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            Sonic dashed around his new room, frantically exploring every nook and cranny as Tom and Maddie sat on his new racecar bed. They watched as the hyper blue hedgehog zipped around like a blur, wondering how he could possibly still have so much energy after the events of this past week. Even still, they couldn’t help but smile at how happy this simple gesture had made the little guy.

            The two of them had talked about the possibility of moving Sonic in with them shortly after they had banished Robotnik to the Mushroom Planet. There really wasn’t anything to discuss however, as both of them knew they simply had to do this. Tom in particular had grown pretty fond of the little guy these past weeks, and there was just no way they could send the kid back out into his cold cave all alone. He needed someone to provide for him, and to raise him. He was still young and naïve after all.

            The couple knew that it would be a challenge. After all, this was no normal child. And even though they had always wished to be parents, nothing could prepare someone for this outcome… They decided to take things one day at a time, and right now they just wanted to enjoy how excited their kid looked right now.

            “We’re so glad you like it Sonic; Maddie and I will take good care of you here, we promise.” Tom smiled.

            “Like it? Like it? I loooove it!” Sonic replied bouncing up and down in front of Tom. “Thank you, both of you, this means everything to me!” He said quickly hugging the man, catching him off guard a bit, but making him smile.

Tom was so glad that Sonic was already feeling that comfortable around them, and the gesture melted his heart instantly. He lightly hugged the hyper blue kid back, giving him a couple pats on the head. “You deserve it kiddo.” The man let go of the hedgehog and smiled at him. “No more worries, now you’ll have a safe place to just be a kid. This is your home Sonic.”

            The sight of her two boys warmed Maddie’s heart to see. She couldn’t help but think they were so cute together. Sonic had clearly grown attached to her husband, and she thought that was great. “Well, I’m going to go get dinner started, I’m thinking chili dogs?” Maddie winked and the very excited hedgehog.

            “Heck yeah, my favorite!” Sonic grinned.

            Maddie carefully made her way back down the steep attic steps towards the kitchen to get thing going. Sonic looked like he was about to explode from sitting still too long, and Tom could tell he was about to zip off to play some more. Just before Sonic could get away Tom placed his hand on the hedgehog’s shoulder.

            “Hey bud, one sec, I wanted to have a quick talk with you man to man, okay?”

            Sonic looked confused, tilting his head. “Huh? Bout what? Oh wait… I-is this about me pushing you two off the building that night? Cause I really am sorry about that, I totally thought I could get to you guys quicker.” The hedgehog asked, looking away guiltily. He hadn’t meant to scare them like he had.

            “Well, sort of I suppose.” The man nervously rubbed the back of his head. Don’t worry, Maddie and I are over that whole nightmare experience so long as you never do it again!” He added firmly.

            “Okay then, what’s up?” Sonic asked.

            “Look kiddo, Maddie and I agreed that I would be the one to go over some house rules with you, is that alright? We figured that since you and I are a little closer, I could take care of this, then it’s right back to having fun and chili dogs, sound good?”

            Sonic nodded apprehensively, he hadn’t really thought about anything like that. But he supposed that if donut lord and his wife were going to let him stay here and take care of him, it was only fair that he has to follow their rules. “Sounds good.” He confirmed, realizing Tom was waiting for a concrete answer.

            “Awesome, I appreciate it kiddo. I promise the rules will be simple and easy to follow. I know this kinda thing might feel a bit awkward, but you are still a kid after all, so we feel it’s appropriate to set some boundaries for your own safety and ours. Especially since we are going to be responsible for taking care of you now.” Tom patted the bed next to him and Sonic hopped up taking a seat next to the man. The man took note of how Sonic fidgeted with his fingers, and kicked his feet back and forth, never sitting completely still.

            “Rule number one, we don’t want any running inside the house. Maddie and I have a lot of very breakable things in this place, items that mean a lot to us and we want to make sure those items stay intact, not to mention we just got the place fixed up after that crazy government whack job attacked us. We also want to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, got it?” Tom explained.

            Sonic groaned dramatically “I thought you said these rules would be easy to follow! You know I can’t help the running thing!” The hyper blue hedgehog complained, still bouncing in place and fidgeting constantly.

            Tom chuckled, squeezing the boy’s shoulder lightly, “what I know is that you are an endless supply of hyperactive energy. But you gotta learn to keep it in check while you’re in the house. Now if you feel the need to burn off some of that energy, we’ve got miles of forest in every direction, you’re welcome to run to your heart’s content out there, understood?”

            Sonic grumbled but nodded in agreement. Man, he thought this whole arrangement was gonna be so much fun, but rules were so boring! Donut lord was supposed to be his bud, it felt kinda weird that he was acting so much like a dad right now. Briefly he thought back to his time with Longclaw. Guess it had been a long time since he had any structure in his life. For most of his life he kind of did whatever he wanted without thinking of the consequences. Still, he’d taken care of himself for years, he didn’t need a bunch of stupid rules, he was already very mature for a 12-year-old.

            “Earth to Sonic, you listening?” Tom waved his hand in front of the hedgehog, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Look, I know this isn’t very fun stuff, but you gotta obey the rules buddy. Otherwise, you’re gonna find yourself in trouble, okay?”

            “Trouble? What you mean like you’ll punish me or something?” Sonic said getting a little heated. “You know you aren’t my dad, right? I don’t need a bunch of stupid rules you know, I can take care of myself, I did it for years.” He stood up.

            Tom reached out an grabbed the kid gently by his arm. “Hey bud, you’re right, for a kid you are more self-sufficient than most. Thinking of you all alone in that cave, fending for yourself and struggling to survive makes me feel so sad. That’s over now Sonic, you’re part of our little family now. And however, you choose to see Maddie and I is completely fine, we’re never going to pressure you. We know it will take some adjusting. But no matter how you see us, friends, parents, whichever, we still have a responsibility to look after you, since we’re the adults here. That means it’s on us to raise you to be a good person and set consequences for you if you get too far out of line.”

            Sonic felt like there was a knot in his throat for a split second, realizing just how much the two humans cared about him. Did they really see themselves as his parents already? They hadn’t even known him that long, and yet they already seemed so invested in his well-being.

            Tom noticed the look on Sonic’s face, clearly struggling with coming to terms with the roles that had been laid out. “Sonic, whether you want to hear it or not, you’re still a kid. And in your past, yes, you had to do everything yourself, but now, if you want to, you can just let yourself enjoy being a kid. No more struggling to find food, no more sleeping in the cold, no more lonely nights. I promise you, that Maddie and I are will take care of everything you need, so you can just enjoy the rest of your childhood. Trust me it goes by so quick you’ll wish you had more time.”

            Sonic with his head lowered, glanced up at Tom, sighing. It seemed to Tom like things were starting to sink in a little bit. Tom placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

            “I know it may feel a little bit weird, that we’re imposing rules that we want you to follow. But part of taking care of you involves handling your discipline as well. Every kid needs that in their lives, so they can grow up to make good choices. So, if it comes down to it, we may have to punish you for breaking a rule or making bad choices. It’s not to embarrass you, or make you feel bad, but rather because we love you too much not to help steer you on the right path in life. And for that, we have to teach you that bad choices have consequences.

            “I think I get it…” Sonic piped up after a few moments of silence. “I just, don’t know if I’m ready to see you as my dad.” He admitted.

            “And that’s fine buddy, we would never pressure you that way.” Tom assured him again.

            “I guess it’s just a little weird thinking about you giving me a punishment…” The hedgehog’s face started turning a bit red at the thought. Just so we’re totally clear, what kind of punishments are we talking here?” Already having some ideas from the things he’d seen since arriving on Earth.

             “Things like time outs, grounding you from privileges like games or comic books, or even a spanking if you really earn one. Though that kind of thing is more for seriously bad behavior.” Tom informed the young hedgehog, who looked shocked.

            Sonic fixated on the last part of that sentence… He’d actually seen a human kid get a couple smacks on his butt from his dad at a baseball game once. The kid was being seriously unsportsmanlike and his father corrected him promptly. He remembered how even though it was only a couple swats, the boy cried like crazy, but he definitely stopped being a brat pretty quickly.

            Finally, the hedgehog found his voice again. “S-spanking… you mean like, you’re gonna hit me?”

            Tom sighed empathetically. “Spanking isn’t really the same as hitting you Sonic, it’s a bit different than that. When people hit others, they are trying to cause lasting harm to them, to hurt them. When a parent spanks a child, we are just trying to give you a physical consequence to remind you not to make bad choices, because we love you too much to see you make those choices. They only smack you on the butt, never anywhere else and there shouldn’t be any long-lasting injury or pain.

            None of the man’s words seemed reassuring to the little hedgehog as he continued to explain.

           “Maddie and I were both brought up that way and we agree that when done correctly and with love, it can do a lot of good. At worst you might have a sore butt for the rest of the day, but let’s hope that it never comes to that.” Tom couldn’t help feel sorry for the kid upon seeing the panic on his face. He really did hope he never had to do something like that to the little guy, but he would keep it on the table, he wasn’t sure what to expect taking care of this ball of energy.

            “But I don’t want to get spanked…”

            “Look, how about you promise me to follow the rules the best that you can, and if the time comes that we need to discuss any consequences for breaking them, we will deal with it together, that sound okay? Best not to worry right now when you’ve not done anything to earn one. I promise, no matter what happens, you’ll be okay in the end buddy, but we’re leaving it as an option and that’s my final word on that.”

            Sonic just sat on the edge of the bed, absorbing everything that he’d been told. The one thing he knew, was that the couple seemed to care a great deal about him. He didn’t think they would ever do anything they didn’t think was in his best interest. And it certainly had the intended effect, just the possibility of them spanking him made him want to behave.

            “Alright then, moving on to rule number two, we want you back inside the house every day by 6:00pm.” Tom stated.

            “Hmm, how come?” Sonic asked a bit puzzled. The rule seemed a bit arbitrary to him.

            “Because Maddie and I care about you a lot, and since we’re taking responsibility for your wellbeing, it wouldn’t be very nice to make us worry about you by staying out until all hours of the night, would it? Dinner will also be around that time and you wouldn’t want to miss food.”

            “No, I guess not, but how will I know what the time is? What if I accidentally get home a bit later?” Sonic asked. It wasn’t as though he had constant access to the time.

            “Well, I’m so glad you asked bud, no worries.” Tom told him as he pulled out a small device from his pocket. Maddie and I figured you might like blue for the color; it’s a cell phone just for you. It won’t do anything too fancy, but it has some games and you can get online and stuff with it. Plus, we programed both of our numbers into it in case you need us for anything.” The man smiled as he handed Sonic the device. “I want you to keep it with you, especially when you leave the house, so we can check in on you if needed.”

            “Oh, cool! Thanks, that’s awesome!” Sonic laughed as he examined the device more closely. It was as if the threat of spankings being possible was wiped from his mind briefly. The kid really did have a very short attention span and was easily distractable.

            “Plus, it tells the time, so problem solved.” Tom grinned at the hyperactive kid who was now fixated on messing with the phone. “Alright, alright, maybe I should have saved the phone for last huh? Focus a bit longer kiddo.” Tom laughed as he gently nudged Sonic’s head up with his hand to meet his gaze. “Just one more rule and then you can play with your phone until dinner time, sound good?”

            “Promise?” Sonic raised his eyebrow, holding out his fist in front of him.

            Tom knew what he was expecting, and bumped his fist with Sonic’s. Over the last week or so it had become their little sign, when making a promise to one another. “Promise bud, now the last rule covers pretty much everything else that could come up. You need to listen to Maddie or I when we tell you to do something at all times, alright? We promise it isn’t because we want to boss you around. When we ask you to do something it means it’s important, either to keep you or others safe, or to keep the house in order. Understood?”

            “Right.” Sonic Agreed. “I promise I will try to follow the rules. You guys gave me a home here with you and even though I’m still not sure about this whole punishment thing, I respect you guys, especially you donut lord, and I don’t want to upset you.”

            Tom ruffled Sonic’s head, always a little surprised at how soft his fur was considering the spines that adorned his head. He guessed that the quills the hedgehog possessed would only really jab someone if he was agitated and wanted them to. “Sonic, I will make you a promise that Maddie and I will never approach rule breaking with anger, sound good? We will never yell and scream at you, and whatever happens, you will always be forgiven in the end. Mistakes are bound to happen, and we’ll deal with them together, okay? We just want you to grow up following the right path, because we care a lot about you.” This time Tom held out his own fist.

