Archive of Our Own

=1=

“Gaia, that was a tough battle,” Rouge huffs as she steps into Sonic and Tails’ house alongside the rest of Team Hero and Team Dark. 

After a particularly exhausting quarrel with Eggman, the two teams had decided it would be fun to hang out and do a movie night to relax after the long evening. 

“You’re telling me,” Amy sighs out in agreement, stretching her arms with a yawn before throwing herself onto the couch. “I think I pulled a muscle swinging my Piko Piko Hammer so much.” 

“I’ll get you some ice,” Knuckles offers, heading over to the small house’s kitchenette. 

Being the last one in, Shadow shuts the door behind him. 

Out of the corner of his eye, as he’s looking around, he watches as Sonic wordlessly walks down the hall to one of the bedrooms (presumably his own) and closes the door, leaving the rest of the group to hang out without him. 

Shadow raises an eye ridge at the unusual behavior. The blue hedgehog had appeared tense earlier, he’d noticed; forcing a smile and keeping his arms crossed the whole walk home. The most shocking change in his conduct, though, (at least, to the darker hedgehog) was the fact that the blue hero was unusually quiet, only speaking a few mere words the entire way back. 

And now he was withdrawing to his room instead of being social? 

During a movie night?

What is up with him? 

“So, what movie did you guys want to watch?” Tails asks, with a surprising amount of pep to his step, despite even Omega being tired, at this point. 

That was the kind of annoyingly cheerful attitude he’d come to expect from Sonic. And yet, no one seemed to be worried that the blue hero had just left? 

“You can turn on whatever you’d like, darling,” Rouge shrugs nonchalantly, taking a seat on the larger sofa, as well. 

“Is Sonic okay?” the black and red hedgehog can’t help but query, trying not to let his own nervous tension at the other’s actions show. But he’s not really scared (or so he tells himself); he’s more confused than anything else. “He left to his room right as we arrived here.” 

“Yeah, that happens on occasion,” Amy responds, casually, nursing her sore shoulder with the ice Knuckles had brought her. 

“Sometimes missions like that really tire him out,” Tails explains, picking some older, classic film for them to watch. “He probably just needs some space for a bit.” 

“I see,” Shadow mutters, nodding, and he sits down on one end of the couch to watch the movie with the others. 

Though, he still feels somewhat uneasy. 

He tries to keep his focus on the movie the yellow fox turns on, as his teammates and friends settle to do so, too. 

But, throughout the viewing, his gaze can’t help but continuously be drawn back down the hallway towards the cobalt hedgehog’s room. 

Shadow isn’t much of a social butterfly, himself. Anyone who spends just a few moments with him would be able to tell you that. 

But he enjoys tagging along to these “movie nights”, pushing through the overstimulating discomfort of everyone talking at the same time while the movie plays, fighting the itchiness under his skin when his friends accidentally brush up against his fur as they fight to all have space on the living room’s sofa; if only to listen to the azure hedgehog’s voice drown the other ones out when he whispers stupid jokes to him, or to lean into the gentle touches that were surprisingly comforting, instead of overwhelming, when they came from the blue blur. 

Okay, fine! So maybe he’s grown a little fond of the blue idiot. Could you blame him? 

He’s cute and kind and charming and maybe has kissable-looking lips and- and it’s not like Shadow has a crush on him or anything, Sonic’s just nice to be around!

And he treats Shadow like a friend! And like any other Mobian, instead of something scary or to be pitied! 

And sometimes Sonic’s paw will graze his arm in a somewhat affectionate manner. 

And sometimes it lingers. 

And maybe, sometimes, Shadow kind of likes that. 

Sometimes, he can tell that the other hedgehog seems to want to say something to him, or maybe bring his paw (curse his stupid, soft, sweet paws) a little lower to brush against one of Shadow’s striped ones. 

But, whenever they make eye contact during those times, Sonic will quickly pull away, blushing as he avoids Shadow’s eyes. 

Sometimes, Shadow wants to tell him to just do it. To stop being a damn coward and hold his hand already! That he’d like that, for fuck’s sake! To quit second-guessing shit; because if Shadow hadn’t enjoyed it, he would’ve punched him in the mouth and told him to knock it off a long time ago. 

But the words always get caught in his throat. And he looks away, too, just as flustered. 

Regardless, he and the blue blur aren’t exactly what one would call “rivals” anymore. 

They’ve grown closer, obviously. Not only had they spent more time together alongside their friends, but they’ve even started to race together more, just the two of them, from time to time. 

It’s nice.

The dark hedgehog tries to keep his attention on the film in front of him, not that he cares that much about what’s happening in it. 

He usually doesn’t; not really. His focus is usually elsewhere. 

Like right now. 

He huffs a little, under his breath, trying to shake away his wandering thoughts. 

His resolve finally breaks when, after watching the movie for a while, his leg won’t stop bouncing, heel occasionally tapping on the ground as he does so. 

It’s a habit as annoying as the hedgehog he’d picked it up from.  

He moves one of his paws to rest on his knee in an attempt to stop the shaking. He takes a deep breath. 

“Shouldn’t someone make sure Sonic is alright?” he finally asks, about halfway through the film. “I mean.. he wasn’t even talking earlier, after the battle. Isn’t that odd?” 

Knuckles and Tails look at each other, then back at him, a bit curiously. But they still look nonchalant, as if there’s nothing to be concerned about. 

Maybe he really is worried about nothing. 

Amy leans over to him and gently puts a paw on his forearm. She knows he’s sensitive to touch, so the action is careful, easily able to be pulled away from. Shadow doesn’t, though. It may not be the same, oddly comforting affection he’s used to from the blue hedgehog, but it doesn’t feel like it burns or as if it’s an itch he can’t scratch, so he appreciates the sentiment behind the gesture from her, sometimes, too. 

“I’m sure he’s all good, Shads,” she soothes, with a genuine smile. “He’s probably just resting. All of us are tired. Give him some time; he’s usually all good after a few hours. He might’ve even gone to bed early.” 

Shadow nods, the words only barely reassuring him. Amy takes her paw away and returns to watching the movie. 

A couple minutes later, Shadow’s leg starts bouncing again. 

“Shadow, honey,” Rouge says, drawing his attention towards her. She’s leaning against Omega, half-asleep. “If you’re so worried about Blue, why don’t you just go check on him yourself?” 

Oh. 

He wasn’t aware that was an option. Are he and Sonic even close enough for him to do so? 

It’s worth a try, he supposes. He doesn’t see anyone else jumping to help. 

The dark hedgehog clears his throat. “Alright, then.” 

He stands up and walks down the hall, trying to keep his posture looking more confident and uncaring than it actually is. 

When he’s met with the door, however, he freezes a bit. 

How should he play this? 

Surely he doesn’t just barge in, right? He’s worried, yes, but that would be impolite, unless it’s an emergency. 

Gaia, what if it is an emergency?

He shakes his paws out a bit to calm himself. No need to jump to conclusions.

He just needs to knock. 

So, with a shaky paw, he does. 

It’s just a few, light taps to the door. Then, “Sonic? Are you alright? You’ve been in there a while; people are worried about you.” 

A white lie. No need for him to know that “people” is actually entirely made up of just Shadow, at the moment. 

There’s no response to his knock, however, which makes the darker hedgehog’s heart twist a little in his chest. 

He knocks a bit harder. Maybe Sonic just hadn’t heard him the first time. 

He presses his ear to the door. 

He doesn’t hear anything, but the silence still ruffles his fur. 

Because Sonic isn’t a quiet Mobian. Not unless he has to be. 

Even in his sleep, he snores and he talks. 

Which Shadow knows, of course, because Sonic has fallen asleep against his shoulder a few too many movie nights. 

…it’s not like the ebony hedgehog spends a lot of time thinking about those moments, though. 

…

Anyways, what he’s trying to say is that his ears are sensitive. And he couldn’t hear any sounds like snoring, or even just shuffling bedsheets, when he’d listened against the door. 

So, finally, hesitantly, after a long sigh, he knocks one more time, speaking a little louder to give the other some warning. “Sonic, I’m coming in.” 

He opens the door. Just a crack, at first. He glances towards the blue blur’s bed. After all, Sonic is probably fine, like his friends had said; curled up and sleeping with no reason for Shadow’s stomach to flutter with anxiety. And once he sees that, he can shut the door, and walk back to the living room in embarrassment that they were right and he was soft and a fool. At worst, he would accidentally wake up the blue hedgehog from a much needed sleep, which would only make him feel even more bad about being so fearful over nothing in the first place. OR, possibly worse than all of that, Sonic would be awake, or he’d wake up from sleeping, and ask Shadow why he’d come to check on him in the first place. Why he was so worried. Why was it him of all Mobians coming to see if he’s alright? 

And Shadow certainly wasn’t ready to confront that. 

Except, Sonic isn’t lying in bed. 

The bed is empty. 

Sonic isn’t in his immediate field of vision. 

So, still hesitant, he opens the door a little further, taking a single step into the cobalt hedgehog’s room. 

He looks around. 

And then… his eyes finally land on him. 

The sight makes his heart drop to his feet. 

Sonic is sitting in one corner of his room, knees brought up to his chest and paws gripping at his ears and quills. Tears spill from his eyes, and Shadow can see that his chest is heaving, lungs attempting to fill with air he doesn’t seem to be getting. 

Oh.

Maybe this is a bad time. 

But… should he really leave him like this? 

He notices that Sonic’s eyes aren’t as bright as usual. He seems unfocused, untethered. 

Something is definitely wrong. 

Shadow’s legs move before he can stop them, barely closing the door behind him as he rushes over, kneeling in front of Sonic to be eye level with him. 

He can smell a change in Sonic’s normal heart rate. His heart is racing, even more so than it usually is. 

The change in scent sends signals to Shadow’s mind; old, instinctual ones. Ones he hasn’t had in a long time. 

HELP HIM! his mind screams. HE’S GOING TO FAINT! ALERT HIM!

He shakes his head, mentally. Sonic doesn’t faint; at least, not that he’s seen. 

Sonic’s not Maria.

And this isn’t a medical episode (to his knowledge); it’s a panic attack. 

Although, Maria had had a lot of those, too. So his mind still rushes. 

GET HIS HEART RATE NORMAL! CALM HIS BREATHING! COMFORT HIM! HE’S SPIRALING! ALERT HIM! ALERT HIM! ALERT H-

He reaches out a paw, moving out of routine, out of muscle memory. 

But then, he stops himself; pauses. 

This isn’t the same situation from his training. 

He wasn’t trained to help Sonic. 

Sonic is his own individual. He’s different. He’s not used to Shadow helping him. This isn’t routine. 

This requires more care. A different kind of gentleness.

So, he keeps his paw outstretched, but he doesn’t touch the other hedgehog; doesn’t want to frighten him. He just wants to make his presence known, to test the waters to see if Sonic wants to lean into the touch. Maybe physical contact comforts him? He’s not sure. 

He’s never seen the blue blur in this state before. 

Sonic doesn’t seem to see him, remaining panicked and, as Shadow can imagine, heavily dissociated. 

Thus, after a few, long moments, he speaks up, voice soft. “Sonic.”

No reply. 

Just coughs and tiny gasps for air. 

Shadow’s stomach twists at the noises. 

“Sonic,” he says, a bit louder. “Sonic, what happened? What’s wrong? You have to take deep breaths.” 

He sees a blue ear twitch, hears a pained whimper leave a sore-sounding throat, followed by another sob. 

He does get a small shake of the head from the anxious hedgehog, in response, which reassures him a bit. But the blue blur’s gasps for air and choked coughs are becoming more consistent. 

Shadow sighs. He has to get the hero to slow down and take a breath. He might actually pass out at this rate, with the way he appears to be hyperventilating. 

Eventually, albeit shaky and hesitant, the ebony hedgehog finally does reach his outstretched paw out to slowly touch a blue-furred arm, ready to pull away if he needs to. 

There’s a flinch. A small gasp. 

Shadow quickly pulls back. 

But then a blue paw reaches to meet his striped one, holding it like a lifeline. 

There’s a millisecond of clarity in the azure hedgehog’s teary, green eyes. 

“Sh-Shads…” is muttered out, ragged and broken and barely there. Shadow almost misses it. 

Almost.

“Yes, I’m here,” he states, letting out a partial sigh of relief. Sonic’s paw gently squeezes his own. “I’m here, Sonic. Take a breath. You need to take deep breaths. You’re having a panic attack.” 

“I know,” the words are whispered, barely audible. “I… I-I can’t, ‘m trying… th-the b-battle.. the… the mission… ‘s too much, was all too much…”

The statements tug at the darker hedgehog’s heartstrings. 

Because yeah, it had been a particularly grueling mission today. Even for Shadow himself, to some extent. 

Eggman had had a larger army of bots than usual. It had felt like the fight was never going to end. Team Hero and Team Dark had worked together, each member of each team putting every ounce of energy and stamina they had into taking down individual Eggman robots, and then there were still more. 

Not only were they fighting them, breaking wires and crashing through metal and destroying the pesky bots, they were also having to prevent them from causing destruction in the city or, worse, hurting civilians. 

And they’re all used to that, of course. It’s normal for them to multitask on missions. 

But not that much. Usually they can break off into groups and each focus on one thing. 

This had been overwhelming. They had all needed to focus on everything because the bots just kept coming. 

It had been dizzying. A whirlwind.

And Sonic had been at the center of it all, as the Hero of Mobius, taking down robots one after another, catching them before they could scatter off and cause damage, moving civilians out of the way, and even helping to temporarily patch up and calm down a few until medical assistance could arrive. 

Sonic has a big heart. Anyone could see that. 

The problem with that is that said heart usually seems to be kept fairly unguarded. 

And Sonic is smart, but damn is he trusting. So very willing to give second chances (Shadow would know). Very much wanting to help anyone who needs it. 

Which is good. So good. Of course it is. It’s the reason so many people adore him. It may or may not be one of the reasons Shadow adores him, too. 

And Sonic shouldn’t have to be guarded. 

But not everyone has a big heart.

Some people want that type of love, that care, that comes from having one, all to themselves. 

And, sometimes, maybe, it also worries Shadow just how willing Sonic is to give away that kind of care, so easily. To his own detriment. 

He’s never been known to pace himself, after all. 

Sonic’s fur is messy, now, his quills are bristling, parts of his body still look slightly bruised and scraped from battle. 

He looks so fucking drained.

Shadow swallows the lump forming in his throat at the sight.  

“Shh, I know, I know,” Shadow whispers towards him, gently squeezing Sonic’s paw as the blue hedgehog rambles, almost incoherently, through waves of sobs. “Save your breath for right now. I need you to take at least one long, deep breath for me, Sonic. Can you do that? I don’t want you to faint.” 

But Sonic just cries. “I… I c-can’t.. ‘s all too much. Too much noise, t-too many people here… I can’t… I can’t help everyone, I can’t save them all… I can’t.. I can’t!!” 

…oh.

So he’s… really not here right now…

He’s far more dissociated than Shadow had first assumed.

The dark hedgehog has experienced his fair share of flashbacks. He knows the feeling of his brain bringing him back to times of stress, over and over, sending him back to a place different from the present, a place he’d really rather not be, his mind struggling to remember what’s currently happening and what’s not.

It’s scary, it’s mind boggling, it’s exhausting. 

Sonic needs something to help ground him and, much to Shadow’s dismay, he does have one idea of how to help in mind. 

The one his brain, his previous training, is screaming at him to do; out of instinct, out of memory. 

It’s something he often did to help Maria, when she’d have episodes like this.

Her N.I.D.S, being an illness that affected her mind, would often cause her to have panic attacks or even mild hallucinations, at times. Often, she needed grounding techniques to bring her back to the present. 

