Chapter Text
Less than a year ago, Green Hills had undergone a massive shift. Less than a year ago the news had raged with the government intervention and the steady buzz of tension had encircled the town and its surrounding areas. But once all that mess had died down it was as if the sleepy little town had absolutely shuttered itself from the rest of the world. Nothing insane of course, but Annie had noticed when her usual regulars changed their behavior, even when it was subtle.
Either commuting from work or on a trip, every time she asked about the town- and she did so with more frequency now- they would clam up and, after some badgering, offer nearly the same line every time.
"All's good and quiet." The first, hell, three times she'd heard that she hadn't noticed or been bothered by it. But it'd been months now and the citizens seemed happy as ever but, guarded at the same time.
One day, she decided to visit, her mind racing with thoughts of 'mind control', 'government control', or even 'cult takeover', but the town was as kind and quiet as she remembered. Save for a couple of peculiar things happening.
As she entered the town, at least three pairs of eyes were on her in a seemingly alarmed manner.They then brought out their phones in close unison to make a call, send a text, and take a picture. It, again, wouldn't have gone noticed by her if she hadn't already been on her toes and if the action hadn't seemed rushed. Beyond that, nothing else happened. Annie stayed the remainder of the day, strolling, visiting the farmer's market, and eating at a local diner. The town, small as it was, was surprisingly well kept and well off. One thing she'd learned growing up in the town over was that Green Hills took care of their own.
The sky darkened quicker than she expected and the thought of driving home in the dark didn't sit well with her.
"Oi, Andy!" she flagged down the man at the counter, a kind looking older gentleman who'd owned the diner for years.
"Annie! Hadn't noticed you, what brings you into town?" Annie wasn't the most perceptive woman around but she could spot blatant lies when she heard them. Andy had had an eye on her the moment she'd stepped into the diner. But he was a kind man, whatever the reason for the awkwardness, she was certain it couldn't be ill-meaning.
"Just thought I'd drop in for a visit, days at the shop get so boring." He chuckled and nodded.
"I hear ya, although there's something new now everyday. I have to say the town is surely different now, something new everyday." he sounded fond. Annie honed in; the first piece of any information!
"How do you mean?" Andy tensed briefly, before relaxing altogether.
"Customer's every day can bring a new surprise," he chuckled, waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss any further questions. "Anyway, can I help you with anything?"
She frowned, but didn't pursue it. "What's the direction to the closest hotel/motel?"
"Oh, you're staying the night?" It was a fair question. It wasn't unusual for Green Hills to get visitors but for the most part people simply passed through the town.
"Yeah, I really just don't like driving at night." He nodded understandingly.
"Well, it's a small place, but out near Watson and Sugar Road there's an inn, close to the outskirts of the town." Annie nodded, already trying to line the streets up in her mind.
"I'll head there, thanks Andy."
Once her dinner was finished, Annie paid for her meal, thanked Andy and got in her car to head to the inn. Andy watched her leave, a tension in his chest settling slightly. Walking over to the diner's phone he punched in a number everyone knew by heart.
"Tom? It's Andy,"
"Hey Andy, everything alright?"
"Fine, fine. Listen, I just called to let you know that maybe your boy should stay away from the west end tonight, in case y'all had any plans." He amended carefully. "Annie drove into town."
The frown in Tom's voice was evident. "Yeah, Janet and Michael texted me earlier today. It was incredibly considerate of them."
"Good kids," the older man nodded in approval. "We can't keep people out of course, but we can keep an eye out for you and your family." No one would go so far as to say that the town was organized, but they had seem to fallen into a series of routines considering outsiders and the safety of their blue devil- though older folks hated referring to the boy with that moniker.
"I really appreciate it," Andy waved the gratitude away, forgetting for a moment it was a phone conversation.
"Ain't nothin' to it Tom, tell your boy I said hello. Oh! And if y'all have time this weekend I'm having a barbeque special. As I've heard, Sonic's never tried it."
