Disclaimer- I don't own Sonic and co.

I know I shouldn't, but I am because I can't not do it. Did that make any sense? Hopefully.

Okay, so, this idea came to me sitting in the middle of my chemistry class – I have no clue why – and I wanted to test it out. I haven't written Sonilver before, but I want to because it's another pair I like and can't find enough of on this site.

It takes place in a AU where everything's the same except Silver's not a time-traveling psychic, but instead an adorable little ball of fluffy quills.

Alright, hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think afterwards!

A delicious smell wafted through the kitchen of a particular home, and Sonic had yet to encounter a better aroma in his life.

The azure hedgehog was whistling a quiet tune as he stood in front of his stove. He absently stirred the pot of chili in front of him, mentally counting down the minutes to when he could devour the deliciousness of his favorite food. The hot dogs were almost ready, and the chili was right behind them.

Sonic's whistles then died out when something bumped into his foot. He paused in his magic making to blink down at the ground, a snicker escaping his throat at what he saw.

Within a clear plastic ball, dark beady eyes were staring up at him.

"You hungry already, Silver?" Sonic asked his little buddy even though he knew he wouldn't get a verbal answer. Dark eyes blinked up at him for a moment until Silver backed up and bumped the speedster's shoe again. A smile curled Sonic's lips. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, bud, you're gonna have to wait a bit."

Now, normally Sonic would've fed the little guy whenever Silver wanted – who could say no to that face? – but Tails had fussed about it. Sonic didn't believe Silver had gotten fat per se, but a little chubby. Nothing had been wrong with that, but Tails was adamant about putting Silv on a strict feeding schedule. Silver was down to his normal weight now, but the schedule was still in place and he couldn't have his dinner for another hour.

When Silver nudged Sonic again, the azure hedgehog figured that what Tails didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.

The speedster left his post at the stove, stepped over the adorable ball of silvery quills at his feet, and shuffled over to the gated opening of the kitchen. Sonic had wanted Silver to explore the house freely, but Tails had to research and lecture him about how not all hedgehogs – big or small – liked to explore as much as the blue blur did.

Peering through the doorway, keen eyes scanned the adjacent living room before locking onto the occupied couch. Tails was napping, soft snores reaching Sonic's ears. The kit didn't look close to waking up, so…he should be in the clear.

With a mischievous smirk, Sonic zipped over to his refrigerator and pulled its door open. Bright emerald irises scanned the shelves until he found what he was looking for. He reached in, opened a transparent box, and pulled out a small strawberry. Silver loved these.

He barely managed to replace the box and close the fridge before there was another bump against his foot, a bit harder this time. Silver was aptly staring at the treat in his possession.

Sonic held up a finger to his lips as he squatted. "Let's keep this a secret, 'kay? Just between you and me." Silver wasn't even looking at his face, instead gazing at the fruit like it was a lifeline while sniffing the air.

Sonic chuckled, reaching down and rolling the ball until the circular door was facing upwards. He popped it open and gently dropped the strawberry inside. Securing the ball again, Sonic watched as Silver nibbled on the berry for a second, remembering the first time he'd learned about the hedgie's favorite food.

It was about four months ago after Sonic had bought the two-month-old pup from the pet store. Sonic had known that pet 'hogs could eat cat food – thanks to the knowledge of a flabbergasted Tails. Sonic had bought Silver on a whim because he had seen the little guy in a window. Curiosity had gotten the best of him, and the rest was history – but he believed that no living creature should eat the same boring stuff every day.

Sonic had experimented with crickets, veggies, various fruits, and Silver liked them all, but no treat gained Silv's attention like a strawberry. It was like nothing else existed when the berry was in front of him. It was hilarious.

"That should hold ya until it's time for you to eat!" Sonic chirped as he stood back up and checked on the food. It was done, and his stomached growled loudly in anticipation.

After turning the knobs off on the stove, his attention drifted down to Silver who had just finished the fruit. The small hedgie sniffed around for more.

"You won't find any more in there!" Sonic bent down, opened the ball, and let Silver take a couple steps out of it. Then, the azure hero placed his hand on the floor, palm up. Silver sniffed his fingers – probably smelling the leftover strawberry scent – and started to nip the fabric of his glove.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I know you're probably mad." He maneuvered his other hand around and guided Silver onto his palm. Sonic straightened up and held the other up to his face. "But Tails threatened to hide my shoes if he catches me feedin' you off-the-clock, so yeah."

While Silver continued to smell his glove, Sonic carefully petted the top of the hedgie's head with a careful finger. He went with the grain of Silver's quills, feeling the little guy twitch somewhat under his touch. Sonic smiled at this, because he remembered first bringing Silver home and all the bundle of spines did was hiss at him and curl into a defensive ball.

