Sleepy Hog Day


Something cold and thin pressed against Sonic's cheek. He turned over in his hammock, grumbling, and tumbled off— face-planting onto the floor and sending the hammock spinning. His ears caught a loud, indignant beeping and buzzing. Sonic rolled over onto his back, eyes opening slowly. His eyelids ached with tiredness. He wanted to let them drift back shut, especially considering how hard his head was pounding at the moment.

The sun shining everywhere in his hut was not helping. A fuzzy Metal, who quickly cleared up as the seconds passed, loomed over him, crouching.

"Are you alright?"

Sonic felt Metal's hands wandering to his arms, titanium fingers gently pressing into the muscle. The hedgehog lifted his hands, shoving them into the robot's face as he tried to push him away. "Lemme alone, I jus' wanna sleep." Sonic promptly rolled over, letting his eyes droop shut.

"Sonic," Metal began sternly.

"Don't you 'Sonic' me. Jus' lemme be."

"Sonic," Metal said again, even more sternly, "I worked hard to make breakfast this morning. The least you can do is get up long enough to eat it."

"Hedgehog needs his beauty sleep," Sonic grumbled.

Metal beeped. Sonic's ear twitched as he heard the badnik get up. He internally cheered— it only lasted a second. Two hands had latched onto his leg and began to pull.

Sonic's eyes snapped open and he pulled back, quickly freeing his leg from his complement's grip. He rolled back onto his back, glaring. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"If you refuse to walk, then I have no choice but to drag you," Metal told him, arms crossed as he towered over Sonic. The hedgehog continued to glare, and he reached for his pillow, which had tumbled onto the floor with him earlier. Confusion flickered across Metal's optical screen— and then the pillow collided with his face.

The pillow fell back onto the floor near his feet. Metal looked down at it, and then back at Sonic. He grabbed the hedgehog's leg again and began to pull. "You are eating your breakfast… you are brushing your teeth… and you are—"

"Geez, what are you, my mom?" Sonic pulled his leg free again. "Alright, alright! Lemme at least take a breather first?"

Metal's eye twitched. He lifted his hand, splaying all five fingers in the air. "Five minutes. No more."

Sonic nodded, waving him off and getting up. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Five minutes. I can do that." He stumbled out of the hut, leaving Metal alone.

. . . .

Metal shuffled to the counter, dishing the food he had prepared onto a plate. He stepped back, beeping in satisfaction before taking it and placing it on the table.

The badnik buzzed, shaking his head and nabbing a place mat from the other side of the table. He slid it underneath the plate and nodded in approval. "Perfect."

He glanced toward the entrance of the hut, and waited. One minute. Two. Four. Five. Five and a half. Metal's eyes narrowed, and at exactly the six minute mark, he stomped outside. He slowly surveyed the beach, and strode around the hut as he searched. He quickly found his complement perched in one of the smaller trees behind the hut, sprawled precariously across the branch and snoring loudly.

Metal glared up at him.

His turbine roared to life, and just as Sonic's eyes flew open at the sound, the robot swooped up, and snatched him off the branch, holding onto the hedgehog's arms with a tight grip— not so tight as to hurt him, but not too loose to where he would fall.

"Woah-woah-wooahhhh, Metal! What are you doi—?!"

Metal dove low and dropped Sonic onto the porch right outside the hut. The hedgehog landed in an indignant heap.

"Just go eat your breakfast."

Begrudgingly, the hedgehog got to his feet and trudged into the hut. Metal barricaded the door, and only stepped away when he saw Sonic sit down at the table. He turned away for a moment, noting that it had been exactly one day since the hut had last been vacuumed and dusted. Normally it would not be a problem, except sometimes the weather got bad here, and sand managed to get through the window shutters and door anyway.

At one point, there hadn't even been either of those. As soon as Metal moved in, he told Sonic outright that he needed to get a door and window shutters, or else no more chili dogs. He added that last part when Sonic didn't take him seriously.

Metal made a mental note to take care of that in a bit, and turned back around to find Sonic's head drooping dangerously close to the plate as he ate. And then, quite suddenly, his face fell into the food, smushing it.

Metal beeped in horror and zipped to Sonic's side. He pushed him back against the chair, his head lolling off the plate. Sonic's eyes drifted open and he sniffed. "Did I just face-plant into my own breakfast?"

"Yes." Metal shook his head and shoved a napkin into Sonic's hand. Sonic wiped the food off carefully, or as carefully as a grumpy, sleep-deprived hedgehog could, anyway. He wound up smearing it more than anything else. "Perhaps you should clean up in the bathroom instead."

Sonic nodded in agreement, sliding out of the chair and trudging into the bathroom while Metal looked down at the smushed food on the plate. He buzzed softly. It was salvageable. He carefully scraped and threw away the parts with hedgehog fur stuck to it. He looked up from his work when he was finished, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Sonic was taking too long. He shuffled to the bathroom, and peered around the corner to find him curled up in the sink, sniffling in his sleep.

Metal beeped loudly. Sonic jerked awake. He went still, and then looked at Metal with a slightly sheepish grin. "Just so you know, you're still stuck with me."

Metal buzzed. "I know, and I would not have it any other way."

He watched as Sonic maneuvered himself out of the sink bowl and touched ground again. As soon as he did, Metal scooped him up, ignoring the hedgehog's startled yelp. He carried him to the rug and set him down. Sonic frowned. "What are you—?" The robot laid down beside him and pulled him into his arms. Metal nuzzled his forehead.

"I will have to go in a bit to put away the food," Metal told him gently.

"Thought you wanted me to eat it," Sonic muttered.

"I would rather you not fall asleep while in the middle of chewing and then choke." Metal began to run his fingers through his complement's quills. "Now hush. Just rest." Sonic hummed, and pressed his face into Metal's chest. Soon, snores accompanied his breathing. Metal was reluctant to leave him, even for only a few minutes, but that food needed to be put away.

So he pulled back, careful not to wake his complement, and gazed at him a moment longer before setting to work.