Tot

Familiar Comfort

(Yeah, I added another tag for future chapter purposes.😈)
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All weather in Hell was extreme compared to that on Earth or Mobius. From scorching heat to literally having Hell freeze over, it was brutal. And the storms... they were merciless. Because of his mysterious chaos abilities, Sonic was perfectly fine in Hell's weather patterns. The heat wasn't too bad, plus his running kept him cool. The cold wasn't unbearable, his Mobian pelt and clothes kept him warm enough. However... one thing Sonic hated... were the storms. He had no real memory of storms on Mobius, but he imagined they were less aggressive than what he was witnessing from his bed in the Hazbin. The red sky lit up as if it were daylight in Heaven, hiding the comforting shadows in his room... and the thunder was so loud, Sonic could have sworn he felt the whole building shake. He was so worried that the window would break from the pressure of the acid rain. Helpless, Sonic just clutched his stuffed Hell-fox plush as tight as he could, shaking with his little head poking out of the blankets. He tried to focus on other things... like how the nine-tailed Hell-fox could use a makeover. It would look much better with only two tails... and blue eyes. Like the sky he knew on Mobius. The golden/yellow color was perfect though, thus why he had chosen it. He was finally starting to calm down thanks to the stuffed animal's presence.... but then another loud crack of thunder and lightning struck somewhere near the hotel, sending him fully under his covers.

