Chapter Text
It’s been a pretty busy few weeks now.
Well, Sonic’s life is almost always busy. There’s never more than a month's stretch before something goes awry and Sonic is forced back into action. Forced isn’t the right term, though, considering Sonic jumps towards the action, and often actively seeks it out when he can. Sometimes though, he wishes the world would stay saved for a little longer than a week at a time.
Action is fun, and he loves the gig that he has, taking Eggman down biweekly, fighting some ticked off god (that Eggman probably released), or finding a new rival. But sometimes Sonic wishes he could just stop and smell the roses. There’s plenty of spots around the world Sonic still wants to visit, and he can’t make time to do that if he has to constantly toe head to head with some new villain du jour.
Even his vacations get turned into battlefields. Like Soleanna, for instance- he was only there to watch the festival Elise was manning. But then Eggman showed up, and Sonic had to steal the spotlight from the princess and save the day. He likes action, but he didn’t travel across two continents to have his vacation get interrupted.
Then again, what happened in Soleanna technically didn’t even happen... Sonic’s still trying to wrap his head over the concept of time travel. Sure, he did it before on Little Planet, trying to save Amy, but it felt a lot more straightforward than the mess that was technically just a month ago.
Elise remembers what happened, and Sonic and her are still in contact; they’re pen pals, just like he and Amy were. Unlike Amy, though, she has royal duties that make her stationary at Soleanna, so Elise can’t tag along for any more adventures. Though, Elise assures him, the erased days of their adventures were plenty for her.
But Elise seems to be the only one other than him that remembers. Tails, Knuckles, and Amy all expressed confusion over the topic. While he was in Blaze’s dimension for the second time, she didn’t bring up the excursion in Soleanna, so he assumes she doesn’t remember, either. Silver didn’t seem to remember either, considering their first “official” meeting a while back. Shadow was an unknown variable, but Sonic hasn’t seen him much lately, anyway.
Besides, Soleanna was well over a month ago. Sonic’s given up on understanding the logistics of what exactly happened and has been venturing towards new adventures. Like the time he and Tails crashed into Blaze’s dimension, or the times with Eggman Nega, and recently, the time he met Sharha and the seven rings. What a strange few weeks it’s been.
Sonic hasn’t had much time to wind back down. When he tried to, he got stuck in the Arabian Nights and had to fight another god. He’s been shying away from the books on Tails’s bookshelves since then, just in case. But the book on Arthurian legends does interest him... Right now, though, Sonic’s a bit too tired to even think about reading.
He’s been trying to rest since that last encounter with Erazor Djinn. That cold he contracted a few days ago has been lingering in his system, which is pretty weird, considering he’s got a fast immune system. It should’ve been gone by now, but Sonic wasn’t one to fret over these small things.
If it gives him an excuse to finally relax after all the fuss from these past weeks, then he’ll take it. Tails has let him inside his workshop to stay as long as he likes.
And right now, Sonic might be abusing that privilege a bit. Usually, Sonic will only stay with Tails for at max a week at a time before disappearing again on another adventure. But ever since the events of Soleanna, or to Tails, ever since he visited that festival, he’s been staying with Tails.
Truth be told, Sonic doesn’t feel quite as good as he used to. There’s an ache deep in his bones, he constantly feels cold, and he sometimes feels a bit disoriented. It’s a cold like no other, so Sonic hasn’t really ventured to any new adventures, except for the ones that fall in his lap.
He can tell that Tails is getting worried about him, but Sonic brushes off all of his concerns. At this point it’s more of a habit than anything to stop Tails from worrying about him, though it doesn’t seem to work. Despite all of his reassurances, Tails is still worried about Sonic’s health, considering the amount of chicken soup he’s seen stocked in the cupboards, but Sonic’s a bit stubborn to admit this is anything but a cold. And even if it was, hypothetically, he can take care of himself, just like he’s done thousands of times before. Tails shouldn’t even bother worrying about him.
And besides, Sonic’s fine, it’s just a nasty little bug, and it’ll be gone in no time at all just like normal. Maybe being sick for a month isn’t really normal, especially by Sonic’s hyper immune system standards, but sometimes things happen. Is this any weirder than the fact Sonic has fought gods? Weirder than Eggman having split apart the earth twice? Weirder than Shadow being part alien? No.
