#vector x reader

Spicy Greens

Pairing: Scourge x Reader; Jet x Reader; Vector x Reader; Manic x Reader; Surge x gn!Reader

Genre: Romance, comedy, fluff

Rating: M (Mature, +16)

Warnings: Strong sexual tension, explicit flirting, suggestive language, provocative touches.

Word Count: 5.8K

A/N: Well, I decided to gift you with not just one spicy green, but five of them! I hope you like them. Also, I decided to do a test run by placing Surge here for the first time as the central element of the scene. Let me know if it looks good and maybe if you all will want more of her in the future. I hope you enjoy it.

Scourge

The late afternoon seemed calm, the city moving slowly and without hurry, while the orange sky gradually darkened, bringing with it the night that would soon arrive.

With calm steps, you walked along the sidewalk, having just returned from your workday, determined to get home, take a good shower, and sprawl comfortably on the couch.

And your mind distracted itself with that for the moment, until you climbed the apartment steps, arriving right in your hallway. Just a few steps from home, you looked ahead and saw the green hedgehog, casually standing there with one foot propped against the wall.

He seemed comfortable there, but you didn’t know if he was just taking a moment for himself or waiting for you to get closer; Scourge was a rather annoying neighbor sometimes. Especially when it came to you.

He had his arms crossed and his quills were messy in a way you were already used to. He didn’t seem very vain about himself.

Sighing and bracing yourself for the inevitable conversation with the green pest, you started walking, looking straight ahead, avoiding eye contact, even when his blue eyes focused on you and a small smile appeared on his muzzle.

You even thought you’d manage to slip by, until, as you passed close by, he suddenly pushed off the wall and stepped in front of you.

“Let’s see…” he murmured, his words drawn out. “Home early today…”

You rolled your eyes, quickly trying to sidestep him and get around the hedgehog.

Scourge was faster, taking a step to the side and forcing you to stop abruptly.

“Move out of the way, Scourge…” Your tone came out threatening.

“Hmm…” He scratched his chin, tilting his head up as if thinking. “…Nah.” He said it with a cornered grin.

Your eyes scanned the door to your apartment. It was so close, yet his presence made it feel impossibly far.

Snorting, you crossed your arms.

“You’re in my way.”

“Correction… improvin’ your day.” He shot back, winking provocatively. “Your day must’ve been borin’ as hell.”

“And since when do you care whether my day was boring or not?” You raised an eyebrow.

The hedgehog let out a rough chuckle, stepping forward with determination, enough to drastically shorten the distance between you.

“Since ya started pretendin’ you can’t stand me…” That made you clench your fists.

“And I can’t stand you.” He burst out laughing at your words. “You think too highly of yourself for someone so dumb…”

“As if I don’t notice how ya get all jumpy ‘round me… your heart speeds up…” He slid a hand through his quills, slowly closing in on you.

You even tried to step back, until you felt the solid wall behind you, one of his hands immediately planting itself beside your head.

He leaned in as close as he could, close enough for you to feel his warmth and the scent of cheap cologne mixed with a faint musky smell.

“Relax, babe…” he said in a low, playful tone. “If I really wanted to corner ya, you’d know it… for now, I’m giving ya the chance to get outta here…” He nodded toward the open space where you could easily slip through.

Even so, you still couldn’t find the strength to flee back to your apartment, and that was what irritated you the most.

Clicking your tongue, you shoved his shoulder until he stepped back a few paces. He laughed roughly, adjusting his jacket back into place.

“You’re unbearable…”

And he flashed a wide, mischievous grin, showing his fangs.

“And yet…” He leaned in again, whispering near your ear. “Ya still haven’t left.”

Growling, you opened your mouth to snap back, but no words came out. Especially when he gently took your wrist, his thumb tracing small circles there.

“Good to know I get to ya like this…” he teased.

“Only with my patience.”

“If it was just that, you’d have punched my face already.”

“Look… I’m not that far from reaching that point…” You gave a small cornered smile too, returning his provocation. “What’s your problem today, anyway?”

“Today?” He raised an eyebrow. “Well… let’s see… I woke up with a hell of a desire to get my neighbor worked up.” He let out a mischievous laugh.

“Oh, what a noble goal for the hedgehog who does nothing with his life.” You rolled your eyes.

“What can I say? I’m a very dedicated and determined guy in the end.” He made a mockingly gallant gesture.

Sighing, Scourge stepped back a few paces again. His expression softened as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

“Look…” he continued casually. “If you wanna go to your apartment… go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

You narrowed your eyes, eyeing the hedgehog suspiciously. But then you sighed and took a hesitant step. Seeing he remained still, you dared another step.

But before you could fully go, he broke into a wide smile that made you freeze in place.

“I knew it…” he chuckled softly.

“What…?”

“That you don’t like it when I stop messin’ with ya.”

At his words, you quickly spun on your heels, facing him again.

“You’re way too full of yourself…”

“Should I point out how bad ya are at hiding when ya like attention?” he teased, winking subtly.

For long seconds, silence hung between you.

He stood there motionless, waiting for you to say something, or maybe even run back to your apartment. But you stayed. And you knew he noticed more than you wanted. It irritated you deeply that you couldn’t hide how much you enjoyed interacting with him, even though he was such a pest.

“Say it…” he murmured. “If it was… some other guy… would’ya still be like this?”

“Like what?” You raised an eyebrow, confused.

He shrugged.

“Tense… alert…” Slowly, a cornered smile lifted on his muzzle. “Interested.” You immediately felt your face heat up at his words.

“You’re overthinking it…”

“And ya think too much too…”

His hand reached out, lightly touching your chin with the tip of his index finger, lifting it until you met his deep blue eyes. With an impressive gentleness for someone like Scourge.

“If one day ya get tired of resisting me…” he said softly. “You’re gonna have the time of your life… and I don’t mean just for one night…” His voice came out hoarse and provocative as he pulled his hand back.

“In your dreams…” you scoffed.

Scourge chuckled softly, stepping away and retreating back toward his apartment door.

“Don’t worry… you’re already in all of ‘em…”

Finally with your space free, you walked back to your home, trying to hide the flush on your face and the way your heart was racing.

As you grabbed your key and tried to unlock the door, his voice sounded once more:

“And just so ya know…” he murmured, half his body sticking out of his apartment door, his gaze heated. “Ya look beautiful when you’re mad at me…”

Even so, you refused to look to the side, your hand trembling as you tried to unlock the door. But the small smile tugging at your lips was impossible to hide. And it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by him as you disappeared inside your place.

Closing the door behind you, you let out a long sigh of relief.

“That pest…” you huffed.

But even so, deep down, you couldn’t hide the veiled attraction you felt for him. Maybe someday, with enough persistence, he would finally convince you to go out with him.

But for now, you’d settle for the blush on your face and the warmth in your chest.

Jet

The day was beautiful outside, few clouds in the sky and a clear path for the airship to continue without problems.

Your footsteps echoed through the corridors as you walked toward the small warehouse to help Wave with a few things.

It didn’t take long to get there; you opened the door with a gentle push, immediately spotting the green, smug figure leaning against his Extreme Gear with a mischievous grin.

Jet had an incredible talent for turning absolutely any situation into a competition. You knew him well enough to know that, having noticed those traits since the day you decided, against all good sense, to get romantically involved with him.

“Looks like I won…” he said, chest puffed out, pride clear in his voice. He adjusted the goggles on his head, chuckling softly.

“Seriously, you took a shortcut… outside the airship just to get here before me?” you commented, crossing your arms and shaking your head in disbelief.

“It’s called strategy, sweetheart.” He shrugged. “Anyone who wastes time on normal routes also loses the race…”

“And since when were we in a race? This wasn’t a competition, Jet.” You raised an eyebrow.

He snorted, tucking the Extreme Gear under his arm and stepping closer.

“Tsk, tsk… We’re always competing in some way…”

You just rolled your eyes, looking away as he approached.

He didn’t even seem to care about Wave’s presence a bit farther back in the warehouse, counting inventory, which was the original reason you were both there.

“So, babe…” he asked softly, tilting his head. “Gonna admit I won?”

“Won what, exactly?” You laughed in disbelief.

“Your attention…” He flashed a smug grin with his beak, making your eyes widen for a moment before you snorted, letting out a short laugh.

“You know you got that a long time ago…”

“Yeah, I know…” he replied way too quickly, whispering near your ear. “And that’s exactly why I hate it when someone tries to steal you from me…” He growled softly, making you look at him, confused.

“Steal?”

He laughed derisively, placing one hand behind you against the sliding door, trapping you there.

“That guy at the market…” he murmured in an almost irritated tone. “That jerk who kept staring at you yesterday…”

“Babe…” you sighed. “He just came to ask me for some information.”

“Oh yeah? He wanted to know a little too much then…” he growled.

“You jealous?”

Jet stepped back a few inches, letting out a loud, mocking laugh.

“Me, jealous?” He placed a hand on the feathers of his chest in a near-dramatic gesture. “Never…”

You smiled briefly, now stepping closer to him to whisper.

“Then… why are you so irritated?”

His smile faltered for a moment, almost imperceptibly.

“I hate it when they try to take what’s mine…”

“Just a little possessive, huh?”

“Oh, but it’s necessary…” He brushed his beak against your cheek. “There are plenty out there who’d do anything to have you with them…”

“But I chose you… you jealous bird.” You laughed, softly kissing the chitin of his beak, making him lean into your touch.

“I just don’t trust anyone who looks at you for more than two seconds…”

“Well… I can’t really control that, unfortunately…” You slid your hands over the fluffy feathers on his chest. “Feeling calmer now? I can’t believe you’ve been stuck on this since yesterday…”

Jet huffed briefly, stepping back a little and looking at you as if weighing something, his hand slowly sliding along your waist. Suddenly, he broke into a mischievous grin.

“I’m good now… but you know what would make me even better?”

“What?” you murmured.

“A little race…” he laughed playfully. “Not bad, right?”

“You’re kidding, right?” You shook your head in disbelief.

“I don’t joke about this stuff…”

“Jet… I’m not competing just to soothe your bruised male ego… over silly jealousy…”

He growled, frustrated.

“It’s not about ego, babe…” Looking back, you noticed Wave subtly watching you both, clearly curious about the conversation.

