Work Text:
“You sure about this, kiddo?” Tom asked for what had to be the tenth time that morning.
“Yes.” Shadow said, almost a groan.
Shadow wasn’t quite sure what had compelled him to ask a couple days ago if he could come to work with Tom, and he certainly hadn’t expected Tom to agree to take him, but he found that he was actually excited about it.
Part of the request had been because he wanted to get used to riding around in cars again without immediately panicking, but another part was because he just… missed spending time with Tom since he’d started going back to work. As miserable as he’d been when he spent a few weeks almost exclusively in his parents’ bedroom, in the beginning stages of his recovery from his issues surrounding food, he’d enjoyed having Tom by his side all day. It was comforting, knowing that when he fell asleep, he’d wake up with his dad by his side, ready to take care of him.
And Tom had mentioned that work had been slow and boring recently, so Shadow figured that Tom would be more likely to agree to take him. He’d taken Sonic to work with him in the past, although Sonic had once complained that ‘literally nothing happened’, to which Tom just laughed and said that he was used to slow days at work.
Shadow didn’t mind slow. Despite being one of two of the fastest beings alive, he actually preferred quiet and calm to speed and constant action. He’d had so few slow, calm days in the labs, he’d be perfectly happy to never have another loud, chaotic day again. He’d be willing to give up his speed if it meant living in peace for the rest of his life.
Despite how quiet this town was most days, Tom still worried about bringing Shadow to work with him. It wasn’t a ‘What if something happens?’ kind of worry, just the general worry that always seemed to follow Shadow’s parents whenever he was faced with something that they knew frightened him.
But he knew that this recent fear of cars would become a hindrance if he allowed it to get worse, and therapy was helping him with it. Besides, being in a car all day meant he’d get to spend a full day with Tom again, which he’d been excited about since the moment Tom had agreed to bring Shadow with him. He wasn’t about to let any nervousness he still held toward cars get in the way of that.
“Okay, okay, I hear ya.” Tom chuckled at the blatant annoyance in Shadow’s tone. “Ready to go?”
“Yes!” Shadow said, ears perking up as his mood instantly brightened.
“Don’t freak Shadow out with Sergeant Sprinkles!” Sonic called out from the living room, overhearing their conversation.
Shadow frowned. “Who’s Sergeant-“
“Not a real person, don’t worry about it.” Tom said quickly, almost sounding… embarrassed? “Alright, let’s head out, kiddo.”
***
“Why is there glass between the front and back seats?” Shadow asked, eyes roaming around Tom’s police cruiser. He’d only been inside of it once, but he’d been recovering from a panic attack the last time, and hadn’t thought to ask.
Tom didn’t look away from the road as he replied, “It’s for protection. If I arrest someone, the glass stops them from attacking me. All of the glass in this car is stronger than usual, so it stops them from trying to jump out too.”
“Has anyone tried to hurt you while you arrested them?” Shadow paused, shrinking in on himself a bit. “Other than… a few months ago, I mean.”
Tom hummed. “Not really. Other than a couple drunk people trying to swing at me to avoid arrest, there aren’t very many violent people in this town.”
“So… what do you do all day?” Shadow asked, trying his hardest not to sound judgmental.
Tom must have heard it anyway, but he just laughed, not offended in the slightest. “I help out where I can. I might not be ‘catching bad guys’ all day like you see in movies, but I still make sure the people of this town are safe. And, yeah, there are the occasional days where it feels like I’m not doing anything.” A soft grin spread over his face. “I used to hate those days, you know. I’d sit in this car, bored out of my mind, and wish that I was somewhere else, actually doing something useful- helping people.”
“But not anymore?”
“Oh, there are still plenty of boring days.” Tom said. “But after everything with Robotnik, boring doesn’t bother me as much anymore. I’m just… happy our little town is still standing, you know?”
“You never wish it was more exciting here?”
Tom’s grin got wider. “I live in a house with two super fast hedgehogs, a ridiculously strong echidna, and a fox that can fly. Believe me, my life is exciting enough.”
Shadow couldn’t help but giggle at that.
***
Tom drove around the town for a bit, checking for any signs of danger and finding nothing. So far, the only crime that had been reported was an attempted robbery that ended up just being some teenage kid trying to steal candy at a gas station for her little brother.
Once Tom was certain the town was safe, he drove out to a long, empty road near a large sign, pulling over on the side of the road.
“Did I ever tell you about the first time I encountered Sonic?” Tom asked, turning to Shadow.
“Sonic mentioned a dog cage?” Shadow said, head tilting.
