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Sonic is annoying. He talks too loudly, and his jokes aren’t funny, but he’s Shadow’s best friend, and nothing will ever change that.
Sonic is his only friend, actually, because who else would visit him in a fucking cave of a home?
“So anyway,” Sonic continues whatever story he’s been telling for the past twenty minutes. He’s standing next to Shadow’s hunched form in the bushes and talking with his hands. “I saw this guy making something called ‘chili dogs’ and I was like ‘oh, I gotta get some of this’, y’know?”
“Hm.” Shadow half listens to Sonic’s ramblings while he adjusts his aim of his slingshot. The bird in the tree a few feet away, bright blue and unknowing of its coming demise, chirps once.
Steady.
“And it wasn’t even an actual dog, dude!” Sonic sounds, of all things, amazed. Not surprising, since he’s one of the most easily impressed Mobians Shadow’s ever met. (Maybe the only Mobian he’s ever met, but the point still stands.) “It was a stick of meat between a bun, and then the guy covered it with some toppings and-”
“Uh huh.”
Steady.
Shadow holds his breath to make sure his hands don’t quiver. The bird’s head swivels, and it hops just a bit to the left.
Now.
There’s a flick of movement, the grass rustles around his feet, and suddenly he’s staring right at Sonic’s chest. The sharp rock he’d just tried to fling bounces off of him harmlessly. Shadow scowls up at him.
Sonic pouts. “You’re not even listening.”
“I’m trying to get us food.” Shadow stands and dusts himself off.
“And I’m trying to tell you that I’ve found a place that will give us food!”
Ugh, seriously? Again with this? Shadow rolls his eyes. “I’ve told you that village is full of no-good liars.” It doesn’t even have a name. What kind of village doesn’t even have a name? “They probably want to boil you up next. ‘Cuz you’re so fat.”
Sonic’s cheeks puff up in something like offense, something like indignation. Shadow’s made him mad. Good. They’re both only ten, but Shadow can tell Sonic’s still too naïve for the world. He could stand to be a little more distrusting and cynical.
He waits for Sonic to throw the first punch, like always.
He’s surprised when he just leaves instead, with a dismayed “Whatever, dude.”
Shadow’s not disappointed. Not at all. He picks up his slingshot again, and his hands don’t shake when he fires. No matter what anyone might say.
After multiple failed attempts at stunning any of the surrounding birds, Shadow throws the slingshot to the ground, crunches it beneath the heel of his skates, and decides that berries would make a much better lunch anyway.
.
“-and it’s so stupid!” Sonic yells, pacing back and forth in their cave. Shadow’s cave. Sonic hasn’t been around that much lately, so it may as well only be his. And that thought- being alone being left behind- does not make his stomach twist.
Sonic holds up some handheld gaming device right in Shadow’s face, while Shadow is sitting on a rock trying to enjoy his meal of raw fish and leaves. He had called it a- Gear Game? Something from the popular AGES brand, anyway. He points exaggeratedly to a pixelated red hippo on a bright title screen.
“His legs are supposed to be peach. Peach! But no, they had to go and redesign the whole cast, and now the legs are purple. It’s totally wack!”
“Does the game play any different?” Shadow asks, mostly just to steer the conversation anywhere other than the color of some goddamn legs.
“What?” Sonic blinks owlishly, stupidly, like the thought had never occurred to him. Idiot. “Oh, I dunno. I guess? They’re going for a newer, 3D approach to everything, which is hard to do because Tomatopotamus has been a 2D platformer for so long-”
Shadow has already swiped the game from him and began testing it out. In the bottom corner of the screen, Shadow can see Sonic’s high score: 69,420. Hm. He could beat that, no problem.
Sonic watches over his shoulder, breathing annoyingly in his space, but Shadow’s used to it by now, so he doesn’t shove him off just yet. Let Sonic have a front row seat to his true skill.
After five minutes of tedious platforming and janky controls that never landed him where he wanted, Shadow finally loses his three lives. The pixilated hippo on screen falls into the water with a stupid death animation. His score comes on screen.
69,421.
Hah.
“It’s buggy,” Shadow says while shoving Sonic off him, onto the floor, and tossing the console lazily to the ground beside him. “There’s a rough edge to the movements and the framerate sucks. But I don’t see the big deal about his legs.”
Shadow stands up and flexes his fingers. Heh, Sonic hasn’t even answered yet, hasn’t even moved to get up off the floor. Probably still gaping at the true marvel of his skill at video games. He smirks. Good. Sonic could stand to be quiet more often.
“What did you just say?”
“Hm?” Shadow frowns and turns around. Sonic is still on the floor- looking at Shadow like he’s just said that he ate his last chili dog. Horror. Shadow frowns harder.
