Actions

Work Header

I Love You & I Hate It

Summary:

[ IMPORTANT UPDATE ]
THIS FANFIC IS BEING REWORKED!!! I'll add a link to the remake once it's posted. You can still read this old one if you're curious!

A regular, everyday baker in Spiral Hill Village who has a strange hyperfixation on the mad scientist trying to take over the world.

Notes:

This is a silly idea I came up with at 5am while pulling a one-nighter and decided to write it as a way to keep myself awake. This is also my first time posting here, so any critic on how I could improve my writing is greatly appreciated.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Average Bakery Day

Chapter Text

[ IMPORTANT UPDATE!!! ]
Hello! If you haven't read the summary, this fanfic is being REMADE! You may read this old version, but some things may be changed in the new one. I'll add a link once the new one is posted. Thank you <3

It was another, average day in Mobius. It was surprisingly peaceful whenever the mad doctor wasn't trying to take over the world for the thousandth time. Tangle was running around with Whisper, rambling on and on while Whisper listened quietly. Poor Jewel was dragged along with the two. But this wasn't about them, oh no. Not even close.

"Hey!" Tangle began. "The bakery has added new pastries to their menu! You wanna come visit? They have really good biscuits!" She grinned.

"That sounds nice." Whisper said, her voice as soft as ever. Jewel sighed as the three made their way into the bakery. The bakery was full and bustling of people, as it was ever. Their pastries were truly no match and everybody wanted to have a bite. The three made their way up to the counter. Tangle enthusiastically ordered before the cashier was able to finish greeting them. Jewel scolded her before ordering for the three of them.

"Coming right up." The cashier said with a smile. The girls walked to an empty table outside since the inside was completely full. The cashier had written everything Jewel had ordered in a notepad. She ripped the piece of paper out and stuck it on a board in the back. "New order!" She called out to the bakers.

"Great, as if we didn't have enough..." A brown, short-quilled hedgehog with a name tag that read "Norman" muttered as he pulled a pan full of donuts from the oven. He walked over to a shelf and placed it down to cool. He walked up to the board and looked at the piece of paper to see what was written. "Chocolate biscuits with a caramel drizzle? Ah, looks like it's Tangle again." He said. She orders the same thing every time she comes over. Everyone has already memorized her recipe.

He got started by sifting two cups of flour, one tablespoon of baking powder, and one and a half coca powder into a bowl. His co-worker was getting started on the wet ingredients. Another was working on the caramel drizzle. "I wonder why she never tries something new. I thought it was her whole shtick to like new experiences." The brown hedgehog said. His co-worker, Yolanda, laughed. "Oh, come on. Everybody has their comfort food. Besides, the only thing you order at restaurants are burgers and pasta." She nudged him. He grumbled bashfully.

"Well, I just don't know if I'll like the food I ordered and I'll waste my money..." He muttered as Yolanda turned on the mixer and poured the wet ingredients into the bowl. Norman would slowly work the dry ingredients into the mixer. "Well, maybe you should be a little more adventurous. You could learn from Tangle." She teased. Oh, if only she knew...

Once the dough was mixture was fully combined, Norman used a scooper and placed even balls of doughs onto a pan with parchment paper. Once the bowl was empty, someone took the pan and slid it into the oven. He walked over to the dish area and placed the used utensils in the warm water. He squinted his eyes at the list that was placed on the wall above the sink. "I'm on dish crew today? Man..." Norman sighed as he walked back to the kitchen to continue baking.

[A long, LONG time later.]

Most of the bakers had left and the bakery was slowly nearing it's close. Poor Norman and the others who were on dish duty were doing, you guessed it, doing dishes. The janitors were moping the floors in the kitchen. Norman reached into the warm water and hissed as he felt the heat sting his hand. He pulled out a bowl and began scrubbing it with a sponge. "Damn, my hand's turning red... This waters too hot..." He muttered. "Well, that's what we gotta do to kill bacteria. We wouldn't want the business to shut down for poor hygiene practices." His coworker, Brian, replied. Both of them sighed as they continued scrubbing and sanitizing.

Brian put the sanitized dishes onto a tray and slid the tray into the heat press. He pulled the lever as the steel box covered the tray. The machine whirred loudly as it did it's job. "Is that the last of the dishes?" He asked. Norman reached his hand into the water, wincing as his hand stung once more. When he couldn't feel any dishes, he pulled his hand back out. "No, that's all of it." He responded. Both of them sighed again, though this time in relief. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Brian said as put on his coat and left the bakery from the back door. Norman only nodded with a soft hum. He walked over to the sink and washed his hands under cool water to ease the sting. "I hate doing dishes..." He muttered.

It was Norman's turn to grab his coat and leave. He gave his boss a half-assed goodbye and walked out. Working at a bakery really wasn't as fun and cutesy as they made it out to be in the movies, huh? If he had known that, he would've pursued something else. But he supposed it was better than working an office job and typing at a computer all day. He walked down the street, looking at the sunset in the distance. His rubbed his heavily bagged eyes and yawned. He should really get better sleep, but it was always too hard too, and there was a big reason why. He walked for a good twenty minutes before arriving to his small house at the corner of the street. He was glad his workplace was so close. He hated driving. His anxiety would always tell him he was gonna crash, even when he was at a stoplight. He grabbed his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his door, opening it and stepping inside. He slipped off his shoes and hung his coat by the door.

He sighed for what felt like the millionth time today. He had a thing for sighing, didn't he?

Chapter 2: Home Time

Summary:

Norman gets some time to indulge in his 'little' obsession.

Notes:

Here we actually get into the whole 'obsession' part.

Chapter Text

Norman walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. He turned on the sink and splashed some water onto his face. He stared at his tired, baby blue eyes in the mirror for a good moment. "Man, I should really sleep more." He muttered. He grabbed the towel and dried himself off. He put the towel back on it's hanger and left the bathroom, not bothering to turn off the light.

He plopped himself down onto the couch and turned on the TV. He rarely watched TV but he always made sure to check just in case something he likes is finally on there. He hasn't gotten to that day yet. "Are you serious? This is the seventeenth rerun of this talent show! Aren't people bored yet?" He arched a brow at the screen to look at the show he landed on. He was never one for talent shows. It doesn't matter how good or bad the contestant is at something, as long as they have a sob story then they'll get the golden button. "Shit's rigged as always..." He said and turned off the TV. He would've sold this TV by now if he didn't keep it to look at the news in the morning. Sure, he could use his phone, but he preferred the bigger screen.

He stared at the clock on the wall. It read "5pm." He should probably start preparing dinner soon, but after working in a kitchen all day he's pretty tired of doing it. "I'll just have leftovers..." He said to himself. He stayed seated on the couch for a good couple minutes. "I should change before I get my uniform dirty." He thought. He stood up and stretched his back, and it cracked loudly. Maybe he should head to a chiropractor or something. He waltzed on over to his bedroom and knelt down in front of his bed. He pulled out drawers underneath and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes. He did have a closet to put them in, a walk-in closet even, but that's being used for something else. As he got out of his work uniform and into baggy pajama pants with a loose Sonic shirt. He didn't even like Sonic that much. Too cocky for his liking.

He stared at the closet for a good while. He debated going inside. He wasn't sure why, he was going to go in it anyway. He slowly walked to the door and put his hand on the knob. He looked around to make sure nobody was looking, even though he was completely alone. He slowly opened the door and turned on the light, revealing the ENTIRE ROOM was COMPLETELY covered in Eggman merchandise. Norman walked to the other end of the closet where his most prized possession was put on display- an actual motobug. It was an impressive feat for an average joe like him to get his hands on Badnik that wasn't damaged. But it was as dangerous as it was impressive, as there's no telling when the damn thing would turn on and attack him. Eggman did tend to forget about machines he didn't want anymore, so Norman didn't have that fear. He knew the man too well. He grabbed a box of wet wipes that he had on a shelf behind the motobug. He cleaned this thing everyday, so it had zero time to actually collect any dust. He just liked how shiny it was after he cleaned it.

He tossed the used wipe into a nearby garbage can and admired how shiny and new the motobug looked. "It's perfect." He whispered with a smile. He walked around and continued looking the hundreds of merchandise he's collected over the years. He grabbed his favourite Eggman figurine off of the shelf. He stared at it for a while, caressing the top of its head with his thumb. He doesn't know why he liked Eggman so much. This hyperfixation started five years ago that he can't remember. All he does remember is how he originally found Metal Sonic as a concept interesting, and he could only guess that his interest slowly shifted to the creator himself.

He was certain this hyperfixation would pass. Sure, he's had long ones before, but his longest one at the time lasted two to three years at most, never five. He would certain he'd get over it. After all, it was difficult for him to keep a regular hobby or passion without getting bored once he's wrung it out of dopamine, but for some reason this stupid Eggman fixation has yet to let him go. It didn't help that a man as narcissistic as the mad doctor makes hundreds of shirts, toys, figurines, fucking mugs, and way more of himself. Norman has bought so many of these things that he was certain that Eggman could recognize his email, address, and credit card number. He sighed, his grip tightened on the figurine. "Why... Just why did it have to be you?" He muttered.

That's the thing about hyperfixations, you can't really control them. He's tried his hardest to somehow get rid of it, finding new hobbies, listening to music genres he hasn't yet, and even tried getting into drawing even though he isn't anywhere near an artist. No matter what he does, it always come back to Eggman. When he tried finding new hobbies, he couldn't help but think "is this something Eggman would like?" When he tried to listen to music, he couldn't help but think "I wonder what genre Eggman likes." And, even with his incredibly poor drawing skills that make a toddler with crayons look like Picasso, all he wanted to draw were little doodles of Eggman. It was like Eggman was a brain eating amoeba that was slowly but surely placing more of it with nothing but thoughts of him.

Norman, in all honesty, felt like a piece of shit being so obsessed with him. I mean, imagine being obsessed with the one man that nearly EVERYBODY hates and who has also committed hundreds of unforgivable crimes. He obviously didn't support any of Eggman's actions and thinks he's a horrible person, so... Why? WHY did it have to be HIM? It'd be so much better if he was obsessed with Knuckles, or Sonic, or Shadow- or literally ANYBODY else but him. But he just had to get unlucky, didn't he? Sometimes he wished Eggman would just kidnap his family and murder them so maybe he'd finally snap out of this stupid phase. Plus, Eggman being his fixation means that he wants to talk about him ALL the time, but he was certain that if he said something remotely positive about him, he'd be tied to a pole and paraded around town by people carrying torches and pitchforks as they started his execution.

He sighed... Again. He just can't stop sighing, can he? He put the figurine back on the shelf, taking time to make sure that it's positioned the way he wants it. He turned off the light and walked out, shutting the door. "I need to eat dinner." He mumbled as he left his bedroom.

Chapter 3: Thoughs Over Cold Dinner

Summary:

Noah gets philosophical while eating lasagna for the fourth day in the row, remembering why he was interested in Eggman in the first place.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Norman was at his dining room, picking at microwaved lasagna. When he doesn't know what to make for dinner, he usually makes a huge batch of lasagna to munch on for the next couple days. This was the fourth day in a row he was eating it, and he was already getting sick of doing so. He had a stack of newspapers in front of him, specifically newspaper that had none other than Eggman on it. It wasn't exactly uncommon to see him on the news, of course, but that was a pro for him.

He had reread these newspapers multiple times, seemingly unable to get bored of them. He also liked to collect duplicates so he could cut pictures and words out so he could put them on the wall along with his posters. He wasn't very crafty so they didn't look all too great, but he tried his best anyway. He was flipping through them until a couple caught his attention. The ones from when Eggman was 'Mr Tinker.' It feels like it's been so long ago since the war and the Metal Virus. Norman had zero idea how his hyperfixation STILL didn't disappear despite the fact Eggman actually managed to take over the world and basically started the apocalypse, Maybe the whole 'kidnapping his family and murdering them' idea wouldn't work as well as he thought.

He put aside his plate and read the headline. "DR. EGGMAN HAS REFORMED INTO MR.TINKER!" Norman couldn't but groan. "Yeah, reform..." He muttered. He didn't reform, he just lost his memories. That doesn't count. He continued reading anyway.

"After the great war and Dr. Eggman was defeated, his unconscious body was found in Windmill village. Dr. Eggman appears to be experiencing a severe form of amnesia, as he does not remember any of his past crimes, or even the fast he trying to take over the world in the first place! The Resistance and law enforcement have been working together to figure out what to do with him, whether to punish him for crimes he does not remember, or to leave him be living a peaceful life in Windmill village."

Norman grumbled. "If only you knew what'd go down." He said as he placed the newspaper aside. He's heard a bunch of people talking about how Starline never should've brought back his memories and left Eggman be, but Norman doesn't agree with that. He doesn't think anybody should be kept away from their past, not even Eggman. They should be allowed to know everything so they can make an informed decision. He rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his palm. He knew that if he brought this arguement up with anyone, they'd immediately shut it down with the fact that it's Eggman. He stared up at the ceiling as he thought more about it.

Why was Eggman's first instinct when he lost his memory to be good? You'd think that someone as evil as Eggman would still act horribly whether he had amnesia or not. He didn't think Eggman was secretly good or anything, but someone's personality can't do such a big 180 just because they lost their memory. Maybe deep down the instinct is to be good and help others, but it's our experiences just change our perspectives. Now Norman was thinking even harder. How was Eggman like as a kid? Evil just doesn't come from anywhere, you know. He didn't think that Eggman had a sob story or anything, but even if he did he certainly wouldn't tell a soul as the last thing the mad doctor would want is to be pitied. But, still. Narcissism is a disorder that can develop after someone experiences some sort of trauma. But, it could also develop after experiencing too much praise and adoration as a child. Eggman had 300 IQ, after all. Imagine all the attention he got from his teachers. Or, maybe it could be genetics. But, just because someone has narcissism it doesn't mean they're a bad person-

Gosh. All this thinking was making his brain hurt. But, at the same time, it was very interesting. Norman tried to remember how his fixation started five years ago, trying to see if the memories would come back to him. He scratched his cheek and scrunched up his face.

There he was, years younger than he was now. He was on his computer, looking at information about Metal Sonic. Then, he ended up on a page about Eggman. He read through it for a while and couldn't help but begin to think. "Who is Eggman behind the persona?" He said to himself. He scratched his cheek and continued reading to the bottom. "I mean, playing Eggman must be tiring. Especially with all the planning and robot building..." He continued. "I wonder how he's like when he's just Ivo." He tilted his head. Ivo was quite the cute name for somebody so horrendous. He scrolled back up the page and looked at the picture of Eggman they had used there.

"He's... Pretty good-looking. He isn't as bad as people say he is..." He muttered. He had a thing for pudgy guys, anyway. Besides, Eggman did fit his type almost exactly. Smart, rich, tall, strong, confident, chubby- what more could he ask for? Well, maybe he could have that in a person who isn't an infamous supervillain, but life isn't always fair.

Norman shook his head, a little rose tinting his cheeks. "Ah, so that's where it started..." He muttered. He didn't realize how much he spoke to himself out loud back then. Most of it nowadays was internal monolog, probably because he was always internally judging customers when they got thirty caramel pumps in their drink and only a single pump of caffeine. He wasn't sure as to why he cared so much about who Eggman was behind the scenes. You think you have him all figured out, like he's an open book, but he's a lot more mysterious than people give him credit for. Who knows, maybe Eggman likes to crochet sweaters for chao so they don't freeze in the winter... Nah, that'd be ridiculous. He was also questioning if Eggman really wasn't that bad-looking and everybody was being judgemental simply because it was Eggman, or if his standards were really that low. He looked back at the newspaper, then his now cold dinner. He didn't have much of an appetite right now, anyways.

He stood up from his chair and pushed it against the table. He grabbed his plate and dumped the food into the garbage. "I'm so sick of lasagna..." He muttered. He washed the plate in the sink before leaving it out on a tray to dry. Most people who work in hospitality don't treat their home kitchen like they would do the workplace, but then again, most people aren't obsessed with a war criminal terrorist, so Norman is just generally an outcast. He walked back to the table and grabbed the stacks of newspapers and walked into his bedroom. He opened the closet and tucked the newspapers neatly into a drawer. While he was in there, he grabbed himself a homemade Eggman plushie. The only reason he bothered getting into sewing and making plushies was JUST to make the homemade because he was too embarrassed to actually order one from Eggman himself. That embarrassment is long gone.

He placed the plushie gently onto the bed as he pulled out a pajama shirt to go with the pajama pants he was already wearing, and a fresh pair of boxers. "Sit tight, Eggy. I'll be in bed soon." He said... To the plushie. Norman immediately cringed at himself. "God, I'm too far gone..." He mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He grabbed the shirt and boxers and walked into the bathroom to shower and go to bed for the night.

Notes:

By the way, thank you for thirteen hits! I know it's probably a small amount of hits, but then again I'm new to posting on here :,)

Thank you for the two kudos too! I legit have zero idea how anybody even found this since I don't think fanfics where a sad pathetic man is simping for the old man who fights furry teenagers on a daily basis is a very popular subject.

Once again, tysm <3

Chapter 4: Breaking News

Summary:

Norman, Brian, and Yolanda were in the breakroom before the news turned on and revealed that the mad doctor might be coming up with a new plan.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was the next day at the bakery. Every single day is busy. All the workers have to be moving on their feet, and there's no times to make delays. Of course, they got breaks throughout the day where some bakers were working while the others rested, and the cycle repeated until closing time. Norman, Brian, and Yolanda and some others were in the break room. Yolanda and Brian were as talkative as ever while Norman was quietly eating some pudding Yolanda had made the night before.

