#i write my own verso

[chaosworthy]

It was an uneasy sleep Mina found herself in that night. Due in part to the empty space next to her in bed and lingering concerns towards her husband. He had been acting strange lately, and that was putting it mildly. She knew it was only due to the magic that was influencing him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that things were coming to a head. 

Something she was convinced of that evening when she had caught him sitting in pitch darkness, actually reading. With no problem whatsoever. She had tried for a conversation then and there but he had brushed it off as nothing. She had convinced herself that they could talk about it in the morning after she had gotten rest and had a clearer head. 

Sleep hadn't come easy, but it had overtaken the mongoose before too long. At least for a few hours. 

She couldn't say what exactly it was that woke her up but she knew she was aware despite still fighting to fall asleep again, eyes closed but mind racing. Something wasn’t right. She felt uneasy but the room, the house really, was quiet. She had half convinced herself it was nothing and doubled down on her efforts to fall back asleep, but it wouldn’t come. And a moment later she knew why…

She felt herself shift, a weight on the bed in front of her, and opened her eyes. There was a scarce amount of light leaking in from the window, but it was enough for her to make out the amber eyes, contorted features and dark claws in front of her face, just inches away.

She had lashed out before her mind could fully process what was going on, one leg shooting out with a signature speed. And it made contact. She could almost feel something give away before the mix of adrenaline and pure worry had worn off just enough for her to realize what had happened and jump from the bed. She hurried to the opposite wall, to the clearly winded form of her partner slumped against the wall.

"Sonic?" She was too bewildered to hide the shock in her voice, but knelt at his side all the same, hands reaching out but unsure of what to do. Her only relief was that he seemed relatively fine, and that he looked normal again. As normal as he had the past few weeks anyway. She knew she hadn’t imagined it, that what she had seen hadn’t been some trick of the light. But worry took over again when he grasped his head with one hand, shaking it with fervor.

"S-sorry…I didn't mean t'..." His voice was quiet, but teeming with something she could only place as dread. Desperation met her eyes when he looked at her, an entire conversation there in the span of a few seconds before he stared at the ground. "I didn't know what else t' do…"

"Sonic…" Out of habit the mongoose had gone to cup a tan cheek, only to have the hedgehog pull away rather abruptly which told her more than he might have realized. He looked awful, and not just because of his current vexation. The hero looked almost feverish, distressed even and his pupils were constricted. That latter part gave it all away, and as realization washed over the singer she felt a small wave of panic.

But she knew what to do. "Wait here, okay?"

She didn’t give him time to ask the obvious question before she was up, on her feet and out of their bedroom, leaving him alone in the dark room. What seemed like hours to the struggling hedgehog was only mere minutes, and soon the mongoose returned with what he had assumed to be a lunchbox. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that regular food wasn’t going to cut it here, but he stopped when what she pulled out was anything but normal. The hero had been in and out of hospitals for most of his life, so he could recognize an official blood bag when he saw it.

Which lead to another question entirely. "Where…?"

"I'll explain later." She cut him off, the why wasn’t important right now. She knew it, and she knew that he did too when he didn’t fight her handing the bag to him. It sat in scarred hands, the very cumulation of everything the hero hadn’t wanted right before him. Mina watched as the gears turned in his head, a losing debate dawning over his face. She didn’t envy him, she couldn’t lie, but never did she think she would feel…relief when he looked at her next. 

It wasn’t a defeat, but a reassurance. For as much as he hated this, the hero had made a promise. If this was what it took to keep her, and their daughter, safe. So be it.

It seemed so misplaced but Mina felt a swell of pride in her. Even if she knew what was coming. She didn't have to watch but a part of her felt compelled to. Not for the reassurance but…morbid curiosity. 

So she watched as the claw on the hero’s thumb punctured the bag and that was all it took. Even in the dark of the room Mina could see something in him shift, the way his body had gone nearly rigid before those fangs bared. And that was it. Tan lips had met the flow, and didn’t stop until the bag had nothing left to give. It was feral, twisted, and messy, but over within minutes. Only when the sound of the hero’s drinking stopped and the silence came back did Mina move. 

This time she was able to rest a palm against his cheek, while kicking herself for not thinking to bring a napkin or something for the aftermath. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him covered in blood but, Chaos, did she hope it was the last. "How do you feel…?"

It took longer than she expected for an answer, almost as if the hero had to gain back his bearings before looking at her, the ravaged bag in his hand, and back with a frown. "Gross…"

That made her smile, not a full one but still somewhat humored as she ran the same hand through his quills. Thankful when she felt her partner lean into it. All in all, things could have been worse. But they were both glad it was over and, despite the mess, the singer brought their foreheads together. 

“Thank you for telling me. Or...trying to.” She made sure he heard the earnestness in her voice. It may not have been perfect, but he had kept his promise and that meant the world to her. Enough that she could nudge him with a relatively playful tone. “Just don’t do the creepy face and eyes thing next time, okay? I don’t want to hurt you again.”

He blinked, utterly confused, but still nodded. Even managed to return the humor a little. Anything to take away from the last few minutes as he made a show of rubbing his abdomen. “For the record…you still have a hell of a kick.”

That made the singer laugh, and it was a wonderful sound to the hero. The couple would stay like that for a few minutes longer before the hero excused himself to clean up, but even then all it took was once glance from the mongoose to ensure that he was right back by her side, in bed. For the rest of the night.

