Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sonic had been having weird dreams. More floaty Amys, calling to him.

And some… other girl. He didn’t recognize her, but he started to look for her everywhere. She had a familiar feeling to her. Almost as if he was supposed to know her.

He hadn’t verbalized any of this. To anyone. No one knew. No one.

Sonic thought he was going crazy. He didn’t want to be proven right.

Just like how he hadn’t told anyone about the time loop.

So, he continued like nothing was happening. He was good at lying, it came easy to him.

It was a dark night, a slight spring breeze brushing past his shoulders as he swung over the city. The city had been relatively quiet for the past few weeks. Even on his dad’s side, a lack of crime. Well, not a lack, per se, just a dip.

There are crime times and times of the year when people are happy and avoided committing heinous acts.

And Sonic grew bored of stopping bodega robbers. The cops could handle it. He was here for the big shit.

A chill went up his back, and he almost pushed it to the side, thinking it was just the wind. All the hair on his neck stood up straight under his mas,k and he jumped into action. His spider sense led him to an alley.

An empty alley.

Well, it was empty.

The small space was lit up with purple and blue lights. Sonic leaned closer to the light, watching a circular anomaly appear in front of him.

Then a girl fell out of it. And on top of Sonic.

Sonic groaned as he collided with concrete. “Maximum effort,” he grunted as he pushed back up to his feet. “And he sticks the landing.”

The girl jumped up, and Sonic noted her outfit…? Was that spandex?

Bright, comical white eyes narrowed at him. Sonic sighed and made a face.

“Look, lady, I appreciate the cosplay, but you can’t be jumping off buildings and throwing- what was that- smoke bombs. You could hurt some-”

“Sonic?”

Oh, he was so dead. How the fuck did she know? Was he thinking out loud?

Sonic’s eyes widened as he leaned forward, having a question of his own. “Amy?” He recognized the voice, but not the suit. Or the eyes. Or the lack of blinding pink hair.

“Shit.”

“Shit!”

“I said it first.”

“Well, I said it louder.” That was definitely Amy Rose.

Amy huffed and shook her head. “We need to move somewhere private. Got a roof or somewhere we can talk?”

“I got a roof.”

The eyes narrowed in a way that was reminiscent of an eyebrow raising.

“Come on. I’ll help… and you’re jumping. Great.” Sonic followed suit, leading the way to his go-to roof.

Once they reached the roof, Sonic sat on the edge, gesturing for her to talk.

Amy sighed and pulled off her mask. That was not the Amy Rose he knew. This Amy had shorter hair and lighter hair. She had a nose ring and eyes that seemed to be forever narrowed at him. Nice.

Sonic exhaled sharply before snatching off his mask. He tossed it, shaking his hair. Other Amy’s eyes widened slightly, almost shocked at his appearance.

“What? Didn’t expect me to be so handsome?”

“You’re still an arrogant dickhead, glad to see that is a universal constant.”

“Yeah…” What? “What?”

Other Amy scoffed and waved her hand. “You’re an idiot.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, like I don’t know, the fact that you’re talking about the possibility of other universes!”

“Not the possibility, the fact of other universes. Clearly, I’m not the Amy Rose you know. She looks like a goody-two-shoes who has never done anything wrong in her life.”

“She stole once.” Sonic cut in. “It was a Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer, but it still counts.”

“My point stands.”

Sonic scoffed, “Are you going to explain anything, Evanescence? I’m getting real tired of your little riddles.”

“Are you calling me emo?”

“If the knee-high converse fit.”

“Touche.”

Sonic narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”

“It’s simple. There’s a multiverse, I traveled through it on accident, and got here. In my universe, you’re dead and I’m Spiderwoman. Comprende?”

Sonic stepped back in confusion. “Wait, dead? Spider-woman?”

“Yeah. I’ve been phasing in and out of this universe. I’ve seen pieces of it. You as Spider-Man. Eggman. Most of it. And whatever I haven’t seen, I learned through other me’s articles.”

“She’s very thorough.”

“Yeah, it’s revolting.”

“Okay, Avril, is there a reason for your constant brooding? Is it because I’m dead, you’re a relentless pain in my fucking ass?”

“You think awfully highly of yourself.”

“Yeah, I tend to do that.”

“You’ve been having dreams. Strange dreams you can’t explain.”

What?

“I have.”

Amy nodded and walked past him, “I’ve been having them too. Some Indian chick I’ve never seen. I don’t know who she is or why she’s in my dreams.”

“You’ve been in my dreams. And her.”

“Huh.” Amy tapped her chin. “I’ve been bouncing in and out of this universe for a while, breaking through the surface, just to get pulled back into the void. Have you experienced any temporal anomalies?”

“Would a time loop count?”

“’Would a time loop count?’ Yes, it fucking would! Do you normally get trapped in small loops of time?”

“Not typically.”

“Dumbass.”

Sonic huffed, choosing his words carefully. “Fag.”

The pot is talking very strongly to the kettle.

“That’s rich coming from the biggest queer I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Sonic’s mouth dropped open before he rebutted. “At least I’m not wearing eyeliner. That’s majorly gay.”

“Shadow wears guyliner.”

“How do you know that?”

“I have a Shadow in my universe. Some people are universal constants. Others are not.”

Sonic cocked his head. “How are you an expert on quantum mechanics?”

“You learn some stuff when you’re doing this on your own. You have Tails, I don’t.”

“Oh. How do you know I don’t know some of this stuff myself?”

Amy huffed, short hair bobbing with her head. “I know you, Sonic Wachowski isn’t an idiot, but if he can avoid learning something, he will.”

Touche.

“Okay, you’re right, but I also was stuck in a time loop for god knows how long. I learned what I needed to survive.”

“That loop was a wake-up call, a call you snoozed repeatedly. The answer had been in front of you the entire time!”

Sonic glared, only slightly realizing they had been circling each other the entire conversation. He stopped his feet, opting to tower over Amy. An oldie, but a good method of intimidation.

“Your subconscious detected me bouncing in and out of this universe, so it showed you what could be. Infinite possibilities of one day. Somewhere out there, there are versions of you who went through those days. Lost Tom or Tails or Knuckles or whoever else died that day.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Because the universe anchors to the spider of the universe, which is a fancy term for fucking their life over and over again. When two anchors are in a universe, it messes with things.”