"This is pretty good." Norman spoke up. Yolanda shot him a smile. "I'm glad you like it, Norm. When you have as many legs as me, you can make things quick." She winked, shaking her millipede tail. She wasn't wrong, the gal had six arms and six legs. It's very rare you see millipede mobians around here, and even rarer seeing them working somewhere as clean as a bakery, but sterotypes be dammed. Brian, on the other hand, was a lot less exciting. He was just a regular orange rabbit. "You know, I find it funny how your name nickname is 'Norm,' but you're anything but normal. Maybe we should call you 'Abnorm.'" Brian teased with a buck-toothed grin.

Norman couldn't help the smirk tugging at his lips. "Oh, fuck off." He said, a chuckle escaping his lips. If only they knew how truly 'abnormal' he can get. Maybe they wouldn't even be friends if they knew his fixation. They are pretty close, but Norman makes sure to never let them inside his bedroom when they come over. He literally has it under lock and key, and his closet is more secure. That's the last place he'd want ANYBODY to look. He, in the literal sense, is closeted.

The TV was on in the breakroom, switched to the news channel. The reporter was just babbling on about things that the trio could care less about... Until the reporter began talking about Eggman. The second he is mentioned, all heads turned to the TV.

"Earlier this afternoon, The Resistance found evidence that the infamous Dr. Eggman is working on another villainous scheme. These are some photos that The Resistance managed to snap of the operating area, but they were unable to get too close since the robot's firing range has been significantly increased." The reporter finished. Images began fading in and out on the screen. It showed a new operating base that Eggman was building. However, because the photos were taken so high up, it was hard to make out what the robots were actually building below. Norman squinted his eyes at the screen, scratching his cheek as he tried his hardest to make out what was going on.

"Uh, Norm, you aight?" Brian said in a confused tone, breaking Norman out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized how intently he was staring at the screen, and it was definitely hard enough that both Brian and Yolanda had noticed. He rubbed the back of his neck and responded in a sheepish tone. "Uhh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just trying to see what they were doing." He mumbled. Yolanda ran a hand through his quills, making sure not to prick her hands on the sharpened tips. "Are you sure? We didn't startle you, did we?" She asked in a sweet tone.

Norman sighed. He wasn't sure what it was about the tone of voice she used, but it always made him wanna spill everything on his mind. He was glad he had stronger willpower than that. "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean it. I guess I was just too focused on the screen." He said, his body less tense. "If ya say so, but don't look at screens too hard. It'll hurt your eyes. That's why Fatman needs glasses." Brian said, playfully nudging Norman with his elbow. Norman gave him a side eye. Brian thought it was because of his teasing, but in reality it was because he called Eggman "Fatman." He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. Maybe it was because Norman himself was on the pudgier side, or maybe because he doesn't like making fun of anybody's body type, no matter how evil they are. He didn't say anything about it though. He didn't want the others giving him weird looks.

The three turned their attention back to the TV as the reporter continued.

"Because we don't have any idea on what this next plan might be, Resistance troops along with military troops will be stationed at villages to prepare others for a potential upcoming attack. Stay safe everybody, this has been SpiralNews." The news ended.

Brian and Yolanda began talking to each other about the potential coming attack. Norman wasn't really paying attention to their words, but he could make out their tones clearly enough. Yolanda, being the sweetheart she is, was pretty worried. Brian kept his tone casual as he tried assuring her that things would be okay. He could hear the mumurs from his other coworkers in the room, probably talking about this attack as well. Norman tilted his head as he got lost in thought. Ever since the war and the Metal Virus, The Resistance has made valuable effort in making sure that Mobius can stand on it's own two feet without needing Sonic to hold it up all the time. There were a lot of good improvements to the point that Sonic was slowly but surely becoming a last ditch effort in case he's needed.

He wondered how Sonic feels about this. He didn't know much about the blue blur, and he can't count the amount of times he asked a question about Sonic that was obvious to everybody else but not to him. Those moments were always very embarrassing, he could remember the way they looked at him as if he grew a second head. What he did know, and what pretty much everybody else know, is that the guy loves adventure. He lives for excitement and thrill and loves seeking out new challenges to entertain himself, even if it does get him in trouble.

"It must get tiring after a while though, doesn't it?" Norman thought to himself in his head. He couldn't imagine how tired he must've been, especially since the only way he could keep the virus at bay was by constantly moving. He could barely take a nap, or barely take any breaks. Imagine how much that weighed on the poor hero... Norman truly couldn't care less for Sonic even though he's the guy who's constantly saving the world, but he couldn't help but feel bad for him. "Maybe he is happy about this. Maybe for once he get have a break." He said in his head once more. He imagined Sonic, old and retired, relaxing on a nice summer beach drinking the finest wine, a good reward after all the work he's done for Mobius.

Everybody was broken out of their thoughts when a bell rung loudly. The boss came into the breakroom, his voice as loud and booming as ever. "Alright everybody, breaks over. It's time to get back to work." Everybody collectively groaned as they threw away food wrappers or stuffed leftovers into the fridge. Norman stood up and walked over to the sink, washing the plate that the pudding was on. "I'll leave the plate in the sink, okay?" He said to Yolanda. She nodded and smiled. "Thank you Normy."

She left with Brian. Norman couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't sure if 'Abnorm' or 'Normy' was worse... He was certain with was Normy. He'd have to talk with her about that later. He left the clean plate in the sink with all the other dishes. He couldn't help but look at the TV one more time, his thoughts once again drifting to Eggman. He was just... Standing there, staring at it, almost like he was in some sort of trance. "Ivo..." He said to himself. He wondered- would Eggman really attack Spiral Hill Village? He doubted it. There was really nothing important about it other than the Mineral Museum, and Eggman doesn't seem like the type to be interested in something like that.

He sighed. He turned around and exited the breakroom, his thoughts still full of the mad doctor.

Notes:

Yes, Yolanda is a millipede. If that's hard to envision on a Mobian, then just imagine a Mobian that pretty tall and lanky with three arms on each side and a millipede tail where the six legs are. Her colors are black and red.

Why did I make her a millipede? They're cool, that's why.

Chapter 5: Foolish Daydreaming

Summary:

Norman embarrasses himself twice.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Normon was back in the kitchen with his friends. He was mindlessly rolling out some dough for some sugar cookies as his mind wandered off elsewhere. He imagined Eggman off in his base, cackling evilly and boasting about how this is gonna be his best plan yet, and how he'll finally catch that damn hedgehog. He imagined him zooming around from panel to panel in his floating egg-shaped chair, typing science technical nonsense that he wasn't smart enough to understand, kicking his feet excitedly at the prospect of his new plan coming to thru-

"Dude! Don't make the dough too thin!" Brian's words broke Norman out of his daydream. He shook his head rapidly to regain focus, only now realizing how warm his face has gotten. "Oh, uh, yeah... Pass me the cookie cutters." He muttered as Brian passed them over. "It's not like you to daydream during work, you feelin' alright?" Brian asked as he leaned against the counter, watching as Norman placed the cookie cutters on top of the dough. "I'm fine, I'm fine, just... Thinking of the news today." Norman said, but the slight defensiveness in his tone made it obvious to Brian he was hiding something. He used a bench scraper to pick up the cut of dough and placed it on a pan with parchment paper.

"You sure? We can talk about it." Brian took the pan. Norman sighed and he rolled the excess dough in his hands to make it into a ball to roll out again. "I'm fine, I mean it." He mumbled. "Alright, if you say so." Brian decided not to push any further as he walked away to put the pan in the fridge to cool the cookies. Norman pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to forget his embarrassment. "I can't believe I got distracted like that... Ugh..." He mumbled as he sifted from powdered sugar onto the counter and the rolling pin. He began using the rolling pin and flattened out the excess dough. "Could you pass me another tray?" He asked lazily to a dog at the counter. "Oh, yeah!" They said. They quickly grabbed a tray and slid it over to Norman. He simply nodded and hummed.

He never really knew any of his other co-workers. He couldn't remember if this dog was named Petra or Celtra... What kind of parent would name their child Celtra? There's no way they-

The nametag read "Celtra."

Now he felt like any asshole.

He rolled out the dough in faster pace. What was up with him today and constantly embarrassing himself? This usually doesn't happen. Was he really that distracted by the TV? All of his co-workers seemed completely fine despite the fact Eggman might come back to cause chaos again. Has it really happened so many times for so long to the point that nobody really cares? Or, maybe they do care and they're just hiding it. Sure, Eggman tends to make a fool of himself quite often. It's hard to be afraid of the guy who constantly loses to a rebellious teen and his group of junkies. But, when Eggman really tries to be threatening, he certainly succeeds.

He put the rolling pin aside and put the cookie cutters back onto the dough, once again using the bench scraper to place the cut up cookies onto the pan. Brian came back. He took a good minute to come back, even though he was just putting cookies in a fridge. "What took you so long?" Norman arched an eyebrow as he rolled up the last of the excess dough again to make more cookies. Brian shrugged. "Got distracted talkin' with Thomas. I guess you passed it onto me." He said with a smirk as he grabbed the pan to put those cookies away too. Norman simply rolled his eyes, he had a little grin on his face. You couldn't really get mad at Brian. He had a very endearing face. Norman was sure that if he had a douchebag expression that he would've been clocked across the face by now.

Norman finished off the last of the cookies. He patted his hands, watching the powdered sugar fly off of them. "Finally, I'm done." He said to himself. All he had to do now was to wipe down the table and rolling pin. He brought the cookie cutters and the rolling pin to the dish area. Thankfully, people were already there cleaning off dishes. He handed over the cookie cutters to someone else so they could clean it as he used a wet rag to wipe off the rolling pin. Last time he thought that was the rolling pin went in the water along with the other dishes. He couldn't have been more wrong.

He walked over to the shelf that held the other rolling pins and he slid it inside with the others to dry off. He walked back to his counter and used the same wet rag to clean the powdered sugar off of the table. He looked out the kitchen window, staring at the cashier and the multiple people eating pastries. He remembered the times his parents took him to this very bakery whenever we got good grades. He remembered how real and fairylike it looked. It had personality. It's not like it doesn't have personality now, just... Not as much as it did before. The recipes have also changed to include more sugar. He asked his boss about this, and he said it was just to get more customers. Norman doesn't approve of this, but what's he supposed to do? He sighed and cracked his knuckles.

"I just hope these kids don't rot a tooth..." He muttered to himself. He walked to the dish area and returned the wet rag before heading to the order board to see what pastries he'd have to make next.

Notes:

Wrote the end of the chapter on my phone, so if it appears lackluster in any way then that's why.

Thanks for 24 hits <3

Chapter 6: Why Did It Have To Be You?

Summary:

Norman experiences shame.

Chapter Text

Norman was back at home after a tiring day at work, but he was tired everytime he came home from work, so it was nothing new. He was sitting on his couch, the homemade Eggman plushie tucked under his arm. He was once again flipping mindlessly through the channels on TV, the ticking of the oven in the background as frozen onion rings were heating up in the oven.

He couldn't help but continue thinking of the news that afternoon. He kept assuring himself that Eggman wouldn't attack or come to Spiral Hill Village because there's nothing he could want... But, then again, Windmill Village was the first one he attacked during the Metal Virus, even though the people there had nursed him back to health during his amnesia riddled stay. He didn't need a reason to do the things he did. He just did them.

Norman looked back down at the plushie tucked under his arm, but turned away. He couldn't bear looking at it. Not with knowing what kind of man Eggman actually was.

He may have wanted to know who Ivo actually was underneath the Eggman persona, but that doesn't make him any less Eggman. He has still done the things he's done, and there's no sob story or secret soft side that could ever make Eggman redeemable. Even if Eggman did start doing good things, he would still be impossible to redeem. He could donate to charity thousands of times and rewrite the school system, but it won't change the millions of times he thought summoning an eldritch horror beyond human comprehension was a good idea.

He looked down at the Eggman plushie again. He grabbed it with both hands and stared down at its face. "Why... Just why did it have to be you?"

He's asked himself that multiple times. It's not like he would ever get an answer, especially not when asking a soft plushie. He ran his thumb over the felt glasses, one circle slightly bigger than the other. It's nose was slightly tilted to the side. The red coat was a bit off color and he couldn't find the correct texture for the gloves, so they were fluffy compared to the rest. He could've used fluffy felt for the mustache.

Norman slowly stood up and walked into his bedroom. He stopped in front of his closet, staring at it for a good moment. He opened the door and walked inside. He placed the plushie on the shelf along with the others. He didn't think he could sleep with it tonight.

He left and shut the door.

Chapter 7: Unanswered Questions in a Sunny Morning

Summary:

Norman has so many questions, but no answers to them. At least he fan spend some time with his friends.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The silence of the morning was broken by an alarm clock beeping loudly. Norman groaned and slammed the clock so hard he almost broke it. He hissed and rubbed his hand. "Ugh, ow..." He mumbled. He slowly sat up and looked out the window, watching as the sun rays lit up his room. He rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming in. He definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

He stood up and stretched. He rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed his moka coffeemaker and opened it up. He set it under the sink and filled it up with warm water. Once it was full, he grabbed it from the sink then filled it up with coffee powder. He closed the moka and turned on his stove top, setting it on top.

While the coffee was brewing, he walked over to the couch and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV and setting it to the news channel. He listened to the reporter ramble for a moment before turning around and using the TV as background noise. He walked into his bathroom to get himself ready for the day.

He turned on the sink and splashed his face with cold water. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, squeezing a glob onto the bristles. He wet the toothpaste under the sink and began brushing his teeth. He stared at his sleepy eyes in the mirror. "I look like shit." He thought. He spit into the sink and washed off his toothbrush.

He grabbed the mug he left on the counter and filled it up with water. He took a sip and gargled before spitting into the sink again. He set the mug aside before staring at himself into the mirror again. He sighed as he stared at his reflection. He was gonna have to get his quills clipped down soon. They were getting too sharp and were sticking out at random directions. He ran his hands through his quills to try to flatten them down... Only for them to stick back up again. He grumbled in annoyance as he left the bathroom.

A couple minutes later, Norman walked out of his bedroom in full uniform. He didn't bother making his bed. His bed hadn't been made in weeks. He didn't see a reason to do it. The moka was wheezing on the stove top. He grabbed it and poured himself a cup of coffee. He set the moka aside on the counter and turned off the stove top. He used to add sugar and cream to his coffee, but not anymore. He doesn't know why. There were lots of things he used to do that he dropped out of nowhere. Maybe this is what it feels like to turn thirty.

He took a sip of his coffee and turned his attention back to the TV. The reporter was in the middle of recapping the whole "the resistance and military troops are going to be stationed at villages" from yesterday. He narrowed his eyes at the TV. They must really think this situation is important for them to report on it twice, and he couldn't blame them. He took a long gulp of his coffee and set the empty cup down into the sink that was full of dishes he hadn't washed from yesterday.

He walked over to the couch and turned the TV off. He walked over to the door and grabbed his coat. He slipped it on and shoved his keys into his pocket. He slipped on his work boots and opened the door and exiting his house. He made sure he locked the door twice. He walked on the sidewalk and watched the cars zoom by and the clouds moving in the sky. He stared at the other citizens walking by, talking and laughing with their friends or chatting on the phone.

He ran his hand through his quills again and turned his attention back to the sidewalk in front of them. He couldn't believe how easy it was for Mobius to get back on its feet after the Metal Virus. Don't people have PTSD or something? There has to be some sort of lasting effects. He had noticed how people tend to huddle together, especially friends and family. He also noticed that the cleanliness had increased two times. I guess there was a lasting effect after all.

Still, it didn't make much sense to him that there's no old men rocking in wheelchairs as they warily recount the stories of when the apocalypse came. Were they being blissfully ignorant? Did they have good money and talking about it with a therapist? He didn't know. It wasn't any of his business anyway.

He stared up at the sun, squinting his eyes as the light burnt them. He wasn't sure how he felt living in a world where the goddamm apocalypse can happen and people can recover as if nothing happened. Has Mobius really been threatened by Eggman for so long that this has become the norm? Should it be a good thing that this was a norm? He had so many questions, but never was never a person that could answer them.

He look looked back in front of him. He rubbed his eyes as they still stung. He should know better than to stare at the sun like that. He felt like the smartest person in the room and the dumbest person in the room at the same time.

He arrived at the bakery and walked inside, the bells hanging about the door jingled. "Hey Norm, glad to see you're as early as ever." Brian said. He was sitting with Yolanda at a table. The two were eating bagels. He could tell Yolanda made them because she always used food coloring to make the dough pink.

"It's good to see you guys too." Norman said. He sat down with the two, and Yolanda offered him a bagel. "Here, have some. It's sourdough so it's gut healthy." She smiled. Norman smiled too as he took the bagel. "Thank you." He said as he took a bite.

"Doesn't it get tiring baking all day at work then doing the same at home?" Brian asked with a mouthful of bagel. Yolanda chuckled. "Not at all, I love baking. That's the reason I started working here in the first place." She responded. Norman tilted his head for a moment before saying; "Maybe one day we should open our own bakery together. Then we won't have 'boss' bothering us all the time."

Brian looked at Norman thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. Do you think just the three of us could handle an entire bakery?" The trio hummed before Yolanda came up with an idea. "How about we rotate? Someone works at the cashier while the other two work on the back." Norman and Brian both went "oohhh."

"Besides, we're gonna hire people overtime." Norman shrugged as he took another bite of his bagel. "Yeah, that's true." Brian said. Him and Yolanda were getting deep on conversation while Norman quietly watched. He didn't mind not bring part of it, he was pretty quiet. He liked listening to the two talk like he was watching a podcast. The other two didn't seem to mind either.

Norman looked down at his bagel. The news from yesterday was still bothering him. He looked up from his food and at the other two, asking in a soft voice: "Are you guys worried about the news from yesterday...?"

Yolanda and Brian paused. She gave Norman a somber look. "A little." But him and Brian knew she was more than little worry. Yolanda was the only person he knew that was visibly shaken up by the Metal Virus.

