Archive of Our Own

He might have messed up big time.

Sonic gulped as he tenderly touched the side of his ankle, already swelling and blaring in pain. Limping home was made possible only by the adrenaline firing through his blood; it was so late, nobody would answer even if he called. Teeth grinding, it was nothing short of bliss when he could finally crash into his hammock. Fist in his mouth, he could have screamed.

Sleep didn’t meet him that night. Each minute felt like an hour as he waited for the world to wake up. When the sun was above the horizon, Sonic dialed Tails with heavy reluctant fingers, still unconvinced it wasn’t an inconvenient time. He was practicing his apology before his call was answered.

“Morning!” Tails’s voice was far too cheery for such an unholy hour.

“Tails!” Sonic let out a huge breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding in the disguise of a laugh. “Sorry, bud, did I wake you?”

“Nope, I just woke up.” He heard him heave a yawn. “What’s going on?”

“I-” His throat seized. He hated these words. “Just wondering. Could you come over?”

“Sure, I can.” Tails hummed. “Everything okay?”

“Fine,” Sonic lied, sealing it with a casual, “I’m fine, man. Just need a second opinion on something.”

“A second- are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah!” Sonic tried for a third time to stand. His entire foot hissed in retribution and something cold raced down his spine. “I… no. I think I did something wrong.”

“What’s going on? Sonic?”

Milliseconds passed like molasses. The pain didn’t so much as ebb. “I sort of… took a tumble.”

Sonic winced but kept him on the line as Tails bustled to and fro, audibly gathering his belongings before he finally, finally heard his door close and lock.

“How? What happened? Did you hit your head?”

“Naw,” Sonic admitted and screwed his eyes shut, hating himself for making this his brother’s problem. “But- it’s just my ankle- my foot- I don’t even know what’s wrong, but something is.”

“Okay, okay. Just hang on, I’ll be right over.”

So, yeah. It wasn’t his idea of an optimal Thursday afternoon.

“Just happens sometimes, you know?” Sonic tucked his arms behind his head as Tails circled him frantically. “Too quick, too badass, even my own body can’t keep up sometimes. Almost tragic.”

“This has never happened before! Why are you so calm? You- this could be broken!”

“I love the enthusiasm.”

“Here, just let me-”

Sonic yanked away when Tails struck something painful. “Again, thanks,” he huffed. “I don’t need a diagnosis, doc. Listen, if I’m not dying, I’ve got a new series waiting for me and the popcorn ain’t gonna nuke itself.”

Tails heaved a sigh, the kind Sonic translated to a victory. “No one’s ever died from a twisted ankle. But tell me the minute it feels worse, okay? I promise, I can set a fracture, but if anything is shattered-”

Two days passed and nothing improved. Sonic’s story blended to everyone’s question - overuse, a janky volleyball dive, running across a sharp slope. It was always dismissed with a roll of his eyes, a stupid grin, and a quick distraction. He was getting good at it.

He was home by himself with a thumb dug into the crevice of his ankle, hissing between his teeth as though he could put the tendons back where they belonged, when the arrogant use of a chaos emerald jerked his head upright.

Shadow’s lip twitched. “Sore, are we?”

It had been such a beautiful day, too.

“I missed a step on the stairs,” Sonic snapped. His spine felt cold, spikes piercing the air as they tensed.

“So what, then, sprained it?”

“You wish.”

“I do,” Shadow mused. “Well. That makes this easier.”

Sonic tensed, fists clutched. “What are you planning?” Teeth bared, he was braced to lunge.

“Settle down before you hurt yourself.” Shadow crossed the room and snapped open a drawer, producing a handful of dollar bills. “Again.”

“What are you-?”

“I’m hungry.” Shadow disappeared. Sonic blinked, staring into an empty doorway.

Huh. He’d never been robbed before.

Gingerly he placed his foot on the ground, hissing when contusions loudly denied his weight.

“Tails,” he barked into his wrist communicator. “I need a door.”

After Shadow’s visit (crime?) Tails came by to install a front door. As he finished tightening the screws on the lock, he couldn’t resist saying, “Listen- you really should keep that foot upright. Here, let me get you something cold.”

Tails peered into Sonic’s freezer, expecting cold compresses or ice packs, but found only frozen treats and popsicles.

“Why did I expect you to know anything about injury management? There are four- five cartons of ice cream in here! You know you’re my best friend, right? So please let me ask you, what is wrong with you?”

“You try eating ten thousand calories a day,” Sonic was laying upside down on the couch.

Tails crafted him an icepack by emptying an ice cube tray into a sealable pouch and tossed it over to him. “Keep that where it hurts. And for the love of- just stay still!”

“I’m bored. What’s not moving going to do? And what am I supposed to do when Shadow decides it’s time for dinner?”

“Good point.” Tails slung off his backpack and rummaged around. “Listen, I don’t have much of this left, so this is only for emergencies, got it?”

“More tape?” Sonic groaned. “I appreciate you sacrificing your stash, but I’ve got about thirty rolls of the stuff.”

“This isn’t your average kinesiology tape,” Tails knelt beside him, placing Sonic’s foot upon his lap. “It’s a bit stiffer, and it should help support it. Sorry- I’ll be careful.”

Sonic hadn’t realized his mouth had twisted into a wince. “Right. Just- weary.”

“I think you mean wary.”

“What’s the diff-” Sonic drew in a tight harsh breath, hands flying to his leg. “Dude.”

Tails worked quickly to wrap up his ankle and Sonic found that his joint was stuck in place, held secure by the unforgiving tape. He moved his foot left and right, stifling a hiss that threatened to push from his teeth, but he breathed through it. Another moment granted him the first painless moment he’d experienced in a day. He hesitated but pushed himself again, tipping his ankle right and left. He barely felt a thing, just thin tendrils of sore overextended muscle.

“What the,” he muttered. “Is that really all I needed?”

“Not even close,” Tails chided and he bit off the strip of tape. “This stuff is rigid enough to support it, but you’re still injured, okay? You need to keep it iced and elevated, or else that swelling will only get worse. In fact-”

“Heard and received!” Sonic yelled and dashed outside in a dizzying blur. Tails’s ear twitched in annoyance.

For two seconds, it was bliss. The rush of wind in his quills, kissing his cheeks and cooling his overheated fur. He was weightless, made of the very air he dispersed. The freedom, the rush-

- came crashing down when his heel landed hard on a stray stone that yanked a muscle the exact way it couldn’t. The tape failed him and a yell ripped from his chest, every muscle in his leg shutting down. He hit the ground in a plume of dirt and dust, his hands reaching for his ankle as though he could manhandle it into obedience.

“No,” he gasped between shuddering breaths, “way.”

His face felt hot and his vision threatened to blur. He dragged his wrist across his eyes, and it only got worse from there.

“Super healing off the menu?”

Anger and agony ripped through his body as Sonic snapped upright, a snarl on his lips as he looked up at Shadow looming over him like a waking nightmare, licking crumbs off his gloves. “Thanks for the meal.”

