Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Among things like struggling to find shoes that fit, breaking human combs against his quills, and needing a stool for like, every sink in the world, one of the worst problems that came with being a hedgehog on a planet that wasn’t always his was an inability to make easy, regular hospital visits. Apparently, even if he was a multi-round world-saver and class act hero recognized by at least one government branch, hospitals didn’t like letting animals inside, even ones that walked and talked. It took Maddie practically threatening nuclear warfare on not one, two, or three doctors, but four, each more terrified than the next, to let Sonic and his team in. And, even with the allowance, it was only for one miserable hour a day.

And it was great! It was the best hour of his day. But by day five, he quickly realized that with Tom in the hospital and Maddie spending most of her free time with him, the house felt… painfully empty. And even worse, it was boring.  

Knuckles seemed content to binge-watch every single action movie on Tom’s Netflix, Ozzy planted on the couch beside him. Every hour like clockwork, the Echidna would hop up off the couch and pace the entire perimeter of the house, as he’d promised Maddie he’d keep an eye on everything, and he seemed to be taking that as literally as possible. 

Tails, meanwhile, took it upon himself to modify every possible item in the house he could to help with Tom’s recovery, once he returned home. While he was already on his way to recovering, the doctor had said his arm would be in a hard cast for at least a month, and probably even longer in a sling after that if he wasn’t careful. Both humans had insisted Tom would manage, it was just his left arm, and Maddie and the three of them could all help, but Tails had simply waved them off. Now there were modified handles on everything and strange little contraptions lying all around the attic while Tails test-ran each one, his left paw held carefully behind his back. 

But where the other two seemed able to keep themselves busy in the emptiness and the monotony of the house, Sonic found himself restless. He just couldn’t keep up with Tails when he started spewing off about the calibration of this and the mobility allowances of that, and pacing the perimeter with Knuckles was so slow. He spent the first couple days mostly watching movies with Knuckles, running circles around the house, then playing fetch with Ozzy for like, three hours, until the dog turned around and dragged himself back inside, refusing to chase after one more stick. 

So, by the fifth day, he was bored.

After lounging around in the attic for all of about ten minutes after Maddie drove them home from their morning hospital visit, Sonic let out a long, miserable groan from his spot upside down on the bean bag chair. From a few feet away, Tails gave him a curious look but focused back on whatever project he was tinkering on in his lap without saying anything. 

Unlistened to and ignored, Sonic gave a drawn-out and pained sigh.

And still… nothing.

He was just puffing out his chest for another lament when Tails finally gave in, his head popping up to give Sonic another pointed look. “Maybe you should go out and explore? Find something new to keep you entertained?”

Sonic sighed again, flipping upright and holding his chin in both gloved paws, putting on his best pout. “But what’s the fun in exploring all by myself? I’ve done that like, everywhere!”

Tails’ shoulders shook in a short laugh. “Everywhere, huh? Well, guess Tom and Maddie should just get rid of Google Maps and replace it with you!” 

Sonic couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled from his chest to match the fox’s, infectious as it was.

“But, seriously,” Tails continued, once they both settled again, “You should go burn off some energy. You’re way too wound up.” 

Unfortunately, Sonic knew the little fox was right. He was too wound up. Going from a couple days of nonstop excitement to the monotony of everyday life sucked, especially when the leaders of the Wachowski gang weren’t home nearly as much as usual. And according to the doctors that refused to let hedgehogs and foxes and echidnas, even ones that were technically world-saving alien heroes into the hospital as much as they’d have liked, it would be at least another few days before Tom was back home. Maybe even up to a week.

After only two more dramatic sighs, Sonic finally gave in, and barely a moment later found him running a lazy (but still unbeatably fast) pace through the familiar woods of Green Hills.

The weather was nice, at least, all blue skies and wispy clouds and bright white sunlight, a faint breeze trailing its feet behind his red sneakers. He even caught sight of the moon, despite the fact it was barely even noon, just a broken smudge of white against the sky. Sonic slowed momentarily along the ridge of a valley, his eyes lingering on the out of place moon until a cloud was blown in front of it, and the white obscured it from view.

There was something about looking up at the moon after standing on it that felt more than a little strange. Now when he sat on the roof and looked up at the stars, he knew what it looked like to sit on the moon and watch the Earth. Not many people, let alone hedgehogs, could say that. There was one, obviously, but Sonic shrugged that thought off in favor of tipping down the valley he was lingering above, letting the slight hug of gravity propel him all the faster with minimal effort.

After his momentary distraction, Sonic decided to try focusing, pushing more effort and intention into his steps, leaning into his speed with more fervor. He left the forest behind and dashed through grassy fields, reveling in the gentle up and down of the rolling hills. A creek almost caught him by surprise, but he caught himself easily, skipping up the opposite bank and leaping over a wooden fence at the top. He spun around and let out a whoop as he went careening down another hillside, laughing as his feet hurried to keep up with his own need for speed. 

He rolled up the next hill, flying off an unexpected edge of a sudden grassless and barren crater. He flew up for only a moment, lingered in the air, then went racing into the center of the crater down the short wall.

So caught up in his own simple enjoyment of the new obstacle was he that he didn’t catch the flash of gold hidden in the dirt. He didn’t catch it, but his toe sure did, and with a yelp the hedgehog ricocheted off the mysterious blockade and bounced into the dirt.

He was up just as quickly, shaking the dust and a few pebbles out of his quills, then zipped back to the source of his crash landing. It took a second to find it, since it was mostly covered in a layer of grime, but then he saw it: a rounded edge of gold peeking out of the dirt.

Immediately curious, Sonic reached down and tugged it out, brushing it off with the cuff of one glove.

It took him a second before he realized what it was. For one, it was unclasped, connected with an invisible hinge, and for the life of him Sonic couldn’t find the clasp. But when he pushed the two halves together, it clicked into one solid, gold circle.

For a very long second, Sonic just stared at it.

The problem was that he didn’t really know what it was. He knew who it belonged to, sure, but honestly, that only left more questions and weird possibilities than concrete answers. But, with a brief flash of memory of two paws clasped in his and the image of another ring to match this one on two glowing wrists, Sonic held it up and tried to stick his own paw through it. Of course, it obviously didn’t fit now that he’d closed it. It took a second to get it back open, but he did somehow pop the thing apart again. He stuck his wrist over one half and snapped it shut.


At first, it didn’t seem like much. It was a very gaudy, slightly dirty but still pretty shiny, bracelet.

Then after another second, a jolt of something ran up his arm, sort of like a static shock, if a static shock was somehow inside his very blood stream.

He scrambled for a moment but finally managed to tug the thing off and dropped it like a hot potato. The weird sensation immediately disappeared, but left a sort of residual, barely-there ache in his arm and all the way up to his shoulder.

But his curiosity obviously won out in barely a second, and Sonic snatched it back up. This time, however, he clasped it and simply held it, since that seemed to be fine. The ring did nothing. No crabby, dramatic hedgehogs appeared. Not that Sonic expected that to happen, but he found himself still somehow disappointed.

After a moment of deliberation, Sonic kicked off and ran back up the hill he’d come from, now scanning the horizon for- well, for anything, really. But all he saw were a few fences, a few cows, and a few hay bales. No other rings, no black and red spikes, no weird hovering shoes. Nothing.

After what felt like about seven ages but was probably only a couple of minutes, Sonic reluctantly turned his feet towards home. But even as he headed back to the woods and the mountains between him and Green Hills, he glanced over his shoulder, some niggling little wish in the back of his head still holding out hope of seeing even the faintest trace of that still sort of new hedgehog.

Held fast in one paw, he clutched the golden bracelet all the way home. 

He took the long way home, making a few extra loops around town. After snatching half a shockingly tasty cheese sandwich off an unsuspecting crow, he headed home. He felt both pleasantly warmed up if a little uncharacteristically worn out, and also all the more distracted than he had been before his latest mad dash. The bracelet in his paw felt heavier the closer he got to home, and without thinking, Sonic tucked it away in his quills for safe keeping. Also, maybe, so nobody saw it and asked questions. He himself didn’t have any answers; no way was he playing twenty questions over the stupid thing.

The run at least did seem to help him manage to struggle through the rest of the day. Tails even joined him and Knuckles for a Terminator marathon, and all three piled onto the couch, Ozzy their warm and furry footrest and every bag and box of snacks they could find on their laps.

When Maddie finally got home with three entire pizzas, Tails was back to fiddling with his latest household appliance modification locked away in his workshop in the garage. This time it was the switch board that seemed to control the lights in like, the entire household, and Maddie laughed as the entryway lights flashed at her in welcome.

Dinner was eaten loudly and quickly, all three of them devouring the pizza like it was the first thing they’d eaten all day. (It wasn’t.) Maddie showed them a video of a cat with a plastic apple sauce jar stuck on its head, and all three listened to her explain how they managed to keep the thing still long enough to get the jar off.

The house was way better with Maddie at least home, and even if they all didn’t really fit on the couch, they still piled on to watch the latest episode of some show involving firefighters and a lot of dramatic music that Sonic didn’t get at all but Maddie seemed to enjoy. So he was content to doze off stretched out on his belly across her lap, Tails legs tucked over the bend in his knees, Knuckles slumped on Maddie’s other side. Even if they were down a member, Sonic couldn’t deny the comfort of his family (mostly) all together.

That warm comfort stuck with him all the way until Maddie closed the attic door after her final goodnight, and suddenly, as soon as it was dark, Sonic felt wide awake. A hard edge dug into his shoulder, and he reached up to pull out the stupid bracelet. Then, remembering where he was, he hesitated. After another beat, he got up quietly and tiptoed to the window. Climbing onto the roof was a breeze, and he clambered all the way to the top before he finally pulled the bracelet out to inspect it.

Since the moon had already made an appearance in the sky during the sun’s shift, it was a pretty dark night. Even so, the bracelet gleamed with brightness, well-polished after being held in a reasonably soft glove for so long. Still, Sonic took a second to scrub away any last bits of dirt until it was downright sparkly.

He still wasn’t really sure why he’d snagged it. Or- well, that wasn’t exactly it. Of course he’d taken it with him, why wouldn’t he? It was more than he didn’t know why it was such a big deal to take it. He snagged weird things he found and brought them home all the time, as evident both by the attic and what was left of his old cave.

The difference was that holding the bracelet made his chest and stomach do wild things, and he wasn’t even sure how to feel about it.

He considered trying it on again, but in the end, wound up just staring at the thing cradled in both paws.

He’d known the guy for what, like, less than a week? And most of that had involved losing at a game of chase, getting ambushed in a sketchy dark lab, almost winding up in a DIY black hole, very nearly losing the first person on Earth to call him family, and then only narrowly avoiding exploding the Earth. All in all, most of their interactions had been pummeling each other and exchanging insults and threats. They’d even destroyed at least a dozen small mountains and maybe at least one national landmark, and Sonic grimaced at the memory of being slammed into the ground like a sack of rocks, at the singe of lava against his quills as they literally melted entire mountain peaks in their furious battle.

The problem was that even if they’d very nearly wound up killing each other and there was a good moment there Sonic hadn’t hated anybody or anything more, he realized just how badly he wanted to see Shadow again.

The taunts and the slamming each other into things and the genuine murderous intent on, theoretically, both their parts, it all melted away in comparison to the brief time they’d actually fought together, side by side.

And boy, Sonic was pretty sure he’d be chasing that high for the rest of his life.


He’d done plenty of fighting at that point with any combination of his various family members. But the thing was, none of them really matched him beat for beat in the same way.

Sonic sat back and leaned against the roof, the bracelet clutched to his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut. If he thought as hard as he could, he could almost recall the feeling of spinning around together so fast Sonic couldn’t even distinguish who was who for half a heartbeat.

But Shadow was-

Was what?

Sonic knew the most likely answer. So the guy was genetically enhanced in a lab by Eggman’s crazy grampa and had his own super form, but that explosion… it would’ve leveled the Earth. Surely it leveled one overpowered hedgehog, even if Sonic was pretty sure Shadow still held the power of the Master Emerald in that moment.

And yet the weight of the ring on Sonic’s chest was almost suffocating in how hopeful it made him. That’s why he’d grabbed it, why he’d hidden it and hadn’t told anyone about it yet. Even if he knew he’d probably never see the other hedgehog again, Sonic couldn’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe…

It was an endless battle of hope versus reality, and Sonic was not one for listening to logic and reason.

When the roof finally got too chilly for lying around and having dramatic thoughts, Sonic heaved a weary sigh and sat up. The problem was he’d napped for like, an entire episode of that firefighter show. Maddie had been scratching behind his ears one moment and the next she was nudging them all off to bed. Now, Sonic was a little too awake and a little too antsy, his earlier exhaustion gone. 

After a long moment of deliberation, he crammed the ring back up into his quills, wedging it real good. And then, after sneaking back in to grab his shoes, he zipped off into the night.

He ended up retracing his steps from that afternoon without even meaning to, and before long he found himself back in endless fields and rolling hills. But this time he was on a mission. He hadn’t planned on it, but now that he was there, he figured he might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Thanks to a maddening lack of diversity in hill height, Sonic had to basically run up and down every single one and do a spin at the top to cover all possible ground. He’d run up his seventh hill that was slowly flattening out towards a distant town when he finally caught a glimpse of something.

And not just any something, but another crater! This one was a little smaller, but the shape was about the same, and Sonic basically teleported over to it he ran so fast, skidding to a halt right at the center. 

But there was nothing. No flash of gold. No bracelet. Nothing at all.

The disappointment was suddenly very sharp and it twisted something in his belly. Frustrated, Sonic turned on his heel and ran back up the same hill he’d seen it from, flopping down in the cool grass. It was a little damp, but Sonic didn’t even notice. With a hasty movement, he yanked the stupid bracelet out again, holding it clenched in a fist at his side.

His frustration simmered as he stared up at the sky. With no moon and without any major cities nearby, the stars were brilliant, each twinkling with a million zillion different colors all in a single second. If Sonic focused, he could sort of catch each millisecond of the jumbled pinpoint rainbows. Lost in the endless view, he momentarily glanced about, searching for a shooting star. Maybe if he could just make a wish… But even as he let the darkness seep in, he caught just the barest hint of light at the horizon threatening just how late it was.

Sonic closed his eyes for all of a single second, ready to finally talk himself back to reason and back home to his bed before Maddie woke them all up for breakfast, when he was very suddenly shocked into the present by a voice he’d literally been hoping to wish upon a star to hear.

“I want my ring back.”

For one whole second, Sonic was just about sure he’d either fallen asleep or was lost in his daydream memories again. Then a blunt sneaker toe nudged at his shoulder, and he sprang upright with the sheer electric energy of the sudden realization.

Shadow looked- actually, he looked pretty normal, since his normal was a little brooding, a little scruffy. The faint dawn light did absolutely nothing for his red highlights, washing them out horribly but catching on the glint of his eyes. …And of three other gold rings to match the one still held tightly in one paw that was unconsciously hidden partially behind Sonic’s hip.

Sonic gaped at the dark hedgehog, drinking in the sight of him, before his brain finally caught up with his heart and he flung himself at Shadow. “You’re not toast!” he cried, fully tackling Shadow and spinning him around in a dizzying circle before slamming him back down on his own two feet. He hopped away to inspect Shadow from every angle, zipping around him in a staggered circle. “Not roasted, not burned to a crisp, probably not irradiated outta existence!” He hopped back in front of Shadow, still staring at him with a painfully wide grin.

Shadow, for his part, was more tolerant of the inspection than Sonic would’ve expected. Granted, it lasted for all of a single second, but still. The guy probably could’ve caught Sonic and strangled him or something if he was against the inspection.

Instead, Shadow just stared at him with a pointed look when Sonic finally stopped moving, not saying anything. Sonic just stared back until he remembered the bracelet in his paw and the words that had startled him mere seconds previously. 

“Your bracelet!” He held the thing out with a triumphant flourish, bowing ever so slightly.

“It’s called an inhibitor ring,” Shadow muttered, but he took the bracelet — ring — and quickly snapped it onto his wrist. He rolled the wrist, flexed his fingers, and stood a little straighter. To Sonic’s delight, he even quirked half a brief smile. Though… that might’ve been Sonic’s imagination, or a trick of the ever-growing dawn.

When Shadow didn’t say anything else, like thank you, or ‘hey here’s how I survived all of that,’ Sonic decided to take matters into his own paws.

“So you lived,” he said, leaning a little closer, curious. “How’d that happen? Where’ve you been the past couple days? How’d you lose your bracelet?”

Shadow shot him a bemused look, blinking at the sudden volley of questions. “I told you, it’s not a bracelet, it’s an-“

“Inhibited ring, yeah I know.”

“Inhibit or,” Shadow emphasized, eyes narrowing.

“Still a bracelet though, and that doesn’t answer any of my questions!” Despite the lack of answers and almost bickering tone, Sonic realized he was still grinning as he continued to lean close and scrutinize Shadow. At least now Shadow had the smarts to look a little unnerved by Sonic’s staring, and he took a step back to add a few inches of space between them. 

“I am the Ultimate Lifeform,” Shadow said, as if that explained everything. “It takes more than an explosion like that to kill me.”

Sonic snickered, then in one movement sat back down in the grass, cross legged. “Man, humble, much?” He patted the spot on the grass next to him when Shadow didn’t immediately join him. “You also fell through Earth’s atmosphere, and speaking from experience, that is no fun. Plus, your rings don’t help you from crash landing.” At least, Sonic was pretty sure they didn’t, especially since he’d found one himself. “Also, that doesn’t explain where you’ve been the past few days!”

After a delayed moment, Shadow did sit down as well, mirroring their brief moment on the moon. “I found a… refuge,” he said, hesitating. “It took time to find all four of these.” He lifted one wrist for clarification, twisting it around. The very first rays of sunlight caught the gold, hallowing it against the black fur is rested on. “I didn’t expect them to fall here, or for one to be stolen.”

“Stolen?” Sonic shot Shadow an incredulous look. “I didn’t steal it!”

“You took it from its landing spot.” Shadow seemed unpersuaded and unaffected by Sonic’s earnest tone.

“It was in the middle of a crater in a field, man!” Sonic gestured to the rolling hills devoid of all life capable of higher thought. “There’s only like, cows and barbed wire at here. Excuse me for thinking, ‘Hm, maybe I’ll keep this safe for Shadow, if I ever figure out if he died or not.’” His tone was lighthearted, but Shadow seemed surprised, eyes widening for all of a millisecond before narrowing just the same.

“You took it to… give it back to me?” He cocked his head to the side. “That’s not very sound logic.”

Sonic shrugged, flashing a toothy grin. “What can I say, I’m an illogical guy.”

Shadow continued to simply stare at him. His mystified expression was totally worth the sort-of bickering.

Sonic was about to open his mouth and ask another of his questions again, but another ray of morning sunlight escaped past a distant cloud, and he knew he really needed to kick it into overdrive to get back home before someone noticed he hadn’t spent more than thirty seconds in his bed. The problem was that he wasn’t exactly sure what to do now. He had no idea where Shadow had been, no idea what would happen if he left now.

Unwilling to leave without doing something, though, Sonic scooted a little closer. “Sooo since you’re being all mysterious about your current home base, wanna meet back here tomorrow at, like, uh, afternoonish?”

Shadow met his gaze head on. Even if he still looked a little lost, he managed to almost make it look threatening. Almost. “Tomorrow afternoonish…?”

Sonic made a vague noise, waving one paw around. “Afternoonish, yeah, I dunno. Just sometime tomorrow! Or, wait, I guess that would be today. Tomorrow-today. But afternoonish, cause I need at least some sleep.” 

Shadow twitched an ear at his rambling. And yet for all of that, he only said, “Why?”

Sonic hadn’t expected the question, which sucked, because he really should have. But because he didn’t, Sonic didn’t have a great response. “Well, I dunno, I figured why not?”

“You want to meet tomorrow-today at afternoonish because you figured why not. ” When Shadow parroted his words back to him like that, he somehow made Sonic’s words sound downright ridiculous. 

But as frustrating as it was, it didn’t dissuade Sonic from his intention, and even as Shadow leaned slightly away, he continued to lean in closer. “Yep. That’s what I said.” If Shadow was gonna make fun of his vague wording, Sonic was just going to have to refuse to budge even an inch. They were already on a hill; he might as well die on it.

His determination paid off a moment later when Shadow seemed to give in, sighing a very small, very put-upon sigh. “Fine. But think of a better excuse by tomorrow. Today.”

“You got it!” Sonic cheered, jumping to his feet and fist-pumping a couple times. By then, the morning light was bright enough to catch the bright red of Shadow’s stripes, and Sonic delayed for a moment longer to just stare at him. Alive. Right there, sitting in the grass at Sonic’s feet.

“Are you leaving, now?” Again, Shadow’s voice shook Sonic back to reality.

“Oh, uh, yep! Gotta blast, got breakfast to smash and hospitals to visit, you know how it goes.”

Shadow looked like he did not, however, know how it goes.

Continuously delighted by confusing the other hedgehog, Sonic finally forced himself to hop into a brief warmup before the run home. He’d really have to push it, but he was actually sort of relishing the idea of testing his early morning speed. “I’ll see you tomorrow-today!” Before he found another excuse to dilly-dally, Sonic disappeared across the hills, waving goodbye as he went.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, staying up till dawn was fun, but getting all of a tiny little handful of hours of sleep was not. Normally, he was up long before Maddie served breakfast or Tom stuck his head into the attic to call everyone to their morning routine. But this time, Sonic didn’t wake up until Tails gave him a good solid poke directly to the forehead. 

“Yo, dude, what the hell!” he yelped, springing upright and rubbing the spot the fox had prodded.

Unsympathetic, Tails laughed at Sonic’s sudden and unpleasant awakening. “Come on, we’re taking waffles to the hospital!”

Agonizing as it was to sit in a car with a stack of Tupperware full of berry filled waffles he wasn’t allowed to eat yet and two cans of whip cream that Sonic was, apparently, not allowed to have direct access to, it was worth it to have breakfast all crammed around Tom’s hospital bed. His ribs were doing better, so he was able to actually sit up, leaving plenty of space for Knuckles and Sonic to crowd onto the foot of his bed while Tails lounged in the coveted spot under Tom’s right arm. 

Maybe it was a painfully beige and sterile hospital room, but Sonic didn’t care. Breakfast with his family was probably the best time of any day, any week, any month. …Even if Tails confiscated the whip cream when Sonic overfilled his mouth and hacked on the stuff, spewing it all over Tails and part of Tom’s hospital gown.

“Hey, buddy,” Tom called to him as Sonic gave up and flopped beside his leg in defeat while Tails gave him a smug look from his place tucked at Tom’s side, one whip cream can tucked under his arm. He seemed to be dismantling the tip of the second one.

Sonic perked up, looking up to his dad. “Wassup?”

Tom gave him a searching look, and Sonic had the sudden feeling of being X-rayed, physically and emotionally. The Wachowski parents both possessed that unnerving skill. “Everything okay with you?”

“Who, lil ol’ me?” Sonic propped himself up and waved a dismissive paw. “Sure, sure, I’m downright peachy!”

But Tom didn’t look convinced at all, much to Sonic’s chagrin. He didn’t push it, which Sonic was grateful for. He did, however, give Maddie a look over Sonic’s head that Sonic did not appreciate.

They didn’t have much time left after breakfast was wrapped up, but they did have time to watch a single episode of some random cartoon on the hospital TV. It was probably for kids, but Sonic was intrigued by the talking blue cartoon cat, since he didn’t realize cats could even be that color. Of course, his curiosity was dashed to smithereens when Tails confirmed after a quick search on his tablet that no, cats on Earth couldn’t be blue, even if there was technically a color coat that was called blue, and even a whole breed called Russian Blues.

“That is deeply misleading,” said Knuckles, after Tails finished spewing off the Wiki page, and Sonic had to agree. 

They were reluctant as ever to say goodbye to Tom, and Sonic couldn’t help it when he squeezed him a little tighter, a little longer, lingering in the hug. Tom put on a big smile when they left, but Sonic could see the edge of something as Maddie herded them out of the hospital room. Sonic wasn’t the only one that hated having the family separated, at least.

To Sonic’s mild embarrassment, he dozed off on the car ride home, slumped against Knuckles’ incredibly warm and incredibly sturdy shoulder. The echidna wasn’t the snuggliest of the trio, but he let Sonic sleep and he only woke Sonic up when the car came to a stop and Knuckles gave him a nudge. 

It was still pretty early, so despite his eagerness to run off to rolling hills, he face-planted on the couch, ignoring the rest of his family in favor of catching some last-minute Z’s. He was out like a  light in seconds, already drooling on a pillow. 

He woke up groggy, disoriented, and a little too warm. There was a fuzzy blanket draped over him and a glass of apple juice level with his eyes on the coffee table, and he guzzled it down quickly. The sugar helped wake him up, and he stretched with a strained squeak and went jogging off to find a snack before heading out. 

Except, he’d forgotten it was a Saturday, and Maddie would be home. She and Knuckles were in the kitchen doing the dishes. Well, Maddie was doing the dishes, Knuckles was just drying them, careful not to break any of the glasses or fancier dishes.

“Sonic,” Maddie greeted him with a warm smile. “What’ve you got planned for the day? Feeling a little better now?”

“All recharged and ready to party!” crowed the blue hedgehog, hopping up onto a chair and then the counter to get at the cupboard. “Think I’m gonna go on a run though, do some solo ‘splorin.” He was antsier than he wanted to let on to get out, since it was already past noon and he really didn’t want to leave Shadow hanging. The guy didn’t seem like he’d be very patient.

“Be home in time for dinner, okay?”

He saluted at Maddie’s request as he crammed three granola bars in his mouth, an extra one stuck in his quills for later along with half a chocolate bar. “Yes mam!” he called over his shoulder, then was off in a flash, barely remembering to close the door behind him. 

The weather had soured a little since the morning, a pathetic drizzle coating just about everything in a fine layer of moisture. But when you were a super-sonic hedgehog who could run so fast the water literally blew off before even landing on his fur, a little rain didn’t matter. He did slip a couple times in the mud along a mountain ridge where the clouds lingered and turned everything even more soggy, but nothing slowed him down in his mad dash to his destination.

He really should know what this place was called, since this was his third time returning to the rolling, mostly empty hills, but Sonic doubted he’d be able to pick the place out on a map. He flopped down on the same hill he’d found Shadow on the night before (or Shadow had found him. Details, details.) The grass was still wet, but the sun was peeking out of the clouds, and in a fit of energy Sonic furiously rolled around in the grass, the cool moisture surprisingly pleasant on his quills. He hadn’t meant to roll down the hill, but stayed tightly rolled up and sped up when he started to tilt downward, skidding along the grass. It was actually kind of fun, sort of like the slip and slide Tom had set up during the peak of the summer months, and Sonic raced back up the hill to fling himself down the side again.

He laughed freely as he rolled down again, then again, and again, the simple joy keeping him entertained and distracted enough he missed the arrival of his awaited- guest? Friend? Ally?

Sonic, unaware of the second hedgehog’s arrival, of course went speeding directly into him, sending both hedgehogs flying onto their butts in the grass.

“Whaa-“ he shook his head from the force of the collision, popping up to look around. “Oh, Shadow! Hey, you made it!”

Shadow was still on the ground when Sonic greeted him, but he stood quickly and shook himself off, flinging droplets of water every which way. “Hello,” he said, after a minute. He looked almost pained, but it was pretty well hidden. The guy really did not express that much outwardly. 

Sonic, however, shot him his trademark brilliant grin. “Hello hello,” he repeated, shaking himself off a little too. It had started to rain again while he’d been busy rolling down the hill to kill time.

Shadow’s look was unflinching, but the fact there were now rain drops dripping from his nose and his dramatic red and black spikes really ruined the whole image; plus the fact that his backdrop was soft green slopes and some distant cows, not the technicolor lights of Tokyo. “Did you come up with a better excuse for this… meeting?” 

Because he was great at things like memory and planning and that memory thing again, Sonic had most definitely not come up with a better excuse. But if he could do anything, he could come up with dumb ideas on the spot.

“Let’s race!”

Case in point.

But, as luck would have it, Shadow didn’t immediately shoot the idea down. He crossed his arms, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. Wasn’t the first time he’d done that, not that Sonic was counting. 

“Why would we race?”

Sonic groaned. Apparently, saving the world together did not make them immediate friends. “‘Cause racing is fun, why else?” he shrugged, genuinely uncertain what else to say. Tails and Knuckles had never asked why he, Sonic the Hedgehog, wanted to race anything and everything that could even keep up with his dust trail.

But as determined as Sonic was, it seemed Shadow was equally determined to be unbearably difficult, forcing Sonic into a staring contest for a few very long, very drawn-out seconds. Then, finally, red eyes narrowed, and Shadow uncrossed his arms, loosening himself and falling into a familiar stance.

“Fine,” he said, nearly a growl. “You’re on, hedgehog.”

Sonic spun around once on his heel searching for a landmark, picked the farthest mountain he could see, and took off. “Race you to the highest peak!” he called out as he sped away, laughing when he heard a frustrated (and incredibly over the top) snarl. 

It took Shadow all of three seconds to catch up to Sonic. Thanks to whatever tech powered his shoes, the puddles and slick grass and occasional patch of mud caused even less of a detriment to Shadow than they did to Sonic. He flew over them with ease, keeping pace with Sonic with what looked like minimal effort. That alone pissed Sonic off to no end, and he leaned into the slanting rain, pushing himself even faster. 

Of course, Shadow was his perfect mirror image, perfectly level with Sonic. Even worse, he actually looked laid back, like he wasn’t taking this seriously. Just as they were about to enter the tree line, Sonic decided to take matters into his own paws, and he curled into a quick spin and took a sharp turn to his left, slamming Shadow with all his force. He bounced off the other hedgehog, who hissed as he stumbled, only to fall into his own roll just as quickly as Sonic did, slamming back into blue. The force was staggering, even if it was nothing compared to the force they’d used as they tore across the planet in their fury, but Sonic found it… exhilarating.


He loved racing with Tails and Knuckles, especially since Knuckles could take a full spin-dash from Sonic and stay standing. But where Knuckles could definitely best him in strength, his speed just wasn’t comparable. 

This, though? Combined strength and speed? Sonic hurled himself back at Shadow, bouncing back and into him again instead of speeding away. And just as he’d hoped, Shadow met him head on. In a matter of seconds their race devolved as they repeatedly tried to knock each other off course, eventually clawing at each other wherever there was an opening. Sonic spun a hard kick to Shadow’s side, but Shadow dodged and grabbed his ankle, hurling him high over the treetops. 

As Sonic flew through the air spinning uncontrollably, he caught himself grinning at nothing. Even when he landed and immediately was tackled again, his grin persisted as he swiped blindly, kicking whatever he could reach. What he could reach, it turned out, was Shadow’s nose, and Sonic cheered in victory when he heard a sharp and uncharacteristically shrill yelp from Shadow. 

It gave him just enough time to gain all of a quill’s width on Shadow, just enough to kick it into overdrive for a fleeting second, bouncing off a massive boulder and slamming backwards into Shadow, taking him by surprise. They went tumbling through the trees, leaving a path of destruction as they scrabbled and kicked at each other, the occasional snarl exchanged (mostly on Shadow’s part) as they bounced along the soft forest floor.

They finally came to a very jarring halt against a small cliff face, both slamming into it. The force broke them apart like a cracked egg, and they fell against the mossy rock face with twin groans.

Shadow was on him in a split-second, poised above Sonic in a flash of crackling red energy, one paw raised in a clawed threat, teeth bared. He was the picture-perfect example of battle ready, even if he was panting a little more than the last time they’d gone head-to-head. And Sonic just laughed, grinning wildly. It visibly threw Shadow off , burning red eyes flicking from Sonic to his own claws and back to Sonic, his mouth slowly going slack from its previous twisted expression.

“What are you- are you laughing? ” Shadow’s voice was tense, and he hadn’t moved from his poised position, ready to strike, even if his shoulders were a little more slumped and he looked less focused, obviously put off by Sonic’s laughter.

Shoulders still trembling, Sonic wiped away an imaginary tear, catching a bit of rainwater and flicking it up at Shadow. To his exceedingly mischievous delight, it caught Shadow between the eyes, making him blink twice in rapid succession.

“Sorry, sorry,” Sonic said, after another beat, raising both paws in surrender even if he was literally on his back in the mud, Shadow still towering over him. “Just- that was awesome!”

Shadow blinked. “Awesome.”

Nodding quickly, Sonic finally wriggled away and hopped up, shaking himself to free his fur of the twigs and leaves he’d caught as they barrel rolled through the woods. Looking around, he realized just how much destruction they’d caused. Man, even when they didn’t actually want to kill each other and weren’t supercharged with the Master Emerald’s combined energy, they sure did some serious damage with their fighting.

“Kinda fun just to, you know, blow some steam off without the threat of world destruction or fifty years of vengeance making things all…” he shuddered, dramatically waving both paws at Shadow. “ Complicated.”

Shadow only stared at him, still seemingly lost. Sonic decided to take mild mercy on the guy.

“You wanna keep going to the top,” he gestured to the just barely visible peak of the original mountain he’d set off towards. “Or turn around and head back? Ya got a curfew?”

Shadow pondered it for a moment. “No curfew. And technically, the race is to the top. Tired already?” His challenging tone was all the encouragement Sonic needed. 

“Oh, you are so on,” he grinned, and they took off again, this time shoulder to shoulder, the very edges of their fur brushing with each movement.

The air got chilly fast with how quickly they climbed altitude after that, resorting to only the occasional spinning body slam to knock each other down a mile per hour every now and then. The puddles turned to muddy slush, which turned to thin snow, and when they finally reached the highest crest of the mountain and skidded to a halt at the tip, Sonic almost went flying. Sneakers, it turned out, were basically ice skates if there was enough snow and ice and he was going fast enough.

Luckily, Shadow snatched him by the arm before he went flying off the tip of the mountain, and they came to a sloppy halt at the edge of a tall, treacherous cliff.

“Yikes!” Sonic yelped, skidding backward and frantically finding his footing again, grabbing onto Shadow momentarily to steady himself. “Thanks for the catch!”


Shadow didn’t say anything back.

After composing himself, Sonic turned with his paws on both hips. “You know, since technically you had to reach forward to catch me from falling to my certain death, I got here first. I win.” 

That got a reaction from Shadow. “It doesn’t count as a win if you almost fell off a cliff.”

“You say tomato , I say tomato.”

“I do not say-“ Shadow gritted out, then paused, catching his own reaction. “You are infuriating, has anybody ever told you that?”

“Only just about every day of my life!” At least every day of his life that really mattered.

A silence stretched between them as both hedgehogs took in the view, momentarily stilling. They weren’t high enough to be fully above the clouds, more inside of them, but they’d lessened into soggy and grey but not entirely thick fog, wet flakes of snow catching on their damp but wind-ruffled fur. The breeze was chilly, but neither seemed to notice it in favor of staring out at the valley below them. The rolling hills were barely a smudge in the distance, Green Hills nowhere to be seen. If Sonic really squinted off to one edge of the horizon, he could see a faint glimmer of blue even through the haze of the clouds. 

Had Shadow ever seen the ocean? And seeing its massive expanse while sitting on the moon didn’t count, and neither did that escape from his island prison. Sonic wondered if he’d ever just… sat on the beach. Watched a sunset.

“Hey, Shadow,” he said, when the curiosity got the better of him. “Have you ever been to the beach?”

The look Shadow shot him was priceless. “We’re on top of a mountain, surrounded by trees on every side, and you’re thinking about the beach?”

Sonic huffed, puffing out his cheeks. “You can see it from here!” He squinted through the clouds then leaned a little closer to point so Shadow would look in the right direction. “See? That little bit of blue?”

Shadow glanced at him first, not the horizon, but slowly panned to where Sonic was pointing. Sonic watched him out of the corner of his eye, watched Shadow’s gaze sharpen, till he visibly caught the sight. Satisfied, Sonic leaned back again so he wasn’t all the way up in Shadow’s bubble.

After a moment of staring at the distant sea, Shadow said, “No, in answer to your question. I have not been to the beach.”

“It’s great!” Sonic didn’t even give a single second of pause before responding, hopping on his now-chilling toes. “Tom and Maddie took us once this past summer. We made sand castles, we played chicken, we ate so many popsicles my mouth turned purple, we even buried them in the sand!” Even just the memory made him smile fondly. “It took some persuading, and Tails promised to redo Maddie’s braids since he’s like, weirdly good at that, but we buried them both allll the way up to their necks.”

“Tom and Maddie are the humans you were working with, yes?” Shadow peered at him, sounding oddly hesitant. Then again, that might’ve been the wind picking up speed and stealing his words away. His voice was so low and dramatic after all.

“They’re- yeah, they helped with the whole world ending thing. Tom is- uh.” And then Sonic paused, unsure how to say Tom is the guy you almost killed and then I almost killed you over. “They’re my family,” he finally settled on. “Tails and Knuckles, too.”

“The fox and the echidna?”

Sonic nodded. “And our dog, Ozzy! The Wachowski gang is truly the best family around.” He puffed out his chest with pride, crossing both arms. “We’re not just a kick-ass world saving team, we’re also the best family.”


Shadow regarded him for a long, quiet moment. He turned back to look out at the view, which was, unfortunately, rapidly fading as the clouds began to build up again. Sonic wasn’t sure if it was the terrible lighting, but Shadow almost looked- well, he sort of looked… tired. Tired in a way Sonic wouldn’t have expected from someone of his capability and strength. The breeze caught in the drying tips of the white tuft of fur at Shadow’s chest, catching Sonic’s attention. How come Shadow got extra fur and he just got a peachy patch on his belly? So not fair.

“Is your…” Shadow cut himself off. “Is Tom alright?” He sounded like he was about to throw up from the effort it took to say that.

Glad for the distraction from Shadow’s chest fur , Sonic jumped at the chance to say literally anything. “He’s doing great! Docs said he’s gonna have a cast, which sucks, and his ribs are gonna take for-eeeeh-ver to heal, but Tails has already been modifying the house and Knuckles will do all his heavy lifting and I, obviously, will be the best nurse anybody’s ever seen. Plus, Maddie’s the top vet in the whole world, which makes her baaaaasically an M.D.”

Shadow blinked at the deluge of words, but a particularly strong gust of wind caught them both a bit unaware before he could respond.

“We should probably head back before this weather goes full south.” As reluctant as Sonic was to leave, he knew he’d be totally screwed if he was late to dinner. Not because he’d be in trouble, but because Maddie had a sixth sense for sniffing out the truth, and for reasons he wasn’t entirely certain of himself, he wasn’t sure he was ready for everyone else to know Shadow was… well, alive.

Shadow nodded, then rolled his shoulders. He shot a sharp look to Sonic, the faintest glimmer of a smirk at the corner of his mouth. “Winner gets a five second head start next race,” he said, then stepped straight off the very cliff he’d caught Sonic from flying over only a few minutes ago.

“You cheater! Shadow!” Sonic shouted after him, but he wasted no time in springing to action, chasing him down. The run down the side of the cliff was almost scary, going so fast at such a vertical angle that there were a few minutes there Sonic was falling, not running. But they both caught themselves and tucked and rolled before their feet could lose in a race with their bodies, and they went spinning down a snowy slope in matching balls of deadly destruction.


The race back wasn’t quite as intense as the race there, mostly because it had started to less rain and more just pour buckets straight on their heads. And even if Shadow’s shoes helped him get over the water with ease, he wasn’t immune to water getting in his eyes, not to mention the slight delay in each of his strides, something Sonic only noticed after an entire afternoon spent side by side. Plus, with the sheer amount of moisture in the air, even at their speeds they were literally dripping. Tails, quills, ears, every bit of them was soggy and dark with water. The last few miles over the hills was a truly deadly game of staying on his feet for Sonic, and no matter how hard he tried, it was no surprise when Shadow beat him to the top of what Sonic had started to think of as their hill with concerning quickness.

“You know, you still haven’t said where you’re staying now,” said Sonic, once he’d lamented his loss and tried and failed to wring literally any amount of the water from his fur. It was absolutely no use, since as much as he squeezed out was immediately rained back down on him from the sky above.

Shadow only shrugged, as vague as ever. “You don’t need to know.”

“What-!” Sonic squawked, unbelieving. “Come on! What, do you have some super-secret headquarters?” 

Shadow leveled his stare. “Like I said, you don’t need to know.”

“Ugh,” groaned Sonic. “You know who’s the infuriating one? You are.”

Shadow had the audacity to smile, even if it was sort of small and more of a smirk, crossing his arms again. “I still won’t tell you.”

Sonic shook a weak fist at him. “Mark my words, Shadow the Secretive, I will find your base of operations.”

Because he sort of sucked, Shadow just shook his head. “No, you won’t.”

But as stubborn as Shadow was, so was Sonic. “Will too.” 

“Will not.”

“I will too!”

“I’m not having this argument.” The dismissal was actually worse than losing the argument, Sonic decided, as Shadow sniffed and casually turned away from him as if the conversation meant as little to him as the small lake forming at the base of the hill they stood on. His quills drooped in the rain, and even his tail looked limp and pathetic.

Not exactly defeated but willing to let them have a stalemate, Sonic sighed. “Ugh, you suck.” As quickly as he’d become frustrated, he perked up again. “You wanna do this again tomorrow?”

His sudden change in tone and request didn’t catch Shadow off guard quite as much the first time, but he still looked a little surprised. “Fine, but don’t forget, I have a head start next time.”

“Yeah yeah, sure thing Mister Special-Shoes.”

“What’s that about my-“

But Sonic didn’t let him finish, spinning on his heel, tossing double finger-guns at him, then zipping away. “See ya, Shadster!”

The rain and his own speed were loud, but not loud enough to drown out the violent shout of, “Never call me that again, you damn hedgehog!”

He was far out of earshot by the time he glanced over his shoulder, but he did catch a glimpse of a dark figure lingering on the hill for another moment longer before skating down the other side and disappearing into the sheets of rain. Really, the ridiculousness of Shadow, calling him a damn hedgehog. Technically, they both were damn hedgehogs, but it amused Sonic to no end nonetheless.

He knew he was late before he even got back. And sure, it was only by a little bit, but Tails and Knuckles were halfway through their sloppy joes by the time Sonic came skidding inside. He shook himself off as best he could on the porch, but he was still pretty drippy as he hurried into the dining room.

“Geez, Sonic, you smell like a wet Ozzy!” Tails grimaced when Sonic flopped down into a chair next to him.

Maddie gave him a raised eyebrow, but she handed him a bowl of shredded cheese to put on top of his food, so at least he wasn’t in trouble trouble.

“You are a bit… pungent,” added Knuckles, his nose wrinkling surprisingly delicately for the echidna.

“Went so fast I lost track of time!” Sonic explained through a mouth of meat and sauce and bread. “And the rain is craaazy out there, highly recommend absolutely nobody goes out in it.”

He was fully expecting an interrogation, but none came. Maddie told them stories from work that past week, this time about a pair of bunny rabbits that always came dressed up in little outfits (pictures were obviously provided), and they even got to call Tom for a little bit before Maddie took her phone with her to their bedroom.

As the three were clearing the table, Tails hopped over to Sonic, pinning him down with a pointed stare. The little fox looked like the picture perfect and cutest thing on the planet for ninety-nine percent of the time. And then every now and then, he could literally freeze Sonic with a single look.

“What’ve you been up to?” he asked, peering up at Sonic.

Sonic gulped. “Uh, running?”

“The fox is right,” chimed in Knuckles, setting down an empty bowl and turning, fists on his hips.  “You are definitely hiding something.”

Neither of his teammates, his brothers , seemed particularly upset or anything, just genuinely curious, but their scrutiny had Sonic nervously edging backwards. “Look, it’s not- I’m not doing anything stupid, or dangerous, or, I dunno! I’m not doing anything wrong.”

Tails lit up. “But you are doing something!”

Sonic deflated. Ugh. Curse his stupid genius brother. “If I promise to tell you guys when I’m ready, will you ease up?”

Tails shot Knuckles a look, then they both looked at Sonic, then back to each other.

“Okay,” Tails agreed, nodding. “But you have to promise you’ll tell us eventually.”

Sonic nodded. “Of course I will, I can’t keep secrets from you guys forever, you know that. We’re a team. A family!”

Luckily, that seemed to pacify them, and the matter was dropped in favor of speeding through dishes so they could take up residence on the couch for some deadly serious rounds of Mario Kart.

When Maddie finally sent them off to bed, all three were dragging their feet, even Sonic. His nap earlier had been great, but he’d spent the entire afternoon in almost nonstop motion. As it turned out, tussling with Shadow was more exhausting than he expected. 

Where it often took him a few minutes of flopping around like a dead fish to get comfortable enough to sleep, Sonic was already drifting off into oblivion as Maddie bid them goodnight and closed the attic door, leaving all three tucked snuggly in their respective beds.

He wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up, only that it was dark and he was freezing cold. His toes felt like ice, tucked away under his blanket in nothing but his socks, and as if the physical cold wasn’t enough, there was an iciness in his chest that pushed Sonic out of bed, scratching at his own chest fur in discomfort. The coldness was persistent, something sharp and unpleasant deep in his core. He’d been dreaming, he was pretty sure, something painful and desperate, black and white fur under his claws, fury in his heart, an irreversible mistake very nearly made. Whatever the dream was, it left him more than a little shaken, if only because he couldn’t suppress the nerves under the blanket of night. 

Not really fully aware of his own actions, Sonic stumbled down the ladder and along the hallway until he found himself nudging the door to Tom and Maddie’s bedroom open. Instinct pushed him forward, crawling up the foot of the bed where Ozzy was sprawled. The dog took up most of the space, so Sonic shuffled around until he was curled up in the empty space left in Tom’s absence, careful to keep his quills tucked in so he wouldn’t poke Maddie. She was curled up on her side, one hand stretched out towards the empty space now occupied by one groggy hedgehog. For a moment, Sonic just watched her sleep.

He still couldn’t remember his dream, but the coldness, the sheer despair that must’ve been what sent him bolting upright in bed, was still ravaging the inside of his chest. Still careful, he inched forward a little, then a little more, until he could nuzzle up against Maddie’s hand. It was warm and soft and comforting, smelling a little sweet from the lotion she used before bed every night, and it was like a soothing balm directly to Sonic’s heart. He still couldn’t seem to fall back asleep, but he was at least able to relax enough that he didn’t feel like every fiber of his being was on a sleepy cliff’s edge.

He must’ve made some sort of sound or movement to wake her up, because the next moment Sonic realized Maddie was very much awake, dark eyes watching him silently from a few inches away.

He blinked, nose twitching and lightly brushing her palm. It made her lips twitch in a smile, and she reached out a little further to scratch at one soft, drooping ear. She didn’t say anything, just kept soothing him, moving from one ear to another, stroking a gentle hand over his quills and along his shoulder. 

It had been ages since Sonic snuck into their room in the middle of the night, something he’d only done a few times in the early days. He hadn’t even realized he’d done it the first time until he’d woken up sprawled on his belly over Tom’s chest. He had faint memories of snuggling up to Longclaw as a little pup, but they were fainter and fainter every day, details blurring that used to be crystal clear.

The thought must’ve shown something on his face, for Maddie’s gaze softened, and she inched a little closer. “What’s going on in that little blue head of yours?” she asked, her voice nothing but a soft whisper.

Sonic sniffed, curling up a little tighter, not entirely sure what to say. Sometimes, he still didn’t know how to handle all of this; the warmth, the familiarity, the comfort of his own family. Sometimes, he still struggled with getting his own words out, explaining himself in moments like this. Tom and Maddie said that was normal after living on his own for so long, but it still frustrated Sonic. Words were easy, he loved saying words! And yet, there he was, a lump in his throat and silence on his tongue. 

“Is it about Tom?” her question was gentle, but her eyes worried.

Sonic almost shook his head, paused, then finally gave in, shaking it just once. It was, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t just Tom, even if his absence felt like someone had emptied the Wachowski house of half its heart.

Maddie thought for a moment, absently scratching a spot on his forehead. “Is it about- what was his name?” Her brows furrowed for a moment, considering. “The other hedgehog, the one who helped you save Earth?”

Sometimes, Maddie’s borderline psychic abilities really freaked Sonic out. “Shadow,” he whispered.

“Shadow,” she echoed. “Is it about him?” 

Now that he’d managed to get a word out, the rest came easier. “How’d you know?” It had barely been twenty-four hours of knowing Shadow was alive, and he’d been pretty decent at not mentioning those details. Even at dinner he’d been vague about his exploring.

“Just a hunch,” Maddie replied, smiling a little. “You haven’t mentioned him once since it all happened, but you were… you were pretty upset. We could tell.”

Sonic blinked at her, brows furrowing together. He’d thought he’d done a pretty good job at covering up just how badly Shadow’s sacrifice had gotten to him. It had been Shadow’s choice, after all, and Sonic knew he’d needed to respect that. Not only that, but nobody else had been around for their heart to heart in between trying to kill each other and then saving the world. He wasn’t really sure how Tails and Knuckles would’ve reacted if he’d been as outwardly upset as he’d felt.

Except, why was he still upset? Shadow was alive. He was, theoretically, fine.

But Sonic listened to the sound of rain outside in the night and he thought about Shadow alone in the dark and he hated it.

“D’ya think he’s okay out there?”

Maddie seemed surprised by the question, eyes widening momentarily. It made sense, since technically, she probably thought he was dead just like Sonic had until very, very recently. But she seemed to understand what Sonic needed, pulling him a little closer and giving him a careful hug. “I don’t know, Sonic,” she answered honestly. “But I hope so.”

“Even when- even after what he did to Tom?” Sonic blinked up at her with wide eyes. 

Maddie didn’t respond right away, taking time to consider. But her hand never stopped soothing over Sonic’s head. Finally, she spoke again, voice a little stronger but still ever so soft. “I think he was scared, and I think he made a very terrible mistake that could’ve ended up much worse. I think he was desperate, and desperate people — and hedgehogs — don’t always make the best choices.”

Sonic thought about the look he’d seen in Shadow’s eyes right at the last moment of their fight, with Sonic clutching at his chest, ready to strike the final blow. He thought about wide red eyes and bared teeth, about desperately pointing to his own chest, spurring Sonic on to finish the fight he’d almost won. He thought about quiet words whispered on an empty moon, empty save for two lost hedgehogs. He’d recognized the loneliness in Shadow, the uncertainty. Sure, he hadn’t gone full revenge rampage mode after his years of solitude, but still. He knew what it was like to lose everything and feel like there was nothing left, nobody left that cared if he made the right choice or not. 

He was so lost in his own thoughts he didn’t notice Maddie giving him a curious look until she lightly poked his nose, making it wrinkle. That made her smile, which made Sonic mirror the expression, even if it was a little lackluster.

“If he is out there,” she said, somewhat cautiously, “I bet he could really use a friend.” 

“Yeah,” Sonic mumbled, still scrunching his nose up until her hand fell down from his head, reaching down to clasp one ever-gloved paw.

“And maybe it’d be nice to have another hedgehog around, huh?” Her tone was almost… teasing? 

Sonic huffed. “I mean, I guess so. A little.” 

She breathed a quiet laugh that was quickly interrupted by a yawn. “Okay, enough midnight chitchat. Time for all awake Wachowski’s to get some more sleep.” She rolled over onto her back but held the blanket up, one arm reaching out to Sonic. “You wanna stay?”

Sonic didn’t even bother that with a response. He just snuggled up against shoulder, tucking his nose close under her chin. At their feet, Ozzy made a smacking noise and wiggled a little closer, his head resting on Sonic’s feet over the blanket.

This time, he fell asleep and stayed asleep, warm and content.

Chapter Text

Sundays in the Wachowski household were a lively affair. Tom usually made breakfast on Sundays so Maddie could sleep in, but in his absence, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles decided to take matters into their own paws. Sonic had woken up refreshed and ready to take the day head on but had been careful to sneak out from under Maddie’s sleeping arm. He’d even turned off her alarm so she’d get a little extra sleep. She’d been overworking herself, even Sonic could notice that.

Unfortunately, even with Tails’ genius, Knuckles’ determination, and Sonic’s bright ideas and unbridled optimism, the three of them were an absolute nightmare in the kitchen. So instead of the omelet that they’d tried to prepare for her, Maddie wound up with a peanut butter and honey with apple sandwich for breakfast in bed, something she raised an eye at but said was surprisingly tasty. They also managed to best the coffee machine, mostly thanks to Tails, and even prepared it to her taste.

The rest of the morning was spent in usual Sunday fashion: cleaning the house from the uppermost roof tile to the crawl space in the shoe closet. Everybody helped, as was routine, and by the time noon rolled around, everyone was hungry and ready for lunch. They’d been reluctant to miss their usual morning hospital visit, but Maddie explained a much better plan: bringing lunch to the hospital instead. They spent the car ride hotly debating what to pick up and eventually decided to pick up about eight million tacos all tucked away in a cardboard tray covered in tinfoil, a stack of little plastic containers full of various salsas strewn over the top.

The doctors were as thrilled as ever with the family moving on in, but Sonic couldn’t care less; the few scowls were worth it to spend their lunch time sprawled across a hospital bed failing to be tidy as they scarfed down enough shrimp tacos to sustain a small army.

Tom decided he needed to practice some hand-eye coordination, and despite Maddie’s protests, practiced it by tossing stray shrimps into Sonic, Tails’, and Knuckles’ waiting open mouths respectfully. Somehow, only two shrimps wound up on the floor, and Sonic wasn’t above eating them. Hospitals were so clean, after all.

So caught up in the lunch time shenanigans was he that Sonic didn’t even realize what time it was till a nurse came in to check on Tom, muttering some notes as he worked around the family.

“Wait, how late is it?!” Suddenly mildly panicking, Sonic glanced around for a clock.

“Woah there, buddy,” said Tom, holding up a hand to catch Sonic’s attention. “What’s the rush? Got a hot date to run off to?”

To his horror, Sonic felt his entire face heat up. He could only desperately pray that the peachy fur of his muzzle hid it. “No, just- gross, ugh! I uh, I’ve got a… project! A time sensitive project.”

Tails perked up immediately. “A project? What kind of project?”

And of course, Knuckles chimed in as well. “Is this the secret you won’t tell us yet?”

Sonic groaned in embarrassed frustration again, covering his face with both paws. As expected, Maddie and Tom downright pinned him down with their gazes. He didn’t look at either of them.

“A secret, huh?” Tom’s tone of voice was way too curious. “What’s got you so tied to a schedule?”

Sonic dragged his paws down his face in agony, finally facing his family. “It’s- I’ll tell you guys as soon as it’s ready! I swear. But for now I really gotta… it’s gotta stay secret. For now.”

Maddie’s gaze was narrowed, too perceptive for Sonic’s tastes, and she had what looked like a whole conversation with Tom in the form of a single silent look. Apparently, that was a skill married people had.

“Sonic,” she said, voice even. “If you need to run off to your… project… that’s fine. We’ll be heading home soon anyway, and you can meet us there. But you have to be safe, okay?”

Sonic nodded quickly. Now that he realized how late it was, he was itching to leave.

Tom caught him by one furry elbow as he slid off the bed, flashing him a comforting smile. “You’ll tell us about it when you’re ready?”

Nodding quickly, Sonic said, “Swear it! Soon as h- er, I’m ready, you’ll know.”

It was obvious his family wanted more answers, but Sonic escaped as soon as they let him. He decided to go out the window instead, since the hospital layout was way too confusing, and the window even gave him the chance to pick up speed running down the wall of the building.

The day wasn’t as dreary as the previous, but the sky was a dull grey and the horizon was hazy, threatening more rain. But for the time being, the air was clear save for a light breeze.

The run to the hill he met Shadow on was easy, but Sonic found himself hurrying a little extra. He was significantly later than the day prior, and he was pretty sure Shadow wouldn’t wait around for him, as much as Sonic hoped he would.

And, as Sonic feared, the hill and its surroundings were completely devoid of red and black hedgehogs.

Sonic skidded to a halt at the top, spinning around and peering every which way, but to no luck. It had been almost two in the afternoon when he’d left, and he knew the sun would be setting in a few hours. But, determined, Sonic made himself comfortable in the grass, set on waiting for as long as he could to see if Shadow might show up anyway.

He didn’t have anything to keep time on him, so he wasn’t sure how long he sat there picking at the grass. He did about a million jumping jacks, then ran to the top of every hill in the surrounding area, and even tried walking along some of the wire fences. That didn’t work, and he ended up catching his fur on some rusty barb wire, but it wasn’t too bad, just a miserable, stinging scratch near his knee.

But no matter how much time he killed, Shadow didn’t show. With a frustrated groan, Sonic fell back in the grass, arms stretched out, and shouted at the sky, “Shadooow!!!” He drew out the last syllable, hoping the plaintive howl would miraculously summon the missing hedgehog.

It didn’t.

There was still some time left in the day, though, and Sonic wasn’t ready to give up yet. Instead, he decided to investigate the surrounding area. The day prior it had looked like Shadow set off towards the small town Sonic hadn’t gone near, so he zipped off in that direction, looking around for any trace. There was a small woody area near the town, the trees’ flat leaves turning ever so slightly with the incoming change of the seasons. It was a refreshing change from the endless pine-filled forests, and Sonic slowed just a bit to look everywhere, up in tree branches and around twisty trunks. But… nothing.

He tried the town, but it was even smaller than Green Hills, and he came up with, yet again, nothing. Nobody noticed him as he dashed between alleys and stuck his head in dumpsters, even looking under a few cars. And still, there was no sign of Shadow.

After exploring the town, he headed towards the forest again, past the town, where he hadn’t been much. He knew if he kept going, if he crossed the distant mountains, he’d eventually wind up in Seattle, and somehow, he doubted Shadow was that far away. 

The woods were similar to the ones surrounding Green Hills, and it took ages to explore every nook and cranny that he could find. He tried calling Shadow’s name a couple times, but his luck continued to be poor.

He was just about ready to turn around and go home when he spotted a small clearing a little ways up one of the many mountains. The clouds were still pretty grey and miserable, but a few rays of golden sunlight had begun poking through as Sonic went on his search, and one of those warm beams illuminated the little clearing even through the trees. Sonic was at the perimeter in a second, glancing around. The grass looked a little rough, but there were a few boulders at the edge that looked like they might be big enough to form a hedgehog-sized hidey-hole.

He ran over so quickly he very nearly ran over Shadow.

Between the boulders was a small pile of leaves perfectly illuminated by the late afternoon in between the rocks. And curled up in a prickly little ball was one dark hedgehog, dead asleep.

“Shadow!” Sonic cried loudly in excitement before thinking better of it.

Shadow jolted awake, eyes wild, teeth bared. He flung himself back against the rock, hunched over in a fighting stance. His gaze was wild until it landed on Sonic, and then he looked confused, then angry again, then confused again.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, voice sharp but a little… well, sleepy.

“Looking for you, duh.” Sonic crept forward as Shadow slowly relaxed, but he stayed upright, tense. “Sorry I was late, lunch ran really long and I lost track of time.”

Shadow glared, curling up into himself as he slowly crouched back down on the ground in the pile of leaves. He looked about as friendly as a pincushion.

“Soo…” Sonic trailed off, dropping to the ground a few feet away from Shadow, careful not to tread or sit on the leaf pile. “What’ve you been up to today?”

“Nothing,” Shadow grit out. There was a bite in his voice that hadn’t been there the day before. It was more like what he’d sounded like in the lab when he’d ambushed Sonic. He didn’t say anything else.

Sonic blew out a long breath. “Ooo-kay then…” This was weird. There was obviously something wrong, but he found it hard to believe Shadow was that upset with him for just being late to go on a race. And it was only the second day they’d do something like that, it wasn’t like they had a routine or a real schedule. “You wanna, uh, you wanna race?” He knew the question was the wrong thing to say even before Shadow hissed, a quiet, low sound that honestly sounded… pained. 

“Not today,” he muttered, remaining curled in on himself.

Sonic gulped. “That’s cool, then, no biggie.” He twiddled his thumbs, glancing around awkwardly. “Uh- then wanna-“

“I don’t want to do anything with you,” Shadow said, each word said with careful diction. “I want to go back to sleep. Go home to your- …family.”

Sonic leaned in a little, eyeing Shadow. The guy looked… not great. There were bags under his eye, and his quills were pointing every which way, and every inch of him looked tense. Sonic could even see his tail curled in tucked between his legs, which were pulled up against his chest, both arms clinging to them.

“Did something happen to you?” 

The glare he got for his question was lethal. “It’s none of your concern.” 

So something did happen. That unspoken confirmation was enough for Sonic to push. “Are you okay? What happened? Can I help?”

“Can you- no, you can’t help.” Shadow spat the words at him. “You can-“ but his next words were cut off with a groan, and Shadow curled even farther in on himself, the tips of his claws poking through his gloves as he clutched at his own knees.

Sonic moved on instinct, crawling over to Shadow. “Dude, you are so not okay! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

It was a testament to just how out of it Shadow apparently was that he didn’t immediately deck Sonic for getting so close, definitely within punching distance. He didn’t say anything, just curled up and tucked his face away from view, his shoulders trembling. His quills were puffed up, standing out straight and lethal, and Sonic made sure to steer clear of each wicked point.

“C’mon, man, what is wrong with you?” he couldn’t help pushing further, couldn’t help giving in to his desperate need to know what the heck had happened to Shadow. 

Unfortunately, that seemed to be Shadow’s breaking point. In one lightning-fast movement he uncurled, swiping forward to shove Sonic away from him, snarling, “I fell from the sky , what did you think happened to me!”

He pushed Sonic roughly, but with none of his usual strength, which only made Sonic bounce right back, Shadow’s claws clasped around his shoulders. They stayed like that, Sonic crouched in front of Shadow, Shadow holding him an arm’s length away, panting with pained exhaustion.

“But…” Sonic trailed off. “You were okay yesterday, weren't you?”

His lost but earnest tone must’ve proven to Shadow he wasn’t an immediate threat, and slowly, Shadow retreated again. Even if his claws had been painful where they dug into Sonic’s shoulders, he sort of missed the bracing contact.

“I thought I was,” Shadow muttered, after an awkward pause. “Guess I’m not done recovering.”

Sonic could admit that he’d been a little surprised at how unharmed Shadow had seemed. It was only, what, five days ago that he’d been possibly at the heart of a massive explosion in space? But Sonic’s excitement at seeing him alive had won out over any possible concerns, too thrilled by their game of chase to consider that maybe Shadow was supposed to be resting. He’d lightly sprained an ankle a while back, and Sonic had thought he’d been better and gone running, only to make it all the worse. Maddie had needed to put a splint on it for a couple of days, and Tom even took a day off work to make sure Sonic stayed in bed, comfortable and resting.

At that thought, Sonic took a closer look at the space around them. Now that he was actually paying attention, he noticed bits of black and red fur, a few stray quills, and even what looked like it might’ve been a smear of blood on one of the rocks. “Shadow,” he started, hesitant. “Is this where you’ve been staying since everything happened?” 

His only answer was a heated scowl.

“Man, you need, like, medical care! A bed!”

“No doctors, no tests,” Shadow hissed, his voice back to that thin, aggressive whisper.

Sonic shot him a look. “Dude, you said it yourself. You fell from the sky. You should get checked out.”

Shadow, however, didn’t seem to agree, only shaking his head and leaning farther back against the rock. “I’ll be fine. I just need more time.”

“What, you got super-healing, or something?”

Shadow’s ear twitched.

“No freaking way!” His curiosity back in full force, Sonic leaned in towards him again. “You do?”

Shadow didn’t respond. The silence stretched.

“Ugh,” whined Sonic, inching a little closer. “You’re impossible to get to know. Come on! You can trust me!” They’d saved the world together; couldn’t Shadow admit a single tiny detail about himself?

But Shadow gave him nothing and remained curled up against the boulder, head tilted back.

Sonic was about to open his mouth again to speak, when a very soft snore sounded from Shadow. He’d… fallen asleep again? Was he seriously that worn out?

It was probably the wrong thing to do, was probably considered taking advantage, but Sonic crept closer anyway, all the way up until his nose was almost touching Shadow’s, drinking in every detail. Idly, without really realizing what he was doing, he reached forward and plucked a tuft of loose fur off Shadow’s ear. Whereas Sonic had been bundled up in a soft towel after dinner and then sent to a hot shower after their escapades in the rain, it was obvious Shadow hadn’t had the chance to dry properly, and his fur looked flat and dull, even impacted in its shaggier areas.

Emboldened when Shadow didn’t wake up, Sonic reached over to remove a broken quill tip, then another, then gently ran a hand over them to smooth the absolute mess on top of Shadow’s head.

Unfortunately, that woke him up, and in a flash the sharp spines puffed out, catching one of Sonic’s paws. The sharp red tip stabbed all the way through his glove and into a soft, tender paw-pad underneath, causing Sonic to yelp and recoil quickly.

As he sucked on his finger through his glove, already tasting blood, Shadow stared him down with poorly disguised rage.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Sonic just looked at him, then down at his finger. There was a red spot on the tip now, growing larger ever so slowly. Actually, now it was about the same color as the very quill that caused the minor injury. 

Shadow caught the sight as well, and his eyes widened for a moment before his expression went steely again. “Go home, hedgehog.” His voice lacked the malice and bite of his previous words. Now, he just sounded exhausted.

“Shadow…” Sonic was almost hesitant to say anything. Sure, he wasn’t great at letting things go or social boundaries sometimes, but even he could understand how badly Shadow obviously wanted to be left alone. “This is a crappy place to hang out. You don’t even have a roof! Or pillows!”

Shadow didn’t have a retort to that; probably because Sonic was right. 

Suddenly, Sonic sat up a little straighter, an idea forming. “You should come back with me to Green Hills.”

“Absolutely not.” The response was immediate.

“You don’t have to be seen!” he explained, eagerly leaning in again. “I know a place you can hide that’ll keep you dry, and it’s close enough I can bring you stuff. Like, bandaids, or something. Snacks. That kinda rigamarole.” 

While Shadow looked hesitant as he glanced around at the space around them, Sonic could see the logic of the suggestion slowly sinking in. Even someone as stubborn and pig-headed as Shadow had to admit to sound logic like that.

“Is it near your family?
 

Sonic nodded. “Yeah, but they don’t have to know. They don’t even know you’re not a speck of irradiated dust in the sky a zillion miles away.”


That caught Shadow’s attention. “You didn’t tell them?”


It made Sonic shift, suddenly a little uncomfortable. “Not yet. I will, duh, I tell them everything! But I figured… I dunno.”

After another few seconds of tense silence, Shadow relented. “Don’t tell them I’m there, and fine. I’ll go.”

Immediately, Sonic was back to his trademark grin. Honestly, that was way too long without it. “Great!” he cheered, hopping up. “You want a piggy-back ride back, since you’re still recovering?” He hunched down and glanced at Shadow over his shoulder, waggling his eyebrows.


“Absolutely not,” muttered Shadow, also climbing to his own two feet. “Just… lead the way.”

Sonic hesitated for a moment, considering asking if Shadow was okay again, but he figured it would probably go about as well as earlier. “Well, if you say so,” he said instead. “It’s not too far from here, but let me know if you need to slow down or take a break!”

Shadow clenched twin fists at his sides, glaring. “I don’t take breaks.”

Sonic wanted to argue, because obviously he did, or at least he took afternoon naps in the middle of conversations, but he also really didn’t want Shadow to change his mind. So instead, after another halting look, he set off back the way he came.


He kept his pace as easy as he could, but apparently, even when he was recovering from pushing himself too hard, Shadow could still meet him neck in neck for speed. The clouds hadn’t given in to the threat of rain, but they’d slowly grown darker, the last bits of early evening sunshine disappearing as the two hedgehogs zipped around trees, over rocks, and through ravines.

They didn’t talk at all the entire way back, and Sonic, for once, didn’t force it. He was lucky enough Shadow had agreed to the idea, and he really didn’t want to risk the guy turning around and ditching. And so Sonic managed to bite his tongue all the way back through woods and over a few streams, until he caught a glimpse of Green Hills and swerved off to head to his old hide-out.

It was still weird to be back here. He thought of the last time he’d been here, before everything exploded in their faces, thought of Tom’s fingertip against his chest. He wondered, if Tom hadn’t given him that tiny, blink and you miss it life lesson, would he have spared Shadow? If he hadn’t had Tom’s belief in his ability to be good, to choose the right thing even if it hurt, would he have given in to the urge to turn Shadow into nothing but a grease spot in his own vengeful fury?

The thought made Sonic grimace, and he shook it away. 

“Welcome to my -er, well, my old humble abode!” He spun on his heel as he entered the cave, sweeping his arms out in a flare of drama as Shadow slid his way down the roof entrance.

Shadow eyed the space warily, his chest rising and falling with reasonably well-hidden exhaustion. “You… lived here? I thought you lived with those humans.”

“I do now , but I didn’t always.” Sonic hopped up onto one of the mossy rocks at the edge of the cave, watching Shadow take in every detail. It was a weird feeling, actually. He didn’t really take anyone to this cave, except Tom that one time. It was a thing of the past, and Sonic hated lingering on the past; no point in it if he wanted to keep moving, and he always wanted to keep moving.

So it was… weirdly intimate to watch Shadow take in the scraps of trash repurposed into decor, the tires he’d used for chairs, the broken toys he’d scavenged and collected like they were more precious than rings. His scowl was gone, at least, a (albeit dim) spark in his red eyes. After he scanned everything in the room, Shadow turned to Sonic, only for his gaze to skip over him and glance over Sonic’s shoulder. And Sonic knew what Shadow was looking at, since he knew he was planted in front of his old drawing. But despite his usual need to blab about everything and everyone, he stayed quiet, waiting for Shadow to ask.

He didn’t. Instead, he tugged a ratty blanket from the rope and net hammock Sonic had rigged up all those years ago, spread it out in the dirt, and promptly curled up.

Finally, Shadow spoke. “This will do.” His voice sounded a little strained again. “Now you can go.”

Reluctantly, Sonic stood, his gaze lingering. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

Shadow sighed, momentarily sitting up. “I’m fine. Like I said, I’ll recover. Alone.”

“Okay, okay, no need to get so prickly!”

“We’re hedgehogs,” Shadow muttered, and this time the pain in his eyes was all annoyance, something Sonic was well accustomed to being on the receiving end of. “We’re literally always prickly.”

That, at least, made Sonic snicker. “Well, if you need anything, I’ll be back later with supplies! I’ll just leave ‘em if you’re asleep.”


Shadow looked a little disgruntled by that idea, but in the end, looked like he decided he had bigger battles to pick. Instead of saying anything else, he turned his back on Sonic, curling up into a tight, spiky ball.

With nothing else to do, Sonic finally gave in and hopped out of the cave. 

Now, he just had to figure out how to smuggle supplies out of the house without Maddie noticing. Or Knuckles. Or Tails. For the first time ever, he was momentarily glad that Tom wasn’t home, if only because Tom was the only one who knew about the location of the cave.

He let himself peer down into the cave one last time, just to confirm Shadow was still there, then kicked off and sped back home.

