Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The morning buzzed with potential.

Sunlight filtered through the palm trees, warm against Sonic’s quills as he zipped across the beach to the workshop. His legs barely touched the ground, his signature red sneakers flaring against the sand with each acceleration burst. He was charged. Literally.

Tails had modified a micro-reactive energy band and asked Sonic to test it for a full day. It was designed to store kinetic energy and transfer it back in bursts, theoretically enhancing speed. Sonic had jumped at the chance, of course. Yet, when he got to Tails’s workshop, Tails was already weary of the wear on the small watch-like band.

“You’re not supposed to use it this much,” Tails had said with a half-laugh, “it’s only like…. 7 in the morning and I don’t want to see this thing overload you.”

“I’m fine,” Sonic replied with a grin, “the only thing I might overuse is these shoes, now that I’ve got extra speed!” 

This earned a laugh from Tails, and everything seemed to settle back in its place. 

Sonic sped away again, enjoying how he was faster and sharper, but he was also starting to feel brittle. His nerves were hypersensitive, his thoughts too loud, his reflexes twitchy. The energy band whirred faintly at his wrist like an overworked fan, but Sonic didn’t notice. 

He had too much to do.

_________________________

It started with Amy.

She was organizing a village gathering—a simple arts festival with banners, food, and a surprise play the villagers had been working on for weeks. Sonic didn’t know the details. He was always there to encourage Amy's ... passion projects… but after the whole incident with Amy’s play he knew better than to get involved without being asked. [1]

He saw the lines of people lifting stage parts and immediately decided to help. But Sonic didn’t help like other people did. Convention was for suckers. And people with time to be organized.

He zigzagged across the village center in a lightning flurry, tying support lines too tight, hammering posts before Amy had positioned them, knocking over a basket of decorations with a turn taken too tightly. He meant well, truly. 

But when Amy turned to him—pink fur bristling, eyes narrowed—he just gave her a thumbs-up.

“Looking good, huh?”

“Looking like a disaster,” she snapped, picking up a crushed lantern. “You weren’t supposed to help with the stage, Sonic. And I wanted the pastel lights on stage left and the white lights on stage right and the sea turtle aquamarine lights-”

Pffft… “ Sea turtle aquamarine? I didn’t know that was even-” 

“No. You didn’t listen. Again.” Amy rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. This was Sonic, after all. He could be either the most organized efficient helper or a menace to structure. Amy tried to give grace to the other. 

The blue hedgehog blinked at the eyeroll. “You’re welcome?” he offered, and the sarcastic pitch to his voice wasn’t intentional.

She turned away, jaw tight. “You’re gonna hurt someone if you keep going like this.”

He didn’t hear her—he was already off to the next thing.

_______

The next encounter of the day was Knuckles. 

Sonic caught him hauling boulders along the edge of a cliff, shoring up a path for some villagers who were stuck. It was slow, difficult work, but Knuckles was always able to do it with a smile on his face and show off muscles Sonic wasn’t sure you could have in the process. 

With a grin and an excited wave at the echidna, he blasted up the slope, whipped around, and shattered several boulders with a hyper-spin.

“Boom! Shortcut. I’m just here to bring the speed to your crazy muscles- I got you!”

Knuckles’s jaw dropped. “Dude! That was structural support.”

Sonic stopped dead, panting slightly. “But now it’s easier to walk?”

Knuckles stepped closer, fists clenched. “That path was barely holding up. You just trashed the anchor boulders—now we’ve gotta re-route the whole thing!”

“But—”

“Why don’t you just stop being so full of yourself and listen once in a while?”

Sonic flinched.

Knuckles rarely raised his voice unless something really stung. Sonic wanted to argue, his skin prickling with the buzz of the energy band, overclocked and sparking against his wrist, but he forced a shrug.

“Whatever, man. You’re overreacting.” Sonic had meant to say something a whole lot closer to “sorry,” but emotional literacy wasn’t in his wheelhouse. He figured Knuckles would understand. After all, English was barely Knuckles’s first (and only) language.

Knuckles just stared at him, hurt and angry, then turned away. Sonic didn’t notice the shift in the ground beneath them. The path groaned, splintering slightly where the boulders had been.

____________

The mission came next.

A distress beacon that Tails had installed for some more remote villagers had gone out from the edge of the jungle. A trapped animal, a collapsing ravine, something urgent. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles raced out together, while Sonic streaked ahead without waiting. He didn’t need the details. He was too fast for details.

He reached the ravine first. A young badger was trapped on the ledge, the rock beneath her crumbling. Without thinking, Sonic jumped in. He spun through the air, launched a boost kick toward the overhang, and—BOOM.

The entire cliffside gave way.

The badger screamed as the ledge collapsed. Sonic had to swerve mid-air to catch her and land on a lower outcropping, but rocks tumbled, snapping trees below. When the others arrived, the whole ravine was unstable. Sonic stood there panting, the child crying in his arms, and rubble raining behind him.

Tails’ expression twisted. “You didn’t even wait for the terrain scan.”

“I saved her, didn’t I?” Sonic said with a cocky grin of questionable authenticity.

“You nearly killed her,” Amy said sternly. Another lecture from Ames, really? Now? “Sonic.”

Sonic froze.

“I—I didn’t—” he looked down at the child in his arms. The badger’s paw clutched his chest fur, eyes wide and frightened. Not grateful. Just scared.

He handed her off to Amy silently and backed away from the ledge.

That night, the village square was quieter than usual. A few stalls were closed. A couple of kids pointed at him and whispered. Sonic didn’t have the energy to wave, smile, feed his ego, or even wonder what new rumor was running rampant through the streets.

Sonic flopped onto a bench near the workshop, ignoring the tension in his calves, the hum still screaming through his spine and burning in his wrist from the energy band. He hadn’t deactivated it. He couldn’t. Slowing down felt like drowning. And he already couldn’t swim. 

Amy didn’t come over. Knuckles didn’t come by to complain about protein powder. Tails was inside, running calculations alone.

Sonic squinted up at the stars.

He thought he’d done okay today. Fast. Effective. Helpful.

So why did everything feel so…off?

Why was his chest so tight?

Why did everyone look so far away?

Footnotes:

[1] See the Sonic Boom episode where Sonic rummages through Amy’s stuff and finds a play she wrote about the two of them.

Chapter Text

The storm hadn’t started yet. But the air felt like it could split open any second: pressurized, heavy. The kind of weight that didn’t come from the weather.

Sonic didn’t notice. He didn’t have the time. 

He was buzzing-shaking? - No time to differentiate anyway - again, late afternoon sun glinting off his energy band as he paced outside the workshop. He hadn’t slept well the night before. Every time he slowed down, the pressure in his chest built. So he didn’t- couldn’t? stop. He hadn’t powered down the energy band once. It kept feeding back into his system like it was his lifeline.

He needed to burn off the restlessness. Or maybe see Tails. Sonic always felt better when he was with Tails, from watching him work on new tech to mentoring young people with classes and lessons. Sonic thrived off the feeling of love and pride and support he could give Tails. 

Literally. Some days when he couldn’t help or give or support, Sonic felt… empty. Who was he if he wasn’t going fast, saving the day, or being the one to hold everyone else up with radiant, glowing encouragement and positivity?

When Sonic arrived in a flash of blue, Tails was teaching his weekly engineering workshop for local teens, a passion project he'd started months ago. Sonic popped in sometimes, half for moral support, half for curiosity. But today, he was on edge. He needed to see Tails.

Earlier that week, he’d overheard some complaints: villagers were grumbling that Tails was “too advanced,” “too scattered,” “too distracted with his gadgets to notice the kids weren’t following.” It pissed Sonic off. Tails was brilliant. Kind. Focused . But Sonic… couldn’t let it go.

So, he walked in early today. Quiet, standing in the back, arms crossed, watching. He even gave a soft wave to the fox and a thumbs up. 

Tails was animated at the whiteboard, using a laser pointer to break down voltage circuits and airflow ratios in glider wings. His voice rose with excitement when a student got it. He crouched down with a gentle smile when one of the younger kids struggled. He was doing great.

Sonic thought he was being subtle. Spoiler: he wasn’t.

After class, as the kids filtered out, Sonic leaned against the workbench and flashed his usual grin. “Nice session. Real smooth.”

Tails beamed, tail swishing behind him. “Yeah? You think so?”

“Of course dude! It was awesome! Hey- you didn’t see anyone here named uhhhh… Marissa, did you?”

“No… why?”

“Oh… uhhh,” Sonic had NOT thought this one through. He was sure Tails was gonna say yes and point him to the individual he needed to talk to. “Well…someone with that name had talked to me about your class and I wanted to check in, that’s all.” 

“Oh! Will you tell me more about what they said? It wasn’t bad was it? I mean, I always try my best and I know my gadgets can get really complex, but everyone’s doing great and- come on , Sonic, you can trust me.”

Screw me , Sonic thought. [It was too bad Shadow wasn’t listening to that one.] Quick- come on come on come on come on think think think think think think think… say something!! 

Sonic opened his mouth “Like—I got an earful from some villagers this week, including Marissa, sayin’ you were all over the place. But I didn’t see any of that. They were dead wrong.”

Tails paused. “What villagers?”

Sonic was already in over his head. There was no talking his way out of this one. But he had to try.

“Oh, uh—just a couple parents. But don’t worry, I talked to them already. It’s not a thing, I promise.”

The pause stretched longer. Sonic didn’t notice. Okay, well, maybe he did and pretended not to.

“I really just came to support you today,” he added quickly. “I wanted to see for myself, and yeah…I’ve got your back. Your class was awesome!”

Tails blinked once, slowly.

“…So you came here to… observe me? ” His voice was thin, like he was bracing for a punch.

The blue hedgehog laughed. “Well, yeah, but in a good way! I just wanted to-"

“You came to audit my class because someone complained.” The words were clipped now. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“It wasn’t-” a very big sigh, and Sonic didn’t know from whom. “Tails, it wasn’t like that.”

But Tails had stepped back, arms crossing, shoulders tense. His eyes were watering, and Sonic's stomach finally caught up with his brain.

“I trusted you,” Tails said quietly. “You usually come because you enjoy it. Because it helps you unwind. Because we're friends- brothers.”

“I am your friend! I really did just come to support you!"

“Then why didn’t you just TELL ME ?” 

Nice going, Sonic. You made the kid cry. Can we get an F in the chat for me…ha…ha…Right. Tails.

Sonic took a step forward, but Tails held up a hand. “You should’ve told me that someone complained. You should’ve trusted me to handle it. Instead, you watched me like I was under review. Like I was doing something wrong. I feel betrayed.”

“Tails…”

There was a soft knock at the side door. A parent with a little raccoon kit stepped inside, smiling warmly at first—then seeing the tension, their face dropped.

“We, uh… had a 4:30 lesson?”

Tails nodded stiffly, turning away. “One sec.”

The door closed again.

Sonic could see his friend’s hands trembling as he wiped his eyes with the edge of his glove. He was trying to pull himself together, but it wasn’t working. The disappointment in his voice was somehow worse than yelling.

“I thought you came because you believed in me,” he whispered. “Not because you didn’t.”

Sonic wanted to say something… anything! ...but his brain was scrambling. His own heartbeat felt like it was echoing in his spine, and he didn’t know if it was from guilt or the energy overload in his system.

“I didn’t mean for it to hurt you,” he said weakly. “I didn’t think-”

“Right. You didn’t THINK ,” Tails replied. He sighed and turned away from Sonic. Tails was more sensitive, especially with how Sonic was usually the one to stand up for him in the past when he faced bullies, foes, and battles together. But now, Sonic was one of them. 

Tails knew his head would clear and it would be okay, but he needed time to cool off. Unlike Sonic, Tails thought, I need actual time to process and reset from this. Sonic’s just trying to laugh it off. 

He picked up a lesson binder and stepped into the next room, shutting the door behind him with deliberate care.

Sonic didn’t move for a long time. Tails didn’t even acknowledge him or look him in the eye.

The buzzing in his head had turned to white noise. His legs itched to move, to bolt, to run so fast the guilt couldn’t catch him.

But this wasn’t like Amy yelling at him about something related to feelings or stupid aquamarine colors. Or Knuckles getting mad and blowing off steam. This wasn’t about property damage or tactical decisions.

This was Tails.

His Tails.

The one who’d been there through everything. The one person who still trusted Sonic even when he was obnoxious or reckless or stupid. And Sonic had broken that trust by trying to protect him in the dumbest way imaginable.

He leaned against the wall, shaking slightly, the energy band blinking red now. Is that a problem? I should ask- oh. Wait. Yeah….

The band was still active. There was the ever-present juxtaposition of draining him in small, untraceable ways while also trying to fuel him with his own speed. His bones ached and his vision was starting to fuzz around the edges, but none of that mattered.

All he could hear was Tails’ voice in his head.

“You should’ve told me.”

“I feel betrayed.”

“I thought you came because you believed in me.”

Sonic dug his fingers into his arms and slumped down, crouched in the corner of the workshop, breathing shallowly.

He heard the sound of a stick breaking and a woosh of energy from outside the window on the forest side. It was as if something had heard their conversation, been scarred from Sonic’s lack of filter, and ran away traumatized. Sonic figured if he got up to see, he’d only make things worse. 

His thoughts drifted back to Tails. Sonic really hadn’t realized how fragile some bonds were until he accidentally split one open. No choice now but to get up, figure out where to even start with an apology, and go faster . 

Chapter Text

The village square was colder than usual. Was it just Sonic? He couldn’t tell.

It wasn’t the weather, perhaps just the way eyes shifted when Sonic walked by. Conversations that used to pause with a smile now simply paused. And then… resumed in hushed tones. 

Were they talking about him? Was he just not gazing at life through his usual joyful lens? 

He tried to brush it off.

He told himself they were just distracted. Busy. The villagers may be still grumpy about the botched mission at the ravine. But the whispers were there regardless.

Sonic had always been a hero here. The kind of guy who could show up late, crack a joke, and still leave to applause.

Now… he wasn’t sure. He tried to make it right.

He caught up with Mayor Fink outside the bakery the next morning. “Hey! Sorry about the whole cliff incident. Knuckles, your… deputy mayor? said we should talk. I, uh… misjudged the terrain. But the kid’s safe! So, y’know, no harm no foul?”

The mayor blinked. “No harm? Some of the issues you caused will force me to actually do my job!”

Sonic faltered. “I mean—okay, some…harm. But temporary harm! Totally fixable harm.”

“Three families had to evacuate their cliffside homes after the collapse,” he said flatly. “One elderly couple lost their garden and think it’s worth a lawsuit. The debris from that and the boulder issue took out half the irrigation pipeline between here, the cliffside neighborhood, and Gogoba village. And several kids now think you’re reckless instead of invincible!”

Sonic’s mouth opened. Then closed. He tried to think of a joke to crack, a funny comeback, or something to say that would help…fix…anything. 

“I know you care,” Mayor Fink added. “But this isn’t the first time you’ve gone off-script! Even the writers can’t control you! You don’t wait for scans or listen to the village needs. You just act.”

“I save people,” Sonic said, voice rising in protest. “That’s what I do. ”

“But what if saving one costs ten others? I know I usually spend my day throwing pencils or making Knuckles stamp stuff, but this time you’ve caused me to actually have to do work! And that means I have to look into the damage that you caused.”

“And this isn’t Egghead in disguise there? You’re really….uhhh?”

“Frustrated? Yes. Tired? Also yes. And the only thing Eggman would do in disguise as mayor would be to get faster trash pickup, evade his taxes, and get a deed for a theme park. Not try to tell you to slow down! Just…” Mayor Fink sighed, “maybe…think a little harder. Or use your team next time.”

Sonic had no response. The mayor walked back to city hall with a shake of his head. Sonic usually couldn’t care less about what the town thinks or the mayor has to say, but after weeks of building fiascos and energy issues, Sonic had really been hoping this meeting was going to be some kind of positive feedback. He was so wrong it hurt. 

_________________

Back at the workshop, Tails was in the middle of reprogramming a flight stabilizer when Sonic entered. The air between them was stiffer than solder wire.

Sonic hovered at the door. “Hey.”

Tails didn’t look up. “Hi, Sonic.”

“I, uh… I wanted to say sorry. For the other day. I shouldn’t’ve said anything about those complaints. And I definitely shouldn’t’ve made it sound like I didn’t trust you. I do. I really do. I just didn’t want it to be on you to deal with...incidents like that.”

A pause. The clink of a metal part hitting the workbench.

“So you think I’m an incident?” Tails said softly, not looking at him.

Sonic paused before he could reply with something he didn’t mean. He didn’t think AGAIN . He was trying to say sorry. “No, come on, Tails, that’s not what I-”

“You don’t even see me as a person, do you. I’m just a broken part of Team Sonic . Maybe the squeaky wheel is you, did you ever consider that? Or do you need to run another audit first?” 

“Look, Tails,” Sonic tried again, “it’s been a few days, and I thought maybe you would be feeling better. I really care about you- you’re my brother and my best friend and I just want to tell you that I’m.. I’m sorry, Tails. I really am.” 

This time, instead of an eye roll, the fox lifted his head slightly as an ear twitched. He murmured out a small, mumbled “...Thanks.” 

Sonic took a cautious step closer. “Do you… still want me coming to your classes?”

Tails hesitated. “I need space right now.”

The words landed like a gut punch. But this wasn’t about him. Sonic needed to be strong for Tails.

With an immediate shift into his usual register, speed, and tone, Sonic enthusiastically spoke: “Okay, thanks for telling me! I’m always here to support you and I love you and I’ve always got your back, okay? Good luck with stuff and I hope the space helps and I’m sorry again!” 

Tails didn’t respond, so Sonic just waved, gave a thumbs up and a smile, and zipped away to go check on Amy and maybe apologize to her, too. Sonic didn’t even remember to ask Tails about the issues with the energy band or how often it needed to be turned off. 

It honestly didn’t matter to him anymore. It could burn. It could drain him. Maybe it would slow him down enough to stop causing so many problems. 

Sonic nodded once, too fast, like it didn’t hurt. Like it didn’t feel like a door gently closing in his face.

______

As he zoomed into town to see Amy, he noticed colorful flyers had been put up, decorations had been fixed, and a lineup of musical artists was posted. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles had requested for Amy to include them this year, so they were hoping for a really cool slot. 

Sonic peered at the posters hanging on market stands and lamp posts:

“Join us for the Fine Arts Festival! Live music! Food! Skits!”

“Everyone welcome… bring the whole family!”

