Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Wachowski’s always kept a tight check on their trash and compost disposal.

Living in Green Hills was amazing, don’t get them wrong. The lush forests, pristine lakes, and lovely town were a hidden jewel nestled in Montana. It had been home to the Wachowski name for generations.

But the raccoons sucked.

They got into everything and left a mess. Anything that smelled even remotely like food became their next target, and they didn’t care what remained on the ground when they were done. It got to the point where they had to buy trash and compost bins that had so many latches and clasps that surely nothing but a human could get inside.

For a long while, the raccoons left them in peace. It felt nice to walk outside in the morning to not have garbage everywhere or the stench of compost filling the air.

The bins caught the eye of Maddie Wachowski as she was washing up after dinner one night. She smiled to herself at the peace that the bins entailed. She’d just put in some scraps from dinner into the compost, and knew it would be safe there until it became soil for the garden.

Only, in the morning, when she went to check on it just to be sure, the scraps were gone.

“What?” Maddie muttered to herself. “That’s weird.” Food didn’t just disappear. And the entire bin looked untouched, so nothing had gotten inside.

She shrugged and forgot about it within the hour.

Then it happened again two days later.

She’d thrown out an old apple and the unneeded pieces of onion from dinner. The apple was gone and the end of the onion seemed to have a bite taken out of it before it was left in the bin.

Confused, Maddie deposited a banana peel and firmly closed the bin, double-checking that it was firmly locked in place.

The next day, the peel was still there, but any scraps of fruit had been scraped off.

“Tom,” Maddie called later that day, “I think something’s getting into the compost.”

“Still?” Tom demanded incredulously. “Even with the new bin?”

Maddie nodded and explained what she’d seen. Tom seemed just as confused as her, which reassured her that she wasn’t crazy.

They decided to keep an extra-close eye on it, and not throw anything out, just to be safe.

A week later, with no incident, Tom off-handedly mentioned how Crazy Carl said he hadn’t seen any signs of his ‘Blue Devil’ in over a week. While it was nice that the guy wasn’t talking about his alien friend every time someone opened up to conversation, Tom asked if he was doing okay now that he wasn’t focused on the one thing. Carl reassured him that he was fine.

So they brushed it aside.

They forgot about keeping food out of the compost.

They’d hosted a small party with the families to celebrate a birthday (unfortunately inside and not outside since it rained), and there were more food scraps than usual. Maddie dumped the food into the compost and put the containers used in the recycling (also as locked and as raccoon-proof as the trash).

That night, as she was trying to fall asleep, she heard a quiet banging and a softer ‘ouch!’ noise.

Carefully, so she didn’t wake Tom, Maddie slipped out of the room and padded to the kitchen. She didn’t make any noise, as to not alert whatever was out there, and peered out the window.

The compost looked like…the compost.

But the recycling had tipped over, spilling its contents onto the ground. Open.

Maddie stepped outside, more confused than annoyed, and hefted the bin upright. Only when she’d finished putting everything inside did she realize the food containers from earlier were gone.

And in the muddy ground was a tiny imprint.

Maddie leaned closer, squinting into the dark, trying to figure out what animal made the track. It looked elongated and oval-shaped, but other than that it was hard to see details in the night lighting.

A large drop of rain landed on her arm and she flinched away. With a tired sigh, Maddie retreated inside and out of the coming storm.

She almost forgot about it the next day, but when Tom mentioned the recycling, it popped back into her mind. “Something opened the recycling last night,” she told the officer, “and left a print.”

“Seriously?” Tom groaned, sharing her irritation. “We just got those.”

They walked out together, and Maddie scanned the ground for the print, but the rain had washed it away. Her lips pressed together in disappointment.

“The ground’s still soft,” Tom reassured. “If we leave bait, we could get another print.”

“That’s a great idea,” Maddie approved, giving her husband a winning smile. He eagerly rubbed his hands together and brought out a single apple from inside the house.

At Maddie’s raised brow, he shrugged. “It liked the first one, right?”

“True,” Maddie agreed. “Okay, let’s leave it out tonight and see what we get tomorrow.”

In the morning, the apple was gone, and instead of a single print, the muddy ground was a mess of marks and gouges.

“What could possibly make that?” Maddie huffed in frustration. “It’s like someone just scribbled a bunch in the mud!”

“What about a camera?” Tom suggested. “Like they use on nature documentaries.”

They agreed, bought one in town, and set it up before nightfall. They left another apple.

It was still there in the morning.

“This thing is smart,” Tom mused, picking up the untouched apple.

“One night doesn’t mean it saw the camera,” Maddie returned. “Let’s try again.”

They left it out for four more nights. The apple vanished, but the camera showed raccoons as the suspect. They must’ve returned at the smell of food.

And they left obvious prints.

“So not a raccoon. Probably,” Tom thought aloud. “They don’t mess up their own tracks.”

This was starting to bug Maddie.

It was probably nothing, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something took the food because it was hungry. If there was something out there that needed food, needed help, it would eat at her if she didn’t provide it.

So, that night, without Tom knowing—simply because she thought it was a crazy idea and didn’t need Tom to tell her to just leave it—she put out an apple and closed the curtain in the kitchen. With the lights off, she crept up to the window, pulled it back the slightest bit, and watched.

She almost fell asleep twice. No motion came from outside and the gentle sound of rain from a storm lulled her into a sleepy trance.

The third time, when she felt herself drift off and her eyes closed against her will, she heard a small sound.

Fatigue gone immediately, Maddie stared into the darkness, trying to spot movement. She heard the noise again first—it sounded like little breaths of ‘ouch, ouch, ouch.’ Which made her freeze in alarm. Was the thing taking their food a person?

And hurt?

Then it crept into view, and Maddie felt her heart stop.

A small form crept towards the apple. Wide eyes darted around, checking the house, watching the camera. Maddie had intentionally put the apple away from the trail camera so that whatever took it wouldn’t be seen. It seemed that the creature knew this.

Blue and peach fur flashed, glossy from water. A small brown pouch hung around its shoulders. Muddy white gloves were held out to its sides, as if for balance, and it seemed to have a limp to every step. It cautiously crept towards the apple, now with a desperate look to its gaze.

It snatched up the apple, but the quick motion threw it off balance. It tried to regain footing, but when the left leg touched the ground, it let out a quiet yelp of pain and collapsed to the ground.

Maddie’s heart leaped into her throat at the evident hurt in the creature’s expression. It drew its left foot to its body and nursed the ankle, apple forgotten on the ground by its side. Its eves screwed shut and a little whimper escaped its mouth.

Well then. Maddie wasn’t about to leave anything out in the rain and cold when it was clearly injured and hungry. She slowly let the curtain fall back into place, donned her rain jacket, and slipped into a pair of boots.

She opened and closed the door with near-silence, but the little click was drowned out by the rain. She pulled her hood up and headed to the side of the house where the creature was still slouched on the muddy wet ground.

Maddie got a little closer, moving slowly, but the creature’s eyes were still shut and it didn’t see her. She knelt down to make herself look smaller, then pulled back her hood just enough to show her face better.

Now that she was closer, it became evident that the shine on the creature’s head came from long, pointy…somethings. The spiky things on its head. What even was this creature? She’d never heard of anything with blue and peach fur and human-like features, and she was a vet. She knew so many animals.

“Hey there,” she called softly.

The creature flinched hard with a screech and scrambled backwards, hand flying to its brown pouch, eyes full of fear as they pinned on Maddie. It tried to stand, wobbling dramatically, and backed away with a worsened limp.

“Whoa, hey,” Maddie held up her hands and didn’t move. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“S-stay back,” the creature stuttered with a young, high-pitched voice, and Maddie’s brows shot up. It spoke English? “D-don’t make me fight you.”

“I’m not here to fight,” Maddie soothed. “I want to help.”

The creature stopped retreating. “W-what?” Its voice continued to shake. “Why?”

“Because you’re hurt,” Maddie replied. “And hungry. It was you taking food scraps, wasn’t it?”

If someone told Maddie that she would be having a conversation with some kind of alien creature in the dead of night while it poured rain, she would’ve called them crazy. Not so much anymore, though.

The creature’s ears folded back and it glanced away.

“We have lots of food inside,” Maddie explained quietly. “I can get you patched up, fed, and out of this weather. Does that sound okay?”

The creature hesitated, clutching onto its bag like one would a stuffed animal. By now it leaned fully on the uninjured leg, arms folded protectively across its body—or perhaps for warmth, the poor thing looked soaked through by now—and stared longingly at the abandoned apple between the two. But when it blinked, the emotions were gone, and it hopped back a step. “I-I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I c-can’t be discovered.” The creature was definitely shivering, Maddie realized. “N-no one can know I’m here. I—I have to go.”

It turned towards the woods, took a step, and immediately crashed to the ground. Maddie rushed forward before it could stand and pressed a gentle but firm hand on its shoulder to keep it on the ground. It shrieked in alarm and, suddenly, the spikes on its head lit up in a bright electric blue.

Maddie gasped and jerked backwards. They stared at each other for a long moment—Maddie in shock and awe about the electricity dancing between the spikes, and the creature with utter fear.

Then, slowly, Maddie approached again. “I want to help you,” she hushed. “It’s cold out here. Come with me and get warmed up. I promise no one’s gonna hurt you.”

She offered her hand between them and let the creature come to her.

It blinked slowly, and the blue faded from its spikes. Longing filled its green gaze. Terror pushed it away. Back and forth like an emotional dance. Its grip on the bag tightened.

Maddie waited patiently, rain pattering off her jacket.

Finally, a cold tiny hand slid into her own.

Maddie’s fingers curled around the glove. Not too tight, but enough to lift the alien to its feet. She could feel it shaking. It pulled heavily on her hand to use it for help walking, gripping it like it was the only thing keeping the creature from running. The other hand remained clutched around the little brown bag.

“What’s your name, kiddo?” Maddie asked as she led it back to the house.

After a brief moment of silence, she got a quiet reply: “Sonic.”

“Sonic,” Maddie echoed. “And how old are you, Sonic?”

“Ten.”

Maddie internally winced. So little to be out here alone. “You’re pretty young to be digging for scrap food, buddy.” They reached the front porch, dry from the rain, and Maddie kicked off her muddy boots.

Sonic didn’t reply, didn’t even look at her. It—he—stared into the house like it was haunted.

“It’s okay, Sonic,” Maddie murmured. “The only people are me and Tom.”

Sonic seemed to shrink into himself, but nodded, and let her lead him inside.

“Okay,” the vet whispered as she shut the door and removed her rain jacket. “Do you think you can take off your shoes for me? We’re gonna try to track as little mud in as possible.”

Sonic hesitated, then reluctantly lowered himself to the ground and pried off the right shoe. Maddie saw the soles for a brief moment before they were on the ground. There was a giant hole in it.

Sonic wrapped his hands around the second one but paused. “I-it hurts,” he whimpered.

“That’s okay,” Maddie reassured. “We can get it off later. Let’s get you some food first, then how’s the sound of a hot shower feel?”

Sonic’s brow furrowed. “I dunno. I’ve never taken a hot shower.”

Maddie’s heart ached. “They’re the best,” she told him. “I’ll show you how it works. But don’t worry about it right now.” She offered her hand again, and this time, Sonic accepted the help much quicker. “I’ll heat up some soup.”

She helped a now-silent Sonic onto the barstool at the kitchen island. He watched her every move, ears perked and swiveling around, eyes darting to every nook and cranny of the house. She kept watch over him even if she wasn’t looking to make sure he didn’t run off. But he seemed content to sit at the table at least for a little while.

