Option 1 Completed.

Now commencing Option 2.

———

Gadget POV 3rd person 

Waking up felt like a struggle, but with sunshine clearly in his line of sight, he eventually woke up. There were cream colored walls with picture frames dancing along them and shelves lined with trophies and awards he’d won. Remembering, he won many science fairs with various inventions and had even started to learn more about his parents’, well, adoptive parents’ company. There was a lot of talk in the media about him possibly taking over, which really wasn’t his intention, but he always held a fascination with science and their creations.

Sitting up, he looked through all the happy photos along the walls, from beach resorts, to ski lodges, to day long road trips, and everyday events right here at home; smiles and love were as clear as day in all of them with his new parents and siblings.

He then glanced at the desk by his bed and saw two lone pictures in a separate pretty frames. One was an old picture of his parents. The other photo was not as ancient. Standing, he walked to the desk before taking a seat in his rolling chair and picking up one of the frames.

“...Zero.”

It was an older photo of him and his best friend slash lover at the time, Zero the Jackal, at the amusement park. He missed him everyday. The last time they’d seen each other was at the orphanage, two days before Gadget was adopted. He never told his family or anyone much about him, except they were best friends. He wasn’t sure how they’d take the lover part, so he just left those details out, and never told of him staying with Gadget at the orphanage. When asked, Gadget just told them he lived near town.

Deciding not to get emotional, he placed the frame back in its original place before standing and stretching his spine, hearing a pop or two.

Humming out in relief, he walked over to his personal bathroom to get ready for the day.

…..

The shower was nice and he felt so refreshed. Opening the bathroom door let some steam into his room, but he didn’t mind as he instantly felt cooled off.

Walking into his bedroom, he noticed something that he hadn’t earlier. For one, his window was open. It never was. The curtains were usually separated so he could see outside but the glass always remained shut because either the air conditioner or the heater, depending on the time of year, was constantly running.

Jogging across the room, he closed the window once reaching it. How in the world did it even get open? He briefly wondered if Kytra snuck in and did it to mess with him, but she knew better than to do that. And he was the only one at home right now.

Shrugging, he stepped away from the window and was heading towards his closet, until something else off caught his eye. An envelope resided on his desk that hadn’t been there before. Unsure of what to think, he approached the desk and picked up the envelope with his name on it. Carefully opening it, it revealed a train pass.

“What?”

The destination was from Metropolis, which he lived near to, to a city close to the town he stayed in the orphanage at. This shocked him. He’d been wanting to visit, as it’d been about three years since he was adopted, but his parents seemed pretty adamant about him not returning after the orphanage burned to the ground.

Because of that, he hadn’t planned on it until probably college or something since he wouldn’t feel as guilty about disobeying his parents. Now, the pass was in his grasp, just begging him to go. Not sure where it came from made him a bit nervous, but he couldn’t help feeling like he had to, needed to go.

It was currently summer vacation, and his parents were out of town for a few weeks. Kytra and Brian would normally be an issue, but the two were going to be out all day. The pass said the train would leave this afternoon. If he packed quickly, he should have enough time to catch the train.

There were no living accommodations planned, but there was that one Riverside Motel he remembered. It usually had space, so hopefully nothing changed. He also had cash from little jobs he’s done here and there for his parents at the company on him.

Coming to a decision, he made haste as he packed everything he’d need for a few days, running down the stairs and scribbling a short note for his siblings saying he’d be out for a couple days, got to his car, as he was sixteen years old and had his license, and placed his luggage inside the vehicle, and off he drove for Metropolis.

———

It felt like stream was coming off his body from the amount of heat he felt at the train station. Luckily, he was just in time and hadn’t missed his ride. Boarded the train car with his suitcase in hand, he nabbed a seat by the window, enjoying the view as the train took off shortly after.

———-

Sonic POV 3rd person 

A gentle cool breeze was the first thing out of the ordinary. Hearing the birds chirping happily was what really set the mental alarms off as his eyes flew open and he sat up. Emerald eyes saw he’d been laying beside a tree near a gorgeous lake. The view was incredible and not one that was easy to spot during the war.

Huh? Standing to his feet, he felt very aware of everything, like in real life. It felt like just a normal day, but it had to be a dream. Before waking up here, he’d been back at HQ, holding Gadget in his arms.

That made his cheeks color. 

Shaking his head, he needed to figure out where he was and how he got here. However, he wasn’t really sure where to start. Feet bounced high as he made his way up the nearest tree. 