One of the things he’d been taught to do, to help ground her, was deep pressure therapy. 

Maybe…

Shadow keeps his gaze on Sonic, squeezing the paw he’s holding, again, to try and keep the other’s attention, even for just a moment. “Sonic. Are you listening to me?” 

Sonic’s ears continue to twitch, his paws shaking as his eyes keep appearing to go in and out of focus. 

But, after a few seconds, he nods. “Yeah…” 

“Alright,” Shadow says, softly. “Sonic. I’m going to… try something. To help calm you. And if it makes you uncomfortable or you hate it, you can shove me away and I’ll leave you alone. Or I can get one of your friends to come help you, if you’d like. Okay?” 

Sonic looks a bit confused, but he meets Shadow’s careful expression with a firm nod; a certain look to his hazy, green eyes, like… 

Trust.

“Okay…” Shadow nods, too, more to himself. 

He feels Sonic’s thumb gently swipe over the stripe on his paw. Something comforting for the both of them. 

Shadow soon pulls his paw away, moving to rest it on Sonic’s knee for just a moment. 

“Rest your legs on the ground,” he says. 

Sonic does. 

And Shadow delicately moves to curl up in the azure hedgehog’s lap, laying his torso over the other’s legs, slightly sprawled across him like a weighted blanket. 

He can feel the cobalt hedgehog go somewhat taut, and he hears another tiny gasp. 

“Are you alright?” Shadow instantly frets, already moving to sit up a little. “Should I sto-“ 

An audible sigh, alongside a purr mixed with a sob, tumbles out of the other hedgehog’s throat, and a blue paw searches for a striped one once more. 

Shadow quickly takes his paw, and Sonic immediately squeezes it. He feels the blue hedgehog’s body fully relax under his weight, even if his breathing is still a little shallow. 

Shadow lets out his own breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding, relaxing in the hero’s lap, likewise. 

Now all he has to do is get the other hedgehog’s breathing under control. 

“Sonic,” he says softly, rubbing the hedgehog’s paw with his thumb to grab his focus again. 

He gets a small hum in response. 

“Match my breathing. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds.” 

Shadow breathes in and out steadily, doing the breathing exercise for himself to demonstrate, while his paw remains intertwined with Sonic’s in a continuously grounding manner.

He listens as Sonic’s breaths gradually steady; hears him coughing a bit as his chest rises and falls at a more stabilized pace. 

“There you go…” Shadow whispers, soothingly. “You’re doing good.” 

He feels Sonic’s free paw shakily move to brush through striped quills. 

Shadow can’t help the tiny purr that escapes him, and the way his ears downturn in tranquility, from the contact. But he clears his throat right after to try and conceal it. 

Still, he leans into the touch. 

He doesn’t know how long the two of them stay like that. Maybe ten or twenty minutes. 

But, after a long period of silence, he hears a muttered, “‘m sorry.” 

Shadow turns from where he’s laying to meet tired, green eyes. 

“What for?” he counters. “You don’t need to apologize for something you cannot control. And, regardless, I don’t mind helping.” 

Sonic gives him a small, embarrassed nod. “Okay…”

An awkward pause follows the brief interaction. Shadow doesn’t know what to do or say next. Should he go? Does Sonic want to talk about what happened? Does Sonic want to pretend like it didn’t? How does one even go about this?

Luckily, the obnoxious hero has never been bad at filling silence. 

“So… uh,” the blue hedgehog lets out a tiny, breathy chuckle, just as awkward as the silence it’s trying to break. “What’s all… this… about?”

Sonic vaguely gestures to the way Shadow is still laying on him, before adding, “How did you know to do this?” 

Shadow feels himself bristle a little, and his words come out more defensive than he would’ve liked. “I was trained to help Maria when she’d have panic attacks like that. Don’t get used to it, hedgehog.” 

But, after a beat, he also adds, “I didn’t make you uncomfortable… when I laid on you like this, though… did I? Because if I did, I’m truly sorry. And it won’t happen again.” 

He feels his paw, the one that’s still intertwined with Sonic’s, for whatever reason, get lightly squeezed. He feels another paw brush against one of his ears, comfortingly. “Nah. Don’t worry about it. I’m actually… really grateful. This feels nice.” 

This feels nice. The sentence reverberates through the dark hedgehog’s mind three or fifteen times. 

After a minute, however, all he ends up responding with is, “Okay.” 

Then there’s another awkward, pregnant pause. 

“Um… also..,” Sonic speaks again, after a few seconds. “Why did you come check on me in the first place?” 

And there it is.

The question he’d been trying to avoid. 

Shadow feels his face go crimson, so he simply scoffs. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was just making sure you didn’t die or anything. It would’ve made my life inconvenient if you had.” 

He knows the words are harsh, but he can tell Sonic sees right through them; especially because he can feel the tips of his ears, directly in the line of the annoying hedgehog’s vision, go bright red, as well. 

“Oh, it would? And why’s that?” he can practically feel the smirk on Sonic’s face as he talks. 

Shadow’s brain screams at him. 

Damn it. Had he really let that slip out? “It would have made my life inconvenient if you died”? That sounds so obviously yearning coming from him! FOR FUCK’S SAKE, SNAP OUT OF IT, SHADOW.

“Well. I think we’re done here,” the ebony hedgehog finally sighs, with a surprisingly light tone, as he moves to stand up. It’s the kind of tone Sonic would use, he realizes, when he’s clearly trying to avoid something. 

Geez, just how many habits has he been picking up from this idiot?

But as he’s about to leave, he feels a paw grasp his wrist. 

“Wait-!”

Shadow turns around, in his surprise, and ends up meeting a gaze that he finds even more surprising. 

Sonic looks… almost desperate.

Though, the expression quickly fades into being just as shocked as the darker hedgehog’s, as if he hadn’t expected to do what he’d done, either, and he lets go of Shadow’s wrist like he’s been burned. 

“S-sorry… I mean…” he stutters. 

“It’s alright,” Shadow says, still somewhat dazed. “What were you going to say?” 

“I…” Sonic’s mouth opens and closes for a period, looking flustered with embarrassment as he scratches at the back of his neck. Finally, with a shyness he rarely hears in the other hedgehog’s voice, “I was… gonna… ask if you could… stay.” 

Oh.

Shadow’s mind short-circuits a little, and in his moment of bewildered pause, Sonic seems to take that as a reason to backtrack even further. 

“Ah- y’know what? Just ignore that. Pretend I didn’t say anything. It was… y’know, the pressure and stuff was nice, and I think my brain’s messing with me with all the emotions post-anxiety attack. I really don’t mind-“ 

“I can stay.” 

Again, the words shock them both equally. 

But then, Sonic just nods, and Shadow wordlessly curls up in his lap like before. 

And, though the darker hedgehog would fervently deny it, when Rouge found Shadow in Sonic’s room after the movie had ended, to tell him they were leaving, the two hedgehogs had fallen asleep like that. 

=2=

Despite Shadow’s fervent denials, teasing from his and Sonic’s friend groups persists. 

Shadow blames Rouge. 

She’d taken a photo of the two of them snuggling before waking them up. A photo that Shadow has now stated to be “fake” over and over again. 

It’d probably be a more believable lie if Rouge hadn’t also urged everyone at that movie night to come see the two cuddled up, as well, giving them all a chance to witness it before waking the hedgehogs up. 

…But, whatever.

The moment’s passed now, and they can all move on. 

…

Except for the fact that Shadow cannot stop thinking about that evening.

FUCK. 

It would be a lot easier, too, he supposes, to pretend that night had never happened, if it wasn’t for the fact that Shadow has started to have inklings of urges to stick closer to the blue blur a little more frequently now, as well.  

It might be because he has a crush, although he suspects it’s just because he feels more comfortable when he can see that the other hedgehog is safe; an obvious side-effect from his service animal days. 

He knows what happened that night was probably a fluke or a rare occurrence. And even if it wasn’t, Sonic has other friends to aid him through moments like that normally, right? 

But what if it wasn’t a one-time thing? The fear pokes at him. What if Sonic panics or worse, and no one’s around to make sure he’s alright?

Shadow sighs. 

No.

He can’t let himself think like that.

“Hello? Earth to Shadow!” Sonic snaps his fingers in front of the dark hedgehog’s face. “You alright, man? Are you listening?” 

“Wha-“ Shadow shakes his head, trying to look as though he has been. “Yeah. Yes. I am.” 

The blue hedgehog looks disbelieving (and mildly irritated), but he just rolls his eyes and faces Shadow with a smile again. 

“Okay, then. So, first to that tree?” he repeats, pointing to a particularly tall oak in the distance. 

Right! Shadow thinks. A race will certainly stop him from overthinking so much.

“You’re on, faker,” he nods, getting into a running stance. 

Sonic does the same, signature grin fully returning to his face as he stares ahead. 

There’s a pause, and then the blue hedgehog shouts, “GO!” 

And they’re off, with the annoying hero already in the lead. 

The darker hedgehog huffs. That fucker always gives himself a headstart when he counts down! 

But Shadow keeps with his fast stride, previous anxieties starting to fade as he focuses on maximizing his speed, easily catching up. 

They begin to match each other’s pace, as they always do. Always matching, like they’re in sync with one another. 

Sonic gives the ebony hedgehog a cocky smile as he speeds up further, only barely. But Shadow quickly overtakes him, causing Sonic to lag behind. This confuses the darker Mobian a bit. Usually the other hedgehog is better at keeping up with him than that. 

Is Sonic letting him win?

He can’t be, though, right? He’s only a few steps behind. Although… he doesn’t seem to be putting his whole heart into catching back up to the black and red hedgehog like he usually is.

It worries Shadow a little, but he soon pushes his fear to the side. 

Sonic’s alright. It’s just some leftover nerves on the darker hedgehog’s end. 

He lets himself smile, equally as smug as the cobalt hedgehog had been only prior. He’s going to win! 

And in no time at all, they’re both skidding to a stop at their makeshift finish line and arguing over who won. As they usually do.

Sonic coughs as he speaks. “I-… I totally won! It wasn’t even-… wasn’t even close!” 

“Bullshit! My paw touched the tree before yours did!”

“That wasn’t a part of the rules!” 

“It is when I race!” 

“Well, remind me to never race you again; damn,” another wave of coughs racks the blue blur’s limber body as he laughs (though it sounds more like he’s wheezing). 

Shadow’s concern starts to flare up again when the other hedgehog has to lean further against the tree they’re arguing over as he attempts to catch his breath, visibly winded. 

“Are you okay…?” he asks, stepping over to the cobalt hero, uneasily. 

“Yeah… fine…” muttered back between hacks and a particularly aggressive sneeze. 

“Are you getting sick?” Shadow sighs, with a mildly annoyed huff, already knowing from past experiences that the blue hedgehog will stubbornly deny being ill, even if he is, until he can’t take care of himself any longer and has to ask for assistance. 

Sonic always claims he ‘doesn’t get sick’. But his friends know better. He just says that because he doesn’t like sitting still and being unable to go on runs while resting. The azure hedgehog has told them that before, a couple times. 

Sonic sniffles, itching under his nose. “‘s nothing. Probably just allergies. Pollen doesn’t really fuck with me.” 

“No shit?” Shadow walks a little closer. He takes a glove off to press a paw to the other hedgehog’s forehead. 

No fever. That’s good. 

But with the way he’s wheezing, he sounds congested. Whatever symptoms he might’ve been trying to hide must’ve finally acted up completely, as a result of their running. 

Shadow puts his glove back on, not missing the way Sonic blushes at the sight of his bare paw. 

“Why don’t we just walk for a while?” the black and red hedgehog offers. “Give your lungs a break.” 

Sonic nods in agreement. “Sounds good.” 

Shadow starts to walk away, but he stops after only a few seconds when he sees the other hedgehog isn’t following. 

Sonic still leans against the tree. “Gimme a sec.” 

Shadow raises an eye ridge. “Are you sure you haven’t fallen ill? Wasn’t Amy Rose sick with a cold a couple of days ago? And I know Rouge was, as well…” 

“Yeah, but I don’t really get sick,” Sonic huffs, speech half-slurred, and stumbling a little as he walks over to the awaiting hedgehog. “Jus’ some allergies, dude. Really. ‘m fine.” 

Shadow outright scoffs at that. “First of all, you absolutely do get sick. I’ve had to bear witness to your incessant complaining when you’ve been feverish on more than one occasion. And secondly, your words are slurred and you’re nearly tripping over your own feet.”

Sonic tries to stutter out a defense, before giving up and simply elbowing Shadow, playfully. But it’s weak, and a bit lethargic. “I’m just dizzy ‘n a lil’ sleepy, faker. Don’ worry about it too much. I’ll take a nap when I get home, ‘kay?” 

He looks into crimson eyes with green ones that are full of reassurance, and so Shadow relents, with a soft sigh. 

“…okay.”

They walk for a while longer, mostly just exploring the forest and talking, like they’ve been doing more often as of late. 

But Shadow feels on edge. 

The other hedgehog’s condition is worrisome to the Ultimate Lifeform. Something about it feels… familiar. 

And, after a half hour of walking, he starts to realize why. 

Sonic seems a bit more lively than he had been a little while ago, but he still claims to be fairly dizzy when the darker hedgehog asks how he’s doing a few times. 

Then, the scent hits him; strong and fast. It makes him stop in his tracks and sends a fierce chill down his spine. 

“Sonic,” his voice wavers, but he remains firm. “Sit down. You’re going to pass out. I can smell it.” 

“What?” the azure hedgehog raises an eye ridge and turns to look back at him, but he stumbles a little as he spins. “Dude, what’re you talking about? I’m not gonna… not… gonna…“ 

Sonic passes out. 

More signals go off in Shadow’s mind, and he swiftly catches the blue Mobian before he can fall and hit his head. Like muscle memory. 

Once he has the hedgehog in his arms, he lets out a displeased sigh. 

Stubborn idiot. He must be exhausted…

He moves to sit, and lays Sonic down on the ground. He checks the cobalt hedgehog’s breathing and heart rate and, seeing that it’s normal, he moves to lift the blue blur’s legs a few inches off the grass to get blood flowing back to his brain. 

He carefully taps on the other hedgehog’s arm, as he does so, trying to get him to wake up. 

The same thing he used to do for… her. 

The dark hedgehog sighs at the memory. 

At least he knew what to do now. His late best friend would probably be proud that the training that had helped her was still being put to some good use. 

“Sonic…” he mutters, voice soft, as he lightly shakes the other. “Wake up, hedgehog. You’ll be okay.” 

While he waits, he briefly calls the hero’s brother on his communicator watch. The fox doesn’t pick up, but Shadow leaves a message, letting him know what happened, that the blue hedgehog should be fine, and that he’ll bring him home as soon as he can. 

After a couple minutes, Sonic’s eyes slowly flutter open. “Shads…?” 

“Hey. I’m here. How are you feeling?” Shadow comforts, rubbing his thumb over one of Sonic’s arms in a soothing motion. 

“I think I’m alright…” Sonic groans, somewhat groggy. He runs a paw over his face as he comes to. “Fuck… I actually passed out. Did I hit my head or anything?” 

“No. Don’t worry. I caught you before you fell completely,” Shadow states, delicately lowering the other hedgehog’s legs to the ground again. 

“Oh,” the hero looks relieved, despite his tiredness. “Thanks, man.” 

“Any time, hedgehog.” 

A beat. 

Then…

“Hey, wait a minute. How did you know I was gonna pass out?” Sonic asks. “You said there was… a ‘smell’?” 

“Ah… yes,” Shadow mutters, shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s… another thing I know from helping Maria on the ARK. She had syncope episodes, and I was trained to alert her to them. There was a change in your scent shortly before you fainted. That’s how I could tell.” 

