Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    The past few days had seemed to crawl by at an excruciatingly slow pace - especially for someone who isn't accustomed to anything other than fast. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. The whole world almost just got blown up, and everyone just kind of... moved on. It was honestly a jarring experience, but Sonic was sort of glad that everyone wasn't making too big of a deal about it. He didn't need any more daily reminders of everything that had happened. Especially not while Tom was still recovering, or with the moon being a giant blown-up pile of rocks in the sky. Above everything, Sonic really just wished everything could go back to normal. Something about this new normal just felt... off.

    Sonic stared at the ceiling in his room, counting all of the individual lights that lined the walls. It was a tactic he used to help himself fall asleep. Usually, he wouldn't even be able to get past 20 before passing out, but tonight, he'd lost count several times and somehow still couldn't fall asleep. Actually, he wasn't sure how many days had gone by without getting a full night of sleep. It had been at least two... maybe more? Whatever the number was, it was about to go up. He wasn't sure exactly what time it was, but the sound of birds starting to chirp outside was a pretty good clue that he wouldn't actually be getting any sleep that night.

    Sonic let out a heavy sigh and pulled back the covers, slowly sitting up in bed and attempting to rub the tiredness out of his eyes. He turned his head to look out the skylight window of the attic - sure enough, the sky was starting to get lighter. Another night gone with little to no sleep. Awesome. Definitely just what he needed. He'd developed a near-constant headache from the lack of sleep, and he could tell that his brothers were starting to notice the change in his normally upbeat and energetic demeanor. Not to mention the concerned looks that he kept getting from Tom and Maddie. The last thing he wanted was for them to worry about him, especially with Tom still recovering. Sonic shook his head quickly as if it could somehow shake the fatigue out of his brain and substitute for three whole nights of sleep. Sonic dragged himself out of bed and started to make his way downstairs to the kitchen. I wonder if we have any coffee around here, he thought. He wasn't usually one for the bitter taste of coffee, but he honestly wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get through the day without any caffeine at this point. Sonic stopped by a window to look outside on his way to the kitchen. The sun was just starting to rise - its rays shined brightly through grass and trees on the horizon. Why can't I sleep? Everything is fine. The world is okay, Knuckles and Tails survived with minimal injuries, Tom is recovering, and Shadow...

    Sonic quickly looked away from the sunrise, letting out another tired sigh and reaching up to rub his forehead. The last time he'd looked at a sunrise like that, he'd been sitting on the moon with the black-and-red hedgehog. Sonic could remember it so vividly - the way the light spread into all corners of space, the way the stars shined even against the light of the rising sun, the way all of that light seemed to shine so much brighter in the reflection in the other's eyes... How could he just be gone? He'd only known him for such a short time, but the fact that he just wasn't there anymore seemed unreal. Unfair. It's not fair -

    "Sonic? You're up early." Sonic nearly jumped out of his fur, turning around quickly to see Maddie walking down the hallway towards him. I didn't even hear her coming, he thought. The lack of sleep was definitely messing with his senses, and his reflexes were getting a lot slower. Still, the last thing he wanted was for Maddie to think something was wrong. She was dealing with enough stress with Tom's recovery, and Sonic did not need to add anything to that. Especially not if the person he's stressed about is the person who landed Tom in the hospital in the first place.

    "Maddie! Hey!... Good morning?" Sonic replied hastily, doing his best to sound like he definitely got more than 20 total minutes of sleep in the past three days. His eyes darted around the room until they landed on a clock. 5:40 am. Yikes. He would usually never be out of bed this early. Maddie gave Sonic a suspicious look as she walked by, which he returned with what he hoped was a reassuring, well-rested smile. "Just... wanted to get a jump start on the day I guess, that's all," he added, biting back a yawn as he spoke. 

    Maddie clearly wasn't buying Sonic's award-winning performance, but thankfully she didn't press any further. Sonic stood and watched for a moment as she walked into the kitchen before remembering that he had come downstairs for a reason. He started to walk forward quickly, willing his feet to move normally even though his whole body felt like it was made of lead. "Hey, do we have any coffee? I -" Sonic's question was cut off as he felt his feet collide with each other. His whole body lurched forward, and he grabbed onto the top of a counter for support before gravity slammed the rest of his body into the counter with a dull thud. He slowly pulled himself up with a groan and rested his head on the countertop, closing his eyes and wondering what if I just sleep here for a minute...

