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Shadow isn't entirely sure what time it is when Rouge disrupts his peaceful night in. He's in the middle of a rather investing detective story, one that, to his surprise, Amy shoved into his arms once, when she'd convinced him to attend a friendly gathering of hers. All because, when asked about his favorite way of spending free time, he mentioned reading. He fled the event soon after that, returning to his and Rouge's shared apartment with the novel in hand. That was maybe a month before today, when he finally got around to reading it.
But. Whichever deity is watching over him tonight, clearly isn't on the same track as Shadow, because right as he's getting to the good bit, where the tension is at an all time high, Rouge nearly busts the front door down, pulling Shadow out of the immersion.
“No more whining, kid, that was reckless and stupid, even by your standards,” she scolds someone, her voice stable and confident as always, but Shadow knows she's disappointed and likely done with her interlocutor. “You'd get yourself killed before even getting home.”
Shadow's curiosity is piqued. His ears flicker as he tries to strain them to hear and identify the voice of their mystery guest.
“I told you I'm fine, Rouge. You don't have to baby me.”
You've got to be kidding, Shadow thinks. This is undeniably the voice of none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. Oh, why did he have to choose to relax in the living room tonight? Shadow swallows a groan, pushing his nose further into the still open book. Maybe if he pretends to read hard enough they'll leave him to it.
He hears Rouge's heels click-clack against the floor, and then thud softly when she steps on the rug, entering the room, and Shadow tries his absolute hardest to ignore her.
“Shadow, sweetheart, bring me the first-aid kit,” she says, the underlying anger in her tone subsiding a little. “We've got a full-time moron to patch up.”
This time Shadow doesn't stop himself from groaning and he does it particularly loudly, just so his disgruntlement reaches Sonic's ears. As if on cue, the hero limps into the living room and Shadow finally looks up from the yellowed pages. His eyes land on the bloodied mess of blue quills in front of him, who sheepishly smiles in his direction. There's a huge gash on Sonic's right thigh and a smaller burn a little lower, just below his knee. Two others are both placed on his left calf and then there's another deep cut across his left shoulder, partially obscured by his hand trying to stop the bleeding and failing. The rest of his body is generously sprinkled with fresh scrapes and blooming bruises, two of which take up a big portion of Sonic's face. Top that with smudged, dried blood on his muzzle and you get a truly pathetic picture of the Blue Blur. It almost pulls at Shadow's heartstrings but then Sonic opens his mouth, making him snap out of inspecting his rival's wounds.
“Hey, Shads,” he chirps, unphased by his injuries. “Missed me?”
“No,” Shadow replies dryly, looking at the slow but steady stream of blood making its way down Sonic’s leg before locking eyes with Rouge again. “I'll get the kit but don't expect me to deal with this mess. He's all yours.”
“Of course, whatever the Ultimate Lifeform desires,” Rouge agrees, mocking him a little with how serious her voice gets, but Shadow doesn't particularly mind if it means she and Sonic will stay out of his way.
“And Sonic?” Shadow turns to the other hedgehog and continues once he gets a curious look in reply. “Get off the rug before you stain it.”
Shadow catches a glimpse of Sonic's eye-roll before he starts making his way to the bathroom. His unusually good mood has vanished at this point so he can only hope for the godforsaken hero not to be difficult about this whole ordeal. And by ‘not being difficult’, he specifically means not roping Shadow into it.
As he rummages through the cupboard underneath the sink in search of the kit—he really needs to tidy up in here—he ponders about his next move. The most logical thing to do would be to either hole himself up in his room or chaos control to some deserted location where nobody could find him, you know, for good measure. And while it sounds tempting, he thinks it would look like admitting defeat. Retreating from a spot he picked for spending his evening without even trying to stand his ground? If it was just Rouge, maybe he'd allow it, but with Sonic here… It just seems a little too close to giving up. And Shadow does not give up when pitted against that blue fool. So he goes back to the living room with the first aid kit in hands and a newfound determination to stand his ground.
He starts by stationing himself back on the couch from which he observes Rouge and Sonic, now sat on a chair. He makes sure to look as intimidating as possible, practically shooting daggers at the both of them, but mostly at the hedgehog who suddenly winces. Though not as a result of Shadow's intimidation tactics but rather the sting of the antiseptic freshly sprayed on his wounded arm.
“Sorry, Big Blue,” the bat apologizes, no longer in the mood to strangle Sonic for his recklessness. “But we wouldn't be here if you just called for backup.”
Well, maybe she's still a little miffed.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” the hero replies, sounding like he's heard that at least twice already. “But I swear I thought I had it in the bag! Guess I got too confident for a second there.”
Rouge hums in return, preoccupied with opening a fresh packet of gauze, and for a short time it’s quiet. Shadow observes as the bat starts to wrap Sonic's arm, mainly focusing on the way his blood immediately seeps through the bandage. The hybrid silently winces at the sight and locks his gaze on Rouge instead. She, too, looks somewhat concerned but perseveres regardless.
“He needs stitches,” Shadow points out, momentarily forgetting about not wanting to be involved.
Rouge's head snaps in his direction at his words, as does Sonic's, both clearly not expecting him to take interest, and Shadow stares back at them in silence. Truth be told, he has a hard time watching improper medical care, especially when the tools required are easily accessible. He'd tried to unlearn this but ultimately came to the conclusion that being created for the sole purpose of curing Maria came with its quirks.
Finally, Rouge sighs, unwrapping the bandages, “I was really hoping you wouldn't say that, baby.”
Shadow shrugs before he gets up, the book long forgotten by now, and he makes his way over to the makeshift medical station.
“I'm pretty sure you said you wouldn't be dealing with this,” Sonic says, gesturing to himself with his hand, the one not attached to his wounded arm.
“I can do whatever I want,” Shadow retaliates, as he changes his regular gloves for a pair of sterile rubber ones and takes the seat kindly offered to him by Rouge.
“Oh, so you want to do this?” Sonic asks with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin on his face, making Shadow glare at him, halfway through taking the silk suture from its packaging.
“Don't push your luck, faker,” Shadow grumbles, “I'm armed with a needle and a thread and, since you won’t do it yourself, I will not hesitate to shut your mouth for you.”
“You'd have to try and catch me, first,” Sonic replies with a wink, completely ignoring the fact that he's in no condition to run. Rouge apparently finds it as ludicrous as Shadow, because she snorts at Sonic's attitude.
“It wouldn't be particularly difficult at the moment,” Shadow points out and finally pushes the needle through, for emphasis, to which his rival bites his lip in order not to let out any compromising sounds. “Not that it ever was.”
“Shit,” Sonic whispers on an exhale. “Are the stitches really necessary?”
“Yes,” Rouge and Shadow say in unison, and then the black hedgehog adds, “unless you want this wound to open back up countless times and possibly get infected, making the healing process much longer than it needs to be. In that case, no, they're completely optional.”
Sonic groans in defeat, going slack in the chair before his muscles tense up all over again as Shadow continues his work. Before the initial bite of the needle he briefly thought about which technique he should use and quickly settled on a simple interrupted suture. He only has nonabsorbable silk sutures at hand anyway, so anything more discreet, that wouldn't leave as much scarring, is out of the question. That, plus Sonic moves around a lot, and if he were to rip a continuous suture… Let's just say Shadow doesn't want any additional appointments with Sonic, so he’s chosen the one stitch that could leave some room for later accidents. He assumes Sonic would need that.
“You know, today may be your lucky day, after all,” Rouge muses out loud and leans against the table. “It's not often that Shadow decides to play nurse on a random Tuesday. How charming.”
