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Abraham had known, from the moment he first saw Shadow on the ARK, that the hybrid hedgehog was a monster. His unnatural abilities marked him as a threat to anyone stupid enough to face him without proper preparation- but even as prepared as G.U.N. had believed themselves to be, Shadow still slipped past their defenses, still broken free, and assisted his demonic creator in the invasion of earth.
Shadow’s role in the invasion should have been proof enough that he was more trouble than he was worth. It should have been enough to finally justify an order to kill him.
But, against all odds, he’d risen up against his own creator, defeating him, and helping G.U.N. wipe out the last of his own kind.
That should have been the end of it. G.U.N. couldn’t keep Shadow trapped forever, and he’d proven that he could be an ally to humanity, rather than just a weapon against it. He should have disappeared to wherever the rest of the Mobian heroes hid away whenever the world wasn’t being threatened.
Instead, he’d once again made himself Abraham’s problem, and now, the Commander found himself staring at a quill-covered lump on the couch in his office, sharp spines puffed out in defense as Shadow slept restlessly.
The one thing Abraham hadn’t realized on the ARK, just a child himself when he first saw Shadow, was how young the hedgehog was. It should have occurred to him sooner, Shadow had been made as a caretaker for a little girl, after all. But it still left Abraham baffled when he finally realized that the monster, the weapon, that they’d all been so wary of for decades was a literal teenager, with all of the angst and anxiety that came with it.
He’d been shaking from exhaustion after the final battle, words slurring at the edges when Abraham had tried speaking to him. He was still covered in dirt, sweat, and green blood. Abraham couldn’t tell how much of it was from the Black Arms aliens, and how much of it was Shadow’s own.
The kid hadn’t had anywhere else to go. The only home he’d ever known was in the one place he couldn’t reach, and his only options had been handing himself over to be placed back in stasis, or finding a park bench somewhere to wait out the cold night.
Abraham, despite misgivings toward Shadow that he was hesitant to call ‘resolved’, had given him a third option; return to G.U.N. HQ with him, not as a prisoner, but as a… guest, of sorts.
He wasn’t sure what he was thinking when he’d offered up the small, somewhat stiff couch in his office to the kid. He blamed it on guilt, feeling like he owed something to Shadow after his own actions during the invasion.
Still, he didn’t trust Shadow enough to leave him alone anywhere in the building. There were too many people here who couldn’t hope to defend themselves from someone like Shadow. Even with all of their training, they’d never had to face a threat like Shadow before.
Though, Abraham had to admit, Shadow really didn’t look all that threatening at the moment. Curled up, small and drained of his energy, he reminded Abraham of a wet kitten scooped up off the side of the road, shivering and pathetic. Maybe that was why he’d decided to take pity on the kid. He didn’t know, and he’d only drive himself crazy trying to find an answer.
He tried to distract himself from the sight of the little quill-ball, finishing reports and planning meetings, but his gaze kept wandering back to Shadow. The kid was hardly breathing, still trembling, though it was far less noticeable now.
Abraham’s best efforts to ignore Shadow’s presence ultimately failed, and he found himself wondering about the state Shadow was in, wishing he knew just how bad it was. It had been clear to him that Shadow was beyond exhausted, but he’d been injured as well, trying to hide the way he’d been limping, arms crossed over his chest in a way that looked too much like he was trying to hold himself together.
Not even an hour had passed since Shadow first collapsed onto the couch, and Abraham was already considering what would need to be done once the kid awoke. He didn’t know if Shadow needed to eat; research notes from the ARK suggested he didn’t, but he could have sworn that he’d once seen Shadow steal coffee beans from the scientists’ stash decades ago. Whatever the case was, he should probably find something to feed Shadow when he woke up. Drag him down to the medics, too, though he already got the feeling that it would be a much harder task than getting the kid to eat.
If Abraham were smarter, he would have left the other Mobians to deal with Shadow. Let him wander on his own until he found a cave to sleep in or something. Now, he got to fuss over the creature he’d been ready to kill less than twenty-four hours ago. Joy.
Another hard shiver wracked Shadow’s small frame, making his quills shake, and Abraham sighed. Reluctantly, he stood up from his dest chair and made his way to the couch.
He grabbed the blanket hanging over the back and carefully covered the little ball of quills, staying mindful of all the sharp points sticking up toward him. He kept the spot near Shadow’s head uncovered, not wanting to make the kid feel trapped. He saw Shadow flinch from within the blanket, but slowly, the sharp ends of his quills lowered just a little. Abraham couldn’t tell if it was Shadow finally relaxing, or just the weight of the blanket pressing his quills down.
Abraham returned to his desk, sparing one last glance to the now covered quill pile, finding Shadow still sleeping somewhat peacefully. He let the kid rest for now, already dreading whatever chaos he would cause when he awoke. But, shockingly enough, he didn’t regret his decision, even if he knew that Shadow was bound to be nothing but difficult once he’d gotten his energy back.
After all, when was the last time the kid had been given a safe place to rest?