Chapter Text
It all starts with this…
He swears he’s going insane. His favorite blanket, the first thing he bought with his own money, missing.
Mere months after Tom and Maddie had graciously accepted him into their home, they had begun to grant him an allowance. It felt gratifying to be given this amount of freedom. For years, he had scavenged (and outright stole ) the items he had managed to get his hands on. Things no one would notice missing, for that would cause problems, and force him back into hiding, and something something stinky, smelly, Mushroom Planet. Ugh.
Only Sonic noticed one of his precious things was missing. A vague sense of deja vu flooded his senses, even as he began to tear his room practically apart. Every crevice, every drawer, every possible place the blanket could be and it still evaded him.
Sonic sighed, dragging a hand through his quills in frustration. Tails and Knuckles were surely downstairs already, awaiting their breakfasts. Grinding his teeth, he flipped open the trapdoor and maneuvered his way down the creaky stairs, downtrodden.
He didn’t know why it affected him so. Perhaps that blanket represented his ties to Earth, and the permanency of his family. A blanket was a mimicry of a hug, a warm embrace that reminded him his true family was nearby.
“Nice of you to join us, slowpoke,” chuckled Tom, rummaging through the fridge with fervor.
“Morning,” Sonic muttered, joining his brothers at the table, though not looking at either of them. It must have been rather uncharacteristic of him for both the fox and the echidna turned to stare at him.
Tails’ ears twitched as the fox eyed him up and down. “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t find my blanket.”
“What is this blanket you speak of?” asked Knuckles.
“ The blanket. Tom, the first one I got like half a year ago? I can’t find it at all .” With a great sighed, he leaned his head on the table, not even glancing up as Tom layer a fresh bowl of cereal in front of him.
The man patted his back softly. “I’m sure you’ll find it, little dude. It’s not like it grew legs and walked away.”
“But I always keep it on the bed! The first thing I bought brand new and I told myself I was going to take care of it. And it’s just gone”
Maddie then strolled in, Ozzie quickly trailing behind, eager for his own breakfast. “What’s this about his blanket?”
Sonic looked up with renewed hope, spinning around to view her. “Did you put it in the wash?”
“No, I told you that you were responsible for your own laundry, young man. You don’t remember putting it there yourself?”
“No!”
Tom raised his hands in an attempt to calm him down, even as Sonic groaned anew. “Alright, we’ll find your blanket. I know how important it is to you, bud.”
The rest of the day was largely uneventful, especially given Sonic’s current mood. Nothing seemed to cheer him up, even as Tom and Maddie announced yet another movie night.
He loved movie night. But he also loved his blanket. And thus, was torn between two worlds of longing, so much so his continued pacing around the living room was getting too much for Maddie to handle. She sent him up one last time to look, despite his continued protests, though one quick glare was enough to shut him up.
As he reentered the room, his frown deepened. A part of him was hoping that it would magically reappear and that his searching would at last bear fruit and be worth something. However, it seemed that was not the case.
Sonic thumped onto the beanbag with a loud sigh, putting his head in his hands. That really was his favorite blanket, his special blanket. How could he have been so careless as to misplace it?
He flipped on the beanbag, feet hanging loosely in the air now, looking at the room that was now hanging from the ceiling.
His eyes caught on the laundry basket on the floor where his spare sheets were lying spilling loosely over the top and his brow furrowed. Sonic squinted at the laundry basket, looking for the familiar cream colored piece of fabric before gasping and speeding over, tearing his sheets away recklessly.
There it was! Soft, fuzzy, and relentlessly his! He laughed out loudly in the quiet expanse of the attic, the sound reverberating across the wooden walls, flooding his ears with the sound of his joy.
He’d made such a big deal, when it was here the whole time! He sped over the hatch, opening with newfound elation, shouting, “Guys, I found it!”
“Where was it?” erupted a shout from below.
“…my laundry.”
“What did I tell you?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Sonic wrapped the blanket around himself, snuggling into the soft fabric and prancing around the room. He waltzed from corner to corner, humming contentedly as his legs spun circles around his bed.
He glanced out the window, looking at the great expanse of trees. Autumn was holding onto its last moments, nearly all of the trees devoid of the orange and red leaves that gathered below them. Sonic smiled, excited for the holidays that would be here. He loved winter, especially winter with the Wachowski’s, with his family. Sonic’s winter nights in the cave were not the most fondest of his memories, for the cave had little insulation and was prone to the lasting effects of the elements.
As Sonic watched the leaves dance their farewells to the frigid ground, he noticed a footprint on the windowsill. He thought nothing of it, rolling his eyes. Knuckles frequently meditates on the roof, it must have him that left the footprint. Sonic didn’t see how else he could have accessed the roof, though he would have to yell at him to be careful about leaving footprints in the future.
His infectious mood carried over throughout dinner, especially since he had refused to put the piece of fabric down, draping over himself like a cloak. The entire small family soaked in his joy, watching him light up like a star.
Now Sonic could enjoy both his blanket and movie night, and all was right in the world.
While they settled on the couch, blanket freshly acquired, Sonic couldn’t help but revel in its soft scent. Only this time, a new added hint of earthiness that was not there before coated it as the fragrant smell of grass wafted into his nose. It was pleasant, though completely foreign.
Strange, he thought. Must be Maddie’s new detergent. He paid the diversion no mind, instead snuggling into Knuckles’ shoulder, watching the scenes play out in the cheesy flick they had selected for the night.
In the frigid darkness of distant Green Hills, Montana, a dark figure shivered, rubbing their hands over their arms in a feeble attempt to simulate the warmth of an embrace.