Except…

Sonic’s name wasn’t on the performer list.

No races. No speeches (that one was probably for the better, Sonic couldn’t lie). No “Sonic vs. Knuckles” anything, and their band wasn’t even on the set list. 

He squinted. Then squinted again. 

This wasn’t merely a matter of leaving his glasses at home. He hadn’t been invited. 

He was always invited. He was supposed to be the town hero!

Heart pounding, he raced to Amy’s hut. She opened the door in her apron, flour dusted across her nose, and froze at the sight of him.

“Hey, Sonic,” she said carefully. “What’s up?”

“You left me off the Festival list.”

Amy winced. “It’s not personal. Lemme go check on my cookies… one sec.” She walked away before she could see Sonic’s eyes glisten as he blinked back tears of frustration. 

She couldn’t even give him the time of day without getting distract- well, you did barge in on her baking. Interrupting and going too fast and not thinking. It’s what you do best. Hey- hey- snap out of it you gotta say somethi- “It sure feels personal.”

“We just… we talked as a committee and figured maybe this year you’d sit it out. Give people space. Rebuild some trust.”

Sonic’s face went pale under his fur. “Space?! Trust?! Amy, I live for this stuff. I’ve been the face of this town right next to you, Knux, Tails, and Sticks since day one!”

“Exactly.” She sighed. “Which means when you mess up, it echoes.”

His fingers dug into the wooden porch railing. When you mess it up, like it happens regularly. Often, perhaps.

“I messed up one time —”

Amy folded her arms after putting down another tray. “It wasn’t just one time, Sonic.”

A silence fell. Amy’s gaze softened, but she didn’t back down.

“You’re overdoing it,” she said gently. “You haven’t stopped moving in days. You’re pushing everyone away. I care, and I want to see you feel better so you can help better. I don’t know if it’s the energy band, or your pride, or something else, but… you’re burning out. And you’re hurting people on the way down.”

Sonic’s throat tightened.

“I’m trying ,” he choked out. Hopefully a sarcastic eye roll, head turn, and attempt at a smile hid the awkward internal buzzing and upset he felt within.  

“I know,” she murmured gently. “But trying isn’t the same as listening.” 

She reached out to give the other a hug or offer comfort, but Sonic wasn’t about to show signs of cracks, let alone emotions to Amy. It would become a full blown therapy session, or an intervention, or something about how his feelings are actually reflected in housing decor choices? He shuddered at the thought of any of those options and instead left with a flash of blue and “gottagofastbyeeee!”

That night, Sonic collapsed in the jungle clearing behind his hut. He didn’t even make it to the front door.

His chest heaved with sharp, erratic breaths. His vision blurred at the edges. His legs wouldn’t stop twitching. The energy band at his wrist blinked with an ominous hum; it was overheating now. Way past optimal use.

He didn’t know how to take it off anymore.

Every time he slowed down, it felt like the world caved in. Slowing down meant facing how bad things had gotten. How far he’d slipped from the person everyone counted on. How much he made a mess of everything.

His hands were shaking? Or maybe his whole body was shaking? He couldn’t tell.

Sonic tried to laugh, but it came out broken.

“Still fast,” he murmured. “Still Sonic. Just gotta go a little harder. That’s all.”

His voice caught on the last word.

Somewhere out in the trees, he heard a branch snap.

Someone had been watching.

Chapter Text

Shadow didn’t intend to linger. 

He’d come to the village on a routine patrol. He was checking readings near the coast, nothing critical. He wasn’t looking for anyone. Wasn’t chasing drama. He preferred to keep his distance from Sonic and his friends, except when the situation required it.

To Shadow, Sonic’s radiating positivity, optimism, and happy-go-lucky attitude disgusted him. Sonic always got what he wanted. Sonic never had consequences. Sonic had no responsibility. Sonic was loved by everyone without question. Sonic probably never even questioned his own purpose. 

To be fair, Shadow thought, I question my purpose enough for everyone in this dumb village.

But as the dark hedgehog quietly passed the outskirts of the jungle that night, he heard something.

Not a cry for help.

Not a battle.

Just… breathless, ragged sobs. Muffled. Private. 

He turned toward it without meaning to. He had better things to attend to, well, maybe not , yet he cautiously and silently moved forward. 

Shadow didn’t know what he had expected to see. But it wasn’t this.

Sonic was curled in the clearing, hunched over like something inside him had cracked wide open. His arms were tight around his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground, the flickering light of a glitching energy band casting harsh shadows across his face and the foliage surrounding him. He looked…haunted. Unstable.  

Sonic looked nothing like the cocky blur Shadow usually sparred with. 

Shadow stood still in the trees, completely unseen.

And he watched. He waited for a spontaneous wink, smile, or laugh. He waited for Sonic to turn around, say he’d seen the other the whole time, and tell him it was a prank. He waited for anything close to “gotcha, faker,” or “this was my impression of you brooding.” 

Shadow didn’t know if he was upset because a snarky quote never came or because he noticed his heart speeding up with worry and ache. And for Sonic of all people. Shadow rolled his eyes before remembering- Sonic. Right. Yes. Stupid blue-crying….scared hedgehog? 

These weren’t words that belonged with Sonic. Something’s wrong with you. 

Sonic rocked faintly, like he didn’t know what to do with his body anymore. Like it wasn’t even his. Like being still was alien and unbearable. His breath hitched every few seconds: strangled sobs tried to choke themselves out before they escaped. He kept wiping his eyes with the heel of his palm despite the dirt on his gloves. His spine trembled.

Then, suddenly—he inhaled. 

Shadow blinked in surprise at the immediate change before him. What was happening? And why did it bother him ?

One deep, shaky breath. Then another.

The blue hedgehog didn’t see Shadow. He didn’t hear him. But like someone had flipped a switch, Sonic straightened. Rolled his shoulders. Blinked the red out of his eyes. Pushed a smile onto his face that looked almost real, except for the tremble in his lower lip.

He stood up. Not smoothly. Not confidently. But like a marionette reassembling its own strings.

His voice cracked a little as he said aloud—maybe to himself:

“You’re good, man. Just tired. Get some sleep. Smile. No one wants a mopey hedgehog. They barely want you at all-heh. Just put on some makeup tomorrow or something and hide. it. better.”

Then, he laughed. Shadow blinked in surprise again. He felt like his heart was being creased down the middle and twisted. That… wasn’t normal. Sonic wasn’t normal. Sonic looked… like me, Shadow thought but refused to accept.  

Back when I was so stressed and used and pushed around. Back when I felt more purposeless and confused than I feel now. When I was on the brink of violence to cope.

Shadow looked at Sonic again from afar and analyzed his laugh. It was too loud. Too bright. Too wrong .

Sonic turned and jogged off toward the village without even stopping at his home, posture perfect, the grin still plastered on his face like armor.

Shadow stood frozen in the trees long after Sonic had gone.

He should have walked away.

He’d seen heroes break down before. He’d been one of them. He knew the taste of grief, of guilt, of pushing past pain because the mission demanded it. But this? This wasn’t some battlefield wound or temporary stress.

This was something much darker.

Much deeper.

The smile disturbed him. Not because it was fake, but because it was so practiced. It had slipped over Sonic’s face like a reflex, like muscle memory. As if he’d done it a hundred times. As if no one around him had ever looked close enough to notice.

Shadow hated the gnawing feeling in his gut.

He told himself it didn’t matter. That Sonic had a team. Friends. What would they be useful for if they couldn’t notice this? That Sonic was just overreacting to a moment of weakness. But that wasn’t true.

He had seen Sonic’s real face. 

He had seen the crack . Then the immediate band-aid fix of a practiced smile.

And now he couldn’t unsee it. He couldn’t lie to himself.

Shadow returned to the coast instead of heading back to his quarters. He stood on a cliff overlooking the dark water, arms crossed, unmoving. His communicator buzzed once—Rouge checking in, casual as always. He ignored it.

Why did that shake me?

He ran the question over and over again.

He and Sonic were rivals. Occasionally teammates. Nev-well…rarely friends.

But still—he couldn’t stop picturing that broken version of him. The one who sobbed into the grass when no one was looking. The one who put himself back together with sheer force of will. The one who carried pain like it was a private badge of honor.

It reminded him of Maria. It had been a long time since he said that.

Of himself.

Of every time he had told the world, “I’m fine,” while bleeding beneath the surface.

And the worst part?

Sonic was better at faking it than he ever was. Shadow was violent, angry, and barely able to put one foot in front of the other after everything that transpired all those years ago. Some days he still couldn’t move forward. 

Yet, Sonic didn’t merely move forward. He ran with all his force and might and energy at speeds only he could reach. 

Shadow clenched his jaw, the wind tugging at his quills. A strange weight settled behind his sternum, like something had been placed there without his permission.

Not pity.

Not sympathy.

Something sharper. Recognition.

Chapter Text

It started with a joke.

Sonic had just rounded the corner behind Meh Burger when he froze. The voices carried, too clear, too careless, floating in with the scent of fry oil and ocean wind. His friends were sitting at a table waiting for him to join. 

Sonic, despite being the fastest thing alive, was running late because he had spent the night pacing his hut and rocking back and forth in his hammock. He still couldn’t figure out how to be faster, work harder, and do more while trying to make amends before things got worse. 

Soon enough, lunch hit and Sonic forgot entirely about meeting his friends. He knew they weren’t mad at him anymore- well… he wasn’t sure about Tails… but he was looking forward to moving forward and seeing everyone. 

Maybe there’d be an Eggman attack and they’d get the bonding experience of crushing robots and cracking jokes about Eggman’s theme park plans. Maybe it would all go back to normal?

Knuckles’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “You’d think after all these years, he’d learn to not use his big stupid mouth.” [1]

Amy laughed. “Right? Like, shut up for one second, Sonic, I beg you.” 

“‘Don’t worry, guys, I got this!’ And then boom: village on fire.”

They both cracked up. Sonic silently winced.

Amy added, “He means well. But he talks like he’s got three brain cells left and they’re all arguing over who gets to drive.”

Knuckles added in a question about what happens to the car in his head if he didn’t have any brain cells, but Sonic didn’t process. He stayed frozen by the corner, unnoticed by his friends and getting confused looks by other restaurant patrons. 

Sonic could care less about the villagers’ reactions. He was used to being treated and scrutinized like a celebrity. It was Knuckles and Amy that bothered him. Usually they’d crack jokes like this and Sonic could take it, but today, that wasn’t happening.

Sonic didn’t move.

He couldn’t.

The laughter turned muffled as Sonic turned his head away and let his ears droop. Neither of them saw him standing frozen on the path, faint smile twitching, eyes wide and blank.

His hands trembled. He laughed.

Quietly. 

To himself. Not because it was funny. Just to fill the silence in his chest. Then he turned and walked calmly back toward the beach, where no one could hear the sob that caught in his throat.

That was the first time he curled up under the broken dock and cried. 

Not just cried— melted. 

Not the kind of “melted” when someone scoops you up and wraps you in love and reminds you that you’re going to be okay. The kind of “melted” when you hope the tide rises just enough to take you with it. 

He pressed his cheek to the cold planks, fur sticky with sweat, biting down on his scarf so he wouldn’t make a sound. Knees to his chest with the water at his ankles, Sonic looked off into space and hugged himself as tight as he could.

His legs kicked sometimes against his hold like he couldn’t contain the noise in his nerves. The energy band blinked erratically now. He didn’t even try to deactivate it anymore. He couldn’t. 

He stayed there for ten minutes before wiping his face, pushing himself out of the water that had crept up to his knees and waist, and whispering the lines he told himself every time now:

“Get up. Get back up. You’re Sonic the Hedgehog. No one wants your sad little drama. No one has time for this. No one needs this. YOU don’t need this. This isn’t moving fast, this is breaking. And you can’t break. No matter how much you’d want to say you tried to swi-”

He stood. He shook out his quills. And he smiled.

_____________________________________________________

His friends noticed he was off. Louder. Even more impulsive.

Amy had already said so. Tails was still getting over the workshop incident. Knuckles didn’t know why but noticed the change.

What they didn’t see were the breakdowns he started sneaking off for: the hidden alcove behind Tails’ workshop; the muddy cave just past the ridge; under that old dock when the tide was low. Always alone. Always quiet.

But Shadow saw one. By accident. Since that day, the image of Sonic’s forced smile after crumpling into the forest floor had been burned into Shadow’s brain. Shadow hadn’t intended to make it his personal secret mission to figure out why Sonic had one, but he now had taken it on and hoped he could put a stop to it. 

Shadow wasn’t entirely sure what in particular about the scene he had witnessed made him want to get involved in any way, shape, or form. He hadn’t been able to figure it out, but he was drawn to the whole situation in an inexplicable way.

Shadow had been keeping his distance from Sonic in an attempt to be respectful and not let on how much he knew yet. One particular night, it was impossible for the dark hedgehog to ignore as Sonic rushed off into the forest muffling his own scream. 

Shadow at first honestly thought that the other was injured. He followed in case of blood, injury, or imminent collapse. 

He told himself that the creasing feeling in his heart wasn’t an attempt at emotional origami, but merely jealousy that he should be the one to defeat Sonic, not anyone else. Not even Sonic himself.

The rustling of leaves and the snap of a stick brought his attention back to the present forest clearing.

From the branches of a dark pine, silent in the moonlight, Shadow watched Sonic crumple against a tree trunk and land on a stick with a sharp snap . That had to have hurt.

Sonic sat in the dirt, muttering to himself, tugging his ears, grinding the heels of his palms into his temples like he could squeeze the buzzing out of his skull. His breath caught, hitched, then shattered into short bursts as he rocked back and forth.

Shadow didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

But the noise was unbearable. The kind of pain you feel in the pit of your own stomach. So without thinking, without knowing why, he lifted his hand, clenched the Chaos Emerald in his glove, and whispered the words.

“Chaos Control.”

The world flickered- and he vanished.

Not five seconds later, Sonic zipped by the same tree, upright again, laughing like a comet trailing jokes behind him. He paused when he spotted Shadow reappearing just down the hill.

“Shadow! What, stalking me now? You wish I was being weak, or…breaking down so you could get a peek, huh faker? That do it for you?” He wagged his brows, cocky grin flawless. “Maybe one of these days you’ll finally get to hold me down and defeat me the way you want-”  A mildly suggestive gesture with what appeared to be a desire to make Shadow mad.

Shadow blinked. Still stunned. He didn’t notice how heated his face felt. He had just watched Sonic convulse in the dirt like a short-circuited machine. And now…

Sonic winked and took off again, vanishing in a streak of blue light.

Shadow remained frozen.

What was that? Flirting. Terrible flirting. Obviously. But still- why? 

How could anyone do that—go from agony to charisma like flipping a switch?

Shadow was left wondering two things: How long has he been doing this? And Can I at least take him to dinner first?

He only processed the first of those questions before vanishing out of there without a word.

__________________________________

Later that same day, Sonic tried to step in and help Amy and Tails with a project in the village. 

Eggman had recently deployed a new line of robot that was meant to run on renewable resources. Knuckles and Sticks had handled the minor attack earlier, but Eggman had messed up part of the village’s water control system when he rerouted irrigation to his lair.

So that’s what Knuckles meant when he mentioned something about Eggman using freshwater instead of saltwater for his robots…. And that’s why Knuckles drank saltwater for fun….. Sonic laughed to himself. His friends were still his friends, even if there was tension at times.

Amy and Tails were supposed to repair the system that controlled irrigation flow. They were already running pretty late. Sonic didn’t want them to get more backlash.

So he rushed in. He thought it would be helping, and he even sent a note to both of them on the communicator. 

He climbed the support tower. Rerouted wires. Jumped between controls. He tried. He really did. But the system overloaded and sprayed half the farms with brine water. One of the tool sheds got damaged. A cart was struck by a metal beam that snapped off the mount.

Sonic had managed to make repairs and prevent further damages with his speed and effort, and the irrigation was more fixed than it was . He thought he was helping his team- his friends. 

The villagers were furious .

Sonic laughed it off, trying to play the hero. “Just a bit of extra seasoning for the crops, right?”

No one laughed. Sonic knew he really couldn’t talk himself out of this one. When Amy showed up and saw Sonic with a smile trying to talk things better, she scoffed.

“Show some compassion once in a while, Sonic. I get you’re different from everyone else but you need to understand their feelings.” 

“What happened to ‘rebuilding our Trust,’ Sonic?” Tails added quietly when he arrived behind her.  

Sonic didn’t have the words or thoughts to form a coherent response that told both of them I’m sorry, I need help, I’m overworked. I know I’m nothing if I can’t be helpful. Stop reminding me.

Sonic rushed back to his home and curled into a ball. Even something that should feel like a shield, like safety for him, felt unsafe and uncomfortable. 

A few hours later, the blue hedgehog found the letter wedged under his door. A plain piece of parchment. Neatly folded. In heavy ink, sharp as a scolding voice. It was from a few villagers. 

"Sonic,

You’ve done enough. Stop trying to help when you clearly don’t know how.  Stop interfering in things that aren't yours to fix. You are not above messing up other people’s lives just because you’re fast.  We’re tired of pretending it’s fine every time you blow through our town and leave rubble behind.
No one expects perfection. But we do expect you to listen .
Sit down. Slow down. Or stay out.

-A Villager You’ve Forgotten How to Hear"

Sonic read it three times.

The page didn’t crumple in his grip. He held it carefully, like a fragile thing he didn’t know how to destroy. Then he sat down against the door and read it again in the dark, mouth tight, energy band glowing red under his wrist. 

Sonic got angry- he didn’t usually feel anger like this. He wasn’t mad at Eggman, or the villagers, or his friends. He was mad at himself. He knew better than to take his gloves off and claw at his own arms. He had tools and he knew he had to use them. 

He stuck the letter to his fridge as a reminder of his failures and proceeded to clean. It was better than running until exhaustion or scratching or going out to pick a fight. Within minutes, the whole home was picked up and spotless and Sonic felt a miniscule amount of control again. 

He was beyond exhausted . He slumped back against the door. Sonic wasn’t sure at what point he fell asleep there. He didn’t care how many knots he’d have in his back the next day. 

In fact, he probably deserved them. 

___________________________________________

In the distance, high above the rooftops, Shadow stood on a water tower, one hand braced on the edge, watching the tiny blue figure below go still. 

He saw him slump.

He saw the silence.

And he wondered again why no one else saw it. No one saw how much Sonic bent just to keep up the act.

Shadow saw Sonic get up and start speeding in haphazard patterns around his own hut. Shadow wasn’t going to get closer or pry yet. He wasn’t sure how- what to do, what to say, how not to make Sonic feel even worse . 