Tom snorted. “Yeah, that was the first time we officially met. But my real first encounter with him was on this road, in this exact spot. I just didn’t realize what had happened at the time.”
Shadow’s eyes widened in interest. Sonic hadn’t told him about this, he’d only heard the story about Tom finding him in the shed.
“So I was out here on another slow day, using my speed gun to check passing cars- at least, that was what I meant to do, but not many cars came through here that day.” Tom started, leaning an arm against his car door, over the open window. “All of a sudden, the speed gun starts going crazy. I see absolutely nothing pass my car, yet the number on the screen is showing that something passed by going at three hundred miles an hour. I’ve never seen it do that before, and it stopped pretty quickly, but it confused me for hours. Turns out, Sonic was running past it to check his own speed.”
“Do you have the speed gun with you?” Shadow asked, tail trying to wag where it was caught between his back and the car seat.
Tom grinned. “Wanna check your speed, bud?”
Shadow nodded eagerly, making Tom chuckle.
“I’ve got it. Are you read-?”
Shadow didn’t even let Tom finish his sentence before he was out of the car and running down the street. Once he’d decided that he’d gotten far enough, giving him time to reach his top speed, he ran down the street once more, passing Tom’s car, catching a glimpse of something - the speed gun, he assumed - in his hand.
He was back in the car in the span of a few seconds, sitting next to Tom and checking the number on the small screen.
“Two-ninety-three. Not bad, kiddo.” Tom said, sounding impressed.
“Two-ninety-? That was slower than Sonic?!” Shadow blurted out, staring in disbelief at the number displayed.
“Not by much. And, if I recall correctly, it took Sonic a couple tries to reach three hundred.”
Tom’s reassurance did little to quell Shadow’s agitation. “We are not telling Sonic about this.”
Tom burst out laughing.
***
A couple hours after they first left the house, Tom picked up a box of donuts for him and Shadow.
“You ever had these before?” Tom asked, grabbing one with pink frosting and sprinkles for himself.
Shadow shook his head, picking up a donut with chocolate frosting and no hole in the center. Tom had mentioned that this one was filled with some sort of cream. “I didn’t even know what donuts were until a few minutes ago.”
He hesitated, scrutinizing the oddly-shaped treat before taking a bite. The soft bread, chocolate glaze and vanilla cream all mixed pleasantly, the sweetness reminding Shadow of some of the pastries Maria used to make in the base.
“What’s the verdict?” Tom asked, then took a bite of his own donut.
Shadow chewed and swallowed the first bite before replying. “It’s good.” He paused. “Cupcakes are better, though.”
“Agree to disagree.” Tom said lightly.
Seeing the sprinkles on the donuts reminded Shadow of something odd Sonic had said earlier that morning. “What did Sonic mean when he mentioned ‘Sergeant Sprinkles’?”
Tom sighed. “He was… talking about the time he caught me talking to a donut.”
“You talk to donuts.” Shadow said blankly.
“I was being serious when I said I used to get really bored out here.”
“What would you even have to say to a donut?”
Tom shrugged. “Usually just dumb jokes I’d tell myself to stay entertained. Practiced a speech in front of one once, although I never actually ended up using it.”
“A speech for what?”
That made Tom hesitate. “I, uh, I was gonna move away from Green Hills, and start working for the San Francisco Police Department.”
Shadow blinked in surprise. “Really? But you love this place.”
Tom nodded. “I do, but I felt I wasn’t doing enough. I wanted to work in a place where I could help more people, and at the time, I didn’t think that place was here.”
It was odd, hearing that there was a time when Tom was planning on leaving Green Hills behind. Shadow couldn’t imagine them being anywhere else. He might not have been in this town nearly as long as his parents, or even his brothers, but he’d come to love many aspects of it.
He wondered what would have happened if Tom had chosen to move away from Green Hills. He wouldn’t have been here to find Shadow in the cave, half-frozen and suffering, so Shadow probably would have been left there for the duration of winter. Shadow had barely been able to leave at all, and couldn’t find any food, meaning he eventually would have fallen unconscious from the total starvation, unable to wake up yet equally incapable of dying-
“I’m glad you stayed.” Shadow said quietly.
Tom smiled softly. “I am too.”
They continued eating their donuts, absently watching the blank road. When Shadow finished his, he glanced out his window and spotted a turtle wandering around near the side of the road. There were turtles here? That was what this creature was called, right? It sort of looked like those cartoon characters his brothers liked, just… much tinier.
“What was it about San Francisco that made you want to go there?” Shadow asked.
