The Things I Do For You

by geefeelscute

Summary:

When Sonic gets kidnapped by Eggman in place of Shadow, the angsty hedgehog is forced to team up with Sonic's friends to save him. I mean, why else would Shadow do everything in his power to save his rival?

He couldn't possibly have feelings or anything?
Right?

Notes:

so this started as a random thought and my friend convinced me to turn it into a fic. so please enjoy

Chapter 1

Shadow got up that morning with a bitter taste in his mouth and no, he wasn't talking about the alcohol he had consumed the night before. Not like alcohol could do anything to him; he's the Ultimate Lifeform.

 

What he was referring to was a dream. Usually, he would remember all his dreams (he'd rather call them nightmares, but Rouge had started reprimanding him for negativity), but this one felt so strange. There was somebody else with him. He was so sure it was—

 

"Shadow! Are you still here?" Shadow heard a voice that made him physically recoil.

 

That was when he had a look at where he was. He was at home for sure, but why did it look so messy? Every corner seemed to be occupied with something that shouldn't be there. Shadow was getting pissed. 

 

"There you are! I'm surprised you haven't left yet." Rouge looked genuinely surprised. Shadow took a split second to wonder if his glorified coworker was any more knowledgeable than his average affiliate.

 

"Why does my room look like this?" Shadow snarled at the bat, who rolled her eyes in exaggeration. Scratch that earlier thought; Rouge was way less intimidated than his average affiliate. Her knowledge wasn’t to be questioned at this point.

 

"I thought you said alcohol doesn’t affect you, handsome. I'm gonna have to start mixing up more of what I gave you last night." Shadow stared at the scheming bat for a moment before opening his mouth to attempt scaring her into temporary paralysis, but Rouge spoke up again.

 

"You and a certain blue blur decided that the best place to rough it out and assert dominance was in my bar, and I wasn't having it. So I asked Omega to bring you guys here since Blue was going on and on about Tails and how unsafe it would be to–" 

 

"You let that hedgehog into my house?!" Rouge had turned around at this point, and it was obvious by the look on her face that she had only turned to gauge Shadow's real reaction so she could continue with her usual sass. And it looked like Shadow wasn't intimidating enough to get her to shut up just yet.

 

"Correction: you did, handsome. You offered to bring both of you here, but chaos control doesn’t exactly work well when you're drunk," Rouge sneered as she seemed to recount a memory from the night that Shadow had no recollection of. 

 

"This is ridiculous, bat. Either you poisoned me and made me do all these nonsensical things you're saying, or you're a good liar. Neither of which has a lesser punishment," Shadow said as if he were fighting the likes of Robotnik. 

Rouge took a moment to stare at him, her eyes filled with an emotion that Shadow was painfully familiar with: hurt. But what is she hurt about? She's the one being difficult.

 

"Oh, Shadow, my poor feminine heart. You dare accuse me of being a witch and a liar when you know only one of those is true," Rouge taunted in a desperate attempt to hide her feelings, but that didn't convince Shadow in the slightest.

"Just tell me, Rouge," Shadow sighed in exasperation, and his female companion took it as a sign to be serious.

 

"I swear on my situationship with Knuckie, I'm telling you the whole truth," Rouge spoke as she placed both her hands in a swearing manner. Shadow began to question the relevance of keeping people close to you if they get to choose when they're useful and when they're not.

 

"Unless..." Shadow's ears perked up at that moment. Stupid Rouge and her stupid rage bait.

 

"You wanna go ask Big Blue about what happened last night. Though if your memory isn't good, I have no doubts that he's forgotten his own age. It's your choice, Shadow," she said calmly, keeping her eyes on said hedgehog.

 

Going to ask him wasn't a bad idea. Even though Rouge was setting him up for something he did not want to put himself in, that was the only way to get any sure answers about what happened.

 

Shadow didn't waste any more time. He shoved Rouge out of the way and left the room. The girl let out a yelp followed by an angry shout that Shadow didn't bother to register. He had learnt the hard way that the less you acknowledge, the less it's brought up. Besides, he had other things to think about

 

The ebony hedgehog left his house in a fit of rage mixed with pure curiosity and had walked out to the street before realizing that he had no idea where Sonic's place was

 

There was no way in hell that he was going to go back and ask Rouge. She'd probably ask for another gem or something mundane of the sort.

 

Right as he was about to grab a random person and bully them into telling him the location of their hero, an earthquake struck the ground. It didn't feel very normal, however.

 

Shadow turned to face the source of the shake and was immediately slammed into the ground by a robotic arm. Robotnik's doing, he presumed, not like there was anyone else who found pleasure in this line of work.

 

"FINALLY!" the Doctor's voice boomed through his speakers, which he had ever so discreetly assembled on the sides of his carrier. Times like this would remind Shadow that he wasn't all that bad when it came to subtlety, as Rouge would claim. He seemed to be thinking about her a lot. Odd.

 

"I managed to capture the so-called Ultimate Lifeform while he was walking down the street! This has got to be either pure luck or the reward for my genius," Robotnik exclaimed, his supposed happiness bubbling over. One can only imagine what he could get out of capturing the Ultimate Lifeform.

 

"I hope that wasn't your only plan," Shadow's gruff voice could be heard, and he was standing right in front of Robotnik's bewildered face. "It seems to me that your luck has run out." The smugness in his voice could be heard as well, and that only pushed the Doctor to a point of frustration.

 

"You rodent!" He hollered as the robot he came with rose from its temporary defeat. In the blink of an eye, Shadow activated his air shoes and skillfully dodged the attack. Or the excuse of an attack.

 

Something felt off about this one.

 

But before he could question it, another blow came his way; however, he didn't need to dodge this time.

 

A blur of blue streaks struck at the arm and left a gaping hole at the supposed wrist of the arsenal, with sparks flying to every corner. The furball that caused the damage stepped back to admire his work, his smug face enough to conclude that he was very pleased.

 

"You should be thanking me, Egghead," he said, his voice as obnoxious as ever. "I think this is my finest work."

 

"Not you again," his arch-nemesis grumbled to the hearing of everyone on the street, which at that very moment was himself, Shadow, and Sonic the Hedgehog. "This is between me and the Ultimate rodent, hedgehog. I advise you take your leave before you push me to do some very mean things." The threat sounded so strange for someone who was his acclaimed arch-nemesis.

 

"And when have I ever taken your advice? I thought you knew me well," Sonic retorted, getting into a battle position. Robotnik stared at the rodent beneath him for a brief moment before breaking out into maniacal laughter and leaving the scene, signaling for his robot arsenal to take over.

 

"Faker, wait." Sonic looked over at his lookalike with a puzzled expression on his face. Shadow continued, "The Doctor mentioned that his plans do not involve you. I suggest you refrain from your usual tactics."

 

"PFFT," Sonic dismissed his concerns. "When have Eggman's plans ever involved me? You need to learn to chill, Shads," he said before taking off into the air, leaving Shadow with one strange thought in his mind.

 

'Shads'?! Where did that come from? He's never called me that before…-

 

That train of thought was broken abruptly, however, when the robot remembered its target and sent a blast in his direction. Shadow dodged in reflex before setting himself for a spin dash and joining Sonic in the battle.

 

Both of them went at it for a couple of minutes, and it seemed like they had it under control. So much for being concerned. Wait, I'm not concerned; I was just suspicious of the Doctor.