Once the pan of soup made it onto the lit stove, Maddie turned back towards Sonic. His head rested on his arms, which folded across the table, still painfully muddy and wet. His eyelids drooped and fluttered as he struggled to stay awake.

“Hey, Sonic,” Maddie called gently. The creature sucked in a startled breath and shot upright, eyes wide and blinking fast to clear the sleepiness. “I need to tell Tom what’s going on. I can’t keep you a secret here, especially if you use the shower.”

Sonic’s ears flattened and his pupils shrunk.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Maddie soothed. “He’s a lovely person. He won’t hurt you.”

Only after several moments of internal debate did he eventually cave in. He slumped back onto the table and pointedly looked away.

Maddie took it as her cue to dart to her room and wake her husband.

“Tom.” She shook his shoulder. By some miracle, he hadn’t stirred despite Sonic’s brief shriek of fear from before and their whispering inside. “Tom, wake up.”

As soon as he had any sort of resemblance to the realm of reality, Tom’s eyes shot open and he sat upright. “Maddie?” He questioned sleepily. “What’s wrong?”

“So, don’t freak out,” she started, and this made his eyes widen. “But there’s…” She trailed off and frowned. “How do I put this?”

Tom, more awake now, grabbed her arms. “Maddie, what’s going on?”

She waved him off. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. Do you remember the alien that Crazy Carl kept going on about?”

“The Blue Devil?” Tom questioned. “Sure. Why?”

“I think he’s in our kitchen.”

Tom paused. Blinked. Then shot to his feet. “The Blue Devil?” He hissed back. “It’s real?”

Maddie nodded. She explained how she’d waited up with the apple outside and convinced Sonic to come in with her for care. Tom calmed down and understood the situation, then agreed to not freak out when he saw the alien. Maddie told him to wait until she was ready, then she returned to Sonic.

He hadn’t moved, staring ahead into nothing, ears drooping.

“Sonic,” Maddie called gently. The alien flinched in surprise and whirled to her, but calmed down when he realized who was talking. “Tom’s gonna come out now, okay?

He nodded once, fearfully.

“Okay, Tom.” Maddie kept her eyes on Sonic. “You can come out.”

She felt his presence behind her. She heard him suck in a breath as he laid eyes on the mythic Blue Devil. She watched Sonic’s expression change from fear to recognition and back to fear again.

“Sonic, this is Tom,” Maddie introduced. “Tom, this is Sonic.”

She headed over towards the stove, where the soup was steaming nicely and beginning to simmer. She turned off the flame and reached for a bowl.

“Hello, Sonic,” Tom said politely.

“Y-you aren’t gonna sell me t-to the government, right?” Sonic asked in a tiny voice.

Maddie almost dropped the bowl in surprise.

“Of course not,” Tom replied, sounding equally as shocked. “Why would we do that?”

“For my power,” Sonic whimpered.

Maddie spooned out some of the soup—chicken noodle—into the bowl and brought it over to Sonic. “This is hot,” she warned. “Take it slow.”

She handed him a spoon, and he gazed at it with disbelief.

“We don’t want your power, Sonic,” Maddie added, having some kind of idea what he was talking about. The bright blue in his spikes flashed across her vision. “Trust me. We just want you taken care of.”

Sonic stared at her with wide, timid eyes, then slowly tasted the food in front of him. His expression flashed with different emotions as he took the first bite. Then another. And pretty soon, he was shoveling the soup down like he wouldn’t eat again.

“Whoa, slow down, buddy,” Maddie chuckled.

“I’m not good at that,” Sonic muttered in reply, seemingly serious, but Maddie cracked a smile anyway. She saw Tom mirror her humor as well.

When he finished the soup, the kid looked even more sleepy. “…Thanks,” he said quietly.

“We can get you more after you shower,” Maddie informed him. Sonic’s ears perked at that, and he nodded in agreement. She helped him off the stool, drawing Tom’s attention to his foot.

“What’d you do to your ankle, little guy?” He asked.

Sonic and Maddie both looked down at the injury. It seemed swollen, and now that he had Maddie’s help, Sonic put very little weight on it. “I twisted it,” he mumbled.

Maddie felt a violent shiver travel through the kid. “That’s alright,” she hummed. “Let’s get you warmed up and cleaned off.”

They drifted into the bathroom, lights on now, and Maddie guided Sonic to sit on the edge of the tub. “Let’s get that shoe off, yeah?” She suggested.

Sonic gripped the tub with all the strength he possessed and nodded once.

Maddie nodded towards Tom, who came up on the other side. “You support the ankle,” Maddie coached. “Keep it from moving. I’ll get it off.”

Tom gently placed his hands on either side of Sonic’s little ankle. The alien flinched but otherwise didn’t move, spiky things raised defensively and ears flat. Maddie carefully undid the ratty laces and opened up the tongue flap.

Slowly, she pulled the shoe heel down, pushed the toe upwards towards Sonic’s body, and slid it off with little resistance. She set it behind her on the floor.

Sonic let out a quiet huff of air when it was gone. Tom guided it back towards the other one, letting it hang by gravity, and when he let go, Sonic relaxed further.

“Can we take off your socks and gloves?” Maddie asked.

Sonic’s defensiveness surged back and he pulled his hands to his chest while shaking his head fervently. “Okay, don’t worry,” Maddie soothed. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. How about you put your bag down right next to you?”

Sonic hesitated, then nodded and shrugged the pouch off from his shoulders. A little chink of metal came from the leather when he set it onto the tile floor.

Maddie reached over and pulled down the shower head. She turned on the water and let it flow between her fingers, taking note how Sonic jumped at the sudden spray of water hitting the tub. His grip on the tub tightened and he stared fearfully at the shower.

“How’s this temperature?” Maddie moved the stream of water closer and gestured for Sonic to place his hand underneath to test if it was too hot. He complied, held his fingers there for a moment, then pulled back with a nod. “Good? Awesome. Step on in, kid.”

She held the water away from Sonic as he tentatively entered the tub, struggling a little due to his ankle. Once he was standing with a hand wrapped around the handle bar, Maddie slowly brought the water to his feet, then his legs, then up his body to his shoulders. She went slow so Sonic could get used to it. He watched warily but didn’t say anything or move out of the way.

“Tom, the soap,” Maddie called. Tom immediately grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the shelf and held it at the ready. “Sonic, this needs to get scrubbed into your fur, okay? Do you want to or should we?”

“I can,” Sonic replied timidly, offering his free hand for the soap. Tom put some on the waiting glove, enough to hopefully cover the kid’s body.

Sonic seemed to know instinctively what to do as he ran the soap over and into his fur. He scrubbed it in, gentle around his injury, but struggled to reach his back.

“I can get it,” Tom offered. Sonic gave him a fearful look but turned away, a sign to go ahead. Tom carefully and slowly massaged the shampoo into Sonic’s fur, avoiding his spikes.

Maddie then ran the shower over the suds. They all watched them wash down the drain, taking mud and leaves with it. Sonic’s fur, despite being wet, lightened to a more vivid shade of blue.

“We should get your, uh…spiky things,” Tom realized.

“They’re quills,” Sonic muttered under his breath.

“Right. Quills.” Tom gave Maddie a disbelieving glance behind Sonic’s back. “What are you, exactly?”

Sonic sent him an offended look. “I’m a hedgehog,” he replied. “I feel like that’s obvious.”

It is now, Maddie thought to herself with a small smile, connecting the quills to the species. “Well, Sonic the Hedgehog,” she hummed, “would you rather be the one to clean your quills or have one of us do it?”

“No, I can,” Sonic repeated from before. “I know how.” You don’t went unsaid.

Tom put more shampoo on the kid’s hand, and he ran it through the quills with care. His fingers carded through the spines and came out brown from dirt. He had difficulty reaching the farthest ones, but this time, refused to accept help. After a bit of struggling, he glanced at Maddie.

She dutifully poured water over his head, being careful of his ears, and Sonic continued to comb through the quills to get all the soap out. He let out a subconscious sigh of relief when all the dirt and grime washed free.

Despite the warm water, though, he still shivered. Either the cold had really set in, or he was sick. Maddie decided to tackle that after everything else—more food, treating his ankle, and a good night’s sleep.

When they were sure that all the soap and mud was gone, Maddie turned off the water. Tom handed her a green towel, which she wrapped around Sonic’s little form. “Go ahead and dry off,” she advised.

Sonic nodded in understanding and started toweling off. It didn’t take long for him to be satisfied; his fur was still damp, but he wasn’t dripping water everywhere. He quickly grabbed his leather pouch and draped it back over his shoulder like he refused to separate from it. With Maddie’s help, he stepped out of the tub and they walked back into the kitchen.

The soup was still hot, so Maddie immediately gave Sonic another serving. He ate at a much steadier rate this time, but still pretty quickly. When he was done, Tom placed the bowl in the sink and Maddie brought out her medical bag.

“Let’s treat that ankle now, yeah?” She offered. Sonic shrugged sleepily as he leaned sideways against the table, offering his ankle. “I’m just gonna wrap it with some bandage for stabilization. Let me know if it hurts at any time, okay? I do need to take your sock off for this, though, and dry the fur.” She nodded to Tom, who understood, and went to find her hair dryer.

“Okay,” Sonic whispered, curling his fingers around his bag as if preparing for the worst. His ears flattened and he pointedly looked away as Maddie gingerly removed the damp old sock. He startled somewhat when the hair dryer began blowing hot air onto the fur, but he eventually, slowly, relaxed.

When the fur dried, Maddie found some sparkly blue vet wrap and expertly wove it around the joint, not too tight but enough that the compression would hopefully reduce the swelling. She didn’t need to move his ankle once, and he never made a noise of complaint. She finished in record time and pressed the loose end in place, attached to itself.

“All done,” she declared. “Do you want your sock back on?”

Sonic nodded eagerly and helped her wiggle it back onto his foot. He seemed much more comfortable afterwards, and tested the movement of the ankle. “Thank you,” he whispered, ducking his head.

“Now that that’s settled,” Tom mused, “we should all get some sleep.”

“R-right,” Sonic stuttered with a shiver. “I-I can go now.”

Tom and Maddie both reeled in surprise. “No, no, Sonic,” Maddie pressed. “You don’t have to leave. You can sleep on the couch.”

Sonic stared at her with wide eyes. Did he really think they were gonna kick him out back into the rain? Maddie’s heart melted even more. This poor kid…had he ever been properly cared for?

“C’mere.” Maddie offered her hand again. Sonic took it with less reluctance than before, using her help to limp over to the couch. He hopped up onto the cushion and immediately let out a gasp of surprise as it sank under his weight.

“Soft, right?” Tom smiled. “One of our favorites.”

Sonic crawled over to the arm rest, where a pillow lay tucked into the corner. His eyes widened at the softness as he let his head relax, and he pulled his bag up towards his chest where he could wrap his arms around it.

Maddie chuckled and grabbed one of the blankets draped across the back. She folded it to a smaller size and nestled it half over Sonic’s body. “There’s more if you get cold,” she told him. The hedgehog alien pulled it up to his chin and wriggled slightly so it wrapped around him better. “We’re right down the hall if you need anything, ‘kay?”

Sonic nodded dazedly, already looking half-asleep.

“G’night, kiddo,” Tom called as he began checking to make sure the windows were locked and curtains pulled shut.

“Sleep well,” Maddie added, gently patting the lump where Sonic’s arm rested.

He watched them leave and turn off the lights with half-lidded eyes.

Once they were in their own room, door ajar, Tom let out a laugh of disbelief.

“No one is gonna believe us,” he whispered in awe. “This is so…”

“It’s crazy,” Maddie agreed. “But we can’t tell anyone. Not until we know more.”

Tom nodded in agreement, still looking astonished. “Poor kid. Hope he opens up more.”

