Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Quiet. The calm before the storm, it seemed. Every noise, no matter how quiet, echoed across the pristine walls and every step was enhanced by the grey tiles. Thinking about it now, he imagined the bustle of noise that would exist every day from the former scientists filling the halls. The possibly booming voice of his grandfather filling the halls, the testing chambers, the examination rooms... or perhaps he was a more quiet, reserved man. Speaking his mind and always listened to, always respected.

Robotnik pushed his hand against the rim of his mech and climbed out of it, hitting the floor with a quiet grunt. The air was still and cold. It was a bit surprising to know that, after fifty years, the atmosphere had never changed. They could walk freely aboard the ship without fear of beginning to float away. Remarkable, in a way.

Though, it did gain a rather... mechanical smell. Not terrible or overpowering, but there was a scent of faint cleaning chemicals and neglected machinery. The walls were damaged. Not heavily, but with the ARK's history, he could recognize the bullet holes anywhere. There were discharges of energy in certain areas, either electrical or from Chaos, he wasn't sure.

He didn't know the name of this room. A study, of sorts. It was rather cluttered still, paperwork messily laid beside the desk, still looking as new as the day that had last been written, and a shelf full of well-read books lining two walls. In the middle, facing outwards, was a desk with multiple monitors atop it. Had the room not been huge, he wouldn't have thought much about it. Robotnik brushed his fingers across the keys embedded into the desk, light blue against white. It didn't look right. Red and white would be better, in his opinion.

No dust gathered on his glove. He wasn't exactly surprised, either. Maybe he should one day have a station in space, all for himself. Out of pure curiosity, he pushed down on a few keys. The monitors weren't on, and he doubted anything would work anyway.

As his fingers slipped across another key, labeled with a symbol, he pressed it down and watched in awe as a contraption struggled to open up on the desk. It finally complied with a heavy hiss of air, so strong and sudden that he was sure the pressure along could have somewhat injured him. In the revealed chamber, twelve sealed vials sat, each full of a deep crimson liquid surrounded by a thick, clear fluid holding it in place. Possibly to preserve it. The doctor lifted one, carefully tilting it to see if the contents would run, before turning to the computer screen. Apparently, the monitors were working.

True, the monitor screens were dimmed, as if most of the lights were either fried or had been off for so long that they needed extra time to get to full brightness again, but he was still able to read the letters scrawled across them. There were a few files off to the side of the screen, each seemingly documenting something. He didn't have access to any of them, and the titles themselves were too vague for him to think much on. Had he had more time, Robotnik could easily crack into each file and figure out, but luckily one was already open and he didn't feel like dedicating time into a difficult task so suddenly.

"Testing logs..." he read aloud, setting the vial back down, lest he dropped it. It left a cold sensation on his fingertips, and he briefly wondered if the liquid had somehow been frozen. This was the thirty second page, the most recent from what he could see, but he was far too tempted to read what was in front of him than go to the beginning. "Now, how do I scroll...?"

A sound he was sure once echoed these great halls with joy soon reached Robotnik's ears, and he turned just as Shadow skidded to a stop before the automatic door.

"Doctor, Sonic is here." Shadow nearly spat, eyes barely glancing the room over before he looked over his shoulder, as if expecting Sonic to jump at him. The quick once over of the room almost broke the doctor's heart, knowing full well that Shadow held little to no memories about this place, but he didn't let any emotion show. "What are you doing?"

Robotnik shook his head with a quiet mumble, turning the screen off and picking up the vials. The contraption they came from was a container in itself, easily removable from the old desk and holding each vial securely. "Nothing important, Shadow. Get to your post, I'll be out there soon." He commanded, climbing back into his mech with the container in hand. He stored it in the side compartment of the machine  as he turned around, for possible later research.

Shadow gave a curt nod and was off not even a second later, with Robotnik on his tail. He cast the room a final glance out the corner of his eye, then bid it a silent farewell.

The familiar noise of his bedroom door opening caused him to flinch, turning further away from the artificial light to fake being asleep.

"Surely you haven't forgotten that I am equipped with vital sign detection. I know you're awake, Doctor." Great. It was Orbot. Eggman grumbled at the sound of a tray being set onto his bedside table.

"I'm not hungry." He turned over to face the robot, before pulling the covers back over himself.

"Not even for a ham and cheese sub sandwich? You know Tuesday's lunch is your favorite."

That caught his attention. Robotnik sat up straight, quickly snatching up his glasses and squinting at the robot in front of him. "Lunch? How- what time is it?"

"...Around 12," Orbot paused long enough to check his internal clock, optics flicking for a moment before returning. "Actually, 12:02:46 as of right now."

12? There was no way he could have slept that late. Then again... he didn't have anything to do today, not after yesterday's embarrassing defeat. The doctor huffed in exhaustion and pushed past his soreness, forcing himself to stand and move to his doorway, staring out.

Cubot was currently sweeping up what looked like a broken vase while scolding a badnik, who already looked like it did not care a single bit about the scolding. The television was on, but he didn't recognize the program, and the couch looked freshly cleaned.

He shuffled into his living room, resembling more of a lab with more than half of it being covered by his massive monitor and other bits and ends he usually tossed to the ground when he didn't immediately find a use for it, head ducked low and eyes cast to the floor. Orbot trailed behind him, taking the tray from the table and carrying it as he followed.

It was disturbingly quiet.

"Really, you should-" The robot didn't get to finish whatever he was going to say before Robotnik visibly tensed.

"I know!" Robotnik snapped, raising his hand as if he was about to strike the robot, before slowly lowering it with a grunt of frustration. "I know..."

Orbot looked away, down the empty room at Cubot puttering over to them, broom and dustpan abandoned and rambunctious badnik skittering off to commit more crimes. When there was yet another crash, Cubot gave a fearful glance to Robotnik before hurrying off to clean up the mess before he was yelled at.

The doctor, however, entirely dismissed the sound and pulled his hovering chair away from the desk to sit heavily into it, pulling himself forward and tapping away at his keyboard. Orbot awkwardly held the tray for a few seconds longer before quietly sliding it onto the desk next to him, hurrying off to fill a glass with orange juice from the kitchen and rush back, finding Robotnik in pretty much the exact same position he sat in.

All he had done in the short time was pick up a pre-cut slice from his sandwich and start chewing on it, staring blankly at his screen. Video footage of Sonic completely obliterating one of his newest robots played on a loop. If Orbot could physically sigh, he would. Instead, he settled on simply making the noise as he set the glass on the tray as well.

"Are you okay, doctor? This is all entirely unlike you. Sleeping late on a weekday, barely touching your food..." Robotnik had yet to look away from the screen, eyes almost glued to it. Had he not been wearing such dark glasses, he could possibly be seen watching the hedgehog's movements. Orbot reached up and pressed the escape key, closing out the video. He didn't miss the subtle clench of the other's hand once the screen returned to the desktop. " And obsessing over a defeat. You haven't even insulted me once. Is something wrong?"