            Sonic smirked and nodded, returning the fist bump. “Yeah, sounds good.”

            “Alright! Well enough of the awkward stuff, why don’t you play with your new phone for a while, I’m gonna check on Maddie and see where we’re at with those chili dogs. I’ll come get you when they’re ready.”

            “Cool!” Sonic exclaimed flashing over to his bed in an instant, lying on his Stomach and messing with his phone.

            “Sonic! Tom scolded, come on bud, use inside speeds.” He chuckled.

            Sonic glanced up, lightly smacking his face with his hand. “Right… right! Sorry!”

            “It’s alright bud, I know it’ll be a learning curve with that one, just be mindful is all. Call ya down in a bit” Tom said stepping down the stairs and disappearing from view.

            Sonic played a bit on his phone, messing with the settings and learning what it could do, all the while going over tonight’s events in his head. These rules he was supposed to follow, they seemed so childish to him. He had taken care of himself forever, surely, he was far ahead of a normal 12-year-old kid here on Earth in terms of being self-sufficient.

            He felt a slight heat in his face, slightly embarrassed again at the thought of either human having to punish him for breaking one. Especially the idea of being spanked. He remembered the kid at the baseball field and pictured it being Tom and him instead… Sonic shook his head; he simply wouldn’t give em a reason to then. He’d show them that he was in fact a very mature hedgehog and that they didn’t need to worry about him! Not like he had much choice in the matter anyway, they were the grown ups and he had to accept that they got to be in charge whether he agreed or not. It’s not like he couldn’t leave if he really wanted to.

            The hedgehog quickly scanned the room he was currently in, in awe all over again that donut lord and pretzel lady had done all this for him. For the first time since he was a baby, for the first time since Longclaw, he was warm, he was safe, and he was loved. Maybe most importantly of all, he was no longer lonely. Yeah, he very much wanted to stay here with them, even if he was unsure what exactly they were to him yet.

            When the little hedgehog woke up the next morning, it was a bit weird to find himself tucked into a warm bed. Sunlight shining through the small window on the attic ceiling. It would take a while to used to this feeling. The feeling of not having to worry anymore who might find him in his sleep. The feeling of shivering on a particularly cold or rainy night in his little cave.

            The smell of what he’d come to know as bacon wafted up into his room and lured him downstairs to the kitchen. Maddie was at the stove cooking breakfast and humming something to herself happily.

            “Oh, good morning sleepy head.” She smiled as she saw Sonic wander in to the kitchen. The little hedgehog for having so much energy was never really a morning person. He always needed a good half hour or so before his energy finally peaked again. “Have a seat kiddo, breakfast is almost ready. You want anything to drink?”

            “Oh, do we have soda?” The hedgehog asked. He really liked soda, but then again what kid didn’t. They were full of sugar and caffeine, delicious!

            Maddie put her hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow. “Yes, we do, but I don’t think we need to have that this early, I’ll let you have one at dinner, okay? How about orange juice? I don’t want you bouncing off my freshly painted walls first thing in the morning.”

            “Aww, okay, orange juice sounds good too.” Accepting her restriction and rubbing his eyes still feeling groggy from just waking up.

            The woman poured him a glass and then set a plate in front of him. It was a thing of beauty to the hedgehog. Strips of crispy bacon and a couple eggs adorned his plate. There was toast with a little butter glistening on top, and his absolute favorite, two waffles with a little whip cream. He could swear he was drooling a little. “Maddie, this looks amazing, thank you!” He smiled, pouring some syrup on the fluffy waffles.

            “Aww thanks kiddo, I wanted to make something a little special since it’s our first real morning together as a family.” She smiled, patting him on the head. “Enjoy the food buddy.”

            The little hedgehog didn’t have to be told twice before digging in, getting syrup and whip cream all over his face as he stuffed the fluffy waffles into his mouth. Maddie wished that he would slow down a little, but she also thought it was cute, so she decided to let him enjoy his meal.

            Tom emerged from their bedroom as well looking like he also woke up not too long ago. He was wearing sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, looking comfy, his hair in disarray. He poured himself a cup of coffee as Maddie handed him his own plate of breakfast.

            “Hey, my other boy is up, figured I’d let you sleep in a little since there’s no work on this fine Saturday.” She smiled at her husband.

            “Thanks sweetie, I definitely needed it after this last week, but I’m feeling refreshed and ready for the day now!” He laughed, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

            Sonic caught the interaction briefly and thought it was cute and a little gross as well. He was just happy they seemed happy.

            Tom looked over the little blue menace gobbling down his waffles and laughed. “Hey bud, you know you’re supposed to get the waffles inside your mouth, right?” The man joked, taking note of the little guy’s whipped cream covered face. Quickly before Sonic could react, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the surprised hedgehog who quickly turned bright red.

            “H-hey! No fair! Delete it delete it!” Sonic said running over to the man in the blink of an eye and jumping for the phone. Tom held it out of reach laughing a little.

            “First of all, no running in the house Sonic, remember our talk?” The man said firmly but calmly.”

            Sonic grumbled, still focused on getting his paws on the phone which now contained some serious blackmail…

           “Second of all, no can-do bud, that one’s going into the family photo album I think, Maddie?”

            “Oh yeah, one hundred percent.” She grinned, teasing the little hedgehog.

            Sonic whined and pouted a little, but Tom placed his hand firmly on top of his head and Sonic looked up at him, still red from embarrassment.

            “Don’t worry buddy, families get full rights to embarrass each other, I promise I’m not gonna post it anywhere, that’s just for us to enjoy. It may be a bit new to you, but us humans like capturing memories forever, so we can all look back later and laugh at ourselves and all the adventures we’ve had.”

            Sonic hid his face in his hands as Tom wet a small washcloth with water.

            “Now c’mere.” He said kneeling down to Sonic’s level and wiping his face clean with the washcloth.

            The little hedgehog wished he could just die right there, to save him from this moment of embarrassment which made him feel so much like a child. But somehow, he also felt a little warmth inside himself as Tom carefully cleaned his face. It felt like he was really being included in this family, unlike all the times he had watched from afar wishing for attention. Now he realized, he was the center of theirs.

            “Okay donut lord! I’m clean, I’m clean!” He said Sonic grumbled pushing the man’s hand away. Tom just chuckled.

            “Alright kiddo.” The man smiled. Releasing the kid from the embarrassing situation.

            “And I’m gonna get you back for that photo, mark my words!” Sonic shouted in an exaggerated fashion.

            The two humans laughed, and sat at the table to finish eating their own food. Sonic was all done with his already and Tom knew he’d need to distract him for a bit if they were to have some peace while they finished.

            “So, I was thinking we could have a family day.” Tom announced. “We need to go shopping for some essentials that you’ll need Sonic, but also maybe we can get you a few fun things while we’re out. Sound good?”

            Sonic tilted his head in confusion. He wondered what Tom meant since he already had loads of things in his room that he had collected from dumpsters and junkyards over the years.

            “What I mean is, we can get you a few things that are new. We just want you to feel at home and comfortable here. You can pick out a few toys, or maybe we can go to the comic shop and I can get you some comics about real heroes.” The man said jokingly.

            Sonic’s jaw dropped. “Excuse-a-what now! The flash is the coolest super hero there is and I will not hear this slander!” The hedgehog complained.

            Tom grabbed his shoulder firmly, in a very fatherly gesture. “Well, I think someone might be a little biased here… but we’ll get you whatever heroes you want kiddo, whatever makes you happy. Also, you’re a much cooler hero than the flash will ever be.” Tom added, winking.

            Sonic felt some pride at that statement. He guessed he was kind of a hero, and he liked that feeling. Helping those in need. But he also felt elated that Tom had pointed it out. The man seemed proud of him, and Sonic realized that he liked this feeling.

            “Maddie and I are gonna finish up our breakfast, why don’t you take a quick run around the wood’s kiddo. Burn off a little energy before we head out. The same rule for home applies when we’re shopping at the store, we don’t want any running inside. Gotta respect the town’s establishments alright? Just be back in say 30 minutes so we can head out alright?”

            “Alright, cool!” Sonic said heading to the door and opening it. He wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to stretch his legs. The sun was shining brightly and there was a cool breeze in the air. It was a beautiful Saturday for a run. In the blink of an eye Sonic was gone.

            Maddie glanced at her husband. “This kid is going to be a real handful, you know that?” She chuckled.

            Tom nodded as he took another bit of his bacon. “Oh yeah, for sure. He ain’t a normal kid but hell, he’s our kid, so we just have to take things day by day.”

            “I wouldn’t change him for anything Tom, he makes me laugh, such a wild one. I just hope he can stay out of trouble while we’re out today.” She mentioned.

            “Oh, I’m sure he will, he made me a promise that he’d be good and follow our directions last night. I trust he can handle a day out. Besides what’s the worst that can happen?” He laughed.

            “Why must you tempt fate Thomas Wachowski?” Maddie sighed in exasperation.

            As the family pulled up to the general store in Maddie’s car, Tom already noticed that Sonic was having a rough time sitting still in the back seat. Just by the very nature of the kid’s powers, the man knew that the poor kid could hardly help it.

            He thought back to when Maddie had read the hedgehogs pulse when he had been unconscious. She explained to Tom later that the little guy had an incredibly fast metabolism and resting heart rate, which meant he could eat them out of house and home, and also that sitting still was going to be just about the hardest thing in the world. He was literally a little ball of endless energy that made it impossible for him to remain calm and still.

            “Oh are we here!” Sonic said pressing his face to the window and admiring the giant building.

            Tom and Maddie chuckled. “Yup we’re here bud. We just need to get a few things that will get you settled at home. Then we can go to the more fun stores and you can pick out something you like. Sound good?”

            Sonic nodded frantically.

            “Now this is really important kiddo, I know we discussed it already back at home, but I need you to behave while we’re inside the stores alright.”

            “I will, I promise!” Sonic grinned, “can we go in now?” The hedgehog said, impatient as ever.

            “Hold your horses little bud, I just want to give you the rule rundown of shopping. Remember rule three? When we tell you to behave a certain way, we expect you to listen. It wouldn’t be fair to you not to know what to expect. So, inside the store there will be no running, no rough housing, no touching all the products. Stay close to us so we can get what you need. Walter, the owner is a good friend of mine, and he works hard to keep his store nice and clean, we’re not gonna mess it all up, okay? The townsfolk know and trust you right now, because they all saw you that night. We don’t want to screw that up, right?”

             Sonic nodded again in agreement. “Okay, I swear I’ll behave and won’t mess anything up in there!”

            “Good boy, I know I can trust you Sonic. And once we get to the comic store you’ll be allowed to look at and touch some stuff, cool?” Tom asked.

            “Cool as ice donut lord.” Sonic replied giving a little salute.

            The two humans laughed at that. Such a precious kid.

            “Alright then Wachowskis, let’s do this!” Tom shouted.

            Sonic felt his stomach flutter a little. He was a Wachowski now, part of the family. It made him feel good. He resolved to really try to be on his best behavior so that he didn’t embarrass his new family in the store.

            Soon as the three of them entered, Sonic was already in awe at how big the place was. “Woooow! They must have literally everything in this place!” The hedgehog stared in amazement.

            “Well not everything, but you can certainly get a lot of stuff here, and I’m sure they’ve got everything we’re going to need.” Maddie told him.

            “And what’s that? What kind of stuff are we here for?” Sonic asked, realizing he had no idea what they meant by the essentials earlier.

            “Hmm, let’s see.” Tom said pulling out a crumpled list from his pocket. “You’re going to need toothpaste and your own toothbrush. Body washes and probably your own hair brush, something a little more suited to fur. I know Maddie, you wanted to take a look at the kid’s medicine section, stock up on some things just in case?”

            Maddie nodded, “I think I’ll start small with just a couple things. I honestly don’t know how Sonic’s body will react and I want to be careful. Guess we won’t know till you get sick, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen right?”

            “Okay cool.” Sonic said, feeling very loved at the moment. They were really going out of their way to make sure they had everything he might need, even planning ahead. Sonic had been sick before, when he was all alone. He thought back to the restless nights, burning up with a fever and yet shivering in the cold of the damp cave. No one there to comfort him, or tell him things would be okay… He had always gotten through it, but seeing Maddie already worried about the possibility when he wasn’t even sick right now made his heart swell a little.

