Archive of Our Own ^beta

He hadn’t planned to live. He hadn’t planned any of this.

The last thing he planned was to destroy the world in Marias honor.

Now he was releasing his chaos inhibitors and moving a super laser away from said world.

What was his life anyways? It had no point, no purpose.

Everything that had ever mattered to him ceased to exist.

Wait. That's not true, was it? Thanks to that.. that-

Sonic. That stupid blue hedgehog that had him changing his whole moral compass within what. Hours of meeting?

What insanity.

He was going to die but would Maria want that? For him to sacrifice himself like this?

All he’s ever wanted was revenge and to die exacting it. To reunite with her in the stars.

But he was in the stars now, and there was no Maria. There was only fear. Fear and pain and no. Maria wouldn’t want this. She would want him to live and be happy. It’s all she had ever wanted for him.

He could feel the tears falling but they evaporated in the heat as soon as they did. He wanted to live. For Maria. For himself.

And maybe, just a tiny bit, to see Sonic again.

He can’t leave Robotnik behind, because he had someone down there who cared so deeply for him. Who loved him so wholly. Who before he got suspicious had opened his heart to even Shadow.

He had said something. Called him and Robotnik brothers. Had said he had a question for Shadow now that family existed to ask.

Family. He could… still have a family. At the least he could save a potential one.

Deeming it far enough away with one final heaving push Shadow teleported inside the spaceship and yanked Robotnik away from the exploding core.

As he teleports again, mind set on somewhere safe, his consciousness begins fading. He hopes at least Robotnik makes it back safely. For Stones sake.

…

“He’s your brother, doctor. You can’t just abandon him.”

“I'm done with world domination, Stone. I've no use for unstable power cells!”

“He is your family!”

Robotnik is shocked into silence at his assistants raised tone.

“Why do you care so much?”

Eyes narrowed Robotnik walks into Stones space, mustache quivering as if it can sense lies.

Stone just sighs, gently reaching out and smoothing his hands down Robotnik's arms.

“Ivo. I have stood by your side for years now. You call me a sycophant and you're right. You also called me a sycho-friend. My heart broke at the idea of losing you. Again.”

He leans forward, head resting against the doctor's shoulder. Robotnik doesn’t move an inch.

“I know you inside and out, sir. It’s why I never left. Because we get each other in ways no one else ever will. Remember Rio?”

Robotnik's mustache twitches, his head tilting down so the ends brush Stone's nape. Tickling the agent into a breathy laugh.

He thinks of star nosed moles and laughs more.

“My point.” He finally pulls himself together, pulling back to meet the doctor's eyes.

“Is that I know you and I know you'll regret leaving him behind. No matter how much you deny it.”

Robotnik opens his mouth to do just that, to deny.

But he stops, sighs, and nods, giving in with a grumble and a twitch.

“I hate when you’re right.”

“I'm only right because it’s you, sir.”

“I hate that you know me.”

“I love it.”

“Because you're obsessed with me.”

“Because I love you.”

They stare for a moment longer, something passing between them.

When Shadow suddenly groans and begins to wake up.

“Oh yay he's alive!”

“You use sarcasm but I know you’re happy.”

“How can you tell?”

“Your mustache.”

“Drat.”

The two seperate from their little bubble and turn to face a groggy hedgehog.

“Robotnik?”

“We're family. Call me doctor.”

Stone rolls his eyes, elbowing the doctor in a gentle manner he gestures towards the hedgehog. A silent reminder he owes him his life.

Robotnik grumbles and shakes his body out, “Or Ivo works too.”

“And you can call me Aban, Shadow. I can’t thank you enough for saving the doctor.”

He kneels beside the black and red hedgehog. Hiding his grin as he realizes he even fits their color palettes already. Like fate.

“Here, I believe these are yours.”

He holds out the two golden bracelets that had fallen to earth with the two.

Shadow groans, holding his head with one gloved hand and takes the inhibitors with the other. “Thank you.”

Aban nods and helps the hedgehog to his feet, grunting at the unexpected weight. He was apparently very dense.

“Shadow.”

They both turn to look at the doctor, unsure.

Robotnik just manages a genuine smile and offers a hand.

“Put it there… brother.”

Aban doesn’t bother to hide his grin this time when Shadow takes it, feeling pride bubbling in his chest to see his family together.

His family?

He looks over Shadows head to meet Ivos eyes and the small nod he receives is answer enough.

Yeah. His family.

Together the three stare up at the sky, watching the swirling galaxy like light show that the explosion has caused.

His universe was complete. And he could only hope that theirs was too, because at the very least it will never be the same again.

Aban stands and takes Robotnik's hand before he can second guess it.

Ivo startles but accepts it, squeezing back as the three stare up at the light in the sky.

“Its caused by-“

Stone listens as the doctor rants about the cause of the lights and how long it will last for.

Yeah. This was exactly what he wanted.

…

Shadow stares up at the stars, humming quietly into the silent night.

It's been a few months since he officially moved in with Stone and Robotnik in Green Hills. But right now he sat on an outcropping near the mountain that the black hole ate. Thinking about what could have happened.

He thinks of Maria, and how she was out there, somewhere, waiting on him.

She would continue to wait, of course. He no longer wanted to die, thanks to the therapist Aban got him with. It helped a lot.

It also helped to have a loving family and dare he say… friends.

Team Sonic wasn’t too bad when he wasn’t beating them up, weirdly enough.

Although one in particular would always be annoying.

“Shadow! There you are!”

He sighs, not bothering to turn and look because he already knows who it is.

“Go away Sonic.”

Sonic laughs as he skips over, slumping down next to Shadow and bumping shoulders as he does.

“Dude you've been gone almost all day! Eggman came to ME for help!”

Shadow feels a little bad for worrying the doctor but ultimately sighs and lets himself lean into Sonic's warmth.

“It’s that day…”

Sonic for once, thank fuck, gets it right away.

“Oh Shadow…”

The arm that had been pressing against his shifts to wrap around him instead.

“You miss her a lot, huh?”

“Yeah. But… her light continues to shine, and so will mine.”

Sonic gives him a squeeze, breathing a little easier at the reassurance. Shadow does too.

“Good. She’d want you to live happily. You are, aren't you? Happy?”

Shadow chuckles, turning to face his sort of friend and occasional rival and maybe love of his life.

“Yeah. I am.”

Sonic turns to face him properly, face open and warm. “Good. Me too.”

Shadow laughs, soft as he closes his eyes and presses their foreheads together.

“I think she would have liked you.”

“If she was anything like you, I'd probably hate her.”

Shadow snorts and gives him a half hearted punch on the shoulder, pulling back to glare at him.

“You love me.”

“Wouldn't you like to know.”

“Why you-“

The two laugh as they grapple, rolling around the dirt but Shadow doesn’t even care.

He had someone to help him preen his quills later. He had a few people, actually.

Because for the second time in his life he had people who cared. And they weren’t going anywhere.

He couldn’t ask for a better life.

Sonic manages to pin him down, grinning triumphantly.

“Got you you-“

Shadow surges up and kisses him, startling Sonic into pliancy Shadow quickly flips them.

“You let your guard down, hedgehog.”

“I love you.”

“You've changed the entire trajectory of my life and imploded the universe as I knew it.”

“In a good way?”

“The best way.”