sry this one was a little on the late side :/ i really like this chapter tho. i think y'all will too hehe


XV.

hearth (härTH)

[noun]

a place of safety and comfort.


The calm didn't last long.

Shadow didn't even really assume he could call it a calm, more like a small pocket of time where they were allowed to breathe. It was calm for him, at least, because he was holding Sonic in his arms and Sonic was holding him back, and they were just okay for the time being. Sonic was still shaking minutely and he seemed pretty shaken, but he was breathing and he was safe and Shadow had him.

But, again, it didn't last long.

Something corporeal rippled through the air that prickled against their skin, subtle but still there, that sent a wave of chills down Shadow's spine. He knew Sonic felt it too, because he instantly bristled and pulled away from their embrace, scanning the immediate area.

"What—What was that?"

Rouge eyed both hedgehogs strangely. "What was what?"

"I don't know," Sonic muttered, dragging a hand tiredly over his face. "Felt like Chaos energy or something. Does someone have an emerald?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and looked back to the flooded building. "I don't think that's Chaos energy. It felt different."

Vector crossed his arms. "Good different or bad different?"

There was a hazy flash of red light on the other side of the structure, just barely visible over the rooftop, and everybody froze up. It looked eerily familiar. Sonic sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm gonna say, bad."


"I want the god."

A little ways away, leaned against a tree and reeling from being thrown into it full-force, Knuckles tried to sit up. "Like hell you're just gonna—"

"I would choose your next words wisely, echidna," Infinite sneered, and he purposefully dug his heel harder into Amy's chest. She grunted and squirmed beneath him, and flashed Knuckles a small smile.

"It's okay," she said. "Don't worry about me."

Anger, vulgar and crude and ravenous, surged up his body in a fiery, all-consuming wave. Knuckles hated this—hated everything about this. An indescribable urge to—to choke the life out of Infinite quickly swelled up within him and it took a great deal of willpower to force it back down. The sadistic fucker was just watching him, half-mindedly, forcing the one person he—fuck, the one person he loved more than anything, to stay pinned on the ground, choking for air.

Everybody was watching. Silver began to tremble under the brute force of trying to contain Chaos, which wormed around dangerously in its cage of teal energy. The rabbits were still levitating in midair behind Infinite, trapped in red and mortified. And—and then there was Tails, which was a whole other thing, because what the fuck, Knuckles hadn't seen him in months. But the kid was there, absolutely paralyzed, a similar look of fear carved into his features.

Knuckles slowly brought himself to his feet, his gaze flicking between Infinite and Chaos. "You… You have to understand the repercussions. Chaos is way too unstable for you to take, right now."

"That's what is so exciting to me," the jackal drawled, transfixed on the thrashing god. "The doctor failed to inform me that this was the source of the spike in Chaos energy. But now that I'm here—it's fascinating, wouldn't you say?"

"Chaos isn't some toy for you to break."

Infinite's head snapped back to Knuckles and lowered his tone. "Perhaps I should rephrase: If you do not give it to me, I will kill this girl and those sad little rabbits."

Knuckles' voice got caught in his throat. Because of course he wouldn't—couldn't—just sacrifice them, but—but was that really the better choice? Because if Infinite and Eggman had Chaos at their disposal, that could very well have devastating consequences. They could all die. But he also couldn't live with the thought that he gave up an innocent child's life, her mother's life, Amy's life, in the hopes that maybe the rest of them would be spared.

He made to speak but Tails did, instead. "Deal. Silver, just give it to him."

"Hold on," Infinite said, suddenly, and it made Knuckles' stomach do this weird sort of flip because what now. The tyrant shifted his weight to look over his shoulder at the forest behind him. He laughed lowly. "Oh, come on now, you all didn't really think I wouldn't notice, did you?"

The cyborg-lady frowned, from beside Tails. "Notice what?"

Infinite didn't falter. Red crackled around his fingertips and Knuckles tried to ignore the way Amy flinched at the sight of it. Any amusement in the madman's voice was gone, replaced with something dead and thorny.

