A/N:I am planning to make Wade less goofy and clueless so he would be more of a character rather them a comic relief. English is not my native language so sorry for any mistakes. Sadly, I don't have a beta reader
"""
"You can't be serious!" Commander Walters said to the woman in front of him.
The older man was sitting in front of the desk in his private office. He flipped through the file looking for anything that could deny her claims. She had one simple job, to confirm his assessment and make the project officially under G.U.N. 's jurisdiction. It was an open and shut case. It was so clear to him, so why did she make his life more difficult?
It was supposed to be just a spectacle so everything would be above board. He didn't even think that hard when he picked her to do the assessment. She was the first social worker that was available to him. He thought that the shock of learning that aliens were real would be enough to get the opinion in his favor. But no, he had to pick the one person that was serious about her job. He should have picked someone older who was already jaded by their work but it was too late for that now. She stood there unflinching, ready to fight. The mess of her blond locks defied the neat order that he had in his office.
"That is my assessment." She said firmly.
"It's government property. It even says it on the tank that we found it in." The commander pulled out the picture from the file to show it to her. "In bold red letters."
"No, he was a government property but because of your deal with Wachowskis he is now considered a citizen." She glared at him. "And you know that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked for my assessment."
Wachowskis were a thorn in his side. It was bad enough when they kept the first alien that they found. But then their hedgehog and his new friends saved the world from a crazy superpowered scientist and his giant robot. As before they wanted to take care of the two new aliens and he was mostly fine with that. The citizens of Green Hills were already used to one alien so adding two more to the mix shouldn't be an issue and they would have all of them in one place. It was far easier to monitor them in a small town than to track them around the globe. However, he made a crucial mistake. The one that was biting him in the ass. They wanted to officially adopt the aliens. They wanted him to make it possible in exchange for them keeping a secret about both incidents involving Robotnik.
At that point, he was already vaguely aware of the project but they were still figuring out what it was. So without thinking he made a few calls and aliens were granted citizen status. It sounded like a good military strategy. Having superpowered aliens on their side could be beneficial and if they were the only country on Earth that offered citizenship to extraterrestrials, it could bring more of them to their side. But the definition of the extraterrestrial was vague enough that the project could be included in it, despite it being made by them.
"It's dangerous. It was the reason why the raid at the base was conducted all those years ago. It attacked our soldier when we revived it." He pulled out a report and presented it to her.
" He was defending himself after he woke up in a new place surrounded by people pointing guns at him." She pointed at the end of the report. "He calmed down when everything was explained to him."
"The project surrendered when it became clear to it that it can't get through all of us." He slammed his fist on the desk. It was so obvious so why couldn't she see it? "It even called itself an ultimate life form."
"Because it was the only thing that hewas ever taught." She was getting angrier that the commander was refusing to see the boy for who he really was. "Most files about him are corrupted. What we were able to recover says that he was experimented on and that he's only 4 years old."
"Do you mean 54?" The commander corrected her.
"No, he was in suspended animation for 50 years."
"It doesn't look like a 4-year-old to me."
"Because, and I can't stress it enough, hewas experimented on. After your interactions with other aliens, you recognized that he was a child and that is why I'm here. Comparing him to the data from other aliens, he seems to be a teenager. Which aligned with mental maturity tests that he took. He seems to be an equivalent of 14-15 year old." As she was talking she pulled documents from different specialists that assessed the boy to show that she was telling the truth. "So he's a teenage boy with now living relatives and I'm his social worker. He's in my care and I'll decide what is the best for him."
The commander paused as his anger was slowly replaced with a smirk. Yes, that could be it. The angle that he could use against her. She so kindly gave him all the ammunition that he needed to defeat her. It would be a shame not to use it. He leaned back in his chair already enjoying what was about to happen. All that struggle was pointless but he could appreciate her fighting spirit. In the end, he would get the project.
"Ok, let's assume that you are right. That it…" he looked at her with a smirk. "Sorry, that he's a teenage boy. You need to provide the best home for him. And surely no foster parent is equipped to deal with an alien child. They wouldn't be near a medical facility that can provide proper care for the child. After all, he's a special needs child. However, we can do it. So the best solution is for him to stay with G.U.N."
He studied her face. He wanted to see the moment when her spirit broke and she would finally give him what he wanted. He would be legally in charge of the project. But rather than satisfaction, there was an uneasiness starting to grow in the back of his mind. She was still standing there as defiant as her messy blond locks. There was a shine in her eyes. What was it? A satisfaction? As her smile grew on her face, it dawned on him. She was the one enjoying the situation.
