Work Text:
A shout.
Shattering glass.
Loud, loud, too loud.
Silence hung in the air like smoke; thick, black, choking.
The hallway was so long, the edges bleeding out from under his footsteps.
Impossible to reach.
A slam.
Motionless.
Much. Too. Quiet.
Gunshots ring in his ears as the room dilates, stretching.
In front of him, peace of the most horrific kind smiled at him, hollow.
Tunnel vision.
He can’t move. Too close, too far.
White, black, blue, gold.
Everything blurs.
But he knows what’s there.
Failure whispers in his ears.
Flatlines cut through his vision.
Blood pools at his feet.
Death wraps around his shoulders.
They told him this wouldn’t happen, he cried, desperate.
Impossibility hangs heavy like dread.
Empty eyes, blue, green, pierce the dark.
Nothing is certain, it murmurs.
Only death.
I’m sorry.
Sonic wakes up to his blankets being stolen.
For a second, he didn’t know where he was, only that half of him was awkwardly cold. He tiredly patted at his side, grabbing for the blanket that’d probably fallen off the bed in his sleep.
He nearly stabbed himself on raised quills instead.
Ah, right, Shadow, he realized. Last he remembered, the hedgehog was sitting by his bedside. He probably fell asleep there after.
He… wasn’t faring well. Having scrunched the patterned fabric in his fists, threatening to pull it over the edge entirely. Unconscious whimpers tumbled from his mouth, accompanying the tears beading in the corners of his eyes, distress evident in every inch of his tense body.
It was a wonder he hadn’t awoken himself yet.
Sonic’s never seen him like this. He props himself up into a half-seated position, then gently, gently, lays his hand on the red stripe running down through black fur, rubbing it soothingly. “Hey. Shads. Shadow. Wake up.”
Wake up.
He gasps, snapping up so quickly it makes Sonic jump, pulling away from the hand on his head. Crimson shines with tears, catching the moonlight streaming through the crack in the curtains as he tilts the chair too far to be safe. “H-hey. Shadow. You okay?” Sonic whispers, carefully leaning closer. Curses, he didn’t mean to cause more panic. Ghostly taps crawl up his exposed back, playing piano on his spine. He resists the urge to shake off the feeling, focusing on the one in front of him.
Shadow’s eyes are wide with fear as they scan him up and down, as if to make sure he was real. He’s trembling. Oh, Chaos, what did he see? The idol wondered, thoughts whirlpooling. Did he…?
The next thing he knows, he’s got his arms full of sobbing hedgehog. “Woah, woah. Hey, buddy. Quite a dream, huh?” Sonic mumbles, drawing circles between his partner’s back quills. He tries to ignore the feeling of his fur being soaked, forcibly relaxing himself for the other’s benefit. On instinct, his fingers twirl in a little dance, in time with Shadow’s puffy breaths.
It’s not his first time dealing with post-nightmare stress syndrome, as he likes to call it, although he’s much more used to comforting a certain fox, or himself. He’s not sure how to deal with Shadow. The musician was special in the way that there were very specific ways that he clicked, and comfort might look different too. It’d taken Sonic a while to realize he couldn’t force his way through the maze this time around… and perhaps that’d only served to attract him more.
His mind was wandering again, dammit.
First things first. Turn on the lights, because darkness and nightmares go together too well. Immediately, he ran into a roadblock. He couldn’t exactly get up with Shadow clinging to him like this… Not that he could’ve gotten up anyway, he winced, bitterly eyeing the wheelchair to the side like a mortal enemy. Collapsing on the floor wouldn’t be productive in this case.
There… there was a lamp on the nightstand, right?
Careful not to jostle the hedgehog in his arms, Sonic stretched over, reaching blindly for the thing. It was one of those lamps that seemed really out of place in the modern time, but he wasn’t going to judge Shadow’s tastes in decor. Maybe it had history or something. He wouldn’t know.