By then, Cubot had returned. He'd stopped a bit away, gently patting Robotnik on the shoulder as he wasn't as elaborate with his words as Orbot was, but he did very much care for his creator. Robotnik shook his head. "Yeah, you didn't yell at me just now either!" He added, sharing a concerned look with his counterpart.

"I'm tired of working hard for absolutely no pay off. You were there, you saw how long I was working on CopyMi-Bot. And... just... seeing it crumble, right before my very eyes, under Sonic the damn Hedgehog's foot-!" Robotnik sucked in a deep breath and quickly stood from his chair, as if he was going to yell, then released it in a disappointed huff and slumped back into his seat. "I'm sick of it."

Cubot sat up straight, rocking back and forth  almost excited about his sudden realization. "You're sick? No wonder you keep losing!" He then dawned an almost serious expression, starting to rattle off some home remedies for curing a cold as Orbot shook his head in disappointment.

"No, no, Cubot, the doctor means-" Just as Orbot went to correct the other, Robotnik grabbed his head, silencing him. As he did, Cubot quietly giggled, mumbling "see, I was right!" to the other.

"Sick, hmm?" Robotnik grinned, free hand moving across the keyboard swiftly as he began pulling up file after file. Text flew across the screen within seconds. "Cubot, I didn't think I would ever say this, but you're a genius ."

Orbot pried Robotnik's hand away from his face as Cubot looked rather proud of himself, despite still being incorrect in his understanding of the word 'sick'. And the fact that he was entirely not a genius, but that could be saved for another time. "What exactly are you doing, Doctor?"

"Ah, research, my lovely companions. Research." He paused long enough to pat both on the head for being such lovely companions. "How often do I tell you that I love you both? Because it truly isn't enough."

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful evening. Maybe even his favorite kind. The air was cool and crisp, and the tapping of his feet as he ran through the hills was the only sound for miles. There was nothing else, just him and the seemingly endless expanse of hills. He could run to his heart's content. The only limits were his own, and he constantly pushed them. No words could ever quite describe the feeling of freedom, but they didn't need to. This time was his alone, and it was a relief to finally get it.

Especially after last week's run-in with Eggman. Sure, he'd been easy to defeat, but the whole ordeal was still annoying to deal with. It was nice to be by himself, without any interruptions-

"Robots, attack!" Oh, who was he kidding? Honestly, he was surprised he even made it through so much of his internal monologue. Hell, it might even be a new record. He skidded to a halt, kicking up dirt in his tracks.

"Good to see you again, Egghead! You want your butt scrambled or fried when I serve it to ya?" He swiped his finger under his nose. He looked back up to the doctor, eagerly awaiting his response, or some reaction to the quip.

"I'm in no mood for your games, rodent." There it was! Although Eggman seemed somewhat steel-faced now, he was sure banter would break the mask soon enough. Just a liiiittle more prodding.

"I'm not even a rodent! What kinda doctor are you anyw- hey!" A whirring noise sounded from behind him, and he spun on his heels. He noticed the glint of metal just in time to backflip away. "Gonna have to try a bit harder than that!" His landing was a little off, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Once he was a safe distance away, he was finally able to get a sense for what he was dealing with. Huh, that was interesting. The one that had just attacked him seemed to be a callback of sorts. An old Mecha Sonic, but much smaller. It was red this time, had longer claws, and its spines looked a bit different, but as far as functionality, it was basically the exact same.

In fact, there were a good number of them. No more than ten or so, he guessed, not exactly willing to count them.

"Wow, you're running out of ideas." He whistled. "Ooh, look at me, I'm gonna totally destroy Sonic with some old models except copied! But wait, there's more! I'll paint them red, he'll never beat 'em!" At this point, the conversation had gone from banter to Sonic just being obnoxious. Though in his defense, it was usually more engaging than this. Eggman hadn't acknowledged even a single one of his comments! He'd just kept his eyes trained on the monitor of the Egg Carrier, focusing only on commanding the horde of robots. Which he should probably be fighting, now that he thought about it.

A trio of robots surrounded him in all directions, and lunged in sync. He leapt into the air above them, before driving his foot into one of them on the way down. The impact was enough to partially sever the head from the rest of the body. He laughed to himself. These models were glass cannons: hard-hitting, but fragile. Eggman was allergic to learning his lessons, apparently.

The other two drew sharp claws, and lunged for him again. This time, he was ready. He curled into a ball, and when the robots moved in, his spines punctured holes in their bodies. "Is that all?" It was a pointless question, as if the horde of robots wasn't closing in on him.

Still, the man in the hovercraft remained eerily calm and quiet.

Sonic frowned at the, yet again , lack of a response and stood up to huff. Fighting wasn't fun if he was the only one taunting. A slash of claws a bit too close to his back quickly redirected his attention and he kicked the bot away, not thinking much about it. First things first, get rid of the robots. Maybe ol' Egghead was running out of steam?

Another robot got a bit too close, and he jumped up, landing directly behind it with a playful smirk. It turned to stare at him, quickly backing up as if rethinking its plans. Well, at least something was beginning to learn.

"Can we wrap this up?" Sonic turned to wave to Eggman. "I was kinda in the middle of something and I wanna get back to it before midnight."

Eggman finally looked up, and Sonic froze. He was void of any emotion, not anger, not disappointment, not even that dumb smug expression he always held when he thought he was winning, just... blank. It was unnerving.

Sharp pain dug into his side and Sonic hissed, pulling away from the claws of the bot that managed to get close. They seemed different somehow, but before he had the chance to think much about it, they lunged. None cared about the other. When he took one down, two more were in its place. One right behind another, piling over each other, nearly self destructing within seconds.

Sonic curled into a ball and a quick spin dash knocked most of them away, letting him pause to breathe. They were damn near suffocating! How many were there, again? He didn't think there were this many. He could easily take them all down, and, now that Sonic looked, most of his wounds were scratches and shallow punctures. Nothing that wouldn't heal in a day or so, but man did they pack a punch.

"Alright!" He yelled, rubbing a small trickle of blood off his cheek with his thumb. " Now it's getting interesting!"

Just as Sonic readied himself to finish everything off, passing Eggman another glance in hopes the other would have some sort of expression by now, the doctor was turned away and rushing off.

Retreating? Really? Even the remaining mechas were following right behind, carrying the remains of their fallen kind, leaving no trace of the battle even happening besides the trodden grass.

"What, can't handle the heat!?" Sonic called up, jumping up the closest tree just as Robotnik rose above the leaves. He still had yet to even acknowledge him other than the rodent comment from earlier, and frankly it was getting annoying to be ignored. "C'mon, running away already? I haven't even beat your butt yet!"

"You're a fool to think I'm retreating." Robotnik spoke, voice hollow. "I've already got everything that I needed."