Tom sighed, crumpling the napkin he’d been using and shoving it somewhere in the car to be disposed of later. “Well, it’s a much bigger city, and working there would’ve given me more opportunities to help people in more dangerous situations than in Green Hills.“
“You would have been putting yourself in more danger.” Shadow pointed out.
Tom nodded. “I know, but it’s to protect people. Remember when you jumped in that icy lake to save Sonic, even though it wasn’t safe?”
Shadow grimaced at the memory. “Yes.”
“It’s like that. And, yeah, it goes wrong sometimes, like when I ended up in the hospital, but I like knowing that what I do makes people safer.”
Shadow bit his lip. “I know this town is safe most of the time, but has it ever been… too much for you?”
For nearly the whole day, their conversations had stayed mostly lighthearted, with Tom occasionally checking in on how Shadow was feeling, just in case he needed to head home early. But Shadow could feel the exact moment the mood shifted.
Tom turned to look out toward the empty road, jaw clenching, a complicated expression overtaking his features. “Once.”
Shadow’s ears twitched. “What happened?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think I should tell you that story, bud.”
“I can handle it.”
“I know, but…”
“It’s-“ Shadow hesitated, straightening up in his seat. “It’s okay if you’re not comfortable with talking about it, just… don’t feel like you can’t because you’re worried about how I’ll take it.”
Tom chuckled quietly, smile briefly returning. “You’re a sweet kid, you know that?”
Shadow muttered a disagreement under his breath, muzzle heating up.
Tom sighed, turning to stare out the front window once more. “I haven’t told any of the other boys this story. I’m- I’m willing to tell you, but I need you to promise you won’t repeat it to your brothers, okay?”
“I promise.” Shadow said with complete sincerity.
“…Alright.” Tom said quietly. “Just let me know if you need me to stop, okay?”
“Got it.”
Tom nodded, one of his hands clenching around the steering wheel. “This was… a while ago. Long before Maddie and I adopted you and your brothers. A couple years after I first became the town’s sheriff, there was this house that caught fire. Me and a couple coworkers arrived there first, to make sure no onlookers were injured and kept a safe distance away from the fire.”
He sucked in a shaky breath, shoulders tensing as he recalled the memory. Shadow stayed silent, waiting patiently for Tom to continue.
“There were two people inside the house when it caught fire; a woman and a little girl. The woman had been babysitting for the kid’s parents at the time. They both made it out of the house, but… barely.” Tom’s eyes fell shut, brows drawing together in a pained frown. “I-I have no idea how that woman carried the kid out of the house. She had some of the worst burns I’d ever seen. And the kid… she was so young.”
Shadow swallowed thickly, trying his hardest to push back images of his older sister’s corpse lying on the floor of a burning base.
“The woman didn’t-“ Tom cleared his throat when his voice started to waver. “She set the kid on the grass in front of the house, laid down beside her, and just…” he shook his head. “The paramedics didn’t make it in time to help her. I don’t know if they could have helped her either way.”
Shadow fidgeted with his gloves in his lap. It was rare that Tom grew upset over anything, but Shadow had never seen him become this upset over a memory alone. He wondered if he should ask Tom to stop for his sake.
“The kid-“ Tom sighed. “The kid was unconscious. She was barely breathing by the time she was brought out of the house, a-and then she just… stopped. I t- I tried to help her, but CPR wasn’t enough, and the paramedics were taking too long-“
His mouth shut abruptly to cut off something that could have only been a sob. He let out a slow exhale and harshly blinked away the tears in his eyes.
“…I couldn’t save her.” Tom forced out in a whisper.
Shadow’s eyes burned, filling with tears for a child he’d never even known. He pressed down on the bandage around his left arm, using the slight pain it caused to distract him. His arm was mostly healed from his encounter with the wolf, but Maddie had still insisted that he use a tight bandage as a makeshift cast, since he refused to wear a real one. At least the pressure had helped with the ache over the last few days.
“It’s not- I’ve seen worse on the job. I’ve dealt with worse over the years, but… it’s just different when there’s kids involved.” Tom sighed, wiping his eyes. “We found out that the fire had been caused by someone the parents knew. He didn’t know that the parents weren’t home when he started the fire.” He let out a single mirthless chuckle. “Safe as this town is, we still get cases like that every few years or so.”
“…I’m- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked-“ Shadow started.
“It’s alright, you don’t have to apologize.” Tom smiled, though it looked strained. “You know, that’s the real reason I chose not to take the job in San Francisco. Sonic thinks it’s because I wanted to keep helping the people of this town, and to a degree, it is. But really, after Maddie and I took Sonic in, I realized that I wanted to raise him in a place I knew he’d be safe.”
