— Downtown District —

  Snoring…

  Snoring…

  “Solid. Wake up.”

  “… Hey, Tricky…” He yawns and rubs his eyes, almost forgetting where he is right now. “… Yeah, I suck at this… fighting thing. I got blasted into here, and now I’m relaxing like what I usually have been doing for the past 19 years of my life.” He finally sits up, feeling sore, especially his back. “Not gonna lie, I’m probably the worst teammate in terms of fighting. Too fast, yet too fragile. Like a real-life glass cannon.”

  “I’d probably admit that you are, but since you’re my brother, don’t take it that way. I know you’re better than what you think you are, just… try at least.” Tricky eventually extends his arm, letting his brother help him out. “I think the rest of the team is going home. Do you wanna spend time with me for once?”

  The orange hedgehog takes the opportunity to lift himself with his brother’s help, wiping away the debris on him before responding. “Thanks. Umm… Sure, like walking around the streets per usual?”

  “Yeah. And maybe next time, don’t blame it on me now if we manage to get lost and stuff.”

  “That was a few years ago; you can let that slide now that I technically understand every block.”

  “Just saying…” The porcupine mutters and crosses his arms, while his brother unexpectedly does a light shove at him before running away. “HEY!” He suddenly chases after him, “COME BACK HERE!”

  With the sunset casting a beautiful light, the brothers walk through the busy streets, where exhausted civilians drive home in their cars, but don’t bother to honk their horns at this moment. They’re exhausted, and all they want to do is relax in the beautiful sunset, waiting for the weekend to roll around. To the brothers, it’s a sigh of relief, casually shaking their heads in amusement as they’re now the ones to witness the traffic.

  “Thank god we decided to take a week off from work! Bet that the subway will be PACKED by the time I get there.” The porcupine laughs, casually bumping his shoulder onto the hedgehog with a familiar humor.

  “To be honest, at least a subway controls the flow of traffic for the daily commuters. But when you’re living in a megaopolis like this, there will always be downsides, no matter what.” Solid continues to look at the traffic, just taking a sigh. “... You know, I’ve realized how hectic this day was. First, I had to deal with that maze all by myself, then you guys rescued me while I was unconscious. Then, some elderly wombat… and the mech… Yawns… You guys did a great job; it made me look like a bad teammate, because of how I’m constantly being outplayed.”

  “I can still tell you’re humble, you orange furball. This was hectic, that’s for sure.” Tricky ruffles his brother’s head, to which he doesn’t care, and lets him do what he needs to do. “And not a complainer… except for the coffee, you still hate coffee. Huh? That’s the only time you complain.”

  “Coffee is different. What’s the point of coffee when we all need sleep? It forces you to stay awake and makes you suffer. Which sucks, but I mean, is there anything I can do? Nah.” Solid eventually pulls out his phone and scrolls through his current timeline.

  When they both go on their phones, it’s nothing short of expected: the mech terrorizing the city and the team getting recognition. What they also see is the team appearing on viral photos and videos, where they’re praised from the left and the right. Though what sucks for the two brothers is that neither of them was present from that moment, because Tricky was too busy looking for Solid.

  “Damn it!” Tricky groans and puts his phone away, clearly upset. “I should’ve been with them! ARGH!!! It’s your fault I looked for you instead!” He continues his complaint, wondering what he could’ve done differently if he hadn’t looked for his brother. “... Then again, you’d be in danger, because you’re the target and-”

  “Target?” Solid stops walking and takes a moment look at him. “... Am I the primary target?”

  “... Uh…” The porcupine takes a deep breath, knowing that it’s something urgent to say to his own brother. “... When we were investigating the base… one of the recruiters mentioned you, and you were Eggman’s right-hand man’s target. … I don’t know who he is… but he wants you dead.”

  Throughout most of Solid’s life, despite hardship, everything remained innocent. Even after their mother’s death, he didn’t fail to see life as optimistic, no matter the consequences. But now that this is a crucial announcement, he can’t help but rethink what he had done to deserve such… threat. “Do you think I’m… worth living?”