[devdevlin]

Wip game

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigued them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I saw this and it looked fun! But as I started listing, the magnitude of my WIPS really started to hit 🤦‍♀️ I’ve just listed everything I have in my folder, some of these are actually complete, but I hang onto all my drafts anyway (yes, I am unorganised, thank you 💀)

- Verso

- OG competition stuff

- Hunt

- DMLE rewrite 2023

- Shadow man

- Not Friends, Some Benefits

- Riverwick

- Long Black

- Default Title - Write Your Own

- 200 word piece

- Prompt drabs

- Bingo

- Drabbles - momd

- Knives of White

- New drabbles 2023

- Reap

- Her

- Flash fics

- Black

- Reylo

Anyone who wants to have a go, consider yourself tagged! 😁

[chaosworthyarchive]

     This wasn't like her. Mina typically prided herself on being strong, on being a pillar and an icon of self strength. It was what she had built her whole image around, her career. And it had taken one thing to shatter it entirely, one terrible day for her to be where she was now, a crying mess in the middle of a familiar meadow. Alone.

     She knew there was technically nothing wrong with it, everyone needed a good cry every now and then, but this was more than that. So much more, and she hated it. Hated missing a part of herself like this, hated not having Sonic, her partner in so many things, by her side. Her heart ached in a way she didn't even think was possible, and everytime she tried to focus on something else, to help with current efforts, she was only reminded of why they were doing it all in the first place. Because he wasn't here; gone.

     She had thought coming here might help, but it hadn't. The moon overhead, the willows swaying in the slight breeze that was just cold enough to be uncomfortable, they only reminded her of the times it had been the two of them sitting there. When they had spent hours talking about everything and nothing, and the times where they had sat there in silence just enjoying each other's company.

     Chaos, what she wouldn't do to have those moments back and it was that thought that sent her into another fit. The not knowing was killing her a little more each day, and she dreaded to know what her partner may have been going through at that moment.

     The only reason she had looked up from where her head was resting on her knees this time around was because of the sound of fluttering wings at her side, and the gentle nudge to her hand that followed. Bolt's soft coo got a small, sad smile from the mongoose before she reached over to scratch under the hawk's chin. It was a gesture that was readily accepted, even if the avian did settle against her side a moment later, almost seeming to deflate with a dejected noise. A common theme of the last few weeks, and it worried Mina. The hawk hadn't done much but follow the singer around, she rarely made a sound except one of dejection and the mongoose had already had to coax the hawk into eating a handful of times and even then it wasn't much and that was troubling.

     But, then again, Mina supposed she wasn't one to talk either and settled for smoothing down the hawk's feathers with one hand as they both sat there in silence, heavy and worried, until Bolt looked up at her with another miserable sound.

     "I know, girl…I know."

     They both missed him. They just wanted him back.

[linearao3]

So, in humble offering for my failure to publish this All The Plot And Many Feelings Too chapter in a timely way, I bring you a tiny, self-indulgent drabble of Rey wallowing in Kylo’s books.

When she can’t take it anymore, she does go into the bedroom and read his books.  She scans for the most dog-eared, tattered, water-damaged book she can find, because she wants to know what he likes best. Tolkien, is her first guess, and at first she thinks she might be right, because he actually has two copies of The Lord of the Rings, an immaculate box set and a trio of garish paperbacks.  But as she starts to tip them off the shelf, she sees next to them the mass-market copy of Speak, Memory, opened so often the spine is almost unreadable, and as she reaches for that, she sees that the book beside it, The Once and Future King, is so battered it’s actually held together with a rubber band; she hesitates, because she doesn't want to mess with it if it's actually falling apart.  So she reads Speak, Memory, bemusedly absorbing the alien and beautiful details of an aristocratic Russian childhood until he comes home and finds her there, in front of his shelves.  Then she taps the rubber-banded book.  "Your favorite?"

"Sort of," he mumbles.  "I mean."  He clears his throat.  "Those are my comfort books.  That shelf.  That's why they're so easy to get to."  And it's true that this shelf must be just below shoulder height for him, everything on it easily grasped, and there's only the one row, instead of the two-deep shelving everywhere else.

"Comfort books?"

"Books you re-read when you're sad.  When you need to feel... soothed, or consoled."

She holds up the Nabokov she's been reading.  "This man who thinks he's too good for sleep is consoling?"

He blushes.  "It's good prose."

She supposes it is, at that.  "Does that mean you have uncomfortable favorites, too?"

He rests his hand on another shelf, higher up, in a different case, and she peers at it.  Collected Poems, Philip Larkin.  La peste.  Blindness. The Last Samurai.  Autobiography of Red.  

She marks them with her eyes, and asks him about his Hebrew books, and their sharp-edged, scholarly English companions, hardbacks from university presses with plain covers and colons in their titles.  She recognizes a few from Rabbi Luke’s shelves.

In Rey's experience, people's books, particularly their favorite books, form patterns, and the patterns say things.  Finn’s books (The Power Broker and The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Complete Sherlock Holmes) say, like a calm doctor, What happened here?  And Rose’s books (Anne of Green Gables and Fingersmith and A Wizard of Earthsea) say, It can be better than this; I know it can.  And Poe’s books (Capital and This Bridge Called My Back and possibly every title Haymarket and Verso ever published) say, It will be better; we will make it better; but how?

Ben’s books say, It will all go wrong, and I will be alone when it does.

As she skims through his favorites, comfortable and uncomfortable, she finds societies collapsing like dominoes. Kingdoms fall, plagues turn civilization into anarchy.  And she finds lonely, brilliant little boys, often ugly, often sick.  And she finds only one mark, in all the books; he does not write in his books (though it seems he sometimes throws them across the room or leaves them outside in the weather), but one stanza of poetry, with its leading line, is gently underlined in pencil.  