“Give him time,” Maddie hummed. “He’s probably been through a lot. We can deal with it in the morning.”

“Okay,” Tom agreed with a wide yawn. “In the morning.”

Exhaustion pulled them both down into the realm of sleep quickly, despite the excitement that they had an alien hedgehog child in their living room.

Chapter Text

It almost felt like everything that happened was a dream.

But no. When Maddie sleepily stumbled into the kitchen the next morning for coffee and breakfast, she found Sonic fast asleep on the couch, curled up and buried under all of the blankets. She smiled warmly at the sight.

A few minutes later, when she had a bagel in the toaster and the smell of coffee wafted through the air, she heard a small sneeze from the blanket bundle. Maddie frowned at the reminder of Sonic’s potential illness. Seems like she might’ve been right.

She glanced back at the sound of blankets rustling and found Sonic blinking heavily with glazed eyes. He didn’t seem to realize where he was for several moments, but when he did, he shot upright with a gasp.

“Good morning, Sonic,” Maddie called. The hedgehog’s gaze snapped to her, just as jumpy as last night. “How are you feeling?”

The kid took a moment to reply. “Cold,” he muttered. “Hot. Tired.” He leaned back into the couch and pulled a blanket around his shoulders. His bag rested in his lap, seemingly not on his mind but still present and comforting.

Maddie frowned. “I was afraid of that,” she replied. “I think you might be sick.” She slowly approached, and he didn’t move aside from watching with wide eyes. “Can I touch your forehead?”

Sonic’s brow pinched. “Why?” He swallowed hard with a small wince and gingerly rubbed his neck. Sore throat.

“I want to feel your temperature,” Maddie explained. “If you’re really warm, you probably have a fever.”

“Okay,” Sonic relented, tensing up, fingers curling around his leather pouch.

Maddie moved slowly so as to not startle the poor kid, and gently rested the back of her hand on Sonic’s forehead. He radiated heat, and while it might be normal for him—after all, she knew nothing about alien space hedgehogs—it seemed abnormally high. Plus, when she removed her hand, she realized his fur was slightly damp from sweat.

“Yeah,” Maddie sighed. “Looks like you’ve got a fever.”

Sonic curled into his blankets more, shivering. “I-is that bad?” He asked meekly.

“You might feel bad for a couple of days,” Maddie answered, “but it’ll go away.”

Sonic stared down at the floor, either zoned out or thinking. A small shiver made the blankets around him shake slightly, and he let out a weak cough.

“I’ll heat up some more soup for you,” Maddie told him. “You might not feel hungry, but you should eat. And it’ll help your throat feel better.” She reached over to pat his shoulder but froze just above, remembering how jumpy he was. She retracted her hand and stood. “I’ll come back when it’s ready.”

Sonic gave no indication that he’d heard her, but she knew he probably had. She returned to the kitchen, put the soup on the stove, and poured herself a cup of coffee.

When the bagel popped free, Maddie busied herself with spreading cream cheese on both halves. By the time she was done, the soup bubbled with warmth, and a bleary-eyed Tom joined her in the kitchen, wearing his police uniform.

“Tom,” she greeted in surprise. “I thought you’d be sleeping in. It’s your favorite thing about Sundays.”

“I gotta go into the office,” he sighed. “Wade called in sick.”

Maddie glanced at Sonic, who hadn’t moved. “Seems like there’s some of that to go around.”

Tom followed her gaze. “Little guy not feeling well?” He asked.

“He’s got a fever,” Maddie replied. “I’ll see if I can get him to take some medicine after he eats.”

Tom hummed in agreement, then sucked in a sharp breath to wake himself up. “Well, I gotta go. See you tonight, baby.” He leaned over to give Maddie a peck on the cheek, and she rolled her eyes with fondness. “Might even grab a donut for the little guy,” he added in a whisper.

“Don’t you dare,” Maddie scoffed. “That’s the last thing he needs right now.”

Tom shrugged with a smile and grabbed his keys. “We’ll see!” And before Maddie could protest, he sauntered out of the house with a quick hello to Sonic.

The hedgehog glanced up at the greeting and watched Tom leave with a dazed expression. When Maddie moved to walk over to him, his green gaze jumped to her instead of staring at the door.

“Time to eat,” she told him, offering her hand. “Ready?”

Sonic nodded once and dutifully unwrapped himself from the blankets. He took her hand—he definitely felt warmer than last night, Maddie realized—and limped alongside her as they headed back to the kitchen.

After a slight struggle onto the barstool, Maddie placed the soup in front of him. “Go slow,” she advised. “Being sick can make you feel like throwing up, especially if you eat too fast.”

Sonic’s ear flicked to show he understood and he began drinking the broth in slow, shaky spoonfuls. Maddie joined him from across the table and began eating her way through her bagel. She kept an eye on Sonic but made it look like she wasn’t staring, so he didn’t become uncomfortable.

Eventually, Maddie finished her bagel and continued drinking her coffee, and Sonic pushed away a half-finished bowl. “Don’t want to finish it?” She asked.

“Not hungry,” he replied dully, leaning his head on his arms similar to the night before.

“That’s okay. Thanks for eating some, bud.” She took the bowl and set it aside for later.

Maddie studied the half-asleep hedgehog for a moment. He didn’t seem to notice, staring ahead into nothing, ears slightly drooping and overall looking entirely defeated. His eyes held a kind of sadness that Maddie wouldn’t expect from a ten-year-old, and it made her whole body ache with sorrow.

She really wanted to know what this kid had gone through that put him outside her door in a rainstorm, scrounging for food scraps, lonely and injured and a nervous wreck. She wanted to help him so bad it hurt. But she knew that if he wanted to leave when he was healed then she couldn’t stop him.

“Do you want to sleep some more?” Maddie offered quietly. Sonic jerked fully awake and met her gaze for a moment, trying to comprehend what she’d said, before he nodded. Maddie helped him back over to the couch and he immediately settled in, burrowing into the blankets not unlike an Earth hedgehog, yet clutching his pouch like a human child would with a stuffed animal. “Sleep as long as you want, buddy.”

Sonic made a small noise in reply and went still under the mound of blankets. Maddie smiled warmly and left him in peace.

She headed to her and Tom’s office room. She kept the door open to keep an ear on their alien guest. Then, on the computer, she began looking into purchasing new shoes for the little guy.

Sonic slept through the morning and all afternoon. Maddie had found a cool pair of elastic red and white shoes, the right size, and ordered it to be delivered to the house. She completed some digital vet paperwork to get ahead for the week, her usual yoga session, then began making dinner to be ready when Tom returned.

Halfway through the meal cooking on the stove—chili, for all three of them to have—Sonic’s head poked up through the den of blankets. His quills stood up at funny angles like a hedgehog bed head, and he blinked sleep from his eyes as he looked around. They seemed to be a little clearer than before.

“Hey, Sonic,” Maddie greeted. “How’re you feeling?”

“A little better,” he replied, fully escaping the blankets and letting his feet swing over the edge of the couch. “Hungry.”

“I’ve got dinner cooking right now,” Maddie promised. “As soon as Tom gets home, we can eat.”

Sonic’s eyes widened slightly. “Why?” He questioned timidly. “Why’re you giving up your food for me?”

Maddie’s brow scrunched and she walked over to Sonic’s side. She knelt in front of him so they were eye-level and stared directly into his green irises. “We want to help you, Sonic,” she replied sincerely. “You shouldn’t have to find your own food. You’re a kid. You deserve someone to take care of you.”

To her utter surprise, Sonic’s eyes welled with tears, and he flung his arms around Maddie’s neck in an embrace. It caught her off guard for a long moment, and just as she registered what was happening, Sonic pulled himself away with a sniff. He refused to meet her gaze as he picked at the edge of his bag.

Maddie felt warm and fuzzy all over. “You’re welcome,” she chuckled. Before she could stop herself, she gently ran her hand over the top of Sonic’s quills. He shuddered at the motion but almost imperceptibly leaned into the gesture.

Right then, the timer for the chili went off, and the sound of Tom’s patrol car came from outside. “Perfect timing,” Maddie said with a grin, rising from the ground and pulling the chili off the stove. She portioned it into three bowls, with a side of sautéed vegetables and cornbread, and put it all on the table. Sonic hopped off the couch and limped over, doing much better on his own than previously. He was even able to climb up on the stool with much less struggle, and seemed pleased with himself as he settled in.

Tom came through the door (thankfully without a donut) and hung his keys up on the hook on the wall. “Hey, everybody,” he greeted when he realized Sonic and Maddie were both in the kitchen. “Hope you didn’t have too much fun without me.”

Sonic seemed much more alert than that morning. His ears remained perked and he watched Tom with unbridled curiosity. “I slept all day,” the hedgehog claimed.

“Did you now?” Tom kicked off his shoes and unclipped his utility belt. “Lazy hedgehog.”

Sonic blinked in surprise, then pouted. “The one day I take a break…”

“I’m kidding, buddy,” Tom laughed with a fond shake of his head. “You probably needed it. I’m happy you were able to sleep so long.”

Maddie took her seat at the table with a smile. “He’s doing much better now,” she told her husband. “He’s recovering quickly.”

“I’m fast at everything,” Sonic boasted.

“Wouldn’t be much of a kid if you weren’t,” Tom agreed. They both completely missed the way Sonic seemed somewhat taken aback by the nonchalant comment.

But his attention quickly shifted to the food in front of him. He stared at it for a long moment as if trying to decide what to think of it all.

“Start with—” Maddie began.

“The chili,” Tom cut in.

“The vegetables,” Maddie shot back with a stern tone, glaring at the officer, who shrugged innocently. “Start with the vegetables. They’re healthy.”

Sonic watched them with those intelligent green eyes. “Vegetables…first?” He questioned.

“Yes,” Maddie agreed. “Get the healthy stuff in first. Then you can have whatever else.” She pointedly raised a brow at Tom, who froze with a spoonful of chili halfway to his mouth. He sighed dramatically and switched over to the sautéed vegetables. “Gotta make sure you eat all of the nutrients, especially for a kid your age.”

The hedgehog blinked owlishly, then complied, steadily eating his way through the veggies.

While Tom and Maddie talked about Tom’s boring day at the office and how he was grateful he could take the day off tomorrow, despite it being Monday, as some sort of compensation, Sonic remained completely focused on his food. Once he finished the vegetables, he moved onto the chili.

A quiet gasp grew Tom and Maddie’s attention. They glanced over at Sonic, who stared in awe at the bowl of chili. He looked up at Maddie with wide eyes. “What is this called?” He asked eagerly, perhaps the most emotion other than fear the two had ever seen out of him. “It’s so good.” He looked completely sincere as if he truly meant every word from the bottom of his heart.

“It’s chili,” Maddie replied with a laugh. “An old family recipe. Glad you like it!”

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” Sonic replied earnestly.

Maddie unfortunately found that easy to believe. Fresh chili would definitely top any leftover food scraps he’d scrounged up in the past.

Sonic dug back into the food, eagerly focused on the chili, tasting every bite like it was the world to him.

Maybe it was, in a way.

After they’d all finished and cleaned up, Tom asked Sonic what he wanted to do. The hedgehog, now sluggish from the food, sleepily mentioned wanting to go for a run. Maddie shot it down with a stern frown. “You’re still injured, Sonic,” she told him. “You can barely walk.”

He pouted. “I don’t like staying still,” he whined.

“You have to, at least for a little longer,” Maddie replied. “You’re healing fast, so maybe another couple of days. Then we can reassess and go from there. Okay?”

Sonic crossed his arms and grumbled in disappointment but didn’t argue further.

All Maddie could focus on was how cute he looked when his face scrunched up in displeasure.