"You all are really starting to get on my nerves," he said. "Don't play stupid, you know better than that."

There was slight movement deep within the thick foliage, and Knuckles felt a sudden wave of cold roll over him. Someone was over there watching and they obviously weren't on Infinite's side, so—whoever it was he just had to pray they wouldn't do anything stupid.

A tense, heavy silence fell over the congregation of people as they all scanned the thick woods around them, squinting through the darkness of the evening sunset. Clearly nobody knew what was going on, but Infinite seemed to think otherwise. Knuckles nearly said as much, but then the jackal just sighed melodramatically and flicked his wrist in a lazy, beckoning motion.

Branches and weeds snapped thunderously against the quiet atmosphere before two more red bubbles were dragged out of the foliage, and the two respective bodies inside were sent careening helplessly towards the rest of the group. One was slammed against the wall of the building and the other landed just a couple feet away from Infinite, pinned to the ground.

If it weren't for his mask, Knuckles would've bet that a nasty grin split across Infinite's face as he spoke. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Long time no see, rodents."


Sonic was just about ready to sprint over to the other side of HQ in half a second, but before he could even take a step forwards, a strong hand latched onto his arm and yanked him backwards. He grunted and frowned as he turned back around.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Shadow asked, and he looked and sounded just as level-headed as always, but there was something—just vaguely scared in his eyes.

"If that's—" he sighed and lowered his voice, stepping closer to his fiancé, "We both know what that red light is. There could be others in danger over there and we can't just—"

Shadow gripped both of Sonic's shoulders and stared evenly at him. "You nearly drowned five minutes ago, in case you forgot. Wait here and rest. I'll go investigate."

But Sonic wasn't just—he couldn't go alone. And with a quick scan over their companions—two of them were still pretty injured from the fight with Metal, one of them was a kid, and… well, there was Vector and Guntiver, but they were both pretty big guys that wouldn't be the best at stealth, plus they've never even faced Infinite one-on-one—

"What are you thinking?" Shadow's voice was soft and gentle, and he knew he was just trying to keep him safe but he… Sonic couldn't just sit around and wait. He didn't do that.

He straightened his posture and looked his partner firmly in the eye. "I'm thinkin' that I'm going with you."

"Sonic—"

"I'm fine, Shads," he snarled, and maybe it came out a bit too loud, too harsh, but he just—couldn't stand it. After getting taken all those months ago, stripped of everything he had and abused for weeks on end in a prison cell, after losing twice to Metal, and now nearly drowning, he—he hated it, so much. Hated that he couldn't be better or stronger. That he couldn't live up to his goddamn name and be a hero.

He needed to be a hero again. He was growing real sick and tired of being some helpless guy that needed saving.

Inhaling deeply, Sonic locked his jaw and eased Shadow's hands off of his shoulders, taking his hands instead. "Look, I know you're worried about me, but I can handle myself." He smiled and chuckled breathily. "Besides, you and I both know I'd probably just do something really stupid and reckless if you forced me to stay behind."

Shadow scanned his face for a few seconds, tracing quiet patterns into his palms. It felt strange on his cybernetic arm, with sensation mostly lacking. It was just a muted tingle, hardly noticeable, but still present. Still a poignant reminder that Shadow was here, with him, determined above all else to protect him and the others.

(Chaos, Sonic was so in love with him it was stupid. And that train of thought only provoked another spike of rage with Eggman and Infinite, because if it wasn't for them, they'd already be married.)

There was a deeply rooted fondness pooled in those ruby eyes. A smirk pulled at his lips from Sonic's words. "Alright. Just stay close to me and please, think before you act."

He grinned back and pressed a quick kiss to Shadow's cheek, breaking into a run and pulling him along for the ride. "No promises!"

"We'll be back soon, wait here," Shadow called over his shoulder to the others, as he and Sonic ran into the woods. They heard a distant call back, probably from Rouge, that sounded compliant enough, so they continued forwards.

