Chapter Text
The sun blazes comfortingly above them, drying the damn soil from the thunderstorms earlier that week. Sonic gazes up at the sky, shielding his eyes with a hand as he watches the clouds roll by peacefully. They're at work, once again. But this time, it's their entire group, not Sonic alone.
Tails is working with the town's engineers; blueprints are spread on every surface they can commandeer as they theorise on ways to protect the village in the future. Shadow and Knuckles are helping to finish the last building, carrying supplies and materials through the town with speed unlike any of the villagers can conjure. Amy and Rouge are keeping the kids company; Sonic can see Rouge throwing kids into the air as they cackle with delight, and Amy's laughter is ringing through the town, brighter than the sunshine itself.
And Sonic? He's relaxing, for once. He's been on care duty, handing out food and water to the workers who forget to take a break (ironic job, he knows). Mostly, he's been absorbing the sunlight, feeling his energy and happiness return to him in real time.
Shadow's words got through to him, finally. He knows he's no use to his friends if he's overworked and exhausted, so he's decided to step back. He took a couple of days to rest, reconnecting with himself and his brother. But, eventually, that got boring. So he's decided to join them today. Thankfully, they don't necessarily need him. This is the last village in need of repairs, and they're practically finished— bar the last building being constructed. He's been able to kick back and relax, pleasing Shadow very much.
Speaking of, a red blur speeds past, then doubles back, stopping right in front of him. Shadow's eyes peer down at him, fond and sharp. Sonic waves lazily, eyes drifting from the sky to his partner.
"Shads," he greets casually, watching as Shadow's ears twitch at the nickname. He scans Sonic carefully, eyes lingering on his face and eyes, and then he nods,
"Just making sure you're actually resting, faker, since you don't know how to follow instructions," Shadow quips, a smirk on his face. Sonic smiles, disregarding Shadow's jabs. His smile softens, and he stares into those crimson eyes,
"I am," Sonic says earnestly. Shadow blinks at the sincere answer, but then he smiles briefly,
"Good."
He's off before Sonic can say anything else. He rolls his eyes, following Shadow's blur until it's hidden by the houses and people. That hedgehog is such a softie. Sonic chuckles to himself, eyes drifting back to the sky. The sun nearly blinds him, and he quickly shifts his vision to the drifting clouds. He tries to spot shapes in them, like he used to do when he was younger.
His brain conjures up a duck, maybe? Or a tree? He twists his head, analysing the cloud with more concentration than necessary. Maybe it's a dragon, actually, now that he's really looking at it. Hey, that one kinda looks like Shadow! And that one... looks like an eggbot?
The eggbot's getting closer. That isn't a cloud. Sonic shoots up, eyebrows creasing. That's an eggbot, and it's being followed by at least a dozen others. Sonic rushes away from his little post in the grass, instead running to the centre of the village, and then he cups his hands over his mouth, yelling,
"EGGMAN!"
He barely gets the warning out before a buzz bomber dives at him, making him tuck and roll out of the way. He spin-dashes into it, destroying it in seconds as he hears the rest of his team gathering around him. Tails and Rouge turn up behind him in fighting stances, followed quickly by Knuckles and the telltale flash of Shadow's emerald.
"Amy's evacuating," Rouge rushes out quickly, kicking a bot in the face as they begin to descend on their group. Sonic nods, eyes scanning the area for any sign of Eggman,
"Gotcha. Tails, go help Ames," Sonic instructs. Tails casts a hesitant glance at his brother, but nods, running off into the town as the rest of the group begin to assume positions. Rouge takes to the skies, taking out as many bots as she can while the rest of the team deals with the stragglers. Sonic's in the middle of an attack when he hears the Doctor's dreaded voice.
"You pests! I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to clean up my little prank that quickly," Eggman's voice sounds through the little village, making Sonic's anger rise. A prank— that's what he calls wreaking havoc on a dozen villages. Sonic nearly sees red as the doctor's smug laugh reaches his ears.
"Oh, but how could I forget! Our little hero was working tirelessly to fix it all! Such a shame all that work will be for nothing when I flatten this place to the ground!" Eggman mocks, his Eggmobile finally emerging from hiding. Behind it, a mech, nearly twice its size, reveals itself from the surrounding forest, looming over the town. Another one of Eggman's new contraptions, built to destroy what they've fixed. Sonic frowns, watching the mech approach menacingly.
