The best therapy
Note : Hello ! I'm a french writer and this is my new story translated (with the help of google !)
I wrote while listening to : Malibu nights – LANY/ Medecine- Daugter /CLANN - I Hold You
Story set right after the victory over Infinite and Eggman in Sonic Forces.
Hope you like it !
Chapter 1 – Day 1
Keep his smile. Keep his sense of humor. Keep his optimism. He did this so he wouldn't lose to Eggman. He owed it, for his friends and for the inhabitants of this planet who now relied on him to rebuild this world which had been brutally destroyed. Because he's a hero, the hero. But did he still deserve this status?
He grimaced.
From the top of a cliff, he could see the devastation caused by the war. The once green hills had taken on a reddish hue and were dotted with craters indicating recent and old explosions. There was not a single house left around. His friends had taken refuge with the survivors at a buried old military base. It was what saved their lives, but the losses had been numerous.
The war was over but the truth was, he didn't want to smile, he didn't want to laugh, he didn't want to reassure others. Some thought he was dead. They were sort of right. Behind all this positive masquerade, a part of him had passed away in that cell. This cell he saw again as soon as he closed his eyes. He was afraid of falling asleep and waking up in it again. Locked up again, hands and feet tied.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath at the memories of his captivity.
He did not know how long he had been locked up before his release. He didn't even know that Infinite was responsible for his torments until he escaped. He didn't even know his name until he met him again the day he escaped.
He had no notion of the time in this cell where he did everything to keep hope. To keep sanity. To push back his guilt, his helplessness and his worry. Were his friends okay? With his eyes closed, so he wouldn't have to stare at the walls of his cage, he imagined himself elsewhere. But reality hit him every time he woke up. This time he had lost. Eggman and Infinite were happy to recall him back and torture him, dragging him into nightmarish illusions. They knew his weaknesses and used them to torment him. They didn't even need the physical torture, the mental torture was so much more effective. It was so much easier to show him how slow he was. Too slow to save his friends. They made him see terrible things involving his comrades in hard-to-watch situations. He heard and saw them scream his name, scream in pain, unable to move, chained twenty-four hours a day. How did they manage to do this? How to distinguish the true from the false? Was he going to get out of this cell one day? He would be lying if he said he didn't once think about dying to free himself. He couldn't believe he had been locked up for six months. They had stolen six months of his life.
He took a breath of air and closed his eyes to feel the wind in his pikes. He was free again so why couldn't he be fully happy about it?
A beep sounded from his watch to indicate an incoming call. Tails had given him this watch to be able to call him, but also to be able to locate him if necessary. There was a time when it would have bothered him, but now he found it reassuring. He would have liked to have this watch six months earlier. He stood up and answered.
"Sonic, this is Tails. Everything is fine ? "
"For the fourteenth time today Tails, I'm fine. " He said sarcastically, putting on his cool superhero mask that nothing affects. He still found himself a good actor.
" The sun sets. We're eating in the refectory in an hour! I will wait for you with the others. " Tails continued excited.
" OK ! We'll see each other there ! " He replied, imitating the fox's enthusiasm.
He hung up. He was not the only one who had suffered in this war. He had seen them, his friends had all changed, some matured and his disappearance had marked more than one.
He arrived at the base in a few minutes. He felt that his physical capacity was further reduced. He wore compression bandages on his calves to relieve pain of his muscles that had not been used for six months. Only yesterday, he was captive.
He entered the strangely quiet control room. He thought he would find Tails there but there was only a pink hedgehog tapping rapidly on her computer keyboard, she flipped through the pile of paper to her right and began her office symphony again without sensing the presence of the blue hedgehog. He watched her. He won't admit it to anyone, but she was the one that impressed him the most right now. Her adaptability was amazing. Like him, she was no longer the same person. He had heard it from Tails. Amy had handled all of the logistics, rescue, evacuation and settling of the residents in the basements of the base. The establishment of rules, the distribution of tasks, the inventory and the rationalization of food. Not to mention her presence on the ground. Knuckles was the boss, but she was the one running the base. She had dropped her usual dress against military pants and a black tank top. These colors did not suit her. Her face was scratched, one of her arms was completely bandaged, and bandages could be seen on several parts of her body. She stretched, winced, stopped in her movement and looked surprised when their eyes met.
