Chapter Text
Gadget tossed and turned in his bed. He had expected the night after the final battle with the Eggman Empire to be restful, but all he could think of were memories: memories he had tried hard to forget, but they fought their way to the surface in his dreams. He sighed, as he recognized the 3 main memories in the middle of the menagerie...
8 months prior...
Hill Top had always been a rough place. Apart from the main trail (made famous by Sonic's journey there when he was younger on his way to defeating Eggman and destroying the original Death Egg), the other parts of the village (the parts where people lived, as it were) were dangerous. Sure, most of the people living there were rich enough to afford houses outside of urban areas, but that just made them obvious targets for robberies.
Speaking of robberies, Gadget could hear the smashing of windows outside. Whenever these crime sprees happened, it was always wise to just let the robbers take what they wanted. After all, since most of these people were rich, anything that was stolen could simply be replaced. However, after making sure Gizmo, his younger brother, was okay, Gadget snuck downstairs to see if anybody was coming.
To his surprise, he saw a black and white jackal rummaging through his cupboards. As the jackal turned around to pick up anything he missed, Gadget could see the jackal had mismatched blue and yellow eyes. This visual would never leave Gadget's mind, no matter how long he tried to forget it, and it would come to help him later on.
However, snapping Gadget out of his study of the jackal's features, the latter picked up a box which, Gadget knew, contained a family heirloom. A television can be replaced. A radio can be replaced. But a family heirloom? No way.
Gadget grabbed the broom by the stairs and sprung into action, batting the jackal with the broom. At first, the intruder was caught off-guard, but Gadget wasn't prepared for what came next. The jackal braced himself, and on Gadget's next swing...
The jackal swung his sword with such might that he cut the broomstick in half. Now, it was Gadget's turn to be on the defensive. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that, and he decided to keep attacking with his now de-broomed stick.
It wasn't even close. Within a few seconds, the jackal had Gadget knocked to the floor, with his sword to the wolf's neck. At first, Gadget thought this would truly be how he died: attacking somebody who was trying to steal a family heirloom. However, the jackal did something that confused Gadget.
He smirked and picked up the box. "You want to keep it that badly?" The box was unceremoniously tossed onto Gadget's chest. "Fine. Keep it."
The jackal ran away with the rest of the things he had stolen, and disappeared into the night.
Gadget sighed a sigh of relief. Sure, the bandit had made off with the TV, the toaster, and the radio, but the prized family heirloom was safe. He put it back in its original spot, and went back upstairs to check on his little brother, who was no doubt terrified.
Of course, that wasn't the only memory included. He shuddered; he wanted to keep this memory stored away in the depths of his mind, but his subconscious had other plans.
3 months prior...
It was late. There were no landmarks Gadget could recognize. He was lost, although he couldn't bring himself to admit it.
The Empire had attacked a coastal town that morning. The Resistance had mobilized quickly enough to save most of the town, and even begin to push the Empire back. Gadget got into some close scrapes with some of the badniks, but with his wispon at hand, he easily dispatched them. Of course, then Infinite had shown up, throwing the Resistance army into disarray, and sending them scattering every which way.
Obviously, in the course of scattering every which way, Gadget must have went the wrong way, and he was now lost in what appeared to be an old part of town. A few destroyed buildings could be seen here and there, but it was mostly untouched by war.
Eventually, he found a building that resembled his apartment building back home. He shrugged, thinking that at the very least, he'd have a place to rest until the morning. Unbeknownst to him, the building was actually currently occupied by a certain villain who happened to be relaxing on his balcony at the time.
Gadget stumbled up the stairs, and opened the door. He was stumbling over to the couch when he heard someone yell in surprise. The voice, in particular, made him shudder in fear.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?!"
Of course, of all of the bad things that could have happened to Gadget in his current state, scraped and bruised and tired, "accidentally stumbling into your enemy's house" had to top the list. "...Wait, this is your house?"
The jackal facepalmed (or, at least, he would have facepalmed had he not been wearing a mask). "Do you even know where you are?"
Gadget looked around sheepishly. "Apart from the fact that I'm in your house?" He shrugged. "No, not really."
The jackal shook his head. "Yes, this is my house. How did you get here?"
Gadget, again, looked around sheepishly. "Well, when you attacked the Resistance, we all scattered. I kept running until I found something that looked like my apartment building back near Sunset Heights."
The jackal couldn't even muster a shake of his head. "Well, this is my house, not your apartment. Not to mention, we aren't anywhere near Sunset Heights. So get out."
Gadget got up to walk away, only for Infinite to suddenly stop him. "Wha...?"
He didn't understand why Infinite was looking at him... with concern? "You're injured."
Gadget scoffed. "You could say that again. Anyways, I'll just be..." He started to walk away again, only to be stopped by Infinite, who (somehow) gently threw him back onto the couch. "What are you doing?"
