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temmtamm · 1 year

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Astrophile

Sonic prime sonic x genderneutral reader

Word count: 3,360 (DAMN)

Note: If interested, please like or leave a comment. If enough people are interested, I might turn this into an actual story rather than just a one-shot.

Ah, New Yoke City.

By far, the worst city to have ever been created, even it's citizens agree.

Free speech? Not a thing.

Self expression?? What's that?

You're lucky to even take a shit in the city without a badnik watching you to make sure you don't shit in any way the leaders would consider 'Rebellious'.

It sucked. Completely.

But, hey!! It was home!

At least it was (Y/N)'s home--And (Y/N) had learned the hard way, it's better to just fall into place and shut up rather than rebel against the system or push against it. It wasn't easy to just try and take your autonomy back when the whole city was designed to keep everyone in check.

It wasn't too bad though, (Y/N) had learned to accept their position in this life and be the perfect little citizen. They'd wake up, go to work, contribute the bare minimum, then go home and if they were lucky, they might even be able to watch TV or do some hobbies without a badnik peering into their window to make sure they weren't plotting anything.

Their routine could bore themselves to tears at times, but it was much better than the alternative.

Speaking of their mundane schedule, guess what they were up to right now??

On the bright side, they didn't have to walk or drive to work--All they had to do was stand on the strange conveyor belt that replaced this cities roads--Though, now that they really dwell on it, that couldn't be good for their legs--

"Bah." (Y/N) shook their head, shaking away any of the thoughts that remained in it away, allowing them to blink back into reality. Immediately they were met with the same dull buildings, the same dull people, and the same dull scent of smog that hit their nose.

Great.

(Y/N) stole a quick glance around the city, taking notice to the familiar visuals that almost immediately clicked in their mind, as if the cities layout was programmed into their brain.

Oh, this was their stop.

Taking a step off of the conveyor belt, they quickly transitioned to the sidewalk where they were able to walk freely.

They half payed attention to their surroundings, though the other half of their attention was quickly stolen by the shitty music that played from the stores they passed.

They cringed, their nose scrunching up as the voice hit their ears. They didn't even need to listen to the lyrics to recognize it as one of Dr. Deep's many many songs.

'Be a tyrant all you please, but don't use it to subject me to the horror of your shitty song-poetry.' Was something that crossed (Y/N)'s mind, but they wouldn't dare vocalize for fear of getting killed where they stood for treason.

Like stated before, free speech was not a luxury they had.

(Y/N) let out a deep sigh, sucking it up and coping quietly with the shitty music as they made their way past the multiple stores until they came to one in particular, their work--AKA; A shitty gas station right next to an alley that smells like cat piss and over the counter drug store (Y/N) was sure didn't even sell any actual medicine.

Fiddling with the doorknobs for a bit they managed to shimmy it open, allowing for themselves to slip inside and get a look at the cash register to confirm that their coworker waited until they arrived to clock out. Lucky for them, he did.

Ah, New Yoke City.

By far, the worst city to have ever been created, even it's citizens agree.

Free speech? Not a thing.

Self expression?? What's that?

You're lucky to even take a shit in the city without a badnik watching you to make sure you don't shit in any way the leaders would consider 'Rebellious'.

It sucked. Completely.

But, hey!! It was home!

Their routine could bore themselves to tears at times, but it was much better than the alternative.

Speaking of their mundane schedule, guess what they were up to right now??

Great.

(Y/N) stole a quick glance around the city, taking notice to the familiar visuals that almost immediately clicked in their mind, as if the cities layout was programmed into their brain.

Oh, this was their stop.

Taking a step off of the conveyor belt, they quickly transitioned to the sidewalk where they were able to walk freely.

They half payed attention to their surroundings, though the other half of their attention was quickly stolen by the shitty music that played from the stores they passed.

They cringed, their nose scrunching up as the voice hit their ears. They didn't even need to listen to the lyrics to recognize it as one of Dr. Deep's many many songs.

Like stated before, free speech was not a luxury they had.

"Look who finally decided to show up." Their coworker was quick to comment, which definitely didn't help (Y/N) with their mood in the slightest, and they were sure to show that in the glare they sent him.

"Watch yourself. I'm far too tired to banter right now." (Y/N) replied, and their exhaustion from waking extra early must've seeped through their tone cause their co-worker dropped it without another word.

"Are you okay?? You look like hell." Their coworker readjusted his cap, talking to (Y/N) as he moved to click himself out meanwhile (Y/N) walked up to slip behind the counter into their station.

"We're in hell, Jim--" (Y/N) cut themselves off at the sound of a badnik moving around on the outside of the shop, recording any conversations as per usual. "I mean...Just grand. Live, laugh, love or some bullshit like that." (Y/N) groaned, rolling their eyes which earned a chuckle out of Jim. who stepped up to the counter.

"Here, it's on the house." Jim dropped a coffee by (Y/N)'s cash register, making the animal cock a brow at the item. "I knew you had a early shift today so I decided to get you one when I stopped by the Yoke's brewery." (Y/N) must've looked up at the man as if he were the reincarnation of God at that moment.

"You are a godsend, man." They said gratefully, earning a bashful grin from the man and him averting his gaze.

"It was nothin', really." Jim changed the conversation, flustered from the attention on the small act of kindness. "Any who, I'm gonna hit the road. Anything goes wrong, give me a ring." He made a 'call me' signal with his hand when stating ringing before turning on his heel and taking his leave from the shop.

(Y/N) let out a sigh, watching the retreating figure before glancing down at the coffee he gave them. A soft smile curled upon their face, relief that even though today was going to be a long and stressful one, at least they had something to help get them through it.

With that thought, they picked up the cup and took a sip out of it, only for their soft and happy features to immediately fall into a grimace.

The coffee was ice-cold.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Just as (Y/N) suspected, the night went by slow, almost torturously so.

Customers were sparce, and even when they did show up it was either just to use the bathroom or to look around and end up buying nothing.

The cleaning that they had to do could almost be considered a military recognized torture mechanism--And don't get them started on the constant noises the badniks outside would make. If you're gonna stalk citizens, they'd at least like it if you do it quietly.

Luckily, all that was over with now, and now they only had to worry about getting home in one piece and avoid butting heads with any of the many badniks on patrol during the night.

(Y/N) twisted the key in their hand, finishing locking up the shop before pocketing said key and stealing a glance around the city. Yep. Still as dull and depressing as ever.

A sigh escaped their lips, creating a crowd of smoke around them before they began walking away from their shop, instead heading towards the usual and only transport for people nowadays, the conveyor belt.

(Y/N) would love to say that anything interesting happened during that painstakingly slow walk, but that would be a lie. It was the same, boring and lacking any uniqueness. It was interchangeably from any other day (Y/N) had. You could seriously changed the events that transpired this day to any other and (Y/N) wouldn't have even realized.

To say that (Y/N) was exhausted of all this would be an understatement. They were emotionally drained and mentally exhausted. Everything was the same. Every person they crossed on the street was the same, every robot that stared holes into them was the same, every building, every street.

All.

The.

Same.

(Y/N) wished that just for one day, they could be blessed with something unique, something that could remind them that life is more than just doing tasks mindlessly until you drop dead. It could be anything, they weren't picky!! A fun building, a flower, a song, a...a..

...A blue hedgehog??

(Y/N) froze up, doing a double-take when an electric blue blur caught their gaze. How could it not?? It was so different and it was such a stark contrast from the dark city it was in.

The blue blur zoomed down the street at such a speed that if (Y/N) blinked, they swore they would've missed it.

(Y/N) felt their heart rate go up for the first time in forever, an emotion that they had long since forgotten filled their chest.

Excitement.

Finally, there was something special in this world, something new. They didn't want to lose this feeling, nor did they want to lose this strange anomaly. Before (Y/N) even registered what they had done, they had stepped off of the conveyor and broke out into a spring, chasing after the blue that was miles ahead of them.

"Wait!! Wait up!!" (Y/N) called out, not caring who heard them or who was watching, even though the weird looks that people shot them was not lost on them.

The blue blur--If it even was a hedgehog or any other animal for that matter--didn't respond or even ease up, instead keeping up its abnormally fast running speed, making (Y/N) work up a sweat to even keep it in their line of sight. Adrenaline pumped inside of them at the thought of losing this and suddenly they picked up a speed they hardly knew they could've. It was absolutely nothing compared to the speeds of the blur, but it was still pretty impressive for such an average animal as themselves.

Their heartbeat and labored breaths pounded harshly against their ears, it practically being the only thing they could hear. They payed it no mind, instead keeping themselves focused on keeping the blur in their sights as well as calling out to it.

"Please!! Wait up!! I just want to talk!!" The words tumbled out of their throat almost frantically, their voice cracking and strained from the running. They prayed that somehow, their words could hit the blur since it was clear that they could never catch up to such a creature.

...

And much to their surprise, the creature finally heard them.

"...(Y/N)?"

In the blink of an eye, the blur had went from being miles ahead of (Y/N) to right in front of them, almost dangerously close.

"Oh, it's actually you!! Boy, I am so glad to finally see a familiar face that isn't trying to kill me--You aren't trying to kill me, right?? Oh, it doesn't matter cause it's you!! You're here!! Do you know where any of the others are?? I--" The creature, now identifiable as both a male and a blue hedgehog, rambled on in front of (Y/N), though they blocked out half of his words, more so taking in his...well, himself.

He was nothing like (Y/N) had ever seen in another animal. His electrically bright quills contrasted most of the dull colored fur that everyone else had, he had something in his eyes that was so much different than everyone else's. He actually had emotions and life in his mannerisms and facial expressions. He didn't look like a copy or a robot like everyone else did, he was very much alive and his own person--Also, he totally had glowing shoes but (Y/N) decided not to get into that can of worms.

He was magnificent--At least, that's how (Y/N) would describe him.

"Wai...Wait?? How do you know my name??" (Y/N) blinked out of their reverie, realizing what exactly the hedgehog had said previously.

"What--Oh, no!! Not you too!!" The hedgehog's face contorted into a disappointed expression, his ears even drooping at (Y/N)'s words. "C'mon, you gotta remember me!! I'm Sonic!! So-nic!" He leaned forwards, talking with his hands as if that would help make a memory suddenly click in (Y/N)'s head.

"I'm sorry, Sonic, but I assure you I would not forget someone...of your caliber." That came out way creepier than they intended. "I think you might have me confused with someone else." They tried to smile reassuringly, but failed miserably. Their heart was beating so fast and they had no clue if it was from the run they did to get here, from being so close to someone this unique, or from fest of the gibberish Sonic was spouting. Maybe a mix of all three..

Sonic's frown deepened, his eyebrows narrowing at (Y/N). "Cmon, even this version of you has to remember me!!" Version...? "We were like unstoppable together!! We were an item, A power couple!! This has to rejoh something in that head of yours!! You used to call me a 'Star'--𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 star." Sonic threw his arms out to his sides in an animated fashion, clearly exasperated at how his attempts to get (Y/N) to remember didn't seem to be working.