At the top, he saw lots of nature scenery including hills and trees. Was he in the middle of nowhere? No wait, the opposite direction held what looked like a town. It wasn’t destroyed by the war and looked inhabited.

“Civilization. Good. Maybe I can figure out where I am so I can get back.”

Letting himself free fall, feet landed gracefully on the ground before speeding towards the town. Steps ceased as he read the welcome sign.

“West Sea Town? Don’t think I’ve ever been here before.”

Welp, that didn’t help.

‘May as well walk through town.’ He supposed. 

He began a leisurely stroll while taking in the sights. It had a bit of an old scenery to it along with a small town feeling, though this was definitely at least a bigger town if not a small city. Everyone left him alone which was an uncommon occurrence, but a breath of fresh air if he was to be honest.

Plucking along, his journey eventually led him to the entrance of the docks. Waves went to and fro, giving a peaceful sound to the air as seagulls sang over the water. 

“Hey!”

Hearing that voice, Sonic looked towards the source and what he saw surprised him. It was Gadget, well, a younger looking Gadget? He had the appearance of a teenager. The hedgehog saw him further down the docks.

Just as he had been about to call out to the wolf, a vice like grip covered his mouth and pulled him away. The last thing he saw was Gadget sprinting up towards... a jackal?

Then his sight went black.

You cannot be here.

He heard a feminine voice.

“Who are you?! What's going on!?” The hero demanded, “What was that I just saw?”

You have no part in this… Hm, but, he does care for you.

“What?”

You must leave. Return!

Jolting up to a sitting position, Sonic roughly panted from the sudden wake up; seeing Gadget’s room at the Resistance base. What...was that?

Warmth was felt by his side; turning to see the Rookie sleeping calmly beside him. Thank goodness. Everything was normal. Digits ran through the red fur around his ears as he took a few breaths. Things don’t usually get to him, but that whole dream experience was just weird.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Sonic slipped stealthily out of the wolf’s arms and bed before tucking him in. Even Gadget sleeping was really cute. Scar or no scar, it didn’t bother him in the slightest, but a frown formed when Gadget felt afraid to show all of his face.

Before leaving, Sonic bent down to kiss one of Gadget’s cheeks. He exited the room quietly right after and went to the main room of operations. Since there was technically still a war going on, he figured it’d be a good idea to check in after his nap and see if anything happened.

Walking in, Knuckles, who was the only one there at the time, responded, “Just in time Sonic.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Got a signal from the Sahana Desert,” Knuckles answered as he typed a few keys and brought up the exact location, “You weren’t here but we sent a squad out there around three months ago to check out a possible Eggman base. We thought they were all annihilated but the signal we got was from one of our comms.”

“So, you think someone survived all this time.”

“Dunno. Anything’s possible during war,” he shrugged, “I couldn’t find you earlier so I ended up sending out the other Sonic and Tails. Those two make a great team and I figured they’d be fine.”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. By the way, did you and the Rookie talk?”

Sonic’s muzzle brightened at the mention of the wolf, “Yeah, we did. Everything’s good.”

A pat landed on his shoulder, “Great to hear! Why would he have been mad anyway?”

“It’s nothing,” Sonic countered, “Hey, could I see Gadget’s file?”

“Again?” The echidna raised a brow, “Keep asking for it and I’m gonna start calling you a stalker.”

“Just give me the file.”

“Yes princess…”

A heated glare was shot at the Commander but he paid no mind as he nabbed a hand held device and tapped it a few times.

“Here’s his file.”

“Thanks, I’ll return this soon. There's just something I’m wondering about.”

“Which is?”

“It’s probably nothing, but if it is something, I’ll let you know.”

———-

Gadget POV 3rd person 

*snore….snore….snore*

Attention all passengers.

Gadget jumped awake from the voice over the intercom on the train.

We have now arrived to Glottal City.

This was his stop. There was no exact train to West Sea Town, but this city was only an hour away by bus, which hopefully the town still had or he’d have to find another mode of transportation. This was the city where Zero and Gadget had gone to the amusement park at.

Zero… he really hoped he’d be lucky and find him. He wasn’t not sure how he got that train pass, but he decided to take a leap of faith, and take this chance. Hopefully, it turned out for the better.

………

The bus ride felt like forever, but Gadget was excited to finally reach his destination as his feet landed on familiar ground. Luckily, the bus stop was near the Riverside Motel so he went to see if he could possibly get a room.

Of course, some things never change, and there was more than enough space. After settling into a room with a view of the ocean, he decided to go take a walk by the docks, as it reminded him of his younger times. 

