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Sonic knew he was getting worse—sicker. It was always waiting, circling like a hawk ready to dive. He had all the telltale signs this time: exhaustion, no appetite, abundant migraines and etcetera. He ignored it for a couple days, figuring it would just flare up and go away like usual after a bad night or two. He was wrong, so disastrously wrong.
It wasn't until one evening, during the heat of the day, when it all came tumbling down. He refused to sit still, so he had gone for a little run in the forest hoping the sunshine might cure him. It was kind of sluggish—to him at least. He could feel his eyes drooping just as they have been lately. It was alright! He'd feel better after a nap.
Just as he was about to call it a day and turn for home, a yellow blur flew past him and skidded to a halt just a few yards from him. Sonic knew already that he was being challenged to a race. Shadow knows that Sonic runs at the same time every day and he wouldn't be there for any other reason. Still, his eyes narrow competitively and Sonic isn't one to back down from a competition. No words were spoken between the two, just a slight nod in unison and they set off in no particular direction.
It had started to feel less like a competition and more like a dance or ritual of sorts. There was never a clear winner, and though they would both argue and make up excuses, they could never come to an agreement. Each would walk of believing they won and think nothing more of it. Simply put, it was a game of ego.
Sonic felt his head spin faster and faster as his surroundings flew past him. His fur was already sticky and damp with sweat and now it felt like knives were stuck in his back. He stumbled a bit, and he thought that maybe Shadow slowed down just a smidge. But it didn't matter because he felt his body suddenly shut down as his muscles finally gave out and his mental tenacity wasn't enough to keep him going. He fell, arms flailing as he face plants with a short yell.
-
Shadow once again pulled to a stop and zipped back to stand above Sonic, staring at his stagnant body. He nudged Sonic with a shoe as if he were a rabid animal, which Shadow might have compared him to once. He didn't protest, so Shadow realized he was completely knocked out. He had sensed something was wrong with the blue hedgehog the minute he started to fall asleep in awkward moments. He was usually so full of energy and ready to spin the earth out of orbit (which would be fine—it revolves around him anyway!).
He didn't realize Sonic would assume that him showing up would immediately indicate that he wanted a race. In reality, he had seen the hedgehog leave his home and worried for his safety so he went to confront him. He had just nodded and run off. Shadow wasn't necessarily opposed to the race, so he didn't say anything. He just assumed Sonic would be smarter than this.
Why would he assume that?
Shadow clicked his tongue before picking him up and carrying him home. He seemed lighter than usual, which made Shadow worry even further. He also wondered how often he'd been carrying Sonic around to be able to notice such a thing.
Shadow invited himself into Sonic's home when no one answered the door. Tails was typically in their lab, so it made sense. It wasn't like he'd never been there, either.
"Shads?" the blue blur whispered.
"You passed out," he stated quickly, like he needed an excuse to be this close. "You... passed out," he repeated in a more suspicious tone.
Their eyes met in awkward tension until Sonic broke the silence with a dopey grin. "That happens sometimes."
Shadow dropped him immediately. Luckily, it was onto his couch, Shadow isn't evil. He crossed his arms and scowled, "It shouldn't be happening."
The blue blur scoffed and settled into his couch, "Well obviously it is. Nothin' I can do about it. Thanks for taking me home, anyway. You can go now."
"No!"
"What do you mean 'no'? This is my house!"
"I'm not going until you tell me what's wrong! I can tell something's up, and you're getting worse. Then you just..." he trailed off, making a vague motion with his paw. "Tell me what's going on with you," he practically pleaded, even though it didn't show in his voice.
Sonic knew he wouldn't get out of it. Shadow's more stubborn than he is, and he would do close to anything to help someone in need. He didn't expect Shadow to openly care so much.
"I've been sick, you're right," Sonic admits outright. "But it's not... normal, I think. I've been like this as long as I can remember, but sometimes it's worse on particular days. Sometimes I'm in so much pain I-I can't even get out of bed."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Shadow snapped, his eyes narrowed on Sonic harshly. He looked upset, his arms crossed over his chest and ears flattened back.
"Why do you even care?"
"My question first."
Sonic groaned, "I didn't tell you because it isn't relevant. Nothing changes."
"Everything changes!"
He yelled at Sonic quite agitatedly, his chest rising and falling in anger. Sonic curled into a ball, cowering into the corner of the couch. He whimpered, "I'm sorry."
Shadow shook his head, "No, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry. It's just..." he paused, emotionally preparing himself. His breath hitched, like he was trying not to cry. "It sounds similar to Maria. She had a chronic illness, and it was gonna kill her. So yeah, I care. Don't want you feeling like shit."
"Shadow-"
"Never mind," he waved a dismissive paw, "I'm going to take care of you, at least until you feel better."
"And if I never get better?"
