Day Sixteen, Prompt: Gurney/Flatline/I Can't Follow

Tails is gone and Sonic thinks it's all his fault. He doesn't know how much more he can take. Rouge comforts him.

The motioners went from divots of a line recording a heartbeat to a regretful stream with a single sound that announced without words, death.

"Time of death, 17:24"

The doctor, a yellow-furred Golden Retriever who was dressed in a white coat pronounced Tails his time of death, nothing mattered anymore.

His brother who currently laid on a gurney, dried blood clinging to his pelt throughout his frame. Hand in hand, he never thought Tails would be the one to be lost to the world first. It hurt him so much to know he failed him.

0000000

He never cried, he can hardly remember the last time he cried. Years now?

He's never been a very sentimental person, he's experienced loss to a great extent that now it doesn't even affect him. It's his new normal, unfortunate enough. He's seen children, mothers and fathers, innocent people die under the circumstances that fate has put them through. Being a hero is realizing you can't save everyone no matter how hard you try.

Nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the day his own family, his world, slipped from the world so soon.

Sonic stood under the shower head, the water was scorching hot and scalding his skin but he didn't mind because it was one of the few things he could feel. The numbness was coursed throughout his mind and body. Ever since losing Tails, all life slipped away. He was no longer himself. Sonic knew how much Tails was probably scolding him for wallowing so much but he knew very well Tails would react the same way.

He had long should've finished showering but he simply stood there, letting the water flow over the edges of his head. His water bill was most likely going to be extraordinarily high but he doesn't care.

He stands there for a while and eventually slides down sitting on the tub with his knees drawn. He's probably been there for about an hour now or longer because he feels the water beginning to run cool. He ran all the hot water and he rather jump out now. He'd rather be burned with boiling water than its cold alternative.

The knob is turned to a close, water head dripping at the cease of its work. Sonic shakes away the remaining water from his pelt like a wet dog. He opens the shower curtain and the mist and the evaporated water lingers around the room. It's humid and it keeps him warm, he's not cold despite the fact he's damp.

He snags a towel he had set aside, white and long yet soft and comfy as he rubs the excess water away. Drying his quills is difficult and he usually has Tails do so since they are too long for him to reach over behind him and properly dry them himself. The thought makes him want to jump back in the shower and sit there for another hour.

The mirror is completely fogged over and Sonic is slightly grateful it is. He knows he looks like roadkill but he can't stand glancing over at himself for even a second.

He tries to dry the quills that are dead center of the back of his head as best as he can. He knows he hasn't because they continue to drip down every individual quill and down his back.

Sonic throws the towel aside and his eyes are glued to where it had landed. The urge to curl around a bundle of blankets only made him want to do so. Winter was approaching soon enough and the cool air that somehow would make its way through the foundation of their house didn't help him as he knew at some point within the next few weeks he would have to go into hibernation.

Usually, Sonic never looked forward to it. Sleeping for months on end and never getting to run outside, a proper Christmas season with Tails, he hated having to hibernate.

Now, he's looking forward to it. Everyday was hard. Everyday felt hopeless and he felt just– lost.

It's been a month since the events surrounding the loss of his brother. He was truly the only one who understood him. He's been vulnerable with him. Tails is the only one who knows who Sonic really is. Tails was his rock. His family. His world. Losing the only thing that kept his sanity, his life, and just about everything stable. It felt like the universe was unstable now, things no longer worked for him. His life was off balance and his mental state had never taken such a drastic turn until now.

He walked out of the bathroom finally, cold air combined with the hot air mixed and intertwined with each other. The house was dark, it was very late now. The only source of light was in his bedroom, yet it was a small lamp that settled in the right corner of his room. It only dimmed some of his room.

His feet took him down the short hallway but before he stepped inside his room his eyes briefly gazed at Tails' room. He didn't have the heart to go in. He's not sure what he'll find and maybe the wave of emotions will overwhelm him too much where he can't control it. He's been doing better with containing his grief with the help of therapy but it only takes a small trigger. A memory, a smell, anything and he'll become a puddle of blue curled into himself on the floor.

Gloves and socks were retrieved from his drawers and slipped on without a problem. His feet no longer stepped around the cold wooden floor.

He climbed into bed and he snuggled around the many heavy blankets that remained dismayed throughout the bed. He borrowed around it like he would if he were going to hibernate that very minute. The cold air remained and the heater wasn't working well throughout the vents of the house, only really heating the living room and the kitchen.

He was hardly there anyway. He never went out. The kitchen was only visited once a day for food but that was it. The TV sat collecting dust and the kitchen table sat waiting for visitors for breakfast or dinner.

