Chapter Text
When the Ultimate Lifeform is by himself, it’s usually because he wants it that way. He prefers it that way, in fact; being left alone with nothing but the silence of the night to accompany him. That’s what he believes, at least.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, it seems he can only be left alone for so long.
Shadow sat at the edge of one of the many tall buildings of Central City, feet dangling off the cool metal railing, taking in the serene ambience around him. He felt the gentle breeze of wind tug at his quills as he stared absently at the setting sun, an orange sky adorned with purple hues while it slowly descended into the horizon. The air was thick, and the lights of the city flickered and danced underneath him like a thousand stars.
His mind wandered off for a bit and, as much as he tried not to, he couldn’t help but be drawn by the countless people gathered at the heart of the city. They lingered below him, the sound of laughter and happy families a constant, the occasional blare of a siren or a horn. But he sat above it all. In this world of chaos, the only type of sanctuary he had was solitude.
Somewhere in the midst of his train of thought, he felt a deep sense of yearning within him that he didn’t want to confront. His eyes moved from the sight of the people down below and landed on the other foreboding buildings surrounding him, slowly traveling along lanky skyscrapers, finally settling on a distant figure of bright cobalt—wait, what?
He blinked twice and shook his head slightly, his shoulders suddenly stiffening as his sight readjusted. To his dismay, his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Standing on the building far ahead of him, an abiding distance, was a blue hedgehog looking towards the sunset, and there was no doubt that it was Sonic.
Shadow sat up, hands resting on his lap as he rolled his eyes. Even in the evening light, that silhouette of his was unmistakable. No matter where he went, it seemed like the world would always bring him back to that blue hedgehog, his quills fluttering like a blue flame in the wind. He watched as Sonic looked around deliberately, scanning the area, desperately searching the horizon… and Shadow couldn’t help but wonder just what he was looking for.
Shadow furrowed his brow. Why was he here, anyway? And by himself, too. It seemed unnatural to Shadow for someone as sociable as him to be alone. In Shadow’s eyes, Sonic was only ever seen with other people, be it the countless of fans that adored him oh so much, or those stupid friends of his. And yet here he was, his silhouette bathed in the fleeting remnants of precious golden sunlight, those viridescent eyes of his shining under the setting sun. Weirdly, Sonic seemed to be in deep concentration—a look he wasn’t used to seeing from him.
Shadow watched him begin to walk away, just before he abruptly stopped himself, and smiled. As if sensing his gaze, his head snapped precisely in Shadow’s direction as piercing red came to meet with sharp, vibrant green. He winked at him with a smug grin and dashed off, a blur of blue in the nightfall.
Shadow’s eyes widened, slowly bringing his hand to his face as sparks began to arise in his chest. Did he know he was there this entire time? He couldn’t help the flush of red that tinted his cheeks before he worked himself up, standing on the edge of the building while he leaned on the railing and tried to get a grasp on where he went.
Turns out, he wouldn’t need to. No less than a moment later did he hear a loud crash coming from below him, and the screams that followed suit. Shadow peered over the edge, looking towards the direction of the noise and saw Sonic, standing in the middle of the road covered in rubble as a group of people gathered in anticipation, watching from a safe distance. Sonic quickly adjusted his quills, brushing out the specks of concrete that got caught in them before shifting to a fighting stance, his iconic smirk plastered on his face. And in front of him, Metal Sonic.
Instantly, he dove towards his cobalt counterpart, slamming him backwards before he quickly caught himself and struck him in a sudden move, knocking him down. In a swift motion, Sonic bolted out of there, regressed to a blue streak dashing through the city just before Metal quickly recovered, foreseeably speeding after him. Shadow watched in understanding; Sonic was trying to lead Metal out of there, away from the onlookers, so no one could get hurt.
He tensed for a second, eyes narrowing on the speeding pair, watching as they darted through the streets before being engulfed by distant buildings that belonged to the horizon. Sonic seemed to be fine, but his heart kept tugging at him from the inside. Despite his better judgment, he couldn’t help it as something told him that he should go after Sonic. He couldn’t pinpoint why. It was as if he was being pulled by an invisible thread.
Almost without a second thought, he descended from the solitude of the perch and went after the fray, speeding along the city and through the highways. His air shoes grinded harshly along the pavement, traffic lights flickering on and off again, the sound of sirens blaring from afar, treading through the familiar road, rounding a corner, until he finally neared the end of a backstreet. Nothing was there.
