Chapter Text
It's peaceful here... pitch dark... warm, and safe, and quiet. Almost like being back in the womb.
He smiles. He tightens up, scrunching the darkness around him, happy and safe and alone at ease...
Something pokes at him from the outside world. He ignores it. All he wants is to stay in this comforting space a while longer...
Another poke. A nudge. This time, a muffled voice calls for him.
"Dad?"
"Go away..." He squeezes himself in a little tighter, limbs curling to his chest, willing the outside intruder to leave him be...
"Dad!"
He grumbled sleepily. Why would they not leave him alone in his bubble?
"Dad! Come on!"
Just leave him alone...
Forever...
...........................................
Sonic stood, hands on hips, looking down at a brown spiky ball nestled atop a sleeping bag. He sighed and impatiently nudged the ball with his foot again.
"Dad come on. It's three in the afternoon, Mom says you have to get up."
A muffled voice came from inside the ball, instructing Sonic to leave in a less than polite manner.
"Dad, if you don't get up now I'm gonna use you for soccer practice."
Another grumble and the ball scrunched itself in tighter. Sonic rolled his eyes and hefted a long wooden pole with a brush on the end.
"Okay, you leave me no choice, I'm using the broom!"
Sonic jabbed the broom end like a bayonet, poking the ball in the places he knew the crevices would be. There was a yelp of surprise - that did the trick. The ball slowly unfurled over the sleeping bag, transforming into a very sleepy and unamused brown hedgehog.
Sonic held the broom like a musket and saluted. "Welcome back to the land of the living, father!"
Tom just stared at him one eye half closed.
"Wha'joo'wan?!?" The senior Wachowski groggily enquired, rubbing snot from his eyes.
"Mom sent me to get you up." Sonic replied cheerfully, zipping over to the window and ripping open the curtains in a flash. The brown hedgehog on the sleeping bag yelped and smacked a hand to his face at the invading sunlight.
"Jeez kid, do you have to do that?" Tom groaned and lay on his back. "This is supposed to be a vacation..."
"Yeah well, y'know. After... everything that happened last week mom's getting worried you're... shutting yourself away..." Sonic ambled back to the door, pointing the end of his broom at his adoptive father. "And to be honest, she's right. How many days in a row does a hedgehog have to pry open his dad like a clam? "
"Not like I have anything to get up for..." Tom grumbled, raising himself into a sitting position .
"Dad, you can't just spend every day in your room pretending to be a kickball."
"Yeah well, tell that to the referee..." Tom replied, sleepily beginning to curl back into his ball.
"Dad, NO!!!"
...............................................
Tom let out a huge yawn as he stumbled into the living space of the shack. Tired of being prodded and poked like an angry boil, he'd relented to the unstoppable force of Sonic and the broom and wrenched himself into a state of half-consiousness. His fur and quills stuck out at amazing angles, and he rubbed a lump on his forehead where he'd smacked his head on the low-hanging doorway the week before.
He snorted to himself. At least he didn't have to worry about that anymore.
He looked over to the small open kitchen, where a black hedgehog in a denim jacket, with slicked-back quills arranged in the facsimile of a ponytail, stood next to a large refrigerator.
He smiled. At least there was one thing worth getting up for.
The black- furred hedgehog looked at him with tired brown eyes as he padded into the kitchen, giving him a small smile.
"Glad to see you're finally awake..." she said to him, clutching a glass of water in padded hands.
Tom grunted a reply and marched past her, opening the refrigerator with a gloved hand and breathing a sigh of joy as his eyes fell on an unopened six pack of Earth beer.
"Ooh, yes..." The brown hedgehog whispered, taking a moment to appreciate the cool air from the fridge and grabbing one of the cans. "come to me, my precious..."
Maddie just gaped at him as he grabbed an extra beer, nudged the fridge door closed with his ass, and left the kitchen without saying another word.
...............................................
"Uh... Good morning, Mr Wachowski!" Amy, the pink female hedgehog who lived nearby, gave Tom an uncertain wave as he flopped into a sofa, and kicked his feet onto the coffee table. Under... normal circumstances he wouldn't have understood what she said without a special translator device, but whatever power had turned him and his wife into space hedgehogs had also given them a perfect understanding of the Mobian language. He grunted in reply, before snapping open his beer.
"Don't mind him, Ames..." Said Sonic, sitting beside her on the other couch. "My dad's just being a grumpy little hedgehog today. Again."