Sonic opened his mouth, a bit too excited that Eggman had finally replied to him to really hear or understand what he said, then frowned.  "Now what was that supposed to mean?" He ended up mumbling to himself, sagging down into the branches when he didn't exactly have an answer either.

Well, that was pointless! Eggman interrupted his evening run just to throw old bots at him and run away before things even got interesting! Sonic hopped to his feet and belatedly stuck out his tongue, uncaring that the doctor was too far away to either know or care, and jumped back down to finish off his evening jog. Eggman aside, he came to run, and that's what he was gonna do!

He took off at a brisk pace without a second thought, feet automatically leading him on the path he usually ran. Dirt was packed down beneath his shoes and fauna curved to avoid his speed. It was his home away from home, where nothing but he and nature could co-exist. It made his heart pump harder with each second he carried on, building up speed with each last second jump, dash, and duck he took through the ever spansing hills, peppered with foliage he could never seem to predict.

Though, everything would have been much better had his wounds not started itching. He ignored it easily enough, passing it off as the skin being irritated from the wind, but the slight burning that followed was now starting to concern him. Sure, it was probably just his blood drying over each scratch, but it was annoying enough that it caused him to lose focus and nearly crash into a bush. Sonic curled into a ball and tore straight through it, sliding to a stop with a groan.

"Sorry, bush..." He sighed, pushing himself back up to his feet. "I think it's time to head home, then." He was a little more than halfway done with his run anyway, so cutting it short wouldn't hurt.

Sonic turned and dashed home, uncaring about the scenery as it zoomed past in a blur. Today was going good! He had breakfast with Tails, went out for some ice cream with Amy, caught up with a few fans at the park, watched a movie (which he wasn't very into, thank-you-very-much) and started his evening jog just for it to get taken over by Eggman. How lame!

He slowed down just outside his and Tails' shared house, quickly looking it over to see if the kit was still awake first. Based off the light still being on in the living room, that was a definite yes , so he fished the keys from his quills and unlocked the door.

The moment Sonic stepped inside, he was met with a less-than-impressed face. "Really, Sonic? Did you trip in a thorn bush? At some point, you've gotta learn to patch yourself up."

"Missed you too, Tails." He ruffled his brother's head, who just stuck his tongue out in response. "And no, it was Eggman. Had these weird red mini Mecha Sonics. Wow that's a tongue-twister."

"Mecha Sonics? You mean those old Metal Sonic prototypes from our old adventures? Why would he use those again?"

"I dunno! They might've been refurbished. Or maybe Eggman's so out of ideas that he's just recycling old ones."

"Don't you think there might be more to it than that?"

"Why would there be? It's not like this was one of his long planned out schemes. Just a run-of-the-mill ambush."

"Ignoring how ridiculous "run-of-the-mill ambush" sounds, I just find it weird that he actually like, stabbed you."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "He didn't stab me, the robots were just pointy. And that wasn't even the weird part. He didn't banter with me, not even a little bit!" He pouted, clearly distraught about this.

"Wait, really?" That caught the fox's attention. "Usually, he's all about gloating or flaunting his genius invention of the week."

"Do you know how infuriating it is to be the only one contributing commentary to the battlefield? It's so boring!"

Tails ignored that last bit. "Huh. Maybe you were right about him running out of ideas. I wonder if his habit of constantly losing is finally taking an emotional toll."

"As interesting as that'd be, I think you're overanalyzing this whole thing. Dude's probably just having a down day."

"Fair enough. Are you gonna put a bandage on that, or...?" Tails gestured towards under Sonic's right ear.

"What?" He felt around, and his finger came back spotted with red. "Huh. Didn't even notice that one. I guess so, unless- hey, wait a minute, are you offering to help me out so you can stall past the fact that it's your bedtime?"

The look on his brother's face said more than any words could. "Darn it! C'mon, why do I even need a bedtime? I'm too old for that, and you know it! It's only 10:30 PM!"

"'Cus if I don't give you one, you stay up all night and I find you in the morning faceplanted into your desk. You know it's true!"

The other didn't really have a good comeback for that, so he settled for sulking. "Fiiine. You're the worst, though! And if your face isn't patched up in the morning, you'll have worse problems than Eggman!"

"Is that a threat?"

Tails winked, and went into his room with no further comments.

Sonic sighed. Brothers. He did have a point about patching up his wounds, though. Even though they were minor, he'd get his ear talked off tomorrow for not taking care of himself, which he supposed was fair.

Reluctantly, Sonic trudged into their shared bathroom to wash the blood off his face. Looking in the mirror, he could only see two wounds that would need bandages. The rest only needed a wipedown with a wet towel. Other than that, he was fine. He'd also gotten nicked on the shoulder, but that cut was already starting to scab, so he let it be.

He sighed. This whole thing was annoying, and he was still grumpy after getting his run interrupted. After he made sure his face was decently clean, he left the bathroom and stuck his head into Tails' room. "G'night." No response. The fox was already sleeping. How hard had he been working today? At least he was finally getting some rest. He closed the door, and went into his own room. The bed seemed more inviting than usual. Why was he so tired? He nestled himself in the blankets, and sleep came before he could answer.

Chapter Text

Sonic groaned the moment he opened his eyes, blearily staring out towards the window. The sun hadn't even fully risen, but he knew exactly why he was awake. He had somehow gotten sick.

His throat was sore and dry, his vision unfocused, limbs sore, and head pounding with a headache so hot he was surprised he didn't burn a hole through the sheets. Sonic pushed himself up and slid out of bed unceremoniously, dragging himself towards the bathroom in hopes that an early morning shower would wash away some of this sickness.

As Sonic passed through the hallway, he paused to peek through Tails' cracked door. The kit was sprawled out on the bed, face down. His arm was draped over the side, his pillow laid atop his head, and his cover barely covering an inch of him with how tangled it had gotten during the night. Along with the slow and steady rise and fall of his back, his tails followed suit, still restless even in his sleep. Sonic gave a gentle smile at the sight, letting him continue to rest as he pushed himself on to finally get to the shower.

Of course, he did give his mirrored image finger guns and a coy smirk before he messily tore off his few bandages and jumped in the shower, that was a necessity. The water rushed out freezing for less than a second, but it was enough to wake him fully out of his daze. He jumped back far faster than any sick person should've moved, and bumped into the shower door.

While he was glad that Tails decided that, after the fifth shredded curtain, hedgehogs and curtains didn't get along together and got a door, knocking himself into solid glass wasn't exactly fun either. At least it hadn't broken. He'd had enough of being pricked by things.

Sonic shook his head and hurried along with his shower, making sure to wash his wounds a bit more gently in case he started bleeding again, then cut the water off and shook himself dry. He toweled himself off the rest of the way once he stepped out, knowing how annoyed his brother got whenever he walked into the hallway with still wet paws, and tossed on some gloves and socks to get on with the rest of his day. Of course, the towel laid wet and hanging out from the hamper, but at least he managed to put it in the hamper.

