Chapter Text
It was day 15.
Day 15 of sitting on that same hill, in that same position, thinking the same thoughts.
This didn't bother Shadow; he was used to the repetition. He had a remarkably good patience for monotony.
Plus, despite what he wanted his peers to think, thanks to both Eggman and G.U.N.'s silence for the past few months, he had nothing better to do than watch Sonic and Tails play in their acre of a front yard.
His spot on the hill was lovely. Though he couldn't make out any words from the duo as they enjoyed their sunny morning, the bellowing laughter that echoed through the hills was a welcome break from the quiet whispering of the wind that he had been so used to hearing recently. With no enemies or missions to bide his time, the hedgehog grew bored. He grew lonely.
As far as he knew, nobody suspected that he had been watching them. The hill he watched from was far enough to let a lone Shadow watch the colorful blurs run around their checkered lawn without being noticed. His dark figure blended in with the shadows of the cliffs and trees around him. Nobody had ever suspected a thing.
"Interrupting something?"
Shadow tensed at the sound of the intruder.
As he whipped his wide-eyed expression around, his glare locked with the aqua-colored eyes of a bat. She looked concerned as her wings flapped gently, ruffling Shadow’s fur with a gentle breeze.
His muscles relaxed at the sight of her. "Just... watching,” he responded, relieved at who had found him.
"I see that. Something on your mind, hon?" Rouge asked in a sweet cadence, gently landing on the ground beside him.
"Nothing that concerns you."
Rouge expected this type of response. Shadow was always a tough nut to crack when it came to emotions. He had gotten better at opening up throughout recent years, but ever since his freelance work became unnecessary, he had seemingly shut himself away emotionally.
He was a hard hedgehog to read, but sitting in one place and quietly watching Sonic and Tails for hours was a sure sign that something was up. And if he wasn’t going to talk about it, she was going to have to guess.
Perhaps… this was a mission, somehow? If not for G.U.N., maybe it was simply for himself? Could he have been acting as a bodyguard, watching to see if anyone or anything attempted to attack the creatures in the valley below?
"So... nobody's in danger, then?"
"No, nobody is in danger."
"Hmm." There went that theory. She trusted that he would at least be honest with her about that. Rouge got more comfortable next to Shadow and watched with him for a moment.
"What are they playing?"
"Seems like baseball."
"With just the two of them? Huh."
"Knuckles was playing earlier as well. I'm not sure where he went."
You've really been watching them, haven't you?
"Maybe they need another player. I'd imagine Blue is running circles around the little one. Literally."
"Sonic lets him win."
"Huh?" Rouge questioned. She could have guessed that the hero would do something like that, so her concern wasn’t with him. Shadow clearly didn’t get what she was hinting at.
"Not every time. Only some games,” he continued.
"You don't think they'd like another player?"
"Why? Did you want to join them?" Shadow asked sincerely, looking toward Rouge without turning his head.
"No, sugar, I'm saying I think you want to join them."
"Oh," Shadow stated, monotone once again. He hugged his knees tightly. "I do not."
"Then what on Earth could be so entertaining about watching them from afar? You haven't moved an inch in hours."
"I'm just thinking.” Shadow’s deep voice sliced through the air like a knife.
"About what?" Rouge asked with spice in her tone. Her patience was running thin.
"Like I said, nothing that concerns you."
Rouge rolled her eyes. "Fine." Time to get it out of him the hard way.
A gust of wind ruffled Shadow’s fur as the bat took off towards Sonic and Tails. They stopped mid-game and waved as they noticed her approaching.
Shadow watched curiously through squinted vision. She was up to something.
With a point of Rouge’s finger, both Sonic and Tails’ eyes turned to spy him atop his hill.
He had been spotted.
How embarrassing. What was Rouge saying down there?
He considered using chaos control to get out of sight, but before he knew it, Sonic was standing right in his gaze. His super-speed had brought him eye-to-eye with Shadow in no time at all.
"Hey, Shadow! Wanna play with us?" Sonic asked enthusiastically with a ball under his arm. It was not a baseball, but rather a softer, larger ball, likely used to ensure none of them sustained serious injuries while playing.
Of course she told them he wanted to play, Shadow thought, berating Rouge in his mind. He angrily turned his head to see her blurry smug smile from afar.
"No, I don’t," Shadow spoke, unwavering in his coiled up position.
"Are you sure? We could really use an extra player!" He said, spinning the makeshift baseball on his finger.
"You and Tails are playing just fine."
"Yeah, you're right. But between you and me," Sonic grabbed the ball in one hand and covered the side of his mouth with the other.
"As much as I love the kid, Tails isn't much of an opponent," he whispered. "I'd love an actual challenge.”
He winked and held out his free hand.
"I'm not interested," Shadow responded. Shadow wasn't lying, either; he didn't want to play. He liked watching. He didn't know why, but even though he had been doing it for days on end, he just wanted to continue to watch.
