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Sonic has been sick before. It came and left just as quickly. They were consequences he was willing to take for living on Earth. Matted fur, a headache so big he had to sit down on his bean bag, putting a blanket on himself when he shivered, getting rid of it when he was sweating bullets, coughing, itching fur, you name it. Every passing year, it became easier to detect these signs and plan accordingly. And every passing year, those signs showed up less and less.
When he saw Tails shivering, whimpering, sweat matting his fur, his tails curled around his trembling body, Sonic couldn’t move. He froze, and didn’t know what to do. If that was how he looked when he first got sick, Sonic didn’t know how he managed to survive afterwards. It was gut punching, seeing his new best friend on his bed, whimpering and shivering, hands reaching to itch his fur, only to fall short, weakened by his state.
Obviously, the best thing to do was call Maddie to come upstairs and look after Tails. Just as his limbs melted out of their frozen state, his resolve to see Maddie crumbled when big blue eyes looked at him.
“Sonic?” Tails called out, a hand reached out. “I-I don’t feel so good.”
Sonic bolted to his friend’s side, grabbed his hand, and let out a nervous chuckle.
“It’s alright, buddy, you’ll fight this thing out of your body.”
He tried to give a reassuring smile, and for some reason, it worked, because Tails smiled back, and squeezed his hand. Only to let go when a full body shiver weakened him.
“Fox! Hedgehog! You have been demanded for breakfast —”
Knuckles didn’t get to finish his sentence when his eyes landed on Sonic kneeling at Tails’ bedside. Tails turned his head to face him, and laughed.
“Is he…” Knuckles trailed off, looking for his words. “Is he dying?”
Both Tails and Sonic burst out in laughter, because it was an absurd thing to say, and suddenly, the air in the room became lighter. Knuckles glowered at them.
“There is nothing amusing about death.”
“Sorry, Knuckles,” Tails grinned cheekily, tongue poking out.
“I think Tails is sick,” Sonic said, squeezing Tails’ hand.
His friend shivered, and closed his eyes as he groaned in pain.
“My head hurts,” he grumbled.
“I will get Maddie,” Knuckles nodded before leaving the room, ending their conversation.
Sonic sighed through his nose, thanking his friend for his cold-headedness in emergencies. Tails dropped his hand out of Sonic’s grip, and turned the other side, curling in on himself. His body continued shivering, and Sonic slowly saw the bedsheets getting damp with sweat.
“You want the blanket, Tails?”
Tails shook his head, letting out a whimper at the energy it took him from doing that simple gesture. Sonic scratched beside his ear, where he knew it calmed Tails’ beating heart. He didn’t receive any content yips at the gesture, though.
Footsteps were heard underneath them, until a head poked out of the entrance of their shared room. Maddie immediately went to Tails’ side, placing a hand on his forehead. Something Sonic only saw humans do whenever their child was sick.
During his time of hiding, he had followed Maddie to her work, to see what sort of job she practiced. Tom was easy to follow throughout his day, but Maddie hid in a building. It didn’t have many windows, but when Sonic saw her through one for the first time, she was handling a dog with matted fur, patches of skin poking out, whimpering relentlessly, evading her touch. He saw how two other humans held the dog in place as she pierced a needle through his skin, injecting something in him. The dog stopped moving shortly after, and Sonic didn’t have the heart to continue watching the rest.
He couldn’t help but shiver at the memory. Maddie didn’t seem to carry any needles on her, content in asking questions to his suffering friend. Knuckles stood guard at the door, arms crossed, and a frown on his face.
“Does it hurt elsewhere than in your head?”
Tails shook his head.
“Are you both hot and cold at the same time?”
A nod this time.
“Does your skin itch?”
Another nod. Just as his hand was about to scratch his fur, Maddie held his wrist away.
“Don’t. It’ll make things worse.”
Tails sighed in frustration, squirming in place. Maddie stood up, and went to the trap door, not before glancing back at her boys.
