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It was another ordinary day in Green Hills; when Tom the Donut lord just woke up and went to the kitchen “Good morning Maddie” Tom said yawning “Good morning honey” Maddie said while flipping the pancake “Is Sonic up yet?” it has been a week since Sonic started living with them “Not yet, but he will be up as soon as he smells the pancakes” and as soon as Maddie said that Sonic came downstairs in a blur “Good morning Donut lord, Pretzel lady” He said with a smile, Tom smiled back at him “Good morning Blue devil” He said teasingly “Good morning sweetie, breakfast is ready” She said, Sonic took a seat beside Tom and just like this they started their morning as a happy group of friends, That’s what Sonic thought, so what if He is living under the same roof as them? He was happy, He wouldn’t ask for anything more even if He wanted to. Tom just finished his shift for the day and was hanging out with some of his friends at the bar and immediately He started talking about Sonic without even realizing it “He is an amazing kid! I’m really glad I took him in, we are best friends” Tom said with a soft smile “I wish I had this bond with my son, He never tells me anything, especially at this age.” Tom’s friend John said, “I don’t have to worry about that Sonic talks all the time!” He said, Sonic always laughing and smiling sometimes I feel like He is sunshine, Tom thought to himself, John intruded into his thoughts “Are you sure Sonic tells you everything?” Tom shrugged “What do you mean? I’m pretty sure Sonic won’t hide anything from me” why would he hide something from me? John noticed the look on his friend’s face “Tom you only knew the kid for about a week! You can’t possibly know everything about him.” Tom rolled his eyes “Ok fine, what does he like?” John asked “He likes Chili Dogs,” Tom said proudly “And…” John said, “And?” Tom shrugged, and John sighed “What else do you know about him? What’s his favorite game, what makes him sad and what makes him happy, stuff like that.” John’s words kept ringing in Tom’s head on his way home, He’s wrong I do know sonic we went on this road trip together! But then how come that I don’t know a lot of things about Sonic, I don’t even know how old he is, Tom sighed in disappointment. It seemed like a long way back home but he finally reached home with a new determination, getting to know Sonic better, and with that, he entered the house “I’m home” Tom waited for a reply but didn’t get any, then he remembered that Maddie has extra work today so she will be late. Tom went upstairs to check on Sonic, “Sonic I’m back” usually Tom would return to an empty house on days like this, it felt nice to have someone else living in the house, Sonic went zipping toward Tom “Welcome back Donut Lord” Sonic said with a smile which Tom thought was cute. “So Sonic what was you doing while I was at work?” Tom started the conversation, He wanted to know Sonic more but also didn’t want to freak him out so a simple question would be a great start, “I was reading my comic collection of The Flash” Sonic started “He is amazing! He is just like me, having a super-speed power and running on water” and the fact he was running away all of his life just like me, Sonic kept the last part to himself “The Flash, He is a great superhero almost as great as the Blue blur right?” Tom said with a smirk and both of them started laughing; “You know there is a TV series for The Flash” Sonic’s eyes got wider “What is that for real? I want to see it” “Okay then let’s watch it tonight with some pizza” Sonic was so excited that he started running all over his room. “Hahaha ok buddy calm down, can I see your comic collection?” Tom said, Sonic went to show Tom his collection but Tom didn’t like what he saw, the comics weren’t in a great shape mostly tourn out and dirty but Sonic looked so happy and couldn’t stop talking about The Flash, “How about I get you the next volume of this comic book? Let’s go buy it right now I have nothing to do” Sonic’s eyes shined for a moment before he frowned and said “No, Thanks Tom but I don’t need them” Tom didn’t expect this answer from Sonic “why? I thought you would be happy” “yeah but I don’t have the money to buy it and they stopped throwing old books out, they give them to the orphanage now and I can’t just steal them from the children they need the books more than me and-” Sonic couldn’t stop until Tom put his hand on Sonic shoulder to calm him down “whoa buddy who said anything about money, I will buy the comics to you so you don’t have to worry” for some reason that freaked Sonic even more and he stepped back pushing Tom’s hand “What, no you can’t buy it to me” Tom was confused “Why not?” “Because you already did a lot of things to me, Tom…” Tom?! He only calls me this when he is upset “You let me live in your house rent-free, feed me three meals every day and you became my friend despite me getting you almost killed and destroying your house! I have everything I have ever wished for a house a friend a warm meal, and that’s everything I have ever needed why would I want more?” Sonic looked at Tom with bleeding eyes. To Sonic the life he is living right now was beyond his wildest dreams, not having to run anymore or hide from humans, having someone accepting him just the way he is, made him feel so happy yet so scared, scared that one day he will wake up and find out that it was just a long happy dream, scared that he will lose everything that’s why He didn’t want to push his luck even more than this. It never came to Tom’s mind that Sonic would think like this as if he wasn’t welcomed or as if he was a guest, Tom sighed and looked at Sonic, He looked scared but scared of what? Tom wondered. He knew he has to be careful with whatever He is going to say next so that He doesn’t freak Sonic out.
Tom tried to put his hand on Sonic’s shoulder to calm him down but he backed away He wasn’t used to being touched at least not yet. “Sonic” finally Tom broke the silence “You know that is your house too! It is our house okay buddy?” Sonic responded with a nod not feeling sure yet “And besides you didn’t destroy the house Dr. Robotnik did remember and he is the one who almost killed us several times in fact” Sonic looked at Tom feeling calmer now, He know Tom is right “Sonic I know this is new to you, I know it’s hard you must be scared I would be scared too!” Sonic wanted to deny it but instead, he said “would you?” “’ course bud, but I want you to know that me and Maddie will always be by your side no matter what happens and you don’t have to hide anymore and when I say hide I mean your feelings as well you can tell me everything you want” Tom smiled a soft smile that made Sonic smile and somehow made him feel safe “So how about we buy those comics now?” before Sonic could argue with him, Tom said “I want you to know that buying those comics won’t only make you happy it will make me happy too so it’s a win-win situation” “Ok, then what are we waiting for?” Sonic smiled widely “I’ll race you to the door” before Tom could say anything Sonic had disappeared in a blue blur, Tom just stood there for a while and smiled to himself, then went to get the keys when He heard Sonic calling him “Come on Lazy Lord”
xxx
