Chapter Text
The trip to the hospital where they kept Shadow was really stressful for Sonic. Amy insisted that they take normal transportation to get there, so Sonic was bouncing his leg anxiously on the floor of the bus seat. He was happy that he didn't have to strap in, he's sure he would've gotten a friction burn from the seat belt.
"Excited much?" Tails asked from next to him. Sonic nodded furiously.
"I wish the bus would move faster , but there's traffic laws!"
The last few weeks had been pretty stressful for Sonic. Amy had written down that he and Tails were the primary people to contact about the condition of Shadow, so he would get frequent updates from the hospital about Shadow's condition. They had first said that it wasn't looking good, as he had apparently laid dormant for quite a long time. Around fifty years . So while he was alive, he wasn't really responsive.
Then, an update came. It had said that he was responding to external stimuli, and had for a while, just not outwardly. The doctor had said that it was very possible that Shadow had heard Sonic and the other speak before, as his system showed signs of activity when the doctors had experimentally spoken about Sonic.
Later on, the doctors sent him a letter that stated that Shadow had woken up. Sonic definitely, did not, not whatsoever, cry at that. No sir. Regardless, it made him really excited! The letter said that now that he was conscious, it would take a couple months for them to get Shadow to a point where he could have visitors.
So the waiting game commenced–Sonic was pretty used to getting weekly letters updating him and Tails on Shadow's condition. As well as the recent involvement of the government. Shadow was apparently a top secret government project that was canceled a long time ago, and they weren't exactly keen on having him run around. But there wasn't much they could do.
The most recent letter that they had gotten was the most exciting one. Shadow was upright, able to walk. Not super far, yet, but he was walking and talking. The doctors invited Sonic over, since Shadow had apparently asked endlessly about him, and Tails, and someone else named Maria.
So here they were, arriving at the hospital. Sonic all but bolted inside, dragging along Tails who simply laughed at his antics.
"It's like you're a lost puppy!" Tails exclaimed, as they were waiting in line to check in and go to where Shadow was held.
"Leave me alooone." Sonic whined, ears drooping.
Tails giggled. At the check-in, he was the one who handled all of the information. He might have been younger than Sonic, but he was definitely the brains of their little group. Once they both got their little visitor badges, the two of them were off to the room Shadow was in.
It was a quaint little room at the end of a long hall, and he and Tails walked towards it, not wanting to run as it would probably be really impolite to do so–so they settled on being civil, and slow. It was a little annoying for Sonic's adrenaline fueled nerves–he was really excited to meet Shadow, okay?!
He knocked on the door, being met with a doctor who ushered them in. On the hospital bed, sat Shadow. The room was neat and well decorated, hospital-clean and whatnot. A few books sat about, many of them dog eared or bookmarked. A couple worksheets and miscellaneous arts and crafts were compiled neatly on a nearby table. Physical therapy equipment lay about, packaged away neatly.
Tails decided to talk to the doctor outside, patting Sonic on the shoulder gently.
"You got this." Sonic nodded in response.
The door clicked shut. The ears of the other hedgehog swiveled slightly.
"Hello?" Sonic asked. He had wanted to ask so many questions, but now that he was here… He didn't know what to say. Sonic felt like he was drawing a blank. Red eyes stared back at him as Shadow turned around, seeing Sonic's awkward form plastered near the doorway.
"Are you Sonic?"
"Well, yeah, that's me." Sonic held his hands out in a weird sort of gesture, trying to appear friendly.
Shadow nodded jerkily. Seems like he's still adjusting to moving around, poor guy.
"I remember what you said to me before I came here. I wanted to respond back to you. You talk a lot."
Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose that I do. How are you?"
"Fine. I guess. As fine as I can be."
"That was a stupid question, yeah. Anything you want to do when you get out of this place? Visit a park, take a hike, watch a movie? There's so much you can do!"
Shadow seemed to think a little bit.
"If it's not weird, I think I want to watch the sunset outside. I never did that before."
"That's not weird! It's perfectly normal I think. I'd take you, if you wanted me to?"
"I think I would like that." Shadow nodded in response, folding his arms across his midsection. Sonic grinned, bright and bubbly.
Sonic tried to visit Shadow whenever he could. Usually, this would be around once or twice a week, with all of the other miscellaneous stuff that happened in his life. The two read (or tried to. Sonic couldn't sit still.), drew, and chatted for hours about whatever came to mind.
Shadow had a lot of layers. Beyond what the files Sonic read or what the government said, there was a lot to him. He had an adoptive sister named Maria. She died a long time ago, around the time the project shut down.
She had been terminally ill, and part of Shadow's purpose was to try and find a cure to Maria's condition. He seemed to love her a lot, though quietly accepted that she was gone. Sonic tried to be there whenever he could, but it was a little hard. He wasn't the therapist friend.
Otherwise, they generally spent time with each other. Shadow eventually moved out of the hospital into assisted living, until he was well enough to be out on his own. Sonic introduced him to various friends of his, one by one, to try and build Shadow a social repertoire, with varying levels of success.
He really liked Rouge, and Sonic found that he talked about her sometimes, mentioning that they hung out once or went outside together or did something, etc. Sonic often smiled at thinking about this–he was really happy for Shadow as his friend.
Together, the two did a whole lot of things–watched movies, went on walks, tried (and failed miserably) to go out to restaurants, the whole works. Shadow was definitely an introvert at heart, but he seemed to be the most open with people he liked the most.
Currently, they were sitting inside of Sonic's house, one of the rare times Shadow was able to come out instead of the other way around. It was evening, the first rays of golden hour casting a pretty reflection outside of the window. They'd been sitting on the couch at this point, sinking into the plush cushions and enjoying a comfortable silence.
"Sonic." Shadow suddenly spoke, looking outside of the window, seemingly off into nothing.
"Hm?" Sonic asked, fidgeting with a puzzle, sort of paying attention.
"We should go watch the sunset together."
"Oh, like when you mentioned it back in the hospital?"
Shadow looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "I am surprised you remembered that. But.. yes, I was thinking about it recently."
Sonic put down his puzzle. "Yeah, that's alright with me!" He beamed.
Together, the two gathered a blanket, and walked outside. Sonic led the pair up a small hill onto a grassy top that overlooked the small neighborhood they were in, which faced west towards the setting sun. Sonic put the blanket down, smoothing it out, and the two hedgehogs sat quietly.
"I'm really glad that I met you, even if it was kind of weird in retrospect." Sonic spoke quietly.
"I do not know many who would speak to a tube."
"I wouldn't imagine you have!"
Shadow smiled softly, looking off into the distance. The two sat close to each other.
"Regardless, I'm glad that we met anyway."
"I am, too!"
The sun gently set over the horizon, bathing both of them in soft, yellow light. The clouds faded from reddish to pink to a lovely purple, painting the sky a litany of vivid colors and shapes. Soon, twinkling stars would emerge.
And with it, the day would start over again, and, eventually, it would all get better. All Sonic and Shadow had to do was to keep moving forward.
And forward they went.