“It’s buggy?”
Sonic shakes his head.
“No. After that.”
“…I don’t see the big deal about his legs?”
“Get out.”
Shadow blinks once. Twice. “What?”
Sonic begins to stand, on one knee now and one hand braced against the floor, staring at Shadow with a determined gleam in his eye. What the hell?
“I can’t be friends with someone who obviously can’t see the value in upholding the principle of these games. Get out.”
Is he- He can’t be serious. Shadow lets his hands fall to his sides. “What- no! I’m right about this, you’re just making a big deal over nothing!”
Sonic tackles him to the ground in a blink.
“You take that back!”
Shadow punches Sonic’s face, satisfied when he sees he’s busted a lip. “The color of a video game character’s appendages means nothing to me, you absolute buffoon! What kind of idiot cares about stuff like this-”
Sonic grabs his shoulders and hauls them both up. “I do, you jerk!”
“Well you need a life!”
“Bold talk coming from someone who lives in a cave!”
After a few hours, they’re both panting for breath. Their punches have turned into feeble, half-hearted jabs. They both collapse onto the floor at the same time.
Sonic begins crawling on his belly towards the mouth of the cave. It makes Shadow think of a slug, oddly enough. Sonic the slug. Heh. Shadow lets the thought quirk his lips. A gross slug. Still beneath him, still pitiful.
“Know what Shadow?” Sonic calls, winded and tired. Shadow grunts. “I’ve decided that can’t be with someone who doesn’t see the value in something I cherish.”
Shadow snorts.
“What the hell are you on about?”
“I’m leaving.” Sonic says in a tone almost petulant and despondent. Shadow barks a laugh. “I swear I am! You’ll never see me again, Shadow the Hedgehog! I’m going to be with people who will take the time to not laugh at me for everything I do!”
“Uh huh,” Shadow rolls over and doesn’t look at Sonic while be leaves. That fight had been a nice adrenaline rush, and now it’s left him tired. Content.
He can barely make out the sounds of Sonic’s weak shuffle to outside, and doesn’t let the thought bother him. Whatever. Sonic will be back tomorrow, like always.
.
Sonic doesn’t come back tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next week.
Sonic is at that stupid village, fighting some bald weirdo, and basking in the attention of the townspeople.
Sonic doesn’t come back.
.
The ground shakes and trembles when he punches the wall of his cave. The impact sends shockwaves through the earth and through his body, so hard he can feel them in his teeth.
Whatever. Not like Shadow wants him back.
He grunts when he breaks a rock. He screams when he chaos blasts a tree off its roots. There are people around- some idiots from the nearby village. They’re in the way, and it’s not Shadow’s fault if anyone gets hurt. They should learn how to move out of the way.
Fucking- leaving him over a differing opinion of a video game character. How fucking childish can someone be? Who needs Sonic, anyways?
.
Years later, that bald guy- Eggman- finds him. Won’t stop sending him invitations to his wannabe evil club and fawning over his every move. Every time Eggman tries too hard to say the right thing, to please Shadow, he cringes.
Still, teaming up with Eggman gives him the perfect opportunity to be an absolute menace to a blue hedgehog who deserves nothing but the worst. Who cares if he runs away after every battle? Who cares if he doesn’t shove at Sonic with all his might?
“So, uh, that whole thing with you and Sonic, huh?”
Who cares about any of this. He doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. Least of all the pitiful ‘villain’ who has tracked him down in the middle of a forest, rubbing his hands together like an awkward teenager.
Eggman coughs into his fist. “Were you two ever a thing?”
“No,” he growls.
“Ah, j-just checking,” Eggman chuckles and steals the bucket of bait that Shadow had been carrying. “Because, you know, these things are good to keep tabs on!”
“Hn.”
It’s blissfully silent as he continues walking over to the lake in the middle of the forest. Maybe this time, if he ignores Eggman hard enough, he’ll finally leave him alone-
“It’s just- he talks about you sometimes!”
Shadow hates the way his ears perk.
“I don’t care.” What is he saying? Is he laughing about me behind my back to those lackwit friends of his? Not that I care, obviously.
Shadow sets his rod down when they reach the lake. He takes bait from Eggman’s outstretched hand.
Eggman puts his hands behind his back and sways a bit. “Ah, the way you two dance around each other sure is something. But, you know relationships are really hard to upkeep and manage! Not like bots, I’ll tell you what.”
Eggman laughs in a way that Shadow recognizes as a plea for him to laugh as well. He doesn’t. Eggman sighs in a way that Shadow recognizes as a plea for Shadow to ask what’s wrong. He doesn’t.
“It’s just…” Oh no. That’s a tone that says that someone is about to vent.