Isolate rather this element

That spreads through other lives like a tree  

And sways them on in a sort of sense  

And say why it never worked for me.  

Something to do with violence

A long way back, and wrong rewards,  

And arrogant eternity.

The poem is called "Love Again."  

She wants to ask him what the wrong rewards are, or were.  What makes eternity arrogant?  She is not a big reader of poetry herself; her own books (Island of the Blue Dolphins and White Fang and Miss Rumphius), she thinks, say Out of my way and let me fix it, a message few poets seem interested in.  But he comes home and his eyes are so anxious; she just puts her arms around him, and sways with him, back and forth.

“You’re like a tree,” she tells him.  “A big warm tree.”

“Cut me down,” he says, smiling at her “and turn me into paper.”

[chaosworthy]

   {➹} – IT WAS QUIET. Quieter than the house had been in a long time, and maybe some part of the hero was supposed to take solace in that fact after the last few days. But he couldn't. Volt was gone, off somewhere the hero only had the faintest idea of, and the hero was part of the reason for that. A realization that dawned on him more and more as he cleaned up the best he could, only to retreat back into the dark room the hybrid had found him in.

The same room where the whole mess had started. Where he sat in the nearest seat, slumped and head in his hands for...he didn't even know how long. The only thing that changed that was when he shifted and felt his elbow catch something. Even in the dark he knew what it was.

The keyboard...and it gave him an idea. Never had the hedgehog been good at sorting through certain emotions, anger being one of the worst culprits, but he had methods to lessen them. One that had never failed him.

It was one thing he could still do. One thing that was undeniably still him. His.

And his fingers had no problem finding the right keys, his voice flawless in finding the right tone...the right words.

♬ Kaleidoscope love, yeah, that is you and me Forever changing, we make life interesting Some days we're red, and some days we both think green But I like the nights when we leave the canvas free ♫

[chaosworthy]

                                                         06.23.3233                                                                                                                                Location ¦ Green Hill

                                                   -------

There were two things that surprised the hero that (early) morning. One was that his partner was awake at all, given she was notoriously not a morning person, and that she had apparently decided that now was the best time to abruptly sit on his lap, quite suddenly and without much warning. Yet, somehow, seeing the face and smile aimed his way as her arms settled on either of his shoulders only made his chest grow warm. 

Sure, it meant he had to sacrifice drinking his morning tea until she moved but it was well worth it. 

But he still raised a brow, playful and yet feigning seriousness. “So…our chairs are broken, I’ll take it?” 

Mina only snorted, and quite purposefully shifted herself closer before smirking. “No, I just know this is the best way to get your attention.” 

And she always loved his reactions, but that part she kept to herself before bringing one arm around to show him the small box in her hand. Completely with a shiny green ribbon. Overkill? Maybe, but it was a special day.

One she was hard-pressed to think the hero forgot about given the look on his face at the sight of the gift, but she ignored it and merely handed the box to him and took his cup so he wouldn’t struggle with it too much. “How else was I supposed to give you this?”

The hedgehog could think of a few ways, but none left his lips as he gave the mongoose a look before pulling the ribbon off and opening the box. ‘This’ was an even smaller, wooden box nestled in the main one; more than enough to pique his interest. He half expected to find another box inside that one but instead what greeted him was a set of new guitar picks. The twist? The images on each of them. 

He could easily recognize the little black and white hand and footprints, to say nothing of the like-colored scans that had been glossed over on the emerald green picks. It was hard not to when those very images had upgraded his ‘title’ and purpose in life, and still caused a profound feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even nearly a year and a half later.

“Happy Birthday, Blue.” A kiss to his forehead soon prompted a full one between the couple, lingering and heartfelt. Only when they separated did Mina bring their foreheads together in a delicate gesture. “Lyra’s got something for you too, but I’ll let her give it to you when she wakes up. She’s been talking about it all week.” 

Sure it had created a heck of a mess, but Mina couldn’t help but think her husband would love the pair of tea cups their daughter had handpainted all by herself. A perfect addition to the collection.

[chaosworthy]

"Still not asleep, huh?"

Mina looked up at the sound of her husband’s voice, quiet but still full of concern as he walked into the room. The sight of the fast food bags in his hand was a mild relief but, with a frown, the mongoose looked down at their daughter. Or rather the curled-up, sniveling ball that had long since soaked through the singer's shirt, which the girl also had in a death grip. To say it tugged at her parent's heartstrings was an understatement.

"Not even close," she whispered in turn, though she was sure Lyra didn't actually hear them in her current state. "Poor thing's cried herself dry. She hasn't been this bad since her teeth came in..."

Even then, they both knew it was so much worse, and the fact it took a bit of firm coaxing to get the infant to let go just long enough to be passed to her dad as he sat down said as much.

There she only seemed to bury into that scarf she favored so much and the hero sighed, one hand running through her hair. "Can you blame her? She did just lose her first friend, in a way."

No, Mina couldn't and the look on her face said that and something else entirely as she stared at the food she was supposed to be eating. The morning had been hard on them all but even still the hero had noticed a certain air about his wife and daughter that was a tad worrying. Even hours later.

More than enough reason for him to reach over and tuck a strand of lavender hair behind his partner's ear. "How are you?"

There was no immediate answer, just a silence before the mongoose rested her head on his shoulder with a shaky breath. "Just...tell me they'll be alright."

"...They'll be fine, Love. They've made it this far, after all."

[chaosworthy]

                                                              05.14.3233                                                                                                                        Location ¦ Green Hill

                                                                    -------

“Mama!”

Despite the grogginess that came from being woken up so abruptly, Mina felt herself smiling at the voice that had done so. She would never tire of that voice and, upon opening her eyes, she was met with a face that was young, excitable and…caked in flour?