"It's my turn for breakfast anyway," he shrugged. "So I'll make some waaa-ffless~!"

Sonic jumped onto the stair's banister and slid down, stumbling to a stop before hopping into the kitchen and plugging in the waffle maker. Waffles topped with some mixed fruit and some whipped cream? Best and easiest breakfast ever. Tails would be proud! As he waited for the machine to heat up, he poured himself a glass of water and took a quick sip.

Dry pancake mix into the bowl, water and oil, a tiny pinch of sugar, and pour into greased pan, right. Sonic opened the waffle maker and paused, the grill looking a bit... blurry. Or maybe it was the room? It seemed a bit dark. He blinked, and the world spiraled. When his sight cleared, he was moments from crashing into the floor. He quickly steadied himself and hurried to pour the batter. That was weird, he'd never blacked out like that before... Shaking his head, Sonic closed the maker to let it do its job and turned to the counter to cut up some fruit.

Just as he set up some strawberries on a cutting board and lifted a small knife, his hand shook, and he was suddenly aware of how hard he was breathing. His vision glazed over again, and he set the knife down. Tails was old enough to cut his own fruit, and Sonic could use smaller berries anyways.

Another sip of water. It didn't taste right.

A faint beeping filled his dull ears and he turned to the waffle maker, taking them out to set on two plates. Two waffles for the both of them, topped with some spray whipped cream and a handful of unchopped berries each.

They looked wonderful, but... No, it was fine. Sonic could eat breakfast later.

Sonic was sure Tails was already in the bathroom anyway, brushing his teeth and probably too excited over the smell of waffles to care about the bandages he totally forgot to put in the garbage or the towel he left on the ground. Right now, he needed to rest. He wasn't tired at all, in fact he felt like eating and then going on his morning run, but his body was disagreeing with every part of that plan and he really needed to lie down.

With a deflated huff, Sonic covered his plate and left it. He definitely wasn't going back to bed, so the roof made a good compromise. And if he was lucky, some good ol' vitamin D might make him feel better. He slipped his shoes on at the door, looked back towards the stairs. Though he'd expected Tails to be there by now, the fox was nowhere in sight. He called that he would be back, and left with the door unlocked behind him.

There wasn't ever really a ladder to climb up, he'd always had to either take a running start up the wall or climb the storm drain. Now, with how sore he was, running seemed like the best option. A few steps back, runner's crouch, and... Sonic launched himself forward, taking five good steps before he leaped, shoes digging into the scuffed wall and body stretching out to grasp the roof's ledge. He pulled himself up quickly and rolled onto his back, quietly humming at his footwork.

The sun had just peeked over the trees, and Sonic laid back to bask in its warm glow.

Sonic sat up quietly, looking around in a bit of confusion before quickly realizing that he was still on the roof. He didn't remember going to sleep, but that wasn't too uncommon. He slept up there all the time, it was warm and comfy, even if Tails didn't agree. Sonic pushed himself to stand with a bit of difficulty, limbs seemingly more heavy than before. In that exact second, his knees were made of lead and he fell forwards. He was barely able to roll into a ball before slipping off the roof entirely and crashing onto the ground with a heavy groan.

Everything hurt.

Tails was outside within seconds, hovering over the hedgehog as he remained still.

"...Um, are you okay?"

"Just peachy." Sonic coughed, rolling over and weakly getting to his hands and knees. A few of his bandages came loose around him, but he didn't bother fixing them. Not yet, anyway. Actually, he didn't remember putting any on, he was sure he went up without doing so. Tails must have done so. "I haven't fell off the roof in years, I forgot how high up it was."

Tails giggled and looked at the roof, seeing plenty of tiles slid out of the way and some on the ground around them. "Soniiiic!" He whined, his voice tinged with a playful edge as he pulled Sonic up to his feet and pushed him into the house. "You shouldn't even be on the roof to begin with, you have a cold! You should be in bed with, I dunno, a bowl of soup or something."

"Roof, bed, same thing." He shrugged. "Did you like breakfast?"

"Yeah, I did, thanks. I was just wondering where you were all morning, you didn't leave a note or anything." He hummed. "I thought you'd gone on a run and got lost somehow."

Sonic scoffed playfully, pushing back against Tails' guided shoving just to bother him. Tails grunted at the extra effort but didn't back down. "Me? Lost? Pffft, please. But I'm not really interested in running right now after Eggman ruined the last one."

Tails suddenly stopped pushing to whirl around to face him. Sonic almost fell once again at the lack of support, and only got back up by catching himself on the doorframe. Tails snickered at the clumsy display. "I'm still wondering about that. Are you sure he didn't put anything on you? Like a tracking device?"

"How dumb do I gotta be to let old Egghead put a tracking device on me?" Sonic grinned, just for the fox to huff and put his hands on his hips.

"Remember two months ago?"

"Besides two months ago."

Tails threw up his hands, namesakes almost twisting into a knot. "I'm being serious! You take a run, get attacked by Eggman, and then he runs away before anything really happens and you come home covered in blood and scratches. You can't say that isn't a little suspicious."

"I know I know I know, I was kinda surprised when he ran away. I think he was just in a bad mood. He barely even talked to me, remember? Nothing special." Sonic finally closed the door behind him and brushed past Tails, sitting heavily on the couch. He started to feel a bit worse... maybe he needed some medicine. "Besides, 'm fine... There's nothin' to t-talk... about..."

Tails had began going through the fridge at that point, looking for a snack they could share. It wasn't close enough to lunch to warrant cooking, but a snack would be pretty good. After hurriedly eating a brownie for himself, he perked his ears up at the sudden silence. "Sonic? You fall asleep on me?"

No. He was awake, but only barely. Sonic let out a pitiful whine as his body started to suddenly shut down, hands shaking and breathing slowing. His heart felt hard in his chest, thumping like a massive, taut drum, trying to escape.

He heard his name being called and tried to say something, yet no words came from his mouth. The last thing he saw was Tails' upside down face peering over him before his eyelids became too heavy to keep up any longer, and a dreadful sleep quickly followed.

When he finally came to, all he could feel was weakness. Exhausting weakness. Sonic could barely lift his head on his own without hyperventilating and passing out. He had never been this sick before in his entire life, this couldn't possibly be just a cold. No, not at all.

Maybe that fall knocked something important around? Nah, it couldn't have... could it? He was just fine fifteen minutes ago! But some heavy feeling had crashed onto his chest out of nowhere, and he'd gotten knocked out just like that.

He was glad Tails was taking care of him, bringing up food and drink, checking up on him and whatnot. Heck, he was glad he was up in a bed. Yet, some part of him was uncomfortable with the gesture. He was supposed to be the older brother, wasn't he? It felt strange to be taken care of. Tails was even doing research, while he was bedridden and barely able to get up.

Was this his fault? When he'd first gotten back from the fight with Eggman, Tails had insisted on scanning him or something similar, but he'd told him not to because the fight was pretty lackluster. Now, he wished he'd accepted.