Shadow watched as Sonic tackled every room simultaneously, cleaning, fixing, picking up stuff. Even the outside of the hut got cleaned and fixed up. Shadow didn’t know Sonic was capable of organization let alone someone who used it as a coping tool. 

There was a lot he didn’t know about Sonic. Shadow was already surprised at how deep the cracks went, how similar they could feel, and how Sonic seemed to try to output joy instead of violence during such difficult moments.

Something inside Shadow twisted sharply. Not out of pity. But something far more dangerous.

Recognition. Again. And a seed of something he didn’t yet have the name for.

Shadow wanted more than anything to make it go away. He knew how terrible and just truly awful Sonic must be feeling. How hard it was to muster up the strength to just carry on and on and on and on….  And Shadow wished desperately that he could take that burden on instead or see Sonic return to genuine joy and sparkle and optimism that he now knew went beyond a life without problems.

Shadow knew he couldn’t just snap his fingers and make it go away for Sonic. And it scared him. 

Shadow hated being scared. 

[1] Despite sounding OOC (out of character), this is a real quote about Sonic from the “Just A Guy” episode, for those curious.

Chapter Text

Tails had called the band now burning Sonic at the wrist a Micro Reactive Kinetic Feedback Loop . It was a small, wrist-mounted device designed to collect excess motion-generated energy and store it in an internal capacitor. When worn by Sonic, it siphoned a tiny percentage of his speed in real time, building energy that could be released back into his system during sprints, jumps, and combat dodges.

It was supposed to be a tool for controlled bursts. But Sonic had never deactivated it. Not once. It had been six days.

And now, the device wasn’t storing energy anymore.

It was circulating it.

It kept pushing energy back into Sonic’s body, cycling through him like a generator that couldn’t shut off. His metabolism was in overdrive. His nerves were firing without pause. His muscles twitched in his sleep. His joints ached. His heart never slowed. The band wasn’t hurting him—not directly. But it wasn’t letting him rest either. And now?

It was starting to override his instincts. Tails probably could have taken it off, but they were still trying to repair their bond from a week ago.

Presently, Sonic no longer knew how to stop moving. It was a better time than ever to try to fix things with Amy.

He caught up to her by the dock, where she was sketching out festival booths with Mayor Fink. The waves lapped softly, the sun glinted golden on the water.

“Amy!”

She turned, surprised. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” Sonic panted, stopping short. “Can we talk?”

The mayor gave them a nod and politely stepped away.

Sonic fidgeted, then blurted, “I just wanted to say sorry. For messing things up. And not listening. And, y’know, talking with my ‘big stupid mouth.’”

Amy’s eyes flicked up sharply.

“…You heard that.”

He forced a grin. “Sure did. Would’ve been funny if it hadn’t stabbed me in the soul. ”

She looked down. “Sonic…”

“I get it,” he said too quickly. “I mess things up. I’m too fast. Too reckless. But I am trying. I really, really am. I just… I don’t know how to do this if no one gives me the benefit of the doubt.”

Her brows lifted, expression softening. “You think we haven’t?”

“I think,” he said, voice quieter now, “I’ve used it all up.” He chuckled. “Sorry. I’m probably being dramatic. I haven’t really slept.”

Amy reached out. “You look tired—”

He flinched back too fast.

The rejection landed in the air between them like a dropped stone. Like one of those boulders Sonic smashed that ruined a whole bunch of things and-oh wait. Amy was speaking.

Amy recoiled. “I wasn’t gonna hit you, Sonic. I wanted to give you a hug.”

“I know. I just…sorry, reflex. The band’s been buzzing. My whole system’s off.” Sonic felt guilty. He assumed amy was still upset and the world was against him, yet she was only trying to help.

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re still wearing that thing?”

He waved her off. “I’m fine.”

But she had already taken a step back. “You came to apologize, but you can’t even stop doing the thing that’s clearly hurting you.”

“It’s not hurting me.”

“It is, ” she snapped. “Look at yourself! You haven’t eaten right in days. You twitch when people touch you. You think we don’t see it? It really does hurt me, it hurts all of us to watch you crumble like this. I can’t force you to get help but I need you to know we see it.”

“I thought you didn’t want to see anything I did anymore,” he shot back. Defensiveness was the wrong move. He had just sent Amy from comfort to stubbornness again. 

Her face hardened, then fell. “I want you to stop destroying yourself in front of us.”

She turned and walked back into her home.

Sonic stood there alone again.

He didn't cry this time.

He just clenched his jaw and ran- too fast, too far. Attempt one at fixing everything failed, but maybe I can go see the villagers who sent me that note or figure out who it was. Maybe I can still be someone’s hero or fix things. 

While Sonic headed into the village, Shadow was already nearby taking a look at the new irrigation system himself. He understood why Sonic’s mistake made an impact in the town, and he couldn’t say that Sonic didn’t get it wrong. 

But Sonic was always the one who moved forward, found a way out, and always kept going on the right foot. Sonic was never one to leave a mess or deny responsibility for it. Shadow had seen him fight Eggman. Even if he found the other’s technique to be sloppy, risky, and reckless, Sonic had a way of problem-solving and pulling people together, not breaking them apart. 

Shadow’s ears twitched when he heard a familiar, suspiciously peppy voice from just down the street.

It had taken Sonic a couple hours to track down and find the woman who’d written the note yesterday. Middle-aged, quiet voice, dark green scarf always tucked around her throat.

He stopped her outside the general store. She flinched when she saw him.

“I read your letter,” Sonic said. “I’m not mad. I get why you wrote it. I… deserve it.”

She nodded, stiff. “Okay.”

“I just want you to know…I’m trying. I’m not blowing you off. I know I ruined the irrigation thing. I shouldn’t’ve rushed in. I just didn’t want people getting mad at Amy or Knuckles. I wanted to say I want to make things better and show you and the others who were upset that I still care. I want to make it right. I do.”

Shadow heard this and acknowledged to himself, there’s the Sonic I know. Maybe things really are getting better. Maybe I was overreacting. 

But the woman’s expression twisted.

“And running your mouth now, unasked for, unannounced, in the middle of my grocery trip is going to fix what, exactly?”

Sonic blinked. “I…I was just trying to help.”

Shadow kept his head down but his frown deepened. Aaaaand we are not in the clear. Come on! Why can’t something just go right for him? And why do I want to take the pain away? What is with the emotional origami again? 

“You weren’t thinking about us at all, ” she sighed. “Do you have any idea how scared my daughter was when the tower collapsed? Or how long we had to carry clean water on foot because the filters got brined? You keep thinking if you explain yourself, it undoes what happened. If you ever find someone brave enough to have a family with you, maybe you’ll understand.”

Shadow’s heart broke when he saw out of the corner of his eye how Sonic flinched at that. It reminded him of a conversation he’d had with Maria. He had told her he never knew his purpose, that he felt unlovable, that he’d never find or have a family. He knew how much it hurt when the scientists reinforced that despite Maria’s comfort. And after…everything happened, Shadow was left feeling like a shell of himself. Like he was unlovable and undeserving of family of any kind. Am I projecting? Maybe I’m projecting. But looking at Sonic’s face right now is like looking into a mirror…. And I DO NOT like that. 

Shadow’s focus was broken from the other’s shiny, glassy, pretty green eyes when Sonic spoke again. 

“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” Sonic said quietly. “I just… I wanted to own it.”

Her voice dropped. “Thank you for coming to find me. I don’t get it, but thanks. Please, if you want to make it better, then let us clean up the damage without you racing ahead.”

Sonic stepped back like she’d hit him. Shadow didn’t know why he didn’t step forward.

And with a blur, the blue hedgehog was off before anyone could see the tears start again. But this time, Shadow wasn’t going to let him break down alone. 

Sonic dragged himself into the hilltop ruins above the orchard. The energy band pulsed like a second heartbeat. Every nerve in his body ached. His hands trembled. He pressed them flat to the stone and let out a quiet, shaky breath.

“No one wants you here.”

“Big stupid mouth.”

“You weren’t thinking of us at all.”

“Stop destroying yourself.”

The words played on loop. He curled forward and pressed his forehead to the rock.

And broke.

Not a violent scream this time.

Just a slow collapse, like a structure giving way. The sobs were small, raw, silent. His quills drooped, fur matted with dried saltwater and old dirt. His body wouldn’t stop shaking.

He whispered, “I don’t know how to be loved if I’m not good. ”

And he didn’t know who he was talking to. His eyes felt heavy and his body felt like he barely owned it.

From nearby, Shadow watched again.

His fists were clenched.

There was no theatrical display this time. No dramatic laugh. No fake wink. No speedster charm.

Just Sonic, folded in half, breathing like he was drowning.

Shadow took one step forward…and stopped.

He wasn’t ready to have a conversation. Not yet.

But when Sonic’s silent tears and breathing evened out, Shadow took a few steps closer and just sat by the other, guarding, protecting, watching. Worrying . 

If this is where Sonic needs to rest, this is where Sonic is going to rest. He gently smoothed some of the other’s displaced and likely itchy, messy, or painful quills into a position that wouldn’t hurt so much. Shadow made an attempt at running a soothing hand over the other’s upper back for a few minutes to help Sonic settle into sleep. Even if the sleep was broken and plagued with nightmares, it was better than none.

Shadow couldn’t explain what it did to him, seeing Sonic like this .

But he knew what it felt like to be so good at hurting yourself that even your friends couldn’t tell you were bleeding. So he watched. And he waited.

Because someone had to.

At dawn the next day, Shadow heard Sonic stir. He had stayed awake all night. He wasn’t sure why, totally. He just felt like he needed to. As green eyes opened slowly and carefully, Shadow got ready to leave and give Sonic space. He didn’t want to freak out an already scared and upset hedgehog. Even Shadow didn’t have the energy for that, especially after being up all night. 

A small distance over, Sonic noticed a blanket draped over him as he stirred. Through blurry, morning-hedgehog vision, he could make out a black and red figure carefully standing nearby.

Oh no. 

Oh no no no no no no. 

Shadow knows.  

“S-Shad…Shadow?” Sonic murmured out with groggy panic while wrapping the blanket tighter- where did it come from? It didn’t matter at the moment. 

The other’s deep voice responded softer than Sonic thought he’d ever heard it: “be gentle with yourself.” 

And with that, Shadow was gone and Sonic was given the space to get himself ready for the day ahead.

Chapter Text

The sun was just starting to drop behind the jungle canopy, staining the rooftops of the village golden on top of the quiet setting in.

Amy sat on the edge of the fountain in the square, her apron still on, arms crossed tighter than usual. Tails was beside her, legs swinging just above the cobblestones. Knuckles leaned against the statue in the center, arms folded like he didn’t want to be there, but he hadn’t left either.

They’d been quiet for a long time. They knew if Sonic were there, he’d show up with food in the house or donuts he purchased from his favorite open-until-midnight donut store. Or he’d bring them all into a massive hug pile and make it better with joy only he could radiate.

“I haven’t heard from him,” Tails said quietly.

Amy didn’t answer. But she nodded.

Knuckles muttered, “He always goes off, though. Cool-off runs, disappear-for-a-week runs. Right? The radio silence is…off though.”

“This feels different,” Tails said. “Doesn’t it feel different to you?”

Knuckles glanced down. “Yeah. It does.”

Amy finally spoke. “I… I said some things. Joked about him behind his back. Loud enough that I think he heard me. He usually plays along and sometimes jokes back, but maybe something hit too close. I don’t know. I was upset that he interrupted my plans and didn’t notice.”

“I did the same,” Knuckles admitted. “Figured he’d brush it off. He always does.”

“He used to,” Amy said. “But he’s been so… not himself lately. And we just kept letting it go.”

Tails rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been mad at him. Not just recently. Like… a while now. The incident in the workshop helped me figure out why. Because I needed him to be something perfect or at least someone protecting me in the ways I want, and he kept messing up or doing it in a way I wouldn’t have and making me feel like I had to fix it.”

Amy put an arm around Tails and pulled him in for a hug. The comfort helped Tails swallow the lump in his throat and keep going. Knuckles reached a hand around him as well.

The fox blinked rapidly. “I never told him that I still needed him, even when I was frustrated. That I still looked up to him.”

Amy rested a hand on his shoulder. “He’s still your brother. And you’re allowed to need things from him. That’s not failure.”

There was a pause. Then Amy frowned.

“…Wait. Did he ever take the energy band off? He was messing with it at my house, but I didn’t realize you guys weren’t talking…”

Tails went still at Amy’s words. He made a nonverbal gesture for her to continue.

“Uh… yeah,” she continued, “you got that notification that it was giving funny readings and then powered down, right?”

Tails’ voice dropped to a whisper. “Yeah, but… I assumed he just took it off.”

He pulled up his device. Flicked through the logs. Checked the failsafe.

Then his face went pale.

“He didn’t take it off. The band shut itself down.”

Amy looked up sharply. “What does that mean?”

Tails’ ears flattened.

“It means it is either short-circuited… or it is overloaded.”

Knuckles straightened. “Overloaded like… dangerous?”

“Dangerous like it’s been hurting him for days and I didn’t even think to check.” Tails stood, chest heaving. “I built that thing. I told him not to overdo it and then I let him just vanish. Like, imagine if I gave you an IV of coffee.”

“Sounds amazing to me, I live for caffeine and weights,” Knuckles exclaimed, “but… yeah… I can see how that could get a chokehold on Sonic.”

Amy looked toward the treeline, voice trembling as she finally realized a need to overcome her own stubbornness. “We should’ve noticed sooner.”

“I did notice,” Tails whispered. “I just didn’t believe it. Big brothers don’t break like that. Sonic doesn’t break like that.”

They sat there, letting that settle.

Letting the shape of Sonic’s exhaustion fill the silence between them, each of them recalling different versions of the same hedgehog who kept pushing himself into the ground with a smile.

“We’ll give him until the end of the day and try to make things calm in the village so he doesn’t have to feel like he can fix everything. Then, we can find him,” Amy said. “We’ll check the hills. The cliffs. His hideouts.”

“We’ll get him back, and make sure that the environment he returns to is better than the one he left” Tails added.

“We’ll do it right this time,” Knuckles finished, offering fist bumps to the rest of the reinvigorated friend group..

Yet none of them said what they were all thinking:

“Please let it not be too late.”

_____________________________________________________________

The wind was thick with saltwater essence and cloud-heavy silence.

Somewhere past midnight, Sonic crept into the unused storage room behind the town's old lookout post. It was musty, half-collapsed in the back, and full of dust-covered bins of festival lights no one had touched in years. He let out a tiny but genuine laugh at the sight as he was reminded of his friends getting ready for the Fine Arts festival in town. He smiled as he thought of Tails’ new light designs with more energy efficiency and Amy’s desire to make them fit within a color palette, even giving Tails hex codes to use. 

But then as soon as he felt the warmth of his friends wash over him, the current in his brain pulled it out to sea, leaving him standing in cold, unfamiliar emotions. 

Sonic decided to just sit on the floor, back pressed to the wall, knees tucked to his chest. He stared at a blank sheet of paper for thirty minutes straight.

Then he wrote. He was glad he had taken paper with him. 

His handwriting was messy. Hesitant at first. But the longer he wrote, the faster it came. His wrist trembled. His breathing hitched. Ink smeared where his palm rubbed against tear-streaked lines. He couldn’t tell if it was relief, adrenaline, fear, anger, or something else.

He didn't address it to anyone. 

He didn’t fold it or seal it or tape it to the door.

He just left it—on the windowsill.

Somewhere no one would check.

Somewhere only someone lost might wander through.

With angry scribbles, Sonic had written: 

“I know this is long, but I don’t know how to be short anymore without faking it. And I’m tired of faking everything. It’s even someone’s nickname for me. 

“I don’t know who I am if I’m not helping. If I’m not useful or fast or saving the day. I feel like I have to earn my place every single day or I’m not allowed to be here at all. I don’t know who taught me that. Or maybe I taught myself.

“I keep thinking I’m doing the right thing and I keep getting it wrong. I say the wrong thing, I do the wrong thing, I hurt people I love because I want so bad to make things better. And all I do is make it worse.

“I’m so angry. Angry at myself. Angry at the village. What a stupid place to try and be a hero. No one loves you or appreciates you or finds ways for you to actually use your own talents and skills in creative ways. Being a hero is the dumbest possible job you can have. Maybe when Eggman takes over you’ll understand. Maybe I won’t be an idiot after all anymore.

“The worst part is, I still want to fix it. Even now. Even this.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to be here anymore. I don’t mean that in a scary way. I just mean… I think I’ve used up whatever good I had. Messed it all up. Turned it into reckless, unforgivable mistakes. I think I burned it all trying to prove I was enough.

“So if I disappear, don’t come looking. I don’t want to ruin anything else.”

He didn’t even bother to sign his name, just scribbling something that vaguely looked like the letter “S” and some squiggles. 

He stared at the page a little longer. Like if he looked hard enough, the words would evaporate and spare him the shame.

But they didn’t. He left it there. No one saw him leave.

 The rain started around 2 a.m.

Thin needles of cold slicing the wind came down as Sonic sprinted through the trees, soaked to the bone, soaked from what felt like the inside out [and not in a good way]. His breakdown wasn’t quiet this time. It was furious .

He growled through gritted teeth as he ran. This wasn’t a sound anyone ever heard from him. It was a sound he himself rarely heard come out of his own mouth. Branches slashed across his arms. Roots nearly tripped him more than once. He didn’t care. He wanted it to hurt. He needed it to hurt.

He screamed as he ran. A sound swallowed by wind.

There was no destination. No plan.

He just had to do something stupid . Something pointless. Something big enough to punish himself but not bad enough to actually destroy anything. He thought of cliffs. Of long swims. Of speeding into robot territory unarmed. He couldn’t think straight.

His thoughts weren’t thoughts anymore. His body didn’t even feel like his anymore. Was it the energy band? He couldn’t tell.

Just heat. And shame. And the words and sentiment of that note in his chest not folding, not creasing, but burning.

_____________________________________________

Back in the village, Shadow had planned to pass through quietly.

He didn’t know why his feet pulled him to the old lookout post. He never liked the place; it was too exposed. Too useless now that the jungle had overtaken half the ridge. 

But something pulled him there. Maybe it was a sliver of hope that Sonic may be there. He’d seen the other hide there on occasion over the last couple of weeks. 

Maybe it was instinct.