"I'll take care of you forever." Sonic audibly gulped, so Shadow took it back, "I mean, as long as I need to." It didn't sound much better than his previous words, but neither wanted to comment on it. Shadow barely had a grip on his pride, and Sonic was tired, more than he previously thought.
He was suddenly alerted by Shadow's paws framing his face, one moving to touch his forehead. His eyes widened to saucers and his heart began to pound. "What- what are you doing?" he asked as if the fact wasn't obvious.
"Checking your temperature. You have a fever."
"I-I run hot," he defended. "Yeah."
"You have a fever."
Sonic looked up at Shadow's face, then his paw. "Do you have like- built-in thermometer hands," Sonic laughed.
"Yes."
"Oh."
Shadow tensed up suddenly, shoulders stiffening just barely, "Have... have you been taking care of yourself? At all?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic asked defensively with a skeptical raise of his eyebrow.
"Well, for instance, when was the last time you ate or drank?" Shadow didn't think it had been recent.
Sonic had to think for a second, but he answered, "Oh! Last night I made a coffee!" he chirped excitedly. "It was actually really good. Usually I-"
"Shut up."
"Yessir."
"You're going to be the death of me, Sonic," Shadow sighed. "Have you eaten?"
"Nope, not since the last time I saw you. Can't keep anything down, Shads," he said so casually, indicating it was a normal occurrence (which it was). "I can literally throw up air. It's scary."
"The last time I saw you was four days ago! How the hell-" He stopped, took a breath, and rephrased, "Will you eat something now?"
Sonic glanced tentatively to the side. He felt guilty. Guilty that Shadow had to deal with him and cared about him. He was scared, too. He doesn't want this.
"Sonic?"
Shadow was sitting in front of him now, eyes soft and concerned. His paws were still ungloved and one sat atop Sonic's knee. His paw pads are really rough, but he doesn't mind.
His vision blurs, this time with tears instead of the effect of a migraine. He tries really hard to keep the sob at bay, but it spills out anyway. His lip quivers and his eyes squint and it's choked out of him. Then it doesn't stop, he can't stop. He despises crying in front of people. He thinks Shadow's going to hold it over him forever and use it against him.
Sonic is too perfect to cry. He's too perfect to be sick and cared for. He should be better.
"It's alright, Sonic," he heard Shadow whisper. He felt the soft tuft of fur on Shadow's chest flush against his cheek. One of Shadow's arms slipped behind his back and the other cradled his face, thumbing the tears away. "You need this," Shadow said in such a way that Sonic could almost believe it, "I have a feeling you've needed this for a long while now."
Sonic cried out louder. He had to resist the urge to scream and punch. He hid deeper in the soft, white fur and felt his mind fade to black again. Crying always tired him out.
-
When he came back around once more, he was curled up tightly in a blanket, specifically the soft, blue one with the torn lace around the edges from his bed. He was also clutching a plushie, the tiger which also typically sat on his bed, directly in the middle. It was his favorite one, he'd described it as 'holding-sized'.
The sun was about to start it's journey down and there was the notable scent of cooking food in the air. Sonic suddenly felt hungry. "What's cookin' good lookin'?" he called out to the kitchen, his voice riddled with exhaustion.
He could practically hear Shadow's fluster, but it was still short and expertly masked. "Don't call me that."
"It's true!" he sang back.
Shadow returned to him a few moments after with a plate. On it, there was a small, half-filled bowl of tomato soup and half of a grilled cheese on the side, cut into a triangle. In Shadow's other hand sat an identical plate. He sat both of them down on the table and disappeared only to come back with two cups of tea.
"I figured it might be easier if we both ate the same thing," Shadow explained. "You don't have to, but I still think you should try."
The food felt appalling the same way it seemed worth it. It smelled delicious and was cooked to perfection. Shadow somehow knew exactly how crispy he likes his grilled cheese sandwiches. He also didn't think he could keep anything down his throat, and the thought spoiled everything.
"Will that really be enough for you?" Sonic asked him.
Shadow nodded easily, "I can go decades without a crumb. You, on the other hand, should not be going more than twenty-four hours."
He supposed Shadow was right, and managed the sandwich and half of the soup before giving up. He also drank the tea and Shadow had poured him two more cups afterwards. Shadow ate alongside him.
Then, he sat in silence until Shadow returned after washing their dishes. Shadow reclaimed his place on the couch. He swallowed harshly before looking to Sonic, still curled up in his blanket with his stuffed tiger in his lap. "Do you know what it is that you have?"
"What?"
"Your illness. Do you know what it is?"
Sonic shook his head, "Nope. I only know it gives me killer migraines and knocks me out. I've practically always got a migraine and a fever, Shads. Sometimes I'd rather be dead," he ended with a chuckle despite the implications.
Shadow's head snapped to him, nearly making the blue hedgehog jump. "Don't say that," he growled.
