Happy Holidays everyone :) glad to be sharing the final short story of the year with you all on this special day (it's Christmas rn in Australia, or if you celebrate another holiday, that one ^^) Enjoy the final story, and stay tuned for the fuck-ton of info about my hiatus at the end (it's kinda important, sorry to be a bore ^^')
Warning: Mild Gore
Crows circled the dull, blue sky, fluffy white clouds speckled it, dared to promise for a better day. If the city weren't a warzone, then maybe today would have been nice, would have been beautiful. But after the bomb that went off in the middle of town square, the bomb that flattened the middle of the large city and brought down some of the skyscrapers and homes of the innocent? There was no possibility for a beautiful day.
Dust still plagued the sky, turning the once vibrant blue into the bland looking sky it is today. The crows stood out against the boring colour; their feathers held no shine as the dust coated them too. The entire city had been coated in it, dust and dirt, debris from the explosion. No one could be seen in the now very empty city square, no one could be seen anywhere.
Most had fled the city in hopes of finding safety elsewhere, the few that stayed, only stayed because they were injured from the blast, or suffering serious side effects from the radiation. Some had gone blind or deaf from the attack, some had lost limbs, eyes, ears. It was a rather gruesome scene for anyone that stayed, seeing people standing still in their homes with bleeding eyes and noses, still trying to process what happened.
If that wasn't traumatising enough, then walking past the fallen buildings was sure to give you nightmares. If you looked close enough, you could see the bodies or limbs of people in the rubble, innocent people who had simply been working in their normal lives.
No one knew it was going to happen, no one could have called it.
Not even (Y/N) the (a/t), or her closest friend Silver the Hedgehog. The two were from the future, having travelled back in time to try and find out what was going to be the cause of their worlds destruction. They weren't expecting to be a part of such a catastrophe, let alone witness it. But the two were here now, stuck in this town with no other option, for the (f/c) (a/t) had suffered a broken leg, and the silver hedgehog a light head injury; he couldn't use his telekinesis for long and she couldn't walk until her leg was better.
The two had taken refuge in one of the many abandoned houses, Silver scavenging food for the two while he looked after the (a/t) and himself. Luckily for him, his head injury hadn't greatly affected his ability to function, unlike a few of the residing residence. He'd seen one person who had a large gash across their forehead and down to their temple, large enough to be sickly and needing far too many stitches; the person only stood and stared into the sky, unresponsive to most conversation as blood dripped down their face.
Silver hoped they were okay, as he'd had to leave the person on the other side of town when he'd been searching for food and couldn't take another injured person into his care. Considering the damage, he wasn't sure if he could have done anything at all, plus he was only focused on getting (Y/N) healed so they could do something about this horrific place.
They had arrived just before the events that doomed their time, and all the two knew was that some mad scientist doctor had gone on a rampage with nuclear weapons. It apparently wasn't the evil villain's 'style', said the article they managed to find in their time, and all the radiation from the explosions affected him and lead him to his untimely death.
The Mobians that had survived went into hiding, killing off or ditching the ones that had been affected badly by radiation. Those that were in top health -as top health as you can get after a nuclear explosion- were to distance themselves from the dangerously radiation-dripping in hopes to save the Mobian race, and as many species in that race as they could.
Over the years the Mobians had decided to hide underground, and for over a century they hid from the radiation, until it finally seeped into the dirt and started affecting them. Silver couldn't remember much of the article after that, all he knows is that his planet is still affected, and he has to try and figure out a way to fix it.
But he couldn't do that until (Y/N) was better, as he was going to need all the help he could get. Though she wasn't fairing very well, and he worried about whether or not the radiation was starting to get to her. The (a/t) had started to sleep a lot more, and when she was awake, she barely spoke, only staring at the bedsheets. Though it wasn't a blank stare like the person with the serious gash, it was more like a pained stare, and Silver wasn't sure if it was from the broken leg or something else.
He was hoping the radiation wouldn't affect her, and after gathering a few cold foods to eat, he walked over to the master bedroom, knocking on the door lightly to alert the (a/t) of his presence. He opened the door slowly, the light from outside filling the room, washing over the (a/t) as she laid resting. Silver watched as her chest rose and fell in a light slumber, and smiled to himself when she stirred, rubbing her eyes.
She sat up slowly, being careful not to move her injured leg, and blinked in the bright light. Once she could see, she turned her head to Silver and offered a small smile,
"Finally back...?" She asked, rubbing an eye and yawning.
