Sonic's Siblings

by Turai

Summary:

Sonic doesn't have just one brother.

He actually has four siblings. They just happen to share one body.

Chapter 1: Miles

Tails sat hunched over his workbench as he tinkered away on Whisper's wispon. He couldn't help but still be surprised that the wolf had actually let him tinker with it. She treated the weapon as if it was family and no one in their right mind could blame her.

It was the creation of a beloved family member after all, a family heirloom of sorts.

Smithy, the prototype’s creator and Whisper's older brother in every way that mattered, had been a genius to put it lightly. The way it managed to channel the power of not one breed of wisp but five of them was unlike anything that the fox had ever laid his eyes upon.

And therein lay the rub.

He couldn't understand how it worked.

He, Tails the Fox, famous boy genius couldn't understand it.

Yes, he could help with basic maintenance but replicating the variable wispon was somehow so far beyond him that he felt like a crayon eating toddler when compared to the lion who'd made it.

“I don't get it!” he whined as he twisted his hands around the screwdriver he was grabbing tight. “Belle was able to rebuild it from scraps yet I can't even-”

He let out a high pitched yell born out of pure frustration before sinking into his chair with a groan of defeat.

"Sonic…he can help."

“No, he can't! ”Tails snapped at the meek voice in the back of his head. “He doesn't know the first thing about how a wispon works!”

"Need him. His kind words. Warm hugs. Need him."

Tails groaned as he dragged a gloved hand across his muzzle in frustration. Frustration born in part that he was stuck in this rut to begin with but also in part because he knew that Miles was right. He needed his brother. Whatever it was out of his own wants and needs or because Miles was seeping through, he couldn't tell.

He rarely could with the younger boy.

 

————

Thuck, thuck, thuck.

The knife hit the cutting board in quick succession as Sonic sliced carrots to go along with the chicken that was cooking in the oven, filling the room with a smell that could only be described as divine.

His ears twitched slightly as he heard the telltale sound of fox paws against the hardwood floor and he turned to see one of his siblings shuffle towards him.

He couldn't tell for sure who was fronting just yet but he had a good idea just from posture alone. The fox’s shoulders were hunched while his blue eyes peeked through the drapes that were his unkempt fur.

“Miles?” Sonic asked before smiling as the fox replied by way of a quick nod. “Hey there kiddo! Is everything alright?”

“I-don't know? Just need…” Miles tried and the little fox couldn't help but smile as his big brother ruffled his hair affectionately.

Sonic knew his youngest sibling well enough by this point to know what the kit wanted, nay, needed. He always made himself known after they ended another one of Eggman's foolish schemes, after their run-ins with Surge or any other any number of dangers they found themselves in on an all too regular basis.

The times Miles had fronted without the system needing some kind reassurance or comfort could be counted on one hand.

“A hug?” Sonic asked and Miles barely had time to nod before being swept up by a full body hug by the hedgehog.

A faint purr escaped the fox as he buried his muzzle in his brother's neck and it didn't take long before it grew in volume until the kitchen was filled with a deep thrum.

Sonic loved all of his siblings but he found himself wishing that Miles would front more often around him and not only whenever they needed comfort.

Comfort that he gladly provided, mind you.

The kit were generally content with staying in the background in the system's shared headspace unless they needed to reach out for their big brother.

At least Whisper and Jewel had better luck coaxing the young fox to the front. Something about their calmer demeanor called to him just as much as Sonic's adrenaline pumping adventures called to Tails and Millie.

Well, calmer demeanor when not trying to blow Eggman's brains out in Whisper's case.

“Thanks Sonic.” Miles hummed as he closed his eyes, relishing in his brother's comforting presence.

“Anything for you kiddos.” Sonic replied as he tightened his hug ever so slightly. “Anything and anytime.”

Notes:

Thanks to The Bricklayer and EyelessFog for reading through my draft and providing feedback.

Please let me know what you thought.

Chapter 2: Millie

Millie felt adrenaline flood her system as her twin tails pushed her forwards at dizzying speeds, way beyond what any fox should be able to achieve. A turn came up and she slammed a foot into the ground to quickly turn around, not wishing to waste any time in taking it with care.

Today was the day she'd finally beat her personal best. Today was the day when she'd finally get just a little closer to matching her big brother.

There he was, at the finish line, stopwatch in hand and a grin on his face. She passed him and she felt him scoop her up just a few seconds later as he raced past and cheered loudly.

“You did it Millie! A full second faster than your old record!”

A giddy laugh left her as he spun her around as he slowed down to a halt. One day she'd be just as cool and fast as him. One day she'd beat his record. She knew that day was far off but that only drove her to train harder.

