Sleeping Beauty Syndrome (A 'Sonic the Hedgehog' AU)

Chapter 3 ~ This is out of our control ~

"Sonic!" An excited scream, along with the slamming of the door is enough to make the two occupants of the room, flinch and groan in annoyance.

"Hey, Amy." Sonic jumped down on the table, the tests were finally done and nothing seemed to be out of place, or so that's what Tails just told him.

"I heard Sonic is up." Knuckles popped his head into the room.

"Y-yeah. Hi Knux." He waved at them before Amy run to him and wrapped her arms around the blue hedgehog.

He hugged her back, noticing her hair seemed to have grown a little longer than the last time he saw her.

"I'm hungry." Sonic rubbed his back quills. "Shadow had dragged me straight here earlier, I still haven't had breakfast." Amy pulls away from him.

"I can make you something." She beamed up at Sonic.

"Well let's go." He smiled and walked to the door.

"You staying Knuckles?" Amy looks at the Echidna.

"Stay." Tails looked up at the Echidna, begging him to stay with his eyes.

"Alright." He sighed.

"Amy c'mon!" Sonic called out for the Pink Hedgehog.

"Coming!" She smiled widely and followed behind Sonic.

Knuckles closed the door behind him.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yes." Tails grabbed Knuckles by the arm, and they walked to his computer, he showed Knuckles an x-ray of Sonic's brain. "That's what's wrong. See that part, that's the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls sleep, appetite, and body temperature, it isn't functioning right, which explained Sonic and his 2-week sleep. That's only one of the symptoms."

Knuckles only stared at the young kit in confusion.

"This is bad Knuckles..." Tails voice was soft. "This is bad, real bad." He says holding one of his tails wanting to bite the tip.

"Hey, hey. Don't panic." Knuckles was not good with comforting, but by experience, he pulled up the kit and placed Tails head on his chest.

The younger wrapped his arms around Knuckles.

"I-it's not curable Knux... I can't do anything to help Sonic." His voice was shaking.

Knuckles hated this, he doesn't know what to do at times like this, when Tails would sink into self-doubt.

"We can worry about this later Tails, why don't we go up and eat too? You've been in this damp for the past three days, eating nothing but those unhealthy chili dogs that you and Sonic love to eat."

"This isn't a damp!" The young kit gave off a low growl, making Knuckles laugh, before carrying him.

"Get some sleep Tails." Knuckles laid Tails head on his shoulder and rubbed his back. "Knowing you, you'd be up for days, looking for a cure for this, making the impossible, possible. Just like you always do if one of us caught something or got caught in a situation."

Tails would be lying if he says he didn't like being carried by anyone specifically Knuckles. And despite Knuckles and his seriousness, he does have a soft spot for the young kit.

"Not always..." He replied, drooping his tails.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll be watching you then, since your new security system works well, I might as well put it to good use, and hang around you all for a little while longer. And the Chaotix always drop by there for an hour or two on peaceful afternoons." Knuckles says. "And I will be here, to take care of you while Sonic is away."

"You don't have to..." Tails whispered forming circles on the older's shoulder.

"But I do, you haven't been taking good care of yourself these past two weeks." Knuckles flicked the kit's forehead.

"Fine." He sighed.

"Let's make a bet, that if you don't pull an all-nighter just for your researches, I'll have a request from you, and after I fulfilled your request, I'll leave you be." Tails looked at Knuckles. "And you have a curfew now." The Echidna grinned. Tails pouted.

"Well, if I finish my research without pulling an all-nighter." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "My request is, you take me out for dinner."

Knuckles froze on the spot.

Then raised a brow at him.

"You're not quite there yet, 8-year-old. But if that's your request, I can't refuse, can I?"

Tails grinned and shook his head.

"Just this once." Knuckles sighed, but his soft smile remained.

The kit wagged his tails happily and laid his head back on the older's shoulder, as they leave the room.

Author's note:

Is this bad? I know it's starting to look wrong, trust me-

Wait, don't.

The 8-year-gap between Tails and Knuckles, I know that, and I'm having second thoughts on this ship.

No, I'm not gonna make Knuckles a Pedophile-

That's not what I want.

I'm taking it slow with both of them, but it might or might not happen, okay?