you didn’t do it?” Rouge asks, catching Fleet’s words. The wolf stiffens.

“What does it matter? Not like GUN cares about some backwater kingdom in the middle of nowhere.”

“They do when Sonic is involved.”

“Oh, of course. ” The wolf sneers, “the precious prince who ran away from home. I heard they’re callin him the Hero of Mobius, is that right? Buncha garbage- out savin the world when the kingdom needed him here. No wonder you guys are here, I bet he called in a favor when he found out his mommy died.”

“Sonic doesn’t know GUN is investigating. Nor does the rest of the royal family.” The wolf sits up slightly, surprise painting his face.

“...you think they did it?”

“It’s not something we’ve ruled out. Do you have any information that might help us?” Shadow speaks now, crimson eyes watching the convict carefully. 

He’s hesitant, chewing at the inside of his cheek as his eyes dart to the wall- where the one-way mirror reflects them ominously.

“No one is here but us, dear,” Rouge leans forward, resting her hands on the table. “Whatever you say will stay between us. We’re here by assignment, yes, but we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to find the truth.”

“...I want protections.”

“We’ll see what we can do.”

The wolf nods, seeming to accept this offer from the two agents.

“It wasn’t the royal family, I can tell ya that right now. Sonia’s too blind in thinking her mother was infallible, and Manic would rather try to talk it out versus murder. He’s a good kid like that.”

“You know Manic?”

“Sure I do,” he shrugs, “kid was third in line for the throne, so he didn’t care about learning how to rule. Real people’s prince, that one. If anyone knew where we were comin from, it was him. He’d come into the kitchen from time to time to talk to us and sneak out food when he thought we weren’t looking.”

“Do you think he might’ve-”

“No. He wasn’t in the kitchen that night, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to before it was delivered to the Queen.”

“Do you think it was the staff, then?”

“I know it was,” the wolf nods. “My kitchen would’ve been the only people who could’ve.”

“Do you remember who was working that night? Who would’ve had access to Aleena’s plate?”

“Y’know, I was asked that years ago, too. And I’ll give the same answer I did then.” Fleet leans back in his chair, giving the two a weary, resigned look. “I don’t remember. I wish I did, I do. Whenever I think back on that night there’s just a…warm fog on everyone’s faces. Turns out the court doesn’t really like hearing that the head chef doesn’t remember his own staff. That’s what got me convicted.”

Shadow and Rouge spare a glance at each other. That’s not something they were hoping to hear. Shadow speaks up first, “would you have an idea on who placed the bounty?”

“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” Fleet shrugs, eyes tracing up to the ceiling. “Had to be a lot for someone on palace staff to go against the queen. Could’ve been the council, for not liking what the Queen was doin, and thinkin if they could get the crown prince to be king they could control him better ‘n her. Could’ve been a neighboring kingdom, King Elias over at the Acorn kingdom’s been trying to do business for years and the Council refuses to let her, although I’m sure he might’ve thought it was the Queen’s decision. Could be Eggman, trying to hit the crown prince where it hurts the most, and knowing he’s still popular here sure as shit doesn’t help.”

Shadow didn’t even consider neighboring kingdoms. He chances a glance to Rouge, who raises an eyebrow curiously. “You seem to have a lot of thoughts on this.”

“I’ve had six years to think about it.”

“Anything else you’ve been thinkin about?”

“Mostly just how bad the food is, here.” Rouge huffs a laugh at Fleet's comment, and he sends a wry grin in response. “You never think about the food until you lose the good stuff.”

“Well- with any luck, you might not be here much longer.”

“Don’t promise things you can’t back up. Are we done here?”

“I think we are. Thank you for your time today, Fleet.” Rouge sends a warm smile, and Shadow has to stifle a smile at the way the wolf’s face colors. 

“The protections?”

“We’ll talk with GUN and see what we can do. Thank you.”

They say their goodbyes, and Rouge makes sure to say goodbye to the deer (Flora?) heading the jail again before they leave. Shadow’s head is swimming with all the new information, they’ll have to set aside to sit down and sift through all the new infor-

“Hey guys? What’s going on?”

Shadow’s blood freezes and he looks over. Down the street, leaning against the wall of the jail is Sonic. Sonic, with a too-sharp smile and too-flared quills. Emerald eyes almost glow in the light of the setting sun. His posture is a forced casualness, like Sonic is just barely holding himself back from his rage. 