    "Are you okay?" Maddie asked in a half-laughing, half-concerned tone. "I never thought I'd see the fastest creature in the world trip over his own feet," she teased lightly. "And to answer your question, I think we're out of coffee right now. I can buy some next time I go out. I didn't know you liked coffee though. You're normally hyperactive enough without any caffeine." Maddie walked over to the cupboard that usually contained their coffee grounds, reaching up to open the door. Sonic let out a small huff of laughter, opening his eyes and straightening himself up off of the counter. He opened his mouth to reply, but any words that he was about to say were cut off by a heavy yawn. Maddie closed the cupboard door and snapped her gaze onto Sonic, turning towards him and crossing her arms. "Okay, seriously, what's going on? You've been acting different, and you look like you haven't slept all night," she remarked. Her eyes seemed to pierce through Sonic's, which somehow made his headache even worse. He started to reply, but his brain felt like it was underwater, so his reply ended up looking like him staring blankly at Maddie while swaying slightly from fatigue. Off to a great start.

    Maddie's gaze softened and she took a few steps toward Sonic, crouching down so that she could see him at his eye level. She reached out to grab his hands and gave him a reassuring smile. "Look, I know this past week has been a lot. I'm sorry. You know, if there's anything you want to talk about you can tell me. I want you to be okay too." Sonic blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head slightly. You don't need to worry about me, he thought.

    Sonic pulled his hands away and waved Maddie off. "I'm okay. Just a little tired," Sonic managed to reply, trying his best to sound as awake as possible. "You know what? I probably just need to go for a run. Yeah, that'll wake me up. What's a better way to start the day than a nice run, am I right?" He asked, maintaining an upbeat tone. He turned around and started walking towards the door at a quick pace. Don't trip don't trip don't trip...

   "Okay, don't be gone too long!" Maddie called after him. She still sounded concerned.

    "I won't!" He reassured her as he opened the door to leave. "Later!" He called before slamming the door closed and dashing away at his usual super-speed. Well, close to his usual speed, anyway. He'd probably need a few more days of sleep to get back to his normal pace. The world faded by in a blur and the cool morning air whipped around Sonic's quills as he raced down a road. He didn't have any particular destination in mind. For the moment, he was content to just enjoy the feeling of racing through the world without a care. It was calming, in a way. This was his space to think, since nobody else could even keep up with him at this speed. Well, except for...

    Sonic felt his thoughts straying back to the mysterious black hedgehog. The one person in the world who could actually keep up with him. Even though they only knew each other for a short time, everything about the new hedgehog fascinated Sonic. Tails and Knuckles were fast, but Shadow could match Sonic's speed seemingly without even trying. He wondered what it would be like to have a friend who could race alongside him at his highest speed. I bet it would be so much fun, he thought wistfully. I bet he would've liked that too. Sonic could feel his headache getting worse by the second. He stopped running abruptly, skidding to a stop in a field, kicking up dirt as he narrowly missed colliding with a tree. He put a hand against his forehead and sat down with a thump as his vision started to blur. "Pull yourself together", he groaned quietly to himself. "He's gone. You didn't even know him. Stop... stop thinking." He mumbled, feeling the pain in his head start to subside. He sighed softly and started to look at his surroundings. Where am I? The field he was sitting in looked familiar, but he was much too tired to think straight at the moment. The sun was still rising. Shadow was still gone. Tom was still injured, and Maddie and his brothers were still back at home, where he should be right now.

