*Get ready you guys! The fluff is on pause and we're going into part 1 of the nitty-gritty emotional stuff. Seriously get a box of tissues ready you'll need them in the next chapter hehehe *evil laughter*
Things had been very dull around as of late for everyone on the base except for the doctor. Finally, after two weeks of radio silence, Eggman had gotten his long-awaited call from the hospital approving of his project. Since then, the doctor had been excitedly working along with his clients again. With Eggman busy working on his big project, this left big brother Metal the responsibility to babysit the blue blur.
Since their agreement, Metal had quickly understood and adjusted to taking on his new tasks as an older sibling. However, he still struggled to keep his baby brother occupied when the doctor was unavailable. And with the weather not suitable to be out in again, this left the badnick with a very bored Sonic.
With nothing to entertain the organic hedgehog, Sonic finally decided to do something he had meant to do since his arrival. Fully explore the base. The blue blur took with him Metal to trail along as company and a guide to making sure he didn't get lost. They had already finished scouting the basement and warehouse, making sure to stay out of Eggman's way (the doctor had granted him full access to both floors since Sonic was no longer ranked as a safety threat). Now they were walking down the halls of the 3rd floor going beyond the high traffic areas.
Sonic would peek in each door they passed, curious to see what was on the other side. Disappointingly he found nothing too much of interest so far, mostly empty rooms.
Eyes half-mast, he mindlessly opens another boring door to another boring room, barely casting it a glance. He walks away with a hum before Sonic froze midstep and dashes back to the door with an excited yelp. "Wait a second!"
Metal paused, hearing Sonic's cry, and tilted his head curiously, a habit he had picked up from his counterpart, wondering what had suddenly sparked the blue blur's interest? The badnick stepped closer while Sonic whispered a 'wow' at the scene with a big smile and huge eyes; Metal took his optics off the hedgehog, moving them to what his counterpart was looking at. His red eyes flashed briefly in surprise. Metal couldn't remember ever coming across this room before; perhaps the doctor had added it on recently? It looked like...a playroom? Obstacle course? He wasn't sure what to label it. The room was massive! A quick scan proved that it was almost as large as the garden.
Inside was a large jungle gym-like play structure that filled most of the room with a slide attached to it that lead to a bottomless ball pit. There was also a bounce house, a playhouse with a fire pole attached, a rideable train, and a fire truck!
"This...is...so...awesome!" Sonic yells, bouncing on his heels, taking Metal's hand and pulling him into the ginormous playroom. The blue baby laughs as he hurriedly waddles to the jungle gym, climbing into one of the entrance tubes, releasing his grip on the robot so he could use one hand to help himself crawl up while the other drags Ivo along. "Come on, Metal!" Sonic beckons when he notices the badnick hasn't followed.
"I do not think it would be wise for me to enter the play fort. My sharp edges will damage the structure. I will stay here and observe." Sonic's tail stopped wagging as he sadly pouted a bit, "Awww. Are you sure you can't come with? It'd be more fun with you."
"I will still be here and observe. You may proceed; watching you enjoy yourself is satisfactory." the badnick reassured. Sonic looked at him and the pathway indecisively, making an expression that indicated he was thinking very hard about what to do. The blue devil wanted to check out the cool-looking fort, but he didn't want to leave his new big brother all alone.
Setting his sights back on Metal with determination shining through his eyes, the hedgehog hops out of the tube and hurries to the robot, diaper crinkling as he speed-walks. He thrusts his toy to Metal, "Here, take Ivo. He'll keep you company!" The badnick startled jumps back, looking at the toy and then Sonic. Slowly he places a sharp hand on the toy, hesitating to take it.
Metal didn't understand why Sonic insisted on him having the doll; it was his favorite since it was hand-made by Eggman. The blue blur took the toy with him everywhere, and now he was willingly giving it up for him? "You do not want to take the replica doctor with you?" Metal asked in uncertainty and surprise.
"No. He needs to stay with you; I'll be ok!" Sonic reaffirms, pushing the toy closer to the robot encouraging him to take it. Metal feels something in his hardware heat up and soften touched by the kind gesture and accepts taking Ivo gently. The badnick nods once, silently thanking the hedgie for his consideration.
Happy that his metallic brother now had company, Sonic smiles, and dashes back to the play structure, crawling back inside the tube to explore. Metal taking care that his fingers don't poke through the fabric holds Ivo while he watches his charge giggle, tumble, and roll through the passageways and cavities hanging above his head.