He stepped through the rotting doorway, smoothing the rain out of his quills, boot crunching on cracked tile, and he froze. Dark crimson eyes flicked toward the windowsill where something new sat.

The paper.

A name wasn’t on it clearly, but Shadow recognized the handwriting.

His chest tightened the longer he read.

And when he reached the last lines, he didn’t move for several seconds.

Sonic’s voice echoed in his head, half-playful, half-pained. He replayed all the times Sonic had flirted, joked, or punched Shadow in response to Shadow seeing a moment of what the other considered to be potential weakness.

But this wasn’t a peek or a moment.

This was the inside. This was Sonic with nothing left.

Shadow’s jaw clenched. He didn’t need to trace the path. He didn’t need to search his memory.

Sonic had gone somewhere bad. And now Shadow was the only one who knew. His heart raced faster than Sonic himself as he sped off into the distance in search of Sonic.

Chapter Text

The letter had sat on the windowsill like it had always belonged there. Like it had grown from the wood. As Shadow ran, he took the letter and read it a second time. Then a third. Line by line.

He didn’t touch it again after that. The rain lashed across his fur in angled streaks, but he barely felt it. The silence inside him was loud. He couldn’t imagine what Sonic must be feeling and he didn’t want to be too late. 

“I don’t know who I am if I’m not helping.”

“I think I’ve used up whatever good I had.”

“If I disappear, don’t come looking.”

His eyes flicked back to the letter, now folded and tucked into the side of his air shoe to stay dry. Sonic had meant every word. It scared him. 

Shadow had seen him. Seen him break. Cry. Shake. Smile anyway. Over and over again. And he had watched. From trees. From rooftops. From the shadows. Doing nothing.

What did that make him?

He thought of Maria. Of standing by, helpless, while everything crumbled around her. Of swearing never again . Of turning himself into a weapon to protect people who couldn’t ask. And now here he was.

Watching someone spiral. Again.

“I should’ve said something,” he muttered aloud. “I should’ve done something.”

But would it have mattered? We aren’t even friends. We fight all the time. Why do I care? Why does it feel so much…like her?

Sonic didn’t want help. Sonic barely accepted presence , let alone care. He joked. Deflected. Sped off. He’d made an art of smiling while dying. Now it was perhaps too literal for Shadow to process.

______________________________

The coastline blurred beneath Sonic, vision streaked with water, with wind, with blood where a sharp branch had sliced his side and he hadn’t bothered to check it. His legs burned. His lungs stung. His brain was fire and static.

But he didn’t stop. He couldn’t.

He was so charged he couldn’t feel half his limbs. The energy band was flaring now, sparks spitting from the latch. It pulsed red with every movement, overclocked beyond anything it was ever built for. 

The blue hedgehog knew he had to take it off. But…he couldn’t even rip the band from his own wrist. It became like a need, it was hurting him but he couldn’t live without it. If he slowed down now, he may never go fast again. 

The thoughts had been there for days: I need it, I need it, I need it, I need it,  coupled with GottaGoFastGottaGoFastGottaGoFastGottaGoFast…

Sonic knew, somewhere in his brain, that he was running toward the end of something.

But not toward home. Not toward safety.

He had scrapes down both knees. One ankle was swelling from a rough trip over a root. No one ever tells you how bad the falls are when the speed at which you hit a tree root is 200 mph. Usually, his body would keep up and be able to heal, but Sonic had pushed it past the brink of exhaustion. His ribs ached from when he tumbled down a ravine twenty minutes ago after losing his footing and landing wrong, smacking full-body into wet stones. He limped up the other side and kept going.

He thought he heard thunder. Maybe. 

Or maybe that was just inside him now.

Was it still raining? Did it ever start? Or was the cold, soggy feeling from the wet stones alone? It didn’t matter anymore.

He reached the outer edge of the ruins at the jungle’s end, where Eggman’s old lab had once been, long since overtaken by moss and vines. Metal and wild growth. Forgotten scars. It was now converted into a use-able bunker if there were to be an asteroid or doomsday device mishap, but it was still largely unkempt and abandoned. 

Sonic collapsed against one of the outer walls and coughed so hard he nearly choked. His legs gave out. He sank to his knees, gripping the soil with shaking hands.

“I’m still here,” he whispered to no one. “ Why am I still here? No no no no no… ”

The wind didn’t answer.

The energy band sparked again. A faint electrical pop hissed at his wrist. His fingers wouldn’t stop twitching. His vision blinked out for a split second and came back blurred.

This is what you wanted, right? Something big. Something stupid.

He’d been looking for a place to burn out . Or maybe just hide and never come back. 

And now he’d found it.

_____________________________________

Shadow stood for a second at the edge of a ravine, arms slack at his sides. There were dislodged bounders and familiar muddy footprints that suddenly stopped. Shadow didn’t know if the growl he heard was himself or the thunder overhead.

The rain wasn’t slowing. He was soaked through.

The letter’s words still played in his mind like a record with a warped groove.

“Don’t come looking.”

He clenched his fists again. Jaw tight.

“Too. Bad.” he muttered and began his descent down the rocky valley.

_________________________________

The rain tasted metallic. So it was raining after all. Huh.

It mixed with the blood on his tongue and ran down his quills in dark streaks. His chest was heaving, but the air didn’t feel real anymore. Now it was too thick, too sharp. The jungle around the abandoned layer swayed. Or maybe he was swaying.

He couldn’t tell.

He pressed his palm to the wall to steady himself, but his wrist gave out, and he slammed shoulder-first into the mud. His ribs screamed. Maybe he screamed too. 

Still, he smiled. A sick, bitter thing. "Guess I’m not built to disappear all dramatic-like," he rasped, coughing into the dirt. “Can’t even get that right.”

His vision flashed red again - wait- no, that was the energy band. It was sparking in rhythm now, like a dying heartbeat. The metal had seared into his wrist, crusted with blood and mud. He couldn’t move it. Couldn’t feel it, even.

You used up all of yourself, remember? You couldn’t do all that being a hero required. You’re only good when you’re giving yourself away. You’re only valuable when you’re helping. You’re only worthy when you’re fast.

He curled in on himself in the shadow of the vines, soaked and shaking, cold down to the bone.

His heart was beating too fast. Way too fast. And he was Sonic the Hedgehog.

Somewhere nearby, an old monitor flickered to life. One of Eggman’s long-abandoned sensor systems. The light flickered on and off. It pinged once. Quietly. It pinged again and flickered some more.

But no one came. 

_________________________

Shadow was racing as fast as he could through the jungle, near the ravine, and over cliffs. He encountered the occasional blue quill and ripped sports tape. Sonic and that sports tape… it was kind of endearing. 

The dark hedgehog was snapped out of it when he saw what he thought might be blood and pieces of blue fur smearing across a rock. 

He dropped to one knee, eyes scanning. He fell here. 

A few feet ahead, the muddy, halfway washed-away footprints changed. They were deeper, staggering. Spaced wrong. Sonic’s right foot must have dragged slightly.

Shadow stood, bolted in that direction. He didn’t care who saw him anymore. He was faster than questions. He was faster than guilt. He had to be.

If there is one time in this wretched existence that I HAVE to be faster than Sonic, it is right. now.

He found the broken tree limb next. Split fresh. Not from the storm or a lightning strike. Red across the bark. Shadow’s vision was much better than Sonic’s, so inevitably, if there were clues Sonic tried to hide or erase, he would miss some.

Then a snapped sapling, trampled vines, and a scorch mark near the base of an old hill. Shadow’s gut went cold at realizing where he was.

No one went there anymore. No one should.

_____________________________________________

Dull, green eyes fluttered open, but only just.

Everything was gray. Everything hurt .

He tried to move and pain cracked through his hip and ribs. He cried out before he could stop himself, voice raw, cracking like dried glass. He couldn’t smile anymore. He could barely breathe.

“Anyone?” he whispered.

Nothing answered.

He started laughing. It sounded like choking.

“Didn’t think so.”

He let his head drop back to the dirt.

It’s fine. This is fine. You did this. You WANTED this. Faker. Idiot. Some hero. 

But part of him, some tiny thread buried in the static, wished someone cared enough or even knew enough to find him. Even now.

He hated that part.

It was the last piece of him still alive.

___________________________________

Just as the sun was rising, Shadow reached it. The edge of the jungle gave way to the overgrown ruins of Eggman's facility, the crumbling steel swallowed by vines. He stopped in the clearing, scanning everything.

The wind shifted.

And then he saw.

A collapsed figure. Half-hidden under mossy cables. Quills soaked flat against mud and stone. Blood dried into the curve of his shoulder.

Shadow’s breath caught in his throat.

“… Sonic .”

He didn’t know if he said it aloud. Didn’t know how fast he moved. Before he himself noticed, his arms were around Sonic, trying to assess the state he was in and shield him from worse simultaneously. 

Without a second thought, Shadow, perhaps running on instincts and adrenaline, grabbed the barely flickering energy band and broke it, tearing it off Sonic’s wrist. There was a noticeable burn mark where the band used to be. 

Come on come on come on come on come on come on, please, please stay with me. Please…

Shadow could swear he could hear the faintest sigh of relief from Sonic. At least there was breathing.

He was still concerned. He didn’t know how long Sonic had been like this. All he knew was that Sonic wasn’t responding.

Chapter Text

There was nothing but gray. A sky with no sun. An ocean without water. A field without ground below.

Sonic stood in it, or he thought he did. He wasn’t sure where his feet were, or if they were even touching anything at all. It felt like floating in cold air. Or maybe falling.

No speed. No movement.

No sound but his own breath, which came in short, slow pulls, like someone else was deciding when he got to inhale next. Maybe someone was. He couldn’t tell. He didn’t care.

“Hello?” he said, but his voice was small. Tinny. Useless.

Nothing answered.

And then he saw himself.

Across the gray was another Sonic, one with no color in his fur, hunched low, arms around his knees, shaking.

He approached slowly. “Hey…”

The copy didn’t look up.

Sonic crouched beside him. “Hey. I… I’m here.”

The gray version laughed softly. “You’re too late. You failed. What a crappy hero.”

Sonic winced. “I didn’t mean—”

“You ruined it all,” the voice whispered. “You always ruin it. Every time you try to help, it breaks worse. Every time you talk, someone walks away. Every time you run… you leave something behind.”

“I tried-”

“You tried to be useful. Not loved.”

Silence.

The gray Sonic looked up then, hollow-eyed. “And now there’s nothing left.”

“Go away… go away go away go away… you can’t be.. You can’t be real.. I can’t be… no… go away….”

“No,” a deeper voice echoed from the edges of the gray.

Not Sonic’s.

Not the gray figure’s.

It cut through the air like a blade.

_____________________________

“Sonic. Sonic—look at me.”

Shadow stayed crouched low in the mud, sliding his arms to be beneath Sonic’s limp body. The moment he touched him, he hissed sharply. Sonic’s fur was burning with fever? Exhaustion? Overheating? He didn’t know. 

Blue fur was matted, wet, and gross, stuck to shallow cuts and bruises. Sonic’s breathing was rapid. Shallow.

Shadow yanked off his own glove in a moment of sheer terror and fear and pressed two fingers to Sonic’s neck.

A pulse was there, but weak and fast. Faster than Shadow would expect, even for Sonic.

“Don’t you dare quit on me.”

He pulled Sonic upright, starting to stand up. Sonic’s head lolled against him, eyes fluttering but unfocused.

“Damn it.”

Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald he’d brought with him, his last emergency carry, and gripped it tight.

“You need help? Fine. You’ll get help.”

The wind howled.

“Chaos Control!”

The world distorted, light cracking through the trees…

_____________________________

The voice was louder now. Closer.

Cutting through the fog.

“No one asked you to be perfect. I don’t want you to be perfect.”

Sonic turned slowly.

A black shape was moving through the gray. A red flash in its eyes.

“You don’t get to decide when you’ve used up your worth,” it said. “That’s not yours to take away.”

Sonic blinked.

“Sh….-Shadow?”

The shape came closer, but it didn’t reach him yet.

“Get up,” Shadow said. “I’m not finished with you.”

“I’m tired.”

“I know,” Shadow said with a sigh that seemed tired-no-exhausted, gentle, and ...comforting?

“I broke everything.”

“No,” Shadow said. “You broke yourself. The rest can be rebuilt.”

Sonic sobbed once. Just once. He felt reality…or…whatever this was…vanished around him.

Then he opened his eyes.

____________________________________________

The Chaos Control ended mid-air.

They landed hard in a field just outside the village. It was still raining. At least the low visibility would give them some privacy. 

Shadow hit his knees, cradling Sonic’s head, panting from the exertion, but Sonic was breathing. Gasping. His eyes opened briefly, flickering wildly, locked onto Shadow’s face for one trembling second.

“Y-you…” Sonic whispered.

“I’m here.”

Sonic tried to smile. It cracked. His whole body shook again.

Shadow caught him. Held him closer.

“You’re safe. You hear me?”

Sonic didn’t answer.

But this time, he didn’t run. Even if he could, he wouldn’t.

Chapter Text

Shadow’s house was buried in the cliffs west of Eggman’s ruins.

No one knew about it, not Tails, not Amy, not even Rouge until recently. Shadow had reinforced it himself and turned it into a fully functioning base, adding generators, water filters, emergency supplies, and walls thick enough to drown out the noise of any world falling apart outside.

He sometimes spent time there, and other times set himself up a camp in caves, outdoors, or under the stars where he could find solitude and peace. 

He never wanted Sonic to know about his actual home, or ever bring him there. But now…

Now he had to.

Sonic lay limp on Shadow’s bed, wrapped in the other’s jacket, fresh towels, and blankets, yet feverish and twitching. His blue fur looked gray in the light. His fingers flexed involuntarily, like he was still running. Still trying to escape.

The energy band Shadow had taken back with them was blackened and cracked as it rested on the nightstand.

Shadow stood over him with a set of tools, coolant packs, gauze, bandage shears. But he didn’t move for nearly a full minute.

He was frozen.

Because this scene… this silence …

It felt too familiar.

Shadow remembered Maria collapsing on the ARC floor.

Her pulse was erratic. Her skin was clammy. The way she smiled up at him like he needed comfort. How helpless he’d felt when he couldn’t stop the bleeding, undo the shot, or fix her with force alone.

Now here he was again. He hated how familiar this felt.

Not the medical work—he could handle gauze and fever and muscle spasms. He could follow instructions. He could stop bleeding.

What was familiar was someone trusting him. Well, involuntarily. But it didn’t matter.

Someone dying softly in front of him. This powerless waiting.

This bitter, aching stillness where someone he couldn’t afford to lose lay too still on a bed while he watched, feeling helpless.

It was Maria all over again. He didn’t even expect to feel this way.

The weight of knowing something is wrong , but not being able to stop it. Watching her smile through every symptom. Watching her laugh, make jokes, apologize for scaring him. And then that moment …the one he’d replayed for years… when she collapsed, and everything changed .

He hadn’t been fast enough. Hadn’t been enough.

And now… Sonic.

Sonic, whose hands still twitched like he was trying to run even in sleep. Sonic, who smiled while breaking apart. Who spiraled so hard he ran into the wilderness to die alone because that’s what he thought he deserved.

Shadow clenched his fists, jaw tight with heat behind his eyes.

“I watched it happen again, ” he thought. “I let it.”

He’d seen the signs. Sonic’s cracked jokes. His half-hearted smiles. His twitches. The tremor in his voice. He’d seen them. Heard them. Knew them.

And still, he stood in the trees. On rooftops. In the shadows. Watching.

Silent.

You said you’d never let it happen again. And you let it happen again.

Maybe Maria would’ve known what to say. Maybe she would’ve touched Sonic’s hand and soothed the noise in his mind. Maybe she would’ve been warm where Shadow had only been late.

The weight of his own failure settled like stone in his chest.

Because whether Sonic lived or not…

He had still run to die alone believing no one wanted him alive.

That was what Shadow had to sit with now. And all he could do was work . He snapped out of what felt like hours of spiraling, despite it only being seconds.

He started by examining the site of the band. He noticed the skin beneath it, and how the tissue was raw and angry, practically screaming. Shadow applied coolant instantly, then wrapped the wrist in sterile cloth, pressing his palm over it to keep the light bleeding down.

Sonic groaned.

“Shh,” Shadow murmured. “Don’t move. You’re safe.”

Sonic didn’t answer. Just shook faintly, lip trembling, eyes fluttering but still not quite conscious.

Shadow sat beside him and reached for water, lifting Sonic’s head carefully to sip between shallow breaths. Half of it dribbled out. Shadow wiped it away without a word.

Silence filled the room again. This time, it hurt.

He didn’t call Tails. Didn’t message Amy. He should’ve. He knew he should’ve. But Sonic had said it in that letter: Don’t come looking.

And Shadow knew the look of someone who wasn’t ready to be seen. He knew he owed Sonic that amount of respect, even if it was a silent boundary. A silent plea. 

If he told them now, if they came and saw Sonic like this, shaking and small, half-broken and barely lucid…they’d be angry. At Sonic. At themselves . At him.

“Where were you?”

“Why didn’t we notice sooner?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

He couldn’t risk that. Not yet. Especially without losing 

So he sat there, watching the rise and fall of Sonic’s chest, listening to each uneven breath like it was his only job.

_________________________________________

It was nearly dawn when Rouge showed up.

She didn’t knock. She knew she didn’t need to. She just opened the door, cloak dripping from rain, her eyes wide when she saw the state of the room.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Shadow , sitting by the bed, pale and still.

“S… Shadow?” she whispered.

He didn’t look up.

“He’s not stable. I’ve done all I can. I don’t..I..can’t…I- I need…I…” His voice caught in his throat. 

Rouge moved slowly, as if she were walking into a sacred place. Her voice caught when she reached Sonic’s side and saw the state of his wrist, the bruises, the scrapes, the sunken lines under his eyes.

“Oh my Chaos…” she whispered. “ How long has he…?”

Shadow closed his eyes.

“Too long.”

They worked in silence.

Rouge took over applying medicine to the cuts. Shadow cleaned the dirt from under Sonic’s claws. She wrapped his ribs. He checked the fever. She dug through Shadow’s medical supplies and got an IV going.

At some point, she whispered, “He’s too young for this.”

Shadow didn’t answer.

She glanced at him. “You’re not telling the others, are you?”

His jaw tightened.

“…No.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’ll make it about them ,” he said bitterly. “They’ll try to fix it for him. They’ll try to teach him something .”

He looked at Sonic’s face. Struggling. Empty. If anything was left , it was sadness, guilt, and self-disappointment. 

