#sonic walks in on tails making dinner in his workshop

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

[silver---linings]

Sonic and Silver were walking back towards the Workshop after Silver took apart Eggman’s mech and Eggman fled.

"You seem like you had fun."

"You bet I did! Tearing apart that mech was something I needed! I feel so much better!" Silver punches a fist into his palm. "I wish he had more for me to break!"

"Heh, sometimes breaking Eggman’s toys is the best mood-lifter! Gotta say, smart idea using that psychic flail as a lasso to bring that mech down!"

Silver shifts his gaze to the side and rubbed a finger under his nose. "Heh, when your powers function differently, you have to improvise."

Sonic would comment on how rubbing a finger under his nose is his thing, but decided to let Silver have this. "Don't get me started on how you tore through that thing! You really shredded it, Wolverine style! With how viciously you were going at it, I was almost worried you would lose control again!"

'Vicious..?' Hearing that word stopped Silver in his tracks. After hearing Sonic say he was almost worried that he would control again, he lifts up his clawed hands and stared into them.

Now that he thinks about it, he did kind of lose it after getting hit by a blast from a missile. He wanted nothing more but to tear that mech into shredded scrap metal in that moment. It felt great doing it, for sure, but he does realize he let his temper take him over.

Even if he is in control, he's still dangerous.

Sonic stops when he notices Silver is no longer next to him. He stops and turns around. "Something wrong, Silvs?"

It took a few moments before Silver looked up at Sonic. "Sonic, I think I'm going to leave tomorrow."

"You're leaving?"

Silver scratches the back of his head. "Yeah... I think I've overstayed my welcome at the Workshop, not to mention I need to check to see how the future is looking." It's not the whole truth, but that was all he was willing to tell.

"I do appreciate you helping me out with..." He gestured to himself. "this little problem."

"Heh." Sonic gives him a thumbs up. "Anything to help out a friend."

"And... um..." Silver starts scratching the side of his head. "I didn't say earlier, but..." He turns his head away. "I'm... sorry for almost killing you that night..."

Sonic waves it off. "Silver, you weren't yourself. It's not your fault. Don't worry about it, though it will make you feel any better, I accept your apology."

Even with the reassurance, Silver still seemed rather torn up about it, and Sonic can see this. He walks up to him and pats him on the arm, prompting the Werehog to look at him.

"Hey." He points behind him with his thumb towards the Workshop. "How about we have some dinner, and after, we can try cooking up some apple fritters?"

"Apple fritters?" Silver perked up immediately after they were mentioned, his tail even started wagging. "I love apple fritters!"

Sonic grins. "I guess it's a done deal then! Tails has been wanting to try making them. You could be our taste tester!"

"Of course! I'd be more than happy too!"

"Awesome!" Sonic starts walking ahead. "Let's head on in then!" He snickers when he notices Silver's tail going and points towards it. "You're really excited for these fritters, aren't you, Silver?"

"Of course I am! What's so funny about- huh?" Silver checks to see where Sonic was pointing and finds his tail wagging like crazy. "ACK!" He grabbed to make it stop. "Stop that!"

"Oh Gaia, that's embarrassing." He muttered as he sheepishly follows after Sonic.

[max-nico]

*Gru voice* Alright... My turn

Despite it technically being Sonic's plane, whenever he drives it Tails clutches the sides like a mom teaching her children to drive for the first time. "Sonic... Sonic slow down !!! SONIC !!! SONIC THE CLOUDS !!!" Meanwhile Sonic just scowls at him and keeps steering

I've said this before, but whenever Sonic gets Tails to make dinner he shadow boxes behind him. Just swings at the air like he's fighting him, and whenever Tails turns around he pretends he wasn't doing it.

Tails will tattle tail to Knuckles whenever Sonic is even the slightest bit mean to him. He pulls out his big wet puppy dog eyes and points at Sonic like, "he ate my last mint when he saw me reach for it 🥺🥺"

Tails semi frequently threatens to run away to live with Shadow, and will often gush about how he's just so cool, and "you should've seen him Sonic he might've been faster than you !!"

Sonic sits on Tails just to get on his nerves, or if he's been working too long and refuses to put his stuff up for the night. Can't work if you can't use your hands.

Sonic also frequently threatens to get him a child leash when he embarrasses him or walks away in public

Tails is a biter, Sonic is not afraid to bite right back

Sonic is the type to lick something that they both want so that Tails won't touch it. Tails is the type to put stuff on high shelves because only one of them can fly high enough to reach it

Sonic, moving Tails' wrist: stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself

Neither are above sticking their fingers in each other's ears

Sonic, shaking Tails awake: Tails, TAILS !! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL !!!

Tails, deliriously: I don't go to school😕 ??

Or

Tails, shaking Sonic awake and handing him a chili dog: Sonic... It's Amy she said she needs to talk to you

Sonic, deliriously pushing the chili dog onto his face: why is the phone wet ?

Sonic makes crappy Minecraft houses and Tails griefs all of them because it makes his world look ugly

Sonic is incredibly dramatic and has his own fainting beanbag in Tails workshop. It's labeled and everything

Sonic has gotten Tails with updog enough times for it to be genuinely embarrassing

Tails will use big made up words during arguments and pretend their real and common. Once he even got knuckles and Amy in on it

Been thinking about Sonic and Tails and how after a few years the two of them finally feel comfortable enough to start treating each other in that mean way that only siblings can be.

He’d never joke if it was something serious- but whenever Tails gets a wound like a scratch or a bruise Sonic will give it a long, hard look while clicking his tongue and say, “I’m sorry bud, but we’re gonna have to amputate :(“ and Tails will magically pull out a hacksaw saying ‘bet’ and Sonic has to wrestle it away from him.

It’s hot outside and Sonic is too lazy to get his own drink so he stands there begging Tails to let him have a quick sip of his:

Sonic: pls just one sip and I’ll give it back

Tails: …5 seconds and that’s it

So Tails gives him the drink and Sonic is being dramatic like “thank you so much bro this means a lot to me”. And Tails stands there watching as Sonic slurps down the rest of his drink until theres nothing left and his brother hands him the empty cup back like “that hit the spot thanks dude :)”. Tails looks down at the empty cup in his hand then back at Sonic and he just full force smashes the cup to the side of his head, water and ice just splashing everywhere.

Tails is working in his lab and every time Sonic goes to visit him and catch up he will always ALWAYS leave the door open when he leaves. Tails will yell at him to leave it closed and Sonic never listens, he’ll just stand there in the door and go 🤷‍♂️ until Tails chases him around the house. Sometimes Tails will legitimately just lock the door and Sonic will scratch outside like a dog kicked out of its home.

Tails is throwing a tantrum and just being particularly snarky and Sonic will always say stupid stuff like:

Sonic: “I literally gave birth to you???”