“You-”

“Here’s your change.” Shadow flipped his thumb and half a dozen coins struck Sonic’s head, clattering to the ground.

“Wait- wait-” Sonic begged in a voice he’d deny until the end of his days. But Shadow was already gone.

Sonic swore loudly, slamming a fist into the ground. He had to get up, and quickly. If even one of Eggman’s drones spotted him like this, the entire village would suffer.

“Shadow!” He roared into nothing, cinched fingers gripping sand. “Please!”

Silence greeted and suffocated him. Sonic’s wide eyes stared into the space between his hands, his head reeling at a hundred miles an hour.

“Get up, get up,” he begged himself, too busy willing his ankle into behaving that he didn’t realize Shadow had reappeared.

“Why did you say please?”

Sonic yelped in shock, falling on his back. Recovering gracelessly, he glared up at Shadow. It was hardly a comfort at this point. “I’m not gonna say it again, hotshot, so you can take right off. Go on, I’m sure somebody’s having a good day nearby, better go ruin it.”

“That’s giving you hell, isn’t it?” Shadow said, as though he didn’t hear a word. “You’re really not playing this up.”

“Oh, I am,” Sonic sniped sarcastically. “I love being useless on the ground. If only some knight in shining armor could save me.”

“You’d need more than that.”

Sonic couldn’t open his mouth before he found himself being lifted upright. Instincts told him to throw a punch but common sense told him to wait. “Hey, get off of me!”

“Do you want to get home or not?” Shadow sounded tired. “I can leave.”

“Don’t,” Sonic said quickly. “I- wait, why aren’t you attacking me or something? I swear, if this is some kind of long game, just know I don’t have the patience for it.”

“You don’t have patience for anything,” Shadow grunted, tugging Sonic’s arm over his shoulder. “Hold on, and tight. If you vomit on me, I’ll end your life.”

“There’s the guy I know and love.”

There came a green flash with a terrible blur and Sonic couldn’t breathe as he looked about, finding he was in his shack. He gasped a shuttering inhale when he dropped, anchoring onto the ground as his world spun.

“Quit saying words you don’t mean,” Shadow hissed. Sonic jumped to his feet, the immediate heat searing from his ankle but it came secondary.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to-?”

“And stop putting weight on it. Shoe off.” Shadow jerked him close and teleported them a few feet away. He shoved him onto the couch as Sonic gulped anxiously and caught himself at the last moment. “Whoa! Warn a guy next time.”

“Foot,” Shadow ordered, pointing at the coffee table. “Here.”

“‘Kay,” Sonic squeaked, woozy as Shadow tossed a pillow under his ankle. “I know this isn’t what you wanna hear, but they’ve already read this.”

“This bandaging is shoddy work,” Shadow ignored him and stripped the tensor tape from his foot. Unlike Tails, he lifted his heel then smoothly rebounded it in a figure-eight pattern and cinched it tightly high above his ankle. Sonic sighed in relief; it throbbed briefly but faded into blissful nothing. No ache, no painful tug. It felt like finally breathing free after a week-long cold.

“Thanks.”

“Foot up,” Shadow snapped and Sonic jumped, unaware he had already put his feet on the ground again to stand. Ears flat to his head, he did as he was told.

“Watch a movie with me,” Sonic implored as Shadow stood up straight, his mouth twisting in displeasure. “I can’t just sit here in silence. Come on, what’s another film on your list? We can watch anything you want to.”

Shadow paused. “Anything?”

“I promise,” Sonic clasped his hands.

His hard stare made Sonic wilt, but then he said, “Fine. Just stay put. I’ll put on what we’re going to watch. It’s the first of a trilogy, so stay awake.”

“Three of ‘em?” Sonic groaned. “Dude! I’ll get you a dictionary, you don’t need me to translate everything.”

“You explain it faster than finding it in some stupid book.” Shadow fetched the television’s remote, thumbing through its controls. “Besides, I like this actor’s voice.”

“He is a legend,” Sonic acquiesced, blowing up his cheeks dramatically as he huffed out a breath. “Fine, whatever. You’re lucky I like you.”

“Ankle up! For the last time!”

It wasn’t for the last time. The next hours were filled between Shadow ordering him to carefully stretch his ankle and swatting his thigh every time Sonic put it down again. Sonic tapped his other leg furiously, his head buzzing and his body twitching. He had to move. He had to sprint. The movies were good but tediously slow. He tried focusing on the action scenes, depicting between the various martial arts.

It gave him an idea.

“Teach me some self defense,” Sonic suggested to Shadow. “If I can’t use my legs, show me how to use my arms.”

Shadow overlooked his query over the sound of his growling stomach. “That should be the last thing on your mind.”

“Everything is in my mind,” Sonic complained. “When have you ever shirked showing off before?”

Shadow looked lost in the thick of the film’s plot so Sonic dropped it, and his shoulders. After a while, Shadow said, “Order us some dinner, and I’ll teach a thing or two. But not before.”

Sonic beamed, fingers already dancing across his wrist communicator. “It’s a deal! What are you hungry for?”

“Just get me whatever you’re getting.”

The second movie’s credits began to roll when there at last came a knock from Sonic’s doorway. He moved to stand, but Shadow fired him a glare that reminded him to stay put. Sheepishly, Sonic handed him cash for the second time in the day.

Carbs and processed salty meat never tasted so good. Sonic all but moaned in bliss as he sunk his teeth into his hamburger, soggy lettuce and old tomato spilling into his mouth. Both of them tore into their dinner, any chance of conversation stuttering to a stop as they ate.

Sonic drizzled ketchup over his fries, much to Shadow’s dismay, grabbing handfuls at a time. He lost all context to the first chapters of the final film as he waggled his injured foot like a content tail. Even Shadow didn’t tell him to stop.

Oppositely, Shadow didn’t eat his entire meal. After his cheese burger was mostly gone, he only prodded absently at his strawberry shake’s straw but never brought it to his lips. Sonic offered him the last of his fries. Maybe he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. Shadow only shook his head.

Sonic punched at Shadow’s arm, bouncing where he sat. “I fed you, now teach me some stuff! I wanna learn how to throw fast hits and knock out twelve guys at once!”

“Finish the movie first,” Shadow told him in a voice Sonic would almost spell as g-e-n-t-l-e. “It’s almost over.”

Sonic groaned heavily, throwing his head back. He finished his tantrum in a loud huff, both legs tapping now. Luckily, a new scene on the television stole his attention and he quieted, round eyes watching. His stark quiet made his ears red in embarrassment and he looked at Shadow apologetically.

“Thanks for not telling me to shut up,” Sonic admitted. “Or to concentrate. Or focus.”

“I know. You can’t.” It wasn’t malicious. “Besides, this was my idea. I knew what to expect.”

