Chapter Text
Pure and utter chaos had enveloped the Wachowski household.
Since the reveal of Shadow’s not-so-dead status, the family had been thrown into an uproar. Knuckles was determined to keep Shadow far away from all of them, and increased his training so that he was prepared to face him whenever the other hedgehog returned. (No matter how much of a lost cause Sonic believed that to be) Tails was attempting to weasel his way out of trouble by claiming he’d only found out a few days before Tom and Maddie. Tom and Maddie were freaking out over the fact that not only was the super weapon who’d attempted to destroy the world still alive, but that also their son had befriended him and kept said friendship a secret from them. And Sonic?
He was grounded, and trying to hold his cracking emotions together. He understood why he’d been grounded- he had even expected it. That didn’t make it any easier though, when all he wanted was to be out looking for Shadow. It had been three days, and he’d heard nothing. No surprise teleportation to let Sonic know he was okay. No hint of quill nor chaos energy. Shadow had just… disappeared.
Sonic tried to pretend it didn’t bother him. Tried to pretend his slump was about being grounded, and not about the disappearance of someone Maddie thought was still their enemy. Tom was undecided. He was wary, but open to hearing Shadow out. He mostly just didn’t like the fact that Sonic had been sneaking around behind their backs, and keeping this very big, very important piece of information a secret from them. Maddie, however? Completely set against Shadow. Sonic avoided the topic with her because she was half-convinced that Shadow had just been using and manipulating him the entire time.
Sonic would vehemently protest any suggestion of the sorts. Shadow had never asked him for anything, other than to keep his presence a secret. And that request had been reasonable- G.U.N. was a threat, after all.
Maddie didn’t seem to care. She was determined to keep them all safe from Shadow, no matter how much Sonic tried to convince her that he meant them no harm. Sonic knew she was afraid of Shadow, and afraid of what he could do.
And thinking back… he couldn’t completely blame her. Shadow had threatened her kids, severely injured her husband, and almost destroyed the entire world. Keeping that in mind, Sonic couldn’t blame her for her anger and fear, even if it did bother him sometimes. He understood- he’d felt similar when he’d gone after Shadow in golden god mode.
But now that he knew Shadow, knew what had motivated him, knew of how much he wanted to make Maria proud, knew how tired he was of fighting… it hurt Sonic’s heart, to hear his mother talk about someone who meant so much to him. Shadow was his friend, and whatever connection lied between them, Sonic wanted to understand.
If Maddie had her way, however, Sonic would never see Shadow again.
A knock on the attic door pulled Sonic from his thoughts. He swallowed hard, took a moment to gather up all his wild, loose emotions and stuff them down, firmly clamping hold of them, before he called, “Come in.” He didn’t force a happy tone, nor a smile. He didn’t want to. And he wasn’t expected to in this situation either.
Tails popped his head up, ears half-pinned in some sort of emotion. “Sonic? Can I come up?”
“Sure, buddy.” Sonic said, softening a little at the sight of his younger brother. Tails was about the only person he wasn’t at least a little frustrated with. When they had gotten back from the forest, and Maddie had checked him over, all hell had broken loose. Shouting had filled the house, from human and mobian alike as they all tried to figure out what was going on. Somewhere in that chaos, Sonic had been grounded. But even as Knuckles scolded him for 'falling for a scheme', Tails had stepped in and stood up for Sonic even against their guardians. Although in the end, it had proven fruitless, Sonic appreciated the effort all the same. As well as the words spoken on Shadow’s behalf- especially because Tails did not know, or trust him. He had just vouched for him because he trusted Sonic’s judgment.
Sonic patted the bed next to him in invitation, and the fox took it eagerly, scrambling up the ladder, across the room, and hopping up on the bed. They sat quietly for a few minutes, neither of them eager to fill the silence. Tails leaned into Sonic, and he raised an arm, dropping it over the fox kit and pulling him closer with a small sigh.
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” Tails’ voice was low, and he glanced to the attic door as if someone would hear him talking about Shadow and come to scold him. His baby blue eyes were wide and concerned when he looked up at Sonic.