“Am I the anchor in other universes?”

“In some of them. And in some, you don’t exist.”

“Okay, I’m understanding like 50 percent of this.”

“Of course. Look, I was thrown out of my universe and left here. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how to get home. I need Tails’ brain to help me get the fuck home!”

“I understood that part. I’ll call him, see if he’s up. Then, you can come to my place. You’ve been there, right?”

“Again, I know Sonic in my universe.”

“Knew.”

“Right… knew. Hard to forget that.”

“I’m sorry about that. I know this universe’s Amy cared about me a lot. Must’ve been rough.”

“It should have been him. Not me.”

“Pardon?”

“My universe’s spider. Should have been him. Not me. But he was an idiot and led me down some sketchy hallway, I got bit while he got away scott-free. It didn’t last long, though. He was obsessed with the idea of seeing a superhero in person. He never should have done it.”

Sonic sucked in a sharp breath, reaching for his mask. “I’ve… been there. Of course, none of it stuck, but it’s horrifying. Especially for someone like us.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll call Tails. He’s probably awake. Kid never sleeps. I think he is secretly making meth and dipping into his own supply. He’s smart enough to know how to make meth, and come to think of it, I’ve never seen his lab in the garage-”

“Focus!”

“Alright! Jesus! Calling him now. Calm your tits.”

Amy raised a brow and crossed her arms.

“Sorry,” Sonic grimaced as he dialed. His phone rang twice before the call was answered.

“Sonic? Did something happen? Are you okay?”

Sonic smiled, “Everything is fine, buddy, but I do have something for you. Ever hear of the multiverse?”

Amy scoffed as Tails began talking excitedly. “Of course! The theory that we are one of an infinite universes all existing at once! Wait- why are you asking?”

“I may have run into someone from another universe. And she needs our help to get home.”

“How do you know she’s from another universe? You’re gullible. I’ll need to vet them myself-”

“Tails, she’s been vetted. I’ll bring her over.” Sonic pulled the phone away from his ear. “Put your mask on, I don’t need my family seeing you and having an aneurysm.” He picked the phone back up, “Be there in a bit, Tails. Is Knuckles awake?”

“No, he fell asleep an hour ago. Had to hang up his call with Rouge for him.”

“Perfect. Silver may be up, but that’ll be fine.”

Amy cocked her head to the side. “Silver?”

Sonic hung up the call and stared at Amy. “Yeah, Silver. Hero from the future. Helped stopped Neo. He’s not in your universe?”

“Who’s Neo?”

“Evil metal version of… he was an android of me. Took over the world in the future. Nearly died taking him down. Silver came here to warn us.”

“Weird. I didn’t think there were that many differences between our worlds.”

Sonic shrugged, pulling his mask down. “Who knows? Come on, let’s go talk to Tails.”

Chapter Text

Sonic paced Tails’ room, ignoring most of the ‘nerd’ talk.

Tails leaned back in his chair, cocking his head. “Half of that was illogical. The multiverse doesn’t work like that. But it is a decent theory. You’ve both been having these odd dreams?”

Sonic blinked, stopping in his tracks. “Yeah, since I ended the loop. It’s been her and some other chick I don’t know.”

Amy nodded, brushing back her hair. “Same, and I’ve been popping in and out of this universe more frequently since then.”

“Hmm,” Tails spun around in his chair. “Sounds like there’s some imbalance of sorts. Or something pulled you here. Maybe it’s got something to do with that girl. I won’t know what caused any of it right now. We can talk again in the morning.” Tails narrowed his eyes at Sonic. “Mom and Dad aren’t going to be happy that you keep bringing in people. This makes three.”

Sonic shrugged, “It’s late. I’ll tell them everything in the morning. I’d leave you alone in my room, but Silver will freak out. You can take my bed, don’t worry, it’s clean. I think Shadow would skin me if it was dirty, he comes over a lot and he’s weird about my ‘linens’.”

Amy chuckled and nodded.

“Thanks, Tails. We’ll see you in the morning. Hopefully, we can figure this out. And, I think Silver’s fine right now, so you can pause trying to create a time machine.”

“What?” Amy raised her brows, confused.

“We’re trying to send Silver home. Eventually. He found a way here, but it was a one-way type of thing. It’s a whole thing. Silver will understand, and if I’m honest, I think he’s dreading going back.”

Tails nodded and opened his laptop. “Okay, go to sleep, I need to research.”

Sonic and Amy walked out of the room, and Sonic pointed at the stairs, “Head to my room, I’ll be right behind you.”

Amy started down the hall,l and Sonic leaned into the room. “Thank you for helping. I know I’ve been asking a lot of you recently, and I’m sorry.”

“Sonic, if you understood the complexities of time travel or the multiverse, I would be upset, but you don’t. It’s fine. And I enjoy having a reason for my research.”

“Well, I still feel bad. Thank you. See you in the morning.”

“Get some rest, Sonic.”

“Will do, buddy.”

Sonic went up the stairs to his room, finding Silver still fast asleep on his air mattress. “You can take the bed. I have some extra blankets that I can use to sleep on the floor.”

“I’m not incapable of sleeping on the floor,” Amy huffed.

Different universe, same Amy.

“Too bad, I’ve already decided, and it’s both my universe and my house. Suck it.”

“You suck it.”

“I will not.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll take the bed.”

“Was that so hard?”

The only response he received was being flipped off.

“Rude.”

Sonic pulled out a few blankets and set up on the floor while Amy slowly sat on the bed.

“Your Amy, she… likes you?”

Sonic paused, blinking at his pillow. What was his life? “She did, yeah. Not sure about now. Since we were young. Did you like your Sonic?”

“Yeah. Then he died. Kind of turned me off crushes.”

“One person died, and now you’ll never like anyone again? That’s ridiculous. And, no offense, I’m sure you’re great and all, but your Sonic was probably like me. Gay. Well- bi, but still works. I don’t know, maybe out there, there’s a Sonic who’s in love with Amy. Happily ever after or whatever.”

Amy pulled her legs up to her chest. “It’s hard. He shouldn’t have died. All because of a fucking spider, I’m alive and he’s not. It’s my fault.”