“You stayed for him?”
Tom nodded. “Yeah, and I don’t regret that decision. I… I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost one of you boys. I’d happily spend every day bored out of my mind at work if it meant knowing that my family was safe.”
Shadow’s eyes softened. “I don’t think your job is boring. I’m enjoying myself.”
Tom grinned. “It’s definitely more fun with you here.”
***
As it turned out, today wouldn’t be completely slow and peaceful.
Tom was called over to the Mean Bean after a driver crashed into a nearby lamppost. Nobody was injured, but upon arrival, Tom immediately understood how the crash had occurred.
“Ma’am, have you had anything to drink today?” Tom asked, crossing his arms.
The woman in question was sitting on the curb, looking slightly out of it for reasons Shadow couldn’t guess. He also didn’t understand why Tom was asking her about drinks. Why did it matter if she was hydrated when she’d crashed her car? Water couldn’t fix the busted metal.
“Jus’ a little bit.” The woman said, words slurring a bit. She looked up at Tom, and her eyes went wide. “Oh, I remember you. You’re the cute one.”
Tom just snorted at that.
Shadow left Tom to talk to the woman alone, instead wandering over to where Stone stood near the Mean Bean’s entrance. The sight of the crashed car was starting to make him a little nauseous.
Stone grinned when he spotted Shadow. “Hey, haven’t seen you in a while. What are you doing here?”
“I came to work with dadd- uh, Tom.” Shadow said, ears twitching a bit at his almost-slip up. “Do you know why that woman is acting weird?”
Stone sighed. “She’s drunk.”
“Oh… I’ve never actually seen anyone who was drunk before.” He only knew what it was because he’d heard the scientists talk about it. That must have been what Tom had meant with his question. Shadow wrinkled his nose, giving Stone an odd look. “Why would anyone do that on purpose?”
“It can be fun sometimes, unless you do something stupid like drive after.” Stone replied, eyeing the broken car judgmentally.
“Or leak millions of GUN files?” Shadow added with a smirk.
Stone stared at him blankly. “I’m not living that one down, am I?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Great. Thanks, kid.” Stone glanced back toward the coffee shop’s entrance. “Want some coffee?”
“I still don’t have money.”
“I still don’t care. C’mon.”
Shadow followed Stone into the shop while Tom instructed the woman to do some sort of test. He didn’t understand the purpose of testing whether or not she was truly drunk when it was obvious (to anyone but Shadow, at least).
“Is your arm alright?” Stone asked, having noticed Shadow’s bandage.
“I was attacked by a wolf, but I’m okay.” Shadow said.
Stone winced in sympathy. “Man, that sucks. Are your brothers alright?”
Shadow nodded. “It was just me. I couldn’t sleep, and I went outside at a bad time.”
Stone went behind the counter, preparing Shadow’s coffee. “Been having trouble sleeping often?”
“For a while now, but…” Shadow shifted his weight. “It’s gotten a little better since I started… seeing that therapist.”
Stone’s eyes widened with something almost proud. “You actually called her?”
“Yeah. She’s… she’s really nice. I like her. So, um, thanks for recommending her.”
Stone’s smile softened. “No problem, kid.”
Stone ended up preparing two coffees, one of which he handed to Shadow, the other he brought out with him as he and Shadow returned to where Tom was, currently putting the drunk woman in the back of his car. He was reciting some sort of speech that sounded well rehearsed. Shadow wondered if it was something he had to recite often, or if it was just another speech he’d practiced to a donut.
“I swear it’s the third time she’s done this.” Stone sighed.
Tom rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I remember. I wouldn’t be surprised if she lost her license permanently this time.”
Stone handed the second cup of coffee to Tom. “Your usual order, on the house. A thanks for dealing with-“ he gestured vaguely toward the woman in the car. “-this bullshit again.”
Tom nodded his thanks, blinking in surprise when he noticed Shadow’s cup. “I didn’t know you liked coffee, bud.”
Shadow raised an eye ridge. “You’ve watched me eat straight coffee beans. Coffee usually isn’t bitter enough, though.”
“Actually, I got this new dark roast in that’s more bitter than the last one.” Stone said.
Shadow’s tail gave a curious wag, and he took a sip of the coffee, then a second, much larger sip when he realized how fucking good it was.
“I’m getting married to this coffee.” Shadow announced, tone completely serious, making Stone and Tom laugh.
“I don’t think you can marry a drink, kiddo.” Tom said with amusement.