The blue blur’s eyes widen at the explanation, but he quickly looks more impressed than anything else. “Wow. That’s… actually pretty cool. Er, the whole sense of smell thing, I mean. Not the fainting stuff. That part wasn’t very fun.” 

“I can imagine it wasn’t,” Shadow nods, half-chuckling in agreement. 

Then, he notes, a little more seriously, “I called Tails, by the way. He didn’t answer, but I left a message telling him what happened. I can bring you back to your place so you can get some rest.” 

“Yeah, sure. That’s.. probably for the best. I feel worse than I thought.” 

The azure hedgehog makes a move to sit up, but Shadow gently presses a paw to his chest, stopping him. 

Sonic narrows his eyes in confusion. 

“Slow down,” the darker hedgehog huffs. “For once. If you sit up too quickly you might pass out again. Let me help you.” 

“Oh. Alright,” the blue hedgehog nods. 

Shadow moves his paw away and then carefully wraps his arms around the other hedgehog’s torso and shoulders to support him. Slowly, he helps him to sit up, checking and sniffing at his pulse all the while to make sure he’s still doing alright. Then, he helps the other hedgehog to stand and lean against him. 

Gently, Sonic wraps an arm around Shadow’s waist. 

On any normal occasion, this probably would’ve made him go flush, especially with the way Sonic is currently looking at his lips, as well.

But Shadow doesn’t notice these things; too pre-occupied with grabbing the Chaos Emerald stored in his quills. 

“Close your eyes, so that you don’t get dizzy again. I’m going to teleport us home.”

Sonic nods once more, and his eyes fall shut, forehead resting against Shadow’s shoulder. 

The dark hedgehog lifts one arm into the air. “Chaos Control!” 

In half a second, they’re in Sonic and Tails’ shared home, in the living area. 

Shadow lifts the hero up to lay him down on the nearby sofa. He rests a pillow under the blue hedgehog’s head, helps him take his shoes off, and places a blanket over him. 

Sonic gives him a smile, as he does so; one that makes his heart do a flip. It’s soft and genuine and grateful. 

Shadow tries to give him a small one back, though it feels a bit more like a grimace. Still, he tries to get a similar sentiment across. 

“I’m happy you’re safe.”

Sonic’s smile grows into a beam, and it makes the black and red hedgehog’s heart warm even further. 

He thinks he got the message across. 

After tucking the blankets around Sonic a little more, making sure the hedgehog is comfortable, Shadow heads over to the large workshop connected to the house to look for the hero’s brother. 

“Tails?” he calls out into the space. Glancing around, he sees that the workshop is empty. 

Odd. He’s usually here.

Where could he be?

Soon, however, he feels a buzz on his wrist; an incoming call from the fox in question coming in on his communicator watch. He quickly picks up.

“Where are you, Miles? I was trying to get ahold of you,” he huffs, somewhat miffed, but he tries not to let too much agitation slip through. 

“Sorry, Shadow. I’m in the Tornado now. I’ll be back soon. I was helping out with a mission and missed your call. Is Sonic okay?” Tails asks, voice sounding concerned. 

Any residual annoyance dissipates. Of course the fox hadn’t been ignoring him on purpose or anything. He’s not even sure why he’d been irritated in the first place. 

“It’s alright. My apologies for being curt. I thought you’d be home, and was worried when you were not. Sonic needs someone here in case he faints again or his condition worsens. But, to answer your question, yes, he appears to be fine at this moment. I think he has whatever cold Amy and Rouge had. And he’s probably at least a little dehydrated.”

“Yikes, that sucks,” the young fox sighs. “Yeah, I’m sorry again that I didn’t pick up. I’m on my way home, though, and I’ll pick up food for the three of us before I come back, okay? But it’ll be a few hours. Can you keep an eye on him for me until then?” 

Shadow smiles a little at the considerate words. “Of course. He’s in good hands. Thank you, Tails; truly. Get home safe, alright?” 

He hangs up the call and walks the short distance back to the couch where the blue blur lays. He relays back what he and the fox had discussed. 

“So, I’ll stay until he gets back and I’ll have dinner with the two of you,” the darker hedgehog concludes. “Then, I’ll leave so that you can get some rest.” 

“Cool,” Sonic responds, softly. Then, with a sly, but almost sheepish smile, he adds, “I was kinda hoping you’d stay, anyway.” 

Shadow feels his ears twitch, the tips of them going pink at the statement. “Y-… you were?”

“Yeah, like…” Sonic stutters out, his gaze leaving the other’s as he looks away, bashfully. “L-like for dinner or whatever. Could be nice… I mean.”

Shadow’s somewhat lost for words, at the statement. 

But, to his surprise, the blue hedgehog continues, fidgeting as he speaks. “I… I really appreciate what you did back there, y’know? I felt.. safe, knowing you were there to catch me. When I woke up, I was kinda scared, but… you were there. Just like when I had a panic attack. And… when we came back here, I… I guess I thought it’d be nice… if you still kinda wanted to take care of me like that. A little. I-I know I’m not very good at looking after myself. And I know you know that. I just don’t… really know how to ask for help when I’m sick. And I thought… thought m-maybe I’d give it a try for once… this time?”

More stunned silence. 

So, just as quickly, the flustered hedgehog looks back up at him, adding, “ I-I know that sounds kind of stupid, though, and a lot to ask for, and you totally don’t need to feel oblig-” 

“Nonsense,” the ebony hedgehog finally finds his words, cutting off the other’s anxious rambling. He lets another small smile grace his face as he responds, simply, but sweet and certain. “Of course I’ll help take care of you when you aren’t feeling well, Sonic. I’m happy to help those who are important to me.” 

He watches as the blue blur’s shoulders visibly relax, eyes almost surprised at the sincere statement, and he gives the black and red hedgehog a smile back that’s just as sweet. “Thank you, Shads…” 

Shadow nods in confirmation. 

And with that, he heads right to the kitchen to fill up a cup of water for the cobalt hero. 

“Here. Drink,” he says, when he brings it back to him. “You’re probably dehydrated.”

The blue hedgehog does so, ardently. 

“May I take my gloves off?” Shadow asks next, as the other drinks. The darker hedgehog doesn’t mind taking them off around people, but he knows it’s something that can bother some Mobians with its display of vulnerability. 

“O-oh! Uh, yeah, sure. We’re close, so I don’t really mind,” Sonic says, swallowing down the rest of his water. He puts the cup down on a nearby end table. “I should probably take mine off, too, anyways.” 

Shadow nods, noncommittally, and they both take them off. 

Although, as they do so, Shadow pauses for a second, despite himself.

Because even though gloves have never bothered him, in particular… he soon realizes that he’s never actually seen Sonic’s bare paws before. 

He understands that the blue blur himself takes the Mobian custom a bit more seriously. And he’s also aware that Sonic considers him to be a good friend, someone worthy of his trust. 

But, he supposes, until just now, he hadn’t realized that Sonic has started to consider him a close enough friend for this. 

When had that happened?

He notices how seeing Shadow’s ungloved paws still makes the azure hedgehog blush. However, much to Shadow’s own surprise, he discovers that looking at Sonic’s paws sends a pleasant feeling through his own chest, as well. 

That thought flusters him slightly, but he tries to shake it off as he goes back to the kitchen again, grabbing a washcloth and soaking it under the sink faucet until it’s lukewarm; something that could help to regulate Sonic’s somewhat colder temperature. 

He wrings the cloth out and brings it back to the other hedgehog, gently pressing it against his forehead. 

The cobalt hedgehog leans into the touch, letting out a quiet, content sigh as he lies back further into his pillow, body visibly calming. 

The sight makes Shadow’s heart swell in pride, and the stress that he’d been unknowingly holding in his own shoulders slowly starts to leave them. 

Sonic is safe and well, now, his mind is reassured. 

But just as he’s about to turn away and let the hero get some sleep, he hears the other hedgehog speak up again. 

“Shads?”

“Yes?” he looks back at the blue blur, whose eyes have flickered open once more to look at him. 

“Um,” the blue hedgehog flushes. “Would it… could I… ask you for one more thing? And you can totally tell me fuck off or whatever, if not.” 

“What is it?”

Sonic’s flustered expression only deepens in its crimson color, and he looks away again to mutter. “Could we… cuddle… again?” 

Shadow suddenly understands the other Mobian’s cherry red face, as a shade of pink spreads over his own cheeks. “Oh.” 

“We don’t have to-!” 

“I-I’m not bothered by your request!” Shadow states, hastily, mostly levelheaded despite the pink dusting his cheeks increasing tenfold as he says so. 

But he’s certainly not bothered by the request. Not one bit. 

However, even though he is certain, his body still hesitates in an awkward fumble of movements as he tries to figure out a place he can lay that would suffice without making things weird for Soni- 

“Dude, c’mere,” the azure hero chuckles, once Shadow’s been stumbling cluelessly for a while, and he easily pulls the Ultimate Lifeform to lay on top of him, nearly chest to chest. 

Ah.

Shadow’s blush deepens. 

But the blue hedgehog simply brushes his paws against Shadow’s arms, where they’re currently propping his body up, rubbing small circles into the darker hedgehog’s elbows as if it’s easy. A wave of affection courses through the Shadow, at the gentleness of the touches, and he gets flustered impossibly further when he realizes just how much he likes this. 

“Relax, hot stuff,” Sonic continues. “You’re tense. If you don’t like this, you don’t have to lay with me. Seriously. Tell me to stop and I will. I don’t mind. But you can lean closer to me, if you want. I’ll tell you to stop, too, if I don’t like something.” 

Shadow feels one of his ears twitch, a mix of both embarrassment at his own, now knowingly needless, hesitation from before, and his newer, yearning urge to, yes, lean closer to him. 

He slowly allows his chest to rest against a soft, peach one. He lets his arms relax, loosely wrapping around Sonic’s shoulders. 

Their noses are practically touching; and Shadow feels a newfound wave of calm hit him hard. 

Just as carefully, he moves to rest his head under Sonic’s chin, and his eyes go half-lidded as a long sigh sweeps through him, followed by a small purr. 

With his body against Sonic’s he can hear how the blue blur’s soft laughter rings through the room, at that. 

Chagrin hits Shadow like a punch to the gut at the sound, and he’s ready to get up, thinking he’s actually done too much this time when, all of a sudden, a gentle, ungloved paw is petting at his quills, alongside another moving to rest on his lower back. 

And the loud purr he lets out, as he melts back into the touch, easily puts any other noises he’s made thus far to shame. 

They stay like that for several minutes of peaceful silence. 

Then, Sonic speaks again, quietly. 

“I had no idea you were such a huge softie, Shads,” he murmurs with a giggle. Then, after a little sigh, “I like this side of you…” 

Shadow scoffs, but he can feel his lips curl up in a begrudging smile. “Says the one who asked me to cuddle. Try and get some rest, you buffoon.” 

“Okay, okay,” Sonic huffs; though Shadow can almost hear him grinning. He knows the other is probably just going to keep talking. 

Always the chatterbox, this hedgehog is, he thinks, fondly. 

And Sonic does talk. 

But not about what the darker hedgehog would’ve expected. 

“Y’know… you don’t have to be so nervous around me,” the blue hedgehog mutters, almost in a whisper, against one of Shadow’s ears. “I’ve liked being around your annoying ass for a long fucking time. That’s not changing anytime soon; so long as you’ll have me.” 

The ebony hedgehog feels his heart do a spin at the statement. He can’t help but sit up again to look at Sonic’s expression. 

The blue blur is smiling at him. Genuinely. 

It’s loving. His stomach flutters. Tender. His words are truthful.

And it’s maybe one of the nicest things that Sonic has ever said to him, so sincerely.

He finds that he doesn’t really know how to respond to such a remark. 

Therefore… he obviously avoids doing so. 

“Oh, I’m annoying?” he smirks. 

Sonic seems more awake at the vaguely challenging statement. He doesn’t seem to mind the subject change; but a knowing glint in his eyes tells Shadow that the hero still knows the impact of his words had gotten across to him. 

Nevertheless, Sonic nods, fervent and confirming, in lieu of mentioning it. “Yeah.” 

“You’re annoying!” Shadow weakly counters. 

“You can be just as annoying as me!” 

“I am not!” 

“Oh, please,” Sonic scoffs in indignation. “You absolutely are! With your broody attitude and your whole ‘I am the Ultimate Lifeform’ thing.” 

“Says the one with a fucking catchphrase!” 

At that, Sonic lets out a gasp, then a playful growl, before he’s snapping his teeth at Shadow, grinning competitively. 

Shadow takes him on with a smile, snarling back and lightly nipping at his jaw. 

The whole thing is teeth, teasing snaps, and tiny growls, until they both can’t take it seriously any longer and devolve into laughter. 

Shadow can’t help but let out a particularly hearty chuckle, at one point, his eyes closing and fangs gleaming as he beams, before he’s quickly covering up the happy expression with his paw, feeling vulnerable. 

But Sonic looks at him as if he’d just hung up the moon and stars, smiling ear to ear. 

A peach paw takes his striped one, gently moving it away from his anxious smile. 

“Oh my gosh, that’s, like, the sweetest laugh I’ve ever heard!” Sonic grins. “Don’t you dare cover that up!” 

Then, soft paws are cupping his face, slightly scratchy paw pads sweetly pressing against his cheeks. 

It all makes Shadow’s chest and face heat up happily. 

They stay there like that, for maybe a minute, just looking at each other, until Sonic’s paws smoothly slide to rest on the darker hedgehog’s back again, and Shadow rests his chin back on peach chest fur as the blue blur starts to talk once more. 

The affection between them almost feels… natural right now. 

Simple. 

It’s nice.

“Wanna do something?” Sonic asks. 

“Like what?” Shadow queries. 

“Dunno,” the azure hero shrugs. “I’m bored.” 

Shadow laughs a little, at that. “What? From cuddling? You were the one who suggested it.” 

“No! I like this,” Sonic scoffs. “I just mean… we can do other stuff while we cuddle, too. I don’t like sitting still.” 

“What were you thinking? Not much you can do when you’re sick.” 

“Pshh,” the blue hedgehog waves him off. “It’s just a head cold, probably. It’ll be gone in, like, a couple days. Plus, you’re immortal, so I don’t have to worry about it spreading to you, right?” 

“Yeah?” Shadow doesn’t see his point. 

“So,” the other continues, like it’s obvious. “Why don’t the two of us get out of the house and hang out together somewhere else instead? Let’s do something fun!” 

“Wha-“ Shadow sputters, flabbergasted. “We can’t just ‘go out’ right now, Sonic. You’re sick! You’re meant to be resting!”

“Yeah, but I’m bored!” the cobalt hedgehog laughs. 

“Well, let’s watch a movie or something, then.”

“I’ve watched all the movies we have.”

“So what? You don’t like to rewatch them?” 

“I have rewatched them,” the blue hedgehog insists. “I’ve done everything there is to do nowadays!” 

Shadow scoffs, lightheartedly. “Surely, you’re joking.” 

The azure hedgehog narrows his eyes at the comment, but then relents a little. “Okay, well maybe I haven’t done everything. But it feels like it, y’know? I’ve tried every restaurant within a couple hours of here, I’ve kicked Eggman’s ass more times than I can count, I’ve read through at least twenty different book series!”

Despite himself, Shadow still decides to respond in teasing. 

“Ah, so you aren’t sick of me yet?” he smirks. 

But, much to his surprise, Sonic returns the playful ribbing with a remark that feels even more genuine than before. 

“Never of you, faker.”  

Oh.

His face burns bright, at that. “O-oh.”

Though Sonic just grins, seemingly at least a smidge entertained, for the time being, at the way he’s still able to fluster his formal rival. He runs a thumb against the other’s tan muzzle, and the subtle, affectionate touch gives the darker hedgehog butterflies. 