"You're pathetic, Egghead!" Sonic sneers, voice unkind. He lowers his voice, addressing his remaining teammates,
"I'll take the big guy. You guys hand the small ones." He hears two grunts of approval, and he casts a glance at them, nodding as they silently agree to give the Doctor and his playthings hell. Sonic spin-dashes forward without warning, colliding against Eggman's new mech with a loud clash. Shadow and Knuckles split around him, tackling the onslaught of robots flooding in from behind the large bot.
The mech's hand lurches forward, at a speed unusually fast for something of that size, and it swats at Sonic. He dodges, sweeping in a wide circle around the bot. He glances around, looking for the best course of action. If he takes this mech down right here (which he can totally do, subtle flex), he risks damaging the surrounding village— they're practically in the centre of town. He needs to lead this hunk of metal to the outskirts of the village so he can recycle it properly.
He leaps in the air, whistling sharp and tauntingly,
"Hey, bot! C'mere!" He yells, watching it slowly turn and lock onto him. He sticks his tongue out,
"Catch me if you can!" He teases, running (way too slowly for his standards) backwards as he keeps his eyes on the robot. The bot's eyes glow briefly, and then it strides forward. Its hand sticks out again, but this time, instead of grabbing at Sonic, a compartment opens, and a barrage of bullets begins whizzing past Sonic's head. The hedgehog yelps as one nearly clips his ear, speeding up and zig-zagging through the streets and houses. He watches as bullets embed themselves into the newly painted walls of the village, and he inwardly cringes. Of course, right as they finish one thing, another issue arises. He hopes he's not stuck spackling up those holes once this is over. Maybe he can pawn that job onto Amy.
He trips and tumbles across one of the streets. Right— he's in the middle of something. Not the right time to think of spackle and sandpaper. He goes to stand, but squeaks as he hears a bullet whiz right by him. He pops up, peeking as the bullet hits a wall and clinks to the floor pathetically. That nearly hit his head. He shivers at the thought.
"Someone's clumsy today~!" Eggman cackles from his floating throne, watching with delight as their team fights his robots. Sonic rolls his eyes and then continues running, determined to avoid any more damage to this poor town. As the houses begin to thin into grass and trees, Sonic finally stops, turning to face the mech with a wide smile on his face.
The bot stumbles through the growing foliage, swatting away tree branches like flies as it attempts to get to Sonic. Sonic rears up, then, spin-dashing into the robot with intense speed. The bot staggers with the impact, the groaning of metal echoing through the space. He doesn't give the mech time to recover, delivering swift kicks and punches to the robot's joints, trying to break down the weakest parts. The mech's eyes flash again, and it tries to defend itself, but Sonic barely blinks at the sound of bullets cutting through the air once again. He can move faster, now that he isn't playing catch-up with the eggbot, so the bullets prove utterly useless to his speed. He gathers up his energy, feeling the chaos flow through his veins like warm electricity, and he dashes through the bot, leaving a smoking hole in the centre. The bot collapses with a heavy thud, taking down the surrounding trees and wafting a wave of dust straight into Sonic's face.
He winces at the damage— this is why he waited until they were out of the village. He did NOT want that to happen on top of their newly built houses. He coughs as the dust settles, leaving behind the pathetic sight of the destroyed robot, and he nearly laughs.
Maybe Eggman was counting on him being off his game, because this bot was depressingly easy to take down. His smile slips slightly; if he hadn't listened to Shadow, he might not have been able to win this fight. He would've been too tired to summon any chaos energy; he knows it. He shakes that thought away. He did the right thing— he listened to his friends, he rested and recovered, and he was able to defend the town.
He sighs, turning to survey the village behind him. Nothing's smoking; no fires or rubble in sight. Good— that means the repairs should be easy. He runs through the town, passing destroyed eggbots along the way. Returning to the centre, he finds that Eggman is nowhere to be seen. Knuckles' arms are crossed, and he's angrily ranting to Rouge about something. He's about to approach them, but someone grabs his arm, startling him.
"Are you okay?" Shadow's voice is worried and quiet, just for him to hear. He turns around, meeting Shadow's gaze. His eyes roam across Sonic's body, looking for any injuries. Sonic sighs, nodding,
"All good. Didn't even get a hit on me," Sonic brags, winking. Shadow's expression smooths out, but he does roll his eyes fondly at Sonic's words.
"Where's Egghead?" Sonic asks, looking around. He can see people beginning to come out of hiding, and if he strains his ears, he can hear Amy and Tails' guiding voices somewhere across the way. Shadow sighs, pointedly glancing at Knuckles,
"The doctor didn't plan very well. In his haste to attack again, he was sloppy in his strategy. All his bots were weak; we cleared them out instantly. Instead, Knuckles took to assaulting his mobile until you finished up with the mech," Shadow explains, a bit of humour in his voice.
