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In Sonic and Tails' house, you hear a lot of different sounds. Rarely is the place quiet; there's always music playing, or voices drifting through the living room. Sounds of life and love. Very rarely does Shadow hear genuine yelling echoing through the home.
His heart clenches as soon as he teleports in; he's landed upstairs, in Sonic's room, but even the thick walls can't block the harsh sounds of voices echoing throughout the house. His ears twitch, and his heart stutters as he hears his lover's voice, frustrated and loud, sounding wholly unlike anything Shadow has heard in this house.
He pushes the bedroom door open and peeks out into the hallway. The house looks the same as always; Tails' door is slightly ajar, and from what Shadow can see, his floors are covered with blueprints and scrap that's meant to be in the garage.
"–can't just DO THAT!" Sonic's muffled voice cuts through again, making Shadow jump. He's not used to hearing Sonic angry– dare he say, it scares a small part of him. He walks halfway down the stairs, peeking into the living room where Sonic and Tails stand, in the middle of all the furniture.
"Sonic– I said I'm sorry– I won't do it again," Tails pleads, sounding frustrated and wholly done with Sonic, but that just deepens the frown on the hedgehog's face.
"That– is NOT the point. I rarely ask things of you, and you promised not to mess with dangerous stuff!" Sonic is pacing, disappointment and stress in his gaze as he looks at his brother. Tails lets out a little whine, pinning his ears back.
"Yeah, but I'm older now! I clearly know more about it than you do," Tails shoots back, crossing his arms.
"Clearly you still aren't old enough. I might have given you the 'okay' if you asked me, but you didn't! That's the problem," Sonic grits his teeth, striding up to Tails and pointing at him,
"And don't take that tone with me. Just because I don't know as much about explosives and super weapons as you do, does not mean I am stupid, Miles."
Shadow can't hear anything but the argument and his own, frantic heartbeat pounding in his ears. Never, not once, has he ever witnessed Sonic calling his brother 'Miles'. It sends a chill down the dark hedgehog's spine.
Tails groans again, his tails flicking angrily.
"Sonic-! This isn't such a big deal– I can take care of myself! You don't have to be so– so pissy about this-!"
"Pissy? Don't use that language, Miles. You are not allowed to be experimenting with– with dangerous elements! That's been a ground rule from day one. You broke my trust. I'm banning you from the lab. A month. If I catch you in there, or doing anything related to experimenting or inventing, that time will double," Sonic's voice is full of authority and finality, but Tails still protests.
"What?? No– you can't DO that!"
"I can. You broke the rules, you get punished."
Shadow can't breathe. He holds his breath, like if he makes any sound he'll be yelled at next. He's scared. Why is he scared? It's– it's Sonic. Sonic won't hurt anyone..
So why– why are the walls suddenly that sickening white of the ARK? Why does the room smell of chemicals and bleach. Why can he not– not hear anything other than the yelling?
"Sonic-! I'm an inventor, you can't stop me from inventing! What if Eggman attacks?"
"Then you will stay your ass inside and let us handle it. No inventing. I can't trust you to keep your promises anymore, Miles."
Suddenly, Shadow is a kid again, standing beside a hospital cot, scientists looming over him. He's being yelled at for not complying. For not listening to them. Hands are reaching out to him, threatening. He grips onto the railing, legs shaking. His nails strain against his gloves. Sonic is pacing again.
"Sonic–"
"That is the END of the conversation."
"Please, this is unfair-"
"NO, Miles!"
Sonic stops suddenly, snapping towards Tails, and all Shadow can feels are the slaps on his face. The pulling of his quills. Gloved hands holding him down and injecting him. All he feels is hurt hurt hurt.
He teleports before he can think, landing protectively in front of Tails, arms spread and eyes wide. He's not breathing, already flinched and bracing for a hit that isn't coming.
"Don't–! Don't hurt him–" Shadow pleads, unfocused gaze staring at Sonic. He– he doesn't see his partner. He doesn't see Sonic's home surrounding him, warm and full of memories. He just sees the ARK.
Sonic and Tails both startle at his sudden appearance, and at the tone of his voice– those words, all the anger flows out of the room, replaced with instant concern. Sonic reels back, face contorting in confusion.
"…Shadow?" He whispers, and Shadow flinches at the sound of his name. He breathes out heavily, shaking his head.
