Chapter 1: Enter the Eggman
Chapter Text
"Come on, guys, last one in is a rotten Eggman!"
"Hey, that's not fair!"
"Sure it is if you're fast enough!" Tails snarks as he passes over the fuming Knuckles, "Yeah, for you two. I always end up as the rotten Eggman!"
"Yeah, and you smell like one too," Sonic yells back, pinching his nose. "I'm going to pound your face in after this!" Knuckles screams, shaking his spiky fists at the snickering fox and hedgehog running further into Eggman's base.
Teams Sonic, Rose, and Dark, were all in the midst of making their way into the center of Eggman's latest base with the collective goal to thwart another one of his grand schemes for world domination.
Team Dark (Shadow, Rouge, and Omega) we're entering the base using their various spy techniques, taking down security feeds and lock codes to allow easier access for the other teams while also searching for where the doctor was hiding inside the base. Shadow and Rouge were barely able to keep Omega in check for not blowing their cover so that he could quote 'destroy all of Eggman's inferior robots.'
Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles) entered with their usual flash and flair, making as big of a commotion as possible, drawing the attention of all robots guarding the base and their master, dismantling the machines and anything else that looked suspicious as they checked each corridor and room for any sign of the doctor's whereabouts or his sinister plan.
Finally, Team Rose (Amy, Cream, and Cheese), we're following Team Sonic, providing backup if extra firepower was needed when the attacks became too much for only three individual Mobians to handle and scraping any bots that got away. They also served as an on-site medical aide when someone eventually got hurt.
Amy shook her head as she ran down the hall with her best friend and her pet Chao, hearing the echoes of the boy's laughter from their constant teasing bouncing back to them. "Those boys just can't seem to do one mission without screwing around with each other."
"At least they're having a good time. It makes things less scary." Amy huffed at her friend's comment, "Yeah, but I just wish Sonic would take it a little more seriously. Eggman's gotten more crafty, and I worry he'll end up hurt or worse, getting himself captured again." the rabbit looked at her friend in sympathy, remembering how broken the pink hedgehog was when they all thought Sonic had been killed after the incident with Infinite the Jackal.
Everyone had been devastated, and the world was plunged into a full-on war shortly after. Those had been the darkest 6 months of their lives. Thankfully, Rouge, who had been spying on Eggman gathering information for the resistance, found Sonic still alive and held prisoner on the DeathEgg. Once they got Sonic back, everything changed on a dime. The resistance got the upper hand and defeated Eggman's Empire within a few short weeks.
That had all happened just a year ago.
There was lots of rebuilding work still being done after the war. Eggman had, as usual, when a scheme of his crumbles to pieces, disappeared to plan out his next attack after the fall of his empire. While Infinite had been captured and placed into a maximum-security prison. Tails destroyed the phantom ruby and everything documenting its creation, so nothing like it would appear again. Having fulfilled his mission in helping to stop Eggman, Silver returned to his timeline, the future secured to a peaceful state.
Just a few days ago, Eggman had popped up on G.U.N.'s radar again, after a year of silence alerting them of his return. It took Team Dark and Sonic a couple of days to locate his newest base of operations. With no hit of what his current plan for world domination could be or whether it involved the chaos emeralds, but whatever it was needed to be nipped in the bud as quickly as possible. Thus why all three teams had come together to stop the mad doctor.
"Don't worry, Amy, " Cream said in her sugary sweet voice, "we're all here now to help Mister Sonic this time. He won't be fighting mean old Eggman alone like last time; all of his friends are here to make sure he stays safe."
"Chao Chao!" Cheese chirps in agreement; Amy smiles appreciatively at the rabbit, "You're right, Cream. I'll make sure this time my Sonic doesn't get captured again!" her face fills with determination as she focuses back on following the hedgehog of her dreams.
Back with Team Sonic, a certain blue hedgehog was taking the lead, jumping into a spin dash blasting through the circuits of an egg pawn, sending the machine into a smoldering heap along with the rest of its companions. Sonic flipped in the air, landing perfectly balanced, "Thank you a' thank you! You've been a wonderful audience. But I really must be off. Bases to blow up, Eggmen to scramble; you know how it is." he bowed, tipping an invisible hat with a cocky grin to the scrap of metal before turning on his heel and speeding off further into the hallways. Still no sign of Eggface. If I know the doc, he'll be where he usually is-
His trademark sneakers screeched against the floor, sliding to a stop in front of a massive doorway decorated with Eggman's usual horrid logo of his wickedly smiling face, an obvious trap hiding behind those doors. Years of experience battling Eggman had taught the hedgehog to be cautious when traveling through the doctor's bases. Booby traps and well-armed robots galore infested the hallways. Sonic had picked up a 6th sense, if you will, regarding these traps. Giving him the ability to avoid the pitfalls altogether or use them to his advantage.
Glancing behind him, Sonic looked into the distance. Tails, Knuckles, and Team Rose still were behind; Team Dark was probably sneaking around somewhere nearby if he had to guess. Pushing the cuff of his right glove up revealed a communicator, "Emerald eye, this is Blue Leader. Do you copy?"
"Emerald eye to Blue leader. What's up, big blue?" a seductive voice purred, "Ya got a whiff of Eggface hiding anywhere?"
"Nothing yet blue. Why? You think you found something?" Sonic's brow rose as he checked out the door in front of him, "Yeah, I think I might have found his hidey-hole."
"Really?~ What makes you say that?" Sonic shrugged his shoulders, "Just a feeling."
"Where are you?"
"Not sure..." he tapped his foot, impatience getting to him, "I think I'm close to the center...I'm going in."
"Sonic, wait! Don't go in alone. Wait for backu-" Sonic didn't hear the rest clicking off and covering the communicator again. He didn't want Tails or the rest of the gang to help him this time. He needed to do this alone. He had to prove to himself that he could still take Eggman down on his own and remind the doctor that he didn't take his 6 months of world domination lightly.
Letting the doctor capture and hold him in confinement for all those months was his bad. Sonic had gotten overconfident that the doctor couldn't lay a finger on him and that he would send the human packing after another humiliating defeat. He had spent much of his time in confinement thinking about what had gone wrong that day Infinite showed his ugly mug, helping Eggman take over the world while he was stuck in a cell all alone. Besides the few robots tasked with giving him his daily ration and check-ups. Yeah, that last part was weird.
Sonic shook the memories away; now was not the time for reflection. Now was the time for action!
Curling into a ball and revving up, Sonic homing attacked the door, letting himself into a pitch-black room. The light from the opening he had created showing only a portion of the floor, rising into a battle stance, ears and eyes perked on the alert for anything that indicated the doctor's presence. Sonic barely flinched at the loud slam behind him, a secret door sealing the previously broken doorway, leaving the hedgehog in complete darkness. "Welcome, Sonic!" a familiar voice cheerily greeted, "I was beginning to wonder if you would find me, though I guess you were pretty busy destroying my robots on your way here."
"Skip the welcome introductions, Egghead. I know this is a trap!" he smirked, "So why don't you shed some light on the subject and show me the latest piece of decor you've made for me to pummel into an...abstract work of art."
"Oh, yes. How rude of me!" seconds later, a few lights lit up in the distance revealing the egg-shaped man sitting on an extravagant-looking chair, along with an ornate desk. Next to him was a large control panel with several screens. Eggman pressed his hands together with an all-business attitude, "Now, I believe we have some matters to discuss."
This was very much not the way his usual battles with the doctor started. Sonic paled ever so slightly, feeling on edge, his stomach and fists clenching. He mutters a nervous, "Shit."
Chapter 2: Something Different
Notes:
*Chapters 2 and 3 were inspired by an RP I had read on diaperedanime, I'm not into RPing myself, but I do enjoy reading others' RPs and getting ideas from them. The overall story is inspired by some Sonic and Eggman stories and other RPs I've read.
The RP that inspired this chapter is called: Sonic Unpredictable by SPARKLE123 and yoshiyos. I suggest you check it out as the story is quite good, even if it's one of the many that are, unfortunately, unfinished. :( *
Italicized text indicates a character's thoughts.
Chapter Text
"Come have a seat." Eggman gestured to an extra chair stationed between himself and the ornate desk that matched his seat. Sonic stayed in his battle stance, warily taking in the odd scene.
Where were the robots? The evil laughter? The monologue of his latest scheme? The taunts and threats? Hell, why was Eggman acting like this was a business meeting with an important client?!
Relaxing his stance minutely, yet remaining on guard, Sonic crossed his arms, raising a brow, "What's the deal, Eggface? Finally figured out you couldn't handle getting your butt handed to you?" The doctor huffed, "Please refrain from your usual banter, hedgehog." he replied with a serious tone, "I don't want to fight you this time. I wish to discuss some matters regarding our future together."
"Our future together?" Sonic mumbles before green eyes lit up, sending the doctor a flirtatious smirk and batted his eyelashes, "Gee Eggman, I knew I was good looking, but I didn't know you had a thing for this?~" he proceeded to pose, flexing his skinny peach arms. "Not that kind of future, you insolent little-!" Eggman screamed, leaning back; he pinched the space between his glasses, muttering something about 'immature little rodents.'
Sonic chuckled, satisfied with his successful teasing at the doctor's choice words. "Sorry, I'm gonna have to turn you down. Nothing personal I'm just not looking for a relationship right now." he winked, placing a fist on his hip. "Hmph! Just sit down, hedgehog. I'm being quite serious."
"Ok, ok." Sonic put his hands up in surrender, rolling his eyes, "Calm down, Baldy McNosehair. You wanna talk, then let's talk." strolling into the light, he hopped up onto the human-sized chair and made himself comfortable. "So...what's on your mind?"
"Ahem, well. As you know, my last plan for world domination did not go very well." Sonic nodded, remembering very clearly what had happened, "The plan went so bad that an all-out war started while you were captured...I-I wish to apologize for my actions and the ramifications they had on you and your friends." emerald eyes blinked once, twice. Sonic dug a finger in his ear. Did I hear that, right? Eggman apologizing? Is he serious?! He leaned forward, narrowing his gaze at the man, "What's the deal, Eggface? You never apologize, especially to me. What's your game this time?"
"No game, no secret plans, or anything of that sort, I swear to you!" Eggman waved his hands peacefully, "This is all on the square. I...realized that my plans have gone too far, and I want to fix all of the destruction and misery I've caused over the years."
"Look, that's all fine and dandy, but I've heard this sob story before; how can I believe your lying ass that you're really on the up and up? If you really wanted to show the world the err of your ways, why not hand yourself over to G.U.N.?"
"Because I do not believe that would be the most effective way for me to show that I've genuinely turned over a new leaf. How can I better myself and contribute to society locked in a maximum-security cell with no ability or resources to fix all that I've done? You know as well as I do how restrictive G.U.N. is and how ruthless they can be."
Sonic couldn't argue with the doctor about that. G.U.N. barely forgave Shadow for his almost successful attempt at destroying the world. Under the impression that Maria had wanted him to enact revenge for her death under the veil of his misguided grief. Thankfully he had remembered his real promise to her just in time and had stopped the Eclipse Cannon. Sometime after that, Shadow had also defeated the Black Arms and saved the world again. However, G.U.N. was still very paranoid that the Ultimate Lifeform would turn on them. It was only because he saved the world twice and the fact that he was employed under their organization, allowing them to secretly keep tabs on the hog, that they allowed him to go free.
If Eggman were in their custody, he would not have the little bit of freedom an average prisoner was allowed. He would never see the light of day again, and it was highly likely he would even be sentenced to death for his crimes.
Sonic was not a fan of the death sentence, especially if that person wholeheartedly wanted to change their ways. He believed that everyone deserves a second chance. But, this wasn't the first time Eggman claimed to have changed for the better. Sonic would not be so easily fooled this time.
The hedgehog sighed, glaring at the obese human. The doctor was hiding something, he could tell, but no matter, he would entertain the man a little longer. "Alright, I see your point. But I'm gonna need to see some real evidence that you are giving up your evil ways."
"Oh yes, of course!" Eggman exclaimed. Pulling a drawer open, he pulled out a small stack of papers and a pen while also flicking a switch hidden underneath the desk. The previously blank monitors blinked to life, showing something that made the hedgehog's jaw drop.
All of his friends were in a room tied up together, confined in two separate cages surrounded by a force field. Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Tails, and Cheese were in one, while Shadow and Rouge were in the other, all struggling against their bonds. Looking to the next monitor, he saw another side of the same room. Omega shut down and lying in the corner while in the center of one wall was a monitor showing Sonic's friends what was going on with him and Eggman.
Sonic couldn't believe his eyes. All of his friends had been captured, including the Ultimate Lifeform! How?! He had just left them 5 minutes ago, and they had demolished almost all of Eggman's robots! Yet, somehow Eggman had turned the tables on them, and now they were all effectively screwed unless he could quickly come up with a plan.
"What did you do, Eggman?!" Sonic roared, slamming his hand onto the desk, staring the human down, seething with anger. "Simple rodent. While you and your friends were busy destroying my lair looking for me, you never noticed the traps I had set up right under your noses. I knew you would separate from your team to confront me yourself, so after you left, I simply activated the traps and had your friends come together to hang out in my little hehe, waiting room until we were finished. Don't worry; they are perfectly safe."
A bead of sweat fell from Sonic's head, his conscious berating him for leaving his friends behind and falling for Eggman's trap. He scowled at the doctor, not wanting to give the scientist the satisfaction of seeing him weak. "What do you want?" he growled; Eggman gently pushed Sonic back into his seat, "Do you remember your time on the DeathEgg?"
"Yeaaaaah?"
"Well, I learned something...I'm sure you've wondered why I had one of my robots assigned to run various check-ups and tests on you during your stay." the hedgehog nodded, his foot shaking with nervous energy. Hurry up and get to the point, fatface, so I can break my friends out and pulverize you.
"You are a unique and powerful hedgehog, Sonic." the doctor spoke as if he were a professor lecturing his class, "You have the ability to harness the Chaos emeralds and achieve feats no other ordinary human or Mobian could dream of doing on their own. I'm a curious man, a scientist. I had theories, but until you were in my clutches, I couldn't do much more than theorize. It was a golden opportunity, and I took it. Thus why I ran you under several tests." the evil scientist then, oddly enough, went quiet, a somber expression somehow emitting behind those hidden eyes.
"And from the results of one test, I realized something...I realized that all this time...all these years, I thought I was fighting a powerful individual who the leaders of this world had tasked to protect it from my attacks. That could not be further from the truth...I have been fighting, mercilessly attacking, and almost murdered countless times, a 15-year-old boy, a child."
"Yeah, so? Didn't you know that?" Eggman shook his head, "Sonic. I am a man who has spent decades watching this corrupt world and wanting to better it through my inventions. And years of rejection, negativity, and injustice have left me with a skewed sense of morals. I have committed many crimes to accomplish my goals, but I would never ever risk the life of a child, even if that was the only thing standing in my way."
Emerald eyes scanned the doctor's face for his usual telltale signs of lying, but for once, Sonic couldn't find any. Even the tone of his voice sounded sincere. Either Eggman is getting really good at acting, or...he's telling the truth. Folding his arms, Sonic quietly spoke, "So because I'm the one foiling your plans. Because...'I am standing in your way'. Does this mean you really and truly are giving up?"
"Maybe..." the doctor sighed, brows furrowed, revealing the few wrinkles he had, showing how hard he had thought about this over the last year. "Had I realized how old you really were when we first meet, I would never have attempted to take your life, and I can assure you I will never do so again. However, I will only give up my goal and release your friends in exchange for one thing." Eggman pushed the small stack of papers to the blue blur, "This is a contract I've had written up. It stipulates that I will give up my quest for world domination...if you come to live with me."
All of the hostage's attempts to struggle against their restraints in the waiting room vanished as ears and eyes flew up to the monitor, hearing Eggman say those last few words; Sonic's reaction identical to that of his friends, "WHAT?! You-you can't be serious!"
"As serious as a heart attack. When I found out how old you really were, I realized I had made a grave mistake. For 7 years, you have been locked into battle after battle with me. Forced into dangerous situations and to make decisions, no child should have to do. I unknowingly and ruthlessly took your childhood from you and your friends, and I want to fix that. By having you move in with me."
Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing come out of the human's mouth. "You want me to come live with you?" He slowly repeated dumbly. Eggman nodded, tapping the papers, "Yes. It's all right there in the contract." Sonic picked up the small stack, quickly scanning it over. He didn't understand much of the legal jargon, but he got enough out of it to know that this was the real deal; Eggman was telling the truth! Sonic shook his head, "Hold on, let me see if I got this right. What your saying is...you'll give up being an evil villain and let my friends go if I...agree to-," he gulped, "to stay with you?"
"Correct."
Sonic flipped through the pages again and looked back up at the monitor, "Bring me Tails and Shadow. I want to hear what they think before I even think about agreeing."
"Of course, of course." Eggman consented, lifting his arm and tapped onto some weird-looking watch on his wrist, "Release the fox and black hedgehog. Then escort them to the meeting room."
While they waited, Sonic mulled over the doctor's words. Finally, after all these years, the human was giving up his world domination conquest and doing so willingly! Provided Sonic agreed to...basically surrender himself to the man. But why him? Why now? Why didn't Eggman just keep him while he was stuck up in space? Why did he want the hedgehog in the first place? Torture? Experimentation? He had just said how he was curious about what made Sonic tick. And he had noticed something odd in the contract. It had mentioned that Sonic would only stay with the doctor until he was a legal adult. Did Eggman want to adopt him? Because he felt bad for fighting Sonic, who was still basically considered a child? He could take care of himself and had done so for years even before meeting the evil scientist heck; he and Tails were raising themselves just fine without any adult supervision!
Sonic had been in such deep thought he didn't notice Shadow and Tails arrive until two other seats rolled up on each side of him. "Sonic?" Tails whispers, "What's going on?" Shadow, for once, instead of glaring at everyone and everything, looked just as confused as his little brother.
"I think..." Sonic stuttered, "I think Eggman wants to adopt me."
"I think Eggman wants to adopt me," Sonic quietly replied; Tails and Shadow were dead silent, mouths agape at the shocking news.
They had heard part of Sonic and Eggman's conversation when they were held up in the waiting room, skeptical of the human's announcement that he wanted to retire from the evil villain business. And now this new piece of information left their brains scrambled after so much had happened in the last half hour.
One minute they were all on the verge of finding the doctor and defeating him for the last time; the next, they had all been ambushed. Caught off guard by hoses popping up from the ceiling and floor, being gassed and passing out one by one. When they had woken up, they found themselves tied up in cages surrounded by a force field to ensure they couldn't escape. Even Omega had been taken down! The loyal and gun-happy robot left to sit in the corner like a rag doll.
"What? Why?!" Tails exclaimed; Sonic just shrugged with a blank expression handing his little brother the contract to read it over. The fox thoughtfully read over the document, "Wait a minute." Shadow pulled his hand up, "Why, Sonic? Why not Tails, myself, or anyone else?"
"Because we have a history together," Eggman stated matter of factly, "Even though I've had encounters with you, the fox, and the others. Some for a similar period of time. The majority of you have stayed in the background, with Sonic taking most of the heat of our battles. Therefore I've affected his life to a greater extent, which warrants my responsibility to atone for my actions on his life."
"But why now?" Sonic interjected, "You figured this out when I was already stuck with you on the DeathEgg, right? Why did you let me escape then?"
"Honestly, with the war going on, I was overwhelmed with the news of this information. I needed some time to think about it and whether I would allow it to influence my course of actions in the future."
Shadow, having slightly come down from his shock, crossed his arms, "And what are those actions now?" he questioned. "My plan is for Sonic to come live with me. To provide a stable home environment for him. It will be my way of apologizing personally a...community service if you will. And as proof to show I have abandoned my previous goal of world domination."
"How do we know you won't just try to experiment and torture him?"
"Because G.U.N. will oversee the whole process." Sonic and Shadow raised eyebrows at that statement, "He's right." Tails piped up. Having been listening to the conversation while he had been reading the documents, "It says right here that you and Rouge will run weekly checkups on him and Eggman so he can provide evidence that nothing...fishy is going on."
"Right. If you look at this paragraph-" Eggman leaned over the desk pointing to a specific section, "it states that Shadow and Rouge on G.U.N.'s behalf will come by every week and conduct private interviews with us and also that Sonic will be allowed to leave the base once a week to visit friends, family, etc. to prove further that besides living with me and stipulating to house rules he is free to do as he pleases. Oh! And also after 6 months, Sonic is free to break the contract before he reaches legal adult age, no questions asked."
Sonic gave his brother a look, which he returned with a nod in affirmation, "I can't find anything in this besides having to live with Eggman for at least 6 months that would adversely hurt you. Eggman is the one taking the loss." Sonic thoughtfully rubbed his chin, "So if I agree, you'll let my friends go?"
"Yes."
"And if I decide to skip town after 6 months, you won't go back to trying to take over the world again?"
"I swear it." the doctor promised, placing a hand over his heart. "What if I don't agree?" Eggman deflated in his chair, "I will be forced to hold you all hostage and will continue to work to fulfill my goal while trying not to get you or your friends involved. Though as much as it pains me, there is no guarantee you won't be affected somehow."
So I'm pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place then—Sonic muses. If I don't accept, I'll be risking all our lives as Egghead's hostages until we either figure out a way to break out or are rescued. If I do accept...everyone goes free, and only I will have to spend a few months with the Eggface, and the world is as good as safe! Still, there is a strong possibility that this could all backfire on me, but Rouge and Shadow will be keeping tabs on me, and if they think something is wrong, G.U.N. will be on Eggman's ass in a second. And if I suspect something fishy is going on, I can always go to Tails on my day out to let him know what's up and have the gang come to my rescue. Plus, Eggman said I only have to follow a few house rules; besides that, I still pretty much have my freedom, and he's not locking me up for life. Maybe this won't be so bad?
Nodding once, Sonic declared, "I accept!"
"What?!" Shadow and Tails shrieked, "Why on Mobius would you accept? This is Doctor Robotnick we're talking about! This man has claimed to quit villainy countless times; how can you accept his claim and this contract?!" Shadow snapped, floored that the hero of Mobius and lover of freedom would confine himself to such questionable terms. Sonic placed a gloved hand on his rival's shoulder, "Because I don't want to risk all of our lives Shadow. I'm willing to bunk with the Eggman if it means my friends and the world will stay safe. Besides, everyone deserves a second chance...even Eggman."
"But-you-doah-just-how could-gah!" the ebony hog stuttered in dismay flailing his arms before settling back to stewing in the chair. There was nothing he could say now that his rival had made his decision; Sonic was as stubborn as he was, meaning there was no talking out of sacrificing himself for their and the world's sake. "Alright. But if anything happens, it's on your head."
"Noted."
"As for you..." Shadow glared daggers at the doctor, speaking coldly, "I will be keeping an eye on you." Eggman sweatdropped, tugging his jacket collar, "Yes, well, ahem. I-I would think it right for you to do so. Now..." he pushed the pen towards the blue hedgehog signaling him to sign the contract.
Sonic picked up the pen and took back the papers from his brother, flipping to the page where he needed to sign—staring at the dotted line.
Tails watches Sonic's eyes lock onto the contract, a flicker of fear passing through them. "You sure you wanna do this, Sonic?" Tails worriedly asks. Sonic snaps out of his reluctance, quickly re-adjusting his cool and collected facade, "If I wanna give the world a chance to have peace from Eggman...then yeah." he sighed before giving the fox a reassuring smirk, "Don't worry, Tails, it'll only be for a few months after that I can come home." looking back at the document Sonic signed his fate.
x Olgilive Maurice (Sonic) the Hedgehog
"Excellent!" Eggman smiles; a menagerie of clicks and beeps go off after Sonic writes down the last letter. On the screen, Sonic sees the rest of his friends are untied and released with a doorway opening to the outside world. A world he wouldn't be able to run out in again for at least a week, it had only been a few seconds since he accepted Eggman's offer, but already Sonic was starting to have second thoughts about this contract. Maybe I should have thought about this a little more?
A loud clap startled the hedgehog out of his thoughts, "Well, Tails, Shadow. Thank you so much for your assistance, but now I must ask you and the rest of your friends to leave. Sonic and I will be on our way home now. But don't worry, you'll see him again in about a week!"
Right. Sonic gulped, rubbing the back of his head. My new place for the next six months.
"Oh! Before I forget. Is there anything you need from your previous home? Any personal items that need to be picked up?" Eggman inquired his ex-enemy, "Ah-no no. I've got everything I need right here," he said, feeling for the chaos emerald and house keys he kept in his quills. "Perfect! And Sonic, would you please give Shadow your chaos emerald. You won't need it where we're going." Sonic slumped, begrudgingly handing the gem to his rival. How did the doctor know he had one? "Of course."
Tails jumped from his seat, gazing at the exit door opening behind them and back to his brother. His twin tails twisted in a knot, worried about what would happen to the hedgehog while they were separated. He didn't trust Eggman one bit, but he trusted Sonic and his decisions. He always put others well being before his own. If Sonic thought this was for the best, Tails would do all he could to support him until he thought of a way to get his brother out of this mess.
"Sonic." he whimpered, scuffing his shoe against the floor; the speedster jumping down from his seat looked at his fox brother. "Yeah, Tails?" the young fox held up his arms, wanting a hug. Softly smiling, Sonic pulled his little brother close, kissing the top of his head, "Hey, everything is gonna be ok. I promise." he whispers comfortingly. Squeezing tighter, Tails mutters, "You better. I don't think I can stop Amy from destroying the house by myself if she decides you've been gone for too long." Sonic chuckles at the poor attempt of a joke, giving his brother one final squeeze before pulling away, ruffling the fox's bangs, "Aw, you can take her Tails. I believe in ya!"
Turning to his rival with a sad smile Sonic offered him a handshake. The black hog accepted, firmly grasping and shaking it, "See ya round, Shads. Send everyone my thanks and goodbyes?" Shadow rolled his eyes in irritation but smirked, "Will do. See you later, Sonic." sighing, the blue hedgehog pulled himself together, gazing up at the rotund man waiting for him. "Oh, don't act like you'll never see them again, Sonic. You can visit all your friends this time next week!"
Yeah, but it will feel like an eternity in Hell until then. Nodding, Sonic walked up to Eggman with his head held high, and chest pushed out. He wasn't going to show his little brother or rival how nervous he was on the inside.
Waving sadly, Shadow and Tails excited the room, Sonic waving in return with a fake smile before the door slammed shut.
Chapter 3: Roomies
Chapter Text
building's sight. The base was massive! It had to be the biggest of all of Eggman's bases Sonic had ever seen, roughly the size of 3 football fields, not counting the outside perimeter. The metal building towered over the manicured landscape and glistened in the sunlight, shaped like a giant square with a hole in the middle.
A square metallic donut came to Sonic's mind.
As they drew closer, the blue devil could make out parts of a garden in the center. The grass freshly cut and shining with dew, bushes, and trees healthy and planted aesthetically. He could even see a fountain bubbling in the center of it all. Who knew the doctor had an eye for mother nature?
Eggman smiled with pride at the hedgehog's reaction, "This is my secret home. It's where I go to relax and come up with ideas for my latest inventions." he boasted, "You'll have plenty of space to run around in if you get to feeling too cooped up."
As he admired the view, a thought suddenly occurred to Sonic, one that he really hadn't thought of before, pulling him out of his awe. "How can you afford all of this? As many of your bases and bots that I've trashed over the years, I'd think you would've run out of funds ages ago." Jostling the handle and pressing a button opening a door into the base, Eggman steered the vehicle into the garage for a landing. "I have several accounts in stocks all under a different name, mind you, that helps fund most of my creations, but I don't just make destructive robots, you know. I also build machines that help people."
Sonic raised an eyebrow to that in surprise, "Really?" he asked skeptically, "Yes! For instance, I've made several inventions to help hospitals and first responders. You remember my old robotisizer?"
"How could I forget that thing!"
Eggman chuckled, "Well, that was originally made to help people in need of prosthetics. It would replace the original limb, but the artificial replacement would function just like a real arm or leg with synthetic nerve endings and the ability to touch and feel." Emerald eyes widen in disbelief, "That was what the robotisizer was for?!"
"Yup!" Eggman nodded, powering down the vehicle and stepping out. Well, that's an interesting bit of information. Sonic thought before shaking away his shock and hopped out of the eggmobile to see Orbot and Cubot hovering by the door leading into the rest of the base. "Good afternoon, Doctor! I assume everything went according to plan since our newest addition has accompanied you?" Orbot chirped. "Heya Sonic, great to have you join the team!" Cubot waved; Sonic, with an awkward smile, waved in return. "Yes, everything has gone swimmingly! Now, if you will excuse us, I have much to do to welcome Sonic to his new home." Eggman responded, waving for the hedgehog to follow him.
Sonic followed the large man keeping his senses on high alert; he was deep in the enemy's territory now and didn't trust Eggman one bit. Despite the doctor's claims to change for the better and acting hospitable and polite instead of temperamental and screaming. This didn't prove that the doctor couldn't turn off the act and go back to wanting to murder the hedgehog at his first opportunity. And it also didn't mean Sonic had to be on his best behavior either.
An idea formed in the blue blur's mind as they walk down the hallways. Maybe if I cause enough trouble, Eggman will kick me out and still keep his end of the bargain! Just because I have to stay here with Eggface doesn't mean I have to be nice to him...though maybe I shouldn't push my luck too much don't want to give the guy a reason to do me in or to go back on his word. Just be irritating enough that he thinks I'm more trouble than I'm worth. He stifles a snicker thinking of all the trouble and misery he could cause the human.
"After you," Eggman says, opening a door gesturing for the hedgehog to go inside, blinking back to reality, Sonic walks into the room.
It was another office, the furniture a similar style to the one in the base they had just left, but this room was lit up by warm light, actually letting him see the rest of the inside instead of overbearing darkness. One wall was covered with an assortment of books and decorative knick-knacks, the floors and furniture made out of dark wood with an unlit fireplace on the opposite wall.
Sonic leaps onto a plush leather chair, careful not to let his quills poke any holes. Eggman takes his seat at the desk, "Now before I give you the grand tour, there are a few house rules we need to go over." an ear flicks, and green eyes roll very much like the annoyed teenager Sonic was.
"Rule 1. You will not destroy the base or any of my robots here. You are to consider this base as your home now, so treat it as such. The service robots are no threat to you, so there's no need to attack them, including Metal Sonic. I made some adjustments to his programming. He will not attempt to hurt you, but I do expect you two to treat each other with respect, so no funny business."
Sonic gave the rule a brief thought and nodded, knowing he wouldn't have to worry about his robotic copy attempting to end his life was a relief, so that rule seemed like a reasonable request.
"Rule 2. I will not stand for any sort of foul language, I realize you have been on your own for quite some time now and will make slip-ups, but I will still correct and punish you as needed when you disobey. Rule 3-"
"Woah Woah, Woah, wait! Punishments?! I thought you said you wouldn't hurt me?!"
"And I won't. However, you are still a minor, and under my roof, any disobedience or blatant disregard to the rules will be swiftly corrected with non-torturous punishment methods—anyway, rule 3. You will be required to wear this at all times." pulling something round out of his jacket pocket, the human quickly clamped something around the hedgehog's neck. Startled at the sudden action, Sonic clasped the thing now attached to his neck. His pupils shrunk, and his eyebrows went as far up as his ears. Eggman had put a collar on him...like a pet. Growling, he pulled at the device, "What the Hell?!"
Bzzzzzt!
"Aggghh!" he cried, feeling an electrical pulse run through his body before it stopped. "Don't even try to take it off." Eggman commanded, "Only I have the code to unlock it. So unless you want to get fried to a crisp, I suggest you leave it be." Sonic glared at the doctor, growling, "You son of a bi-AAAaaaah!" he yelled, another shock coursing through his muscles.
The shock didn't last more than a few seconds, but Chaos did it hurt. He panted through the pain glaring at the human through one eye. His left shoulder muscle was still twitching in reaction to the electrical pulse. "I...I'm guessing that's...one of my...punishments? So what? I'm gonna be your little-pet for the next 6 months?" Sonic spat, struggling not to continue clawing at the collar. "This is just something to help keep you in line, hedgehog. Can't have you destroying this base like you've done all my others."
"Aww, where's the fun in that?" Sonic sarcastically whined after he was somewhat recovered. "Don't be so dramatic, Sonic; I promise it won't be that bad," Eggman spoke tonelessly, standing up concluding his the breakdown of house rules. "Come, I'll give you a tour."
Sonic continued to stare angrily at the human before puffing out a breath of air in frustration. Carefully he stood up on the chair and leaped over the back, flipping a few times, and lands before the doctor tossing his blue quills back dramatically with a confident smirk. Sending a clear message that the doctor's rules weren't going to keep him down.
Eggman rolls his eyes at the blue devil, walking out the door.
As massive as the base was on the outside, Sonic would have sworn to the master emerald the building was even bigger on the inside! He was grateful to Eggman for giving him a tour of the place; a few times when Sonic turned around to get a better look at something, he instantly got lost. If it weren't for the doctor's slow, steady pace and bright red jacket, he would have never found his way back.
The base comprised of 3 floors. The basement was a dedicated laboratory where the doctor conducted research and built his creations. The first floor served as a warehouse, holding supplies and tools to help repair and maintain the base. The final floor was split between the living and recreational quarters; one side had the kitchen, offices, dining, bed, and bathrooms. While the other had an arcade, gym complete with running track and swimming pool, the garden, movie theatre, library, and lounging area.
Eggman explained that Sonic's collar held many capabilities. It served as a tracker, keycard, shocker and recorded the hedgehog's vitals. Stepping into an elevator, Eggman pressed the button for the basement, "While you will have access to most areas, the lab and warehouse will be off-limits unless I grant you entry. There is no reason for you to be in those areas. Also, if you step outside the base's fence perimeter on a day I do not have scheduled, it will insert a paralyzing toxin to keep you from running away."
"Why all the precautions, Eggbreath? Don't you trust me?" Sonic scoffed, his irritation and slight headache rising at all the increasing list of restrictions and nose scrunching up at the scent of sterile bleach in the air. The elevator chimed as the doors opened. "You are a crafty little creature, " Eggman continued flatly, strolling down the metal hallways. "I would not be surprised if you were forming some means of escape while still having me keep my word as we speak. Although we have come to a...somewhat peaceful truce. It is a shaky one. One that I'm not willing to let you risk breaking." pushing a door open, the human stepped inside a brightly lit room with Sonic right behind him.
"Now..." Eggman's voice and face brightened up, patting the thin paper lining a bed, "Hop on up here so I can do a quick checkup."
Sonic froze, paling at the sight in front of him, realizing he had just walked into the doctor's private examination room. It looked exactly like one in a regular hospital, the tall bed with paper sheets, weight scale, various medical implements hanging on the wall with posters about human and mobian physiology, and cabinets filled with other doctor's tools. Unlike the rest of the base that smelled of a weird mixture of oil and grass, this room reeked of medicine and disinfectant.
Sonic could barely remember the last time he was in a doctor's office. All he faintly remembered from his last visit as a hoglet was crying, pain, and terror. After that experience and his interactions with Dr. Eggman, he had sworn off all doctors medical or the other kind. He took a step back, stomach twisting in horror at where he found himself.
"Well, come on, Sonic!" the doctor tapped the bed again, "It's just a little check-up. You're not afraid, are you?"
"No, I'm not!" Sonic barked defiantly. Yet the ears that laid flat against his head and tail between his legs said otherwise. Eggman sneered at the obviously nervous hedgehog, "Prove it." he goated. Sniffing in disdain, Sonic kept his glare fixed firmly on the ceiling but made no attempts to move. That was until he felt a pair of hands grab his midsection, "Eep!" he squirmed at the foreign hands lifting him onto the bed, the paper making an annoying crackling noise as he moved.
After placing his patient on the bed, Eggman turned to the cabinets pulling out the tools he would need for the hedgehog's examination. He wasn't just a doctor of robotics! Like his late grandfather, Eggman had also studied in the other realms of science, including; genetics, anatomy, biology, and medicine, just to name a few.
Returning to his uneasy patient, Eggman put the earbuds of the stethoscope in place, "Now just relax and breath." Sonic bared his teeth at the round man quills bristling; no way was he going to let Eggman study him like one of his science experiments. The doctor stepped back, startled by the hostile and feral reaction. Frowning, he calmly reprimanded the hedgehog for his behavior, "Don't make this any harder than it has to be pine cone. Just sit still and cooperate."
Sonic took in a steady breath and reminded himself to breathe so his voice wouldn't shake, giving away his terror as he asked, "You won't give me any shots?" Eggman faltered at the question, rethinking how he would proceed; he had planned on extracting some blood. Still, his patient's reaction to just the stethoscope suggested he stick to the basics and leave anything even slightly invasive for another time. The poor hedgehog seemed nervous enough as it was; the human could almost see Sonic's peach arms shaking as he gripped the bed paper like a lifeline. "No shots. I promise." Eggman swore.
After closely scanning the doctor over, seeing that he was telling the truth, Sonic relented. Slowly relaxing his quills and sitting up straight to allow the doctor to listen to his heart, but he remained tense. Smiling in thanks, Eggman again slowly approached to listen to the organ beating behind a peach furry chest, "Strong and fast, just as I expected." he hummed with approval.
The examination was carried on in relative silence beside the small growls and hisses; Sonic would warn him every few minutes. Besides, that everything went smoothly and quickly.
"One last thing and we're done," Eggman announced, pulling a thermometer out of his pocket, reaching to place it in the hedgehog's ear. Again Sonic folded his ears flat against his skull, stubbornly being uncooperative. The blue blur truly was a doctor's or vet's worse nightmare. "Alright, we'll try it another way." the human patiently proposed placing the handheld machine aside; he grabbed an old-fashioned thermometer from the counter, "Now open wide..." again, Sonic refused, snapping at the hand then clamping his mouth firmly shut. "Come now, Sonic, we can either do this the easy way...or the hard way." the doctor smiled deviously.
Sonic turned away from the doctor, lying flat on his stomach and resting his head in his folded arms, refusing to move like a stubborn little kid and unknowingly put himself in a compromising position. Having had enough of being poked and prodded like a frog in middle school science class.
The doctor tsked, walking away, "Have it your way, then~." he sing songs. Sonic quirks his brow at the doctor's odd tone but ignores it, closing his eyes; he smirks, thinking he had worn Eggman down enough to leave him alone for the moment.
A faint click from behind alerts the blue blur that something was off. Sonic attempts to get up but finds his legs stuck where they were as some restraints were preventing him from moving. His gut soured, and his heart began to race as he felt someone grab his tail, pulling him up into a downward dog position. Panicking, Sonic gripped the edges of the bed futility, trying to keep his back end from rising anymore. Awkwardly twisting his spiky head, emerald eyes widened in horror, and a blush quickly fills his face when he sees Eggman firmly grasping his tail in one hand and a funny-looking thermometer in the other. You didn't have to get to medical school to figure out where that thing was going to go.
"No, no. Don't you even dare..." he shuttered, "I'm sorry, Sonic, but you asked for this."
"You stick that thing up my butt, and I will not hesitate to claw your eyes out and make your life a living-!"
"Do you really want to finish that sentence, Sonic?" Eggman threatened, inching the thermometer closer to its target; the hedgehog sweatdropped, unable to wriggle away from this...humiliating position without ending up with an injured tail as tightly as the doctor was holding the appendage keeping him from guarding where the light didn't shine.
"No, please don't." he whimpered on the verge of begging. "I'm sorry, Sonic. I gave you a chance to cooperate, but you've forced my hand. Now hold still." Sonic quickly turned away, squeezing his eyes shut and white-knuckling the bed, bracing himself. Eggman pinched his tail, making him yell.
"Aaaahhhhh! ... Huh?" Sonic's scream slowly died in the air, confused as to why he didn't feel anything...go in?
BEEP!
"96.5 degrees. Perfect!" opening his eyes, Sonic saw a forehead thermometer hovering in front of his head, "Huh?"
Eggman quietly snickers at the bewildered hedgehog for falling for his little trick, casually walking to a switch to release the bonds as if nothing had ever happened. "Yup, a perfectly healthy little hedgehog!"
Sonic curls up immediately after being released, flushing in humiliation and pouting at the obese human for his making him look like a fool. Eggman acted like he didn't notice the hedgehog's glare checking his watch and exclaiming innocently, "Woah! Would you look at that? It's almost time for dinner!" Writing the last of his notes down and sanitizing his hands, the doctor ruffled Sonic's head, who grumbled at the affectionate gesture sitting up and patting his quills back in place. Jumping off the bed, Sonic leads the way out back to the elevator thoroughly, hoping he never had to see that room again.
The dining room was simple yet elegant like the rest of the base. Sonic took what he assumed was his place at the table next to Eggman. The doctor snapped his fingers, signaling Metal Sonic to appear from the kitchen double doors. The shiny blue robot was clad in a frilly apron that said 'Kiss the cook or die' surrounded with little pink hearts. Sonic internally cringed, easily imagining Amy wearing the apron, forcing Sonic to consume something she had cooked up for a "date."
Metal stiffly strode up to the table, setting each plate in front of their respective diners. Eggman lifted the lid, letting the steam escape and revealing a freshly boiled lobster surrounded by an assortment of condiments and veggies, "Wonderful Metal! Thank you." the robot beeped in acknowledgment, red happy eyes appearing on his optical screen then switching to mad eyes glaring at his organic counterpart. It seemed the good doctor had forgotten to delete the robot's distaste for his counterpart. Sonic ignored the angsty robot lifting the lid and revealing his meal. Please be chili dogs; please be chili dogs! He prayed, crossing his fingers, but his hopes dashed to pieces seeing a very healthy salad with dressing on the side; he slammed the cover back on the plate.
Eggman, just about to take a bite of his lobster, notices the disgruntled hedgie push his meal away. "What's wrong this time?" He questioned, groaning internally, thinking the blue blur was quite possibly a picky eater.
"I don't eat salad. Can't I get some chili dogs instead? Or nachos, or a burger or something?"
"You have too much fast food in your diet. I've selected a range of healthy, nutritious meals and snacks a growing hedgehog like yourself needs. Chili dogs and other greasy fast food items will not be served here during your stay, but you are free to indulge in such things when you are out." Eggman calmly reasoned.
"Are you kidding me?! Do you know how much food I can pack away? There's a reason why I eat that greasy fast food stuff. 1. it tastes much better than this rabbit food. 2. it's cheap. 3. It's the only thing that remotely fills me up. So unless you want a huge grocery bill, though I think you already have one as much as you eat, " Sonic coughed the last part behind his gloved fist, "I suggest you have your 'chef' here make me some chili dogs."
A bushy mustache twitched, "Hmph! I don't mind paying a little more for food if you need it, Sonic. Because I'm not changing my mind. So unless you want to go to bed hungry-" Eggman pointed to the covered dish, "I suggest you eat that so-called rabbit food. If your still hungry, I can have Metal make you some more." Sonic was extremely annoyed by this order, tempted to throw his meal at the doctor for forcing this change of his eating habits, but he was starving. Maybe I can eat him out of house and home, so he doesn't have enough money to make any more stupid destructive robots? Though as nice as that sounded, he knew it was a crazy thought.
Sighing, Sonic begrudgingly lifted the lid off his plate, angrily stabbing the pile of lettuce with a fork, and shoved it into his mouth. Chewing and swallowing as fast as he could, not even bothering with the dressing. It won't make much difference anyway. He continued taking another bite.
Eggman grimaced at Sonic's lack of table manners but decided to let it go for now since he had had to convince the hedgehog to eat his greens. He needed to pick his battles if he was to win the war. The table manners could wait until another time. This may be a bit more of a struggle than I anticipated. He internally lamented, dipping a portion of lobster in melted butter.
"So..." Sonic spoke through a mouth full of lettuce, "what's for dessert?"
Chapter 4: The First Week
Notes:
*Although some have you already guessed it, parts of this story were inspired and influenced by Shaunatheboss's "Saved by My Rival" it is seriously a good story, and their writing is fantastic! They recently finished writing the prequel and are now working on a re-write and a sequel, so I recommend you read "Saved by My Rival" now even though it's rated M. There's a bit of violence at the end, and descriptions of injuries are a bit graphic, but that's it.*
Chapter Text
The whole day had been quite long and stressful for our blue hero, and it was beginning to take its toll. After 4 servings of plain bitter salad, Sonic finally had his fill and was ready to call it a night.
He stifled a yawn, shuffling beside Eggman to the base's living quarters, wondering which of the many bedrooms was his. Daydreaming of a nice soft bed, Sonic didn't notice Eggman had stopped some distance behind him, "And where do you think you're going?" the human coughed.
Sonic paused midstep, tilting his head back, blinking from his daze. Oh, that must be where my room is. He concluded, zipping back to the human and entered the room.
Only to twirl around, confused as to why Eggman had led him to a bathroom, "Uh, gee Eggman this is a great looking bedroom!" he said sarcastically. "This is not your room," Eggman grunted, slamming the door shut behind him locking it. Sonic's ears twitched, worry bubbling up inside as he stared at the now locked door. He chuckled nervously, "Then why did you bring me here?"
"Because you reek Sonic, and I like to keep everything in my base spotless."
"Hey! I don't stink!"
"Oh, really? So you're telling me that after a day of running through one of my bases and destroying my robots, covering yourself in dirt and oil that you don't smell like a used sweaty sock covered in motor oil? When was the last time you even showered?" Sonic pressed his lips firmly in a pout, deciding he wasn't going to answer that last question. Instead, he discreetly took a whiff of himself and recoiled at the smell; he really did stink. "Alright, I guess your right." he consented, pulling off his limited amount of clothing.
Opening the shower door, he glanced back and raised a brow at Eggman. Surprised he was still in the room with him, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. Though male mobians typically didn't wear a lot of clothing, still standing around gloveless and shoeless in front of his ex-enemy made Sonic feel self-conscious and vulnerable. "Uh, you can leave now. I got this."
"Nonsense Sonic-" the doctor chirped, removing his jacket and rolling up the black sleeves of his shirt, "as your new temporary guardian, it's my responsibility to not only keep you healthy but clean as well. And I realize effectively cleaning those quills of yours can be a challenge alone. Another set of hands will make the job easier."
"What?! I don't need your help! Get out! I can do this mys-"
Bzzzzzt!
"Agh!" Sonic gritted his teeth, emerald eyes burning with tears. When the shock passed, his bashfulness was cast far aside; he gave the doctor a look that would have sent the man to an early grave. That was the last straw! He had been forced to come here, leave his friends behind, endure a humiliating examination, been refused chili dogs, and now Eggman had the gall to push him in here, call him smelly, and wash him as an owner does; his collared pet!
The blue blur bristled his quills, claws drawn out and, hissed at the doctor to back away unless he wanted a quill in the face, but the large man was undeterred by the warning from the tiny hedgehog. Holding his position, Eggman shocked Sonic again. And again, and again. Each time for the blue blur's attempts of resistance.
By the end of the 6th shock, the ends of Sonic's quills were smoking, and the blue devil looked like a wilted flower, having to keep his hands planted firmly on the shower wall to stay upright. His legs were threatening to give way, weak from the electrical pulses. Eggman sighed in disappointment, watching his ex-enemy bullheadedly refuse the help he so obviously needed, "Must you be so stubborn about one simple shower?"
"Y-y-you know...how m-much I...HATE...w-w-water." Sonic twitched, "And that's why I'm giving you a shower, not a bath. But if you continue to fight me, it will be."
Sonic squeezed his eyes, trying to put everything back in focus. He would have killed to be anywhere but here at this moment; even having Shadow beat him in a race would have been better than this. He was scared. If his legs hadn't been shaking from the shocks, they would have been shaking in fear. Besides Eggman, water was his number 1 enemy, especially water outside his control. But if he fought the doctor anymore, he would be incapacitated and entirely at the doctor's mercy. And it only takes a few inches of water to drown.
Sonic hated not being able to stop the quiver in his voice as he weakly yielded, "Fine."
Having finally gotten the hedgehog's permission, Eggman proceeded. Turning on the water to an adequate temperature, he pulls the shower head down and soaks cobalt fur, turning it into a navy blue. The hero of Mobius can do nothing but whimper pitifully, keeping a wide stance and hands on the walls to stay steady. His tail tucks under him as far as it can go, with ears flat and head down, feeling the water hit him.
Once he was wetted down, Eggman squirted a dollop of shampoo into his hands and began scrubbing quills and fur. Sonic silently gasped as large hands rubbed his body; he shivered and bit his lip to keep from smiling at the scratches that felt oh so good on his back. The floor seeming to be fascinating as a blush deepened on his cheeks. "Ah-ahah! H-hey! S-stop tha-that!" he giggled, squirming against the hands that tickled his belly. "Hold on; you've got a clump of oil right there. I'm trying to get out." Sonic wiggled like a worm trying not to break out in a fit of giggles as Eggman continued to scrub the sensitive spot.
His squirming abruptly stopped when those same hands moved from there to his lower regions. He sharply gasped and flushed at the touch, not moving a muscle. Catching the sudden lack of movement, Eggman paused, "I'm not hurting you am I?" he asked worriedly, "N-no." Sonic softly squeaked, grimacing at how high his voice sounded. Not convinced, Eggman asked again, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, yeah, " Sonic cleared his throat, voice and tone returning to normal, "just caught me by surprise, is all." Nodding, Eggman resumed washing, taking care to be gentle and to give the hedgehog some warning before cleaning any other potentially sensitive areas.
After his legs were scrubbed down, Eggman rinsed the bubbles out and moved on to the fragrant conditioner. As the doctor gently combed the substance through his fur Sonic remembered that he was still wearing the collar. Guess it must be waterproof cause I'd be a roasted hedgehog by now if it wasn't. Moving on from that gruesome image, his mind wandered to how the doctor had treated him today.
Eggman had been quite kind, a stark contrast to how his interactions with the human usually went. And Sonic was starting to think the doctor's attempts to make amends with him and accept the responsibility for his actions were sincere. Going far in his quest to house and care for the supersonic hedgehog, carefully considering all of Sonic's needs and had prepared himself for the responsibility. Giving up his lifelong goal to make up for all the mistakes he had made against the blue blur. It was...astounding really to make such a life-altering decision just for one person.
Sonic's eyes widened slightly, and he felt his heart pound at the thought that the reason Eggman wanted to change was for...was for him! He shook his head. What am I thinking?! This is Egghead we're talking about! This is just another one of his schemes for me to be under his control. Sudden darkness pulls Sonic out of his thoughts. What the?
"There we go, all clean!" says a muffled voice; he scrunches his face as a towel is rubbed all around his head before it's pulled back, revealing the voice to be coming from Eggman smiling down at him. The human dries him off and leaves the towel wrapped around him like a little kid; Sonic snorts at the round man yanking the towel off, throwing it onto the floor, and crosses his arms blushing. Quickly he puts on his gloves and shoes at the same time Eggman puts his jacket back on.
Redressed, Eggman shows the clean hedgehog to his room conveniently two doors down from his own. Stepping in, Sonic sweatdropped, finding the bedroom eerily similar to his own at Tails' workshop. A passing thought of one of Eggman's drones spying on him made the skin under his fur shiver.
"I do hope you'll find yourself comfortable here. I had the room designed based on what little I knew about your tastes from our past experiences. Still, it wasn't easy since our interactions haven't been exactly-ahem-peaceful. I hope we can take this opportunity to push past our differences and get to know each other better!" Sonic scoffed at the doctor's cheery suggestion to be on friendly terms with each other; keeping his back turned, he crossed his arms, droning. "Yeah, sure. Whatever Egghead."
Hearing the harsh tone, the doctor's mustache drooped, his efforts to reach out promptly pushed away, but quickly he regained his composure. It's still early in the process. He's not going to open up and feel comfortable, let alone forgive me until I gain his trust. He'll come around eventually as time goes on. Eggman assures himself. "Well, good night Sonic. If you need anything, just push the button here by the door, and one of the service bots will assist you."
Nodding stiffly, Sonic bid the doctor good night and closed the door. With one ear pressed against the metal door, Sonic waited until Eggman's footsteps faded away before sliding down to the floor, breathing out, and put his head in his hands. "What am I gonna do? I can't leave. I can't call for Tails to come to get me. I'm screwed until this whole thing is over!" he moans.
Jerking up, he sharply slaps himself in the face. "Get a hold of yourself, Sonic! That poor pitiful me attitude isn't going to get you anywhere! You can do this. There's nothing Eggman can throw at you that you can't handle." A chill ran down his spine. "Ugh, even Eggman giving you a bath eugh!" Blushing and chuckling nervously, he shook away his embarrassment. So what am I gonna do now? He pondered, standing up, tapping his foot, scanning over the room.
Emerald eyes land on the desk, and slowly, a smile that would have rivaled the grinch's worked its way onto Sonic's muzzle along with a soft cackling. A mischievous plan forming in his mind, craking his fingers and rubbing his nose. Sonic walked up to the desk, sitting down, and started writing down some ideas. He was going to have a long and busy night.
Sonic chuckled to himself as he was putting the finishing touches on his drawing. Stepping back, he proudly looked over his latest piece of work, a crude mural of Eggman and Sonic decorated the grey wall.
The drawing described Sonic having beaten the doctor yet again in an imaginary epic battle, standing heroically over a wailing Eggman having a temper tantrum at being defeated yet again. Next to the picture were the words, "Sonik rulz Eggman drulz!" The blue hedgehog giggled at the drawing, imagining the look on Eggman's face when he would eventually find the mess he had made yet again.
Today officially marked the end of the first week of his stay at Eggman's base. Instead of checking out all the activities and entertainment rooms, Eggman had set up for Sonic during his stay. The hedgehog had spent much of his time and energy driving the human up the wall as much as he could. Besides running, eating chili dogs, and trashing Eggman's machines, elaborate pranks were his specialty.
He had spent his first night plotting and brainstorming ideas for pranks, schemes, and any other sort of mischief he could think of to irritate and annoy the doctor in the hopes that the human would grow so frustrated he would give up housing the blue devil and send him on his way.
He had egged and teepeed the doctor's room and office, clogged the human's private bathroom with knick-knacks around the base, set the kitchen on fire, replaced a delicious chocolate cake with one made of sponges, covered the floors with so much wax the service bots couldn't move 2 inches without sliding to the other side of the base. Filled the eggmobile's tank with soda, had tricked Metal into watching a cardboard cut out of himself for 10 hrs, glued Orbot and Cubot together (they were joined at the hip anyway), and had downloaded a virus onto the doctor's systems setting the base on lockdown down for 8 hrs.
That was only scratching the surface of all the problems he caused in a single day. And each act of misbehavior and defiance resulted in him getting a nasty shock from the collar Eggman had graciously gifted him.
Sonic's quills and fur were stuck in a perpetual state of disarray from the frequent shocks throughout the week. His quills looked much like a punk mohawk hairstyle often worn by rebellious teen humans. The blue devil was getting shocked so much it had gotten to the point that the doctor had to resort to other methods of punishment. Worried that the hedgehog was at risk of brain or nerve damage if he continued to light Sonic up like a Christmas tree.
So as the days went on, Sonic found himself getting shocked less and instead ending up getting lectures, cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, or did laundry, wrote apology letters, and didn't get any deserts. The latest method of punishment was a time-out. But it was all for not; Sonic's determination to have Eggman see him as nothing more than a pest that needed to be kicked out as soon as possible undeterred.
A voice booming from above startled the blue blur making him drop the permanent marker he had been using. "Sonic the Hedgehog! What on Earth are you doing this time!?"
Uh oh, I'm in trouble. Sonic cringed as Eggman marched up to the scene of the crime and roughly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, making him go limp and curl up like a kitten. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Brushing away his embarrassment at the demeaning posture Eggman had put him in, Sonic grinned innocently and squeaked, "Oh, nothing! Just drawing."
"On my wall, " Eggman added with a tight voice. "With permanent marker." he pointed to the implementation of destruction. "Yeah, looks a whole lot better, don't 'cha think?" Sonic continued to grin, watching Eggman's face wrinkle up and grow red. He imagined smoke escaping from the human's small ears.
The hedgehog lays his ears back, bracing himself for a shock to run through his neck or screaming, or even perhaps for Eggman to blowup and finally kick him out. Instead, he hears Eggman just breathing in a steady rhythm, trying to calm down. The redness in the doctor's cheeks slowly fades as he looks over the blue hedgehog dangling in front of him, debating on what he should do to punish this latest act of rebellion.
Before the human can contemplate a suitable punishment, a round red orb nearing in his peripheral catches Eggman's attention. The doctor and Sonic both turn their heads, surprised to see Orbot approaching with clasped hands, along with Cubot cautiously stopping just a few feet behind. The yellow robot glares at Sonic, still sore about being glued together with his friend the other day. The hedgehog looks everywhere but at Cubot. "Sorry to interrupt, but you just received a message from G.U.N. Agent Shadow, and his partner Agent Rouge will be here momentarily."
An exasperated sigh leaves the doctor's lips at the news. Great just what he needed, G.U.N. had the worst timing. Though he was somewhat grateful for the interruption, Eggman hated having to punish Sonic so frequently and was running out of ideas as none of them seemed to be having any effect.
Gently, he sets Sonic back on his feet and rubs his bald head, "I don't have time for this right now. Sonic, go get ready for the interviews. Orbot, make sure everything is in order, and Cubot, see if you can find a way to get this mess out; I have to go prepare as well."
"Very well, sir." the round robot bows before setting off with his partner, who gives Sonic the 'I'm watching you gesture.' the blue devil doesn't pay him any attention, instead examining his ink-stained gloves. "Don't think you're getting out of this hedgehog, " Eggman glares down at Sonic, who looks back up at the human, "I'll figure out your punishment later. Go get a fresh pair and meet me back here in 5 minutes. Do you think you can behave long enough to do that?" the human questions, "Don't expect too much." Sonic snorts disappointed his plan had not worked yet again, before dashing off.
The doctor tiredly takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes, "What am I going to do with you, Sonic?" he whispers.
10 minutes later, Shadow and Rouge enter the base along with an unexpected and unwelcome by all third addition to their party. "Welcome!" Eggman greeted with a wide fake smile, "I do hope you had a pleasant journey. Would anyone care for some refreshments?"
"I could go for a good cup of coffee if you don't mind." Rouge purred, "Nothing for me, thank you." a green platypus wearing red glasses, a bowler hat, and suit declined, leering over the entrance with a look of half-hidden disgust. Shadow grunted negatively, the hog obviously not wishing to be here.
"Not, to be rude or anything..." Sonic says, leaning back in a cool position with folded arms and one leg kicked against the wall behind him. He points to the platypus, "but I thought only Shads and Rouge were going to be the ones visiting us?"
"They will be after today. Since G.U.N. is currently viewing this situation as something similar to an adoption process under their jurisdiction, they have hired my services to inspect the premises to ensure it is safe for the child being considered for adoption...I am assuming you are the child in question?" The platypus snootily informed the blue hedgehog. Sonic muttered under his breath, "Not a kid, " clearing his throat; he spoke louder, "So you're here to make sure this place is safe? Isn't that kind of stuff supposed to be done before I move in? Running kinda late, aren't ya?"
The platypus adjusted his glasses, "Yes, well, the circumstances of this situation are unusual." he gave Sonic an odd look while emphasizing that last word, "So the protocols have been adjusted to fit the circumstances."
"Unusual? Honey, there ain't nothing about big blue here that can be remotely called normal." the albino bat playfully elbows the platypus, making him blush. Sonic snickers. There wasn't a male on earth that Rouge couldn't make their face turn red as a tomato and stumble like a milk-drunk newborn calf, except for Shadow the Ultimate in keeping his emotions and expressions in check.
"Can we get this over with already?" said dark hog groans, "Of course! Shadow, Sonic. Why don't you two go ahead and get started? You can take the dining room or where ever is most comfortable-"
"Dining room is fine." Shadow cuts the doctor off, "Lead faker." pushing himself off with a smirk; Sonic leads his rival to the room requested for their interview.
"Now, is there anything I can do for, you Mr. Uh?" Eggman gestures to the duckbilled creature, "Platypus. Mr. D.B. Platypus. And yes, I will need someone to give me a tour of your...home." the aquatic creature clicks, "Right. Orbot!" Eggman calls. The red orb quickly appears by his master's side, "Yes, doctor?"
"Please give Mr. Platypus a tour of the base and answer any questions he might have. Rouge and I will be in my study if you need anything. Sonic is in the dining room with Shadow; I suggest that you not disturb them."
"Indeed." the robot languidly agrees. With that, Orbot guides the inspector through the base leaving Eggman and Rouge alone; the white bat approaches the doctor watching the robot, and Mr. Platypus leave. "Ugh, can I say how much I hate that that guy and I have similar tastes? He's such a pompous prim prissy. And has a nasty attitude to boot. How Shadow was able to hold himself back from punching his face on the ride over here, I'll never know." flexing her wings, she turns her attention to the doctor with a flirtatious smirk, "Well, looks like it's just the two of us now, doc. How 'bout that cup of coffee I was promised?"
Chapter 5: What to do?
Notes:
Hey everyone! I just wanted to give you a heads up that new postings may be a bit slower after this chapter. Things have finally calmed down at the hospital for me, but now my mom and I are starting a complete makeover of the kitchen (like walls are coming down), so some of my free time will now be taken to help work on that. Hopefully, it shouldn't take too long 2-3 months, and won't take too much of my time, but I just wanted to give ya'll a heads up that you may not see me update as frequently.
Chapter Text
Shadow impatiently taps the end of his pen on the notepad in front of him, a fidget of his similar to Sonic's leg bouncing when he was restless. If Shadow knew he shared this, along with several other quirks with the blue hero, he didn't let it bother him. Head in his hand with a bored expression, he watches the blue blur from across the table. Wondering why the hell was Sonic, the ever-annoying perky cocky hedgehog was glaring at him as if he'd kicked a lost puppy.
"Well, go on say it." Sonic eventually barked; Shadow slowly rose one eye ridge at his rival in confusion, "Say what?"
"Tell me how much of an idiot I was for accepting Eggman's offer, how I walked right into his trap again and offered myself on a silver platter. Go on! Tell me! Tell me how I'm wasting your time dragging you from your regularly scheduled brooding to come here and hear about how Eggman and I aren't getting along."
"Sonic, I'm not going to rub it in your face when there's nothing to rub it into." the blue blur blinked at him in bewilderment, "You-your not?"
"No. Why would you think I would do that?"
"I...I don't know." Sonic shrugged awkwardly, "I guess I just thought you would think this whole thing is stupid. Hell, I'm beginning to think it was stupid of me to take up Eggman on this whole stupid plan of his!" he sulked over the table, head nesting in the crook of his arms, his speech muffled, "I've tried just about everything I can think of, Shadow. Nothing is working."
"What's not working? What do you mean?"
"He won't let me go, Shadow!" Sonic frustratingly cries, lifting his head, "I've done everything I can to try and get Eggman to let me go. Redecorating his office, having 120 pizzas delivered by 8 different pizza places, mowed his priceless collection of azaleas, locked Scratch and Grounder into the freezer for 2 days, rewired the sound system only to play mary had a little lamb every 10 minutes and flooded parts of the warehouse. Nothing is working!" he screams, pulling his quills.
Shadow watches his rival with wide eyes, unable to make a lick of sense out of Sonic's rambling. What did pizza have to do with the doctor letting him go? Sonic could be quite the chatterbox at times, but he always made sense. For all Shadow could make out, it sounded like Sonic had found Eggman's private stash of catnip and had decided to have a bite before starting this interview.
"Why-why did you do all of that?"
"Cause I want him to kick me out?! Duh!" Sonic yells like it was obvious, which it wasn't. At least not to Shadow, "Why?!" the dark hog slowly asks again, "Because it's Eggman! We're not supposed to be 'buddies.' We're supposed to be enemies. I-I know I've always said how I wanted him to reform, but this...I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this?!"
(There was that little bit of essential bit of information that he needed.) Now Shadow somewhat understood what his rival was trying to communicate. "Sonic, you signed yourself up to help give the man a second chance. It's only been a week, and you're already giving up on him like a day-old piece of salami. What happened to the hedgehog who believed in second chances-" he briefly points to himself as an example, "and would do anything to make sure the world was safe even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice?" Shadow crosses his arms, shaking his head in disappointment.
Sonic's ears lower in response, grumbling, "Yeah, well...giving your life up for something you believe in is a lot easier if you don't have to live through it." Shadow couldn't help a snort from escaping recalling the events of his own sacrifice, "Aint that the truth." he whispers. "But that isn't the point, " He shakes his head sharply, eying Sonic, focusing back on the blue blur's problem, "the point is you made this decision. For better or worse, stupid or not. And it sounds like your the one making it hard on yourself. Has Eggman been threatening you? Torturing you? Running experiments, starving, or beating you senseless?"
"No." Sonic quietly replied, rubbing his arm while looking away, "Then get your act together and stop complaining! Either hog up and take this opportunity to better Eggman for the world's sake or give up like the pathetic faker you are!" Shadow growled.
Sonic said nothing for some minutes, taking in Shadow's words. His rival was right. He needed to man up. He had accepted this contract to protect his friends and the world so that they wouldn't have to suffer any more of Eggman's tyranny. And by golly, he was nothing if not a hedgehog of his word. Chuckling, Sonic lifted his head with a smirk, "Ya know you're pretty good at this pep talk thing, Shads."
"Tsk. Don't flatter me, hedgehog." Shadow scoffs but smirks back as well. Clicking the pen, the ebony hog leans over the table, "Who are Scratch and Grounder?" he inquires. Sonic relaxes at the change of subject, "Oh, some old robots Egghead used to use to try and catch me back in the day. He put them out of commission years ago. I always thought he just scrapped them, but it turns out they were still up and operating here." he smiles warmly with a faraway look in his eyes, "It's good to see them again."
Shadow rolled his eyes and hmphed, "Didn't know the doctor was so sentimental. So tell me, is driving Eggman crazy all you've been up to this week? Or anything else? And what has the doctor been doing? I need to report something to G.U.N. other than whatever Rouge and that duck-billed pompously dressed beaver cooks up for them."
Sonic laughs at that remark, "He's so snotty! Did you see the way he looked at me earlier? Thought I was the scum of the earth. Haha!" a sly grin creeps onto the black hog's muzzle, "You sure he was looking at you and not the doctor? I thought he was smelling Eggman's new cologne 'A la œuf Pourri?" (Rotten Egg in French) Sonic bursts out laughing, tears streaming from his eyes. He had needed a good laugh after the rough week he'd had; after a minute, he calms down and wipes the tears away, softly smiling at his friendly rival.
Shadow didn't often show his softer, fun side, but Sonic always felt proud of the ebony hog for coming out of his shell when he did. He cherished those rare moments. "Don't ever change, Shads." Sonic shook a finger at him before settling it on his chin, "Now, where do I start? ..." Shadow twirls the pen in his fingers, head bobbing to the object around the blue blur's neck, "Maybe explain the collar. Isn't that thing only used for juvenile delinquents?" Sonic's happy demeanor disappears to a scowl, "Don't remind me." he whines.
*Meanwhile with Rouge and Eggman*
The white bat sighs in ecstasy after taking a long sip of her drink, "Mmmmh...perfect. So much better than the stuff I usually get back at the office."
"Isn't G.U.N. required to provide for its employees the necessary supplies they need to function in an orderly manner? Like paper, sticky notes, and coffee?" Eggman asks, taking a sip of his own chamomile tea with a few heaping spoonfuls of honey. "Yeah, but the coffee at G.U.N. is cheap and tastes like shit. Good enough to keep you going, that's it. This here, " she lifts the mug with a perverted smile, "is high-quality stuff. My compliments to the barista."
"Thank you."
"Now-" she takes a long drag emptying the mug and setting it down with a clink against the wooden desk, "tell me, doctor. How have things been going with you and big blue? Not well, I take it judging from the wrinkles and dark circles under those eyes that weren't there the last time we spoke?" The egg-shaped human let out a tired sigh while stirring his tea, "No...not at all, I'm afraid." Rouge hummed, weaving her gloved fingers together, perking her large ears, listening attentively. Juicy gossip seemed to be on the menu, and she was hungry.
"I don't know what's wrong with him!" Eggman exclaimed, "He's been nothing but rebellious ever since he stepped through that door! Breaking everything I own, pulling off elaborate pranks, mouthing off, he even flooded my warehouse! It took 3 days to get everything back in order, 3 days! He has no access to that area, and I have no idea how he did it! I swear he's caused more destruction to my base in the last week than he ever has over all of my other bases in the last 7 years."
"Big blue? Causing a ruckus? Tsk, tsk, tsk." Rouge shook her head, leaning back, "Come oooon, doc~, he hasn't been that bad of a boy, has he?"
"Oh yes, he has—a very bad boy. No matter how much I discipline him, and no matter the form, he just keeps getting worse. I'm nearing the end of my rope, trying to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it."
"Well, have you thought about oh I don't know? Talking to him?"
"I've tried!" Eggman cries, rubbing his temples, "but he refuses to open up or even try to meet me halfway. I don't know how to get him to trust me, let alone talk. I'm really trying to show I've changed Rouge I really am, but Sonic...he hardly even looks at me unless I'm yelling at him for breaking something."
The bat licked her plump lips, twitching her ear thoughtfully as she scanned Eggman, "Look, doc, " she says steadily, breaking the silence after a few minutes, "it's only been what, a week since you've started all this? It's gonna take some time. Your history with blue isn't just going to float away because you wanna kiss and makeup; you're smart, man. You know this."
"I do..." Eggman sighs, then lazily chuckles. "I guess I'm just as impatient as our little blue blur, huh?" Rouge smiles at him softly; seeing this almost parental side of Eggman was not a new sight for her. Having worked with the doctor a few times in the past, she had seen many sides of the human's personality. Usually, this softer parental and, at times, motherly side was kept for his creations, notably his favorites such as Metal Sonic. It seemed since learning his enemy was an orphan and having decided to take him in, this side of Eggman was making more of an appearance. If his claims of changing for the better were valid, she hoped they'd see this side a whole lot more.
She returned his chuckle with a throaty one of her own, "That's just one of the ways you two are alike." a red mustache twitched behind a small smile, "Your right." he rubbed a hand under his chin, thinking, "Perhaps...I've been going about this the wrong way?" Eggman starts slowly. "Perhaps I need to do more research? Find common ground for us? Or a more effective way to communicate?" Rouge nods; the doctor seemed to be in better spirits now, having vented a bit; she plucks a nail file from a hidden breast pocket. "That sounds like a good place to start. So tell me, what has been going on with you and big blue this past week?"
*Some hours later*
"I'm pleased to inform you that everything seems to be in order." the platypus announces while looking over his clipboard, "There is a proper bedroom, a good variety of foods offered, and enrichment materials. All rooms holding any dangerous equipment are secure. This is a fine place to raise a child, possibly one of the best I've ever surveyed."
"Ah, well...thank you, Mr. Platypus!" Eggman beamed, relieved that the examiner found his base as the perfect place to keep Sonic. The duck-billed creature smiled a teeny bit, "Your welcome."
"If you two are done, we should head back to headquarters." Shadow urges, his partner rolls her eyes and smirks, "Alright sugar, don't get your panties in a knot." a snicker from the blue hedgehog makes Shadow grumble, folding his arms with a hmph!
"See you, boys, next week!" Rouge waves, hips swaying back and forth as she makes her exit with the other two males, "See ya, Rouge! Bye, Shads!" Sonic smirks. The giant entrance doors close with a hiss in front of the human and hedgehog. The two stand there awkwardly for some moments before Eggman coughs into his fist to gain the blue devil's attention. Though Sonic didn't seem to take notice, his ears tilt to the human's direction, indicating he was listening, "I have some work to do and won't be available until sometime tomorrow afternoon, so you will be on your own while I'm tied up." the human spoke dryly, turning around, the doctor heads for his labs.
"Hey, wait a sec!" Sonic hastily calls, zipping up to Eggman, holding a hand out in a halting gesture and a questioning look, "Isn't tomorrow the day I have off? How am I supposed to get out without this thing knocking me unconscious?" he points to the collar around his neck.
"I set the collar not to release the toxin for tomorrow, so you are free to go from 8 am to 5 pm. Just be sure to return before dinner; if you need anything, ask the service bots, Metal, or one of the others. If that is all, I have some very important matters to attend to. I'll see you tomorrow." the doctor curtly answers before departing, leaving a confused Sonic where he stands in the hallway.
The blue hedgehog tilted his head, brows creased, wondering what had caused the doctor's change in demeanor, leaving Sonic to his own devices instead of trying to spend time with him every second of the day like he had done during the last week.
He pushed his wonderment aside, deciding to be relieved of the change and from escaping whatever penalty Eggman would have given him for his misbehavior earlier. The doctor was always strange.
Sonic gazed up to a nearby clock. "I have a little over 24 hrs of Eggman free time. Better enjoy it while it lasts. Wonder if he's got anything to snack on in the kitchen?" Blasting away, Sonic went to see if he could find anything to satisfy his sweet tooth.
The next morning Sonic awoke bright and early in a cheerful mood, more than ready to leave the base. Tossing the blanket aside, he jumps off the bed, combs his fingers through his quills, smoothing out any strays, and quickly put on his shoes and gloves. He wished he had more time to spend outside with his friends. But I guess I should just be grateful he's letting me out at all. Sonic laments as he makes his way to the lounge to hang out there while he waits.
It was at least 30 minutes before 8 am, and he had plenty of time to spare, but he wasn't interested in doing anything to pass the time. Sonic wanted to leave this place the moment the clock hit the magic hour, so he bounced onto the teal couch, eyes locking on to the clock, watching and waiting before he could take his leave. His leg jumped anxiously to the tick of the clock echoing in his head with each second.
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
8 am!
Sonic leaped from his seat, turning into a blue streak as he went to the closest exit, the ground burning up behind him. Two seconds after exciting the entrance doors, he could see a portion of the perimeter fence opening for him up ahead. He prayed that the collar wouldn't release the paralyzing toxin Eggman had mentioned as soon as he stepped out.
His jaw clenched as he drew closer, heart racing in his furry chest as Sonic left the base behind in a gust of wind.
Several miles later, Sonic put on the breaks, heels digging in surrounding him in a cloud of dirt. He had stopped in the midst of the forest. Turning around, he looks back to see the fence far behind him faintly. The hedgehog tentatively feels his arms and legs, stretching and flexing his muscles, "I can still move..." he pinches his arms, "Ow! I can still feel...Hahahahaha! Yes!" Sonic laughs, pumping his arms and jumping for joy. Eggman wasn't pulling a cruel trick on him. He was totally free!
Free at last!
He gulped in the sweet, sweet pine fresh air, reveling in all of mother nature's glory. He had missed being in her presence. Spreading his arms wide, Sonic spun on his toes, head tilted to the sky, taking it all in, "Oh yeah!" he sighed, placing his hands on his hips, "This is much better! No Eggheads, no robots, or metal walls." green eyes fell to the ground. "Well, at least for a few hours," He mumbled; a grumbling from his stomach reminded the hedgehog that in his excitement to leave, he had forgotten to eat breakfast.
An image of a delicious piping hot chili dog popped into his mind, and Sonic drooled, rubbing his hands, knowing the perfect place to get his favorite dish. His worries blew away as he kicked a leg up; Sonic dashed to the rising sun to a land where it was already lunchtime. He checked his quills, making sure he had brought some money to pay for a chili dog breakfast.
Two chili dogs with a large soda and several thousand miles through several continents later, Sonic turns into Mystic Ruins' direction, where his best friend and adoptive brother's workshop resided—excited to see what the young fox had been up to while he had been away and thinking of maybe taking the old Tornado for a spin. "We could drop by Angle Island and see how Knucklehead is doing. It's always fun to mess with him, and I could use a one-on-one session after the week I've had."
Slowing down from his top speed to a jog, beaming a toothy grin, Sonic hops up the steps of the workshop, ringing the doorbell. "Just a minute!" a voice faintly calls from the inside. Sonic shakes his head smile, transitioning to a smirk. A minute was far too long, and he was too excited and impatient. Digging the house key out of his quills, he let himself in and went upstairs to find his best buddy.
Hearing the door open and close, Tails rolls his eyes in annoyance, wondering which of his and Sonic's many friends had decided to barge in like they own the place. Quickly he trots to the front door to see no one there, scratching his head; the fox looks around to find no one nearby. Suddenly the sound of a creak from the stairs alerts Tails that someone was upstairs, turning his face lit up, seeing a familiar blue spiky hedgehog looking around before spotting him below and descends beaming back at him.