Sonic realized he'd been stupid and reached a hand out to Shadow, "Now I didn't mean it like that, wait-"
"Shut up."
"Sorry," he squeaked out and sat stoic on the couch. He felt his eyes brim with tears again, but he could blink them back this time. "You don't have to stay, you know."
"No matter how awful you might be, I'm staying. Not because I have to. You're miserable, and it's sad to see. You'll keel over at this rate," Shadow explained to him, his tone somewhat rougher than before. "What do you usually do when your condition gets worse like this?"
"I'll take some pain meds occasionally. Shads, you get that I don't really care how I feel, right?"
"I see that. You're reckless, hedgehog. You don't take care of yourself either."
"It's too difficult!" Sonic confessed, "I'm too high-maintenance, even for myself."
"'High-maintenance' is not needing to eat every now and then," Shadow corrected. "Look, you just need a bit of extra help sometimes-"
"No I don't! I'm not a little kid, Shadow!" he protested, his paws flying up to clutch at his ears.
"Sonic, wait a second," Shadow said with concern, reaching to pry his fingers from his ears. "It's not a bad thing, Sonic. If there's one thing I learned from being here with you and everyone else, it's that we all need each other. You- you helped me process all of the anger I felt. You showed me kindness even when I didn't deserve it."
"You've always deserved it," Sonic denied, doe-eyed.
Shadow shushed him softly, "I'm lecturing you right now, hush." He began rubbing gentle circles at Sonic's ears, smoothing the disrupted fur. "Anyway, I have friends now. I have people I trust, and I'm a lot better for it. If I can do that, then you can let us help you sometimes, too. Personally, I don't mind cooking for you. I enjoy it, actually. Plus your brothers and Amy and Rouge, they don't mind looking out for you a bit either, trust me. We'd all prefer if you didn't overwork yourself to death through your sickness."
Sonic wasn't looking at him. He was holding the plushie to his chest and leaning into the touch on his ears. There was a smile on his face, though. One that let Shadow know he'd heard him and would be fine.
After a few minutes, once Sonic had settled into his shoulder, curled into a little ball, Shadow asked him, "How adverse are you to a bath?"
"Do I have to?" he whined, moving to look up at Shadow.
"Yeah you smell like shit. I've been trying to be nice about it, but it's true."
"Shadow, you ass!" Sonic shouted without any true venom.
Shadow grinned at him. "I'll go draw a bath. Bubbles?"
"Is that even a question?"
Shadow huffed as he stood from the couch. "You're right, how stupid of me," he quipped with enough sarcasm to kill a small whale. "Of course you wouldn't want bubbles."
"Shads!" Sonic giggled, watching Shadow disappear down the hallway with a fond roll of his eyes. He could hear the water running, but it was otherwise silent. He made silly noises and hummed songs he kind of knew until Shadow returned
"You ready?" He asked, interrupting Sonic's random trills.
Sonic groaned dramatically and flopped out across the couch. He said, "If I say no will you give up?"
"Is that even a question?"
Sonic gasped and shouted, "Betrayal! I'll have your head for that one!"
Shadow shook his head. Sonic noticed how his quills resettled—he finds it adorable. "Is it your phobia?"
"Huh?"
"Is that why you don't wanna take a bath?"
"Oh, kinda. Sometimes I fall asleep in the tub. Plus I really don't have the energy to... y'know."
"Well it's okay. I'll help you out. I can wash your quills, it doesn't look like they've gotten much care—if any."
"I don't really wash 'em. Didn't think I had to."
Far off, Shadow wonders how such a good-looking hedgehog can get away with so little upkeep. "Come on," he said, a hand outstretched.
Sonic gulped, his composure falling again. It'd been switching up a lot today. He took Shadow's hand and was hoisted up. He wasn't as afraid to lean on Shadow now. His legs felt weak, much like the rest of him. He wasn't going to put so much extra effort into pretending he wasn't falling to pieces.
There were bubbles, as promised. Sonic fluffed them a bit, smiling at the sight. He liked bubbles. Once Shadow removed his gloves and socks—quite helpfully, Sonic noted—he lowered the blue hedgehog into the bath. The water was comfortingly warm, which noticeably relaxed the hedgehog, despite his fear of water. He sighed contentedly as the water soaked his fur and bubbles fizzled off from his breath.
"Turn around," Shadow ordered, "I'll wash your quills."
Sonic obeyed and Shadow got to work. His hands were meticulous and cautious as he worked his fingers through Sonic's quills. Shadow could've sworn the hedgehog had fallen asleep if it wasn't for his paw absently carding through the bubbles.
He noticed Sonic had a disturbing amount of crusted blood and dirt stuck to his fur, but he was quite the klutz so it wasn't necessarily surprising. Once Shadow deemed his quills sufficiently clean, he tapped Sonic's shoulder and told him to turn around. He did, perching his chin on the edge of the bath. From there, Shadow used a towel to wash his face. Once he reached to wipe down Sonic's ears, he noticed how they twitched.