He doesn’t pull away, though. Doesn’t want to. 

“Anyways,” Sonic adds. “You lived a long time ago, right? Was there anything you liked to do back then? Maybe we could do something like that.” 

Shadow’s eyes widen at the suddenly personal question. 

Truthfully, he doesn’t think he’d mind discussing it right now, necessarily. But the inquiry, admittedly, confounds him. 

Usually, when he thinks back to those days, it’s to whatever memories he has of Maria. 

That, or the experiments.

He fights not to shudder at the thought. 

No one’s ever really asked what he simply liked to do back then. The little every day things. 

So he tries to think back. What had he and Maria liked to do back then; when things were somewhat normal? 

He remembers an old box he has of some items from the ARK. G.U.N had returned it to him as a keepsake, years back. Shadow can’t recall the last time he’s looked at it. It’s probably collecting dust under his bed right now. 

But after considering a few items he remembers being in there, he notes, “That time wasn’t all that long ago, really. Everything I used to like doing still exists presently, I believe.”

Sonic shrugs with a little hum, in response. He tosses the washcloth on his forehead (now cold) aside onto the nearby coffee table, and sits up on his elbows. He tilts his head to the side at the darker hedgehog, interested. 

“Try me. I wanna know.” 

Shadow stares back at him. 

Considers. 

Then, with a small, deciding hum of his own… 

“Give me a moment,” he sits up, getting off the couch, and takes the Chaos Emerald back out of his quills. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” 

He teleports to his apartment. 

Damn it. he growls, running one paw over his face. Is he actually about to do this?

It feels almost intimate, and yet, he feels like maybe he can trust Sonic with such an important piece of his past. 

At least, he hopes so. 

So he goes to his room, quickly finding the large, partially open box under his bed, and wipes any dust away. 

He manages to pick it up, and holds it under one arm before teleporting back to the blue blur’s house. 

In the living room again, he drops the box in front of Sonic, who fully sits up when he sees it. He looks to Shadow quizzically. “…what’s all this?” 

“Some things from my time on the ARK,” the darker Mobian states. 

“Holy shit. For real?” Sonic looks at him with wide eyes. 

But when Shadow simply nods and sits down to open the box up, the hero appears keen. His eyes seem to sparkle, and he practically buzzes with interest.

Shadow pulls out some things he thinks the other hedgehog might like. Puzzle books, a game of checkers, yarn…

“Yarn?” Sonic asks, picking up a skein. 

“Maria taught me how to knit,” the darker hedgehog explains. 

Sonic grins, mouth open in surprise. “No way! You can knit? That’s… so cute!” 

“Shut up,” Shadow flushes. 

The black and red hedgehog sidetracks any more teasing by rummaging through the box further. 

He pulls out a few more things. Some older books and notebooks, a magic 8 ball, some fashion dolls, DVDs… 

Soon, Shadow notices there’s a few larger pieces of fabric, near the lower part of the box. 

He tilts his head. Old clothes, maybe? 

He knows it can’t be blankets. Those he’d actually taken out of the box, once he’d found them in there. He still sleeps with the old blankets from the ARK, including a baby blanket from when he was younger that he still hugs close at night (not that Sonic needed to know about that). 

He pulls out one of the thinner fabrics he sees, and he can’t stop the little gasp he lets out when he realizes what it is. 

“What is it…?” Sonic asks, sounding somewhat concerned. Shadow turns his head back to the blue hedgehog, who seems to have just been shaking the magic 8 ball before, but who now has his full attention back on the dark hedgehog in front of him. 

“Uh..” the darker hedgehog looks back down at the item in his paws, blinking at it wordlessly for a moment. “It’s… an old vest of mine…” 

“Vest?” Sonic queries. 

“Yes…” Shadow mutters. “Back on the ARK, I was… a bit like a service animal to Maria. I wore a vest around, at times, to show that.”

“Oh yeah…” the azure hedgehog appears to remember something. “You told me you helped her with panic attacks and fainting and stuff, right?” 

Shadow nods. 

“That’s cool,” Sonic smiles. He holds a paw out. “Can I see it?” 

Shadow hands the vest over with a shrug. As the blue blur studies it, the darker hedgehog notes, “I hated having to wear that one. It was so scratchy and uncomfortable.” 

At the memory, the ebony hedgehog looks back into the box, mumbling to himself. “I wonder…” 

He pulls thicker fabric out, with a small smile. 

He should’ve known.

“I liked this one better,” he holds it up to show the cobalt hero. “Maria helped to make it when she found out the other one felt unpleasant.” 

Sonic carefully puts the other vest he’d been holding back into the box so he can examine the new one. 

This one’s more of a hoodie, really, rather than a vest. A standard, black, zip-up one, designed to fit hedgehog Mobians. 

But there’s certain adjustments made. On the back, there’s a large patch that reads “SERVICE ANIMAL: I’M WORKING”, along with a smaller one underneath that simply says “Do Not Distract”. There’s a multi-color pull strap on the back for Maria to hold on to when she needed to be guided or needed mobility support, as well, although she usually opted to hold Shadow’s hand instead. 

Most importantly about the jacket, to Shadow, though, is the way it’s lined on the inside. 

The reason this article of clothing was so important to him was because, like he said, Maria herself had had a lot of say in customizing it. She’d fought for him to have it. She’d known what a pain the other vest was to him, something he’d only felt comfortable enough to complain about to her. 

And she’d made sure that soft, high quality, colorful fabric lined the inside of the jacket, so that he’d never feel uncomfortable wearing his service animal gear again, and so that he’d be reminded of her whenever he got nervous and she wasn’t around. 

His closest friend had always had his best interest in mind, when no one else had. 

The ebony hedgehog hands the jacket to the azure hedgehog, so he can get a better look at it. He watches as Sonic admires it.

Frankly, Shadow shouldn’t have even had to wear gear that signaled he was a service animal while he was on the ARK. All the scientists that occupied the ship had known of Shadow and what he was made for. Plus, it wasn’t like there were other Mobians there, so he’d stood out like a sore thumb. 

But Gerald had told him that wearing it around the ARK would get him accustomed to wearing it when he and Maria could visit Earth someday. 

…

The influx of memories makes his eyes water. 

He quickly wipes at his eyes, but not before a sniffle can be heard. 

Sonic’s gaze shoots back to look at him again, eye ridges furrowed in worry. “You alright..?” 

Shadow wipes at his face hastily, only a couple tears having managed to spill. He simply mutters, “This is a lot for me.” 

And even that feels embarrassing to admit. He doesn’t want to be comforted or looked down upon right now. His attention is supposed to be on the blue blur, not the other way around. 

This was a stupid idea, he thinks to himself. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. 

He fights the urge to flap his paws or do any kind of stimming, knowing it would only mortify him further if the cobalt hedgehog noticed. He knows masking isn’t great for his mental health, but it’s a long-time bad habit. 

A soft, sweet voice pulls him out of his thoughts. “Hey… we don’t have to look at this stuff anymore.”

Shadow looks up to see the hero giving him a caring expression. 

“I’m just happy you showed me all this stuff. I know it means a lot to you. I’m flattered you trusted me enough with it in the first place, dude. We can stop.” 

At the kind words, Shadow yet again finds himself lost for his own. He shows his appreciation with a nod of thanks and a wet smile. 

He notices Sonic’s glance move to look through one of the windows briefly, and sees the other’s tail wag before he looks back down at the slightly low-spirited hedgehog with a motivating grin. 

“C’mon,” he says, nodding towards his front door. “Pick me up and let’s go outside. We can look at the sunset and watch movies I’ve already seen. And maybe you can try to show me how to knit, if you want.” 

Shadow stares back at him, befuddled at the change, but somewhat grateful for the easy distraction. “R-… really?” 

“Is that okay?” Sonic asks, voice suddenly a bit quieter. 

But the dark hedgehog smiles. “I think I’d like that a lot.” 

And so, he carries the Hero of Mobius out onto the porch, princess-style (a blanket still wrapped around him for comfort and warmth (Shadow had insisted)), and helps him to sit on the cushioned porch swing outside. 

While the ebony hedgehog goes back inside to grab some old yarn and two pairs of knitting needles, Sonic pulls up some shitty rom-com and rests his phone on the ground in a place he and Shadow would both be able to see it from where they sit. 

The dark hedgehog chooses to sit on the porch itself, right in front of the swing, when he comes back out; and he lightly rests his head against one of Sonic’s legs. 

Shadow does, indeed, attempt to teach the other hedgehog how to knit, as the sunset slowly begins to show itself around them. 

The keyword being… attempts. 

The other hedgehog does his best, but is unfortunately not very skillful at the new task, even over the course of about an hour and a half. 

Obviously, the craft takes time to pick up. It had taken Shadow several hours, the first time he'd tried, all those years ago, to even figure out how to hold his paws in a way that would allow for him to purl a stitch as easily as it was meant to be done.

However, what confuses the darker hedgehog now is that he has absolutely no idea how Sonic has managed to tangle his paws up in the single yarn cake he was provided and still have semi-coherent stitches to show for it.

It makes Shadow fairly uncertain of where exactly he needs to help the blue hedgehog and how he should even begin to go about doing so. 

Regardless, the blue hero does, somehow, get the hang of the stockinette stitch rather quickly, even with his loose and uneven stitching showing that he’s still a complete novice. 

But despite it all, the azure hedgehog is grinning ear to ear, having an absolute blast figuring things out. 

“You’re not bored of all this?” Shadow can’t help but ask, at one point, looking over his shoulder to glance up at the other. “Rewatching movies and knitting?”

Sonic just chuckles at the question. “Uh, no? Obviously not, dude! Why would I be?”

“I just thought…” the black and red hedgehog shrugs, looking back down at his own knitting needles as he replies, almost absentmindedly. “You wouldn’t enjoy doing things that I like doing. Like this. And, earlier, you had said that you didn’t want to rewatch any movies, like we’re doing now. I guess… I thought you’d be bored of all this by now.” 

Sonic hums a little, seeming to ponder the notion for himself. Then, with surprising nonchalance, he simply replies, “Nah. I think I like it better because I’m doing it with you.” 

Oh..! Shadow feels yet another wave of affection blossom in his chest when the words hit his ears. 

And his ears, too, go just as red, as they rush with blood, flicking in his flustered state. 

But before he can even try to sputter out another obviously discombobulated response to such unbelievably sweet words, the blue Mobian is already speaking again. 

And just as carefree as ever. 

“Hey, by the way, I was wondering. What’s your favorite flower?” 

“Wha- I.. you… I-I’m sorry?” Shadow’s words scramble as he attempts to process the new topic, mind still somewhat disoriented from the other’s prior comment. 

His stuttering makes more giggles bubble out of Sonic, which only adds to the soft feelings in the dark hedgehog’s chest and tummy. 

“Your favorite flower,” the blue blur repeats. “What is it? I’m curious.” 

“Oh,” Shadow whispers. “Um… lavender.” 

Sonic’s reply is just as soft-spoken. 

“Cool.” 

The sun more visibly begins to set around them. The sky darkens in beautiful dark blues, purples, pinks, and indigo. 

Shadow finally turns again, just barely, to look at the hedgehog behind him once more. 

Sonic is staring at the view, mouth slightly agape as his eyes sparkle with the reflection of the bit of light still left in the sky, which sinks behind the horizon in a dark orange color, shining off blue quills. 

Shadow’s breath catches in his throat. 

He’s beautiful.

And the darker hedgehog’s next words fall out of his throat before he can second guess them. 

“For the record…”

Sonic turns to look at the dark hedgehog, as he speaks. 

“You don’t have to worry about me not catching you,” the black and red hedgehog states, faintly. “With or without my training… I would have.” 

There’s a silence that passes between them as they stare at each other. 

And then, ever so slightly, Sonic is leaning down, closer to him. 

He sees green eyes look down at his lips, and then back into crimson, a wordless question. 

Shadow responds by leaning a little closer, too. 

But just as their noses start to brush… the sounds of a plane in the distance, engine growing louder and louder as it starts to land nearby, has them flinching back. 

The Tornado takes a minute to land outside, and Tails is soon hopping out with his arms full of takeout food and a big smile on his face. “Hi, guys! Sorry I’m late!” 

They both assure him that it’s fine, and Shadow quickly scrambles up to help him. 

As he stands, however, still blushing and half-dazed from the moment he and Sonic had just shared, he briefly trips over some yarn and walks directly into one of the house’s support beams, next to the porch stairs. 

Before anyone can ask if he’s okay, though (he is), he sprints over to take some of the bags off of Tails’ paws. 

He and the fox set up the containers of food so the three of them can eat outside. 

It seems Tails had stopped at a local noodle shop for dinner. There’s a container of buttered noodles for the fox himself, ramen for Sonic, and Japanese pan noodles for Shadow, along with some chopsticks for each of them to use. 

As if on autopilot, Shadow instinctively grabs the container of ramen first. And, without thinking, he scoops some up with the chopsticks, holding the food up towards Sonic. “Here.” 

The cobalt hedgehog raises an eye ridge at him, then chuckles a little. Tails looks at the situation with an equally befuddled expression. 

“Thanks, but… I can eat it by myself, man…” Sonic says, smiling knowingly. 

Ah! Shadow suddenly realizes what he’s done, going even more flush, now, than before. Damn it! Of course Sonic can feed himself! What was he thinking?! He’s such an idiot! 

“Right. My apologies,” Shadow quickly hands him the takeout container as he tries to hide how rapidly his face is reddening. “Force of habit, I suppose...” 

Sonic nods in understanding, but Tails still looks between the two of them in confusion. Even so, he doesn’t ask, and Shadow’s grateful for that. 

The ebony hedgehog finally picks up his own food, and moves to eat it slowly. The texture of the noodles bothers him a bit more than it usually does, but he pushes the sensory issue aside to get some food in his stomach. 

By the end of the night, Sonic is back resting on the sofa in the living room, and Shadow makes sure Tails knows how to care for the blue hedgehog and to call him if either of the two need anything. He reminds the young fox of these things countless times. By the fifth time, he’s practically being shoved out of the house, Tails once again remarking that he’s well aware of what to do and that he’s taken care of a sick Sonic plenty of times in their youth, having grown up with him. 

So Shadow finally relents, bidding them both farewell and goodnight, and he begins to make his way back to his own home. 

Usually, he would simply teleport back to his apartment. 

However, on this night, he decides to walk for a bit, to give himself time to think. 

Time to think back to Sonic. Sonic being sick, cuddling Sonic today, the last time they had cuddled prior to that, how they had almost kissed tonight… 

…

Had they almost kissed? Had Shadow just imagined that?

He’s a bit unsure about what exactly had happened with that, but his heartbeat still picks up at the memory. 

What the black and red hedgehog does know, however (and much to his own trepidations)… 

…is that he thinks he might actually be falling for the blue idiot.

=3=

…Damn it. 

He is falling for the blue idiot. 

For fucks’ sake! WHY is this his luck?

It’s been weeks since he and Sonic had started to hang out together more often. 

And sure, it had started under the guise of looking out for the blue blur and wanting to occasionally check that he was safe. 

But now, the two of them hanging out together so much has started to become regular. 

Now, they’ve started to become closer friends. 

And worst of all… Shadow thinks that he’s actually really starting to like that. 

To the point where he’s looking forward to seeing Sonic, less for feeling good about keeping an eye on him, and more because he, admittedly, is growing very fond of being around the other. 

Or, well. He’s growing more fond… of Sonic himself. 

Sonic, and his stupid, pretty eyes and his stupid, pretty smile and his strong legs and beautiful laugh and… did he mention Sonic’s eyes? 