So Sonic doesn’t fret over any of it, even if it’s been steadily getting worse to the point where Sonic’s half convinced the cold has turned into a fever with how hot he is to the touch.
Right now, he’s curled up in the spare bed, trying to get warm. In the back of his mind, he knows he’s overheating, since he’s kind of dripping with sweat, but even though the outside of him displays evidence of being hot, Sonic feels cold on the inside, like he just isn’t warm enough. It’s a feeling he’s been having for the past few days, a mild discomfort turning into the snows of Holoska the longer this cold lingers. He burrows under the blankets, trying to get warmer even though he knows he’s burning up at this point.
He feels... loose. Probably a bit disoriented, in all honesty, but Sonic doesn’t mind. His glassy eyes are fixed on the ceiling, lazily staring at the cracks. He feels absolutely exhausted, like he’d been running for days on end. He even aches like it, his muscles sore and his joints weak.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it? I believe the last time we spoke- notwithstanding the battle against Solaris- was when I stabbed you. Truly, fate is comedic in its sense of irony.”
Sonic’s gaze lazily trailed from the ceiling, to the faded wallpaper, to the ground, then to the figure by his bedside. His eyes aren’t adjusting properly, and Sonic can only make out a vague shape of whatever is next to him.
“Shadow?” He murmurs, recognizing the outline. In the back of his mind, something screams at him that he’s wrong, that he needs to look closer. He tries to squint, to get his eyes to focus, but his vision is swimming so badly his train of vision falls back to the floor, his head weakly falling to the side.
“Not quite Solaris, though I’m certain you would rather prefer him than me.” A hand tilts his head back up, gently cupping his chin. The fingers are warm and they make Sonic feel good for some reason. He wants to get even hotter, and so the feeling of something warm against his skin relaxes him, the instinct to curl around the source only barely pushed back by Sonic’s more logical reasoning. “I suppose housing a god inside of you would likely lead to physical side effects. I wonder if Elise went through the same thing, housing Iblis, or if your case is special considering you have two halves of a whole inside you.”
A hand moves to his head, idly scratching his ears. The warmth against his fur and the sensation of being petted makes Sonic let out a very soft purr, practically melting against the person next to him. Nothing’s really been registering, in all honesty, as Sonic struggles to process what’s been said.
He’s groggy at best, though, so it takes him a few moments to understand what’s been said to him. He tries to lean away from the scratches, but the person keeps a tight hold on his head, stopping him, and Sonic feels a bit too weak to really fight it. He cracked his eyes back open, having shut them when he was getting petted, and tried to focus again on the person next to him.
Now that he was closer, Sonic can make out some of the finer details. While he looked like a copy of Shadow, there were a few differences, namely in colors. His fur was lackluster and lacked the gloss of Shadow’s quills. His red streaks were turquoise, and his eyes were a familiar green, with slitted pupils trained solely on him. It takes him a few seconds to recognize what all of those characteristics mean, considering they had only met once.
“Mephiles?” He croaks, and Mephiles gives him the best approximation of a smile, considering he doesn’t have a mouth.
“The one and only, at your service.” He even does a little dramatic bow. If Sonic had the strength, he’d roll his eyes, but instead he’s a bit busy being completely shocked.
“H-How?”
“Straight to the point, I see. You and Elise reset the timeline, by blowing out Solaris’s flame ten years ago, before the day of disaster. In a desperate move to avoid being wiped from existence, I travelled to a place called white space, a place in between time itself. If your future comes to fruition, you’ll eventually travel there yourself.”
Mephiles moves back to scratching at Sonic’s ear, his other hand carding through his quills. It feels wonderful, and while Sonic is more than weary of his touch, considering what happened the last time Mephiles was around, Sonic just doesn’t have it in him to fight it off when it feels so relaxing, the chill within him satisfied by the warmth he provides.
“My other half, Iblis, wasn’t smart enough to escape erasure. But that’s what happened to the Solaris of the timeline we both originated from, where the festival was interrupted by Dr. Eggman, where Shadow the Hedgehog is blamed for everything that happens and is locked away, where Silver’s ruined future is caused by the flames of disaster. This timeline, this one that we’re both present in, has none of those elements because you blew out that flame.”