"Star..? Dating?" (Y/N) could swear that that their face was on fire at this point. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't recall any of that."

Sonic's shoulders slumped dejectedly, his facial expressions also morphing into a deafeated look. He dropped down, sitting on the sidewalk as his eyes glued themselves into the grim and disgusting concrete of the streets. "Right, of course you wouldn't remember." His tone lacked the energy it had previously, instead being as dead as everyone else's tone was in this city. (Y/N) didn't like it. It didn't suit this stranger to be as disappointed and accepting of defeat as everyone else was. Even with how little the knew of him, they could tell that he wasn't that type of person.

"Well..." (Y/N) was careful with their movements, shifting to sit down next to the blue hedgehog. "Try me. Maybe we had met each other." Despite knowing very well that the two hadn't, (Y/N) still stated that, though it did seem to help make the blue hedgehog ease up just a tad, as evident by him lifting his head up to look at them.

"Did we ever go on any dates?" (Y/N) asked, mostly out of curiosity as to the fictional relationship this man had made up rather than any need to rejog their memory.

"Oh, only the best!!" The hedgehog's energy returned almost as fast as he could run, his eyes lighting up at the memories of the twos dates. "I remember we used to race down green hills loop-de-loop all the time--I always won, by the way--OH, OH!! We sometimes did dates on Angel Island, though it was so hard with Knuckles there and all."

(Y/N) looked at the hedgehog, listening intently to his ramblings. There was far too much detail for them just to be ramblings from an insane man, and they even had (Y/N) second guessing if the two had met before--But, they know nothing about no 'Angel Island' or 'Knuckles'.

"We must've had a lot of fun together, huh??" (Y/N) kind of wished they remembered something, anything of what he was saying. They wished that they were actually from what sounded like another world, living an action packed life along Sonic's side where they would never have to feel the dread of a looping lifestyle ever again.

But, alas, they knew that it wasn't true. It was too good to be true.

"We did...I wish we can again too." Sonic's eyes flickered back to the street though it didn't take long for the hedgehog to find (Y/N)'s gaze again.

"You may not remember, but I do!! I'll make sure to jog your memory and get this place back to normal, where it isn't some creepy egg dystopia." He stood up, a confident smile gracing his lips as he did so. "Recognize this face, cause it's the face of a stars--And not just any stars, your star!!"

An amused expression crossed (Y/N)'s face as they cocked a brow but before they knew it, Sonic reached out to grab their hand, hoisting them up before dragging them with him, most likely taking them somewhere to "jog their memory".

"Wait, Wait!! Hold up!"

Thanks for reading ♥︎

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #fanfic #sonic headcanons #sonic fandom #sonic the hedghog movie #sonic the hedghog fanart #sonic team #sonic prompt #sonic x #sonic x reader #oneshot #fanfiction #temmer

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undonerhapsodize · 2 years

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Domestic Burdens

Sonic the Hedgehog Movie!Knuckles the Echidna x g/n!reader TW: cursing, implies violence, injury, blood, bruised limbs, much angst, comfort and fluff, happy ending, SPOILERS FOR THE SONIC MOVIES Word Count: 10.4K

Summary: You never thought you would find yourself living in the same house as a walking, talking echidna. Yet, as you adjust to this new life, secrets begin to unravel, for better, or for worse.

Side note: I write sonic the hedgehog fanfiction because I am mentally ill, I am not mentally ill because I write sonic the hedgehog fanfiction.

I cannot believe this is actually one of my better works of fiction.

Living with Knuckles was an… interesting experience to say the least. “Jarring” is the word you would probably use to describe it, along with “pleasant”.

Never in your life had you ever encountered something like him. And with Knuckles being a echidna and all, that fact was pretty unsurprising.

When you first met the guy, it took a lot of self control and convincing from Tom to not go and bash your head against the nearest hard surface. The hedgehog was one thing, he was a one-off. Tails was another, he was kind, kinda cute, and helpful so he got a pass. But another one? And he's big and scary? AND he can beat the shit outta you? Needless to say, you went home and took an ibuprofen.

Jokes aside, he was off-putting at the beginning. To you, at least. While Sonic felt comfortable in forgiving the harm the warrior had caused almost instantaneously, you weren’t so easy-going. Not that you had held any kind of long lasting hatred for what Knuckles had done, but rather it was simply a matter of time and understanding. And understand you did, with the help of Sonic, Tails, and even the echidna himself. It turned out that hearing it straight from the horse's mouth was an effective way of realizing the complexity of the situation Eggman had put the lot of them in, especially Knuckles.

And with that, and the promise of friendship between the hedgehog and the echidna, suspicions of Knuckles’ character disappeared just as fast as they arrived. You didn’t plan on holding his mistakes above his head (like it would do anything remotely close to helping relations heal), for his own past transgressions are just as permanent to him as they are to Sonic and Tails, and everyone else for that matter. Knuckles was a kind being, and you knew that now. Losing his way in his endeavor to protect the Master Emerald doesn’t change that.

Your friendship with him had started out of circumstance. After the fiasco with Eggman, the gang needed to find a place to safely keep the weapon. Tom and Maddie’s place was quickly rooted out as a station. Their home was too close to the city to house it properly. There would be too many strangers getting within reach of it every single day. An accident was bound to happen with that lack of security. There was also the issue with Eggman himself, if he were to ever return. The doctor knew of Tom, but didn’t technically know you. Yes, you were indeed present for much of the chaos, but you all had a feeling Eggman didn’t pay much attention to a random stranger whilst piloting a giant robot.

Lucky enough, you had your own home outside of city limits. It was much like a farmhouse, except for the farm. Wide open space, way out in the country, and no neighbors within sight. It was almost too perfect. Feeling generous and knowing there were limited options, you offered up your humble abode for Knuckles and his emerald to stay. He thought about your proposal for a while before ultimately accepting, saying something along the lines of “I accept your offer, comrade. Let us shake on this alliance.”

You didn’t understand why Sonic had zipped up to you two, frantically trying to stop him from grasping your hand. Knuckles’ handshake was fine? Like yeah his hand (paw? foot??) is big, but it's not like it would crush yours or anything.

And with that, Knuckles became your new housemate, and you became the substitute Guardian of the Master Emerald.

At first, it was a bit… awkward. It wasn’t hard to tell that the warrior felt out of place, to at least some degree. He spent most of the time in his own designated area of the basement, quietly keeping to himself and no doubt watching the Emerald. He came out to get food, or use the bathroom, or perhaps borrow a book from the shelf in the living room. He did talk some, but not enough to you would like. Sometimes you would act more extroverted than you really were, going out of your way to ask the echidna some questions about Angel Island and his preferences on certain things. He always gave short, curt answers that went straight to the point. If you didn’t know better, you could think he’d be pissed at you for asking anything at all. If you had to pick a favorite, once you asked him what his favorite fruit was, only to get a bizarrely serious response. As Knuckles padded back into the basement, he stopped briefly, contemplating his answer for a second or two before glancing back at you.

“I enjoy grapes.”

He walked away right after.

Not letting Knuckles’ lack of social skills inhibit your progress, you still pursued. And steadily, you gained progress. First came simple things, like what the echidna liked to eat, or what he would do to pass time while watching the Master Emerald. Then, conversations started to happen, usually about what Sonic, Tom and the gang were up to. Sometimes you spoke about how work had gone for you, though in the beginning you usually held back on talking too much about that, since Knuckles never seemed to be listening. Later on, you were given a pleasant surprise.

One time, as you stood at the kitchen’s stovetop cooking up something for you and Knuckles, who sat quietly on a barstool at the kitchen island. You had started to feel as if you were rambling on about this one incident that happened with your coworkers. With no response from the red mammal, you assumed your story was starting to become a bother. So you stopped about halfway through it, instead deciding to focus on the pan in front of you. He’s a battle-hardened warrior, why would he ever want to listen to some silly story about spilled coffee? Going back to the food, you were content to quiet down, despite that annoying feeling in your chest.

“Why did you stop?”

The question surprised you. It was abrupt, coming from behind. Turning, you look toward the echidna, who now had his eyes on you. The softer, smaller quills on his brow were furrowed in genuine confusion. Fumbling for your words a bit, you reply back just as confused. “S-sorry, I didn’t know you were listening.”

“I was.” Knuckles countered, tone lowered in his earnesty. He titled his head back down to the kitchen counter from once it came, folding his arms across the hard surface comfortably. “Continue. I was enjoying your tale.”

At that, you grin, going back to the stove to finish cooking you and the echidna’s dinner whilst you recount the events from this morning at the office.

Knuckles soon became a key person in your life. He was not one for words, but you soon learned not many were needed with him. Most often then not, he understood the silence was a natural part of company. A thing others could learn from him, including yourself. He even gave advice on the simple things that troubled you. His straightforward way of communicating never failed to speak the obvious when truths were hard to say out loud. Though your friendship with him had just started, you trusted him. And just maybe, he trusted you. He was always there, figuratively AND literally.

Though you planned on changing that last part.

It wasn’t often where you would descend to the basement into Knuckles’ domain. You never wanted to intrude upon his space, his privacy and security were important to you. Though once in a while, you would have to enter to ask a question or two.

He didn’t have a door, only a long set of stairs leading to the bottom floor. He could definitely hear you coming as you stepped down, down. The stairs weren’t exactly the quietest thing. As you peaked around the corner, you knocked firmly on the wood of the wall, just in case he was preoccupied and hadn’t heard you. You greet him all the same, knowing to announce yourself when he is on guard duty. “Hey Knux?”

There you saw the echidna, laying on an older model of a coach you had given him, head propped up on a cushion while reading a book. The master emerald laid on the other end of said coach. He moved the novel away from his snout so it wasn’t obscuring his vision of you, responding to the nickname you had given him like it was own with a simple “What is it?”

Given the greenlight, you asked your question “Where'd you put all the total paper?”

He seemed confused. It was an emotion that occurred to him often when dealing with things like this. He thought for a split second before asking his own question back. “From… when I helped you in storing the supplies?”

You nodded, assuring him he was right. “Yeah when we put the groceries away a few days ago.”

Knuckles looked deep in thought as he tried recalling the event, eyes in a blank stare seeing nothing at all as he dug up the answer. It would be fitting for a buffering effect to appear above his head at this moment.

He looked over, slowly turning his head as he drawled out his sentence. “I think… I recall… placing the package inside… the garment washing station?” It came out more as a question than anything else, holding little confidence.

You blinked, still perplexed. You spoke to yourself quietly, not directly talking to Knuckles anymore. “The laundry room? Huh.” You paused, scratching the back of your head. “I already checked it. Guess I’ll look again.”

“Have I put it in the wrong location?” Though it was just a few words, you could detect a small amount of apprehension in his voice.