"Yep, hungry?" The hedgehog took a seat at the foot of the bed, "I have some fruit and cold meat, or some dry crackers if you aren't feeling well."
"I'll take the dry crackers..." She said with a shrug, and Silver gave her a concerned look,
"Are you not feeling well?"
"Just a little weak." The (a/t) said, reaching forward and shifting the food on the plate, "Not sure if I can handle strong flavours right now... And I don't feel all that hungry."
"But you haven't eaten since yesterday." The hedgehog placed the plate down then, resting his hands on his knees, balled into fists, "You won't get better if you don't eat. I really do recommend the orange, it's very tangy."
"I'm sorry Silver, I just don't feel like such vibrant foods..." (Y/N) shook her head, ate the cracker held between her fingers, and laid back down, "But thank you anyway."
She pulled the blanket back up to her shoulders, letting out a sigh as she slumped into the fluffy pillows. Silver's ears lowered and he grabbed the plate, getting to his feet. He wasn't sure if he should leave the (a/t) or comfort her. What kind of illness was she feeling? A cold? Some sort of disease? And what if it were contagious and he got it, which meant they'd be stuck doing nothing for even longer?
Placing the plate in the kitchen, the hedgehog rubbed his chin in thought. He had to get to the bottom of this and make (Y/N) feel better again, no matter what it was. Hitting his fist into his palm, the hedgehog walked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him to shield the (a/t)'s poor eyes from the light. He stood beside her bed and knelt next to her, giving her a look of determination. She opened her eyes when he moved down and blinked in confusion at him.
"Are you sick?" He asked.
"What...?" The (a/t) lifted her head only to tilt it at him.
"Why do you feel weak? Are you sick?"
The girl swallowed, seeming uncomfortable as she gave a feeble shrug. How was she supposed to explain how she felt to him? The hedgehog was oblivious to most of her feelings anyway, though the fact that he could tell something was wrong...
Silver stared at her, intent on getting some sort of answer, even if the (a/t) struggled with it. Whatever it was, if he knew he could help, whether it was getting the right medicine or just fresh air, he was going to be her doctor until she could walk and didn't feel weak, until she would stop sleeping for so long and be able to handle strong flavours.
"I..." She struggled to find the words alright, and eventually the (f/c) (a/t) sat up, rubbing her head, "I don't know how to put it..."
"That's okay. I'll do my best to understand." Silver said, his ears perked as he sat next to her. (Y/N) couldn't help but give him a small smile, those words seemed to do more for her already.
"Well... I knew what happened to this place was bad..." She started, holding her hands in her lap, her eyes drifting to her feet hidden under the blanket, "The elders spoke of the horrors that was seen after the incidents occurred, the dead bodies, the morphed survivors, the gory details stuck to my mind for years."
Silver nodded, remembering the same stories he had heard from the great grandchildren of those that had been affected. They had shown the newer generation photos of the time, of people that developed other limbs and things from the radiation, of the dead bodies that laid in the rubble, of the terrible injuries. It had been scarring to them at the time, since they were so young, but it was done and shown to them for a reason; so they understood why life was as it is in their future, and hopefully the children would never grow up to cause something just as terrible.
The hedgehog let out a sigh, gently placing a hand on the (a/t)'s injured leg as a form of comfort and she smiled, sniffing lightly,
"I'd had nightmares of it, I thought... I'd be ready to see it when we got here." She said, closing her eyes tightly, "But it's horrifying... Seeing the bomb falling, knowing we were trapped... I saw someone's legs sticking out from under a wall Silver, I could barely imagine what they felt just before that... I thought I would be ready to face the past, but it's just as horrible as my nightmares, even worse..."
"I feel so useless, I wasn't meant to get injured, I was meant to help the injured. And now I'm just hiding away like everyone else." Her voice started to shake, and she covered her eyes, "People are hurt and dying, and I can't do anything about it. I just feel so lost... Can we even do this? Can we really save our time? Will it ever get better?"
She stopped then, gripping the blanket tightly in her hands, her frame shook as she fought back the tears, and Silver's vision also became blurry. His friend had been dealing with these thoughts this whole time? And he hadn't known, he'd been so focused on getting her better that he didn't stop to check on her, really check on her.