"Tails!"
"Sonic!"
Both brothers glomp onto each other as if they had been separated for years, and from their perspective, it might as well have been.
"Oh, Tails, little buddy, I missed you so much!"
"I missed you to Sonic!"
Stepping back yet still holding on to each other, the two examined the other. Sonic speaking first, starting fast, then calming down to a more reasonable speed, "Tails,areyoudoingalright? Haveyoubeeneatingenough? You-haven'tstayed-uplate-inthe-workshop-haveyou? How'd-thegang-take-thenews? Amy-hasn't-done-anything-crazy-lately? How's-Knux? And do you have any rings on you cause I used the last of mine on some chili dogs from Chuck's?"
Tails couldn't help but laugh with delight hearing his brother's motormouth; it had been way too quiet for the fox's tastes. Having listened to Sonic's fast pace of speech for so many years, he expertly deduces Sonic's garbled questions and answers them in order, "I've been good! Amy, Cream, and Knuckles have been checking up on me and making sure I eat and go to bed so no late nights. But it's been too quiet without you around. Everyone was shocked at first, and they've been worried about you, and so have I. Haha! No, Amy's been really nice, and Knuckles...well, why don't you ask him yourself! He's coming over later."
"Really? That's great!" Sonic exclaims before releasing his hold and stepping back shyly, rubbing under his nose, speaking lowly, "And uh...sorry about all that. I didn't mean to worry anyone."
"It's ok, Sonic. I can't say I completely understand why you went with Eggman or that I would've done the same, but it's ok." Sonic light-heartedly chuckles ruffling the fox's bangs, "Thanks, bro. I appreciate it. Hey, now you know how I feel when you start spouting all that mechanical mumbo jumbo on me!"
"Come on!" Tails playfully whines, "You understand at least some of it, don't you? I do simplify it so you can understand what I'm saying!"
"That's true...and I do understand most of it, at least until you start explaining what each part of whatever thingamabob you're making does." Tails looks at Sonic with a semi-serious glare, "Hey, some of that mumbo jumbo has saved our lives a few times."
"Alright, alright, " Sonic holds his hands up in surrender, "you've made your point now. Speaking of mumbo jumbo, what's the latest and greatest gadget my brilliant little bro has come up with this time?"
"Now your just trying to butter me up for a few rings." Tails shakes his head with a raised brow; Sonic grins innocently, his shoulders hike up, "Whatever are you talking about? I just want to see what my little brother and best friend in the whole world has made!" Tails pushes the hedgehog away with a laugh. Sonic pushes back, and the two engage in some friendly roughhousing before they finally enter the fox's private abode.
Chapter 6: Back to the Old Grind
Notes:
* [] indicate document text*
Chapter Text
"You've really gone an' messed up yourself big time hedgehog."
"Yeah, I know. I heard you the first few hundred times, Knux." Sonic groans behind a mouth full of chili, "And just who was it that got himself caught up in another one of Eggman's schemes? A certain blue hedgehog? Who says I'm the gullible one now?"
"I said I heard you, Knux, so knock it off, ok! If Shadow's not picking on me for deciding to do this, then neither can you, and I knew this was an Eggman scheme from the beginning. So that doesn't give you the right to tease me for being gullible.'"
"Says his pet."
"Excuse me?" Sonic glares at the guardian while his cheeks flush bright pink, "You heard me, Sonic, or did Eggman give you a new nickname? Fluffy? Mr. Needlemouse? Sparky? What does it say on that collar or your's pet?" Sonic jumps out of the chair, his quills rising, "Ok, that's it! You wanna go fists for brains?!"
"Sonic, no, don't! Knuckles, stop teasing him, and the both of you shut up already! Geeze can't get one moment of peace with you guys. If you're not fighting with your fists, your fighting with your words." Tails complains, "You're right, bro. Sorry." Sonic says, not being entirely sincere, leaning back into his chair at the small dining table. Knuckles says nothing crossing his arms over the white mark on his chest with a scowl.
Knuckles had arrived in the early afternoon just as Sonic and Tails started to make lunch, during which upon first spotting the blue blur, Knuckles had yanked the hedgehog away from the stove and dragged him outside where the two could engage in one of their regular brawls.
Surprised and thrilled at first, Sonic started the fight with gusto, but his enthusiasm sharply declined when things escalated into something more heated. Knuckles had more spitfire in his taunts and punches than in the past as the echidna had stored up quite a lot of rage since Sonic's ditching them for the evil scientist. Knuckles had been furious at the hero of Mobius for leaving his team without their leader to flounder for themselves and to quote, "join the good doctor for an extended tea party." Sonic had been lucky only to finish the fight with a few bruises and cuts.
Letting out a large burp Sonic pats his stomach, happy to have his chili dog cravings satisfied. "Eww, gross!" Tails laughs with gross appreciation that only a child can express with embarrassing body noises. Knuckles grunts in disgust, rolling his eyes, "Well, I assume you have a plan to break out?" the echidna asks. "Sure do! And I'm working on it." Sonic rubs his nose, "Been messing with Beeboy all week, and I think I'm finally getting under his skin. He looked close to blowing up yesterday; if all continues to go as planned, I should be out of there before the end of next week!"
"Beeboy?" Knuckles slowly asks with a raised brow; Sonic lazily waves a hand, "Oh, just another nickname for Egghead."
"Where did you come up with that one?"
The blue devil chuckles, "Turns out Eggman's a tea man, and he likes it with honey. Not just a spoonful, no, he practically empties the hive for one cup! One thing led to another, and out popped Beeboy." Knuckles snorts, "Not one of the best nicknames you've come up with."
"Hey! It's not easy coming up with some of this stuff; not all of them can be winners! I'd like to see you try to come up with something better." Sonic points at his red friend who's face twists and turns in thought trying to come up with a clever nickname, but he can't think of anything. "Yeah, that's what I thought, knucklehead."
"Um, Sonic, as much as I would like for you to come home, is getting under Eggman's nerves such a good idea? What if you end up breaking the contract? Then we'll be stuck at square one again!" the little yellow fox asks, interrupting the two's quarreling. "Look, Tails; my plan is foolproof! And the point is not for me to break the contract but for Eggman to give up on it. If I can get him to kick me out of his own will, technically, he and I would still be bound to the contract. Nothing was ever mentioned about him cutting me to the curb. If Egghead really keeps his promises, then we have nothing to worry about!"
Tails scratches his head, unsure of the whole idea, "I don't know, Sonic. It sounds kinda sketchy to me. And things could go wrong easily. What'll happen to you if it doesn't work like you planned?"
"Don't worry your big old brain about it, bro. Just leave it to me!" Sonic says, standing up and ruffles the fox's bangs before letting out a yawn, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go catch some rays. Staying inside that old grey base has really been a bummer, and I need to make sure this handsome tanned bod stays as beautiful as ever." shooting a few finger guns Sonic zips outside to sunbathe on his usual spot. The roof.
"Do you really think his plan is gonna work?" Knuckles lowly asks after the hedgehog leaves; Tails sighs with a worried frown, looking at where his brother stood moments ago, not at all reassured by his plan. "I don't know, Knuckles. I mean, Sonic's always been good at coming up with ideas on the spot when we're in a pinch but this plan..."
"Seems as cuckoo as the cuckoo bird's nest?"
"Maybe not that crazy, but yeah...not one of his best. But then again, some of his craziest plans have worked in the past. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"Still haven't found any loopholes on your end?"
"Nothing." Tails' ears sadly droop as he turns back to the echidna, "That contract is iron locked, not a single usable loophole. I talked with G.U.N.'s best lawyers, and even they haven't figured a way out of it. If I can't come up with any ideas and if Sonic's plan doesn't work, we're stuck like this until the 6 months are up." Knuckles lays a gloved hand on the fox's shoulder in comfort, "Hey, you'll think of something eventually. We know you can! And if worse comes to worst, well, it's only for a short time."
"Thanks, Knux." Tails gives his friend a small smile in thanks. The echidna smiles back and nods. Pulling away, Tails perks up and stands, "I'm gonna go work on a few upgrades for the Tornado while Sonic's napping. You're welcome to stick around if you like."
"No thanks. I need to get back to The Master Emerald before that thieving bat gets any ideas to come visit me." Tails chuckles at the thought of Rouge visiting the guardian to only try and 'steal the master emerald.' "Ok then, see ya around, Knux!" Knuckles nods again, waving goodbye, and walks out. Stepping away from the house, violet eyes glance behind and up, spotting a bit of blue poking up over the roof. The echidna fondly shakes his head; despite their differences and not-so-great introduction, Knuckles held Sonic in high respects.
The hedgehog was brave, kind-hearted, and never ran from a fight with evil even when all the odds were stacked against him. As mad as he was for Sonic leaving them and though he would never say it, Knuckles thought it was very brave of Sonic to sacrifice himself to spare the world from Eggman. After Tails had explained to everyone what had transpired during their capture, all had agreed to do everything in their power to help the speedy hedgehog out of this predicament.
A warrior with such honor and courage was worthy of much praise and respect. As well as assistance when in a tight bond as of now.
"We'll get you out of this mess, hedgehog. You can be sure of it." Knuckles says lowly. With that, the echidna leaves, hoping that Sonic's plan works for all their sakes.
Laying on the roof on his side with his arm close to his chest, Sonic breaths softly as he sleeps under the warm afternoon sun. Fluffy clouds dot the bright blue sky, birds chirping in the distance while riding the light wind currents brushing the tall grass in Mystic Ruins. Tails' workshop doors stand wide open to allow the cool air to move through, giving the fox some relief from the heat of the non-air-conditioned building as he works tirelessly on his latest project for his and Sonic's beloved plane.
The peaceful scene is abruptly broken by a faint high pitched screech echoing in the distance, "Sooooooooniiiiiiic!" said hedgehog's ear twitches in response, but he doesn't wake. "Sooooooooooniiiiiic!" the pink dot in the distance wails again as it rushes closer to the workshop; Sonic's ear twitches again to the call of his name. Groaning, he begins to stir and slowly peels open one eye, searching for whoever was calling for him.
"Sooooooniiiiiiic!" the voice calls again, much closer now, emerald eyes widen in horror when Sonic recognizes the familiar banshee call. Oh shit, it's Amy! Jumping to his feet in a panic, Sonic swings his arms wildly, losing his balance, and tumbles to the ground, landing on his face. "Sooooooniiiic!" Amy calls again as she runs; a bright smile forms on her face when she finally sees her beloved picking himself up.
Sonic has the opposite reaction when he sees how close his obsessive self-proclaimed girlfriend is. It's not that he hates the girl, no. Otherwise, he wouldn't consider her as a friend, but her obsessive view of him made Sonic apprehensive about being in her company too often.
Danger! Danger! His mind screams as he franticly searches for a place to hide. Tails! Workshop! Safe! Sonic enters the workshop with speed; he's known for bringing the wind with him inside, creating a tornado sending papers and blueprints scattering. "Hey!" Tails cries in irritation, having a set of blueprints he had just been holding blown out of his fingers, gloved hands firmly grab his shoulders, turning him around to face panicked eyes before him, "Amy! Must hide. Safe place. Where?!"
"Uhhhh?" Tails stutters, looking back over his workshop for a spot where his brother could hide, his eyes glance over the clock before landing back on it. "It's 10 minutes to 5 pm! Don't you have to be back at Eggman's by then?" Sonic lights up, "Of course, that's perfect! Thanks, little bro!" He gives the fox's cheek a peek and a quick nuzzle before heading for the door stopping dead in his tracks when Amy stands in his way. Sonic smiles apologetically, quickly saying, "Sorry, Amesgottago. Eggheadwantsmebackbeforedinner. Ohwell,catchyalaternextweekbye!"
Shuffling away from the disappointed girl, Sonic dashes into the sunset, silently thanking Eggman for the time limit; otherwise, he would have been stuck in Amy's arms for another hour. His relief turned sour as it clicked in his mind that he was going back to that old grey base to be stuck there for another week. Maybe I should have taken my chances with Amy. Frowning, Sonic ran back to the base.
Several hundred miles later, he could see the dull building in the distance. Slowing down, Sonic ran past the perimeter fence, and one of the tiny bulbs on his collar blinked green, unlocking the front door for him to enter. Red sneakers squeaked loudly against the smooth tile floor as he put on the breaks sliding through the hallways. Sonic stops perfectly in the middle of the doorway to the lounge room in a dab pose, wearing his usual cocky grin, "Did ja' miss me~?" he playfully asks.
Eggman looks up from his tablet seeing Sonic stand there in a pose he doesn't recognize, and glances at his watch, "Seven seconds to spare. Cutting it close, aren't you hedgehog?" he says, unimpressed, putting away the reading material. Dropping the dab, Sonic pouts. His cool entrance, entirely dismissed, "Hey, I'm back, aren't I?"
"That you are. Welcome back. I'm sure your hungry. Let's go to the dining room, shall we?" Rolling his eyes, Sonic waves his arms in a gentlemanly gesture replying sarcastically, "After you, Beeboy." Eggman huffs at the newest rude nickname. Joining the hedgehog's side, he and Sonic walk to the dining room.
[The most important thing you can do is stay calm. One of the worst things you can do while dealing with an out-of-control teen is losing control of yourself. If your rebellious teenager sees you losing your patience and yelling at him, they can begin questioning the boundaries and consequences you have set. If your teen's goal is to get a rise out of you, he will see it as a victory rather than as poor behavior. Instead, take a deep breath and walk away. Then revisit the situation with a clearer mind. Reacting in the heat of the moment could leave both of you with regrets. Remember, you are the parent. You are the adult in charge of the household. Your teen may try to exhibit adult-like tendencies, but at the end of the day, you are the one with the life experience necessary to make important decisions.]
"So, how was your day? Do anything interesting?" The doctor asks during dinner with a wide smile. "Fine." Sonic answers taking a bite out of a steamed carrot. "Did you visit Tails?" Eggman making sure his tone was cheery, asks, trying to make himself come across as friendly as possible while recalling all the research he had done the last two days in his mind. He desperately hoped that the tips and suggestions he had picked up and formulated to use as a strategy to make the hog behave and open up would work this time.
"Yup."
"Did he make anything new?"
"Like an invention?"
Yes! More than a one-word answer! Eggman celebrated internally. Always celebrate the little victories. His smile widened, "Yes! He's quite a bright young lad. I dare say his genius rivals my own. What's the latest gadget he's come up with this time?"
"Nothing." Sonic answers with a bored expression, not noticing Eggman's smile fall and begin to stumble over his words, "N-n-nothing?"
"Yup."
"Oh...I guess he was too upset over you leaving to make anything new." cold green eyes shoot up at the human at that statement (uh, oh wrong thing to say.) "I didn't leave him." Sonic says with ice lacing his words, "You made me abandon him to come live here with you."
"I did not make you abandon him, Sonic. You know as well as I do that that fox is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. I wouldn't have suggested this arrangement if I didn't have any confidence that he couldn't."
"Oh, so you're perfectly fine in having an 8-year-old stay home alone but not me?!"
"I'm not saying you can't take care of yourself, Sonic!" Eggman pulls himself back, noticing his tone was rising. He took a deep breath before speaking smoothly again, "I'm merely trying to provide you some stability and guidance. You have given Tails that benefit, and it has served him to the full. However, you still lack this in your own life, and I'm trying to provide that for you."
Sonic dropped his fork like a mic as his voice rose, growling, "So what? Do you think I'm stupid?! Look, just because all I've ever done is taken down more of your robots than I can count doesn't mean I can't make it out on my own without your so-called guidance. Just what kind of oh so wise counsel could an evil villain like you give me? How to not set a bomb off on yourself?" Sonic mocks.
"Watch yourself, hedgehog." the doctor says sternly, "I have many more years of life experience than you. Something that you could benefit from if you would just listen." Sonic rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Yeah, right like I would ever listen to you, Baldy McNosehair. You're just a sad old man who does nothing but makes worthless robots so I can turn them into junk for the recycling cent-"
"That's enough!" Eggman harshly interrupts the blue blur from his ridicule, his words slightly echoing in the dining room dramatically, a tense silence follows. Standing up, the doctor swiftly takes Sonic by the arm and pulls him from his seat, ignoring Sonic's protests while dragging him out of the dining room. The hedgehog struggles in his grip, "Hey, what gives?!"
[It's essential to be clear about the difference between annoying behaviors and those that are unacceptable. When your teen is angry, allow them to retreat to a place where it's safe to cool off. Set boundaries. Even if your teen rebels, deep down inside, he or she wants the comfort of boundaries. They need help telling right from wrong; although your teen wants to make decisions on his or her own, remember that an adolescent's brain is not yet fully formed, and they still need guidance. Don't worry about hurting your teen's feelings or giving him or her more reason to rebel. Sensible rules might upset your teen at the moment, but they will have a positive effect over the long term.]
"Your comments this evening have been very disrespectful. I will tolerate no more of this behavior. I tried to have a civilized conversation with you, and you immediately attacked me with insulting and rude remarks." opening the door to Sonic's room, Eggman pushes the little hedgehog inside. Sonic turns back to the large human, mouth agape, "Wait a minute, I haven't even finished dinner yet!" he complains. The large human continues to ignore his whining, thinking the comment was Sonic's attempt to divert his attention from the hedgehog's disrespectful attitude. "You are to stay in this room and think about your actions! I want a sincere apology; I don't care if it's written or oral. Just stay here and think!"
Before Sonic could utter another word, the door was slammed shut and locked. He stood there a few seconds in stunned silence, his mouth still hanging wide open before the words started to flow from his lips. "Why that dirty no good lying cheating son of a-" Shaking his fists in the air with a scream, Sonic hit the door, punching and kicking it with all his might.
How dare that stupid, idiotic Ph.D. show-offing know it all lock me in here! I only told the truth! He wants some respect? He needs to show me some respect! I'm the freaking hero of Mobius! I'm the one who's saved the planet from every one of his evil schemes, and just cause he's older and takes me in, he thinks that gives him the right to ask-no. Demand that I, Sonic the Hedgehog, should go to him for guidance?!
As his mental rambling and cursing went on, Sonic's violent assault moved from the door to the rest of his room. His anger continuing to escalate, and everything he could get his hands on was destroyed. Spin dashing all over the room, sending swift kicks down on anything in his path and running all over the walls and ceiling. Sonic spared nothing. The sheets were shredded like paper in a paper shredder, the furniture was broken to bits, and anything electrical was decimated. At one point, a small fire broke out from the tv, but that was quickly put out from the wind Sonic made while running on the ceiling, leaving dirty footprints all over the walls.
Slowly running out of targets, Sonic's rampage died down. Over an hour later, the blue devil finally stopped, panting heavily as he tiredly looked over the destruction. While he gazed upon the chaos realization, hit him on what he had just done, and he gasped. Regret and horror washing over his features as he continued to stare at what once had been his room. It looked like a wild animal had had a rampage, and to an extent, one had. Sonic's ears lowered in shame at his behavior, and his eyes widened slightly in fright.
Eggman was going to kill him in the morning when he saw this.
He shrugged the thought off, straightening up in his usual heroic pose, "Pffft, What do I care? I'm the Hero of Mobius's Sonic the Hedgehog! I take down Eggman's robots and free animals from his clutches!" his arms dropped. He slumped over, mumbling, "but I sure haven't acted like a hero lately. I didn't even give Eggman a chance...again."
Sonic hadn't meant to go off on the doctor earlier or to trash his room. After returning from his visit from Tails, he had planned to follow Shadow's advice and go easy to Eggman, giving him a chance to redeem himself. But the blue blur had blown up instead and ruined any possible future opportunities to make up for this mistake. Getting caught up in negative thoughts and wishes just to go home, Sonic had completely forgotten again that the reason he was doing this was to help not only the world but Eggman. Yet, he had focused on himself and his wants like the selfish brat he was.
Yes, selfish, that describes me perfectly! Just a selfish, stupid jerk of a hedgehog. God, I'm such a dick! He kicked the side of the tv, jumping back in alarm when it spat out a few sparks covering himself with his hands, waiting for another fire to break out. After a minute or so, he cautiously opened his eyes, scanning the floor for any flicker of a flame, finding none.
Sighing in relief, Sonic relaxed his stance holding himself and feeling nauseous. His eyes watered, and he sniffed, feeling sorry for himself for getting into such a predicament. The doctor was definitely going to kick him out for his outburst and breaking the rules so often.
Well, this is what I wanted anyway, so...
But was that what he had really wanted?
"No. No, that's not right." he shook his head, "I didn't want this. I just...I just wanted...sigh, I'm not sure what I want. Gosh, why is this so hard?! I thought Eggman turning good would be easier than this! It's so simple Sonic just work with Eggman and help him turn into a good person. The guy already took the first step; he just needs a little help getting going."
"And I love helping people. This is the golden opportunity we've dreamed about this for years! Years!"
"Yeah, but Egghead is such a pain!"
"So what he's more tolerable as a villain?"
"No! I'm just saying he's so annoying trying to be with me all the time!"
"Cause he doesn't know what the hell he's doing! You're a good guy, so he's trying to learn from the best!" At this point (if it was not already evident), the blue blur was pacing around the room, talking to himself. An old habit of his before meeting Tails that he still did when alone and faced with a difficult problem. After this last comment, he smirked to himself.
"Heh, yeah. I am a pretty good good guy, aren't I?"
"The best! And...well, they don't call you the hero of Mobius for nothing!"
"Aw, Sonic, don't you'll make me blush! Wait a sec, that were we talking about?"
"Egghead. Annoying. Trying to be a good guy. You being a screw-up."
"Ah, yeah, right." Sonic solemnly looked back at the room; his gaze fell to the alarm clock still miraculously working. Midnight it read. He deflated, "It's too late to do anything now. Egghead is gone and won't be back till tomorrow morning, er, later, I guess?"
He rubs away the remains of tear stains from his muzzle with a sigh and began gathering the shredded fabric on the floor. Moving a few broken wooden beams aside, Sonic places the scraps under the remains of the desk that had piled up against the wall forming a small fort. Making a burrow for himself, Sonic curled up inside, not bothering to go turn out the lights since the desk remains blocked out enough light for him to rest. Nestling into the cave-like structure, he fell into an anxious sleep dreading the doctor's reaction when he returns the next day.
Chapter 7: A Change of Tactics
Notes:
* At long last, we are here! The moment you've all been waiting for, ladies and gents! It's time to break out the diapers! HUZZAH!
But before we get to that, I do have one little warning. There will be a couple of spanking scenes in this story. Nothing outlandish, and it's very brief, but I know some readers are put off or are bothered by this, so I've put ** at the beginning and end of such scenes so that you may skip that part if you like.
Also, I made a few updates on my profile on stories to look out for in the future so check it out when you're done with this chapter, and I would like to reiterate that updates will be less frequent since my family is working on a remodel project. I will still update this story! Not about to drop it no way no how, but updates probably won't happen every week.
Thanks, you guys! :D*
Chapter Text
Rubbing away some dirt off his glasses, Eggman examines the spectacles making sure the smidge was gone. Satisfied, he places them back in position to continue reading the highlights of his research.
The doctor's interview with Rouge two days ago had been quite enlightening. Their talk had helped give him some direction about what to look for in his fact-finding web search. Though he had done much of that before Sonic's arrival, most of the topics had been on legal issues with adoption and fostering processes, needs of growing hedgehogs, and a brief refresher course on hedgehog physiology.
This time his topics composed of; how to communicate with your teen, ways to help rebellious teenagers, signs of trauma and coping strategies, PTSD in your child, regression symptoms, and how to treat it. There was a plethora of information the doctor found and some forums he had anonymously signed up for and asked questions from experienced doctors and patients and their families.
By the time Sonic arrived back to base early yesterday evening, he could practically write a book (ok, more like a lot of books) on what he had found.
So far, from his interactions with Sonic and reviewing history and current behavior. Eggman had concluded that "Sonic is an adolescent orphan with no known past. Has experienced much trauma and stress in his life, sigh that would be my fault." he muttered, jotting down some notes, "And copes with such stress by running, indulging in adrenaline rush activities, surrounding himself with nature, sleeping frequently, and spending time with friends." Fingering the ends of his mustache Eggman continued his thoughtful monologue, "He's generally not open to others about his emotions, hiding behind a mask of confidence and a cocky laid back attitude. Giving off the notion that nothing seems to phase him...on the surface."
But deeper down, the doctor knew there was more than meets the eye. Sonic's behavior the past week had proved that. The hedgehog's refusal to follow the simple set of rules he had established, childish antics, and immature mannerisms proved Sonic has some slight regression tendencies. Looking at the blue blur, one would never know this unless something was not going at all as he had planned. Like right now, while he was living with Eggman.
"And now that I'm more or less retiring from the evil scheme business. Any and all trauma that blue pinecone has bottled up over the years will catch up to him now." Pausing, the doctor glances at the clock sitting on his desk. 9 am, it read, "Sonic should be up by now. Time to see if he has an apology ready." with an old man grunt Eggman stands up, adjusting his red jacket, and left his bedroom, slowly walking down the hall to Sonic's room.
Calm and collected on the outside, inside Eggman was quite anxious to see how the hedgehog had faired the overnight punishment. Wondering if this time, Sonic would finally give in, accepting the human's position as the adult and head of the household or if he would continue to rebel? The doctor hoped it would be the former; he didn't want to punish Sonic anymore because, quite frankly, it hurt his heart every time he had to.
Standing stiff before the door, straightening his jacket again, Eggman took a calming breath and stepped forward, activating the sensor. "Rise, and shi-!" Eggman's cheery voice withered as the door slid open, revealing the other side. His eyes grew to the size of the dinner plates, and his jaw dropped open in a silent scream, shock, and horror washing over his features.
The room is in such total disarray he barely recognizes it. Everything is destroyed and carelessly lying in pieces on the floor. Any thoughts he had before are totally forgotten. The doctor just stands there like a frozen statue at the destruction. Even the bases Sonic and his friends had blown up in the past didn't look near as messy as this!
Careful to avoid the sharp metal and wooden pieces, he steps forward, eyes traveling from one point of the room to another. It takes Eggman at least 5 minutes before his brain finally processes what he's seeing. His features slowly morph from shock to anger. No, he wasn't angry. That was too mild.
He was absolutely furious! All his hard work, all of his research, finances, compassion, concern, and effort were thrown carelessly aside like a spoiled piece of trash! And the proof was staring right back at him.
Eggman searched for a speck of blue in the chaos with wild eyes, knowing Sonic couldn't have left. Suddenly he spots a red shoe sticking out from the underside of a piece of wood leaning against the wall. Eggman stomps over to the cave-like structure and taps his foot against the red shoe; the creature inside sleepily moans but doesn't wake.
Sonic yells in surprise when his foot is unexpectedly yanked, and he's pulled away from his warm nest—finding himself dangling upside down. He rapidly blinks his eyes to adjust to the now exceedingly bright lights. His sleep-riddled mind frantically trying to figure out what was happening when gradually a familiar face fades into focus, a familiar angry face. Uh oh...
His hands turn cold and clammy as his green eyes turn to pinpricks. Despite being held upside down, Sonic can see the fire burning just behind Eggman's glasses, and he feels a void growing in his stomach.
In the past, during their fiercest battles, whenever Eggman was angry, he would react by yelling and screaming at him like when he had pulled all of those pranks during the last week. Now the human was just staring at him, seething in silent anger. It was so out of character for the doctor that Sonic was terrified of what he would do to him for once in his life. "L-l-look doc-"
"Don't-" Eggman abruptly cuts the studdering hedgehog off, "say one word." Sonic obediently shuts his mouth closed. "I don't want to hear any excuses as to why your room is...is...I don't even have the words but this, " he twists the hedgehog back upright, holding him by the scruff, and waved to the scene before them, "this is quite possibly the worst thing you have ever done." Eggman spoke the words so quietly you could almost hear Sonic's heart race.
He gulped warily, looking back to the outraged human as he continues, "You're behavior of late as been deplorable, disgraceful. I find it hard to believe that the hero of Mobius is you." Sonic's ears fall back, and he winces at those words when Eggman pokes him in the chest. Guilt etched all over his face, yet he dared not to speak back. What else could he say when Eggman called him a hero in disbelief, he felt the same way.
"I have been nothing but kind to you. Opening my home and offering my help to raise you during your adolescence. And this is how you act!" The doctor yells, pointing to the mess, "Throwing a tantrum like an out-of-control toddler! Your behavior and attitude has been despicable. I've been willing to let some of your antics go, but you've proven that I've been far too soft with you. This is completely unacceptable, and I'm putting my foot down!" Sonic sweatdrops, he opens his mouth to try and explain and apologize. A thought flashes in his mind to beg for a second chance to prove he was capable of being more considerate and civilized, but before he can utter a single sound, the hedgehog finds himself flipped once again.
**
This time on his stomach, laying over Eggman's legs. Sonic quirks an eyebrow in confusion about what was happening before he suddenly hears a loud smack from behind. He flinches in surprise, eyes wide, and turns his head to see Eggman sitting on a piece of debris with his handheld high over his bottom. "What are you-"
SMACK!
"Ouch!" now he feels the burning sting on his rump, and it registers in his mind what Eggman is doing. He's spanking me! Embarrassed and with a grimace, Sonic struggles to get out of the human's lap, but the doctor's other hand firmly presses down on his back quills in response keeping him from escaping. "You're not getting out of this punishment Sonic. It's about time you learn what happens when you disrespect me." Eggman says stiffly while smacking down on the blue blur's bottom again, and again, and again.
Sonic cringes continuing to struggle and wiggle as Eggman continues to spank him. Out of all of Eggman's punishments, this is the worst he's gotten. Not only is it painful but incredibly embarrassing, and after the 10th smack, his bottom is stinging, so much so that tears begin to leak from his eyes, a few whimpers escaping his lips.
Sonic holds his mouth and eyes closed as tightly as he can keep himself from looking any more weak and pathetic, but the redder his bottom becomes, the harder it is to keep it all inside. He eventually breaks just as Eggman finishes the last few strokes. Sonic breaks down to full-blown sobbing, unable to stop himself from crying, regretting everything he'd ever done since coming here. The embarrassment and pain, both physical and emotional, are too much.
**
The moment Eggman laxes in his hold Sonic scrambles to the floor away from the human, hiding his face behind his hands, futilely trying to quiet his sobs as he cries. He doesn't think he could be any more embarrassed after having Eggman spank him like a little kid and wants to get as far away as possible from the man. Before he can get too far, Eggman roughly grabs his arm and pulls him close; Sonic keeps his head down blindly, squirming to wretch himself away from the doctor. "Sonic, stop fighting me and for once listen to what I'm saying!" Eggman firmly commands.
No please don't. I look like a total wuss crying like a baby over a spanking! So totally not cool God, why can't you just leave me alone?! Sonic wished desperately that he could run into the distance and disappear. The tears slowed down, but the flush on his cheeks stayed. He felt like a little kid getting punished for misbehaving. The hedgehog imagined that's exactly how he looked to Eggman. But he reminded himself that if he was going to make any progress with helping reform the doctor, he needed to suck up what was left of his pride and say sorry. He didn't want to risk angering Eggman further and squashing any hope to turn him into a good guy.
The hedgehog takes in a few shallow breaths to pull himself together and complies, not daring to lift his head or open his eyes to reveal how pitiful he knows he must look. He wanted to retain some measure of dignity. "Sonic, " Eggman says quietly, "look at me." the blue blur quickly shakes his head like a stubborn toddler, "Look at me," Eggman repeats softly yet still firm. Hiccuping and gasping another shaky breath, Sonic fiercely wipes his eyes with a free hand and opens them to look at the human who grasps hold of both his arms now.
The doctor feels his heart crack when Sonic reluctantly looks up at him, eyes shiny and stained red from crying as the last few tears continue their journey down his tan muzzle. He's never seen the hedgehog cry before today, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Eggman struggles to make his voice not waver, putting much authority and weight in what he says next.
"You are never to act or speak to me that way again. Do you understand?" Sonic nods dejectedly, "You understand why I spanked you just now?" The hog's cheeks grow warmer, and he shyly nods again. Eggman solemnly nods in return, "Good. Your punishment isn't over yet. However, that can wait. We need to fix you up a new room immediately. Go on and get some breakfast." the doctor says, leaving his explanation and his discipline at that for now.
Sonic, for once in a long time, is mute. When Eggman lets him go finally, he dashes off to fix his face before going to the dining room, grateful that Eggman wasn't going to kick him out but ashamed all the same for his behavior.
Did he have to spank me, though?!
*Later that day*
Eggman looks over the newly furnished room and hums to himself with approval; Orbot hovers beside him as Cubot and Metal Sonic twist the final screws of the last piece of furniture for Sonic's new room. The doctor nods absently as he mentally checked over his list that everything was in place. When he had asked his robots to fetch the new furnishings, he had made sure that they had gotten more durable pieces in case Sonic decided to have another tantrum. Hopefully, such an adjustment would not be needed, but he wanted to make sure that everything could survive a hit to the wall or a rapid spin dash just in case. And hopefully, that was the blue devil's first and last episode. The rest of his punishment should fix that rebellious streak of his for good.
"Doctor, " the circular robot hesitantly calls, interrupting Eggman's thoughts, "I fail to see how this odd strategic play will possibly get Sonic to behave in a more civilized manner. Will, he did not resent you further for this kind of treatment?" Orbot questions scratching his head. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, Orbot. And remember, Sonic is no ordinary hedgehog in more ways than just his speed. I'll admit...this is an unorthodox move even for myself." Eggman awkwardly heaves a heavy sigh, "But I'm willing to try anything to help that stubborn devil see that despite his experience living on his own, he still needs guidance and a stable home experience as all children should have. Going back and starting from the beginning should help him see that." Orbot, as blunt as ever to show the doctor's faults and failures, asks, "What if your plan doesn't succeed?"
A heavyweight settles in the egg-shaped human's chest at the mention of the potential for his newest and last plan failing, unlike with machines that could be easily fixed or replaced after a serious mistake. Organic beings were not the same. More often than not, you only have one chance to get it right, and that's it, and the doctor couldn't afford any more mistakes. He had made too many in his life. The ones he had made against the blue blur being the worst and largest, he had to do something now before it was too late. Initiating regression was the first step he needed to make before any progress could be made on healing the blue blur.
"Then quite frankly, I don't know what I'll do. All I know right now is I've got to try everything I can to keep him here. I-I have a dreadful feeling. Now that I'm retiring from the evil villain business, all that's happened over the years will catch up to him now. It's only a matter of time for that to happen, and it's not going to be pretty. I want to be there for him when that time comes. If anyone is going to help him get through this...it's me."
At hearing himself say this out loud, Eggman felt his heart swell, remembering why he was going through all this trouble in the first place. The doctor and Sonic always had shared a bit of a kindred spirit since their first encounter and had grown to respect each other's skills, but now for the doctor, at least, it had grown into something more than that. Eggman couldn't recall precisely when he noticed he had gotten attached to the blue devil; his feelings of slight admiration changing into fondness, but he knew it happened after the war was over.
He had been in one of his hidden bunkers looking over his data gathered from the hedgehog during his 6-month prison stay, trying to plan his next move for the umpteenth time. Eggman had been greatly surprised to see Sonic had a fairly high IQ. Not that it came anywhere close to his own, but still, it answered the question of how the blue devil could figure out how to defeat him so quickly, especially when his compadres were involved. It was surprising, especially since Sonic lacked any formal education. He'd liked to give the hedgehog a few tests to see how well he would do if only he could get the blue devil to sit and stay with him for a few hours. It was then the light bulb suddenly went off. Immediately the doctor dived into researching and making preparations for the future contract that would evolve to fulfill his goal to house Sonic in his care. This was to be his greatest plan of all!
Orbot gazed upon his creator, who was blankly staring off in the distance, thinking deeply. He beeped, simulating the action of clearing his throat to draw the doctor back to now. Eggman jolted slightly at the noise before hiding his hands behind his back, acting like nothing had happened, "Ah...But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Come, let's see what the little pincushion is up to." exiting the room, Eggman begins his search for Sonic.
It doesn't take the doctor long to find his charge in the dark lounge room, the light from the tv illuminating on the figure half curled up, fast asleep on the couch, remote still in his grasp while the tv is on a random cooking challenge show. Eggman glances at the screen and notices the show is one of his favorites, and he smirks. It seems we have similar tastes. He keeps the show in mind to watch together later as a potential bonding activity. Gently taking the remote, he turns the tv off and scoops up the blue bundle of quills.
It's late in the evening now, past dinner. Sonic had fled from the doctor after his first spanking that morning, and the hedgehog had maintained his distance all day, not uttering a peep. That was fine with Eggman. He knew Sonic wouldn't go stirring up trouble after the incident, and he himself had been busy all day fixing up the hog's new room. The doctor also understood that the blue blur was probably still stunned and processing the fact that he had received a punishment usually reserved for small children. Though it didn't escape the doctor's notice that Sonic had seemed...ashamed and guilt-ridden since then. As though he were trying to fade into the air every time, they so happened to pass briefly in the hallways and during meal times.
If he truly was sorry for his comments and actions, Eggman felt that it was a good sign that the new treatment was already working. However, he needed to stick to his guns; otherwise, Sonic could backpedal and rebel again. He had to keep up this plan no matter how awkward it was for the both of them.
Eggman strolls into Sonic's new room, located right next door to his. Gently he places the sleeping hog onto a table, taking care to be as quiet as possible to not wake him up. Carefully he removes the famous red shoes and sets them on the floor, then grabs a folded diaper and unwraps it. With a steady hand, Eggman pulls Sonic's legs up and places the diaper underneath, making sure his blue stubby tail was not being squished, and lowered him onto the white padding. Next, he begins to sprinkle the baby powder.
Sonic mumbles something, and his nose twitches; Eggman freezes in alarm, watching with wide eyes to see if the hedgehog wakes up. Sonic turns his head to the side to a slightly more comfortable position, huffs with content, and sleeps on. Silently sighing, the doctor puts away the powder and resumes the diapering. That was close; if he woke up and caught me while in the middle of doing this, it would have been a disaster! Sticking on the last tape, the blue blur is thoroughly diapered. And now just the last piece. Eggman pulls something out from one of his many pockets and places a pacifier into Sonic's mouth, which he takes easily enough. Instinctually sucking on the rubber nipple.
Eggman can't help a soft smile forming behind his mustache, pleased that his hunch on the pacifier was correct. He had spotted the blue blur's habit to suck on a blanket in his sleep or nibble the cuffs of his gloves when sitting around bored. A habit usually found in small children, this little quirk plus his childish pranks and attitude is what had tipped the doc off of Sonic potentially having regression tendencies. If Sonic took the pampering well, the doctor was sure the pacifier would be a favorite. Not that it really mattered right now; he was going to make sure the blue blur had one with him every time he went to sleep anyway.
Babying complete, Eggman cradled Sonic in his arms, carrying him to his new bed. A dark green crib with a mobile hanging with miniature old modeled badnicks attached. Slowly he placed Sonic inside and covered him with a blanket. His smile widens, shoulders lightly shaking in amusement as he gazes at the sleeping hedgie. He really does look like a baby hedgehog now... adorable. Hehe.
His tasks for the day finished, the overweight human makes his way out of the nursery, treading carefully and clicking the light off; he steps out, the door noiselessly sliding closed. Eggman lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and cracks his back, "Oouuf! Well, that takes care of that. Tomorrow the real show begins...I just hope that everything goes as I planned, but it's all up to that blue devil now." covering his mouth he lets out a big yawn, "Oh, guess it's time I went to bed as well. Much to do tomorrow, much to do." taking two steps forward Eggman enters his own room to begin his nightly ritual before hitting the sack. He will need all his energy to care for Baby Sonic tomorrow.
Chapter 8: Surprise, Baby!
Notes:
Hey guys! So before we get started, I just wanted to mention that parts of this chapter and the previous were inspired by SuperAwesomeFan's "The Check-Up" (it's what got me into diapered hedgies) and another RP I read on diaperedanime by applerondache and x3mehntr called "Sonic Punishment".
I seriously suggest you read SuperAwesomeFan's stuff on FF.net; it's so good, and "The Check-Up" is a three-parter! Unfortunately, the last one "RESET" is unfinished but go ahead and give it a read and maybe leave a comment just don't pressure them to finish it please guys! I know most of you are very sweet and polite in your comments and I so appreciate all the wonderful things you guys have said, but I have gotten a few pestering me for updates when I've already mentioned that updates for this fic will be somewhat sporadic until probably early summer.
On that note, thanks also for your suggestions and little antidotes about what you think will happen next. I get a big kick out of it! >D
Chapter Text
Gradually his weird mix mash dreams of colors, familiar shapes, and places faded into wakefulness. Lazily turning to his side Sonic heaved a heavy sigh, not ready to get up out of his warm, comfortable, plush bed. Wait...bed? I don't remember going to bed last night? Wasn't I watching tv in the lounge room? Pawing the sleep away from his eyes, Sonic sits up to figure out where he was. Looking around, his brows furrow in surprise and confusion.
He was in some kind of cage, but the top is missing, and the bars surrounding him are dark green, not metal grey, like regular prison bars. The room is bright, warm, and smells of baby powder, not dark, stuffy, and smelling of rotting flesh like your normal spirit-crushing dungeon. Focusing past the bars, Sonic notices increasingly strange objects in the room. To his right, next to the cage, was a basket overflowing with stuffed animals; lions, tigers, bears, Chao, and a small assortment of others. Further away against the right wall was a cream-colored changing table where his shoes laid on the floor. Looking to his left, Sonic saw a light blue rocking chair; next to that was a toy chest, and in the center of the room was a large fluffy grass green colored rug dotted with a simple flower pattern.
The hedgehog sits there entirely befuddled as to where the heck he was, why this place looked like a nursery, and why he woke up here in the first place?! He knew he was still in Eggman's base, the shiny floor under the rug and the view from the curtained window behind his cage. Scratch that. Crib. He corrected himself. Gave it away, but other than that, the room looked like any other nursery. Even the metallic walls were covered in wallpaper that looked like a bright blue sky with puffy clouds hovering here and there.
Sonic slowly stood up and began to climb out of the crib to investigate further when a slight crinkling sound caught his ears. Swerving them around, he listened for the sound again.
Huh, that was weird? He didn't hear it anymore. Shrugging, he resumed climbing the bars when he heard the crinkle again; he paused, straining his hearing.
Hmmm, it's gone again. A thought hit him to look down and what he saw surprised him so much he lost his grip and fell back onto the mattress. What the hell?! Scrambling upright, Sonic gapes at the new article of clothing around his waist, not noticing the pacifier laying right next to him. "A DIAPER?!" he shrieks, slapping his hands over his mouth. The hedgehog's breathing increases, to the point he's almost hyperventilating; his heart stops briefly while static buzzes in his brain, keeping him in a stupor.
A near-silent woosh grabs his attention, and he turns his head to see Eggman entering the room. "Good morning hedgehog! Sleep well?" the doctor greets courteously; Sonic's hands fall, and he gawks at the man opening and closing his mouth a few times like a fish before his breathing returns to a somewhat normal pace, giving his mind the oxygen needed to clear it enough to form some semblance of a question, his voice finally returns to him. "W-what the-how? What-what's going on, Eggman?!"
"Confused Sonic? It's alright, nothing to worry about. I found you were asleep when I came to tell you that your new room was finished, so I went ahead and brought you here. What do you think? I think it looks quite lovely, has an uplifting air to it, don't you agree?"
"Huh? New-new room? Are you saying this is my room?!"
"A bit slow in mornings, aren't you? Yes, Sonic, this is your room now."
"It's a freaking nursery!" Sonic screams leaping up in the crib, "Yes, toddlers and babies generally reside in such. I thought that was pretty clear."
"Are you-" Sonic sputters, running a hand through his quills, his eyes narrow at the egg-shaped human asking incredulously, "Are you calling me a baby?!"
"I'm not calling you one; I'm saying you are one," Eggman said plainly as if it were a fact; Sonic growled at the human and his condescending utterance, "I'm not a baby."
"Then why have you been acting like one?"
"No, I haven't!" he barked. Eggman crossed his arms, and his brows rose in a questioning manner, "No? Let's see...you've drawn on my walls, picked and complained about the food I give you, screamed and yelled at me-" he pulled out a hand counting out more as he continued the list. " refused to listen to me when you were punished, threw a tantrum, and cried when I finally resorted to spanking you. Now, does any of that sound like something a baby or toddler would do?" Eggman finished with his fists on his hips; Sonic gazed at the floor with a pout, puffing out his cheeks that were turning bright pink.
The doctor nodded, humming, "Thought so. So since you insisted on acting like a baby, I'm going to treat you like one." the hedgehog's ears hike up, and his eyes widened in alarm, his heart-stopping at this latest development. "What, you can't do that!"
"Can't I? This in no way qualifies as torture, and I have every right as head of this house to treat you as such until your behavior improves."
"I'm not a baby." Sonic places both hands on his chest, saying emphatically, "I'm a teenager! I'm way too old for this kind of cra-stuff, " he sweatdropped, catching himself from cursing, even though he really really wanted to. "And I am especially too old for this." Sonic proceeds to grab the diaper and begins to tear it off, "Ah, ah, ah! Don't you dare. You're keeping that on!" Eggman dashes forward much faster than a fat man should run and smacks his small hands away from the padding. The blue blur grumbles as he's struck, glaring up at the doctor in defiance, "I'm not going to use this stupid thing you can't make me!"
Eggman smirked coyly, "Can't I?" Sonic huffed at the man, declaring, "No, you can't!"
"Then what are you going to do when you have to go and find that all the toilets have been locked?" Sonic's scowl dropped slightly, quirking a brow, his mind not grasping or refusing to understand what Eggman was implying, "What?"
"Baby's have a tendency to cause plumbing issues when they play with the potty, so I went ahead and had them all locked. We don't want a burst pipe causing another flood, and you can't just go on the floor anywhere you like, like some wild animal. So you'll be using the diapers until further notice." Eggman smugly answers. Sonic's eye twitches, his head burns with hot anger, and his jaw clenches. Tipped on the urge of losing his cool before the blue blur realizes there was a hole in Eggman's plan. His uptight shoulders and fists loosen, "Wait a minute, you still need to use the bathroom too, so unless you plan on wearing a diaper, I can always just use your toilet!" Sonic crosses his arms with a prideful smirk, having once again outsmarted the egg-shaped genius. He's almost tempted to blow a raspberry at the man.
Almost.
A feeling of panic runs through his gut, dispelling what little confidence he had before. His shoulders were threatening to rise again as he stares at the human. Why is Eggman still smiling?
"Well, you could..." the doctor said with a fake sad tone, "if that bathroom wasn't locked as well, and only I have the way to unlock it. Sorry baby, but it looks like potty training will have to wait~." the resulting look on the hedgehog's face was priceless.
Sonic gripped the bars tightly, horrified and dismayed at the thought of having to wear a diaper consumed any desire to keep up his cool rep. It was one thing to wear a diaper, but to actually use it was a whole different story—Sonic's carefree manor cast by the wayside in his panic.
"I'm sorry!" he yells, "I'm sorry for flooding the warehouse. I'm sorry for putting bleach in your mustache cream. I'm sorry for wreaking my room; I'm sorry for everything, but please don't make me use this thing!" Sonic begs desperately. Eggman just sympathetically shakes his head. "I appreciate the apology, but I'm afraid it's too late, pineapple. Besides, this is the other part of your punishment I mentioned yesterday. You'll just have to get used to it." Eggman firmly asserted not about to budge despite the wide-eyed look Sonic was giving him, "But-but-but-but-!"
"No buts." Eggman leaned over and grabbed the pacifier, placing it into the blue devil's mouth shutting him up. Sonic frowned about to spit out the offending object when his stomach growled out loudly, making Eggman chuckle, "Seems a certain baby is hungry. Come on, let's get you fixed up." leaning down again, Eggman grabbed Sonic by the torso and pulled him out of the crib. Sonic spat out the pacifier and squirmed, "Let me go!" he grumbled.
Eggman ignores him and walks out to the dining room with the fussy hedgie. "I'm serious, Egghead! Let me go!"
"Sonic, stop. There's no reason to be so cranky-" Sonic's stomach growls loudly again, "then again, I guess I would be cranky too if I were as hungry as you sound." he chuckles and gives the hedgehog's tan belly a brief tickle. Sonic blushes and lightly giggles at the teasing on his stomach. Ah! Why do I have to be so ticklish!? He curses, quickly covering the blush on his face and shaking his head, "Chaos, this is so embarrassing! Why!? Why are you doing this to me?! I said I was sorry? I promise not to do any of that stuff anymore!"
Eggman shakes his head, "I'm sorry, but my mind has been made up. And there's nothing to be embarrassed about. You won't have to wear the diapers all the time." Sonic's ears slowly perked up at that; there was hope after all! He tentatively looked up at the doctor with a small hopeful smile, unsure if he believed Eggman, "Really?"
"Of course not! You won't wear them during the weekly interviews or when you go out. You don't think I'm that cruel, do you?" the blue blur shrinks back at that accurate accusation in guilt, stuttering softly; Eggman laughs at his reaction. "Ohohoho! It's quite alright. I know me turning a new leaf is still a new idea for us all!"
Gently he sits the blue blur down in a chair and places something in front of his chest. Sonic looks away nervously, chuckling back, not realizing that Eggman had not put him down in a regular chair. Too caught up in his relief that he wouldn't have to wear diapers all the time, at least. He could work with this; he could figure out a way to not use the diapers.
Noticing something feeling off, Sonic glances around the dining room to find out what was different. Something's changed, but...I don't see anything new? Everything is just not as high as it was...before...?
"Wait a second!" Twisting around, Sonic sees why the table is not at his chest anymore. He was sitting in a high chair! Angrily he pushes at the tray table, locking him in, "Let me outta here!" a sizeable gloved hand sharply slaps at his own, "Ah, ah, ah. Don't you start! You're not getting out of that chair."
"I'm not sitting in a high chair, Eggface! Get me out and let me sit down in a normal chair like a normal person!"
"No, I won't! You're going to sit there and eat your breakfast like a good little hedgehog, whether you like it or not. Besides, isn't this much better? The table and chairs here are much too big for you, so I thought this would be a good solution; you can see above the table now without having to sit on your legs." The diapered hedgehog pouted, not willing to admit that having to sit on his knees just to see above the table had been a pain, and that was a decent solution. Still, being dressed like a baby is humiliating enough. Do I have to eat like one too?!
"Grrrrrr, I was just fine before." Sonic mumbles, "It's a good idea, and you know it, you stubborn pinprick. Now be quiet and eat your breakfast." Eggman then pulls the cover off Sonic's plate. Huh, when did that get here? The blue devil blinks his attention drawn to the plate, revealing freshly toasted waffles with a slice of butter, some bacon pieces, a bowl of blueberries, and a side of maple syrup. His black nose twitches, sniffing the mild scent of the berries, Sonic licks his lips, and his stomach roared, begging to be fed.
He moaned, remembering his dinner had been cut short the other night due to his impulsive, rebellious behavior. Don't screw this up again. If I just go along with it, maybe he'll let this all pass.
"Fine. Just hand me the orange juice, would ya." he begrudgingly relents.
Sonic fast-walked, more like quickly waddled, through the corridors of the base, his brain going a mile and minute trying to figure out some way not to use the thick white plush padding wrapped around his waist.
Not going to say the D-word!
Eggman had thankfully left the hedgehog in peace to work on something in his lab, allowing Sonic the time and ability he needed to focus all his brainpower on coming up with the fastest way to get out of his babying treatment. Being on the move always helped him think; it was one reason he ran so much, not only was running fun. It helped him come up with some of his best ideas!
And boy, did he need one humdinger of an idea right now. That or some miracle.
"Ok, Egghead's got all the bathrooms locked. Half of them have physical locks, and when I tried lockpicking those with my quills, that didn't work. Spin dashing them didn't work. The others that didn't have a physical lock have a sensor, and messing with the one on my collar was an utter failure. Not sure if even Tails could figure out how to hack this thing. I'm not doing my business in the tub or sink. That's just gross! So that leaves me with..." Sonic paused his thoughtful mumbling as he felt pressure in his bladder and shivered. The clock was ticking. If he didn't figure an alternative way to relieve himself, he would have a used diaper by the end of the day. Sonic felt like he was grasping for invisible straws, and he reached up to tug his ears in frustration, mirroring the sensation in his head. One could say he was in a royal flush, "Gah! This so stupid stupid-"
CHIRP~!
A pleasant tweet sounded, interrupting the hedgehog's whining. Blinking, Sonic slowly released the hold on his ears and turned toward the sound. He found himself looking into his reflection before a giant observation window showing a view of Eggman's private garden. Looking up, he saw the source of the noise. A flicky bird was hopping on a tree branch, singing and fluffing its feathers before it spread its wings and descended to the ground scratching at some insects crawling about before eating. A blue ear twitched as a forgotten memory resurfaced, the frown on his muzzle disappeared, and a devious smirk took its place.
Perfect!
The rest of the day went off without a hitch, in Sonic's opinion. However, Eggman popping up out of nowhere to check his diaper was annoying! But he did get some small bit of satisfaction smirking at the doctor cheekily every time the human found his diaper to be completely clean and unused, leaving the man perplexed into how the hedgehog was able to hold it in all this time.
No used diaper meant no embarrassment for Sonic. His secret? Dirt. Seriously, dirt! Right outside in the garden.
Whenever Sonic heard mother nature calling, he would take a leisurely stroll out in the garden—appearing to admire the doctor's wide variety of plants and flowers while searching for a secluded spot. When he found a place away from any prying eyes or cameras, he would quickly dig a small hole, slide the diaper down and do his business. Hide the evidence and exit the garden to freshen up before resuming whatever activity he had been doing before.
This wasn't his first time using the great outdoors as his own personal commode. He had used the same technique during his early years wandering about Green Hills and still put it to practice from time to time when he and the gang went camping. It was the perfect solution to his problem, not a long-term solution but good enough for now until the babying treatment wore off or he came up with a better idea. Whichever came first.
Eggman didn't suspect a thing and the look on his face when he was trying to figure out what was going on made Sonic want to dance around and laugh at how stupid he looked. He seriously wished he had a camera!
Though he did have one close call due to the small bit of laxative, the doctor snuck into the unsuspecting hedgehog's food to help aid his adjustment to the unpotty training. As recommended by those with previous experience switching from toilets to diapers. But one small close call didn't hinder the pep in Sonic's step over his brilliant idea.
Swinging his arms to rest behind his head, the blue hedgehog lightly chuckles, Oh, Eggy. For a man with a 300 IQ, you sure aren't that smart. Eggman notices Sonic's snickering and shoulders shaking from the corner of his eye, wondering what he suddenly found so amusing, "What's so funny?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing.~" Sonic lazily smiles, waving dismissively at the doctor from his highchair. His perceived victory on the diaper situation left the blue blur in a good mood, so being stuck in the high chair right now didn't bother him too much. It honestly wasn't that bad.
Eggman quirks an eyebrow at him suspiciously for a moment, knowing the hedgehog was up to something. Eh. He shrugs it was late, and he was thankful his charge hadn't thrown another hissy fit or caused any trouble all day. Better to enjoy the small bits of peace while he had it. Though he did need to figure out how and why every time he checked the hedgehog's diaper, it was always clean.
The doctor decided to look over his security cameras later after Sonic went to bed to see if there was anything there that might answer this mystery. Quietly he resumes eating the last few bites of dessert while Sonic contentedly sits back with a full stomach.
*The next morning*
Stretching his limbs with a squeaky yawn, the pacifier falls from his mouth and onto his face; Sonic's brow pinches, and he snorts in annoyance, brushing the thing away. When did that get there? He wonders as he sits up in the crib, eyes widening in surprise to see Eggman sitting beside him in the rocking chair with his hands weaved together, resting over his large belly. "Morning, my little hedgie." Eggman sweetly greets; Sonic rolls his eyes and blushes at one of many nicknames the doctor was starting to use to remind him of his...infant status. He doesn't greet the large human back; instead, he crosses his arms with an annoyed grunt. It's too early for this.
"How are you feeling?"
"Just fine, thanks."
"Are you sure?" the doctor drawls. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Sonic breathily replies, "No burning sensations or pain in your lower regions?" the blue blur whips his head to the doctor with narrowed eyes, silently questioning what the man was talking about, and answers with a clip. "No. Why would I be in pain?"
"No pain, you say?" Eggman tuts rolling out of the rocking chair and strolls up to Sonic's crib, scanning the hedgehog over, a hand petting his mustache thoughtfully, "My, my, this is serious indeed." Alarm bells go off in the blue devil's head at Eggman's calculating gaze and grim tone; he stands up on the mattress, hands on his hips, looking back at the doctor with a neutral expression to not give away the nervousness he feels creeping up his spine.
"What?"
"Well, usually anyone who hasn't gone to the bathroom as long as you have would be suffering through extreme pain. Yet you don't look in the slightest bit uncomfortable."
Uh oh, the doctor saw through his plan; Sonic mentally gulped, looking away with a bored expression stewing over his reply or if he should at all. He figures there's no use in delaying the inevitable; Eggman would tell him anyway. May as well humor the man he decided before saying lazily, "Yeah, so? I don't have to go as often as you humans." that was a total lie and Eggman knew it. Scoffing the doctor said, "Yes, but it's been over 24 hrs, and you should have soiled your diaper by now." Sonic gave Eggman a clueless shrug and a 'what do you want me to do about it?' look. The human neared closer to the crib, his face darkening saying with a low warning voice, "I know what you've been up to hedgehog, and I can't say me, nor my hibiscuses appreciate the yellow rain; you've been giving; them."
Damn it! How did he figure it out? I was so careful! Sonic's ears lay back, and he bites his lip, trying not to look like he'd been caught red-handed, "I don't know what you're talking about, Eggbreath." he denies; Eggman leans back, crossing his arms, saying doubtingly, "You don't, do you?"
"Nope!" the word pop out of Sonic's lips with the shake of his head. Eggman hums, standing there looking him over again before he leans forward and grabs the hedgehog by the torso. Said hedgehog squirms in the man's hold, complaining and commanding to be let down, yet again the doctor ignores his charge and carries Sonic to the dining room. The blue blur struggles in the human's arms, muttering descriptive ways he was going to due the man in if he wasn't released.
He hates it when Eggman picks him up and carries him around. It made Sonic feel small. The blue devil knew compared to Eggman he was relatively short; heck, almost all of the robots Eggman built were the size of small skyscrapers. He didn't pay that much attention to it before but being held in the doctor's arms opened the blue devil eye's to how tiny he was than the overweight human.
Eggman finally sets him down in the highchair and quickly locks him in. "I can walk, you know!" Sonic yells then bites his tongue in surprise when without warning, Eggman leaps forward, making Sonic jolt back against the chair, staring him down. The man's large red nose inches away from his own. He can feel the doctor's warm breath against his fur and looks into those dark glasses, reflecting his own image. There he can see the tiny bit of fear and confusion in his own emerald eyes staring back at him. Chaos, even when he's right in front of me, I can barely make out his eyes...wonder what color they are?
Even though the unexpected silence and stare down lasts only a few seconds, for Sonic, it feels like an eternity before Eggman creeps back away from his face restoring the hedgehog's personal bubble. Sonic realizes he had unconsciously been holding his breath the whole time and gulps in a few shallow breaths, slowly refilling his lungs while watching Eggman take his seat at a snail's pace. Still keeping his gaze locked with his own. They sit there in silence for a few more moments before the doctor snaps his fingers. Metal flashes by in a silver blur, dropping the dishes on the table with a rattle and clank, and disappears back to the kitchen double doors swinging wildly.
Sonic swiftly glances at the covered dish and back at Eggman, tilting his head slightly in a puzzled manner. The large human remains silent, and Sonic can't help but feel awkward as he continues to stare at him. The tense atmosphere building and making his insides feel like they had turned to stone, the silence is almost suffocating. "What?! What are you looking at me like that for?" he blurts, but Eggman doesn't reply, only removing the covers from both dishes before he finally breaks the connection and speaks with a low, commanding voice. "Eat."
Sonic watches as the doctor begins to cut into his own breakfast. What the hell was that all about?! He wonders, unable to figure out why or what the impromptu staring competition was about. I thought he was weird before, but now it's like Egghead gets weirder and weirder every day. Please don't let whatever he has be contagious. Freaked out by the doctor's behavior, Sonic firmly concludes for the millionth time on his mind that Eggman was crazy and to stay away from the man for the rest of the day.
Chapter 9: Gotta Go...Now!
Notes:
*What's this another update?! Don't get too excited; I just got lucky I had a little extra time this last week. Although one of my favorite authors did give me a little heart attack a few days ago, so I just thought I'd pass this thought along...DOWNLOAD or PRINT ALL OF YOUR FAVORITE STORIES!
The author of one of my top 5 favorite STH fics took down their story. Don't worry, the moment I realized this, I immediately contacted them to see what was up, and it turns out they weren't happy with the writing, so they're rewriting it and will post it again later. Talk about a big-time relief! I was fully prepared to rewrite the story myself (it was a comfort fic for me, and I would read it like every few weeks), thankfully I don't have to do that, but it just solidified something I've been meaning to do for a while now which is to preserve all of my favorite fics.
I'm telling this to you, reader, because I care, and I understand the devastation of losing a fic that is precious to you. So go! Go and find some way to save that fic that you've read 20 million times. Print it, download it, write it by hand; I don't care. Just make yourself a hard copy and, if necessary, hide it away from your family and friends. This is what I plan on doing later this week.
Cause shit happens to authors. I even recommend preserving yourself a copy of my stories cause if something happens to where I could get caught writing these ABDL fics (only one friend of mine knows I do this, and if my mother found out...gosh, I just...no! Not happening!) I'd have to take everything down. Of course, I would keep all the original copies of my stories and find some way to repost them again cause obviously it's innocent, and others really enjoy my stories. I wouldn't leave ya'll hanging for long, this I promise!
Anyway, rambling over. Enjoy this chapter! :)*
Chapter Text
Eggman stayed suspiciously quiet during the rest of the morning and never strayed far away from Sonic, no matter how many times he tried to lose the doctor. The blue blur figured it was because of the tracking chip in his collar that Eggman could find him in the maze of the base so easily. That and Eggman had lived there on and off for many years and had built the base himself, so he knew it like the back of his hand while Sonic had only been there for 9 days and hadn't explored much.
What?! He'd been busy!
That didn't matter right now anyway cause his mind was currently on other matters. If Sonic hadn't been worried before, he was now. With Eggman practically on his tail where ever he went, he couldn't escape to the garden to relieve himself. And the urge to go was only growing stronger in more ways than one. It took all the strength he had to not breakdown and do the potty dance.
Swiftly turning the corner, Sonic dashed past Eggman again in the hallways. Ignoring the yell for him to slow down and go to the gym's running track instead of speeding down the hallways. He kept running, leaving nothing behind but blue streaks of light cross-crossing on each other to confuse the tracking sensor. He figured if he went fast enough, he could get in and out of the garden before the tracker could process and catch up locating him to confirm Eggman's suspicious. Just a few more turns pour a little more speed, and that should do it!
Sonic turned to the left and made a beeline for the garden doors. Almost there! The door was fast approaching; before he knew what happened, pain rammed through his skull, knocking him back several feet away from the door, and he landed on his back.
Lying there moaning, he gently touches his head as the pain throbbed, "OW! What the heck?!" he whines, slowly standing on his feet. A mixture of dizziness and confusion as to why the doors didn't open distracts his brain from the urgency of his bladder. Sonic waits until the walls stopped spinning before he approaches again at a more reasonable speed and stops before the doors that still wouldn't open. He checks the little light on his collar, still red, not turning green as it should. Ok, maybe I was going too fast, and it didn't sense me? Backing up, he waited for one second before approaching the door again with the same result. "What the-come on, you stupid, why won't you open?!" He yells and kicks the door as his bladder tingled, reminding him that the time was drawing near.
He was getting desperate. Correction, he was desperate. Sonic squeezed his fingers between the opening of the door and wall, pulling it back with all the strength in his noodle arms, "Come oooon, come oooon!" he groaned, straining his arms and planting his feet on the wall for leverage. Still, the door wouldn't budge what I wouldn't give to be a werehog again or to have Knuckles here just to open these damn doors!
Leaping back, giving up on that tactic, he hopped around and curled into a ball, bashing himself onto the door. "Why-" BAM "Won't-" BAM "You-" BAM "OPEN?!" BAM! Unfurling, he looked over to see the progress; his jaw dropped, and he slouched over in despair, seeing only a small dent. His eyes twitched, his legs shook, and he rose his clawed hands to the gods, screeching, "Why won't you open?!"
"Because I took away your access last night." a gravely low voice spoke; turning, Sonic saw Eggman standing there with a smirk just a few feet away. Quickly he straightens up and nervously smiles as if Eggman hadn't just caught him having another tantrum, "I'm sorry, what?" he breathlessly asks. "I told you, hedgehog, I don't appreciate what you've been doing in my garden."
"Doingwhat? Ihaven'tbeendoinganything, just...taking a nice walk, nothing more!"
"Don't lie to me, Sonic. I saw you going in...more than once," Eggman emphasized those last words, "and it doesn't take a genius to put 2 and 2 together to figure out you've been using my garden as your own personal toilet." Sonic could feel his heartbeat picking up and sweat form on his brow; he casually crossed his shaking arms finding the wall very interesting, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmph!" the doctor grunted, "Do you really think I'm that stupid? I'm not letting you back in there. No, you're going to use your diaper like a good baby even if I have to make you." by this point, Sonic's eyes were flying around, looking anywhere but at Eggman. He bit his lips, legs shaking like a jackhammer trying not to hop around to hold it in like a toddler. All of his focus at this point was directed to holding his pee in. He didn't hear everything Eggman said, only catching the last part, "Make me?" he asks intelligently with a wince.
"Yes!" Before he could comprehend what was happening to dodge, Eggman picked him up, and the doctor held him in his arms like a baby carrying him to the nursery. Sonic wiggled and held back a whine. Why is he bringing me back here? Chaos! I have to go so bad, and now my stomach is rumbling. What the hell am I gonna do?! He bit his lips harder, the pressure in his bladder building to excruciating levels to the point he couldn't concentrate on what was happening around him anymore. His eyes squeezed shut, and his wiggling increased to frantic levels in Eggman's arms.
The doctor somehow is able to keep Sonic from falling out of his hold, "Don't worry, Sonic. I'll help you." he reassures softly, "No, no, no!" Sonic yells more to himself than to Eggman. Holding it in was seriously starting to hurt, but he wasn't going to use the diaper. He wasn't going to use the diaper! I refuse to give in! The hedgehog clenches as another rumble vibrates inside his body.
Seeing Sonic's intense struggle increasing, Eggman decides that the poor hedgehog's suffered long enough. He takes a seat in the rocking chair for stability so the blue blur wouldn't fall out of his arms and begins to tickle his fingers on the blue devil's tan belly.
Sonic screeched like a little girl upon contact, and his wiggling increased tenfold as he started to laugh. His focus broke, and his bladder promptly gave up the ghost. Eggman kept tickling him as his diaper grew increasingly warm and get wet. Sonic looked down in horror at the yellow stain getting bigger and bigger in the front, worried that the diaper would leak if he continued to go. "S-s-s-hahaha-stop! Hahaha!-Agh!" His bladder emptied, at last, his bowels followed next. The laxative snuck in his food, doing its job helping Sonic fill the back end of his diaper now. He cringed, groaning at the warm mushy feeling on his bottom.
Tears of laughter turned into tears of humiliation; now that Eggman had started the process, Sonic couldn't stop himself, and his cheeks became hot, red, and wet with sorrow. Eggman stopped his tickling when he saw the yellow spot on Sonic's diaper stop growing; the hedgehog moaned, filling up the back end. Sonic's wiggling stopped, but he still fidgeted uncomfortably in the human's arms. The doctor watches as the blue blur finished his business and once again broke down; he gently rubbed between the hedgehog's back quills to give him some comfort. Sonic ashamedly hid his face behind his hands. Why? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?!
"There there, it's alright, Sonic." Eggman cooes, "N-n-no. Snif. I-it'snot." Sonic shakily whimpers and cries harder. Here he is, the hero of Mobius, fully potty trained, sitting in a very full diaper of his own mess and crying his eyes out like a baby in his ex-enemy's arms, of course; it's not alright! Sonic couldn't believe Eggman had been able to reduce him into this state in a matter of days. It was humiliating! He feels more vulnerable than he could ever recall feeling in his entire life.
Sonic whines in protest but does nothing more as Eggman adjusts his hold, leaning the hedgehog on his chest, keeping his spiky head over his shoulder, and rocks in the chair petting Sonic's quills as he cries until he can't cry anymore and is reduced to hiccupping. The doctor remains silent, waiting patiently for the upset hedgie to let it all out.
It took a day, but he finally used it. The hardest part is over; using the diapers should be easier for him now. Still, I'll need to keep giving him a small dose of laxative until he can mess on his own. In fact, I might need to help him a few more times before he can go in the diapers completely on his own. Eggman rubs circles between Sonic's back quills and sighs as he feels the hedgie shudder and lets out another wet hiccup. He's going to hate me for this, but it's the only thing that's working. Remember Eggman slow and steady wins the race, and be ready to comfort and reassure him that this is okay. Noticing Sonic is much quieter now, he softly asks, "All done?" Sonic hiccups once again and nods.
Making sure not to squish the full diaper yet still having a comfortable, secure hold on the hedgie, the doctor gets up from the rocker and carries him to the changing table. The blue blur rubs his eyes and nose as he's laid down too exhausted to fight. He knew a diaper change was called for now and didn't want to be stewing in his own mess anymore. It felt disgusting. How babies could stand wearing something that held their own mess instead of using the toilet Sonic couldn't fathom right now.
Eggman untapes the diaper revealing the damage done, "My goodness Sonic you really had to go, didn't you?" he teases. Sonic's mouth wobbles, and he gasps another sob pulling his fists to his eyes. Whoops, too soon. Eggman laments, "I'm sorry." he apologizes and removes the dirty diaper, "This may be a little cold." the doctor warns, taking a wet wipe and cleaning the blue hedgehog's tushy. Sonic rubs his heavy eyes and shudders at the cold wipe on his bottom.
The wipe actually was a nice relief against the contrasting heat in his head; Sonic's whole head and face felt so warm from the fading embarrassment and anger. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn he had a fever. But he knew that wasn't the case, and having Eggman clean up his dirty diaper didn't make things any better. The diaper he had used his brain reminded him. Another hiccup escapes his mouth, and Sonic felt a wave of fatigue wash over him all of a sudden; his muscles wound up tight and shivering with emotion. He keeps his sights away from what was happening down there, trying not to focus on what was going on. Thankfully that was not too hard to accomplish since everything felt fuzzy and out of focus.
The doctor wiped Sonic clean and removed the finally used diaper, wrapping it up and tossing it into the pail conveniently placed nearby. Taking a new diaper, he raised the blue blur's bum to lay the new padding underneath. He glanced at his charge, hearing another sniffle, and his mustache fell along with his mouth frowning sadly at the broken and weepy-eyed hedgehog before him. Still keeping his blue legs up, the human took the powder and sprinkles it onto the diaper and Sonic's bottom. He watched Sonic's eyes squint and stare at nothing. His breathing returned to a steady rhythm and slows, lids lowering and repeatedly raising, attempting to stay awake.
Eggman smirks knowingly, tucking the hedgehog's tail where it won't be smashed, and lowers his legs back down. Pulling the front up, he tapes the sides. Sonic doesn't notice the change is finished, a glaze coming over his eyes. The doctor isn't surprised at this show of exhaustion after the emotional ordeal. After sanitizing his hands, he rubs a cobalt ear and picks Sonic up, laying him against his shoulder, giving his back another rub, and walks to the crib.
Feeling himself being carried, Sonic comes back to reality briefly from his spacing out and looks at the doctor, sleepily questioning what was happening now? Eggman softly smiles as he places Sonic into the crib, speaking quietly, "Go ahead and go to sleep Sonic. I promise you'll feel better when you wake up." Sonic's brows furrow, slightly curious why Eggman sounds like a mother shushing her baby to sleep.
His lids lower again when the soothing motion of his ears being rubbed returns as he's laid down and tucked in. Sonic tiredly nods, yawning. He's so exhausted and weak from his first diaper changing experience his mind barely registers what Eggman is saying. Still, he does understand something being said about feeling better after a nap and hopes that the doctor is right. Closing his eyes, Sonic feels something placed into his mouth, causing a peaceful sensation to wash over him. He smiles minutely before losing consciousness.
When Sonic wakes up from his nap, he's not in a great mood. He had ripped the pacifier from his lips and thrown it across the room as soon as he had woken up. Still in the crib, he lays there stewing over the events that had happened over the last week. More importantly, the last few days.
Great, just great! Me and my brilliant idea to piss the doc off. Then after I decide to back off and show some mercy...this baby stuff happens! Somehow Egghead has screwed me over and turned me into a...a fluffing baby hedgie! He winced, unintentionally calling himself that; he shakes his head as if to make the thought go away. Having me sleep in a nursery isn't good enough, no! He has to have me wearing and using a pacifier and diapers! Chaos, what would the guys think if they saw me like this? Hey! Look at the baby hedgie. Let's tease and make fun of him until he cries like one! Oh, and I bet Amy and Cream would be having a heyday using me like their own personal overpriced baby doll. A shiver went up his spine at that the thought of one of the girls giving him a diaper change with Shadow, Knuckles, and Tails watching and laughing at him in the background. His face turned white, recalling having to have one before he fell asleep.
Taking a pillow, he slammed it over his face and screamed. Appalled that he had broken down crying over a dirty diaper like a newborn in Eggman's arms and then had been put to sleep like one too. Sonic's face reddened, remembering the doctor rubbing his ears affectionately before he fell asleep. Oh, how he hated how nice that had felt. His fists firmly holding the pillow shook in anger.
Sonic was known for being touchy and affectionate with his friends and even fans. Always the first to give a hug, a hand on the shoulder for comfort, teasing elbow to the ribs, a tickle fight with Tails and Cream here or there, along with mandatory big brother noogies and nuzzles. Aside from that, he didn't really get much affection in return—only Amy's death hugs. Yeah, not his favorite thing in the whole wide world. But Eggman giving his ears a rub...that felt like heaven...and he hated it!
"I hate him! I hate him! I hate Eggman!" he yells angrily, standing up and throwing the pillow at the door. It fell harmlessly onto the floor, stirring Sonic's anger further at not having something to take his fury out on effectively. "This baby thing is going too far and too long! I'm still going to help Eggman reform but not like this!" hopping out of the crib, Sonic stomps out of the nursery, shoulders hunched, keeping his eyes peeled for the fat man. Ready to tell the good doctor exactly how he felt about the whole thing and that enough was enough!
As he scoured the base, he ran into a few service bots, "Hey you!" he pointed to one of the little service drones, who paused from its dusting and turned to the angry hog, "Yeah you! Were's Eggface?"
"Master is in the laboratory." the drone beeped with its robotic monotone voice chip. "Hmph!" Sonic nodded, mumbling, "Of course, he is." without a word of thanks, the blue blur marched on, gesticulating and murmuring to himself, leaving the bot back to its duties.
"When I get my hands on that no good dirty low down-wait a second! Sonic, stop. What are you doing?" he says to himself, halting and holding his hands up, "Going to see Eggman, what do you think?"
"Noooo. You were doing it again."
"Doing what again?"
"That thing! Remember? Being impulsive and thinking negatively? This is exactly what got you in trouble and in this..." he gestures to the diaper, too afraid to say the actual word, "in the first place! Besides, it's only when you have a positive attitude that being impulsive works."
"Well? What do you suggest we do?" he taps his foot, thinking for a few moments, "Maybe I should hold off talking with Egghead and think about this more. He's not going to let me out of these things no matter what I say anyway. Sigh, I need to go on a run and clear my head; I haven't had a good run since before I woke up like this..." he looks down at the padding, feeling confused as to what to do with himself and his feelings. Taking down bad guys and encouraging his friends was easy to take care of! But dealing with his own emotions left him in uncertainty, lost in a maze as complicated as the base he currently resided in.
Hopefully, this thing won't chaff. With that last thought, Sonic dashes for the gym's running track.
*A few hours later.*
Sonic dumped himself onto the teal couch in the lounge room, positively starving. "Hey, you." He snapped his fingers at a service drone polishing the coffee table. The drone stopped its work, "Get me a hot dog, a slice of bread, a small bowl of chili, and a water, would ya?"