A distressing thought kept creeping it's ugly head into the back of his mind. Never was it to be spoken aloud, especially not to Tails.

Sonic had a fever, or the flu, something bad. He wasn't going to recover fast and he was going to be a bother for a while, he knew it.

He knew it. At least, that's what his body was telling him. There was no way the common cold could punch him in the gut like this and drag him through the mud as well, and none of his past colds had left him so weak. Hell, he couldn't even look around too fast without wanting to vomit. Luckily, it hadn't come to that yet.

The sweat was his main problem right now. His pillow was soaked, and his sheets were probably no better. Sonic pulled at the fabric, attempting to find some piece of it to lie on that wasn't either covered in sweat, burning hot, or freezing cold. He wasn't successful, and eventually gave up and settled for whatever position he managed to get in.

With each passing minute, moving became more of a chore, eating and drinking nearly painful, and breathing almost entirely manual. He was getting desperate.

He wanted to sleep it all away. He felt pitiful. Exhausted. Sore.

The door cracked open and Tails came in, smiling somehow. "Here, I bought some antibiotics over the counter. They should help you feel better so you can eat." Although the kit looked fine, Sonic knew better. He could see the concern hidden behind his eyes.

Sonic smiled back at him. "Thanks, Tails."

He sat up with a quiet hiss from moving protesting limbs and leaned against the headboard, reaching out for the bottle as Tails opened it and took two tablets out for him. Sonic was tempted to ask for more, but quickly decided against it. He downed them with the room temperature water he'd still had since this morning.

He felt... better, he supposed? It would be a while before the medicine kicked in, but he really wanted to get out of bed. Maybe some fresh air would do him some good.

"Think I can take a walk in this state?" He joked. A look of pure horror flitted across Tails' face and was gone before Sonic could even notice it. All he saw was a strained smile and nod.

"I... I guess so. But only if you stay close to the house and keep your communicator on. I wanna be able to see you from every window!" Tails called, turning to leave as Sonic sluggishly stood. He almost said something else, but changed his mind. "I'll keep doing some research while you're out, okay? I'll call you if I find anything."

"Alright," Sonic nodded briefly, taking a deep breath as he made his way to the stairs. They seemed like much more of a challenge now, and while he'd never been afraid of heights at all, the stairs seemed so far down. Unease pooled in his gut.

A familiar sound whirled behind him. Before he could turn around, Tails had gripped him by the shoulders and lifted him up, gently flying him down the stairs and letting him go once his shoes hit the floor.

Sonic looked back and gave his brother a kind smile, whispering a quiet 'thanks' as Tails smiled back and waved him off, touching the ground hurrying off for the garage.

Chapter Text

   It was uncertain how much time had passed. All he remembered was that he had sat up at about four AM and went downstairs, sitting himself at the computer with nothing but dread in his heart. Even if he wanted to, Tails couldn't sleep a wink. Fingers trailed over the spacebar absentmindedly as he read, again and again coming up with nothing .

   Nothing!

   If anything either Sonic had a horrible fever, had something that only hedgehogs could get, or just had a bad bout of sickness that would blow over, and it was infuriating . The kit sighed and closed out that tab, deciding to get a bit more specific. He'd written down the things he noticed about Sonic the last time he got to check on him, mainly just normal symptoms of a fever, and broadened it.

   Certainly, this couldn't be new. He was sure Eggman had something to do about it, a spontaneous attack and then fleeing without doing much to any damage? Really, what were the odds of that? Sonic hadn't even been heading anywhere special or doing anything different, he'd simply been out for a run.

   There was a tap at the door, a soft clicking sound anyone else was sure to miss, and Tails got up to open it. He already knew who it was.

   "Hey, Sonic. How'd you feel?"

   The blue hedgehog had come down rather early, much earlier than he ever woke up, and dragged himself past the kit for some 'fresh air', which, by the looks of it, meant he went outside and slept in the grass.

   Which normally wouldn't worry or bother Tails, but Sonic looked like he forcefully slept in the grass.

   "Worse, thanks," Sonic straightened himself up, rubbing an eye and yawning. "My head's pounding. I tried to take a run but I just woke up in the dirt, so I guess that's it for today."

   Sonic grabbed onto the arm of the couch, going to sit down had he not seen the concern on Tails' face. "What? I just slept, that's not the first time I slept outside, pffft."

   "I know it isn't, but…" he trailed off, looking over to the computer. He hadn't been making much progress anyway, he could sit with Sonic for a while. "Um, is there anything new going on you can tell me? Maybe there's something else I can do or look up."

   Sonic slumped into the couch, looking up at the ceiling before hunching forward in a coughing fit. He immediately felt a hand on his back, smoothing down his quills with no fear before it pulled away, and soon a cup of water was held in front of his face. "Thanks," he replied dryly, taking a few sips to settle his throat. "That's one, my throat hurts and it keeps making me cough a ton."

   "Oh, that must be what's keeping you up, then…"

   "Surprisingly, nah. What keeps me up is just… I dunno. I just can't sleep, at least not when I want to."

   Tails hummed in disdain, sitting back against the couch just to hiss quietly and sit up, pulling a loose quill from his back. Well… couldn't blame Sonic, when he got sick his quills shed a lot more. Didn't mean he couldn't be upset about it though.

   "With you around, I'd never need acupuncture." He joked lightly, flicking the loose quill Sonic's direction. He was met with silence, and concerned Sonic passed out again, Tails turned to watch him.

   He had just curled in on himself, squeezing his hands together and pulling at his fingers as he stared off into space. His eyes looked so heavy and vacant, and as his body gave a weak shudder, Tails sniffed back his emotions and sighed.

   "Sonic…?"

   Sonic shook himself out of his trance and glanced at the fox, fake smile sliding into place as he chuckled dryly. "Uh, huh? Y-yeah! Sorry about that, lotsa em are uh… yeah, falling out. Sorry…"

   "No, I don't care about the quill--" Sonic sunk into himself more, knowing what was about to come next. "There's something seriously wrong, and I'm worried, and I know you're worried too. You know you can't hide anything from me."

   The hedgehog nodded quietly, agreeing. He involuntarily flinched when Tails patted him on the back. "I promise, we'll get through this, alright? We're family, after all. Nothing can break us apart, not even this. " Tails grinned then, one full of determination and confidence. Sonic nodded once more and tried to match it, but it was clearly forced. His main concern was that Tails didn't catch this… whatever it was, either. He couldn't live with himself if he managed to get Tails sick and possibly… possibly...

   "Yeah, we will," he mentally cut himself off, watching Tails get up and hurry off towards the kitchen. He watched the twin tails moving in almost a hypnotic state, and closed his eyes. Not long after, Tails handed him a sandwich and some apple slices, and he took it gratefully before the kit went back to the computer and sat down.   

   "It's a bit hard to breathe." Sonic admitted out loud, not even glancing back as he heard a pause in the other's typing. "It started up when I tried to run, so there's that."