 

"Well, well, Shads, you were saying?" Shadow looked up to see the azure hedgehog leaning forward and staring at Shadow with a look that screamed 'I told you so'. They had landed on the ground with their opponent seemingly beat right behind them.

 

"Stop calling me that, Faker, before I pound your skull in," Shadow snarled right back at him.

 

"Oh, c'mon, I thought you liked it." The scratching of metal could be heard. Shadow had his fists clenched.

 

"What is there to like about such a degrading name?"

 

"There's nothing degrading about a nickname, Shadow," Sonic sighed, giving an elaborate gesture of hands to go with it. "We talked about this already."

 

Shadow was quick to express his confusion. "When was that?"

 

That line alone made Sonic halt in his exaggerated expressions. He took a good look at Shadow, assumingly taking in all his facial features to make sure Shadow wasn't attempting the impossible and telling a sick joke. But when he found only pure confusion, the hedgehog's demeanor changed.

 

"Oh… don't worry about it, Shadow," Sonic muttered rather dejectedly. "I'll do well to only refer to you by your ultimate title."

 

This day is getting painfully stranger. What is wrong with Faker?

 

Sonic had turned his back to Shadow, and he knew that the azure would try to run from this conversation as he did with all his problems. Shadow wasn't like his friends, though. He was not going to play this stupid game

 

He grabbed Sonic by the foot and dragged him to the floor. Shadow hovered over the hero, who was now groaning in pain.

 

"What are you not telling me, hedgehog?" he growled as he raised his fist, sparks of chaos energy surging through it. The ebony's gaze alone was enough to scare Sonic into paralysis, his darting eyes the only indication that he wasn't dead. What is he staring at?

 

Shadow raised his head and looked in the direction Sonic's gaze was focused on. It didn't take long to realize why as his forehead came in contact with the barrel of the gun. It also didn't take long before Shadow's body was pushed along the ground, pain surging through his entire body.

 

He finally landed, body slammed on the concrete, and was unresponsive. Well, almost unresponsive.

 

It took a few seconds of observing his rival's idle frame before he spoke, his words coming from the deepest part of his throat.

 

"What did you do to him?"

 

Shadow had never heard Sonic talk like this before. Talk with so much passion. Why is he doing this for me, though?

 

Shadow managed to open his eyes amid the pain and he took in the sight before him. Sonic had impounded the robot, leaving behind the metal frame. The azure was breathing heavily and when he had turned around to look at the ebony, Shadow could see his bloodshot eyes and the energy coursing through his body. Chaos energy, Shadow concluded.

 

Right as Sonic was about to run to his rival (To check on him? To worry over him? To determine the severity of the blow? - Shadow wouldn’t know), he was immediately surrounded by badniks. Sonic was about to attack them, but that was not going to do the trick.

 

It happened so fast.

 

The badniks formed a circle around Sonic, and they made what seemed to be a holographic cage around the hero. Except it wasn't a hologram, and Sonic couldn’t see that. Shadow merely observed as Sonic's attempt at a spin dash failed. The Doctor had installed some sort of shock effect to the bars that had Sonic whimpering in pain.

 

Shadow pushed his body to stand. He wasn't going to let the Doctor get away with this

 

Why are you saving the hedgehog? The question ringing in his ear had no definite answer, not that he was waiting on one.

 

He formed a chaos spear in his hand and aimed it at one of the badniks. The target was dented and ceased to function, the damage catching the attention of the other badniks and their prisoner.

 

However, Shadow fell to his knees and the robots took it as their sign to continue their mission. They lifted Sonic in the makeshift cage and took him up to a large battleship that had Robotnik's initials plastered all over it.

 

Shadow stared into Sonic's desperate eyes, a silent promise that Shadow was willing to keep.

 

I'm coming to save you, Sonic. I will.

 

Shadow would have no idea if Sonic understood. His body slumped to the ground once more as the ship overhead disappeared.

 

And everything went dark.

Chapter 2

Notes:

so i decided to lock in for this chapter, so you better like it
*aggressively shoves chapter into your screen*

"What's your favorite color?"

"Why would you want to know, hedgehog?"

"I thought we agreed to have a normal conversation, so please answer the question."

Shadow glanced in the direction of the whiny voice. Sonic was sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom while he was elevated on his pristine bed. Somehow, there weren't any wrinkles on it yet.

Sonic's eyes looked hazy. That checks; he's supposed to be drunk. Shadow felt drunk too, which made little sense to him.

"Shadow, c'mon," Sonic groaned from his awkward position on the floor. Shadow rolled his eyes at the realization that his rival was not planning on letting this silly conversation go.

"Fine. It's lavender," Shadow huffed, turning his body to face the hedgehog he was talking to fully. Sonic stared back at Shadow, taking in this new information before responding rather offhandedly.

"Lavender, huh? I thought you liked blue."

"What supported that thought?"

Sonic placed his hand on his chin in an exaggerated manner. "Well, I've noticed you own a couple of blue trinkets around your house: your throw pillows and that big picture that looks funny in your hallway."

Shadow blankly stared at the azure hedgehog, who had suddenly broken into a jerky laugh, two thoughts now roaming in his head.

Faker is attentive when he needs to be.

He laughs so lively, almost melodious—

"The other thing was how much you hang out with me, Shads. I would've thought you were in love with the color," Sonic giggled lightly as he added.

That's an… interesting observation.

"Shadow"

Sonic wasn't talking anymore, though.

"Shadow!"

That voice sounds familiar. Is it—?

"SHADOW!" Rouge's frantic voice blurted, waking said hedgehog from his dream.

Shadow opened his eyes to see the bat standing right beside him. Her makeup was caked up on her face, and she looked like she had been watching him for a while. The hedgehog could only assume that someone or something forced her to.

"Shadow, you're alright!" The bat stared into his eyes, and the sheer amount of care and worry she had in hers felt off-putting to Shadow. He had to be professional if she couldn't.

"Is G.U.N. involved in this?" Shadow asked bluntly. Maybe too bluntly. Rouge did not appreciate it at all.

"You almost die, and the first thing you ask is if that stupid organization that didn’t care to do anything but give you an unpaid leave for your injuries is involved?!" Rouge snapped, her pointer finger poking at Shadow's chest. The angsty hedgehog had his head up, taking in her words. He couldn't be bothered by G.U.N. at the moment; he was just lucky he wasn't forced to work.

The ebony stared at the room he was in. He wasn't at home. He had no idea where he was. He was lying on some sort of laboratory bed, like a science experiment. That alone brought bad memories.

"Rouge, where am I?" Shadow spared himself the stress of glancing at her face. He could only imagine what it had contorted into. She quickly collected herself, however.

"We're in Tails' workshop. I didn't expect any hospital to know what to do with you, and I had no idea what had happened when I found you. So I came here," Rouge disclosed. "Which reminds me, Tails wants to talk to you. Something about Sonic's whereabouts."

That's when Shadow remembered.

I'm coming to save you, Sonic.

He sat up on his makeshift bed, to Rouge's surprise and even more worry.

"Shadow, take it easy. You suffered so many injuries and—" Rouge watched as the gaping wounds on his abdomen healed themselves. She raised her head to examine Shadow's face.

"You can do that… right," she deadpanned. The ebony gently took her hand and got off the bed.

"There's a serious issue on our hands. Sonic has been taken by the Doctor," Shadow stated to her as he held her other hand, hoping to nullify the effects of his words.

"WHAT?!" The two agents turned to the source of the yell. It was the fox.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he collected himself. "But did you say that Eggman has Sonic?"