    I need... a nap. The thought of just curling up in this field and falling asleep was extremely tempting, but Sonic had promised Maddie that he wouldn't be gone long. I'll just sit here for a minute until the headache goes away, he decided. Sonic leaned back against the tree and looked out at the sunrise. It really was beautiful. He turned his head slowly to look at the empty spot on the ground - where Shadow would have been, just like before. He smiled sadly, remembering the way that the sunlight had bounced off of the other hedgehog's quills. The way that he smiled after Sonic offered his hand. He remembered the fight, too, but... Shadow was gone. What was the point in remembering their fight? Just to remind himself that he could've done it? That he could've killed Shadow before the explosion? But I wouldn't. I didn't. That isn't me. That Shadow had tried to kill Tom? That he'd tried to destroy the entire world? Stop. Sonic screwed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Stop thinking about it. It's all over, there's nothing you can do - That Shadow had seemed genuinely sorry, genuinely ready to be better? To live a new life? HE'S GONE. THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO STOP IT STOP

    Sonic felt the familiar sting of electricity dancing around his body and opened his eyes quickly, holding out his hands to see the blue sparks of lightning flickering around them. Calm down. "Ok, it's okay, just... deep breaths," he said shakily, trying to dull the blue electricity that was sparking into the air. Breathe in. Breathe out. It's okay. After a few seconds, the lightning began to dull down until it became only flickers of blue in the corners of his vision. He began to close his eyes, letting out a long breath of air as his field of vision became darker. He watched as the last blue sparks began to fade, accompanied by a single flash of red -

    Sonic's eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. Red lightning. Last time he checked, the only lightning he could produce was blue. Red wasn't his color, it was... ... Sonic closed his eyes again and put a hand to his forehead. You're tired - you're seeing things. He opened his eyes again and looked around. Nothing had changed. See? You just need to sleep. Sonic stood up slowly and looked back out at the field, trying again to remember exactly where he ended up running. He squinted his eyes against the sun and scanned the environment until something caught his eye. A bush on the other side of the field looked darker than the ones around it, as if it was more full of leaves, or... something. Sonic took a few steps forward, straining his vision to get a better view of the bush. He could see... something... in the bush. What is that? His pace quickened as his view of the bush became clearer and clearer with each step. Are those... eyes? Sonic stopped abruptly and leaned against a tree at the edge of the field. His breathing had quickened and his headache had started pounding again. You're just tired, you're just seeing things, you just need to sleep, he's dead that's not him- Sonic watched in disbelief as the eyes in the bush blinked. He knew those eyes. His heart was beating insanely fast and his head felt light. He felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards into a smile as hope began flooding through his body. Suddenly he forgot how tired he had been a moment ago - now, he had never felt more awake. He raised a hand into the air and waved it frantically, trying to signal to the bush I see you! I'm right here! 

   In an instant, the bush flashed with red lightning and the eyes disappeared. Sonic barely had time to register that it's him! he's actually alive! before he felt himself being shoved backward into a tree. He let out a small yelp of surprise and confusion as his head smashed against the rough bark of the tree, causing his mind to spin and his vision to blur. His legs were now dangling in the air, and he reached his hands up to his neck to feel the gloved hand that was pinning him firmly against the tree. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, his mind still reeling both from the impact and from the confusion of what the hell just happened. When his vision cleared, he stared in disbelief at the face in front of him. The face of the person that he'd punched into the moon. The person who had helped him save the whole world. The person who had tried to kill Tom. The person who he hadn't been able to stop thinking about for days. The person who was for some reason attacking him? Dude I thought we were cool? "Shadow?" Sonic asked shakily. "You're alive?" A brief look of confusion flashed across Shadow's face for just a moment before he returned to his usual angry expression, accompanied by a few sparks of his signature red lightning.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Chapter Text

    "Who are you? How do you know my name?" Shadow growled. Sonic's head was still reeling as he attempted to understand what was going on. His feet kicked wildly in the air as he tried to push away Shadow's hand, but that only seemed to make the other even more angry.

    "Dude, what?" Sonic gasped, struggling to breathe properly. "How about you just... put me down... and we can talk,"

    Shadow glared at Sonic with a piercing intensity. His other arm was raised back in a fist, and the lightning that sparked around it made the threat abundantly clear. Sonic probably could have kicked him away and freed himself, but instead he allowed his legs to go limp and raised his hands in the air, palms facing forward in a gesture of nonviolence. "I'm not going to fight you," he choked out.