"Let me help you." Infinite got a first aid kit (why he had one, Gadget didn't know) and got out a sterile alcohol pad. "Hold still." He went to rub it on a cut, but missed Gadget's head by a few inches. "Ugh... stupid mask, taking away my depth perception." He then pressed a button under his chin, and off came the mask.
Gadget gasped in surprise. Staring right back at him were 2 mismatched eyes, one blue and one yellow. Was Infinite really the bandit from 5 months before? Yet, the face seemed to hide a sadness. What could he be so sad about?
His thinking was interrupted by Infinite clearing his throat. "Are you done staring?"
Gadget blinked twice. "Oh, sorry, you just reminded me of someone..." The voice even seemed the same, now that the mask wasn't modulating it anymore.
Infinite looked back at him, trying to remember where he saw Gadget's face from.
Gadget decided to help him. "I hit you with a broom? Five months ago?"
Infinite smirked. "Oh, yeah, and I almost killed you for it. Now hold still."
Apart from the stinging of the alcohol pad on his cuts and bruises, Gadget almost went numb. He had never thought of it before, but the jackal kinda looked... cute? Like, obviously he looked like he could kill you in one swipe, but that somehow wasn't so offputting?
"Turn your head to the left."
Gadget complied. He wasn't sure if it was because of the war, and the touch-starved feeling he was feeling because of it, or if he genuinely felt that way.
"Turn your head to the right now."
He complied. After thinking about it for a while, he decided it was a mixture of both. Yes, the jackal was cute regardless, but the feelings were amplified by how touch-starved he was. As Infinite took some gauze pads from the first-aid kit, Gadget suddenly felt embarrassed. Was he really catching feelings for his enemy? Yeah, sure, Infinite might be cute and all, but he kidnapped Sonic! He steals things! He's not good! But as Infinite started to bandage Gadget's face, Gadget realized that he truly was falling for the jackal. But was Infinite falling for him?
After Infinite finished bandaging Gadget's face, his hand lingered. "There. All patched up." His hand continued to caress Gadget's face, not that Gadget was complaining. Blue and yellow met orange, and they held that stare for a while.
Looking back on it, it was only about a minute and a half, although it had felt like forever in the moment. Either way, it came to an abrupt end with Infinite suddenly pulling Gadget into a deep kiss. Thoughts immediately began to flash through Gadget's mind. This whole thing, it felt so wrong, and yet, at the same time, it felt right? Like, clearly this wasn't something that was supposed to happen, but Gadget supposed that neither him nor Infinite were worse off for it. Either way, he decided to return the kiss.
It was a deep, loving, and passionate kiss, lasting maybe four to five hours, with only occasional scattered small breaks for air in the middle. While each of them let their hands wander over the other, it didn't go any further than kissing. First, Gadget was on top, by virtue of Infinite pulling him into the kiss, but after a while, Infinite was able to wrestle his way on top of Gadget. (If he noticed the intensified blush on the wolf's face, he didn't say anything about it.)
Infinite was the first to speak after the kiss was over. "I don't want to let go. I want to stay here like this forever."
Gadget looked to the side, trying to hide an obvious blush. "I mean, I'll have to go, eventually. But can we stay like this, just for tonight?"
Infinite smiled. "I'd like that. Very much." He hugged Gadget tight. He whispered into Gadget's shoulder. "By the way, I never caught your name."
Gadget could feel himself melting, but was able to gather himself enough to respond. "Gadget."
He could feel Infinite smile. "Gadget. It suits you."
They fell asleep like that, Infinite on top of Gadget, in a loving embrace.
The next morning...
Gadget awoke to the beeping of a communicator. He sighed. Of course, the fairytale had to end eventually, but Gadget wished it could have lasted longer. Infinite walked over to Gadget from what seemed to be the kitchen, handing him a bowl of what looked like potatoes and looking at the communicator quizzically. Gadget put a finger to his lips, signaling Infinite to be quiet. He then pressed a button on the communicator. "Go for Gadget?"
A brash voice, easily identifiable as hot-headed Resistance commander Knuckles the Echidna, rang through. "Gadget! Where have you been?"
Gadget sighed. "I got... lost."
Knuckles' voice quickly morphed into concern. "Do you need us to send someone to find you?"
Gadget didn't even need to look up from his potatoes to tell that Infinite was shaking his head "no" frantically. "No, I'm fine, I think I know where I am now."
Knuckles was still concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? Amy said you looked scraped up when-"
Gadget interrupted him. "It's been a while since I saw Amy. I'm fine now, I got all patched up." He knew Knuckles could talk his ear off, but he really wanted to spend a few more moments with Infinite. "I'll be back to the base in a bit."
Knuckles seemed unimpressed. "Gadget, you are not getting rid of me that easily-"
Another voice could be heard in the background. Gadget soon realized it was Silver. "Oh, leave him be. If he says he's patched up, I believe him."