While Sonic looks at her with a mix of confusion and amusement on his bruised face, Shadow presents her with his best death glare. He’s not really in the mood for bickering, much less for being called out like that. Of course he's not heartless but the public, including the hero, doesn't need to know that. Seeing Sonic—someone he's grown to respect regardless of his many flaws—badly injured never brings him any joy. Sure, the bruises and scrapes he gets when they spar give him a sense of satisfaction, but they both know when to stop. They know where the line is and they know each other's strength. They don't fight to hurt each other.
Shadow doesn't enjoy seeing good people get hurt, it doesn't feel right, especially not after what happened on the Ark. And Sonic, for all his issues, is undeniably a good person so, obviously, Shadow feels bad seeing his rival in pain and noticeably exhausted. And, contrary to what Rouge may think, he doesn't despise dressing wounds. Though, the close proximity it requires does make him just a tad too aware of his every move. Either way, his annoyance dies down to a small simmer somewhere deep in his chest. This is fine, he'll get Sonic cleaned up and he'll be out of his hair—or more accurately quills. He can still enjoy his book night, once that's all settled.
“Aww, Shadow, really?” Sonic asks, tilting his head to the side but all he gets in reply is a particularly harsh push of the needle, causing him to suck in a breath, “Okay, okay, I'll be quiet.”
“Will you, now? I didn't think you could do that,” Shadow muses and briefly looks up at Sonic to be met with an intense stare, so he quickly refocuses on his task. “Rouge, do we have ice or perhaps frozen peas?”
The purple adorning Sonic's face in a few different places, most noticeable around his right eye and just above his mouth—high contrast against the peach colored muzzle—while not exactly pleasant to look at, weirdly suits him. Shadow suspects it's because usually, when he and Sonic meet, it has to do with fighting. Whether each other or a common foe doesn't really matter, there's bruises involved in both scenarios. Shadow sees Sonic with them more often than not.
Either way, they can't be fun to deal with and neither will be Sonic’s knee if he continues to do nothing about it. As Shadow swiftly avoided the fierce stare of his rival, his eyes fell upon the lower parts of his body and the slight swelling starting to appear there did not make him particularly joyful. He just hopes it's not dislocated.
“I think so,” Rouge replies and takes a peek at Sonic’s beat up face. “Want me to grab some?”
“Yeah, I don't like the look of his knee. Nor his face but that's not that unusual,” Shadow says and gives Sonic a smug look, to which the hedgehog sticks his tongue out in retaliation. “What? Your face is annoying.”
“You know you love it,” Sonic insists with a smile, fully recovered from his rival's jab at his appearance, taking his newly pointed out annoying features in stride.
“Why would I?” Shadow asks, finishing up the stitch on the hero's arm. It's not his finest work, he'll admit, but he supposes it's the best he could do with Sonic squirming in his seat non-stop.
“Sonic, stop flirting with him, he's too dense to get it,” Rouge chimes in, propping one hand on her hip.
“How is that considered flirting?” Shadow looks up at her when he's just about to start on the second wound. “Aren't you supposed to be getting ice, anyway?”
Rouge doesn't answer any of his questions. Instead she sends him a complacent smile and turns to leave the room.
A silence falls over the two hedgehogs and for once Shadow doesn't find it very soothing.
“All those recent dates must've gotten to her head,” he explains in an effort to defuse the weird tension.
Apparently, Shadow is the only one to feel uneasy in this scenario, because Sonic leans back in the chair and casually says, “I was flirting with you, y'know?”
Shadow looks at him with furrowed brows. “Why?”
“For fun,” Sonic replies, short and simple. “She's right, you never get it. It's pretty funny.”
Shadow holds eye contact for a little longer before he focuses back on the hero's leg and resumes his stitching. “Well, then I'll start getting it so you stop.”
“Never bothered you before,” Sonic argues, a challenging smile plastered on his face when Shadow glances at him briefly.
“Your entire existence bothers me,” Shadow informs him, eyes no longer staying on the other hedgehog's face. This stitch is turning out to be much cleaner, now that Sonic is used to the unpleasant feeling and stays mostly put, or as much as his hyperactive self lets him, anyway.
“You're such a drama queen, Shads,” Sonic complains to which Shadow only shrugs. “Hey, uh-”
“What now?” the hybrid interrupts Sonic, eyes snapping back to his uncharacteristically embarrassed face. Shadow's gaze mellows a little along with the rest of his expression. There was no need to flash his canines at the blue hedgehog in the first place, he must admit, but to be fair Shadow is not in the best mood to begin with.
“I'm sorry for this whole thing, really,” Sonic apologizes. “I tried everything to make Rouge understand I'd be fine but she didn't wanna hear any of it and dragged me here instead.”
Shadow looks at the hero with slight traces of both confusion and incredulity painted across his features, before he breaks their eye contact entirely. “Well, good thing she did.”
“What?”
“I said ‘good thing she did’,” Shadow repeats.
“Yeah, I heard you,” Sonic clarifies and bends in half to try and take a look at Shadow's face. Shadow notices and begrudgingly lets him by leaning back a little. He doesn't quite meet Sonic's eyes, though.
“Don't ask stupid questions then. These—” he says gesturing at the wounds, “—were genuinely disgusting. I don't know how long you had before getting an infection.”
Sonic stays quiet for a bit too long, it's not really like him, and Shadow thinks that maybe he's being too harsh, considering how earnest his apology was, so he adds, “All I'm saying is, it's good she brought you here. At least someone could make sure you don't just leave it be, because these wouldn't magically heal on their own.”
“And that someone is you, huh?” Sonic asks, tone back to normal, which shouldn't relieve Shadow as much as it does.
“Apparently,” Shadow confirms.
Sonic hums in acknowledgement before he replies, “Thanks, Shads. But, just so you know, I would have cleaned this mess myself.”
“If you made it home in the first place,” Rouge quips, reentering the room with ice wrapped up in a clean rag. “Stop questioning my choices, Blue. Even Shadow is on my side and he reportedly hates you.”
“I really don't,” Shadow corrects her. “You need to stop using hyperboles when supposedly quoting me. It’s not a quote if you just keep putting words in my mouth.”
“Saying you respect him but don't wanna talk to him makes my argument a lot less impactful,” Rouge says in self-defense. “You know, besides it being a blatant lie. You two have been chatting away the entire time I was gone.”
Sonic is back to smiling in that annoying way that always makes Shadow want to punch him and he glares at Rouge for being the culprit of that.
“Rouge, did you know that eavesdropping is considered to be very rude?” Shadow retaliates with furrowed brows, making Sonic snicker, so Shadow briefly glances at him in confusion but the hedgehog only shrugs.
“Occupational quirk, sorry boys,” Rouge apologizes but it's clear she doesn't feel much remorse for her actions. To repent for the sin of eavesdropping she hands Sonic the ice compress, though the hero’s face doesn't show any hurt, not emotional at least. Quite the opposite, he looks fully content with the situation, smiling up at Rouge as he happily takes the ice from her.
“Thanks,” Sonic says right before the compress lands on his face, specifically on his freshly formed black eye.
Shadow keeps his gaze trained on the hero for a short while, making it as judgemental as he possibly can, before he finally nudges Sonic's wrist with his elbow, having hands full of forceps, to make him place the ice over his swollen knee instead.
“Worry about your pretty face later, hedgehog,” Shadow reprimands the hero, as he busies himself with his initial job of stitching Sonic up. “Your fighting style relies almost entirely on running and jumping around, keep that in mind.”
“It relies on my pretty face, too,” Sonic refutes. “My dashing looks distract my opponents.”
Shadow doesn't dignify that with an answer nor even a look, keeping his focus on the gash in Sonic's flesh. He only shakes his head in disappointment.