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Sonic was waiting for Tom at the door entrance feeling thrilled about getting new comics and this time not old torn ones, but brand-new ones! Finally Tom came with the keys in his hands “Come on bud” said Tom, and with that, they rode the car. Sonic opened the window and put his head out but Tom stopped him “Ohh no buddy, sit probably and wear your seatbelt we don’t want you to go flying out of the window like last time” Tom remembered what happened last time with Dr.Robotonicks “Don’t worry Donut Lord” Sonic said while wearing his seatbelt “Besides shouldn’t you wear yours too?” Sonic said with a smirk on his face “Oh my bad” Tom said feeling a little embarrassed “Pfft, Haha don’t sweat it Donut Lord” Sonic said while laughingSonic was looking outside at the woods where he used to live, wondering how much his life had changed since he meet Tom, well since he meet Dr. Eggman without him, He wouldn’t even have the guts to talk to Tom ‘Isn't that funny how bad things could lead to good things ‘ Sonic was lost in his thoughts, just enjoying the quiet moment and the slightly warm breezeTom wanted to get closer to Sonic to know him better but he didn’t want to scare the kid ‘kid?!’ he is a kid, right? At least I know what my first question is going to be. “Sonic?” called Tom “Hm?” replied Sonic not baying Tom any attention “How old are you…?” asked Tom, which caught Sonic’s attention “Can’t you guess that?” said Sonic now looking at Tom instead of the window “ Um, T-twelve?” Tom said the first thing that came to his mind, feeling surprised by Sonic's sudden question “I’m 15 but I appreciate that you think I look younger” said Sonic with a smile ‘so he is a teenager thought Tom ‘he does sound like one, “So Sonic, how old do you think I am?” asked Tom “Really old,” said Sonic teasingly “HaHa, no seriously” Tom insisted “I know that You are 32 years old Tom,” said Sonic, “NO, what?! How did you know?” Tom sounded surprised “I was there” came the quiet reply, Tom almost didn’t hear it “There where?” Tom asked Sonic who wasn’t facing him anymore “At your birthday party, except I wasn’t invited,” He said the last part in order to lighten up the mood, but it came out the wrong wayTom didn’t know what to say except “Oh” which made the situation even worthSonic didn’t know what to say eitherThe silence stayed between the two for a few minutes but for Sonic, it felt like hours, He wanted to chase it away but no matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to say anything Hopefully Tom broke the silence, “So, When is your birthday? Blue Devil” He said in an attempt of him to lighten the mood up “June 23rd” came the reply, Tom eyed Sonic for a brief second before focusing on the road again, he seems kinda down, thought Tom “I can’t wait for your birthday,” said Tom “What? Why?” exclaimed Sonic ‘ I hate my birthday, it reminds me of how lonely I am ‘ Thought Sonic “Cause we will celebrate it together!” said Tom with excitementSonic took a moment to realize what Tom had just said, despite being the fastest thing alive in the world, and as soon as he realized it, his emerald green eyes shined brightly, and his mouth bent into a huge smile that extended from ear to ear This year This year is different, I'm not going to spend my birthday all by myself He smiled to himself and said “ Yeah, I can't wait too!”…………They finally arrived at the library As soon as Tom parked the car Sonic went zooming to the library entrance then he stopped to wait for Tom, it was at this moment that he realized that even though it wasn't his first time entering a library, he had never entered through the front door ever, which made him feel nervous, not just that but the fact that everyone is watchin' him was starting to freak him out, he isn’t used to thatTom came by and noticed that Sonic looks a little nervous ‘Of course, he isn’t used to all of that, How should I act? Should I say something? Would that freak him out? ‘ suddenly Tom was stressed out too, so he took a deep breath, before approaching the little kid, teenager?... “ Hey buddy,” said Tom in a calming slightly loud tone so Sonic could hear him, Sonic’s ears moved backward then he turned to look at Tom “Are you ready to go inside?” asked Tom, Sonic looked at Tom before looking at the library once more, Tom waited for a few minutes before assuring him“ If you need more time, it's okay we can wait” “Sigh, No I’m ready,” Sonic said with determination, Tom smiled and said “Ok then, let's go” They entered the library and they got hit immediately by the smell of books, which gave a calming feeling for both of them, the library looked magnificent with its huge bookshelves and windows, you could see the sun rays entering through it warming the place up ‘ it would be really nice to get a book and read it while sitting in the window ‘ Imagined Sonic “Let's search for the comic section, and no running around-“Before Tom could finish his sentence Sonic disappeared “Sigh, at least he is back to normal” Tom smiled before searching for Sonic Sonic found the comic section in less than a second but the volume he desired is too high for him to reach and he doesn’t want to attract any more attention to himself more than that, so he had to wait for Tom Occasionally, he could hear someone whispering, saying stuff like “Isn't that the Blue Devil?” “ Crazy Clark was right!” “Mom I'm scared” and he couldn’t help but hear as his hearing is extra strong unlike humans “He is amazing” that caught Sonic's ears up again “I wish I had super speed” “Blue looks nice maybe I should dye my hair blue” some of those comments bought a smile to Sonic’s face “Oh there you are,” said Tom, it didn’t take Tom that long to find Sonic after all he was the only blue hedgehog in the place “Did you find what you want?” asked Tom “Yes, it’s volume no.25 on the second shelf from up,” Said Sonic, Tom looked at where Sonic was pointing “Is this what you want buddy” Tom gave Sonic the comics “yes, Tha-“ this time Tom interrupted Sonic “let's get the next 2 volumes as well” Said Tom while gripping the comic books “But-“ argued Sonic “Uh-uh no buts, I know you can read the comic section if not the whole library within seconds, one volume isn’t enough Sonic” Tom looked like he had the upper hand in this conversation, Sonic wanted to argue more but he knew he would lose “Ok fine, you won this battle Donut Lord but you won't win the war,” Said Sonic jokingly, Tom smiled at him and before he could ruffle sonics head, he disappeared in a blue flash saying something about saving us a place in the line, Tom didn’t quite catch what he said it was too fast for him”But he certainly said to himself “ One day Tom “ one day you will be apple to raffle his head without startling him out you will get to know him more and give him all the love he deserves, Tom was sure of that but what he didn’t know that he will face a lot of obstacles in the way
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After they reached home, Sonic sped up to the attic so he could take a look at his new comics ‘ I can’t believe I’m finally going to read the rest of it, after all of the waiting, ‘ Sonic wants to enjoy every single moment by reading through the comics slowly and carefully, it’s a hard decision considering how fast he is, but he's going to try his best, Sonic knows that he never give up “But first I have to show this to Maddie,” He said to nobody, before running up to find Maddie. However, he couldn’t find her anywhere so he zoomed into the kitchen where Tom was, Sonic stood there looking at Tom who seemed to be trying to make some… snack? Or is he cooking? Can he even cook? ‘ thought Sonic “Uh, Tom?” said Sonic, “OH GOD SONIC, don’t scare me like that!” Tom raised his voice slightly, which scared Sonic in return, “Sorry I didn’t mean to” He said feeling nervous, Tom noticed, “Don’t sweat it, buddy” he told Sonic, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder so he could assure the little teen that it was fine.But Sonic backed away, Tom didn’t understand why but neither did Sonic, ‘ Why does he keep doing that? ‘ both of them had the same idea, Tom decided to discuss the matter later with Maddie. “So, what did you want?” Tom asked while Sonic is still giving him a confused look “Ah yes, Where is Maddie?” Sonic asked “I couldn’t find her anywhere” Continued Sonic, He seemed to be on edge “Don’t worry Sonic, she has an extra shift today,” Tom said assuringly, However sonic didn’t seem assured “Extra shift?” asked the Blue Devil “Yes, the extra shift means that she has extra work to do so she will be late tonight” explained Tom “Oh, when will she come back?” he asked feeling a little down, “She should be home around 9 pm” Tom observed Sonic for a second “Why? Did you want to show her your new comic books?” Tom asked, How cute he thought “WHAT? Of course not” Sonic said while hiding the books behind his back “ I was just wondering” he said quietly trying to hide how red his face was And of course, he will deny it, Tom smiled ‘ and I can still see him blushing’ he hold his laugh and tried resisting ruffling Sonic’s head “Go read your comics till I prepare us something to eat,” Tom said, and with that, Sonic went to the living room and waited for Tom there… “Here is your sandwich, buddy,” said Tom while giving Sonic his sandwich, Sonic studied the sandwich for a brief second “What exactly is it?” asked Sonic, “It’s a smoked turkey with tomatoes slice, cheese, and lettuce” Tom made