Chapter Text
He was falling.
Oh, Chaos, he felt like he was falling. That feeling of going so fast his heart threatened with flying off of his body, a deafening noise in his ears, and a burning sensation in his eyes that brought forward tears they couldn't hold back.
Everything was blurry, but right in front of them (or above?) he could distinguish a bright golden light, quickly getting further away. He couldn't, however, make out the source of that light. But it was so bright…
He could feel it, he was about to collide with whatever was waiting for him below. They closed their eyes, hoping the impact wouldn't be so great. Their whole body burned with anticipation.
They woke up with a gasp. Their world slowly became clearer and clearer. They weren't falling.
… Where was he?
He sat up, and looked around. He was in an unfamiliar room, walls blank and impersonal, cold. The floors were tidy, and the furniture barely touched, all except for the desk next to the bed he was sitting on.
The desk was a mess. Piles of paper and different pens thrown around in what could only be described as an uninterested and rushed fashion. On top of it all, sat an open journal, showcasing a seemingly random page.
Careful not to make a noise, as they were still unsure of their whereabouts, or if they were alone, Shadow stood up, and approached the desk to look at the journal. At the top of the page, in pristine hand writing, read “Breakfast, 10:00”. And nothing else.
Shadow looked at the handwriting with interest in his squinted eyes, something about it felt… Eerily familiar, however, he couldn't quite tell why. He was about to reach out to grab the journal when a knock on the door was heard, making his whole body stiff as he turned to face the source of the noise.
“ Shadow ?” A voice asked from outside the room. Shadow's blood ran cold as their fists tightened, energy running through their fingers as they prepared to Chaos Blast whoever was behind the door. “Are you awake? You didn't show up at the diner and, well, uhm- Are you okay?”
The Chaos Energy tickling at Shadow's limbs suddenly died down. Was this stranger… Worried ? Why? Who could this possibly be, to be worried because they didn't show up at a… Diner? Shadow looked around, their attention once again landing on the open journal… Breakfast? Was this what the stranger was talking about? Was he supposed to show up at a breakfast he didn't even know about with someone he wasn't even familiar with? Did someone set this up? Why would anyone set him up for… Breakfast , of all things?
The dark hedgehog stiffened when the doorknob turned, and subsequently, the door opened, revealing another hedgehog, with striking blue fur, who immediately locked his bright green eyes with Shadow's own in surprise.
“Oh.” The blue hedgehog said, letting go of the doorknob, after a second of silence between the two. “You’re awake.” He pointed out.
Shadow couldn't help but shudder when he saw the stranger's eyes wander through him, as if inspecting them. He must’ve noticed the stiffness in Shadow’s closed fists, as right after he saw them his eyes went right back up to the dark hedgehog’s face.
“Hey, are you okay-?” But right as the blue hedgehog raised a hand and reached for the other's shoulder, Shadow quickly took a step back, raising their fists.
“ Who are you?”
And suddenly, as Shadow still had a million questions and probably even more, this seemed to bring clarity for the blue stranger, who's mouth hung open as his eyes shone with recognition.
He then smiled, a pained smile as he looked at Shadow as he was a poor dying animal, with such pain and compassion that it made the dark hedgehog's insides burn. He hated it, he wanted to punch that smile out of his face.
“I see.” The blue hedgehog said, voice soft, and almost sad. Shadow's snarl deepened. The stranger sighed before joining his hands behind his back, as if to show he wouldn't touch the other, and smiled widely after taking a deep breath. “The name’s Sonic, sorry if I scared you.”
Shadow's fists didn't lower. A stranger's name explained nothing.
“Sorry, sorry, I know you’re confused, and that’s frustrating.” Sonic raised his hands, palms facing the Shadow, who squinted, expression slowly softening, more in curiosity rather than rage. “We were supposed to get breakfast together today.” The blue hedgehog explained.
Breakfast? Shadow’s eyes darted to the side, where the open journal sat. Sonic’s eyes quickly followed, and as he spotted the journal, he walked up to it, softly chuckling as he read what was written in it.
