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Chapter Text

When Sonic fell through space, he dreamed. He dreamed of Tom and the life they could've had together, with Ozzy and Maddie and Tails and Knuckles. He dreamed of endless camping trips with at least double that amount of smores. He'd laugh when Knuckles burned them.

When Sonic fell through space, he was burning. He didn’t feel this, of course. The burning of the eclipse cannon turned every nerve in his body to acidic fire - even though he desperately tried to fight against the waves of unconsciousness grasping at his quills, he failed. His fight with Shadow had been taxing, and emotional. Sonic hadn’t thought anything through. All he felt was rage and the thirst for revenge.

It started with The Vault. Sonic wasn’t a creature designed to be held in place, to be formed to remain still. The pressure was almost crushing to the point of pain. The metal rebars slammed into the ground, shattering it within a nearby four-inch radius. Maddie screamed in terror as it shattered within her hair's width. He’d lifted his hand, defying the gravity pull.

Another bar shattered into the ground, and he fought with all of his strength, curling up into a ball of energy. He spun, twisting to avoid the force. His spine bent and contorted against the pressure, but he pushed through. Exhaustion pulled through his muscles, tugging them to the ground. Tom screamed his name, and that was it.

He spun and dashed against the unnatural force, flying across the room and smashing into the boulder.

After spin dashing, Sonic would usually require several hours of rest to recuperate - especially after something as taxing as that. But as he sat there, his head spinning, he couldn’t rest. He wouldn’t rest. Tom ran off after Rockwell, and by the time Sonic had stopped spinning in his mind, Shadow had already gotten involved. Sonic immediately feared the worst, his heart falling into his stomach, shaking his unresponsive dad. He twisted his ire to the ebony hedgehog. “What did you do?” He seethed. Shadow glanced between them both, hesitating slightly. “What I had to.” He hissed, teleporting away.

The next half an hour blurred by, with vague memories of threatening Knuckles, with bolts of chaos energy thrumming through his veins. The next coherent thing he remembered was hurtling through a glass window and tackling Shadow through the other side. “You hurt my family. This ends now!” They fought viciously, thumping and punching. For every calculated blow that Shadow landed, Sonic matched with fury and abetted rage.

When Sonic was knocked down, pain pulsating throughout his broken and drained body, charged only by fury and pure rage, he paused to catch his breath. Shadow hovered above, completely unbothered, still as strong as he was at the start. Sonic rose to one knee, panting. “What kind of hero abandons his friends to pursue revenge? Abandons his family?” Shadow taunted. Sonic hissed. “Don’t you dare talk about my family.” A warning as his quills rose, prickling with rage. "I thought you cared about them. Especially the one… what's his name? Tom?"

Sonic’s actions didn’t register until he heard Tom’s voice in his head. “You didn’t let your pain change who you are.”

And he realised that he was on the moon… with Shadow’s chest in his fist. Sonic felt nothing but anger and a thirst to kill him - until Shadow’s breath hitched. Ever so slightly - but it was enough.

So, he sat, on the moon, mourning his past failures with the ebony hedgehog.

The longer they talked, the more Sonic realised he and Shadow were two beings of the same origin. Like Walters had said days previously. So he pushed away his hatred and focussed on saving the planet.

It gets a little blurry from there.

He remembers feeling like a total badass as he and Shadow decimate Eggman's (and Eggman's senior) bots, and he remembers liking the fight with Shadow - having fun for the first time since he met the death hog.

He also remembers the panic that turned his blood to ice as he and Shadow raced to meet the eclipse cannon in space, holding back the equivalent of the sun. If Sonic had ever felt pain before, it was nothing compared to what he felt at that moment. His body screamed for reprieve as he struggled to keep himself together. His body burned, and his muscles screamed. His head pounded against his skull, and his stomach twisted into knots.

At some point, his vision blacked out and he plummeted.

Sonic has no idea what happened between then and waking up in a cornfield, but he knows he hurt… badly. It was the kind of pain where you didn’t feel the true force of the pain. It was like he knew he should be in pain, but he was not. Phantom pain, he thinks it's called. He lay there for a moment, singed and burning, but alive. Tails said his name, so he dutifully stood, though nothing was registering in his eyes. It was as if he was underwater - which he tried to avoid. He leaned a little heavily into Knuckles, blinking slowly and just existing.

“We should check if the Donut Lord is well.” Knuckles spoke quietly. Tails mumbled something, buzzing into Sonic’s eyeline. “Are you ok, Sonic? You look… burned.” Sonic blinked harshly once, twice, then forced a small smile onto his battered face. “I’m fine. Just sore. Like an overworked muscle.” Tails reached out to touch one of his quills, feather-light. Sonic winced, pulling away. “You don’t look ok.” The twin-tail insisted.

Sonic gently took his hand. “Dude. I’m fine. I’m shaken and sore, but I’m fine. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Tails huffed. Knuckles hummed. “I agree with the fox. I remain unconvinced.” Sonic stretched slightly, biting back the waves of pain-inflicted sounds his body wished to make. “Well, it’s a good job I don’t have to convince you guys. So long as Dad doesn’t know what happened yet, then it’s a successful day.” Tails snorted. “Pretty sure it's already successful, but I get your point.” He paused. “But Knuckles used the last ring to save us… how are we gonna get to London?” Sonic sighed lightly and quietly. “I can run us… but we’d have to stop every hour for me to rest. I can get us there in under five hours.” Tails’ face wrinkled in protest.

“There is no need to exert yourself further, Hedgehog. I had taken the liberty to bestow ten emergency rings to the guardian. We will simply need to journey to the Wade Cave to retrieve them.”  Sonic slumped. “Oh thank god. Imma be honest guys, I don’t think I could’ve run to London today.” He dropped to a crouch, resting his head in his hands. Tails hummed. “We know. Our next plan was to sedate you and fly on a plane. But Knuckles thought ahead.” Sonic raised his head to glare. Tails shrugged. “I would have no regrets. You have a bit of a track record for not taking care of yourself.” Sonic narrowed his eyes. “If I wasn’t so tired, I would kill you for that."

Tails snorted.

4,566 miles away, in London Bridge Hospital, Maddie sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair, holding her husband’s hand, whispering affirmations. “Come on, baby. I can see you’re awake. You’re here.” The nurses and doctors had removed the medication keeping Tom in his coma, allowing him to wake up naturally - which he had begun to do almost immediately.

Then, by a beautiful miracle, his eyelids slipped open, revealing the beautiful forest-green eyes that she’d fallen in love with over a decade ago.

Chapter Text

They stayed in the cornfield for a while.

Sonic wasn't sure how long they were still, how long they were silent. Nobody knew how to approach the situation that they'd just been in - how could they? It was a literal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There was a reason why space travel was so beholden to the eye - so celebrated when executed right. All of them were burned to a certain degree, there was no doubt about that. Sonic could smell the singed fur - and it wasn't a smell he'd ever forget. He remembered once when Ozzy got his tail a little singed on a campfire, and it smelled the same.

Burning.

He turned from his standing stance, gazing in the direction of Green Hills. Tails shifted behind and Knuckles hummed lowly. "We should begin to journey to the guardian. We are in the old farmer's field - at least a two-hour walk away. Should we want to get to the Donut Lord before dark, we should begin our journey now." Sonic gazed upwards at the sky, sighing silently. "London is seven hours ahead of us, Knuckles. We're probably better off holding out for a bit and letting it get to morning there." Tails spoke up for the first time in a while. "What's the time there then?" Sonic asked quietly. Tails was quiet for a moment. "Just gone midnight. We could nap at Wade's for a few hours. Visiting hours start at eight in the hospital. We could leave here at one. Early start, but then we're there for Dad." Tails stood, sheathing his machine.

Knuckles grunted. "I agree with the fox. We shall begin our journey. Come. We must persevere." Easier said than done for you guys. Sonic thought bitterly. He stayed quiet, taking stock of the general numbness he was feeling. That'd hurt when he came out of the shock. "Let's go then. I wanna sleep before we see Dad..." Sonic sniffed the air slightly playfully near Tails, trying to drag a smile out of the nine-year-old. "And shower. You stink." Tails snickered softly, shoving Sonic's shoulder. It hurt, but he played it off.

--

They slowly made their way to Wade's house from old farmer Joe's cornfield, barely being held together by spite and willpower. Sonic noticed that Knuckles was, by far, the most unscraped of them all. He lagged at the back, stating that he didn't know how to walk to Wade's, and that it'd be easier to follow. Tails's brow had furrowed in uncertainty, whereas Knuckles' face brightened. "Ah yes. I am the leader. Follow me. I shall lead the charge to the guardian's den!" So, Sonic walked at the back with Tails in the middle and Knuckles at the front.

Sonic took stock.

Sure, he doesn't usually take stock. Only when he knows he'd fucked up... usually after a fight with Eggman, to be fair. There was a joke or theme there, but he was too tired to work it out. Taking stock was something that Longclaw and Tom had drilled into him, to be honest. If you took stock of immediate injuries/ailments, you could plan your next steps accordingly. He made an imaginary notepad in his mind and jotted down his findings.

Knuckles.

• 1st degree burns across his stomach.
• Severe bruising across his back.
• Possible concussion.
• Big head syndrome.

Ok, so that last one wasn't a current ailment, but it still counted.

Tails.

• 1st to 2nd degree burns across his stomach.
• Moderate bruising.
• Likely concussion.

Me.

• Everything broken.
• Everything hurts.
• Ow.

Yeah. His stock take was awesome. In all seriousness, he knew he was badly injured. His head pounded with every step he took in tandem with his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, which was so burned, it looked like one of Knuckles' dishonoured marshmallows - but thank god he had thicker fur than Tails and Knuckles. They didn't need to see it. He was surprised they couldn't smell it, to be honest. But maybe their sense of smell wasn't as refined as Sonic's - they were, after all, different species. Sure, they were all born on Mobius, but like how the Chinese are different to the British, who are different to the Africans, they were all different.

Knuckles' tribe were hidden in the Northern part of Mobius, Tails came from the Eastern parts, Sonic was from the Southern parts, and the Western side of the planet remained a neutral ground for those who wished to either run from their tribe or go into hiding. Each tribe had their mini tribes within, but that was the consensus.

He realised, rather abruptly, as he tripped over a ledge in the town of Green Hills, that he'd rambled within his mind and walked nearly an hour and a half, stuck in the crevices of his fucked up brain. Tails grabbed his arm with an exclamation. "Sonic, are you sure you're ok?" Sonic ground his teeth to stop himself from baring them. He hurt, and Tails' grab, whilst it helped prevent his faceplant into the ground, it still hurt. "Yeah, I'm ok. I was daydreaming, it was my own fault."