Tails: “Mf no you did not ☠️”

They make a bet about who can embarrass the other the most in front of strangers. They’re out getting ice cream or something and Sonic is letting Tails choose a flavor at the front, and the worker is talking to them like “how nice that your brother is taking you out for ice cream”. Tails look up at her with a big smile and says, “It sure is. It’s the first time this month since he’s let me out of the house. I’ll have to enjoy this while I can!! 🥹”. The lady looks horrified and Sonic grabs Tails by the scruff of his neck and tries to de-escalate the situation.

Sonic: ahahaaa wowie!!! Kids sure do say the funniest things am I right?? 😁

Tails: 🦊🍦

They’re out shopping and it’s kinda busy and so Tails slips away while his brother is preoccupied and leaves to go do his own thing. An hour passes by and Sonic has already left when Tails sends him a message saying “You forgot me in the store :(“ Sonic goes through the 100 stages of grief before sprinting back and freaking out thinking he’s the worst brother ever and Tails has already been at home waiting for him to get back just to laugh in his face.

Sonic is hyping up Tails to their fans and he playfully ruffles his head and goes, “Yep! He just learned how to tie his own shoes, I’m hoping that he’ll learn his alphabets soon enough. ☺️” and Tails dies on the inside bc now all these people think he’s a second grader.

Mean sibling bonding at its prime.

[boomshadowboom]

A Dove and a Tainted Heart

Shadow p.o.v.

It was very cloudy this morning. It looked like a storm was ready to begin. It was cooler and it felt nice. A fresh breeze blew through my chest fur, quills, and lungs. I breathe in the air as rain began to sprinkle my fur. I close my eyes as the rain washes over me. As my fur gets soaked I hear a voice all too familiar. A deep echoing voice fills my ears and head. I try to shake it off by shaking my head violently. It seems to work as I hear another voice. One belonging to the villain named Eggman. He called my name as I feel my fur wet and heavy. "Shadow! I need your help." He shouts out. I run to him in concern as I see a bunch of bruises littering his body. Then my blood begins to boil. Those boisterous pests had taken it too far this time. I speed off towards the direction of the village after dressing the doctor's wounds. I stop at the sight of that infernal blue hedgehog. I run on straight impulse and anger as I attack that unsuspecting hedgehog with a sucker punch. He stares at me in surprise and confusion. I don't let him get any time for recovery as I begin to punch repeatedly. He groans in immense pain as put all my strength into it. I stop seeing his badly bruised body.

Amy p.o.v

I get worried as I take out his chili dogs from the oven. He had always come to get chili dogs. I go outside and drop the hot cookie sheet spilling the contents on the ground. That's when I see...... HIM! He was standing over my love's badly bruised body shaking in anger. I snapped and charged him head and hammer first. This time I manage to hit him which is strange. Then he gets up and charges me fist first. We go back and forth before my body gives out in pain. I call out weakly to my best friends. Thankfully it seems like they heard me as I think I see them rush towards my aching weak body. I blink but my eyes don't open again. My mind flutters from wondering how Sonic is doing to if I died or if Shadow is good or evil. These thoughts race through my mind as I try to wake up. My body and head feel so heavy. My eyelids refuse to open again and I wonder why he attacked us to begin with. The next thing I know is my body feels like it's being electrocuted and my body levitates up for a short period. Then my thoughts drift to nothingness. Then my thoughts dissolve into the darkness of nothing. My mind wanders again to the possibilities of someone noticing us hurt or us being gone.

Tails' p.o.v

I rush over with my medical kit after hearing Amy's call for help. I run as fast as I can as I see her bruised body. Only to look next to her and see Sonic. My eyes water to see them so hurt. I get it together and wipe my eyes. "Sticks and Knuckles distract Shadow while I take care of Sonic and Amy." They comply as they attack him. I use my kit to clean Amy's wounds first since she is a female and therefore is much more sensitive and vulnerable. I continue to clean her wounds and dress them until it's finished. Then I move on to Sonic who looks like he got the brunt of it all. I knew I had to finish quickly to help Knuckles and Sticks. I survey his injuries, clean them, and dress them. I fly them out to my workshop then fly back ready to fight. I would give it my all for the two I consider friends and parents. I land only to see the other two injured now. My blood boils and yell a battle cry as I fly towards that ignorant hedgehog. Tears in my eyes, I attack him repeatedly not giving him a chance to attack back. I kept hitting him and hitting him but I wasn't making enough impact. I grab Sticks and Knuckles and fly them to my workshop. I hack into Eggman's best robot Metal Sonic. Shadow wanted to play dirty, then I would too. I hack it successfully as I follow the metal copy of my friend and father figure to Shadow's location. He wouldn't get away with this. He needed to learn the consequences of his vulgar actions. Metal Sonic arrives first with me behind him. Shadow looks on in shock as I have Metal Sonic attack with a blast. He swerved out of the way of the blast as I attack with repeated strikes. Metal Sonic attacks claws first which surprisingly worked. That's when Shadow had enough and took Metal apart with raw strength. I start to freak out knowing I was next. Just when he was speeding towards me, gunshots started pelting his fur. Hands I'd never felt before picked me up and carried me away. Traumatized and screaming for my friends I flail my arms and put up a struggle. I kick my legs and squirm hoping they would let me go. But they take me through a strange portal, and I give up. It was too late. I would never know if my friends were ok or if they recover. The portal closed. I slump my body to the floor and I begin to cry. They shrug and hurry me outside. I walk the streets crying and hugging myself. That's when my life changed. A girl found me and took me to her friends. They took me in as one of their own.

Sonic p.o.v.

I wake up to find myself in Tails' workshop. Amy is near me and very bruised. I look over to Knuckles who looked horrible. Then I look to Sticks who looks equally as bad. I look for Tails but for some reason I can't seem to find him. I get up only to lay back down in agonizing pain. Wow, Shadow really did a number on me this time. I lightly tap Amy's injured body to see if she'll wake. Her eyes slowly flutter open, which I gotta admit was pretty attractive. I pay my attention back to her. "What happened? How did we get here? Where's Tails?" The questions flood out of my mouth faster than I can stop them. "I lost my temper and attacked Shadow. He beat me. That's what I remember. I don't know the answer to the last one. And I think Tails brought us." She answers. I try to stand but immediately regret it. I stand anyway and start to walk around. "Better." I run around the workshop then outside. There is no sign of Tails but I almost stumble on the disembodied body of Metal. I also happen to glance at a bloodied Shadow fighting helicopters and men in military suits. He finally finishes them and picks up the rings from his wrists off the ground and puts them on. He looks exhausted and glances my way in surprise and regret. He looks away and towards a strange portal. He limps towards me and I begin to back up. He covers his face as gunfire comes at him from behind me. I look back and I see Amy, with fire and hatred in her eyes take out her hammer. "Don't you dare take one step near my Sonic again!" She shouts her voice laced with malice. She rushes towards him but I grab her from behind.

Shadow p.o.v.