Sonic grinned. Oh, to be known. Hours later, the movie wrapped up with a classic hint of another sequel and he torturously let Shadow study the credits and soundtrack as he waited for his promised hand-to-hand training.

It didn’t come.

Now that he looked properly, Shadow wasn’t just looking at the screen. He was staring through it, not a muscle moving or blinking. Sonic’s ear twitched in curiosity, but it thankfully went unnoticed. He couldn’t recall ever seeing this exact look on Shadow’s face before.

“You alright?” Sonic couldn’t resist asking.

Shadow didn’t reply and Sonic’s first thought was that he was lost in deep thought. But his gaze shifted over to him slowly, then looked down. Whoa. What was that about?

“Hey,” Sonic shifted closer, prodding his shoulder. When the unwarranted touch went unpunished, Sonic felt uneasy. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Get your hand off of me,” Shadow said but it sounded like an afterthought. He glanced at his untouched shake on the coffee table and winced. Now that was an expression Sonic could translate.

“Oh, dude,” he already felt like apologizing. “Stomachache? I get it. This stuff is not good for you at all.”

“I’m fine,” he said distantly.

“Yeah, right. You look paler than a ghost, and your face is all squished up like when you’re in pain. You want to go home so you can lay down? I can take it from here. I’ll just, uh, maybe call Tails or something.”

“Is he who bandaged your foot?” Shadow looked firmly at him now, as if reinvigorated. “Not going to happen. I’m trained in more than just first aid, and I know you’re not going to take care of yourself.”

“He knows what he’s doing!”

“He knows theory at best.”

Sonic deflated. That was likely more true than he cared to admit, but he wanted to bicker some more so he tried to think of something clever to retort. The idea vanished from his head when Shadow leaned his head down into one hand, his eyes squeezing shut. “How do you eat like this every fucking day?”

“We can only have that word once for this rating, so I hope you’re happy with it. Besides, I mean, it’s my favorite! There’s nothing like fast food for a quick fix and a good meal! The greasy buns, the questionable meat, the sodium?”

“Nothing like it indeed,” Shadow grunted, slowly opening his eyes.

“Hey, I’m sorry.” Sonic frowned and wiggled closer. “You gonna be okay? You really don’t look so good.”

“Peachy keen.”

“Liar. Here, lay down and try to chill out. I can move over to make some more room.”

“Don’t bother. You need to keep your foot up on that table, understand?”

“You’re good at giving orders even when you’re hanging on by a thread,” Sonic chuckled. “Commendable. Alright, alright. Well, if you need to hurl, you know where to go.”

“I will never,” Shadow said stiffly, “vomit.”

“Okay, tough guy.” Sonic couldn’t wipe the grin on his face. This power dynamic swap was borderline thrilling. He was ashamed he adored the way Shadow’s voice sounded when he was zoned out like this, but the faint sheen of perspiration at his temples knocked him down a rung.

“Hey, want a hug or something?” Sonic asked and parted an arm in offer. “Might make you feel better.”

“It won’t.”

“Gotcha,” he nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

Sonic put on some music videos on the television and let his eyes close as, by the sound of, Shadow focused solely on breathing steadily. It felt weirdly good to just submit and recover by his side. Annoyingly good. Sonic tipped his head to the side and closed his eyes.

Time passed. Crickets chirping and the heat of a fire warming his legs, Sonic’s eyes refused to open even as his head was carefully shifted the other way. He could have been asleep all week for all he knew. There was nothing like a good old fashioned injury to tire out the body. The solid surface under his cheek was replaced with the softness of a blanket tucked over his shoulder. He fell back asleep within moments.

Shadow stared at him, his shoulder still burning where Sonic had unwittingly laid his head down to rest. A blend of fury and something else red seared through him. He shouldn’t have moved him. No, it was Sonic’s fault for falling asleep on him. Wait, or was it worse that he woke him?

Why was his head full of so many questions?

Shadow swore to himself as he stood up. Sonic was fed and fast asleep. Like an unruly child, it felt like an accomplishment. He will check on him tomorrow.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Sonic prompted the next day over orange juice and jellied toast. Shadow was rummaging through his kitchen to find him something with protein.

“Really,” Shadow grunted, pawing through canned fruits and stews.

Sonic breathed in deeply, as though he were about to admit a horrible secret. “If you can help me get around town with your silly teleportations, I’ll pay you back with something to eat.”

Shadow’s twitchy ears betrayed his rejection, but Sonic spoke faster. “Not takeout! Listen, you like to cook, right? What if we go grocery shopping and get you some fresh ingredients? That way you can get exactly what you want, and your stomach won’t hurt afterward. Who knows? Maybe I’ll learn something from you! But don’t count on it.”

Shadow froze, struck with the image of Sonic in an apron with flour on his cheeks and sugar in his quills, laughing as he steals a scoop of cookie dough from a mixing bowl.

“Earth to Shadow?”

“Quiet, I’m thinking.” It wasn’t technically a lie. “Where do you need to go?”

“Oh, man, I need to get to Tails’s lab, I promised Knuckles fireworks at the beach tonight, Amy needs help with taxes-”

“I sincerely doubt you can help her with that.”

“She just needs someone around so she can knock it out already. I dunno. Sometimes she asks for stuff like that.”

Shadow leaned back, thoroughly disappointed with the lack of nutritional foods Sonic had stored. No fish, no poultry, not even breakfast sausage. No wonder he was so scrawny, living off starches and the bare essentials.

“How are you supposed to heal like this?” He muttered under his breath and closed the cabinet. “You’ll get me anything I want from the produce store?”

“Anything,” Sonic battered his eyelashes. “I’ll even buy you sea urchin if that’s what you want.”

“That won’t be necessary. Fine, agreed. I’ll be your damn taxi service until you can walk safely on your own.”

“Walk?”

“You know what I mean. We’ll need a list,” Shadow told him. “Firstly, eggs and cooking oil. Then vegetables.”

Sonic pouted.

“Spinach, onion, garlic, and tomatoes- get that look off your face, it’ll taste just fine.” Shadow fetched a shred of paper and a barely functional pen. He scribbled several quick circles until the ink sludged out. “We need meats, seasonings, vinegar…”

Shadow lost focus as he wrote, plotting through the grocery store’s layout so they could knock out the chore as quickly as possible. Fermented goods, milk, peppers of every color. He found it hard to stop.

“Any allergies?” Shadow asked and silence greeted him. He glanced upright to an empty shack. “Oh, no.”

Luckily, Sonic hadn’t gone far. Shadow found him outside on his porch, using an ancient volleyball and setting it over and over again above his head. The ball reached impressive heights but then Sonic pushed one hand higher than the other and the volleyball launched in the wrong direction.

“I’ll get it,” Shadow said and dashed off in a skating blur, golden flame following his tracks. He scooped up the ball into his hand and tossed it up, leaping into the air as he delivered a dead-on jump serve right back to Sonic’s lap.