The house was quiet. Once so full of life filled with laughter and smiles and noise of construction down at the garage at Tails' lab grew a cloud of glum and sorrow overhead the place.

Sonic tried to keep their home clean despite its somewhat neglect. Everytime he tried to pick up the broom he was quick to set it back down. Cleaning just made him even more depressed.

He curled even tighter. Sonic layed there left to thoughts and eventually fell into a peaceful slumber. A knock awoke him sometime later.

He thought it was a fluke, his mind playing games with him but another knock was heard and he sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was still dark. His friends have been coming a lot more often than usual. He knew why, he didn't have an issue. He understood.

A third knock is at his door and he wraps a blanket around himself before walking himself to his door. He's not sure who it is but he very much wasn't expecting Rouge to be on the other side of that door.

"Heya Blue," Rouge whispered.

Sonic sighs, "Hey, what are you doing here so late?"

"I was nearby, just got off work. Just wanted to check in. Doing any better?" the bat questioned.

"Kinda, I've been seeing a therapist but I'm not sure if it's working."

"What makes you say that?"

Sonic shrugged, "Do you want to come in? It's cold."

Rouge nods and Sonic widens the doorway to allow her to walk in. He shuts the door behind her.

Rouge settles on an armchair closest to the kitchen, "Do you want anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?"

She shook her head, "I'm alright, I just came to talk that's all."

Sonic sits on the couch near her. He wants to roll his eyes because he already knows what Rouge is going to ask him. It's always the same old questions he's gotten from all his friends.

"Are you doing okay?"

"Do you need anything?"

"What can I do to help?"

He appreciated it really but all he wanted was space and that very much is what he's been given up to this point.

"Would you like to come stay with me?"

Sonic looked up in surprise. He was so sure she would ask him one of those questions, that- that was not one of them.

"Uh, sorry?"

"I said, would you like to come stay with me? I have an extra bedroom. Shadow originally occupied it but he has since moved out after finding his place. The place is open if you want it."

Sonic stares, it was a generous offer. Was he really that far off?

"Sorry, I know that came out of nowhere. It's just, well, you don't look well Sonic if I'm being honest. I know you told all of us you wanted space but I think there's a difference between space to grieve and space to neglect yourself."

Sonic wanted to deny her but he couldn't. He knew she was right. She spoke the truth. Every single word of it.

"Have you been eating? You look slimmer than usual." Rouge asks, concerned.

Sonic huffs, "I've always been a slender guy."

"I know, but you look skinnier than usual. I can come by and get you some food if you don't want to stay over with me."

Sonic opens his mouth to say something but he doesn't know what he wants to say. Does he feel offended? Looked down upon? Ugh, he hated feeling like this.

"Look, Rouge I appreciate it, I do but I'm okay. Really. No need to worry."

"But you're not Sonic. You're wallowing so much into your grief that you're hurting yourself. You will never be able to recover and move forward if you don't take that first step. I want to help you do so."

Sonic hums, not giving her a proper response.

Rouge stands at her feet, "I don't want to overstep. If you need more time, I get it. I'll get out of your fur right now if you want me to. Just think about it okay? The offer is still open. Take as much as you need big blue. Take care."

She doesn't give Sonic time to give a response and he remains in his current position absent-minded. His eyes follow Rouge as she's about to open the door.

"Wait. Just, just wait."

The bat stops in her tracks and she retracts away from the door. She closes the space between them, waiting for Sonic to give her an answer, or anything.

"I'm sorry. It's just, I'm no good at feelings or accepting help. Going into therapy was already hard enough as it is."

Rouge kneels down, "That is perfectly okay blue, that is not a problem. I understand what you're going through. Accepting that you need help is the best first step to take and you've already done that. Before that, it's hard to accept help from others when you've been independent for so much of your life. I get it, Sonic."

Sonic eyes water. Maybe because he's so overwhelmed with so much emotion or because Rouge's words touched his heart. It could be because he's so tired or he just misses Tails so damn much. Either or, he's just so lucky to have someone like Rouge at his side.

He can't trust his voice to say anything further so he only nods and Rouge doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him.

Sonic hasn't realized how much he longed for a hug. It had been a while, all he did was push everyone away but the one time he let someone in just a smidge he felt a whole lot better than he ever saw himself to be.

Maybe taking Rouge up on that offer wouldn't hurt. After all, he knew more hugs were bound and someone he knew loved and cared about him would just be simply only around the corner.

He thanked her, graciously.

I want to finish my show but let's get through this first haha. All I will say is , *french kiss* Also YES I`m INCLUDING OTHER CHARACTERS FINALLY. I just felt like they didn't fit other prompts so here's one of them that I felt fit well enough. Also, I apologize for any misspelling, I got this out pretty quickly.