He knows.

Chapter Text

Sonic’s had a shitty day, okay. 

He started the day with a nightmare-turned-flashback, and it took Manic of all people to talk him out of it (Infinite didn’t know Manic. He couldn’t have made an illusion of someone he didn’t know existed). Then when Sonic was “normal” again he had to deal with the pitying stares of his friends and family during breakfast- it’s fine. He was fine.

He thanks Gaia that he didn’t have a council meeting that day- his skin was already crawling, the last thing Sonic wanted were those old crones looking at him like he was stupid. 

Shadow wasn’t even there to spar with him- he was pulled away to help Tails with a project. Which- Sonic was grateful the kit was re-learning how to voice his needs- but he was going to explode if he didn’t get some exercise right now at this exact moment. 

So as soon as he was able to (read- slip out when no one was looking and leave a note) he ran away from the palace, set on doing a couple laps around the island to hopefully get some of that energy out. 

Except the island wasn’t the biggest place in the world, so he had circled the whole thing 150 times in fifteen minutes. Awesome. 

So after he was bored of running he decided to check out the town he ended up nearby. It was a smaller one, one of the ones farther away from the castle his siblings called home. He makes his way through what he thinks is the main street, the streets lined with vendors of various shops. They range from clothes and jewelry to different types of food- fish, vegetables, pastries, the like. 

Sonic makes his way to the clothes and jewelry, brain already going over the rings he had on him as he greeted the wary stand owners. A kid runs into his legs while chasing a toy and the mother is quick to usher him away before Sonic can say hello. A hush falls over the area as they recognize him, but Sonic presses on with a strained smile. 

He ends up getting a few things. A new necklace for Rouge, matching jackets for him, Manic, Tails, and Sonia. He deliberates on some of the sweets before getting a slice of tiramisu for Shadow. Knuckles gets some new books- he knows the echidna is busy, but this is more of a wishful thinking gift for him. Knuckles always seems so lonely up on Angel Island, maybe these’ll help.

The shopping does end up settling his nerves a bit. Thinking less about the stress he’s under and allowing himself to concentrate on others has always helped- despite Tails saying it doesn’t and that he’s “suppressing his emotions.” Sonic is about to leave when he hears someone call his name.

“Sonic?” 

He turns. A bat is looking at him with a shy smile, wings pinned back against him and grey fur fluffed up in obvious nerves. Emerald eyes meet vermillion, and Sonic understands why the bat would be nervous. 

It's not often a Council member approaches you in public, after all.

“Luca,” Sonic smiles and nods at him, cordial. He may not like the bat very much, but he can still be polite. The bat relaxes when he sees Sonic isn’t being outwardly hostile. 

“Sonic. Do you have the time for something?”

“Depends. What’s goin’ on?” Sonic watches him with a wary look, and Luca almost flinches under his gaze.

“Well-! Maybe it's better if you follow me? It’s about Shadow…” 

Cobalt ears perk up and Sonic starts walking with the council member, “Shadow? What’s going on? Is he okay?”

“Yes- he’s alright- just-” Luca pauses as he leads Sonic to the front of a jailhouse, “please don’t get mad at me- I didn’t know he was coming here, I was told by the woman running the place since I live here and-”

“It’s alright,” Sonic raises a hand, and Luca shuts himself up, “just tell me what’s going on.”

“Shadow’s interviewing the man who killed your mother.”

The world sways on its axis for a moment, tilting ever so slightly to the left. It takes Sonic a moment to register what Luca said, and even then he doesn’t quite get it.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

It‘s a blur from there. Sonic’s lead inside where he’s introduced to a very frazzled deer who introduces herself as Fiona. He’s led to a two-way, where he’s told Shadow can’t see or hear him, and he sees it. Sees them.

Shadow’s there, and Rouge. Across from them is a large wolf, who’s talking with them…cordially. A thick feeling wells up in Sonic’s chest, fire burning in his eyes. He would be stupid to not recognize the wolf. Sonic’s seen the files in the castle records. He knows who the wolf is. 

Then he tunes into the conversation. 