"Yes, Baby Sonic." the robot beeped, putting away the cleaning implements and quickly went to fetch the requested items. Sonic raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed, irritated at the name.
Apparently, Eggman had updated all the droids to call him that instead of his previous title of 'Master Sonic.' He didn't like the term before, and he didn't like the new one now, but he didn't have a choice. He knew quite a bit about how to mess with computers and machines via hanging with Tails, it was kind of a requirement if you hung out with the kid, but he didn't know enough to change how the droids addressed him.
Oh well. He shrugs, taking the remote, switching the tv on to a cooking challenge show, and he lays his arms behind his head, relaxing while he waited.
He had gotten a lot of thinking done during his run. After getting a few laps out of his system along with some angry curse words, the blue devil had come to terms with the fact that for now, he would have to put up with the babying treatment. There was no getting out of it. Eggman had him in a bind, and no amount of bellyaching was going to fix it, as causing a ruckus before had just made his situation worse. Going with the flow and taking his punishment would be the quickest way to get it over with, no matter how embarrassing and humiliating for him it was.
For once, being positive and easygoing will be a challenge for me. But- Sonic had to admit. At least he's letting me a get out of jail free card while Rouge and Shadow are here and when I go to visit Tails, so...there's that. And hopefully, if I stay out of enough trouble, he won't keep me in these...things for too long. There's not much else I can do.
It was several hours after lunch before his anger had subsided, and his idea to mellow out and take the babying as it comes to settle in his mind firmly. Now Sonic's stomach was ready to go on a riot if it wasn't filled soon.
Speaking of which...Turning his head to the door, the little droid returned, placing the ingredients of a deconstructed chili dog on the coffee table in front of him, "You're requested items." the robot beeps. Sonic looks it over, smiling with satisfaction at finding everything he had asked for; his loophole for getting chili dogs behind Eggman's back worked! He frowns slightly at the baby bottle filled with water.
Internally sighing, he thanked the robot and shooed it away. When the service droid had departed, he took the bottle and screwed the top off, "There, that's better." he hummed and proceeded to construct himself a chili dog. Taking a bite, he moaned in happiness at the spicy flavor and laid back on the cushions, watching someone accidentally set their poorly-made cake on fire; he giggled at the scene, recalling himself in the same scenario some time ago, and Tails had banned him from the kitchen since then.
Slowly a tiny frown appeared on his mouth. He missed his little brother.
*Later that evening.*
Dinner is once again quiet aside from the soft noise of chewing and scraping silverware. Eggman glances up from his meal, watching Sonic eating in silence, puzzled at the hedgehog's silent demeanor.
The doctor had exited his lab for dinner and walked into the dining room, surprised to see Sonic not screaming and glaring daggers at him. He had expected to encounter a very angry and moody hedgehog. And had mentally prepared himself, along with a few punishment ideas in case things escalated, for a barrage of insults and complaints about the blue devil being treated like an infant. But the doctor was fully thrown back, seeing his charge calmly walk in and climb into the highchair voluntarily without complaint on his own instead.
He hasn't said one word about this morning...he's never been this quiet before-actually I take that back; I thought the little pineapple was mute the first time we met. He's not usually this quiet unless something is bothering him; I wonder what must be on his mind.
"Ahem!" The doctor coughs, attracting Sonic's attention. The hedgehog pauses from his meal, quirking a brow looking at him with one eye, "You've been unusually quiet this evening. Mind telling me why?" the blue blur shrugs eyes directed back to his meal, mumbling, "Just been thinking is all."
"About what?" Sonic sends him a 'really?!' look and flicks his emeralds at the diaper, then back at the doctor who catches on, "Ah, yes. Well...I see."
"You're not gonna let me out of this thing, no matter what I say, will you?" Sonic half-heartedly asks, "No, I'm afraid not. Remember, this is part of your punishment for wrecking the room I specifically had made for you. Along with all the other destruction you've caused."
"Right, right. So then...how long do I have to stay in these things?"
"Till I think you're ready."
"Great, that's so reassuring," he replies sarcastically, resting his head in his hands in defeat, "I know you don't like this, but I really think it's for the best hedgehog."
"The babying treatment?"
"Yes." Sonic closes his eyes and sighs, running a hand through his quills in exasperation, "Alright, fine." he pouts, "What can I except that I need to put up with?" Eggman leans back, his brows arching up in pleasant surprise at how calmly and graciously Sonic was handling this. Perhaps this babying treatment had been the best move to make after all?
"Well, " Eggman's features soften, "The diapers are a must, and I expect you to use them. No more trips to the garden for now." Sonic nods, looking away guiltily. He fidgets in his seat, the mention of the garden reminding him of his need to use the bathroom. "I realize you might have some trouble getting used to going in the diapers for a few days. So I went ahead and put a small dose of laxative in your meals to help, and if you have issues with urinating, I can always put a minor diuretic in your drinks. Or there are other non-drug-induced ways to help with that." Sonic's cheeks flared, quickly crossing his legs. He waves his hands for the doctor to stop while he stared at something catching his attention on the floor. "I'd prefer something not drug-related, thank you." he quietly mutters, voice slightly higher in pitch; he clears his throat.
Eggman nods in understanding, "You will stay in the nursery until you're old room is fixed. Also, you are to go to bed every night with the pacifier. You will eat and drink with the utensils and bottles you are given and eat your meals in the high chair, and I will bathe and care for you as a parent would their own child. I did put some toys in your room, but those are mainly for decoration; you do not have to play with them or act like a toddler, but you will be treated as such until further notice. Understood?" Sonic sighs and rolls his eyes, silently cursing every curse word he could think of. Taking a deep breath, he says, reluctantly, "Yeah, doc."
The doctor smiles and hums in approval, "Glad that's settled. But tell me...why the sudden change? I was expecting you to put up more of a fight than this?" he asks, curiously. Sonic scratches the back of his head nervously, kicking his crossed legs, "I...I just realized, well...I went on a long run and did some thinking. I knew you weren't going to let up with all this...baby...stuff. And fighting was obviously going to make things worse and well. I-I-I-" he stutters, trying to gather his words. He rubbed his nose and blushed. "Despite how I acted before. I really do want to help you, Eggman, to be a good guy. And my pranks and teasing before weren't really helping you do that. So if me staying here and letting you babying me is the only way to help you to become a well...better you, then I'll do it! Whatever it takes." he says, his voice turning from modest embarrassment to firm determination. His butt wiggles again as his head and posture lift in the high chair.
Eggman's smile widens, and a feeling of pride swells in his chest, "Thank you, Sonic." the blue devil smirks confidently back and nods. Then he shyly looks back down, wiggling in his seat more; Eggman spots the hedgehog's anxious fidgeting and concerned asks, "Something the matter?"
"I um...I uh...I have tuh, need to..." Eggman smiles softly. The blue blur didn't need to shuffle through his words anymore for him to understand. "Need some help?"
"No! No. Just...look away for a minute, ok." Sonic asks, crimson flooding his face; the doctor nods and turns away in his seat. Grateful for the tiny bit of privacy, the blue devil sucks in a breath through his teeth and closes his eyes. Ok, ok, come on, relax, just imagine you're in the garden. Alone...yeah. Just me thinkin' my thoughts.
As he meditated, imagining himself alone in the garden, his bladder let loose, and a crooked smile twitched on his muzzle at the release, widening further at the warmth in his crotch. After a solid minute, he finished and opened his eyes, glancing down to his diaper, now swollen. He gulped. That was a little easier than I expected. Ears turning back and nerves bubbling up in his stomach, he now came to his next problem, telling Eggman.
"O-ok." he stutters, "I'm d-d-done." the doctor turns back to see the little hedgehog's cheeks and ears as red as a tomato with hunched shoulders, sitting in his now used diaper. It was honestly adorable. "Good job! You were able to do it yourself this time." Eggman praises, "T-thanks." Sonic mutters, keeping a smile back at the praise for wetting on his own. Getting up, Eggman removes the tray and picks Sonic up under the shoulders; the hedgie remains silent, allowing the doctor to take him to the nursery.
Sonic tenses as they get closer, feeling very confused and surprised. He was somewhat proud of himself for wetting on his own and was stunned, feeling his heart flutter when Eggman praised him. That concerned him, the newly sprouted need and desire for Eggman's approval. This guy is my enemy-er-ex-enemy but still?! I shouldn't feel good when he says he's proud of me, right? Ok, Sonic, you're getting negative again. Just focus on something else.
His thoughts turned to the diaper as disgusting as it was; he couldn't deny the warmth in his bottom felt nice. Like a seat heater, he could make on his own. And something about the squishy texture made him want to giggle like when he was misbehaving.
Ears twitch hearing the hushed whoosh of a door opening, and his eyes landed on the changing table. Sonic felt his heartbeat pick up and stomach twist as Eggman laid him on his back, "Hold still, and I'll be done in a jiffy."
"Y-yeah, ok," Sonic mumbled, anxiously waiting for the doctor to begin. Though this would be his second change today, he couldn't help but feel more nervous about it than the first time since he hadn't been totally aware then. Now the blue blur was awake and alert to every little movement and sound, his eyes wide, watching everything that was happening and ears turning and twitching wildly. A wave of embarrassment and humiliation to being babied hit him, and his eyes stung with tears beginning to form; he sniffed. Come on, don't start that again. Stop being such a baby! He scolded himself quickly, blinking the tears away, not about to cry again over a dirty diaper.
Eggman gathers the needed materials and sets them to the side; he checks on Sonic and sees the hedgehog looking upset and tense body language. "Hey, now don't be upset, my little one. You did nothing wrong." he extends a hand and gently caresses his fuzzy head, "You went in your diaper like a good hedgie. No one but us is around, and I won't tease or make fun of you I promise." he reassures. Sonic looks at the doctor, relaxing ever so slightly with surprise and appreciation flowing out of his eyes, and he gives a small smile.
Grinning back, the large human commences with the change. Sonic concentrated on breathing to calm his racing heart while Eggman is busy. Cool air hits his crotch when the diaper is opened, and the blue blur realizes how warm the diaper, wet or not, was keeping him. That's another thing they're good for. It's a coat for my bottom, and if I fall on my tail, it won't hurt as bad cause of the soft padding. He thought to himself, trying to be optimistic about the whole experience.
"This will be a bit cold." Eggman reminded him before taking a wipe and cleaning Sonic down there, the hedgie's eyes widened, and he shivered. Once clean, the doctor disposed of the used padding and unfolded a new one. Taking the blue devil's legs, Eggman raised him slightly and moved the diaper underneath, taking care to tuck Sonic's tail into the special tail hole and grabbed the baby powder.
A charcoal nose twitches as the white powder puffs its way to his face, and his brow bunches up before letting out a cute sneeze, "Excuse you." Eggman chuckles, making Sonic blush. As his legs are placed back down, Sonic reddens more; feeling the diaper's softness, he rubs his nose. The doctor pulls up the front and tapes the sides snuggly, giving the front a pat when he's finished. "There we go all clean. That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Sonic mumbles a no, sitting himself up, ears twitching at the crinkle. Eggman takes a look at his watch, "Well, it's still a while before bedtime. How about a little tv before then?" nodding, Sonic hops off the table and follows the human to the lounge room.
Chapter 10: 17 Months Again
Notes:
*(Haha! The chapter title is so clever, get it?! Like 17 again? But since Sonic is already a teenager, he's 17 months old instead again! Get it?!
*crickets chirping*
...
Ok, I'm officially reading too much Sonic fanfiction. I'm getting as bad as him with the puns.
Ahem, on a serious note. So I'm sure some of you are annoyed by my talking, but I do have two important things to say before you start this chapter.
Recently one of my readers informed me that there is a rumor going around that FF.net may shut down as the servers have stopped responding to messages and have not updated anything to the forums for quite a while. This is cause for concern cause there are over 40 thousand STH fics posted on there all the way from the '90s. I implore you, dear reader, again to preserve your favorite stories! If the rumor turns out to be true, then thousands of stories and writer's works are at risk of disappearing in the blink of an eye. So spread the word, alert your favorite authors and save your stories just in case, especially older ones where the author is no longer active.
On a lighter note relating to the one above. Remember how I said one of my top favorite stories was taken down because the writer wanted to rework it? IT'S BACK! They reposted the story just a few days after my last update, and it's finished! I recommend you read it as it was one of the stories that got me writing my own. Yes, it is an ABDL Sonic fic; there is some foul language and some light Sonadow. If that makes you uncomfortable, I completely understand, I'm not a fan of Sonadow personally, but this one is not too bad. It's on Wattpad and called "My Blue Baby Boy."
Again huge recommendation for that fic, and please alert as many writers as you can about the potential of the website shutting down so that they can be prepared and save a copy of your favorites for yourself!
Bold text indicates Metal speaking; bold and italicized are Metal's thoughts. On with the show!)*
Chapter Text
The morning sun rises higher over the hills, its soft morning rays peeking over the treetops and passing through one of the windows of a grey building. Behind the window are velvety curtains opened and hanging on the sides, allowing the warm glow to land on a small mass inside the green crib. The thick blanket gently swaying up and down with the softly dozing little hedgehog.
His face scrunches when the light hits his face; he sucks on the pacifier and nuzzles further into his cocoon, not ready to face the world yet. But the light persists, the blanket being ineffective in blocking it out. At its persistence, Sonic gives up sleeping anymore and rubs his face in defeat to wake himself up.
Pulling the pacifier out, he sits up and lets out a large yawn, stretching his arms and scratching his sides. "Mmmmphh. Don't wanna get up." he groans to no one. Shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs, he childishly rubs his eyes, recalling his conversation with Eggman the night before. "That went better than I think we both thought it would," he says, a little surprised about how well their discussion had gone over.
The lack of screaming demands and yelling made Sonic's hope of Eggman reforming grow. The doctor was genuinely acting more and more like a caring friend and less like a psychotic dictator. The blue blur, now knowing what he needed to do to help the human not only get on but stay on the right path, lifted his spirits and pushed away any hesitation about the babying situation. "Remember, stay positive, think about who you're doing this for, and as Shads said, hog up."
"Right." he nods with a resolute smirk and hops out of the crib, landing on his socked feet, akimbo, "So, my first official day as a baby. What do baby's do?" tapping a foot with a hand upon his chin, he rolls that thought around his brain, trying to recall how Tails acted when he was younger. "Tails was four when I found him, no diapers. And Cream? I didn't meet her and Vanilla until long after I met Tails, and she's two years younger than him. Hmmm...ok, do I know anyone who has any kids?...No." As he thought about it, Sonic realizes he has no idea what babies do.
Sure he had seen plenty and had even held and kissed a few for fans and the press, but that was it. He had never babysat anyone besides Cream. He knew Amy did some babysitting from time to time but not on any regular basis. And he couldn't recall how he was as a baby or toddler before meeting Eggman. Other than crying and using diapers, he didn't know about the day-to-day life events of a baby.
"Huh? Guess I'm stuck then."
"Well, Eggman did say we didn't have to act like a baby. He's just going to treat us like one."
"Right right...still makes me wonder-?"
Gggggrroooowlll!
"Hehehe." he lightheartedly chuckles at his stomach's prudent nagging, "Guess I can think about that stuff later. Right now, I think is a good time as any to grab some grub." setting his questions on babies and what they do aside, he leaves the nursery and heads out for some breakfast.
Stepping in the dining room, Sonic's brows rose, surprised not to see Eggman already sitting there waiting. Instead, Metal Sonic stiffly stood before him, not that the robot wasn't supposed to be there. He was just puzzled as to why Metal was here without the doc. "Well, you're looking especially shiny today. What's the occasion? Gotta hot date with the toaster?" He teased with a cocked head and wide smile, Metal Sonic's fan whirled, and he crossed his pointy arms, "I do not date; I am a robot. And if I did, I would never consider partnering myself with an inferior machine such as the bread warmer."
"Yeah, sure uh-huh. So where's Egghead?" the organic hedgehog asked, waving at his metal copy indifferently, not paying the robot much attention as he passed, sauntering up to his high chair. If he could, Metal would have rolled his eyes. They flickered instead. "Master is in the middle of a critical meeting. He will not be joining you for the morning meal."
"M'kay, that's cool, so what's on the menu then?" Sonic asks, climbing up to his seat. Once he's settled, he clicks the tray in front of him and leans over, watching Metal Sonic leave to grab his breakfast, "Bacon, eggs sunny side up, toast, and my special variety fruit salad." the robot responds before disappearing behind the double doors. The blue devil rests his head in his hands, slowly nodding, "Sounds good." Sonic replies when Metal returns and sets the plate on the tray table. Lifting the lid, steam rolls out, and the blue blur's mouth-waters at the detectable meal. He had to give it to the robot; Metal could cook the tastiest dishes, and Sonic couldn't complain about going hungry since his arrival at Eggman's. No wonder the man weighed a ton. Thankfully the blue blur didn't have to worry about that since his metabolism was as speedy as his feet and all his meals were healthy, besides his semi-frequent fast food trips.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Umm, got any apple juice?" Metal nods and leaves to retrieve his drink, as Sonic begins to butter and jam his slices of toast, respectively, and munches on the crispy bacon. "Mmmmmm! Cooked to perfection!" He mumbles happily; suddenly, a baby bottle filled with apple juice comes into view. His eyes perk up to Metal, "Your drink." he beeps, pushing the bottle closer to Sonic's face. Swallowing, the blue blur nods in gratitude and takes the baby bottle, eyeing it over. Metal stands stiff next to him like a decorative piece of armor, watching his every move.
Sonic's quills bristle; he tries not to pay attention to his duplicate staring at him creepily while he eats. But after a few minutes of his quills bristling nonstop and piercing red lights boring at him, he can't take it anymore and addresses his copy, asking, "Uh, you need something?"
"Master wishes for me to stay with you for today." Metal Sonic flatly states, "What? Why?" Sonic blinks owlishly, mouth stuffed with toast. "Your behavior has been erratic, and since Master is unavailable to watch over you. He has given me the task to make sure you stay out of trouble. Despite your assurance of improving your behavior, he still wishes for you to be monitored until further notice."
"Great, " Sonic's ears lower. Apparently, the doctor had forgotten to mention this to him last night, "So you're basically my babysitter for the day?" he says more as a statement than a question. "Correct." Metal confirms; Sonic sighs, tossing his head back on the cushioned chair with a soft thud. "Ugh! Fine! Stupid lousy baby treatment." he mumbles, looking back to his bottle; he gathers his wits and takes a sip of juice.
It takes him a couple of tries before he figures out the best way to suckle the bottle, but once he does, its contents are downed quickly, along with the rest of his breakfast. Once he finishes, Metal Sonic removes the tray allowing Sonic to hop off, and the blue devil begins to walk out of the dining room, "Where are you going?" Metals sharply calls, halting the hedgehog midstep. "Hmm? Oh, the gym. I'll see ya later, Metal." Sonic waves but is stopped again by Metal Sonic stepping in his way, impending him from his morning run.
"Negative. I will escort you." Sonic slouches, shaking his head, pinching the space between his eyes, and lets out a strained groan, "Metal, you don't have to follow me. I just told you where I was going. You don't have to follow me everywhere I go. Just check up on me every once in a while or better yet, not at all, ok? I can manage by myself!"
"Negative. Master specifically requested I keep you under surveillance today until he returns; therefore, I must follow you."
Agh! Stupid metallic copy walking dictionary, freak show of a robot! This is so creepy! I can't go anywhere or do anything by myself anymore!
"Fine!" Sonic yells, tossing his arms in the air, flustered that he couldn't escape the badnick's watch. "Just keep your distance. I don't want tuh run into your creepy red eyes every time I turn around." he glares, pointing directly to those piercing red lights. With a huff, Sonic shuffles off, Metal trailing behind.
A short walk later, the two entered the gym. So far, Sonic's favorite part of the base. Why, do you ask? Eggman rarely (more like never) stepped foot into this area, and there was a plethora of machines and activities for Sonic to choose from! It was as good as any playground for the athletic hedgehog. It had a spinning wheel (imagine a giant hamster's wheel it was Sonic's favorite), a rock-climbing wall, running track (also a favorite), swimming pool (yeah, he wasn't going anywhere near there), weight lifts, stationary bikes, gymnastics equipment and so much more he didn't have a clue what it all was.
"Whoops, forgot the sneaks!" Sonic suddenly remembered quickly dashing past his duplicate in blue light; he returned a second later with his trademark shoes. Metal Sonic spun in place from the force of the hedgehog's self-created wind, tipping side to side before his balance modules kicked in. The robot narrowed the L.E.D. lights on his optical receptors glowering at his organic counterpart with mixed irritation and hate. "Please refrain from running in the halls. You nearly knocked me off onto the floor."
"Gee, I'm sorry, Metal." Sonic says, feigning remorse, "I didn't realize how delicate you are. Guess looks can be pretty deceiving." he remarks sarcastically, slipping his footing on, and begins to stretch, "Would have thought that after all our battles together, Eggman would've made you with something that could take a good pounding. But if a simple fall to the floor puts a dent in your motor guess, I was wrong." he snidely smirks at the robot before blowing a raspberry and kicking up a leg blasting to the running track. Metal Sonic glares, silently seething underneath, causing his hard drive to dangerously overheat, wishing Eggman hadn't taken out his primary objective of getting rid of the blue hedgehog from his directive.
Ever since my fleshy counterpart entered Master's fortress, taking my place as second in command, he's done nothing but proven how useless organic beings can be. Making me the fool and not contributing to the base's functions or serving Master adequately. On the contrary, he has been nothing but a nuisance and a thorn on our sides. Instead of focusing on improving his machines, Master has gone soft and tied himself down to caring for my worthless copy since he can no longer tend to himself.
As Metal stood and watched a blue blur spin round and round the track, he put his processors and internet connection to use searching and planning of way to get back at Sonic for taking his place as Eggman's right-hand man and essentially calling him a delicate prissy piece of glass that would break at the slightest change of wind.
Ok, that isn't what his organic copy said, but Metal could read between the lines! And he was going to pay...eventually.
Exercise and a meal full of laxatives really do not go well together, Sonic discovered. While he knew Eggman was putting the latter in his meals, he didn't know the former only helped speed up the process.
As he continued running around the track, his stomach churned and gurgled, slowly drawing his attention away from counting how many laps he had run to the future condition of his diaper in a few minutes. Gradually coming to a stop, Sonic crouched at the halfway point with a gloved hand cradling his stomach, "Oh man. That chili dog from yesterday is really talking to me now, ugh." he moaned, the anxiety stirring in his stomach making him feel worse.
It's ok, Sonic. This is all a part of the process; no big deal! You knew this would happen at some point...I was just hoping it would be a little later. Having the sensation of eyes on his back, he looks around to see Metal Sonic in the distance, still standing and watching him like an eagle. "Hey! Can't a guy get a little privacy here?!" he yells in irritation and embarrassment that the robot was here to witness him in this position, "Why do you require privacy?" Sonic chokes at the badnick in shock; how dunce could this robot be? "You're kidding me, right?"
"No. Wait..." Metal says, holding a finger up for silence; after a solid 5 seconds, he states. "Crouching posture and scans indicate pressure and cramping in lower intestines. You are about to excrete your waste, also known as fecal matter, are you not?" Sonic cringes, groaning in disgust at the badnick. He didn't have to tell the hedgehog what was going on in his insides that he already knew. "Ok, seriously gross! Don't ever say that again. And yes! I would really like some priva-ugh," he wines and grunts, rubbing his stomach as it rolls; he glares back at Metal as his urgency increased. "I would like some privacy. You don't have to leave just...turn around or something! I'll let you know when I'm done, so please just go!" he emphatically yells, making shooing motions at the robot.
Metal Sonic beeped in indifference, not caring how uncomfortable the hedgehog was about excreting in front of him. But he did consider the action, if not most of an organic being's habits and needs, ineffective and disgusting, so he complied. Turning to and standing before the opposite wall waiting for the blue blur to finish his business.
"Thank you!" Sonic whispers, grateful that for once, Metal listened to what he said. Unfortunately, it didn't dispel his nerves about messing the diaper, "Ok, Sonic; it's ok, you can do this, you can do this...just..." he lowly mumbles bending his nervously shaking legs at a slight angle and closed his eyes, to concentrate on pushing. Slowly he felt his meal from yesterday leave and begin to plop down in the diaper. As before, after Sonic gets started, it comes out a lot easier. He feels somewhat grateful for the laxatives knowing that messing his diaper would have been a lot harder without them. He loosens up when the last bit drops, and Sonic sighs in relief until he realizes that he needs to pee now.
"Well, no time like the present." Taking a breath, he concentrates again, meditating about the garden as he did yesterday, and lets loose a warm feeling spreading on his front, sagging the diaper down more. A shiver runs up his arms and makes Sonic release an unexpected little giggle at the release. He blushes at the silly noise he just made. Straightening up, he looks down at the diaper when he finishes, "Wow, ahem...Eggman wasn't kidding when he said I really had to go." he chuckles in embarrassment and scratches the side of his head. He felt much better now, having emptied his tanks and couldn't get over how the reoccurring warmth in his diaper felt unexpectedly...pleasant? Still, it looks disgusting! He cringes. Looking back up, he saw Metal Sonic still facing the wall and calls to the robot stuttering, "O-o-ok. I'm-I'm done now." the badnick turns around, looking at his counterpart wearing now a dirty and full diaper. "You have used your diaper." He says, stating the obvious. "Y-yeah, I did..." Sonic's shameful grimace widened, cheeks still bright pink. "I will inform Master you require a change immediately to prevent a rash from forming."
"Oh, great, t-thanks," Sonic replies quietly and sweatdrops at the mention of a rash, shyly hugging himself. At least the problem of how to let Eggman know he needed a change without embarrassment had been taken care of for him. He didn't think there was a delicate way for him to admit that without turning tomato red and stuttering like an idiot.
A few beeps and clicks later, Metal says, "Eggman will arrive at the nursery shortly. I will escort you there." nodding, Sonic spread his legs further apart, pigeon-toed to walk without mushing the contents of his diaper, letting it sag, and awkwardly toddles after the robot.
Sonic's heart races the closer they get to the nursery, feeling exposed wearing the bulky diaper. Though this is his third diaper change, he can't help but still feel embarrassed, and his cheeks redden, knowing that in a few moments, Eggman would be taking care of his mess. Part of him couldn't believe the doctor would be willing to...change him in the first place! Aren't dirty diapers the bane of a new parent's existence, especially fathers? Then again, Eggman was a doctor, so a dirty diaper was nothing compared to slimy organs in surgeries the man had studied and worked with off and on for the past few decades. Any gross-out factor or gag reflex had to be long gone by now.
Well, at least Sonic didn't feel like crying like a baby like he had the last two times. Pausing at the door, he took in a shaky breath to try and calm himself, but his anxiety didn't dissipate. Instead, it increased when the doors opened with Eggman waiting for them on the other side. His eyes widened, surprised to see the man already there. When did Eggy get here so fast?
"Ah, there you two are. Metal told me you need a change, is that correct?" Eggman kindly smiled down to him; Sonic's heart leaped to his throat. His ears laid back, and he nodded slowly, "There, there, Sonic, it's nothing to be ashamed about. It's only natural." Eggman reassured, picking the hedgehog up and laying him over his jacket shoulder soothingly rubbing between cobalt quills before laying him down on the table. Sonic didn't believe the doctor one bit. Me? Sonic the Hedgehog using diapers like an ordinary baby?! No, this can't be right one bit!
The blue blur braced himself as he was laid down, heart beating so fast it almost felt like it was going to fly out of his chest. He was shaking so much he was a nervous wreck! "Hey, hey, hey. Calm down..." Eggman cooes worried about seeing Sonic so freaked out; he gently rubs an ear seeing as the trick had worked before to help him calm down. Poor thing is half terrified. He's making this much worse than it has to be for himself. If he just calmed down, he would see this isn't that bad.
Sonic flinches at the touch, freezing when the doctor begins to rub the sweet spot, and an excited chill goes through him before his muscles lax at the ear rub. He smiles for a split second before pulling himself together back to a neutral expression. "That's right, just stay still, and I'll fix you up in a jiffy," Eggman says once Sonic's shivering lessens.
Sonic's heart finally slows, and he obeys, moving his gaze to the ceiling, emerald eyes widening in surprise to see glow-in-the-dark star stickers. Had those always been there? Or am I just now catching it? That's really cool! I wonder if they're just the lame store-bought kind or if Eggy made them himself? It wouldn't surprise me if he did make them, and I'm sure they'd be a million times cooler! He ponders, worry fading away as he takes a mental note to check later tonight. Eggman untapes the diaper repeating the procedure from last time, wiping the blue blur's tushy clean and removing the used diaper, replacing it with a fresh, clean one. Taking Sonic's legs, he lifts them and powders; a black nose twitches to the pleasant smell, and an unconscious smile twinges on the corner of Sonic's muzzle while he stays busy counting the stars.
Sonic is surprised at how well this diapering is going. Sure he's not crazy about it, and the prominent blush on his cheeks conveys how embarrassing this is for him, but still, it's not as horrible as he had initially imagined. It was, in a way, relaxing. Gently he feels his legs being placed back down onto the padding and Eggman tugging up the front to just above his tummy, making sure it fits snuggly before taping the diaper closed. "There you are!" The doctor hums with a grin, "Anything else you need before I go?" Sonic sits up and replies instantly, "Nope! And...uh...thanks." he softly mumbles, rubbing under his nose cheeks flushed.
The sight of the hedgehog blushing shyly tempted Eggman to give the blue blur a hug to comfort him, but the doctor stopped himself; he was pushing the boundaries as it was, and he didn't want to push too far. "As I said, it's perfectly alright. No need to be embarrassed. You can be yourself around me, my little hedgie!" Eggman chuckles, ruffling the blue blur's head instead and giving him a quick scratch; Sonic grumbles but accepts the affection trying not to give away how much he secretly enjoyed it.
Change finished Sonic hops down and leaves with Metal, Eggman right behind before the trio go their separate ways until another change is needed or the time for lunch is announced. Whichever comes first.
Chapter 11: What do I make of this?
Notes:
*I was initially only going to have one dream sequence for Eggman later in this story, but I couldn't resist adding one for Sonic. Also, special thanks to Nikikeya for their ideas and for letting me add their unique addition to this story!
Remember guys comment often with your ideas and suggestions and I might find a place to squeeze them in. It helps me come up with ideas, and you guys get more content!
++ and italicized text indicate dream sequence.*
Chapter Text
As Eggman proved throughout the next few weeks, the baby treatment was no joke to our blue furball. The doctor took it with all seriousness. Diaper checks, highchair meals, child-locked tv programs (no more R-rated movie favorites like Speed), baby monitors (the radio kind for the nursery and Metal Sonic if the doctor was busy), and nap times were all a part of the newly dubbed Baby Sonic's routine. Along with affectionate nicknames, head pats, ear scratches, and back rubs, Eggman would give him every time the hedgehog was anywhere near the man.
Sonic did his best not to act or look like he enjoyed the affection; too bad an uncontrollable purr or tail wag would escape sometimes and give him away. So he just acted like he didn't hear it or that nothing was happening.
As annoying as this all was, Sonic tried to make sure his attitude wasn't too hostile; he refrained from hissing at the doctor and kept his quills relaxed. He didn't complain too much and tried to see the pampering's bright side. After all, no one else was around to see him like this, and Eggman never teased or did anything to humiliate him; in fact, the doctor was always kind and affectionate. Reassuring him that everything about this was ok and made sure he wasn't uncomfortable, he treated the blue devil like one of his precious creations.
Little did Sonic realize how much the doctor's kind pampering and his own attempts at a positive view were affecting him.
When Sonic had expressed to Eggman some concern on what to discuss on their weekly interviews, (no way in hell was he going to tell Shadow he was now wearing diapers! And if Eggman mentioned it to Rouge, word would spread faster than he could run, and he could kiss his awesome hero of Mobius status. Goodbye.) Eggman firmly agreed not to mention the babying or anything in relation. He had also assured that all baby equipment would be removed from sight.
That had taken a massive weight off the hedgehog's shoulders! Making it easier for him to take the babying in stride, and as the weeks went by, things, in general, got easier and easier as the doctor and hedgehog's bond grew.
Eggman spent more time with Sonic than in his lab most days. They would bond chatting on their old adventures, play video or board games together, reading, watch cooking competitions and movies, trade antidotes of their own horrible cooking experiences. It turns out Eggman was worse in the kitchen than him; the doc couldn't even scramble an egg without bombing the stove (how ironic), and that's why Metal Sonic was his head chef. Sonic had found this little tidbit that they shared funny and interesting. Huh, the more you learn about a guy.
The diapers were extremely comfortable! And going in them got easier with each use to the point where when Sonic would hear mother nature calling, he just went without a second thought (no more laxatives, yay!). Not having to stop whatever he was doing and would enjoy the newfound warmth until Eggman checked in on him. He still couldn't bring himself to go up to the man and ask for a change, so he would just wait or let Metal Sonic alert the doctor instead. Admittedly waiting at times got a bit uncomfortable but not enough for him to have to go looking for Eggman to change him.
Speaking of diapers, his thoughts and curiosity about babies grew as the days went on, and one day when the doctor wasn't around, and he was especially bored, he decided to have a look at the chest of toys Eggman had put in his room. Thinking that it might give him a clue as to why the doctor viewed him as a baby. Even though the human had explained it already to him, he still didn't get quite what part of his behavior gave Eggman that impression.
"Ok, let's see what we've got here," he says dryly, not expecting to find anything of interest, and there wasn't much; a toy car, rattle, mini xylophone, fake mower that had a clear plastic cover with balls that would pop, kaleidoscope, blocks, and a semi-transparent ball. He scoffed in irritation at his findings, "What? This is all just some random toys!" there was no way anything in here was going to help him answer his question at all! Rolling his eyes with utter disdain, he picks up the ball, "Seriously, this is it? Come on, Egghead, ya could have put a little more effort into this." tossing the toy in the air, he kicks it to the wall.
The ball slams into the wall and falls, rolling away, blinking with different colored lights while a tinkling lullaby plays. Sonic's pupils widen, staring in surprise and wonder at the toy. After a few moments, it stops blinking. Hesitantly, he approaches, ears sadly drooping. The hedgehog wishing for it to continue, taps his fingers together, biting his lip, and he quickly glances around suspiciously to make sure no one is around to laugh at him. The coast clear, Sonic then scoops the ball up, holds out at arm's length in front of him, and drops it. Emerald eyes sparkling and going wide as it once again lights up and plays music, causing a smile to creep up on his muzzle.
Eggman decides to check in on his charge a few minutes later, the door swishing open; he stays beside the opening just out of sight and peeks around the corner. What he sees astonishes him, a wide grin growing underneath his fuzz.
The teenage blue hedgehog that had formally been his nemesis was gone instead; there in the middle of the floor was a serene little hoglet, playing with one of the toys from the chest. A light-up ball held in both his hands, gently tapping it on the floor whenever it stops blinking. Would you look at that! Seems as though someone is enjoying this more than they appeared to be. The doctor observes silently a few minutes more in delight til he slinks away to allow his little one to his age-play before he gets caught.
After that, slowly, Sonic found himself playing with the baby toys more and more. Racing around the nursery with the mower to see how fast he could make it pop—building towers and castles then tearing them down with his plushies—having mini concerts with the xylophone and air guitar. And tapping the light-up ball to hear its pretty music and to watch the lights twinkle. All the while, Eggman would secretly peek in and watch from time to time in amusement at the reveal of this new behavior making mental notes off what he sees.
If you had asked Sonic what he was doing playing with these baby toys he would have said he was bored and was just messing around, but Eggman knew. Sonic had unknowingly succumbed to his baby side.
*One month later.*
Eggman and Sonic were at the dining table eating breakfast when Orbot hovered in with his lackey, "Excuse me, Doctor." the robot meekly interrupts the human who paused from his meal, "Yes?"
"You just received a message from Shadow and Rouge informing you that they will be here within the hour." Sonic gulped down a bite of peanut butter oatmeal (plain?! Please don't be barbaric!) at the news and glanced down at his diaper. I need to pee soon so I can get a change before they get here. Smacking his lips feeling parched from the peanut butter, he reached for his bottle and sucked the orange juice, feet kicking in giddiness.
"Hmm, they're a little early today. No matter, deliver Miss Rouge's usual to my office and make sure it's tidy, would you?" Eggman asks, "Certainly." Orbot respectfully bows, then heads off to take care of his duties with Cubot right behind him. Sonic sucks down the last of his juice and burps, sighing happily at the feeling of a full belly. Eggman chuckles and pats the hedgehog's head, "Full?" he asks. Sonic nods and closes his eyes as he begins to wet his diaper, the warmth welcomed with open arms, breathing out his nose in content.
Gently wiping away any food that might have gotten caught in his mustache Eggman clears his throat before standing. "Well, we best start getting ready then." Removing the tray from the high chair, he spots Sonic's wet diaper and picks the blue blur up, carrying him to the nursery. Sonic holds on, having grown used to being carried, his heart feeling warm and full as his belly as they enter his room. He swiftly looks over the nursery to find his few toys on the floor, thinking about what he was going to play with today.
Laying the hedgehog on his back, Eggman removes the diaper. He blinks hearing humming and finds the noise to be coming from the blue blur smiling and twiddling his thumbs while humming some tune, "You seem to be in a good mood this morning." the doctor says with unhidden mirth. Sonic hums more, absently agreeing with a nod while he's changed. Eggman reigns in a delighted laugh, threatening to burst out.
I can't believe this! He's eating this up! Not one complaint or a bit of grumbling in weeks! He actually likes me treating him like a baby, and I...confound it...I enjoy it as well, hohoho! This is unbelievable! Who would have guessed it? I wonder...I wonder how he would react if I...? Nah! He'd go down to his grave, denying that he likes all this attention.
Shaking his head, Eggman wipes the hedgie clean, tosses the used diaper, and sanitizes his hands. "That'll do it! Come along, pineapple." The doctor picks Sonic up under his shoulders and sets him on the floor, smiling; the blue blur follows him like a lost puppy to the entrance where Shadow and Rouge have just entered. "Shadow. Rouge. Good morning! I hope we haven't kept you two waiting long." Eggman greets, Sonic waves at the duo brightly beaming.
The white bat flips her hair with ease, "Actually, you're right on time. So, you ready to get started, doctor?"
"Certainly." Looking down at his charge, Eggman says, "I'll see you later, Sonic." with that, he and Rouge leave the black and blue hedgehogs. Shadow grunts stepping forward, taking the lead to their usual area to conduct the interview. "Let's get this over with." Sonic, not phased by his rival's grumpiness, jogs to catch up, "So Shads..." he starts swinging his arms as they walk, "whatcha' been up to of late? Besides checking in with Egghead and me?"
"Rouge and I have been staying busy thanks to the commander with stealth missions."
"Ooohhh! Nice! What kind of stealth missions? Any that might involve some chaotic jewels of interest to a certain thief/partner of yours?" Shadow rolls his eyes as he enters the dining room. Taking his usual seat at the table, the dark hog clips. "That's none of your business hedgehog, and it's classified."
"Ok, ok." The blue devil chortles, holding his hands up in surrender, "Can't blame a guy for trying to have a friendly conversation with his rival." taking his own seat, he notices out of the corner is his eye that the high chair is gone. Good! Can't have Faker asking any questions I won't be able to answer truthfully. Chaos knows I'm a terrible liar.
"Sooo-" His ears twitch hearing Shadow drawl while impatiently tapping his fingers on the table, interrupting Sonic's internal monologue, "Anything to report?"
"Always straight to the point, don't cha' Shads? Nope, nothing new happened. Eggman did stuff in his lab, checked on me from time to time, and I just hung out." he shrugged, "Uh-huh..." Shadow crossed his arms, scanning his rival, who had his feet kicked up on the table in a relaxed pose, "Is this part of your plan to help the doctor, or are you just being lazy?"
"Hey! I quit pranking him, didn't I? And it's working so far, isn't it?" Sonic replies arrogantly, "It's not like I can do much being stuck around here. Besides, I haven't seen or heard of him cooking up any world domination schemes. The doc...he's mellowed out a lot; I think after this is all over, we won't have anything to worry about from him." he says with complete confidence winking at the ebony hog. "You just might be able to finally go on that long overdue vacation after this. Don't get me wrong, Shadster, you've made some improvement in the emo department, but it would do you some good to loosen up some more."
Shadow clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, "I don't need you to tell me to loosen up. I get enough of that from Rouge already." the blue blur hides his snickering, not the least surprised that the white bat terrorized her partner constantly to get out in the world and live a little. If she didn't, and if Shadow didn't work for G.U.N., the dark hog would indeed have turned into a hermit by now.
Scootching the chair back, said dark hog hops off, "Well, since nothing has changed. And you seem confident that the doctor isn't a current threat. I think our interview is done for today." Sonic imitates his rival and sends him a lazy smirk tossing his hands behind his head. "Sounds good! I'll see you next time then!" Neutral as always Shadow nods this time with a knowing smile and leaves to check on how Rouge is doing with her interview. Sonic missing his rival's subtle smile, goes for the lounge room in the opposite direction, whistling a cheery tune.
*Later that evening.*
A gloved hand covers a wide squeaky yawn, emerald eyes blinking tiredly and half-lidded watching the tv screen. Sonic and Eggman were sitting on the couch watching an old film about a reptilian monster destroying some large city on the other side of the globe. A big bowl of half-eaten popcorn rested in the doctor's lap, the human scratching Sonic's velvety ears as he leaned against the doctor's large belly like his own personal pillow.
Eggman glances down, hearing the squeak seeing a very sleepy-looking hedgehog. Casting a quick glance at the clock he pauses the movie and pats the furry head resting on his stomach, "Come on hedgehog. It's bedtime." Sonic pouts, not wanting to get up being quite content where he was but acquiesced when the thought of being carried enters his mind. He sits up, stretching his hands to the sky, indicating he wanted to be picked up with another yawn.
When he didn't feel any hands underneath his arms, he peeked open his eyes to see Eggman was gone. Frowning, Sonic lowered his arms and looked up behind the couch to see the doctor leaving the lounge. He sat there, confused for a moment that the doctor didn't see his gesture; but he put his disappointment aside, thinking Eggman must have been tired himself or had misinterpreted the sign as only stretching. Hoping off, he followed the man to their bedrooms.
When he passed Eggman and stopped in front of the nursery door, his brow perked up when the door didn't open. Stepping back, he approached again to be met with the same result; Sonic looked down at his collar and, to his surprise, found the light was red. Was it malfunctioning or something?
"Oh, I'm sorry." Eggman seeing the little hedgehog's confused expression at the door and collar, comes to clarify, "Your old room is finished. So you don't need to stay in the nursery anymore." he then points further down the hall. Sonic looks down in that direction, then back at the towering human, tilting his head to the side, "My-my old room?"
"Yes. It's the same one as before, two doors down."
"Oh!" Sonic softy gasped finally understanding; he had forgotten about his old room, "Thanks. Uh, night Egghead." he said slowly and drifted that way. Stopping at the appropriate door, his collar blinked green, and the door swished opened. Sonic looked back in the doctor's direction, the man already leaving without a word. His ears and tail lowered, looking back at his old room as he stepped in.
His eyes rove over the room, taking it all in. For some reason, his heart sank inside his chest. Everything was exactly the way it was before his tantrum, a little over a month ago. Dull color scheme, age-appropriate books on the bookshelf, teenage-sized bed, and desk, with a few miscellaneous posters and knick-knacks. It was perfect. So why do I feel so sad? And like...this is wrong or that something's missing? He wondered, feeling out of place in the room reminiscent of his own at the workshop. Eh, it's nothing. I'm just tired, is all. He shook his head and yawned again, his body reiterating that fact.
Shuffling to the bed, the blue blur removed his shoes and nose-dived into the covers. Burrowing his head onto the pillow, he exhaled at its softness, trying not to think about how odd it felt not to have protective bars surrounding him, and slowly drifted to sleep.
++
Bright colors greeted him when he opened his eyes, shifting them side to side; he saw familiar green bars beside him. Above was a sky blue painted ceiling; before he could think about where he was, suddenly Eggman appeared, looking down at him from above with a broad smile. "Good Morning!" The doctor says reaching down and picking him up by his under the arms, the human then rubbed his big red nose with his own little black one. "Looks like someone slept well last night."
The unexpected nose rub made him close his eyes and laugh. His smile waning in confusion as the hedgie's ears twitched hearing a...baby's giggle? Opening his eyes, Sonic violently flinched, seeing something very odd about Eggman.
He was now the size of a giant!
Drifting his startled gaze to the colorful room, Sonic saw a large nursery similar to his old one but more babyish if that was possible. The room was filled with light colors, and every hard surface was covered with soft fabric, the rug was gone, and a shaggy carpet covered the floor instead with all sorts of toys scattered. Looking down at himself, Sonic gasped to find his teenage body gone, and instead, he was in a chubby baby body wearing a yellow onesie with a little frog decorating in the center and a diaper underneath.
That baby giggling just a minute ago...was me!
The sensation of a hand touching his bottom and fuzzy mustache brushing the top of his head brought Sonic's attention back to Eggman, who was now checking his diaper. "Hmmm...feels like someone's wet." Turning around, the doctor went to the changing table and laid him down. Unbuttoning the onesie, Eggman started to change him.
Sonic gawked blankly up at the man, feeling exceptionally tiny, puzzled at how he found himself in such a position. Why did it felt so good to be this small and for Eggman to be babying him again?
But this being all a dream, his confusion only lasted for a few seconds before his mind was taken away by the dream. He smiled again, the sensation of his heart feeling light and airy. Sonic kicked his feet in giddiness, "Awww is someone a happy hedgie? Yes, he is, yes he is~!" Eggman cooed. The little hedgehog giggled at the silly human and squealed when raspberries were blown on his tan tummy, Eggman laughing along with him cooing and awing at how cute Sonic was rocking on his back, holding his feet in the air.
He couldn't explain for the life of him even if he tried, but for some reason, this...felt so good and so right.
Letting go of his feet, Sonic looked back down in awe and saw Eggman pull out a diaper with colorful designs and placed it on him; it captured his attention. He liked it. He liked it much better than his plain old white diapers. Clean and changed, the human snapped the hoglet's onesie back on and lifted him off the table, resting the little hoglet on his shoulders, rubbing circles on his back. Sonic cooed with a big smile, nuzzling the doctor's neck in return, soaking up all this attention and affection Eggman was giving.
It was the most attention Sonic could ever recall getting. Sure, he was famous worldwide as the hero of Mobius, but fame was not the same as getting love and attention from someone you know personally. This is especially true if someone took care of you and had affection for you not because you were famous or were obligated but because they wanted to! It was a different experience, one that Sonic was just now getting acquainted with.
The doctor hummed, taking him away from the changing table, and walked to the rocking chair sitting down. Eggman shifted his hold, moving Sonic from his shoulder to having the hedgie in a cradling position; a bottle full of oat milk (hedgehogs are lactose intolerant) magically appeared in his free hand. Emerald eyes widened at the drink, and Sonic felt his throat burn, feeling very parched, "Are you hungry, my little one?" actually, he was thirsty, but whatever. Opening his mouth, the blue blur happily accepted the milk alternative and drank greedily; Eggman chuckled, "Slow down, Sonic. Wouldn't want your tummy to hurt now, would we?" he said, pulling the bottle back some.
Disappointed he couldn't guzzle the milk down as fast as he would like, Sonic complied, drinking slower. "There we are. That's a good baby~." Eggman smiles, slowly rocking the chair as the hoglet drank his milk steadily with a purr. When Sonic finished, he gently pushed the bottle away, face twisting as he felt an uncomfortable pressure build in his stomach. Eggman solved the problem and put him over his shoulder, firmly patting his back. After a couple of pats, the hoglet burped, and he blushed.
A warm smile spread over his muzzle feeling very comfortable and soft as Eggman rocked him, the baby atmosphere surrounding Sonic giving the sensation of security, love, warmth, and home. A luxury he couldn't recall ever having all at one time in his life. He didn't want this feeling to end. Being a baby was the best thing that ever happened to him! He didn't have to worry about anyone or anything. Eggy would take care of him.
Eyes half lived in bliss; Sonic didn't blink when a pacifier appeared in his mouth, focusing on sucking and the feeling of being rocked in Eggy's caring arms. The human gently pats his diapered bottom, softly humming in his ear all the while as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
++
Sonic opens his eyes to a not welcoming metal grey ceiling, sucking on his pacifier. Wait a minute...I didn't go to sleep with it. Realizing it was his thumb in his mouth, he slowly removes the wet digit wiping it dry against the blanket, and awkwardly clears his throat. "Well, umm...that happened, hehe." As the dream faded in his subconscious, the warm sensation in his chest went with it as well, replaced by a sense of loss and moroseness washing over him mysteriously as he laid there.
Why? Nothing was lost, no one was gone out of his life, everything was fine. So why did he feel so...sad, like he had lost a dear friend?
"And why am I craving oat milk?" He wondered aloud, brows furrowing, he sat up. Thinking back to his dream last night, and his heart fluttered at the picture of him in Eggman's arms, sucking on the bottle of milk. "That answers one question." He said, quickly stuffing the dream to the back of his mind like a kid caught reading a note during class, ignoring the heat in his cheeks and the way his heart was reacting while rubbing his nose. "And it's been a week since I've seen the guys, so I'm just missing them." A few milliseconds later, after processing what he just said, his whole posture suddenly perked up at that recollection, and he gasped. "Wait! Today's the day I go see Tails! Yahoo!" Sonic cheers, his sadness forgotten; jumping out of bed, he quickly puts his shoes on and combs his fingers through his quills. He then looks up at the clock.
7:50 am
"Holy Chaos! I gotta get going!"
Dashing to the desk, he pulls out all the drawers digging through each one muttering to himself, "Come on, come on, I know there's gotta be some stashed in here-ah ha!" grabbing a handful of rings, he stuffs them in his hammerspace and speeds away to the dining room.
Skittering to a stop hopping on one leg, Sonic runs in place in front of Eggman, who flinches back, his mustache flailing comically and almost dropping his tea mug in surprise at the eager hedgehog abruptly appearing in front of him. "Sonic! Good lord, watch where you're going. And what's got you so excited?" he gasps, placing a hand over his rapidly beating heart. Seriously that hedgehog needed to be more careful. He didn't want to die of a heart attack just yet. He was still in his prime!
The blue devil couldn't hold back a laugh at having scared the large human, "Can't talk Eggy running late to see Tails. Hey, I'll catch ya later, cool? Kay bye!" he patters quickly before zooming off with a wave leaving Eggman in the dust. The doctor can't help but amusedly chuckle at the excitable hedgehog, "So much energy that one. He seems to be in much better spirits than when he first arrived. Hmmm...it'll be almost two months since his arrival soon. Maybe I should do something to commemorate the event and as a reward for the pineapple being on good behavior?" he mumbles, thoughtfully taking a sip of his honey tea.
*Later that afternoon, hundreds of miles away on a floating island.*
Sonic taps his foot on the grass at the base of the altar of The Master Emerald. The bright green sheen that matched his own irises sparkling brightly in the sun perched at the highest point in the sky. A crisp wind blowing the red guardian's dreadlocks, his eyes sparkling with excitement while craking his namesakes, hopping from side to side like a professional boxer, "You ready for this Blue?"
Sonic arrogantly scoffed and stretched his shoulders, more than ready for their showdown, "Whenever you are Red." he said, dropping to a fighting stance, Knuckles, following his lead, did the same. Silently they counted down.
3...2...1...
GO!
Leaping forward, both Sonic and Knuckles jump into the fight. The echidna sending punches to the blue blur's face and dodging swift kicks aimed for his own. Sonic relying on his speed more than his arm muscles, ran circles around the echidna, barely missing a few punches and spin dashing at every opportunity. Knuckles waivers to get his bearings growing dizzy, watching a blue object spin rapidly around him.
"Damn it! Hold still, and let me give you my famous Knuckles sandwich!"
"Hahaha! To slow!" Sonic teased, stopping for a brief second to let Knuckles try to punch him but quickly sidestepped. Leaving his after image before the echidna hitting nothing but air, making him stumble forward. "Ha! Come on, Knux; you can do better-ugh!" He gasped mid-gloat, not paying careful attention giving Knuckles the opportunity he needed to recover and send the hedgehog flying back into a nearby tree. "Ha! Yeah! Gottcha, you stupid hedge-oh no."
Knuckles' victory was short-lived when a speeding ball of quills rebounded, returning the punch right into his stomach. (Yeah, he was definitely going to have a bruise later.) Skidding to a landing on his back, the echidna looked up, violets widening to see Sonic smiling wickedly while straddling him and pulled his arms back to begin throttling his face.
Sitting on a rock, Tails shakes his head hopelessly at the two now rolling on the ground and punching the living daylights out of the other. Did it not hurt? Not enough, he guessed. That, or their brains were severely damaged from one too many hits on the head from battling robots; what was one more? At least Tails still had enough left in his head to know not to end up in one of their silly little scrapes. At the 5 minute mark, he whistles loudly enough for the sound to echo around the clear area, "Alright, times up, guys!" he yells.
The punches stop as fast as they had started at the whistleblow, "Aw come on, Tails, I almost had him!" a certain blue, though he was purple more now, blur whines in protest. "Get off!" Knuckles grunts tossing the hedgehog aside, dusting himself off, and getting on his feet. The purple and blue blur grumbles that 'if a certain fox had given him a few more seconds, he would have won' and stands. At the same time, Knuckles lowly mutters something similar.
"Alright, let's see what we've got here." Tails muses, narrowing his eyes as he walks up to examine the two. After carefully scanning over each player and counting to himself under his breath, the fox spoke up with hands up to the echidna, "Knuckles has the least amount of bruises. He wins."
"Yes!" he cheers, pumping his mitts in the air; Sonic crosses his arms and mumbles about getting the echidna next time. Sniffing, he pulls out a hand, "Good game Knux." the hedgehog says with a smirk waiting for his handshake, showing he would be a good sport about the loss. Knuckles looks at the hand and grasps it in his own, giving a hard shake. He crookedly smiles one cheek preventing it from growing any further as it started to swell. He nods with a grunt, smile wavering when he sees one of Sonic's eyes begin to swell as well, signifying that he would have a prominent black eye soon. "Hey, Eggman's not going to get on your ass about that, is he?" He asks tentatively, pointing to the squint eye feeling a bit guilty for putting a little too much power in his punch, "This? Nah, I won't get in trouble. Maybe a lecture but nothing more." Sonic shrugs languidly, not caring that much about the black eye. It wasn't his first and wouldn't be his last; having to see basically out of one eye was more annoying than the pain.
"Really? That's it?" Tails asks, scratching his cheek, "I find it hard to believe Eggman is being this nice to you."
"Yeah, well, what can I say? The dude really has turned a new leaf."
"Still...you don't find it suspicious that he hasn't tried to do anything? Like not even try to get a hold of a chaos emerald?"
"Nope! Well, I mean, it is a little suspicious but Rouge, Shadow, and I've been keeping a close eye on him, and he hasn't tried to do anything. Hey, did you know he helps build stuff for hospitals? He just told me that he's been working on a machine that will help people who've lost vital organs! Something about having tissue samples and regrowing them so that people don't need to be put on a waiting list for donations anymore isn't that cool! Sounds like something you could help him with, bro." Sonic smirks and elbows the small fox, Knuckles rolls his eyes. "Geez, you sound like the doc's spokesman or something you sure he hasn't brainwashed you?" he chuckles, knocking the top of Sonic's head, who pushes the hand back and rubs the sore spot with a weak glare.
The two don't notice Tails' eyes widen in fear. In all the time he had spent staying up night after night, thinking about what horrors his brother could be experiencing living with their lifelong enemy and trying to think of ways to help him escape, brainwashing hadn't occurred to him. The thought was terrifying. Eggman could have tricked them all, captured Sonic, and had turned him into an ally right under their noses. The amount of destruction that could happen would be catastrophic, and with the speedy hedgehog on the doctor's side...well, let's just say defeating Eggman would not be an easy feat if not impossible!
Fear and urgency striking the fox, he hastily grabs his brother by the shoulders, shaking the now startled hedgehog, eyes prin pricks in fright, frantically feeling through the blue blur's fur searching for anything out of the ordinary. "Oh my gosh, I never thought about that! Has Eggman done anything, and I mean anything suspicious to you? Have you had any headaches? Any memory of being on a surgical table? Lab? Gasp-! Food! He's been feeding you! Chaos, he could be poisoning you slowly, and we had no idea! Or-"
"Tails! TAILS! Stop it!" Sonic yells, pushing the frenzied hands away, smoothing down his scuffed-up fur, "Look at me, I'm perfectly healthy! Eggman didn't brainwash me. I promise, bro, just cool your jets, ok?" he huffs, holding his hands up for Tails to stop when the distraught fox steps forward.
Frankly, Sonic hadn't thought about Eggman brainwashing him, but the human hadn't given him any evidence for concern about the idea, plus Shadow and Rouge would have noticed something if that were the case. So there wasn't anything to worry about in his mind. "Dude, I'm fine! Egghead's barely laid a hand on me. I mean..., he did give me an examination once..." mumbling the last part. He looks back at his brother's blue eyes, light up hearing him say that.
Hastily Sonic backed up, waving his hands, "It was just a little check-up when I first got there, nothing more, I swear!" The fox stepped back at his pleading assurance, still looking at him with concern. "You're sure?" he asked after a few moments. "Promise!" Sonic affirmed, placing a gloved hand over his heart and winked with his good eye sending out nothing but good vibes.
Tails glances at the echidna, who had stood silent watching the whole time, silently asking for his input. The red one jumps at the look when he catches on, letting out an awkward cough, "Well-cough-if, your sure hedgehog..."
"Sure, I'm sure. Have I ever lied to you guys?"
"Yes." Knuckles deadpans, "And you're horrible at it." Sonic wryly smiles and gives a shrug placing his hand on his hip, "Well, there you go. See nothing to worry about!"
Both gaze back to the fox whose brows are still knit up unconvinced. Sonic ruffles the kit's bangs, making his indecisive frown disappear, replaced entirely with a small smile. "Soniiic, stoop!" Tails whines, brushing him away and fixing the hair on his face. The blue blur lights up seeing that smile, and his chest lifts, feeling accomplished having succeeded in fixing his little brother's worries restoring him to a normal happy frame of mind as it should be. It was his job as a big brother, after being a hero, of course.
The upsetting topic forgotten, Sonic snickers at the whine and stretches his bruised arms with a yawn, "I'm gonna go catch a few rays for a bit. I'll be just over that way if you need me, ok?" he thumbs over in a direction behind him.
"Sure, Sonic, go and be a lazy ass while the rest of us go back to our jobs." Knuckles says slowly and rolls his eyes; the hedgehog lightly punches him, the echidna raises a bored brow in reaction, having barely felt the jab. "Hey, in case you haven't noticed, I have one too. It's called egg sitting. Ever heard of it?" Knuckles scoffs, waving him off, and turns his back to the brothers walking up the altar steps, "Whatever, I'm going back to protect The Master Emerald."
"Can you believe this, guy? Tsk." Sonic steps to Tails' side and shakes his head, looking side-eyed to the fox, saying just loud enough for him to hear, "He should just marry that rock. He's so in love with it." Tails chuckles, "I think you better go before Knuckles hears you and decides he wants a round 2." he then lightly brushes a bruise to add his point, not missing the hedgehog, hiss, and wince at the touch rubbing the tender spot. "Ah, you're right. I better disappear before he gives me more of these, and everyone starts calling me the purple blur. Yuck!" He shudders, "Not my favorite color. Doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely, either."
A blast of wind blows in Tails' face messing up his bangs again, the only evidence the speedy hedgehog was ever there. Sighing, he looks out in the direction where a few trees and bushes still sway, indicating where Sonic went. He combs his fingers through the fur on his head as his smile twitches down and brows turn up into a concerned expression—thoughts going back to the idea of Eggman and brainwashing.
It didn't matter how much Sonic denied that the doctor didn't brainwash him; the fact it was an incredibly high possibility was troubling. And if he really was, that denial only facilitated the possibility. The blue blur being perpetually stuck in Eggman's clutches under the conditions of the contract with no way out only increased the fox's suspicions. Nothing good could come from this, nothing! Sonic's changing view and opinion of the doctor not being a threat was dangerous for all of them. He needed to find a way to get Sonic away from the doctor before the six-month time limit ran up because something big was going to happen then. He just knew it.
His namesakes twist and waggle at these distressing thoughts, "I've got to make a plan before times up." he whispers. Nodding with determination, Tails heads to the Tornado, where he has some paper he can use to start mapping out some ideas to help his brother before he returns from his nap.
He could consult with Knuckles since he was alone now, and he had come up with the theory in the first place, but Tails didn't want to ruin their peaceful afternoon again. Besides, the echidna probably wanted some time to recover from his and Sonic's squabble and guard the ME in peace. Tails needed a little quiet time, too, so he could plan, and he can always talk with the guardian on another day when Sonic wasn't visiting. Bringing up the turned-down discussion again now would ruin their happy visit.
Jumping into the cockpit, he opens the glove compartment finding precisely what he wanted. Pulling out a notebook and pen, he flips to a clean page, sits back in his seat, and begins to jot down every fact he knew about the situation up till this point.
Chapter 12: Grumpy Hedgie
Chapter Text
After Sonic arrived back at the base from his weekly visit, his normally happy-go-lucky attitude took a sharp nose dive to sleep-deprived grumpiness reminiscent of an ebony hedgehog. The evening he returned from his weekly visit was the start of the first of many nightmares.
Most of them were centered around his past heroic adventures taking a turn for the worst, missing a critical hit just by a few inches, not running fast enough, or suddenly finding himself stuck in a trap involving water and being unable to free himself in time to save his friends or the world. The last thing Sonic ever saw before waking was either himself dying or one of his friends getting killed.
To say that the blue devil wasn't used to reoccurring scream-inducing nightmares was an understatement. Sure he was venerable to the occasional night demons like anyone else, but those had been more...weird and disturbing than terrifying. Besides himself, the only reoccurring character was Eggman. No. Not the Eggman he was living with or the one that he had battled with for most of his life. This Eggman was a psychotic incarnation of Satan himself, a gigantic twisted image of the doctor. An image that would haunt Sonic sometimes long after he had woken up, like a shadow following him through the base, leaving him on edge whenever he heard Eggman's voice suddenly coming out of nowhere or walking alone down the halls, wondering if the apparition would pop up around the next corner and get him like the boogeyman.
Now that's just silly, you think! It was all just in his imagination and nothing more. And Sonic would agree with you and say he was spending too much time inside the base and just needed to get outside in nature more.
Too bad that his outings to his returned access to the garden weren't working either. Any naps he managed to grasp during the day were his only reprieve, and naps are not a good substitute for a complete 8 hr sleep cycle that he was missing. All in all, losing a week's worth of sleep. Less sleep equals grumpy, lethargic hedgehog with nerves so tense he was like a wound-up rubber band ready to snap. He hadn't lost this much sleep since his time as a werehog, and even then wasn't as bad as now cause he didn't have Chip with him to help out. Not that there was anything the little flying chihuahua could do, he was asleep himself for the next few thousand years.
But Sonic could handle a little sleep deprivation; he had lost many a good night's sleep during some of his battles with Eggman before. Even if the nightmares left him waking up screaming in a cold sweat, choking back sick nausea or frantically dashing out of bed, running from whatever was chasing him, and hyperventilating like crazy. No big deal!
It was while he was recovering from these panic attacks that he felt so...strange. In attempts to not focus on the nightmare images, his lethargic wandering mind would bring up pictures of baby bottles, diapers, pacifiers, soft cuddly plushies, and colorful toys, or he would recall the dream he had of himself as a baby in the doctor's arms. Such intruding images always seemed to help calm him down, yet they would tug his heart, leaving a warm ache in his chest.
It was weird, and he didn't like it.
He was a big hedgehog, and Eggman had stopped babying him. Sonic was 15 years old! He didn't need all of that baby stuff. It was just all part of some stupid punishment the doctor had concocted to irritate him for trashing his room. He didn't need the diapers, he didn't need a stuffed animal, he didn't want Eggman to hold and cuddle him like before, and he certainly didn't need that stupid pacifier! This is what he repeatedly told himself again and again, no matter how many times he would find himself waking up from a nightmare in tears cuddling his pillow and or sucking his thumb.
It destressed and angered Sonic, so; he didn't know what was going on. He felt like he was going crazy mentally, running around in circles between horrific nightmare-inducing panic attacks to unwanted images of himself being babied again. He tried to keep himself busy, but the frustrated tears were never far away, threatening to rise at every quiet moment during the night. It made him feel weak and pathetic.
One week later, Sonic was again visiting Tails, this time at the workshop. Head in his hand, watching his brother work on a tune-up on their beloved plane. His eyes were glazed over in a daze, with darks circles surrounding the once vibrant pair of green irises.
"Can you pass me the wretch?" Tails asks, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, keeping his focus on the engine while sticking a hand out. Sonic places the requested tool into his brother's waiting hand, "Thanks!" the fox smiles, not noticing the hedgehog wasn't paying that much attention, barely registering his comment.
Suddenly a door linked to the kit's house bursts open, hitting violently against the wall, and Knuckles walks in with an arm full of sodas. Amy skips out behind him with a plate of cut-up sandwiches humming a little tune gently returning the door to its position with her boot and sets the food on a table surrounded by two couches on the side of the workshop where the less dangerous equipment was stored.
"Alright, guys, foods ready!" She calls hands on her hips, admiring how tasty their lunch looked, expecting the hungry boys to gather at her beck and call. Instead looks up to see the fox's body half inside the opened compartment, busy working on his adjustments with his tails swishing about and a blue hedgehog starting into space, neither hearing her. Amy puffs her cheeks and stomps her foot, boiling in anger at being ignored. She erupts, "Hmph! SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! MILES PROWER! Are you listening to me!?"
"AH!" both screech, Tails bumping his head, and Sonic falling from where he had been leaning on the wing, taking the toolbox with him. Knuckles winces at their reactions, knowing both were going to have a nasty bruise, "Dang it, Amy." Sonic groans rubbing his head picking himself off the oil-stained floor, lucky that none of the tools in the box had landed on him. "You don't have to scream."
"I wouldn't if you two would just listen to me!" the blue blur rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything more at the complaint. Sluggishly plopping a squat on one of the falling apart couches with a tired sigh. "Now then." Her anger dissipated Amy happily sits directly across from her crush and points to the sandwiches, "Knuckles the vegan BLT is for you, Tails' here's your ham and cheese, Sonic's is the one with the spicy mustard, and the turkey is mine."
"Thanks, Amy, it looks good!" Tails grabs a soda and his sandwich sitting next to the blue devil. Knuckles nods and takes his meal; Sonic slowly reaches for his and takes a bite, eyes faintly widening at the pleasant heat. "No problem! It's so nice to be able to hang out with you guys again. It feels like foreeeever since I last saw you all." she says, emphasizing the forever part. "I just saw you yesterday." Tails says, confused. Amy flicks a hand, "Oh, you know what I mean! With my precious Sonikku stuck with that mean old Eggman, we don't get to hang out as much as we used to together."
"He's not that mean," Sonic mutters passively. Amy huffs, placing a first on her hip, "He is if he's keeping you away from us! I mean-he was bad before trying to take over the world and everything, and when he kidnapped you..." her complaint weakly fades out before she shakes away the sad memory. "He's not a nice man!" she firmly concludes, sitting back up.
"I still can't get over that after all he put us through; you're now standing up for the guy." Knuckles shakes his head, swinging his locks; Tails silently sips his soda attentively, watching the blue blur who rubs his eyes, frustration radiating off of him—accidentally getting a bit of the mustard from his fingers in his eyes, making them burn. "Look, guys, I know it sounds crazy for me to play devil's advocate. I didn't believe him at first either, but if you saw him like he is now, you'd see he's not the same Egghead anymore. He's changed."
"Then why does it look like those bags you have look like they could be used for Amy's trips to the mall?" Tails asks, narrowing his eyes at the hedgehog before the pink one interrupted him growling a, "Hey!"
"What?!" the fox asks innocently, trying not to shrink at her heated glare, "I see you go there like 2 or 3 times a week!"
"I do more than just shop, you know! That's where I go to get the latest gossip and spend time with all my girlfriends!"
"There's also a movie theater, arcade, and food court." Sonic listed, taking a napkin and rubbing his eyes again, ridding them of the offending condiment. Amy's glare switched from the fox to her lover, "And how would you know? Since you never come with me every time, I ask you!"
"Do you see me wearing any clothing, let alone pants? No. And they show what malls look like on the inside in tv and movies, so I think I can make a pretty good guess as to what I'd find in there." He says, leaning back and brushing the crumbs from his gloves. "Oooooooohh! Your impossible!" Amy puffs her cheeks at him, her annoyance dying down as he charismatically looks at her half-lidded and with a smirk at his point being made. Sonic carelessly tosses the napkin and rests his head behind locked hands, "It's what I do best." Knuckles and Tails chuckle at the two arguing not-love birds. The fox's attention returning to his unanswered question, an amused smile forming to suspicious concern, "You still haven't answered my question." Sonic digs a pinky in his ear, "Sorry, what was the question again?"
"Your eyes are bloodshot, and you have huge bags underneath them. Has Eggman been doing anything to you?"
"Oh...hehe that." the hedgehog sheepishly chuckles, "Well, Eggman is kinda the cause. I've been staying up too late. Beeboy's got a wicked gaming system, so ya know...?" he drifts, allowing his friends to put two and two together.
That wasn't a total lie. I have been staying up late trying to delay the nightmares, and Eggy does have an awesome video game setup; I just put two half-truths together, and that formed one whole truth. That's how math works, right? I'm not lying.
Sonic refrained from a nervous gulp keeping his cool as blue eyes search him over for any tell of a lie. He couldn't remember when Tails had ever scrutinized him that way before. It made him feel like one of the kit's machines that was having a problem he couldn't figure out. Sonic hoped his half-truth was good enough that he didn't give himself away. After a beat, Tails eases up, "Ok, I believe you." he chirps and smiles. Sonic smiles back and sweatdrops not be living his luck. He really didn't want to explain what was really going on.
"What? You mean Eggman puts you on a curfew for visiting us but not a set bedtime?" Knuckles raises a teasing brow. The hedgehog whips his head to the echidna, "Hey! I'm not some little kid. No way am I gonna let Eggbrain push me around! If anything, I tell him when it's time to go to bed!" Sonic hops off his seat with a huff. His eyes still felt the burn from the mayo, making him feel extra tired and desperate for a nap. He didn't want to stick around if his friends were going to tease him. His temper today was short enough as it was. He didn't need to prod that bear, "I'm going on a run." he growls, heading for the door.
"A.k.a. It's little Sonic's naptime." Knuckles loudly whispers for him to hear, instantly, a mass of blue fur pops up in front of violet eyes, "Don't. Call. Me. That." Sonic seethes, baring his teeth and bloodshot eyes, pinning the echidna down. Tails and Amy gasp at the sudden mood swing.
"Ok, ok sheesh, go on get outta here. I can smell your disgusting meat-ridden lunch from here." Knuckles surrenders, waving a mitt over his scrunched-up nose. Smirking devilishly—Sonic breaths out into the vegetarian's face before dashing off with a whip of the wind. "Ugh! Disgusting!" Knuckles cries desperately, waving away the smell. Tails shakes his head, then snickers quietly at the two's hopeless teasing while Amy rolls her eyes and gathers their trash, "Boys." she mutters.
Later that evening, back at the base. The intellectuals, Sonic, Eggman, Orbot, and Scratch, were all playing Monopoly while dumb bots, Grounder, and Cubot were watching and betting on who would be the winner of the high stakes game.
Orbot was playing as the thimble in third place, Eggman was the hat currently in the lead, Sonic picked the shoe and was a close second. Finally, Scratch was dead last as the dog with only one $5 bill left. Shaking the dice, Scratch whispers to the game pieces in his fists, determining his fate, "Come on, come on, momma needs a new pair of shoes."
"But you don't wear shoes." Sonic quipped lazily, watching the robot delay the inevitable, only a few properties were left that had yet to be claimed, and the chicken robot didn't own a single one. "Of course I wear shoes, what do you-" the old badnick barked before glancing down to his shoeless feet, remarking stupidly, "Oh."
"And you referred yourself as a woman. Scratch, do you have something to tell us?" Sonic asks, fluttering his eyelashes, pretending to look and sound like a concerned friend. "Shut up and make your move so I can kick your sorry ass out of the game!" Eggman yells. Chaos, this is torture! Who's brilliant idea was this to play this game? Doesn't matter that I'm winning. That idiotic tin can of a rooster is going to drive me up the wall if he doesn't make his move already!
Finally tossing the dice, all eyes watched as the pieces rolled onto the board, landing on a 4 and 2. Counting out loud, Scratch moved the dog to one of two dreaded blue squares owned by their equally blue owner. The Boardwalk. (Dun dun dunnnnnn~!)
"That'll be 1400 smack a roo's, please." the hedgehog cheekily grins, placing a hand out for his payment. Awing at his loss, the robot chicken handed over his last piece of play money; Grounder pats his friend's shoulder, saying comforting words. While Sonic leans back into his seat, adding the bill to one of his stacks, taking out a taller one and flipping the paper between his fingers smugly like a mob boss fingering his tainted money.
Two more rounds went by with Orbot losing the rest of his money and relinquishing his property to his master, "It was an honor to lose to you, doctor."
"Yeah yeah. Stop being such a suck-up." Eggman glared, wanting to finish the game as soon as possible, "Why so tense Eggy? You think you're going to lose again to me or something?" Sonic sleepily smirked, trying to keep his eyes open. "No! I just have to leave early tomorrow and would like to go to bed before midnight." Sonic blinked a few times, waking up slightly at that, "You're leaving tomorrow?" he asked, stunned. I didn't think the doc ever left unless he was going out to find a Chaos emerald. Hmmm?
"Yes. Didn't I mention this to you earlier?" The blue devil shook his head, making Eggman raise his brow, understanding the hedgehog's bewilderment now. Calmly he explained, "I have a meeting with the board of directors of one of the hospitals down in the city. I'll be gone for a few days, but I trust you enough now that I don't think leaving you here will be an issue."
Sonic was taken back at this. He was honestly touched the doctor trusted him to leave him alone at the base without fear that the blue devil would trash it, but though Eggman's explanation sounded legit, he felt suspicious that the doctor was leaving at all. Couldn't his meeting go on virtually like it usually did? What was the real reason he needed to leave?
"Ok, that's cool, and all, doc, but...and I don't mean to doubt you and all, but why can't you just have your meeting on video like always? You aren't lying and going after a chaos emerald, are you?" he rambled. That was a stupid question! Of course, if he were, the doctor would lie through his teeth, but the question came out before he could rephrase.
Eggman tensed, nervously looking away as Sonic asked him if he would go for an emerald. Actually, he had planned to find one after his meeting and then give it to the blue blur to help prove he wasn't a threat anymore and celebrate their peaceful arrangement so far. Turns out he needed to figure out a plan B since Sonic was not thrilled with the idea of the doc going anywhere near a gem. That was fine as he didn't have a use for the powerful gems anymore. Unless you were a super-powered hedgehog, the emeralds were nothing more than a hazardous and unpredictable battery. He could figure something else out for their little celebration.
"Good gracious, no! I do not need those things anymore. And I need to be there in person to show the board my invention and go over a few things. I promise hedgehog it's just a business meeting. I'll be back in a couple of days." Sonic strained his tired eyes as he stared at Eggman behind the glasses. The doctor had proven thus far he could be trusted and hadn't broken any of his promises. He recalled his friend's warnings that Eggman could be abusing his trust, but if the doc did come back with an emerald, he would know instantly. Being attuned with Chaos energies, and even if he didn't pick it up, Shadow would as he was more skilled. Eggman would be behind bars before he knew it if he tried to hide a gem.
No, the doctor wasn't going to take the risk or even try, Sonic knew.
Going with his gut, he smiled and nodded. "Ok." Eggman let out a breath he had been holding when Sonic said he believed him. "Good. You should have everything you need while I'm gone. Metal will take care of the base's functions while I'm out, but you will be in charge of everything until I return."