“And how about…” Jet looked at you hopefully. “We compete to see who organizes the warehouse faster?” he suggested.

Jet’s expression lit up completely at your proposal.

“Now you’re speaking my language, babe…” he laughed, taking a few steps back and setting the Extreme Gear near some crates.

“We just need to decide the rewards, right?” you asked him.

“You got it…” he laughed excitedly. “For me… a long kiss from you would do…” he murmured softly, staring straight into your eyes and making your face warm slightly.

“And if I win?” His smile widened even more.

“Let’s raise the stakes… I’ll let you choose whatever you want…” With that, you let out a teasing laugh, a mischievous smile on your face.

“Anything, no complaints…?”

“Yes…”

“No asking for a rematch?”

“… Yeah …”

“And no bird drama?” He opened his beak to answer, but hesitated for a second before sighing.

“… Alright, I promise, no drama…”

Already laughing victoriously, you grabbed his hands and pulled him toward the shelves.

“Better get ready for your bitter defeat, then…” you teased him.

“Pfft… yeah right…”

“Someone’s gonna miss out on their victory kiss…” you laughed, watching his expression turn provocative.

“Oh, you think so?” Quickly, he grabbed your arm, pulling you against him with impressive ease.

And before you could react, he was stealing a kiss from you, savoring every second of it.

Eyes wide, you pulled away.

“You cheater!” you accused him, though your tone was still playful.

“Strategy…” he laughed.

“You’re impossible…”

“And yet…” he murmured near your ear. “You chose me…” He chuckled roughly, leaving you blushing as he moved ahead to start organizing the warehouse.

“Yeah… I chose you… unfortunately…” With a joking tone, you moved closer, picking up items to count as well.

Every day with Jet was better than the last, you were sure of that.

Vector

A gentle breeze drifted in through the open window of the Chaotix Detective Agency office. You wished the atmosphere inside were as calm as the day outside, but you knew that was almost impossible.

Mostly because of the loud, irritating singing that had been going on for hours, coming from none other than the crocodile at the central desk, his hands sliding over papers as he organized documents into order.

For a moment, you stopped typing at your computer, narrowing your eyes to observe your boyfriend from where you sat. He was clearly absorbed in the music from his headphones, not even realizing he was singing louder than any normal ear could tolerate.

Vector’s desk was a complete mess, you had to admit—stacks of coffee cups, papers scattered everywhere, pens and pencils overflowing every corner. It was good that he wanted to organize things, if only he did it quietly.

Slowly, he turned to the side, noticing you watching him, and flashed a small smile.

“I’m telling you… this next case is gonna be a piece of cake!” he said excitedly, his long tail swaying back and forth. “Smells like easy money!” He sniffed the air as if he could actually smell it.

Slowly, you raised an eyebrow, grabbing your mug and standing up to go to the coffee maker.

“Vector…” you said calmly, pouring some of the dark liquid into your cup. “You said exactly the same thing about last week’s case…” you reminded him, trying to instill some sense into him that, no matter how easy it seemed, everything depended on nothing going completely wrong.

“We solved the case, didn’t we?” He shrugged, raising both hands. You watched him with narrowed eyes.

“You… almost got arrested…” you reminded him again.

Obviously, the client from that case had given some wrong information and forgotten to mention other details, which nearly got him and Espio arrested for trespassing.

It wasn’t even worth mentioning how much work it took to prove they were undercover on a case.

“Oh, come on, those were just details… in the end everything worked out!” He flashed a wide grin, showing his fangs.

Rolling your eyes, you couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of your lips. In the end, this kind of thing had become routine for you ever since you started working with him at the agency.

Moving closer, you brought the coffee pot over, grabbing one of his styrofoam cups and pouring some for him.

Suddenly, you noticed he went quiet for a long moment, and you looked at him, curious about his reaction.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he asked, his sharp eyes clearly focusing on your thighs, very close to his chair.

“What?” you asked, even though you already knew why; your closeness had been completely innocent.

“This…” he pointed with a pen. “Standing there… distracting me…” he laughed roughly.

“Me?” you laughed softly. “Obviously not, you’re the pervert here…” you teased him.

“Uh-huh…” he crossed his arms. “And you know damn well I can’t work properly when you… get that close…” he sighed.

“Then you better focus… I work here too… deal with it…” you poked his nose with your fingertip, placing the cup of coffee in front of the crocodile as he chuckled.

You went back to the counter, setting the coffee pot down, but you clearly heard his chair creak and his heavy footsteps on the wooden floor, until you finally felt him behind you, tall and imposing.

“Well… detectives need to observe everything…” he said in a low voice. “That includes threats…”

“Threats, huh? Which ones?”

“Oh, you’re a threat to my concentration right now…” he murmured, making you laugh.

“Your problem, dear…”

“You’re right…” You gasped as you felt his hands slowly wrap around you from behind. “But I quite like that problem… should I be worried?”

Slowly, you tilted your head to the side to glance at him.

“Vector… weren’t you on an important case?”

“Yes…” He gave a mischievous half-smile. “And now I’m in the middle of something very interesting…”

But before you could answer, the office door burst open loudly. He quickly jumped aside, pretending to grab coffee too, awkwardly holding a cup upside down near the sink.

You decided not to warn him for now.

Espio appeared in the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he saw his boss looking embarrassed and strangely holding a cup like that, but he said nothing and continued.

“Vector…” he said seriously. “That client from the other day came back…” At the chameleon’s words, Vector immediately froze and tensed.

“Oh, he came back, huh…” He emphasized “he,” which made you both worried and curious.

“Yes…” Espio’s eyes flicked toward you for a moment before returning to Vector. “And he seems quite interested…”

“Interested how?” the crocodile frowned.

“He asked if the ‘pretty detective’ was available to talk…” Espio replied, crossing his arms.

Vector took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

“He asked, did he?” he growled.

Quickly, you placed a hand on his chest, stopping him from storming out to the front of the agency.

“Relax, big guy…” you tried to calm him. “Remember… he’s just a client.”

“A client who’s way too nosy…” he grumbled irritably, grinding his teeth. “Stay here, I’ll be right back…”

“Vector…” you kept your hand holding him in place.

“It’s just a precaution… I’ll handle him…” he replied, far too serious for your liking.

“Are you jealous, by any chance?” you teased him playfully.

“No!” he answered quickly, then looked away, thinking for a moment. “Maybe just a little…”

At that, you let out a brief laugh, releasing him and crossing your arms.

“Babe… you’re a famous, confident, charming detective… are you really insecure about this?” you asked, making him ponder for a few seconds.

Then he slowly sighed.

“I just… wanted to protect you…” he scratched the back of his neck.

“I can handle myself…”

“Yeah… I know…” he replied softly. “But I also like being the one who steps in before you have to…” With a small smile, you gently pulled him down to give him a peck on the cheek before heading to the front of the agency with Espio.

From the doorway, Vector leaned against the frame, watching everything from afar with eager eyes.

And the client, who already irritated him by nature, was standing there in the waiting area. When he saw you, a huge smile spread across his face and he quickly approached the counter.

He talked for long minutes, throwing you provocative looks and little smiles. Even so, it was clear to Vector how professional you remained at all times, your confident demeanor filling the crocodile with pride.

And then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, the client left, allowing you to return to the office.

Espio stood up from his desk and headed for the door.

“I’ll give you some privacy…” he murmured, quietly closing the door behind him and leaving you alone.

Vector smiled at you.

“What did he want?”

“He asked me out to dinner,” you said casually, sitting at your desk.

“And you?”

“I said what I should have… that I already had plans,” you replied simply, returning to typing. Vector looked confused.

“Seriously?”

“You bet.”

“And with who would that be? You’ve got a date already?”

“Yeah, I just set one up with a loud crocodile who snores louder than an engine and takes up two-thirds of my bed…” you joked, making him narrow his eyes and laugh.

“Oh yeah, that guy sounds nice…” he stepped closer to your desk, crossing his arms.

“Yeah… but he’s kinda jealous, you know?”

“Forgot to mention he’s only jealous when there’s a reason,” he replied. You laughed and gave him a playful punch in the stomach.

“You don’t need to be feuding with other men…”

“I wouldn’t call it feuding… I’m just making sure…” he murmured near your ear.

“Making sure?”

He leaned down, brushing the tip of his muzzle against your cheek.

“Making sure no one tries to steal my partner…” Holding your chin, he turned your face just enough for a slow, meaningful kiss. “Now… if you keep distracting me like this, I think I’ll have to close the office early…” he said heatedly.

“How irresponsible, huh?” you laughed.

“If it’s about you, I don’t care about other commitments, sweetheart…” he chuckled softly, making you blush deeply.

Working with the Chaotix really had its perks… and its great perks. And being close to Vector was definitely a benefit you loved having.

Manic

A cool, pleasant breeze drifted in through your open balcony, a light rain falling outside and making your night even more enjoyable.

Your fingers moved easily across the laptop keys as you tried to finish a report due the next morning at work, enjoying the moment’s calm to do so.

And you even thought you’d manage it—thought. Until you heard the unmistakable sound of metal outside, followed by very familiar footsteps on your balcony.

Sighing, you slowly looked back.

And as expected, there was the green hedgehog, adjusting his long quills as he casually walked into your home without even being invited, leaving wet footprints on the floor on top of it all.

When he noticed you looking, he flashed a crooked smile and chuckled softly.

“Hey… you can keep focusing there, don’t mind me!” Manic exclaimed, flopping down on the couch beside you with a huff, far too relaxed, practically invading your personal space without a shred of shame.

He craned his neck to look at your screen, raising an eyebrow.

“Hmm… dedicated, huh?”

You just sighed and went back to typing.

“What do you want now?”

“What an aggressive question…” he laughed. “Can’t I even visit my own girlfriend anymore?” he said lightly, though the crooked, mischievous smile on his face said something completely different.

Slowly, you turned your head just enough to look at him.

“You just broke into my house again just for that?” you said, a bit irritated.

“Don’t sweat the details…” he shrugged. “The door was so far away…” he said, stretching lazily.

And before you could realize it, you felt his fingers wrap around your leg, beginning to tap rhythmically against your thigh as if it were nothing.

He was being unnecessarily provocative that night, and you knew it.

