Chapter Text
Sonic's been extra busy these past couple of days, and as usual, it's all Eggman's fault.
When they got the alert of an Eggman raid happening in a rural village, somewhere east of Green Hills, Team Sonic kicked into action. Sonic and Tails collected Amy, and Knuckles met them at the town. Maybe, in hindsight, they were a bit too confident, not bothering to call in extra reinforcements, but in their defence, it was meant to be a simple battle; hell, the Doctor himself wasn't even present. He'd just sent his robotic goons to do his bidding.
Team Sonic got there in record time, but their speed proved useless, as half the town was already turned to rubble. The bots weren't even hard to beat; they were just so destructive. After the last of the badniks were flattened into piles of metal, they started to help the villagers. No one was badly injured, just some scrapes and bruises. All was well.
Until the second alert started frantically beeping on their communicators. Another attack, in a village north of this one. They had no time to say a proper goodbye to the poor villagers; they were off again, calling a promise to return when they could. The guilt Sonic felt leaving the half-ruined village was quickly replaced with anger as they approached the second one.
Smoke billowed above the trees, thick and dark, covering the bright blue sky. If he squints, he can pick out a couple of buzz bombers flying through the smoke. He could hear the roar of fire from miles away.
Stopping a raging fire was much harder than just beating up a couple of badniks. They eventually got the flames under control, but by that time, their comms were beeping with more alerts; more Eggman attacks, all around them.
It continued like that, almost a dozen villages, all simultaneously being attacked by the Doctor's robots. None of it was life-threateningly serious, but all led to damage to the buildings and farms that the small towns relied on for their livelihoods.
As Sonic and his team helped sift through rubble, the hours blurred together. Kids' cries ring through the air. Low, worried chatter about what comes next floats by as their gloves turn grey from the dust. He feels a deep sense of grief settling in him, pushing him to keep digging, searching for strands of these strangers' lives, buried beneath the wreckage.
So yeah, it's been a very long week or so. Sonic doesn't know how much time has passed, actually. He's been a mess of power naps and energy drinks. His alarms are set for 4 AM every morning, waking him up as early as possible to maximise his time. He's out of the house before the sun rises, after making breakfast for Tails. He convinces himself that it's for the best, despite how drained he feels at the end of the day.
Some of the towns were easy enough to help— a couple of collapsed houses here and there, a destroyed farm; all things easily fixed by the blue blur. But the worst of the villages lost half— or more— of their homes. Temporary shelters were built while they got to work repairing, but those weren't going to cut it for longer periods of time. The predicted timeline has the repairs for all villages being completed in another two weeks. Sonic is determined to cut that down. That would mean three weeks of people having no homes, nowhere to go back to when night falls. Three weeks of sharing a building with dozens of other victims. No, Sonic has to shorten that time.
So Sonic's been in overdrive. He's the only one who can get from town to town fast enough to help multiple in a day. Well, Shadow can, but GUNs been practically holding him hostage (aka, he's been swamped with paperwork and missions), so it's rare that the dark hedgehog can make an appearance to help. Faintly, he wishes he could help lessen Shadow's load as well. The darker hedgehog has been so stressed with his GUN missions, yet he still takes the time to pop in and lend a hand to Sonic when he can.
He barely sees Green Hills, so focused on darting around from place to place, checking on everyone he physically can. Sometimes, he doesn't even make it back to Green Hills, instead resting in any comfortable-adjacent tree he finds between villages. It reminds him of his past, sleeping in the woods, under the starry night. Back before he had a true place to call home. It's a bittersweet nostalgia. One that claws at his mind as he drifts off to sleep. He'd be completely fine with this; however, he has responsibilities at home, so he tries to make it back most days. He has a kit to take care of.