"Suit yourself," Sonic said, leaving Shadow relieved that he wasn't going to push further. "Would you at least like to come watch a little closer?"
A small warmth shot into Shadow’s chest. Being invited to simply watch was unexpected. Did he want to come closer?
Though he had been making the choice to watch from the hilltop for long enough, squinting his eyes to see from afar wasn't ideal for… Whatever it was he was trying to achieve. He didn't quite know what compelled him.
Though it felt intrusive to agree, he could tell it was something he wanted, or at least something he preferred.
"I... would like to. Yes."
Sonic flashed a big smile. "Awesome!! Meet you there!" He spoke, and with a salute, he was off.
Shadow stood up and brushed through his quills with gloved hands. He wiped dirt from his legs and slowly skated down the hill. On the way down, he noticed that another game had already begun, this time with Rouge as a player. She flashed a glance at Shadow and smiled. Without thinking, the corners of his mouth curled back. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.
He arrived at the patch of grass where they were playing and sat criss-cross on the ground outside of it. Now that he was up close, he could actually hear their playful banter. It was way more engaging, and Shadow liked noting the differences between their voices as he listened to them rise and fall. Something about it was calming to him.
Rouge was pretty good at the game, too, which was now resembling baseball a little more with their extra player. Rouge’s skill was something that Shadow would have expected. Sonic definitely had the challenge he was looking for.
Every now and then during the game, Sonic, amidst his high-speed dash around the makeshift diamond, would stop moving for an instant and give Shadow a quick thumbs up.
This confused Shadow the first couple times. Why was he putting his chance of winning at stake to make hand gestures towards him? Was it part of a joke that he didn't understand?
He remembered that the game wasn't about winning, proven by the countless times Sonic had let Tails beat him, and loosened up, though he still didn't understand the message being communicated to him.
Sonic must have caught on to his confusion, because around the third or fourth time it happened, he tilted his cobalt head as if to ask a question while he gestured. He paused for longer that time, maybe a full four to five seconds, and mouthed, "Are you okay?"
Shadow furrowed his brow at the gesture. He was confused about the concern, but returned Sonic’s thumbs up. Sonic smiled in response, but as he lifted his leg to begin running once again, he was hit in the back of the head with a ball.
"Out!" Rouge's voice boomed as Sonic rubbed the spot.
Shadow couldn't help but chuckle.
Sonic started walking off the field towards him, slouched in defeat. Tails and Rouge continued playing their own version of the game without him.
"Are you okay?" Shadow asked sarcastically once Sonic was in earshot.
"I think I'll live," Sonic responded, taking a seat next to Shadow in the grass. “One little hit in the head isn’t enough to deter this hedgehog,” he said, pointing his thumb at himself.
“I’ve noticed,” Shadow responded, the roll of his eyes practically audible in his tone.
"Are you sure you don't want to play?" Sonic asked, doubling down.
"Yes, I'm sure,” Shadow affirmed. “I actually... like watching."
"I thought so, but I had to double check. You know you're always invited.”
This sentiment made Shadow feel odd. He always felt like an intruder around Sonic and his friends.
"I am?" Shadow asked, feeling disgustingly vulnerable. He took note and planned to dial down his emotions.
"Of course, Shadow! You're my friend too, you know. No matter how much you don’t want to admit it. You don't have to watch from the trees like a hawk. Even if you don't want to be a part of whatever game it is we're playing, we'd love to have you around,” Sonic said, chipper as always.
"I'll keep that in mind," Shadow responded, closing himself off once again. He likely wouldn't take Sonic up on this offer. Sonic was nice to everybody. He would say this to anyone. How could Shadow be expected to believe that he was actually wanted? This conversation was just a formality for Sonic. An invitation that was made to be declined.
Shadow looked down at the ground, feeling down once again. Sonic noticed.
"Is there any game you would like to play?" Sonic spoke, trying to direct the conversation back to Shadow.
"Unlikely," he responded in a somber tone.
"Not a game then," Sonic said, "Anything you'd like to do? We've been friends for a while and I feel like I don't even know your hobbies. Unless you count being brooding and mysterious as a hobby."
Of course, even when trying to be comforting, Sonic couldn't resist poking fun at Shadow.
"I'd like to watch," he responded.
Truth was, Shadow enjoyed Sonic’s company. He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders often in his presence, but when it mattered, Sonic truly knew how to be kind. Shadow could see it in him. An effervescent goodness that just glowed from his cobalt body. It was why so many people loved him. Why so many people wanted to be around him.
It was why Shadow had been spying on him all this time.
"Then I'll watch with you," Sonic said, changing his position to be criss-cross like Shadow's.
He leaned away from Shadow's ears and yelled, "Tails! Rouge! I'm gonna sit the next couple games out!"
His request was met with an understanding "Okay!" and "Alright!" from the field.