“He doesn’t need to be fixed. He needs to be held. ”

Rouge didn’t argue. She went into another room and prepared some food for them, especially knowing Shadow hadn’t slept in a day and wasn’t going to start anytime soon. 

__________________________

Later, when Sonic stirred and whimpered softly in his sleep, Shadow sat beside him on the bed  and rested a hand carefully around his shoulder.

“I didn’t see it soon enough,” he whispered, leaning his head back against the headboard and looking up at nothing. “I should have. I watched you fall apart like I was observing a mission.”

His throat burned. He blinked heavily to keep his voice steady and stay strong for the other. His eyes hadn’t yet left the ceiling. 

“I don’t know if I was scared you wouldn’t listen, or scared you would. ”

There was no answer. Just the sound of Sonic’s uneven breathing.

And Shadow’s own voice, soft as a confession:

“...I care. I need you. ”

Chapter Text

It had been two days.

And for the first time in months… The village square felt calm.

No toppled fruit stands. No gusts of wind blowing papers off the bulletin board. No kids getting swept up into high-speed joyrides. No startled farmers with singed fields or broken tech.

Just… normal life.

Even the sky seemed clearer.

Mayor Fink commented on it over breakfast with Amy and Knuckles.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful,” she said, sipping his coffee, “but it’s been nice having some space .” Knuckles and Amy exchanged worried glances. They didn’t know what to say, or how to tell them that this wasn’t normal space. 

Tails, seated nearby with a wrench and a half-assembled drone in his lap, gave a half-smile. “I hope he’s resting, heh…but you should really thank Eggman for the peace. He hasn’t attacked in a couple of days after his last defeat. That’s where your peace is coming from. Not Sonic.”

Amy nodded, hoping this was a good excuse for the mayor and a reminder that they were willing to stand up for Sonic. Tails was working on finding a way to locate the other, and they knew they had to act with haste. 

“He deserves rest,” Amy added, trying to stay hopeful. “Maybe he'll come back less wired. If he’s the Sonic I know, he’ll take care of himself for once.”

No one said it aloud, but a few villagers passing by gave the kind of nods that said: Let’s use this time to repair what he broke.

Tails heard one of them whisper: “We can finally recalibrate the irrigation lines.” Tails chuckled once, dryly. Then tapped his wrist device to check the new tech he installed in it… just as it buzzed.

Alert: Sonic’s offline.

He froze.

For a full second, he stopped breathing.

Amy glanced over. “What?”

“His band,” Tails said slowly. “The one I gave him to test. It’s gone dark completely as of 24 hours ago. And within the last few hours, his communicator stopped putting data through.”

The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes, but it didn’t mask the underlying concern well enough. “Well, yeah. He probably took it off.”

Tails didn’t respond.

Amy waved a hand. “Come on, it was probably frying his nerves. He’s stubborn, not suicidal.”

“Unless he’s injured,” Tails thought. “Or unconscious. Or worse. And maybe he was…no. no. no. no no. ”

But he didn’t say it. Because the solidarity around the table made it feel stupid to panic. And if Sonic was finally resting, who was he to ruin that? Running in and dragging Sonic back to society would be the last thing Sonic would want. Tails knew that. 

He closed the alert. Put his wrist down. Forced a smile. “Yeah. You’re right.”

_________________________________

Sonic was unconscious again, but stable.

His fever had broken. His breathing had evened out. The worst of the tremors had stopped. His vitals were improving slowly. 

Shadow sat in the chair by the window of his home. It was quiet. And Sonic was finally somewhere warm.

Rouge returned with supplies: smoothies, electrolyte tabs, tea, and soup. She made Shadow some coffee and got him a piece of cake and a massive pile of strawberries from the fridge. 

She didn’t ask for thanks. She knew as soon as Shadow eyed the items for Sonic with relief and eyed the cake with a tiny flicker of excitement. 

Rouge just sat across from Shadow in another chair and gave him a look that said everything.

After a minute, she raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re really not going to tell them, are you?”

Shadow shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re grateful he’s gone,” he said, his voice ice. “Because right now, they’re happy. Relaxed. Laughing.”

Rouge looked away. She couldn’t deny it. She didn’t interact with the village and didn’t know, but she couldn’t say Shadow’s guess was wrong.

“Because if they come now,” Shadow added quietly, “he’ll never believe they loved him at all. They’ll drag him back into society and hurt him all over again. He doesn’t deserve that. I can’t… I can’t go through that again…”

Sonic stirred in bed, groaning softly, one hand twitching toward his bandaged wrist.

Shadow was there in a second, resting his hand gently on Sonic’s.

“Not yet,” he murmured.

Glassy, yet vibrant green eyes finally opened fully and looked up at Shadow. Sonic didn’t say a word but his hand moved just slightly to grip the other’s tightly. Tears were already pooling over and sliding down pale cheeks.

Crimson eyes gazed back: “You don’t have to run anymore.”

___________________________

Rouge had done everything she could.

She'd checked Sonic’s vitals one last time, double-wrapped the gauze around his wrist, and packed an extra box of supplies by the bed. Now, standing by the doorway, arms crossed, eyes soft but tired, she met Shadow’s exhausted gaze.

“You gonna be okay?”

Shadow didn’t look up from Sonic. He was sitting on the floor beside the bed again, one hand resting lightly on the edge of the mattress, close enough to intervene if Sonic thrashed again, but not enough to crowd him.

“…I don’t know.” It was quiet and barely audible, lacking Shadow’s usual confidence and self-assurance.

Rouge exhaled. “You need anything, you call me. I mean it.”

He gave a short nod. Tired eyes blinked heavily. They looked too tired to cry anymore. Rouge noticed, but didn’t say anything. Shadow couldn't even meet the other’s gaze.

Rouge paused. “And Shadow?”

He turned his head slightly. He offered the slightest peek of his eyes and just a second of eye contact, but enough to tell Rouge he was there. He was trying. He was going to get through it too. 

“You’re allowed to feel it.”

His jaw clenched. “I don’t want to.” It’s her all over again…. That part didn’t get said aloud.

“I didn’t say you wanted to. I said you’re allowed to. You take care of yourself too, honey.”

Shadow nodded silently. Rouge left quietly after that.

The room was very still again.

_________________________________________

Sonic hadn’t stirred in hours.

His body was pale beneath the bandages, his quills limp across the pillow like wilted flower petals. Shadow had taken a warm washcloth earlier and wiped the crusted blood from Sonic’s fur until he could find the blue again. But now, even that blue looked unusual. Washed out. Wrong.

During a brief moment of consciousness, Sonic grabbed Shadow’s hand by the wrist and gently placed it on his chest and let the contact just…be. As if he were asking, pleading, “stay…I need you…please.”

In Shadow’s opinion, what he was doing wasn’t enough. In reality, it wasn’t much. But it was all he could do.

The blue hedgehog looked like a ghost now. Or maybe like someone trying to vanish —and succeeding. Shadow hated the thought.

He sank down beside the bed again, watching the small shifts in Sonic’s chest. In, out. In, out. Too shallow. Too fast. The kind of breathing that came with nervous system strain, adrenal fatigue, electrolyte depletion. He knew the signs. He remembered them in Maria . He remembered them in himself .

Sonic’s wrists were bony. Bruised. One was still bandaged from the energy band, and the burn beneath was angry and raw, a melted lattice of skin where metal had kissed flesh too long. His legs had small cuts and scrapes that Shadow hadn’t seen until today. Under the layer of fur, his thighs were marked with yellowing bruises from falls or crashes no one had noticed. 

He hasn’t been eating, or sleeping, or taking care of himself for a long time before this.

Shadow’s hand drifted toward Sonic’s. He hesitated, then rested it lightly over the other’s.

Warm. Fever-warm. Fragile-feeling, like his body had pulled its strength inward and hidden it somewhere unreachable.

Sonic twitched.

Shadow froze.

Then Sonic whimpered in his sleep, a soft, heart-wrenching sound, torn straight from the chest. His whole body curled slightly inward, like something in the dream had cornered him. The fingers beneath Shadow’s hand tensed like they were trying to grab hold of something… anything.

“You’re okay,” Shadow murmured. His thumb brushed Sonic’s knuckles, steady, soft, anchoring.

Sonic didn’t wake, but the whimper quieted. His breathing slowed. Just slightly. Shadow kept his hand there.

And kept looking .

He’d spent so long racing behind Sonic’s blur. So long defining him by color and speed and arrogance. But here, now… everything was slower. And Sonic was just a hedgehog . A tired, hurting, overworked hedgehog with skin that bruised and joints that swelled and a back that flinched when touched too hard.

He saw how Sonic’s calves trembled faintly in his sleep, the way someone did when their muscles had been pushed beyond exhaustion. He saw knots where there really shouldn’t be any. He saw chafing near his ankles and on his thighs as he readjusted the blankets. It was old, poorly tended irritation from running too hard in shoes that hadn’t been swapped out. There was swelling in one knee.

His skin bore the marks of someone who hadn’t rested in weeks.

Shadow’s throat was dry. He was pretty sure his heart hadn’t just folded in half, but crumpled up into the tiniest ball imaginable and began to crinkle around. 

“You’re not made of invincible chaos energy,” he thought bitterly, worriedly, and full of guilt. “ You’re made of blood and bone and limits just like the rest of us.”

He stared down at Sonic’s eyelids and tangled quills and thought of all the times Sonic had thrown himself between a villain and the village. All the times he’d laughed through injury. Grinned through burnout. All the times he’d run at full speed toward something no one else could see just so nobody had to hurt but him.

“You tried to be invincible,” Shadow thought. “But you’re not. And I should’ve known.”

He held Sonic’s hand just a little tighter. Because now that he’d really seen him, he didn’t know how to look away. He already wasn’t planning on it, but seeing just how deeply the physical toll was cemented it. 

He stood eventually, arms folded, pacing slow circles around the bed. He wasn’t a nurse.He wasn’t Maria. He wasn’t Tails. Or Rouge or Knuckles or Sticks or Amy. He didn’t know how to do this.

And yet…

He kept checking Sonic’s breathing.

Kept rotating the ice packs, heating pads, and whatever seemed to provide the most comfort and relief. Kept watching the slow, irregular twitches in Sonic’s fingers and wondering if that was leftover overcharge damage or Sonic’s broken body trying to restart itself.

“Why did you let it get this far?” he muttered to the unconscious body.

No answer. Of course not.

Shadow ran a hand down his face.

They were rivals…that’s what this was , right?

Rivals.

Enemies who got tired of fighting.

Then… occasional partners in battle.

Then… this?

Shadow didn’t know what this was.

But it hurt. He wanted it to be more and hurt less . He wanted there to be room for gentleness, care, and real, real conversation. He wanted it to not just be “see ya, faker,” or “you look like an idiot,” but “hey, I see you. I notice. I care. I’m here.” 

The thought scared him and comforted him simultaneously. 

__________________________

The room started to feel  too sterile.

Sonic looked like a body, not a person. Shadow hated that.

So he opened the closet and pulled out every pillow he could find. This included more bed pillows, some couch cushions, and one armchair throw that Rouge had left there once and he never moved.

He didn’t know what he was doing. He just…

He just remembered Maria, curled in her bed, sometimes a cot, surrounded by softness. Her smile when she was propped up and warm. The way she said being held by something was the only time her body didn’t ache.

Shadow stacked the pillows gently around Sonic: around his sides, behind his back, beneath his knees. He added a folded blanket near Sonic’s chest, another under his injured wrist.

It didn’t look perfect. He was sure Sonic himself or Tails or Amy could’ve done a better job. But they weren’t here. And it didn’t look terrible. 

It looked… safe.

He stood back. Then sighed.

“…I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted softly.

Sonic stirred.

Shadow froze.

Sonic’s fingers curled. His brow furrowed. He whimpered softly…softer than a breath.

Shadow stepped forward immediately, crouching beside him.

“Sonic?”

No response. Their eyes met briefly and conveyed a thought that transcended a thousand words. Shadow wasn’t sure he could describe it himself if given the chance.

Then Sonic’s lips moved.

One sound. One barely-audible murmur:

“Don’t tell them.”

Shadow’s heart stung.

“I won’t. I want to honor you.” He adjusted one of the blankets. “You’re not ready for them. And that’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

Another twitch in Sonic’s jaw.

“Don’t… go…”

Shadow swallowed thickly. His gloves creaked from how tightly he clenched his fists.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

______________________________

He sat back on the floor again. Back to watching. Back to wondering what the hell he was doing.

Back to waiting for someone who never slowed down to decide if he was ready to wake up in a world that would maybe…finally…. let him stay still.

Chapter Text

The light in the room was faint, filtered through the curtains that Rouge had left slightly cracked. It was warm now. Shadow had made sure of that. A heater purred low in the background, and the air smelled faintly of mint tea, lavender, old blankets, and antiseptic. Sonic’s body hadn’t moved much in the last few hours, but his fever had stabilized, and his color was beginning to return, bit by bit. The blue was still dull, but not lifeless.

Shadow hadn’t moved either. But he did breathe a sigh of relief.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, sometimes on a chair, sometimes kneeling, elbows on the bed, chin resting in his hands. His eyes were hollow with exhaustion, and yet they didn’t shut. Couldn’t. Not when Sonic still flinched in his sleep sometimes. Not when one nightmare could send him spiraling again. Not when the heat in his body still felt like it might vanish at any moment.

He hated how helpless he felt. He hated this deep, echoing ache in his chest, this feeling like he’d failed some second chance the universe gave him. The room was still too quiet, the rhythm of Sonic’s breathing still too fragile, and for once… Shadow wasn’t angry at the world.

He thought he should be angry at the world. He should be angry that he was the only one to notice Sonic. He should be angry that they aren’t even friends. They hardly see each other when they aren’t fighting or bantering in some way. Why him? Why now?  But he did notice one thing, something unexpected. Something he didn’t ever think he would feel about Sonic. Yet, seeing Sonic laid out in front of him like this made it crystal clear.

He was terrified of losing him.

I should have noticed. I should have known. Why did I wait for him to fall apart before I cared out loud?

The dark hedgehog ran a hand through messy red and black quills and down his face. His fingers trembled. He hadn’t realized he was crying again until his hand came away wet.

And then…so softly he almost didn’t catch it….

“…Shad-?”

Shadow’s breath caught. His head snapped up.

Sonic was awake. Just barely. His eyelids fluttered halfway open again, eyes glassy but present. He looked straight at Shadow.

Shadow moved without thinking. “ Hey. Hey, I’m here.” He sat up, scooting closer, hand instantly reaching for Sonic’s. Sonic moved. Although it was weak, it moved to meet him halfway.

“…Why…. Why do you look like you got… hit…b-by a truck?” Sonic murmured. His voice was slurred and dry.

Shadow let out a sharp, disbelieving exhale, half laugh, half sob.

“You’re one to talk, idiot,” he said, voice cracking. “ I thought I lost you .” It came out sincere, audible, and raw. Shadow wasn’t sure if he meant it to sound that raw when the words came out. He couldn’t take it back now- he wasn’t as good as Sonic (if you could call Sonic good) at talking himself out of things he’d already said.

Sonic blinked again slowly. His hand curled tighter around Shadow’s. His breath trembled.

“…You…you cried,” Sonic whispered, stunned.

“Shut up,” Shadow mumbled, wiping his face with his arm, only to start crying harder. “ Of course I cried…look at you.”

“I’m sorry,” Sonic whispered, expression softening. Shadow was stunned at how tender and gentle and soft Sonic looked, even in a moment like this. How can someone so broken like this be so…so…just…continuing to try to give and never receive?

Sonic continued slowly, “I’m… really sorry for making you worry. I didn’t think anyone would—”

“ Don’t,” Shadow said quickly, leaning over the bed, his forehead brushing Sonic’s. He didn’t know why he felt the need to do that. He didn’t mean to do such an intimate gesture. It just felt right at that moment. It felt like it was what it took to make it abundantly clear to the blue hedgehog in front of him that he meant it.

Shadow continued. “Don’t apologize for nearly dying because you thought you had to handle everything alone.”

Sonic’s breathing hitched. His other hand weakly reached up, brushing the edge of Shadow’s jaw. “Oh… then…I-uh…” Sonic paused. Gathered his words again as much as he could and weakly started, “Thank you… For not just seeing me… but really noticing.”

Shadow’s heart shattered, maybe melted, maybe broke. Something inside him caved. He didn’t even bother hiding it this time. He pressed his forehead tighter to Sonic’s and let the tears come. Sonic didn’t say a word. He just watched Shadow cry with eyes wide in wonder, confusion, concern, and amazement. 

They stayed like that for a long time, breath mixing, hearts stuttering in sync. Sonic had started weakly crying too at some point. Shadow kicked into concern mode as the other’s breathing became more erratic again. He locked eyes with Sonic and led the other through some breathing to start calming down. 

They stayed together. They breathed together.

Shadow eventually shifted, half onto the bed, pulling Sonic gently toward him so they could just be. His arms wrapped carefully around Sonic’s torso loosely, mindful of bruises, burns, and bandages. Sonic sagged into the touch like a cat in a sunbeam. 

“…I still don’t know what we…what this is…why you’re here,” Sonic thought to himself, eyes fluttering shut again.

“I don’t care,” Shadow murmured. “We’re something. I’m here. You’re here. You’re safe here. That’s all that matters.”

Sonic didn’t even bother to panic that he had said it out loud. Maybe he had meant to say it out loud after all. Maybe it was supposed to be said. Sonic relaxed again and closed his eyes gently. 

The silence was comfortable for a few minutes.

Then Shadow took a breath. “…They don’t know you’re here.”

Sonic blinked his eyes open, tilting his head slightly.

“Your friends,” Shadow clarified. “I… didn’t tell them. Not yet.”

Sonic looked down. “Oh.”

“I didn’t want to speak for you,” Shadow said, carefully. “I wanted to wait until you were strong enough to decide what you wanted. Your needs and boundaries deserve a voice. They deserve to be respected. And I didn’t want them coming in here expecting anything from you. You don’t owe them your energy. Not yet. Not like this .”

Sonic’s eyes filled again. He closed them and nodded. “I…Thank you.”

“Do you want me to tell them about…this?” Shadow asked gently. “Or help you tell them?”

Sonic thought for a long time. “I want to be the one to say it. But I don’t want to be the one to explain everything. I want them to understand the rules before they come.”