“I’ll bring some medicine and a thermometer. Make sure he doesn’t leave the bed.”
Although her statement seemed to be addressed to both Sonic and Knuckles, her eyes were on Knuckles. He nodded, and brought a chair between Tails’ bed and the trap just as Maddie left the room.
Tails sat on the bed, and wrapped his arms around his knees, close to his chest. Then, his fur prickled as he shivered once more, a mix of a small whimper and frustrated groan in the back of his throat.
Sonic almost jumped in the bed at the sound, and placed a hand on Tails’ back. He smiled at his friend, watching as those huge blue eyes looked at him. Somehow, they were easier to look at than Longclaw’s or Tom’s eyes. The size probably helped. Sonic knew that Tails’ eyes were blue and Knuckles’ eyes were purple. If asked about Tom’s or Maddie’s eyes, he could only guess.
“Hey, being sick isn’t so bad,” Sonic tried to reassure. “I got sick plenty of times, and I’m still standing.”
Tails frowned at his words, which was the opposite reaction Sonic wanted from him.
“You get sick?”
Knuckles leaned closer on his chair, his gaze boring into Sonic’s. Sonic looked at his friends, and let out a nervous chuckle, “You don’t?”
“I have never seen someone being weakened by head pains that weren’t caused by a fight. Unless you did go into a fight.”
Knuckles now looked at Tails, who shuddered at his glare. Or shivered. Sonic couldn’t tell.
“No way! Me? Fighting?” He let out a groan, working his jaw open and close. “My throat hurts now…”
Sonic smiled. He knew that feeling.
“We’ll come back to the whole ‘can’t get sick’ thing, but I know exactly what you need to feel better.”
Tails and Knuckles each quirked an eyebrow, incredulous at his statement. Not that Sonic dwelt on their look for long, already bolting to his pile of comics to pick out his favourite issue. In a spark, he set the issue onto Tails’ lap, smiling brightly at his friend. Tails let out a chuckle and picked up the comic in his hands.
“What’s this one about?”
Sonic immediately took the bait, tail wagging as he explained the entire plot of the comic series. It was a trait he picked up from Ozzie. Tom always showered him with pets whenever Ozzie wagged his tail, so Sonic mimicked him until he also received hugs. Although, Tom and Maddie reassured him that he only needed to say so if he wanted hugs. They then tackled him against the couch, giggles and laughter filling up the living room.
“So, this guy's skin changes colour when he's exposed to the sun?”
“Yeah! He's so cool, he's also part of the biggest gang in Australia, and—”
Many times, he got off the bed to animatedly explain the action scenes. Tails coughed from time to time, but always had a question for Sonic to dive into. Other times he went by Knuckles, using him as a prop.
Knuckles grunted when Sonic leaned his whole weight against him.
“I am not afraid to throw you out of the window, hedgehog.”
Hastily, Sonic stepped away from his friend, hands up complacently.
“No need for violence, big guy. It’s barely noon.”
“Speaking of noon,” said a voice coming up the stairs, “you two need to go eat.”
All three heads snapped to Maddie, who had her fists on her hips.
“But Tails—” Sonic started to protest.
“—Needs some rest. I brought medicine to calm down his symptoms. Now, shoo.”
Sonic and Knuckles glanced at each other, before giving a look at their bedridden friend. Tails laughed nervously before coughing.
“I-I’ll be fine, guys.”
Sonic’s thoughts spiralled, without his consent. Tails had never been sick before. What if he got scared? What if Maddie couldn’t heal him? What if Tails’ sick scent attracted everyone who wanted to harm him?
A hand landed on his shoulder, jerking him out of his thoughts. Knuckles had that concerned frown on his face, but pulled Sonic towards him.
“Pretzel Lady knows what she is doing.”
“I know—”
Knuckles didn’t let him finish his sentence. He was dragged downstairs to the kitchen, and face-planted in Knuckles’ chest. Grunting noises reached his ears, vibrating between them. Sonic couldn’t breathe with his nose squished against his friend’s fur.