            “And, much as you probably won’t like it bud, I need to get you a booster seat for when you’re riding in the car with us.” Tom stated.

            Sonic blushed. “How come?” He whined. “Aren’t those the things for babies?” The hedgehog protested.

            “Well, I’m not talking about the car seat kind with the harness. We just need one that raises you up a little on the seat, it makes the car seat belt safer for someone your size, it has nothing to do with age.” Tom explained.

            Sonic pouted a little bit, a booster seat just sounded so uncool. “I’m probably gonna be the only 12-year-old using one.”

            Tom just rustled his head fur with his hand. “Don’t worry bud, no one is gonna see you in it anyway, and it’s the law. Doesn’t matter how old you are, if you’re short enough you need to be in one. But the most important reason is your safety, and that’s non negotiable for us bud. You’ll hardly notice it, after a while it’ll seem normal, okay?”

            Sonic sighed, “I guess I don’t have a choice?” He asked hopefully.

            “Nope.” Laughed Maddie. “Now come on kiddo, I’m sure you’d rather spend time in the comic book store than here. Let’s get this stuff taken care of. I’ll go get all the first aid and medicine supplies we might need if you want to take Sonic and get the other items so he can have some say.”

            “Sounds good, right bud?” Tom asked.

            Sonic nodded happily; he loved getting to spend time with Tom. The two had grown pretty close in the last few weeks.

            “Great! Let’s head over to the personal care area first, we should be able to get a lot of this there.” He said as he led the excited hedgehog to the other end of the store. Sonic bounced around checking out all the cool stuff along the way.

            Soon they reached the dental isle and Tom asked the hyper blue kid to choose from the kid’s toothpastes and toothbrushes, telling him he could have whichever one he wanted. Before he could even get another word out Sonic was zipping all over the isle, going from product to product, picking stuff up and putting it back down. He was so fast that he managed to cause a little bit of a mess before Tom could even utter a word.

            “Sonic!” He raised his voice a little causing the hyperactive kid to screech to a halt. In a firm but gentle voice Tom reminded him of the rules. “Remember no running around in the store, and no touching every product? We talked about this right? You promised to behave.” Tom gave him a look.

            “R-right sorry, I got carried away.” Sonic admitted.

            “No harm done bud, why don’t we take a second and put some of this back where it goes okay? The employees work hard to keep things organized here.” He patted the boy’s head.

            Sonic nodded, before zipping off again and replacing everything he moved.

            Tom sighed, “Sonic, do it without your powers please, you’re still running inside.”

            Sonic cringed at having already disobeyed again. He just couldn’t help himself. Using his speed was a part of him, ingrained in him his whole life. It was going to be hard to learn to control himself. “S-sorry, really. It’s just hard, I never had to slow down on purpose before.” Sonic said with his head hung. He really wasn’t trying to be bad.

            “It’s fine kiddo, Maddie and I know it’s going to be hard for you, so we’ll keep reminding you when we catch it happening, eventually you’ll get used to it. We don’t expect it to be an easy change for you. Just be careful, okay? If you end up breaking something or hurting someone because you’re running inside, you will be punished alright? Maybe that can help motivate you to work hard and remember.”

            Sonic blushed at the threat, deciding to put it out of his mind for now. Thankfully he managed to reign it in for the rest of the shopping trip. The threat of a possible punishment being a great motivator.  

            When the family finally finished checking out, Tom patted Sonic on the shoulder as they exited the general store and headed to the car. “I’m proud of you bud, there were a couple hiccups but you got it under control, good job.”

            Sonic caught himself smiling, he couldn’t help it, something about Tom’s words made him feel so good inside. He guessed it was just a new feeling to him, to have someone there to encourage him and to be proud of him. Cheering him on to be the best person he could be… He never had a dad to be proud of him before. And it was this gesture that started to make the man feel like a father to the young hedgehog. He suddenly got up the courage to give something a test run.

            “Thank you, mom and dad, for buying me all this stuff.” Sonic said gesturing to the bags in the shopping cart. “I-it means a lot.” To Sonic, it felt good to finally say it, it didn’t seem strange or off. It felt right.

            The two adults seemed equally shocked by the sudden turn of events, but they didn’t want to draw attention to things and make Sonic feel weird about it. They were just happy that he was starting to feel comfortable with the idea of them being a little family.

            Tom briefly thought back to several years ago, when Maddie had finished college and they had talked about having kids. The desperation, when they were told it would be extremely unlikely due to some medical issues. Fate could be cruel sometimes. But sure enough, it could be kind as well. After all, it had given the couple a child from outer space… the idea of it would be laughable if the little guy wasn’t standing right there, looking up at him with admiration in his eyes. It may not be exactly how they thought things would go down, but honestly, he wouldn’t change anything at all.

            “You’re welcome kiddo, you deserve to have nice things and a proper childhood.” Maddie knelt down to give the hedgehog a brief hug. “We love you sweetheart.”

            Sonic felt his face growing hot, and yet, he also felt elated. He always wanted some parents to embarrass the heck out of him like he saw all the kids in green hills had throughout his entire time on Earth. Now he seemed to have gotten his wish!

            “Well next stop is the fun store! Comic books here we come!” Tom nudged the little hedgehog. “You excited?”

            Sonic couldn’t help but zip happily around the couple, they hadn’t said he couldn’t go fast in the parking lot after all! “Heck yes! Comic books here we come!” He said mimicking his dad.

            “Oh, wait a moment though, let me get that booster seat unpacked here, it’ll only take a second to install.” Tom promised as he cut the tape off the box with one of his car keys.

            Sonic was about to protest when he saw what the device looked like. “Oh, that doesn’t look that bad.” He said tilting his head in confusion. “I was picturing something a little more babyish to be honest.”

            “Told ya it wouldn’t be that bad bud; it’s just a little booster so that the seatbelt will be positioned correctly on you is all. Nothing to be embarrassed by, right?” The man asked as he got the seat settled in place. “Nothing uncool about safety!” The man laughed, he loved that he got to be a dork and embarrass his son.

            “Daaaad!” Sonic groaned, getting into the car and taking his spot. Yeah, he could handle this, it wasn’t too bad at all. Plus, he could see everything a little better now out the windows.

            “Buckle up kiddo, I just wanna make sure everything is settling correctly.” Tom told him, to which the little hedgehog quickly obeyed. After verifying that the seatbelt was functioning properly, he hopped into the driver’s seat. Glancing at his excited son in the back seat who was now looking forward to comics.

            When the group arrived at the town’s only comic and game shop Sonic practically leapt out of the car. “This place looks so cool!” He shouted in awe. The large store was adorned with colorful movie and video game characters, plus, posters of various kinds sat in every window.

            “Oh, it’s very cool.” Maddie told him. “Your dad and I love coming here and checking out the retro stuff from our childhoods.”

            “Ha! That stuff must be ancient history!” Sonic laughed.

            “Hey now! We’re not… that old…” Tom said almost defeated, being reminded  that they were now in their thirties stung a little.

            “Come on, come on! I wanna see inside!” Sonic shouted excitedly.

            Tom could tell the little hedgehog was about to speed off in a hurry and so he called to him in a firm but gentle voice. “Hey bud, remember, use your inside speed while we’re here alright? You can definitely look at most of the stuff in there and check things out, but let’s still try to keep things somewhat clean.”

            “Okay dad I promise!” The hedgehog grinned.

            “Awesome, Rupert will appreciate it. Trust me we don’t want to scare away the only one willing to open a shop like this around here, do we? Town would be boring as heck.” Tom laughed. “We’re lucky to have him.”

            The three of them entered the store which was filled with rows and rows of video games, comics and movies. It was truly one of the greatest places Sonic had ever seen. He’d always had to gather his comics from dumpsters, and it took him forever to find all the ones he wanted. Now he could select anything he wanted.

            “Alright, why don’t you look around and pick out some stuff. Let’s say you have fifty dollars or so to spend on whatever you want. Just keep an eye on the prices.”

            “Sweet, thank you dad!” the hedgehog smiled.

            “We’re gonna let you go off and have fun, just behave yourself alright? I want to look for something else with Maddie. Power bump promise me you’ll be good?” Tom asked reaching out his fist, Sonic quickly pounding his own against it.

            “Yeah, I promise, I’ll meet you back up front, I’m gonna go check out the Flash comic section and see if they have anything I don’t have yet!” The hedgehog said, dashing off.

            “Inside speed…” Tom called out. Sonic must have heard him because he heard a faint sorry as the blue blur disappeared into the aisles.

            The man sighed deeply rubbing his eyes. “So, remind me why we thought it would be fun to be parents?” Tom joked to his wife.

            “Aww come on, I think it’s cute. Our little ball of energy, and you can say a lot of things about Sonic, but not being fun isn’t one of them. I don’t think we’re going to be hurting for excitement any time soon.” Maddie replied. “Sure, he’s a little bit of a handful, but he’s our handful now Tom, we better get used to it.” The woman laughed.

            “Yeah, you’re right, I wouldn’t change him for anything, but he’s gonna be getting into all sorts of trouble I can just feel it.” Tom said nervously.

            “Sure, but he has his mom and dad to guide him down the correct path, we’ll make sure to steer him right.” She smiled. “Come on Thomas Wachowski, we got this!” She assured him, as they gave each other a fist bump of their own.

            The family spent a couple hours in the store, as Sonic wanted to keep looking at everything. But his parents didn’t mind, they had planned to spend the day with Sonic, and if this is where he wanted to spend that time, they were happy to oblige. Eventually Sonic had picked out enough things to reach the budget given to him by his dad and brought the handful of comics to the front for the man to buy them.

            “Looks like quite the haul buddy!” Tom smiled. “Now don’t tell me you got all flash comics?”

            Sonic shook his head, “turns out I had most of em, but I got a couple I didn’t have. I’m gonna try out a few different ones and see if I like em.” The hedgehog told him.

            “Ha, sounds good kiddo, lets get these paid for and go home for some dinner, sound good?” Tom asked as the little hedgehog nodded excitedly.

            The total came out to be a bit more than fifty, but Tom told the kid it was no big deal, if those were the ones he wanted, he could have them. Sonic carried the bundle happily to the car, excited about getting to read them later.

            As the family arrived back home, Maddie told her husband she was going to take Ozzy for his evening walk really quick before she got started on dinner.

            “Sounds good honey, mind if I give Sonic our surprise?” He asked. This made the little hedgehogs ears perk up from the living room where he was setting his comics down.

            “Not at all, I’ll see you boys in a little bit.” She told them, leading their golden retriever out the front door.

            “Did I hear something about a surprise!” Sonic grinned poking his head around the corner.

            “That’s right bud, I wanted to see if they had something from my childhood there that I thought you might find fun.” The man said opening one of the bags and pulling out a small square looking device. He handed it the hedgehog who examined it curiously.

            “What is it?” He asked.

            “That kiddo, is called a Gameboy SP, it was mom and dad’s favorite thing when we were growing up. I got you a few games for it as well. It’s basically a portable video game console. There’s some good stuff on there I’m sure you’ll like. Now I don’t know if this is true, but it kinda feels like you don’t really have a childhood without this little gem in it! Maybe I’m biased!” The man laughed.

            “Wow, so cool! Thanks dad!” The hedgehog said, leaping at the man and giving him a big hug.

            Tom was elated for a moment that Sonic seemed so happy to receive his gift. But then he noticed that the little guy’s smile seemed to fade. “Sonic, what’s wrong bud, I thought you liked it?”

            “I-I do, it’s just. You both have been so kind to me today… in fact this was kinda one of the best days ever. I just… I kinda feel like I didn’t do anything to deserve all of this.” Sonic said looking up at the man.

            “Alllll right.” He said scooping up the hedgehog into his arms and hugging him tightly against his chest.

            “W-woah! Hey what are you…” Sonic felt his cheeks growing hot at their closeness. No one since Long Claw had held him like this when he was feeling down. Too be honest it felt a little childish to him, but it also felt kinda good. Like all his worries were washed away for as moment.

            “Kiddo, you don’t have to do one single thing to deserve all of this… Maybe it’s true that your mom and I spoiled you a little bit today, but you never had the chance to just be a kid Sonic. I know that you’ve only been in our lives a short while now, but we both love you more than anything, and we would give you the entire world if we could, you know that?”