Shadow nodded. “I can do that. I’ll talk to them first. I’ll tell them that this isn’t about them. That you’re safe, but recovering. And that they don’t get to demand anything from you. That if they want to come, they come to listen. ”

Sonic exhaled shakily. “That…sounds good…That’s what I would say too… and…and… it means a lot.”

Shadow brushed the fur near Sonic’s cheek. “ You mean a lot.”

And even though he didn’t say anything else , the way Sonic looked at him, drowsy, aching, and raw, said he knew how much the other cared anyway.

Shadow leaned closer. “We’ll take it one step at a time. And I’ll be here every step.”

“…Even if I’m awful again?”

Shadow half-frowned. “You’re not awful. And besides, I won’t let you do anything stupid again, faker. I’ve earned at least a few hours of peace first.”

Sonic laughed: soft, tired, but real. He smiled weakly at the other. 

Shadow smiled back.

_________________________________________

The communicator was in Shadow's hand.

Rouge had dropped it off earlier, fixed, patched, and cleaned. She made some tweaks so if the time came to make contact and Sonic…if he… Shadow couldn’t think about it , he wouldn’t have to fumble with wires or logins. Shadow appreciated it more than he let on.

Sonic was now propped up in bed, a little more lucid than before, color creeping back into his muzzle. His fingers were curled lightly around Shadow's gloved hand, the two of them tethered in silence as the air between them hummed with what was about to happen.

"You ready?" Shadow asked softly, holding up the device. Sonic blinked, slow and steady, and gave the smallest nod.

Shadow hovered his thumb over the call icon and paused. "You want to hear what I’m going to say first?"

Another nod .

Shadow cleared his throat. He hated speeches. He didn’t know if he could talk to Sonic’s friends without yelling at them. But he owed Sonic this.

"I'm going to tell them you're alive. That you're recovering, and that I found you almost too late. That you don't want to talk about what happened yet, but that you're safe. That they don’t get to demand answers. They don’t get to guilt you. They don’t get to ask anything of you. Not yet. And if they come, they come to listen . That’s the only condition."

Sonic blinked again. His lip wobbled. He squeezed Shadow’s hand with fragile fingers. “Thank you.”

Shadow exhaled and hit “call.”

It connected through to Tails’s workshop. Onscreen, Tails blinked rapidly as his device lit up.

“Tails,” Shadow greeted, voice tight.

The fox nearly dropped the communicator. “Shadow?! Wait—what—how—? Is that—?”

“It’s Sonic’s, I know,” Shadow said. “He's with me. He's safe. But he’s not ready to see anyone yet.”

In the background, Knuckles and Amy glanced over. Tails waved them over frantically, and soon all three were squished into frame.

“Oh my Chaos,” Amy whispered.

Knuckles squinted. “Is he okay? Wait—he’s with you? ”

Tails swallowed. “Is he…conscious?”

At least Tails asks reasonable questions, Shadow thought to himself. 

Shadow looked over at Sonic. “Yeah. He’s next to me.”

Sonic gave the tiniest wave toward the screen, a small flicker of recognition in his eyes. He knew they couldn’t see him, but the wave was nice. His expression trembled, caught somewhere between overwhelmed and yearning, as the familiar voices filled the room. For just a second, his breath hitched and his jaw tightened like he wanted to say something… anything…but the emotional weight was too big, too heavy. Hearing them again, hearing that they cared, that they missed him, it hurt. Not in a bad way. In the way that made his chest ache with something raw and fragile . Then his hand dropped, limp again. Shadow caught it and held it gently, anchoring him to the moment.

“He’s weak,” Shadow continued. “But stable. I’ll spare you the details, but it was close.”

“Thank goodness,” Amy breathed.

Knuckles rubbed his neck. “We were worried. I mean—we thought he went to cool off, but when his signal dropped—”

Tails cut in. “When did you start looking?”

Still the most reasonable…I can tell Sonic raised him… Shadow thought to himself with a tiny grim laugh before continuing.

“That night,” Shadow said. “In the rain.”

Tails paled. “We were right behind you. But everything went dark so fast: his trackers, his wristband…and the rain washed out all the footprints, even your chaos signatures. We tried, Shadow. I swear. But we couldn’t find anything.”

Something snapped instantaneously.

Shadow's voice dropped several octaves. “You tried? You tried ? You all talked about him like he was a burden. I heard you joke about his ‘big stupid mouth.’ I saw the village smile when he disappeared. I found him half-dead in a ditch, and all you did was try?”

Silence.

Sonic flinched …his breath caught, eyes darting, body giving the tiniest jolt like he'd been hit with static. It was instinct, a flicker of panic behind his ribs, the kind that lived in muscle memory. He didn’t even know why it happened. The sound of Shadow’s voice, too sharp. The weight of the words. Something just… made him tense.

Shadow didn’t notice.

But Sonic’s thoughts were already spinning.

He’s mad. Not at me, but still. He’s mad, he’s mad, he’s mad…and it’s loud, and I can’t… No. No. Stop. He fought the spiral. Forced himself to breathe through the tension in his back. He couldn’t afford to lose control now.

So instead, he reached for what he could. For whom he could.

He squeezed Shadow’s hand.

It was a silent plea: Please don’t yell. Please stay here. Please don’t let this be about rage. But it was also his anchor, his own grounding point. Something real and steady to hang on to.

Shadow glanced down instinctively. Their eyes locked for a second, only a second, but it was enough. Sonic’s expression was raw, vulnerable, open in a way Shadow had never seen before. A quiet storm of apology, weariness, fear. The kind of expression that didn’t ask for pity—just understanding.

And Shadow understood all at once.

He could read Sonic’s thoughts like a story written in bruises and silence. And it shook him. Shadow’s own guilt clawed at his throat. He hadn’t meant to scare him. Hadn’t meant to come off like that.

But this wasn’t about him.

He inhaled deeply, grounding himself too. Then he truly felt it, the warmth of Sonic’s fingers wrapped around his own. Small. Shaky. But present. Alive.

Shadow stopped.

Shadow breathed once. Twice. Looked at Sonic. Looked at the quiet plea in his eyes. Looked at the fact that Sonic, hurt and curled beneath blankets, was still trying to protect his friends.

He let the anger fall. He sighed.

“…He doesn’t want you to feel guilty,” Shadow said, tone softer. “But you should feel responsible. Not because he’s your leader or your fixer or your entertainment, but because he’s your friend. And he needed you.”

Tails was crying, shaking and holding Knuckles, who looked like someone had punched him in the gut. Amy was speechless.

“I…I want to see him,” Tails whispered.

Shadow met Sonic’s eyes. Sonic nodded faintly.

“Absolutely,” Shadow promised. “We’ll plan it together- you tell us when. Send nothing but love, snacks, and open ears. No pressure on Sonic. No expectations.”

They all nodded. The call ended.

Shadow let out a long breath and looked at the hedgehog beside him. “You… you amaze me.”

Sonic’s eyes were damp. “Yeah?”

Shadow tried to form words. How could he articulate this? “I don’t know how you’re not furious.”

Sonic understood, seemingly even the unspoken thoughts Shadow didn’t get out of that sentence. He responded calmer than he probably should have and looked up at Shadow. “I am. But not at them. Not anymore.”

“Why not?”

Sonic hesitated. “Because I know what it’s like to be clueless until someone tells you. And now they know. And they care. I just… I want to move forward. I don’t want to burn everything down.” But even as he said it, a familiar ache tugged at his chest. He still felt the weight of the hurt he’d caused, the things he couldn’t take back. Some part of him still wondered if they really were better off without him, if his absence had been a blessing in disguise. He knew they were trying, and he wanted to try too, but the guilt hadn’t left him. Not really. He still owed them apologies. He still wanted to make it right.

Shadow sat on the bed beside him. “I just…I don’t understand how you’re so gentle after everything.”

Sonic leaned into his shoulder. “I don’t want to be angry. I just want to feel loved.”

Shadow felt something twist in his chest. “I don’t need you to solve my anger. But… Thank you. For showing me what gentleness can look like.”

They sat like that, hands entwined.

A soft ping came through the communicator.

Tails: We’re coming by tomorrow. Just us. No villagers. We’ll bring snacks. And our ears. That’s all.

Shadow read it to him aloud. Sonic exhaled.

Shadow glanced at him, then cleared his throat gently. “They’ll be here tomorrow,” he said. “Just the three of them. Tails messaged. Said they’ll bring snacks and listening ears.”

Sonic’s brows lifted. He swallowed. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Just us.”

There was a pause. Then—“I’m nervous.”

Shadow shifted closer on the bed and gently wrapped an arm around Sonic’s back. “I’ll be here the whole time. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. You can leave, sleep, yell, or say nothing.”

Sonic leaned into him. “...Thanks.” 

Then after a moment, with a spark of familiar mischief in his eyes, he added, “Got snacks?”

Shadow’s ears perked. “Say less.”

He disappeared for two minutes and returned with a plate piled high with fruit slices, small savory pastries, a smoothie, and a few cookies.

Sonic’s face lit up weakly, and he took the smoothie with a tired smile. “You’re having some too,” he insisted, nudging it toward Shadow after a sip.

They shared it back and forth, silent but warm. After a bit of eating and a little laughter over something Shadow muttered about fruit-to-pastry ratios, Sonic patted the bed beside him.

“Stay… please…hugs,” he said simply.

Shadow obeyed with a nod. 

They curled together beneath the soft blanket, Sonic slowly, gingerly lifting his hand to run his fingers along Shadow’s head, smoothing out the stiffest tufts of fur. Shadow leaned into the touch instinctively, his whole body relaxing under the quiet intimacy. They both breathed slower, deeper, as the tension of the day began to melt. The warmth between them was more than physical, it was a tether to something stable, something safe . 

Sonic’s palm lingered against Shadow’s temple, and for a moment, neither of them moved, just basking in the mutual comfort. There, in the quiet tangle of limbs and layered blankets, they each allowed themselves to believe in safety again, not just in the room, but in each other.

Shadow blinked once, then closed his eyes. A low purr rumbled in his chest. Sonic heard it and mentally decided he needed to hear that again when he was a little more awake.

Shadow was asleep in seconds. Sonic followed shortly. For the first time in days, it felt like the beginning of something healing.

Chapter Text

The next day arrived too quickly.

Shadow stirred before the sun had fully risen, his eyes heavy but his body finally rested for the first time in days. He turned slightly and felt Sonic’s grip still locked around him. The blue hedgehog was pressed close, forehead resting against Shadow’s chest, breathing deep but erratic, his fingers curled into the front of Shadow and the fluff on his chest like he’d never let go.

 Shadow froze, heart pinching in his chest. It’s that emotional origami again. Doesn’t my heart know I don’t have time for this? Yet Sonic was still clinging to him even in sleep, especially in his nightmares as hands gripped tighter and pained sounds escaped Sonic’s lips.

Tenderly, Shadow ran a hand along Sonic’s spine, murmuring reassurances until the other’s breathing calmed slightly. Once Sonic had settled, Shadow rose slowly. He unwrapped the other’s arms and gently put a pillow where he had once been. Shadow quietly sat up and pushed the blankets off with a frustrated shiver.  

Minutes later, he returned with a fresh smoothie. “Breakfast,” he whispered. “It’s pineapple citrus- your favorite.”

Sonic cracked open an eye at the mention of a pineapple smoothie but got distracted by Shadow’s appearance, rasping a soft laugh. “You’ve got bed quills ,” he teased hoarsely. “You look like even more of an edgelord...”

Shadow rolled his eyes, but the faint relief in his expression betrayed his affection. That tiny spark of humor, the glimmer of Sonic’s personality that flashed emerald in his eyes. 

Shadow treasured it more than he’d admit. Sonic’s resilience astonished him. After everything, he could still smile. Shadow himself only turned to violence, rage, and turning himself into an emotional open wound. 

Yet against all odds, they both felt safer…together.

After breakfast, Shadow made sure Sonic was freshly bandaged, comfortable, on a heating pad, and surrounded by pillows before stepping out into the front hallway to meet their visitors. Sonic, weak but determined, wanted to be present. Physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Or just any one of those things for now. 

More than anything, the blue hedgehog wanted to see his friends. Shadow had his doubts and concerns, but he honored Sonic’s choice. Both of them shared the unspoken thought that Sonic was still concerned that he would let them down, mess things up, or need to apologize first and foremost. Shadow wanted-no- needed this to go well. Not just for him, but for Sonic. 

The others arrived just before noon.

Tails walked in first, his hands tucked into the sleeves of a big, warm hoodie, shoulders tight with tension. He looked exhausted and his face held tear tracks like they had eroded themselves into his cheeks. 

Amy followed close behind, cradling a paper bag of baked goods that she and Tails put together. 

Knuckles trailed in last, arms full of not just any blankets- Sonic’s favorite blankets from his home- and a whole bag of miscellaneous snacks. He had a bag of grapes, but that was labeled “Knuckles Food.”

“Sonic?” Tails called quietly as he took a step into the bedroom. Tails’ eyes went wide at the amount of medical equipment juxtaposed with the pillows and blankets and…he wasn’t going to ask about Shadow’s jackets. If this was what kept Sonic supported, it worked for Tails. Shadow had already impressed into the fox that he was too late, and probably a bad brother for it. 

Shadow helped Sonic sit up just enough to be seen from around the doorway, since Tails was the only one in the room. The blue hedgehog waved weakly, breathing shallowly as he sat up straighter. Shadow knew he was giving 110% effort just to appear this lucid, and it wasn’t very. “Hey,” he rasped.

Knuckles immediately took Tails by the hand and walked in with him. They moved to Sonic’s side, gently placing the bag down. Shadow brought in a couple of chairs- nothing fancy just things from around the house. 

Knuckles looked at his friend resting in bed. “Got snacks,” he said quietly. “And uh... if you want… hand-holding. Or back massage. No pressure.”

Sonic smiled faintly. “That sounds nice…my back probably needs it… thank you, Knux.”

Shadow watched from the doorway, hesitant. He stepped out to give Sonic the space with his friends. Knuckles helped Sonic to roll over and gently worked with his strong, steady arms on the other’s sore hips, shoulders, and back. He didn’t press too hard, but enough to send communication to the other of I’m here. I got you. Let yourself be held. Sonic exhaled softly and made a relaxed, pleasant sound.  

Shadow felt his shoulders sag in relief.

Seeing Sonic and Knuckles interact…the way Sonic leaned into the touch, the faint glow of trust in his expression, made something loosen in Shadow's chest. He stepped inside quietly, just as Knuckles gave Sonic a soft pat on the shoulder, rolled him over cautiously, and began joking about the time he got stuck in a tree chasing what he thought was a “sky burger.”

“You missed it, bro. I was majestic. Like a big red bird!”

Tails added,  “A confused bird.”

Sonic chuckled hoarsely, the sound thin but genuine. Tails, still nearby, was tense, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as they all joked with each other.

Shadow entered and settled beside Sonic again, between Sonic and Tails, catching Tails’s eye. "Thanks," Shadow said quietly. "For being rational. And for being a good brother. I know what it’s like to watch your older sibling go through something horrible and blame yourself while also hoping they could protect you." 

Tails blinked, surprised. “Oh. Um. I… I thought you saw me as a terrible brother.” Tails hadn’t even given thought to Maria or how Shadow would have felt as Maria’s sibling.

“Of course not. You’re just a kid. And you have a good head on your shoulders.”

Tails was shocked again but thanked Shadow quietly. He spontaneously remembered that he’d brought something for Shadow too and added, “Oh, about the pastries- I brought savory ones for Sonic. He likes those better. And uh… I got sweet ones for you. As a… thank you.”

Shadow gave a noncommittal grunt, but his hand was already reaching into the bag. He didn’t want to know how Tails knew he loved sweets. As if Sonic was reading his mind, Sonic added, “I saw you buy out like… half a bakery once dude.” Tails and Knuckles laughed at the memory. It was a long time ago. Sonic continued, “I remembered it in case I ever got good enough at baking to bring you something…” 

Shadow was again shocked at Sonic’s capacity for generosity and intentionality. He would think deeper about it, but the pastries were too good to resist. The others kept talking as Shadow went through the bag from Tails. Four pastries in, he pretended he hadn't heard the amused snort from Sonic’s direction.

Everything seemed to settle into silence as the friends enjoyed each other’s presence.

Amy stepped forward, eyes already misting. She had been quiet the whole time, glued to the wall near the door. Shadow knew it wasn’t going to be easy for all of them and wanted to respect Amy wanting to process differently. She finally opened her mouth and stepped forward to see Sonic closer, “You’re so pale. And small. And—and—” She stopped, breath catching. She wiped a tear from her eye.

Tails stood silent, his whole body quivering. Amy’s words had immediately changed the mood and startled him. His heart became a lead weight in his chest, and his breaths came in tiny, silent hitches he didn’t realize he was holding. He wanted to move…do something, say something, but his feet wouldn’t budge. Sonic, the brother who raised him, protected him, taught him to fly, was barely recognizable in that bed. Amy was right. And he hadn’t even noticed until she said so. The dull pallor of his fur, the IV, the beeping monitors…it all felt like a cruel dream. A nightmare.

In his mind, Tails was transported back to the workshop on that rainy night, desperately refreshing signal trackers that wouldn’t respond. He was running into the storm frantically, voice hoarse from calling Sonic’s name. He was curled up under his workbench, clutching Sonic’s extra gloves and whispering “Please be okay” to the shadows. He stayed out looking the longest and went out first. And he still felt like he failed.

He should’ve noticed sooner. He should’ve forced Sonic to stop. Should’ve made him talk. Should’ve been there.

But he was just a kid. And Sonic was his hero.

Now that hero looked like he was fading right in front of him, and the guilt of not being able to stop it wrapped around Tails like a vice. He blinked rapidly, forcing himself not to cry. Not yet. Sonic needed peace. Not more pain. Not more panic.

Still, the ache in his chest whispered: Please don’t die. Please don’t leave me.

Tails shifted slightly, torn between speaking and staying silent. He reached for Sonic's hand, but stopped short, unsure if touching him would help or make things worse. The silence stretched, heavy and trembling, like a string pulled taut. The monitors beeped in soft rhythm, each one reinforcing just how fragile everything had become.

As a gesture of comfort, Shadow surprisingly took one of Tails’ hands in his own and squeezed. Just to ground him. To say “It wasn’t too late. He’s here. He’s with us. We’ve got him.”

Amy looked from Tails to Sonic, her fists clenching by her sides. Her breathing started to hitch, lips trembling, eyes glassy. There was something bubbling beneath the surface…rage, heartbreak, guilt…and it surged up before she could stop it.

And then Amy broke.