It’s all very annoying!

(Or so he tells himself.) 

But maybe (admittedly) he does sometimes wonder or, rather, hope… that maybe the blue hero returns those same affections.

He thinks that Sonic might?

During movie nights with their friends now, Shadow notices how the blue hedgehog will cuddle him closer, even more consistently than before. 

There’s more mutual, tender brushings of paws, little touches and affectionate nose bumps here and there… 

And he knows he isn’t seeing things when it comes to that. Many times, they’ve gotten remarks of “get a room” and “when are you two going to ask each other out already?” from their friends on the nights when they’re closer than usual. 

All of which are giggled at and, otherwise, ignored by the two of them. 

Or, rather, avoided. 

Because maybe (not that the darker hedgehog would admit it, of course, but maybe) Shadow has started to pull Sonic a little closer on those nights, too. 

And he doesn’t know what to think about the way Sonic leans back into him, on those nights, like he was made to be there. 

Like it’s easy. 

As if all that wasn’t enough, Shadow has also started to get even more anxious when he thinks about the blue hedgehog being alone while he isn’t around. 

What had started as a mere prickle of worry that he might not be there if Sonic were to have another panic attack has now avalanched into the fear of him not being there if the other hedgehog were to faint again. Or worse.

He’d been this way around Maria, too, to some extent. Being the one made to protect her, he often got very anxious when he wasn’t around her to do so. 

But Sonic isn’t Maria. Which makes this whole ordeal a bit trickier. 

He was usually in close proximity to her a lot of the time, back in the day. It was his job. So even if he did get anxious when they were apart, it often didn’t last very long. After he’d be tested or experimented on for hours, his body close to giving out from the stress and pressure of it all, he’d be right back at his best friend’s side once more, thereafter. 

And, often, she’d be the one taking care of him, after those instances, making sure he was grounded and well-fed and comforted before letting him help her, despite his weak protests. 

Shadow doesn’t always get to see Sonic. 

Their busy schedules as heroes usually makes it so one or both of them are busy on any given day. Their lives generally only overlap for both of them to have free time about once or twice a week at best. 

So the anxious pit in the black and red hedgehog’s stomach absolutely refuses to simmer. 

The fear has gone from being a pinch in the back of his mind and body to a full-blown clawing at his chest and limbs when he gives in to the thoughts for a little too long. 

Even more embarrassingly, he’s pretty sure the hedgehog he’s worried about has started to pick up on this fact. 

He knows Sonic has caught him, a few times, when he’s tried to subtly check his scent for any abnormal changes. 

Once, Sonic had even asked about it, and Shadow had gone bright red and muttered something about liking the cologne that the blue hedgehog seemed to have been wearing or whatever. 

…and they both know Sonic hates cologne. 

Right now, though, tonight, in this present moment, the two had decided to race some more, around the forest. 

Yes. Racing, Shadow reminds himself. 

He needs to be focusing on that. 

Truthfully, he really wants to be focusing on that, at this moment. 

He does (admittedly) like being around Sonic, after all. 

He ends up beating the blue hedgehog to some miscellaneous tree for the second time in a row, and he smirks at the other’s disgruntled expression. 

“That’s so not fair!” the hero complains. “You cheated somehow, I know it! You and those damn air shoes.”

“They’ve never stopped you from beating me before,” Shadow fully grins at the azure hedgehog’s attitude, as he leans against the tree. “I think you’re simply off your game today, faker.” 

Sonic crosses his arms with a huff, obviously sore over losing to him again. 

Shadow rolls his eyes, but pushes off the tree, stepping over to him. 

“C’mon,” he gently takes one of Sonic’s paws in his own, without thinking, and wordlessly intertwines them, much to the other hedgehog’s surprise. “Let’s take a break. We can walk around for a bit; reset your ego.” 

Sonic grunts at the snarky comment, but follows Shadow regardless, and the two walk in a comfortable silence until the cobalt hedgehog speaks up again, a few minutes later. 

“So, uh…” the ebony hedgehog can hear a slight shake to Sonic’s voice; a tease mixed with a flustered query. “What’s with the whole hand-holding thing?” 

Shadow looks at him with an eye ridge raised. “Sorry?” 

“You’re holding my paw?” Sonic gestures between them. 

Shadow looks down to where the blue blur is motioning, and then goes as red as his quills. Gaia, how had he not realized he’d done that?!  

He quickly pulls his paw away. “Ah! I’m so sorry! Force of habit again…” 

Yet another idiotic slip up! the darker hedgehog chastises himself. 

He knows it’s probably not a big deal, but his chagrin increases the knot in his chest, and he scratches at his arms a little, a nervous tic. 

And it’s with that that Sonic finally says something about it all, appearing exasperated at the situation. 

“Okay, Shads. I don’t get it. What is going on?” 

They both stop walking. Shadow crosses his arms, ears downturning at the confrontation. 

“You’ve been asking to hang out more, and I really don’t mind that, I like it, obviously I like being around you, but you’re always so on edge, dude!” the blue hedgehog continues. “It’s like you don’t even want to be here, like you’re waiting for something to happen.” 

The dark hedgehog just huffs, trying to stop his quills from bristling nervously at the words. As usual, he first attempts to deny things. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.” 

“I didn’t ask if something was wrong, I asked what’s going on,” Sonic says, voice laced with concern. “So something is wrong?” 

Damn it! Shadow growls to himself. He’d fucking slipped up again! He was always messing up around this dumbass. How is that even possible?

“No. Of course not,” Shadow barks back, nose twitching. He fidgets with his inhibitor rings, an obvious tell. “I’m alright. I just like… being here.” 

“You hesitated.” 

“I did not!” 

“You just did!” Sonic snaps back, equally firm. “I mean, Gaia, Shadow, what is happening? Ever since that night when you found me having a panic attack, you-… you’ve been different. I mean… is it… me? Did I do something wrong?” 

The blue blur’s voice chokes off at the end, and he rubs the back of his neck, one of his own nervous fidgets surfacing. 

“No!” Shadow is quick to reassure, almost a little too enthusiastically, waving his paws as if to wipe the fear away. “Nothing you did upset me! I’m okay, really! Please don’t be mad…” 

The last sentence slips from his throat before he can stop it, dripping with anxiety. 

Another mistake. 

One of Sonic’s ears twitches, and he faces Shadow with a wary glance, when he, too, realizes that. 

He moves his paw away from his neck to rest back at his side. 

“I’m not mad,” he says. His words are full of conviction, yet still soft; resolute and reassuring. A statement so obviously certain, that Shadow knows he’s telling the truth. 

Sonic’s not mad; Shadow can see that. 

He’s worried. 

To Shadow, that almost feels worse. 

“I’m fine,” the dark hedgehog re-states, sharply. 

And, at that statement, Sonic actually does kind of start to look mad. 

“I don’t believe you,” he growls, voice growing louder and weaker at the same time. “Why do you lie like this? Like I can’t clearly tell you aren’t telling me what’s bothering you? I can feel it, Shadow. You lied to our friends about that… moment we had, even though everyone saw. And now you’re acting like I can’t see every time that you brush against me or lean in to sniff at my pulse or find time to hang out with me as if you’ll die if you can’t. What. Is. Going. O-“ 

“I’M SCARED,” Shadow finally screams, shutting his eyes tight as his quills spike. 

And then there’s silence. 

And heavy breathing. 

Shadow’s entire body feels tense. Sonic’s right; he is on edge… and he’s never felt so anxious in his life. 

He has no reason to be! No reason to worry about Sonic, no reason to ask Sonic to spend time with him just to check on him. He’s being stupid, he knows it, but these hurricanes of dread keep washing over his body and- 

He feels a paw gently grab his upper arm, and his eyes shoot open at the sudden contact. He feels the blue paw touching him twitch in hesitation at the reaction, before it carefully squeezes a little. 

Grounding. 

The look in Sonic’s eyes tells him to breathe. 

That’s when Shadow realizes that the heavy breathing he’s hearing is his own. 

So he does. 

In for 4 seconds… hold for 4 seconds… out for 4 seconds… 

Again and again, until he feels his quills begin to relax once more. 

Then, whispered to Shadow in a delicate tone as the paw on his arm carefully drops back to rest at the hero’s side… 

“What are you scared of, Shads?” 

Shadow feels his heart twist in his chest. But this time, he doesn’t lie. 

“I’m… I’m scared of what’ll happen if you’re alone, and you panic like you did before,” he admits, voice shaking. “Or you faint. I don’t want to feel like this, believe me, because I’d never want us to be unhealthily dependent on one another or anything of the sort; but I cannot help but feel so… terrified about who will be there to make sure you’re alright. Ever since seeing you in those states, I-… I started to get distressed at the thought of what would happen if that occurred again. If no one knew… and you-…”

He whispers the last part, almost meek. “…what if something bad happens to you? And no one is there?” 

The dark hedgehog fidgets with his paws, avoiding green eyes for a moment, in shame, before looking back up at them cautiously. 

He’s surprised to be met with a soft smile. 

“Dude, that’s what you were scared of?” Sonic says, and Shadow is quick to look embarrassed again, so the blue hedgehog just as quickly reassures. “No, no! I mean… I’ve had things like that happen before. Like… the panic attacks? And, yeah, they’re a bummer, but I’m never really alone. My friends always know what to do when it happens.” 

“Do they?” Shadow scoffs, lightly, in disbelief. “Your friends didn’t seem as concerned as I was that you’d left during that evening. They kept telling me you were fine and that I didn’t need to check on you. T-they didn’t know!” 

“It’s not like that,” the cobalt hedgehog reassures. “They knew. I’m sure they did. It’s happened before, they’ve all seen it. They just know to leave me alone when it happens. It’s good for me to just ride it out without their help, y’know?” 

Oh. 

Shadow feels some relief from those words, before the latter chunk of the statement sinks in and he feels his heart drop. 

…oh.

Sonic prefers to be alone during anxiety attacks. 

He hadn’t known that. 

Shit. Had he made things worse that time? Was he a horrible friend? Did he- 

But just as he opens his mouth to apologize, Sonic beats him to the words. 

“Nope. Don’t even think about it.” 

“But-“ 

“Look, I didn’t expect anyone to think too much about why I left and come looking for me that night,” the azure hedgehog states, suddenly glancing away from Shadow, now. “And I especially didn’t expect to faint that one time. But… I am really glad you were always there.”

Oh. 

Wait, what?

“You actually calmed me down from my panic attack a lot faster than I usually can on my own, or even when my friends do help me. And you already know I’m glad you knew what to do when I fainted.” 

The blue Mobian takes a deep breath. “What I mean is… I’m grateful you were there. It really did help. More than I ever would’ve thought.”

Sonic takes his turn to look somewhat flustered after his statement. 

All either can do is stand there, for a moment, as what’s been said settles in the air. 

“I-I see,” Shadow stutters out, when the awkward silence gets a bit too heavy. “I’m… glad I was able to help, then.” 

Sonic looks back at him with a tender expression, shrugging. “Yeah.” 

A beat. 

“So… is that all?” Sonic asks, softly, after a minute. 

“What?” Shadow’s voice quavers. 

“Is that all that’s the matter? Because… I feel like there’s more,” the hero ventures, hesitantly. “I mean, I get why that stuff made you nervous; but it’s almost like it set something off in you. This… protectiveness that I’ve never seen from you before. What’s with that?” 

Shadow pauses. 

“Nothing.” Is what he could say. 

“There’s nothing more to it.” He could lie. 

He could lie. 

But maybe he’s getting kind of sick of doing that. 

“Let’s walk. I’ll tell you,” he finally states, with a sigh, sick of simply standing around. 

“Alright,” Sonic nods. 

So they do. 

And after a couple minutes of aimless walking, Shadow begins. “You know how I said… I was Maria’s service animal? That I used to help her with things like panic attacks and fainting episodes and alert her to them?”

“Yeah?” Sonic’s voice is gentle and encouraging; non-judgmental. It’s patient, for once. Listening. 

“Well, those weren’t my only tasks,” Shadow explains. “There were a lot of other parts of her chronic illness that I helped her to manage. Along with being something made to help find a cure for her illness, I also helped to take care of her when she was sick from it. And it had a lot more complexities, at times.”

Although Shadow isn’t used to talking so openly about these things, he wants to. For Sonic. 

He knows the other hedgehog would never force him to delve into his past like this, especially if it distressed him to the point of having an episode of his own, or similar. That would be cruel. 

But he wants to tell him; he wants to explain everything. 

And… something about the blue blur makes him feel like there isn’t pressure to do so. He feels… safe talking to the azure hedgehog, he realizes. 

Still, the typical, light, dissociative fugue that comes with recalling the memories of her does slowly grow at the front of his mind. 

Sonic nods as he listens, through, seeming interested. “It’s still crazy to me that you can sense all that stuff. You’ve got an insane sniffer, my dude. Are all your senses like that? Is that how you’re able to hear so well, too?” 

“I have enhanced senses, yes,” Shadow confirms, with a slight edge to his tone. Truthfully, he hates that ability as much as he likes it for its usefulness. Everything can get overwhelming very easily. “Can I get to my point, please?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonic smiles. “Sorry. Go on.” 

“Maria had a condition called Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. ‘N.I.D.S’, for short. It’s a rare, terminal illness, which is why Gerald wanted a cure. And, as you can probably imagine, it disabled her greatly,” Shadow continues. “Other than helping with her syncope and anxiety symptoms, I also helped her with mobility. I would pick up things she dropped so that she wouldn’t have to bend and risk passing out or I’d help to feed her when she couldn’t do so herself.” 

He sees puzzle pieces click in Sonic’s eyes as he appears to recognize little things Shadow had done over the past handful of weeks, seemingly instinctual. 

The ebony hedgehog hesitates before going on, swallowing with a dry throat as he tries to find his next words. 

“She was the kindest person I’ve ever known. She was intelligent and creative and she cared about every little living thing in the universe, down to the bugs and blades of grass. She liked gardening and exploring and scrapbooking and reading. And as much as I was there for her, she was there for me tenfold,” the Ultimate Lifeform mutters. “She was strong. And stubborn. She lived with her disorder for several years; over half a decade; which was difficult, considering how her symptoms fluctuated so much. Sometimes her condition would flare up so badly that she couldn’t even see, and I’d help to guide her. Or her disorder would cause her symptoms like hallucinations, and I’d have to help ground her when it came to those, too…” 

It feels like the air thickens around them. 

Shadow sighs. “I was used to sticking by Maria’s side. Just in case. After all, if something serious were to happen, I had to be there to protect her until medical staff could take over. So if I wasn’t around her, I got so scared. Back then, I used to have panic attacks about it, although I don’t anymore, when it comes to things like that. But, regardless, I suppose I still have… I don’t know…” 

“Separation anxiety,” Sonic concludes, letting out a breath with the words. There’s a glint of something in his eye, after he says it. 

“Yes…” Shadow looks at him warily. 

Sonic purses his lips, looking away before he speaks again, quietly, an answer to the darker hedgehog’s hedgehog’s unanswered query. “For what it’s worth, I know the feeling. I was basically Tails’ legal guardian when we were younger. Unofficially, of course; we were both kids. But I was always kinda worried about him when he wasn’t around.” 

Shadow’s eyes widen.  

…huh.

A wave of empathy, actual understanding, passes between them. 

“I see,” he simply mutters, wishing he had more to say. He hadn’t expected Sonic to really grasp all that he had gone through. 

Sonic looks back at him. “I’m sorry. Again. I’ll stop interrupting. What were you saying?” 

“Um..” Shadow says, before he shakes his head, snapping back to the conversation at hand. “I guess, to answer your question from before… seeing you in those situations and doing those tasks for you reminded me of my job back then. I believe that’s why I wanted to keep checking on you so often. Being away from you had started to give me that same anxiety that separating from Maria did. I just.. wanted to know that you were alright; help you if you needed it again.” 