            Sonic pulled away just enough to look his dad in the eyes. They were wet. Were those tears?

            “You’re not alone anymore kid, your mom and dad are going to make sure you are safe and loved, and if we have to tell it to you every day to make you believe it we will. And guess what? You don’t owe us anything for it. You don’t have to pay us back. You don’t have to earn that love. It’s unconditional and it’s forever.” The man told him, still hugging him tightly.

            “Dad… I… love you too.” Sonic managed to say, he couldn’t think of anything else in that moment. The hedgehog didn’t like seeing the normally silly man crying tears for him. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

            “Oh, bud don’t worry about that, these are tears of happiness Sonic, because you coming into our lives was a blessing that we couldn’t have wished for in our wildest dreams. And it’s okay if all this feels overwhelming for you right now, but above all I just want you to focus on enjoying being a kid alright?” He said placing Sonic back onto his feet.

            Sonic nodded, giving the man one more quick hug, standing on his tip toes to reach around his dad’s waist. “Can I go try my new game before dinner?” He asked trying to lighten the tension they were both feeling.

            “Yeah of course buddy, but do you mind taking the bag of toiletries we got you to the upstairs bathroom and putting everything away on your way upstairs?”

            “Sure!” Sonic said grabbing the bag and before Tom could react the kid was running upstairs in a flash.

            “Hey bud slowly please!” Tom yelled after him. The next thing he heard made his heart nearly stop, as the incredibly loud sound of shattering glass could be heard from upstairs. It all happened in the blink of an eye.. “Sonic!” He practically screamed as he ran upstairs skipping every other step.

            The man’s heart was pounding inside his chest as he rounded the corner of the hallway and arrived at the bathroom. The sight he saw shook him a bit. Sonic was standing with his paws clasped in front of him nervously. The kid was shaking, probably from the loud noise and starring with eyes wide at the mess he had caused.

            Tom’s eyes frantically scanned the room for clues on what happened. He saw the large upright shelving unit that was normally standing against the opposite wall of the shower, had tipped over and crashed right through the glass shower enclosure. Sonic must have bumped into it or something… it was a mess.

            That sight was terrible to behold already, but what made Tom go pale was the small red puddle forming where Sonic was standing.

            Sonic noticed the blood and his breathing became labored. Tears welling up in his eyes at the sight. He hated blood… it was terrifying. The last time he saw that much, was when Longclaw…

 Quickly Tom’s adrenaline took over as he grabbed Sonic under his arms and moved him out of the bathroom full of broken glass. He set the terrified hedgehog in the hallway, quickly checking him to see where the bleeding was. It was then he noticed the fur on the kids left arm was stained a dark maroon color.

            “Sonic bud, let me see, okay? You’re going to be alright.” He tried to reassure his son. Sonic was still too in shock to say a word, flashes of his old guardian coming back to him as his dad gently moved a little of the fur apart with his fingers. The cut wasn’t too long but it seemed deep, and the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

            Sonic finally winced as his father messed with the wound, the sharp pain radiating throughout his arm and snapping him back to reality.

            “Sorry buddy, I didn’t mean to hurt it.” He quickly leaned back into the bathroom grabbing a washcloth off the counter and pressing it firmly to his little arm. Keeping pressure on it.

            He could see Sonic scrunching his eyes closed in pain as tears continued to flow from his eyes. Tom felt his heart break, but he knew he had to keep the wound from bleeding too much.

            “I’m s-sorry dad, I’m sorry.” The boy sobbed, clearly completely overwhelmed by everything that was happening. Part of him had expected his dad to spank his butt immediately upon finding the horrible mess he had caused. The man had told him if he broke something he’d be punished… Instead, he was just being comforted? All the pain and guilt was just too much. He couldn’t hold back his tears…

            “Shhh, buddy. It’s alright, I’m here, dad is here.” He said rubbing small circles on the kid’s back trying to calm him. He knew he would have to have a talk with his son later, but right now he needed to make sure his kid was safe. Tom quickly wrapped the cloth around the wound as tightly as he could, keeping one hand around it to apply pressure as he used his free hand to grab his cell phone, quickly dialing his wife’s number.

            “Tom what’s up?” She asked, quickly answering.

            Tom turned his head so that he was facing away from Sonic, he said as softly as he could so that the kid wouldn’t hear and get frightened. “I don’t want to scare you hun, I need you to get back immediately, Sonic is hurt, I think he may need stiches.”

            “Ozzy and I are running back, be there in 2 minutes.” She said as Tom heard a click. Thank God his wife was a veterinarian; she would have all the supplies needed to help right away.

            Tom turned back to Sonic who was still sobbing, “Mom’s on the way okay? She’ll make it all better.” The man assured the little hedgehog while petting his head softly, trying to offer some comfort.

            “I-I don’t like blood.” Sonic whimpered eyes focusing on the cloth which was becoming redder by the second.

            Tom pulled the kid into a hug, making sure Sonic’s head rested on his shoulder so the kid couldn’t look at his arm anymore. “Don’t look then buddy, don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you, okay? Mom is the best animal doctor there is.” He said, continuing to put pressure on the wound while consoling an injured 12-year-old. Boy he really needed one more hand.

            True to her word Maddie came running into this house as fast as she could, grabbing her emergency supplies and shouting. “Tom where are you?”

            “Up here hun!” He shouted back,

            Maddie ran up the stairs and leapt into action as soon as she saw her boys. “I got him” she told her husband, holding up Sonic’s arm and removing the cloth so she could see. The blood had begun clotting and it was slowing down a little bit, thankfully. Still, he definitely needed stiches to close it up. “Okay baby, mom is going to give you something for the pain, okay?” She said taking out a small syringe filled with lidocaine.

            The sight of the needle made Sonic shudder, but Tom quickly stepped in, placing his hand gently under Sonic’s chin and turning his head towards him. “Look at me Sonic, just focus on dad, okay? You’re fine kiddo. Everything’s fine.”

            Taking the opportunity while he was distracted, Maddie pierced the area quickly and efficiently, injecting the anesthetic, Sonic barely felt a thing. The hedgehog immediately felt the pain from his wound vanishing, turning into a numb tingly feeling.

            Maddie worked quickly pouring a sterile saline solution over the wound to cleanse it briefly before suturing the wound with practiced precision as quickly as possible. Tom did his best to keep Sonic’s attention on him while she worked. When she was all done, she just hugged Sonic in her arms, patting him gently on the back.

            “Good job sweetie, you’re gonna be all better, nothing to worry about.” She reassured him.

            Sonic sniffled. “I-broke it… A-are you mad at me?”

            Tom looked the kid in the eye. “No kiddo, what’s important right now is that you’re safe and sound. Everything else can be dealt with later, okay? Right now, you need to lie down for a bit and calm down. Want me to carry you downstairs, we can relax on the couch for a bit, yeah?” Tom asked.

            Sonic just nodded weakly, too tired to protest. He couldn’t believe how quickly things had turned, one moment he was having the best day ever, and now he was exhausted from crying. He felt so drained and allowed himself to be picked up. His dad carried him towards the stairs. He clung to the man for comfort, and that felt a little better. But in the back of his mind, Sonic was worried that his parents would be angry with him for breaking the shower. If he had just listened and not run in the house, he wouldn’t have accidentally knocked over the shelf. Why couldn’t he just get his power under control…

            He felt his dad sit on the sofa, allowing the hedgehog to lay down with his head resting in the man’s lap. He started to relax a little as he felt his dad petting him softly on the head, his breathing starting to come back under control and the tension he’d been holding in his little body disappearing slowly. Still, one question weighed on him…

            “A-are you going to spank me?” Sonic asked, breaking the silence after a while, and causing tom to tilt his head in confusion at the sudden question. “I-I broke the no running rule, and ruined the shower.”

            Tom sighed. “Kiddo, the shower can be fixed, I’m just glad you’re safe now. And no bud, I’m not going to spank you, not this time.” The man told him, continuing to stroke his head comfortingly.

            “But how come? I broke the rule.” The hedgehog stated matter of factly. “You said I’d be punished…”

            “Sonic, we’re not going to give you a spanking every time you break a rule. Normally, since I had to give you so many warnings about the same offense, you probably would deserve one. But your mom and I understand that running is in your nature. It’s hard for you to control, and I don’t want to be too hard on you for that. We’ll always try to choose a fair punishment if one is needed, okay? So, no spanking tonight.”

            “Oh, okay.” Sonic said feeling a little bit relieved. He still wasn’t used to this level of kindness. He had really, really messed up and yet his mom and dad seemed to be more worried about whether or not he was okay than any punishments. Still, they must be so angry with him for what he did.

            “Don’t worry about all that right now, we’re going to work with you on controlling your running impulse, and you’ll get an appropriate punishment for disobeying later. But right now, I just want you to relax a little bit. You had a good scare tonight and you just need a little time to let the adrenaline run its course. Honestly so do I, alright kiddo?”

            Sonic nodded, allowing himself to cuddle up with his dad. He could feel as the man breathed in and out, seemingly trying to control his breathing. The little hedgehog didn’t realize it, but he subconsciously mimicked the man’s breathing rhythm as the two of them lay there.

            After a few minutes, Maddie came over with a sandwich for each of them. “I figured any idea of making dinner is out the window, I think we’re all a bit shaken up. I made my boys some sandwiches instead.

            “Thanks, hun, you’re amazing. I’m so very glad you’re a vet. It’s gonna come in handy with this little ball of trouble in the house. Least it puts me at ease a little knowing you’ll be around to help if needed.” Tom rubbed the back of his head. “Try to sit up okay bud?” Tom said helping him upright.

            Sonic took the sandwich, he didn’t really have much of an appetite, but his mom asked him to try as she sat next to him and examined his arm one more time. Everything looked okay now, the stiches were holding fine. Thank goodness.

            The three of them chilled on the sofa for a while, watching light hearted movies with the little hedgehog between them until he finally fell asleep. The two of them smiled at the sight. They knew that he was a brave and confident kid, but seeing him asleep cuddled up between them. He looked so vulnerable…

           “What are we going to do with him Maddie? How can we help him learn to get a handle on this?” Tom sighed, his gaze locked on his son who was breathing softly, chest rising and falling. Even while asleep his breathing was quicker than most living things. “I mean, even normal kids are hyperactive, but Sonic has an even greater challenge. This power he has, he can’t help it if he makes impulsive decisions, he constantly has this… energy he just can’t contain. How are we supposed to punish him for that?” Tom asked.

            “He’s definitely got a lot of energy in such a little package.” Maddie smiled. “I’d like to try something tomorrow, if you’ll let me handle his punishment?”

            “What did you have in mind then?”

            “Well, I’m not sure if it will help, I mean I hope it might. But I learned this helpful breathing technique to calm yourself down during my yoga class years ago. Maybe it can help him out in times where the overstimulation is just getting too much for him. He needs a way to moderate his energy.”

            “Well, I’m down for trying anything, I just want to be able to help the little guy learn. I mean he could have really gotten hurt today; we were lucky. The shower is going to cost a lot of money to fix, but is it weird not to care that much?” Tom asked.

            “Not at all babe, I think that’s just something that happens when you become a parent you know? Suddenly everything else doesn’t seem to matter as much as your kid being safe and healthy. I know we haven’t known him very long at all, but the little guy has really stolen my heart, I know he did the same for you.” Maddie smiled. Sonic looked so peaceful and cute sleeping in between them, it was everything she ever wanted, to be able to raise a child after so long, she knew Tom felt the same.

            “So how are you going to punish the little guy?” Tom asked her. “I don’t want to go too hard on him, he’s been through a lot tonight already.”

            “I was thinking that tomorrow morning after breakfast, I’ll put him in a time out for a while. What he needs is to practice being able to sit still without all that energy overflowing and causing him to make bad decisions. I’ll show him the breathing technique and ask him to practice that for a while. I think that’s all he needs right now.” Maddie told him.

            Tom nodded. “I think it’s worth a shot. I want the little guy to stay out of trouble. The thought of having to resort to more serious punishments hurts me. But I’ll use them if it’s what he needs to learn his lessons, and make better choices.” Tom glanced at his son’s arm which was bandaged up. “We already saw what could happen if he goes down a path of recklessness. And I don’t think I could stand to see him again so hurt and scared like he was today. I hate to imagine the things he has seen at such a young age. Just the sight of his own blood had him paralyzed in fear.”