She only got an answer to that last mystery when a metal tray carrying pancakes, fruits, her usual coffee and a paper that had been lovingly scribbled on entered her vision as she sat up. While Lyra had wasted no time coming up into her mother's lap, her father had smiled at the mongoose with undiluted fondness and more than a little amusement. He, too, had some amount of flour (pancake batter) on him.

“She insisted on bringing you breakfast. Totally her idea. Couldn’t talk her out of it,” he explained, with a little less than the full truth but he beamed nonetheless and Mina felt her heart flutter at the sight. "Pairs nicely with her latest work of art, don't you think?"

With an excited prattle, said paper was grabbed by their daughter before she looked up at her mother, smiled and then proceeded to point to the yellow, blue and pink scribbles that had been drawn on with a combination of crayons and markers.

"Mama, Dada, Lyra!" Pride practically shone through the infant's voice as she showed off her work, and she squealed when the mongoose’s arms came around her for a hug, nuzzle and a few kisses in between. 

"It's beautiful," she replied, and was immensely happy to see the little hybrid light up like a star, before she looked at her husband who had been watching the proceedings with a knowing, loving look. "It's all pretty amazing." 

Her husband's response was to lean over and kiss her forehead, all while slipping the tray next to her on the bed. As far as he was concerned, she deserved every bit of it and so much more. "Happy Mother's Day, Love."

[chaosworthy]

                                                                    12.24.3232                                                                                                                                  Location ¦ Green Hill

                                                                      -------

     Everything was perfect. An odd thing to realize, the hedgehog mused, given that to some it could be considered concentrated chaos in his and Mina’s house at the moment. Between the mid-sized throng of people, all close friends and family, the music playing from the living room speakers and the general merriment, it would have been a lot had it not been caused by the people he and the mongoose loved and adored. Besides, it was far easier for everyone to celebrate not just the holidays, but a certain infant’s first Christmas, in one place. Together.

     There was no shortage of smiles and laughs to go around that evening, and it was a wonderful sound indeed. Hell, even his brother and father were socializing    willingly and it was a sight to see, though he suspected the combined efforts of Rosie and Johnny were to thank for that one. To say nothing of the joy on both his wife and daughter’s faces as they made their rounds, the little hybrid dressed in the most festive attire she could stand and giggling all the while. A picture perfect moment in the hero’s mind.

     Of course he didn’t get much time to merely sit and watch, as he was soon dragged into the heart of it all. Given he was the host and all. From exchanging gifts, to dancing, to an impromptu eating contest and serving as a 'tree' to both his daughter's and Tekno and Amy's son's newly discovered love for ribbons and glitter, there was no place else the hero would have rather been that night.

     So, yes. Maybe perfect was far too fitting.

[chaosworthy]

                                                             11.29.3232                                                                                                                                  Location ¦ Green Hill

                                                                     -------

     The base was quiet, and more often than not it was those days. Apart from the times Tekno used it for her inventions and tinkering, or the team got together to reminisce and make sure everything was on the up and up the underground bunker was still. Still and uneventful some might say, except for one room.

     The very room that a certain hedgehog had just opened the door to, and when emerald hues met the six equal colors on the other side encased behind glass, he smiled. 

     "Always happy t' see me, huh?"

     Yes, it always struck him as odd that he was talking to what amounted to a pile of rocks, but he also knew the way they flickered and the feeling deep in his bones wasn't just his imagination. The familiarity always made him feel warm, like a hug from an old friend though he knew what he and the gems had was a bit more than that. They all knew it.

     It was why he was there. Because despite how his life was now, despite his new priorities (his first if he was going to be honest) the emeralds were still an important, and integrated, part of the hedgehog's life. Some might argue the most important even. Though it was up in the air whether the hero did or not. 

      Respect was there nonetheless, and he would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy the time he spent with the gems. Even if they couldn't talk there was something else there that made the hero know they were still aware, living in a sense even. He never did know how to put it, and he sounded half mad when he had tried. 

     But maybe that was the point. He and the emeralds, the situation they shared, it was special. Abnormal to everyone except them. Perhaps it always would be.

     The thought humored the hedgehog more than concerned him, and he only shook his head with a grin as the gems seemed to dance as he sat in the middle of the room. He hadn't stopped meditating either, far from it in fact. It wasn't always in that room, but there was something far more genuine when he did it there. And he knew the gems appreciated it, he could feel it the moment he closed his eyes and opened that connection fully. 

     No visions, no pain. Just silence, peace of mind. 

     They needed it just as much as he did.

[chaosworthy]

                                                               10.10.3232                                                                                                                                  Location ¦ Green Hill

                                                                    --------

     Two arms had circled around his shoulders before the hedgehog had even registered their owner approaching from behind. Which really only proved how much he had been lost in his own head for the last few hours, at least. It wasn't uncommon for him to watch the sunset after putting their daughter down for bed, but it had been when the sky had long since turned dark and the second moon had risen that Mina just knew something was wrong. 

     "Hey…what's wrong?" Her voice was soft, but well understood even if it was met with silence at first. The one reassurance was a scarred hand coming up to cover one of her own, a sign the hero was still there, but she knew from his face that something was buzzing around his head.

     She always knew. 

     And it was why the hedgehog didn't bother brushing her worry aside, but he still hesitated for a moment, frowning. "'S…hard t' explain…"

     A small bump was given to his head, the mongoose resting her chin on his shoulder, ever carefully avoiding the blue quills as she offered a smile. "Try me, you know I'm good at solving puzzles."