“I did it! Finally! I finally did it!” she cheered before jumping down from Sonic's embrace. The hedgehog could only laugh as the excited fox started to run circles around him at high speeds, cheering all the while.

“You sure did! Your training really paid off!” Sonic said as Millie finally started to calm down, even if just slightly and started to shift from foot to foot rather than running around.

“Yeah! I wanna go again! See if I can break it! You rea-” She tried before her big brother cut her off by ruffling her hair with a big grin on her face.

“Hey, let your record breathe for a bit kiddo, you did great today!” Sonic said with a big grin plastered on his muzzle. “Let's race to Ron's in Spiral Hill instead, get ourselves some chili dogs!”

Millie's face lit up like a Christmas tree at the mention of not just food but a race but her joy didn't last long before it felt like an ice pick was being jammed into her skull.

”No.”

“No…no, I'm having fun! You can't…stop me…” Millie groaned as she clutched her head while her vision started to blur from the pain.

”I don't want to, it could be dangerous. I don't want to-”

The voice grew quiet as their big brother took their hands in his and gave them a squeeze. Millie could feel the headache ease up slightly and she could see the worry in Sonic's emerald green eyes.

“Rosie, I know that you're worried but you have to stop. You're hurting Millie, you're hurting yourself.” Sonic said as he looked straight into their eyes, past Millie and directly at the other fox who was trying to wrest control. “These forced switches are never good for any of you. You'll be safe, trust me.”

”Do you promise?”

“S-she wants you…to promise…”

“I promise. No badniks, no Eggman, no deadly duels. Just a race to get some food, that's all. I'll be with you the whole time.” Sonic said with a gentle smile that grew as Millie let out a sigh of relief as the last of the splitting headache let up and she could feel Rosie retreat back into their shared subconsciousness.

“I…hate her…so much…” Millie muttered as she looked away from her brother. “She's always getting in the way.”

“I know it can be…difficult, ” Sonic tried. “but she is your sister and-”

“No, she's not! She's your sister!” Millie snapped back. “She's just my headmate! I never asked for her to mess up my life! I didn't ask for yet another voice in my head!”

“Neither did she.” Sonic sighed. “She didn't ask to form any more than you did, she did because you needed her.”

“Of course you'd take her side!” Millie grunted as she faced away from her brother with an angry huff before flinching ever so slightly as he rested his hand on her shoulder.

“I'm not. What she did was wrong, she hurt you.” he said with the softest voice he could manage. “I just wish you two could understand each other and be on better terms. Rosie feels a lot, she has to. That's bound to clash with your more…adventurous streak.”

“I guess…” Millie sighed as she turned back around to meet her brother's eyes. “I'm sorry for snapping, it's just…just…”

“Frustrating?” Sonic guessed which earned him a nod from the younger fox.

“Yeah…frustrating…aggravating…” Millie said as she swept her hair backwards with a gloved hand. “But… I know what helps with that.”

“Oh really? And what's that?” Sonic played along, knowing full and well what his sister had in mind.

“A race!”

A cloud of dust was left in her wake as her twin tails propelled her forward. Her cackling laughter filled the air and Sonic couldn't help but share in her laughter as he joined the race towards Spiral Hill.

Notes:

Next up is Rosie's introductory chapter, then we got all the introductions done with.

Hope you enjoyed and leave a comment to let me know what you thought.

Chapter 3: Rosie

While it wasn't always immediately obvious to Sonic which of his siblings was fronting, each one had distinct tells that he knew all too well.

Miles struggled to meet his eyes, always fidgeting in some way. The way he spoke and carried himself spoke of the many hardships the boy had faced before his chance encounter with the blue hedgehog. It was almost as if every step he took was atop of broken glass.

Millie on the other hand was rash, loud and excitable. You could hear when she was the one fronting, easily being at least twice as loud as any other member of the system. Her energy bled into her body language as well, rarely sitting still and much rather being on the move than sitting behind a stuffy desk.

Speaking of desks, there was Tails. While nobody knew for sure who came first, be it Tails or Miles, Tails was clearly the host at this point. He was the one at the steering wheel the majority of the time and as such the fox spent a lot of time hunched over their workbench tinkering away on different inventions that struck his fancy. Methodical and analytical were the terms best to describe the scientific genius that even Eggman begrudgingly respected.

Last but certainly not least was Rosie, the most recent addition to the system. One could argue that she was the easiest one to tell apart from her headmates for one very simple reason. She wore clothes whenever given the chance.