He thought about denying it, blaming his slump on the grounding, but knew that Tails wouldn’t buy it. Sighing, he nodded. “I am. When I first found him, he hadn’t eaten anything in weeks. He’s never known life outside the lab that G.U.N. kept him locked in. So yeah, I’m worried about him, off by himself now.”
Tails nodded thoughtfully. “Well… Shadow’s pretty smart. And if you managed to make do for years all by yourself, I think Shadow can handle himself for however long he’s gone.”
He was right, but it made Sonic’s heart ache. He didn’t want Shadow to have to keep fending for himself, to keep fighting for survival. He wanted the other to be able to relax, have some peace, and not have to constantly worry about what the next day would bring.
He didn’t say any of this to Tails though. Instead, he said, “Yeah, you’re right. He’s pretty resourceful.”
“Exactly.” Tails smiled at him encouragingly, tails twitching on the bed behind him. “So don’t worry. And…” His voice turned contemplative, and more serious. “I think he’ll be back. You managed to befriend him, didn’t you?”
“Yes…” Sonic said, a little hesitantly. “Well I mean, he doesn’t deny the fact anymore.” That sounded like such a strong friendship. Such a healthy friendship. But it was Shadow- that was strong and… well, as healthy as it got for now.
“Well then, I don’t think he’d leave you behind so easily.” Tails said with more confidence. “It might take a while, but he’ll be back.”
“You really think so?” Sonic said, unable to disguise the hope in his voice. They had been making progress friendship-wise, but was it enough to keep Shadow close? To mean something to him? Sonic hoped so. Hoped so with every fiber of his being.
“I do.” Tails said, clasping his hands together a little nervously. “I don’t know much about him, aside from what you told me. But he seems to be a pretty serious guy. I would think that applies to his friendships as well.”
“He’s never really had friends.” Sonic murmured. A friend, yes. Friends, plural? Not in the slightest. And Sonic would think that being friends on a secret military base would be a bit… different. Not any less real, but certainly different.
“Oh.” Tails blinked, a sad expression crossing his face. “That… that’s really sad.” Tails looked up at Sonic with a contemplative expression. “Is that why you wanted to be his friend?”
Sonic loved this kid. So, so much. “Partially. He’s been through a lot of really horrible things. He hasn’t outright said too much, but I think that he was experimented on by G.U.N.” This was the first time he’d ever verbalized his fear. Because some of the things that Shadow said- always in such a flat, matter-of-fact tone- sent his skin crawling with a feeling he couldn’t place. A wrongness that lay under the surface. Sonic hoped that Shadow would get comfortable enough to talk to him about it sometime…. if he ever came back.
Tails let out a muffled gasp, eyes wide with horror. “Experimented on? Like they wanted to do to you when they first discovered you?”
Sonic nodded grimly. And here was the dark question- did they want to compare him to Shadow? Measure his power against the other mobian that they had in their possession? Sonic wouldn’t be all too surprised if that had been the case. “I guess- I just didn’t want him to be alone. He’s… angry, and hurting, and he doesn’t know how to just…. be, outside of a lab. I wanted to show him what life was like.” Sonic said quietly, unable to keep the wistfulness from his voice.
“I get it.” Tails said, nuzzling into his side more. Sonic let on hand drift down and gently smoothed the fur on the top of the kit’s head. “You did the same for me and Knuckles, after all.”
Sonic chuckled a little. “I did, didn’t I? I don’t think it was as much of a conscious decision then. I pretty much just decided to keep you right off the bat.” Tails giggled, but Sonic continued. “And Knuckles… to be honest, I didn’t really know what to do with him. So I brought him home and hoped for the best.”
“It turned out good.” Tails murmured, yawning widely. Sonic glanced to the clock, finding it was already nine-forty five. Man, how had it gotten that late? It did get dark earlier, since they were approaching winter, but still!!
“You need to go to sleep.” Sonic said, ruffling the spiked fur on Tails’ head gently. “It’s getting late.”
The fox slumped a little, but didn’t protest. “Yeah…” He sounded a little disappointed, and that gave Sonic an idea.