“Whoa, it is not. Your Sonic would agree. Death is merciless and takes anyone. As someone who has seen every single one of his loved ones die in his arms, I can tell, it sucks. Of course it does, it’s death! But things will get easier. One day, the ache in your chest will lessen, and you’ll barely feel it. And he wouldn’t want you to be full of guilt. He’d want you to move on. He’s not the only guy who exists.”

“Things would have been better if it had bitten him.”

“Then it would be this universe. I hate to say it, but it was destined to happen. You were supposed to be… Spider-girl?”

”Spider-woman.”

“Yeah, whoops. Anyways, you were supposed to be the hero. Not him. Okay? The universe picked you.”

“The universe was wrong.”

“It tends to be, yeah. Can’t change the past.”

“There’s a time traveler sleeping right behind you.”

Sonic huffed in amusement. “That is slightly different. World destruction and all. And I’ve been told that his coming back only causes a branch in timelines. So there’s a universe that still fell to Neo. We can’t change that.”

“I hate this. None of it makes sense. I’m going to bed.”

Sonic smiled. “Goodnight, Ames.”

“Night, Sonic.”

Sonic flicked out the lights. He walked to his makeshift bed before realizing he was still in his suit. After a quick change, he lay down, staring at the ceiling.

He was never the smartest in his class. He didn’t understand this multiverse stuff. Shit, he barely got the superhero stuff. He was just winging and hoping it worked most of the time.

That’s how he got through all of school and life. Winging it.

Sonic’s a chronic bullshitter and he knows how to make shit up. But understanding this complex shit? He can’t do it.

He can’t lie out of it. He can’t make up some excuse.

So he has to hope that Tails can help him.

He should get Tails a ‘World’s Best Brother’ mug. And some uranium. He’s been begging for some for a while. Their parents kept saying no.

“Before you say anything, I had no choice.”

Tom sighed, running a hand down his face. “Right in front of my donut? You’re doing this again?”

Sonic grimaced. “Sorry.”

“Continue.”

Sonic bit his lower lip. “There may or may not be a girl in the attic.”

Beat.

“From another universe.”

Beat.

“And she’s like me.”

His dad’s donut clattered onto his plate. “What?”

“And she’s Amy.”

“Is this a joke?”

“It’s not.”

“Sonic.”

“Dad.”

“Bring her down here, please. I imagine Tails already knows.”

“You’d be right.”

“He’s working on it.”

“Yep.”

“Good.”

Sonic nodded and rushed up the stairs. “Amy, you’ve been beckoned.” Silver rolled on his bed, but remained asleep.

“By who?”

“My father.”

Amy sucked in a short breath and nodded. “Lead the way then.”

“I’m ninety percent sure he’s not mad. At you, at least. Probably at me. Somehow this multiverse shit will be blamed on me. Another side effect of my powers or something. And I have questions for you about your universe, but later.”

Sonic paused them right before they entered the kitchen. “He’s probably just gonna ask basic questions. He won’t pry. You’re not the first stray I’ve brought in. Besides, they have to be used to this by now.”

“That makes me so happy,” Amy deadpanned, raising her brows slightly.

Sonic cocked his head as he noticed her eyebrow piercing. Despite the clear differences in appearance, the two Amy’s were very similar. “Whatever.”

Sonic walked into the kitchen. “Here she is. As you can tell by looking at her, this is not the Amy we know and tolerate.” He hopped onto the counter, grinning brightly at his father. “She won’t be staying long, I’m sure that Tails has already begun to concoct a way to get her home.”

His father frowned at him. “Does the other Amy know about her being here?”

“Why would she?”

Tom furrowed his brows, and Sonic sighed.

“I’ll tell her. She’ll probably appear here anyway. She does that sometimes. And I’ll inform the rest of them. God knows they’ll butt in either way. Wait-” Sonic’s eyes went wide. “Knuckles doesn’t know yet. Or Silver. He was still sleeping.”

“Sonic.”

“I’m sorry.” Sonic jumped off the counter. “Going now!”

Sonic bolted up the stairs and down the hallway. He quickly knocked on his older brother’s door.

“Come in!”

Sonic pushed open the door. “I have something to tell you.”

“What did you do?”

Sonic raised his hands defensively. “Whoa, I did nothing. However-”

Knuckles clapped his hands. “There it is.”

“-Can I continue?”

“Go ahead.”

“Long story short, multiverse is real and there’s an Amy from another universe in our kitchen.”

“What?”

“What’s confusing? I told it pretty well.”

“There’s another Amy?”

“Yeah. She’s meaner, somehow. Anyways, she’s here, Tails is trying to get her home. I had to tell you, feel free to inform Rouge. I’ll handle our Amy. And Shadow. And Silver. Fuck.”

Knuckles chuckled and smirked. “Superhero life isn’t so glamorous, is it, little brother?”

“I didn’t bring her here. Some weird thing. I don’t know. I gotta tell Silver. Bye.”

“Have fun with that!”

Sonic ran up the stairs and thankfully found an awake Silver. “I have some news.”

“What’s with your tone? God, who died?”

“No one. Uh, I’m sure you’ve heard of the multiverse and shit, right?”

“Yeah…”

“There’s an alternate Amy in our kitchen. And she’s the Spider-Man- wait- Spider-Woman of her universe.”

“That’s a lot.”

“I know. Ran into her last night during my patrol.”

Silver nodded slowly. “Tails working on sending her home?”

“Yeah, I need to check in with him to figure out his process. He might want help if you wanna help.”

“I might see. Four hands are better than two.”

“That they are.” Sonic grinned. “But you wake up fully. I know you just got up. Relax for a bit. I have to inform the masses of this development. Pray for me.”

Silver laughed as Sonic dramatically left the attic.

“Now to call Amy. And then tell Shadow. Left the most fun ones for last.”

Chapter Text

“There’s a what?” Amy screeched through the phone. Sonic pulled his phone away from his ear, wincing quietly.

“Would you like to see for yourself?”

“I’m already on the way.”

“Of course you are. See you in a bit.” Sonic hung up and sighed. One left. Amy is loud and excitable, so he was glad she hadn’t freaked out far too much.

Now onto Shadow.

Sonic’s fingers hesitated before he dialed.

“Hello?”

“You busy right now?”

A beat. “I don’t have to be.”

“Meet me on our roof in five minutes. I have something to tell you.”