"No, I said Sonic has been taken by the Doctor." Rouge had snapped her head to gape at the hedgehog, who felt strangely proud of himself for showing up a nine-year-old. Tails shared Rouge's sentiment.

"Yeah, sure, but what happened out there? The streets were wrecked, and so are you—wait, how are you standing right now?" The fox took a closer look at Shadow and realized that the injuries were gone. Completely gone. The hedgehog, however, noticed his curious eyes peering and decided that he would not explain his chaos abilities.

"Robotnik had intended to capture me. He came with this lofty robot, and it attempted to attack me. Sonic joined, and we fought it together." Shadow paused, debating whether the next part of the account was relevant or not. It wasn't. "The bot managed a terrible blow on me; Sonic stepped in and destroyed it. But moments after, some badniks took him away to the Doctor's ship. I'm assuming it's a new one; I have seen nothing like it."

"I see," the fox was intently thinking. "What did the ship look like?"

"It was a face…?" Shadow felt the questioning stares from his coworker and the fox kid. "The ship appeared to be the Doctor's face, at least from my view."

"A face?" The kid's right ear drooped to the side as he inquired.

"It's definitely a new ship. What would prompt him to make such an obnoxious design choice?" Rouge interjected from beside him. Only then did Shadow realize he was still holding on to her right hand.

"Eggman's poor design choices don't matter. What does matter is finding a way to get Sonic back," the boy asserted before walking over to his monitor.

Shadow had been privy to the fox's genius, and it was by all means impressive. But looking in this kid's workshop, he could see why all his friends, especially his rival, hold him on a high pedestal. The nine-year-old had access to tech that the average G.U.N. agent might call a myth, simply because of how complex it sounded.

The kid had been silently typing for a few seconds, and they waited a short moment before a beep came through.

"This is odd," the fox commented, glaring at the screen and examining the data. "Sonic's location is not accurate."

Rouge tugged on her coworker's hand, and they stepped closer to the monitor. Shadow began genuinely considering letting go, but he'd hate for her to feel offended and start acting out again. Instead, he focused his attention on the monitor, and the kit was right.

"I don't get it," the female spy muttered as she leaned closer to observe. "It's a ship; it's supposed to be high in the sky."

"Yes, but it's not high enough. "See," Tails began as he changed the display to prove his point. "This is just as high as the cell tower, but for this craft to comfortably fly, it would need to be higher than this."

Rouge nodded in understanding. "You think Blue's communicator lost signal?"

"I don't believe so," Shadow chimed in. "When they took Sonic, the ship disappeared. Either the Doctor has mastered mass teleportation or—"

"He masked the ship; that makes more sense," the kit finished as he reverted his attention to his computer. Shadow stood, glaring intently at said kit, who had rudely interrupted him. He felt Rouge squeeze his hand in an attempt to get him to calm down, and he took that opportunity to yank his hand out of his female companion's and fold his arms across his chest. If she felt any hurt now, she didn't show it.

"So, how are we going to find him now?" Rouge asked, glancing at the fox, hoping his genius wasn't for nothing.

"The best thing to do is to check Eggman's abandoned bases for schematics. He leaves a lot of stuff behind," he explained as he began rapidly clicking keys. "I mean, I don't really have to elaborate on that since I'm with G.U.N.'s best agents."

The bat chuckled; Shadow only gave a hmph in return to the unexpected compliment.

"My, my, Tails. What is Big Blue teaching you? Flattery can only get you so far, you know?" Rouge said in a silky tone. Shadow glanced at her and rolled his eyes so far back that he could've sworn he saw Maria.

"I know, but if it can take me anywhere near your level of expertise, then I will happily indulge," the fox boy replied, causing both Rouge and Shadow to stare at him. One was in absolute shock, and the other in disgust. The fox didn't give them much time to respond. Another beep echoed in the room, and this time, it came from the bat's communicator.

"Those are coordinates to the nearest abandoned base. I suggest you go there now, before Eggman remembers we're on his tail," the kit instructed casually. Rouge didn't seem phased by the instruction, however. She went over the coordinates before nodding at the fox.

"I suppose we'd better start going, Rouge," Shadow affirmed. Both his female companion and the young genius gaped at the angsty hedgehog in pure surprise. Shadow, unfortunately, saw this coming.

"You want to help us find Sonic? Your rival?" The fox questioned.

Don't make this decision harder for me, fox.

"Faker," Shadow stressed his nickname for some sort of emphasis, "saved me from getting captured by Robotnik. The least I can do is rescue him."

Rouge was convinced, at the very least. "Okay, handsome, let's bounce."

She spread out her wings before flying into the air and going out the door of the workshop, Shadow trailing behind her. He could feel the fox boy's eyes on him, and he was sure that saving Sonic would not be easy.

 

 

The Team Dark duo got to the abandoned base located in a remote cave. The atmosphere felt eerie, and it came with some sort of bad omen.

As they walked in through the steel gates and down the dark hallway, Shadow had one raging thought in his mind.

Please don't ask any questions, Rouge. Please don't ask any questions, Rouge. Please don't ask any questions, Rouge—

"Shadow, why are you helping us find Sonic?"

Maria, save me.

The Ultimate Lifeform looked over at Rouge, and she had her entire body facing him. She wasn't going to accept a bunch of simple words, but Shadow had to try.

She's not even entitled to know everything.

"I told you," Shadow started, hoping he conveyed his indifference very efficiently. "That blue rodent saved my life, and I have to repay the favor. Or what? Don't tell me you have no morals." The jab was just to get the bat offended enough to drop the question.

"This has nothing to do with my morals, handsome. Besides, if I had none, I wouldn't be here with you right now."

I hate it when she has a point.

"Tell me, handsome. Why exactly are you helping us?" Rouge probed. Shadow was just as stubborn.

'There's no other reason, Rouge. You're deluding yourself."

There were a few seconds of silence before the bat let out a sigh and flew straight down the hall. The coordinates the kit gave her had come with the schematics for this base in particular, so she knew where she was headed. The ebony had his air shoes activated, and he began skating to catch up with his coworker.

Upon arriving at a large room, which Shadow figured was the command center, the bat gracefully landed right in front of the largest monitor. Shadow went to the emergency power supply switch and turned it on. The dark room became illuminated, and the screens came on. Rouge got to work, making use of the hacking skills she had acquired from being an agent and a thief over the years.

"Okay, we're online," she announced as the ebony strutted towards her. "Let's see what Eggman has been up to."

The female spy opened a file labelled 'Project FACESHIP'.

"Terrible design choice and a terrible name," she commented. Shadow almost let out a snort.

The file was indeed the schematics for this new ship; it looked exactly like it.

"This is the craft I saw in the city," Shadow informed Rouge, who was already pulling out her custom flash drive. She inserted it into the designated slot, but just as she did, a blaring alarm went off.

"Crap," she said, with a tinge of regret in her voice.

Dirt began to fall from the ceiling of the cave. Robotnik had put a self-destruct sequence for intruders. Admittedly smart.

Not like I'm going to admit that.

"We need to get out of here. How much time do you need?" The hedgehog asked Rouge.

"About 3 minutes. Can you cover me long enough?" The bat asked Shadow right back.

Rocks dropped from the ceiling, and Shadow skillfully warded off the ones that came too close. Vibrations went through the cave, causing it to shake. Shadow assumed the bombs were going off, though he hoped that was not the case. He continued deflecting the rocks even as the larger ones thundered down.