    The look of confusion returned to Shadow's eyes and his fist lowered slightly. Sonic held his breath as they stared at each other for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next. Sonic felt the other's grip on his neck loosen and felt his feet hit solid ground. Sonic leaned against the tree for support, coughing and massaging his throat as he tried to regain composure. Shadow took a few steps back, still eyeing the blue hedgehog warily. They stood in silence for a moment, taking in the situation. They held each other's gaze, both looking absolutely bewildered. Shadow's eyes darted back and forth as he searched Sonic's expression. How is he alive? Sonic thought. No one should have survived that explosion. This doesn't make any sense.

    "Shadow?" Sonic said again cautiously.

    The black hedgehog let out a tch and pointed an accusing finger at Sonic. "Again, how do you know my name?" He asked menacingly. Despite the tough expression on Shadow's face, there was a look of intense confusion in his eyes.

    Sonic laughed nervously. "Shadow, you know me. Don't you remember? We met, like, not even a week ago." Sonic felt his heart pounding slightly, still trying to get over the rush of disbelief and hope that was coursing through his mind. "I... I thought you were dead," he breathed, "How are you alive?" He asked, starting to take a small step towards the black-and-red hedgehog. He stopped abruptly as Shadow's fists sparked with red lightning again.

    "Stay where you are," Shadow warned. His ears were angled backward, and his stance showed that he was ready to attack at any moment. Or defend himself. It was clear that he saw the blue hedgehog as a threat, but why? They'd saved the world together. They weren't exactly friends, but Shadow should at least know that Sonic wouldn't try to hurt him now. Shadow looked... lost.

   Sonic raised his arms again to show that he meant no harm as he took a step back. "Okay, okay, let's just... talk." It was pretty clear that Shadow had some type of memory loss, which Sonic realized probably made a lot of sense given the fact that he literally got blown up a few days ago. Sonic took a deep breath and did his best to make his face look as calm as possible. "What happened?" Sonic prompted.

    Shadow stared blankly at the other for a moment. "What do you mean?" He asked flatly.

    "I mean what do you remember?" Sonic crossed his arms and leaned back against the tree again. "Clearly, you lost your memory. We can at least agree on that, right?" Shadow's eyes narrowed and he looked away slightly, crossing his arms and giving a begrudged nod in agreement. "Okay, well... We know each other. You're just going to have to trust me on that one," Sonic stated lamely. "Why don't you... start by telling me what you do remember, and we can build from there?"

    After a moment, Shadow looked back at Sonic and opened his mouth to speak. "I'm... not sure. I remember waking up in a field somewhere" He said slowly. His tone still sounded cautious. Sonic stayed silent, giving a reassuring smile and waiting for Shadow to explain more. Shadow sighed and brought a hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I remember being on the Ark. That's it. I remember being put in that damn tube, and then I just... wasn't there anymore. I don't remember how I got out." He brought his hand back down from his face and looked back at Sonic. The anger was almost completely gone from his expression. He just looked... confused. Hurt.

    "You don't remember anything from the past few days?" Sonic asked, shocked. Shadow shook his head slightly, his eyes searching Sonic's. Sonic felt conflicted. He wasn't sure where to even start with explaining everything to Shadow. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about him for days, but that was because he thought he was dead, right? They barely even knew each other. There was no reason for Shadow to remember him. So... why did Sonic feel like this? The black hedgehog took a breath as if he was about to speak, but paused, looking unsure.

    "The only other thing I remember is... you. I think." Shadow stated bluntly.

    Sonic felt his heart skip a beat and let out a huff of nervous laughter. "What?"

    Shadow sighed and rolled his eyes. "I saw you running earlier and something about you just seemed... familiar, in a way. I don't know. Like I was supposed to know who you are or something," He explained gruffly. "I'm not stupid. I know something had to have happened in the past few days, and I know that whatever happened had something to do with you."

    Sonic blinked and tried to organize his thoughts into a coherent sentence. "That's because you do know me, Shadow," Sonic replied. "We met a few days ago after you escaped from GUN." Shadow's eyes narrowed at the mention of GUN, and he flicked his ear in annoyance. Sonic decided it would be best to leave out the bit where their first meeting had involved Shadow throwing a truck at him after he jumped out of the GUN helicopter. "Do you... remember my name?" Sonic prompted.

    Shadow's eyes narrowed and his expression turned thoughtful for a moment before he replied, "Sonic, right?"

