Sonic pov~
I stared at the ceiling, examining the chipping paint with a frown. I was finally back home now after Silver and Shadow had rescued me, and I had no idea what to feel. I haven’t moved since I was deposited on the bed, allowing Silver to fuss over me while Shadow called, what I presumed was, the others.
Soon, Tails had bolted through the door, tackling me into a hug with tears streaming down his face. My heart sank at the sight of my little brother in such a state, although I was reluctant to comfort him, knowing that I was the one who caused him such grief.
After a few minutes, he shuffled back, eyes staring into mine. His tears had dried somewhat, but the look in his eyes had turned sad and a little hurt. I was conflicted. I knew he was hurting; the simple act of not returning his embrace left him confused and rejected.
“Sonic?” He questioned, a worried expression on his face.
I sighed, knowing that I couldn’t fight it anymore. "I'm fine, buddy. Just exhausted," I tried to assure him, but I could see he wasn't convinced
So I laid back down, pulling the blanket back over me.
As a closed my eyes to empathize my point, I felt a shift as he got off the bed.
"Oh, no you don't. We have to address your wounds, first!" He declared, his palm curled around my wrist and tugged me to my feet. I groaned, opening one eye to give me a sleep glare.
"Aw, come on, Tails. I'm fine," I protested, wanting to go back to bed. I barely slept since yesterday and I just wanted to be alone for the rest of the week.
He turned and stared up at me, a frown on his face. Suddenly a grin replaced it, his eyes sparkling. Oh, no.
"If you come, I'll make you a batch of chilli dogs," he offered with a smirk.
I froze, staring at him. My stomach growled in betrayal at the mention of food.
Tails looked victurious as he tugged again, receiving no resistance as he lead us down to the workshop.
Shadow pov~
I sighed inwardly, leaning against the wall of the workshop as the fox kit tended to Faker’s wounds. He kept throwing glances in my direction, before turning away, ashamed. Tails was in the middle of scanning him, he gasped, telling us that we needed to step outside. I was confused by this, wondering what had brought such a reaction from the fox kit, but left with the others regardless.
“Why did Tails tell us to leave,” the pink girl, dubbed Rose, asked, just as confused as we were.
“Maybe Mr Sonic is sick?” Cream suggests with a worried expression.
“Calm down, everyone… Maybe it’s something personal and he doesn’t want to tell us. He has every right to choose if he wants to tell us about it or not,” Blaze injected, looking at everyone seriously.
“What I want to know, is how Eggman was even able to get ahold of him. Sonic would never allow this,” Silver mused, worry shining in his eyes.
I mentally face palmed myself; does he not remember the events of the forces? Faker was bloody captured for six months because he was too cocky about taking on Infinite by himself. The idiot could have cost them the war. That time, he never broke down. He never gave up. He bounced straight back, despite being captured for all that time…
Which just raises the question; what happened to warrant such a change? He couldn’t deny that it made him worried about the blue hedgehog. The answers were something they both wanted, yet hoped that he never came across.
If he were to know, he didn’t know if he would hold himself back in time.
No pov~
Back in the room, Tails turned to Sonic. A mixture of worry, concern, and sadness washed over his expression as he recalled what he read. It was impossible; something he never knew had been done before. He choked back a sob, wondering of how much pain Eggman must have put his brother through before he had finally broke.
Sonic stared back, his eyes half-lidded, his ears pressed flat against his skull. His knuckles were curled, claws scraping across the surface of the table. His eyes were glossed over, tears gathering in the corner as he was about to cry.
“Sonic, what has he done to you..” Tails trailed off, leaping forward to embrace his brother in a tight hug.
“Tails… I,” Sonic took a deep breath, his head coming to rest on the kit’s shoulder. His arms rose, bringing the younger one closer. He couldn’t hold back the tears anymore as he let out a sob. “I didn’t want him to do it, but I couldn’t stop it! I couldn’t do anything! And, the worst part? It’s permanent!”
Tails stiffened, stunned by this news before it slowly turned to sorrow. “So, you mean, he succeeded in his plan. You’re… You’re a herm?” Tails asked, trying to get his head around it.
He nodded slightly, but that’s all Tails needed. He bit his lip as Sonic continued his story anyway. “He experimented on me for the last two weeks, finishing his plan before Silver and Shadow came…”
Sonic glanced to the floor, ashamed of what he did. How he reacted. No one wanted a hero who couldn’t even protect himself from common threats. He had not only failed them but himself. His actions, had painted a larger target on his back. He could only wonder what would happen should his enemies find out. They would hunt him down, trying to use him for their own sick desires. He couldn’t put his friends through that.