They made their way around the perimeter of the clearing wrapped around the base, making sure to keep their footsteps light and their heads low. They quickly reached the opposite side of the building before stopping to crouch behind some bushes, listening and waiting to the voices they heard not far away.

Infinite was monologuing—that much Sonic could tell—which was, well, expected. That asshole loved hearing the sound of his own voice. But there were others, too: Knuckles was talking back to him, not sounding particularly happy. Someone with pink fur (Amy?) was pinned beneath Infinite's foot, but it was hard to see through the thicket of flora he and Shadow hid behind. And surely enough Chaos was levitating in midair, trapped by what he could only assume to be Silver's psychokinesis, and there was a rabbit and a wolf he'd never seen before, and—and—

Sonic instantly jerked forward to get a better look, and he flinched as a twig snapped beneath his sneaker. Shadow grabbed his hand and squeezed, pulling him back subtly.

"What are you doing?" the agent whispered, his eyes wide and anxious.

But there was adrenaline coursing through Sonic's bloodstream, hot and alive, and he just couldn't sit still because that had to be—"It's Tails," he hissed, and maybe he was shaking but he couldn't really tell, everything just felt so on-edge. "That's—Shads, it's Tails."

Shadow pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to coax Sonic lower to the ground. "I know, love, we just—need to be careful. Infinite can't know we're here."

And, speak of the devil. The tyrant rose his voice suddenly, his words slicing cleanly through the humid air. "You all are really starting to get on my nerves. Don't play stupid, you know better than that."

There was immediate silence. Shadow tensed up and pressed a finger to Sonic's lips, shaking his head at him in a gesture that clearly meant shut up. Sonic took the message without question, his muscles freezing up as they tried to keep as still and quiet as possible amongst the brush.

And then it felt really hot.

Sonic blinked at the startling change in temperature and tried to look around but—but he couldn't move anymore. His vision was clouded in a deep red mist that felt like it soaked into his fur like boiling water. He grew frantic, trying to move his lips or squeeze Shadow's hand or anything, but he was just locked in place.

Some strange force tugged at him and then he wasn't locked in place anymore, he was flying past the plethora of trees and bristle, getting whipped by branches along the way. He lost sight of Shadow as his surroundings blurred and his sense of direction became muddled.

And then he was laying on the ground, still furled in the grasp of the red energy, and a certain jackal was peering down at him. He was speaking to him, but Sonic was still seeing stars from whatever the hell just happened, and it took a moment to process Infinite's words.

"Long time no see, rodents."

The tyrant waved his hand and the red instantly dissipated, and suddenly Sonic could move again. He lurched upright, gasping for air and wildly taking in his surroundings. Amy was right beside him, smiling feebly, still pinned beneath Infinite's boot.

With a quick glance around he could see all eyes on him, now. Not too far away, Shadow was leaning against the wall, in a similarly frazzled state to himself. Scarlet eyes met Sonic's, briefly, before they landed on Infinite and darkened. Chaos energy sizzled in his palms and he nearly broke into a run, but then Infinite just nodded at him, and Shadow was trapped in the red energy again, stuck against the wall.

He gritted his teeth and tried to fight the Ruby's power, but it was futile. Sonic swallowed thickly and decided maybe he should keep his cool and wait before trying to attack.

Infinite watched Shadow with a bored look in that wicked yellow eye for only a moment, before looking back down at Sonic again. He hummed lightly and tipped Sonic's chin up to trace a claw along his neck.

"I believe you owe me an apology," the jackal spat. "You haven't been too kind to my badniks lately."

Sonic gave him a bitter smile. "Ah, well, I was only returning the favor."

At that, Infinite clenched his fist, and as he did so the red energy returned and tightened around Sonic's body like steel chains. He was lifted up into the air to float just beside Infinite, and if he really managed he could see his friends out of the corner of his eye.

"You've been a bit of a nuisance, you know." Infinite's words were eerily calm and it made something sharp and cold stir in Sonic's gut, despite the hot energy enveloping his body. "And yet look at you now! Completely at my mercy."