"Cool, cool. I can dig it." Sonic says, relaxing and taking the dice, giving them a quick shake before tossing them on the board. Eggman watched as the hedgehog turned back to their game. The smile on his muzzle remained but noticed it had a hit of sadness to it this time. Will Sonic miss my presence while I'm gone? Or is something else bothering him? Eggman wonders, he had noticed the hedgehog's normal laid-back state had been more forced over the last week, and dark circles had mysteriously grown under his eyes.
Glancing at the table, Eggman saw most of the robots were gone to finish their evening duties or had left entirely to recharge for the night. Orbot was the only one left at the far end of the room cleaning up; the atmosphere seemed to suggest now would be a good time for him to ask his concerns. "Sonic, are you feeling alright?" he softly questions. The blue blur finishes taking his turn and looks up at the human, tilting his head. "Yeah, I'm ok."
"Are you sure? You haven't been as lively as you usually are...in fact, you seem rather down, and it looks as though you haven't been sleeping well. Is something bothering you?"
"No, no. I'm fine, don't worry about it." Sonic shakily scoffs. That was the second time someone today had asked about his well-being. I guess I look worse than I thought. Damn it, Sonic! Keep yourself together! He gestures for the doctor to take his turn, turning his head away like he was distracted, trying to act normal when a hand on his shoulder and a soft voice makes him turn back, "Sonic." His eyes spot a warm hand on his shoulder, following the attached arm to a worried-looking wrinkled face feeling the tender concern coming from it. "Sonic, you don't have to hide anything from me. Please tell me what's wrong."
"...N-nothings wrong." his voice rasps, his emotions grower ever unstable and desperately wanting to get away from that face before he broke. But the hand squeezes his shoulder, preventing him from escaping. "Come now; you think I can believe that? Something's obviously wrong. You know I'm trying to be good now, so let me help."
"Youdon'thavetoworryaboutit. It'snotyourproblem. Icanhandleit!" Sonic exclaims, water starting to fill his eyes. He blinks them away quickly. He was barely holding himself together; it felt like his hold on his emotions was slipping through his fingers. Eggman, barely catching all of what Sonic rambled, says, "Yes, it is my problem. You are my responsibility now, so your problem is my problem! Please, Sonic." he implores.
The hedgehog's breathing starts to quicken as more water blurred his vision, muscles tightening, throat constricting. Sonic continued to blink rapidly; his eyes wanted to spill, but his ego and pride weren't going to have it, and despite the doctor's request, he couldn't explain what was wrong. The night terror images filling his dreams or the guilt and embarrassment of imagining himself being babied again. How could he when he didn't understand what was going on in his mind or why? All he knew right now was he needed to leave.
"Uh...I, uh...I...gasp! I need to go!"
"What? Sonic wait-!"
Ripping himself from the doctor's grip, Sonic disappeared, knocking the game off the table, sending the pieces flying to scatter as he left in a hurry to his room. Eggman, his arm still outstretched to where the hedgehog had been a second ago, ogled at what had just happened, opening and closing his mouth like a fish before snapping to attention screaming. "Sonic!"
Orbot silently hovered from the shadows to the mess, sighing and shaking his head as he grabbed the game box and began picking up the pieces.
Running, Eggman raced after the blue blur, following the blue after light left behind, guiding the doctor to where he needed to go. The light disappeared at Sonic's door; it didn't open. Heaving against the locked door, the human knocked, wishing he hadn't installed the lock to give Sonic privacy on the other side. He calls loud enough for his voice to carry through yet still held a gentle tone, "Sonic! Sonic open up. It's me. Please. Let me help you. I promise whatever it is, we'll work it out. Together. Isn't that what you want for me to be helpful? Let me help you, Sonic...please?"
Agonizing silence was his only answer. He waited and waited. Pressing his ear against the metal, listening carefully for any sound of noise. After several minutes of quiet, the doctor slunk back sadly, gazing at the door, his silent begging for it to open going unanswered. Sighing in defeat, the doctor left the hedgehog alone in his chambers, making way to his own.
The door opened and closed with a swoosh; Eggman dejectedly fell back on his bed, head dropping into his hands, wondering what was going on with the blue devil causing him such distress. Seeing those sadly shining, tired green eyes look up at him was heartbreaking. He could clearly see Sonic wanted help, but he was also scared. Of what? He asked. Me? My reaction? What if he thinks it's something I could use to hurt him? Did I do or say something to scare him? But then...sigh. I'm trying so hard to get him to trust me. I thought we were making such great progress...seems not as much as I had hoped. Oh, Sonic, I wish you felt comfortable enough to trust me to help you.
Angrily he slammed his hand on the bed. "Damn it now! Of all times for something like this to happen, and I have to leave!" Groaning, finding himself between a rock and a hard place, Eggman rubbed his bald head, "There's nothing I can do but wait. Maybe me being gone for a few days will help give him the time he needs before I can try coaxing him out again on what's wrong." not happy with the turn of events but with no other way out. Eggman resolved to do all he could to figure out what was wrong with the blue blur when he returned.
Chapter 13: Hedgesickle or Hedgecube?
Chapter Text
"Well, Sarah, it looks like that mighty big cold front is going to arrive in the next hour or so." A generic well-dressed man says to a woman off-screen, standing before a green screen showing a radar view of the current weather conditions. Stepping to one side, gesturing to certain parts of the map, he continues, "As you can see looking over the last few days, our temperatures have been steadily decreasing. Now this strong cold front moving in from the northeast is bringing with it even colder temperatures and lots of moisture. There's a possibility we might see some snow, sleet, and ice develop."
Turning to the other side of the screen, the man clicks a button on his remote, changing the radar image. "Looking at this massive storm, it's going to be a very nasty couple of days. I suggest that you folks at home get some last-minute supplies while you can and bunk in cause you do not want to go out in this mess. These temperatures plus the wind chill factor will be dangerous. For those of you who have to be out on the road, please be extremely careful and take your-"
The weatherman was abruptly cut off by the tv powering down; Metal Sonic set the remote back on the kitchen counter just as a scruffy-looking hedgehog pokes his head out from the double doors. "Hey, is the grub ready yet?" Sonic croaks squinting at his duplicate so hard he looked like he was glaring at the robot, but it was too early in the morning for him to bear any ill will at the badnick. "Breakfast will be served in exactly 2 minutes and 38 seconds."
"...cool. Hey, could you make me a cup of coffee while you're at it?" after processing the request and the time that would be added to fill it, Metal responds, "Yes, but there will be a delay of 3 minutes and 12 seconds."
"S' fine. Thanks." the blue blur slurs, then leaves the badnick to his chore. Metal Sonic opens one of the nearby cabinets and grabs a tin can of coffee grounds, pulling a measuring spoon and cup from a drawer. Taking the small spoon, he carefully measures the dark grounds. Placing one sharp finger over the grounds, he slowly scrapes some excess back into the bag, then tips the spoon pouring the brown dirt into its appropriate slot in the coffee pot. Metal enacts the same procedure with the water before pushing the on button; while the machine brews, the badnick returns to prepare Sonic's plate.
Everything was going precisely as he had planned.
The doctor had left early at daybreak to beat the storm leaving Metal Sonic alone to enact his revenge on the blue hedgehog. He had been planning this for weeks, carefully researching, watching, and waiting for the perfect moment.
Ever since Eggman had told him of his leave a few weeks ago, Metal had been working hard on his revenge plan. Since the start of winter, the badnick had kept careful watch of the weather patterns hoping for the perfect storm. And to his luck, one such storm was soon to arrive. In alignment with the outside decreasing temperatures, Metal adjusted the thermostat in Sonic's room to closely match mother nature. Turning the thermostat down by a degree or two each day so that the hedgehog would not notice how cold it was getting. Metal had also made a few changes in his diet, keeping to Eggman's specific instructions and Sonic's vacuum of a stomach; he had switched warm filling foods for more cold, light dishes.
The goal of these changes was to have Sonic's stomach growing colder and his energy decrease. To his delight, the hedgehog responded accordingly, a little too much, it seemed. The badnick was surprised that his counterpart was more sluggish than he had calculated, but it just suited his purpose all the better, erasing any margin for error.
Today was the day Sonic would know not to mess with Metal ever again, and by the time Eggman returned, it would be too late for the blue hero. Metal Sonic would regain his former rightful position by his Master's side.
A cheery ding broke the silence. Metal picked up a mug and filled it with the hot dark liquid placing the pot back in its place and the cup on the tray. Next, he took the finished meal in his hands and exited the kitchen walking up to a barely awake blue devil.
His blue fuzzy head laid in his hands, blinking at the badnick approaching with his food, his nose moved, and the corner of his mouth twitched seeing the cup of freshly brewed coffee. Reaching for the mug, Sonic took the drink, bringing it to his face, and blew gently before taking a sip. "Ahhh..." he sighs in ecstasy, "That's better. Thanks, Metal." The badnick nods taking the cover off the dish; Sonic, more awake now, looks it over, "A parfait?" he asks quizzically.
"It is coconut yogurt."
"Oh, well, thanks." Sonic crookedly smiles; taking a spoon, he digs it deep down into the vertical glass, trying to scoop up all the layers before shoving it into his mouth. The flavors of vanilla, tart berries, crunchy nuts, and chocolate shavings burst on his tongue, making the hedgehog moan in pleasure, and he gives Metal a thumbs up in approval.
Metal Sonic disregards the hedgehog's praise and leaves his organic copy to eat in peace, returning to enacting his plans while he waits for Sonic to finish. Once all is secure, I can fulfill the most crucial part of my plan. He beeps in pleasure; if he had a mouth, an evil smirk worthy of a big-time villain would have traced his muzzle. He pulled up his internal clock and Metal checks to see how long he has to prepare for the next phase.
5 minutes and 32 seconds
Sliding the timer to one side of his optical screen, Metal made his way to the control room in the downstairs lab. It only took him a hand full of seconds to reach his destination, putting in the code sequence on the keypad. The little light blinked green, and the door opened to a room filled with monitors.
The blue lights from the screens reflected off the badnick in the darkroom, giving his outline appearance a sinister look, his red eyes adding to the effect glowing eerily. Metal approached the control panel, typing in the passcode, and opened a file labeled "Door Security." scanning its contents, he quickly found what he was looking for and made a few adjustments. "Access removed. Do you wish to proceed?" a digitized woman's voice asked. Metal clicked yes, and the pop-up disappeared. With that done, all the badnick needed to do now was figure out a way to lure the blue devil into his trap. He rechecked his time, 3 minutes and 11 seconds.
Plenty of time!
Drawing power away from his engine and directing it to his processors, Metal begins calculating, simulating, and comparing figures and scenarios at speeds that would rival the world's smartest man-made computer.
Metal was better than a computer; he was a robot, an Eggman robot.
Finally, after an eternity of clockwork cycles, he finds a solution to help him in his endeavor. It was simple, just like his counterpart, who would none be the wiser. Switching gears and putting his power back to normal levels in their appropriate places, Metal checks his timer one last time—57 seconds to spare! After closing the files, he had opened and double-checking that everything looked as it did before. Metal leaves the control room going back to the dining room where his prey awaited.
Sonic scrapped his spoon at the bottom and ate the last bit of his parfait, dropping the silverware in the glass and licking away any residue from his lips. As he finished his last bite, Metal walked in, "Hedgehog." he beeped. The blue blur's ears twitched in the badnick's direction before his head followed with a questioning brow. Metal steeled himself for what he was about to say, hating every syllable about to come out his voice box, "I require your assistance."
"Uh, sure, Metal whatcha' need?"
"One of Master's experiments escaped outside..." he abruptly paused; Sonic flicked his eyes around, questioning the pause, and impatiently gestured for the badnick to finish his sentence.
Though he didn't have the nerves to feel pain, Metal swore he felt his head scream at him in agony as he says quietly. "I am...not...fast enough to catch it." Slowly a wide cheeky grin spread on Sonic's muzzle, hearing this little admission, "Is that so?" he asks, very interested in what his copy was saying now. "...yes." Holding his head up high, Sonic sniffs and jumps out of the chair, acting as if he wasn't sure if he could pull such a thing off, "Well, I guess I could help you out. Buuuuut..."
"There is no time." Metal cut him off, pretending to be stressed when in reality, he was just as impatient as his counterpart, "The experiment will surely be damaged beyond repair if you do not stop your nonsense and help me!"
"Alright, alright, lead to way then, and I will help." Sonic continues to sneer, pleased as pudding to hear his copy finally admit that he was not perfect and was, in fact, inferior to the original.
Maintaining his inadequate facade as bait for his copy was a struggle, but in the end, Metal reminded himself it would be worth it. He showed Sonic to the hanger and opened the garage doors revealing an ominously dark sky; a massive cold gust of wind almost blew them both back. Metal held tightly onto the hanger door's leaver while Sonic cried out in surprise, holding an arm above his head, and re-stabilized his footing, "Chaos! Ok, you're right. We gotta make this quick. Where did the thing take off to?"
"In that direction." Metal pointed vaguely at nowhere, the blue devil looked at the tree line being pointed out and nodded, "Right, you stay here, and I'll be back in a flash." without waiting for a reply, Sonic dashed into the weather that was quickly getting worse. Metal locking him to his fate, the howling winds prevent him from hearing the screech of the hanger doors closing behind him.
* Sometime later*
"Well, shit..." Sonic cursed to himself. He had spent the last 20 minutes running around the property looking for the experiment that had gotten away and hadn't found the darned thing. In fact, he hadn't seen anything outside to indicate anything other than him was wandering around the property. Not even any little feral animals as they had either migrated or were hibernating.
Sonic was starting to suspect Metal had tricked him. No, he knew Metal had tricked him. That dastardly robot! And now the weather was getting worse; a cold rain started to pour on Sonic 5 minutes after coming outside.
Now the wet hedgehog was stomping around the grounds, fists shaking, muttering curses. "I swear when I get my hands on that no good rust bucket-!" Grumbling, the blue devil stopped at the closed hangar door, raising a fist; he bangs loudly, "METAL! Open the door!" Tapping his foot, he waited a reasonable amount of seconds before banging again, "Metal! Open this door!" silence greeted him as the rain drenched his coat further. Frustration and anger boiling, Sonic growled, tossing his hands in the air, giving up on that tactic, and walks to a different entrance.
The bottom of his prized shoes were heavy and caked in mud, the shiny red paint and golden buckles a disgusting shade of brown, socks squishing inside, making his skin crawl. It was hard for him to tell which made him shiver the most—the gross texture of his wet socks or the quickly dropping temperatures. Sonic paid no mind to the latter as he would be indoors shortly. He smirked, thinking of the butt-kicking the two-timing badnick would get as soon as he found the robot. Eggman may have stipulated that none of his robots were to be harmed, but Sonic was sure this time would be an exception after the stunt the badnick had pulled on the blue devil in his Master's absence.
"Ouch! What the?!" startled, he rubbed his sore dripping nose, glancing up at the door he walked into, "What...?" he gasped and looked down at his collar. The light was red. "Oh no." Dashing to another entrance, he stopped in front of another door that didn't open, "No. No. Nononononono. No. No!" Sonic exclaimed in horror.
He ran to each window and doorway, pulling where ever he could get a grip, hoping and praying that one of them would open. But to no avail, everything was locked tight. "No. No! NO!" he screamed, desperately grasping his wet quills on his head, backing away from the last window he had tried to open, "This bad, this is really, really bad!" Sonic whimpered. Suddenly, the wind howled, blowing a stream of water into his face. He cried out in surprise and disgust, holding his hands to protect his face.
Shit shit shit! He curses, dashing back for the hangar doors again, pressing himself into a corner where a small part of the roof stuck out, offering a measly shield from the rain. Crouching down half curled, Sonic shivers, hugging himself tightly, trying to preserve body heat. Wishing his internal boiling anger would warm him up.
He had never wanted to kill a robot more than he did right now, "Well, this is just great! I'm stuck out here in the worst storm this winter, locked out of the base, for once Egghead isn't here when I need him and won't be back for a couple of days!" The hedgehog's foul mood at his situation morphed from anger into uncertainty and dread as it sunk in.
Here it was the middle of winter; he was stuck outside where it was dangerously wet and icy with no way to get warm. He couldn't make any shelter for himself as the wind and rain had either blown away or drenched anything useable. And the blue devil couldn't leave the property unless he wanted to be hedgehog barbeque.
He gently rubbed his stomach, realizing how cold it was, making an alarm go off in his head. The longer he stayed out here, the more likely he would slip into hibernation. Underweight, tired, and without a safe, warm place to wait out the storm, Sonic would either freeze or starve to death in his sleep.
"Damn." he breathed, watching steam escape his mouth, actually feeling frightened. "No, stop, don't think like that!" he yelled, "This storm can't last forever. I've made it out of worse situations, I can do this. Just gotta stay awake is all!" not letting himself delve into morbid thoughts, Sonic tried to think of another way out. Surely some robot of Eggman's has to come out here at some point, right? Or Metal will let me back in? He can't kill me. It's not in his directive or whatever anymore, and Eggman would have his head if he found me frozen out here later, right?
But even these thoughts were questionable. The more he thought about it, the idea of any robot coming out here seemed less plausible, all of the base's functionings were inside, and there was no reason for any bot to come out in this kind of weather. Also, just because Metal's directive had changed did not mean the badnick didn't have his own motives, not involving the doctor's, for wanting to rid of the hedgehog. In other words...
Sonic was screwed.
"Shit." he lowly cursed again. For the first time in his life, he wished that Eggman would come and save him. He pitched the skin over his knees, making sure this wasn't a dream and to help keep awake as the storm bellowed, showing the poor blue devil no mercy. It was hopeless. Sonic needed some kind of miracle if he was going to make it out of this alive.
The blue devil sat there in the icy rain, feeling useless, lost, and growing fearful that he would freeze to death in his sleep. It's not the worst way to go. Just not how I imagined it would be.
Blankly watching the rain, boredom reared its ugly head even though he was slowly freezing to death. If Sonic was going to go slowly, he didn't want to be bored. So with literally nowhere to run, all the hedgehog could do now to pass the time was think. Fortunately, something in the back of his mind had been bugging him over the last week, and now was the perfect time to reflect; unfortunately, the subject matter wasn't pleasant.
"Why can I not stop thinking about baby stuff?!" he exclaims, "Ugh! So not cool and embarrassing, seriously, why?!" sighing, he mopily rubbed his face. "Ugh! Ok, let's do this logically, alright? Like how would Tails approach this?"
"List the facts!" he snaps his fingers, "Ok. I'm having nightmares on the regular. I haven't slept for over a week. Eggman's stopped treating me like a baby, yet I keep thinking about baby stuff."
"Next? Timeline." rubbing his chin, Sonic put some thought into that math. "I've been here for almost 2 months. Halfway through the first month, Eggman started treating me like a baby, then last week he just, stops...that was a full month of being a baby...huh." he muses surprisingly at how fast that time had passed. Shaking his head, Sonic resumed, "Anyway! After that is when the nightmares started and the babyish thoughts. Ok, that's all the facts and the timeline, but how does it all connect?"
He winced as a shiver ran through his body, and Sonic pressed himself closer to his meager shelter, shaking against the cold concrete. For at least a minute, the blue blur noticed he didn't feel as cold while he was distracted, or maybe everything seemed less frigid because he was literally freezing to death? Probably. He shrugged. At this point, what did it matter? Sonic just wanted to distract himself, so his morbid situation wasn't at the forefront of his mind.
"How is this all related?" he muses, "Well, the nightmares and the baby treatment have to connect cause they started or ended at the same time. The question is, why? What do they have in common? Nightmares are, well...nightmarish, and all that baby stuff is practically the exact opposite." suddenly, he recalls how he felt when he had dreamed of being a baby with Eggman.
Those warm fuzzy feelings, along with the sense of security and comfort. It was exactly the opposite of how he felt during the night terrors. Scared, vulnerable, and lost. Well, technically, he felt helpless as a baby too, but it was a good kind, being looked after by someone who you knew would keep you safe.
There was the commonality! Vulnerability! In each of its forms. But that begs the question, why did Sonic feel vulnerable?
Before he had moved in with Eggman, Sonic had been in control; there was no one to tell him what to do, where or when to go, how to do something, or why he should or shouldn't do it. He made those decisions, always had, and at times made those choices for others. Sonic cherished freedom fought to protect it.
Yet there had been times when he was younger or when there were high-stakes risks where it would have been nice for someone else to have taken the torch and made those decisions or at least to have had someone with more wisdom and experience to help him out. Being a hero was not all action, adventure, and coolness. Hard choices had to be made; sometimes, the outcomes of those choices almost didn't seem worth it. And he had been tasked with such a responsibility at a young age. To be honest, Sonic had been terrified at times that he wouldn't make it out of a battle. Yolo and live free and die hard were his motos, but even he didn't want to die at 15! There was so much the hedgehog had yet to explore and experience! And now, with Eggman more or less retiring, he had that chance.
But having the doctor retire came with a price—namely, having his freedom stripped away. Spending at least 6 months with his former enemy living in an entirely different way he was used to. It was all very alien to the hedgehog, being under the doctor's watch and having restrictions. At first, the rapid change left Sonic feeling angry, defenseless, and unsettled that he couldn't do anything without Eggman's permission. Over time though, those feelings faded as they got to know each other, building on their budding friendship, and Sonic was beginning to conclude that he could trust and view the doctor as a friend. Something he had secretly wanted for years.
Everyone else either wanted the doctor behind bars or dead, but Sonic had always hoped he could help change the man. His wish was coming true!
Then the baby incident occurred, and Sonic felt a whole new slew of emotions. Confusion, embarrassment, anger, doubt, exposure. And those feelings had faded as well, thanks to Eggman's constant reassurance and his promise to keep the incident a secret. Not to mention Eggman had been very affectionate, not in an inappropriate manner (he knew his boundaries, and also, that's just gross!) but more like a parent. The doctor almost acted like a mother at times fussing over the hedgehog.
The baby treatment had lasted longer than Sonic had anticipated. He had expected to be out of the diapers after a week, but he was in them for a whole month!
"That seems excessive?" Sonic wondered why it had lasted so long? Surely the doctor hadn't been that mad over him trashing his room. There had to be another reason. To make sure he had learned his lesson? Humble him? Make sure he knew his place? Then again, the doctor had seemed like, at times, he enjoyed treating Sonic like a baby; could that be a reason? If so, why did he stop?
Only the Eggman had the answer.
And if Sonic was honest with himself...he had liked it too.
The blue devil hid his muzzle underneath his arms, turning pink. Whether it was from the cold temperatures or embarrassment, no one could tell. He gently rubbed his stomach again. It felt colder. "Man, I wish I had a diaper on. Those things were so warm. Not that it would help much it would probably just fall apart since I'm soaked, heh." he dismissively sighed, remembering when Eggman would pet him and how a hot flame would light up inside him at the touch. Or when Eggman would carry him and offhandedly mention how cute he looked in his diapers, making Sonic blush furiously.
He recalled how tender Eggman would be when showering him (yes, the doctor refused to let him bathe himself still), trying to make Sonic as comfortable as possible and accounting for his aquaphobia—even playing calming music in the background and picking soaps with soothing scents—always commending him for being brave afterwards and giving him a big hug with a nice ear scratch.
Man did Sonic like those ear scratches...and rubs and being petted and being held closely to Eggy's warm and soft body like in his dream of being a baby.
His nose twitched. Sonic sniffed, he rubbed his nose in annoyance. It twitched again, and he shakily sniffed again as water filled his eyes and his bottom lip threatened to tremble. He missed being a baby.
"No, no, no!" Sonic screamed, "I can't. I'm not a baby; I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! I'm the fluffing hero of Mobius! I take down gods, evil geniuses, and any threat, no matter how big or dangerous the adventure is! It's what I do. It's what I am-gasp-I am...I am..." he weakly faded, shaking his head as the tears broke from the barrier.
He couldn't admit it. He couldn't say it out loud. If he did, it just solidified the idea into reality. Sonic was not a baby. He wasn't! His age spoke for itself; he was too old to be wearing diapers, sucking on a pacifier, dragging around a blanky with him like a toddler. Yet here he was bawling like a baby, unable to accept that Eggman was right about him.
But why? Sonic didn't understand?! Why did he like acting like a 2-year-old? Why did it make him feel happy, safe, warm, and fuzzy? Why did he feel like pretending to be so young felt like an escape? A relief? Why did he want to be cared for and loved by his former enemy like he was Eggman's baby?
He loved his life! He liked being a teenager! He didn't have that many responsibilities besides saving the world, and he loved doing it! So why did being a baby right now sound like it fit him more than being a hero? It was all so mind-boggling it made the blue blur's head spin...or maybe that was his exhaustion talking.
Shoulders shaking, he suddenly breaks out into hysterical laughter, "I'm going crazy! I'm so tired I'm hallucinating, or this is all some sort of weird dream from eating too many chili dogs at some party Amy had. I'll wake up on her couch asking Tails the number of the bus that hit me!" he laughs and laughs until the desperate laughter turns into anguished sobs once again.
After crying for a half-hour, Sonic calmed down. Though his nose was now dripping like a leaky faucet, he had come to his senses enough to notice that it was now snowing. He curled into himself further, eyelids fluttering, emotionally and physically numb while watching the fat white flakes drift down into a slowly rising cold blanket. He gently bit his arm, leaving red teeth marks behind, "G-gotta stay awake. I-I can't go to sleep if I wanna have any chance of someone finding me and making it out of this alive. A-and if I do, I need to fess up to Eggman about what's going on. M-maybe just maybe he c-can...help me figure it all out."
Chapter 14: Don't Let Me Go.
Notes:
*This chapter and the next were inspired by ShinyMisty's "Forsaken." and SourSugarCube's "How to care for your Alien Hedgehog Son" both are good reads but warning the first fic has some depression and self-harming themes.
Before I forget, I have one more thing to say! One of my readers mentioned that they download their favorite stories onto flash drives, and I thought that idea was...(insert bad English accent) "Smashing! Topped with pudding! Marvelous! Chips and Fish!" I'm going to try doing this myself. I'll let you know how it goes!
Anyway, we're over the first angst hump in this story, and now comes the best part, the hurt/comfort phase, with LOTS of fluff and babying; enjoy! 😄*
Chapter Text
Eggman's nerves were all a tingle as he waited, trying to refrain from touching his finely combed mustache. He hoped he wasn't sweating through his only nice business suit. Sitting sandwiched between a few board members, he glanced over his notes one more time before it was his turn to speak. He had no doubts that his invention would be an astounding success. The doctor had worked hard over the last few years on his biggest project since the robotisizer, and now he would, at last, begin to see the fruits of his labor. All he needed was the board's approval, and they could begin testing his invention in the field. The thought excited him!
"Dr. Robotnick." a man at the head of the table spoke; Eggman raised his head, "You may have the floor now." nodding, the egg-shaped man picked up his briefcase and rose, stepping to the front where all in the room could see.
Eggman opened the case with a small click, pulling out his notes for reference, a laser pointer, and a mock-up of his latest achievement while the lights in the room dimmed and a white screen lowered behind him. Clearing his throat and adjusting his tie, the doctor looked over the men and women in the room. Not only were the board members of the hospital present, but so were their assistants, executives, doctors, financial representatives, and other high-ranking people who filled the large conference room. All waited patiently, eagerly, waiting for the brilliant Dr. Robotnick to begin.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Dr. Robotnick." he takes a breath, "It is my pleasure to reveal to you my latest invention. One that I am sure will revolutionize the medical industry and change the lives of billions..."
*An hour later*
"That concludes my presentation." the lights slowly lit up again, and polite applause filled the room as Eggman gathered his things and returned to his seat. The Coordinator took his place once again with a polite smile, "Thank you, Dr. Robotnick. Your invention has us all very intrigued, and I'm sure some of us have questions we'd like to ask. However, before we do that, we will take a 30-minute break to digest in our minds what has been presented. Refreshments are waiting next door with a tv broadcasting the latest weather reports. We'll resume the conference at exactly 12:30."
With that, soft chatter fills the room, and people scatter to relieve and refill themselves. Eggman pulls out a hankey from his hidden suit jacket pocket and dabs his damp brow, relieved his presentation had gone exceedingly well. A sudden firm hand claps his back, startling him, "Great presentation, doctor, really well done!" Eggman's eyes light up, hearing a friendly voice. He turns and laughs, grasping the hand now on his shoulder, "Ah! Dr. Kintober, good to see you! Thank you! It's been quite a while, old man!"
"Old man?! You're the one who lost your hair and grew that wild thing under your nose while we were still in University! I may have gotten older over the years, but you have me beat. Look more like your grandfather every day." the man who looked like Eggman's polar opposite teased; both men laughed, reminiscing on their younger years. "Well, you can tell what I've been up to. But what about you? How's the family?" Eggman asked as the duo exited the conference room and entered the one next door filled with tables and small groups of people eating and chatting away.
"Oh, not much. Sally, the old girl, bless her heart, still puts up with me after all these years. Beautiful as ever while I waste away here in gore-filled surgeries or stuck in boring meetings. Chuck's got a position managing a music store, and Bernie's wedding will be later next summer. Sigh, seems just like yesterday they were all little tikes running around asking me for a piggyback ride." Dr. Kintober says wistfully, taking a plate and picking out a few finger foods, Eggman beside him doing the same. "That's wonderful old bean! You've raised some great kids, and the wife keeps getting better with age. I'm happy for you!"
"Thanks, couldn't have done it without Sal. Enough about me and my boring domestic life. What about you? Inventor genius extraordinaire! Surely you haven't been spending all your time slaving away on this little gadget since the robotisizer, have you? That famous Robotnick brain comes up with more ideas than I know you're telling me!" he winks.
Having gathered enough food on their plates and grabbing a drink to accompany it, the two doctors sat down at an empty table by the tv broadcasting about the severe winter storm. "Actually, I do have another project I've recently started." Eggman began nervously tugging his collar; his friend eagerly leans closer in interest, "What is it? Spill!"
"Oh, stop! It's not what you think. Has nothing to do with machines." Dr. Kintober raised a brow at him curiously, "I may have...recently taken in a teenage hedgehog." now Eggman's companion's brows rose even higher at that. "You!? The great Dr. Robotnik, who has never gone on a date, and after 10 years in the med field, swore off having anything to do with anything that wasn't a machine. Took in a kid?!"
"I know it sounds ridiculous with my history, but...we've known each other for quite some time actually through mutual contacts, and well recently I found out about his situation and couldn't bare to see him be all alone, so yes. I decided to take him in."
"Wow." Dr. Kintober breathed, then chuckled with a warm smile. "I would never have imagined in a million years that you would go soft for a...how old is the boy?"
"15. Though with his issues, he acts more like a small child." Eggman sighed sadly, "The poor thing has gone through so much, and he's still reluctant in trusting me. Just yesterday, I figured out he's hasn't been sleeping very much, and when I confronted him about it, he took off on the verge of tears blocking himself in his room. I thought we were making such good progress, but after last night, I'm not so sure and am at a loss as to what to do?"
Dr. Kintober nods sympathetically, listening to his dear friend's troubles, "Ah yes, the teenage years. They say the 2's are terrible, but I think the adolescent years are the worst. The child is going through so many changes all at once in development, not to mention if they're going to school or dealing with trauma like your boy. It can leave the most experienced and loving parent scrambling. Do you have any plans on what to do to help him?" Eggman taps his chin. "Well, I do ha-"
A rapid succession of high-pitched beeping emanating from the doctor's wrist cuts him off; he looks at his wrist in bewilderment. "What on earth? Excuse me for one second." Dr. Kintober waves him off that it was no trouble as Eggman slid his jacket sleeve back to examine his wrist computer. An alert pops up on the tiny screen, "Danger subject's temperature is dropping below safe zone!"
"This doesn't look good." Eggman mutters, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Hold on just a moment; I need to make a quick call." quickly, the doctor leaves the room for the quieter hallway while his fingers fly across the screen, dialing a number. The sound of a ring on the other line begins just as he enters the silent hallway waiting anxiously as the phone continues to ring.
He absently twirled his mustache staring at the little phone emoji still ringing. He frowned in annoyance when the machine beeped for him to leave a message, "Metal. It's me, Eggman." he lowly whispered before raising his voice, "What's going on? I just got an alert from Sonic's collar that his temperature is dropping. Call me back!" hanging up, the doctor wondered why Metal didn't answer. He always answers when I call. Trying to shake off the dread bubbling in his gut, Eggman calmly returned to sit next to his friend.
"Everything alright?" Dr. Kintober asks; seeing Eggman's worried expression and his now touseled mustache, the large man sighs. "I don't know. I just got an alert that something is wrong at home, and no one answered the phone." He glances at his watch and the weather broadcast, the tv showing the massive storm getting worse. "I'm worried something's happened to the boy. If I don't hear anything before the meeting starts, I'll need to leave before the storm completely stops me from being able to go home." A firm hand grips his shoulder, shaking it gently in reassurance, "Don't worry, old bean. I'm sure everything is fine. If you do have to leave us, I'll make sure the board knows that an emergency came up." Eggman sighs, thankful for having such an understanding friend. It eased his anxiety minutely. "Thank you."
Over the next few minutes, the two friends made small talk as they watched the forecast and the ticking clock; Eggman tried one more time to contact Metal Sonic but was met with the answering machine again. It was down to the wire, with the two being the only ones left in the refreshment room before Eggman concluded that he had to go. "I'm sorry about this. Please give everyone my apologies, and I'll contact you as soon as I can."
"Don't worry about it, just get home safe!" Dr. Kintober pushed, handing the doctor his briefcase before the two quickly separated. Eggman nodded, sprinting to the elevator doors pressing the button for the basement garage; he prayed that he would make it home in time. More alerts popped up as he hurried through the hospital to his Eggmobile.
Eggman floated out of the city in record time, going as fast as the vehicle could go while still maintaining visual contact. Despite his hurry, it would still take the human 2 hours before he would reach the base, and with the storm growing in ferocity, it delayed him by another half hour, according to his GPS. Leaving Eggman almost 3 hours to continue his attempts to contact Metal (who kept ignoring his calls) and for him to worry and fret about what was going on. He speculated wildly on what could possibly be happening at the base, as the increasing amount of alerts pushed his anxiety further.
He didn't know what was going on with Sonic, but it was scaring him to death, "Danger temperature dropping!"
"Danger heartbeat rate decreasing!"
"Danger brainwave measurements are at erratic levels!"
"Danger! Danger! Danger!"
It was the longest and most stress-filled 2 and a half hours of Eggman's life.
Sonic's head jerked up again, slamming against the wall with a thud. The hit was hard enough to cause a migraine, but he barely felt the pain. He barely felt anything; the blue hero's coat was almost completely covered in white and frozen underneath. The snow reaching his mid-calf were he standing up, but sitting on the ground half curled up, the white powder almost covered him completely.
Over the last hour, Sonic had gone from violently shivering to hardly moving at all, a dangerous sign of hyperthermia. The hedgehog's nose was frozen solid from its constant dripping, and he was losing the battle to keep awake.
He almost felt warm and cozy sitting out here in the white blanket, and he was so tired. Sonic was so tempted just to close his eyes and sleep. Can't sleep...must stay...awake...must wait...for...help...somebody...please...help. The wind howled with flurries of flakes, hitting him like a thousand sharp needles; the sky was so dark it almost looked like the night sky without any moon or stars. The temptation grew to let a dreamless sleep take him. So...tired...maybe...if I...close my...eyes just...for a...second...to...rest...
One minute he was staring into the white blizzard, the next nothing but darkness. The high-pitched howling turned into white noise as his brain and body began to shut down, and his breathing slowed.
"sonic!"
"Sonic!"
"SONIC!"
A gravelly voice desperately yells hard boots crunch loudly into the snow. His ears attempt a twitch to the sound approaching, the faint disturbing noise pulling him back to earth. The voice calls his name again, and Sonic feels somebody lift his head, "Wake up! Wake up, Sonic! Don't you dare leave me now!"
That voice...sounds...I-I know it...who?
His brain struggled to place the voice with a face, but he was so fuzzy-headed that he couldn't make a match. Leaving him with the only option to open his eyes, it was a battle to try. Sonic's lids felt like 10-ton weights, and he wished he could have lifted his arms to rub the sleep away. But they weighed just as much, stiffly stuck wrapped around his legs.
Any strength Sonic had before had been stolen from him by the frigid air. Every time his lids lifted enough for him to catch a glimpse of the outside world, his eyelids would fall again; several times, the blue blur almost gave up. But Sonic was curious about who the soothing voice emanated from, and he wasn't a quitter; he was a fighter till the end! It was a monumental task but, he finally managed to peek them open enough to make out Eggman's silhouette, and his eyelids rose further in surprise.
"Oh, thank Chaos! You're awake! Sonic, what happened? What are you doing out here?!-Never mind, we need to get you inside right now!" Eggman hurries, digging his hands through the snow surrounding the blue devil. Ignoring the dangerous temperatures, he takes off his jacket, carefully wrapping it around Sonic before picking him up.
The blue blur gazed at Eggman in shock and confusion. Though he knew what the doctor was doing, he couldn't comprehend what the man was saying. His ears felt as if they were stuffed with cotton and his vision was blurry from staring into the blinding white for so long. Sonic couldn't believe it! Was this some hallucination of his dying mind? A trick to lift his spirits before he sunk into permanent sleep?
Eggman was here!
He's here! Please, oh please, Chaos, don't let this be some hallucination before I die. He begged. Suddenly pain radiated through his body, and a scream tore through his throat as his back curled inward, thrusting his chest out. It hurts! It hurts! He wanted to yell and scream. The pain was so intense like someone had lit his body on fire, but all that came out was a ragged cry. He heard Eggman saying something and knew he was being carried inside the base away from the storm when the dark sky turned grey with soft lights shining on him.
With a whimper, Sonic steadies his strained breathing as he squints his eyes, watching the doctor carry him yelling at someone just out of his line of sight, then Eggman switches to looking down at him, talking in a soothing tone.
The blue devil shakily smiles. He was so confused and in pain but didn't care. All that mattered was that Eggman had found him, and he was back in his caretaker's arms again! He was being carried and held again! Sonic could feel his heart squeezing in his chest, and the dying fire in it roar back to life, overriding the awful buzzing going through his limbs. Tears and a gasp escape as a cocktail of emotions swirls; joy, sadness, heartache, remorse. All his thoughts from before colliding together in his mind competing for attention. Urging Sonic to explain to the doctor what had happened, how happy he was to see him, how sorry he was for not explaining himself the other day, and how he wanted to make up for it all!
But to the doctor, Sonic's desperate and fast-paced confession came out as nothing but pain-filled cries and blubbering in between nasty-sounding coughs and wheezing. Eggman just nodded like he understood and continued to shush the little hedgehog gently as he tried to get him warm as safely as he could.
Orbot hurried up to him with a thick blanket. The doctor took it with shaking hands, removing his ruined suit jacket tossing it out. Holding the frozen hedgehog close, he guided Sonic's frozen limbs to wrap around a hot water bottle Cubot handed him. The blue devil, still blubbering, instinctually sensed the heat and curled around it, giving Eggman the ability to wrap him up tightly in the blanket so no lifesaving heat would escape allowing the blue blur to soak it all up.
The doctor holds the hedgehog burrito close as an added measure to help gauge when the hot water bottle needs replacing and to comfort the distressed hedgie. "Is there anything else we can do, Master?" Orbot nervously asks, gazing worriedly upon the shivering blue bundle in his creator's arms. Cubot hovers by looking almost as if he could cry (if robots could cry), "Go prepare the recovery room and have an IV line ready along with a steady supply of hot water bottles and blankets. Hopefully, that should do it but be on stand by and ready if he makes a turn for the worst." Eggman commands with a strained voice.
"Yes, sir. We'll be ready when you call." in quiet somber, the red and yellow robots leave the two until they're needed. Eggman releases a sigh dropping back into the couch, giving his heart the chance to slow down; his nerves fried at this point.
He had just arrived at the base to find a small pile of blue quills near the hangar, half-hidden in the snow on the verge of death. Eggman had practically leaped out of his vehicle while it was still running as soon as he spotted the bit of blue fur. Racing to the hedgehog, his heart dropped seeing those lovely green eyes closed. The doctor feared he was too late, but his wrist computer picked up a faint, slow heartbeat from the collar's sensors. Not wasting a second, Eggman pulled Sonic back to the land of the living just before he began his permanent slumber.
The doctor's heart was still racing, and his hands were shaking from shock, thoughts spinning over and over again with images of Sonic looking almost dead in the snow. Eggman had almost lost someone very precious to him.
His fingers tighten around the blanket. I swear on my life to have the most painful death that I will never let anything like this happen again! He swears.
Now at least the worst was past, though Sonic wasn't out of the woods yet. Knowing the hedgehog had to be exhausted, the doctor had to keep him awake until the danger of him slipping into hibernation had passed.
Eggman looks down at his charge. The shivering hedgie's blubbering now reduced to soft crying, tears falling around his pink muzzle, whimpering and nuzzling against his chest. The man could feel his heart aching in sympathy, "It's ok. It's ok. I'm here now, and everything will be alright." Eggman cooes rocking gently, "I'm-hic hic-I'm ss-so-sorry." Sonic weakly whimpers. "No need. You're going to be fine. Just stay awake for a little longer, and then you can go to sleep, ok?" He gets a sniff and a nod in acknowledgment. "Are you still in pain?"
"N-n-no. Ju-just pins n' needles."
"Good. Good," Eggman whispers and nods, squeezing Sonic tighter and patting the underside of the blanket, "You're doing great, Sonic."
"I'm sorry." he apologized again; the doctor frowned, not understanding what he was apologizing for. Perhaps he broke a rule, and that's how he ended up stuck outside? But that doesn't make sense? Or maybe he's sorry about last night? Ah! That's not important right now anyway.
"I don't understand what's wrong or how you ended up half-frozen outside. But we can discuss that later. I'm just glad I found you in time..." he briefly looked up to the clock and his wrist computer, then softly smiled in relief. Sonic's vitals were stable again. The danger had passed. "You just get warm and rest now. It's safe. I'll keep watch."
A little black nose sniffs, and Sonic looks up at the doctor with a small unsure frown, "R-r-r-really? You won't leave m-m-me?" Eggman nods and tenderly kisses his forehead, "Yes, just go to sleep, my little hedgie. I'll be right here." Eggman whispers. The hedgehog's cheeks, already pink, deepen in color, he gazes at the doctor with wide shiny red-rimmed eyes, and he shakily sighs.
Relieved he could finally get some sleep and secure in his caretaker's arms, Sonic closes his eyes, gratefully taking in the heat wrapped around him. The pain slowly fades away, and he finally begins to get some feeling back in his body; Sonic wiggles closer to the doctor's chest, listening to his slow heartbeat allowing it to lull his consciousness to sleep.
Chapter 15: What's wrong with me?
Notes:
*Who knew after a few weeks after writing this I would get sick as well? Ah well, I'm better now so have the latest chapter!*
Chapter Text
A comforting warmth radiated around his belly, purring and squeezing the squishy object he curled around it tighter, smiling and soaking the heat up like a sponge. He cringes, feeling a slight pinch around his right arm, and lessons his grip on the water bottle. Much more comfortable now, he sighs, nuzzling the side of his head on a firm yet soft pillow, all the while wrapped snuggly in the blanket. Emerald eyes slowly flicker open and quickly close at the bright lights; he opens them again, blinking rapidly so his eyes can adjust. His vision finally clears to see light grey walls. Turning his head to the other side, Sonic sees an IV pole standing just beside his large bed; he follows the transparent cord traveling from the machine and disappearing underneath the blankets.
Curiously, he wiggled his right arm out of his cocoon and finds a small needle attached to the transparent cord taped to the crook of his elbow. That explained the pinch he felt a few moments ago. He blinked a few times and poked the entry point to make he's not seeing things; a small flash of pain confirms he's not dreaming. The blue blur shivers and sniffs, pulling the water bottle close again, put out that it seemed to be losing its alluring warmth. Suddenly his ears stand to attention, picking up soft footsteps outside the door; Sonic watches as the door hums and slides open, revealing Eggman holding a new hot water bottle.
The doctor's face brightens, seeing his charge is now awake and alert, "Sonic!" he breathes in relief, stepping up to the tiny hedgehog sitting up in the large hospital bed. "How are you feeling?" he softly asks; Sonic ponders the question before answering, surprised to hear his voice come out scratchy, "I'm ok."
"Good good. Here." the doctor uncovers the blue devil from his nest, minding the IV, and offers the new hot water bottle. Sonic quickly switches the bottles and sighs in content, latching on to the new one. Eggman warmly smiles, patting the hedgehog's head, "Better?" he asks; Sonic nods happily, sitting up and scootching back into the pillows.
His brows furrow, realizing he doesn't know how he got here, "Uh,-cough cough-Eggman. What are you doing here? What happened?" the doctor caringly wraps the blankets back around his peach shoulders and then pulls a chair sitting down by the bed looking at Sonic with concern. "What's the last thing you remember?" The blue blur narrows his eyes, searching the floor, thinking hard, trying to recall, "Metal...he tricked me and locked me outside. I tried to break back in, but everything was locked tight...the storm...it was really cold, and I was wet, so I stuck myself in a corner and tried to stay awake. But then, after a while, I started falling asleep. I remember...seeing you and then, eh, it gets all fuzzy after that."
"That explains how you ended up outside," Eggman mumbles, handing him a cup of warm tea to drink. Sonic takes a sip, thanking him with a still horse voice; he attempts to clear it before speaking again as the doctor takes back the drink. "How did you find me? I thought you weren't supposed to be back for a couple of days?"
"I got an alert from your collar, " the human points to the small computer on his wrist to the hedgehog, "When I tried to contact Metal to find out what was wrong and nobody answered, I came back and found you, just in the nick of time. You almost died of hypothermia and frostbite; when you woke up, you were delirious and hysterical. I had to keep you under surveillance until the danger passed and you were stable."
"Oh!-cough cough-I'm sorry I interrupted your important board meeting." his ears lower sadly, and his pink cheeks darken, "No, don't worry about it! You're much more important besides some stuffed up suit monkeys." Sonic's ears perk back up, and he slightly smirks at what the doctor calls his clients though he still feels a bit guilty.
A rumble from his stomach greets his ears, "How long was I out?" he asks; the hedgehog felt like he could eat a horse! "A little over a day. The worst is over, but you might be weak and susceptible for the next couple of weeks until your system fully recovers." Eggman gazes at the pink cheeks glowing on Sonic's muzzle and puts a large hand over the blue devil's forehead feeling an unpleasant heat radiate off, "And it sounds, looks, and feels like you might be coming down with something." Sonic pouts. I've been out for over a day? No wonder I'm starving! His voice breaks in sarcasm, "Great! I hate being sick." he then dramatically sniffs and rubs his dripping stuffed-up nose. Eggman chuckles, leaning back in his chair, glad to see the hedgehog's spry spirit making a return even if he was sick and weak.
He hands the sniffly hedgehog a tissue box which Sonic takes and loudly blew his nose. The doctor's brow rose, recalling something Sonic had just mentioned, "You said Metal tricked you?"
"Cough-yeah. Ahem! He said one of your experiments or whatever had gotten out and asked me to help him look for it outside. Apparently, after kicking me out, he also took away my access to all the doors and windows so that I couldn't get back in." Eggman's expression darkened, and his hands curled into fists as Sonic explained what had happened, "Is that so...?" he lowly growls. The blue blur slowly nods in confirmation, "I'll be sure to have a word with him then." Sonic's body language turns frightfully timid at Eggman's dark air, "Y-you aren't going to...like deactivate him, are you?" The doctor looks at the hedgehog curiously, surprised to hear concern for the badnick coming from him. "No. Why? Are you worried about him?"
"Ah well, no! It's just..." he squeaks, looking away and scratching the back of his head, "just even though we don't really get along. I think maybe I know why he did it, and I think we can work it out." he shrugs uncertainly, glancing up at the doc and back to the floor. Eggman thoughtfully hums, "Well, if you think you two can work it out. Fine, but I'm still going to talk to him." Sonic sniffs, smiles a little, and nods, agreeing to that before he sighs listlessly, wringing his wrists; he felt slightly nauseous, and his appetite dwindled as he recalled a specific discussion he needed to have with the doctor. "U-u-um Eggman."
"Yes?"
"Do you-cough cough-remember the other night when...when you asked me if something was wrong?" he asks shakily. Eggman folds his hands together, concernedly looking at the shy tiny hedgehog remembering the events of that night very well, saying quietly, "Yes."
Gosh, his heart was racing, and he felt like he was going to puke! This was not going to be easy, but after hitting his breaking point, Sonic knew he needed help, and Eggman had said before how much he wanted to help. This was the perfect opportunity for the doctor to prove he could be a good guy and an equal opportunity for Sonic to open up. He had promised that if he made it out of the storm alive, he would fess up.
Gulping and with quivering lips, he closed his eyes to gather himself before opening them to see Eggman patiently waiting for him to speak, "I uh...I've...I've been having...nightmares. A lot of them recently, and I don't know why."
"Oh? What have they been about?" the doctor calmly asks, "You...mainly-sniff cough-but your not the same your like...super duper evil and scary looking. You're always laughing with these sharp pointy teeth, " Sonic demonstrates, opening his mouth and poking his fingers down like elongated fangs, "and my friends and I always almost die at the end. I can't sleep for more than a few hours when I have a nightmare and..., and I feel sick, my heart beats out of my chest, and I'm paranoid afterwards! Sometimes it feels like I'm gonna die! That's why I haven't been sleeping much...I've been...sniff-t-terrified of having those dreams again." his voice breaks and tears began to leak out of his eyes as he tries to wipe them away, sick and ashamed that a few nightmares had reduced him to crying. Gosh, why couldn't he keep his emotions in check lately? It made him look like a weak, defenseless baby!
Which I kinda am... He regretfully admitted to himself.
Eggman reached out gently, rubbing behind the blue blur's back, "I'm so sorry, Sonic. Thank you for coming to me and telling me what's been bothering you."
"B-b-b-but-sniff-there's something else." he squeaked. The doctor nodded for him to continue; Sonic nervously clutched the hot water bottle tighter like his life depended on it. "I...I can't stop thinking about the way you...babied me." Eggman rose a brow, "When I treated you like a baby?" he clarified; Sonic nodded his head very fast as more tears broke down. "I-hic-I don't know why I can't stop thinking about it! Especially after a nightmare! I don't want to but-hic cough-I miss it. I miss wearing the diapers; I miss my paci, and you treating me like a baby." He shamefully bowed his head, hiding his face against the hot water bottle, "I hate myself." he quietly mumbles, "And you probably think I'm weird and hate me now too."
Eggman, unsure if he wasn't supposed to hear that last part or not, scootches his chair closer anyway so he can wrap his arms around the guilt-ridden hedgehog. "I could never hate you, Sonic!" he declares, "You might make me angry, frustrated, or disappointed at times, but I could never ever hate you!" Sonic silently gasps in shock when the doctor hugs him, "R-really?!" he says in disbelief. "Of course! In fact, if there's anyone I hate, it's myself." the blue blur looks up at him with tear-filled eyes, not understanding, "What? Why?"
"Because-sigh-I'm the one who's brought about all this trouble for you."
"What do you mean, doc?" Eggman slowly runs his hand through bed mangled blue quills, "I'm the cause of your nightmares."
"Wha? But, just because you're in them doesn't-" the doctor holds his hand up, "Let me finish." Sonic silently obeys, letting his tears openly fall, observing Eggman with wide eyes, wondering what the doctor was trying to say. "Sonic, over the many years we've known each other, I've done horrific things. Threatening you, the world, and your friends. You've always been there to stop me, thank goodness, but most of our battles together have been capable of causing immense trauma. From what you just explained to me with you're reoccurring nightmares and panic attacks, I fear you may have developed PTSD."
Sonic cocked his head at that, "PTSD?-cough cough-isn't that like...something old dudes have who went to war a million years ago?" Ignoring the dinosaur talk, Eggman held back from rolling his eyes and nodded, "That's how it's most commonly known, but it can affect young people as well. After traumatizing experiences such as war, abuse, or life-threatening situations. Like you've experienced."
"...oh." Sonic's head lowered, eyes flicking around the floor tiles while his mind connected the dots, his brows furrowed, "But what about the...baby thoughts?"
"That, funnily enough, is a form of therapy I was trying out on you. Tell me. Whenever you think of acting like a toddler, when does that happen, and how do you feel?"
"S'after a nightmare. And I feel...better. Warm, happy, free." he mutters. Smiling, Eggman nods, "So thinking about doing that stuff makes you feel better, right?" Sonic slowly nods, still too embarrassed to look at the doctor, "then that means that therapy is helping you. So why do you act like you're guilty of committing some horrible crime?"
"Because I'm 15-Ack!" the blue devil choked, grasping his throat, yelling too loud; he coughed a couple of more times before Eggman handed him the cup of tea again. He took a few sips silently thanking the doc handing him the cup back, and tried to speak without straining his sore vocal cords, "I'm 15. Baby stuff is for babies! I shouldn't be into that kinda stuff."
"Says who?" Eggman countered, "Everybody." Sonic replied.
"Why?"
"I don't...I don't know why?! Just cause!" Sonic weakly argued the doubt in his mind beginning to confuse him. "Just cause that's what people say? Is there anything other than that, that's wrong with being a baby?" the blue blur hopelessly shrugged, "Um...well...no? I don't know?"
"Being a baby doesn't hurt anyone. You're not breaking the law. So other than people's opinion, there's nothing wrong with acting like a baby, or toddler is there?"
Sonic blinked, thinking about what the doctor was saying. Eggman makes a good point. There is nothing wrong with being a baby. Why do we stop anyway? What's wrong with using diapers instead of a toilet and playing with toys? We start in diapers and end in them anyway. If I like it, who's to stop me? Just because other people think it's weird? He mentally scoffs. That's never stopped me before! Eggman's right!
"No, there's not." he thoughtfully mutters, the metaphorical light bulb clicking on as he raises his eyes to the doctor's. "Exactly! So if it helps and you want me to treat you like a baby again, I don't mind." emerald eyes widen hopefully, "You don't?!"
"No!" Eggman chuckles at the hedgehog's shocked face, "I actually enjoyed treating you as such myself-" he grunted when Sonic slammed his face into his gut, wrapping his arms around the man as much as he could, sobbing again. The doctor gazed down at the blue devil, wondering why he was crying again? Before he could ask, Sonic pulled his head away to look back up at him again with a large grin saying hoarsely, "Thank you! Thank you!" and nuzzled his face against the doctor's gut again.
Eggman's eyes watered and sparkle in joy at the sight; his heart swelled with affection and the ever-growing desire to protect and care for the little hedgehog. He would do anything to keep that bright smile on Sonic's fuzzy face. The doctor hugged the hedgehog tighter, rubbing soothing circles between the quills on the blue blur's back, rocking gently and shushing.
They stayed like that for some time before Sonic's crying stopped. After giving the hedgehog some crackers and more tea the two resumed cuddling.
Sonic still held on to the doctor with a tired smile, not wanting to let go. He felt happy and warm, not just on the outside but on the inside as well. The blue blur had come out, explaining why he had been acting strangely over the last week and, as a reward, had gained Eggman's affection. The doctor, in turn, finally earning his trust. The stress of holding himself back was gone. Sonic was free to be Eggman's baby if he pleased, and the doctor didn't mind at all! Even better, the man enjoyed treating Sonic as a toddler. Offering to help give the hedgie the means to escape his trauma, and the doctor knew the blue hero would need all the help he could get.
Gloved hands weakly tightened and released rhythmically around Eggman's midsection; Sonic felt comforted and safe in his presence and didn't want the doctor to leave him. But he was sick and still recovering from his close call from hypothermia. Stubbornly he fought to stay awake. His ears twitched to a soothing humming sound coming from above; Sonic deciphered the noise to be coming from Eggman, who was rubbing his back.
Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird
And if that mocking bird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring
Gently he felt Eggman rocking them both and softly smiled; he didn't know the doctor was such a good singer. His usually gravelly voice was smooth as silk and turned into a deep baritone that conveyed protection.
And if that diamond ring is brass
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat
His brows pinched in confusion; why was Eggman referring to himself as a mother? As Sonic pondered, he chuckled, remembering how the doctor did act like a mother hen at times fussing and coddling his creations and now him. It actually fit the doctor to a tee.
And if that billy goat don't pull
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over
Mama's gonna buy you a dog called Rover
The lullaby was beginning to have its desired effect on the blue devil, slowly his eyelids closed, and his grip on Eggman slackened. Leaning fully on the man's belly, Sonic felt like he was floating and shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller in Eggy's hold.
And if that dog called Rover don't bark
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart
And if that horse and cart turn round
You'll still be the sweetest little babe in town
Eggman gazed lovingly at his charge, who had fallen asleep at last. Mouth open so he could still breathe despite his closed nostrils, a little bit of drool escaped from the corner of the hedgie's mouth. The doctor smoothly removed tan arms from around his waist and wrapped them back around the hot water bottle. With one hand bracing Sonic's back Eggman laid him back down onto the pillow as he sings the last verse of the lullaby.
Be the sweetest little babe
Still, be the sweetest little babe in town
La, la, la, la, la, la
Hush, little baby, don't you cry...~
Rising from the bed, he pulled the blanket up to the hedgehog's shoulders, caressing his cheek. Eggman smiled, watching Sonic peacefully rest, "Goodnight, my sweet little baby boy." he whispers before turning the lights off and leaving.
Chapter 16: Happy Unbirthday
Notes:
*You know what? You guys are awesome! I've been getting quite a few suggestions for new stories lately and just AGH! I LOVE IT! I've already started planning out some of your ideas, and I can't wait to start writing them!
It will be quite some time, though, before I can since I'm in the middle of this story and have several other fics planned out to start posting after this one is finished. None the less I thank you all for your ideas, and keep them coming!
If you'd like to get a taste of what you can expect in the next few months, years?
...
However long this takes, (shrug) check out my profile. I have a list of all the fics I have planned to write. When I post the last chapter, I'll give ya'll an update on what's in store. Until then, enjoy!*
Chapter Text
After Eggman had left Sonic to rest, he immediately went to confront Metal about the incident. The doctor wanted so badly to explode in anger and fury at the badnick for almost killing Sonic and ground him for life! But he refrained from blowing out all his anger at the badnick with great restraint. Keeping in mind Metal was based on his organic copy and that there were some emotions and feelings based on the badnick's actions, not just cold computerized code that had glitched on his orders.
Taking their serious discussion with this viewpoint, Eggman uncovered the badnick's jealousy over the blue blur. The poor robot had felt abandoned since Sonic's arrival as second in command and had concluded that the doctor didn't love him anymore now that he had the "original." Thinking that the only way to be back in the doctor's good graces was to eliminate his copy.
Eggman felt his heartbreak, hurt that he had made one of his precious creations feel that way, and apologized profusely. Assuring Metal Sonic that though they had a new addition, his love for the badnick remained the same as before. He promised to spend more time with his creation and mentioned that having Sonic as a second was only in title as Metal still held all his previous responsibilities. If he wanted, the two could either share the title, or he could give it all back to Metal if Sonic didn't want to stay as second in command.
The badnick agreed, apologizing as well. Creator and creation made up, though Metal would still be punished (no video games and internet access for a week, and he had to do a thorough cleaning of the whole base). Metal and Sonic still had to get over their differences, but now that the badnick and Eggman's relationship was patched up. Everything was looking on the bright side!
Except for Sonic's increasingly bad cold. The poor thing was stuck on bed rest (doctor's orders) with a high fever, sore throat, and dripping nose. Eggman did everything he could to make the blue devil comfortable and help him get well with plenty of hot water bottles, blankets, soup, and yucky-tasting medicine. He even had the service bots install a tv for the sick hog to watch when he was awake so he wouldn't be too bored and had given the blue baby back his diapers and baby bottle.
Sonic miserable as he was gratefully thanked the doctor for his kindness and care. Keeping wrapped up in the blankets cuddling his hot water bottle, Sonic felt better after he had a diaper back on around his bum. Like his security blanket had been returned to him. The doctor stayed by the sick hedgehog's side as much as possible as the poor thing had become clingy and needy after the incident while he was unwell. Eggman spent this time giving Sonic lots of attention and love to make the blue blur feel safe and comfortable. He also helped explain to the blue devil what he might experience with his PTSD, how it affected the way he acted lately, and how he could cope with his condition.
Sonic didn't understand why he had been so emotional lately as he had always had a firm grip on his emotions in the past but now had lost all control. The doctor explained that it was the stress of his PTSD that made effortless actions in the past near impossible now and how the hedgehog had a history of acting childish and that this was just a part of it that was exaggerated now due to his condition. The explanation relieved some pressure off of Sonic and answered his questions; he could concentrate on improving his control now, knowing what was up.
Several days later, it was almost time for Shadow and Rouge to pay their weekly visit, and the snowstorm was still going strong. Sonic had not gotten over his cold yet, either.
After blowing his nose for the hundredth time today, the blue blur balls up the used tissue sticking his tongue out and aims for the trash can; he tosses the paper, landing straight into the can. He silently cheers, pumping a fist in victory, and reaches for his bottle of orange juice to keep hydrated. A groan grabs his attention, and he turns to look at the doctor who was fiddling with the tv, "That should do it. Now let's test it out...you decent?" Eggman asks. Sonic quickly hides his bottle underneath the pillow behind him, pulls the blanket closer, makes sure his diaper isn't showing, and pulls a thumbs up. Nodding, the human sets himself down in a chair beside the hospital bed, punching some buttons on a remote; the tv screen lights up. A buffering bar appears with the sound of a phone ringing.
"Now remember, don't mention anything about what happened between you and Metal, ok? If G.U.N. found out about what happened, they may try to take you away." Sonic nods and gives the doctor an okay sign of understanding just as the ringing stops and a white bat appears on the screen, "Doctor? To what do I owe the pleasure of you calling me?" she says with a surprised purr. "Hello, Rouge! Well, I just wanted to let you know that we might need to cancel our interviews tomorrow."
"Oh?"
"Yes. You see, Sonic here's caught a terrible cold." the man gestures to the little blue body beside him, "Hey Rouge!" Sonic waves his voice a little stronger than a few days ago, but still scratchy, "Oh Blue, you poor, poor thing! This nasty weather hasn't been doing you any favors, has it?" she playfully winks, making the blue hero blush. "Not at all! I'm better than I was, but I'm still kinda sickly."
"Yes, his fever's gone down, so there's no risk of him being contagious, but I'd rather we still keep from doing anything too strenuous, and the weather is still frightful out—no need to have you getting sick; as well."
"Yes, cause Mr. Ultimate Lifeform doesn't have to worry about such things like us mere mortals!" Rouge shouts, narrowing her aqua eyes back to presumably her partner loitering in the background, a loud grunt is said in return, and Sonic hides his giggles behind his hands. The bat returns her attention to the screen with a brief smirk before switching to an exaggerated sad pout with a sigh. "I see no reason why we can't wait another week. You two have kept a good track record so far, so I think we can let this one slide. Unless you have something to say, big blue?" she raises a manicured brow, "Nah-cough-I'm good! Tell Shadow I said hi, and if you guys could check on Tails for me, so he knows this isn't a trick, I'd appreciate it."
"Sure, dear, you just get better, and we'll see you next week! Buh bye~!" Rogue smiles with a small wave, "Bye!" the doctor and hedgehog wave back as the screen goes dark.
"Now to contact your little fox friend. Just give me a second...do you think it'd be best for me to leave the room while you two talk?" Sonic frowned as Eggman fiddled with the remote, rubbing underneath his nose; he replied, "Um...yeah. I think he'd be suspicious if he saw you around. Sorry."
"No, no, I understand!" Eggman waved his hands in a calm down motion smiling reassuringly, "He's just worried about you being with me, is all. I have some things to do anyway; I'll check back on you later." Sonic smiled apologetically with ears slightly bent back, "Ok."
Nodding again, Eggman gives the hedgehog's ears a brief rub and leaves. Sonic takes a deep breath blowing it out noisily to settle his nerves before grabbing the remote and pointing it to the screen, dialing the fox's number. A few rings later, and the call clicks with a round face and big pointy ears popping up on the screen, "Sonic?!"
"H-hey Tails!" the hedgehog clears his throat, "How's it going?"
"I'm good. But why are you calling me? Is something wrong?!"
"No, no!" Sonic waves his hands, "Nothing is wrong. I just called to let you know I won't be able to visit you this week." Tails' eyes narrow in suspicion, "Sonic, what's going on? Are you in trouble?"
"No! I'm sick-cough-oh, I said that too loud ouch...ahem! I'm sick."
"What? How? You never get sick!"
"Yeah, well...hehe, I kindaaaa sortaaaa maybe...got stuck outside for a few hours during that big snowstorm, and it took a while before Eggman got me back inside. Turns out almost going into hibernation and getting a bit of frostbite will give you a nasty cold." he sheepily scratches the back of his head. He knew that telling his already worried little brother about this probably wasn't the best idea. Though they hadn't told Rouge what had really happened, Sonic felt like he needed to be honest with his best friend. Tails looks at his brother with dismay and worry in his eyes, "How did that happen?! I thought you said Eggman wouldn't hurt you?!"
"He didn't! Eggy was gone for a meeting, and Metal tricked me and locked me out of the base. Actually, Eggman said if it wasn't for my collar, he wouldn't have known about what was wrong and found me before it was too late. Soo...he kinda saved my life." he smiled warily, hoping that last part eased Tails' anxiety and doubt. The fox kit looks at him in disbelief, "Eggman saved your life...and he's taking care of you now that you're sick, right?" the blue blur nods, "Please don't tell Rouge and Shadow about what really happened, Tails! Eggman is getting so much better, and it wasn't his fault. I really want to make this work, so please don't mention anything about this one little mistake!"
Tails doesn't respond for a few moments; confliction spread across his face about what his brother just said before he sighs heavily with defeat, "Ok...just, please call me or Shadow and Rouge if he does anything suspicious. Hey, aren't you guys supposed to have a visit from them today?"
"Normally, yeah, but with this weather and me being sick, we agreed to cancel for this week. But don't worry! Everything is fine, bro, I promise!" Tails lets out another tired sigh rubbing his temples, "I know, Sonic. I can't help worrying about you. This isn't the longest we've ever been separated, but-"
"I know I know me being with Eggman scares you." Sonic nods rolling his eyes at the worry wort of a fox on the screen. Honestly! No matter what I say, it doesn't help him call down anymore! There's gotta be some way to reassure that fox that I'm alright. He puts that thought on the back burner to worry about for his next visit. He warmly smiles, "It's ok, I know. Just please try not to worry about me too much, ok? I know that if anything should happen, you and the guys have my back, and they've got yours's too." his words at least slightly cheered up the fox as he sat up a little brighter on screen. "Thanks, Sonic." the kit smiles, "I'll see you next week then?"
The blue devil winks and gives a thumbs up, "You bet! By the way, Shadow or Rouge may stop by to check in on you for me later and tell the rest of the gang to save a chili dog for me!"
"I will see ya, bro!" Tails laughs, saluting Sonic hung up.
Two days later, Sonic had made a full recovery from his illness and was back in his teenage bedroom. Much to the blue devil's disappointment, as he had expected to be allowed back in the nursery now that he didn't have to stay in that hospital bed in the lab's med area in the basement. When he grumbled and asked Eggman what was up, the obese human just smiled gleefully and said to be patient.
Patient for what?! I just wanna be back in my crib! What do I have to wait for? Is he redecorating the whole nursery or something?
...
Actually, it would be pretty cool if he did!
He got his answer early the following day.
Sonic was sleeping deeply when a hand gently shook his shoulder to wake him up, "Sooooniiic~ Soooooniiiic~ It's time to wake up, baby." he moaned, rubbing his eyes, wondering why Eggman was waking him up so early. "I wanna sleeeeep." he whined with a huff, "I know, but your surprise is ready and waiting for you. Don't you wanna see all your presents? I even had Metal make you your favorite breakfast this morning."
He slowly lifts his head from the pillow at that, slurring hopefully, "Chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and peanut butter?" Eggman nods, lightly scratching the blue blur's back that rises like a kitten in response. "Ok." Sonic relents, letting out a large yawn and holding his arms up. The doctor picks him up and pats his bottom, nuzzling his fuzzy cheek to wake him up further. As Eggman carries him, the hedgie felt the need to pee; he was about to ask the doctor to let him go to the bathroom when he happily remembered he was wearing a diaper. Sighing, he let go taking in the warmth growing on his bottom, smiling widely.
Just after he finished, the two entered the old nursery. Sonic's eyes flicked around what little he could see, curiously wondering what the surprise could be and if any changes had been made since he last visited the nursey. Everything looked the same until Eggman put him on the floor, facing a large pile of gift-wrapped boxes in the center.
The blue devil's jaw dropped, and any sleepiness in his eyes disappeared as they sparkled in childlike wonder. He had never seen so many pretty presents before! "Whoah! That's a ton of gifts, Eggy! Who's having a birthday party?" The doctor chuckled, sitting down in the rocking chair so he could enjoy the show, "It's no one's birthday. These are all for you!"
Emerald eyes widen in shock, "What!" Sonic shouts, tentatively pointing out to himself, "M-me?!" Eggman chuckles again, rubbing his hands together, "Yes! I know it's not your birthday, but since we've gotten together so well and you've been behaving, I decided to celebrate. When you said you wished to be treated like a toddler again, and I didn't have much in the way of toys, clothes, and such. I decided this would be the perfect way to celebrate!"
"You-sniff-you got all of this...for me?" Sonic softly whispers tears were shining in his eyes, gazing at the gifts then at Eggman again. He had never had his own toys before heck; he hadn't really seen a toy until Tails came along, and then all the playthings went to the fox and not him. Sonic had considered himself too mature for such things even if some of them looked really cool, and no one had given him any since they never saw the hedgehog play with toys before. Now that he was regressed, his caregiver was filling this gap in his life.
The doctor nods with a huge grin, and the blue blur beams dashing up to Eggman's lap, hugging him tightly, "Thank you!" he says, gratefulness oozing out of the hedgehog. The man kisses his forehead and hugs back, "Anything for you, my little hedgie. Now go on, " excited to watch the hedgehog unveil the gifts, he sets Sonic on the floor, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb, and turns the blue baby back to the boxes, encouraging him with a pat on his diapered bottom, "open them!"
The little hedgehog is overwhelmed by the number of shiny boxes in front of him; some are even bigger than he is! He rubs his nose and hesitantly approaches a small one close to his feet, plopping down with a squish; he pulls the sparkly green box closer and gently removes the paper. Sonic's eyebrows grow to his ears when he sees what's inside, "Pacis!" he squeals, pulling out a box of assorted pacifiers of all the colors of the rainbow.
He had been sad before that somehow his old paci got lost, especially while he was sick, having to resort to sucking on the blankets every time Eggman gave him medicine. But now, he had a box full of even prettier pacifiers. Some were covered in glitter, some had pictures on them, and others were simple but very pretty in color.
Opening the container, he picks a pink one with a lavender handle and pops it in his mouth, happy to have something to suck on again. Moving on to the next present, a light blue box with a purple ribbon and decorated with rattles, he again gently rips the paper to reveal a box of multi-colored bibs with cute sayings like, "Yummy in my tummy" and "Starts in my belly. Ends in my diapee."
This process went on for a while; Sonic felt like he was at a baby shower, except he was the baby unwrapping all the presents instead of an expectant mother. He got several packs of diapers, these puffier than those he was currently wearing with designs all over them like for real babies. He found crayons, coloring books, squishy toys, a dollhouse, puzzles, blocks, finger paints, light-up toys, pretend instruments, and soft blankets. The amount was endless! Sonic felt like the doctor was spoiling him with the amount of baby and toddler gear he acquired; he even had clothes!
He breathed out another 'wow' as he pushed a pile of ripped wrapping paper away; the hedgehog's ears turned up to the doctor picking up a strange noise. He looked up and tilted his head, watching Eggman pull something out behind his back. "One last present." the man winked, handing Sonic a bag filled with tissue paper. The blue blur took the bag and set it down, reaching inside, wondering what more the doctor could have possibly thought of to give him?
His hand grabbed something soft and squeezable, slowly pulling the object out. Sonic's jaw dropped as he gazed upon the gift. It was a plush Eggman wearing his old red and yellow outfit, smiling at him, complete with a fuzzy mustache, cape, and noodle-like arms and legs. "For when I'm not around." a gravelly voice comments as the hedgie silently gazes on the plush.
Eggman tugs his collar nervously when the hedgehog doesn't react for an unexpectedly long amount of time, "Do you not like it? It's ok I knew it was probably a longish-" a whimper stops the doctor's babbling; he looks down at the blue blur looking back up at him, happy tears on the verge of breaking, hugging the plush tight, saying, "I love it!" Eggman stares at him for a moment before saying, "You do?"
"Yeah!" Sonic squeaks quickly, nodding his head, "I'm gonna call him Ivo!"
"Ivo? Why's that?" he asks, scratching his bald head, "Cause he looks like one!"
Well, that makes sense. Eggman chuckles, relieved that the blue baby loved his hand-made plush, and gets up, walking toward the hedgehog and picking him up off the floor. "Come on, let's get you changed, eh?" gently laying Sonic on the changing table, Eggman turns back to the menagerie of gifts and picks up a few things placing them beside the hedgehog.
Sonic's eyebrows furrow curiously, watching Eggman wondering why he was delaying the change, his attention drew back to his plush, and he hugged Ivo with a cute smile around the pacifier. After the doctor returns, he pulls the tapes off the wet diaper and grabs a wipe; Sonic looks back to watch the human as he worked.
Once he was clean and the old diaper disposed of, Eggman unfolded the new one, and Sonic's eyes widened; it was one of the new diapers! When the doctor laid him on the new padding instantly, the blue blur could tell the difference between this one and his old diapers. These were much poofier, and after Eggman dusted him with baby powder and pulled the front up, Sonic's legs were forced to spread wider to accommodate the colorful padding between his thighs.
Just when he thought the doctor was done, Eggman pulled out a pair of footies and put his feet and legs into the pajamas. "Sit up, please." the man requested, and Sonic did as asked as the doctor maneuvered the clothing up to his back. Poked his tail and back quills out the accommodating holes and pulled his arms out of the sleeves, zipping up the back. Picking the dressed hedgie into his arms, Eggman turned to the wall and pressed a button that revealed a full-length mirror.
Sonic jumped in astonishment at the reflection; he gazed upon his appearance in wonder. The pajamas were a light blue with teddy bears scattered all over; his bottom was puffy from the diaper; he was sucking on his pacifier and clutching Ivo in one arm while the other gripped Eggman, who was smiling at him in the mirror. "Weeeell~?" the doctor sing songs bouncing the blue bundle gaping at the mirror in his arms, "What do you think?"
"I-I'm-I'm a little baby!" Sonic squeals in a childish tone giggling at his reflection with delight and the biggest grin on his face hugging Ivo to his chest. He couldn't believe his eyes! Eggman had turned him into a little baby hedgie...
And he loved it!
"Thank you, Eggy!" Sonic dropping his toy, hugs his caregiver putting all the love he could muster into it, purring loudly. Eggman laughs and coos at him, swinging the hedgehog back and forth, "You're welcome, my little hedgie!" Sonic giggles as he's swung, and he didn't know why? No one had said a joke, and nothing funny had happened, but maybe it was because he was so happy, and everything seemed brighter, more colorful, and silly when he was in his little space.
His eyes light up, spotting all the toys on the floor, and he gasps, "Can I play with all my new toys, Eggy?!" Eggman stops swinging and looks at the questioning blue blur, "Aren't you hungry? Metal made you pancakes remember?" Sonic gasps again with a sparkle in his eyes and mouth-watering, "PANCAKES!" he shouts, clapping excitedly, bouncing in the man's arms.
Chuckling, Eggman takes away the pacifier sets the hedgehog down, and grabs a tray hidden underneath the changing table and a mat, setting both down on the floor. He then grabs a bib and ties it around Sonic's neck, "There you are, eat up, babyhog."
"Yay!" he cheers, hopping on his diapered bottom and digs in; the doctor pulls his hidden breakfast into his lap and sits in the rocking chair, eating as well while Orbot and Cubot enter, picking up the trash. "Orbot Cubot! Lookie lookie, what Eggy got me!" Sonic says with a stuffed mouth picking up and showing off the egg-shaped plush.
The robots, taken aback by the action, awkwardly voice their approval and say how nice that was of the doctor. They were not used to the blue blur taking his childish antics to this degree.
