"Eugh..."

Sonic cringed and gripped the fabric of his hammock, feeling like his head was spinning faster than he could run. Though he was generally at the utmost health, he had a stroke of bad luck the day before and was now stuck being sick. Despite being offered medicine and a trip to the doctor, he adamantly refused both, insisting that he was fine; the last thing he wanted was to be trapped at home for who knew how long.

He looked around, catching sight of Knuckles off on the other side of the room. His friends were taking shifts with taking care of him, and while he didn't mind the red echidna's presence, he still believed that he'd be fine on his own.

"...Aaayyy..." he groaned, pointing a hand at Knuckles, though his precision was off as his vision was going in and out of focus. "S-stop multiplyin' an' go home already..."

Maybe he was sicker than he thought.

Knuckles was confused. "I'm not multiplying... I don't even like math! And besides, I'm supposed to stay here and look after you."

"I don't..." Sonic paused for a moment, grunting and gripping the edge of the hammock. "I don't need your lookin'. Just fine on ma' own."

To prove his point, he pulled himself forward and attempted to get up.

...Only to roll over and plummet to the floor, letting out a small yelp upon impact.

"...Who put tha' floor there..."

Knuckles went over to Sonic and gently picked him up, placing him back into his hammock.

"Still think you're 'just fine'?" He crossed his arms and smirked at Sonic.

"Mmph..." Sonic hid his face in the hammock slightly. "S-shaddup..."

"Stay there," Knuckles ordered. "You need to rest."

Sonic gazed at Knuckles, doing his best to give a stern pout, but it was hard to be angry at him. "F-fine..." he murmured, rolling onto his other side so his back was facing Knuckles. Admittedly, it was kind of nice to be taken care of, but he'd never admit that and he just wanted to be back on his feet again.

As he stood there beside his sick friend, Knuckles remembered something. "Hey, I think it's time for you to take your medicine."

Instantly, Sonic jerked his head back, giving Knuckles a slightly more aggressive glare. "I told ya; I ain't gon' take that stuff! S'gross!" He made a disgusted face and stuck his tongue out for emphasis.

Knuckles gave him a stern look. "If you wanna feel better, you gotta take it!"

Sonic let out a soft 'hmph'. "S'yeah right! I run on Sonic pow'r! Tha's all I need to get better!" he said.

He paused, then draped an arm over the edge of the hammock, giving Knuckles a smug smirk. "'Sides, y'can't read, can ya? Y'don't know what med'cine to give me," he argued.

Knuckles opened his mouth to argue, but he realized that Sonic was right. He looked down at his shoes in shame, sighing.

Sonic's ears twitched at the sigh. "Ehh? Wha's wrong?" he asked, stable enough to at least see that Knuckles was suddenly sad.

"You're right," Knuckles said sadly. "I can't read, and I don't know what to give you..." He didn't say it, but he felt like such an idiot. "I'm not a very good caretaker, am I?"

Sonic perked his ears up and quickly frowned. He had meant it in more of a teasing way, but he recognized that he wasn't quite in the right mind right now, so his joke probably came off wrong.

"A-ay." He squirmed, struggling to push himself towards the edge of the hammock and sit up. "Hey..."

He reached up, despite his dizziness, and placed a pointed finger on the echidna's cheek. "You're f-fine," he said, struggling to not slur his words. "You're doin' more than okay, 'kay?" The finger he had pointed with relaxed as Sonic moved his entire hand onto the echidna's soft cheek.

Knuckles blushed at the gesture. "Th-thanks." He felt like his stomach was full of butterflies, and it confused him.

Sonic partially closed his eyes, feeling the dizziness settling in again. "Mm... yer cheek's warm..." he muttered, though he quickly realized what he said and retracted his hand, laying back down on the hammock, mentally heckling himself for saying something so weird.

"Um... thanks?" Knuckles was disappointed when Sonic removed his hand from his cheek. This made him feel even more confused.

