Chapter Text
The rain that started last night quickly grew into a storm.
Tom didn’t realize at first just how bad the damage was. But when he looked outside for the first time the following morning, he saw fallen tree limbs and leaves everywhere, indications of fierce winds. The sight of it told him that he’d have a busy day helping people around town.
Maddie, already in her vet scrubs, joined him for breakfast—just a quick bagel—and as Tom put on his utility belt and coat, he saw a very sleepy-looking Sonic stumble down the stairs.
“Hey, kid,” Tom greeted. Sonic raised his gaze from the floor to the sheriff, and he really did look exhausted. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Uh. Fine.” Sonic dropped his eyes and continued down the stairs. He stared at Tom for a moment, then Maddie, brow furrowed. “Are y’u both goin‘ out?”
Tom winced at the sadness in his voice. “Well, yeah. We’ve got work to get to.”
“Oh.” Sonic’s shoulders slumped.
Tom met Maddie’s gaze. She seemed equally conflicted about what to do with this alien kid—he was too young to be alone, even if he had been for a long time, but neither of them could take him to work. He’d attract too much attention, and besides, he didn’t like other people.
“Actually.” An idea sparked in Tom’s mind. “You can tag along with me.”
Sonic brightened. “Really?”
Tom shrugged. “Sure! I’m probably just gonna be helping people clear roadways and stuff after the storm. You might be able to sneak in there and help out.”
Energy visibly flooded back into the little hedgehog. “Okay! That sounds cool!”
Maddie smiled affectionately as she grabbed her keys. “Have fun, you two.” She lightly ruffled the fur on Sonic’s head and gave Tom a farewell kiss on the cheek. “Stay safe!”
“Bye, Pret—Maddie!” Sonic called with a wave.
The truck rumbled to life and Maddie backed it out of the driveway. “Okay, Sonic,” Tom announced. “Two things you need to do today: don’t try to move anything that’s too heavy for you, and don’t let anyone see you. Got it?”
Sonic nodded. “Don’t worry, Donut Lord,” he replied firmly. “I won’t be seen.” His tone carried a weight to it, like a heavy significance. Like he well and truly meant his words. Which made sense, Tom supposed, since he was still scared of other people. As much as Tom wanted him to stay hidden—which was more for avoiding questions—Sonic wanted it more.
The sheriff beckoned for Sonic to join him outside. The eager hedgehog slipped on his new shoes and bounced on his heels as he waited for Tom to shut and lock the house door. Any trace of his earlier sleepiness vanished with his excitement. “My cruiser’s in the garage,” Tom informed the hedgehog. “You sit in the back. The windows are tinted, so no one can see you, but you can still see out.”
“Cool!” Sonic chirped.
Tom opened the back door of his cruiser for Sonic to jump in the seat. This time, though, the kid was able to strap himself in without needing help. He gave Tom a thumbs-up when the seatbelt clicked into place, and Tom returned the gesture as he started the car.
Sonic stared out the window for the entire ride, fascinated by what he saw, even if it was only a little bit due to his small stature. But before they arrived at the police station, Tom pulled into the drive-thru of his favorite donut shop: Krispy Kreme.
He’d already eaten, but Sonic hadn’t. And Tom wanted to give him a little treat. He ordered an original glazed and a chocolate iced. He pretended to not notice how Sonic shrunk back a little when he pulled up to the window to get his food and talked with the cashier.
Bag of donuts in hand, Tom pulled the cruiser away from the window and to the side of the parking lot. He twisted around in the seat and held the bag out to Sonic. “Here.”
The hedgehog blinked for a second, then hesitantly accepted the bag. “For me?” He questioned softly.
“Yeah. Eat up, kid. You’ll need the energy for today’s work.”
Sonic pulled out the donut and took a cautious first bite. His eyes went wide as the flavors hit his tongue, and then he scarfed down the rest.
“Donut Lord,” Tom heard him mumble between bites.
“What does that mean?” Tom asked finally, curiosity winning him over. “This ‘donut lord’ thing.”
Sonic froze with the second donut halfway to his mouth. “Uhm…nothing?”
“You keep calling me that,” Tom continued. “Why?”
Sonic swallowed dryly. “’Cause you talk to donuts,” he answered, but even though he seemed somewhat embarrassed, a smile found its way onto his face. “And then eat them if they get outta line.”
Tom stared at him, then burst out laughing. “Okay, fair.” Sonic’s expression relaxed with relief from Tom’s reaction, and he continued eating his donut.
The hedgehog waited in the car while Tom checked into the office. It was a quick in-and-out just to clock in and grab a radio while giving friendly waves to his coworkers. Wade told him how calls had already started to come in about trees and branches blocking driveways and roads. Tom told him that he’d get right to it.
“Ready, Sonic?” Tom asked when he got back into the car. “Lots of storm damage to clean up today.”
“I’m ready. I was born ready.” Sonic practically bounced in his seat, even strapped down, and Tom suddenly wondered if a sugary breakfast was a good idea. This kid was on a sugar high worse than Jojo’s.
In their first few stops, Sonic was not able to leave the car. There were too many people wandering around and trying to clear the storm damage. Tom felt bad leaving him in the cruiser, but with the windows cracked open, it wasn’t too hot or cold. The kid just had to contain his energy for a little longer. It was fascinating, though, hearing him call every person by name, like he’d known them for years.
