Work Text:
Knock knock
…
Miles Prower's ears flinched, lightly brushing against the pillow that his head had been laying against.
Knock knock knock.
One of his eyelids gently opened. Was someone knocking on the door?
KNOCK. KNOCK.
The fox sighed as he reluctantly tossed the covers that he was so snugged up in off of his bed. This better be worth being woken up in the middle of the night for.
KNOCK—
He groaned as he stumbled out his room and down the stairs to the first floor of the lab. “I’m coming, jeez…” he mumbled, not like the person at the door would hear him.
Begrudgingly trudging his way to the door, he navigated around mechanical parts scattered on the floor. Many of them went to his plane, the Vortex. Other parts that were strewn about belonged to various projects, most of which have been long abandoned halfway through, likely never to be picked up for a while.
Making it past all of that, he grabbed the door knob and twisted the door open.
Immediately he was greeted with the harsh downpour of rain.
And… no one was there? Must’ve been something blowing against the door.
However, squinting, Miles managed to make out a dark figure who was walking away from the lab.
“HEY!” he called out, hoping to get the person to come back.
It seemed unlikely that they would hear him, considering the rain, but the person seemed to pause and look back.
The different positioning made the figure a little more clear, and the fox had an idea on who it was.
“Shadow! Is that you?!” he shouted, assuming he was right.
It seemed he was, as the figure began to move closer at a slow pace. Eventually, they became clear.
“It is you Shadow!” Miles smiled, before looking confused. “What are you doing in the rain so late? Did you need something?”
The black and red hedgehog who now stood right at the door, still in the rain, crossed his arms silently. It was a little hard to see his face with such little light, but he looked… somewhat nervous.
The fox’s face flickered to concern. “Are you okay, Shadow?”
“Do you…” Shadow began quietly. He paused. “Can I come in…?”
Miles nearly slapped himself in the face, completely forgetting that the other was getting bombarded by a rainstorm. “Of course! Come on in,” he ushered Shadow in.
Slowly, the hedgehog trudged in, water dripping to floor. Miles groaned internally at the fact that he’ll have to clean his floor tomorrow morning.
As the door closed, the sound of the storm reduced to nothing and the lab grew to silence.
“So, why are you knocking at my door at midnight?” Miles asked, with only a tiny bit of annoyance.
“…I had nowhere else to go,” Shadow muttered as his head turned away.
The fox’s head tilted, maybe a little too far, in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Shadow shook his head at Miles’ lack of understanding. “I mean I have nowhere to sleep right now, okay?” he said firmly.
“Wait? You don’t have anywhere to live?!” Miles said in shock.
“Are you obtuse,” Shadow growled. “What did I just say!”
“Sorry,” the fox put his hands up. “It’s just… where have you been sleeping?”
Shadow seemed to go nervous again, but he answered quicker this time. “Wherever I can get away with it…”
“Why didn’t you go to Amy?” Miles asked. “Her apartment is in the city and it was probably closer to where you were than all the way out to my lab.”
“Oh please,” Shadow groaned, “I haven’t seen her in months, so I doubt she’d let me into her apartment. Also I don’t exactly like to be around her.”
“You don’t?”
“Being around her has been super awkward after the… crush situation.”
Right, Miles thought. There was that time when Amy developed a crush on Shadow and he flat out rejected her…
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate her,” Shadow said. “I’m just pretty sure she’s been avoiding me too.”
Miles’ sighed. “So you’re next best option was me?”
“You are the only one I know that would let me in.”
“Well, I should have some spare space where you can rest,” the fox assured.
“Thank you,” Shadow said, with that rare authenticity that Miles rarely heard.
Miles’ shut his bedroom door and slumped over to his bed. Finally, he can go back to sleep.
…
At least, he could try to, if he wasn't lying awake staring at the ceiling with thoughts of Shadow’s situation going on in his mind.
Shadow was a hero, well Shadow would refuse to be called that, but that’s how Miles sees it. He is the one who stops Dr. Ivo Robotnik whenever he tries to stir trouble. He is the one who, albeit reluctantly, solves the cities problems, and takes down any otherworldly threats.
So why is he treated so horribly? Why doesn’t he have a home?
Why does Shadow need to come to the person he initially stole technology from, for a roof?