Baffled, Sonic caught it. “Whoa, good one! I didn’t know you played volleyball! Hey, there’s a net at the beach. How about you hang out tonight with Knuckles and I?”

“Me and Knuckles,” Shadow corrected gruffly. “This is my second language and I even know that.”

“So, yes?” Sonic perked up.

“If I have to take you there, I may as well stay for a while. But if that brute so much as looks at me wrong, I will destroy him and the entire shoreline.”

“Deal!”

Grocery shopping with Sonic was far easier than watching a movie with him. The sights and smells moved, the stimulation and socialization making it far easier for Sonic to pass the time. It hadn’t been Sonic’s favorite moment in his life when Shadow stuck him into the shopping cart, but now he was pointing and chatting about every fruit and herb they walked past.

“Hold this.” Shadow passed Sonic a loaf of wheat bread. “Careful not to crush it.”

Sonic toyed with the ingredients Shadow selected from shelves and wooden crates. Like another sense, Shadow felt the stares of patrons and clerks alike gawking at the unusual sight, but the mission at hand took priority. Sonic’s patience wouldn’t last forever, and his stomach growled at every fresh food.

It had been far too long since his last homecooked meal.

After filling their cart and paying with cash that wasn’t his, Shadow bundled the overflowing paper bags in his arms and Sonic hopped on for a piggy back ride back to his place. Shadow took more time than necessary skating home, unable to put a claw on why exactly his cheeks felt so hot.

“Alright, relax and play something while I cook,” Shadow told Sonic as he deposited him onto his couch. “And-”

“-foot up, I know.” Sonic chanted like a mantra, already putting his ankle up on the pillow.

“Good.”

So he could learn new tricks, Shadow thought as he diced carrots and leek. Sonic’s whooping and videogame sound effects kept him company as he cooked the vegetables atop the stove for several minutes, thinking distantly as he laid fresh puff pastry over salmon fillets. He had a roof over his head and delicious food sauteeing before him. There was no threat; his pulse was steady, his breathing was calm. What had he last felt so safe?

“Sonic,” Shadow said, focusing on brushing the dough with an eggwash. “This won’t take long, so wash up before you get too invested.”

“Yes, babe,” Sonic’s drawl turned into a giggle. “Just let me finish this chapter! I swear, I’ve got this level practically memorized.”

The petname enthralled and bewildered him. Shadow had to manually yank himself into scoring the pastry with a fork.

Don’t say what you don’t mean.

Shadow rerouted, letting himself believe he was back on the Ark with his sister, and chose to linger on that instead. Wash your hands, grab a napkin, please set the table. Eat your greens, no sugar close to bed. Even when nothing made sense, at least mealtimes did.

“What’s happening to your face? I didn’t know you could smile.”

“I told you I enjoy cooking,” Shadow walked to Sonic’s side, eyeing his score on the television screen.

“It smells incredible,” Sonic peered at the gentle plume of steam rising from the stove. “Whoa, even better than Meh Burger!”

“I don’t consider that a compliment.”

Sonic stood up, gingerly putting the side of his injured foot to the ground. Shadow stood up in an instant. “Sit. What do you need? I will bring it to you.”

Sonic groaned, twitching to move his legs. “I just want something to drink.”

“Water? Juice?” Shadow leapt over to the refrigerator. “Something harder?”

“You know,” Sonic grinned. “You’re not bad at this at all.”

If Shadow were a better liar, he’d say he hated how quickly and effortlessly it was to mold himself to Sonic’s aid. They brought packaged leftover salmon to the beach which Knuckles gladly demolished in minutes, chowing down as he and Sonic sat hip-to-hip on the cooling sand. As Knuckles licked the paper wrapping for the last shreds of blended spices and cooked fish, Shadow grabbed the volleyball as Sonic inched closer to the edge of the water.

Shadow kept an eye on him as Sonic pushed his legs into the sea, but before he could call out to stop him, he realized what was happening. Sonic was taking the weight of gravity and strain off of his injury by letting his calf float in the saltwater. It was oddly genius. 

Knuckles slammed the ball over the net and Shadow countered, his air shoes skating him left and right, closer and further, appearing beneath the volleyball to pass or set it back over - or a rocketing spike that sent Knuckles plummeting to the ground.

For the next several days, that was Shadow’s life. Wake up before sunhigh, help Sonic fulfill his itching plans, from drug stores to camping, and ensure the idiot took decent care of his wound. Nine days in, Sonic strapped on his shoes without his bandage. Shadow watched him and he slid his fingers over a golden bracelet aimlessly. “How is it feeling?”

“Better than ever,” Sonic shot him a thumbs up. “Looks like I won’t need your help for much longer! I bet you’re excited to get back to your old routine. Can’t lie, I’ll miss those cuisines of yours, cordon bleu.”

What exactly was his old routine, Shadow wondered as Sonic took off running. Waking up cold or wet in the excuse of his hovel, relying on freeze dried or stolen goods to live on, with nothing but his memories to keep him company. 

He would have to go soon.

That day, Shadow busied himself in the kitchen for hours, whipping up the largest meal he could craft from leftover groceries. He began with the goods that would take the most time - broiled venison with soy sauce and brown sugar, and an apple and pear pie whose crust took far longer to make than he’d like to confess. He wasn’t much of a baker, but these ingredients wouldn’t go to waste if he could help it. Maybe the longer he cooked, the more Sonic would procrastinate sending him back like an unwanted mutt to a pound.

Huh. Usually cooking felt far more therapeutic than this.

To counter his racing thoughts, he challenged himself making a homemade spiced cider and, in a last ditch effort to save his routine, apricot tarts. He worked hard and quickly, fetching ingredients from about the memorized kitchen as he stopped his head from making the wrong assumptions.

This setup had been alright. He would miss it.

Shadow was wiping his face with a damp kitchen cloth when Sonic returned. Footfalls scuffled on the dusty floor, sneakers dragging.

“Shadow?”

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Shadow muttered, dragging the cold rag over his brow and the back of his neck. “I made you enough to last a while.”

Sonic’s voice broke. “Shadow.”

His eyes snapped up and a frigid chill flooded his chest. Sonic looked so small in that moment, hesitating at his own kitchen, ears pressed to his quills and listing heavily on one leg. One arm held his other elbow in a display Shadow could only describe as guilt.

“What happened?” Shadow snarled but it wasn’t rage he felt - it almost felt like fear. He guided Sonic to sit down, but it didn’t alleviate the wide-eyed shock in his eyes. Diagnoses sprinted through Shadow’s head. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry, I thought-”

Sorry? For what impossibly unfathomable reason? He didn’t have time to unravel more mysteries. Shadow knelt before him, running his hands down his right leg and Sonic hissed when he reached the top of his ankle, just above the cuff of his sock.

“I thought it was fine, I really did,” Sonic gasped between tight breaths. “I could walk, I could even run on it. But- now, I-” his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth bared. He was shaking. “Shadow. It hurts so bad.”