Shadow looks down at his shoes. Neither say anything for a minute. 

“Is that… the only reason you’ve been asking me to spend time with you?” the hero eventually asks, and Shadow quickly looks up to see that Sonic looks… hurt. 

Shadow’s heart sinks in regret. It takes him a moment to reply. 

“At first… yes,” he responds, honestly, voice breaking with the truth of the statement. “And I know I probably should’ve told you how I felt back then. I’m very sorry that I didn’t.” 

Sonic nods. He doesn’t say anything again for a while, and Shadow can see him thinking about something. 

Then… 

“And… what about now?” the darker hedgehog almost misses the question with how softly it’s spoken. 

Shadow just stares at him. 

He doesn’t really know how exactly to tell the blue hedgehog that it feels like there’s fire and lightning coursing through his veins when they so much as touch. 

So Sonic asks again, meekly. “Do you still feel like that… now?” 

Shadow considers the question, for a moment; and he soon realizes that he does know what he wants to say. 

What he should’ve said earlier. 

And he faces the other hedgehog with a look that he hopes appears as certain of his next statement as he feels. 

“Sometimes I still get nervous when I’m not around you,” he admits. “But I’m long past only feeling that for you, Sonic. I meant it when I said you’re important to me. I meant it when I said I’d catch you again if you fell again. Because, truthfully, I like you. And I like how I feel when I’m with you, without anxiety. I like that you’re annoying, I like when we sit together during movie nights, I like that you tell me nice things, and I like the way it makes me feel… stupidly soft inside when you do.”

Then, with even more conviction, “You mean so much to me. I like being around you because you… you make me happy.” 

He watches as Sonic slowly looks away again, for a second, brows furrowing as he seems to think things over once more. 

And shortly after that, to the dark hedgehog’s shock, he sees a couple tears fall down a peach muzzle. 

Shadow’s heart drops. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

They stop walking once again. 

"I-I'm so sorry," he immediately whispers, a lump forming in his own throat at seeing the cobalt hero's reaction to his words. "I didn't mean-... i-if I went too far-…"

But Sonic turns to look back at him, and Shadow realizes... he's smiling, too, amidst his tears.

Perplexed, the Ultimate Lifeform can only manage to stutter out a simple, "Are you okay?"

“Do you mean it? What you said?” Sonic asks. 

And Shadow nods, firmly. “Every word.” 

Sonic nods, too, as if to confirm the statement to himself. 

Then, he laughs a little, as he wipes his eyes. “I knew you were a softie…” 

Shadow huffs and elbows him at that, though he smiles as he does so, the air around them starting to feel clearer. 

Still, the blue blur wipes at his eyes. 

"Sorry, man. I don't know why I'm crying," Sonic sniffles. "I'm okay now. That was just... I don't know. That was really sweet, what you said. I… I didn't know you thought of me like that."

The sudden realization hits Shadow like a wall of bricks. Oh. He… had never really said that he did, before… did he?

Sonic tells him things like that all the time. He knows, because the other’s compliments stick in his mind like glue. 

Well. He supposed that’s another thing that’s long overdue. 

With a shaky paw, Shadow reaches up to the side of Sonic’s face. He brushes a few tears from the hedgehog’s wet muzzle. 

The blue blur looks at him with a bewildered expression. 

The darker hedgehog stares back at him devoutly. 

“I’ll make sure to tell you I feel that way more often, then,” Shadow states, voice coated in earnestness. “So you know for certain.” 

Slowly, carefully, Sonic places his paw atop the one resting against his cheek, holding it there for a moment, smiling, as though he’s relishing the contact. 

The touch gives Shadow goosebumps down his arm. 

“I think I’d like that,” the hero replies, quietly, but no longer tearful. 

And they begin to walk anew. 

After a few minutes, though, Sonic speaks up again. “Also… I wanted to mention… I really don’t mind your whole ‘service animal’ thing. I think it’s cool, and I know it’s a part of your past, no matter what; so… if you find that you have to do a ‘task’ to help me or something from time to time, that’s totally fine by me, as long as we respect each other’s boundaries and stuff. Gaia knows it’s probably good that you keep an eye on me sometimes.” 

Shadow raises an eye ridge. “Yeah?” 

Sonic nods. 

“I just don’t want that to be our whole dynamic, though, y’know?” he continues, resolutely. “I wanna be friends and hang out like we normally do, too. I want to keep spending time together like this, like we have been. Not because of anxiety or for the sake of keeping each other safe, on either of our ends. Just me and you. If… you also wanted that?” 

“I do! Absolutely!” Shadow says, a little too fast and loud, in his excitement, and he quickly tries to clear his throat and lower his voice once more, backtracking. “I-I mean. Um.. yes. Of course. I would… I would very much enjoy that, as well.” 

He knows Sonic sees right through the facade when the blue blur grins at him, cheekily. 

“Alright, then… faker.” 

And Shadow’s ears go pink once more. 

They end up walking in comfortable silence for a little while, simply basking in one another’s company. 

Shadow finds himself looking at the stars that are out. He usually does. 

He wonders if Maria is watching them right now. What would she think? 

He feels Sonic’s shoulder bump against his. 

The darker Mobian meets his eyes, and sees that the cobalt hedgehog is smiling at him again. But it’s a caring smile; not teasing. It’s genuine. Utterly sincere. 

“She was lucky to have you.” 

The words hit Shadow’s heart like a punch. 

It’s something he hadn’t realized he’d needed to hear. 

And the blue hedgehog had said so easily. Like he’s sure of it. 

“Th… thank you, Sonic.”

The azure hedgehog just beams at him. Then, he elbows the dark hedgehog again. 

“Wanna race again? I’m getting sick of walking.” 

Shadow rolls his eyes, but nods. 

“You’re on,” he grins back, any final tension in the air effortlessly gone. 

And, for once, the black and red hedgehog lets his focus wander back to what it actually wants to. 

The idiot he’s grown to care for. 

This time, the two don’t give a final destination. They just start running without looking back, a race to see who’s faster and who tires first.

A race with no true competition. 

They run and run in spirals of red and blue and gold, sprinting around the forest as far and for as long as their legs will allow them. 

When they start to slow down, they race around one another. 

And it only takes the two of them a second to realize… 

They’re circling. 

It’s a common mating ritual, of sorts, for hedgehog Mobians. Some even do it just to show they have romantic interest in one another. It’s usually done subconsciously. 

Shadow knows all this well. It’s never happened to him, of course, not until now; but he recalls reading about it in dusty textbooks on the ARK related to Mobian cultures. 

And from the look in Sonic’s eyes as they slow even further, carefully stepping towards each other once again… he thinks Sonic knows it, too. 

They’d both started doing it at the same time. Like it was easy. 

Like they were sure of it. 

This… 

Is this a confession? 

They stand in front of each other now. Close. 

Hesitantly, Sonic reaches to cup the side of Shadow’s face with one paw. It makes the ebony hedgehog feel as though his skin is on fire. In a good way. 

Then, Sonic is leaning closer. 

Shadow’s eyes go half-lidded, and he leans into the touch, as well. 

Easily. 

He feels his heart rate pick up. 

Their lips brush. 

For just a moment, Shadow finally knows the feeling of the other’s soft, peach lips against his own. 

And then, all too quickly, the feeling is gone. 

Shadow opens his eyes in surprise, watching as Sonic takes a few steps back with an expression that looks beyond flustered. 

“Ha! Okay! So, uh, anyways,” the blue hedgehog laughs, awkwardly and loudly. “Where were we?” 

Shadow raises an eye ridge, flummoxed. 

Surely he hadn’t just been seeing things? Hadn’t they just kissed? At least… a little? Why had Sonic pulled away so quickly? Why had he seemed to second guess himself?

The cobalt hedgehog has always appeared enthusiastic when initiating any kind of contact with Shadow, including this time. 

But he almost always backs out at the last second as if…

A thought crosses Shadow’s mind. 

Is he… hesitating because he thinks Shadow doesn’t want this? 

The idea flatters him. It’s true that Shadow is usually turned off by physical affection from most, and he’s obviously grateful the azure hedgehog has appeared to pay attention to that detail. But he thought he’d at least made it obvious to Sonic that it was okay for him to do it? Had he really not been clear enough that he was giving consent? 

Shit. He definitely needs to work on being even more blunt with the blue idiot, if that’s the case. 

But just as the dark hedgehog is about to ask the hero to kiss him again, the other is already hastily changing the subject. 

“Race you to that tree over there?” he points. 

Shadow sputters over the words he’d wanted to say. 

“Um… okay?” is all the ebony hedgehog can answer with instead, feeling his stomach twist and his mind spin with the awkwardness of the situation and the after effects of the briefest of kisses they had just shared. 

Regardless, though, he can at least wipe the floor with the blue hedgehog in this race and maybe feel a little better about it all for the time being. 

However, much to his shock, Sonic quickly starts running ahead without even counting them down. 

THAT MOTHERFUC- 

And he watches as that same blue dumbass gets a mouthful of dirt when he promptly trips and falls right on his face, about a quarter of a mile away, before Shadow even has the chance to begin running alongside him. 

The cartoonish way the azure hedgehog falls makes Shadow snort a little, despite himself. 

But he still looks over in concern, waiting for the other hedgehog to get up. 

Although, he soon realizes… Sonic isn’t getting up. 

He isn’t even moving. 

And once Shadow realizes that, his heart rate skyrockets, and he’s the one sprinting over. 

He races over in seconds, falling to his knees beside the cobalt hedgehog. 

“Sonic?” 

It’s only once he’s close, gently placing a paw on the blue blur’s shoulder to see if he’s okay, that he can actually hear the other hedgehog groaning and crying in pain. 

Shadow’s eyes widen, heart dropping in his chest. 

“S-Sonic?” his voice shakes. “Where are you hurt?” 

Sonic tries to sit up on trembling elbows, audibly wincing. 

“Shh, shh, careful,” the dark hedgehog soothes, helping him to turn over and sit up slowly. 

Sonic leans against him. “My paws… my face…”

Shadow looks to where Sonic says his injuries are. His nose and lip are bleeding, and there’s a small gash on one side of his face. His paw pads look torn raw. Even his torso looks like it had gotten a mild burn-type of injury from the way he slid across the ground. 

Geez, it’s no wonder he’s in tears.

Shadow thinks he could cry from just looking at him. 

He feels tears drip from his own eyes. 

Ah. He is.

He quickly wipes them away. He can’t be getting emotional at a time like this. He’s supposed to be steady and rational when someone is injured. 

And yet, with Sonic, right now, leaning against him in tears…

Shadow feels something in him break. 

The blue hedgehog squirms a little in the black and red hedgehog’s arms, and then suddenly lets out a shout of pain. “AH- my leg! Shadow, my leg! It hurts so bad!” 

Sonic sobs into his chest fluff, and Shadow holds him close, trying to soothe him while evaluating his injuries. 

He sees that one of the hero’s legs looks swollen in a couple places, purple and red bruising beginning to show under his fur. 

A sprain, he thinks. Though, it could be broken or fractured. 

He has to get Sonic home. He’s sure Tails had some device he’s made to scan for broken bones that they could use, to make sure. 

Sonic’s tears start to slow, only a little, and he mutters, “I feel so tired…” 

Shadow’s eyes shoot back to the blue blur’s expression. His eyes are glossy and half-lidded. 

Shit. 

“Did you hit your head?” the darker hedgehog asks, somewhat panicked. 

“Dunno…” 

The word, soft and slurred, sends spikes of anxiety through the dark hedgehog’s body. 

Shit. 

Shadow lets out an anxious huff, his breathing uneven as he picks up the azure hedgehog in his arms, carrying him princess-style. 

Sonic whimpers, resting his face in the crook of the darker Mobian’s neck. 

Shadow would be flustered at the touch if he wasn’t actively trying not to cry and fighting off an anxiety attack at the same time. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you home and I’ll patch you up and you’ll be fine,” he chokes out reassuringly, skating as fast as he can in the direction of the other hedgehog’s house. “Keep your eyes open for me, alright? You can’t fall asleep right now.” 

When they reach Sonic’s house, Shadow practically kicks the door down as he opens it. 

Team Dark and Team Hero are both there for their weekly movie night. All eyes turn to the two of them as Shadow walks in. 

“Sonic’s hurt,” he speaks, urgently, although his voice cracks.

“Good Gaia, what happened?” Rouge stands up, stepping over to the two as she glances down at the half-conscious hedgehog in his arms. She looks back up at the obviously distressed hedgehog carrying him and holds her arms out. “Here, let me take him, honey…” 

“No,” the dark hedgehog states, protectively holding Sonic closer to him. His friend flinches back a little, confused, and he quickly backtracks. “I-I mean… I’ve got him. Really. The run here wasn’t too far.” 

He turns to the others. “Everyone clear off the couch. I need to lay him down. Tails, get your x-ray device. Someone else needs to grab the first aid kit, a bowl of water, and a washcloth. Now.” 

Their friends quickly listen, clearing the couch as Amy leaves to get the first aid kit from the bathroom and Knuckles grabs a bowl from the kitchen. 

Shadow lays the blue hedgehog down onto the sofa and kneels by his side on the floor. Rouge kneels next to Shadow, staring at him. 

But the darker hedgehog ignores her as Tails comes back with his scanner. 

“Check his head and his leg for damages,” the ebony hedgehog quickly instructs. 

Tails nods, clicking around on the device. “What happened?” 

“He was running really fast and tripped,” Shadow sighs, worriedly. 

“I totally ate shit,” Sonic groans, but with a tiny chuckle, despite his tears. 

Amy comes back with the first aid kit as the blue hedgehog’s brother finishes up the scan. 

“No broken bones,” Tails reassures. 

“And his head?” Shadow asks as he opens the first aid kit he’s handed. “Does he have a concussion? He says he’s dizzy.” 

The fox checks, then shakes his head. “Nope. Not that I can see. He’s probably just in some kinda mild shock or something.” 

“And he’s definitely sprained his leg, too,” the dark hedgehog huffs, in conclusion. 

He examines the blue blur’s leg again before taking out some compression wrap to quickly apply a comfortable pressure to the injury. 

Sonic winces as the bandages are put on, squirming a bit. 

“Hold still,” Shadow mutters, gruff but soft-spoken. 

“It hurts!” Sonic complains tearfully. 

“It’ll hurt less if you quit moving, hedgehog!” Shadow barks, a lump in his throat as he glares at the blue blur. “I’m trying to help you! Please, darling. Stay still.” 

The room goes silent.

Shadow flushes, knowing everyone is listening, watching his reactions, judging as he trembles; including the hedgehog he’s trying to help. 

Knuckles comes back with a bowl of lukewarm water and a plush hand towel. “Here you go.” 

“Thank you,” the darker hedgehog says, eventually, voice audibly wavering. “Can you please get him some ice packs, too? Multiple.” 

He soon finishes wrapping up the other’s injured leg, more gently, and ices it with the cold packs that the echidna brings him. 

The black and red hedgehog begins to wring out a wet towel so he can start to clean Sonic’s paws and face, but he feels his best friend’s paw on his shoulder; notices her trying to grab his attention. 

“Shads,” she says. 

“What, Rouge?” he replies, more curt than usual. “I’m busy.” 

“Yeah, I can see that,” she remarks, with a light scoff. “Are you okay?” 

He glances at her, eyes narrowed. 

“What are you talking about?” he half-laughs at the question. “I’m fine. I’m unharmed.” 

“You’re crying,” she says, almost in a whisper. 

Shadow pauses, blood running cold. 

He’s still crying? He wipes his face a little, and he is, indeed. 