“Okay? See you then.”

“Bye, love you.”

“Love you too.”

Sonic rolled off his bed. “Dad! I’m going out! Be right back!”

“Don’t be gone long!”

Sonic jumped through his window, climbing onto the roof. He followed his usual route to the familiar rooftop. Thankfully, he went fast enough that people couldn’t tell that some random kid was swinging around. He had enough problems as is.

“I’m getting too old for this shit,” he muttered as he rolled onto the roof. “Time for me to retire. Pass on the mantle.”

“You’re not even eighteen yet. Calm down.”

Sonic shook his head. “Whatever. You’d know, wouldn’t you, unc?”

“I don’t even know what that means. What did you have to tell me?”

Sonic sighed, “It’s confusing.”

Shadow smirked. “Hit me.”

“Multiverse is real. There’s an alternate version of Amy at my house.”

“Okay. That’s... new.”

“Yeah.”

“Amy- does our Amy know yet?”

“Told her right before you. I assumed she’d yell, and I wanted to get that over with.”

Shadow chuckled, staring off into the distance. “Did she?”

“A little. She’s probably in my living room, staring down her doppelganger. She reminds me of you a little bit. We need a name for her. We can’t call her Alternate Amy the whole time she’s stuck here.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“I hope so. Wanna come over? It’s probably super awkward. It’ll be great.”

“Why not?”

Sonic grinned. “Last one there is a dead spider!” He jumped off the roof, immediately shooting a web to propel him to another building.

Wind whipped in his face as he rushed home. He jumped down, dropping onto his front step.

“Ah-ha! Made it- damn it!”

Shadow grinned at him, leaning on the doorframe. “You were saying?”

“Shut up.” Sonic pushed past him. “Oh, she’s here. Hi, Amy.” Sonic waved as he entered the living room.

Both Amy’s looked at him. Sonic stepped back and leaned over to Shadow.

“Told you. Need a name for her.”

Alternate Amy huffed across the room. Her eyes narrowed at Sonic. “You know, you two aren’t the only ones with super hearing.”

“Your point?”

Amy huffed, glaring at the pair. “Just call me Rose.”

Sonic hummed. “Works for me.” He clapped his hands, scanning the room. “Has Tails come down yet?”

When no one responded, he spun and headed up the stairs. He pushed his brother’s door open.

“You need a break.”

Tails huffed, his bright hair shaking with his head. “Can’t. Too much work. I’m almost there. I swear to God, I’ve almost got it!”

Sonic frowned and stepped forward as he looked around the room. “Tails, Miles, it looks like a wild animal ran through here. Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking. Have you eaten yet today?”

Tails shook his head, his eyes narrowed at his desk.

Sonic reached forward and spun the chair around. “Come on. You can eat and drink some water before going back to your hole.”

Tails stared at the ground.

“Tails.”

No response.

”Miles.”

“Fine.”

Sonic grinned. “Thank you.” Sonic led them out of the room, his arm draped over Tails’ shoulder. “So, almost there? My little brother, the genius.”

“I’m getting there. I’ve narrowed the potential forms of travel to be either a wormhole or a white hole, not explaining right now.”

“Hmm, well, if you need assistance, I’m sure Silver would be glad to help.”

“Very well. I will ask.”

Sonic beamed as they walked to the kitchen. “Much of the gang is here, but you can stay here and continue to be a hermit. And for God’s sake, eat something.”

Tails nodded and Sonic left the room. He reentered the living room, standing beside Shadow.

“Did I miss anything?”

“Other than multiversal girl drama? Not at all.” Shadow blinked owlishly, staring off into the distance.

Sonic chuckled, sitting on the edge of the couch. “Aw, poor Shadow, having to listen to girls gossip.”

Amy and Rose whipped their heads and glared at him. Sonic grinned and leaned forward.

“Neither of you scares me. Shall I remind both of you that I fought a metal clone of myself and won? And I kicked this emo’s ass too.”

Shadow bristled beside him, shooting a glance at Sonic. “Irrelevant.”

“Is it?”

Rose scoffed, flicking her ponytail back. “We’ll see.”

“I guess we will.” Sonic’s eyes lit up. “There’s an abandoned warehouse near here. Shads and I spared there once. We could head there while Tails discovers the secret of the universe. Oh, Silver? Tails said he wouldn’t mind your help. And I’m asking you if you could help him. I think he may go mad in his room if he remains working alone.”

Silver nodded and left the room.

“And no black holes in the house, please!” Sonic huffed and brushed his hair back. “God, I am seriously getting too old for this shit.”

Shadow scoffed, “Again, you are barely seventeen. Maybe cool it on retirement.”

Sonic placed a hand on Shadow’s hand. “Amor, quiet.” He cocked his head. “Shall we find out who is the superior spider?”

Rose turned to Amy with a smirk on her face. “You’re on.”

Sonic nudged Shadow with a grin. “You’ll be the judge. And don’t worry, he despises me enough not to be biased. I’ll check on the geniuses, and then we can be off. I’m sure Knuckles is around here somewhere; he can all show you the way, if you’d like.”

Sonic stood and walked to the kitchen, not finding Tails or Silver. He walked up to Tails’ room.

“Did you eat?”

Rolling his eyes, Tails spun in his chair. “Yes, I did. Now, will you let us work?”

“Fine, fine. We’re going to spar, be back in a bit. Is Knuckles here?”

“His room is right across the hall. Why don’t you check yourself?”

Sonic made a face before crossing the hall. “Knux! You in there?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“Wanna watch me and Rose fight?”

The door swung open, and there was Knuckles, an amused smirk on his face. “Absolutely.”

“Okay, didn’t have to be so excited. You can help judge with Shadow.”

The warehouse somehow looked more rundown than it had before. Paint chipped and fell to the concrete floor. The metal support beams were covered in black scratches and dark rust.

“Jesus, I can feel myself getting tetanus. Let’s get this over with.” Sonic took off his hoodie and tossed it to Shadow. “If you put that on the floor, I will break up with you. This place is filthy.”

Rose rolled her eyes, and Amy tiptoed through the room. Amy shuddered as she looked around. "Disgusting. Absolutely revolting."

“Shadow?”