You wave him off casually, wanting to ease any guilty feelings that may be developing. “Nono you’re fine. That’s where I told you to put them. I’ll just have to take another look.”

He stared at your figure for a minute before nodding, picking up his book once more and getting comfortable. “Well, if that is all, then I shall return to reading.”

You chuckled quietly at the formality. Turning to go back up the stairs, you caught a glimpse of the wall of the basement. It was barren, completely. That’s weird. You look more, craning your head to gaze more at your surroundings. As you start to properly take in the atmosphere of the basement, it dawns on you. You’ve never fully realized it before, given you haven’t had the opportunity to until now.

Knuckles’ space was lonely. Extremely lonely looking.

There were the essentials, coach, table, bed, even a box tv, but not a whole bunch else. The space lacked any kind of personality or decoration. Almost like a default Sims room. There was nothing there to define it as Knuckles’ own space, completely empty of anything he could call his own. It bothered you.

“Is there something else that needs asking?”

The echidna looks to you, the same inquiring expression as before. Had he even glanced away in the first place, you didn’t know.

You kept your mouth shut as you mentally ran through your options, not wanting to say anything rude. You scolded yourself. Should’ve known better. Knuckles came from a completely different world. Did you think he brought anything with him? He owns nothing. The only exception being his own damn shoes.

You feel you’re at a loss when suddenly, a lightbulb pops in your head. Oh.

You face Knuckles, finally answering. “Hey…” You start, a little nervy for his reaction. “What do you think about going to the store with me?”

He pauses, and looks at you as if you’ve grown another head. “The store?”

You nod.

Without missing a beat, Knuckles was once again, confused. He sat his book down on the coach, sitting up upright. “Why?”

You shrug. “Thought you’d just want to go outside a little. You haven’t done that since you got here.” While it wasn’t lying, it wasn’t telling the truth either.

Knuckles shook his head. “No.” He declined. “I cannot. I am forbidden from leaving the emerald unattended.”

Humming, your feet shifted positions, angling you so you were leaning against the wall. “Aw come on.” You say, halfway between a whine and an exclamation of annoyance. But even still, Knuckles held his ground, a stern frown set on his face. “No. I must turn down your offer.”

You sigh, shoulders slumping.

The echidna notices. “I am sorry.” He turns back to the book that had been resting face down on the coach. “Now… if you’ll excuse me, I will return to the fox’s book…”

Your mouth dropped in the shape of an ‘O’, an idea hitting you at the mention of your mutual friend. “Wait.” You exclaim, regaining Knuckles’ attention. “What if Tails can watch it?”

He starts, brain slowing a little at the discovery of this new information. “...If the fox can act as guardian while I am away?” Repeating the sentence out loud to affirm it, looking to you to see if he had heard it right. You nod, practically on the edge of your seat, waiting for him to carry out his sentence.

“Well,” He starts. “The fox can be trusted,” Knuckles looks deep in thought as he ponders this new option. “I suppose if the hedgehog does not interfere with Tails’ focus then, I guess it is possible.”

That’s all you needed to hear. “It would just be for a matter of hours. Shopping doesn’t take a whole day.”

Knuckles rubs his chin. He contemplates the idea of Tails taking over his position a bit more before he ultimately accepts, not having much reason to say no. “If so,” He makes eye contact with you, purple irises peering into your own a little intense for the circumstance. Yet, Knuckles is Knuckles, and he is determined. He speaks with that same formality he often does, “Then I do accept your offer, Y/N of house L/N.”

Oh yeah, forgot about that.

“It’s just Y/N Knux. I’ve told you that.”

It took about a week to organize you and Knuckles’ little shopping trip. Between your work schedule and Tails’ own experiments, it was somewhat difficult to arrange for him to come over. Yet, you were stubborn, and with some convincing for Knuckles, and reassurances for Tails, you got the fox over for your house. He didn’t need to do much, just keep an eye on the Master Emerald while you all were away. All it took was a quick tour of the house, showing him where the food and utensils were, a quick goodbye and you and the echidna were off.

Knuckles had asked before where you two would be shopping and what you would be shopping for. You did your best to wave him off, telling him what kind of stores you would be going to, but not so much your intention. As vague as it was, he chose not to question any further.

You took Knuckles to a variety of shops, Home Goods, Target, Home Depot. All shared one feature. Decor. Through the limited time you had spent with him, you had learned some things about his world. As confined as your knowledge was, you know it DID NOT look like the plain basement he was currently living in. And though he’d never said otherwise, it wasn’t hard to believe that the echidna could be a little homesick. You would be if you were in his position. You planned on making his home more like a home. Nothing less.

And so, you did. First, you tried looking for larger things. That way you could build a foundation, and work your way up with smaller items. This way, you could also fill up the otherwise empty space. You figured some blankets to make an overhang type thing and the hammock you found in clearance would do nicely.

“These would look really nice in your room, Knux. Whadya think?” You paused, catching yourself, a stutter falling from your lips. “I-I mean if you want to? You don’t have to- of course.”

Knuckles looked up at you. He blinked, eyes widening a slight fraction. You two were the only ones in the aisle.

“So.” He said slowly. “This was your plan?”

“Uh” You eloquently spoke. “Yea?” Reflexively averting your eyes from the echidna, you sweat dropped, waiting for Knuckles to react. How could you face him when he was gazing at you like that?

Though what you assumed was a look of offense, was actually of wonder, and even something of another nature.

Knuckles inhaled, turning toward the bundled up hammock on the rack, picking it up with a gloved hand. The silence was suspenseful. It usually happened this way: Knuckles doing much of his thinking in his own head while you stressed out internally. It would be funny if you didn’t constantly get the short end of the stick.

“Do you pity me?”

You were caught off-guard, head whipping back to the echidna. What? Why would he say that? “I- uh, no?”

He kept his gaze on the hammock as he spoke, each syllable low as he concentrated on saying them correctly. “Is pity the reason you choose to do things like this?

Mouth agape, you truly were lost. To say you had trouble finding words was an understatement. Did he- feel bad? That was the last thing you wanted him to feel.

You take your time choosing your next words, for they could either make or break this moment. “I- listen Knux, look at me? Please?” And so he did, standing a little slouched in comparison to his regular, straight posture. The lavender purple of his eyes had a guarded melancholy to them you had never seen before. Both changes spur you on to reassure your friend while also shake you where you stand. The range was astounding.

You cleared your throat. “N-No, not out of pity per say…” You trailed off, struggling to find the right words as Knuckles stood patiently, quietly, never once taking his eyes off you. “I just- the other day when I asked you about the toilet paper? Yeah I uh, I realized how unwelcoming and- plain your space looked and I just felt bad because you didn’t have a single thing a-and I wanted you to feel a home- I know it's probably really hard being launched into a whole new world with nothing but some shoes and I just-”

Knuckles reached out and grasped your hand, gripping it gently appit firmly. It pulled you out of your spiraling ramble. “Slow down.” He urged. “You’re not in a race Y/N, house of-”

“Ok, ok” You laugh a little, giggling at the return of the silly title and wrangling with the fact he had grabbed you in the first place.

You take a breath, inhaling deeply before starting again. “I just- want you to feel comfortable. And, I thought this was a way to do it.”

At that, Knuckles’ features relax, and he looks away, thinking. “I- You are a very kind human.” He concludes, dropping your hand to take a set back from you. “But,” He says, a hint of reluctance in his voice. “I cannot accept this.” He moves to put the hammock back, reaching up to set it back on the shelf.

“Wha- hey! Wait, why?” You half shout, catching his hand and stopping his movement. Though he could easily muscle past you, he chooses to stop with you. “Because,” He defends. “I do not need it.”

You huff. “Well I know that, Winter Soldier.” You go to gently pry the hammock out of Knuckles’ hand. Again, he lets you, though not without a face that screams ‘what are you doing’. “But I want you to have it.”

The warrior detests. “I don’t-”

“Knuckles, bud.” You tenderly cut him off, smiling with a benevolence that you hope conveys your honesty. “I want to do this for you.” You lean forward to pronunciate your sentence, catching eyes with the echidna that widens more and more as you continue to speak. “I don’t mind buying this, or anything else for you.” You shake the item in your hand for emphasis. “Will you let me?”

Knuckles freezes momentarily. You swear you see a hint of pink on what you would consider his cheeks as he somewhat suddenly turns his head away, wrestling with himself and with your proclamation.

“I-” He’s stuck, and he has to give himself a mental kick in the rear to get him going again. “I guess… I would like the hanging blanket.”

You let out a sigh, relieved you both are on the same page. “Awesome.”

After getting most of the larger decorations, you then focus your attention on smaller things. What those smaller things would be is now up to Knuckles, who has grown more open to the whole ordeal as the hours passed. A large variety of things were considered, such as candles and fairy lights, even some abstract art pieces that would be fit for a garden. Though the things that were favored above all, and the things that you kept catching the echidna staring at, were the plants. His eyes would linger on the greenery, especially on some of the more exotic ones. Those didn’t take much convincing to let you buy, the warrior only giving a few words in approval: “This one will do…” “...Possibly this one as well.” It wasn’t hard to tell that Knuckles felt weird doing plant shopping of all things, he’s never done anything like it before. And because of that, you did everything with your power to talk to him, to make this as casual and as pleasant as an experience can be. Normalizing domesticity in one of the most powerful fighters in the galaxy may sound difficult on the surface, but as you two approached the end of your short adventure (store worker looking as flabbergasted at your friend as a person could), you found no trouble at all leading Knuckles to check out at the last shop with your abundance of wildlife greenery, and onto this new kind of life you’ll be sharing with the echidna from now on.

It didn’t take long to set all the decor up back at home. With Knuckles’ help, you all made quick work of it. The hammock came first, finding a secure way to hang the thing was a little tricky, but once you broke out the power tools, installing it went by with a breeze. Same case for the fort. You looked up some ideas on pinterest, but you quickly learned that there is actually some strange red mammal in the house who can make a really rad blanket fort by memory. You’ll have to ask him for advice sometime. As for the plants, the one space was filled right up, the emptiness being replaced with a vibrancy that definitely made you feel welcomed. As for Knux, well, he was happy. You knew it. Even as he tried to keep a straight face as he walked around admiring the hanging plants, which branches gracefully cascaded over the rim of their pots.

“While nothing could ever replace my home,” Knuckles said remorsefully as he adjusted a small potted fern, angling it in the most eye-catching way, “This does make the space feel… different.” He trailed off, looking down as he thought of a history and sentiment not unknown to you.

“A good kind of different?” You ask with a hint of a coy tone.

Knuckles looks at you, your playfulness gone completely over his head. Instead, his face is pleasant, approving in some way. “I think so…” He remarks, words sounding confident to your ears. Though his expression changes to something more reluctant as the next thought pops into his head, slipping out his mouth before he can stop it. “You did not have to provide this…”

It takes a good amount of effort to steel yourself from rolling your eyes in the back of your head. You ‘tsk’ in frustration. “Knux, I know. But I chose to. Understand?”