            “I’m sure he’s seen more terrible things than most kids could imagine. But you and I will help him heal, little by little. All we gotta do is give him our love, right?” She asked.

            “Right,” the man nodded, scooping the hedgehog up gently in his arms. “I’m going to take him to his bed.” He said headed towards the attic. The little guy weighed almost nothing to him, and seemed so very fragile. Tom knew that he wasn’t though. Sonic was a tough kid with incredible powers who could hold his own. But holding him like that in his arms, he couldn’t help but want to protect him at all costs.

            As he made his way as quietly and calmly as possible towards the hedgehog’s room so as not to wake him, the little guy’s eyes opened. So much for that. Sonic squinted as his eyes adjusted, still half asleep. “Dad?”

            “Shh, you’re alright kiddo, you fell asleep, I’m taking you up to your bed, okay?” Tom smiled at him.

            When the two of them arrived at Sonic’s room, Tom gently placed his son into his bed, pulling the covers over him and tucking him in. Sonic seemed about ready to fall right back to sleep, which the man was grateful for. He’d have felt bad if he ruined his son’s sleep. He knelt down and stroked the hedgehog’s head lovingly.

            “We love you Sonic, sweet dreams, sleep well buddy.” Tom said, planting a kiss on his son’s forehead.

            “L-love you too…” Sonic said sleepily as he continued to drift off.

            The next morning, Sonic ate his breakfast half-heartedly. He could hear his dad upstairs working on cleaning up what he could of the broken shower. Sonic felt so guilty about the damage he had caused yesterday, and now his dad had to work on this all day instead of enjoying his last day off from work before going back.

            Maddie, glanced over at her son who didn’t seem to be all that into his food. “What’s wrong honey, not hungry, that’s not like you.”

            “I’m just, well I feel bad that dad has to clean all that up, can’t I help him?” Sonic asked.

            Maddie walked over to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Let dad handle that sweetie, it’s too dangerous with all that glass everywhere.”

            “Is dad mad at me?” He asked.

            “No baby, I promise that dad isn’t mad at you. We’re both just happy that you’re okay.” She smiled at her son.

            Sonic nodded. “Okay…”

            Maddie noticed that Sonic seemed to be fiddling with his bandage. “Does it hurt sweetie?” The vet asked, kneeling down to examine it.

            The hedgehog nodded again. “A little bit, it stings and it feels sore.”

            “I’ve got just the thing buddy, but it won’t taste very good. It will take away some of the pain.” She said going over to a little cabinet where they kept their medicines.

            Sonic watched as she poured a little bit of liquid from a bottle into the cap before walking over and handing it to him. “Drink all of it sweetie, it’s nothing bad, just some kid’s Tylenol, it’ll make your arm feel a little better.”

            The hedgehog drank the medicine, scrunching up his face at the bitter taste. “Yuck, that is awful!”

            Maddie giggled. “Sorry sweetie, I did warn you! Are you all done with your food baby?”

            “I think so, sorry for wasting some of it, I’m not too hungry right now.” Sonic told her.

            “That’s okay, you don’t have to finish it.” She said taking the plate and dumping the rest of the contents before placing it in the sink.

            She turned back to him and gave him an empathetic look. “Alright Sonic, I promised dad that I would handle your punishment this morning for running in the house after being warned multiple times yesterday.” Her tone turning a bit more serious, yet it never lost its loving kindness. It was gentle yet firm.

            Sonic had almost forgot about this part. He wondered what exactly his punishment was going to be, since they wouldn’t allow him to help clean up the mess, and his dad had already promised he wasn’t in for a spanking.

            Maddie gently grabbed his paw. “Come over here to the couch with me.” She said, and for a moment Sonic’s eyes filled with panic.

            “D-dad said I wasn’t getting a spanking!” He shouted, clearly nervous.

            “Oh, no sweetie, I just want to talk with you, let’s sit down, okay? No spankings, I promise. Just a conversation.”

            The hedgehog breathed a sigh of relief, he really misunderstood where that was going. The two of them sat down on the sofa, as Sonic looked down, ashamed. He couldn’t bring himself to look his mother in the eye.

            He felt a gentle hand touch his chin. “Look at me baby.” She said, gentle as can be.

            Sonic reluctantly met her gaze. There was firm resolve in her look, but also tenderness. Even though he felt nerves rushing throughout his body, he also felt safe.

            “What happened yesterday, was the result of you not being able to control your impulses, and not following the rules your father and I set for you. I hope you now understand a bit more, that the rules exist for a reason. We don’t make them up just because we feel like it right?”

            The hedgehog nodded, trying to maintain eye contact with her. But the more she scolded him the harder it was getting to hold back his tears. He didn’t want to disappoint them; they believed that he was good. He wanted to prove that he could be! But that’s not the position he currently found himself in. He had really screwed up yesterday.

            “We set the rules to keep you safe Sonic. Yes, we also want the house to stay in one piece, but the main reason and what will always be the most important reason, is to keep you safe and keep you healthy. You have no idea how worried your dad and I were last night.”

            “I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Sonic said solemnly.

            “I know sweetie, and we’re very glad that you’re okay now. But you’ve learned now, that impulsive actions can lead to really bad consequences. Like someone getting seriously hurt, even if that someone is yourself. Agreed?”

            “Yes mom, I promise I won’t ever run while I’m inside again.”

            Maddie placed a loving hand on her son’s cheek, wiping away a tear that had been forming with her thumb. “I appreciate that Sonic, but we all know that it’s not so easily done for you. That’s why, even though you’d probably be getting your bottom spanked right now for repeatedly disobeying the same rule, you’re just getting a time out instead. Because your dad and I understand that this goes against your very nature, and it wouldn’t be fair to be too harsh on you for this until we try to help you get things under control. Okay?”

            Sonic sniffled. A time out seemed more than fair, almost too lenient to him. Sure, he hated the idea of having to sit still for a while, probably facing the corner like a naughty kid, but compared to the alternative, this seemed like not enough recompense for the damage he had caused.  

             Maddie stood up and grabbed on of the stools from the kitchen, placing it in the corner of the living room. “Let’s go ahead and get your punishment over, and then you can go back to spending the day having fun, come here Sonic.”

            The hedgehog was extremely mindful to walk and not run over to his mother, who picked him up and placed him on top of the stool. The little guy’s feet were far from touching the ground sitting on the tall stool. He just faced the corner and lowered his head.

            “You’re going to sit here quietly and reflect on why it is important not to run inside. I don’t want to hear a sound from you.”

            Sonic nodded, tears starting to spill from his eyes as the guilt of everything he’d done came rushing forth.

            Maddie rubbed his back gently, seeing the distress. “I also want you to practice something while you’re sitting here baby, can mom teach you something that might help you?” She asked. “I know that sitting in time out will be difficult for you. Dad and I know that your powers cause you to become agitated if you sit still for too long. The energy build up is too much, and that can cause impulsive decisions. But mom has a trick for you.”

            Sonic glanced at her; his eyes wet. He knew she was right, he could already feel the energy starting to build up. Like fire flowing through his veins, like an itch you just couldn’t scratch. He almost wished he was just normal, it was like his power was working against him, causing him to misbehave… causing him to disappoint his parents. And he hated it…

            “When you’re feeling overwhelmed, when things are too much, I want you to try this exercise. It helped mom a lot when I was struggling in college, when things were overwhelming and difficult.” She placed a hand on his shoulder gently. “Close your eyes for me Sonic.”

            The hedgehog obeyed, squeezing his eyes shut.

            Maddie smirked, not quite what she meant. She whispered ever so calmly to her son. “Relax for me sonic, deep breath.” She said, noticing some tension leave his little body as he listened. “I want you to picture a feather. Take a deep breath in, hold, and back out.” She said, demonstrating with her own exaggerated breaths.

            Sonic did as he was instructed, and it seemed to help a little. The fire inside him being slightly quenched but still ever present.

            “Picture the feather floating, gently, up and down. You’re breathing is the only thing keeping the feather aloft. Up and down, in, then out. That’s right sweetie.” She encouraged him as the little ball of energy seemed to get increasingly calmer. Even his tears seemed to be dissipating. “Good job my love, focus on keeping the feather gently aloft, mom will come get you when your time out is over.”

            Sonic had almost not even realized she had stepped away. Now fully focused on picturing his feather, slowing his breathing to keep the delicate object floating in space. The more he did it, the less burning he felt inside, like he was taming the fire even if only for a moment.

            Maddie watched quietly from the sofa. It had been almost 20 minutes, and Sonic still seemed to be doing well. She had expected him to be restless the entire duration of his punishment, but her breathing technique seemed to be really helping. She noticed that as the minutes passed, his little body trembled less. His paws, normally constantly fidgeting were starting to come to a rest. She was so proud of him. After 10 more minutes she walked over and gently tapped him on the shoulder.

            “Sweetie, your time out is over.”

            Sonic opened his eyes, glancing at his mother who lifted him up off the stool and placed him on the ground. “It’s over already?”

            “Yes, my love, you were there for about a half hour, you did so well. How did you like the feather technique?”

            “I-it was good…” Sonic admitted. “Normally it feels like my brain is going a million miles and hour you know? But I slowed all the thoughts down mom.” He said proudly as he looked up at her.

            The two of them went back to the sofa where Maddie proceeded to rub his back gently. “You were born with endless energy sweetie, and I don’t think you’ll ever be able to fully get things under control. But it will get easier the more you learn about yourself. Whenever you feel like it’s about to boil over, and cause you to do something reckless. I want you to picture your feather, and use it to calm yourself. Use it to gain a moment where you can think rationally and understand the potential consequences of whatever choice you’re about to make okay?”

            Sonic nodded. “I’ll try mom, I promise. Thank you for teaching me that.” The hedgehog smiled.

            “Now dad and I are going to continue to be as fair as possible with you. But you caused a lot of damage yesterday, not to mention getting yourself injured. Next time it happens, you’ll be facing a serious punishment okay sweetie. Think about that before you make bad choices like running indoors again. Now you have an option to use, a better choice you can make. Just picture your feather and calm yourself down. But if you choose to ignore that, and do something naughty again, dad might make sure you go to bed with a sore bottom next time. Understand?”

            Sonic’s eyes went wide with panic. He nodded quickly. “I’ll behave mom, no need for that!” He said, embarrassed that she brought it up again.

            Tom walked in just in time to hear the last bit of their conversation. He placed his hand firmly and lovingly on the hedgehog’s head, ruffling his fur a bit. “Good boy, because dad really doesn’t want to have to have that talk with you, okay?”

            “D-did you get my mess cleaned up dad?” Sonic said looking guilty again.

            “Hey buddy, no need to keep beating yourself up over it. You’ve had your punishment and your mom and I have completely forgiven you. It’s all cleaned up and the contractor will be here in the next couple days to start repairing things. Let’s all move on to happier things now, right?” The man smiled at him. “I think we all need a lazy Sunday, I’m thinking pizza and movies!” He exclaimed.

            “Yeah, that sounds good.” Sonic nodded. After all the excitement he could use a lazy day.

            Deep down the hedgehog knew it would take a while before he could trust that things really were okay now. He had a hard time accepting that they could forgive so easily. But his mom and dad kept telling him he was in fact forgiven, so he’d try to believe it.

            The two adults both hugged him together, sandwiching the little hedgehog between them. “You’re a good kid Sonic, and even though you’ll make mistakes from time to time, we’ll be here to help you learn from those mistakes. And no matter what you do, we’ll never stop believing that you’re a good kid, got it.” Maddie asked him.

            “I love you guys, thank you… for everything…” Sonic smiled, nuzzling into his parents embrace.

            “We love you too kiddo, now and always!” Tom told him.

            From cold cave floors to having a warm bed, good food and lots of hugs. Sonic couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found himself some new parents. One’s that truly seemed to care for him. And whatever adventures they would have, or trouble he would get up to, he knew that he could count on them to be there for him, to nurture and teach him. And he would try to be there for them too., no matter what.

Chapter Text

 A pleasantly cool breeze swept across the city carrying the faint scent of Rain from earlier in the day. Lights lit up the entire city as citizens walked the busy streets enjoying their Friday nights as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Though the peace, it seemed, would soon come to a sudden end.

