"Come out, come out wherever you are.~" a low voice teased. Sonic smiled widely, curled within himself like a ball. He was playing hide-and-seek with his Daddy. Right now, it was Shadow's turn to find him, and the little hedgie was hiding in Amy's closet behind a pile of shoes. It was the perfect hiding spot!
Daddy will never find me here! He snickered, suddenly he heard the sound of Amy's bedroom door opening followed by heavy footsteps made by some metal shoes. Sonic held his breath in apprehension, "Hmmm..." he heard Shadow hum pondering where the little hedgehog could be hiding. Silently he listened to the footsteps drawing nearer, then the sound of a closet door opening. Keeping perfectly still, he waited.
Checking under the bed, Shadow furrowed his brows, not finding what he was looking for. Twisting his head to the closet, he stood back up and walked to the door, creaking as it opened. Ruby eyes scanned the shoe covered floor; then he spotted an out of place prickly round ball, "Ahah! There you are!" he roared, quickly reaching for his target before it could escape. But he was just a second too late, his fingers swiping past the blue ball that rolled away in a burst of speed.
Shrieking with delight, Sonic unrolled himself, switching to a fast crawl as he hurried to getaway. "Get back here, you little trouble maker!" Shadow yelled, chasing after him. Sonic quickly made his way to the living room, hesitating for a second, swiftly turning his head, looking for another place to hide.
The couch!
Unfortunately, Sonic's moment of hesitation cost him dearly as Shadow caught up and leaped, catching him by surprise, "Gottcha!" Shadow cheered in triumph, grabbing Sonic by the leg turning him over, so they were face to face. Sonic recoiled, looking up at crimson eyes, smiling evilly down at him. Pulling the squirming hedgie into his clutches, Shadow began blowing raspberries onto the little hedgie's tan tummy. Sonic squealed, laughing hysterically, entirely at the mercy of his ex-rival, "You thought you could get away, didn't you? Well, you can never escape from the Ultimate Life-form!" the ebony hog growled playfully, lifting Sonic into the air swinging him around.
"Ah!" he squeaked with a wide toothless smile in glee, raising his arms beside him in an airplane position while Shadow stood up and whirled him around the living room, making airplane noises. Amy walked in, grinning at the sight, "Ok, you two, lunch is ready."
On cue, a growl emanated from Sonic's stomach, and Shadow laughed, "I think someone's hungry." he teased, lowering the hoglet back into his arms. Sonic nodded vigorously.
Shadow placed him into his high chair and took a seat at the table, "Here you go." Amy sets two plates of grilled chicken with a salad and roasted potatoes for them and a small plate of bite-sized chicken nuggets with ketchup and peas and carrots on the side for Sonic. "Thank you, Rose." Shadow says before digging in; Sonic signed his 'thanks,' doing the same. Amy nodded, setting herself down, taking a bite of her cooking.
A few minutes later, Sonic finished his nuggets. He waves to Amy, letting her know he was done; she eyed the peas and carrots still on his plate untouched, "Come on, Sonic, eat your veggies. I know you're not full yet, when you've finished those then you can get out." he pouted at her, "Not want that. Want dessert." Shadow translated. "You can have something sweet later, eat your peas and carrots." Amy insisted, not backing down when Sonic pulled the puppy dog eyes on her; Shadow chuckled at the disappointed frown that followed after it, "Looks like you lost again blueberry, go on eat your greens for Mommy and Daddy."
Whining, Sonic did as told, picking up a handful of now cold peas and carrots stuffing them into his small mouth. He puckered at the mushy texture, gumming and swallowing it down as fast as he could. A few bites later, he signed that he was finished, "Alright, I guess that's enough for now." Amy acquiesced. Standing up, she released him up from the chair while Shadow disposed of the scraps and began cleaning up.
As she picked him up, Amy recognized the feeling of a heavy diaper, "Mmm, I think someone could use a change. We'll get your bottle after." walking to the nursery, Sonic rested his head on her shoulder as he was whisked away to the changing table.
One diaper change later, the two were back in the kitchen. Opening the fridge, Amy pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk, taking it and Sonic to the living room.
Getting cozy on the couch, she adjusted Sonic into a more comfortable position and offered the sweet drink. Nestled in her arms, he accepted, happily, sucking down the milk. Amy smiled at him affectionately, humming lightly as he made quick work of the bottle.
When it was empty, Amy set the bottle aside, resting the hoglet on top of her shoulder; she gave him a few firm pats encouraging a small burp out. He sighed, relieved of the pressure. Continuing to hum, Amy rocked, gently rubbing his back. Sonic sighed again, smiling in content and stretched, yawning widely and nuzzling her soft cheek. Cherishing the warmth of his Mommy's embrace, emerald eyes fluttered closed as he listened to her lullaby.
Once he was snoring peacefully, Amy carefully placed the sleeping hedgehoglet onto a nearby pillow, putting the paci into his mouth, and laying a blanket over to keep him warm. Tenderly caressing his tiny cheek as the pacifier bobbed up and down, "Goodnight, my little emerald." she whispered.