Sonic was having the time of his life discovering the wonderous passageways of the fort. Though he still thought this would be more fun if his big brother were with him. He crawled through the primary-colored tunnels exploring every nook and cranny, climbed nets of soft rope, carefully walked over narrow bridges, and looked through the plastic viewing glass at various dead ends to see where and how high he was. The blue blur would wave at Metal; the robot would wave back, sometimes even taking one of Ivo's arms and waving in return.
After exploring every inch of the jungle gym, Sonic found and slid down the long slide into the ball pit with an excited scream, hands in the air as he dove in with a loud PLINK! The balls clicked and tapped against each other as he moved underneath the surface with the ends of his quills poking above, making him look like a shark. Breaching the surface with a gasp, Sonic tossed a handful of rainbow-colored balls into the air like confetti, "Come on, Metal! Your sharp edges won't hurt anything here. Come on in the water's great! Hahaha!"
With a beep, Metal hurries over to the pit; he abruptly stops before getting in and gently sets the toy on the ground where it wouldn't get lost. Satisfied, he leaps in, sending a wave of balls raining down. Sonic whoops with delight and jumps at the badnick when he reaches the surface, playfully hissing and clicking as they start roughhousing with each other. The two go at it, tossing, shoving, and throwing each other around, sending the plastic orbs flying out of the pit. At some point, they start a war tossing specific colored balls to hit the other, laughing and screaming, both synthetic and organic.
After a while, they tired of playing in the ball pit, and Metal suggested they check out the playhouse and rideable train. Sonic agreed, thinking of saving the bounce house for another time when the blue blur would be alone or perhaps when he was with Eggman. He didn't want to have his big brother watch while he played all the time; it was more fun to do stuff together!
The duo spent hours playing, their bond growing as they spent the day together having quality big and little brother time, thoroughly occupied and enjoying themselves until it was time for dinner.
*After dinner*
In the lounge room, tired from their fun day, Sonic laid back on a couch cushion, relaxing as he sucked on his bottle of juice watching Spongebob. Metal entered, returning from disposing of the dirty dishes, and joined the baby hog on the couch. The badnick quickly scanned the hedgehog's diaper; it didn't need changing now but probably would later before bed, he noted. Sonic sighed sadly through his nose; his gaze dropped as he set the bottle aside. "Tired, or is something wrong?" Metals asked.
The blue blur fiddles with Ivo's arms in his lap, his face down in melancholy, "I just miss Eggy is all." Metal lets out a mechanical sigh in acknowledgment, sympathizing with his counterpart about Eggman's recent absence, "Yes, Master is quite busy right now."
"How long...will it be like this? Is he always this busy with these kinds of projects?" Sonic asked, curious and concerned at the same time. "I cannot answer that accurately. Previously the doctor was always busy with projects unless he was fighting you."
"Oh...so then...you really didn't have any quality time with the doc either before all of this, huh?" Metal shook his head, "Incorrect. I actually spent much time with Master helping him with his plans and overseeing the construction of battle badnicks. We've spent many hours planning and devising you and your friend's destruction, hours...I now regret." the badnick slowly lowered his head in shame.
He and Sonic had grown fond of each other, as odd as it was to now not only be friends but brothers with his former enemy, Metal couldn't deny the relief he felt. No longer worrying about having to one-up the blue blur or harboring anger for their similarities. Peace had been such a foreign concept months ago, and now he couldn't imagine ever going back to fighting his brother over anything other than a petty squabble that would easily be forgotten and forgiven. It was nice having a sibling.
Sonic chuckles at the robot, "It's no biggie, Metal; things were different then. We're all good now!" he says, warmly hugging his metal copy. The robot's optics change from imitation pupils to happy eyes enjoying the embrace and returning it.
Something Metal had just mentioned strikes Sonic as odd, making him pull back and look at Metal in confusion, "Wait, why aren't you helping the doc now?" the badnick's optics imitate a blink as they return to their default image, "I do not have any knowledge or experience in working with his projects designed for medical purposes. I was designed for battle and to help aid the doctor in plotting your capture or demise. Not for producing lifesaving medical equipment."