They settled on Sonic returning to the couch and asking if they knew what a comic book was. Tom told him that they had a couple of old ones and offered to get them. Sonic eagerly accepted, and when Tom returned with the three that they owned, the hedgehog grew even more excited.

“Isn’t Flash so cool?” He asked them, eyes eagerly taking in every detail on the covers. Three volumes of the Flash comics, on the older side but still in good condition. “He’s super fast, like me!”

Maddie blinked slowly at that, then exchanged a surprised look with Tom. The sheriff just rolled his eyes at the kid’s antics. “He is fast,” he agreed. “Fastest thing alive.”

“I bet I could beat him in a race,” Sonic mumbled to himself, fully engrossed in the comic, quickly thumbing through the pages. His bag rested innocently by his side.

Maddie chuckled quietly as she patted Sonic’s head. He didn’t seem to notice. “Try to get some more sleep, buddy,” she told the kid. “We’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Sonic replied distractedly.

But despite his eagerness, when Maddie poked her head in an hour later to check up on him, she found the hedgehog in a deep sleep, burritoed in blankets.

Chapter Text

“Tom’s gonna look after you today,” Maddie told Sonic the following morning as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. The anthropogenic hedgehog perched on the couch, watching them. “I’ve gotta go to work.” To Tom, she added: “He has eaten breakfast.”

Sonic’s curious wide eyes jumped between the two. He felt even better than yesterday, temperature lowered and coughs gone. Maddie couldn’t explain the miraculous recovery, nor how he could walk around with an almost nonexistent limp. It should’ve taken much longer to recover.

“That’s right, bud,” Tom agreed. “You’re stuck with me today.”

“Okay.” Sonic seemed entirely unbothered by this. “What’re we gonna do?”

In the short time that Tom couldn’t come up with an answer, Maddie laughed and kissed his cheek. “Good luck!” 

She hummed playfully. “I don’t think he’s gonna sleep all day today.”

She left with a wave, which Sonic eagerly returned. His attention immediately jumped back to Tom. “So—”

“Give me a sec to figure it out, Sonic,” Tom sighed with a smile. “I’ve never had to entertain a kid on my own before. Maddie was the one to play with Jojo when she’s here.”

“Who’s Jojo?” Sonic asked. “What do you do when she’s here? Is she nice? Can I meet her?” The questions came off at rapid-fire speeds, leaving Tom lagging behind as he tried to comprehend each one.

“Slow down, buddy,” Tom laughed. “Jojo’s in California. Yes, she’s nice. You two would probably be friends.”

Sonic’s eyes went wide as they’d ever been. “I’ve never had a friend before,” he told Tom as if it was normal, his tone bright and eager. “Earth is cool!”

Tom froze, first stunned by his claim of never having a friend, then latching onto the implications of his last statement. “What do you mean ‘Earth is cool’?” He asked. “Are you not…from here?” His tone came out incredulous and disbelieving.

He knew Sonic was a weird anthropomorphic hedgehog, but was he actually an alien?

“I’m from Mobius,” Sonic replied proudly, puffing out his chest.

“Mobius. Sure.” Tom shook his head in amazement. He’d never heard of a ‘Mobius’ before. “Where is that exactly?”

Sonic shrugged. “Across the universe. I dunno.”

This was starting to push Tom’s buttons of reality. The universe. Of course. Why not? Why was he even surprised that this creature wasn’t from Earth? “How did you even get here?”

Suddenly Sonic deflated. All of his energy vanished and he closed up, staring firmly at his hands, pressing his brown bag close to his body. He hunched over the pouch as if protective. His ears drooped, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Oh, Sonic, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine,” the kid cut in dully, not at all sounding fine.

Now Tom felt awkward. What was he supposed to say after that? One question and Sonic shut down. It had to do with his past—noted. Don’t talk about that. Touchy subject. Got it.

While his mind still fumbled for what to do now, Sonic spoke up. “Do you have ducks?”

His tone remained flat and detached, a stark contrast from the out-of-pocket question. Tom’s brain screeched to a halt. “What?” He blinked hard. Did he hear that right?

“Do you have ducks.” This time, Sonic’s question sounded more like a statement as his brief and finicky enthusiasm died.

Very obviously changing the subject, Tom might add, but he didn’t mention it. Instead, he filed it to the back of his mind like a real police officer. “No, we don’t. Why’d you ask?”

Sonic picked at his fingers; it seemed it couldn’t stay still for very long even if he had no energy. “I saw you protecting ducks.”

With no other elaboration, Tom was left to put the pieces together. He barely remembered his shifts unless they were exciting, and they almost never were, so he rarely bothered to store away the details for each one. But, at Sonic’s words, he did recall a time a couple of weeks ago when he briefly stopped traffic so a mother duck could take her ducklings across the road without getting hit.

Which meant that Sonic had seen him, he’d been watching long before they met. Which led to a whole new train of thought that left Tom reeling.

“Well, yeah,” the officer eventually replied, trying to sound nonchalant and pushing away his concern. “I want to make sure they don’t get hurt if I can help it.”

“Do you protect all animals?” Sonic’s voice went small again.

Oh. Oh. Tom knew where this was going and his heart broke at the implications. The sheriff knelt next to Sonic. “I’ll protect anything and anyone that needs it,” he promised, keeping his words clear and intelligible. “Big, small, human, little hedgehogs.” At the last statement, he poked Sonic’s head in a gesture he hoped was both reassuring and humorous.

Sonic’s innocent little eyes rounded with hope and he finally tore his gaze away from his hands to look at Tom. The officer had to hold his breath to contain the sudden emotions that surged up when he saw the raw, scared look in the kid’s eyes. But, just as quickly, Sonic broke the staring contest and stared at the floor again.

Tom hesitated for a moment, then rose to his full height and offered a hand to Sonic. The hedgehog glanced at it, then up at Tom’s face. “C’mon, kid. We’re going for a walk.”

For some reason, Sonic brightened, even if only by a little. But his face fell immediately. “P—Maddie said I shouldn’t walk.”

“I know,” Tom replied. “But you can walk at least a little. If it starts hurting, we’ll stop. It looks like you could use some fresh air.”

This time, Sonic nodded and accepted Tom’s hand, his pouch making a small chiming noise as he slid off the couch. His limp was almost nonexistent as they headed towards the door. Both put their shoes on, and Tom noticed how Sonic’s had massive holes in the bottom, but didn’t mention it. They stepped out of the house in sync.

“There’s some trails in the woods behind our house,” Tom informed the kid, “but you probably know that. We’ll take one of them. And remember, tell me if your ankle starts hurting.”

Sonic nodded obediently, little hand wrapped around two of Tom’s fingers.

He kept a close eye on the hedgehog as they plunged into the woods. At first, Sonic seemed like his melancholy mood would never lift. But as they continued, and a crisp breeze brushed across Sonic’s fur, his eyes regained some light. His ears perked and his nose twitched at the scents that surrounded them. His footsteps didn’t fall as heavy.

They walked in silence for a while. At some point, Sonic even started bouncing on his heels. He kept tugging on Tom’s hand as he reached out for things like a falling leaf. Tom was almost concerned that if he wasn’t holding onto the kid’s hand, he would dash off into the woods and leave.

A strange, aching feeling panged in his heart at the thought of the small hedgehog leaving.

Even though he knew he couldn’t keep Sonic if the kid didn’t want to stay. But Tom wanted him to stay. He’d quickly grown attached to the weird little alien guy.

“I like leaves,” Sonic spoke up suddenly as they began the trek back home (Tom thought that, even if Sonic hadn’t made a peep about his ankle, they were pushing its limits). His tone carried none of his previous sadness. He caught a falling beech leaf between his fingers and spun it around. He didn’t elaborate further.

“Me too, kid,” Tom agreed, gaze wandering into the forest around them. Every gust of wind sent more leaves spiraling to the ground, and even though it wasn’t quite autumn yet, the trees seemed to forget that. “They can get really pretty here.”

Sonic hummed. “I used to have a big red one,” he told the sheriff as if it was the most important information of the day. “But it dried up.”

Tom clicked his tongue. “Yeah, that’s the sad part. Without proper care, they become all brown and dead.”

“You can care for them?” Sonic demanded, staring at Tom with wide, awestruck eyes.

The officer blinked in surprise at the sudden passion in the hedgehog’s gaze. “Uh, yeah. You can press them. It makes them look like they’re fresh for years.”

Sonic looked back at the leaf in his hands, then Tom’s face again. “Can I keep this one?” He asked, holding up the plain green beech leaf.

Even though it was such a simple thing, Tom smiled and nodded. “Sure thing, bud. We can press it back at home.”

Sonic brightened and faithfully clung to the leaf all the way home.

Once they returned to the living room, which had a cabinet with enough space, Tom showed the hedgehog how to put the leaf in between pieces of wax paper, then put a couple of heavy books on top. Sonic’s brows pinched cutely at the addition of the books. Tom explained that they had to flatten the leaf and take out the water inside it so it wouldn’t lose its color.

Sonic stared at the book pile like it was the coolest thing he’d seen, hands pressed against the cabinet as he stood on his tip-toes to see up top.

“It’ll take a while,” Tom warned the hedgehog.

“How long?” Sonic asked, suddenly looking less enthusiastic.

Tom thought back to his younger days, when he and his brothers would sometimes press leaves. “Weeks to months,” he replied slowly. “For a beech leaf, probably about a month.”

Sonic deflated, dropping down to his heels and letting his hands slide off the cabinet. “Oh.”

Tom’s brow pinched as he studied the kid’s reaction. This would be the time, he supposed, to ensure Sonic that he would always have a place in the house, and he could come any time to get his leaf.

However, he hadn’t discussed this with Maddie. It hadn’t even been two full days since they’d brought Sonic under their roof, and neither of them had been around him for more than twenty-four hours straight. He was practically a stranger. Yet Tom still never wanted to let him go back to the woods on his own, fighting to survive. Especially when it seemed like he’d gone through something terrible, given his sudden mood switches and flinchy behavior.

(He had a feeling that Maddie felt the same way. He could see the warmth in her expression when she looked at the young hedgehog. He knew she was just as attached as himself.)

Before the silence could drag on too long, Tom gently patted Sonic’s head. The kid startled slightly and glanced up at him in confusion, and Tom smiled softly. “You will always be allowed in here,” the sheriff reassured Sonic. “You can get your leaf anytime.”

Sonic’s ears perked again, but his expression shifted weirdly, as if he was fighting his emotions. “O-okay,” he stammered as if he didn’t know what to say.

“Okay,” Tom echoed. “Good. Now that that’s settled—”

He cut himself off when Sonic yawned widely and blinked rapidly afterwards. It drew Tom’s attention to the bags under Sonic’s eyes, slightly hidden by his fur. “Get some sleep, kid,” Tom laughed, ushering Sonic towards the couch. No doubt his lingering fever would make him tired still.

“’m not tired,” Sonic muttered in denial, evidently trying to suppress another yawn.

“Uh-huh,” Tom chuckled. “How about you try to sleep for thirty minutes, and if you’re still awake, we can do something else. Deal?”

Sonic huffed. “Fine. Deal.” He obediently trudged over to the couch—now with a slight limp, Tom noticed—and burrowed into his blanket pile.

“You good in there?” Tom asked from above, warmed by the sight of the hedgehog covered in a mound of blankets.

The fabric shuffled and a hand with a thumbs-up poked out.

Tom laughed and shook his head with fondness. “Good. See you in half an hour, kiddo.”

Sonic muttered something but trailed off. ‘Not tired.’ Sure. 

Tom had a feeling he would crash within five minutes.