I stand up seeing my only options to try walking towards Sonic again or go through that portal. A strange red liquid pours out of my body that resembles human blood. It makes me feel exhausted but I drudge towards the other hedgehog that is clearly my superior. I drag my feet as I walk and finally reach him. I put my red stained hand on his shoulder. I pull him closer and whisper in his ear. "I'm sorry." I cough heavily and let go of him. He freaks out and the female hits me into the portal. "I told him." I hear her say as I drift out of consciousness. My body feels light as I fell unfamiliar arms catch my unconscious body.

April p.o.v.

I catch a mutant that seems to have fallen out of the sky. It's unconscious and bleeding red blood with green tints. I look over its body and discover it's a female. Why she wore no clothes and breathed so heavy I have no idea. I act quickly and carry her bridal style to my apartment. I lay her on the couch and search for a medical kit. I find one in the bathroom and grab it. I walk briskly towards her and take out the supplies. I grab the alchohol from my Dad's special cabinet and decide to use it as a disinfectant for her wounds. I pour it onto her wounds and I hear a loud hiss from her. She soon relaxes and I wrap her wounds in bandages. I check her wounds again five minutes later and she had bled through her bandages already. I notice the bullet wounds in her and grab some pliers. I pull the bullets out and wrap the wounds again. I wash my hands and the instruments I used to clean and treat the wounds. I also wash the pliers and put them back. Then I grab the cleaning supplies for the apartment to also clean underneath the girl. If I didn't clean it now it wouldn't come off. I carefully pick her fragile body up and move her to my bed for now. She winces in a deep voice and relaxes. I clean the couch and the floor before returning the supplies. I start on dinner. I hope Dad's in the mood for chicken parm.

Donnie p.o.v.

She hasn't called yet. She told me She would call me if she got home safely. The girl of my dreams didn't call. It hurt me more than anything. I started to worry but thought maybe she wanted me to call this time. I dial her number and hope she picks up. I finally hear her voice after three rings. "Hey Donnie, kinda not the best time." I wince. "Sorry. I was just worried. Are you ok?" She breathes in then out. "Yeah. Just making dinner. And tending to a new friend." I gulp nervously. "What kind of friend?" I ask jealousy evident in my voice. "A female." She answers annoyed picking up on the jealousy. I sigh in relief. "Is she with you?" I ask quickly. "Yeah. But she's unconscious. I caught her falling out the sky. Then brought her home and fixed her up. She's asleep. And she's a mutant like you guys." Her voice perks up. My eyes widen in excitement. "What is she?" I ask giddiness now present. "A hedgehog I think. But for some reason she doesn't wear clothes." She answers. "How's she doing?" I ask walking outside the lab. "Not sure." She adds. "What do you mean you don't know?" I shout forgetting everyone was present. They turn their heads to look at me in confusion. I blush in embarrassment then clear my throat. They must assume I'm having another argument with her. They had become more frequent as of late. I put the phone down and apologize. Raph is the first to speak. "Really?! Can't you and your girlfriend's argument wait? Some of us would like to chill." I sit and slump hearing his words. Mikey looks at me sadly then walks out of the room after glaring at Raph. Leo walks towards me and gives me a comforting hug. He picks up th phone and me and take both of us to the dojo. Mikey comes out and Raph shakes his head. Leo gives a disapproving look then hands me my phone. He pats my shell then leaves.

Raph's p.o.v.

I pout as I watch my new favorite TV show since my breakup with Mona. It was Drama with Barbara. This episode I was sure she would stay with Ryan. I watch the scenes fold out on the screen with a bored expression. Nothing was interesting anymore and Donnie's drama with April annoyed me. And everyone is always mad at me. Mikey when I yell at Donnie and Leo for pretty much breathing. To be honest he was short with everyone since three years ago. Whatever happened I hope he lets it go. He gets mad at Mikey for not having his room clean but nothing else, Donnie well, actually, he's pretty nice to him. Me for anything I do, Casey for not pulling his weight around here, April for forgetting to give our allowance, Karai and Shinigami for not being here enough, and the Mutanimals for not doing what he assigned them. He will even yell at himself, throw some things in his room around, then cry himself to sleep. No one wants to be around him anymore and I don't blame them. Then comes the moment I had been waiting for except she dumped him for Duncan.

Mikey's p.o.v.

I activate the Just Dance machine April got me. I flip through the songs while putting on my underwear. Then I select my new favorite song party on the floor by DJ Earworm. I begin the dance moves and they are fairly easy. That is until I reach the fast paced parts. I move my feet to the music getting a perfect on every move. I continue faster and faster until the song ends. I stop as my heart beat continues super fast. Then I turn that off and flip through channels on my tv. I stop on Crognard the Barbarian. It was the new series Leo and Donnie put together. It was super cool. When I finished the episode I start on the school Leo put me on. I remember everything Donnie told me to do and think my problems through. I could hear Raph yelling at the tv. I do my best to ignore it and work on focusing. I can't take one more yell from Leo without crying. It's pretty hurtful. But it's worse to hear him scream in the middle of the night. I'm the only one who hears him and comforts him to the best of my ability. That's why he always apologizes for yelling afterwards. I focus on my schoolwork and finish it. Then I call Renet asking if she knows a therapist to help Leo. Donnie said that was the only specialist that could help Leo.

Leo p.o.v.

I hope Donnie is done with his phone call. Boredom, hunger, and nerves eat at my stomach. Thinking about my dead kids and wife hurts so much. If only there was a way to get rid of it. I shift my mind to the pills Donnie made me.

[ebachan]

Sonic movie 2 - A few ideas

Hi, after watching the movie two times, I’ve come up with some ideas for Sequel! This time using the info from the actual movie and following from the end.

I’m going to be spoilerific here, so I'll include my ideas after the “Read more” tag and tag this post as spoilers ;-) If you are interested, you can read my previous version too :-)

Sorry, for the tag, but I really like you guys & girls & LBGT+ <3

@movie-robotnik-positivity @movie-sonic-positivity @dxrkblaze @aawesomepenguin @welcome-to-green-hills @sonicpositive

I’m aware, this isn’t good movie-script XD I think it may be too long, but I had to get this idea out <3 And it was fun to do <3

We see Sonic interact with GH’s residents like Carl or Wade. Perhaps stopping by Olive Garden to get a free bowl of spaghetti since everybody loves him. We get to see Tom on duty, and Sonic helps him (by making sure the Duck-Mom and her kids cross the street).

After the day job, they go home to eat dinner. Maddie greats them with Chilli Dogs Sonic loves so much. They are about to go eat when Ozzy bolts outside, barking. Before they can react, Tails runs into the house with Ozzy behind him.

Tail: “No, I taste bad! I swear!” (Tails ends up on the floor with Ozzy licking him)

Tom and Maddie watch in confused amusement, but Sonic trembles and yells, “No! I’m not going back!” and dashes into his room.