"I'm not too worried." Brian said. "Besides, Sonic and The Resistance will take care of it, right?"

Notes:

I wrote this in math class. I'm thinking of adding pictures of Yolanda, Brian, and Norman so you guys know what they actually look like.

Chapter 8: They're Here Already?

Summary:

The Resistance was making moves a lot faster than people thought they would.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was a little later in the afternoon, and Norman was making some apple fritters. He hated this recipe because his hands got tired from grating the apples so much. Thankfully Thomas was there to help him do it. They were both grating apples into a large bowl. Another co-worker that he had forgotten the name of and couldn't bother reading the name tag of was getting started on the dry ingredients, putting one and a half cups of flour, one tablespoon of sugar, and two teaspoons of baking powder into a separate bowl with a pinch of salt.

Norman couldn't brush off this uneasy feeling creeping up his spine despite the fact nothing was happening. For some reason, his mind was still mulling over the news. He wasn't sure why. It wasn't like him to overthink or worry about something, even he tended to forget how much of a threat Eggman was because of how long he's been at this 'take over the world' shtick. Now that Norman thought about it, he felt kind of bad for Ivo. He's been at this for so long and has experienced countless failures and humiliation... Maybe he needed someone to talk to.

Norman cringed at himself. That was so corny. Him needing someone to talk to won't change anything... But, he does think everyone should be allowed to talk about their feelings when they're struggling. He was sure that Eggman's mental health would significantly improve he got a therapist or something. A therapist... Norman could use that. Maybe a therapist could help him get over this stupid thing because he's tried countless times by himself with little to no success.

He just now realized he grated the apple to the core, so he chucked it into the garbage. He looked at the kitchen window, then squinted his eyes to look at the windows that showed the street. His eyes widened in surprise. "Are those... Resistance soldiers?" He asked out loud, though he hadn't meant to. Thomas turned to him with a confused look. "Resistance soldiers? Where?" He asked. Norman looked a little embarrassed and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Outside on the street... Look." He replied. Thomas leaned over the table and squinted his eyes to stare out the bakery window. "Huh... You're right. There are Resistance soldiers out there." He said in a surprised tone. The co-worker he forgot the name of followed suit. "Didn't the news come out yesterday?" The unnamed worker asked, empathizing the word 'yesterday.'

"Yeah, Miki... Just yesterday..." Thomas replied. Ah, so their name was Miki, got it. Norman scratched his cheek as he noted that in his head, his brows furrowed as he got lost in thought. "I guess they're being quick about it. They don't wanna make the same mistakes they did when the... Metal Virus happened." Thomas said, his voice hesitant when he said the words 'Metal Virus.' Maybe Norman was wrong. Maybe it did actually affect everyone, they were just incredibly good at hiding it. He would've preferred if people were more open about it, though. Maybe it'd help them get over it faster. Miki sighed and cracked their knuckles. "Yeah, I can see why they'd think any mistakes is life or death. Last time it almost was." The three sighed in unison.

"Hey! Could you three hurry up on the apple fritters? We can't leave the customers waiting." A voice called out, breaking the three out of their moment. "Oh, yeah! We'll get to it." Thomas said. The three got back to making the apple fritters. They were now quiet as they continued making the recipe, the atmosphere was still a little tense. For the first time in what felt like forever, Norman didn't feel alone when he was with someone who wasn't Yolanda or Brian. It felt weird, but nice... Even if that unity was caused by the fear that something was going to go wrong.

Notes:

This chapter is a lot shorter than the others because I didn't want to drag it out. Also felt like mentioning this here, but whenever I write "Norman scratched his cheek" when he's thinking, it's completely purposeful. Just saying this because I thought people would think I meant to say "chin" lol

Anyway, thanks for reading <3

Chapter 9: Fear and Comfort

Summary:

It's sad to be scared in your own home, but that's what Norman has his closet for.

Notes:

Yes, I wrote this in math class again.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was around 5:32pm right now. Norman was in his kitchen, frying some brussels and ham for dinner. Even though he was out of that candy-colored uniform that got dirty way too easily because of the light colors and was in the comfort of his own home, he still had that eerie feeling from earlier. He couldn't tell if he was still nervous or now annoyed at how long it's persisted. The TV was on in the background so he had some background noise. It was flipped to the news channel, replaying the same footage from earlier this morning. He doesn't know why he's doing this, he was certain that it was part of the reason he was so anxious.

He turned off the stovetop and let the food sizzle in the pan. He walked over to the TV and stared at the screen, fidgeting nervously with his fingers as the pictures of Eggman's new base flashed on the screen. He hadn't read the newspaper this morning, surprisingly enough. He walked over it when leaving his house and only noticed it when he got back. He should get it over with.

He walked over to the kitchen counter where he had left it. He broke the plastic that was keeping it in a perfect roll and unfolded it. The headline read "THE RESISTANCE HAS LOST ACCESS TO DR. EGGMAN'S NEW BASE." Norman arched an eyebrow. He walked over to his dining table and sat down to read.

"The Resistance has tried to take more photos of Eggman's base to release to the public, but the entire area is covered by a metal dome. The robots are still guarding outside, therefore there's no way to see if it's destructable." It read. Norman couldn't help but arch his brow again at the word 'destructable.' Was that even a word? Whatever, it doesn't matter. He was tapping his foot against the floor as he reread the article over and over again.

Everything felt like it was going so fast. The news broke out just yesterday, yet there were already Resistance troops stationing at local villages, and Eggman was already hiding his bases from the public eye so they're unable to properly prepare. Time was moving too fast. He wished there was a stop button so he could take a moment to process it all.

Norman reached up and wiped sweat off of his forehead, now realize how nervous he had gotten. "Ugh... I need a shower." He muttered. He looked over his shoulder at the food still in the pan, then out of the window as if something would be there. He sighed. He hated feeling unclean. He always felt so disgusting, even if it was something as simple as sweat. "I'll just microwave the food if it gets cold..." He mumbled to himself as he stood up and headed to the bathroom.

 

Norman exited the bathroom, the steam spilling out into his bedroom. He was in a fresh pair of Pajamas. He was now pretty hungry, but for whatever reason he couldn't bring himself to go back outside into the kitchen. He was still anxious. He looked at the closet, knowing his only comfort was in there. He sucked up his pride and slowly walked over to it, making sure to look around so nobody was watching. Even though, once again, he was completely alone. He grabbed hold of the knob and turned it, opening the door and walking inside.

He shut the door behind him. He walked over to his precious motobug on display. He had forgotten to clean it yesterday, which was unusual for him. But it's fine, it was only a day. He grabbed the box of wet wipes and began cleaning it so it could look shiny and new again, like the first day he had found it. Once it was clean, he chucked the used wipe into the garbage.

He put the wipes back on the shelf and stared blankly at the motobug. He cupped it's face and began studying it's features.The big eyes, the large wheel on the bottom, and the two blades it has for hands. For being a Mobini kidnapping robot, it was pretty cute. He flipped it upside down, though with much effort as it was pretty heavy. He studied the bottom and could see the wires and systems inside through small gaps. He was curious if touching them would do anything, but he didn't want to ruin his prize. Maybe it could be useful for the futute? He wasn't sure. He didn't think he'd get into any Badnik fights soon. He flipped it back upside up.

Norman never had much interest in technology or robots, but he could name every single Badnik Eggman has made, and even their different models. Everytime he's seen a Badnik in public, he's always called it out by the exact name and model. This has always given him funny looks. He says that he can just tell, but he knows the truth. He just hoped that nobody else knew the truth or ever found out.

His friends always tell him how honest and blunt he was, but in all honesty, he was the biggest liar be knew. He didn't like to lie, especially to his friends, but he feels like he has no choice. What would they think of him? Would they tell other people? Everyone? Would theh turn him in? He doesn't know why they would, he hasn't committed a crime. But, maybe they think he's secretly working with Eggman and that's why he likes him so much.

But that still didn't make any sense. He wasn't smart enough to work with Eggman, and he wasn't strong either. Sure, he did have a psychology from back in college, but he never used it. He retook college and went with hospitality instead. Eggman doesn't seem like the type to care much about psychology anyway.

He sighed. He laid down on the floor, staring up at the light. He had stuck a bunch of those stars that glow in the dark onto the ceiling. He had slept in this room when days have gotten overwhelmed and he truly needed a break from it all. Sticking the stars was a pain, though. His neck hurt a lot from having to crane it upwards.

He looked over at the shelf where his plushies were on. He stood up and walked over to it and grabbed the homemade one, hugging it tightly. It was weird that Eggman was his comfort and his fear at the same time. But he supposed that everybody has coped in worse, weirder ways before. He stood there for a couple minutes, just hugging the plush with his eyes closed. He slowly opened them and walked over to the closet door, opening it and exiting. He shut the door a little harder than he meant to. He walked out of his bedroom and back into the kitchen, the plushie still in his hands.

He placed a mat on the table, along with a napkin, a spoon and a fork, an empty cup. He grabbed his water jug from the the fridge and set it on the table as well. He served him a bowl of rice, brussels, and ham. He set the plate on the table

He sat down, picked up his spoon and began eating. He had his plushie in his other hand, which sat on his lap. He kicked his legs like a little kid as he enjoyed his meal.

Notes:

This note exists to explain where Mobians get meat (at least in my hc)- most of the meat on Mobius is vegan. It's more nutritious than the vegan meat irl (no offense to anyone who eats it of course) so Mobians still get the things they need. The meat that isn't vegan is gotten by 'Mobinis' (like Flickys or Porkys) who don't have the same human intelligence that regular Mobians do and are more like the animals we got irl.

I have no idea why someone would actually read this but your welcome for the random lore lol

Chapter 10: Anxiety, Anxiety, When Will You Leave Me Alone?

Summary:

The anxiety is too much, so Norman has to take the day off.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was another average day at work... At least, it should've been. Norman's nerves were back at it again, and Brian and Yolanda could tell. He'd been very quiet this morning, even more than he usually is. He told them he hadn't read the newspaper this morning, which wasn't normal for him as the only times he doesn't read it is because he forgot or didn't find it. He didn't even turn on the TV. He had been tapping his foot against the floor and fidgeting with his fingers, things they knew he only did when he was nervous.

The two were watching Norman make meringue, his foot tapping against the ground once more, and his hands were a little shaky. "Is he still worried about the news?" Brian asked in a hushed tone. "I think so..." Yolanda began, "He's a lot more nervous than he usually is when he hears Eggman might attack again. I wonder what that is..." She said. The two mulled over this.

They never understood how Norman felt about Eggman. Sometimes he'd be pretty nonchalant about an upcoming attack, still worried, sure. But nonchalant nonetheless. Other times, he all fidgety and nervous like this.

"We've been friends for what, two years? And we still can't figure 'em out..." Brian said as he played with his curly whiskers. "Oh, don't be like that, Brian. We know Norman well. Eggman is being secretive right now, so maybe he thinks he might be planning something big. I don't blame him, because I think so too." Yolanda said with a sigh. She patted Brian's shoulder. "We'll have to talk to him during break hours. I'm sure he'll open up to us." She reassured.

"Y'know what? You're right." Brian nodded. "We should get back to work before big boss gets mad at us for slackin'." He said with a small grin to lighten up the mood. It worked, because Yolanda smiled too. "Hmm, you're right. Let's go." And the two got back to their working stations.

.
.
.
.

Norman was in the break room, tapping his foot on the floor once more. He was sitting down at a desk, his elbow resting against the table while cupping his chin in his palm. He was staring intensely at the TV. It was playing that stupid talent show that kept getting rerun. Though, he wasn't actually paying attention to the screen. Just staring really hard at the middle.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yolanda's voice broke him out of his trance. He shook his head and turned to look at her, seeing that Brian was there too. "Oh, um, yes. I'm okay." He said, but he was clearly lying. Brian shook his head and crossed his arms, his ear twitched. "No, man. You're not okay. We can read you like a book. What's bothering you? Talk to us. We won't judge." He said, his tone stern, yet understanding.

Norman sighed. He felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. He rubbed his temple. "It's just... Everything feels like it's moving too fast. This started happening just two days ago, but there's Resistance troops already here... And Eggman is being oddly secretive- and it just isn't like him, you know? He's loud and flashy, he loves being dramatic and theatrical. He doesn't work in the shadows, he-"

He paused as he realized they were giving him a funny look. He was talking about Eggman like he was a friend of many years. He shook his head and sighed again. "Look, there's just a lot going on, and I don't feel very good." He finished. He rested his arms on the table and buried his face in them, letting out a tired groan.

Yolanda gave him a somber look. She skittered over to Norman and put a hand on his shoulder, massing it in a soothing matter. "It's okay, I understand. I'm worried too. But, I don't think you're in a state to work. I think you should go home and take the day off. Maybe a couple days if you're still stressed out." She said in a soft tone.

Norman slowly lifted his head up from his arms. "The day off?" He asked, sounding confused. He hadn't taken days off for his mental health before, just for his physical health, and he rarely got sick so that wasn't a common occurrence either.

"Yeah, man! A break! I'm sure ol' big boss Bruce would understand." Brian said in an encouraging tone, uncrossing his arms and doing an exaggerated gesture and giving him a smile. Norman only grumbled in response, and Brian's grin faltered. "Oh, come on. Bruce will understand, I promise." He said.

Norman went quiet as he pondered. He had never talked with his boss before. Just regular good mornings and goodbyes at the start and the end of his shift. Those few times he got sick, he'd never spoken to him in person and just sent him emails. Bruce sounded friendly through those emails, but you never know how someone is feeling through a screen. He took a deep breath an exhaled. "Alright, I'll talk to him..." He muttered.

Wolanda gave him a smile. "We'll see you tomorrow then."

.
.
.
.

"You need a mental health break?" Bruce asked, his voice loud and booming as usual. It was weird knowing that it was a Buffalo that owned a bakery. It was basically a bull in a China shop. Norman was screaming at himself internally at how much of a stupid idea this was. He regretted everything. "Yes, sir... I need some time for myself. I've been very stressed out these past two days." He said. The two of them for quiet for a moment and Norman's embarrassment got worse.

"You have been acting fidgety." Bruce began. "If there's really something wrong, then you can leave no problem. The last thing I want is someone stressing out over an employee." He finished. Norman's eyes widened. It was that easy? Brian was right, Bruce let him after all. "Thank you, sir." He said, wiping sweat off of his forehead. "No problem, take care of yourself." Bruce said as he grabbed a stack of papers and clipped them together.

Norman turned around and left the office, whatever tension he had in his body now gone. He walked over to the backdoor and grabbed his coat. He saw Yolanda and Brian in the kitchen, so he made sure to wave goodbye before he left. "Take care of yourself, man." Brian said. Norman nodded with a small smile and left.

It felt weird leaving work before 5pm. It was about 12pm right now. Six hours earlier... Six hours he had to do whatever he wanted. This wasn't something he was used to. Just... Having a day off. He remembered when he was a kid and had fun and actually indulged in his hobbies on the weekend...

He was gonna use today to bring that back.

Notes:

No, I didn't write this during math class this time... It was during English.

Chapter 11: Today Was a Good Day

Summary:

Norman indulges in his old hobbies and his hyperfixation.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Norman was having the time of his life right now, which is not a phrase he thought he'd say.

He had opened an old box he had in the cabinet of the desk holding up the desk. It was pretty dusty and it made him sneeze. It was full of video games he's had since he was a child. He hasn't played since high school since he was so focused on his studies in college, only to never use that psychology degree. "What a waste..." He thought. But he didn't have time to mull on it on. He was gonna enjoy his day off, and he was. He had been replaying every single game he had stored, memories and nostalgia flooding in. He remembered how much he struggled on 'Maxrio Planet' and needed help from his dad to defeat Bowwow. He remembered overhearing from his co-workers that Sonic doesn't like the Maxrio games and thinks he's a 'boring' character. The public went fucking wild at that because the games were so popular. Norman didn't think anything of it, that games were relatively slow-paced so that was his assumption for why Sonic didn't like them so much.

He also found multiple shooter games in the box. He wasn't sure why he had so many as a kid since he was absolutely trash at them. He remembers his mom saying he wasn't allowed to have shooter games because 'video games cause violence' or other nonsense. He knew she meant well, but he was pretty annoyed about it when he was a kid. He remembered how his dad got him one in secret for his birthday. He always made sure to play it in secret so his mom didn't find out and return it. When he was in high school and had a part time job, he bought himself some more. He remembered how angry he used to get and would blame his poor playing skills on 'lag' and the other team 'hacking,' but he knew deep down he was just shitty at it.

There was also had 'Amusement Park Tycoon.' He remembered playing it a lot when he was little and getting upset when his mom would tell him to go play outside, that it was time for dinner, to shower, or go to bed. His greatest achievement in life, other than getting that motobug, was getting a 99.4% score on his park. He was so proud of it that he took a picture and printed it out and hung it over his bed with a piece of tape. He couldn't help but giggle as he looked through his old save file. The park reeked of 'there is no theme or cohesion and I'm just adding things because I think they're cool.' It had this endearing quality to it.

He was currently playing the shooter game his father had bought him, 'Wail of Dooty.' He was still bad at it, but hey, he was doing a lot better than he did when he was a kid. He remembered how amazing he thought the graphics looked as a kid, but now as it an adult it's clear that it was just childlike wonder and the game looked like shit. Not that he minded though, he liked it the way it is. The newest games of the series look better, sure. But Norman just couldn't get into it. He found the old, silly graphics the older games had. He was sitting on his couch with his legs crossed, sitting on the couch with his multiple Eggman plushies. Yes, he brought out all of them. He couldn't help but get a thrill as he played.