“Manic…” you called him in a warning tone.

“Hm?”

“Stop,” you warned. But he only tilted his head to the side, as if he were completely innocent.

“With what?” He was really going to get on your nerves that night if he kept this up.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath so you wouldn’t lose your temper with him.

“I don’t need to explain… you already know very well…”

“Yeah, yeah… I do know…” He leaned in, whispering in your ear, his breath sending a shiver down your spine. “That’s exactly why I’m not gonna stop.”

And as if to emphasize what he had just said, not only did he not pull his hand away, he made a point of sliding it even higher.

That was enough to completely ruin your concentration. You accepted that you wouldn’t be able to finish your work, not with him there.

“You’re trying to piss me off, aren’t you?” you murmured.

“Of course not…” He smiled. “I’m just testing how long you can stay all composed like that…”

Without thinking twice, you placed the laptop on the coffee table and turned your body fully toward him.

“So let’s make a bet, then?” you whispered, watching his surprised expression slowly turn into a dangerous smile.

“Sure…” He clearly liked the idea.

Leaning closer, you were the one invading his space now, bracing one hand on the back of the couch behind his head.

“Then pay close attention…” Your voice came out firm. “Because if you keep this up, I’m going to—”

“Hmm… gonna do what?” Manic interrupted, bringing his face even closer until his nose was almost touching yours. “Kick me out? Give me a lecture? …Or maybe you wanna do… exactly what I’m thinking right now…” He chuckled low, holding your wrist and stroking it with his thumb.

And just like that, all your bravado melted away almost instantly, undone by his words and that teasing touch. When you froze in place, the green hedgehog laughed, satisfied.

“Looks like I know you pretty well, huh?”

To your surprise, still holding your wrist, he stood up from the couch and pulled you along with him.

“H-hey… Manic…”

“Relax…” he murmured near your ear as he slowly guided you down the hallway of your place. “I promise I won’t make too much of a mess…”

“I was working!”

“You used the right tense… ‘was.’ Now you can relax, ’cause you’re about to have some fun.”

“Idiot… that’s enough, I need to turn this in by tomorrow morning.” Letting go of his wrists, you slowly walked back toward your laptop.

Manic stood there for a few seconds, simply admiring the sway of your hips as you returned to the living room and sat back down on the couch.

He moved closer, leaning against the wall.

“I think you’re really attractive when you’re being all responsible like that,” he murmured playfully. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you love it when I tease you like this…” he laughed roughly.

“Oh yeah, sure…” You shook your head in disbelief. “I love it when you test my patience…”

“You bet, I love it,” he shrugged, sitting back down beside you on the couch, sprawled out and sloppy, but now seeming calmer.

For a long while, the room stayed almost completely silent, broken only by the soft sound of your breathing. The hedgehog behaved himself the whole time, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the screen as you typed.

He gave you all the time you needed to finish.

But the second you closed the laptop and set it on the table, Manic didn’t even wait a moment—he leaned toward you fast, planting an arm on each side of you on the couch, trapping you there.

“Seriously…?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“What? Don’t look at me like that… I was a gentleman and didn’t interrupt your important work.”

“You’re unbearable, you know that?”

“You forgot irresistible too,” he chuckled.

Slowly, you lifted your hands, carefully adjusting the necklace around his neck, which made the hedgehog’s smile soften, your hand lingering there longer than necessary.

“I’m not gonna encourage this behavior of yours,” you murmured.

“What? Saying I’m irresistible to you? You know it’s true, babe…”

“Unfortunately…”

He laughed softly at your words, clearly pleased, gently cupping your cheek with his hand.

“Heh… I know…” In a quick movement, he dipped his head just enough to steal a brief peck from your lips, pulling back right after, laughing with a wide grin.

Rolling your eyes, you gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

“Idiot…”

“The kind you love…”

For a while, you both stayed like that, just enjoying each other’s closeness.

“Hey… how about ordering a pizza?” he suggested playfully.

“Now?”

“Yeah, right now… you must be starving after all that work…” Chuckling, he pulled away and grabbed his phone to place the order, sitting back down on the couch.

A pizza really wouldn’t be bad at all.

“At least you know how to think of something useful…” you teased him. The hedgehog flashed a sly grin.

“I need you well-fed. You’re gonna need energy for tonight…” he laughed suggestively, enjoying the deep blush spreading across your face.

“Manic!”

That only made him laugh louder.

He really was a difficult hedgehog to deal with. But you were willing to spend every day with him.

Your eyes widened when you felt his hand lift your chin.

“Hey… sweetheart…” he said softly. “I love you so damn much.” His tone was gentle, warming your heart. “I’m proud of your work.”

There was no fighting that—nor the hedgehog you loved the most.

Surge

A cold, heavy rain poured outside, strong winds violently shaking the tree leaves. You could even hear an occasional thunderclap, even from inside your room at the Resistance base.

The worst part was that it forced you to stay locked in the room with a very bad-tempered tenrec.

That, in itself, wasn’t new—her bad mood was already something you were used to.

But on that particular day, her mood was getting dangerously out of hand. You could tell by the sparks and shimmering bolts flying off her quills as she paced back and forth in the room, huffing and grinding her teeth.

It was a looming danger—one wrong word, one unwanted move, and you could be hit with a 100MV shock. You liked your life way too much to risk it.

The crackling sounds formed bright currents of electricity running through her fur. With every snap, she cursed again, impressing you with her colorful vocabulary—though not really, since that was already expected.

You stayed more toward the corner of the room, facing a table, organizing some of your gear while pretending you were alone—even so, you kept watching her out of the corner of your eye.

“Stop looking at me like that!” Surge snapped, growling, though she hadn’t turned around yet. For a moment, you wondered if she was even talking to you or just losing it.

“Looking at you like what?” you murmured, raising an eyebrow.

She finally stopped pacing and turned to face you, blue eyes blazing with fury.

“You know damn well… that cautious look, like I’m about to explode!” She pointed an accusing finger at you.

That made you smirk, spotting the perfect chance to provoke her—even if it was risky.

“Well… I kinda think you are gonna explode… any second now…” you chuckled.

“I am perfectly under control, for your information!” She planted her hands on her hips, though her furrowed brow betrayed her completely.

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap boomed outside, shaking the room and making Surge jump in surprise, instantly embarrassed.

But the shock sent a small electric discharge flying from her quills, racing around the room and lighting it up before finding an innocent victim in one of the overhead lamps.

The bulb exploded with a sharp crack, glass flying everywhere and plunging the room into near darkness.

You almost raised your hand to jokingly point at the lamp, but Surge noticed immediately, baring her teeth.

“No! Shut up!” she snarled, clenching her fists before dropping heavily onto her bed.

Chuckling softly, you set your things down on the table and approached her—far less afraid than most would be, which was pretty much your special skill.

She turned her blue eyes toward you, giving you a wary look, uncertain of your intentions and confused about how to react to your sudden closeness.

To her surprise, you simply sat down beside her on the bed.

“Is this about the next mission?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Surge scoffed.

“I’m stressed… about a ton of crap…” she snapped. “About Eggman, this damn Resistance, this damn rain…” She paused abruptly, pointing at you and poking your chest. “About you!”

“Me?! What did I do?” You narrowed your eyes, incredulous.

“Obviously!” she growled. “You’re all calm and neat over there, organizing that stupid junk while looking at me like I’m some ticking time bomb! It pisses me off!”

For a split second, you considered telling her she actually was a lethal ticking time bomb—but you decided against it. No need to make things worse. Instead, you thought of a better way to provoke her.

Crossing your arms, you flashed a crooked grin.

“Does it piss you off? Or does it make you flustered…?”

“As if… don’t get ahead of yourself…” she snapped.

Still, it was obvious she’d gone a bit on the defensive, looking away and clicking her tongue.

“Go on… it costs nothing to admit you love it when I’m around… when I’m not scared despite all your angry outbursts…” Your voice was low, rough, and provocative.

“I’ll fry you with electricity if you don’t stop that,” she snarled.

“You can try… I’m right here, see?”

Surge only growled, standing up and resuming her pacing around the room.

“You have no fear of death… it’s almost funny,” she muttered irritably, shaking her head.

“It’s not that… I just know you’d never do that to me.” You stepped closer, stopping beside her. “After all… who else would you vent like this to, if not me…?”

Your words were whispered right into her ear, making her freeze and gasp softly, eyes wide.

“I hate you…” she muttered, fists clenched, though she felt a sting of disappointment when you started walking toward the door.

“You know that’s a lie,” you chuckled, turning the knob and giving a small wave. “I won’t be long… try not to demolish the room.” Laughing, you closed the door behind you, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

And she hated even more knowing that you were the only person she was truly willing to open up to like that.

But deep down, the bad-tempered tenrec understood that your presence made a huge difference in her life.

ray shadows/vector x fem!reader

idgaf if yugioh zexal isnt popular, youll have to pry this character away from my cold dead hands ... idk this is more oc x cannon but not really

an extremely naïve, innocent, annoying, high pitched voice having nuisance

is how vector wouldve described you at first

and hes right????????? like no offense

whilst pretending to be that non existent, loud mouth brat ray shadows, vector clung onto you like a stubborn thorn

and you didnt mind, in fact, you enjoyed the attention

much like kathy, you felt like you never really had a lot of the groups attention most of the time, as they would always skip classes to do god knows what without telling anyone

so, you clung onto him too

the two most seemingly friendly, loud, and idiotic heartland students together 24/7 what could go wrong

not much actually

you always secretly had a small hatred for yuma's friends, your supposed friends

you were always left behind, you always learnt about the exciting adventures they went on AFTER they happened

rio and shark pissed you off too, subconsciously

one thought he was too cool for anything, and the other was angry the second things didnt go her way

maybe vector -or ray, at the time- could feel your grip tighten slightly as shark groaned and complained about whatever yuma was enthusiastically talking about

he'd sneakily look down at you while you were busy starting at shark, and he flashed a smirk to himself, but wiped it off immediately

he was surprised that someone like you, so stupid and fragile and shielded, could even know hatred

he was delighted - a sinister smile replacing his usual bright one while flicking through the journal you stash in your school bag, that you had negative things to say about everyone, excluding ray

tori was too bossy, bronk was ugly, kathy was annoying, rio was spoilt, yuma was stupid, and (his favourite) shark was an ass

while he continued to flick through, he came across a small segment about ray

"ray seemed fake, a little too friendly and a little too energetic, too calculated for a dumb boy like him. but i dont mind, because so am i,"

he shrugged, whatever, and carelessly tossed the book back into her bag whilst she was still in the bathroom

he turned his attention back to the class in front of him and began to think

                       •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

here's nothing like spending time with friends, playing games and eating snacks all while cracking jokes and making each other laugh. You're very close to sonic and all his friends, so it's no surprise that you said yes to joining everyone to the party they decided having. 