“Looks like you really didn’t want to forget.” He commented, a bit of playfulness in his voice. The dark hedgehog took a step closer, and they were once again confronted with their own handwriting ( when -?). It now seemed so clear, they had written this…
“It’s okay, tho! I get you don’t control when this happens.” Sonic said as he closed the journal, the one that now seemed so familiar to Shadow, the one where he had written so many things, from the most mundane topics to the thoughts that tormented his mind. He couldn’t help but notice how Sonic didn’t even steal a glance to any of the other pages. It was private, Sonic knew that.
“How are you feeling?” Sonic asked after a second of silence, taking Shadow away from a confusing (and honestly terrifying) train of thought.
How was he feeling? Their eyes fell down to their own, naked, feet. The floor was cold, and that cold feeling was only making the thoughts in their head seem blurrier as it made it hard for him to focus. There were a million things going through his head, but none he could quite grasp. The floor was cold- Where was he?- When did he write-...? Sonic was there looking at them and- He wanted to punch him- But he seemed so worried- His presence was warm …
“You wanna go outside for a sec?” Sonic's voice once again sliced through the silence, seemingly noticing how hard it was for Shadow to answer such a simple question. “The weather is nice today, I think you’ll like it.” He then added.
After a second, Shadow nodded, and went to grab his shoes, where they always left them , under their desk, next to their bed. Sonic waited patiently as the other hedgehog put their shoes and gloves on, and after they were ready, he guided them out the room.
The house looked lived in. The TV remote sat on the coffee table, as it was mindlessly placed there, not thinking of an order or system, a couple of pillows thrown around the sofa and a blanket folded over a loveseat. A coffee mug sat on the table, Shadow squinted at it, trying to read what it said, but Sonic was moving too fast for that.
Once they stepped outside, Shadow was met with a soothing warm on his face, and fresh air. It was sunny outside, slightly warm, not too overbearing. Perfect.
“Isn't this nice, Shads?” The blue hedgehog asked as he stepped into the other's field of view, sporting a wide smile on his face as he did so. The usual nickname falling graciously from his lips as it always did.
The dark hedgehog blinked a few times before nodding with their head. It was a very nice view, indeed. Shadow still didn't recognize much, but there was this underlying feeling of familiarity as he looked at Sonic, at his green eyes and his wide smile, his blue striking quills and welcoming arms. It all felt… Safe, in a way.
“Now, why are you looking at me like that, huh?” Sonic chuckled lightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Liking what you see?” He then teased with a wink.
The hybrid blushed. That damn hedgehog never took anything seriously, they thought as they shook their head.
They reached to grab the other's hand, feeling secure in their actions as Sonic grabbed theirs back, and their hands fit together like puzzle pieces, designed to be intertwined.
“Hey, are you feeling any better?” The hero asked softly, so softly, in fact, that Shadow almost melted right there and then.
The hybrid hummed before giving a short nod with their head. “Thank you.” They whispered, and Sonic smiled. Not that cocky sideways smirk he always did, but a smaller smile, lips pressed together as the corners of his mouth reached his shining eyes.
“Hey, anytime. Really.” Sonic winked, so typical of him, yet so personal. “Are you remembering now?”
Shadow hummed in thought. “It's… Coming back.” They said with a short nod of their head.
“That's good.” The blue hedgehog said with a small smile. The hybrid hummed.
How strange, the fact that they now felt so safe holding Sonic's hand. They didn't remember everything, but just enough for Sonic to be a firm anchor to hold onto.
“We had breakfast planned.” Shadow pointed out, turning to look at the other hedgehog, who quickly returned his look with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, what about it?” Sonic questioned, a smirk still on his face, paired with a slightly tilted head.
The hybrid took a step forward, away from the home he shared with his team, pulling his boyfriend’s hand with him.
Sonic's smile widened, and Shadow's heart fluttered in his chest.
“Let's go, then.” They said, not fully returning the smile, but the blue hedgehog knew him, he recognized that soft look on their face, and that was enough of a smile for him.
Their boyfriend chuckled before stepping next to the other, kicking into a rather calm walking rhythm (one that surely wouldn't last long before they started racing as always, but a little moment to take in the nice weather was always welcomed) “Well, if you insist, Shads!” He said jokingly, to which the other lightly pushed him to the side.