Before heading out, he currently wore special technology glasses that hid his scar, and knew that if he saw Zero by any chance, having that mark show would be more beneficial, and switched to his old glasses he kept from his times at the orphanage; never having the heart to throw them out.

The breeze outside was amazing as he left the motel and walked along the docks. In the country was a similar feeling, but there was no cool wind carrying water mist in the air at his current home. A tangy fish smell hit his nostrils, and though it wasn’t a pleasant scent, it still gave an old sense of being a kid again; though some may still call him a kid now he supposed.

His steps skipped as laughter rang through the air. He felt so free, and it was amazing. It’s not like he was tied up at home and couldn’t do anything, but he’d wanted to return to this town for so long.

Being so caught up in the moment, he hadn’t noticed someone watching him, or approaching; not until he heard his name called out.

“Gadget…?”

It wasn’t loud, but he still heard it, and turned towards the source, seeing the one person he’d hoped to; Zero. 

Gold eyes widened as he started to run, and he yelled while waving, “Hey!”

Zero was taller, and more muscular than before. He definitely held the build of a seventeen year old. Handsome was not enough of a word to describe the jackal that stood not too far from him.

Seeing who was heading towards him clearly, a look of disbelief was sketched into his features. Zero balled up his fists before sprinting towards the wolf, until both of them halted in front of the other. Panting, Gadget’s hands fell to his knees, mentally reminding himself that he really needed to exercise more. 

Seeing Zero’s expression, it looked as if he saw a ghost. Maybe he was just that surprised? He wasn’t sure, but Gadget stood up straight once he caught his breath and grinned.

“Hey Zero! Long time no see.” 

Gadget then sneezed, causing his glasses to slide down his face, and making his scar more visible. Zero took in a sharp breath before lifting his hands to help adjust the wolf’s glasses while gazing deeply into the other’s eyes. Noticing the stare, Gadget couldn’t help the flush that formed.

“You’re alive?”

Well, that wasn’t what he expected.

“Um, sure am.”

“But, the fire at the orphanage…. No one made it out.”

Wait…

Gadget asked, “Did you ever get my letter?”

“...Letter?”

“Yeah, two days after the last time I saw you, I got adopted, and left a letter in the window seal in case you came back after I left.”

An expression of being stunned followed by relief quickly flashed across the jackal’s muzzle within a few second span. Eyes began to water, but no tears flowed. Instead, Gadget found himself drawn into a tight embrace; he happily returned it.

“I-I thought you died Gadget. I…” the hug squeezed more, “I’m so happy. I can’t even describe…” loosening his arms, Zero released the wolf from the arm lock before both hands cupped Gadget’s cheeks, causing him to deeply blush. Zero’s voice and face told that he was overjoyed, “I’m so glad you’re safe, my dear Gadget.”

“Z-Zero…” Gadget stammered out, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

A chuckle rumbled in Zero’s chest, “No need to be shy,” one thumb gently rubbed along a tan cheek, “I’ll help you get comfortable soon enough.”

Face completely dark, Gadget stuttered, “W-What’s that mean?!”

“Hahaha!” The wolf was completely let go of, but then one of his hands was softly held. “Hey, have you had lunch yet?”

“Lunch?” Just as that was asked, his stomach growled loudly. Gadget mumbled, “Dammit.”

Holding a humored smirk, Zero replied, “You’re still cute.”

“Shut up…” he was embarrassed again, but not for long as he saw the loving expression Zero held while looking at him. He couldn’t help that his face felt like it was on fire.

“Want to go to that cafe on the square? It was always your favorite place in town.”

Zero remembered… 

Nodding, Gadget smiled, ”Yeah.”

Walking hand in hand, the duo made their way through town, reminiscing about old times and remembering what the place had to offer. They walked by the Central Park, which was located in the middle of downtown and the town’s square. That was where the yearly town festival was held and Gadget couldn’t forget how much Zero enjoyed all the lights and festivities, which seemed to only embarrass the jackal now. It was adorable.

The two made it to the Downtown Cafe. The name wasn’t creative at all, but it hadn’t meant a thing to the wolf as he always had enjoyed their food, and really looked forward to eating there again. His body swayed a bit in joy at not just the food, but more getting to be with Zero.

After entering, they were seated quickly as it was mid afternoon at that time so it wasn’t busy. The waitress, who was a cute bear girl around their age, came as soon as they sat down and gave them their menus along with taking their drink orders before leaving to get what was requested.

