Sugar and Spice and A Few Things Nice

by BackCornerSleeping

Summary:

To change the timeline, one must pay a price worthy of the change.

To drastically change the future, such that the entire trajectory of events is altered... The price is death.

This, Silver knows well.

Over and over again, he has been reborn with one, sole purpose. To go back in time, and avert the disaster that plagues the future, whatever it may be.

But Silver dreams every night of a release from the cycle, of a bright future that he could participate in and live in. An absolution.

In his current incarnation, he made a deal. To sacrifice the future for his own life.

But such actions come with guilt. And when someone tries to live in a time not made for them, it is no wonder they cannot find a place...

Notes:

So this took fucking months I'm so sorry Silvie. It's 1am on Christmas day and this was supposed to be my first sonic fic

Chapter 1

To change the timeline, one must pay a price worthy of the change.

To drastically change the future, such that the entire trajectory of events is altered... The price is death.

This, Silver knows well.

Over and over again, he has been reborn with one, sole purpose. To go back in time, and avert the disaster that plagues the future, whatever it may be. He has killed many a soul to avert a bad future, and saved thousands more by doing so. But every time, he pays the price with his life. It is impossible for Silver to live in a world where the future is bright. He is a sacrifice, born only if the future can only be saved by a timeline change. For hundreds of years, he has been reborn, his endless altruism and optimism leading him to kill himself over and over again in hopes of a better future, even though he knows he will never be a part of it. When he appears, those who meet him will see him as an optimist, someone who would go to the ends of the earth and back just to secure a future, no matter the cost. No matter how many times he is knocked down, the Silver most know is one that is single-mindedly focused on fixing the future he was born to never inherit.

But that is not always accurate. In fact, it is often rather innacurate to the real Silver, hiding beneath his seemingly boundless optimism. The real Silver dreams every night of a release from the cycle, of a bright future that he could participate in and live in. An absolution. But not once has he received it, endlessly struggling towards a goal he could never reach.

He has never once reached fifteen years of age.

Indeed, fourteen in its own right is a record for him, only recently hit as his current incarnation was delayed somewhat in his quest to fix the future.

In the end, he never finished that quest. Overcome by a moment of weakness in a crucial, final moment, he made the choice to sacrifice the future for his own life. Just once, letting his duty be delayed so he could get a taste of what a normal life would be like. In vain, he'd hoped that he could just once have the happiness that he'd dreamed off.

But it hadn't worked.

He was still alive, yes, but he was stuck struggling to find a place in the past, with so much guilt from that choice on his shoulders that it hurt.

There were times now where he rarely spoke. In choosing to survive, he'd seemingly resigned himself to a struggling sadness that just wouldn't go away.

 

"Silver! Wow, someone's hard to find these days. There you are."
He looked back down, turning away from the clouds. Running up to him was Amy Rose. He'd met a her couple times, but she'd met him only once as far as she was aware. As it was with most of the people he knew now.

"Is everything all right?" He asked. Usually, if someone came running at him calling his name, things generally weren't looking good.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come with us to dinner tonight! Vanilla's cooking." She smiled earnestly, panting a little as she leaned over. "Sorry, it took me about twenty minutes to track you down and another ten to get up this hill."

"Oh, sorry," Silver said. "I didn't expect anyone to come up looking for me. Um... Who's Vanilla?"

Amy looked surprised.
"You've never met Vanilla? She's Cream's mom. She's really nice, invites us over for dinner pretty frequently. I thought I'd bring you along sometime! She's such a good cook, and she's really sweet." Little Cream was familiar to Silver- she was only a few years younger than Tails, but had the same boundless energy. If her mother was offering dinner, then far be it for him to say no. Free food was free food, no matter the timeline.

"Sure," he said, and was almost immediately pulled up and basically dragged down the hill by Amy. "Can you, uh... Not drag me?"

"Sorry, but it took me ten minutes to get up here! We're gonna be late if I don't run!"