He gradually brought Sonic back down to the ground until his feet just barely skimmed the dewy grass.

"So then, let me catch you up. As long as you stay put, and meet my demands, you and your little friends will not be harmed. That's all I ask." He pointed a crooked finger at Chaos, worming around violently against Silver's power. Sonic felt the red energy fade again, until he was standing there completely of his own volition and strength. "I trust that I don't need to keep you restrained hedgehog. You were so docile back in your prison cell."

And that did it. Sonic lifted a fist and came so close to shattering that stupid mask, an untamable wrath itching at his skin. "Oh, fuck you—"

Just before his knuckles connected with Infinite's face, the jackal withdrew some tiny remote and pressed a button. And Sonic's world was consumed in agony.

He fell to the ground, scathing electricity rushing up his metal arm and burning him alive. He cried out in pain, writhing helplessly in the dirt, his vision turning dark and red. He could just barely hear an outburst of voices above the cacophony of his blood rushing in his eardrums and the sharp ringing that wrapped around his head. Everything burned, so bad—

"I said, stop!"

It did. Sonic wheezed, rolling on his side and shuddering as pinpricks of lightning continued to trickle across his limp form. Knuckles was glowering at Infinite with a spite in his eyes that Sonic didn't think he'd ever seen before.

"Then you all will comply, now. Give me Chaos. And I'm taking this rat, too."

"No," Knuckles growled, before stiffening and taking a step back. "I—wait, okay, you can take Chaos. But not Sonic. He stays with us."

Infinite's finger dangerously skimmed the button on the remote. Sonic instinctively grimaced and prepared to get electrocuted again. "It's all or nothing, echidna."

When Sonic glanced over, he instantly locked eyes with Tails. They stared at each other for a few seconds and somehow it felt like an eternity. There were so many emotions swirling around in the kid's eyes and he just—fuck, he missed him so much, it had been so long—

"Take me instead."

Everybody turned to look at Knuckles. He stood firm and didn't waver, not even a little bit.

Infinite cocked his head. "Oh? And why would I want to do that?"

"Chaos is ridiculously unstable. I'm not kidding when I say it'll probably kill you as soon as you leave with it. But—but I'm the guardian. You need me, to keep an eye on it and keep it under control. I'm the only one on this planet that knows how to do that."

Sonic casted him a tired, heavy look. "Knux…"

"No," Amy groaned, "no, Knuckles, you can't—"

"It's a deal," Infinite said. There was no room for argument. He looked expectantly to Silver, and after Knuckles also nodded to him, the psychic passed over the captive Chaos with a lingering reluctance. There was a moment where Chaos was completely free from any hold, in which it screeched and tried to escape, before Infinite captured it in the Phantom Ruby's power and it was trapped in place again.

Following his own word, Infinite then released the rabbits and Shadow, and stepped away from Amy. Knuckles gave her a sullen look that was nearly a smile.

"If you all are smart, you won't try anything stupid. Next time I won't be so merciful," is all Infinite said, before the gemstone in his chest glimmered red and suddenly he, Knuckles, and Chaos were gone.

Nobody had the guts to move or talk or do anything, really, other than stare at the empty spot in the grass where their friend just was. Where that fucking psychopath just was.

Livelihood gradually returned to them all. Amy sat up and ran her hands over her face, muffling sobs that scratched at her throat. Shadow regained his bearings and helped the rabbits onto their feet. Silver sighed and muttered something to himself, and Sonic just—he kind of just wanted to collapse.

Knuckles sacrificed himself for him. Let himself be taken prisoner just so Sonic could walk away. An aching feeling pulled at him in his heart, a dreary voice in the back of his head, that told him over and over again, it should've been you.

A voice pierced through everything, through the labored breaths and muted cries and low whispers of the others. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

"… S-Sonic?"

