Absorbing Chaos

by EmmaSmoke

Summary:

During a routine mission, Shadow's inhibitor rings go missing among the wreckage. It takes all of his self-control to keep from imploding himself or destroying everything around him with the force of a nuclear blast. When he fears it's too late, Sonic arrives. For some reason, Sonic can absorb the chaos energy, preventing Shadow from suffering...

...at least until an odd memory of Sonic being on the ARK floats to the forefront of his mind.

-
Gameverse (unspecified point but technically after Heroes/Shadow the Hedgehog. There are no spoilers; it's just that Shadow, Rouge, and Omega are G.U.N. agents)
Trigger Warning: Pain/agony
More info about the AU in the endnote

The roof is partially missing. Many of the walls are seconds away from collapsing. Sirens continue blaring out an emergency signal even when all the bulbs have stopped flashing with their red light. The metallic carcasses of Badniks lie dismantled across the ground of the base, parts strewn about with no regard to what they originally belonged to. There are other machines laid to rest, too. If someone could put these pieces together, they would find creations that were not made by Ivo Robotnik’s hand. They were stolen from distant islands and opened pocket dimensions—ancient automatons that might have served war purposes like they are right now. In those times, however, they were never put up against the might of the planet’s strongest protectors (for many do not consider themselves to be ‘heroes’). They perished alongside the Badniks, and that is evident in the unmistakable destruction littering out of Eggman’s base.

 

Among the debris, two bracelets have been lost to the decimation, hidden away in the fallen bodies or beneath the crumbling rubble. In the darkness, no light is able to dance across the golden exterior to attract people’s attention. They make no noise, either. They have been balanced in such a way that gravity will not drag them down to hit the ground. It would be easier to let the bracelets remain lost instead of fervently looking for them.

 

This, however, is not an option. Shadow stands within the wreckage. He caused a fair portion of it, and he’s causing so much more damage simply from being there. A fiery, bloody aura surrounds his body. Burnt orange lightning cackles within the growing cloud, matching the fierce glow of his crimson irises. Although he remains on his feet, his spine curls, bringing his shoulders lower to the ground. His muscles rapidly tense and spasm, jerking toward and away from himself. He stares down at them, but his eyes are bordering on unseeing. The blood pumping throughout him boils to the point that the sweat slipping between his fur evaporates into steam the instant it forms.

 

The walls and ceiling that were standing up so well against the onslaught of the battle are being thrown away with the strength of a harsh wind. The solid concrete beneath the soles of his shoes cracks, splintering outward with such depth and width that the Badniks and other automatons start falling into the darkness. The machines themselves are being fractured more and more even though Shadow hasn’t taken a step toward them. His focus isn’t even on them.

 

Shadow’s focus is entirely on controlling the overwhelming, painful chaos energy storming through his form. There is a baseline hurt from the pressure this inflicts on him, and it gets doubled every time a new challenge presents itself. He knows that he’s overheating. He knows that his blood vessels and meridians are bursting. He knows that he’s going to burn his flesh away until there’s nothing left—a more gruesome version of a melting candle beneath an inflamed wick. He knows, yet he can do nothing but suffer.

 

Shadow cannot sense the others, but there’s a part of him that’s aware they’re searching through the rubble for his inhibitor rings in order to help him. They must have called for reinforcements, too. Anything to stop the walking chaos energy bomb—equal in magnitude and terror as one that’s nuclear in nature—from finally losing control of himself and incinerating everything within a wide, wide radius, including himself and the people he has come to care about.

 

Shadow crumples onto his knees. Every scrap of strength is being used to hold himself together—to tether the chaos energy that wants to escape him inside. Shadow doesn’t know how much longer he can last, however. The pain is far too unbearable. The promise he made to protect this planet and the love he has left for his teammates are the only things keeping him from unleashing the destruction that will both save and kill him, but those memories are becoming foreign as every sense his body pleads for release.

 

Outside his awareness, Rouge and Omega—and the other G.U.N. agents who were on the scene—are yelling for someone to stop. Shadow thinks they’re talking about him until he feels someone enter the space around him. His chaos energy is drawn toward the figure. Shadow lifts his head to stare at them. He finds himself looking into a pair of emerald green eyes. The thick aura surrounding Shadow seems to merge directly into peach fur, burnt orange lightning cackling between the deep blue quills. Shadow opens his mouth to command Sonic to flee as far as he can, but his voice is completely silent in his throat. He doesn’t get anything out before Sonic kneels beside him. Sonic moves his arms around Shadow’s body, shoving the hybrid’s face into Sonic’s shoulder.

 

Shadow gasps. He can hear it, too. He hears his breathing. Shadow can also hear Sonic’s heartbeat. It remains steady in Sonic’s chest despite how much excess chaos energy he’s absorbing from Shadow. The only reason Shadow knows Sonic is doing that is because he suddenly feels better. All the pain vacates him, leaving him sore. Instead of trying to escape in any direction possible, the energy inside Shadow has been directed one direction—into Sonic’s body.