"Let me handle it, then. We can fly."

"Oh yeah, you have psychokinesis! Thanks, Silver."

"You're welcome."

 

Vanilla's cottage was on the outskirts of town, a two-storey house that easily housed the rabbit and her daughter. Thankfully, it was also easy to find with Amy's direction, so Silver didn't have much trouble getting them there. He stood awkwardly behind her while she knocked, well aware of his lack of social skills.

The woman that greeted them was almost a mirror image of Cream- a pale orange rabbit with long ears that drooped behind her. She was taller than him, wearing what seemed to be a long purple dress with a red waistcoat. She had a kind smile on her face, one that made him feel a twinge of guilt over sacrificing the future- it was his fault now that he himself wouldn't ever see the face of his own mother.

"Oh, Amy! Looks like you found him." The lady's voice made him look up. "Come in, come in." She opened the door wide, moving aside to let them in.

"Thanks!" Amy replied, walking in. "Vanilla, this is Silver. Silver, Vanilla."

"Hi," He said. Noticing what Amy was doing, he took off his shoes, leaving them by the door. From the looks of it, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails were also here.

"Hello, dear," Vanilla said. "Just in time, too. Dinner's just about ready." She ushered them through the house to a long wooden table set with bowls where, just as he'd predicted, the other three were sitting.

"Hey," he said, sliding in next to Sonic.

"Hi, Silver! Long time no see!"

"Wait, you only got Silver? What happened to Shadow?" Tails asked. Amy shrugged, sitting across the table next to Knuckles.

"Couldn't find him in time. Guess he misses out."

"Guess he does." Sonic laughed. "Honestly, that's probably a good thing! Not sure if we want Silver to get all the drama on his first dinner." Amy rolled her eyes as Vanilla brought in a pot of pasta and some sauces. Cream jumped up to the table, putting some cheese on the table as well. Actual cheese, not her Chao, who was sitting with Chocola on small seats by their companions with their own small bowls of food.

"Sonic, lovely, you're the other half of the drama. I'm not sure you can talk." Vanilla took her seat. "Help yourselves."

"Yay! Mommy makes the best ravioli," Cream informed the table.

"Noted," Knuckles said, spooning some into his bowl. "Pass the sauce? Sonic. Pass the sauce."

"I'm passing the sauce, cool it."

Silver spooned some pasta into his bowl, quietly listening to the conversation. He was more content to stay quiet and learn about how these dinners worked before saying anything.

"This is really good, miss Vanilla!" Tails said. "You're a really good cook."

"Just Vanilla is fine, sweetheart," Vanilla replied. "And thank you."

"Nah, Tails is right," Sonic said. "It's great! No one cooks better than Vanilla." Vanilla herself laughed.

"I wouldn't put me on such a high pedestal if I were you. Cooking is something you kids can learn, too." She stopped for a moment, considering. "You kids should learn how. It's good for you, considering how many adventures you go on. You need to power all that boundless energy."

"Yes, Mom," Sonic joked. Cream smacked the table.

"She's my Mommy, not yours!" She joked. Everyone laughed.

"Okay, okay." Sonic let up with a smile.

"Do you know how to cook, Silver?" Tails asked. Silver blinked, having forgotten for a second he was technically part of the conversation.

"Uh, a little. enough to survive when I could find something to cook, anyway," he said.

"Well, it's gotten you this far," Tails pointed out.

"True."

"Wait, wait, wait. Have you never had pasta before?" Sonic asked. All of a sudden all eyes were on Silver.

"Um... No...?" He said nervously, his ears flicking back. Sonic sighed.

"Oh, man... You are missing out. Yeah, I think you might have to become a regular here," he laughed.

"More company is always a good thing," Vanilla replied. "You're welcome to come anytime, hon."