"Hmm, I wonder if Eggman would play any of these games..." He said to himself. It would make sense that Eggman would like videogames. Maybe not modern games, though. Eggman is very in touch with his inner child and he's pretty old, about fifty or over. He probably loves arcade games. Norman can imagine Eggman's bedroom, a wall dedicated to multiple arcade machines of his favourite games when he was a kid. Maybe Eggman would make an exception for a Virtual World headset, though. Norman has only ever played with one once, and it made him pretty dizzy, so he wasn't really interested in them. It's not like he was gonna drop three thousands rings on one anyway. He had better things to spend his money on... Like Eggman merchandise, of course!

Norman paused the game. He looked up his ceiling and scratched his cheek, beginning to think. He was imaging what the rest of Eggman's bedroom might look like. It probably has his favourite colors like red and gold. Or... Maybe it does an aesthetic change? Perhaps it's blue and orange. No, probably not. Eggman deals with Sonic so much that the he probably despises looking at the sky because the blue reminds him of him. Maybe purple and orange? Not the greatest color combination, but maybe if they were at different shades then it could work. Would Eggman have a king size bed? Maybe. He loves himself so much that he'd obviously allow himself to have the greatest sleep he can. Or, maybe he'd have a giant bean bag? Norman couldn't lie, that sounded like an amazing sleeping place. Plus, it'd go along with the whole arcade machine theme.

Norman closed the game and put the controller down. He stared up at the clock on the wall and saw that he'd been playing games for two hours straight. Yeah, he needed a break. He stood up from the couch and began putting the games away back in the box, sneezing when the dust reached his nose. "Ugh, I should clean that... Later." He said to himself. He grabbed the box, his arms shaking a little under it's weight, and shoved it back into the cabinet. He sat back onto the couch that was full of all his Eggman plushies. He grabbed as many as he could into his arms and flopped backwards onto the couch, nuzzling them all.

He thought back to what videogames he thinks Eggman would like, but paused when another thought crossed his mind. Eggman probably doesn't have a lot of time to play videogames. Sure, everyone knows that he tends to overlook key details of his plans or slack off when he doesn't feel like doing something, but still. He spends a lot of time planning, building, scheming, leading, designing, and so, so much more... Norman felt... Bad. And he also understood how that felt like. Again, today was the first time in years he was able to play videogames because the second he comes home he's too exhausted. He was sure that the only times Eggman took days off was when he was sick, just like he did. No wonder he's so grump and irritable, he must be so tired...

Norman shook his head to break himself out of his thoughts. Godammit, he was feeling bad for Eggman again! He looked down at the multiple plushies that he was still hugging. He was certain that his classes in psychology were part of the reason this hyperfixation started in the first place, otherwise, he would've never been interested in knowing how Eggman's mind worked or who he was beneath the persona. But he didn't feel shame this time. Instead, he hugged the plushies tighter. He decided that he was gonna relax on the couch for a bit. Maybe later he'll get more newspaper duplicates so he cut the Eggman pieces out and stick them onto his wall. Or, maybe he'll look into getting a bean bag bed instead. It'll be a lot better than his current. He also needs to clean the motobug since he hasn't yet today. Maybe he'll play with the Eggman figurines he's collected like he played with actions figures he had has a child...

Norman smiled to himself. "Today was a good day."

Notes:

I wanted to write Norman having a good day :,)

Chapter 12: Suspicions

Summary:

Norman is in a good mood- and it almost cost him his secret coming out. Or that's what he believes.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Brian and Yolanda were surprised to see Norman coming into work today. With the way he was acting yesterday, they thought he might've need two or three more. His eyebags were still there, but smaller than before. This was also the first time they'd ever see him coming into work smiling. Brian tilted his head at he stared at him with an amused expression. "Woah man! You really needed that day off, huh? We've never seen you in such a good mood!" Brian said. He walked over to Norman and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Norman chuckled, rose tinting his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I played video games yesterday." He said.

"Video games?" Yolanda said, she sounded amused and surprised. "You said you haven't played them since you were in highschool." She said with a tilt of her head. Norman nodded. "You're right, I haven't. But, I wanted to have some fun on my day off, you know?" He said, now rubbing his arm. "Hey man, we're just happy you're doing better. I think you should take more days off. I prefer you coming into work with a smile rather than a frown." Brian said while running a hand through Norman's quills, wincing when the spikes poked his fingers. Norman couldn't help but agree. He should take care of himself more. He loved his friends. He was so lucky.

"Well, I like to see you guys happy too. Maybe you could come over to my house so we can play videogames together." He said sheepishly. He knew the other two weren't too big on technology, especially Brian since he lives on a farm. "Sure, why not." Brian said, patting Norman on the back. Norman was surprised. "Wait, really?" He asked. Yolanda chuckled. "Of course. The only game I play is Hello Kitty Amusement Park on my phone, but I wouldn't mind trying something new." She said with a smile. She was absolutely crazy about Hello Kitty. It made it easy for Brian and Norman to buy her gifts for her birthday and Christmas. They even took her to the Hello Kitty Museum once for her 41th birthday and she couldn't have been any happier. She says how that was her best birthday.

"Well, why don't you come sit with us? Yolanda made blueberry croissants for us today." Brian said as he led Norman to the chair. The trio sat down. Norman reached for one of the croissants Yolanda had brought in a basket. This time, she used blue food coloring for the dough to match with the flavor. He took a bite and hummed in approval as he tasted the buttercream filling. "You always outdo yourself, Yolanda." He said with a mouthful. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and swallowed, looking a little embarrassed. "Heh, sorry about that..." He said sheepishly. Brian and Yolanda laughed, adding to his embarrassment.

"It's fine, Norman. I'm glad you like them." She patted his head. She was like a mother figure to him, especially since she was older than him by thirteen years. Brian was also older than him by seven. The two treat him as the 'baby' of the group because of it. He didn't mind though, he liked being pampered. He hasn't talked to his parents ever since he switched from psychology to baking. His parents got super mad and yelled at him at how he had wasted their money on a degree he'd never use. He still remembered the words he said that day...

"I only got the degree to make YOU happy! Maybe it's about time I got to be happy too!"

He hadn't messaged them or called them since that day. They tried connecting with him a couple times, but he always ignored them. He wasn't ready to talk to them yet, and he also didn't have much a relationship with them. Sure, they spoiled him with days to the bakery and his dad got him that shooter game, but that was all physical. They were relatively distant and unemotional. He couldn't remember a single time where he came to them when he was struggling emotionally or mentally. Sometimes it feels like he was only brought into this world because their parents wanted a grandchild. It didn't help that he was also neurodivergent and his parents tried to raise him as if he was a regular child. Childhood was rough.

But that's why he loved his friends so much. They were actually there for him, and he was there for them. Maybe one day he'll talk with his parents again and tell them how it is. Or maybe they won't talk ever again. He was happy with either outcome.

.
.
.

Norman was currently kneading biscuit dough with another co-worker named Cyrus. She talked a lot to Norman, but they weren't friends. She always told him gossip or anything crazy going on in her or her friend's family. He listens but he doesn't respond. Not much anyway. A small hum or nod at the most. A lot of people feel comfortable telling things because he's so quiet. Maybe they think he won't tell anyone else. They aren't wrong, he never does. He doesn't want to be known as the person that likes to spread gossip around because he's unable to keep secrets... But if Cyrus is telling him, then they weren't really secrets in the first place.

Kneading dough was Norman's favourite and least favourite thing when it came to baking. It was fun to squish it and watch it form into shape, it was like playing with playdoe. His least favourite was how sticky it got and how much flour he needed to use it get it off. Even then with all the flour there would always be some left on his fingers.

Once the two finished kneading their separate doughs, Cyrus grabbed a bench scraper and cut them into twelve equal pieces. While she was putting them on a pan with parchment paper, Norman zoomed to the sink to wash his hands. He turned on the sink and used a lot more soap than he was intending from that soap dispenser. It either shot out too much soap or too little. He sighed in relief as the leftover pieces of dough fell off his fingers and down the drain. He just hope it couldn't get clogged... Or at least too clogged. "I hate this texture, I hate this texture, I hate this texture..." He mumbled with gritted teeth. He scooped out dough from under his claws which always made him feel gross. He rinsed off his hands and finally turned the sink off. He walked to the hand dryer and put his hands underneath, the machine automatically turning on and drying his hands. Norman thought it'd be more convenient for Bruce to allow them to use paper towels, but maybe Bruce didn't want to be wasteful.

Norman decided that his hands were dry enough and walked away from the hand dryer. He made sure to shake his hands to get any extra water off. He walked over to the board that had the orders on them. Brian was nearby at his station, using a spatula to pour apple tart filling into a muffin pan that had premade dough circles in them. Norman looked at the orders on the board. There were about thirteen of them. Usually, he'd be grumpy about this because that means extra work. But his break from yesterday had him in a good mood, and when he's in a good mood, he thinks about Eggman. He looked at the labelling station and picked out a red pen. He looked at an order for banana bread and made a crude drawing of Eggman smiling in the corner. He giggled to him.

"What are you doing?" Brian's voice startled Norman. He turned around and gave him a silly smile. "Oh, sorry, I guess I just wanted to fool around." He said quiet tone. Brian looked amused. "Fool around, eh? It's not like you to fool around at work. You really
did need that break, huh?" Brian teased as Norman's cheeks turned a little red. He turned and saw the drawing that Norman had made on one of the orders. "Is that Eggman?" He asked.

Norman's face was now brighter than a tomato. Shit. What the fuck was he supposed to say!? He wasn't ready for the day he'd have to reveal his hyperfixation to anyone! He especially wasn't ready right now! "Uh... Yeah." He said, his voice almost a whisper. Brian arched an eyebrow. "And why did you draw him?" He said with a narrow of his eyes. Oh God, he hoped he couldn't see through him right now. Norman took a moment to think of an excuse, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before he responded. "I don't know... He looks silly, I guess. I mean, he does look like a goof, right?" He said with a small shrug, his voice still pretty quiet. Brian played with on of his curly whiskers for a moment before his face coming back to normal. "You know what? Yeah, you're right. He's always looked like a circus show, huh?" Brian said with a giggle.

Norman felt a massive weight leave his shoulders. He wasn't sure if he was incredibly lucky, was good at lying, or if he had a guardian angel watching him. He didn't know how Brian took him at his word because he knows how bright his face can get when he's embarrassed. His face in general turned red easily. Whether he was embarrassed, angry, or physically exerted. He was just glad he wouldn't need to tell anyone the truth today. He'll comfort himself with the thought that he was lucky avoiding it this time because he didn't want to believe he was a good liar. He hating lying, but for some things, he had to.

"I'll uh, try not to draw on the orders next time." Norman said as he rubbed his arm. Brian waved dismissively at him. "No, no, go for it! We could use a silly drawing or two to make work here less serious." Brian said with a smirk. Norman wasn't too sure what Brian was talking about since he didn't think that working at a bakery was very serious in the first place. Maybe it meant more to Brian than it did to him. He used to love baking, but the second he took up the job it became more of a chore. "Alright, well, I guess I wouldn't mind drawing." Norman shrugged. He took the banana bread order from the board and walked over to his station, Brian shouting him a 'that's a good idea comment.' Norman shrunk a little to pretend as if he didn't know Brian. He loved him, truly. But sometimes he had no idea what voice control was.

All he had to worry about was not giving away his secret. It won't happen again, right?"

Notes:

Just wanted to let you guys know that I haven't forgotten about the 'Eggman's upcoming attack' plot, I just wanted to focus on the characters for a chapter. I promise that it'll be back in the next one!

Chapter 13: I've Come to Make an Annoucement

Summary:

Amy Rose, the Leader of The Resistance needed to make an annoucement to the residents of Spiral Village. It left tension in the air, so they didn't get many customers in the bakery today, so they were allowed to go home.

Another day off. Wasn't Norman so lucky?

Chapter Text

Norman couldn't believe that he had forgotten about the news from five days ago. Work was delayed because Amy Rose and Knuckles had actually come to Spiral Village to inform them of the situation. Amy was doing most of the talking while Knuckles added some input here and there. What was more shocking to him then forgetting the news was how mature this girl was. She had to be about twelve or fourteen yet she was giving speeches like a president, and she was also leading the Resistance.

Something about that made him uncomfortable. He didn't really think about it before, but the entire world was relying on a couple teenagers to save the world. Wasn't that super weird? Was he the only one who noticed? Or were people just not talking about it? Norman was wondering if anybody talked about anything. Nobody talked about the War, nobody talked about the Metal Virus, and probably nobody was gonna talk about this attack after it's over. Seriously, he didn't get it. But, maybe he wasn't one to judge. He wasn't good at speaking about how he truly feels either.

Norman found Yolanda in the crowd, but it took them a amount to find Brian. Apparently, he had been looking for them as well, causing them to run around in circles. Norman was holding Yolanda's hand as Amy gave her speech. He hated being in large crowds. It made him nauseous. At least he was there with his friends to get him through it. Yolanda isn't too fond of crowds either. Brian was used to being in a pen full of Mobinis so he was cool with it.

Did Amy and Knux seriously think people would get back to their daily routine after that? Well, they didn't say anything about it, so probably not. "I don't think we can work like this. Everybody's freaked out." He said, tapping his foot on the ground.

"For the next couple of days, The Resistance troops will patrol around the outskirts of the village. Some will patrol inside to make sure everything is in order. We've also introduced underground shelters underneath the the city for protection. If you have a basement, please lock yourself and your loved ones inside until the attack is over." Amy said.

Norman heard the murmurs of the crowd. Sure, Eggman was a goof, but everybody knew what he was truly capable of. Man can be scarier than any monster. Yolanda rubbed his back, and he felt himself let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. His shoulders slumped as the tension left his body. He leaned towards Yolanda and whispered. "Do you think Bruce will lay us off work?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. Bruce is loud, but he's a sweetheart. He wouldn't want us to get hurt." She whispered back, still rubbing his back. Norman looked over at Brian, seeing the worry on his face. He loved his Mobinis, he wouldn't want them to get hurt. He put a hand on Brian's shoulder and rubbed it. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. You take good care of them, you wouldn't let them get hurt." He said. He saw Brian's face soften, leaning into the touch. "Yeah, you're right..."

.
.
.

It felt weird starting work late. He could see the tension in call of his co-workers, and even his boss. He could hear them whispering about the announcement. He looked outside and saw a group of Resistance soldiers walking by, which just made everybody's nerves worse. "This is bad..." He muttered to himself. He had his day off, but he thinks that everyone needed a day off now. Maybe a week. Brian was tapping his foot on the ground, twirling one of his curly whiskers. "Do you think we're gonna get any customers today?" He asked. Yolanda shrugged. "Maybe a couple at best. I don't se ethe bakery being too active today." She said with a sigh. Norman was quiet as usual. It's crazy how yesterday and the day before he had the best day he had in a long time, and today was now nerve wrecking. Well, not that nerve wrecking, surprisingly enough. He was more nervous the day after the news came out then he was today, and he wasn't sure why.

"We can't really get to work if nobody's gonna come in and order." Norman spoke up. Brian nodded. "That's true. I guess we can fool 'round till someone comes in." He said with a shrug. He decided to lighten up the mood by asking; "Hey, you did say you wanted us to come to your house to play video games, right? How about we start planning a time where we can do just that?" He said with a smile. Norman's face lid up. "Really? Well, we might as well. We should sit down." The three sat down at a nearby table. Norman couldn't help but kick his legs like an excited child. Yolanda giggled. "Is somebody happy?" She teased. His face turned bright red and he giggled nervously. "Uhh, yeah, haha..."

Yolanda pat his head. "Don't be embarrassed Norm, we like seeing you happy." She assured him. Brian spoke up, "Yeah! We don't see you smile that much during work. You're usually so quiet and tired... So, how about you start telling us about these video games of yours?" He said. Norman took the opportunity to nerd out. He talked about Wail of Dooty, Marxio Planet and the Marxio franchise in general, he talked about how much he used to play Amusement Park Tycoon when he was a kid, how terrible he was at shooter games and he wasn't sure why he played them so much and so much more. "Didn't Sonic say he didn't like the Marxio games?" Brian asked. Norman shrugged. "Yeah, he did. Can't blame him, though. We all know how fast paced he is. Marxio is still slow for him." Norman said. Yolanda nodded. She had been quiet but she was intently listening. "Do you guys think I'll be good at these video games?" She asked. Norman and Brian didn't want to be rude so they said 'of course' in unison. "I'm sure you'll like the tycoon ones, the Hello Kitty Amusement Park app on your phone is basically a tycoon." Norman said and Yolanda smiled.

"Uh, hey guys? How long have we been talking for?" Brian asked as he stared at the clock on the wall. The other two glanced at the clock. The bakery opens at 6am, but the annoucement from The Resistance earlier had delayed them for thirty minutes. They arrived back at 6:58, and now it was 7:34. Norman looked down at the table. "Sorry guys." He said. They stared at him confused. "What are you apologizing for?" Brian asked. Norman shrugged again. "I don't know, I guess I've been talking too much." He said. Yolanda shook her head and patted his back. "It's okay, really." She said.

He looked back up Yolanda, then at Brian. "How have your Mobini been doing?" He asked him. Brian gave him a smile. "Oh, my little guys? Yeah, they've been fine. Bessie's been bothering me again, though. She keeps jumping on my head whenever I try to work. I guess she wants attention." He said with a chuckle. Yolanda gave him a cheeky smile. "Doesn't she always want attention?" She asked. Brian laughed out loud. "Oh, she sure does! I've raised her ever since she was a hatchling. She thinks I'm her mama. I don't mind though, I wouldn't give her away for a million dollars." Brian said while leaning back into his chair. "What about you, Yolanda? Any exciting things going on in your life?"