Shadow raised an eyebrow. He definitely saw them head this way—
In an instant, the back of his head met with the unforgiving brick wall behind him as Metal Sonic slammed him to the adjacent building. The cold metal claw of his right hand tightly latched onto his neck as the clang of impact echoed through the alleyway.
Shadow swore as he choked under his breath. He struggled, but his eyes bore into Metal’s soullessly, red on red as the two stared each other down. With a grunt, he reached a hand out to pry against the hand locked on him, the sharp metal talons promising to leave marks.
His breathing began to grow faster, eyes shut tightly as he heaved with all his might.
The metal hand did not budge.
Shadow’s panic shot out like a tide, in contrast to the deadpanned front he put on. Admittedly, he didn’t expect Metal to be much of a challenge as he was, and Shadow had not been especially prepared for a fight around this time of day.
He was caught up in his own helplessness. He could feel his consciousness cave in as he fought for air that was slowly abandoning him, as he felt the hand slowly closing in on his throat, his breaths growing shallower, his vision swimming—
And as quickly as the pressure grew, Shadow was soon relieved of it and of the hand on his neck. He gasped out as he dropped to the ground.
Sonic was there, a flash of blue as he sent Metal Sonic flying with a strong kick. A clash resulting, echoing in the distance.
But Sonic lost his regard for Metal, instead immediately drawing his attention to Shadow. “Are you alright?” he said kindly, a hand offered to help him up. His usual cocky smirk was nowhere in sight, his face filled with concern instead.
Shadow quickly adjusted his vision, straightening his quills as he pulled himself up on his own, denying Sonic’s aid. “I’m fine,” he lied, voice gruff and cold to cohere his stoic expression. “Nothing I couldn’t handle myself.”
“I could tell,” Sonic half-smiled, clearly not taking Shadow seriously as his hand was withdrawn, and he was met with a glare. Sonic chuckled. “Hey, I can’t blame you. Metal’s nothing to scoff at. He even gives me hassle.”
“Shut up,” Shadow grunted, narrowing his eyes, unamused at Sonic’s pathetic attempt at consolation. Much as he tried to ignore it, his pride undoubtedly stung. He let himself falter, let himself show weakness—and in front of Sonic of all people. “I wasn’t expecting to get into trouble this evening.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, “me neither.”
“Mmhmm.” A touch of sarcasm probed.
“ What? ” Sonic looked at him, a hand over his mouth in a mockery of hurt, an eyebrow raised as he played along. “It’s true.”
“I doubt that,” he replied, curtly. “You definitely caused this. I don’t know how, but you did.”
He rolled his eyes, smiling. “Funny how you always resort to blaming everything on me. ”
Shadow shrugged, pretending to disregard him. “That’s how it always is. You get into trouble, you cause problems, and then it’s up to me or whoever else to fix them.”
An unexpected silence took format.
Instinctively, Shadow met Sonic’s gaze, his usual smirk nowhere to be found as an unreadable expression took its place instead. He expected Sonic to retort, or argue back, or come up with some clever quip, but…
In that moment, a tinge of regret striked Shadow, and he suddenly found the silence that filled the air was lacking the comfort it had always offered him. He hadn’t meant it to come out as harsh as it had—or perhaps he did, but only in the moment.
But as quickly as it came, it left without a trace, and Sonic just smiled—not a pure smile, but one Shadow could tell he was hoaxing. “If that’s how you really feel,” he finally announced as he turned around, beginning to leave, “then you don’t have to come with me. I can handle it myself. I always have.”
Perhaps on any other day, Shadow would’ve found himself parting ways with Sonic at this point. But here… he found himself unwilling.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Sonic; sure, he was a little reckless and much too impatient for his liking, but he always got the job done, one way or another. But, for some reason, he couldn’t bear to let him go off by himself.
Internally, he groaned. He didn’t know what was with him tonight. But he grabbed his hand just as he was about to take off. “Wait, Sonic,” he said, his tone noticeably softer than usual as he found warmth in the touch. “I’ll… I’ll go with you.”
Sonic smiled brightly—a genuine one this time, much to Shadow’s relief. “Great. Race you there!”
Immediately he sped off, and Shadow yelled as he sped after him. “You cheater! ”
They raced around the city, quickly coming to a halt when they finally reached Metal Sonic, actively wreaking havoc. He damaged cars and buildings, and citizens scrambled to get to safety as Metal loomed before them with those same dead eyes. Metal was a perfect replica of Sonic’s own strengths and speed, but he lacked the soft heart that he carried.