"...Thank you," Silver said uncertainly. He wasn't quite sure how to take that kind of kindness. Not that he believed Vanilla was lying, it just... Sounded a bit too good to be true. Amy passed him the pot and ladle, and once again imitating the others' movements, he spooned some food and sauce into his plate. A lot of Silver's social skills came from improvising based on what other people did, which occasionally got him into trouble when he imitated the wrong people (cough cough Mephiles and Shadow), but usually it served him well- including now. Thank goodness people in the past had figured out pretty quickly that Silver staring a little was his way of figuring out what was happening and not anything worse. He put the pot back in the centre of the table, taking the sauce and cheese from Sonic. The others kept talking while he focused on not making a fool of himself and doing things wrong- although seasoning pasta wasn't hard, but new skills took focus to perfect anyway. Finishing off, he handed the cheese to Amy and focused back on the conversation.

"The design works in theory, but it's getting tricky to actually engineer it off the paper! It's an interesting project, and I'm really excited to see where it goes," Tails was saying. Apparently, he'd spent the last two minutes rambling about some project of his. How is he so smart? Sometimes Silver understood Barry when he said everyone on Team Sonic was unhinged. He wasn't wrong, even if that counted Silver in the mix. Silver himself wasn't the most normal either.

"Don't you get burnt out, okay, Tails?" Vanilla asked. "I know you do love focusing on your projects, but you need to take breaks too."

"Yeah," Sonic chimed in through his food. "I don't wanna have to drag you back at ridiculous o'clock in the morning! Take breaks!" Tails laughed guiltily.

"Okay, I'll try." The rest of the table laughed, knowing pretty well it wasn't happening. Silver tried some of his pasta.

He'd noticed it was filled with something, but the taste he got wasn't quite what he'd expected.
"Oh, this is good," he said, surprised at the pleasant flavour.

"See? Vanilla makes the best pasta! Confirmed! Even Silver likes it", Sonic said.

"Even? I'm not picky, Sonic," Silver replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Unlike someone else I could mention," Tails snickered. Amy laughed.

"Good to know you like it, honey." Vanilla smiled.

"Yay!! Silvie likes pasta!" Cream cheered with a smile.

"Silvie? That's so cute," Amy replied with a cheeky smile. "Sounds like someone's got himself a nickname." Cream giggled. Silver just smiled, returning to his food. He'd never had a nickname before, especially not one from a little girl. He wasn't quite sure whether or not he liked it, but it felt nice.

As the conversation continued, Silver quietly listened, occasionally answering a question or sliding an opinion into the conversation. Still, he slipped closer into silence as the night went on. It was clear that they'd all been here many times before, this was a regular occurrence, and while they still made a decent effort to keep Silver in the conversation, it was obvious that they'd been here more than he did. Belonged here more than he did.

Even here, Silver quite didn't have a place. He never would.

He focused on his pasta and tried not to get too outwardly emotional about it. Or too emotional at all. It wouldn't help him.

 

 

"...Silver? Hey, Silver?"

Silver looked up. Sonic was poking his shoulder, looking worried. "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm... Fine. Just thinking." He hadn't realised he'd accidentally started making things float- including the table and its contents. He lowered them to the ground, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

"You sure? You didn't look too happy," Sonic replied.

"I'm fine," Silver insisted. "It's got nothing to do with you guys. I got distracted." Sure, he wasn't too well socialised still, but even he knew this wasn't the place to bring his issues up. Or the people. This was a Silver problem, and a Silver problem alone.

"Well, if you're sure..." Sonic said, lightening up on the pressure. He didn't seem convinced, but he stopped pushing anyway. Still, Silver caught the look he flashed Vanilla.

"Sorry," he said, not really sure what else to say.

"It's all right, little one," Vanilla said. "A nice calm dinner is quite the break from the lives you kids lead. You're not the only one who's been a bit melancholy at this table." She smiled gently, and it made him realise how much he wished he could remember his parents as more than just a promise they'd never been allowed to keep.