He made it back with plenty of time to spare before dinner, a drastic change from the previous night. It looked like everyone else had done more cleaning, and Sonic had the sudden, uncharacteristic urge to take his shoes off in the house, and he hated taking his shoes off if he was even remotely conscious. But the floors were polished and even the walls looked cleaner.

He could also smell something cooking, and (shoes still firmly in place despite the fact he could’ve eaten off those floors) he followed his nose to the source.

“Hey, Sonic!” Tails greeted him first from his place at the counter perched on a stool. He had a knife in one paw and an entire head of garlic in the other, his goggles strapped on. Knuckles held a metal bowl full of something, standing next to Maddie as she peeled potatoes. Oh, that was probably what the bowl was for, huh.

“How was the project ?” asked Maddie as he came traipsing in. Her emphasis did not go unnoticed, but for once in his life, he decided to take the high road and ignore it.

“Just fine! Hey, what’s for dinner?” It was a poor attempt to skip over it, and by Maddie’s single raised eyebrow it obviously didn’t work, but she either took pity on him or had implicit and unwavering trust in his judgement. Sonic liked to think it was the second.

“We are making scallop potatoes,” explained Knuckles, ever serious.

Sonic winced. “Scallop? Aren’t those like, a water snail or something?”

“Actually, it’s-“ But Maddie was cut off by Tails, his tablet all of a sudden in his hands, before she could get a proper word in edgewise.

“A scallop is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the sca-“

“Scalloped!” Maddie had to raise her voice to get over Tails’ reading voice, but she was laughing as she said, “Scall oped potatoes, guys. It’s a way of cutting them.”


All three stared at her, deeply confused. 

“So…” Sonic grimaced. “No marine bivalve molluwhatevers?”

Maddie shook her head. “Just cheese sauce and potatoes and a little bacon. Think you can handle that?” 

The resounding cheer that went up seemed an adequate answer.

Dinner was as lively as it always was, as it turned out scalloped potatoes were actually great, and Sonic ate three bowls of the stuff. Nothing as perfect as a chili dog, obviously, but with some extra bacon on top? He could die a happy hedgehog eating the stuff. But towards the end, Maddie got a phone call that took her away. They knew it was probably the hospital, since that was the only kind of phone call she took away from them these days, but she reassured them everything was fine before stepping into the hallway. 

Nobody wanted to address it, so they all set to clearing the table instead. She was back before they were done, and though her smile was a little thin, she didn’t seem too distraught. She did, however, take her book and a cup of tea to her bedroom, and though she left the door open, nobody wanted to bug her. All three could see how much more she was doing for them every day in her effort to fill the missing space in the house, in the family. 

Lost in thought for a moment as they finished up their after-dinner chores, Sonic didn’t notice the look exchanged between Tails and Knuckles until it was too late; they had somehow managed to corner him against the cabinets without Sonic noticing.

“Uh, hey guys?” He eyed them both, chuckling a little nervously. “Is it Everybody Share Sonic’s Personal Space Day or somethin’?”

Knuckles was the first to speak. “Are you ready to share that secret with us yet?” He leaned in, piercing gaze meeting Sonic’s, voice even but insistent.

Tails might’ve been the shortest of the group, but his stare from beside Knuckles was just as serious. “It’s been a full day, and we’re so curious, Sonic!”

Sonic glanced between them, feeling incredibly cornered, both literally and emotionally. He wanted to tell them Shadow was alive, they deserved to know. But the problem was that even if they reacted well, they would probably want to come with him to see Shadow, and Sonic had a very bad feeling about that. They’d really only seen Shadow their enemy, not Shadow their… ally? Sonic still couldn’t decide on a good word for just what role Shadow played.

But keeping secrets wasn’t Sonic’s specialty. And, worse, he could really use their help. “Okay, okay! I’ll tell you guys if-!” He held up a pointed finger to silence their sounds of excitement before they could interrupt. “If you help me with something and you agree to my terms before I tell you.”

“Done deal,” said Tails, zero hesitation. “Whatever it is, we’ll help!”

Knuckles had the mind to at least ask, “What are your terms, first?”

“Well, I’m sooo glad you asked!” Now that they weren’t quite as ready to interrogate him as they had been a second ago, Sonic had a chance to slide out between them, marching around the kitchen. “First, I need a picnic basket with plenty of shelf-stable snacks. Second, I need a uh, first aid kit, I guess? Third, I need… whatever you can think of that might make someone feel better. And finally!” He turned back to face them. “I really need you guys not to follow me when I deliver all that stuff.”

Both of them stared at him, then at each other. Knuckles opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Tails blinked at Sonic, strangely silent.

Sonic held out both paws, one for each. “Deal?”

He waited until they both veeery slowly reached out and shook on it.

And since Sonic was never one to be known for tact, he ripped the bandaid clean off.

“Shadow’s alive.”

For one blissful second, nobody moved and nobody said anything. Aaand then, of course, the chaos hit.

Tails gasped first, eyes as wide as the sky. “Shadow’s alive-!”

“Wait, how do you even know-“

“And where is he and-“

“And does he know if the egg doctor survived and-“

“Guys!” Sonic literally jumped to get their attention. “First, yes, he’s alive. Knuckles, to answer your first question, I sort of… ran into him, I guess, while I was out running. I found one of his bracelet thingies and he wanted it back.”

“His bracelet?” Tails looked curious, already lost in thought. 

“Well, he calls it- what was it…” Sonic had to think real hard for a second to remember. “Right! He called it an inhibitor ring, but didn’t explain that.”

“An inhibitor ring implies-“

“Implies a whole lot, so many things!” Sonic jumped back in before Tails could run his tongue too far and lose track of what they were talking about. “But anyway, moving on from that, I can’t tell you where he is because I told him I wouldn’t. He’s like, impossible to negotiate with, it was my only bargaining chip! And last of all, Knuckles, final Q, I haven’t had a chance to ask that yet. Uh, no time and all that.” In all reality, the thought hadn’t even occurred to Sonic. He’d seen Shadow was alive and his brain had just closed off all other considerations. Tom was alive, Shadow was alive, those were about the only momentary deaths or lack thereof Sonic had any interest in dealing with.

“No time? Is that why you’ve seemed kinda… rushed?” Tails still looked like he was doing a million calculations in his head at once: a dangerous look on his little bro. 

“Who, me? Sonic, the speediest Hedgehog alive, rushed?” He splayed a paw in the center of his chest, dramatic and attention-catching. “I’m always in a rush!”

“He means you’ve been distracted,” said Knuckles. “And I have to agree.”

Sonic wilted a little bit. This was not going nearly as smoothly as he’d hoped it would. “Look, guys, I get it. It’s kinda weird. I know he was sort of crazy with revenge there, and he-“

“He almost killed Tom!”

Tails’ voice was plaintive, and it stopped Sonic short.

“I know that,” he said, his own voice dropping to as low and as even as it ever did. “But he- you guys weren’t there, okay? You weren’t there when he-“ he couldn’t even say the words, the image of Tom on the floor and Shadow across from him in the hall too painful for Sonic to even think about. “And you guys weren’t there when he made a different choice. I know he made the wrong choice first, but he made the right one in the end. Doesn’t that count for something?”

He gave them his most earnest expression, eyes wide and pleading, something just barely above begging. “He saved the Earth when he pushed the explosion zone away. He saved us all, including Tom, and now somebody has gotta save him.”

“But, Sonic,” Knuckles paused, brows furrowing. “Who says it has to be you?”

And wasn’t that just the million-dollar question? But Sonic really only had one answer for it.

“I do.” The words felt a little stiff, but as soon as he said it, he said it again. “I say it has to be me.”

Because if it wasn’t going to be Sonic, then who else would it be? 

Chapter Text

Eventually, Tails and Knuckles did agree to help him. They didn’t get it, and were both visibly suspicious, but Sonic knew they trusted him; even if they didn’t like his decision, they still went along with it.

Knuckles was the one to make the picnic basket while Tails went off to find some first aid supplies, but only after interrogating Sonic on what state Shadow was in. Sonic gave vague answers, or at least as vague as he could, and not only for secrecy. He genuinely didn’t know the full extent of whatever was wrong with Shadow. 

Sonic, however, took it upon himself to fill one of the canvas grocery bags Maddie always took to the store with whatever he could think of that would be comforting in the cave. And he had plenty of experience, even with the same cave in question, so he felt uniquely qualified for the task.

After a very long five minutes of zooming around the house, the bag was full. It was sort of a mishmash of stuff, and the bright blue fuzzy blanket he’d taken from his own bed didn’t fit inside, so he sort of just tied the entire blanket to the bag’s handle. Not very pretty, but whatever. If Shadow wanted to judge his gift basket (bag) skills, Shadow could rearrange it himself.

Tails’ first aid kit was actually an old lunch box with a broken handle Tom used to take to work sometimes, and the picnic basket was just another canvas shopping bag. From what Sonic could see of the contents, it included some little packets of trail mix, three bottles of Gatorade, blue, red, and yellow, obviously, and a bag of Cheetos. Everything else was covered up and Sonic didn’t want to unpack it yet. Finally, the finishing touch was a small camping lamp that ran on batteries Sonic had just replaced, and he hooked it to the other bag’s strap.

“You got everything?” Tails asked as Sonic juggled the two bags, one on each shoulder, the lunch box clutched under his left arm. Definitely a juggling act, and running with it all would be even harder.

“I got it! You guys okay to cover for me?” That had taken even more persuading, and now he owed them both a week’s worth of a single chore of their choice. He dreaded what torture they’d decide to add to his load on the chore chart.

After some reassurances that they would just say he went on a nighttime stroll, Sonic finally headed out the door, weighed down from every angle. He could still run, but it really sucked, and he was immeasurably thankful to himself for convincing Shadow to come stay in the cave, so it was just a ten-minute jog, not over an hour of straight sprinting.

Still, he tripped more than a few times and it was a miracle the blanket wasn’t coated in damp mud by the time he finally hopped down into the hole of the cave. Unfortunately, he misjudged his landing calculations and went sprawling under the weight of the bags.

When he scrambled to his feet, Sonic was met with the incredibly unimpressed stare of one incredibly scruffy hedgehog.

“Yo, Shads,” he grinned, toothy and wide. “You look rough. Downright feral. ”

“I thought I told you not to call me any stupid nicknames.” Shadow’s voice was rough from his nap, or the exhaustion, or maybe both.

“Aaactually,” he raised a single finger, not unlike Tails when he had a bright idea. “You only told me not to call you Shadster. Shads is a totally different name.” He arranged the bags as he spoke, unclipping the little lamp first and setting it on a rock. It cast a warm glow around the cave.

Shadow looked about ready to reconsider the whole “not killing him” thing.

“Anyway, I brought snacks! I brought drinks! And even better…” he dug around in the bag he’d packed and triumphantly held aloft a bright blue slicker brush. Its handle was hard plastic with a darker blue soft grippy, and the head was covered in small, angled, very fine metal teeth. He’d done his best to clean it, but it still had a couple wisps of blue fur. “We each have our own, but no extras, so you’re gonna have to just use mine.” He took another look at Shadow, shuddering. “You literally look mangey, it’s making me itch from all the way over here.”

He tossed the brush and Shadow caught it easily, immediately glaring at it like the brush had personally offended him. 

Sonic stared at him when he didn’t immediately move to start fixing the obvious problem. “Uh, you do know how to use a slicker brush, right?”

“Obviously,” Shadow growled, lifting the brush to carefully test it against his arm. But when he dragged it the wrong way against his fur, which did nothing but flatten it, Sonic surpressed a snicker. 

“Other way,” he suggested, and Shadow for once didn’t glare, just took his advice and reversed his brushing. Sonic watched, fascinated, as Shadow thoroughly brushed out a patch of dark fur right next to the brilliant stripe of red that disappeared into his glove.

The change was impressive, actually, and Sonic decided he could take some of the credit, since it was his brush. He didn’t realize just how messed up Shadow’s fur was until he saw it brushed out and soft. Shadow seemed just as fascinated, his eyes going uncharacteristically round as he leaned closer, quickly moving to continue brushing along his arm.

Sonic had to physically jerk himself back when he realized he was about to crawl over and just watch Shadow brush himself. Sure, Sonic so far greatly enjoyed pushing the guy’s buttons, but even that was a little too weird for him. Plus, the look of genuine amazement on Shadow’s face was a little much for Sonic to take in from close up, and he really needed to stay on mission. So instead of complimenting how soft Shadow’s freshly brushed fur was, he said, “Did you not have hair brushes in the seventies? That would explain so much.”

It had the desired effect. Shadow immediately went back to his trademark glower, which made Sonic internally sigh in relief. Externally, he went back to digging around in the bag.

The next item he pulled out was a tape player and a pair of headphones. He was pretty sure they were Tom’s, since Maddie’s were nicer and were also Bluetooth, which wouldn’t work with the hunk of junk. “Tails said you might not know how CD’s work, let alone, like, an iPod, and that’s already old, so we got this piece of history!” He set the tape player next to Shadow, along with the headphones.

Shadow didn’t stop his brushing, but he did pause for long enough to glance at it.

“Sorry,” Sonic added, when Shadow did a double-take and looked a little closer to read the scribbled marker labeling the tape inside as Tom’s Hot Mix for Awesome Nostalgia. “Apparently there was literally only one cassette in the whole house, so you might want to listen at your own risk. But it sure beats endless silence!” He moved on while Shadow continued to silently brush his own arms. It was, frankly, a ridiculous sight, and one Sonic would take plenty of time to appreciate, once he got through his show and tell special.

“And up next, we’ve got…” he shuffled around in the bag until he held the next item up triumph. “A camping pillow!”

The pillow was actually Tom’s, as evident by his initials stitched into the corner. He’d been looking for his own, but it was somehow missing from the garage, and Tom’s was the largest anyway. It was half orange, half grey, all folded in on itself.

“ That is a pillow?” As expected, Shadow sounded skeptical. “Unfortunate, that this is the quality of the future.”

“It unfolds and inflates naturally like thi- hold on.” Sonic froze, shooting a look at Shadow. Now it was his turn to gawk, tilting his head in confusion. “Did you just make a joke? ”

Shadow raised a brow. The tip of one ear flicked minutely. “You tell me.”

Through a stupidly wide grin, Sonic said, “You totally did!”

For all of a single second Shadow’s mouth twitched, pulling up into a crooked little smile. He was still kinda glaring with the upper half of his face, so it was definitely kinda goofy, but it was without a shadow of a doubt a smile.

Sonic could’ve lived in that moment forever and ever, but a second later, a wince marred Shadow’s features, and he yanked the brush away from where he’d tried to go after his quills with the slicker. It tore through the littlest baby-quills at his temple, yanking on them roughly, the sharp metal tines making a horrible noise as they dragged along the rough surface. Shadow yanked the brush away and stared lasers at it. Not literal lasers, even in his souped up, glowing form hadn’t been able to do that, but it was a close thing.

“Oh, whoops, guess I should’ve given you the other brush too.” He dove back into the canvas bag, nearly entirely empty save for a second brush. It had the same bright blue handle but the head was covered in spiky bristles that were honestly pretty close to their own quills. “Apparently this is made out of boar’s bristle, which means it’s made out of pig fur, I think, but it works like magic!” He ran the brush over the edge of his quills, shaking his head a little in pleasure at the pleasant scratching. “Try it out!”

Just like before, Shadow caught the brush, though this time he eyed it with a touch of something he hadn’t worn previously. “Both of these are… yours?” Shadow looked a little weirded out.

Sonic made a motion that was half shrug, half nod. It probably looked insane. “Yep, but tonight I lend them to you, because if I think you need a good grooming, that basically means you’re an emergent rescue groom. That’s what Maddie calls the dogs and stuff that have to come in and be sedated and shaved because they’re so matted.”

Shadow actually full-body flinched at those words, looking truly horrified in his own understated way. He also didn’t put up any more of an argument, lifting the brush to work at the same patch of quills at his temple.

For just a moment, Sonic let himself watch. It took Shadow a few tries to get it down, but Sonic could see the moment Shadow got the hang of scratching at the rough patches in his quills, brushing away the loose bits and broken tips. He couldn’t see himself, and Sonic hadn’t thought to bring a mirror, but Shadow seemed content to go off touch alone.

“Um,” Sonic said, more to himself than to Shadow. “Next we have, um,” he gulped, untying the blanket from the now-empty bag. “I brought you this, since the one here is literally from the dump.” He tossed the blanket from a safe distance away, and it flopped over one of Shadow’s chunky shoes.

Shadow paused his brushing for a moment to grab it and move it beside him, loosely folding it into a neater pile. “Going off the color, I assume this is yours as well.”

“Two for two!” Sonic confirmed. “Or three for three, I guess? Anyway, I brought you some snacks, too. Actually, Knuckles packed them, but it was still my idea.”


Thankfully, Sonic was able to focus on unpacking everything Knuckles gathered. Instead of displaying each item, he went ahead and just laid it all out on the big slab of rock he’d once used as a table. Along with the nuts, Cheetos, and Gatorade, there was also a Ziplock bag of jerky, a packet of peanut butter crackers, two bananas, four granola bars, and a single blueberry muffin. Dang, Knuckles might’ve been hesitant to agree, but he sure did go all out!

“Bon appetite!” Sonic shot another grin at Shadow after being so focused on displaying all the food.

Shadow surveyed the food. “Technically, none of that is needed. As I am the Ultimate Lifeform, I don’t need to eat.”

Sonic narrowed his eyes. “Okay, Ultimate Lifeform. But do you? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure food is the number one way to restore energy.”

Shadow didn’t answer, but the way he eyed the food with a spark of interest was enough for Sonic.

“Last thing!” He nudged the first aid kit forward with the toe of his show. “I’m not gonna dismantle it, but Tails put together a first aid kit.”

“Now that I actually don’t need.” Shadow sounded a little more like himself, and Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. The tension in the cave was starting to get to his head. “All minor injuries will heal themself without the need of external protection or stimuli.” He sounded sort of like one of Tails’ Wiki articles.

Still, Sonic didn’t move to take the first aid kit back. “Maybe, but there’s other stuff in there, too. Painkillers, stuff to help you sleep, cough drops, probably even anti-nausea meds, if you want. And there’s some balm for your paws.” He held one up, wiggling it a little. “I dunno about you, but I’ve got soft skin under there that gets pretty dry and rough sometimes.”

Shadow eyed his gloved paw, subtly flexing the fingers. His gloves, like the rest of him, weren’t in the best shape. He didn’t push the first aid kit away.

For a delayed pause, Sonic just sat there and they stared at each other in silence for way too long.

Sonic coughed. “Uh, you gonna do the rest of your quills? From the front? Looking bangin.’ But I bet if you turn around it’s gonna be a total disaster.” As he spoke, he reached into the bag one more time, remembering a last item. It was a little tube of conditioner mixed special by Maddie: part leave-in conditioner, part dog detangler, and the perfect formula for messy hedgehog quills.

It was like his words poured cold water down Shadow’s back, and he went all tense and shifty, glancing away and scowling harder. “It’s fine, I’ll deal with it later.”

“Uh, you sure?” Sonic knew exactly what he shouldn’t offer, and exactly what he probably would anyway. What was the worst that could happen? Technically, he’d beaten Shadow in their epic duel, and that was Shadow at full force, not this quiet, huddled version of the guy. 

So, because Sonic loved danger and also had a penchant for trouble, according to just about everyone who knew him, he reached out a paw. “Hand over the brush and I’ll give you a cut so crisp you could cut glass.” 

“You say things,” Shadow said, tone annoyingly even. “But I don’t think they actually mean anything.” He didn’t hand over the brush.

“Just gimme it!” Sonic made a little grabby motion, reaching further. Shadow looked just enough out of it still that on impulse, Sonic shot forward and snatched the brushes right from Shadow’s paws. Shadow, of course, gave an annoyed little growl, which Sonic easily ignored.

Brandishing his new tools, Sonic said, “Now turn around, or we’ll do this the hard way!” His voice almost echoed around the cave in his volume, and Shadow shot him an unhappy look.

“Do you do anything calmly?” he asked, and then, to Sonic’s genuine surprise, he shuffled around. He was hunched over and tense, and Sonic couldn’t see whatever horrible expression he was making, but he’d still done it! He’d turned around.

“Just get it over with, you stupid hedgehog,” Shadow muttered, his voice so quiet Sonic almost missed it.

“Ya know…” Sonic inched forward, scooting till he was planted on the ground behind Shadow. “It’s kinda dumb to call me hedgehog like that all the time.” He dropped his voice into a lower growl for emphasis on the word hedgehog, a poor impression . “We’re both hedgehogs, so it’s not a very good nickname.”

Shadow didn’t respond, didn’t even look back to him.

Sonic sighed. “Just don’t move around while I’m doing this, okay?”

Grooming someone else was way different than grooming himself. Sure, sometimes he helped Tails and even Knuckles, especially the latter, since Tails didn’t have quills like either of them, but this felt noticeably different. Unsure where to start, Sonic just sat there and stared at the back of Shadow’s head. Ordinarily, he probably would’ve taken his gloves off, but that felt like crossing a line. Sure, he’d already crossed probably half a million lines in the past couple days, but Sonic found himself held back by some invisible nerves.

Technically, he’d already had his paws all over Shadow, both from their vicious battle and then their mostly playful chase up the mountain. He’d done everything he could to throw Shadow off, much of which including grabbing him, clawing him, getting all the way up in his personal bubble. Now, Sonic winced a little as he thought about just how hard he’d slammed Shadow into a few trees during their game of chase. Had Shadow been this worn out when he’d suggested the race? Shadow had said mild injuries healed quickly. Sonic knew he had a few scratches himself, but had Shadow? Did Sonic push him too far during their aggressive game?

He shook himself, ears flattening against his head in a moment of annoyance at himself for not questioning Shadow’s state of being before finding him so miserable. He snatched the lamp to set it closer so it better illuminated Shadow and set to work.

Since there was no way to do it but head on, Sonic squared his shoulders, grabbed the little bottle of conditioner, and promptly shook it out all over Shadow’s quills. It must’ve been pretty cold because it made Shadow flinch violently, and Sonic caught a glimpse of a curled paw in a tight fist at Shadow’s side. He didn’t slow down, though he did grimace as he started working the stuff into Shadow’s quills and the matted fur underneath. The feeling of the slick lotion against his gloves sucked.

It took a few minutes to aimlessly spread his paws all over Shadow’s back, careful not to stab himself again, to get the lotion worked in enough; his finger still ached from being stabbed earlier. It mixed with the grime hidden by dark fur and turned all gritty, and Sonic really wished there was a hose or something nearby, since he doubted Shadow would be remotely receptive to sneaking into the Wachowski house for a hot shower and/or bubble bath. The image of Shadow sitting in a tub of pink bubbles popped into Sonic’s mind, complete with a yellow rubber ducky. Or maybe he needed a black rubber ducky? Either way, the mental image was hilarious, and Sonic snickered to himself as he worked in the last patch of visible conditioner.

Unfortunately, his snickering made Shadow tense, leaning away and glancing over his shoulder to glare at Sonic.

Quickly mumbling a half-hearted apology, Sonic grabbed him (semi-gently) and yanked him back in place. “Chill out,” he muttered, as he grabbed the bristle brush. “Hey, did you guys have, like, showers at your super-secret base-lab-prison-thingy place? Did those exist in the seventies?”

Shadow eyed him for a moment longer, then finally settled back into his hunched, defensive position. “It wasn’t just a lab.” His voice was back to that low, almost soft muttering. Was that what Shadow sounded like when he was relaxed, or was that the exhaustion? Somehow, Sonic doubted it was the first. But Shadow continued, not giving Sonic any more time to ponder. “It wasn’t just a... a lab,” he repeated. “It was also a home.”

“‘Cause Maria lived there, right?” It was a shot in the dark.

Shadow nodded. “She had rooms, safe rooms. Comfortable rooms. Rooms not full of medical equipment or… experimental weapons.” 

“Is that where you stayed? With her in her rooms?” If he kept his focus on furiously brushing out Shadow’s back, it wasn’t so hard to hold a civil conversation without defaulting to teasing the poor guy.

Again, Shadow tensed. But this time he didn’t pull away, even if his quills bristled a little bit under the methodical work of Sonic’s brushing. “Sometimes.” The pained note was back in his voice. “I… was not supposed to. But she was stubborn, and not many could say no to her.”

A little smile tugged at Sonic’s lips. “Had the whole base wrapped around her pinky finger, I bet.”

“Yes.” The agreement was spoken unbearably softly. “She was well-loved by everyone on the base.”

“So did you have a shower, then, even if it was basically the stone age?”

Shadow’s shoulders moved in a sort of aborted shrug, breathing out- was that a laugh? It sounded like a laugh. “Yes, we had a shower.”

Both hedgehogs fell quiet for a moment, Sonic focused on a particularly difficult patch of fur at the base of Shadow’s head. It would’ve been easier if he could reach out and steady Shadow with one paw, but Shadow was already tense and rigid as a board, and Sonic knew just how much effort it was taking for him not to lean away. 

“You must really miss her, huh.” It was maybe a stupid thing to say. Sonic knew full well just how much Shadow missed Maria. He’d seen the haunted look on Shadow’s face as they stared at the Earth from a million miles up, the sunlight oddly sharp where it had highlighted Shadow’s wide eyes and twisted lip. It might’ve been a beautiful sight, but it wasn’t one Sonic wanted to see again. Nobody should ever have to look that sad.

At first, Sonic thought Shadow might not have heard him. He didn’t react at all, still frozen in his weird, hunched position. But just as Sonic reached over to grab the slicker brush to get the fur at the back of Shadow’s neck and under his larger spines, he spoke again.

“I miss her every second of every day.” And he sounded so miserable and so lonely that it took every single molecule of self-control in Sonic not to literally fling himself onto Shadow and tackle him into a hug. Instead, he placed one very careful paw on Shadow’s shoulder.

“Wanna tell me about her?”

He hadn’t really expected Shadow to agree, but to his delight, Shadow started speaking. His voice was still low and melancholy, but as he spoke, he slowly raised his head up, slowly started to sound more life-like.

“Maria was the brightest, liveliest person I’d ever met, until…” he glanced over his shoulder once more, then looked back at the cave wall opposite him, where Sonic’s old drawing was partially obscured by dried ivy leaves. “She was kind, even to me, even when she was warned against it.” His tone turned a little wistful, and Sonic swallowed thickly, his eyes glued to one of the last remaining patches of matted black and red fur. “She liked to kidnap me away from the scientists. Instead of their experiments, she liked to teach me about Earth.”

“Oh yeah?” Unable to remain silent for too long, Sonic had to butt in. “What’d she teach you about?”

“She enjoyed movies,” Shadow explained, a warm edge creeping into his voice. “And music. She even tried to teach me how to dance.”

Sonic couldn’t stifle his laugh. “You can dance? Do you know, like, weird old people dances?” 

The glare shot over Shadow’s shoulder was delightfully empty of any real heat. Sonic grinned at him, nodding for him to continue on. He did.

“She stole a keycard, once, to show me the outside world. She wanted to show me the stars.” He fell quiet after that, and again, Sonic was tossed back into his memory of the first actual civil conversation.

“You mentioned that,” he said. “We can go watch the stars again, if you want. Not tonight, it’s pretty cloudy, but when it’s clear. I think Tom might even have a telescope somewhere!”

Shadow didn’t reply to that, and he remained silent for the last few minutes of Sonic’s busywork. With a final once-over and one paw dragged over Shadow’s top quills, Sonic sat back.

“Alrighty, the hedgehog spa is now closed for business!” He hopped back a bit to give Shadow room to turn around. “I’ll leave the brushes just in case you need them again.”

Shadow nodded, reaching up to feel his now significantly softer quills and fur. They gleamed faintly in the dim light, looking shiny and deliciously soft. And Sonic knew how just soft that fur was, now. Sure, he’d only felt it through his gloves, but…

He shook himself. “Aaaaanyway, I should probably get home. It’s almost bedtime, and if I miss brushing my teeth…” he shivered. “Well, nobody wants to face that.” 

Shadow did not look like he understood, but he didn’t say anything.

“Sooo, I’ll leave you be! And I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you.” It turned out, saying goodbye was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He’d see Shadow in the morning, he’d probably even have time before they visited Tom in the hospital, but the insistent pull towards the other hedgehog was hard to resist. Sonic hadn’t even realized how bad it was until that moment.

“Welp, gotta blast. I’ll see ya, Shadow!”

Shadow nodded, very short and small. 

Just as Sonic was about to leap out of the cave, Shadow whispered, “Thank you… hedgehog.”

Sonic flashed him a parting grin. “I told you, dude, that’s such a lame nickname. You could, I dunno, use my actual name.”

But when Shadow looked deeply uncomfortable, Sonic just sighed. “Alright, alright, Mr. Drama Queen. Hedgehog it is.”

Before he could find any other reason to linger, Sonic forced himself to leap up back into the forest, back into the real world and away from the bubble of emotions that little cave had become.

The run back home was cool, the night just that side of chilly, but Sonic’s chest was warm enough to power an industrial size oven. It stuck with him all the way home, through teeth brushing and bedtime, and well into slumber.

Chapter Text

Sonic did not return the next morning because at breakfast, over three bowls of Fruit Loops and one bowl of oatmeal, the hospital called again. Maddie only said a few words, but her face said it all:

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it.” Tails was the one to speak up, and the little fox’s usual chipper voice was full of sorrow and uncertainty.

All three abandoned their cereal in favor of turning plaintive gazes to Maddie.

She appeared calm, collected, but the way her spoon had frozen, a bite abandoned as the spoon rested against the edge of her bowl was a red flag. “We… can’t all go visit him today.”

“But-!” Sonic was about to protest, but the look in her eyes made even him bite his tongue.

“He’s alright,” she explained, “But he had a little bit of a scare last night. Because of that, he can’t have too much excitement. They’re only allowing one visitor at a time.”

They all knew what that meant: none of them would be able to visit Tom, because none of them could go without Maddie.

“He will be recovering, though, yes?” Knuckles clenched his own spoon as he spoke, his shoulders tense. “It is only a setback?”

Maddie nodded. “He’ll be okay, but he needs twenty-four hours of extra rest. He… had some internal bleeding last night, and the doctors caught it in time, and he’ll be okay, but now he has to have a transfusion and a round of antibiotics. It’s just for today. Tomorrow we can visit again, I promise.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

Maddie smiled warmly at Tails, reaching out to cover his gloved paw with her bare hand. “You guys need to be strong, okay? He knows how hard you fought to keep him safe, and now he’s fighting just as hard to get back to you.”

Tails slouched low in his seat, poking listlessly at his cereal. “I don’t like not having him home,” he mumbled.

“I agree with the fox,” chimed in Knuckles. “This house feels empty without him.”

Maddie reached over to give Knuckles a pat on the arm, eyes shining. Then, she turned to Sonic. “You okay, Sonic?”

“Huh?” Sonic sat up when he realized how low he’d slouched as well. “Oh, yeah. Um. We’ll get to go see him tomorrow?”

She nodded.

“And he’s… okay? I mean, is uh, is internal bleeding a normal setback for a broken arm? And the ribs?”

Maddie sighed again, her lips pinched. “It’s not just a few broken bones, it’s a little more complicated than that. Severe blunt force trauma, which is what happened to Tom, can cause delayed side effects. Not to mention, he was technically electrocuted as well. Sometimes, the body doesn’t realize how badly it’s hurt until minutes, hours, even days after an initial trauma like that occurs.” Sonic hated how distant her gaze was, but she focused back on the three of them again a moment later. “He’s got some pretty bad bruising inside, but he’s going to be okay. And when he gets home, I know you three will take the best care of him.” 

“We swear it,” said Knuckles, with all the gravity of an oath. And, actually, it sort of was.

But the rest of the morning was subdued at best. Maddie would be swinging by the hospital, and she promised to give Tom a hug from everyone, but they all watched her drive away with heavy hearts. As her car disappeared around the bend and into the trees, Knuckles turned to Sonic.

“This is the new hedgehog’s fault.” His voice was steely, his magenta gaze burning. “He is who did this to our family, and you are protecting him.”

Sonic didn’t want to think about that, because yes, he’d hashed it out with Shadow, and now just wanted to run pestering circles around him, but there was still resentment buried underneath all that forgiveness and excitement at having a new… ugh, he still couldn’t decide what to call the guy.

“I told you, he made a mistake.”

Knuckles remained unwavering, thousands of years of echidna warrior strength behind him. “And his mistake almost killed Tom.”

Sonic opened his mouth to spew back a retort, but Tails beat him.

“It did kill him.”

Red and blue heads snapped to Tails.

“What?” Sonic felt horror creep into his belly, cold and sharp, chasing away any last vestiges of warmth from the night before.

Tails shuffled around, his ears drooping low, his tails limp. “I- uh, I sort of… snuck a look at his hospital chart. For three minutes and seventeen seconds, he was dead. They got him back at the hospital, but…” He trailed off, voice fading and wobbly.

The icy cold wasn’t just in his stomach, it had crawled all the way up into Sonic’s chest. It was nothing like the burning rage he’d felt with the Emerald’s power; no, this was a twisted, dark little thing that made his claws flex and his quills tremble. He felt cornered, nothing to do to help, nowhere to go. He could run to the hospital and break in, but he thought of the way Maddie’s hand trembled, and he thought about clinging to Tom’s unconscious body in a steely hallway, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

A cautious paw reached for him, Tails, he was pretty sure, but Sonic ducked away and did the only thing he could think to do: he ran.

The weather was back to being lovely, the rain clouds replaced with fluffy white pillows, the sky bright. The sunlight didn’t hold much of its usual warmth, but it lit up the forest in brilliant colors.

And Sonic saw none of it.


He ran with no real direction in mind, so fast he almost felt like he would fall over his feet. He ran until it wasn’t enough, and then he ran some more, pushing himself until finally, he did wind up tripping. He went tumbling down a hill of brambles, landed on a stump, and before he’d even registered it he was back on his feet and pushing himself even harder. 

So distracted and distraught was he that Sonic didn’t realize where he’d run to on years-old instinct until he fell straight down into the stupid cave.

When he was little (and alone, always so alone), that’s how he’d originally found the cave. Back then it had been covered up by a blackberry bush, and he’d accidentally tripped while trying to pick berries. He’d fallen through the brambles and straight into the dirt at the bottom of the cave. It had been mostly full of dead ferns and a single squirrel skeleton, which had freaked him out at such a young age, but he’d known it could be a place he could be safe even then. If he couldn’t have a home and a family, he’d at least be able to have somewhere safe to hide.

But he wasn’t little anymore, and he had a home, and a family.

And the cave wasn’t empty this time.

Sonic practically bounced like a bouncy ball onto his feet, hunched over and panting. Even if he was the fastest thing in the known universe, he sometimes still got a little winded. It had nothing to do with the tangle of misery scratching at his chest.

He must have startled Shadow, because Shadow looked genuinely surprised to see him as he watched Sonic. He’d made a sort of nest with the old ratty blanket and Sonic’s newer one, the lamp pulled close, Tom’s camping pillow now visibly flattened from use.

It was the sight of the little stitched T.W. that set Sonic off.

One second, he was standing still, chest heaving, and the next he had Shadow pinned to the dirty cave floor. He said nothing, his teeth bared, and Shadow… didn’t even fight back. Whether because he hadn’t expected it or because he didn’t feel the need, Sonic didn’t know, and it only added to his ire. As quickly as he’d attacked him, he jumped back, scuffing dirt as he reeled away and leapt back to ground level.

But he didn’t leave. He just paced back and forth in the area they’d had a picnic so recently. What, a week ago? Maybe two? Sonic didn’t count the days, just kept pacing back and forth.

“What’s wrong with you?” Shadow’s voice cut through his frantic yet empty thoughts and Sonic whirled on him, though he didn’t attack again.

Shadow looked- better, actually. A lot better. In the sunlight his fur practically gleamed, and he wasn’t hunched over anymore. His arms crossed, he stood beside the cave’s entrance and stared at Sonic.

“What’s wrong with-“ Sonic bit his tongue. Ran a paw over his face, paced back and forth, flicked his ears, clenched a fist; all manifestations of the restless misery buzzing inside of him. Where was the warmth and the excitement of the night before?

Shadow stalked towards him, if only a few steps, then paused. He continued to stare at Sonic for a long moment until he spoke again. As he spoke, he rolled his shoulders and tossed his head, lowering into a fighting position.

“Fine, then,” he said, voice lowering into a threatening tone. “Get it over with already.”

For a moment, Sonic was confused, blinking rapidly.

His confusion must have been obvious. Shadow advanced another step, flexing his claws. The tips of his gloves were torn from where he’d clawed Sonic the day prior, and each claw flashed through the torn fabric. “You want a fight, don’t you?”

Shadow wasn’t… wrong, exactly. Sonic wanted something to face, something to fight, something tangible he could beat that would fix everything and bring Tom home. But… 


“I don’t want to fight you,” he hissed.

Shadow scoffed. It seemed whatever lack of energy he’d been suffering the day before that made him so quiet and almost amenable was gone, replaced with a snarky look and bared teeth. “Don’t you, though?”

Sonic hissed again, but he took a step towards Shadow anyway. Even if his chest felt like it had caved in all over again, the pull towards the other hedgehog was still there. “I already forgave you! And you can’t fix this problem!”

“But you still want to fight me.” Shadow hadn’t broken their staring contest once the entire conversation, his eyes burning in their intensity. “It’s my fault, whatever happened.” He paused, narrowing his eyes even further, into searing slits. “Is it… Tom? Is that what this is about? Finally came to your senses and remembered it was me who did that to him?

And Sonic almost lost it, just like the last time Shadow had thrown Tom’s name at him. It would be so easy to take the frustration out on Shadow, the guy was even offering it. But the problem was-

The problem was that Sonic genuinely didn’t still hold it against Shadow. He’d said he’d forgiven him, and he had. The burning fear in his chest wasn’t anger at Shadow, it was just that: fear, plain and simple. 

Sonic was scared half to death over losing Tom. Again. Even if he was fine, according to Maddie, even if the three minutes he’d been dead were days ago, the fear reared its ugly head up with nothing to get in the way. He’d had a world to save, he hadn’t had time to think about it. But now there was nothing to distract him from the curdling in his gut at the thought that for just a second, for three whole minutes, he’d lost his dad and he hadn’t even fully realized it.

Well, there was nothing to distract him except for the taunting of the hedgehog in front of him. 

“I don’t want to fight you,” Sonic repeated. His voice was still uncharacteristically rough, the threat of a growl at the edges of his words. “I don’t want to fight you. ”

Something flickered across Shadow’s face, unknown and uncertain. He shifted, then nodded. “Fine. But you still want a fight.”

Sonic didn’t disagree, but he also didn’t give in quite yet, and they just stared at each other.

As the silence started to stretch into the awkward territory, Shadow took a slow, measured breath. A black ear twitched. “I won’t hold it against you.” Unlike his previous taunting snarls, his words sounded more like the mutterings in the cave by lamplight; strangled but soft, if a little rough around the edges.

Sonic shook his head, still resisting. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“Is that it?” Shadow laughed, a strange, empty thing. “Don’t give yourself that much credit, hedgehog.” When Sonic didn’t reply, Shadow relented yet again. “I’m fine, now. I’ll… tell you. If I reach my limit.” He sounded so sincere and yet so awkward; a flicker of amusement broke through Sonic’s frustration.

Finally, he gave in. “Tap out if you need to?”

Shadow nodded, and finally, Sonic let himself charge.

Without also racing, the fight was a far cry from their previous tussling. Sonic went in blindly, wrapping his arms around Shadow’s waist and simply barreling him into a tree, where they grappled for a moment before Sonic rolled away. Shadow didn’t let him get far, already reaching out to trip Sonic with one stupid sneaker, and Sonic wound up on his knees in the dirt. Wasting no time at all, Shadow had his own knee at Sonic’s back, pinning him down, at least until Sonic rolled and flipped them over. His swipe to Shadow’s face was easily deflected, but a kick to his own stomach sent him flying into a bed of ferns, the wind slammed out of his chest. 

“Done for already?” Shadow taunted, and Sonic ran straight for him, only to go stumbling past him when Shadow easily slid out of harm’s way.

But Sonic wasn’t fast for nothing, and he spun on his heel, using his own momentum to send a kick to Shadow’s chest. This time it was Shadow who went flying, his back hitting a tree small enough to shake with the force. Sonic was on him in a flash, grabbing anything he could reach, doing everything he could to pin Shadow down. It didn’t work, unfortunately, and they fell apart seconds later.

Each stalked the other in a predatory circle, watching for an opening, a weakness, anything.

Shadow was the first to make a move this time, rolling into a violent spin dash that almost knocked Sonic over. Almost. But in the split second he had to defend himself, he managed to dodge out of the way, rolling into his own ball of destruction. They slammed into each other a second later, a thunderous boom filling the scenic valley. 

They fell apart again, but Shadow recovered faster than Sonic, and Sonic found himself suddenly pinned under dark claws, red eyes mere inches from his face, so close their noses almost overlapped. 

“That all you got, hero?”

The new nickname made Sonic blink in surprise. It was so cheesy that it managed to cut through the frustration, the same flicker of amusement from earlier coming to life again. It was so obviously just to get a rise out of him. Some distant little part of his mind felt… thankful. It was a weird way to go about it, but it sort of seemed like Shadow was trying to make the whole thing easier for Sonic. Like if Shadow pissed him off, it would be easier to excuse Sonic’s apparent thirst for violence.

“You wish!” he shot back, less of a growl and more of his usual borderline aggressive positivity. He curled up under Shadow, green eyes never straying from red, and managed to shove him off with a solid kick to the sternum. It sent Shadow stumbling backwards, one paw rubbing at the shoe sized print in his freshly brushed fur, and they hurled themselves back into the fight.

Slowly, as they chased each other around the small area, bits of fur flying as they attacked each other, the tension in Sonic’s chest dissipated. Each time he grabbed Shadow and slammed him into a tree, he felt a little bit more like he could breathe. Each time Shadow got the better of him and tried pinning Sonic into defeat, the buzzing in his chest fell in its impatient volume. Until, finally, Sonic charged at Shadow and slammed him into a mossy boulder, holding him there as they both caught their breath. He had one arm pinned against Shadow’s throat, the other wrapped around one wrist, nudging underneath the cuff of Shadow’s glove, while Shadow’s free paw was clawed around his shoulder.

They remained frozen against the rock breathing the same heated air, their gazes still locked, until Shadow caught something in Sonic’s gaze. He didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t struggle to free himself until finally, Sonic stepped back.

They shook themselves out respectively, running paws over their quills and adjusting their gloves.

Shadow was the first to speak. “Better?”

Sonic swallowed, nodding as he closed his eyes for a heartbeat. The buzz in his chest was still there, the fear impossible to fully dismiss until Tom was home, but… yeah, he did feel better. So he nodded. For once, he didn’t know what to say. He felt sort of embarrassed now the whole fiasco was over and avoided looking at Shadow in favor of inspecting a bright red scratch just under the cuff of his glove. From the corner of his eye, he could see Shadow watching him, arms crossed, annoyingly casual.

When Sonic finally looked back up at him, Shadow was doing that weird half glare, half smile thing again.

“Now go home,” he said, when Sonic’s silence persisted. “Go back to your family.” The corner of his mouth twitched, his eyes flicked away for a second before returning to boring holes into the side of Sonic’s head. “I’ll be here when you get bored again. Or if you need another punching bag.”

Sonic had been chewing on his lip, he realized, when he tasted a faint metallic tang. Or maybe it had been from the fight. Either way, it caught him enough he gave another good shake. Shadow had already turned to go back to his (Sonic’s) cave, but Sonic darted forward. It was easy to snatch Shadow’s wrist again, this time with none of the force. His fingers simply curled around black fur, a loose circle. 

“Thanks,” he said, when Shadow snapped around to give him a curious look.

“Don’t mention it.” Shadow let Sonic hold his wrist for another second before shaking him off and disappearing into the shadows of the cave, leaving Sonic feeling wrung out but steady, alone in the middle of the forest.

The Wachowski house was silent when he returned. Sonic took the roof entrance (or, as some called it, the window), and was surprised to see the attic totally empty. He slid down the steps into the hallway, casting a questioning gaze around.

“Uhh, anybody home?” he called out, head popping into Maddie and Tom’s room, the bathroom, a linen closet…

“Shh!” 

Sonic perked up, following the whispered shushing like a bloodhound until he found Tails sticking his head into the hallway from the living room.

“Hey, Tails, what’s-“

“I said shhh!” Tails repeated, finger over his lips. “Knuckles went on patrol with Wade and Maddie’s asleep.”

“Huh?” Sonic hurried over to stick his head into the living room and, sure enough, Maddie was sound asleep on the couch. “But it’s Monday,” he whispered. “She has work on Mondays.”

Tails inched closer to him, both tail tips flopping over to brush against Sonic’s legs as the little fox leaned into him. “She called out of work. She came home after visiting Tom, and then she was gonna watch TV, but she fell asleep super fast,” Tails explained in a whisper.

“She called out of work…?” Maddie only did that if stupid mad scientists attacked or if the world was literally about to end.

Two yellow ears bobbed in a nod.

First the phone call in private, then losing visitor privileges, and now Maddie calling out of work? If the world wasn’t ending, then Sonic didn’t want to think about what that could mean.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t see Tails peering up at him with a questioning gaze, didn’t see bright blue eyes narrow, didn’t see a paw dart up and yank something out from behind Sonic’s ear.

“Yee-owch!” he yelped, rubbing at the spot and glaring at Tails, completely forgetting to keep his voice down. “What was that for!”

But Tails’ focus was solely on the single black quill he’d just yanked from Sonic’s fur. A single tuft of that same blue fur clung to the sharp tip.

“Hey, Sonic,” he started in a casual tone only to jump up an entire octave and decibel. “Why the heck do you have Shadow’s quill stuck in your fur?!” Tails suddenly looked at Sonic even closer, scanning him up and down. “Wait, you look like you got into a fight!”

“You got into a fight? With Shadow?”

Sonic suddenly deeply wished for that teleporting thing Shadow could do. And even as he panicked at the sound of Maddie’s voice, some little part of his brain stuck to that thought. Shadow could teleport, Sonic had seen him do it a bunch of times… but not since finding him again. That was weird, right?

“Sonic.” Maddie’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Uhh, I have a totally real and great explanation for that!” Sonic glanced between Maddie and Tails, who had somehow acquired a glass tube that he was corking Shadow’s quill inside. “Hey, woah,” Sonic protested as soon as he watched Tails then pull out a magnifying glass to start inspecting the bottled quill. “What we’re not gonna do is start bottling up people’s quills.”

Tails just gave him a curious tilt of his head. “Why not? I’ve got some of yours. And Knuckles’.”

Sonic gaped at him.

Maddie had to butt in the conversation, bringing them back to attention. “Staying on topic… Sonic, did you get in a fight with Shadow?”

There was absolutely no way out of this, was there. “Well, I, uh.” He stammered. “Sort of…? Wait, you know he’s alive?”

Maddie raised an eyebrow.

“How’d you know?”

“Call it a mother’s intuition.” She glanced at Tails briefly, a small smile gracing her features. “...And I heard you tell the others last night. You guys really need to work on your whispering skills.”

Sonic groaned, covering both eyes with his paws, then peeked at her through a gap in his fingers. “And you’re not mad?”

Maddie tilted her head. It was a little silly looking on a human, what with the lack of expressive ears, and Sonic wondered if she’d picked it up from them. He kind of hoped she did. “Mad?” she asked.

“That he’s alive. And. Um.” He swallowed, mouth dry. “That I didn’t tell you guys.” 

Maddie shook her head. “No, I’m not mad, and neither is Tom. We sort of expected it actually, even before I figured it out.”

That was news to Sonic. “Wait, what? What do you mean, you expected it? Expected him to be alive?”

Maddie nodded again, her smile growing. “We figured if there was any chance that Shadow might be alive then there was a pretty high chance you’d go looking for him.”

Sonic was genuinely, sincerely, well and truly speechless. Maddie, miracle woman that she was, seemed to understand his silence.

“He’s the first hedgehog you’ve seen in a long, long, time, right?”

Sonic nodded, mute. He had a few maybe-memories of what could’ve been hedgehog shaped silhouettes, but it was one soggy, angry, red and black hedgehog that had been the actual first he’d seen and could remember seeing.

Seeming to be sympathetic to his minor crisis, Maddie kneeled down and reached out to rub a palm up and down his arm, ruffling soft blue fur. “Then it makes perfect sense that you’d want to find him again.”

“She’s right, Sonic.” Tails finally spoke from where he’d been hovering (not literally) beside them as he inspected the quill, which he now stuck in his backpack. “I sure know that if I saw another fox like me here, I’d want to find them, even if it hasn’t been as long as you since I’ve seen my species. And other foxes don’t even like me!”

Sonic glanced between them semi-frantically.

Before he could remember his tongue, Maddie said, “But what I didn’t expect was for you guys to be fighting again. I thought you were on the same side now?” 

Finally, Sonic’s voice found him again. “We are!”

“So then how come you guys were fighting?” Tails asked, leaning in.

“We were… Okay, so technically we were fighting.” He rushed to continue at their expressions, waving his paws frantically. “We agreed to!”

“You agreed to fight?” Maddie sounded uncertain. “Sonic, that’s dangerous, you could both get hurt.”

He shook his head with emphasis. “No, no, it’s not like that. It’s kind of… fun?”

Maddie raised an eyebrow and Tails’ tails twitched.

Sonic felt like he was drowning, and he’d almost done that a couple of times. “It’s like- uh, like, uhhhh…” his mind was totally blank. Then he had an idea. “Like sparring! Like-“ He jumped back and swiped at the air a few times, striking a pose. “Fighting but with rules, sort of. For practice.” He didn’t need to explain that they fought almost as viciously when it was for fun as for when it was with real intent to hurt; the only real difference being a handful of rainbow rocks and electric energy coursing through both their veins. 

“And anyway,” he added, as an afterthought, “he’s pretty badly hurt, I think.”

That caught Maddie’s attention, and even Tails blinked in surprise.

Sonic barreled on, the four ( four?!) days of emotions and half-formed thoughts based on unconscious observations suddenly all tumbling out of him. “He’s not at his full power,” he explained, voice as quick as his emphasizing movements. “He seemed normal, at first, but I think he pushed himself too hard, and then the next day he looked kind of like roadkill! And he said he has some kinda super healing, and he doesn’t need to eat, but I guess he needs to sleep, because he was sleeping a lot and I don’t believe the no eating thing anyway. And he looked super bad, too, and super out of it, like, woah, look out! Space cadet alert! Plus, I haven’t seen him teleport once. And he seemed better today, but he was definitely either holding back or he’s way, way weaker than he was.” His mouth snapped shut so quickly at the end of his monologued tirade that his teeth audibly clacked together.

Two sets of eyes stared at him like he had officially lost it. He sort of felt like he very much had.

“How much time have you spent with him?” Tails sounded genuinely curious, but his question made Sonic hop from foot to foot, a little unsettled.

“Weeeeell…” he drew the word out as long as he could, like that would get him out of answering.  “I’ve only seen him a couple times.”

Tails blinked slowly, considering. “That’s where you’ve been, right? The past few days when you disappear?”

Sonic nodded.

All three were quiet until Maddie spoke again. “Do you trust him?”

Now it was Sonic’s turn to blink rapidly. Did he… trust Shadow? It was a weird thing to consider. Sonic knew he was a naturally trusting person, despite history not always reinforcing that trust. The problem was that he just couldn’t find himself ever defaulting to not trusting. If he met everyone with distrust, he never would’ve found himself cradled by the two best humans on Earth, never would’ve found Tails, never would’ve gotten through to Knuckles. It wasn’t that he was blindly optimistic, exactly, and maybe the trust was a little naive sometimes, but it was a choice . He chose to repeatedly think the best in people. …Or in morally questionable hedgehogs.

But did he trust Shadow? He’d trusted him to help. Sonic trusted him enough to fight alongside him, so close together they’d been like one super-charged weapon all wrapped up in each other. It was hard not to trust someone when the same energy coursed through both of you, the same sheer cosmic power filling the space between reaching paws and hearts.

And it wasn’t just the team-up. Because now Sonic knew what Shadow looked like curled up and sleeping, knew what his weird little smile looked like, knew the quill pattern on the back of his head. He knew what Shadow’s claws felt like digging into his skin, but he also knew how soft his fur was at the base of his neck and what it felt like to bump shoulders while tearing through the forest together.

“Sonic?” Tails’ voice cut through his thoughts, and Sonic felt his cheeks heat up a few degrees when he realized he’d gone completely silent for who knew how long.

“I think I do,” he said, in answer to the previous question. “Trust him, I mean. Or, at least, I want to try. He’s all alone out there, guys.” Just like I was, he didn’t add.

“Can we go see him too?” The question from the little fox surprised Sonic. He hadn’t expected that, for some reason, and he hated the immediate hesitation he felt.

Maddie’s searching eyes must’ve caught it, though, and she spoke before Sonic could reply. “I think, maybe, Shadow needs some time to heal.” At some point, she’d placed her hand on both their shoulders, her thumbs rubbing soothing circles in their fur as they both leaned into her. “I would like to properly meet him as well, and if he’s hurt, he might need some medical attention that I could provide.”

Sonic shook his head quickly. “He doesn’t want anyone knowing where he is yet.”

Maddie nodded. “That may be the case for now, but eventually, he’s going to need to trust us. If we’re going to trust him, it must be mutual.”

Sonic nodded, knowing she was right. Beside him, Tails did the same.

“Now,” she said, shaking herself a little bit. “I have a request for you two.”

They perked simultaneously.

“Do you think you can make a card for Tom? He was pretty disappointed not to see you all this morning, and I think it would help him feel a lot better.”

The request was the perfect distraction for the rest of the day. Maddie lingered on the couch while Tails and Sonic fetched paper, markers, pens, even some glitter glue Tails must’ve stashed away somewhere. While Maddie read, curled up under a blanket brought by Sonic, and then eventually dozed off again, Sonic and Tails made an absolute mess on the living room floor. They’d decided to go all out with the card and were still working on it a few hours later when Knuckles got home from going out on patrol with Wade.

Eventually, Maddie got up and fixed them all a very late lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and chips and some frozen (well, thawed) fruit punch, and they all took a break from crafts to watch some of her TV with her. Tails fell asleep halfway through the first episode, curled up under Maddie’s arm, so Sonic and Knuckles took over the final stages of the card crafting after finishing their lunches.

When they were done, they carefully set the card on the kitchen table to let all the glue dry.

Right before they both went back to the living room, Knuckles caught Sonic by the arm. “Sonic,” he said, catching Sonic’s gaze as well. “I know you and the other hedgehog have something we do not understand.” He sounded sincere, if a little suspicious. That made sense for the echidna. “But you cannot keep him hidden away forever.”

Sonic sighed, his shoulders deflating. “I know, Maddie already said he’s gotta meet everyone if you guys are gonna give him a chance. But he’s so not ready.”

“This world is a very strange place if you are not familiar with it.” Despite his firm grip on Sonic’s arm, Knuckles’ fist was gentle, and his voice was too. “Make sure he doesn’t repeat his past mistakes.”

Sonic nodded, squaring his shoulders. “I’ll give him the ol’ Wachowski family special ethics lesson!”

That made Knuckles crack a smile, and they were both significantly more relaxed when they returned to join Maddie and Tails on the couch.

Unfortunately, there was only so long Sonic could spend having a laid back afternoon, and he only lasted a few more minutes before his foot started a violent staccato against the edge of the couch.

His rapid foot tapping woke up Tails, who stretched, yawned, and blinked sleepily up at him. “If you wanna go see him again, you can.”

Sonic blinked down at the little fox, tilting his head in a silent question.

“Shadow,” he clarified a second later.

Sonic glanced up at Maddie, who just smiled, and then Knuckles, who only nodded. “You guys sure?” He didn’t want to leave his family in an hour of need. “I don’t want… I mean, Maddie, you stayed home today, you never do that. I don’t wanna leave you guys hanging.”

“I stayed home because I wanted to be with you three,” she explained, hooking an arm around Knuckles on the opposite side of her and reaching out to ruffle Sonic’s ears with her other hand. “I know how hard it is for you guys having Tom in the hospital and not being able to see him. But I also know how hard it is to do nothing, sometimes.”

Sonic nibbled on his lip as he considered it.

“Y’said it yourself,” mumbled Tails, who had curled up again against Maddie’s side where he was tucked between her and Sonic. “Shadow’s all alone out there. We’ve got each other. Who does he have?” 

Sonic still delayed his departure a few more minutes until the episode was over, but as the credits played and the next episode’s auto-play timer counted down, he slipped off the couch. His family didn’t react much, but Maddie gave him a little wave as he ducked out of the living room.

They were right, after all. Sonic had everything he could possibly want in his family, even if one of their members was missing in action. But Shadow was all alone out there, alone and injured and literally out of his own time. 

He didn’t have anyone else, but maybe Sonic could change that. 

Chapter Text

It was a little weird to leave knowing the others knew where he was going. Sonic made a pit stop in the kitchen and snagged the chocolate bar he’d brought on that first day and then totally forgotten about. It was dry now, after getting a little soggy from the rain in his quills but still tasted fine when he took a nibble off the corner.  

The run to the cave was easy, and Sonic found himself oddly relaxed. The fight with Shadow that morning really had managed to burn off a good chunk of his anxious energy, and after his talk with Maddie and Tails, it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He took the long way just for the sake of running, finally appreciating just how lovely the day was.  

Instead of hopping straight down into the cave when he arrived, Sonic knelt down and stuck his head inside so he didn’t freak Shadow out like he had earlier.

“Helloooo, anybody in here?” he called out, swiveling around and looking for the dark hedgehog, only to find the cave was empty. Most of the stuff he’d brought was still there, but a shock of something shot through Sonic’s body. Did Shadow leave? Where would he have gone?

Before he let himself start worrying for real, he spun around and looked everywhere near the cave, searching for any sign of black and red quills or sullen glares. When he didn’t see anything, he ran a larger circle around the area, running in an ever-growing spiral as he hunted and hunted. He even called Shadow’s name a few times, paws cupped to his mouth like a megaphone.

His worry was just about to turn into very real anxiety when he saw a smudge of red through the trees, and he wasted no time in zooming over.

Shadow was planted on a rock in a small clearing that overlooked a break in the trees and provided the perfect view of a distant lake nestled in one of the many valleys in the area. He didn’t seem to notice Sonic, which Sonic realized a moment later was because he had Tom’s headphones on. Human headphones weren’t the best for hedgehogs, but it seemed Shadow had figured out to wear them the same way Sonic did, sometimes: with the band resting flat on his quills, each earpiece sitting in front of his ear. Sonic reached over and very carefully poked one finger right between Shadow’s ears.

Shadow’s reaction was priceless. He spun around on the rock so quickly he fell over, the headphones slipped off his head, the tape player dropping to the ground. In his haste, the cord wound up wrapped around Shadow’s wrist as he spun around to bare his teeth and hiss at Sonic.

“Chillax, dude,” Sonic grinned, crossing his arms and staring down at Shadow as he struggled to get up without tripping on the headphones’ cord. “It’s just lil’ ol’ me!” While Shadow fought his pathetic battle against the cord trap, Sonic hopped onto the rock to sit next to him. Eventually, Shadow managed to defeat the headphones, and he sat next to Sonic looking as intense as always.

“Don’t sneak up on me again,” he muttered, which only made Sonic grin, the stress and emotional turmoil of the day melting away in favor of taking delight in Shadow’s annoyance.

“Sooo,” Sonic whistled, kicking his feet a little against the rock. “How’re you liking the tunes?” He gestured to the tape player now clutched in both of Shadow’s paws, the headphones hanging over his wrist.

Shadow glanced down at the device. A tiny wrinkle formed between his eyes, and Sonic had the sudden intense urge to poke it. He didn’t, but he had to shove his paws under his legs to control the impulse.

“Music is very different now.”

“Ha! I bet! What’d Tom put on there, anyway?”

Shadow handed over the tape player reluctantly, and Sonic popped the tape out to flip it around and read the track list. Tom’s handwriting wasn’t the best, but he could make out most of the names.

“Foo Fighters, Shania Twain… Oooh, Beyonce!” He grinned up at Shadow. “Crazy In Love, am I right?”

Shadow looked like Sonic had actively insulted him.

Sonic ignored the glare in favor of yanking out the headphone jack and sticking the tape back in and hitting play. It took him a few seconds of listening to the beat, a little staticky from the tape player audio quality, as Sonic bopped his head up and down till the lyrics clicked. “Oh! This one’s uh, what’s it called…” Thankfully, the song lyrics gave him a hint as the metronome like sound tapped out the timing, and he sang the title along with the male voice. “ I gotta feeling , woooo-hooo!”

Sonic jumped up off of the rock, the tape player still held in one paw as the upbeat rhythm got the better of him, and he hopped around the rock sort of singing along. He didn’t actually know the lyrics, but Tom had played the song a few times in the car, and they were repetitive enough Sonic could fake it.

Shadow remained stationary, saying nothing, but when Sonic glanced at him, brilliant red eyes were wide and his mouth was slack, parted ever so slightly as he watched Sonic hop in place, the tinny sound of the music filling the empty forest afternoon.

“C’mon,” Sonic gestured towards Shadow, urging him to stand up. “You said Maria taught you to dance, right?”

“Not to music like this,” Shadow groused, crossing his arms and remaining firmly in place. “And besides, I thought you were…” he trailed off.

“What, upset?” Sonic paused his dancing as the song changed, switching to something a little less bouncy, the seductive tones of Mariah Carey crooning at them from the little speakers. “I was. Still am, I guess. I mean, Tom’s gonna be in the hospital for a… a while.” If he hadn’t been watching Shadow already, Sonic would’ve missed the slight flinch at his words, a barely-there flattening of dark ears. “But Maddie once said that one of the best ways to feel better is to dance it out. So, come on!”

But Shadow continued to resist, planted firmly on his rock. “I’m not dancing.”

“Come ooon!” He set down the tape player next to Shadow and held out a paw. “You can’t just fight and sulk your way through life.” When Shadow just stared at his paw, Sonic sighed. “Maria would want you to have some fun, wouldn’t she?” It was a bit of a low blow, using Shadow’s dead friend’s (sister? Sonic still hadn’t quite figured that detail out) name. And, to Sonic’s personal agony, it didn’t spur Shadow into joining him.

From the tape player, the song faded out and Tom’s crackly voice filtered through the speaker. “This next one’s gonna take you right back to those Kappa-Theta house parties!” His voice was full of mirth, and Sonic could hear his smile. “Remember when we danced to this one by the pool the night before graduation? I sure do! Anyway, this last one’s for you, babe. Mads, thank god we made it through the middle together. I love ya.”

As the guitar started strumming to open the song, Sonic had to swallow away the lump in his throat at hearing Tom’s voice sounding so happy, so strong .

“There’s a few of those… voice messages,” Shadow muttered, looking embarrassed at hearing the private words.

The song was reasonably upbeat and a little familiar, especially once it hit the chorus, the same words Tom said in his little voice memo. Sonic didn’t know what the middle actually meant, and the singer’s pronunciation of the lyrics was sort of hard to understand, but it was damn catchy, there was no denying that. A little embarrassed himself for reasons Sonic couldn’t really say and didn’t want to, either, he bounced on his feet to the beat, unable to stand still in the face of the catchy music. If Shadow wouldn’t dance with him, Sonic would do it out of sheer spite.

Again, he didn’t really know the lyrics very well, but he could still sort of mumble-sing along. They were pretty repetitive anyway, and Sonic hopped around the rock (and around Shadow) as he flung his body about, smashing at invisible drums and faking his way through the words he couldn’t guess. At the extended guitar solo, he hopped up onto the rock strumming dramatically at his invisible air guitar, grinning down at Shadow who leaned away so as not to wind up getting hit by Sonic’s emphatic yet soundless playing. He almost lost his balance on the rock as he went for the big finish, falling to one knee in front of Shadow, leaning in close to stumble his way through singing.

“Hey, don’t write yourself off yet,” Sonic sang as badly as possible, all of a single inch from Shadow’s face. He didn’t know the next bit of the lyrics, so he went back to his air guitar until the next beat drop, at which he leaped from the rock and spun around to strike a dramatic pose as he sang gibberish through the rest of the song, ending it with one paw stretched to the sky, one reaching out to Shadow, a grin splitting his face so widely it hurt.

Maddie was right, because she always was. Dancing it out did help.

Silence stretched between them broken only by the slight click of the tape as it hit the end of its ribbon.

Shadow stared at him, looking… actually, Sonic couldn’t name that expression. His ears were angled back, and his eyes were a little wide, his mouth all twisted up, but his shoulders were slack, and yet in his lap, his paws were twisted together, one finger tapping restlessly at his palm. And to top it off, his cheeks looked just a little darker. Hedgehogs could blush, and it was pretty obvious when Sonic did thanks to his pale peachy muzzle, but it was harder to see through Shadow’s tan fur, so Sonic couldn’t be sure that’s what it was. He looked- nervous, maybe? He was probably just freaked out by the theatrical display.

Disappointed but not surprised by Shadow’s lack of participation, Sonic flopped back onto the rock beside him, nudging the tape player away.

“You’re kinda a buzzkill,” he said, without much malice. Shrugging off the disappointment, Sonic leaned back against the rock, staring out at the blue of the sky reflected in the lake far below. “But anyway… what’ve you been up to since this morning?”

When Shadow didn’t immediately respond, Sonic glanced over at him, then reached over to wave a paw in front of his spacey expression. 
  

“Uhh, Earth to Shadow? You alive in there?” In a moment of either bravery or stupidity (maybe  both), Sonic fully reached over and poked one single finger against Shadow’s forehead. Giving in to that specific impulse twice in the span of an afternoon was not his best plan, but he just couldn’t resist.

That got Shadow’s attention, and his face quickly fell back into his usual pinched expression, batting Sonic’s paw away. “Leave me alone,” he mumbled, looking away and crossing his arms, hunching in on himself.  

Shadow was totally embarrassed! Though by what, exactly, Sonic couldn’t say. He seemed downright  flustered, which delighted Sonic to no end even if he didn’t understand the cause. “That’s not an answer to my question,” he said, his smile still wide and toothy, his voice sing-songy.

Seemingly fed up, Shadow stood up quite abruptly. Sonic was leaning in so closely he almost got an elbow straight to the nose. Shadow took the tape player with him as he stood, the headphones in a twisted bundle.

“Oh, are you going somewhere?” Sonic hopped up too, already falling into step beside Shadow as he stepped around the rock and headed back into the woods.

“Away from you,” was Shadow’s lethal response, the biting tone washing right over Sonic like water off a duck’s back.

Sonic skipped to keep up with him, and despite Shadow’s words, he didn’t do anything to dissuade it. “Ya know,” he said, pondering, “I still owe you a five second head start on our next race.”

A glance over Shadow’s shoulder was enough encouragement for Sonic.

“If you’re feeling up to it, you wanna go now?” They’d reached the mouth of the cave, and Shadow dropped down into it, Sonic following close behind, only to follow him right back outside when all Shadow did was stash the tape player and headphones by his little blanket nest.

“Why?” It was the same thing Shadow asked the first time Sonic made the offer.

So he repeated the same reason. “Uh, because racing is fun? And you can actually keep up with me, which is totally awesome!”

“No, I mean-“ Shadow bit his own sentence off, and to Sonic’s dismay, seemed to have closed off more than he was a few minutes ago. Gone was any trace of a blush, any strange confusion, replaced with that agitation he’d seen in that dark expression so many times already. He stalked a few paces away, then whirled on Sonic when he followed along in Shadow’s footsteps. “Why are you here?”

“Why am I… Shadow, what?” He was genuinely confused now.

And, apparently, Shadow was too. “Why are you here, following me around, when you should very obviously be back with your family?” He all but spat the word family, one lip curled in a minuscule snarl, just enough for the glint of one white fang to be visible. Confusion aside, Sonic felt fleeting jealousy at those fangs. His own were so small, nothing compared to Shadow’s.

“I was just with them,” he said, though he didn’t step any closer to Shadow.

“So go back to them. Leave me out of it.”

Getting more annoyed than confused, Sonic crossed his arms, challenging. “Why, so you can sulk around the woods? I’ll have you know that these woods are for having fun, not for brooding .”

Shadow’s expression darkened, fists tight at his side. “You’re not here for revenge, you made that clear… earlier. Is it a misguided debt? I helped save your planet, but I didn’t do it alone. You owe me nothing.”

So far, Sonic had been pretty good at keeping up with Shadow’s mood swings. The guy wasn’t the most emotionally stable, that much was obvious from their first meeting, but this was different. Sonic genuinely couldn’t figure out what it was that upset Shadow so suddenly. It couldn’t have been the music, Tom’s taste wasn’t that bad, and from the few words Shadow spoke, it sounded like he’d already listened to the whole tape before Sonic showed up. And he hadn’t seemed genuinely upset at Sonic’s stupid dancing, just a little weirded out. 

“Shadow, I don’t-“

But Shadow didn’t even let him finish. “What do you want from me, you impossible hedgehog?!”

Sonic blinked, taken aback by the sudden ferocity of Shadow’s voice. “I want to go on a race,” he said, even as red eyes burned with uncertainty. “And I’d love it if you'd quit it with that nickname, it’s still so lame, but I get it if you just like the dramatics.”

Shadow growled, shaking his head in obvious frustration. “I don’t even kn-“ he broke off, turning away for a moment before meeting Sonic’s gaze head-on again. “We’re not friends. Why do you keep insisting we act like it?”

Friends.

They weren’t, not really. They’d been enemies, opponents, and briefly allies, but never friends , even if there was something in Sonic’s chest that wanted them to be so badly it almost hurt. It was the same something that pushed him back to Shadow over and over the past few days, the same thing that pulled and pulled until he just had to give in, like some kind of personal gravity. But Shadow wasn’t a planet, and he didn’t have his own gravitational field; it was all Sonic, this need to orbit.

“We could be,” he said, when there was nothing else to say.  

But Shadow shook his head. “I am not made for friendship. ” He said it with such venom it made Sonic flinch, just a barely there twitch of his ears and half a step backward. Shadow said it like it was a given fact, like friendship was just not something in the cards for him.

“Made for- Shadow, nobody is made for friendship, it just happens.” Sonic took half a step closer then thought better of it. “Friendship’s a choice, just like anything else. And don’t say you haven’t had a friend before, because you and I both know you’d be lying.”  

His words made Shadow retreat, if only by his shoulders hunching and his gaze darting away.

“And anyway,” Sonic continued, his voice far lighter than he felt. “We don’t have to be friends to race. That’s fine.” It wasn’t, not entirely, but it was close enough to the truth.

When Shadow didn’t respond, Sonic sighed, forcing himself to ease up. “If you’re not up for a race, that’s cool. We could listen to more of Tom’s music, or- oh!” He suddenly remembered his kitchen pitstop and reached up to yank the half-eaten chocolate bar from where it was tucked away in his quills. “Here, I brought this that first day and then totally forgot about it.”

