Chapter Text
Fading from a dream, Sonic awoke to a deep soreness permeating his body. His mouth was dry and his eyes itched behind their lids. It felt like a heavy balloon lay over his head and the slightest movement would pop it, dousing him with the massive headache it contained. What had he been up to yesterday?
He’d been in a fight. Yeah, that was right. With Metal in the mountains-
Steel claws gripping his arm and flinging him against rocky outcroppings. He grins, tastes his blood in his mouth, and goes back for seconds.
Gingerly, Sonic felt at his arm. There was bruising, but he’d be fine. Had he hit his head? There had been a sharp backhand to his jaw at least once. Maybe twice.
What had Eggman been doing there anyway? Tails would know. Yesterday, Sonic had been on a run when Tails called him. He’d been pushing it, had pushed it, his legs aching, heart pounding, into the silence. The boom and then the silence, the world slowing down, the wind whipping past so fast he fought to pull a breath into his lungs. The added tingle of power pumping through him with every beat of his heart. It was the best feeling in the world.
It was only when he finally slowed that he heard his phone ringing. Fifteen missed calls from Tails. Whoops! He forgot to put his phone on vibrate. Again.
And so Sonic arrived late to the party. The Resistance wasn’t pulling any punches with Eggman after the War. Amy, Knuckles, and Team Dark were already onsite and making a mess of the Doctor’s toys.
They’d won as usual, of course. They always won. Always would win. Never lost…never got lost.
Anyway, Eggman had been yapping through his loudspeaker while Sonic tussled with Metal. Probably something about his latest insidious plan. One of the others probably paid attention. Tails would let him know if Egghead said anything important. Then, just as it was getting good, Metal bailed and Eggman retreated. Another evil plot thwarted. They had all gone to Tails’ house for...
Oh. Right. That’s why he has dry mouth and a massive headache.
They had been all sitting around Tails’ firepit and Rouge had a fresh bottle of Chaos Cola Black. How could he turn that down? He just knew Tails would give him another lecture about mixing painkillers and alcohol. His little bro was the best, always looking out for him.
Speaking of painkillers. Sonic sat up and the balloon popped, pouring a searing, throbbing headache all through the cracks and crevices of his brain. He accepted it as penance for his excesses, but his ears still wilted, and he groaned. Squinting against the sunlight pouring through the window, he realized he was in a bed…. That’s weird. Aw crap!
As his head pounded, Sonic grimaced at the schematics tacked to the walls and the miscellaneous piles of mechanical and electrical parts cluttering the desk. This was Tails’ room. He was in Tails’ bed. Oh jeez, he’d stolen Tails’ bed for the night. He really did deserve this hangover.
Focus. Water, painkillers, apologize.
He slowly slid off the bed. Glancing around, he only spotted one of his shoes. No idea where his gloves were, but he still had one sock on. Deal with that later. Water, painkillers, apologize. And a chili dog, he added as his stomach growled. Tails always had the proper fixings just in case Sonic stopped by.
Walking was pain. Breathing was pain. His throat and chest throbbed especially. Maybe Metal got in a neck grab? But his posterior hurt too. That was weird. Maybe he fell on something really hard? He had run back Tails’ place from the battle and the energy he generated running at speed normally patched up the worst of his injuries. A good run fixed everything. He’d go for another one soon.
Water, painkillers, apologize, chilidog, run. This list was getting a little long. He better get to it.
Tails’ kitchen was small, but well appointed. His whole living space was vestigial to his workshop, his pride and joy, from which he produced all his amazing inventions. Sonic smiled, but then grimaced under the weight of his headache.
He retrieved a glass from the cupboard and filled it from the sink. Soooooo good! His throat burned something fierce, but his stomach eagerly accepted the refreshment. He filled and drained the glass a second time. A third. A fourth. Desiccated channels throughout him now running flush, his headache lessened to an extent. Sonic flicked his finger in the air in a quick v-shape. Check one box off the list!
Sonic approached the large cabinet marked with a green cross and opened it, revealing a pharmacy of palliatives.
