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It's cold in Restoration HQ, and a hedgehog and an armadillo are curled up beneath a thin blanket in the same cot, fighting off the chill with each other's body heat.
Mighty's hands are tangled in the hedgehog's cobalt quills, scratching and running through them in an unconscious pattern, eliciting a gentle purr that crackles through Sonic's chest and to his own where their bodies meet. Sonic is holding him close, arms slipped around his waist and legs intertwined, his head tucked beneath the armadillo's chin. His ears and tail flick with inactivity, clearly not liking being so still for so long. Nonetheless, Sonic's eyes are languidly closed, not daring to move from his comfortable spot snuggled beside his partner.
Mighty, contrastly, can't bring his eyes to close. Not when Sonic's peaceful face is just within view, his calm breaths puffing against his pelt and sending a warm tingle up his spine.
Mighty thinks of how that calm had been lost on the hedgehog in the last few days. Concern pools in his chest as he thinks of winces, and pained looks, and distant stares- the uncertain twitch of a brow when he thinks no one's looking, the shaky smile that he means to be sincere. The warm feeling fades into something somber, and Mighty frowns, arm tightening around Sonic.
"Hey…" He starts, whispering to not disturb others in the room. "Blue… you awake?"
"Mmm…" Sonic answers with a hum, reveling in the delicate hand combing through his quills, clearly only half-awake. It'll have to do.
Mighty sighs, moving his hand up and absently scratching behind an ear. "You doin' okay?"
Whether intentionally, or because he's mostly asleep, Sonic pointedly ignores his question in turn of mumbling, voice scratchy:
"I missed this…"
Mighty chuckles, forgetting for a moment that he was even concerned. "Missed? We've never done this before."
Sonic is silent for a bit.
"Would you be weirded out if I said I've imagined this before?"
"Gaia below." Mighty responds, incredulous. "You really were a mess without me, huh?"
"A li'l bit. Maybe. Don't tell 'nyone."
Mighty can't help but laugh again, and Sonic joins him right after, giggling tiredly.
"No, but… seriously." Mighty says, after their laughter has died down and they've laid in silence for another minute. "I'm… a little worried, Blue." When Sonic doesn't respond, likely not knowing how to, he continues. "I know it's… been a while, but… you'd tell me if something was wrong, right? If you weren't okay, you'd let me know?"
But then Sonic doesn't respond for a second time, and that's unusual, and Mighty realizes too late that he's fallen asleep.
He should be grateful, he supposes. That the hedgehog can still rest easy even after all that's… supposedly happened. And yet…
The armadillo sighs into blue fur, accidentally blowing air into Sonic's face, making it scrunch up with the disturbance. Mighty nearly feels guilty for perturbing his peace before his expression falls back, returning to restfulness.
His hand finds itself lost in the pattern he'd found throughout Sonic's quills. Frustratedly, he moves it to the top of the hedgehog's head and keeps it here, unmoving. He stares down.
Sonic's weak smile plagues him with every blink.
Maybe he was the mess.
Blocking the train of thought as swiftly as it appears, he forces his eyes shut and listens to his partner's leveled breaths, his soft purrs. They're as good a lullaby as any. It's only with great struggle that he falls into an uneasy sleep an hour later, a hedgehog's troubled face fresh on his mind, and unanswered questions ringing in his ears.