(A few hours later) 

The party was going great so far but soon started to get boring after a while. It seemed like everyone had ran out of ideas on what to do. Well... All but one person, or I guess Bat. Rouge had a game idea for everyone to play, "hey guys I have a fun game we can play" she announced to everyone in the room, drawing everyone's attention and eyes on to her. "How about we play spin the bottle?" And just like that, you and everyone else at the party found themselves sitting in a circle with a bottle in the middle. Everyone took their turns spinning the bottle, all in good fun. But now, it was your turn to kiss someone. You just hope that the bottle lands on the one and only person you really wanted to kiss... 

                          •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Hello, and welcome to my sonic writing blog. You can call me Mod Silver and ask me to write anything sonic related for you. Just follow the guide lines for what I write and who I write for and what version of the characters I write for. Ask for what gender you what the reader to be, if not the default will be gender Neutral!

Plus a link to Masterlists for everyone will be provided below/soon.

I wanted to read and see the Vector yumeship, so I drew it. When he performed as Shingetsu, I thought he would call Reader Y/N-San, but when he became a Vector, wouldn't he call her as Y/N-Chan with mocking edge?

Aww I'm sorry to hear that Anon. Thanks for the request and I hope you feel better soon <3

cw. fluff, sick fic, gender neutral reader, minors DO NOT interact

Domestic Bliss

can I perhaps get a continuation of that with Espio, Knuckles and Jet trying to help their kids with homework?

Daddy Homework Part 2

Check Out: Part 1

Pairing: Tails x Reader; Knuckles x Reader; Jet x Reader; Espio x Reader; Vector x Reader; Infinite x Reader;

Genre: Fluff, comedy

Rating: G (General Audience)

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4K

A/N: Thank you for your request! I'm glad you liked part one, it really is a very cute and fun setting to write about, I added a few more characters than you asked for. I hope you enjoy it!

Tails

Early in the morning, Tails was already busy with his new inventions in the workshop. Wearing his safety goggles, he worked hard on a few small devices.

Stepping away from his project, he sighed, content and relieved, finally managing to get a moment of rest. As he turned to put his tools away, his eyes caught some movement nearby in one of the corners of the workshop.

Looking more closely, he noticed a pair of tails wagging happily from side to side, and he soon broke into a wide smile when he realized his daughter was there.

Approaching slowly, he noticed she had a schoolbook and a notebook on her lap, writing and doodling a few things on the page.

“Hey, sweetie…” he called to her, sitting down beside her. “Homework?”

The little one opened a bright smile when she saw her father and nodded.

“Yes, some math exercises,” she said proudly, continuing to write a few things.

“Math, huh? That sounds interesting. Can I take a look?” The fox’s eyes lit up. He really liked everything involving calculations, statistics, numbers in general—it was no wonder he was such a good inventor.

“Sure, here, I’m doing this one…” She pointed to the problem.

“Hmm, 3x + 5 = 20?” he read the question, narrowing his eyes and scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Of course, it was a very easy problem, extremely simple for Tails. But it seemed too simple.

“Could this be a trick question?” he murmured.

“I don’t think so, dad…” the little one replied, raising an eyebrow at Tails.

“Well, let’s make sure. Come on!” He stood up, expecting his daughter to follow him, leading her to the chalkboard in his workshop. Turning it to the clean side, he grabbed a piece of chalk and began scribbling huge formulas.

While her father kept himself busy, the little fox stared wide-eyed at what Tails was doing, somewhat unsure whether she should stop him.

She scratched her own arm, watching the formulas that were way too complicated even for her, graphs, variable tests, unknowns, hypotheses.

He looked focused as if he were planning the project of his life, writing stubbornly with a wide grin on his muzzle, his twin tails wagging excitedly.

The lab door slowly opened at that moment, revealing you there with a tray holding some snacks and juice.

“Hey guys, time for a little break…” But you stopped halfway, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the massive calculations Tails had written on the board.

Looking at your daughter, she just shrugged, also not knowing what to say.

Chuckling softly, you placed the tray on the counter and approached.

“Did your dad decide to teach you quantum physics early?” you joked, and Tails let out a small laugh as well.

“I’m just helping with homework… I believe that… I can solve this problem with…” He scribbled a few last numbers, reaching a result. “Aha! The result for this exercise is 20!” He turned around excitedly, looking proudly at you and his daughter.

You stared at the board in shock, seeing the amount of formulas that, to you, never even existed.

Clearing your throat, you held out your hand.

“Dear… may I take a look at the exercise?” you asked.

“Oh, sure!” He handed you the book, crossing his arms and watching the board he had written on.

You read the question, expecting something outrageous, but then you let out a small laugh when you saw what it really was, making Tails look confused at you.

“Tails, dear…” You laughed a little more. “The question is 3x + 5 = 20… not the formula for time travel…”

The fox tilted his head to the side in confusion, seeing his daughter nod.

“Yeah, dad… we move the five to the other side, subtract it from twenty, then divide by three… the result is 15…” the little one explained, showing him the notebook.

Tails took it and looked at the page, seeing the simple exercise that barely took three lines.

Slowly, the brightness in his expression faded, replaced by deep embarrassment as his ears drooped to the sides and he shrank a little, blushing.

His reaction made you chuckle as you stepped closer, wrapping him in a hug.

“Don’t be like that… you just overcomplicated something that was simple… no school would give a trick question like… that…” You gestured toward the board.

“I messed up…” he pouted, hugging you back.

“Relax, dad…” the little one hugged him too. “I love how smart you are… but sometimes you have to look at the simple side…”

“You’re right… Well… are there more questions like this for me to help you with? Maybe I can practice a bit and think more simply too.” He smiled with determination, the sparkle returning to his eyes.

“There are two more pages,” the little one showed him the sheets in the book.

“Perfect… let’s solve them together!” He followed his daughter, sitting down with her at the desk, ready to work through the questions.

You laughed and smiled fondly, seeing how much they had in common and how they loved spending time together as father and daughter. Leaving the juice and snacks there for them, you went back to your chores, knowing they had a whole afternoon of homework ahead of them.

Knuckles

Sitting on the steps of the Master Emerald altar, Knuckles kept his arms crossed and his eyes closed, simply holding his post as guardian for the moment.

A small rustle of grass and the sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he looked over curiously, seeing his daughter approaching with a huge book in her arms and a smile on her muzzle.

“Hey, dad!” she greeted, extending her arm to bump fists with him, which he returned.

“Hey, sweetie… what’s wrong?” He shifted a bit, making room for her to sit beside him, affectionately ruffling the spikes on her head.

“I needed help with homework… I wasn’t understanding some math questions…” She began flipping through the book, looking for the chapter.

“M-math…” he stuttered, swallowing hard, feeling a bit uneasy.

Knuckles had his own intelligence and wisdom, but when it came to math, he was completely hopeless—it was something that just wouldn’t stick in his head.

Already breaking into a cold sweat, he accepted the book from his daughter’s hands, looking at the first problem.

“Result of 3/4 + 1/4…” He swallowed hard again, not knowing what to do. For him, numbers on top of numbers were something entirely new. “Is this really math?” he asked his daughter.

“Yes… it just doesn’t make sense to me at all…” She pouted, and for a moment he felt a huge sense of relief, apparently he wasn’t the only one.

“Okay… let me think…” Scratching the back of his neck, the echidna looked around and spotted some small stones. He got up from the steps and went to sit on the grass, followed by his daughter.

Picking up a few small stones, he placed three of them, then four, and on the other side he placed one stone near four stones.

“Alright… I believe that… if we’re going to add…” He joined the three stones with the single one, then joined four with four. “Now we have four stones out of eight…” He paused for a moment, scratching his chin, thinking about how to proceed.

After a lot of head-scratching, the echidna crossed his arms and sighed.

“I never thought numbers could be this painful…” he gritted his teeth.

“What are you two doing there?” Your voice sounded nearby, making both of them jump and turn around quickly, their hopeful looks leaving you quite confused.

Quickly, Knuckles grabbed the notebook and rushed over to you, handing it to you almost reverently.

“We need help with homework…” he murmured, making you chuckle.

“You do, huh? Let me see…” Looking at the problem carefully, you nodded.

“Do you think you can teach her… and maybe me too?” Knuckles shrugged, holding his daughter’s shoulders and pulling her closer.

“Okay… I think I can show you.” You said, laughing as you sat down on the grass. “How were you doing it?”

“Daddy was using stones…” the little one said, making her father quickly avert his gaze.

“Stones, huh?” You let out a nasal laugh. “Well, I don’t think that’s the best method, we can think of something better…” you said cheerfully, clearing your throat to start explaining to the two echidnas.

Even though it was a simple moment, it was one of those simple family moments you loved so much and wouldn’t trade for anything.

Jet

Sprawled out in the living room, the hawk held the TV remote, flipping through channels looking for something that interested him, all while holding a bag of snacks in his arms, tossing a few into his beak and chewing as he enjoyed the quiet afternoon.

That’s when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a small green hawk standing in the corner of the room, watching him curiously with a book in her hands.

“What’s up, kid, what do you need?” he asked, tossing the bag of snacks onto the coffee table and sitting up properly on the couch as the little one approached.

“I have homework… are you good at math, dad?” she asked, sitting beside him and already opening the book to find the page.

“Hah, am I good at math? Sweetheart, your dad isn’t just an amazing Extreme Gear racer… I’m also blessed with impeccable intelligence!” he bragged proudly, puffing out his chest.

“Great then! Here, take a look!” She held the open page out to Jet.

The hawk took the book, analyzing it and frowning.