Tom raised a finger to his adopted son in response. A bewildered Amy raised an eyebrow at the curious Earth gesture.
Sonic shook his head. "Don't ask..."
"So," came another voice, causing three pairs of ears on three hedgehogs to perk up. "Is this all you're gonna do for the rest of your life?" Maddie was stood behind the couch, hands on hips, looking down at her slouching husband. "Sit around getting drunk all day and being an asshole?"
Tom shrugged. "Not like I got anything better to do..." He muttered.
"Well you could try," his wife replied, glaring at the top of his head, "to be a little more positive?"
"What me?" The brown hedgehog guffawed and turned to her, spreading his arms wide. "I'm the absolute picture of positivity! Look at me! Thomas Michael Wachowski the Hedgehog! Gotta smile fast!!" He condescendingly grinned and flashed a thumbs-up.
Maddie just glared at him.
Tom's ears dropped and he slumped into the couch.
"Look, Maddie... I'm sorry, but our lives are over..." He whined, feeling like an absolute loser. "Miles can't figure out a way to change us back. everything we've worked for, our friends, our families... It's all just over. Because of something none of us can understand..." He looked darkly at his feet. "Over."
"You don't know that," Maddie replied coldly.
Tom laughed, looking back to his black-furred wife. "Oh yeah? Then how about you change my mind? Tell me what we have to be positive about in this situation right now?"
Maddie folded her arms. "We have our family, we have a safe place to live, and we have people around us willing to help however they can," she replied cooly. She gestured toward Sonic. "That's more than our son had for ten years on Earth. Alone."
Tom just stared down at his feet, clad in the red and white sneakers Sonic had given him.
"If that's not enough Tom, then..." Maddie sighed , shaking her head, and turned to leave the shack. "I don't know. I just don't know any more."
With that, she was gone.
A deafening silence enveloped the room, Sonic and Amy wearing expressions of extreme discomfort while Tom just glowered at his feet.
"So," began Sonic, clapping his hands loudly. "Amy... do you... wanna go be someplace that isn't here?"
"I would love to go be someplace that isn't here!" Amy replied, nodding frantically.
"Okay, uhh... Bye dad!"
The blue hedgehog and the pink hedgehog were gone in an instant, leaving the brown hedgehog alone with his thoughts.
..............................................
"Hey kiddo... you doing okay?"
Tails jerked as a soft voice came from behind and a hand lay on his shoulder. He turned and smiled as he recognised the black fur, blue denim, and brown eyes of his adopted mother.
"Hey Maddie..." The fox replied, yawning at his work desk. He pushed up his goggles, revealing tired bloodshot eyes. "Just thinking, is all..."
Maddie rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. "You were up all night again, weren't you?"
The teenager shrugged. "I may have stayed awake longer than usual, yes... "
Maddie laughed. "I can't get my husband to wake up, I can't get you to sleep... what am I going to do with you boys? "
Tails gave a small grin, flashing the tips of his sharp teeth. "Tom curled up again?"
"Yep."
"Did sonic have to use the broom? "
Maddie grinned broadly, despite herself. "Yeah, he did... the Broom of Doom..."
"The Broom of Doom?!" Chortled the fox, "Where did you come up with that?"
"I don't know, I just thought of it..."
The two shared a laugh, glad that they could still find some humor in the situation.
The laughter died down. Tails sighed and looked to his mother with worried eyes.
"Dad's taking this real hard, isn't he? "
Maddie wrapped her hands around his shoulders, feeling his mood sour. Miles didn't often call refer to Tom as Maddie as mom or dad, and the times when he did were in emotional distress. She knew the fox blamed himself for being unable to reverse whatever had happened to the two humans, no matter how many sleepless nights he spent working, and was giving himself a real hard time about it.
" We just have to be there for him, okay? " she said softly, "and for each other?"
"Yeah..." Tails climbed out of his chair and stretched as he stood, the eighteen year old now towering over Maddie the way a human teenager might with their own mother. He looked down at her, guilt pasted over his features. "Mom?"
Maddie took his hand. "Yeah baby?"
"I'm... sorry I couldn't fix this... I'm sorry I couldn't find a way to... "
"Hey..." Maddie reached up and began to scratch behind his ears, just like she had when he'd been young. "It's not your fault, kiddo. Were all together, that's all that matters... " she smiled as she remembered how tiny he and Sonic had been, all those years ago. "Besides, it's a nice change looking up at my boys... It makes me realise how much you've grown... "
Tails laughed and batted her hand away. "Mom... don't get mushy..."