Tom gets Ozzy off Tails and asks for answers. Maddie watches a few steps away and gets to hold Ozzy.

Tails introduce himself as Miles Prower and asks them about Sonic, and that Longclaw had sent him to find Blue Blur. Tom is suspicious given how Sonic reacted, but he and Maddie heard about Longclaw. Tom goes to Sonic’s room to talk with him and finds him curled up among balls.

Sonic ends up embarrassed and unwilling to talk, but starts talking more about his childhood trauma, and how Tails is from his home planet. He is scared Tails will take him home. Tom mentions Longclaw, and Sonic darts down.

Sonic: “Where is Longclaw? Where is she?!” he shouts while shaking with Tails. Soon, Sonic remembers his position and retreats behind Maddie like a kid. Tom joins them, and Tails, after being less dizzy, explains to them about Longclaw.

She ...

a) had raised Tails

b) was found by Tails

c) found Tails

(In either way, they turn into friends.)

Tails: “The Echidna Clan is plotting something. We’ve seen so many of them scouting the area.”

Sonic is frowning.

Tails: “You have to return with me.” Tails comes closer, and Sonic hides behind Maddie more.

Maddie: “Okay, how about this. It’s quite late, and this is all so sudden. We need time to think about this, right?”

While Tails is a bit disappointed, he agrees. Sonic is glad he doesn’t need to do the decision.

a) They go to eat and are attacked by Echidnas, much like Sonic was attacked as a child. This paralyzes Sonic, who curls up and hides while the rest is powerless against the warriors. Tom gets a big punch, knocking him on the floor. Tails is also overpowered. Maddie hits one with a plate, breaking it. This Echidna punches her in the belly, knocking her unconscious. In the fray, enters Carl with his chainsaw. Echidnas’ Leader, Knuckles, calls for retreat and grabs Maddie, taking her with his fellow warriors through the portal.

b) They sit down while Maddie goes to the kitchen to get the Chilli Dogs. While there, she sees from the window a new portal and walking Echdidna, Knuckles. Thinking he is Tails’ friend (and not recognizing Echidna due to Sonic never describing them too well), she goes out inviting him inside. He knocks her down, and Ozzy starts barking. Tom follows his dog and sees how Knuckles is abducting her in panic (Knuckles was supposed to get Sonic undetected). Sonic could save her, but he is too scared to move.

Either way, Sonic, this time, tells more about his past and the attack. Tails explains those are the Echidnas, he was talking about. Tom can’t let his wife be in danger, so he wants to go to the other side of the ring (Insert Alice in Wonderland and/or Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass pun/Easter Egg).

Sonic is happy he won’t be alone and is ready to go (but he is still scared). Tom reminds him how he had beaten Dr. Robotnik, and that some mole can’t be a problem (Buckles the Mole from Ponic the Hedgehog fan comic). However, Tails first takes them to his island where Longclaw is.

(In the case of a)) Tom tells Carl to take care of their house and thank him. Also, in both cases, he calls Wade to tell him to take care of this town, and that he counts on him to keep it safe. Wade is almost tearing.

-------

Sonic’s world

Tail’s workshop is located on Mystic Ruins (from SA1), which is on a different island. Sonic is nervous to see his first mom. However, Longclaw is happy to see him, and she never blamed him for the first attack. After a bit of introduction, and Tom checking the place, they hear the story.

Echidnas are restless, and Longclaw is worried. They had attacked other islands, claiming them for themselves. They are using weird machines. 

Tom: “Machines? ... Like Eggs?”

Longclaw: “Yes.”

Tom/Sonic: “No good.”

(We may get some old-time Badniks :-D)

(Also, Longclaw may be dead for some time, and Tails searched for Sonic to also fulfill her last wish to see if he was okay. So, I'm not including her in the rest of the story ;-))

------

With Maddie

We go to the Echidnas’ main island - the one where Sonic was raised by Longclaw. Knuckles is in front of their Tribe Leader (From SA1, but his name is too long XD, let’s call him TR). TR is disappointed in Knuckles, who failed to bring in Sonic, and thus he won’t get a tribal mask (it means he is a full-blood warrior). He is reminded of how great his father was, and he is sent to guard Maddie in the prison set in a cave/stone-wall.

Dr. Robonik appears and has some of his usual crazy talks, not minding Maddie. Since he knows, they will come for her.

Maddie wakes up, getting up, but the cell is not enough tall, so she sits.

Maddie: “Where am I? Who are you?”

Knuckles ignores her.

Maddie keeps talking, annoying the Echidna.

Knuckles: “Keep it quiet, female!” he shouts.

Maddie is annoyed but keeps her cool. “Or what, Mole?”

Knuckles get really annoyed. “I’m not a mole!”

Maddie: “Then who are you?” -she lists some animals, getting wrong ones-

Knuckles: “I’m an Echidna!”

Maddie: “Oh.”

Maddie keeps talking, trying to understand her situation, and Knuckles ends up telling a bit more (he can slip a few things, as he is a bit naive and inexperienced). He mentions the Doctor.

Maddie: “Dr. Robotnik?”

Knuckles: “Ro-but-nik?”

Maddie describes him, and Knuckles nods. The warrior quickly gets angry once more, as he isn’t supposed to talk with her. She proceeds to convince him, how cruel and selfish this person is, and that he is only using them.

Knuckles can’t help but agrees with her, as he finds the doctor weird, but he can’t go against his tribe. Maddie then asks him for at least something to eat, and the kind Echidna listens.

She uses her pin to lockpick her prison, which works to her surprise.

Maddie: And they say action movies aren't educational.

She quickly runs away with Knuckles returning a few seconds later.

Knuckles: “I don’t know what you...” He looks around with big eyes unable to grasp the situation before yelling, “Oh crab!” He lets go of the plate, finding her footprints easily and following her.

He catches up to her quickly and jumps at her. However, he has no idea, she is Pretzel Lady, In the air, she grabs his wrist and throws him away. But that proves to be a bad idea, as Knuckles ends up over the edge, grabbing the edge and hanging down above deep pit.

Maddie is terrified and rushes to pull the Echidna up. No matter what, she can’t let somebody die because of her, and it wasn’t her intention. She tries to pull him up, but the ground under her stops being solid.

-----

Back to Tails.

Now everybody (I won’t count Longclaw here in case she really died) is on board of Tornado, heading for the Sonic’s Island. Tom is a bit squeezed inside, but doing fine, making a few planes jokes/puns to break the tension.

As they near the island, they are attacked by robots, recognizing Dr. Robotnik’s design (or not XD). In any case, they go for a crash landing and soon are found by Echidnas. 

Sonic manages to beat them, overcoming his trauma bit by bit. Then he follows the last robot who leads him into a jungle. Tom and Tails have no chance to follow him but still do so.

Tom asks about the ground being blocky, and Tails doesn’t get why it is weird.