Speaking of, he should start heading home. Sweat is pouring down his face, dampening his fur as the evening sun dwindles. He's in what he's calling 'the fire village', helping move charred wood and sort through personal belongings found in the wreckage. The village leader smiles at him kindly as he stretches, the exhaustion evident on his face,
"Hey, I think I should head out. I've gotta check on the other villages, and I promised Tails I'd be home tonight for dinner," Sonic punctuates his sentence with a stifled yawn. The village lead nods, understanding,
"You've done more than enough for us, Sonic the Hedgehog. Perhaps you need to take a break?" They push slightly, a glimmer of concern in their eyes. Sonic shakes his head, plastering on his signature grin,
"I'll get some shut-eye tonight, promise! You guys contact us if Egghead shows his face again!" The lie slips past Sonic's lips too easily. Sure, he'll try to sleep, but he doubts he'll get more than three hours at most. Still, his words loosen the tension in the leader's shoulders, and they nod approvingly. He's about ready to bolt, but some of the kids playing nearby run up to him, swarming him and hugging his legs. Their giggles are infectious and mischievous.
He's been popular with the children— another reason why he's been so determined to help as much as possible. Seeing all the kids watching as their homes were torn down, engulfed in flames or crushed on the spot had been hard. Their eyes threatened to harden with terror, their childhoods about to be crushed by the Doctor's machines. And then they saw Sonic the Hedgehog, Hero of Mobius, come to their rescue, and the light flickered back, defiant and powerful. He's determined to keep that innocent light in their eyes. Their homes are destroyed, their belongings, all they've ever known. To Sonic and his team, it's just one attack in hundreds. To these kids, it's their entire world being uprooted. If seeing Sonic helps them stay happy and hopeful, Sonic would gladly sacrifice his sleep to make sure he's there. He kneels, smile softening as he lets the kids hug him.
"I'll be back tomorrow, 'kay? Take care of each other!" Sonic's voice is gentle as the kids nod thoughtfully, taking the hero's words in with that adorable seriousness that can only come from naivety. Sonic laughs, hands patting their little heads, and he stands, kindly shooing them away from his blast radius.
A two-fingered salute is Sonic's last goodbye before he's nothing but a cloud of dust. The kids oooo and aaaaaa behind him, but he's long gone, off to the next village. He doesn't see the worried look lingering in the village leader's old eyes as they gather the kids up, leading them to the temporary shelter.
He races between the villages, briefly scanning each one for any signs of distress. As he runs, he finds himself slipping. The landscape blurs into a mess of colours around him. He clips his shoulder on a tree branch as he tries to turn. His coordination is sloppy, his feet threatening to trip over each other. Running is meant to be his solace, but right now it only seems to bring him more stress. He shakes it off and pushes more energy into his feet. He doesn't have time for this.
By the time he finishes all his check-ins, the sun is long gone, replaced by the glowing, shattered moon. Damn it, he thought he'd get home earlier this time. He dissociates on the run home, too drained to bother with thoughts or emotions. It's only when he's at his front door that he truly becomes a person again. Smoothing back his frayed quills and ruffling his fur (as if that could hide the eyebags bruising his face), he opens the door, smile at the ready.
He finds nothing. No Tails on the couch or at the kitchen table. Just stifling silence. His smile wavers, but he doesn't dare let it drop, in case his brother is waiting around the corner. He wanders deeper into the house, and— nothing. No Tails. All he finds is a note on the kitchen counter, scribbled messily in a handwriting he can recognise anywhere,
"Gone to bed, we'll have dinner together some other night. Don't worry about it, I know you've been busy. Love you, Sonic! ~Tails"
Oh. Guilt boils in his already empty stomach. He broke his promise. His hands tremble as they're clenched around the note. He doesn't have time to break down right now. He barely has time to sleep.
Right, he should sleep. It's late— he doesn't know what time, he stopped caring after day three of pulling all-nighters to help people find their lost treasures and heirlooms in the wreckage. He feels like a shell of himself as he wanders upstairs. He subconsciously peeks into Tails' room, part of his guilty soul soothing as he sees his brother cuddled under blankets, snoring softly in the dim moonlight. A small, genuine smile creeps onto his face, and he allows himself a second to stand and watch his brother breathing, if only for his own comfort. He drifts to his room, not bothering to turn on the lights or pull back the sheets. He collapses onto the messy bed, eye fluttering closed as he breathes in the scent of home. Faintly, he can smell leftover lavender lingering from the last time Shadow was over. The scent sends him into sleep faster than he cares to admit.
