Chapter Text
Sonic felt completely at ease, safe, and warm when he woke up that morning. Usually, he’s straight to waking up, eyes popping open and body springing from his bed—ready for what the day brings. Now though, he wakes up slowly, with dreams clinging to his mind. Normally he’s as quick to forget what his mind conjures up for him just as he is fast. This time though, he relishes in the feeling of holding a delicately scarred hand, guiding it through a bright and flourishing forest. He feels like he’s floating on a cloud, high above everyone and everything. He hears birds singing in the distance and the gentle push of fluttering leaves. Sonic can’t decipher if the noise is fading in from his dream or if the Earth is pushing him to wake up.
Instinctively, Sonic finds himself tightening his grip around this mysterious person’s hand. He can feel it grip back and can see a smile finding its way onto a tan muzzle. Sonic doesn’t want this dream to end, it’s the first time in a while that he’s found himself at peace inside of his mind. His thoughts were no longer racing and his heart was beating at a normal pace. Even so, all dreams have to end eventually, and he finds himself being gently pulled away from the vibrant forest.
His eyes open, squinting through the light that pours into his view. Sonic’s eyes feel heavy from sleep, but the pain that had been residing behind them is finally gone. Facing him now though, is that same tan muzzle he had seen in his dream. It’s squished into the beanbag with an expression of tranquility.
Sonic remembers now that he had brought Shadow here.
Oh chaos, he brought Shadow here . With him, sharing a beanbag. Sonic mentally high-fives his tired self for the wonderful gift he’s brought upon himself.
For the first time since Sonic had met him, Shadow looks completely at peace. He feels bad for needing to wake him, but Sonic knows that his family is probably wondering where he went.
Sonic tries lifting his hand but realizes that his and Shadow’s hands are still connected from earlier. Sonic would let go, but Shadow has an iron grip even when he’s sleeping, so he’ll deal with that later. So he instead lifts his head and sits up as carefully as possible. Taking his free hand, he glides it through Shadow’s quills, coaxing him to wake up. It takes a while, but Shadow’s familiar scowl eventually returns, a quiet noise of protest coming with it.
Shadow opens his eyes, bleary from sleep. Blinking a few times in confusion, Shadow’s now panicked form sits up, looking around the small cave until his eyes land on Sonic.
“Woah, hey! You’re good!” Sonic squeezes Shadow’s hand as it shakes lightly. Noticing their interlocked hands, Shadow tugs his hand away. Sonic doesn’t notice how Shadow’s face burns.
“Morning. You sleep well?” Sonic’s hand feels cold now, but he doesn’t think about it for long as a yawn escapes. He stretches from where he sits and a satisfying pop echoes through the room.
“Yes, and you?”
“I think that was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.” Sonic declares. The peaceful serenity is interrupted by Sonic’s stomach grumbling in protest.
“Man, I’m starving.” Sonic leaps up from the beanbag, holding out his hand for Shadow to take. “C’mon, we should be able to make it to breakfast on time. Tom makes the best pancakes.” Shadow jumps at the mention of Tom. He’s still unsure of meeting Sonic’s family properly.
Sonic, sensing Shadow’s unease, sends him a determined smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there to defend you if anything goes wrong.” Sonic comforts him, pulling him towards the cave’s entrance.
Shadow is uncertain, scared, and nervous. He knows that this may end terribly, but for Sonic, all he can do is try .
—
Sonic imagined this going differently.
Instead of shock painting his family's faces, as well as anger, they just look…worried.
Sonic had told them that they were having an ‘emergency meeting’ in the living room. After the initial shock of Sonic suddenly appearing in the kitchen during the remnants of morning pancakes and mountains of syrup and many questions regarding Sonic’s whereabouts from the night, he was able to ease their worries. Mainly because look! He’s okay! Not a scratch on him! He exaggerated the fact that he was fine. Sonic needed them to know that before he brought in something, or someone , who would unfortunately change their minds over that fact. He also had to stop himself from drooling over the smell of pancakes that floated through the house.