"Please. Please– don't hurt him," He says again, quills spiking as his eyes follow Sonic's hands. Sonic looks at him, then peeks behind him at Tails. The kid is no longer angry, nor indignant. Instead, his little brows are furrowed as he looks up at the hedgehog in front of him.
Slowly, carefully, Sonic raises his hands in a placating, surrender position.
"Shadow..hey, it's okay.." Sonic attempts to soothe, but Shadow shakes his head, eyes glossy and far away. Shadow growls a bit, daring Sonic, or.. whoever he sees in his mind, to try and get to Tails. So Sonic switches tactics.
"Tails, baby, go upstairs," Sonic instructs gently. The authoritative tone from earlier is gone, and it seems that whatever the argument was about is no longer important to the duo. Tails hesitates, but nods.
He looks up at Sonic, the defiance in his gaze gone, and now he's just a kid looking to his Dad. A worried little kid.
He slowly backs up, and then scurries up the stairs, his gaze lingering slightly on Shadow's still protective form before he disappears.
Good. Now Sonic could handle things.
Shadow is still…away. Sonic isn't sure where he is, in which memory, or what he's seeing. But he knows Shadow. He knows this is a delicate situation.
Shadow isn't seeing Sonic at the moment, so the first order of business is bringing him back down to reality.
"…Shadow?" He calls, hands still up. Shadow flinches once again, his ears pinned completely back on his head. He lets out another alien growl, his irises shaking as he sees ghosts of a past life.
Sonic's heart aches. The blue hedgehog looks around the room, taking in all the difference senses he can play to for Shadow's benefit.
There's a couple candles lit. Those scented ones that Amy loves so. The television is playing extremely lowly, but that's about it.
Sonic breathes in deeply, steadying himself. He can't quite freak out right now, because he needs to bring Shadow home. Back to Earth, and not… wherever he's stuck.
"..Shads?" Sonic tries again, using the darker hedgehog's nickname. That gets a small reaction; a flick of Shadow's pinned back ear. Sonic's shoulders loosen slightly at the movement, but he still doesn't let his guard down entirely.
"Shads.. No one's hurting anyone. Tails is safe. He's not here anymore, he's in his room," Sonic explains, refusing to move his hands from their placating position. Gaia knows what Shadow would do if he could no longer see both of Sonic's empty hands.
Shadow's frown deepens, and his brows furrow more.
"L–liar. Liar. You– he–" Shadow stutters out, "Don't hurt him– he's just a– a kid! Hurt– hurt me instead–" Shadow nearly begs, and Sonic's heart cannot take much more of this.
"Shadow. Shads, I'm not lying, baby. Do you..know where you are, Shads?" He keeps using his lover's nickname, a thing solely connecting Sonic to Shadow in a unique way. He gave Shadow that nickname, and everyone knows it.
Doubt flickers in Shadow's fuzzy eyes as he stares through Sonic. His hands shake.
"Th–the ARK? The ARK– the– Lab? I'm sorry– I don't–" He huffs out, eyes frantically moving but not taking in anything.
Sonic hums lowly, shaking his head.
"No, Shads. Look at me. It's Sonic. Remember? You aren't on the ARK. You're on Earth. At home," Sonic breathes. He sees confusion rise in Shadow. But his lover seems to be coming back to him, slowly.
"It's me. Your Faker? Your stupid Hedgehog? The Blue Blur," Sonic lists every name he can recall in his frazzled mind. Even the ones that annoy Shadow, "Uhm.. Your Sonic. I'm your Sonic. No one else is here. Just…Shadow and Sonic."
Shadow's eyes finally seem to focus at that. He blinks, actually seeing Sonic, and his defensive stance loosens instantly.
"S..Sonic.." Shadow mutters out, looking down at his hand. Sonic nods, smiling gently at him.
"Hey, Shads. It's just me. Everyone's okay," Sonic reassures. Shadow frowns, and the next time he looks into Sonic's eyes, the blue hedgehog's breath hitches at the..complex whirlpool of emotions swirling in them.
"You– Sonic? Tails– you.. You were yelling–" Shadow seems utterly lost. His eyes hold fear. Fear towards Sonic?
Betrayal also swims there, along with..hope, maybe? And anger. Sonic.. he doesn't know how to interpret this.
