Illicit (Sonic the Hedgehog x Reader)

1

He was slowing down. It wasn't for lack of trying, and it wasn't as if the world wasn't still a blur around him. But his head was pounding and a low pulse had been radiating through his body ever since the battle had started. The Badniks were getting more and more lucky hits in, and Sonic could taste the iron tang of blood on his tongue. Strange.

He unrolled from a spindash, landing hard on his feet and coughing. He shook his head, glaring up at the Eggmobile as the doctor cackled triumphantly.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" the mad doctor called down to the hero. "Not feeling so good?" The hedgehog opened his mouth to say something smart when a robot suddenly slammed into him from his left, barreling him into the wall of a brick building. He gasped, dropping to his knees and shaking his head. Something didn't feel right. His energy was draining faster now, and the ground rocked beneath him.

Sharp digits slashed across his face and stars spotted his vision. Sonic stumbled to his feet only to get shoved back into the wall. He kicked the robot's chassis, rolling away from the others and darting around the corner to regroup.

He lost his footing not far from the scene of the crime, tumbling head over foot until he slammed into a curb, pain lancing up his spine.

"Well," he said, trying to force a cheery tone into his voice even as he wiped blood from his lips. "That took a turn." He rolled onto his back, taking a deep, painful breath before pushing himself onto his haunches. He could hear the Badniks giving pursuit, Eggman still laughing triumphantly. He had the hero on the run.

Mobians were pressing their faces into the windows of shops, too afraid to step outside to assist Sonic. Not that he'd let them, but the streets were quiet and left room for the piercing ringing in his ears. The pulsing matched each throb in his skull and Sonic lowered his head, taking shaking breaths. A particularly hard throb had him vomiting his breakfast onto the pavement.

Something was definitely wrong. Sonic wiped his lips, staring at the blood flecking the vomit and dripping from the gashes in his face.

"There you are, rodent." A cannon charged and Sonic's head throbbed so hard he cried out, considering the possibility it might actually explode. He gasped, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. "Does that hurt? I thought it might. Didn't want to make room for the possibility of escape. Not this time."

"What are you doing to me?" Sonic asked weakly, blood bubbling at his lips. He fell forward, his gloves staining red.

"Not this time," Eggman repeated. "Just in case your friends do show up. I want to savor your last moments. Watch you bleed." Sonic lifted his gaze, double vision splitting his nemesis in two. He had to get up. Had to run. But he had no strength, and something that he'd held dear his whole life was slipping away from him.

"Doctor!" Both turned to look as one brave soul shouted at the mad genius. "You should lay off the carbs. You make yourself a bigger target." Sonic couldn't quite make out his savior, but his skull felt like it was going to split in two with each gunshot that went off. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the ground.

In his last waking moments, he felt someone hoist him off the ground by the shoulders and drag him...drag him...somewhere....

~

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. Can you fix it?"

"Well...I've never worked with someone quite like him. He's...energy. Energy given form." A pause. "Well, sort of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's been drained. Hence the reason he's been out for so long and his wounds aren't closing like they usually do."