Cabin Fever

Prologue

XXX

Shaunatheboss: Hi guys and welcome to a brand-new story! This is an RP based story written with my friend RAWN89. You can thank her for the idea for this story. Make sure to check out her amazing stories and art too!

RAWN89: Thank you, Shauna, and hello everyone! I'd also like to add that the story was inspired by a wonderful piece called 'Crash' made by DciSon on DA. So please go check it out if you want an idea of the theme of this story.
Shauna did an awesome job on editing our RP into the story you're about to read, and I hope you will all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

Shaunatheboss: I'd also like to thank RAWN89 for being the beta for this story and spotting the odd mistake or for implementing new opportunities to this story. I'd also like to thank her for the cover pic.

XXX

"Sonic? Sonic? Come on, wake up! Wake up, buddy!" A voice replied.

"Hnnn…" Said hedgehog moaned softly and glanced up, recognising instantly who was standing beside his bed, despite the dark room, indicating that it was still night time. "Not now, Tails. Gotta sleep… fast..." He replied with a deep yawn and rolled over to his side, away from the fox.

"But, Sonic…" Tails protested.

The blue blur, however, was already out cold and snoring softly.

"Sonic… we're out of chilidogs."

The spiked Mobian snorted, upon hearing that one of his favourite foods was out of stock. He sat up in bed, now wide awake. "Say, what?!" He gasped.

The two tailed fox chuckled. "Works like a charm."

"Alright, wise guy." Sonic replied, watching the vulpine's smug grin. "What's really going on?"

"It's Techno Thursday, remember? A lot of shops have already had their Black Friday and Cyber Monday madness, remember?" The vulpine announced, as he leapt onto the bed and sat beside his brother.

"Oh, yeah, I remember. You dragged me to them over the last few days after all." The blue blur quietly muttered the last part, as he recalled all the waiting in lines with pushy crowds of humans, all while out in the bitter cold nights. Why Tails couldn't do this on his computer here at home was beyond him.

"Well, now it's my turn to shine! I will be the king of technology sales." The kit stood proudly above the spiny Mobian.

"Yeah, I know you will." The hedgehog glanced at his nearby clock on the night stand. No stores would even be open yet. "But right now, I want to be the king of sleep."

"No, Sonic! You promised that we'd be the first in line since last year! Besides, I need to beat Eggman if he comes."

"We have plenty of time, Tails. And besides, don't you know it's taboo to wake a hibernating hedgehog?"

The cub scoffed. "Sonic, how many times do we have to go over this?" He replied, while trying to pull the hedgehog out of bed by his arm. "You don't hibernate! Sure, you eat a lot more than usual and-"

"Hey! I'm not fat!" The hedgehog protested as he sat up, causing the fox to roll off of him and into the pile of pillows at the end of the bed. "It's this winter coat that I develop every year. Makes me look… fluffy." The blue blur shrugged.

"Uh-huh, sure." Tails deadpanned, before continuing. "Come on, let's go! We have to be first in line. What if Eggman gets all the good stuff and makes a very powerful robot?"

The blue hedgehog moaned and got up. "Fine." He drawled out. "But next year, you're doing the shopping right here, on your computer only."

"Ok, it's a deal." The vulpine replied, as he shook Sonic's hand.

XXX

"Do you have everything?" Sonic asked as he put on all his extra winter clothing, which consisted of a jacket, pants, scarf and a hat. He didn't want people to recognise them as they made their way through the city.

"I think so." Tails answered as he also put on his clothing and checked his list.

"And you have your transporter device, this time?" The hedgehog inquired, as he helped his younger brother with his scarf.

"Right here." The cub replied, as he held up what looked like a remote control. His invention would let them teleport any item they bought back to the workshop. It only worked on objects, so they still had to get to the city and back on their own.

"Alright, let's get going." The blue blur announced as he ran back in to grab the slices of toast that instantly popped out of the toaster, while the fox unlocked the door to the Tornado hangar.

XXX

About an hour later, Sonic huffed out an impatient sigh, watching as his breath appeared before him. He shivered from the bitter cold winds. He was surprised how cold it got in the heart of Station Square, despite Tails constantly telling him that it's colder on the edge of the city due to the lack of buildings for protection. Sonic would have to take his word for it, since the fox had already landed his biplane on the outskirts of the city. At least no one would accidently find it while they were away and the blue blur could run over there in less than ten seconds.