"Why yes, actually. Remember Reon? We've been going on dates and I think we've been really hitting it off. I don't want to be to ambitious with it, but I think he might be the one." She said with a giggle and a blush. "He's been staying at my house a lot too. I've been to his and it's alright, but he has trouble cleaning up for himself." She said. Brian tilted his head and arched an eyebrow. "But, he does clean up after himself at your place, right?" He asked with a little concern. Yolanda laughed. "Of course he does. He believes his house is too messy to fully clean so he doesn't even start. I've been thinking of helping him with that." She replied. Norman's face softened. "You're too sweet for your own good, Yolanda." He said with a smile. Yolanda blushed again from the compliment.

.
.
.

The friends were talking for some time. Customers came in and out, but there weren't enough for the place to be super busy, so they were allowed to go home early, which Norman knew they all needed. He knew that Yolanda and Brian were also tired from working, the difference between him and them is that he didn't hide his grouchy mood. They stopped at a nearby coffee shop and got themselves some food. They talked outside at one of the tables about their lives, their family, their other friends, how they were doing that week, anything exciting they had going on, and much more. They talked until 10am and they decided to to say goodbye. Norman was walking home, taking a sip of his now cold coffee. This upcoming attack sucked, but hey, they get to rest and spend time with their loved ones before this attack happens...

Well, he wasn't sure if Brian would get a lot of rest. Taking care of Mobinis is hard. You got to get your hands elbow deep into mud and dirt and feces, you get kicked by a pissy one, and one that just felt like being aggressive one day and bites you. It doesn't matter if you're tired or sick, those Mobini's gotta be taken care of and fed. He wasn't sure how Brian managed to do it and all with a smile on his face. Maybe it was just him, as he was sure his sensitivities towards certain smells and textures would cause him to have multiple breakdowns a day, especially with the amount of stress.

Norman looked around the street. There were some people walking around, but a lot less than there usually is. Spiral Village is a pretty bustling area. There weren't a lot of places that were truly empty. It felt weird seeing it like this whenever Eggman decided to fuck things up. He was sure that people were talking to their families and cooping up in their houses and stocking their basements for whenever this attack happens. Eggman worked fast, so it made sense that everybody else needed to keep up the pace too. Norman sighed and took a loonnggg sip of his cold coffee and tossed the empty cup into a nearby recycling bin.

His mind wandered off on what he was gonna do for the day. He felt weirdly lucky. He was getting another day off. Another day to do whatever he wanted... He smirked to himself as he came up with an idea.

Chapter 14: I Forget Who I Really Was

Summary:

Norman spends his day playing with his figurines and making picture collages.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Nyoom!"

Norman said as a small toy car that had an Eggman figurine in it zoomed across the floor. He had brought a lot of his figurines out of the closet and had them scattered across the floor. He had been playing with them as if he were a little kid again, and he was having a great time. He reached over and grabbed the car and moved it across the ground, making car noises as he did so.

Honestly, he felt a little silly. He was a grown man playing with toys. But... He really did miss doing this. His parents distant and cold parenting style made him feel like he had to mature faster than he was ready for. He had memories of his teachers praising him for his 'maturity' and 'responsible nature.' Or they'd say how he didn't cause trouble and wasn't 'reckless' like the other kids. He knew that it was meant as a compliment. But, he regretted those years. He wished he did something stupid like sneak into a neighbor's pool, or accidently break a window by throwing a baseball at it.

But, he was an adult, and he could make adult decisions. So, if he wanted to play if with his precious figurines, then he was gonna do it. He had fun on his first break day, but he was gonna have a blast on his second one. Earlier, he had taken pictures of his Eggman figurines posed in different areas around his house. Some included them having a pool party in his bathroom sink, them having a dual on his kitchen counter with a pair of plastic knives, and them arguing on the couch on who gets to play on the TV first. He was gonna print these out so he could put them on his closet wall.

"Nyoom!" He said as he pushed the toy car. It went too fast and ended up crashing into the wall. Norman giggled. "Whoops." He said. He stood up and grabbed the car with the Eggman inside it and put it back with his other figurines. He loved the way the figurines looked. That big goofy yet confident smile, the fluffy mustache, and the round figure. He liked that Eggman embraced his figure despite how people made fun of him for it. He wish he had that same confidence about how he looked. He had these spots all over his body. He had never met another hedgehog that had this pattern, and it made him feel insecure when people brought it up. His friends said it was unique, and it was, but sometimes he wished it wasn't and it was never there.

He didn't want to mull on it, though. He wasn't gonna feel sad on his second break day. Two breaks in a row is something he was gonna cherish. He grabbed another toy car and put another figure inside. He pushed the two cars to see which one would beat the other. "Go, go, go!" He cheered. The car with the smaller figure ended up winning. "Awwh, so close." He said. He grabbed the two cars again. Maybe he should buy one of those toy racetracks so he could make his figures actually race with each other... Or maybe that'll be too childish? Not that he cared too much. He just wasn't sure where he was gonna put it. He didn't wanna put it in the closet since it wasn't Eggman themed. He could just put it in the corner of his room, or shove it into a cabinet. He wasn't sure why he was thinking so hard about it, since he wasn't sure if he was gonna buy a racetrack anyway.

He decided that he was gonna print out the photos he took before he forgets. He collected all his figurines off of the ground and put them on the kitchen table, where his laptop was. He opened his laptop and connected his phone to it via charger. He downloaded all the photos onto it and placed his phone down. He searched online for an image editing app so he can make picture collages of all the images he'd taken of the figurines.

"Hmm... This one? No, it looks like malware... Maybe this one? It's a little laggy, so no.... Hm, Canva? Shouldn't hurt."

He opened up the website and clicked 'new image.' He picked a red background with yellow stripes so it matched Eggman's coat. He began adding the pictures together. "Hmm... It looks okay, but a little boring." He said to himself. He opened up the stickers and looked around. He had a disappointed expression. They were either too corny or too childish. He decided he was gonna draw the stickers himself. He drew the Eggman Empire Logo, but it looked crude with his poor drawing skills and how hard it was to draw with the mouse. He then drew Metal Sonic's head, which again, looked just as bad. He sighed. Maybe he should improve his drawings skill for no reason other than to draw Eggman better. If Eggman were next to him right now, he'd yell at him for not being able to capture his greatness.

Norman giggled at that thought. Eggman's arrogance was irritating yet endearing, at least to him. He added the crudely drawn stickers to the collage, and he smiled to himself. "Much better." He said. He saved the photo onto his computer. He opened up a new canvas and started making another one, this time making the background orange and purple, the same colors he'd imagine Eggman's bedroom to be. Instead of stripes, he used spots. He added more photos and drew more stickers. One of a Motobug, one of Heavy King, and a Buzzbomber. He saved on that too and made a couple more until he was satisfied.

He stood up and carried his laptop into his bedroom, where his printer was. The printer looked out of place wherever he put it, so he just shoved it into the corner of his room. He sneezed once he got close to it, because he hasn't used it in so long that it had gotten dusty. Honestly, a lot of things in his house were dusty because he hasn't been able to use them. His routine didn't allow it. Wake up, go to work, come home, eat, shower, and sleep. He had no time to indulge in his hobbies... Or maybe he did, but he was too tired from work that he didn't feel like it.

He tried not to think about it as he plugged the printer into the wall, and then into his laptop. He opened up his files and then opened the pictures. He pressed the printer button and his printer whirred... Then stopped halfway. "Ugh, come on, work..." He muttered as he hit the top of the printer a couple times. It whirred again and finally printed out the pictures. He had made seven of them. He sighed in relief. He never really used the printer, but maybe he should get a new one... After the attack, though. As he was certain that a handful of stores were closed by now.

He picked up the pictures and admired them. He loved the way they looked. Even the crudely drawn stickers were endearing. He went back into his kitchen and grabbed some scissors and tape. He walked back into his bedroom and then into the closet. He looked around the walls. There were already a lot of things stuck to the walls, so he'd need to make some space. He put down his stuff went over to the shelf were his figurines originally were. He slowly and carefully ripped off the newspaper pieces he stuck to the wall so he wouldn't tear them. Once they were all off, he grabbed the scissors and tape and began sticking the picture collages onto the wall.

"Hehe, it's perfect." He said with a small smile. He bet it would look way better once he had the figurines back onto the shelf. He grabbed the pieces of newspaper and began sticking them onto the sides, like they were stickers. His smile grew at the way the wall looked. Maybe he should make more updates to the room. He needed something to do to spend his time anyway. He picked up the tape and scissors and walked back outside into the kitchen. He opened the drawer and put them back inside.

He closed the drawer and stared at the figurines on the table. He smirked. You know what? He was gonna play for a little longer before he made more updates to his room.

Notes:

Sorry for not getting the chapter out yesterday! I was really busy working on an art project, and I was super tired after I was done so I wasn't able to finish it :,)

Chapter 15: Preperations

Summary:

Norman secures his house before Eggman arrives.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"I'm being laid off!?" Norman asked in shock. He was standing his kitchen, holding a cup of coffee which his nearly dropped in his surprise. He was on the phone, talking to his boss.

"It isn't just you, Norman." Bruce said in a somber tone. "It's everyone. Everybody is scared, and nobody wants to come to the bakery. This is only temporary, and I promise once things come back to normal, you'll be able to come back to work." He finished. Norman sighed in relief. He thought he was being fired, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. A lot of people said he was one of the best workers at the bakery, though he disagreed.

"Oh, okay. Thank you, sir. Err- Bruce." He said, his tone slightly nervous. He could hear Bruce laughing at his correction on the other side, and he felt his heat up. "No worry, Norman. Stay safe, okay?" He said. Norman nodded. The two said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Norman sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. Things were getting pretty bad fast. And for the first time, he was unaware of it. Again, he had been avoiding watching the news so he wouldn't become anxious. But, avoiding it was almost making him anxious. It was a lose-lose scenario.

He picked up the phone again. He was gonna call Brian and Yolanda to make sure they were okay. He was gonna call Yolanda first because he knew Brian was always busy in the morning tending to his farm. He dialed her number and brought the phone to his ear. He tapped his foot nervously as he waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" He heard Yolanda's voice respond. He sighed in relief. "Hey, Yolanda. It's me, Norman. I just wanted to call to make sure you were okay. Have you been laid off too?" He asked her, his voice soft. He heard Yolanda also sigh in relief on the other side. "Yes, I was. And, don't worry. I'm okay, but a little anxious..." She said. Norman hummed, he knew how anxious she could get. He wasn't sure which of the two had the most anxiety, him or her. "Hey, I appreciate you checking up on me. I'm at Reon's house right now. I've been planning to stay at his until the attack. Are you going to one of the shelters?" She asked. Damn, she was planning already? Norman hadn't even started. "No problem, and, uh, I'm not..." He said.

"You should. You are living in the corner, so you might be safe if anything happens, but I still think it would be best if you went to one of the shelters with us." She said. Her voice worried yet motherly. That tone always made his and Brian's heart flutter. She knew exactly what voice to use to convince them to do something. "Yeah, I'll consider it. Hey, have you been able to talk to Brian by any chance? I didn't call him since I thought he'd be busy by now." Norman asked. "Oh, yes. I did get to talk to him earlier this morning. Our conversation wasn't too long. He said that he'll be staying at the farm to take care of his Mobinis instead of going to the shelter. He's especially worried about Bessie." She said.

Norman was quiet for a moment. Brian would give up his life to protect Bessie, and especially the rest of his family. He was a guy who had a big heart. That was Norman's favourite quality of Brian's. "I'm glad he's taking care of them. I hope they'll be okay, though. The farm seems like somewhere Eggman would attack first." He said. "Why do you think he would attack the farm first?" Yolanda asked, sounding confused. Norman felt his face turn red. Shit. "Well, uh, because it's big? And it's also full of Mobinis, so if he's trying to cause the most destruction, he'd attack there...?" He said, his voice quiet from his embarrassment.

"Huh... I've never thought about that. I should call Brian again later to tell him that, maybe then he'd consider bringing his family and the Mobinis to the shelter." She said in a thoughtful tone. Norman sighed and wiped sweat off his forehead that was already starting to form. "Do you think they'll allow Mobinis into the shelters?" He asked. Yolanda was quiet on the other side. Then, she spoke up. "I'm not sure. They are relatively small, so they shouldn't take up too much space. Though, they do get stressed out pretty easily so they could get out of control... Then again. in that situation, everybody gets stressed out and out of control pretty easily." She said in a joking manner to lighten up the mood, which worked, as Norman chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right. I hope you get in contact with Brian soon so you can tell him. I really wish I could talk with him right now, but I understand that he's busy." Norman said with a sigh. "It's going to be okay, Norm. I promise. We'll reunite and play video games with you after this whole thing is over, okay?" She assured him. Norman smiled. "Alright. Love you Yolanda, bye." He said. "Love you too!" She cooed as she hung up. He sighed again and put the phone down.

He was still tapped his foot on the ground. He looked down at his plain coffee and took a sip, wincing at he realized it was too hot and it burnt his lip. "Ouch." He hissed and he put the cup down on the counter. He looked out the window. Spiral Village was just so... Empty. There was barely anybody out, and the people that were on the street looked anxious. He walked over to the couch and sat down. He grabbed the remote and finally turned it on to read the news. The reporter was in the middle of speaking, so he had missed a lot.

"Please pack any and all essentials you may need and lock yourselves in your basements or any shelters near you." The reporter said. Basically repeating all the stuff Amy said yesterday. He looked over his shoulder at his bedroom. He stared at it for a good couple minutes, pondering his mind on what to do.

.
.
.

Norman was in his bedroom, shoving stuff into his old school backpack. He didn't have any other bags to use. He put in his laptop, some clothes, his phone and laptop charger, and some medication. He usually wasn't the one to pack up and head to shelters, but Amy and the reporter were making this sound pretty serious. He walked into his closet and grabbed his homemade Eggman plushie and shoved it inside. He knew it was stupid and dangerous to bring something like that into a shelter that SPECIFICALLY made to avoid Eggman because he's about to fuck some shit up. It was like... Bringing a picture of a serial killer to the funeral of one of the victims. But, he couldn't bring himself to leave without it. Even if he didn't get to hug it, he was happy knowing it would be with him. He just hoped that there wouldn't be any security guards checking bags.

He walked out of his bedroom, leaving the door wide open. He grabbed his housekeys and grabbed the doorknob. But... He hesitated. He stood there are the door for a good five minutes. He stared back at his bedroom, then the closet, which he had also left open. He was thinking of going over there and locking it just in case anybody ran into his house for whatever reason. But, he just didn't wanna leave. He had a terrible track record of getting nervous if he was on vacation for too long. This wasn't anything close to a vacation, but the idea of staying out of his house for a couple days got on his nerves.

Slowly, he let go of the doorknob. He didn't wanna leave. He wasn't gonna leave. But if he was gonna stay, he's gonna have to work on seriously protecting his house.

.
.
.

Norman spent the rest of his day working on securing his house. He boarded up the windows and shut the doors, pushing furniture in front of them so it was difficult to get in. He thought it was a bit useless as he knew how some of Eggman's Badniks could just break in through the doors, but it made him feel safe nonetheless. He had managed to get in touch with Brian. Brian told him how he was still gonna stay at his farm to protect his family and the Mobinis. Norman told him that he was thinking of staying home because being in the shelters gave him anxiety. Brian sounded worried, but he understood. He had also called Yolanda again, and he was surprised to hear that she and Reon were already at the shelter. She tried convincing Norman to come to the shelter, but he was firm in his decision.

"I'm sorry, Yolanda. I really can't. I have to stay home." Norman said, his tone said. Yolanda sighed, but she understood. "It's okay, Norm. I understand. Will you promise me that'll you'll be as careful as possible?" She said, her tone full of worry. "I promise. I've been securing my house all day." He replied. Yolanda sighed in relief. "Okay, good. I love you, bye." And that was the end of their conversation.

He had taken out all of the stuff he packed and put it inside his closet. He grabbed his blanket and his pillow and set it up inside of the closet so he could sleep in there because he didn't feel safe enough sleeping in his bedroom. He went along with his daily routine in an attempt to calm down his nerves. He played videogames for at least four hours, which made his eyes hurt. He made himself some delicious dinner, one that was especially filling so he wouldn't go to bed hungry. It's not like he had this problem anyway, but he just wanted to make sure.

He also cleaned his ENTIRE house. He doesn't remember the last time he'd been able to do a deep clean like this. The place was collecting up dust as if he didn't even live there. He wasn't sure why he was doing it, since if his home was attacked it'd be a mess of rubble and all the cleaning would go to waste. But, he didn't care. Anything to distract himself from what was going on. His back was hurting a lot after the cleaning, but he was satisfied from how sparkly the place looked. He had sneezed a lot while cleaning and ended up going through his entire tissue box. So much so that he needed to run outside really quick to take out the trash.

He finished off his day by having a nice bath. He used a lot of soap so there'd be bubbles in the water. He wanted it to feel as luxurious as possible, so he even brought some wine that he had stored in his fridge... Though, he didn't end up drinking any of it because the last thing he'd want is to have a hangover in a time like this. After his nice bath, he dried off, flossed, and brushed his teeth. He looked at himself in the mirror, realizing how small his eyebags have gotten. He liked this look. He didn't appear like he was gonna crash out from exhaustion anymore. His quills were still messy, but he doubted that any hairstylists were gonna be open at this hour, let alone tomorrow.

Once his routine was FINALLY over, he walked into his bedroom and locked the door with two different locks. Then, he walked into his closet and laid down on the ground. He pulled the blanket over himself and rested his head on the pillow. He hugged the homemade plushy tightly. He truly felt safe in here... Yet also guilty. The same man that was threatening him and his friends was the man that also brought him comfort. "It's not my fault." He mumbled to himself. "I didn't choose to love him." He assured himself. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Then, he looked over to one of the posters on the wall and asked himself the same question he always does,

"Why... Why did it have to be you?"

Notes:

I decided to write chapter 14 & 15 today to make up for the fact I didn't finish 14 yesterday. This is also my longest chapter yet!