            A loud boom, strong enough to shake the nearby buildings rang out throughout the city. Onlookers enjoying the view from the Seattle Space Needle could see the fiery blast followed by torrents of water erupting out of the now destroyed sewer.

            Citizens unaware of what was happening yelled and screamed as the ran in any direction they could seeking cover from the explosions, being showered in sewage as they did so. It was a catastrophic disaster, one which no one had seen coming on this otherwise calm evening.

            A little blue hedgehog looked on from the top of a building, cringing a little bit at the mess he had caused while trying to thwart an armored car hijacking. He’d gotten the thieves, but at what cost… Thankfully no one seemed to be in danger at the moment, but his antics had certainly caused some chaos.

            Briefly he thought about what his dad would say if he knew about all this. Then he realized the outcome would probably be much worse than just a scolding. He figured it was about time to return home before anyone realized he was gone. After all, only the driver of the car really saw him, and no one would believe a little blue alien caused all this. He and more importantly his butt would end up totally fine! No harm done… sorta…

            As the hedgehog sped off in the direction of Green Hills, he had plenty of time to reflect about what he’d done. But that was his biggest problem after all, he was always so impulsive, making decisions in the heat of the moment and not thinking about the potential consequences. He wasn’t even really sure what had compelled him to leave home to seek out crime in a larger city to thwart.

            Maybe it was to be like the heroes in the comics that he was always reading? Or maybe he just liked the rush he got when he rescued people? Whatever the reason, he wasn’t sure it had been the best choice to head out tonight. His Mom and Dad had forbidden him from leaving the house after 6:00PM without letting them know beforehand. Luckily, they should be sound asleep… He had made sure to head out after midnight after all, with any luck he’d be back at the crack of dawn before anyone came to wake him up.

            So far he’d managed to avoid the worst of his parents punishments, but he was sure that streak would end if they found out he was gone tonight, even if they didn’t find out about the explosions…

            Sonic felt remorseful as he ran full speed towards his home. This night hadn’t exactly gone as planned, and he didn’t mean to cause so much damage along the way… He truly hoped he hadn’t harmed anyone with his little stunt tonight. How the heck was he supposed to know those stupid criminals would have bombs? Didn’t matter right now anyway, just focus on getting home before anyone wakes up, he thought.

Back at their little home in Green Hills, Maddie sat on the edge of her bed trying her best not to cry as her husband tried his best to console the woman.  The man had gone upstairs to check in on their son really quick. Sonic had no idea that he did this often if he happened to be up late or if he was woken by something. Just peeking inside the hedgehog’s room to ensure he was sleeping safely and soundly always put his mind at ease. Not this time…

When Tom didn’t see the little hedgehog snoring away, his heart nearly went still, adrenaline taking over control of his body. His son was gone, where was his son?

The man’s first thought was to call the kid. Even though they had been so clear with him about the rules, having lived with the boy for a few months now, they knew he was nothing but trouble sometimes. Maybe he had just gone out for some reason? But when Tom tried the hedgehog’s phone, he heard one of the hedgehog’s favorite songs. “Live and Learn” playing from the nightstand. The man glanced over, and sure enough there was Sonic’s phone. He’d told the kid to always have it with him…

He couldn’t believe how terrified he was right down to his core. Not knowing where his kid was, if he was hurt, if he was captured. So many people were out to get them, and he’d told Sonic that many times. He simply couldn’t stand the thought that someone might get their hands on him, they’d made so many enemies in a short time. Both that insane doctor who Tom had serious doubts was actually stranded forever on that planet. Not to mention their own government, who would want nothing more than to turn his son into their science experiment.

Now all the man could do was sit next to his wife, trying to convince her that Sonic was just being reckless, and he’d show up any minute now. It was possible that he was trying to convince himself just as much as Maddie.

Tom always tried to be fun loving and kind… It was a rare sight to see the man truly angry. It took so much to push him to that point. But right now, his blood was boiling, a mixture of fear, adrenaline and exhaustion.

“Sonic had better have a good excuse when he gets home.” Tom gritted his teeth, trying to hold on to the idea that he was okay and had only snuck out. “Because when I get my hands on him, I’m going to light his little butt on fire. I’ve been really lenient with him but this is the last straw…”

Maddie put a hand on the man’s shoulder, her eyes still wet with tears. “I agree he needs a serious punishment this time love, but you need to calm yourself down a little bit too. We’re both feeling terrible right now, but punishing him while you’re this angry is a bad idea, it won’t really teach him anything other than to fear you, right?”

Tom tried to take a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling. He knew that Maddie was right, but it didn’t help how angry he was feeling. How betrayed he was feeling that Sonic hadn’t thought twice about how his parents would feel to find him missing. He knew that his son was a good kid, he just didn’t think things through properly, choosing to always act on his first impulse.

The two adults stayed there all night, until Maddie finally passed out around 5:00AM. Tom however wouldn’t sleep, he couldn’t… He just clutched his cell phone in case Sonic managed to call, in case he really was in trouble. But the call didn’t come, and so he just sat there running through the worst possible scenarios in his mind. And as every second ticked away, that dreadful feeling that something was seriously wrong only grew. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion he wondered how he had failed so much as a father, how could he have no idea where his boy was?

As he was finally about to doze off against his will, he suddenly heard a thud coming from the attic above, his eyes jolting back open as he leapt off their bed, waking Maddie in the process.

“Tom?” She said drearily. But the man was too focused on checking out the noise, not answering. She tried to figure out what was going on as she hastily got out of bed.

Tom leapt up the stairs at lightning speed, he stopped in the entrance way, and there he was. His boy, looking shocked to see him. He looked fine, uninjured at least, and Tom breathed a sigh of relief. But then all the emotions from that night came to a bursting point… he knew he should calm himself before engaging his son, he knew what that what he was doing wasn’t the right way, but all he could think about was making sure Sonic understood how terrified they had been all night. Making sure he never scared them like this ever again. The man marched towards the little hedgehog with purpose.

Sonic saw his dad charging towards him and tried to say something in his defense, but all he managed to say was, “d-dad I can explain!” Before the man grabbed his paw and held him firmly in place.

“What in the hell were you thinking!” The man shouted in a tone that Sonic had never ever heard his fun-loving father use before. Just the tone by itself caused tears to start welling up in the hedgehog’s eyes. He realized he’d screwed up big time. He was in trouble now for sure. “Your mother and I have been up all night wondering whether or not you’d been taken forever… you don’t take your phone with you? Going out God knows where at all hours of the night?! Did you ever stop to think how terrified we would be if we found out you were missing? You never think!”

His father loomed tall over him, holding his paw to keep the little hedgehog from escaping the situation as he was yelled at. Sonic didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to say. He had never seen his father this angry, and it was terrifying.

“Well, I’ve had enough of your impulsiveness Sonic, Come here!” He ordered, dragging the young hedgehog over to his little race-car bed and pulling him over his lap in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

Sonic was too in shock to fight back, to say anything, it all happened so quickly. Before he knew what was going on, he heard a loud smack echoing throughout the attic, then another and another. It took a moment for his brain to even register the burning sting that was now spreading across his bottom.

“Don’t… Ever… Do… This… To… Us…. Again….” His father scolded loudly, punctuating each word with another hard spank to the hedgehog’s bottom.

It was then that Maddie finally got upstairs, hearing the commotion throughout the house and realizing that Sonic must have returned. “Tom, love, that’s enough.” She said rushing over to the pair.

Tom stopped himself just before delivering another smack to his naughty son, who was now sobbing over his lap. And suddenly the remorse hit him all at once… He didn’t know what came over him, he was just so tired and angry and everything just seemed to have happened so quickly. Sonic deserved this punishment, no doubt, but he realized he broke an important promise he made to his son months ago. That he would never punish him in anger.

He lifted the small hedgehog off his lap and reached out a hand to the kid for comfort, but Sonic stepped back in fear at the gesture. Hiding his face with his paws and sobbing uncontrollably. Everything was just too overwhelming and he couldn’t stop the tears. His butt stung like crazy, he was embarrassed, but most of all he had let his mom and dad down really badly, and the guilt was too much.

“S-Sonic…” Tom said as gently as he could with so much adrenaline still coursing through him.

The little hedgehog just pulled away again, shaking his head and letting his tears flow freely.

Maddie decided it was time to intervene. “Tom...” She rubbed the man’s back softly. “Go calm yourself down, okay? I’ll stay with Sonic for a bit, everything will be alright, he’s home now. But you need to let your anger subside right? Then you two can try and talk thing out, okay?”

Tom nodded, feeling his throat tighten a little. He’d scared his son, he never meant to do that. He was just so worried… He stood up and gently as he could, stepped out of the hedgehog’s room. He knew Maddie could calm their son down, and then he would have his chance to apologize. But Sonic needed her right now, not him.

Maddie stat down on the bed and held her arms out towards her sobbing child. “Baby, want to cuddle with mommy? I’m here my love.”

Sonic said nothing, he just let himself fall into her arms, allowing himself to be embraced tightly. He just wanted to be held right now. She allowed him to sit in her lap as she squeezed him gently. “Shhh, everything’s alright Sonic.” She reassured him as she rubbed his back, comforting her son.

The little hedgehog stayed there, with his head resting on his mother’s shoulder for several minutes, until he finally got his crying under control enough to speak again. And what he said broke Maddie’s heart. “D-dad, hates me!” He shouted, hiccuping briefly from all his crying.

He felt his mother rubbing small circles on his back trying to comfort her son. “No baby, dad doesn’t hate you, okay? He loves you more than anything.”

“He yelled at me!” Sonic choked out, less worried about the pain in his bottom and more concerned with seeing his father in a way he never had before. It was scary…

“I know honey, I know…” She stroked the back of his head fur, careful of his spines. Whenever he was upset like this, she knew they could sometimes be prickly. “Daddy didn’t mean to yell at you sweetie. I promise…”

Maddie lost track of how long the two of them sat like that, Sonic clinging to her for comfort and affection and not wanting to let go. She didn’t mind; she’d hold him until the end of time if that’s what he wanted. Finally, after a while she could feel Sonic’s breathing had returned mostly to normal, and he seemed much calmer.

“We love you Sonic, both of us more than anything. You scared us tonight, neither your dad or I could stand if something ever happened to you.”

“I’m sorry mom, I know I messed up.” Sonic whispered just loud enough to be heard.

Finally, she pulled Sonic off her gently, and laid him down in his bed, leaning down and kissing him gently on his forehead. “We all make mistakes baby, that includes daddy.” She knelt down to his level and he looked up at her as he lay there. “Dad will want to come talk with you, is that okay sweetie? I promise everything will be okay. No more yelling alright?”

Sonic buried his face in his pillow, but nodded. Part of him was scared what his dad would say. He felt like he had disappointed him, he felt so guilty… He’d never made him that mad before.

Meanwhile, Tom was lying down on the sofa, exhaustion creeping up on his again as he replayed what just happened in his mind over and over again. There was no way Sonic wouldn’t hate him now… He never wanted to be this kind of father, the kind who can’t control their own anger. The kid absolutely needed a good smack on the butt to help him understand the gravity of this whole situation, but he should have done it so much differently. Now it was too late, he couldn’t turn back time now. He would just have to do his best to own up to his mistake, and make sure Sonic knew that this would never happen again.

Why does no one ever tell you that raising a child is this difficult… Nothing could have prepared him for the events of this evening.

He spotted his wife coming down the stairs and couldn’t help but ask. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s better, but he thinks you hate him.” Maddie told him honestly, sighing.

Tom placed his hands over his face, groaning. “I really screwed up tonight, Maddie, I know it. The kid deserved that spanking, but not the way I did it tonight. I promised him I’d never punish him in anger and I broke that promise. What kind of father am I?”

“The kind who loves his son more than anything, and couldn’t stand to be worried about him all night. You hadn’t slept, you’d been agonizing over our son who was missing all night long. Sonic will understand my love, but you need to talk to him, you need to apologize and make sure he understands that it will never happen again.” Maddie told him. “It won’t, right?”

“Never.” Tom said adamantly. “When I saw him sobbing like that, terrified, scared of me touching him. I never want to make him feel that way again. I’m supposed to make him feel safe and protected.”