     "I think you're better at forcing them," he replied, a note of amusement breaking through the melancholy. It seemed to lighten the mood, emerald eyes turning back to stare out towards the distance as his head leaned on hers. "It's just…sometimes I wonder if I'm always going t' be stuck as the hero, an’ if I'm always going t' be associated with Robotnik an' everything that he did…"

     This time she frowned, brow furrowed. "Where is this coming from?"

     Again, he paused before shrugging negligibly. "Just…some prat, 's all."

     "Then it sounds like you already know that they're wrong, whatever they said," she said pointedly, her arms tightening into a hug before she scoffed. Not at him, but the situation. "How many times do I have to tell you that you are so much more than that. Just because some people can't see past the end of their own noses doesn't mean that you can't be happy, Sonic."

     A kiss was given to the hero's shoulder before the singer buried her nose in the crook of his neck, and yet he could still understand every word. Hear the firmness in her tone. "Stop doubting yourself, and stop thinking about what happened. You’ve paid your dues. You can't change it anyway, so just enjoy the now for what it is. With me and our daughter."

     As she suspected, it was those last words that caused the hedgehog’s expression to change into something thoughtful before something utterly tender. He knew she was right. As she often was. Just as she didn’t doubt his words as he looked into those jade hues as best as he could. "I do, everyday."

     "Good." The word came with one more kiss to his cheek before she finally came to stand at his side, intertwining her hand with his as they stared into the forest from their porch. A moment of peace before she sneered. "Because the next person who makes you feel like shit is going to see what it's like against an angry housewife."

     And, to that, he had to laugh.

[chaosworthy]

➤ Numbered Facts | Accepting

↳ @familylightfox​ asked: 02:  A memory from your character’s teenage years

                                                            —————

      {➹} – BLURRY WAS SOMETHING he was growing accustomed to. In the mornings (afternoon?) things always were, making it impossible for him to discern where he was for a few minutes as glassy, dry eyes stared at nothing while he lay on his side. It wasn't just his sight either, try as he did as he laid there the hedgehog couldn't recall how he had gotten there; his memory shot.

     The ground under him was cool, the faint echoing around him being the telltale that told him he had, once again, ended up in the bathroom. Perfect...

     How long he stayed there, he didn't know. Minutes, hours...something in between. It didn't matter. It never did. It wasn't until his stomach lurched, protesting the lack of solid food and solely ethanol that he bullied his body upright, then proceeded to thank whatever set of circumstances that had dropped him there as he lost what little contents it had in the nearby toilet. His head throbbed, his throat burned and everything else ached.

     For a while he remained there, kneeling in a position and state far too familiar, wondering how long he could stay there before someone noticed he hadn't left for the day. What time was it anyway...? Too far into the day to go back to bed, he imagined, and with the realization came a groan, hoarse and exhausted. 

     It was brute force and pure determination that the hero used to wrestle his body to its feet, far from a graceful maneuver but enough to at least get him to the sink. Where he wasted little time turning on the water to get the taste of sick out of his mouth, and a few more gulps just for something in his stomach. All before catching a glance in the mirror.

      Pale fur, bleary eyes...the usual. They didn’t change, hadn’t for months. Yet no one asked about them, everyone acted like nothing was wrong. And he followed suit. It was time to get ready, to clean up and put on airs. After he set to other things; he was already feeling chilly. Then it was stick to routine until the sun set, the same mantra repeating in his head as he set about the flat with slow steps.

          Rise and repeat.                    Rise and repeat.

[chaosworthy]

"Is the month over yet?"

With the question came familiar arms wrapping around the hero's shoulders, the golden fur resting against his own blue and tan without hesitation. Not even as Mina felt the chill of her partner's skin, something she was quickly becoming to hate and nothing bothering to hide. Still, her head came to rest near his, ever careful of blue quills that shifted as the hero gently shook his head.

"'S only begun, Love." They both knew that much, but it didn't mean they were glad to say or hear it. The next few minutes were spent in silence, both staring out of their back window to the forest just beyond. One fixated on the moon and the other on nothing at all, lost in thought. Despite the elephant in the room, they both seemed eager to stay like that as long as they could.

Until the mongoose looked into her partner’s face, the way his yellowed eyes seems far to still, devoid of something that made her almost uneasy. "Are you sure you're feeling okay...?"

"'M fine," naturally he insisted with a trademark smile but he knew that look in her eyes. One he hoped to dispel by bringing his lips to one of her hands. A gentle gesture, as was his tone, but his eyes were serious, earnest. "But I'll tell you what, the second that changes I'll let you know."

"Like I wouldn't pick up on it first." The mongoose scoffed, but it said something that the hedgehog didn't argue with her. And said more that there was still an unease in her stomach. Which was why she moved to fully face the hedgehog, one hand lightly grabbing his chin, forcing him to look at her. At how serious she actually was. "Don't shut me out on this, got it?"

There was only a few seconds of silence before he closed the space between them with a much more proper kiss. "Loud and clear."

[chaosworthy]

                                                    Sometime in the past.                                                                                                                    Location ¦ Near Marble Zone

                                                                   -------

They always ended back here. On the plush grass, alone, the night still around them as the wind playfully brushed the willow branches hanging around them. Allowing them a peek at the stars above every now and again. Somewhere in the distance the evening insects were chirping and all was calm. Peaceful. Beautiful. 

Mina had never considered herself much of an outdoorsy person, but nights like this were times where she wondered. As she stood staring out at the waves of grass and the distant mountains, she found herself smiling, even as she rambled. In fact she hadn't stopped in the entire time it took the couple to run there from their flat. A run that usually left her feeling tired, but relaxed, had the opposite effect on her that evening. She couldn't help it. Things were going great in every aspect of life, and it was just as rare as it was wonderful. 