“The question is just 8 + 2 × 5, to find the result?” he asked, scratching under his beak.

“Yeah.”

“Alright, kid, I’m gonna give you some solid help with this, check it out…” He held out his hand, asking for the pencil, which the little one quickly handed over. Then he started scribbling on the page, doing the calculations.

It didn’t take long, and he looked at his daughter with a wide, proud smile.

“All done, see? I’ve always been good with numbers!” he laughed.

The little hawk took the book back, examining the scribbles her father had made.

“The result is 50?”

“You can be sure of it…” He crossed his arms, chest still puffed out.

“Hmmm…” She examined the answer, a bit suspicious. “Mom! Solve an exercise for me!” She called out to you, running to the kitchen, leaving Jet standing there in the living room looking foolish.

“Hey! Why ask your mom after I already solved the problem!” he shouted, getting up and heading to the kitchen too, stopping in the doorway with a frown.

You were reading a book at the table and looked up, already with a little smile at the corner of your lips.

“Well… of course I’ll help you, dear. What’s the question?” You took her book, closing yours and setting it aside. “Math, huh? Well, it seems pretty easy.”

“Of course it is! I already solved it for her!” he exclaimed, crossing his arms.

For a few long seconds, you looked at Jet’s scribbles, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Yes, I can see that you solved it… you solved it completely wrong…” Shaking your head, you laughed, watching the hawk’s expression quickly shift from confidence to shock.

“What?”

“Jet… we always prioritize multiplication!” You pointed to the book. “Two times five is ten, plus eight is eighteen, that’s the result…” you explained calmly, though you couldn’t help letting out another laugh at the look of total defeat on his face.

Apparently, his pride did this to him even with homework.

Handing the book back to your daughter, you saw her start working on the next exercises with dedication now, understanding the activity. Turning to Jet, you gave a small sideways smile.

“Relax, love, on Extreme Gear you’re still the best…”

“I beat him yesterday,” the little one said casually, making her father shrink into himself even more in defeat.

“Oof… that’s rough…” You laughed even harder, standing up and stepping closer to him. “Well, in the end, you still have me…” You gently placed a hand on his cheek, and he subtly leaned into your touch.

“Yeah... my dignity is already gone anyway... all I’ve got left is you, babe...” Laughing, he wrapped his arms around your waist, sighing in defeat, but watching his daughter working on her homework with pride.

Despite everything, he knew that at least he was fulfilling his role as a father, in the best way he could.

Espio

In the Zen garden at home, at the end of the afternoon, the atmosphere was calm and filled with silence.

Carefully, Espio was focused on pruning one of his small bonsai trees, cutting away the necessary little leaves. Sighing, content and satisfied with the result, he put the scissors away, turning and slowly approaching the table where you were, deciding to relax a bit with a good cup of tea.

Sitting beside you, he poured himself some green tea, still maintaining the peaceful, silent environment. He inhaled the pleasant aroma of the drink, bringing it to his mouth to take a sip.

“Dad!” His daughter’s sudden voice made the chameleon jump, nearly spilling the tea on himself.

Opening his eyes, he looked toward the sliding door at the entrance of the Zen garden, spotting his daughter there, notebooks in hand.

“Yes...?” he murmured.

“Can you help me with my homework?” she asked in a gentle tone, which almost immediately made him melt completely. With a small smile, he nodded.

“Of course, dear...” Gesturing toward the seat across from him at the table, he waited for his daughter to come closer. The little one ran over, placing the notebook on the table and quickly opening it to the page, turning it toward Espio.

“Here... it’s really hard.” She pointed, and the chameleon examined it. Beside him, you were busy with your own cup of tea, but always attentive to their conversation.

“A math assignment, hmm?”

“Yeah... it must be really easy for you, right? You’re a detective, after all...” She leaned on the table, waiting for her father to help.

“W-well... more or less... I know the basics...” he stammered, clearing his throat. “Let’s see... √49? To find the result of that?” He scratched his chin, thoughtful.

Borrowing a pencil from his daughter, he started scribbling in the notebook, opening his hand to count on his fingers. You were sure you saw a drop of sweat running down his forehead as he struggled with the problem.

When you noticed he was taking too long on it, you cleared your throat to draw his attention.

“Espio... seven times seven...” you murmured. He seemed not to understand at first, frowning, but suddenly his eyes widened in realization.

“Oh. Seven times seven, forty-nine!” He snapped his fingers. “So that’s it...” Even so, he couldn’t hide the slight blush that appeared on his scales, making you smile gently.

“So the square root of forty-nine is seven? I get it! That makes sense now! Thank you!” The little one seemed more excited now, quite enthusiastic, grabbing the notebook from Espio’s hand and skipping out of the Zen garden, sliding the door shut.

Once she left, the chameleon let out a long sigh he hadn’t even realized he was holding, scratching the back of his neck.

“I’m really rusty at this...” he murmured.

“Don’t worry... I’m not in the best shape either.” You shrugged. “I was lucky to remember that subject just now.”

“Thank goodness... how is it possible... we’re the adults and we can’t even help our daughter...” He chuckled awkwardly.

“You’re right...” He fell silent for a few seconds. “Should we... take a math refresher course?” he asked softly.

Espio gave a small sideways smile, laughing hoarsely.

“You read my mind...” he murmured, moving closer and wrapping an arm around your waist. “I think we just found another perfect couple activity...”

“Don’t even tell me... more tea?” you offered.

“Definitely, my love...” Lifting his cup, he accepted the tea, smiling sweetly, loving the idea of the two of you studying together.

Even though Espio had the ability to read books very quickly, that made him a bit slow when it came to math, but he was determined to change that with you, spending time together as a couple, relearning how to multiply and subtract.

Vector

In the living room, the crocodile was sprawled out on the couch, video game controller in hand as he tried to get through a particularly difficult level in the game, chewing gum and occasionally blowing a bubble with it.

Beside him, you were lying against Vector, enjoying his company while watching him die in the game for the thirtieth time, always with impressive patience, still determined to finish the level.

Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps approaching caught both of your attention, making you look to the side and see your daughter entering the living room with her notebooks.

“Hey... I need help with some homework...” the little one explained.

Almost immediately, Vector tossed the controller onto the coffee table, adjusting his posture on the couch.

“Hey, kiddo! Come here, daddy will help you, come on...” He patted the spot next to him on the couch.

The little one opened a wide smile, running over and sitting beside her father, already showing him the homework.

“Here... it’s an assignment about percentages...” She pointed.

“Hmm, percentages, huh? I love percentages, especially when it’s about money...” He laughed, nudging you with his elbow at his own joke as he grabbed a pencil to start writing.

Smiling softly, you laughed, keeping your attention on him now, curious about how he would solve the problem.

“Let’s see... what is ten percent of fifty...” He scratched his scaly chin, thoughtful. “Okay... if I’ve got fifty bucks, and I want to calculate ten percent of that...” He closed his eyes, lost in his thoughts as he calculated.

You raised an eyebrow, curious to see where he would end up.

Vector murmured quietly, doing the math in his head, until he snapped his fingers, opening his eyes excitedly.

“The result is five hundred!” he exclaimed with complete confidence, flashing a wide smile.

“Fifty-five?” you asked, crossing your arms, and the crocodile looked at you curiously.

“And it isn’t?”

“I’d really like to know how you got that, actually...” You laughed. “The problem just asks for ten percent of fifty... basically, to calculate it, you set up a rule of three, multiplying fifty by ten, you get five hundred, but then you divide by one hundred and you get just five. So the result is five...”

The crocodile went silent for a few seconds, deflating a bit after getting it wrong.

“Well... at least I got close...” He turned to his daughter. “What your mom said, kid, write that down...” He handed the book to the little one, who grabbed it and ran back to her room to finish the assignment.

As soon as she left, Vector sighed deeply.

“Hey...” You called, and he turned, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t feel bad... it’s normal to get lost with this math stuff...” You caressed his cheek.

Vector gave a small sideways smile.

“Relax, babe... I’m not upset... actually, I’m pretty proud... to have you, so smart like that, by my side...” he said sweetly, moving closer and holding your cheek too.

“It’s not that much... but thank you...” you murmured, smiling.

“Now, babe...” he said in a hoarse tone. “How about you help me get past this level in the game... I’m sure you’d beat it on the first try...” He laughed.

You blinked once, then twice, before bursting into laughter, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

“Of course... hand over the controller!”

Infinite

Once, the jackal’s life had been peaceful. Once. But now, he had deep dark circles under his fur, his coat was messy and unkempt, and his arm was starting to ache from rocking his daughter nonstop.

Infinite paced back and forth across the room, trying in vain to get the little one to sleep, but no matter how hard he tried, she stubbornly kept her heterochromatic eyes wide open, watching her father.

Suddenly, he heard two pairs of footsteps running down the hallway, and almost instantly, his ears drooped to the sides, knowing he probably wouldn’t get any rest anytime soon.

“Dad!”

“Dad!” the voices said in unison, his son and daughter stopping at the bedroom doorway.

Infinite looked at the two of them, waiting for them to say what they wanted.

“Can you help us with our homework?” his daughter asked, showing him the book, but he could barely make out the letters, as they seemed to jumble right in front of his eyes.

“Your mom can do that...” he murmured, going back to trying to rock the youngest to sleep.

“We want you! Mom’s busy with dinner...” his son said, hugging his own book.

Sighing in exasperation, he scratched the fur on the back of his neck, bracing himself.

“Alright... to the kitchen table...” he pointed, and the two little jackals dashed off ahead of him without looking back.

Following with slower steps, he reached the kitchen, seeing you standing at the stove, busy with the pots.

Sitting at the table, he waited for the two to speak.

“My assignment...”

“And mine is this one!”

“One at a time!” he exclaimed, still rocking his daughter with one arm.

“Okay, me!” the older son said, handing him the notebook. “This problem, to find 5 − (−3),” he explained, wagging his tail back and forth.

Infinite looked at it, frowning, unable to focus properly.

“And mine is this one...” his daughter handed over the notebook. “Mine is 4 + (−7),” she showed her father.

The jackal stared at the problems, frowning even more and grinding his teeth.

“What kind of school is this... you’re in the same class and they still insist on giving you different homework!” he snapped.

“I think the reason is understandable...” his son shrugged.