“Knuckles—”
Strong arms tightened their grip, and he could feel the tip of his friend’s nose on the top of his head, sending vibration across his body. Sonic froze, realizing the grunts were mixing with sniffles. Awkwardly, he patted Knuckles in the back.
They stayed like that for a moment, until Sonic pushed against Knuckles’ shoulders.
“I can’t breathe—!”
“Oh.”
Knuckles let him go, and observed him as Sonic took deep breaths in. He didn’t dry his eyes, only crossed his arms and waited for the other to stand back up.
“Want the rest of chili dogs?” Sonic asked, a smile tucking at the corner of his lips.
Knuckles grimaced, “You seriously think I want some of your jokes at this time of sorrow?”
“What?”
“The fox may die, and all you’re thinking of is jokes?”
“What?! No, not at all. And Tails won’t die—”
“You don’t know that.”
“Didn’t you tell me Maddie got it covered?”
Knuckles furrowed his brows, nose twitching. Grunts spilled out of his chest non-stop. He closed his eyes, tightened his fists, and took a deep breath.
“You know how to get rid of this sickness?”
“Uh, well, not exactly, but Maddie’s a vet, and if I lived through a simple sickness, so can Tails.”
Knuckles didn’t want to rely on the words of his friend, but he had no other choice. After all, Sonic was right; not that he would ever tell him that.
“The fox is strong. It was wrong of me to underestimate his strength.”
Sonic patted his shoulder, “Hey man, I get it. It’s quite scary. But Maddie told us to eat. I have yet to see her angry, and I don’t want to start today.”
Knuckles nodded, looking back at the stairs. With Maddie on Tails’ side, his friend would make it through. He had to trust in the other’s strength.
-
It was night when Tails whimpered and yipped. Knuckles woke up immediately, and went to his friend’s side. Tails twisted and turned in his bed. Knuckles did the only thing he could do. He picked up Tails right under his arms, sat on the bed, and placed his nose between those big ears.
Whenever Knuckles woke up from a nightmare, his father always embraced him. Humming in a language Knuckles could no longer remember, the nose of his father buzzing his entire body, whispering that it was only a nightmare.
Tails yipped when Knuckles started grunting. He was about to let his friend go, until Tails leaned further against his back, shuddering and sighing in contempt. Knuckles tried to remember the faint melody his father sang to him, but nothing came to his mind. He didn’t let the bittersweet memory strive him away from his current duties.
There was a friend in need of help, and Knuckles would give said help.
Something stirred in the bed beside them, and a dishevelled blue-looking head peeked from the covers.
“Aww, you guys are having a group hug without me?”
Knuckles rolled his eyes, and continued grunting on top of Tails’ head, whose yips turned soft. The mattress tipped on one side, and Sonic snuggled close to them. He took Tails’ arm, and nuzzled it, going back and forth.
Knuckles observed him, eyes never leaving that blue head rubbing his cheek against their friend’s arm. His grunts didn’t stop, and slowly, gently, rocked him and Tails side to side, lulling them asleep.
Tails didn’t stop shivering. His eyes were shut, a spiked ball was lodged in his throat, and Sonic’s muzzle was cold. Knuckles watched as Sonic began to froth at the mouth. He watched as his friend spread his saliva onto Tails’ fur. The small chuffs that escaped his chest clashed with Knuckles’ grunts, a low dissonance echoing in their room.
Despite it all, Tails calmed down in the arms of his friends. His shivering stopped, and he rested his head on top of Sonic’s, leaning back further against Knuckles’ chest. All three friends stayed in each other’s embrace, unwilling to let the other go.
Knuckles felt Sonic fall asleep right after Tails. His head shifted against Knuckles’ arm, and his chuffing turned into soft snores when he stopped spreading his drool against Tails’ arm. Knuckles brought him closer into their hug, and rested his head against the headboard behind him.