"Oh." Sonic said sadly, feeling a bit silly for asking about something that should have been obvious, "I guess...does this mean we won't be able to see him much now? Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, big bro, it's just...I'm worried he'll forget us?" the blue devil said in an unsure tone going back to fiddling with Ivo's limbs. Metal turned away, seeming to ponder the hedgehog's question. He didn't like to see his baby brother looking sad, but he really didn't know what to say that would lift his spirits. The badnick was just as clueless about how soon they would see the doctor again, as he was disappearing with increasing frequency.
Whatever happens, I will be there to help Sonic not feel lonely. It is my duty as the eldest sibling! And, if necessary, I will drag Master out of the lab to make him spend time with my baby brother.
"I do not think we have anything to worry about." Metal finally speaks gently, petting the speedster's head to comfort him, "Master will return. Every day will not be like this." Sonic smiled softly, releasing a sigh of relief, grateful that even when Eggman wasn't around, he could still talk to Metal about his worries. "Whew! Good! I was kinda worried. Thanks, bro!" he smiles back, giving a thumbs up. The badnick does the same and ruffles Sonic's head making him giggle.
The days dragged by with the base's inhabitants, besides Metal and things 1 and 2 (aka Orbot and Cubot) seeing the dear doctor less and less. At first, everything seemed only slightly different compared to when the doctor started to get busy. Sonic would see Eggman at breakfast; they would meet again at lunch, go back to their activities until dinner, and then spend the evening together.
Then the doctor started skipping lunch, having it delivered into his lab to hold meetings and such continuously. Then Eggman would miss dinner or stay in the lab late working on testing and head straight to bed after, instead of hanging out with the blue blur or even stop by for even 5 minutes to say goodnight. Then the doctor stowed away inside his lab entirely, never leaving with only Metal ever seeing the doc to deliver his meals and Orbot or Cubot providing his requested materials. Sonic rarely ever saw Eggman nowadays.
It was downright depressing.
Sonic was starting to not only get worried but doubted whether his decision to move in had been wise. Was moving in with Eggman and the babying all for naught? Was Eggman slipping back into his evil ways? Were his friends right about the doctor abusing his trust?
To try and dispel his doubt, Sonic asked Metal a few times how the doctor was doing and what he was up to since the badnick was one of the few who saw the doctor on any regular basis. The reply was always the same, "Master is working on his 'Medical project.' status has not changed." Sonic trusted the badnick's word that Eggman was not delving into world domination plans, but he still would respond with a sad, "Oh..." and a downcast look on his face. Metal did his best to stir the hedgehog's spirits, but his efforts didn't last long.
Is he avoiding me? Did I do something wrong? Is he tired of me? Why won't he ever come out of the lab anymore? These and similar thoughts swirled in the speedster's mind trying to figure out if Eggman was avoiding him and why?
Thinking that getting his answers from the source would be a better strategy, Sonic tried to catch the doctor, hoping to have a brief word with him. The blue devil would wake up early before Eggman went to the lab, stayed up late before the doctor went to bed, and sent little sticky notes of 'Are you ok? I miss you' with the meals sent down. But somehow, he would still miss the human at every turn; the hedgehog felt like he was losing the person he had just begin to get close to.
If that wasn't bad enough, Sonic still suffered from his panic attacks and nightmares. When he was woken up by one in the middle of the night, out of habit, he would hurry to the doctor's bedroom door seeking refuge but stopped himself before going in. He would stand idle in front of Eggman's door on the verge of tears hugging Ivo and fighting with himself on whether to go in or not.
He never went in.
Instead, Sonic would retreat to either his room or the lounge wrapping himself in blankets and mindlessly watch tv to chase the bad lonely feelings away. Sonic didn't want to bother the busy doctor and be seen as a nuisance. Though he still needed help and missed Eggman's company, he couldn't bring himself to open the door. Even regressing wasn't the same; Metal tried his best to fill the doctor's role as a caregiver, but...they both knew there are some things a robot can't replicate like an organic can. Sonic didn't feel like being little, very much without his true caregiver around to cuddle and play with.
It hurt him deeply.
The lack of attention, increased stress from unaddressed panic attacks, and nightmares made Sonic's teenage mood swings worse; Metal could testify to that. One minute the blue blur would pace around the room, frustrated with the situation, unable to have some closure with the doctor, and so done with feeling alone and abandoned. He would start screaming and yelling about how unfair life was and how much he hated Eggman, then break down, begging and sobbing for him in a corner the next. The mood swings affected him even when visiting his friends.
