Work Text:
He kicked his blanket off of his front and leaped to his feet.
“Woo hoo, party time,” Sonic called out, stretching his arms over his head.
“I think you mean, ‘bed time,’” Tom said, poking his head into the living room. His fingers slapped at the grey wall. “Try to have the lights out in fifteen minutes, y’all.”
“Fifteen minutes?!” Sonic hissed out in a whisper as Tom’s brown-haired head disappeared back into the kitchen. He shrugged. “Eh, who cares, it was probably a rough guideline.”
Instead of laying back down, Sonic scooped up his blanket and flung it around his shoulders like a cape. Knuckles stared at him with something of a regretful grimace and laid down.
“You're laying down?” Sonic asked him incredulously. He jumped up onto the couch and planted his hands on his hips, a very powerful stance. “Why on the planet are you doing that?”
“It’s called ‘down-regulating,’” Knuckles responded calmly. He tucked his blanket in a neat fold around his shoulders and laid perfectly still.
Sonic thundered down from the couch and landed on his feet with a bang. Knuckles’ purple eyes sprang open in a distress, but the fear melted with surprising speed to hardness.
“Sorry for the rough landing,” Sonic said, sticking out a hand and not truly sounding sorry at all. Knuckles’ lips twitched upward, however.
“Anyway,” Sonic panted out, flopping down onto his hands and knees and crawling at Knuckles to peer him in the eyes. “Why are you doing this thing called, ‘down-regulating?’ Is that a dance move?”
“‘Down regulating,’” Knuckles explained from his stance on the carpet, “Is simply the process of slowly preparing your body for sleep.”
“Sounds exhilarating,” Sonic said. “But playing space aliens with capes is much more fun. Come on, jump up on the couch, Mom totally won't mind if we trash her new throw pillows.”
“Actually, she will,” Knuckles countered. He closed his eyes, and his long eyelashes tangled up against his still cheeks; he looked a lot like he was attempting not to sigh at Sonic.
“Can we at least play a little tag?” Sonic pleaded. He took off an imaginary hat and made his round, green eyes grow very large indeed.
“Lay down,” Knuckles prompted. “I don’t want you to disturb Tails.”
Knuckles pointed a calm finger over at Tails’ form, all snuggled up with Ozzie on the floor.
“No way Tails is already—” Sonic began. he caught sight of the still and peaceful form of his friend. “Oh. Asleep. Well, lemme wake ‘im up then—”
Sonic sprang up onto his knees to his feet but Knuckles caught him on the scrawny wrist.
“Ehgn,” Sonic got out, trying to run. “Lemme wake ‘im up!”
“No,” Knuckles said patiently. “He wants to sleep. As do you.”
“I don’t wanna sleep!” Sonic burst out with a chirp. He flopped down anyway onto the floor, panting from the anticipation of sprinting at Tails. The living room glowed gently around him, but Sonic tried to look at something un-calming in it so he wouldn’t be tempted by sleep.
“You know, my father used to argue every night with me over going to bed,” Knuckles’ voice began.
Sonic sat a little straighter, and a little stiller, because Knuckles was talking about… that. Sonic pulled his blanket onto his lap and watched his friend with rapt, respectful attention.
Knuckles’ purple gaze found the floor, but the gentle smile playing at his lips looked more reminiscent than regretful.
“Every night, I would be outside, training, always training,” Knuckles continued. His voice went slightly melodic and Sonic fought the drowsiness in his eyes. Knuckles’ eyes sparkled knowingly, almost like he was trying to make Sonic sleep or something…
“One night the wind blew ferociously, and the dark sank deeper and blacker than any night I’d ever seen,” Knuckles said. “I didn’t let that stop me. I stood out in the biting cold, all alone except my staff, and my strength, and the night. Of course I was trying to be the greatest warrior that ever lived. I do believe my father noticed my potential, but he refused to allow me to train once the sun sank below the great forest’s horizon. But there I was, sweating, and shaking a little from the exertion — perhaps a little from the cold — when my father appeared in front of me. ‘Knuckles,’ he said. ‘There are greater battles to be won than those with weapons.’ When he said that, my heart began to race, and my blood pumped with adrenaline. My father was going to give me an ancient proverb, or something similar. ‘--Like those of a loving father trying to get his son to rest. Come, Knuckles. Come to bed.’ Then he extended his hands. One to take my weapon. One to take my hand. That was the first time I didn’t argue the point, because, of course, he was right. Discipline, and listening to the instruction of his wiser, more competent voice, was an asset I lacked in, sorely. But he was patient, and he loved me no matter how many short comings I possessed. He lead me to my room, which I shared with no one, because my only brother had gone off to fight. But he kept leading me. He took me past my room, down a short, ornamented hallway, and into his bedroom. A little cot of pillows and blankets laid tucked on the floor, and it was then, it was then, Sonic, that my father taught me the art of down-regulation.”
The little living room kept glowing as Knuckles fell quiet, a thoughtful silence. Knuckles glanced over at Sonic to see if he’d accomplished his goal of getting him to sleep, and he felt pleased he had. Sonic lay tucked carefully under his blanket, lying flat on the ground with the quilts in neat folds, just like Knuckles had done.
“I’m still awake,” Sonic slurred out. “By the way. Don’t want you to… think I’m ignoring your amazing literature or anything…”
“No need to clarify, my friend,” Knuckles hissed. He let out an exhale and closed his eyes. “I was trying to make you fall asleep.”
“That’s what I… thought,” Sonic yawned. He peeked one of his green eyes open, where his dyed-blue hair lay ruffled against the pillow.
“Excellent,” Knuckles nodded. He let his eyes flutter open for a moment, then slip back closed. “So you are fine to drift away now?”
“Unless Tails needs something,” Sonic shrugged.
“Tails is asleep,” Knuckles reminded him quietly. “I—”
“That was a really good story, Knuckles,” Tails murmured into his pillow, cuddled against Ozzie’s thick fur only a few feet away from the other two. “Thank you.”
“Tails,” Knuckles said. He cleared his throat. “I thought you were asleep. My apologies.”
“Nope,” Tails said sleepily into his pillow. “But I think… I will be soon.”
“Me too,” Sonic agreed. “How ‘bout you, Knucks, you ready for some shut-eye?”
Knuckles opened his mouth to begin speaking about how sleep was all he wanted in the first place, and—
“Yes,” Knuckles decided on instead. “Good night, my friends.”
“Night, Knuckles, Night Sonic. I love you!” Tails said.
“G’night, guys,” Sonic said. He closed his eyes. And smiled. “I love you too.”