“Even so... they never think that parents might be tired...” he growled, grabbing the pencil to try to do something.

But before he could write, the baby girl grabbed the pencil with her strong little paws, starting to chew on it.

“Hey! You can’t bite that!” He took the pencil back, to which the little one responded with an adorable growl that made Infinite’s ears flatten back.

Infinite tried to solve the problems, but the exhaustion of taking care of his little pack weighed so heavily on him that his eyelids began to droop, the numbers blurred together, and he started writing nonsense.

After a few minutes, you finished dinner, taking off your apron and approaching.

“Any problems here, guys?” you asked, looking worriedly at the jackal’s condition.

“Dad’s about to pass out...” his son commented, crossing his arms.

“And he hasn’t even helped us yet...”

“And he didn’t play either...” the two little ones complained.

Smiling softly, you shook your head, pulling both notebooks closer to you. Holding the pencil, you looked over the problems, laughing quietly at how simple they were, promptly writing a brief explanation of how to reach the result for each of your children.

“Here... finish these in your room and then come eat dinner...” you explained to the siblings, who nodded and quickly ran off toward their room.

Sighing, you turned to Infinite, his head resting on the table, snoring softly. In his arms, the little one had finally fallen asleep too.

Laughing at the scene, you moved closer, taking the youngest into your arms, heading to your bedroom to grab a blanket and drape it over him.

Infinite was being a very attentive father to your little ones. But his life had never been like this before, and that left him exhausted. Even though these were simple things that didn’t even make you break a sweat, for him, they were challenges that completely drained the jackal’s energy.

But in the end, that was why you were together: to help each other.

Smiling warmly, you let him rest there for a bit while you put some food away for him to eat after his short nap.

Daddy Daycare Part 2

Check Out: Daddy Daycare Hedgie Edition

Pairing: Tails x Reader; Knuckles x Reader; Jet x Reader; infinite x Reader; Espio x Reader; Vector x Reader.

Genre: Comedy

Rating: G (General)

Warnings: None

A/N: Thanks for the request! And here it is, with six characters. I decided to put them all together to fulfill all the requests, and it was a fun challenge to write for each of them. I hope you like it.

Tails

When you told Tails that he would have to take care of your daughter alone for a day, a smile immediately appeared on his face. He loved spending time with the little one and had already started mentally planning all the games and educational activities they would do together.

At that moment, Tails sat on the floor of his workshop, facing his daughter. He had placed a soft rug there, where the two of them could play in a cozier spot. Turning slightly, the fox reached for a box he had brought, opening it and pulling out some board games, puzzles, crosswords, and various other educational toys and activities he had found, eager to have fun with his little copy.

"Alright, where should we start? We got lots of options, huh?" He smiled at his daughter. The little fox grinned back, looking around at everything.

"This one, Daddy!" She pointed to the Lego box near Tails.

"Ah, great choice! Let’s start by building something cool. You can even make a plane, just like Daddy." Tails scooted closer to her, tipping the open box over, letting all the pieces spill onto the rug. Her ears perked up attentively, while her two tails wagged excitedly.

As the minutes passed, everything seemed peaceful and enjoyable. They had built castles, other structures, and even small vehicles with colorful pieces. Tails constantly encouraged his daughter’s creativity, noticing how incredibly smart she was, even at such a young age.

"Alright, sweetheart, Daddy’s gonna make us a snack, okay?" The fox got up from the rug, heading to his workshop’s counter, where he had already set aside some fruits and crackers for when they got hungry. "While I get everything ready, you can keep building. I’ll be right back to see what you’ve made."

The little one nodded at him, her attention quickly returning to the pieces in her hands, delicately fitting them together. She cast a thoughtful look at the Lego pieces, glancing around as if searching for something.

Tails was preparing the plates, slicing some fruit and placing the crackers around them. That’s when his ears twitched, shifting backward. He narrowed his eyes as he picked up on the sound of what seemed like electrical sparks. But what could it be? He had made sure not to leave anything potentially dangerous near his daughter.

Turning around, the fox observed his daughter. She was still in the same spot, facing away from him, and everything seemed normal—until he heard the sound of duct tape being stretched and saw her handling something other than a toy.

Moving closer quickly but quietly, Tails watched the scene, trying to understand what was happening. That’s when his eyes widened. His daughter was carefully wrapping duct tape around some Legos, securing them tightly to what Tails deduced was an old, broken vacuum cleaner. The structure bore an uncanny resemblance to a small motor, despite being colorful and patched together with tape.

His eyes followed the setup, noticing that the vacuum cleaner wasn’t plugged in. He felt a brief wave of relief, knowing she wasn’t in too much danger.

That relief lasted until her tiny hand reached for a small button in the middle of the Legos. The bizarre machine turned on, releasing smoke, making a ridiculous noise, and even shooting out occasional sparks onto the floor.

Tails' jaw dropped as he watched the scene, even more shocked when he realized she had built a functional portable motor out of Legos using a vacuum cleaner and duct tape—all in the few minutes he had spent preparing their snack.

"Sweetheart… what are you doing?" Tails asked quietly, taking a step closer and kneeling beside her, looking at the bizarre invention in astonishment.

"Oh, I just wanted to try making a simple project, you know? But it didn’t turn out the way I wanted…" She said thoughtfully, scratching her chin as she examined her invention.

"And how did you want it to turn out?" Tails asked hesitantly, knowing the answer would probably alarm him.

"Something simple, Daddy, just an automatic generator powered by the dust buildup inside the vacuum cleaner." She said it so naturally.

"Is… is something like that even possible?" The fox asked, stunned. His daughter just shrugged.

"That’s why I’m testing it! It might lead to something!" She said excitedly, picking up some remaining vacuum cleaner parts from the floor.

Tails' jaw practically hit the floor at that. His eyes scanned every detail of the improvised contraption, mentally analyzing how she had managed to build something like that so quickly. He grabbed a screwdriver from the table and gently poked at the motor, furrowing his brow with a mix of shock and fascination.

And as he observed her two tails swaying from side to side, mimicking a gesture he himself often did when happy, while she eagerly tried to adjust the vacuum cleaner, all he could feel was deep pride for his daughter and how much she resembled him in so many different ways.

--*--

At the end of the day, you arrived home, opening the door while carrying the day’s groceries in your free hand. Immediately, your eyes landed on Tails and your daughter, sitting at the kitchen table, their yellow fur completely messy and dirty. You let out a muffled chuckle at how they interacted—Tails and your daughter had bright, eager eyes as they excitedly tinkered with pieces and screws on the table, searching for the right tools while laughing and chatting.

"Looks like you guys are having fun. I’m glad." You smiled at them, stepping into the kitchen to place the groceries on the counter. A few seconds later, you felt a tight hug around your leg. Turning, you picked up the little one in your arms.

"We were having a blast, and I gotta admit, I’m really impressed with her skills…" Tails chuckled, scratching the back of his head as he stood up to hold your hand affectionately.

"It’s no surprise, she’s really smart—just like her dad." Tails blushed slightly under his fur before letting out a soft laugh.

"But I’m serious! She even built a motor using Lego, duct tape, and a vacuum cleaner." The fox laughed as he hugged you.

"Wow… I bet you have a lot to teach her about mechanics and all that, huh?"

"For sure! And I know she’s gonna make me even prouder—I have no doubt about it."

That’s when the little one’s big blue eyes focused on Tails.

"Daddy, I can fix the Tornado for you already." She said quietly, a mischievous little grin on her face, enjoying teasing her father even at such a young age.

"N-no, sweetheart, not yet. We don’t want any accidents happening. But who knows—when you’re a little older, I’ll teach you everything about aerodynamics and propulsion. And maybe then, you’ll even get to fly your own plane…" Tails chuckled, ruffling the yellow fur on her head.

The little one giggled, curling up closer in your arms.

"And I bet I’d fly even better than you, Daddy."

Tails’ eyes widened for a second before he laughed, crossing his arms and pretending to be offended.

"Oh yeah? Then I guess we’ll have to race in the skies when you grow up to see if that’s true, huh?" He chuckled, stroking his daughter’s ear while pulling you into another hug, already looking forward to the incredible future full of inventions she would bring along with her.

Knuckles

When you had to leave for a day and leave the little red echidna with her father, you didn’t even have to think about worrying. After all, even though Knuckles was still quite clumsy at parenting, he had great protective skills, probably developed over the years he spent—and still spends—guarding the Master Emerald. This was proven even more when he nodded vehemently with a determined look at your request, assuring that nothing would happen to your daughter.

So, Knuckles crossed his arms, paying attention to his daughter on the carpet, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the surroundings. That’s when the little one stood up, walking over to the couch, trying to climb up. Knuckles' eyes immediately widened, and he rushed to her, quickly picking her up.

"Don't climb up there! It's dangerous, you might fall..." He looked at her, alarmed. The little one just raised an eyebrow.

"Dad... It's just the couch..." She said, unimpressed, already somewhat used to his protective mannerisms.

"I’ve seen plenty of grown-ups get hurt for no reason, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. Trust your old man, I know what I’m doing!" He said, placing her back on the floor and sitting beside her. "Let’s stay on the carpet, it's safer..." He muttered, watching as his daughter sighed and reached for some sheets of paper and pencils, starting to draw.

He carefully watched every movement she made and her artistic work, and then his eyes widened again.

"Wait, stop right there... You might hurt yourself with that!" He pointed at the pencil in her hand. The little one frowned.

"Dad... The pencil looks safe..." She started to say, closing her eyes.

"I don’t care if it looks safe! If there’s even a chance you could get hurt, I’m going to prevent it!" He grabbed the pencil, examining it and testing it against his arm, pressing the tip. "Way too dangerous... And this? I’ve seen people get cut with this!" He pointed at the sheet of paper.

"It's a piece of paper, and even if I did get cut, it wouldn’t even tickle." The little one said, crossing her arms. Knuckles crossed his arms too.

"I made a vow to your mother that I would keep you safe. A paper cut means I failed!"

She just huffed, standing up again and heading toward the kitchen. Knuckles watched her go and got up to follow. She held onto the chair to sit down, and the furniture wobbled dangerously, nearly tipping over. The echidna tried to stop it, rushing toward her, but in the process, he tripped on the table leg, hitting the floor with a loud thud and a huff.