He held the chocolate out for way too long until finally, Shadow inched forward and snatched it from his paw. While he inspected the shiny blue wrapping, Sonic said, “Earth hedgehogs can’t have chocolate, but it turns out super awesome hedgehogs from space very much can!” A memory flashed in his mind, making him quirk a lopsided smile. “You shoulda seen how freaked out Tom and Maddie were when they first found me eating some of the stuff. Maddie tried to make me barf it up!”  

Shadow shot him a disgusted look, then slowly, with all the care in the world, peeled away the wrapping, raised the bar to his mouth, and took a very small nibble. It was sort of adorable, though Sonic would rather eat his own tail than admit that out loud. He chewed it slowly, and his previously scrunched up brows rose in slow motion, his eyes widening again. Sonic decided right there and then he would make it his personal mission to see how often he could disrupt that trademark scowl, because when he wasn’t a glowering menace, Shadow was sort of…  

Sonic slammed a mental door shut on whatever that was. No way was he touching whatever he’d been about to think. Nibbling chocolate was allowed to be adorable. That was it.

“This is very different from what chocolate used to taste like,” he said, already taking another bite. “Much sweeter, and-“ Not only did Shadow’s eyes go round, but his pupils did too, the dark suddenly expanding as he smacked his mouth. Sonic couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. “What is that... that texture in it?”

“Oh, right!” Sonic hadn’t even realized it wasn’t a regular chocolate bar. “Rice Krispies. I’ll bring you a Rice Krispy treat next time, those have marshmallow fluff and stuff.”

Shadow took another nibble of the chocolate.

“Pretty good, huh?”

Shadow nodded, and Sonic inwardly cheered. Maybe he didn’t know what had upset Shadow, but he was, by trial and error, at least figuring out things that helped reverse his sudden sour mood swings.

“Pretty hard to be all pissy when there’s chocolate to eat, right?” It was probably not the best idea to push, but Sonic couldn’t help it.

Luckily, it seemed like while Shadow was still pretty closed off and reluctant to give in to Sonic’s whims, he wasn’t about to snarl or go for the kill anymore. Sonic’s stomach twisted around as he watched Shadow finish off the rest of the bar, handing over the empty wrapper when Sonic reached out a paw for it. Inside his chest something small and burning hot fluttered, something near his heart but impossible to pin down. Sonic ignored it.

“I guess if you’re not up to race, I should head back,” he sighed. “It’s probably almost dinner ti- hey, wanna come to dinner?”  

Shadow gave him a look that clearly communicated how terrible of an idea that was, complete with that little lip-curl he did whenever Sonic did or said something particularly stupid.

“Yeah, okay, that’s fair.” Sonic probably should’ve seen that coming. “Ultimate Lifeforms don’t need food and all that, bla bla bla. You want me to bring you leftovers anyway?”

Again, the look of dismay on Shadow’s face was priceless, and it made Sonic grin. (The returning warmth in his chest might have also been to blame for his smile, but whatever.)

“I don’t need your table scraps,” Shadow said, just as Sonic started jogging in place to warm up for his run home.

“Uh, okay,” Sonic laughed, a little bemused. “I was thinking something along the lines of a well packed Tupperware, not table scraps. ”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Just go home,” he muttered, crossing his arms. It seemed more for his own emotional protection than anything.  

But Sonic yet again couldn’t help but drag out their goodbye, a pattern he found himself repeating every time they parted. “You sure you’re gonna be okay out here all by yourself?”

A nod. “Go home,” Shadow repeated. “I don’t need or want anything but peace and quiet.”

For some reason, it sounded like a lie, but Sonic let it slide. “If you say so. But I’ll be back tomorrow! I don’t know when, but I will be. And then we’re having that race. No backing out.”

“Fine.”

“Fine!” He flashed one last grin, drinking in every last second of Shadow’s presence before he finally gave in. “I’ll see yea,” he said, and, with great effort, he forced himself to turn and run. It felt a little bit like pulling teeth, if the teeth were located somewhere in his ribcage.

Because the longer he hung around Shadow, the harder it was to leave, and Sonic really needed to get a handle on it before this whole thing blew up in his face.

The thought followed him all the way home, background noise to the quiet that always descended over him when he ran. It wasn’t that his mind actually quieted when he ran, it was more like it… slowed down; like his very thoughts were tired to the same speed as his surroundings, all perceptibly in slow motion to Sonic. It was one of the reasons Sonic fought the way he did, dashing in and out of attacks, always a step ahead of his opponent purely because he literally always was a step, no, a second (at least) ahead of everybody, at least when he moved at top speed.

Well, he was ahead of everybody except Shadow. And, now that he realized it, the sheer ruthlessness and close-contact style of their fights suddenly made a whole lot more sense. Sonic didn’t really fight with anybody else like he fought with Shadow, but it went both ways. They were almost too matched at times, their battles an ongoing stalemate. The winner was usually determined by whoever started the fight at an advantage.

They matched so well that Sonic kept forgetting they weren’t supposed to.

But man , Sonic just could not stay away from the guy! That stupid urge in his chest was ever-present, tugging him into circles around and around, doing whatever he could to get some kind of a reaction. Sometimes that was teasing Shadow, egging him on, sometimes it was offering help, even if the help wasn’t wanted. He felt like one of the characters in those rom-coms Tom liked to choose and say were for Maddie’s benefit but were obviously for his own. Just like the characters on screen, Sonic felt stupidly obsessed with someone that the whole universe said he shouldn’t be with.

Wait.

Sonic skidded to a halt at the edge of town, very nearly slamming into a stop sign.

He shook his head, rewinding that train of thought, literally walking backwards and into the road. Thankfully, there were no cars, but for a very, very long pause, he just stood there, staring into empty space while his thoughts spun.

It was one thing to think Shadow taking a nibble of chocolate was adorable. Everyone was adorable doing things like that, even Knuckles. It was one thing to poke him for a reaction, follow him around like Ozzy when he wanted to play fetch, tease and pull at Shadow in the hopes Shadow would push back. But it was something else entirely to compare Shadow (and himself) to star-crossed lovers on the family TV.

He shook his head again, eyes squeezed shut. Was that what the weird feeling in his chest was? It didn’t feel like the butterflies stories always talked about, didn’t feel like the teasing looks and gentle touches Tom and Maddie exchanged. Sonic tried to think of what people in movies did with crushes and only came up with things like dates and holding hands, neither of which he wanted to do with Shadow.  

For the former, the idea of Shadow doing something like sitting at a restaurant or going to the movies was hilarious, impossible to take seriously. Sonic tried to imagine buying red roses for Shadow, and then immediately pictured the glare he’d get for it. Knowing Shadow, he’d probably think cut flowers were pointless. And for the latter, Sonic figured if they held hands (well, paws) they would probably end up disagreeing about walking speeds or something and bickering until one of them hit first.

Unbidden, the memory of grabbing Shadow’s paws in his as Shadow’s chaos energy burned between them with their newfound shared power flitted to the forefront of his mind. Just as quickly he dismissed it.

The idea of having any kind of crush on Shadow was laughable, and Sonic honestly felt relieved as he mentally scrubbed it from his brain. It would’ve been an easy excuse for his growing obsession, sure, but it just didn’t fit. It was too… boring, honestly. Simple. Easy. Whatever his drive to chase Shadow up mountains and through the stars was, Sonic still couldn’t find a name for it. It was frustrating to no end, but Sonic was nothing if not persistent. Patience? His tap was minimal at best. But persistence? He had that in spades.

His pondering over, he gave himself a good, full body shake and kicked off to finish the last few miles of his homeward journey.

When he got home Sonic was greeted with the sounds of his entire family, even- wait, even Tom! He rushed to the kitchen in excitement, only to stop when he realized that Tom wasn’t home, he was just up on FaceTime on Tails’ tablet.

“Sonic!” Tails greeted excitedly, spinning around with the tablet cradled in his arms. He was acting as a living tripod, it seemed. “Tom’s doing better, come say hi.”

Sonic was up in front of the tablet in a flash, grinning at the blurry but amazing image of Tom on screen.

“Hey, buddy,” Tom greeted, lifting a hand to wave. There was a tube attached to it, but that meant nothing compared to the fact Tom was alive and smiling at Sonic, even if it was through a camera.

“Tom!” Sonic’s voice was almost childish in its shrillness. “How’re the bones, how’re the bruises, how’s the-“

“Woah, woah, Sonic, slow down,” Tom laughed, the screen freezing for a split second on one of the frames. To Sonic it was a small eternity, and he spent each millisecond staring at the blurry frozen image of his dad. “I’m feeling okay, though not getting to see you guys today was not my idea of a good time.” 

Tails wobbled a little where he was standing, offering the tablet to Sonic so he could take custody.

“Your turn,” Tails whispered, then turned to help Maddie and Knuckles with whatever they were cooking. (Something with noodles?)

He took the tablet with him to the couch where Ozzy was curled up in a ball, his nose tucked under one paw. Sonic hopped up and tucked his toes under the dog, who didn’t budge.

He was about to ask Tom more senseless questions just to get him to keep talking, but Tom beat him to the punch.

“So, Sonic, Maddie was telling me about your latest project.”

Sonic blanked. Did he have a project? Was he helping Tails with something and he forgot?

Tom looked wonderfully amused. “Your, erm, secret project?”

“Ah!” Sonic remembered his painfully short-lived excuse. “Right, uh. She was telling you, huh?”  

“More like she was confirming it. Don’t forget, kiddo, we pay a lot of attention to you guys. We’re no super powered hedgehogs from the stars, but we see things.” Tom’s voice softened, curling around Sonic as he cradled the tablet against his knees. “Maybe you can pass a message along to your secret project?”  

Sonic’s ears perked up, suddenly curious. “A message? What d’you want to say to Shadow?”

“Tell him to maybe ease up, next time?” Tom’s hand could just be seen out of frame rubbing at his chest. “He packs a pretty sweet punch.” 

When Sonic stared at Tom in open mouthed surprise, Tom burst out laughing.

“You’re… joking about that?” Sonic leaned into the tablet, squinting at the image. “Did they give you amnesia or something?”

Tom shook his head, still smiling. “Nope, I fully remember what happened. And I also remember that I wasn’t wearing my face, I was wearing the face of someone who hurt him.”

And that… was a detail Sonic, along with everyone else, seemed to keep forgetting. Because Shadow had lashed out at a GUN agent, not at… Tom. Of course, he hadn’t apologized when it had happened, just stood above the pain he caused and walked away, leaving Sonic with a cold shoulder and a burning fury in his heart as he clutched to the first person that gave him a real chance, gave him family. And Tom had explained it all, during the first hospital visit when Sonic was still reeling from the afterburn of the sheer power of the Emerald still flickering through him. So, logically, Sonic knew that Shadow hadn’t actually attacked Tom with the intent to kill him. But that hadn’t mattered much in his lash out, his need for revenge, and after that need for revenge died, the fact simply… didn’t matter.  

“Hey,” Tom caught his attention, waving a little. Only then did Sonic realize he must’ve had his phone propped up on something, since he only had one good hand. “You doing okay?”

Sonic let out a long, agonized sigh. “This is so complicated!”

Tom’s laugh was better than any music Sonic ever heard. “The most important things usually are. The question is, are you willing to put in the work to figure it out?”


Sonic didn’t need to answer that, and Tom didn’t press.

Knuckles stuck his head into the living room after a beat of silence to call Sonic to the kitchen to help finish up dinner, and Sonic dutifully handed off the tablet to Maddie so she could have a moment with Tom alone while Sonic and the others set the table.

After the emotional rollercoaster of the day, dinner was a mellow fair, unusual for the Wachowski household. They ate noodles with cream sauce and Sonic ate about a zillion dino nuggets, tossing bits of broccoli across the table at Knuckles despite Maddie’s protests.

Maddie retreated to her room for a work call after dinner, and Tails was in the middle of designing some little gadget that could help Tom button his shirts with one hand, so Sonic joined Knuckles on a patrol around the house for a few laps, which quickly devolved into just running circles around the house, Ozzy close on his heels. It was a quiet evening all around, and while Sonic felt a little distracted, he managed to let the calm of the family home fill him up, a striking contrast to the anxiety and panic he’d felt that morning.

His thoughts remained almost dreamy in their ease all the way until bedtime, tucked into his race car bed, Knuckles and Tails on each side. And if Sonic fell asleep thinking about his old cave and a little blanket nest cradling one confusing hedgehog… well, his thoughts were for him and him alone.

Chapter Text

As expected, Sonic didn’t visit the cave and Shadow until much later in the day. Maddie must’ve really given a piece of her mind to the staff, because somehow, they managed to squeeze in a full two hours in the hospital. They had miserable hospital sandwiches for lunch with even worse tasting green jello on the side, but the food didn’t matter so long as the family was all together. Then, after Maddie dropped them off at home before returning to work, Tails employed both Sonic and Knuckles’ help with testing his latest inventions. Their different approaches and paw sizes were a great way to stress-test, according to the fox, and both Sonic and Knuckles were more than content to sit there and follow Tails’ every whim for a few hours.

It was late afternoon by the time Sonic decided to head out into the woods, late enough he called Maddie using the single cell phone that lived in the kitchen for emergencies that he might not make it home for dinner. Maddie was fine with that, but only if he agreed to make himself something to take with.

“And bring some for Shadow,” she added, before letting him go.

Sonic was… not a good cook. Tom had tried teaching him in the early days, but after three separate visits from the fire department, they decided Sonic was probably best kept away from the stove. But, determined, he set to work in the kitchen. Tails was napping on the couch with Knuckles, so Sonic did his best to work as quietly as possible.

After about thirty of the most stressful minutes of his life, Sonic managed to come up with edible boxed mac and cheese. It was the kind with the fun shapes, bunny rabbits and carrots and little suns, and he divided it up into two containers. He added a fork for each, then also a spoon, in case Shadow preferred that, and finally, two Rice Krispy treats to top it all off. He crammed everything into another grocery bag, then lingered… he needed one more thing.

It took some digging around in the fridge, but he finally found two more items: a single box of chocolate milk and a matching one of strawberry. They’d been added to the grocery cart the week when Tails joined Maddie on the shopping trip, since he was usually the only one who actually went with; partially because he actually listened when his suggestions were turned down unlike Sonic, and he was really good at grabbing things from the top shelf, as his paws actually fit between items on the shelves, unlike Knuckles.

He lingered in the kitchen for another moment, hopping from foot to foot, then changed his mind on the bag and dug around in the closet for one of the backpacks Tom bought just in case Tails ever lost or damaged his usual yellow one. It would be way easier to run with it. Backpacks weren’t great over his quills, but it would be easier than a bag on his shoulder.

Finally satisfied, Sonic took a moment to check in with Knuckles (quietly, so he didn’t wake up the little fox), then finally, finally gave into the pull that dragged him out into the forest again, backpack bouncing at his back. The late afternoon sun was pleasant, blocked by a few clouds here and there, and Sonic relished the breeze in his quills. Plus, he was getting better and better at running while carrying stuff. Maybe that was something he should practice?

Lost in that thought, Sonic didn’t notice a sudden presence at his side keeping perfect time until Shadow slid just close enough to lightly bump their elbows together.

Sonic almost tripped in his haste to look up, not slowing for a moment. “Hey, Shadow!” he greeted, an extra skip in his step as they raced between the trees. He hadn’t expected Shadow to find him instead of the other way around, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Shadow didn’t verbally greet him, just gave him a short nod and kept pace all the way to the cave, where he slid to a halt beside Sonic. Despite the fact his shoes didn’t seem to touch the ground when he ran, when he was stationary, he sank down to earth again. Sonic wasn’t one for figuring out unfamiliar tech, but he knew someone that would love to get his paws on those shoes.

“How come you came and found me?” Even if they’d stopped running, Sonic still felt a little antsy, though he suspected that might’ve just been a side effect of being around Shadow.

“I wasn’t looking for you,” Shadow explained with a huff. “I just happened to come across you.”

“If you say so,” Sonic grinned, already feeling that usual buzz of energy he seemed to always feel around Shadow. “But you must be feeling better if you’re out and exploring! Which is obviously thanks to my top-notch nursing skills.” 

Shadow looked pained, his mouth opening in a twisted scowl, only for him to… not say anything? Instead, he just stood there, mouth sort of opening, staring off into space

“Yo, Sha-dowy-oh-y-oh?” The gibberish name rolled off Sonic’s tongue without much thought, not what he’d planned to say but still worth it, since Shadow huffed again, crossing his arms.

“That’s your worst one yet,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You use my name just fine, can’t you stick with that?”

An incredulous laugh burst out of Sonic’s chest. “Big talk for you, who still won’t just use my name!”

Shadow didn’t meet his taunt, but that was fine.

“Hey, you know, you still owe me a race!”

One dark brow quirked at Sonic. “And you still owe me a five second head start.”

“Fair’s fair,” Sonic shrugged. “Let’s race….” He closed his eyes, lifting a pointer finger, spun on his heel, and chose a random direction. “That way!” When he opened his eyes, Shadow had another weird expression: this one was all pinched, brows knitted together, mouth in a thin line, eyes just a bit wider than usual and fixed on Sonic with such intensity it made Sonic blink in surprise, which made Shadow look away just as quickly.

“That’s not even a destination,” Shadow complained. “But- fine. I know it’s no use arguing.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sonic was full on beaming. “Now, as promise, you get-“

Shadow didn’t even have the decency to wait for Sonic to stop talking. One second he was next to Sonic, the next he was gone in a blur of black and red and gold. 

“Hey!” Sonic yelped, about to sprint after him. He stopped a second later when he remembered the deal, and for five of the longest seconds of his life, Sonic stood still, counting each one until finally he sped off into the woods after Shadow.

It took no time at all to catch up, following instinct rather than any kind of tracking abilities. When he did finally fall into place beside Shadow, all he got for his hard work was, “Took you long enough.” 



Sonic raised a fist and shook it but didn’t stop for one second. He was extra glad he’d worn a backpack, even if he could feel it catching on his quills at every step. The discomfort was minor, and nothing compared to the thrill of chasing Shadow through the woods.

With no real goal in mind Sonic let Shadow choose their direction, which seemed to be a straight line with as little deviation as possible. That made sense since Shadow wasn’t really running, more… skating. Sonic made a note to find some good ways to make fun of him for that, but later. Right then in that moment, neither seemed to feel the need to speak, both happy (or whatever the equivalent emotion was for Shadow) to play this endless game.

They ran until the woods became too dense for their preferred speed, then swerved off to climb ever higher, leaping over boulders where necessary, running straight up a vaulted cliff face, skittering along rocky ledges. Sonic caught a breathless laugh in his chest at more than one instance, and when he glanced to Shadow as they went flying down a small rockslide, he noticed he wasn’t the only one having so much fun. Shadow wasn’t grinning, obviously, but his expression was so open, and the little smirk Sonic caught a glimpse of was enough to totally ruin Sonic’s concentration.

In Sonic’s moment of weakness Shadow gained a few yards on him, enough to spin around and skate backwards like the show-off that he was.

“Come on, hedgehog!” He called, looking effortless as he sped ahead, arms outstretched in an infuriating challenge. “You’re supposed to be fast, aren’t you?”

“I’ll show you fast!” Sonic growled back, pushing himself to the extreme and launching himself at Shadow. He hadn’t really planned for it, but when he realized he’d overshot even with how fast Shadow was going, Sonic took the chance to slam into him, wrapping his arms around Shadow’s torso as they both fell off balance, tumbling down the rest of the rocky strip in a mess of arms and legs and quills and kicking feet.

They slid to a halt in a patchy, small meadow at the base of the latest mountain they’d just crossed, fighting for the upper hand. Sonic cheered internally when they landed with Shadow more under him than over, and Sonic wasted no time in grabbing at Shadow’s wrists to try and pin him, one knee planted firmly in the center of Shadow’s chest. They rolled back and forth, both trying to gain the upper hand, till Sonic finally won thanks to a well-placed tree at the edge of the clearing. Shadow wound up wedged between Sonic and the rough tree trunk, only losing thanks to his own body pinning his own arm behind his head, Sonic’s paw planted firmly on his forehead to keep him immobile, the other gripping his shoulder, a foot planted firmly on Shadow’s stomach.

“Who’s the Ultimate Lifeform now?” Sonic crowed, digging his foot into Shadow’s stomach as he squirmed to get free, a low growl in the back of his throat.

But in a burst of crackling red electricity, suddenly Shadow was gone, and Sonic fell face-first, slamming his forehead into the bark where Shadow was pinned only a millisecond previously. And Sonic didn’t have the chance to turn around, because suddenly a hard shoe slammed into the small of his back, right below the backpack, and claws wrapped around both wrists keeping Sonic completely immobile.

“I am,” Shadow growled, voice impossibly low and impossibly close to Sonic’s ear, sending a shiver up his spine.

Sonic struggled for a moment until he realized just what had happened and his head shot up, snapping around to look up at Shadow over his shoulder. Like this, their noses truly did overlap, their muzzles brushing as Sonic stared at Shadow with amazement.

“Shadow!” All traces of his own previous growl were gone, replaced with the thrill of his realization. “You can teleport again!”

Shadow didn’t budge from where he had Sonic pinned for another moment, brows furrowing as he glanced down at himself. From this close Sonic could literally see every single eyelash, every single hair on his soft, tan cheeks, the flecks of purple and gold in his eyes…

In another second, Shadow released him, stepping back and eyeing his own paws. He flexed his claws, closed his eyes, and-

Nothing. He didn’t teleport again.

When still nothing happened, he sighed. “Almost,” he muttered, more to himself than to Sonic.

“But you did it!” Sonic hopped to his feet and brushed himself off. “That’s a good sign, right?”

“I… suppose.” Shadow sounded skeptical, yes, but his tone was lighter than it had been in a hot minute as he inspected his own paws. All traces of the red energy were gone.

“Aw come on, be excited!” Sonic cheered for him, pumping a fist in the air. “Ladies and gentlemen, the black blur, the terror of Tokyo, the savior of Earth, iiiit’s Shadow the Hedgehog, and he’s back in business, baby!” He fell into a goofy narration voice, cupping his paws around his mouth to make the muffled, fake cheering crowd noise Tom liked to do sometimes that drove Maddie nuts.

“What is wrong with you, you-“ But Shadow cut himself off with a laugh. It was short and more of an exaggerated breath, a kind of high-pitched noise that never in a million years would Sonic have guessed could come out of that mouth. “You, hedgehog,” he said, after schooling his features back into a more characteristic smirk, “Are impossible.”

“Sweet words you’ve already used, Shads,” Sonic grinned, and if his face felt a little hot, it was just the warm mountain sunshine. “You gotta come up with something more original than that.”

It was a testament to Shadow’s out of the blue good mood that he didn’t even comment on Sonic using the nickname.

Feeling jittery, Sonic grabbed at something, anything to distract them. A quill at his back catching painfully on a strap of the backpack was the perfect distraction.

“Wanna take a lunch break?” He didn’t bother waiting for Shadow before dropping down to sit in the grass where they’d just been wrestling.

Shadow considered the suggestion, then rolled his eyes when he saw Sonic had already made the decision for him. But he didn’t put up a fight when he sat down cross-legged in front of Sonic.

“I assume that’s why you have that backpack?”

“What’s better than a picnic lunch, amiright?” Sonic was happy to set out their various snack options in the coarse grass they found themselves in while Shadow watched.

“I wouldn’t know,” he said, as Sonic dug out the (badly crushed) Rice Krispies. “I’ve never had a… picnic lunch like this.”

Sonic shook his head in dismay. “And that is a sad, sad fact. But we’re here to fix it!” He spread his arms out wide, like he was offering the entire mountain to Shadow. “And this is a pretty picture-perfect place, huh?”

The rocky landslide they’d tumbled down ended in a stretch of short mountain grass dotted with a few small flowers, all bright whites and pale blues and even a couple yellow ones here and there, small blossoms close to the ground. The tree they’d slammed into was one of the first at the edge of the forest that crawled up from the valley to meet the mountain’s feet, but where they sat was wide and open, filled with clear afternoon sunshine and a barely-there breeze. It was, quite frankly, the perfect picnic spot. 

“It is… adequate,” Shadow said, but by the twitch of the corner of his mouth and the way his ears were fully perked forward, Sonic could read his enjoyment in between the lines of his lackluster words.

Once their snacks were laid out, Sonic gave Shadow the rundown, first handing him his container of pasta. “For the main event, we’ve got mac and cheese in fun shapes. ” He offered Shadow both a fork and a spoon, one in each paw. “I dunno which you prefer, so I brought both. You got a preference?” 

Shadow eyed the utensils with way more suspicion than they warranted. Finally, he selected the fork, so Sonic took the spoon and left the spares in the backpack.

“For our side dish, we’ve got Rise Krispy treats, as promised!” He nudged a shiny blue pack over to Shadow. “It’s the same crunchy stuff as was in the chocolate, but this time it’s just the crispy bits with a bunch of marshmallow stuff to keep it together.”

Shadow set his container in his lap in favor of picking up one of the treats. He tore it open with care, sniffing at the inside. “It smells like… butter and sugar.” He shot Sonic a look. “This can’t be very nutritional.”

“Not in the slightest,” Sonic agreed. “That’s what makes them so good.”

Just like he’d done with the chocolate, Shadow took a careful nibble. For someone so dramatic and intense, he sure was careful with his food. He chewed on the bite for a long moment, and Sonic repressed the urge to laugh at his facial journey as he chewed his way through the marshmallow and spongey puffed rice. 

“That is…” Shadow sniffed it again, took another bite, swallowed. “Oddly familiar.”

“Wait, really?” Sonic perked up, curious.

Nodding, Shadow said, “I think… I think Maria used to eat these.”

It was a tiny tidbit, and sure, Shadow still kind of stumbled over Maria’s name, but it was still something. Sonic would take it and call it a win. 

“The container is the ever-classic macaroni and cheese, ” he said, continuing to introduce their lunch. This time Sonic put on his best Italian accent. He wasn’t sure if macaroni was from Italy, but he knew most pasta was. And would Shadow really know? From the brief history they’d been given on him and from the past few days, it sounded like the time Shadow spent on Earth had been behind thick concrete walls with absolutely nothing fun. “It’s shaped like rabbits and stuff,” he added for good measure. 

Shadow set the Rice Krispy treat aside half-finished in favor of picking up the plastic container. As always, he looked dubious. But he’d yet to turn down one of Sonic’s offerings (and wasn’t that a weird realization) and the pattern continued. Sonic decided to suddenly be very busy opening up his own container and shoveling the food into his mouth like his life depended on it, because whether or not Shadow liked it was none of Sonic’s concern. He wanted him to, obviously, but there was also a very small part of him that was curious if Shadow would react if he did find it disgusting.

“Sho wh’dya fink?” Sonic’s words were muffled through his bite of cheesy noodles giving in to his temptation to look up and watch Shadow.

Shadow had the fork stuck in his mouth when Sonic looked up, and for a full second he looked exactly like Tails when Sonic sometimes found him with his paw in the pickle jar in the middle of the night. Shadow didn’t look nearly as innocent as Tails, but his cheeks were extra round and his eyes wide, at least until he registered Sonic looking at him. His expression dropped immediately, brows falling, eyes half-hidden again.

If Sonic sighed in disappointment, that wasn’t important.

Even worse, Shadow quickly finished his bite and said, “I recognize this as well, but like the chocolate, it’s changed.” He stirred the macaroni around in the container with the tip of his fork. “It’s a different texture, too.”

“Aw man!” Sonic snapped his fingers in over-emphasized disappointment. “I was really hoping this would be new, but I guess I gotta do my research, first.” It was less that he’d thought it would be new and more that is was that or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and Shadow probably would’ve found a way to call him lame for that. But, now that the idea was in his head, Sonic realized he’d also wanted to give Shadow something new, even if it wasn’t a conscious decision.

And of course, because he was incapable of just letting things slide and seemed to make a hobby over interrogating Sonic’s motivations, Shadow spoke again. “You’re trying to give me new things to try? Is that what all this has been about?”

Sonic blinked, a little lost. His spoon hung from his mouth. “What all what has been about?”

“You know, the…” Shadow trailed off. He had that same look he’d had while Sonic danced without him. While he looked relaxed at first glance, the tension in his ears and the twist of his lip totally gave him away. “The things. The food. The music player. The-“ he glanced down at a shiny blue wrapper beside him. “The treats.”

Now it was Sonic’s turn to feel embarrassed, ears flatting against his head. Still, he refused to let Shadow get one over him. “Well, it is now! You were in that tube for like, forever. You’ve missed so much! Somebody’s gotta give you the highlights.”

“And that somebody just has to be you?”


A sudden flashback to just a few days prior, Knuckles’ voice level but questioning.

“Somebody has to,” he said with a shrug, deeply casual.

“Why?”

“Man, come on! Is that your favorite word?” Sonic liked being asked questions, loved getting to be the center of someone’s attention in such an easy way, but Shadow always made it somehow so high stakes every time, like there was definitely a right and a wrong answer, but he wouldn’t tell Sonic if he got it right.

But Shadow just shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, only for Sonic to beat him to it.

“Oh, wait, I forgot, your favorite word is hedgehog because you are literally allergic to using my name.” He felt smug at being able to cut Shadow off, sitting back and stuffing another bite of macaroni into his mouth.

“I am not allergic to it,” Shadow protested, glare firmly falling back into place.

“Yes you are!”

Shadow’s glare was deepening by the second. “I am not-“

With a swift and very sudden movement, Sonic shot forward onto his knees, nearly flinging his container out of his lap. It barely made it safely into the grass as he got all the way up in Shadow’s face, paws resting on the grass between them. “I dare you to.”

Shadow reeled back, but he could only lean so far backwards. “…You what?” His voice was deadly quiet.

Sonic didn’t move away at all. In fact, he leaned an inch closer, meeting Shadow’s glare with his own determination. “I dare you to say my name.” Because, really, this had gone on long enough! Sonic already had half a dozen nicknames for Shadow, and the guy couldn’t even give him the courtesy of using his name once. It drove Sonic crazy, and he decided it would end right there in that picturesque mountain meadow.

But Shadow only stared at him, a faint flicker in his eyes, his ears fully back. From this close, Sonic could see the very real faint flush hidden under tan fur, over his nose and curling under his eyes. He was quickly going from glare to snarl as his lips curled back, white teeth flashing. But Sonic refused to let himself be distracted.

Sonic groaned, tipping another inch closer. “It’s two syllables! Five letters! Come on!”

Shadow let out a very low hiss, low and barely audible. When he spoke, his voice was nearly a whisper. “I already told you, hedgehog, I don’t…” but he trailed off as his jaw locked up, teeth grinding together with a barely-there sound.

And then it clicked. Like one thousand light bulbs all going off at once.

“Hey, Shadow,” he said, finally sitting back. He propped his head up on one knee, tilting it and grinning as he asked, “What’s my name?”

He’d caught Shadow in an imaginary corner and Sonic could see it and it was- it was delightful. Shadow was completely frozen, lunch container forgotten in his lap, one paw curled in a raging fist around the fork, the other clenched against his own knee. His quills were lifted ever so slightly, adding a roughness to his outline even in the golden glow of the late afternoon sun. But it was the way his eyes flicked away for a second too long in avoidance of Sonic’s pointed gaze that really sealed the deal.

Because this went above and beyond Shadow being stubborn. He could easily find a way around this by using Sonic’s name as an insult, or something. There were plenty of ways out of this, with one exception that Sonic couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized till now.

And when Shadow still didn’t answer, Sonic knew he had him.

“You have no idea!” He sat up to lean forward again, this time keeping his elbows on his crossed legs as he stared Shadow down. “Right? Because if you do, this is your last chance, and if you don’t, I am literally never letting you live this down.”

Shadow raised a paw in an empty threat; empty because Sonic simply did not perceive it as such. “It’s not like you introduced yourself, ” Shadow snapped, voice suddenly coming back to life. “ You were given a briefing on me, I assume? How useful. You simply showed in my path with your little teammates shouting insults and challenges!”

Sonic felt his grin return in full force, the euphoria of his smugness overwhelming. “You totally don’t, oh man! Oh this is priceless! Just wait until I tell-“

In a flash, Shadow was on top of him, one paw clamped over his mouth, the other raised to strike. And it was a literal flash, the energy still crackling in the air and at each point of contact between them. The teleportation had slammed Sonic down into the ground, too fast for him to fight back, and Shadow had Sonic’s arms pinned to his side where dark legs straddled his torso.

“If you ever tell the fox and the echidna about this, I will end your miserable career as Earth’s favorite hedgehog. Permanently.” 

Sonic had to really wriggle to try to get free, and when that didn’t work, he just opened his mouth and snapped at Shadow’s paw, clamping his teeth down. Maybe he didn’t have full fangs like Shadow did, but his bite was plenty strong enough to cause pain. As he’d hoped, Shadow yanked his paw back with a yelp.

“But you still wouldn’t know my name.” And Sonic couldn’t help it. Sure, he was pretty much immobile underneath Shadow, whose power was obviously coming back in full force, and who looked ready and willing to use it to crush Sonic like a tin can. But this battle wasn’t physical, and Sonic didn’t just have the upper hand, he had the upper hand, arm, and shoulder; the whole shebang.


Shadow stared down at him with rage in his eyes, unmoving, claw still held above Sonic. The paw that was previously held over Sonic’s mouth now rested on his shoulder, and Sonic could feel pinpricks of sharp claws digging into his sin.

But Sonic was a merciful hero, and he took that role seriously. With a little more wiggling, he managed to yank his right paw free, which he held up to Shadow. The angle was horrible, seeing as Shadow was literally sitting on him, but Sonic still offered the paw with a self-assured grin. “Sonic The Hedgehog,” he said. “Pleasure to meet ya!”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, and while his raised paw lowered, he made no move to get off of Sonic. He also didn’t shake Sonic’s paw, which, rude. “Your name is… Sonic?” He sounded genuinely disbelieving. “What kind of a name is that?”

“Yeah, okay, Shadow, ” Sonic griped right back. “And technically, legally, it’s first name ‘Sonic,’ middle name ‘The,’ last name ‘Hedgehog-Wachowski.’ But then again, my legal standing is deeply questionable.” He wiggled a little more. He could feel his quills bending at odd angles now and he was ready to gain his freedom again. “Any chance you’re gonna get off me anytime soon?”

Shadow retreated like he’d been stung, but notably didn’t teleport again. He rolled off Sonic and stalked the three paces back to where he’d spilled the container of macaroni when he’d disappeared into thin air moments prior.

It was easy for Sonic to pop back up, shaking himself off a little. “You know, on the plus side,” he said, scooting back into his place he’d been so rudely pushed away from, “I get to hold this over your head forever. ” 

One second later, a dirty fork bounced off Sonic’s head. He yelped, but it quickly devolved into a laugh at Shadow’s expression. He looked so angry, sure, but it was ruined by how flushed he was. There was absolutely nothing hiding a blush that severe, and Sonic wanted a closer look. He managed to catch Shadow off guard when he fell forward until his face was, once again, mere inches from Shadow.

“Dude,” he muttered, his gaze flicking all over Shadow’s face. “You are so red.”

He probably should have seen the hit coming, but as it was, he was a little distracted staring at Shadow’s muzzle, and so the hit landed square in his jaw and sent him tilting off to the side. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a very strong punch, just enough to catch Sonic off guard, and he sat right back up without a second of hesitation, rubbing at the spot.

“You need to work on your anger issues,” he said, but there was no heat behind his words. “Hey, you know what this means, though? Now you know?”

Shadow sat hunched over, the same cross-legged pose but somehow all the more menacing. “What does it mean.” It was monotone and flat.

“You can finally use my name!”

“No.” Shadow didn’t even bother shaking his head. 

And didn’t that single word just piss Sonic off! “Come on, seriously? It’s just a name! I say yours all the time.” He really did, too, probably more than he used anybody’s name. “Shadow. See? I even have nicknames for you!”

“I’m still not saying it,” Shadow gritted out, and once again he looked like he was ready to bring murder back onto the table. He also wasn’t looking at Sonic, which, even more than the refusal to say his name, got right up under Sonic’s skin. 

“Shadow.” 

Shadow glowered at him. “Shut up.” 

Sonic leaned forward again. “Shadow.”

“I told you to shut up.”

This time, Sonic tipped all the way forward and got on all fours, creeping towards Shadow. “Shaaadow,” he repeated, really drawing it out as he inched closer and closer.

As much as Sonic moved closer, Shadow continued to move away. “Cut that out,” he tried again to stop Sonic, but it was no use. Since he couldn’t stop it, he looked away from Sonic, as if that would ever work.

Sonic had nearly crawled on top of Shadow, but instead he inched around to catch Shadow’s gaze again. “Shaaaadooow,” he whispered, sounding more and more like a ghost by the minute. He was all twisted around Shadow now, even if they weren’t even touching. And, finally, he got what he’d apparently been literally yearning for. For days.

Shadow whipped his head to meet Sonic’s gaze and snapped, “What, Sonic?!”

Satisfied, Sonic immediately retreated. He plopped back into his spot in the grass, legs crossed, paws in his lap, the picture of serenity down to the gentle lilt of his voice. “Oh, nothing. Just wanted to see if you’d actually say it.” 

This time, he did see the hit coming, and it was totally worth it to get slammed back into the grass by one very angry hedgehog.

Chapter Text

They scuffled around for a few moments, but Sonic got a good two-footed kick up at Shadow, and it sent him flying back. Oddly, Shadow didn’t attack him again, instead choosing to sit back on the grass next to his now upside down container of macaroni. Even the remaining half of the Rice Krispy treat was kicked off to the side, their dramatics causing mayhem. Sonic thought his container would be safe, but when he popped back upright and glanced to the side, he realized his had met the same fate as Shadow’s.

“Ya think squirrels and stuff will eat cheesy noodles?” He didn’t really want to scoop dirty macaroni and cheese into a container.

“We’re hedgehogs and we eat them.”

Sonic barked a laugh. “Ha! You’re right! We’ll leave it for some very lucky creature.”

It only took a few moments to snap the lids back onto the containers, but as Sonic was about to shove them and the dirty utensils back in the backpack, he realized he’d forgotten a key item. So he dropped the containers in but reached down and fumbled about until he held up the two milk boxes, complete with tear-away straws.

“And for dessert!” he crowed, dropping the backpack to the side. He held both little cartons out to Shadow, ensuring their fronts were out so Shadow could see the flavors. “Which one do you want?”

For a moment, Shadow just stared at the two boxes held towards him. After a delayed pause he moved closer, squinting at the labels.

“Did you just pull milk out of your bag?” Shadow’s lip curled in mild disgust. “The bag you’ve been running around with in the warm sun?”

Sonic blinked. “I guess, but this stuff is shelf-stable!”

Shadow did not look convinced. “…Shelf-stable milk?”

With an impatient sigh, Sonic held the pink box out a little more insistently. “Just try it! It’s good, I swear.” 

It took a few more awkward seconds, but finally, Shadow reached up to accept the offering. He held it in both paws as he watched Sonic rip the little straw off the chocolate carton and stab it, then take a gulp so large it made the box crumple in on itself. Sonic encouraged Shadow to do the same with a little nod of his head, glancing between Shadow’s paws and his face.

Just like when he’d tried the previous snacks, Shadow was careful as he pulled the straw away and poked it through the top. And, again, it was sort of adorable to watch him lift the box to his lips and take a sip. His brows furrowed the second he tasted it, but he didn’t pull it away or spit it out. 

“I have never tasted a strawberry that tastes like this,” he said after a very long sip. “Is this pure sweetener?”

Already almost finished with his own, Sonic burst into laughter. “Ha! It’s fake strawberry, I don’t know if it actually has any real berry in it. But it’s not too bad, right?”

Shaking his head, Shadow took another sip. “It is…” he stared down at the box, ears pricked forward. “…Another perk of the future.”


And that was about as much of a compliment as Sonic was going to get out of the guy, so he took the win.

Once the soon-empty boxes were crumpled up and packed away with everything else, Sonic turned to Shadow, paws on hips. “Now that your teleportation is back, you better not use it to cheat on the race back.”

But, to his surprise, Shadow sighed, clenching his fists. “I don’t think I can, even if I wanted to.” He concentrated, and while Sonic could feel the slight itch of electricity in the air for a fleeting second, nothing happened. “I can’t control it, it seems to work only on impulse.”

Sonic thought back on their scuffle, the first time Shadow had used it again, and then again when Sonic was taunting him. Actually, both times Shadow teleported on impulse, according to him, were moments Sonic was taunting him. His mouth quirked up into a devious grin. “Well, that makes the solution easy!” 

Shadow looked hesitant. “Dare I even ask?”

Sonic, in his glee, rubbed his paws together as he said, “I just have to piss you off enough you just have to resort to teleporting!” 

“That is not-“

“It’s what worked before.” Sonic cut him off immediately. “Both times you’ve teleported were because of something I said, right?”

While Shadow looked about ready to argue, he didn’t. After he considered that fact, he crossed his arms, looking unhappy about the fact Sonic was, unfortunately, correct. “I should be able to control it,” he muttered. “It’s been long enough I should have recovered.” 

“Maybe there’s something else wrong with you.” Sonic was no expert, but even Shadow, with his mysterious background and ever-impressive strength surely couldn’t just bounce back from being at the center of an explosion that massive, not to mention the radiation and burning his way through the atmosphere. “I did say you should get some real medical attention. Maybe Maddie could take a look at you?”

Something cast over Shadow’s expression at that, a closed off, guilty expression marring his casual scowl. “No. I won’t go anywhere near your humans.”

“What?” Sonic cocked his head curiously. “Why not?” 

Shadow stared at him, openly disbelieving. “Really? You have to ask that?” He bared his teeth, and Sonic wondered if maybe this was more in self-defense than anything, to distract from the sorrowful glimmer in his eyes. Shadow seemed to resort to aggression for many emotional responses, but there was an edge to his tone… “I almost killed your- … Tom. He should have died, I intended for him to die.” His last words were much softer. “You are very lucky that he didn’t.”

But Sonic would have none of that. “You weren’t trying to kill him , though, right? And… he’s gonna be okay. I told you that. He’s getting better every day. And Maddie knows that.”

“And you think that’s enough reason?” Shadow’s voice was sharp but his eyes refused to meet Sonic head-on, something that was as telling as it was infuriating. “Why would she offer me help, even at your request?”

“Because she trusts me, and I trust you!” The words fell from Sonic’s lips before he fully comprehended them. Well, that answered his own question. And even as he said them, he knew they really were true. He’d been literally pinned down at Shadow’s mercy and not a single bit of Sonic had felt remotely afraid. “Besides,” Sonic continued, “You’ll meet them all properly eventually, so it might as well be now, when you need it.”

He expected Shadow to come up with some dramatic come back or dismissal, and so Sonic was surprised when instead, Shadow gave him a long, guarded look.

“I have met your… family… already. Why would I meet them again?” He sounded suspicious, but also incredibly confused, and his arms were still crossed, shoulders tight.

“I mean, won’t you?” Sonic realized in that moment he hadn’t even questioned it. He hadn’t really thought about it, sure, but he realized it was because he’d just… assumed. “It’s not like I can always just run off into the woods to hang out with you, and what if we need to team up again?”

But he was met with silence, and Shadow looked more troubled than Sonic would have liked, his gaze not entirely there in the present. And combined with the silence, it left Sonic feeling- off.

“We’ll figure it out back at home,” Sonic said, when Shadow still didn’t reply. “And this time you don’t get a head start, so pay attention!” He tried to catch Shadow’s attention again with his challenging tone. 

It worked. Shadow shot him an eye roll, shaking out his paws as he turned to run back the way they came. “I don’t need any head starts to beat you,” he said, and Sonic sighed in relief at the familiar heat in his tone. Weirdly enough, it was comforting to have Shadow insulting him with a flare of drama unique to their banter.

And because Sonic had said he’d try annoying Shadow into teleporting… “Well, in that case,” he said, casually walking over to line his toes up with Shadow. I guess you don’t need a…. countdown!” On the final word he launched back up the mountain, leaving Shadow still held at the ready.

One moment he heard a frustrated shout, and the next Shadow was keeping perfect pace at his side, the hum of energy in the hair curling around Sonic’s quills.

“Hey, that worked!” he shouted, taking an extra high leap for good measure. 

Shadow flashed a clawed paw wrapped in sparks of red and bared his teeth, to which Sonic only laughed, bright and airy and lost to the wind.

Their return journey was much like their initial race, if just a bit slower. Sonic repeatedly tried to goad Shadow into teleporting by any means necessary; he shouted taunts, he tried to trip Shadow, he even tried spin-dashing him straight off the edge of a small cliff. But each time, Shadow only responded physically, usually ending in them rough housing for a few moments before one of them inevitably resumed their race back to Green Hills. Even worse, Shadow grew less and less likely to verbally spit back his own taunts, and their moments in between sprints grew shorter and shorter too. Shadow didn’t slow down, exactly, but the lively energy from earlier in the day was severely lacking.

The sun set quickly as they ran home, and by the time they could see the warm glow of the town from high up on a foothill the sky was washed in hazy blue and even Sonic’s bright fur looked muted in the twilight.

Sonic glanced over to Shadow as they briefly paused on the hilltop but worry spiked when he noticed the clench of Shadow’s paw and the tightness in his jaw, his ears flat against his head.

“Hey, Shadow,” he muttered, holding out a paw to delay their descent into the final valley, “You doing okay?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” was Shadow’s low response, but the exhaustion of days prior was back in his tone, his eyes lacking their usual spark even in the darkness.

So, no, then, Shadow was not doing okay, but Sonic figured there would be absolutely no getting that confirmation out of him. Instead of arguing the point, Sonic let it slide as they kicked off the last leg of their journey.

The forest was almost entirely dark when they made it back to the mouth of the cave, and Sonic beat Shadow by all of a second.

“And you said I couldn’t beat you!” Sonic cheered in welcome as he spun on his heel to greet Shadow upon his arrival.

But his winning smile dropped when Shadow actually slid into the little clearing. And it wasn’t his usual dramatic skid-stop, the controlled slide to the side he used to stop his own momentum. No, this was a barely controlled last-ditch attempted use of energy as Shadow slid to a sloppy stop a few yards away from the cave, his paws holding him up against his legs, his chest heaving, his quills wilted under his own exhaustion. He wasn’t even looking at Sonic, eyes squeezed shut as he panted in the darkness.

Sonic was at his side in a flash, his panic manifesting in his own energy crackling through the air. Sure, he couldn’t teleport, but it was sort of like he did at such a short distance. He was just in time, too, as Shadow tilted towards him, barely giving Sonic enough time to duck under his oncoming arm and brace to hold Shadow up. 


“Easy there,” Sonic tried to soothe, which was a little preposterous to try with his current company. “Shadow…” he was slow to speak as they stood there in the dark, uncertain what to say.

“Don’t,” whispered Shadow, and even if he sounded on the brink of passing out, his voice was firm. “Just get me to the cave and I’ll sleep it off.”

Sonic eyed the mouth of the cave, then looked to Shadow, and finally gazed off into the woods in the direction he knew was home. He could, and should, just dump Shadow in the cave and leave him with his shoddy little blanket nest and tape player with one tape and the first aid kit he probably hadn’t used. He guessed that if he did, Shadow would be mostly fine the next day, would sleep for a while and be back to his usual self. It was what happened before.

But just as he took a step towards the cave to let Shadow lick his wounds in private, Shadow let out a pained hiss, doubling over and clutching at his stomach with the arm not held around Sonic’s shoulders.

“That’s it,” Sonic decided a split second later, and he did what he should have done originally when he found Shadow curled up and miserable: he scooped him up in his arms and turned to carry him back home, back to the Wachowski house.

“Hedgehog,” Shadow growled as he was forcibly moved, struggling a little at Sonic’s hold. The simple fact he was either too weak or not determined enough to escape Sonic’s hold was enough confirmation for Sonic. “Hedgeho- Sonic,” he tried again, and that, at least, did get Sonic to glance down at him as he sped through the woods. Shadow was heavy, but with no other option, Sonic refused to let it slow him down. Still, his own name said in that rough, desperate tone caught him off guard. “Sonic, put me down.”

But even that wouldn’t do it. “No can do,” he said instead, even adjusting his hold around Shadow to be a little more stable. “If you can’t even escape a princess-carry, you’re way too messed up to spend the night in a cave.”

Shadow growled at the words princess-carry, but the threat was interrupted by what Sonic could only think of as a whimper as Shadow winced in his arms, snapping his teeth shut as he shivered against whatever pain it was that kept wracking his body with tremors.

Sonic’s teeth were also clenched painfully together as he pushed himself just a little faster, pushing himself so hard he could feel the edges of his fur stand up with the static built up by each step. It was strange, Sonic realized, that he hadn’t been quite as… electric while running since the whole Eclipse Cannon battle. He hadn’t noticed it, too busy focusing on the hedgehog now held to his chest, but it wasn’t just Shadow that wasn’t operating at full energy levels. Now, though, his fur sparked weakly at each blurred step. When Shadow leaned in towards Sonic at a particularly strong shock of pain through his own chest, Sonic had to push himself to stay focused.

There would be time to consider that later. Instead, he pushed himself to the limit as he finally reached the woods bordering the Wachowski property. He came to an abrupt halt still hidden by the trees and carefully, oh so carefully, set Shadow down against an old oak tree.

“Stay here,” he said, both paws firm on Shadow’s shoulders as he ducked to catch Shadow’s gaze. “Just- stay, okay? Don’t go running off. Or teleporting. Seriously.”

Shadow at least managed to glare at him. That was a comfort. “Do I look like I’ll be-“ he winced, “-teleporting any time soon?”


It was enough for Sonic, and, although reluctant, he left Shadow and zipped up to the roof to clamber straight into their bedroom. To his relief, it was both dark and empty, so he ran back to Shadow and heaved him back up. Shadow barely even protested, but he did claw at Sonic’s shoulder and was fully tensed as Sonic carried him up to the roof and through the skylight, dropping them to the floor with a small grunt of effort.

Neither said anything as Sonic deposited Shadow on his own bed, not bothering with his messy blankets or flattened pillow. As soon as he was released, he curled into a tight ball, his face entirely hidden. He was motionless, not a single tremor or quiver or even a flick of an ear or tail, and Sonic hated it. Still, this was better than a dark cave in the middle of nowhere.

Sonic lingered, watching Shadow for way too long, before he finally crept down the stairs and into the warm, dim light of the hallway.

The house wasn’t dark, but only a few of the smaller lights were lit. The door to Tom and Maddie’s bedroom was closed but he could see the faint light on inside underneath it. Maddie was probably inside reading and wouldn’t move until she came to say goodnight. Carefully, he knocked, and at her voice calling out to come in, he stuck his head inside. 

“Hi, you,” she greeted with a smile. She was indeed reading, tucked in bed with her pajamas on and a cup of tea on her bedside table. Ozzy was curled up next to her where Tom usually lay. She must have seen his concern right away, as she lowered her book, raising an eyebrow. “You okay, Sonic?”

He quickly nodded. “Just great, but, uh, I sort of… um. Actually, where’re Knucks and Tails?”

“Hm?” Maddie looked surprised but answered after a moment. “Knuckles went out with Wade on a night patrol, I think he was getting a little stir-crazy, and Tails is in his workshop, I believe.”

Sonic nodded and was about to dip away when she called out to him again.

“Sonic,” she said, and he paused before disappearing again. “You gonna tell me what you’re up to?”

He shifted, scratched at the back of his neck, and avoided her gaze. “Just, uh, don’t come up to the attic for tonight?”

Maddie’s gaze was borderline telepathic, and Sonic squirmed under it. “Sonic,” she said, voice quiet but pointed. “If we have a guest in the house, Tom or I need to know about it. About him.”

Gulping, Sonic froze. Met her gaze. …And immediately caved. “Something’s really wrong with him,” he said, quietly. Worry turned his voice high pitched and pained, and Maddie set her book on the bedside table to give him her full attention. “I know he’s- I mean, everyone has different opinions on him, but nobody deserves to be alone, especially when they’re hurt.”

For a very, very long moment, Maddie just watched at him, and Sonic did his best to meet her gaze. Finally, she relented. “We’re talking about this in the morning, alright?”


He nodded in agreement with a sigh of relief. After a goodnight he returned to her with a little smile, he went looking for Tails, since he was the only other one home, theoretically.

Sure enough nobody was watching TV, and the kitchen was empty. After some brief snooping, Sonic discovered a plate holding three grilled cheese sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap and a closed tub beside it, both labeled with a sticky note with his name in Maddie’s handwriting. He’d come back for those.

Finally, he headed to the garage that had been turned into Tails’ workshop. It was half storage, still, bins of camping gear and holiday decorations and their winter coats and even five sets of only barely used skiis, but the other half had been fully converted. Tom had helped build it to Tails’ specifications, with a large wooden bench pushed up against a wall where all his tools hung. It was tall, tall enough that there was ample room for the makeshift bed underneath. Sonic was pretty sure it was originally a dog bed, but Tails was the one who’d chosen it, so it must’ve been pretty comfortable. Beside it was a shorter table, this one heavy steel and covered in odd contraptions and scrap paper, a wheely stool tucked underneath.

Tails was crouched on a taller stool at the wooden table, his goggles in place as he scribbled over some kind of blueprint, occasionally reaching over to type something into his tablet, both tails alert behind him but relaxed, ever so slightly flopped.

Sonic smiled to himself at the sight, then hurried over to tap him on the shoulder. When Tails looked up, his face brightened when he met Sonic’s eyes.

“Hey!” he chirped, then immediately yawned, his whole face stretching and scrunching comically. “Oh man, is it bedtime? I am way too focused!”

Sonic shook his head. “Actually, I sort of… have a favor.”

Tails’ ear twitched, curious. He pushed his goggles up to his forehead, his cowlick caught by the edge of the band. “What kinda favor?”

Sonic glanced up to the ceiling above them, grimaced, and said, “Shadow’s upstairs.”


The effect was immediate. Tails moved to jump off the stool right away but Sonic caught him, holding him there. “Sonic, what’s he doing here?”

“I brought him here,” Sonic explained. “He’s messed up real bad, buddy. Like, I had to carry him here. That bad.”

That, at least, paused Tails’ attempts to get away. “So why’d you bring him here?”

Sonic sighed, then shrugged, a little sheepish. “I thought a night in a bed and not a cave would do him some good. Also, I wanna see if I can persuade him to let Maddie look at him.”

Tails thought on that, eyes narrowing. “She is the best vet in the area,” he said. “But, Sonic, are you sure Shadow will let it happen?”

“That’s why I gotta persuade him,” he said. “And I think my only chance of that is if nobody interrupts.” After a beat, Sonic had an idea. “And if you catch Knuckles when he gets home and persuade him to sleep on the couch, I’ll also get Shadow to let you take a look at his shoes.” 

That got Tails’ attention. “Seriously? You think you can get him to agree to that?”

Sonic figured the chances were slim to nonexistent at best, but he was determined. “I can totally get him to agree to that.”

As he’d hoped, it was exactly the bargaining chip he needed. “I’ll hold him off for the night,” Tails agreed, “ If you promise to explain at breakfast. You owe us details!”

Sonic laughed, though it was a little shrill. “You’re in luck, ‘cause Maddie already made me agree to that!”


The fact Maddie knew seemed to help relax Tails, and he turned back to his work. “Just be careful, Sonic,” Tails said as he pulled his goggles back down. 

“I know,” he answered, voice quiet again.

He left Tails to his work, trusting that the fox would have a chance to get to Knuckles and explain himself so Sonic wouldn’t have to wait up for him. He would’ve, but he knew it would be at least a few more hours and he didn’t really want to leave Shadow alone upstairs for that long. He didn’t care if he had to tie Shadow down and steal them, Sonic would get those shoes so Tails could do some investigating.

He made a quick stop at the kitchen instead of heading straight upstairs, snagging the plate of cold grilled cheeses. The closed tub turned out to be soup, but Sonic didn’t feel like microwaving and carrying it, so he left it. He did, however, grab two water bottles and tucked them into his arm. It was miserable to climb the ladder to the stairs with it all balanced, but he absolutely refused to even consider making two trips.

Finally, he did manage to get back up without dropping anything. With the plate and water bottles held carefully, Sonic tiptoed over to check on Shadow.

At first, Sonic thought he hadn’t moved. He was still wrapped up tightly, his quills jutting out at odd, defensive angles, the red curled around his form like a warning to all to stay away. Then he noticed two odd, bulky shoes at the foot of the bed, haphazardly fallen from where they’d likely been kicked off. Sonic almost considered stealing them and running them to Tails, but something stopped him. That was the easy route, and also, he had a nagging suspicion that Shadow would never forgive him for something like that, especially when Shadow was obviously placing at least some trust in Sonic. So instead, he carefully moved them to the floor.

Without his shoes Shadow was almost impossible to see, his arms curled over and around his face, his feet tucked up under him and hidden. Even Shadow’s tail was curled tight against his body. Sonic guessed that was the only reason he’d chosen to remove them. When he was too tired to run, too tired to even stay alert and on guard, Shadow seemed to consistently revert to every hedgehog’s last natural line of defense: their own quills.

To level the playing field and because technically Tom and Maddie had a ‘no shoes on the bed’ rule, even if Sonic broke it regularly, he bent down and tugged his own off, leaving him in just his socks, though he kept his gloves on. He couldn’t tell if Shadow wore any socks since his feet were hidden away, but he hadn’t seen any inside the weird shoes, or his gloves or the four golden rings.

Carefully, Sonic climbed up onto the foot of his bed. The little race car was not built for two, but Shadow was so tightly curled up against the pillow that it left plenty of room for Sonic to sit crossed legged at the foot of his own bed. He winced at the squeaky noises the plastic wrap made when he unwrapped the plate resting on the blanket between them. He’d left the bottles on the floor. Luckily, Shadow didn’t budge at the sound, and Sonic managed to unwrap the plate so he could grab a cold sandwich. 

It wasn’t the best dinner, but it was better than nothing. With nobody around and Shadow unaware as he was, Sonic just… sat and watched him as he ate. Maybe it was a little weird, but Sonic was too tired and too worried to care. Sure, he was someone with boundless energy, but he was already busy worrying about Tom in the hospital; worrying about Shadow too was just too much. He couldn’t watch over and look after Tom, but he could do that for Shadow.

Sonic had finished the first cold, congealed sandwich and was just reaching for another when Shadow finally stirred. His quills twitched, the air felt briefly staticky, and then he sat bolt upright. His red eyes were narrowed to slits and flashed in the dark, and Sonic wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the moonlight or an actual spark. He started to lunge forward with a snarl until he saw Sonic, and then Shadow froze.

He was curled over, basically crouching on Sonic’s bed, quills standing straight upright. He’d almost knocked the plate over, but missed it by an inch, and was now sort of crouching over it.

Sonic didn’t move, just met his gaze.

Slowly, very slowly, Shadow sat back, his head snapping back and forth as he took in their surroundings. His nose twitched, and he glanced down at the bed they were both on, his paws reaching down to lightly run over the blue and white striped blanket. He’d left his gloves on and, in comparison to Sonic’s blanket, they looked downright ratty.

Sonic stayed still until Shadow had finally moved all the way back, hugging his knees to his chest. His previous question was answered at the sight of red stripes disappearing into short black socks where they curved around Shadow’s ankles, the golden rings a little loose and crooked without the shoes to hold them in place. Sonic looked away.

“Want some dinner?” he said, finally, holding out half a sandwich to Shadow.


Shadow didn’t budge. “I told you I don’t need to eat.” His voice was low, a little strained.

“And yet you keep eating things I offer you.” Sonic waved his paw a bit, flapping the half sandwich. “Just take it, Shadow.”

With one very careful movement, Shadow reached over and took the half sandwich.

They ate in silence. Sonic kept watching Shadow even if he was now awake, while Shadow glanced around and took in the room. His gaze turned to the beds on each side of Sonic’s, up to the ceiling, to the sky light, to the window behind him. He glanced at the posters on the walls and the random things pinned to the corkboard in the corner, at the unlit ferry lights that lined every wooden beam. He eyed their bean bag chair, the laundry in a pile, about a zillion grubby white gloves and socks and a few hoodies that they all sometimes took to wearing. 

As he surveyed the room, Shadow ate the sandwich in little pieces, not really paying attention till it was all gone. He didn’t notice Sonic offer him the second half at first, but he took that as well and finished it off in much the same manner. He took a water bottle too, when offered, after he’d finished the rest of the sandwich, and set it on the windowsill at Sonic’s instruction.

And then they sat there and stared at each other. Shadow didn’t look like he was about to collapse, but his eyes were glassy despite the tension in his body.

“You can go back to sleep,” Sonic said, nodding towards his own pillow. “Everybody promised to leave us alone, though I’ll have to explain everything to them tomorrow.” Okay, so maybe Knuckles hadn’t actually promised, but Sonic trusted Tails to handle it.

Still, Shadow looked reluctant to relax again.

With a sigh, Sonic moved the plate off the bed and did his best to curl up like Shadow had been previously. “I’ll even sleep here so if anyone does come in, I’ll be between you guys.” He wasn’t really sure if it would even help Shadow, and he didn’t really like the idea of sleeping so cramped, but it was better than any alternative.

And it worked, because Shadow curled up again against Sonic’s pillow. Only this time, he faced Sonic and didn’t fully hide his face. His eyes practically glowed in the dark as he met Sonic’s gaze, curled up in the same position to mirror Shadow.

They held that gaze for an immeasurable amount of time. It wasn’t really late enough for Sonic’s usual bedtime, but maybe he’d really worn himself out with their long mountain race, because he found himself sort of… drifting. He wasn’t asleep, but he wasn’t exactly awake, either. He watched Shadow until red eyes slowly slid shut, and Sonic watched his breathing even out. When he was absolutely sure Shadow was asleep, he reached over and stole Knuckles blanket, which he draped over Shadow, then took Tails’ blanket for himself and curled up again.

It didn’t take much after all for Sonic to drift off to sleep, curled up mere inches from Shadow.

Sonic didn’t dream very often, and when he did, it rarely lingered with him past the first few seconds of waking up, and that included nightmares.

When he woke up to being shaken by two paws on his shoulders, Sonic shook his head a little slowly, blinking at the face in front of him barely visible in the dark, silhouetted by the faint light of the moon from the window behind him. 

Shadow was glaring, his mouth moving in words Sonic wasn’t totally aware of, something loud roaring between Sonic’s ears and blocking out all other sounds. His body felt tense, too, and he realized even his quills were bristling. His lungs felt trapped, his breathing too shallow, and Sonic had to forcibly relax his own paws where they’d dug into his blankets. Shadow seemed to have pushed him upright and was now almost pressing his forehead into Sonic’s with how close he was.

Also, he was still talking. “…and if you don’t, I’ll be forced to wake up your family, and nobody here, including them, wants that to happen,” he was saying, his voice a rushed whisper. “Can you imagine how badly that would go?” 

It made Sonic chuckle, though the sound was a little weak.

Still, it caught Shadow’s attention immediately. “You’re awake,” he said, leaning away, but he didn’t move his paws from Sonic’s shoulders.

That was fine. In fact, in his still-bleary state, Sonic leaned into the touch. “Sure am,” he mumbled. “Hey, why’d you wake me up?” His voice was a little muffled, his mouth cottony. He grimaced. 


Shadow did finally let go as he sat back. Then he turned around and grabbed his own water bottle, which he held out to Sonic who accepted it gratefully. “You kicked me in your sleep,” Shadow explained. He didn’t add anything else.

Sonic winced. “Aw, man,” he groaned, covering his face with a paw. “I drag you all the way here for a good night’s rest and then immediately kick you awake?” He sighed, a little dejected, as he handed the water back to Shadow. “Guess I’ll sleep in Knuckles’ bed instead.” He eyed the truck-shaped bed, now sans blanket. The blanket was now wedged in between the two beds as if Shadow had shoved it away. “Probably should’ve done that from the start,” he mumbled as an afterthought.

A single foot sticking out in front of him stopped Sonic. He eyed the black sock, and even in the dark he could see a little hole at the seam, a tiny bit of black fur peeking through at the toe. Sonic looked up at Shadow, curious. Shadow didn’t say anything, but he did pull his foot back and curl up again. Now that Sonic was a little more present, he noticed Shadow hadn’t just shoved Knuckles’ blanket away, he’d managed to yank up enough of Sonic’s own blanket to tuck himself underneath, even though Sonic himself was resting on the bottom half. It made it so the blanket only really covered half of Shadow, who was now curled at an awkward angle so he could both be partially covered and also keep an eye on Sonic. 

It was a terrible position and Sonic himself was not looking forward to curling up so tightly again to sleep. He liked sleeping a little more sprawled out when he was comfortable, not all wrapped up in himself in defense.

“Shadow,” he muttered, pausing in his half-up, half-down position.

Shadow opened a single eye to glare at him. They held the look for a very long moment, some kind of silent battle happening on both ends. Shadow had stopped Sonic from moving, sort of, but that wasn’t exactly an invitation to do what Sonic was now thinking. He’d shared a bed with Tails a few times, especially in the early days, and once had even crawled over to steal Knuckles’ warmth on a particularly cold night. So he knew what he could do. Sonic just wasn’t sure if he would get away with it.

Slowly, he turned around and crawled a little further up the bed. He was still pinning the blanket down and they were sort of at a diagonal lengthwise, but Sonic glanced at the pillow, then at Shadow, and twitched an ear. Shadow only blinked, his brow furrowing as it always did.

A small eternity later, Shadow kicked the blanket down and moved to the side to lay fully lengthwise in the bed, straightening out as best he could. It was an awkward moment for everyone involved as Sonic crawled all the way up and shuffled under the blanket, and Shadow hissed at him when Sonic elbowed him at least once in their attempt to lay in parallel. No part of them touched when they did lay still, but that was only because they both were stiff as a board, their paws tucked close to their chests, neither meeting the other’s gaze despite the fact their bodies faced each other. The blanket hung off their backs, and if Sonic could feel the slight coolness of air against his quills, he guessed Shadow could too.

“Go to sleep, Sonic,” whispered Shadow, the first to break the awkward tension. His voice was as soft as Sonic had heard it yet, and it filled up his chest with familiar warmth.

Sonic curled up a little, just enough for his knees to brush Shadow’s under the blanket.

Neither said anything else, and eventually, Sonic gave in to the warmth and unexpected comfort and let himself slip back into sleep.

Chapter Text

Sonic woke up feeling a little too hot and with a mouthful of fur, something tickling his nose at every breath. It was still too dim to be proper morning, only the faintest of light filtering in through the window. He tried reaching to scratch at his itchy nose only to realize exactly what was tickling it, and also why he felt like he was pressed up against a small furnace.

It was Shadow. They’d curled up a little closer through the night, probably thanks to the cramped space of the bed, and Shadow was now pretty much tucked under Sonic’s chin, one black ear repeatedly brushing against Sonic’s nose. Shadow’s front paws were still curled up against his chest, but Sonic, at some point, must’ve thrown an arm over him because one of his paws was curled into dark quills, the other tucked against his own chest and hidden somewhere under Shadow’s face. Shadow was still pretty stretched out, but he’d curled up enough that Sonic’s shins were flush with the tops of Shadow’s thighs and blue knees were pressed into the soft, dark fur of Shadow’s stomach.  

All in all, it was actually pretty comfortable, even if it was a little too warm, and Sonic forced himself not to move yet. It was too early for the rest of the house to be awake, and he didn’t want to disturb Shadow either. So instead of getting up and breaking the moment, Sonic just snuggled a little closer to Shadow, relishing the chance to press his face to the soft spot between Shadow’s ears, right in the point of that bold, red stripe.

Shadow’s fur was just a little bit longer than Sonic’s, a tiny detail he’d noticed over the past few days, and it wasn’t just the white fluff at his chest. Compared to Sonic’s close-cropped fur, Shadow’s was just shaggier, a little fluffier all around, and Sonic delighted in tracing the tips of his fingers over it, following the swathe of red that went from Shadow’s forehead all the way down his quills. If one of his paws wasn’t pretty much trapped under Shadow’s head, Sonic might’ve pulled off a glove to feel just how soft Shadow’s fur was against his bare paw-pads, modesty be damned. But he didn’t want to wake Shadow up, so had to remain content with gently petting Shadow with one gloved hand. Because that’s what he was going, there was no other way to put it.

Sonic felt the exact moment Shadow woke up because one moment he was all soft and relaxed and the next moment Shadow was tensed like a live wire, though he didn’t move from his position. Unwilling to give up the closeness quite so soon, Sonic placed his paw on the back of Shadow’s head deep in his quills and held it there as gently as he could.

“Don’t freak out about it,” Sonic mumbled, voice muffled by Shadow’s fur. He wasn’t sure what it was, be it their proximity, the location, or Sonic’s paw in Shadow’s fur, but he really, really didn’t want Shadow to pull away. Shadow’s ear twitched at Sonic’s words, but slowly, he relaxed back into the loose hold.

Now that Shadow was awake and theoretically aware of his surroundings, Sonic felt a little weird about continuing to pet his head the way he was. But he also really did like the feeling, and once Shadow had relaxed back against him, he resumed the movement of his paw. He tried not to think too hard about the whole situation, following his own advice, but the longer they lay there, the sunlight slowly rising and filling the room, the more uncertain Sonic felt.

Or… maybe uncertain wasn’t the right word, but there was definitely discomfort growing somewhere in his chest, something that buzzed with nerves, making him want to both flee and never look at Shadow ever again, yet at the very same time was the same force that drove Sonic to curl up and borderline cling to Shadow.

He must have tensed up and started smothering Shadow without realizing it, because a paw pushed at his chest, forcing Sonic to pull away enough for Shadow to raise his head up. His fur was all messy, his eyes looked bleary, even the red fur that accented them ruffled, and his mouth was held in a tight line as he eyed Sonic. They were close enough Sonic could feel each puff of breath from Shadow. Sonic’s paw lingered on the side of Shadow’s face, but he pulled it away after a moment, tucking it back against his chest.  

“G’morning, sleeping beauty!” he whispered (albeit a little too loudly), a nervous grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. Why he was nervous, Sonic couldn’t say, but he felt a little jittery after being so cozy and relaxed.

Shadow didn’t respond, at least not verbally at first. He wasn’t exactly… glaring… but he certainly didn’t look chipper or particularly happy to be awake. He blinked a few times, shook his head ever so slightly, then muttered, “You’re grabby in your sleep.”

Sonic shrugged, an odd movement when laying on his side, especially still so close to Shadow. “That’s just your fault for being so cuddle-able.”

“That is not a word,” Shadow muttered again, his voice still barely above a whispered mumble.  

“It is now!” Sonic grinned, followed by a massive yawn. He didn’t bother moving his face away from where it was so close to Shadow’s and only kept grinning when he saw the horrified expression on Shadow’s face as Sonic smacked his mouth a bit. “Seriously, though, you’re all warm and soft, we should’ve been doing this from the first night.” He inched a little closer until their noses were almost pressed up against each other. “This is way better than the cave, right?”

Shadow only gave him a weak shrug, his face scrunching up tighter and tighter the closer Sonic got.

But before either could say anything else, a knock rang out through the attic.

“Sooonic!” Maddie’s voice called from below the trap door. “It’s breakfast time!”