They stood together for a while, mother and son just having a moment while they thought of the craziness that had enveloped their lives.
Tails cleared his throat, wiping his hands together as Maddie released her grip.
"Well mom, I'd... Better get back to work... I have some adjustments to make on the Tornado, plus there's a renewable energy system I want to work on for the truck. Y'know, just in case... you and dad are around for a while..."
"Can I help?" perked up Maddie, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets. "I feel like... I need to do something. Just can't sit still."
Tails frowned. "Arent you a veterinarian?"
"You're never too old to try new things, kiddo!"
"Hmm..." Tails leaned back and rubbed his chin mock-thoughtfully. "I suppose I could use a new lab assistant... "
Maddie grinned eagerly, and trailed behind her son as they went to work.
.............................................
Tom screwed his eyes shut as he stepped from the shack into the musky evening sun of Mobius. Squinting against the setting sun, he flicked open a pair of shades and slid them onto his face.
He was still extremely hot, even though he wore nothing but a borrowed pair of Sonic's sneakers and gloves. Tom had learned quickly why most male Mobians went without clothing (as Miles had explained, the males tended to have rougher and thicker fur than the females) and he'd just decided that when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
He also decided he couldn't sit around the house any longer. Despite his mood, he was still used to being a police officer, and he needed to get out and find something to do. He needed some activity.
Besides. He had been a jackass, and he had some making up to do.
Tom trudged through the sand, another beer in hand, and soon spied who he was looking for. A little ways ahead, four figures were playing what looked like volleyball, one brown, one pink, one red - and one blue.
...............................................
"I got it! I got it!!!"
Knuckles the echidna leaped, flew gracefully through the air, and slammed face first into the sand. The ball he had so confidently claimed to have 'got' bounced within the score zone, and two female voices cheered in triumph.
"Woo! And Team Rose takes the win!"
Amy and Sticks leaped into the air and performed a high-five, while Sonic recovered from his own unfortunate stumble.
"Hey come on, that wasn't even fair!" He whined, arms spread wide at the taunting girls. "I was still flat on my butt!"
Sticks, the badger girl, made a defiant fist with one hand and pointed at the complaining hedgehog with the other. "No excuses! Just admit you can't compete with two strong, independent, super talented..."
"And beautiful!" added Amy.
"...Butt-kicking women like us!!!"
Sonic raised his hands in despair. "Oh, again with the feminism?"
"You wanted to do girls vs boys, Sonic!" smirked Amy, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't start crying just because you two suck!"
Sonic's skinny arms slunk as he turned to bury his fallen teammate out of the sand. "If this was baseball," he groaned, "I'd totally own you guys... "
"Aaagh! shapeshifter!!"
Everybody jumped at Sticks' high-pitched screech, and looked in the direction the badger was pointing. Sonic's brow furrowed as he recognised the brown hedgehog with the shades.
Tom stopped just before the court, awkwardly scuffing his feet in the sand. He went to hook a thumb in his pocket, cursed himself for the hundredth time upon remembering he had no pockets, and instead gestured sheepishly around the court.
"You guys... mind if I hang out?"
Sonic raised a hand before Sticks could inflate her lungs, and caught a concerned look from Amy.
"You sure you want to, Tom?" Tom's ears dropped as he felt a stab of guilt. Sonic only called him by his first name when he was angry with him. "You seemed real good by yourself a little while ago."
Tom shrugged meekly. "I... changed my mind. Thought I could use some company." He looked to his left and gestured to a nearby rock with his beer. "I'll just sit and watch... that okay?"
Sonic looked to the others. Knuckles have him a quick thumbs up, Amy smiled encouragingly, while Sticks just crossed her arms and glared at the 'shapeshifter '. But the badger remained silent, which was probably as much approval as they would get.
"Okay, old man..." Sonic said with a grin, "but try not to get any second-hand exercise!"
Tom set himself down on the large rock as the game continued. It burned his ass a little, but he'd take that over sitting on the ground and getting sand all in his fur again. He wondered how Sonic and his friends managed to keep themselves immaculately groomed all the time.
...............................................