Tails hummed and opted to walk next to him.

Sonic wilted in relief as Wade's house came into view.

"We are here." Knuckles announced, rapping on the garage door in a weird pattern. Sonic blinked away some sudden spots in his vision, leaning against the wall in a display of casualness - but if he didn't have some kind of solid support, he was gonna topple. Must be the adrenaline crash. The garage door whipped open - revealing Wade in all his glory... in a pink dressing gown. Sonic coughed to avoid laughing. It pulled on his sore face, but the sight was funny.

"Guardian Wade. We have come to humbly request some shelter and one of the emergency rings. We need to journey to London in - how long, fox?" Knuckles greeted. "Five hours. We're gonna be leaving here at one am. It'll be about eight in the morning there." Tails supplied. Wade winced. "Ooo. One am get-ups are NOT fun. Well, my mom's staying so you can camp in the garage if you want. I'll leave the ring on the unit for you guys." Wade turned to leave. "Oh, and say hello to Tom and Maddie for me." He grinned.

Knuckles let them into the Wade Cave, gesturing to various piles of blankets. "I had the guardian construct beds of rest designed for our skeletal system, so when we rest, we achieve ultimate strength. Come. We will be safe. Let us sleep until it is time to leave."

Knuckles didn't have to say much more, for Sonic had drifted over to a mostly blue bundle of blankets and collapsed into it immediately.

London Bridge Hospital - 9:03 AM.

Tom shifted as he woke up, a weird heavy feeling on his body. When he'd woken up yesterday, he'd felt stiff, sure, but not heavy. Maybe he'd somehow messed up his ribs overnight. For god's sake, he was never gonna get back home at this rate. He shifted upwards, thankful for the morphine drip. Maddie sat by the window, on her phone. He blinked a few more times as his eyes adjusted to the world again. In Maddie's lap, lay a furry yellow creature. "S'that Tails?" He mumbled quietly, his throat sore from lack of use. Maddie glanced up with a soft smile. She stroked his head. "Yeah. They came through a ring about an hour ago and crashed immediately. It's pretty early back home, so they're probably exhausted." It was then, that Tom noticed Knuckles sitting in the chair that Maddie usually had - head dropped into his chest, fast asleep. "He wanted to stay awake for you, but as soon as the others crashed, he did too, bless him."

Tom then glanced down. "Is that why my legs are covered by a nice new blue blanket?" He tried to make a funny. Maddie snorted. "Sonic was the first to crash. He beelined for you, quizzed the poor nurses for ten minutes, then curled up and fell asleep. I think he missed you." Tom snorted lightly, reaching to caress Sonic behind the ears. He mumbled something in sleep, his ears twitching. "Really?" He joked. Maddie chuckled. "At least they're all safe again." She resumed her stroking of Tails.

Despite her words, Tom couldn't help but feel something was very wrong - with all of them. Particularly Sonic, who looked like he'd literally crashed on his bed, limbs askew. Tom opted to hum instead. "Yeah. I'm glad they're ok." His gaze lingered on Sonic's burned out shoes.

Odd.

Chapter Text

Tom's instinct kept bugging him.

Something, fucking something, kept hissing in his ear that something was wrong, that it wasn't adding up. Tom counted everyone at least six times before he began counting the ceiling tiles in an attempt to sleep. His gaze would flit to each of his boys, and check they were ok. Knuckles had taken his place as the oldest brother. He was lightly burned at the edges, crisp, but not cooked. His back was an interesting collection of purples and blues, and a few cuts littered about, but nothing that wouldn't heal with a few day's rest. He sat, hard off in the plastic yellow chair, almost parallel to Tom's bed. His arms were firmly crossed, but his eyes were shut. It was obvious that he'd fallen asleep while keeping watch.

His eyes slipped along the trimmings of the wall and landed on the youngest of the family - his little yellow ball of fur. Tails - the baby. He was curled up in Maddie's lap, facing the large window of the private room. How nice of G.U.N to pay the bill for this?! His wife of a decade was relaxing against the wall, snoozing lightly, loosely hugging the yellow critter. Tails was slightly more chargrilled than his older brother, but still not quite cooked. The very tips of his tails were a dark brown instead of their usual white. He wasn't quite as bruised as Knuckles, but he had very faint markings on his legs and arms. He slept soundly in Maddie's arms, his tails curling around her legs to keep her warm.

It was, after all, only one am. The window was nice, but it only had a thin set of foldable drapes that barely kept the cold out. Tom had barely left Montana, never mind America, but he'd heard stories of how cold the UK was. He'd laughed it off, joking along with the rare Brits that stopped by in Green Hills to see the infamous blue blur - but by god, they were right. It truly was miserable in the UK - cold and wet, but the Brits didn't seem bothered. In fact, they'd sigh, pull up a hood and get on with their day.

Much like the Texans with their extreme heat, Tom supposed.

His eyes drifted to the bed, where the middle child lay... well... Tom uses that word generously. Sprawled like he fell from the fifteenth floor of the hospital. But then again, Sonic was always a messy sleeper - he never woke up in the same position he went to sleep in. To be honest, Sonic hardly ever woke up in bed. He'd squirm around so much, to the point where he literally would fall out. Sonic was by far the most chargrilled of them all. Where Knuckles laid in rare cook, and Tails in medium, Sonic was firmly in well done. His fur was blackened, and most of all his quills - what was still there, at least. Most of them were there, but they were black with burns. His chest was ashy, and his face was bruised, though not quite as bad as Knuckles' back. Tom moved his hand to rub Sonic's back, trying to elicit some kind of reaction. In all the hours he'd been awake (maybe six in the last eighteen), Sonic had been asleep. But then again, so had either Tails or Knuckles. It would seem that something big had happened in the last few days that well and truly fucked them all.

Sonic twitched slightly, mumbling in his sleep, but he didn't wake.

Tom tried to play it off, but something was in his ear.

Green Hills - 1:56 pm.

Thank GOD G.U.N had transport rings. Tom would've rather died than been stuck on a fifteen-hour flight with his air-sick wife and three golden retriever children.

Tom was allowed to potter around the house, thank fuck. He was gonna go clinically insane if he stayed still for one more fucking second. Now he understood how Sonic felt. Speaking of: Tom glanced around, wincing when his ribs pulled taught. Sonic was sat on the opposing chair, skimming through a comic book, his head drooping as he read. Tom watched as he blinked harshly a few times, then rearranged himself to sit straighter. "Buddy, why don't you get some shut-eye?" Tom broached, twisting so his ribs were slightly less tight. Hey, he's still on some pretty hardcore drugs. Sonic whirled up to face him. "You're awake!" He grinned.

Tom wasn't convinced.

"I've been awake for a while, bud." He replied gently. "I saw you falling asleep over there." Sonic flushed slightly. "Yeah, that's my bad. I was up catching up on my comics till late." He rubbed his neck, then stopped with a light hiss. Tom nodded in his direction. "Stiff neck?" He asked. Sonic hummed. "Yeah. You'd think being an alien means I wouldn't break as easily as you fragile humans." He joked. Tom gasped in fake offence. "I was gonna offer you a neck rub, but you can - as the Brits say - get stuffed." He looked away petulantly. Sonic huffed. "Get stuffed? Dude, you were in London for less than two weeks. You don't have enough loyalty points to speak their language yet." Tom scoffed. "They still speak English, buddy. Just.... posh, I guess." Sonic hummed. "I'll admit you're right there. Spot o' tea!" He snickered.

Tom snorted. "Maddie and I joked about that and we got the foulest look from the charge nurse. They do not speak like that and will probably kill you if you ask them it.” Sonic giggled. “I wish I could’ve seen more of London.” He sighed lightly. Tom shifted upright, chewing lightly on his lip as Sonic rubbed his neck again. “Still want that rub?” He asked. Sonic glanced up briefly, hesitation dancing in his eyes. “Are you allowed?” Tom shifted further upright. “I can sit up, Sonic. I’m rubbing a neck, not running a marathon.” He gestured to the ground, ignoring the painful grinding of his mending ribs.

Tom began rubbing the tops of his shoulders, moving steadily to her mid-neck. Sonic hunched over, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. A few minutes passed before Tom approached the subject that had been eating away at his mind for over six days. "So I talked to Knuckles the other day," He began. "About what happened," Sonic hummed. “After I was Shadow-ed." Tom apparently found a sore spot on the neck, for Sonic released a low hiss, reminding him of the ever-present fact that he wasn’t of Earth - something only an alien could do. “Dad," He ground out. “Please don't touch my quills. They’re black for a reason. They hurt." He hissed. Tom hesitated slightly, but after a few beats, continued to try and relax the tense muscles. “Sorry, buddy. I didn’t realise." Sonic returned to his slouched position. “What do you mean? Like, after Shadow fucked up your ribs?" He asked quietly. Tom chose to ignore the slip. “Yeah."

“What did he say?" Tom pulled his hands back, clenching and unclenching his fingers to fight off the cramps. “Not much. Just enough to answer, but not enough to answer, you know?” Sonic nodded. “Yeah… um… well… a lot happened. What specifically?” Sonic’s remaining quills bristled, either in pain, agitation or simply just because Tom didn’t know. “From the moment Shadow hit me, I have nothing until I woke up in the hospital. What happened?” Tom asked.

If it were possible, Sonic's body grew even tenser. “Um… I’m not the guy to ask about that. Mom went with you. We stayed behind.” Tom nodded. “I know. Maddie can tell me that much. It’s what you guys did to end up so bruised and, well, burned in your case. Did you go and fight in a volcano or some shit?" Sonic chuckled. "Or something." Tom poked his shoulder. "Hey, come on. I'm trying to talk to you like an adult." Sonic sighed. "We... neutralized Eggman." Tom snorted. "I'd gathered that much, but the way you're wording it makes me feel like there's something else to this."

Sonic's quills twitched beneath his hands. Tom's eyes narrowed.

"How much more else is there to this story, Sonic?" The blue blur shifted. "Nothing." Tom shook his head. "What aren't you telling me, Sonic?"

His body tensed. "Dude, seriously, nothing else happened, ok? I don't wanna talk about it." Tom huffed. "Well, that statement's already changed. So what is it? Nothing, or something, and you just don't wanna say?"