He stayed quiet as Vanilla and Amy got up, clearing the table and moving to the kitchen to clean. He stayed quiet as Sonic moved over to Tails to hand her something he'd forgotten to give back yesterday. He stayed quiet as Knuckles chided Sonic for forgetting. He stayed quiet as Vanilla and Tails laughed from the kitchen, telling Knuckles to lighten up a little; everyone makes mistakes.

It was only when Cream hopped off her chair and came to gently pull on his arm did he finally speak.

"Can you please play with me?" Cream asked. And Silver, who feels like nothing if not kind to a fault even he tires of sometimes, replies.

"Sure. What do you want to play?"

Cream seems happy with his reply, giggling and pulling him out of his chair and dragging him upstairs to her room.

"It's a surprise!"

Vanilla poked her head out of the kitchen, watching her daughter pull Silver upstairs.
"Ah, she's got Silver. That's all right, they should be fine." Amy hummed, pursing her lips as she loaded the dishwasher.

"You all right, hon?" Vanilla asked. Amy sighed.

"I think I'm just worried about Silver. He acts fine, but he's been a little distant since... Well, everything, I guess. I know he's stressed a lot, but this is different. I mean, you saw how he was earlier." Vanilla rubbed her shoulders.

"I see. Far be it from me to assume- he's still quite the mystery to me- but he seemed lonely more than anything." She turned off the tap, placing the colander into the warm, soapy water.

"Lonely... Yeah, maybe," Amy said. "He is alone a lot. I'm not sure why, though. He knows he can trust us."

"Perhaps it's not about trust," Vanilla said. "Perhaps it's about something else entirely. He trusts you kids, that's true, but perhaps he's lonely because he misses someone, or he feels out of place. Loneliness is, in my experience, often not quite about a lack of friends. How much do you know about him?" She asked, taking a sponge to the colander.

"He's... hard to explain," Amy said, lowering her voice. "He's from the future. He has psychokinesis, that's why stuff started floating earlier. He came back to save his future from disaster. But... I don't know. He was so totally focused on saving the future, and he's kind to the point where he's a bit naïve. But he just... Gave up at the end, for some reason. He made a deal with Mephiles to let it ravage the future in exchange for a hundred years of peace, even though he was so dead set on destroying him. Sometimes he acts like he's known us for years and then gets embarrassed about it. He's the youngest of us besides Tails, but he looks at you like he's been alive for longer than even Shadow. He doesn't make any sense, and... It messes him up more than me, I think. I don't know. But I don't think he's okay. From what he said, when he made that deal with Mephiles... I think he might've died if he'd actually saved the future."

Vanilla stayed quiet, processing the information as she cleaned. Applying into the quiet, sweet boy she'd just had dinner with.

"I think," she said slowly, "if that's the case, he likely feels out of place. I can't imagine what it's like living in a time that's not your own, but he's likely struggling to find his place." Amy's ears perked up.

"Like Shadow?"

"Exactly like Shadow."

"Oh... That makes sense, actually. They're pretty similar when you think about it." She looked to the roof, thinking. "I see your point. Um... Vanilla?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Do you think... You could help him? I... Don't know if we're the right people. But you might be." Amy looked to Vanilla, worried and nervous. Vanilla smiled kindly.

"Something tells me Cream has already gotten started on that one. Go and get your boys before they cause any trouble, mm-hmm? I can handle the rest of the dishes. Thank you, sweetheart." Vanilla gently gave Amy's quills a stroke before lightly pushing her towards the door.

"Thanks," Amy replied, relieved. "Actually, you mind if me and the team leave a little early? I forgot we were gonna get some stuff on the way home and I don't want the shops to close before then."

"Of course. Leave when you kids need, I'll tell Cream you said goodbye."

"Thanks." Amy quickly left the kitchen, going and checking on her friends and revising their plans. Vanilla continued washing the dishes, thinking solemnly- but kindly- about Silver, and Amy's request.