Shadow blinked before a look of recognition flashed on his face. “Right. All right, I want a clean fight. Nothing too aggressive or fatal. If you’re down for ten seconds, you’re out. Any more to add, Knuckles?”

Knuckles shook his head. “Nah, I think you got it all. The whole room is yours to use. Just don’t bring down the roof or a pole.”

Sonic nodded, and Rose dropped her jewelry to the floor.

Rose narrowed her eyes, walking to the center of the room. She took a defensive stance, feet planted on the floor.

Sonic mirrored her, standing across from her, a mere ten feet separating them. He scanned the room quickly.

“Ready?”

Both of them nodded.

“You’ll go on three.”

Beat.

“One.”

Sonic widened his stance, forcing his feet to stick to the floor.

“Two.”

Rose cracked her knuckles.

“Three.”

Sonic moved first, jumping to the second floor. Rose spun and snarled. Sonic jumped from the railing, grabbing Rose’s shoulders as he came down. He flipped her over, throwing both of them to the ground.

Sonic bolted up and was then knocked to the ground.

“You’re easily distracted.” She commented, a smirk on her face. “It’ll be your demise one day.

Sonic smacked her leg away and jumped up. “It’s called ADHD, but I’m pretty sure that Percy Jackson said it helped in fights.” Sonic swung at her, but his punch was dodged.

“That may be for fictional Greek demigods.” Rose attempted to kick his head, but he ducked.

“Quit yapping and start killing each other!”

Sonic rolled his eyes. Knuckles. Sonic bolted forward, throwing his shoulder into Rose. He leapt forward, shooting a web onto the ceiling. Propelling himself up, he used the railing to build momentum. He spun back around, swinging into Rose.

She fell to the ground. Sonic got onto his knees and pinned her down. He faintly heard Knuckles’ and Shadow’s counting.

“10! Sonic wins.”

Sonic jumped up, holding out a hand to Rose. “Good fight.”

She huffed but took his hand. “You got lucky.”

“I’m hardly ever lucky. It’s called I’ve been doing this for a while, and it seems that I’ve gone against tougher foes than you.”

Rose stared at him for a few seconds, her gaze sharp. “Whatever. I wanna go home.”

“Then let us see what Tails and Silver have come up with.”

“No, we are not finished, Sonic!”

Sonic retreated, snapping his mouth closed. He inched forward. ”Okay. Can I borrow Silver for a bit? It’s his patrol night, and he wanted me to go with him tonight.”

The door slowly opened. Silver stepped out of the room. “Really? We’re going patrolling, together?”

“Yeah. You wanted to. So, if Frankenstein is okay with you taking a break, we can go for a bit.”

Tails grumbled in the room. “Take him. I’ll be fine.”

Sonic beamed, “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Sonic and Silver swung over the city, Sonic flicking his wrist at experienced speed, while Silver grasped the strands of web tightly in his hand.

“You know, if you aren’t so tense, it’s not so hard.”

Silver huffed, but copied Sonic’s actions. “I guess.”

Sonic chuckled as he continued to swing. “Looks like it’s pretty quiet, we can stop for a minute or two.” He dropped to a roof and rolled.

Silver followed behind and dropped onto the roof.

“So, was there something you were wanting to know?” Sonic sat on the roof, looking down at the street.

“Well, I-”

Sonic leaned forward, raising a hand. Bright purple light lit up a nearby alley. “That’s the same thing that happened last night. Something’s up. Let’s go.” Sonic leapt off the roof into the alley. Silver jumped after, quietly trailing behind.

The alley was bright and looked cartoonish with the vibrant colors lighting it up. Sonic stepped in front of Silver defensively.

“Back up.” Sonic stepped closer, the white eyes of his mask narrowing into little slits. “Call Tails. Tell him something’s coming through.”

“What are you going to do?” Silver’s phone was already out and held tightly in his hand.

Sonic looked back, exhaling softly. He turned back to face the aforementioned wormhole in its full, purply glory. “Touch it?” He reached his hand out towards the purple. And he watched as his hand disappeared into the portal. “Whoa.” Sonic raised a brow and pulled his hand back out. “Huh. Last time the portal didn’t last long enough-”

Suddenly, a figure popped through the portal and onto Sonic.

“-for me to touch it.” Sonic groaned as he rolled out from underneath whoever fell on him. “Tails answer the phone?”

“Nope.”

Sonic huffed, “Typical.”

The figure jumped up, and Sonic noted the light purple of their suit. “Who are you?”

Ah, another girl.

Sonic stood up, his hands out. “Look, you’re in another universe. I’m Spiderman and he’s…” Sonic trailed off as he looked at Silver. “Arachnid Kid.”

Silver scoffed as he looked at the girl. “Whoa.” His eyes went wide, and he looked back down at his phone. “I’ll call again.”

Sonic shook his head as he looked back at the girl. She stiffened and crossed her arms.

“Different universe?”

“Yeah, it’s complicated. Another girl got dragged here. Wait- you’re her! The girl from my dreams! It’s you!”

“What?”

Sonic cocked his head to the side, a name sitting at the tip of his tongue. “Blaze?”

She looked up, her eyes narrowed. “How did you know that? Are you with Robotnik? Are you his minions?” Small sparks fizzled on her fingertips.

“Whoa. Not at all. Eggy is an enemy of ours, too. I don’t know… I just knew your name. I promise we’re not out to get you or anything.”

Blaze frowned. If Sonic could get her to warm up to them, he wanted to look closer at her suit. Even her mask was interesting. Sonic opted to fully cover his head, but Blaze displayed her hair, and her mask stopped at her nose.

“Hmph. Prove it.”

“Prove it?” Sonic squawked. “Ugh, fine. I’ll.. figure it out.”

Sonic walked away, following Silver. “Anything yet?”

“Nope.”

“We need to prove we’re friends, not foes. Any ideas?”

Silver cleared his throat, fiddling with his hands. Sonic narrowed his eyes. “None.”

“Hmm. Seems like there’s only one way.”

Sonic turned back to Blaze, “The rooftops? It may be better given our circumstances.”

“Fine.”

Sonic nodded and hopped up. He shook his head slightly before reaching up and yanking his mask off. “Look, I’m not the smart one in my group. I’m the face man. I just run my mouth until it all works out. I don’t how to prove I’m on your side, so here’s what I’m doing. I’m Sonic.”

