Sonic sat on the examination bench and anxiously waited for the doctor to arrive. He was constantly shifting and squirming. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. Finally, the doctor arrived.
"Hello, Sonic." He greeted the hedgehog.
"Hello." Sonic replied almost inaudibly.
"So, what seems to be the issue?"
"I've been having a lot of borborygmus." Sonic stated. The doctor did a classic double take.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Griffith." Peaches said, blushing at what Sonic had said. "Please excuse his idiot talk. The issue is that he's been eating a lot more than usual."
"Alrighty then. Let's check you out little guy."
Sonic scrambled away from Dr. Griffith. He knew what those words meant. A physical. And a physical usually involved stomach touching. Sonic was soon cornered. The doctor picked him up and placed him right back on the bench, proceeding with the physical.
After much struggling, the doctor finally finished the physical and put Sonic on the scale.
"77 lbs. Strange. . .he's not overweight. How much has he been eating?"
"Almost fifteen times a day. Sometimes more." Peaches replied to Dr. Griffith's question.
"That makes this even more strange." He took Sonic off the scale. "He should at least be 100 lbs from eating that much." Dr. Griffith went to the cabinets and took out a syringe. He put a green liquid in it and then turned to Sonic. Sonic panicked at the sight of the needle. Peaches pinned him to the bench.
"This may pinch a little." The doctor warned. That only made Sonic panic more. He struggled against Peaches's hold on him as the needle inched closer. The doctor carefully inserted the needle in Sonic's belly and slowly injected the pale-green liquid. He put syringes and refills of the liquid into a bag.
"Give this to him twice a day in his belly and come back in two weeks. The medicine should control his eating."
"Thank you." Peaches said. Sonic blinked back tears as the doctor placed a yellow band-aid over the needle wound.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Dr. Griffith asked Sonic. Sonic glared daggers at him and replied, "I hate you."
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Sonic sat on the couch and rubbed his shot wound. It still stung a bit. Peaches sat down beside him. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder.
"Does it hurt?"
Sonic ignored that question and laid his head on her chest. "Babe," he looked up at her. "What do you think is wrong with me?" Peaches stroked his head.
"I don't know. . ."
Sonic's stomach growled. Peaches absentmindedly placed her hand there only to receive a painful smack.
"No touchie!" Sonic snapped and curled in on himself.
"Sorry," she replied, rubbing her hand. "It was an accident." Sonic laid across her lap on his back and rubbed his belly as it began to growl again.
"I'm sooo hungry!" He whined. Peaches just stared at his hands. He would never do this in front of her, unless, of course, she couldn't see the action.
"So, why are you allowed to touch it, but I'm not?" Peaches asked, still gazing at his hands.
"Hmmm?" Sonic replied. He hadn't been paying attention. Peaches turned to him and gave him and annoyed look. She used her eyes to repeat her question. "'Cuz it's mine." That had been a very stupid and childish answer, but Sonic didn't seem to care. He got up from the couch and started toward the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Peaches asked. Sonic turned to her and replied, "To get something to eat." Peaches didn't get to answer as he vanished into the kitchen.
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It was three days until Peaches had to take Sonic back to the doctor. Apparently, the medicine had not been working as Sonic's eating increased. He was still raiding the kitchen each night (which Peaches had still not learned of) and always thinking about food. To be honest, he actually tried thinking of other things, but food somehow always found a way to sneak into his thoughts. As it had done just a few moments ago.
Sonic had been trying to write a new son but then realized it was about chili dogs. He tossed it aside along with other failed songs that just happened to be about food as well.
"God! I cant work like this." Sonic got up and went into the kitchen to find Peaches at the stove. "Whatcha doing?" Peaches whipped around at the sound of his voice.
"Oh, Sonic!" She breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't expecting you to be there. What's up?" Sonic didn't need to answer for his stomach did it for him, growling loudly. Sonic hid his red face in his hands.
"I'm so sorry," his muffled voice said, "but there's your answer." Peaches patted his head.
"No need to worry. I was actually fixing us lunch right now. It'll be done in a few minutes."
I don't know if I can last that long. . . Sonic thought, then shook his head. What am I saying? Of course I can. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. His stomach interrupted his thoughts. Damn hunger.
Sonic sat down on the couch and absently rubbed his tummy. He gazed out the sliding glass door at the backyard, his brain lost in the past.
Sonic pulled hard at the padlock that stood between him and a decent meal. It had been weeks since he'd eaten and he couldn't take the feeling of hunger any longer.
Tears ran down Sonic's pale cheeks in frustration and fear. This was it. He was going to die. He was going to die all alone, most likely during one of Hyde's rape sessions. That's when he heard the heavy footsteps.
Sonic scrambled away from the pantry and tried to run, but it was too late. Hyde had seen him.
"Naughty boy." Hyde sneered, picking him up. "It seems like you need to be taught another lesson." Sonic's obsidian eyes filled with terror.
"Sonic?"
Sonic blinked and turned to find Peaches giving him a confused but concerned gaze. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine." He said. "Just thinking."
"What about?"
"Him."
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Sonic sat at the window in his attic room. His tummy growled as he gazed at the full moon in the midnight sky. He looked down at his belly curiously. He didn't know what the growling meant, just that it hurt.
It was sunrise before the young hedgehog knew it. And, as per usual, he went to the family room to avoid a lesson and a beating.
It was only as Sonic watched Hyde eat his breakfast that the child finally understood why his tummy was complaining. This feeling he had, this desire, this pain! It's what Hyde had called hunger. And Sonic realized, Hyde was going to starve him to death.
Sonic screamed as his eyes bolted open. He frantically looked all over the area only to sigh in relief when he realized he was in his bed, in his room. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. Tears made their way to his eyes and he didn't try to stop them as the first few dropped on the comforter.
Peaches awoke to a sound beside her. She slowly st up in bed.
"Sonic?"
The cobalt hedgehog turned his gaze to her. She couldn't see much, but she could tell just from looking at his eyes that he was terrified.
"Sonic, what happened?" She moved closer to him and pulled him against her as he began to shiver again.
"I had a nightmare. . ." Sonic sobbed. Peaches held him closer to her heart. Peaches knew better than to ask what his nightmare was about; she knew the basics
She stroked his back, running her fingers along his back quills. "It's okay. You're safe, I've got you." Sonic sobbed into her shoulder.
"Why me?" Sonic squeaked.
"What?"
"Why me?" Sonic repeated. "Out of all the people in the world, why did he choose me?"
"Because he's jealous." Peaches said. When she saw his ears prick with interest and surprise, she continued. "He knew about the prophecy. He knew what you were going to become and he was jealous. No one can do the things you do, and that makes you special. And jealousy is a horrible thing. He was going to make sure you never became a hero, but he failed. Do you know why?" Sonic shook his head. "Because those weak in heart always fail."
Sonic's eyes opened. No one had ever said those thing to him or explained Hyde's major flaw. He never believed that he would be strong in heart. Stronger than Hyde, yes, but not much more since he couldn't escape the illusions of his past.
"Thank you. . ." he managed so softly say. He reached for his sleeping pill on the nightstand and took a double dose. A double dose would ensure a restful night. Even if it caused him to faint the next day, it wouldn't be in vain. His usual dosage wouldn't cut it anymore. And he was tire of his stomach waking him up.
"Goodnight, Peaches." He said as he laid down again.
"Goodnight, Sonic." She replied and wrapped him in her warm embrace.