"I..I was yelling. Yes. Tails and I– we were..having an argument.." Sonic explains carefully. Shadow's eyes darken,
"You– you were going to hit him– he made you angry. He got you angry and you were– you were going to slap him- I don't know what he did but please–"
Sonic's hands slowly move, and Shadow traces them all the way. He holds his hands out to Shadow, palms up. Shadow doesn't look like he trusts it, but he hesitantly rests his own shaking hands onto Sonic's.
"Love.." Sonic doesn't usually do pet names; they tend to affectionately insult each other instead of using flowery language, but he can't help the soft name that slips from his tongue. Shadow's ears perk at that.
"I would never hit Tails. Never," Sonic whispers, squeezing Shadow's hand gently. Shadow blinks, and then tilts his head in that endearing, confused way. Sonic presses on, because he needs Shadow to understand.
"Shads. Shads. We were disagreeing. He.. did something he wasn't supposed to do, and I got frustrated. We were yelling at each other. But Tails was never in danger for a single second. He.. he's my brother; my child, Shadow. I'd never hurt him. I–" Sonic's voice cracks slightly.
Did Shadow think that lowly of him? Or.. was this Shadow's own trauma coming back to bite him.
Shadow's breath hitches at Sonic's words, and he desperately wants to believe his partner, but–
"But– you used his– real name. You were yelling. You… you snapped– an– and turned to him when he kept arguing," Shadow murmurs airily. He's.. confused.
When he argued with the scientists on the ARK, he'd get into so much trouble. His punishments ranged from stern talkings to jolting slaps, and on his…most rebellious days, with the angrier scientists, extra experimentation.
He– he thought it was normal.
It was normal. For Shadow, at least. Maria never liked it when they hit him, but he tested the scientists' tempers, and the…less patient ones tended to snap. Drag him onto the bed when he stubbornly refused to sit. Pull him by his quills and sedate him so they could get him where he needed to be.
Shadow was..a bad kid. That's what happened to bad kids.
His… the people on the ARK weren't all bad. He got praised after successful experiments. He saw Maria almost daily. Gerald held him gently after rough experiments and put him to bed.
Some of the scientists did like him, too. It.. it wasn't all bad. It wasn't torture or anything. He was just being punished for acting out. It's normal.
So then.. why did he react that way when he heard the yelling? Why.. why did he think that Sonic would hurt Tails? Why did he panic when he thought Tails would be hit?
Kids who act out get hit. Maria didn't act out, she was a a good kid. She was mischievous, yes, but a good kid. Shadow was– wasn't even a kid. He was their property. They disciplined him when he acted out.
So why does his heart clench painfully at the idea of Sonic disciplining Tails the same way? Of– hitting the little kit for acting out. If anything, he should've stayed out of it.
But– he couldn't. No matter how 'normal' it seemed in his head, he felt his body move on instinct when he thought Tails would get slapped. Tails would never deserve that, no matter what he did wrong.
Did..Did Shadow deserve it? Was he just– was he that bad? That he deserve to– be hurt?
He was never technically a kid. Of course he deserved it. He should've been better.
"Baby," Sonic whispers, his hand slowly coming up to Shadow's face. The small part of Shadow's brain that's still stuck in the past wants to flinch, or fight. Instead, he lets Sonic's hand rest gently on his cheek, caressing it sweetly.
"I have never, and will never lay a harmful hand on Tails. I will never punish Tails with physical harm, and I will never insult or belittle him because I am angry. None of those things are okay, Shads. I'll never purposefully cause harm to our kid. Never." Sonic promises, his voice gentle but serious.
Shadow absorbs the words, and inexplicably, tears well in his eyes, pouring down his cheek alarmingly quickly. Sonic frowns sadly, his other hand resting on Shadow's chest, right on the white fluff.
"But– But.. I thought–" Shadow doesn't..know what he thought.
"It's okay, Shads. You– you thought he was in danger, and you protected him. Thank you for protecting him, but I promise, he was never in danger, my love," Sonic soothes. He knows Shadow's heart, he knows that his partner was doing the right thing.
It just hurts that he thought that was necessary.
Shadow leans into Sonic's hand, breathing heavily. Sonic's other hand moves from his chest, down his torso and around his waist. The touch is grounding. It's familiar. It's the way only Sonic would touch him.