    Sonic felt a wide grin spread onto his face, and an odd feeling of warmth spread through his chest at the sound of the other saying his name. "Yep. See? You do know me."

    "Okay, but..." Shadow started, sounding frustrated, "Why would you be the only thing I can remember? What happened?"

    Sonic stared back at Shadow for a moment, trying to think of how to explain recent events in a way that wouldn't send Shadow spiraling. "Well," Sonic began slowly, "We sort of saved the world together?" Shadow raised an eyebrow skeptically. "That's the short version, anyway," Sonic added.

    "So we're friends?" Shadow asked cautiously. 

    Friends. Hearing the word from Shadow made Sonic's stomach feel weird, like it was full of butterflies. Were they friends? They'd tried to kill each other. That wasn't exactly an activity that buddies participated in. Shadow had hurt Sonic's family. He should hate him for that. Why didn't he? What would his family think about them being "friends"? Sonic looked at Shadow for a moment, allowing himself to take in the sight of his very much alive friend. The still-rising sun caught Shadow's quills in the same way that it did while they had sat together on the moon. His red eyes had that same dark sparkle in them that Sonic hadn't been able to stop seeing in his mind. This was definitely him - any feelings of denial that Sonic had been feeling about Shadow being alive faded away as he looked into the other's eyes. "Yeah, I guess we are. Friends." Sonic mumbled, stifling a yawn. He'd been so focused on their conversation that he'd almost forgotten how tired he was.

    Shadow seemed to relax a little. His guard was still up, but his expression had softened slightly and he looked a bit less ready to attack - probably also because Sonic looked like he wasn't in any shape to attack anyone himself. "Okay," Shadow said with a slight nod of agreement. The silence stretched out between them for a moment. Sonic felt an overwhelming amount of relief. He didn't fully understand why he cared so much that someone he just met was okay, but here they were. It was peaceful here. Sonic felt calm, and his eyelids were starting to feel heavy, like he might actually be able to fall asleep. He leaned heavily against the tree and slid down to sit on the soft ground, resting his head against the rough bark. Shadow... honestly didn't look much more awake than Sonic did, now that he thought about it. He probably had a severe concussion if he really lost all of his memory, and who knows what he'd been doing for the past few days. Sonic focused his gaze on Shadow again and noticed that the other was swaying slightly.

    "You okay Shads?" Sonic prompted. Shadow blinked, his eyes widening slightly at the sound of the nickname.

    "I'm... fine. Haven't slept much," the other replied, taking a shaky step toward the tree. Sonic's breath caught in his throat as the other sat down near him, resting his black-and-red quills against the tree. It was quiet for a moment before Shadow spoke again. "Sonic?" He asked, prompting the butterflies to return to the blue hedgehog's stomach.

    "Yeah?"

    "Why am I not... more mad? At GUN, I mean. I always thought that I'd want to destroy them if I ever escaped from that stupid tube, but I feel like that isn't... necessary, for some reason. Did I already get my revenge?" He asked in a steady but confused tone.

    Sonic tilted his head to look at the black hedgehog. He was barely a foot away from Sonic - close enough that Sonic could see the way his fur rustled slightly with the wind. He was facing the sky, looking up at the morning sunlight as it pierced through the clouds. "Um... in a way, yes. I mean, you definitely dealt with them. Trust me, we took care of it." Sonic reassured him, breaking off into a yawn and turning back to look out at the sunrise.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic could see Shadow nod. "Good," He said with a note of finality, before breaking off into a yawn himself. "I'm... tired," He breathed.

    Sonic laughed lightly. "Me too," he mumbled, allowing his eyes to close. Wait, I wasn't supposed to fall asleep here, right? I was supposed to... go somewhere... Sonic was finding it harder and harder to organize his thoughts. Maybe just... a short nap... then I'll be able to think more clearly... Sonic felt his grip on consciousness slipping away. This time, his thoughts weren't plagued by the guilt and discomfort that had been keeping him awake for days. "I'm glad you're here, Shadow," Sonic mumbled as his mind finally went blank.