   "It shouldn't be there in the first place."

   Tails said nothing else as he continued on the computer, vaguely aware of the idea that he was hungry. He hadn't touched the kitchen other than just now to get Sonic a snack, and even then didn't think to get anything for himself. He'd simply get one when this was over.

   Speaking of, this was the exact document he needed.

   Sonic wasn't even done with his apple before there was a sound of fidgeting, and he turned to look over the edge of the couch, spotting his brother staring at the screen wide eyed.

   Tails scanned each word with growing dread. The document itself was rather short, afterall, but the length didn't matter. Cognitive impairment? Possibly. Disordered sleep? Definitely. Severe headache, also definitely. Sore throat, painful nerves, joints and/or muscles, general weakness, and unusual fatigue… Exactly everything ailing Sonic.

   NIDS.

   But… That wasn't something you could just get , right? Sonic never once showed to have anything like it, heck the hedgehog barely ever got sick and when he did he was usually up and running the very next day, even when running a high fever!

   The name was familiar, though. There was next to nothing else he could use on the document, no cure was mentioned, so Tails glanced over to Sonic to see him invested in his food once again. Once he was sure that Sonic wasn't looking, fingers quietly flew over the keys, and soon, GUN's database was opened.

   It took a bit longer to break into it, surprisingly they put up a bit more security, but ultimately it fell flat on its face as the kit hurried through files to find the exact one he needed.

   N.I.D.S, Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

   There was no cure ever found.

   His anxiety only grew with each word as he read about how the syndrome progressed, making it so the subject could barely get out of bed some days. It had been… it had been taken up by Gerald Robotnik, to cure… Maria Robotnik. The cure itself was Shadow The Hedgehog.

   The file suddenly closed out but the kit was entirely done with it, unsure how to process any of that information. He knew Maria did not die from NIDS, Shadow admitted that Maria was shot and killed in the ARK, but he never once said that she had NIDS. For privacy sake, he supposed?

   It still didn't make sense how Sonic had it now, there had been zero prior signs and it just decided now to flair up??

   No, maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe it was just something else--

   There was a crash and Tails jolted to his feet, rushing over to the noise to see Sonic curled up on the couch, panting and huffing as he tried to scrub away tears. He hadn't finished his food, accidentally letting the plate smash to the floor when attempting to simply set it down.

   "Tails," Sonic wheezed, attempting to sit up on his own but getting nowhere. His ears folded flat against his skull as the kit kneeled down, hugging him to his chest. "Tails, I'm so scared."

   "I know. I am too, Sonic." He used his glove to wipe sweat off Sonic's head, not caring that he was crying. "And I'm so sorry. I'm just… so sorry… "

   Sonic laughed, a sad, tired sound, turning his head so he could properly speak. "Guess you… Found something?" He asked, already beginning to pass out once more. He clung to consciousness long enough for them to continue. His claws lightly dug into Tails back but he was unsure when he took his gloves off, and quickly realized his shoes were missing too. His memory was failing him and that only added to his concern.

   "Y-yeah, I did… Something called NIDS… it makes you super weak and sick and-- and it's awful, it attacks your nervous and immune system and…" Tails trailed off again, eyes wide as he found it hard to focus. "And I guess there's a cure--?"

   Sonic wheezed in effort, claws slipping from around Tails as he collapsed onto the couch, unable to hold himself up any longer. "Nice." Was his only word, breath falling short until he was passed out for the second time that day.

   Tails was quick to feel for his pulse, and once satisfied that it still existed, rest his head on his brother's chest.

   "Shadow," he continued. "GUN said-- no, their file, it said Shadow was the only cure for NIDS. There was no other cure." A gloved hand took Sonic's own bare ones and squeezed. "So don't you dare leave me, not like this."

   Stinging in his legs finally came to mind, adrenaline ebbing away as he looked down and noticed the blood on the floor and hurried to stand. Then, he sharply remembered that the plate Sonic had dropped earlier had been digging into his knees ever since he kneeled down to comfort Sonic, but he didn't care much about the wounds. They could be cleaned and wrapped no problem, that wasn't the concern.

   A groan reached his ears and Tails quickly looked back up, this time leaning over the couch instead of kneeling to wipe sweat from Sonic's brow. Sonic blinking up at Tails in mild confusion.

   "What's wrong?" He wheezed, and Tails frowned, flicking him on the forehead and only earning a scrunched up nose.

   "You looked like you were… you know! And I got scared, okay!?" Tails flushed with effort as Sonic attempted to sit up, but when it clearly didn't work, he let go of his temporary anger and quickly got him to lay back down. "I'm gonna call Shadow, okay? So go to sleep for a bit, and I'll be right back. No dying."

   "Scout's honour," Sonic attempted some sort of scout's sign, first with crossed fingers, then a salute, before finally settling on a mix of the two with a crooked smile. "I'mma take a nap, wake me when Edgelord gets here."

   With that, he attempted to try to get comfy, then settled in essentially the same position as before and curled an arm under his head as support, leaving Tails to move into the kitchen for more 'privacy'.

Chapter Text

   Back and forth, back and forth, namesakes swishing with anxiety as Tails paced. A bad habit he picked up from Sonic-- he didn't care about how the tiles faired at the moment. Just stared down at his communicator in strained silence.

   Shadow, while he was their friend, wasn't the most friendly person. Giving him bad news and possibly bringing up a sore subject all at the same time was a concoction for outrage, but Tails knew he couldn't put it off for any longer. If Shadow could possibly cure Sonic, then the chance was worth taking.

   His fingers tapped at Shadow's icon and he waited. And waited. The dial droned on in the small room before dying out without an answer, and he sighed. Of course, Shadow's at work. He should have remembered.

   Another call but this time to his work cell, hoping that Shadow wasn't in another endless meeting to answer it. And hell, if he was , that wasn't going to stop the kit from calling every few seconds!

   "Hello Tails," huffing and the sound of a door closing. Then, utter silence in the background. "Is everything fine? It's unusual for you to ever call me."

   His voice was slightly echoed, maybe he snuck off into a bathroom to speak? "No, actually. Sonic's really sick..." he paused long enough to look back, eyes burning holes into Sonic's chest until he saw it gently rise. "Actually, really sick. I've been looking up--"

   "Hang up," the voice was right next to him, not coming from the communicator, and Tails whirled around to see Shadow standing in the kitchen with him. He looked absolutely concerned but still stoic, and Tails followed the order silently. "I didn't want to discuss that over the phone."

   "What about work?"

   "Not important, now please continue."

   Tails did as he was told, and Shadow watched with ever growing concern, clear he was running through all the outcomes and scenarios in his head. No matter what was assumed, each answer came back with 'no'.

   "And why isn't he at the hospital?" Was Shadow's final question, leaving the kitchen with Tails in tow. Sonic was fully sitting up now, but didn't look like anyone was home in his head. Staring straight ahead as if he was still asleep somehow.