Eventually, Amy and the boys left- leaving Silver behind, which Amy acknowledged with a subtle wink to Vanilla. He's all yours. Closing the front door, she headed upstairs to check in on Cream and Silver.

She found them about where she'd expected- in Cream's room, Silver sitting on the floor as Cream cooked up some fantastical story. She stopped when Vanilla entered, though, coming over and giving her a hug.

"Hi, mom!"
Vanilla smiled, giving Cream a hug while Silver got off the floor.

"Hello, love." She gently squeezed Cream's hand. "The other three had to leave a little early- Amy wanted to take them out shopping before the shops closed. I hope you two don't mind. They did tell me to say goodbye for you two, though."

"Aww," Cream said. "We should bring them back next week when they don't have to do late night shopping! Or maybe Amy can take me late night shopping next time!" Meanwhile, Silver's ears tilted back a little.

"Oh... Amy didn't mention that. I don't really know this area too well..." He trailed off, frowning.

"Worried about getting home?" Vanilla asked. "I can guide you if you need." Silver looked suprised, then smiled, if not a little anxiously.

"Less getting home more just finding a place to sleep for the night. I'll figure something out don't worry." Despite his reassurance, he'd got Vanilla's attention- she was certainly worrying now.

"Do you sleep out in the wild, honey?" She asked gently. Silver laughed nervously; obviously that altruism was kicking in- he preferred to try and help someone else rather than focus on himself.

“Yes, but it's not a problem. I know how to find somewhere safe, and it's nice sleeping under the stars.” Still, he avoided eye contact with Vanilla.

“You're going to get sick, sweetie,” she said, moving away from Cream and putting a hand on his shoulder. “We'll find something for you, I'm sure. I don't want you going into winter without a warm place to stay.” She sat on the edge of Cream’s bed, beckoning the other two to sit beside her. “There's plenty of people who wouldn't mind a roommate or know a place that needs someone to live inside. Is there any particular reason why you've been sleeping outside?”

Silver bit his lip. The answer to that question led very quickly down the path of having to tell someone about how much it hurt to just be alive and not trying to change the future. And that was not something he wanted to confront in front of anyone else.

“...no,” he eventually said. It didn't sound convincing to him, and Vanilla didn't seem to think so either.

“No as in you don't know, or no as in you don't want to tell me?” She asked. “It's okay if you don't want to say anything.” Cream quietly climbed up on the bed beside her mother. Silver stayed quiet, trying to figure out what to say. He honestly didn't know if he wanted to tell her or not.

“Do you need a different question, love?” Vanilla asked. He nodded mutely. “All right. Are you worried about not being able to afford living in your own place?”

He shook his head.

“Are you worried about other people you might room with hurting you?”

He shook his head again. He hated how he'd derailed the conversation and brought down the mood like this. I should've just shut up.

“Are you struggling to find a place for yourself? Not literally, I mean socially.”

He had to force himself to nod. That was exactly it, and he hated it. Vanilla gently put her arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer.

“All right. Do you know why?”
Again he nodded in reply.

“Why is that?”
This time, he forced himself to speak.

“I…” he stuttered, trying to build up the courage to speak. To admit how he felt. Where was that boundless confidence he got complimented for so often now? “...I'm not supposed to be here,” he said quietly. “I’m from the future. I came back to save it from destruction, but… if I did that I would die… I wanted to survive… so I sacrificed the future but now… this time wasn't made for me. I don't have a place here.” he gritted his teeth, trying not to cry. It wasn’t easy, he was barely holding himself together. Why do I fall apart the moment I start getting asked about my emotions? I'm supposed to be strong, aren't I?

“Easy there, love,” Vanilla murmured. “You're worrying more than it's worth, all right? If you think you don't have a place, then you have to make one. I know it's not easy, especially in a time so far from your own. But I promise you don't have to feel this way forever.” she rubbed his shoulders, gently comforting him as he tried not to have a mental breakdown in someone else's house.