Also TYSM FOR OVER 100 HITS!! I'm actually so happy that people are reading this silly idea I came up with :,))

I don't wanna spoil any of the future chapters, but I will say that Norman and Eggman WILL be meeting at one point! Stay tuned!

Chapter 16: Panic News

Summary:

The attack came earlier than Norman thought. But he managed to surprise himself with how good he was at defending himself against Badniks... Even if it was only four.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was 8:34.

No, it was 9:14.

No, it was... 10:23.

No, it's...

Norman groaned as he rubbed his head. He had forgotten he had fallen asleep inside of his closet. He slowly sat up, surrounded by all his comforts. He had woken up and fallen asleep multiple times. He hadn't brought his phone with him into his closet, which was a stupid idea. He slowly stood up and carefully opened the door. His house was quiet and empty. It was as bolted shut as it was yesterday. He walked over to his bedside table, where his phone was sitting and charging. He grabbed his phone and checked his messages. He had gotten multiple missed calls and unread texts from Yolanda, and a couple texts from Brian.

Norman sat on his bed, and he couldn't help but lay down on it as he felt the mattress on his back. It felt incredibly comfy compared to the hardened floor he had slept on all night. He heard muffled noises outside, but he was too tired to pay attention to them. He opened the messaging app and stared at tall the texts that Yolanda had sent him. It was her explaining how she and Reon went into the shelter and that she hoped she and Brian would be safe. But, one text caught his attention.

"I know you might be asleep right now, but please stay safe and don't leave your house. Eggman's here. I love you."

Norman bolted out of bed. Eggman was already here? He thought that he might come in a week or so... But, who was he kidding. He was obsessed with this man for five years. He knew how fast he can be when building his bases and his army. Once Eggman has a plan, he sticks to it, and doesn't give up until he achieves it. Norman then opened Brian's messages. It was the same thing about how he was protecting his farm and he hoped Norman would be safe, once again advising him to stay inside. Norman opened up Yolanda's messages again and replied;

"I'm sorry I didn't answer your messages, Yolanda. I promise I won't leave and be careful. I hope you and Reon are okay in the shelter. I love you."

He typed a similar message to Brian. He facepalmed himself. He now knew what the muffled noises outside were. Destruction and screaming. He felt bad that he didn't notice it earlier. He specifically chose this house because the walls were thick and dense, making it protective just in case something like this happened. He doubted it'd help if a Badnik were to smash in through the wall, but it made him feel safer, even if just a little bit. The walls being dense also made it difficult to hear things happening outside. He thought it would be best for him to lock himself in his closet until Sonic and his junkies came in to save the day. But... He just wanted to make sure he was safe just in case anything happened.

He sneaked over to his garage door. The quietness of his house making him paranoid rather than providing the comfort that he used to feel. That was the worst feeling anybody could have, he thought. Not feeling safe in your own home. He stared at the TV. He considered turning it on, before he was startled by another text message from Yolanda. He grabbed his phone and turned it on. He was glad she texted him back. "I'm so glad you're okay!! Why haven't you been responding? Are you safe?" The message read. Norman smiled. Her messages provided comfort. "I was asleep...It's stupid, I know. But my walls are too thick so I couldn't hear anything going on outside." He paused before sending another message. "Can we call?"

He tapped his foot nervously on the ground as he saw the little typing emoticon from her side of the screen. His phone dinged when she finally sent her message. "I really wish I could. The troops in the shelter are telling us not to take too much noise." Norman sighed, but he understood. "It's ok, I understand. I'll text you if anything happens, I promise. Text me if Brian says anything too." He sent her. Yolanda responded, "I promise I will. I love you." Norman sent her a heart in response to that message.

He shoved his phone into his pocket and stared at the TV. He slowly walked over to it and grabbed the remote, turning it on. He lowered the volume so it wasn't too loud but he could still hear it. The reporter was going on about how Eggman was attacking multiple villages, it just so happened that his village was one of them. "Damn... I can't believe that I'm obsessed with a terrorist. I deserve to be caught." Norman said to himself as he felt himself fill up with shame. He hated this. He hated this so much. Why did it have to be him? Eggman was a disgusting, horrendous, diabolical human being, if you can even call him that. He didn't deserve respect. He didn't deserve sympathy. Why did it have to be him who he was obsessed with? Why couldn't it have been anybody else? Why was he so Goddamn stupid!? Your parents were right Norman, YOU SHOULD'VE JUST-

He had to stop himself. He was hyperventilating. He put a hand on his chest as he focused on calming his breathing. He had no time to mull on this. He no time to self-deprecate. He could bully himself later. He hadn't realized how the TV had begone glitching, like one of those scenes in apocalypse movies where the TV is glitching about before the reporter was able to finish their script. He turned off the TV and slowly tiptoed to the garage. He cringed as the door sounded a lot louder than it should've, or at least, it was a lot louder than he originally thought it was.

He walked over to the wall and shelves where he kept tools. He wasn't a mechanic or anything, but he kept tools in his garage anyway in case he needed them. He knew a handful about mechanics from his father. Though, he rarely used it. Maybe it was his way to spite his parents even though he wasn't with them anymore. He grabbed a crowbar he had hanging on the wall and slowly made his out of the garage. He closed the door and locked it, as if that would help with stopping the Badniks. Every step felt like an agonizing eternity because he was hyperaware of how loud his footsteps of. He took a step, then paused. A step, then paused. A step, then paused. Over and over again.

Once he was FINALLY close to his bedroom door, he bolted inside. He shut his bedroom door then locked it. He bolted into his closet and locked that door too. He took deep breaths as he sat down on the floor, wrapping his blanket around him. He stared at all his Eggman merchandise. He thought he'd feel guilty again, but instead it brought the comforting feeling it did when he was falling asleep. Norman might've studied psychology, but that didn't mean he had an easy time understanding his own brain. Sometimes he wished he was born neurotypical, then he wouldn't have to deal with these stupid hyperfixations. He didn't understand how he could almost have a panic attack from thinking he was a horrible person, to feeling comforted from the same thing that was causing him distress. He was so confused. He wished life was easy. He wished that he was easy.

He slowly closed his eyes, crowbar clutched in hand. He was gonna try his best to relax and hope and pray to Gaia that his house would be ignored and this will pass. He wasn't even religious, but he needed something else other than the Goddamn monster that started this mess in the first place to bring him comfort.

.
.
.

Norman was brought out of his thoughts when he heard something directly outside his house. He felt his body tense up. Oh Gaia. He didn't pray hard enough. Or maybe Gaia didn't listen to his prayers because he wasn't a believer and only bothered praying when it was to his benefit. Was Gaia punishing him? Because he was doing this for himself? Because he was a bad person?

What the fuck are you on about, Norman? Pull yourself together! You have to focus on the noise outside. Norman slowly slipped the blanket off himself and shakily stood up. His hands trembling as he held the crowbar tightly in his hand. He reached for the closet door, only to flinch when he hard something loud from his living room. Oh shit. Something broke inside. Norman was terrified, yet felt a strange sense of determination. He slowly opened the door and made his way to the bedroom door, determined to beat the shit out of whatever was outside... Though, this was more of a suicide mission than anything, since he knew a simple crowbar wouldn't be enough to defeat a Badnik, even a weak one.

But, still. He didn't wanna die a coward. If he was gonna go down, he was gonna go down with a fight. He was brought out of his thoughts when his door flew open, a singular motobug in the doorway. He barely had time to react when he found himself in the air, the motobug's sharp claws digging into his waist as it held him in the air. He hissed in pain, but he didn't scream, which worked to surprise himself. He wasn't sure what to do. The motobug was carrying him out his bedroom, and fast. But he wasn't gonna let it. He remembered the gaps that were on the bottom of the motobug he kept in his closet. They were small, but it had to mean something.

Norman took his chances and began to struggle, which appeared to have surprised the motobug. It dropped him to the ground. Norman remembered how two of the gaps were in the 'armpit' of the motobug. So, he swung downwards and managed to, somehow, perfectly jam the crowbar into one of the gaps. He saw the eyes of the motobug glitch out at the attack. He brought the crowbar back, pulling out some of the Badnik's wires with it. The motobug spazzed out for a moment and wheeled around in circle around his living room before collapsing onto the ground and shutting off.

"I did it." Norman said to himself, his tone one of disbelief. "Holy shit, I actually did it." Norman mumbled to himself. He looked out the door. It was dented and broken in a couple places, the couch that he had moved in front of it was thrown to the side. He was glad to know that where was a struggle before the motobug was able to come in. The sounds of destruction and screaming outside was louder than ever, and he felt himself getting overstimulated. He slowly inched to the door and peaked out. There was nothing really surprising about the sight, it was the usual. Badniks running around, fire, people running away aimlessly, you know the drill. Norman felt a little guilty for being so apathetic. Maybe he wasn't any different from the people that refused to talk about the Metal Virus and The War.

Norman backed away from the door. He wasn't sure if he should bother trying to block it. The door was battered, and moving the couch in front of it as a makeshift barrier wasn't going to do much. What if badnik's outside spotted him? He could take out one, but it was a motobug, and that's something he perfectly knew the model of because he had one in person. It would be even worse if he was overwhelmed with numbers. He wasn't sure why the motobug didn't just slash his throat and instead tried to bring him outside his house. Was Eggman collecting people or something? He didn't really wanna know.

He stayed as far away as possible from the door. He held the crowbar tight. His posture was nervous, yet determined. After all, mama didn't raise no bitch... Well, his parents didn't really raise him at all, but that wasn't the point. He narrowed his eyes, lazer focused on the door. His spines were spiky and raised up. His tail was lashing side to side as he felt his energy picking up. He didn't feel drowsy as he usually did in the morning... Well, if it even was morning. He hadn't bothered checking the time on his phone when he was texting Yolanda, and he wasn't gonna text now, he didn't wanna miss anything that might come in through the door.

Just as he called it, a Caterkiller slithered inside. There weren't many Badniks coming to his house, probably because it appeared empty and not worth checking. He crouched down on the ground so the Badnik didn't see him. He watched it slither around before he bolted at it and jammed the crowbar into it's mouth from behind. The Caterkiller struggled against him, but he didn't give up. The two were caught in a struggle as the Badnik tried it's best to buck him off, but he held on as best as he could. He slid the crowbar in further, trying to see if there were any gaps he could stick it through to fry it's circuits. Then, the crowbar caught onto something.

"Bingo." Norman said as he pulled the crowbar out as hard as he could, torn, sparked wires coming out with it. The badnik finally managed to buck him off, but it was already too late. It also spazzed out for a moment before collapsing onto the ground. He felt like a monster today, but in a good way. Look at him, an average joe destroying Badniks left and right. He should be put in history... But his thoughts were distracted when three separate Badniks came into his house. Shit. They heard the commotion. The Badniks charged at him, ready to overwhelm him with numbers so they could drag him outside and do... Whatever it is they wanted to do. The Crabmeat grabbed him in one of it's big stupid claws, it's other hand trying to rip the crowbar out of his hand. Norman groaned and strained as he struggled with the Crabmeat, refusing to let go no matter what.

The Buzz Bomber flew towards him, and he instinctively kicked it in the head... Though he hissed as it caused more pain to his foot rather than the Badnik itself. But it did throw the Buzz Bomber off for a moment. Norman managed to get his grip back on the crowbar and he hooked it behind the Buzz Bomber's neck and pulled as hard as he could, trying to see if he could pry it's head off. It didn't really work, but he managed to pull hard enough to make another gap in it's neck that exposed it's wires, which he happily pulled on. He had been pulling so hard that he felt the bones in his shoulders pop, and his muscles ached as he strained them more than he was used to. That was his new tactic, he supposed. If he couldn't attack the outside, he had to find aways to attack the inside. Once he fried this Badnik's wires, he was into a 'spin dash' and got out of the Crabmeat's grip... Well, it wasn't really a spindash. All hedgehogs can go into a ball, it's just that Sonic was fast when doing it. Norman obviously didn't have that same speed.

Norman did the same method with the Crabmeat, find a gap or make one, and tear the fuck out of the wires. He was getting exhausted though. Even though he was doing a pretty good job at defending himself for a regular civilian, he was nowhere near was fighter, and he knew he couldn't do this for much longer. The Ball Hog was easier to deal with compared to the other two, since the nostrils that Eggman designed on the Badnik made it easy for him to hook his crowbar inside and pull the wires out. Norman sighed in relief, his body shaking from the strain. He wasn't safe anymore. He had to get out of here. He bolted into his bedroom and packed as many things as he could into his backpack, including the homemade plushie. For his sake, he took a moment to lock the closet and bedroom door to make sure nobody came inside.

Norman ran outside of house, but he made sure to put on his slippers so the hardened floor didn't overstimulate his feet. He ran and ran and ran, he wasn't sure where he was running, but he was gonna keep running around he felt safe. There was a nearby forest, so he could hide there some time and wait until this was over.

Notes:

I can't believe how I said that the last chapter was my longest chapter yet, because this one beat it by a LONG shot.

Chapter 17: Unbelievable Encounter

Summary:

What this really happening? There was no way. There was no fucking way that THE Metal Sonic brought him to THE Eggman. He pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming up some weird fanfiction like Yolanda used to do when she was back in highschool... But no, this was real.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Norman was flopped face first on the grass. His muscles ached from the struggling and pulling from the Badniks earlier. He was especially tired from running so much. Spiral Hill Village was called that because the way you got to it was from the spiraling path up the hill... Creative name, I know. So, yeah, there was a lot of walking involved, or in his case, running. There were a handful of Badniks going up the path, so he had a LOT of dodging to do. He almost got grabbed and shot at multiple times. He had no idea how he made it. He had to be incredibly lucky. Maybe Gaia did answer to his calls.

He let out a tired groan which was muffled by the grass. He slowly raised up his face and rubbed his eyes. He really wore himself out. He wished he was as fast as Sonic, even if he didn't really like the guy. But not every hedgehog can have superpowers. He grabbed his phone out of his backpack and opened up his text messages and sent one to Yolanda.

"Hey Yolanda. I don't mean to worry you but some Badniks broke into my house. I managed to get away and now I'm in the forest at the start of the path. I wanted to tell you that I'm okay." Was the message he sent. He rested face first against the grass again. It had to have been five or six minutes later when his phone dinged. He was falling asleep by then, but he forced himself to stay awake and he picked up his phone again. He did feel better when he saw Yolanda respond. "Omg!! Are you okay?? I'm glad you managed to get out." It read. Norman began typing, but his fingers were slow. "im okay i promise. im very tired. ill just stay here until its over." He sent. He couldn't be bothered to capitals or apostrophes, but at least he managed to use periods so that's something. "Okay. Take care of yourself and be safe. Be careful. Text me if anything happens. I love you." She replied.

Norman smiled. He texted her "i love you so much" in return. The two tell each other 'I love you' so much in public, to the point that people thought they were dating. Which always made Norman feel weird since he was Yolanda as a mother figure. The two were simply very comfortable with each other, and he saw nothing wrong with saying 'I love you' to your friends. He wasn't very big on romance anyway. Beside, Yolanda had Reon. Brian doesn't do it as often because it makes him shy. He remembered the way Brian's face turned redder than a tomato as he whispered 'I love you guys' to them while they were on vacation and there were fireworks going on. These memories brought Norman some comfort. His smile grew as he continued resting on the grass. He hoped that Sonic would finish his deal in whatever village he was at and come to his to get this over with... Or perhaps Tangle and Whisper were dealing with the mess right now. They weren't exactly part of the Resistance, but they are allies of it. Or if not, Amy and Knuckles could be coming over to deal with this.

He didn't wanna think about it too hard. He shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He knew it was kind of stupid to fall asleep during a time like this, but he couldn't help himself. His body needed a rest.

.
.
.

A sudden noise jolted Norman out of his slumber. He was disoriented as he sat up. He groaned and rubbed his temple. He gave himself a minute to take in his surroundings. He wasn't really paying attention to where he was when he ran over here into the forest. He wasn't sure how long he was out for, but the ache in his muscles wasn't as bad as before. He blinked a couple times as his vision refocused. There wasn't a lot around him but tree of course. The grass in this forest was pretty tall and it made him feel itchy. He was so tired earlier that he didn't realize how badly he skin was itching. He began scratching his arms, red lines appearing on his skin. Now he regretted wearing such a loose shirt. He also wished he had cut his nails as he hadn't realized how long they have gotten.

His attention went back to trying to find out what the noise was and where it came from. He stood up, crowbar clutched tightly in his hand. He slowly turned into a full circle to get a full view of his surroundings, but he couldn't see anything... But he could hear something.

Foosteps. Loud and mechanical. He tensed up. How in the fucking world would a Badnik find him here!? He avoided all of them, and if one WAS on his trail, it wouldn't caught up to him way earlier and probably kidnap him while he was asleep! He took a step back, narrowing his eyes where he heard the sound. The footsteps didn't sound like any casual Badnik he was aware of, but it didn't sound like any of his larger mechs like the Egg Pawns, but it didn't sound like a Super Badnik either. He didn't see why a Super Badnik would even come back here into this empty forest anyway. He didn't see anybody else run out of town into it, surprisingly enough. But his eyes widened as he came to a realization. Quick footsteps. He knew where they came from. He knew what it was.

"I swear to fucking God if it is who I think it is-" He whispered to himself, but he couldn't finish his sentence as he saw two red eyes staring at him through the dark shadows of the forest trees.

Metal Sonic.