Sonic lept up. "Nothing, ok!? Get off my fucking back!" His body crackled with electricity. Tom raised his hands. Sonic yelped as he glanced down, frantically patting his body, trying to send off the bolts of lightning. When he glanced up, his eyes were wide and fearful. "Sonic-" Tom began. "I'm so sorry." The cobalt speedster rushed out, his body living up to the aforementioned nickname, and speeding out of the room, leaving Tom's head reeling twice as fast.

Chapter Text

Sonic liked to pride himself on his general etiquette. He was (nearly) always on time, always looked together, his quills were always smoothly back, his shoes were always shiny, and he was always respectful… usually.

It took some adjusting when he first moved in with Tom and Maddie, but he took it within his stride. What brings these thoughts on is simple. Sonic had been struggling to sleep. His mind often spun when he was overexerted or emotionally drained - both of which he was suffering with big time. He'd been up sporadically all night long, nightmares swirling around his skull, phantom pains from his date with the sun, and splitting skin from his burns. As the (self-dubbed, granted) protector of Green Hills, that was his job. He was the quickest hitter and the only one with real battle experience in the Eggman department.

It made accepting Tails and Knuckles hard. Sonic had been alone for a decade, surviving and depending on nobody but himself.

Teamwork was hard. Especially after Shadow hurt Tom… His dad.

~

The birds were singing as the smell of coffee wafted into Tom’s bedroom. He shot awake, peeling away a sheet of paper, thanks to his late-night rendezvous with his paperwork. Today was the day he was finally allowed to return to desk work at the station! It’s not that he didn’t love his boys and wife; he did, but they all needed some separate time. Well… all except Ozzy and Tails, but they latched onto each other, so it was fine. He stretched widely, sighing as his back popped. He yawned, glancing out of the window. The sun was high, higher than his usual wake-up time...

“SHIT!"

He grabbed the papers and hobbled, not caring if he'd even remembered socks. Nobody would be looking at his feet anyway. He skidded to a stop just outside of the backdoor, kicking on his shoes and rubbing his eyes to rid them of any residue of sleep. "Whoa." A high-pitched voice said. "I didn't know your hair could even do that." Tom narrowed his eyes, thrusting the papers at his wife. He grunted. "Unlike some people, I was working all night." He yawned again. "Can't we tell?” Maddie giggled, putting the papers onto the windowsill. Tom leaned against it, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. “Donut Lord!”

He repressed a sigh. "You do not look well... did you sleep soundly last night?" Tom sighed softly and forced a smile onto his face. "I slept." He lied. Knuckles narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you sure, Donut Lord? You look exhausted... perhaps you should miss today's work." He put a firm hand on Tom’s shoulder. "I'm OK to work, buddy. I filled in the last part of my paperwork a lot of the night. I can't sleep when my brain wants to be busy." Tom shrugged. "I promise I'll sleep tonight. I've got no plans to do anything." Knuckles sighed softly. "If you ever need assistance in sleeping, I know plenty of meditation rituals to achieve ultimate relaxation.” Tom smiled and patted his hand. "Thank you. I might just take you up on that."

~~

Tom lasted all of four hours at work before Wade pulled rank and sent him home. Despite being Sheriff again, as per his orders, Wade was to remain ultimately in charge of anything out of the station. Tom only drifted off once! He mooded the entire way home but was secretly glad to have his feet in slippers again. The house to himself for the first time in a while! Maddie was back at work, Knuckles and Tails were out in the forest testing stuff, and Sonic was… somewhere. Probably with the others.

He thought.

Tom walked into the house, slightly surprised by the blue mass on the couch. He sighed heavily but silently. “Hey, buddy. What are you doing here? I thought you were off with Tails today.” Tom took a gentle seat on the couch. Sonic snored lightly. Tom huffed, gently touching his foot. “Sonic?” He called. The former hummed quietly, stretching up like a cat. “Mmm, hi, Dad…” Sonic yawned. His eyes widened. “Dad!? Why are you back?” Tom shook his head fondly. “Wade has it covered. Said I could come back, so I did.” He lied. Sonic’s eyebrow rose. “Wade has it covered?” Tom raised his hands. “I know. He seemed pretty confident, so I thought I’d let him have it. People have been rather well-behaved since you guys did Robo-freak last year."

Sonic hummed. “Makes sense. I’m awesome, and they know not to test me.” He raised his fists into a half-hearted Keanu Reeves stance. “If you’re so awesome, why were you passed out at one o clock on a Monday morning?” Tom quizzed. Ever since last Monday, when Tom had apparently pushed Sonic too far, they’d tip-toed around the topic, choosing not to ask the other about any lingering tiredness - even if they were sleeping in broad daylight.

But Sonic was his kid, god damn it.

His kid who never slept when the sun was up.

“Oh. I guess I just cat-napped.” Sonic waved off. “You’d think I was part cat.” He joked. Tom laughed good-naturedly. Sonic swallowed back the part of him that was screaming for help. He knew something was wrong, deep down. “Well, I’ve got nothing else to do today, so what about we put Speed on, hm? You like a bit of Keanu, I seem to remember.”

Sonic grinned and moved closer to Tom, pressing into his side as the latter put his favourite movie of all time on.

Sonic found it surprisingly hard to stay awake during the film. His head found relief by resting against the wall behind, something his sore neck was thankful for. Despite Tom rubbing his neck a week ago and taking small sneakings of Paracetamol (which helped to take the edge off), Sonic’s entire body still hurt something chronic. His chest still hurt slightly, as did his ribs. He must've had whiplash.

Sonic's head dropped against Tom’s shoulder as the movie continued. At some point, his eyes slid shut, though not of his own volition. He tried to keep them awake, but they burned. So he shut them, momentarily... only for...for a…sec…on…d…

At some point, he was somewhat aware of being moved, but nothing screamed danger, so he fell back into slumber.

It was several hours later that he finally woke up. There was a soft hand running up and down his arm. For a second, Sonic's heart panicked, thinking he’d been kidnapped. But there was no bitter feeling left in the wake of the hand, no hissing shadows, no dark room, just soft, comfortable silence. "Are you awake, buddy?" A soft voice whispered. His mouth felt dry as he slowly sat up, feeling incredibly disorientated. He hadn't even felt that disorientated after a particularly bad bout of stomach flu he had shortly after Knuckles arrived. He smacked his lips softly, licking them. He rubbed his eyes, stretching with a yawn. "I'm up, I'm up." He mumbled. There was a soft chuckle of laughter to his left. Sonic froze with his arms up high.

“I’m glad you had a good nap, but you still look really tired.” Tom’s hand moved to brush through his quills, and Sonic resisted the urge to slap him away. “Maybe you should get an early night tonight and sleep some more. You might have a bug coming. Maddie gets tired when she’s sickening for something.” Sonic refused to meet Tom’s eyes despite his leaning forward. “Ah, man, I’m sorry. I- I didn't mean to fall asleep." He fumbled. Tom tutted and clasped Sonic’s shoulder. "Breathe, Sonic. I’m not mad." He chuckled. Sonic swallowed again. "I know how hard you guys fought, and what you went through to save us all… so you’re allowed to be tired.”

Sonic rubbed his neck in embarrassment. “I’m not tired.” He mumbled. Tom hummed disbelievingly. “I’m not buying it. Come on. Sleepy time for the baby.”

“I’m literally fifteen. I can get a learner's permit now. I’m not a baby.” Sonic argued, despite standing up. Tom scoffed and playfully shoved his shoulder. “Just because you can doesn't mean you should or are. I’m sure as hell not teaching you to drive.”

Sonic huffed as he trudged up the stairs and then ladder into his bedroom, and Tom watched with folded arms. He sighed to himself, that ever-present whisper hissing into his ears that he was still missing something.

Chapter Text

The anger burning painfully throughout Sonic's veins didn't come close to the desire to see blood split. To see  his  blood spilt. To mar the otherwise perfect pristine white moon. A luxury he'd never seen before meeting Tom and Maddie. He growled low in his chest, turning to scan the area.

Just above a small crest was a black-coloured tuft of hair. He growled as he leapt at the hair, grabbing it with his fist. The head attached to the hair yelled as he was pulled up, dangling a few feet from the ground. “Get off! Stop!” A voice he distinctly recognised pleaded. The head attached to the hair began to furiously claw at his bare arms.

Sonic didn’t feel the pain. He pulled the hair higher. The yell grew louder. Sonic pressed his face up close, analysing his prey. “Sonic! Put me down!” The head pleaded, tears of pain racing from his eyes. Sonic tilted his head. “Not Sonic,” He grinned. “Please! You’re hurting me!” The head cried, clawing at his arms again. Sonic lowered his to the ground, still holding the har.

The head made a strange sound; one that didn’t sound angry.

“I hurt you?” He tilted his head again, eyes scanning the head. The red-eyed head glared. “Yes! You hurt me!” He kicked out at Sonic’s legs. Sonic simply stepped over the swipe, landing a sharp kick into the red-eyed head’s knee. “I hurt you? No. You’ve hurt me! My family!” Sonic threw the red-eyed head to the ground harshly. The head coughed as he curled in on himself.

“You should’ve stayed out of my way!” The red-eyed head screamed. Sonic’s eyes widened for a second. “I never hurt you. I tried not to hurt you,” Sonic argued. “I want to hurt you,” He grinned maliciously. The blue/yellow-eyed head gulped. Sonic brought his fist down and down until a loud-

Squelch!

Sonic jolted awake, panting.

He felt damp with sweat - or was it tears?
He didn’t know.

His heart beat at a million miles a minute. He grabbed the twisted duvet cover, squeezing it tightly. His head felt thick with cotton, stuffed to the brim, pooling out of his ears. He grabbed his hair, pulling it harshly. “Control yourself!” His mind hissed. Sonic whined and tugged harder. His quills stung his scalp, still burned and painful. “Get out of my head!” He whimpered into the darkness, kicking the covers off. His body tingled in a cold sweat as goosebumps broke out all over his bare skin.

He jerked out of the bed and began to pace.

All he could see was Shadow’s bleeding body on the moon.
All he could hear was the sickening squelch of his skin splitting from Super Sonic’s brutal attack.
All he could taste was the tangy metallic in the air.
All he could smell was blood.
All he could feel was his dead body, heavy in his grasp, dripping with blood.

His stomach lurched, and he threw up at his feet.

Tears brewed and spilt from his eyes. Sonic stepped back away, furiously rubbing his eyes. His eyes defaulted to a blood splatter on the ground. His stomach lurched again, and he ran for the bathroom.

