Chapter 21 Caught in the Act
*Ok, I normally can punch out chapters with baby scenes in them pretty quickly...but this one came out really fast, even for me. Like I wrote it in two days (not counting editing). Man, coming up with real mean quips and hurtful words was EASY; I guess I had a lot of frustration and anger I needed to get off my chest.
Sorry, Sonic, I promise to be kinder!*

Sonic's jaw dropped to the floor, which wasn't very far, in horror, "Tails?!" he choked. The fox stared at him with wide eyes, exclaiming back, "Sonic?!"
The bottle comically dropped from the hedgehog's mouth, and he realized that this situation looked very, very bad! His best friend and little brother had just caught him decked out to the nines in baby gear, laying on the floor sucking on a baby bottle in a nursery, playing like a toddler with his baby toys.
His body unlocked at last, and he jumped to his feet, waving his hands in denial, "This isn't what it looks like! This is just...umm?" Sonic couldn't think of an excuse. What could he say? Nothing he said would be believable, and he didn't want his friend to think he was crazy.
Tails slowly walks up to the stammering diapered hedgehog, narrowing his eyes giving the blue blur a nasty look. Sonic steps back, holding his hands up in surrender, laying his ears back, startled and shaken by the unnatural evil expression on Tails' face. "Not what it looks like? Well then, tell me what it does look like then!" the fox goads, roughly pushing Sonic, making him stumble back further, "I uh...well it's...ya see...Ummm." the hedgehog mutters, biting his lip and sweat sliding down the side of his face, his heart beating out of his chest.
As if Tails scrutinizing him wasn't bad enough, suddenly two more figures barge in, cutting off the awkward conversation. "What that hell?! Blue, is that you?!"
"Sonniku?!"
"Oh no!" Sonic groans with a whisper, seeing Knuckles and Amy step in with confusion and disbelief on their faces. "Ugh! Gross, what the hell is all this junk!" Knuckles complains as he surveys the room. His gaze falls upon the hedgehog standing in front of him; his scowl turns into confusion and surprise, taking in Sonic's getup before he bursts out in mocking laughter, pointing at the blue blur. "Hahaha! You look ridiculous! Are you seriously wearing a diaper?! Hahahah!"
"Oh my God! Sonic, what is wrong with you?" Amy shrieks holding herself close, keeping herself from accidentally touching the revolting baby-dressed hog, "Awww, does Sonic want to be a widdle baby?" Tails says with a sneer and a baby voice that dripped with scorn. "I wonder if baby used his diapee yet?" Knuckles asks as, with a twisted smirk; he invades Sonic's space pulling the front of his diaper down; Amy shrieks again, flapping her hands girlishly, "Ewwww! A dirty diaper is so gross!"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! No, I didn't! Stop that!" the hedgehog yells, slapping the echidna's mittens away and tugging his shirt down in a vain effort to protect his diaper from their poking and prodding. Sonic flushes red in embarrassment, feeling violated at having been found like this; he puffs out his cheeks in anger for their mockery.
"Hey, look what it says on his shirt! 'I wuv Mommy.' Awww, is the hedgie a mommas boy?" Tails cooes sarcastically, roughly grasping the shirt and pulling it down hard, stretching the material and Sonic down. The blue blur tries to release the fox's grip from his shirt, "No! Tails, stop! It isn't like that Eggy isn't-"
"Eggy? Wait, you mean Eggman?!" Amy asks with scrupulous eyes before they widened in understanding, "Oh my gosh! You think Eggman is your mommy?! Ahahahahhaha!" she howls. Tails releases his hold on the shirt and grabs Knuckles shoulder to hold himself up as they both joined in the taunting laughter, "He thinks Eggman is his mom?! What an idiot!"
"He's stupid, just like a baby!"
"Can't even tell a mommy from a daddy! How dumb can you be?!"
"So dumb that he thinks he is a baby! What a kind of loser plays with toys and wears that kind of lame get up?!"
"A dumb blue hedgehog, apparently! He's 15 years old, for Chaos's sakes! Waaaaaay too old to be acting like that! He must be retarded or something."
"What a loser!"
Sonic blinked in shock at the hurtful words; tears filled his eyes as his face got hot and red with embarrassment. Gripping the end of his shirt, he wrung his fingers around the material, looking down in shame. What had happened? His friends were mocking him for being Little and wearing baby clothes.