a chief kiss “try it, believe me, you will love it, even more, than chill dogs” Sonic made a shocked face “Ohhh, don’t you dare!” “Ok, calm down, just try it” Tom insisted, sonic took a bite and his face lid up “Hmmm, it’s actually good, but not better than Chill Dog,” Sonic said, Tom smiled and joined him on the couch “ See, I told you!” said Tom Tom watched some news on the tv even though he wasn’t that interested, he just wanted to pass some time till Maddie comes home, He looked at Sonic then an idea popped into his head “Hey Sonic” Tom called “Hmm?” Sonic said not paying Tom full attention, only turning one ear towards Tom, “Why don’t we do something fun?” Tom said, Sonic put aside his comic and paid Tom full attention “Like what?” he asked “What about rope skipping game?” suggested Tom, “Uh, okay?” He replied feeling unsure about the whole situationFirst, he doesn’t know what the ‘Rope skipping game is’ second, he wanted to read his comic, and third, he doesn’t want to ask Tom about the game, he sure does want to play with him. However, it felt silly not knowing something everyone knows, he was scared of Tom’s reaction, so he stayed quiet Tom came back with a rope in his hand ‘ok, so I at least understand that it’s a game played with a rope hence ‘rope skipping’ So how exactly do we skip the rope? Or was it escaping? Both don’t make any sense T-T’ Sonic thought “Rules are simple, whoever gets the highest count of jumps wins!” Tom explained, “Wanna start?” he asked Sonic “No, you can start first” Sonic answered, trying not to show any signs of confusion “Ok then, but I gotta warn you, I'm going to win,” Tom said challenging, “Ha, as if,” Sonic said, ‘I hope Tom doesn’t notice, sigh, maybe I can make it if I watched Tom carefully Tom reached 28 counts before tripping ‘Ugh no way I'm going to win with just 28 counts, Sonic will probably reach over 100 T-T’ Tom thought as he was giving the rope to the little hedgehog, whereas, Sonic was in awe ‘this game looks really fun! I like it! It looks simple too, I know I can make it!’ He was determined “Just watch me Donut Lord, I’ll win!” said Sonic to Tom who was already feeling like a loserBut despite how easy it looked, Sonic still tripped and fell straight to his face, Tom hold his laugh but he was shocked at the same time, first, he didn’t expect him to stumble ‘Does that mean I won?’Sonic sat down slowly, his nose looking red “Pft, haha” Tom couldn’t hold it “Don’t laugh” Sonic was annoyed, “ Sorry buddy, are you okay?” Tom asked “I’m fine, and that doesn’t count I’ll try again,” He said, ‘Maybe if I speed up ill make it, however, he tripped over again but with more force ‘shit, now Tom will notice something is up ‘ “You ok?” he heard Tom’s concerned voice, “Yes, I’m-“ Tom: ‘Is that…’ Sonic: ‘Blood?!!’ Sonic raised his hands to his nose “Oh, my nose is bleeding” He said calmly “OMG!! Sonic you are bleeding” Tom exclaimed “Relax! It's just a nosebleed!” Sonic said in a try to calm the panicking human “Tissues!” “We need tissues!” Tom was all over the place “Oh god” Sonic murmured “Tom, they are over there” he said out of breath Tom gave Sonic the tissue box, Sonic pulled out a few tissues, sat down at a table, and leaned forward while pinching his nose, Tom watched quietly ‘Shouldn’t he lean backward?’ he thought but didn’t say anything, instead he went to sit beside Sonic on the table “You okay, buddy?” asked TomSonic didn’t answer, “You know you could tell me anything, I wouldn’t judge” Tom was trying to send Sonic a hidden message ‘If you don’t know how to play I’ll teach you, so don’t worry you could come to me anytime ‘ Still no answer from the blue hedgehog instead he got up and went to the bathroom Tom simply followed After Sonic finished spiting the blood that collected in his mouth and washing his hands, he turned to Tom and considered what he said a few minutes ago and he confessed “ I… I don’t know how… to play” he holds his breath waiting for Tom’s reply Tom felt relieved and smiled “Then I The Donut Lord shall teach you The Blue Devil” he was grinning Sonic relaxed his shoulders and breathed out then smiled ‘Maybe things are much more simple than I had anticipated ‘
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It was 9 pm when Maddie returned home, "Boys, I'm home," she called but came to no answer; she wandered to the living room to find dirty plates, a jumping rope, and drops of blood?! "TOM? SONIC?" Maddie's Heart dropped; where are they? Then she heard voices coming from the hall, she went running to them "So, how is your nose?" asked Tom. "I think it's fine," answered Sonic. "I'll ask Maddie to check on it just in - "Tom was interrupted by Maddie. "BOYS! Are you okay?" Maddie asked, half scared, half relieved. "Maddie!" Sonic smiled and went to hug her but stopped a few inches in front of her Was it weird if he hugged her? Was it fine? What would she think? What would he feel… after all, it has been forever since he hugged someone, and he doesn't remember the last time Longclaw hugged him; will it be as warm as he remembers? Maddie bent down to be at Sonic's level. "What was that blood?" she asked, her voice full of concern. "Sonic fell on his nose," Tom told her, "Hon, would you mind me checking on you?" She knew Sonic didn't like to be touched suddenly, that's why she is extra careful with himHe nodded in response before she touched his face She put her hands on his cheeks; Maddie resisted the urge to squeeze him so badly; however, she could sense how stiff Sonic was, "It doesn't look like it's broken," She said and let go of him "Thank god" Tom sighed "Would someone bother to explain what happened?" She said while standing up and looking more seriousTom told her everything. Sonic was a little embarrassed now two people knew that he couldn't play Skipping the rope, "Blueberry, come on, I'll teach you while Tom orders us some pizza, ok?" Maddie said, 'Blueberry? That's new, but I like it' Sonic smiled. "Ok," he said Maddie went to change her clothes while Tom and Sonic picked up the pizza flavor. "Which pizza do you want, Sonic?" asked Tom while holding the menu; Sonic took a look at the menu. "Hmm, it's hard to choose; can't you just pick one for me?" "Why don't you like pizza? We could always eat som- " "No, it's not like that… I... just didn't have a freshly baked one before, so you know… I can't judge" Oh, why do I keep forgetting this? I hope I didn't upset him, 'Tom thought; however, Sonic didn't mind he was more comfortable now telling Tom about small stuff like this "Ok, how about a pepperoni pizza with vegetables and mushrooms?" Tom suggested. "Scratch the mushrooms," Sonic said with a disgusted face; usually, he isn't a picky eater, but he and the mushrooms don't have a good history "Oh, sorry, my bad," Tom said with a shy laugh; he was starting to get nervous as he had made a lot of mistakes today, His friend John was right 'I don't know anything about Sonic' Sonic could sense something was up with Tom. "Donut Lord?" he gave Tom a concerned look. "Ah! I-I think I'll take Vegie and meet pizza and for Maddie a ranch pizza, well that sums it up, I'll call the pizza guy," He said before getting up and dialing the number What's up with him, Sonic wondered "Blueberry, I'm ready," Maddie called. "Let's teach you how to play; you will be jumping all over the place in no time!" She said, "I'm not pretty sure about that" Sonic replied, "Oh, I'm sure, trust me" She lifted his chin with one finger and smiled at him. "C’mon,” Sonic smiled and followed her Later, Tom joined them, and by the time the pizza guy came, Sonic was starting to get the hang of it The doorbell rang, and Tom went to get it. “Coming!” he then paid the pizza guy and came back with a hand full of pizza. “Gather around people; let’s eat!” He said Ozzy, who was sleeping, came running as soon as he smelled the pizza and started to park, indicating that he was hungry too! Tom gave Ozzy some dog food, and Sonic ruffled his hair. “Tom, Ozzy is saying he doesn’t like this food” Sonic is messing with Tom once again. “Then how come he is eating it,” Tom said, “I still don’t believe you can understand animals” “Oh, trust me, I can; he is just eating it cause he doesn’t have another choice” Sonic was busy playing with Ozzy and didn’t hear Tom talking to Maddie. “We really should get Ozzy some new food” “Oh, Tom, don’t tell me you fell for that!