In the meantime Rouge starts to rummage through the first-aid kit in search of hydrogel dressings—the burns scattered throughout the blue fur are getting hard to ignore with his wounds now nearly done being stitched—and, after reading a few of the labels on the various boxes, she retrieves the one she's been looking for with a satisfied ‘aha!’. She crouches down to start on Sonic's left calf, gently moving his leg so she can access the wounds more easily. The hedgehog tries his best to cooperate with her while simultaneously making sure he doesn't move his other leg, seeing that Shadow is in the middle of tying a knot and would surely be more than a little annoyed if Sonic caused him to mess it up.
Speaking of Shadow, he finishes the knot, neatly cutting the suture, and first takes a look at Rouge and the hydrogel dressing being applied, then his eyes travel further up, stopping on Sonic's knee currently covered by the compress and lastly he focuses on Sonic himself, as he asks, “So, how did all of this happen?”
Sonic's face falls at the question and he fully intends on ignoring it but then Rouge butts in with, “Oh, yes, please do tell. I haven't had the chance to get any details on our way here.”
Sonic groans and runs a hand down his face. “Look, I don't know, there was a lot happening, okay?”
“Oh, come on, Big Blue, I'm sure you remember something,” Rouge eggs him on, which in turn earns her a stern look from Shadow.
“Rouge,” he scolds her before turning back to Sonic, “I'm not asking this to make fun of you. It's required for my examination.”
“Examination of what, exactly?” Sonic questions, not entirely sure he's following.
“Of whether or not you need a tetanus shot,” Shadow deadpans. “You're such a stubborn asshole sometimes.”
Sonic tries to bite back a smile but ultimately fails, making Shadow roll his eyes.
“Okay, fine, I got this one—” he says pointing at his arm, “—being thrown full force at a pile of broken Badniks.”
Shadow cringes at the image but he hums in acknowledgement for Sonic to go on.
“And the one you're stitching I, uh-” Sonic mimics Shadow and scrunches his face at the memory, “So, Eggman's bot had, like, sawblades and-”
“Right, I want you at the doctor's office tomorrow,” Shadow interrupts him, cutting the story short, and goes back to place the final bits of stitching on Sonic's thigh.
However, Rouge doesn't seem to be satisfied with the amount of information given.
“No, wait, your friends just left you like that?”
Sonic looks at her just as stunned, if not more. “What? No! No, not at all! I- Geez, come on, they would never.”
The bat looks at him with a raised brow, not convinced whatsoever.
“Seriously! It was my fault,” he assures. “We were fighting this huge robot, right, but then Egghead sent another swarm of his regular Badniks straight at the civilians and I was not having any casualties, okay? I told the gang to take care of that and that I got it covered with the big boy and, to be fair, I really thought I did.”
“You're an idiot,” Shadow comments as he ties the final knot on his stitch, which by the way is actually impressive with how clean it came out.
“You promised you wouldn't make fun of me,” Sonic says, an accusatory look landing on the Ultimate Lifeform, who has just put away the forceps along with the used needle and is now in the middle of taking off his rubber gloves.
“I certainly didn't. I don't tend to make promises I can't keep,” Shadow replies, disposing of the gloves on the floor for the time being. “Besides, is it making fun of you if it's objectively true?”
Shadow finishes his job by swiftly wrapping Sonic's wounds in bandages to secure the stitches, starting with his leg, as the hero and Rouge continue to bicker.
“Oh, come on! I really thought it would take like two or three hits to take it down at that point!” Sonic exclaims, throwing his hands up for exaggeration, only to regret it when the sting of his freshly stitched wound sends a jolt through his body. It also causes Shadow to grab and immobilize the limb so he can put the gauze on it.
“Yeah, and I really think you're an idiot,” Shadow reiterates with a barely-there smile on his face, that he hopes is not visible to the hero, as he wraps the wound site in a bandage and then moves on to take a closer look at his knee.
“Shadow could be a little nicer about it but he's right,” Rouge agrees, moving aside to let Shadow do his thing. “You may be a hero but you're not immortal, Sonic.”
Shadow's hands freeze mid-examination, if only for a second or two. It's brief, barely noticeable, if at all, and yet he can't deny it. Not when Rouge falls completely silent with a short but sharp inhale, that can only be interpreted as regret. She knows immortality is, to put it lightly, a touchy subject for Shadow, and to an extent she knows about the occasional nightmares he gets. The ‘everyone I know is dying of old age or illness’ kind.
But that is neither here nor now. Shadow's fine, certainly not in the midst of a nightmare at the moment, and he doesn't need Rouge to cautiously touch his shoulder, like he's the finest china in the cabinet. He's the Ultimate Lifeform, not a porcelain doll.
And the dead last thing he wants is Sonic catching onto the weird tension in the air, so he shrugs, swiftly getting rid of Rouge's all too gentle hand, and says dismissively, “Immortality is not quite what it’s made out to be.”
The moment the blue hedgehog raises an eyebrow at him, is the exact same second Shadow decides to direct his full attention towards Sonic's knee, squeezing the swollen joint a little tighter than he needs, just to be safe. Not in the diagnosis department, of course, but rather in the keep-Sonic-from-asking-questions one. Needless to say it works, because Sonic squirms in his seat and bites his lower lip in order to stay quiet. Mission accomplished.
Or, well, almost accomplished, because his foul play doesn't go unnoticed by the ever so observant Rouge.
“Shadow, dear, I can take it from here,” she offers, most likely trying to spare Sonic unnecessary pain, while also giving Shadow a simple way out of the situation. It's a clever strategy, considering the fact that Shadow wasn't particularly happy to see their guest in the first place. But… He can't say that providing medical care isn't an effective way to soothe his immortality-related nerves. So, after quickly thinking it over, Shadow shakes his head and lifts up Sonic's leg, making sure to be gentle this time around. Therefore, it's clearly not Shadow's fault when Sonic inevitably winces at the motion. In the end Rouge's relentless stare softens, seeing that Shadow has everything more or less under control, and she sidesteps to take the hybrid's previous spot on the couch, not leaving the room just in case.
“So, what's the diagnosis, doc?” Sonic asks when the initial surge of pain dies down to a mild throbbing.
“Your knee is sprained, you'll be fine. I’m gonna prescribe a week or two of race-less, fight-less rest,” Shadow announces, playing into Sonic's antics for once, and when the blue hedgehog opens his mouth to protest, he adds, “I'm serious, hedgehog, I want you in bed, immobilized.”
“If you wanted me in your bed you could've just–”
“Your own bed. I'm not letting you anywhere near my bedroom and that includes tonight. You're sleeping on the couch,” Shadow cuts in. “Oh, and I acknowledge that this is flirting, so you should acknowledge how utterly pointless it is.”
Sonic huffs, not quite laughing, but it's blatantly obvious he's amused. Shadow doesn't find anything he's said particularly funny but he sure as hell is not going to ask about it, releasing an avalanche of unneeded comments from both Sonic and Rouge. She may have given Shadow the stage but she's proven, time and time again, that she really does have a nasty habit of inserting herself into Shadow's business. Judging by how her ears flicker every now and again, she's listening intently, even if her eyes are glued to her phone, clicking away.
“Bad news for you, faker. Just because you catch onto it doesn't make it any less fun,” Sonic explains, seemingly having noticed Shadows confusion. “And there's no way I'm sleeping on your couch. I have important business to attend to.”
Shadow only spares him a quick, unimpressed look, before he picks up dressing Sonic’s wounds where Rouge left off. The peach fur is charred in quite a few places, usually accompanied by some minor burns on the freshly revealed skin, but Shadow doesn't pay them much attention. The one concerning him is the one just below his swollen knee, much more impressive in size. Nothing crazy, but Shadow can imagine it's like a pool of red-hot lava bubbling just beneath the surface of the hero's skin. Definitely not pleasant.