He dry heaved, painfully reminded of Shadow’s blood staining the moon. His head pounded, though with fear of the nightmare or the unyielding attempts to vomit, he’d never work it out at that precise moment.

“Sonic?”

Fuck.
He heaved into the bowl again, this time tasting a tang of metal.
Oh great. He’d torn his oesophagus.

The bathroom door was pushed slightly further open, a dim, warm light illuminating the room. “Oh, you poor thing,” The voice cooed. He shuddered. “Not sick,” He whispered, fighting for control over his body. “Oh? It looks like you are to my eyes,” Maddie retorted. She slowly sat on her knees. “I’m not sick,” He whispered again. Maddie hummed. “Then why are you being sick?” Sonic sniffled and grabbed some tissue to wipe his mouth. Pointlessly, he’d not thrown up since the bedroom. “It was a nightmare,” He sighed quietly a few minutes later. Maddie made a small sound. “Is that why you are in here? Because it scared you?” Sonic felt his cheeks grow hot. He pressed his pounding forehead against the toilet seat, relishing the small burst of relief it provided. There was a sudden soft weight against his side, pulling him into a warm side. Unconsciously, he curled into the warmth. Then, the damn broke.

He cried quietly, sobs hiccuping his body with violet quakes. Maddie stayed silent, rubbing his shoulder as they sat on the ground. It took a while, but Sonic finally calmed down enough to speak coherently. "I didn't make it." He mumbled quietly. Maddie frowned. "Pardon?"

Sonic repeated himself. Maddie continued to frown. "You didn't make what?" She asked. Sonic gestured loosely with his hand. "Um... the uh... when I woke up... I didn't make it in time."

Initially, Maddie thought Sonic was eluding to a bladder-related accident; he'd wet himself.
Maddie wasn’t afraid to admit that when she’d had food poisoning once when she was about thirteen, she’d not made the bathroom once. Thankfully, it was only a pee. Nevertheless, it was humiliating.

Then it clicked. "Oh... you were sick?" Sonic looked away. Maddie tutted softly. "I'm sure we can get it cleaned up quickly and quietly. It can be our secret." She whispered, making a move to stand. Sonic's frantic hands grabbed at her night dress. Life bloomed into his green eyes as they widened with recognition. His hands let go as he flushed beet red. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Maddie waved him off as she picked up some tissues and gloves from under the sink.

"Why don't you freshen up and go back to bed?" She broached. Sonic's face blanched, even in the low light. "I can leave a light on for you. It used to help Rachel when she’d get nightmares." She offered. Sonic's green eyes scanned Maddie’s hazel eyes. Finally, he nodded softly. "Ok."

Maddie returned a few moments later, washing her hands vigorously. She dried them, switching off the bathroom light. The bathroom fell into darkness as they moved into the bedroom. Sonic sat on the edge, nervously bouncing his leg. Maddie felt something bloom in her heart; something was bothering her son, something she just couldn’t put her finger on.

Maddie sat on the beanbag to the left of Sonic's bed. The cobalt speedster frowned. "Mom?" He asked. Maddie gestured to the bed. "Get some rest. I shall, as Knuckles says, stand guard for you. And keep the light on." Maddie switched the night light on by his bed. It was bright enough to warm the room but not too bright to receive no sleep. Sonic shook his head. "I can't let you do that. You’ve got the night shift tonight. You need more sleep than I do!" He argued.

Maddie held a hand up. "We will discuss why I strongly disagree with that in the morning. You are hurting. I am simply providing a reassuring presence; I hope." Sonic grumbled slightly but clambered back into the newly made bed. He turned onto his side, gnawing at his lip. "If you ever need to talk the nightmare through, I am always here as an ear." Maddie offered off-hand as she picked up a comic book on Sonic's bedside.

The Amazing Spider-Man.

A soft snore brought her out of her reverie. With her smile staying strong, Maddie began to read about the webbed crusader as Sonic slumbered peacefully.

...

A few hours later, it was six p.m., and the other residents had returned to the Wachowski house. Maddie was eating her dinner, readying to go in for her night shift (an eight-to-eight shift, which was torture), and thinking of how best to approach the situation with Sonic. Tom walked in with a drawn-out sigh, dropping his bag by the door and flopping onto the couch, his head resting on Maddie's collarbone. She giggled lightly, tapping his leg with her foot. "Work was that good, huh?" Tom mumbled something into her neck about Mrs Browne - a notorious complainer - and how Madison - the new hire - nearly punched her.

"How's Sonic doing today?" He asked quietly. Maddie sighed lightly and put her bowl of soup on the table to her left. "Um... honestly, I couldn't tell you." Tom frowned. "What do you mean? Is he OK?" Maddie nodded quickly as she turned to face him more on. "Oh, God, yeah. That's my fault - I should've led with that." Tom's tension immediately left his shoulders as he slumped a little. "So, what's wrong with him?" Maddie shifted lightly. "He's slept most of the day, honestly. I've had to wake him up every four hours for a drink - it's like having a newborn." She rubbed her eyes slightly. "Oh, Mads. If you'd said, I would've come home or got Wade to sit with him today." Maddie waved her hand. "No, he's my kid too. It's what you do when they need you."

Tom's eyes lit up brightly. "Yeah, he's our kid." He smiled dopily, leaning in to kiss her. Maddie laughed against his lips, pushing him back slightly. "I don't have time for that right now, but I promise we can send them all away tomorrow." She winked. Tom shook his head fondly. "Is that all? Just tired?" Maddie debated telling him about the nightmare. She could say that Sonic had had one - just not what it was about. Not that she knew, but she could probably hazard a guess given recent times.

Tom was a Sheriff - and by default, adept at problem-solving. He'd probably work it out in no time.

"Yes and no. He had a pretty bad nightmare too, but that was it." Tom glanced upstairs with a frown. "How bad is pretty bad?" He asked, his jaw grinding subtly. Maddie's eyes flicked upwards too. "Bad enough to make him sick." Tom sighed heavily. "I don't know what's wrong with him at the minute. He's tired and snappy, but also clingy as fuck. It's like he's come back from some kind of torture session. We see it in Vets all the time."

Maddie said nothing - she didn't have anything to say. This was a little out of her remit.

Tom's gaze hardened as he glanced back up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna find out what's wrong with our kid. Even if it kills me."

Chapter Text

Tom stayed home the next day to look after Sonic while Maddie slept off her night shift. Tom didn’t do night shifts often, but when he did, he was usually wiped for a few days. One of the unspoken rules of the house was when somebody had a night shift, to not let them sleep through the whole next day otherwise, it messes up their body clock. So, there Tom sat, at eight am in the morning, playing UNO with Tails - who was wide awake - and Knuckles - who was sickeningly good at the game, while Maddie and Sonic slept upstairs. Had the blue blur not already been eating at his brain, Tom wouldn’t have thought twice of Sonic’s sleeping in - after all, he often did. Despite his speedy personality, Sonic was not a morning person.

Tom placed a yellow plus two. Tails wailed in fake despair as Knuckles piled another plus two on top. The floorboards creaked loudly, too loudly to be Sonic. Tom sighed, deflating. It was only Maddie. Then he felt guilty for thinking that. He put another card down - a red six. Knuckles and Tails proceeded to argue over the former’s sneaky attempt to put a red nine down.

“Your mind appears to be elsewhere, Donut Lord.” Knuckles proclaimed. Tom sighed heavily. “Sorry, guys. I’m just worried about Sonic.” Tails’s tail drooped slightly. “We are, too.” He admitted quietly. Tom leaned more against the table. “So you guys have no idea what’s wrong with him either?” Tails shook his head. “I don’t.” His wide eyes flicked upwards. “I may have a theory.” Knuckles frowned deeply. Tom leaned closer, and Tails perked up. “Anything, buddy. I’ll take anything."

Knuckles was quiet for a moment as the floorboards creaked. Tom waved it away. “Way too heavy for Sonic. That’ll be Mads starting to get up.” Knuckles hummed as he stared at the ceiling for a few more moments. “You do not remember. The hedgehog has been through an event like this before.” Tom frowned. “Event?” He repeated. Knuckles nodded. “Yes. When he used the master emerald last year.” Tom’s mind flashed back to the last battle with Robotnik and how close he came to losing his son.

“Yeah. I remember.” Tom said. Knuckles hummed. “When he channelled the power of the emerald, he unlocked a sense within himself - an indestructible version of himself.” His eyes became unfocused for a moment. “My father used to tell me that emerald is powerful, but it only gives what it takes.” Knuckles looked into his eyes firmly. “So when the Hedgehog channelled the emerald once more recently, I believe it became influenced by his emotional and mental state - and gave more than it could take. I believe that it is now reclaiming the energy that it bestowed.”

Tom’s mind hurt.

“So… he's essentially paying back the energy at a high interest rate loan?” Tails asked. Tom nodded. “Sounds like it.” Knuckles shrugged. “I do not know what a high interest rate loan is, but he is paying back the energy to the emerald at twice the rate it gave him, hence, the weakness and agitation.” Tom glanced at Tails. “So, yeah. A high interest rate loan.”

Tails giggled.

Tom faced Knuckles. “So, what do we do to help him?” Knuckles hummed. “We must simply ensure that the Hedgehog doesn’t grow too frail on the journey - the emerald will stop at nothing to take what it is owed.” Tom didn’t like the sound of that. “So…?” He trailed off. Knuckles hummed quietly. “Perhaps waking him for food and water would be beneficial. And putting him in the sun. Much like a plant!” He grinned. Tom shook his head fondly. “I’m too old for this shit.” He mumbled quietly, a phrase he said often. Even during his teenage years when his younger brother would get into trouble with their mom, he’d say it.