This was different from his father comforting him after a nightmare. This was better. Knuckles didn’t know how to feel about that. He was supposed to honour his tribe. Was he doing that by holding his friend close? He couldn’t even replicate his father’s song.
Footsteps were muffled, but they were getting closer to their room. Knuckles glanced at their entrance before glancing at the circular window. The stars were slowly fading, letting the sun return in the sky.
The trapdoor opened, and Maddie stepped in. She let out a startled gasp when their gaze crossed.
“Knuckles. What are you doing awake?”
His eyes shifted down to Tails before flickering back to hers.
“Tails was unwell.”
He heard her sigh.
“Not feeling any better, huh?”
She approached their cuddle pile, and placed a strange-looking object in Tails’ mouth. Knuckles grunted, holding Tails closer to his chest.
“What is that?”
Maddie took the object out of Tails’ mouth, and hummed softly.
“His fever is lower than yesterday. That’s a good sign.”
“Fever?”
“Yes, a common sign of a flu. I wasn’t able to detect which one Tails caught, but if his fever has calmed down, that means he took the medication well.”
“That means… he will survive.”
Knuckles frowned, eyes never leaving Tails’ sleeping figure. Maddie chuckled.
“Yes, that means he’ll heal up.”
Knuckles let out a hum, relaxing his hold. Maddie inspected Tails once more, and let out a startled noise when she touched the arm Sonic had been drooling onto. That woke both Tails and Sonic. They both blinked at the noise, but Sonic recognized who was in their room faster.
“Maddie!”
“Sonic,” Maddie said cautiously, “what… What did you do to Tails?”
“Huh?”
Tails, meanwhile, rubbed his eyes awake. Knuckles rested his nose between his ears, sending vibrations in reassurance. At least, Knuckles hoped it was in reassurance. His father often did these whenever Knuckles hurt himself. He didn’t want Tails to start shivering again.
“Did you… anoint Tails?”
“Anoint? I don’t think so.”
Maddie pitched between her eyes, inhaling sharply.
“Boys, I have to go to work soon. I can’t leave you alone with Tails without you two rubbing yourselves all over him like he’s some sort of baby!”
“That’s not true!” Sonic was quick to defend, standing on his knees to put Tails behind him.
Knuckles growled, “Tails is an honourable warrior. He is not a baby.”
“Yeah! We were just making sure he was alright.”
“I know, Sonic, but he needs some rest. I wouldn’t be surprised if you catch whatever cold he has right after.”
“We Echidna Warriors do not get sick.”
“We won’t get sick, Maddie.”
Tails shivered in Knuckles’ arms.
“Knuckles, you’re crushing me,” Tails breathed out.
“Oh,” Knuckles let him go immediately, “sorry.”
Tails smiled, “I’ll be fine, guys. Maddie? Can your lab heal me up?”
“I think it’s best if we quarantine you in here, buddy.”
Tails nodded. He went to the end of his bed, away from his friends’ arms.
“You guys go. I don’t want you to catch whatever I have.”
“I will not. I can keep watch.”
Maddie sighed, “I know you’re worried, Knuckles, but as I said, Tails’s getting better. Sonic, why don’t you go check on Tom? I bet Knuckles would want to see how you wake him up.”
She winked at him, and Sonic got out of bed in a flash, hands already in Knuckles.
“Oh-ho-ho, you don’t wanna miss that, Knux. It’s a show of a lifetime.”
Just like that, the two friends went downstairs, Knuckles yelling about Sonic’s recklessness while Sonic laughed at his grumpy attitude.
Tails recovered, just as Maddie had predicted, but somehow, Sonic and Knuckles also got sick. Tom had to be the one to take care of them while Maddie went to work. Knuckles kept denying his sickness, and always face planted the floor whenever he tried to get out of bed, triggering laughing and coughing fits from Sonic and Tails.
Whenever Tom approached them, especially when all three were cuddling, they hissed and growled at him. It made it harder for them to heal, but they didn’t care. They preferred settling in Tails’ bed, and hugged and snuggled with each other as they let their colds pass.