“You’re crying, dude?” he hears Sonic’s voice. He looks and sees the blue blur’s concerned expression. It makes his heart twist in guilt. 

He never cries in front of other people. At least, he always tries not to. This is humiliating. 

He especially doesn’t want to cry in front of Sonic. 

The cobalt hedgehog is already in tears and in pain, he doesn’t want to worsen it or worry him any further. 

With a huff, he wipes away any remaining tears, face going deadpan as he tries to prevent any more. “No. I’m fine.” 

He sniffs, moving to wash the azure hedgehog’s scraped paw pads as he attempts to remain unblinking, knowing tears will spill if his eyes close for even a moment. 

He trembles to the point of dropping the hand towel, at one point, and he picks it up only to drop it again. 

A frustrated, embarrassed whine leaves the back of his throat. 

“Shadow…” his friend starts, once more, tone careful. 

“It’s okay, Shads. We can help,” Amy says, just as sweetly. 

“If you need-“ Knuckles adds, but Shadow finally snaps. 

“No! I can do this!” he shouts, to no one in particular. He might’ve even screamed it. He’s not exactly sure, with the way his ears are ringing. “I said I’m fine! Just give me a moment. I-I… I can do this; it’s my job…”

He stops trying to pick up the towel, clenching his fists to stop his paws from flapping or tapping in any self-soothing manner as they usually might. He can’t afford to embarrass himself further with any of his tics or stims. 

Sonic needs him. 

Shadow needs to help him. 

He needs to do his job. 

…but that last thought makes him pause. 

No…

This isn’t just a “job” to him. 

And it hasn’t felt like one in a while. 

Maybe it never was with Sonic. 

…

He really, really likes the blue hedgehog. 

And yes, maybe he already knew this. 

But he’s too scared to admit aloud what being around Sonic actually means to him, now. How it has felt for a while. 

He’s too scared to say that he’s absolutely terrified, at this moment, even though Sonic isn’t all that injured… 

Because admitting those things would mean admitting how much he really, actually cares for the other. 

How much he has cared.

For a really, really, long time. 

And that, in itself, is terrifying. 

Because the last time he’d gotten attached to someone… 

His mind hits him with memories of her. 

Sick, hooked up to machines, resting after those couple of times that he’d missed a cue and she’d fallen… 

Bad. Bad. Bad. He’s a terrible friend! He’s a terrible person, he’s- 

FUCKING ENOUGH OF THAT! He screams at himself. 

Sonic. Is NOT. Maria. 

And Shadow doesn’t WANT him to be. 

He feels his thoughts go quiet for a second. He feels his friends’ concerned stares digging into him. 

And he tries to take a deep breath. 

Shadow had loved Maria… but the way he feels for Sonic is distinctly different. 

It’s a sort of affection that gives him butterflies in his stomach and makes his heart race. One that feels like electricity under his fur in the best way. 

A feeling he’s grown to look forward to. 

And that terrifies him, too. 

Suddenly, he feels a paw on his, and looks up to see emerald eyes staring back at him, full of reassurance and comfort. 

Shadow feels the tension in his shoulders begin to go lax. 

He lets himself take a few more, much needed, deep breaths. 

And, with his mind just a touch clearer, he picks up the towel again and goes back to patching up the hedgehog that keeps him grounded. 

He can still feel exhaustion and burnout creeping in his mind and body. 

But it’s alright. Once he knows Sonic is okay, he can go get some air or go home and rest for a day or week or however long this next stress-induced breakdown takes him to recover from and pass. 

Right now, he focuses on making the other hedgehog feel better. 

Which, truth be told, is surprisingly grounding in itself. It helps the dissociative haze that he finds himself in the midst of to fade a little. 

He wraps up Sonic’s scraped-raw paws in soft gauze and gently holds his face as he cleans up little cuts and burns that the rough terrain had given his pretty features, putting bandaids where they’re needed and making sure his nose and lip have stopped bleeding. 

And, after fully patching him up with all the care and affection his body can give, his paws finally sink down in fatigue, moving from cupping the blue blur’s face to resting against his shoulders. 

The black and red hedgehog lets out a long sigh (more like another deep breath) and he gazes at the hero he’s come to care for. “Are you alright?” 

Sonic smiles at him, eyes filled with just as much affection. “Yeah, I’m good. Thank you, Shadow.” 

And without thinking, in his relief, the ebony hedgehog leans down and places a long, tired kiss to the azure hedgehog’s forehead. 

Once he realizes what he’s doing, he’s about to pull back and immediately apologize but, much to his continued surprise, Sonic places a paw on his forearm, holding him close for the last half a second that the kiss lasts, and leans into the touch with a purr.

Shadow’s heart soars. 

= +1 = 

Soon after that, the darker hedgehog pulls away to stand up. 

However, in his state of immense weariness, his body finally gives out as his knees quickly buckle underneath him. 

His vision goes dark, for just a moment, and he prepares to hit the ground; but an arm wraps tightly around his waist before that can happen with an exclamation of “woah!” 

Sonic.

Sonic had leaned over and caught him before he could fall, even in his weakened state. 

Rouge and Amy quickly step in to get a better hold of the dark Mobian. 

Shadow hears several voices as the fog in his brain slowly starts to dissipate and his vision begins to clear again. 

Amy’s small gasp as she grabs ahold of him to make sure he doesn’t stumble, Rouge asking him if he’s alright as she gently pats his face to bring his focus back. 

But his gaze is still tunnel-visioned onto the azure hedgehog in front of him, of whom is staring back at him with worry. When he sees the cobalt hero try to stand to help him, as well, that’s enough for him to find his voice once more. He especially doesn’t want the other hedgehog to get up on his injured leg. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he mutters. “Just a… just a dizzy spell. I’m alright. I’m only tired, really.” 

“For fuck’s sake, Shadow; I knew you were overexerting yourself…” Rouge weakly chastises. Although, he can hear the caring undertones in her voice. “We should head home. You’ve had a long evening.”

“I’m okay, Rouge,” Shadow reassures again, gently. 

His best friend glares at him in uncertainty, but doesn’t fight him on how he feels. 

“Either way, I should get you home. You clearly need some sleep,” she huffs, before calling out over her shoulder. “Knux, mind helping me walk him back?” 

The echidna agrees, moving to replace Amy as he hooks Shadow’s arm over his shoulder. It would help to have more muscle, he imagines, since he’d basically need to be carried back, in his state. 

But he knows Omega would’ve been able to do that. Rouge just wants to spend time with Knuckles a little longer. 

The thought makes him roll his eyes, but he’s certainly not one to judge. 

Shadow isn’t ready to leave yet, either. 

Even with burnout stinging at his brain, making his ears curl and his body tense, even though he knows it would be better to get away from all the socializing and hunker down in his room to sleep and recharge from everything, even when he knows that that would prevent a meltdown or shutdown that he certainly would not like to have in public, even as he knows that he’s been masking his stims and that said meltdown or shutdown is pretty much inevitable unless he leaves… he wants to stay. 

Stubbornly, he wants to spend just a little more time with the hedgehog of his affections. 

So he tries to shuffle out of his friends’ arms, repeatedly complaining and assuring that he’s doing fine. 

But Amy and Tails also try to insist on him getting some rest. He feels everyone crowding him, and he starts to get even more overwhelmed. He shuts his eyes and his ears pin back tightly against his head. 

Too much noise, too many people, and damn it, he doesn’t feel like being the center of attention right now! 

Why isn’t everyone just focusing on- 

“Guys!” he hears Sonic lightly holler, moving to sit up again. Shadow thanks Gaia as everyone’s attention turns back to the injured hero and the arms around him loosen a bit. “He can stay a bit longer, I don’t mind. You guys don’t need to hold him back or anything, c’mon. Why don’t we just turn the movie you guys were watching earlier back on? No reason to waste a good movie night.” 

When everyone is slowly in agreement, they decide to start the movie over from the beginning so that the two that had missed it can watch. 

They help Shadow and Sonic get situated to rest on the couch, both of them insisting on sitting next to each other (as friends do, of course) and cuddle up close, as usual. 

The plot of the movie they watch isn’t anything special to Shadow. 

The musical numbers in it, however, are loud and continue to catch him by surprise, causing his already sensitive ears to twitch and his tolerance for his sensory issues to crumble away further and further. 

But at least he’s sitting next to Sonic. 

Sonic, who he’d kind of kissed before, and who he had definitely circled around earlier, both reciprocated by the blue blur, and seemingly going unaddressed. 

But… he is sitting next to Sonic. 

Sonic, who has since put on a warm, dark blue hoodie to get even more comfortable on the couch, and who has been sweetly holding Shadow’s paw under their shared blanket as the movie goes on, making the two hours that the darker hedgehog knows he’s probably going to spend here (which had begun to sink in as dread with the overstimulation prickling at his body) feel much more bearable and a little less tiring. 

…until it’s not. 

A particularly loud CLANG from a large pair of cymbals on screen, prompting the start of another upbeat song, has Shadow visibly flinching and reaching his breaking point. He shuts his eyes tight, clenching the fist not holding Sonic’s paw, as he tries to fight the urge to cover his ears or make any noises of distress. 

But he feels a firm squeeze to his other paw. He opens his eyes to see that no one has appeared to notice his reaction to the music. 

No one, except, of course, for Sonic. 

Sonic, who looks at him with tenderness and concern, despite it all. 

The blue hedgehog leans a bit closer to him, so he can whisper his query somewhat out of earshot of the others. “Are you alright?”

“F-f-fine…” but his voice audibly trembles, and he can feel hot tears building in his eyes, something painful building in his body; and he knows he has to move now. 

He quickly excuses himself to the nearby restroom. 

Inside, he hastily shuts the door behind him, and pants as he holds himself up with his paws on the cold bathroom counter. 

He hadn’t even noticed he’d been holding his breath. 

He finally lets himself stim a bit, in the privacy of the small space. He flaps his paws, twists his inhibitor rings, spins around, and so on and so forth. 

Usually, he’d let out some sounds (loud hums, clicks of his tongue, etc.) amongst his other fidgets, to regulate his body, especially with how stiff his jaw feels, but he’s already far too embarrassed to risk being caught doing that. 

He moves his paws to roughly brush the sides of his quills, both self-soothing and to help smooth them out from the way they’re bristling. 

But even with all of his attempts to regulate his emotions, he knows he’s been masking far too long and it’s far too late to fully prevent any episode. The autistic burnout has already hit; he can feel an autistic shutdown taking over. 

And a rough one, at that. 

Often, he can get back to his apartment when he feels them coming on. He can get his weighted blanket and ride it out, maybe let Omega make him some soup or something to lift him back up. 

But he’s not at home. He’d chosen to stay. 

He’d wanted to, yes, of course. But he should’ve known things would turn out this way. 

More frustrated tears build up in his eyes as he leans his back against the bathroom counter and sinks to the floor, shaking. 

Now what? He’s not even certain he can move to get Rouge or Omega and ask them to take him home right now. He can’t Chaos Control away, he’s far too overwhelmed and disoriented for that to go well. And, really, he’s not even in the mood to try. 

He’s probably going to be stuck in here until one of his teammates realizes what’s happened and helps to bring him home or, worse, someone else might actually need to use the bathroom and he’ll be forced to confront everyone about how much of a fucking mess he is. 

With a sniffle, the ebony hedgehog sinks further, curling up on the chilly, tile floor with his paws on his ears and his eyes half-lidded. There’s not much else he feels as though he can do, his mind and body feeling heavy and frozen in his exhausted and entirely overwhelmed state. 

He just lays there, still fighting tears, despite there being no one else to see him cry. He curls further in on himself, knees to his chest and arms fully over his head as claws dig into his quills. 

Then, after what feels like hours (though it’s probably only been about a quarter of one)… there’s a knock on the door. 

“Shadow? Are you good, dude?” 

The darker hedgehog’s eyes shoot open. He feels his heart beat out of his chest. 

Sonic.

He opens his mouth to respond, but nothing comes out, save for a whimper. 

A few seconds pass, and then there’s another knock. 

“Look, if you’re taking a shit or something, I don’t wanna interrupt; but you’ve been in there a long time. Can you at least say something so that I know there’s still signs of life?” the other jokes with a small chuckle. 

He wants to say something. “I’m fine.” “Go away.” Even just “Yes, I am taking a shit. Leave me the hell alone, idiot.” 

But nothing is coming out of his mouth. 

He lets out another noise, sounding more like a choked cry, and he’s sure it was loud enough for the blue blur to hear that time. Which only feels even more humiliating. 

“I’m coming in.” 

No. 

No, no, no… 

As expected, the blue hedgehog lets out a small, surprised gasp at the sight of him laying there, helplessly, and he quickly hobbles to Shadow’s side, closing the door behind him as he stumbles to kneel next to him on his injured leg. “Shads-!” 

Shadow glances at the other hedgehog’s injuries again, absentmindedly. 

Sonic shouldn’t have gotten up to check on him. Why had he done that? 

He should be resting, not checking on Shadow, of all Mobians! 

“Hey… what happened, Shads? Are you sick? Should I go get someone?” 

Waves of guilt hit the black and red hedgehog all at once, and he partially finds his words. “I-I’m f-f-fine. I… I-I don’t.. don’t want you t-to see me like this…” 

“Clearly you’re not…” the cobalt hedgehog whispers. “What’s wrong, Shadow? What do you need? I’m here; it’ll be okay.” 

A gentle, peach paw cups one side of his face and, despite himself, Shadow finally meets Sonic’s eyes, green and anxious. The hero’s lips are downturned in worry. 

The darker hedgehog’s heart shatters at the look, and he knows that the expression he gives him back must be absolutely pathetic, because Sonic just gives him an expression of understanding as the ebony hedgehog shakes under the soft touch. 

No… no, no, NO! his brain continues to cry. This isn’t what’s supposed to happen!

He’s not supposed to make Sonic worry! Shadow’s supposed to be the one who helps! Sonic can’t see him like this! Shadow’s supposed to- 

Slowly, the azure hedgehog scooches a bit closer. 

And, gingerly, blue arms wrap around his waist and shoulders to lift him up and pull him close; hold him tight. 

Shadow is frozen, for several seconds, in his surprise. 

But, soon enough, he’s entirely melting into the touch. 

Softly, a small, involuntary purr escapes his throat; his quills easing down. 

And, all too quickly, the dam finally breaks. 

He sobs, hysterically, into Sonic’s shoulder, and Sonic simply holds Shadow close, unwaveringly, and lets him cry against him. Shadow feels weak at the sentiment, but the blue hedgehog continues to hold him against his chest wholeheartedly, and he can hear Sonic’s heartbeat like an anchor.

Shadow doesn’t hug him back at first, letting his arms lay loosely at his own sides while the other hedgehog keeps him held up. 

But, eventually, he slowly does. His arms wrap around a blue waist, covered by a dark blue hoodie, ever so delicately. 

Sonic keeps comforting him, carefully wiping away his tears and whispering reassurances to him, shushing him whenever he tries to apologize for “being too much”. 

“Let it all out, Shads…” he says, softly, nuzzling against striped quills in a soothing manner. “It’ll be okay.”

For a moment, he feels Sonic separate from him to shrug off his hoodie. 

And, to Shadow’s shock, the blue blur wraps it around him, even helping him to move his tired, striped arms into the sleeves. 

Sonic’s scent envelops him entirely, something that overwhelms the Ultimate Lifeform in such an unexpectedly nice way that he actually cries harder. 

“Thank you…” the teary, albeit grateful, hedgehog barely whimpers out. 

Sonic just shushes him, running a paw through his quills to console him. 

The darker hedgehog can’t help but hold the cobalt hero impossibly closer, face shoving further against a blue shoulder. 