"Uh… The others are waiting for us to eat. " He said to justify his presence, raising his hand to greet her in passing.
She smiles at him. He imitated her.
" I am coming ! "
She put on her jacket and led the way to the dining hall. He observed her and had a strange feeling. Was she embarrassed? She wasn't holding his gaze like she used to. He didn't know that shyness from her.
"Sorry, no chili dog tonight." She joked to ease the odd atmosphere.
"Anything but porridge will do! " He replied without thinking.
The memories came back to him like a slap in the face, but he had to save face. She felt Sonic's absent look for a moment, before smiling back. So was that what he ate there? Since his miraculous return and much to her disappointment, she hadn't spent much time with him. She had so much to deal with here, and so much more now, with the world to rebuild. But she was worried about him. Six months locked up and he was perfectly fine? No, he couldn't fool her. They were emerging from a violent war. She was not well herself. No one was doing well and Sonic, formidable as he could be, would be no exception. She was just waiting for the right moment to bring up the subject. Maybe he was in denial himself? Even before arriving, they could hear the hustle and bustle from the dining hall. All the survivors gathered together to eat. They saw their friends at the table and waved to them before grabbing a tray and stepping into the queue. Amy struck up a conversation with a visibly pregnant white hedgehog as they walked over to get their rations. As she stepped out of the line, Amy quietly gave her bread to the pregnant hedgehog, who thanked her with a bow. Sonic questioned her with a look.
"She's expecting twins. She needs it more than me. " She whispered to him as she stepped forward. "Maybe I should change the distribution of rations taking this into account…" she added more to herself.
He smiled at her good deed but couldn't help but be worried. He had known Amy better. Not to mention the war wounds she seemed to want to hide with her jacket, she had also lost weight and the dark circles under her eyes showed an obvious lack of sleep. She, who had always shown him her full attention, didn't even notice him when he entered the room.
"Ah! Knuckles I wanted to talk to you about the pipelines… "she began before being cut off by the latter with a wave of her hand.
"Amy pause. We have a meeting tomorrow morning, you will have plenty of time to tell me about the pipes and other fabulous subjects that you have the secret. Dinner is sacred, you have to enjoy it! "
She forced a smile and listened to her friends chat, as if nothing had happened, on trivialities. She played with her last potato, thinking of a way to get food in the short, medium and long term. Eggman had blown up most of the area's crop fields. Potatoes and carrots, being root vegetables, had more or less survived the attacks, but stocks were dwindling visibly. There were exactly 247 survivors and time was a luxury they did not have. It was also necessary to think about securing the minefields, to repair the external pipes of the base to have drinking water quickly, to find medicinal plants for the infirmary, to search for food in the neighboring sectors, to start the construction of new homes, to prepare the land to accommodate new crops, to ...
"Amy? " Cream asked softly.
She looked up to realize that everyone was watching her in silence. Hell, she hadn't been listening for a while.
" Yes ? "
" Great ! " She exclaimed.
" Eh ? "
"You just agreed to officiate Vanilla and Vector's marriage. " Espio informed aware that she hadn't been following the conversation.
"Vector and Vanilla?" She exclaimed, looking at the two lovers. Vector his arm around his fiancée's shoulders, his face lit up with a dazzling smile.
She smiles.
"With pleasure, yes! Congratulation ! "
She looked at them admiringly. The war had succeeded in bringing them together. She also looked at Knuckles and Rouge who were bickering and laughing. Would she get to feel that way again? Carefree love? She had spent six months wondering when would she see Sonic again or if she would see him again. Six months of tirelessly looking for him. Six months hoping he's alive. Six months crying in despair every night in her cabin, but waking up every morning with the same determination. She still couldn't believe he was really there, sitting next to her. Did he know she had done irresponsible things to find him? Did he know she would have searched for him until the end of her days? He turned his head, their eyes met and her heart skipped a beat. Her cheeks crimson, she returned her attention to her potato and sliced it into pieces before eating it quickly.