“Good.” She spoke. “Now go talk with your son, he’s always been a daddy’s boy. I know he needs his dad to comfort him right now even if he doesn’t want to say it. Sonic will forgive you I’m sure of it, and you need tell him that he is forgiven as well.”

When the man arrived at Sonic’s room, he entered extremely cautiously. Part of him nervous that Sonic would never see him the same way again, and maybe he deserved that. He saw the little guy huddled up in his blankets, lying on the little race-car bed they’d gotten him.

He knelt down besides the bed and sighed, staring at the lump covered in blankets. “Buddy, can I join you?” He said in his gentlest voice. He didn’t hear any more signs of crying, so he guessed his son was a little calmer now.

Sonic rolled over and looked at the man, his eyes were red from crying.  When Sonic didn’t say anything right away the man added. “I promise no more yelling, or we can just lay here together for a bit if you don’t want to talk right away. I just want to hold you; can daddy hold you?”

The hedgehog nodded and held up the blanket, inviting his father underneath. Despite everything that had happened, Sonic wanted his dad’s hugs more than anything right now. Tom smiled lovingly and carefully got into bed with his son. It was tiny, not nearly big enough for him. His feet hung off the edge uncomfortably. But he didn’t care, he was just happy Sonic was letting him lay with him, that was a start.

When he was settled the best, he could be, He pulled Sonic into his embrace, the hedgehog’s back to his stomach. He felt a slight trembling, and knew his son was crying again.

“Everything will be okay, I’m going to talk kiddo, and you don’t have to say anything alright?” He said as he continued to hold his kid.

“First, I want you to know that daddy loves you no matter what, forever and always. No matter what happens that will never ever change. I could never hate you, never…” He began as he snuggled Sonic tightly. The man’s next words were hard to get out, he felt like a knot was forming in his throat. “I messed up Sonic, no matter what happens there is never a good reason to yell and scream at you like I did. I promised you, didn’t I? And I broke that promise… I’m sorry that I scared you, kiddo, and it will never happen again. Even grown-ups make mistakes, and I understand if you are upset with me, you have every right to be.”

For a moment the two sat in silence, he wasn’t going to pressure his son into responding if he didn’t want to. He’d just be there for him, holding him, as long as Sonic wanted. However, the hedgehog did finally speak after a few minutes.

“I-I’m sorry too dad, I’m sorry I worried you. I don’t know why I’m so bad all the time, I-I.”

“No buddy, you’re not bad, far from it. You’re one of the best kids there is, and you’re full of goodness and light. Making some mistakes here and there will never change that. Do you think daddy is a bad person for yelling tonight?” He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know that answer.

Sonic shook his head. He completely understood why his dad had been so angry, that didn’t make it any less shocking to him, but he couldn’t blame him for being upset with him.

“Sometimes good people make bad choices, even grown-ups.”

The two of them laid in bed together for a long while, snuggled together, and despite how uncomfortable the sleeping arrangement was for the larger man, his exhaustion won out, and the two of them fell asleep after a while.

Maddie peeked into the room after a bit to check on them and the sight made her heart swell. Her two boys cuddled together in bed. She was so very happy that they could hopefully all move past this terrible night. Quickly she snapped a quick photo with her phone, the adorable sight too perfect to pass up for their family album. Then she decided to let them sleep, everyone was tired, and she retired back to her own bedroom.

No one got too much sleep as morning soon arrived, and Tom’s alarm woke the two of them up. It was a work day after all. Tom was far too exhausted from the previous night and called in to tell Wade that he needed the day off today for a child emergency. The deputy was more than happy to cover for him today.

It didn’t take all that long for Sonic to doze off again, the man couldn’t blame him, he’d had a very long night to be sure. Tom tucked his son back in to bed, deciding to allow him to sleep for a while longer. Though he knew they had not finished the entire conversation they needed to have about what all happened last night. Tom still had questions about where the heck Sonic had thought was important enough that he would ignore all the rules they had discussed.

The man rubbed his eyes. Well, for now, he just needed a hot cup of coffee to wake himself up a little. When he arrived in their kitchen, Maddie was already getting started on breakfast as usual.

“Morning hun.” The man said as he grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself some coffee which had already been brewed. He leaned in and kissed his wife on the cheek. “I don’t deserve you, you know that?”

Maddie giggled, “You’ve sacrificed for me plenty of times my love, I’m happy to do the cooking once in a while. Besides I was hoping to let you boys sleep until I finished here, I’m sure you two are exhausted.”

“Yeah, I’d have liked to sleep a bit more to be honest, but my darn work alarm woke us up. Thankfully the kiddo fell back to sleep, I’ll let him rest until breakfast is done.”

The man took a seat on the living room couch, enjoying the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen as he continued to go over last night’s events in his head, over and over again. He still felt so guilty for how he had handled Sonic’s punishment last night. The man decided that from now on he would need to send Sonic to his room for a while if he did something naughty. It was only normal for him to have gotten angry last night, that’s just being human… What he needed going forward was time to cool off before engaging with his son, because yelling and screaming at his boy would only hurt him, it wouldn’t help teach him anything.

At some point, the man decided to turn the TV on and check the news… and what he saw was chaos to say the least. The top story, playing on nearly every news channel, was going over the destruction of an entire city block in Seattle WA.

The man watched intensely as they described the sewage system being blown up, multiple car accidents, injured citizens… Was this a terrorist attack or something? That was the man’s first thought, but then they showed the suspected culprit. The photo they had was terrible, you couldn’t really make out any features, and anyone who didn’t know better wouldn’t have believed what some of the witnesses were describing.

Tom knew better, he recognized that blue blur on the screen, his son… What in the hell had he been up to last night. If he government officials from before caught wind of this, it would reignite their hunt for the little guy instantly. But what was worse, was the sheer amount of suffering that Sonic had caused.

“Maddie come in here please.” Tom said, pausing on the frame of their son.

His wife quickly came to check things out and was shocked when she noticed it. “Is that Sonic?!” She shouted.

“Yeah, no doubt in my mind… looks like we found out where our little trouble maker was last night. What was he thinking? I mean this is really horrible, look how much damage… Thank God no one knows we are harboring him or the bill would crush us.”

“Tom this is… too much. I mean look at that! Sonic did all that?” She gestured to the damages on screen. “What do we do in this situation? Nothing in the parenting books mention this...” She said exasperated as she paced around the living room.

“I know, I know. I mean I have to talk with him again. I know I already gave the little guy a couple spanks last night, but we’re talking about a much more serious offense now.”

“Tom, are you sure you want to punish him again so soon, after what happened last night?”

The man sighed. “I know I went about things all wrong last night, but I’ll handle things differently this time. Sonic still has to be taught a lesson Maddie, I mean we can’t let something like this slide and just continue to get worse… I mean this is big!”

“Well, maybe I can take this one for you, so you don’t have to do it? It’s not fair if you’re the bad guy all the time.”

“No, I mean I appreciate it hun, but I really think it needs to be me. The little guy is closer with me, and for this to sink in, I need to have a good talk with him about responsibility. He’ll listen, I know he will. He’s a good kid, just, powerful and misguided.”

Tom stood up from the sofa. “When he wakes up, I’m going to ask him where he was last night, and if he owns up and tells me the truth, I’ll go a bit easier on him, I promise. But if he lies to me on top of everything, he’s going to learn there is something worse than daddy’s hand… Either way, there won’t be any yelling this time, I promise to cool down first.”

Maddie nodded, she felt bad that Sonic was about to be on the receiving end of a pretty serious punishment, but on the other hand, she knew that Sonic needed it to truly have the lesson sink in. This situation was serious, what he had caused couldn’t be undone. It had to stop tonight; they couldn’t let their son go further down that road of recklessness and disregard for the safety of others.

Later that morning, once the family had finished their breakfast, Tom lightly grabbed his son’s shoulder. “Kiddo, I want you to go up to mine and Maddie’s room and wait for me in there, okay?”

“Huh, how come?” Sonic asked, a bit concerned.

“Listen Sonic, I know you thought we were done with this whole sneaking out thing after last night, but you and I still need to have a little talk, okay? I promise there won’t be any more yelling, but we still have some things we need to discuss, don’t we?”

Sonic rubbed his paws together nervously, there was no way they found out about what he was up to last night, right? No, this was just one of those father son talks that his dad was famous for. Probably just wanted to lecture him a bit. Either way he didn’t want to disobey his dad’s order and make things worse.

“Okay dad.” Sonic replied with his head hung a bit before he excused himself from the table and headed towards his parents’ room. As he sat down on their bed, which felt huge compared to his own, he wondered what his dad was going to say to him. He knew that he had really messed up last night. The worry he caused them made him feel another rush of guilt as he thought about it all again.

Sitting there, kicking his legs back and forth on top of the bed he waited for Tom to come and scold him. Maybe he should tell his dad the truth about all the destruction he’d accidentally caused… He didn’t want to lie to the man, after all, Tom trusted him… But he also knew that if he came clean there was no way that his dad wouldn’t think he deserved another spanking for putting all those people in danger during his vigilante mission.

The little hedgehog didn’t have much time to mull things over, as his dad soon entered the room, closing the door behind him and taking a seat on the bed next to his son.

“Dad I’m sorry for everything.” Sonic started hesitantly.

Tom placed a hand on the hedgehog’s back, rubbing it and trying to comfort his kid. “I know you are Sonic, and I wanted to apologize again for how I acted last night. I promise you that’s never how I’m going to deal with your misbehavior going forward okay?”

Sonic just nodded, allowing his father to continue.

“I want you to feel like you can always tell me anything Sonic, even when you mess up and do something naughty. I don’t want you to be afraid to talk to me just because you fear you will be punished. Now, I do have to give you punishments when you misbehave, because I want to teach you to be the best person you can be. For that, sometimes you need to feel the consequence for it to sink in. But I want you to know, that when it’s all done, you are always going to be fully forgiven kiddo, and whatever the mistake was, you’ll learn from it, and mom and dad will help fix things. I know that spankings hurt a lot, they’re supposed to because they are supposed to make you remember to make better choices the next time you are faced with choosing a bad option. But everything will always be okay in the end, I promise.”

Sonic sat there trying to absorb what his dad was saying, and he felt a twinge of nervousness at the same time. He still had a sinking feeling that his dad had somehow found out the full truth of last night, and he didn’t like where this was going at all.

“So, with that said, I’m going to ask you one time Sonic, and I want you to be honest with me bud, what were you up to last night?” The man asked sternly, already knowing the answer.

This was it, the moment of truth, Sonic thought. He could either lie and try to avoid another spanking or tell his dad the truth. The weight of the choice made all the emotions and guilt from last night come bubbling up. Because he knew that what he’d done was terrible… Maybe even so terrible that his dad wouldn’t think he was the hero he had thought.

As the tears started to flow from Sonic’s eyes, he felt his father pull him into his embrace, shocking him a little bit. He was always surprised at how freely his parents showed him love and affection. They always tried their best to comfort him, and it always made him feel so safe…

“Shh, it’s okay Sonic, no matter what you’ve done, mom and dad will always love you, and we’ll always know you’re a good person. Tell dad the truth, okay?”

Sonic sniffled, his face pressed into the man’s chest as he allowed himself to be held. He couldn’t lie to his dad; he couldn’t stand the thought of breaking this trust that he’d been given. Even if it meant having a sore bottom, he knew he had to come clean.

“I-I went to a different city last night…” he admitted. “I just wanted to be like the heroes in my comic books, I wanted to help people and stop criminals! But I really messed up dad, I broke so much stuff, and, and, and, I put people in danger… I didn’t mean to I swear!” The hedgehog was allowing his crying to fully take over now as he sobbed into his father’s shirt.

Tom smiled a bit, thought Sonic couldn’t see it. The man couldn’t help it, part of him expected Sonic to be a normal child, and try to lie his way out like any other kid. It just reminded him that Sonic was quite a bit more mature than them; he’d lived life on his own for so long, experienced things they hadn’t, and he was so proud of his son in that moment for owning up to his mistake.

“I already know buddy, I saw everything on the news this morning, and we’re going to have a long talk tonight about your behavior and the seriousness of this whole situation.” Tom said in a somewhat firm tone which caused his son to pull away a bit, looking at the man. The hedgehog sniffled but nodded. He figured a long talk most likely meant another spanking, but he also felt like a weight had been lifted. He was glad he didn’t lie to his dad, that would have only made things worse.