Sonic blushed slightly, though it was hard to tell since his face was already red from being sick. "S-so, wha' do we do now?" he asked, promptly sighing. "Doesn't look like I can do much..." He groaned, hating to admit it.

"You still have to take your medicine," Knuckles reminded him. "Though I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to give you."

Sonic grumbled under his breath, hating the confinement and hating the fact that he felt sick and weird. Reluctantly, he pointed over to a table nearby that had medicine bottles scattered over it. "...The pink one," he mumbled.

Knuckles grabbed the bottle. Thankfully, it was one of those medicines that came with a mini measuring cup, which had the recommended dose marked with a thick black line. He filled the cup up to the line, and then held it up to Sonic.

"Sit up and drink this," he ordered.

Sonic stared at the cup, dreading its contents. He pouted childishly, still not wanting to take it, but Knuckles seemed firm about it.

He sighed, slowly sitting up and reaching for the cup, though he quickly realized that his hand was shaking far too much; he'd spill most of the medicine before it got to his mouth.

Knuckles gently grabbed his hand and helped him steady it. "The sooner you take it, the sooner you'll feel better."

Sonic blushed in embarrassment, wishing he had the energy to at least pretend he wasn't sick. "Y-yeah, I know..." He hesitated, then drank the cup's contents in one large gulp, after which he began to cough over dramatically from the horrid taste. "U-ugh!"

He flopped back down on the bed and crossed his arms. "Nnn... gonna get you back f'that someday," he mumbled, though he didn't really mean it.

"There you go. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Knuckles put the medicine bottle back on the table.

"So, um... anything else I can do for you?"

Sonic glanced over at him. "...Still feelin' bad?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," Knuckles replied.

Sonic nodded, then placed his hands behind his head and tried to relax. "J-j'st stay by me, I guess... s'good enough."

He then tried to find the window. "Uh, what time is it?"

Knuckles looked out the window. "Looks like it's afternoon," he said.

"Ugh," Sonic breathed softly, weakly kicking one of his legs out. "My ment'l clock's off too then..."

He glanced around, then looked up to Knuckles. "Wha's there to do 'round here?" he asked. It might've been his house, but he wanted to put the reins in Knuckles' hands, especially after the slip up earlier.

Knuckles thought for a moment. "We could play video games, if you're feeling up to it."

"Sur'am!" Sonic slurred out, pumping his fist into the air, though regretting that decision immediately because it swayed the hammock a little. "U-ugh, I c'n beat you anyday," he said, rolling onto his side and gazing at the TV. "...Prob'ly..."

Knuckles got out the game controllers and turned on whatever game was currently in the console. He couldn't read the title screen, but he was pretty sure it was one of those fighting games. He grinned.

Sonic held out his hand, trying to keep it as stable as possible. "G-gimme the thing," he said, referring to the extra controller in Knuckles' hand. "I'm 'bout to take you to sc'ool."

Knuckles handed him the extra controller. "We'll see about that!"

Sonic nodded and did his best smirk despite his sick state, gripping the controller lightly. He was laying sideways, so it was a little awkward for him, but he did his best.

Once the two had their characters picked, the battle began. Sonic grimaced, biting his bottom lip and frantically pressing buttons. He was putting up a mild challenge against Knuckles, but he was forgetting combos and the block button was slipping his mind (not that he used it anyway, but it would've been useful here).

Because of Sonic's current state, Knuckles soon won the game.

"Heh, you did pretty good for being sick," he said to Sonic. He figured his sick friend would be upset about losing, so he decided not to rub it in.

Sonic pouted, but couldn't help smiling at the fact that Knuckles didn't rub the victory in his face. For such a tough guy, he sure was kind...

"T-thanks..." he said. He stared at the TV, then got an idea. "Wait, I c'n just sit betw'n your legs so I can sit up th' whole time," he suggested, knowing that it'd help if the screen wasn't sideways from his eyes. Almost excitedly, he gripped the edge of the hammock and tried to pull himself off, but was a little too fast in doing so. He suddenly gripped the edge with both hands in fear of falling to the ground again, the front of his body dangling awkwardly off the side with his face inches from the floor.