He looked up and Tails, his baby brother, was staring right back at him. His eyes were red-rimmed and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably like it just couldn't contain all of the grief and exhaustion written plainly across his face anymore. The kid was nearly fifteen but now, as Sonic watched him slowly unravel right before his eyes, he looked just like that same little eight-year-old from all those years ago. All Sonic could think of was back then, when the world was still right and his biggest concern at the time was warding off the bullies that teased Tails for being too nerdy and having an extra appendage.

Somehow he also looked so much older than Sonic last remembered. There was something gritty in his eyes, eroded with experience and age. Tails was still so young, even at fourteen years old, and he—he was just forced to grow up too fast. He didn't deserve it, not at all.

A whimper slipped out from the fox and then he was bounding towards Sonic, faster than he'd probably ever seen the kid run before. Tails fell to his knees and collapsed into Sonic's arms, sobs wracking his body as he buried his face in his chest and dug his fingers into the hedgehog's sides.

Sonic struggled to find his voice, and when he finally did his words came out thick with emotion. "Hey, buddy," he murmured, hugging his brother back just as tightly. "It's—It's okay. I've got you. I promise."

They all stayed there for a little while, unable to find the courage to do much else. The wrecked HQ loomed over them like a ghost, casting an even darker shadow than the night sky, as they waited and tried to catch their breaths. And Sonic didn't dare move a muscle. Just sat there and held his baby brother and told him over and over, it'll be okay, it'll be okay, even if he wasn't sure if he believed it himself.


Sally was gracious enough to take in straggling rebels, even if it was just for a little while. HQ was built for the purpose of providing a temporary home for everyone that was displaced after Eggman took over, that wanted to join the fight, and even then it met its maximum capacity at a couple hundred occupants. Knothole was a town, but a very small and secluded one, with only so many houses. The only way to fit everybody in was to disperse a few people into every bedroom and living room available. She apologized for the fact that many would have to sleep on the floors, but Shadow just brushed it off and insisted their gratitude that they at least had somewhere to stay.

Most of the other rebels were shuffling off to their new living quarters, some dragging along what belongings of theirs were still intact after the flood. Most of them didn't seem to have many possessions to begin with, but it was still a depressing sight to see them all padding around the dirt roads with nothing but the clothes on their backs, human hair and mobian fur alike still damp.

Tails sighed and leaned further against Sonic's side, and his older brother tightened his hold around his shoulders. They, along with most of the other rebel leaders like Shadow, Amy, Rouge, and the Chaotix, were standing in the middle of the village talking with Sally.

"We can prepare a bonfire for tonight," she told them. "We should have enough rations for everyone."

"I was planning on heading back to HQ with a few others to get the Master Emerald and salvage whatever else we could, so we'll be sure to bring over any extra food we find," Shadow said. He nodded at the mayor courteously. "Again, thank you for doing this."

Bunnie shook her head at him, from where she stood beside Sally. "It's no problem, sugar, really. We're glad to have you."

"You guys need any help? Like, setting up or somethin'?" Sonic asked. Tails admittedly found comfort in the way his chest rumbled as he spoke, against the side of his head.

Sally clasped her hands together, pursing her lips and glancing around. "Uh, well, we're gonna need to chop up a bunch of firewood. We'll probably need to do some extra fishing too, since we've got so many mouths to feed."

Sonic seemed on the verge of offering some help, before Shadow turned to him and spoke in a lower tone. "Love, why don't you two… catch up?" He looked to the fox. "Maybe Tails can figure out what the hell we're gonna do with your arm."

He noticed the way his older brother tensed up at that, only minutely. He definitely wanted to know the story behind that. He wanted to know everything. Like—like how Sonic was still alive in the first place.

"Yeah," the speedster said, rubbing Tails' shoulder. "Sounds good."

"Well, our workshop is still in shambles after…" Sally trailed off, and then smiled thinly and cleared her throat. "Uh, whatever tools or supplies that we saved from the wreckage is in Antoine and Bunnie's basement. You're free to use it."

"Thanks," Tails said. He and Sonic broke away from each other and started heading towards the house Sally gestured to, but not before his brother stopped beside Amy.