There was some excited muffled yelling on the other side of the line, followed by Tom's laughter."Yes- yes it's Andy.. Ok, I'll tell him- yes I'll tell- Andy, Sonic says hi."
Andy couldn't help but laugh. "Hello Sonic," he greeted back. "Oh, I do have to go now, though," he added regretfully as a couple more customers walked in, "just called to let y'all know."
"Don't let us keep you, thank you Andy."
Ending the call, Andy returned to his customers, a fond smile on his face. Sonic had become a part of town life more intrinsically and naturally than anyone had expected. The boy was earnest, eager, kind and compassionate, winning over the most hesitant of minds with the sheer force of his existence. It wasn't always perfect. Lord knew the effect that ten solitary years could have on a growing child. But it made many people appreciate him that much more. Even the townspeople who wanted little or nothing to do with the boy kept mum, diverting attention from the heart of the matter with feigned ignorance or annoyance; people who actively wanted to stay uninvolved wouldn't jeopardize a family's life or a kid. Green Hills was a quiet, family-oriented place, to its core. Besides, as mortified as he'd been about putting himself and the town in danger, Sonic had defended them. That wasn't something they'd soon forget.
Idly, Andy wondered if he should cook brisket as a special treat for this weekend. His restaurant usually held a small affair the first Saturday of every month at the park along with a couple other businesses. The mayor's office had come up with it as a way to promote local business and community within the small town. He'd cooked brisket two months ago, but it was well into fall so it'd be appropriate to have it again. It would be a wonderful weekend, for sure.
-
Green Hill’s sheriff had quickly become an expert in dealing with the unexpected. Tom often mused about the irony of it all. Being a small town sheriff often had a stereotype of comfort and routine, but ever since Sonic had joined Green Hills as a true town member, life had become invigorated in new and pleasantly unexpected ways.
As he turned into the driveway a bright flash of blue streaked across his truck. He slammed his brakes, eyes wide with alarm. Sonic appeared jumping up beside his passenger window, waving enthusiastically.
“Hey Donut Lord!”
"Sonic!” Tom exclaimed. Sonic wilted for a moment at the tone. It lasted only for a moment, but Tom softened his words, wanting to ensure that the young hedgehog knew that he wasn't in trouble. “Hey bud, sorry for yelling. You scared me, is all.” The boy’s eyes brightened immediately.
“It’s not like that car is fast enough to hurt me!” He smirked, streaking around to greet the sheriff as he exited his car.
“Maybe not buddy,” Tom chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the top of his head, “But the thought of you getting hurt can be pretty scary, even when I know you’re faster.” Sonic ducked away, nervously patting at his quills.
“That’s silly.”
“Maybe so, but can you be a little careful for my peace of mind?” It’d taken awhile, but explaining things to Sonic had eased a lot of their interactions, particularly the things Sonic found normal that scared the living daylights out of Tom and Maddie. On their behalf, they tried to understand that their kid was nothing like any other child. More resilient and stronger, there were certain things that they had to come to learn and live with.
“I can do that…” Sonic was not always very comfortable with dealing with what he had dubbed ‘serious talks’. Tom ruffled his quills once more, offering him an out.
“So tell me what you did today, bud.” Blue ears perked up and Sonic walked around him talking a mile an hour, occasionally moving in small bursts of speed around Tom.
“Oh! Well today at school Jasper showed me this super cool game-“ Tom listened attentively, following Sonic inside, offering insight or the appropriate ‘whoa really?’ when the situation called for it. He kissed Maddie hello and they settled into their evening dinner routine.
Andy’s call after dinner threatened to throw their evening into a serious mood, until Maddie got up clapped her hands- literally snapping the two out of their thoughts-
“Absolutely no use in dwelling over things that won’t happen!” She said it so cheerfully and calmly, a statement. Tom nodded. Both he and Maddie were steadfast in their goals, but Maddie carried a steely glint in her eyes whenever she perceived Sonic and his existence be threatened. They both loved him, but Maddie was fearless and unstoppable in her own way. He couldn't help but believe her.