“Well, unless Rouge wants to fly your ass back home, you're stuck here for the night,” Shadow informs Sonic, as he starts to apply the hydrogel dressing, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Sonic still hisses through his teeth at the touch.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch,” Rouge decides from said couch.
“Finally, someone with half a brain—”
“You can take my bed if you want, handsome,” she interrupts Sonic with a smug smile, as she looks at him over the back of the couch. “I texted all your friends to let them know you're here. Whatever your oh-so-important business is, it can wait until tomorrow.”
Sonic groans, going slack with resignation, while Shadow shoots him a triumphant look. Not that he particularly wants the other hedgehog at his house, but letting him run off would be irresponsible at the very least.
“Though your little fox friend may fly here and bust our doors down if you don't pick up his call soon,” Rouge adds and goes to click some more, probably replying to Tails’ panicking.
Sonic flashes her a guilty smile, though Shadow thinks he's not actually apologetic about the prospect of Tails knocking down the doors to their apartment. He's fairly certain his reaction is meant directly for the fox, which is stupid because he can't see it anyway. To right his wrong, Sonic tries to turn his communicator on, unfortunately to no avail—the screen is beaten and cracked beyond belief. No wonder he had no idea someone was trying to reach him.
“Could you maybe call him? And put him on speaker?” Sonic asks, only a little bashful, as he shows off the remnants of his communicator by raising his wrist to his face. “Pretty please.”
Rouge shakes her head but dials Tails’ number, immediately clicking the speaker icon, and walks over to Sonic. He picks up in less than two beeps.
“Rouge! How is he? Is it bad? Did you tell him to pick up?” come the rapid-fire questions over the phone, making Rouge expectantly look at Sonic and causing Shadow to roll his eyes and turn away. To be completely honest, there isn’t anything he needs to do, not in the first-aid department at least, and he wonders if he should just leave them to it. Rouge is miles better at handling these kinds of situations anyway, so Shadow has no real reason for staying. He decides to busy himself with cleaning up all the blood-soaked cotton balls, throwing various discarded packaging in the trash and disposing of the used needle.
“Tails, buddy, I'm fine,” Sonic replies, trying his best to calm the young fox down. “Bad news is: you'll have to whip up a new communicator for me. Mine's smashed to bits.”
“Sonic!” Tails exclaims with a mix of relief and excitement, seemingly ignoring the so-called bad news. “I was so worried, we all were! As soon as we got rid of the Badniks, we went to help you, but by the time we got there Eggman's mech was a pile of smoking metal.”
“That'd be Rouge,” Sonic grumbles. Shadow assumes he must still be bitter to not have been the one who dealt the final blow. Doctor Eggman is Sonic’s enemy number one, after all. It only makes sense he’d want to be the one to defeat him.
Tails clearly isn’t done talking, as another set of concerns tumbles from his mouth, “We tried calling you, like, a hundred times and started looking for you everywhere. Nothing! Can you imagine how scary that was? We thought you were kidnapped or something…”
“I was kidnapped— Ow!” Sonic tries to reply, only to be cut short by Rouge smacking him on the back of his head.
A quiet giggle escapes Tails’ lips, and so must the rest of his worries, because the next question he asks is a lot lighter in tone. “So, do you need a ride home?”
“I…” Sonic trails off, looking at a disapproving Rouge, then moves his eyes towards Shadow, who only shrugs, as he picks up the rubber gloves off the floor. Sonic sighs and accepts his fate. “Rouge and Shadow think it's best if I stay the night and get some rest. You can come and get me in the morning, ‘kay, bud?”
“Oh,” Tails sounds surprised more than anything else. Not quite disappointed, and definitely not angry. Maybe a little concerned, yet again. “Yeah, sure thing, Sonic. Listen to them, okay? If they say you need rest, you probably do.”
Shadow lets out a soft hum in agreement as he stands up with the intention to put the first-aid kit back in the bathroom and swiftly remove himself from this interaction.
“Okay, okay, I'll be good, promise! And…” Sonic trails off, awkwardly rubbing his neck, “I’m sorry for scaring you guys. Not the smartest move on my part there, I gotta admit.”
Sonic's humility catches Shadow off-guard, causing him to pause mid-step. It's unusual for Sonic to express his feelings so openly, certainly not when Shadow is around to hear it. Not like the hybrid himself is ever overly eager to admit he's wrong in Sonic's presence, quite the contrary. Despite being vastly different, the two of them have a lot in common, as much as Shadow hates to admit it, and one of those things is their inability to admit defeat. At least to one another. And to Rouge, judging by how defensive Sonic was when he first stepped inside their apartment. All the more reason why this sudden humility is throwing Shadow off. There technically is a chance it's just because the hero has a soft spot for Tails, considering he's basically raised that kid, but something about it feels inexplicably off to Shadow. Now that he thinks about it, Sonic outright apologized to Shadow for disturbing his peace and quiet. Apologized. To Shadow The Hedgehog, of all people. The realization brings a certain kind of uneasiness along with it and the hybrid doesn't like it in the slightest.
It makes him wonder if Sonic's missteps weren't entirely caused by his usual recklessness. Instead he looks for the cause in Sonic's mind possibly being elsewhere during the fight.
Shadow wouldn't consider himself a curious person but he finds this deviation from the norm somewhat intriguing. It's what makes him change his decision and stay. Call it ‘keeping Sonic for observation’.
“Yeah, don't do that again,” comes Tails’ voice from the speaker. It's light but there's a certain seriousness to it. “I'm glad you're okay, though.”
“Me too, bud,” Sonic agrees. “See ya tomorrow, yeah?”
“I'll be there first thing in the morning–” Tails cuts himself off to correct himself, “–or, well, more likely around noon, ‘cause I know you're gonna sleep in.”
Sonic rolls his eyes but there’s a persistent fond smile firmly plastered on his face. “Chaos, forbid a guy gets a decent amount of sleep around here.”
Another round of quiet giggles comes from the phone, preceding the reply, “I’ll see you tomorrow, tell Rouge and Shadow I said ‘hi’.”
“Tell them yourself, they can hear you.”
“Oh,” Tails is audibly flustered by the sudden realization that his private conversation wasn't so private after all, but he quickly recovers, so when he replies his voice is chipper as ever, “Hi, guys! I know he can be a lot but, please, keep an eye on Sonic for me.”
Shadow only scoffs at the implication that Sonic could ever be too much to handle. He's not only the Ultimate Lifeform, but also well acquainted with the blue hedgehog and his antics. More than he'd like to admit, at that. Sure, Sonic is clever, agile, the self-appointed Fastest Thing Alive (Shadow would beg to differ), and terribly stubborn at times. The hybrid is sure a regular Mobian would find it near impossible to supervise him, even in his current condition. Shadow, however, likes to think he's one of the few creatures in this world who can keep up with him. He also knows that's partially why Sonic respects him as much as he does.
Rouge chastises him with a side-eye to show her disapproval. She's no goody two shoes but there's no denying she likes Sonic and his friends, and as far as Shadow is concerned, the feeling is mutual. Sometimes Shadow feels like she's a mother, wanting her kids to play nice. But only sometimes. Only when she deems it necessary.
It's worth noting that Shadow is her favorite child in this scenario, which is why she usually doesn't mitigate his hostility.
Today is an off day for everyone, it would seem.
“Don’t worry, fox boy. We'll take good care of him, right, Shadow?” Rouge assures the kit, elbowing her flatmate in the shoulder.