After breakfast, Eggman wipes Sonic's sticky face and joins the hedgie in playtime after being begged and given the puppy dog eyes. The two enjoy Sonic's new toys and goodies until lunchtime, which is had again in the nursery. After that and another diaper change, Eggman declares its naptime as Metal Sonic takes away the pile of dishes.
"But I don't-yawn-wanna nap. I wanna play with you some more." the hedgehog whines rubbing his eyes, "We can play later, but growing babies need their sleep. Come on; I'll tuck you in." Eggman grunts picking up the pouty hedgie and laying him in the crib. Sonic yawns as he's tucked in with a soft yellow blanket, "Ivo." he whines, "He's right here." the doctor says lowly, placing the plush under the covers beside the blue blur.
Rubbing an ear, a large hand draws down to caress a sleepy fuzzy face; he whispers, "Goodnight, baby." turning on the mobile, the lullaby the doctor sang to the hedgehog a few nights ago plays. He walks away and turns the light off just as Sonic sleepily replies, "Night night Eggy."
Chapter 17: Baby Days
Notes:
*Man this has got to be my longest chapter to date, I probably should have cut back some, but I won't cut up parts of a story just for word count!
This chapter was inspired by Humanities_Handbag and Invader_Sam's "5 Times Sonic Caught Himself Before Calling Them 'Mom and Dad' and 1 Time He Didn't Hold Back"
Did you know they actually make diapers that have tail holes?! I always thought it was just made up for these kinds of stories, but our puppy recently started menstruating (we're thinking of breeding, haven't decided yet), and they have diapers for dogs that have a hole for the tail!
Seems art does imitate reality.*
Chapter Text
For the first time in his memory, Sonic felt...
Safe, relaxed, and loved.
Loved and cared for in a way the hedgehog had never known before. It was like he was an old broken vase found by an antique collector. Secure in an expert's hands who was helping restore him piece by piece with a delicate touch.
Instead of fighting and worrying about the next attack, he was playing, and it was honestly refreshing to have no worries! Though Sonic still had to cope with his PTSD, the doctor was helping him with that making sure the little hedgehog felt safe and assisting him in calming down after any nightmare-induced panic attack.
As much as Sonic enjoyed his Little time, he wasn't regressed always. Some days he didn't feel like wearing the diapers or crawling around playing with his baby toys. During those times, he was his usual teenage self hanging out and being snarky as always. The change from teenager to a toddler wasn't as...jarring or awkward as he had anticipated. Sometimes he didn't even realize he had changed, and Eggman somehow picked up the signals before he did and adjusted in stride.
The times' Shadow and Rouge came over, and his visits with Tails always seemed to arrive at the right moment. Sonic couldn't be little in their presence, and it was during those times, he didn't feel the need to be regressed. The blue blur always felt more capable of being big and was refreshed after getting a chance to be little and vice versa.
During one such time a week or so later, when Sonic wasn't feeling little, he approached Metal Sonic to work out their differences. It was...a lengthy discussion that involved yelling matches, crying, apologies, and a long hug. Finally, the blue blur and his metal counterpart realized that they had more in common than they thought, even in their experience of not having what they emotionally needed.
Sonic understood he had unintentionally been hogging the doctor to himself and promised Metal that he would step away at times so creator and creation could be together. He also agreed to let the badnick have his position as second in command; Sonic wasn't interested in having the job anyway. Metal pledged in return to never try to hurt the hedgehog again and would view him from now on as a baby brother if, in exchange, he would teach the badnick how to be a real hedgehog and big brother, something he had wanted to understand and secretly desired since his creation. Sonic happily agreed, saying he would have helped the robot anyway and that him being Metal's baby brother was the cherry on top!
The first lesson how to have fun!
*Later that afternoon.*
Eggman had just finished his final video conference call with the board of directors. He had been busy off and on the last few days having various meetings with the same people he was supposed to have talked with the day Sonic had almost died.
The doctor had been worried that his clients would drop his project after leaving the crucial meeting so soon, but technology once again saved the day! With the main part of the presentation already out of the way, all he needed to do was answer their questions about his invention. And they had come up with plenty during his brief absence. Now he was done with his part, and it was all up to their collective decision, which he would have to wait a few weeks for. That was fine with Eggman. It gave him a chance to rest, maybe make a few tweaks to his invention, and spend time with his baby.
He softly chuckled as he walked down the hallways of the base. How quickly things had changed since that terrifying day. Who could have believed that his former worst enemy was now a docile diaper-wearing pacifier-sucking toddler! Calling him affectionately by the nickname 'Eggy' and carrying around the hand-made plush version of the doctor where ever the hedgehog went. Sonic was adorable when he was regressed.
As Eggman continues to think of the blue baby, a spot of cyan appears in his peripheral. Pausing and turning to get a glimpse of what had caught his attention, he spots the object of his thoughts on the other side of the glass windows overlooking the garden.
Sonic and Metal were out in the garden covered from head to toe in mud!
Oh, my lord! Eggman mentally bemoaned; both hedgehogs were almost entirely brown. He was surprised to have seen a flash of blue at all! He continued to gape at the two dancing around in the freshly watered grounds, jumping into puddles and throwing mud balls at each other, laughing and yelling in their play.
Even though they looked like they were having a good time and getting along, having two mud-covered hedgehogs roam about the base was unacceptable.
The doctor steeling himself, marches to the nearest garden doors and heads straight to the mud-covered duo. His features wrinkling in irritation at the mess. Carefully avoiding the puddles as he approaches, Eggman makes himself known by raising a fist and coughing into it loudly. Sonic freezes as his ears twitch to the sound, and Metal Sonic stops himself just before throwing a mud ball.
Both jump at the origin of the noise seeing an annoyed doctor glaring down at them; they think the same thought. Uh oh! The two drop the balls of mud in their hands with a splat and stare down at the ground guiltily, "What is going on here?" the doctor asks in a calm voice crossing his arms.
Metal glanced at his baby brother beside him; the little hedgehog wore overalls, a puffy diaper, and an orange shirt. Not that you could see much as he was covered in mud. Some of it was spattered on his furry face from Metal's precise throws; the badnick was very similar in appearance regarding the organic matter. It covered his chassis and clogged his exhaust vents after Sonic had pushed him down in a wrestling match. They might have gotten a bit carried away with the mud fight.
"We were playing with the recently wetted earth matter. Sonic was showing me what all one can do with such material in a demonstration of play activity or fun." Metal explains, "Looks like you two did more than that." Eggman grunts at the mess and nods to the door. "Metal, go to the repair bay and get yourself cleaned up."
"Yes, sir." the badnick beeped and looked at his brother in concern. Sonic just nodded once with a small smile, saying that 'everything was ok.' Metal nodded back, looked up at the doctor apologetically, and silently left the two organics to get cleaned and prepare dinner after.
They watched the robot leave before Eggman turned his attention back to the messy hog, who looked up at him with worry and slight fear, "Are you mad?" Sonic asked in a small voice twiddling his thumbs together. The doctor flicked his eyes over the surrounding area. Mud was splattered everywhere; the pathway they were standing on looked like a mud hole; there was so much dirt. Some of the plants were weighed down by the mud, wilting against the weight, and a few flowers had been dug up and thrown aside. The human breathed a heavy sigh through his nose, "No, I'm not mad...just irritated at the mess you two made."
"Sorry, Eggy."
"It's alright. You and Metal are on good terms now, correct?" Sonic smiled and nodded. The doctor smiled in return, happy to hear this. If a mud fight is what it took to get those two together well, so be it. At least no one was hurt.
"Good! Let's get you cleaned up; you need a bath." Sonic whined in protest at that as Eggman grabbed his hand and led him back inside the base, "I don't wanna bath! Why can't I have a shower?"
"Because a shower won't do the job this time." the doctor said firmly, leaving no room for argument on the subject. The two walked down the hallways, Sonic's muddy footprints following behind them. Eggman stopped a passing service drone, "Bring a change of clothes from the nursery to bathroom B, please." the little drone beeped and went to fulfill the request before the two continued their walk.
They stopped at the doorway just across from the nursery and stepped inside a large bathroom. Sonic nervously glanced around the white-tiled room, and his pupils shrank to pinpricks landing on the gigantic tub; he gulped as Eggman turned on the water and stripped off his red jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The little hedgehog hopped on one foot to the other, his stomach twisting into knots, wishing he could run away and hide somewhere. Sonic jumped when the service bot from before suddenly entered with his clothes and laid them on the counter before leaving.
The blue blur's ears lay back in fear, and he whimpers, hearing the water splash into the tub, watching the human get everything ready. Then, Eggman getting on his knees and pulling out a mat, turned to the anxious hedgehog, "Lie down, please." he pats the plastic mat. Sonic reluctantly did as told, and the doctor begins stripping off his mud-stained clothes and shoes, putting them in a pile to wash later. Next, he looks down at Sonic's diaper, seeing it was wet and heavy; Eggman removes the padding, throws it away, and signals that he can stand up.
The blue devil blushed, now fully naked, stood up, and backed away slightly, holding himself, still fearfully watching the water like it was going to leap out and grab him. His fear turned to slight curiosity, with one ear tilting up as Eggman pulled a dark colorful chalk ball out of a cabinet and dropped the sphere into the rising water. Green eyes widened in amazement when the water began to bubble and fizz as the ball gradually dissolved, turning the clear liquid into a starlit galaxy.
"Wow!" Sonic breathes in awe at the sight, mind blown at the transformation stepping closer to the sparkling water. Eggman smirks as he pulls a basket of bath toys out, dumping them into the water. He watches the fear that had been prominent in the hedgehog's eyes disappear as childlike wonder and a little bit of excitement overtook him.
The water reaching the desired level is stopped, and the doctor grabs Sonic around his sides, gently placing the mud-covered hog into the warm bathwater. Sonic smiles as he's put in and begins stirring the water watching the colors and sparkles swirl in the current; a rubber ducky and sailboat floats into his sights. He takes the toys forgetting he was sitting chest-deep in his phobia. The hedgehog giggles when the rubber duck squeaks with a squeeze, and he babbles nonsense as he plays. The doctor taking a cup and gathering some of the water, pours it over Sonic's head, beginning the cleaning process. Eggman smiles lovingly at his charge, working suds through dirt-filled fur and quills.
He was thrilled that the blue blur was distracted from his fear by the disguised liquid and distracting bath toys; the hedgehog was completely relaxed! Eggman could only do so much with helping Sonic with his PTSD, as getting over that takes much time and therapy, but he could help the blue devil more quickly through his aquaphobia, and this was a major step in conquering that fear.
Sonic happily plays with his toys while the doctor carefully works his fingers through sharp quills; thankfully, they are down and are much easier to work with as the hedgehog is relaxed. Eggman's ears pick up a motor sound, raising an eye ridge in puzzlement; he realizes Sonic had paused in his play, slouching forward with a broad smile, purring in pleasure as his back is massaged. The man hums in amusement continuing to scrub mud clods out of sapphire and peach fur, taking the time to be gentle around sensitive areas.
Once the hedgehog is all clean, he allows his charge to play in the bath a little longer since he was so calm. Sonic was enraptured in his little world, completely ignoring the doctor while Eggman watched him play. Eggman sat back as he observed, finding the blue blur's ability to regress intriguing; though this ability is not uncommon, the extent Sonic went with it was...curious and cute.
"Alright, pincushion, time's up!" he announces after a while, picking up the soaked blue blur under the shoulders and setting him on the tile floor, taking a big towel and teasingly rubbing his hands around the hedgehog's sides. The surprise tickle made Sonic explode in laughter as he was patted dry; he wiggles around like crazy, trying to escape the mad man's fierce hands. "Eggy!-hahaha-s-stoaaa! Haahaha! Stop! Hahhahaa!"
Eggman lays off his tickle attack and instead covers the towel over the hedgie's head; Sonic giggles at the man, wondering what he was doing now. He purrs as he feels the towel softly move against his fur, wiping him dry. Sonic's insides grow warm and fuzzy. He feels so small right now in Eggman's care like a little baby just learning how to walk. A passing thought of life with Eggman finding him when he was little and growing up with the human like this hits Sonic, making his heart twitch, and he almost wishes it had turned out that way.
The doctor satisfied that all the water was gone, uses the same towel to wipe the mat on the floor, ridding it of any mud stains, and has Sonic lie down on it again. Eggman reaches for a new diaper and baby powder getting ready to diaper the blue devil. Sonic sticks his thumb in his mouth, smiling cutely, and his tail wags childishly. The doctor chuckles, struggling to capture the small appendage, "H-Hold still Sonic! Hehe! I can't get this thing on you if your tail won't stop wagging for a second." the hedgie attempts to slow his tail and frowns at the appendage as he tries with difficulty to slow it down.
A few moments later, his tail slows its wagging enough for the doctor to wrangle it into the hole and he finishes putting on the new diaper, "Don't get up just yet." Eggman halts, grabbing a light green onesie decorated with colorful blocks. Sonic tilts his head curiously when the doctor hesitates to put it on, looking at him with a strange sparkle in his glasses when suddenly Eggman's face is over his body. He feels the doctor's cheeks expand as raspberries are blown on his belly, making the hedgehog shriek in alarm.
Sonic giggles hysterically as his stomach is raspberried again and again while he weakly pushes the doctor away, not trying very hard to get him to stop. "My goodness, something has gotten the baby very giggly today. I wonder what's so funny? Maybe there's some butterflies in the baby's belly~?" Eggman playfully ponders before blowing more air against the fuzzy peach stomach; Sonic shrieks again, kicking his legs lightly in response, "Dear me, this is a serious case of the giggles I might have to perform surgery!"
"No! Nononono!" the blue blur yells, tears streaming from his eyes and cheeks beet red, "No more Eggy! Hahaha! No mowre!"
"No more? Alright. Hohoho, that's enough for now. Come on, stand up, little one." Sonic pants with a wide goofy smile, trying to get his breath back; he shakily stands up, almost losing his balance, his muscles weak from laughing so much. "Arms up, please." the doctor motions pulling the onesie over Sonic's head and arms, making sure his back quills came out of the appropriate holes, and snaps the bottom together. He sighs in satisfaction, looking over the cute fluffy hedgehog, whose cheeks were still burning, and a smile stretched across his face, not anywhere near fading away. Emerald eyes shining at him with merriment and innocence while a regloved thumb is placed back in his mouth to suck on cutely.
Eggman can't resist ruffling the soft fur atop his head, "Such a cutie." he chuckles. Sonic shyly looks away with embarrassment, though not at all upset at the compliment. "Come on, baby. I'm sure dinner should be ready by now." the doctor grunts taking Sonic in his arms and standing up; the duo walk out to enjoy the rest of their evening.
*Sometime later*
Sonic taps his foot while he stands, waiting by the front door, "Come on, Tails! I'm waaaaiiiting!" he yells, frowning and checking a nonexistent watch on his wrist. "I'm coming just a second!" The fox responds faintly from the workshop. Seconds after, he steps out and locks the door so no one could steal his expensive equipment. Tails hurries over to the impatient hedgehog, glaring at him, "Finally! You were taking forever!" Sonic huffs.
"Sorry, ok. Come on; it won't take us long to meet the gang." the kit walks out with his brother spinning his two tails, preparing for takeoff, "Yeah yeah." Sonic continues to grouch. Tails rolls his eyes at the hedgehog's unusual sour mood, and the duo takes off for downtown Station Square Mall, where they were meeting the rest of their friends.
Sonic was not in a good mood which was surprising. Usually, the days he visits his friends were ones the hedgehog looked forward to the most; today was not the case. He had awoken that morning, not interested in being his Big self which he had to be with his friends. So, thinking it would be alright, Sonic had asked Eggman if he could skip the visit or reschedule for a later day. Still, the doctor insisted that Sonic should go. Saying that unless he was sick or an emergency occurred that they needed to stick with the schedule they had implemented.
Sonic had been tempted to cry or throw a tantrum at the news. Wanting to scream that he didn't want to go and wanted to stay with the doctor instead. He had pulled his best puppy dog eyes and pouty lip on the doc but was still forced to go out.
So here he was now. Very grumpy at having to be Big when he didn't feel like it at all. Not that he didn't want to see Tails or the rest of his friends, it was the issue of him not being comfortable being Little around them. And he especially couldn't be little in public; the media would have a heyday if he acted in such a way and would not do his street cred any good. All the internet trolls would finally have some viable evidence to use against the blue blur and the fangirls...well, that last thought was a bit terrifying even if he did like attention.
Sucking it up to the best of his ability Sonic put his little inclinations aside with promises to himself that the day would fly by and he would be back at the base in his diapers, sucking on his paci and cuddling with Ivo in no time at all!
This is going to be a long day.
The hedgehog and fox duo halt at the doors of Station Square Mall and walk into the massive building. The inside looks like your typical mall, but the contents are what make this shopping complex unique. Every kind of store you could think of was there that can cater to one's desires; clothing, electronics, jewelry. Of course, there were attractions as well! Arcade, virtual reality, karaoke, and escape rooms, even a mini amusement park!
Right now, Sonic and Tails were searching for the movie theatre where they were supposed to meet the rest of their friends. Up ahead by a large touch screen showing the films playing currently stood Amy, Cream, and Knuckles watching the advertisements fade from one to another.
The pink hedgehog's Sonic senses tingling, turns, and sees said blue blur and the orange kit. She waves at the colorful figures with a warm smile. "Over here, guys!" Tails noticing the movement, nudges Sonic and points to the group and the two approach. "Sonic!" Amy squeals giving the blue blur one of her famous death hugs, a tinge of crimson appears on his muzzle as he struggles in her grip, "Amy! Let go, please! Too tight!"
"Whoops, sorry!" she apologizes, quickly releasing her crush, placing her hands together behind her back, and swaying side to side innocently. "Hello, Mr. Sonic!" Cream hops up and sweetly greets, Sonic dusting himself off, nods at Knuckles acknowledging his presence before addressing the small rabbit. "Hey, Cream! Long time no see! How are you and your mom?"
"Doing well, thank you!" Sonic's smile fades into a frown, noticing someone was missing, "Hey, where's Cheese?" he asks, scratching his head, searching for the little Chao. "Oh! He's staying with Momma today since they don't allow Chaos in the mall."
"Aw, that's too bad. Maybe I can come over and visit your place next week? I haven't seen Vanilla in forever."
"Oh, that would be lovely! We'd love for you to come over!"
"Alright, you guys, come on!" Knuckles interrupts, "I just got a text from Rouge that her and Shadow are running late. We should go ahead and grab our snacks." with that, everyone entered the movie theatre.
The mall's bright, cheery daytime atmosphere disappeared. In its place were neon lights brightly lit in the purposely dim light and posters of actors in action poses in front of dramatic backgrounds, the smell of butter and sugar-filled the air, and sticky carpet with a glow in the dark pattern was laid underneath their feet.
Sonic smiled lightly as they approached the snack counter, seeing candy bars, popcorn, nachos, fruit snacks, and lots of chocolate-covered goodness on display. Unfortunately, the line was relatively long, and he was the last one on the end. This is gonna take a while. The blue devil sighed, eyes wandering around the busy atmosphere looking for something to distract himself while he waited. Then, a pair of green irises widen at one of the standup posters, and his little self screamed on the inside.
The standup poster was advertising the newest children's film, "The Carebears." the blue blur had seen advertisements before on tv for the film, and now here he was getting ready to see a movie. Sonic's little side seeing this opportunity and reminded of the film's existence, begged to go and see it. But, unfortunately, he was here with his friends with the idea to not go and watch a film for toddlers.
"Hello, faker?" a hand waved in front of his eyes, breaking contact with the standup poster. "Huh-uh?" Sonic blinked, surprised to find Shadow looking at him oddly, "Oh! Hey Shads!" he chirped. Shadow looked behind his shoulder in the direction Sonic had been ogling at and back at his rival curiously, "What were you staring at?"
"Oh uh well, nothing!" he said with a high pitch and nervous grin, looking anywhere but at the advertisement or Shadow, "Just thinking of..." the blue blur's voice faded as his eyes landed on the candy display case, and he smiled more genuinely, pointing to the sweets. "What kind of candy I'm gonna get? Yeah! I can't decide if I'm gonna go with the milk duds or nerds. Nerds are great and fruity even though it's just citrus-flavored mini sugar crystals, but chocolate is good too. I mean, you can't go wrong with anything chocolate-flavored! Then again, the caramel always gets stuck in my teeth and takes forever to go away, and that's annoying, so maybe I should stick with the Nerds, but I could just get something else chocolate flav-"
"Stop! Just stop!" the ebony hog held up a hand, signaling for the blue blur to stop his candy rambling. Shadow pinches his brow and pushes his rival to the counter, "Just get the Nerds." Sonic gapes at the black hog for a second before he chuckles awkwardly and asks the concession person for his candy. After paying for and taking his sweet Sonic dashes to the ticket counter, gripping the box hard. I need to be careful I was losing myself. Gotta stay big! I can not be Little here! Keep you're cool, Sonic. It was just a one-time thing hopefully, the rest of the day should go fine without any more incidents. Just don't look at anything that might set you off.
After everyone purchased their snacks, they decided on watching a romantic comedy flick, romance for the girls, and comedy for the boys with a little bit of action sprinkled in to keep things interesting. When the movie finished, they were all ready for a good meal and headed for the food court, where everyone separated to pick whatever flavors called out to them.
Sonic's friends quickly dispersed; he for once delayed, spinning around contemplating all the available restaurant options to decide what he wanted. "Meh, Burger? No. Apotos Gelato? I just had something sweet. Good Noodle Chunun? Not really in the mood for Chinese. Chili Dog Zone? Hmmm, that sounds promising!" With a smirk, he zipped up to the stand; Sonic narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin as he scanned the menu. After a moment, his face lights up, spotting something that exactly suited his needs.
A short time later, everyone meets back, combining two tables so everyone would fit. "My my Shadow, that looks exotic~! What did you get?" Rouge asks, leaning over and pointing to the black hog's food tray, "Boiled Ibanga. A delicacy apparently from Mazuri." he replies, poking the food with his fork.
"I think me and Chip tried that when we were there a while back. It was ok not my favorite." Sonic shrugged at the memory, "Yes, we all know what you're favorite is, Blue. Which it looks like you got plenty of." Rouge quirked a brow at the half dozen mini chili dogs with fries and coke on his tray. "Why didn't you get yourself the full-size? Were they all out?" Tails asked in puzzlement. "Oh no, I just..." Sonic sweatdropped, looking down at his plate, trying to come up with an excuse as to why he ordered two kids' meals.
"Arent those on the kid's menu?" the fox continues to press, "I uh well..."
"Oh, is that the classic Sonic special? The mini chili dogs are so cute! I bet that's why my Sonikuu got them instead."
"That and two kids meals are cheaper than one regular full size. Since he's not beating Eggman anymore, I don't blame him for saving a few rings. After all, the government won't need to pay him to protect the world from Eggface anymore." Sonic relaxes at Knuckles suggestion; he leans his elbows on the table and grabs one of the mini chili dogs nonchalantly, "Yeah, that's it! See, Knux has got the right idea! Gotta think ahead with these things, ya know?" he winks, tapping a finger on his head; "After all, I gotta keep us afloat until your old enough to start selling off your inventions, and I can start mooching off of you instead of the president or G.U.N." Tails rolls his eyes at that, "I know! You're worse than a stray cat!"
Amy tilted her head at the fox's strange saying, "What?" before the fox could begin to explain, Shadow answered. "You know the old saying about stray cats? The more you feed them, the more they hang around? I made the mistake once, and it took forever before I was able to get rid of the little mongrel." Everyone raised eyebrows in surprise at the ebony hog's knowledge of old catchphrases and such.
"Shadow, how could you!" Amy gasped in horror, "Giving hope to a poor defenseless little creature and then killing it off!" The black hog sputtered in surprise at the accusation, "I didn't kill it!"
"Oh! So you just took it away and abandoned it somewhere in a field?"
"Chaos, no! Where did you get that idea?! I'm not heartless! After feeding it for a couple of months, I was finally able to catch it and took it to a no-kill shelter I volunteer at." he defended, emphasizing the no-kill part. Sonic, who had been drinking, almost spewed soda out his nose hearing this; he choked out gurgled laughter, his rival pointedly glared at him. "And just what is so funny?!"
"I'm sorry!" the blue devil wheezes, "But just imagining you working with and cuddling fuzzy wittle animals like a dog, cat, or a Chao is just...snicker-its hilarious!"
"Hmph! Shows what you know about me. You've saved defenseless animals from Eggman's machines, have you not? Besides, it's what Maria would have done." Everyone at the table sobers up at the name in tense silence, the group recalling the sad history with the black hedgehog and the individual mentioned—Sonic scratches the back of his head in regret. "Aw gee, I'm sorry, Shads. I didn't mean-"
"It's fine." Shadow held his hand up for the blue hedgehog to stop and smirks slightly, easing the remorse on everyone's minds, "besides, it's not like there's a shelter we can send you off to. Eggman already took you off of our hands. You're his problem now." Sonic dramatically gasps in mock hurt, "I am offended! How dare you compare me to some mangy street cat! My looks far surpass those of the common feline." he then sniffs and runs a hand through his fur like a snotty model making a round of playful groans and rolling eyes emit from the rest of the table.
Lunch ended with lots of chatter after stuffing of faces; by then, the girls were ready to start exploring the rest of the mall, with the boys begrudgingly following them. Good thing there are stores that cater to the male mind as well to keep them occupied, while the females went head over heels (quite literally) over the latest fashion trends and accessories.
All of them except for little Cream, as she was still young enough not to understand fashion, and some stores were not appropriate for a six-year-old to enter. So she was stuck with the guys.
"So where do we wanna go to first?" Sonic asks as Amy and Rouge leave them, heading for Victoria's Secret. Tails walks beside the hedgehog with his tails twitching in thought as the fox looks around the vicinity. He freezes, and blue eyes light up at one store with a poster on the window of all video electronics for 50% off, "Oh my gosh!" Tails squeals his namesakes, going wild, "They're having a sale! I gotta see if they have any specialized vector imaging visual equipment! See you guys!" the fox quickly leaves the group behind, forgetting all about them. Sonic can't help but chuckle at his brother's enthusiasm over anything techy, "That place will keep him occupied for a while. I don't plan on going after him, so you guys have any ideas?" he asks, turning back to Knuckles and Shadow.
"I'm going to head to the records store." the ebony hog thumbs over to one corridor of the mall; Knuckles gazes in that direction before speaking. "I'd like to check out the book store nearby. There's a legend of treasure hidden over in an ancient city in the South Islands. I wanna check out if they have any books about the legend and maybe some maps of the area." the blue blur nodded, "It's been a while since you've gone out on one of you're treasure hunting expeditions sounds cool! What do you think, Cream? Any of those stores you wanna check out?" he asks the little rabbit. "Not really I was wondering if we could go to the toy store Mr. Sonic?" she tentatively asks, pointing in the direction of her request.
The blue devil silently gulped, his smile looking more like a grimace, looking at where the rabbit was pointing, his heart thumped in excitement. He wanted to go into that store too, but then Sonic would run the risk of accidentally turning little around his friends, and he couldn't do that. But he couldn't bring himself to say no to sweet little Cream either; luckily, Shadow solved his dilemma.
"Why don't you two go ahead. We're all separated anyway; we'll meet back here when we're done." Sonic blinked at his rival with a crooked smile, "Oh uh, ok. Sure heh." he slowly replied. With that, Knuckles and Shadow left Sonic and Cream to themselves.
Sonic watched them go anxious about how he was going to hold himself together, not that he couldn't; he had some self-control! It was just the fact that doing so would be more challenging since he was constantly fighting not to be in his little space today anyway, and now it would be ten times harder with temptation surrounding him.
"Mr. Sonic?" a small voice asks, breaking him out of his mild panic, "What?!" he gasps, eyes darting around before landing on the little rabbit beside him. "What is it, Cream?" He softly asks; the girl shyly taps the tip of her shoe on the ground. "Um, could you hold my paw?"
"Oh uh, sure!" Sonic smiles shaking his panic away, and gently takes her hand; the two walk together into the toy store. Their eyes widen simultaneously as they take in the magical place. All around was every toy imaginable; a miniature train's whistle blew as it passed, the track running throughout the first and second floors. Remote-controlled helicopters, planes, drones, and superheroes buzzed in the air. One corner of the store was dedicated to miniature model sets looking like a small city.
Lights and sounds surrounded the two as they walked further in, hand in hand, gawking at the number of toys. Sonic could feel himself slipping into his little space, imagining himself playing with all the toys on display. A shaky smile threatened to break out. Gotta be big! Gotta be big! Gotta be big! Oh dang, it! He yelled in his mind; he felt like he was being tortured being split in half, his little side begging to play with the toys while his big side pleaded with him not to give in!
"Look!" Cream calls, pulling him into the doll section of the store; he stumbles behind her, trying to keep his attention only on the rabbit. Finally, Cream lets go of her hostage and excitedly grabs a mobian baby doll holding it up for the blue blur to see, "Isn't it cute! It says it cries and wets its diaper like a real baby." she exclaims, "Oh yeah, real...adorable." he mumbles unenthusiastically, stepping away from the doll. The blue devil liked toys, but baby dolls weren't his thing.
Cream puts the toy down, noting his disinterest, and retakes his paw, this time pulling him to another section of the store. "Oh! Look at all the stuffed animals!" she cried and pulls out a neutral Chao plush; Sonic's eyes widen at the colorful plushies, and a smile creeps on his face when Cream hands him the Chao. Its big eyes looking at him with a friendly smile and fabric so soft he can't help but pet it, tempted to rub his face against the toy's rounded features. Cream watches with delight seeing Sonic take to the plushies, not that this was a total surprise. Who didn't like stuffed animals?!
"They even have Dark and Hero Chao too!" she cheers, taking one of each and giving them to the blue blur who now couldn't refrain from cuddling the toys with a blush and wry smile on his cheeks. Sitting down, he nuzzles the Chao while Cream took more stuffed toys and began playing with them. Aw, forget it! Sonic relents giving in to the temptation; it was just too much. No one else is around to watch, and Cream won't be able to notice I've turned little while playing with her like I usually do. Cream having instigated playtime with the toys that surrounded them made Sonic give in to his urges. Big Sonic was gone, and Little Sonic was in his place; it was playtime now with a new friend, and they were having fun!
The two explored the rest of the store with the plushies hand in hand; they marveled at the miniatures, battled aliens in space with remote-controlled rockets, helped cowboys and Indians become friends, and escaped the dinosaur infested jungles.
Hours passed, and the day was drawing to a close. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Shadow all stood at their meet-up point with their purchases, wondering where the blue blur and brown bunny had disappeared off to? It was almost time for Sonic to leave.
Tails groaned as he fiddled with his communicator, "Ugh! Stupid Eggman, if Sonic still had the communicator I gave him, I could find out where they went but nooooo. Eggman insisted that he didn't need it and now look at what's happened! The guy could have kidnapped them to use as hostages for all we know!"
"Now, fox boy, that isn't something the doctor would do anymore, and that plan has more holes than swiss cheese." Rouge reprimands, "I'm sure they just got distracted. Can't you find Blue by the collar he's wearing?" Tails annoyingly grunts at her, "Believe me, I've tried, but without knowing what's inside. I can't figure out if it has a radio frequency I can tap into or a tracker or something of that nature for me to exploit so we can find them."
"Maybe I can find them? My Sonic senses have never failed me before!" Amy suggests, "Or maybe we could do a quick search at all the most likely stores they could have gone to while one of us stays here in case they come back?" Shadow nods at the pink one, "That's a good idea, Rose. Knuckles, why don't you stay here since you aren't the fastest while the rest of us sweep the mall."
"Who says I'm not-! Forget it. I don't want to be trying to chase down blue wonder. The rest of you go; I'll wait here and watch over everyone's stuff." Knuckles relents with a grunt taking a seat on a bench, too tired from the long day to argue. The searchers nod once and dash off, looking for any trace of brown or blue in the various stores.
As Shadow skated through the mall corridors, he remembered Cream's request to go to the toy store before they had parted ways with the group. Thinking that the two might still be in the children's store, he did a quick 180 and made a beeline for the colorful bright sign.
Slowing down, the black hog walked into the isles of the toy store, sharp eyes on the lookout for his friends and ears held high, listening for familiar voices. When he turned the corner, entering the action figure section, he spotted two figures at the end. One on the ground was holding what looked like a lousy representation of the Asian legend Kaiju otherwise known as Godzilla. At the same time, the other stood above, holding a plane and pterodactyl. Sonic made roaring and growling noises attacking the plane Cream was holding while she retaliated with the flying dinosaur. Shadow smirked amusedly at the scene folding his arms watching the two enact their epic battle, he allowed them to come to what seemed like the climax before he made his presence known, stepping forward, "Are you two done playing yet?"
Sonic, turning to the new voice, yelps in shock, jumping to his feet, promptly tossing away the toy monster. What is Shadow doing here?! Wait a minute...how long have we been playing?! Shit! I went Little and got caught! Hold on there, Sonic; he just saw you playing with Cream. You've done that before. Yeah, but I've never lost track of time playing with the kid! Crap crap crap! Maybe I can still get away with blaming her for not paying attention.
"Oh! Hello Mr. Shadow!" Cream greeted before her smile fell worriedly, also realizing they had lost track of time, "Oh my goodness! What time is it?"
"A quarter til 5."
"Whoops." Sonic nervously chuckled, "Cream, I told you we needed to go soon." he sternly told the little bunny, who looked up at him confused, "What-?"
"This kid, am I right, Shadz? Begged me to play with her, and well, she's just too cute to resist! Hehehe!" he grins, pinching her cheek briefly before placing his fists on his hips. "Well, sorry we kept you guys waiting, but I gotta dash. Eggman is expecting me; we'll have to do this again, see ya!" Sonic babbled all a fluster before taking off, leaving his rival and a befuddled Cream alone.
The little rabbit looked at where the blue blur had left, watching the stirred air settle again before her confused eyes slowly turned to the ultimate life form. "Um...Mr. Shadow-?"
"Don't think about it too much, kid." Shadow sighs with an eye roll sympathizing with the rabbit but unable to help her understand what just happened. She probably would never know or understand what was going on right now with the blue hero, just like the rest of his friends. Holding his hand out for her to take, he nodded in the direction of the exit, "Come on. Let's get you home."
Chapter 18: Where's Eggy?
Notes:
*Get ready you guys! The fluff is on pause and we're going into part 1 of the nitty-gritty emotional stuff. Seriously get a box of tissues ready you'll need them in the next chapter hehehe *evil laughter*
Chapter Text
Things had been very dull around as of late for everyone on the base except for the doctor. Finally, after two weeks of radio silence, Eggman had gotten his long-awaited call from the hospital approving of his project. Since then, the doctor had been excitedly working along with his clients again. With Eggman busy working on his big project, this left big brother Metal the responsibility to babysit the blue blur.
Since their agreement, Metal had quickly understood and adjusted to taking on his new tasks as an older sibling. However, he still struggled to keep his baby brother occupied when the doctor was unavailable. And with the weather not suitable to be out in again, this left the badnick with a very bored Sonic.
With nothing to entertain the organic hedgehog, Sonic finally decided to do something he had meant to do since his arrival. Fully explore the base. The blue blur took with him Metal to trail along as company and a guide to making sure he didn't get lost. They had already finished scouting the basement and warehouse, making sure to stay out of Eggman's way (the doctor had granted him full access to both floors since Sonic was no longer ranked as a safety threat). Now they were walking down the halls of the 3rd floor going beyond the high traffic areas.
Sonic would peek in each door they passed, curious to see what was on the other side. Disappointingly he found nothing too much of interest so far, mostly empty rooms.
Eyes half-mast, he mindlessly opens another boring door to another boring room, barely casting it a glance. He walks away with a hum before Sonic froze midstep and dashes back to the door with an excited yelp. "Wait a second!"
Metal paused, hearing Sonic's cry, and tilted his head curiously, a habit he had picked up from his counterpart, wondering what had suddenly sparked the blue blur's interest? The badnick stepped closer while Sonic whispered a 'wow' at the scene with a big smile and huge eyes; Metal took his optics off the hedgehog, moving them to what his counterpart was looking at. His red eyes flashed briefly in surprise. Metal couldn't remember ever coming across this room before; perhaps the doctor had added it on recently? It looked like...a playroom? Obstacle course? He wasn't sure what to label it. The room was massive! A quick scan proved that it was almost as large as the garden.
Inside was a large jungle gym-like play structure that filled most of the room with a slide attached to it that lead to a bottomless ball pit. There was also a bounce house, a playhouse with a fire pole attached, a rideable train, and a fire truck!
"This...is...so...awesome!" Sonic yells, bouncing on his heels, taking Metal's hand and pulling him into the ginormous playroom. The blue baby laughs as he hurriedly waddles to the jungle gym, climbing into one of the entrance tubes, releasing his grip on the robot so he could use one hand to help himself crawl up while the other drags Ivo along. "Come on, Metal!" Sonic beckons when he notices the badnick hasn't followed.
"I do not think it would be wise for me to enter the play fort. My sharp edges will damage the structure. I will stay here and observe." Sonic's tail stopped wagging as he sadly pouted a bit, "Awww. Are you sure you can't come with? It'd be more fun with you."
"I will still be here and observe. You may proceed; watching you enjoy yourself is satisfactory." the badnick reassured. Sonic looked at him and the pathway indecisively, making an expression that indicated he was thinking very hard about what to do. The blue devil wanted to check out the cool-looking fort, but he didn't want to leave his new big brother all alone.
Setting his sights back on Metal with determination shining through his eyes, the hedgehog hops out of the tube and hurries to the robot, diaper crinkling as he speed-walks. He thrusts his toy to Metal, "Here, take Ivo. He'll keep you company!" The badnick startled jumps back, looking at the toy and then Sonic. Slowly he places a sharp hand on the toy, hesitating to take it.
Metal didn't understand why Sonic insisted on him having the doll; it was his favorite since it was hand-made by Eggman. The blue blur took the toy with him everywhere, and now he was willingly giving it up for him? "You do not want to take the replica doctor with you?" Metal asked in uncertainty and surprise.
"No. He needs to stay with you; I'll be ok!" Sonic reaffirms, pushing the toy closer to the robot encouraging him to take it. Metal feels something in his hardware heat up and soften touched by the kind gesture and accepts taking Ivo gently. The badnick nods once, silently thanking the hedgie for his consideration.
Happy that his metallic brother now had company, Sonic smiles, and dashes back to the play structure, crawling back inside the tube to explore. Metal taking care that his fingers don't poke through the fabric holds Ivo while he watches his charge giggle, tumble, and roll through the passageways and cavities hanging above his head.
Sonic was having the time of his life discovering the wonderous passageways of the fort. Though he still thought this would be more fun if his big brother were with him. He crawled through the primary-colored tunnels exploring every nook and cranny, climbed nets of soft rope, carefully walked over narrow bridges, and looked through the plastic viewing glass at various dead ends to see where and how high he was. The blue blur would wave at Metal; the robot would wave back, sometimes even taking one of Ivo's arms and waving in return.
After exploring every inch of the jungle gym, Sonic found and slid down the long slide into the ball pit with an excited scream, hands in the air as he dove in with a loud PLINK! The balls clicked and tapped against each other as he moved underneath the surface with the ends of his quills poking above, making him look like a shark. Breaching the surface with a gasp, Sonic tossed a handful of rainbow-colored balls into the air like confetti, "Come on, Metal! Your sharp edges won't hurt anything here. Come on in the water's great! Hahaha!"
With a beep, Metal hurries over to the pit; he abruptly stops before getting in and gently sets the toy on the ground where it wouldn't get lost. Satisfied, he leaps in, sending a wave of balls raining down. Sonic whoops with delight and jumps at the badnick when he reaches the surface, playfully hissing and clicking as they start roughhousing with each other. The two go at it, tossing, shoving, and throwing each other around, sending the plastic orbs flying out of the pit. At some point, they start a war tossing specific colored balls to hit the other, laughing and screaming, both synthetic and organic.
After a while, they tired of playing in the ball pit, and Metal suggested they check out the playhouse and rideable train. Sonic agreed, thinking of saving the bounce house for another time when the blue blur would be alone or perhaps when he was with Eggman. He didn't want to have his big brother watch while he played all the time; it was more fun to do stuff together!
The duo spent hours playing, their bond growing as they spent the day together having quality big and little brother time, thoroughly occupied and enjoying themselves until it was time for dinner.
*After dinner*
In the lounge room, tired from their fun day, Sonic laid back on a couch cushion, relaxing as he sucked on his bottle of juice watching Spongebob. Metal entered, returning from disposing of the dirty dishes, and joined the baby hog on the couch. The badnick quickly scanned the hedgehog's diaper; it didn't need changing now but probably would later before bed, he noted. Sonic sighed sadly through his nose; his gaze dropped as he set the bottle aside. "Tired, or is something wrong?" Metals asked.
The blue blur fiddles with Ivo's arms in his lap, his face down in melancholy, "I just miss Eggy is all." Metal lets out a mechanical sigh in acknowledgment, sympathizing with his counterpart about Eggman's recent absence, "Yes, Master is quite busy right now."
"How long...will it be like this? Is he always this busy with these kinds of projects?" Sonic asked, curious and concerned at the same time. "I cannot answer that accurately. Previously the doctor was always busy with projects unless he was fighting you."
"Oh...so then...you really didn't have any quality time with the doc either before all of this, huh?" Metal shook his head, "Incorrect. I actually spent much time with Master helping him with his plans and overseeing the construction of battle badnicks. We've spent many hours planning and devising you and your friend's destruction, hours...I now regret." the badnick slowly lowered his head in shame.
He and Sonic had grown fond of each other, as odd as it was to now not only be friends but brothers with his former enemy, Metal couldn't deny the relief he felt. No longer worrying about having to one-up the blue blur or harboring anger for their similarities. Peace had been such a foreign concept months ago, and now he couldn't imagine ever going back to fighting his brother over anything other than a petty squabble that would easily be forgotten and forgiven. It was nice having a sibling.
Sonic chuckles at the robot, "It's no biggie, Metal; things were different then. We're all good now!" he says, warmly hugging his metal copy. The robot's optics change from imitation pupils to happy eyes enjoying the embrace and returning it.
Something Metal had just mentioned strikes Sonic as odd, making him pull back and look at Metal in confusion, "Wait, why aren't you helping the doc now?" the badnick's optics imitate a blink as they return to their default image, "I do not have any knowledge or experience in working with his projects designed for medical purposes. I was designed for battle and to help aid the doctor in plotting your capture or demise. Not for producing lifesaving medical equipment."
"Oh." Sonic said sadly, feeling a bit silly for asking about something that should have been obvious, "I guess...does this mean we won't be able to see him much now? Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, big bro, it's just...I'm worried he'll forget us?" the blue devil said in an unsure tone going back to fiddling with Ivo's limbs. Metal turned away, seeming to ponder the hedgehog's question. He didn't like to see his baby brother looking sad, but he really didn't know what to say that would lift his spirits. The badnick was just as clueless about how soon they would see the doctor again, as he was disappearing with increasing frequency.
Whatever happens, I will be there to help Sonic not feel lonely. It is my duty as the eldest sibling! And, if necessary, I will drag Master out of the lab to make him spend time with my baby brother.
"I do not think we have anything to worry about." Metal finally speaks gently, petting the speedster's head to comfort him, "Master will return. Every day will not be like this." Sonic smiled softly, releasing a sigh of relief, grateful that even when Eggman wasn't around, he could still talk to Metal about his worries. "Whew! Good! I was kinda worried. Thanks, bro!" he smiles back, giving a thumbs up. The badnick does the same and ruffles Sonic's head making him giggle.
The days dragged by with the base's inhabitants, besides Metal and things 1 and 2 (aka Orbot and Cubot) seeing the dear doctor less and less. At first, everything seemed only slightly different compared to when the doctor started to get busy. Sonic would see Eggman at breakfast; they would meet again at lunch, go back to their activities until dinner, and then spend the evening together.
Then the doctor started skipping lunch, having it delivered into his lab to hold meetings and such continuously. Then Eggman would miss dinner or stay in the lab late working on testing and head straight to bed after, instead of hanging out with the blue blur or even stop by for even 5 minutes to say goodnight. Then the doctor stowed away inside his lab entirely, never leaving with only Metal ever seeing the doc to deliver his meals and Orbot or Cubot providing his requested materials. Sonic rarely ever saw Eggman nowadays.
It was downright depressing.
Sonic was starting to not only get worried but doubted whether his decision to move in had been wise. Was moving in with Eggman and the babying all for naught? Was Eggman slipping back into his evil ways? Were his friends right about the doctor abusing his trust?
To try and dispel his doubt, Sonic asked Metal a few times how the doctor was doing and what he was up to since the badnick was one of the few who saw the doctor on any regular basis. The reply was always the same, "Master is working on his 'Medical project.' status has not changed." Sonic trusted the badnick's word that Eggman was not delving into world domination plans, but he still would respond with a sad, "Oh..." and a downcast look on his face. Metal did his best to stir the hedgehog's spirits, but his efforts didn't last long.
Is he avoiding me? Did I do something wrong? Is he tired of me? Why won't he ever come out of the lab anymore? These and similar thoughts swirled in the speedster's mind trying to figure out if Eggman was avoiding him and why?
Thinking that getting his answers from the source would be a better strategy, Sonic tried to catch the doctor, hoping to have a brief word with him. The blue devil would wake up early before Eggman went to the lab, stayed up late before the doctor went to bed, and sent little sticky notes of 'Are you ok? I miss you' with the meals sent down. But somehow, he would still miss the human at every turn; the hedgehog felt like he was losing the person he had just begin to get close to.
If that wasn't bad enough, Sonic still suffered from his panic attacks and nightmares. When he was woken up by one in the middle of the night, out of habit, he would hurry to the doctor's bedroom door seeking refuge but stopped himself before going in. He would stand idle in front of Eggman's door on the verge of tears hugging Ivo and fighting with himself on whether to go in or not.
He never went in.
Instead, Sonic would retreat to either his room or the lounge wrapping himself in blankets and mindlessly watch tv to chase the bad lonely feelings away. Sonic didn't want to bother the busy doctor and be seen as a nuisance. Though he still needed help and missed Eggman's company, he couldn't bring himself to open the door. Even regressing wasn't the same; Metal tried his best to fill the doctor's role as a caregiver, but...they both knew there are some things a robot can't replicate like an organic can. Sonic didn't feel like being little, very much without his true caregiver around to cuddle and play with.
It hurt him deeply.
The lack of attention, increased stress from unaddressed panic attacks, and nightmares made Sonic's teenage mood swings worse; Metal could testify to that. One minute the blue blur would pace around the room, frustrated with the situation, unable to have some closure with the doctor, and so done with feeling alone and abandoned. He would start screaming and yelling about how unfair life was and how much he hated Eggman, then break down, begging and sobbing for him in a corner the next. The mood swings affected him even when visiting his friends.
*At the workshop*
"Sonic...hey, Sonic...Sonic...Sonic!"
"Wha...?" The blue devil dazedly mumbles, Tails sighs in exasperation at the downcast hero, "What's the deal, man?! You're really out of it today."
"Oh, sorry, bud. I'm just..." the blue blur shrugged helplessly, shrinking into the front seat of the Tornado, not feeling like doing much of anything. Tails shook his head, shoulders going up to the sky in a 'why me?' gesture, at the hedgehog's mood. His brother wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around him.
The blue blur had arrived early that morning, found Tails in the workshop tinkering as usual, and promptly fell into the cockpit moping like Shadow when he thought of Maria's death. It was now well after lunch, and the hedgehog had barely moved an inch!
"What's with you lately? You've been so depressed the last few times that a chili dog barely makes you smile...a CHILI DOG!" the fox stressed, recalling his failed attempt just a few hours earlier to get the hedgehog to eat his favorite food. Sonic languidly sighs, looking away in guilt for behaving so out of character, but he couldn't help it. He twiddled his thumbs, "I know..."
"Spill it! What's got you so down?! It's driving me crazy! I wanna help you, bro, but I can't if I don't know what's wrong!" Sonic sat there silently thinking. What good would it do to tell him? He's already suspicious of Eggman, but he's my best bud, and we tell each other everything! Well...practically everything. He could get jealous of how close we've gotten if I tell him. But he's my brother, and he knows how much I want this contract to work so Eggman can reform in peace and not in a jail cell...surely he'd understand!
"Tails...there's nothing you can really do to help."
"Tell me anyway. At least to get whatever it is off your chest." the yellow fox gently prods, leaning over the dash. Sonic looks up, seeing the concern etched in the fox's features and those blue eyes that compelled him to open up. The hedgehog takes a deep breath before speaking, "It's...Eggman." he slowly reveals. Tails' eyebrows raise in astonishment. "What?"
"Eggman, he's...I haven't seen him much of late."
"And you think he's doing something suspicious?!" Tails asks almost excitedly; Sonic flinches as if the fox had slapped him in the face, "What?! No! He isn't doing anything bad it's actually good. He's working on this project for the hospital, remember the one I told you about?" Tails reels back his excitement and sticks his tongue out in disgust, "Oh yeah, that organ regrowth thing like a lizard?"
"Yeah, that! Which I'm glad for him, and I think it's great that they're going to go through with it, but...I haven't seen him much since then." Tails didn't understand where the hedgehog was going with this, he waves his hands around in a lost motion as he asks, "Oooookaay, and this is a problem because?"
"I don't know. I guess I just..." Sonic begins sighing forlornly and hangs his head down, mumbling in defeat, "I just miss him."
Tails stares at his brother, unable to speak, his jaw hanging wide open. He misses hanging out with the big bloated egg?! They've been hanging out?! Together?! Having fun?! The fox's mind was blown; he couldn't believe it. His brother, the hero of Mobius's Sonic the Hedgehog, was morning over not getting to spend quality time together with his arch-nemesis. All this time, Tails had thought that they were just temporarily living together and putting up with each other's antics, not bonding! Could Sonic possibly want to stay with the doctor after all? Such a thing was unthinkable in his mind! And yet, it was happening right before him. He could see Sonic's eyes watering in sorrow. "I-I...don't know what to say, Sonic." Tails horsely stutterers, totally at a loss.
The blue devil, embarrassed at getting emotional in front of his little brother, quickly and discreetly wipes his eyes, "It's ok, bud. S'not your fault. I've been so out of touch lately, heh. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest..." Sonic's ears slowly lifted, taking the rest of his head with him, "That's it..." he whispers. Tails confusedly looks at the hedgehog's strange mood swing, "What?"
"That what I need to talk to him about! That's it!" he shouts, his whole face doing a 180 as he hops onto the front of the plane, "He's distracted! He's been cooped up in that lab day in and day out, so focused on that project; he hasn't thought of anything else! He's stuck in his head! If he were to just step outside, get some fresh air. That'll clear his head, and he won't ignore us anymore." Sonic slams a first into his paw in resolve, now knowing what he needed to do to get his Eggy back. The blue blur turns and smiles at the yellow fox, grabbing him and pulling him into a hug, "Thanks, Tails!"
Said fox did nothing while his brother hugged him. He didn't think screaming, 'what the hell?!' or pushing the blue blur away and slapping him in the face would be an appropriate response. "Uh, your welcome." he flatly replied instead, slowly patting Sonic's back.
The hedgehog released his friend with a wide grin before a yawn broke it; he stretched his arms in the air and rubbed his eyes. "Boy, all this brainstorming has me bushed. Hehe, Imma go take a quick nap before I head back to Eggy's." Tails blankly nodded, stiffly stepping aside, letting the blue blur pass to go rest.
Sonic left the fox to his own devices and closed the workshop door behind him. Tails stood stiff as a wooden plank, eyes fixed at the door, horror filling his mind at just what had happened. "This is getting bad; they're getting closer together. I've got-I've got to hurry and come up with a plan before it's too late!" The fox held his head in his hands and groaned, feeling the beginnings of a mild headache forming from the stressful situation. Then, taking a breath, he shook his head and decided to go back to work to take his mind off the disturbing talk of Sonic having fun with Eggman.
45 minutes later, the fox left his workshop, entering the kitchen for a drink of water, feeling somewhat better than before.
He had gathered all his notes and observations over the last few months, working on the beginnings of a plan to help rescue his brother, and had made good progress.
Taking a glass from the cupboard, he turns the tap on cold, waiting until the glass was half full, and takes a drink; he sighs, feeling refreshed after quenching his thirst. Tails' ear flicks, finding the house to be suspiciously quiet; he checks the living room to make sure Sonic hasn't already left without his notice. Taking a handful of steps, he peeks around the corner and sees a pile of blue quills passed out on the couch. One of Sonic's feet twitches in his sleep while he sucks on his thumb; the fox slowly raises a brow in confusion.
This seemed new.
Tails thought back as far as he could remember and couldn't recall ever seeing Sonic suck his thumb in his sleep before. Nibble on his gloves or blanket, sure, but not thumb sucking. The fox held a hand over his smile, trying to keep his giggles quiet; this would be some great blackmail material if he had a camera. But Tails wasn't the pranking type.
That didn't mean he wasn't the relentlessly teasing type.
Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, Tails approached the sleeping hedgehog with a mischievous grin. Once he was close enough, he booped Sonic's black nose. The blue blur's face scrunched up briefly before returning to a peaceful resting position; Tails poked his nose again, this time getting a bigger reaction. Sonic huffed and waved a free hand in front of his face before letting it drop.
The fox poked his black nose one more time, and Sonic whined abruptly, turning himself towards the couch away from the annoying finger. Tails giggled, pulling his hands out, and started tickling the hedgehog's sides; Sonic's eyes snapped open as he shrieked with a high-pitched giggle. "Wakey wakey~!" Tails cooes to the fidgeting blue mass on the couch, laughing at the confused and dazed look on his face. Sonic hurriedly scrambles away and, once he was at a safe distance, took in his surroundings, slowly piecing together what had happened; his hand laid on his chest while he breathed heavily. "What...was that...for?!" he asks, glaring at the sly fox.
"It's almost time for you to leave." Tails says, tapping his watch, "Little Sonic needs to get back to his Daddy before he gets a time out~." he adds with a baby voice. The blue blur's cheeks turn pink, and he feels his stomach drop as the rest of his blood drains from his face, "Wha-what?" he asks breathlessly; Tails laughs, "You were sucking your thumb; in your sleep."
Oh crap! Sonic thinks, slapping himself in the face out of embarrassment and to hide his blush. Did he figure it out? Is he gonna tell everyone? Dragging the hand down, he glares icy daggers at the fox, "Don't you dare tell anyone-!"
"Relax, ok! I won't tell everyone that you suck on your thumb in your sleep when you're hungry." Tails giggles waving to the hedgehog's stomach that growls at being mentioned. Sonic blinks looking down, having forgotten he had skipped lunch.
He feels his heart restart and almost laughs in relief from the scare; he was still safe. Tails hadn't figured out his deep dark secret. Though he was tempted to flip off the sneaky fox off just for scaring him like that, he scoffs and rolls his eyes, brushing away the tease acting as if he didn't care. "Tsk! Whatever, I'm gonna head out. I've got work to do. See ya next week!" He salutes and zooms away before anything else incriminating or embarrassing could happen. That was close.
Chapter 19: Interruptions
Chapter Text
The blue baby awoke the following day bright and early with a determined smile jumping out of his crib filled with excitement; he was finally going to see Eggy! Sonic gathered everything he could think of that would help him carry out his big plan. "Ok, let's see...crayons, paper, Ivo, my parrot, Rover, bouncy light-up balls, race car, paci...That should do it!" he purred, placing everything in his diaper bag, then rubbed his gloved hands together in anticipation, "Now, for some brekky!" hurrying to the dining room Sonic went to fill his belly. He would need the energy today.
After breakfast and getting a diaper courtesy of Metal, the blue blur took his bag and went to the elevator pressing the last button on the panel labeled basement. Slowly it descended with a low moan as it took the hedgehog down to the below-ground laboratory; the travel felt longer than usual, almost at a snail's pace. Sonic's excited smile fell as each second passed, allowing his excitement to turn into anxiety which grew into dread; he gulped when the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened with a mechanical hiss. The long, dark, eerie hallway kept going on for forever in his view; he shuffled in his socks, having second thoughts about this idea. Breakfast, all of a sudden, felt heavy in the hedgehog's stomach, keeping him from stepping into the long corridor.
Maybe this is a bad idea, he's busy, and I hate to interrupt and make him mess up something important. Sonic shook his head to get rid of the negative thoughts. No way! That's the whole point I'm doing this! Eggman's so caught up in his project he's forgotten us. It's up to me to remind him that we're here and we need him too, Metal, Scratch, Bokkun, Orbot, and everyone else! Besides, he needs a break anyway. Being stuck down here working all the time is no good! I'll be careful.
Taking in a deep breath to calm his churning stomach, puffing his chest, and pulling out his most confidant smirk, Sonic steels himself for his mission. Funny how a little courage could make a hallway not look so scary anymore. Gripping the bag, the blue devil strides forward to Eggman's laboratory.
Sonic's steps increased in frequency with his courage returned, drawing him quickly to the main laboratory doors. His ears twitched in reflex when the doors opened with a swish, and the hedgehog entered the facility; his eyes widened at his surroundings taking in the room he had been too scared to explore before.
It was a genius's ideal lab. Gadgets, tools, and all sorts of doohickeys were available to use with plenty of workspace. Pressure tanks, chemicals, temperature, and light-sensitive materials were all neatly arranged at various stations. There were also computers, control panels, and other high-tech instruments, some probably made by the doctor himself, ready for his disposal. Some things bubbling, boiling, or beeping as they worked.
As the blue devil scanned the room, Sonic's gaze landed on one station where the person he had been looking for sat bent over, scribbling on a tablet while a small capsule was quietly bubbling and sitting in front of the human.
Driven by curiosity Sonic slowly approached, tilting his head up to the side to get a better look at what was inside the capsule. It looked like a lung, a very small one probably no bigger than his hand, "Whoa, cool!" the hedgehog exclaimed. Eggman jolted in shock at the noise and franticly searched for the disembodied voice; he found a small blue hedgehog slack-jawed looking up at the capsule he had been studying. "Sonic! What are you doing here?" he asked in bewilderment. What on Mobius is he doing down here? He should be upstairs with Metal.
"I wanted to see what you were doing!" Sonic chirps, standing on his tiptoes to reach over the table and extending his finger to touch the lung. Eggman calmly brushes the curious hand away from his experiment, "I'm very busy working, that's what. Please don't touch anything." undeterred by the gentle yet firm command, the blue blur brightly smiles at him, saying, "OK!" and walks away.
Eggman blinked, pushing away the odd encounter out of his memory, and got back to work; not giving the hedgehog's sudden appearance a second thought, he scribbled more numbers and sequences onto his tablet. Dragging out a calculator, the doctor quietly mumbled to himself as he punched in his calculations to check if they were correct, "X times z followed by the square root of 27. Then divide that by 6.5..."
"A plus M followed by Y spells Amy. Then add the square root of red is her favorite color, pink!"
"Yes, pink...What the-?!" the doctor turned to see Sonic happily drawing on a piece of paper, having pulled himself up a chair to sit beside the doctor with his crayons scattered on the table. "Sonic!"
"Hmm?"
"Be quiet, please." Eggman firmly requests the blue devil's ears go up in attention, "Oh! Sorry, Eggy. I'll be super de duper quiet!" he whispers before going back to his coloring. Eggman sighs and starts the calculations over since he had been thrown off; as he typed in the numbers, he hears Sonic quietly talk to himself. "And this color goes here. Let's add some pretty swirls to make it less boring. Oh! And this color would be perfect here, and then the sun needs to be bright yellow cause that's a happy color..."
"Soooniic." Eggman growls, the hedgie gasps, and lowers his ears, mumbling, "Sorry."
"Move. I need more space. Go color on the floor or something." the doctor grunts, "...ok." Sonic obediently gathers his crayons and papers, hopping out of the chair giving the doctor the space he needs. Eggman takes an alcohol wipe and swiftly wipes the surface where the hedgehog had been clean; he then pulls out a laptop and plugs a cord connecting the capsule to the computer, loading in the real-time data.
While the doctor typed furiously, Sonic laid on his stomach and continued to draw and color, silently peeking up from time to time to see if Eggman was checking on him or not. After a while, with no indication that the doctor was paying any attention, he got bored of coloring and sat up to dig into his bag for something else that could help him. He pulled out his racecar and began playing with it, pushing the car around the tiled laboratory floor. The blue blur crawls, pushing the toy, pretending that it was making loud car noises. He weaves in and out of chair legs and under tables, quickly scaling the entirety of the lab.
Racing on the flat grey floor quickly gets boring. The doctor still hadn't detected him, so Sonic pretends the car can fly for brief distances and stands to have the car race around, on, over, and under all the sensitive equipment like an elaborate obstacle course.
Eggman paid Sonic no mind as he wandered around with the toy; he was focused on his computer and the simulation playing on the screen. That is until a small tap on the capsule disrupted the simulation. "What?" Checking to see what had caused the problem, the doctor found a blue hedgehog with a sheepish grin standing right next to the small lung holding a toy car, "Oops." Sonic weakly chuckled, having been caught.
Frowning, Eggman silently points back to the floor; the dejected hedgehog mutters another sorry before sluggishly walking away taking his toy. Grumbling Eggman fixed the error and restarted the simulation. Sitting down with a huff next to his bag Sonic pouts, looking at the doctor, who went back to ignoring him. Ok, subtly isn't working—time to try something more disruptive. Roughly taking his bag, he dumped the contents with a spark of mischief in his emerald eyes as he scanned over his selection.
For the next few hours, Sonic did everything in his power to distract and break Eggman's concentration. Playing with his loud talking parrot, rolling his balls all over the lab, spreading paper and crayons all over the floor, asking Eggman various questions, and speeds around in circles racing with his toys. The blue blur ignores Eggman's complaints and hints of irritation at his antics; as the day went on, he noticed a vein on Eggman's head begin popping out, throbbing, and becoming more pronounced as his anger and irritation grew.
The doctor was losing his patience with the blue devil. Couldn't that prickly pain in the ass see how much trouble he was causing the doctor, this work was critical, and Sonic continued to get in the way no matter how much the human hinted that he wished to be left alone to work! Delicate and dangerous experiments were being conducted, and the hedgehog's constant interruptions were bound to lead to something being broken!
Little did they realize how soon that would happen.
Eggman was working on adding a few drops of a chemical into a solution that needed to be measured precisely, or all his progress would go up in smoke. Sonic was bouncing one of his light-up balls obnoxiously right next to the doctor, trying to get it to touch the ceiling.
A bead of sweat rolls down the side of Eggman's face as he carefully tips the flask, the ball bouncing annoyingly right beside him, tapping loudly against the floor with a tap...Tap...TAp...TAP!
"Steady now, steady," Eggman mumbles, watching two drops fall into the cup, tap...TAP...tap the ball goes higher into the air. Sonic sticks his tongue out in effort, so engrossed in his game with his eyes focused on the ball he doesn't notice how close the toy is to hitting the table.
Eggman quickly tilts the flask back as the last two drops fall in, the chemical starting to bubble lightly and change color. "Yes, yes! That's it-!"
His cheers are cut off when the flask and cup explode into a million pieces of glass flying everywhere, the mixture spreading all over the table and dripping to the floor as a rogue ball wildly bounces around the lab, hitting and breaking everything delicate in its path. "NOOOOOOOOO!" Eggman howls, hands flying up to his bald head in turmoil at the loss; he quickly ducks as the ball flys his way, missing him and hitting the computer instead before rebounding in another direction.
Standing back up, the large human growls in anger and reaches out to stop the wild object; the ball passes by a few times before he finally catches it. Fumbling to keep it in a tight grip, Eggman promptly slammed the toy into the garbage and flings the lid shut with all his might to keep it in there so nothing more could be damaged. He slowly turns his head, teeth bared, staring coldly at the hedgehog who had caused the destruction.
Sonic coward under the doctor's shadow with his ears all the way back, tail tucked under and legs shaking in fright at how Eggman was looking at him. Like the blue blur was nothing but an annoying bug that needed to be squished under his large boot. The human towered over him, making it seem like the hedgehog was much smaller than he really was, adding to the effect.
"Sonic...the Hedgehog." Eggman hisses, "Do you have any idea what you just did?" the blue devil hesitantly opened his mouth to respond, but the doctor cut him off. "ANY IDEA?!" Sonic's throat tightens, and he looks down at his feet guiltily.
He hadn't meant for this to happen. He was just trying to get the doctor's attention, and everything had gotten out of hand. Sonic warily picked up in his peripheral the state of the lab, noticing where Eggman's experiment had been now there was nothing but broken glass, he felt very guilty about what he had done. Sonic flinches when Eggman yells at him, "YOU'VE RUINED MY EXPERIMENT! Months of research, RUINED!"
"I'm sorry, it was an accident." the blue blur whispered. "And I told you to stay out of the way! If you had just stayed upstairs AWAY from here, then none of this would have happened!" Anger stirred in Sonic's gut. His fault?! If the doctor had paid more attention to him, he wouldn't have had to come down here in the first place. "Well, if you would have at least come out of here every once in a while, I wouldn't have had to go looking for you!" he boldly voiced, "You knew where I was the whole time. Don't start getting smart with me!"
"Just because you have a 300 IQ doesn't mean you're smarter than me! This thing is so stupid! How do I know this isn't just a cover-up for you to plan another world domination scheme?!"
"How dare you question my authority and motives! I know what's best an-"
"If you know what's best, then why are you hiding down here all the time, huh? You never come out! I may not be smart, but at least I know when to take breaks and spend time with my friends so they won't worry about or miss me! You've been stuck down here with your big stupid project for so long you've forgotten all about us! About me! I thought you wanted me here, but it turns out I was wrong since you don't care enough to check on me. You just wanted me here to get G.U.N. off your back!"
Eggman didn't hear anything the pissed-off blue blur said; all he heard coming from the hedgehog's mouth was bold accusations about his motives which he considered a threat to his authority. The human was too riled about the accident to consider the real problem that had caused this mess.
"That's enough! Get out right now! I don't want to see you in my lab again!"
"FINE!" the blur devil yells, tears blurring his vision, heart beating loudly in his ears, and throat hurting from yelling so much. "I hate this creepy place anyway, and I hate YOU!" with that, Sonic runs as fast as he can back to the elevator; not looking back, he hits the up button like a jackhammer until the doors open, and he dashes in as the doors seal him away before he ascended. Once he was back on the main floor, he hurried to the nursery, not seeing Orbit passing by, and nearly knocked the robot over in his rush.
Safe in his room, Sonic falls to the floor sobbing loudly, unable to move another inch. His head was hot, fuzzy, and throbbing like crazy, leaving the hedgehog too weak to attempt to dispel his confusion as he cries his eyes out, his head and chest hurt. It felt like someone was tearing his heart out and stomping on it mercilessly; Sonic curls into a fetal position gasping for air as his chest tightens. His vision tunnels and he realizes he is having another panic attack.
He couldn't calm himself down. The blurry world was spinning, it was a good thing he was already on the floor, or he would have tripped over his own feet by now. Everything felt like it was too much.
What happened over the last few hours played back through his mind. Through all his effort, not once did Eggman act the least bit interested in the blue blur, not when he had asked the doctor to play with him if he could sit in his lap if he could help. Nothing. Eggman didn't even notice when Sonic needed a diaper change; he just pushed the hedgehog away and paged for Metal to take care of it.
He didn't understand. Eggman had kept saying how much he wanted to have the blue blur be with him, yet now the doctor acted like he was nothing but a pest. Sonic's lips trembled as he cried, hugging himself as the feeling of abandonment returned. Something he had hoped to never feel again after leaving the orphanage all those years ago, the hedgehog couldn't take the rejection. He felt like he was 5 years old again, having been turned down by another family for 'having too much energy,' 'for being too impatient,' 'for being too much.'
I'm an idiot. What did I expect? Just because Egghead wants to reform doesn't mean he wants me...I'm so stupid and useless!
After a few minutes, the worst of the panic attack passes; still crying, he manages to crawl under the crib, instinctively going somewhere where the hedgie feels somewhat safe from harm. Hiding in the small dark space, he cries himself to sleep.
*Back at the lab*
The moment after Sonic disappeared, Eggman let out a roar in frustration and anger, "That miserable darned, ungrateful pincushion! I swear, as soon as I get my hands on him, his bottom will be so sore, he won't be able to sit on it for a week!" red-faced with smoke streaming from his ears, the doctor swiped his hands over a table and sent papers flying.
Quietly Metal Sonic enters the scene, gazing at the mess while Eggman continued his rant, throwing his hands in the air gesturing angrily to himself. Slowly turning his head, Metal scans over the room, finding quite a large mess.
Broken glass and equipment, chemicals, papers, and toys were scattered all over the lab, yet nothing dangerous seemed to have been disturbed. Most of the tools were miraculously unscathed or were only slightly damaged; several monitors were cracked and needed to be replaced, but that seemed to be the worst of it. The most dangerous hazard was the broken pieces of glass.
Metal sent out a message for some cleaning bots to come, and he slowly stepped further into the crime scene, ready to examine the extent of the damage at a closer range. He made a record as he looked everything over. The badnick also peeked over at Eggman from time to time, checking to ensure he was ok. Metal wanted to keep an eye on the doctor to make sure the man didn't accidentally hurt himself in his tirade.
"Ruined everything! After all, I've done for him, and this is how he repays me, barging in and causing a ruckus! Look at this Metal. Have you ever seen such an atrocity?!" Eggman complained as he paced the floor; the badnick replied calmly as he worked. "The lab is a mess, yes, but nothing important was damaged."
"Nothing important?! Have you looked at this?!" The doctor then pointed to the remains of the lung he had been working on; it laid out lifelessly on the floor, looking like a greyish pink wet soggy pancake with tiny shards of glass sticking out here and there. Metal respectfully acknowledged the failed experiment, "That is mildly distressing, but the project has not been negatively impacted as a whole correct? You can still carry on your assignments without much delay?"
Eggman stuttered at Metal's cool reply, "Ur...um...well...yes. Still! It took a long time for me to get that organ to develop this far, and now it's ruined." he said, trying to make his point known, emphasizing his agitation. Metal nodded, letting his master know the issue and his anger had been acknowledged; the badnick spoke again with more sympathy. "This is unfortunate but fixable. You have pulled through and overcome much worse. The ability for you to properly amend the future condition of your relationship with Sonic, however, has less of a favorable outcome."
"What are you talking about?" Eggman groans, stepping out of the way of a cleaning bot as it vacuumed up glass; another bot followed, picking up toys. Metal calmly expounded on his answer. "I mean, the relationship you have been cultivating with Sonic has been severely damaged. He was quite upset when he left here." The doctor moved closer to the badnick, crab walking around the mess to get out of the way of the little bots as they scurried around his feet, cleaning. "Well, if he's upset now, just wait until I get through with him."
If Metal were organic, he would have sighed in annoyance at his creator. Honestly, sometimes the robot wondered how someone with the smarts his master had to create marvelous machines such as Metal could be so dense? "Master, I say this to you with the utmost respect, but you are not focusing on the right problem."
Eggman sighs, growing irritated at the badnick, not understanding what he was saying. Closing his eyes and taking a calming breath, the doctor counted in his head, allowing his anger to dissipate. When he opens his eyes and sees the lab slowly come back to order, his mind does the same. The fog lifting enough for him to start thinking more clearly; crossing his arms, he looks down at his most loyal badnick.
Though he didn't understand or care that much about whatever Metal was talking about, he valued his creation's input as it had come in handy more times than he could recall. Respectfully he asked with some hints of sarcasm. "What problem should I be focusing on then?" Metal didn't pay any mind to the sarcasm, "Sonic." the robot beeped. The doctor looked at Metal in a way that said he was totally lost. He felt like they were going around in circles, "What about him?!"
"You have been neglecting him." the large human scratched his head in confusion, "What are you talking about?" Metal struggled to restrain himself from rolling his eyes; he tries again, enunciating each word. "Master...when was the last time you saw Sonic?"
"Today."
"And before?"
"Umm...well...I, um..."
"When did you last talk with him for more than a few seconds?"
"Uuuhhh."
"When was the last time you interacted with him before today? Do you know what he's been doing? How his visits with his friends have gone? If he's had any issues with his PTSD of late? Or what's been on his mind?" Eggman went quiet and deflated a bit, starting to get the message, "Hmm...I see."
"He has been missing your presence lately; we all have..." the badnick paused. He hadn't intended to include himself or the other robots; rubbing his wrists; Metal looked away, a bit embarrassed at the slip. "But especially Sonic. Organic children have a far greater need for love and attention from their caregivers than machines. He has been waiting for you to finish and be present in his life again. A feat that is not easy for him, but since you have been away for so long, he decided to go to you instead. He was determined to spend time with you today."
"And I pushed him away." The doctor finishes with a tired sigh; he takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes in frustration with himself for being so slow and not picking up the blaring messages right in front of him. "Chaos, Metal, I really messed up."
The badnick and human stand there for a few minutes with only the sound of the cleaning bots finishing up. Eggman shakily pulls a chair to sit down, feeling a massive weight of guilt overtake his body; it made him feel old. The silence deafening as he realizes what he had just done.
Putting his glasses back on, the doctor looks at the floor and sees a piece of paper with a drawing on it. Snatching it up before a bot can take it, his eyes water seeing the picture, and his heart aches being filled with regret.
The crude drawing was of himself and Sonic holding hands and smiling in a flower field on a sunny day with a few tiny hearts floating around. It was a physical representation of Eggman's vision of the future, and so it seemed was Sonic's as well. The doctor had worked so hard to get to where they had been, building trust, a connection, love. A beautiful parental relationship was as delicate as the paper drawing in his hand, and he had carelessly ripped it in half.
He puts a hand over his mouth to hide his quivering lips, feeling overwhelmed with emotion recalling how Sonic tried to get his attention—asking to be in his lap. If he would take a break so they could play together just for a few minutes and tugging on his sleeve with those big sparkly emerald eyes.
Oh, my little Sonic. What have I done? You were only trying to spend time with me, and I pushed you away like a pest. I've been working so hard on this...this project of mine to prove I could be good and give you a better life...when all you needed me to prove was that I could be there for you.
The doctor gasps realizing he was about to lose his baby, "M-Metal, can you finish up here? I have to go find Sonic right now!" Eggman stutters, getting out of the chair mindlessly handing the badnick the drawing, "Of course, Master." the badnick obliged, watching Eggman quickly hurry to the elevators.
The doctor prayed that he could fix his mistake.
Within a few short minutes, Eggman was at the nursery door; he enters, calling for the blue devil, "Sonic...are you in here? We need to talk." swiftly looking around, he didn't see any speck of blue; the room was empty. "Perhaps he's in the lounge?" he quickly walks down to the hall and finds it empty as well. Ok, Eggman, don't panic. There's still one more place he could be. Thinking of one last place Sonic could possibly be, he goes to the garden.
The obese human combed through the vegetation, searching for cobalt blue-colored fur or a quill, but he couldn't find any indication that Sonic had been there today. There wasn't any sign that the blue devil had been at any of his favorite hang-out spots! The doctor started to get worried. He checked all other areas he could think of; the kitchen, dining room, outside perimeter, and bathrooms. Still, he couldn't find the hedgehog or any trace of Sonic being in the building at all!
"Where could he have gone?! He has to be here still; he can't get out without anyone noticing!" mustache frazzled and pacing the floor, he pulled up his wrist computer, Eggman punched for the radio frequency, "Metal, do you know where Sonic is?" he asked, fear making his voice shake. "I do not." the badnick replied, "Has anyone seen Sonic in the last hour?" Eggman asked all the robots connected to the frequency, "I saw him." Orbot spoke up; the doctor asked him excitedly, "Where?!"
"I saw Sonic enter his room, the nursery, over an hour ago." Eggman moans in disappointment, "I just checked, and he wasn't there...has anyone else seen him?" a chorus of 'no's and negative's echo from the watch, pulling down the doctor's spirits further. What else could he do? Suddenly he recalls something, "Metal, try using your connection." he asks, referring to Metal and Sonic's ability to feel for one another.
"Please wait one minute." Eggman waited anxiously as Metal tried to tap into his ability; if this didn't work, the doctor would lose it.
"I'm sorry, Master." Metal flatly replies after a few moments, "He must be asleep or out of range. I cannot sense where he is." the doctor's jaw drops, the strength in his legs begins to fail, and he slams a hand onto the wall to keep himself from falling to the floor in shock.