“But, how did you even get caught? You’re always on high alert to your surroundings. Ever since…” Tails trailed off, looking at Sonic, as he broke the hug to meet his eyes.
“I just wasn’t paying attention this time.”
Tails eyes narrowed, not convinced by this. “Sonic, I know that’s not what really happened, and you know it.” He reached out, taking Sonic’s uninjured hand in his own. “It’s okay, you can tell me,” Tails tried to reassure with a small smile.
He sighed then looked away. “I kissed Shadow,” he started hesitantly. “I told him I loved him, only for him to reject me… So, I ran off, not paying attention, and Eggman captured me,” he explained, his chest tightened at the mention of Shadow, causing him to nearly choke. He sucked in a breath, snuffling slightly before he furiously whipped his eyes with his free hand.
Tails blinked a few times, surprised, as he took in this new information. “Woah, okay, didn’t see that coming…” Sonic's head snapped up, fear in his eyes, causing Tails to raise his eyes in defence. “Not that I would think any different of you! You’re my big brother, and I would never leave you over something so stupid.” He squeezed the hand he held as he tilted his head to the side. “Don’t let what Shadow said get to you, okay? He’s just mad cause he can’t eat my amazing chilli dogs,” he joked, smiling a little. It was returned, although the smile was a bit dimmer than it used to be. But, that was expected. Tails secretly vowed that he would do everything he could to help his brother. No matter what happens he would always be there to help him through it's, just like when they were younger. Oh how far they came already...
"I know how hard this is going to be for you, but, now, you have to be more careful about who your around since you’re a herm. Other males will be able to sense if you’re in heat, which puts you in danger,” Tails said, letting go of his hand, grabbing something from his desk.
"What are you doing?" Sonic asked, whipping his eyes.
Tails walked back to him, handing him a chaos emerald. He looked down, seeing that it was the yellow one. He blinked, it reminded him of his brother’s fur color. "Keep that with you at all times, that way, you have a way to escape. You're going to have to learn to use your chaos abilities to keep you safe, but it’ll be worth it," he explained, a soft smile adorning his features.
“T-Tails, I,” he started, stunned. His voice held gratitude, surprise, and an undertone of guilt. He shook his head, trying to give it back. “I can’t take this. You need this…”
“I don’t. While they are useful, I can make fake ones if needed. You need the real replica!”
“No, I don’t. I’m not some damsel in distress!”
“I never said you were!”
“You implied it…!” Sonic trailed off, sighing. He hung his head, ears pressing against his skull, as his claws dug into his palm. “Just take it… please,” he tried, his voice was barely audible, nothing above a whisper.
“Why?” Tails pressed.
Sonic could almost feel the concern radiating off of him. He closed his eyes. “Tails… I don’t even know if I can use Chaos Control anymore. T-those experiments did a lot of damage an took almost all the energy out of me.”
Tails’ lips parted to form an ‘O’ shape, all the energy and damage sweeping out and done to him in one rush. “Sonic, I…”
“It’s fine…”
“No, it’s not…”
“Tails, I said it’s fine…”
He bit his lip and brought a tail round to fiddle with. He thought. “Maybe Knuckles knows something about it? Maybe it will come back naturally… you never know. You could always try it…. I’ll ask Silver or Shadow to help you…”
Sonic flinched at Shadow’s name, drawing into himself more. Tails quickly berated himself mentally as he corrected himself. Sonic didn’t need another reminder.
“Sorry. I’ll see if Silver doesn’t mind helping?”
Sonic nodded slightly, although Tails wasn’t sure if he was even listening. He slid off the table.
“Thanks, Tails… I think I’ll go back to my room now,” he mumbled before leaving the workshop. Tails watched him go, noticing his sluggish movements as he limped into the hallway.
There, he encountered everyone, who waited outside the door. They all looked at him questionably, but there was only one person Sonic wanted to look at. He made eye contact with Shadow, his heart beginning to ache. The pain of what he did was still there, but he couldn’t fault him. Maybe Shadow was right? He is usually. If not before, he definitely was now.
He turned away before he started crying again, heading towards his bedroom upstairs. He climbed them, ignoring the following gazes of his friends… and other company.
As he entered his room, he laid down on the bed, curling into a ball as he allowed himself to think.
‘Things are never going to be the same again,’ he thought bitterly. Sighing, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.