-----

To Sonic

He finds Dr. Robotnik and has a quick talk with him, repeating Tom’s Fun-gi joke, mentioning also his new haircut. Dr. Robotnik is furious. Echidnas attack from the bushes but can’t capture him. Dr. Robotnik then makes a holograph, showing Maddie inside the cell on the floor.

That stops Sonic, and he lets them tie him. He is then taken to the tribe.

----

To Maddie

They are falling, and Maddie, out of instinct, holds Knuckles, protecting him with her own body, but they soon stop descending way too fast. She realizes they are floating, and Knuckles gets her to land safely. He is huffing on the ground, mentioning he hates heights. Before they can talk more, the ground under then vanishes, sending them into the underground complex.

There, Knuckles tries to climb back, but that proves to be risky, causing a small cave in. Maddie suggests they should find another way out and pulls out her phone (let’s say she put it in her pocket before getting kidnapped ;-)), using a flashlight.

Knuckles is spooked a bit first since they don’t have the technology, and so they are in awe in front of Dr. Robotnik, who presents himself as a superior being.

They talk a bit, and Knuckles asks why she tried to save him.

Maddie: “I just... can’t let somebody die in front of me. and I reacted without thinking.”

Knuckles is impressed since he never thought an enemy would help him. As they walk through the maze, they find old pictures left by even older Echidnas (or Bird/Owl’s people), and Knuckles figures out the story about Chaos Emeralds, who are a big legend passed down in his tribe. (At this time they can learn each other’s names)

---

Back to Sonic and Dr. Robotnik

Dr. Robotnik talks about his plans, mocking Sonic, getting a lot of quills from him to power his better machines. Sonic is afraid Maddie would be in danger as Dr. Robotnik said she has a collar that would explode, and that she is hidden in a place he can’t find (but they know she is gone).

So, Sonic plays it safe as he has metallic rings around his wrists and ankles. The robots fly away, following instructions. The TL speaks too, ordering Sonic to listen to his every command. Sonic is cracking jokes as always, but he is getting nervous.

Soon, Tails and Tom make an entrance being captured. Dr. Robotnik is overjoyed, and Tom praises Dr. Robotnik’s new hair cut.

Tom: “Getting ready for a date?”

Dr. Robotnik has some snarky remarks when outside turns into hell, the robots attacking Echidnas.

Robotnik explains he has no use for them and goes away with his robots protecting him. Sonic tries to go after him, but once he moves too fast, the rings turn him into a ball, and he is unable to move.

Echidnas are trying to fight or help the injured. Tom assists them, yelling “Let’s save our problem for later!” Tails tries to do something with those rings, but Robotnik is long gone. Once the fight is over, they take time to talk.

Tails managed to take those rings off, and they are told Maddie is gone, running away from them. Sonic is scared, as this place isn't that safe for non-super-speed-hedgehogs. TL promises help in searching for Maddie. And Tails takes down the cuffs on Sonic’s limbs.

----

Back to Maddie

Inside of the maze, they discover altar with a dusty gem floating above it. Knuckles is amazed, lost with words. They take a bit of the dust away, but Robotnik’s robots find them. Knuckles tries to protect Maddie but is hit. She pulls him to safety, and the robots take Master Emerald away.

Maddie gives a piggy-pack ride to (very embarrassed) Knuckles, following the robots to her best ability, finding the way out. Outside they witness Dr. Robotnik taking the gem further, but they have no chance to stop him.

She continues until they meet with the rest. After a quick briefing, they are all up-to-date, and Echidnas are willing to help them as that Gem is their lost treasure. Tails is analyzing the power-waves from the ME when the land shakes, revealing a huge water monster.

(Dr. Robotnik is in some hoover machine with the ME under it.)

Dr. Robotnik is controlling Perfect Chaos as this monster was trapped and is bound to the ME. From its body emerges a “bubble”, covering the island. Everything inside of it “freezes”. Tails opens a portal, and they head that way.

Maddie throws Knuckles to Tom, getting trapped in the bubble as her leg got stuck. They get away, but they are crushed by her loss. Tails tells them his machine had told him those trapped are still alive. So, they have a chance.

Sonic: “But how do we beat that monster?”

Knuckles proceeds to tell them about the other legend of smaller emeralds, that were scattered across 7 planets to keep them away from evil hands, and the ME was hidden on this very island.

The race to find those ChE starts, as only they can measure to ME. They visit the Mushroom Planet first, as Tails finds the signal.

This way the visit other planets from Sonic’s old map.

(I think this part can be speed-up a bit as we may not have enough time to fully visit all the worlds, but some hints of what has to come a.k.a Shadow or Silver are to be placed here.)

Once they have them, they return (using a plane) to find many islands were frozen. Sonic sees the monster and rushes to fight it. Knuckles is tasked to work with ChE to make a miracle or use their power. He tries, chanting the good old verses from SA1, but nothing is happening.

Sonic meanwhile can’t keep up with Chaos, getting hit a lot, but P Chaos still can’t “freeze him”.

Sonic: “I’m a hot stuff/shot, Bubble Head!”

Sonic gets stuck inside of Chaos' body, and only his electricity is slowing down the freezing process. Dr. Robotnik gloats, dancing. Knuckles joins the fight, punching a chunk of the water out of Chaos’ body. Dr. Robotnik is surprised and yells/recreates the Skyscraper scene (I wasn't expecting that...).

Knuckles gets Sonic out of the water and gets himself stuck. Sonic is sad and angry, racing to get to Dr. Robotnik. Chaos prevents him from doing so. Tails gets closer and loses the ChE as he has to make quick dodging. The ChE falls toward Sonic, who wishes to be stronger to protect his friends, and the ChE reacts, turning him gold.

With this power, he makes a quick job of P Chaos, who is reduced to Chaos 0. Dr. Robotnik loses ME, which shatters. Dr. Robotnik then makes his escape as Sonic loses his Super Form.

They together get Knuckles, who is floating in the water and heads to the island. There they found everybody still frozen. They are losing hope when Chaos 0 appears and sucks the bubble back, returning everybody back. He is no longer aggressive as he was fried from Dr. Robotnik’s control.

Chaos 0 also gatherers the shards and makes ME whole again. The ChE are scattered once more, but only around this world. Everybody is happy and Tikal (yes, he is alive here) recognizes Chaos as an old Chao her grandma told her about (it was a story passed from many generations ago). This Chaos is old guardian who got locked inside of the ME to protect it.

Echidnas promises to keep peace and protect this place instead of ruling it since Sonic was the one who saved them. After a bit, they are ready to return home, but Knuckles bows in front of Maddie, and says, “I can’t return to my tribe until I fulfill my duty. Lady Maddie, you had saved my life more than once. Allow me to be your Guardian to repay my debt.”

She is reluctant, but she agrees, amused. So, they return and Wachowski’s house gains new inhabitants - Tails and Knuckles.