It was the snowstorm situation all over again. Only this time, Metal hadn't a clue where Sonic was. No one did! This was the worst news Eggman had heard in weeks. His precious little baby was gone, alone somewhere out there, probably still upset about their argument with no one to comfort him.
But Eggman could feel in his gut that Sonic had to be still around. He just had to be; if something happened to that blue fuzzball, the doctor would never forgive himself!
He blankly stared at the little wrist computer, silently scouring his mind for several minutes, trying to come up with an idea on what to do next. The radio static crackled while all the robots on the other end listened earnestly for the doctor to speak, worried for both Sonic and Eggman.
"Mast-?" Metal eventually spoke, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on with the doctor but said person cut him off, "Metal! Send a message out to ALL badnicks on base to stop what they're doing and look for Sonic. I want this base searched from the inside out, check the vents, any place small enough for a hedgehog to hide, cut into walls if you have to to find him!" Eggman yelled, urgency and fear in his tone, "At once, Master." Metal said firmly and hung up with a click.
A few minutes later, badnicks ran around the base like a swarm of angry bees searching for the little blue hedgehog. Eggman among them calling out the blue blur's name as he checks his tracker for Sonic's collar periodically to see if it could give him a clue as to where the little hedgehog was, but it only showed that the blue blur was somewhere on the property, nothing more.
Hours passed with no sign of where Sonic had disappeared off to; Eggman was hysterical. It was almost dusk, and he was considering calling G.U.N. for reinforcements (which would have been a bad idea, but he was getting desperate). Or sending a troop of his robots out to search beyond the base in case the hedgehog had figured out some way to get around the alarm system built into his collar and ran away, leaving it behind to throw the doctor off.
Needing a break from the search to organize his thoughts, Eggman sat in the rocker in the nursery with his head in his hands. He was tired; he felt lost, useless, and angry with himself for letting this happen. Before, he only wanted to apologize and ask for forgiveness; now, he just wanted to make sure his little one was safe.
"Sonic, wherever you are, please come back. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen; I was just trying to prove to you that I could be the good guy you always wanted me to be. But I took it too far and ended up becoming even worse than I was before, and I hurt you...I'm so sorry, Sonic." his voice quivered, tears hanging around the corner of his eyes, "Please, my precious baby, come back. You don't have to forgive me. I just want to make sure you're ok...please come back."
Some moments after Eggman's heartfelt plea in the quiet room, he heard a muffled noise that sounded like...someone was sniffing?
Or wait...was that a whimper he just heard?
Wiping his eyes, Eggman rose from the chair and listens intently. He hears it again and finds it to be coming from the crib. He looks at the baby bed and bends to the floor, squinting his eyes under the darkness to see a shaking ball of fluff. "Sonic? Is that you?" he lowly asks, the ball unrolled a bit to unveil two big shiny green eyes looking at him in fear; Eggman silently praises Chaos. He'd recognize those sparkly gems anywhere!
"Sonic! Baby, what are you doing under there? I've been looking all over for you." he receives no response from the fuzzball except for some more sniffles and whimpers, "Hey, hey, now it's ok. I'm not going to yell at you, I promise." he cooes gently, trying not to scare the blue blur anymore than he already had. "You-y-you're m-m-mad at me." Sonic slowly cries with a small voice. "No! No! I'm not mad. Why would I be upset with you?"
"Y-y-your-sniff-lab."
"Oh, that...that's not important." Eggman shook his head, the ball unrolled a little further, and he could make out a nose and mouth now. "B-but it was...you-your experiment-"
"It's fine. Nothing to worry about." the doctor cut him off, seeing how frightened the hedgehog was of his for his outburst earlier. Metal was right. He needed to fix this. "I promise, um...swear on my heart to die the most painful death ever that I'm not mad at you and won't yell at you or kick you out." he got a tiny laugh out of the blue blur at that, but Eggman meant it more than Sonic probably realized.
Extending his hands out, he gently coaxed, "Please, Sonic, come here." the blue devil looks at the large hands, unsure whether it was truly safe or not; hesitantly, Sonic unrolls enough to crawl to them and lets them grab hold of his waist to pull him out fully.
Once he was back in the light, Eggman pulled him right in his arms, hugging him tightly. The embrace instantly made him burst into tears; as he sobs, Sonic held onto the doctor's jacket with the intent never to let him go.
Chapter 20: I'm Sorry
Notes:
Time for another interesting hedgehog fact. Did you know they can actually sound like screaming/crying babies if in extreme distress? Yeah, I didn't know either, but it works perfectly for this fic, so keep that in mind for this chapter.
Well, guys, we are officially two-thirds of the way finished with this fic. Can you believe it?! It's almost over, but before that, we have a lot of angst, trepidation, baby time, and secrets to be revealed before it's all over. We are not done with the tears yet!
Chapter Text
He wept and wept; it was like someone had broken opened the dam to the damn Niagra falls; Sonic didn't think he had ever cried this much in his entire life. If the hedgehog put some thought to it, he would have concluded that the majority of his tears had been shed here at Eggman's, but then again, the hedgie had been through a lot since his arrival. From tantrums, and first-time diaper changes, to now this. No one had hurt him as severely as Eggman had.
Part of Sonic felt like he should have been angry, furious, blowing his top off like a long-dormant volcano, and he had a few days before, not anymore. He should have been sad; that's why he was crying, right? Cause he was sad that Eggman had been neglecting him? Made him feel abandoned? That was certainly a part of why he was crying, but mostly, it was because he was in pain.
Eggman had broken Sonic's heart.
Promises of undivided attention, acceptance, care, and love had gone unfulfilled. The approval to be free and himself forgotten like he had been an old toy tossed into the hidden depths of a teenager's closet left to collect dust.
The doctor had made Sonic look like a fool for believing that he could change. Sure, Eggman had changed his occupation from villainy to medical inventor, but that didn't mean his personality had changed, had it? He was still the same lying; manipulating, conniving evil dictator Sonic had known all his life, right?
Eggman wasn't a kind, loving, caring man who did his best to take care of all he considered his own, created or not. He wasn't a man with a large tender heart, like that of a mother that maybe cared too much and made mistakes out of love...right?
Sonic wasn't sure; he wasn't sure of anything anymore. All the negative thoughts he had pushed away were coming to the forefront, with all maliciousness bombarding his mind.
I'm an idiot for believing him. Why didn't I listen to my friends? They were right. The doc was right; I'm nothing but a nuisance and a pest. He's a stupid liar who only cares about himself! I hate him for tricking me and making me like this! I wish I had never signed that stupid contract, then none of this would have happened! I just wanna run away forever, leave this place and everyone all behind. They'd be so much better without me! Stupid sTuPiD! STUPID! Why...why did he have to be so mean to me? Why did he have to yell? I should've left him alone like he asked. I should have never gone down to the lab and bugged him.
Eggman seamlessly moved from the floor to the rocking chair, slowly rocking and soothingly shushing the crying blue baby curled up in his arms.
His lab coat was wet with tears, but he didn't care; Sonic's behavior worried him more. The hedgehog actually sounded like an infant wailing as he shook like a leaf, holding the doctor's jacket with an iron grip, at times losing his breath and hyperventilating. Eggman continued to rock and guided the blue blur's breathing, trying to calm the distressed hedgehog. He whispered instructions on breathing and did the exercise himself to encourage Sonic to do the same.
The man wasn't sure that his efforts did much good, but it was all he could think of to do. He felt helpless to see Sonic in such a broken state, and he felt even worse for having driven his hedgie to this point. Seeing the blue blur so vulnerable, hurt, and broken by his hand, Eggman could hardly believe that at one point in his life, this had been his goal. His previous attitude sickened him because seeing Sonic in such a state before his eyes was the worst thing he could imagine.
Two hours later, Sonic had once again cried himself to sleep, this time safely cradled in the doctor's arms. They stayed there, holding each other as Sonic slept, the blue ball breathing softly with his head cuddled against Eggman's chest. The human gazed upon the small pained face, still red and tear-stained; he kissed Sonic's forehead, rocking back and forth, back and forth almost in a trance. He followed the blue blur's example and fell into an exhausted asleep a few minutes later.
A sleepy groan woke him much later; the doctor blinked the sleep away from his eyes, and he looked down to see Sonic stretching his cramped muscles just waking up himself. "Hey, feeling better now?" He softly asked, caressing the peach and blue face; Sonic nodded with a pout, rubbing his eyes childishly.
Eggman nods and adjusts his hold to get more comfortable, "Can you tell me now what had you so upset before?" The hedgehog takes in a shaky breath then blows it out, wondering if he should tell?
What would be the point? Eggman didn't care, did he? Then again, why did he act so concerned now? Was the doctor faking it? Before, the hedgehog had been able to read the doctor clearly, but now Sonic couldn't tell what was up or down anymore.
Didn't he say earlier he had been looking for me? And then promised that he wouldn't yell at me...which...he hasn't. Eggman hasn't been blaming me for what happened. Even before I started crying again like a baby. Man, I bet I look like a mess right now. The hedgehog looked up at the human as his face was caressed, trying to decide what to do. He looks so...worried about me and...sorry? Why would he be sorry? I'm the one who messed up. I guess...I don't have anything thing more to lose, so... should I at least give it a try?
"Do you...I'm...I'm sorry I messed up your experiment. I shouldn't have been playing in the lab. I just keep getting in your way. You were right all along." Sonic hesitantly mumbled, not able to look at the doctor in the eyes, his tone flat and dull, "I'm nothing but a trouble maker and a pest. I promise I'll stay out of your way and won't bother you anymore, and when the six months are up, I'll get outta your hair completely." Eggman's countenance became panicked, "What-wha...what are you saying? You're not a pest! Why are you saying that?!"
"Cause it's true. Eggy-er, I mean...Eggman, " he corrected himself from the affectionate term, thinking it wasn't appropriate and that Eggman probably didn't enjoy being called that. "I've been nothing but a thorn in your side since we meet. I get it. You wanted me to help you turn around and be good without having to go to jail, and you tried to help me in return, but I became too much. Needy, clingy, and high maintenance...you couldn't handle it. I get it. You don't need to stress about it anymore. I can take care of myself."
"Are you-are you saying that I think of you as a burden?" Eggman breathlessly asks; Sonic twidles his thumbs. "Well yeah...don't you?"
"Absolutely not!" the doctor almost yells, horrified that his baby had come to that conclusion, "What made you think that?!" Sonic meekly looked up at the doc then back at the floor. In that brief look, Eggman caught the spark that had been in those gem-like eyes he loved had dimmed greatly; they lacked their emerald green luster. He had done that; he had made that spark dim, his mind told him as his mustache wilted, "Oh...oh dear...I'm...I'm so sorry, Sonic. I-I never meant to-"
"It's ok, you don't have to pretend anymore," Sonic's head fell to his chest. He had spoken that with so much defeat in his voice that it silenced the doctor. Who was at a loss for words; what could he say to the brokenhearted hedgehog? Eggman really had screwed up this time; Sonic was convinced that the doctor had faked caring for him this whole time and thought he was worthless.
No!
He was not going to let the blue blur think such a despicable thought! He had caused this, and he was going to fix it, no matter how long it took and with whatever means! He was going to reignite that spark.
Gently Eggman raises Sonic's head to look up at him; with a strong, soft voice, he says, "Sonic, look at me." the blue blur refuses at first, not wanting to in fear of what he would see, but slowly he obeys and moves his gaze from his hands to the doctor's face. His eyes widen minutely, seeing remorse and warm affection burn behind those glasses, "You are NOT a burden! Everything I did, everything I said about wanting you here with me...all of that was true. Not once did I lie to you about how I felt. I mean this with all my heart when I say I WANT you here with me."
"But...but... I messed up. I bugged you while you were working and got clingy. Why did you-?" Sonic whimpers, "It's true that...at times you do need more attention, but after all you've been through Sonic, I EXPECT that. I DON'T mind, and you are not high maintenance; you're actually very easy to please. As for what happened down in the lab doesn't matter. It's all easily replaceable. I don't know if you heard me before, but the reason I've been working so hard was...I was trying to prove to you that I could do more than build destructive robots. That I could use my talents to benefit society instead of hurting it, but in my enthusiasm, I...hurt you. I made you think I had lost interest in you, and for that, I am eternally sorry Sonic." the human holds the hedgehog close to his beating heart.
Sonic felt his face grow hot again, and tears shined in his eyes. He tried to blink them away; he was tired of crying so much and being so emotional. He wasn't used to expressing anything other than happiness or being bored, it felt out of place for him to be so...sad, but the tears wouldn't go away. His breathing became more labored as he felt his chest tighten at Eggman's words, making it hard to swallow the lump clogging his throat. He whimpered softly, trying to hide his face in the doctor's coat.
"I'm so sorry for making you feel like I didn't care about you anymore. You are not something I could ever just throw away and forget or replace. Never! I love you, Sonic, so soooo much! Believe me; if I could, I would go back in time and fix all of the mistakes I made." the doctor repeatedly kisses the blue blur's forehead, "You don't have to forgive me or stay any longer if you don't want to, but please let me try to make it up to you baby. I love you so much." tears pour out of Sonic's eyes again, and he cries out on Eggman's chest, unable to hold it in any longer.
Sonic had at one point suspected Eggman had grown some affection for the blue blur, but it was so much more than that! The doctor loved him! For the first time, Eggman said he loved him! Said he was irreplaceable! That he wasn't a burden and would never think of throwing the hedgehog away because he loved him so much!
Even though Sonic knew Tails, his little brother loved and looked up to him, the fox never said it aloud. He never said anything about how he thought of the blue hero throughout all their years together. Sure, Tails showed his love through his actions. Sonic was guilty of doing the same and not vocalizing his feelings himself, and he didn't realize how satisfying it was to hear those 3 words. Eggman, his worst enemy, had revealed to him how much power those words contained.
The doctor knew he had screwed up badly and wanted to fix his mistake; it didn't even matter if Sonic forgave him so long as the hedgehog knew that Eggman loved him dearly. All of this touched the blue devil's swelling heart; he wanted to forgive Eggman, but...something was holding him back.
"I wan-want to Eggy. But-hiccup sniff-I-I'm scared." Sonic said with his bottom lip quivering; he looked, sounded, and acted so much like a scared little kid in Eggman's maternal view.
"Of what?" The doctor gently asks, "That you'll leave me, and I-I-I'll be alone again." Sonic cries, hiccupping and shaking again in Eggman's chest.
He wanted to believe the doctor he really did, but the hedgehog was terrified. After being burned so many times, could he trust that Eggman would keep to his word that he wouldn't hurt the blue devil like this again?
"How do I know that you'll keep your p-pro-promise?"
Eggman leans back and thoughtfully gazes up, rocking in the chair and patting Sonic's diapered bottom for a few minutes as he puts together his answer. The hedgie hiccupping and sniffing as he listens to the doctor's heartbeat, letting the comforting sound help calm him down.
"Well...you don't." Eggman finally spoke, "However, what do you know?" The blue baby, tears still slowly falling, looked up at him with his face twisted in confusion; the doctor continued. "I promised to take care of you, right? Feed you, clothe you, keep a roof over your head?" Sonic nodded at him slowly; Eggman gently wiped a few tears away with his hand. "Ok, then I promised that you could be a baby whenever you wanted, and I wouldn't make fun of you, right?" Sonic nodded again, more readily. "And I also promised I would try my best to be good and follow the stipulations of the contract, yes?" the blue devil nodded, instantly agreeing, "So you have proof so far that all of my promises up to this point I've kept. Is there any reason to doubt that I won't carry out this new promise? After all, since the little...accident in the lab, I haven't kicked you out or threatened to hurt or punish you have I?"
"No..." Sonic said quietly, a twinkle of hope beginning to shine in his eyes; Eggman gazed down at him, radiating tenderness and compassion. "Then you have no reason to worry that I will leave you now. I could never ever leave my precious little baby all alone. You mean the world to me Sonic, I will always love you as if you were my own." with those last few reassuring words, Sonic felt his heart swell to the point it exploded with love.
For the millionth time that day, Sonic broke down crying, but it was out of happiness for once. Eggman did want him! The man had proved that he would keep his word, and the blue devil trusted him with all his heart. Sure he had made a mistake or two but finally! Someone wanted to take care of him! Eggman loved him! And Sonic realized he loved Eggman too.
As the doctor cradled him in his arms, Sonic knew he had finally found the home he had been searching for for so long. And wouldn't you know it?! It was with his ex-enemy! Then and there, the blue blur decided when the sixth month was up, he was going to stay with Eggman, who would be his permanent guardian. He had found his forever home.
"Can-can I still call you...Eggy?" abruptly, Sonic meekly asks, "Of course! So long as I can still call you my little baby hedgie?" the hedgehog lets out a wet giggle and blushes, nodding his head.
He liked it when the doctor called him cute babyish pet names; it made his insides all warm and fuzzy.
"Is that a smile I see?" Eggman playfully gasps, "Does that me I'm forgiven?" A smile wobbles on his muzzle as the last of his tears falls, and Sonic nods, "Thank you, baby." the doctor whispers. The blue blur closes his heavy eyes and presses his face closer to the doctor's chest, listening to that slow, steady heartbeat again and smelling the mixed scent of motor oil and sandalwood that he had grown to associate with comfort and security. He deeply breathes it in, the tension in his body unwinding as he nuzzled Eggman, who gently really rocks in the chair. The soothing motion calming Sonic down and making him feel sleepy, a wave of emotional exhaustion rendering his muscles weak.
A low growl interrupted the peace and quiet, coming from the blue devil's tan tummy, "Hungry?" Eggman asked. Sonic slowly nodded, too tired to think about eating, but his body disagreed; the hedgehog hadn't a clue as to what time it was. He was sure his last meal had been hours ago, "Would you like some milk?" Eggman offered, "You're probably dehydrated from all of that crying, and it will help fill your tummy up as well."
A filling bottle of milk sounded perfect. "Want...baba," Sonic confirmed sleepily; the doctor nodded and sent a quick message for a bottle to be delivered. A hand full of minutes later, a drone entered with a warm bottle of creamy oat milk, his favorite. Noting that the hedgie was already half asleep, taking it upon himself, the doctor feeds the bottle to the blue baby in his arms.
Sonic latches on to the nipple, the creamy goodness shortly fills his belly, and the warmth growing inside made it impossible for him to open his eyes again. The hedgie feels himself fully falling into his little space finally after waiting for so long, and it felt wonderful because his caregiver is here! Secure in Eggy's warm arms, blushing, he curls up around the bottle, soaking in the atmosphere as he suckled.
It's been a while since my last diaper change, and I still haven't gone yet; they say milk makes you pee more. Will I wet in my sleep?
He barely shrugged at the passing thought, what did it matter? If he did, Eggy would change him. Besides, it's what babies do, and that's all he was right now, Eggman's baby.
Finishing the bottle, he burps, then whispers, "I-yawn-wove you...Eggy." Eggman thickly swallows away his tears of relief, over the moon with joy hearing his love was reciprocated. He kisses the blue blur's forehead one more time, nuzzled his cheek, and whispers in his ear, "I love you too, my sweet baby. Go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up...I promise."
"M'kay..." Sonic softly squeaks with a small smile and warm belly before he peacefully falls into a deep sleep.
*A few days later*
Sonic lightly bounces in his brightly colored walker in the lounge, sucking on his paci watching The Story Bots.
It was one of a handful of programs he and Eggman enjoyed watching when he was in his little space cause it was funny and educational. Granted, Sonic knew quite a bit about most of the subjects they focused on, but sometimes he did learn something new.
Like a new joke, he had so much new material he couldn't wait to try them all out on Tails!
The hedgie's diaper crinkles as he hops up and down; Metal sitting straight on the couch, watches the program taking notes on how the show makes learning appealing to young minds, and researches for other similar toddler shows his little brother might enjoy.
Sonic's ear twitched, picking up the echo of boot heels clicking on the floor nearby. He moved his eyes from the show to the door and smiled cutely behind the pacifier, and bounced more energetically, seeing Eggman walk in with a tray of snacks and drinks. The doctor smiled back, seeing how happy his blue baby was to see him. "Hey there, my little hedgie, are you happy to see me?!" He baby talked to the blue blur, who nodded his head and made grabby hands, signaling he wished to be held. "Just one second..."
The doctor puts down the tray and goes to pick up his baby. Sonic purs, tail wagging as he hugs Eggman and clicking with happiness, the doctor lovingly ruffles his head.
Metal somehow beamed at the scene even without a mouth, happy that his master and little brother had patched things up with each other. In fact, Metal would have speculated that their bond had grown stronger since reconciling about the lab accident a while ago. He leaned over to grab a can of motor oil from the tray and sipped quietly. Happy to have his family come together again.
Sitting down with Sonic in his lap, Eggman grabs the bowl of popcorn and pops a few kernels in his mouth; the blue devil looks at the bowl, then Eggman. He raises to tap the doctor's big nose lightly, took out his paci, and points to his open mouth. "Oh, would you like a some?" The doctor politely asks; Sonic silently nodded, "Here you are, catch!" Eggman chuckles, tossing a few. The hedgehog opens his mouth wide and skillfully catches each one, munching on the salty, buttery goodness making soft squeaky noises that indicated a content hedgie. Swallowing, feeling parched from the salty snack, he asks the doctor in his high-pitched childish voice, "Baba?"
"Right here." Eggman happily obliged, picking up the baby bottle on the tray filled with juice and handing it to his baby hedgie. Sonic readily takes it and drinks as he scoots back until his back makes contact with Eggman's soft pillow-like stomach. Settling himself comfortably in his caregiver's lap, he purrs once again as Eggman begins to rub his belly.
Everything was perfectly cozy. Sonic in his diaper and baby chicken printed footy pajamas, sitting on Eggy's lap with a refreshing bottle, Metal sitting right beside them relaxed and at ease, while they all watched tv in the late evening. Yeah, this is great! Sonic thought.
Life couldn't be better, in the hedgehog's opinion. It was so much better now, though Eggman still worked on his big project.
After Sonic's meltdown, the doctor realized he had his priorities in the wrong order and quickly made some adjustments. Instead of working nonstop, the doctor consulted with his team and delegated assignments and responsibilities, relieving him of unnecessary stress. With the load lightened from his shoulders, working on a much more reasonable schedule, Eggman had lots of free time again to spend with his badnicks and baby.
Despite the traumatic separation, something good had come out of it. Before the adjustment during Eggman's previous absence, Metal and Sonic had bonded, and now they were as close as brothers could be. Don't get the blue blur wrong; Tails was still his number one little bro; it's was just now. Sonic had a number one big bro too!
Everyone reconciled, and things were going smooth as silk. Sonic had told Eggman a few days after his meltdown that he had decided he wanted to stay with the doctor after the 6-month trial was up. The human had jumped for joy, thrilled to hear this news, and had the biggest smile on his face that didn't leave for days. Sonic had never seen the doctor smile so much in his life; he thought for a while that it was stuck there permanently.
Now in just a few short weeks, the 6-month time limit would be up, and Eggman could officially adopt Sonic! They couldn't wait! The doctor was already planning a big party to celebrate the adoption and the world peace they had achieved through coming together. Many invitations were going to be sent out to all of Sonic's friends, all the badnicks, some important world leaders, even Silver and Blaze were invited to come!
Taxpayers and government officials were going to save a lot of military money, not having to spend it on protecting the world from the ex-villain's attacks and rebuilding areas affected by the devastation from the doctor and Sonic's battles.
The hedgehog smirked in amusement, fondly thinking of what the future would hold for him after. As if me and Shadow didn't look enough like we were related, I'll be a Robotnik just like him! Hehe, Sonic Robotnik...doesn't sound too bad kinda rhymes. His thoughts of the future were interrupted when a feeling in his bladder indicated that it needed to be relieved.
Sonic acknowledges its request and relaxes, wetting in his diaper with a goofy grin feeling the warmth grow on the front, the yellow mark hidden underneath his baby chicken footed pajamas. He puts his paci back in and giggles; he always felt a little naughty for going in his diaper, but he wasn't a bad hedgie. Good hedgie's always go potty in their diapers; that's what Eggy said from the beginning.
The words made him smile, triggering a memory of his first few weeks at the base. Sonic thought back to when he first woke up in a diaper, remembering how hard he had fought the doctor about wearing the thing. How embarrassed he was and how mortified and defective he felt when Eggman finally broke him down and made him use it. He had come so far since then.
Pffft, going in a diaper is a breeze now!
He remembered how after that, he began to uncover and lean more toward his little inclinations, the discovery, realization, and acceptance of him being a Little, and how Eggman had metaphorically held his hand like a parent teaching their baby how to walk through every step of the way.
The blue blur's heart fluttered at the comparison, and his cheeks turned pink. Eggman has treated me like his baby this whole time, and soon...it'll be official! Sonic curls up, hugging his knees as a small smile appeared on his face feeling warm and fuzzy all over.
The doctor notices the hedgehog shift and looks down, seeing Sonic hugging himself, "Hey, you ok?" he softly asks and rubs the hedgehog's back, thinking that something was wrong. "Hm? Oh, no, just...thinking..." the blue blur softly speaks, waving off the concern.
"About what?" the hedgehog fidgets at the question face and ears turning red, yet he still smiled shyly, "About how soon...I'll officially be...your baby." Eggman's worry turns into amusement; his heart lit a fire at the mention that Sonic would his soon!
That day would be one he would hold dear for the rest of his life he knew in his heart and mind. Indeed this contract had been the best idea he had ever had; it has brought him so much joy, satisfaction, and not to mention the cutest little hedgie in existence!
Before, his only hopes out of this situation had been to draw closer to the blue blur and to get out of jail time. He could never have imagined that all this would have happened! If someone had told him over a year ago that he would be adopting Sonic, caring for the blue devil as if the hedgehog were a baby, and that the doctor would quit being a villain, well...he probably would have sent a hord of badnicks on them muttering about how such nonsense was impossible.
The impossible turned out to be possible.
He chuckles at how shy and embarrassed Sonic acts, referring to how he was his baby. The doctor bops the blue devil's nose, making him go cross-eyed, "You always were. I just didn't realize that before."
Sonic giggles and blinks, uncrossing his eyes, "Before what?" he asks curiously; Eggman bends down and whispers, "Before I realized how much of a cutie you were!" pulling the blue blur close, the doctor kisses all over Sonic's face making him laugh. The doctor covers Sonic's squirming fuzzy face with kisses until every inch was covered, and he puts the hedgehog back in his lap who's lighthearted giggles faded away with a large yawn.
Sonic rubbed his eyes and moaned, "Eggy...me wanna go night-night." the doctor checked his watch, "It's a bit early, but we do have our interviews tomorrow, so I guess it's probably best we go to bed anyway." the blue blur agreed with a nod as he was picked up. "Night night Metal." He yawns, head hanging over Eggman's shoulder and waving the badnick goodnight, "Goodnight, little brother. Sleep well—Goodnight, Master." Metal bows, Eggman gives his good night's and carries his baby to the nursery.
Sonic felt his stomach rumble as he was carried. Scrunching up his face, he quietly tooted and pooped in his diaper without a second thought, sighing in relief when he finished. Diapers really are the best. I can just go whenever I need, don't have to worry about finding a bathroom or nothing. He thinks in glee. Being little is the best!
Eggman's nose twitched at the sudden funky smell; he felt the hedgie's bottom and promptly knew what had happened. "Whew, we! What is that smell? Where is it coming from?" The doctor asked, acting mystified by the sudden sticky odor. Sonic tiredly giggled as a big nose ruffled his fur, sniffing him, "Why-sniff sniff-it seems to be coming from you! Sniff-sniff-whew we! You are a stinky baby! Yes, you are! Are you my little stinky baby boy?" Eggman continued to tease, nuzzling, the giggling blue blur.
Laying Sonic on the changing table, Eggman gets his supplies setting them down to the side; the blue blur's giggles quiet down again as he gets increasingly tired. Eggman hums a familiar lullaby as he works, striping Sonic's legs out of the PJs and untaping the swollen diaper. The blue devil lazily smiling at the melody rubs his eyes again and yawns. He shivers, pulling his arms in, feeling a cold wipe on his butt, and curls in slightly to keep his upper body warm while his exposed bottom was cold.
It didn't stay that way for long. A scent of baby powder filled the room shortly; the white substance dusted on his rear before a new diaper was tapped secure and his feet returned into his pajamas. He sighed through his nose in bliss, still sucking on his paci and listening to the lullaby; his eyes grew heavier and heavier.
The change done, Eggman smiled warmly at his very sleepy baby. Admittedly the diaper changes could be unpleasant, but each time he looked at that fuzzy blue face that beamed back at him with thanks, admiration, and love. Well...nothing could beat that. It came with the territory of having a cute baby hedgehog, or at least an almost fully grown one acting like a baby. The doctor wouldn't have it any other way; Sonic was so adorable in his puffy diapers, little baby printed pajamas, sucking on his pacifier with sleepy eyes. It made his heart melt and made him want to coo and aww.
Which he did.
"Tsk awww. Come on, baby, time for bed." Eggman picks up Sonic, holding him in the same manner as he had after the hedgie's first diaper change. He lays the blue ball into the crib, pulling the blanket up to his chin, and sets his favorite stuffed toy next to him. The doctor pets his head fur and kisses him goodnight receiving a sleepy mumble; he turns back, flicks the lights off, and leaves his baby to rest.
++
Sonic dreams of being in his nursery. He was wearing his baby gear as usual when in his little space, whether awake or asleep. In a big puffy diaper printed with teddy bears, his favorite paci in his mouth, a shirt that said "I wuv Mommy," and soft gloves with baby blue socks.
He was happily playing in his room on a rocking horse, pretending to be a cowboy with his trusty partner Ivo (who was wearing a ten-gallon hat). Sonic made banging noises pretending to shoot off a gun to scare some no-good cattle stealers, "Yeeehaw! Faster! Come on, Ivo; we can't let them varmints get away. Yeehaw! Hahaha!" he giggled, riding the horse.
The hedgie gets too excited and rocks the toy to its limits causing it to tilt too far forwards; Sonic falls off, flipping over and landing on his stomach. He grunts, making contact with the floor but pays no mind to the fall since it didn't hurt, as something else caught his attention. "Mmmm, thirsty." He licks his lips, and a bottle appears in his hands. Not questioning it, Sonic places it in his mouth and sucks on the milk, tail wagging in delight.
The blue blur is caught off guard when he feels his quills go up, sensing something threatening in the air. The blue devil's tail's wagging slows to a stop; he pauses his drinking and twitches his ears, listening.
He couldn't hear anything unusual in fact, it was oddly quiet, but somehow, he knew someone was nearby. A chill ran up his spine, making the fur on his neck stand up; his stomach felt hollow, dread taking away the safe and joyful air away which had been present only seconds ago. The quiet nursery felt very ominous. Uneasily, Sonic turned his head to the door; someone or something horrifying was on their other side.
Maybe Eggy? He wondered, tilting his head curiously, the bottle still in his mouth. Hoping that the creepy vibes he was getting were wrong and that his loving guardian was on the other side. Cause right now, he felt nervous, scared, and wanted the only person that could make him feel safe here with him.
Sonic watched, unable to move as the door slowly opened; a cloud of mist blocked his view of the person, only revealing a very familiar silhouette. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out who this mysterious figure was. The mist gradually dissipated as the person stepped forward to his shock, revealing a small yellow fox.
"Tails?!"
Chapter 21: Caught in the Act
Notes:
*Ok, I normally can punch out chapters with baby scenes in them pretty quickly...but this one came out really fast, even for me. Like I wrote it in two days (not counting editing). Man, coming up with real mean quips and hurtful words was EASY; I guess I had a lot of frustration and anger I needed to get off my chest.
Sorry, Sonic, I promise to be kinder!*
Chapter Text
++
Sonic's jaw dropped to the floor, which wasn't very far, in horror, "Tails?!" he choked. The fox stared at him with wide eyes, exclaiming back, "Sonic?!"
The bottle comically dropped from the hedgehog's mouth, and he realized that this situation looked very, very bad! His best friend and little brother had just caught him decked out to the nines in baby gear, laying on the floor sucking on a baby bottle in a nursery, playing like a toddler with his baby toys.
His body unlocked at last, and he jumped to his feet, waving his hands in denial, "This isn't what it looks like! This is just...umm?" Sonic couldn't think of an excuse. What could he say? Nothing he said would be believable, and he didn't want his friend to think he was crazy.
Tails slowly walks up to the stammering diapered hedgehog, narrowing his eyes giving the blue blur a nasty look. Sonic steps back, holding his hands up in surrender, laying his ears back, startled and shaken by the unnatural evil expression on Tails' face. "Not what it looks like? Well then, tell me what it does look like then!" the fox goads, roughly pushing Sonic, making him stumble back further, "I uh...well it's...ya see...Ummm." the hedgehog mutters, biting his lip and sweat sliding down the side of his face, his heart beating out of his chest.
As if Tails scrutinizing him wasn't bad enough, suddenly two more figures barge in, cutting off the awkward conversation. "What that hell?! Blue, is that you?!"
"Sonniku?!"
"Oh no!" Sonic groans with a whisper, seeing Knuckles and Amy step in with confusion and disbelief on their faces. "Ugh! Gross, what the hell is all this junk!" Knuckles complains as he surveys the room. His gaze falls upon the hedgehog standing in front of him; his scowl turns into confusion and surprise, taking in Sonic's getup before he bursts out in mocking laughter, pointing at the blue blur. "Hahaha! You look ridiculous! Are you seriously wearing a diaper?! Hahahah!"
"Oh my God! Sonic, what is wrong with you?" Amy shrieks holding herself close, keeping herself from accidentally touching the revolting baby-dressed hog, "Awww, does Sonic want to be a widdle baby?" Tails says with a sneer and a baby voice that dripped with scorn. "I wonder if baby used his diapee yet?" Knuckles asks as, with a twisted smirk; he invades Sonic's space pulling the front of his diaper down; Amy shrieks again, flapping her hands girlishly, "Ewwww! A dirty diaper is so gross!"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! No, I didn't! Stop that!" the hedgehog yells, slapping the echidna's mittens away and tugging his shirt down in a vain effort to protect his diaper from their poking and prodding. Sonic flushes red in embarrassment, feeling violated at having been found like this; he puffs out his cheeks in anger for their mockery.
"Hey, look what it says on his shirt! 'I wuv Mommy.' Awww, is the hedgie a mommas boy?" Tails cooes sarcastically, roughly grasping the shirt and pulling it down hard, stretching the material and Sonic down. The blue blur tries to release the fox's grip from his shirt, "No! Tails, stop! It isn't like that Eggy isn't-"
"Eggy? Wait, you mean Eggman?!" Amy asks with scrupulous eyes before they widened in understanding, "Oh my gosh! You think Eggman is your mommy?! Ahahahahhaha!" she howls. Tails releases his hold on the shirt and grabs Knuckles shoulder to hold himself up as they both joined in the taunting laughter, "He thinks Eggman is his mom?! What an idiot!"
"He's stupid, just like a baby!"
"Can't even tell a mommy from a daddy! How dumb can you be?!"
"So dumb that he thinks he is a baby! What a kind of loser plays with toys and wears that kind of lame get up?!"
"A dumb blue hedgehog, apparently! He's 15 years old, for Chaos's sakes! Waaaaaay too old to be acting like that! He must be retarded or something."
"What a loser!"
Sonic blinked in shock at the hurtful words; tears filled his eyes as his face got hot and red with embarrassment. Gripping the end of his shirt, he wrung his fingers around the material, looking down in shame. What had happened? His friends were mocking him for being Little and wearing baby clothes.
As they continued their jeers, Sonic realized something. Wait a second...nobody but Eggman is supposed to know about this. What are they even doing here? How dare they barge in and attack me like this! They didn't even give me a chance to defend myself! They don't know why I do this...hell; they have no right to be here! This is MY SAFE PLACE! His chest rose up and down, huffing and puffing as anger stirred in his belly from their bullying. Just because he was a baby didn't mean he couldn't stand up for himself! If he could take on robots and gods, hundreds of times bigger than him, he could take on his friends who were acting like selfish bullies.
Throwing his fists back, he yells, "Stop it, guys, it's not like that! Will you just shut up and listen to me?!"
"Uh oh, looks like the baby is getting cranky." Knuckles cooes wiping a tear away from laughing so much, "Maybe baby is hungry and needs his bottle." he steps up to the angry hedgehog, grabs the bottle from the floor, and shoves it into Sonic's mouth before roughly pushing him down. "Go on, baaaabeee. Drink your milk, then go take a nap." The echidna punches the hedgehog, not giving him the chance to reply, causing stars to appear before Sonic's eyes. The bottle flys out of his mouth as the blue blur's head reels back from power in the hit; it was so hard the hedgehog knew it was enough to give him a black eye.
Sonic yelps out in pain and curls inward, raising a protective hand to his eyes, feeling the sharp pain jolt to his skull. He flinches when his fingers graze over the throbbing eyelid with a whimper; all of his fighting fire now extinguished.
Why were his friends acting like this? He didn't understand; one minute, he was blissfully playing in his Little space. The next, his friends had barged in and proceeded to bully him.
The sound of something shattering twitches in his ears, grabbing his attention from contemplating what was going on, and Sonic opened his eyes to see his friends trashing the nursery.
The hedgehog forgot all about trying to make sense of the situation and his swollen black eye; his blood ran cold, sending chills through his skin and freezing his nerves. He was shell-shocked to see his friends causing wanton destruction to his room; Amy ripped down the curtains taking the rods with them and pushed or knocked down each piece of furniture in the room. Tails hovered in the air, ripping and clawing off the star stickers, scrapped his claws on the walls, and helped Amy push everything down. Knuckles punched the furniture they knocked over and hit the pieces as fast and as hard as he could like; he was trying to win the high score in a video game.
Sonic's stomach twisted and churned; his breathing came out in short bursts, and his hands shook uncontrollably as he watched the room Eggman had lovingly made for him was torn to bits.
"No." He whispers, watching helplessly as Amy and Tails took turns tossing toys to Knuckles, who hit them with his fists like a twisted game of baseball.
They were destroying the one place he felt safe, the one place where he could go to be the innocent and playful part of himself he couldn't show to others without rejection and ridicule.
The blue blur shakily stood up with tears in his eyes, "Guys! Guys! Please stop! This isn't right." he shouted and stumbled towards Amy. He grabbed her arm, begging for them to stop the madness. The pink hedgehog coldly ripped his hold off of her arm, "Shut up, you dumb baby."
"Please, Amy, stop! Don't do this! I thought you loved me?"
"Me love you? Ha!" Amy looked at him incredulously, swinging her mallet to rest on her shoulder; she checked the blue blur out with eyes filled with contempt, "As if! I could never love a dumb baby hedgie. Get real! I can't believe I wasted my time on such a pathetic hedgehog!" The words cut like a knife to his heart. He winced, placing a hand on his chest, feeling a ghost of pain.
How could the hedgehog who had declared her affections and chased him for years suddenly turn her back on her loyalty and say such things? Though he didn't have the same romantic feelings, he still loved her dearly.
A flash of red brought Sonic back from his despair, and he saw Amy pick up his beloved Eggman plush. In a panic, he reached out to save the last thing still intact that could give him comfort, "Stop! No! Don't hurt him!" Amy blocked his attempt to take the plush and pulled it away from him. She rose a curious brow at the blue blur who had desperation written in his eyes as he continued to try and reach out to grab the thing, just like a baby crying out for a toy that had been cruelly taken away.
"Oh...is this yours?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, seeming to enjoy Sonic's wretched begging, "Yes! Yes, please give him back!"
"Ok...here...CATCH!" Amy yells and fakes, giving it to him before tossing the toy to Knuckles, "Ivo!" Sonic yells, dashing to the echidna, who throws the plush to Tails. A game of keep-away ensues with the blue blur in the middle of the circle running around trying to get his toy back.
Sonic pushed himself to go faster and faster, heart pumping blood into his legs, giving them a boost to go faster. He pushed and pushed until his legs ached and begged for him to stop. He didn't listen. He needed to get his toy back, but he was always just a little too slow. He couldn't understand. He knew he could go faster; rescuing Ivo should have been a piece of cake, but no matter how much the hedgehog pushed himself, Sonic couldn't go any quicker; he always missed the catch; he grew more upset with each near miss.
After an eternity, the three bullies got tired of the game. Tails caught the plush last and temptingly held it out for Sonic to grab, "Did you guys hear what the baby just called his toy? Ivo." he laughed in ridicule. Taking the bait, the blue devil succeeded in grabbing hold of one of Ivo's arms. "Let my friend go! He's not yours!"
"You're friend? Ha! You're so stupid you can't even tell a real friend from some worthless toy!" Tails tugs the plush back, showing his fangs with a cruel smile.
"Well, if you guys were my real friends, you would stop this and give him back!" Sonic tugged Ivo back to himself.
"Why would we be friends with you? You're just a big baby." Tails bit back, pulling the toy back with more force, a few seams poped from the sudden tension, Sonic's ears laid back, and he looked at his brother, bewildered by what the fox was saying.
"Tails, you are my best friend; how could you say that?! I-I-l love you; you're my brother. Why are you doing this?!" The blue blur's arms shake, straining to gently pull Ivo his way, trying not to pop anymore seems, "Not anymore! You're disgusting! I could never be your best friend, not to some so-called hero who needs diapers and toys. We. Are. Through!" twirling his namesakes and yanking back with all his strength, Tails rips the plush in half, Sonic thrown back my the force lands hard on his bottom with the other end of the toy.
The world seemed to stop as the hedgehog gazed with wide shiny eyes at the remains of his beloved plush, torn in half mercilessly by those who he thought were his closest companions. His heart felt like it was filled with holes from the sharp stabs of their words and looks of hate and scorn. Hands shaking, Sonic held the remains close; his bottom lip trembled as he hiccupped, and tears began to leak down his face.
Slowly a shadow crawled on the floor, engulfing the hedgehog. Raising his head to see what had caused the sudden darkness, Sonic's eyes shrank, and his depression morphed into fear as he beheld Amy, Knuckles, and Tails creeping up on him with a dangerous look in their eyes. His former friends' features turned into something more sinister and gruesome, growing in height. The large Mobians quickly overshadowed the bright lights above the nursery.
The hedgehog attempted to crawl away, but the bullies catching on quickly blocked his path, and Sonic found himself cornered with no way to escape.
The blue blur shrank while they grew, his body decreasing in age to match how vulnerable he felt. Sonic's legs, arms, and hands shook in terror; tail tucked as far as it could go, ears flat on his head looking as if they were missing, his lips quiver and big fat tears pour down his muzzle. He found himself too terrified to quite his pitiful whimpers and small cries for help.
The gigantic monstrous Mobians laugh cruelly at the tiny hedgehoglet, showing their dagger-like sharp teeth, punching giant fists into their hands, preparing themselves to finish off their prey.
Little Sonic cried and searched out in his mind for Eggy to save him, but his cries went unanswered, and he realized Eggman was nowhere to be found. Not Metal, not any of the badnicks on the base. No one.
He was home alone.
He was utterly defenseless against the monstrous creatures that licked their lips, ready to swallow him whole.
Ice gripped his wildly beating heart, Sonic cried out loud in terror as the monsters dove for him, and everything went black.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
++
Eggman jolted up in his bed, his blue eyes blown wide open at the unexpected awakening, his mustache was bed wrangled, and the fuzzball attached to the nightcap on his head flung forward, hitting his right eye. "What in blue blazes?!" he gasped, turning his head towards the screeching baby monitor on his nightstand, the small machine going off at its highest volume.
He turns on the light on his nightstand and puts on his glasses, "Sonic?" he gasps, hearing a distressed wail he thought that only an infant could muster; apparently, hedgehogs could too?
Grabbing and hastily putting on his robe and bunny slippers, the doctor rushes out his bedroom door, almost slipping on the floor as he turns around the corner to the nursery next door. Eggman bursts in and instantly appears before the crib where his baby resided, desperately crying out for help.
"Sonic! Sonic wake-up! Wake up!" the doctor picked the flailing hedgehog up and pressed the small body close to his to keep Sonic from accidentally hurting himself.
The blue blur awoke with a yelp struggling in Eggman's hold, eyes big and alert, searching wildly for a danger that didn't exist. His dull claws clamp onto the doctor's shoulder, and his quills flared out, ready on the defense. Short, panicked breaths and high-pitched screams escape Sonic's lips, his mind not yet fully realizing he was no longer dreaming.
Eggman bit his lip to hold back from vocalizing any pain he felt in his shoulders from the small claws and pricks on his face from Sonic's thrashing quills. He just held onto his charge secure but not enough to suffocate, hoping that the blue devil would snap out of it soon. He briefly thought of using their 5 step grounding exercise as that always helped in the past, but it was apparent in Sonic's state it would not do any good as the hedgehog was unresponsive.
Patiently he waited as Sonic slowly came back to reality.
Gradually the hedgehog's breathing became less erratic, his grip on the doctor relaxed, and his emerald eyes shrank back to their normal proportions.
He blinked, surprised to find himself in Eggman's arms. As the adrenaline wore off, the shock, embarrassment, and humiliation from what his subconscious had conjured up came back—the hurtful words, the physical abuse, and the terrifying transformation his friends had undergone.
His face changed from shock to misery and shame. Sonic softly whimpered and squeaked at first; then, his vision became blurry with tears; a minute after, he started to cry on Eggman's shoulders. The sound was muffled as he pressed his face against the doctor.
Hearing the pitiful sobs pulled Eggman's heartstrings, and the doctor's maternal side told him to comfort his baby. He needed to do so with caution as Sonic was still at risk of accidentally hurting him at close range. With some trepidation, he laid a hand over the hedgehog's quills, testing them, and, finding them relaxed, fully extended his fingers into the fluffy cobalt fur. He gently stroked Sonic's head, and back quills as the blue baby cried on his shoulder; the man shushed his charge, slowly pacing the floor.
Sonic wails in agony for some time as Eggman continues to wait patiently for him to finish, petting and holding the blue blur close to let him know his Eggy was here.
One would think that after being awoken so suddenly in the middle of the night, Eggman would be more brusque and annoyed at the blue blur for the rude awakening. However, after several months of almost nightly interruptions and using the suggestions from all his research notes, he was somewhat used to the routine of being woken up suddenly by one of the blue blur's nightmares. However, the doctor did think it odd that tonight he was woken up by an infant-like cry instead of a terrified scream or a soft knock on his door. This didn't seem like the occasional PTSD-induced nightmare followed by a panic attack he was used to. What could have caused his baby such distress, he wondered?
Well, he would have to wait until Sonic was capable of speech again before the doctor could get some answers.
45 minutes later, Sonic was done with the last of his tears; he was all dried up with no more to shed. This throat felt raspy and sore from crying so much of late; he coughed and snorted, his nose congested; he rubbed it, annoyed by the black object on his snout. A few hiccups flew past his lips, and he blushed at how childish he sounded.
Eggman patted his back, "There, there...all done now?" Swallowing the lump in his throat, the hedgehog opens his mouth, attempting to respond, but no sound came out. His voice box wasn't cooperating; he gives up after another failed try and nods in defeat, "Right...do you need anything?" Sonic shakes his head. "Do you want to talk about it?"
The blue blur furrowed his brows, unsure, knowing that if he did, he would feel better. Talking with Eggman before always helped, but he felt so small and incapable of speech right now. He couldn't speak when he tried. All that seemed to come out were just noises, no words.
The doctor takes the long silence as a no and asks something else, "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" Sonic carefully thought about the question before nodding.
Being woken up by a nightmare with your adrenaline pumping and then crying afterward left one feeling like a used-up rag doll wanting to flop over and lay on the floor for eternity.
Eggman begins to lower the hedgehog back into the crib, but the blue blur alarmed by the action scrambles to stay in his hold, whining in protest. The doctor quickly stops and resumes to a standing position, holding the blue baby close, "Do you...want to stay with me?" Eggman asks in confusion.
Sonic nodded quickly, pulling himself closer to the doctor whimpering. He hated to be so needy and vulnerable, but Sonic didn't feel safe being alone right now. Eggman, somehow sensing his conflict, reassures, "It's ok; you can stay with me," he continues to rub the hedgehog's back as he brings Sonic out of the nursery.
Sonic relaxed as they left, relieved he wouldn't have to spend the rest of the night alone. With a shaky sigh, he nuzzled the doctor's neck in thanks.
Shortly after, emerald eyes blinked, adjusting to the dim light in the new room; he looked around, surprised. Sonic hadn't expected Eggman to take him to HIS room, though it was logical that's where the doctor would have gone to. It still surprised the blue blur that the human would bring him here. Sonic had never stepped foot into Eggman's personal bedroom before, having felt like there was an intimidating invisible wall that said do not trespass.
The hedgehog felt like he was being escorted into some super-secret place that only those worthy enough could see. And in a sense, he was as few entered the doctor's private abode. As Sonic continued to look around, he was caught off guard by how different Eggman's room looked than he had imagined.
There was a window with flowery curtains covering the nighttime outdoor view. At one wall stood a large wardrobe, a bookshelf filled with books and pictures of nature. A writing table was next to it; letter-writing materials littered the desk showing it was used regularly, along with a vase filled with blooming flowers from the garden. A simple yet somewhat elegant wallpaper covered the walls, the wooden floorboards under the bed covered by a large white rug.
Overall, Sonic found it to be very cozy with a feminine touch. He would have never guessed that such a room could belong to Eggman; it was warm and inviting, not cold, and filled with steel like the lab. The room was like a reflection of the doctor's heart, soft, warm, and surprisingly comforting. His nose twitched to the human's scent, which he loved so much, and Sonic smiled, liking the appeal of the doctor's room.
After moving a few pillows to the edge of the bed to keep his charge from falling off, Eggman gently lays Sonic next to them, "Wait just a moment." he requests, going back to the wardrobe and removing his robe and slippers. The hedgehog turns his head to look at the nightstand and sees a lamp, an alarm clock, the baby monitor, and two books. Squinting his eyes, he makes out the titles on the spines.
"The Whole-Brain Child 12 strategies to nurture your child's developing mind" and "The Adoptive Parents Handbook a guide to healing trauma and thriving with your foster or adopted child"?
He rose his eyes at the books. They seemed curious; why would Eggman have these types of books in his room? Sonic expected to find something more along the lines of what Tails would have on his nightstand, something about the inner workings of a machine or maybe about computer programming. Not baby and parenting books, that seemed more like something Sonic would find on Miss Vanilla's nightstand.
It piqued his interest, but it was far too late right now to ask any questions. He was tired, and undoubtedly Eggman was as well. He decided he would ask about them maybe in the morning or at a later time.
Sensing movement Sonic diverts his gaze back to Eggman, watching him close the wardrobe door and walk back to the bed. "Oh! Forgot something." the doctor gasps, pulling the drawer on the nightstand; he moves stuff around, mumbling about where he had put the darn thing before finding what he was looking for. "Ah! I knew I had one! Here baby, take this."
Sonic looks at the object the doctor offers, which was a pacifier in his fingers, and the blue blur quirks a brow in puzzlement, not understanding why Eggman was offering the thing to him. "I always keep one around just in case." The man shrugs with a small smile. "Go on, little one, take it. Don't want your dirty thumb in your mouth, do you?" Sonic blinks in surprise. His eyes cross, looking down, and his eyebrows rise to see his thumb hidden behind his lips.
Since when had he put his thumb in his mouth?
It's not dirty! But well, then again...I don't want to be rude.
Opening his mouth Sonic removed his thumb as Eggman replaced it with the pink pacifier; he wrapped his lips around it and sucked. This was much better than sucking his thumb though convenient; the digit would get all wrinkly and slobbery with saliva.
The blue blur felt thankful that once again, the doc had the foresight to keep one around at all times and had picked up on the hedgehog's needs before he had.
The human takes his glasses off, rolls into bed, turns the light from the lamp off, and pulls the quilt over them both. Sonic watches as Eggman tucks him in and pulls him close; the hedgie allows himself to be cuddled and curls up, soaking the comforting warmth from the thick quilt and the large man's body heat. His ears flick in reaction to feeling whiskers tickle them, and lips kiss his head, a large hand petting his side. He smiles and purrs, melting from the soothing strokes, eyes going half-mast in pleasure and fatigue. Feeling safe that Eggy would protect him from the scary monsters in his dreams.
Eggman gazed at his blue baby, hearing the subtle motor and a thump of a tail hitting the mattress as it wagged. He watched tan and blue eyelids slowly come together and a pacifier bob up and down; once those emerald eyes closed, the thumping tail ceased.
The pacifier's bobbing slows down to a complete stop a few minutes after as soft, steady breathing signals that his charge peacefully returned to the land of dreams.
Hopefully to some more pleasant ones. Eggman hopped, still stroking Sonic's side as he slept. A few minutes later, his hand stopped after he fell asleep also, dreaming of his life going down a very different route 15 years ago.
Chapter 22: A Different Time a Different Life
Notes:
*As you can probably tell, I have a thing for dream sequences, so sue me, they seem very important in my opinion and carry a lot of weight in the decisions we make whether we realize it or not!
Anyway, this time, we're going to take a peek at Eggman's dreams. A small comic partially inspired this sequence I found on Deviant art that quite frankly broke my heart. Check it out here: djanubis/art/Two-sides-One-coin-cover-284037498
I promise this is the last dream chapter for this story. Enjoy!*
Chapter Text
++
A cloaked figure emerged from the edge of the forest in the dark of night, the rays of the full moon providing the light they needed to see the path to their destination. They gazed upon their goal in the distance.
The object shines brightly like a lighthouse alerting all drifting ships of a safe shore nearby, providing refuge from a raging storm.
Moving swiftly, the dark character exits the safety of the forest and enters the open grassy knoll making its way for the large grey building that shines in the silver moonlight. Minutes later, they stop before the large doorway catching their breath; raising their head, the figure takes in the sight of the building with a feeling of awe and a little bit of jealously. Their package would get to stay in this place; they could not.
A click startles them from their revere; a security camera had turned on; they quickly find it turning to their direction, making a whirring noise as it adjusts its focus to get a better view of who dared to approach. With a silent gasp, the figure acts quickly, taking out a basket and laying it before the door.
The sudden swinging movement stirs whatever is inside, and it gripes at being disturbed from its slumber.
With its cargo delivered, the figure raced off before it can be discovered, leaving the basket behind; they accidentally kicked the package as they go. The movement upsets the basket further, and whatever is inside cried out, moving underneath the blanket covering. The cloaked figure doesn't turn back at the noise as now whatever was inside now was no longer their responsibility. With their mission accomplished, they disappeared back into the forest without a trace.
A few minutes later, the door swooshes open, and Eggman steps out in his pajamas with a growl and a disgruntled look on his face, "What the hell is going on at this ungodly hour?" He gripes as he looks around to see who had set off the alarm that someone was at his door at this late hour or early morning (depending on your view). His brows furrow in annoyance, not finding anyone nearby.
"Darned lousy no good-"
A shrill cry makes him jump; Eggman swiftly looks around, trying to find its origin. At last, his gaze falls to the ground, where he sees the moving basket. He warily bends down, watching the blanket covering move erratically as something shrieks, obviously upset. The doctor slowly picks up a corner lifting the blanket to see a baby blue hedgehoglet kicking its legs, banging them against the basket, and crying out for its mother.
Eggman gasps in horror, letting the cloth go, and stands up, looking out to the dark knoll as far as he can see for any sign of who had left the child. Even with the light of the full moon, he can't see much farther than the edge of the forest. There is no one but him out there with the basket and the cold night wind stirring the tall grass like a dark green wavy ocean.
His stomach dropped as he realized the child had been abandoned, "Oh dear..." he muttered.
His attention is drawn back to the basket as the baby cries out again, sadly sighing; Eggman picks the basket up by the handle and carries the poor creature into his home.
Entering the lounge, he sets the baby basket on the coffee table, sits down, and lifts the blanket from the basket again to get a better look at the abandoned baby inside. The child ceases its crying when the covering is removed, whimpering with puffy, shiny eyes; it stares confusedly at the man who might as well have been a giant from its perspective.
The doctor rubs a hand under his chin, "Hmmm...Atelerix albiventris, cobalt, and peach coloration with emerald green eyes, about 7 inches long, looks to be approximately 30 ounces, sex...unknown, age...?" he gently leans forward and prods the hoglet to open its mouth with his index finger. Other than a poor attempt of a growl and a disgruntled kick, the hedgie opens its mouth and doesn't fight further, which surprises him. Eggman casts the hoglet's mouth a peek and gently feels its gums. "Hmmmm...definitely under a year old, perhaps no more than one or two months?" The hoglet catches him off guard from his musings when it clamps down and begins sucking on his index finger. Thankfully the baby lacks teeth, so the bite doesn't hurt Eggman. "Oh! I bet you're hungry." The doctor exclaims; he radio's for one of his robots to bring a bottle of milk.
"While we wait, will you let me see what you are if I let you suck on my finger?" He gets no response from the hoglet, who continued to hold his hand, not letting its makeshift pacifier go. Slowly Eggman untapped the diaper and lowered it to see what lay underneath; the hoglet cooed curiously, watching the human examining it.
Smiling with satisfaction, Eggman rediapers the baby, "A little male hoglet. Hmph, we should get along just fine then." the hoglet smiles back, still sucking on his finger.
Eggman sighs, laying his head on his free hand, rambling out loud while waiting for the baby's bottle. "Tsk. You poor thing. Abandoned and all alone in this cold, dark world. You know...as a doctor, I've dealt with many people and species in my profession, helped quite a few young ones such as yourself enter this world..." he soberly pauses for some time before continuing softly, "I never did understand people who could willingly give up their young leaving them alone to fight and care for themselves with no guidance."
The hoglet perks his droopy ears toward the man, though too young to understand Eggman could tell he had the hedgie's full attention. The doctor scoffs in amusement at the tiny blue thing, "Look at you...you're so small. Quite possibly the smallest baby I've ever met." the hoglet tilts his head blinking. Eggman smirks, amused by the baby's innocence, "Oh, you know I'm talking about you now, don't you? Well, since we're on the subject...what do you think I should do with you? There's quite frankly not many options." the baby blankly stares at him.
The doctor continues thinking aloud despite the silence, "I could send you to a foster home...though you are cute, I'm not too sure how soon you would be adopted." he gets no response. The human and baby engage in an impromptu staring match for a few minutes.
"Or you could stay here with me!" the doctor blurted out in revelation. "I don't really know how to take care of a child. Never had one before; I spend most of my time alone as it's just me and my robots. No real company to talk to; it would be nice to have someone else around..." He mused with a shrug then looked back at the child.
It was true. Eggman didn't really interact much with people as he was always working on his inventions; that is to say, that didn't mean he doesn't get lonely at times. Being a genius could be lonely, and while a baby wasn't much company, he was still open to the idea. After all, caring for a child was said to be one of the most rewarding experiences, that and watching and helping a little one to learn and grow would be a welcome challenge to his genius brain.
The hoglet stares back at him, and Eggman swears there is something in those green eyes that makes him want to look into them forever. The baby cooes with a smile and squeezes his finger; Eggman feels his heart warm at the precious gesture. He has only had the hoglet with him for a few minutes, and already he was becoming attached.
Some company would be really nice, even if you can't talk yet.
"I'm willing to try and learn how to take care of you if you are willing to put up with me? Whaddya say? Would you like to stay with this old man?" the doctor offers. The hoglet squeals kicking his feet happily; Eggman chuckles and smiles back as a droid comes in finally with the long-awaited bottle.
The doctor takes the milk, relinquishes his finger, and picks the baby up, cradling him before Eggman offers the drink. The hoglet, upset at losing his makeshift pacifier, pouts then looks at the bottle curiously before tentatively licking the nipple, getting a drop of milk, licks his lips, and latches on, suckling and grunting like the little hoglet he was. Eggman chuckles at the cute noise, cradling the hungry baby in one arm; he takes the empty basket and walks to his room, solidifying his decision.
"Welcome home, my baby."
The dream skips to some time a few months later.
Eggman is again woken up in the middle of the night by a baby's cries. Groaning, the doctor slowly lifts himself out of his warm, comfortable bed and, with half-closed eyes, takes three agonizing steps towards the crib stationed near his bed where he had placed it for quick, easy access to his baby hedgie.
The hoglet cries out with his eyes closed, his cries rising in volume the longer his needs go unfulfilled. Eggman gently shushes the baby reaching down into the crib going through his mental checklist, "You're dry. I just feed you not that long ago. You don't want your pacifier...what is it that you want?" he moans while the hoglet continues to cry, seeming to get more upset from not getting what he wants.
Eggman groans, rubbing his face; his brain felt fuzzy with static from sleep deprivation, unable to figure out what was wrong. The temptation to just ignore the screaming hedgie, go back to bed, and let the baby cry himself to sleep was very strong. He had work to do tomorrow and wanted so badly to go back to bed without having to deal with a fussy hoglet and, for once, get a full night's sleep.
"Ugh, forget this...I'm going back to bed." He walks away a few steps, but hedgie's continuous wails call out to his maternal instincts forcing him to pause. Unable to distance himself further, Eggman listens attentively to the baby's cries to decipher their meaning. The doctor looks over his shoulder back at the hoglet seeing the baby is turned toward his direction and reaching out for something.
[It's theorized young ones instinctively sleep in the direction their guardians appear from in their cribs and continue to do so long after they are grown.]
Observing the hoglet's behavior, Eggman wonders if this hypothesis might be true. Figuring out a baby's constant needs had been more difficult than he had thought.
Well, he did want a challenge.
Sighing, he gives it another go. He walks back to the crib; the doctor reaches down and picks up the crying infant bouncing a little, hoping that he will calm down. "There there, it's alright, my little one. I'm here Shhhhh." the hoglet ceases his crying and whimpers in the doctor's hold; his little black nose twitches as he picks up his guardian's scent and cooes happily in recognition. Eggman lovingly smiles, his ears and instincts both glad that his baby was no longer crying.
"Did you just miss me? Hmm? Were you just lonely? Don't worry, Eggman's got you." the blue hoglet hiccups with a smile and cooes at the doctor's voice. Eggman gently pats the baby's back as the hoglet nuzzles his fuzzy face against the human's chest, settling down with a high-pitched yawn in his caretaker's arms, feeling safe and secure. The doctor takes the baby with him to a rocker he has sitting in the corner of the room.
The human sits down, continuing to hold and cuddle his charge; he rocks slowly in the rocker watching as the hoglet hums with satisfaction before they both fall back asleep.
++
Eggman woke up to find Sonic no longer in his arms. Instead, the hedgehog was curled up on top of his chest, looking quite content where he was. Splayed out like a starfish and still sucking on his pacifier, the doctor softly smiled and rubbed one of Sonic's ears. His heart swelled when he heard soft purring; it was absolutely adorable!
Eggman gazed over the small hedgehog taking in his features; he loved how fluffy, and soft Sonic's fur was and the way his beautiful coat now shined with his healthier diet the doctor had established. The blue blur's wet black nose and long lashes that hid wide innocent eyes, Eggman felt like he could stare into them forever. Like he wanted to now just stay in bed all day and watch the peaceful expression on his baby's face while he slept.
Too bad they had to get up.
Gently he begins scratching Sonic's back waking him, "Mph...?"
"Morning sunshine." the doctor greets; the blue blur lets out a big yawn letting his pacifier fall, and stretches, "Morn'g Eggman." Sonic mumbles as Eggman sits up and he slides off the doctor's chest, landing into his lap. "Did you sleep better?" Eggman inquires, ruffling the hedgie's quills to stir him up, "Yeah, much better...thanks for letting me stay with you." he says with a crooked smile.
"Anytime, baby. Though I'm curious, what had you so scared? This didn't seem like one of your usual nightmares, was it?" Sonic turned away from the doctor timidly, his ears turned down, fiddling with the cuffs of his gloves, he quietly said, "Not...exactly. It was...different this time." he felt a large hand rub his back in comfort, "Do you want to talk about it?"
The blue devil nods, taking a deep breath; he explains what happened in the dream; Eggman listens quietly, taking in all the hedgehog had to say. "And then I woke up...I just-I know there's no way my friends will find out about this, but I guess I'm just...scared about how they'd react if they did. I mean, I didn't take it well at first! I can't imagine how they would react if they saw me acting like this. I know they wouldn't physically hurt me, but...maybe they wouldn't want to be my friends anymore?" he trails off at the end and hugs himself. Confusion and worry are written all over his face; Sonic looks up to his caregiver for guidance.
"Well..." Eggman begins rubbing his chin, "This was just a dream, you know."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just worried that somehow some way, they'll figure it out."
"Sonic, you have nothing to worry about. So long as you control yourself around them, you should be just fine, and you have much self-discipline."
"But I'm not perfect. What if I slip up? What if I say or do something and-"
"And what? They're going to assume automatically that you enjoy behaving like a baby at times? My dear little one, very few know of this kind of behavior. Frankly, even if you did act Little on accident, I don't think anything like that would even come up in their minds."
"Y-you-you think so?" Sonic blushed, "I know so..." Eggman pulled the hedgie into a hug, "As long as your with me, your secret will stay safe, I promise."
"Ok." the blue blur mumbles, hugging back after a minute, growing confidant that Eggman was right. Sonic deeply inhales and lets it out, feeling the tension leave as he pulls back and asks apprehensively, "Um...Eggman? I don't think I want to be little for a while. I'd like to be big and take a break."
"That's ok. Thank you for telling me." the doctor releases his hold and tenderly caresses the blue devil's face, "After a dream like that, I think I'd want to take a break too. Besides, we have our interview today, and then you have your visit with Tails tomorrow; you won't have any time to be little anyway."
"That's true," Sonic smirks good naturally at the doctor, beginning to gain his usual cocky mood back, and rubs a finger under his nose.
He was glad that Eggman was flexible and respected his desire to be Big when he wanted to be. Not that he didn't enjoy being Eggman's baby, but sometimes it was nice to be able to do things yourself.
"Thanks...um...do you mind?" He then gestured to the diaper around his waist. Eggman obliged, gently pushing the hedgehog down and took the unused diaper off; Sonic gave his thanks again before he and the doctor leave to grab a bite to eat before Shadow and Rouge arrive.
The next couple of hours go by quickly, and after the 2 G.U.N. agents arrive, both parties separate to conduct their interviews.
"Ok. So do you have anything new to report?" Shadow asks with half-lidded eyes looking at the blue blur across the table from him, "Nope! Same old same old!" Sonic cheerfully replies with his hands behind his head and legs crossed.
The black hog scans over his rival with concern filling his features; he clears his throat and folds his hands together on the table as if to prepare himself to deliver bad news. The blue blur tilts his head ever so slightly, wondering what brought on the sudden, sullen mood change in his rival.
"Sonic...I know that when we go over these interviews, most of what I ask and what we discuss is how Eggman is treating you. And from what you've told me, he's done so quite well." he says slowly; Sonic now quirks his brow and nods slowly, puzzled as to why his rival was acting like he was interested in what was going on with him.
"Uhhh...yeah, he has?" Shadow cuts him off, "But I want you to know this is a safe space you can tell me about anything that's going on. I won't judge."
The blue blur felt his stomach twist into knots, and he bit his lip; what Shadow was saying and the tone used made him nervous.
Why did he say that? Does he think something is going on between Eggman and me? Does Shadow know about the babying and is trying to get me to confess? Nah! There's no way Shadow knows. Eggman promised! Shadz is probably just...making sure nothing is wrong. It is his job, after all, right now, to make sure I'm ok. Yeah!
Sitting back and dispensing his worry, Sonic puts on his cool confidant smirk, "Nooope! Nothing has changed. Don't worry, Shadz, everything with Eggman has gone well so far and...I trust him. You don't have to worry about little ol' me." he winks teasing slightly. Shadow sighs in a mixture of annoyance and disappointment at the blue devil brushing off the subject so lightly, "Alright, I just wanted to be sure. By the way, there are only a few weeks left before the 6-month trial is up. Have you made your decision yet?"
"Oh yeah! I have...um." Sonic sat up straight in excitement before drawing back and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, looking away. He hadn't told anyone but the doctor, and he was nervous about telling everyone else, but he would have to at some point. Might as well start spreading the news now. "I decided...I want to...stay with Eggman." The blue devil looked back, expecting to see shock, confusion, anger, or a mix of the three, but he was taken back to see a rare warm smile instead.
"Hmmm." Shadow hums, "Very well. Are you sure this is what you want?" Sonic nods, slightly stunned by the non-hostile reaction. "Yeah, I really do!" He says quietly, "You're um...taking this really well?" he questions. The dark hog just shrugs half-heartedly and gives a slight smirk before asking, "When are you planning to tell your friends?"
"I...uh...I haven't figured that part out yet, hehe." the blue devil nervously chuckles and gulps, "I don't think they'll as react well as you have, honestly. Especially Tails, he'll be really mad, I think."
"That's understandable, but if I may offer some advice?" Sonic blinks at the ebony hog in surprise, "Oh! Sure man, go ahead!"
"I suggest you tell them as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow. The sooner you tell them, the sooner you all have time to reconcile and adjust. Keep the damage to a minimum. If you delay and they hear the announcement through other sources, the damages to your friendships will be more difficult to patch."
Sonic tapped a finger on his chin, thinking over Shadow's advice. He was shocked with how well his rival was taking this news and was a little suspicious about how quickly he had deflected the conversation in concern to the blue blur's friends. Perhaps though Sonic was reading too much into it, still being paranoid from his nightmare? He decided to let it go and take Shadow's advice, "Your right. The longer I go without telling them, the more I'll hurt them. But...what would I say? Hey guys! I decided I want to live with my worst enemy?!" he asked, putting much sarcasm in the last sentence.
Shadow rolls his eyes, "Come on, hedgehog, you don't have to say it like that. I know you can come up with something better." the blue blur just shrugs with uncertainly, "Put some thought into it. You have the rest of the day today to think about it. I'm sure you'll come up with something before you see them all tomorrow."
"Ok...I will!" the dark hog scoffs, taking his papers before getting up and making his way for the dining room doors. He puts a hand on the door but pauses when Sonic calls out to him, "Yo Ultimate Lifeform!" Shadow looks back over his shoulder to see the blue devil warmly smiling at him and saying with all sincerity. "Thanks for all your help, man." the dark hog gives a small smirk before it vanishes, and he leaves. "No problem, hedgehog."
Chapter 23: Fallout
Notes:
*Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth for like a month. But good news...the kitchen reno is finished! 🎉 Also I got a temporary promotion at work if all goes well in 6 months I'll have more time to write!
With that thought in mind, I just want to ask that you all please remember your precautions. I work in a hospital, and seeing so many people get sick and die so fast is scary. What's really sad is it's so preventable. If possible, please get the vaccine and always wear your mask when you're out, even if you did get the shot. I got the shot and still have to wear a mask when I work, so it only makes sense to do the same when going out. I'd hate for something to happen to you guys, so please stay safe!
On a happier note, while I was busy, I recently dipped my foot into the pool of ABDL/Little fics on Wattpad and was inspired and decided I wanted to try a little something different with the next chapter. You'll see in a few days ;P Enjoy!*
Chapter Text
After Shadow and Rouge left, the rest of the day went about normally. Since Sonic wasn't in the mood to be Little and decided he wanted to do his own thing for a while, it gave Eggman a chance to help his team with their project some more.
Sonic spent most of his time running on the race track in the gym and doing various exercises to keep up his skills. Just because Eggman wasn't a villain anymore didn't mean the blue blur was going to let himself go. The doctor was keeping up his skills, though for much less violent purposes, so why not Sonic as well? The hedgehog was pretty proud of how fast, flexible, and athletic he was and wanted to keep it up. Sonic and Metal even had a chance to spar for a while, something they hadn't done on friendly terms since before their newfound brotherhood.
The day went by quickly, and Sonic awoke the following morning excited and ready as usual to see his friends. He said goodbye to Eggman, who kissed him on the cheek, and the doctor wished him a good day before they parted. The blue blur arrived at his little brother's house not 10 minutes after the clock struck 8 am.
Sonic hopped up to the front door with a pep in his step, contemplating if he wanted to knock to announce his early arrival but decided against it. Thinking that it was still too early for the fox to wake up yet, he fished into his quills for the house key instead. As he did so, he suddenly remembered something very important.
"Oh shoot! Almost forgot!" he loudly whispers, then gives himself a sniff, "Baby powder..." he sneers. Casting a quick glance to his surroundings and finding no one around, the hedgehog falls to the ground and rolls himself in the dirt, kicking up grass and chunks of earth up on the lawn. After several minutes of his dirt bath, Sonic gives himself another sniff and smiles, no longer smelling baby powder.
This had been his weekly ritual after Eggman started diapering him. He didn't want his friends to get suspicious that the blue blur was now wearing diapers and baby powder was a dead giveaway. So giving himself a dirt bath before each visit was the hedgehog's solution; thankfully, getting rid of the baby smell wasn't too much of a hassle; a dirt bath could be refreshing every once in a while. Though messy, Sonic knew Eggman would want to bathe him as soon as he came home anyway, as annoying as the baths could sometimes be. Still, precautions and sacrifices needed to be made to keep his Little ways a secret.
Shaking like a dog to get the worst of the dust off, he reaches for his keys again and quietly enters, walking on his tiptoes with a wide excited smile, and goes into the kitchen, "I'll surprise my little buddy with a nice breakfast. But what to make? Let's see how well Amy has been helping him keep stock." opening the cabinets; Sonic looks over the contents thinking about what kind of breakfast he wanted to make.
His eyes light up seeing a package of pancake mix, and he checks the fridge making sure he has the necessary ingredients, "Butter, milk, eggs...yes! Fresh mint and chocolate chips!" he quietly exclaims, knowing precisely what kind of pancakes he was going to make. Taking out the ingredients and utensils, the blue blur goes to work, creating the perfect morning meal.
Half an hour later, a blue velvet ear twitches to the sound of soft thumps from someone coming down the stairs. Flipping the last pancake onto a plate, Sonic sets the tower of speckled brown and green cakes into the dining table. He looks up just in time to see a small fox with bed disheveled fur walking in with a large yawn.
"Morning, Sonic."
"Morning, bud! Sleep well?" The fox stumbles in and pulls out a chair before plopping down, licking his chapped lips, "Yeah. I did...wait-Sonic?! What are you doing here?!" Tails yells, now wide awake surprised to see his brother. "What's it look like? Making breakfast, I made your favorite."
"You did-what?!" Tails stutters, looking at his brother then the stack of pancakes in front of him. His jaw drops, and his mouth waters with stars in his eyes, seeing the warm, spongy cakes; Sonic chuckles under his breath. Prideful that he had put a smile on the fox's face, he goes to get the butter, maple syrup, and peanut butter. "I decided to stop by a little earlier today."
"Wow, Sonic, this is great!" Tails says, giving the pancakes a sniff, and puts a few on his plate, "You haven't made these in forever!" he then takes the syrup from the hedgehog and pours it over his modest stack. Sonic takes his seat across from the fox and takes the rest of the pancakes. He scoops a spoon full of peanut butter and dollops it on top before adding syrup to his as well.
The brothers dig into their breakfast and catch up with what has gone on in their lives since Sonic's last visit, which hadn't been much. Just as Tails finishes telling the blue blur about his recent phone call with Professor Pickle, the doorbell rings, "I'll get it!" Sonic yells, dashing to answer the door. He opens and smiles widely, seeing Amy, Knuckles, Cream, and Cheese, "Hey guys come on in! We were just finishing up some breakfast. Have you guys eaten yet?" he asks, stepping aside to let the small group of animals in.
"Morning, Sonniku! And we're good. We had some before we met up, thanks."
"Chao!" Cheese yells with open arms and hugs the blue devil's face making him giggle, "Haha! Good morning Cheese! Good to see you too!" Sonic nuzzles his face against the Chao's, who chirps happily.
The bothers abandoned their food; they were stuffed anyway and joined their guests who had gathered in the living room and spent the next few hours conversing. Amy mentioned her latest shopping purchases; Cream told everyone of the latest recipe her mother taught her how to bake, she promised to bring samples next time. And Knuckles complained of Rouge stopping by and pestering him again. Sonic was currently telling his friends of one of his latest escapades at Eggman's base with some slight edits to the story, of course.
"So since neither me nor Eggman use the pool, he had Metal drain it. Then I had an awesome idea! I found a set of wheels (a Cozy Coup wink-wink) and used the pool as my own personal skating ramp! It was sick! Metal managed to get himself a set of wheels to, and we pulled off some wicked tricks you should have seen us! All the badnicks came to watch! It was way past cool!"