“I win!” Sonic cheered as he stood before Metal, Shadow quickly taking a place to his right.
“No, you did not . You cheated,” he said, his arms crossed as he narrowed his eyes.
Sonic smirked, a small chuckle rising from him. “When have I ever needed to cheat?”
Shadow felt a smile start to form on his face, and he quickly held a hand to his mouth. It angered him. Sonic’s optimism was contagious, infuriatingly so. But he had embarrassed him enough today. He returned his gaze onto Metal. “I’ll sneak up on him from behind. You take him from the front.”
“No,” Sonic said, quickly strategizing. “If we take him here, he’ll end up just causing more damage.” Metal Sonic hauled a car towards them both, and the two of them dodged swiftly.
Sonic retreated to Shadow’s side. “We need to get to high ground first. He’ll follow me, and you go after him from behind. Then, we both strike.”
“Gotcha,” Shadow nodded.
Swiftly, Sonic made way up the building, and, as predicted, Metal Sonic pursued after him. Shadow made a beeline up as he reached the rooftop, following after Metal.
Metal stood between them, waiting for them to make a move, and it took a second for him to fully register that he had been cornered. Sonic drew in a kick, swiftly dodged by Metal as he in turn took a punch from Shadow instead. The clang of metal echoed once, and again as Sonic delivered a swift strike to the head. Sparks began to upshot.
It was then when it dawned on Metal that he wasn’t any match for the two of them. He threw a punch at Sonic as he began to make his escape, right before he was knocked down by Shadow, and the sound of metal clattered on the concrete roofing. Instinctively he kicked him away, just before Sonic’s fist met with his chest. Metal was strong, but between the both of them, he stood no chance. The two attacked as an unmatched symphony of red and blue, a dance of swift strikes and spinning kicks that blurred as they delivered in tandem. And no later than a few moments later would pass until they undoubtedly came out victors in this fight.
With a final, defeated whir, Metal Sonic remained still as Shadow grabbed onto him by the scruff, hanging helplessly in his grasp. And the sound of grinding metal echoed in finality as he sent him pummeling down the building, resulting in a loud Crash! upon impact. He lay there, his frame reduced to a pile of crushed and broken up steel and metal parts as sparks flew from him. But he proved a threat no longer.
Sonic and Shadow panted as they stood in the heart of the aftermath, the two wheezing as they quickly recovered themselves. In the middle of their recovery, they heard a series of cheers coming from below.
The two paused as they looked over the edge of the building, unaware of the crowd that had gathered the entire time they were in pursuit of Metal Sonic, watching as the battle unfolded right in front of them. They rallied into grand applause, commending the pair for their hard work.
Shadow looked down below in awe. No longer was he a spectator in a world that he seemed to be isolated from; no, this time, he was part of it. He was used to looking below the city, used to watching them endure routine from a distance as he sat above it all. But this time, the people below him weren’t disregarding him.
This time, the noise below… was for him .
Sonic noticed Shadow’s awes and smiled at him purely. “You deserve it,” Sonic said, catching Shadow’s attention, and he pried his gaze from the audience to look at him.
That smile. In a single expression, Sonic had struck a match within Shadow’s heart, and it seemed he was kindling the flame with the very light that radiated within him.
Sonic was undoubtedly used to this type of praise; the city loved him. Actually, it seemed that everywhere he went, he was loved. Everywhere Shadow went, he’d always find him on some random billboard, or every week, the news would cover some story about how Sonic once again managed to save the city from some underlying threat. Everyone seemed to adore him, but the world seemed to disregard Shadow.
He didn’t blame the world, though. He’d be lying to himself if he said it wasn’t deserved. But it seemed like now, the past grudges the people held against him were forgotten. And in that moment, his euphoria shined brighter than any star he had ever laid eyes on.
He relished the city’s praises like a dying flower soaking up delicate drops of rainfall. The cheers of the people echoed in Shadow’s mind, even as the commotion inevitably started to die down, and the city reverted back to their usual routine.
The two stood before the city, and Sonic rested his head on the steel railing. By this point, the moon had finally made its appearance, looming over them like a watchful eye. Sonic seemed to be bathing under the luminescence of it as he looked up to stare at the stars. He didn’t take his eyes off the view as he asked Shadow, “Why?”
Shadow needed no further elaboration; he knew what Sonic was asking. But truthfully, Shadow didn’t have an answer.
Why did he go after Sonic? He’d been asking himself that question the entire time he made his pursuit. Was he simply worried for his safety? No, it couldn’t be that. He knew Sonic wasn’t in any real trouble; he’d seen him face off Metal countless times before.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just… wanted to. It felt right.”