Sonic appeared less sure, but he smiled bravely nonetheless. Tom got up to help with cleanup, turning to Maddie as he reached for her plate.
“Something I would like to dwell on however, Maddie, that tub of butterscotch ice cream?” He threw her his best roguish smile and wink, leaning smoothly on the counter, dirty plate in hand.
Her face turned red as she turned on Tom,
“That was a secret!” Sonic buzzed around them excitedly.
“Ice cream?!” Tom laughed and Maddie couldn't help but crack a smile, a genuine one at their contagious joy.
“Two scoops!” She raised two fingers towards Sonic, who was already opening up the freezer door. He zipped around to try and catch a peek of the tub.
“Four?”
"Three.”
“Deal!”
As he watched them argue over scoops Tom smiled fondly. With the shadow of the visitor all but dissipated, it all felt idyllic, almost. When he first met Sonic, a lot of his reaction towards him was based on stereotypical alien knowledge. Someone to treat decently and kindly, but ultimately let them go on their own.
Learning more about Sonic, spending time with him and seeing that he was truly a kid, sure a super-powered kid but a kid nonetheless, had made Tom’s heart grow to encompass him all too quickly. Hell, it only took meeting Maddie once and she was already on board with helping a strange blue alien kid. In the first couple weeks alone they'd felt the initial protective desire morph into something deeper, parental in nature.
The night after they had returned from San Francisco he’d thanked them profusely and returned to his cave. Those couple of days felt wrong and Tom had known why. Sonic came to them more and more and they had simply allowed him to go back to a cave in the forest each night. It had only taken Tom's own quiet question and Maddie’s relieved answer before they’d set off to right their own wrong. He'd only gone back to his cave twice before they took action, but that was two times too many in Tom's opinion.
Introducing Sonic into their family had felt as natural as breathing. Not to say it was all sunshine and rainbows all the time. Ten solitary years and an evil scientist chasing you to either use you as a living battery or dissect you tended to leave some emotional wounds.
Sonic was nothing if not resilient, and the Wachowski's were nothing if not steadfast and supportive.
“Tom? You coming?"
“I’ll eat your serving of icecream if you don’t hurry da- Donut Lord!” Tom stifled a grin at the hedgehog’s quickly bitten off sentence. That was another new development. Sometimes, Sonic would almost call them mom or dad. And as much as it made his heart soar he knew he had to be patient and show Sonic that he always had a safe space around them. The kid had a bad tendency to run when he was embarrassed.
“Hold your horses there, cowboy!” he put on a bad southern drawl, knowing Sonic secretly delighted in them, “I’ma comin’!”
“Oh, honey that’s terrible,” Maddie giggled. “Sonic, honey let’s go pick out a movie while your old man manages to get out of his chair.” Tom had to admire the ease with which Maddie said that. He didn’t react at all, as if all was normal.
“Y-yeah,” Sonic followed her into the living room, a dazed and dopey smile growing on his face.
The movie was (thankfully) not a Keanu Reeves movie. Tom adored Keanu as much as the world’s population did but there were only so many times you could watch and rewatch the man’s entire filmography without become the teensiest bit tired of it.
Following the movie Sonic's eyes were already heavy with sleep. But the boy put up a valient effort, trying to engage them in post-movie discussion. Tom and Maddie indulged him, leading the sleepy hedgehog up to his room.
It’d become a trend to tuck Sonic in. No one called it that. Officially, it was called ‘Post-Movie discussion with hugs and kiss goodnight’, but it was tucking in.
Tom braved a kiss atop his head, knowing how skittish Sonic could become with physical affection from him; he was always more receptive and willing to accept hugs and kisses from Maddie. She'd assured him it wasn't personal and it seemed to stem from his perception of masculinity born from the movies he'd grown up watching. Sonic ducked away, nearly hiding his head under the covers.
“Donut lord!”