Given that Sonic normally crashed at Tails’ place after every big battle, Tails kept his medicine cabinet, just like his chili dog fixings, well stocked. Sonic tried to read one of the labels on a medicine bottle once, gotten nothing from it, and never tried again. Luckily, Tails color coded the many bottles and boxes instead and pasted a handy chart to the wall.
Don’t take red labeled pills at the same as yellow ones. Don’t take more than three green labeled pills at a time. Black stripes meant they were a heavy hitter he could only take now and then. This color for muscle aches, that color for inflammation, this one to staunch bleeding, that topical for abrasions. His little bro thought of everything.
A handful of pills were sliding down Sonic’s throat when he heard the door from Tails’ workshop open. “Good morning, buddy!” He waved at Tails and cracked a wide grin.
“Good afternoon, you mean.” Tails smiled playfully. “You really slept in, Sonic.” He crossed the room and began washing his hands in the sink, messaging heavy duty soap into his fur to loosen up the oil and grease trapped there.
“Hehe, yeah. Look, I’m super sorry about taking your bed last night, buddy. I don’t know how that happened. Totally not cool. I hope the couch wasn’t too bad. Not that your couch is bad or anything. I think it’s super comfy for me.”
Tails reached for a kitchen towel and began drying his hands. “I actually slept in my workshop last night.” He turned and gave Sonic a disappointed look. “You two were just making too much noise.”
“Hehe…what?” Two?
Tails’ expression softened. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but, next time, could you at least not make such a racket? And, well,…not do it in my bed, please? Now I have to wash the sheets.” He shook his head and shuddered.
Sonic stared at Tails in stunned silence. His quills tensed. Oh, oh no oh no oh no ohno ohnoohno.
Tails grimaced when Sonic didn’t respond. He glanced down at Sonic chest and his countenance dissolved first to shock and then into that of brotherly concern. “What did he do to you?” Tails’ snout crinkled slightly, pulling his lips away from his fangs.
Sonic looked down. Speckled across his chest and visible through his fur were several fresh bruises and marks flecked with blood that looked suspiciously like they were left by teeth. Sharp, fanged teeth. Sonic blushed and his pulse quickened. Gingerly, he ran a finger around one of the bite marks. It wasn’t deep. Sonic swallowed.
The muscles in his leg twitched minutely. He was getting the tingle. The urge to run. That would clear all this up. It was a good idea. He’d run until it all made sense. That was the sensible thing to do. He’d be back so fast, Tails wouldn’t even notice.
No, don’t be stupid, Tails would totally notice, and he wouldn’t appreciate it. Sonic resisted the urge. “Tails,” Sonic looked up. Tails’ muzzle relaxed and he stared back with concern. “How much did I drink last night?”
“You don’t remember?” Tails exclaimed irately. Sonic’s ears wilted meekly, and he reached to rub the back of his neck, but he kept grinning.
The door to the workshop opened and Sonic turned to see Shadow. What was he still doing here? Unbidden, Sonic felt his face flush further.
Shadow was poised to say something, but then he spotted Sonic. His eyes went briefly to Sonic’s chest, and he gave Sonic a mischievous smirk, revealing his sharp canines. Welp, mystery solved. Sonic about melted. “You’re finally up.” Shadow growled, his voice lower than normal. A spark ran up Sonic’s spine and impacted the base of his skull, sending his heart pounding against his sternum.
Shifting his attention to Tails, Shadow’s face returned to its general neutrality and said, “I appreciate you agreeing to look at Omega’s systems. You can ignore any of his requests for munitions or ordnance upgrades. Rouge and I handle that with GUN.”
Tails’ tails flicked. “I told him last night that I was only going to tune up his auxiliary systems. I don’t make weapons.”
“That is perfectly understandable. Rouge will retrieve him in a few days. If he isn’t a model houseguest, call me.” Shadow adjusted his gloves and then locked eyes with Sonic. “I am leaving. I need to check in on the cleanup efforts after yesterday’s battle. Hopefully there are some clues as to why the Doctor was in such a remote mountainous area.”
“Uh, for sure.” Sonic’s throat was dry. His stomach was churning (totally just from hunger not from anything else no not at all), and he felt lightheaded, but his face was burning. Shadow approached him and a shiver ran through him. Sonic took a step back, but his back pressed against the medicine cabinet.