“What, of course not!” Tom said, defending himself, “But if you think about it, Sonic is a mixture of humans and animals, and he understands us; why won't he understand the other animals?” “That does make sense,” she admitted “Let’s eat. I'm starving,” said Sonic; Maddie smiled. “Ok, honey” They sat on the couch, and Tom followed “So, Blue Devil!” Tom said, “Yes, Donut Lord?” “Are you ready for THE FLASH?” “You bet I am!” Said Sonic. “Ok, then, get your Pizza, and let's start!” said Tom The three of them gathered on the couch; Tom searched for the flash on the TV “Blue Berry, why don’t you try a slice of your Pizza and tell me if you like it?” Said, Maddie. “Oki Doki,” Sonic couldn’t hide it; he was over the clouds. His favorite comic had a tv show and a hot fresh pizza; nothing could ruin his mood right now he took a bite of his pizza, and a mix of flavors filled his mouth “Yummmmm” “Hahaha, glad you like it; here, try some of mine,” Maddie offered. “Are you sure that’s ok?” Sonic asked. “Sure, I only have one Blue Berry,” She said and put her finger on his little nose and smiled at him Sonic tensed up at first. However, He looked at her smile, and something about it gave him a mixed feeling of safety, comfort, and nostalgia? Nevertheless, he smiled back at her and gladly took the offer Tom watched them for a while before sharing his pizza, too They watched the first few episodes of the flash before Sonic fell asleep midway through the 3rd episode feeling like he is the luckiest hedgehog on earth The quiet snoring came from between the two human adults; Maddie looked beside her under the blankets to find Sonic in dreamland. “Oh Tom, look!” she whispered and nodded her head towards Sonic; Tom looked and smiled at Maddie, then quietly turned off the TV
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Sonic woke up on the couch, and he found himself covered with blankets ‘I must have fallen asleep last night!’ He heard faint voices coming from the kitchen Sonic slowly got up from the couch, pushing the blankets off him, and slowly waking to the kitchen where he could hear Maddie and Tom's muffled voices “Maddie, did you notice something strange about Sonic?” Tom asked, “Do you mean when he tenses up and look slightly scared whenever we touch him?” Maddie answered with another question, Sonic wasn’t fully awake yet when he stood near the kitchen entrance, rubbing his eyes still feeling sleepy, he was about to say good morning “Go-“ but he was interrupted “Not just that, sometimes he freaks up! I mean every time I try to ruffle his head or squeeze his shoulder, he steps away from me” Tom said with a sad tone, They didn’t know Sonic was listening even though their voices weren’t that loud ‘I don’t freak up!’ Sonic thought, ‘But I do step away from Tom, however, why would he want to ruffle my head? Isn’t that weird? Sonic didn’t intend to spy on them but he couldn’t help it, he just wanted to know what they thought about him, or if he does bother them… “Tom, that’s normal,” Maddie said, “Normal?” Tom asked ‘Normal?’ Sonic wondered, feeling bad that he is eavesdropping “Yes, considering that he lived alone in the forest for who knows how long, he is just being extra cautious or you could say sensitive to his surroundings.” She said, “Oh…oh,” Tom said in realization “we have to be patient and give him as much time as he needs” Tom agreed with his wife Sonic didn’t know what to think of what she said, ‘I mean it's not like she is wrong but… well at least I know that I didn’t bother them somehow and that they care about me… then what is that feeling?’ I don’t want them to think I'm weak or traumatized somehow, ok then I’ll show them that I’m “strong” he said with determination “Sonic? Is that you?” Maddie called, Opps Sonic covered his mouth did I say that out loud? Ok act normal “Yawn, Good morning Pretzel Lady, Donut Lord,” he said in not a very convincing way “Yesterday was pretty fun wasn’t it? I still can’t believe I slept in the middle; I was determined to watch the whole thing through the night!” he said hoping they didn’t catch him spying on them, Tom didn’t suspect a thing, however, Maddie had her doubts but stayed quiet “You know that’s not very healthy right?” Maddie replied “I know,” Sonic said “Plus, The Flash has more than six seasons” Tom joined “Really!” Sonic exclaimed “That's amazing!” he jumped happily The triple completed their usual routine ate breakfast and then went to work, Sonic stayed home but after a while, he got bored and decided to go for a run in the forest and around the town like he used to do He went around Green Hills, everyone doing their usual routine, watching them put a smile on his face “Everything is normal” he said to no one, then went running into the forest, it feels great stretching his legs, running on a solid land feeling the air in his quills, everything is perfect After a while he stops to admire the forest, the soft sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet, and the gentle breeze wrapping him like a scarf, he started remembering the past ten years he lived in this forest, it wasn’t always all pleasant memories, but he felt nostalgia walking around, maybe because he is older now or because he is no longer scared, whatever the reason is it sure feel nice he sat there for hours before stumbling upon a familiar little being “Oh little buddy I’m sorry are you ok?” sonic said before taking a clear look at the small animal “Gasp, I’ve to show you to Tom and Maddie” he said before zooming up with the little scared animal Before an hour Tom and Maddie came back home “Buddy we are home” Tom called while entering through the door to the living room followed by his wife “Maybe he is upstairs” Tom said before going up to check on Sonic but the room was empty “Hm, not here, maybe he is taking a shower” He went to the bathroom but it was empty too, “Maddie” he called his wife “Did you see Sonic?” he asked “No, why? He is not upstairs?” she asked “Nope, I can’t find him anywhere” He said with worry “Don’t worry honey maybe he went to play outside” she said to calm her husband and herself too She put a calming hand on his shoulder “I’m sure he will come back any minute now, I hope” She kept the last part for herself, and they waited for almost an hour without saying a word, they tried to keep themselves occupied so they would stop overthinking but it didn’t work ‘What if he got attacked by a bear or worse!’ Tom thought What if he fell from a huge cliff or got injured and waiting for us to come to find him?! That’s it I can't wait any more Maddie thought “Tom, should we go looking for him? It’s been almost an hour” she said “Agree, what if he is injured or worse!” He said standing up “Now, calm down let’s not overthink things,” she said to her husband “Ok, I’ll start the car” As soon as he said that Sonic came zooming in “Guys your home great! Look what I found…” Before he could continue “Sonic! Where were you? We were worried sick” Maddie said “Are you injured, I was just going to search for you,” Tom said, “Woah, guys chill out, I just went for a walk, a run to be more specific,” Sonic said still holding the little creature in his hands, Maddie sighed Sonic isn’t used to living with a fam… other people he probably doesn’t understand what’s going on “Sonic you can’t just go out for a WALK,” Tom said angrily, Sonic looked at him with questioning eyes and was about to get mad too “Tom calm down, I can handle this” Tom sighed but didn’t say anything else, Maddie looked at the now gloomy Sonic and kneed down “Blue Berry, don’t get us wrong but we were worried about you,” she said softly “But why? I honestly just went for a walk,” he said innocently “Say if me and Tom disappear suddenly without a word, wouldn’t you worry about us?” she asked “Of course I will! Why are you going somewhere?” he asked in a rush “No honey we will never go somewhere and leave you,” Sonic sighed in relief, Tom looked concerned about his little friend “The point is that when you left without telling us your whereabouts we felt concerned that something had happened to you,” she said “OH, oh,” he said in realization “I’m sorry, I won't do it again next time I’ll make sure to inform you both!” He said “It’s okay if you informed one of us,” Tom said, “and sorry for yelling earlier” he apologized “It’s okay Tom, I know you don’t know how to express your feelings” Sonic smiled, both Tom and Maddie chuckled, this time Maddie went to ruffle Sonic head unaware, the moment she touched his head, Sonic felt his heart drop he tried to hold still but couldn’t’ everything felt wrong He stood back he was scared but couldn’t understand why he looked at Maddie with wide eyes, she then realized “Sonic I… “Before she could complete Sonic stopped her, and forced a smile on his face “Ah, Right! Look what I found!” he changed the topic and opened his hands to show them what he found Tom and Maddie shared a concerned look before looking in Sonics hand They went along with him as they agreed earlier that they will give him time They looked to find a small ball of spikes “Let me guess, Spikes?” Tom joked “Noo” Sonic said “Don’t be silly Tom, it’s a little hedgehog, right Blue Berry?” Maddie said with a smile “Bing Bong we have a winner” Sonic said with a joyful tone hoping they buy it, he honestly didn’t know what is wrong with him, He felt movement in his hands, he looked down and saw the hedgehog unfolding and showing his face “Aww, so cute” they all said at the same time “So what are you planning on doing with that hedgehog?” Tom asked, “Wanna keep it?” Maddie followed, “Of course not,” His answer surprised both Tom and Maddie but before they could ask why he said, “I don’t wanna take its freedom, its family, and home, I just wanted to show you guys how small and cute earth hedgehogs are!” He said squeezing the little hedgehog to his face They smiled and had the same thing on their minds ‘You’re small and cute too Sonic’
