Archive of Our Own ^beta

shadow may be the ultimate lifeform but he was also maria's service animal, able to sense countless things. now that he was dating sonic who was a type 1 diabetic those skills came in handy.

and now was one of those times where they resurfaced. "sonic. here." a juice box was held in front of the blue blur's face.

sonic was in the middle of a game, his thumbs flying across the controller with lightning speed. he was fully immersed in the digital world, his mind focused on nothing but the on-screen action. when shadow approached with a juice box, sonic barely registered his presence, his eyes glued to the screen. "not now, shadow," he mumbled distractedly.

shadow narrowed his eyes, "sonic. you need this. it's not a question."

sonic finally looked up at shadow, a mixture of annoyance and curiosity in his eyes. "what? i'm fine, man. i don't need a juice box right now."

"just because you 'feel' fine doesn't mean you are. drink. now."

sonic huffed, setting the controller down and snatching the juice box from shadow's hand. "alright, alright, i'll drink it. but seriously, i'm not a child. i can take care of myself."

as he spoke, he took the straw into his mouth and began sipping the juice, his focus returning to the video game.

shadow scoffed, crossing his arms as he looked away, sitting beside sonic. "clearly not."

sonic stopped sipping the juice mid-drink, a mock offended look on his face. "excuse me? i can take care of myself just fine."

he took another sip before continuing, "besides, i've been living with this condition for most of my life. i know what i'm doing."

"then why is your blood sugar so low." shadow grumbled, clearly just scared for sonic's safety.

sonic sighed, setting the juice box down on the table. he knew that shadow was just worried about him, but he hated feeling like he was being treated like a child.

"fine, okay, my blood sugar might be a little low. but i was going to deal with it myself. i don't need you to babysit me every time it dips."

shadow kept his gaze away, "you didn't even notice did you."

sonic's eyes widened at shadow's words. he had to admit, he hadn't been paying as much attention as he usually did to his blood sugar levels lately. between video games and saving the world, it was hard to keep track sometimes.

"yeah, alright. maybe i wasn't being as careful as i should have been," he admitted, his tone a little more subdued than before. "but i'm fine now. really."

shadow sighed, trying to will himself to relax but it was hard. he just wanted to help, anxiety striking through him each time sonic dropped too low or went too high.

sonic saw the concern etched on shadow's face and softened his tone. he knew that shadow had good intentions, and he didn't want to keep brushing off his worries.

"hey," he said gently, placing a hand on shadow's arm. "i'm sorry for getting defensive. i know you're just trying to help. i'll try to be more mindful about checking my blood sugar levels, okay?"

shadow sucked in a breath before slowly nodding, moving to snuggle into sonic's side. "when was the last time you changed the dexcom?"

sonic's arms immediately wrapped around shadow, pulling him closer. he rested his chin on top of shadow's head, feeling a mix of guilt and affection.

"uhh," he winced, realizing it had been a few days since he changed it. "it's been like three days, i think."

shadow grumbled softly, "i'll help you change it later."

sonic chuckled, running his fingers through shadow's fur. "you're such a mother hen, you know that?" he teased, his voice filled with affection. "but i appreciate it. and i promise i'll do better at taking care of myself."

"someone has to be." shadow huffed, hugging sonic tight.

sonic nuzzled his face into shadow's shoulder, relishing the warmth and comfort of their embrace. he felt a surge of gratitude towards shadow for caring so deeply.

"i know i can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but i appreciate you looking out for me," he said, his voice soft. "i'm lucky to have you."

shadow smiled a little, "you want to go back to your game?"

sonic considered for a moment, torn between the urge to keep playing his game and the desire to cuddle with shadow. but in the end, the latter won out.

"nah," he said, snuggling even closer to shadow. "i've had enough gaming for now. i'd rather spend time with you."

"well.. i'm not opposed to that." shadow hummed, pulling sonic down to cuddle properly.

sonic let himself be pulled down, feeling a wave of warmth and contentment wash over him. he wrapped his arms around shadow, feeling his body fit perfectly against his own.

"this is much better than any video game," he murmured, burying his face in shadow's chest.

"i would hope so." shadow huffed, nuzzling against sonic's head.

the two of them lay there in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. sonic traced small circles on shadow's back, a soothing gesture that he knew shadow appreciated.

"you know," sonic said suddenly, breaking the silence. "you make a pretty good pillow."

shadow sighed, playfully rolling his eyes. "is that all i am hm?"

sonic lifted his head, a cheeky grin on his face. "oh, you're much more than just a pillow," he replied, his voice lowering. "you're also a pretty great heater, a fantastic cuddler, and an all-around grade-a snuggle buddy."

