Adopt Me [HIATUS]

Chapter 9: Tough Love

The first few days of being a foster parent were tougher than Shadow was expecting, but he made it work. When the weekend ended, Shadow began taking Sonic to the school he was enrolled in, which thankfully wasn't too far from his work, so he could be able to pick him up instead of having him take the bus. He figured that, since Sonic was still pretty shy, and going to school was hard enough, it would be better if he could drive him home instead of having him be on a bus full of kids who would likely pick on him for his fur color.

This meant Shadow had to take shorter shifts so he could get off work sooner to pick up Sonic and stay with him the rest of the day. Since Sonic wasn't old enough to be home alone, Shadow had to be there with him. That meant he would have to switch from full-time to part-time with his job, or do work from home. He didn't mind either, as long as he could spend time with Sonic. Despite only knowing the kid for such a short time, he grew very fond of him. The nights where he would carry Sonic to bed after he fell asleep in his lap, the small games of hide and seek, and telling jokes at the table during meals. He hadn't smiled so much in so long. And to see Sonic's smile, it's almost as if the whole world is alright when he bares that grin.

It made Shadow want to protect that smile. It felt like nothing would be okay if Sonic stopped smiling. Shadow looked over at the picture of Maria Sonic had drawn, hanging on the fridge with a few magnets. He remembered that day he yelled at Sonic when he dropped the other picture of Maria, which was now sitting in a brand new frame. He still held guilt from that day, even though Sonic forgave him.

"I promise, Maria." Shadow said to himself. "If the whole world truly does revolve around his smile, I'll make sure it never leaves his face. I just hope... wherever you are, you're smiling, too."

As Shadow was talking to himself, he heard little footsteps coming his direction. He turned his head to see Sonic standing there, holding a stuffed hot dog that had a dog head on one end, and a tail on the other. It seemed to be Sonic's favorite plushy.

"Hey, buddy." Shadow said, turning in his seat so his body was facing Sonic. "Do you need something?"

Sonic said nothing, but walked up to Shadow. When he came up next to him, he set down his plushy, and wrapped his arms around Shadow's waist. Shadow was surprised by the sudden action, but wrapped his arms around Sonic in return, and pulled him into his lap. He knew that Sonic just needed him to be there for him. He didn't need Shadow asking any questions, he just needed him there.

Sonic buried his face in Shadow's chest fur, which was his favorite thing to do when they hugged. For that reason, Shadow keeps his chest fur well groomed so it's nice and soft for Sonic, and so he doesn't get itchy or tickled when doing it.
Shadow just smiled as Sonic hid his face in his chest, and just sat there rubbing the kid's back in comfort.

After a few minutes of hugging, Sonic pulled back from Shadow's chest.

Shadow decided that now would be the best time to ask what was up, since Sonic seemed to feel better.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Shadow asked. "Something happen?"

"No," Sonic replied looking up at him. "I just wanted a hug."

Shadow immediately knew that was a lie, since Sonic looked quite distraught when he came up to him. But he decides not to push it, as he figured Sonic just needed some time to gain confidence to tell him what was wrong. That was the same for Shadow. Whenever something was wrong with him, he was always nervous about telling other people, because he never knew how they would react. He figures that Sonic might be the same way, and just needs time before he could tell him.
He just hopes that Sonic will tell him soon, and he won't have to figure it out himself in the future.