“I've cared plenty enough today, I'm done. But suit yourself.” Shadow doesn't plan on admitting he wants to make sure Sonic is fine. Besides, he's not sure if he does this out of concern for Sonic's well-being or for the fate of the planet. Maybe it's a little bit of both, maybe it's neither, and Sonic's weird behavior only unsettles him because he's not used to it. Maybe the sudden change in something, or more accurately someone, that's been a constant factor in his life for such a long time is all there is to blame.
He realizes it sounds an awful lot like caring.
Tails’ reply snaps Shadow out of his thoughts. “Right… Either way, I know you guys can handle it, I trust you. See you tomorrow?”
“Doesn't seem like we have a choice, does it, little man?” Rouge teases him with a sly smile, to which Tails huffs out an embarrassed laugh. “You should rest, too.”
“And make sure to drop Sonic off at the clinic on your way home tomorrow,” Shadow cuts in, earning a disgruntled noise from Sonic.
“Will do!” Tails exclaims before he signs off, “It was nice talking to you, bye, guys!”
“See ya!” Sonic pipes up before his finger lands on the red ‘end call’ button.
* * *
Around an hour later, once everything is back in its place—with the exception of Sonic who's undeniably not where he usually would be—all three of them are squished on the couch, watching a movie. Not that the couch isn't big enough to fit them, not at all. The unusual lack of space is entirely caused by the blue intruder, who first claimed he needed extra room to rest his leg (eventually propping it against Rouge's lap) and then he had the audacity to fall asleep halfway through the movie in that atrocious position.
All of this tomfoolery made Shadow debate whether he should change his mind and get off the couch to spare Rouge from her legs going numb after half an hour, but whenever he made a move to stand up Rouge's hand would appear on his wrist, a silent question on her face.
Everything okay?
The answer was ‘yes’ each time so he stayed, knowing that Rouge wanted him there. His last attempt at fleeing the room took place right as he'd heard the soft snores coming out of Sonic's mouth. His main reason for agreeing to Rouge's movie night idea in the first place was observing Sonic a little longer, and him falling asleep rendered Shadow's presence there completely useless.
Rouge clearly had other ideas, though, and if watching her silly movie with him made her happy, he was willing to oblige.
Speaking of Rouge, she starts to gently remove Sonic's leg off her lap, when the movie is less than 10 minutes away from ending. She stands up, placing Sonic's injured limb in her spot on the couch, and stretches in front of the TV, causing Shadow to quirk his eyebrow at her.
“My bladder is on the verge of exploding,” she explains in a hushed voice. “And someone clearly needs to get the bed ready for Sonic.”
Shadow nods, and with that Rouge is off, leaving him alone with his unconscious rival. As her footsteps fade, the hybrid gives Sonic a brief once-over, starting from the extended leg closest to him, moving up towards his head, taking note of all the injuries his gaze meets along the way. Finally, he locks eyes with the soft expression on Sonic’s face, barely having the time to appreciate the peaceful look before it’s gone, broken up by his muscles contracting and forming into a scowl. It raises Shadow’s suspicions, makes him tense up and causes him to watch Sonic even closer in an attempt to determine the reason for this sudden change. Over the course of the next minute the muscle movement spreads from just the hero’s face to his whole body, currently trying to curl in on itself, and soon Shadow hears a whimper. He’s about ninety percent sure it’s not a pain-induced one, since he grabbed ahold of Sonic’s injured leg to immobilize it as soon as he saw him stir in his sleep. Sonic’s movement isn’t erratic enough to strain any of the stitches either, so Shadow declares it safe to assume that whatever the cause of the pathetic-sounding noises is, it must be psychological.
“Mhh… am s’rry…” Sonic mumbles, barely coherent but it’s enough for Shadow to make it out in the midst of all the other murmurs and slurred words. There’s no doubt Sonic is apologizing, yet again, and it’s not even a conscious decision this time. It confirms Shadow’s theory that something is clearly weighing down on him.
The hybrid lets out a deflated sigh and pauses the movie. He’s really had it with the apologies today.
“Sonic,” he tries to get the other’s attention, gently shaking his shoulder, but it has no effect on the nightmare-ridden hedgehog so he repeats louder, “Sonic, wake up.”
Nothing. Shadow groans in frustration. He doesn’t want to shout and alarm Rouge while he’s at it, assuming she’d be relentless in her investigation upon hearing all that ruckus, so he settles for a much less pleasant route — he gives Sonic’s injured knee a very, very firm squeeze, which, by the way, works absolute wonders because the hero’s eyes instantly shoot open with a short yelp.
“What? What’s up?” Sonic asks, clearly startled. His breathing is quickened and uneven, and his eyes can’t seem to pick one spot on Shadow’s face to look at.
The hybrid’s stare is nothing short of scrutiny, staying focused on the frantic display in front of him, before he answers with a question of his own, “Nightmare?”
“What? No,” Sonic denies, leaning back on the couch to feign nonchalance, though his resolve crumbles as soon as he meets the blood-red eyes of his rival, picking up on the fact that ‘no’ was likely the wrong answer. “I mean, maybe? I dunno, man, I don’t remember.”
Shadow only hums in response, deciding to confront Sonic with nothing but his intense stare and deafening silence. It seems to be especially unbearable for the blue hedgehog right now, which will sooner or later make him talk on his own accord. Far more effective than any words that could possibly tumble from his own mouth, Shadow deduces.
For a while it’s a silent battle. Sonic soon breaks their eye-contact, opting to turn his entire body towards the television screen, even if it means taking his leg off the couch, i.e. he chooses pain over risking any chance at looking at Shadow. It doesn’t help him a whole lot either because he can definitely still feel the judgemental gaze piercing a hole through his head. Good, Shadow intends to make him as uncomfortable as possible, otherwise he’ll never address the elephant in the room. It takes exactly one move from him, for Sonic to break. In this case it’s as simple as a slight tilt of his head.
“What?” Sonic’s head snaps back in Shadow’s direction. “Anything you wanna tell me?”
Shadow quietly scoffs at that. “I think I should be the one asking.”
“What are you even talking about?” Sonic asks, brows drawn together in confusion. He runs a hand down his face with a groan. “I can’t do this today, first Rouge, now you. What is up with you two? Did she say something to you? And where is she, anyway?”
“Preparing a bed for you,” Shadow replies, picking the easiest question to answer, much to Sonic’s dissatisfaction, which he shows by raising his eyebrows expectantly. Shadow leans back on the couch, crossing his arms and finally taking his gaze off of Sonic. “You keep acting like you’re guilty of unspeakable crimes today. You’ve apologized three times in the span of less than four hours, once to me, once to Miles, and once just now, in your sleep.”
Sonic doesn’t reply, only shrinks in on himself a little, so Shadow continues, this time looking directly at the other hedgehog. “Look, Sonic, I don’t know what your problem is, and you certainly haven’t been of any help in figuring it out, but at this point it’s just… unnerving. I know you’re nothing if not careless and you dive head-first into danger—” Sonic winces at being berated by Shadow, which makes the hybrid aware of the accusatory tone he’s been using, so he makes an effort to say the rest of his sentence much more softly, “—but I can’t say you don’t do it well, faker. You’re not an amateur and under regular circumstances I wouldn’t even have to see you today.”
The last few words must’ve been the wrong choice because Sonic’s demeanor changes, right as Shadow thinks he’s managed to crack the protective shell the hero had built around himself. It's as if Shadow accidentally presented him with a window of opportunity, a chance to strike back.
“And that’s exactly where you’re wrong,” Sonic refutes, no longer small and unsure. “You wouldn’t have to see me if Rouge was in the tiniest little bit capable of minding her own business.”