Yet, they didn’t even act surprised when he brought Shadow into the living room. Sonic had told him to wait on the porch, and so Shadow did, desperately trying to collect himself before facing the inevitable.
Shadow does everything except look at the Wachowskis. Shadow also expects them to yell, get angry, and kick him out instantly, but it never comes.
Finally, breaking the silence, Maddie clears her throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “Sonic, I see you’ve made a new friend.” Her smile tightens into a thin line, nudging her husband who now only wears a cast on his forearm. Tom also clears his throat, putting a hand over Maddie’s knee in comfort. “Yeah! He looks familiar though.” He trails off, sending Shadow a playful smirk.
Shadow stares at Tom as if he’s grown a second head. Why is he not mad?
Sonic, equally weirded out, rubs Shadow’s back. “Oh, uh, yeah! He wanted to tell you guys something.” Sonic gently nudges Shadow forward, sending him an enthusiastic thumbs up. “You got this.” He whispers.
Shadow, stepping forward, looks around to Sonic’s family. The echidna has his arms crossed, looking at Shadow expectedly. Tails kicks his legs from where he sits on the couch next to Maddie, her face unreadable. Shadow notices the bright blue cast Tom has securely wrapped around his forearm, with lots of scribbles and what looks to be signatures written all over. The name, ‘Sonic’ written in capital letters takes up most of it.
Swallowing what little dignity Shadow has left, he lets the words spill from his mouth. “I am incredibly sorry for all the pain I have caused your family. I was blinded by grief and anger from what those G.U.N. soldiers had done to me, and to…” Shadow trails off, memories clogging his vision. “But, that doesn’t excuse what I did. Especially to you, Mr. Wachowski.” Shadow finishes, his head bowing in shame.
This is it. They’re going to send me away. They must hate me, who wouldn’t? I’m an awful person. I’m just a monster —
Tom hums, standing up to walk over to where Shadow looks like he’s about to cry. “Apology accepted. Just don’t go attacking random people again, okay?” Shadow whips up to see Tom standing in front of him, hand outstretched. Shadow hesitantly takes it, shaking it firmly.
Oh.
Maddie follows after Tom, crouching down to meet Shadow’s gaze. “Your name is Shadow, right?” Shadow nods to her, speechless. She gives him a warm smile. “Very fitting.”
Sonic, also left speechless, feels a smile melt onto his face. He should have known his parents would forgive him, and curse his mind for thinking otherwise. They’ve always been quick to forgive, never letting their anger get the best of them. Sonic knows this firsthand, with how little they discipline him. Instead of furious words, he’s always met with stern yet understanding gazes, leading him in the right direction. Sonic knows he has a lot of growing up to do still, and they know this too. This is the same for Shadow. With no memory of where he came from, he obviously doesn’t know much besides what he learned in the lab. All he’s ever known is what the scientists wanted for him. So, Sonic thinks an apology is a great place to start learning.
He has yet to learn what his brothers think, so Knuckles answers for him. He trots forward, his steps heavy. “You,” Knuckles points his glove towards the dark hedgehog who looks back with unease. “...Are an incredible warrior. I also accept your apology!” Knuckles beams for a second then becomes serious once more. “Even if I owe you one, if you hurt my family again, I will not hesitate to shatter you like the bones of a fallen-” Sonic cuts him off quickly. “Intense as always, big guy!” Sonic decides not to dwell on why Knuckles ‘owes him one.’
Shadow is glad Sonic cut him off, he does not want to know what the echidna was about to say. He shudders a bit, his wording too extreme.
Tails hovers right on over, his height causing Shadow to look down at him. “I thought you were kind of scary at first, but you’re actually pretty cool! It was amazing how you were able to harness the power of the emeralds, just like Sonic!” He rocks on his heels, trying to contain his excitement. Sonic comes into his view now. “I think what we’re all trying to say here is, we’re glad you’re alive, Shadow.”
