hey guys! ^^ I officially have an AO3 account! :D so here's my first story (I'll be posting it here and on AO3):
Author's Notes: There are two users on Tumblr, @akiiame and @coffeecat1983, who came up with the idea that Sonic is Mario and Luigi's pet. @akiiame made an adorable drawing, and @coffeecat1983 took it and ran with it as a fanfic. I would like to expand on this, as this is my first ever story on AO3, and I think it's an absolutely wonderful concept. Thank you reading my first story, and please don't hesitate to give me constructive criticism! Now then, onward and upward! ^^
"Hrrmgph."
"Soonik."
"Why does he keep making that sound?" Luigi laughed. He joyfully tossed the little hedgehog another treat, and continued chuckling at his hungry enthusiasm.
Sonic. That's a perfect name, Mario thought. But where the heck did he even come from? And why is he blue?
"Hey, Lu?" Luigi's ears perked up at his brother's tone. There was a slight hint of concern. "What's wrong, Mar?" he asked.
"You don't think we could get in trouble, do you?" Mario replied.
Luigi turned in his chair, being mindful of his cast. "Trouble for what? Clearly nobody was caring for 'im. You didn't know he'd show up at work." He got up and hugged his older sibling, who sighed.
"We ain't do nothing wrong, bro," Luigi assured him. "If you want, we can take Sonic to the vet tomorrow and get 'im checked out."
Mario gently squeezed his little brother. "OK. I guess it'll be alright." He turned to see the bright blue ball, eagerly snorting for more treats.
"You gonna be spoiled, boy," Mario giggled. He scooped Sonic into his hands and hand-fed him one last treat. The little hedgehog must've realized this would be the end of his snacks, and he squealed in protest.
"MMRRPGH!!"
"SOOOOONIK!!"
Luigi collapsed into laughter. "No more treats!" Mario chided him lovingly. "It's time for you to rest, buddy."
A few hours and a few helpings of Ma's lasagna later, Mario finished building and decorating Sonic's new home. Luigi chipped in where he could, even giving the rodent one of his favorite stuffed toys. Now, Sonic was fast asleep in his brand new, ultra fluffy bed, with all but his inquisitive snout being covered by a delicate blanket.
Luigi was fascinated by the creature. He quietly hummed an Italian lullaby to help him sleep. Mario joined him later, and when the song ended, the bros embraced, and the older kissed the younger's cheeks.
"How's your leg?" Mario asked gently.
"It's just a dull pain right now," Luigi said. "I've got my meds, so I think I'll get a good night's sleep for once." Unfortunately, the pain from his injury had given him a nearly sleepless week. Luckily, he was stuck at home most days, so he could take naps when he had the chance.
Luigi gingerly stood up and kissed his brother's forehead. "I'll be fine, fratellone," he murmured. "C'mon, let's go to bed."
Mario took one last peek at his new pal. "G'night, Sonic," he whispered.
As if responding, the spiky rodent let out a gentle, hushed grumble. The bros smiled at each other, happy to be hedgehog parents.
Sound asleep, Luigi snored peacefully. Despite being unconscious, he knew he was warm, comfortable, and safe, and his brother was at his side.
Or was he?
Luigi's brain prompted him to wake up. He realized that Mario was standing over him, having recently kissed his nose. "Mar?" he asked groggily. "Why are you up at 4 AM…?"
"Spike called," he whispered. "I gotta come in, he said there's something I need to see."
"Can't it wait until morning?" Luigi complained.
"I dunno, he sounded pretty worried," Mario replied. "Y'know he never gets worried about anything."
He grabbed his toolbox and ruffled Luigi's hair. "I made you some breakfast, you can heat it up when you're ready. Marty will come by to look at Sonic later," he said, Marty being the vet.
Luigi mmphed a response. Mario shut the bedroom door behind him, and Luigi prepared to go back to the murkiness of sleep…
…until Mario shouted.
Quick, thudding footsteps made their way back to the bedroom. The door swung open.
"Where's Sonic?!" Mario demanded.
"Huh?? What do you mean?" Luigi said, still slightly confused. Perhaps he was dreaming. "He should still be in his cage…right?"
"He's gone!"
"Gone?? How?!"
"The latch is wide open, and there's a hole in the front door!"
Luigi was wide awake now. He ignored his leg pain and hurriedly began to dress. "I'm coming with you."
"Lu, you need to stay!"
"If Spike is worried, and you found Sonic at work, there's a good chance he went there and we'll find out what's going on. I have my crutches."
Mario sighed. Despite his timid tendencies, he knew that once Luigi set his mind on something, there was no convincing him otherwise.
"Well, c'mon then." The bros locked arms to aid Luigi, leaving their damaged door to be resolved later.
"Oh, thank God you're here!"
Spike ran from the construction site to greet the bros. "Hey Luigi, whatta you doin' here? Thought you was patching up?"
"I am," he said. "But Sonic is missing."
"Eh, Sonic?" Spike paused for a moment. "Oh, the blue rat thing! Well, he ain't missing no more."
Spike stepped aside, and to the bros' surprise, Sonic was standing right behind him. The so-called "blue rat thing" ran up to Mario and nuzzled his leg.
"Boy, what is you doin'???" Mario exclaimed. "The sun ain't even out yet!" But before he could grab his strange companion, Sonic dashed off again, and motioned to the wrecking crew to follow him.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came here to assess what our next step would be," Spike said. "All of a sudden the rat comes along and just would not stop squeaking! And he's so fast!"
"Well, that would explain the door," Luigi chuckled. "But he would have to be REALLY fast to break it."
"Yeah…" Mario agreed absentmindedly. His concern grew with every step he took to follow Sonic.
Eventually, the group stopped at what appeared to be a nest. Sonic slowed down, and turned to face his humans. But before they could ask questions, Sonic turned back around and began uttering a low call.
"ruuuuuuIMPH."
"ruuuuuuuuuu…ruuuuuuuuIMPH."
Mario, Luigi, and Spike shared hasty glances. They had no idea what was happening.
"Tooooils…"
"NuuuuuuuKLS…"
"Soooodooow…"
"Mimimimi…"
The rodent continued repeating these calls, and to everyone's shock, several small creatures emerged from the makeshift nest.
Mario was stunned. "Are-are…are those more hedgehogs???" Luigi gasped.
"Look, one of 'em's got 2 tails!" Spike shouted.
Sonic ran over to what could only be his family, his quills quivering joyfully. The creatures exchanged grunts, nuzzles, and rubs. Sonic turned once more, and you could almost make out a smile on his face in the early morning light.
Mario managed to snap back to reality, and his heart filled with warmth. He knelt down to pet his blue baby. "Is this your family, buddy?" he asked.
Sonic squeaked in response, and Mario caressed his ears. "Well, they can come with us."
"They can??" Luigi gasped once more.
Mario grabbed the two-tailed creature, who grunted gratefully. "Yeah…we can share them with Peach and the others, and they can meet each other sometimes."
Spike was absolutely speechless. He just stared off as the bros scooped the petite animals and left. He heard a small bit of their fading conversation.
"…Is Marty open now…?"
"Yeah I guess we can…"
"…Tails? That's awes…!"
"I'm pretty sure he…"
Thanks for reading! ^^ Can't wait to get started on AO3. Once again @akiiame @coffeecat1983 thanks for the idea! :D