As they continued their jeers, Sonic realized something. Wait a second...nobody but Eggman is supposed to know about this. What are they even doing here? How dare they barge in and attack me like this! They didn't even give me a chance to defend myself! They don't know why I do this...hell; they have no right to be here! This is MY SAFE PLACE! His chest rose up and down, huffing and puffing as anger stirred in his belly from their bullying. Just because he was a baby didn't mean he couldn't stand up for himself! If he could take on robots and gods, hundreds of times bigger than him, he could take on his friends who were acting like selfish bullies.
Throwing his fists back, he yells, "Stop it, guys, it's not like that! Will you just shut up and listen to me?!"
"Uh oh, looks like the baby is getting cranky." Knuckles cooes wiping a tear away from laughing so much, "Maybe baby is hungry and needs his bottle." he steps up to the angry hedgehog, grabs the bottle from the floor, and shoves it into Sonic's mouth before roughly pushing him down. "Go on, baaaabeee. Drink your milk, then go take a nap." The echidna punches the hedgehog, not giving him the chance to reply, causing stars to appear before Sonic's eyes. The bottle flys out of his mouth as the blue blur's head reels back from power in the hit; it was so hard the hedgehog knew it was enough to give him a black eye.
Sonic yelps out in pain and curls inward, raising a protective hand to his eyes, feeling the sharp pain jolt to his skull. He flinches when his fingers graze over the throbbing eyelid with a whimper; all of his fighting fire now extinguished.
Why were his friends acting like this? He didn't understand; one minute, he was blissfully playing in his Little space. The next, his friends had barged in and proceeded to bully him.
The sound of something shattering twitches in his ears, grabbing his attention from contemplating what was going on, and Sonic opened his eyes to see his friends trashing the nursery.
The hedgehog forgot all about trying to make sense of the situation and his swollen black eye; his blood ran cold, sending chills through his skin and freezing his nerves. He was shell-shocked to see his friends causing wanton destruction to his room; Amy ripped down the curtains taking the rods with them and pushed or knocked down each piece of furniture in the room. Tails hovered in the air, ripping and clawing off the star stickers, scrapped his claws on the walls, and helped Amy push everything down. Knuckles punched the furniture they knocked over and hit the pieces as fast and as hard as he could like; he was trying to win the high score in a video game.
Sonic's stomach twisted and churned; his breathing came out in short bursts, and his hands shook uncontrollably as he watched the room Eggman had lovingly made for him was torn to bits.
"No." He whispers, watching helplessly as Amy and Tails took turns tossing toys to Knuckles, who hit them with his fists like a twisted game of baseball.
They were destroying the one place he felt safe, the one place where he could go to be the innocent and playful part of himself he couldn't show to others without rejection and ridicule.
The blue blur shakily stood up with tears in his eyes, "Guys! Guys! Please stop! This isn't right." he shouted and stumbled towards Amy. He grabbed her arm, begging for them to stop the madness. The pink hedgehog coldly ripped his hold off of her arm, "Shut up, you dumb baby."
"Please, Amy, stop! Don't do this! I thought you loved me?"
"Me love you? Ha!" Amy looked at him incredulously, swinging her mallet to rest on her shoulder; she checked the blue blur out with eyes filled with contempt, "As if! I could never love a dumb baby hedgie. Get real! I can't believe I wasted my time on such a pathetic hedgehog!" The words cut like a knife to his heart. He winced, placing a hand on his chest, feeling a ghost of pain.
How could the hedgehog who had declared her affections and chased him for years suddenly turn her back on her loyalty and say such things? Though he didn't have the same romantic feelings, he still loved her dearly.
A flash of red brought Sonic back from his despair, and he saw Amy pick up his beloved Eggman plush. In a panic, he reached out to save the last thing still intact that could give him comfort, "Stop! No! Don't hurt him!" Amy blocked his attempt to take the plush and pulled it away from him. She rose a curious brow at the blue blur who had desperation written in his eyes as he continued to try and reach out to grab the thing, just like a baby crying out for a toy that had been cruelly taken away.
"Oh...is this yours?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, seeming to enjoy Sonic's wretched begging, "Yes! Yes, please give him back!"
"Ok...here...CATCH!" Amy yells and fakes, giving it to him before tossing the toy to Knuckles, "Ivo!" Sonic yells, dashing to the echidna, who throws the plush to Tails. A game of keep-away ensues with the blue blur in the middle of the circle running around trying to get his toy back.