It's too bad that he was unaware of listening ears.

~~~

Sonic usually prided himself on his "keeping himself together"ness that he had. One thing that living on his own had taught him was to not show weakness. Weakness was very much preyed upon. Especially by the creepy crawlies that hunted him down in the forest at night… he shuddered. Then Sonic fucked up, brought Eggman to Green Hills, beat him once, and beat him twice, both within public view and in less than two years. The comments and questions and fucking poking started almost immediately. He learned to develop a thick skin.

But then he fucked up with Tom and fell from space. Technically, Sonic shouldn't be showering if he couldn’t even stand without leaning against the wall, but he needed to be clean. His fur had begun to blister away, leaving the raw skin underneath - thanks to the burns. His damaged quills had yet to fall out, so while his chest was on the mend, his head was in agony twenty-four hours a day.

There Sonic stood, in the shower, scrubbing his body until it grew raw. Only once he'd broken the skin on his still-healing, he stopped. Sonic remained under the boiling water for several minutes after simply... existing. There was so much he still had to do… G.U.N. were on his back, questioning and trying to force him into giving answers, Tom and Maddie were quizzing him every day about his apparent “exhaustion” when in reality he felt just fucking FINE-

Sonic swallowed thickly, flapping his hands nervously, feeling the panic attack creeping from the darkness of his mind. He wasn’t a stranger to panic attacks, but they’d never been really bad. He could outswim this. Easy!

The blood pounded in his ears. His heart thudded in his chest. His hands shook. His legs tingled. His vision warped, as if he were looking through a fish-eye lens.

Sonic shuddered. He had to do something... he had to get away. The water continued burning his back, but Sonic didn’t register it. He lowered himself to his knees, feeling them quake dangerously under his weight. Tears burned his eyes as they left, stinging his red raw cheeks in their paths. He clutched the plastic rim of the bathtub, his hands wrapped so tightly around it that his nails dug into his palms. Breathing was hard. Hard. As if he’d just held the sun. Which, he could unpleasantly say from experience, he had.

He cried harder, his chest growing tight as bile rose in his throat. Sonic scratched at his chest as if he could open it and force his lungs to accept more oxygen. His vision began to grow splotchy at the edges.

Sonic could only wheeze for breath pitifully, sliding down the wall, and bringing his knees close to his chest. Somewhat very distantly, he was aware of the shower burning his back.

Sonic’s head dropped against the stone walls, his neck unable to support it anymore.

The door suddenly slammed open. Somebody rushed in, but everything was a frantic blur of colours - nothing was solid enough to identify. “Shit, Sonic, you’re having a panic attack, OK?” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but not enough to his panic-addled brain. “I’m going to touch you, OK?” Sonic jerked a nod, coherent enough to understand that. If he weren’t in the shower, and naked, then the question probably wouldn’t have been asked. But he was… and it was. Yes, OK, he wasn’t a stickler for clothing - what animal is!? But just as Maddie is fine with everyone seeing her in her bathing suit, she is not OK with people seeing her in her bra and underpants.

His hand made contact with something clothed. “You feel that? Try and match my breathing." The voice said. Sonic flexed his fingers, feeling the rise and fall of the person's chest. He tried to make his lungs cooperate, but they refused, insisting on staying too small for his body. He jerked his head. “Can’t- I can’t!” He gasped. “OK, that’s OK. We’ll try something new." The voice kept his hand on their chest. “Name me one thing you can taste." The voice said. Sonic blinked frantically. “Come on, Sonic. Name me one thing you can taste." They said again. Sonic’s tongue felt too heavy for his mouth. “Um… my- my tongue." He stuttered. The voice hummed. “OK. Now, two things you can hear." Sonic’s head began to grow fuzzy with the little amount of oxygen. “Water… you." He gasped out. “Good… now, three things you can feel." The voice sounded slightly clearer. Sonic flexed his fingers and toes. “Um… metal… your sh- shirt and… um… water?” He tried. The voice hummed again. “Good. Four things you can smell?” The fuzz in his brain dissipated slightly. “Shampoo," he said. “Um… the- toilet cleaner… you and… a- uh-“ He sniffed the air. “Uh… soap."

His heart seemed to stop breaking his chest cavity. “Great. Finally, five things you can see?” The voice asked. Sonic shut his eyes softly, opening them slowly. “Shower… the toilet… me…. the- the door." He paused. His vision cleared up enough to identify the voice. He glanced down with a flush. “And you." He said timidly.

Tom hummed softly. “Good." He gently put something soft into Sonic’s lap. Sonic looked down, immediately wrapping the towel around his body. Sonic tried to haul himself up but shook dangerously.

Tom grabbed him under his arms. “Steady. You’ve just had a panic attack… and a pretty bad one… you should wait a minute." Sonic shook his head. “No. I- I need to get out of here." He insisted.

Tom released his grip. “OK, OK. We can get out of here. But you have to sit down, alright? I don’t want to bring you out of a panic attack just for you to break a bone trying to walk, yeah?” He tried to joke. Sonic glanced between his and the running water. “OK." He said softly. With Tom's help, Sonic shuffled to his bedroom, silently sitting on the bed.

Tom walked out and returned a few moments later. “I found this in one of the drawers." He handed a large fuzzy blanket over. Sonic began to pull on the soft material, trembling violently. “Thank you… Dad," he said softly. Tom pulled him into his side. “Don’t worry about it. Panic attacks are horrible when they come out of nowhere." He said. Sonic was quiet for a few beats. It was clear Tom had something on his mind, but he thankfully chose not to pursue it.

A tiny bit of Sonic wished he’d asked.

-----

Later that night, Sonic ventured downstairs for food, totally not paranoid about what Knuckles had said earlier. It was nearly eleven, so most were asleep… he hoped. He crept passed Tom and Maddie’s door, but paused when he heard a soft sound. He peered in through the crack of the hinges.

Maddie was sat cross-legged on the bed, rubbing some kind of white cream onto Tom’s bare chest, frowning. “I told you to be careful! You’re gonna mess up your ribs again if you’re not careful."

Again? ​​​​​​​Oh. Right… Shadow.

Tom winced. “I’m sorry, Mads, but Sonic needed me. My ribs can get fucked when it comes to my kids.” Maddie glared. “First of all, our kids.” Tom winced. “Sorry, got caught up in the moment there. My ribs can get fucked when it comes to our kids.” He amended. Maddie smiled. “Better.” Sonic’s heart fluttered happily in his chest. “Secondly, they are gonna get fucked if you keep going. They need to heal before you try and mess them up again. You’ve gotta give them a fighting chance, baby.” Sonic pressed his ear against the door.

“I know, I know. But… something’s going on with Sonic, Mads. I’ll be damned if he goes through it alone. Even if I get hurt trying, I’d be happier knowing I tried.” Maddie shifted hesitantly. “He wouldn’t, though.” Tom frowned. “What do you mean?” Maddie began to pack away her first aid supplies. Sonic listened harder. “He was a wreck when you were in the hospital. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so… frantic. It’s like he was charged to a thousand.” Tom shifted slightly. “Yeah, well, if I die young, I’d rather die trying to protect them from… fucking fucked up crackpots and their grandpas.”

Sonic’s heart lurched, even as Maddie chuckled. “It does seem to come as a possible side effect to adopting three alien children, doesn’t it?” She spread her hands in the form of a square. “Possible side effect: instant death from worrying too much.”

Tom laughed quietly, but Sonic didn’t find it funny.

Did they really think they were gonna die every time he or Tails or Knuckles did something? Sure, they didn’t always think their actions through - hell, he and Knuckles especially so. But they’d never cause death! No, but you did though, didn't you? His voice whispered. Sonic glanced back at his room and then into Tom and Maddie’s, where they now sat curled up, just like they used to before Sonic descended.

Before he ruined their life.

He inhaled shakily and ran his hand down the wooden frame of the door, his mind made up. He crept down the stairs as silent as ever, slipped through Ozzy’s doggy door, and ran into the night - ignoring the painful clenching of his heart as his home grew smaller and smaller.

Chapter Text

Sonic didn’t pay attention to where he was running. He just wanted to get away and get safe. He thought about running to his old cave. It was safe, secure and dry - but Tom and Maddie knew how to get there. At that current moment, Sonic wanted to be completely on his own. He ran to the edge of the forest, barely bordering Wyoming. His head thudded viciously in his skull, and his chest had torn open in the run. His burns oozed blood slowly, staining his fur. Sonic fell to his knees, panting heavily. His eyes threatened to slip shut, but he refused to give in to the gentle blanket of sleep.

The wind chilled his aching and broken body. He shivered violently, bringing his arms around his body, then wincing when his action pulled his open wounds. God, why had he ran!?

His heart thudded in his chest.

Oh yeah. Because he only hurts people.
Like he hurt Longclaw.

Sonic glanced back to Green Hills with a shaky sigh. He wished he’d opened up when Tails asked about his wounds. Apparently, he wasn’t as good at hiding injuries as he thought. Tails had only been worried, but Sonic had snapped at him nastily and spat at him to leave it alone. While Maddie was a great help in their injuries, she didn’t know much about the Mobian body and could only help as far as she would treat an Earthling being. Tails was the one to go to when you had an issue beyond Maddie’s skills.

Yet, Sonic had brushed him aside.

As another chill wracked his body, Sonic realised he’d never asked about Tails and his injuries, which he undoubtedly had. What a shitty brother he was. Sonic stood there for a while, letting the cold wind abuse his body. It felt nice on his wounds that burned in tandem with his heart, which thudded aggressively against his chest cavity. He wasn’t sure if it was just the comedown from his panic attack earlier in the week (day?) or if he was gearing up for another one, but either way, the feeling was unpleasant.

Though not as unpleasant as his night was about to become.

.~.~.

The next coherent thought Sonic had was several hours later, being dragged across the forest floor by his leg. He groaned, holding his head. “Ohhh… my head.” He moaned. Whatever was dragging his leg huffed exasperatedly. “Do you ever shut up?” Sonic’s awareness flooded back into him. “Even unconscious, you’re still talking.” Sonic yanked his leg out with a gasp. “Shadow?!” He sat on the ground, limbs askew, as the ebony hedgehog turned around with an irritated sigh. “Well done, you can remember my name.” He deadpanned. Sonic sputtered. “But- but- but you DIED, dude! How are you here?!” Shadow crossed his arms and cocked his hip with a raised eyebrow. “Obviously I didn’t die.” Usually Sonic would be up for the bait, but on that particular day, all he wanted to do was sleep in his bed. “No! Really!?” He deadpanned back. Shadow’s eyes narrowed a fraction. The two stared each other down for a few moments, the creaking of the settling trees filling the silence.

Shadow sighed. “I don’t know. I woke up in a crater somewhere in the Cotswolds. I heard about what happened on TV and Radio - and where to find you.” Sonic stood up. “Why did you wanna find me?” He asked, readying himself to fight. In his current condition, Shadow would wipe the floor with his ass. “Relax, I’m not gonna fight you.” Shadow waved his hand. Sonic didn’t relax. Shadow huffed. “People said about a blue hedgehog who looked like me was helping. I asked who it was and tracked you down."

Sonic narrowed his eyes. “To do what?” He quizzed. Shadow rolled his eyes. “I haven’t decided yet, though I’m leaning towards grizzly murder in the woods.” Sonic swallowed thickly. Shadow shook his head. “I was hoping you could fill in the blanks, given that you were the one who assisted me in the destruction of the ARK.” Sonic gasped theatrically. “Assisted!? It was my idea!” Shadow nodded once. “Look at you. Already helping."

Sonic harumphed.

Shadow glanced around the woods. “Where is a safe place to take shelter for the night? I heard rumours of a storm rolling in, and we’re in no state to last it out.” Shadow gave him a brief once-over. “Well… I say we.” Sonic glared. “I’m in this state because I helped you, dude. You could be nicer.” Shadow folded his arms once more. Sonic rolled his eyes. “I’m too tired to fight with you, man. I know a place, but we might get visitors.” Shadow stepped aside with a dramatic flourish. “Lead the way. I can stop us getting visitors with a bit of chaos control."