  “Don’t get yourself into that situation. I know who you are, and I can’t afford to lose my brother. I don’t care if you’re adopted; you’re still someone I need after Mom’s death.” He hugs his brother, reminding him of who’s there for him. “Hey. Once we defeat Eggman and his right-hand man, you don’t have to worry about them anymore. Alright?”

  Still, the hedgehog doesn’t feel satisfied with the answer, almost to the point where he doesn’t feel motivated to continue. But, this is their world that they’re in, and the danger would not only impact him, but everyone around him. He cares about everyone more than himself; he wants everyone to be fine, especially when a blue hedgehog named Sonic needs him. If he wants to be stronger, he needs to show his dignity. And that means showing care for the team by being part of it. “... Right.” He nods, hugging his porcupine brother back with genuine care. “Love you, brother. Thanks for showing support.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  They close their eyes during the hug, embracing how far they’ve come as stepbrothers. Although they have moments of disagreement, they’ll always make it up with time and care. Once Tricky pats his back, he also pulls him away, looking at him with a reassuring smile. “I’m feeling hungry, wanna eat?”

  “Burgers for the win?” Solid smirks, clearly wanting something to deserve as a reward.

  Scoffs. “Watch when our basketball team loses a game. Getting the cherry on top as an entertaining ending.” Playfully shoving him, Tricky sprints to the burger place using his speed while his brother decides to walk, not minding the brotherly competition.

  At the burger joint, when their burgers are served, Tricky immediately devours, giving Solid an amused reaction. “Those missions drained all your energy, huh? I don’t blame you for all of that. I would too, someone’s gotta regain their energy, because I would be starving.” He eventually takes a bite out of the burger, completely savouring the taste. “I bet that it tastes good, you’re on one, feeling good-”

  “Shhh! Can’t you see a porcupine lost in his thoughts?” He playfully glares at his brother before continuing to devour the burger; additionally, he hasn’t started on the fries. But when he gets to the fries, it’s an ultimate devourment, clearing the fries in just less than a minute. For reference, Solid is only halfway done with his burger and hasn’t touched the fries.

  When Tricky stares at his brother’s tray, he keeps staring with intent, wanting nothing more than to steal his food. As he tries to steal his tray, the hedgehog instantly moves the tray away, humorously looking at him. “Bro. If you want to have more food, you can order more. They can make more for you if you like.” Solid gives him some Lunars to buy more food, and he instantly takes that cash and orders some more. “Maybe we shouldn’t spend our entire Friday focusing on a mission… because this is what happens.”

  Meanwhile, as the orange hedgehog finished his burger, Tricky brought two trays to the table, clearly all for him. “Yep! Thanks for the money, orange furball!” When he plops the trays down, he respectfully takes one of his brother’s fries, leaving him shaking his head in confusion. “Alright then, let me devour this without getting fat! Hurry, start a timer!”

  “3!”

  “2!”

  “1!”

  From the first bite, Tricky takes a huge one, before taking multiple bites until he finally digests the first medium-sized burger, almost making it small-sized. Plus, that’s the first burger; he still has a second burger left to devour. When he takes another first bite of the second burger, it doesn’t start strong, so he takes some time to breathe before he resumes his momentum, quickly finishing his burger.

  “Really? In less than two minutes?” Solid watches his brother eat his tray, not surprised by what had just happened. Though he’s not the only person watching the porcupine eat, the other customers and waiters are surprised and wondering how fast he can go, almost cheering for him.

  The fries can be self-explanatory; if he finished one under a minute, would he do the same with double the amount? So, at the time he commits to the fries, hoping- Groans… “Maybe three burgers were too much for me…” In response, all the customers groan but applaud the porcupine who kept pushing forward, showing his determination.