He walked through the forest, unsure of where he was going or where he was. Raising his eyes, Sonic could see the sun was starting to set in between the trees. He needed to get back home quickly...wait a minute, where is home?
"Uh oh." he softly squeaked, turning around gazing over his surroundings, finding nothing that looked familiar. He was lost; it was getting dark and scary outside. "H-hello! Anyone out there?" Sonic raised his ears to listen, shuffling where he stood with his tail between his legs, hearing only the wind pick up rusting the leaves above. "Please, I-I-I'm lost! Please help me!" He called again, desperate to hear a voice.
A loud noise clapped from above his tiny head, startling the little hedgehog. Whimpering, he frantically searched for cover from the sudden thunderstorm approaching. Another boom shook the dark sky, followed by heavy rainfall; not watching where he was going as he ran, Sonic slipped on the slick ground, landing face-first in a pile of mud. He sniffed, trying to keep the tears in, picking himself up. Wiping some mud from his face, he saw a small hole made by some roots underneath a tree just a few feet ahead. He scurried to the sanctuary that seemed to be just right for his size.
Entering the small hole, he didn't bother removing any more mud off; that was the least of the hoglet's problems right now. Pulling his knees close to his chest, trying to keep warm, he watched the rain pour down from his hideout with huge eyes. His ears folded flat against his head as the sky roared and clapped, lightning tearing through the dark as night clouds.
Lost, cold, wet, and scared, Sonic shivered, pressing his back to the hard bark wishing someone would find and save him. Not that there was anyone out there looking for him; as far as the world was concerned, he didn't exist. He had no one, and he was alone like he had always been.
Alone, unknown, unwanted.
Shaking like a leaf from the cold and a broken heart, Sonic curled into himself as much as possible, his small voice crying softly for something he probably would never have.
Sonic woke up with a start in a cold sweat, sitting up and clenching the blanket to his chest, heart beating as fast as he could run. Looking around, he found himself in the same position he was in just before waking up.
Alone.
"M-ma-Mama...Dada?" He slowly calls out. No answer. Chills ran through his arms, and though his heart wasn't beating quite as fast as when he first woke up, it still rattled in his chest like a maraca. Clearing his throat, Sonic called again a little louder, "Mama? Dada?"
Still no answer.
Come on; there's nothing to be scared of...m-maybe they're in another room?
That logical thought eased his anxiety slightly; taking a few deep breaths to calm his heart, he carefully descended off the couch. Sonic crawled past the kitchen, sparing it a brief glance, not seeing anyone there; that wasn't unusual, though. It was more likely one or both of them were in their rooms. He went to Amy's room first.
Scrunching his face pushing the door open with all his might, he opened his eyes, finding the bed perfectly made and nothing out of place. No Amy. Feeling his stomach turn sour and panic grow, quickly he went to the office turned guest room where Shadow had been sleeping.
No signs of life there either.
His breathing quickened on the verge of a panic attack, but there was one more room to check. In less than a second, Sonic was in his room. Everything was picked up and in its place. Fully freaking out now, Sonic dashed around the whole house, searching the rooms again and every nook and cranny he could think of, calling for his Mommy and Daddy with increasing urgency. "Mama! Dada! Mama! Dada!"
Where are you?! Where is everyone?! Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone again!
Stopping back where he started in the living room, hearing nothing but the sounds of his heart thundering and rapid gasps, tears blurred his vision. He couldn't find them anywhere. The whole house looked like it had been swept clean of any trace of where they could have possibly gone; it was like Shadow and Amy had disappeared into thin air!
Did they not like him anymore? Was he too much? Why didn't they say anything? Why did they leave him alone?
Alone...he was alone...again.
He felt nauseous, a sharp pain striking his heart; his lip quivered, choking out a cry; then another, whimpering as fat tears rolled down his muzzle. Curling up, he cried out as only an infant could when scared and in need of comfort.
"Thanks for the help Shadow, I really appreciate it." said hedgehog nodded with a soft smile picking up the large basket of harvested fruits and vegetables from the garden. Amy pattered on, dusting the dirt from her gloves, "I can't believe I almost lost everything to those nasty vermin. They took out all of my tomatoes in one night! It's a miracle we were able to save as much as we did, and at least they didn't touch my bell peppers. I would have-"
Amy cut herself off and froze. Shadow stood as still as a statue. Two sets of ears perked high, picking up a cry of distress; the hedgehogs looked at each other in alarm, "Sonic!" they cried. Forgetting the basket of food, the duo raced back to the house, hearts stopping in fear hearing the sound of their baby crying. What was happening to their baby? They had only been gone a few minutes. Worry increasing with each passing second. Their thoughts raced, was he hurt? Did Eggman attack? Who dared to try to take their baby?
Being the fastest, Shadow was the first to burst through the door, nearly breaking it out of its hinges. Ruby eyes darted all over the room, searching for any threats or signs of a struggle. His focus stopped abruptly, finding his precious little one not where they had left him last. Shadow felt like murderously ripping to shreds whoever had rendered their hedgehoglet to tears; it broke his heart hearing such cries of agony.