He nods, though hesitant to fully accept the finer feelings, “Yes... It is a lot like the echidna’s honor code in battle.” Seeing your perplexed face at his random reference, he elaborates. “Even though my tribe held proud independent warriors, we helped our comrades at our own discretion. Whether they wanted the aid or not.”

At that, you made a sound of realization. “Ohhh okay, okay. I get it.” You smile down at your friend, who had seemed satisfied in how his room now appeared. It brought you great joy to see the typically stone-faced tank with a softer, more relaxed look. It gave you the confidence to ask one more borderline teasing question, “See, some things aren’t so different, now are they?”

Once again, the intention passes Knuckles by. “No,” he notes, too preoccupied with his own brain to give back any more of an answer. “No they are not.”

You take no notice, grinning in genuine joy for Knuckles. “Good.”

It's during the most unsuspecting moments in which the most unexpected events take place. Shouldn’t you know that by now?

What the fuck. I should go to the ER. No that’s a stupid idea. What the fuck are they gonna do, put ice on it? I can do that. What the fuck. Well I’ll probably need something more than ice. Ibuprofen? Maybe. A shot? Yeah. What the fuck. Why? Why did they do that? I don’t understand. To me? Why to me? I’m sorry. What the fuck. I’m tired. I wanna go to bed. What if I wait till the morning? Can I sleep like this? I can try. Probably not. What the fuck. Should I call my friends? No they’re probably busy. I can take care of it. What the fuck. Was it really that special? Was it worth that much trouble? I should’ve been more careful. How old was it? I’m sorry. What the fuck. That bitch. What a fucking piece of shit. I’m sorry. What the fuck.

The calculating rationality that most healthy-minded people would have in these situations was lost to you. Sometimes you thought of it as a gift from god himself: the ability to see things in such simplicity that the problem itself never even posed an ounce of a threat. Never in your life have you had that. Though, never in your life have you ever been healthy-minded, so the math kinda works out in a weird, twisted way.

The hole in your chest remained through it all. Never once subsiding in its outrage. It held every emotion possible as it freely expressed them all, only confined to your heart. Unwavering in every roar, it made such a ruckus. If only it felt just as exposed as you did, then maybe it would shut up. Maybe it would silence itself, just as you were now. Instead, you would have to deal with its burden, as well as the aching that started from your forearm, leading up to the triceps of your shoulder.

It was still daytime. The sun had not yet set, though it was about to. The sky’s vast shades of pinks, purples and blues lit up the darkening landscape of the range, the green and the brown of the earth ever so slowly growing into one cool shade of black. The air was as crisp as ever. It felt mocking in how pure it was, untouched by the will of others beyond its reach. It was the only thing pushing you to walk up your own porch’s stairs, for every bone in your body absolutely refuted the idea of entering your home in the condition that you were in. And only because of one thing. One, small thing.

Your melancholy seemed to express itself through the stomp of your shoes on the old wood. Bump bump bump. It was quiet, not wanting to be heard. Though it was, as there were no sounds to go with it besides the giggling of your keys and the distant sounds of crickets coming to life. Though the adrenalin had since worn off, the nerves had not yet seized. You’ve only got through half the battle. And who to say it had even begun in the first place?

The key was a little difficult to find with one hand. With a shaky arm, you plucked it from the batch, loudly shaking it to rid it of its neighbors. It was slotted in with a good push. You didn't have much trouble turning it. It was with a weighted heart you entered the house, stepping one foot, and then the other past the threshold, the door letting out a loud creak to welcome you home. You didn’t appreciate it. Just as quickly as you were cleared, you gripped the edge roughly, firmly shutting the door back up, locking it, therefore silencing it, for the night.

The house was just as quiet. The thunk of the shut door echoed through the house, disturbing the void. You found yourself unwilling to move forward. The feeling in your heart didn’t want you to. It weighed you down to the floor, outright sticking the soles of your feet to the carpet of the doormat. If it wasn’t for the consistency of your arm’s pain, it was possible you would’ve been standing there all night. It keeps you motivated, reminding you of its presence with every throb.

You toe’d your shoes off where you stood, setting the keys down softly onto the table beside it. Eyeing the kitchen sink that was visible from the door, you padded towards it quietly, evading any spots prone to creek. One by the TV, another by the dividing wall, another by the knife drawer. You subconsciously counted them whilst listening to your quiet feet step one, after the other, after the other.

You nudged the water on with your elbow, the liquid coming out the tab in an easy trickle. Putting your hand under the stream, you felt the water for its temperature. You found it was tolerably lukewarm. That should be fine. Muscling the appendage up from its hanging position below the counter, you bent your arm at the elbow, angling your forearm to get the brunt of the water’s force. You winced when it made contact. It wasn’t pleasant at all. As soothing as it should feel, the area was still sensitive, even to the gentle stream. You watched uneasily as the sink was turned a maroon, the red coloring the once clear liquid. From there, you started to gently rinse off the wound, trying to wash away the blood that had since dried and scabbed over. It was a tedious and aggravating task. The blood was stubborn. You had to really scrub to get it to leave, irritating both you and your skin. You started using some of your fingernails when you became impatient, ignoring the pain that came with it. Anxiety started to bubble within you the longer you stood there, the old clock in the living room doing nothing to ease your nerves as it boldly ticked away. Tick tick tick. You swear this was sabotage. Karma has come to get you. If only this would go faster, then maybe you wouldn’t be out in the open so-

“You’ve returned early.”

Whatever you ate from lunch that day immediately tripled in weight, making your stomach drop at the sound of his voice. You stopped rubbing at your arm, freezing the movement entirely. Your posture went rigid, though you tried masking it with a shift in your stance. You refused to turn around to face him. You couldn’t. Not now, not here. You wouldn't risk it. You didn’t trust your poker face at this moment, which was too caught up in showing you trying to figure out a response that remained calm.

You let out a humorless chuckle. It was so unnatural and disingenuous it made you cringe. Not dissimilar to nails on a chalkboard. “Ha ha yeah, we uh- finished up pretty quickly.” You say this while still facing the sink. Though you were no actor, you felt comfortable resuming your washing, this time slowing down with slower, more deliberate strokes as to appear with a facade of calmness.

“I suppose that is good.” Knuckles shrugs as he says, “Based on what you said before you departed.” He begins to walk closer and off to the right, edging his way to your side, unaware of the person on the edge of a mental breakdown right in front of him. Hearing his footsteps grow nearer, you shift your weight to ensure your back is to the echidna, even as he tries to change that. It almost makes you forget what he had just said, not expecting the remark. “Oh- uh, right.” You say, feigning an agreeing attitude.

You recall the event. You loosely remember telling Knuckles you were heading out. When he asked you why, you didn’t want to lie to him. Poor guy has already had enough of that happen to him. So you told him the truth, adapt a vague version of it. “Just something I promised I’d help someone do. Ha ha… I mean, I don’t really want to, but I’d better.” He watched you leave, silently questioned your weird act as you begrudgingly gathered your things. Yet he knew the importance of promises, he himself taking them very seriously. So he let you go without much fuss, despite the twinge of suspicion in the back of his mind.

He seemed to be satisfied with the closed proximity. About 5 feet away from what you could tell just from your hearing. The sound of the water running still remained in the air, serving as the white noise to this one-sided conversation. You couldn’t even imagine how sore your jaw would be after this from how hard you’ve been clenched it. The emptiness laughed at you as the seconds ticked by. What you wouldn’t give to just seal it away, to just find some semblance of peace, to just be and exist normal in this moment without having to breathe fucking manually just to appear fine.

“How did it go?” Knuckles asked, taking up the mantle as the conversation starter. You would have room to think ‘hey he’s not so bad at it’ if you weren’t a little busy. Yet as it all things go, busy turns into anxiety, anxiety turns into panic, and panic turns into bad. Fucking. Choices.

“Fine.”

Fuck.

Now why did you say that?

You could feel your face flare up with heat. Out of fear or anger, you couldn’t know. The only thing you did know, was the suffocating sound of silence that followed. It was so loud. You stopped your scrubbing a little bit ago.

“What are you doing?”

Fuck.

You hear the question, but not really. It’s odd coming from the warrior, you think. Though you don’t really think as you have to figure out something, and fast.

“U-uh, dishes.”

You spit it out before you really have a chance to think about it. You’re proud for a half-second at your white lie, but the celebration is short-lived when your insides move in sickening ways for the second time while in the conversation.

“I’ve already done them. There are none.”

Fuck.

The silence finds some way to be worse than before. It’s brutal. Never ending its assault on your hammering heart, and never yielding to the vulnerability of your mind. Oh my god could you please just-

“Is there something-“

“…”

“What is on your arm?”

FUCK.

The dread is immense. The impending doom of that singular question is incredible. All senses are blocked from you like a deer in headlights, unable to make out the true meaning of the ask. The hole in your chest becomes invigorated in its bloodlust, your own panic spurring it on to mobilize it while also paralyzing you.

“It’s nothing.”

“I don’t think it is.” You miss the way he says it. It’s calming, concerned. His eyes are careful. A completely opposite force to you. But it all completely passes you by in the current state you are in.

He takes a set forward, just one. You recoil, just enough for the echidna to notice. He doesn’t take another one as he continues to speak clearly, yet deeply and seriously. It doesn’t help ease you much at all.

“Let me see.” It's more of a demand than a request. It makes you shrink back, lip curled down in displeasure. You knew he meant no harm, but it doesn’t stop the back of your mind from taking it in a negative connotation.

“No! It-It's fine!” You grasp your injured arm, still futilely trying to keep it out of sight from Knuckles. Your heart beats away in your chest, boiling like a pot of hot water about to spill over. You’re scared, you realize that now. Of what, you haven’t got to that part yet.

He takes another step, undeterred by your protests, which spur him on further. “No, it is not.” He reaches a hand up, open and waiting to grasp yours.

“I’m fine. Knux, really.” You stress, your voice becomes wobbly as do you. “It’s o-ok, just-“

“No.” The echidna says, the tone he uses sounds final, yet soothingly firm. It makes you stop your panic, just a little. Every word that comes next feels like magic, doing almost supernatural things to your head to make you hear them, to really hear them, for what they are. Each is punctuated with a softness unlike anything your friend had ever used before.

“Y/N, let me see your arm.”

“Please.”

You stop. Taking a deep breath in, you take your time to let it back out. It allows you to see things the way they actually are. There, Knuckles stands. Arm raised, palm open. His stance is mostly relaxed, though if you look closer, a hint of anxiety is there. His eyes were kind, sympathetic, the crease of his eye wrinkled with a stress you’ve never seen from him. In battle it was a harder line, strengthened with anger and determination. Here it was nothing like that. It was fragile, gentle, and even looked painful to wear for long.