Mephiles cocks his head, appearing contemplative. “Unfortunately for you, you didn’t actually kill this timeline’s Solaris. It might be a bit above your reading level-“ Mephiles glances at the Arabian Nights still tucked on the nightstand next to the bed- “but perhaps you’ve heard of the law of conservation of energy?”
Sonic gazed at him with a blank expression and Mephiles chuckled. “Or perhaps not. To simplify, energy can’t be created or destroyed, only transferred. Gods are made of nothing but energy- they have no mass nor true weight, nothing but energy. So it would be rather impossible for you to get rid of me or Iblis, you see? I’m sure you understand what I’m getting at here.”
If Sonic didn’t feel like he was underwater, if he didn’t feel like his brain was covered in fog, he probably would. While Sonic isn’t anywhere near Tails’s level of genius, he can definitely put two and two together; he’s pretty observant, and a pretty fast learner.
At Sonic’s lack of response, Mephiles continues. “By blowing out the candle’s flame, Elise had effectively rejected being Solaris’s host. You, on the other hand, had done no such thing. The deity was desperate to stay alive and to not be dispersed through time. It wanted to stay whole, it wanted to stay alive. So it clung to you. You were the only host willing at the moment, when you blew out that flame.”
Sonic licks his lips, trying to understand what was just stated. “Solaris... is inside me?”
“Exactly. This timeline’s Solaris hadn’t been split up into Iblis and I. You have an entire deity stuck inside you.”
He places a hand on his stomach, catching Sonic’s attention. He taps the peach fuzz. “Solaris is inside you right at this moment, using you as a host to carry it through until you die and it can be unleashed. You don’t have to worry about strong emotions setting it free like Elise did, though. The Chaos energy within you is more than enough to keep it from escaping at a moment's notice, unless you end up dead or you use the Chaos emeralds to break the seal between your soul and Solaris.”
Wow, this feels like a lot to try to digest. Sonic bats at Mephiles’s hand, trying to get him to stop touching him so he can focus. While he does stop petting him, he keeps his hand resting at the top of his head, and Sonic sighs. “What... Do you want from me?”
“What do you think I want? I want to release Solaris from your body.”
Sonic’s eyes narrow. “No.”
“I think over time you’ll come to change your mind.” Mephiles shrugs. “And we both know I have all the time in the world. In the meantime, I’ll be here to keep you company and pull you in the right direction. Consider me your conscience, if you would.”
Sonic scoffs. “More like... a devil’s advocate.”
“Call me what you will, but I truly only have both of our best interests at heart.”
“Why do you... want to free Solaris? It’s... already whole?”
“Perceptive.” Mephiles sighs. “Solaris is whole within you, yes. But do you recall that Solaris is a time god? Specifically, one that eats time?”
Sonic nods, hesitantly. Sonic certainly remembers fighting Solaris in his super form, and the power it beheld, tearing apart the timeline like paper. Even three people in their super forms had difficulty defeating it.
“I’m a time anomaly. I don’t belong in this timeline. Solaris will happily ‘eat’ me, so to speak. If anything, that should be a win in your book, too.”
Sonic frowns at that. “Why would you... want that?”
“My purpose has always been to merge back with my twin flame. Though this timeline’s Iblis is whole with its Mephiles, I would still wish to conjoin with them once more. Solaris should accept me, considering we used to love to eat anomalies.” Mephiles hums absently. “I won’t lie. I had considered Silver’s purpose after he killed you to serve as a delicious snack, considering the changes to the timeline he would have made by slaughtering you.”
Sonic’s expression is definitely one of disgust. Mephiles leers over him, amused at the reaction. “But fret not. I will not harm you nor your friends. My only desire is to merge back with Solaris. To do that, of course, I’ll need you to release it.”
Mephiles’s hand goes back to stroking through his quills. All of this realising and talking and contemplating have kind of exhausted Sonic of his mental capacities for the time being. Sonic doesn’t bother trying to stop Mephiles, and instead unconsciously leans into the touch. His eyes begin to droop, half lidded, struggling to stay awake.