When they got to their fourth stop, though, Sonic perked up.
“I know where we are!” He claimed.
“Yeah?” Tom put the car in park and turned off the engine. “Well, it looks like no one else is here, so you can help this time. Poor Carl.” He shook his head and opened the door for Sonic. The kid dashed out and ran in a quick circle to use up some of his energy. He left a blue streak behind him that made it difficult to keep track of where he was versus where he’s been half a second before.
“Y’know, Carl’s the only one who’s actually onto me,” Sonic stated as they headed towards the house. Tom could already see the problem: a heavy tree branch had fallen right next to the front door. “You should call him ‘Super Observant Carl’ instead of Crazy Carl.”
Tom nodded, half-distracted as he assessed the scene. “Yeah. Sure.” He approached the door and jerked his head towards the woods. “Hide for a sec.”
Sonic nodded and dashed into the trees, making a weird zig-zag that Tom didn’t have time to question, because Carl opened the door before he could even knock.
“Hi, Tom,” the older man greeted. “Hope you brought a chainsaw.”
Tom did not, in fact, bring a saw.
“You got a hand saw somewhere in there?” He asked, gesturing past Carl. “I can cut it if you do. Or I can head back to the station and grab a saw, but that might take a while.”
Carl shrugged. “I’ll see what I can find.” He headed back into the house, through the clutter and mess, and vanished into a different room.
Sonic seemed to materialize by Tom’s side with how fast he moved. “I got it,” the kid whispered.
“We don’t have a saw, bud,” Tom hissed back. “Just wait a sec.”
But Sonic shook his head and backed up a step. Tom glanced between him and the door, anxious that Carl would appear at any moment. “Whatever you’re doing, do it quick—”
Sonic suddenly dropped, and for a panic-inducing moment, Tom thought he’d slammed himself into the ground. But then he realized that the kid had curled up into a spiny ball like he’d done yesterday, except this time, his quills sparked with blue energy and he made a buzzing noise as he spun in place. Then he darted forward and into the tree branch.
The wood snapped as if sawed in half. Sonic broke out of the little ball and stepped back with a proud grin on his face and hands on his hips.
“See?” He boasted. “Told you.”
Tom stared at the broken branch. It looked sort of like a saw blade had cut it, but a little messier.
He did not realize Sonic had that kind of power.
Before he could say anything, they heard Carl’s steps heading back towards them. Sonic vanished with a gust of wind just as the older man appeared around the corner, leaving Tom still a little stunned as he stood in front of the branch.
“Oh!” Carl paused, saw blade in hand. “I thought you didn’t have one.”
“I, uh—” Tom cleared his throat and tried to not look as shocked. “I remembered I had one in the car. Didn’t take much; must’ve been old wood.” He forced a chuckle and pulled half the branch away from the door. “Problem solved!”
When he moved the second half, he felt a prick in his finger. With a hiss of annoyance more than pain, Tom glanced down at the splinter sticking into his palm. “Fantastic,” he grumbled. He used his other hand to finish moving the branch. “Have a good day, Carl!” He called as he headed back towards the car.
“You too,” the other man replied, and shut the door.
Sonic beat Tom to the car, eyes wide. “What happened?” He demanded. “To your hand?”
Tom held up his palm so Sonic could see, and to his surprise, the little hedgehog immediately took it into his gloved hands. He peered at the splinter, and Tom let him move his hand around to look. Whatever the kid was freaked out about, Tom would let him process.
“It’s just a splinter, bud,” Tom explained eventually in a soft voice. “It’s nothing.” He demonstrated by grabbing tweezers from his car and pulling it out with no issues. “See?”
Sonic didn’t reply but seemed to accept his analysis. He climbed back into the car seat and pointedly stared out the window.
Tom didn’t bring it up again.
That night at dinner, Tom and Maddie could barely get in a word around Sonic’s excited ramblings. He told Maddie how he’d cut the branch and actually felt helpful and useful, and about the donuts Tom gave him for breakfast. It was a side to the hedgehog that they hadn’t seen before—energetic, loud, and excited.
They decided to watch a movie that night, which felt weird—instead of just Tom and Maddie laying comfortably back on the couch, Sonic sat on one end, watching the screen with wide eyes. At first, it seemed like he wouldn’t look away for anything; but halfway through the movie, in a slower scene, Tom glanced over to find the hedgehog fast asleep.
Seems the excitement from the day overpowered the hyper hedgehog’s enthusiasm.
Tom didn’t wake him up until after the movie, which he did by gently shaking the kid’s shoulder. Sonic flinched awake in a flash, but calmed down when he remembered where he was.
He groggily dragged himself to the bathroom to get cleaned up (all while protesting—Sonic did not want to take a shower before he could sleep, but Maddie insisted). Tom heard him climb up the stairs and settle into his blanket fort.
He wondered how long it would take for Sonic to feel comfortable around other people. He doubted it was fun staying in the car and hiding while Tom was out and about assisting people clean up after the storm. The kid seemed so excited to help with the branch.
All in good time, Tom told himself. He wasn’t going to rush the hedgehog.
And until then, Sonic could stay their little secret.