Author's Note: Hi! I've never written non-stranger things fanfiction, but I feel like there aren't enough Sonic the Hedgehog fanfics. And I mean about the movie, not the video game. Y'all know that I love writing sickfics, so here you have it! Quick disclaimer, I DO NOT IN ANY WAY OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 1: I'm Fine

Saturday, May 31st, 2022

The Wachowski Household

Saturdays are Tails' favorite day of the week. He could do whatever he wanted and have fun with his pals till the sun sets. Luckily, he just got over a nasty cold, so to celebrate, he was gonna surprise Sonic and Knuckles with an early morning baseball game, in which Knuckles promised he would play the right way.

Tails got up, brushed his teeth, grabbed the baseball bat and balls, and went upstairs to wake Sonic and Knuckles.

"Quiet fox! It's too early for this," Knuckles groaned as he buried his head deeper into his pillow. "Come on Knuckles! Please? I really need some fresh air." Tails pulled his best puppy dog eyes. Knuckles (despite his denial) can never say no to puppy dog eyes. It's his one weakness. "Ugh! Five more minutes. Then we may play base of ball," Knuckles replied.

Tails whispered a small "Yes!" as he walked over to Sonic's bed. Sonic was an even worse morning person than Knuckles, but like the red echidna, he was a sucker for Tails' puppy dog eyes.

Tails started whipping his tails in Sonic's face, something that always wakes him up. And this morning was no different. Sonic woke up with a groan, took one look at the fox's eyes, and was getting ready to go.

However, something was off about the blue hedgehog. Tails noticed his uncharacteristic slowness, and his fur looked a bit paler than normal, but he decided Sonic was probably still waking up.

It took a little longer to get to the baseball field, and now Tails was growing suspicious. Sonic took care of Tails the whole time he was sick. He started getting worried about his friend, but when he questioned him on it, he would simply respond with "I'm fine."

Tails figured arguing with the hedgehog would get him nowhere, so he decided to just let him be.

Baseball was amazing. Tails was even giving Knuckles a hard time. But while he heard Sonic on the announcer's podium, he could hear the raspiness in Sonic's voice. Knuckles was also eyeing Sonic worriedly. He knew that the hedgehog was normally one million times more energetic. Seeing him tired filled the echidna with a distress he didn't understand.

They played about four more games before the group decided to eat some lunch. Sonic challenged them to a race to the top of the mountain near Green Hills. It was where Sonic spent most of his time. Knuckles got stuck with carrying the cooler as they raced to the top of the mountain.

When they got there, Tails and Knuckles knew something was wrong because Knuckles won. Believe me when I say that Knuckles never wins. Sonic always won. Always.

"Sonic, are you sure you're ok?" Tails asked. "I share the fox's concerns. You are acting…strange," Knuckles added. Sonic rolled his eyes. "What are you guys talking about? I'm fine. Just a little tired today." Sonic was starting to walk away to set up the picnic when Tails grabbed his hand.

"Promise me you're gonna tell us if you don't feel well," Tails demanded, holding out his fist. Knuckles did the same. Sonic rolled his eyes again and sighed. "I'm not gonna have to," he said as he power bumped his friends.

As Sonic continued to unpack the picnic, Knuckles and Tails shared a worried glance.

"How long do you think he'll be able to hide it?" Knuckles asked. "I don't know. If we can just get him home, Tom and Maddie will be able to read him like an open book," Tails replied.

"So…no lunch?" Knuckles said sadly. Lunch was very important to the echidna.

"No, that would make him suspicious. Let's just try to get through lunch quickly so we can get home. Maddie's a vet, right? She can help!"

Knuckles nodded in response. "Are you guys coming or do I have to eat all this food myself?" Sonic quipped. Knuckles took this comment very seriously and rushed over to claim his sandwich. Tails noticed Sonic wasn't grossly devouring his chili dog. His fur was pale, his nose was noticeably running, his voice was raspy, his eyes were glazing over and losing personality, and by the looks of how much he was sweating, he was probably running a fever.

Tails felt bad. Sonic was putting on this act for him. He was trying to put on a brave face and be his usual sarcastic, peppy self when on the inside he felt terrible. For him. Tails would never forget how awful he felt when he was sick and now Sonic had gotten his cold too. However, there wasn't much the young fox could do about it. Sonic was stubborn. Very stubborn. All he could do was hope the hedgehog was ok.

This won't end well