Credit
* All Zootopia characters in this chapter belong to Disney
* All Sonic characters in this chapter belong to SEGA/Sonic Team
Author Note:
Karma to anyone who spotted the tiny easter egg in this chapter!
I groaned as pain surged through my head. With pressure wrapping around my head, I could tell that my head was been treated with care. I tried stirring slightly, but my body felt like it was stuffed with lead. I groaned again as I slightly opened my eyes, enough to see where I was. All I could see was white. That color was strong enough to put more pressure on my forehead, so I squinted instead. I turned to my right with great effort. I could see something standing beside the... gurney that I was laying on. That 'something' was like some kind of cart that always keep the certain parts of mammalian in check. I couldn't recall that word in at that minute as the pain throbbed in my head made me shut my eyes then slowly rolled my head back to the previous position. My throat felt so raw that I couldn't make any word, let alone groan and moan. At this minute, the only thing I could do was to keep my breath steady, proceeding to recover.
"Hmph," I grunted, feeling my hind-paws hit the floor and I opened my eyes, seeing myself on the tallest building.
I blinked as I realized the scene change. This event had already happened before, so that meant I was seeing my memory replayed right in front of me. The roof was empty when Tailsko and I first arrived, now it's populated with robotized cheetahs, along with the robotized orange horse, whose name is now forgotten. We weren't able to keep up with thousands and thousands of robotized cheetahs on our own. Pain surged through my head so that the scene blurred and went blank.
"Smart choice. It's her curse that made it happen. And if they pulled it off..." the male spoke beside me, drawing my conscious to that scene.
I leaned closer to the voice so I could hear him better. He finished his sentence, "...then wouldn't we do the same?"
The scene suddenly became clear as I entered the slo-mo of my memory sequence. At this point, I was supposed to burst into laughter, however, I sensed a new feeling in my chest during that minute. The male who walked beside me was Sonic the Hedgehog, the mammalian that went out of his way to help me and Nick get the case wrapped up as soon as possible. I blinked and the scene changed, now I was on Sonic's back with my arms wrapping his neck. He ran through Zootopia City as if they were a group of mammalians that the regular kits could run through. Thanks to my strong grip, I was able to endure the ride. I blinked again, the scene changed once again, and I found myself back in the hall where Sonic's line repeated.
"...then why wouldn't we do the same?"
Blinked. Sonic and I were at the 'Casually PreyPred' cafe. I shrugged at the air then was picked up by him in bride-style. Once I regained my concentration, I turned my head to him and scowled at him... for disturbing my personal space. I watched his mouth opening and closing, as if he was talking with no sound. He grinned at me with cherishing eyes. I groaned, bring my senses back to reality. I slightly opened my eyes. This time, I realized that I was in the patient room, which explained how my head got wrapped up to lessening the pain. Additionally, I was now accompanied by a mammalian. This mammalian was a friend of mine, known as Tailsko. I took a quickly glance at her and figured that she was similar to those cheetahs that I fought with Sonic early today. She suddenly turned to me as soon as she saw my eyes moving. Pain surged through my head again, making me groan and close my eyes. Another memory came up to my face without a warning. In that scene, Sonic and I were in front of Snarlbuck cafe. I was forced to turn to Sonic with an anxious feeling in my chest. That was the time I got myself trapped in the Speed Warp and had to rely on Sonic to get out of it.
"Hey," Sonic said, holding my shoulders, "Take your mind off the speed. Relax. And you will get out of it."
I could feeling myself huffing and puffing lightly as the Speed Warp lifted from us. Suddenly, the scene changed, throwing me back to the same hall where I walked with Sonic...with his line being repeated.
"...then why wouldn't we do the same?"
Blinked. I was on Sonic's back with my arms wrapped his neck as he sped his way through the city. Blinked again. Sonic and I were on the road, surrounding by the robotized cheetahs in our Speed Warp. Blinked once again. I was sitting in his arms, bride-style, turning my head to him and scowling at him. Blinked again. Back to that hall once again with his line uttering once again.
"...then why wouldn't we do the same?"
My heart fluttered when that line echoed to me. I started to realize that I developed a feeling on Sonic the Hedgehog after spending almost twenty-four hours with him. No matter what I did at this minute, all I could see was his face each time I turned to him. Like Nick when he was with Tailsko, I grew to love Sonic... Stitch... my beloved clutching male. I blinked as the green glow warmed up on viewing and the pain in my head slowly vanished. That helped me to think clearly right now. I remembered that i was now at the hospital due to the injury to my head. I furrowed my eyebrows together as I recalled that Tailsko was now one of 'them' and she was standing to my right side last time I saw her. I curled the digits on my right paw into a fist. As the green glow turned off, I thrusted my right fist upward, hitting the mindless robot. However, I felt a soft muzzle on the side of my fist. According to my memory, the robots had a hard surface, therefore the one I hit wasn't one of 'them'. Now with my thought changed, I sat up, relieving my right arm, and opening my eyes. At this minute, my sight was back to normal so I wouldn't have to squinting anymore and my raw throat felt better as well. The first thing I saw in the patient room was Sonic, his position upside-down, flying into the crash cart on other side of the room. The cart fell down as he flopped over it. Tailsko, who was now robotized, turned her head to me and gave me a stink eye.
"Nice going, Judy. Send him to 'crashing' into the crash cart when he needs one," she called out.
I blinked and flinched with my teeth flashing, "Oh, Sonic... I am sorry..."
While I uttered the second part of my sentence, Sonic flipped back on his hind-paws and zoomed back to my side quickly, as if he hadn't left his spot at all. He shook his head with his eyes closed, "It's fine. Your performance was how a patient normally responds when pain has been removed from their person."
I stared at him as my mind put the two and two together about his comment. Once I figured out what he was talking about, I blinked and shook my head lightly.
"Ah, no, no... That wasn't the case. I slugged in response to Tailsko's appearance. There she is-" I pointed out, sticking my left palm at the robotized vixen.
He laid his left palm on my right shoulder, stopping me from finishing my sentence, and responded, "I am already aware that she was robotized. After all, she called me and told me about your cop partner as well as the location of the green emerald. Your partner was also taken to another patient room in this hospital."
I glanced at Tailsko, who waved at me in response to Sonic's comment. I returned my glance to Sonic and lifted my paws to his shirt, where I grabbed his collar. I focused my attention on him, and the atmosphere became calm and quiet.
"Since we met, you have been looking out for me. Making sure that I went through it easy. And I know that it was only two days, but... I want to know if... you are really into me?" I asked.
He smiled and squeezed my right shoulder lightly. His green eyes showed me the same attention that he showed me through those times he spent with me yesterday and today. He nodded, making me crunch his collar tighter.
"Well, to answer your question back in the hall, let's do the same that they did," I replied at last, hauling him onto me.
We closed our eyes and our mouths crashed onto each other. My sound-sensitive ears picked the gasping noise from Tailsko, confirming that my action startled her. Though this was short time, it felt like eternity to me. We pulled back from each other slowly then opened our eyes to look at each other lovingly. This minute was ruined when Tailsko tapped her metal hind-paw on the floor behind Sonic. We turned to her with a questioning expression.
"Well, seeing that you're awake and all healed, let's go and play some catch-up with us, the foxes," Tailsko pointed out, stopping tap her hind-paw, then turned to the door and left the room.
I blinked as I turned my head to Sonic, who also turned his head to me. We were exchanging a shocked expression.
After a minute of silence, I asked, "What is the crash cart doing here?"