"U-uh... hello, ground," he muttered, not having the strength to pull himself back up.

Knuckles couldn't help but laugh a little at him. "Here, let me help."

He stood up and went over to Sonic, then lifted him into the air and brought him over by the TV. He sat back down again, with Sonic sitting between his legs.

"Is that better?"

Sonic nodded, anxiously staring at the screen like a child. "Mhm! A ton!"

He leaned back, his quills bending downwards against Knuckles's chest and stomach. "That ain't too 'ncomfortable, is it?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good." Knuckles blushed again at having Sonic's body so close to his own. He started a new game.

Sonic's hands were still shaking slightly, but now he was determined.

The game resulted in another loss for Sonic, but he felt like he just needed to get used to the controls in his sick state. "Again!"

The two continued the game for a while, playing for at least a few hours; Sonic unfortunately only scored a quarter of the victories, but he'd accept it as long as he won a little. It was weird; he didn't get that down when he lost to Knuckles. At the very least, most of the matches were close. Regardless, he couldn't help pouting a little.

"N-ngh, don't tell an'body," he murmured, trying to stare up at Knuckles' face from the position he was in.

"I won't," Knuckles replied with a smirk. He then thought he felt Sonic's body shivering slightly. "Hey, you okay?"

Sonic nodded. "A-a'course." He hugged himself at first, but quickly crossed his arms instead. "Why wou'n't I be?" he asked. He was actually starting to get cold, probably because he was sick and thus more sensitive to it; there's no way he'd admit it though.

"Hey, Knuckles!"

Sonic jumped slightly at the voice, turning his head to see Tails standing right outside his nonexistent door. He wasn't sure why he was so stunned by the fox; he was just sitting between Knuckles' legs, and it wasn't like they were doing anything weird. Still though, he looked away, flustered.

"Oh, hi Tails!" Knuckles then realized why the fox was here. "Oh...it's time for your shift, isn't it?" He tried to hide his disappointment.

Sonic was confused. He too was disappointed, but why? Tails was just taking over the shift. They were like brothers, and yet...

"Ngh..." He curled up into a ball and awkwardly rolled away from the echidna to sort out his thoughts.

Tails raised a brow, then walked inside. "Yeah, I just finished some stuff I've been working on and realized that it was my turn." He chuckled. "I also figured you'd want some time away. We both know how Sonic gets when he's sick."

"Y-yeah..." Knuckles suppressed a sigh. "Thing is, um..." He lowered his voice. "I know this might sound weird, but... c-can I stay just a little bit longer?" He turned his face away, trying to hide the slight blush that was coming on.

"...Huh? I mean, sure, I guess, but... you don't have to. I'm perfectly fine with taking over," Tails told him.

He walked closer and placed a hand on Knuckles' forehead. "You're not sick too, are ya?" he asked, figuring that could be the only reason why Knuckles would want to stay; maybe he was a bit loopy too?

"I'm fine, Tails. I just... well..." Knuckles glanced over at Sonic nervously, his blush becoming more difficult to hide.

Tails paused for a moment, becoming unusually quiet, then giggled. "Don't worry, I believe you. Sonic's probably gonna be asleep soon anyway," he said with a shrug. "See you later then!"

After a short wave, the fox was gone. Curious, Sonic uncurled, though shakily and nearly falling over from the motion, and looked over at Knuckles. "Y'wanna stick around?" he asked. "Why?" Even he knew he could be a pain when he was sick.

"Well, I... um..." Knuckles' face flushed even more. "I-I just wanted to... spend more time... with y-you..." He realized what he'd said, and hid his face in his hands in embarrassment.

"...Oh..." Sonic said, surprised and blushing slightly. However, the cold quickly caught back up with him and he began to shiver again, curling up into his spindash from once more and rolling around uneasily in a fruitless attempt to get warm. "N-nnggh..."

"Sonic... are you cold?" Knuckles asked, suddenly feeling concerned. "Do you have a blanket?"