Sonic pushed himself to go faster and faster, heart pumping blood into his legs, giving them a boost to go faster. He pushed and pushed until his legs ached and begged for him to stop. He didn't listen. He needed to get his toy back, but he was always just a little too slow. He couldn't understand. He knew he could go faster; rescuing Ivo should have been a piece of cake, but no matter how much the hedgehog pushed himself, Sonic couldn't go any quicker; he always missed the catch; he grew more upset with each near miss.
After an eternity, the three bullies got tired of the game. Tails caught the plush last and temptingly held it out for Sonic to grab, "Did you guys hear what the baby just called his toy? Ivo." he laughed in ridicule. Taking the bait, the blue devil succeeded in grabbing hold of one of Ivo's arms. "Let my friend go! He's not yours!"
"You're friend? Ha! You're so stupid you can't even tell a real friend from some worthless toy!" Tails tugs the plush back, showing his fangs with a cruel smile.
"Well, if you guys were my real friends, you would stop this and give him back!" Sonic tugged Ivo back to himself.
"Why would we be friends with you? You're just a big baby." Tails bit back, pulling the toy back with more force, a few seams poped from the sudden tension, Sonic's ears laid back, and he looked at his brother, bewildered by what the fox was saying.
"Tails, you are my best friend; how could you say that?! I-I-l love you; you're my brother. Why are you doing this?!" The blue blur's arms shake, straining to gently pull Ivo his way, trying not to pop anymore seems, "Not anymore! You're disgusting! I could never be your best friend, not to some so-called hero who needs diapers and toys. We. Are. Through!" twirling his namesakes and yanking back with all his strength, Tails rips the plush in half, Sonic thrown back my the force lands hard on his bottom with the other end of the toy.
The world seemed to stop as the hedgehog gazed with wide shiny eyes at the remains of his beloved plush, torn in half mercilessly by those who he thought were his closest companions. His heart felt like it was filled with holes from the sharp stabs of their words and looks of hate and scorn. Hands shaking, Sonic held the remains close; his bottom lip trembled as he hiccupped, and tears began to leak down his face.
Slowly a shadow crawled on the floor, engulfing the hedgehog. Raising his head to see what had caused the sudden darkness, Sonic's eyes shrank, and his depression morphed into fear as he beheld Amy, Knuckles, and Tails creeping up on him with a dangerous look in their eyes. His former friends' features turned into something more sinister and gruesome, growing in height. The large Mobians quickly overshadowed the bright lights above the nursery.
The hedgehog attempted to crawl away, but the bullies catching on quickly blocked his path, and Sonic found himself cornered with no way to escape.
The blue blur shrank while they grew, his body decreasing in age to match how vulnerable he felt. Sonic's legs, arms, and hands shook in terror; tail tucked as far as it could go, ears flat on his head looking as if they were missing, his lips quiver and big fat tears pour down his muzzle. He found himself too terrified to quite his pitiful whimpers and small cries for help.
The gigantic monstrous Mobians laugh cruelly at the tiny hedgehoglet, showing their dagger-like sharp teeth, punching giant fists into their hands, preparing themselves to finish off their prey.
Little Sonic cried and searched out in his mind for Eggy to save him, but his cries went unanswered, and he realized Eggman was nowhere to be found. Not Metal, not any of the badnicks on the base. No one.
He was home alone.
He was utterly defenseless against the monstrous creatures that licked their lips, ready to swallow him whole.
Ice gripped his wildly beating heart, Sonic cried out loud in terror as the monsters dove for him, and everything went black.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Eggman jolted up in his bed, his blue eyes blown wide open at the unexpected awakening, his mustache was bed wrangled, and the fuzzball attached to the nightcap on his head flung forward, hitting his right eye. "What in blue blazes?!" he gasped, turning his head towards the screeching baby monitor on his nightstand, the small machine going off at its highest volume.
He turns on the light on his nightstand and puts on his glasses, "Sonic?" he gasps, hearing a distressed wail he thought that only an infant could muster; apparently, hedgehogs could too?
Grabbing and hastily putting on his robe and bunny slippers, the doctor rushes out his bedroom door, almost slipping on the floor as he turns around the corner to the nursery next door. Eggman bursts in and instantly appears before the crib where his baby resided, desperately crying out for help.
"Sonic! Sonic wake-up! Wake up!" the doctor picked the flailing hedgehog up and pressed the small body close to his to keep Sonic from accidentally hurting himself.
The blue blur awoke with a yelp struggling in Eggman's hold, eyes big and alert, searching wildly for a danger that didn't exist. His dull claws clamp onto the doctor's shoulder, and his quills flared out, ready on the defense. Short, panicked breaths and high-pitched screams escape Sonic's lips, his mind not yet fully realizing he was no longer dreaming.