It was a little jarring for him, after not seeing her for months, to see her so—quiet and tired. She had dark bags under her eyes and she kind of looked like she wanted to cry, but she didn't. Just leaned a little against Rouge and kept her gaze trained on the ground. She looked up to stare between the two brothers, though.

"How are ya' holding up?" Sonic asked, and his voice was gentle.

Amy shrugged and pulled on a brittle face that barely passed for a smile. "Fine."

The male hedgehog hesitated briefly, and then reached forward and took her hand in both of his, squeezing it in a comforting gesture. "Knux can hold his own. We'll get him back, I promise."

She didn't seem to have it in her to respond, instead just sucking in a sharp breath and breaking away from his eye contact. She looked at Tails cautiously, before lifting a hand and placing it on his shoulder, eyeing him fondly.

"Missed you, squirt."

Tails smiled. "I missed you too, Amy."

Sonic looked to Tails, and with a parting word to their friend they both headed down into the bowels of Bunnie's house.

The basement wasn't much to talk about. It was kind of small and loaded with unpacked cardboard boxes, and there was a single, charred workbench in the center of the room. There were a few tools and torn up blueprints strewn about. Tails suspected that any progress they'd made on the emerald tracker had been completely destroyed from the other night.

Sonic hopped up on a stool and laid his robot arm across the surface of the table. Tails studied it carefully, trying not to move it around too much in case it was sensitive. The thing was honestly kind of remarkable, seeing as it was still somewhat functional despite how damaged it looked. Part of the bicep was slightly crushed, as though someone had stepped on it like a beer can. There were also some loose wires and dents, and the purple paint was chipping off a bit—but aside from that it was relatively pristine and sleek.

"So," the kit began, and his tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth. It was weird, talking to him. Like he was talking to a ghost. "Uh. Eggman did this to you?"

The hedgehog grimaced and flexed his steel digits. "Yeah. Metal messed up my arm pretty bad so they had to… amputate. It's—fine, we just don't really know what this thing is rigged with. Metal took control of it once and nearly made me shoot Shads. Obviously, uh—Infinite can electrocute me with it. But that's all we know."

"Well I can repair it the best I can, but it's in pretty poor condition," he explained, and maybe he was purposefully avoiding meeting Sonic's gaze by overanalyzing the articulation of his fingers, but he'd never admit it. "It'd probably be safer to just strip it down and build up from scratch."

"That, uh, sounds kinda painful."

Tails frowned and glanced up to meet those big emerald eyes without thinking. Fuck. He quickly turned his head to look at the wall. If he looked at Sonic too long he might—fuck if he knew, have a mental breakdown or something. "You still feel sensation in it?"

Sonic fidgeted. "Yeah, I guess. It's weird. Kind of numb, but like—there's something there, y'know?"

"Interesting," he murmured. "Well, I don't wanna mess with it too much anyways. I'm not exactly sure how he created it, and you seem to have pretty good control over your motor functions. I don't wanna cause any permanent damage, especially if it'll hurt you."

"But you can fix it?"

Tails considered, glancing around the basement. "Probably. I bet they might have some pain meds or something to put you under, just for a few hours so I can work on it."

He made the fatal mistake of looking at Sonic, just as the hero beamed at him with his brilliant smile. "Awesome! I'm mostly just worried about taking away their control over it. I can deal with the, uh, dents and stuff.

"Right." Tails swallowed the knot in his throat, and he looked right at his brother for a few moments, feeling a little dizzy and overwhelmed. He took a small step back and found himself looking over the hedgehog's body, slumped casually on the stool. As if—as if he hadn't been missing for months. Presumed dead for months.

His body was riddled in bruises and gashes and cuts. He looked a little thinner than Tails last remembered, which he figured he could attribute to months of imprisonment and food rations. Where the robot arm fused with his left shoulder, his skin looked especially irritated and puffy. And—and there was a massive, nasty scar, running right down the middle of his chest. The sight of it made Tails nauseous.