“Sorry,” he managed to say.

“For what?” Vanilla asked. “You've done nothing wrong. It was me who asked the questions. You shouldn't pressure yourself to feel happy all the time, all right?” She didn't seem to mind that half the furniture in the room was floating. Because why not? Why not have Silver be so totally out of control with his emotions that the moment he tried to get a handle on himself his psychokinesis gave everything away. This power was his greatest asset most of the time, but if there was one thing Silver hated about himself, it was how easily he could be controlled by his emotions.

“I should be dead,” he whispered. “I should’ve just let myself die for the future and come back when I'm needed. I've done it a few thousand times already, met everyone here a couple of times already even though they've only met me once. Why is it so hard now?”

“Perhaps that's why,” Vanilla said. She understood now why Amy had said what she had. He's the youngest of us besides Tails, but he looks at you like he's been alive for longer than even Shadow. No wonder, if he'd been repeatedly saving the future and dying for over a thousand years. “If you've been doing all this for so long, you deserve some rest. A chance to stay awhile longer than you normally would. It's not your fault for choosing yourself over the future for once, love. Anyone else would have done the same far before now.” she gently squeezed his shoulder as he put his face in his hands. “It's all right, love. It'll be okay.”

Cream crawled behind them to the other side, giving Silver a hug. He pulled his hands down to his cheeks, looking up at the roof.

“Mommy?” Cream asked. “Can he stay with us? We have another bedroom.”

“That's up to Silver to decide,” Vanilla replied. “If you would like a place to stay, though, you're welcome to take up Cream’s offer.” Silver looked back at her, and then at Cream.

“You can be my big brother,” she said. “Wait, but you're from the future, so little brother! But you're older than me… little big bother!” She squeezed him tighter.

He considered it. A home, and a family, of his own…

How am I ever supposed to pass that up?

He knew it was risky. He knew the more he got attached to someone in the past the more ended up at stake later down the line. But… I've been in this cycle of fixing the future and dying for longer than anyone should ever even be alive. I don't even remember my parent's names, because they die before I can even remember their faces in every single cycle. I never even know if what I've done actually helps, or just changes the future so that mine doesn't exist. Can't I have something? Anything?

“Okay,” he said, taking Vanilla’s hand for comfort. “Sure. I… I'd like that.”

Vanilla smiled. Cream just hugged him tighter.

“You can have the bedroom across the hall- I'll show you later and get you acquainted with the house.” Vanilla said. “You're not against being considered part of the family?”

“No, I- that'd be great,” Silver said, regaining a little confidence.

"Sounds good, then. Are you okay with that, Cream?"

"Hmmm.... Mm hmm! Wait! No!"

"Eh? Uh, why?" The other two looked surprised.

"Because! Vanilla, Cream and Silver makes no sense! Silver isn't a food!" Cream smiled, putting her hands on her hips.

Silver and Vanilla exchanged a look, then laughed.

"I suppose she's right," Vanilla said. "What if we gave you a name just for home? A nickname, if you will. We could use that. Right, Cream?"

"Yeah!"

"I don't mind that. But what?" Silver asked. Vanilla studied him.

"Mm... I'm not sure, actually. Any ideas, Cream? Cream?" She said with a start as Cream quickly ran down the stairs.

"Uh... Where's she going?" Silver asked. However, he quickly got his answer as she returned with a box full of a soft white powder. Vanilla laughed when she saw it.

"Sugar! Of course. Good thinking, Cream." She rubbed Silver's shoulder with a smile. "How does Sugar sound to you, love?"

He considered it. A nickname just for him, for at home. With his family.

It was... More than he'd ever dreamed of. Even in his dreamed futures, he'd never had a mom or a little sister of his own. Let alone one that gave him a nickname.

"I love it," he whispered. Vanilla smiled warmly.

