"He won't talk to anyone else, he keeps asking for you." Sonic shifted uncomfortably at the words, his eyes darting down.

Tom's expression softened. "You know you don't have to. Only if you feel safe."

Sonic looked back up to his adoptive father. "I'll do it." He decided. After a beat of silence, he continued. "I've been waiting six years for him to finally ask for help. If he needs me to do it, that's okay."

The man looked like he wanted to protest, but he just nodded his head and opened the door.

The Hedgehog poked his head inside and pressed his lips into a thin line. The other teen sat up and locked eyes with him.

"Hey, Scourge." Sonic greeted politely and stepped inside. Scourge didn't respond until he closed the door.

"If you told me you'd bring me to your dad, I wouldn't have said anything to you." He said, leaning back on the couch he'd been sitting on. The Wachowski house was warmer than any house he was used to.

Sonic sat down in the chair across from him, swinging one leg over the other. "He's trying to help. That's what you came here for, right?"

"I came here-" Scourge stood up, though Sonic's look prompted him to sit back down. "I came here just to talk to someone. About it.'

His voice became very quiet. "Talk... I don't want to make a police report."

Sonic rested his face in a hand, tilting his head with a faint hum. "Alright then. Let's just talk then."

Scourge nodded slowly.

"Could I ask you a little question?" Sonic suddenly asked.

A moment of silence, then Scourge looked away. "I didn't have anyone else to go to... I know we're not exactly friends but you- all you seem to do is help people..." He forced his voice to not break.

"I don't know if you remember, but... after you moved in with them, you kept coming to my window. We'd talk sometimes- you'd ask me if I was okay... because you kept hearing..."

My dad yelling.

My mom throwing things.

Hitting or breaking glass or...

Scourge trailed off, but Sonic's eyes softened in understanding. "I never forgot that all. I was hoping this kinda thing would happen. You'd finally tell me what was really happening."

The blue-eyed Hedgehog sighed, running his hands through his dyed green hair. Frayed and split from years of bleach and dye.

"Alright... let's get started."