"No... There is no way." Norman whispered to himself. Out of all Badniks, it HAD TO BE THIS ONE!? He wasn't a professional on Badniks or anything, but Metal Sonic WAS the reason he ever got into his Eggman hyperfixation in the first place! He had a lot more knowledge on the robot than the regular civilian did, and he knew he had ZERO chance of beating him. Yes, Metal Sonic did have this large hole in his chest that Norman could put his crowbar through, but Metal was based off of Sonic who, you know, was fucking FAST. He would grab his wrist and snap his arm in two if he even tried that move! He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't just want to stand there and let it happen, but running away wasn't an option as Metal would catch up to him instantly, but he wasn't able to fight back either since this fucker was LEAGUES ahead any regular Motobug, and the damn thing certainly wasn't going to listen to any begging!

The two were just... Staring at each other. It was like staring death in the eye... Or maybe he was being dramatic, which he had every right to be. "Um... Hey." Norman said and immediately wanted to melt into the ground and disappear. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!? WHY WAS HE GREETING THIS THING!? He felt as if his IQ had dropped to a single digit. Metal Sonic couldn't emote but he felt like he was being judged. He just knew it.

But there was a thought that wouldn't stop nagging him... Why was Metal Sonic there in the first place? He was just some guy. Sure, he destroyed four Badniks, but he didn't think that was too insane. They've might've not been as 'precise' as he was when doing it, but still. There had to be other people that managed to do the same thing, right? Shouldn't Metal Sonic be out there and dealing with the actual problems? Was he just here to pick up any civilians that managed to escape? That seemed unlikely as Eggman was not stupid enough to send one of his most powerful creations to just do the 'easy work.' There had to be a reason way. Or perhaps he was looking too deep into it? He thought his heart might burst out of his chest with how freaked out he was. His legs were shaking like crazy, but he still held his crowbar in a defensive stance. His quills were sharp and pointing upwards.

Suddenly, Metal Sonic charged at him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and held him in the air. Norman barely had time to react. He impulsively stuck his crowbar inside of Metal Sonic's chest, even though he thought it was pretty hopeless. He heard a loud 'CLANK' as it reached inside. He wasn't sure what he was pulling at, but he knew he hit somewhere he shouldn't have when Metal Sonic threw him against a tree. He grunted as he hit it head first. He collapsed onto his knees and gripped his head as his ears rung. He couldn't faintly hear the sound of Metal Sonic pulled the crowbar out of his chest and threw it onto the ground.

Just as Norman got his focus back, Metal Sonic grabbed him again. This felt a lot tamer than the fights Metal had with Sonic, but then again, he was just some guy so why would Metal Sonic bother with the effort? Metal brought him close to his face, his red eyes glaring into his baby blues. A silent threat not to do anything stupid... But Norman was gonna do something stupid anyway. After all, the crowbar had revealed a weak spot, and despite how terrified he was right now, he didn't wanna go down like any Mobian. He knew how they just bent over and cowered while Sonic and the other heroes did all the work, and he was tired of being dependent. He wasn't sure where this confidence had come from, but he was gonna savor it.

Norman stuck his hand through the hole in Metal Sonic's chest. He wasn't sure what he was reaching for, but he was gonna grab something, and he had to be quick to Metal Sonic didn't fucking rip his hand off. He shifted his hand inside and grabbed what he assumed to be wires. He pulled his hand out, along with some wires. Once again, Metal threw him away onto the ground. He scrambled back to his feet as he heard Metal Sonic making a bunch of beeping sounds. Metal Sonic was no regular Badnik however, so the pulling of the wires trick wasn't going to work on him. He knew Metal was angry. The robot grabbed the trunk of the tree and fucking UPROOTED IT FROM THE FUCKING GROUND AND CHUCKED IT AT NORMAN.

"HOLY SHIITTT-" Norman yelled as he ducked out of way. He REALLY made Metal Sonic mad this time. Maybe he shouldn't have done something stupid! He had exhausted all his option, so he grabbed his crowbar which Metal had thrown onto the ground and he ran off as fast as he could. It wasn't even a minute when Metal caught up to him again and grabbed him by the back of the neck. Norman cried out as Metal Sonic flew upwards into the sky with him in hand. He felt nauseous at how fast it happened. He looked down at the village below him, it looked so small from up here. His hands scrambled up to Metal Sonic's wrists. He wasn't sure why he was doing it. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Metal. "Metal... Buddy..." He began. He wasn't sure what he was gonna do or why he was gonna do it.

"Just... Just why? I mean, I did kinda just tear at your insides, but... B-Before that, just... Why? I'm some guy! Just some man! I'm not a big deal!" Words were coming out but he didn't know what they meant. He wasn't sure if he could fully hear himself, so he tried again. "I'm... Just some guy. I'm not a threat. I'm just a thing. Why am I worth your time? If I'm not worth your time, why are you wasting it on?" He said. His heart was beating so hard he thought it was gonna explode. His voice was a little breathless. He knew that Metal Sonic's current model didn't have a speaker of any kind, so he couldn't respond to him with words. But he had studied him for a while, he read the robot's body language well despite it's emotionless exterior. Metal seemed to be contemplating something... Before suddenly flying off. Metal Sonic's engine whirred loudly. Norman slapped a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't throw up from how fast they were going.

.
.
.

It was probably an instant but it felt like it was an eternity for Norman with how sick he felt. There was sweat pouring off his forehead, and the aches in his body returned. The two went from Spiral Hill Village all the way to Windmill village. He spotted a very familiar Eggmobile flying in the sky, with a very familiar mad scientist on it... Norman had to rub his eyes. What this really happening? There was no way. There was no fucking way that THE Metal Sonic brought him to THE Eggman. He pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming up some weird fanfiction like Yolanda used to do when she was back in highschool... But no, this was real.

Metal slowly lowered himself to Eggman's level, still holding Norman by the back of the neck. His neck was now beginning to ache too, as if he wasn't dealing with enough of those. Eggman turned around to look at the two. He stared at Metal with his iconic smile. "Ah! Good job Metal! You brought me back this... Pest." Eggman said the word 'pest' with a hiss. It made Norman shiver, but he wasn't sure if he was shivering out of fear or a twisted form of excitement. "Tell me, who do YOU think you are to be going around and wrecking my Badniks!?" Eggman spat, his tone furious. Norman blinked. How did he know that? Did he have cameras in the Badniks eyes that ended up recording everything? Besides, why was it was big deal that he broke them? Eggman could just make more. "What?" Norman asked in a whispery tone. "You heard me! All you Mobians are nothing without Sonic! None of them have the bravery to lay their hands on my Badniks, let alone manage to destroy them! Who are you!? Are you working with the Resistance!?" Eggman asked again, his tone as angry as ever.

...Maybe Norman was wrong about the 'it was common for people to break Badniks' thing. He could see why Eggman was so angry now. "I... I don't." Was all Norman could say. He saw the look in Eggman's eyes through his glasses. He did not believe him one bit. "Hah! As if I would believe that. You're coming back with me, I'm making you spill everything about the Resistance! Metal, bring him with us! We got an interrogation to do." Eggman said. He pressed a button and a small cell popped out from the bottom of the Eggmobile, and Metal promptly threw him inside. Eggman grabbed the controller of the Eggmobile and flew away with Metal alongside it. The cell shook from side to side as they flew, adding to Norman's already nauseous state.

Maybe he wasn't gonna meet up with Yolanda and Brian to play videogames with them after this attack was over after all.

Notes:

I can't believe we're at 150 hits... This is as unbelievable as the fact that Eggman noticed Norman at all.

Thank you so much for reading through at this point, I admit I had ZERO plot planned when I was going into this, which is why we only got to the conflict now. This was my first fanfic, so I promise not to make the same mistakes when I make more. Thank you for being patient and for all the support! <3

Chapter 18: Making Lunch for the Doctor

Summary:

Norman gets tasked for make lunch for the doctor. Looks like he's gonna be staying at the base for a while.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"You're telling me that you know nothing of the Resistance!?" Eggman yelled in disbelief. Norman was strapped to a chair with like, thirty billion weapons aimed at him. This situation was so incredibly cartoony, it was ridiculous. But he didn't expect anything less from the mad doctor. If anything, it calmed his nerves, which was the opposite of what Eggman wanted.

"I can promise you that I'm not affiliated with them in any way. Really, I mean it. You can check the database and see that I'm not there." Norman said. He kept his voice as calm as possible. He wasn't sure if he was doing it to soothe Eggman or himself. Eggman gave him a speculative look. "What's your name?" He asked. "Norman. Norman Flaco Yunieski." He said. Eggman hummed as he walked over to one of the screens in the room. "Flaco Yunieski, ey? I didn't think you'd be Spanish." Eggman commented as he typed Norman's name into the Resistance database, the results turning up empty.

"I get that a lot..." Norman said quietly. Nobody would've guessed he was Spanish with a name like 'Norman,' after all. "And I'm assuming you're Russian?" He asked Eggman. Eggman paused and looked over his shoulder at Norman with narrowed eyes. "And what makes you think I'm Russian?" He hissed the question out. "B-Because Robotnik means robot in Russian and Ivo is a name of Slavic origin...?" Norman stuttered. The way Eggman asked the question made it sound like he said something he should've kept to himself.

"Well, you're observant, aren't you? You're correct. I am Russian." Eggman said. Norman let out a sigh of relief at that answer. "But that isn't the point!" Eggman said as he stomped over to Norman. He bent down so they were face to face. "How did you know to dismantle my Badniks so easily? No regular Mobian can do that. Do you have some sort of military training? Knowledge in robots or mechanics? What is it!?" Eggman spat. It felt so weird being up close to Eggman, but he didn't necessarily hate it. "Um, no, I don't have any military training or anything... I know a little about mechanics from my dad, but I'm not a professional or anything. It's the BARE bare minimum. And I can't make robots... But I have studied them."

"Studied robots?" Eggman said with narrowed eyes. "...Your robots." Norman specified. "And why would you do that?" Norman froze. He felt his face turn bright red. Should he admit the truth? He didn't want to end up as the next Starline, and we all know what happened to him. "Well... I just... Think they're interesting? They are truly remarkable. I don't think we would've seen or had this technology in years if it weren't for you." Norman said. He was saying the truth, but he also made sure to play into Eggman's ego to see if he could slide his way out of this situation.

"Ugh, it's about time somebody appreciated my genius!" Eggman said as he walked away and threw his arms in the air in a grandiose gesture. "I'll have to give it to you, you're more observant than the average rodent. So, for that I'll make you a deal." Norman's eyes widened. "A deal?" He asked. Eggman spun around and stared at him with a cocky look. "Yes, a deal. I don't do these often, so be grateful I'm bothering with you. To make up for destroying my Badniks, I'll keep you here and you'll be my personal chef, and if you keep me satisfied, I'll let you go. Who knows, maybe I'll hire you. I pay well, you know." Eggman winked. "So, what do you say?" He put his hands on his hips.

"How did you find out I worked in hospitality?" Norman asked, even more surprised than before. Eggman waved his hand in a dismissive way. "Don't worry about it. Will you take the deal or not?" He said. Norman was quiet for a moment. It could be worse. If he pretended like he was at work, then he should be fine. "...Okay, I'll do it." He responded. Eggman clasped his hands together and he let out a chuckle. "Good, good. You'll get started this afternoon. You'll be taken to your... 'Room.'"

Eggman snapped his fingers and two Eggpawns which were standing at the door of the room walked up to Norman. They removed the straps off of him and grabbed him by the arms. They pulled him out of the chair and dragged him out of the room and into the hallway. God, he was exhausted. He was still nauseous. His muscles felt like they were burning. He was gonna need more than a rest that lasted until the afternoon for him to properly heal, but why would Eggman care about that? The hallways went from reds to muted blues and grays. The lights dimmed, making a gloomy atmosphere. The Eggpawns stood in front of a door that was on the left. One of them pressed their hand against a scanner and the door whirred as it opened. There were bunch of cells and Norman was promptly put in one of them. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't thrown in like he expected he would.

There was a singular lightbulb on the ceiling, but the room was still dark and dim. The place was quite spacious, or maybe Norman was just small. There was a sink, a toilet, and a bed. The cell didn't have any bars, but rather walls with a single window to the side where anybody could peer into. The implications made him uncomfortable. He walked over to the bed and felt the mattress and blanket. The blanket was a texture he didn't like, so he chucked it onto the ground. The mattress was okay at best and the pillow was the same. He laid down on the bed, letting out a sigh. He tucked his knees up to his chest and pulled his shirt over his knees. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep once more.

.
.
.

He was woken up by the sound of two Eggpawns walking into his cell. Were they being loud or was he just a light sleeper? Before he had a chance to get up, one of them grabbed them by the shoulders and stood him onto his feet. Norman shook his head to gain focus as his vision was a bit blurry. The Eggpawns grabbed him by his arms and began walking down the hallway. Norman was wondering what he should make Eggman, or what he'd even like. He had heard that Sonic and his friends had said that the food was synthetic and disgusting, but Eggman still enjoyed it. Amy said that his pastries were good however, as long as you took the 'evil influence' out of them.

Norman really hated doing those 'surprise me' orders that some smartass teenagers gave at the bakery. Does it look like he wants to order for you like he's your father? No, of course not. So, whenever he got one of those he made sure to make the least favourite pastry in the menu. Serves them right. But, this was Eggman, not a 'witty' teen, so he couldn't go down that route if he wanted to go home. Eggman is Russian, so maybe he'd like something from his culture? He wasn't sure. He wasn't good at making cultural foods that weren't Spanish, at least. He'd studied Eggman for five years, and he's mostly been seen with a classic sub... But that was during work where he couldn't exactly have a five star meal. Norman knew that Eggman liked chocolate chip cookies, so he had something to make him for dessert. Maybe Eggman would be pleased with some chicken wings?

He had no time to answer that as he just realized that the Eggpawns dropped him off into a relatively spacious kitchen. This was where his robots would make him his food, but at the moment it was completely empty... Other than Eggman standing right in front of him. Orbot was by his side, holding a white chef uniform with a white apron. "I'm warning you now that I'm VERY picky. So you better now disappoint me." Eggman said in a stern tone as Orbot handed Norman the uniform. He was quiet for a moment as he stared at the uniform. It felt weird to look at since he was used to the bright pink uniform he wore at the bakery. He looked up at Eggman, trying to seem as confident as possible. "Is there anything in specific you'd like? Maybe something... Cultural?" He asked. Eggman twirled his mustache and hummed. "Hmm... I haven't had Pelmeni in a while. I'd like it filled with beef and topped with sour cream." Eggman commented. Huh, what a coincidence, sour cream was one of Norman's favourite flavors too.

"I... Also like sour cream." Norman said, his voice quiet. He felt his face turning red. "A-Anyway, I'll make you pelmeni. How many pieces do you want?" He deflected. "Hmm... Make me twenty one. I'll be working, and when I'm done, you BETTER have finished. No exceptions." Eggman said sternly as he walked out with Orbot behind him. Orbot paused at the doorway and waved at Norman. "Good luck!" He said. Norman looked back down at the uniform he was given. It looked a little small, but he could make it work. The two Eggpawns were standing at the doorway, probably making sure that he doesn't poison the food or something. This is probably the first time Eggman has had a living being make his food in the kitchen. Norman slipped the uniform on, feeling that it was a little tight around the waist, but he didn't mind. He looked at the tables, seeing how they were sparkly clean. At least Eggman had enough hospitality knowledge to make sure that the tables were wiped and santizied.

Norman pulled out a cutting board, a knife, and a bowl. He saw that there was a screen in the kitchen which showed the recipe for the Pelmeni. "Hmm... Flour, water, and a little bit of egg... Quite a simple recipe." He mumbled to himself. He grabbed some flour from the cupboard, and poured from water into a cup. He grabbed a single egg some the fridge and put it into a small plastic container. He put the ingredients into a bowl and whisked them until the mixtures combined. He grabbed some extra flour and sprinkled it on the counter. He let the mixture plop onto the desk and he began kneading it. He grabbed a rolling pin and rolled it until it was flat. He used a knife to cut it into small dumpling pieces.

He began cooking the meat. He wasn't sure if it was Mobini meat or meat from the animals on Earth where Eggman comes from. Norman wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Norman was finishing the pelmeni, rolling up the dumplings. He searched for a good twenty minutes for sour cream, but for some reason it was in the back of a cupboard. He was just glad he wouldn't have to make it from scratch. He used a spoon and topped the dumplings off with the sour cream. He had dumped all the dishes he used into the sink. He wasn't sure if he needed to wash them or if the robots would. He did make sure to clean off the table with a cloth and sanitize it once he was gone. He sighed and wiped his forehead. He hoped this was a job well done and that Eggman would like it. He knew Eggman said that he expected dinner to be done when he was done his work. He wasn't told how long Eggman was gonna work for, however. Oh well. Even if the robots were gonna clean up the dishes later, he decided that he was gonna do them just so he can pass the time.

He walked over to the sink and turned it on. He grabbed a sponge and began scrubbing the bowl. Dough was always so hard to clean, but he didn't feel like complaining. He finished cleaning that and dumped it into the sanitizing sink. He continued with the other utensils. He sighed. He thought imagining that he was back at work would be a good thing, but in reality it made him annoyed. He loved his job... At least that's what he told himself. He had a passion for baking and cooking, he really did, but having to wake up early in the morning and baking and baking nonstop consistently tired him out to the point he didn't remember who he was anymore. He forgot his own damn hobbies as well. Maybe that's why he was so happy on his 'break days.' And, for some reason, even though he was working for Eggman now, it felt... Peaceful. He felt like he had a little more control for once.