Once the meal was over, the survivors returned to their cabins. The base had fifteen underground floors made up of about twenty cabins and several collective bathrooms. Some floors also had a sports hall, an infirmary, a laboratory or even storage rooms. Sonic's friends had taken over the first basement, where the control room was located. Sonic also had his own cabin. He had no personal affair, everything had been shattered during the bombardments. The cabins were all designed the same. A bed, a desk, a chair and two shelves, all in less than five square meters and without a window of course, to the despair of the blue hedgehog.
Lying on his bed, Sonic looked around the room and felt nauseous. Had he developed a certain claustrophobia? On his desk, he found a sheet with the numbers of his friends' booths. He recognized Amy's handwriting.
He had cabin 19, Tails had 18 and Amy had number 20. He walked out of the room to take some fresh air and noticed Amy's cabin door ajar. He walked over to see her writing vigorously on her laptop. It was 2 a.m. He knocked softly. She turned around surprised to see him.
"Hey" she said softly with a tired smile.
"Hi" he replied whispering and unable to hide his curiosity when he saw her cabin.
" Come inside "
He looked at the photos on the wall. Pictures of his friends, pictures of him.
"That's all I could get back ..." she lamented. "You can take a few if you want. "
He hesitated but didn't want to take away the warm touch the wall had. She had started to strum again.
" What are you doing ? " Asked the blue hedgehog.
"I'm finishing my reports for tomorrow morning's meeting. "
" At this time ? "
She nodded, focused. Then abruptly stopped and turned around again.
" And you ? You do not sleep ? "
He shook his head, smiling. She watched him. She hated that fake smile. She got up from her wheelchair and, with a speed that caught him off guard, hugged him, resting her head on his chest, her hands in his back spikes. After a few moments of hesitation, he hugged her back, circling her shoulders. This contact, she needed it as much as he did. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it, the warmth, her warmth.
" Do not do that. Don't smile when you're not feeling well. " She began whispering. "When you will be ready, I'll be there to listen to you." She paused to control her emotions. "Until then, if you need a shoulder, a comfort, a hug, or just a presence. I'm here. I will always be there for you. "
She could feel him shaking. With one hand, without letting go, she closed her cabin door and switch the light. The only light source now came from her laptop, giving the room the privacy they needed. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, hugging him tighter, as if to pull out everything he had kept inside for six months. All the wounds in her body were tugging at her but she didn't care. He tightened his grip on her waist as if it depended on it and rested his head in the crook of his friend's neck. He tried to hold back the flood of emotions that suddenly poured into him but, like an overflowing vase, the tears escaped in spite of himself. He had reached his limits. She cried with him. Glad to have him with her, sad to see him suffer so much. She didn't dare say anything. What could she say? No word will be able to restore those six months to him, for either of them both. She knew he had been tortured. She had gotten a glimpse of Infinite's abilities and it was driving her crazy. He clung to her, hoping it wasn't a dream and inhaled her scent like the first dose of a drug. He blamed himself for breaking up, he really didn't want her to worry about it. He didn't recognize himself, he didn't want to scare her.
"Sorry ..." he breathed, regaining a little composure. He didn't part with her, ashamed, not wanting to meet her gaze now.
She shook her head, her throat too tight to answer. She tightened her grip as if she could squeeze him even more and he did the same. They hugged each other for a moment with their eyes closed, appeasing each other, enjoying their mutual warmth, their reunion. He was so relieved to know that she was okay, so were her friend and Amy felt the same. He was relieved to know that the horrors he had seen in Infinite's illusions weren't real. Now, it was time to heal the wounds and move forward, looking forward to being alive and together. They will have scars, sure, but they will make them stronger. Amy was sure of it. It will just take time.
"Sonic? "
"Hm? "
"We should sleep. "
He sighed, but she was right. They parted reluctantly. Their eyes met. This time, she didn't look away. She smiled at him and he could only imitate her. She'd made him forget everything he'd been through for a moment, but the thought of going back to his cabin alone made him feel suddenly anguished. He felt Amy's hand timidly take his, as if she had sensed his distress.