“You scared us!” she said sharply. “You scared Tails. He blamed himself for days. Why would you…why didn’t you say something?! Why would you just leave like that?!”

Sonic flinched. His lip trembled. “I…I…I…I didn’t mean to scare anyone…I just…I…I didn’t know how to…” He took a frantic gasp as he tried to regain control. 

“You didn’t know ?!” Amy cried, stepping forward. “You nearly died ! You disappeared for days , and all we had were broken trackers and an empty village and Tails crying in the workshop…”

Shadow was already on his feet, face like stone. “Enough.”

Sonic’s breath hitched. He was shaking now. His eyes darted to Amy, then to Tails, then back to Shadow. Then, his vision had spots and colors and began to fade. His pulse monitor began beeping frantically.

“Sonic?” Shadow’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Hey. Hey. You’re okay. I’m right here.”

Amy froze, seeing the monitors. She screamed. Tails jolted.

“His vitals…”

“ Get out, ” Shadow snarled.

Amy blinked. “W-What?”

“Living room. Now.”

“But—”

“NOW.”

Knuckles gently grabbed Amy’s elbow and guided her back. Tails hesitated, but followed.

Before Shadow returned to Sonic’s side, he turned to Tails and spoke low but firm: “As soon as he’s stable again, you’ll be the first one I bring in to say hi. He’d want that.”

Tails looked up, eyes wet but hopeful. Shadow continued, “If Amy or Knuckles are too much right now, you're welcome to sit in the other room. Or if you want, my tech is downstairs. You can check it out. I know it helps to keep your hands busy.”

The fox gave a shaky nod. “Thanks… I might… just for a little bit.” He slipped away into the hallway for a moment of calm, breathing deep, trying to slow the racing in his chest. It struck him hard, even in that moment: it hit like an arrow through the heart just how much Shadow was trying. Trying to honor Sonic’s boundaries. Trying to protect him. Trying to understand him.

Then, steadier, Tails returned to the others. His brother was in good hands. His brother was going to be okay. He was still there, especially when he was laughing and smiling earlier. 

Shadow knelt beside Sonic, his own heart hammering. Sonic had slumped sideways, unconscious but breathing.

“Stay with me. Come on, sunshine. Come back. I’m here. I’ve got you.” Shadow pressed a hand to Sonic’s chest, willing the other’s heartbeat to keep going through gritted teeth. He didn’t even notice what he had called the other. “Come on. Please, Sonic. Don’t do this. Not now. ” 

Back in the living room, Amy collapsed onto the couch, burying her face in her hands and sobbing. Tails sat stiffly on the floor, knees drawn to his chest. His tails hid his face and provided some comfort when he felt an absence of it around him.

Knuckles took a deep breath and handed them each a water.

After a long moment, Tails spoke. “We have to stop putting pressure on him.”

Amy looked up. “But I’m mad. I missed him. I didn’t know what to do. He almost left us. He almost died . He… he…. How could he do this to us? To me? To himself?”

“That’s fair,” Tails said slowly and clearly. “You’re allowed to feel. But… he’s not here to take care of us. Not anymore. Not right now, especially. He’s the one who needed help. He still does.”

Amy blinked, stunned by the clarity from someone so young.

“Shadow was right,” Tails added. “If we want Sonic back in our lives, we have to earn it. Gently. With listening. No expectations.”

“And a lot of snacks,” Knuckles laughed, bringing a small, grim smile to Tails again. Knuckles exhaled. “He looked like he’d been through hell. Still does.”

“I don’t want…to… to lose him again,” Amy whispered.

“Then we follow his lead , respect his boundaries , and honor his needs, ” Tails said.

Back in the bedroom, Shadow cradled Sonic’s limp hand.

“I’m not letting you go,” he whispered.

The monitors steadied as Shadow added some glucose to the IV drip and more fluids. Sonic’s lashes fluttered. He wasn’t fully conscious, but he was alive .

And for Shadow… that was enough. For now.

Later that evening, when Sonic was stable again, Shadow peeked into the living room where the others had settled in a tense, uneasy silence. He found Tails quietly tinkering with a broken device on the edge of the couch. Shadow stepped closer and crouched beside him.

"Hey. Just you. Come with me."

Tails blinked. "Me?"

Shadow nodded. "He wants to see you. "

The fox set down the tools in his lap with trembling hands and followed Shadow to the bedroom. Shadow opened the door slowly and let Tails slip in first before settling just outside the room, keeping his ears trained for any signs of distress.

Inside, Sonic’s eyes cracked open. Tails approached cautiously.

“Hey,” the fox whispered. Blue eyes were sparking with tears again already and Sonic reached up weakly to wipe them away before they even fell.

Then Sonic smiled weakly. “Hey, little bro. I love you…”

Tails looked like he might really burst into tears this time, but instead he climbed gently onto the bed at Sonic’s silent nod and open-armed gesture. Tails curled into the other’s arms just like he used to when he was younger. Sonic wrapped around him, resting his chin lightly atop Tails’s head. “Mmmmm… I missed you,” Sonic mumbled.

Tails let out a tiny, choked laugh. “You smell like smoothies and lavender and old blankets.”

Sonic gave a soft wheeze of a chuckle. “Better than ash, oily robot parts, and whatever cologne Amy thinks I should use, right?”

Outside the door, Shadow leaned against the frame with the smallest smile. When he glanced in a few minutes later, his breath caught.

Tails was fast asleep in Sonic’s arms, curled close like something precious. Sonic was awake, eyes glassy and tired and beautiful , but smiling down at his brother with such care it shattered something in Shadow’s chest.

He didn’t dare speak.

Didn’t dare move. 

His own chest felt tight, like the wind had been knocked out of him. Something in his stomach swooped and fluttered in a way that alarmed him, heat blooming across his cheeks, his pulse thudding louder in his ears than the quiet of the house should’ve allowed. The sight before him, Sonic, bruised and weary, cradling someone who still believed in him… It was enough to paralyze Shadow with awe and heartbreak. 

His breath caught in his throat, unsure if he wanted to reach out or simply memorize the scene forever. His body ached with the weight of emotion he didn’t have words for. It burned and ached and steadied all at once. And it scared him, just slightly, that Sonic was the one capable of making it all burn steadier.

But he knew in that moment that there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

Chapter Text

The living room had fallen into an uneasy stillness. Amy sat curled up in a blanket on one end of the couch, legs drawn to her chest, while Knuckles perched on the armrest beside her with a protein bar half-unwrapped in one hand.

“Bro,” Knuckles said finally, breaking the silence, “what was that? You just… exploded.”

Amy groaned and covered her face. “I know. I know. I didn’t mean to. I just...I feel things so deeply sometimes, you know? It came out before I could stop it.”

“You scared the crap outta all of us,” Knuckles muttered. But his voice was soft.

“I scared myself,” Amy said quietly. “I felt so helpless. Seeing Sonic like that. And the guilt, the grief, the fear, it all hit at once. And I didn’t mean to put it on him.” Her voice trembled. “I feel emotions really intensely... I feel overwhelmed and I can go from zero to one hundred in seconds without even noticing. And I just... I... I love him and I care about him and something in me broke when I saw that."

Knuckles nodded, understanding and trying to provide grounding presence to Amy.

She continued, "And it’s not just that, but I've been there before... I know what it feels like.”

Knuckles' eyes went wide. 

She looked up, eyes shining. “It’s just...sometimes, being the only girl on the team… it’s like, I have to fight to be seen as strong and sensitive. I’ve been dismissed before. Ignored. Laughed at. I've had villagers ask me questions NONE of you get asked. I've been treated rudely and ignored and thought the team and the village would be better without me... more than once. And I’ve seen Sonic be treated the same way: misunderstood, overworked, left to clean up after everything while people turn on him the second he stumbles. I know I was one of those people and I got stuck in my own stress about the festival, desire for independence, and stubbornness that rivals Sonic's own. But I...I just know that especially coming from how the villagers were treating him...I know what that feels like. And I feel bad I didn't know sooner. But I also feel angry at the village more than anything else right now. And I feel stronger anger than I think I realized.”

Knuckles didn’t answer right away. He just nodded slowly, eyes downcast. “You and Sonic... both get misread a lot. I think… I think we’re all just trying to hold the same broken glass and getting cut.”

Amy sniffled. “That was oddly poetic of you...."

"Just because I can't read doesn't mean I'm not poetic!" Knuckles smiled small and genuine at Amy.

She smiled back before letting the smile fall with a sigh. "I really hope he forgives me.”

“He will,” Knuckles said. “He’s Sonic. He has so much love in his heart...And you heard him... he tried to apologize to us before we even could say sorry to him. ”

They stayed like that a while longer: quiet, calm, and closer to being on the same page. Shadow's wall clock ticked softly in the background. The scent of strawberry tea drifted in from the kitchen where Shadow had left a pot on warm for them.

Then, an alert blared.

Amy sat up straight. Knuckles fumbled for his communicator. The screen flashed red: Emergency – Eggman attacking village perimeter. Multiple distress calls received.

“Seriously? Now? ” Knuckles groaned.

"Do we tell Shadow right away?" Amy asked, hesitation flickering in her voice. "Or just mute the alert and let the village suffer a bit?"

Knuckles frowned. "He probably already knows. That guy's got eyes on everything. Plus, I'm not gonna be the one to tell him to ignore Eggman if he’s already seen it."

Amy nodded reluctantly. "Yeah... you're right. But part of me still wants to let them sit in the mess they made."

"Same," Knuckles admitted, standing. "But let's go find him anyway."

“Yeah... let’s go find him, ” Amy said, getting to her feet.

They marched down the hallway and found Shadow in the entryway, his eyes locked on Sonic’s communicator. “Saw the alert,” he said without looking up.

Tails stirred from the bedroom at the noise. He gently slipped from Sonic’s arms. He was going to miss Sonic's warmth, hugs, and softness, but the time they had together for the last couple of hours did help Tails to recharge his mental battery.

Sonic had drifted back into sleep, and Tails joined the others after giving one more hug to his big brother. The fox's hair was messy and his eyes foggy, but his face grew sharp the second he saw the emergency.

“What’s the plan?”

Shadow’s voice was cold. “ Let the village burn .”

“ Shadow— ” Tails tried.

“They turned on him. Spat on him. Celebrated when he disappeared. Let them feel what life is without him .”

Amy crossed her arms, conflicted. “He’s right. They don’t deserve him.”

Tails hesitated. “Look, I get it. I really do. But Eggman’s attacking. We could end it fast. Save some homes. I don’t care about the mayor or the board or the jerks with pitchforks, but there are innocent families, kids, people who don’t even know what Sonic’s been through.”

“I agree with the fox,” Knuckles added. “But I want Sonic happy. Not more wrecked.”

Tails’ eyes narrowed slightly. “Then let’s ask him.”

Shadow frowned. “He’s exhausted.”

“But he loves stopping Eggman,” Tails countered. “It might even help. And Eggman himself even accidentally affirms Sonic. Remember when there were rumors about Sonic's gender and Eggman shut them all up by publicly saying Sonic identified as a 'thorn in his side,' which made Sonic's jaw drop and made him smile wide? We all know Eggman just wants to terrorize the village and build a theme park, not actually break Sonic...”

There was a long pause. Shadow laughed under his breath because of course Eggman would do that . Amy and Knuckles laughed at the memory.

"Tails, you're right," Knuckles conceded. "But if he tries to change his pronouns to 'your swiftness' and 'your awesomeness' again, I'm gonna protest."

Amy laughed. Even Shadow laughed before instantly pretending not to. Amy looked at the dark hedgehog and then back to Sonic through the doorway. 

Then Shadow nodded. “Alright. But I’m waking him gently.”

Back in the bedroom, Shadow sat beside Sonic, brushing a knuckle against his shoulder. “Hey. Sunshine.”

Sonic stirred slowly. “Mm…huh…?”

"That's it, Sonic, come back to me, I'm here..." Shadow tried again. Outside the door, Sonic's friends' jaws hit the floor at the tenderness and intimacy Shadow showed to the other. Knuckles and Tails made mock kissing faces to each other and Amy had to cover her mouth to stifle a cackle.

Back in the bedroom, Sonic reached out for Shadow weakly. His eyes were opening slowly, but his arms found the other's shoulders first. Before Shadow could think, he was pulled into a hug as Sonic muttered something that sounded like "missed you... so... soft." 

Sonic’s body slumped slightly from the exertion of trying to sit upright, and Shadow immediately slipped an arm around his back, steadying him without a word. Sonic leaned into the warmth instinctively, his head coming to rest against Shadow’s shoulder. The closeness was electric , but not the kind that hurt. It was soft. Anchoring. Shared.

“You good?” Shadow murmured.

Sonic nodded faintly, then blinked up at him, eyes a little unfocused, pupils wide and glassy. “You’re… really pretty, you know that?”

Shadow froze. Sonic smiled. Even worse, Shadow thought to himself, he knows what he's doing to me .

The dark hedgehog's stomach flipped, and his chest tightened like a shock wave of energy had just rolled through his ribs. His ears twitched sharply, then stood straight up. “I-I’m sorry, what? ”

Sonic closed his eyes, resting a little more against him. “I said you’re pretty...and soft,” he repeated, barely above a whisper. “Inside, too. Don’t argue....'s true, faker.”

Shadow blinked rapidly, jaw slightly slack. His pulse thundered in his ears. There were rockets that had launched with less force than his heartbeat right now. If Tails were to scan him, he was sure that Tails could confirm this. Heat bloomed behind his cheeks and up into his ears like wildfire, and he was thankful Sonic wasn’t looking at him in that exact moment.

He wanted to protest. Say something sarcastic. Deflect . But when he looked down and saw Sonic’s fingers fumble to cling tighter to his arm, desperate not to be pushed away, he stopped.

Instead, Shadow adjusted them both on the bed with quiet gentleness and let Sonic curl against his chest again. He smoothed back Sonic’s quills with one hand, and the other rested protectively over Sonic’s waist.

Shadow finally got the other sitting up, with some exertion and positioning issues that took less than a minute to solve.

Sonic’s breathing evened out after a while, his body clearly comforted by the embrace of the other next to him. And though his thoughts and emotions still swirled like leaves in a windstorm, his body was safe. Held. Loved? Loved.

Shadow stayed still and tried not to tremble with how much he felt.

He’d never been needed like this before. Never been trusted like this. And now that he was, he didn’t know how to hold it all in his chest without bursting.

But what stunned him even more? How safe he felt, too.Shadow thought he might explode. He could stay here all day. Unless he combusted. 

"Shadow...?"

"Yes, Sunshine?"

"Why...why did you wake me up?" Sonic finally got words out and looked up at the other with a smile. 

Right! Eggman! Sonic's friends were probably rolling their eyes at them from the hallway. 

“So...we’ve got a situation. Eggman’s tearing up the village again.”

Sonic blinked, still groggy. “Then what are we doing here?”

Shadow gave a slow smile and shook his head. “That’s what Tails said you'd say. But I... the team… we all agree. You’re more important.”

Shadow swore he could hear Tails snickering in the hallway and say "I called it! You sooo owe me" to one of the other two. Another reminder that Tails was raised by Sonic. 

"Tails, feel free to come in..we're all set now," Shadow called from the bedroom. Sonic's nonverbal demands for physical and emotional support currently made it impossible for Shadow to leave.

Tails stepped inside with the communicator. “We can handle it if you want to rest. But if you want to help, if it’ll make you feel more like you. ..we’re in.”

Sonic looked between them. “You’re serious?”

Amy nodded. “We want you , not the idea of you. And we’d rather fight with you by our side if you’re up for it… but if not, we’ll handle it. No guilt.”

Knuckles added, “And we’re bringing you more snacks either way.”

Sonic smiled weakly, heart full. “Alright then… Let’s show Eggman what happens when you mess with a team that actually talks to each other. I wanna help you make a plan and then you guys can go kick his stupid egg butt for me. I think Shadow would actually murder me if I didn't immediately die trying to stand up and fight right now."

"You got it, buddy," Amy said, "And for the record, Sonic, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for startling you earlier."

"Don't worry about it, Ames. I know you can feel really intensely, and I know you've come to me when you've felt the same way. I totally get why you'd feel like that..."

"I told you he'd say that," Knuckles whispered as Shadow facepalmed at Sonic once again, not even acknowledging his own hurt. 

Sonic noticed something in this moment. He felt like himself. Not because of the fight, but because of the family beside him. It meant the world to have them all here, even when he was physically unable to fight.

They were letting the villagers get a real taste of what it was like without them and putting Sonic first. And that meant more to Sonic than he could express. 

"Okay, so let's look at this attack," Tails said, bringing everyone back.

He pulled up a holo-map from his tablet and flicked a series of displays into the air. Red markers dotted the outskirts of the village, spreading inward like a rash. Tails had scanners and drones for just this purpose, which he activated remotely to make a game plan without leaving Shadow's home. “Eggman’s deployed over fifty bots in a tight grid, all patrolling with synchronized routines. But that’s not the weird part.”

Tails zoomed out. “He’s started construction on a massive structure in the northern field. It’s…a theme park.”

“A theme park? ” Knuckles blinked. “Like with rides? I mean....he did say he's always wanted to make one, but I thought it was a joke.”

“Yup. He’s calling it Eggtopolis. And he’s rerouted power from the village generators to fuel some sort of...get this...giant animatronic parade version of himself.”

“Of course he is,” Amy muttered. "I think that image has already scarred me and yet you're the only one seeing it."

“It’s both a distraction and a weapon,” Tails continued. “The animatronic’s loaded with fireworks and smoke canisters. If we try to attack it head-on, we’ll cause a mess that could damage what’s left of that section of the village.”

“Let me guess,” Shadow growled, crossing his arms. “He’s playing pied piper. Draws attention, puts on a show, wrecks everything while people are too stunned to react.”

“Exactly.”

Sonic, still tucked against Shadow’s side in bed, nodded slowly. “So we give him a show of our own.”

Shadow looked down at him, carefully staying quiet, watching Sonic’s eyes sharpen with every second.

“We’ll split up,” Sonic said. “Amy and Knuckles handle crowd control. Keep people safe, direct them away from danger."

"I NEED to smash something, Sonic. I WILL smash something," Amy growled, deciding this was a perfect opportunity to get out her overflowing anger and emotional rage. 

"Oh, don't worry, once Tails does his part, you'll get to smash everything you want. Especially that horrifying animatronic," Sonic smiled with what was the closest thing to a cocky grin any of them had seen in weeks. "Tails- disable the power routes, rewire the grid, shut all the tech down. You can even do it from your plane if you wanna take the battle to the air instead of on village property. Shadow…”

“Yes?”