"I'm done," Rouge yelped. In one swift motion, she grabbed her flash drive, then grabbed Shadow's arm just as a rock crashed on the computer.

"Can you fly us out of here?" The hedgehog had resorted to shielding both himself and Rouge.

"I can try; hang on." She shifted her grip to his hand and spread her wings out as she flew in the direction of the incoming rocks and towards a faint light. Shadow continued using his chaos spears to clear a path for his partner. Suddenly, a rock grazed Rouge's wing.

"AH!" she cried out in pain. She didn't stop, though.

"This is about to get really rough, handsome." The strain in her voice was a bit worrying, but Shadow nodded in understanding.

The bat continued to fly upwards, her strength leaving her body with every distance she took. Just as they reached the source of the light, another bomb went off. This time, the fumes were fast approaching them. Shadow wasted no more time.

"Chaos Blast!" he screamed as he used chaos energy to blast through the crevice, making the hole bigger and the place even more illuminated. Then he activated his air shoes and used them as a boost for Rouge. The bat got the memo and put as much strength as she had left in her wings. In a matter of seconds, the two escaped the cave and landed on the nearby ground.

"Ha!" Rouge exclaimed. "We did it."

Shadow took a careful look at her. She was in no shape to walk the distance back to the fox's workshop.

"How's your wing?" Shadow asked, flicking his eyes at the gash.

"Feels terrible, but it'll heal. I've gotten worse injuries."

"G.U.N. should be more responsible for their agents' safety," he commented, hoping that would ease her.

"Yeah, G.U.N.…" she responded.

What's that supposed to mean?

Shadow wanted to ask her more, but she groaned in intense pain.

"If you don't mind, handsome, I would really like to get the drive to Tails," Rouge muttered.

Without hesitation, he scooped her up, one arm under her knees, the other bracing her back, careful of her injured wing.

"Try not to die on me, Rouge," Shadow said bluntly, as his air shoes went off. The bat didn't respond this time; she was knocked out.

Get back to the fox's workshop. Get Rouge somewhere safe. After that, we can save Sonic and—

Shadow paused. What did he want to do with Sonic? Was it because of that dream?

Was it even a dream?

Shadow shook those thoughts out of his mind. He started skating back the way they came.

"Whatever this is, I'll get over it. Right now, I need to rescue that hedgehog," he said to himself as he sped off, a trail of chaos energy in his wake.

Notes:

thanks for all the love you're showing me, guys. it means a whole lot 💖🤍
might push out the next chapter next week, so stay tuned

Chapter 3

Notes:

OMGGGG I'M BACKKK
I know I took a long time to get this chapter out and believe me, I'm trying to balance my already exhausting life with writing this fic but the universe noticed and gave me a big screw you as a starter pack. Also like I mentioned before, this is my first fic here, I have written before but not with a consistent style like this would demand. So if you feel like this chapter was written by a totally different person, it's just a poor girl trying to navigate writing a fic that is wat bigger than her (and ts aint even that long 😭😭😭). BUT I'm not here to discourage you from reading so by all means, please enjoyyyy

"What about your favorite food?"

Shadow closed his eyes, considering the question for a moment before asking Sonic an even more important one.

"Do you want to poison me, hedgehog?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Sonic broke it with a loud bark of laughter, nearly doubling over as his whole body shook.

"Why would you even assume that?" he wheezed, kicking his legs out as he flailed about.

Shadow felt heat crawl across his cheeks and turned his head away, retreating into his own self-consciousness while Sonic kept laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"It's a serious question; I don't know if you want me dead," the ultimate lifeform muttered, a small whine in his voice that he wouldn't have let out if he were sober.

Sonic calmed down a bit after hearing Shadow's tone, and for a moment, Shadow thought he had gained some human decency in those few seconds before his obnoxious voice came through again.

"Shads, why would I want you dead? You're not even a threat," Sonic spoke with so much conviction that it made Shadow wonder just how drunk he was for uttering such a statement.

"What makes you think I'm not a threat? The number of times I've tried to kill you?" Shadow muttered. He stared into those emerald eyes.

Have they always been so alluring? Captivating? So… pretty?

"No, it's cause you're too cute to hurt me, Shads. Why would you even?"

I'm what?

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shadow asked, utterly confused by Sonic's conclusion. The azure hedgehog laughed at his confusion, though Shadow wasn’t making a joke.

"Oh my gosh, Shadow," Sonic said, laughing in between his words. "You are so adorable."

Adorable? Cute? What is he finding funny? What does he mean—

"Shadow," a female voice came through as Shadow jolted from his nap. The two agents were sitting on the sofa in Sonic's living room, waiting for the fox boy to examine the schematics of the ship they stole from the Doctor's base. Apparently, that's one thing he can't do in record time; he had already been at it for a day.

"What is it?" The ebony hedgehog muttered, his voice rough with sleep.

"Hun, I should be asking you. You looked disturbed. Is there something you're worried about?" Rouge asked, her voice full of concern.

What has gotten into her lately? Why is she so bothered about everything?

"I'm fine, Rouge," Shadow grumbled, trying not to engage in any conversation that might involve his feelings. Rouge, however, didn't let up easily.

"I'm serious, Shadow. If you want to talk about anything, I'm here, okay?" She replied, her tone calm as ever. That only pissed the ebony hedgehog off more.

"Rouge, how about you stop—"

"Rouge, I've got something!" The fox's animated voice resounded through the room as he skipped with his tablet in hand (well, the boy keeps calling it his 'Miles Electric', but it's just a fancy tablet).

The bat got up from her relaxed position and parted her mouth to speak (whether it would have been flirty or not was a 50/50 chance with her), but a short chime cut her off. The three turned their heads to the door, the sound making it clear that someone was outside. The fox, however, was naturally tasked with figuring out who could be at his and Sonic's shared home, and that seemed to be easy because he wasted no time in responding.

"That's Amy. Has to be. I'll meet you when you're done talking with her," he spoke with disinterest as he went back through the door leading to his workshop.

Does the pink hedgehog come here that often?

"Yeah, I've got it," Rouge nodded as she strutted to the door, opening it to reveal the rather shocked face of Amy Rose.

“Rouge! Don’t tell me Sonic dragged you here to deal with his stress,” Amy said, her voice carrying a hint of desperation. The assumption alone was enough to make Shadow roll his eyes as he stood to greet their guest.

Amy looked even more shocked when she saw him, but not because she was scared. Far from that, actually.

"Shadow, hey. I haven't seen you in a while," she greeted cheerfully before dropping her smile slightly to ask, "But what are you doing at Sonic's? And where is he?"

"Well, Pinkie," Rouge started as she gestured for the pink hedgehog to come in. "The thing is, Sonic has been kidnapped."

"Okay…" Amy stood in the middle of the living room, confusion etched on her face. "So, what happened?"

This time, Shadow responded. "We just told you what happened. He got kidnapped by the Doctor three days ago."

"I know that, but Eggman traps Sonic all the time, and Sonic is usually out in a few hours, especially since he knows we have an important meeting scheduled. Also, you two are here, which means G.U.N. is involved," Amy ranted before the bat interrupted her.

"Actually, they're not involved. Shadow and I are assisting on our own terms," Rouge clarified. Both females glanced at the ebony hedgehog, who had his eyes on the floor, desperately avoiding confrontation.

