Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

The Strange Sounds

Chapter 3: The Strange Sounds

Sonic was running laps around his room, trying to burn off some excess energy that he always seemed to have. Time to time he would go wild and jump on his bed before doing a front flip off of his bed, curling up into a small ball in the air before hitting the ground and rolling around for half a lap, then popped up and repeated it all again.

He was already dressed up in his silky blue pajamas. He had been wearing pajamas to bed recently after Tom and Maddie insisted he had to. It was mostly because the quills would stab anyone's hands when they attempted to clear them out of his bed, or general living space. After Tom got about 5 stuck in his hand at one time, it was a no brainer. His teeth had been brushed, and his quills smoothed, but he was so wide awake that getting him to sleep seemed like it was gonna be a challenge.

Sonic was turning 15 in a few days, and despite the move, his adoptive family had promised to hold some sort of celebration, even if it wasn't going to be really big. Having never really celebrated his birthday before, the very thought of it was enough to keep him running around for hours.

Sonic was rolling around in a ball when he heard two pairs of footsteps enter his room. His small blue ears wiggled, and his target was found.

"Come on Sonic that's enough already. I can hear your feet all the way in our own room, go to bed- oof!" Tom stumbled back, barely able to brace himself with Maddie's help as Sonic had launched himself, still curled up in a big blue ball right into Tom's chest.

Tom awkwardly held Sonic, his two arms wrapping around the spikey ball of energy.

"I'm not tired, and you can't make me!" Sonic mumbled. Tom raised an unimpressed brow as the blue ball wiggled in his arms with each word.

"Well sure we can't make you, but it'll certainly be for the best. While running makes you seem fast, sleeping makes tomorrow come by faster than you could know," Maddie whispered to the energized ball.

After a long still moment, Sonic unwrapped himself, raising his head to look up at Maddie and Tom.

"Tomorrow will be fun, I could tell all my friends at school about this cool new house!"

"Good, then sleep." Tom rolled his eyes and carried Sonic over to the bed, but before he could put the blue hedgehog down Ozzy came bounding into the room and leaped onto the bed. Without hesitation the big dog laid right in the center of the bed, looking at Sonic in challenge.

"Oh yeah big guy, as if!" Sonic jumped out of Tom's arms and onto Ozzy, playfully roughhousing with him as Maddie and Tom could only shake their heads.

"Okay okay listen, how about a deal? Ozzy can sleep in here tonight if you go to sleep?" Tom put on a pained smile. "What do you say?"

"I say, deal! Come on Ozzy," Sonic moved to the head of the bed and pulled up the sheets. With some prompting Ozzy obeyed and allowed Sonic to tuck him in with just his head poking out. Sonic laid down and Ozzy plopped his head on Sonic's chest, officially trapping him for the night. Even Ozzy could only handle so much of Sonic.

"Now, actually sleep." Maddie hummed, turning on Sonic's lamp as Tom turned off the main light in the room.

"No playing," Tom warned. "We can hear you if you get up, and if you get up I won't make a special breakfast tomorrow."

"What are you going to make?" Sonic tried to sit up, but Ozzy angrily huffed and firmly kept his head in place. "Pancakes? Chocolate waffles? Big fluffy eggs? You got to tell me now!"

"It's a surprise, so sleep." Maddie leaned down, kissing Sonic on the forehead. "I hope you have amazing racing dreams."

"I always do," Sonic grinned proudly, nestling back in the bed as Maddie and Tom headed for the door. "Goodnight! I love you!"