But, true to his word, after his timer went off, he returned to the living room to see if Sonic was still awake. He quietly called the hedgehog’s name, waited, and then again when he didn’t get a reply. Still, the mound of blankets remained still and quiet. It made the small smile on Tom’s face grow into a knowing grin.

Seems like that was a universal trick with younger kids.

Tom headed to the office room and kept himself busy until Sonic woke up three hours later.

The hedgehog startled him, actually, when he appeared in the room. He made a small noise that drew Tom’s attention, and the sheriff, having not expected it, jumped. He whirled towards the door to see Sonic standing there, leaning slightly to his uninjured side, with a blanket draped over his head and around his shoulders, trailing on the floor like a cape. It made his leather pouch blend in with the shadows around him. “Oh. Hey, Sonic,” Tom greeted. “How’re you feeling?”

The hedgehog blinked hazily. “Fine,” he replied, voice slurred and soft with sleep.

Tom waited for him to say something more, but the hedgehog remained quiet, swaying slightly as he fought off the last traces of sleep. “Do you need something?” Tom prompted as he turned off his computer and gave his full attention to Sonic.

The kid’s unfocused gaze rose as if processing that Tom had spoken. He opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated, then clicked his jaw shut. “No.” He started shuffling backwards.

Tom’s mind whirled. What an odd interaction. He glanced back at his computer, briefly waking it up to check the time, then realized why Sonic acted how he did.

He must’ve gotten so focused on his work that he didn’t realize how quickly lunchtime came around.

“Hey, Sonic,” the sheriff called, standing and heading out of the room. The hedgehog stood motionless in the living room, turned back to face him, waiting. “How would you feel about some lunch?”

Maybe it was the fatigue still clinging to the little hedgehog’s mind, but he couldn’t hide the way his face lit up at the mention of food. Even though he covered it quickly to a modest nod of agreement, Tom saw. And it made his heart ache.

Sonic probably woke up from hunger but didn’t want to ask for food.

Acting natural, Tom grabbed the leftover chili and portioned it out, then put the bowls in the microwave. Sonic left his blanket cape on the couch and climbed up onto the barstool. His ears, which had fallen slightly when he left the office room, now remained fully alert. Tom was beginning to realize that they were subtle tells of the kid’s true emotions.

Soon, the smell of chili wafted through the air. Tom saw Sonic’s nose twitching slightly despite the hedgehog remaining otherwise still. He knew Sonic was trying to play down his excitement for the meal.

“Here you go, kid.” Tom placed a bowl of chili with a spoon in front of Sonic. “Careful, it’s hot.”

But Sonic hadn’t heard his warning before he took the first bite. The hedgehog immediately let out a muffled yelp and shoved the spoon in the bowl so he could use his hands to wave at his face like a fan, as if that would help. Sonic swallowed quickly and rapidly sucked in air to try and cool off his mouth.

Tom shook his head with an eye roll and handed the kid a glass of water. Sonic drank it in one breath, then stared at the chili as if it had offended him.

“It attacked me,” he whined, crossing his arms with a pout.

Tom laughed and refilled the cup of water. “I tried to warn you,” he playfully reminded the other. “Go slower next time.”

Now Sonic really did look offended. “It’s making me go slow too?” He complained. He looked at Tom for help.

Tom sat back down at the table and took a slow, deliberate bite of chili. “You talk a lot about being fast, you know that?” He mused, entirely nonchalant. A simple observation.

“’Cause I miss running,” Sonic sighed, half-heartedly poking his chili.

Tom made a noncommittal noise of agreement. “It can be hard to sit back while your ankle heals.”

Sonic glanced at the appendage in question and gingerly rotated the joint. “Hurts more,” he mumbled.

“Don’t tell Maddie we went out for so long,” Tom advised quietly. “She’ll throw a fit.”

For some reason, Sonic’s ears flattened. Tom’s brow pinched. The hedgehog’s ears going flat was not a good sign, from his brief experiences with the kid. “She won’t actually,” he amended quickly. “I promise. She won’t get mad.”

One ear rose. “Are you sure?” Sonic asked quietly. “I don’t…” He trailed off, hesitating, staring at the food in front of him.

“I’m sure.” The other ear slowly began to perk up again. “And just to be sure, why don’t I tell her instead of you, and take the brunt of her reaction?”

Finally, Sonic seemed comforted. He nodded slightly. “Thank you,” he said in a near-whisper, then shoved now-cooler chili in his mouth.

“’Course, kiddo,” Tom chuckled.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence.

***

“Not quite. Like this.” Tom pressed his forefinger into the back of the cards to show Sonic how to properly bend them. “Then let them carefully fall from between your thumbs.” He slightly relaxed his pressure on his thumbs, and the cards slid past, falling nicely into place.

Sonic’s first attempt at shuffling had ended in an explosion of cards around the living room. After quickly gathering them up, Tom re-demonstrated how to properly hold the cards so they wouldn’t go flying. Sonic had his tongue stuck out in concentration, fully involved in learning, even though his little hands were barely big enough to hold the cards.

This time, he managed to keep the cards on the table, but one entire half fell before the other and scattered across the table.

“Ugh!” Sonic flopped backwards onto the ground in frustration. His bag chimed metallically at the motion, and his quills splayed out around his head. “I can’t get this!”

Tom laughed and began gathering up the cards. “You’ve tried it twice, Sonic. It took me several days to learn it.” An idea popped into his head and he gently nudged the kid’s arm. “I bet a fast little guy like you can beat my record.”

As if a switch had flipped, Sonic’s eyes glinted with the challenge. “You’re on, Do—Tom.” He winced slightly at the slip of the tongue, and Tom wondered what he was going to say. But he didn’t push. “I’m gonna be the best card shuffler in Green Hills.”

Tom briefly pondered the offhand comment. How did Sonic know the name of the town? He must be able to read the signs, or he heard it from someone, if he let himself get close enough. Probably the former. Good to know that they wouldn’t have to teach him how to read.

Which meant, again, he had to talk with Maddie about the longevity of Sonic’s stay.

The hedgehog tried again, but this time, the cards slid apart from the other half.

“Oh, yeah,” Tom remembered. “You gotta put your other fingers on the outside of the cards, like this.” He held up the halves of his deck and showed how his ring finger and pinky held the cards in place. “Try again.”

He held his hands up for demonstration as Sonic carefully studied them. The hedgehog tried his best to copy the exact placement of his fingers, but it was hard when his hands were so much smaller. Even so, on his next attempt, the cards fell into place—but in clumps, not smoothly one after the other.

“Getting better!” Tom praised. “Keep it up.”

Sonic tried two more times, but the results remained the same. Tom tried to give him some pointers, but it seemed like he just needed to practice and get the hang of it.

Just as he tried again, the door opened and Maddie walked in.

Startled, Sonic’s hands slipped, and cards went flying. Tom dodged one that flew towards his face, laughing, and Maddie’s brows shot up at the sudden whirlwind of playing cards strewn about the living room.

“Am I interrupting something?” The vet asked teasingly as she picked up a card from near her feet.

Now realizing who had entered the house, Sonic’s earlier energy returned. “I’m gonna be the fastest learner of card shuffling in Green Hills!” He gloated, already shuffling around to pick up the scattered cards. “Tom challenged me!”

“Did he now?” Maddie quirked a brow in Tom’s direction.

He shrugged innocently. “Kid likes to race,” he replied. “Loves being the fastest.”

“I am the fastest!” Sonic huffed, returning to the table with a messy pile of cards. Tom helped him sort them and turn them all face-down. “Fastest at everything!”

Tom and Maddie exchanged a hidden smile of humor. Sonic’s insistence that he was the fastest thing ever was quite endearing to them both. It reminded them of Jojo, or a puppy.

“I bet he’d love racing games,” Maddie hummed, removing her shoes and coat and heading to the kitchen.

Sonic’s full attention switched immediately to the vet. “There are racing games?” He demanded, cards abandoned on the table.

Maddie chuckled. “Sure, lots of them. You’d like this one called Mario Kart.” She froze, brow pinched ever so slightly—only Tom noticed; Sonic was too excited about the concept of a racing game to pay attention.

“Uh—here.” Tom handed Sonic the box for his cards. “We don’t want to lose any.” He put his own set away in the box, then beelined for Maddie’s side.

She gave him a helpless look. “I keep thinking—”

“That he’s gonna stay?” Tom finished, a small huff of air escaping. “Me too.”

They both looked back at the little hedgehog, who was trying to fit the cards into the box, but some of them were crooked. He realized the problem and quickly fixed it. “We can talk about it later,” Tom promised. “For now, let’s just get him healed.”

Maddie nodded, looking somewhat in a daze, and they both began prepping their dinner meal.

The next free time they both shared ended up being late that night, after convincing Sonic to take another shower (with much less reluctance or hassle) and a movie (Sonic remained fixated on the screen, absolutely in awe at what he was witnessing, and often yelling at the characters to do something as if they could hear him). Now, the house lights were off, and Sonic had long-since fallen asleep in his little den of blankets.

“About what you said earlier,” Tom started. “Which I wanted to mention to you anyway.”

“With Sonic staying?” Maddie clarified quietly. “Yeah. I just…” She cast a longing look out of the bedroom door towards the living room. “I don’t want him to go out there again if he’s got nowhere to go.”

Tom nodded wholeheartedly. “And he was really scared of us at first,” he reminded his wife. “Asked if we were gonna sell him to the government.” His heart panged with sorrow at the reminder. “I don’t think he’d let anyone else see him, let alone help.”

“Yeah,” Maddie agreed. “He was pretty shy.”

They both fell silent for a moment, reflecting on the first night, and how skittish Sonic had been. He was terrified to be around them. And he seemed genuinely confused when they offered him food and help. As if he hadn’t experienced those things in a long time.

“He’s doing a lot better, though,” Tom added. “We went for a walk today—” at Maddie’s immediately skeptical look, his hands shot up. “We were careful! He seemed like he needed it.” The sheriff explained how Sonic had shut down when he asked how the hedgehog got to Earth—which also led to a brief tangent about how Sonic wasn’t even from their planet—and that walking in the woods perked him back up. “And he’s been pretty upbeat for the rest of the day.”

“So clearly he’s been through something,” Maddie summed up, not at all upset about the walk when Tom explained why they went (just like he knew would happen). “And we can’t push. He’ll open up when he’s ready.”

“But how long will that take?” Tom brought their conversation back to the original topic. “How long do we want him to stay?”

Maddie didn’t even hesitate. “As long as he wants.” She met his gaze, unwavering and determined. “I like him,” she continued. “We have the means to feed another mouth. And if he wants to stay, well…”

Tom’s gaze softened. “Me too,” he agreed.

“He can be our extended guest,” Maddie decided, putting emphasis on the word to show she meant more than that. “If he wants.”

Tom nodded in agreement. “As long as no one finds out. But we’ll be super careful. If anyone asks, Jojo’s in town.”

“That works.” Maddie smiled warmly. “Maybe tomorrow when I’m in town, I’ll get him something to do.”

“‘Something’ like Mario Kart?” Tom teased knowingly.

Maddie shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. We’ve got a TV. And the Switch is like…less than three hundred dollars. We’ve got ‘fun money’ for a reason.” Tom nodded in agreement. “Besides, if he ends up not using it, we can give it to Jojo.”

“Just what your sister would want,” Tom scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Jojo yelling at the TV.”

Maddie smirked playfully. “Her problem, not mine. If we even get there.”

They agreed on the plan, got ready for bed, and settled down for the night.

But just before Tom could fall asleep, a stray thought crossed his mind, and he shot upright, startling Maddie awake. He turned towards her, eyes wide.

“Who’s gonna look after Sonic when we’re both at work?”