"But you are right, Amy," Rouge continued, looking back at the pink hedgehog who was yet to take her gaze off of Shadow. "Eggman has debuted a new arsenal, which he calls the FACESHIP. Tails has been trying to understand how it works, and he says he has a lead. If he finds a weakness, I can infiltrate the ship."

Amy nodded as she tried to wrap her head around the issue at hand, while the bat took it as her cue to meet the fox to discuss his findings. That left Amy and Shadow standing in the living room.

In the name of all things holy, please don't ask—

"Are you alright, Shadow?" The said hedgehog instinctively flicked his ears towards her nurturing voice.

Not the question I expected her to ask. Not one I wish to answer either.

Shadow at least dignified it with a hmph, turning away from Amy to avoid further confrontation. Too bad that didn't work on Amy Rose, who was famous for getting the fastest thing alive to slow down.

"Okay then. How about I tell you about my week?" Amy suggested, not at all deterred by Shadow's unwillingness to talk. "I've had a pretty hectic one so far. I had to bake pastries with Vanilla and Cream; those came out good if you ignore Cheese's—"

Amy's communicator went off, a tiny beep that cut her off. She pressed a button to answer the call.

"Hey, Knuckles," she greeted with surprise and uncertainty.

Seems like she doesn't get many calls from him. I thought they were really close.

"Amy! How soon can you get to Angel Island?" The echidna inquired with urgency. He sounded like he was in the middle of something.

Amy glanced at Shadow, a silent request that the ultimate lifeform, despite his terrible social skills, seemed to understand.

Great… I'm going to Angel Island.

Shadow gave a small nod, and Amy spoke back to her wrist.

"I can be there in a few minutes."

"Huh," the echidna absentmindedly remarked, as he simultaneously tried to wonder how Amy would get there in such a short time. He gave up pretty soon. "Okay then. Just hurry," he finally said before hanging up.

Amy's gaze slowly shifted from her wrist to Shadow, and it was clear that she desperately hoped the ebony hedgehog wouldn't suddenly change his mind.

"Why do you even need me there?" Shadow abruptly asked.

"Well, you can get me there the fastest." That had already been established. Amy continued, "And you look like you could use a little adventure to get your mind off of things."

Shadow looked up at her face, and she genuinely wanted him to come with.

Of course, he couldn't let her know the gesture was appreciated, so he let out a sigh as he slumped his shoulders and turned to go to the fox boy's workshop.

On entering, he noticed Rouge and the fox examining a random image from the drive. They were also standing way too close for Shadow's comfort.

"Rouge, I need your chaos emerald," Shadow bluntly stated. The bat's ears twitched as she turned to look at her coworker, a wry smile plastered on her face. The fox didn't bother acknowledging Shadow.

"Oh, whatever are you talking about, handsome?" Rouge responded, hoping to engage in some light conversation.

"Now, Rouge," Shadow warned, glaring at her.

"Fine." Rouge reached behind her, pulling a purple chaos emerald from hammer space and tossing it to him. Shadow effortlessly caught it before staring at it with disgust.

Would it kill her to steal a green one?

Shadow marched out the door and toward Amy, who stood ready to leave. He grabbed her hand and quietly asked, "Are you ready?"

The pink hedgehog gaped at Shadow in slight surprise before nodding.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow yelled before a flash, and the two disappeared.

---

When Shadow opened his eyes, he was staring at the lush greenery of Angel Island. The place never seemed to lose its shine. The fresh fruits and beautiful flowers were just like the pictures Maria would show him when she talked of the parks she went to when she was much younger.

"We're here," Amy cheered, reminding Shadow of her existence. Still holding his hand, she tugged just a bit to get the ebony hedgehog to follow her.

"Let's start by checking the shrine, though I doubt he would need my help for anything related to the Master Emerald," Amy noted, mostly to herself. Shadow silently looked around him, choosing to document his findings silently.

Nothing looks out of the ordinary. If he needed Amy here, it would most certainly be something natural.

Suddenly, Shadow felt himself bump into Amy's figure; she had stopped. But before he could ask why, she spoke up.

"I just heard a chao." She turned towards a dense bush and, to Shadow's horror, screamed, "This way!"

The things I agree to…

The two hedgehogs walked into the bushes, clearing a path as they went. Amy didn't seem to mind the branches ruffling her quills, while Shadow was tempted to use Chaos Blast to save himself the stress he'd go through doing his quills later.

However, their journey was short-lived. They soon arrived at a hidden garden with a small lake and even more beautiful greenery. Shadow took in the scene, and immediately, he could tell what this was, and now he understood why the echidna needed Amy here.

"Can you stop whining? I don’t even know what you want!" A gruff voice barked, followed by a collection of sad yelps. Amy began walking in the direction of the voice, Shadow following her closely. They turned the corner and came face-to-face with their supposed host, who looked shocked, no surprise, and a handful of chao rolling around in the grass.

"Shadow?!" The echidna shrieked; the ultimate lifeform responded with an eye roll. "Please don't tell me you came with Rouge," he sighed, hoping to come off as annoyed, but one glance at his face, and he looked almost hopeful.

"Rouge has more important places to be at the moment," Shadow deadpanned, though on the inside, he wanted to laugh at the desperate echidna who seemed deflated to know that his situationship wasn't there.

"Hello? I'm still here, Knuckles," Amy pouted. The echidna awkwardly cleared his throat, trying to hide his flustered state.

"Right. Sorry, Amy." He stood up straight as he continued. "The chao have been so whiny today. They started with just bothering me, and now they just keep making random noises, and I have no clue what they want from me. So I could use your help with figuring that out."

More sad whines filled the air just as he spoke. Shadow had never seen the chao so upset.

"Of course," Amy cheered as she inched closer to her friend, placing both hands on his shoulders. "You go back to your guardian duties while Shadow and I help the chao," she said as she pushed him in the direction she assumed would lead back to his shrine.

"Yeah, sure," the echidna muttered skeptically, taking a moment to glance at Shadow before shrugging Amy's hands off and walking in the right direction, using an already-made path through the bushes. The ebony hedgehog didn't care that Rouge's whatever wanted to fight him. He was just waiting for him to make the first move, then he'd show him why he's the ultimate lifeform.

That's a thought for another time. Right now—

"I wonder what's got them so upset," Amy mumbled, staring at one of the chao, who was rolling around in absolute distress. She got down to sit on the grass, hoping to observe the chao better. Amy attempted to pick the red chao up, but it vehemently refused, wiggling its way out of her grip.

"Are they sick?" she suggested worriedly. Shadow looked at a pink chao that was hitting its head against a tree trunk.

"They're not sick. Their skin would be itchy if they were," Shadow rebutted, carefully picking the pink chao up. It surprisingly didn't struggle.

"Yeah, you have a point. So maybe they are bored and want to play? They look like they need attention." Amy proceeded to rub the belly of another chao, and it seemed to like it at first before wailing and using its stubby feet to shrug Amy's hand off. At the same time, the pink chao in Shadow's arms flew away, yelping as it went.

The pink hedgehog slumped back into a sitting position, feeling a bit lost. Shadow felt lost, too; the chao never acted so out of control and whiny. He leaned against the tree, taking a moment to think.

"What if they're hungry?" Amy spoke up again, this time with less conviction. Granted, considering she suggested that.

"Why would they be hungry? They have all the food they want within their reach," Shadow rebutted.

"What food, Shadow?"

It was at that point that Shadow took a look at the ground. There wasn't a single fruit lying around like there normally would be in a chao garden. Just whiny chao that were flailing around because they hadn't eaten.