"When the doctor saw the mech fall, he panicked, reached over the mobile, yanked Knuckles' quills to make him let go, and fled." Sonic is almost ashamed of the laugh that escapes him. He swiftly covers his mouth, stifling the laughter as Knuckles looks over at him angrily.
"He pulled on Knuckles' quills??" Sonic asks incredulously— and a bit too loudly, as he hears Knuckles groan in embarrassment. Shadow nods, fighting a smile of his own.
"It was glorious, blue. Really! The mighty echidna warrior, taken down by a little tug," Rouge chuckles, floating over to them. Knuckles stomps behind her, glaring at Sonic as he snickers behind his hands.
"It hurt, you bat! I wasn't expecting the idiot to just TOUCH ME. He doesn't do that!!" Knuckles defends himself, obviously grumpy about the entire situation. Rouge pats his head patronisingly, and he swipes at her hand as she cackles.
"Looks like we won?" Amy's cheerful voice rings out. Sonic turns to find her being carried by Tails, both with bright smiles on their faces as they watch their team joke around. Sonic nods, smiling smugly.
"Of course we did, Ames!" As soon as Tails touches down, he's next to his brother, worried eyes looking up at Sonic. Sonic's gaze softens, and he places a gentle hand on Tails' head.
"Is everyone okay?" Sonic asks, and Tails nods proudly. He glances behind the kit, watching as the villagers survey the bots now littering the floors. He groans a bit,
"We just cleaned up!" He complains, dramatically draping himself over Tails. The fox giggles beneath him, struggling to hold up his weight.
"Sooooonic— get off!" He squeaks, looking around for help.
Like good friends, they all watch, thoroughly entertained by the brothers' antics.
"Sonic The Hedgehog." His name is called angrily, making him shoot up and peer around, the joy of their little celebration stalling. He recognises that voice— he looks around, trying to place the person calling him. Eventually, a figure pushes their way through the crowd of villagers (with unnecessary aggression, mind you) and makes their way to the group of heroes. Sonic recognises her instantly. Co-leader of the town, she and her husband are considered the 'mayors' of this quaint little village. The husband is a kind enough man, a quiet armadillo who speaks a total of 10 words a day. His wife, on the other hand, is a loud mouse mobian with enough anger to rival Shadow on his worst days. She strides up to them, walking past Amy and Tails and coming face to face with Sonic. Beneath her short fur, Sonic can see her skin reddening with rage as she grits her teeth. She pushes herself up, standing on her tiptoes, and she jabs a bony finger into Sonic's chest.
"You are the most irresponsible hero I've ever come across!" She spits the word 'hero' like venom. Sonic blinks, attempting to step back, but she grabs his arm, squeezing it with a bruisingly tight grip. Her other hand sweeps outwards, gesturing to the village around them.
"We just finished fixing our poor village, and in you come to ruin it again! You're careless!" She rants. Sonic glances around, confusion evident in his gaze, but everyone else seems equally baffled by this outburst.
"Ma'am—" Sonic starts to speak, but her shrill voice cuts him off once again.
"Honestly, why do you even bother coming around? All you've been doing is lazing around and causing trouble. Useless," The mouse sneers. It feels like a dagger straight into Sonic's chest. All those days of endless work, just to be called useless? His gaze lowers, embarrassment creeping up his neck. He wants to fight her words, but hearing his own insecurities echoed by another person's voice makes his knees nearly give out. His hand starts to tremble, and the spot where the woman is squeezing begins to throb painfully.
His eyes dart around. He sees Shadow's expression contorted in rage, and the dark hedgehog's about to start marching forward to intervene, but someone beats him to it.
A gloved hand grabs the woman's arm, forcefully wrenching it away from Sonic, and then she's pushed back harshly as the person shoves their way in between Sonic and the offender.
"Don't you ever talk to my Dad like that again."
Tails' voice is ice cold. Sonic doesn't even recognise it for a second; he's never heard his kit sound so angry. His ears are pinned all the way back, and Sonic can hear a light growl with every breath the fox takes. The mouse mobian gasps affrontedly, clutching her hand to her chest dramatically.
"How dare you! Did no one teach you to treat your elders with respect?" Tails barks out a humourless laugh,
"I respect the people who deserve respect," he shoots back. The woman's eyes widen comically. Tails doesn't give her a chance to respond. His shoulders shake with the force of his breaths.