A part of him realises the danger he’s in, being next to the same person that successfully murdered him in another timeline. But the louder, sleepier voice in his head tells him to deal with it when he wakes up next. He can’t exactly fight him when he’s not well rested and can barely keep his head from lollying. And if Mephiles wanted to kill him again, he would have already, wouldn’t he?
“Once again, very perceptive,” Mephiles says. “I can see why you were such a thorn in Eggman’s side for so long, and why you managed to out best me in one of the first timelines. We can discuss the reasons why you’re still alive later, though.”
Sonic squints at him, not quite understanding. “Oh, you can read minds?”
“You said all of that outloud.” Mephiles appears entertained by Sonic’s blush at the realisation. Man, he’s completely out of it. “You’re exhausted, aren’t you? I can imagine housing a fiery time god within your tiny little mortal body would be rather taxing, hm?”
He smooths Sonic’s quills, and Sonic could feel all of the tension leaving his system. He settles into his bed, nestling deeper under the quilts. The desire to get even warmer has curled beneath his stomach and it’s like an itch Sonic just can’t scratch. Maybe he can convince Tails to turn on the heat... it’s summer, sure, but Tails probably wouldn’t mind...
Sonic’s thoughts begin to slow until they stop almost entirely. Mephiles watches him quietly, as he tries to blink back into consciousness a couple of times before his eyes slip shut and stay closed. Mephiles continues to pet his quills, dragging his hands through his fur, and Sonic lets out a small, contented murmur.
“We’ll discuss more when you wake up. Hopefully by then, you won’t be quite so disoriented. I don’t quite have enough information over mortal vessels to determine if your fever will break, by then.” Mephiles watches the vessel, fast asleep now, slow breathing the only sound in the room. “Sweet dreams, Solaris.”
-
Tails huffs, wiping a bit of oil from his forehead. He’s been attempting to calibrate the emerald tracker all morning, but it continues to get thrown off by another presence of energy. Tails is pretty sure it’s being thrown off by Sonic’s energy, which has only been growing stronger and stronger over the years as his contact with the Chaos emeralds continued to increase in frequency, too.
Speaking of Sonic, Tails glances at the clock on his wall. It’s well past two in the afternoon, and Tails still hasn’t seen Sonic get out of bed in at least twelve hours.
He scratches his head with the wrench in his hand. Sonic’s sleep schedule has always been a bit mystifying to Tails. He never was one to do the same thing twice, and it seems that applies to even the most domestic of his routines. Some days, Sonic will stay up after even Tails wakes up, usually around nine, and then sleep the day away after doing whatever you can do at night. Other days, he’ll be up at the crack of dawn, enjoying the morning sunrise and doing fun day time festivities until night crawls.
Lately, ever since Sonic came back from his journey to Soleanna, Tails has noticed he’s been acting a bit... sluggish. Sonic goes to bed earlier and earlier every day and rises later and later. He’s pretty sure Sonic was in bed by eight last night. Sure, Sonic loves his sleep- if he isn’t running circles across the planet or kicking Eggman’s butt, chances are you’ll find him curled up in a tree or a warm sunny spot napping away. But this was excessive even for him.
He’s got a feeling he knows what’s wrong. Sonic’s pretty clearly sick with some kind of bug.
Tails sets the wrench down and moves out of the garage. He slips back inside his house, trying not to make too much noise. He slowly makes his way down the hallway to the room Sonic is fast asleep in.
Tails grew up with Sonic. All of his early memories include Sonic in them- his earliest being the first day they met, after Sonic stopped a few kids from bullying Tails when he was running by. Sonic knows Tails better than anyone, but that means Tails also knows Sonic better than anyone, too.
Sonic’s the absolute worst when it comes to getting sick. He doesn’t mean to be- in fact, he’s trying desperately hard not to be a burden on anyone when he gets like this- but he avoids help like it’s the thing making him sick. Tails huffs, thinking of all the times he’s had to go find Sonic after he fainted somewhere.
Sonic’s just not... used to accepting help. Accepting help during fights is one thing, and while Sonic is arrogant, he does know his limits, and he usually thinks of it more as a fun game between friends than a bruising of egos. But it’s the little things that trip him up, these sort of vulnerabilities, and Tails isn’t quite sure how to address them and fix them.