"But- Oh, all right. Get back to base soon, Gadget." Gadget heard a small beep, indicating that Knuckles had hung up.
He sighed, putting the communicator down and finally eating his breakfast. It was really good, especially considering the circumstances. He looked up to see Infinite, still not talking. "He hung up, we're in the clear."
Infinite let out a sigh of relief. "Thank chaos. Is he usually that..."
"...annoying? Yes."
They shared a laugh as Gadget continued eating.
Soon, Gadget finished his breakfast, and was packing to leave for the Resistance base, when he noticed a small red rock sitting on the couch where he had been laying. Infinite beat him to it, holding it into the light to see what it was, before looking shocked. "So that's where that Phantom Ruby prototype went. I thought I was going crazy when I couldn't find it." He looked to Gadget, who (for his part) looked terrified, and snickered. "You haven't changed a bit in 5 months." He tossed the gem to the bewildered wolf. "Keep it. As long as you have it on you, nothing the Phantom Ruby can do will hurt you."
Gadget rubbed the back of his head. "I was thinking... what will we do when the war is over? Since, as much as I'd like to, I can't keep sneaking off to make out on your couch while there's a war going on outside."
Infinite paused. Gadget guessed the jackal hadn't actually accounted for that. Soon, his grin returned. "When the Eggman Empire succeeds in taking over the world, I'll spare you. We'll live together, if you want."
Gadget shook his head. "And if the Empire fails, I'll do the same-"
Infinite shook his head, placing a hand on Gadget's shoulder. "I'm afraid that won't be your call to make."
Gadget looked the jackal in his blue and yellow eyes. "I'll do everything in my power to do the same. Better?"
Infinite looked to the side. "Not really, but the sentiment was nice..."
Gadget's communicator started beeping again. Gadget swore under his breath, while Infinite gave him some space. He picked up the communicator. "Go for Gadget-"
It was Amy this time, definitely sweeter than Knuckles, but with the same ferocity. "Gadget! Are you okay? You seemed pretty scraped up when I saw you last-"
Gadget audibly sighed, causing Amy to stop talking. "I'm fine. As I told Knuckles, I'm all patched up now." Thanks to Infinite, he said internally (taking care to make sure he didn't say it out loud). "I was just getting ready to head back to base."
"Alright! I'll talk to you more when you get here!" The small beep after her last sentence sounded more like a school bell in Gadget's mind.
He turned to the jackal, who was putting his mask back on. "See? They aren't all as talkative as Knuckles!"
Infinite snickered. "Yeah, but she'll give you an earful when you get back to base." He put the mask back on. "Farewell! Dry sorrow drinks our blood."
Somehow, even something as poignant as a Shakespeare quote sounded menacing when put through the mask. Or maybe, Gadget was remembering what became of Verona's star-crossed lovers. Regardless, he shook those thoughts from his head and opened the door. "Farewell." He walked out, ready to head back to base.
Gadget shook his head, remembering what happened next all too well. Infinite was right; as soon as he got back in the base, Amy talked his ear off for 2 hours straight. Luckily, he was able to survive her monologuing by thinking more about Infinite while Amy droned on and on about proper protocol and how not to get lost (as if he'd remember that when he needed to).
Specifically, he had thought about what the jackal had said before he left: "I'm afraid that won't be your call to make." Of course, he didn't know it at the time, but Infinite had been torturing Sonic for... would it have been 3 months at that point? Probably. (He knew about the kidnapping at the time, but not the torture.) Clearly, Infinite expected Sonic to want him dead following the war. However, as the 3rd memory fought for control, Gadget remembered all too well that it hadn't been Sonic's call to make either...
"Impossible. I cannot be defeated."
Gadget could still hear the voice, clear as day. The slight modulation from the mask was a nice touch, although Gadget would much rather hear the jackal's natural voice.
"Wrong, loser! The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul, and the bonds of friendship."
Sonic, as always, was hamming it up. For who, Gadget couldn't tell. Maybe Infinite? But Sonic didn't seem like the type to gloat over a defeated enemy. Was he trying to rub it into Eggman's face? Who knows?
Either way, Gadget nodded (as Sonic was so obviously prompting him to do).
"Three things you and your counterfeit cronies lack."
Infinite punched the ground, clearly angry at his current predicament. Suddenly, he started floating away. "No, wait! I can still fight!"
Gadget could only look on in horror as Infinite faded away.
What he wouldn't give to have held Infinite's hand one more time...
He sighed. He somehow felt as if he had known all along that he and Infinite's love was doomed; after all, star-crossed lovers rarely get happy endings. Still, knowing the sad part of a movie is coming does little to keep you from crying, and Gadget knew that some little part of him was hoping Infinite would survive and that everything would be okay, to the very end.
He needed time to grieve. That much was clear. In fact, he'd ask Amy for a week off, to "clear his mind", when he saw her tomorrow. Yeah.
Like that would help.