As soon as she spoke Shadow went rigid, then sat bolt upright, his eyes widening as he glanced towards the door and the blanket fell around his lap.

Sonic groaned. “We should probably go down there.” But when he looked up to Shadow, he realized how genuinely freaked out he looked, eyes fixed on the door in the floor. Slowly, Sonic sat up as well, scrubbing a paw over his eyes. “Unless, uh, you wanna stay up here till I give everyone the rundown?”

Shadow didn’t speak, and when Sonic nudged him shoulder to shoulder, Shadow was stiff and way too tense again.

“You, uh, you okay?” He nudged Shadow again, ducking around to try and catch Shadow’s gaze. “…Shadow?”

“I shouldn’t be here.” The words were barely audible, and Shadow’s paws clenched in his lap around the edge of the blanket, something shuttering in his expression.  

The words didn’t sit right with Sonic, the uncertainty in Shadow’s voice too sharp and too yet too small all at once. “They’re all fine with it.” He tried for reassuring, even reaching out to lay a gentle paw on Shadow’s shoulder.

But it was immediately shrugged off, and Shadow looked about two seconds from bolting out the window or maybe even straight through the roof, swinging skylight be damned.  

“Shadow,” he said again, then gave in to his own impulse and fully grabbed Shadow by the shoulders, forcibly turning him to look at Sonic and not the door in the floor that lead to the rest of the house, the rest of the family. “They all know you’re here, it’s fine. I brought you here.” When the words still didn’t seem to get through to Shadow, Sonic added, “I want you here, okay?”

Finally, Shadow met his gaze, his trademark glare a little lackluster but still present. Also, he didn’t shrug Sonic’s paws off again, which was definitely a win.

“I know this is all, like, super weird and a little awkward,” Sonic continued. “But you just gotta get through it. I’ll go talk to everyone, and then Maddie can give you a check-up, and maybe we’ll figure out how to get you back in tip-top shape.” He didn’t mention his promise to hand off Shadow’s shoes to Tails; baby steps and all that, Sonic thought. “But you’ve gotta stay here and wait, okay?” His paws tightened their hold on Shadow’s shoulders. “Don’t leave. Okay?” Not again.

Sure, maybe Shadow hadn’t exactly left when he’d decided to push the cannon all by himself into empty space, but the thought still flitted to the front of Sonic’s mind, a constant reminder how fragile this thing between them was.  

Shadow didn’t nod or agree, but he did relax just enough that Sonic let go of his shoulders. “I’ll bring you some breakfast in a bit, you just… hang around. Snoop in my stuff if you feel like it!” He went for enthusiasm and a teasing lilt, hopefully falling back into their usual bickering.

He left Shadow on the bed as he climbed out, pulling his shoes on, stretching, then hopping around in place to fully wake up. Finally, Sonic turned to Shadow and shot him a quick, “Back in a flash!” paired with finger guns before he dashed over to the trap door.

Just as he was about to slip away down the steps, Shadow called out to him.

“Sonic.” Nothing else, just Sonic’s name, his eyes looking troubled, one paw partially raised in front of his chest.

“Yeah?” Sonic paused with one foot on the steps, one foot still on the floor of the attic..

There was a pause, Shadow’s gaze never leaving his own. “Thank you,” he said, finally, his muzzle a shade darker than it was previously, even in the pale morning light.

Sonic only grinned, toothy and wide. “See you in a few minutes!” And then he let himself hop down into the hallway, the sounds of the Wachowski morning routine calling to him.  

Breakfast turned out to be a mix of eggs and hash browns (the good kind from the weird little corner store) and an entire green melon all cut up into cubes, which Sonic made a beeline for.  

“Look who finally managed to get up,” Maddie greeted him, her voice warm and teasing. “Is our guest doing alright?”

Sonic nodded, his mouth full of melon. After a painful swallow (man, he needed to chew things more), he gave a double thumbs up. “Way better! Still off, but I think a real bed did him some good.”

Tails popped up beside him, his eyes round, his paws poised to grab… whatever was nearest. “Did you ask him about the shoes?” He sounded eager, and Sonic felt a little guilty when he had to shake his head.

“Not yet, ‘lil buddy. He was pretty snoozy, I figured that wasn't the best time.”

Tails looked disappointed, but Maddie was quick to swoop in and employ them all to help carry breakfast to the table. Gracious as she was, she let Sonic get in all of a single mouthful of eggs before the question was asked after they’d all sat down.

“So, Sonic…” she sipped on her coffee as she spoke, an eyebrow raised. “I assume you brought Shadow here for more than a good night’s rest?”

Sighing in resignation, Sonic nodded. “I think there’s something wrong with him and either he won’t tell me or he doesn’t know what it is.” He shoveled more egg into his mouth and grabbed a hash brown with his gloved paws, then delicately set it on a plate when Maddie raised an eyebrow. “I thought maybe you could take a look at him?”

“Will he allow that?” Maddie sounded uncertain. “And even if he does, you know I still struggle with treating you guys. We need an expert in alien biology.”

Sonic sat up in offense. “Hey, you’re great at treating us!”

“Sonic is right,” added Knuckles, raising a fork to add to his point. There was a single cube of melon stabbed on the utensil. “You are very competent at figuring out how to treat our injuries and ailments despite their unknown nature.”

Maddie smiled at them both, but still didn’t look convinced. “That may be the case with you three, but Shadow is a little different. The three of you are willing to work with me. Sonic,” she turned, “Do you think Shadow would be willing to answer questions? Undergo testing?”

And… maybe she had a point. Sonic had a nagging suspicion that Shadow would most certainly not be open to undergoing testing, and he was a world-class failure at ever giving a straight answer to a simple question.  

“And even if he did,” Maddie continued, “I don’t have any equipment here, it’s all at the clinic, and I don’t think I can bring him there. We nearly broke the imaging machine when we tried putting you through it, Sonic. Your powers just aren’t compatible with most of the tech in this world.”

The more she spoke, the more Sonic’s spirit dimmed, his ears drooping as he poked at half a hash brown with his fork.

“Maybe I could come up with something?”

Sonic’s head snapped up again when Tails spoke.

“I mean, it might take some time, but surely I can make something happen!” His little brother looked determined, a forkful of eggs held in one paw, his other already tracing mindless calculations and ideas against the table.

Maddie continued to consider it, her gaze going distant for a moment. “That could work… I could probably get a few of the manuals from the clinic, too, if that would help?”

“Yes!” Tails nodded emphatically, expression brightening. “And can we make another stop at the dump? I’m running out of supplies anyway.”

Sonic felt a swell of pride at Tails’ enthusiasm, at his immediate problem-solving, at the silent support of Sonic’s endeavor to do… whatever it was he was doing with Shadow. He still didn’t have a good name for what the guy was, because friend still just didn’t sound right. A friend was someone he liked playing baseball or watching TV with. And he wasn’t an enemy, not since the moon. And Sonic wasn’t trying to drag him into the Wachowski family, either. He just… wanted Shadow, wanted him around, wanted him picking stupid arguments while they were out racing, wanted to maybe feel his fur tickling at Sonic’s nose again as they slept side by side.

Knuckles broke Sonic out of his brief daydreaming. “You also need to consider what your long-term plan is.”  

Knuckles’ opinion on Shadow was the iffiest to Sonic. He’d been supportive of Sonic’s decisions, but that was more because they were a team, and they acted on that shared trust even if a decision wasn’t supported by the entire family. But Sonic wondered if Knuckles, out of everyone, might understand why Sonic was so determined to do right by Shadow.  

After all, he and Knuckles started off in a similar way: adversaries before they were ever family.

“If you plan to keep him, I think we might need to rearrange the attic.”

Maddie’s words shot a spark of embarrassment through Sonic, his cheeks suddenly flaring with unbearable heat. “Keep hi- I’m not keeping him!”  

Of course, Maddie only laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

Sonic groaned, covering his face with his paws as he lamented his frustration.

“Speaking of,” Tails piped up, “You should probably go check on him, Sonic. Does he need breakfast?”

Ever-grateful for the little fox, Sonic jumped up. Tails was right, and Sonic felt suddenly a little guilty about leaving Shadow up there alone for so long, especially after promising he’d be right back. “Hey, Maddie, can I-“

She already had a plate held out to him. Not for the first time, Sonic sung her praises to whatever higher power might’ve been listening. Sonic put a little bit of eggs, a single hash brown, and a few pieces of melon on it along with a fork, then zipped off back to the steps up to the attic. He was careful to keep the plate level as he bounded up the steps. 

“Breakfast is served!” he cheered, spinning to offer the plate balanced on one paw in a low bow towards the bed. He stood up quickly, trotting over to the bed with an easy smile. “There’s more too, if you finish thi-“

The bed was empty.

Sonic glanced around curiously. Was Shadow downstairs? Maybe he’d snuck off to the bathroom? His shoes were gone, and the blanket was made, a tiny detail that chipped away at Sonic’s chest.

“Shaaadow,” he called, one paw cupped around his mouth, looking around the room as if Shadow was hiding behind the bean bag chair. He turned back to the bed to set the plate down, and then he saw it: the window was ajar, barely a sliver of air getting through.  

Sonic didn’t even think. One moment he was staring at his perfectly made bed, the next he’d head-butted the window open, completely forgetting they actually had an exit only a few feet away and above his head. He skittered across the roof, eyes hunting for literally any sign, anything, but he saw nothing. Not a scrap of dark fur, not a spark of red electric energy, nothing.

He took off into the woods without looking back. The morning was hazy, a light fog still clinging to the woods, the sky more white than grey with high altitude cloud cover. Sonic paid attention to none of it as he tore through the woods, running so fast each step sparked, his fists clenched, his quills flat against his back and head in distress. The distance to the cave felt like nothing at all and yet like a million miles, endless empty forest with no trace of what he wanted.

And even if he expected it, even if Sonic knew the second before he dropped down into the cave that it would be empty, that didn’t make the sick feeling any less agonizing.  

The bags he’d used to bring Shadow his things were folded carefully on his makeshift table next to a neat pile of trash, all that remained of the snacks he’d brought that Shadow said he didn’t need. The tape player and headphones rested beside them, neatly wrapped up, along with the lamp and the first-aid kit, Tom’s camping pillow all bundled in on itself and placed just as carefully with the other things.

Sonic’s blue blanket was the only thing that wasn’t perfectly folded and in its place; instead, it was still bunched up in the corner with his old ratty scrap, the impression of the nest still holding its shape. In a daze he stumbled over and sat down in it, staring at the cave without really seeing it.

He should have known better. He should have seen the hesitancy in Shadow after they woke up, should have caught the meaning behind Shadow’s words, should have stayed with him instead of just leaving him. Again.

Absent-minded and caught in the trap of his own thoughts, Sonic grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to his face. It was his favorite blanket. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a basic, fuzzy, blue rectangle, no cool pattern or anything. But it was one of the first things Tom had ever taken him out to buy, one of the first things Sonic chose for himself. He’d spent more than a few nights curled up on the floor outside of their bedroom wrapped in the thing when the attic felt too big and he just wanted to be as close as possible to Tom and Maddie. It was one of the first things to smell like home , like Tom’s cologne he refused to admit to wearing on special occasions, like Maddie’s hand lotion, like Ozzy’s warm, furry dog smell.

And now, as he buried his face in the soft fabric, it didn’t smell like home at all; it smelled like Shadow.

Sonic yanked it away from his face the second the thought registered. He stared down at the blanket in his paws, at little specks of black fur, at a single broken, bright red quill. Delicately, he plucked the quill from where it was stuck in the fabric. It sparked weakly. With a sudden instinctive impulse, Sonic dropped the blanket and the quill in his lap and yanked off his glove, flexing his short claws once the cool air hit his paw-pads. He used to take his gloves off plenty in this very cave, and yet now that it was full of association to Shadow there was tension; tension that twisted all around his heart and up and down his spine, tingling at his quills and in his stomach.

Careful of the tiny, unseen barbs he knew were along Shadow’s quills, just like they were along his own, he picked the quill up between bare fingers. It sparked against the soft, exposed skin of his paw pads, but instead of shocking him, his own electricity just sparked to meet it, sending a pleasant zap through his paw. He dragged one peachy pad down the edge in the same direction as the microscopic barbs, fascinated at the little sparks of red that curled around his nail and the soft hum of the energy that still clung to the quill.

A half-formed idea struck him, and Sonic reached up with his gloved paw, feeling around his own head, behind his ears, scratching for- there! A quill loose enough he could yank it free, even if it stung. His own quill pulsed with a faint glow. Not entirely sure what his own idea was, he held each quill in each paw, staring. When he brought his paws closer to each other, both quills gently sparked, his own much stronger, since he’d only just yanked it from his head.

Curious, he dragged the two quills against each other, fascinated as the red and blue sparks bounced off each other, the feed-back between the electric energies manifesting in a physical buzz that went all up and down his arms. There was almost a magnetic pull between the two quills, little arcs of electricity stretching between them when he pulled them apart again. 

Shadow left.

Whether it was because Sonic overwhelmed him or freaked him out, whether Shadow just ran because he was scared or because he simply didn’t want to be around Sonic anymore, it didn’t matter. He’d left without a single explanation, and Sonic refused to accept that.

If Sonic could somehow find him by accident on a random hill in the middle of nowhere when it wasn’t really day or night days after Shadow survived a literal explosion and falling to Earth, then Sonic could find him now. He could find him when Shadow was running, even if Shadow was running from him.

And if he did eventually catch Shadow and Shadow still wanted nothing to do with him? …Well, Sonic would deal with that later. He’d broken through to the guy once only minutes after Shadow had told him to literally strike to kill. He’d been given permission to pick through Shadow’s quills and brush him till he was sleek, been given permission to dance circles around Shadow, been given permission to feel the soft little bit of fur in between Shadow’s ears with his very own muzzle.

Shadow wasn’t allowed to give him all these permissions and then just leave . Sonic wouldn’t allow it.

He would find Shadow and he would get answers.

Really, there wasn’t even any other possible choice to be made.

Chapter Text

He left everything in the cave but Shadow’s quill; that he tucked in his own quills, burying it so it was entirely hidden by blue. Taking everything out of the cave felt like giving in to Shadow’s absence, and Sonic was not about to even consider that option. He even left the blanket in a heap, but only after burying his face in it one more time in a moment of weakness. His own blue quill he left on the blanket. Recognizing Shadow’s scent left him feeling all discombobulated, the twistiness in his stomach turning almost sour, the ache in his chest sharp and acute. But if Sonic was going to track Shadow down, he needed to keep his head about him, and that did not include cuddling up to a blanket just because it happened to smell like his- 

Ugh. Sonic really needed to settle on a good title for what Shadow was to him. 

With that frustration clawing at his mind, Sonic hopped back up into the forest and took off back home. Maddie and the others probably would’ve noticed his absence by then, and while they were smart enough to connect the dots, he’d still disappeared without explanation. There weren’t many rules in the Wachowski household, but basic communication before one of them left was a foundational agreement. 

Knuckles was waiting for him on the front porch when Sonic skidded to a stop in front of the house, and he turned to call, “He’s back!” into the house at Sonic’s arrival. 

Sonic said nothing as he followed Knuckles inside, Tails dropping down from wherever he’d been up in the sky also keeping a lookout seconds later. 

Maddie met them in the living room, sitting calmly on the couch, Ozzy curled up at her feet. Knuckles stood beside her and Tails hopped up to curl into the couch cushions, all three turning to stare at Sonic. 

He didn’t sit down. Instead, he simply stood there, paws hanging at his sides, staring just past Maddie’s head and into nothing. 

“Sonic,” she sighed, and the gentleness of her voice was almost too much. Worse, she held out her arms a moment later, beckoning him to her. 

Sonic resisted. “I’m gonna find him,” he said, determined. “He doesn’t get to just run away like this.” 

No one said anything, and Maddie’s arms remained open and inviting, her dark eyes searching his. Sometimes, every now and then, in his weakest moments, she reminded him of Longclaw so badly it hurt , and Sonic was tired of the hurting and the frustration, tired of not knowing where he stood or what was about to happen next. He was determined to find Shadow, he would push through and he wouldn’t stop moving and he wouldn’t stop trying, but…

But Maddie wiggled her fingertips, pulling him forward by invisible strings, and Sonic took one, two, three steps, then collapsed in her arms. He didn’t cry, didn’t make any sounds at all, just closed his eyes and face planted against her chest, her arms wrapping carefully around his quills. A moment later he felt little paws joining her, then Knuckles’ larger fists, and finally, to top it all off, one very cold, very wet dog nose pushed up in between Sonic and Maddie, snuffling at his chest. That made Sonic snicker quietly, which caught on to Tails, and Maddie even squeezed them all together with a bright, comforting hum.

When she let them all go, she kept her hands on Sonic’s shoulders, forcibly keeping him from straying. “Now, who’s up to go visit Tom in the hospital?” 

The car ride to the hospital wasn’t subdued, but Sonic was definitely distracted. Maddie turned on something upbeat on the stereo, humming along as they made the short trip to Tom. Tails had his tablet out with what looked like some kind of data set on it, and Knuckles sat on his other side in stoic silence. Sonic spent the car ride staring out the window, his head a ball of thoughts spinning too fast for him to pick apart. 

The problem with his resolution to find Shadow was his complete lack of any idea where to start. He doubted Shadow would return to his laboratory-prison, but where else did Shadow even know about? If Eggman was still around Sonic could try him, but both he and his weird grandpa were theoretically dead and now nothing but space dust. But then again, if Shadow survived… Sonic grimaced at the passing trees. Hoping that Eggman survived would be a last resort, a final hello-Mary, or whatever Tom called it. 

Maddie led their party through the hospital parking lot and up to Tom’s room with absolutely zero care for the raised eyebrows following them, the family accustomed to the less than warm welcome from the staff. Knuckles followed close behind her, Tails in the middle, and Sonic caught up to them as their caboose, still lost in his own head. 

Tom’s hospital room was no longer the purely sterile, miserable beige cubicle it had been when they’d first wheeled him in after his transfer from London (and that had been a nightmare in itself, the London emergency room staff deeply reluctant to let Maddie and three brightly colored aliens wheel him through a golden ring’s vortex.) There were flowers at his table now, the card they’d made propped up against it, along with cards from other townsfolk and even a few of the hospital staff themselves. Tom was, after all, well-liked by Green Hills at large. A blanket from home covered his legs, and at least one of the pillows on the little couch pushed to the side was definitely a Wachowski household pillow. 

He greeted them with open arms (even the one in a cast) and a bright smile, and Sonic made a beeline for the bed. 

“Hey, bu- oof!” Tom gasped out a wince when Sonic jumped up onto the bed and dove under his good arm, curling up next to Tom with his knees to his chest and his head pressed firmly against Tom’s shoulder. 

“Today sucks, ” he muttered, even crossing his arms in a sudden pout. 

Tom shot a look down at him, looking up to Maddie and the others when Sonic didn’t explain. 

It was Knuckles that explained before even Maddie could. “The other hedgehog has unexpectedly disappeared,” he said. “Sonic is not happy about this.” He hopped up on the foot of the bed when Tom raised an eyebrow and moved his feet to the side, Tails joining them quickly while Maddie pulled up a chair and wrapped her hands gently around Tom’s cast. 

“That true, kiddo?” Tom raised his arm a bit to look down at Sonic. It was a terrible angle for him, but the warped perspective did make Sonic almost smile. 

Sonic groaned, tossing his paws up for a moment before tucking back against Tom. A moment later he turned and smashed his face to Tom’s collarbone, letting out a long, drawn out and miserable noise only to pop back up to say, “He didn’t even stay for breakfast!”

Tom regarded him in silence, his expression unreadable. Then he carefully ran a hand over Sonic’s head, over his quills, down to his shoulders. It was a practiced movement. The first few times Tom and Maddie pet Sonic (not to mention hugged him), they’d wound up with bloody fingertips. That didn’t happen anymore. 

“Well,” Tom said, voice level, “What’s the plan to track him down?”  

Sonic blinked. “I sort of haven’t gotten to that part yet.” 

Tom shook his head, a fond smile tugging at his lips as he tightened his hold around Sonic and glanced at the others. “Waiting to make plans till you got here, huh? Needed your big idea man?” 

From the foot of the bed, Knuckles brought a fist to his chin. “You are not the big idea man, you are the lord of the donuts. Not the lord of ideas.” 

It broke the tension that had fallen over the family without Sonic even noticing, and they all let out relieved laughs as Knuckles only blinked in confusion at their mirth. 

“Tom’s right, though,” said Tails, scooting closer where he’d joined Knuckles on the bed until he could rest his paws on Tom’s knee. “Sonic, you haven’t let us help you with Shadow and that’s fine, but there’s no way we’re letting you track him down without our help this time!” 

And Sonic knew it was the truth. He’d been so stubborn, keeping Shadow all to himself, and where had that led him? With nothing but a stupid, broken, red quill that, if he focused, he could feel buried in his fur. It was a spot of familiar warmth a few inches behind his ear, the only physical reminder he still had to prove Shadow was alive somewhere. 

“If Shadow survived the explosion do you think Eggman survived as well?” Tom’s question was a perfect mirror to Sonic’s only idea so far. 

Maddie seemed to agree. “He would be the best place to start, since it was his family member that worked with Shadow originally.” 

“Did you ever get a chance to ask Shadow about the doctor?” asked Knuckles, glancing to Sonic. 

Sonic shrugged. “We… no. We didn’t really- I mean, we sort of didn’t talk about all that stuff. At all. He wouldn’t even tell me how he survived, he just called himself the Ultimate Lifeform and then didn’t add any details.” He dropped his voice in a pale imitation of Shadow’s. “I didn’t even ask him what happened to the Emerald.” 

Tails cocked his head to the side, studying Sonic. “It’s been almost a week of sneaking off to see him and you didn’t ask him about that stuff?” The little fox looked deeply confused. It seemed to be more a question to himself, which was fine by Sonic, because honestly, he didn’t know what he’d say to that. Tails continued. “What did you guys even talk about?” 

Suddenly, Sonic became very interested in slouching low against Tom’s side and staring at the thrilling ceiling tiling. It was, of course, also beige, and full of tiny holes. Maybe he could count them until everyone else came up with a plan for him. 

“Sonic,” Maddie called, pulling him back to attention. “Did he mention anything or anyone in the past few days? A place he might’ve gone?” 

Sonic shook his head. “I think he was just… lost in the woods. The place I found him, it looked like he’d been there a while.” He thought of the squashed leaf nest, of the traces of blood smeared against the rock, at how unwilling Shadow had been to reveal any details about where he’d been. “His uh, at least two of his gold ring things he wears fell around here, too. I found one, and then he found me to get it back.” 

“He fell to Earth that close to us?” Maddie had a hand to her chin, a position Tails mirrored, which was a genuinely adorable image. 

Sonic nodded. “I mean, he didn’t confirm it, but I’m pretty sure, yeah. He didn’t seem to have the energy to have travelled very far.” 

Tom looked at Maddie with an eyebrow raised. “You got an idea there, Mads?” 

She nodded, paused, then said, “Not exactly. But it’s a little strange that he fell to Earth so close to home. The weapon-” 

“Eclipse Cannon,” added Tails. 

“Right, the Eclipse Cannon. It wasn’t above this side of Earth, was it?” 

Sonic hadn’t even considered that. “I guess it did launch from London, which is pretty far away, but would that even matter if we were so high up?” 

“It’s almost like something pulled him back to Earth here.” Tom’s voice was quiet, a soft rumble against Sonic where he was still pressed up against Tom’s chest. “Not only is it far away from the launch location of that weapon, but Shadow had no reason to wind up here, in Montana. You’ve gotta admit it’s a pretty crazy coincidence that you guys found each other.” He nudged Sonic gently at the end of his words, the meaning clear. 

The whole family went quiet, all thinking it over. Tails was the one to eventually break the silence. 

“I think I might have a theory about that, actually.” 

All eyes turned to him. 

“The floor is yours,” Maddie encouraged, scooting a little closer to the bed. 

“Well…” Tails scratched at his chin, his wide, blue eyes going distant. “I was messing around with his quill, Shadow’s quill, the one Sonic wore home, and I noticed something about it.” 

Tom shot a curious look at Sonic, which he ignored. He sat up at attention instead, dropping his legs to cross them and lean on his knees. “What’d you do? Some kinda experiment?” 

“Yes and no.” Tails turned to rummage around in his backpack to tug out his tablet. He flipped through a couple notes and pulled up some kind of data chart that Sonic could barely understand. “See this?” Tails pointed to a jagged red line cutting across an empty graph. “That’s the energy levels I found when I tried scanning Shadow’s quill. It looks all over the place, at first, till I realized I’ve seen those same readings before.” 

“You have?” Sonic didn’t know where this was going, but he was curious nonetheless. 

Tails nodded eagerly, pulling up a different graph. This one was blue, and the pattern… “It’s the same, see?” He held out the tablet to everyone, and they all took turns peering at it. 

“I don’t understand,” said Knuckles, voicing Sonic’s thoughts. “What is the second graph?” 

Tails grinned, toothy and bright. “Isn’t that obvious?” 

Tom laughed, something quiet and amused that shook at Sonic’s side. “Maybe to you, our resident genius, but you’re gonna have to dumb it down for the rest of us.” 

Tails blinked at them. “It’s Sonic’s energy readings. They’re almost identical. And not only that!” He tapped away at the tablet furiously, then held it up again. This time, the two lines were overlaid, and when Tails tapped them, Sonic watched the spikes in the graphs fluctuate and dance around each other until they were almost in perfect harmony. “When I channeled energy from both of their quills through a basic conductor with an open ended circuit, they mutually equalized all on their own! And it gets even better.” 

While the entire family watched Tails with varying degrees of confusion, he pulled up another simulation, this one consisting of a splotch of red across from a splotch of blue on a checked grey page. When he dragged his finger across the bottom of the screen, the two splotches stretched and warped, almost like they were being pulled in by a force between them, long arms stretching out until they touched and swirled together. It looked sort of like the  visual of two galaxies crashing into each other in one of the documentaries Sonic had watched with Tails on a late night. 

“These colors mean very little to us,” mumbled Knuckles, but Tails just waved him off. 

“I know, I know, but I figured you guys would get a visual better than the raw data. See, I had the two quills separate from each other, about, um, a few feet apart?” He replayed the little simulation, but it still made very little sense to Sonic. “And this isn’t the actual visuals, this is just a really quick rendering, but I noticed the scans were getting all jumbled up.” He paused to glance around, then shook his head when nobody chimed in with any level of understanding. “It took me a second to realize what was happening, but I finally figured it out: Sonic and Shadow’s energy isn’t just the same frequency, it’s attracted to itself!” 

Sonic blinked rapidly, leaning closer to take a second look as if that would explain anything. 

“Like a magnet…” Tom whispered, barely audible. 

Tails immediately perked up. “Sort of! I need to build a better scanner, and it’s hard to get detailed readings on just one quill. What I really need is to monitor both of them while they’re actively energized, but I can still get a vague idea with just Sonic’s readings.” 

“But how does this help us?” Sonic could see how excited Tails was, and Tom seemed to have at least partial understanding, but he was still deeply confused. 

Tails flashed him a smile, comforting and determined and everything Sonic didn’t particularly feel. “The energy that makes up your powers, both yours and Shadow’s, pulls together. It’s just a theory, and I don’t have any way to prove it on a larger scale, but I think you guys sort of… attract each other.” He paused, then added, “I think Shadow fell to Earth so close to home because of you, Sonic.” 

All eyes moved to fix on Sonic, who’s muzzle suddenly felt very warm. It wasn’t even Tails’ embarrassing phrasing, because man, his lil bro really had to come up with the most damning possible way to word that. No, it was that… the theory sort of made sense. It would at least explain the very literal and physical pull he felt towards Shadow, the gravity that had him unable to turn away, unable to resist leaning in and testing Shadow’s every boundary and allowance. 

And it would explain how easily they’d fallen into the roles of allies, at least for one battle, how easy it was for them to share the sheer force of the Emerald. Fighting with Shadow felt like he’d just had more of himself, no instructions or communication necessary as they’d torn through the sky. 

He thought of red sparks curling around his bare paw pad, the pull the two quills held together possessed, a static cling. 

Somehow, he’d never considered it might be a two-way street. Did Shadow feel that same instinctive pull somewhere deep in his chest towards Sonic?

“I think you’re onto something,” he finally said, if only to get his family to stop staring at him so intently. “I mean, I’m no genius, but- um.” He could still feel his cheeks warm with the residual blush and it only worsened as he spoke, his ears flattening against his will. “The uh… energy attraction thing. I think I can feel that. Around him.” 

“Matched skill set aside, the two of you do have a strange… intensity to your interactions.” Knuckles had been quiet for a moment before speaking. “You did not witness yourselves fighting, both against each other in Tokyo and side by side in the stars. It was…” he trailed off, brow furrowing. 

“Like we’re two parts of a whole.” Sonic meant to keep that particular thought to himself, but the words slipped past his lips without his permission. “But Shadow’s from who knows where in the stars and he was also involved in all those experiments and enhancements with Eggman’s old man, right? And then he was in stasis for ages ! How come we have any kind of connection like that?” 

Tails shoulders deflated, his ears drooping. “Like I said, it’s all theory. I don’t have enough data to prove anything.” 

A hazy memory of that guy Walters’ giving them a debrief on Shadow’s history popped into Sonic’s head. “Wait, but isn’t Shadow powered by- what’s it called…” 

“Chaos energy!” Tails’ eyes went wide, and he typed so quickly it could rival Sonic. “You’re right, I can’t believe I forgot that…” he trailed off as he typed away again, lost in his own little brain bubble. 

“But most importantly,” Maddie finally spoke up again, “How does it help us find Shadow?” 

Tails lifted his tablet higher, tapping away for a moment longer before he finally set it aside. “I’m not certain, but I think I might be able to trace his energy if I calibrate the core origin data and set a targeted frequency to Sonic’s energy readings.” 

“Do you have sensors that can work long-range?” Tom was the one to voice the question now. 

Tails shook his head. “No, but I have a few ideas on how to make that work.” 

“Well, then it seems we have a mission plan!” Tom couldn’t clap with his cast, but he did pat Sonic on the top of his head and give a sharp, decisive nod. “Operation: Turn Sonic into a Homing Beacon to Find Shadow is on!” 

“Tom,” Knuckles said, in a very serious tone before anyone else could speak. “That is a very questionable mission name.”  And again, just like only a few minutes prior, the entire family burst into laughter, the sound eating up the uncertainty in Sonic’s chest and filling it with the familiar warmth he always felt when surrounded by his favorite people (and non-people) in the whole world. 

Behind his ear, the itch of Shadow’s quill tugged at him, a painful reminder that someone was missing. Maybe Shadow never had been and maybe he never would be a part of this , a part of the sheer joy that always chased at Sonic’s heels when he was with his family, but Sonic couldn’t help but want.  

He wanted Shadow back so very, very badly, and he thanked every star in the sky he had a family and team willing to try and make that happen for him. 

With a plan at least in the works, they all got comfy on Tom’s hospital bed. Maddie even hopped up and squeezed in next to Tom, leaving barely enough room for all of them. Tails was pretty much on top of her, Sonic stayed tucked under Tom’s arm, and Knuckles leaned against Tom’s knees. A nurse gave them a horrified look as she passed the room, but nobody paid her any attention, too busy with the same cartoon they’d been watching a few days before. It was less exciting now Sonic knew cats couldn’t be naturally blue on Earth, but Tails did point out that some rabbits could be pink, which made things a little better. His enthusiasm dimmed a moment later when Tails added that it was because those rabbits didn’t have any fur, but it was the thought that counted. Or something. 

When they did eventually have to leave, Tom gave them hugs even from his place in the hospital bed, even if Sonic felt him wince. It would only be a few more days, but those few days loomed over the family and they dragged their heels behind them as they finally walked away from Tom again. 

Maddie must’ve called out of work again because instead of heading straight home, she took them through the drive-through coffee (and way better items than coffee) stand. Sure, fruit smoothies with whip cream didn’t fix everything, but they sure did help! They each got flavors to match their fur colors, because obviously, and Maddie got something tall and iced and covered in caramel that looked good, but turned out to have about a million shots of straight espresso. 

As their car waited to exit the parking lot, Maddie swung around and raised an eyebrow. “You guys up for a run to the dump? We can look for some supplies like Tails mentioned.” 

They all raised their smoothies and cheered, and the decision was made. Internally, Sonic was infinitely grateful they had something to keep them busy. 

It was just past noon when they parked in the grassy lot outside the dump, smoothies empty and each armed with a list of possibly useful items Tails typed up during their remaining hospital visit. He couldn’t print them or anything, but Maddie found some napkins and a pen and they made it work. Now, they each had a list of things Tails might be able to use that they could also recognize, while Tails had his own list that was much more complex than theirs. Maddie went right, Tails forward, and Knuckles and Sonic took the left side. 

“Hey, Knucks,” Sonic zipped over to him as they started their search through the heaps of miscellaneous items. This pile alone contained three separate washing machines, a sight that truly baffled Sonic. 

“Hm?” Knuckles turned from where he’d just leveraged an entire fridge up to inspect a decently intact microwave, which he snagged with his free paw. 

Sonic dashed up to the top of a pile to snag a toy radio and was back in another second. “Thanks for going with me on this whole Shadow thing.” The radio turned out to be fully fake with no real transmission capabilities at all, so Sonic tossed it to the side. 

Knuckles turned to him for a brief moment, then went back to shoveling through the scrap heap. “This thing you’re doing for him… You did the same for me once, as you remember.” He tossed a bathtub away like it weighed nothing, uncovering a pile of hangers. Useless. “I may not always agree with your ideas, but nobody can argue their effectiveness. But if he tries anything, I’ll be the first to teach him a lesson!” 

Standing on top of half a red pick-up truck buried in tires and pillows, Sonic’s shoulder shook in a laugh. “Pretty sure he kicked your ass, but he is pretty weak lately. Maybe you’d stand a chance!” 

Knuckles shook a threatening fist at Sonic as he ran off laughing. 

The junk piles were precarious, but Sonic was light on his feet at his top speeds, and it was easy to run up and down them without causing avalanches. He could burrow into the heaps sometimes, too, and be out again before the things came toppling down on him. Though, it was often a near miss, and he almost lost his nose to a solid cinder block falling mere inches in front of his toes. It was slow work, even as varied as Tails’ list was, but after about an hour they all gathered their findings in the grassy entrance. Two microwaves, half a dozen broken radios, an entire satellite TV dish found by Sonic himself, endless pieces of wire of all types and sizes… the pile was extensive. Sonic didn’t even know what a few of the items were . 

“This would have been a good day to take the truck,” said Maddie, both hands on her hips as she stared at the pile of, well, trash. “I think we need to look for one more thing: the best tarp anyone can find!” 

They all ran off in random directions, and it only took about five minutes for Knuckles to unearth a bright green tarp that was big enough they could double-layer it in the trunk of Maddie’s car. 

Once everything was crammed in, they all loaded back up. The smoothies had been nice, but Sonic could feel his stomach aching, and it wasn’t just missing Shadow. If he didn’t get something to eat ASAP, the afternoon was about to turn for the worst. 

Of course, he shouldn’t have worried. No sooner had they pulled onto the main road back into town when Maddie glanced up at them through her rearview mirror. “You guys okay if we just go get more pizza for lunch?” 

Pizza twice in one week? Sure, Sonic had plenty of things to worry about, but there were some good things in the world. 

They took their pizza home with them, since Tails was starting to literally vibrate with excitement for the new project, and they all settled on the floor of the garage-workshop. Everyone but Tails just ate pizza, but Tails did his best to explain what, exactly, he wanted to build. 

The best way Sonic could understand it was Tails wanted to find a radio frequency that could resonate with the energy given off by Shadow, and he was going to use Sonic as a meter to figure that out. He claimed it would include at least a dozen quills, and Sonic spent his lunch miserably selecting quills to be snipped off at the base. He was careful not to mention the broken red quill tucked hidden away, since it was barely a tickle, now, most likely entirely drained of its residual power. And he… wanted to keep it for himself. 

Once the pizza was demolished, Tails kicked everyone but Sonic out, including Ozzy who’d somehow snuck his way in when they were shuttling everything inside. 

“I need Sonic as my test subject, but too many people make a crowded workshop!” 

Nobody was about to put up any kind of argument, so Maddie and Knuckles, followed by Ozzy, headed back inside the house. 

Now in full inventor mode, Tails directed Sonic to stand in the middle of the garage while he set up some kind of contraption he’d pulled out of a cabinet onto his metal work table, aiming it straight at Sonic’s chest. 

“This is just gonna scan your base levels,” Tails explained as he fiddled around with a switch pad connected to the device with a twisted wire. 

“My… levels?” Sonic cringed a little. “What levels, exactly?” 

Tails didn’t reply at first, too busy attaching an additional sensor of some kind to the device. “Just your energy levels. It’s what I need the most data on so I can find a way to trace it. Once I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of scanning a wide enough area!” 

Sonic didn’t totally get it, but he trusted Tails and followed the little fox’s instructions. Tails had him run in place to really work up a spark, and Sonic relished the chance to burn off some energy. Tails scanned him about a million times, but he finally sent Sonic off after almost two hours of having him dance in place like a circus monkey. He’d need time to process and work with the data, so Sonic went hunting for the others to keep himself occupied. 

He was just heading into the hallway from the garage when he felt a shock at the back of his head. After some ruffling around in his own fur, he yanked out the broken red quill. 

To his surprise, it was brighter than it was when he found it, the red glow flickering, tiny bolts of electricity twisting around the quill. Sonic twirled it between gloved fingers and it sparked even brighter, audibly crackling when he brought it a little closer to his face. 

Did it… recharge? It was still broken with a bend in the middle, sure, but it genuinely was ten times the brightness it had been when he found it. He knew he should go to Tails about it, and Sonic decided he would. Definitely. Just… not yet. Once he gave it to Tails, it would be lost to investigations and testing, and as silly as it was, Sonic wasn’t ready to give it up. He hadn’t been able to even try to stop Shadow from leaving, but he could hold on to this little piece  of him for just a little while longer. 

It was just a quill, but it was also his only real connection to Shadow. He tucked it back into his own fur and the shivery spark it sent as it rubbed against his blue quills kept Sonic grounded. It would remind him not to give up, even if finding one runaway hedgehog was going to be an uphill battle. 

And, man, when Sonic found Shadow, he was going to give him a piece of his mind.

Chapter Text

As much as she obviously wanted to stay, after a restless night in the Wachowski house Maddie needed to return to work. She waved goodbye to Knuckles and Sonic as they stuck their heads out the doorway, while Tails was still lost in the workshop. He’d barely left for dinner the previous night, and he’d taken his breakfast burrito back inside with him. He’d even spent the entire night in there, and Sonic wasn’t convinced he’d used the little bed nest at all. Sonic tried being a soundboard for him all of once but Tails just took a few more of his quills and waved him off. 

After Maddie left for work, Knuckles went to do his usual preliminary perimeter sweep, though he would also be leaving to join Wade on a day shift patrol. “I will keep a look out for any sign of your hedgehog,” Knuckles promised, cuffing Sonic on the shoulder before he and Ozzy trotted off to check all four corners of the property. 

“He’s not my hedgehog!” Sonic shouted after him, but Knuckles ignored him. 

With a dramatic, lamenting sigh, Sonic rolled out of the doorframe and against the wall inside, blindly reaching over to hook the door and slam it shut with one foot, the sound echoing through the house. 

The house was silent. Very silent. No Tom, no Maddie, soon no Knuckles, and Tails was… inside his own head. And without Shadow to run off to, Sonic suddenly realized just how empty his day was about to become; the realization was almost as miserable as seeing his own bed tidy and neat and empty. His day was about to feel like the longest and most boring day of the year, and possibly his entire life. Desperate for something to keep his mind occupied, Sonic headed to the garage to see if Tails needed any help. Or quills. Or maybe he’d cracked the case and had a magical solution. 

He found the fox standing on a stool in front of a whiteboard covered in gibberish, his tablet on a small, hovering drone. Other than the sound of Tails muttering to himself as he rapidly tapped a marker to his ear, the garage was just as silent as the rest of the house. 

Sonic gaped at the drone as he stepped closer, watching as it dipped next to Tails when he held out a paw with one finger up. “Uh, hey buddy, since when does your tablet fly at your command?” 

Tails’ gaze snapped to him, eyes widening in surprise. He’d obviously completely missed Sonic’s arrival. “Oh, hey, Sonic! And that’s new, I got tired of reaching over and grabbing it, it was slowing me down.” 

“So you just… invented that? Overnight?” 

Tails shook his head, waving the drone away again after he squinted at the tablet’s screen for a moment. “No, I just finished it, I had the schematic pretty much done a while ago. Sure comes in handy now, huh?” He flashed Sonic a grin and then turned back to the whiteboard to quickly add a few circles placed at seemingly random. 

Curious even in his ignorance, Sonic slid over to peer at the scribbles next to Tails. With the stool like that, he was taller than Sonic by a good few inches which was deeply disconcerting. “How goes your whole… energy situation?” 

Tails glanced down at him briefly, but his paw never paused in its hasty movements as he erased and rewrote a line of letters and strange symbols. “Pretty great, actually! I’ve figured out what to trace going off your readings, now it’s just a matter of how using a very limited set of parameters.” 

That made more sense than most everything else Sonic heard out of Tails’ mouth about this whole business, which was weirdly reassuring. “What’re the- uh, the limited set of parameters?” 

It took a second before Tails answered, finally capping his marker and tucking it into his glove for easy access. “Well, the problem is that if Shadow can manage it, I have a feeling his teleportation covers a pretty massive radius.” He pointed up at half a circle surrounded in more gibberish, but also a big question mark that was partially scribbled over. “The problem is I don’t know how that works, and I have no way to figure it out without, like, dropping in to GUN again and stealing whatever file they have on Shadow.” 

“How are we gonna manage to scan a big enough area, then?” If need be, Sonic was fully onboard with breaking into a military base again, but that would take time and planning, and… and they didn’t have Tom. 

“That’s my limited set of parameters!” Despite how bleak the odds seemed, Tails still looked bright and eager as he hopped down to sit on the stool so he was more level with Sonic. “I’m gonna see if I can use satellite radio. It’s probably the most widespread signal, and I’ve hacked into a few satellites before anyway, what’s a few more?” 

In no way did that make sense to Sonic, but that was fine. What mattered was that Tails seemed to get it, and not only that, he appeared fully confident it was possible. “You’re something else,” he said, grinning at his little brother with a warm glow of pride in his chest. “Oh, hey,” he added, when he suddenly had an idea. “Do you still have Shadow’s quill?” 

Tails cocked his head at Sonic. “Yeah, but it’s dead now, no more energy left.” 

Sonic swallowed, clenched a paw at his side, and asked, “Can I have it?” 

“You want Shadow’s… dead quill?” Tails looked beyond baffled, his brows scrunching together as his head tilted even further to the side. 

Sonic nodded. “Yep. You don’t need it any more, right?” 

“I mean, no, but- it’s just a quill. But I guess if you really want it, it’s over on the table.” He waved towards the metal work table, and Sonic leaned over to search around for it. It was only a second before he spotted the quill in its little tube resting in a small metal stand. 

“Thanks, man!” Sonic shot at Tails, then dashed around him to snatch up the tube. He uncorked it and left the tube on the table, taking only the quill. “I’m gonna go run some laps in the woods now,” he said, offering a wave to Tails as he stepped around him. 

“Okay, Sonic,” Tails replied, but he’d already turned back to his whiteboard and Sonic could tell he wasn’t paying much attention anymore, and that was just fine. If he was focused on his work, he wouldn’t question Sonic taking the dead quill with him. 

He waited until he was out of the garage and all the way up in the attic, cross-legged on his bed, before he reached up to pull the other quill out. The difference between the quills was stark, and not even due to their color differences. The red quill gave off physical heat even through the fingertip of Sonic’s glove, so bright it was almost white in the very center, and the red sparks sizzled along the edge. And as lively as the red quill was, the black quill was just as lacking. It seemed to eat up the light from the window behind him, dull and matte, the sharp tip ever so slightly translucent. It wasn’t truly black anymore, either, not the deep shade Sonic personally knew Shadow’s quills to be (and that thought sent a jolt of something through Sonic’s chest). It was more a very dark grey, like without its energy it was literally losing pigmentation. 

Just like he’d done with his own quill, he tried holding the two together. 

Nothing happened. 

He tried dragging them together, then fully rolled them between his palms vigorously. 

And still nothing. The red quill zapped his paw pad through his glove with a pleasant little shock, but the dead quill remained unchanged. 

With a sigh of disappointment, Sonic flopped backward onto his bed, stretching and dropping his feet out, sneakers firmly in place even on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling for a very long, single second, then sat upright again just as quickly. Sitting around all day might very literally kill him, and if Sonic couldn’t fix this whole problem, he needed to keep himself busy before he went very really and very truly insane. He tucked both quills away among his own, wedging them in nice and securely. He even gave his head a good shake to test it, and when he was satisfied, hopped up from the bed. He took the skylight exit and leaped off the roof and straight in front of Knuckles, who let out a delightfully shrill yelp of surprise. 

“I’m gonna go out and run laps,” he said, but only after laughing at Knuckles’ undignified expression of shock. 

Knuckles would handle telling Tails, and it wouldn’t be the first time the little fox was alone at the house. Well, not alone, since Ozzy would most likely join him in the garage with everyone else gone. And since Maddie took the day before off, they weren’t heading to the hospital till after she got off work. That left an entire day for Sonic to kill time alone, something he hadn’t done in- well, actually, he couldn’t remember the last time. 

The weather was fair, with patches of pale sky in between low clouds, the sun a little washed out but bright enough to cast shadows all along the forest floor for Sonic to zip around as he ran. Already he felt a little better, the ball of static that seemed to now constantly batter at his chest and head lessened with each step, the breeze in his quills soothing the slight headache that had crept up without Sonic noticing. He could feel the little jolts of energy built up with each step, a significant change from the last time he’d gone running aimlessly to distract himself only a week prior. He hadn’t even fully realized how burnt out he’d been after the whole world almost ended, but he also hadn’t noticed his own recovery. Between running around with Shadow, hospital visits, and the comforting, familiar household routines that filled every day, Sonic’s power was nearly fully recovered and he’d barely noticed. 

And, of course, that made him think of Shadow’s recovery, of the different stages he’d seen Shadow in: aloof and mysterious when they first reunited, curled up and defensive against a rock, uncertain but still trusting in a dark little cave, fiery and defiant yet adorable to a point of distraction in a sparse mountain meadow. Shadow’s recovery was noticeable, a progression Sonic himself kept pushing for. He thought of waking up perfectly fitted against Shadow, and how even if it was sort of awkward, yeah, Sonic would’ve gladly spent the entire day like that if either of their lives permitted it. 

Things were going so well , why did Shadow have to run?! It made no sense at all to Sonic no matter how he looked at it. Shadow wasn’t one to back down from a fight, and he certainly wasn’t one to let Sonic get away with stuff he wasn’t at least partially okay with. And there was no way it was getting all snuggly that made Shadow run, because technically, as Sonic’s hazy, middle of the night memory supplied, it was Shadow who stopped him from leaving the bed. 

Was it his family? Was Shadow just not ready to deal with the entire Wachowski tribe as a whole? If that were the case he should have just said something, Sonic wouldn’t have forced him into the whole thing. Or if it was just the idea of Maddie giving him a check-up, they could’ve skipped it if Shadow just opened his stupid mouth and said something ! 

Instead, he ran away. 

As sad as it made him and as much as it hurt, it also pissed Sonic off so badly that he let out a yell of frustration into the valley below as he ran along a narrow strip of barren woods, pebbles cascading away from his feet and down the mountain face. 

Shadow leaving without so much as a goodbye was a total dismissal of everything they’d been through, from saving the world to drinking lukewarm boxed milk in the middle of nowhere together. Maybe friends still didn’t feel like the right word for them, but there was a connection between them growing stronger every day and that connection meant something to Sonic, and he was pretty sure it meant something to Shadow, too. 

Which only made his disappearance all the more frustrating! 

More annoyed than he wanted to be, Sonic turned back towards home, though he headed at an angle to hit their downtown main street, not the Wachowski family property. 

The city of Green Hills was not the most exciting example of civilization; like most towns of its size and variety in Montana, it mostly only had the essentials, along with a few touristy stops. The main draw was, of course, the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and their picturesque peaks. Most things that could be considered fun or interesting in Green Hills revolved around the low-level tourist scene that sprouted up every summer and faded away as the weather turned from beautiful blue skies to rainy autumn. But, as Sonic had discovered even as a secret resident in years prior, there were a few places interesting enough to keep even a teenage hedgehog with a lethal boredom problem mildly entertained. 

The one place Sonic had spent years yearning to get inside and then spent hours in, once Tom and Maddie finally took him there for the first time, was the arcade. It was small, all things considered, with only a few games and a very sad pool table area with a TV that literally never turned off. But the biggest perk came in the form of the guy that owned it. 

He was older than Tom, that was about as far as Sonic’s human age guessing skills went, and he let Sonic have his own free tokens, a repayment for the time Sonic was the one to jumpstart the whole place’s power when a tree fell and crashed into their generator the winter prior. Ever since then, he kept a little bag of tokens tucked away behind the counter for when Sonic decided to give the old game machines a run for their money with his speedy play style. 

With nothing else better to do, Sonic made a beeline down their main street for the arcade. The door chimed as he headed inside, but not even that could wake up the old man fast asleep at his desk chair by the front window. Not even bothering to wake him up, Sonic snagged the little bag of tokens he knew was always there and headed into the dim, musty backroom in search of entertainment. He’d beaten every single game in the building, but it would still kill at least an hour if he didn’t play them all at top speed. 

After decimating the pinball machine until the handles were warm to the touch and getting a little too aggressive with the hunting simulator, Sonic took up residence at the PacMan machine. The game was simple, sure, but it was one of the few games his own speed didn’t give him an advantage over, and it was kind of fun to force himself to play at a regular, humany speed. 

He’d just been devoured for the zillionth time by one of the miserable little ghosts when he heard shuffling footsteps behind him and he turned to see the old arcade owner. 

“Lil’ Blue,” he greeted, voice as gravely as ever. He never called Sonic by his name, but that was fine by Sonic because he… didn’t actually know the old guy’s name, either. “Saw ya and your brothers on the news the other week. That whole business wrapped up?” 

Sonic gave him a perky thumbs up. “Sure is! World saved, team safe, Eggman, well, er, Eggman Sr. defeated once again!”  

The old man crossed his arms as he watched Sonic turn back to play another round, leaning so close to the table screen his nose almost touched it. 

“Also saw some footage of that fight across seas,” he said, when Sonic didn’t say anything else. “Didn’t realize there’d be even more of ya furry little buggers. Is the black one joinin’ your posse at Thomas and Madeline’s place?” 

At the mention of Shadow, Sonic fumbled the little red joystick and groaned in agony when he ended up sending the yellow circle straight into a ghost. “Oh, uh, that is yet to be determined.” 

The old man laughed, low and rough, and stepped around to lean against one forearm on the edge of the play table. “This one givin’ ya more resistance to your friendly-makin’ than the red one?” 

Sonic shrugged, his focus still on the screen. “Knucks is downright warm and cuddly compared to Shadow, so yeah, kinda.” He cheered to himself when he finally managed to get past the first level and the maze flashed at him, the green of level two spreading out. 

“Shadow? You creatures and your strange yet very Earth-like names.” The old man watched him in silence for a few moments and didn’t speak again until Sonic died yet again, his forehead slamming into the table in frustration. “It looked like this new one, this Shadow , might actually keep up with your speed. At least, sure looked that way on the news.” 

Finally, the old man’s words started to actually click in Sonic’s head. “Wait, you saw us on the news?” He ignored the game in favor of looking up at the old man, curious. Below him, his little yellow character died yet another quick and ghost-induced death. 

“Sure did. Recorded it, too. Ya wanna see?” When Sonic nodded eagerly, the old man shuffled back to his desk by the entrance, Sonic hot on his heels. The guy typed even slower than Tom, which was saying something, and his computer was so old it was still made of beige plastic and stuck out in the back. After a few very long seconds he finally pulled up a video, hitting play and moving aside to let Sonic watch. 

The video was a little fuzzy on the ancient screen, and it started about halfway through the news reporter’s sentence. 

“-in Tokyo,” she was saying, a microphone in her hand with a dramatic image of the Tokyo skyline behind her. “The footage we’ll be seeing here in a minute is straight from the field where the Guardian Units of Nations, also known as GUN, are trying to subdue a rogue operative. ” The scene behind her changed as the reporter stepped aside and the image jumped off the screen behind her, leaving her voice speaking over the dark scene, text scrolling at the bottom of the video Sonic didn’t pay attention to. “According to a reporter on the scene, GUN will be bringing in a team of experts to help with the capture and submission of this operative- ah, there they are now!” 

It was more than a little weird watching himself on TV. It wasn’t the first time, obviously, but it still felt surreal watching as he dropped to the middle of the dark, rainy scene, Knuckles and Tails close behind. The camera and mic must’ve been too far away and zoomed in to hear anything, but it still caught Shadow’s dramatic entrance. Man, the guy really had a flair for the dramatic, didn’t he? 

“The rogue operative,” continued the reporter’s voice, her thumbnail popping up in the corner, “Is considered incredibly dangerous, according to a GUN source in the field. We’re being told that it is to be considered a threat of the highest degree, and all civilians are being encouraged to evacuate the scene.” 

After Shadow and Sonic were shown running away from the scene in a flash of matching light, the camera switched to a squadron of GUN agents pushing curious bystanders out of the way, barking silent orders at each other. 

“If my sources are correct, GUN intends to take down this operative with any force necessary, as it is a threat that cannot be left uncontrolled and roaming free. It is imperative that this threat, this weapon, be returned to GUN’s custody. ” Finally, the video feed from the field clicked out and the reporter filled the screen again, her face grave. “While this threat may be taking place across the ocean far away from American soil, it is encouraged that any information on this threat be given to the number on the screen below. ” A phone number scrolled along the text box below her just before the video cut out, freezing on the final frame. 

Sonic blinked at the screen, silent. The way they’d described Shadow… because it was Shadow they were describing, wasn’t it? 

…A threat that cannot be left uncontrolled and roaming free. 

Was that how GUN saw Shadow, seriously? Sure, okay, Shadow attacked them, but technically, so had Sonic and his team. And to call him a weapon? To call him it? It made something sick turn over in Sonic’s stomach, something more hateful than he felt comfortable admitting. 

“That’s not what he is,” he said, finally, turning to the old man. “He’s not some weapon to be kept locked away and controlled!” 

The old man laughed, of all things, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe not to you, Lil’ Blue, but you’re the exception.” The old man glanced out the window at the idyllic street outside. “The rest of the world is downright terrified of so much as a hair of unfamiliarity.” He turned back to Sonic with a wrinkly smile. “You three were lucky to land here where folks are a little more open to the idea of somethin’ strange droppin’ into their laps from the sky. But the rest of the world?” He shook his head with a small tsking noise. 

“He’s out there,” Sonic muttered, staring out the window at nothing in particular. “We’re trying to track him down, actually.” 

“Ya better find him quick,” the old man said. “Wherever he is, I can’t imagine these GUN folks will give up their search any time soon.” 

The idea that not only did they have to find Shadow before he disappeared forever, but that they needed to beat GUN in finding him too filled Sonic’s chest back up with that insistent static, and he turned to run back home. But he paused in the doorway to turn to the old man. “Thanks,” he said. “And thanks for, you know, being cool about me and Knuckles and Tails.” 

The old man waved him off with a shake of his head. “You kids aren’t the strangest thing about this town by any means.” With that, he picked up a book from somewhere in his mess of a desk and sat back to read. 

Sonic lingered for a moment, but when the old man didn’t explain any further, he dashed out into the street and, finally, headed back home, his speed kicking up a streak of blue energy all the way until he was inside and back in the garage. He ran so quickly even his paws were sparking when he came to a halt beside Tails, who spun around in surprise at the gust of wind kicked up by Sonic’s arrival. At Tails’ feet, Ozzy simply raised his head, eyes squinting at the dust blown into his face by the Sonic-induced breeze. 

“You’re just in time!” Tails greeted him, spinning on his heel. “I think I figured it out.” 

All other thoughts disappeared from Sonic’s head as he focused on Tails. “You can track him down?” 

Tails nodded. “Sure can, and I think I already have. And even better!” He held out his tablet to Sonic, who took it curiously. There was a zoomed-out map of the surrounding area pulled up, simplified into roads and terrain and larger town names without any other labels. But most importantly, there was a little red dot what looked like, according to a little key at the bottom of the map, barely over a hundred miles away. He zoomed in to find the nearest town name, found a long road he could follow almost the whole way there, compared the location of the little red dot, and made up his mind. 

“He didn’t go very far,” Tails finished, when Sonic said nothing. “Plus, I think there’s even a drivable road that can get us pretty-” 

But Sonic didn’t wait for Tails to finish his sentence. He simply pushed the tablet back into his brother’s paws then turned on his heel and ran, ignoring the little fox’s calls behind him. 

Chapter Text

It took exactly seventeen minutes down a very long highway labeled as Route 89 every few miles, Sonic wasn’t counting, to reach the town closest to the little red dot on Tails’ tablet. If he was reading it right, there would be… he didn’t need to use any signs because the massive mountain was clearly visible. It hadn’t been labeled on Tails’ map, so that wouldn’t have been helpful anyway. Plus, it was a zillion times faster to run straight through farmland and yards and then a stretch of empty fields that ran up into the mountain. Well, actually, there was one larger mountain surrounded by a few smaller ones, but Sonic headed for the largest one with the snowy cap. Another few minutes later, thanks to needing to navigate the rough terrain, Sonic came to a skidding halt on a snowy outcropping of rock. 

The mountain didn’t look nearly as massive on Tails’ tablet screen, and Sonic quickly realized that even if he wasn’t about to wait for everyone else, he should have at least taken Tails’ tablet with him for the sake of the map. 

All that really meant was it would take longer to find Shadow. At his latest refreshed level of power, Sonic knew it would only take about an hour to cover the mountain in a decently thorough spiral. And as an added bonus, he decided to go from the top down, using even the barest boost of gravity to his advantage as he skidded down the mountain’s faces. 

The top of the mountain was chilly, caught up in thick, wet clouds. It was a little too similar to their first real day together, and Sonic wasted no time in beginning his roundabout way down the mountain. The snow made the descent treacherous, but for once Sonic was careful about his footing. He couldn’t keep his eyes on his feet, he had to keep them up and scanning for any sign of red. It was pointless to look for black, or every single shadow and dark boulder would send Sonic’s heart into overdrive. So, instead, he hunted for even the slightest trace of anything red. 

A few red flowers tripped him up just as he left the last of the snow behind him, but it only slowed him down for a moment as he kept his circling. A red mitten left behind on a sign post at the edge of a very small trail also caught Sonic’s attention, and then he read the little wooden sign pointing straight up the mountain: Crazy Peak . There was no way Shadow came here because of the name, but something about it sent a shivery laugh through Sonic. Leave it to Shadow to wind up running away to sulk at a mountain called Crazy Peak . 

Sonic wasted no more time in continuing his search. This mountain was more rocks than trees, which made the landscape monotone and easy to scan for something as bright as Shadow’s red quills. But the farther and farther he went, the distant plains at the mountain’s feet growing closer and closer, the faster Sonic ran and the harder his paws clenched and unclenched as he zipped around boulders and through little strips of dark, pointy trees. 

Frustrated, he put on a particularly intense burst of speed through a ravine, grey pebbles skittering from his footsteps. And maybe the loose ground was to blame, or maybe his sudden moment of aggravation, or maybe it was just Sonic’s naturally imperfect focus, but he completely missed the sharp and rather invisible drop off. The ravine fell away a little too quickly into a steep cliff, and Sonic plummeted straight down it. He managed to slow himself on the slippery rock face, but his descent was impossible to stop. He could do nothing but let himself slide down the cliff until- there! 

There was a small outcropping of rock, a small platform about the size of a truck bed, and Sonic went flailing towards it at a steep angle. And by sheer force of will, he managed to slam into the ledge, his legs dangling off as he clung with both paws. 

With a good burst of energy and a hearty kick and he leapt up onto the small ledge with a sigh of relief. 

It was part of a steeper and larger outcropping of rock, and when Sonic peered around it he noticed the ledge continued and led to what almost looked like a cave, if an incredibly narrow one. So, obviously, he crept along the precarious ledge towards it. Sonic had to walk with his back against the face of the outcropping so as not to fall off, but he managed to make it all the way to the half-cave, half-crack in the rock. 

Sticking his head in the dark cave was probably not a good idea. It was a little too dark to see very far, and there could be any number of wild animals inside. The sun had long since dipped to the other side of the mountain where he came from, the whole area cast in early evening shadows leaving the mouth of the tiny cave dark . And yet every single part of Sonic was telling him to go inside. He’d barely fit without crawling, but there was something tugging at him, and he recognized it. He knew that magnetic pull. 

And if Sonic trusted anything, he trusted his own gut instinct. 

He got down on his knees to crawl into the cave, sticking his nose in as far as he could to at least try and see inside. It was dark, of indeterminable depth, and looked very uncomfortable to crawl into. But Sonic was on a mission, so he set one gloved paw inside and started to wiggle in. 

He made it just past his shoulders when two very red eyes opened and stared at him from the dark. Sonic guessed Shadow couldn’t be more than ten feet away.  

“Sha-!” Sonic started to say, but in his excitement he tried to jump up, and with the slanted cave roof as low as it was, promptly slammed his head directly into cold, hard rock. He yelped, falling down on his elbows and clutching at his head. “Aw man,” he winced, groaning as he slowly got back up on all fours. “Shadow, we’re leaving, right now. Come on.” He immediately started to back out of the miserable cave, but Shadow didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. Now that Sonic wasn’t out in the daylight and his eyes were starting to adjust, he could see the vague outline of one very curled up hedgehog. 

Shadow appeared to be curled up with his back to what was probably the very end of the little cave, his knees pulled tightly to his chest, both arms wrapped around them. It was a terrible position for any kind of natural defense, but it did allow Shadow to see anyone that might try coming into his hiding spot. 

Like Sonic. 

“Your cave sucks,” he said, when Shadow still said nothing. “I’m not leaving until you come with me.” 

Finally, Shadow blinked. No, he didn’t blink, he winced . His hazy dark outline grew even tighter, and he let out a very small groan. 

Sonic reacted on instinct, crawling forward all the faster until he was on his knees in front of Shadow. His own body blocked out all the light from the mouth of their tiny cave, but from this close Sonic could see that Shadow’s eyes really were glowing , even if it was faint. He had to sit hunched over, his quills pressing against the cave ceiling, curling over as much as Shadow already was. Sonic reached for him on that same instinct, only to yank his paw back when Shadow let out a threatening hiss. 

“Are you hurt? I can-” 

“Don’t.” Finally , Shadow spoke! It was only one word, sure, but it was still something. 

Sonic didn’t, but he didn't move away, either. His knees were only a few inches from the toes of Shadow’s shoes and it left their faces within touching distance, though they both kept their paws to themselves. 

When Shadow didn’t say anything else, Sonic sighed, impatient. “Why are you  here of all places?” He didn’t bother looking around, his head wouldn’t have been able to manage the movement in such a tight space. 

Shadow didn’t respond at first, even if he held Sonic’s gaze. But, finally, he gave in. “It seemed like a good place to hide,” he said, his voice low and pinched, “From anybody that might try tracking me down.” His gaze was unblinking. His meaning was crystal clear. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have ran off without a single explanation,” Sonic shot back. Sure, he was worried about Shadow and he’d missed him for the very long day and a half of separation, but he was also mad at the guy! No way was he about to let Shadow off the hook that easily. 

They held a heated glare, but Shadow was the one to break it when his eyes snapped shut and he tensed up again. This close, Sonic could see the way his shoulders pinched together, the way Shadow’s claws dug into his own shins through his gloves. 

“You are hurt,” Sonic muttered, worry climbing back up into his throat. It softened his frustration and relaxed his shoulders, which was actually way more comfortable in such a cramped space. “What are you doing here, Shadow?” 

But Shadow didn’t respond. Fine. Sonic was not going to give up that easily. He inched even closer until his knees were literally on top of Shadow’s shoes, almost all the way to the golden rings at Shadow’s ankles. His face was close enough to see the fuzzy outline of the red that highlighted his eyes even in the darkness of the cave. It was, even for Sonic, way too close. But he’d given Shadow a chance to do this outside of the cave with space for decency and normalcy between them, and Shadow had refused. 

He didn’t say anything and he held his paws in his own lap so he didn’t lean on Shadow. Sonic just stared at his closed eyelids in the darkness in silence, waiting. Sonic wasn’t patient, but he bit his tongue and he held on until finally, Shadow’s eyes opened again. It took a second for Shadow to focus on him, but his eyes went comically wide when he did, glancing down at where Sonic’s nose was level with his own. 

Aaand of course, of course , Shadow disappeared in a violent crack of electricity and lingering energy. 

Sonic hissed and called out complaints the entire time he backed his way out of the cave. He jumped to his feet the second he could and spun around on the narrow ledge. Shadow wasn’t far, crouched at the end of the outcropping on that first little platform, his quills bristling. Sonic hurried back to him. “You can’t just keep running!” he called, but Shadow turned to stare at him only briefly. Then he slipped down the rock cliff and disappeared from Sonic’s sight. 

Alrighty then. If Shadow wanted to play chase, Sonic would follow. It was practically their normal. 

They sped down the remaining rocky feet of the mountain and into the rough forests, Shadow ahead by just enough Sonic couldn’t catch him, at least not at first. But it was only a matter of drawn out seconds before he grew close enough to grab Shadow’s shoulder and send them flying off course, tumbling through some thorny brush and into a grassy roadside ditch. 

They grappled in the ditch but Sonic was the one to get a knee to Shadow’s chest, pinning one of Shadow’s arms to his side with his leg and holding the other above his head with both paws. “What is your problem ?!” He snapped, staring down at Shadow. 

“My problem?” he growled back, flexing his paw where it was pinned above his head. “ You’re the one chasing me around like a lunatic!” He yanked his wrist out of Sonic’s grasp and shook him off with a solid punch to Sonic’s poor muzzle. He reared back but kept his legs trapped around Shadow’s lower half so Shadow had to really squirm to get free. But he managed to get a knee out from under Sonic which gave him plenty of room to kick Sonic straight in the chest, sending him flailing backwards. 

Sonic snapped back just as quickly, but Shadow was in full on defense, his claws held in front of him, his quills flared out. But, notably, he wasn’t fleeing yet. 

“Why are you running?” Sonic asked, determined even in the face of Shadow’s obvious avoidance. He didn’t attack him again, but he also didn’t relax, mirroring Shadow’s stance. “Seriously, I’m not giving up until you explain yourself.” 

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, looking straight through Sonic. “How did you find me?” It wasn’t an answer to Sonic’s question, so in no way was Sonic going to give in. 

“I’m not telling you that.” 

Unfortunately, that seemed to make something click for Shadow. “But it wasn’t just luck, was it. There was a way.” 

Sonic glared back at him. “I told you, I’m not telling. ” 

“Fine,” Shadow muttered. “But if you’re tracking me, then it’s only a matter of time before you catch me again.” 

That, at least, was something Sonic could agree with. He nodded. “Exactly, which is why you should just give up now and cut this out.” 

For a moment, Sonic thought Shadow was about to do just that. He stood up to his full height, his paws falling to his side. “I’m not letting it be that easy for you.” And for a fleeting second, his angry intensity broke. The hostile determination flickered as Shadow began to turn away, his gaze lingering on Sonic with a new intensity, his brow pulling together and his lip curling into a tiny, miserable frown. Brilliant red eyes dimmed as they stared at Sonic, something searching and fragile, but there wasn’t enough time for Sonic to pinpoint it. And as fast as Sonic noticed it, Shadow disappeared, leaving Sonic in an empty ditch in the middle of nowhere. 

He knew almost instinctively that Shadow wouldn’t be nearby. Or, if he was, he’d be long gone before Sonic could find him again. And if it weren’t for the fact Sonic knew Tails could track down whatever became his new hiding spot, or at least a general location, Sonic probably would’ve still gone looking for him. Even with that knowledge it took monumental self-control to run down the road until he found a sign. It took a few attempts of trial and error before he wound up back on the endless highway he’d used to get there, but he was back in Green Hills’ familiar valley within the hour. 

The sun was far below the horizon by the time he made it back, and that was what really brought Sonic back to sudden painful clarity. 

He’d run off with no explanation. Sure, Tails could probably guess where, but he still ran. Not only that, there was no chance that Maddie wasn’t already home, which meant there was no way to get back before Tails explained what happened. 

Sonic skidded to a halt a few miles out of the city limits and ducked into the trees to take the long way. He was going to be late already and he was- 

He was so confused it was giving him an actual headache. 

He slowed his pace as he reached the last stretch of forest between himself and home, dragging his feet in his dread. They were going to ask if he’d found Shadow, and Sonic would have to explain what happened, even if he didn’t have any real answers himself. All he knew was that Shadow was still not fully recovered and he was running from Sonic, specifically from Sonic. And he had some kind of reason, something he wouldn’t admit to Sonic. 

His head too full and his feet finally wearing out, he jogged up the driveway and took the steps in one leap as he finally came to a stop outside the door. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and headed inside. 

The hallway was empty, but Sonic could hear the muffled sounds of the TV, and he found Knuckles and Ozzy sharing popcorn on the couch. 

“You should go to Tom and Maddie’s room,” said Knuckles as a greeting. “Better to face it head-on.” He spared a glance for Sonic, but Sonic didn’t linger for long. With a quiet nod he went straight upstairs and to the cracked open door of the bedroom. 

He stuck his head in with a little wave. Maddie was cross legged on the bed, her phone held to her ear. 

“Oh, he’s- yeah, he’s home. I’ll call you back.” She hung up quickly and set the phone on her nightstand, then turned to Sonic. 

He hesitated, but gave in after only one tiny tilt of her head. The blankets were neatly in place but Sonic still bent down to tug off his shoes and leave them at the doorway. He was already pushing his luck; wearing his shoes onto Tom and Maddie’s bed might get him literally kicked to the curb. In just his socks he hopped up and also sat cross legged on the far corner of the bed. 

“Did you find him?” 

That wasn’t the first thing Sonic expected her to say, and it threw him off guard. He nodded. “Sort of. But he ran off again.” In his lap, Sonic’s paws twisted with anxious fidgeting. 

Maddie didn’t say anything at first, too busy looking through him. Her mouth was relaxed, her eyes dark, her shoulders slack. No part of her looked angry, just… Well, actually, Sonic couldn’t name whatever emotion it was. When he didn’t move or say anything, she shook her head and scooted back until she was leaning against the headboard, reaching back to adjust her pillow. Once she was comfortable, she propped Tom’s pillow up beside her and patted the blankets. “C’mere,” she said, and sure, it wasn’t a command or an order, but Sonic moved without thinking. 

He curled up far enough away so he wouldn’t lean against her, his hands still safe in his own lap. She didn’t reach out to him, but she did turn a bit so she could better face him. He mirrored it. 

