Chapter Text
Sonic had nightmares about losing his family more often than he’d admit, not to Tom, and most definitely not to his brothers. It wasn’t something that he liked to discuss unless in a joking manner, never truly allowing his negative emotions to take over. When he nearly lost Tom, it had broken something inside him.
He’d turned his back on Knuckles, on Tails, he’d broken their agreement, their trust in each other. And Knuckles had still told him where the emerald was anyway, despite Sonic’s rash actions.
The hedgehog sighed heavily, dragging his hands down his face as he sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair. Maddie had taken Knuckles and Tails to the hospital cafeteria and Sonic had willingly stayed behind. Usually he was aching to get some movement underneath his feet, but really he could only sit there and stare at his father.
Tom was sleeping again, the pain medication that the doctors constantly administered always made him tired. He had a fractured arm, bruised ribs, and a mild concussion. Overall, he would be alright in a couple weeks, it wasn’t quite the worst thing he’d ever faced.
Tom had already had his morphine induced ramble about how he’d broken his collarbone in a fight with his brothers. A fracture was ‘ just a flesh wound .’
Sonic stared at the black brace that enveloped Tom’s right arm, holding it tight to his stomach at a ninety degree angle. A part of him was broken, drowned in words that had viciously spilled from Shadow’s mouth. Though he held no resentment against Shadow, the other hedgehog had bluntly— and rudely— pointed out some not so great things about himself.
All reason had been thrown out the window when he saw Tom on the ground, when Maddie had given him that look that practically screamed the word pity, like she didn’t think Tom would pull through.
You didn’t let it change you in here.
He’d never craved revenge so badly.
Rise and fall. Rise and fall. Rise and fall. Sonic watched Tom’s chest. Rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and—groan. Blinking eyes, yawn, a turning head, attention right on him.
“Tom!” Sonic eagerly pushed himself to the edge of his seat next to the hospital bed, “Are you okay? How’s your arm? Your ribs? Do I need to get a nurse—?” the questions left his tongue rapid fire.
Tom merely chuckled, happy to hear his son’s voice if anything. It was quiet and gravelly, but it was audible. It was something.
“I’m okay, Sonic.” He reassured quickly, reaching his good left arm out to ruffle through his kid’s fur. “It’s just a fractured arm. It’s my right, which sucks, but I’m all… left.”
“That’s not funny.” Sonic stared his father down with a disappointed gaze despite the way his eyes burned.
“I liked it.” Tom laughed softly this time, leaning back into the uncomfortable hospital bed.
His eyebrows furrowed when he heard a familiar sniffle fall from his son, quickly dragging his eyes back across the room to meet those big greens that stared him down like he’d possibly evaporate. “Sonic…”
“I’m… I’m sorry. I thought I lost you.” The words were shaky, halfheartedly angry at best. He wasn’t mad at Tom, he was mad at himself, that he hadn’t been fast enough. “Like… Like I lost Longclaw.”
“I’m right here, bud.” Tom said softly, reaching out to hold his son’s face with his left hand. “And I haven’t made my bucket list yet, so you’ve still got me for a while.”
Just when they finally relaxed, shit hit the fan. It always did, it probably always would. How sick is that? That a fourteen year old couldn’t experience a damn moment of peace? Tom always tried his best to distract him, he deserved to be a kid.
Sonic swallowed hard, his fingers anxiously twiddling together as he stared at his father before ultimately deciding to climb onto the hospital bed. He was careful of Tom’s injuries, though it didn’t seem to matter injured or not because Tom was pulling the boy against his side before he knew it.
“Don’t do that ever again.” He mumbled quietly against his father’s shoulder.
“Get unexpectedly taken out? Yeah, of course, kiddo.” Tom chuckled again, squeezing Sonic against his side.
“You’re still not funny.”
Tom looked down at his son before letting his gaze settle on the window across the room. “Listen, bud… None of it’s your fault. If you told me everything that we’d go through together, I would still go through all of it again if it meant Maddie and I got to take you in.”
Sonic’s eyes glaze over as he gently pulled his knees closer to his chest, his head resting on Tom’s side, just barely out of his field of vision. “…Really?”
“ Yes. You’re our son, Sonic. I would do anything to make sure you were safe, that you were under our roof.”
“I love you, dad.”
“I love you too. I’m not goin’ anywhere.” He gently threaded his fingers through Sonic’s fur, careful to avoid pricking himself on quills.
They fell into a comfortable silence together, both just watching the clouds and trees move through the window. They simply basked in the comfort and warmth a father and a son could provide for each other, and that was all they really needed.
All Sonic really needed was his father, he could live without anything else.