Meanwhile, the staff and residents of the hotel were sipping either coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or booze as they joined together in the ballroom to watch the storm from the large windows. They were watching in peaceful silence, until Angel Dust noticed how tense Alastor was. "Hey, what's got you so worked up?" Alastor looked away from the view towards Angel. "Hm? Come again?" "Oh I always do~" Alastor gave an unamused glare, but Angel Dust just continued. "Ya seem... I dunno... more tense than ya normally do." Angel pointed out. "Scared 'a storms, Smiles?~" "No!~ I simply have a lot on my mind." ".....Liiiiike?" Charlie chimed in, wanting to take the opportunity to make it a lesson for Alastor on communication. "Liiike... how Sonic isn't the biggest fan of storms. I would like to go check on him, but he was asleep before the storm began... I don't want to wake him up if he is sleeping through it." Alastor admitted, taking a long and drawn out sip of his bitter coffee. "...How long are you going to force him to stay down here?" Vaggie asked. The others accepted Sonic, sure... but she knew he shouldn't stay in Hell, not while he was still alive. "Hm. Indefinitely!~" Alastor said. "It's not fair to him... you should have asked him what he wanted." "He would have wanted to stay." "You don't know that!" The others sighed as Vaggie and Alastor argued, the rain getting louder and now pounding against the windows again, the raindrops bursting with the force they were thrown. And upstairs, the poor hoglet couldn't take it anymore. Tears fell with not even a small squeak of discomfort... He made a promise to Charlie to stay away from Vaggie, and he knew the adults were all together... but he didn't want to be alone anymore. If he was gonna die to a shattered window, he was gonna die with his father! Sonic carefully slid off the bed with his fox, grabbed his comforter and his favorite pillow, before he made his way to the ballroom. He was sure the adults were still down there. About 18 percent sure anyways. After scooting down the large stairs, Sonic then toddled to the ballroom, dragging the large red blanket along. Due to how large the blanket was compared to him, he needed both hands, so his fox friend and pillow of choice were taking a bit of a sleigh ride. "P-papa...?" Sonic called by the doorway. Everyone but Niffty -who had her face aggressively pressed against the window, hoping it would break on her- looked at him. "Sonic! I thought you were asleep..." Alastor glanced at the clock on the wall that read 12:56 AM. "It's far beyond your bedtime." ".....S-storm..." Sonic mumbled, wiping his tears away. He then grabbed his comforter again and slowly pulled it to where the others were seated. Charlie had to quite literally bite her tongue to avoid squealing at how adorable Sonic was. "Now now, you must rest in bed. The floor isn't good for your tiny bones." Alastor said with a soft smile while Sonic made sure his blanket was laid perfectly. "Um... no thank you, Papa." Sonic said, placing down his pillow and fox. Alastor responded by gently picking him up. "Come on... I'll protect you while you sleep..." "OR.... I sleep here." Sonic squirmed free and laid down, folding the blanket to be both on top of him and under him. "Sonic..." "Hang on! I can give a list of reasons for why I should stay. Reason one." Sonic covered himself completely and pretended to snore, making Angel and Husk laugh. "Oh he can stay!~ One night on the floor won't be that bad..." Charlie said, carefully placing her cup down and moving to lay near Sonic herself. "You say that now... but you'd both regret that choice in the morning, Hun." Vaggie argued. Mostly because she wanted Sonic to leave... she didn't blame Sonic, no of course not. He's innocent in all of this. But she couldn't stand the sight of him for that same reason. "Can't hear you!~" Charlie said before joining Sonic in his fake snoring act. To this, Angel shrugged. "Eh, fuck it!~" Alastor's eye twitched a little as Angel Dust joined the protest with both Fat Nuggets, and a blanket and pillow of his own. Sonic's act was interrupted by giggles as Fat Nuggets joined him under his blanket. "Hi, Nuggs...!~" "Oink!" Angel Dust, Charlie, and Sonic then fake snored to continue the protest. "This is ridiculous...!~ The three of you need to get up." Alastor said, but was ignored. And when another crash of thunder shook the floor, and Sonic yelped in fear, Husk joined them. Sonic could feel the protective cover of Husk's wings against his blanket, and immediately calmed down, with Husk joining in the fake snoring pile. ".....You are all children." Alastor huffed with a tense smile. "SLEEP PILE!~" Niffty finally took notice and jumped right in between Angel Dust and Fat Nuggets. Alastor sighed in defeat. He placed his coffee cup down and everyone paused when they heard a snap of his fingers. "At the very least, Dears, use a mattress..." The group opened their eyes to see Alastor gesture towards the window. Right under it -not too close for Sonic's sake- were several mattresses, all close together to make one large mat. They also had several pillows and a couple of extra blankets for good measure. "I suppose... one night on the floor won't hurt anyone." Alastor said, and the group rushed to claim a spot in their much more comfy sleeping pile. They all cuddled up, and Sonic never felt more protected from a storm in his little life. Even Alastor couldn't help but admit in his mind... the group of demons would clearly do a lot for his fawn... and that was to be highly respected. So he too quietly took a place, laying in between Sonic and Angel Dust as everyone settled down for real. Vaggie watched Alastor pet Sonic's head, even well after the child had fallen asleep. Soft lullabies playing from his microphone that was resting against the chair he abandoned. Husk let his wings rest on top of everyone, a silent response to Sonic's fear of the window shattering as the rain continued testing the limits of the glass. Angel Dust was leaning into Husk a bit, to give Alastor as much space as he could, but not too much space. For the integrity of the sleep pile, Alastor didn't mind the close contact... for a single night of course. Niffty was tucked up on Husk's back, taking the 'pile' part literally... which Husk didn't mind. Charlie was rather stretched out, trying to have everyone within a hug... she was surprisingly comfortable though! Fat Nuggets was sleeping half on Angel's chest, and half on Alastor's chest by the time everyone was actually asleep, and Sir Pentious and his egg bois were surrounding the group as a means to be the first line of defense in case of a surprise attack. And little Sonic was tucked safely in his father's arms, comforted by the warmth of the sleep/defense pile. Vaggie now sat alone, still wide awake and sipping her now cold tea. The room was mostly quiet, except for the lull of the rain and soft music, and soft and genuine snoring. The kid just met those in the hotel... and he was already so loved. By everyone. Vaggie thought to herself as she tried to keep her walls up. Sonic didn't belong here... Sonic did NOT belong here. She watched Alastor's hand stop, signifying that he too had now fallen asleep. Sonic didn't belong! Vaggie heard a soft whimper as the loudest roar of thunder heard that night startled Sonic. Vaggie placed her cup down and very carefully laid in between Sonic and Charlie. Sonic calmed again in his uneasy sleep, feeling another protector in his presence. "....As much as I want to deny it... I guess you do belong here.... now anyways." Vaggie said in a whisper. With the rain pounding, and the warmth blocking it out... the final resident finally joining the rest in a calm slumber. And Sonic had another... odd dream... that this time, he wouldn't forget by the time he woke up for breakfast.