"Actually," She placed a file that she was holding in front of him and opened it so he could read it. "There is one foster parent uniquely qualified to take care of him."
Confusion was replaced by shock and later by anger as he kept reading the file. The whole damn town was against him and he spent so much money to rebuild it after each attack. It felt like a personal insult. It was undeniable that she was right and the guy got all his certifications only a few weeks ago.
"Fine" He was gritting his teeth. "But if he commits a crime or proves to be dangerous, he'll end up here with us."
"""
It was a nice warm day as Wade was sitting in the backyard with his best friend Tom, watching his kids playing with their dog. It still felt a little weird to think about Knuckles and Tails as Tom's and Maddie's kids. Wade loved those kids but it has been only a few weeks since they defeated Robotnik and his giant robot. The government wanted to keep the situation under wraps so they took care of fixing all damages. The town got back to normal or at least their version of normal with alien kids living in the town.
But it really was normal. As they laughed, running around the backyard, they were just kids. Nothing more or nothing less. There was a soft smile on Tom's face as he watched his kids. It was interesting watching Tom and Maddie change since Sonic started living with them. Tom was a great sheriff and he loved people but he never imagined his friend as a dad. He even explicitly told him that they didn't plan to have any kids. But fate worked mysteriously and they fell in love with Sonic.
It took their little family some time to adjust and Wade got to watch it from up close. The struggle that Sonic had to admit that Tom and Maddie were more than just his friends. And frustrations that they had when Sonic got angry when he didn't understand the point of some rules that his guardians tried to enforce. But through all of that none of them doubted their choice to become a family. All that work over the year made it easier to accept two new boys when they came into their life. It was so natural as if they were looking to expand their family when that happened.
"Why do I reward the dog for bringing something that I just threw away?" Knuckles looked at the stick in his hand and dog treats in the other.
Ozzy was sitting in front of the boys with his eyes following the stick and he wagged his tail.
"Because you play fetch with him. The game is for him to bring it back." Sonic bounced excited around Knuckles.
Tails stood next to them and nodded eagerly. The fox boy had a look of wonder on his face. "I have read that it is a very popular game but I've never seen it in person."
"But if the point of the game is for me to have the stick back then why throw it away in the first place?" The red one sounded confused.
"No, the point is to get Ozzy to run," Sonic said calmly but there was a small hint of frustration in his voice.
Over the weeks that his new friends started living with them, he got better at being more understanding and patient with Knuckles. The echidna lived alone for even longer than Sonic and he didn't have the luxury of spying on humans when he needed some companionship. His new big brother was even more isolated than Sonic was. Wade still remembered a few shouting matches that they had when Sonic got too frustrated to deal with Knuckles.
The echidna looked impressed and he nodded. "So the game is about exercise. That is a noble goal to keep your body fit even when you are playing."
Without thinking too much about it, Knuckles tossed the stick and that launched Ozzy towards the end of the backyard with Sonic following. Tails looked confused for a split second before he ran after the hedgehog. "I've read that you play fetch by staying still."
"Yes but it's more fun to run with Ozzy." Sonic was grinning. "Knux can be the one standing still this time."
They were both giggling as they ran back and the dog sat in front of Knuckles who furrowed his brow. "I don't like this game. I'm a warrior. I should exercise too."
"Nah, think about it this way. You are providing exercise to your tribe, making us stronger." Sonic seemed to be ready with an answer. "You are training us."
The echidna's face lit up. "You finally admit that you need my help with your training."
Knuckles happily grabbed the sick and presented a handful of treats to the dog. Ozzy didn't wait and eagerly ate them all. Sonic groaned loudly. "You were supposed to give him only one treat each time he brings you a stick."
"You didn't tell me that it was a rule of the game." The red one pointed out.
"Dad! We don't have any more treats for Ozzy" Sonic shouted and it was a joy to see how Tom's smile grew.
It was a relatively new development in their relationship. Tom was Sonic's dad way before the boy felt comfortable saying it but it had to feel good to hear his son admit that.
"There should be some more in the garage." Before Tom was able to finish there was a blue blur and a rush of air going past them in both directions. In a blink of an eye Sonic's hand was full of treats.
"No running in the house," Tom shouted casually.
"I know, that is why I went around the house. The garage was opened." Sonic said with a cheeky grin and Tom was thinking if that qualified as breaking the rules before letting it slide and having them go back to play fetch.