 

Shadow struggles against Sonic. He fights the hold he’s been placed in, but at the moment, Sonic is stronger than Shadow’s weakened form. Shadow doesn’t understand how since he’s the one that’s no longer in pain. He tilts his head back on Sonic’s shoulder. He meets Sonic’s eyes. They are glowing a bright, poisonous color, but Sonic isn’t in pain. Shadow frowns, brows furrowing together in confusion. Sonic shushes him gently as if he can already tell what Shadow is thinking. Softly, he adds with a cheeky smile, “I’m fine. I feel fine. Don’t worry about me—”

 

“—this is my purpose, remember?” Sonic chuckled as he held Shadow close to him. The hybrid could still feel an incandescent anger burning inside of him, but he no longer had a surplus of energy to make his rage a physical phenomena around him. Everything is being channeled directly into Sonic, and the azure hedgehog seems to be relishing in both the energy and the emotions he’s receiving from Shadow.

 

Sonic was not talking to Shadow, though. Sonic lifts his eyes from Shadow to look at the person he’s addressing. Shadow tilts his head, as well, finding himself looking into a pair of innocent blue eyes. Maria squats in front of them, wrapping her arms around her knees and subtly pulling her dress further down to spare herself the indecency. “I know. I just worry about you.”

 

Sonic laughs, though not unkindly. There is, however, something to his laughter. There is a faint echo, a wispy intangible noise that mimics him behind the curtain of his voice. “There are far more important things to be worried about. I’m feeling great right now!” Sonic looks back down at Shadow. “You should throw tantrums more often. I mean, is this how humans feel when they get buzzed?”

 

“I’m not sure you’re supposed to enjoy that,” Maria answers. She scratches her jawline, closing her eyes and moving her head to the side. Sonic shrugs at her, letting his smile do all the responding for him. Maria huffs fondly, shaking her head with a twinge of disbelief but mostly amusement. 

 

“It wasn’t a tantrum,” Shadow adds, narrowing his eyes.

 

“Of course it wasn’t,” Sonic remarks, a mischievous twinkling in his smile. Sonic glances away from both Shadow and Maria. There is a softer quality to his voice, a somberness that cannot be known for certain unless seen in the eyes he hides from them. “You had every right to be upset.”

 

Shadow winces for reasons that have nothing to do with his lack of inhibitor rings. No, this is a mental pain that comes from his past memories fighting their way to the forefront of his mind. Shadow has gone through this before several times since he’s prone to amnesia and memory tampering. Whatever this memory is, though, it’s completely wrong. Sonic was never on the ARK. He was never there with Shadow and Maria. And whatever is happening right now? Shadow has never been through this before.

 

The pain increases tenfold. Shadow curls into a tight ball (pointedly ignoring how he’s practically in Sonic’s lap at this rate). Sonic murmurs soft nothings about comfort and being there and remaining patient for a little longer. Shadow can’t find the words to tell Sonic that this isn’t about his chaos energy anymore. Even if he could find the words, he lacks the strength to let them slip free from his mind.

 

“Found them!” Someone calls out. Sonic doesn’t stop talking to Shadow. He does mention that Rouge is approaching them, so Shadow doesn’t attack when he feels someone grabbing onto the wrists he’s hiding between his chest and thighs. Shadow feels his inhibitor rings being snapped back into place against his wrist. Their weight is as comforting as it is stifling (it’s so much different from when Sonic was absorbing the energy. With Sonic, it was natural and painless. Shadow felt like he was simply existing instead of the energy inside of him being choked or overrunning everything).

 

Sonic sets Shadow back onto the ground. He rises to his feet, taking a few steps away from Shadow. The ebony hedgehog looks between the fingers he has pressed against his face to see Sonic and Rouge. The latter kneels in front of him, trying to determine if he’s okay. Sonic, on the other hand, is shaking his limbs like he’s been energized. Considering the way his eyes glow like searchlights in the night, Shadow thinks that might be true.

 

“Shadow, hon—”

 

“I’m fine,” He grits out. He pulls his paws away from his face. He stares at his gloves with his gaze eventually traveling down to his inhibitor rings. The ‘memory’ from earlier must have been false. Shadow was awakened with these shackles already on, and in that false memory, he wasn’t wearing them. Why would his mind construct a memory like that, though? What purpose did it serve? Was he just trying to pacify himself and stop his body from resisting Sonic’s help until the inhibitor rings could be found?

 

“I’m doing great, too!” Sonic chirps, throwing one of his arms into the air to draw Rouge and Shadow’s—and everyone else’s—attention to him. Sonic does seem a little sheepish when he notices that the G.U.N. agents are looking at him, too. He does not, however, wilt under the attention even as the realization that Sonic isn’t even supposed to be here dawns on them all.

 

“Your eyes are glowing, Blue,” Rouge mentions lightly.

 

Sonic raises his paws to his face. His eyes are bright enough that green light spreads across the white material of the fabric. He hums to himself, looking more intrigued than perplexed. “So they are.”

 

“What are you doing here?” Shadow grits out.