"P-pft, ha!" Sonic scoffed; or at least, he tried to scoff. "I'm f-fine. Who needs a-a blanket?"

Looking around, the house indeed seem to be lacking in blankets; though considering it was Sonic house, it wouldn't be completely out of the question to assume that he just braved the cold and his sickness just made things worse.

"Sonic, you're shivering like crazy!" Knuckles went over to Sonic and sat down next to him.

"Here."

He wrapped his arms around Sonic and held him close to his body, the hedgehog's head against his chest, hoping that his body heat would help Sonic stop feeling so cold.

Instantly, the hedgehog stopped shivering, and he relaxed slightly against Knuckles. His ego kept telling him to protest, but honestly, he was too comfortable to care. "Mmm... s'nice..." he muttered, a blush dusting his cheeks as he partially hoped that Knuckles wouldn't hear him.

Ugh, why am I blushing so much today? Knuckles wondered. His cheeks were growing warmer and warmer as he held his friend. His stomach was doing flip-flops. Was he... no, it couldn't be. But all of the signs Amy had once told him about were there.

Do I... have a crush?!

Sonic's ear twitched as he heard Knuckles' heart beat faster. "Ay..." he mumbled, lightly poking the echidna's chest. "D'n't go quiet on me now. 'M gonna fall asleep on ya ot'erwise..." he warned, hoping to get him talking a bit.

"Do you feel warmer now?" Knuckles asked.

Too prideful to give a verbal response, Sonic just nodded. "...Y'sure you're alright though?" he asked, his ear twitching as it monitored the echidna's heartbeat. "Y'seem nerv'us..."

Aw snap.

"D-do I?" Knuckles realized that his heart was pounding. "I'm fine... t-totally fine! Everything's fine."

Sonic stared up at him, his half-lidded eyes trying to see what was wrong. Knuckles definitely wasn't cold. Was it something he'd said? Sonic couldn't recall anything he had said in the past few minutes that could've caused him to become so nervous...

He hated not knowing.

"C'mon..." the sick hedgehog whined, lightly pounding a fist onto Knuckles' shoulder. His exhaustion was getting to him somewhat, but he tried to ignore it. "Y'were always the emotions guy; 'least more than me. I'unno what's goin' on in yer head, but y'usually talk t'me if som'ing's really both'ring you..."

He leaned into Knuckles, a soft yawn escaping his throat. "S'one of the things I love 'bout cha..."

There was a small silence, and just as Sonic's eyes were about to shut completely, they suddenly opened again. He blinked; had he said anything weird just then? He remembered saying... something. What was it?

Knuckles' eyes shot open when Sonic's words caught up to him. Did he say he... loved him?

Nah, he thought to himself, he probably meant it in a friend kind of way...

But even still... it was rather unusual for Sonic to say something like that...

Finally, Sonic's words caught up with him. Oh... uh oh...

He slowly brought a hand up to his face to hide the blush forming there, but his ears denied him that luxury by turning red themselves. "Y-you, uh... d-didn't hear that, did you?" he asked, nearly squeaking.

"Y-yeah... I did..." Knuckles answered nervously. He noticed his friend's embarrassment and wondered, Did...did he just...confess?

Sonic's blush intensified. Great. Just great. He inwardly cursed his tendency to speak without thinking, especially since that wouldn't save him now; even his quick mind was drawing a blank. What was he supposed to say? That he didn't mean it? While he didn't intend for it to come out, he couldn't say that it was just sick talk; that'd be a lie.

Knuckles took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing...

"Sonic...do you love me?"

Knuckles could feel himself sweating as the words tumbled out. What if he'd misunderstood? What if Sonic laughed at him? What if...

Sonic gulped nervously, having to hold back a gasp in fear of Knuckles hearing it. He wasn't scared, nope. Absolutely not.

...Probably.

"Uh... e-ehehe..." He forced a chuckle. "So h-how 'bout we get back to that game, huh?"