"Shadow.." Sonic's eyes are wet as well, "Did..did they hit you for punishment? On the ARK?"
Shadow shivers, then nods. Sonic's face falls more at that, so Shadow tries to soothe.
"I– it wasn't– I used to misbehave. I wouldn't listen sometimes– when I didn't wan-wanna experiment. Some of them were nice– but I used to make them angry-" Shadow stutters, hoping to quell whatever Sonic's feeling. If anything he makes it worse.
"I wouldn't– I'd talk back, or hide. And– well, some of the– scientists we're very patient, and they'd– catch me by the quills and drag me out– and sometimes when- I argued with them, they'd hit me. Or if I– accidently hurt someone. I didn't know how to control my powers, I was dangerous-! They'd have to hold me-down–" He's rambling now. Sonic is quiet.
"But– I deserved it-! I was a bad kid. Or– I wasn't even a kid- I was a lab experiment. They were doing what they had to.."
He doesn't know why he's defending the scientists to Sonic. He's outwardly stated that he didn't like them on many occasions. But– he needs Sonic to know that they weren't torturing him or anything.
They were just..doing their jobs. Shadow made their jobs hard.
Sonic sighs, a heavy, emotional sound.
"My love," Sonic's voice is broken, it cracks at the simple words. He can't even get the rest of the sentence out.
Another voice finishes it for him.
"You didn't deserve it, Dad."
Tails' little voice jolts both hedgehogs. They turn to the stairs, where the fox kit is standing, tears pouring down his darling face but determination in his gaze. He walks down the rest of the stairs, straight up to the duo, and he squeezes into the middle of them, practically climbing Shadow like a tree until he's nestled comfortably in his arms. Shadow holds him easily.
"You didn't deserve that." Tails repeats, knocking his forehead against Shadow's and pinning him with a serious gaze. The kit is crying, and his tears make Sonic's fall.
"Miles.." Shadow starts to speak, but Tails shakes his head, refusing to look away. Did the child hear all of that? All of– Shadow's pathetic floundering? It seems so, from the way he's looking at the hedgehog.
"No, Shadow," Tails' voice wobbles with emotion, but he sucks in a deep breath and stifles the sob.
"I don't care how difficult you think you were. I don't care if you think they were doing the right thing. You didn't deserve to be hurt, regardless of how much you misbehaved," Tails demands, "I misbehaved plenty! I– I was always doing the opposite of what Sonic told me to do, when it was just us. And he used to get mad. And worried, but never once did he hit me."
The kit turns back to look at Sonic, frowning at his brother's tears.
"Sonic never hit me. I think the people I lived with before did, but I was too young to remember. But Sonic never did. Because– because no matter how much a kid misbehaves, they don't deserve abuse."
Abuse. That word travels down Shadow's spine, sending his quills spiking and his lungs stuttering.
Shadow wasn't.. abused. That– he can't be abused. He wasn't even considered a person. You can't abuse a lab creation.
But.. he wasn't just a lab creation, was he? He was a being of emotion. One capable of feeling hurt. One who got scared.
He's been trying to unlearn that way of thinking. The kind that strips him of his personhood and leaves him a discarded alien experiment.
And now.. it seems that part of unlearning that is admitting that.. maybe the way he was treated wasn't okay. Maybe he didn't deserve– to be punished for being exhausted of the experiments.
A sob falls from Shadow's lips without his permission, and it startles him. Both Tails' and Sonic's eyes soften.
"I– I thought– I didn't mean–" He doesn't know what he's saying. It's not that he thought Sonic was abusive to the kit, but– all his thoughts are contradicting each other. It's all too confusing.
"We know, Shads. We can talk about it properly later," Sonic hushes his stuttering, "Right now– lets go sit down."
Sonic grabs his free hand– the one not holding the kit– and slowly guides Shadow to the couch. The hedgehog stumbles along, letting himself be gently pushed into the plush, familiar couch. Sonic sits next to him, his hand trailing up to Shadow's shoulder.
He leans into the touch, trying to steady himself. He trapped in a paradox of emotions and sporadic thoughts that threaten to crush him. Having Sonic next to him and Tails cuddled into his arms helps a lot though.
Tails rests his head on Shadow's chest, breathing steadily, deliberately loud so that Shadow can follow along. He'd call the kit out, but it is helping, so he stays quiet.