“Hey, do you want to stay with me tonight?” He grinned at the excited expression Tails turned on him, glad he had made the offer. He didn’t feel like being alone tonight, left to the mercy of his own thoughts once more.
“Yes!! Really?” Tails asked, bouncing in place a little. His tails waggled furiously, an expression of his joy that he couldn’t hide.
“Yeah dude! There’s room for two here.” Especially when one was as tiny as Tails. The bed was already too large- it was built for a human, not a mobian. So it could fit the both of them no problem. Sonic wrapped his arms around Tails and flung them back, sending them crashing onto the mattress. Tails shrieked a laugh, then muffled it with a pillow in case anyone was sleeping already downstairs.
Sonic got Tails settled and tucked in, made sure his phone was plugged in, then flipped the light off. Snuggling down into the blankets, he debated an impulse before giving in. Wrapping his arms around Tails, he pulled him close, tucking him against his chest and settling his chin against the top of the kid’s head. Tails didn’t protest in the slightest, instead burrowing back against him and releasing his churring fox purr. Sonic felt his own clicky purr rumble in his chest in response, and his eyelids slid shut.
For the first time in a few days, Sonic wasn’t up for hours, remembering the day in the clearing, and rehashing the words they’d all exchanged. For the first time since Shadow left, he was peaceful. The warmth of Tails pressed to him, the soothing sound of the fox’s purr, the physical contact. Sonic couldn’t help but relax, and relax he did, into the first dreamless (nightmareless) sleep since Shadow had vanished.
Shadow decided that he hated cities. They were loud, bright, and he felt like he could choke on the air, heavy and saturated with chemicals as it was. He’d been through quite a few now, since he’d left Green Hill. Left the cave. Left Sonic.
Shadow tried not to think about it. The desperate, broken look on the blue hedgehog’s face when he’d realized that Shadow was leaving. They way he’d reached out, practically begging Shadow to stay. Like he truly wanted Shadow around.
But then he’d remember the hostile fury in the echidna’s expression, the terror in the woman’s, and the shocked anger in the man called Tom. The man Shadow had almost- That had been what convinced him. Because if they were so upset that he was alive, there was no way that Sonic could convince them not to turn Shadow over to G.U.N. If they had been so afraid and angry at the sight of him, they’d probably celebrate G.U.N. trying to lock him away once more. Shadow couldn’t go back. Couldn’t spend another day locked int he endless sleep of cryostasis, reliving agonizing memories on repeat for decades more. It shamed him to admit so, but he wasn’t strong enough. Wasn’t strong enough to watch Maria die, on a loop, for the rest of his life. Wasn’t strong enough to relive that hell.
Shadow ducked down a side street, airshoes splashing in puddles as he walked. It had rained recently, and a lot by the looks of things. To be honest, Shadow didn’t really know where he was. Still in America, but he had no idea where. Maybe it was a good strategy- if he didn’t know where he was, how would anyone else figure it out? Somehow, he didn’t think that would stop G.U.N. whenever they started hunting for him. They’d find him no matter where he ran. Shadow sighed at the bleak outlook of his own future- constantly running and fighting, running and fighting on repeat. While much better than the G.U.N. lab (which wasn’t surprise, as almost anywhere was better than there), it still was a little… sad.
But it was worth it, to stay out of G.U.N.’s clutches. Shadow would do almost anything to avoid imprisonment again. Even if it meant running and fighting them for the rest of his life, he would do it.
Shadow was grateful for his night vision as he neared the edge of the city, the lights growing dimmer the further he went. This area seemed to be more… unsafe than his previous location in the city. The streets grew dirtier, filthy with trash and dirt and unnamed substances. Shadow grimaced when he stepped around a pile of melted… something. The clothes he wore (that he’d stolen off a clothesline so that he could blend in) were still too big, and if he wasn’t careful the pant legs he’d rolled up would fall down and get into the murky puddles. His arm sleeves he’d left long intentionally, to also cover his gloves and hands. Shadow was trying to blend in, but even though no one knew he was a hedgehog, his height was something he couldn’t hide no matter how hard he tried. Thankfully, most humans would rather ignore him and carry about their own business, rather than question him.
