-A/N- Whoo-ee, it's been a while. I've had some things going on recently (for example, my submission for a Sonic Paradox collab made it in) and I haven't had too much time to write. That said, I got this out, have a 'bonus stage' ready for the end of the 'season', and am making progress on chapter 5. So, enjoy some awkwardness and moping!

Day 1

10:12 PM – Sonic the Hedgehog

After a hard day's run, and a lot of thinking, Sonic returned home, whizzing along the grey city streets to his apartment. It wasn't exactly a Rockford Hills mini-mansion, that's for sure – a nondescript highrise in the middle of downtown with less personality than a chilli dog. 'Townley tower', it was called; named after some foreign film producer from years before Sonic's time. As if being before his time was even possible.

Skidding to a stop outside the familiar metal doors to the complex, Sonic craned his neck up. Not a star in the sky. Probably light pollution. The stars couldn't often be seen from within the city limits; the Star Light Zone was probably the closest 'dark park' to downtown.

Better times.

Pushing open the doors, the adventurer-turned-actor cut a left to check his mail. Producing the key for Box 36 (Mr. S Hedgehog), Sonic pulled it open. Nothing - same as always. While closing it back and heading for the stairs, Sonic began to feel an ache in his left leg.

"Wha?" He stretched the limb, hoping to get rid of the throbbing joint pain. Slowly, but steadily, Sonic flexed the muscles, extending and retracting the knee. A few minutes passed, and the leg was back to normal, if a little sore.

In a gentle stroll, Sonic began up the stairs. They'd become tougher going recently, but they were still nothing for the fastest thing alive. As he set into a rhythm, the grubby, dank walls and puddles of vile-looking fluid in the corners began to pass by at a regular rate, the view from the side window getting better with each flight of stairs he ascended.

Eventually, the second-top floor came into view. The blue hedgehog hopped the last two steps at once, and walked to the door of room 36. It wasn't the penthouse by any stretch of the imagination, but it was just about right for Sonic. He kept the place clean, but that was easy enough; the hedgehog rarely cooked, and the only things he used were the T.V. and his bed.

Stepping into the apartment, Sonic Looked around. Everything was as he left it.

Flopping down on the sofa in the middle of the central room, Sonic hit the red button on the T.V. remote next to him. As the screen flickered into life, Sonic reached forward and fiddled with his Wii U.

"Colours," he muttered, as if whispering to the console. "Time to reach for the stars."

Taking the game disc and placing it into the console, the former star sat back in his chair with the controller, allowing the game to start up. Pulling his knees up to his chin, Sonic sat in an upright foetal position as he waited for the game to boot. The logo, 'SONIC COLOURS', appeared as he settled in for a night of speed, action and circumventing universal copyright laws.

10 hours later, and Sonic was still on his couch. Now though, he was laid face-first in his own drool, snoozing into a cushion. It was a peaceful scene; morning light peeked its way through the blinds on his window, rays creating a line pattern of light on Sonic's back. His body rose and fell gently in lazy slumber as he dreamed. It probably involved Chilidogs.

All too soon, the hedgehog's rest was interrupted.

Knock Knock.

With some effort, Sonic managed to lift his head and half-open one eye. Looking to the source of the noise, the door, he managed a mumbled, "Huh? ...Go away." before slumping back down.

Knock Knock.

"Sonic! Open up! It's Miles!"

Tails? The hedgehog's head bolted up.

"Tails? That you?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, I'm coming."

Grunting, Sonic hauled himself up from the couch and stood up. He was a little groggy, but eventually was able to hold his balance. Wiping his saliva-covered mouth with the back of his hand, the he walked to the door, eyelids drooping slightly.

Behind the door was a scowling kitsune, arms crossed and wearing a blue backpack.

"What do you want, Tails? And what's with the fashion statement?" The hedgehog asked, pointing to the fox's pack.

"Vector called."

Sonic cocked his head to the side. "So?"

"We need to go to work. In like, an hour."

"Ugh," the hedgehog groaned, heading back into the apartment, "I'll just be a second; I gotta grab my stuff."

"Take your time."

The apartment keys were... missing. Sonic checked the kitchen, the games cabinet, his bedroom and even the bathroom. They hadn't been lost – they'd disappeared off the face of the Earth.

"Uh, Tails? Sorry man, you might be there a while."

A faint sigh came from the doorway as Sonic plunged new depths, discovering nooks and crannies that had evaded detection for years in the search for his keys; when he got back, he was going to have to do a sweep for change in those spots – he'd be rich enough to buy room on the top floor.

The minutes ticked by, and the fox in the doorway became increasingly irritated, tapping his foot impatiently. Sonic decided to retrace his steps, heading back to the doorway and facing into the apartment.

"Right, I was here..."

"What are you-"

Shooting his arms forward as if following a line, Sonic paced onwards. "And then I went on the Wii..."

"Seriously Sonic? You're going to go back step-by-step?"

"And then I fell asleep here," finished the hedgehog, dropping onto the sofa. "But they're not... wait. Aha!"

"Under the cushion?"

"Under the cushion."

"You're useless. Can we go now?"

Sonic nodded and followed the fox out of the door, locking it behind him. The two made for the stairs. Tails kept his eyes ahead of him, not looking at Sonic as they descended each flight, while the hedgehog would glance at Tails, looking to be acknowledged.

"So, uh... you know why we're going in?"

"Vector's last pitch – somehow – got accepted by the board. We've gotta go in for head shots and mocap."

"Head shots, eh?" That was strange.

Every time SEGA needed an extended cast that had appeared in earlier games, they would organise a 'head shot' procession. Every character would line up to be scanned into the game, updating their in-game avatars with how they looked in real life; it kept the designs looking congruous to the actors' actual appearances, and said actors got a nice fee for providing their likeness. A good deal, if not exactly a stable source of income. A new parade always preceded a new game entering the dev cycle, but it also meant one of two things: either the whole crew as coming in for cameos, or secondary characters were going to get speaking roles. Strange, considering SEGA's recent reluctance to focus on anyone other than Sonic and Tails.

"Yup."

"Why do we need them? The writers didn't bring back Silver, did they?"

"No, they didn't." The kitsune looked around at the building's walls. "And don't act like you couldn't do with the cash."

"What's with the photo shoot then? I know I'm a handsome guy, but they don't need this many pictures of me."

"It's best if you find out yourself."

"What does that even mean?"

"Never mind."

The pair remained in silence until they reached the bottom of the stairs. Strolling towards the exit, Sonic slightly out of step with the golden fox, the two left the building.

Turning to Tails, Sonic asked, "So Tails... what've you been up to?"

"Usual restaurant business. Why do you ask?"

With a shrug of his shoulders, the blue hedgehog replied, "I just wanted to know how my best bud was doing. How are ya?"

Sonic's former sidekick shot him a sideward glance, responding with a "Hmph."

-A/N- I hope it was worth the wait! If you enjoyed, please let me know - my ego feeds on your happiness. But yeah, plot!

As always, big thanks to my betas on this one: turbo, Case, you rock.