"hm. i suppose that's good enough." shadow smirked, gently cupping sonic's cheek and connecting their lips.

sonic's heart skipped a beat as their lips met, feeling the familiar spark that never failed to ignite between them. he melted into the kiss, his hand moving to the back of shadow's head to pull him closer.

"more than good enough," he murmured against shadow's lips. "perfect."

shadow rolled his eyes at the corniness of it. "let's go change your dexcom and get to bed?"

sonic chuckled at shadow's sarcastic response, knowing that deep down he secretly loved it.

"alright, alright. let's go change my dexcom," he said, sitting up reluctantly. "but can we get some ice cream after? it's medicinal, i swear."

shadow shook his head with a sigh, "fine. weirdo."

he stood with sonic in his arms, wandering into the bed and setting him down, pressing a kiss to his forehead before going to get the equipment needed.

sonic sprawled out on the bed, watching with amusement as shadow rummaged through the medical supplies. he'd gotten used to the routine of changing his dexcom now.

"you know, most people would consider you a weirdo for carrying me around like a sack of potatoes," he teased, sticking out his tongue comically.

shadow hummed, coming back and sitting on the edge of the bed, taking the edge of the previous dexcom. "it's the easiest way. fast or slow?"

sonic grimaced at the question. he knew that shadow was referring to whether he wanted them to rip the old sensor off quickly or slowly.

"fast," he grumbled, knowing that it hurt less that way. "just get it over with."

shadow hummed, tearing off the old dexcom and tossing it into the trash. "you always everything fast." he teased, cleaning a spot on sonic's stomach.

sonic stuck his tongue out at shadow, half-mockingly. "damn right i do. why waste time when you can get things done quickly, you know?"

he squirmed a little as shadow cleaned his skin, feeling the alcohol wipe cool against his skin.

shadow chuckled, shaking his head as he pressed the applicator to sonic's stomach. "ready?"

sonic took a deep breath, bracing himself for the needle. "as ready as i'll ever be," he muttered, closing his eyes tight.

he felt the familiar pinch and then the whirring sound of the applicator injecting the new sensor. he winced slightly, but then it was done.

"ugh, i hate that feeling," he muttered, rubbing the area around the new sensor.

shadow hummed, pressing a gentle kiss to sonic's stomach. "you're so good about it though."

sonic chuckled, opening his eyes and looking up at shadow. "yeah, yeah, i'm a total badass," he joked, flexing his bicep in a jokingly macho manner.

but deep down, he knew that shadow's words held a lot of truth. despite his dislike of needles and medical procedures, he pushed through it for his health.

shadow laughed softly. he'd always loved that about sonic, able to make a joke out of everything. "i love you."

sonic's heart fluttered at shadow's words. even after all this time together, hearing shadow say he loved him still had the power to make him feel giddy.

"i love you too," he replied, reaching out a hand to run through shadow's quills. "more than anything."

"mm.." shadow sighed contently, eyes fluttering shut as he tilted his head into the touch.

sonic smiled at the sight. he had discovered early on that shadow was a sucker for having his quills touched, and he exploited that knowledge whenever he could.

"you're like a big, grumpy cat," he teased, continuing to run his fingers through shadow's spines. "all it takes is a little head scratch and you're putty in my hands."

shadow poked an eye open at sonic with a small huff. "i'll go get you that ice cream then."

sonic chuckled at shadow's response, knowing he had pushed his luck a bit.

"oh come on, i was just teasing," he said, pulling shadow closer. "you know i love this grumpy, purring side of you."

he planted a kiss on shadow's cheek, hoping to placate him. "but i won't say no to that ice cream."

shadow huffed, nuzzling against sonic's cheek before getting up to get the said ice cream.

a few minutes later the hybrid returned, handing sonic the bowl before snuggling into his side.

sonic accepted the bowl of ice cream graciously, wasting no time in scooping out a generous spoonful and savoring the cold, creamy sweetness.

"mmm," he hummed, his eyes closing in bliss. "this hits the spot. thanks, babe."

shadow nodded softly, resting his head against sonic's chest and closing his eyes.

sonic continued to eat his ice cream, savoring each bite. as he ate, he noticed that shadow had gotten oddly quiet.

"you okay, shads?" he asked, reaching down with his free hand to play with shadow's quills.

during the time sonic ate shadow had drifted off to sleep, lulled by the blue blur's heartbeat.

sonic looked down at shadow, seeing that he had fallen asleep. he smiled softly, setting aside the bowl of ice cream and gently moving to pull shadow closer.

he adjusted them so they were lying down, with shadow's head resting on his chest. he held him close, relishing the weight and warmth of shadow's body against his.