Norman flinched as he heard the door of the kitchen whirr open. He saw Orbot and Cubat float into the kitchen. "Oh, goody! The foods all ready! Mmm, smells good!" Cubot said as he looked over the Pelmeni. Orbot sighed and facepalmed. "Cubot, we don't have noses, we can't smell." He said. "Oh well! I'm sure if I had a nose then this would smell deeeeelicous!" He said. Norman was a little amused. These two didn't seem so bad. He let go of the whisk he was washing and walked over to them, putting his hands behind his back. "So you two are Eggman's infamous assistants?" He asked in a casual tone. The two looked him over, and Orbot nodded. "Yes, we are. And you're his new chef?" Orbot asked with a tilt of his head. Norman nodded. "Yes, unfortunately. My name is Norman, it's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand and Orbot shook it. "Wooaahh! I've never seen a hedgehog with so many spots before!" Cubot said in an excited tone as he circled Norman. He felt his face heat up. He wasn't fond of his spots, but at least somebody else was. "I'm sorry about him..." Orbot grumbled, causing Norman to chuckle. "It's fine, I don't mind it."

"Anyways, we're here to bring Eggman his food... And he wants you to come with us." Orbot said. "Really? Okay." Norman said nonchalantly. He could see the confusion on Orbot's face. "...You're not worried or anything, or-" "Nope." "...Okay." Norman grabbed the plate of pelmeni and followed Cubot and Orbot out of the kitchen. They arrived in Eggman's laboratory where he was busy typing something on a computer. Norman stared in fascination as he stared at the text appearing on screen. He spoke up before Cubot and Orbot could. "Dr. Eggman, your meal is ready." Eggman turned around in his chair, his face lighting up as he saw the food. "Ah! Just in time. Bring it to me." He said, gesturing Norman over. He walked up to Eggman and gave him the plate. He waited patiently to see if Eggman would like it or not. Eggman's face was blank when he took a bite, but then he looked annoyed. "...It's very good." He grumbled reluctantly. Norman couldn't help but smile. He knew that he didn't like complimenting people.

"But it's gonna take a lot more than some pelmeni to convince me to let you go home." Eggman said with a mouthful. Norman decided to be a little bold and took a step towards Eggman. "Oh, I know. You work pretty hard. You need something filling to keep you going." He said. Eggman looked quite pleased. "Ah, someone gets it! You're the first person who hasn't called me a glutton." He said while popping another pelmeni in his mouth. "Well... It's because you're not." Norman said and decided to elaborate. "You're like... What? Six feet tall and over? Your height has a lot to do with how much you need to eat. So, you're not being gluttonous or anything, I think you eat a healthy amount..." He finished. He felt like such a huge fucking nerd for saying that, but it was a truth. He looked down at the ground, his face red. Eggman looked thoughtful. "Huh, well aren't you a smart one? You're the first person who hasn't made fun of me for much I eat. I like you. Oh well, back to your cell you go, I expect some good dinner for tonight. If it's better than this one, I might give you something for your 'room.'" Eggman dismissed as Cubot and Orbot went to lead Norman back to his cell. "I'd like a new blanket, I don't like the texture of the one you gave me." Norman said in a casual tone. Eggman narrowed his eyes as the three left the room.

"Huh... Looks like he's also picky about textures." Eggman muttered to himself as he popped another pelmeni into his mouth.

Notes:

I was having a pretty shitty day today, so I decided to sit down and finish chapter 18. It made me feel a lot better :,)

Chapter 19: Maybe It Won't Be So Bad

Summary:

Metal Sonic hated Norman the second they met, but Norman has a way of making even the most hateful of beings soften up. Who knows? Maybe it'll work on Eggman too.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It had been two days since Norman got captured. He was in the kitchen once more, making Eggman some chocolate chip cookies because he felt like having some sugar. He went heavy on the chocolate chips to make sure Eggman happy, which makes him happy for whatever reason.

His stay here wasn't as bad as he imagined it'd be. Sure it wasn't perfect, nowhere near it, but the worst part of being here wasn't being manhandled by the robots as they take him from his cell to the kitchen, or having to deal with sleeping cold because the blanket was a texture he absolutely refused to use, or missing his friends and wishing that he could message them and tell them he's okay... It wasn't any of those, but missing his friends was certainly close. It was Metal Sonic.

The robot HATED him, he could tell. He did pull out his wiring, which is the equivalent of having your intestines ripped out. It probably added insult to injury that Norman was some dude who had zero battle experience beforehand. He's only seen Metal Sonic twice, but both times made him shiver. The first time was when he came to deliver Eggman a snack, celery and carrots with a homemade dip. Norman thought celery tasted like perfume water, so he had no idea how Eggman could tolerate it. Metal Sonic was in the room, and his body language was tense the second Norman stepped in. He made sure to keep his distance to not trigger the bot. He may not be able to emote, but he knew that he was scowling at him.

The second time the two met was when they bumped into each other in the hallway. Cubot and Orbot were walking him to Eggman's laboratory again. The two are the only people here he could consider his friends, or at least acquaintances. It was a little funny how Orbot got annoyed at Cubot's silly antics, and they made Norman. But, they bumped into Metal Sonic in the hallway because they weren't paying attention. He nearly dropped the tray of food he was holding. Gaia, those eyes... He remembered those eyes. Those red, piercing eyes. If he wasn't working for Eggman, he was certain Metal Sonic would've killed him right then and there. Orbot had to distract Metal while Cubot pulled him away just so the three could get into the kitchen without trouble.

Norman shuddered as he remembered the red eyes glaring at him. It reminded him at how they glared at him through the trees when they met in the forest for the first time. He needed to stop dwelling on it, though. He needed to get these cookies ready.

He sifted flour onto the table and poured out the dough onto his. He added some flour to a rolling pin and began flattening out the dough. Once it was around two centimeters thick, he put the rolling pin down and used a cookie cutter to make perfect circles. He grabbed the cut out cookies and put them on a tray beside him that was lined with parchment paper. He had made about six cookies, but he wasn't one to waste perfectly good dough, so he rolled up with the excess dough into a ball in his hands, put it back down on the table, and rolled it back out again. He was able to make four more cookies. Now Eggman had some to save for later.

He grabbed the tray and put it inside the oven. He turned up the heat to three hundred and fifty celsius. He grabbed the timer that was next to the oven and timed it for twelve minutes. He went back to his station and began cleaning up. He put the bowls and utensils into the sinks, but he used a wet cloth to clean the rolling pin. He remembered how he put a rolling pin inside the sink when he was taking hospitality classes back in college. He remembered how his teacher scolded him for doing that since the water could damage the wood. He's never been so embarrassed in his life. He hasn't done the same thing since. He used that same wet cloth to clean the flour off of the table. Once it was dry, he sanitized it.

He let out a sigh. He sat down on a stool that was near the wall. He looked at the timer. Seven minutes. "Just a little more..." He sighed again. Pretending that he was back at work when cooking for Eggman, but it was just making him depressed. He looked down at his hands. How much longer was he gonna have to do this for before he was allowed to go home? It has only been for two days, but each day, each hour, and each minute felt long... Maybe because he was incredibly bored. He's never been so bored in his life since he got here. But, hey, at least he's bored instead of scared, because he'd take that any day.

The timer dinged, snapping Norman out of his thoughts. He got up and walked over to the oven and turned it off. He put on a pair of mittens and opened the oven door. He grabbed the tray of cookies and pulled it out and placed it on the counter. The cookies smelled really good, and it was making him hungry. The food that Eggman had been providing him wasn't bad or anything, bit he wished that he could have something better. Maybe Eggman would give him better food if he pleases him enough.

Norman was brought out of his thoughts when the timer dinged. He stood up and turned off the oven. He put on a pair of kitchen mits and pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven. He set them on the counter and took the mits off. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a plate large enough to fit all of the cookies. Damn, the smell of the cookies were really making him hungry now. Eggman would probably throw a hissy fit if he were to take a bite of one of the cookies... And, to be fair, Norman would do the exact same thing if someone took a bite of his food without asking. He put the cookies onto the plate, his fingers burning a little bit because he couldn't be bothered to wait until they cooled down.

Luckily, just in time, Cubot and Orbot entered the kitchen. The two have been the one's accompanying him to take Eggman his food, which he preferred over the Eggpawns. The way they motionlessly stood at the door just watching him always unnerved him. "Yaayy, cookies!" Cubot yelled excitedly, causing Orbot to sigh. Cubot picked up one of the cookies and examined it. "Oohh, this one has tons of chocolate chips on it!" He giggled. "Yeah... I thought Eggman would like extra." Norman said with a small shrug. Orbot floated over, patting him on the back. "Oh, he'll love them, I promise. Chocolate chip cookies are his favourite dessert... Well, other than chocolate cake and pudding, of course." He said.

"Eggman has... Pretty simple tastes, doesn't he?" Norman said thoughtfully. He thought he'd be the type to want complex and extravagant meals, but the meals he's made so far had been pretty simple. Yesterday Eggman asked for Mac and cheese with chicken nuggets, which was also Norman's favourire comfort food. Quite a confidence, isn't it? He originally wanted to try Alfredo with peas and chicken, but he didn't like the peas... Or the chicken. If anything, he hated it. So he had to make him the Mac and cheese instead. It's fine, he ended up secretly the Alfredo anyway.

"We better give Eggman his food before he gets mad!" Cubot said. "Oh, right. Let's get going." Orbot said as the three walked out with the cookies in hand. These two somewhat reminded him of his friends. Somewhat. Just an over exaggerated version of them. Brian would be the last person he'd call stupid. Hell, they even had the same colors as his friends. Cubot was yellow just like Brian... Well, Brian was more orange than yellow, but close enough right? Orbot was red just like Yolanda. Oh, how he missed them. He wished he could message them somehow and tell that that he's okay and alive, and not trapped in some dungeon with his intestines being used as yarn to crochet some twisted sweater. Maybe one day he'd get out of here so they could play video games together like he promised.

Norman sighed as he stared at the empty halls. At least, he thought they were empty until he heard footsteps. Loud, metallic footsteps. He felt his heart drop. He wasn't sure how he wasn't from standing up to the death machine to now cowering at the sight of him. Maybe it was because he was no longer at an advantage and Metal would have zero qualms about killing. But, was he ever really at an advantage? Sure, he had his crowbar and he did tear out his wires with his bare hands, but he was as vulnerable as he was before. He's suddenly very aware at how easily flesh can be diced.

"Uhh, are you okay? You look very pale..." Cubot said as he put a hand on Norman's forehead to make sure he wasn't ill. Norman shook his head. "I'm... I'm fine." He said, his tone uncertain. He was anxiously watching the corner to see where Metal would pop up, but Orbot ushered him forward. "Come on, we can't have Eggman getting mad at as. Seriously, it's not pretty..." He said as he pushed the two forward. Norman was telling himself to ignore the footsteps in his head, but the more he told himself to ignore it, the more attention he paid to it. God, he felt so stupid. He sped up to get in front of the two bots, but stopped when Metal Sonic finally came out from the corner. The two were close. Uncomfortably close. But at least they didn't bump into eachother... But this somehow felt worse. Those red eyes were staring into his soul once more. He could feel Cubot and Orbot getting nervous from behind him. Him and Metal Sonic were in a stare off. Norman couldn't even bring himself to blink.

He weighed his options in his head, either get himself out of there, or somehow try to make the robot hate him less.

Norman put a hand on Metal Sonic's cold cheek. "Hey... I'm just gonna bring your father his food, okay?" He said. He stepped to the side and walked away from Metal Sonic. Holy shit, he couldn't believe he just did that. Cubot and Orbot rushed beside him. "How the heck did you do that!?" Cubot asked. "Umm... Do what, exactly?" He asked, his voice quiet. He could feel Metal's eyes burning into the back of his skull, but he wasn't sure if it was in a good way or not. "I don't know, you just... Calmed him? Soothed him? I don't know, one of the two! Even Eggman can't do that!" Cubot said. Orbot didn't say anything, looking at Norman thoughtfully. "Look, he already hates me, I don't want him to hate me more, okay? The best I can do is be nice to him." Norman said sheepishly. Orbot shrugged. "I suppose. It's not everyday when people are nice to us bots." Their conversation ended as they walked into the lab.

Eggman was asleep on his chair. He was snoring loudly and he had a bit of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. Both Cubot and Orbot groaned, but Norman found it funny. He quietly walked over to where Eggman was sitting and placed the tray of cookies on the desk in front of him. He put a hand on Eggman's shoulders and gently shook him. "Come on, Eggman, wake up." Norman said quietly. Eggman snorted and his eyes fluttered open. "Whaa...?" He said in his barely awake state. Norman held back a chuckle, but he couldn't help the silly grin on his face. He let go of Eggman's shoulder and backed up. "I brought you the cookies you wanted." He said. "Oh... Yeah." Eggman grumbled and sat up straight. He stretched and his back popped. He let out of a sigh of satisfaction and grabbed the cookies, shoving one into his mouth and giving a hum of approval.

Norman stood there for a moment watching Eggman eat. He looked back at Cubot and Orbot before sitting down on a chair beside Eggman. Eggman gave him a stank eye. "What are you doing here? Get out." He said with a mouthful of cookies. Norman chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just... You know... Want to talk a little? I mean, an employee should at least know his boss a little, right?" He said. Eggman just waved dismissively at him. "Pssh, yeah,, no. Just get back to cooking." He said. Norman huffed. If Eggman was gonna be stubborn, then he was gonna be stubborn too. "...What's the first thing you want to do when you take over the world?" He asked. Eggman paused and had a thoughtful expression. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment before down at the plate. "Take a nap. I've worked hard enough, I deserve it." He said and shoved another cookie into his mouth. "And after-" He said as he covered his mouth to prevent any of it falling out. "I'm gonna put my face on every screen and announce my victory! And then after that, I'm gonna send my Badniks out and have them destroy EVERYTHING related to Sonic, and then-" Eggman paused as he started coughing and hitting his chest. Talking with your mouth full of cookies was a bad idea. Norman patted his back. "Take it easy, big guy..." He said.

Eggman swallowed loudly as he stopped coughing. "Anyway, as I was saying, after I get rid of all the Sonic stuff, I'm gonna have my Badniks put up my face on everything! Statues, posters, clothing, I don't care! As long as my beautiful face is out there!" Eggman said arrogantly. Norman felt his cheeks heat up. "Well... You are very beautiful." He said without thinking. Eggman's head snapped towards him.

"What?"

"What?"

Silence...

Norman wanted to sink into the ground and die. Why did he just say that? His face was so hot you could cook an egg on it. "Uhh..." He stammered, trying to change the subject. "Is there anything you like to do when you're not trying to take over the world...?" He asked in a voice so quiet it was close to a whisper. Eggman narrowed his eyes at Norman suspiciously before turning back to the plate of cookies. "Video games." He said as he ate another cookie. "Which genres?" Norman asked. "Hmm, usually puzzle games but sometimes I play tycoons and shooters. I like to code games too sometimes- which are obviously the best games in the world." Eggman said, that arrogant tone returning once more. Norman looked at him thoughtfully. "I like tycoon and shooter games too, but I'm not the best at shooter games..." His face brightened as he came up with an idea. "...Hey, once you take over the world, you can start a video game company so you can show people how amazing your games are?" He asked with a small smile.

"Yes!" Eggman said excitedly, looking at Norman with an excited and confident smile. He pointed at him. "That is an excellent idea! Now people will know I have more talent then just making robots! My games will be so amazing that I'll surpass every videogame company in the world!" Eggman said as he raised one of his hands up in the air. Norman couldn't help but giggle at how happy Eggman got. It was pretty endearing. "Hmm, you know what? I might keep you around for things other than cooking." Eggman said before pausing. He turned back to Norman with an annoyed expression. "Hey, I already told you to get out! What are still doing here?" He grumbled. Norman chuckled as he stood up, straightening out his apron. "Just thought you might like company other than your two dumbots." Norman said. He knew how angry Eggman got at those two. Eggman huffed and ate another cookie. "Hmph! Well, you're not wrong, but don't think this means I like you!" He grumbled again. Norman sighed, this was a good sigh, as he turned around and walked towards the door where Cubot and Orbot were. He was surprised to see Metal Sonic was there too watching his and Eggman's interaction. He couldn't feel the anger radiating off of him like before.

He patted Metal on the shoulder and walked away. Cubot and Orbot quickly floated beside him. "Wow! Now Metal AND Eggman like you! How do you do it? You're like a friendship wizard!" Cubot said excitedly. "Do you really think we're stupid?" Orbot asked, sounding a little more somber. "No, no, I don't you're stupid. I was just teasing Eggman." Norman said with a chuckle. He felt a lot better than he did before. At least he knew Metal wasn't gonna kill him the second he gets 'out of line.' And now he knew a little bit more about Eggman, which made him feel fuzzy inside. Maybe it won't be so bad here.

Notes:

I had to rewrite this chapter a couple times because each time I absolutely hated it. I lost a bunch of motivation when it came to writing because my teachers thought it'd be a good idea to bombard us with CPT's the last two weeks before christmas break :,)

I'm back now tho and I'm happy to be writing again ^^

Chapter 20: Important update

Chapter Text

Hello everyone. It's been a really long time since I've updated this. And no, I didn't get hit by a car and die, my grandma didn't get cancer and my fish got cancer and my planet got cancer, and I didn't suddenly disappear after being cursed by a witch. The reason why is because I've been incredibly unmotivated.

I'm sure it's clear, but I started this fanfic without a clear story in mind. (The description or first chapter summary said how I wrote this at 6am, which I did). Things just kind of happened and there's a lot of random tonal shifts. I really love this fanfic and my character Norman, but I'm just disappointed with it. I get that it's the first ever fanfic I've written and it's not supposed to be the Bible or something, but I just don't like it. Besides, Norman has been feeling pretty mary-sueish to me in the recent chapters.

So, I've been thinking of remaking or rewriting the entire fanfiction. I'm not sure whether I should go back to previous chapters and rewrite them or make an entirely separate fanfiction just to preserve this one. And, don't worry, I'm not gonna change too much, I'm just gonna make it higher quality (as best to my abilities).

So, I'm here asking for an opinion. Should I go back and rewrite the entire thing or make a separate fanfiction and go from there?

Thanks for the help
- Noah <3

Notes:

Thank you for reading <3