Taking in the sights, the cafe had a nautical theme as ship wheels and anchor shapes danced along the walls, just as Gadget remembered. Not much had really changed. Happiness bubbled in his chest as his eyes settled back to in front of him, and noticed Zero was staring at him. His muzzle turned the color of his fur and Zero smirked.

“Here’s your drinks,” the waitress kindly placed the glasses on the table, “Are you both ready to order?”

“Oh! I hadn’t even looked yet,” Gadget fumbled as he hastily picked up the menu.

Chuckling, Zero responded, “Don’t you want the Fried Special? Unless your preferences changed since the last time we were here.”

Gadget stared at him. Zero, really remembered a lot of their time together. It was very sweet. He gave a warm smile.

“You know, I think I will have that. It has been a long time.”

“Alright,” the waitress scribbled the order in her notepad, “What about you handsome?”

Her look and tone felt as if she was, flirting with Zero a bit? It was weird to witness, and hard to swallow for Gadget as a hint of jealousy settled in. 

Zero on the other hand gave her an expression basically saying, ‘not even in your dreams’, but to make sure she got the point, he picked up one Gadget’s hands gently from the table top before lips brushed the wolf’s knuckles, causing both Gadget and the waitress to look shocked from the PDA. After the light kiss, Zero weaved his digits through Gadget’s.

“I’ll have the number two special.” Was the answer given while his gaze never left Gadget.

Scribbling roughly in her notepad was heard before she stopped off. A worried expression was seen on Gadget’s face from the events, but it was hard to think much of it as Zero continued to stare at him.

“Don’t worry. She won’t try anything, unless she wants to get fired. But I’ll take care of it if anything does happen.”

“Does that, um…” he hesitated with his next words, “Does that happen to you a lot?”

“Unfortunately,” he huffed out while crossing his arms, letting go of Gadget’s hand.

Not sure how to feel, he just responded, “I see.”

Staring him down due to that reply, Zero gave a smug grin, “Jealous?”

“N-no!” He denied too quickly, making the grin on the other’s face only grow. “I… I have no reason to be jealous.”

“Oh? And why’s that?” 

“Because we haven’t seen each other in three years, and you thought I died in the fire. If you had decided to move on during that time, I wouldn’t blame you.”

Saying those words hurt, a lot, but Gadget didn’t want to hold on to him or make him feel guilty for any reason if Zero didn’t hold feelings for him anymore. He wanted Zero to be happy, and if that meant without Gadget in the picture, even if it sucked for the wolf, he wouldn’t stand in the other’s way.

Shirt fabric was roughly grabbed before Gadget felt himself flung forward, upper body leaning over the table, and face to face with a very pissed off looking jackal.

Zero snarled quietly so no one else but Gadget would hear, “If you ever say something so stupid like that again, I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for a week. Do I make myself clear?”

Jaw hung open from the words he just spoke while his face turned red as a tomato. Getting his bearings together, he realized that might have been a stupid comment. Also, seeing as how Zero wasn’t going to let go until Gadget said something, and people started to stare… 

“C-crystal.”

His shirt was let go of, allowing him to fall back into the seat. Zero had his arms crossed and still looked pretty mad. He hadn’t meant to do that, but, he wouldn’t have been happy if Zero said those words to him either...

“Tell me,” catching Gadget’s attention, Zero still looked a bit strained, but was starting to cool off, “Tell me about your life after I last saw you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Gadget began with the orphanage and meeting the two rabbits, the couple Mr and Mrs Kola. They adopted him and when getting to his new home, explained how he also got two siblings, the pink female cat named Kytra, and the green male bird named Brian. 

“The Kola’s?” Zero questioned, while taking a sip of his drink, “Wait, do mean as in the founders and owners of Kola Corporation?”

“Yep, that’s them.”

An impressed whistle left Zero’s mouth, “That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, it’s still hard to believe sometimes. But they’ve been great parents, and so have my siblings. Too bad I didn’t bring anyone with me. I think you would’ve liked them.”

“You’re here by yourself?”

“Yep. Heh, actually, I didn’t tell anyone I came here. Just left a note saying I’d be gone on a trip for a few days to my siblings. The Kola’s are in another country so they won’t be back for awhile.”

“Where are you staying?”

“Here in town at the Riverside Motel.”

Sticking his tongue out in disgust, Zero asked, “Why there? There’s a Holton Hotel at the edge of downtown.”

“Oh really?” 

“Did you look into anything before coming here? It’s been open for a couple years now.”