Eggman bit his lip to hold back from vocalizing any pain he felt in his shoulders from the small claws and pricks on his face from Sonic's thrashing quills. He just held onto his charge secure but not enough to suffocate, hoping that the blue devil would snap out of it soon. He briefly thought of using their 5 step grounding exercise as that always helped in the past, but it was apparent in Sonic's state it would not do any good as the hedgehog was unresponsive.
Patiently he waited as Sonic slowly came back to reality.
Gradually the hedgehog's breathing became less erratic, his grip on the doctor relaxed, and his emerald eyes shrank back to their normal proportions.
He blinked, surprised to find himself in Eggman's arms. As the adrenaline wore off, the shock, embarrassment, and humiliation from what his subconscious had conjured up came back—the hurtful words, the physical abuse, and the terrifying transformation his friends had undergone.
His face changed from shock to misery and shame. Sonic softly whimpered and squeaked at first; then, his vision became blurry with tears; a minute after, he started to cry on Eggman's shoulders. The sound was muffled as he pressed his face against the doctor.
Hearing the pitiful sobs pulled Eggman's heartstrings, and the doctor's maternal side told him to comfort his baby. He needed to do so with caution as Sonic was still at risk of accidentally hurting him at close range. With some trepidation, he laid a hand over the hedgehog's quills, testing them, and, finding them relaxed, fully extended his fingers into the fluffy cobalt fur. He gently stroked Sonic's head, and back quills as the blue baby cried on his shoulder; the man shushed his charge, slowly pacing the floor.
Sonic wails in agony for some time as Eggman continues to wait patiently for him to finish, petting and holding the blue blur close to let him know his Eggy was here.
One would think that after being awoken so suddenly in the middle of the night, Eggman would be more brusque and annoyed at the blue blur for the rude awakening. However, after several months of almost nightly interruptions and using the suggestions from all his research notes, he was somewhat used to the routine of being woken up suddenly by one of the blue blur's nightmares. However, the doctor did think it odd that tonight he was woken up by an infant-like cry instead of a terrified scream or a soft knock on his door. This didn't seem like the occasional PTSD-induced nightmare followed by a panic attack he was used to. What could have caused his baby such distress, he wondered?
Well, he would have to wait until Sonic was capable of speech again before the doctor could get some answers.
45 minutes later, Sonic was done with the last of his tears; he was all dried up with no more to shed. This throat felt raspy and sore from crying so much of late; he coughed and snorted, his nose congested; he rubbed it, annoyed by the black object on his snout. A few hiccups flew past his lips, and he blushed at how childish he sounded.
Eggman patted his back, "There, there...all done now?" Swallowing the lump in his throat, the hedgehog opens his mouth, attempting to respond, but no sound came out. His voice box wasn't cooperating; he gives up after another failed try and nods in defeat, "Right...do you need anything?" Sonic shakes his head. "Do you want to talk about it?"
The blue blur furrowed his brows, unsure, knowing that if he did, he would feel better. Talking with Eggman before always helped, but he felt so small and incapable of speech right now. He couldn't speak when he tried. All that seemed to come out were just noises, no words.
The doctor takes the long silence as a no and asks something else, "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" Sonic carefully thought about the question before nodding.
Being woken up by a nightmare with your adrenaline pumping and then crying afterward left one feeling like a used-up rag doll wanting to flop over and lay on the floor for eternity.
Eggman begins to lower the hedgehog back into the crib, but the blue blur alarmed by the action scrambles to stay in his hold, whining in protest. The doctor quickly stops and resumes to a standing position, holding the blue baby close, "Do you...want to stay with me?" Eggman asks in confusion.
Sonic nodded quickly, pulling himself closer to the doctor whimpering. He hated to be so needy and vulnerable, but Sonic didn't feel safe being alone right now. Eggman, somehow sensing his conflict, reassures, "It's ok; you can stay with me," he continues to rub the hedgehog's back as he brings Sonic out of the nursery.
Sonic relaxed as they left, relieved he wouldn't have to spend the rest of the night alone. With a shaky sigh, he nuzzled the doctor's neck in thanks.
Shortly after, emerald eyes blinked, adjusting to the dim light in the new room; he looked around, surprised. Sonic hadn't expected Eggman to take him to HIS room, though it was logical that's where the doctor would have gone to. It still surprised the blue blur that the human would bring him here. Sonic had never stepped foot into Eggman's personal bedroom before, having felt like there was an intimidating invisible wall that said do not trespass.