Moved by the look, you evaluate yourself as you were. As defensive as you are now, in hindsight, what were you defending against?

Slowly, you ease up. You wordlessly turn to face him, and without much thought, you lower your arm down and away from your body, and towards Knuckles’ awaiting hand. He takes it, tenderly turning it over to look at what he had seen a glimpse of before.

He freezes. His eyes widen, jaw literally dropping at what he’s seeing. Yet, he doesn’t say a thing. He’s just as frozen as you were a minute ago. Like a statue he just stands there, not moving an inch as all thoughts and movement cease. It makes you sweat, not doing much to quell your aching heart.

He doesn’t make eye contact, keeping his eyes trained on the sight of your arm before him. The quills on the back of his head and around his face start to raise, puffing out his features to make them appear larger. It seems as if he has a hard time saying it himself, as he grits out the question. Finally, he speaks. His eyes narrow, brow furrowing downward at his own word.

“Who?”

Though it was only one word, it didn’t fail in striking trepidation through your heart. You’re silent as the question hangs in the air, awaiting an answer that you never planned on giving.

But Knuckles still wants it, so he asks again.

“It was them… Wasn’t it?”

His voice lowers as he utters the phrase, even as he tries to keep an even tone. His anger builds as the seconds of silence tick by, seconds that do not deny the question. His mouth contorts at the ongrowing outrage, curling down into a snarl. Even he, who knows the repercussions of not keeping your anger under control, cannot stop the blooming, burning feeling so deep in his gut that it makes everything he’s ever said about remaining calm sound like a lie.

And without a response from you, there's nothing to stop the echidna’s rage.

Suddenly, and without warning, Knuckles drops your arm, which you pull back to you to hold. Then, he just… walks away, wasting no time at all as he makes determined strides to the front door. He’s mumbling words as he goes. If you listen closely, you could hear the more punctuated ones, such as ‘coward’, or ‘unworthy’.

“H-hey!” You stutter out, tripping over your own feet as you try going after Knuckles. “What are you doing?”

“Going to go deal with the problem.” He grumbles, making the situation sound oh-so simple. He’s halfway to the exit at this point.

“Hey wait!” You try again, “Where are you going?? I didn’t tell you where I went.” You take more steps to the door, not covering near enough ground to catch up with him.

“I’ll find them.” Knuckles flat out growls, getting increasingly agitated by the second. His fists tighten into intimating weapons of pure strength, just itching to get one good hit in.

An image plays over and over in his head. You, face pale at his discovery of your bleeding arm, the very real fear that showed in your body language. It angered him. Greatly.

He’s about to reach for the door handle before your feet catch up with your thoughts, legs propelling you forward. Your head spins at the possibility of Knuckles facing those responsible. That is the literal opposite of what you wanted. The thought of it alone is what gets you going faster.

“Don’t!” You shout, grabbing his shoulder to stop him from going any further. “Please don’t.”

“And why not?!” He yells right back, whipping himself around to fully face you. He sheered as he spoke, a grumble to his voice that made him appear more frightening than what he truly was. He used a booming voice that conveyed all of his frustrations pretty clearly. “They need to pay.”

“I-I know- just,” You take a minute to rub your hand down your face, already at your stress limit.

Knuckles interrupts, unable to contain himself at what seems to him is your level of complacency. “It is inexcusable!!” He roars, refusing to back down. “I will not stand for it.” He tried once more to leave, turning away from you. You stop him again, overcome with your own anxiety. You feel the incessant need to fiddle with your hands as you put your foot down.

“I KNOW!” Your scream catches both you and Knuckles off-guard. The house becomes eerily quiet with the lack of noise, the sounds of the pipes and utilities on the edges of their seats as they watch on. You were never one to get aggressive to those you cared for, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And yes, you were, in fact, desperate. Your abdomen cramps, making it harder and harder to sooth the situation like you normally could if you weren’t so caught up in your own head. Your breaths are heavy, holding the weight of everything you have done and said up until this point. You’re sure your lungs are willfully unprepared to take up the burden of what you plan on saying next.

You soon discover you’re right.

“I know-w” you pant, shoulders crumpling in on the rest of your body. “Just pl-please, please dontgo, I donwanna-” It suddenly gets harder to speak, your throat constricting around itself, preventing the words from escaping you. Even it doesn’t want you to sound weak. “I-I’m sorry…”

At this point, you’re at the end of your rope. You were frightened. Of what Knuckles could do, what they could do, what you would do… it all ran through your mind at a million miles an hour. You haven't even begun to rationalize with yourself the event that got you in this mess in the first place, and it was starting to catch up to you. You simply did not have the mental capacity to process all that it happened. And it showed on your face, lines of worry etched into what used to be smooth features. And suddenly you seem much, much older, The sheer pressure adding decades of age, your bones turning frail, matching the vulnerability of your headspace. Your eyes lowered to the ground, head drooping, ashamed of what you feel and afraid of what you've become because of it.

And Knuckles finally sees it all.

The echidna’s own worry lines grow at the realization, his own chest tightening at the sight of you. It’s a strange thing to him, a feeling he had trouble recognizing at first, seemingly forgotten from his younger days with his father. It confused him, and he didn’t exactly have anything to compare it to. How was the battle-hardened echidna supposed to know what it was? Yet with the help of his new family providing guidance and remaining patient, he was eventually able to figure it out, though only roughly. What he did discover, however, is that it often came with his anger.

He was worried. So, so worried.

And that scared him.

He didn’t like feeling worried, not one bit. He detested the idea of him being worried the moment he comprehended he was. Knuckles the Echidna, worried? How ridiculous. It was a weak emotion, he thought at first. It would slow him down, make him vulnerable, and even, worst comes to worst, allow for him to get taken advantage of again. That’s what he told himself, at least.

When he saw your arm, he felt his worry come at full force. It struck through his heart, piercing it with a sharp, clean cut. What he left out of his explanation for his dislike of worry, was the deeper meaning that had apparently escaped all he knew, even his closest friends.

It was the fact that his worry reminded him of everything he had failed to do. Every promise he broke, every vow he made to nobody but himself yet did not hold true. And even then, as he realized the how and the who to the backstory of your injuries, he failed again, once more not delivering on a promise he made to himself: to protect his protector. And oh, did it anger him. It angered him so much. To fail at such an extent, it was downright shameful.

It was easy for the madness to take hold, he often let it. And he did. He let his anger control him when he found your blood exposed to the elements, your skin inflicted with a bruise the size of a baseball. It coursed through his veins at an insane rate, setting his mind into overdrive, acting as a catalyst to every negative image that crossed his mind. A spark ignited within him, the flame erupting within his chest, the flame of revenge. “How dare they? How could they? You?! Of all people to attack? How weak, how pathetic. How dishonorable.”

And in that instance, he remembered his promise, and sought it out to hold it true, by whatever means necessary. It would be easy for him. Light work even, and he would definitely get immense satisfaction in absolutely pummeling your enemies. You wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.

Though easy does not mean right. And as much as he would find gratification in solving this problem for you, your health took precedence over everything. Even this. He knew that, it just took him a minute to fully remember. Your eyes sure helped, pleading, watery, bloodshot from stress, it all came together in a heartbroken concoction, like a liquid potion ready to persuade its victim of anything. And he had fallen for it, though willingly. It wasn’t hard, you were you after all.

He takes a deep breath to settle that smoldering fire within him. “Okay.” He speaks within a new tenderness that does wonders to calm your racing heart. “I won’t go anywhere, nor do anything.”

He grasps your arm carefully, beginning to lead you to the couch nearby. “Come,” he says “let's sit you down. Your wound needs treatment.”

You nod absentmindedly, not exactly understanding, but doing so nonetheless. You follow him one step at a time as you take your seat, Knuckles leading you down all the while. His touch isn’t something many would expect from the tough echidna. It was gentle, delicate, like a soothing balm to cover the sores on your soul. “Stay.” He spoke in a whisper, “I will return with the box of aid.”

“First aid?” You joke weakly, voice cracking with the effort.

Knuckles is either unaware of the gag, or chooses not to react. “Yes, that.”

Without another word, he quickly dashes away, returning just as fast with the kit in hand.

It took some mumbled guidance from you for the echidna to understand what to do. Though that was understandable, since the guy has never had to use the first aid kit before.

He was uncharacteristically careful in how he treated your wound. Every time the pads of his fingers brushed against your skin, it was gentle, almost feather-like. Especially around the mangled tissue of your injury. Here, Knuckles’ touch was that of a ghost. There, but not really. Its presence was felt, surely, though not nearly enough for your senses to pick it up as something harmful. You could confidently say the warrior had not caused you any excess pain. Which was already monumentally better than you.

It was quiet as he worked. It was somewhere between a comfortable and uncomfortable silence. It was hard to tell which. So many things remained questioned, so many things remain unsaid. What could you say? What good will an explanation do? Well, some obviously. You of course knew that. It was still hard though, to say the truth. Even if you’ve known it for years.

As rough as you were, the wound was clean of any dried blood or debris. Knuckles knew as well, and went straight to wrapping it up. Placing a sterile absorbent pad on the bruise he secured it with some medical tape, which he probably used an excessive amount of. But you chose not to say anything. He also examined your bruise on your forearm, though decided there wasn’t much to be done about that. However, it didn’t stop him from putting a bandaid on the area. Again, you let it slide.

Knuckles quickly gathered up the supplies he had gotten from the kit, putting them back in the box haphazardly. I’ll fix it later, you thought to yourself.

The warrior chose to sit by your side about a foot apart from you. Not too close, not too far. He held his tongue for a minute, eyes kept trained on the floor beneath the both of you. Perhaps waiting for you to speak first, perhaps muddling over the same thing you were. It was not easy for anyone to read the echidna’s mind, not unless Knuckles himself said his thoughts aloud.

Which he often did.

“How come you didn’t tell me of this?” He spoke the question in a whisper, matching the delicate atmosphere with the tone of his voice. He looked to face you, eyes missing their usual luster of purple. You hated to be the cause of such a loss.

You had to think for a second. You yourself didn’t know the answer to such an ask, even though you would be the one person who would. You fidgeted with your fingers, picking at the skin of them as your mind twisted and turned. It took several more moments before you could come up with a conceivable answer, one at least an outsider could begin to understand.

“I… I didn’t know what to do.” You started. Knuckles sat to your right, as patient as ever, gloved hands propped up on the coach, which straightened his posture to attention.

You continue as best you could, “I guess- I mean, I think I wanted to handle it?” It comes out in the question, not sure of yourself in the slightest.

“Why?” Knuckles butts in, quick to question the decision. His brows furrowed in confusion, genuinely not understanding.

“Why?” You say back, parrot-like. “Uh-h…” You had to think to yourself again. It’s astonishing how so much over thinking can go right down the drain when you need your excessive ideas the most. “Because uhh, I mean it’s my thing isn’t it?”