   He looked utterly terrible. Bags were starting to form under his eyes, frayed quills, and somewhat matted fur. How long had he been like this?

   "I-- I don't know, I called you first because… because I think it's… its NIDS."

   The moment the acronym was spoken, Shadow's expression seemed to harden and Sonic woke up from his trance, looking around and then up to meet Shadow's tense gaze. "Oh…"

   "Heya Shads." Sonic gave a tired wave, lifting his hand to try to tap Shadow's shoulder in a comforting fashion. He missed, mostly, but Shadow caught his hand and held it gently, ignoring Sonic's nickname temporarily by giving him a simple greeting back. He was afraid if he let go, his hand would limply fall back and smack him in the face.

   "There's no cases of NIDS in mobians," Tails continued, sitting on the arm on the couch as everything seemed to wash over him again. "I panicked, I should have gotten him to the hospital, but with no cases I didn't want him to end up worse-- and there's no cure ! And--"

   "Breathe," Shadow spoke to all three of them, rubbing his thumb over the back of Sonic's hand. At first he was simply reading his chaos energy, but now it was just for keeping him awake. Sonic looked at him with quiet consideration, but his expression was mostly ignored. "I'm here now, for both of you. I will do what I can, and if push comes to shove, then take him to the hospital."

   "Hospital--?"

   "Hush." 

   Sonic frowned, folding his ears back as he fully did not listen.

 "I'm not going to a hospital, I can't sit still for that long." He continued, and Shadow sighed. "I'll do literally anything to Not go. Trust me. I once drank like three bottles of cough syrup mixed with energy drinks to get over a cold."

   Shadow paused, turning to Tails in hopes Sonic was lying, only for the kit to give him a deadpan stare.

   "He did. He said the energy drinks were to make the medicine work faster."

   "It did!"

   While the two went on, Sonic trying to justify that his methods worked where Tails would only tell him that they didn't and he always ended up passed out or some other form of trouble, Shadow started working on Sonic's hand.

   His chaos energy was… off, as if it was being suppressed. When it came to healing, it was similar to mixing drinks. One being too bitter and the other being too sweet, mixed together creating a perfect mixture. But Sonic's… no matter how much pure energy Shadow built up, Sonic's body refused to accept it. Any that managed to get through this sludge like barrier was quickly destroyed.

   "Ow," Sonic grunted, pulling his hand away sharply and waving it back and forth with a dull hiss. It felt burned, almost. A painful itchy sensation prickling at his skin similar to all those awful attacks Eggman's stupid robots did. "I get it, I get it, I'll shut up."

   Shadow's chest tensed and he let go of a breath he never knew he was holding and whispered an apology-- that was something he tried to do with...her, too, and was met with the same results. The memories stung, but he was okay now. Time passed.

   "Either way." He finally spoke, catching the two off guard as Tails had stood once more and was examining Sonic's bare hand to see what he could have been reacting to. "I can see if it is… that , or not. If regardless of what I find, you will still go to the hospital."

   Sonic's ears folded down and he gently pulled away from Tails, using both hands to steady himself. "How can you… how can you tell anyway?"

   " Sonic ," Tails hissed, but Shadow rose his hand to stop him. It was his history, afterall.

   His arms crossed and he huffed, taking a second to gather his thoughts before speaking. He could feel his back spines twitching in unease-- NIDs? Really? They must be wrong, it had to be something else.

   "Maria, you two know of her. I don't speak much about her, but… I assume you managed to find her file from GUN's network." He gestured vaguely, and Tails stood. "Enough about that, lay down, and I will try again."

   It took a bit of effort, Sonic wincing a few times from sore muscles, but once he was laid down Tails figured it would be best to let Shadow do as he did best and stepped away, going down to his workshop to leave the two alone.

   "Your hands are cool," Sonic mumbled, flinching away from his touch for a second as Shadow placed both hands onto Sonic's chest. "Did you take off your gloves?

   "That's only because you have a fever. Just close your eyes and try to relax." Sonic's fur was burning up, his heart beating to a slow tune and his skin absolutely drenched in sweat. It was off-putting, to say the least, but he didn't care. He could easily wash his hands anyway. "And yes, yes I did."

   "If I relax, I'm gonna end up going back to sleep. I wanna be awake for more than five minutes, y'know…"

   The comment fell on deaf ears.

   Shadow remained kneeled, eyes closed and head ducked.

   Now that he was at Sonic's chest, he could feel and see the damage better. Everything was moving impossibly slow, sluggish and almost painful to attempt to heal. His chaos energy, normally untapped and scorching with energy ready to be released was now just a dim spark. Mere embers of what it used to be before.

   Every ounce of chaos energy he poured into Sonic was eaten away in seconds. It did nothing to help, only causing his hands to warm uncomfortably and Sonic to shift. It didn't stop him, drawing whatever he could from the deepest parts within him to try to reignite Sonic's chaos energy.

   It only happened once before, well before he knew what healing or chaos energy was. But how? This just didn't happen, there was no way--

   "Hey," a hand on his shoulder snapped him out of it and Shadow looked up, where Sonic gave him a tired smile. "I… I know, okay? I kinda figured. You don't have to hurt yourself to help me."

   "I don't know what you're talking about," he quickly shot back, pulling his hands away to brace himself, but just as he moved he felt the boiling migraine explode between his ears. "Ow, okay, yeah, I cave."

   Sonic sighed, laying back some. "Thanks anyway, Shads."

Chapter Text

Sonic had gotten up.

   He stood, barely managed to get a cup of water, chatted to Tails some, then went outside for some fresh air before hurrying back inside, coughing up a storm. He called it allergies, but everyone knew better. He talked to Tails once more, conversation hushed. Shadow would have been able to make it out, but he decided to leave the two to their privacy as he stewed in his own thoughts.

   There was… one other thing he could try. Something he hadn't done in forever, and something he hadn't done to a mobian ever . A blood transfusion.

   He could physically do it without any medical instruments, he did it before to Maria when things were getting desperate. And, this was the exact time he would call this 'desperate'. Sonic was only getting worse with each step, his ever-moving body and fast-pounding heart only made everything worse. NIDS was spreading through him at an alarming rate, much faster than it ever affected Maria. Then again, he was always slowing its progression, never fully stopping it, but… if there was a chance he could help, he would always jump at the opportunity, no matter how scared he was.

   A sigh, catching Sonic and Tails' attention as Shadow stood from his uncomfortable rest in their loveseat. 

   "There's one other option," he started, where Sonic gave a look full of pure sorrow. "One not involving a hospital."

   "I… Shads…" the whisper was ignored as Shadow just as quickly cut him off.

   "I… can transfer my blood between us. I did it before, and it's the last thing I can offer. But, I can't guarantee there won't be any side effects--"

   "I'll take it!"