Approaching slowly, Shadow bent down, gently shushing the broken-up hoglet. "Hey, hey, hey. It's ok Daddy's here." picking Sonic up by his armpits, he hugged and slowly swayed the hoglet in his secure hold.
"I'm here. I'm here! What's going on?!" Amy yelled, gripping the door frame just in time to stop herself from running into Shadow. "I don't know. Check the house and make sure no surprises are waiting for us," he instructed, nodding towards the back of the house. Amy reached out but pulled back, hesitating, wanting to comfort her baby first but agreed that a quick house search was necessary for everyone's safety. Silently she left Shadow to continue to try calming the distressed hedgehoglet.
A short time later, she returned, having found no signs of an attack or intruders. Amy saw Shadow still having a difficult time getting Sonic to calm down. No amount of bouncing or rocking was having any effect on the wailing hoglet. "Here, let me try." Amy offered, holding her arms out to take the blue ball; Shadow gave him to her, praying that she would have more success.
"Oh, baby, my poor sweet baby~. What's wrong? Huh? It's ok; Mommy's got you." Amy spoke sweetly, holding Sonic close so he could hear her heart. Kissing his head quills and rubbing his back, repeating her reassurances that they were there and he was ok. It took a full 5 minutes of her routine before the sobbing turned to sniffling and an occasional hiccup. "There we go, there we go." she cooed, pulling back to see red, watery eyes peeping up out of their hiding place, shining up at her. Amy used her thumb to wipe away his tears.
"Now, can you tell us what's the matter, sweet pea?" Sniffing, Sonic shrugged with uncertainty, drawing his attention away from her. Shadow sensing what he was looking for, stepped into his vision, "I'm here too, blueberry."
Sonic visibly relaxed a bit, seeing that both were with him again. A small hand reached towards Shadow slightly, making a grabbing motion, and he gave the blue ball his finger in return. Shadow watched that tiny hand grab hold and squeezed the digit tight even though the hand barely wrapped around the width of his index finger. Sonic was so small as a baby and even more so right now curled up in Amy's arms with a look on his face that said, 'please don't hurt me.' It was pathetic in the most heartbreaking way. Shadow quickly blinked the excess water in his eyes away and reminded himself to breathe, relaxing his quills, trying to give Sonic a comforting smile. He couldn't help his blueberry if he were a mess himself.
Using his other hand, Shadow rubbed a tiny triangular ear, not able to stick up on its own completely, "Come on, it's ok, Sonic. You can tell us anything. We're not going anywhere." he softly encouraged with a warm expression. Your safe here; no one is going to hurt you in a million years. Not if I can help it!
Green eyes lingered between him and Amy before settling back to the black hog. Sonic took a deep breath pulling his hands back and began signing, explaining what had happened a few minutes prior, with Shadow carefully interpreting in a hushed voice matching Sonic's tone perfectly.
"And I got scared-I was...alone again...like before. I thought I did something wrong and made you both so mad you left. Hic-I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so much trouble." Sonic hiccuped, tears falling again. Amy held him even tighter, shushing him. Deeply troubled with how the blue hedgie viewed himself as nothing more than a burden despite all the good he had done for others. He still felt the need to prove to others and himself that he was worthy of love. Why no one had come to his aide years ago, she would never know, but now with this second chance, she would make sure he knew that he was loved and make sure he was never alone again.
Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, she spoke with a firm voice wanting to make her point clear. "Sonic. Listen to me, sweetheart. You. Are not. A burden. Don't ever think that you are or listen to anyone who says that. You are our precious little baby, and we would never ever abandon you no matter how much you drive us crazy."
Sonic stared at her with large eyes, a part of him wanted to argue that she was wrong, but he couldn't get his hands to form anything to say; what could he say when she had spoken those words with such strong conviction. It almost felt like a dream. Here in her warm and secure arms as they both looked at him. Sonic could practically see the love pouring out of their hearts; he wasn't used to such strong displays of affection. He tilted his head in awe-struck.
She harshly laughed at his expression, raising his head with a finger gazing into those shiny gem-like orbs, "Yes, it's true! We love you so much, Sonic. Every last bit."
You mean it? Honest to goodness mean it?! He wondered in disbelief, tears of happiness filling his eyes again. Shadow nodded as if he could read his thoughts, "Always no matter what! Even when you're grown and causing trouble, you'll always be our precious little blueberry. Don't you forget it! Cause if you do-" Shadow wryly smiled, tickling his tummy, making Sonic break into a grin laughing and lightening the whole room, "I'll send the tickle monster on you until you do remember!" Sonic laughed harder, waving his hands, trying to protect the vulnerable spot in vain. Amy rescued the giggling fur ball by pulling him up and covering him with kisses from head to toe.
His sorrow long gone and put far away from his mind. Sonic smiled brightly, grateful for having such wonderful friends. He felt lighter than air, like a weight he had been carrying for years had finally been lifted. Sniffing away the last of his tears, he reached out again to Shadow. Amy did the same, pulling the usually grumpy hog into a group hug. Sonic nuzzled in their warm embrace, heart swelling with love, happy to have finally found what he had been searching for.
This moment was one he would never forget.