Shadow was so close that Sonic could smell him. Lavender. His piercing red eyes seemed to fill the world. Shadow leaned in, their noses brushing. Was he? Would he? Time slowed. Anticipation pooled in the base of Sonic’s skull like right before a massive leap off a cliff. This felt like running, Sonic realized. This thrill, this exhilaration. Shadow so close. The tunnel vision, the sparking along his spine. He’d only felt it before when he was nearly going full out.
Kiss me, Sonic begged in his head. Do it. He needed it. He wanted it. What if he leaned in and kissed Shadow? He’d get a swift fist to his jaw. But for that brief moment…
Shadow’s hand flashed forward and delivered a sharp slap to Sonic’s posterior and he released a startled yip. Like the crack of breaking the sound barrier, chills ripped through his body. His spines flared, his fur stood on ends, and heat from his face found its way to his loins.
Shadow retreated backward, taking his toothy smirk and hungry red eyes with him. “I will text you later.” He said with a brief rise of his brows and then disappeared in a green flash.
Shaking, Sonic stumbled to the kitchen table and sank into a seat. He looked at his trembling hands. His body still crackled with exhilaration. What the hell happened last night?
“Ugh.” Tails groaned. “I’m really happy for you, really I am…but the PDA just kinda gets me, Sonic.” When his brother remained silent, he continued. “I’m sorry, I guess-“ Sonic turned to stare at Tails with large, horrified eyes. “Sonic?” Tails’ concern returned.
“Tails…I…I don’t remember last night at all.”
“S-sonic!” Tails’ tails rose and lashed back and forth.
“It’s all a blank! We were celebrating! I think I took a shot with Rouge. That’s all I remember until I woke up this morning.” He rubbed his hands over his face and carded them through his quills. Grabbing two fistfuls of his quills, he gulped. “Tails,” His voice escaped in a high-pitched whine, “did I sleep with Shadow last night?”
“Sonic…” Tails slid into the chair across from Sonic. “Yeah, you kinda did.”
“Oh, crap, I did something really stupid. During the fight yesterday, Metal really got me good a couple of times. I was still feeling it even after I ran all the way here, so I took…I dunno, I think the purple ones. Maybe the orange ones, too. I don’t remember.”
Tails leaned back. “I should have known. How many times do I have to tell you. You cannot take painkillers and then drink. I’ll have to check my tapes to see what you took.” He took the end of one of his tails in hand and began combing through the white fur at the end. “You have got to follow the chart, Sonic. Mixing suppressants is really risky.”
“Was Shadow drinking too?”
“What? Why does that matter?”
“I know he normally doesn’t, but was he this time?”
Tails frowned. “You pressured him into taking a couple shots with you and Rouge, yeah. But you know he can’t get drunk. His liver is far too efficient at processing poisons in his system.”
Shit, that’s right! Mr. Ultimate Lifeform didn’t have to eat or sleep, couldn’t get sick, and certainly couldn’t be poisoned. He also was always immaculately groomed and smelled of lavender, but you had to get really close to get a good whiff of it, but when you did…Sonic’s heart was racing again.
“Sonic?” The blue hedgehog snapped out of his thoughts. Tails gave him a grim stare.
Sonic shook his head. “But why would he agree to that? He hates my guts. He tells me all the time. Just yesterday, Metal got in this cheap shot and was about to leg drop me, but then Shadow just teleports in and punts him across the battlefield. Then, right before he took off, he called me a weakling.” With a sexy twinkle in his ruby- Gaia-dammit FOCUS.
Tails sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. “Well, last night you were being even more flirty than normal.”
“Are you serious? Wait, what do you mean more than normal?”
“You got up and gave this really nice speech. I mean, you were pretty hard to understand by then, but I think it was about how great everyone was as a team and how, if we worked together, there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do. It was really good. It wasn’t your best, but I’d say maybe top ten. But then Amy said something about it being the six-month anniversary and you got-“
“Six-month anniversary?” Sonic interrupted.