~~~

The first thing Sonic noticed about being with Shadow was the distinct discomfort. It wasn't at all like chilling out with Knuckles or Tails. Sonic is a people person - he gets along with everyone! Shadow, on the other hand, hugs the line of nasty and can’t be bothered unsettlingly close. It's like they were constantly balancing on some sort of knife's edge.

God.
If only he hadn’t run a-fucking-way!
Sonic still didn’t want to test Shadow's patience right now. But Jesus, could he maybe be less impatient?
Could he just…

Sonic cleared his throat and placed his hand over his chest.

Seemingly for no reason, his heart fluttered. Butterflies — yet it was an uncomfortable rhythm that Sonic was fairly certain had nothing to do with his current ailment. It was almost constricting. There was also this awful twinge of nausea that started to surface every few seconds. He fidgeted, rapidly shifting from foot to foot, left and right.

Left and right.

Left and right.

Left and right.

Oh god, he was having another panic attack. His second in forty-eight hours. Everything was so crisp that it almost hurt. He couldn't seem to get his eyes off that damn Hedgehog. He was so close and—Just—just a second to breathe, to relax. Maybe a minute. It would only take a minute. This wasn't serious. It was a moment. He only needed two minutes.…maybe three. Sonic shook his head, desperate to clear his mind. He couldn't look at him anymore. It was as mental as it was physical. While he did what he could to cope, from closing his eyes and tilting his head back to gripping his arms, nothing stopped bile from incessantly bubbling up from his stomach. If he wasn't so nauseous, he thought he might be on the verge of passing out.

Shadow walked on ahead, either unaware or uncaring. Probably the latter, if Sonic remembered much about him. Soon enough, simply taking a single shaky breath without vomiting was an effort of immense willpower.

And he was drenched in sweat! What was happening to him? And why?! He was just walking through a fucking forest! He didn't understand. He didn't have a fucking clue what he was even fighting, but he was fighting. That much was clear. Oh God. He wasn't fighting. He was losing. The final straw happened as they began to see the edges of the forest that littered the highway near his old cave. Yeah, he was going to throw up.

"... Shadow." Sonic gathered the last of his strength to produce a whisper. His voice was exceptionally hoarse.

"What?" The ebony Hedgehog hissed, freezing in place. Sonic dropped to his knees and vomited. "What?— Shit, okay. You're okay. I'm… here. You're… good." Shadow's bitter and clipped voice echoed from somewhere off to the left. “You're safe. Lean into it and let it pass. I promised it will pass."

But it didn't feel like it would pass. And it didn't feel okay.

No, it felt like everything awful that could have happened and everything that ever would happen, was occurring right then — and to Sonic. Even worse, he was frozen in it. Wasn't he supposed to feel better after letting it out? Wasn't that how throwing up worked? As if on cue, another intense wave of nausea left Sonic doubled over yet again. This time there was nothing left to come up, which meant Sonic was stuck in a terrible cycle of dry-heaving. He couldn't breathe. "Don't try to fight it," Shadow advised. Sonic's fingers trembled in the grass.

“You're going to be fine. You need to stop being so dramatic and it'll pass quicker." He retched until he thought it was done... thought being the keyword. Sonic tried to steady himself the second it appeared over, but he was still shaking. He raised one of his hands in front of his face. It took an exorbitant amount of effort to form a basic fist. If he wanted to pick something up right then, he wasn't so sure he could. It was as if he was falling apart, piece by piece.

It was utterly petrifying. What... the fuck... was happening? This hadn't been like his last panic attack.

“Is something wrong with me?" He whispered, unable to disguise his fear. "On this occasion, nothing is wrong with you," Shadow hissed at him. Through blurry eyes, Sonic could see his face soften. "But Sonic, don't look at your hand, look at me. Focus on me." Sonic did. He stared. He realized that he had gotten some puke on Shadow's shoe. Shit. It was only a little, but that's embarrassing. Shadow didn't seemed concerned about it in the least. "Listen, I’m not going to touch you, but I think we should get moving. Those clouds are getting blacker and blacker."

"I… I know. I didn't..."

“You said it’s only a few feet that way." Shadow pointed. "We don't have to move quickly, but we can't stay here." He paused. “It's gross." The cave was indeed just a few feet away. It's only a short distance. Sonic had swallowed hard, then nodded before slowly shuffling himself on. Shadow moved to follow, almost parallel. True to his word, he hadn't touched him. That was good because Sonic didn't think he could handle that right then. They hit the cave entrance, so Sonic took a breather for a moment.

He gritted his teeth and held his head. He had hated this so much. He had yet to speak well, so he hadn't even tried. Instead, he had focused on the simple act of being. Sonic prayed that Shadow had been correct in his statement that it would pass. Nothing had lasted forever, right? Which had meant it would pass. It had had to pass.

It had to.
Second by second, minute by minute, and then breath by breath, he thought the worst of it was beginning to ebb away.
Slowly.
Achingly so.
The light at the end of the tunnel remained distant.
Then… less so.

After a moment, Sonic's grip strength started to return. His nausea lessened and his heart rate lowered. When he raised his head, the world's unpleasant vividness had dropped.

He's… he's pretty sure it was ending.
Please be done.
Please.
Sonic cautiously looked around and found Shadow intently observing him. "I'm okay. I… I think it's getting better now." he said, then sucked in a few more shaky breaths. "…thanks for helping."

"Whatever. It's cool." Shadow replies. “I’ve had panic attacks before, though I’ve dealt with them on my own for a long time now, even if-“ Shadow cuts himself off. Sonic looks up to him. “If?” He asks quietly. Shadow stews quietly for a moment. “Maria. She used to help me. Sonic noted the clipped tone - one he had often used in recent days. He left the conversation alone from there, focussing on getting his pain down to a slightly more manageable level. When he swallows and tastes that distinct bitterness still in his throat, he tries to spit the rest out on the ground. It doesn't work as well as Sonic thinks it should.

-----

Meanwhile, back in the Wachowski household, Tom was turning grey with worry. He paced relentlessly, constantly looking over Tails’ shoulder and the device he held within his grasp. Tails sighed lightly. “Dad, I can’t concentrate if you keep leaving over my shoulder.” He whined. Tom flushed. “Sorry buddy… I’m just worried. Have you picked anything up yet?” Tails twisted a few dials on the device. “Yes and no. I still have his fifty-mile radius, and he’s still in Green Hills. I’m trying to triangulate more accurately, but if he’s in the forest, then the fifty-mile is as close as we’ll get for now.” Tails’ namesake drooped. “I can break the device apart to enhance its capabilities, but then we’d lose Sonic’s signature permanently.” Tom shook his head. “No, keep it as is. We’ll just have to sort out a search party.”

Tails nodded and turned back to his device.

Tom resumed pacing.

Chapter Text

It'd been three days since they took shelter in Sonic's former cave.

Shadow could see the toll it was taking on the blue copycat; despite him trying to hide it. Everyone had a breaking point. Shadow wasn't entirely sure why Sonic was so adamant about being alone. Shadow wasn't one to comment, he needed nobody. But he knew Sonic was a "people person" as he'd rambled in his last panic attack, so, presumably, he needed to be around people, right? Yet, he was adamant about staying hidden.

Shadow waited until after Sonic had passed out again before he made the executive decision to grill him for answers. From what Shadow had gathered over the last three days, it was that the blue speedster was much more reasonable after he'd slept or eaten something. And, despite loving the cat and mouse thing they had going on, Shadow didn't have enough in him to fight an angry, in pain, sleep-deprived Sonic... even if he could take him immediately.

He perched on the edge of the flimsy broken mattress, waiting for Sonic to wake.

It took longer than he thought. At one point, around five hours after Sonic initially crashed, Shadow made sure he was still breathing by holding a finger underneath his nose.

It took nine hours for Sonic to wake. That was more than what Shadow had ever received back in G.U.N. unless Maria had stolen him away the night before. He'd usually wake up of his own accord thanks to his fucked up body clock anyway, but it was nice to do so without immediately being poked by needles.

Nine hours was all Sonic needed. Shadow had peacefully dozed off with his head against the wall when he was given absolutely zero notice as he was woken violently. A hand grasped at his throat, pinning him to the wall. He pushed back, scratching at the hand and kicking at the assualter. The assaulter grunted with each kick, throwing him to the ground, and moving to straddle Shadow's waist, pinning his legs down.

"Sonic, let go!" He forced out. Sonic's eyes were cloudy as he heaved for breath. "What are you doing here? Haven't you caused enough trouble?" He hissed. Shadow gulped, grabbing at Sonic's hands. He wrenched them away, grunting with the effort. "What are you doing!?" He ground out. Sonic’s grip faltered for a split second as his eyes cleared. “Shadow?"

Shadow brought his knee up straight into Sonic’s groin, pushing him off by his shoulders. The latter grunted as he fell onto his back, straddled now by Shadow. He held Sonic's hands against the ground, panting heavily. If Shadow wasn’t too busy keeping Sonic's sharp claws away from his organs, he would’ve been slightly concerned at the heavy breaths leaving his lungs.

Sonic’s eyes cleared. Then they focussed.

“Shadow? What the hell are you doing here?"

~

Shadow sat on the floor, cross-legged as he listened to Sonic prattle on about stupid things. He’d pushed himself upright, wincing as he moved. Shadow resolutely ignored the sharp pang of… guilt. In his heart. Sonic initially ignored him for thirty-odd minutes, choosing to attempt to pace the cave instead. He moved to the bed, hand occasionally rubbing at his chest or burned quills, grunting and wincing with each step. Shadow fought back the concern desperately wanting to bleed through.

He and Sonic were enemies.
That much was clear.