He hovers outside the guest room. It’s honestly Sonic’s room at this point, but Sonic’s master is whim, and he is often away on trips because of Eggman or because he found a cool, new location to get absorbed in for the next two weeks. Half the year, Sonic doesn’t even step foot into this house, let alone sleep in it.
It does make Tails a bit nostalgic for the times when they were younger, when Sonic would stay with Tails in that first house they had together, that rusty, ancient airplane that had crashed long before either of them had been born, and had vines and foliage growing through the cracks. It took a lot of maintenance, but they managed to turn it into something nice. If there’s one thing Sonic’s taught him over the years, it’s that a home doesn’t have to be a house.
Sonic stayed with him almost everyday. He was much more of a mother hen than he is now, and when Tails was young, he almost saw Sonic as more of a parental figure than a brother. Now, Tails can easily see the age gap between them isn’t quite so large (seven years can feel like lifetimes for a four year old) and Sonic was just as much a child as Tails was.
Tails thinks it's that mother hen instinct that makes Sonic not want to come to Tails when he’s clearly ill. He’s so used to caring for Tails that it feels unnatural for Tails to care for Sonic. When they were younger, Sonic outright refused any help. If he got sick, he’d simply disappear, rather than let Tails help him.
He always did have a hard time voicing his needs and wants when they were younger. Sonic didn't talk until Tails was six, and while it was clear that Sonic listened to him and encouraged him and could wordlessly taunt Eggman into pulling out mustache hairs, it was frustrating to see Sonic keeping most of his thoughts to himself. He’s just a very private person, and it’s frustrating for him to keep so many things locked tight and away from public viewing.
Sonic talks a lot more now, of course. He’s very, very chatty, which has its pros and cons. But despite the fact that he’s more verbal, Tails still feels like he holds all his cards to his chest. He just doesn’t like being vulnerable, even though he raised Tails to have no shame in asking for help or crying or any of that. Hypocrite.
Tails sighs, turning the doorknob slowly. It’s frustrating, because Tails wants to help his brother as much as he can. He’s amazing and wonderful and he deserves to have a relationship that’s equally beneficial, but sometimes Tails can’t help but wonder if Sonic will ever open up to him. And if Sonic can’t open up to Tails, his kid brother he’s known for years, who’s been by his side through thick and thin, then there’s no way he’s going to open up to anyone else. (Outside of Tails, he’s pretty sure there’s no other family for Sonic to go to).
“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey, Sonic!”
It’s pitch black, of course. Piles of blankets have created an almost nest-like sculpture on top of Sonic’s bed. Tails can make out the shape of Sonic inside his cocoon, fast asleep. Tails huffs and moves inside the room.
There’s not much else in here, besides a bed and a desk and a sleeping hedgehog. Sonic keeps all his belongings in various places, but he’s pretty sure one of them is that plane they used to sleep in. He doesn’t want to add to the clutter of Tails’ workshop, which is fair. The shop is pretty messy, but at least Tails knows where everything is... for the most part.
Tails leans over Sonic, finding his head peeking out from under the blanket fort. His quills are mused, likely from tossing and turning, and there’s lines of sweat dripping down his face.
“Come on, Sonic, it’s time to meet the sun.”
Sonic doesn’t stir, and Tails reaches out to shake him awake. He’s always been a light sleeper- years of living on his own and protecting Tails from various enemies- but when he’s really sick, it’s like trying to commune with the dead.
Tails touches Sonic’s shoulder and immediately recoils away. His hand feels like it was singed by lava! Sonic is burning up, to say the least.
Tails tries again, placing his hands on his shoulders and shaking. It kind of hurts, the heat swathing Tails in a suffocating blanket, but it thankfully doesn’t take too many shakes for Sonic to blearily open his eyes.
“Tails...” His voice is soft, and he gazes at him with unfocused eyes. That’s not good. This fever must be really, really bad.
“Hey, Sonic,” Tails begins, running his fingers through Sonic’s quills, trying to keep him relaxed while he places a hand against his forehead. Shaking Sonic awake was honestly evidence enough that Sonic had a fever, but Tails decides to check anyway. “You look rough.”