And with their old music label crumbling after their departure weeks ago, things were looking good. They had made their point and were on to better things. Much better things. 

It inspired her, pumped her up like nothing else and she couldn't help but let out a laugh somewhere mid-sentence that bordered on a cheer (and took her boyfriend just a little by surprise). She felt alive. Free. 

"Just think of the things we can do, the four of us! People are going to see everything we have to offer, and they're going to love it. I just know it." Confidence flooded her voice, a fire burning her eyes that was new and energetic. The more she talked, the louder she seemed to get.  

"Mina..." 

So it was no wonder she hadn't heard the hedgehog. 

"And there's so many songs to write, and now we can do it how we want it. No rules, no censors. No pandering to please some guy with lousy hair! It's going to be amazing!"

"Mina."

"And with you on guitar–!" 

"Mina." 

It was only then she realized her boyfriend wasn't standing next to her anymore, his firm tone rare and more than enough to silence her for a puzzled moment. After comically looking to the left and right, she did a full half-turn before spotting him behind her. At first she thought he was picking at something in the grass…kneeling.

On one knee.

With a small box in his hands.

Then it hit her.

She was speechless for a moment, her heart suddenly very loud in her ears, mouth opening and closing before she finally managed, "what are you doing…?"

It said something that the hero only feigned offense at her words, a perfect guise for his own overactive pulse at that moment. There were so few times in his life when he was truly nervous, and this one was very quickly making its way to the top of his list. It shouldn’t have, and he knew that, but there was always that little voice shouting the endless possibilities at him. One he was going to squash, to put full distrust in, as he looked at her and smiled. "Exactly what you're doubting this is."

Jade eyes only managed to grow wider, and despite the billion and a half questions running through her head, Mina only let out a gasp as that little box was opened. The glare that followed was playful, if not a tad accusatory as she looked from the necklace inside to her partner. "You're the one who took it! Jerk."

Catching the moonlight in a captivating way was, by far, her favorite piece of jewelry, except...different. She always wore a guitar pick that once belonged to the hero around her neck, and he did much the same with one of hers. The small objects had been their first gifts to one another, and signified an important transition in their relationship. Now? Instead of the plain plastic necklace that she had worn almost religiously until it had gone missing a new weeks ago (much to her dismay) before her was the same pick, carefully nestled in a silver frame and in-between two small glass windows. Secure, and perfect in her eyes.

"Well…I couldn't do this without something, could I?" A hypothetical question and the hero’s smile only grew fonder as he looked at the necklace himself. It wasn’t traditional, and he knew that. But he also knew his girlfriend far too well to think she would be offended by something out of the norm. Not in this, and so many other cases. "I figured these meant a lot more t' us than anything else. From the beginning it was music that brought us together…ever since that night in Grand Metropolis, so it only makes sense it would be a part of the most important question I could ever ask."

He half expected some other retort from the mongoose but she had fallen uncharacteristically quiet, a stunned mix of excitement and disbelief in her shimmering eyes. Without realizing it, her hands had clasped in front of her chest, which only added to the out of character demeanor about her. And the nerves steadily growing in the pit of the hero's stomach. He couldn’t help it, but it didn’t stop emerald hues from looking at the jade ones he had long since fallen in love with, and there was no hesitation, no doubt and no worry as he spoke again.

"Mina Mongoose. Will you marry me?"

There wasn’t an immediate answer, just an elated twitch of the singer’s lips before she seemed to have to compose herself. Even then, there was excitement teeming in her voice as she looked right back at him. She had to be sure of one thing, and one thing only.  "Are you serious?"

He didn’t blame her in the slightest, but it make it all the easier to nod. There wasn’t an ounce of untruth about him. "Yes."

The smile that came next melted his heart and sent relief through him, unlike anything he had felt before. Coupled with a joy that exceeded anything else, and there was little he could do to stop them both from hitting the ground when the mongoose tackled him, laughing and crying all at the same time. Overjoyed. And the hero wasn’t far behind her.

 "Of course, you idiot." 

[chaosworthy]

                                                   Sometime in the past.                                                                                                                      Location ¦ Green Hill

                                                                    -------

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

They weren’t words Kintobor had expected from the blue hedgehog, much less in the dead of night. But perhaps that was simply what happened when two people were cursed with sleeplessness -- the scientist more than the hedgehog of course, but the fact remained. It wasn't unusual for them to have these talks, but more and more the hedgehog had opted for conversations via his communicator thanks to the band and touring, not coming to see Kintobor in person. 

That wasn’t to say the scientist wasn’t happy to see the other, his smile betraying that even as curiosity flashed behind his glasses. He was glad that, even after so much time and having so many other people to confide in, that Sonic still came to him with questions.

"You can ask me anything, you know that."

A smile was given in exchange, though it was quickly followed by hesitance on the hedgehog’s part. It wasn’t that he had anything bad to ask, just that he was afraid of it being too much. It was an out of the blue question and he realized that, but it was nagging at him. Even since that day in the city a few weeks ago with his girlfriend, he felt as though he had missed something major. And, next to Rosie, Kintobor was the only one the hedgehog could ask; but it seemed to make more sense to come to the scientist at the moment.

Still, there was silence before the hero looked at the holoprojected form of one of his best friends. Then decided ‘screw it’ and took the dive. "When…did you know that you wanted t’ marry your wife…?"