“I should have known you weren’t-” Shadow didn’t have the time to finish. Fangs yanked his gloves off and he worked deftly to unbuckle Sonic’s shoe. He couldn’t hear anything as his pulse raced in his ribcage. Why hadn’t he known? Why hadn’t he stopped him?

It took a lot of meticulous maneuvering, Sonic tensing with every jostle. There was no point in apologizing - there was a problem to fix - and Shadow found it the instant he worked the sneaker off of his foot. A shuddering sigh left Sonic’s lips and when Shadow lastly removed his sock, the solution was shining bright. His foot was terribly swollen all over again, gravity trapping fluid and bruises agitated by Sonic’s harsh movements.

Sonic moaned and dropped his head. “That feels so much better.”

Instead of tape, Shadow found a proper compression wrap. He glanced between both of Sonic’s ankles as he bound his foot, disturbed by the clear difference. Healthy muscles lined his left foot, slender and uniform. His right was the entire opposite. The insane building internal pressure made it impossible for him to see where his bones began and ended, a nasty contusion the size of his palm blooming under his fur.

“It’s okay. You’re going to be fine,” Shadow didn’t realize he murmured as he fastened on the snug bandage. “You walked home, so nothing is broken, there are no severed tendons. Perhaps a tear, but it is all reversible. You’ll be okay.”

Sonic sobbed into his hands then, and something inside of Shadow ached. The pain might have been gone, but the exhausted frustration was not. He couldn’t imagine a worse person to have sustained this injury. Distractions only went so far.

Shadow spoke in practiced words that, even after all of these years, fell naturally. “I know. I know. This will pass, I promise. We’ll do the right things, get you back to feeling normal again in no time. Just-”

Hang in there for me.

For me.

Shadow’s fingers quivered above the tied compress. He couldn’t move. “Just don’t cry.”

“I’m such an idiot,” Sonic dragged his hands across his eyes. “I just want this to be over already, I can’t- keep- I can’t just-”

Without a plan, Shadow lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Sonic’s waist. Nails dug into his looped arms, gritting his teeth and crushing his eyes closed. Sonic hiccuped, his pulse a bird in a cage. Shadow’s knees bruised under his weight on the unforgiving plank flooring. He held him tightly, ferociously, until those quavering breaths slowly calmed. It may have been moments or minutes.

Sonic’s arms came to Shadow’s head, fingers shakily finding a home between quills. He leaned down, cradling Shadow against his lap. Something inside of him wanted to melt like wax.

“I need you,” Shadow said.

“I-”

“-to stop testing your limitations.” Shadow didn’t know how to pull away, so he didn’t. “You are blood and bone. There are repercussions to everything you sustain. I am asking you to have patience. Give yourself the grace you grant others.”

Bare as an exposed nerve, Sonic let Shadow guide him to bed. He helped Sonic keep his balance as he washed dried tears from his face and brushed his teeth, staring into his reflection with something blank and unreadable in his eyes.

Guiding Sonic into his shaky hammock, Shadow appointed twin pillows to support his terribly tender joint. Sonic’s silence spoke more than words could. Shadow watched as he twisted underneath his blanket, finding somewhere comfortable to seek sleep. When Sonic moved onto his side, his eyes settling closed for the first time in over a day, Shadow realized that he didn’t want to go home.

Oh, no. The A-word.

Attached.

Shadow stood up quickly, startled from a horrible dream. His head snapped right and left. Sonic’s hammock was empty. He checked the kitchen, knocked on the restroom door, and listened for any sound of running water. “Sonic!” He yelled into nothing.

“Yeah?”

Oh, Shadow felt foolish. Outside.

Sonic was drawing into the dark sand, odd loopy figures with mismatching faces. He looked up and beamed his sunbright smile. “Morning!”

Shadow crouched beside him. “What is this?”

“It’s supposed to be you,” Sonic explained, pointing with a short stick to an emotionless-appearing blur on the ground. “I can’t get your eyes or shoes right for the life of me. I promise, you don’t actually look like this. Oh, yeah! And then here’s Rouge at the left. Omega’s up top here, see him? And we got Tails here, and- I think I accidentally made a map.”

He had started with Shadow’s friends then worked his way out, it appeared. But something was missing. Shadow turned his head this way and that. “Where are you?”

“Eh, no point. I know what I look like,” Sonic waved away the idea and etched in some of Omega’s finer detail designs.

“Hm.” 

Shadow was no artist, but he could replicate shapes, so he tried to consider his plan geometrically as the sun crawled high into the sky. Frankly, Shadow hated drawing. He dusted sand into his misinterpreted lines more times than he could count, but Sonic never peered over his shoulder or snickered.

“Oh,” Shadow leaned up, eyeing his artwork. “It’s terrible.”

“It is not! I love it!” Sonic punched his arm. “That looks just like me!”

“Don’t count yourself so short.”

Something peculiar happened. Sonic laughed, which may not have been so unusual, but this time it came with a tight embrace around Shadow’s body. Suddenly the blue sky filled his vision as Sonic twisted him over, laughing into his chest and kicking his feet in glee. Staring into the clouds, Shadow was stiff in place as he tried to understand what was happening.

“I apologize,” Shadow began uneasily. “For the other day. I could have done many things differently.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” Sonic shook his head. “Nothing at all. I was the one who went against your ideas, your treatment. I thought I could,” he sighed. “I can’t find the right word.”

“Endure it.” A tasteless but power-charged word.

“Yeah,” Sonic smiled but faltered. “Yeah, I guess that’s the one.”

Shadow’s arms encircled Sonic tightly and threw his back to the ground this time.

“You,” Shadow informed him curtly, “are never going to do that again. To me or anyone.”

Sonic wasn’t even listening, and Shadow knew it. But certainly, he was fascinated by something.

“Kiss me.”

Shadow’s eyes widened and his heart damn near stopped. “What?”

“Kiss me, and I’ll never lie to you again.” Sonic grinned as though it were a joke, but his eye contact remained steady as iron. “Promise.”

Shadow leaned down to him immediately, without a fraction of hesitation, but- “Swear it to me.”

“I swear to everything,” Sonic’s voice was soft now, as if they had their own unheard language. Shadow felt dizzy. “I don’t want you to go. This has been the most frustrating but incredible week of my life, and I swear, if I have to watch you leave-”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence.

Shadow bowed his head and, against everything he thought he knew, kissed Sonic as shock and disbelief and relief washed over him again and again. Bliss bubbled from Sonic’s mouth and his lanky arms reached for Shadow’s shoulders, his neck, his chest. He was as quick and devious as ever, the bastard dragging his nails down his neck all the way down to the dip in his spine. Shadow hissed and arched, knuckles cinching, legs tensing, the sensation both agony and perfection. Of course only Sonic could read him like a book.

Shadow yanked back and grabbed Sonic’s jaw, holding him still. Sonic’s eyes were brighter than any planets he’d ever seen. “You need to relax.”

“You’re sure we have to stop?”

