The bed was comfortable and Manic couldn't sleep. So unfair.

It had been a few months since Robotnik's fall from power, much to the joy of everyone in the newly re-named Mobotropolis. After over a decade of struggles, suffering, authoritarianism, and repression of the people, Mobians were now free to live their life exactly how they wanted. Music was unbanned, nature was reintegrated, and citizens could sleep peacefully knowing that they no longer had to live in fear of forced Roboticization.

The Council of Four, particularly the royal triplets, became somewhat of a hot topic throughout the kingdom after they were instrumental in overthrowing Robotnik and his lackeys. You could go to anyone on the street, ask them about the royal family, and they could give you a great spiel about their tragic backstory, their wonderful gifts, and the hope they inspired throughout the populace. And with the revocation of the music ban, Sonic Underground was first in line to become the sound of Mobian rock. Overall, it was hard not to love these teenage rebels that freed an entire kingdom.

A recurring topic would be their mother, Queen Aleena, and the heartwarming reunion they had after years of searching. By all accounts, it involved a lot of hugging and a lot of tears. After the fight for the throne was finally over and reconstruction had begun, Aleena had taken them back to the palace to stay with her and hopefully get the chance for a normal life. They knew that adjusting to noble living would be difficult for some (Sonic) and easier for others (Sonia), so it was agreed that the adventurous spirit they had gained during their time together should be encouraged rather than stifled. None of them would be forced to conform to the same level of standards that many royal children are held to.

Yeah. Things were going well. Great, in fact.

So why was Manic unhappy?

Aleena knocked on the door of Manic's bedroom. She was a bit concerned for him after he went upstairs so early. His mood throughout the day had been noticeably down compared to his usual, energetic self. That, combined with the fact that he didn't even finish supper, made the decision to check on him easy.

"Manic? Are you alright in there?"

"Yeah," he replied, his voice muffled through the door and the pillow he was lying face-down on.
"It really doesn't sound like it. Can I come in?"

"...Sure."

Aleena crept into his room, immediately taking note of the fact that it hadn't been cleaned in a bit. All her motherly instincts told her to mention this to Manic, but she held her tongue. He didn't seem in the mood for being lectured over cleanliness at the moment.

Manic sluggishly lifted his head up to meet his mother's gaze. His expression seemed dull compared to usual, and she had the feeling it wasn't just due to sleepiness.

"Ok, sweetie; what's going on with you?" Aleena sat down next to him on the bed. "First you don't finish your meal, then you head upstairs so early, and now I find you burying your face in a pillow. Are you feeling sick?"

"No, it's not that. I'm just, eh..." He finally sat up. "Just thinking."

"Alright... do you want to share what about?"

Manic didn't respond for a few seconds. He seemed to find it difficult to phrase it properly.

"No rush."

"No, I know!" He slightly shook his head. "I'm just trying to figure out how I wanna say it."

Aleena nodded. "Mhm. And like I said, no rush." The two of them sat in silence for a couple minutes, with only the background hum of the air conditioner reaching their ear drums.

Eventually, Aleena noticed that her son was starting to look troubled again, and she began combing her hand through the quills on the back of Manic's head. He almost leaned into the reassuring touch before stopping himself and straightening his posture. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. But before she could say anything, Manic finally spoke up.

"Alright, I think I'm ready to talk." He spun around to face Aleena, crossing his legs.

"Alright!" She followed suit, giving him a reassuring smile. "So, what's up?" Manic chuckled slightly at how strange that phrase sounded coming from her.

"Ok, so… um… I guess I've kinda been thinking about... all this."

Aleena raised an eyebrow. "I'm not following."

"Y'know, all this!" Manic spread his arms out wide, gesturing to the entire room. "Settling down like this, after all this time. Adjusting to a life that's less crazy."

"Ohhh." Aleena looked down, seeming a bit embarrassed. "I was a bit worried you were going to have a hard time getting used to a quieter life. Sonic had told me recently he was feeling a bit cooped up." She turned back to Manic. "I assume you're feeling the same?"

He rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "Eh. Not really? It's kinda..." His voice trailed off.

"Speak up, please."

"I-It's kinda... the opposite."

"What do you mean by that?"

Manic ran a hand through his quills, accidentally mussing his hairstyle up a bit. "I mean... We've told you about how long we were fighting out there, and what it was like trying to find you."

Aleena felt a pang of guilt at that. "Y-yes, you have."

"And now, after all that... it still feels weird that it finally gets to be over now."

"Mmm." She nodded slowly. "But that's not all, is it? It definitely seems like there's something else affecting you."

"Y-yeah." Manic winced. "It's just that... I'm 16 years old now, and not only that, I'm a 16 year old who worked with two other teenagers to defeat an evil genius despot! Anyone in that position would feel ready to take on anything! They'd wanna be independent." He let out an involuntary sigh, trying to get his emotions under control.

"So why don't I feel like that?"

Aleena didn't respond for a second. Manic had curled up slightly, wrapping his arms around his legs. He seemed so hurt by his own thoughts.

"Manic, if I'm understanding you... Are you saying you don't feel as confident or independent as you think you should?" Manic simply shrugged in response.