“Tails said you left without any explanation or map.” 

Sonic nodded, avoiding her gaze. 

“And even if he knew where you were going, you know why that wasn’t your best move, right?” 

Again, he nodded, his eyes fixed on a single thread sticking out of the comforter below him. 

“I know you want to bring an end to this quickly, Sonic…” she trailed off with a sigh. “And you’ve let us help a little, but you’re still trying to do this on your own.” 

“Because he’s-” 

“Scared?” Now she did reach out to him, cupping one tense, flattened ear with her fingertips. “Because he's used to being alone? Sonic, that’s not a good reason and you know it.” 

The tension in his body slowly started to seep out through the top of his head and into her soft hand as he leaned into her touch without thinking. “I just thought…” he trailed off, still not looking directly at her. Instead, he focused on the loose collar of her shirt. It was pink today, something cozy and fuzzy, and would probably be comforting to snuggle up against. 

Maddie’s hand trailed down the side of his face to rest against one peachy cheek. “You thought…?” 

Finally, he looked up to meet her gaze. “I thought I was the best hedgehog for the job.” 

She didn’t reply to that, waiting for him to explain, but her thumb rubbed tiny, soothing circles under his eye. 

“I just- I get it. I get him .” Sonic’s voice fell into a shifty whisper, turning his face till he was practically speaking directly into Maddie’s palm. 

She did reply to that. “You wanna explain that a little more?” She held his gaze for a moment while he didn’t reply, then took her hand away and patted her lap with a raised eyebrow. 

After only a moment of resistance, Sonic crawled in front of her and flopped down with his head in her lap. He dragged it up so his quills would be tucked at a safe angle and wouldn’t cut into her legs through soft sweatpants, then stared up at her. Her smile looked a little silly upside down, and that helped loosen the tight knot in Sonic’s chest. 

“He’s all alone out there,” he mumbled, just as her hands started to stroke his quills. “He’s been alone for… for so long. And I know he was technically supposed to be asleep all those years, but-” He closed his eyes, remembering Shadow’s hesitant words on the moon. “I think, even if he was asleep, I think he felt it. All fifty years of it.” 

Maddie hummed in thought, her eyes never leaving Sonic as she scratched her nails gently through his fur. The feeling was exactly what Sonic needed. “‘It?’” She finally asked, curious. 

“The pain,” he mumbled. “The- the loneliness . He was all alone in that prison.” 

Her hands paused on his head, fingertips pressing into a specific spot in his fur. Her gaze narrowed momentarily as she stared not at Sonic’s face, but at his quills, before she brushed over the spot and left it alone. Instead, her hands framed his head carefully, cradling it briefly, encouraging him to continue. 

Sonic’s voice was almost too soft for even his own ears, mumbled with reluctance and a lifetime of uncertainty before he found the comfort of his home and family. “I know what that feeling is like.” He swallowed thickly. “I was alone for- for so long.” 

Maddie’s gaze softened exponentially, bending down even closer to Sonic, cradling him with her whole body. There was a sheen in her eyes now, tears that didn’t fall, and it made Sonic jump to correct himself. He pulled away and sat up, his words earnest but a little desperate. 

“I mean- I used to be! I have you guys now, I know that, I-” 

“Oh, baby,” she reached out to pull him back to her, this time wrapping him up in a tight hug. “I know what you mean. But I also know how long you were just on the outside looking in, and I know that the past is never going to go away. You’ll always carry that feeling with you.” She soothed a hand back over his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, his face pressed against the collar of her shirt. He was right, it was good to snuggle against. 

“You just have to remember that you’ve got us, now. You’ll always have us.” 

Sonic curled up a little tighter, hugging himself. For the first time, he realized he was a little too big to fit properly in Maddie’s lap like this, even curled up as tight as he was. That was new. 

“I told Shadow something similar,” he said, delayed. “When we- um. We had a talk. It’s what… changed things between us. I couldn’t kill him, even when he told me to, and then…” He didn’t miss the way Maddie’s arms tightened around him at his words. “And I keep trying to show him there’s more to life than just- than just living in misery!” He pushed away from her chest and sat up to meet Maddie’s eyes, determined. “There’s so much out there, so much he hasn’t seen or tasted or experienced, why won’t he just let me show him?” 

“Hmm,” Maddie thought, her hands slipping down to simply hold him, tucked away in his quills at his back. “Maybe he’s not ready. This is his first time experiencing total freedom, right?” 

Sonic wasn’t certain about that, since he didn’t have all the details of Shadow’s past, but he nodded. 

“Maybe he’s just a little overwhelmed. Maybe he just needs a little more time.” 

“I hate waiting,” Sonic muttered, twisting to flop down so his back was to her chest, kicking his feet out and stretching, the tension getting to him. “But… I guess…” he sighed, then groaned, dragging both paws down his face. “I guess I can wait. For him, I think, if it’s for him, I can do it.” 

Maddie clasped her hands around him, resting them on his belly, leaning over him to give him a proud smile. “I know you can. And, in the meantime, you can come up with a plan, a real plan, to bring him home.” 

“ We can come up with a plan,” Sonic corrected, finally smiling back up at her. 

“That’s right,” she said. “Now, why don’t we go check on Tails and see if he’s got any updates for  us?” She started to push him upright, but Sonic caught her hands before they pulled away, holding them against his chest. 

“Hey, um, mom?” His voice was small. It wasn’t that he never called Tom and Maddie dad and mom, but it certainly wasn’t frequent, and it made his chest feel all bubbly and full. 

Her eyes shined as she looked down at him. “Yeah, sweetie?” 

“Thanks for… you know.” He waved a vague paw in the air. “Everything. For taking care of us, all of us.” His nose twitched as he met her gaze again. “Dad included.” 

Her smile was downright radiant as she watched him, then, in a fast, sudden movement, she pulled him up and rolled to the side, squeezing Sonic tightly to her chest. “That’s what family’s for,” she explained, her voice muffled into the soft fur between his ears. “We’ll always take care of each other.” 

They stayed there, flopped over on the bed for a moment, until a shuffling was heard outside the cracked bedroom door and Tails’ bright yellow ears popped through. 

“I’ve got a new location,” he said. “And I think I have a better way to track him down this time.”

Chapter Text

Sonic had indeed missed dinner thanks to his little adventure , so he took his microwaved serving of leftover chicken and rice soup with him to the garage to follow Tails to his workshop. Knuckles was already there sitting on the floor, Ozzy curled up beside him. Sonic decided to join them, and when he sat down the dog quickly lifted his head to sniff at Sonic’s soup, but gave up quickly when Sonic held it away and glared at the dog. 

Maddie pulled out a camping chair and made herself comfortable, and they all looked to Tails. 

The little fox hopped up onto his stool in front of his whiteboard, his tablet hovering nearby. “I’m not gonna explain everything I’ve discovered because that would take too much time, and honestly, I don’t think you guys would understand a lot of it!” He laughed, but not unkindly. “First, though, I think Shadow is about three hundred miles away by a reservoir that’s above a much larger lake.” He waved his tablet over and pulled up a map, then sent it over to Knuckles and Sonic, then to Maddie, so everyone could get a closer look. “Specifically, I think he’s on an island in the middle of the reservoir, but it gets tricky tracking him to that level of detail.” 

“That’s a little far for us, but Sonic could reach that easily,” Maddie pointed out, and Tails nodded. 

“Yep! Plus, there aren’t many good pictures I could find of the area, I don’t think we can get exact enough to use any rings. And even if we could…” He trailed off, but everyone knew the implication. Their carefully kept inventory of rings was at an all time low, and they couldn’t risk getting it wrong. “Which is why I think Sonic should go there alone and take a ring with him.” 

“Wait, you guys have been harping on me for going alone all this time and now… that’s the plan?” Sonic cocked his head to the side, spoon hanging out of the corner of his mouth. “I’m getting some really mixed messages here, guys.” 

“The difference is in how you do it,” Maddie said. “For instance, I’m guessing Tails had some kind of mobile map you could have taken with you.

“Even better!” Tails jumped off his stool and flew over to his work tables, feet never touching the floor. He returned a moment later holding what looked like the same spare backpack Sonic took for his picnic with Shadow. 

“Uh, a backpack?” Knuckles sounded just as confused as Sonic felt. 

But Tails shook his head. “Not just any backpack!” And now that Sonic was looking closer, he could see the new straps sewn in, the device clipped to the shoulder strap, the overall change in its natural shape, including a new waistband that clipped in front. “Now it’s outfitted with a communicator, a low-radius chaos energy detector, and…” Tails yanked a bright orange strap located at the bottom of the bag, and the thing suddenly blew up and inflated, even along the added waistband. “It’s got a built-in reusable floaty vest!” 

Sonic eyed the thing dubiously as Tails pulled another tab, this one much smaller and dark grey, and the inflated material slowly deflated and retracted back into the bag, and Tails redid a few snaps that must’ve come undone with the force of the activation. “Why do I need a floaty vest?” 

“You did hear the part about the island, right?” Tails blinked at Sonic. “You might end up needing to swim.” 

Suddenly, Sonic deeply regretted lettering anyone else be involved in his plans. His regret was interrupted when Tails brought the backpack over to him. “You ready to get suited up for a test?” 

Sonic nodded, slurped up the rest of his soup and set the bowl aside, then hopped up. “Bring it on!” 

Despite its fancy new features, the backpack still fit like, well, a backpack. It also retained a surprising amount of storage space, which already included a single ring in a sandwich baggy, another first aid kit, and some kind of jerry-rigged TV remote on top of what looked like a fleece jacket. The waistband could be easily adjusted, and the communicator was the perfect height to reach with ease. Sonic was impressed. “This is pretty kickass,” he said, grinning over at Tails. 

“It’s got a tracker, too, so we can keep an eye on you from here.” He flipped his tablet around again to show a new kind of map, then reached over to Maddie. “I made an app, too, so I can download it to your phone! It also works with the new communicator.” She surrendered her phone easily, and Tails was quick before he returned it to her. 

“You did all of this… tonight?” Sonic looked up at Tails with wide eyes. 

But Tails shook his head. “No, I had all day to do this. You just ran away before I could give you any cool gadgets. Oh! Speaking of, grab the scanner, it’s even got a built-in map!” 

Sonic blinked at him. 

“The TV remote control,” cut in Knuckles, looking proud and a little smug. 

“How do you-” Sonic started, then paused, because there was that weird looking remote in the backpack. He reached behind his back and fumbled around till he found the remote (tracker?). 

“I was his test subject,” said Knuckles, “While you were out looking for your hedgehog.” 

Sonic was really tired of those words and of the warmth that always sprang into his cheeks at hearing them, but luckily, he had more important words to focus on. “Wait, you were his test subject?” 

Knuckles nodded, but it was Tails that explained. 

“Knuckles produces chaos energy too, obviously, and even if his is a different frequency, it still helped narrow down my search parameters and adjust the calibration!” 

Sonic inspected the remote carefully. It looked sort of normal, except there was some kind of extra box attached to the back, and a bunch of the buttons were replaced with bare LED lights. “So this is a chaos energy detector, is that… what our energy is? You’re sure?” 

“Well, going off the debrief on Shadow from GUN, and the fact there’s no way this isn’t related to the Chaos Emeralds, it’s a fair assumption.” Tails reluctantly shrugged. “So, yeah, I’m pretty sure, even if I don’t have quite enough direct data from Shadow. Plus, it’s a pretty cool name!” 

“You need more data from Shadow?” Maddie’s voice surprised Sonic, especially since she looked like she had an idea. 

“Yeah, but the quill I used is all dead now.” He sighed, looking forlorn. “I’d need another one, fully charged, to get some more solidifying data.” 

Maddie hummed, her gaze switching to rest on Sonic. “Another of Shadow’s quills, fully charged? Is there anywhere Tails could find one of those?” 

For way too long, Sonic just stared at her, not really getting it. And then he remembered, and he remembered her hands pausing in his fur. Shadow’s quills. She’d probably seen them in his fur, and that made Sonic’s face go so red he was sure he was more purple than blue. “Oh, uh-” he reached up and combed through his quills. He left the broken one untouched, but he pulled out the black quill. And, to his delight, it was once again crackling with energy. 

“It worked!” he cheered, giving a full spin in place in his delight. “Think this will help, lil’ buddy?” he held the quill out to Tails with a triumphant smile. 

The fox’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and Sonic heard a quiet gasp from his side from Knuckles. “Sonic, you- you recharged it!” He snatched the quill up then yelped when it shocked him, but he didn’t let go. The shock was only brief, and Tails hurried over to place the quill in another tube. “If you recharged it, that means your energy isn’t just compatible and attracted to itself it-” Tails broke off into mutterings, rummaging around his table. 

“Um, it’s pretty cool, but what does it mean?”

Tails spun around and his smile was so wide it nearly blinded Sonic. “It means your energy isn’t compatible, it’s interchangeable. ” 

Sonic still wasn’t getting it. 

“Shadow’s suffering from energy depletion, right?” Tails paused, and at least didn’t look dismayed when Sonic didn’t confirm or deny, because Sonic himself didn’t really know what was wrong with Shadow. Tails sighed, but his bright expression never faded. “From what you said, plus a few assumptions on my part, I’m guessing that’s what’s wrong with him. I think the sheer amount of energy he lost deflecting the cannon has just been too much for him.”

Nobody said anything for a moment until Maddie broke the silence. “So you’re saying… Shadow used up too much energy and Sonic might be able to help him… recharge?” 

Knuckles snickered from the sideline where he was now giving Ozzy thorough belly rubs, and Sonic had to agree to the unspoken sentiment. None of it made sense. 

“How can you guess all this?” He wasn’t disbelieving, just a little skeptical. 

Tails looked up to him, his tails twitching. “Because it’s based on simulations I’ve done using my data off you. If your energy really is so similar to Shadow’s, then I think it’s pretty safe to say I’m right.” 

Sonic tried to think of the times he’d seen Shadow looking his worst versus the times Shadow actually seemed more lively, more himself, thought of the slow return of his teleportation. Because… Tails might be onto something. But the thought that really stuck in Sonic’s chest was the memory of waking up wrapped up in each other, and it wasn’t because of how Shadow appeared, it was how Sonic had felt. He’d felt more like himself than he had in days, like something finally clicked into place and settled. The feeling had shattered with Shadow’s disappearance, but for a few minutes… If what Tails was saying was true and this whole compatibility of their energy was a two-way street… 

Sonic felt a little light-headed, but he shook it off. “This will be great, tracking him down is hard! He seems to really like hiding in stupid spots.” 

“But I think all tracking will be saved for tomorrow,” Maddie broke in, finally pushing up and away from her camping chair. “Sonic, you can leave in the morning, but everybody needs rest. And I do mean everybody.” She aimed the last word at Tails who was already creeping back to his workbench, eyeing Shadow’s quill with longing. 

With Maddie’s firm encouragement, Sonic let Tails hang the new gear up, and they turned off all the lights before Maddie herded them all upstairs. To everyone’s surprise, she sent them off to her bedroom, not the attic. “Go on,” she encouraged, only to leave as soon as the three of them, plus Ozzy, were piled up on the bed. “I’ll be right back, you three sit tight.” 

In between Knuckles and Sonic leaning against Tom and Maddie’s pillows, Tails asked, to the room at large, “Anybody have any idea what we’re doing here?” 

Sonic shrugged. 

Knuckles hummed in thought. “I believe she might have decided on a family sleepover.” 

“Oh hell-!” Sonic started to say, only for Maddie to appear a second later in the doorway, her eyebrow raised about a mile high. Sonic gulped, biting his own tongue and swallowing the word up. “-heck yeah!” he finished. He’d rebelled against the house rules enough for one week. 

Maddie shook her head, laughing as she came in with an arm full of blankets from the hallway linen closet. “Knuckles is right, though. We’re having a family sleepover.” 

“How come? I mean, cool! But why?” Tails, of course, was the one to ask that particular question, even if it was a shared question. 

“Well, it’s been… a difficult few weeks.” Maddie gave them each a fuzzy blanket as she spoke, shuffling around the bed as she worked. “And depending on Sonic’s negotiation skills tomorrow, we might have a possible long-term guest starting tomorrow night.” She paused, then pulled her laptop off the top of her dresser and set it at the foot of the bed, grabbed a blanket of her own, and hopped up next to Sonic, who moved over so she would have enough space. “I thought maybe it would be a good idea to spend a night like this, all together, before things change for a while.” Finally, she pulled out her phone and shot off a text before tossing it to the nightstand. 

“Well, not all together,” Tails mumbled, very quietly. 

Maddie flashed him a knowing smile. “You sure about that?” 

Not a second later, a ringing came from Tails’ backpack, ever-present even when the fox was supposed to be getting cozy. He yanked the backpack off and dug around inside, pulling out the tablet to display the horrible picture Sonic put as Tom’s contact on everyone’s devices. Quickly, Tails accepted the call, and Sonic and Knuckles leaned in enough to squash him on both sides. 

“Guys!” Tom looked a little tired, seeing as it was getting late, but his smile was stretched wide and all open-mouthed joy. “I hear there’s a family sleepover happening, think I can get an invite?” 

Laughter bubbled up from the trio, tension and underlying exhaustion slipping away from them in their happiness. 

“You are always invited to family sleepovers,” Knuckles said, the first to breathe out his final, surprised laugh. 

“Yeah!” Tails chimed in. “A family sleepover isn’t a family sleepover without the whole family!” 

The repetitive words bounced around Sonic’s head like pinballs, making him smile for absolutely no reason at all. “Truer words were never spoken,” he agreed, leaning in to tuck an arm around Tails and all the way to Knuckles, his fingertips resting against red fur.

They bickered briefly over who got to hold the tablet with Tom’s floating face, and eventually Maddie declared that Knuckles would be the first for ten minutes, and then Tails, then Sonic, and it would repeat until they were done with their movie (that’s what her laptop was for.) Nobody could decide on a movie until Tom recommended Transformers, which seemed to satisfy the group at large. A debate about which film in the series to choose could’ve broken out, but Maddie made the decision for them, choosing the one about the yellow Transformer and giving them all a look that silenced any complaints. 

While the opening studio titles rolled and everyone got comfortable, during which Tails’ backpack was finally evicted, Maddie disappeared for a few minutes. When she turned, she carried a try with  four mugs of hot cocoa, the perfect ratio of whip cream and mini marshmallows in each. 

Tom probably couldn’t really hear or see what was going on in the movie, since he was watching via FaceTime and repeatedly handed around every ten minutes, but Knuckles explained every complicated scene and Tails muttered along as he read the subtitles and Sonic kept up a running commentary of the worst jokes he could think of in between licking whip cream off his upper lip. 

And after the movie, as the credits crawled across the screen and Maddie took the tray of mugs away, they all chimed a chorus of goodnights to Tom before hanging up. 

Sonic basked in the comfort of the moment. Tails and Knuckles were both drifting off to sleep slumped together, Knuckles mouth hanging open with a single drip of drool threatening to drop directly on Tails’ head. Sonic committed the sight to memory. 

They weren’t allowed to go to sleep quite yet, Maddie did rouse everyone for teeth brushing, even if Tails was pretty much moving on muscle memory, his baby-blue eyes barely open at all. But once their breath was all minty and they’d tossed dirty socks and even their gloves in a heap in the attic, they all returned to Tom and Maddie’s bedroom with bare toes and exposed paws. The blankets were rearranged so they could all sleep under the comforter, but each of their fuzzy blankets were tucked underneath just in case. 

This time, Maddie climbed in the middle, Knuckles on one side, Tails and Sonic on the other, with Ozzy acting as their trusty foot-warmer. Everybody wiggled until they were comfortable: Knuckles on his back, the blanket tucked up to his chest, Tails half on Maddie’s chest, one of his paws clenching her pajama shirt, his tails tucked low against Sonic’s knees where he lay on his side, his own bare paws curled against his chest. 

Maddie whispered a soft goodnight, and three goodnights of varying degrees of sleepiness chimed back at her, and then the gentlest of quiets settled over the family. 

Despite the comfort, it took a while for Sonic to fall asleep, and it wasn’t because Knuckles was snoring within five minutes flat. It wasn’t because Ozzy decided it was the perfect time to munch as loudly as possible on one of his paws, which was a horrible noise in the silence of the room. He couldn’t sleep because his thoughts were turned far away, to that tiny island on a map somewhere lost in the woods, to the tiny red dot that symbolized where Shadow had hidden himself away from the world. 

Sonic was tucked in with his family under a down comforter full of hot chocolate and homemade soup, and Shadow was somewhere that was likely cold and possibly wet, going off the faint pitter-patter of rain on the roof, and who knew when the last time he’d eaten was, since Sonic was not convinced that Shadow, Ultimate Lifeform or not , didn’t need to eat. Everybody needed to eat, that was like, basic living-science! 

The anger and frustration he felt at Shadow felt dim, now, a little burned out. Whatever reason Shadow had for running, for hiding, it likely felt like the only option to Shadow, like his best chance at survival. From what he knew of Shadow’s past, disjointed fragments from Commander Walters and snippets here and there from Shadow himself, it didn’t seem like there were many people out there who’d tried to do anything for Shadow. Maybe they’d put him through tests, maybe they’d put him through questionable experimental enhancements, but there was only one person Shadow mentioned who truly cared for him, and she was the person Shadow could never see again. Not only that, he’d been reliving that pain in a nightmare on loop, over and over and over, and that would drive even the most well-adjusted, healthy hedgehog insane.

The anger was slowly burning itself out in Sonic’s chest, and that want was back, a wish that sprouted from the deepest part of his heart. And it wasn’t just selfish, either, though it was at least a little. He wanted Shadow to stay because he really did like the guy, even if they butted heads, even if Shadow was stubborn and never answered Sonic’s questions without additional needling and had, like, two expressions: glaring and kind of tense. He wanted Shadow to stay because it meant someone to keep up with while racing, someone he could toss into trees and laugh about it, someone who could match Sonic’s intensity beat for beat without ever shying away. He wanted more impromptu picnics, more shared snacks. He wanted to brush Shadow again, and maybe even swap their roles, if Shadow would do it. 

He wanted to wake up all curled together again, but he wanted to linger for longer, press his face into the fur between Shadow’s ears, or maybe into the white fluff at his chest to see if it really was as soft as it looked like. He wanted to not even notice if a blanket smelled like Shadow because he wanted everything to smell like Shadow, or maybe for Shadow to smell like him. Maybe both? 

Okay, so maybe it was a very selfish want. But there were other wishes too, all unnamed and impossible to word. He just knew that when he glanced over at the blurry shapes of his family in the dark, he wanted Shadow to feel the same contentment Sonic felt in that moment. 

He thought about the few seconds of news footage he’d seen earlier just that day, of the reporter calling Shadow a weapon.

He thought of Shadow’s hissed words, snapping at Sonic. I am not made for friendship.

Shadow wasn’t a weapon. He wasn’t just something made to be used to cause harm. He was hurt and he was scared and he was alone . He wasn’t something dangerous to be scared of, to lock away. He was someone powerful that just needed safety and stability, the same things Sonic knew he would never, ever take for granted for as long as he had them. 

There was still frustration simmering low in Sonic’s belly for how Shadow refused to just listen and kept running, but that was good. A little frustration would keep Sonic’s feet fast and his determination on a constant boil. A little frustration would be just the kick he needed to never give up until his opponent gave in. 

But, for the time being, he did his best to breathe in the soft smell at the back of Tails’ head, lulled to sleep by the white noise of Knuckles’ snoring. 

Sonic was the first of the trio to wake up, but Maddie was already sitting up in bed with her book when he blearily pushed himself upright and rubbed his eyes with a soft, very bare paw. She didn’t interrupt his slow return to wakefulness, stretching as much as he could without disturbing Tails. According to the alarm clock on Tom’s nightstand it was just past seven, and Sonic almost questioned why Maddie wasn’t up and getting ready for work when he caught the day in the corner of the alarm clock screen. 

Saturday. Wait, did that mean it had only been… a week? All the back and forth with Shadow and the waiting around and everything, and it had only been a week? Sonic shook his head a little, rubbing at his eyes again with the heel of his palm. 

His thoughts finally coming to clarity, Sonic turned to Maddie with words on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he was met with Tails’ tablet held out. 

“Go on, you can check his location again before you go.” Maddie looked a little tired, but her smile was genuine. “And bring your gear this time.” 

Sonic took the tablet mutely. The map was already pulled up, the little red dot flashing in slow, delayed pulses. 

“And don’t forget to get some breakfast,” she added, as Sonic slid out of bed and stretched again, all the way to his bare toes. Man, the house was cold without his socks! 

“And bring some-” She started to add, but Sonic turned to grin and finish her sentence. 

“For Shadow?”

She nodded, then waved him off and returned to her book, her free hand falling to rest atop Knuckles’ motionless head buried in the sheets. 

Sonic dragged his feet along the bedroom carpet to the door as he left, then scampered up to the attic as quickly as he could, wincing at the chilly hardwood on his poor feet’s paw pads. Sure, the pads on his feet were way tougher and more padded in by fur than his forepaws, but it still sucked. 

After donning fresh socks and gloves, then zipping down to find his shoes, Sonic headed to the kitchen and grabbed his supplies. The cupboards were a bit empty (they’d probably be adding a grocery trip to their Sunday routine), but he grabbed a few packets of peanut butter crackers, the last of the granola bars, and, reluctantly, one of Maddie’s healthy nut bars. And, of course, he balanced out the healthy addition with three packs of fruit snacks. All the goods were shuttled to the garage and crammed into the backpack, which Sonic strapped on quickly. 

All in all, his preparation took four seconds going by the kitchen clock. Sonic mentally patted himself on the back, satisfied with his own recovery to his full power. Sure, he hadn’t really noticed when he’d been feeling off, too busy focusing on someone else’s wellbeing, but it was nice to feel fully like himself again. 

Everything in place, Sonic finally headed out. He took the skylight in the attic so he didn’t have to worry about leaving the door unlocked, and for a moment, he relished the cool morning air. The sun had just started to peak over the treetops, the sky still too dim to tell if it was clouds or just the natural paleness of the early morning. There was a slight breeze, but it was just too early to guess what the weather would bring. 

It was a perfect day for running, and Sonic set off with a determined smile. 

He decided to go around as many mountains as he could instead of over, if only to keep his feet dry for as long as he could. Running with the enhanced backpack would’ve been a lot weirder if he hadn’t already been shuttling extra baggage around all week. Still, the waistband rubbed against his knee every now and then with his speedy high steps, and it was a small discomfort. 

His decision to skirt around the mountains also meant Sonic didn’t have to pay quite as much attention to his footwork. While he cut through the wide swathes of grasslands and rolling hills, not unlike the ones that became so familiar so quickly, Sonic reached back into the bag and dug out that scanner Tails had never actually shown him how to use. 

He held it in front of him like a regular TV remote would be held, adding a laser noise and dramatic fake shot towards a couple hay bales he zipped by, leaving the straw in the dust. The remote didn’t actually have that many buttons left, so Sonic pressed what used to be the “play” button, pointing it dead ahead as he kept his easy pace, but nothing happened. So, obviously, he switched it around and hit the “play” button again, this time with the sensor pointed directly at his own chest. 

The entire remote vibrated and started screeching, and it startled Sonic so badly he dropped it, the device bouncing away and disappearing in milliseconds. 

“Aw, come on!” he shouted, mostly at himself, before spinning around and hurrying back. It only took a few minutes to find it, luckily, and the device looked unharmed. Before he headed off again, Sonic tested it again. It seemed that much like an actual TV remote, it couldn’t sense him if he wasn’t pointing the thing directly at his own chest. He wasn’t sure how that would come in handy, but he trusted Tails’ gadgetry. 

Still curious, Sonic tried hitting the “menu” button, since it looked the most functional, aside from the “play” button. This time, the LED’s that were where all the channel numbers used to be lit up, and a small holograph popped up displaying- 

“The map!” He leaned forward and stuck his finger through the display, which warped around him. He tried again, this time intentionally pinching in and out, and sure enough, the map zoomed in and out. “ That is handy,” he muttered to himself, then actually focused in. The little red dot marking his destination was unmoving, which was both reassuring and a little concerning. He also noticed a bright spot of blue, and it took him a second of squinting at the map before he realized he was the blue dot. 

Well, at least he looked to be on the right course. He hit the “menu” option again and the map disappeared, and he stuck the remote back in his backpack and kicked it back into gear. 

Honestly, Sonic was a little glad he got the chance to burn off some energy before confronting Shadow again. It gave his head time to clear and time to fully wake up, the light morning air the perfect shock to his system, especially at his top speed. He probably should have considered what he’d say to Shadow to persuade him to come home with Sonic, but… 

Sonic had a feeling that whatever he prepared wouldn’t be what he’d end up saying. That would be decided exactly in the moment. It was both just because of who he was naturally and the side of him that Shadow brought out; Shadow made him do stupid things just because his questionable impulse control told him to. 

So instead of planning his words or really thinking about much of anything at all, Sonic spent his journey jumping off hills and over a few small streams, weaving in between cars on a few country highways until he reached the mountains again. But instead of taking on the larger, rockier peaks, he stuck to the smaller foothills covered in drying grass and sparse trees. It was sort of like a rollercoaster with very little to stop Sonic’s speed, and at least a couple times he took a flying leap off the top of the foothills so he could spin-dash down the other side. 

The final leg of his journey ran up a long, decently straight highway with a name that was just blurry alphabet soup every time Sonic ran past the signs. Other than a couple pick-up trucks and a parked sedan, all of which Sonic leapt over with three perfect flying leaps, he didn’t encounter anyone. Off to his right the sun was climbing higher, spreading across the sky. It turned out to be cloudy, sort of, but they were high in the sky like a distant, stripey carpet. Fisherman’s sky, Tom called that kind of cloud, once. Sonic was pretty sure there was a rhyme attached to it, but that part he couldn’t remember. 

The forests surrounding the reservoir, his destination, were lush and thick. That made sense, especially thanks to the multiple other lakes in the surrounding area. If Sonic weren’t on a mission, he might’ve stopped and appreciated the view of the largest lake to his left. The late-stage sunrise had finally reached it and the whole thing sparkled, but Sonic didn’t have the eyes or the time. Instead, he swerved off to his right, into dense, sprawling forests over short mountains. 

He reached the top of a tall peak and zipped up to the tip of a tree, finally spotting his destination. There were quite a few little islands in the reservoir, but Sonic only had eyes for one. He’d checked the map so many times on his way over he basically had it memorized, so he knew exactly which way to speed off to, not hesitating once until he skidded to the edge of the water. 

The island he wanted was a pointy little strip sort of shaped like a computer cursor, and it was… pretty far out there. And Sonic only had two options: he could either do his best to run across the water or he could give in and swim, or at least float and kick. 

The ideal option was obviously to run, because that kept as much of him out of the water as possible, and did not involve swimming! Double win. The problem was Sonic had mixed results with running on water: sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, and he couldn’t find a pattern. Ponds were easy to run across, but he couldn’t run along rivers like a road, yet he’d managed to ride the tides a little bit to escape that stupid tropical temple. He mentally smacked himself for not practicing at the lake back in Green Hills. 

Not only that, but running would be faster, and Sonic suddenly couldn’t wait another moment. Shadow was somewhere over on that island and Sonic was wasting time deciding how he could get there?

It wasn’t even a question. He gave himself a very generous half-second to surge up enough power for a burst of speed unmatchable by any other being in the galaxy, and flashed across the placid water, kicking up a trail of water droplets that dragged a rainbow behind him in the sunlight. 

He barely even looked where he was going until he felt solid ground on his feet, though he didn’t manage to slow himself down until he’d literally crossed the entire tiny island and wound up on the opposite shore. 

Extremely grateful he didn’t end up soggy and wet, Sonic spun around and started scanning the woods. Wait, he had a literal scanner! 

He pointed the thing at the woods after digging it out again, pressed “play,” and… nothing. He tried a different angle, towards the pointiest bit of the island. Nothing. He swiveled the other way, towards his right, and pressed “play” again. When the whole remote started to vibrate and screech, he let out a whoop and jumped up in a full spin of victory. 

He wanted to go as quickly as possible, but he didn’t even need to use his own superspeed that much, the island was just that small. He ran in fifty-foot intervals, stopping to scan around and find the next point, then he’d dash forward again. After four of those jumps, Sonic caught sight of a break in the trees, a shallow stretch of water forming a miniature bay in the little island. 

Instinct sent him towards the water’s edge, the remote tucked back inside the bag. Sure, the thing was great, but it was time for Sonic to do the last bit of work himself. He jumped over a boulder and along a large, fallen tree trunk that ended rather abruptly, and Sonic hopped off. The flash of red out of the corner of his eye was all he needed to spin around on his heel and crouch down. 

“Gotcha!” he grinned, crossing his arms and leaning on his knees. He had to, Shadow was that low to the ground. 

The tree trunk was partially hollow, just enough to form the perfect wooden burrow for one single hedgehog. Shadow didn’t even bother to uncurl, his quills surprisingly flat, his eyes alert but not particularly shocked to see Sonic, which was disappointing. 

Sonic peered at the edge of the hollow trunk surrounding Shadow. It looked reasonably dry inside, with little bits of stringy moss clinging to the dead wood. “This is an upgrade from that crappy cave, at least,” he noted, then reached out to pull a piece of the moss off in a long strip. 

Shadow continued to watch him, as Shadow was often wont to do. It might’ve pissed Sonic off the day before, but he’d had a full night’s sleep all cozied up with his family and then a truly pleasant run there, and he was just… relaxed. Shadow was probably going to put up an argument, would deflect Sonic’s attempts, but that wasn’t anything new. Sonic knew how to play this game, now. 

“Hey, how come you’re not surprised to see me?” He asked, even if it was a bit superfluous. It had been established Sonic could track Shadow down now, but he wanted to get Shadow to say something. Nothing could happen till he broke through and got Shadow to speak a verbal word. 

Unfortunately, Shadow remained silent, though his eyes never left Sonic’s. 

Sonic tried a different tactic. He plopped down in front of the hollow log and shimmied off his backpack and started digging around inside of it. He pulled out two of the fruit snack packets, tearing into one and stuffing them all into his mouth at once. “Ya want ‘thome?” he asked through the mouthful of chewy fruit flavor, offering the other packet. 

Shadow’s eyes tracked to the packet, narrowing slightly, but a twitch of his nose gave him away. Sonic knew he had him a split second before Shadow sighed, his quills rippling in annoyance, and he slowly unfurled from his spherical position. Sonic scooted back so Shadow could turn around, his shoes resting on the soft patchy grass while he sat in the trunk, his head bent low. He snatched the fruit snacks from Sonic. 

“I knew you’d be a fruity kinda guy,” Sonic said with an undeniably smug smirk. 

The glare he received in return sent a zip of sparkling energy down Sonic’s spine and through the very tip of his twitchy tail. 

The fruit snacks were consumed in dead silence, and Sonic didn’t dare interrupt, too enraptured with Shadow’s expressions as he tried each of the flavors, smacking his lips a little when he wound up with two in his mouth at once. It was a show Sonic could watch forever, but sadly ended when the empty wrapper was held back out to Sonic, who took it on instinct and shoved it back in the bag on the forest floor at his feet. 

“Pretty good, huh?” He tried again, adding a raised brow and a hopeful, toothy grin. 

Finally, finally, Shadow gave in. “Not as good as the questionable milk,” he said, and Sonic downright basked in the sound of his voice. 

“Oh, you liked the strawberry milk?” Sonic hadn’t expected that, but the surprise left a flashbulb warmth in his chest. To distract himself and keep his hands busy, he pulled out the third and final packet of fruit snacks, which he tore open. He carefully selected a blue one and held it out to Shadow. 

And while Shadow did hesitate, his gaze a little more shuttered than Sonic would have liked, he didn’t break his own historical pattern and he accepted the treat. They ate the whole packet like that, Sonic biting his tongue as he divvied the little jelly snacks between them. Only when it was all gone and he’d stowed the wrappers away that he finally cleared his throat, sat up a little straighter, and caught Shadow’s gaze. 

“Shadow,” he said, voice even. He opened his mouth to continue, but Shadow raised a paw, breaking their eye contact. 

“Stop,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I know what you’re going to ask.”

Sonic rolled his eyes, leaning back on his paws and cocking his head at Shadow. “You never know, I could surprise you!” 

Shadow leveled him with an even, unimpressed look. “You’re going to ask me to come back with you. Back to your… family. Your home.” 

Sonic shrugged. “Yeah, okay, you got me there. What’re we waiting for, then?” 

“I can’t do that.” 

The frustration that, while quieted and blanketed in easy relaxation, still simmered in his chest flared briefly to life, but Sonic resisted giving in to it yet. “You know, it would really help convince me if you, oh, I dunno, gave me a good reason?” He pushed himself back to lean forward, inching ever so slightly closer to Shadow. “Give me a reason, Shadow. A good reason, not an excuse, on why you shouldn’t come home with me right now.” 

He held Shadow’s gaze unwavering, their expressions mutually determined. He didn’t shy away from the crimson heat or the curled lip. And he didn’t miss the glint in Shadow’s eyes, the slight lift of his shoulders, the twitch of his brow, little signs of the uncertainty that clung to his dark shoulders. 

It was those little things Sonic relied on to be Shadow’s undoing; because Sonic knew it was possible. He’d seen past the impenetrable wall Shadow kept up a mile high around himself at all times. He’d wiggled past those defenses and seen brief glimpses at the conflict inside, and he wanted to see more . Even if Shadow made him wait all day, he was fully prepared to sit there and stare Shadow down because there was literally no universe where Sonic was leaving until he got his answers. 

Luckily, it did not take all day, but only a scant handful of minutes. 

Shadow closed his eyes, his head dipping, a defeated sigh falling from his lips. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll tell you why. And after, I can only hope you’ll learn to give up.” 

“Ha! Likely story!” Sonic couldn’t stop the short laugh that jumped out of his throat. But he kept his focus on Shadow and finally said, “But bring it on, I want your most detailed, most over-explained version. I’m all ears.” 

And Shadow finally, finally spoke, his voice heavy, his ears flat. 

“There’s something wrong with my powers.”

Chapter Text

Sonic blinked once, twice. “Um.” He waited for Shadow to say more, but Shadow… didn’t. “Yeah, uh, I think that much is obvious.” 

Shadow hissed; a small, frustrated exhale through his teeth. “No, I mean… something is wrong . Something is wrong with me. Something is broken and I can’t figure out what it is.” 

Still, Sonic wasn’t sure what to say. “You said it yourself,” he said, when Shadow still didn’t extrapolate. “You were at the heart of a crazy explosion and then you fell to Earth and were alone in the woods for almost a week.” 

To his dismay, Shadow’s eyes narrowed and his knees pulled closer to his chest, all clear signs of obvious distress. “And I should be recovered by now.” There was a certain hard note to Shadow’s voice that Sonic didn’t like at all. He’d heard it a few times, in the brief moments Shadow denied having any weakness, reciting words that sounded foreign and borrowed compared to Shadow’s even in the short time Sonic knew him. When he spoke again, his voice was low, but there was a distinct absence of growl. “I am built to be resilient. I am built to be indestructible.” 

Immediately, Sonic focused on the language Shadow used, the way he spoke about himself as if he was something designed for an ulterior motive. “You weren’t built,” Sonic cut in, his own voice a bit sharper than he’d intended. “You were born. Just like me, just like Tails and Knuckles. Man, even like Ozzy!” 

But Shadow only shook his head, his claws flexing, tucked away against his stomach behind his legs. “I was, ” he emphasized. “I was designed to be better, be stronger, be the one force impossible to be stopped.” 

“What, was Walters lying when he said you fell from the sky in some weird alien asteroid?” 

Shadow’s hardened gaze did flicker at that, but his resolve returned too quickly. “I don’t know where I came from before I… belonged to GUN. I don’t remember anything before.” 

“You did not belong to GUN-!” Sonic snapped his mouth shut when Shadow’s foot shot out and kicked him in the shin. The angle meant Shadow couldn’t put much force behind it, but it still stung. 

“You’re terrible at listening,” Shadow muttered, but his eyes fell shut as he rubbed a paw over his face, a sure sign of momentary softness. Hidden behind his paw Sonic noticed the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but it disappeared the moment Shadow met his gaze again. “I did belong to GUN,” he reiterated. “I was their experiment. Project Shadow.” His voice fell to nearly a whisper as he added, “With their enhancements, I was built to be… Ultimate.” 

As much as Sonic wanted to argue, as much as he wanted to tell Shadow that whatever they did, it didn’t matter now. Shadow was free of GUN, free of that miserable island prison. But Sonic didn’t know how to say it gently, and Shadow looked- fragile. Like if Sonic pushed in that moment, he wouldn’t get a second chance at this carefully worded admission. If Sonic defaulted to teasing him about such a ridiculous title as the Ultimate Lifeform in that moment, he suspected he’d never make it past Shadow’s defenses ever again. 

There were times to push and times to wait. 

And Sonic would rather bite his tongue till it bled, sharp and metallic and surprisingly grounding, than lose this chance with Shadow. 

At Sonic’s silence, Shadow continued, though he looked a little thrown off balance. Maybe he too was used to Sonic’s continuous nagging and pushing. 

“Every test, every exercise, every single…” he paused, eyeing Sonic with something akin to distrust before continuing. “I recovered easily from every amount of damage they caused, no matter the severity, with no exception.” 

And even if Sonic didn’t want to interrupt, he couldn’t stop his own baseline instinct, and that instinct sent him falling forward, a paw stretched out to Shadow, desperate to do something, to offer any kind of comfort at all. 

It backfired, because of course it did. There was a second Sonic thought Shadow might’ve leaned into his touch when dark ears angled towards Sonic’s paw, but the moment shattered when Shadow, instead, blipped out of existence in a weak snap of energy. Sonic hopped up and turned on instinct to face where Shadow reappeared, landing on his feet on the soft ground of the little island. 

“I should be better than this!” Shadow didn’t remain still now he was upright, pacing short laps back and forth in front of Sonic, trampling the small ferns and short grass and plush moss beneath his shoes, their soles still planted firmly on the ground for the time being. “I should be- I am made to withstand whatever is thrown at me, whatever threat. I am-” he broke off with a growl, slashing at a low-hanging tree branch that dared to stick out and catch on his fur as he brushed past it. 

When Sonic still remained silent, Shadow whirled on him. Gone was the shuttered fear in his crimson gaze, now full of despairing fire, ice cold and piercing straight into Sonic. 

“I am supposed to be stronger than creatures like you and you are…” Shadow broke off again, stalking over to Sonic until they were barely an arms’ length apart. “You are fine . Unaffected. Why are you so- so normal?!” 

The question threw Sonic for a loop, but he didn’t back down; he met Shadow’s gaze no matter the heat. “First off, rude, ” Sonic sniped, unable to keep the pettiness out of his own voice. “I’m anything but normal, thank you very much.” Despite his words, Sonic remained calm, crossing his arms as he stared Shadow down. “But I wasn’t in that explosion, Shadow. My super form broke, do you remember?” 

Shadow glanced away so quickly that surely only Sonic would’ve been able to catch it. 

Determined, Sonic plowed on. “I couldn’t hold that cannon even with your help. You’re the one that pushed me away and took it on yourself.” The memory was hazy, but now that he really tried to, he could definitely remember Shadow’s paw slamming him away from the force of the Eclipse Cannon moments before Sonic lost consciousness as he plummeted towards Earth. “Shadow, you took on that entire freakin’ explosion alone! And you think you’re, what, behind schedule on recovery because you’re not back to full power after two weeks?” 

Shadow bared his teeth, but Sonic didn’t let him get a word in. Yet. 

“You’re right,” he said instead, taking a step closer to Shadow. “I am back to normal, at least my special brand of normal. But that’s because I healed. I spent, like, two full days on the couch with Knucks after everything went down! I’ve slept in a bed and had three meals a day and I’ve had my entire family looking after me! What do you have, Shadow?” 

Shadow stared at him and only him, unwavering, in silence. At his sides, his claws shook with how tightly they were clenched. “I don’t need the comforts of your cozy little life,” he spat, but he wouldn’t meet Sonic’s gaze anymore when he spoke, which was plenty telling on how truthful those words really were. 

“Oh, what,” Sonic scoffed, his arms falling to his sides as he took another step towards Shadow, which Shadow mirrored in reverse, pulling away just as Sonic pushed forward. “Because you’re stronger than me? Because GUN did unspeakable things to you and you were forced to endure them?” He took another step forward, ignoring the red sparks in Shadow’s eyes that he could feel mirrored by blue in his own clenched fists, his advance unwavering even as Shadow retreated, and Sonic hated that retreat. “Because you’re the Ultimate Lifeform? ” 

“Yes!” Shadow finally snapped, ceasing his retreat and snarling the word straight into Sonic’s face. They were so close now that Sonic felt a fleck of saliva land on his nose, could see the way Shadow’s jaw trembled with each harsh breath, could see the sheen in his eyes, too glassy yet blinked away as quickly as it appeared. They stood there, nose to nose; and like this, with Shadow in hostile defense and Sonic refusing to back down, Sonic found himself actually looking down at Shadow. 

“Ultimate or not, Shadow, you’re forgetting the second half of that title: lifeform.” 

Shadow didn’t outwardly react to his words, at least not obviously. But after a week straight of downright obsessing over the guy, Sonic could see the tells in the slight widening of his eyes, the hunch of his shoulders, the tremor in his quills. 

“You’re not some undefeatable weapon, you’re-” Sonic paused, looking down to his own paws. He forced them open, relaxing his own fingers, calming the flashes of energy that danced along his palm. “You’re not some mysterious, all-powerful being, you’re injured, and you’re alone, and you’re just- you’re just-” He bit his own words off, taking a step back. “You’re just a hedgehog. Like me.” 

Shadow’s gaze fell again, flinching. “I am nothing like you.” 

“Oh yeah?” Sonic crossed his arms again, raising a challenging eyebrow. “Tell me, then, exactly how you’re so different.” 

Sonic probably should’ve expected to get knocked off his feet for that, but it still took him off guard when Shadow snapped out of sight and then returned a split second later above Sonic, the hard toe of his shoe making crushing contact with Sonic’s chest. It sent him skidding backward over moss and a few dry ferns, all the way to the edge of the shallow water pushing into the tiny island. 

“I am more than you will ever be!” Shadow shouted after him, dashing over to tackle Sonic into the coarse, pebbly sand that bordered the water. He pinned Sonic down barely a yard from the small waves that lapped at the rocky shoreline, his claws cutting into Sonic’s collarbone, his knee pressed hard enough to hurt into Sonic’s stomach. 

“More what?” Sonic shot back, but he didn’t fight against Shadow, not like he normally would. “More dramatic? Sure, I can agree with you on that.” He kept his paws braced against Shadow’s shoulders for stability, fingertips digging into dark fur until he could feel the muscles of Shadow’s neck flexing beneath his gloved paws. “More stubborn? Ehhh… That’s debatable,” he shrugged, though he couldn’t really move his shoulders very well, what with Shadow pinning them to the damp ground. “I guess you do have more fur than me, but that’s just-” 

His words were broken off by Shadow snarling again, shaking Sonic by the shoulders, pressing him even harder into the sandy gravel. “More dangerous!” He leaned in towards Sonic again, so close that each of Shadow’s harsh exhales were pulled straight from his lungs and into Sonic’s, hot and harsh and heady even in the cool air coming off the water just beyond them. 

“You ask why I can’t go back to your perfect little family with you?” Shadow raised a claw, red energy curling around his arm, around the gold ring at his wrist, sparkling and dancing above Sonic. “ This is why!” 

And still, Sonic refused to fight back. Being pinned under Shadow wasn’t exactly comfortable, but there were worse places to be. It seemed that as long as Sonic refused to fight back, Shadow couldn’t bring himself to strike. And maybe there was a small, twisted part of Sonic deep in his chest, hovering somewhere against his spine, maybe, that enjoyed having Shadow so close, enjoyed the weight pinning him down, enjoyed the thrill of the potential danger Shadow posed. 

“What, your chaos energy?” Sonic shook his head, unimpressed. “You’ll have to come up with something better than that.” 

Shadow stared down at him with frustration, and, to Sonic’s delight, hesitation and surprise. 

“Oh, surprised I know what that is now?” He barked a laugh in Shadow’s face, though it melted into a determined but genuine smile. “I told you, you’re just like me.” 

“What?” Shadow’s defensive rage was beginning to crumble in front of Sonic’s eyes, though he still didn’t move from where he had Sonic pinned, and as secretly enjoyable as it was, it was high time they changed their positions. 

It took a moment of focus to build up the heat and the energy in his core, but Sonic pulled a paw away from where it pushed against Shadow’s chest. Although to Sonic’s mild embarrassment, it seemed he’d been more… cradling than defending. His own blue sparks danced at his fingertips, held up between their faces. The blue caught in Shadow’s eyes from so close, sparkling in the them, filling red with bright, bright light. 

“You’re not the only one with that power, Shadow. I figured you, out of everyone, would figure that one out.” 

Shadow looked transfixed as he watched Sonic flex his paw, little tendrils of electricity stretching between his fingers. And then, when Sonic reached out towards Shadow’s face, the sparks stretched towards Shadow, reaching for his tan cheeks, reaching for glassy eyes and his curled lip. 

It was no surprise when Shadow snapped back, teleporting a few yards away. He must’ve not been thinking much about it, because he landed on his tail at the edge of the water, his shoes splashing in the shallows. 

Sonic pushed himself up, grimacing at the grit he could feel in his quills, then sat up and turned to Shadow. 

“My power…. isn’t like yours.” Shadow spoke so quietly Sonic had to scoot forward to properly hear him, though he made sure to steer clear of the water’s edge. “Mine is… destructive.” 

Sonic crossed his legs and leaned on his knees, eyes never leaving Shadow. “Yeah, and so is mine! I took out the whole town once just because I was upset and lonely.” 

The look Shadow shot him was as curious as it was closed off. 

“I told you, Shadow.” Sonic shook himself off again, sighing. “You’re like me. Tails even managed to prove it, I think. How else do you think we tracked you down?” 

The curiosity at the edges of Shadow’s expression intensified, but he took a moment to stand up and shake himself off, dragging himself up the bank until he was back in the mossy grass. Sonic followed him without thinking, sitting only a few feet away. The grassy bank was way better than the coarse, wet sand.

“Come on,” Sonic goaded, shooting Shadow a good side-eye. “Aren’t you at least a little bit curious how we figured out how to track you?” 

But Shadow seemed locked away in his own head again, watching Sonic in silence. His mouth was a thin line, turned down at the corners, his ears nearly invisible they were so flat, his quills ruffled. Where Sonic did his best to relax, stretching his feet out and leaning back on his paws, Shadow remained in his customary defensive position, knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. 

“I don’t really get it,” Sonic said, when he realized it would just be simpler to explain. “But Tails figured out how to trace my energy frequency, I think. Well..” he trailed off, heat climbing back into his cheeks. “ Our energy frequency.” He refused to look at Shadow as he spoke, choosing instead to stare out at the water, at the treeline pictured upside down in the clear surface. “Turns out, we’ve got some kind of freaky compatibility.” 

“How-” Shadow’s voice broke with rough uncertainty. 

Sonic took pity on him. “How’d we figure that out? I told you, Tails did it. He spent, like, a full day and a night studying our quills.” 

Shadow eyed him again, obviously too curious to remain so stoic. “ Our quills?” He bristled, narrowing his eyes at Sonic. 

“Relax.” Sonic just waved him off. “I found one of yours, so he used that, plus, like, a zillion of mine. Practically gave me a bald patch.” He rubbed at a few blunt stubs at the back of his head where he’d once had perfect, beautiful quills before he was robbed in the name of science. A static shock flicked at his ear and he sighed. Reluctantly, Sonic dug around in his fur and pulled out the broken red quill. 

“Turns out,” Sonic continued, filling the silence when Shadow failed to, “Whatever it is that gives you and me our super amazing abilities… we match, I guess?” He shrugged, a little awkward and a lot embarrassed, refusing to look at Shadow as he spun the quill between two fingers. It flashed brightly even in the brilliant sunshine and the illuminating reflections that bounced off the water in front of them.  “We’re so synced up that Tails figured out a way to track you going off pretty much only my data.” 

An overwhelming amount of silence and an underwhelming amount of friendly small-talk were two things Sonic expected from Shadow, but this silence felt like someone had shoved cotton into Sonic’s ears. …And maybe his mouth, too, with how dry it was. 

When Shadow still didn’t say anything, Sonic gave in, turning to shoot him a look. “Man, you’re killin’ me here with all the…” he groaned, only for the words to die in his throat when he noticed Shadow’s expression. 

The thing about Shadow, Sonic had learned since their theatrical first meeting, was sometimes his facial expressions were a little hard to read and often misleading. When half his expressions involved the same furrowed brows and the tension in his mouth and the piercing gaze, it was hard, at first, to tell them apart. 

Now, Sonic noticed the negative space details. Like the fact his chin was pulled close to his chest, brushing the fluffy tips of white fur, and that only angled his entire face down. And somehow, at that angle, even the tension in his brow that most would see as a glare softened, confused and- and cute. It was unbelievably cute, and Sonic had half a mind to run to the other side of this tiny island, scream, and come back. He could do it in one second flat! 

His annoyingly cute expression aside, Shadow was full-body leaning away from Sonic now, yet simultaneously turned to face him instead of remaining in side-by-side parallel. It was a conflicting posture, but there was a final detail, cherry-red, like icing on the cake. 

Shadow was blushing. And in the bright sunlight and the soft background and from this close, the flush could be seen all the way up to his ears, the soft pink interiors just a shade darker than usual. 

“You’ve had my quill on you… this whole time?” While Sonic’s gaze was glued to Shadow’s, it was not returned. Shadow’s eyes were fixed on Sonic’s paw, on the red quill still spinning as Sonic mindlessly fidgeted. 

A second later, before Sonic remembered things like spoken word and breathing, Shadow did look at him. Only this time it was with a suspicious glare. “You studied my quill? Or- your fox did?” His gaze tracked back to the hollow log they’d left behind, to the backpack Sonic abandoned in the moss. “I assume he built that pack as well?” And he sounded so genuinely confused that Sonic couldn’t help his lopsided grin. 

“Sure did! And Knuckles was his lab-rat too, for testing the scanner I used to find your hiding spot.” He wouldn’t have been able to find Shadow without his brothers, he knew that, now. 

Shadow remained suspicious as he slowly looked back to Sonic. He opened his mouth, shut it, and then turned to glare out at their water view, and Sonic mimicked him, reaching up to tuck the red quill back in his fur. 

Seriously, the view was getting to Sonic’s head a little. He thought of other views they’d shared, as simple as rolling hills and miscellaneous cows to the empty mountains and hidden meadows all the way to the literal moon. Man, were picturesque views sort of their thing?

That thought was quickly dismissed, because Sonic did not want to start matching Shadow in  blushing, too. 

“Why did they help?” Shadow brought him back to reality, thankfully. 

Sonic kept his gaze out to the water, and he could see just out of the corner of his eye Shadow doing the same. “Why wouldn’t they?” His lopsided smile softened a bit. “They’re my team. My family. They’re always gonna have my back. And it wasn’t just Tails and Knuckles!” He grinned unabashedly at the sky as he listed his family’s additions to the whole plan. “It was Tom that first got the idea that we uh- have a uh, sort of energy connection. And Maddie’s the one who drove us to the dump to get supplies. Plus, she’s been… I mean, we’d all be so screwed without her.” 

“All that…” Shadow muttered, and Sonic caught the way he lifted a paw out of the corner of his eye, watching him clench and release it. “...Just to find me?” 

Sonic swung his head to fully take in Shadow again. “Could’ve saved us all the trouble if you’d come down for breakfast instead of your whole vanishing act.” He inched a little closer for no particular reason, then cuffed Shadow gently on the shoulder as an excuse. “So if you run away again, it’s not just gonna be me you’re disappointing. You’ve got the whole Wachowski house on edge!” 

“Hedgehog-” 

Sonic’s paw shot out at Shadow, waggling a single finger. “Nope! No putting up your super-strong invisible armor right now.” 

The baffled look Shadow shot him was, as always, priceless. “Excuse me?” 

“You don’t get to go all aloof and distant!” His paw fell, as did Sonic’s voice when he added, “Not to me, Shadow. At least, not right now.” 

It was another barrier pushed, but Sonic held fast even when Shadow wouldn’t properly meet his gaze. 

“...Sonic,” he tried again, and Sonic sat back in satisfaction. 

“Continue.” He added an encouraging wave of his paw, smirking a little when Shadow’s ear twitched. 

“Why would you- all of you, put yourselves at risk for me?” His eyes slanted to the side, his mouth turning down at the corners again. 

As quickly as he’d leaned away from Shadow, Sonic moved back closer, this time closing yet another few inches between them on the grassy bank. “What, because of what you’ve done? They know you regret it, but if you really wanna go the extra mile, apologies are a big hit with any Wachowski!” 

When Shadow didn’t look convinced, Sonic kept going, turning to watch the water as he spoke, Shadow doing the same. 

“Is it the danger thing again? Trust me, Tom and Maddie know what they’re getting into at this point.” He snickered, mostly to himself. “I’m pretty sure they actually enjoy all the danger and craziness of it all!” 

Still, Shadow kept resisting, and if Sonic could do anything, he could fill empty silence. 

“There’s also the whole thing where GUN is probably tracking you down, but even that’s not a good excuse! They successfully hid me from the entire government for most of a whole year!” He grimaced at the memory of snow and tropical breezes and a horrible metal cage. “It wasn’t their fault when I was found out, either. That might have been partially, theoretically, almost on me. And Tails.” 

“But why would they do all that?” Shadow sat forward when he spoke, looking more confused than ever. “Why would they work so hard to protect creatures like us?” 

At that, Sonic shrugged. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever asked them that. They just do. They did! When they first met me, there were plenty of moments they could’ve done the easy thing and handed me over.” Sure, Sonic had sort of bullied his way into Tom’s life at first out of desperation, but that was just at first. “But every time I tried to leave or give myself up to protect them, they held onto me.” He let out a long, drawn out sigh. “I guess they just chose to give me a chance.” 

“I’m not sure I deserve a chance like that.” Without all the frustration and the rage and the confusion, Shadow sounded so very, very sad. There was no other word for it. 

“Doesn’t matter if you deserve it,” said Sonic. “They’re still offering it to you.” And, finally, he turned to Shadow with finality. “So will you just cut the running and come home with me, Shadow?” For good measure, Sonic held out a paw. “I’ll even get Maddie to buy more strawberry milk. Maybe Costco has it in bulk!” 

Shadow turned to him, his face so open it sent little zings of static through Sonic’s chest and along each rib, filling him up with warm buzzing. “I don’t know what that is,” Shadow muttered, as adorably confused as ever. 

“Buuuut…?” Sonic wiggled his fingers at Shadow, leaning a little closer, his breath suddenly caught in his chest, held tight in his throat, every quill and bit of fur tense with anticipation.  

“You’re not going to give up until I agree, are you?” 

Sonic shook his head. “I told you already, it’s better to just give up now.” His paw started to get sore hovering in the air, so Sonic dropped it with a sharp exhale, but he never looked away. “One night, Shadow. If it’s really that bad, you can go back to the cave! But you gotta give me- you gotta give us a chance, too. All of us.” 

Red eyes watched him, looked away, and returned. Dark ears twitched. All around them, the breeze rustled through the treetops and around their little hiding spot, catching on their fur,  causing ripples to chase away from the shoreline and out into the open water. The sun was so high in the sky now it barely cast any shadows at all, brightening dark fur and making red quills practically glow.

And Shadow bowed his head. “Fine,” he said, only breaking their ever-met gaze for a moment. When he looked back to Sonic, there was a new glint in his focus, a new set to his shoulders. 

The whoop shouted at the sky and the double fist-pump were a perfectly reasonable reaction, devolving quickly into laughter when Shadow flinched backward with a grimace at Sonic’s never-ending enthusiasm. 

Above them, the sun shone as Sonic continued to giggle at Shadow, who only watched Sonic with a very small, very private smile.

Chapter Text

They didn’t leave right away. Shadow was still too hesitant, obviously reluctant to give in even after his own agreement, and Sonic… Well, he was content to sit there and just stare out at the water together. 

That is, until his stomach gave a low rumble, which had Shadow shooting him a concerned look. It made Sonic snicker to himself. “Guess that’s what I get for skipping out on proper breakfast,” he said, then hopped up to speed back to the log to retrieve his bag. He was back before Shadow had the time to even fully blink, and he dropped back down to the soft moss. This time he sat close enough for their elbows to brush as he rummaged around in the bag until he retrieved the energy bars. 

“You want one?” He held both options out to Shadow, who eyed them with expected suspicion. He took the healthier option, probably due to the fact the wrapping was clear and so it was easier to know what to expect. That was fine by Sonic, and he unwrapped his own and took the entire half of the bar into his mouth as his first bite. 

They ate their breakfast bars in silence, only the sounds of the nuts crunching and the crinkle of the wrappers being folded down breaking the hush. When they finished the bars, Sonic pulled out the peanut butter crackers, keeping one pack for himself and dropping the other in Shadow’s lap without asking if he wanted it. 

Shadow eyed the crackers curiously, then tore open a corner of the plastic and raised them up to give a good sniff. His eyes widened briefly, almost like he recognized them. “I’ve had these before, too,” he said, glancing up at Sonic. 

“Oh yeah?” Sonic crammed an entire cracker into his mouth, crunching loudly. “They’re-” he tried speaking, then gave up and finished chewing, swallowing a little prematurely. “They’re cheese crackers but they’re filled with peanut butter. Weird combo, I know!” 

Unlike Sonic, Shadow didn’t shove a whole cracker in his mouth. He bit one in half instead. Man, Tom and Maddie were gonna love finally having someone that had respectable table manners. 

“We had something similar to this,” Shadow said, once he’d swallowed his mouthful of cracker. “Maria liked dipping them in milk.” 

At the mention of the girl’s name, Sonic immediately perked up. “That’s smart! Pretty sure the fridge is all out of milk, but we’ll get some more and we can try it.” He shoved another cracker into his mouth while Shadow continued to nibble on his. 

After the cracker wrappers were stowed away with the other trash in the bag, Sonic inhaled a long, slow breath, stretching his legs out with his arms before he hopped up to his feet. “You ready to go, now?” He dug out the little plastic baggy with the ring inside, discarding the bag and tucking the ring into his paw, then pulled the backpack back on. He left the waistband undone. He hadn’t used the life vest or the communicator, but he figured those would probably be long-term gadgets for future daring missions. 

Shadow pushed himself upright as well, glancing around with an unwelcome tension returning to his posture. “You’ll have to lead the way. I wasn’t really… paying attention to where I was going when I came here.” 

“That’ll be easy! We’re not running back.” 

Shadow looked deeply suspicious. “I’m not teleporting us that far, are you crazy?” 

“Ha!” Sonic shook his head with another easy grin. “Today we travel via ring! Sure, I can’t teleport like you can, but this is basically the next best thing.” He flipped the ring up into the air, the warm gold catching the sun with a twinkle. 

“A ring?” Shadow raised a skeptical brow, crossing his arms and falling into easy, semi-relaxed defense. “I fail to see how that will help us.” 

“There are many wonders of the world unknown to you, Mr. Ultimate,” Sonic sniffed, his tone turning uppity and almost haughty, though it didn’t last long. Without waiting to explain how it worked, Sonic thought of home and tossed the ring into the air, bracing himself for the surge in the air the portal opening always caused. When he looked towards Shadow, Sonic was delighted to see the genuine surprise written all over Shadow’s face. 

Through the swirling, golden ring were the Wachowski family front steps. The bushy flowers and shrubs lining the steps could just barely be seen to one side, the dark wood of their latest (was it the third?) door shadowed by the entryway. The blinds were open but it was impossible to see inside save for a faint warm light. It was home , and even if Sonis saw it only a few hours ago, the sight never failed to make something tingly bounce around in his chest. 

He had one foot out and was mere inches from the portal when Sonic felt something close around his wrist. To his surprise, when he looked down he found one dirty, scuffed up gloved paw wrapped around the clean cuff of his own glove. Shadow wasn’t looking at him, too busy staring through the portal, but the silent hesitation was obvious. 

On impulse, Sonic wiggled his wrist free, but caught Shadow’s paw as he started to pull it back with a small, imperceptible furrowing between his eyes and flick of his ear. Instead of letting go, Sonic hooked their paws together. He didn’t interlock their fingers, but he did squeeze Shadow’s palm pretty tightly. 

“It’s gonna be just fine,” he reassured, glancing at Shadow from the corner of his eye. When Shadow still didn’t step forward, Sonic gave his paw a light tug. “But come on , this portal’s got a time limit and I only brought the one ring!” 

Slowly, with halting steps, Shadow followed him to the edge of the portal. With his free paw he reached out, sticking it through the swirling gold. The energy teased at his fur, pulled at his arm, and Sonic let him have a moment to adjust. But Sonic had also stretched his patience as thin as it could possibly go, and so he jumped forward, tugging Shadow through the portal with him. 

They landed on the concrete of the driveway, Sonic stable and balanced, Shadow with a small sound of surprise, but remaining upright thanks to his hold on Sonic’s paw. That grip remained all the way up the stairs and to the door, but Shadow pulled his paw away the second Sonic reached for the door knob. 

It was unlocked, thankfully, and Sonic pushed it open, calling, “We’re hooome!” with one paw cupped around his mouth. 

Maddie appeared almost instantly, popping out of the kitchen, a hand towel hanging from her shoulder. “And just in time for lunch!” Behind her, Tails and Knuckles both leaned into view. The fox looked curious, the echidna suspicious, but that was fine. Finally, even Ozzy stuck his head around the corner from the kitchen, completing the comical sight. 

Sonic wasted no time in shedding his backpack and leaving it by the door, skipping to the kitchen entryway to see what Maddie was making. “What’s the grub of the day?” he asked, peering around his family and into the kitchen. So momentarily distracted by the thought of actual food, not just snacks, was he that at first, he didn’t notice Shadow still lingering by the door. 

“Come on!” he beckoned Shadow with a nod of his head. “Snacks are nothing compared to actually cooked food.” 

But Shadow remained frozen, staring at Sonic and the others. And Sonic was about to go pull him in by force, but Maddie’s hand fell to his shoulder and stopped him before he could move. She met his eyes for a moment, pinning him in place, and Sonic stayed where he was as Maddie crossed the hallway in a few short steps. 

When she was just a few feet away, Maddie dropped down to one knee. “Hello, Shadow,” she said, in the same even voice she always used when soothing any of their woes, the same one he heard her use on the phone with Tom during late nights, gentler than her usual joviality. “If you’d prefer, you can take your lunch upstairs to the attic. But there is a place at the table set for you, if you’re up for the challenge.” 

Shadow eyed her, his ears angled back, his quills a little twitchy. At his side, Sonic noticed that while his paws weren’t clenched, they certainly weren’t relaxed. Beside Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were holding their breaths, and Sonic realized that he was, too. 

The entire family held their breath until Shadow took a small step forward, then another, and when Maddie stood up and turned to head into the kitchen again and towards the dining table, Shadow followed close behind. 

Maddie made her way past Sonic and the others, but Knuckles stepped forward before Shadow could follow her. Shadow paused, watching the echidna closely with a very obviously intentionally blank expression. 

“No funny business,” said Knuckles, staring Shadow down. “This house is under my protection as the last of the Echidna warriors.” He smacked his fist into his other palm for good measure, but Shadow didn’t flinch or even blink. 

“Noted,” was all he said, which seemed to satisfy Knuckles as he turned to follow Maddie to the table. 

Beside Sonic, Tails leaned forward as he gave Shadow a thorough visual once-over, his eyes lingering on Shadow’s shoes. “Sonic said you’ll let me get my paws on those.” He pointed down at Shadow’s feet, both tails twitching with his own curiosity. “Is that true?” 

The brief glare Shadow shot Sonic, who avoided eye contact, was downright scorching. “I can’t tell you how they work.” 

That was news to Sonic, but he bit his tongue, not wanting to interrupt whatever strange moment this was. 

Tails just shrugged. “That’s fine! It’s way more interesting if I have to figure it out myself, anyway.” He was still staring at the shoes, and Sonic could practically see the gears turning in his little yellow head. 

Obviously reluctant but backed into a bit of a corner, Shadow nodded. That seemed to be enough for the little fox who zipped off to the table after another longing look at Shadow’s shoes. 

“That could’ve gone way worse!” Sonic grinned at Shadow, arms crossed. From behind him, Ozzy finally trotted over, never one to be left out. He approached Shadow slowly, his head low but his tail wagging, and gave him a very prolonged sniff. Shadow remained frozen as the dog stuck his whole snout right up to Shadow’s nose, gave one more heaving sniff, then licked a stripe up Shadow’s cheek. Just like Sonic had the first time he experienced a dog lick, Shadow grimaced and winced away, but he held his ground better than Sonic had. 

Apparently satisfied, the dog turned around and followed everyone else. 

Shadow, for his part, was doing a pretty good job at keeping his calm despite his obvious restless nerves. He rubbed his cheek hard to fix his fur brushed up by Ozzy, then shook his head and met Sonic’s gaze again with a stony expression. But then he rolled his eyes at Sonic, and there was a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. “Any other promises you’ve made without my knowledge?” 

“Nope! Er- actually…” Sonic paused, thinking. “No, I think that’s it. Although, I’m pretty sure I owe Tails a chore of his choice. Or maybe it was Knucks? Anyway, let’s go have lunch!” 

The persistent hunger that their previous snacks barely curbed motivated Sonic to turn on his heel and head to table, sparing a glance to make sure Shadow was following. And this time, he was. 

Lunch, as it turned out, was extensive. Maddie must’ve gone grocery shopping while Sonic was out fetching Shadow, and he yearned to snoop through the cabinets to take stock of the snacks of the week. Instead, he hopped up into a chair, waving for Shadow to sit next to him. Knuckles and Tails sat across, while Maddie took her usual place at the end of the table, sat between Tails and Shadow, to start serving everyone. 

The main event was a large bowl of either tuna or chicken salad, but going off the lack of fishy smell, Sonic guessed chicken, which Maddie scooped onto grocery store bakery croissants all cut in perfect halves. She added pickles to hers and Tails’ and Sonic’s, left them off Knuckles’, and handed them each their plates so they could select their own sides. Along with their sandwiches, there was a bowl of snack mix made up of pretzels and chips and some little rye crackers, and a plate of enough perfectly cut orange slices to feed a small army. Which it sort of was for, given the table guest count. 

After she’d handed out plates to the trio, Maddie turned to Shadow. “Do you want pickles too, Shadow?” 

Shadow looked like she’d just spoken a different language entirely at him, his eyes a little too wide. Sonic even noticed the way his paws were clawed together in his lap under the table cloth. 

But Maddie took the lack of response in stride. “I’ll leave them on the side for you. They’re sweet pickles, but we also have some dill ones in the fridge, if you prefer.” 

When the plate was handed to him, Shadow took it with a silent nod of thanks, then stared at it after setting it carefully on the table. 