He squirmed out of Knuckles' grasp, but was quickly stunned by the cold air and ended up right back in the echidna's arms.

...Well, no getting away now...

He struggled for words, then finally gave in and hung his head in defeat, feeling like he was guilty of a crime.

"...Yeah..." he admitted. "I-I'm no good with this 'feelsy' stuff, but... p-pretty sure..."

Knuckles couldn't believe it at first. Had he heard right? Was he dreaming?

As he felt the hedgehog's head resting against his chest, and heard his nervous breathing, he realized that it wasn't a dream.

Now that the reality of Sonic's words had finally sunk in, Knuckles' heart leaped for joy. He gently squeezed Sonic in a hug, being careful not to crush him. He sniffled as happy tears began to form in his eyes.

Sonic yelped as he was hugged by Knuckles, letting out a small squeak of surprise. He definitely hadn't expected that reaction. Did that mean he... loved him back?

...Sonic mentally slapped himself. Of course it did; you don't just happily hug the friend who just confessed to you if you don't have the same feelings. It was weird for him to doubt himself like that...

"M-mpf..." He definitely enjoyed the hug, but his face must've been so red at the moment. "Y-you shouldn't be h-huggin' me, dummy. I'm all gross n' sick."

"That's okay," Knuckles replied. "I-I'm just... I'm so happy! I don't even know what to say!"

"Y-yeah, I could tell!" Sonic exclaimed, chuckling. "But I don't want you gettin' sick!"

Knuckles frowned, but realized that Sonic was right. With a reluctant sigh, he let Sonic out of his embrace.

"A-ah, hey..." Sonic whimpered, no longer afraid to show his disappointment. "Still cold, y'know. Just... b'careful, a'ight?"

Not used to openly accepting a hug like that, he blushed and lightly scratched his nose. "Great though, now m'all red. Don't think even I c'n make that look cool..."

Knuckles smiled. He held Sonic close to him once more.

It was getting dark outside, and it wouldn't be too much longer until the stars came out. Thanks to Sonic's non-existent door, the two would easily be able to see the beautiful starry night.

Sonic sighed peacefully, closing his eyes. Knuckles wasn't going to tease him? Heh, he was such a softie...

"Mm... hey, Knux? We're a thing now, right?" he asked, a small smile appearing on his face.

Knuckles' smile widened. "If you'll have me." He sighed contentedly, all of his nervousness fading away. "I-I...I love you."

Sonic quickly put a hand in front of Knuckles' face to prevent him from seeing his blush. "Y-yeah, love ya too; j-j'st save the mushy stuff 'ntil I'm well enough to hide th' red paint on my face," he joked.

"...But, uh..."

He brought his hand back, giving Knuckles his best puppy dog face. "Does this mean you'll lemme have a chili dog?" he asked, having been refused them since he got sick; it was likely to upset his stomach after all with all the spices.

Knuckles looked away from Sonic's pleading gaze, trying his best to stay strong.

"You know you can't have chili dogs while you're sick," he said sternly. "But...tell you what: once you get better, we can go out for chili dogs. Okay?"

"Really?" Sonic said, that childish spark in his eyes once again.

He then smirked, wanting to make Knuckles turn red on purpose this time. "Like a date?"

It worked. Knuckles' face flushed for what must've been the 50th time that day.

"S-sure..." he answered bashfully. "It's a date."

Sonic laughed cheerfully despite his light blush. "It's a date," he repeated to confirm. He snuggled back into Knuckles' grasp. "Now warm m'up and help me get better so w'can speed th'process along. Y'know how impatient I am." While he was right, he'd actually never been more impatient for anything in his life; he'd swallow as much medicine as Knuckles gave him if it meant getting to their date faster.

"Sure thing, Sonic."

Knuckles sat there holding Sonic for what seemed like hours (and it might as well have been). He enjoyed every minute he spent with his new boyfriend.

And steadily, the two watched the stars and ended up falling asleep in each other's embrace.

Supposedly, Sonic got better surprisingly fast.