"I…" Kintobor had made to answer before the bulk of the question had hit him, and he stuttered as a result. It wasn’t the first time the hedgehog had shown interest in the scientist and his past. In fact, Kintobor remembered quite fondly the days when the hero had been far younger and easily entertained with stories of a younger man's journeys. Around a certain planet called Earth. But Kintobor's family had never come up but a few times, always to be disregarded with a short answer. 

And it had only taken one or two times for even a young hedgehog to realize that asking about the man's late wife was near taboo in itself. But that had been years ago, and Sonic was far older, far wiser and it showed as those gem-colored hues looked into Kintobor's baby blues. Yet, even after a moment of staring, all the man could manage was, "why do you ask…?"

"Just curious," the hero's answer was almost too quick, a careful note there as he paused before adding, "we don't have t' talk about it if you don't want t'."

This time it was Kintobor who was quiet, something calculating in his eyes as he looked at the hedgehog. He didn't believe there wasn't a reason, that this had just come up because the hero was bored. No, there was something, and he had a strong sense of what it might have been. Which left him in a predicament. He was never fond of discussing his life before his unexpected transportation to Mobius. Some parts of it, yes, but others he avoided like the plague. And for good reason. Some memories just hurt. 

But the way the hedgehog was looking at him then? Curious, but an inkling of profound obliviousness in those eyes? A question that desperately needed an answer?

"No, no. I don't mind…" Kintobor, after a tick, smiled. It was a difficult question, but one he would try his best to answer and he was pleased to see the hedgehog’s expression light up at the possibility. It was enough to keep the scientist moving forward, even if he did have to take a few minutes to gather his thoughts. It was an oddly deep question as well. "It was never just one thing, I could never pinpoint it when I tried to explain it before to others…and I still can't to this day."

Earnesty coated his words as he glanced at the tiled ceiling of the base, leaning against the meeting table as he pondered for a while more. How odd. He had never had to put it into words before. Now that he had to? He didn’t know where to begin. Luckily the hedgehog was patient, and Kintobor knew he had their undivided attention when mismatched ears perked when he took a breath. 

"I imagine it was when I realized that I never wanted it to stop. I wanted my memories to be with her, all of them…and for our lives to always be built around one another,” wistfully, he continued though with a smile that was both content and melancholy. “Around all our successes, our failures…I wanted us to learn together, and grow together. And we had all of those things up until the very end, and we never regretted it. Any of it."

The silence that dawned over the room as those last few words hung in the air was far from uncomfortable. Just the opposite. There was a lightness that had settled over the scientist, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders even with the pang of loss in his chest. He missed her, every day, and that had never been something Sonic had doubted. There was always an air about Kintobor when he spoke about her, no matter how briefly. And he had always found it spellbinding. 

"What…brought this on, exactly?" Kintobor had to ask, breaking the hedgehog out of their thoughts, and was rewarded with a chuckle from the hero. One that spoke volumes.

"I think you know the answer t' that already." It was confirmation without actual words, and yet the hedgehog felt something flutter inside of him just at the thought. Which was another answer in itself, and even Kintobor had a knowing smile on his face by the time the hero turned on his heel. Giving a salute as he started towards his office. "Thanks for the talk."

"Where are you going?" Kintobor had to ask, but he knew the answer.

"I have t'...plan something. I'll talk t' you later."

[chaosworthy]

                                                    Sometime in the past.                                                                                                                     Location ¦ Scrap Brain

                                                              -------

There was a tense silence in the room, thick and heavy. The kind that lingered, not because everyone was at a loss for words but because the first one to speak would undoubtedly snap and start a fight. And, Chaos, did Mina want to be that person. 

"You're shitting me." Rarely was the mongoose’s tone so cold, and even more rarely did her eyes match. A cold jade as they glared at the person on the other side of the large, oak desk. A desk she had been on the other side of many, many times. But never like this. She had never been so pissed.

 Today was the exception as she, Mach and Max all stared in disbelief at Fabian, a tan-colored canine clad in an expensive white suit and dark glasses. Their manager, and he had been for several years now. Nearly a decade. The group and the canine had their problems here and there but they always had a common goal. Sort of. Fabian wanted money, the band wanted to make music. One always correlated with the other, they fed into each other well over the last few years apart from spats here and there over explicit lyrics. 'They didn't sell well.’ The canine had claimed. 'Censors were there for a reason.' 

It was crap and Mina had known it from the start. And now this? This was over the line.

Furious, she turned to Sonic, who had been oddly quiet during the whole of the last few minutes.

"Why are you so calm about this?" She didn’t mean to snap, but she certainly did. Thankfully, and puzzlingly, her partner only smiled and waved a hand nonchalantly. Mina didn't know whether to be amused or more irate at the show. 

How Sonic could sit there while the canine verbally chastised him, denied him, was beyond the mongoose. The whole reason they were there was to put the hero on their contract officially. The last few months he had only been a stand-in if they wanted to get technical about it, hadn’t even gotten paid for the shows he had done with the band (not that Sonic had cared). Today was the day they had all planned to change that, to make everything official and start a new chapter.

But Fabian had other plans. It was ridiculous, they had said, to have someone like the hero involved with the band, let alone the label, in such a way. It had been nice to have a famous fill-in, that much the canine had admitted to; it had raked in record numbers, but it was never meant to be a permanent thing. The label would be finding someone else, a younger up-start with looks to kill. And the wily comment the canine made after that, involving the hero’s name and mass slaughter that nearly made Mina snap. In fact, Sonic was surprised she hadn’t but he imagined it was only because this was her job, her life and her dream, that had kept her rooted. If just barely. More reason for him to quickly explain, he reckoned.