The echidna’s face doesn’t change, still frozen in trying to figure out what you mean, and it shows on his face. So you try again. “It’s… my responsibility.”

A deep frown spreads across Knuckles’ face, painting his features in a disapproving way. “Your responsibility?” He repeats. You nod meekly, taking hold of your injured arm to cradle it, still not knowing what to do with your hands.

Closing his eyes, Knuckles huffs out a breath. He stands, pushing himself off the coach in a smooth motion. Your heart jumps at the thought of him walking away and leaving you there alone, but the muscle soon calms to see him turn to face you, coming to stand before you. There you two are level. It's truly one of the only scenarios in which the both of you can see eye to eye, when the warrior can peer right into your eyes without having to look up or down. Just maybe, he chose this on purpose.

Knuckles reach down to your lap, oh so gingerly taking your arm into his hands to hold, looking at the bandaged injury whilst he says his piece, the smoothness of his voice just barely echoing through the home. “My father was a kind soul” he breathes out, “yet he had a habit of keeping the burdens that weighed on him all to himself.”

Your eyes grew wide at the mention of Knuckles’ kin. He’s talked about them before, though this is definitely the most personal it's ever gotten.

“You remind me of him in this way” He looks up to you, eyes with a hazy focus, thumb brushing against the cotton of your bandage softly. “A protector that refuses to be protected.”

The silence is deafening as the two of you contemplate what has just been said. You more so. You’re shocked to say the least. The sentiment of Knuckles comparing you to his own father, someone he loves and respects extensively is… overwhelming. The weight of it seems to help ease your nervousness.

“What role do you think I play in this tribe?” Knuckles asks, titling his head down to try to make eye contact with you. It kind of works, coaxing your own up to face him as well.

“Uh” You stumble, “A guardian?”

Knuckles does the echidna equivalent of a ‘uh huh’. “Yes. I am a guardian.” He continues, “What of the hedgehog and his fox friend?”

You look up to the ceiling, it now appears much more appealing as you think of a response. “Well they’re kind of protectors too.”

Knuckles nods, asking one more time “And Maddie and Tom?”

You’re on a roll, now feeling more comfortable looking Knuckles in the eyes. “Them too.”

“Right.” He says, satisfied. “In our tribe, we all have the role of guardian. And so, we all protect. Especially each other.”

Now you see where this is going. “Knux, I’m not sure if I-”

He interrupts. “Whatever you are about to say- it is wrong.”

“Knux I-”

“No. Wrong.”

“But I-”

“No.”

You give up, giving in to the echidna’s game. You swear you can see a twinge of a smile start to creep onto his face.

“But if I may,” He adds, voice suddenly becoming dimmer as he breaks eye contact to look back at your arm. “I do think there is one difference among us.”

“In what?”

Knuckles takes a breath, seemingly randomly getting anxious. You can’t fathom why. “As a guardian, I am meant to treat all I protect equally.” You nod, agreeing but not getting the point. “Though I do not.”

He slid his hands down to grip your own, head lifting to let his eyes peer into yours unwaveringly. They look to be dripping with his usual determination, along with something else you couldn’t place. Something kinder, something sweeter. “Though each of us were guardians,” he pauses, thinking for a moment “you have had a different duty ever since the EggMan’s defeat.”

You blink, trying to follow as best you can. Knuckles continues, “Your duty is dangerous. Fragile as humans are, I was surprised when you took up the task. It requires constant vigilance, not many could keep it up for long.”

His hands tighten around yours, squeezing momentarily before easing up. Perhaps a reminder for himself. The urge to squeeze back comes and goes. “I have since then grown a respect for you unmatched by any other. Both because of that, and because of your character.”

His pause invokes a special importance, pulling you in. It was captivating, doing its job in changing the atmosphere only slightly. “You are precious to me, as I have grown to know you. More so than the other members of our tribe.”

Your eyes widen, not expecting such a declaration. You have to keep your mouth from opening in shock.

Unperturbed, the warrior continues. The fiercest of his eyes growing with every passing moment. His grip becomes impossibly more gentle, every callous he ever had suddenly disappearing. “Though my focus does lie with the master emerald, it is you that keeps my attention and company Y/N, not any gem or jewel.”

“I don’t know why you would think that.” You blurred out, too caught off guard to think to hold back.

Knuckles takes it in stride, once again taking a breath, wanting to speak as clearly as possible. The effort from keeping his cool shows on his face, a little scrunched with the strain. He leans in to emphasize his next words, yearning to have you understand him. “I do.”

The staticky fog in your mind doesn’t seem so intense anymore.

“You have commendable bravery, and a personality unlike any other. Attributes I now hold dear.” Knuckles returns your hands to your lap, taking the opportunity to straighten the fabric of your shirt, which has since been crooked. The neckline is quickly fixed back into its usual spot with a quick tug upward, letting it fall back into position naturally. He now spoke with a more annoyed tone than before. It would’ve alarmed you about 5 minutes ago, though now you’ve calmed, and know the warrior doesn’t point such frustrations to you, but to the third party in question. “Which is why it pains me to see you overwhelmed in this way. Especially by those who are meant to be closest.”

You worry your palms, growing tired at the lack of things you can actually answer. “I’m sorry” You whisper, “I should’ve told you.”

“It’s alright” Knuckles whispers back, in a way that differs from your own. A way that makes your thoughts coherent. That actually helps you understand that he's telling the truth. “I don’t know much of troubles such as this… but I do know they can be complex to you.”

He rolls his shoulders, instinctively resetting his posture. “But to me?” He shrugs, “Not so much.”

That earns a watery chuckle from you.

The air feels tired, almost rung out of all energy it had. It’s breathable now, and it lets you digest everything, lets the both of you take a moment to grasp with the gravity of the situation. Lets Knuckles figure out what to say next.

“I want you to make a promise.” He speaks, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a huff.

“What kind?”

“My kind.” He responds.

You sit up straight, a little confused. Knuckles takes it as a signal to proceed.

“I want you to promise to ask for my aid if something like this were to happen again.”

You furrow your brow. “Knux, I don’t think I can-”

“Let me restate that.” He rehashes, cutting you off. “I want you to promise to try to ask for my help.”

You bite your lip, looking off to the side in contemplation. Could you? Realistically. It surely was a difficult question to answer, especially with every little negative thought poking into your brain to tell you no. If this question had been asked before, you probably would have said yes just in passing. It would be easy to say yes, just to get the question over with. But now, as you hold the spotlight, you can't lie. Not to him, not right now. It's neither the time nor place. And you don’t think it ever will be.

But as you look at Knuckles now and into his stupidly sweet lavender gaze of his, your true answer starts to become more and more real. Him and that worried look of his does wonders in helping to encourage you to make that leap, to take that chance that you never knew you would be taking. It's so strange, you think, he could do anything, as mountainous as destroying death robots, or as simple as baking a cake with you on a Sunday morning, and it would all still come together into the nice little package of ‘good’ he had to offer. Nothing changed with him, even now, as that same sense of good comes in clutch to hull you away from your enemies and take on the burden instead of you. An honor like that is impossible to find, and irreplaceable once tossed away. You better remember that Y/N.

And that's when your answer becomes clear. Something so profound and special, so kind and gentle, will never be forgotten or taken for granted if you have any say in it. And it will never shake, nor ever waiver. You have a promise to uphold, and you intend to keep it. As a protector, as the protected, and as a roommate.

#rhaz’s works #sonic the hedgehog x reader #knuckles x reader #knuckles the echidna x reader #knuckles fluff #knuckles the echidna fluff #knuckles x reader fluff #sonic the hedgehog fluff #sonic x reader #sonic fluff #sonic fic #knuckles fic #movie knuckles

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nex-is-sleeping · 1 year

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Hey again! Could I request a Movie!Sonic x fem reader, them having a sleepover? Nothing crazy or suggestive, only fluffs please? I was watching the first movie and love how adorable he was in it, I just wanted to give him a big hug <33

Sonic's Sleepover !

A fluff fic with Movie!Sonic

Note:Sets in before the second movie ! Also, it's a tad short-

Sonic came into the attic, where you had been sitting. He marched in proudly, holding various snacks and games. Sonic set the stuff on the floor and stretched, "Well, what should we do first ? Maddie and Tom are out for dinner, so we have the house to ourselves !" The blue hedgehog said, full of enthusiasm. "How about a pillow fort ?" You suggested. "Heck yeah !!" Sonic exclaimed and spud down the stairs, withing seconds he was back with a plethora of both pillows and blankets. "Alright, let's get started !" You stood up, stretching and then got to work.

After what seemed like an hour, you and Sonic had built the perfect pillow fort. You two climbed inside, covering yourselves up with blankets. You brought in your laptop and searched up the movie "The Larax" apparently it's about this tree hugger who shoved his butt up into the clouds. But, with how small the pillow forr was, you were quite uncomfortable, it was tight, and you could see that the blue hedgehog beside you felt the same. You offered out your arm for him to cuddle himself into, and he accepted gladly. You and him talked and watched several movies. You and him munched into some snacks well. Soon enough, you didn't feel alot of moving nor talking coming from the opposite side of the tent like fort. You looked over to Sonic, and found him snoring quite loudly in your arms. You chuckled at the little dude. You stroked his quills and heard... Purring ? You rested your head on his, and you two fell asleep together.

#sonic #sonic writes #x reader #sonic x reader #sonic the hedgehog #movie sonic

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multi-fandomsfreak · 2 months

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Hey!! Can you do movie sonic x mobian fem reader (platonic) who is a fan of him and wants to show herself to the world and fight eggman but she is too scared people will hate her

Sonic Meeting Mobian!Reader Who Happens To Be A Fan

Hey there! Thanks for the ask!

Sorry for the late post. I’ve had a bunch of requests coming through and with me going to the hospital recently to see if my foot’s good (by the way it’s healing great just need to get used to walking again.) so I didn’t have the time to do it till now. Hope you like reading this because I definitely enjoyed writing this. ~J/Blaze

Pronouns: She/Her

Warning: ⚠️Mentions of low self-esteem/anxiety⚠️

Requested: Yes/No

Characters: Sonic + Mentions Of Tom + Maddie + Tails + Knuckles + Eggman

Proofread: ❌

Credits: Icon by jennieismygirlfriend on Pinterest + Banner by scyprod on Pinterest

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- Sonic the hedgehog. A name that constantly rings through your mind constantly. You most likely discovered him around some point from the baseball scene to near the end just like how Tails did. You had heard about his antics on earth and to say you liked him was an understatement. Judging on the info you had discovered from the most recent event with him and eggman you became a massive fan of him. Can anyone blame you? He helped you be inspired in your own way. Even if you had some problems expressing yourself mostly due to fear of what people might think of you. You wanted to prove your worth but you just didn’t know how.