"Dad!" The little one looked at him, kneeling beside him.

"I'm fine, I've been through worse." He got up while she held his hand.

"Can you at least get me a cookie, Dad?" She asked quietly, pointing to the high cabinet.

"Of course, leave it to me, kiddo." He stretched, heading to the cabinet, grabbed the small step stool, placed it correctly, and climbed up, reaching for the cookie jar. However, at that moment, he lost his balance. He managed to land on his feet before any major disasters, but then several jars and pots came crashing down on him.

The little one momentarily closed her eyes at the loud clatter of the pots raining down on him.

"Dad..?" She approached as he stood slightly hunched, rubbing his head.

"I'm fine... Heavier things have fallen on me before..." He assured her with a smile.

"There's no point in you getting all beat up just to protect me!"

"The important thing is that you're safe, kid..." He looked at her determinedly.

"Safe from what? Getting a paper cut?!"

"What matters is that you didn’t get cut, no matter how it could have happened..." He insisted, crossing his arms. The little one just sighed. He looked at her expression, frowning. "Maybe I overdid it... But only because I will never let anything happen to you. You're my little girl, and that means no one—not a couch, not a pencil, nothing—is going to hurt you while I'm around."

"Dad..." She hugged him, already knowing he wouldn’t stop there and would continue protecting her no matter what.

--*--

By the end of the afternoon, you opened the door, walking in distractedly, but then jumped slightly at the first thing you saw. Knuckles was on the couch, covered in band-aids, holding an ice pack to his head. On the floor, your daughter sat with her arms crossed, watching TV with a smug little grin.

"Should I even ask what happened here?" You approached, sitting next to him.

"I successfully protected my daughter!" He said, giving you a thumbs-up. You raised an eyebrow, looking closely at his current state.

"I literally did nothing all day..." Your daughter said.

You covered your mouth, laughing in disbelief at what had transpired.

"Knuckles... I don’t think the house has that many dangers..." You held his hand.

"The house has far more dangers than you can imagine..." He closed his eyes as you chuckled softly.

Being overprotective was an interesting trait, but you still had to teach him some boundaries about it.

Jet

When Jet heard you say that he would have to spend the day with his little daughter, a wide grin spread across his beak as he immediately started planning all the activities and competitions he would do with her—and all the ways he would beat her at everything.

He stepped onto the grass in the backyard, carrying a skateboard under his arm, making his way toward his daughter, who was sitting down watering some flower pots.

"Hey, kiddo! Wanna have a little competition with your old man?" Jet asked excitedly, crouching next to the little green-feathered hawk. She looked up at him, surprised, before a sly smirk formed at the corner of her beak.

"You think you can beat me, Dad?" she said quietly, challenging him.

"Hah! You’re getting pretty cocky, but I’ll give you a chance to prove it. Here." He placed the skateboard on the grass. "You gotta use this one—your mom would kill me if I let you ride an Extreme Gear at your age."

"Easy peasy, I could beat you with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back." The little one laughed as she stood up.

"Oh, you think you can beat the greatest of the Babylon Rogues? Now this I gotta see!" Jet said, stretching, cracking his fingers, and grabbing the skateboard.

The two headed to the street, and Jet placed the skateboard in front of him.

"Alright then..." The hawk hopped onto the skateboard, sliding a little, doing a few rounds on the street, pulling off some curb tricks—all while keeping a smug grin on his face.

"Is that all you got, Dad? If I hadn’t learned how to skate yet, I’d still do better than that." She teased. Jet narrowed his eyes, stopping the skateboard in front of her.

"Hah! Big words for someone who still needs their mom to cut their food! Alright, hotshot, show me what you got." He huffed.

"You got it!" She grabbed the skateboard excitedly, running and hopping onto it while it was still moving. Laughing, she started skating at high speed, jumping the curb, pulling off risky tricks, and even grinding the back of the skateboard along a stair rail she found.

Jet watched it all with his beak slightly open, eyes wide in shock at his daughter’s skills. Then, she zoomed past him at high speed, making him jump. The little one made another lap before stopping the skateboard right next to him.

"What’s wrong, Dad? Too old to keep up with me?" She laughed, tucking the skateboard under her arm. Jet clenched his fists.

"You’re a cheeky one, huh? Alright, I was holding back earlier, but not this time!" He grabbed the skateboard, ready to show his true competitive spirit.

"I’ll be taking a nap on the couch while you do that. Hope we don’t have to buy medicine for your back after this—it’s probably gonna hurt. Old birds shouldn’t be playing like this." She yawned dramatically, crossing her arms.

"You little—humph! Good to know you take after me, but I’m not losing to a little hawk who doesn’t even have all her feathers yet!" He smirked, preparing to compete against his own daughter.

--*--

By late afternoon, you arrived on your street and saw Jet sitting on the curb, his face resting in his palm, looking far from pleased. His feathers were ruffled and covered in dirt. You raised an eyebrow—then spotted your daughter effortlessly gliding by on the skateboard.

"Hey, Mom! Watch this trick!" She leaped into an impressive jump with the board, landing smoothly before skating over to you. She grabbed the skateboard under her arm and ran up to hug you. "I beat Dad a bunch of times today!" she said happily, laughing.

"I-I let her win, okay?! I just didn’t wanna make the kid sad!" Jet blurted out, eyes wide. You laughed, completely understanding the situation.

"Uh-huh, sure, Dad... How about we go buy something for your aching back and those loser tears in your eyes?" She shot back with a grin.

"Oh, please! If we were using real Extreme Gear, I would’ve destroyed you! This cheap comparison doesn’t count!" He stood up, crossing his arms. "Where did this kid even learn to talk like that?" Jet turned to you.

"Gee, I wonder," you snorted, pulling him by the arm. "Come on, you two, enough competing for today."

"Hmph! We’ll settle this tomorrow! Today was just a warm-up, you hear me?!" He called out to his daughter, who only smirked at him.

Jet was ridiculously competitive, and you knew that. Maybe competing with his own daughter—who was just as skilled as he was—would finally teach him a little resilience when it came to losing. For now, you were just happy watching them interact and realizing just how much your daughter was a perfect carbon copy of her dad.

Infinite

When you told Infinite that he would have to take care of the kids alone for a day, he simply crossed his arms and scoffed.

"Hah. That’s nothing. I’m the Ultimate Mercenary—taking care of my own kids won’t be a problem..."

That day, you had no other choice. You couldn’t take them with you to stand in line at the bank, so you left them with their father. Infinite wasn’t exactly the best at this, and you were sure that some wild idea was already forming in his head at the thought of having the kids under his care for a day. But you chose to trust him this time.

Infinite entered the kids’ room, carrying the youngest pup in his arms, and found his son and daughter sitting on the soft carpet, playing with little dinosaur figurines. The jackal sat down on the floor, pulling out their mini chalkboard and grabbing a piece of chalk. He began writing something, occasionally adjusting the pup in his arms before continuing. The other two remained distracted with their game. Once he finished, he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Gather around. It’s time for your lesson..." Infinite said in a deep, hushed tone.

The little ones perked their ears up, curiosity lighting up their faces. In an instant, they were sitting in front of him, tails swaying slightly. His son's heterochromatic eyes locked onto his, while his daughter’s golden eyes focused on the board. Her brow raised at what was written there, but before she could ask, their father began.

"Alright, New Jackal Squad, today we’re learning about war tactics and how to overpower enemies through strength." He gestured with his hand, clenching his fist.

"Dad, I thought this was gonna be something fun." His son’s ears drooped in disappointment.

"Yeah, Dad, couldn’t it be about dinosaurs instead?" His daughter held up her toys.

"This is important! You’re going to be part of this world’s change! You’ll be the strongest jackals in existence—unstoppable! It’s crucial to start learning early."

"We don’t wanna be the strongest, Dad. We wanna play!" His son crossed his arms. Now, it was Infinite’s turn for his ears to droop, frustrated that he couldn’t convince them.

"Just listen to the beginning at least! It’s interesting—war tactics are fundamental, even at school, to deal with kids who try to humiliate you!" He tried to reason with them, but they just frowned at him.

"Tag!" His son suddenly turned to his sister. She immediately grinned mischievously, and the two took off running around the room, completely ignoring their father.

Infinite let out an exasperated sigh, watching them laugh and chase each other. His gaze drifted down to the youngest pup, who stirred awake in his arms, looking up at him with rare, curious heterochromatic eyes.

"Looks like you’re the only one left for me to convince, my little one..." The jackal muttered before reaching into his bag and pulling out a simple plush of a black hedgehog. He held it up to the baby. "Here, now crush it! Tear it apart with your claws!" Infinite encouraged, handing the plush over.

The little one simply cooed, a tiny grin forming as his small muzzle, growing fangs peeked out. He grabbed the toy—but instead of destroying it as his father had ordered, he just hugged it, nuzzling against it while snuggling deeper into his father’s arms.

Infinite blinked, staring wide-eyed before sighing again, rubbing his temple.

"Get Daddy!" His ears perked up as his older kids suddenly charged toward him at full speed. Before he could react, his son wrapped his arms tightly around his waist while his daughter leaped onto his neck.

For a moment, the jackal froze, completely caught off guard. Then, hesitantly, his free hand reached up to stroke his son’s black fur before doing the same for his daughter.

"What? What are you doing? Is this some kind of tactic to destabilize me?!" He huffed, clicking his tongue—but he didn’t push them away.

For a minute, he let himself melt into the warmth of his children’s embrace. His fur bristled slightly, his tail wagged before he could stop it, and though he hated to admit it, he even felt a sting of tears forming from the immense affection his kids were giving him.

Then, the two little ones pulled away, laughing, sitting cross-legged in front of him while Infinite remained stunned.

"Dad, you used to live in the desert, right? Tell us what it was like!" His son asked with a bright smile, his sister nodding eagerly.

"...Well, I suppose I could tell you a thing or two..." He said, looking at his little jackals.

Infinite didn’t dwell on it much, but deep down, he had long stopped wanting revenge or to destroy the world as he once did. In truth, he had been suppressing healthier emotions for a while—ones that started when he met you and intensified the moment he held his eldest in his arms and saw his heterochromia, mirroring his father’s own unique trait.