Silver trusted him now, and he wished he could say the same with Tails, but…there wasn't much luck in that department.

Sonic didn't know what it was, but every time Tails would try to interact with Silv, he would hiss and curl up. Silver still did that to this day. Maybe…it was because Tails was technically a fox? A natural predator?

The speedster quietly hummed as he lowered Silver a bit, somewhat cradling him against his chest. "I'd be able to give you all the food you want if you'd just be nice to Tails," he whispered to Silver, but the other was too busy snuggling into the warmth of Sonic's body.

Sonic chuckled at the prickly feeling. It didn't hurt; Silver's spines were nowhere as sharp as Sonic could make his.

After stepping over the gate that separated the kitchen and living room, Sonic padded over to the sizable glass aquarium tucked into the adjacent corner. He adjusted Silver in his hands before leaning over and letting the hedgie scurry onto the soft bedding lining the bottom of the container.

Silver shifted around a bit until he scampered around his food and water bowls, aiming for a toy by his igloo. He chewed on it, and Sonic figured that he would be just fine left alone for a while.

The azure hero then faced the second youngest of the household, watching as Tails drooled a bit on the pillow he was laying on. Sonic almost didn't want to wake him up, for the kit had been at Vanilla's house all day trying to fix their air conditioning. Tails was more of an inventor than a mechanic, so the fox was mentally exhausted when he came back home. He'd been there for hours.

Sonic was inclined to let him rest a bit more, but if he was hungry, Tails had to be too.

He trotted over and shook the fox's shoulder. "Hey, Tails!" When blue eyes sleepily blinked open, Sonic bobbed his head toward the kitchen. "C'mon, dinner's ready!"

"Really?' Tails yawned, rubbing his eyes and squinting at a nearby window. "How long was I out?"

"'Bout an hour and a half." Sonic gave him some space to stretch, grinning. "That air conditioner gave you some serious trouble, huh?"

Tails nodded, patting down his misplaced fur. "Yeah! For the longest time, I couldn't figure out if the problem was the condenser or the evaporator coil, so I-"

Sonic held up a hand. "Tails, I know nothing about ACs, so let's just say that you fixed it and go chow down, yeah?"

Tails opened his mouth to reply, but his stomach did so for him. He covered it sheepishly. "Yeah, good call."

Sonic burst out in laughter and walked back in the direction of the kitchen. Tails playfully shoved him from behind, and the hedgehog followed up by reaching around and giving his little bro a noogie.

Tails tried and failed to get himself free. "No fair! I just woke up!"

"You're the one who asked for it!"

Sonic messed up the kit's bangs some more, finally letting go upon entering the neighboring room. Tails didn't bother to fix his fur again, the aroma smacking him in his nose making him focus on their dinner.

The kit was about to go over to fix his food – Sonic had already grabbed a plate and was going to town – but a plastic ball left open caught his attention. It normally wouldn't have made him pause because Silver really enjoyed being in that thing, but there was something in it that made him frown.

Tails approached the sphere and picked it up. Seeing bits of green leaves and tiny drops of red juice, he connected the dots easily enough.

"Sonic…" Said hedgehog's ears perked at his name. Sonic finished drowning his hot dog in chili before peering over his shoulder, curious about the other's accusatory tone. The speedster instantly saw the ball and its contents; he winced.

Tails raised the ball, disappointed. "What did I tell you, Sonic? You can't just be feeding Silver willy-nilly!" While he wasn't sure if the pup felt the same way, Tails cared for the little hedgie. Ever since Sonic brought him home – which had been the most surprised Tails had been in a while – Tails had grown attached. He couldn't let Sonic think every living thing had the same metabolism as the speedy hero.

"It's not willy-nilly!" Sonic defended himself. "I mean, he was hungry, and I gave him a strawberry! Where's the harm in that? It was just a treat!"

"I know you though, Sonic." Tails placed the ball back on the floor, making a mental note to clean it later. "It is just a treat only if you don't give him one every hour!"

Sonic saw there the kit was coming from, but he still mumbled, "It was more like one every two hours, but yeah. I gotcha." The speedster moved out of the way so Tails could get his dinner. He strolled over to the table, and he sat down for only a second before static filled the air.

It was coming from the radio resting on the counter. Tails had rigged it to report any big disturbances – namely Eggman – that popped up.

The kit had whipped his head toward the device, staring in interest, while Sonic slumped in his chair. He looked longingly at his chili dogs. "Please be nothing serious, please be nothing serious…" he chanted, hoping for a robbery that the local police surely would be able to handle.