It's quiet for a little, the family just..resting and thinking about what just occurred. Surprisingly, Shadow is the one who ends that silence.
"I'm…sorry. I–" Shadow sighs, slumping into Sonic's shoulder, "I misread the situation, and I.. intruded. I didn't– I didn't think that you'd hurt Tails. You– I know you. I know you'd never." Shadow looks up at Sonic.
He needs his partner to know that he– he doesn't think that lowly of him. Sonic is the furthest thing from abusive. Shadow knows that damn well. He owes both the hedgehog and their kit an explanation for the..outburst.
Plus, he trusts them enough. He knows that in order to.. be a part of their little family, he has to tell them about his– well, Rouge calls them his 'triggers'– the things that set him off. This wouldn't work if he kept keeping secrets.
"I just.. when I heard yelling, I guess I was reminded of..the ARK. When there was yelling on the ARK, it was usually at me. I wasn't a.. uhm– perfect test subject. I threw tantrums– fought them on certain experiments. I'd sometimes try to hide."
His family is listening intently, attention solely on him as he tells them his story. He finds that their eyes don't burn into him like he'd expect, it's a gentle, attentive gaze, not hot or piercing.
They want to know about his life. That simple realization spurs him on.
"Some of the scientist were patient. Kind and… well, they'd try to be civil with me. Other's were..less so. When I disagreed, they'd yell. Sometimes they'd slap me to get me to stop disobeying. On the worst days, they'd.. do extra experiments as punishment. It wasn't ever.. torture. It wasn't a horrible, terrible life. It was.." He trails off.
"Normal. Normal to you," Sonic finishes for him, voice soft but understanding. Shadow nods, and he feels Tails cuddle closer.
"Yeah. It was all I knew. So when I heard you guys.. When I saw you guys.. I felt myself slipping back to the ARK. Everything felt unsafe. I thought– I was a kid again, getting yelled at. And when you snapped back around at Tails, I–" He shoves his face into Sonic's neck, breathing heavily. He's safe, he's allowed to share these things. He keeps reminding himself of that.
"I didn't see you, Sonic. I saw the scientists.. pacing in front of me while I back-talked them, and I saw the way their patience used to run out, and they used to– snap towards me like that and slap me, or scruff me– and yell."
"And you thought that when I stopped pacing, it's because I was going to snap and hit him," Sonic hums, and lips are pressed into his head.
Tails doesn't comment on that little affectionate action, despite his love of making over-exaggerated gagging sounds at any PDA the couple does. If anything, he pushes even closer.
"Shadow," Sonic starts, trying to pull away from Shadow. Shadow sighs, but obliges, sitting up so the blue hedgehog can look him in the face, "Thank you for explaining. Thank you for.. for helping us understand."
Shadow hates that he tears up at those words. He smiles, something watery and small, but real.
"…You were going to take the hit for me?" Tails pipes up, then. Shadow' eyebrows furrow at the question, and he looks down at the kit cradled to his chest with confusion.
"Of course," Shadow replies, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Tails looks up at him, then at Sonic. His face twists, and he reaches a hand to Sonic, sitting up and burying his face between his two caretakers.
Shadow hugs the kit close, but sends a baffled glance at Sonic, who returns it, though he instantly moves as close as possible for the child to hold him as well.
They're a small little bundle, taking up one cushion of the couch with how close they're smushed together. They don't care, because Tails wants both of them here, so both of them will be here.
"…No one used to take the hits for me," Tails murmurs, and.. Shadow's heart breaks. He sees the moment Sonic's heart shatters as well. His face falls as his emerald eyes look down at the kit in their laps.
"Tails..wha..?" Sonic whispers, mouth down-turned. Tails sniffles, tugging them closer.
"I.. I don't remember much before you, Sonic, but I.. I have some snippets. Little ones," Tails admits, "A lot of them never came up because it wasn't important. I never– I never felt unsafe with you, so they weren't.. an issue. But.. I remember someone over me. I remember being scared– and crying." Tails begins to recall, and both hedgehog listen carefully.
"I didn't.. I didn't know how to speak well, I wasn't saying words, but– I knew I wanted someone to protect me. No one did." Tears drip down Sonic's face, but he doesn't make a sound.
Shadow reaches over the kit to wipe at his lover's face, caressing his cheek gently before his hand returns to Tails' back.