" Stay. "
Sonic's eyes widened. Suddenly blood rushed to their cheeks, realizing what that suggested. She let go as if her hand had been burned.
"Uh ... F-Finally ... That-What I mean is ..."
When she looked up he was no longer in front of her. She exhaled and closed her eyes. She had scared him away as usual. What was she thinking? Some things could not change. Yet, really, she had no idea behind her head. She just wanted to help him. She heard a sigh of contentment behind her.
"Why is your bed more comfortable than mine?" He whispered, sleep already taking him over.
He buried his head in his pillow, inhaling the scent that had completely relaxed him a few minutes earlier. She smiles sadly looking at him. He fell asleep almost instantly. He must have felt really bad to accept her offer. He must have felt really bad to come see her in the middle of the night, to accept her embrace, to hug her and cry without restraint, leaving all his pride aside. It was the first time she had seen him like this. She sat down in her chair and gently stroked the top of his head. It was 2:55 am and she was a long way from finishing her reports. She resumed typing on her computer.
She woke up with a start, gasping for air from her nightmare. No… It was more than a nightmare. A memory of the day when she had tried everything for everything. She shivered, trying to catch her breath, clutched at her desk, staring at the floor. She heard an exhale that was not hers. She turned her head. There he was, in his bed, fast asleep, peacefully asleep.
"It was worth it. " She thought.
She looked up at her computer. It was 5:33 am. Sleep had fled, like every night for a week, since that day.
Sonic woke up slowly from a restful sleep. He hadn't known one for a long time. Without opening his eyes, he inhaled the scent emanating from the pillow. He loved the smell in spite of himself. Then he sharply opened his eyes, remembering the night before. He looked around for the pink hedgehog without finding it. He literally collapsed last night. He stood up and found a piece of paper on the desk next to the bed.
" In meeting. I didn't want to wake you up. Meet me at 12 in the refectory. Amy. "
He smiles. She had pretty handwriting. He stretched and looked at his watch. 12:47. He stood up hastily. He didn't think he had slept so much. He arrived in the refectory breathless.
"Sonic! " The two-tailed fox greeted him. " Where have you been ? I came to get you but you were not in your bed ... "
He definitely couldn't tell him he'd fallen asleep in Amy's bed.
"I was taking some fresh air! " He eluded quickly.
He glanced around the dining hall and the table where his friends usually sat. She was not here.
" Where are the others ? " Asked the blue hedgehog.
" At work ! " Announced the fox. "And I'll do the same! I need to fix the piping issue we had with the last explosions. Our water reserves are dwindling rapidly even with the restriction of showers. I should sort this out before the end of the day! Go to the control room if you want to help. "
He ran off, giving him a last wave with his hand. Sonic took a sandwich and walked to the location indicated. He poked his head through the door and found the one he had been looking for since this morning. She was in the middle of an explanation, surrounded by volunteers. She was showing areas on the map and after a few minutes the group left to follow the hedgehog's directions. She lifted her head to meet his gaze. She smiles at him.
"Sorry, I'm late!" She apologized.
"You mean you stand me up? "
She looked at him in surprise as he handed her half of his sandwich with a teasing smile. She took it and bit into it willingly, realizing how hungry she was. She then blushed realizing he had eaten in it before.
"To be honest, I woke up a few minutes ago…" he continued.
His smile faded before he looked away and instinctively scratched the back of his head, visibly embarrassed. He cleared his throat, enjoying the fact that they were alone in the room.
"For yesterday… I… Thank you. "
" I do not see what you're talking about. " She smiles.
They exchanged a look. It was her way of saying that she won't tell anyone and he was relieved to know that he could always keep his face in front of others.
"What do I have on the schedule? " He asked.
"Nothing, but if you're really bored, you can come with me. "
" Then let's go ! "
He followed her to the hangar and helped her load bags into a pickup. He climbed on the passenger side.