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“I’ll go to return the lil guy to the forest,” Sonic said, “Ok honey, but don’t be late for dinner,” Maddie said, “I won’t,” he said, “It will take less than ten min, you won’t even noticeI’mgone” he was taking fast now, “It’s getting dark, BE CAREFUL” Tom tried to shout so Sonic could hear him but he disappeared in a second “Hope he heard me” Tom sighed, He looked at his wife who looked upset “Maddie?” he asked “What’s wrong?” he asked his wife who was lost in her own world and couldn’t hear her husband calling
XXX Sonic reached the spot where he found the lil hedgehog, he kneeled down and gently released it, he smiled softly and said “What a brave lil guy you are; you didn’t get scared the whole time I was holding you! Unlike me…” Sonic stood up and sighed There was an unusual sound coming from behind him which caught his attention ‘What is that sound’ he listened carefully twisting his ears ‘Is that a scratching sound?’ Feeling curious he followed the sound Walking slowly so he wouldn’t attract unwanted attention, he tiptoed towards the sound and hid behind a tree then he sneaked a look to find a bear cub crying out for help and scratching the tree trying to free his stuck leg, Sonic took a closer look, not bothering to hide anymore, its leg was trapped under the tree’s root The bear saw Sonic and started to growl showing its teeth “Those are some nasty teeth you have” Sonic said, he went closer to the little bear, and the bear started growling louder “Calm down now, I’m just trying to help” he said with a soft voice and putting his arms up to show the bear he means no harm The bear stopped growling but eyed Sonic closely, however, when Sonic tried to touch its leg he started growling again and became more aggressive, and before the bear could scratch him Sonic stepped back fast “That was close” he sighed, he put his hand on his chin and started to think “ Hmm” he hummed, “Ah, I know what will make you trust me!” he said before disappearing in a blue flash Before the bear could blink in amusement Sonic was back with a hand full of raspberry and he put it in front of the lil bear “Here you go” The bear sniffed it for a second before starting to eat “Good” Sonic said, and fast but gently he pulled out the bear leg The bear stopped eating and looked at Sonic then at its leg, it started to lick its feet in happiness “See I just wanted to help” Sonic smiled feeling proud of his accomplishment, The bear jumped on Sonic and started licking his face “Ewe, gross you’re just like Ozzy!” sonic said laughing, “Ok, Ok, go find your mother before she finds us!” he said ruffling its head, and as in a clue a loud roaring sound could be heard Sonic looked behind the baby bear to find a huge one they even looked bigger in person, Sonic tried to stay calm slowly standing up so he won’t stutter the already angry mother “You have a cute baby, haha” he said to the growling mother “Oh I see now, he got his pretty teeth from you!” he said, his heart was pounding like crazy The baby bear tried to calm its mother down but its efforts were in vain, the mother was now standing on two feet and roaring ‘Oh crap’ Sonic thought “I think it’s time to go!” he said before finding the courage to run “BYE! SEE YOU LATER” or never he thought, ‘Now that was CRAZY’ he thought before chuckling to himself “I can't wait until I tell Tom, he will freak out,” he chuckled, It all happened in a second, Sonic couldn’t feel the ground underneath his right leg, He looked down and realized it is a small cliff, however, he was going too fast and couldn’t stop, Fear grabbed him and he yelped unintentionally before falling, the force of the speed made the fall even harder on him which made him lose consciousness
XXX “Maddie!” Tom said slightly louder trying to get his wife's attention “Hm, yeah honey, sorry I wasn’t listening” she said, “Is something bothering you sweetheart” he said softly, which put a smile on her face “It’s just…” she didn’t know how to say it but thankfully her husband knows how she thinks “It’s Sonic right?” Tom said, “How did you know?” She was surprised “It's just our life has been revolving around him recently, plus I know my wife pretty well” he blinked at her, “Well, you know Sonic better than me too, right?” she asked, “Uh, Yea I guess?” he was lost, She sighed “I screwed up” she admitted, “Oh, honey I’m sure you didn’t mean to,” he was unsure of what he should say, he just wanted to console his wife, he couldn’t handle seeing her upset “What if…” she stayed quiet for a moment before continuing “What if he hates me?” She said tearing up and looking into Tom’s eyes “Oh love,” Tom said hugging his wife “Sonic would never hate you after all we are his favorite humans in Green Hills,” he said smiling, Maddie chuckled into his chest “He really said that?” she asked, looking up at her husband, “Yes he did” Tom assured her, patting her back “Tom, I think we should talk to him,” Maddie said “You mean about the physical contact thing?” Tom asked, “Yea, it’s worse than I thought! Didn’t you see him, he was about to faint” She exclaimed, Tom’s eyes widened he knew Maddie was right but he felt anxious for some reason “OK Maddie, we will figure this out together,” he said embracing her but this time to comfort himself
XXX Sonic was lying down on the ground, eyes shut he stayed like this for a few minutes before regaining consciousness Sonic moaned in pain “Argh” he opened his eyes slowly, holding his head “What happened?” he asked but was met with silence, he looked around and pushed himself up in a sitting position, His eyes widened as he remembered what had happened “Oh no! How long was I out?” Again he was met with silence ‘I gotta stop doing this’ He made a note to himself ‘The sun is setting, I better hurry home before I worry them again’ He thought before getting up As soon as Sonic put pressure on his right leg a shooting pain went through his whole body, and he regretted doing this immediately “Argh” He exclaimed and held his leg with both of his hands, shutting his eyes He then opened one to take a look at his feet, but he couldn’t see clearly in the dark ‘Is it broken’ he thought now breathing fast, he closed his eyes again ‘No Sonic focus’ he took a deep breath and let it out ‘Now think, If it was broken it would probably hurt more than that and besides’ He felt his leg with his hand ‘Nothing weird probably just twisted’ He thought sitting into a more comforting position and looked at the sky The sky was a mix of colors from orange to pink and finally purple “It would be dark soon” He sighed ‘I don’t mind spending the night in the forest but not with a twisted leg, even though I did it before he sighed again, ‘I just don’t want Maddie and Tom to get worried!’ “Oh who am I kidding, I just wanna go home!” he sighed “Hope they find me” He mumbled He sat there waiting in the now dark forest, waiting for someone to find him, He wasn’t scared, no he wasn’t, he is used to that, Sonic pulled his good leg up to rest his chin on it hugging himself There was a hollow feeling inside his heart, He wasn’t scared or sad and definitely not afraid he had seen scarier things in his life, but that feeling he hated the most He was back in the forest alone in the darkness his heart ached and Sonic sighed heavily
XXX Tom got out of the shower and went down to check on Sonic and Maddie, He heard sounds coming from the kitchen so he assumed that they would be there He entered the kitchen to find Maddie cooking in front of the stove, the place smelled like fried onions and meat, “Maddie, did Sonic come back?” He asked his wife who wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings “Oh Tom! You stuttered me,” she said “Sorry hon,” He said putting a hand on her shoulder, She turned the stove off “It’s ok, do you need something?” she asked “Yea did you see Sonic?” He asked again, Maddie’s face turned pale “Why? Didn’t he come back?” Her answer made him more anxious, and he didn’t like the change in her facial color, ‘Something was definitely wrong’ he thought “SONIC” Tom called through the house but got no reply ‘It’s been more than half an hour, he said it would only take him less than 10 minutes; Maddie was overwhelmed “Tom” she called her husband with a worried voice, He looked at her with worried eyes, Sonic wasn’t home
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Sonic is missing, Tom couldn't find him, and Maddie didn’t call which meant he wasn’t back yet; Wade was helping Tom search for the hedgehog ‘Where are you Sonic’ Tom was stressed “I’ve to find him” he stopped his sheriff car and got out “Tom? Why did you stop, Did you find something?” Wade asked “No, I’ll search the forest you keep patrolling If you find something tell me,” Tom said to his friend “Copy that” Wade replied “And Tom, Don’t worry I'm sure the Lil guy is fine,” Wade said reassuringly “Thx Wade,” Tom said and switch off the radio He picked up his phone and stared at the dark screen, He was hoping that the screen would turn on with a message from Maddie saying that *Sonic had come back* or something, He kept staring at the screen; he almost made a whole in it, He sighed heavily The moment he closed his eyes a ringtone could be heard He opened his eyes in an instant, and the message displayed on the screen said *Two grand Pizzas for half the price!* It was quiet for a moment before He sighed “Not even a call huh?” Tom felt disappointment, his worries only growing bigger by the second He turned on the flashlight and went into the dark forest “SONIC” he called out and waited for a reply, but heard nothing so he decided to check Sonic’s old cave first, he searched the cave but it was empty just like how he left it last time, the cave was dark however it was well hidden probably why Sonic chose it as a shelter “Oh Sonic where could you possibly be” Tom sighed again, looking down at the floor of the cave ‘What if Eggman had returned’ He was trying so hard not to think about that but he just couldn’t avoid the idea any longer, he closed his eyes and clenched his fist around the flashlight ‘I’ve to find him, there is no time to waste’ They have been searching for twenty minutes now, He opened his eyes ready to go; however, he spotted something on the floor, Curious, He picked it up; It was a huge feather, an oddly huge one, He didn’t give it much thought and put it in his pocket for later and rushed outside to continue the search for Sonic.
