Chapter Text
“Good night, Sonic.”
“Good night Bud, sleep tight.”
And so it begins, night after night, Sonic found himself caught in a relentless cycle of unsettling dreams. What once were exciting adventures with his friends had twisted into horrifying scenarios. The oceans suffocating depths replaced the open skies, and instead of the rush of wind through his quills, he felt the weight of water pressing down on him.
The lack of sleep was evident. The Heros usually sleek quills were now disheveled, a physical manifestation of the turmoil within. Standing before his bed, he hesitated, feeling the echo of that drowning sensation in the back of his mind. How had his dreams turned against him, transforming his nights into battlegrounds of fear? With a determined sigh, he resolved to outrun his nightmares, even if only for a brief second. The motion, the speed, offered a semblance of control amidst the chaos of his subconscious.
Little did Sonic know, that at the end of the island, a certain ebony hedgehog shares the same fate as him.
———
Sonic loves running, it's what he lives for. His entire existence revolves around speed, and he feels free and whole when he runs. Though sometimes he feels a bit lonely, like… he needs someone beside him in moments like these, he chooses not to dwell on it too much for now though. The blue hedgehog decides to visit his friends' residences to ensure everything is alright before heading up into the forest and mountains. Sonic ran his usual routes until he stumbled upon a hill he doesn’t remember ever climbing, so he does exactly that. The hill wasn’t that big, he could reach the tip within seconds. Deciding to stay for a while, he laid down on the soft grass and looked up to the sky.
“Whoa… well would you look at that! I knew going for a run wouldn’t be so bad.” he sighs in contempt feeling relieved, he would take this view over his dreams any day. And the view was magnificent, no other way to describe it.
As he looked up at the sky, a sense of wonder washed over him. The stars above twinkled like distant diamonds, each one a reminder of the vastness of the universe. The moon, luminous and full, cast a soft glow upon the grass below. In that moment of quiet solitude, he felt a deep sense of peace. The beauty of the night sky was a comforting embrace. Sonic stayed there, taking in the fresh air and howling wind, it was as if the universe was whispering secrets to him, filling him with awe and gratitude. Feeling drowsy, he almost missed a familiar deep voice talking to him.
“Can’t sleep?”
Sonic turns his head to the ebony hedgehog standing beside him. Usually when seeing his rival, it’s to battle Eggman and his monstrous creations or for a sparring. So, seeing Shadow should definitely alarm Sonic but something about his rivals appearance was off, he was calm, no hostility detected. That calmed Sonic, he was in no mood for any of that. Taking his eyes off Shadow he answered, “not really.”
Shadow hums and hesitantly asks, “do you want to… talk about it?”
“Do you?“ Sonic chuckles, it was weird to hear those words coming from the ebony hedgehog, dripping with a certain softness Sonic couldn’t quite pinpoint. For all he knows, even the closest people to Shadow, Rouge and Omega, would be berated by him constantly. So hearing Shadows caring words directed to him definitely made his chest feel warm and fuzzy.
“I don’t care.“
“Mmh, then I’ll pass. Thank you for asking, though.“
Shadow nods (not that Sonic could see anyway) and they fall into silence, Sonic does wonder a teeny tiny bit on why Shadow was here in the middle of the night. Was he also restless? Couldn’t sleep like Sonic and went for a run? Maybe he had nightmares too? Or maybe, that was all just wishful thinking… he probably is on a mission or something, he concluded and dropped his curiosity and the need to be understood by the other. Instead, the blue hedgehog decides to stay quiet, something he wasn’t particularly good at, but he bets his rival would appreciate it right now.
Sonic steals a quick peak at Shadow, he seems deep in thought, crossing his arms and frowning, gosh even in the middle of the night Shadow looks like he’s about to punch the first guy that looks at him funny, he knows Shadow is not that hot-headed, but he sure needs to work on his poker face. It is clear as a crystal that something was on his mind, and that it was troubling Shadow. ‘Tough and troubling mission?‘ Sonic would always help his pals out but Shadow wasn’t just another friend, he was special. Special as in he could manage on his own and not require Sonics help all the time. Quite the opposite actually, there were more than few instances where he wanted to help the Black Arms Team but ended up making the missions more difficult. Is that what he is doing right now? Is Sonic in the way? He felt a bit uneasy so he decided to end their peacefulness, the blue hedgehog says,
“Alright,-“ Sonic stands up and faces Shadow
"I think it might be best not to pester you any further, Mr. Agent," he says, flashing a playful wink. "Or perhaps you enjoy a little pestering?"
Shadow raised an eyebrow, wondering why the cobalt has used such an odd nickname. “Wha-“ before he could question him though, the speedster was quick on his feet and already behind the ebony hedgehog. He hoped Shadow didn't notice the warmth that creeped into his face.
“Uhm well- night, Shads.“ he says before speeding away into the midst of the dark forest.
The ebony hedgehog stayed quiet only letting a simple “hmpf“ out, before chaos controlling him back home. He initially ran all the way up here to forget about his nightmare but now his dark mind was filled with the cobalt winking at him and…Shadow stops his thoughts before going any further. “I need a cig.“ he sighed before entering his kitchen.
At the other end of the island a famous blue blur could be seen dashing through the spacious forest.
“Saying Mister Agent is one thing Sonic but then you decide to wink at him? Are you out of your mind?? Shadow of all people too?! Ugh what the hell was I thinking! Okay, I wasn’t thinking at all but- ugh,“
Sonic shook his head, hoping to erase the embarrassing moments from his mind. He had a cocky personality, sure, but flirting with his rival was unexpected even for him- ‘Wait, was that even flirting? He had a flirty tone..but was is flirting? Does accidental flirting exists?’
Sonic hoped Shadow hadn't read too much into it—not that Sonic cared what his rival thought of him. Arriving home, he passed through the kitchen and headed straight into the living room. There, he grabbed a blanket and settled down to rest his aching body and his even more aching eyes.