*At the workshop*
"Sonic...hey, Sonic...Sonic...Sonic!"
"Wha...?" The blue devil dazedly mumbles, Tails sighs in exasperation at the downcast hero, "What's the deal, man?! You're really out of it today."
"Oh, sorry, bud. I'm just..." the blue blur shrugged helplessly, shrinking into the front seat of the Tornado, not feeling like doing much of anything. Tails shook his head, shoulders going up to the sky in a 'why me?' gesture, at the hedgehog's mood. His brother wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around him.
The blue blur had arrived early that morning, found Tails in the workshop tinkering as usual, and promptly fell into the cockpit moping like Shadow when he thought of Maria's death. It was now well after lunch, and the hedgehog had barely moved an inch!
"What's with you lately? You've been so depressed the last few times that a chili dog barely makes you smile...a CHILI DOG!" the fox stressed, recalling his failed attempt just a few hours earlier to get the hedgehog to eat his favorite food. Sonic languidly sighs, looking away in guilt for behaving so out of character, but he couldn't help it. He twiddled his thumbs, "I know..."
"Spill it! What's got you so down?! It's driving me crazy! I wanna help you, bro, but I can't if I don't know what's wrong!" Sonic sat there silently thinking. What good would it do to tell him? He's already suspicious of Eggman, but he's my best bud, and we tell each other everything! Well...practically everything. He could get jealous of how close we've gotten if I tell him. But he's my brother, and he knows how much I want this contract to work so Eggman can reform in peace and not in a jail cell...surely he'd understand!
"Tails...there's nothing you can really do to help."
"Tell me anyway. At least to get whatever it is off your chest." the yellow fox gently prods, leaning over the dash. Sonic looks up, seeing the concern etched in the fox's features and those blue eyes that compelled him to open up. The hedgehog takes a deep breath before speaking, "It's...Eggman." he slowly reveals. Tails' eyebrows raise in astonishment. "What?"
"Eggman, he's...I haven't seen him much of late."
"And you think he's doing something suspicious?!" Tails asks almost excitedly; Sonic flinches as if the fox had slapped him in the face, "What?! No! He isn't doing anything bad it's actually good. He's working on this project for the hospital, remember the one I told you about?" Tails reels back his excitement and sticks his tongue out in disgust, "Oh yeah, that organ regrowth thing like a lizard?"
"Yeah, that! Which I'm glad for him, and I think it's great that they're going to go through with it, but...I haven't seen him much since then." Tails didn't understand where the hedgehog was going with this, he waves his hands around in a lost motion as he asks, "Oooookaay, and this is a problem because?"
"I don't know. I guess I just..." Sonic begins sighing forlornly and hangs his head down, mumbling in defeat, "I just miss him."
Tails stares at his brother, unable to speak, his jaw hanging wide open. He misses hanging out with the big bloated egg?! They've been hanging out?! Together?! Having fun?! The fox's mind was blown; he couldn't believe it. His brother, the hero of Mobius's Sonic the Hedgehog, was morning over not getting to spend quality time together with his arch-nemesis. All this time, Tails had thought that they were just temporarily living together and putting up with each other's antics, not bonding! Could Sonic possibly want to stay with the doctor after all? Such a thing was unthinkable in his mind! And yet, it was happening right before him. He could see Sonic's eyes watering in sorrow. "I-I...don't know what to say, Sonic." Tails horsely stutterers, totally at a loss.
The blue devil, embarrassed at getting emotional in front of his little brother, quickly and discreetly wipes his eyes, "It's ok, bud. S'not your fault. I've been so out of touch lately, heh. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest..." Sonic's ears slowly lifted, taking the rest of his head with him, "That's it..." he whispers. Tails confusedly looks at the hedgehog's strange mood swing, "What?"
"That what I need to talk to him about! That's it!" he shouts, his whole face doing a 180 as he hops onto the front of the plane, "He's distracted! He's been cooped up in that lab day in and day out, so focused on that project; he hasn't thought of anything else! He's stuck in his head! If he were to just step outside, get some fresh air. That'll clear his head, and he won't ignore us anymore." Sonic slams a first into his paw in resolve, now knowing what he needed to do to get his Eggy back. The blue blur turns and smiles at the yellow fox, grabbing him and pulling him into a hug, "Thanks, Tails!"