Blaze nodded silently. “Okay. I trust you. Where’s your friend?”

“Oh, one sec. Hey, dingbat! Get up here!”

Sonic heard Silver's annoyed grumbles as he joined them. “Tails texted me. Told me to quote unquote, not call him again. I guess that means we… bring uh, her with us.”

Sonic cocked his head before following Silver’s gaze to Blaze.

Ah.

Blaze didn’t notice any of their silent realizations and removed her mask. Silver let out a quiet gasp as she shook out her hair.

Jesus Christ.

Sonic rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly. “Can you excuse us? Just a moment.” Sonic pulled Silver back by his suit. Smacking Silver’s head, Sonic sighed. “Kid, you are not slick. If I can tell, she can. Lock in.”

Silver pulled off his mask, a deep frown on his face.

“Don’t look at me like that. Act like you’ve at least talked to a girl before.”

“I got this.”

Sonic stepped back, letting Silver walk back. Silver brushed his hair before saying, “You hear about Pluto? That’s messed up-”

“Are you determined to stay a virgin? God, embarrassing. I hardly know him.” Sonic whispered, snapping his fingers in Silver’s face.

Silver scoffed and stepped back. “Like you fuck.”

“Oh, I fuck. I fuck way more than you and that’s because I know how to flirt.”

Silver rolled his eyes.

“Ignore him.” Sonic grabbed Silver and pulled him to the side. “Go to the house and tell everyone about her. We’ll be behind you.”

Silver huffed but pulled his mask on. “Fine.” Silver jumped and shot a web, swinging in the direction of the house.

Sonic exhaled and faced Blaze. “He’s… awkward. I’m trying to help him get used to this area. We've got a guy who's figuring out to get the other girl back home. I think he’s pretty close to getting it figured out. Mind if we head over there?”

Blaze smiled. “That’s fine. Is your friend new to New York?”

“You could say that.”

Blaze nodded. “Well, I’m sure he’ll get used to the place quickly. We spiders are good at adjusting to our locations fast.”

Sonic chuckled. “We should probably head over there. I’ll end my patrol early.”

“Oh no, do not finish early on my behalf. I am content with waiting.”

“It’s quiet tonight. It’s been quiet for a while now. Until some new foe appears, it’s nothing except for petty crimes. And my father insists that I don’t take all of them from the cops. It’ll be fine. I just patrol to make sure. I don’t like the uncertainty.”

“I understand that feeling well. Lying awake at night with the weight of the world resting on your shoulders.”

Entirely.

“Exactly. It’s awful. I used to struggle with sleeping at night because of it. We have a routine now, we each have nights where we patrol.”

“That must make it better.”

Sonic smiled. “It helps me sleep at night. And I’m not alone anymore. That helps too. You got anyone back home?”

Blaze blinked her eyes wistfully. “No, haven’t in a long time.”

Sonic cocked his head. “I’m sure someone will appear. Whether as a friend or something more.”

“Anything is possible.”

“Yep.” Sonic pulled his mask back on. “Let’s get going before they think we ditched them.”

Sonic entered the house, Blaze following behind him. The house was full of noise. Excited, loud noise.

They walked to the living room, and Sonic knocked on the doorway. “Yo, what’s up?”

Tails whipped his head around to look at Sonic. His eyes briefly stopped on Blaze before snapping to Sonic. “I did it!”

“It?”

“Multiversal travel! I figured it out!”

Sonic grinned and laughed brightly. He ran over to Tails and pulled him into a hug. “My brother, the genius!”

Chapter Text

“So, how does it work?” Sonic leaned forward, eyeing Tails’ creation with narrowed eyes. The group was all squished together in the small garage. Blaze stood in the back of the room, silent and stoic.

Maybe Silver should flirt with her.

Tails brushed his hair back, tightening a bolt with his wrench. “It creates a blackhole with their genetic markers, locking in onto their dimension. The blackhole dissipates and forms a white hole, connecting to their universe.”

Sonic hummed, barely understanding much of what Tails said. “You can’t do this in the garage. We need space.”

“I know,” Tails growled, tightening another bolt. “I just finished it, I wasn’t focusing on the location part just yet.”

“We can load it into the truck and take it to the warehouse. It’s already coming down, so who cares if you implode the place?”

Amy rolled her eyes. “You can’t implode anything. Who would write about it if I die? That phony Mary Watson? Hah! No.”

“There will be no imploding of any sort. The blackhole would be much too weak for that. It’ll be tiny, just enough energy to create the white hole.” Tails shook his head.

“How long do you need to finish this up?”

“Give me the rest of the day. We can go bright and early tomorrow morning.”

Sonic hummed and stepped back. “Works for me.” Tails hummed as he circled the machine.

Everyone slowly left the room, and Sonic stepped closer to Tails. “Buddy, why don’t you give yourself a break? You’ve been working a lot on this.”

Tails whipped his head up, his eyes wide. “I’m fine. It just needs some calibrating.”

“Tails.”

The younger of the two continued to work.

Sonic sighed and shook his head. He grabbed one of Tails’ wrists. ”Miles. You aren’t helpful to anyone if you pass out due to exhaustion. You’re allowed to take breaks.”

“I know that.”

“Do you?” Sonic cocked his head. “Why don’t you just let me help you? Four hands are better than two.”

“Fine.”

He grinned. “Perfect. What do you need me to do?”

“Just finish tightening all those nuts and bolts.”

Sonic took the wrench from Tails and began to tighten the bolts.

“Thank you.” Tails quietly muttered from behind his tablet.

Sonic smiled softly as he crouched down. “It’s no problem. You don’t have to do this all alone.”

“Says you. Pot, meet kettle.”

Sonic scoffed before dropping his head slightly. “Yeah, yeah. We’re both self-destructive, and Knuckles is fine. Interesting how that works out.”

“Guess so. But, is Knuckles actually fine?”

“Good point.”

Silver led Blaze out of the garage and walked through the front door. Blaze followed closely behind.

Silver spun around. “So… we have time until you go home. You live in New York, right? Or like, a variant of it?”

“It is much different than here. But, yes. I live in Manhattan.”

Silver lit up. “Then, why don’t I show you around? It would be something to do while you wait, and I know my way around.”

Blaze pondered for a second before smiling. “Sounds fun.”