That's how Sonic knew which of his siblings was fronting when he walked into the living room to find Rosie lounging in one of the beanbags, lazily flicking through one of her fashion magazines. The pink dress on the cover of ‘Islander Fashion’ being eerily similar to the one the fox herself was wearing. That being said, that a gift from Amy would be part of the latest fashion shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone.

“Hi Rosie, how's it going?” Sonic said as he leaned against a nearby sofa with one of his trademark grins.

A grin that Rosie saw past the moment she tore her eyes from her magazine. Sonic always said that she felt a lot, felt so that the others didn't have to but it went further than that. She wasn't just attuned to the emotions of the system but those she loved as well. She could read her older brother like an open book.

“Sonic? What's wrong?” she asked but he didn't have time to answer before her ears folded back as she realised what was bothering the hedgehog. “It's about yesterday, isn't it?”

“Yeaaaahhh…” Sonic sighed as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, having hoped to gently breach the subject but to no avail. “You…it can't keep going like this Rosie…you and Millie are hurting each other.”

“She's the one who rushes us headfirst into danger.” Rosie huffed, her magazine crinkling as her grip tightened. “She's gonna get us killed one of these days!”

“Hey now, you know I won't let that-” Sonic tried only for the fox to snap at the air with a snarl.

“You can't promise that! We've lost you once before! We thought you were dead for months!” she yelled before the will to fight left her like the air of a deflating balloon and she hugged herself tight while her breathing started to hitch. “It's…it's why I… I wouldn't…”

“Hey, breathe Rosie, breathe with me.” Sonic tried as he quickly joined his sister on the beanbag. He ran his hand up and down her back and she leaned into his chest with a shuddering breath.

”You can do it. I know you can.” came the voice of Miles, his voice soft and gentle as she felt her focus being guided towards the sound of their brother's breathing.

A deep breath in, a shuddering breath out. Slow and uneven at first but gradually evening out to match Sonic's slow and deliberate breathing.

“There you go, Rosie. There you go.” Sonic hummed as he ran his fingers through her hair and it didn't take long before the sound of soft purring filled the room.

We can trust Sonic. He loves us. came Miles’ voice again, his presence akin to a warm, fuzzy blanket.

“I know…” Rosie sighed as she nuzzled into her brother's chest. Sonic for his part didn't comment, he knew it wasn't meant for his ears. He instead decided to circle back to the topic at hand.

“I talked to Jewel about what's been going on between you and Millie.” Sonic began and he did his best to brace for what he knew would be a poor reaction. “She found a therapist for you-”

Rosie didn't hear what Sonic said next as every one of her headmates, even those who'd been dormant all spoke up.

”He can't be serious!”

“No way!”

“We trust Sonic. If he thinks it's a good idea then it's worth giving it a shot.”

Miles’ trust in their brother spread through the system like an early summer breeze. A gentle reminder how much the hedgehog meant to all of them and how much they meant to him in turn. Rosie let out a deep breath as her head fell silent.

“Rosie?” came Sonic's voice, tinged with worry. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah…just overwhelmed, we all…we got loud…” she replied with a soft smile. “Do we really need to see someone? What if…they try to get rid of us? What if-”

“She won't.” Sonic promised. “Jewel wouldn't let someone like that near you and neither would I. She did thorough background checks on her and found that she's focusing on what the system wants. Her website is filled with glowing reviews.”

He pulled his phone out of his quills and tapped the screen a few times before handing it to his sister. It was the therapist’s website. A human going by the name of Taraji Elmi.

Not only was her long list of credentials at the top of the page, it was filled with reviews from clients of hers, be they systems or otherwise.

A doctor who actually listens and doesn't assume. Has done wonders helping us repair our relationship with our family. - MushroomPlumber

Has been a great help in letting me understand my brother and his headmates. Forever grateful. - BandicootPower

Our headspace knows peace for the first time in years. Thank you. - PluralLombax

Thank you for listening. It helps. - GreenBlur

Helped us be proud of who we are. - TeaCat

“This…doesn't sound…this doesn't sound all that bad…” Rosie admitted after a few minutes.

“So, you'll give it a shot?” Sonic asked, his voice betraying the hope that he felt hearing those words.

“Will…can you come too?”

“Of course! I'll be there every step on the way.” he replied as he wrapped his arms around his little sister and hugged her tight.

Rosie for her part just smiled as she rested her head against his chest and basked in the love and safety that her brother provided.

Notes:

Thanks as always to Eyeslessfog for looking through my nonsense.

And for the few of you who read Beyond the Green, yep, that's Taraji making a cameo.