"Wow, Sonic sounds like your having a great time at Eggman's!" Amy giggles, "Dude, I didn't know you skate?! There's a great skating park I know about we should totally go there sometime so we can see who's moves are better!" Knuckles chimes in enthusiasm about his friends' skills. He holds a mitt out for a high five, which Sonic happily gives. "Sounds cool! And you've seen my moves during our races with The Babylon Rogues. This shouldn't be too surprising."
"Yeah, I just thought you were more of an air board kinda guy and not a skater."
"Pffft! Please, if I can get a rush out of it? I'm in!" The group breaks out into delightful laughter until Amy suddenly stands from her spot on the couch next to the blue blur. "So!" she says, clapping her hands, shutting down the previous topic of conversation, "It's about lunchtime. What do you guys want chef Amy to make?"
"Could I have a sandwich, please? I don't care what kind." Cream asks while raising her hand; Amy nods then turns to Tails, "I'd like a cheese dog if you don't mind?"
"Sure thing! Knuckles?" the echidna scratches his chin, "Hmmm, I'm not in the mood for meat today, so just some fruit will be fine." Amy nods, "Gottcha! And I'll make your usual Sonniku."
"Actually, Amy-" he says, holding a hand up, stopping her from leaving, "Could I have just a salad?" all eyes in the room widen and lock onto the blue devil, who looks around nervously at the shocked stares and the sudden silence he's receiving. "Ummm...what?" He asks uneasily, "Did you-did you just ask...for a salad?" Tails asks, trying to hold back his nervous grimace.
Sonic replies slowly with confusion, "Yeeeaaah? Why? There's something wrong with that?" the small fox gazes at his brother in uncertainty. "It's just...you never eat anything that isn't a chili dog. Ever!"
"Yes, I do! I have burgers and nachos and other stuff!"
"But not salad or any veggies in general. Are you feeling alright, bro?" Knuckles cuts in with a worried look, "Yeah, I'm fine!" Sonic assures not understanding what the problem was. His eyes wander around his friend's faces; when they land on the fox, he watches as Tails' expression changes from mild confusion to anger. Blue eyes narrow suspiciously at the hedgehog, and he begins to feel nauseous, "Come in, Sonic, what gives? All the time I've known you, you NEVER so much as looked at salad. Is Eggman making you do this?"
Sonic sent back to the fox a barely concealed hurt look, "Come on, Tails, we've been over this Eggman is cool now! Yes, he's changed my diet, and I wouldn't say I liked it at first, but I'm coming around on it. At least I'm eating healthier now. Isn't that something you guys have been on my case for before?"
"Healthier or not, I don't like it." Knuckles mumbles, crossing his arms, "See this another thing!" Tails yells with all attitude coming out of him, "We've been trying to get you for years to cut back on junk food, and you don't listen! But if Eggman suggests it, you change! It's like he's your master or something. I mean, he practically is with you still wearing that stupid collar!"
Sonic looked at his little brother in shock, and what was left of his hunger disappeared. Tails' current demeanor was very similar to his dream the other night. It made him feel small and like instead of being supported to improve his life; his friends were cruelly pushing him away like an outcast. His temper flared, resenting the comment about Eggman being his master like Sonic was his pet; he waggles a finger scolding the fox, "Hey, Eggman may have pushed me to change my diet at home, but I decide what I eat when I'm out. And you know this is just a temporary thing, and I can't take the collar off!"
Tails violently flinches when Sonic calls Eggman's base home, he growls lowly, "Ta! Oh, so now Eggman's place is your home now?! What about living here with me, your brother?! Or has that Metal freak taken my place as well?" the fox scoffs, standing up and leaning into the blue devil's face.
Sonic flushed angrily at himself for the slip and sweat drops when Tails implies that Metal had taken his place as a brother. Though somewhat true, Metal was Sonic's BIG brother and didn't replace what the blue blur had with Tails. The hedgehog bit his lip thinking about how he had been waiting for a good time today to inform everyone of his decision to move in with Eggman. Still, now, amid this heated argument with Tails and the slip-up, the blue blur was reconsidering.
Everyone watched in awkward silence at the argument that was quickly escalating between the two brothers. Sonic's quills flared, making him look bigger and more intimidating as he stood up, glaring down at the fox, "Tails, that's not true! I didn't replace you! Why you gotta pick on me about this, huh? I'm just trying to keep the peace, and you're making this so much more difficult!"
"Aaaagh! Your so blind, can't you see?! Eggman's changed you; your not the same as you were before!"
"So what if I have changed?! Maybe it's a good thing!"
"Not if that big bloated tyrannical maniac is the cause of it! I don't like it! I hate it! I hate that you signed that stupid contract. You should have never done it that first place; I hate what he's turned you into! I hate what you've become!"
Tails' face burns red, and he pants, having used all his breath screaming out that last sentence. Sonic steps back and just stares back at his brother, wide-eyed, feeling betrayed and hurt by the fox's comments as they echo in his mind.
Had he really changed so much that now his own little brother couldn't stand him? The blue blur knew that the fox would probably never fully trust Eggman, that he still thought the human was trying to trick them all. But he had hoped that maybe they could all be on at least friendly terms. It seemed that Tails thought Sonic's newfound friend was a bad influence when really the doctor was his beloved confidante. If this was his reaction to the Sonic possibly viewing Metal as a brother and a slight change in the hedgehog's diet, how would he react to finding that his big brother and idol was a Little? Tails refused to accept that Eggman was now a part of the hedgehog's life and wanted him to cut ties, something that the blue devil had no reason and was not willing to do to his caregiver. He could never do something so cruel!
Pressing his lips together and breathing deeply through his nose Sonic blinks away the tears forming in his eyes, fists firmly at his sides shaking. The hedgehog recalls where he is right now and who has just seen their fight.
He wasn't going to cry in front of his friends, he never had before, and after his revelation that his best friend wasn't going to accept anything new about him after this argument, he refused to start now.
"Fine." he says with gritted teeth trying to keep his voice, barely above a whisper, from wavering, "If that's the way you feel. Then I'll just go since it seems I'm no longer welcome here." stiffly, he walks to the door and opens it, visibly shaking, keeping himself together by a few thin threads. Sonic felt like if he didn't leave there right then, he would break down into a million pieces.
Amy reaches out, almost calling him back but hesitates, not knowing what to say. Everyone watches as, without saying goodbye, Sonic shuts the door behind him. Tails sharply sniffs before saying with no emotion, "I'm going to my workshop." quickly walking away, he leaves his friends, slamming and locking the door so no one could follow. Sadly, the group looks back at each other, none of them knowing what to do or say about what had just transpired.
Cheese whines and floats to the window by the door; the little Chao watches as Sonic drops his keys, scooting them under the welcome mat with a sniff, and runs off. "Chao?"
Sonic ran without a care as to where he was going; everything felt fuzzy and out of focus. He was surprised he wasn't having a panic attack since his heart was racing, but the thought vanished as quickly as it had appeared. His heart didn't have time for a panic attack; it was too busy keeping the blue blur's blood pumping because he was running at over 800 mph, leaving sonic booms left and right in his wake.
Tears barely had a chance to drop down his face at the speed he was running; they flew off as soon as they escaped his eyes that stung from the force of the wind. His vision was as blurry as his mind, and after a few thousand miles, he tripped and rolled like an out-of-control bowling ball, only stopping when he ran into a pine tree, the force making the evergreen crack and bend. Birds startled from the impact cawed and flew into the air.
He mewls a soft noise of pain and unrolls slowly as his head starts to throb; this last action sends his fried nerves over the edge. As his mind processes the pain and what had just happened, he starts bawling. Unapologetically ugly, crying as loud as he can muster in the dense forest, there was no one but the odd bit of wildlife here and there, so the hedgehog can be as loud and messy as he feels the need to be without embarrassment.
Sonic paws his eyes as Tails' words scream in his head, echoing along with the whispy memory of his nightmare.
This was...this was...horrible! Stinky! Bad! Stupid! Every other word listed in the thesaurus that could describe how awful the blue blur felt about his and Tails' fight, it was the worst they had ever had. Not even the 3-day silent treatment over bedtime back in 2013 had been this bad! This was mom and dad divorcing and moving to completely different countries, effectively splitting the family, and you can only choose to stay with one of them until you're 18 bad! Or ya know something to that equivalent feeling?
"Tails, why did you say that? Have I really been a bad brother? Do you not like me anymore? I knew I changed, but I didn't think it was enough that you would hate me! How could-how could this happen?! I was just trying to make the world a better, safer place, and instead, this happens! Eggman is reforming, and everything was looking up... I was finally going to have a guardian...and I was even trying to think of a way to talk the doc into maybe adopting you too so we could officially be brothers, but..." his voice breaks as he whimpers and broke down again. His dreams of the future shattered as a great weight of responsibility and disappointment crashed down on him.
It was his job as a hero to keep the world safe, keep the peace, be ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. His job as a big brother was to look after his little brother, keep him safe, happy, and care for him. But it seemed no matter what decision Sonic made that he thought was right turned out to be wrong.
Wrong
WRong
WROng
WRONg
WRONG!
Sonic roars out in anger like a feral animal, getting up; he growls at the tree he had crashed into and thrashes out at it. Not enough...not enough! MORE! He thinks and punches the tree, repeatedly as a makeshift punching bag, screaming his lungs out, imagining that the tree was everyone he was angry at—himself, Tails, Eggman, all the responsibilities he had.
The pressure was more than enough to send anybody over the edge.
"It's never enough! It's never good enough! I'm not good enough! Not good enough!" he trails off 10 minutes later as his last punch from his tantrum fails to hit. His arm gives out and weakly falls to his side; the other grasps the bark and drags down as he slowly falls to his knees with a shaky whimper. "N-no-no-no matter what I do-sniff-it's not-hiccup-not good enough." turning his back on the tree, he curls up and lets the tears silently pour down. Feelings of worthlessness, despair, and misery wash over him; he allows himself to soak in the cesspool of negative emotions for some time.
The soft noises of the forest act as a soothing white noise that gently caress his ears and overheated brain as his crying dwindles to occasional hiccupping. For the first time since moving in with Eggman, he just sits, watching and listening to nature move around him. Though still swirling inside his belly, the negative emotions quiet down from a raging hurricane to a small unthreatening summer rain as the peace of nature surrounds him. As if to say it's all right and the world wasn't ending.
A few leaves fly by in the wind; some flickys drop down by his feet, chirping and prancing around going about their daily routine. One even bravely hops close to him and chirps quizzically as if it were asking if he was ok? Sonic gives a tired smirk and a light huff at the bird, thinking back to the garden in Eggman's base.
He thought of the many decorative bird feeders there were throughout the garden. How often small flickys like this one would come up to the blue blur when he wandered between the pieces of greenery to see if he had any seed to give them. The blue devil's smile unconsciously widened as he recalled a few balls of seed he and Eggman had made for them one day when the doctor was still trying to bond with Sonic and help him be more comfortable around the human.
The crafting event had occurred sometime before the hedgehog had admitted to having and enjoying his Little space. Nevertheless, he had taken the opportunity to let that side of him out briefly while they had been working, and the results hadn't been pretty in the slightest as neither had any experience in arts n crafts. Seed, cardboard, bits of string, and edible glue had gotten everywhere, including his fur but, Sonic could admit that he had had fun that day. Especially at the end when they were watching the birds eat off of an Eggman Esque seed ball, and the mustache fell off.
He half-heartedly laughs at the warm memory, feeling a little better than before. The hedgehog lifts his eyes to the sky, then down again to the ground studying the shadows. Has it only been 2 hours? I don't think I wanna stay here for the rest of the day, and I don't feel like going back to Tails'...maybe I should just go home then?
Stumbling up, the birds flew away as he dusted a few pieces of hard dirt off his knees. Taking a breath and feeling the fresh air energize and clear his head enough to go back to base, Sonic quickly noted which direction he needed to head and speed off. The hedgehog hopped that Eggy wouldn't be upset at him for coming home early and wondered if the doctor would let him hang around since he was sad and didn't want to be alone.
Even if Eggman is busy, we could still cuddle.
Within a few short minutes, Sonic arrived back at the base. Once he entered the grounds, he stopped running and switched into a slow walk instead. He strolled into the building, feeling apprehensive.
What would Eggman say about him coming back so early? He would probably want to know why the blue devil, who usually waited until the last minute to return, was home much earlier than expected. How was Sonic going to explain himself and what had happened between the two brothers to the doctor?
Sonic dragged his feet to the lab delaying his arrival, trying to go as slow as possible. All the hedgehog wanted right now was a hug and not another emotional conversation. He had had enough of those to last a lifetime and felt bad enough for possibly interrupting the doctor from his work.
Before he knew it, he was in the below-ground laboratory hovering between rooms looking for the doc. He found the human in a computer room; Eggman sitting at the desk typing commands into a program and sipping on a mug of honey-filled tea.
The blue blur hugged himself as he approached; he softly coughed to make his presence known without scaring Eggman when he was behind the human. The doctor lifted his head hearing the noise, and looked around, finding Sonic timidly standing behind him to his surprise. "Sonic?! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Tails'?" he quietly asked; the hedgehog ashamedly looked away.
Eggman gazes down at the depressed little hedgehog, wondering why his baby looked so sad? With a soft and tender voice, he asks, "Sonic...what's wrong?" The blue blur's eyes dart around the lab, and he wrings his wrists, debating silently for a few minutes before he finally raises his hands, indicating he wanted to be picked up.
In Eggman's eyes at that moment, Sonic looked like a kicked puppy or a small child who needed reassurance that they were loved.
Without hesitation, he picks the blue devil up under his arms, sat the small hedgie on his lap, and began petting him. Sonic closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. They sit there quietly, Eggman petting Sonic while he worked.
The doctor later managed to find out that the blue devil hadn't eaten lunch and had some snacks delivered. Sonic munched on carrot sticks, chocolate-covered nuts, and apple juice content in the silence sitting on Eggman's lap. When the blue blur finished, he fell asleep sucking on his thumb, which the doctor quickly replaced with an Eggman-themed pacifier. Because it could be quite cold in the lab, the doctor had Metal bring a soft blanket to cover the sleeping hedgehog, keeping him snuggled and warm while Eggman continued his work.
The human's eyes returned to the computer screen, but he found himself unable to focus on his work; he kept getting distracted. The back of his mind worried over how uncharacteristically sad and quiet Sonic was; Eggman wondered why he had come home so much earlier than expected. He sighed, rubbing the blue blur's ears, feeling sorry for his sweet baby. So many upsetting things had happened over the last few days the poor blue devil couldn't catch a break. It was bad enough that Sonic struggled with his PTSD and all the misery that came with it; he didn't need any more grief.
Like any other loving caregiver, Eggman wished he could make all the blue blur's troubles disappear so he could have his happy, bouncy, mischievous baby back. Yet wishes are eternal, so all he could do is help where he can to smooth out the rough patches. After all, at least Sonic no longer had to deal with his issues alone anymore; the doctor was here and willing to help!
Eggman looks down and smiles fondly at the hedgie wrapped up in the blanket, sucking on his pacifier peacefully, his head leaning against the doctor's stomach while he naps, "Eggy is here, sweet baby. Eggy is here." Eggman whispers, patting the bundle in his arm.
Chapter 24: Really Really Little
Notes:
*After dipping my foot into the pool of ABDL/Little fics on Wattpad, I decided I wanted to try a little something different with this chapter. So this little bonus scene popped up in my brain, and now I introduce to you (drum roll, please)
...
TINY BABY SONIC! Enjoy! :D*
Chapter Text
Sonic awoke after his nap deep in little space, the deepest he had ever been. To say he was confused and disoriented was the least you could say he felt. Not bad, but not absolutely fantastic either.
The best way he could describe it was like having tunnel vision in your eyes and mind. Nothing outside of what was right in front of you mattered or was quickly forgotten. Also, names for objects, people, and such eluded him. It was as if someone had wiped his slate clean, and he had to start learning about the world all over again. Such a feeling should have alarmed him, yet...it didn't, and he was curious about what it is was like to be so young. He didn't realize he could regress further than 2, so he just went with it.
Blinking the last bit of sleep out of his eyes, the hedgehog looks up to see his caregiver still working hard on what he didn't know, but the orangey fluffy thing on Eggy's face looked tantalizing, and he wanted to touch it to see what, it felt like. Raising a hand, he grabs a fist full of the orange fluff and squeals with joy at how soft it was. Sonic tugs it closer to inspect it better; thinking of maybe even rubbing it against his face; however, a large hand that overshadowed his own prevented this, gently prying his fingers away from the orange fluff; this made little Sonic sad.
"No, no, baby, that's not nice. You can't pull on Eggy's mustache." Eggman gently reprimanded, Sonic made grabby hands wanting the fluff on Eggy's face back in his hands. It was nice and soft; he just wanted to touch it, "Shhh, shhh, don't cry. Oh, dear...Orbot, could you bring Ivo and the diaper bag for me?"
"Certainly, doctor. It will be just a moment."
Sonic felt his ears turn back, suddenly hurting from a high-pitched shrieking noise. He didn't know where it was coming from, but he wished it would stop. "Shhh shh, don't cry, sweet baby. Don't cry." Eggman cooed, bouncing the blue blur.
Is that sad shrill noise hurting my ears coming from me? I'm crying. Is that what Eggy said? What's an Orbot or an Ivo, and why won't he let me have the fluffy thing? Sonic wondered as he continued to cry, reaching for Eggman's face. Why wasn't Eggy letting him have the orange thing? Why was he not being nice? The doctor tried to put a pacifier in the hedgie's mouth to quiet his cries, but he refused it, shaking his head.
After a few long minutes, Orbot arrives at last with the requested items; the robot hands Eggman the diaper bag, inquisitively looking at the crying blue blur in his arms. "Thank you, Orbot! Shhh, shhh, settle down now. Here, look at what I've got! It's your friend Ivo!" The doctor cooes digging the toy out of the bag and presenting it to the hedgie; Sonic's cries die down as he looks at the toy in confusion.
What was this thing Eggy was showing him? It looked like Eggy; it even has the orange fluffy stuff on its face like Eggy! He slowly reached out to touch it and found it was softer than Eggy; Sonic tried to ask if he could have it, but his mouth felt funny and babbles or gurgles came out instead of words.
Eggman seemed to understand and gave the toy to him, "Yes! There you go, you can play and tug on Ivo's mustache all you like; he doesn't mind just don't pull on Eggy's cause that's not nice, ok?" Sonic giggled, cuddling with his toy, he didn't understand what Eggman was saying, but he liked how the doctor's voice sounded.
Orbot stands in the background as a spectator watching the interaction with curiosity, wondering why the blue blur was acting much younger than usual, "Doctor, has Sonic...regressed further?"
"It seems so, " Eggman mused, laying a changing mat on the floor and Sonic on top of it, "He came home a couple of hours ago very upset and quiet. Extremely unusual for him."
"Really?!" Orbot dramatically gasped, "I recall from his old files that he wasn't the most talkative when you two had initially met, but he opened up more as time went on. I can't recall him scarcely going an hour without speaking since his arrival." Eggman nodded, taking a fresh diaper and unfolding it; Sonic kicked and wiggled on the mat, making happy noises while playing with Ivo, unaware of what was happening around him.
"Right you are. The pincushion is like a chatterbox at times; it makes me worried to see him so quiet. I suspect something happened during his visit with his friends. He refused to tell me anything earlier and didn't even have lunch. I wasn't surprised when he started to regress after coming home, but he's never been in such a young headspace before...at least that I know of. Do you have any knowledge of him regressing to this point?"
"Never, doctor, and I can assure you Cubot, Metal Sonic, as well as the rest, would agree with me."
Eggman hums thoughtfully as he finishes taping up the wiggling hedgie into his padding, "I'll have to talk with him then to find out what happened. I don't want to ask him to be big; he needs some time to cool off from whatever event that caused such a reaction before we can solve the dilemma." taking the pacifier that had fallen, Eggman places it in Sonic's mouth, which he accepts this time before the human picks the hedgehog up and cradles him. "Well then, what are you going to do?" Orbot asks, looking up at his Master.
Eggman stands up lightly, bouncing the blue baby who giggles, sucking on his paci happily, "We'll wait until he comes out of the headspace, which will hopefully be sometime tomorrow. Until then..." the doctor mumbles lowly, overlooking his charge, trying to determine how young Sonic currently was.
Sonic's emerald green eyes were dilated and sparkling brightly with innocence; he seemed incapable of speech; his body was floppy and uncoordinated. That'll make bath time interesting. The doctor noted that Sonic also couldn't focus on anything unless it were directly in front of him, like an infant. Based on this evidence, the doctor guessed Sonic to be below the age of 1.
"Have Metal cook up some soft foods for Sonic this evening, and make sure to have a couple of bottles ready with some extra nutritional supplements in them."
Eggman had read of other caregiver's experiences with their Littles similarly going to a much younger headspace and the strategies they had developed to make sure the Little's needs were met. Soft foods and sweet bottles with extra nutrition helped those below 1 to ensure the Little still ate and got their vitamins.
"Yes, master." Orbot bows, following Eggman and baby Sonic out of the lab.
The evening went as Eggman suspected; he offered the blue blur a few bites of solid food, but after nomming on the pieces, they would fall from the hedgie's mouth. Some mashed veggies and two milk bottles proved to be the better solution in feeding the blue baby. After dinner was his weekly bath, the doctor had to keep one hand on Sonic's back the whole time to prevent him from flopping over and drowning while he was washed.
To which the hedgie was very unhappy. Big Sonic would tolerate a bath; normally, Little Sonic, after some persuasion, would enjoy it so long as he had toys and bubbles to keep him distracted. Tiny baby Sonic, however, was not having it; he cried during the whole ordeal. Eggman scolded himself later for forgetting about the baby bath seat as it would have really come in handy.
After the bath and giving the hedgie a pacifier to calm him down, Eggman wrapped Sonic into a new diaper and some PJs; the two then reclined in the lounge. While Eggman watched a documentary, the blue baby sat in his lap and played with the man's fingers babbling with wonder at the larger digits. All under Eggman's watchful eyes as he sipped on another mug of tea.
It didn't take long for Sonic to fall asleep sucking on Eggman's fingers, the pacifier abandoned. The doctor didn't mind and let the sleeping hedgehog be until the credits rolled. He quickly swapped his finger for the more suitable paci; the blue blur didn't even whine at the switch. Wiping the drool from his hand, Eggman turned the tv and lights off before he quietly carried his charge to the nursery.
Keeping the nursery lights low, the doctor entered, squishing Sonic's diaper, and found it wet. He quickly changed the hedgehog with a light touch so as not to wake him. It had been a long day, and babies needed their rest.
Once dry and clean, Eggman placed Sonic in his crib and turned on the mobile letting the soft music surround the blue baby with a peaceful ambiance. He turned a nightlight on and made sure the baby monitor's battery was full just in case before turning the overhead lights off completely, crossing his fingers that Sonic would sleep through nightmare-free and that tomorrow he would be in a big enough headspace to explain what had happened today.
The doctor couldn't bear to see his baby so sad and would do everything he could to fix that frown upside down.
*The next morning*
Sonic's brain felt fuzzy when he woke, and everything also looked fuzzy, but things were starting to clear up. The fog in his mind dissipated, and the events of yesterday returned to him.
The downfall of his visit with Tails, his run, crying, going home early, and falling into little space, very little space.
Sonic epped bolting to an upright position as embarrassment washed over him, and he blushed at how he had acted in front of Eggman. Sure the blue devil had gotten used to openly acting like a toddler in front of the doc but a full-blown infant? That was new for him.
He shivered and rubbed his eyes until little wavey lines appeared, and he backed off, blinking until the wiggly lines went away; he found Ivo and his paci beside him. Clutching the stuffy and popping in his paci, he thought hard about his behavior yesterday, not sure what to make of it.
The hedgehog had regressed to such a young age, well below a year old, and discovering he could not move very well or speak in such a state had honestly been a bit frightening at first. Still, Eggman's calm demeanor had kept Sonic's panic at bay, so he didn't worry about it. After accepting what was happening, the event was actually reassuring and peaceful, letting everything literally go and allowing Eggman to care for him so that he could enjoy the simple things in life. It was so freeing, and just like running, it had its own beauty. The way lights shined so sparklingly and pretty, how soft fabrics felt against his skin, listening to the doctor's soothing and rhythmic heartbeat.
Only focusing on what was in front of him really helped his brain to cool off, and all his problems seemed more in proportion and less terrifying now. The sensation of being overwhelmed had disappeared.
As enjoyable as the experience had been, Sonic wasn't sure if he wanted to do that again. He liked doing things like speaking and moving how he wanted instead of being wholly dependent on Eggman for everything. For example, the blue blur always intentionally used his diaper, never having an accident, even in his little space despite his unpotty training. Yesterday, however, he never was aware that his diaper had been used until Eggman started to change him. So yeah, he wasn't too enthusiastic about regressing below the age of 1 or 2 again in the future.
The sound of footsteps alerted Sonic that someone had just entered his room, and he turned, looking up to see Eggman in front of his crib, "Morning, my little sunshine." the hedgehog smiled and raised his arms. Eggman picked him up and rubbed the fur on his head, "Baby, how old do you feel today?" the doc whispered in his ear. Sonic pulled out his paci to speak properly. "I feel like myself today." The doctor jumped, startled by the not-so childish voice he had been expecting, "Oh? Then why the pacifier?" the blue blur shrugged at the question, nuzzling Eggman and mumbling, "I just wanted something comforting."
"That's fine. Come, you didn't have much dinner last night, so I'm sure you're starving." the doctor smiles, carrying his charge to the dining room; Sonic's face turns red, recalling yesterday evening's bottle feeding as his stomach growls loudly and he pops the pacifier back in, hiding his head in Eggman's shoulder. The human chuckles at this cute display.
A moment later, they enter the dining room, and Eggman places Sonic in his high chair, the blue blur smiles, eagerly anticipating another one of Metal's delicious meals. Said robot walks by, beeps a bright good morning, and places a dish of scrambled eggs, chewy bacon, avocado toast, chocolate drizzled fruit, and a bottle of apple juice.
Sonic licked his chops and dug in, scarfing it all down with vigor. Eggman watched with amusement eating his own dish; he felt more confidant that today would be a better day seeing the blue blur act more like himself. Sonic burped loudly when he finished and sighed in relief, having a full stomach, relaxing in his chair. He was interrupted from almost dozing off when Eggman used a napkin to wipe bits of food off his face.
"Thanks," he mumbles shyly, "My pleasure, baby," Eggman replies, putting away the dirty napkin on his own empty plate and removes the tray. The doctor picks Sonic up and takes him to his office; the blue devil looks at Eggman quizzically and with a bit of worry. He hadn't been in this room in several months.
"Don't worry; I just want to have a small talk. You're not in trouble, sweetheart." Eggman rubs his back reassuringly, noticing the hedgehog tensing up; Sonic releases a breath at that. For a moment, he had been worried that Eggman was going to scold him for his behavior yesterday. Sonic laxes his hold letting Eggman lower him down on an office chair; he tugs on the cuffs of his gloves while the doctor sits at the desk. The air in the room turns more serious as Eggman clears his throat; the blue blur's ears react, standing in attention.
Preparing to assume his role as "the doctor," Eggman turns on his bedside manners, yet mindful that he needed to keep it casual, he begins speaking calmly, "How are you feeling today."
"Uh, fine, I guess? Better than yesterday." the doctor hums, nodding his head, "That's good. You had me worried there for a while; you were so upset and then regressed to a very young age." Sonic felt butterflies in his belly flutter and his cheeks warm with embarrassment. "Sorry, doc. I didn't mean for that to happen...I didn't think, or know-" he was silenced when Eggman lifted a hand for him to stop.
"It's alright. I was just caught off guard, is all. Thankfully I was prepared." Sonic tilted his head, taking those words in, and realized that the doc was correct, "Hey yeah, you were! You didn't freak out or anything. How did you know what to do?" Eggman leans back and chuckles, "I did my research. Before I started you on age regression therapy, I had to be prepared for whatever age you could have possibly regressed to so I could care for you appropriately. Not everyone regresses to a toddler. Most only regress to a certain age whether it be teenager, child, toddler, infant, or their age may change in a wide range depending on the individual and circumstances. Yesterday, for example, you were emotionally distressed more so than normal and thus regressed to a younger age than you usually do."
Sonic slowly nodded his head, it made sense, and he felt a little silly for not realizing that the doctor would have done so much research before trying this therapy on him to be prepared. The hedgehog was surprised to hear that one's regression age wasn't a fixed state but could fluctuate; he felt at ease knowing that yesterday's episode wasn't anything to be concerned about. However, it didn't lessen how flustered he felt for having been in that state in the first place.
"Oh! Ok. Heh, well, that makes me feel better. I was a little worried that something was wrong with me when that happened yesterday."
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Sonic. All perfectly normal." the doctor goes quiet after that, acting apprehensive about what he wanted to say next. The blue devil realizing what Eggman wanted to say, smiles assuringly that it was ok to ask; the doctor acknowledges the sign and continues, "What is concerning...is what had caused you to react that way. You were very much not yourself."
Sonic moved his gaze to the floor he had been waiting for the doctor to ask him that, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, the blue blur breathed in before answering with a soft voice. "I...got into a fight with Tails yesterday." he sighed and ran a hand through his quills, "Tails had been really suspicious about this contract since it started. I've tried to talk with him and show him that everything is ok, but he just won't let this go. He's convinced that you're brainwashing me or you've made me your...pet," he grimaced, spitting that last word out in disgust.
"Which I know is not true! I've tried so many times to explain it to him, and for a while, he quit, and I thought maybe I had finally convinced him, but yesterday..." Sonic gulps as he feels his eyes begin to water; Eggman says nothing waiting for the hedgehog to gather himself before continuing.
"He uh...he said I'd changed too much and that I'm not the same brother he had as I was before-" he chokes as unwanted tears pour out; he mutters a curse the Eggman doesn't hear and roughly wipes his eyes. Shit, I can't get through one day without crying. Hate this shit. A tissue is waved in front of his face, and Sonic whispers thanks before wiping his eyes and blowing his nose.
He sharply sniffs again, "Doc, have I really changed that much?" Eggman heaves a sigh, "I won't lie to you, baby. You have changed some since you came here, but I wouldn't say in a bad way."
"But I'm not the same as I was before."
"No, your not. Though it's no fault of your own, changes in behavior are to be expected with your current set of circumstances. Quite frankly, I'd be worried if you didn't."
"Really?" Sonic sniffs looking at the doctor, not understanding, "Why?"
"In this case, change means progress. We're addressing your issues and are working on fixing them to help get your mental health back to normal. No change means your condition would deteriorate, and eventually, your mental health would suffer and your physical. So really, the changes you've made have been positive. And look at what it's done for me! Would you say I've changed along with you?"
"Yeah, " Sonic said with a small smile, "You've changed a lot your not a bad guy anymore. You're my Eggy!" The doctor blushes at the warm statement feeling proud for having gained that title, "So I am." he leans over the desk and grasps the hedgehog's gloved hand, gently squeezing it. "And I always will be."
The blue blur smiles wider, his heart flipping like a gymnast. Despite his initial resistance, Sonic didn't regret all that had happened over the last few months. He had never had someone to look after him before, and having Eggman be his caregiver made him feel so special; the hedgehog got tingles and butterflies in his stomach every time he thought about it.
He looks at his guardian with love before his smile fades and his brows furrow, "Eggman...what do I do about Tails? I'm scared he doesn't want me as a brother anymore. What if he hates me now?"
"Did you tell him about your decision to stay with me?"
"I didn't get a chance, and when we started to fight, it...didn't seem like the best time." Eggman nodded in understanding, "I don't know, sweetheart. From what you've told me, it doesn't sound like he wants this situation to happen and refuses to believe that it will." Sonic's shoulders sag in disappointment, and he gazes down sadly; the doctor rubs his hand in comfort silently for a few moments when a sudden idea struck Eggman. "Do you think Tails would be willing to listen to what Shadow or Rouge could say about all this?"
The blue devil twitched an ear pondering on the thought. Though they were not close friends, Rouge and Shadow were more than acquaintances. They knew all that was going on on both parties and could serve as a good neutral opinion. Lord knows the bat and ultimate life form were both smart as whips and could be trusted, even if they were spies and agents of G.U.N.
A spark of hope ignited in Sonic; perhaps Tails would come around after all? He slowly nodded his head, "I think he would listen to them." Eggman did the same as he said, "Don't worry, baby, things will work out in the end. I'll be sure to talk with them about that next week." Sonic smiled gratefully.
It never ceased to amaze him how far the doctor had come and the lengths the human would go to make him happy. Doing whatever he could just to see a smile on the blue devil's face. Sonic wished he could do something in return, there had to be some way for him to show his appreciation, but he'd think about it later.
Hopping off his seat Sonic ran into the doctor's arms, hugging him tightly, "Thank you, Eggy!" he mumbles. "Any time, baby. Any time..." Eggman says, patting the blue blurs back; he then coughs awkwardly, pulling the hedgehog away yet keeping a hold of his shoulders. "That's enough serious discussion for today; how about we be lazy and watch a movie, huh?" Sonic gasps in delight, "Can Metal watch too! And we has popcorn and soda and candy too!" he asks in his childish voice.
He knew the doc was trying to get him to slip on purpose, and he didn't mind one bit; the distraction from the emotional past few days was more than welcomed.
"Well, of course! And it wouldn't be a movie without all the snacks, now would it?"
"Yay!" Sonic cheers throwing his hands in the air and giggling when Eggman tosses him in the air catching him back in his safe arms. The doctor sends a message to Metal about the movie and snacks while Sonic chattered away, trying to decide what the best movie was to watch first.
Chapter 25: The Secret Garden
Notes:
*Sorry you guys for disappearing on ya'll, I've been quite busy getting back on schedule, and it's been harder than anticipated.
Also, I've been dipping my toes in another fandom (hint hint "spider pig spider pig does whatever a spider pig does~") and found to my shock, TONS of Little and Agere stories on there! It's made me realize how little this fandom has in terms of "Little and Agere" stories. Seriously the Sonic fandom has like nothing compared to what I've found. And it's made me all the more determined to fill that hole! Granted, even with the number of ideas you guys have given me, I can only write so fast. Still, I will do my best!
I've been dying to post this chapter! It's my favorite part of the whole story. I hope you guys like it as much as I do! 😍*
Chapter Text
A red shoe with a golden buckle tapped at a fast beat against the tile floor, the sound echoing on the metal walls. Emerald eyes were narrowed at the blank piece of paper on the crafting table; the white sheet flatly stared back, silently mocking the blue blur for his inability to write down a good idea.
Or any idea at all.
Well, he'd show that lifeless piece of tree pulp; he'd come up with a great idea and put it down to be permanently marked onto its pale skin. Then after that, he would crush up the parchment into a small wrinkly ball, taking away its flat surface and fill it with creases making it and the idea ugly and unusable, before coming up with an even better idea! And toss the old one away like the piece of trash it was for even daring to make fun of the Hero of Mobius!
"You have been staring at that paper for 20 minutes and 16.45 seconds." Metal suddenly spoke, breaking the tense silence. Sonic roughly grunts, keeping his piercing glare at the paper. Sighing, he falls into his chair, "I know! I just can't think of anything."
"Whatever you wish to do, Master will enjoy."
"I know that, but I wanna do something he'll really like, Metal. I want to show how much I appreciate all that he's done for me."
"Why do you not give him a card. It is customary to give one to thank the recipient, perhaps with an added personal note or small gift such as a macaroni necklace?"
"Really Metal? Pasta jewelry? That's the best you can come up with?!" Sonic scowled, appalled by the childish idea. Granted, he might have done such a thing any other time in his little space, but he felt that a gift like that was not good enough and wouldn't effectively show the doctor how much Sonic appreciated all the hard work, money, and love Eggman had given him.
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
A piece of dried pasta on a string was not going to cut it.
Metal shrugged, not knowing what other suggestion he could make that would appease his organic copy. Sonic laid his head in his hands, puffed out his cheeks then blew out a puff of air. Come on, Sonic, think! What would make Eggman happy? What does he like? Eggs, robots, science, space, spaceships...
The memorable space colony ark popped up in his head. With it, Sonic recalled his first adventure with Shadow and his first time using chaos control. He had made a quick get away from an exploding escape capsule and safely reappeared back inside the space station. Shortly after, while looking for his friends in the maze, Sonic had found a random Chao garden. Finding a Chao garden there in the middle of space had been so odd that the image had stuck with him.
Much later on, after saving the world and making amends with the Ultimate Lifeform, Sonic asked the dark hog about the garden. Shadow had said the Chao garden didn't exist before their first adventure together, of all the things Eggman had put it in! The human was apparently an avid Chao enthusiast in his spare time, which was not often.
Back in the present, Sonic's eyes lit up, "I've got it! Metal! What's on the doc's schedule for the next week?"
*Several days later*
The blue devil bounced on his heels with a big grin on his face waiting anxiously for Eggman to hurry up; he couldn't wait to take the doctor to his surprise! "Coooome oooon Eggiiiiiee!"
"I'm coming. I'm coming, you little pincushion. There we go. I think that's everything." Eggman grunts, walking up; he puts the picnic basket and diaper bag in the Eggmobile. The doctor ran through his mental checklist one last time, ensuring they had everything they needed for the day.
Eggman opened the door and took the driver's seat while Sonic crawls over to the passenger's side; the doctor buckles in his little one before starting the engine. "Can you see enough to tell me where we're going?"
"Yup!" Sonic nodded as they began to float and hover out of the garage, "Go that way." he pointed, the doctor turned the wheel, put his foot down on the gas pedal, and they were off.
The blue blur grinned widely, watching the clouds go by at a fast pace; today was a perfect day to be outside! Spring was just beginning, bringing with it the yearly showers that made everything blossom, the grass was vibrantly green, and lots of babies were being born.
"Turn this way," Sonic says, his diaper crinkling as he bounced in his seat, and he feels his stomach drop in a good way. His cheeks were hurting from smiling so much, and an excited giggle burst out of him, "Someone's excited." Eggman chuckled, watching the hedgehog from the corner of his eyes.
"I can't help it! I haven't been to this place in forever, and I just know yous gonna love your surprise, Eggy!" the blue devil squeals teetering on the edge of little space, trying to keep himself big long enough to guide Eggman to their destination.
They were going someplace only a tiny handful of Sonic's friends knew about. Hidden up beyond the forest of the Mystic Ruins was a mountain that held Sonic's secret Chao garden.
The blue blur had found the garden long before he had met Tails, and it had served as his temporary home between travels. After starting his adventures trying to defeat Eggman, Sonic would take any lost or hurt Chao he found along the way to his secret garden and take care of them until they were better. Where after he would take them to a more popular garden to get adopted. However, some Chao would become attached and refuse to leave; they became permanent members of the secret garden.
Over the years, Sonic had collected quite a mass of the cute creatures in his garden; it grew from just 3 or 4 Chao to almost 100! With new ones being hatched every year.
Sonic hoped they would see some baby Chao hatch today; it was always a magical experience to see the funny creatures come out of their shells wide-eyed and curious about the world they were born into.
The only twist about it today was there would be an additional baby in their ranks as Sonic was in his Little space. He was optimistic that today was totally going to be a blast!
The hedgehog saw Tails house from under them pass by, and he knew it would only be a few more minutes before they would arrive, "See that dark part of the mountain?" Sonic pointed out a large shape at the end of Mystic Ruins' forest in the distance to Eggman, who nodded in confirmation. "Go straight toward it then, hook a right. There's a waterfall we can go under, follow the tunnel."
Eggman flipped a switch for the bulletproof glass roof to cover them as he followed his charge's directions. They curved around the mountain and saw a tall waterfall flowing down the cliffside. They passed the rainbow cutting through the waterfall, showering over them, and entered the hidden cavern.
The eggmobile's glow-in-the-dark paint job lit up the way as the waterfall's thunder grew distant. The darkness of the cavern didn't last long before small streams of light flickered through, and they parted a curtain of vines, finally entering into the Chao garden.
Sonic's ear twitched, hearing Eggman gasp at the sight revealed before them. Using his worst imitation of John Hammond, the blue blur waved a hand, saying, "Welcome to Chaoasic Park!" he couldn't help but giggle at himself and how bad the reference joke was. If Sonic hadn't been fooling around, such a dramatic scene would have fit perfectly to the beauty that was in front of them.
Walls of green surrounded the area; trees of various sizes provided shade and held ripe and juicy Chao fruits ready and waiting to be plucked and eaten. The grass shined in the morning sun wet with dew, and small fluffy little nests were around the base of every tree, some holding Chao eggs of all different colors and patterns with a few adults hanging around watching and waiting for their young to hatch. Other groups of Chao floated around playing games or eating from the fruit trees with joyous chirps filling the air.
As the eggmobile floated to a large crystal clear pond in the center sparkling like a crown jewel, several Chao who spotted the familiar bit of blue fur in the vehicle cheered and surrounded the aircraft, thrilled to see their longtime friend and owner returning to them. Sonic laughed and made funny faces behind the window at his small friends as they descended.
Floating down, Eggman steered his hover vehicle to a patch of grass and parked. The moment he removed the cover, the Chao that had surrounded the eggmobile backed away with fearful cries, startled by seeing Eggman next to the blue blur. Other small Chao, hearing the commotion, looked over to see what was going on and screamed, running away from the human. Eggman's mustache wilted; he felt slightly hurt by the reaction and for accidentally causing the poor creatures such a fright.
"Hey, Hey, no, wait, come back, it's ok! He's my friend! He won't hurt you, I promise!" Sonic hurriedly called, waving for the Chao to come back.
He felt guilty for not having visited for so long and that Eggman's welcome was not going as planned, the blue blur had brought a few friends before, and the Chao had never acted this scared. But then again, he should have expected such as Sonic had told them before about all that Eggman had done, and some of the older ones probably recognized the human from the blue blur's past adventures. So it wasn't too shocking that they were scared. Still, Sonic had hoped that his presence would have eased their fears over the human.
None of the tiny creatures dared to make a move, too scared to come out of their hiding places in the bushes and trees. The blue blur does his best to reassure them that Eggman wouldn't hurt them and that it was safe to come out. Calls of encouragement, with promises of treats and playtime, go unnoticed except for some small whimpers of fright.
This went on for several minutes with no indication of progress until one little Chao, the eldest of the bunch, stepped forward from a bush, a few feet behind Eggman and, cautiously approached the human.
Trying to seem as harmless as possible, Eggman had taken to quietly sitting in the grass making no sudden movements. Hearing a shuffle behind him and realizing one of the Chao had come out to investigate, he stayed perfectly still as the blue creature made its way to face him.
With a slight scowl to hide its fright, the small Chao scanned over the doctor carefully, taking in his aura and looking for any signs of unfriendliness. Eggman laid out his hands with palms up as a gesture of peace, inviting the curious creature to come closer.
"Come on guys...what? What are you looking at?"
Sonic, catching on that the Chao were no longer paying attention to him, turned, surprised to see his eldest Chao, Speedy checking out Eggman. The hedgehog grinned widely, thrilled to see at least one Chao making an effort to meet his new guardian.
Quickly Sonic went to the nearest fruit tree and picked up some ripe fruit from the ground, dashing back to hand the doctor a few pieces for him to offer the Chao helping to speed up the welcoming process. Eggman did so softly speaking to Speedy, "Hello, little one. Would you like something to eat? Look here...um-"
"Speedy."
"Speedy, look, would you like some?" Eggman offers the colorful fruit to the Chao, who is very similar to his hedgehog owner in appearance. Speedy curiously blinks at the food, big eyes darting from it to Eggman and Sonic, determining if it was safe to take the fruit or not. When Speedy's gaze lingers at its owner, Sonic nods encouragingly, "It's ok. He's nice, I promise!"
With its owner's approval, the Chao gently takes the food using both stubs and bites into it. Sonic and Eggman watch anxiously, waiting for the creature's verdict as it chewed and swallowed.
"Chao!"
"Chao!" echoed a chorus of chaos as the swarm of creatures left their hiding places and surrounded the human and hedgehog. Sonic cheered along with them, thrilled that they were at last welcoming Eggman with lots of hugs and chirps before going and giving their hello's to him as well. The doctor let out a loud chuckle as the Chao gave him lots of kisses and hugs; he had missed spending time around these tiny creatures.
Once everyone had been introduced, playtime officially began!
The sounds of laughter and playful screams echoed in the garden. Eggman, Sonic, and the Chao played several rounds of tag, hide and seek, catch, and of course, what's a day spent with Chao without a race! Eggman had to take a break and catch his breath several times from the games being so out of shape but nonetheless had fun even sitting on the sidelines watching his blue baby dive into his headspace and play with the Chao.
The creatures had been unsure what to make of the odd behavior of their blue owner as he had never acted in such a way before, but the blue baby seemed enthused about their playtime more than usual, so the Chao didn't pay his odd behavior much thought. So long as Sonic was happy and they were having fun, what did it matter?
Soon enough, it was lunchtime. Eggman brought out the picnic basket and called Sonic to eat; the hedgehog crawled to the doctor with a small group of Chao following, and they gathered around the picnic blanket laid out. The doctor gave Sonic a few already cut-up sandwiches, chips, and a juice bottle; Eggman had a similar though smaller lunch while the Chao ate the fruit growing in the garden.
The doctor was shocked when Sonic had some of the same fruit himself for dessert, as very few people could stand the taste of the fruit that mainly only Chao ate.
Sonic just laughed with lips covered with juice at the doctor's shocked expression and teasingly gave him a piece to try to which Eggman politely declined, knowing he wouldn't like it. He had tried some years before and determined that he was one of many who didn't like Chao fruit. But at the blue devil's insistence, he took the fruit sample and pretended to eat it, making exaggerated eating noises before giving the fruit to a Chao sitting next to him. This display pleased the hedgie, and he went back to finishing his dessert.
After Eggman cleans the blue devil's face and begins to put away the rubbish from their lunch, Sonic looks around the garden taking in the atmosphere and notes all the new plants and Chao that had come in since his last visit. Suddenly his eyes widen, spotting a lone Chao egg in a nest just a few feet away from them. How did I miss that?! He gaped then gasps out loud when the egg begins to wiggle. Sonic grabs the doctor's coat and tugs on it excitedly, "Eggy Eggy Eggy! Lookie lookie!"
"What is it, baby?" Sonic emphatically points to the egg bouncing on his diapered butt; Eggman exclaims quietly, "Wow! Let's get closer, baby." picking up the blue blur, the doctor walks to the nest, depositing Sonic right in front of the increasingly wiggly egg now cracking. The doctor sits next to the squealing hedgehog shushing him to be quiet during this dramatic event, putting a finger in front of his mouth. Sonic lowers his voice and imitates Eggman with a giggle before watching the egg intently again.
"Come on; yous can do it!" Sonic whispers as a piece of the shell pops out and falls to the ground, a tiny round head rises out of the egg, and big shiny black eyes open, staring at the two. "Chao?" the newly hatched baby softly chirps. Sonic gazes at the baby Chao in wonder as if seeing one for the first time, slipping deeper into little space. "Ba-babie," he mumbles, then looks up to Eggman; the little Chao does the same.
The doctor nods his head, speaking softly, realizing Sonic had slipped deeper, "Yes, it's a baby just like you."
"Babie?" Sonic mumbles again, slipping his thumb into his mouth, then looks at the baby Chao again with a smile; the little Chao smiles back and cooes shuffling out of the egg and hugs the hedgie. Sonic squeaks hugging back with one arm, "Babie!"
Eggman laughs and watches as older Chao come to greet the newest addition to their family.
During the welcoming party, he notices Sonic's wet diaper; getting up, he quickly goes to get the diaper bag setting it on the picnic blanket before getting his charge. The blue blur busy with his new friend doesn't notice Eggman had gone nor his return until a pair of large hands grab his waist; he furrows his brows in question. "Let's get you changed, baby boy," Eggman informs as he walks to the improvised changing station; Sonic giggles and claps his hands, "Wet! Wet!" he cheers.
Eggman lays him on his back and unzips the diaper bag; the blue devil waits patiently, sucking his thumb. The group of Chao with the new baby follow the two chirping curiously, watching the strange actions, having never seen something like this before. Sonic laughs as Chao quickly surround him, checking to make sure he's ok; his giggles are muted when Eggman replaces his thumb with a pacifier. "Babie," he mumbles.
"Yes, they're curious, aren't they? They've never seen a cute baby hedgie before." Eggman cooes tickling the blue blur's tummy and begins the change; Sonic lets out a high-pitched giggle making the Chao around him coo and chirp with joy, seeing the blue baby so happy.
The baby Chao chirps and sits next to his head, yawning; Sonic does the same and rubs his eyes, feeling very relaxed and comfortable laying in the warm afternoon sun with all his friends. Eggman awws at the two, "Are my babies sleepy? It's hard work hatching and playing, isn't it?"
"...Babie seepy." Sonic mumbles as Eggman tapes up the new diaper; the little Chao next to him yawns again and lays down.
The large group of adult Chao surrounding the two begins to separate; some leave to continue playing or eat while the rest cuddle up around Sonic and the baby Chao to join their mid-afternoon nap. The blue blur sucks in content as his eyes begin to droop; the last thing he sees is Eggman softly kissing his forehead and hears the gentle snores of the Chao already asleep next to him.
Several hours later, after the nap and cuddle fest, Sonic and Eggman went back to playing with the Chao a bit longer before the doctor announced that it was time to pack up and go home. Sonic refused to leave until they named the baby Chao together; they decided to call it Huevo.
Once he said his goodbyes and told them he would be back soon, the hedgehog and human climbed into the eggmobile to begin the drive home.
"Eggy?" Sonic squeaks as the doctor buckles him in, "Yes, baby?" the hedgehog nervously taps his two fingers together. The doctor acted like he had a good time today, but the blue blur wanted to be sure that he really had fun and wasn't just pretending for his sake, "Dod-did you wike your gift?"
"I loved it, baby! I had so much fun playing with you and all the Chao. Eggy hasn't gotten to do that in a long time, thank you!" he says with all sincerity; touched by Sonic's thoughtfulness, he kisses the blue devil's nose, making him giggle. Sonic smiles widely, feeling proud for giving Eggman this chance to interact with Chao for the first time in a long time. Though chills ran down his arms, he felt very warm for sharing his most cherished secret with the doc.
His smile faded a little as he began to tentatively ask, "Can-can I sits in your lap and dwive?" Eggman hums, pretending to think carefully about this before breaking out in a smile. "I don't see why not. You've been a very good boy today, absolutely!"
"Weally?! Yay!" the hedgie cheers as Eggman pulls him into his lap and buckles them both in, "Now put your hands here, I'll start the vehicle..." the doctor mumbles, placing Sonic's tiny hands in position and starts the egg mobile. "Now, you steer while I give it gas. Ok, do you know the way home, baby?"
"Yes, Eggy!" Sonic giggles as they begin to float, his heart doing the same at the mention of home. His home. At the base with the doctor, Metal, and all the other robots. Something he could never have imagined before.
Sonic carefully turns the wheel heading for the vine curtain that separates the secret garden from the rest of the world, ready to go back, "Bye-bye, evewyone!" he calls. All the Chao smile and wave bye as the egg mobile disappears behind the curtain.
Chapter 26: Sly Fox
Notes:
*These following chapters were inspired by thekyuubivixen's "Premonition" it's an incredible story and one of my favorites! The jokes are hilarious, and I love the relationship Sonic has with his friends. Also, migraines and sleep loss are no joke in that story. That's all I'm gonna say about it; you'll just have to read it for yourself! 😉 *
Chapter Text
Everything was going great! Spring was in full swing; interviews with G.U.N. had gone smoothly as usual. Eggman had convinced Shadow and Rouge to speak with Tails about his issues about the contract and the doctor.
The duo had surprisingly happily agreed to do so, and once they were finished, Tails seemed relatively calm about it all. Sonic revealed the future adoption shortly after and assured the small fox that it was all of his own decision, with no one else's influence. To which Tails reluctantly accepted.
Finally, everything is coming together! Sonic thanked Chaos that things were turning out so well. Eggman's suggestion for the punk-emo hog and risque bat to act as a mediator had been a smart move, and that had really helped pave the way for the blue blur and fox to make amends.
Granted, despite his best attempts to convince Tails that they would still be brothers after his adoption and spend lots of time together. The small fox was still not thrilled about the news of Eggman becoming Sonic's permanent guardian, but he didn't fight the issue anymore, and right now, that's all that the blue blur could ask for. He was sure that Tails would come to trust Eggman as he did in time after they got settled, and the doctor started the process to adopt the fox as well.
Besides, Tails and Eggman were both science and engineering geeks. Once the fox saw and got his hands on all of the doctor's lab equipment, Tails would bond with the human quicker than Sonic did.
His estimation is a week at most.
But Tails' current insecurities were not going to dampen this hedgehog's enthusiasm. Now, in over a week, Eggman would officially be his guardian! Sonic was filled with nervous excitement, terrified of the thought yet enthralled by it at the same time. And then there was the party afterward to think about!
The blue blur sucked hard on his paci as he tried his best to calm down while watching the children's movie he had picked out. Eggman would put Sonic straight to bed soon no matter how much energy he had, so he knew he needed to wind down, but his nerves just wouldn't settle. His leg bounced on the cushion, and his ears twitched every few minutes as he kept his eyes on the screen.
The doctor looks out of the corner of his eyes, seeing the blue devil practically bouncing like a Mexican jumping bean on the couch. Knowing it wasn't from an excess of sugary treats as the hedgehog didn't have any at dinner, but the energy was coming from anxiety (the good kind). He raises a hand and gently starts to scratch Sonic's head smirking as he watches the hedgehog still for a second before melting and purring like a kitten under his fingers.
Warmth blossoming in his chest, Eggman pulls the blue devil closer to his side, extending his scratches from Sonic's head to his abdomen. The blue blur stretches out onto his lap and moans with pleasure, eyes dropping as the calming stokes relax him further.
Eggman felt his heart flutter; just when it seemed the hedgie couldn't get any cutter, Sonic would do something like this, and it made the doctor's heart melt into mush and draw out a strong desire to protect his charge from all harm.
While Eggman was dealing with his paternal feelings, Sonic concluded that Eggy's fingers were full of magic cause whenever he had too much energy, all it took was a scratch or pet on his head for the energy to die, and he would calm down.
His ears lazily twitch to the sweet nothings Eggman whispers to him, "Such a sweet baby. So precious. My Cuddle bug—my prickle baby. Look at all that soft fur and that cute little nose~." Sonic smiles and blushes behind his pacifier, embarrassed and loving the attention that made his stomach all fuzzy and warm from being cooed and babied.
Several minutes later, he lets out a big yawn, rubs his eyes, and snuggles closer to Eggman. The doctor lovingly pats the hedgehog's diaper and scoops him into his arms, "Bedtime, little one." Sonic doesn't argue; instead, he nuzzles Eggman's chest and grabs hold of his caregiver like a baby koala. The doctor checks Sonic's diaper while he walks and notes that the blue devil needs a change.
Stepping into the nursery, Eggman gently pries Sonic off of him, who whines at the loss of contact, placing him on the changing table, "Shh shhh, it's ok sweetheart Eggy's going to change your diaper real quick, and then you can go to sleep." the hedgie grunts but allows Eggman to work. The doctor gets the supplies and untaped the dirty diaper; grabbing a wipe, he cleans Sonic's lower regions, then rolls up and tosses the diaper into a pail. Sanitizing his hands quickly, he grabs a new diaper and raises Sonic's legs, placing him in it, then takes the baby powder covering the hedgehog thoroughly, letting the sweet baby smell fill the air before taping the diaper closed.
Picking the hedgie back up, Eggman rubs his back and pats his bottom a few times, kissing his temple and turns on the mobile. Sweetly he says, "Goodnight, my little one. Sweet dreams, I'll see you in the morning~." Sonic squeaks a yawn as he's tucked in, "Night night Eggy. I woves you."
"I love you too, baby." Eggman kisses his cheek one more time before turning off the lights and leaving. Sonic sucks on his pacifier and turns to his side, grabbing Ivo and cuddling the plushy as he falls asleep with a smile, not knowing that his sleep will be interrupted in the next few hours.
Meanwhile, at Tails' workshop said fox, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Rouge were finalizing their plan for tonight.
Unknowingly to Sonic, Tails had lied to him. Despite Shadow and Rouge's best efforts, the fox was adamant that Eggman had somehow brainwashed his brother and planned on using him as a tool for world domination as he knew. If the blue blur was on the doctor's side, they wouldn't have much chance of defeating him from taking over the world.
So Tails has spent the last few months carefully crafting a way to rescue his brother and getting proof that Eggman was still a dangerous villain. All of his hard work would culminate tonight.
The others weren't so sure whether Tail's wild accusations were true or not, but it didn't take much convincing for them to get involved. They didn't want to risk Sonic being in the hands of someone who was still potentially their enemy. If there was any doubt that Sonic's safety was at risk, there was no question that they had to do this for the greater good.
The only groups not involved were Team Chaotix, Blaze, and Silver, as they had other things to attend to, and Cream as she was the youngest. There was no need to get her involved in this mission.
Though the two G.U.N. spies had failed to persuade Tails not to go through with his plan, Shadow and Rouge did reluctantly decide to join in to help out in the rescue op. Acting as double agents and eyewitnesses for what they were sure they would have to report on in the future legal case. Making sure the least amount of damage was caused as necessary in the "rescue" mission.
"Ok, guys, let's go over the plan one more time to make sure we're all clear before we go." Tails says, laying out a floor and blueprint plan of Eggman's base that Shadow had provided. "Knuckles, Amy, and I will be stationed the entry points here, here, and here, creating a distraction." the fox points to three areas on the map then looks up at the pink hedgehog and echidna. "Guys do whatever you need to do to get their attention; treat this mission like the ones we've done before in infiltrating Eggman's bases. Get loud and break as many badnicks as you can; the longer we can keep their attention to us, the better."
Knuckles grunts with a nod, and Amy does the same, the two accepting their roles; the small fox then turns his attention to another part of the map. "While we're doing that. Rouge, since you and Shadow know the layout. You guys will sneak in and find Sonic. He maybe a bit uncooperative and aggressive, so you have my full approval to knock him out if he doesn't come willingly...just don't hurt him too much, please?" Tails asks, sadness evident in his tone in the last sentence.
He hated that it had come to this point, and he had to use force on his brother as the fox had tried to avoid it at all costs, but his efforts in warning and talking with the blue blur had gone ignored. If they don't do this now, they will lose this chance, and there will be no turning back. If his theory of Eggman brainwashing Sonic were correct (and Tails knew he was right), then it would be impossible to help the blue hedgehog once the 6-month limit had passed. He needed to get his brother out of the doctor's slimy hands before the brainwashing took full effect.
"Don't worry, fox boy; Blue will be safe with us," Rouge assures with a soft voice; Shadow nods firmly with her. The fox sighs gathering his composure again before returning to his commanding voice, "Thanks...Don't forget to grab anything that could be used as evidence. Once you have Sonic meet us back here and keep him restrained so I can do some tests when we return. I estimate we have about 10 minutes after the first alarms go off before the base goes on lockdown, or Eggman realizes what's going on and puts Sonic somewhere where we can't reach him. That's not a lot of time, people, so do your jobs quickly. Now any questions?"
All shake their heads, Tails roles up the plans and stands straight looking over his friends, having the authority of a general over his soldiers preparing for battle.
"Then let's move on out, people!"
The team all climbed into the Tornado, mentally preparing themselves for the struggle ahead. Tails sat in the pilot's seat, flying the plane with a determined frown on his face keeping his eyes on the sky.
Amy sat behind him, hoping her crush wouldn't be too angry at her for helping in this plan to essentially kidnap him, even if it was for Sonic's safety. Knuckles stood on one wing of the plane stoically, keeping a hand on the body of the aircraft to help steady himself during the small bouts of turbulence and itching to crush some badnicks like old times.
Rouge flew next to the wing of the plane where Shadow stood straight with his arms crossed and his signature glare pushing down his feelings of guilt so he could focus on what was about to happen.
He and Rouge had been spying on Eggman and Sonic since, after the first interview via orders from G.U.N as both agents served as the perfect candidates to keep an eye on the human and hedgehog.
Though Sonic and the military organization didn't have the best of relations, they did share a common goal of wanting the world to be safe and have peace and freedom. Thus they tolerated each other. The blue blur had saved the world countless times where they could not and had helped pitch in a helping hand when G.U.N. needed a little more firepower or someone with his unique skills.
The situation with Eggman's contract gave G.U.N. the perfect opportunity. They owed the blue hedgehog an enormous debt of gratitude and wanted to ensure that Mobius' protector would not be harmed by the doctor's hand with this sketchy treaty. So they had enlisted Shadow and Rouge, both having previous experience with the doctor and having excellent spy skills as Sonic's secret bodyguards.
They were to keep a record of all that happened in the base and were authorized to intervene if at any point the blue devil's life or safety was threatened. Yet, they had to do so without compromising their end of the contract and without suspicion.
Shadow and Rouge were very aware of ALL that had been going on at Eggman's base.
EVERYTHING
(Don't worry; it's all confidential.)
Shadow and Rouge had held a meeting with their superiors before joining the rescue op, updating them about the situation and explained their plan on how to handle it. This was a delicate situation, and they had agreed to explain to the blue blur what was happening and how they would proceed in such a way that everyone's best interests were upheld. The bat and hedgehog had no doubts that a court battle would commence, and they had already everything prepared for both sides to defend themselves in what was sure to be an ugly fight.
Rouge and Shadow were to stay strategically as neutral as possible, and if asked who they thought was guilty, both would deny any opinion out loud. "No comment."
However, to each other, they had confidently admitted that after secretly watching Eggman and Sonic's interactions over the last few months, they knew that both were no longer in a hero vs. enemy relationship. They had grown to be family to each other and didn't want to see them split up.
The hedgehog and bat felt painfully guilty for having to separate the two and wished they could stop Tails' "rescue mission." But, there had been no other viable solution. All they could do to help was reduce the amount of damage as much as possible and hope that the blue devil would cooperate.
Shadow's eyes sharpened in attention as he saw the base in the distance and prayed to his precious Maria that all would go well tonight. Rouge had similar thoughts as she descended along with the biplane into a small clearing not far from the base.
Her wings fluttered as she gracefully landed, waiting for the Tornado to come to a stop before everyone else joined her. She checked her nails with disinterest in the moonlight as the rest of the group hurried to her spot; Rouge looked up to see Tails give a hand signal when they were within viewing distance.
She nods once, acknowledging she saw the sign before running ahead and taking the lead. Silently they run through the forest while looking for any evidence of badnicks that may be out on patrol beyond the perimeter fence. Such a thing was unlikely, but in a high-stakes mission, one can never be too careful.
They reached the fence with no issues. Those who could fly lifted and carried their partners to the other side; Knuckles went underground, and after a quick check to see if they were being watched, Tails had them regroup.
Taking out his tablet and showing a map of the compound, the fox whispers, "Ok, this is where we split up. Shadow, where are we?" he asks. The black hog points to an area on the edges of the map, his shadow dampening the soft glow of the tablet, "Here." he then lifts the pointed finger out, "You need to go to that way for the North West entrances."
"Excellent. We'll take it from here." Tails nods, putting the tablet away, and waves for Knuckles and Amy to follow him. The pink hedgehog lags for a moment and begs in a whisper to the two spies, "Please be careful!" hoping they understand who she was directing her concerns to before she goes to follow her group.
Shadow and Rouge stand watching the trio head for their positions, listening to the soft chirps of crickets waiting for a few minutes. When the other part of their group finally disappears around the corner of the base, the ebony hog takes Rouge's hand and softly commands, "Chaos Control!"
With a flash of green light, the two reappeared in their usual hiding place in the base's ventilation system they had set up as a mini surveillance office. The spacious box-like area was perfect; they had enough room for two sets of desks and chairs that held their laptops that were connected to Eggman's security cameras as well as those they had strategically installed to all of the blind spots. It was also perfect because the location split into many pathways that lead throughout the base, so they had instant access to even restricted areas.
Shadow bends down to crawl, entering one of the vent tunnels, and takes the lead, scuttling through the maze without hesitation as to what direction they are going.
A minute later, he stops before a vent cover and peers down into Sonic's nursery. Gently he takes off the cover, sets it aside, and then drops silently into the room; Rouge lands next to him, her wings flutter slightly from the draft of air from the fall. "Get his stuff together. I'll wake the baby." Shadow whispers to her and walks to the crib; he reaches between the bars to shake the blue blur awake but pulls back and hesitates, looking at the lump with a regretful expression.
This is Shadow's first time seeing the blue hero in close proximity while in his Little space. He's taken aback by how relaxed, infantile, and peaceful Sonic looks, pacifier in his mouth cuddling his stuffed Ivo and wrapped in a red blanket. Pure and true, the mask of a cool, indifferent teen Shadow was used to seeing was completely off, revealing a little boy who wanted love and attention.
Shadow had always been rubbed the wrong way regarding the blue blur and his perceived attitude. For year's the dark hog ignored Sonic's repeated attempts to be friends. How could Shadow associate himself so closely with someone who easily hid themselves? The Ultimate Lifeform had had enough of liars in his life and wanted to have no involvement with them anymore.
Some would think that having a world-renowned thief and spy for a friend was hypocritical on his part, but they didn't know the bat as he did. The lengths she went through to gain his trust, to stand by his side, all the layers of herself that she had revealed to him with complete confidence. These were some of the many reasons why she was his best friend.
Now having spied on Sonic and Eggman over the last few months. Shadow had gained a better understanding of why Sonic had a mask, to begin with, and how easily it had become a habit to keep it on. He now understood why the blue blur had hidden himself; it surprised Shadow how similar their backgrounds were.
We both have no known biological family, a connection to the chaos emeralds, almost identical powers, and a love-hate relationship with the Robotnick family line. Is it really any wonder then that people always confuse us for each other? Yes! We have completely different color schemes and quill styles!
Shadow shook his head to get back to the matter at hand. This was no time to contemplate theories as to why they were so alike, he needed to get his counterpart out of here, and they were running out of time! The blue hero had done so much for Shadow; now it is his turn to lend a hand.
Chapter 27: Silly Shadow
Notes:
*Howdy! So in case, you didn't catch it in my other story, I'm sure you've noticed I've slowed way down updating. That's because I've found that writing scenes that are serious or have a lot of action in them is really hard for me; writing cute warm, feels heavy fuzzy scenes is much easier and faster. BUT I have not stopped!
I'm still working on this story, just at a much slower pace. I've started my Baby Sonic Boom One-Shots set after Sonic's Small Discovery to help keep me going, so if you haven't, check out the first one shot in that series!*
Chapter Text
Schooling his face to a neutral expression like he had done a million times before Shadow reached out and roughly shook the blue blur's shoulder, "Huh? Wha? What's happ'n?" a groggy Sonic slurred harshly, rubbing his eyes, angry that he had been woken up when he was very much still tired. It felt like he had only fallen asleep a few minutes ago, and it was still dark.
What the hell?
"Sonic, get up. We don't have much time!" Shadow hushed while checking over his shoulder to see how soon Rouge would be done packing.
Sonic's anger vanished as he was snapped out of his Little space, and his heartbeat picked up hearing that familiar grumpy voice, "S-s-shadow?!" he half shrieked, realizing the compromising situation he was in. The blue devil scooted to the far end of the crib, wide awake, and futilely tried to hide his diaper bulge. Thank Chaos, I don't wet in my sleep.
"Wha-what are you doing here?!"
"Look, we don't have much time to explain-"
"WE?!"
Rouge voices her presence at that point, "Hey, Blue, sweety! Sorry for the wake-up call, but it's kind of urgent." Sonic gapes like a fish trying to figure out what the two G.U.N. spies were doing in his nursery in the middle of the night.
His first instinct was to deny everything even if that wasn't the most intelligent thing to do, "This-this isn't what it looks like-!"
"Calm down, Sonic. It's ok. We know. There's nothing to be ashamed of." Shadow says calmly, hoping his tone will keep the blue blur from panicking too much. He unlatches the crib bars letting them slide down. "I'm sure you're confused and wondering what's going on, and we can explain later, but right now, we need to get you out of here."
"Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a second!" Sonic waves his hands, stopping the dark hog from hopping into the crib and dragging him out, "I can't leave. What the hell is going on?!"
Shadow looked at his partner at a bit of a loss; she checked her watch before nodding for him to spill. His gaze returned to the alarmed blue blur looking at him for answers; "Ok, look...I'll tell you once, but then you have to cooperate, understand?" Shadow sighed; Sonic nodded, confusion written over his features as he watched Rouge fill his diaper bag in the background.
"G.U.N. ordered Rouge and me to secretly spy on you and Eggman as a precaution for your safety. So we know everything that has gone on over the last few months during that time." Sonic's face went ghostly pale, "Y-you have?!"
"Yes," Shadow smiles softly, "It's all confidential, though, so nobody but Rouge and I know, and we support you both."
The blue blur felt sick, horrified by this news. His rival not only knew but had been watching him act like a baby?! For months?! Sonic wasn't sure if he wanted to scream, puke, faint, or a combination of the three. But a bit of his color returned when it clicked in his mind that Shadow had said they supported him?
In fact, as Sonic looks back at Shadow, he's pleasantly surprised to find no trace of disgust, scorn, or rejection he had imagined to receive from his friends like he had dreamed. Instead, he found a warm smile, a helping hand, and was that fondness shining from those red eyes?
Sonic didn't know how to react to the open acceptance right now, as the shock of it all was too much to process. He barely swallowed away his urge to vomit and muttered, "Thanks, but...why are you guys here?"
Shadow's chest swelled, taking a breath in relief that Sonic took the news of their spying well but readies himself for the small breakdown he was still expecting. "Tails has been making plans to get you out of here. As we speak him, Amy and Knuckles are outside, causing a distraction while we take you out of the base and back to his house."
Sonic's head tilts to the side, not grasping the message, "I don't understand. What do you mean? Why are you guys doing this?" Shadow sighs again, this time seeming more tired, "Tails lied. He's insistent that Eggman's brainwashed you and that fox is determined to "rescue" you before the "brainwashing" takes full effect."
"Chaos! Tails!" The blue devil exclaimed, covering his face with his hands, the crisis making him forget his embarrassment; he couldn't believe this was happening! Just when everything was looking up, this happens and screws all their plans, "You guys don't believe him do you?!"
"No."
"Then why are you helping him?!"
"We're trying to contain the damage. Look-" Shadow steps closer to the crib, brows folding down as he carefully formulates his words, "Tails refuses to accept that Eggman has turned good. We know, but they don't and are convinced that you are in danger. Rouge and I have a plan, but we need you to help us if it's going to work."
"Why should I?" Sonic asks defiantly, crossing his arms; Shadow scoffs at his resistance to authority, "Because if you want to see the doctor again and not behind bars, you need to come with us." the blue blur tenses at the threat. Eyes dropping to the suddenly fascinating carpet.
He couldn't let that happen; all of their months of hard work gone just because of a misunderstanding was too easy to do. He couldn't risk losing his Eggy. If Tails succeeded, Sonic wasn't sure if he'd be able to forgive himself for letting his brother rip Eggman's second chance of freedom away from him.
"How do you know that...that this will work?"
Shadow gulps, "We don't. But Sonic, I promise you we will do everything we can to make sure the contract is fulfilled." he says with the underlying promise that Sonic and Eggman would still be together in the end. Shadow holds a hand out, silently begging the hedgehog to accept his offer.
Sonic bites his lip, thinking about whether to go with them and trust that this was the right decision or not. I don't think I have much of a choice. But Shadow never backs out of a promise, and if there's anyone I can trust right now...it's them. He lifts his eyes to Shadow's and, firmly grasping his hand, says, "I'm counting on you guys."
Rouge steps up next to Shadow with the bag on her shoulder as he helps Sonic get out of the crib, "Don't worry, sweetheart, just let us do our job." Sonic smiles at the white bat as a silent thanks before his face falls, remembering what he was almost walking out wearing and who in front of.
"Wait...uh, uh-"
Rouge reading his mind, smiles back kindly and asks, "Do you need help, sweetheart?" Sonic's cheeks flush at the pet name, "No. I got it. Why aren't you...?" he stammers clumsily while unzipping the footie pajamas that made him want to dig a hole and die in it.
Rouge chuckles lightly, understanding the rest of his unspoken question, "We've been watching you two since the beginning. And while it was a shock and concerned us at first, once we saw how much you and the doctor were benefiting from this-" she gestures to the nursery and the diaper Sonic was working on taking off, "we thought it was really sweet to see how much Eggman cares for you."
"You don't think-" the blue blur pauses, tossing the thankfully unused diaper aside and running and hand through his quills to distract himself from how red he knew his face must have looked, "that this is all...weird?"
"Well..." Shadow coughs bashfully, and his shoulders ride up, "It is a bit...odd, though I'm not the best judge of that since I'm behind the times after being asleep for 50 years. But I can't argue the benefits of the therapy. Also...I think I like you better this way." he smirks playfully at the end.
Sonic blushes once again and scratches the back of his neck at the compliment? He wasn't sure what to make of the smirk as he had never seen a playful one on the grumpy hog's face before, but he did like it, so Sonic decided to take Shadow's perceived compliment. "Uh, thanks? Heh."
The ebony hog nods and turns toward Rouge, "Got everything?" the white bat pats the full diaper bag, "We're ready to go!"
"Good-"
"Wait! What about Eggman?!" Sonic asks worriedly; he doesn't want to go unless Eggman knows what is happening. He couldn't leave his Eggy without saying goodbye or a see ya later; besides, with his collar's restrictions, he couldn't step one foot outside the perimeter. Not unless he wanted to be barbequed hedgehog.
"He can't know about this until later," Shadow says, impatience laced in his tone; he was trying to get Sonic to leave with them faster. He had been hoping to leave while the silent alarm was still on, but with all these delays, it looks like the base would go on full lockdown mode from the other group's distraction before they would budge.
Sonic's jaw dropped in shock, "What! No! He has to know what's going on now, not later! I can't leave anyway with my collar still on."
"Sugar, if we did that, Eggman would be compromised, and we've already got that covered. We'll fill in the doctor later, but right now, we need to go!" Rouge steps in, gently taking his arm and pulling him towards the hallway; Sonic makes a noise of refusal and tugs back, "No! Please just let me go talk to him real quick."
"We don't have ti -" just then, the vocal alarm cut Shadow off, and he cursed under his breath. Red lights flashed in the dark hallways as the alarm for lockdown thrilled in their ears. Entirely out of patience, Shadow went to grab Sonic's arm again, but the blue blur caught his movement and dashed away. The Ultimate Lifeform growled in annoyance at how difficult Sonic was being; he jumped on top of the blue devil, who was temporarily disoriented by the lights and sounds reflecting off the metal walls while searching to get away.
The two landed on the ground, grunting, and hissing at each other. Sonic squirmed and wiggled to get away from the black hog, but Shadow had a firm grip on his torso. Sonic kicked his powerful legs, threw his head back, and screamed but was cut off by a funny-smelling piece of cloth held over his mouth; he scrunched up his face at the awful taste.
He turned his head side to side to get away from it but the more he breathed, the weaker and fuzzy-headed he felt. With the disorienting surroundings and the chemical he was breathing in, he quickly forgot what was happening and why he was so upset; his eyes fell half-lidded, and he stopped struggling.
"Finally!" Shadow breathes out, using his strength to hold the blue blur up instead of pinning him down, "Shadow?" Sonic slurs turning his head to see the black hog, and says with astonishment, "You're hugging me?!" Shadow rolls his eyes at the drugged hedgehog.
"Thanks for the help." he huffs; Rouge lets out a small giggle putting away the laughing gas soaked cloth so that no one else would become accidentally loopy, "Come on, let's get Mr. Cuddly here to the workshop." she then gestures to the blue hedgehog who was now weakly hugging his grumpy rival mumbling about the white bit of fluff on Shadow's chest. The dark hog lowly growls at her joking and waits for her to grab his arm before yelling, "Chaos...Control!"
Shadow's eyebrows stayed scrunched down in annoyance as the rest of his face was being squished and stretched like taffy by clumsy gloved hands belonging to the person in his arms. Big green eyes watched in awe at how malleable Shadow's features were while the blue bundle babbled, "Shadow sad. Shadow smile. Shadow confus'd, Shadow-"
"Achoo!" the Ultimate Lifeform sneezed when Sonic tickled his nose; the blue blur giggled at the brief puzzled look on Shadow's face, "Shadow sneeze!" said black hedgehog rolled his eyes and quickly caught Sonic as he was falling back from giggling so much. He tightened his hold on the floppy blue devil that swayed; Sonic opened his eyes and paused, taking notice of his surroundings of the workshop, "Tails...where's Tails?"