- You really wanted to meet him even dreaming of what he would be like if you were to talk to him. Would he take interest or not? You were contemplating on going to earth just to meet him in real life. Show him how he has helped you in a way without directly meeting you. But you let your insecurities get the better of you. Eventually you decided to risk and travel to earth, you didn’t know what you were going to do when you got there, you didn’t really have any other motive besides meeting your idol. With Eggman gone as far as you were aware of and no one else who wanted to carry out his plan you didn’t really have any reason to go and get yourself into any trouble but still for some reason you felt like you needed to go. It kind of took you a while to get used to being on earth as well trying not to get spotted by pretty much everyone. You never know what they’re reactions could be seeing you and honestly you didn’t want to find out so you created a hide-out like what sonic did in the first movie.

- Now for when Sonic met you for the first time. He managed to come across you and your hide-out on his solo adventure and to say he was surprised was an understatement. There was another mobian like him, he immediately went over to you and started asking you a bunch of questions catching you off guard before immediately recognising him as the idol you love. You were too busy internally fangirling about if this was a dream or not to answer his questions.

+ “Ma’am is everything alright there?” Sonic asked, managing to snap you out of your fangirl trance concerned about the lack of reaction coming from you “oh…yeah I am, you're sonic right like the actual sonic?” You asked in return wanting to confirm it even though you knew it was. Sonic gave you a confused look before slowly answering your question “yeah I am sonic, why do you ask?” You gave him a cheerful smile before bringing him into a hug, surprising him even more but still hugged you in return despite just meeting you. You then told him about how much of a fan you were of him, telling him how much you appreciated him to which he thanked you and joked about he never knew he had fans.

- Pretty much since then he wanted to introduce you to Tom and Maddie because why not, they were also starting to suspect something with him constantly going off to see you. At first you were nervous because based on how he described them you guessed they were humans and your nervousness was getting the best of you but sonic managed to convince you that they really didn’t mean any harm and you trusted him so you decided to go with him to meet the two of them. As soon as you met the two of them they were excited they’d pretty much had gotten used to seeing sonic so seeing you with him although surprised to see someone like sonic they openly welcomed you with open arms, they were just happy that sonic met someone else. Also Sonic may have been teased by Tom about you especially since you were a female but except for that they enjoyed meeting you.

- Sonic will be your number one defender. If anyone even dares to make you upset about something he isn’t going to sit there and let you take it, making you even more self conscious. He doesn’t like seeing his friends upset, it kind of makes him both angry and upset himself seeing you just take insults being thrown at you.

- He pretty much noticed a bit after meeting you that you're very self conscious about yourself. Although you seemed to be somewhat open, when it came to expressing yourself and your strengths he noticed how unwilling you were to do it. He didn’t really understand why at first because he thinks you're really cool. You must have some sort of strength if you were willing to leave your home planet just to visit him. But once he learns about your lack of confidence he honestly feels bad for you. He could tell by the way you talked to him that you do genuinely want to prove yourself to the world; you just let your feet get the best of you. So with the new information he learned about you he’s willing to do anything to help raise your confidence. He feels like he has to, what sort of idol would he be if he didn’t?

- He takes it a step at a time, although he was wanting to make sure that you gain your confidence he knows it will take some time. You two will often have one on one sessions basically letting you express your feelings (imagine that scene when sonic is acting like a therapist but it’s with you and not just him).

- Eventually when Eggman returns from Mushroom planet Sonic definitely wants you to join him alongside Tails. He knows this would be a big step for you but he sees this as an opportunity and wants you to join him. He promises to keep both you and Tails safe as long as you're with him. Although a bit nervous yourself you could see what his point was and you knew he wouldn’t let you get harmed. You wanted to prove yourself and put what you learned from him to use so without thinking you joined him. And to say that it felt oddly good to finally do what you wanted to was an understatement. Still you were nervous but that nervousness was overwritten by adrenaline and relief. Although you went through some things during the trip to get the chaos emerald it was worth it in the end. This is when you decided to permanently join Sonic’s group alongside your new friends Tails and eventually when he decided to join Knuckles.

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rinabirgul · 4 months

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heyitsoak · 2 years

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knuckles is life and im in the hurt hurt zone rn SOOO how about some fluffy knuckles hcs with a s/o who is always like

They're super optimistic all the time and get excited about EVERYTHING like absolutely anything fascinates them and they give compliments and affection all the time n basically just. Pure sunshine being. Though they kinda get into trouble without realizing it sometimes and will come home w the craziest (and concerning) stories all while keeping this face :D

They have so much energy that sometimes they just kinda. Spontaneously overcharge. And the rest have to look for them for near hours just to find them sound asleep knocked out behind the couch

ty<3

JAKAKWKW I LOVE THIS SM 😭 AND I STARTED LAUGHING AND GETTING ALL GIDDY WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THOSE CAT PICTURES, THEYRE SO CUTE AND FUNNY

AND YOU SHALL NOT BE UPSET, I WILL NOT ALLOW IT >:( SO I WILL GIVE YOU FLUFFY KNUCKLES HCS TO MAKE YOU HAPPY >:DD

Fluffy Knuckles Hcs With a S/O who is extremely hyper!

MasterList

You are literally so insanely hyper, I don’t even know how Knuckles can keep up with you

Yet Knuckles loves you so much <33 You’re the best thing to ever happen to him

You talk so much and so fast that most of the time he can’t even keep up or understand half of what you say, he just nods and goes “uh huh” as you keep ranting in excitement

You are just a ray of sunshine and can make anyone happy just by talking to them yet you tend to get into trouble without meaning too..

A large majority of the time you come home with the most concerning stories and the craziest animals in your arms and Knuckles has no idea how to respond

One time you came home with a raccoon huddled in your hoodie and everyone turned to you.

It was like that one scene from ICarly with the milkshake

“Um (Name)… Whatcha got there?”

“A smoothie.”

Tom immediately freaked out when he saw the raccoon and wanted you to get rid of it, but you refused to do so. You claimed that the raccoon is now your son and you make Knuckles go along with it

So despite Tom’s pleads for you to get rid of him, you and Knuckles now have a raccoon

If you have a pet cat, you will most likely chase them around the house as if it’s a game of tag (I do this, my cat screams at me if I don’t chase her around the house like a mad man)

Knuckles would be sitting on the couch watching you run around the house chasing the small animal, he thinks this is adorable though

You’re constantly complementing or giving affection to Knuckles and he secretly loves it, it just makes his heart go <333

He can’t even describe with words how much he loves you :’)

It makes him so happy seeing you talk so excitedly about something with such a happy face :D

You casually walk into the Wachowski home holding a hissing possum and your face is just :D

“No no no no, we are not keeping another wild animal!”

“:(“

“…Fine”

“:D”

The house would become a zoo because of you

You’re like a dog or cat that has the zoomies, always moving around, can’t stay still

But whenever you end up getting tired you just pass out immediately, you’re out cold

Doesn’t matter where you are, you’re falling asleep

So whenever you fall asleep most of the time they have no idea where you could be since you normally fall asleep in the weirdest places

They’ll be searching for you late at night only to find you conked out behind the couch, Knuckles will have to carry you to bed and nine times out of ten you don’t remember what happened before you fell asleep

But Knuckles loves you regardless, you make his life so much brighter and interesting <3

I finished it yaaay!! :D i hope you like it! Also I feel like if you showed Knuckles those cat photos from the beginning he wouldn’t understand them but he’d laugh or smile at them just because you are :’D

#x reader #x reader headcanons #headcanons #movie sonic x reader #sonic headcanons #sonic movie 2 #sonic x reader #sonic 2 #sonic the hedgehog #sonicmovie #knuckles wachowski #knuckles x reader #movie knuckles #knuckles the enchilada

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theautisticcentre · 4 months

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oh oh had an idea Movie Knuckles formed a bond of friendship with Human Reader who is a Boxer.

and Reader is training to win the Boxing tournament called the Ultimat Boxing Warrior.

"Hmm? Human, why do you wear those gloves?"

You turned to see a small echidna talking to you. You had heard rumors of a blue talking hedgehog, and with what happened in Green Hill a little while back, this...was not that surprising in comparison. "Uh, I'm a boxer," you replied, causing Knuckles to grow more curious. "What is this "boxing"? What does it have to do with boxes?" You lightly chuckled and answered, "No no no, it has nothing to do with boxes. It's basically punching as a sport. Two people fight hand to hand with these gloves until either time runs out or one gets KO'd."

Knuckles eyes widened. "This sounds exactly like what I do!...Only I do not abide a time limit." You chuckled in both humour and a bit of nervousness. You knew how powerful this guy was so the thought of him in the ring...was not comforting. "Anyways, I'm competing to win a tournament. The Ultimate Boxing Warrior. It's...been a dream of mine for a while. Now I got that shot."

Knuckles shook your hand and said, "Well, I wish you the best in battle..." ".Oh! My name's Y/N." Knuckles hummed and replied, "A fine name. I am Knuckles." You smiled and replied, "Thanks, Knuckles." He smiled back, before you heard Maddie calling for him, to which he waved at you and left.

#sonic the hedgehog #movie knuckles #knuckles the echidna #knuckles x reader

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obsessed2fics · 4 months

Text

~ Doctor's Plan ~

Agent Stone x (f) reader

Part three {the masterlist}

Warnings: none

Word count: 14.8k

The agent woke up early that morning and went for a run. There was no one around except some stray animals. A gentle cold wind was hitting his face. Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, he was still thinking about how to put Robotnik's plan into action. It wasn't easy and he had to keep a low profile while doing all this.

While he was running in his usual direction, he noticed a detail that he had not paid much attention before.

'Employee wanted for Karen's Coffee '

At that moment, it was as if everything fell into place like a puzzle piece. He hadn't realized before that this was exactly what he had been looking for for days.

When he completed his run and returned home, he took a quick shower and got dressed. Y/N was asleep on the couch. Out of spite, she turned down Stone's offer to sleep in his bedroom. She could very well sleep on the couch and as she said she was already used to. But eventually they came to an agreement; one week, one would sleep on the couch while the other would sleep in the bedroom. This way, both of them would have equal conditions. They decided who would sleep on the couch the first week by tossing a coin.

While Stone was placing the portafilter in his hand into the coffee machine, was also making a bacon omelette.

"I don't like bacon." Y/N said as she stepped into the kitchen.

Stone was startled by the voice, but quickly regained his composure and looked over his shoulder at Y/N. "Okay... How would you like your omelette then?"

"Umm... I'm not in the mood for an omelette today." Y/N said and yawned. She went to the refrigerator and started looking inside.

"Okay, what would you like to eat then?" Stone asked as he turned off the stove.

Y/N didn't answer. At that moment, she didn't want to eat anything she saw in the refrigerator. She closed the refrigerator's door, sat on one of the chairs, and started drinking the coffee Stone had made for himself. "Thanks." she said just before taking the first sip.

Y/N was already drank half the coffee before Stone told her he made that coffee for himself. He left the plate in his hand on the table and started making himself another coffee.