The hedgehog moaned. The crowd in front of the electronics store, that Tails had insisted on shopping in, was so tight they could not even see the front door. He was just glad that no one so far had recognised them. Wearing all this clothing to hide their noticeable features was starting to make him itch, especially his back quills. He wondered how Tails was holding up since one of his namesakes had to be tucked under the jacket. At least the hood kept his ears warm.

Presently, they noticed a staff member passing inside the door to fetch his keys for the front door. Everyone began to lurch forward a little in anticipation.

"Tails, stick to the plan."

"You got it, Sonic."

That was when they both heard the door click open. The hedgehog grabbed onto his twin-tailed friend, before zipping through the small gaps in between people, before the crowd could trample them.

As Sonic ran around the isles, Tails pointed at all the products he wanted, while the cobalt Mobian speed grabbed them and placed it in their shopping cart. After about ten seconds of this, the blue blur dropped the cub off at the checkout. Their cart now having a large pile of various gadgets, some of which the hedgehog could not even pronounce the name of, nor had any idea what his brother would even need them for. Not that any explanation would have made him any wiser.

XXX

"Ok, we done?" Sonic asked, once the fox had used his teleporter on all the boxes in a quiet, narrow alleyway. They would be instantly teleported into the empty garage section of their home.

"Just about!" Tails announced happily, as he read his list. I got all the parts I need and finished most of the Christmas gifts. I just got one more thing to do." The vulpine stated.

"What is it now? I thought you got everything on your list." Sonic replied and wondered what his brother could've possibly missed.

The crowd that had stood outside had now filled up the store completely. Going back in would be a nightmare.

"I did." The fox replied. "I think you deserve something to eat for all the help."

"Now we're talking! I haven't had my breakfast yet," Sonic's mood drastically improved at the prospect of eating breakfast out for a change. After all the money they had saved on the sales, they could treat themselves to something tasty.

"Let's see if there's a place open at 6am in the city." Tails replied, as he checked his communicator, where he stored all his data.

"Any luck?" Sonic wondered, after a few seconds. Surely if stores were open, the cafes would be too. He could really go for a hot cocoa right now.

"Err... Uh... Ooh! Here's one! Seems the Chao café opens in five minutes. I guess they open early to accommodate us shoppers."

"Great! Let's hurry so we can get a table the moment they open."

With that, Sonic grabbed onto his twin tailed brother and zipped in the direction of the opening café.

XXX

When they reached the spot, they noticed the barista had just turned over the 'sorry, we're closed' sign and proceeded to open the door.

"Good morning!" The cat replied. "I'm Chino and this is Capu!" She announced, while gesturing to the chao flying beside her. "Welcome to the Chao café! Please come in, it's quite cold this morning."

The duo thanked her and entered. They got a table by the window with menus waiting for them.
Sonic started reading through what food the café had to offer, while Tails asked for a couple of cocoas, while they decided on what to eat.

"Let's see... I think I'll have the grilled cheese toasted sandwich and two chocolate chip mint cookies with my cocoa. What are you thinking of ordering, Sonic?" The vulpine asked as he placed his menu down.

"Same for me please, but make it double." The hedgehog replied as he closed his book.

"Oh, I like the sound of that! I'm doing the same. We still have to fly back home after all."

"Indeed, we do. No offense, but I'm not trusting that transport device thingy to magically take me places."

"And for good reason. Like I said, it's only for objects. You don't even want to know what happened to the cactus I tried it on." Tails smiled sheepishly.

"Good morning, boys. I hope the hustle and bustle of shopping hasn't deterred your appetites. May I take your order?" Chino asked as she held a note book and a pen.

They assured her that nothing was wrong with their appetites by each ordering a double meal.

"Thank you, boys. Your order will be with you shortly." She announced, as she left them alone for the moment.

"Oh, is it me, or is it getting hot in here already?" Tails whispered.

"I guess we can loosen up on the disguises now." Sonic replied with a smile. He too was feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the extra clothing while they were indoors. It merely took him a second to remove all the unnecessary clothing, but the fox needed a bit more time and struggled with the zipper on his jacket.

Sonic had to chuckle at that. He leaned back and looked through the window while waiting. The town was already starting to wake up and the seats in the café were filling up. They received a few curious glances, but no one bothered them.

It hadn't stopped snowing all night. It was pretty obvious they were in early winter now. Pretty soon, Sonic would probably have to shovel the garage door, the hanger and the runway for the Tornado. He remembered their first winter up in Mystic Ruins. They were so snowed in, they had to use the skylights on the roof, just to get out. But it was fun jumping into the huge pile of snow down below.