"Because someone didn't do their research, clearly." Easy, matter of fact. His voice had an edge to it that was rarely heard, like the calm before the storm, and yet his smile never faltered as he looked at the canine glazing at them all from the top of his glasses. "If I have t' leave so be it, but I think you'll find it's a loss you, quite literally, can't afford."

It hadn’t been what any of them expected, but to Fabian it was an easy way out. Clearly the hedgehog didn’t want to be there too bad, and thus the canine’s name and reputation were going to be fine. Perfect.

Thus, the only answer he offered was a snort, that one particular to canines. “I doubt that. Now, if you don’t mind, I have more important things to see to.”

Sonic, for reasons his fuming bandmates couldn’t understand, merely shrugged and turned on his heels, leaving the other three silent and stunned. But when they all looked at one another, the same thought passed through all of their heads. Not just that the hedgehog clearly had a screw loose but that, at that very moment, life was never going to be the same. It had only been a matter of seconds before small nods were exchanged between the trio, and with a wicked sort of smile, Mina looked back at Fabian. Who was looking at her akin to a parent who had just answered the same question a dozen times from a child.

This was why he was dumbfounded when, in a sickly sweet tone, she smiled and said, “consider this our resignation then."

Whatever expletives or begging may have resulted was lost on them as singer, drummer and bass player strolled out of the large, glass office and down the hall after an all too familiar blue figure. Though the trio made sure to casually toss their security badges on the floor before catching up with the hedgehog, who only chuckled at the sight of them even if his gaze hadn’t left the communicator he was tapping away on.

"You guys didn't actually have t' follow, just so you know." Emeralds eyes glanced up at them then, passing over the three of them with a certain gentle sternness about the gaze. While he had expected it the moment the conversation with the canine had started, he also knew that the heat of the moment had likely hit the musicians more than common sense at that point. This had been their life far longer than his, after all. It was all some of them had, in fact.

But neither Max nor Mach seemed the least bit perturbed by any of it, and even Mina was smiling at him with a relief that he knew had little to do with them getting out of that office. Things had been tense, to say the least, for the band and it was thanks to their manager and a lack of consideration, amongst other things. But no matter how tense things were, even Sonic couldn't have said he expected any of them to just walk out on a dime. Perhaps they just needed the right moment, like today had presented.

So the hero thought nothing of it when the rabbit wrapped an arm around his shoulder in an almost brotherly way. Though, maybe it was. They had been on the road together, performing and bonding for the better part of, what…a year now? Time really did fly. "Dude, we're a band. We stick together, it's kind of what we do. We weren’t gonna stay around someone who could talk that way to you."

To that, Max nodded but soon shot the hero a curious look, complete with a dramatic lean-in, as if to really read the hero’s expression. "What did you mean back there anyway? I didn't take you for an A-list actor."

"I wasn't acting," the hero corrected, lingering on his bandmates before going back to the small device with a certain conviction. He didn’t speak for a moment, not until he paused with his finger above the device and a certain mischief in his eyes. "Like I said, he clearly didn't do his research and as of right...now, he's going to wish he did."

The emphasis came with him pressing the device one last time, and the smile he gave the others was something teeming with accomplishment. Even if it was the petty sort. 

"I've been a major shareholder of this place for years, helped get it really get off the ground after a certain up-and-comer caught my attention," he explained with a not so subtle look to Mina, who looked just as flabbergasted as the other two by that point – if not a little touched by the revelation. "So I have a bit of...sway here, mostly financially but they do say money talks. I never wanted t' get too int' the corporate side of things."

He spoke as they continued to walk down the elaborate, glass hall and towards a similar glass elevator that would lead them back down to the fancy lobby. Still his tone never wavered, that pride evident. "But if they don't want me, so be it. He wasn’t the first person I’ve heard give newcomers with a dream that kind of treatment, an’ I don't want t' be associated with a place that turns people away without an honest chance. That's not what this was supposed t' be about."

The nuances of that side of financials were lost on the other three for the most part. For as successful as they were, the musicians had never really invested in anything other than their shows and the odd charity here and there. Never to the extent the hedgehog was getting at, and frankly they were having a hard time wrapping their heads around the fact that, this whole time, Sonic had been so high up on the chain they were attached to. Though it did explain a few things, Mina thought. Why he was so good with money, why people in that building seem to all know him…

She blinked, a look of contemplation of her face. "Wait, so you just...took your portions and ran?"

"Will transfer them, actually," he said, just as the door to the elevator opened and they were greeted with the walls of records, elegant desks of the receptionists and glittering floors of the main floor. None of which he paid attention to as he continued to walk and talk. "T' another up and comer, that is. I don't know about you but your openers for the last leg seem t' have good heads on their shoulders. They ought t' be able t’ do something with them." 

To that, Mach laughed. It was too rich. Too perfect, and the other two were in perfect agreement. Now this was a rare side of the hero they never thought existed, but it was gold. And it wasn't even over yet as the hero gave a small chuckle of his own, looking back towards them all with a glint in his eyes. Now came the best part. "There will be a leeway period, of course, an’ once other investors and holders see the drop during it they may start t’ panic and sell theirs as well. Which isn't good, for this place anyway. Like I said, I'm a loss they can't afford but 's too late for that now. My mind is made up, and has been for a while."

Frankly he was almost relieved by it. The company had changed from its origin and he had never been a fan of it but his voice had been ignored, and talented people had been turned away, dreams crushed. Today was just the last straw. 

There came a sense of freedom that washed over the group as they stepped outside, the sound of the city almost like a welcome peace. The sound of their new start. A new chapter. Looking back at the building, there was a sense of accomplishment about them all. And Max giving the whole place the bird only added to it. 

 "Who knows, maybe those kids can make this place a little less judgemental in due time."