"Miles," Shadow speaks up, barely a whisper, "I- I'll always take the hit for you. I'll always protect you."
Tails finally moves, pulling back to look at Sonic and Shadow. Despite the heavy topic, the kit has a smile on his damp face.
"I know," He grins, his chest purring and his tails wagging gently as they dangle off the couch, "But you don't have to, because we don't deserve to be hit." He says it while staring directly at Shadow, and..Shadow can't help but smile back.
Because, yeah, maybe he didn't deserve to be hit for being scared of experiments, or for back-talking a bit. But that's something he's going to have to process over.. maybe months, if he's lucky. Years, if not.
But he can admit it right now, with his family around him.
"Yeah.. we don't deserve to be hit," His voice cracks slightly, but he verbalises it. That's important. Tails grins more at that, and Sonic cracks a sad smile as he watches the two. Shadow leans forward, knocking his head against Tails'.
"But I am serious, I'll always protect you, in battle or in everyday life," Shadow promises. Tails softens at that, and his eyes glimmer at the words.
"I know.." He repeats, fully believing of Shadow's promise.
"Hey, so will I–" Sonic interjects, poking into their space, feeling left out. Shadow barks out a laugh, shoving his palm into his partner's face and pushing him back, watching him fall backward onto the rest of the couch.
"Leave us alone, faker, we're bonding," Shadow drawls, his chest feeling lighter at the giggle that leaves Tails' mouth.
Sonic grumbles, crossing his arms and remaining there, throwing his feet over Shadow and Tails' laps.
"Fine, I see how it is," He bemoans. Suddenly, he props himself up, levelling Tails with a glare of faux anger, but behind it holds seriousness.
"Hey, buddy, this doesn't mean you're not grounded. Everything we talked about is still very relevant, and I am still mad at you," Sonic huffs, then dramatically flops down again. Shadow rolls his eyes, and Tails pouts, but nods.
"'Kay.." Tails gives in, wiggling out of Shadow's hold to crawl over Sonic, curling up next to him and looking at him with those big, beautiful blue eyes.
"I am sorry, Dad," Tails apologises, frowning, "I.. I didn't mean to argue with you. I was.. I just thought that– you guys baby me so much, but I'm growing up, and– I just wanted to do better. Make better inventions." Tails murmurs the words.
Sonic sighs, eyes flicking to Shadow and then down to Tails.
"I know, kit. I.. I know you're getting older. But I'm still your parent. When you.. go back on promises like that, it scares me. What if you'd gotten hurt? I know you want to experiment with more powerful materials, but– what do I do if you get hurt, Tails?"
"..I didn't think. I'm sorry. I should've asked you," Tails admits.
"You should have. As much as I love you, keed, I have to draw the lines. You broke a rule, you do the time. This doesn't mean I'm angry. You'll be back in your workshop in no time." Sonic runs his hands through Tails' fluff, closing his eyes, "And.. I'm sorry. To both of you."
Shadow blinks, confused. Why is Sonic apologising to him? The blue hedgehog sighs, and speaks again,
"I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have gotten so heated. I– I lost my temper, and it lead to this," Sonic gestures vaguely to their situation.
Shadow scoffs, draping his hands over Sonic's legs, still resting on his lap.
"Sonic, you did nothing wrong. Things happen," Shadow reminds, massaging his lover's thighs idly as he speaks. Tails nods.
"Yeah. I started it. 's okay, Sonic," Tails burrows into Sonic's side, sighing. Sonic seems to fully relax at the reassurances, melting into the couch.
"Let's just.. stay here for a bit," Sonic mumbles. Shadow nods, humming. This is nice. He no longer feels jittery, like he's in fight or flight. The walls of the ARK are far in the past, and he can see the pictures of their friends hanging all over, he can smell the candles on the mantle, he can see the warmth of the fairy lights. It reminds him that he is home.
No one is coming to hurt them (bar Eggman), no experiments await for him, no quill pulling or slapping. Just peace.
Gaia, they are a complicated little family. But Shadow thinks they handle it pretty well. Here they are, after a situation that could ended so poorly, yet instead of tears or running, or chaos forbid, bloodshed, they're cuddled together on their couch, taking in each others words and calming down together.
Shadow closes his eyes and leans back into the couch, a relaxed smile on his face.
Yeah, this is okay. They aren't perfect, but they're okay.