  To his credit, his brother stood up and patted him on the back, completely supporting him, and he enjoyed what he saw from his brother. “That’s impressive… to say the least. Make sure you don’t die next time.” He hilariously remarks before going to the restroom, leaving the porcupine exhausted from his devouration.

  “... Better than being addicted to sushi.”

  Solid routinely checks on him while they walk back to his best friend’s apartment, concerned about his well-being. “Still out of breath? Yeah, I’d be like you—maybe worse—how you’re coping with this situation. I would’ve been like… dead. Yawns… We could’ve gotten some ice cream earlier, but maybe next time...”

  “... I can handle… some ice cream… for a bit…” A smirk from the porcupine suggests he could at least be down for a challenge, but the routine exhales says otherwise. “Three burgers aren’t enough to make my belly full-”

  “Bro, have you seen how exhausted you were? You’re almost having an asthma attack after calling it quits. Genuinely, please care about your body.” His brother continues to support him, wrapping one arm around his waist while Tricky’s arm wraps around his neck for additional support.

  “Ironic when you’re not caring about your body…” Tricky mutters, looking away from him.

  “I have ears, bruh.”

  On a peaceful Friday, the moon casts an iconic, beautiful glow throughout the city, reminding everyone what tomorrow’s going to be. Although they won’t worry about how long they’ll stay up on this particular evening, they worry about how much time they’ll spend on the relaxing weekend. With their weekly suffering over for most civilians, they can now appreciate how far they’ve come. To the brothers, it’s one of the memorable moments of peace and relaxation.

  Each passing year.

  Month.

  Week.

  Day.

  Hours.

  Seconds.

  “... When’s the last time we spent time with each other like this?” Solid asks, his voice tinged with nostalgia, calm and soothing.

  Tricky doesn’t immediately respond; he gives himself time to think about his question. They’ve been through it separately, doing stuff on their own without each other’s recognition. “Since our mom died… It’s not like it’s ideal for us to hang out every day, but damn, we’ve been separated for quite some time. Excluding work, that is. I still hate those co-workers, god, if there’s a way to get them fired…”

  The hedgehog sets his porcupine brother down on the steps, letting him relax and casually taking a breather. “We’re in front of her apartment building, but let’s just sit out here for a while.”

  They casually discussed moments from their lives—random, serious, or straight-up silence. It didn’t matter whether they were shivering in the cold night and watching time pass by in front of their eyes; all they wanted to do was to spend time with each other in this particular moment. Completely avoiding the bad moments and instead thinking about things on a positive side.

  “You know that right-hand man that wants to kill me, that you mentioned?” Solid questions, still having the same bad feeling in his chest, while Tricky instantly looks at him. “Do you know who that person is or…?”

  “Nope. The recruiters also don’t know who that right-hand man’s identity is, except for Eggman.” Resting his head on the railings, he was getting tired. Unexpectedly, the hedgehog chuckles lightly, leaving Tricky deadpanned. “What are you laughing at? You think death is funny?”

  The hedgehog shakes his head, denying that what he questioned isn’t true. “No. No… Chuckling. It’s just… I’m trying to think what the right-hand man would look like.” He thinks, his mind creating the weirdest predictions of the right-hand man’s identity. “... Maybe it’s you.”

  “W-What!? Why would you think it’s me!?” Tricky playfully looks shocked, watching his brother hilariously accuse him of being the right-hand man. “Is it because I’d have the mentality of a teenager who acts tough?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Come here, lil bro.” He casually gives him a noogie, showing off his strength. “If I were the right-hand man, I would’ve just killed you on the spot. Right here. Right now. No questions asked.” Continuing his antics until he finally pushes him out, where he’s no longer amused. “But for real, we’ll get that person. Alright?” With a reassuring nod, it’s enough to satisfy their evening.

  Solid eventually gets up and walks to the apartment building, where he responds. “... We’ll see.”

  “Can you stop being humble for more than one second?”

  “They’re still not home?”

  “Ayy, I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances

  Finesse a-”

  “Stop being humble, Solid.”