"Recently, there has been reports of robots targeting the center of Metal City. The mastermind usually behind it all, Dr. Eggman, is watching it all unfold-"

"Welp, can't be too surprised," Sonic said as he hopped out of his chair.

Tails took a step forward, wondering what kind of scheme Eggman had in mind this time. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Sonic waved him off. It was nothing but robots. It was just an errand by this point. "Nah! I'm all good! It's a little clean-up mission, that's all!"

"If you're sure…"

The hero grabbed both of his chili dogs. He was planning on taking these to-go, and he'd come back for the rest later. "Hundred percent, bro!" Sonic gestured to the stove. "You just focus on stopping that stomach of yours from rumblin'!" Sonic was more than ready to go save the day once more, but a thought came to him. "Oh, and feed Silver if I don't get back on time!"

"Got it!" Tails exclaimed, and it wasn't long before he heard the front door slam.

Of course Sonic wasn't back in time, but Tails was hardly surprised. Also, he knew that there was no point in worrying because Sonic was Sonic; he'd be back eventually.

The radio hadn't been reporting any bad news either, so that helped in keeping the kit's nerves in check too.

Tails was presently sitting in front of Silver's aquarium, chin propped up in his palm. Blue eyes were focused on the occupied igloo. "Come on, Silver…come out?" His words fell on deaf ears, for the hedgie stayed hidden in the shade. The kit spent the last couple of minutes trying to coax the little guy out, trying to get on his good side – like he'd been attempting to do for the last few months – but it was all for naught.

And what made it worse was that Tails knew the other was awake. He could hear those tiny feet shuffling.

The fox sighed before standing up. "Maybe you'll come out if I fed you?" This plan hadn't worked in the past, but the fox was hopeful. Somewhat.

Tails spun his namesakes and hovered into the kitchen, aiming for the pantry off to the side. He opened the narrow door and dropped his gaze to the bag of cat food resting on the floor. Picking it up, Tails knew that something was wrong when he nearly threw the bag into the air. He didn't expect it to be this light.

Tails peered into the bag, and his ears marginally drooped. It was empty except for one lone crumb. Sonic usually fed Silver, so Tails guessed that he totally forgot that they were out of food for him. The kit then searched for the small bag of mealworms, and he sighed when he found that it was on its last legs as well.

This would happen when Tails was left in charge…

"Guess it's time for a trip to the store," Tails muttered to himself, putting both the cat food and the mealworm bags in the trash. The kit returned to the living room and sighed again when Silver scurried right back into his igloo. "I'm going to the store," he announced to the hiding pup, "Uh, I'll be back soon."

He gave Silver one last look before exiting the home.

"I'm back!" Sonic called after flinging open the front door. When he didn't get any response from Tails, he closed it behind him and tried again, "Tails? You in here?" He didn't see the kit working in the garage, so he had to have gone somewhere.

Sonic hummed to himself, dusting off stray grains of dirt on his fur. The Eggman attack hadn't been anything special. The bots barely posed any threat, and no bystanders had gotten hurt. He didn't even now why Eggy planned the whole thing, but as always, the doctor's disappointment made Sonic's day.

The blue hero closed the door behind him before focusing on Silver, who was running in his wheel. Sonic bounded over and squatted in front of the hedgie. "Do you have any idea where Tails went, bud?"

Silver slowed down to a stop, noticing his presence. He stepped off the wheel and approached the glass of the aquarium, past the food bowl. The empty food bowl.

Seeing this, a lightbulb switched on in Sonic's mind. "Oh…" Yeah, he was supposed to restock after breakfast, but he'd totally forgotten. Tails must be out getting some more food for the little guy. "Well, now I'm glad that I gave you that strawberry." Sonic smiled before reaching into the container and guiding Silver into his palm. "Up we go!"

Cradling him carefully, Sonic went over to the couch and plopped down onto the cushions. He laid down and stretched out, placing Silver on his stomach. Sonic chuckled as he continued to pet the other. "Tails is gettin' your food, so let's just relax until he gets back, 'kay?"

Silver simply sniffed around until he decided to rest against the hero's chest. Sonic played with the dull quills, and it wasn't long before Silver completely relaxed, eyes closing. The occasional high-pitched purr made Sonic quietly snicker.

However, the hedgie's nap didn't last long, for Tails waltzed in through the door with bags in his hands. Silver curled up and bristled his quills.

Sonic sat up a bit and grinned, trying to get the pup to relax again with no avail. "Hey there, lil bro!" he addressed the kit, who sent him a somewhat flat look as he placed the bags by Silver's home. "Don't look at me like that, I completely forgot! How can I make it up to ya?"