Said fox did nothing while his brother hugged him. He didn't think screaming, 'what the hell?!' or pushing the blue blur away and slapping him in the face would be an appropriate response. "Uh, your welcome." he flatly replied instead, slowly patting Sonic's back.
The hedgehog released his friend with a wide grin before a yawn broke it; he stretched his arms in the air and rubbed his eyes. "Boy, all this brainstorming has me bushed. Hehe, Imma go take a quick nap before I head back to Eggy's." Tails blankly nodded, stiffly stepping aside, letting the blue blur pass to go rest.
Sonic left the fox to his own devices and closed the workshop door behind him. Tails stood stiff as a wooden plank, eyes fixed at the door, horror filling his mind at just what had happened. "This is getting bad; they're getting closer together. I've got-I've got to hurry and come up with a plan before it's too late!" The fox held his head in his hands and groaned, feeling the beginnings of a mild headache forming from the stressful situation. Then, taking a breath, he shook his head and decided to go back to work to take his mind off the disturbing talk of Sonic having fun with Eggman.
45 minutes later, the fox left his workshop, entering the kitchen for a drink of water, feeling somewhat better than before.
He had gathered all his notes and observations over the last few months, working on the beginnings of a plan to help rescue his brother, and had made good progress.
Taking a glass from the cupboard, he turns the tap on cold, waiting until the glass was half full, and takes a drink; he sighs, feeling refreshed after quenching his thirst. Tails' ear flicks, finding the house to be suspiciously quiet; he checks the living room to make sure Sonic hasn't already left without his notice. Taking a handful of steps, he peeks around the corner and sees a pile of blue quills passed out on the couch. One of Sonic's feet twitches in his sleep while he sucks on his thumb; the fox slowly raises a brow in confusion.
This seemed new.
Tails thought back as far as he could remember and couldn't recall ever seeing Sonic suck his thumb in his sleep before. Nibble on his gloves or blanket, sure, but not thumb sucking. The fox held a hand over his smile, trying to keep his giggles quiet; this would be some great blackmail material if he had a camera. But Tails wasn't the pranking type.
That didn't mean he wasn't the relentlessly teasing type.
Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, Tails approached the sleeping hedgehog with a mischievous grin. Once he was close enough, he booped Sonic's black nose. The blue blur's face scrunched up briefly before returning to a peaceful resting position; Tails poked his nose again, this time getting a bigger reaction. Sonic huffed and waved a free hand in front of his face before letting it drop.
The fox poked his black nose one more time, and Sonic whined abruptly, turning himself towards the couch away from the annoying finger. Tails giggled, pulling his hands out, and started tickling the hedgehog's sides; Sonic's eyes snapped open as he shrieked with a high-pitched giggle. "Wakey wakey~!" Tails cooes to the fidgeting blue mass on the couch, laughing at the confused and dazed look on his face. Sonic hurriedly scrambles away and, once he was at a safe distance, took in his surroundings, slowly piecing together what had happened; his hand laid on his chest while he breathed heavily. "What...was that...for?!" he asks, glaring at the sly fox.
"It's almost time for you to leave." Tails says, tapping his watch, "Little Sonic needs to get back to his Daddy before he gets a time out~." he adds with a baby voice. The blue blur's cheeks turn pink, and he feels his stomach drop as the rest of his blood drains from his face, "Wha-what?" he asks breathlessly; Tails laughs, "You were sucking your thumb; in your sleep."
Oh crap! Sonic thinks, slapping himself in the face out of embarrassment and to hide his blush. Did he figure it out? Is he gonna tell everyone? Dragging the hand down, he glares icy daggers at the fox, "Don't you dare tell anyone-!"
"Relax, ok! I won't tell everyone that you suck on your thumb in your sleep when you're hungry." Tails giggles waving to the hedgehog's stomach that growls at being mentioned. Sonic blinks looking down, having forgotten he had skipped lunch.
He feels his heart restart and almost laughs in relief from the scare; he was still safe. Tails hadn't figured out his deep dark secret. Though he was tempted to flip off the sneaky fox off just for scaring him like that, he scoffs and rolls his eyes, brushing away the tease acting as if he didn't care. "Tsk! Whatever, I'm gonna head out. I've got work to do. See ya next week!" He salutes and zooms away before anything else incriminating or embarrassing could happen. That was close.