 

Sonic drops his paws to his hips. He leans forward slightly, putting a crooked smile on his face. “Don’t be like that. I came to help you. I was trying to take a nap when I got this… feeling that I was needed somewhere. I’ve never been one to say no to my instincts. It looks like I got here right on time, too.”

 

“What a neat ability,” Rouge murmurs, though there is something suspicious—borderline doubtful—in the hollow crevices between her words. Shadow notices. 

 

If Sonic does, too, he doesn’t explicitly react to it. He just taps the toes of his shoe against the ground. “I should probably get going right about now. I didn’t mean to intrude upon your whole operation. I’ll see you next time, yeah? Don’t forget that you owe me one, Shads.”

 

Sonic winks. Before anyone can respond to him, he’s simply gone. He leaves behind a rapidly fading blue streak and a harsh wind that slaps everyone closest to it. Rouge rolls her eyes, letting her gaze land right back on Shadow. “That’s Blue for you. Are you sure you’re alright?”

 

Shadow nods distractedly. He shouldn’t be even entertaining the earlier hallucination, but he keeps going back to it. How could something fake be so detailed? How could there be emotions etched into every fiber of the falsehood? Why does Shadow feel as if it were real?

 

Shadow shakes his head, gritting his teeth out of frustration. He cannot think about whatever that was any longer. He’s only going to drive himself insane like this. It’s for the best that Shadow ignores it and moves on. Everything that happened today will remain here, buried even further down than even the machines are and his inhibitor rings were.

 

He shoves himself onto his feet. He ignores the achiness in his limbs from the temporary loss of his inhibitor rings. He refuses to stretch his limbs even though he likely needs to go through an entire routine sooner rather than later to save himself from the pain that will surely follow tomorrow. Shadow will do that when he’s not inside this dilapidated base anymore—when G.U.N. agents aren’t unsubtly watching him with an arguably warranted fear in their eyes (it hurts Shadow’s heart all the same, but there’s no way he’s going to say that to anyone).

 

Shadow doesn’t audibly tell Rouge anything, but she gets the message to follow him to where Omega is. The three of them depart from the base, returning to their apartment. There will be paperwork to fill out and reports to send in. Shadow will need to be examined to make sure nothing broke that cannot be fixed. Someone will inevitably need to double-check with Sonic (or rather, Tails) that the azure hedgehog is fine. All of that is necessary.

 

The fake memory is decidedly not necessary, but it will stick with Shadow for longer than it should. He doesn’t want to acknowledge that it will… but he knows it will haunt him until he learns the truth. But is he ready for the truth?

Notes:

I made a post about this AU on Tumblr just to get my thoughts out there. The positive response to it made me think about it more, and I didn't have anything else to write tonight... so...

The AU (which I'm calling Chaos Heart for now) is basically about how Sonic was a byproduct of the ARK's experimentations with the chaos emeralds (the same ones that made the Biolizard). Sonic, however, was a husk until Project Shadow made, y'know, Shadow, because Sonic gained life through absorbing Shadow's excess chaos energy. Sonic is basically an external chaos core, the heart that pumps chaos energy through the body (hence Chaos Heart). Sonic was Shadow's original inhibitor rings. He was Shadow's chaos heart which is where the sort-of soulmate stuff comes in. Their basically connected because Sonic's body is used to absorbing specifically Shadow's energy (but Sonic can absorb any kind of energy, which is why he has so many forms in canon)

Sonic was not treated like an individual but rather a tool by everyone except Maria and Shadow. In fact, his relationship with Shadow got so intimate that it was bordering on romance. Gerald realized that this could be a problem if Shadow suddenly cared more about Sonic than Maria/defeating Black Doom/etc. (this wasn't going to happen. It might have been different kinds of love, but Shadow loved Sonic and Maria equally). He erased Sonic's memories. He also sent Sonic to Earth to be G.U.N.'s weapon to get the agency off his back. Unfortunately, the pod was destroyed. Sonic was presumed dead. Gerald was only upset because G.U.N. was pressuring him again. Maria's grief and sorrow made her illness worse. Between losing Sonic and Maria's failing health, Shadow would have gone berserk. To save them both, Gerald altered their memories to erase Sonic and he made actual inhibitor rings for Shadow.

Sonic survived the crash onto Earth. He was, however, a husk again. The Chao found him. They began taking care of him. He could wake up for hours at a time, but he mainly slept for forty-ish years before he could start interacting with the world again. All he knew was his name (given to him because of his speed and the sound frequency he produced when absorbing Shadow's energy). He didn't know Shadow, Maria, Gerald, or the ARK. He became friendly with the Chao until he stumbled upon Eggman, Amy, Tails, so on and so forth

I've been debating where exactly in the timeline Sonic and Shadow would remember their shared past on the ARK. Shadow is going to remember first, though. I've decided that mainly because I think it'd be funny/angsty for Shadow to realize he's in love with Sonic and that they have all this history when Sonic has no fucking clue

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 98 of This Hedgehog Has Me in A Damn Chokehold
• Part 1 of Chaos Heart