Tails thought for a moment. "How about…you do the dishes for a week?"

"Whoa, hold on now-"

"Thanks, Sonic! I really appreciate it!"

Sonic rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I'm a terrible role model for you!" He glanced down at Silver, who was slowly but surely unravelling. Sonic petted him between his ears. "You should hang out at Vanilla's more often, then maybe you'll let me off the hook for stuff more…"

"Not a chance!" Tails retorted with a cheeky smile. Sonic stuck his tongue out, and the fox laughed before opening the bag of cat food he brought. "Oh, uh, the store was out of the brand we usually get, so I had to get another."

Sonic was scratching under Silver's chin now. "Cool. I doubt Silv will care because he'd eat anythin'." The speedster sat up fully on the couch and carefully positioned Silver on his back, rubbing his stomach. "Won't ya, bud?" The hedgie's legs flailed a bit until he got used to his new position, enjoying the patting.

Tails saw the pair, and an idea came to mind. Instead of pouring the cat food into the designated bowl, he let a few crumbles settle into his hand. Sonic caught wind of what he was doing and doubled his efforts to keep Silver distracted.

The kit crept over to the couch and crouched low, going unnoticed so far. He was beside Sonic, and the hero bobbed his head at the pup, mouthing, "Go for it!"

Tails nodded, picking up a single piece of kibble with his fingers. His hand slowly got closer to Silver until it was right by the little guy's head. It didn't take long for that twitchy little nose to sniff it out.

Silver noticed the food first, but – unsurprisingly – he became a ball at the sight of Tails.

The fox slumped and was about to move away, but Sonic stopped him. "Just hold it out and see what he does!"

"But he's not going to…" Tails started before conceding. It didn't hurt to try. He continued to offer the food by the stubborn hedgie. Silver didn't budge. Tails stayed put however, him and Sonic watching quietly, hoping for some kind of response.

There was nothing.

Tails sat there for a couple more minutes until he realized that today just wasn't going to be the day. He handed the kibble over to Sonic, who threw him an apologetic smile. "It's going to happen, Tails! Sooner or later!"

"Most likely later…but I can't blame him." Tails went back over to the aquarium and filled Silver's food bowl, adding a few mealworms to the cat food. "He's just trying to protect himself! It's ingrained in his genes."

Sonic watched as Silver nibbled on the kibble in his palm, scoffing. "If it's ingrained in his genes, it's ingrained in mine too! And Tails, no offense, you're as terrifying as a dandelion."

"I can be scary!" Tails puffed out in his cheeks in a pout, and Sonic laughed. The fox then groaned, realizing that he wasn't helping his own case.

"Once you show me proof, I'll believe ya," Sonic teased as Silver finished up. He made the 'hog comfortable in his arms and stood up, about to return Silver to the aquarium. It was time for Sonic to chow down on the rest of his dinner. "Or if you turn my week into three days, then I might admit – whoa!"

Sonic hadn't gotten a chance to finish his sentence, for Silver began shaking in his hold. "Huh?" Sonic blinked down at the hedgie, and Tails looked on as well, concerned. "You alright there, little guy?" He held Silver away from his body, inspecting him.

However, before Sonic could get a good look, there was a sudden bright flash. The two brothers flinched at the light, and Sonic sucked in a surprised breath when he noticed that the hedgehog he was holding got a whole lot heavier.

The light went away as fast as it came, and Sonic nearly had a heart attack at the sight of bright golden eyes staring back at him.

"Gah!" Sonic shouted out in alarm, dropping Silver – no, that wasn't Silver because Silver was small and round and everything this…this stranger wasn't – to the ground and taking hasty steps backwards.

Tails was right by Sonic's side, mouth agape as the white-furred anthro who came out of nowhere lowly hissed upon impact with the floor.

The stranger laid still for a moment, his wide eyes focusing on Sonic. They were swirling with confusion and…hurt? Though, Sonic and Tails barely had time to wrap their brains around that before a question made them stiffen.

"Why…Why did you drop me? I…Did I do something wrong…?"

To say that the hedgehog/fox duo were surprised was an understatement, and it seemed like the newcomer was more shocked than those two put together.

The white one tensed up and brought a hand up to his mouth. He then patted his whole face with growing horror. His hands traveled back to his hanging fur – quills? – and down toward his torso. Finally, he held his violently shaking fingers up to his face, expression twisted in complete and utter terror.

Sonic opened and closed his mouth a few times before rasping out, "Tails, what kind of food did you get?"

"...The cheap kind?"

So…anyone interested?