Shadow scowled when he stepped in a puddle that was deeper than he had been expecting, and his airshoe sank into it a bit, causing cold water to soak into the fur of his ankle. Yes, it was official, he hated this place. This city.
A noise down a nearby alley caught his attention, and his ears pricked, swiveling to try to pick up the noise. Instinctively, his footsteps slowed and lightened, masking the clipping noise the metal made on the concrete. He scanned the area, eyes narrowed. He was on high alert, looking for whatever had caught his attention. Something moved, and Shadow focused on the figure, creeping closer to the alley to figure out what was going on. A man came walking up the alley, his stride loose and predatory. Shadow moved slowly, tucking himself behind a vehicle parked alongside the street. From here, he had an even better view of the alley- and now there were four men. They were all quiet, but were nodding and exchanging hushed words.
Shadow frowned, not understand their motives. Perhaps they were just harmless teens messing around. Just having fun.
That was when he spotted the girl.
She was walking down the sidewalk, about the cross in front of the alley entrance, oblivious to the men who were clearly lying in wait for her. One man took the barest peek around the corner, then pulled back nodded to his friends. The other men exchanged the type of grin that made Shadow’s hands clench.
Whatever they had planned for her, it was bad. Very bad.
And Shadow couldn’t just stand by and watch. As the girl reached the alley, Shadow stood, and teleported, appearing behind the group directly in the alley. The first man lunged out of the alley at her, and her scream ripped through the still night. Shadow was faster, of course. In the blink of an eye, he moved, slamming into the man that was attempting to grab the girl. Shadow threw him down to the concrete, delivering a precise kick to his temple to knock him out cold, before he turned on the rest of the group with a feral snarl. The girl, now safely behind him, was still screaming. Shadow’s ears twitched with some annoyance- she was loud, and drawing attention. But he couldn’t blame her- it was decent survival instincts, that she hadn’t stopped making noise in the face of attack.
“What is that thing?” One of the men said, taking a few steps backward, as if he could retreat now.
Not so fast. Shadow thought, blinking out of existence again. This time he reappeared above them, launching himself off the wall and at another human. The human went down, cracking his head on the brick wall before he hit the cement, efficiently knocking himself out. Shadow turned his attention to the last two, lunging forward so quickly that no one could have seen more than a blur. He slammed his fist into the side of one’s head, toppling him, then kicked the last man’s feet out from under him, bringing him crashing down.
Shadow stilled now, stepping back from the fight. All four men were down- incapacitated in one way or another. Knocked out or dazed enough to stay down. The girl had run off now, and he hoped she made it to her home safely. Purely because of the effort he’d extended on her behalf, of course. It would be a waste of his time if something happened to her along the rest of her way.
That was what he tried to tell himself, anyways. He didn’t know why he’d immediately moved in to help. Call it instinct, perhaps.
Whatever the case was, he needed to be more controlled than that. Otherwise, he might as well just paint a target on his own back for G.U.N. to find.
Shadow left the alley, eager to get out of the city before the would-be attackers were found. The last thing he needed was to be caught simply because he’d decided to help someone.
Shadow stalked down the road at a quicker pace now, his senses on high alert for any sign of danger. Ears twitching, eyes flicking about the area, on constant guard. He maintained this alert pace until he reached the very edge of the city, where he finally left, pushing his way through waist-length grass.
Shadow didn’t know how he felt about helping the girl. It had been a risk, he knew that. If any of them talked, it would let G.U.N. know that something was up. And they were smart enough to figure out that he was alive.
But he couldn’t have just left her to their mercy either. Something about her had pulled at him, urged him to act rather than watch. Whatever that urge was, he hoped it would go away now. He wasn’t Sonic. He wasn’t a hero, wasn’t going to become that. Shadow was too far gone for such monikers.
All he wanted right now was to stay out of G.U.N.’s reach.
So, he’d keep running. Running and hiding, and fighting if he needed to. Until one day, maybe, just maybe, he could be truly free from them. It was a day he longed for with every fiber of his soul. The day he didn’t have worry about hiding, about keeping clear off their radar. The day he could really let loose, stop running from them.
Unfortunately, today was not that day. So, Shadow ran.