"Sonic has done more for this village than anyone else! He's been here day in and day out, building your homes. He's been getting his hands dirty while you sit in the shade sipping on your tea!" Tails begins to tear her words down, bit by bit. There's a pure sense of justice in his voice as he speaks, anger spilling into his words.
"You don't get to say those words to my Dad. You have no right. He just saved your village from another attack, and that's how you thank him. How dare you? He purposefully led that mech away from the village to avoid damage, and you call him careless? Useless?? Seems to me like you're the useless one." Tails is practically shaking with rage when he finishes his rant.
The woman stands stunned. Her face is contorted in shock and anger as she takes in Tails' words.
"You— you can't talk to me like that!" She stammers, looking around at her villagers, desperate for someone to be on her side. All she receives are disapproving glances from the surrounding townfolk. Finally, someone speaks, though not in the way she expected.
"Actually, he can. You're out of place, lady," Knuckles pipes up, voice irritated as he addresses the woman.
"Yeah, you don't get to talk to Blue like that and expect us to stand here and take it." Rouge backs him up. Despite his shame at this entire situation, Sonic manages a small smile. The thought that his friends are standing by him makes a warmth flutter in his chest, replacing the previous sickly feeling that had taken root there. The woman shrinks back at that, stepping backwards. She bumps into Shadow's looming figure.
She squeaks fearfully, fur standing on end as Shadow's chaos energy leaks from him in waves, raw and angry.
"I suggest you leave," Shadow growls roughly. Amy steps forward, taking the woman's arm, pulling her away from Shadow.
"Let's go somewhere else and...talk, shall we? I'm sure you don't want to be in public any longer than necessary. Especially after what you just said." Amy says the words calmly, but her voice lacks all the usual joy and brightness that Sonic associates with the pink hedgehog. She drags the mouse mobian through the crowd, throwing a reassuring glance at the group before disappearing behind a building. Sonic shivers at the thought of whatever that woman's about to go through. Angry Amy is cruel.
As they disappear, the tense atmosphere loosens slightly. Sonic breathes out, not quite sure what to do with himself. His gaze falls to his brother, and it's then that he realises Tails is still practically radiating rage. He puts a tentative hand on Tails' shoulder, and the kit jumps at the contact, turning with wide eyes to look at Sonic.
"Hey, kit," Sonic starts, voice a whisper, "You didn't have to do that. Thank you."
Tails stares at him, then furrows his brows as Sonic's words hit him.
"Didn't—? Sonic, she called you useless. I couldn't just—" Tails groans in frustration, and instead of finishing his sentence, he dives forward, trapping Sonic in a tight embrace. Sonic's arms instinctively wrap around his brother, holding him close as Tails breathes deeply, calming himself. Tails is still trembling in his hold, but Sonic realises that it's not out of anger this time. No, the kit hiccups into Sonic's chest, attempting to hold in tears. Sonic frowns, eyes meeting Shadow's desperately as he strokes his brother's fur.
"What? What is it, kit?" Sonic asks softly.
"You didn't stand up for yourself," Tails' answer is immediate and shaky, "You— you act like you deserve that. And she dared to say those things to you. I couldn't just stand by, Sonic!" Tails pushes away from him abruptly, frowning up at Sonic with those glassy, big eyes. Sonic feels his heart tug at the sight.
Thankfully, their friends understand the situation enough to move along the crowd, giving the brothers some semblance of privacy. Rouge is side-eyeing any stragglers who are trying to pry, and Knuckles is standing strong behind her in case anyone dares to argue with her. Still, they're paying attention to the conversation. Rouge can't help but glance over her shoulder every five seconds, a worried look in her eye as she scans the fox child.
Shadow finally makes a move, having waited for Tails to finish his rant, and he plants himself behind Tails, placing a reassuring hand on his back.
"Miles, breathe." Shadow instructs easily. Just hearing him take control of the situation makes Sonic's shoulders relax. He rubs Tails' back soothingly, careful to keep his face neutral (it doesn't matter; Sonic sees the worry and lingering anger in his eyes). Tails leans back into Shadow's hand, sighing.
"I just— I want to take care of you like you take care of me."
Oh. Well, doesn't that simple sentence just shatter Sonic's fragile heart? He feels his breath escape him. He stares blankly at the space between Shadow and Tails, unsure what to say. Tails takes this as a sign to continue.
"You do so much for everyone else that you forget yourself, and I worry," Tails sniffles and leans into Shadow more. Gaia, his baby is the kindest little kit to ever walk this damn planet.