Shadow feels himself grow frustrated at the stubbornness of his rival. Why is this blue idiot so adamant on insisting he was fine, and to Shadow no less. Seriously? Shadow? The same one who not only saw the damage with his own two crimson-red eyes, but also played a major part in fixing said damage? Shadow’s needle was stabbed through his damn flesh two hours ago, for Chaos’ sake!
He takes a deep, steadying breath. “Yes, and she wouldn’t be interested if your ‘business’ wasn’t nearly killing yourse-” Shadow cuts himself off and groans, seeing that his little breathing exercise did nothing to help him keep his composure. This is pointless, anyway. So much for trying to care about this stubborn asshole. What kind of preposterous idea was that in the first place? Since when was Shadow on the list of Sonic’s trusted confidants to share his struggles with? He wasn’t, isn’t, and never will be is the answer, point blank. “It doesn’t matter, you should go to bed. I can show you to Rouge’s room.”
“I…” Sonic starts but whatever words he's looking for must flee his mind entirely, because that's where his sentence ends. Upon a closer look, Shadow can distinguish his expression as remorse and that's when it hits him. The words dying on Sonic's tongue were another apology.
“Come on.” Shadow stands up, stopping besides Sonic. “How's your knee? Do you need any assistance?”
Sonic blinks twice, like he's confused by Shadow's retreat. Like the cold, calculated questions are something completely new to him and not the status quo. Like, somehow, this hurts him more than Shadow's outburst, more than any of the punches he's ever thrown the hero's way, and more than any of his current injuries. It's as if Sonic hoped for this fight to escalate and got awfully disappointed at Shadow's ability to school his expression and regain his professionalism.
Whatever feelings Sonic happens to bottle up inside are not doing him any favors. It's painfully obvious he needs an outlet—something he saw an opportunity for in the growing tension between them.
Shadow would say he hates to disappoint him but it'd be a lie. He's moderately okay with being a healthy outlet for Sonic tonight but a shouting match doesn't fit this standard.
Sonic recovers from the sudden change of air between them by shaking his head and soon enough he's making an effort to get off the couch. It's not pleasant to either of them and Shadow rolls his eyes at the pitiful display in front of him. Though, as fed up as he is, his hands still make their way over to Sonic's body, when his knees buckle under his weight upon taking a step.
“Yeah, I might need a hand,” Sonic admits out loud, even though it doesn't need to be said when the only thing keeping him from having an intimate one on one meeting with the floor is Shadow's grip.
“Clearly,” Shadow agrees, getting Sonic to stand on his own so he can move to the same side as his sprained knee. He then firmly grabs his waist, putting Sonic's own arm around Shadow's shoulders and with that all set, they slowly make their way towards the bedroom. It's going fine until they reach the stairs. It's not to say they don't try their best to overcome this newly arisen challenge but a couple steps in they both seem to have come to the same conclusion – it's more work than it is worth.
“Maybe I should sleep on the couch,” Sonic ponders, making Shadow shake his head.
“Or I could just carry you upstairs,” he offers, sending a questioning look to Sonic.
“You are such a gentleman, Shadow,” Sonic teases with a cocky smile, which Shadow takes as a ‘yes’ and swiftly hauls the other hedgehog up, holding him by his back and knees, bridal style. The lack of a warning forces a small surprised noise out of Sonic and causes him to instinctively latch onto Shadow, wrapping both of his arms around the hybrid's neck in a vice-like grip, to which Shadow only raises an eyebrow at him. It's mostly confusion but because it's Shadow, and because it's directed at Sonic, the gesture is thickly laced with judgement. Not particularly favorable, at that.
Safe to say, it doesn't phase Sonic because the hero replies with another one of his stupid grins, though he does relax his body a little. Shadow anticipated a similar reaction, expecting nothing less from the hero. It's no secret that his annoyed stares and irritated growls don't really work on Sonic, they never have, to be completely frank. That much Shadow has been aware of for a while now. As of today, he’s also learned that Sonic's happy-go-lucky act crumbles rather easily under the pressure of poignant observations. It's also been made quite clear that Sonic will do anything not to let himself fall apart in front of Shadow, but that's merely a reminder, not newly acquired knowledge. His rival may trust him with his life but whatever's going on inside that concussed head of his is strictly off-limits.
Shadow rolls his eyes in response to Sonic’s grin and adjusts his hold on the hero before he resumes their trudge up the stairs. He sincerely hopes they won't bump into Rouge on their way because he really doesn't need another nuisance to deal with. Knowing that Sonic is struggling with nondescript unresolved issues, which affect his performance in battle, is already well past concerning. The last thing he wants to put up with right now is Rouge’s smart mouth. He's grateful for everything she's done and he truly enjoys her company but, Chaos, that woman can be a serious pain in his ass, when she wants to be.
A wave of relief washes over him once they make it upstairs. The light in the bathroom is on, accompanied by the quiet sound of the shower running. They're at least temporarily free of ridicule.
“Why are we just standing here?” Sonic asks when Shadow halts in front of Rouge's room. “We gotta say the password or somethin’? Open sesame?”
The words spilling out of Sonic’s mouth are snarky amongst a few other adjectives but to Shadow they’re first and foremost annoying, especially the hint of Sonic’s well-rehearsed cheerful attitude weaving its way in between his sentences. It’s starting to get on Shadow's nerves. There isn’t a single soul in their vicinity that would be fooled by the hero’s feeble attempts at concealing his inner turmoil, not Shadow, not Rouge—she’s not a world renowned spy for nothing—hell, if Omega was here he would've been able pinpoint Sonic’s peculiar behavior sooner than Shadow. If this blue bundle of nerves doesn’t want to talk about it, then so be it, it’s not Shadow’s place to police him. But to try and act oblivious to it—after already slipping up in front of Shadow, too!—is just plain stupid and it grates Shadow even more than Sonic’s so-called flirting ever did.
“You have to open the door for me, idiot,” Shadow grumbles to communicate just how much he's not in the mood for this right now. “My hands are full, if you haven't noticed.”
Thankfully Sonic does as he's told, letting them both inside the room. The blinds are drawn, on top of the lights being off, shrouding the place in near pitch-black darkness, and out of sheer curiosity, Shadow takes a look at Sonic's face, trying to determine if the other hedgehog can see in the dark. He doesn't get a clear answer—he would most likely need to outright ask about it to get one—but he's able to confidently classify Sonic's night vision as far less advanced than his own, since he doesn't notice Shadow staring at him. Not that it's much of a surprise to him, anyway. He is the Ultimate Lifeform, after all, and he was equipped with enhanced vision at night by the Professor. Well, if there’s one thing certain, it's that he'll keep this little discovery in mind for future encounters with the hero.
Shadow gently sets Sonic down on the bed, noting that Rouge used her least favorite covers for this special occasion. He can't really blame her. Shadow isn't even sure he's planning to sleep tonight, yet he himself would not have dreamt of ever giving his own bed up for Sonic, that's the first thing, but to offer it up when he's not only still somewhat dirty from the battle, but also covered in cuts, scrapes and two decent-sized, freshly stitched wounds? Ones that could—though Shadow doubts it, having done a solid job of stitching them—reopen during the night? That's nothing short of insane to him, so giving Sonic the most worn out bed covers is the least Rouge could do to seem a little less out of her mind.
“You know I could've made it to the bed on my own, right?” Sonic asks in tandem with Shadow switching the bedside lamp on, causing him to glare at the hero. “Not that I'm complaining. Wanna tuck me in, as well?”