This was… strange. Sonic rarely slowed down. Sonic rarely took breaks. He was always bursting with energy, and sitting still seemed nearly painful for him, as proven by Sonic’s restless bouncing knee.
"I thought you liked playing," Shadow spoke, looking back up past Sonic’s eyes.
"I do. But I've been at it for hours and I really could use a break," Sonic responded, stretching his arms and torso while seated.
"You've never had a break in your life, hedgehog. Why start now?"
"Hey, that's not true! I may have a lot of energy, but when I crash, I crash hard. Like, really hard. Tails told me I need to take breaks. As much as I hate to admit it, the kid’s right. Plus, it kills me to see him so worried about me. So I’ve been trying to... take it slow lately." Sonic winced as he said the last part. Almost like he was doing it out of respect for Tails rather than for the wellbeing of himself. “At least sometimes. Gotta learn to stop and smell the roses, am I right?”
“Worried about you?” Shadow asked. He hadn't seen Sonic do anything particularly worrisome despite watching him for over two weeks now.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Sonic shouted, ignoring Shadow’s concerns at the whim of the thought that popped into his head. He stood up out of his seated position in super-speed, but caught himself halfway through.
With a pained expression, Sonic slowed back down to a normal speed. He leisurely walked to a pile of items nearby and picked up a water bottle. He jogged back to shadow and sat down with it.
"Tails usually has to remind me to drink water. I have this bad habit of forgetting, and then running really fast, and then nearly passing out... I actually did pass out a few weeks ago. It's what made Tails have the talk with me," Sonic mentioned before taking a big sip of water.
A few weeks ago. That explained it.
"You... forget to drink water? Don't you get thirsty?" Shadow questioned.
"Yeah, of course! But… if you think my feet move fast, you should see my brain! Or, maybe you shouldn't. That would be a total invasion of privacy.” He quickly downed the rest of the water in the bottle and let out a dramatic "Ahh!" to complete the sip.
"You know," Sonic continued, "I don't run into you in Green Hill very often," Sonic said, eyes widening as he reached a realization, "In fact, I don't even know where you live!" He stood up quickly in front of Shadow and made him jump.
"Or are you the silent vagabond... never daring to be tied down to one place!" Sonic said half-jokingly, raising a triumphant fist when he said it. His voice returned to a conversational tone as he continued, “Rouge said that's what she does when she's not staying in the city. But she can fly, so I think that makes it easier.”
"Where I live doesn't concern you," Shadow responded, looking away from Sonic while slouching and recoiling into himself.
His blue body plopped back down onto the grass. Sonic was determined to get to know Shadow better. He fought the urge to poke fun at him for being so dramatic about it. Shadow’s body language was… odd.
"Well, it may not concern me, but I-"
Sonic's sentence was interrupted by a ball to the face. He dramatically fell back on the ground in response.
Tails' voice was heard from the field yelling an apologetic "Sorry, Sonic!" though it was barely heard through Rouge's laughter.
Shadow sharply exhaled through his nose in the place of a laugh as he smirked. Sonic sat up, shook his head, and yelled back "It's okay!"
Shadow realized he was smiling at Sonic when Sonic turned to make eye contact with him. He quickly looked away and started getting up.
"I... better get going." Shadow announced calmly while dusting himself off.
Sonic wanted to continue talking and learning more about him, but decided to let him go. Shadow wouldn’t talk if he didn't want to.
He stood up in a blue blur to say goodbye.
"Okay! Don't be a stranger!"
Shadow somberly nodded at this remark and began skating away.
The yellow light emitting from Shadow’s air shoes caught Rouge’s eye.
"Where's he going?" she whispered to Sonic as he walked back to the field.
"Wherever he wants to, I guess. Nothing can hold him down.” Sonic’s voice sounded disappointed.
"Right..." Rouge mumbled flying off after him.
"Hey! Hon, where are you going?" The bat shouted as she began to catch up.
"Just going."
"Did something happen?"
"Yes."
“Do you want to talk about it?"
"What do you think?" Shadow asked with a side-eye.
"Okay, I get it. I should've clarified. You're going to talk about it."
"I don't think so."
Shadow sped up. Rouge followed.
"You're my friend and I'm worried about you!"
"I don't have friends."
She wanted to dig into him about that remark, but held back.
"Okay, ouch. I'm choosing to ignore that. Hon, I know something has been up with you lately. I don't like the idea that you're dealing with it alone."
"Why does it matter?"
"I see you watch Sonic and his friends play every day and you always look so sad! Sadder than usual, anyway. I want you to know that I'm here for you. Please talk to me."
Shadow was angry now. Rouge had been watching him? She knew that he had been silently watching Sonic for weeks now? This was his business. Not Rouge's. He didn't owe her anything.
He angrily sped up and turned abruptly, kicking up a cloud of dust in Rouge's face.
She watched him run off without another word. She clicked her tongue and shook her head. Another day, she thought. I'll try again another day.