God, please no-
Eggman sits down next to him, hugging his knees. Shadow nearly groans.
“I used to have someone,” Eggman sighs again. Shadow focusses on the ripples in the water. “His name was Stone. We were quite the pair! Bringing destruction and industrialism to this primitive land. Ha!”
Shadow’s eyes twitches. I don’t care. I don’t fucking care. What is Sonic saying about me?
“Oh man, and the way his face would contort in feat when I threatened him,” He wipes an imaginary tear from his eye, grinning. “Classic.”
Shadow spares him a glance. What the hell?
Eggman begins drawing on the ground with his finger; mindless doodles. God please, tell me this means you’ll stop talking-
“Yeah, good times,” Ugh. “He was swept away by some other guy, though. Something about treating him the way he deserves and making him bagels or something. He was some cop. I don’t remember his name.”
Somewhere, in the distance, a shrill voice that sounds a lot like that badger that Sonic hangs out with shouts: “ACAB!”
“…Right…” Eggman looks back at the pond.
There’s no bites in the pond today.
“So, anyway, like I was saying, you and Sonic-”
No bites in the pond. No reason to be here. Shadow decides to teleport out of here before he’s forced to become a therapist.
.
Blood drips from Sonic’s nose, and Shadow is only mildly sorry about being the cause of it. They’re both lying on the beach by Sonic’s house. Shadow had tried to take the ambush him inside his home, but Tails refused, telling them to keep the damage outside.
“Tomatopotamus is still mid,” Shadow says.
“Your mid,” Sonic bites back.
“You’re,” Shadow corrects.
“That’s what I said.”
Shadow swats his fist in Sonic’s general direction. Sonic must be more tired than usual, because he doesn’t even try to dodge it; just takes the swat with a small oof. “You spelled it wrong.”
“Spelled-” Sonic sputters in disbelief. “What- how can you even know that?”
“I’m the ultimate lifeform, obviously.”
“Ultimate jackass, more like,” Sonic mumbles.
It’s quiet for all of about ten minutes. A new record, Shadow thinks.
“Y’know Shadow,” Sonic says while looking up at the stars.
He’s sorry. Sonic is going to say he’s sorry for ending their relationship- their friendship over something so stupid and trivial. He’s going to beg for Shadow to take him back, and maybe Shadow won’t. Maybe he’ll draw out Sonic’s suffering and pain and-
“I could really use a wish right now.”
Shadow turns his head to look at him. Sonic is still looking up. “A wish right now?”
Sonic nods, somber.
“A wish right now.”
Shadow hums and blinks.
No apology then. Fine. Whatever. Shadow wouldn’t have forgiven him anyway.
“We could… pretend?” He suggests, mostly just to humor Sonic’s stupid ramblings. “That the airplanes are like shooting stars, maybe.”
“There’s no airplanes.”
“Well then you’re shit out of luck then, hedgehog.”
“Fuck you, man.”
.
“Relationships, huh?” Eggman chuckles nervously a few days later. He’s called Shadow to his lab, saying something about a new plan to finally defeat that blasted blue rodent. But now it’s looking more and more like the old fool just got bored and just wanted to gossip. “I mean, they’re so hard to maintain and junk. And who needs ‘em anyway? Not us, that’s for sure! You and me, Shadow. Peas in a pod!”
“Every day I fantasize about breaking that egg carrier and leaving you stranded in a desert,” Shadow says.
“Ah,” Eggman deflates a bit. “So, nothing new with Sonic, huh?”
“We were never even together,” Shadow grits. Not that he needs to. He doesn’t owe this fool any explanation.
“Right! Right, my mistake, Shadow. I’ve been trying to win back my ex-henchman,” Ah, that explains this desperate meeting. He probably just wanted someone to rant to. “It’s going swimmingly! As swimmingly as Sonic, I guess. Oh, I gotta tell you about my plan last weekend-”
“Don’t.”
“But it might give you ideas on how to win Sonic back!” Eggman begs. “C’mon, I can be useful to you!”
“You’d be useful dead,” Shadow says, starting to make his way to the door. Sure, he could teleport out of here, but that wouldn’t really send a message.
Eggman rubs his chin. “Funny, that’s what my father used to say.”
“What.”
“Nothing.” Eggman does a dismissive wave of his hands. “Anyway, all of Hedgehog Village is dying to see you two get back together!”
“My love life is nobody’s business but my own,” Shadow says firmly.
Eggman grins and claps. Dammit. “Ooohh so it is a love life. Okay, so first-”
.
“Sonic.”
“Shadow.”