“Oh, of course. The precious prince who ran away from home. I heard they’re callin him the Hero of Mobius, is that right? Buncha garbage- out savin the world when the kingdom needed him here. No wonder you guys are here, I bet he called in a favor when he found out his mommy died.” What? Sonic didn’t- he left to protect them. He never wanted to make his mother a target- make his family a target. Is this why the market was so quiet? Did they all think this about him? Sonic has never cared about what people thought of him. Why does this squeeze at his chest like this?

“Sonic doesn’t know GUN is investigating. Nor does the rest of the royal family.” Sonia doesn’t know? Then why-

“...you think they did it?” Oh.

“It’s not something we’ve ruled out. Do you have any information that might help us?” Rage, liquid hot, boils in Sonic’s chest. They think his siblings would- that they ever- is that why Rouge was getting so close to Sonia? Because she was a murder suspect?

“No one is here but us, dear. Whatever you say will stay between us. We’re here by assignment, yes, but we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to find the truth.”

“...I want protections.”

“We’ll see what we can do.”

The wolf nods, seeming to accept this offer from the two agents. Sonic leaves before he can hear anything else. He’s not aware of anyone else as he storms out of the building.

Chaos- how could he be so dumb? Of course they weren’t here just for protection or- Gaia forbid- as fucking friends. Of course they had to be here on a job- about Sonic’s mother, no less. They didn’t even have the balls to tell him. Sonia and Manic don’t know- how would they? Why would GUN care about a fuckass island in the middle of nowhere? Was it because it was Sonic’s home? Why wait 6 years for an investigation, surely there wouldn’t be new evidence to be found at this point.

Sonic paces outside of the jail, a nervous hand working up into his quills and pulling until his scalp hurts. 

He’s spiraling and he knows it. He needs to run, but there’s nowhere to run. He needs to punch Shadow in the fucking jaw, but Shadow isn’t here. No, the hybrid is inside, offering protections to the wolf that killed his mother-  

He stops when he hears footsteps inside the jail, and three voices. They must be leaving. Sonic takes a deep breath before leaning against the wall of the building. He can get answers. He just needs to remember to stay calm, and not knock Shadow’s lights out when he sees them. 

Sonic sees the two agents leave, and he gives them a second before breaking the silence to get their attention. 

“Hey guys! What’s goin’ on?” Sonic pushes cheerfulness into his voice, and he knows it doesn’t work with the way Shadow freezes and looks over at him. Rouge herself even looks stunned, staring at Sonic like she can’t quite believe he’s there.

Rouge is the one to speak up first, smiling with her own brand of forced politeness, “Hey Blue, fancy seein’ you here. I thought you would’ve been at the palace all day.”

“Got bored. Left a note and decided to take a trip around the island,” Sonic shrugs, “Ran into Luca on the way- he let me know you guys were here.”

“Council member Luca?” Shadow straightens, ears pricking up, “is he still here? Where did he go?”

“No clue. Showed up n’ told me that you guys were offering protection to the guy that killed my mom, and then led me here. What the hell, man?” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I fucking saw you, I think I know what I’m talking about.” Sonic glares, and Rouge has the decency to look ashamed. Sonic rounds on her.

“And you! I can’t believe you, Rouge-”

“Sonic-” Shadow starts, and Sonic raises a hand to shut him up, ignoring the way the hybrid’s quills flare in irritation. 

“Do you actually like Sonia?”

“Excuse me? Of course I do,” Rouge looks affronted, stepping forward to jab a finger into Sonic’s chest, “you didn’t hear everything. I know you didn’t, otherwise you wouldn’t be accusing me like this.”

Sonic smacks her hand away, “I didn’t think I needed to. I thought I could trust my friends to tell me when something is up.”

“This isn’t a between friends thing, Sonic, it's a murder investigation.”

“A murder investigation about my mom! Who died 6 years ago! Don’t you think I should know when something like this is happening?”

“Oh so you could react like this? GUN told us not to tell you for this exact reason.” Sonic’s quills flare as his ears pin back.

“That’s not fair,” Sonic glares at Shadow.

“Like you’re being fair? You’re accusing Rouge of manipulating your sister-”

“Because you both are thinking she’s a suspect for murder!”

“-when we wrote her off weeks ago!”

Sonic laughs forcefully, “and how am I supposed to believe you? You’ve spent the last month going behind my fucking back and keeping secrets that very much concern me and my family.”

“Because we’ve known each other for the last 8 years at this point? I’d think that would earn us a little credibility.”

“I’ve known Eggman my whole fucking life, that’s an awful comparison.”

