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Sonic stepped into the flower shop, air as warm and humid as ever. Shadow turned from the begonias he’d been watering, giving him a weak wave. His eyes were just as tired as they normally were, but today they were extra puffy, a redness surrounding them.
“Hello hedgehog.” Shadow greeted. “Whats the occasion today?”
“Um,” Sonic’s ears flattened against his head. “Are you okay? Your eyes look really red.”
Shadow rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah, I know. They’re dry. Our humidifier broke.”
“Oh.” He didn’t feel any difference in the humidity, but then again, he didn’t sit in the flower shop all day. Maybe it really was less humid and he just couldn’t tell. Sonic shook his head, he had more important things to think about. He rested his elbow on the counter, fingers tapping along it.
“So, Tails tells me it’s been a week since you took your test. What gives? Is your teacher waiting until after break to give them back or something?”
Shadow let out a heavy sigh, one so full of grief Sonic knew the answer even before Shadow said it.
“No, he gave them back. I bombed it.”
Sonic’s ears twitched from where they lay flat on his head, brows furrowing in confusion. “That doesn’t seem right. You and Tails worked so hard, you knew all the formulas down pat!” He scratched his face. “Did you just get nervous? What happened?”
Shadow leaned into the counter, palms pressing into his eyes. “Yeah. I think that’s what happened.”
“Damn. I’m sorry man. It was probably my fault, I should’ve asked for roses rather than whoopsie daisies.”
Shadow snorted, chuckling to himself. He couldn’t help it, nor did he try to keep it contained. It just felt so good to laugh, and heaven knows he needed it. Sonic started giggling along with him, and all of a sudden Shadow was pounding his fists on the table, on the verge of tears, laughing himself into hysterics, snorting and giggling, his nose scrunching up with his puffy cheeks full of joy.
“I-I’m sorry,” Shadow said between gulps of air, “that just struck a nerve, oh my god, hee hee!”
“Oh dude, don’t apologize, I know I’m funny as hell.” Sonic’s bright white fangs glistened behind his smile. “Besides, now I know what your laugh sounds like. It’s cute.”
“Oh stop.” Shadow slapped at his hand from across the counter. “I sound gross.”
“Do not.”
“Do too!”
“Shhhhh! Listen!” Sonic held a finger to his lips, looking up at the light in concentration. Shadow too furrowed his brow, listening. Silence.
“Do you hear that?” Sonic said after a moment, “that’s the sound of you being wrong.”
“Shut up! You’re impossible!”
“But I’m right.”
“No, shush.”
“You shush.”
Shadow folded his arms with a huff.
“I hate you.”
“I love you too buddy. Say, on an unrelated note, when does spring break start?”
“Today.” Shadow shrugged. “Technically last night for me. Why?”
Sonic shifted on his feet. “Are you going home for it?”
Shadow’s ears flicked. “No.”
“Oh.”
An awkward silence came over them as Sonic drummed his fingers on the counter. “Did you want to come to my place?”
Shadow’s eyes widened in surprise as Sonic hurriedly continued. “Tails is going out of town for a robot camp or something, and I could take you to work so you wouldn’t have to walk, and I’m not a great cook but I can still make you dinner, and we can play video games and watch movies, and-”
“Yeah yeah I get it, you don’t want to be alone.” Shadow rolled his eyes, “I suppose it’s better than being alone sleeping all the time. I’ll come over once I’ve packed a few things.”
“Sweet!” Sonic winked at him again, “I’ll be right back!” He sped out of the store, leaving Shadow alone in his wake. Shadow rubbed at his eyes with his palms.
“God damn it. Stupid hedgehog. Why are you so good at making me feel better.”
~*~
Shadow knocked on the door, a single travelers bag in hand. He was sans his work clothes, wearing only his shoes and gloves, as he preferred. His work clothes were itchy and hot.
Shadow waited a few moments before there was a loud bang! And a rush of footsteps. When Sonic came to the door, he was out of breath.
“Hiya!” He said, grinning, “sorry! We’re making some last minute preparations. C'mon in.”
Shadow stepped inside. It was cool inside, but not uncomfortably so. It was also considerably tidier than it normally was, save for the coffee table. It was littered with clothing articles, toiletries, and mechanical parts. Tails was sitting in front of it, folding items and stuffing them into a large duffle bag. When he saw Shadow come in, he ran to him, giving him a hug. Shadow froze, not really wrapping his arms around him but not pushing him away either.
“Hey Shadow! Sonic told me about your test. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more bro.”
Shadow shifted in his grasp, patting his head a few times. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. You did all you could to help me, and I am very grateful.”
Tails smiled at him before returning to his bag. Sonic took Shadow’s traveler bag from him, pointing down the hallway.
“C'mon! Tails is letting you use his lab.”
Shadow cocked a brow. “His lab?”
“Well, technically his actual lab is around the corner, but his room is like a smaller version of it so we call it a lab too.”
Shadow had never been down the hallway before, except to use the bathroom, which was at the entry way. The hallway was short, with a little table at the end of it, as well as a mirror. A small vase of tulips sat on it, brightening up an otherwise bland section of the apartment. To the right were two doors, which he assumed led to their bedrooms. Sonic approached the door further down the hallway, opening it and stepping aside.
“Go ahead!”