Shadow glared at him. “You’re not invited to the wedding.”
Tom put a hand on his chest in mock offense. “I don’t get to walk you down the aisle?”
“I’ll make Knuckles do it.”
“Not Sonic?”
“Sonic is the best man.”
Tom’s eyes narrowed. “How can you know so much about weddings when you didn’t even know what a wolf was last week?”
First of all, how the fuck were those things related? And second, Shadow would not be telling Tom that he was technically married to one of Maria’s stuffed animals. One of their games had spiraled out of control, and suddenly Maria was putting Shadow in a dress that was way too big for him, acting as the officiant while Shadow ‘married’ a plush cat named Whiskers.
It had been funny at the time, but looking back on it, Shadow was extremely thankful that Gerald never caught him in a dress. Best case scenario, it would have been humiliating. Worst case-
Actually, Shadow didn’t even want to think about how Gerald would have punished him for doing something so ‘girly’.
“…TV shows.” Shadow mumbled, hoping Tom wouldn’t notice how uncomfortable he sounded.
If he did, he didn’t say anything about it, turning back to Stone. “Alright, we gotta get back to the station.”
Stone nodded. “I’ll see you around. And, thanks again.” He shot Shadow a grin. “Nice talking to you again, kid.”
“Bye.” Shadow said with a short wave.
Shadow followed Tom back into the car, where the drunk woman was waiting.
“Took y’ long enough.” She complained loudly. “I need to pee. ‘M gonna do it on the seat ‘f you keep taking forever.”
“In front of a child? Wow.” Tom deadpanned.
The woman blinked when she saw Shadow, as if she was just realizing he was there. She let out an exaggerated gasp. “Oh, you are the tiniest little thing.”
Shadow frowned at Tom, who was smiling out at the road.
“So f-fucking fluffy, oh my God. You look like my friend Vee’s cat.” The woman giggled. “You’re so cute. Wha’s your name?”
“…Shadow?”
For some reason, that only made the woman laugh harder.
“Of course it is. Little goth kitten.”
Tom bit his lip, clearly holding back his own laugher.
“Don’t you dare.” Shadow scowled at him.
Shadow was forced to listen to the woman calling him ‘adorable’ for the next few minutes as Tom drove them to the station. He was not adorable. He knew what he looked like; sharp fangs, quills and claws; a scowl as his resting face; everything about him screaming ‘unnatural’ and ‘freak’ compared to humans. What about him could be considered ‘cute’?
He was willing to let it slide, though. He knew the woman was just drunk, and it was easy to tune out.
At least the coffee was good.
***
“Did you have fun?” Maddie asked Shadow when he and Tom returned home.
He’d gone into the living room where Maddie was hanging out with his brothers. Sonic and Knuckles were playing Minecraft together while Tails lay curled up in Maddie’s lap, napping peacefully as she pet his fur.
“A drunk lady called me cute.” Shadow said, frowning. His frown turned into an unamused look when Maddie laughed.
“You’re very cute.”
“I am not.”
“He is a fierce warrior.” Knuckles said, not looking away from the TV.
“Thank you.” Shadow said, but Knuckles wasn’t finished.
“A fierce warrior that purrs uncontrollably.”
Shadow glared at him, but it went unnoticed. “Fucking traitor.”
“Were you super bored all day?” Sonic asked.
Shadow shook his head, sitting down on the couch beside Maddie. “It was… calm. I liked it. Daddy got us donuts, and we had McDonald’s for lunch.”
“Aw, what? I want donuts.” Sonic pouted.
Maddie pet between Shadow’s ears. “No trouble with being in a car again?”
Shadow blinked. He’d actually forgotten for most of the day that he was even in a car. He was just happy to be with Tom.
“Only in the morning. I wasn’t even thinking about it.”
Maddie smiled softly. “I’m glad you had a good day, honey.”
A really good day, in fact. Better than when Shadow was hiding away in his room, or home alone watching old shows because he’d been too nervous to join his family for a shopping trip. Being out of the house hadn’t felt nearly as overwhelming as it had just a few months ago.
“I… I think I wanna start leaving the house more.” Shadow said, a timid edge to his voice. “Like when we went shopping together before the accident. But it doesn’t have to just be us… and I don’t want to stay home while you guys leave anymore. I’m- I want to get used to being around humans more.”
Maddie’s smile widened. “Yeah? I think we can arrange that, baby.”
She wrapped her arm around Shadow’s shoulders, kissing the top of his head. He did not start purring immediately, because he is a fierce warrior.
The clicking noise that came soon after was completely unrelated.