Sonic’s eyes seem to be seeing straight through him. He squirms a bit under Tails’s hands, and Tails pulls away at his disdain. Besides, it was kind of hurting him to keep his fingers so close to Sonic’s searing skin. Fever’s definitely shouldn’t be this high, should they? He’s never heard of a fever actually being able to burn someone.
Tails reaches into the nightstand drawer and pulls out a thermometer. Tails can’t remember the last time he’s seen Sonic this sick- maybe he picked up something from Blaze’s universe? And he doesn’t have the antibodies for it because it’s from an alternate dimension? What if this is alternate smallpox? Or polio? Or the plague? Oh, Chaos.
Sonic’s still squirming when Tails moves back towards him. “Hey, Sonic, open up, alright? I gotta take your temperature...”
Sonic’s eyes are squeezed closed and he’s muttering to himself. He’s settled back against the bed, no longer shifting. That’s good- Sonic might be too out of it to register that Tails is about to take his temperature. He’s never been very patient and usually takes the thing out before it’s finished, both because he can’t stand waiting for it to register and because he didn’t even want to take it in the first place. Man, he can be such a kid sometimes.
Tails shrugs and pops the thermometer in his mouth. It’s probably not going to be the most accurate reading, considering Sonic’s still mumbling to himself in whatever fever concoted delirium he’s in, but it should be close enough.
Tails settles himself on Sonic’s bed, carding his fingers through his quills, trying to get him to relax. The motions don’t seem to be working like they used to, though, because Sonic begins to squirm under his touch again. Tails sighs and lets go. Maybe it’s too hot for him?
Speaking of hot, Sonic’s definitely running way higher than he should. Maybe that’s a side effect from catching something from the Sol dimension? The people there can withstand higher temperatures, so the viruses have the abilities to cause their internal temperature to skyrocket? He ought to contact Blaze and run diagnostics on a few inhabitants of the Sol dimension; he’s always been curious about the physical discrepancies between the different dimensions...
A beeping signifies that the thermometer has done its task. Tails pulls it out of Sonic’s mouth and glances at the reading. He reads it once, then twice, then rubs his eyes and reads it a third time just to make sure.
100°C.
Sonic should definitely be dead.
Tails immediately gets off the bed. The thermometer must be wrong, there’s no way Sonic’s running that high. But Sonic is undoubtedly running way hotter than he should be. He needs to cool him down before something bad happens.
Tails yanks a blanket off of Sonic before grabbing another. Tails doesn’t understand how in Chaos Sonic can stand to be underneath so many blankets when he’s already warm enough to probably boil some water. Oh, Chaos, his organs are being boiled, aren’t they? Oh, Chaos.
Sonic definitely doesn’t seem to like having his warmth be stolen. Sonic shuffles around, squirming, latching on to another blanket, trying to get warmer. Tails yanks another blanket off of him, biting his lip as Sonic curls up into a ball and starts to shiver.
“I should take you to a hospital, shouldn’t I?” Tails mumbles, reaching out to grab his older brother. He should probably try soothing Sonic, but he can’t help but be a little bitter. “‘Don’t worry Tails, I’m not sick! I’ve never felt better, Tails!’ I’m never letting you convince me you’re fine ever again.”
Sonic struggles away from Tails’s grasp. Tails knows he’s probably delirious and really confused and totally unaware, but Tails is getting a little frustrated, because the longer they wait, the more brain damage Sonic will probably get, and Chaos knows Sonic doesn’t need anymore of that, now.
“Come on, Sonic. Calm down. It’s just me, Tails.”
He reaches for him again, grabbing his wrists. Energy pulses beneath Sonic’s skin, and Tails only has a moment to recognise what he’s feeling. “Chaos energy?”
Sonic struggles in his hold, energy wafting over Tails like a tidal wave. It’s so strong Tails is nearly knocked over by it, and before Tails has a chance to say or do anything, Sonic’s eyes snap open and lets out a quiet, “Chaos control.”
In a flash of white, Tails’s sibling has disappeared.
Tails lets out a huff. Sonic can never be a compliant sick person, can he? He just can’t be a mature adult and admit that he’s sick so they can avoid situations like this. He just has to make things difficult. Good thing Tails has that emerald tracker- he’ll just have to tune it to Sonic’s natural Chaos energy and go search for him.
Tails rubs his forehead. So much for an easy day of relaxation.