“No,” Shadow admitted. A thousand thoughts, wants, questions pulsed through his bloodstream. “But we better, before I push you past your limits.”

“I don’t even have lim-” Sonic’s mouth parted for a quick retort but his cheeks burned before he could start. “Oh. Oh-”

“I won’t be responsible for you getting worse,” Shadow growled as he sat up, muscles heavy with reluctance. Their sketches were smeared beneath their shoeprints. “Quiet. Let me make you lunch.”

The meal was nothing short of divine. Shadow could appreciate a good taste on his tongue, but watching Sonic sink into the rich flavors of his handmade honeyed steak was something else entirely. The way his eyes fluttered was just short of comedic, but the heavy slump of his shoulders told Shadow he was right where he wanted to be.

“Shad,” Sonic’s voice was muffled behind buttered potatoes with garlic. “This is delicious.”

“Glad,” Shadow ate quickly so he wouldn’t have to speak.

“Is there anymore?”

Shadow gestured. “Help yourself.”

Sonic wasn’t walking normally yet, but his gait looked a lot better. Instead of a worrisome unconscious brace, there was a newfound confidence in each of Sonic’s steps, regardless of the foot. Yet Shadow watched carefully. He monitored the way his leg tried and relied, the way his ankle protested but acquiesced. It wasn’t lost on him when Sonic’s ankle betrayed his trust with a faint stumble, but it was happening less and less often.

Shadow could tell he overate as he dragged himself through cleaning the dishes. There was a heavy discomfort in his belly, and he wanted nothing more than to lay down. It wasn’t like him, but he felt a surge of envy as he watched Sonic put on a video game from the couch.

His head was overthinking again. When moments grew too quiet, all he could think about was the fact he would have to walk away soon. Each day only delayed the inevitable. He glanced down at his soapy hands. These dishes could wait.

“Feeling okay?” Sonic frowned as Shadow dried his paws. “You’ve been real quiet.”

Shadow let his body crash down on the opposite end of the couch, grunting in the affirmative but the noise came out more like a pathetic ‘mmph.’

Sonic laughed and scrubbed a hand over the top of Shadow’s head. Shadow froze, stunned by the brief touch that jerked away when he looked up at him. “Sorry. Couldn’t help it! Come on, talk to me. Something on your mind?”

Shadow took a beat too long to think instead of respond, because then Sonic’s cadence shifted. “Do you hate what we did?”

“No,” Shadow said instantly. He shifted over onto his back, orange sunlight filling his eyes. His exhaustion brought lack of impulse control. Stupidly, mutely, he extended his arm towards Sonic. He didn’t know what he expected or even wanted, but when Sonic’s hand caught his, he didn’t need anything else.

Sonic’s fingers clumsily threaded through his, their palms touching. Everything in Shadow begged him to tear away, screaming that he was doing something wrong, but he couldn’t move a muscle. Sonic’s warm fingers tightened around his, and impossibly, it felt like a promise.

It felt terribly foreign, the unguarded soft pads of his paws exposed and touched, and instinct tells Shadow to yank away - but he tempers it, focusing on the facts. There was no danger. Sonic wasn’t going to hurt him. There was no need for a failsafe or a backup plan. 

“You’re so soft,” he realized Sonic was saying, the tip of his thumb dragging across the back of his hand. “Your claws are beautiful, you know. Sharp, too. Do you always keep them this long? Must be real useful.”

Shadow nods numbly. Sonic busies himself memorizing the arches of his hand, tracing the narrow ridges of bone pressed against dark fur. “This okay? Can I, um… touch you like this?”

“Yeah,” Shadow closed his eyes. “Feels-”

He shut his mouth before he said something horrifying. What the hell was wrong with him? He felt barely in control of his body. What piece of him had shut down the second Sonic reached for him?

“I know.”

Sonic watched in mesmerization as the red of Shadow’s eyelids gleamed in the setting sun.

“Shadow?”

“What?”

“Do you ever feel, like, too much?”

Shadow frowned tightly. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, sometimes,” Sonic sighed but couldn't find it within himself to let go of Shadow’s hand. It felt like a precious treasure, as if he let go, he’d never get it again. If anything, it gave him an odd surge of confidence. “Sometimes I see that some things take up a lotta your energy. I guess I’m just wondering if it’s overstimulation.”

“It’s not that,” Shadow said. “I’m just,”

Tired. In more ways than one.

“Wanna, maybe,” Sonic felt his cheeks heating. “You don’t have to. But do you want to put your head here?”

Shadow reluctantly opened his eyes and watched Sonic pat his lap. He didn’t mean to say it, didn’t want to say it, but the word tumbled from his throat anyway. “No.”

Sonic just grinned. “Just let me know.”

He took back his hand to continue his video game. Shadow watched him play, the story taking him through dark rooms with puzzling objectives that only Sonic seemed to understand. Shadow’s eyelids grew thick, unable to stay open even when Sonic chatted indignantly at the screen.

What should have felt annoying felt comforting. It was too easy to close his eyes, too effortless to shift closer, too painfully easy to finally lay his head on Sonic’s thigh. Shadow could hate himself for it in the morning. Right now, all he wanted was this.

Sonic’s fingers were in his quills now, finding a space between his spikes where he could test out rubbing his fingertips along his scalp during cutscenes. Shadow hated the effects; something crept up his spine - not a warning, but something else warm he he couldn’t describe.

“Sleepy? How about you spend the night?”

Shadow turned over, finding warmth as his forehead pressed into Sonic’s hip. At the cusp of sleep, he forgot how strange it all was.

“Nope, that doesn’t hurt, either.”

Sonic felt his grin widening with each of Shadow’s instructed stretches. It only took close to a month, but his foot was finally obeying him without protest. Not even the faintest tug of bruised sinew protested. Frankly, it felt fantastic. 

Sonic still couldn’t erase the image of Shadow fast asleep on his lap out of his head - the way his eyes stayed closed, his breath calming as sleep took him. He had never seen him so still before. Every ounce of tension had dissipated, his shoulders oddly lax and his jaw unclenched. 

He wished he could see it again, but Shadow was too busy taking his caretaking duties seriously.

“Push against me,” Shadow ordered and pressed a palm to Sonic’s heel. He obeyed, his other foot tapping with bubbling energy. He opened his mouth to complain that he needed to move, to run, but without even looking, Shadow cut him off. “Two more minutes. Hold still.”

Shadow’s uncovered fingers pressed along certain points on his foot, from the top of his ankle to the tips of his toes, where Sonic couldn’t help but squirm and giggle.

“Any pain?”

“Nothing,” Sonic added for good measure, “Promise.”

“Mm.”

Shadow was wearing his gloves less often, Sonic noticed. His golden bracelets hung loosely around his joints, gleaming in the sunlight dripping through the shades. Sonic watched as the one around his wrist tumbled down his arm when Shadow went to move stray quills from his forehead.