Chapter Text

They decided that Sonic would spend the day with Tom again.

It ended up being an easy decision. They couldn’t leave him home, both for his comfort and theirs; and Maddie certainly couldn’t take him into the vet office. He wasn’t exactly a worker’s pet. So Tom brought him along to his shift.

At least his ankle seemed to be healed by now (to Maddie’s utter bewilderment), and it was no longer covered by vet wrap. Despite their brief stint in the woods, the pain had vanished overnight.

Sonic was all too excited to ride inside a car for the first time. Once Tom strapped him into the back seat—just the lap belt around Sonic’s legs, since he was so small—they headed to the station in Tom’s patrol car. He felt a little bad about keeping the hedgehog in the back, which had barred windows and no inside door handle, but decided it was better than in the very visible front seat. Sonic kept straining to see out the windows, which thankfully were tinted, and he admired the town as they drove through it.

At the station, Tom told Sonic to just stay put. He rushed inside, clocked in, told Wade and the desk workers that he was going to the speed trap for a while, and returned to the car. Thankfully, Sonic hadn’t moved.

“Okay, bud,” Tom announced, turning on the car. “We’re going to the speed trap. You should be able to get out when we’re there; it’s pretty secluded.”

“Awesome,” Sonic replied. “What’s a speed trap?”

Tom steered the car down the roads, keeping a close eye out for threats or people in need. “It’s where I hide the car to catch anyone who’s speeding, and give them a ticket,” he answered. “You can’t drive over fifty-five miles an hour.”

“Is that fast?”

And there was the inevitable question about speed. Tom laughed. “It’s up there for sure,” he replied. “The fastest legal speed is seventy. Green Hills is thirty.”

“Are we going thirty?” Sonic pressed himself against the bars on the window, straining to see better.

“You bet.” The buildings began to scatter, farther in between, as they reached the edges of the town.

Sonic groaned dramatically. “This is so slowwww.”

Tom just laughed and drove them to the speed trap.

Once he parked behind the “welcome to Green Hills” sign, he got out and opened the back door for Sonic. The hedgehog stared at him, expectant.

After a moment, Tom realized the kid probably didn’t know how seatbelts worked.

“Oh—just press the red button,” he instructed, pointing to the buckle. Sonic pressed on it with all his little might, and it popped free. He immediately scrambled out, bounding on his heels.

“I need to grab my speed gun,” Tom realized under his breath, and headed back to the driver’s seat. Sonic followed, and as soon as Tom took hold of the technology, he was bombarded with questions.

“Ooh, what’s that? What’s it do? Is it cool? I bet it’s cool. How do you hold it? It looks weird. Can I try? How’s it work?”

Tom laughed and knelt next to the hedgehog’s side. He showed Sonic the controls on the back. “This screen shows someone’s speed. The trigger starts measuring it. If you want, I can measure your speed, mister ‘fastest guy around’.”

Sonic grinned. “Yes!” He ran in place for a moment, hyping himself up. “I wanna know!”

The sheriff chuckled and gestured a ways away. “Start there and run as fast as you can. I’ll get your speed.”

Sonic whooped and darted over to the edge of the road, but Tom didn’t see, focused on turning on the speed gun and making sure it was working properly.

He held up the device and pointed it at Sonic. “Ready?”

“Ready!” The kid called back, crouching down in preparation.

“Go!” Tom braced himself to track the kid as he ran past.

In the blink of an eye, Sonic vanished, leaving only a blue streak.

Tom went stone-still. He blinked slowly. Then glanced down at the speedometer.

80 mph.

He blinked again.

What?

And suddenly, Sonic was standing by his side, bouncing up and down. His eyes were bright with joy, most likely from finally running again after a few days of incapacitation. “So?” He demanded. “How’d I do?”

“You…” Numb, Tom showed him the screen. “You went…”

“Eighty?” Sonic seemed disappointed. “I thought I was faster.”

He dashed back to his starting spot, and this time, Tom saw. One moment, Sonic was by his side; the next, quite a ways away down the road. “I wanna try again!” The hedgehog called over. “Are you ready?”

Still stunned into silence, Tom obediently raised the speed gun.

As Sonic zipped past, he managed to better track the kid, somewhat prepared. Sonic materialized at his side and begged to see the speed. It had gone up to ninety.

“Yeah!” The hedgehog pumped his fist.

His bright green eyes gazed up at Tom to see his reaction. They locked gazes. Tom’s face had gone a few shades paler, and for the first time, Sonic noticed.

The hedgehog instantly pulled into himself. “I-I-I—” He fumbled for words, arms wrapped protectively around his leather bag and ears flat. “I’m sorry—”

“Wait.” Tom finally found his voice. “Every time you said you’re the fastest thing around, you meant it.”

Sonic refused to meet his gaze now, but nodded.

“You just ran ninety miles an hour.” He laughed in amazement. “Incredible.”

“You said you wouldn’t sell me to the government.”

That drew Tom’s attention fast. “What?” He tried to wrangle his brain back into focus. “Why would I do that?”

Sonic hugged himself, looking even smaller. “My powers.”

His speed.

“Oh.” Tom mentally smacked himself. Sure, he’d been utterly stunned by Sonic’s speed, but that didn’t mean he had to scare the kid by reacting so viscerally. “No, Sonic, I would never.” He knelt next to the hedgehog and gently nudged his shoulder, forcing eye contact. “It just surprised me, that’s all. You’re safe. Run as much as you want.”

Even though Sonic’s expression didn’t change, his ears perked up, and Tom knew he felt at least a little reassured. “Do you want to try and break one hundred?” He encouraged the kid.

Now Sonic’s energy returned. “I can do it,” the hedgehog declared.

“I believe in you.” Tom smiled, grateful that he’d managed to reassure Sonic. He still had to tell the kid that he could stay with them, and he would always have a place in the Wachowski household. Scaring him would not help. “We have all day to try it.”

They did end up spending all day on it. Sonic’s top speed was ninety-nine miles an hour. Sonic blamed his ankle giving him grief and promised Tom both that he was fine and that he could go faster when he was totally healed.

A little part of Tom couldn’t wait to see it.

***

They headed back to the house a little early, as long as Tom promised to be available to respond to an emergency should there be one that arose. He kept his radio on him as they entered the house, and as soon as he took off his shoes, Sonic zipped over to the couch.

“Would you like to try card shuffling again?” Tom asked the hyperactive kid, tossing a deck into the air and catching it. “Time’s a-ticking, kid.”

He held out the deck, and with a whirl of wind, Sonic darted over and accepted the offer. “Still gonna beat you!” He declared, heading to the table and dumping out the cards in a messy pile.

“We’ll see,” Tom hummed in reply, settling on the other side and dealing himself out a game of solitaire.

He realized halfway through that Sonic, who had been fumbling with his cards for the last several minutes, was still and quiet. The sheriff glanced up to see Sonic watching him intently, studying the cards, but clear confusion in his gaze.

“This is solitaire, bud,” Tom told him. “You try to sort all the cards by suit.”

“Why’re there seven piles then?” Sonic asked. “What’s the point in hiding what kind they are? You’re supposed to sort them, so why un-sort them? What’s this pile for?” He pointed to the draw pile. “Why’re some of them upside down and some are face-up?”

Tom chuckled at the curiosity thrown at him. “There are rules to solitaire.” He began explaining, but hadn’t even gotten to how he had to draw three cards at once and not know what two of them were before Sonic’s gaze began jumping around the room, either bored or distracted.

“Too much for you?” Tom laughed teasingly, which drew Sonic’s attention back to the game.

The hedgehog fumbled for a reply. “I—uhh—no, no, it’s super interesting and doesn’t sound slow and boring at all—” He grinned cheekily. “Something about rules for drawing the cards?”

Huh. So he had been paying attention. Tom smiled and pulled three cards off the deck to demonstrate. “Then flip the top one, and—”

He was cut off from a knock at the front door.

They both froze, but Tom stood quickly. “Amazon?” He muttered, seeing the truck out at the end of the driveway. “Did Maddie order something?” He shrugged and turned towards Sonic. “Hey, bud, why don’t you—”

But Sonic was nowhere to be seen.

Tom’s brow pinched and a sense of wrong settled over him, but he headed to the door and opened it.

The mailman had already headed down the driveway a bit, since it wasn’t his job to wait until someone answered, he left. Tom waved when the mailman glanced back at the noise, and he waved back, then climbed in the van and drove off.

Tom grabbed the small box at his feet and brought it inside. It was addressed to Maddie, so he put it on the kitchen island for her to open when she got home.

“Sonic?” Tom called, now giving full attention to the missing hedgehog. “Where’d you go?”

He got no reply.

Worried now, Tom checked the mound of blankets on the couch, then the bathroom, then the office. He couldn’t find Sonic, and his nervousness grew. “Sonic, where are you?” He tried again, failing to keep the panic out of his voice.

Just when they reached the agreement that they could let Sonic stay, the hedgehog vanished?

Finally, Tom checked his bedroom. He didn’t see anything and started to head out when he heard a small noise of movement.

The sheriff opened the closet door and crouched down to look underneath the hanging clothes. Sure enough, pressed into the far corner, was Sonic. The hedgehog had curled up into an impossibly small ball of quills, burrowed away from the door as far as he could get, and muttered to himself under his breath.

“There you are,” Tom sighed in relief. “You can come out, Sonic. The mailman’s gone.”

An eye peeked out from the quills. Pinned on Tom. The pupil was small with fear, making the green irises look even bigger, like an emerald. His mumbling went quiet for a moment.

Tom softened and knelt down low to the ground to make himself look smaller for the terrified hedgehog. “You okay, Sonic?” He asked gently.

“G-gotta hide,” the kid stammered. “C-can’t be seen.”

“It’s okay, bud,” Tom murmured. “We’re the only ones here.”

Sonic went still and silent. Tom saw his ball of spikes uncurl slightly and his ears poke out so he could hear. The sheriff remained as quiet as possible so Sonic could get an accurate sense of how empty the house was.

Finally, the hedgehog uncurled all the way. His ears pointed backwards, not quite flat but not perked either. He had his brown bag pulled tight to his body. It seemed like that thing was a kind of comfort for Sonic.

“You’ve still gotta get those cars shuffled,” Tom reminded the kid as he offered his hand. “Maybe when you do that I’ll show you how to throw them.”

“Throw…them?” Sonic echoed. His little hand slid into Tom’s, and together, they headed back out to the living room at a surprisingly slow pace. Tom supposed that because he now knew how quickly Sonic could run, he expected the kid to always be fast. But he let Sonic lead them at his own pace.

Tom smiled and nodded. “When I was in academy, I learned how to flick the cards in a way that makes them shoot forward really fast.” They settled back on either side of the low table. “If you can do that, I’ll let you keep the cards.”

That got Sonic’s ears to shoot up and some excitement returned to his gaze. “I can keep them?” He asked excitedly.

“If you learn to shuffle and throw them, yes,” Tom chuckled. “But I don’t think that’ll be a problem for Sonic the Hedgehog.”

The kid smirked at the challenge and gathered up his cards. “I can do it,” he declared, somewhat to himself. “You’ll see!”

Tom watched with amusement as the hedgehog tried once more to shuffle properly.

They continued for a while—Sonic slowly getting better and Tom playing through a couple games of solitaire—when a car pulled into the driveway. Sonic immediately shot to his feet, worried and quills bristled, and Tom stood as well. He glanced outside, then gave Sonic a thumbs-up. “Maddie.”

Sonic visibly relaxed. He gathered up his cards and put them back into the box right as Maddie walked through the door.

“Hey, guys,” she greeted, hanging up her coat, removing her shoes, and putting a paper grocery bag on the counter. She studied Tom for a moment, then asked, “They let you work from home today?”

