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It still blew his mind that his birthday was today–The big One Seven–It really put into perspective just how long he'd been saving the world for. Man, he was getting old! Maddie and Tom had refused to tell him anything for his Bi-earth-Day, and Tails was too smart to fall for any of Sonic’s tricks. They didn't tell Knuckles anything, because of last year... He can still smell the cake. Chocolate, ugh.
Racing down the attic steps while making sure his quills (and one he'd stolen from Shadow) were perfectly imperfect, Sonic sat down on the kitchen island stools, spinning around in his chair due to the left over velo-whatever. That geeky nerd stuff was Tails’ thing. He was the first one up, which was unusual. Normally, Maddie would be down here making Tom his morning coffee while Tom made breakfast. Then, Sonic would need to go get Tails from the shed, because he probably fell asleep there working on his gizmos, and Knuckles... Would be, uh, somewhere. Slipping out of his chair, Sonic snuck through the halls over to his human parent’s bedroom...
Only to find it empty.
“...Uhhh, ‘kay, is this some sort of joke? Am I on Pranked?” The blue hedgehog joked, before realizing what he had just said. Sonic groaned. “Ugh. I'm never letting Tom show me his old TV shows again. I can't believe I just made a Pranked reference in 2025.” He huffed, looking around the hall he had just gone through, as if Tom or Maddie would suddenly pop out and yell “Happy Be-earth-day!”
But nothing came. It settled something low and sharp deep within his chest, almost making him want to cough to get it out. It was a feeling he'd rarely felt–Dread. Sonic strained his ears, hearing nothing but the creaking of the house and the noise of nature outside. No one... Was here? No one? Sonic’s brows furrowed, and his classic toothy grin strained. “Ahah... Okay, this isn't funny anymore.” He chuckled, although it was more from nerves than actually a laugh. No biggie, he's just got to check the whole house! Maybe the Fam is just hiding. He tried to not panic, he'd gone through worse. Maybe it was that everyone had gone out to get him some last minute presents, or to get the ingredients for Chili dogs!
Sonic was trying his hardest not to freak out, but something deep within his mind screamed at him, the sound small but definitely a warning. The blue hedgehog charged up his energy, imagining an engine starting, before he was off, blowing papers off tables and making pictures on the walls sway. He went out to the backyard first, to the shed, and just like Tom and Maddie's room, it too was empty. No biggie. He rushed up to his room, the attic, and checked... Empty. No biggie. The kitchen, bathroom, garage, living room, guest rooms even! But nope. His family was nowhere to be seen. Hell, he hadn't even found Ozzie!
Sonic came to a stop in the entryway, catching a glimpse of something parked out front in their driveway. The car. The car. That single thing made his heart rate spike, and his hands to shake. Where would they have gone without the car? Tom and Maddie couldn't keep up with Tails or Knuckles, and there's no way they would have left without Sonic, especially on his birthday. For as hard as Sonic tried to be the optimism of the group–Joking around, shedding light on every situation–He just... Couldn't find that same light. All that went through his head was that voice, the one that had been screaming at him before, now as loud as a car horn as it yelled that he was losing his family. Again. For the third time. Faces he didn't remember, but a song that he could never forget. Longclaw. And now... Tom, Maddie, Knuckles, Tails.
He was losing them again. All over.
Sonic knew a panic attack when he felt it–He was barely breathing, not inhaling, and his eyes were blurry. His mind was painfully loud, yet blank. There- There was only one person who could help calm him down–Someone who he knew would never leave. He reached up into his quills, sending a small static shock into the one quill that didn't match his own, long and almost jet black.
A minute went by, painfully slow, just staring down at the floor, his chest heavy. It was as he was about to send another small shock that a green light flashed in his eyes, and then... He saw him. Shadow, standing there and looking just as panicked as Sonic felt. But then the dark hedgehog’s brows furrowed, and he seemed to calm. Immediately, tears welled up into Sonic's eyes, blurring his vision, as he sped over to Shadow, wrapping his arms around the dark hedgehog, who seemed... Mildly surprised. Dark gloved hands were hovered in the air, unsure what to do with them, before they slowly settled on Sonic's back. He didn't need to speak for Shadow to understand. He just held onto him, tight and warm and real.
“...Are you alright..?” Shadow’s deep voice rumbled in Sonic's ears, soothing him slightly. He couldn't speak–Not now, so he shook his head, holding on tighter. Shadow frowned, and for a moment, Sonic thought he saw a hint of care in the dark hedgehog’s eyes. Must have been a trick of the light. Someone was here, he wasn't alone. He'd always have Shadow to beat the crap out of him–It was a calming thought. He'd never have to be alone again–Never again. Shadow was always here... He always would be. He smelled like Lavender.
It was Sonic's favorite smell.