The man patted Sonic’s head lovingly, changing his tone to a gentler and more loving one. “Sonic, I’m so very proud of you for telling me the truth. Lying only ever makes things worse, and it shows that you are becoming more mature.”

His words made Sonic’s heart feel a bit lighter, even with the knowledge that he’d be getting punished soon, he felt good having done the right thing. And every time his dad told him he was proud of him; it filled him with warmth and joy. He loved making the man proud of him.

After a while, when Sonic had calmed down a bit, Tom allowed him to pull out of his embrace. He looked his son in the eyes, switching back to his more serious dad voice. “Now, even though you owned up to this, it doesn’t change the sheer amount of damage you caused, and we’re going to talk about that later. I‘m not going to sugar coat it for you, you’re going to get a spanking for this Sonic, I just can’t let something like this slide. You caused way too much destruction, and that requires a serious punishment, okay?”

“I-I understand.” The tears were coming back almost immediately as he remembered how much his butt hurt last night after his dad spanked him for the first time. He swore he could still feel the tingle in his bottom.

Tom tilted the boy’s head up to meet his gaze. “But because you told me the truth buddy, I’ll go a little easier on you, I’ll only be using my hand. Had you lied to me, you’d be getting a few extras with mommy’s hairbrush. Keep that in mind if lying ever crosses your mind in the future, telling the truth is always the right choice, even when it feels difficult.”

Sonic’s eyes went wide at the mention of the hairbrush, suddenly even more glad that he’d told the truth. “I’m sorry dad, I’m so sorry.”

“I know little buddy, I know you are, but you still need a good reminder to behave. Next time you’ll remember to make better choices, I hope. Now I want you to sit here for a while kiddo, and think about how you got yourself here. I’ll be back in a little bit to give you your spanking, okay?”

Sonic pouted. “W-why can’t you just get it over with now?” The hedgehog asked. The thought of sitting around worrying about his impending punishment made him feel a bit uneasy.

The man placed his hand reassuringly on his son’s shoulder. “I know it seems agonizing waiting for your spanking, but that’s part of the punishment, it gives you time to reflect on your choices. The second reason is for dad to have time to cool off before spanking you. This is how it will go from now on buddy, I never want to lose my temper like I did last night, so I need to make sure I can step away for a bit first. I couldn’t stand scaring you again like I did last night bud, that’s not what these punishments are about.”

Sonic hated the fact that he would have to sit there in his room waiting for his dad to come spank his butt… but he understood that reasoning after what had happened last night.

“Be good and listen to dad, okay?” He said patting the kid’s head. “It’ll all be over quickly, and then you’ll be completely forgiven kiddo.”

Sonic nodded as his dad closed the door gently behind him. He plopped down on his parents bed and pulled the covers over himself. Curling up and trying to comfort himself.

Why couldn’t he just think things through more? He hated the fact that no matter what, he couldn’t seem to control his impulses. And it always seemed to be landing him in trouble. The hedgehog thought back to last night, and though the anger and the sting of the hard spanking he’d received lingered in his memory; but what really stuck with him was the exhaustion and worry on his dad’s face when he first laid eyes on him.

Mom and dad were really worried about me, he thought. He felt so guilty that he’d not considered their feelings at all. His actions, the things he chooses to do don’t only affect him now like all those years in his cave living alone. He had to think about his family now, about how they might feel when he makes these mistakes.

Sonic decided that he would own up to things, accept whatever punishment was about to come his way. Still, that resolve didn’t make him feel any less nervous. He learned last night that his dad could give a very painful spanking if he wanted to.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Tom entered the room again. He saw his son shielding himself under their blankets, and his heart melted a little bit. The kid looked so nervous and vulnerable. But the man knew this wasn’t going to go the same way as the other night. He would take his time, make sure that Sonic understood why he had to do this. And most of all, make sure the kid knew that he was forgiven, and that he was loved and cared about.

The man gently sat down on the edge of the bed, and spoke softly. “Sonic, let’s talk son.”

The hedgehog emerged from the comfort of the blankets, and slowly sat up side by side with his dad, waiting for him to speak.

“I know that you’re a special kid Sonic, you have powers that most could only dream of. And it’s only natural that you’d want to use them to help people, and I want to tell you, that I’m proud of you for thinking that way.” The man smiled at his son.

The corner of Sonic’s mouth turned up a bit, giving his dad a nervous smile. No matter what, those words, I’m proud of you always made him feel good. But he knew that there was more to come.

“But you did a few things wrong last night, right?” The man asked as Sonic gave a little nod. “You snuck out after curfew without telling your mom or I. There are so many people who would love nothing more than to hurt you Sonic, and the feeling I got last night was just, helplessness. Knowing that you were out there somewhere, but not knowing where. Thinking about all the terrible things that could be happening to you. You really had us worried kid.”

“I’m sorry dad, I promise I’m never going to make you or mom worry again. I just wanted to feel like a hero for a little bit, but I didn’t think about how you guys would feel, not knowing where I was…” The little hedgehog reached out, and Tom took him into his embrace.

As the man stroked the hedgehog’s quills, he continued his lecture. “Sonic, you are a hero, but you’re also a child. And whether you want to hear it or not, you’ve got some more growing up to do before you’re ready for that kind of thing. You’re brave and adventurous and we love that about you, bud. But being brave doesn’t mean that you go looking for trouble. When the time comes that your powers are needed, you’ll know it, alright?”

Sonic sniffled, he was starting to feel emotional again. All this crying the last 24 hours was starting to exhaust him, but he couldn’t help it. Something about his new family made him feel like he could be more open and vulnerable. He didn’t have to bottle everything up all the time.

“Being a true hero Sonic, means taking responsibility for others, and that isn’t what happened last night is it? You didn’t think about collateral damage, the safety of the people in that city. And you caused a lot of destruction, didn’t you?”

“Yes dad…”

Tom gently released his son from his grasp, allowing the kid to look him in his eyes. “Sonic, you’re a kind and good kid, and your mom and I will always believe that. But you are still a kid, and when kids make mistakes it’s up to their parents to correct them, and make sure that they learn from those mistakes. You left after dark, you put yourself and others in great danger, and you caused untold damages to people’s property, and those things require a serious consequence in order to help you learn from those mistakes agreed?”

Sonic was choking on his words a bit now as the weight and guilt of what he’d done was laid out plain as day like that. “Y-yes daddy, I’m sorry… I don’t want to be spanked… please, I’ve learned my lesson.” He plead.

“Nobody wants a spanking buddy, that’s why they are effective for teaching you right from wrong. If you want to avoid them you have to learn to control your impulses and behave in the future. Dad doesn’t want to have to spank you either, but I have to provide consequences for you so that you can make better choices in the future. I don’t do this to hurt you, but to give you a firm reminder to think back on for next time.”

Sonic whimpered as his dad reached out and took him by the arm, gently.

“C’mon my little boy, it’ll be over before you know it, and we can put all of this behind us, okay?” The man pulled Sonic over his lap, the little hedgehog looked so small and scared. It took all of Tom’s willpower not to back down from this, but he knew that his Son needed this lesson. A little pain now in order to keep him from endangering himself and others in the future was a small price to pay. It didn’t make things any easier though, as he knew Sonic needed a good spanking this time. He’d crossed way too many lines with this one, and as painful as it was to have to punish his son this way, it needed to be done.

Sonic braced himself as his father pulled him across his lap. He felt so much like a naughty child in this position and couldn’t help feel embarrassed that he’d allowed himself to push things far enough to earn this punishment. Reflexively he clenched his bottom, waiting for that first smack.

Tom raised his hand and then brought it down hard on his son’s small butt, the sound echoing throughout the walls of the attic. The little guy yelped in surprise, followed by sustained crying. It stung for sure but hadn’t hurt all that much so far, yet for some reason that first smack just released something in him, and the kid couldn’t hold in the tears anymore.

The man continued to spank his son firmly but not overly hard. He wasn’t trying to bruise his son or cause any permanent damage, but he knew this spanking needed to hurt for Sonic to remember it when weighing his choices in the future. Still, he was holding back a lot more than he had the previous night.

The sorry sight of his son made Tom’s heart feel like it was being squeezed. The little guy was sobbing and begging him to stop, and he was struggling not to cave in and listen to his kid’s demands. “Please daddy it hurts! No more! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

But the man simply continued, his smacks remaining steady. The alternative was potentially losing him forever if the kid kept putting himself and others in danger. “I know it hurts kiddo, it has to, if you want to avoid a spanking, you need to learn to make better choices in the future.” The man scolded as he brought his hand down onto his son’s bottom.

Sonic felt like his butt was on fire, each slap causing a sharp sting wherever his dad’s hand fell. Before the sting could dissipate, his dad’s hand would revisit the same spot reigniting the burn all over again. It seemed like his dad was being extremely thorough as no part of his bottom was neglected.

It felt like an eternity to the hedgehog, but it had truly only been a few minutes before his dad finally stopped, noticing that his son’s bottom was showing a red hue beneath his blue fur, he knew the lesson had sunk in. Sonic almost didn’t realize it had stopped as he could still feel the lingering sting all over, even after the spanking had ceased.

Tom pulled the hedgehog into a sitting position before embracing his son again tightly, allowing Sonic to sob uncontrollably into his shirt. “Shhh, it’s all over now little boy, you’re forgiven, it’s all over now.” He told his son as he rubbed his back soothingly.

“I’m sorry dad, I’m sorry I disappointed you, I’m sorry I’m so much trouble.” Sonic sobbed.

Tom simply held his son close; he’d stay that way forever if Sonic needed it. He knew this was a difficult for the hedgehog, he’d never been punished this harshly before, he hoped that Sonic knew it was out of love.

Eventually the little hedgehog’s breathing started to even out, and the sobs seemed to dissipate little by little.

“Your mom and I love you so much Sonic, you are the best thing that has ever happened to us, and neither of us could stand it if something happened to you.” Tom explained as he continued to soothe his boy. “Our lives are so much better because of you, don’t ever think otherwise, okay? But you gotta promise me, no more making your mom and I worry like that…”

Sonic finally managed to glance up at his father, who’s words were coming out a bit shaky at this point. Seeing the man so vulnerable, it struck a chord within him. He knew that Tom and Maddie cared about him deeply, they’d always shown him that. But he was realizing just how much they cared. He could tell that his father hated doing this, hated having to punish him. It was all over his dad’s face. Yet, Tom made himself do it, because he wanted Sonic to be safe, and learn from his mistakes.

The hedgehog nuzzled his head into his father’s shoulder affectionately, surprising Tom. “You and mom are the best thing that’s ever happened to me too, dad.” He almost whispered. “I promise, I’ll never make you guys worry about me again, I swear.”

Tom smiled, and scratched the back of his kids head lightly. “That’s my boy, and I promise you that if I ever have to punish you, Sonic, it will always be done with love and not anger, deal?”

Sonic nodded. “Deal!”

“Good boy.” The man said squeezing the hedgehog tightly. “Tell ya what, we still have some daylight left, do you wanna go to the baseball field and hit the ball for a while?” He smiled.

“I’m not grounded?” Sonic asked completely innocently. He kinda figured this was serious enough that he wouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere for a bit.

“I mean, do you think the spanking was not enough to learn your lesson?” Tom smirked.

“N-no! It definitely was!” The hedgehog replied quickly, rubbing his sore butt. “I think I’m gonna be feeling it for the rest of the day.” Sonic nervously giggled, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

Tom laughed and placed his hand on the kid’s shoulder. “I think you’ve been punished enough buddy, like I said, you’re completely forgiven now. But if this ever happens again, mom’s hairbrush will make my hand seem soft in comparison, comprende?” The man threatened, somewhat lightheartedly but fully serious.

Sonic’s eyes went wide for a moment as he nodded furiously.

“But I know you won’t do it again, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Now let’s go have some fun alright?” Tom smirked.

“R-right!” Sonic replied a bit hesitantly as his dad stood up. The little hedgehog would definitely try his best to stay out of trouble, but for how long he couldn’t say. He decided to focus on the present, no use worrying about things like that right now. The rest of the day was gonna be a fun, father son day, and he couldn’t wait. Things were going to be okay, after all, he wasn’t alone anymore, his parents would always be here for him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.