“You-!” Shadow throws his hands up in frustration, his patience finally snapping, “not everything is about you, hedgehog. I’m not entertaining this conversation anymore.”

“Cool, awesome. Run away, you’re great at that.”

“Fuck you.” Shadow gets in Sonic’s face, pushing at his chest, “you can’t say that. You don’t get to yell at me for that when you do the same shit-”

“I was protecting them-”

“From what? Assassins? A disgruntled kingdom that has no crown prince and a million problems that their council and their royal family can’t and won’t solve? The only thing you protected them from was Eggman, and even then, it wasn’t enough to save-”

CRACK.

Shadow stumbles as Sonic punches him in the jaw. Wild eyes snap up to Sonic’s face, who looks on the verge of tears.

“You don’t get to say that. Not to me. I did everything in my power to keep my family safe.”

“Look what good it did you.” Sonic takes a step forward to hit him again when Rouge’s palm lands on his chest to stop him.

“Boys. That’s enough. We need to get back. And you two need to stop before one of you says something you’ll regret.”

Sonic takes a step back, taking a single breath to ground himself before glaring at Rouge. She doesn’t flinch, meeting his eyes with a determined gaze. 

“Fine. Whatever. I’m going back to the castle. You are going to tell Sonia this week. If you haven’t, then I will.” 

Rouge visibly hesitates before nodding. Sonic will take it. He nods before leaving, racing back to the castle. He ignores the pain in his chest that's causing the burn in his eyes. If he sheds a few tears while he’s running back, then that's between him and the wind.

When he gets back he doles his gifts out and gives Rouge’s necklace to Sonia. After some deliberation, he ends up eating the tiramisu himself. He’s always hated the taste of coffee. 

That night when sleeping arrangements are made, Sonic forces himself away from everyone, sleeping alone. He refuses to hear any protests otherwise, locking himself in the room he chose.

He’ll be fine.

Chapter Text

Dark was the first thing Sonic registered. Dark and cold. Sonic feels weightless, wherever he is he’s floating, but sinking slowly.

He waved his hand in front of his face to no avail. Wherever he was, the dark was so pervasive he couldn’t see. Come to think of it, his hand moved slower in the air than usual, its almost as if he was in-

Water. 

Immediately Sonic’s unable to breathe, and his eyes sting from the salt in the water. He didn’t get a good breath in, so his lungs already ache from the lack of air. He moves on instinct, feet kicking wildly and arms flailing without purpose. He sinks farther into the deep. 

Sonic can’t die here- he- he can’t. He needs to get back. 

Get back to what?

He pushes away the hopeless desperation before it can form. He knows what he’s going back for. His friends- his family. As mad as he is at them- Shadow and Rouge. He’s still got friends he needs to protect. Knuckles and Amy. Tails. Manic and Sonia. 

Sonic closes his eyes to try and avoid the saltwater’s sting when he feels something grab his wrists. They’re clammy and cold. 

He opens his eyes to see his mother.

Aleena is a far cry from the woman he remembers as a kid. 

Her eyes are glassy, bloodshot as she sees through him. Her fur is matted, quills splayed every which way. Blood is caked around a blue mouth, trailing down her chin and disappearing into her nightshirt. Her hands grip Sonic’s wrists tightly, too tight. 

Sonic pushes against her, immediately trying to get away. Panic grips at his chest as he kicks out and- it goes through her chest. Like she was never there. He can still feel her grabbing his wrists, and Sonic is forced to look his mother in the eyes.

She’s speaking, he can tell. Her mouth moves with purpose, and he can hear nothing but static and mumbled, warped voices in the water. He shakes his head, trying to show he can’t hear whatever his mother is saying. 

Aleena must get the message he’s trying to convey as her face crumples. She screams, and it's crystal clear this time. Sonic flinches back, eyes closing, and he can feel Aleena’s clammy hands move from his wrists to around his throat. 

His eyes snap open, and instead of the dead, dead face of his mother it's Infinite. 

Infinite, with his hands around Sonic’s throat. He can see the manic smile under the mask as the hedgehog chokes. Dark spots blur at his vision and when his vision flickers back he can see the Death Egg. He can feel the metal of the floor on his back, and the way Infinite looms over him as he puts all his weight on his throat. 

He’s going to die here. All alone in space and no one would know he was gone because they thought he was already dead. 