Sonic smiled to himself. “You have a good heart, Shadow.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You do,” Sonic said, almost candidly. “You just don’t notice it.”
Shadow said nothing. Slowly, he moved towards the railing, resting his head on his hand. “Why did you go after Metal by yourself?”
“What?” Sonic averted his attention towards Shadow.
“When you’re out,” he spoke softly, “you’re always with your friends. Tails, Knuckles, and… that pink haired one.”
“ Amy,” Sonic quickly corrected.
“Yes. Why weren’t they with you?”
Sonic looked back at the starry night. “I’m not always with them,” he said. “I wasn’t going to call on them just so they could help me with Metal.”
“Aren’t you all close?”
“Oh, of course,” he confirmed, “but Knuckles is busy guarding the Master Emerald, and Tails and Amy… they probably live nearby, but, I dunno,” he shrugged. “They do their own thing.”
That surprised Shadow. Though he wasn’t especially close with Rouge, he still saw her outside his job at G.U.N., fairly often. She even lived near his apartment complex. Naturally, he assumed a group as close as them would be living together.
“Wait,” Shadow’s brows furrowed. “Where do you live?”
A moment passed, but Sonic didn’t answer. He simply laughed.
Shadow didn’t pry any further.
Another wave of silence crashed down before Shadow switched the topic. “Why was Metal after you?”
Noticeably, Sonic was quieter than usual. He always seemed to lead the conversation, but here, he didn’t have much to say. “Don’t know,” he admitted. “Eggman probably sent him. I was chasing him down all day.”
“Mm,” Shadow hummed.
A moment of silence flickered by. “Why were you here?” he asked him casually.
“Coincidence,” Shadow replied. “I find this part of the city to be the most peaceful.”
“So you hang out here a lot,” Sonic grasped.
“Mm,” he hummed again.
Shadow was never the best at social interactions—naturally, as he’d only been through so many. For a while, they simply sat in mutual silence. Neither of them, however, found it awkward; they didn’t need to say anything to each other, resting in the comfort of it. This was a different type of silence, one that seemed to speak volumes.
Shadow’s mind drifted off as a part of him began to question just what it would feel like to be by his side; anything just to sit in the comfort of his company any longer. Attachment was a luxury he couldn’t afford, but…
Sonic looked at him, his gaze a warm welcome, almost inviting. There was nothing but kindness in his eyes, those soft, jade eyes that glittered in the moonlight. And Shadow wondered, did he, too, find comfort in the dark?
He couldn’t take it. This overwhelming, undeserving amount of kindness was threatening to tear him to shreds. He panicked.
“I have to go,” he said with a finality that seemed contradictory.
“Shadow,” Sonic’s smile faltered as he turned to him. “Stay.”
He turned around, foreboding crimson once again meeting with that distinctive vibrant green. For a moment, he could tell something else lingered in those verdant eyes of his, something he was all too familiar with.
Could it be? Was he… just as lonely as he was?
That thought quickly passed by Shadow. No, that couldn’t be true. He was just acting this way to be polite.
Much as he tried to convince himself, however, he failed. Shadow had never seen this side of Sonic before. The hedgehog that he had built up in his head to be snarky and restless, was nothing but patient and sweet now, and he was not used to this type of display coming from him .
It intimidated him. He was so naturally accustomed to darkness, but for once, he felt drawn to the warmth of the light. Sonic truly wanted him to stay. And Shadow didn’t want to run away from him.
“I have to go,” he repeated, words that did not align with his thoughts. He wanted to feel the warmth in his hand, wanted to stay with him forever in this content silence under the moonlight, to accompany the overbearing luminosity that seemed to glimmer in the darkness. But he knew he couldn’t and that very fact was what scared him away. Getting attached to someone was only the worst thing he could do.
Sonic watched as he lifted himself off the support of the railing to make his exit, and he made no effort to get him to stay any longer; there was no point. Ask him all he could, Shadow, inevitably, was going to leave.
Shadow couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness as he slowly abandoned the light. But he carried the warmth that had been kindled inside of him with a heavy heart. The sound of his shoes clacked on the concrete along the way as he stopped to look back at him a final time. “It was nice seeing you,” he said briefly. “Goodbye.”
There was no hint of hurt or betrayal in Sonic’s eyes. He smiled, eyes flickering under the moonlight as he waved. “Goodbye.”
Shadow got out of there before that smile could tear apart.