“Yeah,” Tails frowned, “of us breaking you out of the Death Egg.”
Sonic’s ears pinned back against his skull and all the warmth left him. He looked down at his clenching hands. “Oh, I didn’t know that.” He said quietly. That doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Everything’s good. It’s all good. Doesn’t matter at all. Ancient history. Never going to be important again. Nope, totally cool.
“Sonic, are you okay?”
Sonic looked up at his brother and met worried eyes. A big smile spread across his face and his hands sprung open. “Of course I’m okay, buddy!” Tails’ brow knitted incredulously. Sonic’s legs were itching. He needed a run. A run would be good. He should go running. Right now. Just get up and go. It was good exercise. “What happened next?” He asked with a totally normal tone of voice.
“You got this weird look on your face and went to sit back down, but instead of sitting in your chair, you sat in Shadow’s lap.” Oh Gaia. “After that, I just stopped watching. It was so awkward. Knuckles left and I think Rouge went with him. I settled Omega in the workshop and then took Amy back home in the Tornado. By the time I got back…you guys were busy.”
Sonic shot up, the kitchen chair toppling from the swift movement and clattering against the linoleum floor. “I’m gonna go for a run!” He shot across the room in a blur, stopping briefly to fish out his extra pair of socks and sneakers from the hutch by the door.
“Sonic, stop!” Tails shot up as well, his voice full of concern. “You wanted to sleep with Shadow, right? Shadow, did he-?” Sonic didn’t wait to hear the rest, disappearing in a blur of blue into the afternoon light.
---
A brilliant sun shone down over a verdant paradise hanging peacefully in the sky. The perfect setting for rehashing a well-worn argument. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset.” Knuckles followed an irritated Rouge as they approached her helicopter.
“You never do.” She sighed, fingers quickly typing at her phone. With an annoyed grunt, she held it up in the air. “I can never get a good signal anymore.” Cell service was never good on Angel Island but had become downright nonexistent after Shadow took out the latest Death Egg and spread a field of shrapnel throughout geostationary orbit. Who knew telecommunication satellites were so fragile?
“Where is the Island right now?”
“Huh?” Knuckles gave her an incredulous smirk. “You’re on it right now Rouge.”
She rolled her eyes. “In relation to the ground, darling.”
“Oh.” Knuckles put his fists on his hips and looked at the ground, thinking. He looked up at her and shrugged. Angel Island’s position in the sky was ever changing. Without Knuckles guiding her the night before, Rouge would never have found it. The red idiot just always seemed to know which way to head. Probably involved some nonsense with the Master Emerald.
Rouge released a deep sigh. “I need to know if I have enough fuel to make it back to the mainland. I have to go work.” She gesticulated her phone for emphasis. Then it began ringing.
“Hello Amy, you’re on speaker with me and Knuckles.” Rouge held her phone flat.
“Good afternoon, Amy.” Knuckles approached closer.
“Hello Rouge!” Came Amy’s cheery voice. “Knuckles, can you come back to the battlefield from yesterday?”
“You called me, looking for Knuckles?” Rouge put a hand on her hip and shifted her weight, irritated.
“I’m sorry Rouge, I had called and texted him, but didn’t get a response. I assumed he was with you still.”
Rouge’s eyes snapped up at Knuckles who had the audacity to grin at her sheepishly. “Sorry, Amy, I don’t know where my phone is right now.” He was worse than Sonic sometimes.
“The cleanup team onsite has found some ruins. Let me send you the pictures.” Rouge’s phone chirped with an alert. “Did you get them?”
Rouge fiddled with her phone. “They are loading. Service is shit here.”
Amy continued. “Knuckles, can you take a look at them? Some of the carvings looked similar to some I’ve seen on Angel Island.” Knuckles’ countenance grew serious, and he drew closer. “It looks like something was there. I bet that’s what Robotnik was after.”
When the pictures loaded, Knuckles snatched the phone. He squinted at the screen but had trouble zooming in with his thick gloves. Rouge reached over and deftly enlarged the image. “Oh, isn’t that interesting.” She commented.
Knuckles handed the phone back to Rouge. “We’re on our way, Amy.”