"We are going to explore area 32, it was bombarded with anti-personnel mines. We will have to indicate the position of the mines in order to be able to disarm them and secure the place. " She explained as she drove. "Once the place is secure, we hope we can find food and something to produce on the other side. "
He watched her drive and opened the window enjoying the wind on his face. She parked a few yards from the area. She took out a machine from one of the bags. Sonic stretched and took a few steps forward.
"STOP! " Amy cried and at the same time a clicking sound was heard under the blue hedgehog's foot. " DO NOT MOVE ! " She walked cautiously towards him. He looked at her slightly nervous. She huffed to keep her calm.
"Ok. Don't move an inch. Don't change the pressure you put on your feet. "
"Amy? " His voice betrayed his concern.
"You just walked on a mine. "
"A mine? "
"Yes a mine, you know a bomb that explodes when you step on it!" "
"Ok, that was just to be sure…" he quipped.
She returned to the car to get a bag, came back just as quickly and crouched down at his feet.
" What are you doing ? " He asked.
"I will defuse the mine. Tails showed me how. "
" Oh ? And how many times have you done it? "
" Twice. " She confessed.
"Ok. You are an expert so here I am reassured. " He felt his body start to sweat under the stress.
"Sonic." She looked up seriously. "If you move, you kill us. "
His heart skipped a beat.
"No pressure…" he breathed.
He watched her. She was precise and meticulous. She really looked like she knew what she was doing. The time was long. The minutes seemed like hours.
"Ok, that should be good. "
" Should ? " He queried.
She checked her work one last time. He noticed the perspiration on her temple. She raised her head.
" It's good. Slowly lift your foot. "
"Amy…" He was ashamed to doubt her skills.
" Trust me. There is no way we will die today. "
He caught his breath, she did the same, and did so. They sighed in relief in unison and with a movement she stood up and hugged him. They were out of breath as if they had run a marathon.
"There are safer ways to get your adrenaline dose! " He joked. " Good game. " He continued more seriously, whispering in her ear and tightening his embrace.
Suddenly she pulled away, visibly embarrassed. Since when was Amy Rose embarrassed with Sonic the Hedgehog? She handed him a device and cleared her throat. She had looked away.
"Here, to detect mines. "
"You could have started with that! " He exclaimed.
"The area is about fifty meters away! This mine was not supposed to be there! " She defended herself. "We should be glad we didn't ride on it. "
"It's clear it's so much better to walk on it…" He rolled his eyes, still gasping for air.
She planted a flag where Sonic was immobilized.
"The mine still has its explosive charge. This will have to be dealt with later. " She explained.
They spent the afternoon detecting mines and planting flags. They then returned to the base where a new agitation was felt.
"Tails, what's going on? " Amy asked over her communicator, worried.
"Pipelines repaired! We can take showers again! " He replied proudly.
" Good news ! Thanks Tails! You're the best ! "
" No problem ! "
At the table, the discussions were lively that very evening. Vanillla and Vector would like to formalize their union in two weeks. Amy grimaced.
"Amy, relax. " Knuckles began. "It's a good source of motivation for the survivors! We all need to have a little fun! "
"We will celebrate the end of the war at the same time!" Silver exclaimed.
The laughter resonated and Amy couldn't help but approve.
"I will plan a team for the preparations. " She informed.
The feel of the warm water on his skin was a blessing to Sonic. He felt all his muscles relax. It was the first time he'd been hanging out so much in the shower. He reviewed the events of the day and smiled. It was good to be free, to be with his friends, but the angst that came with the night was still there. He leaned his forehead against the tiled wall, unable to shake off those horrible images. When he entered his room, the loneliness of the place was already choking him. His heart was telling him to find Amy but his brain wouldn't cooperate. He didn't want to disturb her. Their sudden rapprochement did him good but also made him uncomfortable. He didn't want her to see sides of him that he couldn't stand. He didn't want her to see him weak, sad, in pain… He knew how much that would hurt her. He had failed yesterday but he would not fail today. So he climbed onto the roof of the building to enjoy the clean air and the stars.