XXX Despite sitting inside the forest he lived in for ten years he felt like a stranger, His brain kept screaming at him ‘You don’t belong here’ The sound kept repeating itself like a broken loop Sonic covered his ears in an attempt to stop it If he didn’t belong here then where did he belong, he sure doesn’t belong back on his planet, then what about Tom and Maddie’s house? “No, indeed, I live there right now, but I won’t stay there forever, it’s not like we are a family or something, Right?” He looked up at the moon with sad emerald-green eyes, It was a full moon tonight (You know that’s your house too! It’s our house okay buddy?) He remembered Tom’s word ‘But can I really stay forever? What if I’m a burden on them? Just like I was on Longclaw’ He was breathing fast ‘And besides it's not like I’m a human, I’m not quite a hedgehog either! And not even a normal Mobian to begin with, that’s why they chased me away ’ The moon was covered with clouds, and a blue light surrounded Sonic Sonic was confused for a moment wondering what was the source of the light before realizing it was him, He looked at his shaking hands “Oh, no” his heart was knocking on his rib cage trying to break out “Calm down Sonic” he gridded on his teeth ‘Overthinking won’t help you right now ‘ He closed his eyes trying to control his breathing “It’s okay” He told himself ‘They love me despite our differences ‘ He breathed in, Imagining their faces in his head ‘And I love them too’ he breathed out ‘Heck, they were even worried about me today because I was a little late’ He giggled a bit, opening his eyes to complete darkness, He smiled and relaxed “Honestly, it made me happy, knowing they care” He hugged himself and sighed, just the thought of someone waiting for him, worried about him made him happy The atmosphere became slightly more humid, the sky covered with clouds, Sonic sniffed the air “It looks like it's going to rain, just great timing!” He complained, nevertheless, he kept trying his best to control his feelings and not to overthink things, but would he last through the night? All alone? What if it rained, NO just no, don’t think, he sighed for the millionth time that day Taking a deep breath, he heard a sound coming from between the branches “Huh? Probably some wind” he brushed it off, but the sound didn’t stop, He gulped loudly and watched with wide eyes, something came out of the pushes, He looked with terror, however, he couldn’t see clearly, ‘it is too dark ’ The thing kept coming closer and closer until it was standing clear in the moonlight “Gasp-oh it’s just a bear, I thought it was a ghost…” he sighed and then realized ‘Wait… a bear!?’ he looked up again It was the mother bear and her cub ‘What should I do, maybe if I didn’t move she wouldn’t see me. However, the bear kept getting closer ‘On second thought, maybe I should run’ He forgot about his leg, and stood up but before he could go anywhere a sharp pain shot up his spine, and he clinched in pain “Argh” He moaned in pain holding his leg, he looked up at both bears ‘I’m screwed’ he couldn’t even curl around himself because of his leg, instead he tried to stand up in an attempt to make himself look bigger ‘Maybe that will scare them away’ The small cub kept getting closer to Sonic though, before standing and licking his face “OH, haha stop, your mom is watching” He said not sure what is he supposed to do, any wrong movement and she would get mad, but could you blame her? She is just protecting her cub just like Longclaw used to protect Sonic Sonic got distracted for a moment, He felt a heavyweight from the little bear who was leaning on him which in return put pressure on his right leg, Sonic fell, holding his ankle He hissed, and the little bear noticed something was wrong with his friend, and started sniffing at Sonic’s leg smelling the scent of blood, so he started making sad sounds to his mom The mother bear got close to Sonic, Sonic stiffed a bit and held his breath while she sniffed his face and then she licked his check, Sonic who was expecting the worst looked at her in confusion, she sat down beside him, and kept pointing at her back “W-what… do you want me to get on your back?” he slowly stood up careful not to put pressure on his leg, and touched her fur slowly, inspecting the situation, As she didn’t give any negative reaction, He steadily and carefully climbed her back with a little help from the younger bear, not sure about the whole situation, he held tight when the the bear started moving around the cliff and climbing into a higher ground ‘Aahhh, I’m sitting on a bear, but maybe that’s better than sitting in the darkness waiting for the storm, I feel like crying right now T-T After a few more minutes Sonic was starting to get anxious, The sky was completely covered with heavy clouds now, the moon was nowhere to be found and it was getting colder, it was the end of spring and it was still that cold. Sonic wondered, he sighed ‘I just wish I knew where are they taking me, He thought and remembered the time he tricked Tom and told him he could understand animals ‘That sure would have come in handy right now’ he sighed again and kept thinking ‘Maybe I should have stayed there, I’m sure Tom would have found me by now, right?... or maybe not He kept racking his head until the bear stopped, He then looked around to find some faded lights in the distance “We must be close” He exclaimed in excitement, those lights belonged to humans. However, the bears couldn’t go further, scared of being spotted by the humans, so Sonic had to continue on his own He grabbed a wooden stick to help him stand “Thanks guys, I couldn’t have made it without you” He thanked them happily before going on his way and waving them goodbye It was hard to walk and his leg hurt badly but the thought that he would be home soon kept him going “Just a little longer, I’m almost there” He said encouragingly After a few more minutes, He could see the house, and an exhausted smile came across his face Maddie was sitting outside on her yoga matt, and her tries to calm herself went in vain she gave up a long time ago, and now she was just sitting hugging her legs and resting her head on top of them staring at her phone waiting for Tom to call or for Sonic to show up, she wanted to help to do anything to find Sonic, she wanted to protect him and just sitting doing nothing made her feel devastated and helpless she sighed a long sigh “Maddie” She heard a sound call but ignored it sighing that was the fifth time she heard Sonic's voice calling her in the last two hours he had been missing and again “Maddie” just ignore it probably my brain playing tricks on me she thought “MADDIE” Sonic yield and she finally looked up at him “Sonic? SONIC,” she said getting up and running towards him leaving her phone behind Sonic stood straight and got rid of his stick He didn’t want to scare her just yet so he tried his best to look fine “I was worried sick” she said kneeling in front of him, and before he could respond, She hugged him Sonic was shocked, no he was scared to death, that moment everything stopped, his eyes widened slowly, and his heart beat faster than usual, He wanted to push her away but couldn’t even move or breathe or talk ‘What’s wrong with me’ he thought, sure he wanted to be hugged but he didn’t imagine it to be that suffocating ‘Why? He wanted this, so why?’ He gasped closing his eyes Then he heard a soft sob, Maddie was crying, her tears falling on his tiny shoulder, she embraced him even harder scared he would fade away, and said “Oh my, Blueberry” Sonic’s heart dropped dead when he heard that How could He? How could he forget, forget his mother's hug “Oh my, Sunflower” he remembered how she used to hug him and say ‘Sunflower’ he couldn’t believe that he had forgotten his heart ached, he forgot how she embraced him with her large strong but safe wing how warm and soft her hug was, how happy he was when she called him Sunflower and the fact that she would never say it again, his eyes teared up and he sobbed quietly, looking up to prevent the tears that came down his cheeks, he hoped Maddie didn’t hear him sob but she definitely noticed something because she let go of him, Realizing what she did her face paled “OMG, Sonic I’m sorry I…” she said in a panic, “No, no it's fine, I’m fine” he said assuringly “But you’re crying” She wasn't convinced “Crying? Who’s crying it’s probably the rain!” he said in panic ‘What am I saying, there is no rain’ and as in clue some rain drops came down “See!” He said avoiding her gaze, she was about to apologize again “And besides…” He didn’t give her a chance “My leg” he said “Yeah, my…my ankle that’s probably it” he said with a shaky voice trying to drive her attention away from the truth “It’s twisted and it hurts badly” he continued, she looked at him and noticed he was avoiding her gaze ‘is he lying?’ but then she looked at his ankle it looked weird but she couldn’t see in the dark and the rain started pouring Sonic looked at the ground with watery eyes hoping Maddie paid it, He wasn’t completely lying anyway, right? He took a shaky breath trying not to sob “It hurts” he said shakily.