“You should be alright.” Shadow told him. “You’re sure you feel nothing?”

“Maybe a bit sore, but I just need to stretch.” Sonic beamed and popped up to his feet, jogging in place. He sped up faster and faster, testing every angle. “See? Look at that! We’re back, baby!”

Sonic swept down and, without warning, kissed Shadow. He laughed when Shadow’s ears flattened briefly in shock, eyes shot wide open.

“What?” Shadow croaked.

“Just a li’l thank you,” Sonic said brightly. “Come on, I’ll race you up the mountain!”

Before Shadow could think of what to say next, Sonic was readying his legs, bending one knee and stretching the other. He arched down and grabbed his shoes, tugging on hamstrings and thigh muscles that hadn’t moved properly in weeks now. Maybe Shadow should have warmed up too, but he was too entranced, monitoring the way Sonic’s healed muscles at last obeyed him without so much as a wince on his lips.

“Ready?” Sonic grinned and he dropped into a starting position - one leg stretched behind him, primed with energy and ready to pounce. His other knee bent beneath his chest with his kicks already scratching the ground in thrilling anticipation. He touched his fingertips to the ground, ears picking up on the breeze that swept from north-east to south-west. He could use that.

“Ask yourself,” Shadow’s attempted scowl came out more like a crooked grin. It damn near stopped Sonic’s heart in his chest.

“Set?”

Shadow kicked a heel to the ground, then the other. Red energy trickled from his golden bands. He lowered into a lunge, poised for the kill.

“Go.”

Their rapid-fire footprints left scorches in the sand as they took off, dodging trees and thick terrain. Vines threatened to snag at their feet. As they approached a tall loop, it all felt like clockwork; Shadow glanced at him and Sonic grinned back. Everything was back to normal. Sonic elbowed him hard but Shadow saw it coming from a mile away, bracing and digging his heel into the ground to keep his balance.

Sonic yelled a cheer as his ankle obeyed for the first time in ages. The air was a hurricane in his ears, deafening them. His whoop turns into a scream of bliss, breaking into a thrilled yell. He extended his arms, wind whipping through his fur and between his fingers. The speed, the rush- it was everything. He’d missed it so, so terribly. Finally, he was reunited with freedom.

Shadow followed closely, skating hard. His thighs thanked him for the exercise they’d been begging for, endorphins warming his entire body. When Sonic reached out into the air, feeling the world move around him, Shadow was struck with a fierce bout of infatuation. He stared as Sonic’s mouth parted into laughter, his head tipping back.

They reached the top of the mountain, but wordlessly agreed that wasn’t enough. They kept going.

Together they crossed dirt roads and open fields under an open sky that beckoned them towards the horizon. It grew warmer the further they traveled, bypassing state signs and highways. With an extra hard kick off of his dominant leg, Shadow managed to slip ahead of Sonic, glancing back at him with a cocky look.

“Nice try!” Sonic shouted and pushed harder, sprinting with every drop of energy he’d long since ached to burn. Something like pride flooded inside of Shadow.

A great chasm in the earth hauled them to a sharp stop, and Shadow found it easier to grab Sonic by his shoulders than chance him spotting the hazard. They skidded to a sharp stop, sneakers dragging in the rock and dirt.

“Whoa!” Sonic gasped and gazed down and around, eyes wide. “What is this?”

Shadow released him so they could both get a closer look at the enormous valley carved in the ground. “Is this…?”

“Oh! The Super- uh… no, the Great-”

“The Grand Canyon,” Shadow felt a little starstruck. He’d seen pictures in books, he knew how old the river below was, but to have it laid out before them was something entirely else. Looking left and right, the split in the earth made of layered rock spread for what seemed like ever. “And you almost fell in.”

“Did not!” Sonic crouched, peering down. “Wow. What happened here? Was this Eggman’s doing?”

Shadow smacked Sonic’s head. But his hand remained to rub behind one of his ears. “No, fool. This has existed much longer than any of us.”

“Mm,” Sonic hummed in agreement, tilting his head into Shadow’s hand, and Shadow couldn’t describe the feeling in his chest aside from tight, warm, too warm. “You’re smart.”

The setting sun cast shades of pink, orange, and blue across the sky as it slipped behind the desert mountains. They sat at the edge of the canyon, legs dangling into nothing. The rocks were warm beneath them, an unexpected delight compared to the seasonally frigid Green Hills. Sonic exclaimed with thrill when he spotted a small lizard skittering about, and Shadow watched as Sonic waved and bid it a safe journey home.

They laid down as the heat sapped their energy. Sonic’s hand sought Shadow’s and it was effortless, the way their fingers intertwined. Sonic slid on top of him as he dipped down to kiss Shadow, thighs capturing his waist. Shadow’s claws dug into Sonic’s hips.

“I think I like you a lot,” Sonic murmured and kissed him again and again.

The words spilled before Shadow can overthink them. “Think I like you, too.”

“Prove it.”

They didn’t return home for hours.

For neither the first or last time, Sonic was awoken by a sharp shout. The blanket was twisted between Shadow’s fingers. He gasped for air, eyes wide open but unseeing.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Sonic rubbed Shadow’s chest hard, trying to wake him. “Just a dream, I’ve got you. Open your eyes, you’re alright.”

“I have to- they’re already here, I need to-”

“They’re not. Nobody is here but us.” 

“No, no. Get,” Shadow groaned. “Get Sonic out of here. Just go!”

Sonic’s eyes burned as he shook him. “Shadow, baby-” Fingertips across his fur tightened. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

Something lucid erupted in Shadow’s eyes as he woke, a sharp snarl tearing from his lips. His head yanked, eyes darting right to left. His lungs quaked so he haggardly refilled them again, and again.

“You were dreaming. Are you okay?”

Shadow panted hard, ears on alert. Not a single muscle was calmer. He swore once, then again, sitting up quickly. He threw the blanket off of him and stood up. Sonic was quick and grabbed his arm. “Shad, just take a second! Deep breath for me, alright?”

The space around them stilled as Shadow tried to. The world spun before his eyes. A strange silence reached them, as though the moment was trapped in time. Sonic never let go of him. Shadow never regained control over his body.

Shadow slid to the ground, knees heavier than lead as he knelt beside the couch they’d shared for the night. Unblinking eyes stared into the ground as so much, too much pulsed before him; his mistakes, his misunderstandings, his ineptitude. He could hear everything all over again.

“Easy, easy.” Sonic was speaking softly. “You’re safe.”

“He killed you,” Shadow’s voice was rougher than sandpaper.

“But I’m back.”

“I wasn’t there.”

“You are now. It’s okay.” He dropped a kiss on his forehead. “I’m okay.”

Shadow couldn’t sleep. Sonic insisted on making hot chocolate for them both, claiming something about a surefire sleep remedy. He moved about the kitchen slowly, sleepiness weighing him down as he added cocoa to warm milk. 

