ALPHABET SOUP (01)

S

is for
✧ 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 ✧

Sonic hung out the window of Tom's truck, his fur blowing in the summer breeze as they drove through the countryside. It was a very hot day and he was in a very bad mood, moderately cranky with the weight of the humidity, but nevertheless, agreed to accompany the human to go for a drive. Passing by a farm, sunflowers caught the boy's attention and he froze, quills on edge; coincidentally, the truck had slowed to a stop at a stop sign.

Earth sunflowers were slightly different than those on his planet, that he remembered, with far more petals that were rounded, where he remembered petals were pointed. The flora was beautiful regardless the region/planet difference and his heart ached, mumbling one word that was cold on his lips, cold with morose and guilt.

"Longclaw."

The car began to move again, turning left and away from the farm, and Sonic watched the golden flowers of the sun disappear as distance between them grew. He slumped in his seat, curling up against the door and leaving Tom flummoxed, but the human said nothing.

I'm so sorry I never listened. I'm so sorry you died because of me. I'm so, so sorry. It's all my fault.

His thoughts were overwhelming and unbeknownst to himself, he was visibly upset and breathing shallowly.

Tom calmly asked, "Hey, bud, what's up?"

"I need to go." And Sonic leapt out the window of the moving car, ignoring Donut Lord's screams for him.

"Never. Stop. Running."

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, blindly blurring by in a streak of blue through the countryside and into the woods in an instant. He had tripped and fell in the mud multiple times, but as long as he ran, the voices in his head left him alone, so he kept running.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Idiot!" He skidded to a halt, dust clouding under his feet and his socks were hot in his shoes, collapsing on the dirt path to breathe. "You can't run from yourself," he told the ground through tears. "You may be the fastest thing alive, but you can't run away from yourself. You idiot!"

Sonic's quills began to spark and he was far too distraught to even think about calming down, but his thoughts were overpowering, screaming at him to remember the words Tom and Maddie told him about being upset like so. He held his head, squeezing it, and he took in as many deep breaths as possible, curling into a ball.

•

The ringing of his own cell distracted him and he hurried to answer it without a moment to lose, fingers sweaty around the leather of the steering wheel.

"Tom—"

"Is Sonic with you?" he interposed.

As soon as the question flew off her husband tongue, she knew. Her silence said everything and Tom rubbed his face, forcing the lump forming in his throat as far down as he could.

"What should we do?" she calmly asked and the sheriff heard her taking quiet, deep breaths.

"He could be anywhere."

"Do you know why he was upset?"

"I don't. I just asked him what was wrong and... he just... he took off."

Maddie sighed shakily on the other end. "Let's just give him space. The power's working, so he's got himself under control," she murmured.

•

It was nine o'clock, the twenty-first hour of the day, when door hinges just barely squeaked open, followed by a quiet voice, and then the front door clicked shut. Normally, the Wachowskis didn't hear it, due to how faint the sound was, but when they heard Ozzie stir and his nails clap against the floor, they knew.

From their spot at the kitchen table, Thomas and Madison rose to their feet without a falter, heading straight towards the front door. The humans entered the living room to find their child caked with mud, leaves and twigs sticking to his mucky fur, and he dared not to take another step in the house, remaining still on the welcome mat. His usually pristine, pearly white socks were black with the grime, his shoes missing; they were on the porch, suffocated in the natural elements just the same—Sonic wondered if they'd ever be red again.

Sonic's head drooped like a noodle towards the floor, apologizing, "I'm so sorry..." in the smallest of the voices. "I just... I needed a moment... I didn't mean to run... I just... I'm sorry."

Maddie left her husband's side to pick Sonic up, not caring in the slightest of the mess clinging itself to her. She could almost put her nose in the air in defiance as she marched up the stairs to the bathroom with her husband following close behind. There, they both assisted the child in cleaning up; not a word was spoken, nothing but the sound of breathing and the hissing of the shower.

After his shower, Sonic laid curled up in the humans' bed, surrounded by darkness and their warmth. Tom had fallen asleep only moments ago, emotionally drained with the day's events, but Maddie was still awake, lying there quietly with her arm around Sonic, breathing in that fresh scent of soap. Mm, coconut.

She noticed her child fumbled with a golden ring, slipping his fingers in and out of it, tracing the edges with his thumb and making himself look busy. The air conditioner was roaring, yet it was comforting, filling the silence gingerly. Sonic's face would split into a yawn on occasion, followed by a dry sniff, usually, but remained awake.

She shifted, coming in closer to bring him more towards her chest, and cautiously, she planted a kiss on his fresh forehead. With a sight, she whispered carefully, "You know you can tell us anything, right?"

Sonic lazily nodded, slipping the ring over his fourth finger and rolled over, snuggling in her neck to play with the gold necklace that spelled her name in delicate cursive. Silence dwelled between them again, her fingers running through his fur and quills, mindful of getting pricked while he was still tense; it was a wonder Tom hadn't gotten poked yet, his back right up against Sonic's as he snored away. 

"I want you to know we're not mad. You just scared us, that's all. We didn't know where you were... We don't want anything bad to happen to you." Her fingers halted in their combing, sighing. "And when you're ready, I hope you'll tell us what's wrong. We just want to help, babycakes."

Sonic sighed through his nose and nodded, tracing Maddie's collarbone. He stopped with droopy eyes, and with a final, silent yawn, he went under the blankets to sleep; maybe five minutes passed before gentle snores were heard, so gentle one night mistake him for breathing heavily.

Maddie peeled back the blanket to kiss his sleeping face, whispering, "Goodnight my sweet, little sunflower."