Seize the Day

Rated: K+

Shipping: None, never.

A/N: So, first thing's first, this one goes out to Hikareh for graduating. I kind of wrote this as a spur of the moment thing, so it's kind of rough, but I hope she appreciates it.

Evening fell at Acorn University, the new students retiring to their dorms. It had been a long day of seminars and orientations, of hopefuls getting lost through the labrynthian campus, and freshman getting hazed through bizarre and archaic rituals.

And it was here that Knuckles the Echidna found himself in his quarters, settling down for the evening for it to only for it to start all over again the next morning.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

… Or at least he was trying to.

"Could you cut it? The people upstairs probably don't appreciate that."

The addressed one, a blue hedgehog named Sonic, was on his back in his bed, stopped to blink at the rubber ball in his hand before softly setting it aside on his nightstand with a soft apology.

Knuckles sighed briefly, and returned to the idol he was meditating in front of.

Chaos is power... Power enriched by the-

"So... You really believe in that stuff?"

He took a deep breath, it was all he could do to prevent himself from groaning audibly. While his roomate hadn't said much, he still had this uncanny ability to get under his skin. Knuckles wasn't nown for his patience, but still.

"Yes, is there a problem hedgehog?"

Sonic chewed over his next phrase thoughtfully, not wanting to further provoke the red one.

"Naw... Jus' curious was all. I don't really get all that stuff about Chaos and the Gaias and whatnot."

Knuckles sighed again, uncharacteristic guilt washing over him. Ignorance... He couldn't exactly get mad at someone not exactly knowing any better. The old ways were almost completely forgotten by all in the modern world. And even with Knuckles himself, all he knew were whisperings from his long gone mother, in a language lost to all but himself.

It was this in mind that, almost without thinking, he found himself reciting that ancient psalm.

"The Servers are the Seven Chaos. Chaos is power... Power enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos."

Sonic blinked. Once. Then twice.

"I don't get it"

Knuckles simply snorted in response.

"To honest? Neither do I. Not entirely at least. That's why I'm here is to find out."

Sonic scratched his nose.

"At a College University?"

That was it for Knuckles. "Yes, at a 'College University'. You wouldn't expect me to go searching for answers at the back of a cereal box, would you?" he sneered.

Sonic furrowed his brow indignantly, "Jeeze, sorry Mr. Crabby. I just figured you woulda found something at a museum."

The red one privately admitted the blue one had a point, and found himself sighing again, "that's the problem, all I found was something. That's all that museum is good for is putting things up for display. I need more answers, and I'm pursuing a degree in archaeology to get them."

The hedgehog hummed in response.

"Makes sense."

The echidna was halfway to turning back around to return to his meditations, when a thought occurred to him.

"So why are you here then?"

The hedgehog raised his eyeridges, not expecting the question. He mulled briefly over what to say before sitting up and reaching for his phone.

"C'mere" he simply said, and the other blinked in response. He got up from where he was, to sit next to where the hedgehog was. When he was seated, both he and the hedgehog hunched over the small device, and waited as the blue one flipped through his photo gallery. When he was done, Sonic flipped the thing counterclockwise to a portrait presentation, and Knuckles took into the photo.

He was struck by the image of the same blue hedgehog, bright and smiling with his arm stretched out in what was self-evidently a selfie, with his arm draped over someone else. A fox, his brain supplied, with a more shy smile, twinkling blue eyes, on a face that betrayed just how young the other one was. He couldn't have been older than 11.

Knuckles swallowed before asking, "Who's that?"

Sonic gently took back the smartphone and returned it to where it was sitting on his nightstand.

"His name is Tails. 'Coz... Well, he's got two of them"

Two tails... Knuckles sucked in a breath. That was a pretty severe birth defect.

"He's with my Uncle Chuck now... The school won't let him graduate early. Even though he's really incredibly smart, the school won't let him out early..."

Knuckles shifted as the other one turned to slam his back against the mattress, and ruefully glare at the ceiling. He waited, doubtful that the other was finished with his rant.

And sure enough...

"... They say he's too young. Not ready for the world. Nevermind that while he's there, he's going to be all alone without his big bro there."

Knuckles had a double take there, "Big bro?"

"Mmhmm. I promised him. Promised I would always be there for him."

"And you would do anything for him."

Emerald eyes with a fire behind them turned to him with a fierce protectiveness that only Knuckles could understand.

"Damn straight."

Knuckles nodded with something resembling respect. Siblings... Knuckles was a lonely child, but even he was aware of legends that spoke of the bond of brothers.

Still though...

"That doesn't entirely answer my question though."

Sonic blinked dumbly, "huh?"

Knuckles chuckled, "Why are you here?"

"Oh. I'm here on a scholarship for running track."

Knuckles raised an eyeridge, "Oh? So those sneakers of yours aren't just for show?"

Sonic grinned sharply as a mischievous gleam entered emerald eyes, "They don't call me Sonic for nothin'"

Violet eyes rolled, "I figured that it was because you're loud and obnoxious."

Sonic barked a laugh, "Well, I'm that too!"

Still...

"So how does this connect back to your brother?"

Sonic chewed on that, before answering, "Well... I'm fast. And that can carry me through till I get my degree. Maybe I'll get lucky and I'll get noticed..."

Knuckles gestured for him to continue, "Go on."

"So, I wanna get something that pays good. I wanna be able to afford to get a good life. For me and him."

Knuckles hummed in response.

"That's as noble a pursuit as any."

Sonic turned to look at him again, "You think so?"

The echidna only nodded in response and Sonic turned back to his ceiling.

"You know... I guess you're right. It's better than being here just to get drunk and going on parties, and because your parents told you to. So what d'ya say we make a toast?"

A red eyeridge was raised. "A toast?"

"Yeah."

"With nonexistent drinks?"

"We can pretend."

"You're weird."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

They both laughed. Maybe rooming with each other wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Sure, why not?"

"Ready?" Sonic raised his imaginary glass.

"Yeah." Knuckles did the same.

"To discovering the past!"

"And to a better tomorrow!"

Sonic raised his fake drink to his lips, and Knuckles couldn't help but laugh again at how ridiculous his blue roomate was. After all was said and done, Sonic glanced at the phone on the nightstand and groaned.

"Aww geeze."

"What's up?"

"It's already like 11 o'clock"

"So?"

"Classes start at like 8."

"Oh"

They both silently agreed that now was probably the best time to go to bed. After all, it wouldn't be great if they were late to classes when the semester just started.

When all was said and done, both occupants of the dormroom had settled in their sheets, both making their silent struggles fall asleep for the night. Knuckles faced where his idol was again and thought to himself that maybe this arrangement wouldn't be so bad after all.

A/N: Hurgh, that was rough. I'd edit it, but honestly I'm so rusty that even seeing the rather blatant flaws, I wouldn't know what to do instead. But I did hit a couple milestones. For one, this is the first thing I wrote in 2 years. Yay! And for two, this is the longest singular thing I ever wrote. Yayeventhoughit'sonly1.2kwords.

Still though, definitely looking for some critique. It's rough, and I'd like some advice as to what I could do instead.

And as for Hikareh, I give my well wishes. Best of luck for your Masters!