He’s sitting on Sonic’s ratty couch in his ratty shed of a home, keeps his hands clasped firmly in his lap. Sonic is sitting slack against the other side of the couch with his arm thrown over the back of it, and Shadow will not be the nervous one here. Absolutely not.
Shadow takes a deep breath and ignores the obvious whispers of people outside the shack. This is such a stupid fucking idea. How did anyone convince him to do this?
“Start small,” he remembers Amy saying. “Acknowledge the other person’s feelings while still being true to your own! And stay close to the facts of what actually happened when you two broke up, not just how you felt.”
“I’m not sorry about my opinions on your favorite video game franchise,” Shadow starts. “And still think you are childish and stupid for putting so much thought into something so obviously meaningless-”
Shadow redirects the conversation back into the one he had practiced for so long in front of his broken mirror before it can become his usual fling of insults.
“However, the game meant a lot to you, and I realize that it was… unfair of me to say those things about it and dismiss you… Even if they were true.”
There. He’s said it. He was the bigger person and put in the effort, just like he was supposed to. And now Sonic will forgive him, or whatever, and they can go back to their cave and not need anyone, together.
Sonic looks absolutely confused. “Shadow, what the fuck are you talking about?”
Huh?
Shadow glares at him. “I am apologizing.”
“…for what, exactly?”
“That game that got you so upset.” He’s going to throw this idiot into the wall- why does he still look so confused?
“Wha- What game?”
“The hippo game!” Shadow throws his hands up. “You were mad because I said I didn’t care about it!”
“That? Dude, I got over that years ago,” Sonic says, slack jawed.
Shadow almost bares his teeth.
“So what the hell have you been mad about this whole time!”
“Oh, I dunno!” Sonic says sarcastically, leaning forward. “Maybe trying to destroy the world, like, every other week and making fun of my friends?”
“That’s just a character trait!” Shadow defends, shoulders tensing.
“I don’t think casual destruction of property and violence constitutes as a character trait…” Someone- Tails?- whispers from outside.
Shadow hops to his feet, directing his shout to outside the shack. “Who asked you?!”
There’s a shuffle outside, like people are scuttling to get away, or at least get a little bit back. It’s a good move, all things considering, because Shadow is seconds away from destroying the walls of this place and taking his anger out on anyone in the nearby vicinity.
Sonic laughs.
Shadow snaps his head at him, watching as his snickers turn into full bellied laughs.
He can’t be serious. Is he laughing at me? I’ll kill him. Fuck this forgiveness or friendship or reconciliation. He’s not going to give his time to someone who laughs at him and makes his stomach go into knots at the thought of rejection.
Sonic doesn’t even respond when Shadow shoves him to the ground, just keeps covering his face and trying to calm down. It’s only when Shadow raises a shaking fist that he finally attempts talking.
“Okay!” Sonic wheezes, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. The action only makes Shadow want to hit him more. “Okay, I’m sorry. Just- gimme a sec-”
Shadow, graciously, lets Sonic have his moment to breathe.
“Gosh, you really thought-” Sonic chuckles. “That I wasn’t talking to you because of the things you said when we were like about a video game I liked when I was ten?”
“It seemed like the logical conclusion,” Shadow gripes.
“Logical, yeah, you’re a moron, dude.”
Shadow gives in and punches him in the face.
“Ow.”
“Forget this,” Shadow decides, starting to get up. But he’s stopped when he feels Sonic grab his arm.
“So, we’re cool now?” Sonic asks. Is that hope that Shadow sees or is it just his imagination? “I’m not mad at you for hating the game, and you’re not going to take out your insecurities on everyone in the village?”
Wh- this absolute jackass! “…I am not insecure!”
“Are we cool now?” Sonic asks again.
“…fine.” Shadow hisses, feeling a weight being lifted off his chest and trying his best not to show it. “Yes, we are no longer… enemies, exactly. Since you want that so badly.”
He really should be more worried about the growing grin on Sonic’s face. He’s distracted by the cheers from outside. So those snooping pests didn’t leave.
“Awesome! So, will you date me now?”
Oh, he is not answering that in front of a crowd of people. He takes Sonic by the forearm, maybe slightly too rough and slightly too shaky, and teleports them somewhere on the beach. Away from listening ears.
Sonic looks around, amused. “Aw, were you shy?”
“More like I didn’t want you to be embarrassed when you get rejected.”
“Aw, c’mon! Don’t be like that! Give me a chance, I can take you to that store you like so much!”
“Lukewarm Subject?”
“That’s the one.” Sonic stands with his hands on his hips, an absolutely smug smile on his face.
Sonic is annoying. He talks too loudly, and his jokes aren’t funny. But dammit if he isn’t someone that knows how to make Shadow’s heart stutter. How could he say no to that look?