Sonic bolts upright in bed, a scream tearing itself out of his chest. 

Blunted claws scrabble at his throat as he tries to tear away the phantom hands that grab at him, and he chokes on air as he tries to catch his breath. 

His mouth waters more than usual and he can taste the bile in the back of his throat. Sonic just barely makes it into the attached bathroom and locks the door before he’s emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl. Sonic grips the toilet like a lifeline as he heaves, the meagre food he had yesterday making a reappearance and then when there was none left, watery bile joins it.

It takes a while for Sonic to gather his bearings, and he spends a long time just resting his head on the nearby tub, willing his stomach to calm down. He hasn’t stress-vomited like that since- well, he supposes it hasn’t been too long, he escaped the Death Egg what- 3 months ago? Time is so wobbly right now, Sonic lets it pass. 

He’s not sure how long he stays there, drifting in and out of that fugue state the nightmare left him in. Sonic eventually hauls himself up, taking 5 minutes to brush his teeth and make his quills look some sort of orderly. The mirror watches him, and Sonic doesn’t look back. He already knows he looks like garbage. 

Sonic meanders out of the bathroom and into the attached bedroom. It looks a mess, Sonic’s scramble to get out of bed leaving a trail of pillows and blankets in his wake. 

A knock at the door grabs Sonic’s attention, and he quickly moves to grab his communicator and check the time. It’s approaching noon. The council meeting is at noon. Fuck. 

Sonic opens the door to find Sonia and Tails. They both look a little worse for wear, and definitely like they’re trying not to show how anxious they are about Sonic’s current mental health. Well, he should certainly put their minds at ease, shouldn’t he?

He opens his mouth to speak, only to find the words stuck in his throat. Awesome start to the day, this will definitely help in the council meeting. Tails gives a knowing smile, and Sonic understands better why the kit is here before the meeting. 

Tails holds up his hands, and Sonic just now registers he’s holding a plate. A plate with food. 

Three chili dogs are presented to him. Sonic blinks dumbly at them before turning his gaze back to his brother.

“I figured you’d need some food. We didn’t see you at breakfast,” Sonia speaks softly, suddenly shy. 

“Thank you,” Sonic signs, and Tails translates. The oldest brother gives a soft, appreciative smile, and the others smile back, tension melting from their shoulders. He must’ve really worried them. He’s quick to take the plate and scarf down the food. His stomach settles as he sets the plate on the counter.

“Ready?”

“Ready.” Sonia and Tails nod at him, determined. 

Sonic’s still not 100%, and he can tell Sonia is one bad move away from telling him to stay in bed, but he refuses to leave his sister alone.

Besides, he has a new idea he wants to pass along to the council.

“You want to do what ? ” Alton watches Sonic over his glasses, an incredulous look on the owl’s face. The council and Sonia have similarly confused looks on their faces. Tails looks wary, but he translates for his brother regardless.

“I want to do an open castle day. Open the gates and let anyone enter. Let them talk to us instead of us making decisions without knowing what the real issues are.” He signs. 

He’s thought about it for more than a while the night before- that thing Shadow said. The kingdom isn’t listening to its people. He’s sure Sonia’s tried to connect with them- he knows full well Manic has. So where is the disconnect?

“I went into town yesterday- the people there were downright scared of me.”

“Makes sense. It's not often the Hero of Mobius pays his own people a visit. Of course they were wary,” Hamlin growls out, waving a hand dismissively. 

“But they shouldn’t be,” Sonic argues back. “I’ve worked with hundreds of people in my life and the only times they’ve been scared of me have been when they didn’t know me. Ergo- they need to know us.”

Sonic chances a glance over to his sister, who still looks nervous at the idea, but is willing to hear him out. Tails looks similarly apprehensive, but he trusts his older brother.

“I think it’s a good idea. We would need to hammer out the details on safety, but having a day for our citizens to speak with us would do us well,” Sonia speaks up. Sonic feels his quills relax when he hears his sister back his plan.

“I think it would be nice. I do live out on the outskirts of town, I know my neighbors out there would appreciate the offer.” Luca smiles kindly, chartreuse eyes making eye contact with emerald. 

“...plus it would help us if we extend an invitation to nearby kingdoms. I know Acorn kingdom has been trying to reach out to us for a while now,” Sonia taps her chin while she muses out loud. This seems to sway Evangeline and Linus, who share a glance with each other. 