In her cabin, Amy was working on her computer and secretly wondering if Sonic was coming. But the hours passed and he didn't show up. So she eventually lay down and fell asleep, tired. It was without counting the nightmares that woke her up in a sweat. She put her hand on her heart, she was having trouble breathing. She had to get some fresh air and fast. She stormed out of the cabin and ran to her favorite place: the roof. She opened the door violently and ended her run at the edge of the roof. She grabbed the railing and took a deep breath in the clean, cool night air. She crouched down without letting go of the railing, trembling all over her body. She felt nauseous, tears of frustration and anger rose to her eyes without her allowing herself to let them fall. She closed her eyes and saw the corpses of the volunteers on the battlefields again. Blood on her hands. The hiss of explosions. She was trying to catch her breath when she suddenly felt a touch on her arm. Reflexively, she shied away from it, jumped to her feet and drew her hammer, ready to attack. She met the surprised blue hedgehog's green eyes.
"Amy…?" He started worried. He had witnessed the whole scene.
" I'm fine. Sorry, you ... just scared me ... "
She looked away. He didn't like it when she did that. It didn't look like her. Since his return, he could tell, something was wrong with her. She took a deep breath to recover.
" What are you doing here ? " She asked out of curiosity.
It was her place, where she could let go without anyone knowing and recompose herself without anyone knowing.
"Not sleepy and… for the stars. " He answered pointing to the sky "and you? "
So he hadn't slept at all.
"No more sleepy and ... for the stars." She mimicked him.
So something was preventing her from going back to sleep.
They walked over to one of the benches and settled into it.
"Do you want to… talk about it?" The hedgehog asked breaking the silence.
He pursed his lips realizing that it wasn't like him to say that. She looked at him with wide eyes.
"Sonic the hedgehog wants… to talk?" "
She laughed softly. But who was this hedgehog?
"Ok, I didn't say anything. It's true that I have better things to do at ... 4:45 am! " He finished looking at his watch.
He sat back on the bench, crossed his outstretched legs and put his arms behind his head. This position was already more like him. Both were not yet ready to put words into what happened. To confess what happened. To share the feelings that consumed them from within. She looked at his ankle bandages.
" Does it hurt ? "
He seemed to be thinking.
"No… It just pulls a bit when I run, but it's okay. Tails wants me to take stress tests tomorrow ... well, today. "
He rolled his eyes.
"Maybe we should let him know that you haven't slept ..."
" You think ? I don't want to worry about it. "
"He's your friend, he has the right to worry. "
They exchanged a look.
" And you ? " He said, pointing to her completely bandaged arm.
"It stings a bit from time to time. " He raised an eyebrow without understanding. "Burns… caused by the latest explosions," she explained. "It should be fine, as long as it doesn't get infected." She continued under his worried gaze. " You see ? Friends worry. The reverse would be strange. "
They exchanged a smile before focusing on the sky. They remained in a peaceful silence that relaxed them, just enjoying the presence of the other. Sonic had always loved loneliness, but today that loneliness was unbearable. He had been completely alone for six long months and his thoughts were only for his friends. It had changed him completely. He wanted to spend more time with them, to enjoy them, because we don't know what the future holds. He allowed himself a glance at the hedgehog gazing at the rosy color of the horizon which indicated the onset of dawn. The truth was, he had thought about her, a lot, and was angry with himself. He had always acted heinously with her, pushing her away, running away as far as possible, out of fear, out of shyness. The truth was that among all the horrors he had seen, he had imagined life with her and that was one of the things that had kept him alive. The hope of being able to laugh with her, eat with her, dance with her, sleep with her, hold her hand, take her in his arms, kiss her… He felt the blood rush to his cheeks, he never allowed himself to think about that stuff before being captured. How can they move forward today when they were shattered by war?
Note: I hope you have enjoyed this first chapter. I really enjoyed playing Sonic Forces and was amazed that there was no trauma from Sonic's imprisonment. My brain therefore imagined the rest and I wrote it down. Do not hesitate to leave me a comment! If you see any errors, please let me know, English is not my mother tongue and I don't have beta reader. See you next chapter!