“Great!” Silver’s left eye slightly twitched as he grinned. “Let’s go!”

They walked to the door before Silver paused. “I need to tell someone we’re leaving real quick. I’ll be right back.”

Silver bolted off to the garage and busted in.

Sonic and Tails both whipped around to look at him. Sonic’s face slightly dropped. “Who died?”

“What? No, no, no. I, uh, am showing Blaze around the city. I need help.”

Before Sonic could respond, Tails started cackling, holding his stomach. “And you came to him for help? Comical, Silver, truly.”

Sonic sighed. “What’s the problem? You like her, right? So, make a move while you’re out. She leaves tomorrow, you don’t have much time.”

Silver wanted to pull out his hair. “But she’s gonna be gone tomorrow! Why does any of it matter?”

“Silver, might I remind you that you, too, will be leaving soon?”

“I know. I just wanted a normal teen experience. Something other than fighting and almost dying.”

Sonic placed a hand on Silver’s shoulder. “Look, have a good time today with her, bond with her, and then make your move. First treat her like a person, then a princess, then a Greek goddess, then a person again. And most importantly,” Sonic smiled, “be yourself.”

“Myself?”

“Yeah. Silver is pretty great. And she’ll think that too.”

“How do I make a move?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’ll come to you at the right time.”

“Okay.”

“You good?” Sonic held his shoulders. “Breathe. You’ll be fine.”

“I’m good.”

“Don’t leave her waiting, girls hate that.”

Tails snorted. “Everyone hates that. Shadow hates that.”

“Yet, he tends to be late. But god forbid I be late.”

Silver chuckled and ducked out of the garage.

Sonic laughed to himself. “Think he’ll do it?”

“Ten bucks on he’ll get too nervous.”

Sonic clicked his tongue. “You doubt him. I’ll take that bet.”

“He was raised by you. There are reasons for my doubt.”

“Yeah, actually, that makes sense.”

“So,” Silver started as they walked through the city, “What do you do for fun back home?”

“I don’t have much time for entertainment. Between school, home, and being a hero for my city, there is no time.”

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“I mean, Sonic drags me along for stuff. Nothing has really stuck yet for me. I tried doing track, was not for me. I play video games?”

“The work of a hero never ends, does it?”

Silver nodded. “Not really. I’ve had the most free time since we defeated Neo.”

Blaze turned to him. “Neo?”

“Oh, he was a weird robot clone of Sonic. Set on destroying everything.”

“Made by Robotnik?” She cocked her head, a slight aggression to her voice.

“Yeah.”

“I imagine you destroyed it?”

“Sonic dropped a building on it. He barely made it out with his life.”

“You mention Sonic a lot. Is there a reason why?”

Silver sucked in a breath. “I don’t know. He’s my only family.”

“Not the rest? I was under the impression Sonic and the other two were brothers.”

“They are.”

Blaze narrowed her eyes. “I’m confused.”

“I’m from the future. A future where Neo won and nearly wiped the human race off the face of the planet. I came back to warn Sonic. In the future, Sonic sort of raised me. He’s the only family I’ve known.”

“Oh.”

Silver dropped his head slightly as they kept walking.

“That is very noble of you. Coming back and trying to stop Neo, knowing your timeline as you know it would be lost.”

“Thank you- uh, what?” Silver stopped in a confused daze.

Blaze hummed. “What?”

“My timeline is gone?”

“Well, you changed the future, effectively altering the timeline and causing bifurcated timelines. Your timeline and this one branched apart.”

“Right.”

“The timeline you grew up in is gone. But there is a future awaiting you when you go back. Are you going back?”

“I was planning on it.”

“It seems the Wachowskis have incorporated you into their family.”

“They have.” Silver blinked slowly. “Why don’t we get some food and lurk on a rooftop?” He smiled at her.

Blaze nodded and followed him.

Rose leaned on the couch. “You went to prom with the anxious one?”

“Silver, and yes.” Amy flicked a hair back. “He’s sweet. Poor kid has been through a lot.”

“He’s into that other girl.”

Amy giggled. “Yes, very obviously. Think she knows?”

“I think she does. And I think she may like him back.”

“I’m surprised Sonic hasn’t been forced out of the garage yet. Tails hates getting help with his projects.”

“That he does.”

“What was Sonic like in your world?”

Rose flinched slightly. “He was much like your Sonic. Loud, abrasive, annoying. But he lit up rooms. He was a treasure. No one is the same without him.”

“I can’t even imagine how Knuckles, Tails, Tom, and Maddie would react to that. It would be devastating.”

Rose nodded.

“Can’t believe so much changed because of a spider bite. Are you a reporter in your world?”

“No.”

Amy frowned. “You should become one, write sparkling articles about yourself. I would if I were a superhero.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“Fuck- those are sparks!” Sonic stood up fast and grabbed a mitt. He covered the sparks before they could ignite further. He turned to Tails. “You told me this was safe!”

“You’re a superhero who has gunshot scars. I thought you’d be fine.”

“You’re really leaning into that whole mad scientist thing, aren’t you, buddy?”

Tails cocked his head as pulled down his goggles. “Not sure what you mean.”

“Just warn me next time, Frankenstein.”

Tails chuckled and scooted past Sonic. “Watch out, more sparks.”

“Fuck!”

“You’ve never had pizza?” Blaze’s eyes were wide.

“Not before I came here.”

“Oh, that is a travesty.”

“It is.”

“Poor, sheltered boy.”

Silver laughed. “Your turn.”

“Never have I ever gotten drunk.”

Silver shrugged and took a swig of his bottle. Blaze’s jaw dropped, and she smacked his shoulder.

“No way!”

“I did. We ended up all getting drugged, and it led to a way worse hangover. Never again.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“Well, believe it.”

“Your turn,” Blaze smirked at him.

“Never have I ever been a straight A student.”

Blaze glared at him as she took a sip. “You used that against me. Seriously, never?”

“I just started school and I hate it. So yeah, never.”

“That is insane.”

“What can I say?” Silver grinned and laughed.

“Okay, it’s ready to go.”

“See, isn’t it nice to have help for stuff like this?”

“I guess.”

Sonic stared at Tails. “Come on.”

“Fine! It was nice. Thank you.”