- - - - - 

    Sonic started awake at the sound of a branch snapping nearby. He sat up quickly and whipped his head around in time to see a small rabbit bouncing away through the trees. Where am I? What time is it? I told Maddie I wouldn't be gone long, and... Shadow. Was that a dream? Sonic quickly turned back to look at the spot where Shadow had been. Sure enough, the black-and-red hedgehog was there, resting against the tree, fast asleep. Sonic smiled and felt relief flood through his body again, accompanied by that strange feeling in his stomach. When he was awake, Shadow always looked angry and menacing, but now, he looked so peaceful. It was almost... cute. Sonic shook his head. Focus. What time is it? He looked out at the sky. It was getting dark. Shit. He had told Maddie that he'd be home soon, and then he'd gone and spent the whole day not being home soon. He'd been grounded for a lot less than this before, so he didn't even want to imagine how Maddie was going to react when he showed back up after being MIA all day. Not to mention that he'd been hanging out with the person that had landed Tom in the hospital. Sonic let out a defeated groan as reality began to set in. I'm dead.

Chapter Text

    "Shadow, wake up, we gotta go," Shadow opened his eyes slowly at the sound of the familiar voice calling his name. Where am I? He looked around at the field in front of him. How did I get here? It took a moment for the memories of the day to resurface in Shadow's mind. Ah, that's right. Sonic. Shadow rubbed his eyes to clear the fog out of them before turning his head to look at the blue hedgehog. He was standing near Shadow, looking at him with a somewhat frantic expression. Shadow frowned. Are we in danger? He looked around again, but the field and forest seemed quiet and peaceful. There was a light breeze that rustled through the grass and leaves, and the sunset threw a cascade of warm colors over the horizon. It's nice here. Why do we have to go?

    Shadow's thoughts were interrupted by the blue hedgehog stepping in front of him, blocking his view of the field. "We have to go, like, right now," Sonic said, reaching out a hand in an offer to help the other up. Shadow looked at him cautiously for a moment before reaching out his own hand and interlocking it with Sonic's. As he pulled himself upwards into a standing position, he felt a bolt of pain shoot through his head. He stumbled slightly and tightened his grip on Sonic's hand for support as the ringing in his ears intensified. His mind was suddenly flooded with a memory - he was in space again. He was standing on the moon, holding the blue hedgehog's hand as he helped him stand up. He remembered the warmth and kindness that the other had shown him... it reminded him so much of her. Then they were flying through space, both emitting a powerful golden glow as they worked together to destroy the army of robots in front of them. Shadow remembered reaching out to the other golden hedgehog, grabbing his hand tightly as they spun around in circles in space. They were both smiling. Shadow remembered the way that Sonic's golden quills contrasted against the pitch-black background of outer space. He remembered the way that his smile seemed to somehow shine even brighter than the glow that surrounded them. He looked... like an angel, Shadow thought in awe, opening his eyes again as the flood of memories subsided. Sonic was still standing in front of him, holding his hand tightly.

    "You okay?" Sonic asked. His head was tilted slightly to the side in concern, and one of his ears was tipped down in confusion. Cute, Shadow thought, feeling a smile start to creep onto his face. He shook his head quickly. What? That's stupid. Pull yourself together. He looked back at the blue hedgehog and took a breath to respond I'm fine, but his thoughts went blank again when their eyes met. Shadow stood silently, swaying slightly as he attempted to force his mind to work normally. His vision started to spin slightly and he stumbled to the side, causing the other to exclaim in surprise as he reached out to grab Shadow's other arm to stabilize him. Shadow's head felt foggy as he closed his eyes. He felt a quiet laugh start to bubble up from his chest. What's wrong with me? He felt himself being lowered to the ground, still laughing as he stabilized himself into a sitting position. "Dude... what is going on with you?" He heard Sonic ask, sounding amused.

    Shadow opened his eyes and looked up at Sonic. He was standing in front of him again with his arms crossed. He looked confused, but there was an amused smirk on his face. Shadow looked up at the other's eyes, mesmerized by their emerald green color, which was only amplified by the field of fuzz and sparkles that surrounded Shadow's vision. "Pretty..." he mumbled to himself.

    Sonic's eyes widened and his ears flattened slightly in surprise. "Um. What?" he said with a confused laugh. Oops. Shadow thought. Did I say that out loud? He started to giggle again, looking at the confused smile on Sonic's face. Sonic started to laugh too before crouching to the ground to be at eye level with Shadow. "You... definitely have a concussion."