-------------

Oooof, this was so long XD But I hope this was better than my last draft. I think this one is less polished, as I had mostly idea for Maddie+Knuckles scenes and made Chaos’ one at the spot. I was also reluctant to have somebody die on the screen, so no death :-)

Hope you enjoyed :-)

PS. Sorry for the mistakes ^_^;

[sonic-wildfire]

Aftermath: A Sonic Forces AU Fanfiction - Chapter 11

Uncertainty

The next time he woke up, he found himself in a bed in an unfamiliar room. He had an oxygen mask strapped to his face and soon realized he was breathing via mechanical ventilation. He could hear voices from just outside the room.

��Is he going to be okay?” he heard Tails ask somebody else, presumably a doctor.

“At this point, we can’t say for sure. What we do know, though, is that his health is in grave danger.”

Sonic instantly feared the worst. He knew that nothing good could come out of this.

“His heart had actually stopped beating during the ride to the hospital. Fortunately, we were able to revive him. He’s still in critical condition, though, so we’ve hooked him up on life support for an indefinite period of time.”

Sonic’s eyes shot open and his heart, unhealthily, began to race.

“Life support?” he whispered to himself.

“We’ve put him through a CT scan, so we’ll try and find anything else that might be going on in his heart,” the doctor continued. “We should get results very soon.”

“Is he conscious?” wondered Amy.

“Oh, yeah, he’s definitely conscious.”

“May we see him?” Knuckles chimed in.

“Sure, take as much time as you need.”

The door opened, and the three walked in. Immediately following them were Shadow, Gadget, and Silver. All of them—even Shadow—looked horrified.

Sonic began to speak, but stopped after he remembered he had an oxygen mask on; they wouldn’t hear him clearly.

Instead, Sonic waved softly, his eyes narrow with exhaustion.

“What happened, exactly?” asked Shadow.

“We were meeting at Tails’ workshop trying to figure out where we wanted to go for dinner,” Amy explained, “and Sonic began complaining that his vision was blurred.”

“Then he began holding his chest like he was in some kind of pain,” Knuckles continued. “It didn’t take long before we realized he was having a heart attack.”

“Did you guys ever find out what caused it?” Gadget asked.

“The doctor told us that stress heavily contributed to it but, other than that, they’re trying to find out if something else is happening,” Tails said.

“Did they actually say that?” Silver prompted, turning towards Sonic.

Sonic simply gave a quick head nod, even though he didn’t hear the question.

“Do we know how bad it is?” Shadow thought out loud.

“They said he’s in critical condition,” Amy quietly responded.

They all glanced over at Sonic. His blue fur had dulled to a boring blue-grey, his once-peach skin had now become extremely pale, and his emerald green irides had transformed into nothing more than hazel rings surrounding the pupil.

Sonic had been through numerous death-defying experiences. He had escaped a disintegrating capsule launched from space, endured a mysterious energy form that completely changed him upon nightfall, and even rescued from a black hole.

Yet, this was the one time they weren’t sure he would make it out alive.

Suddenly, three doctors entered the room with a heart-lung machine. Sonic and the other six immediately noticed a sense of urgency in their eyes.

“We just got results of his CT scan back,” one of them spoke.

“We found a 95% blockage in his left main coronary artery,” another revealed. “We need to perform a coronary artery bypass surgery as soon as possible.”

“I suppose that means we have to leave?” Gadget asked.

“Unfortunately,” the third one answered. “The procedure should take anywhere from three to six hours. You can just wait in the visitor’s lobby and we’ll let you know if anything needs to be brought to your attention.”

They all nodded and stood up. Each of them gave Sonic a quick hug before they filed out the door, some of them with tears welling in their eyes. They weren’t sure if he was going to be okay.

As the last one exited, the doctors immediately took off Sonic’s oxygen mask and instructed him to open his mouth. He did, and they inserted a breathing tube connected to a ventilator.

While the doctors applied general anesthesia, Sonic felt himself becoming slowly drowsier. Even still, however, his mind still swirled with thoughts of fear that his friends wouldn’t be able to move on without him if he didn’t survive this ordeal.

He had little time to think about it, though. As he went under, he could faintly hear the voices of the doctors operating on him.

“Do you think this guy will actually live?” one of them asked another.

“Personally? No. Absolutely not.”

[Prelude] [Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter]

[askinfiniteofficial]

HOMEBOUND

created by @theashemarie and @neil-degrasse-china​

(heads up! there’s more prose hidden under the read more tab. please click keep reading to view the full story.)

Gadget stares at his apartment door for a long time. The place is still intact, after everything, just like the rest of the city; somehow, they’ve all made it through unscathed, at least physically. There’s some other stuff to sort through, but right now, more than anything, he wants a long bath, with hot water, and to crawl into his own bed; the touch-starved ache is there too, but it’s not as desperate as everything else, all things considered.

The door swings into a dark, quiet room, and he pads inside, drops his keys on the table, takes everything in—some of the ceiling has fallen off in the bombing shakes, there’s dust covering everything, and the bowl he left there, the bowl with the extra key and the note, is still sitting there, untouched. There’s no power and there won’t be until tomorrow, so he grabs a flashlight from the cupboard. The batteries are still good, and he flicks the light once, twice, holds his hand in front of the beam to cast a small dog shape on the wall, a shadow puppet that reminds him of some time long ago, when his mind still matched his body, his heart was still holding itself together, when he was little and the world was new.

He’s alone now, for the first time, and he grabs some cereal from the kitchen, stale, chewy, but it’s got calories, sits on the couch in the least dusty spot, and chews slowly, methodically. His phone buzzes as Tails checks on him from the safety of the Workshop (also still intact, amazingly), where he’s probably having dinner with Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy. It’s a nice thought, the four of them finally at ease, at rest. It’s great, he thinks, to know that the heroes are resting; that’s when you know things are safe.

Eventually, he takes a cold shower because no electricity equals no hot water, and he climbs into bed. The bed is cold and lumpy and he sits there, staring at his own hands in the darkness, the edges of his fingers blurred without his glasses. There’s no gentle breathing beside him, no snuffling or sleep mumbling, and he stares at the wall, at the flashlight beam he has pointed in that direction, and that’s what does it.

Finally, finally, he allows himself to sink into his own hands, and weep.

--

That night, so long ago, when Infinite went missing, was shaping up to be on the best in a while. Infinite had a huge break for a story, Gadget finished his final with flying colors, and they were celebrating: slow music on the radio, socked feet sliding across the floor, chuckles, hands looped around each other’s necks, long stares and hard blushes. Things were looking up; living together for six months and not a single squabble, just deep, understanding silences, a warm home and an even warmer bed.

They moved across their small living room in even smaller circles. The window was open for a late spring breeze. Gadget hummed along with the radio and Infinite looked at him with some thick, intense emotion he didn’t have a name for; he recognized it, but he couldn’t put a word to it, but that didn’t bother him. They were finally together, finally on the same page, finally happy.

Then, of course, the Ruby slashed through the sky like a meteor, and, of course, Infinite had to investigate.