Tom sat and watched the game, struggling to keep up with the speed these kids could play at, but content to just soak up rays and sip his beer. He must have fallen asleep at some point, because he was suddenly blinking through bleary eyes at the sight of a blue hedgehog and a red echidna staring down at him with intent.
He leaned up and raised his shades, tucking them just in front of his ears.
"Can I... help you gentlemen?"
.................................................
"Sonic, you know I haven't played any sports in years, right? "
"Hey, relax!" Sonic grinned as he marched Tom onto the court, "just think of it as an important father-son bonding activity!" He stood his father centre-court and leaned in to cheekily pat his stomach. "Besides, you could stand to lose a little of this!"
Tom wore an unamused expression as he looked at his son.
"That's no fair!" Screamed Sticks, outraged. "You get a third player?"
"Hey, with the way you guys are winning, I think we need the crutch! "
With that, the game kicked off again. Tom stood paralysed, with no idea what to do, the ball sending him dizzy as it moved faster than he could react. He stumbled to the left uncertainly - maybe all that beer had been a bad idea after all - and then his eyes registered a round blur streaking right toward his face.
"Oh crap-"
The ball made its impact like a missile, flipping him end over end over end until he rolled to a stop in the sand. He slowly unfurled from his protective state, dazily registering colourful and concerned faces surrounding him.
"Oh Mr Wachowski!! I'm so sorry, are you okay?!? " Amy cried with her hands to her face while Sticks cackled with glee.
"Nice catch, dad!" Sonic laughed, while he and Knuckles reached down to help the older hedgehog to his feet.
"I guess that's what you call..." Tom grunted painfully as he stood, head pounding, "having a ball..."
"That was terrible, dad..." Groaned Sonic, while Tom scratched at himself.
"Hey, I thought it was pretty clever..." mumbled knuckles.
"Ugh," Tom was busy scratting irritably at his fur, "how do you guys deal with this crap?"
Sonic just grinned slyly, then looked back to his large red friend.
"Hey Knuckles..."
"Yeah? "
"I think my dad needs a bath..."
Tom looked on in trepidation as two silhouettes enveloped him.
"Guys? What are you doing? guys.. hey! Put me down!! Sonic, I swear you two put me down or I'll..."
Sheriff Wachowski squealed in alarm as he was unceremoniously dumped into the Mobian ocean by a blue hedgehog and a red echidna, while a brown badger screeched with sadistic delight.
Amy shook her head at the display, face in palm.
"Boys... "
................................................
"So..." Said Maddie, thumbing through one of the books she'd brought from Earth. "At least you had some fun today!"
"Yeah, sure..." replied the bundle of smelly, poofy brown fur on the sleeping bag beside her, peeling off damp white gloves and throwing them to the floor. "Was a freakin'" blast..."
The couple were sat on their sleeping bags, arranged on a mattress in a spare room of Sonic's shack. They had said very little to one another since their earlier... discussion, but Tom knew he had an apology to make.
"Y'know mads..." He began flexing his fingers , sheathing the claws in and out. "You were right. This place... it's safe, we're with the kids, we aren't being hunted by a government that wants to dissect us... there's a lot worse situations we could be in right now.
Maddie shook her head and clapped her book shut. She couldn't concentrate on the damn thing anyway... As if her mind was moving too fast for the pages. It was driving her crazy. She set the reading material beside her and rested a hand on her husband's arm.
" I know you're upset, baby... " she said softly, "We might have lost everything... our lives, our careers... our families back home... "
Tom chuckled. "Well there's one positive at least. I might never have to deal with your sister again..."
He recoiled and gasped as Maddie smacked his hand.
"But we're together," she continued, "And we'll get through this. Like we always do."
He squeezed her wrist and offered a sad smile.
"You're right," he said, ears flattened and puppy-dog eyed, "I'm sorry..."
Maddie leaned forward and cupped a hand around his chin.
"We will go home one day, Tom. whether we're human... or not. Green Hills will still be there. "
Tom nodded, proud of the determination in his wife's eyes.the
"I love you, Mads."
"Love you too, baby. "
..............................................
Maddie woke during the night, disturbed by the rustle of fabric and the shifting of weight on the mattress. she turned, bleary eyed and leaned on an elbow. Where her husband had been, shortly before, a brown spiky ball was nestled atop the sleeping back, breathing peacefully.
she shook her head and lay back down, grumbling to herself before heading back to sleep.
"Boy's destined to get that broom stuck up his ass..."