"You have a point, but normally the fruit falls from the trees when it is ripe."

"So we need to get up there and see what the problem is," Amy offered as she stood up, dusting off her dress.

Shadow extended his hand to the pink hedgehog, who was confused but took it anyway.

"Your idea, Miss Rose. It's only fair we go up together," Shadow spoke in a flat tone, but his words came out inviting, if anything.

Luckily, Amy didn't read too much into it and just nodded as she took the first ascent up the tree. Shadow followed with a bit more ease but not as much enthusiasm. Every branch encountered was another reason to crash out.

How am I even going to groom these later?

But like all the rugged journeys that the ultimate lifeform has encountered in the course of the day (just two, actually), it was over soon. They got to a canopy, cramped but big enough to let both Amy and Shadow crawl in.

The two carefully maneuvered the branches, Amy gripping Shadow's arm for dear life and totally not considering if he was actually fine with that.

It's just Amy, not Rouge.

As they looked around, they noticed there weren’t any fruits in the trees.

"This doesn't make any sense. Where are all the fruits going if the chao aren't eating them?" Amy mumbled, her frustration bubbling over.

Shadow kept his eyes peeled. There had to be something they were missing.

But what—

Suddenly, Amy hugged his torso, and out of reflex, Shadow pushed her off.

WHAT WAS THAT FOR?

Amy lost her balance and almost slipped off the branch she and the ebony hedgehog were standing on. Shadow immediately realized his mistake and grabbed her arm. There was a split second of heavy breathing and silence before—

"Why would you do that?!" Amy shrieked as she gripped Shadow's upper arm. Shadow expertly hid his embarrassment with his own rebuttal.

"You grabbed me. How else was I supposed to react to that?" He snarled.

"I only grabbed you because I heard a noise and got scared a little."

"What noise?" Shadow inquired. Amy simply tilted her head in the direction from which she had heard it.

He slowly crept toward it, tugging Amy along with him.

As they cleared the leaves that fell in front of them, they saw two chao. One that awfully resembled Sonic and another that awfully resembled Shadow.

That's something you don't see every day.

The two were surrounded by fruits; they had been eating them by themselves. But that's not what caught Shadow's attention.

This feels domestic… painfully, awfully domestic.

The dark-type chao handed a fresh fruit to the blue chao. The chao smiled as it took the fruit before swallowing it whole. The dark chao was pleased, clapping its stubby hands together and giving a wicked smile, and plucking another for himself.

Unfortunately, Amy wasn't as mesmerized by the scene as Shadow was.

"Hey!" She shouted, startling the two as they slowly turned to look at their uninvited guests. "What exactly do you two think you're doing, collecting all this food for yourselves? Don't you know you're supposed to share it with the others?"

The Sonic chao stared at his partner, who looked almost unbothered by Amy's outburst.

"All of the other chao are hungry because you guys didn't share. How fair do you think that is?" Amy reprimanded.

It was only after Amy mentioned the other chao's state that the two began to show any remorse. The Sonic chao held a rather sad expression, while the Shadow chao looked more guilty.

Shadow stayed in a corner, just observing the emotion between the two before calmly directing a question to his lookalike.

"Did you do this for him?" The dark chao nodded eagerly in response. It grabbed another fruit and gave it to the Sonic chao, who did not hesitate to eat it whole once more.

"Guys, stop eating," Amy said, her frustration painfully evident. "We're going to go back to the rest, and we're going to share all the fruit up here, alright?" She sighed, and luckily, the chao agreed.

It took a while, but the two hedgehogs and the two chao managed to haul a bunch of fruits and drop them where the chao could see them. It didn't take long before a bunch of happy cries erupted from the ground below them.

When they got back down to the grassy field, Amy sat and played with the chao that once rejected her (Peekaboo seemed to really entertain them), while Shadow stood near the lake and decided to let his thoughts swallow him for once.

That dream I had earlier today… It wasn’t a dream; it felt so real to be one. But when did that happen? And why am I always seeing Sonic, and why…

Why do I want to keep seeing him?

Just then, he felt a nudge at his feet. Looking down, it was the Sonic chao, hands extended to give Shadow the fruit it was holding.

"Hm, thank you, but I think you deserve it more." Shadow went on his knees to pet the chao.

If only this were actually Sonic—

Shadow abruptly stopped, making the little creature stare at him with confusion.

Why would I even think that? Just because of a stupid dream.

At that moment, the dark chao came from behind the Sonic chao, pushing both of them into the lake. Shadow stared into the water, his face twisted in worry, before both chao swam up.

They seemed content with each other. Happily holding hands and splashing around in the water. An impenetrable bubble around them that seemed to grow bigger with warmth.

Shadow wouldn't say it out loud, but in that moment, he wished Sonic were there. Maybe he could push that dummy in the water too and watch him scream for help.

And maybe, just maybe, Shadow would be the first one to save him.

Chapter 4

Notes:

what a lovely day, right guys 😃? (IM TOTALLY FREAKING OUT CUZ IM GOING BACK TO SCHOOL IN TWO DAYS AHHHHHHHHHH)
hope you enjoy this chapter that definitely didn't stress me to write at all (it did lol but i'm doing it for y'all)

"You like coffee beans?!"

Shadow felt his face heat up in drunken anger. It was strange that he couldn't control his emotions. So not ultimate lifeform coded.

"It's not like chilidogs are any better," Shadow pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. It was only after completing the action that he realized it had almost no real effect, as it would if he were sober.

Instead of a jab, it sounded like a playful squabble between him and his rival.

"Shads, I'm not fighting you here," Sonic drawled out as he raised his hands in a surrender motion. "But a chilidog has like, actual food in it. There's chili!"

Stupid hedgehog is right.

"Coffee beans are essential to ensuring productivity," Shadow argued. His mouth was faster than his mind, unfortunately.

"That doesn't make any sense. How does straight-up caffeine make you more productive?" The azure hedgehog asked, giggling as he waited for Shadow's unfiltered response.

"Clearly you haven't tried it, hedgehog." Shadow claimed. He didn't get why Sonic wanted to fight about this anyway.

"Okay, and you've had a chilidog?" Sonic asked offhandedly. From his tone, he was not expecting the answer that Shadow blurted.

"Yes?" The ultimate lifeform stared at the hero sprawled out on his bedroom floor, with a look that screamed, 'I am offended that you think I haven't.'

"You've actually had a chilidog before? The whole thing? You didn't compress it into a tablet?" Sonic joked, but he was rather shocked at the revelation.

"Can you move on to the next question?" Shadow replied, choosing not to humor his rival and equip him with the necessary information that would ultimately get Shadow bullied when this night was over. Shadow turned his torso away, which got Sonic to take the hint.

"Fine, you're such a joykill," the azure hedgehog conceded. He spent a few moments thinking of his next question. "What's your favorite movie?"

"I thought you wanted a conversation. Why do you only care about my favorite things?" The ebony hedgehog uncrossed his arms as he spoke, now crossing his legs and propping one arm on his thigh, supporting his face with it.

"You're stalling, Shadow. Answer the question," Sonic smirked in response.

Okay, maybe he's too attentive for his own good.

"I don't watch those anymore."

"Why not?"

Shadow glanced at Sonic, who had unconsciously inched closer and placed his arms on the edge of his bed. He really wanted to listen to Shadow.

Well, I might as well say it. He wanted a conversation.

"I used to watch them on the ARK. So…" He dragged out the end. The message was pretty straightforward from there. At least, he thought so.