"He's right, blue. You gotta stand up for yourself, like you do for everyone else," Rouge's smooth voice cuts in. The area is practically barren now; Rouge and Knuckles sent everyone on their merry ways. Rouge's hand lands on his shoulder, solid and grounding. He feels love swell in him, overwhelming and real. It washes away any dark thoughts threatening to break through, the ones that tell him how he isn't good enough for them. He feels tears well in his eyes, the feeling of care crashing over him like a realisation. It's not that he hadn't understood Shadow's words, but surrounded by his friends— his village, being defended and cared for, it makes everything fall into place.
Tails' eyes widen in alarm as he spots Sonic's teary eyes, and panic starts to rise again,
"Sonic? What— I'm sorry, don't cry—" Sonic barks out a fond chuckle, causing Tails' panic to melt into confusion. He pulls the kit back in, Shadow along with him, and he wraps his arms around them tightly,
"I'm okay. Really," he soothes sincerely. Blindly, he reaches behind him for Rouge, pulling her into their little pile. She hums happily, stretching her wings out to encase them.
"Knux, c'mere," Sonic demands, voice muffled by the bodies around him. He hears groaning from the echidna, but eventually, a nice, heavy arm settles across his shoulders.
"Dad?" Tails pipes up hesitantly, "Are you..okay?
Sonic caresses one of his ears gently between his fingers, leaning his head onto Shadow's and closing his eyes happily,
"Yeah, just— grateful to have you guys supporting me," Sonic answers, words coming out coated in honesty.
Tails squeezes him tighter, and he feels Shadow's hand thread between his quills.
"Whoa— what did I miss?" Amy's voice rings from somewhere behind their little pile, and Sonic just shoots an inviting hand out, beckoning her to join. He hears a chuckle, sweeter than honey, and then their group is complete.
"How'd it go with the lady?" Rouge questions curiously. Amy giggles, and though the sound is usually saccharine, this time it carries a menacing undertone.
"Oh, I just gave her a stern talking to. Nothing much," She chuckles. No one dares question her anymore.
"Nevermind that. What happened? Why are we hugging?" Amy questions, a shred of concern in her otherwise happy voice as she snuggles in between Knuckles and Sonic.
"Nothing happened," Sonic hums, satisfied and calmer than he's felt in ages, "just wanted to show you guys how much you mean to me."
"Gettin' soft on us, hedgehog?" Knuckles teases, letting go of Sonic to instead noogie him aggressively, ending their hug session. Sonic laughs, loud and unabashed as he ducks away from Knuckles' grip. Knuckles cackles and instead dives for Tails. The kit squeals, attempting to fly out of Knuckles' reach as the others watch with fond smiles.
Sonic's own smile softens as he sees Shadow's face relax with relief. Rouge saddles up next to him, wrapping a wing around his shoulders as they watch Tails and Knuckles roughhouse like siblings.
Gaia, how didn't he see this before? He's been so stuck in his mind, so determined to do everything right, that he didn't notice how much help he has. He can't always be there for Tails; that's a hard pill he has to swallow. But on the days he can't cook the kit breakfast, Amy will be there, dancing through the kitchen while frying eggs and sausages. When he can't make it home in time, Knuckles will play video games with Tails until he falls asleep. When he forgets to eat, Rouge will force-feed him sandwiches while whispering about the latest GUN gossip.
When the thunderstorms are too loud, when he's too far away to hold the kit through the nights, Shadow will be there. Shadow will be there before Sonic can even ask, arms open and welcoming for the child.
Sonic's been so accustomed to raising his kit alone that he forgot to lean on his village. He forgot to see his village. It took nearly working himself to death to change that.
Once again, Shadow was right. He often is; Sonic should listen to him more. He glances at Shadow to find red eyes already lingering on him. He doesn't have to speak; Shadow understands what he wants before he can make a single gesture. The dark hedgehog bridges the gap, walking around Rouge to the other side of Sonic, and he wraps a comforting arm around the blue blur's waist. Sonic smiles at him, a warm, gooey expression that makes Shadow melt.
"Happy?" Shadow asks, his voice a whisper.
Sonic nods. He's happy. He's more than happy. Finally, he feels at ease. The weight of the world isn't so heavy now that he realises others are sharing his burden.
Shadow returns the smile, and then, ever so subtly, he presses a brief kiss into Sonic's quills.
Tails comes barreling at the trio, circling them like an obstacle and screaming,
"Dad, help ME—" as Knuckles— and Amy?— chase him like children on a playground. Sonic can't help but laugh.
He's the luckiest hedgehog in the world. He's sure of it.