“For a couple of hours,” Tom replied. “We were at the speed trap first. By the way—Sonic has something to show you.”

Maddie glanced towards Sonic, curious, as she grabbed the box Tom had left for her and ripped the tape open with a pair of scissors. The hedgehog in the living room blinked owlishly. “I do?” He questioned.

“Show her what you showed me at the speed trap,” Tom elaborated. “Y’know. With running.”

Sonic’s expression cleared at the clarification, but he smiled sheepishly. “I don’t think you want me to do that inside.”

Maddie’s gaze jumped between the two, clearly confused. “What about running?”

“Let’s go onto the porch real quick,” Tom suggested, ushering everyone outside. Sonic was the only one who stopped to put on his broken shoes, then followed.

“What is going on with you two?” She asked, somewhat amused.

Sonic hopped down the porch onto the grass and bounced on his heels. “Watch him run,” Tom said instead of replying. “Ready, Sonic?”

“Ready!” The hedgehog crouched down, facing the road down the driveway.

Tom counted him down, a growing smile on his face as he imagined Maddie’s reaction. “Go!”

Sonic shot off with a powerful blast of wind, reappearing at the end of the driveway less than a second later. He waved to them, then darted back, standing proudly with his hands on his hips as he studied Maddie’s reaction.

The vet’s brows shot up, and she let out a startled laugh. “I see what you mean now!” She shook her head in amazement. “No wonder you said you could beat the Flash.”

Sonic grinned and jogged in place, but his “jog” meant his feet became a blur.

“Also, this reminds me,” Maddie added, beckoning Sonic inside. The trio headed back in, and as Sonic wrangled his shoes off, Maddie grabbed the package on the counter. “This is for you, Sonic.”

The hedgehog, still on the floor, froze with wide eyes as Maddie handed him the opened box. He took it gingerly as if any wrong move would break it. His awestruck expression jumped from the box to Maddie, and she smiled warmly. As if in a trance, Sonic carefully unfolded the box and removed the outer layer of package stuffing.

Sonic’s slightly-shaking hand reached in and brought out a bright red and white shoe.

Understanding immediately flooded Tom’s mind and he smiled warmly at Maddie. She gently bumped his shoulder and grabbed his hand as they watched Sonic take a second shoe out of the box and set the package to the side. He stared up at Maddie with nothing but gratitude and amazement.

“Try them on, Sonic,” Maddie encouraged. “Let’s see if they fit right.”

The hedgehog blinked out of his stupor and carefully pulled the shoes on. Maddie let out an internal sigh of relief when they visibly fit snugly on the hedgehog’s feet. It had been a slight guess on what size to get, using only the old pair to judge, and the size label had long since faded on those. But it turned out her guess was spot on.

With both shoes on, Sonic stood, took a couple steps around, then stared at Maddie again.

Not a moment later, he dashed forwards and wrapped his arms around Maddie’s legs, holding them tight. He barely even reached her knees, but that didn’t stop him. Tom and Maddie laughed at the reaction, the latter reaching down to gently scratch the top of Sonic’s head. “I hope you like the color,” she told him. “I had to guess, but it seemed right.”

Sonic, still hugging her legs, glanced up at her with an expression raw with emotions. “They’re perfect,” he managed in a tight voice. “T-thank you. So much.” He exhaled heavily and pressed his forehead against Maddie’s shin.

“You deserve it, kid,” Tom hummed from the side. Sonic’s ear twitched to show he heard, and he subtly tightened his grip.

Somehow, Maddie was able to crouch down without disturbing the hedgehog too much. He backed away slightly as he became dislodged, but still stuck close. “You wanna know something else?” She murmured. At Sonic’s nod, she grinned. “There’s another little something in that bag on the counter.”

“S-something else?!” Sonic hugged himself as his eyes welled with tears. “Why?”

A little part of Tom broke at the genuine confusion in the kid’s voice.

“’Cause we want you to have some fun,” Tom replied with zero hesitation. He glanced at Maddie, and she nodded. Tom joined her kneeling on the ground, closer to Sonic’s eye level. “And we want you to know that you always have a place here if you want it.”

A silence heavy with the truth behind those words fell over the trio, making Tom fidget. Maybe it was too fast. Maybe they assumed Sonic would feel the same way—that he’d want to stay. Maybe they were too focused on protecting the kid that they disregarded his desire to be free, or any other reason he had to stay out of the house as soon as he healed. Maybe—

He tipped backwards at the sudden force of Sonic leaping into him. He let out an exclamation of surprise and his hands shot out behind him to find balance again as he settled onto the floor. But he quickly brought them up to return Sonic’s embrace. He felt his own emotions surging at the sudden contact. The first time Sonic had let Tom get this close. Besides the quills on his head, the hedgehog was quite soft. And even his quills weren’t as sharp as Tom had expected.

Just as quickly as it came, Sonic pulled away, clutching his leather bag like a shield. His teary eyes jumped between Tom and Maddie as if he couldn’t believe any of this. “Y-you’re letting me…stay?” He managed tightly.

“If you want,” Maddie confirmed. “You can come and go as you please.”

“E-even though I’m...” He gestured to himself, then let his arms go limp by his sides. An alien. Not human. Super-powered.

Him asking again to be extra-certain and making sure he understood further made Tom’s heart break. “Yes.” He held out his hand.

Sonic, somewhat hesitantly, slid his hand into Tom’s. The sheriff’s fingers curled around the glove in a gentle squeeze. “Now why don’t you see what’s in the bag?” He suggested, standing and guiding Sonic over to the table.

The hedgehog dutifully climbed up onto the barstool and reached inside the bag. Maddie leaned against the counter, a knowing twinkle in her eye, as Sonic brought out a packaged Switch and Mario Kart game.

At Sonic’s confused look, she chuckled. “It’s the racing game we mentioned,” she explained. “You can hook it up to the TV and play.”

Sonic’s jaw worked as he tried to think of something to say. He settled on a quiet “Whoa…” of disbelief and wonder. “When?” He asked, glancing up from the device to Maddie.

“After dinner,” she replied. “We can show you how it works.”

Sonic nodded dazedly in understanding.

“I’ll put it over by the TV for you,” Tom offered, opening the bag. Sonic obediently placed the Switch and the game inside, and Tom placed it over by the screen. “Perfect. Ready for after dinner.” He grinned at the hedgehog, who still looked completely stunned.

Maddie pushed herself off from the counter. “Would you like to help me today, Sonic?” She asked.

The hedgehog somewhat snapped out of his daze and nodded eagerly. “What’re we making?”

“Well,” Maddie replied thoughtfully. “I was thinking…”

Chapter Text

“Grab the leftover chili from the fridge,” Maddie instructed. “Do you remember what container it was in?”

Sonic nodded eagerly and (with a little hop to reach) tugged the refrigerator door open. He stepped back to avoid getting hit and shielded his face from the sudden onslaught of cold that wafted over him. When he lowered his hands, his eyes went wide.

“There’s so much food in here!” He gasped. Maddie raised a brow at his sudden awe and glanced over. The fridge wasn’t empty, for sure, with soup and chili leftovers plus ingredients to make more food. It wasn’t full, but she realized it was probably more food in one place than Sonic had ever seen before.

Maddie let Sonic admire the fridge for a moment. “The chili, Sonic,” she reminded gently, and the words snapped Sonic out of his stupor.

“Right!” He reached up to the lower shelf, standing on tip-toes, and hefted the chili container out of the fridge. He wobbled awkwardly as he brought it over to Maddie, and she smiled with amusement as she relieved the little hedgehog of his duty, taking the Tupperware and placing it on the counter next to a small saucepan.

“Since you like chili so much, and we have enough leftovers, we’re trying an old favorite,” Maddie told the little hedgehog. “In the freezer, could you find the hot dogs and hot dog buns?”

Sonic’s brow pinched with confusion and determination. “I dunno what those are, but sure!” He chirped eagerly. He pulled open the freezer and began rummaging through, staring hard at food labels, trying to find the right ingredients.

Meanwhile, Maddie put the chili into the saucepan, then set it on the stove. She flicked the power on and set it to medium-high, just until it got hot, then she would lower it to heat evenly. In the time it took, Sonic hadn’t found the hot dogs.

Maddie knelt by his side. “Any luck?”

In one hand, Sonic held the package of hot dogs. In the other, a loaf of frozen bread. “Are these…right?” He asked tentatively.

Maddie pointed to the hot dogs. “Yes—” and the bread “—and no. This is sandwich bread. The hot dog buns are…” She glanced into the freezer and selected the right package. “Here.”

Sonic’s mouth formed a little ‘o’ in understanding as he pushed the freezer closed.

They returned to the counter. Maddie pulled up one of the island barstools so Sonic could see, and he eagerly climbed to the top, kneeling on the seat and leaning eagerly over the counter to watch. Maddie brought out a frying pan and placed several frozen hot dogs in it, then set it on a separate burner from the chili. As she turned on this burner to medium, she glanced at Sonic. He was leaning dangerously close to the hot burner with the chili. “Careful, bud,” she warned. “You don’t want to touch that.”

Sonic seemed to realize what he was doing and immediately shifted back. “Why not?” He asked.

“It’s very hot,” Maddie replied. “You’d burn yourself.”

Sonic eyed the stove warily. “It’s dangerous?”

Maddie smiled slightly. “Not if you know what you’re doing. You just gotta be mindful of yourself and your cooking. Some things, like oil, will splatter when it gets hot, and any tiny splash hurts. The steam from boiling water can burn sometimes. But these things are easy to avoid if you know to look for them.” She reached over and ruffled the fur on the top of Sonic’s head, missing the way he went stone-still at the contact. “You’ll get there one day, bud.”

“R-right,” Sonic agreed, immediately plastering a smile on his face. “Cause you can teach me?”

“Exactly.” Maddie smiled warmly at him.

She showed him how to fry the hot dogs and to know when they were done—nicely browned and no longer stiff with cold. Then, in the same pan, she toasted the insides of the hot dog buns in the grease left behind by the hot dogs. Each bun took only about thirty seconds, since the pan was still hot, and when they were done, she placed them on a big serving platter.

“One hot dog goes in each bun,” she instructed Sonic to give him something to do, “more or less in the center. It’s not too important. Got it?”

Sonic nodded eagerly and used tongs to place a hot dog in a bun. Maddie almost wished she had her phone to take a picture. It was adorable how Sonic’s face scrunched in concentration as he meticulously completed his task.

“How’s that?” Sonic chirped when he finished, and Maddie quickly tried to act like she hadn’t been melting at his expression.

“Perfect,” she approved, and Sonic beamed.

She checked the chili. By now, it was steaming, and when she stirred it, more steam rose. Heated through. She nodded in satisfaction and turned off the burner.

“Now I’m gonna put the chili on top,” Maddie told Sonic. “And then we should add some shredded cheese. Do you think you could find the cheddar in the fridge?”

Sonic clambered off the bar stool and zipped over to the fridge. His little brown push chimed as he jumped down from the seat. “I’ll look!”

Maddie kept him in the corner of her eye as she portioned out chili onto the hot dogs in reasonable quantities. After covering all of the hot dogs, she used the extra chili to top them off with a little bit more. As she set the now-empty sauce pan on the stove, Sonic returned triumphantly with the cheddar.

“Thanks, bud!” Maddie took the block of cheddar and, as Sonic climbed back up onto his perch, she grabbed the grater. “Now, I want you to watch me carefully.” She unwrapped the cheddar and placed the grater on a cutting board. “This is called a cheese grater, and it’s sharp. I’ll let you shred the cheese, but be careful, ’kay?”

