I was considering releasing all seven of my little fics for Sonadow Week 2021 as a single-chapter story. But after looking at how long the first three entries were after writing them, I decided to separate them into individual chapters per day.

And I'm already a little behind. Whoops. Anyway, enjoy!

For Day 1, this contains spoilers for my ongoing story, "Saving Sonic."

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE SONIC CHARACTERS!

Hurt

It was almost like a routine for him.

Eggman would attack. He and Tails would go out to stop whatever diabolical plot the madman hatched. Sometimes, one or some of their friends would join them in thrashing Egghead's robots. They'd save the day, spend some time making sure their surroundings are cleared of debris and that any civilians who got caught in the battle were evacuated safely and their wounds patched up, then head their separate ways.

But, once in a blue moon, things went south and someone got badly hurt. Being the one who was always at the center of the fray, it was usually him who ended up having to go to the hospital. He was used to this. Getting rushed to the hospital in the Tornado, Amy dramatically crying and begging him to hang on, then a couple hours of being examined, diagnosed, and treated by the doctors.

It was usually broken bones, concussions, or severe blood loss that warranted hospital visits. And Tails was usually the one who accompanied him.

But this visit was different.

He didn't have any broken bones. He didn't have a concussion. And he wasn't bleeding out. It was 18 years' worth of trauma and self-hatred finally culminating in a total meltdown of his mental health. His mind hurt. His heart hurt. His very soul hurt. He felt so lost and alone. Even with his friends supporting him, he still felt like he didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve help. He was wasting everyone's time. He wasn't going to get better. His friends would get tired of him and they were going to leave him, calling him a hopeless case. He was going to be alone and he deserved it he deserved it he deserved it…

"Hey…" A warm baritone voice snapped him out of his darkening thoughts. He felt an arm wrap around his waist and pull him into a warm, furred side.

Shadow smiled and pressed his lips to his cheek. "I'll be with you the whole time," he reassured him.

"Mr. Sonic Hedgehog? Dr. Amaya will see you now," the receptionist, an orange tabby cat, announced.

He took a deep breath and stood up with Shadow, the latter gently holding his hand.

"You ready?" Shadow asked him. The love and warmth in the black hedgehog's eyes gave him a small measure of courage. Maybe… maybe this will work.

Squeezing Shadow's hand, Sonic took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Ready…" he mumbled and let his boyfriend lead him into the psychiatrist's office.

When I look back at all the insane stuff Sonic's been through, I can't help but wonder if he has ever needed therapy. Seriously, he's only 15 and has seen and done things no 15-year-old should ever have to do. Someone help this boy.