"That's adorable," he snickered.
"What?" Sonic's previously closed eyes opened in shock. "I'm- you- What?"
"Your ears," Shadow stated, brushing a finger over one just to watch them both flatten. "That's cute."
His eyes suddenly averted, attached to the bath mat. "No it's not!" he tried in vain to deny, a pout tracing his lips. "Go back to being annoyingly stoic, it suits you better."
"Ha ha," Shadow strained. "I mean it. The little twitch they do-" he demonstrated, "like that. That's adorable."
"They're sensitive, asshole," he pouted again, cheek squishing on the tub's edge.
"You remind me of a sad, lost puppy," Shadow blurted. Sonic just gave him The Eyes™, which didn't really help his case. Shadow scrubbed his ears then left to give him a bit of privacy to finish up by himself.
He was seated on Sonic's bed when the blue hedgehog emerged from the door, wrapped in a towel. "I'm tired," he announced.
Shadow cocked his head to the side, "Yes, I know."
Sonic sat on the floor.
"Okay," Shadow stood up from Sonic's bed, his hand outstretched for the other to take. Sonic didn't make the move for it, he just sat there with his eyes drooping. So Shadow crouched down, a better vantage point. "Sonic, c'mon. Let's get you changed then we can get to bed, I promise."
He gave a rather pained groan, but agreed anyway. "Fine. There's a hoodie in my top drawer, can you grab it?"
"Yeah, I got it."
Shadow fished out the hoodie he meant. It was worn and a bit old but still rather soft. He could tell it was once a more vibrant, deep red. The sleeve cuffs were also frayed, as if someone had ripped the seam apart. He also took the liberty to grab him a pair of socks.
He tossed the items at the hedgehog, who now lied on the floor with his knees tucked into his chest. He snapped up when the fabric hit him and sluggishly pulled the hoodie over his head. He gave up quickly on his socks so that part was up to Shadow.
Shadow didn't try again to get Sonic standing. He just picked him up and tucked him into his bed. Sonic didn't protest. He didn't even give it a second thought. Then Shadow turned to leave.
"Shadow wait," Sonic called out, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't go."
Shadow gave him a little scratch behind his ear and assured him, "I'll be right back, promise."
"You promise?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
Sonic smiled, "Hurry back."
-
Sonic was overjoyed when Shadow came back with mint chip ice cream—his favorite. He also had two bottles of sparkling grape juice and champagne glasses. Shadow poured them both a glass. He had Sonic hold the glass while he poured it so he could move the bottle upwards and make the stream longer. It had dramatic flair and it made Sonic laugh, so it was worth it if they spilled any.
They settled on his bed together and turned on whatever crime show came up first. Sonic liked them for the thrill of the chase, the inevitable plot twist which reveals the criminal, and the satisfaction at the end. However, he couldn't handle the gore too well. He also despises useless romance plots.
They didn't bother with bowls and ate the ice cream right from the carton together. Whatever they didn't have was left to melt to the side. Sonic had his arms around one of Shadow's and his head on the snow white fluff of his chest.
"So... where'd you get that hoodie from anyway?" Shadow asked out of the blue. "It's not really your whole vibe."
"Oh, yeah. You're right, it hasn't always been mine. I have it now because... well, Knuckles gave it to me. A while ago he was visiting and he said he didn't really want it anymore. I only wear it when I'm miserable. I miss him sometimes, y'know? So it's comforting." The wear made sense now, but Sonic wasn't planning to stop talking soon. "We also keep some of his records here. Mainly his duplicates or ones he doesn't like as much. They're technically ours, but they get their own special corner away from the others."
"That ass needs to come visit more, then," Shadow scowled. He doesn't think Sonic deserves to miss him so badly.
Sonic shrugged, "Eh, he's busy. He still comes around a lot more than he used to. Y'know, I used to be the one doing all... this. Knuckles was alone for so long and boy he was a mess. Then Tails, they're my little brother! You know how that goes—I-I wanted to protect them. Both of them. I still do! I-I'm the hero, not the helped,"
"We'll just have to make up for that, won't we?" Shadow whispered gently, counteracting the other's subtle raise in tone. He lightly stroked Sonic's shoulder with his free hand to put him at ease.
Sonic nodded, stuffing his face into Shadow's chest. "You shouldn't let me ramble like that," he stifled a giggle.
"I like hearing you speak."
"Bullshit."
"It's true! It's- it's your ears. They'll swivel back when you get excited and then perk up when you get to a point. It's cute."
"You calling anything cute—especially me—feels unreal. Is this a fever dream?"
"...yes?"
Sonic huffed, "I'll take it."