•Sonic The Hedgehog: Beyond Worlds•

•[22-Repeating Mistakes (part 2)]•

[I'm back! Sorry for not uploading last month. January was a lot more busy than I thought, and I couldn't find the time to upload. But rest assured, the next chapter will be out before the end of February, likely tomorrow or the 28th. Stay tuned for then and enjoy the chapter.]

Alex's P.O.V

My eyes slowly flutter open to the feeling of something gently poking into my body. I groan softly, quickly adjusting to the darkness of my room. I blink for a moment before I feel something poking me again.

"What the..." I whisper. Looking down at the covers, I find a small fuzzy body nuzzled against me, blue quills lightly poking my skin. I stare in confusion.

"...Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog tenses, his quills rattling slightly as I called out his name. He doesn't move or respond, though.

"Sonic, what are you doing in my bed?" I sit up, looking down at the still hedgehog with a tired, annoyed groan. "You know you're not supposed to be in here, let alone in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, I know..." Sonic replies, his voice a mix of tired and, seemingly, heartache. He sits up, turning to me with what looks like tear stains on his cheeks. My gaze softens.

"I just couldn't sleep is all, so I figured I'd bunk here for the night." He shrugs, a forced smile on his face.

"Have you been crying?" I ask, my voice now soft. Sonic shrugs again.

"Nah, I'm just tired." Sonic wipes his cheeks, avoiding eye contact with me. "I was hoping that having company would help me fall asleep faster, but..."

Sonic trails off, his ears falling to the sides of his head. I shoot him a sympathetic stare before he lets our a sigh.

"Nevermind, it's not that important anyway." Sonic says pulling the covers off him. "I'll go back up to the attic. I'm sorry for waking you..."

The blue hedgehog hops off my bed before slowly walking towards my bedroom door with an unnatural slump in his shoulders, his head hung low. I've never seen him like this before. He looks almost...broken.

"Sonic, wait."

He stops in the doorway, turning back to me with a confused look in his eyes. I pat the spot next to me on my bed. His eyes light up ever so slightly as a small smile appears on his face. Sonic then walks back over to my bed and hops on, pulling the cover over his lower body.

"What's keeping you up, buddy?" I ask softly. Sonic turns away slightly, seemingly out of embarrassment.

"I had a nightmare..." Sonic replies, hugging his knees. I hesitate to answer, caught off guard by his response, before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"...what was it about?" I ask. Sonic doesn't answer at first.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't-"

"No, it's okay." Sonic waves a hand at me with a small smile. "I've gotten used to this one by now. I don't mind talking about it."

'Used to this one...?' I think to myself, my heart sinking even further. 'Has he been having a recurring nightmare...?'

"Oh..." I mutter. Sonic shrugs.

"Yeah..." Sonic mutters, avoiding eye contact with me. "I was back home on Mobius, standing in the middle of a meadow under a cloudless sky. It felt just like it did before I left. Everything felt so...peaceful. Calm."

'Not sure how this could be a nightmare.' I think to myself.

"Then I heard Tails' voice and, sure enough, when I turned around, he was right there." Sonic continues. "I went over to hug him and it felt so...real. I thought I made it back home, I thought I'd finally get to see my friends again, to see my little brother again, but..."

I notice Sonic's eyes getting watery, his body trembling a little bit. I put a hand on his back and rub it gently, shooting him a reassuring look. The blue hedgehog lets out a shaky breath.

"...a portal appeared behind us. I tried to grab Tails and get away from it, but no matter how fast I tried to run, I...I..."

"...you got sucked inside?" I finish. Sonic nods.

"Tails's voice was the last thing I heard before I woke up. He sounded mortified..."

I notice Sonic's eyes glistening in the moonlight. The blue hedgehog balls his fists, his jaw clenching ever so slightly.

"I wasn't fast enough." He whispered, a hint of anger in his voce. "I couldn't get out of the way in time. Tails warned me not to get too close but I didn't listen, and look where that got me..."

"Sonic..."

"In true 'Sonic' fashion, my own impulses and carelessness got me stuck on another world..."

Tears begin steaming down Sonic's face as he runs his hand through his quills, his face contorting into a sad, pitiful smile.

"Shadow always told me I was my own worst enemy. That one day I'd end up in a situation I can't get myself out of. I always just shrugged it off before, saying he should loosen up and that he shouldn't worry so much." He sniffles, burying his head in his knees.

"I just wish I realised just how right he was before it was too late..."

I feel my heart shatter in my chest. I never thought that seeing the hedgehog in such a broken state would hurt so much, even with how close we got as friends in the month and a half since we first met. I feel my own eyes starting to tear up from the sight. I let out a breath.

"Sonic." I put my hand on his shoulder. Sonic turns to me, his fuzzy cheeks stained with tears.

And without a second thought, I pull him into my arms. Sonic lets out a soft gasp, but doesn't say or do anything further.

"You've got me, buddy." I whisper, choking back my own tears. "I know you miss your home, and your friends, and I know it hurts being so far away from them... But I'm here for you. I promised to get you home and I'm not gonna rest until I get you there."

I pull away, planting both hands on Sonic's shoulders and looking him in the eyes with a soft, reassuring gaze.

"Okay?"

Sonic stares for a second before nodding, his smile growing and his eyes getting teary once again.

"Good." I smile back. "Now get comfortable."

"...w-what?"

I lay back on the matress, turning my head to face Sonic's confused expression.

"Are you just gonna sit there until dawn?" I smirk. "I thought you said you were tired."

"But you said-"

"You're exhausted and in need a snuggle buddy. I can make an exception for tonight." I say with a smile. "Plus, your fur is surprisingly soft."

Sonic's eyes soften, a small smile spreading across his face. Without another word he lays down next to me, pressing his face into my chest and clinging onto me. I sigh an amused sigh, Sonic's soft snoring filling the air of my bedroom as he falls asleep almost instantly. I wrap an arm around the hedgehog's body protectively, a wave of tiredness crashing into me like a truck.

"Sweet dreams, Sonic." I yawn, my eyes growing heavy. I find myself smiling, feeling even more comfortable now than when I was woken up, before quickly falling asleep once more.