Messy quills tumbled over his face as Shadow pressed his face into his hands, covering his eyes with his palms. His untouched mug lingered on the coffee table. Sonic’s hand appeared between his shoulder blades. 

“Come here for a sec.”

Without reluctance, Shadow went where he was guided. He let his head fall onto Sonic’s chest and was vaguely aware of the blanket tugging over his legs, past his arms, up to his shoulders. Sonic’s arms wrapped around him hard, locking in the warmth. There were a hundred things Shadow wanted to say but his mouth wouldn’t open. He hoped it was enough when he pushed his face into Sonic’s neck.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Sonic’s cheek rubbed against his forehead. “Having a nightmare?”

“For-” everything. Shadow swallowed thickly. Where could he start?

“Did I ever tell you about the time I had to go to Edinburgh?”

The question startled him and Shadow glanced up. “No?”

“It was such a boring trip,” Sonic rolled his eyes. “G.U.N. made me spend a million hours in this plane and then even longer getting out of the base. I had this whole playlist ready for the moment we landed, too. It was supposed to be so cool, so cinematic. Ugh! Bunch of buzzkills, I swear.”

Shadow’s ears dipped. “What are you talking about?”

“But it wasn’t too bad,” he grinned down at him. “I got to hop around a lot of different places, met some real interesting people. Say, you ever been?”

“To Scotland?” Shadow asked thickly. He didn’t understand what was happening. “No.”

“We have to go sometime. They’ve got these castles that’re older than dust, but they’re pretty and have some cool gift shops. One time I couldn’t sleep at night, so I went on a run and I found this sick restaurant that was still open at midnight. It was loud, and really bright with all these lights flashing around,” he dashed a hand about in demonstration.

“Pretty sure that was a bar. You could find one of those anywhere.” Shadow’s eyes slid closed easier this time.

“No way! They had these games going on, you could pick what you wanted to play based on where you sat. There was a table for bingo, one for cards, another for this jeopardy game, and someone had this computer thing they brought that played music but without the lyrics so that you could sing along.”

“Sonic?” Shadow muttered. “Sounds like a bar.”

“But it was such an awesome one!” He beamed, his tail thumping. “We have to go sometime, okay? I know exactly where to find it, it’s right in the middle of these tall buildings next to this hu-uge park, I saw so many dogs there!”

“Sure,” Shadow couldn’t open his heavy eyelids. Whatever magic Sonic was conjuring was working. “So what else was there?”

“Okay, when I call it a giant playground, don’t call me crazy.” Sonic said excitedly. “But imagine there's a jungle gym that takes up a whole building, and it’s got these two huge slides that go from the ceiling all the way to the ground! There were all these foam cube things that stopped you from going too far, but this one time I tried a spindash and it didn’t exactly catch me. I ended up crashing into the locker rooms where everyone kept their stuff.” He broke off with a laugh. “I had to get out of there real quick!”

“Then what?” Shadow murmured faintly.

Sonic described that whole mission in Europe, his stories dancing across the continent. Didcot to Düsseldorf, Budapest to Brussels. Sonic fondly recalled the waffle vending machine in Belgium as Shadow slipped asleep.

Shadow didn’t know why he was still here. He held his head on his fist, Sonic’s stupid chunky headphones around his ears but it kept the obnoxious voices from grating his psyche. Hard metal with a breakneck beat pulsed through its speakers, loud enough to fade the internal and external noises.

It was kind of Amy to invite them to her house-warming party. He was fairly certain only Sonic had been invited, but Shadow was yanked by the wrist to spend at least sixty minutes before he was allowed to tap out. He’d done his dues - he tasted the chips and salsa, had a watery beer, tried his hand at a game of darts he abandoned halfway through from sheer frustration. It wasn’t long until he found refuge at the seat close to the front door. Or as he preferred to call it, the exit.

Sonic danced a hand in front of his eyes, knowing better not to touch him without warning. Shadow blinked into awareness, lowering the headphones around his neck. “What?”

“Wanna head home?”

Thoughtlessly, he nodded. “Let’s.”

Sonic grabbed his hand and Shadow glared. He waited for claws to sink in, for a stupid teasing cinch that would send him tipping over the edge, but it never came. Sonic simply held on. They walked together. Sonic took special care to meet his footfalls with Shadow’s, matching an oddly calm pace.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Sonic sheepishly rubbed his quills. “I know this isn’t really your thing. But it was so cool seeing everybody tonight! When have you last hung out with Rouge, by the way?”

“Weeks,” he grunted. “How I like to keep it.”

“You don’t mean that,” Sonic laughed out. “You’re a bad liar, know that? Let’s have them over at ours next week. I got a couple new board games - I know, board means bored - but I think even you’ll like these.”

“Ours?” Shadow repeated thickly.

“But I know the rules! So this one, it’s like the murder-mystery we’ve played but not exactly. In this one, a player is actually the victim, so there are all these ways they can still communicate with-”

The words faded. Shadow couldn’t blink, couldn’t think, as he was led by the hand to Sonic’s home. His lungs were hardly working. He thanked any god above his legs still did.

Shadow watched Sonic snap open the lock of his front door, and when he absently raised Shadow’s hand to his mouth, his heart stopped in his chest when he kissed it.

“Alright!” Sonic cheered as he shoved open his door. “Movie time! I’ll get the popcorn going, Shad, you get the movie on!”

Shadow couldn’t move. He wanted to - but his knees were locked into place and his lungs were enclosed in iron. He watched Sonic patter about the kitchen, sticking some sort of package into the microwave.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Sonic was suddenly so much closer now. Shadow’s eyes widened. He didn’t remember saying his name but it tasted fresh on his tongue. “Nothing.”

“Shad,” a grin crawled onto his lips. “You know you’re home, right?”

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

“No, no. Listen,” Warmth and pressure captured Shadow’s hands as Sonic grabbed them. “You might be overthinking again. Just listen,” he took in a big breath. “I don’t want you to go. I know you don’t have a safe space to live-”

“-it’s fine-”

“But I want you here,” there was something foreign in Sonic’s voice. “I want you to stay here. For as long as you want, for- fuck it- forever. Is that okay? Would you stay?”

Shadow stared at their hands. His head dipped once, then again, a faint nod.

“I like you more than I know how to express,” Sonic said, his fingers cinching harder. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know what I want, and it’s you. Sorry, I know it’s stupid. But you make me feel normal. Happy. And if I can be half of that for you too, then I’d like to.”

“If,” Shadow mumbled. “You’ll have me.”

“Shadow, oh my god!” Sonic laughed out, relief bubbling and pouring out, “I’ll have you, I’ll keep you. As long as I possibly can. You’re my everything, know that?”

Sonic crushed him into a hug so tight Shadow forgot how to breathe, but it didn’t matter because he had Sonic now. He had everything he thought he’d ever wanted.

“Just tell me one thing.”

“Anything,” Sonic promised him.

“How did you really twist your ankle?”

Sonic’s face coiled. “... anything but that.”