“I kinda just came and hoped for the best.” Not that he had much time to do any research.

Zero facepalmed, “You idiot.”

“Here’s your food,” a different waitress came and put down the plates before leaving. The duo started to dig in.

“Are you staying at the Holton, Zero?”

Nodding, as he had food in his mouth, before swallowing and then spoke. “You should come stay with me.”

“What?”

“You shouldn’t be staying here alone. Who knows what might happen? I don’t like it.”

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

Gadget went more in depth, “Did you come with anyone?”

“Well, yes and no. I’m with a few friends but they’re in the city. They wanted to go sightseeing and I wanted to come out here, so they are staying over there until I go meet up with them.”

“That’s fun!” The teen wolf smiled, “What are your friends like?”

“A pain in the neck, but loyal…” he grumbled, “Anyway, you’re not changing the subject. You’re staying with me.”

“I already bought a room Zero.”

“So?”

“So, I’m not staying with you because I have my own room.”

“It could be dangerous stupid.”

“I already paid for the room so I’m not wasting the money moron.”

“If money is an issue I can reimburse you.”

“Damn it Zero! That is not my concern.”

“Good, you’re staying with me then.”

“You…” Gadget‘s brows narrowed, “I don’t have enough money to stay at a nice hotel, get food, and a train pass back to Metropolis. I only have cash and I didn’t bring much. Only enough for a few days.”

The jackal gave a deadpan face, “Did you plan anything at all for this trip?”

“No, not really.” 

Groaning, Zero rubbed his temple, “Okay, when I invited you to stay with me, I wasn’t expecting you to pay me anything for the room. Everything is taken care of and paid for.”

“But…”

“Please.”

Stopping all arguments, Gadget paused as he considered Zero’s request, especially that please. He seemed honestly worried for Gadget. Granted, it would be nice to stay with Zero, and not just for the nicer room, but to actually spend more time with him.

One of Zero’s hands landed on his and held it gently. The look on his face read fear and some distress. Maybe this has to do with Zero thinking Gadget died at the orphanage? He wasn’t really sure, but…

“Okay, I’ll stay with you.”

Zero gave a genuine smile, “Thank you.”

The new waitress then walked up. She saw the hand holding but didn’t seem to care as she dropped the check off.

“Oh, looks like our meals were put on the same check,” Gadget realized. “Hold on, let’s see if we can get the waitress.”

“I’ll go up there and talk to her,” Zero offered as he picked up the check and released Gadget’s hand.

“I can go with you.”

“You’re not finished eating yet,” A poke went right to the middle of Gadget’s forehead, “I’ll be back.”

“Alright.”  

It didn’t take long as Gadget finished his meal, and Zero returned, but he didn’t hold the old check or the new ones.

“Where are the split bills? Or do we just go up to the register to pay?”

“I already paid.”

“For yours. I need to pay for mine.”

“Heh, I bought lunch for both of us.” It was now Gadget’s turn to give a ‘really dude?’ expression. “Consider this our first date in three years.”

The wolf almost spit.

“Are you ready?”

“Y-yeah.”

Getting up from his seat, the two exited the restaurant.

“So, what do you want to do?” Gadget asked, “I don’t have an agenda or any particular plans?”

Zero looked at him thoughtfully, “Why did you come here?”

“To see if I could find you,” It was out before he even had time to think it through.

Gadget felt himself suddenly dragged down an alleyway, away from watching eyes and civilization, and around a corner until it was just the two of them. Zero pushed Gadget against the wall.

“Z-Zero?”

Lips slammed into his hastily while arms embraced him. Gadget’s felt his eyes automatically close as he moaned into the kiss, so happy to have Zero with him; his own arms returning the gesture.

“I missed you,” Zero spoke between lip locks as he showered kisses on Gadget’s mouth, “So much. You have no idea Gadget. My sweet, sweet Gadget.”

“Zero,” he began to feel tears in the corners of his eyes, “I missed you too. I’m so sorry I didn’t come back until now. I wanted to come sooner…”

“Shhh…” silencing Gadget with a single finger instead of with kisses so he could speak, “Don’t apologize love. We found each other. You’re alive and well,” Zero cupped one cheek, “You’re safe.”

A soft peck was put on Gadget’s nose, “Let’s enjoy the day while there’s still daylight. How does that sound?”

“Sounds wonderful Zero,” Gadget kissed Zero’s cheek, “Especially since I’ll be with you.”

They both blushed and held loving smiles towards one another.