"Bagels. I want bagels. Is there a place around here that sells them?"

"Uh... I don't know. It has to be." said Stone. He took his new coffee and sat on one of the chairs. “Do you want me to go get it from the store?”

"Nah..." she objected. When she looked around, she got curious when she couldn't see her cat. "Where's Sylvester?"

Stone looked around, the last time he saw him was before Y/N woke up. "He's around here somewhere. Can't be far away."

Y/N gulped down her coffee and got up to look out for her cat. She searched everywhere -even the bathroom- but the only place she didn't look was Stone's bedroom. The room's door was half-open. As soon as Y/N walked in, she found her cat napping on the bed.

She had never been in this room before. There was nothing in the room other than a large wardrobe, a double-size bed and two nightstands. Something on one of the nightstands caught her attention: Stone's wallet.

She check through the door and quietly approached the wallet. Her purpose was just to look at Mr. Mysterious's ID and learn his name. After another check, she took the wallet, opened it and found his ID among the cards.

Aban Stone

She hummed silently in her head. She put the wallet back in its place and left the room. When she came back to the kitchen, Stone looked at her questioningly.

"Did you find him?"

"Oh, yeah. He's taking a nap, in your room." she said and then added. "You have no idea how grumpy he gets when he's disturbed."

She sat down again and watched the agent, who was finishing his breakfast. She wasn't sure if the name suited him. You could easily guess some people's names by looking at their faces, but Stone wasn't one of them.

"So, what's the plan today?" Y/N asked, breaking the long, deep silence.

"Actually, I was planning to go to a job interview today. At Karen's Coffee. This morning, while I was running, I saw an ad saying they were looking for employees."

"I thought you were an agent..."

"I am. But I need something to provide a monthly cash flow." he said, getting up to refill his and Y/N's coffee. "Besides, I need to get a job so I don't attract too much attention."

"Do you think you can do it? Alright, you make better coffee way above average, but are you talented enough to be stable in this job?" Y/N asked, turning around in her chair, looking at Stone.

"I have a diploma and degrees on this." Stone replied with a proud grin on his face.

Y/N was wide-eyed in surprise, but luckily Stone still had his back turned and didn't see her expression.

"Wow, I didn't know that." she said in a surprised tone.

The grin on his face still hadn't disappeared when Stone turned towards her with two cups in his hands. "There's a lot you don't know yet."

"Because you don't tell!" Y/N snapped at him.

"Everything has its time."

Y/N just made a face at that cliché. While they were sipping their coffee, Sylvester came into the kitchen. She left her coffee cup on the table and took her cat in her arms.

"Heyy, sweet boy!"

Her voice had changed, it always changed when she was talking to her cat. It would become more childish. And Stone noticed this from day one.

While Y/N was playing with her cat, Stone quietly got up and went to his room to get ready. He was ready when he put on his suit jacket and grabbed his wallet and phone. He called out to Y/N one last time before putting on his shoes and leaving the house.

"I'm going out. If you need anything, call me."

"I don't have your number!" Y/N yelled back. She repeated the sentence in a more normal tone as she came to the kitchen door and leaned on the beam. She was looking at the agent who was putting on his shoes on the floor.

Stone stood up, straightened his jacket, took his phone out of his pocket and made a transaction. "Now you have." he said, at the same time as the notification sound on Y/N's phone. Then he put a slight smile on his face and left the house.

Less than half an hour after Stone left, the doorbell rang. Y/N got up from where she was sitting and went to the door. When she looked through the door hole, she saw that the person coming was a courier. She hesitantly opened the door and looked at the courier with frowning and questioning eyes.

"Are you Y/N Y/LN?" said the courier, taking a brief look at the note in their hand.

"Yes?"

"This order is for you." said the courier, holding out the package in their hand. "Bon appetit, ma'am." they added, and instead of taking the elevator, they took the stairs and walked away.

Y/N closed the door and walked back into the kitchen with the package in hand. There were two bagels in the package. She jumped slightly with joy when she saw it.

While taking a bite of one of the bagels, she texted Stone.

"Thanks for the bagels!"

At that moment, Stone quickly put on the apron in his hand and looked at the notification on his smart watch. Y/N must've liked the bagels he sent. He quickly replied to her and returned to his work. He was hired right away and now all he had to do was lay low and make money.

"Enjoy it. :)"

Y/N had spent the rest of the day cleaning and working on projects she still hadn't finished. She didn't have much to do at home, she had her phone with her but she couldn't talk to her friends. It's been almost a week since she came here and she hasn't even stepped out. She had to stay away from everything and everyone for a while, for her own safety. Although this seemed relaxing at first, she was starting to get bored.

While her cat was taking his umpteenth nap of the day, she went into Stone's home office and sat down in front of the little robot she had been working on for months. While she was dealing with this, she had her father in the back of her mind, she knew that her interest in mechanics came from blood.

She had designed little things since she was little, and little Y/N had kept them all in hopes of showing them to her father one day. All of them were currently in a box in the attic of her house in New York, waiting to be resurfaced.

When she absentmindedly plugged in her robot, which she thought she had finished, she tripped the house's electrical switch. She returned to the moment with surprise and unplugged the robot. She knew from the beginning that building a cable-powered robot was a mistake, but she tried anyway. She left the room and looked for the little container where the house's electrical switch was located. When she found it, she came out with the help of a chair and looked. Yes, just as she thought, her little robot had tripped the electrical switch. She returned the keys to their original state and got down from the chair. Her whole mood was disappear.

She closed the office's door before her cat woke up, returned to the living room, and sat down on the sofa exhausted. She wanted time to pass as quickly as possible.

Stone adapted easily to his new job. Even though his boss was rude and his co-workers were people he wasn't used to and they tested his patience, there wasn't much he could do. He had completed his first whirlwind day at work and was back home; even if not his body, his nerves were worn out and overwhelmed.

When he opened the door and walked in, Sylvester was at his feet. "Hello, little one." he said before leaning down and picking him up.

He took off his shoes and walked towards the living room with the cat in his arms. Y/N had fallen asleep in front of the TV, sitting on the couch, a very uncomfortable position to sleep.

She woke up startled as Stone gently grabbed the remote control, which was about to fall from her hand.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to turn off the TV..." Stone quickly explained.

"No problem." Y/N replied in her sleepy voice. She turned off the television and sat up, feeling stiff all over. As she tilted her neck left and right to relax, she grimaced in pain.

"It's been a tiring day?" Stone asked, while stroking the fur of the cat that lay calmly on his lap.

"No. Not at all. On the contrary, it's been boring." She exhaled loudly. "I feel like Rapunzel."

Stone raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Why?"

"Because I'm stuck in here and can't go out. Just like her." she replied. Her tone of voice was as if she were telling a truth known by everyone.

"You can't go out yet ." he corrected her. "As soon as I can figure all the things out you're able to can. But for now, you have to be out of sights." he said and added before Y/N could open her mouth. "For your own safety."

"There are coffee stains on your shirt." Y/N said, changing the subject.

Stone looked down at his shirt and grimaced. "Uh... Yeah."

"What happened?"

Stone took a deep, tired sigh and began to explain. "Karen, my new boss, didn't like the coffee I made and sprayed it in my face with the first sip she took."

There was anger hidden in his voice and Y/N noticed it immediately.

"What?! But you make great coffee!"

This sentence brought relief to Stone's face and inside him, he was glad to be understood. "Thanks! But well... not everyone realizes that."

Y/N sat down with one leg under her and turned towards him. "How about you make me the same coffee? Huh?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Absolutely." Y/N answered him without hesitation.

"Alright then..."

He left the cat on his lap, quickly went to his room, changed his clothes, and then immediately went into the kitchen. Without wasting any time, he started making the coffee he had been making for years.

Y/N was still sitting in the same spot when Stone came back into the living room with coffee in hand. "Here you go." he said as he carefully handed the cup to Y/N. "Latte with steamed Austrian goat milk."

Y/N said thank you and lifted the coffee cup to her lips, smelled before drinking. "Smells good." she said and took a big sip and let the taste of the coffee delight her mouth.

"This... is really good." she said and took another sip. It was obvious from her face that she liked it. Stone's lips turned slightly upward.

"It's definitely in the top three coffees I've drank so far. I'm not exaggerating."

The smile on Stone's face grew wider. "Thanks! That's the Doctor's favourite."

Y/N had slightly pursed her lips at this information, but thanks to the coffee cup, Stone hadn't seen it. "That woman, Karen, must be an ignoramus. Who wouldn't like that?"

"I know, right?!" Stone reacted. There was no trace of his despondency from an hour ago, and he owed that entirely to Y/N.

With an idea coming to her mind, she left the study and started looking for Stone at home. She should have shared the idea in her mind immediately. Stone was sitting at the kitchen table and looking at his phone.

"Stone! Stone!! Ah, there you are!"

Stone's eyebrows were furrowed and he put down the phone in his hand and looked at her with questioning eyes. "Is there a problem?"

"Problem? No, no problem. Listen to me, I have a plan." she said in a very confident manner.

Thereupon, Stone relaxed and his facial expression was replaced by curiosity. "About what?"

Y/N placed both of her hands on the table and leaned forward slightly. "What if I told you that Karen's Coffee is the perfect place for putting Robotnik's Manifesto to work?"

"How?"

"Simple. But not exactly that simple. That place would be a secret base but first, you have manage to do -somehow- all employees quit their job. For example, you're free to sell my father's machines to get money to buy that place. No need to pay back. Don't worry." she explained.

"I'm not gonna sell anything belongs to the Doctor. Forget about it, will you?"

She shrugged. "Okay... Maybe you have hidden money somewhere and you can use it? What do you say?"

"Unfortunately I don't have any hidden money, Y/N."

"Ugh! You don't help. But whatever! I think you able to can find a way to buy that place. And after a few modifications there will be still a lovely coffee shop except one thing: there's no employees but you. You'll be running the coffee shop by your own."

"And with a few little touch, the shop can turn into a total secret base..." Stone concluded her words. He thought about it for a second or two. "It might be work."

"No. It will work." she corrected him, grinning proudly.

Y/N's eyes lit up as she explained her plan and of course Stone noticed. She is a Robotnik, and just like the Doctor, she unconsciously wore the same pride when talking about her plans. Stone looked at the intelligent and beautiful woman in front of him, who didn't want to accept that she still had traces of her father, and smiled at her. It was a very genuine and sincere smile.

When Y/N stopped being proud of herself and looked at Stone, she felt something go on alert in her brain. She knew that what she said affected Stone, but she didn't realize that his reaction would affect her. She decided to do what she always did: change the subject and act like didn't care at all.

"I want pizza! Let's order pizza!" she said, straightened up.

Stone was still smiling as he picked up his phone. "I'm on it."

{New chapter is here guys! Finally I wrote and translated this chapter. I hope you like it! Part four will come but I don't know when. And I wanna thank you all for your patience!}

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