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Sonic was sitting on the couch while Maddie was checking his ankle she cleaned it before raping it in bandages ‘I’ve to take him to the clinic’ She thought before looking at him, Sonic seemed distracted and tired, He looked…sad? which made her wonder if she was the reason for His sadness. Was it because of the hug? She sighed ‘Focus Maddie, we have to check his leg first and take x-rays just to be sure’ She thought and went to tell Tom to start the car before remembering “Oh no Tom!” she didn’t call him yet so she went to find her phone which was left outside hopefully it didn’t get wet due to the rain Sonic was feeling exhausted, after all, a lot had happened today; and he still couldn’t register what happened recently, The hug, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it, it’s complicated ‘What's wrong with me I wanted her to hug me so why… why did I feel like disappearing, why was it unbearable despite being warm and comfy so why was I scared, I don’t understand and Longclaw…’ He thought Sonic looks at his now-wrapped ankle and sighs it still hurts maybe he should ask Maddie for some painkillers, but right now his brain is completely raped around his new memory or rather forgotten one, How could he forget such a memory, it made him upset at himself and that pain in his heart, he really misses her, but there is nothing he could do about it after all she is … Maddie gripped her phone rubbing the raindrops from the screen before calling Tom, She waited for an answer which never came ‘He probably didn’t hear it I’ll call him again’ she thought
XXX It’s been fifteen minutes since it started raining and Tom was already soaking wet, however, he didn’t stop the search for Sonic not even to take a breath, he didn’t imagine that Sonic mattered to him this much, He was scared of losing him, Sonic is stubborn and brave Tom learned that from watching him fight Eggman, He knows what Sonic is capable of, but that didn’t stop the urge that he felt, The urge of protecting him, protecting this little blue being who smiled as bright as the sun He felt a vibration coming from his pocket so he took his phone out to find 5 missed calls from Maddie, He immediately called her back, holding the phone with all his might, hoping to hear good news from the other side *Tom?* *Maddie, Did you.. Is Sonic..* *Sonic is back, Tom don’t worry* Tom released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding *Thank god* he said relieved, however, he could sense a but so he asked *But..?* *I think he twisted his ankle, it looks really bad, so I need you to get us to the clinic* Ok was all that Tom said before hanging up and heading towards his car He started the car and informed Wade before heading out to the road, He was completely wet and cold but that didn’t matter right now for him, all he cared about was Sonic, he was happy and concerned at the same time Tom drove faster than usual but carefully “Everything is going to be alright” He said to no one He arrived a few minutes later and found Maddie and Sonic waiting in front of the doorsteps, Sonic wasn't standing rather he was sitting on one of the steps; and of course he refused to let Maddie carry him which made matters worse Tom got out of the car and went to them “Tom” Sonic looked at Tom with bleeding eyes “Hey buddy” Tom bent down to be at Sonics level “How is your leg?” He asked “Don’t worry I heal fast” He said with a weak smile, Tom couldn’t tell if he was kidding or serious, however, he noticed how tired Sonic looked “Come on I’ll carry you” Tom said turning his back to Sonic “No, I …I don’t want to be carried,” Sonic said hesitantly, “Come on buddy, I’ve carried you before remember? It’s just till we reach the car, okay?” Sonic looked at Tom’s eyes for a moment before climbing on Tom’s back “You’re wet!” Sonic said holding onto Tom’s shirt, Tom responded with an awkward chuckle but felt relieved that Sonic wasn’t wet as well “I got you some spare clothes, you can change in the clinic” Maddie said concerned “That’s my wife” He smiled at her softly and she smiled back
XXX
Maddie looked at the X-rays while Sonic waited on the table, Tom entered the room in new dry clothes and stood beside Sonic “How does it look?” Tom asked “Not good, it’s a second grade, which means it will take longer to heal,” she said, “BlueBerry, Would you let me check your other vitals?” She asked softly, Sonic nodded in response, He has been awfully quiet’ Tom thought “Hey buddy I’m sure you will be fine, but you will have to take it easy for a while” He said, “Easy for a while?” Sonic asked, “Yeah maybe for three weeks? Maybe even more” Sonic still didn’t get it They were confused for a while, then Maddie came and took Sonic’s temp, blood pressure, and heart rate and compared them to the ones she had taken before, all of them were normal, well at least normal for Sonic she still can't process how fast his heart beats After they made sure Sonic was alright they went home, Sonic went directly to sleep he even skipped dinner, Maddie felt guilty about the whole situation and couldn’t bring herself to eat so she went to sleep as well, now Tom was left by himself wondering what did he miss, Neither Sonic nor Maddie told him what happened so he was left in the dark, he felt a little under the weather so he went to sleep as well It started to rain again sometime around midnight, Sonic couldn’t sleep it wasn’t because of the rain but something else kept him up He kept thinking about the whole day from the bears to his ankle which he just took some painkillers for, to the hug and lastly his memories of LongClaw, all he kept thinking about the last few years was what happened before he came to Earth and how she protected him Sacrificing herself in the process, that he completely forgot all about the few memories they had together, which bought tears to his eyes again, he didn’t want to cry he hated crying, it will only hurt his head more however he couldn’t help it He stayed up the rest of the night, his head hurt his ankle did too, He wanted to sleep so badly but just couldn’t despite the soothing sound of rain outside the window He stayed like that until 3 in the morning when finally sleep took him to dreamland but even there he kept thinking about his caretaker, but not in the form of a nightmare this time, it was a dream a very nice dream where LongClaw was their hugging him while he is crying “ I thought I would never see you again” He said with wide eyes full of tears, “Oh sonic, I’ll never leave you again my Sunflower…” She said with a smile on her face.
