Chapter Text
Cracking like a egg on a frying pan, his head split open and was on fire. Eroding his composure into a crisp black he just wanted anyone to take him, hold him, cradle him. In his past, he felt alone; no one loved him. And those feelings never truly went away for many years. Shadow found him in the corners of their walls, his body nearly tucked away into a ball, faint hissing and crackling escaping his nostrils as the feelings returned, that sense of belonging and safety and stillness were the only things the blue hedgehog wanted since he was unmiraculously birthed into this world. Hiding and shrinking was the only defense mechanism he knew that often worked for him against the grown-up’s random and tumultuous assaults, a raging sea pulling him back into that dark place he just wanted to be rid of.
He felt himself becoming smaller.
Shadow approached him slowly, knowing it was never wise to attempt to soothe him with his touches when his friend dealt with another flashback. It made him think the grown-ups were back after running from place to place for so long. He hushed his hisses as he reminded him that he was here, he was in their home, and no one who would want to hurt him could do so while he was around. Sonic’s rocking faltered, slowing down, something in his brain registering that he was still away from them, and Shadow would protect him from his pain as long as he was physically able. He was no stranger to it as well, after all.
But Sonic still felt incredibly small, the world turning and twisting into such a big and foreboding place, Shadow’s grip on his fingers morphing and growing, as if the hedgehog could now fit into the palm of his hand. His friend was here, but everything was still oh so dark and scary.
“Sssshhh. Everything will be OK. They’re gone. They will never hurt you again. Do you want your blankie? Do you want to watch your shows?”
The child held his tears as Shadow coaxed him out of the walls and wrapped him into a baby blue fleecey blanket, his favorite comfort item. The silence eroded as he turned on the TV, letting him focus on the bright colours and the nostalgia while Shadow reached for something in the cupboards, knowing before this Sonic barely ate, feeling too ill to want to swallow anything other than a lukewarm cup half emptied of water. Usually when this child of theirs was feeling a bit safer he could get him to help his bigger brother out by eating at least something small and sweet, a bite of brief happiness as his eyes remained hooked on the few grown ups on the TV he could feel comfortable with, other than Shadow.
They always had a few cups of “unicorn-flavoured” pudding ready for the child whenever these situations presented themselves. If anyone who looked in their pantry and asked, Shadow just said he had them for himself. No one needed to know about Sonic’s hurt if it truly was none of their business.
Shadow helped slide the lid open, saying that he knew he was a little too small to do it himself at the moment. His ears flicked as he heard a quiet and soft “thank you” floating from Sonic’s lips, nearly unnoticeable if it wasn’t for his enhanced hearing.
It was a Wednesday night, but when Sonic shrunk, any day may as well be a Saturday morning, the darkness fading slightly with the chiaroscuro of pastels from the television screen. Normally even glancing at these shows Shadow admitted gave him a headache nearly as bad as the ones Sonic suffered, but when his paternal instincts kicked in, then it didn’t matter what he thought. His friend had to grow back again if he wanted Thursday to come.
Blue fleece poked his sides as the swaddled hero tilted his head towards him, a squeaky yawn escaping as he relaxed on Shadow’s lap. He had to admit that when the little boy was sleepy it was kind of cute, but he didn’t want to risk embarrassing Sonic when he knew he would come back shortly after this.
“Feeling a little better now, sweetheart?”
Even without the blanket cuddling his body things were warmer, the coldness of the past slowly fading now that his big brother was here, protecting him from any more bad and yucky thoughts.
“Yeah. Thanks, big bro.”
The child drifted away as Shadow held him in his arms, his sleepy lids catching a glimpse of the world shrinking and returning to some state of normalcy. But he was sure Sonic wouldn’t mind if he stayed for a few more minutes, wanting to keep this sense of peace and the smell of warm lavenders in their heart for next time when things would get too scary again.