    Sonic stared at Shadow in amusement as he sat on the forest floor smiling. The Shadow I know does NOT act like this, Sonic thought, laughing. The usually tough-looking black hedgehog looked like a happy little kid right now. I guess he is just a kid. With everything that they'd been through, it was sometimes easy to forget how young they really were. Still, it was crazy to think that the person who had wiped the floor with Team Sonic and almost blown up the whole planet was now reduced to this. Maddie could probably help him, Sonic realized, feeling the smile fade from his face. He stood up and walked a few paces away from Shadow, pulling out his phone to check the time. It was a little past 7 pm. He'd been gone for more than 12 hours. Maddie's going to be angry enough about me being missing all day, can I really bring Shadow with me? Sonic wasn't sure how Tom and Maddie would react to seeing Shadow again, especially after what he did. Sonic had tried to avoid talking to them about Shadow, so he had no idea what they thought. He had felt guilty for feeling sad about Shadow's "death", and he hadn't wanted to make that any worse by letting Tom and Maddie find out about it. Sonic looked back at Shadow. He needs help. I won't leave him here. 

   Sonic began pacing back and forth, racking his brain for any ideas. Maybe I could sneak him in? I can probably figure out how to use Maddie's medical supplies to help him... or maybe Tails would know... Sonic stopped pacing suddenly. That's it! His brothers were there when Shadow had sacrificed himself in space. If anyone would be willing to forgive him, it would be them. Sonic opened his phone again and went to the contacts, clicking on Tails' name. His finger hovered over the call button for a moment. What's the worst that could happen? He thought, taking a deep breath and pressing the button. The phone only rang for a few seconds before Sonic heard a click and the familiar voices of his family. 

    "Sonic?" Tails' voice said through the phone in a somewhat hushed tone. "Dude, where are you? Maddie -"

    "Is that him?" Knuckles' gruff voice sounded in the background, cutting off whatever Tails was about to say. There was a small scuffle of noise as Knuckles grabbed the phone from Tails. "Hedgehog, the pretzel woman is going to kill you," he said matter-of-factly. There was another spat of noise as Tails snatched back his phone.

   "Not now, Knuckles. Sonic, seriously, you gotta get back here," Tails said.

    "I know, I know, honestly I did NOT plan to be out this long. Something... came up," Sonic said, trying to think of a good way to explain his situation. "Look, I have kind of a big ask for you guys..." He started.

    "...okay? What's going on?" Tails asked apprehensively. Sonic was silent for a moment. "Well?" Tails prompted.

    "Shadow's alive." Sonic blurted out. There was a gasp of surprise from both Knuckles and Tails on the other end of the phone.

    "What? That's not possible." Knuckles exclaimed incredulously. "We all saw that explosion. No one could have survived."

    "I know, that's what I thought too, but..." Sonic looked over at Shadow, who was still sitting on the forest floor. His expression was a bit more serious now, though his eyes were shut and he was massaging his forehead with one hand. "He's very much not dead."

    "Did he hurt you? Is that why you've been gone all day? I swear-" Knuckles started in an angry tone.

    "No, no, nothing like that, everything's fine," Sonic reassured him quickly. "He's actually being... uncharacteristically friendly," he added, thinking back to their interaction from a moment ago, when Shadow had looked him right in the eyes and said that one word... The butterflies had been a constant feeling in Sonic's stomach since then. He shivered. What's wrong with me? That didn't mean anything, he isn't thinking clearly right now. "He's got some sort of head injury, I think," Sonic continued in a hushed tone. "He needs help, I just... don't really want to bring him to Maddie yet because... y'know, everything."

    "Yeah, that... makes sense," Tails said.

    "Look, you guys understand, right? He's not all bad. He helped save the world. That has to count for something-"

    "Sonic, we know. I'm not sure how he survived that explosion, but you're both heroes either way. I don't believe that he's a bad person, he's just... done some bad things, that's all," Tails stated calmly.

    "If he needs help, then we'll help him. That's what we do," Knuckles agreed.

    Sonic let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I love you guys, you know that?"

    "We love you too. Now, seriously, you need to get back here now," said Tails. "Pretty sure you're already grounded," he added dryly.