"From the look on your face, there couldn't be a better option, I don't think. C'mon, Sugar. Let's get you some rest." She drew him into a warm hug. He accepted it gratefully, curling into her embrace as he tried not to cry and failed immediately, all the emotion he'd been trying not to release spilling over the edge. Vanilla simply smiled to herself, gently rubbing her new son's back. He began to float, his inhibitors snapping open as he began to relax for the first time in over ten years.

Cream joined the hug, welcoming her little big brother home. For the first of many times to come.

Chapter 2

Summary:

Vanilla hears Silver's purr for the first time.

Notes:

This is the first time in possibly ever that I've written a chapter without any dialogue whatsoever but honestly I think it works!!

Vanilla had seen a lot of heartbreaking things in her life. In her time as a mother, she had seen more. She had built up a resistance to the worst of it, while still leaving room for love. 

But nothing, until now, had broken her heart quite as much as her son. 

She said nothing, continuing to methodically run a brush through his thick fur. Continuing to listen to the clicking of his purrs, loud, content and safe, unaware of how much it broke her heart to hear it for the first time.

Not just because it was the first time Vanilla was being entrusted with such a sound and everything it meant for a boy who had lived his life on the edge of death. It was the way he purred, clicking and crackling sounds that one might think would be similar to most other hedgehogs but in practice was so, so different. His was a sound that, given any circumstance other than this, would be terrifying to hear, one that signalled a danger that had already begun to do damage. A sound that she could see how he'd learnt to imitate, and broke her heart to hear him make so instinctively. Silver's purr, unlike any other hedgehog she knew, was a perfect imitation of a Geiger counter- ordinarily a warning of extreme radiation, learnt til it became instinct to know where you could go.

She had known Silver had one on him, tucked safely away in his quills, but she hadn't known he could imitate it. Vanilla didn't know much about the countless futures he had experienced and grown up in, but she understood that he had never seen one peaceful. To grow up learning and mimicking the sounds of danger was understandable. It just pulled her heart to pieces to know that whatever his original clicks had sounded like, he'd long lost the ability to make them. 

Still, she kept running her brush through his fur, twirling stray strands around her finger. They disappeared against her gloves when she wore them, but now, they seemed to glow against her fur. Catching the warm light of the sunbeams through the windows, the soft white fur shimmering with the gentle shine it had when it was freshly cleaned. It wasn't hard to see, in an afternoon like this, how his parents had chosen his name. It wasn't just that he was precious, though Vanilla could never deny that he shared that with his namesake. No, when the light struck his fur from just the right angle he seemed almost to glow. The pure white colour became like a halo wrapped around him, as if her son was not a hedgehog but in fact some sort of angel or ghost. A machine made of silver so pure it sparkled. It was a rare colour to have, even now in the past, and Vanilla could hardly fathom how it had managed to survive so far into the apocalyptic futures he was born into. How there wasn't so much as a speck of colour in his fur, no calico or brown or orange, save for the thick black markings around his eyes. Her son, by all means, was a miracle, and though Vanilla was not a woman who picked favourites, she was not above treating him like a prince every now and then- especially not after everything he'd endured. 

She didn't question the sound of his purrs, didn't hesitate or acknowledge it was out of the ordinary. Someday someone would, someday Cream likely would, but for now she let herself believe that the sound she heard meant home. 

Gentle as could be, she raised a hand to the top of his head and gave the back of his ears a scratch. He couldn't help but interrupt the purring to let out a giggle, leaning into it just a little. He knew for sure she wouldn't hurt him, he was happy to let her brush through his fur even if he could do it himself. This was his mom, after all. This was his his home. 

 

Notes:

<3 send in your opinions and the yappenings you have abt this fic in the comments, I love hearing people's opinions! And don't worry, this fic is getting more chapters. This is actually supposed to be chapter 4 as of current planning, there's more in between I haven't written yet.

Notes:

🤍🤍BOY. also I hope you don't mind the sugar thing I thought it was cute and it will show up again