   "And I know that-- wait, what?" He stuttered, looking down at his and Sonic's clasped hands. He didn't recall doing so. "You will? You don't know the side effects, I don't if there even will be--"

   Sonic squeezed his hand harder, face falling back into a tense stare. "Honestly, it's either that, or death." His voice was flat, ears folding back at Tails' quiet mumble in distress. "While you were resting, I was… I was planning on my goodbyes. You know me, I can't sit still, and if me moving around is only making this worse, then I'll be dead by the end of the month at most . I'm willing to take every chance I can get."

   Shadow was quiet for a bit, Sonic silently letting his hands go and stepping back, almost like giving him space to think about his words, when Tails luckily spoke up.

   "What… What were you planning on doing?" He asked, pure worry and curiosity lacing his voice. His namesakes were twisting together almost painfully, and Shadow steadied himself.

   Okay. This was okay. "Something I did before, a more physical form of a blood transfusion. I'll cut Sonic's hand," he lifted one of Sonic's hands, palm up, and lightly traced his claw over the surface of it. Then, he did the same to his own, opposite hand. "And my own, and press them together as a gateway where I'll take in some of Sonic's blood while transferring my own to replace what I take. It won't take long, maybe five minutes or so."

   Sonic looked down at his hand, the ghost sensation of Shadow's claw tracing a pattern on it still tickling his pawpad. "Will it hurt?"

   "Momentarily, for both of us. Once I start, it stops hurting. That, I can promise." He nodded, and Sonic did as well, not meeting his eyes.

   It grew quiet again.

   Normally, he would give them some time to think this over, but there was no time for that. If he took a minute longer doing nothing but waiting, he'd lose his nerve and turn down the offer, no matter if Sonic asked again. 

   Luckily, Sonic quickly saw his mental dilemma and turned to Tails, waving and telling him to wait downstairs. He complained that he wanted to watch for research reasons, and then later concern, before finally caving and leaving the two alone.

   The moment the door closed and Shadow heard Tails' socked paws descending the stairs, he sighed.

   "I'm not like you." He started, and Sonic frowned, ready to cut him off. "I'm not normal, I'm not a pure hedgehog. If you still want to back down, the offer's--

   "I won't." He spoke, firm and to the point. Shadow couldn't respond. "If… if this doesn't work, know that I always loved you, okay?"

   "You love all your friends, nothing could make any of us forget that."

   "Y...yeah… friends ." The words were quiet, but Shadow didn't have the chance to ask him to repeat. "Ready?"

   He should be the one asking that. "Ready."

   It was just as he said. Shadow lifted Sonic's hand, his right, and traced a pattern on his paw pad. Just the tip of his claw, a silent warning, before suddenly pressing it deeper and flawlessly carving something that Sonic couldn't bear to watch. The moment he saw blood pool into his hand and the sting and burn of Shadow's claw, he squeezed his eyes shut with a short yelp.

   "I'm sorry," Shadow whispered, and Sonic nodded once more. The claw pulled away and Sonic finally opened his eyes, huffing in effort as he looked down at his trembling hand.

   It hurt.

   The carving was of a spiral with spikes or spines sticking off of it, intricately done and taking no longer than a few seconds to do so. The pattern was marred by the blood rushing to the surface, but a hiss caught his attention and he looked up just to see Shadow doing the same.

   The same pattern, backwards, on his bare left hand. At first he assumed there was no blood to begin with, but as Shadow's hand started to shake from pain, a sickly green droplet slipped from his paw pad and landed to the floor. He said something about cleaning it up, but that was farthest from Sonic's mind. Just how different were they that Shadow's blood was dark enough to almost not be seen? … Just what types of side effects could there be? Green blood?

   Shadow looked up, mouth twitching if he was once again going to ask if this was truly okay, but just as quickly shook his head. He silently grabbed Sonic's hand, lined up their palms, and pressed them together all in one swift motion. It was an odd sensation, utterly gross and made a harsh shiver run down his spine, but the pain left. Just as Shadow said it would.

   The sting was replaced with warmth, just general contact, as if they were simply holding hands and nothing more. His arm felt a bit heavy if anything, his shoulder aching some, but Shadow was holding him steady and Sonic was grateful for that.

   "Woah…" the sound came free without him thinking about it, looking at their hands as a gentle glow surrounded them. The glow wasn't anything special, a very faded yellow of Shadow's natural chaos energy, but it was the feeling that came with it. A tingling, almost buzzing feeling reached his wrist, where he finally noticed his hand was overcome with it too. As if his hand was asleep, but the feeling continued to spread.

   Soon, it reached his elbow, the tickle having grown so much that he scratched his arm randomly to try to brush it away.

   Shadow opened his eyes, glancing up at sonic just to make sure he was still okay, before looking down to their hands as he pulled them away. It worked, he could tell. A brown mess of blood laid in Sonic's palm, it would be a waste to let it scab over on its own, so he could do one more favour. He lifted his clean hand and carefully trailed his thumb over the slice, leaving behind a thick, silver coloured scar. It stood out against his pink skin and peach fur, but a scar was the least of his problems.

   "Woah," Sonic sounded like a broken record. "How did you do that??"

   Shadow lifted his cut hand and balled it into a fist, opening it back up for a fresh scar of his own. Brown this time, but luckily it didn't stand out. In a few months it would fade anyway.

   "It's something I'm done forever for you, for all of us. Have you not noticed?"

   "Well-- not up close, really. Does it always leave a scar like this?" Sonic poked it, watching it with curiosity as nothing significant happened. It felt odd, almost numb, and he looked at Shadow's hand as the other quickly put on his glove to hide it.

   Shadow shrugged, shaking his head with a chuff. "Not that I know of…" he trailed off, noticing Sonic seeming to be swaying to an unknown tune. "How do you feel?"

   "Tingly."

   "I'd… I would lay down, then, that took a lot out of you." He gently pressed on Sonic's chest, steadying him for a moment. "You have my number, both of them. Call me the second anything feels wrong or off and I'll be right at your side, okay? You have my word."

   The world felt so soft and fuzzy. Shadow's hand was the only thing keeping him upright and awake right now, and if he was honest he could probably go to sleep like this anyway. "Gotcha Shads." His head was so heavy. 

  Sonic felt himself being lifted and opened his eyes, unsure when he closed him, and saw Shadow over him, carrying him silently. "Oh, good idea, I really wanna take a nap."

   Tails came from downstairs at the sound of movement and gave them an odd look, where Shadow shrugged helplessly and continued up the stairs.

   "Is he…?"

   "Asleep. I have to leave, but I didn't want him on the couch any longer. Call me if you notice anything Sonic's too stubborn to tell me about."

   "Will do!"

   Shadow laid Sonic atop the covers, the hedgehog having already fallen asleep by the time his bedroom door was opened anyway. He turned tail to leave, waving goodbye to Tails as they passed each other in the hallway.

   A black spot on the floor made him pause, left hand tensing a bit before he moved to the sink and grabbed some paper towels to wipe up the stain.

   He was nothing like Sonic.