The hedgehog felt like he was being escorted into some super-secret place that only those worthy enough could see. And in a sense, he was as few entered the doctor's private abode. As Sonic continued to look around, he was caught off guard by how different Eggman's room looked than he had imagined.
There was a window with flowery curtains covering the nighttime outdoor view. At one wall stood a large wardrobe, a bookshelf filled with books and pictures of nature. A writing table was next to it; letter-writing materials littered the desk showing it was used regularly, along with a vase filled with blooming flowers from the garden. A simple yet somewhat elegant wallpaper covered the walls, the wooden floorboards under the bed covered by a large white rug.
Overall, Sonic found it to be very cozy with a feminine touch. He would have never guessed that such a room could belong to Eggman; it was warm and inviting, not cold, and filled with steel like the lab. The room was like a reflection of the doctor's heart, soft, warm, and surprisingly comforting. His nose twitched to the human's scent, which he loved so much, and Sonic smiled, liking the appeal of the doctor's room.
After moving a few pillows to the edge of the bed to keep his charge from falling off, Eggman gently lays Sonic next to them, "Wait just a moment." he requests, going back to the wardrobe and removing his robe and slippers. The hedgehog turns his head to look at the nightstand and sees a lamp, an alarm clock, the baby monitor, and two books. Squinting his eyes, he makes out the titles on the spines.
"The Whole-Brain Child 12 strategies to nurture your child's developing mind" and "The Adoptive Parents Handbook a guide to healing trauma and thriving with your foster or adopted child"?
He rose his eyes at the books. They seemed curious; why would Eggman have these types of books in his room? Sonic expected to find something more along the lines of what Tails would have on his nightstand, something about the inner workings of a machine or maybe about computer programming. Not baby and parenting books, that seemed more like something Sonic would find on Miss Vanilla's nightstand.
It piqued his interest, but it was far too late right now to ask any questions. He was tired, and undoubtedly Eggman was as well. He decided he would ask about them maybe in the morning or at a later time.
Sensing movement Sonic diverts his gaze back to Eggman, watching him close the wardrobe door and walk back to the bed. "Oh! Forgot something." the doctor gasps, pulling the drawer on the nightstand; he moves stuff around, mumbling about where he had put the darn thing before finding what he was looking for. "Ah! I knew I had one! Here baby, take this."
Sonic looks at the object the doctor offers, which was a pacifier in his fingers, and the blue blur quirks a brow in puzzlement, not understanding why Eggman was offering the thing to him. "I always keep one around just in case." The man shrugs with a small smile. "Go on, little one, take it. Don't want your dirty thumb in your mouth, do you?" Sonic blinks in surprise. His eyes cross, looking down, and his eyebrows rise to see his thumb hidden behind his lips.
Since when had he put his thumb in his mouth?
It's not dirty! But well, then again...I don't want to be rude.
Opening his mouth Sonic removed his thumb as Eggman replaced it with the pink pacifier; he wrapped his lips around it and sucked. This was much better than sucking his thumb though convenient; the digit would get all wrinkly and slobbery with saliva.
The blue blur felt thankful that once again, the doc had the foresight to keep one around at all times and had picked up on the hedgehog's needs before he had.
The human takes his glasses off, rolls into bed, turns the light from the lamp off, and pulls the quilt over them both. Sonic watches as Eggman tucks him in and pulls him close; the hedgie allows himself to be cuddled and curls up, soaking the comforting warmth from the thick quilt and the large man's body heat. His ears flick in reaction to feeling whiskers tickle them, and lips kiss his head, a large hand petting his side. He smiles and purrs, melting from the soothing strokes, eyes going half-mast in pleasure and fatigue. Feeling safe that Eggy would protect him from the scary monsters in his dreams.
Eggman gazed at his blue baby, hearing the subtle motor and a thump of a tail hitting the mattress as it wagged. He watched tan and blue eyelids slowly come together and a pacifier bob up and down; once those emerald eyes closed, the thumping tail ceased.
The pacifier's bobbing slows down to a complete stop a few minutes after as soft, steady breathing signals that his charge peacefully returned to the land of dreams.
Hopefully to some more pleasant ones. Eggman hopped, still stroking Sonic's side as he slept. A few minutes later, his hand stopped after he fell asleep also, dreaming of his life going down a very different route 15 years ago.