Do You Believe in Ghosts? (Triple S x Reader)

Resilience

They stood apart, the distance between them seemingly too vast to cross. A single tear trailed down her cheek, and Sonic's eyes followed it as it fell into the blackness beneath her. He dropped his head, his hands trembling.

"Sonic," she whispered, to break the silence. He lifted his gaze, offering her another broken smile.

"It's okay," he told her in a trembling voice. "It's okay, I'm okay. You don't need to worry about me."

She scoffed, swiping at the tears on her face. "Yeah, right," she said thickly. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. It's been too long, and I spent too long with Shadow, I didn't listen when they warned me about the Chaos Emerald, and now I'm losing our connection."

"It's not your fault; you've got a lot on your plate." There was a bitter note in his voice, and her ears lowered.

"That's not an excuse," she said. "I need to be there for you, and I'm not..."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," he said, shaking his head. "Take your time. I'll hold on. I can do this."

"Sonic, it's okay to not be okay," (Y/n) said slowly.

"I know that," he said with a half-hearted shrug. "But I'm fine, I told you-"

"Please don't lie to me, please," she pleaded. He smiled at her, his lips quirking upwards with that same bitter tone.

"I don't want to," he whispered. "But I've never really been good at telling my truth."

~

She opened her eyes, silent tears falling down her face. She turned her head to the side, but the room was dark and she was alone.

"Tikal?" she rasped pathetically. No response. The (a/t) knew she probably wouldn't be able to see her guardian in the primary realm anymore, but the reality of it made her feel even more alone.

There was a soft shuffle at the end of the couch where she was resting and she craned her neck upwards, her heart jumping into her throat at the sight of the assassin standing by the door. Its eyes were teal, and it took a tentative step towards her at her attention.

"Silver?" she asked hesitantly. The assassin pulled its hands to its chest in a nervous manner.

"I'm sorry," it whispered in the hedgehog's small voice. (Y/n) let her head fall back on the pillows, her hand drifting up to the healing marks on her chest. She reached for him with her free hand.

"Have you been here long?" she asked as she waited, her eyes drifting closed.

"Only when the others went out to check on Tails and get supplies," Silver admitted. "They're...probably really upset with me..."

"No one's upset with you," she assured him. "I'm actually really happy you're here." She opened her eyes, beckoning to him. He shuffled forward and she turned her palm upwards. He shook his head.

"I did this to you," he said. He held up a hand as she opened her mouth. "The assassins from my power gave you those marks. I'm sorry, (Y/n)."

"I'm not afraid of you," she said. "If the ghost were even remotely in control right now, it would have finished the job, but here we are." She lifted her hand slightly. "It's...it's okay, Silver." A lump formed in her throat as Sonic's bitter smile flashed through her thoughts.

She was pulled back to reality as a cold feeling spread through the center of her palm. The assassin's fingers brushed ever so lightly across her hand and she smiled gently.

"You're leaving soon, aren't you?"

(Y/n) blinked at Silver's words. The assassin lifted its gaze to hers. He lowered it at her silence. "You should. Give things time to settle down here."