He feels mortified with the way he can’t fight all the new sobs that spill from him so freely, his ability to regulate such strong emotions inhibited for the time being. 

But Sonic’s soothing doesn’t cease. 

“Shh, it’s alright, Shads. I’ve gotcha,” he reiterates, arms tightening around the ebony hedgehog’s trembling frame a bit more. It’s a lovely kind of pressure. One he usually wouldn’t be able to handle from anyone else. And it makes quiet, broken purrs fall from his throat. 

It’s only after several minutes, once the darker Mobian’s tears have finally begun to slow again, that Sonic does eventually let go, helping Shadow to lean back against the cabinets beneath the bathroom counter again. The black and red hedgehog is pretty sure the only reason he’s stopped crying, at this point, is because he simply doesn’t have any more tears residing in his tear ducts. Although, he’s still sniveling and hiccuping a little as some strays wet his muzzle. Sonic cups his face, wiping them away as he stares at him. 

“There you go… Gaia, you still look so out of it,” the azure hedgehog mutters, fretfully. “How are you feeling?” 

“Out of it,” Shadow mumbles back, making them both chuckle a little. But then, more sincerely, he states. “My mind and body are all hazy… autistic shutdown ‘n all…” 

“Yeah…” Sonic sighs, empathetically, his paws not yet having left the other hedgehog’s face. But Shadow doesn’t find himself wanting to move away from the contact, either. 

The hero continues to stare at him in concern for a while, clearly contemplating how to help. 

Then, Shadow sees the blue blur’s ear flick, and he swears he sees a lightbulb go off over his head. 

“Hey… Shads?” 

“Hm?” 

“I’m… I’m gonna try something. To try and ground you. But, if you don’t like it or you want me to stop, you can tell me no or literally shove me away or whatever, okay? And I won’t be upset.” 

Sonic’s expression and words are firm, but laced with compassion and… maybe anxiety? 

Still, Shadow trusts him. 

So he nods. 

“Okay..” Sonic nods, too; seemingly more to himself. 

Then, very gently, he pushes one of Shadow’s knees down, motioning for him to rest both his legs on the ground. Shadow does so. 

And… 

The Hero of Mobius curls up right in his lap. 

The same way that Shadow had done for him. 

The dark hedgehog is completely frozen at the gesture. 

It’s so… endearing. It’s so… well, everything to him. 

He feels his body and mind coming back to him like a rush of air through his lungs, but he’s too stunned to move or do anything about it, heart pounding with affection. 

He feels the weight on his lap shift, Sonic moving to lean on one elbow as he stares up at Shadow with worry. 

“Shadow? Did I do something wrong? Do you want me to st-“ 

The black and red hedgehog cuts him off with a soft embrace, the most unabashedly loud purr he’s let out in years leaving him as he leans down to brush his face against Sonic’s affectionately. A tiny sob mixes in with the noise. 

“This… this is nice,” he chokes out. 

He feels Sonic smile against him at the words as he lets himself sink back down into the other hedgehog’s lap. He lifts a paw to rub at one of Shadow’s ears as the darker hedgehog continues to purr and hold him close. 

“Aww, Shads…” Sonic mutters back, in a whisper, and Shadow feels the blue blur brush noses with him, comfortingly.

It just makes Shadow crumble further. 

He sniffles, a couple more tears somehow managing to escape him. “I’m sorry…” 

He hears the other hedgehog scoff, playfully, at the remark. “Shadow-“ 

“I’m not apologizing for crying this time!” the dark hedgehog insists, pulling away with a huff so that he can look at the other fully. Sonic doesn’t say anything, so he continues. “I’m sorry that I didn’t catch you. When you fell tonight. I’m a bad serv-” 

He cuts himself off as he realizes what he’d been about to say. Then, corrects himself. “I’m a bad friend.” 

There’s only silence in the bathroom, for a while. 

And then, Shadow feels Sonic sit up in his lap. Peach paws gently, but sternly, grab at the sides of his face again, so Shadow can meet green eyes and a furrowed brow. 

Sonic doesn’t look mad, though. Maybe frustrated. But there’s no hostility in his expression. Just a need for Shadow to listen. 

So he does. 

“Shadow, there was no warning when I fell. I just did. You couldn’t have prevented it.” 

“But-“ the ebony hedgehog tries. 

Sonic politely hushes him. 

“Listen first, please,” the hero says, almost begging. 

Shadow nods. 

“You couldn’t have prevented it. And you didn’t need to,” Sonic continues, and Shadow has to bite his tongue to stop himself from trying to counter that, too. 

But he listens. 

And, oh, he’s happy he did. 

“I’m tough. You know that. I like when you help me sometimes, sure, but Shads, seriously, I like having you around because I like you.” 

Suddenly, Shadow has nothing to say. 

And Sonic keeps going. 

“You’re not my service animal. I mean, that’s not an insult to you. I’m sure you were a good one. But… I wouldn’t want you to be one for me. We’re friends. And you still helped me back there. You made sure I was safe. You did your ‘tasks’. But heck, even if you weren’t trained, Shadow, you still helped me. It doesn’t have to be a task for us to help each other out. You helped me. You made sure I was alright. Shadow. I’m lucky to have YOU.”

…oh. 

Shadow just stares back, dumbfounded. 

He certainly hadn’t expected Sonic to say that. But, truthfully? 

It really just makes the ebony hedgehog want to kiss him right then and there. 

And, from the way he catches Sonic looking at his lips, ever so briefly, he thinks he’s not alone in that sentiment. 

They stare at each other for a little while longer. Shadow can’t help but get lost in green eyes. 

Fuck, he adores Sonic’s eyes. 

“How are you feeling right now?” the blue blur asks, quietly, after a moment. 

“My brain has been feeling clearer for a while now. I feel grounded, at the very least.”

Sonic nods. “Good. That’s good.” 

Shadow nods, too. Though, he senses there’s something unsaid. 

He tilts his head as he looks at the blue hedgehog, asking without words. 

Sonic slowly pulls away. He lays back down in Shadow’s lap, then reaches into his quills with a tiny sigh. 

He pulls out a small bouquet of lavender. 

The flowers are crumpled, but wrapped in a thick, white ribbon. 

Shadow carefully takes them, running a paw against soft petals. 

“I was too nervous to give them to you before, so they’ve been sitting in my quills. Sorry they’re all messy,” Sonic sounds embarrassed, but Shadow smiles at the unexpected gift. 

He looks back at Sonic, chuckling, then teases a little. “I was wondering why you smelled like you ate perfume.” 

The cobalt hedgehog blushes furiously and playfully shoves him. 

“No, no. I love them, really,” the dark hedgehog laughs, truthfully. “They’re beautiful, Sonic. Thank you.” 

The hero shrugs, appearing to feign modestly. “You said lavender was your favorite, so…” 

“I did…” Shadow beams. 

Sonic had remembered. 

The darker hedgehog can’t help but think back to his late best friend. 

She used to tell him that he couldn’t protect her all the time, as well. That it was part of his job, but that they were best friends, at the end of the day. She’d wanted him to have fun and be able to enjoy his life when he wasn’t busy helping her or being relentlessly tested. 

She’d wanted him to have a choice. 

He realizes, somehow for the first time… that Maria would’ve wanted him to be happy like this, too. 

The memory gives him pause. 

…huh. 

After a minute, Shadow puts the flowers aside with a small, happy huff to himself. 

He’s ready to say what he’s been wanting to say. 

What he was too scared to say an hour ago. 

What he’s been too scared to admit for a while. 

“Sonic…” he starts, avoiding the other’s gaze and fidgeting with his paws. “I like how I feel when I’m around you.” 

Sonic stares back at him, seeming somewhat flabbergasted at the slightly abrupt statement. 

But he waits for Shadow to continue. 

And Shadow does; unfeigned. 

“You mean a lot to me, like I’ve said. I’ve grown to care for you to a great extent. And…” the darker Mobian has to clear his throat before continuing. “…and, truthfully, sometimes… that scares me. Terrifies me, actually. Because the last person I got attached to so strongly…” 

He doesn’t want to say it aloud. But he doesn’t need to. Sonic knows. Everyone does, at this point. 

Maria. 

Shadow feels a different kind of affection for Sonic than he did for Maria, of course. But the thought of loving someone again so deeply… 

What if Sonic got ripped away from him, too? 

He finally glances over at the other hedgehog, once more. 

And he doesn’t need to say it. 

He can tell that Sonic understands his fear. 

The hero sighs a little, empathetically, before speaking, carefully. 

“Well… there’s nothing either of us can do about death,” he notes, somewhat sadly. The statement feels sticky, finally out in the air. It’s a harsh reality that Shadow knows he needs to hear, as much as he never likes to. 

However, Sonic continues. 

“But as for what I do know, though? What I can tell you…?” he says, facing the ebony hedgehog with an almost loving smirk. “Is that it takes a fucking lot to take the Hero of Mobius down. And I’m not going down without one hell of a fight. So, y’know; unfortunately…” 

The blue hedgehog wraps his arms around Shadow’s shoulders, pulling the other hedgehog closer so that he can whisper in an ebony ear. 

“I think you’re gonna be stuck with me for a little while,” the words are whispered as a sarcastic statement, but it’s one full of kindness and reassurance. And when Sonic leans away again, he winks. 

Shadow chuckles, lightly but more wholeheartedly than he has in a while. 

He wraps his arms around the cobalt hedgehog, too, to pull him into yet another long hug. 

It’s instantly reciprocated. 

And, in the midst of it all, Shadow admits one more thing. 

“I have feelings for you. Romantic ones.” 

He feels Sonic giggle in his arms. “Well, I could’ve told ya that.” 

Shadow flushes, but then Sonic pulls him even closer and mutters, “I have feelings for you, too, idiot.” 

Sonic pulls away to look him in the eye. 

“You don’t have to feel pressured to look after me and protect me all the time,” the azure hedgehog says, with all the care in the world, as he smiles at the other. “We can protect each other. I like being around you. Whoever you like to be when you’re around me and it’s just us, racing or chilling out like we normally would. I want us to rely on each other, yeah, but in a way that’s equal. I want us to match each other’s strengths, like we always have. I like the side of you that’s super caring and affectionate, but you don’t have to be taking care of me like you have been to show that. I like you either way you are. Overly sweet or overly brooding. Because I like you, Shadow. I always fucking have.” 

And with that, Shadow takes his turn to cup Sonic’s muzzle again, and he finally, breathlessly, asks, “Can I kiss you?” 

Sonic lets out a relieved sigh, like he hasn’t breathed in years. “Fuck yes you can.” 

And their lips finally, finally fully meet in a kiss. 

It’s chaste and short, full of tenderness and unspoken emotions. Sonic seems to be letting Shadow take the lead with it, but appears just as content as the darker hedgehog is. Shadow runs his thumbs over Sonic’s cheeks and feels him hum happily, melting a little further into the kiss before they both pull away. 

Sonic stares back at him with half-lidded eyes once they separate. Slowly, he moves to sit up, so that Shadow doesn’t have to lean over again or hold him up. 

He leans close once more, their noses brushing, and Shadow’s ready for Sonic to initiate their next kiss. 

He sees Sonic looking into his eyes, and Shadow looks into his to see him second guessing again. 

The blue hedgehog leans away. “S-sorry…” 

Shadow tilts his head. “It’s okay. Do you… not want to kiss me? We don’t have to-“ 

Sonic looks surprised, quickly waving his paws in front of him. “Oh! No, no! Gaia, no. I do! Like, I really do. Believe me. I just… I-I know you aren’t a fan of touch with a lot of people most of the time, and I don’t wanna cross a line. So, I never know if I should just go for it or not or- fuck, I’m sorry…“ 

Shadow puts the pieces in place. He’s beyond flattered, but he rolls his eyes, fondly, at the idea that Sonic is still nervous to kiss him, despite Shadow trying to show him just how much he desperately wants him to. “Gaia, Sonic, don’t be. My goodness, you don’t have to keep second guessing yourself. You know me. I wouldn’t even let you in my general vicinity if I didn’t like it. Listen: you are so amazing, being so patient for me, and I absolutely adore how respectful you are and how aware you are of my boundaries. But holy shit, it has been driving me insane as of late. I trust you not to hurt me or take advantage of me. I know you’ll stop if I tell you to. And if you don’t want to touch me or kiss me, or I’ve been misreading things, then please, of course, tell me. I’d never want to make you feel uncomfortable, either.” 

Shadow then gently takes a gloved, blue paw in his own, staring directly into emerald eyes as he resolutely states, “But if you do want to kiss me, then do it. I like it, too. So, kiss me. Kiss me harder, if you’d like. You have my consent.” 

Sonic just stares back, stunned, for a moment. 

And then, only seconds later, he’s quickly surging forward and kissing Shadow senseless. 

The black and red hedgehog gasps, briefly, before kissing right back with a happy moan. 

It feels hot; urgent. Desperate. 

It’s everything Shadow had wanted, and he sighs against peach lips as he holds the blue hedgehog closer, trying to deepen the affection. 

Sonic’s paws move to curl into striped quills, tugging a bit, experimentally. 

Shadow lets him. 

They’re chest to chest, practically hugging again, when Sonic’s tongue brushes against his lips, carefully asking and without force, but the dark hedgehog easily opens his mouth to allow it to slip in. 

He meets the contact with fervor, moving one paw up to Sonic’s face again, under his chin, turning their heads a bit more so they can get even closer. He hears a whimper leave the other’s mouth, contentedly. 

Shadow thinks, on any normal day, he could stay like this, with Sonic, forever. Kissing him, over and over, like their lives depend on it. 

But he is still tired. The day has been long for the both of them, so he’s not surprised when Sonic is leaning away again, just as out of breath as Shadow is, and far faster than either of them would probably like. 

They press their foreheads together as they catch their breaths, a line of spit connecting their kiss-swollen lips. 

“So…” Sonic pants. “Is that… what you had in mind… for the kiss?”

Shadow chuckles. He places a final peck to the other hedgehog’s lips with a smile, teasing. “Yes, something like that…” 

Sonic nods. “Cool.” 

As the two sit there, faces still close, taking in air, Shadow realizes he gets to admire his favorite detail about the blue blur up close. 

Sonic’s green eyes sparkle, and there’s flecks of gold in them he hadn’t noticed before. 

“By the way,” Shadow decidedly mutters, also between shallow, panting breaths. “I should’ve told you this before but… you have really pretty eyes.” 

He watches as the azure hedgehog smiles ear to ear at the compliment, and he sees the way the other’s pupils dilate at the words.

Sonic shakes his head, sweetly. “Fuck, Shads.” 

And, despite their exhaustion, the hero kisses him again, at that; longer and softer this time. 

They eventually pull away from one another fully, but Sonic remains in his lap, moving to lay down again, and seeming to get comfortable resting there, as well. 

Joy swirls through Shadow’s body, and he can’t help but flap one paw a little as he grins, entirely content. 

Sonic smiles up at him without a hint of judgment. 

They devolve into comfortable silence. Shadow leans his head forward a bit to let Sonic reach up and rub at his ears. His eyes fall closed as he relishes the touch. 

It’s been a while since he’s been taken care of like this. 

He doesn’t want to think that maybe he could get used to it. The idea frightens him. After all, he’s the one who has always looked after others. 

And yet… he considers, as Sonic scratches behind one of his ears in a particularly lovely way. Maybe he’d like to get used to this. 

Just a little. 

After a while, the paw stroking his ear falls away, just as gently, as drowsiness bleeds into the brighter hedgehog’s movements. Soon, they’re both closing their eyes. 

And if Rouge got yet another picture of them, asleep and cuddling like that, when she found them? 

Well, maybe this time, Shadow didn’t try to deny its legitimacy.