FicWad

Manic jolted awake, gasping. He looked around the room, then sighed in relief. “Good. It was a dream.” He thought.
He turned over, looking at the clock.
It was five in the morning and he had to get up at seven.
“I might as well get up.” Manic thought. He eased himself out of bed. He grabbed his hoverboard and backpack, then slipped out of their hideout in Mobotropolis while Sonic and Sonia slept.
He got on his hoverboard and decided to cruise around the countryside just outside of town.
*
Manic checked his watch as he made it back to town. “Ten minutes ’till seven. They should still be asleep.” He said to himself.
A baby started crying.
Manic stopped his hoverboard and got off. He did a double take at a dark green baby hedgehog, wrapped in a ragged blanket, curled up in a nearby gutter.
Manic shook his head. “Robotnik probably made another robot.” He muttered under his breath as he started to walk away.
The baby started crying louder.
Manic stopped and looked over his shoulder at the baby. “I need to at least make sure if it’s a real one or not.” He said. He turned around and walked over to the baby.
The baby’s cries finally eased into soft whimpers.
Manic knelt down and picked the baby up and looked him over. “Your Ma or Dad could’ve at least given you a diaper, little guy.” He said. He turned the ragged blanket into a makeshift diaper and fastened it with one of his button pins off of his backpack.
The baby calmed down, softly chirping
Manic set the baby on his hoverboard, then pulled a metal detector wand out of his backpack. He waved the wand over the little hedgehog.
The machine quietly whirred.
The little hedgehog quietly watched Manic, occasionally reaching up to play with the metal detector.
“Okay, you’re totally not a robot.” Manic said, putting the metal detector away. He picked up the hoglet. “Come on, you can stay with me.” He said. He carried his hoverboard under one arm while holding the baby with the other since he was afraid the baby would fall out of his arms while he rode the hoverboard.
*
Manic slipped back inside the hideout and propped his hoverboard by the door.
“He’s probably out for a ride, Sonia.” Sonic said. “His backpack and hoverboard are gone. If he’s not here in five minutes, I’ll text him.”
“I’m home.” Manic called.
“See?” Sonic asked. “He’s fine. I’ll get breakfast started.”
“Don’t worry, he’s not a robot.” Manic said as he walked into the living room with the baby. “I found him in a gutter and I named him Nikós.”
Sonic and Sonia stared dumbfounded at Manic.
“Why didn’t you take him to Trevor?” Sonic asked. “He’s taking a bunch of orphans to Sanctuary this morning.”
Manic rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, well….”
“Manic, you can’t keep him.” Sonic said. “We’re freedom fighters. We can’t take a baby on missions and neither of us can stay out to babysit.”
Manic looked at Nikós, who just smiled at him and squeaked. “I can’t send him away.”
Sonic shook his head in disbelief. “Are you crazy?” He asked. “It’s too dangerous-”
“Sonic, calm down.” Sonia said, grabbing Sonic’s arm. “Let’s discuss this privately.”
Sonia dragged Sonic out of the room and into the kitchen.
“He can’t keep the kid, sis.” Sonic said, closing the door behind them.
“I know, but I can tell he won’t back down.” Sonia replied. “He’s been a little odd since the whole robot baby thing.”
“He needs to get over it.” Sonic said. “It was a robot. He’s been around dozens of resistance orphans anyway. What’s so special about this one?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, in his defense, we all thought the robot baby was real at first.” Sonia replied. “I guess that experience woke up his paternal instincts and he might be trying to make up for growing up without a family.”
“Maybe, but it’s too dangerous for Nikós here.” Sonic said. “We’ll have to try to get Manic to accept it and send him to Sanctuary.”
Sonic and Sonia headed back to the other room.
Manic was asleep on the couch with Nikós asleep on his chest.
Sonic sighed. “I don’t have the heart to break them up now.”
“I hate to break his heart too, but you’re right.” Sonia said. “We can’t keep him and I’d hate to see the poor little guy get hurt.”
“We’ll need supplies until we can find him a home.” Sonic replied. “You make breakfast; I’ll buy the supplies.”