“That’s right, you’re still just a kid.” Tom crouches down to Shadow’s height. “We’ll support you for as long as you need. Sonic has never been wrong with picking friends before.” Sonic nods energetically. “That’s true!”
This is all too much for Shadow. He feels his heart filling up with something he missed deeply. Whatever had been there had drained out the day Maria had left him. He wants to run far away from here, maybe until his legs give out. He feels as if he doesn’t deserve this kindness.
But he promised Sonic he would try .
“How about a tour? I can show you around if you’d like.” Maddie asks, gentleness seeping through. Shadow just nods, biting his tongue to stop the tears from flowing.
“Can we have breakfast first? I’m so hungry!” Sonic protests, to which Maddie just rolls her eyes fondly. “Have you ever had pancakes before?” Maddie asks, to which Shadow shakes his head.
“Okay, sweetie. Follow me, you must be hungry.” She holds out her hand, and Shadow takes it, uncertain.
“Let me lead, I will show the hedgehog what this warrior’s den has to offer!” Knuckles holds his fist against his chest, pride swelling. Maddie sighs, used to her son’s antics. “But of course, we must indulge in the Earth’s fine creation. Pancakes!” Maddie laughs at Knuckles' newfound enthusiasm. “Okay, red. Lead the way.” Tails lets out a small ‘whoop’ and follows them eagerly as they leave the living room.
Shadow turns back to Sonic, face worried as if asking if this is okay. Sonic, smiling brightly as ever, gives him a nod.
Their voices fade into what sounds like the kitchen. “Better join them, right bud?” Tom gets up, wincing a bit from the soreness of his ribs. Sonic pulls on Tom’s flannel sleeve, stopping him from leaving the living room. “Okay, did you guys talk about this beforehand or something? You guys came to a decision way too quickly.” Sonic taps his foot impatiently, folding his arms to his chest.
“Sure did, bud. This morning, actually.” Tom says, hand on his hip. “What? No way, that’s gotta be the biggest coincidence in the history of coincidences!” Sonic has a hard time believing Tom with how much his grin spreads across his face. “Well, Knuckles brought it up actually.”
“Huh?” Sonic raises an eyebrow at this. Tom, who now looks a little more serious, leans against the wall, giving Sonic a stern look. “He said that you’ve been sneaking out at night a lot. He said he figured it had to be because of Shadow”
Tattletale.
Sonic looks elsewhere, fidgeting with the hems of his gloves. Tom clears his throat to get Sonic’s attention but continues. “While you were gone we discussed it, and figured we should give him the same chance we gave you if he ever came back around.” Sonic is oddly touched by this, but then confusion hits him. “Wait a minute, that doesn’t explain how he figured it was Shadow. I thought we were all in agreement that he, ya know, died?”
Tom looks around to make sure no one is listening, his voice a whisper. “How do you think he got the Master Emerald back?”
“I don’t know! He won’t tell me!” Sonic shouts, opposite the volume of Tom. He pouts, throwing his hands in the air. Tom gives him a knowing look, holding back a laugh.
Sonic doesn’t like playing the guessing game, and he also doesn’t like it when someone keeps a secret from him until it hits him. “Wait, was it—What?! Why wouldn’t he tell me that?”
“He said it wasn’t important.” Tom shrugs as if it was obvious.
“That is so important! The guy who saved the planet with me is alive and well, and Knuckles thinks it’s not important?!” Tom laughs now, clutching his forearm. “His words, not mine.” Sonic groans, hands covering his face. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me that Shadow returned the Master Emerald. That jerk.”
“Sonic.” Tom starts, getting the hedgehog's attention. “I don’t know if he can stay here forever, but we’ll help him find his place here on Earth. Just like we did for you and your brothers.” He leans back from the wall, ruffling Sonic’s quills. Sonic waves his hands away, laughing a bit. “I know. Thank you for giving him a chance.” Tom shoots him a wink, walking out of the living room.