Yet... watching Sonic struggle to even move across a cave brought forth something ugly that Shadow hadn't felt in a long time, certainly not towards anyone that wasn't Maria. Guilt. Untrusting his mouth, Shadow stayed stewing in silence, waiting for the Sonic to run out of steam again.

He didn't. Not for a while. Mostly he sat on the thin mattress in a pain-fueled daze, staring heavily at the wall, swaying slightly. But the sun began to set, and he began to spew. He shook his head softly, faking a yawn. "Are you done yet? You've not even asked why I'm here," He leaned against the wall, hating how his eyes slipped shut for a second. Sonic shifted on the bed, breathing sharply. Shadow's ear twitched; hearing small whines escape his mouth. "Why are you here, Shadow?" The tone started strained, clear he was in more pain than he was letting out, ended up resigned.

"Thought I'd pay you a visit," He snarked. Sonic stared at him for a few seconds, emotions blurring past from happy to worried to anger to pity to disgust to exhaustion. Shadow sighed heavily. "I woke up in the Cotswolds, and they led me here." He said. Sonic huffed. "I know that much. You told me that a few days ago. I wanna know why you tried to find me." Shadow felt a bolt of anger run through his veins. "Why is that important?" He spat. Sonic's eyes widened for a second before they dropped into a slight slit.

"Dude, you came to me. I deserve to know why. Especially after what you did." Shadow didn't know if Sonic was referring to the entire Robotnik-squared thing he helped in, or just when he hurt Sonic's dad. Either way, it didn't fucking matter. He wasn't in the right mind space, and Gerald knew it - manipulating him to do what he wanted in the name of Maria.

"Does it matter?" Shadow asked lowly. "I was wrong and I admitted it. I then proceeded to undo everything that Gerald and I spent years trying to do. " Sonic hummed. "Doesn't really undo what you did though. How can I trust you with my family after what you did?"

Shadow's mouth ran before his brain caught up - a rarity.

"How can you trust yourself with them?"

Sonic's eyes went comically wide, bright green eyes welling up with emotions and unshed tears. Shadow realised he messed up immediately. Sonic's eyes flicked around his face, settling onto his eyes, narrowing into a dangerous slit. What little pupils remained turned bright blue. His non-charred quills rose, prickling with bright blue electricity. "Because I'm so dangerous, right? I'm a loose cannon?" Shadow's fists crackled with their own orange bolts. "Acting like this, I'm inclined to agree." He hissed. Sonic's body fur raised up like his quills. "Maybe I'm taking inspiration from my company." He spat.

Shadow growled in his chest. Sonic growled in his throat. "I'm only here because you freaked out in the woods." Sonic laughed harshly, a sound unfitting for his face or personality. "You are welcome to leave!" He spat, gesturing to the cave entrance. Shadow glared at him. "And leave you here like this? Having a temper tantrum like a child? You don't know how to control your energy, and you're gonna kill people."

Sonic's jaw clenched as he stepped forward. "Like you did!?" He yelled. Shadow wasn't sure if he meant Maria or the people that were caught as collateral - but he didn't appreciate the insinuation. "Watch yourself, Sonic. You're not in a position to fight me." He warned. Sonic screamed loudly and threw himself at Shadow's middle. Blue bolts of electricity bounced off of the cave walls and through the ground. Shadow raised his fist and brought it down on the blue hedgehog - hard.

Sonic went down immediately, his blue bolts fizzing out. Weak. Shadow huffed. He wrinkled his nose at the cave as he retreated into the thick darkness caused by their brief fight. Much like in Tokyo, the city before him was black.

There was only one person who could deal with Sonic right now - and Shadow might just know how to get him.

Chapter Text

Tom wasn’t expecting a knock at the door at eleven thirty at night, so he was apprehensive. “The hell could that be?” He nudged Maddie awake, who’d dozed off against the arm of the couch. She wiped her mouth and blinked a few times. “Maybe it’s Sonic.” She stretched. Tom shook his head. “Nah. He wouldn’t knock. Not like that. That sounds like when Eggman knocked at the door... but he’s dead.” Maddie shifted the papers from her lap onto the table. “I don’t know. I’ll go and check on the boys.” She retreated upstairs, leaving Tom to grapple with the decision on answering the mystery door knocker.

Knock.
        Knock.
                Knock.
                        Knock.

Tom exhaled harshly. He walked up to the front door, grabbing the baseball bat from the unit. You could never be too careful.

Knock.
        Knock.
                Knock.
                        Knock.

Tom opened the door cautiously... but saw nobody. He frowned, leaning out and glancing around. Huh. Nobody. He stayed staring out for a few more seconds, then shut the door quietly.

“Mr-"

Tom yelled out, swinging the bat. The bat thudded against something solid, and when Tom glanced down, he saw a familiar ebony hedgehog, glaring as he held the bat. “Mr Wachowski?” He asked. Tom attempted to pull the bat back, but Shadow held the grip tight. “That’s me.” He confirmed, tugging on the bat again. Shadow hummed, looking him up and down. He released the bat, and Tom let it fall to his side. “I thought you were dead.” He said. Shadow quirked a brow, glancing around briefly. “I can assure you that I’m not.” Tom tapped the bat against his leg in four count beats. Shadow sighed quietly, very clearly grappling with himself in what to say.

“Listen, kid, I-"

“Don’t call me kid. I’m older than you.” Tom blinked at the interruption, scanning the ebony hedgehog over. “How? You’re Sonic’s age.” Shadow shifted, his eyes darting briefly to the door at Sonic’s name. “I was in stasis for fifty years. I’m sixty-five.” Tom whistled lowly. “Jesus, you’re older than my mom.” He shuddered. Shadow was unimpressed. Tom cleared his throat. “You don’t look a day over sixty."

Shadow only deadpanned him.

Tom cleared his throat awkwardly again.

Shadow sighed heavily. “I’m not here by choice. I’m here because I require assistance that only you can give.” Tom quirked a brow. “Oh yeah? What’s that? We’ve got no more room at the inn.” He tried to joke. Shadow waved his hand once, dismissing him. “I don’t care for that. I am under the impression that Sonic has run away.” Tom nodded slowly. “Yeah. He took off a few days ago.” Then he paused. “You haven’t seen him, have you?” Shadow began to walk to the door. “I can do you one better. I know where he is."

-

Shadow led Tom to Sonic’s old cave and nodded inside. “He’s in there. Or he was before I left.” Tom was hesitant as he looked in. “You’re sure? This isn’t some kind of trick?” He asked. Shadow shook his head. “No. Something is wrong with the hedgehog, something he won’t let me assist with. I fear that you are the only one he will let approach him right now. He is... like a wounded animal.” Tom opened his mouth as Shadow held up his hand. “Don’t. I realised it as I spoke.” Tom chuckled quietly into his hand. Shadow was unimpressed. He gestured to the cave. “I can not get through to him. He is unwilling to listen or seek any form of treatment.” Tom frowned. “Treatment? For what?” Shadow frowned lightly. “You do not know?” Tom shifted, eyes narrowing in the direction of the cave. “As far as I know, no. Sonic can be very private if he wants to be.” Shadow hummed lowly, leaning against the edge of the rocky exterior. “I do not know what happened when he fell from the cannon, but-"

“Wait, he fell?“ Tom interrupted, incredulous. “From space!?” Shadow frowned. “You didn’t know?” Tom glanced into the cave. “No. I knew the cannon blew up, and he helped, but I assumed he escaped with a ring or something!” Shadow shook his head. “No. Sonic had the power of the gems assisting him, but they ultimately proved too weak to take on the cannon. He fell from space. I do not know what happened, as I stayed up with Ivo.” Shadow paused. “But I know he is suffering with medical issues in the aftermath.” Tom gnawed on his lip. “Is he OK?” Shadow was quiet for a moment. “Yes and no. He will live, but his chest is badly burned from entering the atmosphere, even I can see that. Alongside his quills, they will need to be removed to prevent any further breakage among the healthy ones. That will hurt.” He warned.

If humans could whine and whimper, Shadow was sure Tom would. “Why did he hide this from us?... from me?” Shadow hummed. “At the end of the day, Sonic is an animal; I think you humans forget that about us. When he’s hurt or sick, he will retreat to himself to heal in private, away from predators.” Tom began to protest, so Shadow stuck his hand up. “I am aware that Sonic may not see you as a predator, but his instincts will always see everything as a potential threat. It’s not your fault; it’s just how we are wired.”

Tom glanced into the cave once more.

“How come we couldn’t find him before? Tails has a tracker that can pick shit up for like fifty miles. How come Sonic went amiss?” Shadow shrugged. “I don’t know. I found him on the border of Wyoming, then dragged him back to Montana. He then took us here for shelter during the storm.” Tom hummed. “That tracks. Wyoming is well beyond fifty miles, so that’d make sense. I still don’t understand how Tails couldn’t track him while he was in this cave, though. It’s less than a mile.” Shadow nodded to the entrance. “Sonic asked me to conceal ourselves. The impression I was given was that there was a predator in the woods... not that he was hiding from his family.”

Shadow waited a beat. “His... chaos energy is down, too. It would further explain his behaviour.” He turned to face the human. “Has he been acting strange? Lethargic? Sickly? Generally not himself?” He asked. Tom nodded. “Yes, exactly that. Is that what it is? Chaos energy?” Shadow nodded. “It’s what makes him so fast. It’s also why you can see a blue trail afterward. It’s his chaos energy, much like mine.” Shadow crackled his fist, watching as the energy danced around his fingertips. Tom nodded. “Yeah, it does look like Sonic’s.”

Shadow nodded once more, then waited for a few seconds. He gestured to the cave. “Are you going to go and talk to him? He needs medical assistance, and I will kill him if I stay with him for much longer.” Tom snorted but didn’t speak as he moved into the cave. He dropped to the ground, swiftly followed by Shadow’s quiet feet landing behind him.

In the corner of the cave sat Sonic, curled up in a tight ball, eyes open but unseeing. Shadow stood off to the side, blending into the shadows, ready to step in if need be. “Sonic? Buddy?” Tom approached. Sonic’s eyes seemed to focus on him for a moment, but they shifted back to the ground. “Are you OK, kid? We’ve been worried about you.” Tom broached louder but still gentle and maintaining a good distance.

It was useless, for if Sonic wanted to take Tom out, despite his distance, Shadow was confident he could do so before either party in the cave had even registered what happened. Sonic managed to effortlessly keep up with him back in Tokyo, on his motorbike, and hold a conversation... never mind the whole “battling throughout the different continents and flying through space too fast for the monitors to pick up on” thing.