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“And then Boom I pushed Egg head into the portal, to the Mushroom planet” Sonic laughed “That’s my boy, a brave little hedgehog” Longclaw chuckled, putting her wing on his head “I'm not little anymore Longclaw!” Sonic said chuckling and pushing her wing gently He told her about everything that happened to him on Earth, He looked at her with soft eyes “I’m glad you’re okay” he said without realizing it “Hm? What was that Sonic?” She asked “You know, it’s just-“ He was cut off by her giving him a plate full of chilidogs “Here are some Chilidogs, eat well Sonic,” Longclaw said like any caring mother would say “Chilidogs!! Longclaw you’re the best, I love Chilidogs” He exclaimed excitedly and filled his mouth with Cilidogs ‘This feels like a dream, I wish Tom and Maddie were here’ He felt something was off; He stopped eating and looked at the chilidog in his hand, something was definitely off “Longclaw…” he said quietly “Hm?” she hummed softly “How do you know about Chilidogs? It’s earthling food” He asked with a grimace of fear in his tone “Hm? You told me,” she said calmly, He looked into her eyes and smiled sadly “This isn’t a dream is it?” He asked, already knowing the answer; Longclaw just kept smiling at him warmly “Right??” Sonic was desperate, He wanted her to deny it so badly, He starting to tear up “Wake up, Sonic” A single teardrop fell from his eyes; Green emerald eyes looked at the window it was still raining, “Sonic, you okay? Did you have a nightmare?” came a voice, which got Sonic off guard, He looked at the source of the voice, “Tom!” Sonic said erasing his tears and looking away so Tom wouldn't see his face “Yea I'm fine,” He said but Tom didn’t buy it “Was it a bad dream?” Tom asked the lil’ teen “No, it wasn’t” Tom knew that Sonic wouldn’t talk “Then do your feet hurt?” Tom said with a little cough, Sonic didn’t respond right away “Yeah a lil’” “Do you want some painkillers? “ Tom asked the kid “No..” the conversation was dying Sonic was hugging his blanket, Tom kept trying to keep the conversation going “I don’t have work today!” He said with a smile “Really! Why tho?” Sonic replied “I took the day off,” he said with a cough “Are you sick?” Sonic was catching up “No, it’s just a lil’ cough and besides I need to take care of you” The conversation was taking a turn that Tom didn’t like “I can take care of myself” Sonic mumbled “What was that?” Tom didn’t quite hear “Nothing” another silence “Did you…did you get sick because of me?” Sonic asked feeling concerned “What?” This time Tom heard what Sonic said but didn’t get what he meant by ‘because of me’ “It’s my fault you spent hours searching for me yesterday,” Sonic said getting upset “It wasn’t anyone's fault buddy, it just happened to rain,” He said with a harsh voice from the cold, he looked at Sonic’s eyes somehow it reminded him of wet grass after rain, or was he just delusional from the cold? After some time passed Tom said “Come on Sonic let's take you downstairs to have breakfast” He reached out to help him downstairs but stopped when Sonic flinched away, which broke Tom’s heart “I’m sorry…” Sonic said sadly before Tom could say anything Sonic said “Maddie hugged me last night…” Silence filled the atmosphere “Oh,” Tom said in realization, that explains a lot “I was scared,” Sonic said, Tom knew that he expected that but didn’t wanna believe it, He kept denying it till now, “I felt nostalgic too” what nostalgic Tom certainly didn’t expect that “ I felt loved and sorrow” He hugged his legs closer to him “I...I want her to hug me again even tho I wanted to push her away, just what’s wrong with me?” He said looking at Tom with tears “There is nothing wrong with you buddy” Tom looked into his eyes, and opened his hand for Sonic to hold it, which Sonic slowly accepted, seeking more answers and comfort “It’s just that you have spent a lot of time alone in the forest, you're just being extra careful you know” Tom didn’t want to squeeze Sonic’s hand as not to scare him” He took a deep breath before asking “How much did you stay in the forest?” He asked fearing the answer, which came in a low voice almost a whisper “T-ten” Sonic said, firming his grip around Tom’s hand “Ten? Ten months right?” Tom asked, hoping he was right “Right?” he said again, Sonic seemed to avoid his gaze “Years…” came the small terrifying answer Tom was shocked but recovered quickly, yea he has to focus on Sonic right now, he will worry about how long those ten years are later, yes later “Sonic, it's okay, look at me” When he made sure Sonic was looking at his eyes, he continued “We will work this through together as friends and as a…” Tom was hesitant but said it any way he needed Sonic to Know just how much he cared about him “A family” Tom said with a smile and gave Sonic's hands a little squeeze, Sonic's face lightened a bit as he repeated Tom’s words in his mind, and a smile came to his face “Yeah we will” he said shyly They both then went downstairs and waited for Maddie to come home, Tom made them a little Sandwich and took his cold medicine and Sonic didn’t stop glaring at him until he did so, it was late in the day when Maddie came back, She found the boys waiting for her on the couch, Sonic had a billow under his feet and Tom was drinking some peppermint tea, she felt proud that they could depend on themselves in her absence Maddie came in and sat on the couch next to Sonic, she still felt unease about what happened, she should have been more careful, Sonic noticed the sad look in her eyes, and looked at Tom for help, “Uh Maddie Honey… How was work?” Tom avoided the topic and Sonic just rolled his eyes “Oh yea, it was good just a rainy day” she laughed uncomfortably and then they sat in silence again Until Sonic decided to address the matter “Um, Maddie a-about yesterr d-day” He stuttered, it was harder than he thought and his heart rate picked up ‘Shit, calm down’ he was getting nervous, Maddie looked at him with sad eyes “I’m sorry Sonic, I was just worried and when I saw you I was relieved you were safe, but still I shouldn’t…” the words died in her mouth ‘She was worried about me, of course, she was, and I acted this way’ “No, I’m sorry, I scared you I shouldn’t have… but it’s just I got scared, just a little but its not your fault I wasn’t um.. I just … you just reminded me of Long Claw” He said panicking trying to calm himself but failing, Maddie had tears in her eyes both of them were a mess, so Tom spoke instead trying to calm the storm “Hey guys let each take a deep breath and calm down a bit” Tom said “Breath in… breath out” they did as Tom said, He put his hand on Maddie’s and looked at sonic as of asking permission to do the same with him, Sonic looked slowly at his and Maddie’s hand and then nodded slowly so gently put his other hand on Sonic’s the gesture seemed to calm sonic a bit “Now Sonic are you upset with Maddie for hugging you?” Tom asked with a quiet tone, Sonic shook his head “No, I did get alarmed at first but then I was okay” Sonic said, Maddie seemed a bit relieved “Then what made you upset?” Tom was careful not to use the word cry, Sonic looked at them in the eye and said “Maddie’s hug was comforting that it reminded me of Long Claw” He said “Long Claw?” Maddie said, “Yea, she took care of me, she was like my mother” He said quietly “But I lost her” he said with a sad smile still looking at them, at this moment both of them felt something break inside “Oh, Blue Berry” she said sadly “No, it’s okay, It has been ten years” he said now looking away, Tom was starting to make a connection “It’s just when you hugged me yesterday you reminded me of her of a memory I have forgoten about, of how she used to hug me and sing to me and call me blur berry” he cried “What if I completely forget her?” he asked with eyes full of tears “no no you won’t honey, I promise” Maddie said looking at him “hey, come here” she opened her arms waiting for him, he hisetated at first then hold her, she just put a hand on his quills brushing softly as of not to frighten him again, Sonic cried even more, he didn’t want to show them this side of him,he just wanted to bottle it up like always, but couldn’t help it but cry his eyes out, he had endured so much, and finally he have someone to open up to.