“Oh! Yes, we should be working on those connections, thank you dear,” the peahen compliments the princess, who can’t help but preen under the attention. Linus nods along with her, and Sonic knows he’s got the majority. 

“So! We’re doing this?” Sonic asks, smiling wide. Alton and Hamlin roll their eyes but acquiesce. They know when they’ve lost.

“Princess Sonia was right, we will need to set rules in place for safety concerns, and if other kingdoms show we will need to show them priority-” Sonic’s eye twitches, but he doesn’t comment, “-but I don’t see why not. I’m sure those GUN agents of yours will be willing to assist?”

“I’ll talk to them,” Sonia smiles kindly, “will you five work on getting the communications out to the townspeople? I can get Manic to speak with them as well.”

Luca nods his agreement first. The others are a little more reluctant but agree to spread the word.

The rest of the meeting is…cordial, all things considered. They hammer out the details of the festival day, and Sonia gets confirmation from Rouge through her comm that her and Shadow are willing to be protection detail. An extra surprise comes when she says Knuckles is willing to help as well. 

Sonic feels something settle in his chest as they work, watching Sonia and the council. He stays quiet now, content to let them work through the details amongst themselves. He’s just the idea guy- sometimes. 

He can’t tell when he starts spacing, but he zones back in when he feels a nudge on his arm.

“Are you alright?” Tails signs, out of view from everyone else.

“I’m alright, bud. Little tired, is all."

Tails’ namesakes flick, the only sign of the kit being frustrated with him, “I’m sure- those nightmares don’t sound great.”

“Hey- not like you haven’t dealt with nightmares yourself.” Sonic levels him with a look, but the kit doesn’t falter.

“I’ve got coping methods.”

“I do too! The island's just too small to get any real speed going.”

“You had another one, didn’t you? What happened to Shadow?”

Sonic’s ears pin back at his name and he looks away. He signs a sharp “nothing happened.”

Tails gives him a deadpan look as he signs, something absolutely happened. Did he hurt you?”

“What? No-” Sonic waves his hand dismissively, “he’s just- an ass, is all.”

“He’s always an ass.” Tails rolls his eyes, “what’d he do to piss you off?”

Their attention is diverted by the meeting ending. Everyone says their goodbyes, and Sonic and Tails make sure Sonia’s good to go before making their way to Chuck’s workshop (although Tails has taken up residence there as of late, the Tornado in pieces while she’s being rebuilt). Sonic takes a seat on one of the benches by a worktable, and Tails sits across from him on a rolling stool.

“So- what’d he do?”

“He didn’t do anything per se- he just-” Sonic waffles for a moment, “-he’s been keeping secrets again, and it was personal this time- I just. Got mad. I’m still mad.”

“Keeping secrets? Why?” Tails’ voice sharpens, and Sonic realizes he needs to backtrack.

“It was work related. GUN stuff, apparently,” Sonic huffs silently.

“...So he’s been keeping secrets because his job told him to?” Tails asks, incredulous.

“...and Rouge has been too?” Sonic responds.

“Yes, I would assume they’re on the same mission.” Tails deadpans, “So why are you mad?”

“Because! It involves our family! I should at least be kept in the know about it!” Sonic swings his arms out wide as he signs, hitting his palm against his chest.

“You should be made aware of government secrets if it concerns you?”

“Well- yea?”

Tails raises an eyebrow, and Sonic shrinks under his gaze. He…might be a little bit of a hypocrite, keeping secrets regarding family from his family.

“So why are you really mad?”

Sonic pauses for a moment, to really think about it. He wanted Shadow to be here because Shadow wanted to be here, not because of some mission. Sonic is aware the escort mission at the start was a mission assignment- he just kinda thought they were sticking around because they were friends. He thought they were closer than that, and the knowledge that they might not be- well it hurts more than Sonic would really care to admit. Especially not to Tails, who’s looking at him like he already knows.

“...I still want to be mad at him though.”

Tails barks out a laugh, “and I won’t stop you from doing that. But talk to him soon, maybe? Otherwise that festival day is going to be painfully awkward for all of us.”

“Ugh, fine.” Sonic signs it like it physically pains him, and Tails nods approvingly.

“Thank you. Now- did you want to help test the new communicator I made? I want to make sure it can stand heavy duty damage.”

“I’m in.”