"I guess? I know it's weird, and I know that any other guy my age wouldn't be feeling like this! It's just that... we never got to really grow up alongside you. A-and now that we're finally a family, I'm still at that age where other guys are looking to forge their own path, and they'd probably call me a mama's boy for feeling this way, but I've only really got a couple years left with you until people are gonna start expecting me to be a fully-fledged adult-"

"Honey, honey! Deep breaths, you're rambling a little bit." Aleena put a hand on his shoulder, breathing in and out with him to calm him down.

"Sorry, mom."

"No need to apologize, Manic. Besides, I think I know what you're getting at." She shifted a bit closer to her son, keeping one hand on his shoulders.

"From what I'm hearing, you're feeling upset that you haven't gotten the chance to connect with me until now, and you think it's too late at this point."

Manic nodded, releasing his legs from the death grip his arms had on them. "Yeah, basically! And more than that, I don't wanna fuckin' be made to feel weird for now wanting to rely on you as a mom!"

Any other time, Aleena would have scolded his dose of colorful language there. Now, she just listened to him. "I absolutely see what you're saying.. And I think I understand why you're feeling like this. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." She smiled at this, and moved her arm to wrap around his shoulders and pull him a bit closer. Manic finally cracked the faintest smile as well.

"I don't think I have to harp any more on how hard your life has been. Having to give you and your siblings up for the sake of the prophecy, and keeping you safe from Eggman. Adding on to that the fact that you were forced to fight for your lives and the lives of everyone around you from such a young age, and that the search for us to reunite was so difficult..." She grimaced at the memories. "I only wish I could have returned for you sooner."

"Well it's not your fault, mom!" Manic glanced up at her. "We weren't allowed to reunite until the prophecy's predictions lined up for it to happen, y'know?"

"No, sweetie, that doesn't erase the fact that it hurt you so deeply." Aleena shook her head. "All three of you were alone for so long, with only the promise of seeing me again. And now that you've gotten that wish, it makes sense to want to... start over, in a sense. Make up for lost time."

"Yeah, but Sonic and Sonia don't seem like they're having this problem!" Manic pouted slightly, and Aleena felt a pang of endearment and sympathy for him.

"Sonia's fine with just chilling around and working with the royal life and whatever, and Sonic's splitting his time between the castle and just running around Mobius, looking for adventure! Not that they don't love you anymore, but I feel like I'm the only one who's still attached to your side. I guess."

Aleena's hand began rubbing his back, and this time, he didn't feel nearly as guilty for enjoying the affection. "Here's the thing, though: your situation was different from theirs from the get-go. Sonia had Lady Windermere as a guardian and parental figure from the get-go, and Sonic had his adopted parents and his Uncle Chuck! You... didn't have that same type of guidance, as far as I can tell."

"Yeah... I-I mean, Farrell and his gang were never mean or cold to me or anything! They were all nice and helpful. They just felt more like... I dunno, teachers or friends or something, not-"

"Not a family. Not parents." Aleena frowned and tilted his head up to look at her. "More the type to tell you how you should do something, as opposed to guiding you lovingly. And you needed that just as much as any child would. That is nothing, nothing to be ashamed of."

There were a few seconds of silence after she said this. A silence that was only broken when Manic began crying.

Aleena gasped softly, and gathered him up in her arms for an emergency soothing hug. "Oh, sweetie! Shhhh-shh-shh-shhhhh... It's ok, it's gonna be ok now. You're ok."

Manic's cries were muffled by her fur as he buried his face away, clinging to her for dear life. "F-fuck, I-I-I'm s-sorry, I c-can't stop-"

"Shhhhhh, you don't need to apologize to me. It's ok to cry. I'm here for you. I'm always going to be here for you."

Manic needed to hear that more than anything.

After a few minutes of Manic's emotional catharsis and Aleena's hugs and whispered sweet nothings, he had finally calmed down enough to dry his eyes and steady his breathing.

Aleena noticed this, and went to release him from the cuddle-hold she had on him.

"Oh, uh, y-you can... you can keep hugging, if you want." Manic looked down, embarrassed. "It's kinda relaxing."

The queen kindly nodded, and shifted Manic to be resting against her as she held him.

"Manic?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to make a promise to you." Aleena gazed into Manic's eyes, as her expression took on a look of determination and fire.

"I promise you that I'm going to be as much of a mother as all of you need me to be. You, Sonic, and Sonia alike. I promise to be there for you whenever you need or want me. I promise to take care of you, to guide you in every way you never got as children, to keep you safe, fed, and healthy, to learn from you and how brilliant you three are, to comfort you when you feel down, and to always lend an ear when you need someone to talk to. And may you never feel guilty for wanting that; no matter what anyone says."

Manic's heart swelled with joy at this, and he profusely thanked her. He knew that he wanted to make her proud and to reach new heights in the world, but some days, he just wanted a mom to bond with. And now he could have both.

Yeah. Things were going well. Great, in fact.

"Oh, Manic! Look how badly your quills got messed up! Please tell me you're washing these regularly."

"Wh-Mom! Quit messing with my hair!"

"Sorry, honey. Part of being a mom means now I get to tease you and fuss over you. Part of the contract!"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" He was laughing. Both of them were laughing.