For a while Shadow continues to do nothing but stare at the other hedgehog, hoping to once again make him uncomfortable with the silence, but to no avail. Looks like Sonic has successfully put his walls back up, drowning every single problem contained by them in a pool of faux confidence and overexaggerated cockiness. Shadow is done enabling his rival's less than desirable coping habits for tonight, so he turns to leave the room.
And one thing to note about Shadow, is that he knows how to make an exit, so just before he reaches the door he looks at Sonic over the shoulder. “Sort your shit out before it kills you.”
With that Shadow steps out of the room but the moment he's about to close the door behind him, Sonic’s voice stops him in his tracks. “Wait!”
The hybrid backs up, reentering the bedroom to lean against the wall facing the bed. He’s keeping a considerable distance between Sonic and himself, and any other person, maybe besides Rouge, would think Shadow was acting disinterested and aloof. In reality that’s not exactly the case and he’s confident that Sonic knows this fully well. Had his rival had any doubts about whether or not Shadow genuinely cared, they wouldn’t be having this conversation at all, as previously stated. And while yes, Shadow does care to some extent, he still has his own boundaries and reservations, one of them being a categorical opposition to sudden displays of physical affection. In other words, he does not want to risk Sonic hugging him or worse, crying into his shoulder, as one of the two ways for that to end is Shadow’s quills bristling and poking new wounds in his rival’s flesh, with the other way involving a rather brutal meeting of Shadow’s fist with Sonic’s teeth. Or both. Neither of which would be helpful, so Shadow stays plastered against the wall.
“I’m all ears,” he announces in order to encourage Sonic to finally spit it out.
“Try not to kick my ass for this, okay? Y’know, let’s avoid creating more injuries to patch up,” is what he leads with, continuing only after Shadow nods in agreement, “I’m kinda jealous of your immortality.”
Okay, yeah, Shadow does want to kick his teeth in and the safe distance he’s put between them will not be long enough for the rage bubbling up in the pit of his stomach to dissipate before he reaches that pesky rodent and socks him straight in the face. Shadow knows the scowl adorning his own face is not pretty, and if he couldn’t feel it through his own muscles the way Sonic nervously swallows would tell him everything he needs to know. It takes a lot for Sonic to be affected by Shadow’s angry glares. He knows he struck a nerve, he knew it even before telling Shadow.
Right, he did ask for Shadow not to resolve to violence. Shadow makes a genuine attempt at being civil about this, not sure if he can deem it a successful one, when his teeth are still bared in a snarl and as his eyes shoot daggers at his rival when he asks, “What in the world are you even talking about? There is nothing to envy about it.”
Sonic’s mouth opens and closes a few times, only causing the hybrid to grow more impatient. He knows he only has himself to blame for this, he did put Sonic on the spot, after all, so it doesn't shock Shadow to find out the hero doesn’t have his thoughts sorted out quite yet. Shadow is acutely aware of just how difficult finding the right words can be, and yet it does nothing to help him conjure up as much as an ounce of compassion for the hedgehog. Sonic needs to say something to save his sorry ass and he needs to say it fast.
Eventually Sonic takes a deep breath and starts to defend himself, “Look, Shadow, I get it, you have your qualms with it, but…” he sits upright on the bed, like he’s trying to get on Shadow’s level, quite literally. Naturally, he fails and Shadow does nothing to meet him half-way. “I just need you to look at it from a different angle, 180 degrees would be ideal.”
It’s not quite the ass-saving response that Shadow was hoping for but it does pose for a decent prelude to one, so he raises an expectant eyebrow at the hero, making him elaborate, “Okay, so if you’re at odds with your immortality, then imagine I’m the exact opposite.”
Shadow shifts his body weight slightly as he mauls the words over. He knows what Sonic’s getting at, but compared to the fate of eternal doom, he can’t see any reason for wanting this life, and finally speaks up to tell Sonic as much, “I don’t mean to sound indelicate but this is the most unreasonable, brain-dead statement I’ve ever heard from you. You do not want to witness all of your friends’ deaths, one by one.”
Sonic is apparently feeling brave because he dares to roll his eyes at his rival, while he’s still more than ready to wipe the floor with him, fair-play be damned.
“Of course I don’t,” the hero agrees, his body relaxing, if only marginally. “I also don’t want to see the world fall into ruin without me.”
Shadow blinks twice before he scoffs out of sheer shock. This is his reason for wanting to be immortal? He wants this out of some… skewed sense of obligation? Shadow finds himself almost stunned at that and he doesn’t know what to say, so he nitpicks the logical error in Sonic’s thinking, “Technically you won’t see it once you’re dead.”
The hero stares at him with an emotion Shadow finds hard to decipher for a while, the silence stretching in the space between them, and the hybrid thinks he must’ve said the wrong thing, but then Sonic closes his eyes and smiles with a small nod.
“Not unless I turn into a spooky ghost,” he theorizes, eyes back open and locked on Shadow. “And then I’ll haunt you forever.”
Shadow would be a dirty liar if he said he wasn’t deeply confused at the sudden turn this conversation took but decides to join whatever game Sonic’s playing. “I think that’s considered inhumane.”
Sonic lets out the faintest of laughs, something Shadow isn’t sure he’s ever heard from his mouth before, and tries to stand up, pushing himself off the bed with his hands. Shadow’s body moves quicker than his brain, immediately stepping closer to the hero in case he needs to be caught again. He doesn’t. Sonic successfully gets to his feet without any help, ergo no need for Shadow’s assistance, and while he wasn’t being unreasonable in his assumption, he still feels a wave of embarrassment wash over him. The safe distance between them shrinks significantly as well, no longer safe or even really a distance. Sonic’s is at an arm’s length from him now and the suddenly sullen look the hero shares with Shadow is nearly unbearable for him to hold. This is not a proximity he’s comfortable with when dealing with someone’s emotional baggage. Especially Sonic’s.
“Seriously, though,” the hero says, quiet and soft and everything that Shadow feels wrong hearing in his voice. “What happens once I get too old for this and have to retire–”
“Unlikely.”
Sonic nods in agreement. “Or I end up dying on the battlefield because I don’t know when to quit. Who’s gonna take my place?”
Shadow feels weird in all the worst ways, his skin crawls and he can feel his spines on the verge of bristling. He thinks he’s the least competent person in the galaxy for Sonic to be talking about this with. When he tried to get to the bottom of his rival’s unusual behavior, he did not anticipate discussing one of his worst fears with him, only having the perspective switched around.
He can’t conjure up a single coherent thought with an existential-crisis-ridden Sonic in his personal space, so he finally breaks and takes a step back, causing those piercing green eyes to stare at him with confusion now, rather than the previous melancholy.
“Sorry to disappoint but if you expect me to say ‘I will’ you’re talking to the wrong person,” he informs Sonic, valuing honesty over meaningless reassurances. That, and also the fact that he really doesn’t make promises he can’t keep.
“Y’know, you could just lie to make me feel better,” Sonic points out, to which Shadow only shakes his head.
“I don’t want to lie to you when you’re vulnerable. It wouldn’t be fair,” he explains, though Sonic doesn’t look too convinced. Shadow averts his gaze and sighs. He should act on his words, he thinks as he sits down on the bed and lets his guard down. He’s right. If Sonic can be open and honest, Shadow should match his energy, letting his words convey what he usually communicates through actions. It’s the only way to truly show Sonic respect, something Shadow has never tried to hide particularly hard. “Follow your doctor’s orders and sit down, will you?”
Sonic does as he’s told, carefully lowering himself down onto the bed. Shadow doesn’t look at him but he can feel the mattress dip beneath his rival next to him.
“Any other important advice I need to hear from this doctor?” Sonic asks, likely noticing Shadow’s struggle to get on the same level of vulnerability as him.