"So what? Were the movies terrible? I mean, those had to be from 50 years ago, even older if you think far enough. I don't even think they had CGI yet," Sonic commented. He spoke like he was convinced that Shadow's biggest problem was that the space films he watched looked nothing like outside the ARK.

That's one thing I'm still bothered about, though.

And also, I was wrong. He's too dumb for his own detriment.

"What are you talking about? None of those things you mentioned are of any concern to me."

"So what gives? Why don't you watch movies anymore?"

Shadow took a deep, shaky breath. Out of place for him, but he clearly wasn't himself.

"Maria and I watched films on tapes. They weren't anything exciting, but it was an activity we shared. I can't bring myself to watch another, the memory is still vivid," Shadow said. The amount of emotion in his words was more than Shadow would ever allow himself to say.

Yet, the first person I spoke with like that was my supposed rival, huh.

"We can watch one together."

Shadow snapped his head to stare at the azure hedgehog, whose face went red in an instant.

"What I mean by that is, since you only remember Maria when you watch movies, I figured, maybe you can make new memories. It doesn't have to be with me, obviously. Why would you want to? But it was just a suggestion. You can totally do that with whoever you want!" Sonic rambled. He started tugging on the bedsheets and looking around the room, which was not only odd for him but also annoying for Shadow. He wanted his sheets to remain perfectly aligned.

"If you insist. You have to pick a good one, though. I have refined taste," Shadow said with faint amusement. Sonic slowly shifted his gaze back to Shadow, and for a moment, it looked like Sonic doubted him.

What's there to question? It's just a movie. A movie I want to watch with him and nobody else, for some reason.

"Sure, Shads," the hero grinned. "I'll come up with something you'll most definitely like."

"You'd better. I don't want to watch something dumb like Mary Poppins."

"Like what?"

Shadow lifted his head and stared at the pink hedgehog who had snapped him out of his daydream. Once again, he was in Sonic's living room, but this time leaning against the wall. Not something that rubs you right, especially if you're just passing by.

"Shadow, are you good? You were talking to yourself just now," Amy asked with a hint of concern. "I also heard you mention Mary Poppins, which is an odd name to mention."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Rose," Shadow sighed. He really needed to get a grip. He doesn't even know why he's been so tired recently.

Sure, it's been a stressful week, but this is not normal for me.

"Does the fox boy have any updates?" The ultimate lifeform inquired sternly, giving the not-so-subtle hint to drop the topic. Amy huffed at that before answering.

"He has a name; get it right. And no, no luck on getting ahold of Sonic." She looked down at the floor, almost contemplating whether she should say the next sentence.

Amy and Shadow's Chao Garden mission was interrupted by Rouge's frantic call. To Amy, it felt normal, but Shadow had heard Rouge speak a lot more than he wanted to, and he knew she was anxious about something. And once they got back, it was obvious.

"Sonic hung up on me," Shadow heard the fox say with utmost shock as he glared at the monitor. Rouge stood right beside him, her body stiff.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He just did! I asked him where he was, if he was okay, and he told me not to call him again and hung up!" The kit fumed. It was an odd expression on him.

"What? He said that?!" Amy asked, pushing herself in front of Shadow to talk with the boy better.

"Well, I wouldn't have said it if it didn't happen, Amy," he responded, groaning as if he were shot.

"How about we take our leave? I'm sure you would be able to think better if you had time alone," Rouge offered before taking Amy's hand in her right hand, Shadow's arm in her left, and walking out the workshop doors.

Since that day, the fox had been holed up in his workshop, and now it's been a week since Sonic's kidnapping. He only let Amy in for food, and even then, he ignored her.

"Has he come to his senses, or is he mad at Sonic and hoping he feels it through his dumb screen?" Shadow quipped, hoping to break the ice and push Amy to say whatever is on her mind.

"He thinks Sonic is doing it on purpose. He's tried calling back, but Sonic just keeps hanging up. I think Eggman's forcing him to ignore us. But Tails doesn’t," she whispered.

"Why would Sonic want to ignore his own brother? Is he even thinking straight?" Shadow asked no one in particular. It was an angry conclusion, and no one knew why he was angry.

"Hey, handsome?" Rouge called as she strutted down the stairs. She had been taking a 'well-deserved' rest since the fox shut them out.

If a well-deserved rest involves toying with a dumb echidna's feelings, I don't need that.

"Hello to you, too, pinkie. What are you two gossiping about?" Rouge grinned. Something was making her stupidly happy.

"Funny you'd assume you inspired us enough to indulge in your useless habits," Shadow remarked.

"Oh, but you were talking about Tails. I think that's enough to make an assumption." Rouge quipped right back.

"So why ask if you already know? Is that the only way you know how to start a conversation?"

"Would you look at that? The idiot telling me that is the most socially awkward member of Team Dark. And that's with Omega on the team!" Rouge retorted.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Whatever, bat. We were talking. Miss Rose came to vent about her friend's behavior. The fact that she didn't go to you says enough about whose words matter, and it's clearly not yours."

Rouge screamed in frustration as she turned around to walk out the door. "Whoever slapped you this morning was definitely the devil. He's the only one you'd let get that close." She slammed the door as she left, and Shadow broke into a rather comic grin.

What do you know? I actually successfully pissed her off.

"Ahem." Shadow looked back at Amy, who looked disappointed for some reason that he didn't want to hear.

"You can attempt to scold me for absolutely nothing another time. Right now, we need to confront that fox. The three of us have been waiting for him to come out with a response, and there he is, going crazy."

"You're right," she conceded. It was hard not to when Sonic's life was on the line.

Or maybe that's just me.

"Are we going to get Rouge for this? She—"

"She went out for a reason. Whatever it is, she'll be back soon. Besides, he's not that tough."

Amy mumbled something under her breath. Shadow was more focused on the workshop doors he was headed towards.

He slowly pushed open the doors. The place felt eerie even though it was fully illuminated, and Shadow had been in here before. Regardless, he stood tall.

"We need to have a conversation, kid," the ebony hedgehog started as he walked towards the grand monitor setup. The fox was hunched over, drilling lasers with his eyes into the screen. His fur was tangled, and he reeked. Nothing was making sense. This boy was more than capable of thinking things through, so what changed now?

"What about?" His voice didn't sound as deranged as he looked. It was the voice of someone who knew more than others.

"The obvious? Rouge, Amy, and I have been waiting for any update on the FACESHIP's location. You haven't delivered," Shadow stated.

The fox boy slowly turned to face Shadow and Amy. His boba-like eyes had become dull. His overall expression was weary but still determined.

"You have to talk to Sonic, Shadow."

Something is clearly wrong with this fox.

"No, there's nothing wrong with me. Sonic is trying to keep me safe by not talking to me on purpose. Whatever is up there is clearly bigger than we think," the fox explained as he swiveled in his chair.

"If you know that, then why are you mad at Sonic?" Amy boldly asked.

"I'm mad because he hung up before I could get an accurate location. I need him on the phone for longer if I'm ever gonna get a chance to find out where he is," he clarified with a hint of annoyance. But that still left Shadow confused.

"Why do I have to call him then?" He demanded. The kit glanced back at him and let out a sigh before talking.

"I can't make Amy do it. Sonic's gonna immediately assume that we're working together, and he'd not want to put us in danger. If Rouge called him, either he stays on the phone because she's a GUN agent or he doesn't for the same reason." He paused to reach for his fancy tablet.