Soon Chino and her chao, Capu, returned with their order.
Sonic thought he should wait for Tails to be ready, but failed miserably when the smell of freshly baked cookies hit his nose and the fox had given up on the zipper and was busy trying to pull the jacket over his head instead. Easier said than done since the clothing wasn't designed for that.

"You okay, buddy?" Sonic asked in a mix of amusement and concern.

"I'm fine." Was the muffled response.

"I'm sure your winter coat will grow out soon too, then you won't need to wear so much that you can't move."

Tails huffed when the jacket finally popped off, then smirked playfully after he'd looked down at his order. "Speak for yourself. You're eating more than usual, pretty soon you won't be able to move at all. I recall ordering two cookies for myself, Sonic. Nice try though. Want the last one?"

Tails barely had time to finish the question before the last cookie was gone in a split second.

The fox chuckled. "Fluffy, huh?"

"Hey, I burn a lot of calories with all the running that I do," Sonic replied in mock insult.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see you burn your mouth off then!" The fox replied as he took his extra-large cup of cocoa. "Bottoms up!"

Sonic raised his cup and mimicked the gesture with a smile.

"Ready? Set?" Tails asked as he placed the mug to his lips and placed his free hand on the bottom.

"Go!"

Tails instantly began chugging down his drink. It was hot, sticky and he thought there was a hint of syrup in the concoction. He was surprised that Sonic didn't place any kind of bet on this. Usually, whenever there was a challenge, there were usually a few minor stakes involved, just to make it a bit interesting. When the fox could finally see the bottom of his mug, he tilted the china as much as he could to get the last few drops.

"Finally done, huh?" Sonic asked, nonchalantly.
It took a moment for the cub to realize that not only had his speedy brother finished his cocoa first, but he had also eaten both of his sandwiches.

Tails had to laugh a little, especially from Sonic's chocolate moustache. "I don't know about that, 'Eggman', but if you slow down a little, you might just enjoy the meal."

"Oops," the blue blur chuckled and wiped his chocolate covered muzzle with a napkin.

Tails wiped a tear from his eye from all the laughing. He guessed all that sugar in a previously empty stomach was also the cause.

"Want another round?"

"Sure, but no contest. I want time to enjoy the next one."

"Fine by me." Tails replied, as he got up to go to the counter to order again.

While he was gone, Sonic decided to play with some of the chao in the pen beside their table. Since they ordered double meals, Sonic and Tails both got some free chao fruit to give them.

XXX

Shortly after, the vulpine got back with their second round of cocoas.

"You wanna go back to the workshop afterwards?" Sonic asked, guessing that his brother most certainly had plans for all the things that he had just bought.

"Yeah, most likely, but I can't help but feel that we missed something. Did one of our friends have plans?" Tails inquired while adding a few marshmallows to the cup.

"Not that I recall," Sonic replied while scratching the back of his head, not quite certain.

"Yeah, I guess with all the jobs we did this season, things can get pretty out of hand." The fox replied.

Suddenly a beeping sound came from a device on Tails' wrist.

"Huh?" Said Mobian quipped as he took a bite out of his sandwich and pushed the button on his communicator. He almost choked when he saw the notification.

"Something wrong?" Sonic wondered.

"My radar indicates that a Chaos Emerald has reappeared." The fox replied.

"Say what now?!" If Sonic hadn't been fully awake before, he certainly was now. "Where?!"

"It's up in the North." Tails announced, as he checked the map.

"Sounds cold. When do we leave?"

"Wait, are you saying we should leave now? I think it's storm season up there and the necessary preparations..."

"Is there a storm right now?"

"Hmmm... it's on the coast line, but it could possibly swing inland at any time."

"Worth a shot. If you can pick up a signal, there's a good chance someone else can too. We'll just turn around if we can't beat the storm."

"Alright we'll give it a try. But if things start to get worse, we'll have to postpone."

"Of course. We already have the plane and warm clothes ready so we can go as soon as we're done here."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I also have a tool box, a camping set, first aid kit and some food that won't go bad for a few weeks."

"Great! Then what are we waiting for?" Sonic finished his last cookie and eagerly got up from his chair.

"Ok, ok, I'll take this to go." Tails announced as he wrapped up his remaining sandwich.

"Yes! Off to another adventure!" Sonic exclaimed, cheerfully.

XXX