Sonic believes his family was sent to him by angels.
—
Sonic that evening was, in his opinion, maybe a little too eager to help with dinner, so much so that he surprised himself when he offered to just make it all by himself. Sonic had promised his parents to do double the chores as an incentive to keep Shadow there longer. Tom and Maddie were quick to agree. Maddie had immediately refused him making dinner though, saying she appreciated it but would like it more if he just offered a helping hand. Tom had let out a grateful sigh, having gone unnoticed by the blue hedgehog. Tom wanted to eat tonight, and he would feel bad if Shadow’s first meal was, well, inedible. Shadow, on the other hand, determined to make a great second impression, offered to help out as well.
Shadow had thoroughly enjoyed the pancakes, but had to suppress a gag when Sonic buried his in a mountain of syrup. Sonic said that it gives it the perfect amount of flavor. Plus Maddie had been so patient with him earlier, showing him many different things around the house. Whenever he had a question, she had no problem explaining it to him. Same with Knuckles, although he was very adamant that his explanation was way better than anyone else’s. Nobody fought him on this.
Then something caught his attention. Shadow had been very intrigued by the coffee maker, as Maddie called it, so she promised she would show him how to use it the next morning. Shadow was hesitant to try it, but Maddie assured him it couldn’t go any worse than when Knuckles almost burnt the kitchen down when he tried to use the stove. For the first time in his life, he was excited.
Shadow had also got to meet Ozzy, who had been outside enjoying the sun. Ozzy ran in the door to his water bowl until he was greeted with a new scent. Trotting over to the new guest, the dog greeted Shadow with licks to his face. He suppressed a laugh as Tom had tried to call the golden retriever over to him, resulting in the dog giving Shadow more attention. Not that Shadow could tell, but Tom looked a little jealous.
Back to the present, with Ozzy snoring lightly next to the kitchen island, Maddie had decided she would make something easy tonight. Shadow had learned about the world’s love for pizza. At least, Sonic seemed very enthused to make it, saying it was the best thing next to chili dogs, whatever that was.
It ended up with Maddie showing Shadow step-by-step instructions on how to prepare everything. Shadow found that he was enjoying himself, he never had been given the opportunity to do this in the lab. The meals he ate were always bland and never very filling. He remembers Maria sneaking him cake every so often, which in turn made him develop a bit of a sweet tooth.
He carefully flattens the dough they had just made, latex gloves sticking to it slightly. Sonic sticks his tongue out in concentration, flattening it as well onto the pan. Maddie then offers to spread out the sauce and cheese, letting the two boys choose which toppings they want to put on it. Knuckles tries to sneak in some pineapple, but Sonic shoos him away. “Absolutely not. Pineapple does not go on pizza, dude.”
After a brief argument about whether pineapple should be a pizza topping, the boys decide on their favorite, which Sonic mostly picks since he knows them better than Shadow. Tails suggests adding mushrooms, with a mischievous look towards Sonic. Sonic then decides that nobody in this house besides him and Shadow were allowed to suggest any toppings.
“Alright, boys. This will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Sonic can you set out the plates, please?” Sonic jumps out of his seat, almost knocking it onto the ground. “On it!” In a flash the table is set, Sonic dramatically bowing his head. Maddie rolls her eyes but comes over to kiss him on the forehead. “Thank you.” Sonic grimaces from the affection, grumbling a bit to himself.
Shadow thinks Maddie is very sweet.
Chatter takes over while waiting for the pizza to cook. They talk about plans for the coming days, work-related issues, and how some of the residents of Green Hills need to learn how technology works. Maddie seems passionate about this, Shadow picked up on how she has a lot of problems with this regarding her job. Sonic and Knuckles once again get into an argument about pineapple on pizza. There’s still about 5 minutes left on the stove when Tails comes over to sit next to Shadow. Their feet dangle towards the floor from how high the stools are at the kitchen island.