--

There was a moment, as they watched the Ruby fly past their window, so far away but close enough that they could picture where it landed, smell the acrid burning of grass, almost sense the crater under their feet, when Gadget thought it was a good omen—a falling star, on this, the best day in years, when things were beginning their upswing. Infinite stilled under his hands, watching the window, Gadget watching him, thinking insubstantial thoughts of the future, and they breathed in tandem for a few seconds.

It was the last time they did anything together.

Infinite pulled away from him, couldn��t tear his eyes away from the window. “I-I think it crashed... Gadget, it landed.” He didn’t look at Gadget, but Gadget could feel it, his excitement, the erratic energy that kept him moving at all times. “I— I gotta...”

Gadget laughed, placed a gentle hand on Infinite’s cheek to guide his eyes away from the window. “Then go. I’ll be here when you come back.”

Infinite grabbed Gadget’s hand in both of his. “This could be my chance. This could be the report that puts me on the map.”

Gadget knew this and was excited for him. He nodded, unable to reconcile the eagerness he could see on Infinite’s face with his own more peaceful expectation, but he had a feeling this would be good for them. If Infinite finally got the big cover story, things would be perfect.

Infinite looped his scarf around his neck before he left, toed into his boots, placed a small, gentle peck on Gadget’s forehead, and disappeared into the night.

--

The next morning, when Gadget rolls over, his bedside clock is on, glowing green with the wrong time three in the morning—so the power came back on at some point during the night. The AC is on, he can hear it humming, and that’s a relief; now there’s noise for him to focus on, instead of the cavernous quiet of the apartment, of his mind.

He flips the television on as he pads into the main part of the apartment, but it’s all white noise. The television stations aren’t back up yet and besides, their satellites are sitting in a shrapnel pile somewhere, so he has two options: movie or nothing.

Chao in Space is right where he expects it and he slides the disc into the player, skips to the menu, and hits play mechanically. He doesn’t quite feel like it’s all over, not really, and he half expects something to explode outside. It’s all sunlight and birdsong out there; people are stepping out of their homes, blinking into the sun, shading their eyes against the glare, looking just as lost as Gadget feels. He wants to go out there with them, but everything is screaming at him for a cleaning—plus, he just doesn’t have the strength. After months of living in close quarters, with his every move watched and catalogued, he just wants to be alone for a few hours.

The movie starts as it always does, and it’s nice to be able to anticipate something. He stands, dusts his hands off on his knees, and turns to the kitchen. A quick dust, sweep, and mop will solve a lot of his problems, but then there’s the matter of the fridge—months of fermented milk, some fruit, and who knew what else awaits him behind that hermetically sealed door. He absolutely doesn’t want anything to do with it, but it has to be done. He’s fought in a rebellion, nearly killed his best friend, and nearly died himself a few too many times; he can handle some mold.

Hours later, the fridge has been scrubbed, the movie started over three times, the floors done, and all that’s left is the table, stacked with dishes demanding a wash. He stares at them, exhausted, hungry, sees the bowl with the key and the note, and decides that it’s not worth it after all.

He leaves the door unlocked, just in the case, because there’s nothing he really cares about here, not anymore, and everything that he does care about is worthless to any thief.

--

The next morning, when Gadget rolled over, his bedside clock blared that it was nine am, class in ninety minutes, get your ass up. He groaned, rubbed his eyes, and turned over again, so he could receive the customary baleful glare from Infinite for his alarm clock, but the bed was empty.

It wasn’t exactly unusual for Infinite to not be there. He kept odd hours and was known to get up early some mornings to make breakfast. But, usually, he knew when Gadget would be getting up because he knew Gadget’s schedule better than Gadget himself and he liked to make himself present, said it was because he wanted to be one of the first things Gadget saw when he woke up.

But, this morning, he couldn’t hear Infinite in the kitchen or the bathroom, his half of the bed was cold, the sheets weren’t mussed beyond where Gadget had lain, and he could just tell that nothing had moved since he crawled into bed last night. He rose unsteadily, unsure, and walked toward the kitchen. He couldn’t quite feel his own feet and he had to trail a hand along the wall to keep from falling, but he made it.

Everything was as he left it: dishes in the sink, Infinite’s old scarf hanging on the hook, blankets tossed haphazardly on the couch, a pair of goggles (prescription) hidden amongst the clutter of the coffee table. Their celebratory ice cream was still in the freezer, where it sat all night, pointedly, as Gadget waited for Infinite to come home. When he didn’t show up at half past midnight, Gadget had given up waiting and opted to shower and bed; it must’ve been huge, he reasoned, to keep Infinite out that long.

He went through the motions of breakfast. It was the first time he was making it on his own and it felt weird, to be standing at the stove without Infinite trying to distract him. The eggs turned out rubbery and he ate them quickly, shoveled them into a tortilla to make them mobile, tugged his gloves on, pushed his glasses up, and paused. Did he go to class or did he wait? Did he wait or try to call Infinite? Odds were his phone was silenced if this was a big one, and he couldn’t miss class, not really. He had to take his final.

He shook his head, sent a quick text to Infinite to let him know he missed him, and grabbed his keys. He was probably overreacting. When he got back, Infinite would probably be here, waiting with big news and an even bigger smile.

(Little did he know, in a month, the world would be on fire.)

--

Gadget returns to the apartment with a bag of buttery pastries clutched tight in his fist. (Even during the apocalypse, his favorite bakery stayed open. What heroes.) He shuffles them over to one hand in order to grab the knob, but then. He stops.

The door is open.

The light is on.

He wasn’t expecting this but he was also welcoming it, considering how he left the door open. Still, the gall of someone walking into his apartment on this, the International Day of Peace, gets to him. His eyes narrow, he sets his pastries next to the door so they’re out of harm’s way, and he kicks the door the rest of the way in.

It occurs to him only after the door has bounced off the wall inside that he doesn’t have a weapon (well, other his fists). All of the wispons are locked up in HQ, where only Tails and Knuckles can get at them, awaiting collection by GUN where they’ll be transported to a secure location that Gadget won’t be privy to. He’s on his own here, for the first time in a long time.

But, that doesn’t stop him for long. He follows the door at a run, with a loud yell, because this is his apartment, damnit! And his apartment doesn’t just get waltzed into! The intruder will meet his fists, both of them, all ten fingers, if they want to steal from him!

He lands one solid hit, just one, right in the robber’s stomach. It doubles them over with a loud oof, a deep oof, an oof that Gadget recognizes.

He steps back. He reevaluates.

Infinite is clutching his stomach and he looks up at Gadget, betrayed. He’s slightly floating, Gadget realizes, but not glowing, and his mask is gone, probably tossed dramatically into the trash or an ocean somewhere, knowing him. There’s a long pause as they stare at one another, Gadget trying to reconcile the sight of Infinite in the living room again, Infinite trying to get over the fact that Gadget just punched him full on in the gut.