"WAH!!!! Wahhha.....!" Tails cried. The young kit was terrified as another storm passed through the otherwise peaceful town of Seaside Hill. However, his parents had always told him not to bother them with childish fears like that. So instead of alerting his new guardian, he simply cried and hid under his desk. Two years he had this new 'adult' in his life... He didn't want to screw it up now. However, as another -slightly louder- sob escaped him, he heard light but quick footsteps rush to his door. A second of silence before a soft knock followed. "Tails...? Buddy, can I come in?" Sonic asked, waiting for an answer. "Y-yeah... c-come in...!" Tails responded, hugging his knees and begging to Chaos and every other God out there that the teen wouldn't kick him out over this. Slowly, his door opened and Tails watched two socked feet pass him. "Where are ya?" Sonic asked. "D-d-desk...." Tails said. Immediately after, Sonic looked under said desk. A small smile tugged at the hedgehog's lips as he spoke quietly and calmly. "Whatcha doing under there, pal...?" "I... don't like storms... they... s-scare me." Tails admitted, mentally prepared for a scolding. However.... Sonic just sat in front of him... seemingly with the intention of blocking the window. Which he did. "I didn't know that...!~ I wish you told me sooner, I would've came in sooner... you ok...?" "....Y-yeah....?" Tails lied. "....want me to stay with ya?" "Oh...! No, you don't gotta do that...!" Tails said. Of course he wanted Sonic to stay, but that would be selfish and childish to ask of a teenager he hadn't known for that long. "Well are you going to go back to bed? 'Cause being crammed under there can't be comfortable!~" "Well... the bed is right under the window...." Tails mumbled, embarrassed. "Huh... so is mine.... hey! I know what we can do!~" Sonic went over to Tails' bed, mentally thankful they lived in a one story house. "Help me move this, Bud!~" Hesitantly putting on a brave face, Tails came out and helped Sonic move the bed. "Move it where?" Tails asked. "Living room!~" The fox remained confused as to why they were doing this, but helped anyways. That faithful night is when Tails realized that Sonic wasn't just his 'legal guardian'... but a REAL brother. Sonic moved the coffee table and put Tails' mattress on the floor in the center of the room. He then distracted Tails by having them build a fort together, completed with all the blankets and pillows in the house, some glow in the dark stars, and a mini impromptu movie night. Tails barely noticed the flashes of lightning due to Sonic shutting the window curtains, and couldn't hear the thunder over their laughter at the ridiculous movie they chose. Sonic continued putting on movies, even when Tails grew sleepy... and Sonic let him slump into his lap. Sonic finished the evening by playing some soft music, and laying down with his brother. From day one, Tails was Sonic's brother... and now that Sonic had really drilled it into the kit that he was there to stay... Sonic was Tails' brother too. Sonic loved the soft rumbles of a storm... the light taps of the rain hitting the windows... the gorgeous color the lightning made the sky.... perhaps if it was louder and brighter, it would scare him. But as it was, he adored them. Something about watching a thunderstorm with soft jazz filling the room was... oddly comforting. Sonic glanced over at Tails and smiled brightly. For his little brother? He'd block out all of the storms from their home.

Sonic whined as a gentle tap woke him from his slumber. "Whaaat....?" Sonic mumbled. "Morning, darling. Time for breakfast." Alastor said softly as the rest of the demons made their way to their rooms to freshen up for the day. "Papa! I had the coolest dream!~" Sonic announced. "Oh? Do share, I love your crazy tales!~" Sonic let Alastor pick him up, and began telling his father everything as Alastor left his shadows to clean up the mess. "OK! SO, I was in a room, but I was MUCH taller, and I heard somebody crying. So I RAN to save the day, and seen a fox! He looked JUST like Mr. Fox.... if Mr. Fox had only two tails and blue eyes." "So not like Mr. Fox at all..." Alastor mumbled, but Sonic was unfazed. "And Papa, HE was afraid of rainstorms...! It wasn't like in Hell, it wasn't that bad so I wasn't scared, but he was. We had to take his bed to the couch room, and then made a fort like the egg bois do, and watched movies!~ His name was Tails, so Mr. Fox is now gonna be named Tails." Alastor had to focus really hard to avoid making a sound. He was concerned... Tails was the name of the fox he sent home. How did Sonic remember? He shouldn't. Alastor was certain. Sonic then proceeded to forget about his dream, as Alastor made breakfast. But this new factor was going to cause problems in the future... and he had to just... hope... that this was a one time thing.

And oh, how he was gonna hate the next thing Sonic remembered...