It doesn't last long, though. His eyes peel open at an alarm blaring on his phone. In his quills. Against his skull. The noise rings through Sonic's bones as he frantically fumbles to get the damn device out of his quills—
4:00 AM. The same alarm he hears every morning since the series of attacks. He doesn't know how long he actually slept for. The tiredness hasn't gone away, nor has the guilt. He groans, practically rolling out of bed and stumbling through his doorway. As he exits his room, he's hit with a wave of...warmth? Four AM air is usually cold. Unforgiving as it engulfs him. This is different. He hears voices drifting up the stairs, quiet and happy. Curious, he walks down, guard slightly up. This isn't a break-in, it's much too calm for that. Still, doesn't hurt to be careful. He creeps into the kitchen, where a head of pink quills makes its presence known. Amy hasn't noticed him yet, so he takes the moment to quietly survey what on earth is going on in his kitchen.
Amy's humming a lovely melody, the serene sound echoing through the house. Tails is slumped over on the counter, eyes lidded as he watches Amy dance around the kitchen, spatula in one hand, spoon in the other. She spins to her own music, and as she spots Sonic, her smile widens.
"Good morning, sunshine!" She chirps, too chipper for the early hour. Tails perks up, eyes darting to Sonic, and his tails flick excitedly as he hops down from the stool to greet his brother. He nuzzles into Sonic, and the blue hedgehog's arms circle him instinctively.
Sonic laughs, a bit dazed,
"Hey— good morning! What's this?" He questions, watching as Tails' eyes shine with pride,
"Well, you came home really late last night, and you've been working so hard, I thought it'd be nice to make you breakfast!" The child yawns into Sonic's fur, and Amy takes over explaining, all the while still flipping pancakes with a natural ease Sonic has never been able to achieve.
"This adorable little kid called me late last night, and we hashed out the details." Her eyes soften, and she sets down her utensils for a moment to join their little hug,
"Besides, Tails is right. You've been so busy, we barely see you before you're off to the next town in need." She squeezes him slightly, then lets go as the stove calls her attention once again.
Affection swells in Sonic's heart. All he can do is wrap his arms around his sleepy brother and allow Amy to take charge.
The pancakes are the best things he's eaten in what feels like forever. When he pulls himself away from the table, he's satisfied but reluctant. Amy watches him with knowing eyes, ever perceptive of Sonic and his emotions.
"You go. We'll be at the crushed village later to lend a hand. I know you want to get there as soon as possible." She smiles with an understanding that makes Sonic's chest hurt. Tails is asleep in his chair, half finished stack of pancakes abandoned. The kit tried to make it through breakfast, but Amy and Sonic's quiet chatter lulled him to sleep like a baby. Amy stands as Sonic busies himself putting on his shoes. She gently picks up Tails, cradling him as he stirs.
"I'll put him to bed. Good luck, Sonic," She whispers, shooting him a wink. Sonic's gaze lingers on them for a second, taking in the sight. Amy doesn't look annoyed or tired despite being woken at 4 AM to make breakfast for a very capable hedgehog. She's happy, Sonic can see it in her eyes. That earlier guilt threatens to crawl up his throat with the thought of Amy losing sleep for him; the thought that he should be the one carrying Tails to bed, not running off again. He can't help but feel like he's neglecting his responsibilities to the child. Tails subconsciously cuddles into Amy, letting out a sigh of comfort as she adjusts him. He realises how little he's seen of his brother in the last few days, but he shakes off those guilty feelings with a smile. As he steps outside, the warmth of his home is quickly erased by the chilly dawn air, making a shiver run down his spine. He takes off, the sun just barely threatening over the horizon now. Another long day of village repairs calls to him.