“Got it, Pr—Maddie,” Sonic replied, wincing slightly at his slip of tongue. Maddie wondered what that was about. But she didn’t question it. Sonic would open up when he was ready.

He struggled a little at first, but then with Maddie’s instruction, quickly got the hang of it. He shredded a good amount of cheese before giving up, waving his hand in the air and complaining about it cramping. Maddie chuckled and took over until they had enough cheese to sprinkle on top of all of the chili dogs.

“Dinner, Tom!” She called loudly, moving the platter of chili dogs to the kitchen island and putting three plates in their spots.

“What about the other thing?” Sonic asked suddenly. “Like we had yesterday.”

Maddie paused, confused, then realized what was missing—veggies. She mentally sighed. “We have fruit,” she decided. There wasn’t time to make something nicer. Just as Tom joined them, she retrieved some apples, bananas, and strawberries from the fridge. “Take your pick.”

Sonic eagerly grabbed an apple, then settled at his place. Maddie served him and Tom one chili dog each, then herself, with a handful of strawberries on the side. Not the best match in terms of flavor, but at least it was something.

“So what’s this called?” Sonic asked, picking up the hot dog and squinting as he inspected it.

“It’s called a chili dog,” Maddie replied.

“It’s been a household favorite for years,” Tom added, taking a bite out of his. He’d barely finished swallowing when he added, “We had some on one of our first dates at a fair.”

Maddie smiled fondly at the reminder as she started eating hers.

Next to her, Sonic took an experimental bite.

The hedgehog suddenly sat up straight, eyes wide, and inhaled the rest of the chili dog.

“Whoa, dude!” Tom laughed. “Slow down!”

But Sonic was already reaching for another. “It’s so gooooood,” he claimed, this time savoring the flavor in his mouth. “It’s the best thing ever,” he managed through bites.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Sonic,” Maddie chided. “You’re gonna choke.”

Sonic gave her a sheepish smile and kept eating. After his third chili dog, Maddie made him eat his apple before taking another. He seemed to enjoy the fruit almost as much. She figured it was nice being able to eat the full apple instead of picking off the cores from the compost.

By the end of the meal, Sonic had consumed five chili dogs and two apples. Maddie tried to comfort her worry by telling herself that it was simply due to Sonic’s fast metabolism. She figured that if he healed quickly, and he could run as fast as he did, he’d need to eat a lot, too. Especially since he was still a young, growing child. It made her wonder how he’d survived on his own with enough to eat for as long as he did—though that time was still undetermined.

Sonic and Tom helped her clean up, but there wasn’t much to do. They packed away the three leftover chili dogs and the uneaten fruit, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, then cleaned up the counter while Maddie scrubbed off the frying pan (she didn’t want it in the dishwasher so she could preserve the non-stick coating as long as possible).

After that, they migrated to the living room for some Mario Kart.

Admittedly, Maddie felt like they did not do a great job of teaching Sonic how to play the game.

She knew the basics, of course. But she’d never owned a Switch before, nor had the chance to participate in the race. So anything she could teach the overeager Sonic, she learned from reading the instructions as they started. Tom was no help, either. He seemed even more lost than Sonic.

At least the kid was a quick learner. It wasn’t long before he was teaching them how to play.

Face scrunched in concentration, Sonic’s fingers mashed the Switch controls as he laid out a red shell attack on the AI player in front of him. “Hah! Take that!” He gloated as his character zoomed past and into first place.

A ways behind him on the track, Tom’s character spun wildly as he accidentally careened into a banana. “Get it together!” He yelled at the screen. “Go, go, go!”

Maddie laughed quietly as she casually dodged obstacles, climbing up to third place. She’d expected this level of energy from Sonic, but not so much from Tom. Although, in hindsight, that may have been poor judgment on her part. Of course Tom would become engrossed in the game. His competitive nature wouldn’t let him pass it by.

“I’m coming for you, Sonic!” Tom challenged, finally speeding up to fourth place.

The hedgehog’s character already had a decent lead. “Try all you want, Donut Lord.” He grinned, never taking his eyes off the screen. “It’s not happening.”

Tom and Maddie both laughed in surprise at the sudden name Sonic gave Tom, but the hedgehog didn’t seem to notice. His character came up to a tight turn, and he leaned forward, shaking the controller as if it would help. “Turn, turn, turn!” He shrieked.

HIs character slid off the edge of the track.

Sonic wailed in dismay and almost seemed to be vibrating as he bounced in place. “Come on come on come on come on,” he demanded to the game. “Hurry!”

His character was finally let off the rescue line, and Sonic shoved his joystick all the way up.

“Wait, no!” He zeroed in on the game as Maddie’s character took first place. The vet smiled slyly as she drove past Sonic’s avatar, leaving the hedgehog in second. “Maddie!”

“Gotta catch up, Sonic,” Maddie hummed as a challenge. She saw the edge of the track coming up and subtly slowed her character’s speed. “I thought you were the fastest?”

Sonic sat up straighter and stared unblinking at the screen. “I am! I’ll catch up!”

Their characters sped towards the finish line, neck-and-neck.

At the last second, Maddie slowed down imperceptibly, and Sonic took first.

“Hah!” The hedgehog whooped with excitement, jumping to his feet and pumping his fist. “I win!”

Maddie innocently raised her hands with a soft smile. “Guess you’re better than I am,” she conceded. She caught Tom’s eye from the other side of Sonic and he gave her a knowing look. She shrugged cheekily and turned back to Sonic. “Glad to know you like it, bud.”

Sonic settled back into his seat, though still bounced from excitement. “It’s so fun!” He declared. “Let’s do it again!”

So they did—three more times. Sonic won all but once, when Maddie had thrown a lucky green shell at him just in time for her to cross the finish line first. The hedgehog glowed with pride when they decided that four races was enough and they should take a break.

“So, Sonic,” Tom said casually, “I noticed you like to bury yourself in blankets. Why’s that?”

Sonic stared at him as if he asked what color the sky was. “I’m a hedgehog,” he replied as if that answered everything.

“Uh…” Tom glanced at Maddie for help, but she shrugged. “Sorry, kiddo, I don’t know much about alien space hedgehogs.”

“We like to burrow,” Sonic elaborated. “At least, I do. And Discovery Channel said Earth hedgehogs burrow too. So I think it’s a universal hedgehog thing.” He seemed proud of himself for knowing this, and Maddie couldn’t blame him. She was impressed that Sonic even watched the Discovery Channel. And slightly confused how he knew it.

“Do you like caves, then?” Tom asked.

Sonic perked up. “Yeah! I’ve got a cave by a lake that has all my stuff.” He didn’t elaborate further.

“Well, we don’t have a cave here,” Maddie added thoughtfully, “but we could build one.”

Sonic’s bright green gaze jumped to her. “You can?”

“Yeah, what?” Tom laughed, somewhat in disbelief, mirroring Sonic’s confusion.

“Sure,” Maddie replied casually. “We can build a blanket fort. It’s kind of like a cave. You hang up a bunch of blankets around the furniture until it makes a little cave area.”

Sonic started bouncing on his heels, apparently enraptured by the idea. “Ooh, can we, can we, can we?” He begged. “That sounds like so much fun! But where?”

Maddie glanced at Tom, who appeared to be thinking hard about where to put Sonic’s blanket fort—and effectively his bed. “I think we have an old mattress in the attic for the ground,” he mused, “and it is spacious up there. Plus there’s lots of boxes that we can use for supports.”

“That works,” Maddie agreed. “We can figure out what to do with the stuff later.” She stood and stretched. “Sonic, why don’t you gather up your blankets down here and join us at the top of the stairs?”

“Okay!” In the time it took Maddie and Tom to even get halfway up the staircase, Sonic had dashed past them, several blankets bundled in his arms. “Still faster!” He gloated with a giddy laugh.

“Show-off,” Tom grumbled in mock irritation. He reached up to pull down the steps to the ladder and climbed up first.

Maddie saw the light turn on, then nodded to Sonic. “Careful as you climb up,” she warned. “Don’t trip on the blankets.”

Sonic nodded and kept an extra careful eye on his feet as he climbed into the attic. Maddie followed right behind, prepared to catch him if he did stumble.

Thankfully, they made it without a hitch. Rain pattered softly on the skylight. Tom began pushing storage boxes around until he found the mattress, thankfully already with sheets—twin sized, a spare for when Jojo visited. Tom put it on one side of the room, and Maddie began moving boxes to form pillars of sorts that the blankets could hang off of.

She showed Sonic how to wedge the corner of the blanket between two boxes so it was weighted down and would stay up despite any tension they’d put on it. In the meantime, Tom searched through more boxes until he found extra blankets and pillows, which he proudly brought out to add to Sonic’s fort.

The hedgehog took delight in arranging the fort just how he wanted it. It was barely taller than he was, so Tom and Maddie would definitely not be able to fit, and wide enough to be snug against either side of the mattress. On the inside, Sonic placed pillows on the seam between the mattress and the walls, then a heavy quilt on top of the mattress for himself at night. When he was satisfied with the arrangement inside, he added a smaller blanket to the entrance to enclose it, like a door.

“What do you think, bud?” Tom asked when Sonic stood outside the amalgamation of blankets and pillows , hands on his hips, studying it.

“It’s super cool,” Sonic replied with a bright grin. “I love it!”

Maddie crouched next to him. “If you get too cold tonight, don’t hesitate to get one of us. We have more blankets in our room.”

This time, when Sonic stepped closer for a hug, Maddie was ready. The contact was still brief and didn’t last, but it warmed her heart to know Sonic would let them get that close to begin with. Her hand circled around the hedgehog’s back, the touch feather-light, as Sonic wrapped both arms around her neck. Maddie tried not to freeze when she realized how skinny Sonic felt beneath his soft blue fur. Her thoughts from earlier about how much he could eat returned. He probably hadn’t eaten enough food in the past.

Before she could determine just how skinny he really was, Sonic stepped back and went over to Tom for his quick embrace. The sheriff smiled warmly at the interaction, meeting Maddie’s eye from over Sonic’s shoulder.

He must’ve seen something in her expression, because his brows furrowed ever so slightly. But he quickly put on a smile when Sonic stepped back, clutching at the strap of his bag. “Thank you,” he told both of them, glancing between them with a vulnerable expression that hinted how he really felt touched. “So much.”

“’Course, kiddo,” Tom chuckled. “Have fun in your little blanket den tonight. Hopefully it feels a little more sheltered here than downstairs.”

Sonic nodded and watched Tom head to the stairs. Maddie elected to ask Tom about that later. She smiled fondly at the hedgehog child staring at her. “G’night, Sonic,” she murmured, and before she could stop herself, gently put her hand on his head. Sonic leaned almost imperceptibly into the touch, and Maddie felt emotion surge up through her. “Remember, more blankets with us.”

“I will,” he replied quietly.

Maddie gave him one last encouraging smile as she descended and headed to their bedroom, where she knew Tom was waiting.

“So, sheltered?” She questioned as soon as she’d shut the door. “Why’d you say that?”

Tom rubbed the spot above his brow, face suddenly anxious. “Earlier today, when the mailman came, he freaked out,” the sheriff replied. “I guess he doesn’t trust anyone else. The living room’s pretty exposed, so I hope he can feel safer in the attic.”

Maddie nodded in understanding. “Poor guy. Hopefully we can show him that not everyone out there is bad.”

“Eventually,” Tom agreed. “But that’s gonna take a while. You didn’t see him, Mads, he was really spooked.”

Maddie sobered at the genuine distress in Tom’s voice. “However long it takes, we’ll help him through it.”

Tom smiled at that, pulling Maddie into a side-hug. “Yeah. We will.”