"Ah, kids." Tom smiled. "I'm so grateful that you babysat them on such short notice."
One of Maddie's relatives was in a car accident and they needed to visit him in a hospital on the other side of the country. Since Sonic lost his rings they needed to travel by plane and they couldn't take their alien kids with them. The relative was fine but he was really glad to see them.
"It was not a problem. They are a pleasure to be around. A little chaotic, but still a pleasure. And it was an emergency." Wade waved his hand.
"Still, thank you."
Wade's gaze wandered towards the kids. He was on his own journey for the last year. Watching his best friend taking care of Sonic awakened in him longing that he didn't expect. He has been a police officer for a long time and loved helping people but the whole situation opened his eyes to a new type of help that he could provide for kids in need. Wade wasn't sure if he was a dad type but he loved babysitting Sonic. It gave him a sense of fulfillment that was difficult to describe. As if suddenly everything fit in the right place. He wanted to help more kids in need.
A loud ringing pulled Wade away from his thoughts. It took him a second to realize that it was his phone making noise. He looked at it and froze.
Tom noticed that and looked a little worried. "Who is calling you?"
Wade gulped and said weakly. "Layla."
Tom's eyes went wide. "Wait, that Layla?"
"I don't know any other Layla!" He said in a more panicked voice.
"How am I supposed to know that?" Tom looked at the phone. "Go ahead, pick it up."
Wade's mouth was suddenly very uncomfortably dry. "Hello, it's Wade speaking."
"Wade, it's Layla. I'm so glad to hear from you." She sounded very professional and to the point but there was a hint of worry behind her voice that he didn't like. "I have a 15-year-old boy that is looking for a foster home."
"Oh." It was all that Wade was able to say.
The time seemed to slow down around him. He tried to be calm and reminded himself that he was ready. All that training that he went through, background checks, and paperwork were exactly for that purpose. It was the reason why he got certified as a foster parent. But it happened so fast. He got certified only a few weeks ago. Green Hills was a small town in the middle of nowhere. With the small population of the nearby area, there wasn't a big demand for foster parents. He was expecting to get a call like that after a few more months at least.
"Wade are you there?"
"Yes, sorry. I was a little shocked." Wade took a deep breath. "Can you tell me more about him?"
Despite Layla calling him about the boy in need, it was Wade who needed to agree to take him in. He could say no if he thought that it was not the right time for him or he thought that child was too much for him. A 15 years old boy was already at the upper limit of the age that Wade was willing to foster but he was willing to consider his options.
"Well." She paused and Wade could hear his breath. "That is the weird part. I can't tell you more than that. I didn't get his file"
"What?"
That was highly unusual. Layla was his social worker and her task was to match him with potential foster kids that would match the description of who he was willing to take in. It was supposed to be a collaboration between her and the kid's social worker.
"I only know that he has no living relatives. It was probably the reason why I got the call about him because they can move him around since he isn't attached to any location. And there is more." Wade could swear that he heard her biting her lip. "His social worker said that you are uniquely qualified to take care of him but she couldn't tell me why. She seemed to imply that he will be in big trouble if you pass on him. That is the only reason why I agreed to call you. I think that the boy was involved in something and they try to hide him in the middle of nowhere. Maybe she thinks that with you being a cop, you could provide another layer of protection. Wade, I'll be honest. It doesn't sound like a good deal. I'm in charge of you and I'm not sure if I can recommend this boy to you. He sounds like too much trouble with not enough information about him."
Wade gulped. She was an expert on that type of thing. If she didn't like that situation, he should listen to her. He didn't have a good feeling about fostering so soon, the boy was a little older than he expected for his first foster child and there were so many unknown factors attached to him. In a way, she gave him an easy way to say no. He opened his mouth to say just that but he heard a laugh. Sonic was laughing because Knuckles proudly gave him the stick. It seemed that the boys switched places and the hedgehog was the one tossing the stick. It seemed that the echidna was the one who fetched the stick instead of the dog.
"Knux, you don't need to bring me the stick Ozzy will do it. You just run with him." Sonic said with a big smile on his face.
"I just wanted to prove that I'm a better warrior than him." Knuckles huffed.
"We know that big guy. It's just fun, not a competition."