“No problem, little brother.” Sonic cracked his back. “God, I’m starving. Let’s go. Maybe Silver is back and can tell us the story of how he wooed Blaze.”

The sun began to set, and they were still sitting on a roof. Silver’s hands were sweaty, and he took a slow breath in.

He turned his head and found Blaze’s wide eyes staring at him.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She beamed at him.

Just make a fucking move.

“You’re really pretty.”

Silver internally groaned, but to his shock, Blaze blushed. “Is that why you invited me out today?”

“Partially.” Silver focused his eyes on a cloud in the distance. “Is that bad?”

“No, it’s cute. I had a feeling.”

“That obvious?”

“A little. And, super hearing.”

Silver dropped his head into his hands. “Of course.”

“Silver.”

He looked up slowly, wincing just barely. “Hmm?”

“Stop thinking so much.”

“What?” Silver cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

Blaze leaned forward and grabbed his face. Silver blushed as his back stiffened. That had not been covered in Sonic’s teachings in the apocalypse.

What is happening?

Oh.

Blaze was kissing him? Was he dreaming? Had he started having visions of Blaze too?

Silver hadn’t been told what to expect for his first kiss, but he hadn’t anticipated tingling down his spine. And he hadn’t expected that the girl would make the first move. Although Silver didn’t spend much time imagining what it would be like to kiss a girl.

That’s a lie. He had. A lot. He’s had too much free time, and he’s been around far too many couples recently. There’s only so much he could take.

Nope, this was real.

Pull it together, a hot girl is kissing you.

Silver leaned in and pulled Blaze closer to him, kissing her back. He could hear his heart rate quickening as he held her close. Blaze slowly trailed a hand up his forearm, grabbing his sleeve.

When they separated, Silver stared at her with wide eyes. His face felt hot, even his ears were burning. To his dismay, Blaze giggled and pressed her lips together.

“You’re cute when you’re all flustered.”

Silver instinctively covered his face, ducking under his arm. “Am not.”

“It sucks that I leave tomorrow. Not that I don’t wanna go back, but-”

“-We don’t get to see where this could go.”

“Yeah.” Blaze sighed.

“Then, let’s make this night count.” Silver stood up and held out his hand to Blaze.

Knuckles leaned on the island, frowning. “It’s almost midnight. How are they still out?”

Sonic waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, let the kids be. If they’re out past twelve, I’ll go and find them. Silver’s a smart kid. And Blaze sort of scares me.”

“Do you think he chickened out?”

“No way. Hopefully not.”

Rose walked into the kitchen, narrowing her eyes at the boys. “You two are so loud. It’s late.”

Sonic shrugged and leaned back on the counter. “We’re waiting on Silver and Blaze.”

“Think they’re boning?”

Sonic sat up. “What? No! Ew! Is that what you think?”

Rose cackled and smacked Sonic’s shoulder. “No, that would be weird. And gross. But, she was totally into him.”

“Actually?”

“No, I’m lying for the sake of a bet. Of course I’m serious!”

“Rude.”

Knuckles laughed before perking up at the sound of the door. All three of them stepped slowly to the doorway and watched the front door.

And there they were, holding hands and laughing. Sonic beamed as he kicked Tails to wake up.

“Tails,” Sonic whispered. “I was right. You owe me ten bucks.”

Tails blinked, his eyes narrowed with exhaustion. “Huh?”

Sonic pulled Tails to the door. The younger teen’s eyes widened, and then he pulled a crumpled bill from his pocket.

“Whatever, I’m going to bed.”

“Same here. Let’s go, buddy.” Sonic hoisted Tails up into his arms, glancing at Rose and Knuckles. “Make sure those two go to bed as well. I don’t need Silver coming in too late and disturbing me. And, they need sleep too.”

Knuckles nodded, and Sonic stepped out of the room and started up the stairs. He dropped Tails off and headed to his own room.

Boy, was he ready for this mess to be over with. The chaos never seemed to end.

Everyone took their time heading to the warehouse after breakfast per Tails’ suggestion. He had to set up still and didn’t want people crowding him.

So, one by one, everyone made their way into the old building. When Silver entered the building, Tails grabbed his sleeve and pulled him over.

“I was doing some research over breakfast and put something together for you.”

“What?” Silver blinked.

Tails grabbed the circular device from his toolbox. “It’s a smaller version of the big wormhole maker. In theory, it would allow you to travel from a universe and back.”

Silver’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“I thought about it before, when I was making the bigger one, but looked into it after the whole Blaze thing.”

“So, I could go to her universe and then come back here? Whenever I want?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Holy shit, Tails! This is incredible! You’re a genius.”

“I know.”

“Thank you.”

“It was no problem, that’s what family does.”

Silver smiled and took the device. “Can I tell her?”

“Go for it.”

“Thank you so much, again.” Silver beamed and ran off.

Tails chuckled as he turned back the wormhole creator. That was definitely Sonic’s kid.

Sonic approached Rose. “You know, we didn’t get along much, but I’ll miss you a little.”

“Wow, how moving.” She deadpanned. “It’s been nice to see your- his face again. It helps knowing I’m not the only one out there.”

“Same here. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Will do. You try and not be so self-destructive.”

Sonic scoffed but nodded.

“Takes one to know one.”

The machine whirred up as Tails prepped it with Rose’s genetic markers. Suddenly, a large gaping hole formed in the middle of the room before shrinking and forming a smaller, purple portal. Rose pulled her mask over her head.

“See you next time, Spider-Man.”

“Let’s hope there’s not a next time, Spider-Woman.”

Rose laughed as she ran toward the portal. She ran through and fizzled in the purple.

The portal shrank and closed after she went through.

Tails readied up the machine again, this time with Blaze’s genetic marker. Blaze stepped forward as another hole took over the room. Once the space was lit with purple, she turned to Silver. “Stop by sometime, huh?”

“I will. I’ll create an inter-dimensional phone so we can communicate and-”

“Bye, Silver.”

She walked over to the portal and smiled at Silver.

“Bye, Blaze.”

“Until we see each other again.”

And then she went through the portal.

Silver stared at the middle of the room until Sonic pulled him close.

“It’s not goodbye if you can see her again. You got that device from Tails. Don’t be so broken up. Just give it an hour before you go rushing over there. Let’s go home for now.”