"But you, Shadow, you're his rival. Sonic would trust you enough to let you get involved. He wouldn't have minded if you were working with GUN, but you're helping us now. I honestly don't know if that's better or worse in this case," the kit finished as he continued tapping away on the screen.

Shadow thought about it. The fox's arguments made sense, but something was still not making sense.

Also, how is he so sure Sonic's going to trust me?

And why does that make me glad?

"I guess that tracks. If that doesn't work—" Amy had started, but the fox cut her off.

"You know it's gonna work, Amy. We just need to recalibrate your communicator and use it to call Sonic."

The fox gestured for Shadow's wrist, and the ebony hedgehog stretched out his arm to let the fox take out his sleek watch. Something was definitely going over his head, but it was hard to tell exactly what it was. Amy and the fox unanimously agreeing on a random trait of Sonic's shouldn't be an issue, but it wasn't that simple.

Why are they so sure that this is going to work?

"Shadow, you have to be absolutely natural. Like totally calm and collected—"

"Tails, you're pushing this. What if Sonic has an entirely different reason for not involving you? What if Shadow is not gonna work?" Amy interrupted. She walked closer to the kit as if she were attempting to reason with him.

"Unless you wanna try other options with a lower success rate, I suggest you just let Shadow talk to him." Tails responded rather coldly.

What is actually happening here?!

Amy backed off and let the fox do whatever he wanted. He kept toying with Shadow's communicator and tapping on his tablet at the same time. The movements were so fluid, like he'd been hoping the two hedgehogs had walked in just so he could do this.

It took a while of a few clicks, Amy's face twisting into a concerned and anxious expression, and Shadow calmly standing and waiting while masking all of his confusion.

The kit was whispering under his breath, speaking to the equipment he was working on. There was a whole lot of tension that had Shadow pressed into a corner of sorts. He really wanted to stop this whole operation to ask the necessary questions, but he also wanted to do anything to save Sonic.

Every time he thought of that hedgehog, he felt his stomach churn.

"Here," the fox exclaimed as he put the watch right back on Shadow's wrist. "Now call Sonic. Don't say anything about anything. Just try to keep him on the phone for as long as you can." He turned back to his monitor and opened a tab.

Shadow hesitantly scrolled to near the bottom of his contact list. The only time he remembered pressing on the contact name 'Hedgehog' was when Rouge needed to talk to him and her communicator was down. It was one of their worst G.U.N. missions, and they had to call in for a little backup.

He pressed the contact, and the call rang. Everyone had their breath held, but for Shadow, time had stopped completely. His hands were clenched into fists, and he wanted to smash the watch on the floor.

Then a voice came through.

"Wow, Shads. Took you that long to call?"

Shadow let out the shaky breath he had no idea he was holding. He stared at the watch in pure disbelief before simply responding.

"Faker"

"Is that the only thing you call me? Can't you change it up a bit?" Sonic quipped and let out a snort.

"It's simple, no? That's the purpose of a nickname," Shadow retorted. One glance at Amy, and she gave him a small, nervous smile.

"Shads, nicknames are supposed to show how close that person is to you. That's why I call Amy 'Ames' and Tails... well, I don't wanna tell you in fear for his rep." The fox chuckled lightly at the comment, while Amy seemed not to react.

"And that's why I call you 'Faker'. You're a copy of me, so that makes for the perfect nickname."

"No Shadow. That's not even endearing in the slightest."

Shadow felt his heart jump a bit as Sonic said that, and all of a sudden, this wasn't a conversation that he wanted Amy and the kit to listen to.

"You want to talk endearing? Really, hedgehog?" Shadow chose to respond.

"Haha, very funny. But we both know you had other reasons to call me right now. What's going on?" The azure hedgehog's tone swiftly changed to serious as he inquired. The fox tensed up slightly, and Amy remained stoic. Shadow blurted out the exact thing on his mind.

"Where are you, Sonic?"

The said hedgehog was quiet for a brief moment before responding.

"I can't tell you that, Shads."

And now Shadow wanted to grab him by his quills and pummel him to the ground because—

"What do you mean by 'you can't tell me'?"

"It's exactly what it means. Don't come searching for me. I'll be fine."

At this point, Amy narrowed her gaze. She looked deep in thought. The fox boy looked more anxious than anything.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, hedgehog. I can spare you your ego if that's what you're worried about," Shadow joked to hide his own worry.

Why am I worried? He's Sonic the Hedgehog. Of course, he'll be fine.

"Shads, listen. Just back off from this one. Unless you need Rouge to have your back because she isn’t annoying and she's the best partner you've ever had."

"And what gave you the courage to say that?"

"You did, duh." Shadow could hear him stick out his tongue. "Even if it killed you to admit it that night."

Right. He remembers more than I do.

"Hm. I don't know about that, but then again, my memory is terrible, so I might have to take your word for it," Shadow gently explained.

The fox sat up straighter to glare at the monitor. Shadow glanced at it and noticed it was close to honing in on Sonic's exact location. He needed to keep going.

"I figured you didn't remember. Your pride wouldn't allow you to call me if you did."

"If you know so much about me and my pride, then I assume you know I'm coming to get you regardless of your warning."

"Shadow, this is bigger than GUN. This is bigger than you've probably seen before, and I don't need you involved. That's that." Sonic asserted.

"There's something you're not telling me, hedgehog, and I'd like you to say it now."

"Just promise me you'll stay out of this, Shads."

"Sonic, tell me what's happening right now!"

Shadow's heart was racing. He wanted Sonic to talk to him.

"Please promise me, Shadow."

The more time passed, the smaller the room felt.

"I'm not promising you anything. Now tell me—"

"YES!"

Shadow's head snapped to look at the fox, who had become very aware of his grave mistake; his ears drooped low, and guilt flooded his eyes.

"Tails?! Shadow, what's going on? Why is Tails with you?" Sonic badgered angrily.

Amy stood straighter and began to approach Shadow. The ebony hedgehog was more focused on what was breaking apart in front of him.

Please don't hang up yet.

"The fox's presence has nothing to do with our conversation. Now would you please tell me what is really happening up there?" Shadow demanded, though his voice wavered. There was a moment of silence.

"Well, you told me you weren't gonna make any promises to me, so I don't have to tell you anything." The azure hedgehog joked in response, the anger faint but still imminent. It did not make Shadow calm in the slightest. His head was spinning, and all he wanted was to wake up from this sick, confusing dream.

"And yes, I know a lot about your pride, Shadow. And you're right." Sonic continued, his voice lowered.

"So you know I'm going to save you?" The ebony hedgehog replied, even as he was near breaking down. He could hear the locking of a door and Rouge's soft laugh coming from outside the workshop, the peaceful noises doing little to break the tension.

"Yeah, I know you will. I'm waiting for you, Shads. Also, get me a chilidog on the way," Sonic said. Then a beep echoed in the room.

And after that, Shadow wasn't so sure.

He could see Amy walk up to him, holding his arms to get his attention.

He could see the fox jump in his seat, gleaming at his screen.

He even saw Rouge. She had strutted through the doors, and once she saw the scene, she tried to get Shadow's attention as well.

But he could not hear anything other than Sonic's words, ringing in his mind.

I'm waiting for you, Shads.

And before he passed out, he thought,

I'm going to learn how to make chilidogs.

Notes:

did ya like it? if so, comment or don't, no pressure
the next chapter will be out soon, stay patient and i'll see ya soon