He watched the scene unfold and words got stuck in his throat. Too much trouble with not enough information fit all three of Tom's kids. The kids that desperately needed help. Who knows where they would end up if Tom and Maddie wouldn't offer their home to them. The kids that inspired him to do it in the first place. And he was going to fold at the first sound of trouble. They were able to figure it out with aliens so how much more difficult could a human child be? He knew from his lesson that some of them could have some traumatic experiences and misbehave but he saw that with Sonic and his brothers. It felt wrong to give up on someone before giving him any chance. He persevered through two attacks by a mad man so how could he be scared of a child. Well, he would be responsible for that child. Messing up could hurt the boy but from the sound of it, doing nothing would hurt him for sure. So the answer was obvious despite being terrifying.
"I'll take him." He said weakly.
"What?"
"I'll take him." He said louder and more confident, despite everything in his body telling him to run.
"Are you sure?" She sounded shocked.
"Yes. It's something that only I can do." There was a weird comfort in that. As if he didn't have a choice because he would hate himself afterward.
"Ok? Ok. I'll call her back. She told me that he can be at your house tonight so you should get ready. I'll be there to collect his file in person so we'll see each other. I'll text you when I'll know the more precise time of his arrival. I'll start working on the paperwork. See you soon, bye" She hung up.
Wade slowly pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. Layla's phone number was fading from the screen. It was happening. He looked at Tom. "I need to go."
"Why? I thought that you were staying for dinner." Maddie said as she came out of the house to check on her boys.
Wade looked at her. He was paler than usual. "A 15-year-old boy, tonight."
At first, she furrowed her brow but then it clicked. "Ok, call us if you need anything. We'll be more than glad to help. I can bake something for him to make him feel more welcomed."
"You don't have to come to work tomorrow and call me if you need more than that." Tom gave him an encouraging smile. "Good luck"
Wade nodded and stood up in a rush. "I'll update you tomorrow."
He hugged Tom and Maddie and waved to the kids. He quickly got to his car and tried to remember what he had in the fridge. The boy would probably want something warm after his trip so he should make dinner for him. Wade stopped at the supermarket and his mind was so frazzled that he just bought all the ingredients for a chicken soup. It was much better to have too much and use it later than to forget something and panic while trying to get it.
He parked in front of his one-story house. His hands were shaking, trying to open the door. As soon as he was in, he dropped all his groceries in the kitchen and went to check the room for the boy. It looked perfect. Wade only cleaned it since he had a home inspection all those weeks ago. It was a rather simple and uninteresting room. It had plain blue walls, a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. It reminded Wade a little of a hotel room but it was by design so the child would be overwhelmed in a new environment. Pillows and sheets were already waiting.
On his way back to the kitchen he checked the cleanliness of his house. Wade thanked God that he didn't have any major mess. He needed to focus on something to calm his nerves and cooking a soup was perfect for that. He needed to make sure that the boy was properly and that stopped his mind from wandering about what kind of mess the boy was in. The thing that mattered was that he needed to take care of the boy.
Shortly after Wade finished the soup, he got a text from Layla:
They are much closer than I expected. They should arrive soon. I'll be a little late. Sorry.
His heart started to beat faster. He was supposed to have his social worker to help him. But Wade didn't have time to worry about it, because a car stopped in front of his house. Was it them? He had to check and make a good first impression. On his way out he made sure that he looked good in the mirror and opened the front door.
A black SUV with tinted windows was never a good sign. He could see shapes moving inside the car but couldn't tell who they were. Should he stay put or get close to the car? He was never in a situation like that. The back door facing away from him opened and he saw blond messy locks before she turned and smiled at him.
Her genuine smile which put his mind at ease. If the situation was as bad as he was imagining it, she would be a lot more serious. She waved at him as she walked around the car to get to the back door which was facing him. It felt more polite to approach the car to help her with the boy's bags so on autopilot he walked in her direction.
"You must be Wade. My name is Wanda. It's so nice to meet you. I'm so happy that you agreed to take him in. I'm sure that he'll love it here." She opened the door and Wade could see the boy sitting inside.
In an instant it all made sense. All that secrecy and why he was the only person that could foster him. Out of the car slid out the boy with mostly black fur except for the tuft of white fur on his chest, a cream-colored one on his face, and a few red streaks mostly on his quills and around his eyes. The boy had an annoyed look on his face like he didn't want to be there. Wade felt as if some invisible weight was lifted off him. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was so scared that the boy was a human teenager. Wade didn't have that much experience with them but he had plenty of experience with hedgehogs. He can deal with a hedgehog.
The lady smiled widely. Wade was the first person that she met that relaxed when he saw the hedgehog. "His name is Shadow and he'll be staying with you."