"Tails will be here soon, baby." Rouge cooes, setting the diaper bag down, and affectionately pets his head. Sonic's dilated eyes widen at the bat, clearly too drugged to notice or care about her baby talking to him, and he gasps, "Wouge! You here too! You so pretty!"
The white bat faintly blushes, surprised by how sincere the compliment was, even if it came from a delirious hedgehog, she awkwardly replies. "Thank you, sweety." Sonic giggles and shyly hides his head in Shadow's chest fluff. The dark hog groans bouncing the blue blur in his hold to keep a better grip, "Seems like we'll be looking after the little one after all." Rogue fondly chuckles at the two.
Shadow narrows his eyes at her showing he is not amused about the situation, and scolds her. "You gave him too much gas. He just needed enough to be complacent, not enough to turn him Little and high as a kite. If he has an accident, you're cleaning it up."
"Well, he can't have an accident if he's empty now, can he?" she quickly retorts, opening her arms to take the blue blur; Shadow gives him to her happily, "You call Tails and let him know we're back while I take this little one~" her voice rises a few octaves as she turns to talk to the bundle in her arms, "To the potty and get him a snack~!"
Sonic's eyes light up hearing 'snack' it is about the midnight hour, so a bite to eat sounded really good. Focusing on his stomach, the blue hedgehog babbles to Rouge excitedly about what he wants to eat while she carries him inside the house.
After the door closes, Shadow sighs in relief at the silence as he pulls his communicator and sends a message that the mission is complete. Tails replies that they would be there in about a half-hour.
Shadow sniffs and crosses his arms, leaning back on a table, and closes his eyes to rest for a minute soaking up the brief respite of peace and quiet before everyone returns and the chaos starts again. The lack of distractions allows his mind to contemplate how to handle the blue blur's secret since he had accidentally slipped into Little space under the influence of the laughing gas.
Perhaps blaming his peculiar behavior on the medication would be a good excuse? After all, it was widely known people under its influence tended to act unusually and outright ridiculously at times. There were countless videos on the internet one could watch of such people crying over mismatched socks or from a commercial about dish soap. So it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he could convince Sonic's friends that the drug was to blame for the blue blur's behavior if they questioned it.
Shadow sighs, fiddling with his golden inhibitor cuffs, dreading the next few hours. This mission would not be easy, granted it was less physically demanding, but emotional and mental challenges were still in play. What I wouldn't give for a swiss roll right now, just to make this day slightly more bearable. Hmmm, perhaps I can use Sonic to convince Rouge to get some after testing as a reward? That is if he behaves well enough for one.
He silently chuckles to himself, imagining Sonic pouting and giving Rouge his deadly puppy dog eyes, begging her for a swiss roll. Shadow could easily see the white bat giving in after an internal struggle.
During their time spying on the human and hedgehog, they had both caught Eggman falling prey to Sonic's pouty face begging for extra playtime, sweets, or something else he wanted countless times. He knew if the blue blur ever pulled the same trick on them, they would give in as well. The real question was who could last the longest. Shadow did not doubt that he could outlast anyone but would still give in at the end.
You can't win them all.
The sound of a door opening alerts Shadow that Rouge and Sonic had returned; his other ear twitches, hearing the distant sound of a plane landing a moment later. Hmmm, that went by fast.
"Tails is back?" Rouge asks, hearing the muffled hum of the engine as well. The Ultimate Lifeform nods before tilting his head to the examination table; Rouge understands and gently sets the blue blur on the table, who was distractedly licking the last bits of peanut butter from his fingers.
The rotor of the plane quits, and the small fox with his band enters through the garage doors a few moments later. Tails and Amy's faces brighten, and their steps quicken to the table once they see the blue blur. Knuckles lags but smiles all the same over the reunion.
"Sonic!" Amy cries, reaching the hedgehog first leaping to hug him; Sonic jolts in her arms, startled, "Knuckles?" he shrieks in confusion. Why was his best-roughhousing buddy hugging him? Knuckles was NOT a hugger.
"No, it's Amy, silly!" The pink hedgehog laughs; she pulls back, looking and feeling him over for any injuries, "Are you ok? Eggman hasn't hurt you, has he?"
"Hmph! Leave me 'lone Nuckles don't wanna play with you now." Sonic pouts, put off by who he thought was the sharp knuckled echidna fussing over him. He was not in the mood to mess around; crossing his arms, he turns away from Amy.
The pink hedgehog steps back and laughs nervously at Sonic's odd reply, "What?! No, Sonic, it's me, Amy, you're girlfriend?" she enunciates slowly as if he was slow in the head, trying to help dispel his confusion while also taking his head to force him to look at her. Thinking that maybe his vision was somehow impaired, and he had confused her fur coloring for Knuckles?
Sonic whines and wrestles with her hands to let him go. "Noooooo! Stooooop!" the blue devil pushes away from her and turns to the real Knuckles shocking him asking, "Amy, make Knuckles stop bugging me; he's being a meanie!"
The echidna stills and blinks in confusion with his fists lying loosely to his sides at a loss, "Uuhh, why does Sonic think I'm Amy and that Amy is me?" he stutterers.
Tails sighs, pulling a hand over his face, his mood darkening as he steps closer to see Sonic's glassy and unfocused eyes. Tails' head falls in disappointment before lifting back up, annoyed at the red and black hedgehog, asking with a drone, "You had to gas him, didn't you?"
"Unfortunately," Shadow answers, walking up and gently pushing Amy to the side to keep her from upsetting the whiny and pouty blue blur further. Sonic sticks his tongue at her and pushes his face into the black hog's shoulder. Amy steps back, slightly hurt, confused, and shocked but pushes her feelings aside; there was no point in arguing about her identity with the out-of-it blue blur.
Tails moans and runs his hand through his bangs, "Just great." he mumbles to himself before saying in a resigned, louder voice, "That's ok, I can work with this. Let me get my stuff, and we can start." he then walks over to his desk and pulls out a medical kit and a stethoscope hanging by the wall.
Setting the kit next to the blue blur, Tails opens it and takes out a blood pressure cuff. "Ok, Sonic, can I have your arm for a minute?" The blue devil turns to see who is speaking and quirks a brow, "Cream?" he looks around the fox, searching for something, "Where Cheese?" he asks, raising a brow.
"No, Sonic, it's me, Tails. Your little brother?" Sonic squints his eyes at the fox, thinking for a moment before declaring, "Nope! You're Cream, not Tails." he then leans over and pets Tails' namesakes greeting them with a smile, "Hi Cheese!"
The small fox refrains from rolling his eyes in irritation at the situation; this is not how he had wanted the recuse mission to go. He takes a deep breath to compose himself. Gathering his patience, Tails tries again, "Can you help me with him, please?" he asks Shadow. The dark hog grunts, "I'm not faker's keeper." but then assists anyway, pulling one of the blue blur's peach arms away so that Tails can attach the cuff.
Sonic turns to Shadow, tilting his head to the side like a puppy dog, silently questioning what Shadow was doing with his arm before he smiles goofily, allowing the dark hog to do as he wished.
For the rest of the examination, Shadow tried to keep Sonic still and occupied while Tails continued the physical; but the blue blur was determined to talk to the fox. Tails tried to answer patiently and acknowledged his outrageous statements and questions such as; "Cream, why are you orange? Are we playing doctor? Cheese can be the nurse while you're the smart doctor! Can you see my brain with that? You smell like mint, Tails likes mints!" other than that the blue blur was mostly compliant. Only taking the stethoscope once to pet it, "Nice snake!" before ripping it away and throwing it to the other side of the workshop and randomly screaming, "No Cream! Bad snake, no bite!"
At that point, the fox gave up, exhausted and thoroughly done with Sonic's erratic behavior; the physical examination was done anyway.
"Alright, Sonic, just one more thing, and then we're done. Can you lie down for me?" Tails asks, patting the table, not waiting for an answer as he pushes the blue blur back, wanting to finish this last test as quickly as possible.
Sonic whines and kicks a foot in agitation, "No Cream! Not tired!"
"You're not going to sleep. I just need you to lie down for a few minutes, ok."
"No!" Sonic yells again, upset that "Cream" was trying to trick him into taking a nap; he crosses his arms and pouts, "No sleep!" Tails continues to wrestle and argue with the blue devil, but all the fox's reasonings were for not as Sonic refused to listen, adamantly repeating that he did not want to go to sleep. Like an overtired toddler, which he was.
After Sonic childishly kicks Tails in the shin and blows a raspberry, the fox turns growling and stomps away out of patience for this nonsense. He tosses his hands in the air exclaiming, "I give up! Anyone else have any ideas cause I'm all ears!"
Crickets chipped in the air, and everyone stared at each other, waiting for someone to move. No one even attempted to help or suggest an idea to get Sonic to finish the last test.
Shadow swept his eyes around the room, having an idea but waited for someone else to step up. He had already helped out keeping the blue blur in check, the ebony hog was determined not to assist anymore, but the rest of the group seemed lost on what to do.
Shadow internally groans to himself as it seems he was resigned to be the secret Little's handler. Sucking up his aggravation, he steps forward to the blue hedgehog swinging his legs wildly on the table, softly singing the itsy-bitty spider. "Sonic, can you lie down for me?" Shadow asks, already knowing the answer.
"No!" the blue devil refuted with a smug smile and rubbed his eyes with a clumsy fist. Shadow raised a brow and almost smiled smugly back but prevented himself from doing so. He knew this game. He'd seen Sonic do it several times before. The blue hedgehog would refuse and deny that he was tired and wanted a nap, but after some coursing with promises of cuddles, Eskimo kisses, and a story, Sonic would be out like a light.
Of course, doing so meant doing such things in front of an audience (how embarrassing!), but it was the only way to get the hedgehog who had as much energy as the energizer bunny to be still long enough for Tails to finish his tests. (Seriously, that company needs to rebrand and have the blue devil as their mascot instead; it would be more fitting!)
"Well, then I guess that means you don't want cuddles or a story." Shadow leans closer and enticingly whispers into Sonic's ear; the blue blur's eyes widen at this prospect. He loved getting cuddles and hearing Eggy's stories; Shadow doing the same sounded like a dream come true cause he never thought the Ultimate Lifeform would do something so domestic and paternal in a million years. No way was Sonic going to let this opportunity pass by!
"No, no, I want!" he begs, reaching out for the dark hog. Shadow bites his cheek to keep himself from laughing at how easy this was, "Ok, scoot over then." he grunts, tapping for the blue blur to move to the side before hopping up on the table next to him, ignoring the odd stares from everyone in the room. Putting his arm around Sonic's peach-colored arms and pulling him close, Shadow thinks of a story he can tell.
He didn't have very many good stories suitable for a toddler, at least not any, after his 50-year sleep, and some of his memories about life in the ARK with Maria were still fuzzy or missing, but he did have a few good ones.
One memory, in particular, stood out.
"Have I ever told you about the time Maria and I decided to make a cake for the Professor?" Shadow softly asks, setting the tone that now was quiet time; Sonic shakes his head with a smile and eyes shining with innocent curiosity and interest.
Rouge smiles warmly, seeing where this was going, and plants herself on one of the rolling stools; everyone else looked at Shadow, then Rouge, then at each other, questioning what was going on before they all shrugged. Taking Rouge's lead, they each found a suitable spot and took a seat, anticipation stirring in them as they watched and waited for the Ultimate Lifeform to start his story.
Chapter 28: Trial and Error
Notes:
*I forgot to mention that the inspiration for the last chapter's title and the nature of Sonic and Shadow drugged interaction was inspired by a story I had read on Wattpad. I DO NOT recommend it at all, not that I can recall the name of the story anyway. It was so sad and filled with whump 😭 so I'm warning you now if you decide to look for and read it that the ending is not happy.
This story will have a happy ending! I will accept nothing less!
I know nothing about the court system or how fostering, guardianship, custody cases work. Everything is strictly fiction.*
Chapter Text
Sonic loved listening to the story of young Shadow and Maria's misadventure in baking; he sleepily giggled and slurred, "Silly Shadow." thinking of spending a day baking all sorts of sweets and goodies with the black hog while covered in sugar and flour before falling sound asleep on Shadow's shoulder by the time the story was over.
Shadow watches the blue blur's chest go up and down with a tender smile holding him close, forgetting entirely about the other occupants in the room during his storytelling until Rouge coughs.
Startled, the Ultimate Lifeform blinks back to reality, quickly wiping the smile off his face, replacing it with a frown, praying that the brief show of affection had not been noticed before he returned to his usual scowl. Gently he lays the blue devil flat on the table and silently slips down as the scanner lowers over his head.
Once Sonic was no longer in his hold, Shadow darted to Rouge and crossed his arms, acting like the sweet moment had not just happened.
While the scanner did its job over the peacefully sleeping hedgehog, Shadow did his own scanning over the occupants of the workshop, searching for any sign that they had noticed the fleeting moment his mask had come down.
Tails was busy flicking switches and monitoring the scanning machine's progress. Amy stood and looked at the loading results over the fox's shoulder while Knuckles seemed indifferent, watching the whole process.
If anyone had noticed his slip, they didn't dare mention anything or indicate that they had seen a fraction of the Ultimate Lifeform's soft side.
"You did good sugar." a sultry voice whispered in his ear; Shadow shrugged away the praise. His primary life purpose was to serve as Maria's caregiver, friend, and cure; besides being a weapon, he was doing his job as far as he was concerned. Falling back into his old caregiver roll after not being able to do so for decades had been a pleasure he hadn't felt for a long time; it was good to use his skills again. Being useful in a way that didn't involve violence gave him a more satisfying feeling than shooting down a hoard of killer egg-bots ever did.
I wonder if Eggman would be open to having a babysitter?
Shadow gloomily huffed at himself for such a thought; it was too soon to think of such things that probably wouldn't come to be if his prediction on Eggman's future incarceration was correct.
The depressing thought made him lower his ears slightly; he hoped to be proven wrong. After watching his rival and estrangled family relation become almost as close as Maria, and he had been, during the last few months, just imagining the two being forcefully separated and heartbroken gave the dark hedgehog phantom pains in his chest.
The soft red light flickered several minutes later, then turned off completely, indicating the scan had finished. "Done." Tails sighs, bending forward then back to stretch his aching back muscles from stooping over a computer screen. "Ok, that's all we can do for now until the program finishes going over the data." a yawn broke out of the young fox, "I'm going to bed. You guys know where the guest bedrooms are; we'll put Sonic in his room. Shadow, since you don't need to sleep as much, do you mind watching him? I don't want him to freak out too badly when he wakes up. The laughing gas will leave him a bit disoriented and confused at first but should wear off quickly."
The dark hog grunts acknowledging what he already knew and to keep up his grim facade, then goes to pick up the blue blur, "Thanks." Tails mumbles gratefully, walking to the door that connects to the house.
Everyone sluggishly followed, the events of the night coming down on them as they pass through the kitchen, go up the staircase, and separate to their rooms, muttering quite good nights to each other.
Shadow picking up the rear, pushes the door to Sonic's room; a hand stops him before entering. "That was really sweet of you," Rouge says just within his hearing range, "and I'm sure Sonic will appreciate how well you kept his secret." Shadow glances over to see no one else but the three of them in the dark hallway; then, his gaze falls to the sleeping hedgehog in his arms; Sonic gently sucks his thumb with the other hand nestled in Shadow's white chest fur.
The dark hog's heart melts, and he lets his mask fall again, giving Rouge a fleeting smile, whispering, "Thank you, good night, Rouge." the white bat gives him a chaste kiss on the cheek and leaves the two be.
Shadow enters Sonic's room and quietly closes the door, the light of the full moon coming from the window highlighting the neatly made 6-month long-unused bed waiting for its owner to return. The teenage-themed room is a blaring stark contrast from Sonic's well-used nursery, both serving as true-to-life representations of the two different sides of the blue blur.
Slowly Shadow uncurls Sonic's hand from his fur and places him in his bed; pulling out a tiny remote hidden in his stripped quills; he presses one of the buttons. Sonic's collar blinks blue, then softly clicks unlocking from his neck; Shadow removes the metal device tucking it and the remote into his quills.
With the last piece of evidence recovered, Shadow finishes tucking the hedgie in, then grabbing the desk chair and a well-worn book from the shelf to keep him occupied; Shadow sits by the blue blur's bedside, turning open the first page of "King Arthur." and readies himself for the classic tale while he waits for morning to come.
Wakefulness was a long sluggish process, each minute felt like days, and each second could have been hours in Sonic's mind as it floated between states of consciousness and dreams. The process it took for his brain to register that it was time to wake up rolled about for eons before it sunk in, and he noticed light coming from beyond his closed eyes.
He tentatively opened them, only to close them again due to still being weighted under the effects of a drugged sleep; Sonic moaned softly, willing his stiff arms to his head and rubbed clumsy fists against his eyes.
Opening his eyes again felt more manageable this time, and he breathes in the refreshing damp morning air coming from the cracked open window. Rolling to his side, the blue blur squints at a fuzzy black and red body sitting in the chair next to his bed, "Mmph, Shadow?"
The dark hog looked up from his book seeing his charge had awoken, at last, closed the book and set it on the nightstand, "How are you feeling?" he asks with a soft tone.
"Ohhhh," Sonic groans, letting a hand rest under his head, replying slowly with a horse, voice "Like I could hibernate for another six months...what happened?"
"What do you remember?"
"Uh...you and Rouge-" he absently smacked his dry lips and pulled back suddenly when a hand with a glass of water appeared before his face; after blinking stupidly at the glass for a few moments, Sonic's mind connected the offered water before him and took it.
He gulps down the liquid once it touches his tongue, not realizing how thirsty he was before giving the glass back. The cold drink refreshes and wakes him up further as he swipes his mouth with the back of his hand, "Thanks. You and Rouge drugged me, then it gets all...fuzzy, but I think? We chaos controlled to Tails' workshop so he could do a bunch of tests on me..."
Sonic's face, initially irritated at being drugged, went white as the sheets on his bed as he said next hauntingly, "and I fell into Littlespace." Shadow nodded to confirm, "Yes, but everyone thinks you were acting under the influence of the laughing gas which you were. Only Rouge and I know better."
"Oh, Chaos!" Sonic gasps, mind, and body coming back to normal processing speeds thanks to his fast metabolism, and runs a hand through his quills, "That is waaaaaay too close for comfort. That can not happen again!" he emphasizes.
"We should be good now. As I said, no one suspected anything unusual." Shadow says, crossing his arms, then pauses thoughtfully, asking, "You do regress intentionally, right? I don't have to watch out for anything that could trigger you? Or make up excuses for any sudden childish behavior?"
Sonic's cheeks turned red as he pouted and looked away, embarrassed by being considered childish when he is very much "Big" thank you! And the reminder that Shadow and Rouge knew well about his age regression therapy. The inquiry left Sonic unsure of how to answer the question.
He couldn't just regress on command, but Eggman could spot when he was slipping way better than he could tell himself. More often than not, he didn't notice he had dropped until long after the fact; his slip at the mall a few months ago could attest to that despite his resistance.
"I uh...I can control it mostly." Shadow raises a skeptical brow, pushing the blue blur to say with more certainty, "I can so long as I'm not around...babyish stuff."
"Babyish stuff?"
"You know! Toys, cartoons, playgrounds, and stuff!"
Shadow looked at the hedgehog as if he didn't entirely believe him but shrugged anyway, "Alright."
"...right," Sonic confirms with a nod and sits back, thinking about what he needs to do now?
Looks like I'm stuck here for the time being. I wonder what Eggman is doing? Does he know I'm gone? Is he freaking out? I hope they let him know I'm ok so he won't worry about me too much. An awkward silence fills the room as the two hedgehogs stare at each other, the blue devil's ear twitched, and he scratches his nose thoughtfully.
Sonic crosses his legs, shaking his foot in the air, and turns his head to the window to try and dispel the feeling of Shadow's blood-red eyes on him. Ok, Shads, I know I'm cool and awesome, but I can't be that interesting for you to still be staring at me!
Though Sonic was a glutton for attention, the pressure of the other hedgehog's eyes on him like he was waiting for something to happen or for Sonic to break the silence made the blue blur's skin crawl and itch.
His foot shakes faster; he checks his wrist where his communicator used to be out of habit as the itch grew worse. The blue devil wished his rival would stop staring or that something would happen to draw all the attention away from him.
The distant sound of a ticking clock somewhere in the room grew louder and louder, echoing off the walls. Sonic wasn't sure if his imagination was exaggerating the noise or if there was genuinely lack of any other sound, but the ticking grew deafening in his ears until he exploded with a fast.
"I like you better when I'm little!"
Sonic mentally face palmed himself as soon as the words left his mouth. Why the hell did I say that?!
The sound of a snort pulls Sonic out of his panic, and he turns to see the ebony hog actually hiding a smile behind his hand. The tension and pressure from before melted away as a warm fuzzy feeling filled Sonic's belly at that smile, realizing he was the one who caused Shadow to laugh. Even if it was brief, the accomplishment has the blue blur smiling back with a bit of pride, and he bashfully rubs a hand on his neck.
Sonic's eyes widen in surprise as he slowly rubs his hand once more around his neck, discovering that his collar is gone!
Glancing in his peripheral view, he sees Shadow smirking and quirking a brow at him smartly.
"What happened to my collar? How'd you get it off?!" Sonic asks curiously, surprised. The dark hog smoothly pulls out the tiny remote, "Swiped one of the Doctor's remotes." Sonic's eyes light up in understanding, and he gently rubs his neck one more time. Huh! So that explains how I got out of there without turning into fried hedgehog. It feels so weird.
Making himself sit on his hands, keeping himself from continuously rubbing and irritating the skin on his neck further, he clears his throat, lightly kicks his feet, and drawls, "Soooo, what now?" Shadow's smile fades, making Sonic's belly fill with dread as his rival says with a voice filled with apathy,
"We go to court."
Two weeks
Two weeks ago, Sonic had been blissfully unaware of the chaos that had been brewing right under his nose.
Everything Sonic had been working for, all his plans, were frozen hanging in midair, waiting for gravity to use its force to determine whether his dreams would be dashed to pieces or land safely in the net of mercy and understanding. To the hedgehog, time seemed to linger, crawling at an agonizing pace.
He wished that everything would proceed faster, even if the end decision were terrible. In all his adventures that had involved a time crunch with millions of lives or the universe at stake, he had never felt as shaken and pressured as he does now, keeping up his 'everything is cool' big boy facade. He just wanted to rip off the band-aid and get it over with.
He would find out soon. Starting tomorrow, the court case set to decide who Sonic would be placed in custody with, and in extension, his future would start.
Sonic caresses his hand on the soft fabric of his plush Ivo, despondent and stomach cramping from his buzzing nerves that refuse to settle; he shakily breathes, lamely attempting to calm down and sleep.
He was so tired of the drama, and he hadn't even stepped into the courtroom yet. Thank goodness Rouge said he didn't have to testify or be involved in any part of the proceedings except attend. The blue blur wasn't sure what he would say anyway.
"Please let me stay with my Eggy!" Sonic quietly scoffs to himself, "As if begging like a pathetic baby would work."
Begging wouldn't do anyone any good. He knew that and didn't want to say something that would send Eggman to jail on accident, but the hedgehog didn't want to lie and further hurt his relationship with Tails either! Sonic understood why the fox had kidnapped him; he would have done the same if the sides were switched.
However, because of those strong feelings, Tails' lack of understanding, and his reckless actions, now they were all stuck in this legal mess. It didn't do any good.
The morning after the kidnapping Shadow and Rouge had taken Sonic away from Tails to be placed in the government's temporary custody until the matter of deciding whether Eggman could keep guardianship of the blue blur or not was decided.
Sonic casts his dreary eyes from the cherished plush to the rest of his temporary room. It was simply decorated with pictures of nature, doilies, small plants set on the window sill, and light peach-colored walls giving it a warm and cozy air. Yet Sonic didn't feel warm; he felt cold and alone in the little rabbit cottage.
Until a decision had been made on who would be granted custody of him, Sonic was required to stay with a foster family. Cream's mother, Miss Vanilla, notified of the situation, promptly offered to foster the hedgehog and warmly welcomed the blue blur into her home, saying that it was the least she could do and that it was a way for her to repay all the times he had saved her daughter.
Sonic was grateful for the chance to stay with someone he knew; having known the adult rabbit for many years; he felt comfortable staying with the family. Though he preferred to be back with his Eggy, he decided to make the best of the situation by playing with Cream and, by some miracle, stayed out of little space. He also thanked Vanilla for opening up her home doing any small chore to help around the house.
A soft knock at the door startled the hedgehog from his thoughts, "Sonic deary may I come in?" Vanilla's muffled voice calls through the door. The blue blur quickly tossed the plush in the diaper bag Rouge had given back to him, kicked it under the bed before calling back with a stutter, "Y-yes. Come in!" he sits back, attempting to look like he was just relaxing when the door opens.
The light from the hallway breaks through the darkroom, lighting up where Sonic sits on the bed. Opening the door, Vanilla's eyes land on the blue bunch of fur, and she feels a tug at her heart, seeing worry and stress lines on the hedgehog's face despite his attempt to act like he isn't a bundle of nerves over tomorrow. She smiles the same smile she gives Cream when the girl is anxious.
Her heart goes out to the blue hedgehog wishing she could do more to help, but until the orphaned hedgie's guardian situation is settled, she would do her best to support him.
"I just wanted to let you know I'm putting Cream to bed, dear. Is there anything you need from me?"
"Oh no, thanks, Miss Vanilla. I'm good. I should probably go to bed too gotta early start tomorrow." he politely refuses and yawns, holding a hand over his mouth, "Alright, I'll be awake just a little bit longer. Call me if you need anything, sweetheart. Even if I'm asleep, don't be afraid to wake me up. I don't mind."
Sonic's chest constructs as he swallows the lump in his throat, her endearments reminding him of the same pet names Eggman calls him hurts.
Though he was sure Vanilla was trying to come off as welcoming and helpful, her gentle demeanor came more as an unwanted affliction than comfort. It felt like someone took an arrow and shot it at Sonic's chest, tearing a piece of his heart out, and his stomach rolls at the thought that...he may never hear those endearments from the kind doctor again.
Sonic manages to chock out, "Thank you. Goodnight." then turns away so as not to see the kind smile on her face and so that she won't see the tears filling his eyes.
"Goodnight, Sonic." Vanilla whispers before softly closing the door with a click, encasing the room in darkness again. The blue hedgehog listens to her walk away; once he's sure she's far enough away, he shudders a breath and rubs his hands over his face.
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Mantras in his head until the need fades away, and he slides down on the bed gazing at the ceiling with heavy eyes until he drifts off to an uneasy sleep.
*The following day*
Sonic tugs at the ends of his gloves, nervously standing by the courtroom door with Shadow. The blue blur shivers as a chill runs down his spine, "Why do humans always keep their buildings so cold?! They don't have any fur, and yet here I am, standing around in a monkey suit, freezing my tail off!" he complains at the only other person standing around in the hallway.
The Ultimate Lifeform rolls his eyes and adjusts his dark navy tie making sure it's perfectly straight, "I'm not sure, but if you don't quit your whining, I'll chaos spear your mouth shut."
" ... Will I be warm?"
Shadow isn't sure how sincere the question is but groans and thanks Chaos when the doors open at last, with Rouge stepping out wearing a form-fitting red dress—looking more like she is getting ready to go clubbing than to court. "You can all come in now. They're getting ready to start."
"I was beginning to wonder." a soft voice says behind Sonic; the hedgehogs and bat turn to see Vanilla and Cream walking from the restrooms toward the trio, "Come along, dearies we musn't keep the judge waiting." she gently urges them. She places a supportive hand on Sonic's shoulder.
The group of five walk into the filled large courtroom and take their seats in the last row in the back—Sonic looks around, surprised to see so many people here.
In the front are his friends and their appointed lawyer; in the pews behind them are various news station reporters and their camera crews watching and listening for any exciting or juicy detail that could be said in what surely would be the court case; of the decade!
On the other side at the front is Eggman sitting alone; Sonic gazes at the older man's bald head, longing to run into his arms for a hug or at least for the man to turn around so he could see his baby was here. Behind the doctor are a few more news reporters and some G.U.N. agents acting as security to keep out anybody who hasn't been approved to attend.
Rouge startles the blue devil from his longing gaze, whispering in his ear, "Shadow and I will be helping represent The Doctor sweety. We've already made arrangements so that no one will call you to the stand."
That came as a relief for the blue blur; it had worried him not to see a lawyer of some kind sitting with the doctor. He was surprised that Rouge and Shadow would act in his defense, "Wait! You won't be staying?" as he says this, Sonic feels ashamed for asking her as a scared small child would for their parents to stay with them. Though he didn't want to admit that's exactly how he was feeling right now, he wanted them to help Eggman as the human needs them more than he did.
"Sorry, Sugar, someone's got to help the doctor, and we have the evidence we need to do that. Also..." she sadly smiles at the hedgehog, "No one else wanted to represent him, so..." the white bat shrugs, silently implying the rest.
Sonic nods once, crossing his arms, not liking the situation but understanding, "Ok. Take care of him for me, will ya?" he nods to the human. Rouge looks back at the doctor, then to Sonic, "Of course, Sugar." she assures him before leaving.
His ears lower as the two spies walk away and take their seats next to the doctor; they say something to the human, and he turns back, looking right at the hedgehog. Sonic gives a tiny smile and waves; the doctor does the same before a loud voice suddenly announces that it's time to begin. "All rise for the honorable judge Danvers!"
Everyone in the room stands; cameras flash as the judge appears in his black robes floating through the space and takes his seat. Everyone does the same as he looks over the crowd, not batting an eye at the high-profile people or cameras recording the event.
Sonic concentrates on his breathing and tries not to shake or fidget too much as the judge booms out in a low, dull voice, "Court Case number 1991 The Sonic Team vs. Doctor Eggman. Mr. Sega represents the accusers, and Miss Rouge represents the defendant. This court is now in session. You may both start your opening statements."
As the human lawyer begins, the blue blur feels a soft hand rub his arm, "It's alright, deary try not to stress yourself out too much." Vanilla whispers; Sonic takes her hand and squeezes it, "Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome; it's the least I can do for you. I hate that you have to go through this. Seeing your friends fighting with someone you obviously care about. Just thinking of you having to come here alone, I couldn't bear the thought."
Sonic blinks away a tear and nods, feeling his head fill with emotions that made him want to cry, but he makes himself breathe through his stomach and discreetly wipes the tears away.
He needed to hope for the best; thinking about possibly being taken away from his M-Eggy would not help him get through this ordeal.
After a few minutes, the worst of the hedgehog's nerves settle enough for him to concentrate. Quietly he lets his leg shake and listens to the lawyer's polite arguing, observing the judge's face for anything that could give Sonic a clue which side he was leaning more toward.
Chapter 29: Coming Out
Notes:
*Can you believe it's been a year since I started this story?! Wow! Time flies by when you're busy!
Honestly, I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to this point, but better late than never, and I've been consistent in posting at least once a month. The good news is we're almost done with this story... the bad news is the story is almost over. 😭*
Chapter Text
Seated in the back row again, Sonic bored as hell and anxious as ever, fiddled with his tie for the tenth time that morning; he released a tired sigh, ready for this day and the arguments to end.
Listening to the lawyer's yelling, accusations, questions, and the sound of the gavel banging on the judge's desk several times a day over the last few days made the hedgehog's ears hurt, and his brain melt into goo.
The ridiculous accusations and outlandish theories of how Eggman had deviously tricked and brainwashed him were full of confusing twists and turns like a long-running soap opera that its producers refused to end despite the lack of ratings. Sonic couldn't remember what was hypothetically done to turn him into an "Eggbrained zombie" at this point, anything else could be said, and he would agree with it just to get the stories to stop so they could move on!
How Rouge could keep it all straight for several days and calmy, deny everything without tripping up even once was beyond anything the blue hedgehog could have ever done. He had to hand it to the white bat, she was good!
Unfortunately, despite all of Rouge's efforts, it was plainly evident that the judge leaned more towards the accusor's side. It didn't matter what was said, even the tapings of Sonic and Eggman's past conversations or the brief videos of them just hanging out. The possibility of the doctor lying at the time or tricking Sonic into a sense of security due to all of his history tainted everything like a spoiled piece of meat that had long been tossed away. The disgusting scent still lingered.
Even the results of Tails' scans that showed the doc had not altered Sonic in any way didn't make much of a difference.
"True. But can you really expect someone who has been known to obsessively harass, stalk, and repeatedly speak about wanting to 'cut a certain hedgehog open to see what makes him tick' just suddenly to stop? Even if he is refraining himself, who's to say he doesn't still think about it? Or that one day, those thoughts become too tempting, and he finally breaks under pressure?
And during those 6 months that Mr. Sonic was in the doctor's captivity prior to this one, that is supposedly consensual, mind you. Was being experimented on during that time? How do we know that something wasn't done to the hedgehog then? Then he is allowed to roam around and place everyone into a false sense of security until the doctor could make his move?!"
That theory from the man acting as his friend's lawyer had visibly put doubt in the judge's mind. Eggman and Sonic both wilted at the accusation for different reasons.
Eggman was hurt, ashamed, and embarrassed, knowing that some of it was true. He felt guilty enough about his past actions; the reminders and implications of him possibly hurting his precious hedgie just made it worse.
After recovering from hearing the accusation, which was a low blow in his mind, Sonic was so mad he had almost leaped out of his seat, ready to punch the lawyer and scream out how stupid he sounded.
Having noticed his temper rising, Vanilla stopped the blue blur placing a hand on his trembling shoulder, and shook her head 'no,' leaving him to try and cool off his anger silently. Wishing he could go up to reassure Eggman that he knew the doctor would never do such a thing to him now.
Yes, he knew the man did struggle at times with such thoughts of wanting to experiment on him as to satisfy his scientific curiosity (the doctor had admitted this to him privately one evening). Still, after all they had been through over the last several months, he was confident Eggman would not give in to those desires because he loved and could never purposely hurt the blue blur.
Sonic had told him as much that same night and would do so repeatedly until the man trusted in himself as much as he trusted Sonic to let go and be Little around the human.
And the blue blur would speak such thoughts now to the judge if he could, but Rouge had it covered, so he didn't need to speak up or testify. No one was going to call him, and even if he could, who's to say anyone would believe the words of a supposedly brainwashed hedgehog?
The banging of the gavel broke Sonic from his agitated thoughts, "Alright, I'm calling for 1-hour recess. The courtroom will be open again in 45 minutes. Case dismissed for now."
At that, most everyone in the room stands up, stretching their legs, ready for a break, and quietly conversing with guesses as to whether Eggman would be counted as guilty or not. News reporters quickly left the room to update their bosses with the latest details about the hottest case with Rouge hot on their tails, making it seem as though she was escorting the nosey nellies out. Sonic perks his ears and stands as the white bat hurries to his side and pulls him away from Vanilla and Cream; he gives her a curious look at her suspicious behavior.
"What's up?" he asks once they are far enough away from any eager to eavesdrop. Rouge discreetly checks that no one is listening, then relaxes enough to sigh in frustration, "I'm sure you can tell that things are not looking up for your Eggy right now?" she says as a question when really it was more of a statement.
"Yeah, please tell me you have something that can turn this thing around?"
"I do, but...you're not going to like it."
Now that seemed odd to him; if it was going to help keep his M-Eggy out of bars, it was good in his book. "Why? What is it? Ya know what, never mind!" he backtracks, "I don't care what it is. If it can help Eggman, I want you to do it!"
The bat's eyes widen in surprise, "Sugar, are you sure? I haven't even told you yet what it is-" Sonic cuts her off with the careless wave of his hand, "Doesn't matter. If whatever it is will help you keep Tails from sending Eggman behind bars, I'm behind all the way!" The hedgehog stops in regret hearing how harsh his words sounded when he spoke of his younger brother, "Wait, I didn't mean...I know Tails is just looking out for me and all, but this is so frustrating the mess he's caused. And I don't want-" he rambles as a helpless whimper escapes from him. Rouge quickly shushes the blue devil placing a finger on his lips with an understanding smile.
"It's ok, Blue. I know what you're trying to say." slowly, she lowers her finger from his lips, "Thanks," he mutters.
"But I must warn you. What I'm going to show to the judge is very sensitive; you may want to leave before they start again."
Now that Sonic could hardly believe. Leave now? When the story is at its climax? No way! Even though he couldn't do anything, he could stay and support his Eggy! Whatever is so sensitive he could handle it; he's Sonic the Hedgehog! Defeater of Gods and protector of Mobius! He's seen and done it all, so whatever Rouge would show later, he was sure, would be a piece of cake!
"Don't worry about me, Rougie; I can handle it! You just worry and focus on making sure my Eggy is safe." he crosses his arms confidently, daring her to try and keep him away. The bat bites her plump lips before letting out a troubled sigh and says with a warning tone, "Alright, sweetheart, whatever you say. Just remember, if it gets to be too much, you can leave. Me, Shadow, Eggman, and I'm sure Vanilla won't think any less of you."
"I'll be fine, Rouge," he waves her concern off, "this hedgehog can handle anything!" he says, pointing a thumb to himself and puffing out his chest. She nods and returns to her seat, where Shadow has just returned with some sandwiches.
"Sonic, sweetie." Vanilla calls Sonic's attention; he turns to the rabbit and her daughter, "Come along, let's go grab something to eat."
"Coming!" he says, quickly catching up to the rabbits waiting by the door, a small hard ball growing in his stomach at Rouge's forwarning.
Could the piece of evidence they're going to show be that bad? It can't be anything worse than the videos they've already shown of Eggman and me having our private conversations, right? Sonic pondered, but he couldn't think of anything that could cause worry, at least from his perspective.
I'm sure it's nothing, and Miss dramatic is just being overly cautious, is all. Odd cause usually that's Shadows specialty. Oh well, I don't think there's anything to worry about, so I won't.
With that, the blue devil pushes down the hardball in his stomach by stuffing his face with the chili dog and coke Miss Vanilla had ordered for him, which he would soon regret by nausea that he would have over an hour later.
Vanilla, Cream, and Sonic return to the courtroom with a few minutes to spare. The hedgehog was holding his head high after convincing himself that he was worrying over nothing due to stress over the last week, confident that Rouge's trump card would pull the judge in Eggman's favor.
He raises an eyebrow though at the startling empty room. That's funny usually; this place is packed to the gills every time before it starts. Where are all the reporters, cameras, and G.U.N. agents? The blue blur wonders, looking over the empty pews.
Before he could even think about going up to the white bat and asking her, the door from the backroom slams open with the judge coming out. Wasting no time in sitting down and hitting the gavel, signaling that court was back in session again. The rest of the inhabitants quickly take their seats, making the room seem even more barren.
Sonic taps on Vanilla's shoulder, whispering and pointedly nodding his head, "Hey, where is everyone?"
"I don't know deary," she responds, just as confused as he is. Huffing, Sonic adjusts his suitcoat and crosses his arms, turning his attention to the front.
Rouge clears her throat before gracefully standing and starts her arguments with a clear, crisp voice, "Your honor. Over the last few days, my opposer has brought up many different ideas and stories on how my client could have possibly "brainwashed" Mr. Sonic into his slave. However, we have yet to see any evidence of this! Quite the opposite; in fact, we have proof that Dr. Eggman has done nothing that could in any way indicate him attempting to do so.
Admittedly his past record does show that my client has tried in the past to experiment on Mr. Sonic, but he has also agreed via a well-written contract as is seen here..." At her word, a projector screen lowers from the ceiling as she saunters up to the judge, presenting him with a copy of the contract papers Eggman and Sonic had signed for him to examine.
"That my client agreed to participate in being rehabilitated via with Mr. Sonic's assistance which my client has made great strides in stopping all his previous villainous habits and projects. As well as reforming his assets for more humane endeavors such as charities and life-saving medical equipment."
Sonic smiled proudly at the statement; it was true Eggman had made significant progress since the start of his reformation. The doctor had significantly improved, becoming more of a model citizen with the blue hero's guidance; it made the hedgehog's chest swell and his face glow with happiness.
Vanilla pats Sonic on the back in congratulations for all his hard work; he smiles widely at her before turning his attention back to Rouge, whose serious mood seemed to falter with a proud smile for a moment before collecting herself back to a neutral face.
"In exchange for Mr. Sonic's assistance, Doctor Eggman would provide housing, food, and PSTD treatment for his services."
Sonic's eyes widen, surprised at her mentioning that, and his hands begin to sweat. Ok, I wasn't expecting her to talk about that. He shakes the brief wave of nerves off, reminding himself that there is nothing to worry about. Everything would go well so long as the situation stayed in Rouge's capable hands. He returns his focus on the bat.
"For those in the court who may not be familiar with the acronym. PTSD stands for Post. Traumatic. Stress. Disorder is defined as a common psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or events.
As is well known, my client has been the instigator of many life-threatening and world-ending events that Mr. Sonic has risked his life repeatedly to stop and succeeded each time. Unfortunately, his bravery and heroism came with a price as he developed this disorder which my client noticed.
Being a well-educated man Dr. Eggman is well versed and certified in many specialties in the medical field, including psychiatry. When Mr. Sonic and Dr. Eggman signed the contract, he offered in addition to food and housing to give Mr. Sonic therapy sessions and treatment."
Ok, ok. That all sounds good, not so bad so far. Going down the community service route is good, and everything is in the positive for Eggy. Sonic rubbed his sweaty hands; as long as Rouge continued to describe things in a general manner, everything would be ok. Despite his confidence, the blue blur couldn't help but feel his nerves start to rise, and his stomach started to churn.
He watches intently, swallowing a lump in his throat as the bat takes a breath before continuing.
"My client wanted to do what was best for Mr. Sonic for his treatment and, having observed him for many years, decided to try a course of treatment that is somewhat uncommon but very effective."
Sonic's eyes widened in fear, and he held his breath, instantly knowing what she was talking about. But she couldn't possibly be alluding to what he was thinking of, right?! Yet the hedgehog knew Eggman had not recommended or tried another form of treatment. He waited with bated breath for the pin to drop, hoping he was wrong and begging silently. Please don't say it, please don't say it! Please don't say it!
"Age regression therapy."
The imaginary sound of breaking glass explodes in the hedgehog's ears, and he almost screams out in horror at the reveal. His hands turned into fists as he gripped his knees, failing to keep himself from shaking as Rouge continued.
"Age regression therapy is a form of therapy that encourages the patient to revert to a younger state of mind where the patient may act and speak as if they were younger. It can be self-induced or induced by a therapist. This practice was done to help relieve stress and give Mr. Sonic a chance to have the childhood he never had the opportunity to experience in a safe environment. During the treatment, Dr. Eggman acted as Mr. Sonic's caregiver while he was in both a physical and mental vulnerable state."
The judge nods with a thoughtful hum and asks, "Miss Rouge, I have heard about this kind of therapy before but as a very controversial form of treatment. Also, I find it hard to imagine allowing himself to be placed in such a vulnerable state to his arch-enemy even if Dr. Eggman has made great strides in his rehabilitation."
The bat nods, knowing the judge might ask such questions, "This is true, your honor; however, the treatment is controversial only because, as with any treatment or medication, it can be harmful to those who abuse such things or, if not done correctly.
But as you can see from the files underneath the contract, my client has been authorized to apply such treatments if he felt it necessary, along with several logs documenting the treatment results.
You can also see from these brief videos and pictures as evidence that my client never abused his authority of power while his patient was in a vulnerable state, and that progress was made on his end as well."
Everyone in the room is silent as the projector lights up with the first picture, loud gasps and "oh my god's" are heard, and Sonic's face goes utterly ghost-white seeing his little self on screen. He starts hyperventilating and sweating as if someone had turned up the thermostat to boiling, yet chills run down his arms, making him shake. The hedgehog regretted having lunch as now he felt like throwing up all over the courtroom.
The picture showed the hedgehog lying on his back on a baby blanket wearing only a diaper, pacifier in his smiling mouth as he played with a stuffed animal.
Sonic's already rapid breathing and shaking only picked up as another, and another picture went by.
Him being bathed by Eggman in a tub filled with baby bath toys and bubbles. Sitting in his high chair, face covered with food, dirty diaper on display, and laughing. Being swaddled and bottle feed in Eggman's arms in the nursery. Crawling after a ball in the nursery while wearing a footed onesie that did nothing to hide his diaper bulge.
Then as if it couldn't get any worse, a video of him smiling and cooing at the camera, the view cutting off at just his stomach where you could tell from Eggman talking in the background that he was changing the hedgehog's diaper.
Sonic chocked back his slightly regurgitated lunch; this was too much, this was humiliating, this was life-altering!
No...life-ending!
Sonic watched in terror as his secret was being put on display for everyone to see; he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering to all of his friends who were watching the screen with expressions of shock and open jaws as if they were watching a gory R-rated horror film.
Rouge was right. He should have left earlier! Sonic wanted to disappear forever, hide away in the smallest, darkest cave, and cease to exist. What was he thinking in giving her permission to show all of this?!
His heart was beating alarmingly fast and hard against his chest; he put a hand over it to keep it from beating out. Yet as fast as the organ was pumping, he couldn't pull a single breath into his burning lungs; the room was constructing around him, making him feel claustrophobic. Spots danced in his vision as he vibrated in his chair.
He was dying. He was actually dying of embarrassment; he could hear the cruel laughter and jeers of how disgusting and infantile he was already now ringing in his ears. The nightmare of his friends making fun of his ageplay resurfaced in his mind.
The nightmare was becoming a reality.
The fear and noise in his head were so loud he couldn't hear himself desperately gasping for air or Vanilla's concerned voice beside him as she fruitlessly tried to call him back to her.
"Sonic. Sonic! Dear, can you hear me?!" Vanilla whispers loudly, trying not to call everyone's attention to the hedgehog next to her having a very bad panic attack. She fumbles beside the blue blur, hands hovering over him yet not daring to touch in fear of making the panic attack worse.
In her desperation, she was just about to break down and ask someone to call an ambulance, afraid that the young hedgehog next to her was about to pass out or have a heart attack. When suddenly, she let out a yelp in shock at the empty-eyed blue devil who unexpectedly and with a panicked expression startled her.
Unlocking his limbs to stand, he dashes out of the courtroom with a WHOOOSH! The door banging loudly behind him as he disappeared; quickly, Vanilla ushers her daughter to follow her, "Sonic! Sonic!" she calls after him.
But the hedgehog was long gone.
Everyone in the courtroom looked back to see what the commotion was but only saw the doors swing closed.
Outside of the courtroom, the adult rabbit gasps. "Oh my goodness!" she moans, turning to both directions hoping to see blue fur, but the hallway is empty; a tug to her dress has Vanilla looking down at her confused daughter. "Momma, what happened? Why did he leave so quickly?" Cream asks worriedly, not understanding what just happened.
"I'm-I'm not sure, dear." she stutters a half-lie. Vanilla wasn't entirely sure what had gotten the hedgehog so upset that he had a panic attack and ran away, though she did have an idea. She couldn't worry about the right now; her primary focus right now needed to be finding out where the blue devil could have gone before he got hurt or lost in his fragile state. She had never seen Sonic look so scared before; it worried her immensely.
Following her motherly intuition, she grabs her daughter's hand and hurries to the front doors hoping her instincts are right.
Chapter 30: Settled
Chapter Text
The tears won't stop, not that Sonic is making any kind of effort for them to stop, but he's sure he would fail if he tried. Because let's face it, the build-up had been coming for quite some time since his kidnapping.
Now his biggest, most embarrassing secret coming out for all the world to see was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Everything was ruined!
After seeing those videos and pictures, his friends thought he was a disgusting freak who enjoyed pretending to be a stupid baby. They would never want to anywhere near him again, scorn him for life. Who wants to hang out with a pathetic baby?
No one, that's who!
Sonic can just imagine the backlash he'll get. Knuckles will go on a long lecture of how shameful it is as a protector of the Chaos emeralds for him to engage in something so deplorable. How weak he was for letting himself be degraded by succumbing to the behaviors of a feeble infant, insulting Chaos and all those involved in guarding and protecting the emeralds. Then once the echidna was finished, he would forbid Sonic from ever returning to Angel Island and coming near the emeralds ever again, all the while repeating how unworthy he is.
As much as he was fond of and put off by Amy's affections for him, Sonic couldn't help feeling his heart twist, knowing this would be the thing that would finally bring Amy to cease her ritual chasing and declaring affection for him. After seeing Sonic's true colors as an immature child, she would stop seeing him as a hero instead of going on for hours about how brave he was or how they met. Would do all in her power to make sure nobody knew she had ever met the blue blur.
And Tails...Chaos Tails his brother would probably disown him. The fox had to be shocked to find out his older brother, role model, and hero turned out to be a crying, bottle sucking, diaper-wearing baby! Keeping in contact with such a person was ill-advised; who would continue to look up to such a person in their right mind? So the only logical thing to do would be to distance himself and cut off all ties with the shameful hedgehog.
Vanilla would surely kick him out after today, thinking of him as a bad influence on her daughter and leaving him to have to stay with Shadow or Rouge for the foreseeable future since it was obvious Eggman was going to jail for life.
Oh, Chaos!
Sonic bites his lip almost to the point of it breaking, trying to keep a sob at bay, his heart twisting painfully and stomach nauseous from the ugly thoughts passing through.
How stupid he was, disgusting, gross, dense, gullible.
He didn't want to be kicked out; he didn't want his Eggy to go away forever!
How could he have ever believed that this was ever going to work out? Everyone had made it plain from the beginning that getting involved with Eggman's contract had been a mistake.
They were right, all of them! I should have never done this; look where I ended up. The contract failed, and Eggman is still going to jail, but now it's worse cause I had my hopes too high. I've lost all my friends and my reputation as a hero. No one will ever look or treat me the same ever again! What will I do? Where will I go? Wandering around aimlessly again? It's been so long since I've flown the Tornado or done anything other than fighting Eggman. I...I have no idea what to do now other than being a baby.
A baby without a Mommy.
At that moment, he felt a rush of despair, and the fight he had been keeping to hold on to his Big headspace was lost. He felt little, oh so little, and alone in the scary world without Eggman, Metal, or even Shadow nearby to comfort him. It frightened Sonic so that he freely started weeping.
He cries for several minutes until his ears twitch, hearing the front door of the cottage open. Sonic gasps, terrified, and dives underneath the bed, scurrying to a dark corner where the bed meets the wall to get away from the criticizing yelling he expects.
The hedgehog covers his mouth, trying to quiet his sobs so his position isn't given away, thinking that maybe if he were quiet, Vanilla wouldn't find and make Sonic leave just yet, but he can't quite control his breathing. He panics at the realization that he's still crying loudly, making it harder for him to steady his breathing, making him panic and cry louder.
Sonic near screeches when Vanilla bends down and finds him under the bed; the surprise has the hedgehog crying hysterically in distress to the point his chest physically hurts from the pressure.
"There you are, sweetheart! Oh my goodness, you poor thing!" Vanilla exclaims and cooes, seeing the fat tears pouring out of those big green eyes in the darkness. Visibly sighing in relief to have found him, she questions gently, "What are you doing under there?"
"So-so-so-so-sorry!" Sonic hiccups, trembling and making himself smaller when the rabbit frowns, worried that she was angry at him, "What on Mobius for? You haven't done anything wrong." the hedgehog shakes his head, disagreeing, and confusing Vanilla further. "Sonic. Please come out, sweetheart, and tell me what's wrong."
He wipes away a few tears considering the idea for a moment before deciding it was too risky to come out, but it would be rude to stay quiet. He can still answer her.
Taking several deep breaths to get a hold of his erratic breathing, it takes the blue devil several tries before he's able to get out a soft, "...M' gross." Vanilla is taken aback at the proclamation, "No, you are not gross, Sonic. Why would you say that?"
"Pictures."
"...The pictures of you in court today?"
Sonic nods curling into himself, embarrassed and ashamed at having to admit it out loud. He peeks his eyes open, watching as Vanilla lets out a sad sigh and lays down on the floor, keeping her face where the hedgehog can see. She reaches a hand out under the bed without touching him just close enough to let him know she's near; Vanilla opens and closes her mouth several times before speaking hesitantly, "Sonic...I admit I don't understand completely what happened today or what has made you so upset. But I do know when a child is in distress and needs comfort. And darling, look at me please." she gently pushes.
Some months ago, Sonic would have refused to obey such an order, gentle or not, from any kind of authority, but having been age playing for a while now with Eggman. His attitude with authority is slightly better than before; he now finds himself doing as she asks. Waiting for her to continue, when she knows she had his attention, she speaks softly, "Right now I see before me a child who really could use a hug. If you'd let me, I'd like to do that for you? Will you come out of there, sweetheart?"
Part of the blue blur is afraid this is a trick to get him out so she could toss him to the curb but hearing the sincere, loving tone in her voice and looking into those warm waiting eyes. Sonic needed no further prompting for him to crawl out and into her arms.
Vanilla holds him as he shakes with silent sobs; he clings to her while she cooes sadly and pats his back. He cries for his Eggy, he cries for all that he's losing, and he cries for feeling so helpless. There's nothing he can punch, kick, or spin dash to make the icky feelings or the situation that brought them to all go away. The hedgehog is stuck watching from the sidelines, and he hates being in such a useless position.
It takes a while before Sonic runs out of tears, an occasional hiccup escaping with his still uneven breathing. Needing desperately something to soothe himself, he shoves his thumb in his mouth and sucks liberally; the sensation minutely helps. Everyone knew at this point his big secret. There was no need to hide anymore.
Vanilla pats his back a few more times, making sure he is calm before slowly pulling Sonic away to look at the hedgehog's face. Her heartbreaking at those big wet, sad eyes, tear tracks on his cheeks, and sucking his thumb with a frown.
It reminded the rabbit that the poor boy was not that much older than her daughter really and had gone for years without anyone to look after or comfort him. Instead, the weight of the world had been put on his shoulders with nary a thought as to the repercussions it would have on someone so young and without guidance.
She thinks about how she would feel if Cream were in his place and imagines that quite possibly Eggman is feeling the same way right now. And it's awful!
She tenderly kisses his head, saying softly in his ear, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, about all of this. You weren't expecting this today, were you?" silently, he shakes his head and angrily mumbles, "Now everybody knows. No one will want to be my friend anymore cause Imma big stupid baby." he sniffs, voice breaking as he adds with tears, "And now I won't get to see my Mo-Eggy no more."
Vanilla says nothing about the hedgehog almost slipping out the title; odd as it was to assign a female title to the opposite sex, it didn't take much for her to connect the dots with the pictures she had seen earlier to understand who Sonic was talking about.
Shushing her charge, she pulls him back to her chest and rubs circles on his back, "I don't think that will happen."
"Yes, it will!" he contradicted, "I saw their faces! Everybody thinks Imma hero no more, just a dumb baby."
"Well, if they think that, after everything you've done for them, then they're no friends at all."
"Do you..." he starts warily, almost thinking better to ask the kind rabbit before she nods, encouraging him to ask anyway, "Do you think Imma baby?"
Vanilla holds back a coo at the question from the emotionally fragile hedgehog, as doing so would concrete his idea that no one sees him as a hero anymore. Instead, she draws a breath, thinking carefully about what to say, "Well...from my eyes, yes, you are very young. I am much older than you after all though maybe not quite as old as your Eggy." she jests, happy to get a wet giggle from the hedgehog.
"So yes to me and Eggman, you are a baby, but we also know you are very courageous and kind and have such a big heart, always willing to help others. Like you do with Eggman and Cream, and you've saved the world so many times and protected us. Your still very much a hero and always will be so long as you stay the way you are."
"Do you think...I'm weird?"
"No, sweetheart." she runs a hand through his quills and kisses his head again, "none of that matters. So long as it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone, it's fine with me." the two are silent as Vanilla holds him and lets him process.
Absorbing and thinking hard about what the rabbit said, Sonic sucks his thumb again. Having known Vanilla for many years, he could trust the rabbit's words; he feels silly now for assuming Vanilla would kick him out. Slowly, the sick churning in his stomach ebbs as a wave of security and acceptance washes over him. Something he has not felt since being taken away.
Being held now in someone's arms helps calm him. He'd missed this badly, but it wasn't quite the same as being in his Mommy-Eggy's, he corrects himself.
Oh, the hell with it!
"I miss my Mommy," he whispers. Vanilla, to his relief, doesn't ask who he's referring to, rolling with it in her response. "I know, deary I know. You'll be with him soon, I'm sure. You just need to be a brave boy and hold on a little while longer."
He knew this, but that didn't make things any easier, "Ok." he listlessly mumbles.
Vanilla continues to hold the hedgie in her lap, running a hand through his quills or rubbing his back every few minutes. Until Sonic's belly growled loudly, startling him. Vanilla can't help but chuckle at the cute response to the noise, "It sounds like someone is ready to eat. I better fix that. Will you be alright now?"
"Yes, Nilla," Sonic says, surprised to hear his little voice coming out of his mouth, but as he thought about it remembering his earlier drop, the change in his voice made sense.
The rabbit pays no mind to the babyish pronunciation of her name or his high voice, acting like it was expected, and places him on the floor before getting on her feet. Brushing away the dust from her skirt, she smiles, "Alright, I'll call when dinner is ready, then."
Sonic watches as she leaves him and jumps in surprise to see Cream standing in the hallway watching him. How long has she been standing there? Did she hear everything? He worries and frowns, realizing he was still sucking on his thumb, knowing he should take it out, but with nothing else to comfort him, he decidedly keeps it in.
The small rabbit smiles, "Hi Sonic. How are you feeling?" she asks in her soft voice walking up to him. He notes that she calls him by his name for the first time without adding Mr. before it; the blue devil has been trying for years to get her to break the habit. What had caused the sudden change?
He shrugs as his answer hugging himself with his free arm. Cream frowns at this, "Oh, I'm sorry. You're having a bad day, aren't you?" he nods, "My Momma said I'm good at helping cheer people up. Maybe I can help?" she says thoughtfully, looking around the room and smiles brightly, spotting the diaper bag.
Sonic follows her eyes, and his brows raise in surprise; he must have forgotten to hide it this morning after putting back his plush following his cuddle session with Ivo last night.
Quickly she goes to it and zips the bag open, pulling out his plush, "Ivo!" Sonic squeaks reaching for the toy. She hands it to him happily as he takes the toy, closing his eyes and holding it close; the rabbit thinks Sonic looks quite cute. The scene reminds her of those pictures of Sonic acting like a baby they had shown in court today. The little rabbit doesn't understand the significance of those pictures or everyone's shocked reactions. To her, it seemed like Sonic and Eggman enjoyed playing 'house' as she does and that Sonic takes the baby role a lot.
Watching the hedgehog now cuddling his toy and sucking his thumb like a baby, Cream realizes that maybe the reason Sonic is so sad is cause after seeing those pictures, he misses playing the game with Eggman. Since she and the blue blur have only played other kinds of games since his arrival, perhaps playing 'house' now will cheer him up. She loves being a Mommy anyway!
Oh, if only she had some baby things like Sonic had in those pictures. Cream wishes, looking back at the bag, her brows rise when she sees what's inside and takes out the objects. She smiles widely and mentally cheers at her find.
Excited to begin, she jumps up, grabs the blanket off the bed, folds it into a neat square then taps on the blue blur's shoulder. He opens his eyes, blinking a question at what she wants. Cream just smiles as she gently guides him to lie down on the floor, head resting on the blanket.
Sonic thinks of taking his thumb out to ask her what she was doing, but Cream beats him to it by taking his thumb out and pressing in a pacifier instead, "Momma says it's not good for babies to suck on their thumbs." she gently scolds.
Sonic's brows wrinkled in confusion and worry; this wasn't right. Cream was treating him like a baby, but he was older than her. He shouldn't allow this to happen; he needed to pull himself together and stop this before it goes any further. Sonic was used to someone older treating him like a baby or toddler, and having someone younger than him felt awkward yet...normal, like it was natural for everyone to treat him this way. It gave a fluttery feeling in his tummy and made his cheeks turn pink. The effect and his demeanor make him feel and look even more babyish.
"Cweam wait, don't-" he starts getting up and trying to stop the rabbit, but she pushes him back down and interrupts him with a condoning tone, "Ah ah ah! No Baby Sonic. Stay right there while Sissy gets a diaper on you."
"Sissy?"
"Mhm!" the young girl hums, "All good babies wear diapers. So be a good baby and let big Sissy put a diaper on you, ok?"
He doesn't know what to say to contradict that and gives the pacifier a thoughtful suck. Creams tone and baby talk sink him deeper into his headspace.
He squeaks in surprise when his legs are lifted, and his butt touches something soft crinkly, and very familiar. This little girl was putting a diaper on him! The hedgie realizes with eyes blown wide as his gaze follows down to see the rabbit humming a nursery rhyme and notices Cheese, for the first time, dusting baby powder on him as if she and the Chao had done this hundreds of times. As if Sonic really was her baby brother, and Cream was his big sister.
Sonic loses himself in the scene, watching the two in wonder as she tapes up the sides and gives his tummy a loving rub with the Chao chirping above him. The soothing touch reminds him of his Eggy, tears fill his eyes, and his bottom lip quivers along with a sad whimper. Cream and Cheese aww at the sad look, "What's the matter, baby?" the rabbit asks.
"Miss Mommy."
"Oh, you miss your Mommy?" she confirms; he agrees with a nod and a sniffle. "Don't worry; you'll see your Mommy soon. Mamma, Big Sissy, and Cheese will take good care of you!" lifting him with a shocking show of strength, she hugs the weepy hedgie, rocking him as best she could since he was a bit bigger than her.
Once a few cathartic tears have escaped, after Cheese wipes them away, he relaxes with a sigh sucking on his paci and cuddling into the rabbit's soft fur, enjoying the sensation of being very small in her hold. Comfortable until a voice calls from downstairs, "Cream, Sonic! Dinner is ready!"
Cream helps Sonic stand and leads him out of the room, taking his larger hand in her own. Cheese floats behind them as they slowly go down the stairs and to the kitchen. A tug on the rabbit's arm stops her from entering; with an upturned brow, the girl looks back to see the hedgie curling in on himself, nervously, sucking on his pacifier.
Cream smiles reassuringly, understanding his apprehension, "It's ok, there's no need to be embarrassed, baby; big Sissy will protect you. Do you wanna be behind me?" Sonic nods fast, thankful that she understood his apprehension, and follows the rabbit waddling behind her like a shy toddler.
They enter seeing Vanilla stirring a steaming pot on the stove; the adult rabbit, hearing soft footsteps behind her, turns and smiles warmly at the two. Holding in a coo at her daughter and the Chao, protectively shielding the shy hedgehog peeking out from behind her.
The desire to pick up and coddle the hedgie was very tempting. Vanilla had been thinking back on the trial while making supper; the images of Baby Sonic flooded her mind. Admittedly it was odd to see the heroic blue blur in such a fashion that was completely different from what she was used to; she wasn't sure what to make of it at first. After ruminating over the pictures, Rouge's statements, and Sonic's breakdown, she found herself having no hangups over the odd behavior.
In fact, she is slightly taken by it, and even more so seeing the blue devil in his infantile state in person. Looking at the hedgehog clad in a puffy rattle patterned diaper, sucking nervously on a pacifier with big shiny eyes, holding tightly his stuffy and trying to hide behind her daughter was adorable!
She quickly concluded that the baby attire had been the result of Cream, where she got the outfit. Vanilla hadn't a clue. That girl just loved to play as a maternal figure any chance she could get, and Sonic's outfit just made her want to scoop up the hedgie to cuddle and coo over him until he popped.
"Are my two young'ens hungry?" she asks, bending down to their height, mentally awing at Cream acting like a big sister for the vulnerable and shy blue blur. "Yes, Mamma!" the little rabbit answers for all three of them.
"Come and sit down then, Cream, Cheese. And Sonic, I have a special seat for you." the hedgehog's ears perk up, and he tilts his head curiously like a puppy.
A brief flash of fear overtakes him when Cream and Cheese walk away, but the fear eases as Vanilla takes him under his arms, also with surprising strength. Maybe it runs in the family? He thinks, unaware of the rabbit placing him in a highchair, the sound of the tray clicking in place alerts him, and Sonic is dumbfounded to see Vanilla had set him in what he assumes is Cream's old highchair.
He turns to see the back padding decorated with baby animals and wiggles his butt finding the seat to be pleasantly comfortable. A sippy cup of water and a bowl of noodles with veggies have magically appeared on the tray when he looks up.
His black nose twitches, smelling the herb and cheesy nut sauce. Wow! This looks like something Metal would make when I'm little. Eyeing the tasty dish, Sonic notices that there is no utensil for him to use; he takes his pacifier out about to ask Vanilla for a spoon when the adult rabbit takes a seat next to him with her bowl and two extra spoons.
One of which is plastic and baby pink colored.
Sonic reaches out to take the spoon, but Vanilla shakes her head instead, scooping up a bite of noodles on the baby utensil blowing it a few times before offering it to him. The blue blur gazes at her and the offer with confusion, "I can feed myself." he suggests with an uncertain tone.
Though he appreciates her attempts to comfort him by the babying treatment, he doesn't want to impose or have her think Sonic expected to be treated this way no matter how much he wants it.
Vanilla shakes her head, "I don't mind, sweetheart. You've had a stressful day, here just eat." she says, dismissing his apprehension by nudging his lips with the spoon. He slowly complies, opening his mouth enough to allow the spoon to enter, then hums at the tasty dish.
It wasn't very strong in flavor, relatively mild actually but delicious. He swallows and opens his mouth like a baby bird, tail wagging, eager for the next bite. Vanilla takes turns feeding herself and the blue baby; the rest of dinner is a quiet affair until all the bowls are empty.
While Cream and Cheese put away the dishes in the sink to soak, Vanilla helps Sonic out of the highchair patting his diapered bottom, "Go on, you three. I'll see you in a minute."
"Ok, thank you, Mamma. Come on, Cheese, let's help Baby pick out a movie." the Chao trills happily while Cream takes the hedgehog's hand, pulling him to the living room, "Tank you, Nilla!" Sonic chirps toddling behind the tiny rabbit. Vanilla chuckles to herself, watching the blue devil waddle in a hurry behind her daughter and the Chao.
Turning her attention to the dishes, the adult rabbit quickly finishes cleaning the kitchen. Once everything is put away, she begins searching deep in the cupboards speaking quietly to herself, "I know I still have one around here somewhere...here? No...what about Ah-ha!" she cheers, finding what she had been looking for.
She has kept an old sparkly pink baby bottle for the odd babysitting job here and there. The rabbit pats herself on the back for her forward-thinking that the bottle would get used still many years later though maybe not for quite the person she had imagined.
Taking the bottle, she raids the fridge for coconut milk, mixing it with a touch of honey and vanilla before setting the concoction in the microwave to warm. A thrill of excitement runs through her at the prospect of getting to bottle feed a baby again, having missed the bonding activity she had used to experience when she had nursed Cream as a baby. She clams herself when the microwave beeps and pulls out the bottle, testing the liquid on her wrist, deeming it safe for consumption before making her way to the living room.
She spies Cheese on his usual perch on the couch with the two children sitting below; both intently focused on a princess movie, one of Cream's favorites; it looks like. Vanilla casually approaches and sits beside the blue blur ignoring his surprised squeak when she picks him up and cradles him in her arms, nudging the nipple to his lips.
Sonic stares at her, the shock only lasting a moment until a drop of milk touches his tongue, and he instinctively latches on, suckling in bliss. He relaxes in her hold and nuzzles into her chest, blinking at her slowly with wide innocent eyes, the movie forgotten.
Vanilla gazes back with eyes full of love and compassion; she rocks and pats his bottom, enjoying the fulfillment of caring for a baby. Even if he is a bit big, she winks at Cheese, who sits on the back of the couch beside her, cooing and chirping softly at her and the baby hedgehog.
Sonic revels in the comfort and simplicity of it all, the warm sweet milk, a full stomach, the diaper securely wrapped around his waist, and Vanilla's loving touches. The hedgehog thinks back to how the events of the day led him to here, not understanding how things had worked out for him to be in this position in Vanilla, Cream, and Cheese's home.
He had been expecting ridicule and rejection, which he still fully expected from his friends after their reactions in court today. But Vanilla's household had surprised him by pushing the baby treatment, putting him in a diaper, feeding him in a highchair, bottle feeding, and cooing at him. He had no clue what had motivated them to do such things, unlike Eggman. Still, it was nice, and the blue blur decided to enjoy it while he could. The rabbit family's kindness...it gave him hope.
As the liquid goes down, so do Sonic's eyelids, and then he drops like a log once all of the milk is gone; the adult rabbit continues to pat and rock the sleeping hedgie. Cheese leaves the two be joining Cream instead while she watches the movie and sings along with a low voice.
Despite the eventful last few weeks, tonight couldn't have gone any better.
*Six months later*
Sonic hums a song he had heard on the radio recently, the earworm and his current good mood, making him swing his hips and tap his feet as he gathers things he needs or wants in his backpack.
The hedgehog's living situation had changed drastically 6 months ago after the court case regarding Eggman's guardianship had ended. Thankfully the human wasn't charged with any accounts of abuse, brainwashing, or attempts of such. Instead, the doctor was approved to have custody of the blue blur. The only thing that kept Sonic and Eggman apart was the judge's insistence that the hedgehog ( since he was old enough and was attending the court hearing ) voice whether this is what he wanted or not.
Thankfully realizing that the hedgehog was NOT prepared at all to answer, the judge had called a recess to allow Sonic some time to think things over.
Before Sonic could find a peaceful place to think, again to the blue blur's surprise, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles approached him, begging him not to go back with Eggman. It threw Sonic through a loop receiving, begging for him to stay with them and not admonishment after yesterday's blowup.
When Sonic questioned them about it, Tails had said though he didn't understand and was a bit concerned about the PTSD and age-reg, it didn't matter as they were still brothers, and he only wished to have the hedgehog back with him again. Stating he was tired of being constantly worried over Sonic's wellbeing.
Amy voiced similar thoughts while Knuckles stayed back, dismissive of the whole affair but agreeing that the hedgehog shouldn't go back with Eggman.
Their dismissal of Sonic's Little side both relieved and bothered him. Relief that his friends were not going to scorn or expel him from their presence but completely ignoring that part of him made the blue devil feel like they didn't accept him wholly either.
Still, he was grateful that at least they were all still friends, and he assured them he would take their input into account as he made his decision.
After they left him, Sonic met up with Rouge privately to ask her some questions.
By the time the blue blur had finished his intense Q&A with the bat, recess was over. He had an answer for the judge; it was one he knew no one would like, but it was the one that would be for the best for all and have the least amount of consequences.
When he was called to the stand, Sonic stood tall and unafraid in front of the judge, reporters, journalists, G.U.N. agents, his friends, and Eggman as he said, "I wish to plead for emancipation."
Predictably both sides of the courtroom erupted in shouts of disapproval, shock, and confusion. The judge had to bang the gavel several times and threaten to throw everyone out before the commotion died down so the judge could ask why.
The blue blur answered, "I've enjoyed staying with Eggman, and both of us have changed for the better because of our agreement. However, my friends have been concerned about my safety from the start, no matter how many times I've told them that I was okay. I showed them proof that nothing suspicious was happening, yet they still didn't believe me. They even orchestrated a kidnapping operation because they couldn't take my word for their paranoia!
Going back to stay with Eggman now wouldn't fix anything even after all of this. Going back with my friends won't fix anything either. Though Eggman is much better than before, I don't feel comfortable leaving him until he has a more stable grasp of how to be your average Joe.
I've talked with my advisor and, since I am old enough, I've decided that pleading for emancipation would be the best answer. I am no one's hedgehog...I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."
After that, the judge granted Sonic's request, much to the dismay of everyone else. To the hedgehog, their opinions didn't matter if they didn't consider all of the other parties, let alone how he felt about it if their side got their way.
Many questions were raised and discussed with Vanilla's family, Rouge, and Shadow acting as Sonic's supports as to what the blue blur would do now that no one had guardianship over him and where this left everyone else.
As much as it pained Sonic, he decided to leave Eggman's and go back to stay with Tails. The fox, though brilliant, was still young himself, and since there was no way in hell, he was going with Sonic to live with Eggman; he needed his older brother to stay at home.
At least part-time.
Though now living again with his younger brother, the blue devil had no intention of abandoning the doctor. Every few weeks or so, Sonic would go back and stay with Eggman for a while, wherein Sonic would continue to help the doctor with his rehabilitation, and the two would spend much quality time together as Mommy and Baby.
Vanilla, Cream, Cheese, Rouge, and Shadow respected and backed his decision while Amy, Tails, and Knuckles were not happy about the arrangement but conceded as the hedgehog was not budging. Especially when he insisted that he felt obligated to help Eggman and would do so no matter what they thought but reassured that he would always return safely to his friends. Eggman was disappointed but happy that he hadn't been sentenced to jail and that he still got to see his baby.
Zipping up his backpack, Sonic tosses the bag over his shoulders, checks that everything in his bedroom is in order before closing the door, and slides down the handrail for the stairs.
"Yo! Pixel brain!" The blue devil shouts, pushing the door open to the workshop, and spots the orange fox working away on his computer. Tiptoeing around the loose screws scattered on the floor, Sonic makes his way to his little brother and taps his shoulder. Tails raises his head and turns, "Oh hey Sonic! What's up?"
"Nothing, just wanted to let you know I'm headed out." he points to his backpack, Tails' eyes land on the bag, and his mood darkens as he sighs, "Alright. See you in a couple of weeks?"
The hedgehog ruffles the fox's bangs in an attempt to make him stop brooding, not letting Tails' dislike for this arrangement dampen Sonic's mood. "Absolutely, bro! Make sure you clean up this mess before you close up shop, alright? Miss Vanilla and the rest of the gang will check up on you while I'm gone, so keep the explosions on the down-low. Kay?" Tails lightly smiles at his big brother, appreciating and glad to see Sonic still intended to look after him despite the visits to Eggman. The fox nods, "Sure thing, bro."
"Cool! See ya!" Sonic chirps, waving goodbye before dashing away, excited to see his Eggy. He follows the path he has worn down over the last few months leading the way to Eggman's base.
The blue blur grins widely, turning his face to the hot summer sun enjoying its rays and the cool breeze flowing by him as he runs past vibrantly green trees and plants. Cicadas start to buzz in the midsummer heat; when Sonic arrives on the base's property, the distant sound of a CHING! goes off when the sensors pick up his presence—alerting Eggman of his imminent arrival.
The hedgehog's smile grows wider as he sees the grey metal building grow bigger in the distance, and he slows down so as not to slam into the door due to his excitement again.
He skips to a stop at the same time the front door slides open with Eggman on the other side. "Come here and give me a hug, you little rascal!" the large man shouts with a chortle, bending down to meet the hedgehog and opening his arms wide, gesturing for Sonic to land in his embrace. Which the hedgie does with glee jumping into his caregiver's arms and hugging him tightly, Eggman jokingly grunts and rises, "I've missed you, baby." The doctor whispers in Sonic's ear and kisses the side of his head.
The pet name is enough to knock Sonic off his big space, which he had been fighting for the last several days. He feels the last of his teenage mindset melt away as he nuzzles himself into Eggman's neck and replies with a whisper, "I missed you too, Mommy."
THE END
Notes:
*Wow! We're done!
Wasn't that a rush, especially at the end?! I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I did, and I think my writing has greatly improved since my first story. Though as much as I have enjoyed it, it's time to move on! 😭
Unfortunately, I have to go on a brief hiatus from posting. As I'd like to work on my own original story, "ColorPunk," for a bit, (If you are interested in being a beta reader or are curious in general, just DM, and I can send you details, FYI it is an action-adventure story series NO Age-reg/Little), also I want to work on having plenty of chapters done and ready for ya'll with my next Little Sonic story featuring Daddy Shadow in "Baby Don't Hurt Me."
This way, when I start posting again, there will be less considerable periods to wait for the next update.
I plan on coming back in about 4 months...well, after the Sonic sequel (I'm so excited for it! Did ya'll hear they're also working on a 3rd movie 😱!) I know that's so long to wait, but I promise it will be worth it! Wish you all lots of love and Little time!
Raven out! 👋
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