“It’s not gonna bite, it’s just chicken,” Sonic muttered, leaning over to whisper into Shadow’s ear. 

“I know that,” Shadow snapped, but there wasn’t much bite to his words, just a touch of delicious embarrassment that Sonic tried not to savor, for Shadow’s sake. 

While Shadow stared down his croissant sandwich, Sonic reached over to scoop some snack mix onto his own plate. After a second of hesitation, he added some to Shadow’s, too. Three orange slices a piece joined the other food, and Sonic finally sat back to tuck in. 

“Oh, wait, I almost forgot!” Maddie stood up quickly, disappearing into the kitchen before returning with a brightly colored juice carton. “Pineapple lemonade, anyone?” 

Three cheers went up, three glasses raised high for her to make the rounds and serve each of them. 

Shadow didn’t show nearly as much enthusiasm, but he looked curious when she reached over to snag his cup and fill it halfway. “If you like it, you can have as much as you like. If you don’t, I’m sure Sonic will finish it for you.” 

Finally, the whole family settled in to eat, a quiet falling over them as they all took their first bites. The chicken salad was perfect, though not quite as good as Tom’s, but he got a little weird with his cooking, putting things like nuts and apples in chicken salad of all things. Maddie’s was a bit more simple, but still perfect, with little bits of crunchy celery and a lemony tang that Sonic savored and went nicely with the tart lemonade. 

He watched Shadow from the corner of his eye the entire time. Like everything else he’d eaten, Shadow was careful and polite, but the roundness of his eyes and the speed with which the sandwich disappeared were all Sonic needed to know how he actually felt. The lemonade was a hit too, and Sonic watched as Maddie reached over to surreptitiously refill his glass while Shadow was busy with an orange slice. 

Sonic had finished his orange slices too quickly, so he reached over to snag one from Shadow’s plate, stuffing it into his mouth and curling his lips around it, turning his smile bright orange and peal-y. Shadow hissed at the thievery, then grimaced when Sonic pointed at his orange grin. 

Not one to miss out on Sonic’s antics, across the table Tails mimicked him, though the orange slice was almost too big for the fox’s little mouth. Sonic burst into laughter when the peel fell out of Tails’ mouth and straight into his cup, and Knuckles joined in momentarily, his fist slamming on the table and rattling their dishes while Maddie shook her head with a fond smile. Knuckles, of course, also crammed an entire orange slice in his mouth, which only renewed the giggles, Tails’ shoulders fully shaking. 

Beside Sonic, Shadow remained tense as he watched the antics unfold. And then, to Sonic’s sheer delight, he reached over for the last orange slice on his own plate and did the same, grimacing at the feeling of the peel against his teeth. It only lasted a moment before he spat it out. 

“That is a horrible feeling,” he muttered, which only made Sonic (and, by proxy, Tails and Knuckles and even Maddie) laugh all the harder. 

Lunch proceeded in much the same way as they all finished up their food. There was enough for seconds which were served as soon as their firsts disappeared, and even the pickles at the edge of Shadow’s plate vanished. Maddie also kept putting orange slices on Shadow’s plate, but Sonic suspected that was half for him, since he kept stealing them. 

There wasn’t much said as they ate, just idle chit chat between Tails and Maddie and Knuckles, mostly, with Sonic chiming in every now and then. Shadow remained silent, but his ears were pricked at attention the entire time. 

Finally, with the sandwiches devoured and the serving bowls empty, they all slowed their ravenous paces. 

“So,” began Maddie, leaning forward to rest her clasped hands on the table. “Shadow, now that we’re all feeling a bit more like ourselves, I think it’s time we establish a few rules.” 

Shadow immediately stiffened, something tense crawling up his back. For reasons Sonic shoved down just as quickly as they arose, he really wanted to reach over and snag Shadow’s paw again. 

She must have noticed the sudden tension, because Maddie was quick to soothe. “It’s alright, nobody is in any trouble.” 

“Rules are a foundation of every stable house,” Knuckles offered, and Tails nodded along to the wise words. 

“Yes,” Maddie agreed, smiling across the table at them. “But remember, every rule is just to keep everyone safe, okay? And, besides, there’s only a few you really need to follow.” 

Shadow nodded, his eyes fixed on her, his paws resting on the edge of the table. 

“First off, I want it to be said: this is a safe place for you.” Her voice was even, gentle, but gave no room for misunderstanding. “I know there are some complicated feelings involved, but you wouldn’t be here if we weren’t all unanimously of that opinion. And that includes Tom, when he comes home.” 

Again, Shadow nodded. His shoulders were so stiff Sonic was tempted to poke him to see if he’d tip over. 

“Second,” she continued, “No roughhousing inside. We have a yard and an entire forest right outside our door for a reason.” She gave Sonic and Knuckles particularly stern looks at that, and they both pointedly avoided her gaze.

“And third, if you need or want to leave for any reason, just let someone know. It doesn’t have to be me, you can tell Sonic, but it’s important to communicate things like that.” 

Shadow nodded yet again, though this time, his ears visibly flattened. “Yes, mam,” he added, turning to meet her gaze with the determination of a soldier on the battlefield, not a hedgehog at the dinner table. 

But she waved him off easily. “No need for that formality in this circus,” she laughed, Tails snickering beside her. “You can just call me Maddie.” 

Shadow’s gaze fell away again, and he silently tried the name out. 

Beside him, Sonic could only grin. 

After lunch was cleared away and dishes were carried to the sink, Maddie caught Sonic before he could run off to give Shadow, who was essentially glued in place a step behind Sonic, a tour of the house. 

“Hold up, you two,” she said, while Tails and Knuckles bickered over who did what dishwashing chore behind her. “I’ve laid out a few things in the living room for you, Shadow, and there’s a toothbrush and a brand new towel in the bathroom for you as well. Why don’t you go wash up? After, I’d like to give you a check-up.” 

Sonic glanced back just in time to catch Shadow stiffening yet again; which was impressive, because the guy hadn’t relaxed once since he stepped foot inside the door. But his quills flexed and quivered, enough for Sonic to take half a step in front of him. 

“Maddie-” Sonic started, then stopped. He wasn’t really sure what to say. That Shadow used to be some kind of government test-subject and that was probably why he bit Sonic’s head off every time he’d made the very same suggestion? 

But he didn’t need to. Maddie hummed in thought, then placed both hands on her hips. “Actually, I think all four of you will be getting check-ups.” 

Behind her, Tails looked over with a wet sponge in his paws, and Knuckles froze where he’d just placed a dry dish in the cupboard. 

“Wait, all of us?” Sonic cocked his head to the side. 

Maddie nodded. “It’s been ages since your last, and if I’m doing one, I might as well do four!” 

Sonic glanced at Shadow again, but the suggestion looked like it worked: the tension wasn’t quite as obvious, black and red quills carefully settling back into place. 

“But first! Sonic, would you go show Shadow where he can get cleaned up? And there’s clean gloves and socks in the dryer, they should be ready any minute now.” 

And so Sonic led the way to the bathroom, Shadow close behind. Sure enough, there was a soft, fuzzy, black towel sitting on the counter, along with a black tooth brush and a small hand towel that matched the larger one. While Shadow stood in the door, Sonic yanked the shower curtain to the side and turned on the faucet. 

“Hey, do you want a shower or a bath?” Sonic said it over his shoulder without looking. 

He was only met with silence. 

When he turned around, Shadow was still standing in the doorway. He looked… well, he looked overwhelmed. His paws clenched and unclenched at his sides, his ears twitched, and he wasn’t looking at Sonic, but at the black towel on the counter. 

Sonic almost made a quip about the color red already being owned in the house, so black would have to do, but he stopped himself in a rare moment of tact, instead choosing to try and wait Shadow out. When he didn’t speak, Shadow shot him an odd look. 

“Why did she buy me things?” 

The question was a fair one, at least, but Sonic could only shrug, a little helpless. “I mean, if you wanna keep using my stuff you can, but I bet she figured you’d prefer your own.” Something small and almost painful fluttered in Sonic’s chest at Shadow’s pinched, closed off expression. “I told you, she’s okay with you being here. Everyone is.” He reached over to yank the shower curtain closed again, then flipped the shower on. 

But when the water drummed against the bottom of the tub, Shadow flinched. It was a tiny thing, barely a flutter of his ear and his shoulders jumping for a millisecond, but Sonic caught it. 

“You wanna take a bath instead?” He switched the shower off and reached down to flip the plug instead so the tub began to fill up quickly. “I knew I liked you for a reason! Bath superiority,” he said, flashing Shadow a small grin. 

It was enough to pull Shadow a little closer, his shoes scuffing at the tile floor, while Sonic focused on adding a copious amount of bubble bath soap to the tub. Avoiding Shadow’s gaze, he yanked off a glove to quickly stir it. And he would’ve put the glove back on after drying his paw off on his own leg, but he froze, suds dripping from his pink paw pads, when he saw Shadow’s bare paw reach out to test the water. 

Shadow must have caught Sonic staring because he snapped out, “ What?” But he also didn’t move his paw from where he’d stuck it in the iridescent soap bubbles. 

Apparently, while Sonic was hard at work getting the bath ready, Shadow had stripped off his gloves and shoes, even his socks. His inhibitor rings were firmly in place, but that still left Sonic with an eye full of dark claws, of a red stripe that extended down the back of Shadow’s paw and all the way up his two middle fingers, of more matching red stripes that curled around his ankles and disappeared under his very bare feet. 

Sonic watched as Shadow hesitated, then he dipped just the first digits of his fingers into a patch of water in between bubbles. The water seemingly to his acceptance, he stuck his whole paw in, and Sonic was fully entranced as he watched Shadow’s fur spread out in little waves the second it touched the water. Absentmindedly, Sonic noted a single dark paw pad on his thumb, answering a question that hadn’t even been asked. 

“Hedge-” Shadow started, then stopped. “Sonic.” 

The use of his name sent Sonic reeling backwards, pulling away from the fascinating sigh of Shadow’s bare paws. Unfortunately, he overshot it, and wound up falling backwards on his tail on the bathmat by the sink. 

“What is your problem…” but it was muttered under Shadow’s breath as he shook his paw and flicked the water away before standing up to face Sonic. 

Sonic leapt to his feet, his very hidden-under-his-usual-red sneakers feet, and yanked his glove back on. “Nothing is wrong with me, what’s wrong with you?” 

Shadow just glared. But with his bare paws hovering in front of him and without the extra height of his shoes…

“Wait…” Sonic crept forward, standing his tallest and raising a paw to draw a line in the air between their eartips. “Hold on, am I taller than you?” 

“ No-” 

“Oh man, I totally am!” His embarrassment at Shadow’s state of undress melted away in the light of his new discovery as he continued to compare his own height to Shadow’s. “I didn’t realize how much extra height your shoes give you!” 

Shadow swatted at Sonic’s paw with his own, and Sonic was only a little distracted by that wonderful stripe of red that stretched all the way to a black claw tip flashing before his eyes. He dodged easily, obviously, his grin never budging. 

“You’re still in your shoes,” Shadow shot at him as he stepped back and crossed his arms in defiance. But, man , that whole look and stance was a lot less intimidating now.  

Sonic hummed, meeting Shadow’s glare head-on. Then he sighed, because winning with an advantage was way less exciting. “Fine, you’re right, fair’s fair.” And then he promptly kicked his own shoes off . They landed in a pile next to Shadow’s, which were neatly placed next to the sink. 

They both stood as ramrod straight as possible, gazes flicking between their tense eye contact and glancing at each other’s ears, also as perked as they possibly could be. Shadow’s gaze narrowed the second Sonic realized that he was, in fact, still taller. It was only by maybe an inch, realistically more like half of one, but still! 

And he probably would’ve come up with a perfectly witty winning remark, but his eyes caught sight of too-high bubbles and the still-running faucet. It was only thanks to his literally lightning fast reflexes that he turned the faucet off in time, the water full to the very brim. 

“ That was a close one,” he said, wiping imaginary sweat off his brow as he turned back to Shadow. “Uh, aaanyway, there’s soap and quill stuff in the shower caddy…” He gestured to the silver basket hanging off the shower head. “And your towel is over there, and… Yep. Anything else you need?” 

His quick change in topic to the actual present task at hand obviously confused Shadow, but he didn’t let it delay him long. He eyed the towel, then moved the small stuff on top of it onto the counter and carried it to the hook next to the bathtub. 

“Are you going to watch me do this?” The question seemed genuine, even if Shadow looked a little weirded out, and he noticeably didn’t actually tell Sonic to leave. 

But even Sonic the Hedgehog had limits, and he finally came to his senses. “No I am not! I will be…” he glanced to the door. “I will go get you some new gloves and socks! Just open the door when you’re ready.” 

Shadow glanced at his own ratty gloves and socks stuffed inside his shoes with a moment of longing, but he nodded. 

When he didn’t say anything else, Sonic forced himself to reach over and grab his own shoes then take the expansive three steps to the door. He yanked it open and was blasted with cool air from the rest of the house, shockingly different to the warm humidity filling the tub caused. “Don’t drown,” he said over his shoulder, then he slammed the door behind him. 

Don’t drown.

There weren’t many times Sonic regretted the things that jumped out of his mouth, but in that moment, he felt a rare moment of mortification. 

So, of course, because the universe loved him, he opened his eyes to see Tails and Knuckles standing in the hallway. 

“Uh.” He gulped, meeting their twin stares. “What’s up, guys?” 

Tails was the first to break. “Shadow is way different. Why didn’t you tell us how different he is now?” 

Sonic only blinked. “Huh? How’s he different?” 

Tails’ brows wrinkled and he glanced to Knuckles, who made a snarly face, swiping at the air. 

“Your hedgehog used to have much more fight in him,” he said, after his demonstration. 

“How many times- he’s not my hedgehog!” And Sonic himself could hear how his own voice went shrill at the protest. “And I did tell you guys. He’s messed up real bad. I mean, he’s getting better, but I didn’t just drag him here for no reason.” 

Knuckles and Tails exchanged a look, and that was bizarre. 

“I guess we didn’t expect him to be so…” Tails trailed off, making an uncertain little sound. “Cautious, I guess?” 

Beside him, Knuckles nodded in agreement. “I expected at least one incident to have occurred at lunch. Instead, he was very… imperturbable.”

“Man, did you read a dictionary or something while I was gone?” Sonic joked, but it fell on unresponsive ears. “I think he’s actively trying not to pick a fight with literally the whole house,” he said, when nobody moved or spoke. “Ozzy included. And what kinda social skills would you expect from a guy that lived in a tube for fifty years?” 

And of course, that seemed to spark an idea in Tails. “You know,” he started, and Sonic and Knuckles both looked at him on instinct. “That’s a good point, actually. I wonder how the stasis affected his emotional state in those first few hours, maybe even days after he broke out?” Tails brought a paw to his chin as he stared off into nothing, lost in thought. “It’s not uncommon for patients that have been under sedation to react badly, and it’s the same with coma patients! I mean, whatever they used to keep Shadow alive would’ve been different, but…” Tails shook his head, focusing back on the present. 

“Uh, I don’t totally understand what you mean by all that,” said Sonic, a little confused. “But you seem to think it means something?” 

Tails nodded, and even Knuckles seemed to understand better than Sonic. “He also immediately stepped into combat,” the echidna added, thinking. 

“Exactly!” Tails’ tails nodded with him. “It would make sense if it took him a while to even begin to emotionally regulate and relax, and if he is suffering some kind of energy depletion, it’s no wonder he’s so… tame!” 

“Guys!” Sonic waved his paws in front of them. “Anybody wanna explain what you two geniuses have figured out about Shadow?” 

They looked back at him, but this time, they both were far more relaxed. 

“I think you’re right, Sonic,” said Tails. “About him being so worn out. And I think you were right to bring him here.” 

“I am? I was?” That’s not at all what he’d sort of managed to grasp from their conversation without him. 

“He needs rest and time to recover before anybody can fairly judge him.” Knuckles nodded once, then stepped back. “In the meantime, I will begin a perimeter sweep. With your hedgehog present, the potential for intruders has risen.” 

“And I’ve gotta get back to my workshop!” Tails spun around, obviously invigorated by his epiphany involving Shadow. 

Sonic groaned as they both turned away to leave. “Guys, he is not my…” but they were already heading away from him, seemingly satisfied. “Aw whatever,” he muttered.  

Thoroughly defeated, Sonic gave a weary sigh and then headed off to the dryer at a painfully average pace. It was done, thankfully, and everything was still warm when he stuck his paws inside. Sonic took a moment to bask in the pleasant feeling of warm laundry on his arms, even sticking his head in and resting his cheek against it. 

After basking in the comforting feeling, Sonic set to work finding a matching pair of gloves and a matching pair of socks. Tails’ would be too small and Knuckles’ too large, so Sonic dug around until he found a pair of his own for both. They were his usual plain white, but maybe they could clean and fix Shadow’s gloves so he wouldn’t be lacking the dramatic red and black cuffs. 

Satisfied with his selection, Sonic zipped back to the bathroom at his usual split-second speed, then paused. The door was still closed, so Shadow obviously wasn’t ready yet, and Sonic didn’t really want to leave , because then he might miss the door opening when Shadow was ready. With nothing else to do, Sonic slid down against the wall to wait on the floor. 

To his luck, he didn’t have to wait long. He’d only restarted counting the seconds after losing track somewhere between thirty and forty about five times when the door slowly opened. More steam billowed out as Sonic jumped up to greet Shadow. 

“Welcome back!” He gave Shadow a shameless once-over. He still looked a little damp, but his fur would dry quickly and was already starting to look far fluffier than Sonic had ever seen it. “I know these aren’t yours, but it’s gonna take time to fix and wash those, so hopefully they’ll do.” He held out his own spare gloves and socks, which Shadow took quickly. 

He retreated into the bathroom without closing the door, but he faced away from Sonic as he unsnapped each golden ring one at a time, immediately replacing them the second the clean gloves and socks were in place. He slipped on his shoes with ease, then returned to the open doorway. “These are yours, I assume?” he held up a paw for emphasis, flexing and relaxing his fingers as he tested the glove. 

“Lucky for you we’re so similar, huh?” 

Shadow hummed. “I prefer my own.” 

Sonic rolled his eyes. “Hand em’ over, we’ll go put them in the wash.” 

Sonic probably could have and should have just led Shadow to the washing machine, but he’d made the request already. And worse, Shadow actually listened, handing over his dirty socks and gloves with a despairing lack of protest. But never one to back down or give even a single inch, Sonic took them and headed back the way he came, Shadow hot on his heels. 

The washing machine looked downright massive compared to the four tiny pieces of clothing, so Sonic ran back and grabbed Shadow’s towel, returning before Shadow could react and tossing it in. He added an entire laundry pod, which was probably overkill, then set it to start. The machine chimed at him and he just hoped it was the right chime. When he turned back to Shadow, Shadow looked intrigued. But not intrigued by the washing machine, he looked intrigued by Sonic.

“Got any burning questions there?” Sonic gulped, eyeing Shadow. 

Unfortunately, Shadow just shook his head. 

Before either could say anything else, Maddie stuck her head in the laundry room. “When you guys are ready, come to the workshop, alright?” 

Sonic flashed her a thumbs up, and she ducked out of sight again. “Time for that check-up you’ve been avoiding for a full week straight!” 

His joke fell flat when he noticed the way Shadow looked at the empty space of the door to the hallway. 

“It won’t actually be that bad,” Sonic tried, softening his tone with intention. “Regular doctors don’t know what to do with us, and she’s the top vet in town, so she does what she can to figure us out.” 

When Shadow finally looked away from the door, he still looked troubled. 

Since his words seemed to at least not actively be making the situation worse, Sonic continued. “She’ll probably just make us wiggle all our joints, stick our tongues out, and listen to our hearts.” He considered for a moment, then added, “And Tails might scan you, but he’s scanned me like, a million times and I’ve yet to feel a thing!” 

“Let’s just get this over with.” Shadow at least didn’t sound scared, just painfully resigned. And when Sonic started towards the workshop, Shadow fell into step beside him with little resistance. 

Maddie and Tails were already in the workshop when Sonic and Shadow arrived, and Knuckles was close behind them, Ozzy plodding along beside him. The dog took up residence on Tails’ bed, and Maddie had all four of them stand in a neat line from shortest to tallest, leaving Shadow between Sonic and Tails. 

“Now,” Maddie began, unhooking her stethoscope from around her neck and sitting down in her camping chair from before, now turned so she could face them. “You three know the drill, but we have a new addition to the Wachowski Clinic today. So, for those that don’t know, this is gonna involve a very light physical examination and just a few questions.” She surveyed them all as she spoke. “But if anyone, at any point, doesn’t want to be a part of it or doesn’t want to answer a question, that’s fine. But they have to tell me, alright?” 

Sonic and his brothers nodded, and Shadow followed suit after glancing at them on either side. 

“Alright!” Maddie stood again, stepping over to Knuckles first. 

For each of them, she did the same thing: first, she listened to their hearts, then she had them each take three breaths as deep as they could while she counted to five up and down. She had them all open their mouths as wide as they could while she shined a little light inside, indeed making them all stick out their tongues. Each ear was checked with the same light, which was always Sonic’s least favorite part. His ears were ticklish and he absolutely hated it. 

When it was Shadow’s turn, he followed her instructions perfectly, not even flinching at the chill of the stethoscope against his fur. He stared straight ahead and past her shoulder, but he didn’t resist once. 

After inspecting them from up close, Maddie stepped back and gave them all group instructions. They rolled their wrists, their ankles, bent down to touch their toes and raised their paws up as high as they could, and when asked, nobody reported any pain. Lastly, she asked them to each read off letters and numbers from a little placard, each line of text decreasing in size. 

To Sonic’s dismay and Maddie’s surprise, only Shadow could read the smallest line of text. Not only that, but he read it perfectly, with zero hesitation as he recited the letters and numbers. From Shadow’s other side, Sonic noticed Tails peering up at him with that same curious look he always wore when looking at a problem he’d yet to solve. 

After she’d set the placard away, Maddie sat down again. “Knuckles, Tails, you two are free to go. You both pass with flying colors!” 

They cheered, and although Tails looked reluctant to leave his workshop, he followed Knuckles out of the garage. 

Sonic turned to Maddie after watching them go, then glanced at Shadow beside him. Shadow hadn’t exactly relaxed during the whole check-up process, but he’d been as neutral as he ever was capable of being. 

“Shadow.” Maddie’s voice was careful. “Going off of what I’ve learned about Sonic, you seem to be in acceptable health. But I couldn’t help but notice…” She glanced at Sonic who had leaned closer to Shadow, a sudden defensive feeling rising up in his chest. But she didn’t ask him to leave like she had with the others. She just continued, eyes focused back on Shadow. “When I asked you to rate your discomfort, were you rating what you actually felt?” 

Shadow narrowed his gaze at her. 

“That is to say-” she tried again, rethinking her words. “Shadow, if I asked you if you feel any pain right in this moment, any at all, what would be your answer?” 

But Shadow didn’t answer. He glanced at Sonic, of all things, then back to Maddie. 

With a sigh, she changed tactics again. “Alright, a different question, this one a little easier. Sonic said you claim to not need to eat, is that correct?” 

Shadow actually looked relieved when he nodded. “I can survive off my own energy regeneration indefinitely.” 

Maddie hummed again. As much as Sonic wanted to butt in, wanted to ask where this line of questioning was going, he knew he needed to trust Maddie. And not only that, but he sort of felt like it was his job to stand next to Shadow. He doubted he offered much emotional support, or he doubted that any, if all, was needed, but Shadow’s paw had started to relax when Sonic inched closer, so maybe… Suffice to say, as much as he wanted to speak, he knew, for once, that it was not the time. This time was between Shadow and Maddie, and Sonic was lucky enough to be allowed to be a bystander. 

“Is that something you know for certain?” She tilted her head a little, pondering. 

“Yes.” Shadow was quick to answer. “I did not have access to my own file, but scientists discuss things amongst each other.” 

“Aren’t doctors not supposed to discuss their patients?” Sonic immediately broke his own vow of silence seconds after making it, because of course he did. 

Shadow didn’t even look at him when he said, “I was not their patient, and they were not doctors.” 

And Sonic hated the implication behind those words with a passion that cut sharp and cold, an alien feeling in his chest.

“I think,” Maddie cut in, catching both their attentions, “That Tails’ theory is correct. You do seem to be healing, just… slowly. Whatever you did to keep yourself alive in that explosion, I think it simply exhausted you to a point your body can’t keep up with its own recovery.” 

There was no reaction from Shadow, but Sonic noticed the way his gaze flickered, the way his fingers twitched at his side.

Maddie sighed, a small, weak smile pulling at her lips. “And sadly, I think the best thing you can do is rest. I think Sonic did the right thing in bringing you here. The two of you…” she trailed off, eyes flicking between both hedgehogs with a knowing look. “The two of you share something the rest of us can never understand. And while we won’t force you to stay, I think you should.” 

“Even after I-” 

“Even after everything you’ve done, yes,” she interrupted. Before he could protest any further, Maddie stood up. “Alright, I have a husband who’s eager for a phone call and a run to go on, so I’ll leave you in Sonic’s capable hands.” She stood up slowly, giving Sonic and Shadow plenty of time to step off to the side. “And if you need anything, you let us know, okay?” She aimed her last words at Shadow and Shadow alone, then called Ozzy over with a pat at her hip and the dog followed her as she left the garage. 

At the click of the door to the house closing it was like a string was cut from Shadow’s shoulders. He swayed forward, his eyes falling shut, a paw coming up to press his fingertips against his brow and then into his eyes. 

“Shad- woah, hey, are you okay?” Sonic ducked in front of him quickly, reaching up to catch Shadow’s shoulders with both paws as he swayed. Shadow didn’t push him off, just kept one paw pressed against his eyelids, the other hanging limply at his side. “Come on, don’t tell me you’re suddenly giving up now of all times!” 

Shadow shook his head, finally opening his eyes to stare at Sonic. Only, he didn’t say anything, which left them staring at each other from very close. And sure, Sonic had gloves on, but he could still feel the plushness of Shadow’s freshly washed fur, smelling ever so faintly of Sonic’s favorite bubble bath. Unasked for, the memory of burying his face in his own blanket that smelled so much like Shadow came to mind. Sonic’s eyes fell to the white fur at Shadow’s chest, now pure white and almost feathery it looked so soft. 

“Why do you keep doing that?” 

Sonic blinked, then glanced up at Shadow. He didn’t move away or let go of Shadow’s shoulders. “Come again?” 

Shadow narrowed his eyes, his head tilting ever so slightly. “Staring. Why do you keep staring?” 

The reality of their situation and what Shadow was asking finally clicked, and Sonic yanked his paws back like they’d been burned. Shadow fell forward ever so slightly at the sudden loss of support but easily caught himself.  

“I have not been staring!” Sonic protested, taking an extra step back for good measure. 

“There’s no point in denying it,” Shadow shot back, unimpressed. “You’re not subtle.” 

“I haven’t been staring, I have been-!” Sonic had to think so hard his ears twitched before he said, “-Observing!” 

“Observing.” 

Sonic nodded, paws falling to his hips as he squared his shoulders. “Observing how you’re reacting to all of this, obviously. This is my house and family, so it sort of matters if it all goes well.” That was the truth, at least. It wasn’t why he’d been staring, but it was still, technically speaking, the truth. 

Shadow didn’t look like he believed Sonic at all, so before he could ask another pointed question, Sonic spoke first. 

“You wanna go check out whatever Maddie got you?” He didn’t give Shadow time to respond, already turning to head out of the workshop. “Come on!”

With no real ground to stand on, Shadow could only follow him whether he wanted to or not. 

Tails, it turned out, had been literally pacing around outside the garage waiting to get his workshop back, but he didn’t look upset. In fact, he flashed Sonic a grin when he said, “Wade swung by and Knuckles is doing the afternoon route with him, and Maddie and Ozzy went on a run.

Sonic shot him a sloppy salute. “You gonna be in there?” He tossed a thumb behind him back into the workshop where Shadow just stepped out of the door. 

Tails nodded. He started to head to the door, only to pause when he passed by Shadow. “Aaactually…” the little fox slid a dangerous side-eye over to Shadow and panned down to his shoes. “Any chance you’ll let me borrow those now? You guys aren’t going anywhere, right?” 

Shadow blinked at the little fox. At first, Sonic noticed a slight baring of his teeth and the beginning of a classic glare, only for Shadow to… pause? He sort of froze, mid expression, and Sonic watched him force himself into neutrality. “Fine,” he said, and without so much as an argument, he reached down to slip each shoe off. He didn’t hand them to Tails, he just stepped to the side. He did, at least, add a threatening tone when he said, “If you do anything to them-” 

“Scans only!” Tails promised, immediately dashing forward to snag the shoes and run off into his workshop. 

“You could’ve waited, you know,” Sonic said, when Shadow walked towards him, their miniscule but existing height difference once again emphasized. 

But Shadow shook his head. “I agreed to one night, and if…” he trailed off, but continued again with a sigh. “He was right. I’m not going anywhere, at least for the time being.” 

And somehow those lackluster words warmed Sonic down to his very toes. 

After their brief delay, Sonic marched them to the couch where there was, indeed, a small stack of things. The first things Sonic noticed were two plastic packages: one of socks, one of gloves, both in his size, and both in black. Sure, Sonic’s own gloves were more similar to what Shadow usually wore, but Maddie had obviously made the choice to offer Shadow something of his own. Sonic held up a pack to Shadow, raising an eyebrow. 

“You wanna swap those ones out for these?” 

Shadow glanced down at his paws and his socked feet, at Sonic’s gloves and socks, then shook his head. “These are fine.” 

“Really?” Sonic had expected him at least to swap out the socks, since those actually were Shadow’s color. But Shadow didn’t change his mind, so Sonic set the bag of socks down and continued picking through the little pile. There was a hedgehog sized dark grey hoodie, the only item of clothing any of them ever really wore outside of winter jackets. On top of the hoodie was a 2-pack of brushes, the same exact set as Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails all had. These ones were dark blue, though, not black, but it would still be easy to tell them apart. Underneath everything was a fuzzy blanket, also a dark blue, folded carefully. And beside the pile was a small backpack, likely just big enough to fit those very items. 

Shadow didn’t even touch the items, he just let Sonic pick through them and watched, but when Sonic picked up the little backpack to zip and unzip every single pocket, Shadow finally spoke. 

“Why-” 

But Sonic stopped him. “If you’re gonna ask why she bought you all this, I’m not gonna answer again.” He turned to Shadow with a small huff; not exactly frustrated, but something akin to it. It eased when he noticed Shadow wasn’t even looking at him, but at the pile of stuff. 

“Because she’s a good person,” he said, with a sigh. “She and Tom… they’re just good people like that. Some people are just… different.” 

Shadow’s gaze went a little hazy, a little distant, but Sonic didn’t push. He knew Shadow didn’t have the greatest history with people, but there was at least one outlier. And Sonic hoped, maybe a little desperately, that it would be enough for Shadow to understand. 

But Shadow seemed a little too lost in thought, so Sonic hopped up onto the couch on the opposite side of the pile of stuff. The movement caught Shadow’s attention, and he shook himself a bit. 

Sonic patted the couch next to him with an inviting eyebrow waggle. “Now come on, it’s time you learn the ins and outs of modern-day television!” 

And while Shadow looked as skeptical as ever, he still climbed up onto the couch and curled up. Sonic lounged against the arm of the couch and flipped on whatever had last been playing on their cable TV, and settled in for some much-needed educational lessons.

Chapter Text

To Sonic’s combined delight and surprise, Shadow appeared to actively enjoy daytime television. They started off with the tail end of some action movie Sonic didn’t recognize, then quickly hopped over to the cooking channel instead when Sonic realized the movie was too far along to have any idea what was going on. While Shadow looked intrigued by whatever fancy pastry was being made on screen, Sonic found it dead-boring, and switched again to something with flashy camera angles, dramatic music, and a peppy voice over. 

It was some kind of dating show, theoretically, with the contestants competing in physical challenges which interested both hedgehogs, so Sonic let it play and they spent almost an hour watching extremely fit men and women fall on their butts and almost break their noses trying to complete an obstacle course. 

“These humans are rather… lacking,” Shadow muttered, when the fourth man fell into the water below the obstacles, and Sonic shot him a curious look. 

“Nothing compared to us superior lifeforms, huh?” He added a grin for no reason other than because he wanted to, especially when he noticed how much more relaxed Shadow looked. He’d started their TV binging all curled up with his knees to his chest like usual, but had slowly let himself settle, and now sat cross-legged, paws in his lap. Sonic himself sat sideways with his back to the arm of the couch, just angled enough it was easy to see the TV. (And, maybe, so it was easy to watch Shadow’s reactions.)

“I believe even the fo-” He broke off. “Even your little brother could complete that course with ease.” The verbal correction did not go unnoticed by Sonic, but he shoved down the embarrassing thrill and went back to watching the screen. 

They switched to cartoons when the TV cut to an extensive commercial break, then started an episode from the nature channel about a type of crab that lived in trees, which felt wholly unnatural to Sonic. And the longer they sat there in front of the TV, the more relaxed Shadow looked, and so Sonic resisted the urge to fidget after sitting still for so long and forced himself not to break the moment. 

The narrator on TV was just beginning to describe the eating habits of these horrible tree-dwelling crabs when Sonic noticed Shadow slowly tilting sideways, his head fallen back against the couch. Somewhere between the last commercial break (for some kind of medication that Sonic could not pronounce even if he tried) and a scene of a crab eating a piece of fallen fruit, Shadow had fallen dead asleep. 

He was still a little curled up in natural defense, but he’d slowly turned till he was almost facing Sonic, his face tucked into the grey of the couch cushions. His brow was a little furrowed, but his mouth hung open, relaxed, and Sonic just… watched him. 

He’d spent so long asking over and over again for Shadow to come home with him, that now it actually happened, Sonic didn’t really know what to do with himself. He was happy about it, obviously, seeing Shadow in his house sent a shock of instinctive contentment and pleasure all through Sonic’s body, but there was uncertainty, too. 

Moving off an impossible to word impulse, Sonic inched a little closer, subtly scooching until the tips of his shoes brushed against Shadow’s knee, then wiggled around so he could lean his head on the couch cushion like Shadow, their noses only a few inches away. 

With his eyes closed, that red highlight along Shadow’s eyelid was on perfect display. His fur looked soft, so soft, and something deep in Sonic yearned to pull off a glove and feel it. He didn’t, despite the desire. Instead, he continued his silent watching, catching each little flicker of Shadow’s eyelids, each tiny twitch of his ears, the sound of each exhaled breath. 

How long would he get this? How long would Shadow allow it? 

How long would Shadow stay?

The questions buzzed around Sonic’s head with less urgency than often was the case. Maybe it was the lull of the TV or the fact Shadow seemed so relaxed, but something in Sonic slowly settled as he watched Shadow sleep. Maybe that was their whole energy compatibility, now he knew that was a thing. Whatever it was, Sonic’s usual need to be in perpetual motion was nowhere to be found, content to lay there and breathe next to Shadow. 

Sonic didn’t fall asleep, he wasn’t nearly tired enough for that, but he did fall into an easy, gentle daze, enough so that he didn’t immediately notice when Shadow woke up. It wasn’t abrupt, like the few other times Sonic witnessed the moment, more like their single morning they woke up together. One moment Shadow’s eyes were closed, and the next red bore into green, unblinking. But because he didn’t say anything or move, Sonic didn’t catch it at first. At least, not until Shadow glanced around, then back to him, curled up a little closer, and then he… went back to sleep. 

Had he even been properly awake? Sonic didn’t know. All he knew was Shadow was close enough to tuck his face low, his nose pressing up under Sonic’s chin, and one of Shadow’s paws moved from  his lap to Sonic’s ankle, loosely grabbing it. 

Sonic remained as still as if he’d been literally turned to stone. Any last possibility of him moving vanished into thin air. But, apparently, he must’ve gone stiff enough that Shadow noticed, because the paw clasped around his ankle tightened, then let go, and Shadow pulled away. 

“Wait-” Sonic’s voice died the second he started speaking, and Shadow blinked slowly at him as he sat up, scrubbing a paw over his eyes. But Shadow had already moved back, putting agonizing distance between them again. 

The sudden urgency that rose in Sonic’s chest was, frankly, a little unnerving. What was previously content and relaxed now felt like something running frantic laps inside Sonic’s ribcage, and he had no idea how to settle it back down.

The bleary look Shadow was giving him did not help. And just as Shadow opened his mouth to speak, Sonic blurted out, “Tails has a theory.” 

Shadow’s mouth fell shut, and he blinked a few times, clarity returning to his expression. “You mentioned something like that.” 

Sonic scrambled to remember what he’d told Shadow about Tails’ theory, but in the heat of that discussion mere hours ago, Sonic’s memory was more than hazy. “He thinks we can-” he paused. Looked away. “- recharge each other, or something.” 

“We’re not batteries,” Shadow muttered, his tone confused and a little grouchy, but that was probably due to the recent surprise nap. 

“Heh,” Sonic couldn’t help a breathy laugh. “I think he more meant, like… Um.” He trailed off, but forced himself to look back at Shadow. “That maybe we recover faster… together.” 

Shadow narrowed his eyes, suspicion returning. “Isn’t that why you dragged me here?” 

“I did not drag-!” Sonic bit off the words when he noticed the minute twitch at the corner of Shadow’s mouth. “What I mean is that… uh.” For the life of him, Sonic could not get the words to leave his mouth. They were there, a half-hearted suggestion stuck in his throat, but before he was able to cough them out, their moment was interrupted. 

It was Maddie, who must’ve just come back from her run, judging by the workout clothes and ponytail, plus the flush in her cheeks. 

“You guys look comfy,” she said as a greeting, her voice light. 

Both hedgehogs sat up straight the second she spoke, the distance between them stretching. 

“I’m educating Shadow on the joys of modern television!” Sonic pointed at the TV with a grin. “Did you know that crabs can live in trees?” 

Maddie blinked, shaking her head. “I did not know that, how… interesting.” She shook her head with a short laugh. “Sonic, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?” She waited long enough for him to nod, but headed to the kitchen before Sonic followed her. 

“Probably just gonna be a minute,” he said, glancing at Shadow. “You gonna survive here alone for a sec?” 

“I think I’ll manage.” Shadow had that tense air about him again, but he didn’t look like he was about to bolt. Still, Sonic hadn’t really left his side, other than the quick bath, since he’d tracked him down. The last time he’d left to talk with his family, he’d returned to an empty space where Shadow was supposed to be. 

His hesitancy must have been obvious, because something shifted in Shadow’s gaze. “I told you I would stay for the night.” 

“I know, I know, just-” Sonic was getting really tired of not finishing his own sentences. “Swear you’ll stick around?” 

Shadow held his gaze, then sighed. “Go speak with your- your mother.” Again, there was a slight hiccup on that word, on the word pertaining to Sonic’s family, just like when Shadow referred to Tails. It was baffling, and yet… endearing. It was a shift, something Shadow obviously put intentional effort into. Sonic wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but he still appreciated it. 

After only another moment of lingering, Sonic zipped off to the kitchen. Maddie was leaning on the counter, a banana in one hand, a bottle of Gatorade in front of her, her phone in her other hand. She didn’t notice Sonic for a moment, but she immediately set her phone aside when she did. 

“How’s he settling in?” 

Sonic glanced back to the couch, now just out of sight. “He handed his shoes off to Tails and he took a nap, so I think that’s progress?” He hopped up onto a stool next to her. “And Tails and Knucks seem… okay with him, right?” 

“Yes, I think so too.” Despite her smile and relaxed pose, there was something in Maddie’s voice that alerted Sonic to something. And when she spoke again, it only strengthened. “Sonic, I got a call from the hospital while I was out.” 

His whole body tensed up, swinging to fully face her, paranoia shooting through his chest and all the way down to his stomach. “What happened? Is Tom okay? Is he-” 

“He’s okay!” Maddie quickly reached out to run a hand over his head, brushing past his ear. “He’s more than okay, actually. That’s why they called.” 

“More than okay?” 

Maddie nodded. “They’d like to discharge him tonight.” 

Discharge. 

Tom was coming home? 

“I told them I needed to make sure everything was ready, but if it is, he can be home for dinner.” 

And at first, Sonic didn’t understand why there was even a second of hesitation. Tom was coming home! In terms of worldly problems, Tom’s absence in the house made the top three hit list. So why was she…

But then Sonic glanced over his shoulder to an unseen couch where Shadow was hopefully still watching TV. “But you’re worried about Tom coming home while Shadow’s here?” His ears flattened as he turned to her, his shoulders slumping. “Will it be too much to have him here? Is he gonna get in the way? Did Tom-” 

“Sonic, take a breath,” Maddie cautioned, her hand tapping lightly on the side of his head to bring him back to focus. “So far, Shadow is about the least intrusive guest that’s ever stayed here.” 

“Then what’s the problem?” Never had Sonic felt so conflicted, torn between the full-body desire for the family to be back together and the knowledge that this would almost certainly end with Shadow running again. And after Sonic had worked so hard to get him there! 

But Maddie was still smiling, even if it was closed-mouthed and not quite as bright as usual. “I think you should stay here with Shadow while the rest of us go pick-up Tom.” 

Even just the thought of something so important happening without Sonic made his stomach turn over. “But…” he stared down at the counter, his paws curling in his lap. “But we’re supposed to get him all together. That’s what families do, right?” 

“Yes, but sometimes, families have to do things separately.” She slid into a stool next to him, pulling his stool closer between her knees so they were face-to-face. “And right now, you have a big responsibility. Tom knows that, and he wouldn’t want you to step out on that responsibility.” 

Sonic looked up at her with confusion. “Responsibility?” 

She gave him a pointed look. 

“You mean-” Sonic glanced away again. Everything made him look towards the entrance to the living room, it seemed. “Shadow?” 

“What do you think he would do if you left with us to bring Tom home?” 

And Sonic knew exactly what she meant; because no promise could convince Sonic that Shadow wouldn’t disappear the second the door was locked behind them. He’d be struggling to keep Shadow from leaving even if he stayed behind, but if he left? And worse, Sonic wouldn’t even really blame him. 

“Shadow needs you to keep looking after him. Besides,” she went on, her smile warming as she spoke. “We’ll need a welcome-home committee!” 

Now that made Sonic perk up. “A welcome-home committee?” he parroted back at her. 

“Well, since Knuckles will be meeting us with Wade at the hospital, and I’m pretty sure Tails is adding a contraption to my car’s passenger side seatbelt, and I’ll be leaving in just a couple of hours…” She raised an eyebrow at Sonic. “None of us will have time to make and put up a banner to welcome Tom home when he walks in the door.” 

“But I could do that!” Sonic sat up, ears alert. 

She was full-on grinning now, nodding once with pride. “Exactly. Think you’re up for the job?” 

Sonic squared his shoulders and nodded, deep and dramatic, crossing an ex over his heart with one paw. “Maddie, I will not let you down.” 

“I know you won’t, sweetie,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. 

Sonic felt uncertain but refreshingly determined when he went back to the living room. Sure, he wasn’t looking forward to explaining the situation to Shadow, known flight-risk with a snappy temper, and having to miss picking Tom up from the hospital sucked, but Sonic had faced worse odds, right? He’d dealt with trickier situations. And yet every step towards the living room felt like ever-increasing stakes, with so much more to lose the closer he got. 

But when he turned around the corner and into view of the couch, he paused. 

Far too late, he realized he should’ve noticed a complete lack of Ozzy with Maddie in the kitchen. Usually the dog spent about ten minutes drinking water after a run with either Tom, Maddie, or Sonic, but not a single wet sloshing noise had been heard when Sonic was in there. And now, he realized why. 

Ozzy was curled up in the empty space Sonic left on the couch, a perfect dog-shaped doughnut. His nose pointed away from the end of the couch, and his head- his head rested on Shadow’s lap. 

Shadow, for his part, didn’t even notice Sonic come in at first, he was that busy running a paw over Ozzy’s head and shoulders, eyes a little wide with genuine curiosity. It disappeared the second he looked up to see Sonic, and his paw stilled, resting on Ozzy’s neck. 

“Your dog is very… pushy,” Shadow said, when Sonic stepped up to him. “Does he not know a basic ‘no’ command?” 

At that, Sonic had to laugh. “Ha! You should see him when there’s food on the line.” With Shadow’s things still on the couch, there wasn’t much room on the couch for him. For a very brief and very bizarre moment, Sonic felt very real jealousy as he watched Shadow resume petting the dog when Ozzy lifted his head to look plaintively up at Shadow. With no room on the couch, he sat at the corner of the coffee table. 

Shadow said nothing to that, but he had a strange look on his face, and his mouth was a very thin, very even line. After another few strokes of his paw on the dog’s head, he glanced past Sonic. His gaze hardened, shuttered like it so often did when he started pulling away. (But his paw never stopped gently stroking Ozzy, Sonic noted.) 

“I can go to the cave.” Shadow didn’t sound upset, just painfully neutral, the same tone he’d used with Sonic’s entire family. 

It took Sonic a second before he caught on. “What?” And then it clicked, and he sighed. “You could hear us, couldn’t you?” 

Shadow didn’t need to confirm it, but he still nodded. “This house is not designed for secrecy,” he added. 

Sonic shook his head. “You can say that again! But, no, you’re not going to the cave.” He shot Shadow what he hoped was an intimidating stare. “If you heard that part, then you heard the rest, and you’re not leaving.” 

“Sonic-” 

“No, Shadow.” Sonic didn’t let him finish. “You’re not leaving. You said one night! Tomorrow morning you can do whatever you want, but today? Tonight?” He stood up again, arms crossed. Like this, he sort of blocked Shadow from leaving the couch without pushing Ozzy off. Sure, he probably felt well enough to teleport, but Sonic could only hope he wouldn’t. “Tonight you learn how to make a banner out of printer paper, tape, and a dream!” 

Shadow stared up at him looking frustrated, which was familiar, and then resigned, which was less so, but becoming a common response. “If I say no, will you listen?” 

“Sure won’t.” Sonic shook his head for good measure. Sonic knew that if Shadow heard the part about Tom coming home, he also probably heard what Maddie said about Shadow. But for both their sakes, Sonic didn’t mention it. “But I’ll give you an easy job. Actually- wait, can you read? Write?” 

“Can I- what?” Shadow actually looked offended when he glared up at Sonic, his lip curled. “Yes, I can read and write. Can you?” 

Sonic scoffed. “Obviously, but you can’t blame me for asking! Who knows what GUN does in old prisons on creepy islands. But, anyway, that means you’ll actually be useful and I won’t just have to give you taping as your job.” 

Shadow raised a paw in a loose fist, while his other rested on Ozzy’s round head. “I do not need an easy job, hedgehog.” 

But the vague threat just made Sonic grin, a little lopsided and a little too genuine. “Oh, we’re back to that now? That nap must’ve really done you some good!” 

The growl that rumbled in Shadow’s chest was enough to fully disturb Ozzy, who’d already lifted his head in obvious annoyance when Shadow stopped petting him. The dog left with a huff, disappearing out into the hallway, probably to the bed upstairs. 

“Even the dog likes you,” he said, watching Ozzy go. Then he turned around and hopped over Shadow onto the other corner of the couch instead of just walking around the coffee table. And because he was both very brave and very stupid, depending on who was asked, Sonic kicked his feet up and crossed them, planing them firmly in Shadow’s lap that was still extra warm from Ozzy’s head. 

Shadow glared daggers at him, grimacing down at the red and white sneakers. “Get your shoes off of me,” he spat, his paws hovering above them. 

“Oh, just my shoes?” Sonic lifted his feet for a moment, and it took a moment of struggling, but he managed to kick each shoe off, letting them bounce to the floor. He wiggled his socked toes in Shadow’s face, then plopped his feet back on his lap. “There, is that better?” 

“ No, it is not,” Shadow hissed. And yet he didn’t push Sonic away, he didn’t really do anything. He stuck his paws down by his own legs on the couch, but after it became apparent Sonic wasn’t going to react to his glaring, Shadow turned his gaze back to the TV that was apparently still on. 

Sonic stretched over to grab the remote, turning the volume back up. It was still on the nature channel, now something about coral reefs, but fish and things that were underwater did not interest Sonic nearly as much as the tree crabs. But while some guys in SCUBA suits poked around something orange and lumpy, Sonic felt two paws rest very carefully on his shins. 

He didn’t look down and he didn’t move, and he didn’t catch a single word of whatever was being said by the narrator with a stilted accent. 

After finishing the coral documentary, Sonic kicked them off the couch to take on their new craft task. Shadow didn’t look particularly thrilled by the idea, but he also didn’t put up much of an argument. Their first task was to gather supplies, and Sonic made Shadow carry each item he added: a stack of paper stolen from the printer, two of the biggest black markers he could find, a pack of colorful markers in bright jewel tones, two rolls of Scotch tape, and a skein of yarn Sonic found under Tom and Maddie’s bed. It was the same bright blue as the donut sweater Maddie made and would do nicely. Finally, Sonic placed a box of thumbtacks on top of the growing pile in Shadow’s arms. 

He surveyed the supplies, then nodded once when he was satisfied. “That should do it!” 

Shadow said nothing, eyeing the supplies in his arms with deep suspicion, which was no longer a novel expression on his dark features. And there was something about the sight of it in their current setting, with them both just in their socks standing in Tom and Maddie’s bedroom, that sent fluttery jitters through Sonic’s chest. 

They took their supplies back to the living room where the TV was still playing and Ozzy had immediately moved in to steal their lingering warmth on the couch. Sonic switched the TV until he noticed Shadow’s ears perk up and he paused, eyeing the screen dubiously. 

It was some kind of romance show, with eccentric guitar music and questionable acting, the actors speaking in dramatic accents as they clung to each other, wind blowing their hair despite the fact they appeared to be inside some kind of mansion. Sonic didn’t recognize it, but Shadow very visibly did. 

“You recognize this of all things?” Sonic couldn’t keep the doubtful laugh out of his voice. 

Shadow barely spared him a glance, too busy inching closer to the TV and taking their craft supplies with him. “The doctor’s henchman put it on while we were… preparing. There was very little else to do.” 

A short snort shook Sonic’s shoulders. “That guy is so weird,” he muttered. 

“The doctor or his henchman?” 

“Both, actually. Now c’mere!” he waved Shadow over, since their supplies were still being held hostage, and sat down on the carpet. “We can watch it while we work.” 

After lingering for a few more lines of dialogue, Shadow turned to sit on the carpet beside Sonic, setting their supplies on the floor between them. 

Sonic had never actually made a banner out of paper before, so it took him a few seconds of just staring at their supplies while Shadow stared at him before he came up with a game plan. When he did, he snatched up both black markers and handed one to Shadow along with a piece of paper, taking one of each for himself as well. 

“Write something,” he ordered, already placing the paper on the floor so he could as well. 

Shadow did nothing. “Why?” 

“Again with that favorite word? Would it kill you to just go with the flow?” Sonic shook his head, ignoring the fondness in his own voice despite the questioning words. “It’s to compare who has better handwriting, obviously.” 

That seemed to be plenty of motivation for Shadow, and they both focused intently on writing. Sonic's handwriting left much to be desired, but he still carefully wrote out Welcome Home Dad!!!! in as clear writing as he could. To his dismay, when he snuck a look at Shadow’s paper, he was met with the sight of almost too neat lettering. He’d just written out his own name in perfect capital letters, but he moved on to add Sonic’s too below it after a moment of hesitation. Sonic watched with far more fascination than the sight probably deserved. 

When Shadow finished, Sonic held up his own paper, and Shadow held up his. Sonic groaned in expected misery. “How do you have the better handwriting! Who even taught you to write so well?” 

Sitting up a bit straighter, his tone just this side of uppity with a stupid, smug little smile, Shadow said, “Maria had daily lessons. She liked having a classmate, and the professor accepted it as a test of my hand-eye coordination and memorization abilities.” He sounded… proud, actually, voice oh so soft when he spoke the girl’s name. 

“I guess that leaves you with writing duties,” Sonic lamented, sighing dramatically as he let his paper fall to the floor. “Think you can write one letter per sheet of paper? You can use this for reference.” He handed off the chicken-scratch to Shadow. “After you write them out, I’ll decorate!” 

They didn’t say much as they worked, the background noise of the TV enough to fill the quiet. Their respective tasks were definitely the right choice; Shadow took more care than Sonic ever would to write large, block letters, which he handed off to Sonic to fill in with whatever color caught his fancy. It was comfortable and relaxed, even when Sonic accidentally tore the “O” meant for “welcome.” Shadow just sighed, wrinkled up the ball of torn paper, and beamed Sonic directly in between his eyes with it. Since the paper was so light it bounced right off, and after a surprised yelp, Sonic fell into giddy laughter while Shadow furiously drew a replacement. 

It was just so… so easy. There was an unconscious part of Sonic that had worried this type of boring domesticity wouldn’t fit between them, a worry he didn’t even realize existed until he had the evidence to prove otherwise. He so loved pushing Shadow to his limits, harassing him in between punches, challenging him to whatever competition he could, teasing out snappy responses and humbling insults. Shadow was the first to truly match Sonic in his unique brand of power, so it would have made sense if they struggled to co-exist without any kind of conflict, no matter how severe. 

But instead, it turned out they were able to work together in quiet as well as they were able to meet each other’s attacks. Sure, they exchanged argumentative looks every now and then, especially when Sonic finished his coloring before Shadow had another letter ready and then spent the minutes waiting staring at Shadow’s every movement, but it was still a certain level of unexpected harmony. While Shadow stayed cross-legged, bent over at a horrible angle, Sonic eventually stretched out on his stomach to work, close enough he could reach over and poke Shadow if he felt like it. 

They were almost done with the lettering when Maddie and Tails came into the living room. Maddie had a bag slung over her shoulder, but Tails held Shadow’s shoes in both his paws looking rather proud of himself. 

“These things are awesome!” he said, startling both Sonic and Shadow from where they were both trying to outpace the other in their working speed. “Did you know they’re literally powered by your chaos energy? And they’re totally useless without it!” The fox set the shoes down on the floor, and Shadow eyed them but didn’t move. 

“I didn’t know that,” he said, back to that carefully neutral tone he had so far used with most of Sonic’s family. But he did a double-take a moment later, squinting at the shoes. Sonic noticed a second after Shadow did, noting the pristine condition of the shoes. It wasn’t like they’d been that dirty, but all the scuffs and the grime along the red trim was gone, leaving the shoes spotless. Even the red trim gleamed with a metallic sheen Sonic couldn’t remember them having before.

“...They’re clean.” Shadow’s voice was barely audible. 

Tails did look genuinely apologetic when he said, “Oh, yeah, sorry, were you attached to that dirt? I uh, I did some minor patch-up work too, when was the last time you changed out the insoles? I, uh, I-” He twisted his paws together, nerves making him restless. “I guess I should’ve asked about that…” 

Shadow stared at the shoes for another moment, then looked up at Tails. “It’s fine.” He turned back to his paper after then, paused, then turned to nod at Tails. “Thank you.” 

Visibly relaxing, Tails sighed in relief. Beside him, Maddie rubbed a hand between his ears, messing up his cowlick which distracted the little fox, who ducked away from her hand. That only made Maddie laugh. 

“We’re going to go run a few errands before picking Tom up, you guys gonna be okay here?” 

Sonic nodded easily, propping his chin up with his paws, elbows wide on the carpet. “We’ll have this place ready to party when you guys get back!” 

Maddie and Tails didn’t linger for much longer, despite the fact it was pretty obvious Tails wanted to say something else but decided against it. He probably wanted to ask about eighty million follow-up questions to Shadow about the shoes, but he followed Maddie out without saying anything else. 

A hush fell over the room again after the door closed. When Sonic didn’t immediately return to his colors, too busy watching Shadow with what definitely felt like a goofy grin, Shadow glanced up at him. 

Shadow gave him a familiar look. “You’re doing it again.” 

“Huh?” 

“Staring.” The single word was spoken towards the floor, Shadow’s shoulders hunching up to his quills, the marker in his paw held in a vice-grip. 

He had been staring, but Sonic wasn’t about to admit it. “Just finish your perfect lettering,” he griped, turning back to furiously scribble in an “E” with bright lime green. 

After bickering over how many exclamation marks to do (Shadow thought two was plenty, but Sonic insisted on nine so they could have two lines of paper that were even; they settled on five) they set to work carefully taping each piece of paper to the yarn. To Sonic’s chagrin, Shadow was the one who came up with the idea to fold the tops of the papers over and tape them around the yarn, which was way better than whatever Sonic himself had thought of. 

Once the banner was all strung up, they added a few more details and colorful highlights to the letters. Sonic drew incredibly terrible pictures of everyone inside the letters in “welcome,” including a very small, very angry Shadow next to a much larger blue rendition of himself, both sitting on the two points of a bright purple “M.” Shadow eyed the drawing for way too long, then huffed and set to work drawing about a dozen stars on every single piece of paper, avoiding Sonic’s gaze. 

Stringing the banner up was a different matter entirely; as well as they’d worked on the actual design, apparently hanging it up was a whole different ball game. Sonic wanted to make Shadow stand on his shoulders so Shadow could put thumbtacks high up enough on the wall in the entryway, and Shadow thought that was a stupid idea, pointing to the kitchen chairs. 

Unfortunately, since Sonic couldn’t actually force Shadow into his idea, they wound up using the chairs. 

After the banner was hung up, Sonic sent Shadow to the couch. 

“You won’t know where stuff goes, so you’re no help with tidying,” he explained. Shadow almost put up an argument until Sonic added, “Plus I can literally clean the whole house in like, fifteen seconds.” With nothing to counter against that argument, Shadow stalked off to the living room while Sonic kicked it into overdrive. 

Cleaning wasn’t exactly his favorite thing in the world, but this time was for a good cause. He’d also sort of skipped out on a great deal of their previous Sunday’s chores, so he figured it was only fair to make up for lost labor. 

True to his word, Shadow had barely even made it to the living room by the time Sonic came skidding in. He’d collected all the laundry, put everything in the sink in the dishwasher, and swept so fast the broom started smoking. He’d left his sneakers by the couch so he was a little slippy, but that honestly just added an extra challenge to the whole ordeal. 

When he returned to Shadow’s side, he found him eyeing his own shoes. Shadow blinked rapidly when Sonic pretty much appeared out of nowhere thanks to how fast he’d been doing. 

Averting his gaze from his shoes to Sonic, Shadow tilted his head looking curious. “You’ve been… faster.” 

Sonic shot him a weird look, narrowing his eyes. “Uh, yeah, that’s sort of my whole thing? It’s literally in my name.” 

But Shadow shook his head. “No. I thought I was misremembering your speed when we raced, but I can see now I wasn’t. You’re faster than you have been since I’ve… returned.” He took a step towards Sonic, an accusatory look marring his features. “Were you holding back?” 

“What? No!” The idea that Shadow would even consider that Sonic might hold back was, to be honest, insulting. “I told you, you weren’t the only one who was recovering!” He crossed his arms in defiance. “Sure, I’ve not been all low-battery and out of it as you’ve been, but it still took me a few days to get back to full power.” 

Shadow continued to stare straight into Sonic’s very soul like he could detect any trace of a fib, and Sonic squirmed. 

“How about you put on your newly spiffy-clean shoes and I’ll show you just how fast I can go, no holding back!” 

The scoffing laugh Shadow let out was music to Sonic’s ears. “You’re on, hedgehog.” 

They both pulled their shoes on quickly, Shadow stepping in place as he peered down at them with an odd expression. 

Sonic raised a brow, ear flicking. “What, are they off balance now they’re not all caked in dirt?” 

Shadow’s glare meant very little anymore. “No, they’re…” he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet, still looking uncertain. But his ears were perked forward, not flat, so it couldn’t be a bad thing. “They feel…” he hummed, something low and a tad frustrated that made Sonic feel things he absolutely refused to think about. “They feel… better.” 

“That’s Tails for ya!” The mild praise for Tails’ work made Sonic puff his own chest out with pride. “He’s not our gadget guy for no reason, he’s the best of the bunch!” 

Once Shadow seemed satisfied with whatever minor alterations Tails had made, he followed Sonic out the door. “Now, since everyone’s probably gonna be home soon, we should prooobably stick close by.” He stretched, rolled his ankles and wrists, and fell into an easy ready position at the top of the steps. “So you wanna do laps ‘round the house?” 

Shadow fell into a position similar to Sonic’s, then kicked his shoes into gear, the energy flaring to life with a faint hum. “Fine by me.” 

“Ready…” Sonic leaned forward, shooting one last glance at Shadow. “Set… and go!” He shot off the porch, skipping the steps entirely and shooting straight down to the concrete. Used to the layout of the house, Sonic moved on pure instinct as he made a sharp turn to the right. Shadow, not quite as familiar, was only a few feet behind, but he made it up quickly by snapping forward with a crackle of energy that Sonic felt buzz through him when Shadow reappeared at his side. 

“That’s no fair!” Sonic whined, but really, it only motivated him to go even faster. 

“Not my fault you’re lacking,” Shadow shot back, and when Sonic glanced over to him, he caught the harsh grin flashed his way. It was all teeth, sharp fangs visible for a fleeting moment, bright red sparking in Shadow’s eyes when they met Sonic’s. 

With the sun starting to fall low to the horizon, everything going golden, Shadow looked like he was literally shedding gold as he ran, his energy a bright trail behind him matching Sonic’s perfectly. 

The shock of heat that zipped along Sonic’s quills and down his spine and to his very fingertips had absolutely nothing to do with the electric chaos energy burning between them. 

It took seven rapid laps for Shadow to get the hang of the incredibly short course the house provided. Around the wrap-around patio, through the woods, back around the shed, and for good measure, they both wound around the wooden posts that held up the dining room deck. It took thirteen laps for Sonic to gain any kind of distance on Shadow, which was quickly erased with a snappy teleportation that Sonic couldn’t help but growl at Shadow for. Sure, it was a bit of a playful growl, but it still spurred them both on to go even faster, push even harder. 

Even if it was just small, tight circles, both hedgehogs still threw their all into it. Shadow seemed reluctant to meet the few times Sonic tried knocking him off course, but when Sonic noticed how Shadow kept glancing at the ornamental shrubs in the front, the red flowers that bordered the base of the patio, it became obvious that Shadow’s hesitancy was probably due to a concern not to damage the property. It was sweet, actually, even if Sonic wished they could really go all out. 

They were on their thirty-eighth lap and the sky was starting to go from gold to orange when both their ears caught the sound of an approaching car. They skidded to a stop in the driveway, both turning to peer down the road. 

Whatever relaxation had bled into Shadow’s demeanor that afternoon vanished in the blink of an eye, and Sonic noticed his chest was heaving, his ears slowly turning back as he stared at the road, empty for now but not for long. 

“Why don’t we go inside to greet them?” Sonic suggested when Shadow didn’t do anything but stand and stare. “We can stand below our epic banner!” 

Shadow glanced at him from the corner of his eye, one ear flicking, then nodded. He didn’t say anything, but that was fine, and Sonic led the way inside. 

Ozzy trotted over, appearing from nowhere when they came back inside, and Sonic gave him a head pat before he turned to Shadow, who was back to being as taut and on edge as he had been when he’d first stepped foot in the door. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” Sonic tried, uncertain how to reassure Shadow. They stood in the hallway together underneath their own handiwork, Shadow not really looking at him, but more past him and to the door. “Seriously, it’s just Tom.” 

When Shadow still didn’t break his tense focus, Sonic almost reached out to him, his paw moving a few inches before hesitating between them in the periphery of Sonic’s vision. He stepped back to stand beside Shadow, at least, and Ozzy plopped down on Shadow’s other side, badly blocking him in. 

Sonic really wanted to say something, something to bring Shadow back at least to the placid neutrality he’d been forcing with the rest of the family. But there wasn’t any time; already they could hear car doors slamming and the muffled sounds of voices drawing nearer to the front door. 

When the sound of footsteps going up the wooden steps filtered in, Sonic felt tense claws circle round his wrist, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to look at Shadow beside him. Instead, he pulled his paw up and through the loose hold, immediately snatching Shadow’s paw when he started to pull away. It had worked with the portal, Sonic could only hope it would work now. 

“It’s just my dad,” he tried again, dropping his voice to something soft. 

The word caught Shadow immediately, his paw gripping Sonic’s with a force that could rival Knuckles’. “I know,” he muttered. “There is no just about that.” 

And even if Sonic wanted to dissect whatever that meant, there was no time. He could only squeeze Shadow’s paw. But this time, he held fast as the door opened. 

Chapter Text

Since the moment the ambulance drove away with the only two humans Sonic truly loved, one of them fighting for his life and the other holding her eyes on Sonic and his brothers until the very last second, there was a small piece of Sonic missing. It wasn’t noticeable at first, especially in the face of everything yet to be dealt with, but it sat empty, somewhere low in his chest, waiting and waiting and waiting. And Sonic didn’t really notice it, other than a vague sense of wrong at the lack of something always at the back of his mind. There were other feelings to focus on, too many other feelings, in fact, novel and heated and alluring. 

He didn’t notice the missing piece until the door opened and Tom shuffled through, Tails at his side and Maddie close behind with Knuckles coming in last with three separate bags hanging from his arms, four pizza boxes stacked on top of his head. 

And then it hit him all at once and he almost couldn’t breathe.

He barely noticed Shadow pulling his paw away in the hazy few seconds between the door opening and Sonic coming crashing into reality, and to Sonic, those few seconds might as well have been centuries. But then Tom was there, he was inside and he was a little hunched over with his arm still in a cast and his hair all flat up one side but he was home. He was home! And Sonic literally could not exist another second any further from Tom. One second he was standing next to Shadow and the next he was wrapped around Tom’s waist, his face smashed into Tom’s side, so careful to avoid the hard cast. 

“Hey, Soni- oof!” Tom stumbled, but Maddie caught him, and he managed to drape an arm carefully around Sonic. “Careful on the kicks there, your old man’s a little off his game for a few more days.” 

Sonic immediately dropped his vice grip and jumped back, his grin open-mouthed as he literally leapt for joy. “Welcome home!” he cheered, spinning around and displaying the banner with both paws in the air. He completed the presentation with jazz-hands (jazz-paws?) and when Tom smiled and gasped, Sonic decided he would gladly make a million banners if it made Tom grin like that. 

“Dang, Sonic!” he cried, taking in the whole banner and then nodding, impressed. “Did you make that?”  

“Hand-crafted by yours truly,” Sonic said with a low bow, shooting up so fast he almost got whiplash. “Well, I did the colors, Shadow did the letters, and all the extra details are a conjoined expression of artistic liberty.” He glanced over his shoulder and was actually a little surprised to see Shadow still lingering in the hallway. He looked sort of like he might either punch something or pass out, but he’d stayed. That was no small thing. 

“Putting our guest to work already?” Tom shook his head, then stepped in a little further, turning his gaze just past Sonic. “Well, Shadow, anybody that helps make paper banners just for me is a welcome guest in my book. You like Hawaiian pizza?”

All eyes fell on Shadow, yet another collective breath held. 

But Shadow didn’t look anywhere but Tom. Paws clenched at his side, the barest ruffle in his quills, his feet a touch too wide and his shoulders held stiff, he held his ground. But at Tom’s question, his eyes widened imperceptibly. (To most. Not to Sonic.) Beside him, oddly relaxed instead of bounding to greet Tom, Ozzy nudged Shadow’s wrist with his nose. 

The movement seemed to push Shadow past his hesitancy to speak, and Sonic noticed his paw reach out to brush the dog’s head before he spoke. “I’ve… never tried it.” The words sounded incredibly forced, and nobody said anything, Sonic included. 

Tom hummed, a thoughtful look on his face. “If you do like it, you’ll join me and Sonic and we’ll finally hold our ground against these three’s clearly incorrect opinions.” He nodded back at Maddie, Knuckles, and Tails, all hovering in the entryway bearing witness to the confrontation.

Shadow finally did look away from Tom, well-hidden panic betrayed by the twitch of his ears and the growing tension in his jaw as he shot a look at Sonic. And, okay, Sonic could try throwing him a rope. 

“Tom is right,” he jumped in, stepping around to walk backwards until he was next to Shadow again. “It is the objectively best flavor and this house has lived in an anti majority for too long!” 

The tension broke when Sonic moved, Maddie and Knuckles and Tails unfroze, and the collective breath released. Knuckles handed off the pizza boxes to Maddie, then headed up the stairs, probably to drop off the bags he was carrying. 

“The longstanding majority is a pretty good sign about who’s actually in the right,” Tails piped up, annoyingly reliant on something as silly as facts as always. Then he zipped off to his workshop, likely to fetch something he’d made for Tom to help with dinner. 

Maddie shifted the pizza boxes easily into one hand, stepping around Tom as he lingered in the hallway and heading to the kitchen. “Shadow, don’t be influenced by my dear husband’s terrible taste. Why don’t you come with  me to the kitchen to get a preview on your other options before the entire wolfpack sets in?” 

Shadow looked deeply uncertain, still braced beside Sonic, who took a subtle step towards him so he could bump their elbows. 

“Remember,” he muttered, low enough  hopefully only Shadow would hear. “They’re just my family.” 

Shadow held his gaze for a prolonged moment, and Sonic came to the very sudden realization he could feel his own heartbeat clamoring for attention. Nothing was said, and Shadow didn’t reach out to him again or vice versa, but Shadow still held his gaze with dedication and something searching, reaching for something in their connection. Then, wordlessly, he turned with renewed resolve towards Maddie and silently followed her into the kitchen without looking over his shoulder, Ozzy on his heels. If anybody asked, Sonic wouldn’t have been able to say what silently transpired between them in that moment, only that the something that hung between them sometimes felt stronger than ever. 

With Shadow and Maddie’s departure into the kitchen, it left Sonic and Tom alone in the hallway. As soon as Sonic started to turn towards him, Tom had already fallen to one knee with his good arm stretched wide. 

“C’mere,” he said, but the request wasn’t needed. Sonic took three completely human-speed steps and burrowed into Tom’s hug. Even with only one arm around his shoulders, everything in Sonic finally settled into place in the familiar embrace. 

“I really missed you, dad,” he mumbled, pressing his face into the rumbled collar of Tom’s sweatshirt. It still smelled like a hospital, something chemical and too sharp, but Sonic didn’t care. “This place isn’t right without you.” 

Tom gave him a good squeeze, but he didn’t let go until Sonic did, finally taking a step back. “Good thing I’m basically indestructible, right? Plus, it looks like you had a pretty good distraction. Don’t think I didn’t catch that passionate hand-holding you two had going on.” He waggled his eyebrows up and down, glancing towards the kitchen when Sonic didn’t immediately react. 

When it did click, Sonic felt his face flush red-hot again. “Wha- it is not like that! What is with you people!” he protested, flatting his ears at Tom, who just laughed. 

“He’s not what I expected. Bit more laid back when he’s not on a mission, huh?” 

Sonic glanced towards the kitchen, following his instinct like he could somehow track Shadow through the walls, forcing his blush to dissipate. Sure, Shadow might’ve seemed laid back to the rest of the family, but that was only because of the effort put into the neutral and downright docile side of Shadow they were seeing. It was strange watching Shadow from the sidelines knowing what he actually looked like when he was relaxed, noticing the tells that betrayed how much work was going into keeping up the civil persona. 