And now, surrounded by his children, who loved him so deeply, he knew he could never be the Infinite he used to be.

--*--

When you opened the door late in the afternoon, you stepped inside, setting your bag on the table as you searched for your little family. Walking into the kids’ room, your heart swelled with warmth.

Infinite sat on the floor, his two older children nestled against him, affectionately dozing off in his lap. In his arms, he cradled the youngest pup, rocking him gently. His usual sharp expression had softened as he focused his intense eyes on his little ones.

Approaching, you sat down beside him on the floor. Infinite flinched slightly, startled that he hadn’t noticed your arrival.

"Hey... I’ve never seen you like this with them before," you whispered to him.

"...Yeah..." He muttered simply, nodding. "Hmph. I’m just... testing a new discipline method. Yeah, that’s it." He exhaled quietly, holding the pup closer to keep him comfortable. His free hand reached for your waist, pulling you closer.

Despite what he said, it was obvious what he was truly doing.

"I’m happy to see you being your best self..." you murmured.

"Tch. Best self... Not sure if I like that term. But... at least they seem to like me this way." He gave you a small smirk.

Your eyes widened in surprise—it was the first time you had seen him smile in all your time together. And the sight of his grin, his fangs subtly showing, was enough to make you melt.

You leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek before resting your forehead against his. Immediately, Infinite blushed. He was always awkward when it came to explicit displays of affection like this.

But maybe that was one of the things that made you fall for him even more.

The road ahead would be long, but at least you knew—your three little ones were the key to bringing out a side of Infinite that no one ever knew existed.

Espio

You had just left the house, leaving Espio with the responsibility of taking care of his daughter for a day. You hoped nothing would go wrong—after all, Espio was usually very focused and determined to fulfill his duties. With that in mind, you left without any major concerns.

At that moment, the purple chameleon guided his daughter to his meditation room, kneeling on the tatami mat and gesturing for her to do the same.

“Well, my child, starting today, we will begin your training to become a formidable ninja. You will learn everything you need from your father to master all the ninja arts…” he said with determination, gazing ahead at the veranda that overlooked a stylized garden full of bonsai trees. When he didn’t hear a response, he turned his head to the side, narrowing his eyes upon seeing the little girl analyzing the figure of a Shisa statue and playing with it, trying to imitate the fierce expression of the sculpted creature.

Espio let out an exasperated sigh before clearing his throat, making his daughter jump and look at him in surprise.

“As I was saying… Never mind. Your first lesson is meditation. Maintaining peace of mind is a crucial step in mastering a ninja’s camouflage…” He settled on the tatami, closed his eyes, and prepared to begin meditating, expecting her to follow suit and imitate his movements. However, suddenly, the familiar sound of creaking wood made Espio furrow his brow. He opened his eyes and glanced to the side, confused upon realizing the little one was no longer beside him.

His sharp gaze scanned the room until he spotted her tiptoeing toward the door. Espio sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before standing up.

“Freeze right there, young lady. Where do you think you’re going?” he crossed his arms. His daughter jumped slightly before coming to a complete stop, slowly turning her face toward him with a small, sheepish smile.

“I was just going to get some water, Dad…” she tried to compose herself, adjusting her posture.

Espio approached her.

“I suppose my training methods are not to your liking… Hm.” The chameleon stroked his chin, analyzing his daughter’s figure—so strikingly similar to his own. “I think I have an idea… How about we train your camouflage skills with a game of tag?”

Her eyes lit up.

“Really, Dad?! That’s way more fun than sitting on that boring tatami doing nothing!” She clenched her fists, brimming with excitement.

“Let’s see how good your skills are… If I determine that you need more training, there will be no escaping meditation.” He pointed to the tatami.

“I’ll do my best, then!” she declared, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

“I’ll count to ten. You go hide, and I’ll come find you…” He turned around, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t see where she went, only hearing her giggle and the hurried sound of her little footsteps.

Once he finished counting, Espio set out to find his daughter, scanning every corner of the house with a determined gaze. He searched through every room, checking behind the couch, under the bed, and even using a flashlight to try and reflect her camouflage and expose her location—but to no avail.

"Hmm… curious… I’ve checked every room. Where could she have hidden? I couldn’t have missed anything… Surely, I should be able to find her."

As time passed, Espio—despite being a well-trained chameleon, disciplined in maintaining composure and never succumbing to panic—began to feel a twinge of desperation. He roamed the house rapidly, growing increasingly worried. Pressing a hand to his forehead, he struggled to recall any place he had yet to check. But he had looked everywhere. So, he started going over every inch of the house again, sweeping his flashlight into every possible hiding spot—yet still, there was no sign of the little one.

--*--

You arrived home earlier than expected that day, unlocking the door and stepping inside, humming a tune. However, you froze immediately upon seeing Espio sitting on the couch with his face buried in his hands.

“Espio? Are you okay?” He lifted his face to look at you, and you were surprised by the distressed expression he wore.

“I’m so sorry… I don’t know where she is… She disappeared inside the house!” He stood up, grabbing your hands. You raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of the situation.

Suddenly, you felt a strong hug around your leg.

“Mom! I missed you!” Your daughter clung to you tightly. Espio’s eyes widened in shock, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

“What were you saying? That she disappeared?” You let out a small, amused chuckle.

“But… how?” He placed a hand on his forehead.

“Dad, I was hiding behind the living room curtain…” the little one said matter-of-factly.

Turning back around, Espio slumped onto the couch again, shoulders drooping, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Hmph… I never imagined my own daughter would be able to fool me. Impressive… but I won’t be defeated so easily.” He closed his eyes in contemplation. You chuckled, scooping up your little girl and sitting beside him.

“I bet her camouflage skills could be honed even more with your guidance, don’t you think?” You took his hand, and Espio looked at you before allowing a faint smile to form on his lips.

“You’re right… She’s still young and needs the help of an experienced ninja to refine her technique.” His determination was reignited.

It was evident that she had inherited her father’s skills, and you were certain that, with time, the two of them would become the greatest ninjas ever known.

Vector

When you told him he’d have to take care of his daughter alone for an entire day, Vector almost jumped for joy, but he held himself back, not wanting to make a scene or make you suspicious of his upcoming plans. So, he simply agreed, assuring you that he would be extremely careful with her and do everything right.

However, early in the morning, as soon as you left, Vector sat at the kitchen table with the little one, placing soda and sweets on the table. Laughing, he realized it had been a while since he’d had time alone to just be himself.

“Enjoy it, kiddo! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—we’re throwing a huge celebration today!”

The little crocodile just giggled, reaching for some chocolates and grabbing the soda bottle, opening it and pouring herself a glass.

“I love you, Daddy! Mom would never let me eat this stuff for breakfast,” she said happily, munching on her chocolate.

“Right? Just remember, we gotta clean up all the mess before Mom gets back, okay?”

She nodded, continuing to eat. Vector got up and went to the living room, returning with a portable speaker. Placing it on the table, he turned it on and cranked up one of his favorite songs. He popped a piece of gum in his mouth, chewing with satisfaction.

“This is gonna be the best party of our lives!” He leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head.

“Dad, can you grab me some chips?” she asked, her voice barely audible over the loud music.

“Leave it to me, kiddo!” He got up and opened the cabinet, pulling out a huge bag of chips. However, in the process, he accidentally knocked over a stack of expensive ceramic bowls, which crashed to the floor with a loud, shattering noise.

Both of them stared in shock at the mess.

“Those were Mom’s favorites…” the little one said, shrinking slightly in her chair.

“Relax, kiddo, I’ll fix this. She won’t even notice, and by the time she wants to use them for soup again, I’ll have already bought new ones for her.” He reassured her before quickly grabbing a broom and dustpan, sweeping up the ceramic shards.

“In the meantime, how about we move our little party to the living room? Fewer things to break over there.” He suggested, and his daughter eagerly grabbed some candy and ran to the living room, smiling.

--*--

You arrived home carrying grocery bags, pausing at the door when you heard loud music. Expected. Vector loved his music, so you didn’t think much of it. Unlocking the door, you stepped inside. The first thing that hit you was the strong smell of pizza and soda. Then, the blaring sound of the TV and the rustling of snack bags scattered everywhere.

In the middle of the couch, Vector and your daughter were sprawled out, eating pizza. Around them was a disaster zone of candy wrappers, chip bags, and crumbs covering the floor. Soda bottles were lying around, the music was still blasting, and on the TV… a horror movie—one of the most disturbing ones.

You approached them and cleared your throat. Vector jolted, nearly choking on his pizza but managing to swallow it in time.

“H-hey, you’re home early today…” he said, shrinking slightly.

“Vector… What did you do?” You spoke in a low tone—one he knew all too well, the kind that sent shivers down his spine. He quickly reached for the speaker and shut it off.

“I-I can explain…” He raised his hands in surrender, trying to weasel his way out.

“Daddy let me have ice cream for breakfast!” the little one chimed in excitedly.

Vector could only offer a sheepish smile, sweating bullets.

“You what?” You clenched your fists.

Vector immediately jumped up and ran to your side, grabbing your hands.

“I beg you! Give me a chance! I swear the house will be spotless—I’ll even scrub the ceiling if I have to! In the meantime, how about you just focus on making dinner?” He quickly guided you out of the living room, with your daughter trailing behind.

You sighed deeply, already used to his antics.

“Alright, I’ll make dinner, and you’ll clean the living room.”

Vector let out a relieved sigh, heading off to grab the broom and dustpan he had left in the kitchen earlier.

“Oh, by the way, I was thinking of making that soup tonight. Do you remember where I left those dishes I always use?” You asked, confused as you checked the cabinet and found nothing.

“Ah… You… You must’ve put them in the other cabinet…” he muttered.

“Daddy broke them earlier,” the little one casually stated.

Vector froze.

You turned abruptly, raising an eyebrow at him. But instead of getting angry, you just laughed at his completely busted expression—ratted out not once, but twice.

“WHAT?! I… ahem… Actually, it was a test! Yes, a test to see if we were prepared for household accidents! Safety first, right? Hehehe…”

“It’s fine… I bought those really cheap anyway. I’ll just get new ones tomorrow… I just really hope there aren’t any more surprises.” You chuckled.