The hybrid hums affirmatively but stays silent for another minute or so, formulating a reply. He doesn’t want to come off harsh or arrogant, trying to choose his words as wisely as he can, all the while having very little emotional capacity for anything like this. Eventually he looks in Sonic’s direction, though he can’t bring himself to meet his eyes. “I can’t help you cope with the prospect of your own death. I don’t know what that feels like, therefore I just wouldn’t know how to come to terms with it, and I have no means of eliminating it, either. As you already noticed I’m really no use when it comes to death-related anxieties in general.”
Shadow takes a pause and Sonic uses the momentary silence to butt in, “Yeah, wow, real comforting, Shads, thank you.”
“Shut up, I’m not finished,” the hybrid growls at Sonic, not wanting to lose his train of thought. “What I’m trying to say is… Death is difficult, one way or another, but you’re not scared of death.”
“I literally just told you I was,” Sonic interrupts again. If he doesn’t keep his mouth shut, Shadow will abandon his clearly terrible attempts at reassurance and he’ll resort to violence.
“No, asshole, stop interrupting me,” Shadow scolds him before he continues, “You feel guilty for being able to die. That’s a different thing entirely, one that you shouldn't even be concerned with in the first place.”
Sonic goes to say something but the hybrid stops him before he can make a single sound.
“Can it, I have more to say,” Shadow informs his rival, who heaves an annoyed sigh, earning a kick to the shin. “Listen, you can play the hero all you want, it’s clear you enjoy it, but don’t let yourself think you’re responsible for the entire planet and every living creature on it. If you keep being so self-sacrificial you’ll inevitably succeed in sacrificing yourself, so, for the love of Chaos, stop putting the weight of the world on your shoulders. It will only slow you down.”
This time Sonic doesn’t have anything to say, opting to dumbfoundedly stare at Shadow with his eyebrows raised high, and his jaw hanging low. He looks ridiculous and the hybrid needs to turn away not to point and laugh at him. That would most definitely undermine everything he said and he doesn’t want that, having meant every single word of his.
When Sonic stays quiet, Shadow looks back at him, clears his throat and adds, “But if it makes you feel better, you know I wouldn’t let the world fall apart without putting up a fight.”
“I…” Sonic trails off, seemingly at a loss for words. “Sorry, I just never expected to hear a pep talk from you. Not a successful one, at least.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Shadow bites back, looking away again, only to be met with the sight of Rouge with her back propped against the doorframe, eliciting a groan out of him.
“Sorry to cut your lovely chat short,” she apologizes, as she invites herself fully inside the room, but her heart is obviously not in it, and she brings a glass of water up to her head, “I just thought our guest would appreciate having something to drink when he wakes up.”
She makes a show of ever-so-slowly putting the glass away on the nightstand, taking her sweet time as Sonic sends slightly panicked glances towards Shadow over and over again. It doesn’t help him much because the hybrid is currently too busy death-glaring at Rouge, who’s naturally entirely unphased.
“I have to admit I was expecting to see you passed out in the bed already,” she says, turning to Sonic, and Shadow thinks she’s full of shit. “Not so sleepy now, are we?”
Sonic squirms under her gaze, which Shadow does find a little entertaining, though he’s still bitter she was eavesdropping again.
“Yeah, well, that nap on the couch really got me back on my feet, ya know,” the hero replies, trying to act casual. It’s pointless and only gives Rouge more ammo to fire back at him, which is exactly why Shadow stays silent. Silence is extremely hard to work with.
“The nap? Really?” she asks with a truly theatrical hand to her chest. “And here I thought it was Shadow showing you a shred of empathy.”
Sonic turns to look at Shadow, who seems calm on the outside but both of the people staring at him know him well enough to see he’s on the verge of committing manslaughter.
Fine, if Rouge wants drama, she’ll get drama. That is, a masterful, truly impressive class in acting from none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, who gives her his best shocked expression, only to say, “What? Shadow? Don’t be stupid. Talking to Shadow is so exhausting, actually—” he fake-yawns, stretching his arms, hand landing on Shadow’s shoulder, “—so I think I’m gonna hit the hay.”
He uses Shadow for leverage, putting most of his weight on the hybrid to stabilize himself, as he struggles to stand up. Once he's on his feet, he starts to gently press on Shadow's back, urging him off the bed and towards the door and proceeds to give Rouge the same treatment, slowly but surely stumbling in the direction of the hall. He evicts the bat out of her own bedroom first, parting with her with a rushed ‘goodnight’, so he can nudge Shadow to face him. Sonic looks… better, is what the hybrid sets on. Sure, his muzzle and the area around one of his eyes are both still stained with an ugly purple, that hasn’t changed one bit, but Shadow can tell Sonic feels lighter after their talk. The eyes meeting his own are a vibrant green, sparkling with what can only be described as hope, bright and carefree, just the way they should be. Shadow can't help but to feel accomplished, having given Sonic a chance to be happy, fulfilling the promise he made all those years ago, surrounded by the vastness of space. So when the hero mouths a silent ‘thank you’ to Shadow, he replies with a proud nod, and then he, too, gets the boot. Sonic will be okay, is what Shadow walks away with from that interaction, joining Rouge in the hallway.
“Well, wasn't that awfully sweet of you, Shadow,” the bat teases him once the door closes behind him. "Maybe I oughta bring your boyfriend over more often.”
Shadow sizes her up with an icy stare, hoping to chill her down to the very bone with nothing but his own two eyes. Predictably, he doesn’t manage anything even remotely close, sighing in defeat as they start to walk towards the staircase. “You need to stop ridiculing me for doing the right thing.“
“It’s just how I express fondness!” Rouge protests, pretending that her flatmate’s words hurt her feelings.
“Find another way, I don’t care,” Shadow tells her, as they reach the stairs.
“Alright, alright, you big baby,” Rouge backs down in tandem with the wooden boards creaking under her feet. “I’m proud of you and how you handled the situation. And sorry for ruining your day off.”
“Better start thinking of a way to make it up to me,” Shadow suggests, donning a small smile, as he looks at the bat.
“I’m sure I can find appropriate compensation for your inconvenience,” Rouge assures him, causing the smile on Shadow’s face to grow wider and more satisfied, only for her to rid him of it entirely with her next sentence, “How about we start with a sleepover?”
Shadow groans as he glances at Rouge, then at the couch in their living room, and back at his flatmate. He wants to decline, just to be petty but he knows Rouge needs proper rest, while he doesn't. He won't actually mind spending the night in his chair, finally finishing his long forgotten book.
“Fine,” Shadow agrees, deflated, entering the kitchen to grab a protein bar from the pantry, with Rouge following closely behind. A brilliant idea strikes him, when his eyes land upon the piled-up plates in the sink. “But you're doing the dishes tomorrow.”
“For you? Anything,” Rouge replies, stealing the protein bar from Shadow's grasp before he can even take a bite, just to give it a taste herself. It doesn't seem to satisfy her because she pulls a weird face while chewing. “You seriously like this?”
Shadow shrugs, ripping his sweet treat out of Rouge's thieving claws to take a proud bite. And to really rub it in, he looks his flatmate in the eyes as he chews, to which she replies with a stare of her own, less impressed and more repulsed than anything else.
“I can’t believe they equipped you with everything but a working set of taste buds.”
Shadow doesn't grace her with a reply, continuing to snack on his protein bar, but that pesky smile makes its way back to his face and maybe, just maybe, a warm, faintly familiar thought blooms in the back of his mind for the first time in over fifty years, its delicate petals shaping into something a little bit like love, while the rustle of its leaves sounds similar to ‘I’m glad I’m not alone’.
He hopes for this thought to never wither.