Shadow stepped inside. It was a decent size, but the equipment everywhere made it feel cramped. To the right was a structure with a ladder leading to a bed on top. Underneath was a desk littered with papers and note books, a cork board with sketches of robots pinned to it, and a lamp. Drawers lined the sides of the desk, some so full of papers that they wouldn’t shut properly. On the opposite wall was an even bigger desk that took up most of the room, also covered in papers, but a giant section of the middle had been cleared for a large blueprint to sit untouched. Rulers, pencils and other instruments sat amongst the mess, including a tool box and several mechanical pieces and boxes. On the wall opposite of him, a dresser and mirror rested against the wall, as well as two empty plastic boxes.
“I know it’s a bit of a mess in here, but Tails did clean it up for you. You wouldn’t believe what it was like before.”
He moved aside to let Sonic in too, who rested the suitcase against the plastic bins.
“We got you these bins to put clean and dirty clothes in, but you can use them however you like. His only request is that if you use the desks, don’t get anything on his notes.” Sonic rested his hands on his hips. “Anything questions?”
Shadow shook his head. “No, I’m good.”
“Good!” Sonic gave him a thumbs up. “I gotta go help Tails finish packing and take him to the airport. Feel free to explore!”
And suddenly Shadow was alone in the room. He knelt next to his suitcase, unloading its contents. Out came two work uniforms, toothpaste and a toothbrush, a towel, a brush, some socks and spare gloves, his alarm clock and his wallet. After arranging them to his liking, he went out into the living room.
He knew this hedgehog was a nut case, but this took the cake. Sonic had hoisted the duffle bag over his shoulder, which was at least twice his size, and had hoisted Tails over the other. The door was open, and Sonic had his knees bent as though he were getting ready to run a race. Tails noticed him out of the corner of his eye, smiling and waving at him from behind Sonic’s quills.
“See ya later Shadow!”
And with that, they were gone, a streak of blue and a blast of wind the only thing indicating they had left. Shadow stood dazed for a moment before suddenly Sonic had returned, wind rustling his quills.
“And I’m back!”
“What the hell was that? Isn’t the airport like, an hour away?”
“Eh, it’s only five seconds if you can run at Sonic speed.”
Shadow slapped a hand to his forehead. “Sonic speed. Your name is Sonic. How did I not make that connection before?”
“You never knew that? C'mon man, you’ve seen me run out of the store before haven’t you?”
“Well yeah! But it just never clicked. I thought that was just a stupid nickname you came up with.”
“Nah dude. It’s okay though, I thought the same for you.”
“Everyone does. It’s not until teachers do role calls that people realize it’s not.”
“Heh! Anyway, what did you want for dinner?” Sonic stuck his nose in the fridge. “We’ve got chili dogs, and um, oh, I guess that’s it. Man, I really need to go shopping.”
“Yes you do. I don’t mind though. They’re always delicious.”
Sonic winked, “that’s because of the secret ingredient.”
“What’s that?”
Sonic stuck his thumb to his chest. “Me!”
Shadow rolled his eyes. “Of course. Don’t know what I was expecting.”
~*~
“Shadow, wake uuuuuuuup!”
Shadow blinked, placing a hand on the limbs violently shaking him awake. He didn’t remember going to sleep on Tails bed, so Sonic must have put him there. Speaking of which, Sonic was standing on the ladder, pouting.
“C'mon man! It’s almost ten! I let you sleep in, but ya gotta go!”
Shadow bolted upright, hitting his head on the ceiling.
“Ow! What happened to my alarm clock?!”
Sonic smiled sheepishly. “I took it. You looked so tired last night, so I thought I’d let you sleep in. Ya got twenty minutes to get ready, but don’t worry. I can take ya to work in a sonic second!”
Shadow groaned. “You’ve got to let me down the ladder first, dummy.”
“Oh right.” Sonic slid down the handles of the ladder. “I’ve got breakfast ready for you when you come out.”
Shadow sleepily climbed down the ladder, yawning as he put his work clothes on. Once he’d brushed his teeth and tried in vain to comb his quills, he went into the kitchen. A blueberry muffin and banana sat on the counter. He eagerly took a bite, and suddenly realized how much he missed eating real food.
“Tails makes the best muffins huh?” Sonic said, startling him. He was also eating a muffin. “Whenever I make them they always get burned.”
“You probably get impatient and turn the oven too high.”
Sonic gasped, mock offense on his face. “If you turn it higher it should make them cook faster!”
“That’s not how it works.”
“That’s not how you work!”
“What?”
“Yeah, I said it. Banana.”
Shadow laughed once, “what?”
“You heard me! Banana!”
“What are we talking about!?” His giggles got louder.
“Bananas!”
“Why though?”
“Because ovens need to be hot!”
“What are you even saying?”
“I don’t know! I’m a banana!”
They both started laughing now, Shadow’s face scrunched in confusion.
“You’re crazy.”
“No, I’m a banana. Didn’t you hear the oven?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing! I’ve been baked to perfection.”
Shadow rolled his eyes, one last fit of giggles sneaking their way out. “These two weeks should be interesting.”
“Very interesting.” Sonic winked at him, flicking his tongue out.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“It’s not a fuck, it’s a banana.”
“Just take me to work already.”
“Will do.”