He pulled the girl into a hug, patting her back slowly to try and offer more comfort. She leant into him, and finally started sobbing. And this time, he felt useless. He knew she wanted to help so badly, and being unable to must be killing her, being cooped up in this mess. Though he had to admit, actually seeing and being a part of it was definitely more traumatic than the stories. He still couldn't get the images out of his mind either.
"I-I don't like it..." She said next, clinging to him, "Everything is... S-So sad... And I know there's a reason for it... But it's s-so bleak... Nothing is good here..."
"I know..." Silver mumbled, closing his eyes as he held the (a/t), "I know..."
It was dark by the time Silver left the room, after talking to (Y/N) a bit more, hearing her thoughts, he assured her everything would be fine. He told her that as long as she rested and ate properly, she would heal quickly and be able to help all those lost people. She seemed to feel better after that, even giving him a genuine smile before yawning and laying back down.
He had left her to sleep, knowing it would be best if she got as much rest as possible. It helped the hedgehog to understand what it was he had to do next, and he glanced out the window; the glow of the moon fighting to break through the dusty haze of the city, making it look ghostly. Smiling to himself, he stepped out of the house and flew off into the night. He had until daybreak to fulfil his plan, and he was going to need a lot of supplies.
Time passed, and the sun slowly started to rise over the horizon, throwing a harsh orange glow over the city, shining through the windows of the house and directly into Silver's face. The hedgehog stirred and groaned, covering his eyes in discomfort as he rolled over, not used to the sun being in such a close range. As he rolled over, a sheet fell on top of him and the hedgehog startled awake.
He had nearly rolled over and destroyed his brilliant plan. Silver let out a yawn, stretching as he slowly manoeuvred through the pillows and sheets, through the string of lights dubbed 'fairy lights' by the box they came in, though the ropes that kept everything in place. He looked back at his work, scratching his cheek sheepishly.
It wasn't his best pillow fort; he'd made many before with (Y/N) when they were younger; but being unable to use his telekinesis as much as he usually could showed that building pillow forts really took skill. Either way, he was sure the (a/t) would love it, it was always something that cheered her up. And sure, it probably wasn't very respectful of them to have such fun after such a devastating event, but they needed something to reboot their spirits, and this was what the hedgehog believed would do that.
He stepped over the pillows and ropes that laid on the floor, making his way into the kitchen as he prepared a simple, healthy breakfast for his friend. Smiling to himself, the hedgehog then made his way into the bedroom, making sure to close the door behind him to hide his happy surprise.
The (a/t) was still sleeping peacefully, and Silver marvelled at how calm she looked. No wonder she slept more now, it seemed to be the only time her mind wasn't attacking her for being injured. But sadly, Silver was going to have to wake her, to hopefully give her some sort of happiness, even if only for a day.
He sat on the bed gently, shaking her shoulder lightly. (Y/N) stirred, gave a groggy groan, and rolled onto her side. Her eyes opened slowly, looking around tiredly. She gave another groan and curled up, keeping her injured leg straight. Silver chuckled, holding the plate out to her,
"Breakfast time." He said, holding up a plump strawberry, "I chose something with a little less flavour today. Please give it a try."
Finally, the girl sat up. She seemed ready to understand the world again, taking the strawberry from his hands and studying it. The (a/t) pulled a face and Silver chuckled lightly,
"The seeds are edible. The green thing on the top, not."
Nodding, the girl popped the fruit into her mouth, chewing slowly as she stretched. Her shoulders cracked, and she let out a relaxed sigh, slumping forward onto the other's shoulder.
"It's so early..." She said, finishing the fruit, "Why are we awake so early...?"
"Because," Silver held the girl up, getting to his feet. He scooped her up in his arms, and she gave a surprised squeak, "I have something to show you. I think you and I both need it considering how grim things have been."
(y/N) glanced up at him, her (e/c) eyes flashing with curiosity. Silver gave her a wink, before using his powers to open the door. He grunted at the sharp pain that took over the side of his head, and the (a/t) reached up, touching his head lightly. He only smiled, leading her out into the living room. The (a/t) then turned her attention to the terribly made pillow fort, her eyes started shining in excitement. Silver sat her in front of it, moving a pillow up for her to crawl through,
"After you." He said, bowing.
She gave him a wide smile, before disappearing into the fort. Silver chuckled, closing the door behind her, and making his way over to the windows, drawing the curtains closed. Once the room was dark enough, he turned the fairy lights on, not even sure what to expect himself. But when he did, his eyes lit up in awe. It was perfect, just the thing needed for pillow forts. And he made a mental note to take these lights back with him into the future.