Sonic frowned, following his gaze to glance down at himself, before looking back at his little brother concernedly. "You okay, man?"

"No, yeah, it's just—" he inhaled to try and stabilize himself, "the—your scar."

That seemed to confuse the speedster for a moment, before he blinked and realization dawned on his face. And he looked kind of sad, now, but Tails just couldn't shake off his eyes, so green and bright and youthful. When he looked into Sonic's eyes it was like he was just a little kid again, meeting him for the first time, being invited to fly the Tornado for the first time ever and go on an adventure to defeat some crazy guy named Eggman.

"Right," Sonic finally said, with a slight flinch. He subconsciously ran a hand over the scar, still a little red and ugly against his fawn chest, despite it being months old already. "I'm fine now, y'know. It doesn't hurt."

But Tails' head felt like it was pounding at his temples, bursting at the seams. Filled with this thick fog of emotions, so congested it was painful and pressing so hard against his eyes that he could feel tears welling up. He struggled to make his vocal chords work, and when they finally did, his words came out horrible and quiet.

"I watched you die, Sonic."

And Sonic just looked absolutely devastated at that. Any of that guardedness in his face, any hint of a smile, instantly dissolved, and he stood up from the stool and stepped closer to Tails. "Oh, Chaos, bud. I'm so sorry."

He was shaking; biting the tip of his tongue to hold back whimpers. "I-I watched him kill you. For months I thought—"

"C'mere," his brother said, pulling him into his arms. And they stood there for a while, while Sonic let him cry into his neck. "I'm here now, 'kay? I didn't die. As—As soon as he warped us out of that junkyard he used that stupid ruby to stitch me back up. And he kept me there for a long time and he did—terrible things to me, but I got out, and I found everyone again, and now I'm okay. I promise, kiddo."

Tails just nodded against his shoulder and didn't let go, not until his cries started to get smothered in his chest and he calmed down enough. But something still nagged him in the back of his mind.

He did think Sonic had died. And that had been something that had plagued him since that wretched day, but—but what he almost said just now still lingered on the back of his tongue, a bitter flavor that trickled down his throat like poison.

I thought it was my fault.


Funnily enough, Gadget felt sort of tense. He knew he should've been fine, because everyone else seemed fine, and they were safe for now. Obviously things weren't perfect and he needed to accept that they probably never would be, but, well.

He felt guilty.

It was stupid, because the logical part of himself told him he didn't need to, he hadn't done anything wrong. But Infinite—Zero—in a way felt like this added burden onto his conscious. He obviously wasn't in his right mind, if he didn't even remember him, so Gadget felt like all of that responsibility fell back on him, by default. He was close with Zero, once. He was the only one that knew, or at least accepted, the truth.

He felt like he didn't belong here.

Knothole was bustling with life, far more than back when it'd just been him and Tails and the others. But now Sonic the Hedgehog was here, back from the dead supposedly, along with hundreds of other rebels that lost their home in the flood. And they were all still recovering, but now they were conversing and eating barbecue with their friends around the massive pavilion in the center of town. The sun had long since set and everyone seemed to have settled down into a more comfortable mindset as well.

And then there was Gadget, the one person on the goddamn planet that ever had the audacity to defend Infinite's actions. Infinite, the mad tyrant that forced them all to seek refuge in this far-too-small town in the first place.

He saw Tails and Sonic leaving one of the houses, both looking equally tired and bruised. The kid looked particularly more tense, but Sonic was vaguely smiling, and they were too far away to hear but they looked like they were exchanging small talk. That was good. Tails deserved a little quiet small talk, out of everyone else here. He'd been through a lot, lately.

And, maybe, just maybe, Gadget felt a tiny pang of hurt at the sight. Because Tails had his brother again and they were happy. Tails was reunited with his old friends again. He was gonna get back to saving the planet, and as soon as that was over, they'd all resume their lives and Gadget would go back to college and they'd probably never see each other again.

('You aren't my brother, so stop acting like it!')