"Gotta have my snuggle tax too.” He laughed, ruffling his quills once more. “Good night bud, early morning tomorrow.” Sonic shuffled around, looking up at Tom and Maddie worryingly.
“Will everything be okay? I know there’s been visitors before but I don’t wanna get anyone in trouble and if it’s best I really don’t mind going into the forest for the day- or a couple of days- if, if it’ll help because-“
“Sonic,” Tom said his name softly, watching worried green eyes snap to him. He understood that a deep part of Sonic expected to be sent away. There was little he could do about that other than provide a steady foundation of reassurance and trust. “You’re a part of this town now. More than that, you’re a part of this family.” He felt more than saw Maddie move closer to him and rest a reassuring hand on Sonic. “I know we haven’t properly talked about this, but Maddie and I truly care about you, and you deserve a say in this as well. So if you’re okay with it, we’d like to talk about officially adopting you.”
Sonic sat up fully, looking at them a dumbstruck expression. “Adopt me?”
“Yes honey,” Maddie leaned in, reaching out to hold Sonic’s hand.
“So you’d be… my.. like my m-“ he cut himself off abruptly, teeth biting into his lower lip.
“You don’t have to call us anything you’re uncomfortable with,” Maddie assured him soothingly, “but we consider you our own.” Tom nodded enthusiastically to that. “But… yes. In a way.”
“You can have some time to think on it, bud.” He could see that Sonic was becoming a bit overwhelmed at the influx of information, and this was a pretty big bomb to drop on the hog. Truthfully, they'd planned on speaking about this later in the week, but with visitors coming to Green Hills there was no better time to solidify his place in their family. They wanted there to be no doubt. “If you have any questions you’d like to ask or just take your time to make a decision, you'll always be welcome with us and that won't change-“
“No!” The boy stopped him from speaking further, hands spread out in front of him. “No I just-“ He bit his lip. “I just never thought… that you’d want me. That you’d want to keep me.” He turned his face and swiped at his face. “These aren’t tears, by the way,” he sniffled, “It’s, uh, allergies.”
Tom chuckled. “Of course we want you bud, but not to keep, you’ll always be your own person, with or without us.” Sonic chuckled at that, rubbing his eyes.
“I… I’d like that. But how would it be official? I mean… I thought the government couldn’t know I was here.” Maddie held his hand, leaning in gleefully.
“That’s the beauty of it, hun. It’ll be official by Green Hills standard, which is all that matters. You’ll be listed as our son but there will only be two official copies. One for us and one for school purposes that will be kept in town hall under Martha’s watchful eye.
“It’ll be safer than if it was in a state-of-the-art compound.” Tom laughed. “Is… is that a yes? I mean- no rush of course if you want some more time to think-“
“Yes it’s a yes!” Sonic exclaimed, grabbing Maddie’s hand and looking at Tom excitedly. “I can’t believe this, but yes!”
“Oh honey,” Maddie whispered, pulling Sonic into her chest. “Oh sweetie, we love you so much.” Tom wrapped his arms around them, another wet laugh bubbling up from within him. He sat back and swiped at his eyes as well.
"Damn allergies, must be contagious." Maddie fixed them both with a critical, amused stare.
"My, I have a set of men ashamed of a couple tears?"
"M'not afraid of anything." Sonic mumbled with no real heat. He settled back into bed, contentment and weariness settling over him.
"Not even early mornings after staying up late?" Tom grinned, switching off the fairy lights. Sonic mumbled another reply they couldn't quite catch, watching them blearily as they finished tucking him back in. The day really had tuckered him out, now that he finally felt relaxed and at ease he began to slip into drowsiness.
"we'll see you tomorrow, sweetie."
"Sweet dreams, bud." They left the stairs down. It was an unspoken rule that they were never put up if Sonic was in his room and there was no need to hide. Which, despite the many visitors to the town, there had been no reason in months for Sonic to truly have to hide in his own home. Something the Wachowski's were thankful for.
Unfortunately, morning would throw the stone that would tangle the delicate web of peace the family had finally found.