    "What about Shadow? I'm not leaving him here, but I can't exactly just walk into the house with him." Sonic said uncertainly.

    There was a brief pause before Tails said, "Bring him to your old cave, we'll meet you there. I'll bring Maddie's med kit."

    Sonic grinned widely. "Thank you-" he started before feeling his stomach growl, realizing that he and Shadow hadn't eaten anything all day. "Can you bring food too?" he asked sheepishly.

    "You owe us big time, hedgehog," Knuckles huffed.

    "I know," Sonic said, still smiling with relief. "Okay, I'll see you guys soon. Thank you so so much you won't regret this bye!" he said hurriedly, ending the call before either of his brothers could change their minds. He sighed and turned back toward Shadow. The black-and-red hedgehog had stood up and was now staring at Sonic skeptically with his arms crossed. He tilted his head to the side slightly, which made the butterflies in Sonic's stomach fly a little faster. Shadow looked a bit less confused now, like whatever was happening to him earlier had worn off.

    "Who was that?" Shadow asked in his usual harsh tone.

    "Hey! You feeling alright?" Sonic asked brightly, putting his hands on his hips.

    Shadow raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine," he answered.

    "Pfft. You sure?" Sonic teased, earning an irritated glare from the other hedgehog. "Okay! Here's what's happening. We're going back to my place... sort of. My brothers can help-"

    "No." Shadow replied firmly. Sonic's jaw dropped in confusion.

    "Ummm yes? You need medical attention," Sonic explained.

    The black hedgehog's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Says who?" he asked, sounding offended. Sonic laughed in disbelief.

    "Are you serious dude? Not even five minutes ago you were acting like your brain took a vacation to a different planet," Sonic said in amusement.

    Shadow's ears flattened and he looked away sheepishly. "Yeah... that... comes and goes sometimes," he mumbled. He looked back at Sonic, still looking a bit embarrassed. "Look, I... didn't mean to say that earlier, I..."

    Sonic felt himself start to blush and raised a hand to wave dismissively at Shadow. "It's fine, I get it," he said with an awkward laugh. "But you do need medical attention, hence the trip to my place. I mean, it honestly would've been a lot more surprising if you survived that explosion with NO injuries," Sonic joked. His smile faded as he noticed the look of confused concern on Shadow's face. "Do you... remember that?" Sonic asked slowly. Shadow shook his head.

    "I remember us being in space. I kind of pieced together that I plummeted to Earth, but..." Shadow shrugged, still wearing a guarded expression tinged with confusion. 

    "Okay... We can talk more about everything later, if you want," Sonic said lightly. Shadow looked down at the ground and nodded. "Alright. First thing's first though, let's get you back home." Shadow's ear flicked at the word home, and a look of hope flashed in his eyes briefly. Sonic smiled softly. He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you think you can run?"

    Shadow looked offended at the question. "Was that a challenge?" He asked in a low tone, a light glow appearing in his red irises. Sonic could almost swear that he saw a smirk on the other's face through the dim light. 

    Sonic laughed and spun around on his heel, facing back in the direction of his home. He pushed one leg backward, preparing to take off at light speed. Sonic turned his head to see that the black-and-red hedgehog was also taking a running stance. Should either of them be running right now? Probably not. That wasn't going to stop them, though. "Just try to keep up," Sonic taunted. This time he could swear he saw a smile. 

    In a flash, both hedgehogs took off at an impossibly fast speed. Sonic pulled ahead slightly, but Shadow wasn't far behind. Suddenly, Shadow teleported in front of Sonic, turning his head just enough to shoot a smirk back at the blue hedgehog. Sonic nearly tripped over his own feet as the feeling of butterflies in his stomach intensified, bubbling up into laughter. "Hey, you're not the one who knows where we're going," Sonic said, grinning. The black hedgehog rolled his eyes and slowed slightly, matching his pace to Sonic's. They ran side-by-side, occasionally bumping into each other playfully, prompting light laughter from both of them. This feels... right, Sonic realized as he watched the other out of the corner of his eye. For a moment, he forgot about all of the other problems he needed to face. All that mattered at that moment was the wind in his fur and his friend at his side. Everything felt right.