Shadow had gotten real comfortable burying his face into his chest by the time he found the switch… chain, whatever you call it. Sonic couldn’t help but blush, absentmindedly wondering if he should’ve put on a shirt before going to bed. Well.
Yellowed light illuminated the room, causing the half asleep Shadow to recoil, ears pressing against his head as he hissed. Sonic laughed at the display of weak aggression. Like a cat, he thought, rubbing his partner’s ears. So cute. “Feelin’ better?”
He got a hum in return, low and rumbling. Yes, then. Good. Second step… “What happened?”
Acknowledging whatever the heck happened usually helped, Sonic had found. At least, it worked with Tails. There had even been times where he talked himself out of nightmares, not that he’d ever admit it. One of the few instances he’d actually take rational thoughts over impulse any day.
Shadow sniffed, laying back down on Sonic’s chest as if to make sure it was still there. He didn’t realize it, thankfully, but the idol’s breath caught when he did. His sides tingled from the touch striped arms had laid upon the scar at his flank… but more importantly, when they’d brushed unknowingly on older, hidden ones. But that was not important at this moment.
“I… dreamt that… that you died.” Shadow choked. “I-I don’t know. It was messy and there was a lot of blood and I saw you i-in the bed but it was also Maria and there were voices and gunshots and I couldn’t, I—” he cut himself off, shaking.
Sonic sighed, shifting to make space. “Come. Come up,” he murmured, tugging at Shadow’s arms. He complied, hoisting the rest of himself onto the bed, keeping tightly intertwined. Sonic tucked his head under his chin, pressing a gentle kiss to the point where red tapered to black. “It’s okay. I’m here, hm? You… were listening to my heartbeat this entire time,” he realized, using it to his advantage. “Still there, right? I’m okay. It’s okay.”
“It’s okay,” Shadow echoed after a moment, and Sonic could tell he was getting sleepy again. But there was a hesitant lilt to his voice that still spoke of fear.
“Don’t be afraid, Shads,” he whispered before he could think better of it. Gently, he rocked back and forth, as if consoling a child. “If you have any more nightmares, I’ll be here to help, hm? Go to sleep, it’ll be okay.” He reached over to the blanket hanging half off the bed, tugging it over them two. “We can talk more tomorrow, okay?”
Shadow hummed, cuddling closer. The way they laid now pinned one of Sonic's arms, but he honestly couldn’t care less. As long as the other was comfortable. Turning off the lamp again, this time much more easily, he heard the drifting hedgehog mumble, “I think I need therapy,” under his breath.
Pressing another kiss to his boyfriend’s soft forehead, Sonic replied in like with a hum. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”
Shadow was already fast asleep.
…Therapy. Not exactly his favorite word in the word. He ran his free hand through red and black quills, hoping to smother the amalgamation of feelings that bubbled at that. It’d do good for both of them, Sonic figured, but he couldn’t help but dread its approach. Something about telling people about his problems didn’t sit right with him.
Okay, maybe that also stemmed from his not so great childhood. And... other things. Which he should get therapy for. But that doesn’t mean he wants to do it. He’s always done things he shouldn’t have.
Maybe being with Shadow would help him hop that hoop. Was partnered therapy a thing? Maybe he should ask Tails. Wait, no, that’s awkward.
Has Shadow had therapy before? What if it was also awkward for him and neither of them actually want to do it? But Shadow was the one that suggested it, so it can’t be awkward for him, right? Maybe he knows a therapist. Not that Sonic doesn’t know a therapist too, but he’d rather not be reminded of the last time he got therapy.
Chaos, why was this so hard?
He’s overthinking it again. Go to sleep, Sonic.
But sleeping, sadly, doesn't come easy to him. Curse his insomnia. No matter how much he tries to quell his consciousness, he’s left awake, thoughts tumbling like waves on a rocky shore, until blue hour lights up the early sky.
He wakes up to a gentle kiss.