Sonic’s eyes flicked up, his pupils widening as he took in the new visitor. They narrowed into dangerous, boarderline feral, slits as his fur pricked up. “Why are you here?” He asked quietly. Tom held his hands up briefly. “I’m just worried about you, bud. You’ve been MIA now for nearly five days.” He took a slow step forward.

Sonic lept up. "Get away from me! I’m dangerous!" His body crackled with electricity. Tom raised his hands as he took a gentle step back. Sonic yelped as he glanced down, frantically patting his body, trying to send off the bolts of lightning. When he glanced up, his eyes were wide and fearful, and the electricity continued crackling strong. "Sonic-" Tom began. “Leave me alone!” He shrieked.

Tom felt himself being tackled to the ground as his vision whitened out, a loud and deafening ringing assaulting his ears.

Chapter Text

Annaooop- 😬

When Sonic's coherency returned, he found himself walking up some stairs. Curiosity took over, and he continued, not knowing where he was, what country he was in, hell, he barely knew his own name right now. The stairs led to a bright red door. A fire escape. Sonic pushed the bar open and walked out onto the rooftop. A faint city was outlined, but not clear. Maybe he was in New York? He'd heard news reports of it being smoggy and stuff, so maybe that was it.

He found himself walking to the edge of the roof, leaning with his arms against the wall barrier stopping him from accidental death. He tried to make out the buildings beneath the smog, but everything was just that little bit too blurry - truth be told, he wasn't convinced he wasn't still asleep, and this was some weird dream within a dream.

So, Sonic watched the sun begin to deep beneath the landscape, the sky lighting up in a pretty array of colours. “It’s nice… isn’t it?” A voice gently asked to his left. A girl, blonde and blue-eyed, stood there. When did she get there? Sonic hadn't heard the door open. He scanned her face, something striking immediately twigging his brain. "Maria." He said quietly. Maria smiled softly but didn't turn to face him. "Shadow has told you about me?"

Sonic continued watching the sky change from light blue to dark to black as the sun set for the night. He waited until the sky was completely black before trying again. “Shadow…” He began. "... hasn't said much to me at all..." He glanced over briefly. Maria's face was pulled into a smile. "I saw a photo of the two of you, back in the base. I've got it at home, under my bed." Maria's face fell slightly. "I'm surprised you have a photograph, to be honest. I know G.U.N. erased everything to do with that base..." She paused. "Including me. The people on that base were the only ones who knew about me and my grandad. But... I guess he died too."

Sonic chose not to bring up his transgressions. The Gerald that Maria knew was the Gerald that was pure and good and kind. He cared about her, and he cared about Shadow as a creature, too.

Maria finally turned to face him. "You know, you look an awful lot like Shadow. You two could be brothers." Sonic smiled softly. "I think we're from the same planet... possibly even the same family tree way back when." Maria's eyes widened. "You're both from the same planet? And you remember it?" She asked. Sonic waved his hand. "Yeah, and kinda. Mobius, my brother said. He's from there too, and so is our other brother. We don't look anything alike though." Maria stared, eyes wide, soaking up this new information. "I can't even remember how I found this out, I think Tails - my brother, found a way to access memories that formed before I could remember them... but when I was born, I had two sisters - we were the fated Royal triplets." He paused briefly. "Our mom had to give us up and split us apart to protect us. One sister was sent to a different planet, the other was sent to a different galaxy, and I was given to Longclaw - my second mom. I stayed on Mobius, but in the region of the Owls - too warm for my kind, but I adapted."

Maria's wide-eyed look didn't stop. Sonic fidgeted slightly, unsure of how to talk to her. She was dead. And he was hallucinating... or dead, too. "Longclaw raised me until I was three, then we were found by an enemy of the Owls. She died sending me here, where I hid in a cave until I was thirteen." Maria's eyes shrunk a little, her wide-eyed curious gaze shifting to a sombre one. "I'm sorry you went through that at such a young age, Sonic." Maria patted his shoulder. "It seems people like you and Shadow are only fated for sucky beginnings and hard lives."

Sonic nodded non committedly.

He waited for a beat.

"Maria... why are you here?" He asked quietly. Maria cleared her throat. "Well, you're actually the one who is here. This is limbo. A place you go to before you pass on into the afterlife." Sonic felt vaguely nauseous. "You can go back. If you want." Maria pointed to the skyline. "Or you can come with me, and I'll take you to the afterlife." She gestured to the red door. "Why am I here, though?" He asked. Maria gestured to his body. "You ran out of chaos energy, which would usually kill someone. But... something is keeping your body from heading into the afterlife, an attachment." She smiled lightly. "Like me."

Sonic glanced at the door. "And if I go home? What will happen?" He asked. Maria sat on the edge of the wall. She swung her legs. "Chances are that your body would've started to regenerate enough basic chaos energy to survive - so you would just have to build it back up... like Shadow. He's done it before though, so he could help you." Sonic pulled away and looked at the door. "If I go through there?" Maria sighed lightly. "I'd take you, and you'd get to see everyone again. Like your mom and Longclaw."

Sonic gaped. "My... my mom and... Longclaw? They're there?" Maria nodded. "Everyone you've lost is there, even if you don't remember them. I think you have a sister there, too." Sonic's excitement faded briefly, and suddenly felt sad that one of his sisters had died. He glanced at the skyline again, then back at the door. He'd finally get to meet his mom and sister and- and say sorry to Longclaw!

He looked at Maria and smiled. "I know where I'm gonna go."

Shadow exhaled nervously on the porch, licking his lips. "Has he spoken to you about the cannon?" He broached Thomas Wachowski - Sonic's non-biological father. Tom shifted on the wooden bench. "A little. Sonic says he can't remember, but I don't buy it. He's different, and not in a way I recognise." Shadow couldn't help the scoff. "Have you gone into space and held back the force of the sun?" Tom chuckled darkly. "No, but I did serve my own war on deployment. So I know how decisions and fights can change someone. Sonic isn't different in a personality way, he's different in a... way. I can't put my finger on it." Shadow huffed, pushing away the urge to argue back.

"He has exerted his chaos energy to the limits beyond his body. I am surprised he is still alive if I am being frank." Shadow began to explain. Tom's brow furrowed. "Chaos energy?" Shadow nodded. "Yes. All Mobians, like myself, Sonic, even the twin-tail and Echidna - we all have a certain level of chaos energy. It is like... gasoline to our engines. If you use too much, you screw it up big time. You have to allow it to top back up after a long-term use, or you damage the engine. For beings like the twin-tail - uh, Tails-" He rectified upon Tom's unimpressed glare, "He doesn't need much chaos energy, short of basic survival. I highly doubt he even knows how to use it. If you're a creature designed to use it, then you just know. Tails and Knuckles, not so much. Sonic and myself? Yes, we do. That's why he can use lightning to a certain extent too - and manipulate electricity."

Tom's face slackened briefly. "The power outage?" Shadow nodded. "An extreme release of pent-up chaos energy. It's usually tied to our emotions too, but they have to be very extreme to be used that way." He paused. "Do you know what happened after... London?" He hesitated briefly. Tom cleared his throat. "No. I was down for several days." Shadow winced. "I apologise for that. I regretted it almost immediately when I realised you weren't Commander Walters." Tom hummed.

"Sonic used the master Emerald to come to me. We fought... it was by far the most taxing fight I have ever had. He was beyond angry. His chaos energy had completely taken over, driving his fury into blows and attacks. I vaguely remember mocking him and waking up on the moon, powerless from the Emerald." Shadow paused. "That's where his chaos energy stopped influencing his sense of person and he calmed down, explaining more about his side. I switched sides and we stopped the Robotniks." Tom nodded. "Yeah, I'd seen that on the TV... but what did you do?"

Shadow bit his lip briefly. "We had to hold back the equivalent force of the sun to stop it from destroying the Earth. Sonic was already running on low thanks to the emotional fight, but he held strong - stronger than I would've thought. We directed it away from the Earth, and his energy gave up. He fell from the satellite station. I don't know what happened between then and my arrival, but I know he will be low for a long time, if ever again full." Tom glanced into the house, then back at Shadow. "Will he survive if he gets this low?" Shadow shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I've never let myself get this low... it's... it's unlikely." Tom frowned and looked down.

Frantic feet smacking against the wooden decking interrupted the moment. "It is Sonic." Knuckles informed. Tom stood, immediately running in. Shadow was slower, barely walking. He peeked through the kitchen, taking in the scene. Tails sat nervously by Sonic's feet, his tails spinning and twitching agitatedly. Tom sat by Sonic's head, holding his hand tightly. His head lay in Maddie's lap as she stroked his quills. "Come on buddy, don't do this. Don't go into the light." Tom whispered.

Shadow crept closer, feeling out with his chaos energy.

There, ever so slightly, and only a minuscule bit, Shadow saw a blue flicker. Bright, but small.

Shadow stepped back. "He is alive. I can feel him. His chaos energy is small and very weak, but it's there." Tom and Maddie sighed in relief. "He will need constant monitoring and rest to recuperate," Shadow said. The party of four fawned over the blue speedster, so Shadow took his leave. He walked out of the house, about to shut the do-

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shadow toed the door open, frowning. "Um... away?" He said. Tom shook his head. "No. We need someone to help us." He nodded to Sonic on the couch. Shadow initially felt a bubble of resentment build in his chest. They only wanted him so he could play babysitter? Fuck off.

But then Tom said: "We've got plenty of room if you felt the need to stay here... you know... as a temporary base." He smiled knowingly. Shadow hummed. "We will see." Tom snorted.

...

Unknown to all in the house, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl stood in the room, just behind Shadow. She grinned. "Good luck Shadow."

Chapter Text

You guys, I’m actually so proud of my best friend right now. She beta’s all of my stories and even gives me writing tips on how to flesh out characters and such: in short, my writing is basically hers with the same style. She just doesn’t write fanfiction.

But in December, she self-published her very first book! I’m genuinely so fucking proud of her. She’s got a hardback, paperback and e-book available.

My issue is that nobody seems to be buying it. She’s really down about it but doesn’t show it. I just know her well enough to know she’s bullshitting. It’s somewhat based on the loss of our best friend in 2020: she actually brought us together as a mutual, so reading the words that she wrote in her honour makes me lowkey cry.

Please give it a read. It’d really make her (somewhat crappy) year. It’s not my business to air out her laundry, so just give it a read, please.

Here are the links.

Paperback

Hardback

e-Book