“Welcome home,” Infinite grunts as he finally manages to straighten back to full height. Carefully, he lets his feet touch the ground. “Sorry for breaking in. I didn’t have my key.”

Gadget takes a few steps back, for breathing room. “What are you doing here?”

His voice is harder than he meant, but it makes Infinite back up a few steps too—the more room, the better—so maybe it’s for the best.

(He never reappeared back then. Gadget waited for a month, contacted the police, contacted GUN, contacted everyone he could think of, but Infinite disappeared. It was like he never existed, and the only proof that he did was the empty space in Gadget’s bed, the extra pairs of shoes in the closet, the shampoo bottles in the shower.

Gadget got little sleep, sat up late into the night, watching the news, listening to the radio, waiting for information. A body, washed up in a river, a lost, confused amnesiac found wandering the forest, a reporter, found snooping in the wrong place. He rehearsed what he would say, if Infinite ever reappeared. What are you doing here? Where have you been? One of those would do, depending on how angry he was at the time. Followed by, It’s been a month.)

“I live here,” Infinite answers.

“Do you? It’s been months. You attacked us.”

Infinite avoids his eyes. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

(Gadget often imagined how this would go. He looked at the door, pictured Infinite standing there, haloed by the light of the hall, soaking wet because it was raining. Arm crossing his body, hand clutching his opposite elbow, head bowed, contrite, but with a smile that was victorious, a hiss of I did it, Gadge. My big break. And then he would rush in, sweep Gadget up, pull him into a hug, a deep kiss that would make Gadget’s knees quake, all his worries and fear disappear.

Instead, he got a war declaration, a total world takeover, and his best friend’s face right next to Eggman’s.)

“We freed you,” Gadget finds himself saying. He can’t be angry with Infinite, not when he’s still got that gem in his chest, not when he’s floating there, bobbing up and down in worry; he doesn’t even realize he’s floating, and that’s just. It’s so sad. “Why didn’t you come help us?”

Infinite looks up, looks him full in the eyes, declares, “I was avoiding you.”

That hurts more than anything else. It smacks him right in the chest, arcs through him like lightning, makes every hair on his body rise in defense. “Without me, you’d still be under his control.”

(He couldn’t accept it at first. Denial. He joined the resistance, fought his way up the ranks, found himself amongst the upper echelon, went on missions with Tails to find Sonic, saw firsthand what Infinite was capable of. Then, he saw that scarf, heard the voice. And he knew. Acceptance.

He fought his best friend, his most important person, and he won. Infinite fell, even with his time-bending powers, even with the force of the Eggman Empire behind him. Gadget liked to believe it was because Infinite saw him, heard him, and that broke something inside him, kept him from fighting as hard.)

“I know.” Infinite says this so simply, holds his hands open in lackluster defense. “But I was scared. Didn’t you read my note?”

“Huh?” All thought ceases. Gadget is baffled. “What note?”

Infinite gestures toward the table, where the dishes are still stacked. “The one in the bowl.”

Gadget moves toward the table even as he answers. “I left that note.”

Infinite floats after him, not too close, but Gadget can still sense him shake his head. “No, I took that note and left you one.”

“When?”

A shrug from Infinite’s direction. “Sometime during the war, when I broke free of the Ruby for a few hours. It has memories, y’know. Basic sentience. This whole time, it was terrified.”

There’s so much there for Gadget to parse through: the Ruby, memories, note, sentience, Infinite’s conversational tone, as if their relationship is okay, fine, not strained at all. So, he just keeps his mouth shut and plucks the note up from the bowl.

(A last-minute thing. He had to get out of the city; Eggman’s battalion was on the horizon and he had to find the resistance if he had any chance of survival—he was young, scrappy, and had nothing to lose. The resistance would happily take him. But, he couldn’t just leave. There was still hope that Infinite would return, wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere, or spirited away to some alternate dimension by whatever fell out of the sky.

That was the thing about love. You always found time to pause, hope, even with the pressing urge to stay alive bearing down on you.

So, he grabbed a bowl, dropped the extra key in there, Infinite’s key, and scribbled a quick note. Left to join the Resistance. Meet me if you can. –G. After a second’s deliberation, he fished the key out, nestled the note in the bottom of the bowl, and placed the key on top, waffled there for a second, staring at it.

Eventually, he was forced to leave by concussive booming.)

This note is different. A small Post-It, yellow and curling up at the edges. Infinite’s scrawling, long cursive. Terrified of Ruby. Terrified of myself. Can’t control it. I’m sorry. I’ll come back if I get rid of it. –I.

Gadget looks up. There’s something like pain in his chest, but it’s more acute, sharper, like someone is slowly prying his ribs apart in order to get at his heart. His hand tightens, the note crumples, and he drops it.

Infinite doesn’t move as Gadget stomps up to him, though he does brace, preparing for another punch. “I’m sorry, but...” He whispers, and one hand rises to pull his scarf aside, so Gadget can see the Ruby, still there. “I found it, Gadge. My big break.”

Gadget stops, releases his fists, stares at the Ruby. The gem stares at him, and he thinks he sees something in there, a sort of waver. A sort of wink. A sort of brainwave.

“What kind of memories?” he hears himself ask. One of his hands rises and he barely touches the edge of it, this thing that has caused them so much grief. It’s mesmerizing.

Infinite’s voice is hushed, breathless, as he watches Gadget run his finger along the gem’s faceted surface. “Lots of pain, being ripped from its home. Forced to activate. Sonic.”

Gadget looks up. “Sonic?”

“Yeah, the little one.” Infinite holds his hand up at hip height. “He tried to save it, in his own world.”

Gadget lets his hand fall. “You didn’t get rid of it.”

Infinite’s face falls and his gaze wanders away, ashamed. “I can’t. It’s tied to me now.”

(While in the resistance, he forgot the desperation, the fear and shame that Infinite was dead, that he let him wander out without help. But, when Infinite reappeared, that surged up again, threatened to suffocate him. The ache returned, lodged itself in his chest, wormed between his ribs, and he imagined that was what having the Ruby was like. More than anything, he wanted to get rid of that feeling.)

Gadget bites his lip, closes his eyes, pushes a hand through his hair, sighs again. “You could’ve shown up earlier. I had to clean the fridge alone. It was rank.”

The look Infinite gives him is like dawn, like a bright yellow sun breaking the horizon in the morning. He smiles for the first time in a long time. “Sorry. I sat outside for a while. I was terrified.”

Gadget rolls his eyes. “Of course you did.”

“Guess I’ll have to make it up to you.” Infinite reaches for him, holds his arms out.

Things won’t be easy. They have a lot of stuff to sort through, a lot of late nights, hard sleeps, loud nightmares, and panic attacks ahead of them, but for now, just now, things are finally, finally perfect.

Infinite finally gives him the hug he’s waited months for. And then? And then the knee-shattering kiss that he’s been aching for.