(Y/N) giggled from inside the fort, also able to see the lights. Silver climbed onto the couch and glanced down into the soft building, smiling at the other. Her tail was wagging quickly, and she motioned for him to join him. So, Silver gracefully floated over the pillows and blankets, over the lights and ropes, and plopped himself next to his best friend. She smiled and hugged him tightly, nuzzling into his chest.
"Thank you." She said, and Silver hugged back just as tightly.
"Anything for you." He gave her a gentle pat on the head. She tilted her head up to him, her cheeks a light pink, and she leant up and gave him a peck on the cheek. Silver's muzzle turned red and the two chuckled together.
They stayed in that pillow fort all day.
Alright! That's it! My one-shots for 2020 are done! But what does this mean? Well, if you care, then read on. If not, then see the TL;DR at the end and I'll see you whenever I next update :)
...
Okay, so usually I would have already been on my hiatus by now, but since this batch of stories took me so long to write (literally to the end of the year), then my hiatus is gonna go on further into next year. Now, I also have university, and I have 4 fanfics planned, plus the 35 requests for this story.
So what does that mean?
It means, I'm gonna get straight into planning for the fanfictions. I want to plan Alastor's fic first, though we still don't have wifi (I moved like 3 or so weeks ago, it's a joke) and I need to do a lot of research for his story. I am also ...(DRUMROLL PLEASE)... planning a sequel for my Sonic X Reader; Behind the Scenes! (the Sonic Forces fanfic) I ALSO want to write a Jeff the Killer X Reader, and I have a H U G E Sonic fanfic I'm planning and hella fucking excited about.
So basically; I have a LOT of planning to do, and even more writing after that! What I'm thinking of doing and hear me out because I'm afraid I'll lose ya'll at this, but I'm thinking of taking a 6 month break from uploading my stories on Wattpad.
NO. I AM NOT LEAVING. I WILL JUST BE TAKING A BREAK. HEAR ME OUT.
I will be in my second year of university next year, I'm starting to actually get into my course, and I know it's gonna be hella crazy. On top of that, I have 5 books to plan/write for AND I still have to look for work (and then, of course, work). – Adulting is hard and scary –
However, as much as I won't be uploading to Wattpad, I AM thinking of uploading to my Patreon. Honestly, I'm very new to Patreon and I don't know the legal stuff behind it all (can I even post fanfic and make money off it? It is my own work, just not my own characters – COULD SOMEONE KNOWLEDGABLE LET ME KNOW PLEASE – I don't wanna face any legal problems à my mentality is that if people can draw the characters and cite them properly, I can write them as long as I cite them properly, again LET ME KNOW) I also don't know how the site works, how the money thing works, etc. I plan to look into it next month, and if everything goes well, well I'll be able to upload my work there.
AIGHT SUMMARY TIME (TL;DR)
- I have 4 stories to plan, 5 to write total
- I'm gonna have a 6-month break from uploading to Wattpad (because of uni, work, planning, life à we'll see how I go, could come back sooner if I want to-)
- I might, however, upload the stories to Patreon early (but I'm scared of legal problems, so it's still in the air, I need money I'm sorry-)
- THE SONIC BOYS X READER WILL NOT BE UPLAODED THERE, IT IS GOING TO BE 100% FREE FOR EVERYONE I PROMISE, IT JUST MIGHT TAKE A BIT BEFORE I ACTUALLY UPLOAD PLEASE BE PATIENT AND DON'T LOSE HOPE I LOVE YOU ALL ;^;
Okay, well that's all for now... Thank you all for sticking with me! Especially this year. 2020 was a shitshow. And don't leave my page yet! I still have many fanfics to give you! (...5) so keep an eye out, I'm sure I'll randomly post updates here or there.
If you'd like to see constant updates/random shit from me, feel free to follow my Twitter (@Silverx721) where you can get glimpses into my writing, and if I get enough follows, will tease some snippets here and there ;3
And in the possibility that I can use Patreon for my fanfiction, feel free to check out my Patreon (Silverx721), there is nothing to it yet, not even any prices listed, only my bio and profile pic + background XD but if I do upload there, it will be months earlier than when I upload to Wattpad. Get in on that sweet early bird shit! (I'm... So sorry XD)
Aight, Ima leave ya'll to it for now. It's 2am Christmas Day and I need to sleep haha. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I'll see you some time next year!
Haven Out!!!