Gadget clenched his jaw and gave the stranger handing him a paper plate of baked beans a plastic smile.

Maybe Tails would forgive him now. Because, as it was, Infinite didn't kill Sonic. Therefore, Tails had no reason to hold a grudge against Gadget, right?

(But Infinite was still a coldhearted murderer. He still made him think he killed Sonic, and he still held him captive for months. He still massacred millions of innocent people and decimated entire cities and—and ruined everyone's lives.)

"Mon ami!"

He turned to the source of the voice probably faster than he should've, but whatever, he wasn't exactly in the brightest of moods. Gadget shoveled some beans into his mouth and smiled awkwardly as the coyote approached, hand-in-hand with his wife.

"I heard about what happened," Antoine said, studying Gadget strangely. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, doing his best to keep his tone light and easy. "It… was kinda scary. But I'm fine now."

Bunnie nodded. She scanned the giant crowd, looking a little weary. "I just hope we can last. We've only got so many rations and so much space."

"I'm sure it's only temporary," he told her. "Besides, all the big heroes are here now, right? They'll stop Dr. Eggman in no time, and then everything will be back to normal."

Antoine sighed and squeezed his spouse's hand. "I am not so sure. I don't think anything will ever be the same."

There was a scarily uncomfortable pause caught between the three, so Gadget was hasty to fill it with something again. No need to dwell on the bleakness of their situation.

"Uh, so how's Mighty been doing?"

Bunnie worried at her lip before speaking. "Um. He actually… ran away. Left a note sayin' he needed some time to clear his head."

More of that nasty guilt furrowed up in his stomach, and Gadget found himself glancing over to Tails again. The kid was talking with some friends, eating some fish and laughing and being himself. He wasn't going to take that news lightly. It—it'd probably crush him.

"Chaos," he muttered. "I just hope he can hold his own out there."

Bunnie smiled but it looked forced. "He's a tough guy."

"Right."

The couple continued to talk to him but Gadget was already tuning them out. Not out of malice, just something he couldn't help. There were voices bouncing around in his head, softly, discordantly, and it was making him tense. They told him he was a liar, he betrayed his one friend, he was a coward.

He grabbed his half-empty water bottle and took a big swig, washing out the thoughts that plagued him like a venomous smog. Maybe he could make it up to Tails—and the others. If he stopped just… being useless, sitting by on the sidelines, maybe they wouldn't all hate him so much.

(He almost wished he could go back in time. Tell Zero to spend the night in their dorm, instead, and watch a movie. Hold him close and promise to never let go.)

(Too late for that.)

Gadget looked sharply to Bunnie and Antoine, and said bluntly, "We need to do something."

The rabbit blinked and laughed unsurely. "Well, I mean, sure."

"No, we just…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We aren't gonna save their friend or stop Dr. Eggman by just sitting around and hiding from the rest of the world. I think we should discuss a plan."

Bunnie looked a little sympathetic. "Absolutely, sugar. But I think we all need a moment to relax and breathe, alright? We can talk more 'bout that stuff tomorrow. In the meantime, go enjoy the food and make some new friends."

Gadget nearly refuted, because he couldn't just sit still, knowing Infinite was still out their wreaking havoc. Knowing he could do something, because this had to be his fault, it certainly wasn't Zero's, Zero would never willing do any of this, Gadget had to save him to stave off something far worse from happening—

And then there was a hand on his shoulder, and Antoine was smiling delicately at him. Gadget took a deep breath, realizing he'd been trembling a little. "She is right, mon ami. Go enjoy yourself tonight."

"Alright," he said, robotically, if only to appease them. And Gadget did his best to dissolve into the crowd and just lose himself to the jubilant voices around him and the hickory smell of baked beans. The hours all melted together into a soothing balm of boundless laughter and the crackling bonfire and breaths laced with the scent of liquor, and he almost, just almost, convinced himself that maybe everything would turn out okay.


the gang's all together n sonic & tails finally reunited! but now infinite's got knux and chaos. that can't be good...

lmk if u liked this one :)