If anything, he seemed just as determined to maintain the civility as he had been to steal that stupid keycard. 

But instead of saying any to that, Sonic merely said, “I don’t think laid back is the right way to describe Shadow.” 

“Then that makes his attitude all the more interesting. Now, any chance you’ll help me to the table?” He offered an arm to Sonic who quickly ducked under it to be a living crutch. “It’s time to put our new guest to the test: his own taste in pizza.” 

Sonic joined his pitchy laughter as they wobbled off to the table. 

They found Shadow helping Maddie carry plates and napkins to the table, and Sonic caught his gaze for just a second as they passed by each other. Shadow didn’t look relaxed but his quills had settled and he didn’t look like he was planning to run. When he met Sonic’s gaze, his shoulders lifted ever so slightly, but it was a too-brief moment, Sonic needing to turn away so he could help Tom the rest of the way to the table. 

It felt like a puzzle finally settling into place to reveal the perfect scene as they all filled up the seats at the table. It was a little crowded with everyone there, Tom and Maddie at each end, Knuckles and Tails on one side, Sonic and Shadow on the other. Sonic slid into the chair next to Tom, and Shadow looked ever so slightly relieved when he was able to sit next to Maddie. Sonic wasn’t sure if they’d had long enough for any kind of real conversation in the kitchen, but he didn’t miss how Shadow nodded a quiet thanks to her when she handed him a plate. 

Tails did indeed show up to the table with a new gadget, which he handed to Tom before he jumped up into the chair across from Sonic. The gadget was some kind of glove with a strange exoskeleton, and Tails reached over to help tug it onto Tom’s good hand. “It’s to help you with grip strength,” he explained, when Tom held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. “You’ll be exerting twice as much energy with that hand, so you’ll tire easily. Plus, I used a compression glove for the base, so that should help with any inflammation or soreness from overuse!” 

Experimentally, Tom reached over and picked up his glass. The glove made a faint whirring noise as it followed his movements with ease, curling around his digits and fitting to his hands position like- well, like a glove. “This is perfect!” Tom grinned down when he picked up the glass with ease and set it back down just as gently. “You never miss, kiddo. Thank you.” 

Tails preened under the praise, his tails fluffing behind him and his ears trembling as he beamed at Tom. 

Instead of all swarming into the kitchen to get their pizza slices of choice at once, since there was no way all four pizza boxes would fit on the table, they took turns getting up and carrying their plates to the kitchen counter. Knuckles and Tails went first, returning with full plates, and then Maddie sent off Sonic and Shadow. 

The four options turned out to be one as promised Hawaiian, one pepperoni, a vegetable and meat situation, and plain cheese. Sonic took one of each and then snagged an extra Hawaiian, and Shadow, after a moment of hesitation, also took a Hawaiian slice but only added an extra slice of cheese. 

“Boooring,” whispered Sonic, leaning in to speak directly into Shadow’s ear, their shoulders pressing against each other. 

Shadow glared at him, but he didn’t even lean away. “Shut it,” he whispered back, and Sonic snickered as they returned to the table together. 

While Maddie filled hers and Tom’s plates, a bottle of apple juice was passed around. Knuckles handed it to Shadow with an unnecessarily serious expression, which Shadow, obviously, met with equal silent force. Sonic watched him peer at the bottle, then fill up his cup before he handed it off to Sonic. When he caught Sonic’s watchful eye, he bristled. 

“Cut it out,” he muttered, staring Sonic down out of the corner of his eye. 

But at this point, Sonic was honestly too giddy to care. “Not a chance,” he whispered, smirking even if he could feel the heat climbing back up around his muzzle. 

With Tom home, dinner was a downright raucous event, especially compared to their tame lunch earlier that day. Knuckles was determined to give Tom every single update he could think of about the town, information he gathered while on patrol with Wade. Of course, Tom could technically just access the work logs and see anything he needed to know about, but he still listened attentively. Tails interjected with tips on how to use Tom’s new glove, as well as various updates he’d made. Tom seemed most interested in the extra attachment Tails was working on that could click into the glove’s exoskeleton and extend his reach by an extra two feet, and even Sonic was pretty intrigued about what that would look like. 

Sonic regularly piped up and yammered on as well, of course, mostly observations on Knuckles’ stories or something Tails made him do as his test subject for his mobility aids. He didn’t say much of anything with substance, keeping the conversation bouncing to any other side of the table. It wasn’t for his sake; Sonic would’ve been more than happy to relay a million little details of the past two weeks so Tom. But instead, he kept his own personal anecdotes to a minimum. He could see both Tom and Maddie shooting each other a few looks and eyeing him with curiosity, but by the way both their gazes slid to the chair beside Sonic, they seemed to understand. 

Shadow added very little to the dinner conversation, but he also didn’t leave. He ate his pizza in small bites, and Sonic noticed his nose twitch when he bit into pineapple and little slices of ham, but he ate the full slice. Tom seemed the most delighted about this, and Shadow looked deeply uncomfortable, but he didn’t run. He even managed to pace himself to somehow finish his sad two slices at the exact same time it took Sonic to finish his five. Which, even for Sonic, was a bit excessive. 

As everyone slowed down as their plates emptied, Tom started to visibly wilt, though he did a pretty good job of hiding it. Finally, when all their plates were clear, they each started to peel off from the table. Tails was the first to go, after taking a bunch of measurements from the new glove and scribbling a bunch of notes, claiming he was already working on a second, updated model. 

Knuckles was the second to go, explaining that with Tom in a weakened state and with a new security risk, it was the obvious choice to heighten their property security. It was his fancy way of saying he’d be walking the perimeter with Ozzy, but Sonic didn’t miss the glance he shot Shadow’s way. It wasn’t accusatory, and Shadow didn’t flinch when he noticed, but the tension was obviously there. 

Maddie packed all the leftover pizza into one box and crammed it into the fridge, and after briefly checking in with Sonic, she looped an arm around Tom’s waist and they headed upstairs. 

Their departure left only Sonic and Shadow, Sonic hanging over the back of his chair after Maddie explained she and Tom would be upstairs, and she’d washed the spare blankets and left them in the linen closet in the hallway. Shadow was still quiet in his chair, sitting entirely motionless, looking a little spacey. 

After swiveling around to sit back in his chair facing forward, Sonic propped his chin up with an elbow on the table and swung his face to Shadow. He didn’t say anything yet, waiting till Shadow turned to meet his waiting gaze. 

And when he did, Shadow was the first to speak. “Your family is very… lively.” 

Sonic snickered, not denying it. “You wouldn’t be the first to say that.” 

Now facing him, Shadow looked… contemplative. There was a little wrinkle between his brows, but not much of a glare, and his mouth was all pulled to the side. Even as he met Sonic’s gaze, he still looked distant, some kind of invisible barrier between them. After so many of their shared moments being alone, away from prying eyes of all kinds, being surrounded by his family with Shadow by his side left Sonic spinning, like he’d just stepped off a merry-go-round. His voice didn’t come quite as easily, the uncertainty he’d seen in Shadow all night making an appearance in Sonic’s own demeanor. 

“Hey,” he said, looking for a distraction. “Wanna go on a last run before we set up your bed stuff?” Sonic didn’t use the word race because for once, he didn’t really feel like racing, as out of place as the lack of feeling was. Even if there was a strange, almost bitter feeling in the back of his throat, Sonic also felt exceedingly content in a way he hadn’t in so, so long. (Since a GUN helicopter interrupted their family outing.) 

Despite the weariness that was beginning to tug at Shadow’s edges, he nodded, slipping out of his chair to follow Sonic outside. 

The night was dry but the sky was cloudy, darkness wrapping extra layers of shadows around the trees, around the porch awning, around each little shrub and flower pot. Sonic noticed Knuckles placed in the middle of the road right at the edge of the property, and Shadow’s gaze followed his. Knuckles’ turned briefly and caught sight of them, so Sonic gave a little wave and pointed out towards the woods, a silent communication. Knuckles only nodded and turned back to face the empty road. 

Shadow didn’t speak, but Sonic could practically feel the curiosity radiating off of him. 

“That's what Knucks’ does when he’s stressed,” Sonic explained, even if Shadow didn’t ask. “Not that he’d ever admit it, obviously, but he’s not subtle. He likes knowing everyone is safe. I mean, he was trained to be a literal warrior, so it makes sense!” 

Beside him, Shadow only hummed. Sonic shot a look at him, noting the slight droop of his shoulders, the haziness still present in his eyes. 

Furrowing his own brow, Sonic inched a little closer, reaching out to nudge Shadow’s shoulder with his. “You alive in there, Shads?” 

The nickname got Shadow’s attention. “You dropped that nickname. Why bring it back now?” His words might have sounded drab, the question flat, but they were enough for Sonic. 

“You’re the one that originally wanted me to stop using it.” Sonic kicked the toe of his shoe against the wood of the porch where they were still lingering, lit only by the flickering porchlight, the bulb in dire need of a replacement. Despite his fidgeting, he didn’t look away from Shadow. 

And despite the slight discomfort and touches of exhaustion, Shadow still managed to shoot him a half-hearted glare, glancing out at the dark woods before looking back to Sonic. “Just lead the way, hedgehog.” Compared to many of the previous ways Shadow said that nickname, this one was far softer, far more indulgent. 

It was enough to spur Sonic into action, darting off without giving Shadow a heads up. Luckily, he didn’t need it, and they swerved off into the woods side by side. 

Sonic didn’t do a whole lot of running through the woods on dark and cloudy nights, mostly because while his night vision wasn’t terrible, it could’ve been a lot better. But since he knew the woods so well, Sonic guessed he probably would’ve been able to navigate them even if it was so dark he couldn’t see. Beside him, Shadow had no trouble navigating the lack of path as they blew past trees and through leafy undergrowth. It made Sonic wonder if night vision was an extra perk of Shadow’s biology, if his sharp vision wasn’t just better with distance. 

With the cloud cover and the extra shadows, the forest was a little eerie as they made their way through it and Sonic decided to veer them off away from the cave's direction, towards the lower peaks of the mountains that surrounded Green Hills. Shadow kept pace easily, but Sonic also didn’t push himself. He didn’t drag his feet by any measure, but he certainly didn’t push himself to go all out. As the ground started to rise up at an incline, Sonic slowed their pace, glancing around until he found where he was looking for, zipping off after catching Shadow’s eye. 

He took them to a small cliff, more of a large, flat-topped chunk of rock on a steep hill that overlooked the woods. Sonic could even glimpse the little light that was home, but only because he knew exactly where to look. Without explaining, he slowed to a stop at the rock, then dropped down to sit, his feet hanging off the edge. Shadow was only a few steps behind, but he sat cross-legged, paws in his lap. 

They could almost see the moon from behind a dark cloud, the faintest smudge against the inky black of the sky. Not a single star was visible, but Sonic did notice the quick flashes of red and green lights of a distant, low-flying airplane crawling above them. 

They weren’t sitting close enough to touch, and suddenly, that bothered Sonic. Without thinking much of it, he moved over to cross the inches between them, only stilling when their shoulders were pressed up against each other. Shadow didn’t push him away, though he did glance at Sonic from the corner of his eye, only to look away just as quickly.

Neither said anything. 

Below them the forest rustled with a light breeze, and somewhere behind a cricket started up a quiet song, only to fall silent again just as quickly. 

Now sitting so close to Shadow, Sonic’s paws remained clamped together in his lap, and he became suddenly and painfully aware of a new want. Or, well, maybe it wasn’t new. The impulse had been there before, he’d even given in to it, but there’d been a good reason, previously. First it was to share the power of the Emerald, and then it was to offer comfort to Shadow. But now? Now there was no good reason other than the pull in Sonic’s chest and a strange hunger that itched up and down his arms and made his paws curl up tightly with the strength it took to resist. 

He wanted, more than anything, to reach over and take Shadow’s paw. 

There was no cause for it; nothing Shadow did, nothing either of them needed. But the want was still there, and Sonic suddenly found himself remembering his own incorrect conclusion about holding hands with Shadow, a possibility he’d dismissed so quickly it could barely be counted. Because, as it turned out, maybe they could handle something as fragile as that kind of connection. The idea of it still made him feel slightly ill, but that did nothing to stop the wanting, wanting, wanting. 

It wasn’t just the wish to grab Shadow’s paw, or the urge to move closer so they could sit like this, shoulders met with subtle but mutual pressure. He’d felt it in their heated moments, pushing Shadow until Sonic wound up pinned, kicking Shadow down just so Sonic could lean over him, all the way up to his face. He thought of sitting on the couch together, angled so he could see Shadow instead of the TV, and of holding Shadow’s weakened body in his arms as he raced home in the dark. 

There were too many moments to count, and all were wrapped up in the same want: to be as close as possible to Shadow by any means necessary. 

Sonic didn’t realize how badly he’d spaced off until he noticed he was blatantly staring at Shadow again; only this time, Shadow was staring back and hadn’t said anything. Sonic couldn’t say how long they’d been holding that silent eye contact, but he felt his face heat up even in the cool night air. He could just feel the warmth of each of Shadow’s breaths on his cheek, that’s how close they were. And yet he didn’t look away. 

Instead, he repeated his words from earlier. “Tails has a theory.” 

Shadow’s eyes narrowed in confusion, but it passed as quickly as it arose. “Are you going to explain it this time?” There was a slight lilt to his tone, teasing in a way that somehow settled the twisting in Sonic’s stomach. 

“I told you our chaos energy is sort of the same, right?” 

Shadow nodded. 

“And that Tails thinks we can - and I know how it sounds, don’t give me that look - recharge each other?” 

Again, Shadow nodded, though this time he added, “That still doesn’t make sense just because you’re saying it a second time.” 

Sonic rolled his eyes, finally looking away and staring out at the valley below them again. “If you’re gonna be smart about it I’ll just keep my explanation to myself.” 

That garnered him an elbow to the side, which made Sonic wince, a laugh sharply exhaled from his chest. 

“I don’t really understand how Tails explained it,” Sonic continued. “But I think, basically, we…” he trailed off just like he had on the couch, desperate to say something that was uncomfortable to put into words. “He called our energies compatible. Even interchangeable.” It was hard to explain when he both didn’t understand exactly what Tails had meant, and it felt like trying to explain was bordering on a confession. What the confession actually meant mattered less than the fact Sonic, for possibly the first time in his short life, was overthinking his own words. He let out a small huff of frustration at his out of character struggle. 

And yet Shadow was oddly patient, also looking out at the valley. Despite his silence and his diverted gaze, his shoulder remained in close contact with Sonic’s, a grounding point. 

Fed up with needing an eloquent, thoughtful way to put it, Sonic gave up. “Basically, I think that he thinks that we can help heal each other.” 

Shadow’s head snapped halfway round, staring at Sonic intently from the corner of one eye. 

Sonic barreled on. “And I think he’s right, too. I feel- I mean, after being around you, I feel so energized! And I think what really did it was when you, uh-” He gulped, but refused to back down now. “That one night you stayed. I didn’t notice it at first, but after that, I felt like I was actually back to my super-charged full power.” 

When Shadow opened his mouth to speak, Sonic didn’t let him. 

“And it’s not just me! I think, I mean, it sort of seems like it helps you, too.” He did look at Shadow fully now, even if his nerves felt like they were slowly being set on fire. “You’re better after being around me, right? Or at least, sometimes? Like after I uh, after I helped with your quills, or when you took a nap on the couch and-” 

“Sonic.” Shadow cut him off, and Sonic snapped his mouth shut at the insistent tone. “Do you ever say things simply?” 

That made Sonic laugh, a little high-pitched, a little breathy, a little too loud in the quiet of the night. “Aw come on, you should know the answer to that one by now!” 

The quiet little laugh that slipped past Shadow’s lips was everything at once and simultaneously not enough for the open maw of Sonic’s chest that sort of felt like it might be imploding. 

“You’re not wrong,” Shadow muttered after a beat, turning away with a small sigh. “And you and your brother might be onto something. Especially after… that night.” 

Immediately, Sonic perked up. “Oh yeah?” Despite his nerves, a touch of smugness wormed its way into Sonic’s tone unbidden. 

Shadow huffed back at him, his shoulder and even his whole upper arm rubbing against Sonic’s. “Don’t let it go to your head.” 

Unfortunately for Shadow, it most certainly was going to Sonic’s head. But then he paused in his delight, his shoulders dropping. “Then why’d you run, Shadow? I mean-” he broke off, returning to their nighttime view, the wind catching his ears as they flicked back. “I know you think you’re some super dangerous bomb that could go off any second-” 

“That is not what I said,” Shadow tried interrupting, but it didn’t work. 

“-But is that really why you ran without saying anything?” He still didn’t get it; it was such a cowardly way to leave, even if Shadow might’ve been in a weakened state, might’ve run out of some kind of misguided good intentions, Shadow wasn’t a coward.  

When Shadow didn’t immediately answer, Sonic snuck a look at him out of the corner of his eye, only to be met with a heavy gaze, burning red in the darkness. Not for the first time, Shadow looked like he was doing his best impression of an x-ray machine, like he could literally see through Sonic. And as much as the invisible pressure daunted Sonic, he refused to look away once he’d caught Shadow in the act. 

“You…” Shadow’s voice gave out when he spoke, and for a second, his eyes flickered with embarrassment. It was too dark to tell if he was blushing, but he had the same stuffy, halted tone Sonic heard him use previously when flushed all red and lovely. “You make me feel,” Shadow finally muttered. It was obvious he’d rather look anywhere but Sonic, yet he still held his side of their starring competition. 

The words settled deep inside Sonic’s chest, curling up and seeping through him with a buzzing enjoyment, causing him to lean ever-closer. “And that’s a bad thing?” 

“Not exactly, it’s-” Shadow sighed, and then he finally did look away, even as his shoulder pressed harder against Sonic’s. “The return of my teleportation thanks to your… persistence proved my self-control around you is lacking at best.” 

“Aww,” Sonic couldn’t help but coo, shooting a sideways grin at Shadow. “You have such a sweet way with words.” 

Shadow met his smile with an unimpressed neutrality. “No part of what I said was a compliment.” 

“Not to you it wasn’t!” Sonic said, his grin still tugging at his lips. “Still doesn’t explain the vanishing act, though.” 

Shadow continued to observe him for a moment, and Sonic bit his tongue to keep quiet. As if in reward for the rare moment of self-control on Sonic’s part, Shadow finally spoke again. “If I could teleport without conscious control just because of a taunt from you, I had no interest in finding out what else I could do without thinking.” He sighed again, then shook his head a little, blinking. “My own lack of control was concerning at best. At worst, it had no place in your home.” 

Sonic took in Shadow’s words and considered them, turning them around and around. It wasn’t a terrible reason; just the right ratio of self-deprecation to nobility, wrapped up in carefully constructed detachment. Sonic could tease him for thinking so highly of his own power levels. He could repeat his words from earlier, that the family, Tom and Maddie included, could handle the danger. He could point out that even if that were the case, surely Shadow could strengthen his self-control as his power returned. 

But instead, Sonic said, “You make me feel too, you know.” 

Shadow’s glare was obviously forced, a mask for something else that Sonic didn’t bother guessing. “I didn’t even specify what kind of feeling it is.” 

“Ehhh…” Sonic shrugged, lifting his paws in a limp gesture. “Whatever it is, I probably feel it. You drive me sort of crazy, you do realize that, right?” 

Judging by the slight widening of Shadow’s eyes and the way his mouth parted ever so slightly… maybe Shadow didn’t realize that. Or, if he did, he hadn’t fully believed it. 

Now it was Sonic’s turn to feel embarrassed again, and he kicked his feet against the edge of the rock, the dull thump against the back of his heels through his shoe pleasantly grounding. “Seriously, I think my entire family thinks I-” He snapped his mouth shut before that sentence could finish. Sonic suddenly felt grateful that while his mouth often ran without his say-so, at least he was fast enough to catch his own stupidity. Sometimes. “I mean, you’re not the only one in this. Whatever this is.” 

Sonic could see Shadow eyeing him. “Your mother asked how long I’d be staying.” 

“Oh yeah?” That must’ve been when she took Shadow to the kitchen. 

Shadow shifted, looking uncertain again. “I told her I agreed to one night.” 

“And?” If Sonic knew Maddie, he knew what her response to that would be. 

“And she offered to let me stay as long as I needed.” He paused, then added, a little softer, “Or wanted.” 

Yeah, that sounded like Maddie alright. “I told you she’s great. And since you’re on Team Hawaiian at pizza night, you’ve got Tom’s vote, too.” But when Sonic spoke, he noticed an almost guilty look cross Shadow’s face, his quills flattening imperceptibly and his ears angling back. Sonic narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “Hold on…” he leaned closer and forward so he could get a better look at Shadow’s full expression. “You did like the pizza, right?” 

Shadow opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. 

“Shadow.” 

Under Sonic’s intense gaze, Shadow leaned away, still refusing to meet his eyes. 

“Oh my god, why would you lie about that!” Sonic was close to laughter, only his own confusion holding it off, drinking in the sight of Shadow shifting around, guilty but caught.  

“It wasn’t a lie, it was…” Shadow trailed off. “It was a strategic measure.” 

And at that Sonic just had to laugh, tipping his head back and filling the nighttime silence with grating noise, his shoulders shaking, his paws curling in his lap. “Strategic? What on earth is strategic about lying about pizza toppings!” 

An elbow banging against his own only made Sonic continue laughing, leaning into Shadow despite his aggression. Then a thought crossed his mind and his laughter died as Sonic snapped around to grin at Shadow, far too devious for his own good. “Wait, were you trying to impress Tom? Get brownie points? Is that what that was?” 

The embarrassment that lingered in Shadow was quickly morphing into rage, his lip curling up at Sonic, but his lack of snappy reply betrayed him. 

“You totally were!” Sonic cheered, snickering again. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me, and I’ll make sure we always have some delicious pineapple for you on every pizza night.” 

Shadow groaned in disgust and frustration, shaking his head at Sonic’s promise. “You are-” 

“Impossible?” Sonic cut in. “I told you, you need to find a new word for me.” 

“Fine,” Shadow muttered, shaking his head again. This time when he looked up at Sonic, his eyes were back to their heady intensity. “You are…” He considered Sonic, who once again could feel his own heartbeat as it thumped in his throat. “...Blinding.” 

“Huh?” Sonic tilted his head, curious. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

If anything, Shadow looked pleased by Sonic’s confusion. “Figure it out yourself.” 

This time it was Sonic’s turn to groan, lifting his paws to drag them roughly down his face. In his dramatics, he fell backwards, laying flat on his back on the cool stone, his feet still hanging off the cliff’s edge. “You’re gonna be the death me,” Sonic muttered, paws falling to his sides. And even if he knew Shadow would hear it, it was more for his own personal frustration than intended for Shadow’s ears. 

Unfortunately, Shadow only leaned over Sonic, staring down at him with an easy smirk. “Can’t handle it, hedgehog?” He was leaning on one paw placed close to Sonic’s hip now, and Sonic suddenly realized that the moon managed to escape those dark clouds while they were talking. Now it hallowed Shadow in pale light, washing away his bright contrasting colors, gleaming along his quills. Now he was bathed, fed, and more rested, Shadow’s fur was downright plush, a little scruffy without a post-bath brush, softening his silhouette. But his quills shone in the moonlight, black turning silver and red turning cool, blurring in the cool tones of the night. 

“Sonic.” Shadow’s voice was a whisper nearly stolen by the night breeze as he leaned even farther over Sonic. It would be impossible for Sonic to sit up now, and he felt more vulnerable than any of the numerous times he’d been pinned to the ground by the hedgehog now hovering over him. Shadow must have moved closer while Sonic was spacing out, his knee now pressing into the side of Sonic’s thigh, his paw inching up until his fingertips were actually tucked under Sonic’s wrist. 

Sonic fought to hold that piercing gaze, his lungs flat and empty, his stomach twisting, his spine immobile as he lay under Shadow’s intensity. “Got something you wanna say, Shadow?” Even to his own ears his voice sounded strained, but that wouldn’t stop Sonic. 

Shadow leaned impossibly closer, his eyes searching for something, darting over Sonic’s face. For a moment, so quick Sonic almost missed it, Shadow glanced towards, below Sonic’s eyes, down to his muzzle. No, not to his muzzle, Sonic realized, to his mouth. He looked away just as quickly and sat back, but it sent Sonic’s thoughts into turmoil, too loud and too fast for him to even begin to unravel. 

“Let’s go back,” Shadow sat, his face now out of view after moving away from Sonic. 

After another moment of feeling lightly steamrolled, Sonic pushed himself up on his elbows. He tried glaring at Shadow, but the fluttery feeling in his chest and the warmth in his cheeks probably ruined it. “You’re gonna give a hedgehog whiplash,” he muttered, then pushed himself all the way back up. 

They both stood carefully, taking only a moment more to appreciate the view, before turning back into the dark forest. Shadow wasn’t exactly avoiding Sonic’s attempts to catch his gaze again, but he wasn’t giving Sonic what he wanted, which was more than a little frustrating. How dare Shadow look at him like- like that and then not give Sonic anything else! 

And Sonic would’ve pushed, maybe, if they were in broad daylight or if Shadow’s quills weren’t drooping with the exhaustion Sonic knew he’d never admit to. Instead he let Shadow have his silence as they ran home, side by side. By the time the light of the Wachowski house came into view the moon had once again disappeared into the dark of the night, but Sonic barely noticed. He was far too busy watching the color return to Shadow’s quills as they stepped out of the obscurity of the night and into the warm glow of the porch light. 

The house was a comfortable quiet when they came inside, so Sonic herded Shadow back to the couch. “Hang tight,” he said. “I’ve just gotta grab a couple things.” 

Shadow nodded, then went to start packing the little stack of items still sitting on the couch into the new backpack. For a moment, Sonic almost wondered if he should be worried Shadow was getting ready to leave in the morning, but then he watched Shadow set the bag behind the couch, along with, to Sonic’s surprise, his shoes. Not to leave, then. Just to get comfortable, Sonic thought, as he watched Shadow climb onto the couch and stretch out on his back. 

That was when he noticed Sonic lingering in the entryway, and while his ear flicked in embarrassment, he gave him a pointed look. “I don’t see any things.” 

“Wha?” Sonic stammered, forgetting himself momentarily. “Right! Things. On it!” He wasted no more time in gawking and sped off to the closet upstairs. 

True to Maddie’s word, the linen closet’s blankets smelled clean and fresh, and Sonic grabbed the spare comforter, a single top sheet, a fluffy pillow and pillowcase, and finally an extra knit blanket, just in case. He stacked them all up and tried to hold them all, only for the stack to all topple over and all over the floor. He groaned, dropping down to pile them back up. Two trips would be needed, it seemed. He’d just set the pillow on top of the stack when hands came into view, lifting off the top half the stack. 

“Need a hand there?” Maddie asked, already taking all but the comforter into her arm. 

Sonic perked up, glad for the help as he clutched the single blanket in both arms. “I’ll take it,” he grinned, and she followed him downstairs. Shadow must’ve heard the extra pair of footsteps, for he was sitting upright when Sonic and Maddie stepped into the living room. Sonic hurled the comforter straight onto Shadow’s head, or at least he tried; to his annoyance, Shadow managed to catch it and bundle it onto the couch next to him. 

Beside them, Maddie made a small noise, possibly a laugh, and set the other bad things on the coffee table. “You need anything?” She directed the question to Shadow who was busy glaring at Sonic. The second she spoke he sat upright, face melting into a polite expression, shaking his head. 

“Alrighty, well, Tom and I are just right upstairs.” She planted her hands on her hips, surveying the two hedgehogs with a small smile. “Sonic, are you staying down here, too?” 

Actually, Sonic hadn’t considered that, so he just shrugged without looking at Shadow. 

Maddie hummed, raising an eyebrow, but she didn’t push. “Well, don’t stay up too late either way. I’m going in late to work tomorrow, so I’m thinking… pancakes? Yes?” 

“Yes!” Sonic cheered, nodding emphatically. 

“Pancakes it is,” she said, nodding. “Shadow, help yourself to anything you need, and if Ozzy wakes you up… actually, you might be on your own there.” 

Despite the joke, Shadow just nodded again, though he didn’t look too stiff. 

After giving Sonic a quick goodnight hug, Maddie left them alone again, disappearing upstairs. When he heard the door shut, Sonic came back to life and turned to wave Shadow off the couch. Shadow gave him a look, and Sonic sighed, gesturing to the blankets. “Move it, you can’t just sleep on the couch like that! This is a civilized house, thank you very much.” 

Despite his obvious trepidation and annoyance at being moved, Shadow stepped away from the couch so Sonic could get to work as he fussed about with the blankets. He put the top sheet down first, despite its name, then added the comforter and crammed the pillow into its case, replacing the stiff couch pillows with the softer option. He left the knit blanket on the coffee table, and for a final touch, he folded down the top edge of the comforter. Satisfied, Sonic stepped back with his paws on his hips. 

“There, now you can get all cozy.” 

Shadow looked more amused than annoyed now, but he didn’t, as Sonic said, get all cozy. He lingered near the pillow, one gloved paw tracing the corner. “Are you…” he broke off but pushed on before Sonic could guess. “Are you staying down here or upstairs?” 

But with that decision still unmade, Sonic didn’t have a good answer. “Well, my bed is upstairs, and Ozzy might like it, but the floor is no fun!” 

Shadow eyed him for a moment longer, then glanced to the couch. His paw twisted around the corner of the pillow now, his shoulders rising in minute tension. He didn’t speak. 

And, man, Sonic wanted to stay, obviously. That was a no-brainer. But he’d also been lingering around Shadow pretty much all day, as long a day as it was, and there was at least a small part of him that figured Shadow might enjoy some solitude. But then again… he thought of Shadow hovering over him, thought of him curling towards Sonic on the couch, his nose tucking under Sonic’s chin. He thought of one black socked foot stopping him from leaving a too-small bed, and he thought of Shadow alluding to Maria sneaking him away to her rooms. Forgotten until that moment, Sonic thought of the dusty, singed, and dilapidated blanket fort he’d found in that prison-lab, the first hint to the truth of Shadow’s backstory. 

It was so hard, sometimes, to read in between the blurry lines of personal preference Shadow displayed. Yes, sometimes he willingly let Sonic get a glimpse behind his usual defenses, but for the most part, Sonic could only rely on his own obsessive observations to pick up the whims and wishes of the brooding, dark, incredibly stubborn hedgehog in front of him. 

But he was learning, slowly but surely, putting each tiny detail together, each off hand comment or moment that wasn’t much on its own but meant something when put together as a whole, learning how to notice the things Shadow wouldn’t outright say. 

And, thankfully, Tails had given Sonic the perfect excuse (even if that wasn’t the fox’s intentions at the time). “But if Tails is correct,” he continued, ignoring his own moment of delayed consideration, “It would be in everyone’s best interests if I stay down here.” 

The slight drop of Shadow’s shoulders and the way he immediately moved to pull down the comforter and slide under it was exactly what Sonic needed to fully give in. 

“But I am not sharing your pillow, no way.” In a flash of blue and a snappy spark, Sonic dashed upstairs to his own bed. He hadn’t considered, however, that Tails and Knuckles would be up there. Tails was an unconscious lump under his blanket, but Knuckles was up reading one of their many shared comic books. 

He looked up when Sonic appeared, watching him as Sonic crept over to his bed to snatch his own pillow. “Staying downstairs?” he asked, and Sonic froze. 

“Yeeep,” he said, really popping the last sound. “Somebody’s gotta keep an eye on Mr. Drama down there!” 

Knuckles did not laugh, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. Instead, he only nodded, tilting his head at Sonic. “But he isn’t your hedgehog?”

Where he’d previously firmly protested that label, now Sonic just sighed. “Just don’t let him hear you say that, or it’s on.” 

That did make Knuckles laugh, a muffled chuckle he hid behind the comic book so they didn’t wake the sleeping fox. He returned to reading after that, letting Sonic slip away down into the dark hallway. Maddie must’ve turned the light off, but he could make it to the couch with his eyes shut. 

He returned to find Shadow sitting with the blankets over his lap, head leaning against the back of the couch, eyes shut. There was still a single lamp on, so Sonic quickly went to shut it off, casting the room in darkness. Shadow lifted his head when Sonic pulled the blanket down on the other end of the couch, tossing the other couch pillow and replacing it with his own before he kicked off his shoes and joined Shadow under the blanket. There were perks to being a hedgehog in a human-sized world, and it turned out one of them was fitting on the couch like this, each of their backs to one end, sharing a blanket as their feet slotted together. 

“Don’t kick me,” Shadow warned, but his eyes were sleepy-soft and his voice wasn’t much more than a whisper. 

“No promises,” Sonic shot back, already snuggling down into the blanket, pulling it all the way up his nose as he peered down at Shadow as he did the same. True to his word, Sonic immediately poked his toe hard against Shadow’s leg, catching him right in the ankle, which made Shadow hiss, immediately kicking back. That just made Sonic suppress a giggle, the kind that only could ever happen under the cover of darkness, but he didn’t kick back again. He did, however, catch Shadow’s foot under his own, which made Shadow glare before huffing and turning to face the couch. 

“Go to sleep, hedgehog,” he muttered, firmly closing his eyes and ignoring Sonic’s gaze. 

And as much as he wanted to pester, to draw out the moment like he always did, Sonic settled down as well. 

In the morning there would be pancakes. There would probably be berry syrup and whip cream, maybe even hot cocoa to go with their orange juice, and if the family cupboards permitted it, there might even be chocolate and caramel syrup to cover everything in as much sugar as possible. There would also most likely be about a billion little sausage links, enough eggs to keep a whole warehouse of chickens in business, whatever fruit of the day Maddie pulled out of the fridge, and coffee that Sonic loved the smell of but gagged over the taste. The whole family would be there, the table loud and boisterous, full of life and energy and laughter. 

But in the moment, Sonic relished the fluff of the comforter and the knowledge that Shadow was perfectly safe and right under his nose, not lost somewhere in space or trapped in a tube and so, so alone. 

Before he let sleep take over, Sonic popped his head up to get one last look at Shadow. “Goodnight, Shadow,” he whispered. 

“Goodnight,” was all Shadow muttered back, before falling back into quiet. For a moment, the silence continued, until Shadow’s ear flicked and he peered at Sonic from one half-lidded eye, meeting Sonic’s hopeful gaze. He sighed. “Goodnight, Sonic, ” he added, then yanked the blanket back up and curled up again, burying his face in the couch cushions. 

Tom was home, asleep upstairs and alive and healing, Shadow was exactly where Sonic wanted him, and, finally, everything felt right. 

Finally satisfied, Sonic curled up as well. Tomorrow would probably bring a whole new set of challenges, but for the time being, he rested. 

In the morning, Sonic would have to come up with a reason for Shadow to stay, even if he knew how unlikely it would be. He would probably wake up too hot, since already he could feel their combined heat turning their shared blanket into a sauna, and he’d get to see Shadow as he woke up again. In the morning, they’d get to have more bickering moments, more staring contests, more races and competitions, more everything.  

But that was in the morning. Until then, the lull of the night found both hedgehogs lightly snoring. And under the blanket, their paws reached for each other, untouching but always, always drawn together.

Chapter Text

Among things like getting away with buying child-size hoodies, always fitting fully under the bubble bath no matter the size of the tub, and being the most interesting thing in the lazy town of Green Hills, one of the many perks of being a hedgehog in a human-sized world included being juuust small enough to share a car seat with other (much less pleasant) hedgehogs. They’d come to the realization in the first few days of Shadow’s presence in the Wachowksi household that while their dinner table could fit six occupants, neither Tom’s truck nor Maddie’s car had enough seat belts. 

Sure, on sunny days they could all pile into the truck bed and hold on for dear life, and Sonic had offered to just tie a camping chair to the roof of Maddie’s car (which was quickly turned down, to his extreme disappointment), but apparently, a thirteen hour drive meant they all had to pile into a space that was very much designed for three humans, not two hedgehogs, one fox, and one echidna. Tom’s truck was spacious, but it wasn’t that spacious. 

When their travel plans were explained over chicken parmesan and buttered green beans, Sonic fully choked on a bean, hacking for a moment before he spat the offending bit of vegetable out and whipped his head to gape at Tom. 

“We’re driving?!” He ignored the way Shadow hissed as he shot Sonic a death glare and picked the chewed up bit of green bean out of his fur. 

Tom looked way too calm for how dire the situation was. “It’s called a road trip, Sonic. It’s tradition!” 

“It’ll be totally worth it, you’ll see,” added Maddie as she offered a napkin to Shadow who took it and scrubbed at the spot on his forehead now greasy with butter and salt. 

Sonic still felt horrified, not remotely mollified by their reassurances. “It’s a thirteen hour drive in one day! That’s not a road trip, that’s active torture. ” 

From across the table Tails, of course, piped up. “Actually, we’ll be needing to stop for gas at least three times, which will probably involve snack breaks, too, so it’ll probably be more like fifteen hours!” 

Silence reigned over the table as Sonic processed that information, then whipped around to face Shadow. “Help me out here,” he begged.

Unfortunately, it seemed Shadow was not yet over the green bean assault, and he only sniffed and pointedly ignored Sonic’s pleading gaze.

Sonic slammed his forehead into the edge of the table, rattling his plate and glass. “Why can’t we just use a ring?” he huffed, speaking directly into the table cloth. 

“And miss out on a full day with the whole fam?” Tom shook his head, his smile deeply evil. “It’s important we all get in as much quality bonding, every single one of us, while we still can.” 

“We’ve only got a few rings left anyway,” Tails added again, sliding his tablet out from under the table, most likely to check whatever digital inventory count he kept. 

Desperate, Sonic tried a different angle. “Why the sudden beach trip anyway? There’s, like, a dozen lakes in Montana. Let’s go to one of those! Or, even better, somewhere with lots of dry land!” 

And still, Maddie just shook her head, although for a moment, Sonic caught her flashing a barely-there glance at Shadow, something unreadable crossing her face. But it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. “Sorry, Sonic, but the house has been rented and it’s way too late to cancel now. It’s a rare chance for us all to do something together!” 

Beside him, Knuckles brought a fist to his chin, his fork forgotten in his plate. “This is a sacred Earth tradition, correct?” 

Tom and Maddie both nodded.

“Exactly!” said the latter, reaching over to pat Knuckles on the shoulder. Her grin was also far too evil for Sonic’s taste. “Sure, we can handle world-altering threats, but this is a real test of our strength as a team.” 

And that was how Sonic found himself crawling off the couch at five in the morning on a crisp Thursday morning. Shadow, the horrible, miserable, Ultimate Lifeform who didn’t need nearly as much sleep these days, had already begun helping Maddie and Knuckles carry their things to the truck to be tied down and covered with a tarp. Sure, it wasn’t raining yet, but apparently the forecast warned it. 

Tom wasn’t much use with helping load up the car, what with his arm still in the new sling for another couple of weeks, so he was on breakfast duty. Tails, still more asleep than awake, was drifting off into a bowl of frosted flakes at the table, and Tom slid a bowl and the box over to Sonic when he shuffled over. 

“Departure in fifteen minutes,” he said, much to Sonic’s dread, ruffling his good hand in between Sonic’s ears. 

Despite his trepidation for the trip, Sonic nodded and tucked into his breakfast with haste. There were few things worse than cereal that went soggy, so he ate quickly. Tails hadn’t even finished when Sonic gulped down the last of the milk (all sugar-sweet and a little sticky) from his bowl, but Tom cleared away their bowls anyway since Tails was more poking at it than eating. 

After their bowls were cleared, Tom herded them out towards the truck, leaving them on the porch steps and closing the door so they couldn’t retreat. Knuckles was up in the truck bed shoving Ozzy’s (covered and heated with an orthopedic mat) travel crate into the back per Maddie’s instructions, and Shadow was busy being her extra set of hands, the ratchet straps all held in a bundled mess in his arms as he hovered at her elbow. She even reached blindly to rest a hand on his head as she stepped by him, which was about as close as Shadow let her ever get, but Sonic did catch the slight twitch of his tail, a single swish back and forth. 

It was still kind of surreal to see Shadow following Maddie around, even after almost three weeks. He was still a little skittish around Tom, a fact that had Tom more than a little dismayed, and Shadow did everything he could to avoid being in a room alone with Tails and Knuckles, but he seemed to actively enjoy Maddie’s company. Sonic tried asking him why, once, while they were up late watching that weird show Shadow still enjoyed (the telenovela as Tom called it), but Shadow avoided answering, just like he so often did. 

He did, at least, seem to be less prone to suddenly leaving the room when Tom showed up after Tom was the one to fix up his gloves the week prior, and the hushed Thank you from Shadow had Tom smiling all afternoon. 

Still, it never failed to throw Sonic for a loop when he watched Shadow interact with everyone. His carefully maintained civility never really fell away, not until it was just the two of them, but he didn’t look like he was going to bolt at any second. He still wouldn’t leave the couch no matter how many times Tom and Maddie offered to get him a bed for the attic, but there was a tiny part of Sonic that wondered if it was because Sonic would always wind up on the couch with him. (There was another part of Sonic that knew what it really meant, that Shadow still hadn’t agreed to stay, but he tried not to think about that.) 

His ruminations were interrupted by the very point of his own fascination, who stalked over to stand in front of Sonic with his arms crossed. 

“Your mother wants us in the truck,” he said, looking dead-serious even in the pale dawn light. 

That was another thing: Shadow still refused to call anyone by their name. It wasn’t an obvious refusal, he just… talked around them. It was always your brothers or your mother or, even more rarely, your father, like their titles in relation to Sonic were what distinguished them from each other. 

A light kick to Sonic’s shin and an unimpressed look shook him out of his thoughts and Sonic finally hopped up, pulling Tails (who actually had drifted off against the porch railing) along with him. 

Fitting everyone in the back seat of the truck was a lesson in living in each other’s personal space. Knuckles took one side, Tails took the middle, and Sonic and Shadow crammed into the passenger side to share a seat belt. While it was technically not legal, the driving handbook also didn’t legally define any of them as passengers bound by the law, and it was really the only option. Still, it was a tight fit at best, and when Tom swung around to give everyone an encouraging smile from the passenger seat in the front, nobody was particularly thrilled. 

Thankfully, Maddie intercepted Tom before he could plug his phone into the stereo, and she turned on something quiet as the sun crept higher behind them as they set off towards the mountains. 

Despite the cramped conditions, it could have been worse. After a plethora of nights spent on the couch together and many, many sparring matches, Sonic was at least plenty familiar with the feel of Shadow’s body up against his. That didn’t mean it didn’t send distracting little zings of that ever-present something up and down Sonic’s arm where they were crammed together, but at least it was a feeling Sonic was used to. Shadow still shot him death-glares whenever Sonic elbowed him in the side as he got comfortable, but he also didn’t push Sonic off when he wound up tossing his legs over Shadow’s lap. Like this, Tails could slump against his back and Sonic could look out the window, which was a small win for each of them.

The first couple hours were very quiet. Other than the sound of the music Maddie put on and the occasional snuffle from Tails or snore from Knuckles or Tom, not much was said. Although he’d expected to drift off thanks to the warmth of the truck cabin and the fact it was still pretty early, Sonic instead found himself oddly wakeful as he watched the mountains and the forest pass by. 

He realized, about an hour into the drive, they were following a similar path he’d taken to find Shadow to finally bring him home. Of course, they didn’t swerve up towards the reservoir, instead following the signs for the Idaho border, but the memory still caught in Sonic’s chest, and he found himself sneaking glances at Shadow. 

Shadow wasn’t asleep, that much was obvious by how alert his ears were, but he was leaning back against the seat and he’d let his eyes close. His paws rested on Sonic’s legs, and Sonic took a moment to appreciate the look of his newly repaired gloves. They weren’t perfect, of course, but it felt right to see the red and black cuffs again under the gold rings. 

It also reminded Sonic just how much Shadow had recovered, and, as he so often did in the past few weeks, he wondered if there was a timer counting down above their heads. How much longer would Shadow stay? He might’ve not shown any signs of wanting to leave, but he very obviously refused to settle. He refused his own bed, refused ever speaking as if the Wachowski home was his . They were small things, yes, but Sonic knew it were those small details that piled up that mattered the most when it came to Shadow. 

Their first pitstop was just outside of Missoula, partially for gas and partially for second breakfast. Even if everyone was still pretty sleepy, when Tom brought back a paper bag full of breakfast sandwiches, everyone woke up quickly. Maddie took Ozzy to run a few laps in a nearby patch of grass, but they were quickly on the road again, this time with the music turned up as they all munched on English muffins and eggs and crispy bacon, a very sad gas station fruit bowl shared between everyone. 

After their breakfast, everyone seemed a bit more lively, and Maddie finally let Tom have power over the music. He turned on something more upbeat, catchy guitar and fast drums, and the next hour was spent singing along to a mishmash of whatever came up on Tom’s shuffled library. 

Beside Sonic, Shadow did his very best impersonation of a statue, his ears flat as he did his best to tune out the car karaoke. He did that, sometimes, when the entire family got a little too rowdy for his taste. But his fingertips tapped out a subtle rhythm against Sonic’s legs, still thrown over his lap, and when Sonic caught his gaze to shoot him a sly smirk, Shadow huffed and turned as much towards the window as he could. 

They crossed the border into Idaho by hour five, the car significantly more subdued. Tails had pulled out his tablet, revealing an entire library of movies he’s downloaded. Nobody asked how he managed to get those files without Tom and Maddie’s credit card. The tablet was propped up between the two front seats, and everyone, even Shadow, Sonic noticed, spent their journey across state lines watching giant mech battle it out against super-powered alien creatures in the Pacific Ocean. Sure, everyone but Shadow had seen the movies already, and even if Sonic hated the idea of an entire battle happening in the open sea, he couldn’t deny the thrill of the dramatic music and the sheer epic-factor of those battle sequences. 

“Hey,” he muttered, nudging Shadow with the back of his paw. “Y’think we could pilot one of those together?” he nodded towards the tablet screen as the mechs on screen plunged down into the ocean, and Shadow gave him an odd look. 

“I’m not letting anybody in my head like that,” he finally whispered back, sharp as ever. 

Unfortunately for Shadow, Sonic was used to his rebuttals. “Not hearing a no, though!” 

Shadow sighed, and Sonic had to stifle his snicker behind his own paw. 

Halfway through their agonizing journey, they stopped for lunch right before they hit the miles upon miles of dry hills that made up Northeastern Washington. They skipped Spokane, too busy for anybody’s preference, and wound up at a tiny diner in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but rolling hills and a few scraggly trees. 

And, blessed be, Tom and Maddie let all four of them out of the car. 

With a promise to be back in ten minutes, Sonic and Shadow went skidding off into the hills, both breathing sighs of relief at the wind in their quills and the freedom to burn off some energy. Neither said much, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. Running side by side, at least, was an easy constant state for them to exist in. 

Sadly, they did have to return before either were even vaguely winded, and they joined the others at a rustic picnic bench outside under a dingy, sun-bleached umbrella. The burgers were lackluster, a little too salty, but the fries were perfect, and they were able to take some greasy little cheesecake bites to go. 

With very little to keep him entertained out the window, Sonic did end up drifting off for a couple hours in the endless stretch of beige hills. His legs weren’t flopped over Shadow anymore, his feet instead propped up on the center console with Tails’, but that just let him lean against Shadow’s shoulder as he dozed, the quiet sounds of another movie chosen by Tails and mostly only watched by Knuckles and the fox lulling him to sleep. 

The second half of the extensive drive felt somehow twice as long as the first, mostly likely due to everyone getting a little sore and a little irritable. When Tom and Maddie planned the whole trip, they’d considered cutting the drive in half, and Sonic couldn’t remember why they’d chosen to drive for literally an entire day. He would’ve rather literally pushed the car himself, but when his parents set their minds to something, there was no changing their mind. 

Sonic didn’t wake up until they stopped for dinner, in another shabby little town on the edge of the Columbia Gorge. The sun was already sinking low, but even in his hazy state, Sonic couldn’t deny the view of the mighty river below them. Shadow too seemed intrigued by the river, creeping towards the edge of the parking lot they’d settled in. 

Sonic knew why they were avoiding the larger towns. It was the same reason they were always told to check who was at the door without revealing themselves, the same reason Sonic never caught Tom or Maddie watching the news on the family TV, the same reason they were driving instead of flying. Sonic knew Shadow knew as well, or at least suspected, knew that he was the cause for the subtlety of their journey. 

It wasn’t that GUN hadn’t tried to reach out. They’d sent an officer in classic GUN grey to the Wachowski doorstep about two weeks prior, but he hadn’t made it across the threshold. As he didn’t outright accuse them of anything, nobody really had to lie, but that night Shadow hadn’t slept a wink. Instead, he spent the night curled up at the very end of the couch, his paws curled harshly against his shins. That night, Sonic tried so hard to stay awake, but in the morning, he’d woken up to his face in the couch cushion and, blessedly, Shadow in the exact same spot he’d been when Sonic drifted off. 

It wasn’t just the one time, either. Sonic knew, thanks to Tails, of the handful of attempts to access the Tom and Maddie’s phones remotely, of the attempts to breach their in-home WiFi, of the two odd packages with very obvious bugs that only made Tom laugh before he tossed them off to Knuckles, who gladly smashed the little devices to bits. 

So it was obvious why they were taking the most boring, least attention-drawing route. But knowing didn’t make it any easier. It didn’t curb the concern that haunted Sonic, haunted the whole family, but worst of all, haunted Shadow. And Sonic noticed it in moments when Shadow thought he wasn’t being watched, the way he’d eye the door or the windows, the way his fur bristled at the ring of a phone or when Wade and his mother dropped by for a surprise dinner. He noticed it in the way Shadow spent so many nights alert, so obviously on guard. 

Sonic hated every second of it, but he didn’t know how to combat it. All he could do was add things he discovered Shadow liked to the grocery list, goad Shadow into running through the mountains or tussling in the yard, force Shadow into hours of terrible TV while Sonic ran live commentary and kept a leg thrown over Shadow’s lap. 

It didn’t rid Shadow of the distant look he wore, sometimes, but it almost always pulled him back to the present for a reprieve. 

He barely noticed as they passed into far lusher forests, dark and shadowy and nothing but a blur in the growing dark of the night, the road weaving through foothills and between short rocky faces, their path literally carved through the hills until they finally broke free to drive along the banks of the Columbia again, although this time it was so flat and wide it looked more like a lake than a river. 

Finally, when everybody but Maddie, Sonic, and Shadow were back to napping, and Sonic was barely present at all, the truck pulled into a small gravel driveway. There wasn’t a single light in sight, the nearest house blocked by the slanted, wind-blown trees, and at first, nobody moved when the car stopped. Tom, Knuckles, and Tails woke quickly when Maddie shut the engine off, and everyone stumbled out of the car in a messy heap, Sonic tripping over Shadow’s heels in his haste. To his surprise, Shadow didn’t even snap, just yanked his foot back and shot Sonic a look that was more curious than annoyed. 

And- oh, man. Okay, so maybe the endless driving was worth it for the view behind them. He’d been so busy lost in his own head thanks to the hours spent in mildly claustrophobic monotony, to notice the dark scenery. Now, though, Sonic followed Shadow as they were both pulled back towards the road they’d just arrived on. 

“Careful, you two!” Maddie called, but her voice was stolen away by the wind whipping around them. 

It was nothing like the winds in the valley back home; this was sharp and cold and pulled at Sonic’s fur and yanked on his quills as he stumbled to the edge of the road with Shadow. They didn’t cross it, just stood side by side and stared out at the view. 

The ocean at night was a strange, dark sight. The moon was still barely a wedge, waxing but curved and too narrow to shed much light, but Sonic spotted a few distant lights out on the water. Boats, maybe? 

“I get it now.” 

Sonic snapped out of his reverie (his focus was not present, did driving for prolonged periods of time cause actual brain damage?) and glanced over at Shadow. His red eyes still faintly glowed in the dark, just as they always did, and they were wide as he stared out into the inky black sea, his mouth parted but not hanging open. 

“What’chu get?” Sonic had either missed an entire sentence, or Shadow was being just a touch too cryptic for Sonic’s comprehension. 

Shadow didn’t look at him once, eyes fixed on the invisible horizon. “Why you asked about the beach when we were on top of a mountain.” 

Sonic’s eyes actually bugged out of his face in surprise, and his mouth did drop open. That’s what Shadow was thinking about? Until the moment Shadow said it, Sonic completely forgot about those words, and the fact Shadow remembered sent something spinning through Sonic’s stomach. 

Instead of admitting to that, he said, “Why’s that?” Shadow wasn’t the only one who could question motives, after all. 

But Shadow didn’t have the time to answer before Tom came jogging over to call them back to the car to help unload. Sonic watched Shadow’s gaze linger, but they both pulled away from the sight and returned to the truck. 

Their rental cabin was sort of dingy, full of yellowing lamps and weird driftwood art and orangey wood slatted walls. The whole house was shaped like a point (an A-frame house, as Tails called it). Ozzy had already made himself at home on the ratty rug by a little pellet stove already switched on and warming up. Tom directed Sonic and Shadow to bring the cooler and grocery bags inside, Knuckles distributed everyone’s go-bags, and Tails and Maddie figured out the weird, automatic lockbox outside the entryway. 

Once the truck was empty and locked and everything was moved inside, they all lingered in the kitchen, the little living room just beyond it with steep stairs leading into a shadowy upstairs. It was barely big enough for them, lit only by a light above the sink and the stove light, plus the light coming from the lamps in the living room. 

“Alright, gang,” said Tom, snapping once to get everyone’s attention. “Now, I know we’re all tired, and that was a long, long journey, but we made it!” He paused for any cheering, but only Sonic managed a quiet fist-pump. Tom didn’t let it slow him down. “First off, sleeping arrangements! There’s two bedrooms upstairs. Mads and I are gonna be in one, Knuckles and Tails, you guys good to take the other?” 

Tails gave a lazy thumbs up and Knuckles nodded. “I have brought my bag for sleeping and I found a spare cot when delivering our things,” he added, and Tom nodded. 

“Faster and fastest, you guys good to take the couch? Pretty sure it’s a futon, so it should fold down for more room.” Tom had a habit of that, coming up with matching nicknames when addressing Sonic with Shadow as one unit. The problem was he never specified who was who, and it was a point of great contention between Sonic and Shadow, even if neither would admit it. And the fact Tom apparently just assumed they’d share… Sonic wished he could feel embarrassed if it wasn’t such a reasonable assumption. 

“We are futon-feelin’ it!” he said instead with a salute, and when he noticed Shadow’s sidelong grimace at the words Sonic flashed him a half smile and a wink, just to watch Shadow huff and look away again. 

“Next,” Tom continued, easily ignoring the silent challenge between the two hedgehogs, “Is staying connected! Everyone got their communicators?” 

Tom and Maddie both checked for their phones, Knuckles checked inside his glove, Tails double-checked the small device clipped to the strap of his backpack (despite the fact he was the one to hand out the little com units), and Sonic and Shadow both double checked up in their quills. When everyone showed proof, Tom gave another nod. 

“Then it looks like we’re ready to party!” He paused, glancing around. “Anybody have any questions?” 

Everyone shook their heads, then Sonic thought of something. “Do we have a curfew on vacation? We don’t, right?” He leaned forward eagerly, flashing his widest, most endearing smile. 

Tom and Maddie shared a look, and shrugged, and then Maddie turned to say, “If you all promise to actually get some sleep, there’s no curfew.” 

“But there better not be any attitudes tomorrow at breakfast,” Tom added. “We’re here for rest and relaxation, don’t you all forget that! And lastly, try to stay out of trouble. I don’t want anyone running off into town alone, got it? We’re keeping a low profile here.” 

All four nodded, even Shadow. 

After a few more details (like the door code, which snacks were to be saved, that sort of thing), Tom and Maddie headed upstairs, and Sonic could see the way Tom’s posture worsened with each step, the way his back turned stiff when he thought he was almost out of view. 

“Hey, Knucks,” Tails broke the silence, nudging the echidna. “You wanna help me put up some security bots?” 

Sonic beat Knuckles to the punch before he could agree. “You brought... security robots to our beach vacation?” 

Tails shot Sonic a look. “Uh, yeah? Don’t worry, it’s just for some low-frequency monitoring and a basic limited perimeter proximity alert. It’s just for- you know.” Tails shot a look at Shadow, then at Sonic. 

Sonic blinked, and Knuckles took the chance to step in, and the two disappeared quickly, which was… actually sort of suspicious. They hadn’t left Sonic out, exactly, but it was still odd that they didn’t ask for his help. He could’ve placed a dozen bots before they could even place one! At least Shadow was acting normal (his normal), standing silently beside Sonic with his arms crossed. 

“That was weird, right?” he shot a curious look to Shadow, brows drawn together. “I’m pretty sure that was weird.” 

Shadow shrugged. “No one in your family is normal.” 

“Ha!” Sonic had to laugh at that. “You’ve got us there.” The distant sound of the wind caught his attention and he perked up. “Wanna go explore?” 

Sure, it was a vague request, but Shadow gave in easily, and they also headed out the door, making sure to enter the code (which only Shadow, curse him, remembered). 

One perk to the little communicators Tails handed out the day before was their tracking abilities. Normally, Sonic didn’t really like the idea of being tracked, and Shadow had worn that familiar too blank stare, the one he got when he was genuinely uncomfortable and hiding it from everyone else. Luckily, Tails was able to ease their worries. Only Tom and Maddie would have their locations, and he’d installed a verbal and a written failsafe, just in case. It would shut all tracking abilities off, and while to some it might’ve seemed over the top… well, when Shadow was the first to accept the device, Sonic couldn’t not follow suit. 

Now, he appreciated the ability to just slip away without having to run up to tell Tom or Maddie or anyone else. 

For once, Sonic let Shadow lead, even if he didn’t make it obvious. He just followed Shadow’s brisk, sliding pace towards the dark shore again. This time they didn’t pause at the road, dashing across it and down the grassy cliff that fell away into an endless strip of stones, all soft-edged and rounded from dozens upon dozens of tides. Shadow’s easy skating turned into a series of rapid hopes across the rocks, the ground too uneven for his usual gait style, and Sonic gained a few feet on him, reaching the dry edge of the beach first. 

He might’ve cheered, but the wind was too loud and it stole his voice before he even tried, even as he spun on his heel to catch Shadow’s gaze in the dark. He spun around again just as quickly and dashed off towards the white-noise of the surf. In a blink he was at the edge, icy, dark water rushing up to meet his toes, immediately soaking through his shoes and socks. The cold was enough to make Sonic yelp, and he raced back to dry land, barely avoiding crashing into Shadow as Shadow slid to a halt before getting his shoes wet. 

“That is very cold!” Sonic laughed, shrill and breathless, hopping around as his shoes squelched. 

“It’s the Pacific ocean,” Shadow muttered, almost too low to hear above the winds. “It’s late September. What did you expect?” 

Sonic shot him a dirty look, rolling his eyes. “Oh, so now you’re an expert on water temperatures?” 

Shadow shut him down, already turning away. “Your brother shared some basic facts while you were asleep.” 

A little chagrined, Sonic sighed. “If you’re gonna be a know-it-all, I guess we might as well just head back and not use these super long, super empty miles upon miles of beach to race…” 

“No-” Shadow stopped himself, but the immediate response was enough. He glowered at Sonic’s smug grin. “Just run,” he said, after a beat. 

“Can’t argue with that, even if it’s a bit bossy!” And Sonic wasted no more time before he kicked off into the darkness, a perfect line in parallel to the waves. 

As open and vast as the plains of Montana were, they rarely remained flat for long, mostly rolling into easy hills, which were sort of like a rollercoaster and therefore plenty enjoyable. He loved the up and town momentum, the natural variance in his speed, no matter how slight. Variety meant challenge, meant staying light on his toes and adapting to the ground below him no matter the need. 

This was entirely different. The ground was perfectly flat in every sense, the sand compacted and leveled by the waves to their left, colder than the air and hard on their feet. Without any city lights and with a too-weak moon, the ocean was inky and dark and impossible to read. But, in turn, the sky lit up with the faint stars, the wispy dark clouds only invisible smudges of sky with nothing to light it. 

The only thing Sonic could think to compare it to was the emptiness of space, of the cold void that offered no resistance as he rocketed upwards, upwards, chasing revenge so close he could taste it before he slammed his opponent down with every intention to kill.

But there was no bloodthirst here, just a burning desire to go faster, faster, to push himself until even the wind couldn’t keep up, until the only thing that could possibly match his speed was Shadow, keeping perfect time no matter how hard Sonic pushed himself. 

They hit water in minutes, fresh, not salt, but at the speed they were going, neither even flinched, tearing across the mouth of the river side by side; matching twin streaks of brilliant light against the pitch black canvas of the endless sea.

They ran past the dim lights of houses and street lamps, a stretch of civilization leading to a few dry, sandy dunes at the end of a peninsula. Sonic eyed the dunes seconds before they hit them, and right as they crested the first sandy slope, he ducked into a spin and slammed into Shadow beside him, and they went rolling down into the dry sand and over the next dune. 

It was practically tradition now, bowling each other over during their high-speed chases, and Shadow was quick to respond. He met the attack with ease, latching onto Sonic’s shoulders and getting a knee between them, pinning Sonic down as they slid across dry sand. 

Using their momentum, Sonic flipped over backwards, sending Shadow face-first into the sand and giving Sonic just enough time to get a fisted paw between Shadow’s quills, slamming into his back to wind him and give Sonic a chance to escape, zipping up the side of another small dune, laughing when he heard a snarl and the woosh of Shadow’s shoes kicking into overdrive. He didn’t bother defending himself when Shadow came hurtling towards him, just hooked an arm around Shadow’s shoulders and grabbed his arm with one paw, tipping them backwards and sending both hedgehogs rolling through the dry sand and across a stretch of damp sand, all the way to the water’s edge. 

His plan worked, too, Shadow rising up over him, knees on each side of Sonic’s chest, ready to strike only for Sonic to yank himself out from under Shadow, leap up, and send a solid, roundhouse kick directly to Shadow’s back. It was enough to catch Shadow off guard and he went flying forward into the icy surf, Sonic cackling as a foamy wave came crashing into Shadow just as he managed to get back on his feet. 

Of course, Sonic realized his mistake only seconds later when Shadow slammed into him again, the spray of saltwater from his fur catching Sonic and stinging his eyes, wet sand grinding between where their forearms braced against one another. 

“You’ll pay for that,” Shadow growled, his eyes alight even in the darkness, his teeth bared in a fearsome snarl, even as he shook the water from his muzzle. Even in the dark he was a sight to behold, eye-catching in a way that never failed to take Sonic’s breath away. 

Sonic couldn’t help the growl that rumbled in his chest as he pushed back against Shadow, caught in a battle of strength. “You’ll have to catch me first!” He released his own push against Shadow with no warning, stepping to the side and letting Shadow stumble forward as Sonic turned on his heel and hurled himself into the wind, not daring to look back. He knew Shadow would follow him. 

They ran back the way they came, and Sonic called upon every ounce of his own strength and power, building up in a heated tension in his core, his shoes barely touching the sand as he raced along the shoreline. When he caught sight of the mouth of the river again, he exhaled and released every last spark of his own energy, flinging himself into speeds he so, so rarely got the chance to use. The sonic boom from his sudden boosted speed echoed through the night, and he nearly flew over the mouth of the river, beating Shadow to the other side before Shadow even reached the opposite bank. 

Running across water was easy now, after all. Sure, they’d only spent one afternoon practicing together, but it paid off.  Now, Sonic enjoyed the extra challenge. 

Sonic didn’t relent his sound-breaking speed until he caught sight of vaguely familiar shoreline, a flash of blue of Tom’s truck to his left and he came to a violent stop, kicking damp sand up and scratching a streak across the previously smooth shoreline. 

There was enough time for Sonic to fully turn and watch Shadow slide to a stop beside him, looking delightfully indignant as he glared at Sonic and stalked over, fists clenched, until he was fully up in Sonic’s business. 

“What was that?” he hissed, eyes narrowing to slits, head tilted as he stared at Sonic with that unique intensity that never failed to rile Sonic up. 

But as intense as Shadow could be, Sonic could be just as difficult. “Oh, my little power-up?” he grinned, stretching his paws out and tucking them behind his head, elbows to the dark sky, as he met Shadow’s glare with a lazy smile. “Did I never mention I could do that?” 

Shadow continued to stare at him with his teeth bared, but his jaw slowly relaxed and eventually, he stepped back, his gaze losing the heat as curiosity crept in. “I don’t remember you being able to do that before.” 

“Weeeell, it takes work to kick it up a notch without the Emerald, and I don’t usually need it.” He spun around once to make sure they weren’t too close to the water, then flopped down onto the sand, falling fully backwards against the hard, cool surface, his arms and legs spread out. “And it’s a little different in super form, makes sense you wouldn’t have noticed. Pretty sick though, huh?” 

Shadow stared down at him with that same curiosity, an expression he’d worn often in the recent weeks. It was always at the oddest of times, like when Sonic showed him how the laundry machine worked. It never lasted this long, gone by the time Sonic did a double-take, but for once it lingered as Shadow stood over him, arms folded. 

Without the moon or bright sky to frame him, Shadow blended well into the darkness, save for the red of his eyes and the warm tones of his highlights, the faint stars never shedding enough light to halo his form. He continued to stand over Sonic wordlessly, even if his glare had mostly dissipated. 

After another moment, Sonic shifted, hiding the mild discomfort curling in his stomach under that heavy stare. “This is so not your angle, dude,” he said, just for good measure, and Shadow huffed a sigh, rolling his eyes as he finally sat down on the sand next to Sonic. When he didn’t join Sonic all stretched out, Sonic popped upright so they weren’t quite so mismatched. 

“At least you live up to your name.” 

Sonic blinked, ears crooked. “Huh?” 

“Your name,” Shadow repeated, shooting a side-long look. “And your… power up.” 

Sonic snapped his fingers, finally connecting the dots. “Right! What, did you think I couldn’t live up to my own name?” 

Shadow shook his head. “Never said that.” 

“Oh, so you do think I live up to my name?” He leaned closer, falling down to prop himself up with one paw in the sand, his chin resting on his own shoulder as he gazed unabashedly at Shadow. 

The slight wrinkle between Shadow’s eyes and the way he leaned ever so slightly away was exactly the reaction Sonic hoped for. “I just said you do,” Shadow muttered, but after the sheer amount of time they’d spent together, it seemed Shadow knew that some arguments were better left unspoken. 

His smile growing, Sonic continued, voice light. “Not all of us can be named as obviously you, Shadow. ” 

Shadow’s glare was far more of a pout, his forehead wrinkled in confusion, his ear twitching. “What does that mean?” 

“You know…” Sonic trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his paw as he sat back, though he didn’t move any further away. “You’re all… dark and brooding and ha- ah, mysterious. So your name is kind of an obvious choice.” 

To his surprise, instead of meeting Sonic’s teasing, Shadow looked away, his knees pulling up to his chest and his arms wrapping around his shins, his silent defenses going up. In the darkness he seemed to shrink, and on instinct and muscle-memory, Sonic mirrored his pose, moving close enough to keep their shoulders pressed together. It was their most frequent form of contact outside of their wrestling, outside of winding up with their limbs overlapping in sleep. 

As much as Sonic wanted to ask, he held his tongue. With no rebuttal, he hoped if he gave Shadow the chance, he might explain himself if Sonic was patient. And it paid off, minutes, hours, centuries later, when Shadow blew out a soft exhale and tilted his face up to the night sky against the breeze. It had weakened as they ran, now something gentle as it curled between them and raced along the sands. 

When he spoke, Shadow’s voice was hushed, the same soft tone Sonic so rarely heard, the one he could guess only one other pair of ears was ever blessed with, and there was nothing left of her but the pain in Shadow’s eyes and the tiny, trivial details he sometimes let slip. 

“I was named after Project Shadow,” he said, eyes still fixed on the faint stars above them. “The scientists had no real use for naming me, but the professor…” he trailed off, tension pulling at his jaw. “He was the first to use it for me. I assume that’s why she used it, too.” 

“Maria?” Sonic knew the answer to that question; there was nobody else it could possibly be. But he still asked it, if only for the taste of the girl’s name in his mouth. It was rare he had a chance to say it, had a chance to watch the way Shadow reacted. This time, his mouth tugged in a tiny, invisible smile. 

Shadow nodded, eyes falling shut as Sonic watched him fall into his own memories. This was another rare sight, as Shadow rarely, if ever, let his guard down. He was always so aware of everything around him, always eyeing the nearest exits or watching over his shoulder. But sometimes, if it was just the two of them, he let that slip away. 

“She had a better reason for the name,” he continued. “She would say that darkness would always be darkness, no matter where it went.” He paused, finally looking back up, this time out at the endless dark sea in front of them, at the little lines of white that defined each wave, the surf mellowing out as the winds died. “But a shadow will always lead the way to the light. She was always convinced I would be able to find my own way, even in that prison.” 

Silence hung between them again as Shadow stared into the nothingness and Sonic stared at him, his mouth parted and his eyes wide. “Guess we know where you get your poetic words from, huh?” Maybe it wasn’t the right thing, but it was all Sonic could think to say, or at least all he could think of that wasn’t actively tearing his heart out and handing it over. 

Luckily, Shadow only huffed, his version of a repressed laugh. “She read too many books. Nobody else thought of it that way.” 

“Hmm, maybe not,” Sonic muttered, still unable to look away. “But I think it fits.” 

Red eyes snapped to his, wide in the darkness, disbelieving. But to Sonic’s dismay, Shadow looked away again just as quickly, his brows furrowing. “Shut up, hedgehog.” 

“What-” Confused, Sonic leaned forward and around, dipping down into Shadow’s line of sight. “I’m serious! I think it fits! Poetry and all.” He refused to leave Shadow’s range of vision till Shadow looked at him, and maybe the dark was just playing tricks, but Sonic could swear he saw a blush darkening Shadow’s muzzle. Satisfied, Sonic sat back, leaning against his paws. 

“I’m glad that even if you were surrounded by crappy scientists and Eggman’s creepy grandpa, at least you had her.” It wasn’t the first time Sonic thought that, but it was the first time he voiced the thought. “I’m glad you weren’t alone,” he added, a little softer. 

Beside him, Shadow was silent, but Sonic caught him staring wide-eyed a moment before he looked away from Sonic again. They kept doing that; catching each other staring. But unlike the first few days, Shadow never called Sonic out on it anymore, and Sonic… well, he didn’t have a death wish, thank you very much. 

He did, however, have an insatiable need to keep Shadow talking, no matter the subject. “Hey,” he nudged Shadow with an elbow insistently. “Do you see stuff that reminds you of her?” 

Shadow shot him a weird look, raising an eyebrow. “Stuff tha-” 

“You knooow,” Sonic interrupted immediately, leaning forward again, unable to sit still in one position for long. “I know the world is all upside down to you still sometimes, but there’s gotta be stuff that makes you think about her, right? Other than, you know…” he waved a paw in the air, vague as ever. “Other than all the time you already think about her.” 