“Hey, Shadow. Want to see what I’m working on?” Tails questions. Shadow looks over to see he’s holding some sort of yellow box with a screen. He looks a little timid, as if he’s nervous. Shadow can understand, it’s not every day the guy who kicked you in the face ends up in your kitchen. “Sure.” He responds simply. The fox’s tails flick in excitement, his fear slipping away by the second.
“This is called the Miles Electric , trademark pending. I enlarged the screen, so now I can double-task with more efficiency. It can do a lot of things, like track energy signatures, translate languages at lightning speeds, and I can even clone myself!” Shadow nods along as if he knows what any of that means. They had nothing like this back at the lab, so Shadow doesn’t exactly know what he’s looking at.
Sonic must have noticed Shadow’s confused expression as he cuts into their conversation. “It’s okay, Shadow, I never know what he’s talking about either.” Tails just laughs at Sonic's comment but is interrupted by Knuckles’ loud banging on the table. “We are not done with this battle! Do not turn your attention elsewhere, hedgehog!” Sonic groans and continues his squabble with the echidna.
“You’ll get used to them. Their arguments are never too serious.” Tails tells Shadow to ease his worries. He begins to show Shadow the many other features, little blips and boxes coming and going on the screen. Shadow thinks this is impressive, at such a young age Tails was able to outsmart a lot of the scientists from the lab. He had never seen anything like this.
“This is impressive. You’re very intelligent, Tails.” Shadow compliments. Tails bashfully looks away, not used to such things. “Thanks, Shadow. I can show you my other inventions later if you want.”
“Sounds fun.” Shadow nods, and Tails takes that as a win.
The stove beeps, and Sonic and Knuckles’ argument breaks instantly. They find their seats as Tom silently thanks the universe for its timing. Sonic takes a seat next to Shadow while Knuckles finds his spot next to Tails.
Maddie carefully sets the pizza down in the middle of the island and then cuts it into sections. Tom sends her an appreciative smile with a ‘thank you,’ same with her three sons. Shadow thanks her as well but looks at his piece questionably.
Shadow leans closer to Sonic, but he’s already looking at him. “Uh, how do I eat this?” Shadow whispers, the ongoing conversation between everyone fading into the background. “Sonic picks up his pizza, holding it with two hands. “Like this!” So Shadow mimics him, and he certainly is not prepared.
A burst of unfamiliar flavors hits his tongue. Swallowing, Sonic gives him a grin. “Good, right?” Shadow nods, his eyes bright as he takes another bite. Shadow thinks he could get used to this.
Their dinner flashes by with the whole pizza eaten thanks to Knuckles, and the dishes are done at lightning speed thanks to Sonic. With this out of the way, Sonic shows Shadow to the guest room.
“Here you go! This is where you’ll be staying. This room could really use a beanbag. Oh! And maybe some road signs and movie posters.” Sonic starts to show Shadow his revolutionary plan to spice the room up, Maddie comes in with spare pillows and blankets.
“These are for you, just in case. Don’t be afraid to ask for anything while you’re here, okay?” Maddie tells Shadow, setting the spares down on the chair in the corner of the room.
“Thank you, you’ve done so much for me already.” Shadow doesn’t know how to thank her, and Sonic’s entire family. They’ve been so kind to him today.
“And there's more to come. Now come on, we’re having a movie night!” Maddie winks and walks out of the room.
Sonic’s expression changes to excitement at the news. He turns to Shadow, who longingly looks out the window near the bed. The sky is clear and the moon shines brightly, even when it’s cut in half. Sonic knows Shadow is lost in his mind again, so he offers a hand on his shoulder, turning to face him. “What’s wrong, dude?”
Shadow turns to face Sonic now, his face displaying a sad smile. “Your family is very kind. I like them.”