At least Shadow looked like was actually considering the question, his eyes falling to the sand in front of them, to the tips of their toes digging into the stuff. “Sometimes,” he admitted, but didn’t say anything else. 

Sometimes, getting Shadow to talk was an uphill battle. Lucky for Sonic, he was fast enough to run straight up cliffs. “Do I ever remind you of her?” 

Shadow actually laughed at that. It was quiet, not the high-pitched little giggle he sometimes couldn’t control, but it was still a laugh. “Rarely,” he said, shaking his head, even as he avoided Sonic’s determined gaze. 

At Sonic’s indignant look, Shadow sighed, relenting. 

“You’re too hot-headed.” The look he gave Sonic was contemplative, assessing. “She wasn’t nearly as annoying as you.” 

Squawking, Sonic reached over and cuffed Shadow on the shoulder. “And I won’t ever let you forget it!” The glare he received was worth it. 

Still shaking his head, Shadow didn’t look away even when Sonic pulled his paw back into his own lap. “You would have liked her,” Shadow added, his face so painfully open, his eyes going distant. “And… she would have loved you.” 

And what could Sonic ever say to that? It was more than he had hoped for, so he let Shadow have his silence again, nothing but the faint whine of the wind and the white noise of the waves filling their ears. With nothing else to say (yet), Sonic fell back against the sand again. Only this time, he reached out and grabbed at Shadow’s shoulder, pulling him down too. Shadow resisted at first, then gave in, and they lay in the sand and stared up at the dark, dark sky, not close enough to touch but close enough Sonic could feel faint warmth radiating from Shadow all up and down his own arm. 

They lay there bathed in the white noise of the ocean, watching the stars twinkle weakly, neither saying anything or moving. Sonic considered reaching over to grab Shadow’s wrist, or his paw, whichever was closest, but he found himself frozen with impossibly strong inertia. As much as he wanted to reach out, there was some invisible force pinning his body down, cutting all his control of his own mobility and leaving Sonic frozen under the night sky. 

And maybe if he hadn’t been so distracted, he would’ve noticed just how close the waves were, the tide slowly creeping towards them every second. But as it was, Sonic was too busy not looking at the stars and trying to move his own paw with sheer force of will, and he didn’t notice the silent, dark wave that crawled up the sand, didn’t notice it until icy water crashed into their shoes and up their legs and over their chests, salt in his mouth and his eyes and his ears. 

Sonic leapt up in a panicked flash, sputtering as he struggled against the shallow water, sand and silt kicked up from the sudden current colliding with their bodies. Beside him, Shadow was equally graceless, scrambling backwards as the water soaked into his shoes, chased his paws, caught in his quills. 

And then as quickly as the wave arrived, it disappeared, pulling back to the ocean, running away as both hedgehogs spluttered in the sand. 

It hadn’t been deep, maybe half a foot at best, so it wasn’t like it was strong enough to pull them out to see. But it left both hedgehogs wet and sandy and coughing up sea foam, ears flattened as they crawled up to dry sand. 

“Never turn your back on the ocean,” Sonic muttered to himself as he stood up, shaking his quills to try and rid himself off the coarse, wet sand. “One rule! Never turn your back on the ocean! Well I’ll show you-!” He broke off with a snarl and a fist raised at the sea, shaking it in an empty threat. 

Shadow said nothing as he tried to claw wet sand out of his quills, shaking his paws and twisting his gold rings around his wrists. They made a crunching noise, sand embedded underneath and in his gloves, and a low growl of frustration rumbled in Shadow’s chest. 

Sonic sighed, giving up on his own attempt to clean up. “I guess that’s how we know it’s time to head back,” he sighed, flicking a last bit of water from his ear. “Wanna go see if Tom and Maddie packed hot chocolate and get all this gunk outta our fur?” 

Going off the slight perk in Shadow’s soggy, soggy ears, the suggestion was the right one, and they hurried off toward the light of the beach house, each step making wet squishing noises to Sonic’s amusement and Shadow’s horror.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, hot chocolate was indeed one of the many snacks packed in the grocery bags, and while Shadow went hunting for a towel to deal with their wet fur, Sonic dealt with an unfamiliar kitchen. Shadow returned after a few minutes with two towels and what looked like one of Maddie’s travel makeup bags. 

“Your brother gave me the… internet password,” he said, dropping the towels and the little travel bag on the counter and shoving a slip of paper in front of Sonic’s nose. “If we want to use the television.” 

“Wha- oh, Tails got us WiFi? Sick!” He spun around from where he was watching one of two mugs rotate in the microwave and snatched the piece of paper from Shadow’s paw, glanced at it, and set it on the counter, likely to be immediately forgotten. “What’s the bag for? Maddie giving you highlighter and eyeliner tips now?” 

His attempt to get a rise out of Shadow failed, but that was likely due to Shadow’s distraction as he scratched at the sand under the cuffs of his gloves. “It’s our brushes,” he said, flicking an ear in only mild annoyance. “But I’ll take them back if you-” 

“No no!” Immediately regretting his words, Sonic jumped forward, waving both paws. “If I gotta live with this sand for another minute in my fur I’m gonna lose it!” 

The microwave interrupted them before Shadow could reply, and Sonic spun around to swap out the mugs. Sure, microwaving mugs of milk and mixing the cocoa powder in with a fork wasn’t the way the universe intended hot chocolate to be made, but it worked! And a few minutes later, they settled on the rough rug placed in front of the pellet stove, damp towels hanging off their shoulders. The hot chocolate disappeared quickly as they warmed up, Sonic slurping noisily just to watch Shadow’s ears flick in displeasure before they set the empty cups on the floor. 

Now that they were both starting to dry off, both from the interior warmth and the two towels Shadow found (or, more likely, Tom or Maddie gave him), the sand had started to flake off where it could and impact their fur where it couldn’t. True to Shadow’s word, Maddie’s makeup bag contained both their sets of brushes, plus a little bottle of conditioning detangler, but all Sonic really cared about were the brushes. Only when he gripped the familiar blue handle, he realized just how wet his gloves still were, how his shoes still left wet footprints and seeped into the carpet underneath him. 

It was easy to yank off his shoes. Or, well, not easy , as wet sneakers were like vice grips on his poor feet, but that was something he’d done a million times beside Shadow. Shadow did the same, and they set their shoes to dry by the heat of the stove. What wasn’t easy was the next part: their gloves and socks. 

Despite sharing a sleeping spot for almost a month, despite their constant proximity and a million little shared moments, Sonic still hesitated. But he could feel the sand that somehow crept inside his gloves, could feel it under his short claws, could feel it chafing against his sensitive paw pads. 

Shadow, as he’d displayed before, did not have the same qualms. Just like when Sonic brought him home, Shadow stripped off his gloves and socks without a care in the world, dedicated and careful as ever as he unclipped each inhibitor ring, removed a piece of clothing, and clipped it back on immediately, even if Sonic could see the drying sand caked along the edges of the gold. 

Now, thanks to listening in on one extremely tense discussion between Tails and Shadow, Sonic knew what those rings did. He knew they were what kept Shadow’s power in check, and he knew Shadow hated to go without them. He didn’t understand the how, even if he really had tried to listen to Shadow’s stilted explanation as Tails scribbled notes, but it still made very little sense. 

He must have been staring again (as he always was, these days), because Shadow gave him a questioning look as he carefully laid out his gloves and socks so they could dry. Sonic just wrinkled his nose and almost stuck his tongue out, then caught that childish impulse and averted his gaze to stare down at his soggy gloves. 

How many times had he wanted to peel them off so he could reach out and feel Shadow under his paws, really feel him, without a barrier of fabric between their paws? How many times did the thought cross his mind? Too many to count, and always with an excuse not to, with a voice of reason reminding him of modesty and decency and… and what? 

What, exactly, was stopping Sonic? 

“-onic, are you- what is wrong with you?” Shadow’s voice filtered through Sonic’s buzzing thoughts, cutting through the slow-motion explosion threatening to break his chest open. Worse, Shadow looked genuinely concerned, and he’d paused where he must have been scrubbing at his paws with the corner of his towel that still hung around his shoulders, just like Sonic’s hung around his. 

“Sonic.” Shadow repeated his name again, this time leaning closer, peering at Sonic. 

Because his throat felt closed off and his breathing felt wheezy, Sonic did the only thing he could: he yanked off a wet glove and hurled it directly at Shadow’s face. It hit him square in the forehead, and was just wet enough that it stayed there, adhered to his fur, right in the point of his perfect red stripe. 

Both hedgehogs froze; Sonic with his second glove halfway off, Shadow with his eyes screwed shut, his paws hovering above his crossed legs. 

Neither spoke as Shadow delicately reached up and peeled off the glove, now inside out, lifted it in front of his face, eyed it, and then looked at Sonic. 

“Shadow-” Sonic started, panic creeping into his throat as he watched Shadow’s eyes narrow. “Shadow, don’t-!” He tried to defend himself by holding up his paws in front of face as Shadow reeled back to hurl the wet glove back where it came from… only the strike never came. 

When Sonic opened one eye and peeked around his own paws, he paused, or maybe the world paused; maybe time itself literally paused. 

Shadow was completely frozen, one bare paw raised, Sonic’s wet glove hanging limply from it, his inhibitor ring tilted where it hung on his wrist. His eyes were possibly the widest Sonic had seen them yet, his ears swiveled forward and frizzy as they dried in the warmth of the stove. And maybe it was thanks to the little roaring flame hidden behind thick glass or maybe it was something else entirely, but Shadow’s whole muzzle was flushed, all the way to the black of his fur, and Sonic wondered just how far it extended. But his paw- his other paw, the one not holding Sonic’s wet glove, bare and damp and sandy, hovered in front of Sonic’s wrist. 

He’d obviously been about to grab Sonic’s wrist, likely to yank it away so Shadow could beam him in the eyeball or something, but something stopped him, and now they were frozen in space and time. 

“Your paw pads are pink.” 

Sonic didn’t register the words as words, just white noise in his ears, or maybe that was the distant sound of the wind or the ocean? Whatever Sonic heard, it certainly wasn’t words. 

“I expected them to be…” Shadow was talking again, his halting words breaking off as he finally pulled his paw back, yet it stayed hovering, fingers curled, like he still wanted to reach out. 

Finally, Sonic managed to fight his way back to life, and he pulled his bare paw back against his chest, staring Shadow down. But Shadow wasn’t even looking at him, too busy fixated on Sonic’s paw. 

Very suddenly, Sonic had a striking thought. Could this be the first time Shadow saw another pair of paws like his? If he lived in a lab full of humans, did he ever have anything to compare his own to? Sonic knew what that was like, and he knew what it was like when he suddenly did have others like him. 

It was enough motivation to kick him into action. 

With more care than he exhibited in most areas of his life, Sonic tugged off his other wet glove, then reached down and pulled each of his socks off too. Unlike Shadow, he just tossed them to the floor somewhere near the little pellet stove. 

And then, carefully, he held his paws out in front of him, palms up, and offered them to Shadow. 

“You wanna take a look?” So long as Shadow kept his eyes on Sonic’s paws, maybe he wouldn’t see the fact that Sonic’s face was, very possibly, literally on fire. 

Shadow did glance up at his face once, briefly, but it was more of a reflex than comprehension. Just as quickly his gaze fixed back on Sonic’s paws. 

“You can- uh.” Sonic’s voice sounded strangled, and he had to clear his throat before trying again. “You can touch them, just- careful.” 

Even after being given permission, Shadow still hesitated. He reached out slowly, grabbing one of Sonic’s paws by the wrist and yanking it closer. Sonic almost winced, but the movement made him move even closer to Shadow so their crossed knees almost touched, so he bit his tongue and held it. 

Shadow held his paw with Sonic’s palm facing up, one dark paw clamped around blue while the other hovered, a single claw extended towards soft, peachy-pink paw pads. Sure, most of Sonic’s arms and paws were blue, but his palms and the inside of his fingers were the same peach as his belly and muzzle, short and soft around matching pink paw pads. His claws were dull, short and faded blue, not much to speak on at all. After eyeing the paw for a moment, Shadow flipped his own free one over, holding it up parallel to Sonic’s. Shadow’s paw, in comparison, was entirely black, pads and fur and claws and all. The red stripe ended on the outside of Shadow’s two middle fingers, and all five of his claws were retracted, hiding the sharp points; one of the many tiny differences in their biology. 

“We look the same,” Shadow muttered, and Sonic didn’t dare look up to his face. “But there are differences…” 

Unable to stay silent for much longer, Sonic said, “Red and black versus blue and pink, for one.” 

Around his wrist, Shadow’s paw tightened. “Not what I meant.” He relaxed his hold again just as quickly, and finally flipped his free paw over, his thumb brushing up against Sonic’s little finger. “Why don’t you ever take your gloves off?” 

Sonic blinked. “Oh it’s-” but he paused, dots connecting without his realization. If Shadow didn’t have anyone like him, he wouldn’t know, would he? “It’s… sort of like humans and their full coverage clothes, I guess. I didn’t grow up much around creatures like us, but Tails and Knuckles did, and even I sort of remember… something. I remember being taught to never take them off except with-” he paused again, watching Shadow inspect Sonic’s paw. He was so gentle as he dragged his sharp claw in between the paw pads, which sent a shiver up Sonic’s spine. 

“Except with…?” Shadow glanced up at him, questioning. 

“Family,” Sonic said, a little choked. “And- you know. Uh.” 

Shadow only stared at him, Sonic’s paw still trapped between his own. 

This was not something Sonic was prepared to teach Shadow. How to use the dishwasher? Sure. How to use the TV or the ice dispenser in the fridge? Also fine! But teaching Shadow about the intimacies that came with being non-human… that was something else entirely. But he also knew how important it was not to default to half-truths and white lies in this instance, and Sonic doubted this moment would ever arise again if he skipped it now.

“Holding someone’s bare paw is like kissing,” he said, and then immediately wished he could smack himself in the face. 

Shadow went very stiff very suddenly, his hold on Sonic’s paw tightening. “...What?” Sonic took comfort in the fact that at least Shadow sounded equally embarrassed (but he didn’t let go of Sonic’s paw). 

“Not the looking! Just the-” he stared down at their paws. “If it’s not between family, it’s… sort of only between- uh.” He gulped, and forced the final word out of his mouth like it tasted bitter. “Mates.” 

Shadow’s expression would've been comical if Sonic himself wasn’t so mortified. It didn’t help that Shadow still had his paw held captive, and Sonic really needed something to focus on before he said or did anything stupid. As it was, he still did something stupid, but that didn’t stop him. With his free paw, he fumbled around and snagged one of Shadow’s brushes, the bristly one, and held it up. 

“Wanna flip around? I’ll do your quills while you do your front.” It was a poor excuse to break the tension, but it worked. Shadow released Sonic’s paw and slowly turned around, snagging his own slicker brush to start on his arms and chest. 

It gave him something for Sonic to focus on, especially with the extra challenge of brushing out all the sand. He pulled the little communicator out of a particularly rough snarl in the dark fur, setting it aside and setting back to work. Sonic didn’t use any conditioner, mostly because there was just so much sand, but partially so he could drag it out. The fur around Shadow’s quills wasn’t as soft as the rest of him, but Sonic still relished the feeling against his paws, even dragging his short claws through it, barely brushing Shadow’s skin. 

It was slow and methodical work, and Sonic said very little, other than a few mutterings to himself as he worked through the fur. Shadow finished brushing his front before Sonic finished his back, and he turned a little to better face the warmth of the stove while Sonic worked. 

He was just working through the last bundle of quills at Shadow’s shoulder when Shadow spoke. 

“Your mother planned this trip.” 

Sonic paused his work, glancing around Shadow’s shoulder to see if he could catch his gaze, but he was unsuccessful. “Uh, yeah, though I think Tom helped.” 

Shadow’s face tilted town, his eyes unfocused. “But it was her idea.” 

Whether or not that was the case, Sonic didn’t know. They’d pitched it at a family dinner about a week prior, less of a suggestion and more of a simple run-down of the plan, with the only reason being that everyone deserved a bit of a vacation, especially since Tom would be returning to work shortly. 

“I asked her to.” 

The words settled over Sonic with little comprehension, the brush held in his paw hovering above Shadow’s quills. “Why’d you do that?” 

At first, Shadow didn’t reply, and Sonic set the brush back against his quills, returning to his grooming work. But there was an edge of worry creeping up his back, a nagging suspicion, the same dread that never really left Sonic these days, even if it was often too quiet to pay attention to. 

Under his paws, Shadow’s shoulders tensed, and he still didn’t look at Sonic. “She asked if I wanted to do anything before I-” 

“Before you what, Shadow?” He kept brushing as he spoke, even if the edge of worry was slowly growing, clawing at his ribs. He thought of Maddie glancing at Shadow that morning, thought of each tiny town they stopped in instead of hopping between the larger cities, thought of Tails bringing a security detail, thought of how secluded this little beach house was, thought of Tom’s request for them to stay away from the little coastal city they were just outside of. 

But Shadow said nothing. Instead, he pulled away from Sonic’s ministrations and held out a paw. “Turn around,” he said. 

“Shadow,” Sonic tried, but Shadow shook his head. 

“Let me brush you, Sonic,” he said, instead of finishing his sentence. And maybe, maybe if he’d hissed it, or if Shadow was glaring, or if Sonic didn’t feel like something was about to fall apart but he couldn’t figure out what, he would have argued. But instead, he simply turned around and let Shadow brush him. 

He’d wanted this plenty of times, after all. Thought about it while laying on the couch on the opposite end as Shadow, after rolling around in the grass together, as he stood in front of the mirror wrapped in a towel after a bath. And yet now the small win felt- empty. No, empty wasn’t the right word… it felt- 

It felt like when Shadow said thank you and then ran, when he slipped through Sonic’s paws and hid himself away even as he watched Sonic with earnesty. 

Once the suspicion lodged in his chest, there was little Sonic could do to fight it. But for the moment, he tried to ignore it in favor of the feeling of Shadow’s methodical work on his quills. Shadow was a little rough, yanking the brush through with more force than, say, Maddie or Tails might’ve used, but Sonic could tell he was trying to be gentle, and that counted for something. 

As he started working on the back of Sonic’s head, Shadow paused, and tugged something out of the blue fur, holding it up to the edge of Sonic’s vision. 

It was the broken red quill, bright as ever, casting a faint red glow against Shadow’s paw in the dim light of the cabin. 

“Why do you still have this?” Shadow didn’t sound accusatory, just curious. 

It was a brief distraction, at least, and Sonic reached over to pluck it out of Shadow’s paw. “Guess I just forgot it was in there?” That was a total lie and Sonic guessed Shadow would see right through him, but he could at least try. 

As expected, Shadow’s humm was disbelieving at best, but he didn’t push. Actually, now that Sonic noticed it, Shadow had been downright docile all day, not quite as quick to jump to his trademark fury at Sonic’s questionable actions. And maybe it wasn’t even just that day. It was like as Shadow’s strength returned, so did his self-control, and his allowance to let Sonic get away with… so very much. 

Sonic twirled the broken red quill between bare fingers, watching it spark against his paw pads with that delicious little zing, that oh-so familiar warmth. 

He wanted to ask Shadow again, ask him to finish his sentence, ask him to explain. But Sonic… also didn’t want his worry confirmed. For now, at least, he could set the red quill aside, grab his slicker brush, and set to work brushing out the rest of his fur. 

When he was satisfied and Shadow handed him his bristle brush again, Sonic tucked the red quill back in his own, shooting Shadow a look that dared him to comment. But Shadow just watched him with a strange look, a little distant and a little- longing, maybe? It didn’t help the concern rapidly building up in his chest, and Sonic turned away from it. 

“Let’s figure out this futon sitch’,” he said instead, hopping up and placing both paws on his hips. 

They managed to figure out how to fold down the wooden frame the futon rested on, then piled it high with blankets they found in a box underneath it. Sonic was just placing two pillows on one end when he realized this would be their first time intentionally sleeping side by side again since the first night together curled up on Sonic’s bed. It only made him hesitate for a moment before he went back to adjusting the blankets to make an acceptable sleeping spot. 

They were just spreading one final quilt at the foot of the futon when Tom came shuffling down the stairs, looking bleary but still smiling. 

“You kids gonna be okay down here?” he asked, to which Son turned and nodded, bobbing his full head. 

“Sure will be!” He leaned into Tom when he came up to give Sonic a sideways hug, glancing over at Shadow. 

“You need anything?” Tom asked, but didn’t look surprised when Shadow shook his head. “In that case, it’s bedtime for everyone, I think. If you need anything, we’re the door on the left upstairs.” After saying goodnight, he checked on the front door, turned off the kitchen light, and switched off the pellet stove, too.

He left as soon as he came, yawning as he took each squeaky wooden step into the darkness. Both hedgehogs hovered by the mess of blankets, waiting until they couldn’t hear any more footsteps before Sonic climbed in first, crawling over to the edge against the wall and burrowing under the blankets. He still felt a little sandy, but the blankets were soft on his bare paws, and he flopped over on his side as Shadow slid under the blankets as well. 

Unlike Sonic, Shadow lay on his back, staring up at the wood slats of the ceiling, nothing to illuminate his features but the palest, weakest moonlight from the window above their heads. But Sonic didn’t need light to look at Shadow; his was a face Sonic could’ve traced blindfolded. 

It was late enough they could go to sleep, if only for one small factor: Sonic wasn’t remotely tired. His car nap and the twisting worry in his stomach were plenty to keep him awake, staring at Shadow’s vague profile in the darkness. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes burned holes into the side of Shadow’s face for a few very, very long minutes, testing just how long he could get away with it. 

Shadow didn’t look at him when he gave in, but he did shut his eyes, hiding the faint red glow away from Sonic. “If you have something to say, just say it.” 

“I’m not the one who needs to say it,” Sonic shot back far too quickly. “Shadow-” 

His own name triggered life in Shadow, and he finally rolled over, staring back at Sonic from a few inches away; close enough they could be touching if they tried, but neither did. Not yet. 

Sonic opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue, but they just wouldn’t leave his throat. If he said it, it would be real, and the weeks they’d spent together would be for- for what? What was the point of it all if Shadow wasn’t- if Sonic was right, if he was right about what Shadow wasn’t saying, why did he draw it out for so long? 

And that thought sent a sudden spike of burning heat through Sonic, his bare paws itching between soft blankets, flexing his claws as his teeth ground together. Shadow noticed, obviously, Sonic watched him eye Sonic’s slowly growing snarl and his flat ears, but nothing was done to meet the frustration. Shadow only lay there, face neutral, shoulders a little slumped under their blankets. 

If they were upright, if they were running, if they were anywhere else, Sonic would’ve tackled Shadow without hesitation. It was their preferred way to work through things, after all, far better than any alternative. 

Like this, Sonic was only left with one option: ripping the bandaid clean off. 

“You’re not staying.” 

Three stupid words and they felt like bile in his mouth, souring even further each second Shadow didn’t contradict, didn’t deny. 

“Wait-” Sonic sat upright, the frustration buzzing through his limbs as he glanced at the stairs leading to whatever upstairs rooms the rest of his family were in. “Did Maddie- did you tell my mom before you told me?!” He tried to keep his voice quiet, a hissed, sharp whisper, but it was hard to control his voice when his head felt like it was spinning out of orbit.

“I didn’t tell her,” Shadow finally said, though he didn’t sit up with Sonic. When Sonic whipped around to glare, Shadow sighed. “...But she guessed. And I didn’t deny it.” 

“That’s what this stupid trip is,” Sonic muttered. His paws clenched and unclenched around the blanket in his lap as he stared down at Shadow beside him. “This is a goodbye trip.” 

“That’s not-” 

“Don’t lie to me!” Finally, Sonic’s temper burst, overflowing in his chest and racing like fire over his whole body, the need to move too strong. In a flash, he turned and pounced, slamming his paws into Shadow’s shoulders. “You’re leaving after- after everything?” 

Shadow didn’t bother fighting back, and Sonic hated it. He’d kicked their blankets off as he moved, kneeling over Shadow as he pinned him to the futon, hovering above him with his teeth bared. And Shadow just looked up at him with wide, beautiful, sparkling red eyes, doing nothing to resist his capture. How many times had Sonic pinned him down like this? The feeling of Shadow’s body under him was entirely known, like they fit like puzzle pieces, and it drove Sonic to near madness. 

“You’re angry,” tried Shadow, his tone that civil diplomacy he used with Sonic’s family, the one that meant he was appeasing whether he wanted to or not, the one he didn’t use with Sonic.  

“I’m not angry!” Sonic snapped, pressing harder on Shadow’s shoulders, knees clenching around Shadow’s ribs. “I’m-” he broke off with a hiss, averting his gaze to stare down at the white fluff at Shadow’s chest. 

“Yes you are.” Shadow still wasn’t fighting back, but Sonic felt his paws come up to loosely wrap around Sonic’s wrists. “Don’t say you’re not, or you’ll be the one lying. You’re angry I didn’t tell you? Angry that I’m leaving?” he scoffed, quietly, but at least it was genuine. “Fine, be angry. Be angry with me!” 

His taunting forced another growl from Sonic’s throat, pressing harder, leaning closer, his breath turning short and harsh, but no words fell from his twisted lips. 

“I’m leaving,” Shadow repeated, and as harsh as his tone was, his paws around Sonic’s wrists were a caress, gentle and warm. “I’m leaving because I can. ” 

“But why?” Sonic spat, and he hated the hitch in his chest, the desperation edging at his voice. “Aren’t you happy here? With-” he bit his tongue, tasting copper and heat. 

Shadow’s brows shot up, another sharp exhale blown in Sonic’s face. “You think I’m not happy? Don’t be an idiot.” 

“Then why-” Sonic pulled back for all of a second, but it was all Shadow needed. In a move used a dozen times, Shadow hurled himself upright, rolling them over and swapping their position, finally fighting back. But while Sonic could (just barely) outrun him, Shadow had the upper hand in strength, and he pinned Sonic down even as Sonic squirmed, clawing at Shadow’s sides, raking through his plush fur with bare claws. 

“You think I’m leaving because I’m not happy?” He scoffed again, tossing the empty laugh at Sonic as he struggled under Shadow’s paws. “You are the first thing to make me happy in fifty years,” he snarled, spitting the words in Sonic’s face. 

“Then why are you leaving?” Sonic gave up trying to escape, choosing instead to dig his claws into Shadow’s waist, not caring if he broke the skin. A very small part of Sonic hoped he’d cause lasting damage. 

But Shadow’s hold on him was unbreakable, unflinching even if he did feel any pain. Yet his claws didn’t prick at Sonic’s shoulders, even if his hold was unyielding. “Because I can, because you fixed me, because you taught me to choose better for myself. Don’t you get it, yet?” 

“No!” Sonic shot back, barely remembering to keep his voice lower than an all-out shout. 

Shadow hissed at him, leaning in until their chests almost brushed, until their muzzles shared the same hot little bubble of air. “Three times now, I’ve accepted my miserable fate. That I am destined for nothing but pain and revenge and- and emptiness. That’s what weapons deserve.” 

Sonic recoiled at the words, his anger flickering. “You’re not a-” 

“I know that!” Shadow’s voice was still low, but the ferocity was evident, literal sparks catching at the corner of his eyes. “You’re the one that convinced me of that.” 

“But you’re still leaving,” Sonic muttered, grinding his teeth together. 

“Because I can,” Shadow repeated. “For the first time, I can leave, I can choose for myself. I’ve never had that freedom until now.” 

And the previous hitch finally caught fully in Sonic’s throat, his frustration turning to true despair as he said, “Then choose to stay.” 

Instead of snarling or striking, instead of more harsh words, Shadow’s head fell until their foreheads pressed together hard enough to bruise, his eyes falling shut as he curled over Sonic. 

“Don’t make me,” he whispered, and- 

And that was it, really, because as frustrated as Sonic was… he did understand. He was pissed off with Shadow for hiding the truth for however many days, pissed off that Shadow didn’t want to stay, pissed off he wouldn’t have Shadow within grabbing distance at all times. 

But he would never ever deny Shadow his freedom. He’d chase him to the ends of the Earth, sure, if Shadow wanted to leave for idiotic reasons like being a danger or because of what he’d done in the past. But if Shadow just wanted… to choose for himself? To go experience the freedom he’d never been given the option to choose? 

Then Sonic would let him. As much as he selfishly wanted Shadow all to himself, it wouldn’t be fair to either of them. 

His claws slowly relaxed against Shadow’s waist, creeping up to wrap around his back instead, palms flat in dark, thick fur. He pressed closer, smashing his forehead into Shadow’s as his eyes squeezed shut as well, like maybe they could literally melt into each other by force if Sonic tried hard enough. Maybe the energy that burned through their veins, the energy they shared , could keep them tied together long enough for neither to ever utter a goodbye. 

“You should’ve just told me,” he muttered, practically speaking directly into Shadow’s mouth they were so close. 

And this time, Shadow’s breathy little huh-huh of a laugh was genuine, if a little strained. “You’d’ve talked me out of it,” he murmured, pushing even closer until their noses rubbed together, the fur between their foreheads hot and staticy as Shadow moved his head back and forth. 

Finally, Shadow did sit back, pushing off Sonic’s chest. And- oh, okay, this was new. Sure, they’d wound up straddled around each other’s waists plenty of times, usually moments before someone got their lights knocked out, but it was never like this. Shadow didn’t climb off him yet, just sat there, still pinning Sonic’s legs down, Sonic’s paws falling to Shadow’s hips. 

They seemed to realize the implications of the position at the same time, and Shadow hurriedly rolled sideways, falling back into the mess of blankets. They pointedly avoided each other's gazes as they did their best to rearrange their blankets and lay back down, both winding up on their backs with their paws firmly planted at their sides. But that tension only lasted for a moment; now that Sonic knew his time was limited (even if he didn’t know what that limit was), he wasn’t going to waste it. 

He’d forgotten, sort of, that they were both still gloveless. But when he reached over and fumbled until he found Shadow’s arm, the feeling of soft fur under his fingertips reminded him, and it almost stopped him. Almost. Instead, he felt around until he found Shadow’s wrist, and he curled a single finger underneath one inhibitor ring and pulled. It unceremoniously yanked Shadow’s paw closer, so Sonic could crawl his own fingers up and up until he could slide their palms together and cling . It was probably too rough, squeezing so tightly it hurt, but Sonic didn’t care, and Shadow didn’t stop him. 

They lay there in the dark, saying nothing, not looking at each other, until their paws were a little clammy and Sonic had to subtly reach over with his free paw to scratch at his wrist. 

Beside him he heard Shadow mumble something inaudible, and when he didn’t repeat it, Sonic tugged on his paw insistently for him to repeat himself. 

Shadow sighed, but whispered into the hazy darkness surrounding them, “...Like kissing, you said?” 

The words were muffled, barely more than a mumble, and suddenly Sonic very much wished he’d kept his mouth shut earlier. Instead, he reached above his head with his free paw until he got ahold of his own pillow, then whipped it around and slammed it into Shadow’s face. 

As he’d hoped, Shadow let out a yelp and a muted snarl, hurling the pillow back at Sonic with violent force, yanking his paw from Sonic’s as Sonic tried to push the pillow away. It devolved quickly when Shadow rolled on his side to try smothering Sonic, who couldn’t stifle his own shrill laugh, kicking at Shadow under the blankets. And as quickly as their roughhousing had ended, it began again, pawing at each other in the dark until the pillow wound up flung off the futon, landing somewhere on the floor, both hedgehogs curled towards each other on their sides. 

“You are such an-” Shadow hissed, but he stopped himself with a sigh, shaking his head as Sonic snickered into the very flat futon, seeing as he no longer had a pillow of his own. 

“I’m a what?” he whispered back, inching a little closer and then giving in and reaching over to pull Shadow’s pillow out from under his head just enough Sonic could steal half. To his delight, Shadow let it happen, though he did very pointedly roll on his back, yanking his paw away from Sonic’s vicinity and clutching the blankets over his chest. 

“You’re an idiot,” he muttered, after a moment, and firmly closed his eyes in an obvious display of avoidance. 

Unfortunately for Shadow, Sonic only wiggled closer, curling up until his knees hit Shadow’s hip and his paws started to creep forwards, hooking around Shadow’s arm.

“Hey,” he whispered, leaning in close to whisper almost directly into Shadow’s ear. “Shadow.” 

Shadow ignored him. 

“Shaaadow,” he tried again, blowing extra air just to watch Shadow’s ear flick in annoyance. “Come on, Shadster, aren’t ya gonna at least say goodnight to me?” 

“If you ever call me that again, I’m telling your mother.” The matter of fact tone was so dry and so painfully neutral that it made Sonic snort with a hiccupy laugh. 

“Don’t bring up my mom when I’m about to ask you t-” But he stopped himself, teeth clacking together as he snapped his mouth shut. 

One single red eye slowly opened and glanced at Sonic. “When you’re about to ask me what?” 

“Well I’m not going to now, ” Sonic huffed, and he would’ve pulled away if it weren’t for Shadow’s opposite paw darting over and grabbing him, keeping him firmly at Shadow’s side. 

Shadow turned his head to meet Sonic’s gaze again, finally, the tips of their noses brushing. “Backing out?” 

“Backing o- I would never back out,” Sonic snapped, and he would’ve leaned closer if that were possible. 

Shadow raised a brow, stupid and challenging, smug and unbearably perfect. “Then ask me.” 

And even if he felt like he very well might throw up over it, Sonic propped himself up with his free paw, elbow on the pillow next to Shadow’s face so he could stare down at Shadow as he said, “Wanna kiss me like the humans do?” 

The facial journey Shadow went through alone was worth it. Even in the dark Sonic could see the blush as his eyes blew wide, pupils empty as the sea they’d run from in the darkness, ears trembling, mouth parted ever so slightly. Just as quickly, of course, he processed Sonic’s horrible word choice and his lip curled, face twisting in a grimace. 

Sonic tugged a little where Shadow still had his paw captive, trying his best for a smug look, even if he could feel how hotly his own muzzle burned. “I’m just saying, if you’re we’re gonna keep this-” he wiggled his fingers against Shadows, “-whole business up, we might as well go for a home run!” 

“A home… what?” Shadow sounded like he’d either just been strangled or he forgot how to breathe, but his eyes never left Sonic’s face despite his obvious agony. 

Momentarily distracted, Sonic sad, “Oh, man, did we forget to teach you about baseball? Come on, they had that in the sev-”

But he never finished his sentence. It died against Shadow’s mouth, trapped in what was, probably, a terrible kiss. It was too fast, Shadow yanking him down mid-sentence, his paw curled around Sonic’s head and Sonic could definitely feel the prick of claws there. (Which, oddly, wasn’t actually one of the factors that made it a bad kiss.) It was a bad kiss because neither knew what they were doing even as they melted into each other, teeth clacking painfully. Sonic tried to reach out to catch Shadow’s face with his free paw, the one that held him propped up, which sent Sonic falling into Shadow’s pillow. It took Shadow with him, and they fell apart with twin sounds of surprise, landing with their foreheads and muzzles pressed together. 

After a moment of dazed shock, Sonic whispered, “Do you think there’s a world record for worst first kiss?” 

And where Sonic expected a punch to the stomach or maybe a painful headbutt, he was instead faced with breathless, shrill, wonderful, open-mouthed laughter that shook Shadow’s shoulders and made his whole body tremble as he curled up and toward Sonic. For his part, Sonic could only grin so wide it hurt, enchanted by the sight before him. He was so enraptured that he let go of Shadow’s paw where they’d been resting on Shadow’s stomach and reached up to very carefully trace along the edge of Shadow’s muzzle, all round and bunched up from the high-pitched laughter. 

“Is a cute laugh part of the whole Ultimate Lifeform deal?” he asked, then had to bite his own lip to control his smile as Shadow’s laugh died down and he just- smiled.

“Shut up , hedgehog,” he said, but in that soft voice? With that smile and those eyes? Sonic wondered if he’d ever be able to hear those words the same ever again. 

And because he was, at heart, someone that would always go the extra mile, Sonic said, “Make me.” 

Unfortunately, his master plan failed miserably when all he got was a furry paw slammed over his mouth as Shadow tried some pale imitation of his usual indignant glare. The blush totally ruined it even if Sonic could barely see it. And while the move wasn't a first for them, it usually involved Shadow’s gloves. Which meant that usually, when Sonic bit down as hard as he could, there was a barrier of rough fabric between his teeth and Shadow’s bare paw. And, usually, when Sonic pulled this move, Shadow would yank his paw back with a snarl or a hiss or sometimes a yelp, if Sonic got a good bite. 

He did none of these things. In fact, he didn’t react at all. They lay there, side by side, Shadow’s paw clamped in Sonic’s mouth, eyes locked together. After way too long, Sonic yanked his head back and spat Shadow’s paw out, grimacing at the feeling of short fur against his tongue. 

“Not even a flinch,” he complained as he nestled back against the edge of Shadow’s pillow. “Is my all-mighty jaw strength not enough for you?” 

Shadow drew his paw back and wiped it on the blanket. “Your teeth are dull,” he said. “Just like your claws.” 

“Do not bring my claws into this!” Even if Sonic could hear the whiny tone in his voice, he honestly didn’t care. “Not my fault I’m stuck with default hedgehog settings.” 

“Default-” Shadow stared at him and Sonic just blinked. 

“You know, no dubious genetic upgrades?” 

Shadow snorted, brief and quickly smothered, but enough for Sonic to notice. “Nothing about you is the default.”

“Shadow!” Sonic shot upright, hovering over Shadow with a paw next to the pillow, eyes wide as could be. “That was an actual compliment!” 

Shadow’s shoulders climbed up as he rolled over enough to stare at Sonic face on, and with this kind of proximity it would be so easy for a re-do of their earlier disaster, all Sonic would need to do was dip down enough to-

A creak on the stairs shot through the silence of the little cabin, and Sonic very suddenly and very abruptly remembered where they were as he listened to a pair of footsteps stomp down each rickety wooden step. 

Thankfully, Shadow had the awareness to shove Sonic off with a paw to the chest just as Knuckles turned and strode over to the foot of the futon where he stopped and crossed his arms. 

“Uh-” Sonic wheezed, tried again. “H-hey Knucks, what’s up? Midnight snack time?” 

Knuckles stared at him with an impassive, bleary look. Judging by the state of his fur, he’d been snuggled up in his sleeping bag with the hood all the way up. When he spoke, his voice was a little too level. “Sonic,” he said, his eyes never leaving Sonic’s face where he was awkwardly propped up in the tangle of blankets around their legs. “The fox has headphones. I do not.” 

The words hung in the silent air. Distantly, Sonic noticed the continuous white noise of the ocean pause for a moment and then continue, perhaps a large wave breaking against the sands. 

Then- 

“What?!” Sonic yelped, and he thanked his lucky stars he was covered head to toe in beautiful blue fur that hid the way his entire body surely burst into flames.  

“You are not good at whispering,” Knuckles continued, to really add insult to injury. 

Sonic dearly wished for a tsunami, or maybe for the miraculous return of any relative of Eggman, literally anything to give him an excuse to run away. Instead, he could only nod and choke out, “Sorry, bro. We’ll uh, we’ll go right to sleep!” 

Knuckles held his gaze, nodded, and turned around. Without saying anything else he climbed back up the stairs, each footstep like the death toll of a bell. When Sonic heard the door upstairs slide shut, he finally unfroze, falling forward with his face in both paws to scream as soundlessly as he could. 

When he sat up again and turned to Shadow, he realized Shadow must’ve sat up when Knuckles arrived, too. He stared straight to the foot of the now-empty steps, completely expressionless until he caught Sonic looking at him. “I blame you ,” he said, raising an accusatory finger before he swung around and snagged Sonic’s pillow from where it had fallen to the floor. 

He flattened it in the spot behind Sonic, then forcibly rearranged the blankets over them and lay down, all while Sonic watched him with embarrassment, yes, but also just… fondness. He waited till Shadow was comfortable, back on his side and glaring at Sonic, before laying down next to him as close to the edge of his own pillow as he could. 

He almost said something, but was silenced when Shadow narrowed his eyes, glanced between Sonic and himself, then reached out to hook a paw behind Sonic’s ear and pulled.  

It took a moment for Sonic to realize what Shadow was doing, but when he did catch on, Sonic was quick to shuffle a little further down so he could tuck his nose under Shadow’s chin, burying his face in perfect, white fur as Shadow’s paw draped over his shoulder; the reverse of the last time they let themselves wrap around each other to sleep, a position they found themselves in more than once in recent weeks. This time, however, it was a conscious choice. 

Despite the fact sleep was the farthest thing from his mind, Sonic forced himself to relax, to close his eyes, and focus on nothing but the fur of Shadow’s chest brushing against his muzzle and the distant sounds of waves, just loud enough Sonic couldn’t hear each puff of breath from Shadow where his face was nuzzled down between Sonic’s ears. 

Before he did fall asleep whether he wanted to or now, Sonic pulled away just far enough so his words wouldn’t be lost to Shadow’s fur. “I know why you have to leave.” He kept his words tidy, making sure not to speed too quickly, so Shadow wouldn’t miss a single syllable. “And I’m not gonna stop you,” he continued, keeping his eyes fixed on the wispiest bits of Shadow’s white fluff. “But you gotta make a promise, okay?” 

He couldn’t see Shadow’s expression, but he could feel the way Shadow pressed his nose into Sonic’s fur between his ears. 

“You better come back and visit. And if you don’t…” He did pull away enough to look up at Shadow at that, catching his gaze with intention. “I’ve found you before. I can find you again.” 

Shadow held his gaze for a few long, long seconds before saying, “Your brother can track my chaos energy. I’m aware I can’t exactly hide from you.” When Sonic narrowed his gaze, Shadow sighed. “Did you think I meant leave for good?” 

“Well I don’t know!” Sonic’s whisper was sharp, a little embarrassed. “Somebody didn’t share his travel plans with the class.” 

Shaking his head, Shadow reached up to push Sonic back down, wrapping him even more snugly to Shadow’s chest. “Apparently,” he said, speaking directly into the soft fur of Sonic’s forehead, “We have some kind of energy attraction. Or so the theory goes.” He paused, his paw curving around Sonic’s shoulder again and burrowing into his quills. “I’ll visit and I’ll keep my communicator. Alright?” 

Sonic made sure his sigh was extra long and extra dramatic before he finally settled back and relaxed into Shadow. “I suppose it’ll do.” 

And even if he wasn’t particularly tired, Sonic let himself relax again, nose buried in Shadow’s fur, warm and content, even if it was only in the present. The present, after all, was what mattered the most.

Chapter Text

In the three days the Wachowski family spent in the strange little cabin tucked away between diagonal trees and miles of endless sand, they did very little. Their fearless leaders spent a lot of time on the deck that was attached to their bedroom upstairs, reading and drinking coffee, then tea, then wine and beer progressively through the day, watching the skyline and occasionally holding hands in total silence. Each morning there were pancakes, then waffles, and on the final morning, massive slices of french toast with strawberry whip cream and fresh raspberries and three different flavors of chocolate (and related) chips. Tom brought back massive sandwiches from the nearby town once for lunch, pizza another day, and on the final day, he brought the nectar of the gods: chili dogs. 

Sonic shed a very real tear, and then shed several more when Shadow very nearly spat his out. It was rare that Sonic felt distaste for anything related to Shadow, but he found himself thinking very spiteful thoughts for a very long few seconds.  

They ran for hours along the beach, under bleach-white sunshine and morning haze and pitch-black skies dotted in a million twinkling rainbows. Sonic took every opportunity to grab Shadow, pulling, pulling, always pulling him closer or over a patch of sandy grass or along the rocky shorelines and over massive pieces of driftwood. He took every chance he could to outpace Shadow enough he could spin on his heel and laugh in Shadow’s face, a poor excuse just to look at him. 

He watched Shadow pick along the rough, black rocks jutting out of where the sand disappeared, peering into the temporary tidepools that dotted the rocks. He shouted for Shadow’s attention as he ran off to find the largest piece of driftwood he could carry to push out into the waves. He persuaded Shadow to leave his shoes by the grass, which Shadow reluctantly agreed to, but only if Knuckles would stand watch over them; a small development between the two that Sonic did not fail to notice. Without his shoes Shadow couldn’t keep up with Sonic, so Sonic scooped him up and ran straight to the shallow water, ignoring Shadow’s violent threats as he flailed to escape Sonic’s grip. And sure, Sonic wound up flat on his back in the wet sand with Shadow towering over him with a need for revenge in his eyes and a claw raised high, but Sonic just laughed and gladly accepted his fate. 

On the second day, Tom and Maddie revealed four colorful kites, and they battled the winds along the beach, which turned out to be far more difficult than Sonic expected. To his horror, Knuckles and Shadow both managed to hold their own far better than Tails or Sonic, at least until Tails modified his with a few extra plastic rods he pulled out of his backpack. Ozzy ran in circles and barked at the splotches of color high in the sky, but eventually gave up and trudged away to chew on some driftwood, since he just couldn’t jump high enough to get the kites. 

They spent dinners crowded around the rickety table by the kitchen, talking over each other and passing around the various shells or weirdly shaped bits of driftwood or even the occasional bit of seaglass they all found in their various strolls up and down the beach. Shadow found the most, a whopping seven bits of cloudy, colorful glass, and Sonic didn’t miss the tiny, proud smile that pulled at his mouth when everyone uttered sounds of amazement at his findings.

And every night, after everyone else drifted upstairs after a terrible movie or a game of cards that very nearly ended in literal bloodshed, Sonic and Shadow disappeared out the door to find somewhere along the sand to sit and stare out at the dark waves or up at the stars. Sonic kept their conversations easy, and Shadow didn’t fight against it, empty words just for the sake of talking to each other. They slept curled around each other, and there were no repeats of their disastrous attempt at kissing, but that was mostly fine. Sonic was mostly content to bury his paws in Shadow’s quills or hold his bare paw too tightly, tossing a leg over him or clinging to Shadow’s back while they fell asleep to the distant sound of the waves. 

They avoided everyone they saw on the beach or along the road, and nobody gave them any trouble. Whatever Tails installed for security was impossible to be seen, but Sonic knew the little fox, and he knew that was probably intentional. 

On the third full day, Sonic and Shadow climbed to the top of a shipwreck they’d ran past that first night, when it was too dark and they were paying too little attention to their surroundings to notice. It was mostly just a rusted skeleton, but it was just stable enough Shadow could teleport to the top with zero effort, and Sonic was able to scramble up after him with slightly more effort. They stayed perched up there for quite some time, watching a crowd of little grey birds with long beaks and longer legs run up and down with the waves, taking every chance they could get to dig around in the wet sand for whatever bugs lived in ocean shallows. 

They didn’t notice the tide coming in, but they did catch sight of small, round heads popping up out of the water. They turned out to be seals, small and fat and grey and speckled, which Sonic almost immediately scared away when he tried waving hello. Unfortunately, by then the old shipwreck was surrounded by about a foot of water, and neither wanted to wade through it in their shoes. There was an edge of panic that started to crawl up Sonic’s chest he really didn’t want to think about as he stared at the water below them. He was clinging so tightly to the rested metal below him he didn’t even notice Shadow’s paw wrapping around his wrist. 

That was how they discovered Shadow could, in fact, teleport them both. It almost made Sonic throw up, sure, but they made it to dry land and Shadow didn’t even look winded. He did look like he wanted to ask Sonic a question, maybe, but Sonic ran up to dry land before the question was voiced. 

Sonic only brought up Shadow’s inevitable departure once, while they were curled up in front of the pellet stove and drying off from a late night flash-storm they’d wound up caught in. 

He only asked one question: “Do you know where you’ll go?” 

But Shadow didn’t. 

“It’ll be dangerous,” he added, without specifying. They both knew exactly who and what posed a threat to Shadow. 

“I know,” was all Shadow said, and Sonic, for once in his life, let it go. 

They didn’t sleep much during their final night. They ran until the beaches turned to cliffs they couldn’t run along forever, and then they turned around and ran just as far in the other direction. When they returned, they curled up in a perfect circle, their forehead pressed together and their knees brushing. Neither slept for a long time, but they both pretended to, and Sonic had only been asleep for what felt like minutes when Tom and Maddie came quietly down the stairs with their bags packed. They needed to leave just as early to get back home, after all. 

It felt weird to leave the little cabin, weird to put the futon up one final time, weird to run to the edge of the shore to wave goodbye to the ocean. Sonic grabbed Shadow’s paw as they stood right where the sand turned damp, and Shadow’s grip was equally as painful as Sonic’s surely was. The waves stretched out in endless little white caps, the water grey and choppy under the cloudy sky. The wind was chilly, but even through their gloves their palms were warm, and Sonic focused on that, not the way the sharp winds seemed to be actively trying to pry them apart. 

Because he barely slept at all that night, Sonic spent the entire drive back along the river and towards the empty hills of Washington drooling on Shadow’s shoulder, completely dead to the world. He didn’t wake up until there were soggy tomato and ham sandwiches to be eaten while sitting on a gas station curb, icey soda in flimsy cups sitting on the asphalt beside them. 

The drive home was as long and as miserable as the drive there, and the apprehension that sat low in his stomach was distracting, but not as distracting as the constant presence of Shadow’s paw somewhere on him. On Sonic’s arm, his knee, clutching Sonic’s own paw, Shadow never really went far, which was just fine by Sonic. 

It was almost midnight by the time they finally rolled into their home driveway, and nobody said much as they shuffled inside and slowly unpacked the truck as minimally as they could. They left everything in a pile in the entryway before everyone stumbled off to bed. 

For once, Sonic didn’t bother fluffing his pillow up at the opposite end of the couch as Shadow. He spread out a couple blankets, tossed his gloves behind him, and then crawled straight on top of Shadow the moment he lay down, even if Shadow muttered a protest at first at being slightly squashed. 

Sonic was so tired he didn’t even try to stay awake, just shoved his face rather forcibly into Shadow’s chest and clung to him too tightly, his claws digging into Shadow’s sides; they matched the sharp pricks Sonic felt on his back and his shoulder where Shadow’s claws dug in as well.

Everyone slept in the next morning, even Ozzy. Sonic woke up wrapped around Shadow’s head, Shadow, surprisingly, also still asleep. He slept about half as much as Sonic these days, but he did still need it, even if he claimed he could function without it. So it was rare Sonic woke up before Shadow did, rare he got to watch Shadow go from slack and drooling slightly to peering at Sonic with sleep-hazy eyes. This time, he blinked a few times, then burrowed back under the blanket and against Sonic’s chest, his very bare paw curling and flexing at Sonic’s side. While it wasn’t audible, they were close enough Sonic could feel the faint rumble in Shadow’s chest, the quiet, muffled purr he’d only heard once in their weeks together. 

Sonic didn’t go back to sleep. He just lay there and tried to ignore just how warm it was, just a touch unbearable, but he didn’t pull away even a millimeter. 

After an immeasurable amount of time, Shadow finally pulled away, spitting out the bits of peachy fur that clung to his mouth. He flicked an ear, stretched a little, pushing his feet against Sonic’s shins, then leaned up to check Sonic was awake before saying anything. 

“We’re going to the cave today.” He didn’t ask, didn’t invite; it was a statement that gave no alternative. 

Still, Sonic would never give in that easily. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” They hadn’t been back to the cave intentionally since they’d returned to collect the things Sonic brought Shadow, a few days after that first night. It had been a utilitarian visit and they hadn’t lingered. 

Shadow didn’t answer, just held his gaze evenly until Sonic shifted back. How, exactly, he knew the silent answer he couldn’t say, but it was clear as could be. 

“It’s your last day, isn’t it.” 

Shadow nodded. 

“When’re you gonna leave?” 

“Tonight. Better to travel in the dark for now. Safer.” Shadow’s words were a little clipped, obviously reluctant to be said. Sonic couldn’t blame him, what with how he’d reacted when Shadow originally told him his plan. 

But this time he just nodded and blinked slowly at Shadow and said, “Okay. When do you wanna head out to the cave?” 

For a moment, Shadow glanced over his own shoulder at the rest of the quiet house, still dim with the midmorning light. Then he turned and pulled Sonic down with him again, tugging on Sonic’s ear to put them nose to nose, foreheads smashed together. “Not yet,” he said.

But, eventually, they both got too restless for just laying on the couch, and Sonic pushed Shadow up and off and they forced themselves to sit up and face the day. 

They had a boring breakfast of dry Cheerios, since there wasn’t any milk in the fridge after everyone had been gone for a few days. Sonic suggested using some of the apple juice boxes in the cupboard, and Shadow, of course, immediately shot the idea down. 

They were just picking the last of their cereal out of the mugs (not bowls) they’d chosen, when Maddie came shuffling into the kitchen. Her hair was still tucked away in a silky bonnet, and her eyes were glassy, a bathrobe draped half-heartedly around her shoulders, but she smiled when she saw them sitting side by side at the counter. 

“G’morning, you two,” she greeted, planting a kiss on Sonic’s head and giving Shadow a little caress of his ear. She ambled over to the sink to fill up a tall glass of tap water, then turned to lean against the counter. “You got any big plans?” 

Sonic shook his head. “Nope, just the same ol’ same ol’.” He ignored the curious look Shadow shot at him, and Maddie either didn’t notice it or was too used to their silent little exchanges to question it. 

“Well, make sure you get your bags unpacked, but there’s no rush.” She yawned, gulped down the rest of her water, and set her cup in the sink. “I think we’re all up for a lazy day.” She left quietly, her hand brushing against both their shoulders, and Sonic hid a smile with a final mouthful of cereal when he saw Shadow actually lean into the touch without even looking up at her. 

Shadow was leaving again, sure, but Sonic could see now how different it would be. Shadow wouldn’t be running from anything, this time. 

Not knowing how long they’d be out, Sonic made sure to grab a couple of energy bars and a packet of crackers, all of which wound up carefully shoved into his quills. Satisfied, he followed Shadow out the door. They left just as Tails and Knuckles finally woke up, and Tails waved them off through the window as they set out into the woods, Ozzy propped up to stare after them beside the fox. 

The leaves really were starting to change now, the faint yellow tips turning fully orange for the flat-leaved trees, even a few catching in the breeze and zig-zagging to the forest floor. The sky was almost as blue as Sonic, the clouds blown every which way, and, to Sonic’s delight, he caught sight of the moon again despite the brilliant sunshine. He skidded to a stop in a small clearing, staring up at the little white shape. What with being in two pieces, it always looked sort of smudged, had ever since that fateful night, and Sonic took a moment to stare up at the tiny fragments. Beside him, Shadow followed his gaze. 

“Crazy to think we’ve been up there together, huh?” He glanced at Shadow from the corner of his eye, looking back at the sky just as quickly. 

Shadow hummed, thoughtful, but he didn’t say anything. 

They continued their run momentarily, only slowing down again when they reached the familiar cave, both slipping into it one after the other. 

“Hey, Shadow,” Sonic started, peering around the dusty, mostly empty cave as Shadow stepped further in. “Why’d we come here?” 

Slowly, Shadow turned around, his paws hanging at his sides. “Your family is very nosey,” he said, plainly, which didn’t explain anything. 

“You can say that again,” Sonic laughed, but he was still curious. “Not an answer to my question, though…” he paused when Shadow came stalking over, his gaze turning sharp as he forced Sonic to take a step or two back, cornering Sonic against the makeshift table. Shadow ducked down slightly, still staring at Sonic like he was trying to visually pin him into an invisible wall, crimson gaze scorching where it stared into his. 

“...Shadow?” Sonic tried, but he never looked away. 

Without speaking, Shadow slowly pulled each of his gloves off, tugging them past his inhibitor rings and dropping them on the sort-of table behind Sonic. Then he reached forward and snagged Sonic’s paws, tugging Sonic’s gloves off. And, oh man, that image would be replaying in Sonic’s brain for probably the rest of eternity. 

Once that was done, he raised both his paws toward Sonic until he had Sonic’s face trapped between his bare palms, his eyes never straying once. Sonic could only stand perfectly still, even if every inch of his body felt like it was about to vibrate into nonexistence. 

And still, Shadow said nothing. He didn’t move closer, still a good few inches away from Sonic’s face, but he also didn’t move any closer or say anything for a very small, very infinite little eternity. 

“Are you-” Sonic’s voice died in his throat and he had to clear it, gulping down nothing. “You- uh. You gonna do something?” 

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, but the corner of his mouth twitched up as he did finally respond. “You so rarely stop moving,” he said. “It makes it hard to get a good look at you.” 

Immediately, Sonic felt his face turn to fire, surely so hot to the touch Shadow would feel it against his paw pads where they pressed into Sonic’s muzzle and cheeks. 

“You cannot just say that, dude!” Sonic protested with a small grimace. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you will be the death of me, I swear!” 

Shadow barely reacted to his words, just tilted his head and squeezed Sonic’s cheeks ever so slightly. “You also never stop talking,” he said, matter-of-fact. 

Sonic sputtered for a moment, his paws finally moving from where they’d been hanging limply to lightly shove at Shadow’s chest. But it was too gentle to keep Shadow away (not that Sonic wanted him farther. It was the exact opposite). Shadow merely bounced back, leaving Sonic’s fingertips buried in white fluff. 

Getting impatient, Sonic leaned forward and into Shadow’s palms, shooting Shadow a slightly petulant look. “Look, are you gonna kiss me again or do I have to say something extra stupid to make you shut me up?” 

Shadow shook his head, breaking their eye contact for only a moment as he muttered, “Impossible, you’re still… impossible.” But, finally, because Sonic might’ve very well died if Shadow didn’t do something, he pushed up into Sonic’s personal space, his mouth hovering in front of Sonic’s muzzle. 

But Sonic had done plenty of waiting, thank you very much, and he decided that even a single second more would be too unbearable. So when Shadow didn’t immediately close the gap between them, Sonic yanked him forward with a paw twisted in the fur at Shadow’s chest. It wasn’t quite as harsh a kiss as their first, but it was a close second, Sonic’s lower lip winding up pinched between their teeth. 

The difference, this time, was instead of breaking apart, Shadow forcibly tilted Sonic’s head and Sonic leaned impossibly closer, until it was less a competition and more just… fitting against each other. He had nothing to compare it to, but the pleasant tingle that spread from the corners of his lips seemed like a good sign. Sonic didn’t particularly know what he was doing, but Shadow seemed to be on a mission now they weren’t totally messing it up. He pressed two more closed-mouth kisses to Sonic’s lips, then ducked his head and dragged his face down Sonic’s neck, his paws slipping down, down Sonic’s shoulders and across his chest and around his ribs, and those were definitely Shadow’s claws digging in with intention. It didn’t feel like Shadow was even using his mouth, just… nuzzling into Sonic’s fur. 

Sonic wasn’t really sure what Shadow was up to, but he looped his arms around Shadow’s neck and let it happen, eyes staring up unseeing at the roof of the cave as Shadow seemed to be actively trying to press his face through the juncture between Sonic’s neck and shoulder. 

“Everything here smelled like you,” Shadow mumbled, the words muffled by Sonic’s own fur. “It was even worse when you brought your blanket.” 

“Huh?” Sonic’s mind was not present, and he had to wade through a mental fog to comprehend what Shadow was saying. It did click, after a beat, even if it was delayed. “Oh. Even though I hadn’t lived here in ages?” He couldn’t really smell it, but then again, he had no idea what his own smell even was. 

Shadow nodded. “Everything. And then you brought me to your room-” he broke off, rubbing his forehead into Sonic’s shoulder for a moment, his claws digging further into Sonic’s sides. 

A brief memory of Shadow staring down at Sonic’s blanket, of pushing Knuckles’ off in favor of trying to climb under Sonic’s blanket came to mind. “Wait-” he tried to push Shadow away to look at him, but Shadow was immovable, resisting until Sonic gave up. “Shads, do you like the way I smell?” 

Sharp claws dug into his skin enough to hurt as Shadow mumbled a lazy, “Don’t call me that,” against Sonic’s shoulder. 

Instead of apologizing, Sonic just laughed with a small wince until Shadow’s paws smoothed over the spot gently, paw pads pressing with intention into his skin through Sonic’s fur. He decided to keep the fact he’d been pathetically shoving his face in his own blanket just because it smelled like Shadow a secret. Maybe he’d reveal it one day, but it gave him a miniscule step up above Shadow and Sonic would never pass up an opportunity like that. 

Even if it was reluctantly, Shadow slowly pulled himself away from Sonic, though his paws lingered on Sonic’s sides for as long as possible before he stepped back. He reached around Sonic to grab his gloves, handing Sonic his own. 

“So what’re we gonna do with your last day on Earth?” Sonic asked as they respectfully re-covered their paws, wiggling each finger to get comfy. 

Shadow thought for a moment, then turned with a challenging smile, small and crooked and, possibly, the best thing Sonic had ever seen. “Up for a race, hedgehog?” 

And those were, in fact, exactly the words Sonic had hoped to hear. 

They didn’t go home in time for lunch. Sonic had, at least, mentioned to Tom and Maddie they might be out for a while before they’d left, and he had his new communicator buried somewhere in his quills if need be. 

It wasn’t a particularly unique day; they did the same things they always did. They raced each other until one of them gave into the constant need for combat and their intricate yet violent dance began anew. They climbed three separate mountains just to see who could get there fastest, and Sonic won all three. Yet Shadow didn’t look remotely upset, just slid to a halt beside Sonic a few seconds after, quills ruffled and posture loose as he surveyed their latest mountain view. They ate their snacks sitting on a tiny little cliff above a thin stream, watching a family of deer pick along the rocky bank. 

Sonic tried climbing a particularly tall tree, and Shadow teleported from branch to branch above him, his challenging smirk enough to fuel Sonic to scramble up the last few twiggy branches until they both clung to the swaying top, Sonic’s laugh whipped away by the wind. 

Aside from their usual close-contact scrimmages, they didn’t do much more than occasionally drag their paws over each other in ways that weren’t quite necessary for any kind of defeat in combat. If it weren’t for the knowledge of the ticking clock above their heads, it could have been any regular day. 

But it wasn’t any regular day, and when they did finally turn home, Sonic’s footsteps began to slow. Shadow noticed, of course he did, and when Shadow steered them off in a familiar direction, Sonic followed without question. 

It wasn’t long at all before they were crossing from the thick of the forest into rolling hills that were patchy as they dried, turning dull and brown with the incoming winter, even if it was still a little ways away. But the wire fences were the same, and the cows still grazed, and it was natural instinct to speed towards one specific hill. It looked exactly like the rest but Sonic knew it the moment they reached the top. 

They didn’t sit down, they just stood side by side as the wind picked up, rustling through their quills and pulling at their ears and tails. 

With a sudden spur of determination, Sonic spun to face Shadow head on. “Make me a promise.” 

Shadow looked up quickly, face serious as he nodded. 

“One week from today, afternoonish, you’ll come back here.” He didn’t reach for Shadow, but he didn’t need to. “Promise that.” 

Despite the lack of detail in the request, Shadow remained resolute as he nodded, mouth an even line. “One week,” he promised. 

But, finally, as the sky went from blue to yellow to gold, they turned towards Green Hills and made their final journey back home. 

They were welcomed home with broccoli and cheddar soup and heated up bread rolls and chocolate chip cookies that Wade and his mom must have delivered, going by the basket and the unfamiliar blue gingham napkin tucked over them. 

At dinner, Shadow held an entire conversation with Tails about the invention of the radio. Sure, Shadow mostly just asked the occasional question while Tails chattered on, but Sonic still watched it with a stupid, giddy little smile. 

He watched Shadow ask Tom, specifically Tom, if there were more bread rolls, and Sonic was pretty positive the one Tom handed Shadow was the very last role, usually something Tom saved for Maddie. 

He watched Shadow nibble a cookie given to him by Knuckles, who explained to Shadow that it was Wade who likely baked them, not his mother, and Shadow listened to every word. 

And he watched Shadow watch Maddie as she listened to everyone, as she laughed and offered Shadow more soup and shot a hand out to catch Tails’ glass when he nearly knocked it over. Sonic watched the way Shadow’s eyes turned a little distant, something far more young and innocent than was usually seen in Shadow’s demeanor as he nodded when Maddie asked if everything was to his taste. 

Nobody brought up that Shadow would be leaving, and honestly, Sonic wasn’t entirely sure if they knew. But maybe it was better like that. This wasn’t some dramatic goodbye, after all. Shadow would be back. 

After the table was cleared and the dishes were done, Tails disappeared to his workshop and Knuckles planted himself on the couch with Ozzy, yet Tom and Maddie both lingered at the table, eyeing Sonic and Shadow where they both hovered in the kitchen. 

Shadow turned to him, muttered a quick, “Stay here,” then walked over to the table with his head high but his shoulders stiff. As much as Sonic wanted to follow, he didn’t. He leaned on the counter, propped his head up, and watched. He didn’t have Shadow’s enhanced hearing, so he didn’t catch a word of the conversation, but he could watch as Shadow stood in front of Tom and Maddie, his back to Sonic, his paws purposefully lax at his sides. He said something, brief and probably a little awkward, and Maddie and Tom both smiled, catching each other’s eyes for a moment. 

They didn’t hug him, and Shadow didn’t reach out, but he did dip his head a little when Maddie said something with a tender smile, Tom nodding beside her. Shadow lingered another moment, then turned around again and came back to Sonic. 

“Time to go?” The words hurt less in Sonic’s throat than he expected them to. 

Shadow nodded, eyes straying from Sonic and glancing aimlessly around the house. “Wait for me outside. I need my things.” 

The dusk air was cool, the wind still lively as Sonic paced back and forth in the driveway, the sky quickly turning violet and dark, the light fading fast; soon it would be dark enough Shadow would blend in easily, hidden away under the cover of his namesake, just another quick-moving shadow under the twilight sky. But it was only a minute or two before Shadow stepped out the door, closing it carefully behind him. The backpack Maddie bought for him was slung over his shoulder, casual and effortless, just like everything Shadow did now that he was- well, now he was himself again. 

Sonic met him at the foot of the stairs, Shadow’s back to the door, posture upright and easy if a smidge tense; this was Shadow, after all. They stood in perfect parallel, eyes locked, always seeking each other out no matter what. 

He didn’t want to say goodbye, and as much as they reached for each other, they never did something so simple as a hug. So, instead, Sonic held out a single gloved paw with a grin. Shadow raised a brow and twitched the corresponding ear with suspicion, but at an encouraging wiggle of his fingers from Sonic, he reached out and joined their paws.

And the second he did, Sonic yanked him forward to smash their foreheads together. 

Shadow tried to resist the sudden tug, but he gave up halfway through, much to Sonic’s delight, his paw squeezing Sonic’s tightly as they stood toe to toe. 

“Could’ve just kissed me goodbye like anyone sane,” Shadow muttered, which made Sonic snicker. 

“I’ll kiss you again when you next beat me in a race,” he challenged, pulling Shadow’s paw even closer. 

Shadow only scoffed, shaking his head without actually stepping away from Sonic, their eartips brushing. “Careful, hedgehog, that’s not a competition you want to start.” 

“Oh yeah?” Sonic finally stepped back, but he kept a firm grip on Shadow’s paw. “Scared you’ll lose too many times? Can’t handle the rejection?” 

Shadow, of course, would never back down from him, and Sonic knew this. Still, pleasure raced through Sonic when Shadow pulled him back closer, though not so close their foreheads were touching again. “From you?” he said, eyes falling half shut and head tilting back as he gave Sonic a level stare. “I can take anything you will give me.” 

Their eyes held for a second for the rest of the world and an eternity for the two of them, a literal spark zipping between them and around their paws. (Whether it was blue or red, Sonic didn’t even notice.) The tension stretched, turning the air to liquid static as they held onto one another. 

Until finally, Sonic was the one to release it. He blinked, stepping back from Shadow a full step. “I’m gonna hold you to that,” he said, squeezing Shadow’s paw for emphasis. Then, before he stopped himself, he let go of Shadow’s paw. 

Shadow remained where he was, a line of tension pinning him in place. And then, in a movement so fast Sonic himself barely saw, Shadow wrapped his arms around Sonic’s shoulders in a vice grip. It was a terrible hug, honestly, Sonic’s arms pinned flat to his sides, Shadow’s grip painful where he grabbed at Sonic’s quills; even the pressure of his temple against Sonic’s hurt a little bit. But even with the dull ache, Sonic still leaned closer. 

They didn’t say anything, and it only lasted for a moment, but Sonic’s heart still managed to squeeze in about one hundred beats in that single second. 

And then he felt a tug and a burning, stinging sensation at the back of his head. When Shadow stepped away, he had one sparkling blue quill pinched between two fingers. 

“What the- Shadow!” Sonic yelped, reaching up to furiously rub at the now tender spot. “What the heck, man!” 

“You have one of mine,” Shadow sniffed, giving the quill another twirl. “This is only fair.” There was not a trace of sympathy or regret in his voice. If anything, he sounded almost proud of himself. 

“Couldn’t you have taken one from, oh, I dunno! Literally anywhere in the house?” Sonic rubbed at the spot one last time before his paw fell away again. “I shed them all over the place, probably literally on you, sometimes.” 

Shadow only shrugged, still twirling the stupid blue quill in the air, watching it closely as it sparked against his paw. “I could have,” he said. “But, unfortunately, you helped your father with all the laundry before our trip.” He paused his spinning of the quill to raise his gaze back to Sonic’s. “A pity.” 

“Ugh,” Sonic groaned, shaking his head. But his stupid grin was back, dopey and unashamed of it. And the grin only widened to blatantly embarrassing when Shadow reached up to stick the blue quill among his own. He hid it amongst the red of the spike to his left temple, eyes not meeting Sonic’s as he reached up to fiddle with it with both paws. Finally, he shook his head a little (just like Sonic did, sometimes, to test if something was secure in his quills) and looked back at Sonic once he was satisfied. 

“I’ll see you soon?” Sonic didn’t hold out his paw again, and Shadow crossed his arms as he nodded. 

“One week from today, afternoonish, the hill you still haven’t bothered to find on a map.” He listed each requirement out, then cocked a brow at Sonic. “Those were your exact words earlier, I believe.” 

“The words of a true genius,” Sonic preened. “Now go, experience blissful freedom, and come back with some cool stories! Seriously, you better have an entire highlight reel for me so you’ll have something interesting to say after I beat your tail in a race!” 

Shadow scoffed a dramatic, stupid, adorable laugh, shaking his head. “I’d like to see you try.” 

And then one moment he was smiling at Sonic, a real smile, the one that made Shadow’s mouth go a little crooked and that tiny wrinkle form between his brow, and the next he vanished with a crackle of red static. 

One week. A week wasn’t that long, and if Sonic got really impatient, he could always have Tails track Shadow down. There were perks, after all, to having a brother who could track down his- 

Sonic froze. 

He still didn’t even have a label for what Shadow was to him! Because in no world did friend cover it, and any of the sappier, romancey terms that flitted through his mind would probably not go over well with Shadow. Besides, none of them really fit in Sonic’s opinion, either. They certainly weren’t adversaries, and he dismissed partners quickly, cringing to himself. Rival, maybe? He’d pitch the idea to Shadow when he saw him next. After all, they had time to figure out silly things like that. 

It was a problem for another day, one of the many they now had the chance to face together.