“You and I are going to Eggtopolis.”

Shadow blinked. “ You’re not even standing yet .”

“I’ll ride on your back. Or you can carry me like a princess.”

There was a beat of stunned silence before Sonic burst into laughter. “Kidding. Mostly. Heh...I think it would take the length of the battle to figure out how to get myself standing up and take your stupid needles out. I’ll stay here and coordinate if you’ll go in my place. But I want a full report and I expect style.”

“Style,” Shadow repeated flatly.

Amy grinned. “We’ll all bring the style.”

Knuckles added, "Is my figure not style enough?" 

The gang laughed as Shadow rolled his eyes at his new task of having to join this ridiculous group. But it was worth it. Anything was worth it for Sonic.

As they gathered around, discussing the finer points of their routes and distractions, the bed became the team's command center. Tails draped a map across Sonic’s legs that Shadow had printed out for them, Amy perched on the footboard, Knuckles stood behind her with one foot on a stool.

Shadow shifted to sit up straighter, still letting Sonic rest against him. He felt Sonic’s hand slip into his again, and this time, he squeezed gently. He didn’t speak for Sonic once, not even when he had the answers first. He let him talk. Plan. Lead.

That act of restraint, of trust...it felt like flying. He was so proud of and happy for Sonic. It wasn't perfect. Recovery would take a long time. But this moment proved it was more than possible. And Shadow wanted to be there for every step.

Sonic's body was still sore, but his voice had returned with cautious fire, and Shadow watched with quiet awe. He didn’t know how Sonic had even survived this long, let alone held onto humor, forgiveness, and hope. But he did. And now he was leading them again, this time from bed, this time with all of them closer than they’d ever been.

Once the plan was in place and the team left the room to prep their gear, Shadow and Sonic stayed behind a moment longer.

“I’m proud of you,” Shadow said simply.

Sonic blinked at him, touched and unsure. “Why?”

“For not letting this place...this world... this stupid village you insist on saving...take your fire.”

Sonic rested his head on Shadow’s shoulder again, letting the peace of the moment settle around them. “They came back for me. And you… you didn’t leave.”

“I won’t.”

Sonic smiled, faint but real. “Thank you.”

Then he reached up with bare, shaking fingers and smoothed out a few of Shadow’s bed-ruffled quills. Shadow startled slightly at the contact.

“I had to repay the favor,” Sonic whispered.

Shadow purred before he could stop himself.

“Cute,” Sonic said before he caught the words that came out, already drifting back into sleep. “Told you you were soft.”

But just as he began to rest his eyes, Sonic shifted with a faint whimper and curled tighter against him, breath hitching as if still lost in a dream. Shadow's arms tightened instinctively, protectively.

Shadow sighed through his nose and carefully slid out of bed to join the others without waking Sonic. After a quiet moment, he typed a message to Rouge and hit call. She picked up immediately.

“I need you to come sit with Sonic,” Shadow said. “I’m going out with Sonic's team to stop Eggman from...being ridiculous and destroying stuff in the process.”

Rouge didn’t ask questions. “On my way.”

By the time she arrived, Shadow had returned to Sonic’s bedside one last time, brushing a hand over his sleeping brow. “You’re safe,” he murmured. “I’ll be back soon.”

"You all better be ready for delicious food when you come back, and if I'm feeling generous, I'll make you something with enough sugar to kill everyone but you," the bat said with a wink.

Shadow rolled his eyes and thanked Rouge again.

Then he stepped out to join the team, jaw tight, Chaos energy humming under his skin.

Chapter Text

The wind whipped above the village, dust and leaves scattering under heavy boots and the clunk of metallic feet. Eggman’s robots were everywhere, marching and parading through the ruined plaza. And at the edge of the chaos, Team Sonic stood ready- minus Sonic.

Shadow rolled his shoulders once, standing at the front.

He hadn’t imagined this, not really. Standing in Sonic’s place, his boots planted in the dirt where Sonic would usually vibrate with anticipation. There was a time Shadow would have scoffed at the idea. A time when all he saw in Sonic was arrogance and speed. But now, after the silence, the blood, the heartbreak, the note… that horrifying, gut-wrenching note...after holding that broken body in his arms, he knew better.

Shadow wasn’t just stepping in as a one-time substitute or Sonic replacement. He was standing here because something had shifted. Because Sonic had trusted him. Sonic didn't demand to be carried or show up. Sonic accepted rest and trusted Shadow with something beyond smashing robots, which terrified Shadow more than the battle ahead.

He adjusted his communicator to the frequency synced with Sonic’s call-in line. “We’re approaching the center. Tails, are the visuals active?”

Back at the apartment, Sonic lay propped up in bed, his arms pinned by the same IV lines and gauze, Shadow’s jacket tucked behind his head. It still smelled like lavender and gunpowder and Sonic thought he may never tire of that. In fact, he hoped after he recovered he'd be able to talk Shadow into letting him steal it. If the cost of that was a date, well...Sonic wasn't going to complain.

Tails had left a monitor and holo-pad beside him that showed Sonic the view from some of Tails' drones which had originally been used to view the attack. Sonic tapped another button and grinned at the image of his friends standing in formation.

“I see you, handsome ,” Sonic teased with a weak smile. “Try not to brood so hard you forget we have a plan.”

Shadow snorted and rolled his eyes, glad the visuals were too blurry for Sonic to notice the red creeping up through his cheeks. “You worry about healing. I’ll worry about making sure you have a village to come back to. Because someone wouldn't let it get destroyed.”

The screen went quiet as Sonic’s connection shifted to Tails’ device. The fox, flying his plane overhead, now fed data into the main grid while coordinating with the team on the ground.

That’s when the chaos began.

Robots swarmed like metal hornets, their limbs and claws lashing out at the buildings and the townspeople screaming and darting for cover. Amy, hammer in hand, finally let go. She roared as she tore through the machines, flattening them in threes and fours.

“Ohhhhhh this is cathartic ,” she growled. “Take THAT for calling Sonic a menace!”

Knuckles shouted gleefully, launching himself through one bot and shoulder-checking another. “You’re gonna need more than tinfoil soldiers to stop us!”

But Shadow? Shadow was something else entirely.

He moved like vengeance personified, Chaos spears flying, teleporting mid-air to slam into bots from above. But it wasn’t just the robots that bore his fury. It was the villagers.

“You.” He looked down at a few cowering in a doorway, “Did you get what you wanted? Is this the peace you asked for?”

“W-What?”

“You turned your back on him.” Shadow vanished into another strike but still spoke loudly enough for villagers to hear. “Let me be clear: if it were up to me, I’d let this place rot. But the hero you mocked decided you were worth saving. You don’t deserve him.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Another Chaos blast sent a pack of bots flying.

When the mayor finally emerged, flanked by terrified aides, Shadow stalked forward.

“Wh-Shadow?! Why are you here?? Where is Sonic?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and tried to calm down enough to not punch him... or worse.

Before the dark hedgehog could get more words out, he was cut off. "Where have you been?!” the mayor demanded. “Why did it take you so long to respond? We sent calls, warnings..."

“You sent complaints. Insults. Abandonment.” Shadow’s voice was low and dangerous. “You kicked your protector until he broke. You said you wanted him gone. And when he vanished, you acted like he owed you an explanation.”

The mayor opened his mouth, but Shadow advanced. “He’s not your servant. He’s not your mascot. You don't know what happened to him. You didn’t even look for him. If any of you had taken even a second to actually notice...really notice... what he was going through instead of using him like a weapon or a trophy, maybe we wouldn’t be standing in your mess cleaning it up now. And if it was up to me, none of us would be here defending you at all."

His communicator buzzed. Sonic.

Shadow exhaled through his nose and stepped back. “You’re lucky he doesn’t know what I just said,” he growled and flashed away.

He clicked on the channel. Sonic’s voice came through, weak but bright. “Hey. Just checking in. How’s it going out there?”

Shadow visibly relaxed. “Robots broken. Amy’s emotionally cathartic. Knuckles thinks this is a party. Tails is in the sky playing wizard. We’re about to breach the park perimeter.”

“Nice,” Sonic murmured. “Don’t forget to compliment Eggman on the color scheme for the park or say something snarky about his mustache.”

Shadow smirked. “I won’t.”

"Oh...and Shadow?"

Shadow hummed, waiting for Sonic's response.

"You look pretty with robot grease and ash on your face."
Shadow's jaw would've hit the floor had he not needed to pause for a second to smash a couple more robots. 

Just then, a nosy villager leaned in. “Are you two...like, dating? Or is this some kind of... weird affair or...did Sonic get...”

Amy didn’t miss a beat. “Hey! Save your dumb invasive questions for me next time!”

Shadow raised an eyebrow and sneered, voice dropping. “If I hear one. more. comment. about Sonic that isn’t grateful, you can be the next test subject for Tail's weapons against Eggman.”

With the last bots cleared from the plaza, they advanced on the gates of Eggtopolis.

The ridiculous sign spun in chaotic colors, smoke puffing out in puffs of glitter. Inside stood Eggman, surrounded by more bots and the towering animatronic parade float of himself.

“Hold on, HOLD ON,” Eggman shouted. “Pause pause pause pause. Timeout. Where is that blasted hedgehog?!” [1]

He spotted Shadow. “Shadow? YOU’RE here? This is so confusing. Are you working with him now? Against him? Should I be flattered or terrified? How'd the second most popular character in the canon [2] end up on Team Sonic??”

Tails stepped forward. “Sonic’s not able to fight today.”

Eggman tilted his head. Sonic was always able to fight. Something in the boy’s voice clicked. His glee faded a fraction. “...He okay?”

There was a pause.

Tails nodded. “He will be.”

Eggman looked away. “Hmph. Well. If someone else hurt him, I’ll be very cross. I am the only one allowed to destroy Sonic. It’s contractual! Otherwise I'll be put out of a job! And we all know the legislation in this town is horrible and I'd never receive unemployment. And getting a job in this job market? Don't get me started!”

Tails and Shadow looked at each other. Sonic's voice came through the communicator to them: "Tell Egghead I expect a card and flowers too! And that he's going downnnnnn..."

Shadow relayed the message to Eggman before starting to dismantle the amusement park once again.

He grinned wickedly. “Let’s see if Mr. Broody the Edgelord can keep up. Otherwise, the village becomes Eggtopolis...and after what the villagers just put Sonic through, don't think I'm gonna skimp on the egregious line wait times.”

Back in bed, Sonic laughed out loud. It hurt, but he laughed anyway.

He wasn’t out there. But he was still in it.

Still part of it all.

Still surrounded by the people who chose to fight beside him.

__________________________________________

The fight was over.

Eggman had been sent packing, the ridiculous remnants of "Eggtopolis" smoking and collapsed behind Team Sonic as they made their way back down the jungle path toward Shadow's home. Amy held her hammer over her shoulder with pride. Knuckles was munching on some jerky he'd found near a downed robot. No one questioned it.

Tails, still hovering above them in the Tornado, sent a check-in through the shared comms. "All bots deactivated. Readings are clear," he said. "You guys did it."

"Not just that," Shadow said as they neared his home once more. " He did it. He made the plan. We just played our parts."

They left the village to be taken care of by the villagers. The team wasn't about to do it all right now. They had more important team members to take care of. And Amy and Shadow saw this as some of the punishment the village deserved.

Inside, Sonic lay bundled in blankets, Shadow’s jacket now an accessory to Sonic's comfy setup. Tails' tech still beeped softly beside the bed, monitoring his vitals. The IV was still in, and Sonic's fingers had curled around the tubing while he watched the drone feed. He heard the sound of Shadow's air shoes and Knuckles stomping outside and perked up with what little energy he had left.

The door opened, and before anyone could stop him, Sonic tried to get out of bed.

Shadow's eyes went wide at the sound of sheets moving en masse. Of course Sonic was going to be reckless with excitement. "Wait...wait, Sonic- sunshine, stop…"

He swung his legs over, groaning, legs trembling like reeds in the wind. Shadow entered just in time to see him nearly collapse upon standing up.

"Sonic!"

The word was like a command, a sigh, and a shout all together as Shadow rushed forward.

Shadow immediately caught him, one arm under Sonic's back, the other under his knees. Without hesitation or commentary, Shadow swept him up into a full princess carry, bridal style, in front of the team who had just made it to the bedroom too. [3]

Sonic flushed pink but didn’t fight it. “Sorry, I just...I wanted to see you guys."

Shadow met excited, electric, green eyes and said with quiet, firm weight, "You don't walk until we say you walk."

Knuckles whistled low as Shadow rolled his eyes. Amy teared up a little, seeing Sonic nestled in Shadow's arms like something precious.

Shadow didn’t care. Not about pride, not about appearances. Sonic was breathing. That was all that mattered.

Seconds later, there was a knock at the door. Shadow was already carrying the blue hero back into bed, wrapped in blankets and safe in his arms. Tails cautiously answered the door...and blinked. There was no one there, just a small box of white lilies and navy-blue wildflowers, and a card propped beside them.

Amy snorted. "Oh my chaos, it's from Eggman. He actually sent Sonic flowers!"

Knuckles took it and put on his reading glasses, smirking as he did. "Wait... actually, I can't read. Can someone else read it?" [4]

Tails sighed and  took the flowers to Sonic and the card out of Knuckles' hands. Shadow raised a suspicious eyebrow at the excitement and the flowers Sonic was holding.

Amy cleared her throat dramatically. The card began with a formal note: "To Sonic, the most irritatingly indestructible rodent I know: It has come to my attention that you were not, in fact, being lazy, but incapacitated. It doesn't take a doctorate to know what happened. I know you. If you ever pull that again, I will file a grievance. That said, if you need someone to punish the villagers for you, I am more than available... provided you don't try to stop me this time."

It ended in a recorded singing loop, slightly off-tune and unmistakably Eggman's voice: "You better not die, because only I get to kill you!"

Tails nearly fell over laughing.

Sonic snorted so hard he winced and held his stomach. "Tell Egghead I want a fruit basket next time too. And chocolate... Something classy. Dark chocolate with orange is my favorite." [5]

Sonic didn't miss Shadow trying to be discreet about writing that down. He didn't say anything but smiled endearingly. 

Shadow, after definitely NOT writing down what kind of chocolate Sonic liked, helped set the flowers up where Sonic could see them.

Tails rechecked his vitals while Shadow redid the IV line and tucked the covers tighter around him. Shadow sighed and grumbled something about how if Sonic tries to get up, he'd do some damage ripping the IV out again. They administered the evening meds, and as the warmth and softness and pain relief surrounded him again, Sonic’s body began to relax.

Sonic turned to Shadow as he drifted, barely conscious, and said with a soft, sleepy smile, “That was pretty funny… right?”

Shadow didn’t answer besides a nod. He just brushed Sonic’s quills back and held his hand.

The others hovered for a few minutes, unsure of what came next. But Sonic was already drifting.

"Hey," he murmured, voice gravelly but warm, "Can you guys stay for a bit? Not forever. Just... a bit."

"We'll be right outside," Amy said quickly, wiping a tear.

Tails patted Sonic's hand. Knuckles gave him a little salute and a grin. “We brought more snacks too. I picked some up on my way back from the village."

They filed out to the living room, giving the exhausted hedgehog space. Shadow, with a nudge from Rouge, begrudgingly offered to let them stay the night.

Shadow watched Sonic drift in and out of sleep, chest rising and falling, IV still connected. He never thought he'd be here. In Sonic's place. Guarding his team. Carrying him . Shadow hadn’t expected the storm of emotion it brought. Protecting Sonic had begun as instinct, but now it meant something deeper... too deep.

It was Maria again, only different. This time, he still had the chance to keep someone breathing.

Shadow sat on the bed, silent. He placed a hand over Sonic’s, feeling the flutter of warmth, the fragile but persistent life still in him. His chest ached.

Was this love?

It terrified him.

He didn’t understand it, didn’t want to name it, but when Sonic rolled slightly in his sleep, nuzzling closer to the other, Shadow just exhaled and closed his eyes.

____________________________________________

That night, Sonic couldn’t sleep well. The meds kept his body relaxed, but his mind kept circling.

Shadow stirred beside him. "You okay?"

"I should ask you that."

Shadow turned his head slightly. He didn't speak. Sonic reached over and tangled their fingers together. He patted the bed beside him and invited Shadow in again as opposed to the chair Shadow had been sitting on.

Shadow gently slid in bed from the opposite side, careful not to disturb Sonic's setup. The blue hedgehog reached his arms out toward the other. Shadow obliged and wrapped a loving arm around Sonic and held Sonic's hand again gently.

They lay like that, fingers laced. Shaky breathing coming from both of them.

Sonic spoke again, barely above a whisper. "Why did you come for me that night? Like...really?"

Shadow swallowed. He stared at the ceiling. "Because I couldn't lose you too." The words came low and sharp, like a truth carved from stone. Shadow didn’t look at him, he couldn’t.

His jaw clenched, his breath uneven. “I already lost Maria,” he added after a long silence, voice shaking. “I watched her die in my arms. And when I saw what you’d done to yourself... when I found you...”

His fists trembled. “I thought I was going to relive it. And I couldn’t...I wouldn’t survive it again.”

Sonic was quiet, his eyes wide, throat tight with emotion. Something about the way Shadow spoke, like it cost him something to say any of it, dug deep into Sonic’s chest. He felt it in his ribs. In his spine.

“I didn’t mean to make you relive that,” Sonic whispered, guilt threading through his voice.

Shadow shook his head. “You didn’t. You just...” He exhaled harshly. “You matter. That’s all. I didn't want to lose you.”

Sonic’s throat bobbed as he swallowed the sudden tears stinging his eyes. It wasn’t the words alone. It was the way Shadow said them, like someone who wasn’t used to being allowed to care, and did anyway. “You…you didn’t. I’m still here. Because of you, Shadow. ”

The silence between them trembled.

Eventually Sonic dozed off again.

Shadow listened to the slow, shaky, tired breathing.

When Sonic shifted, his hand brushing along Shadow's side, he murmured, half-dreaming, "Pretty..."

Shadow blinked.

His heart stuttered. It was that arrow, no-origami feeling all over again. 

He stared at the sleeping form next to him.

Then slowly, gently, he brushed Sonic's messy quills back from his forehead.

"Radiant," he whispered.

Shadow felt that in that moment he was slightly less terrified of what love could feel like.

[1] suggested by @Ichigo_chaan

[2] Reference to Sonic Boom S1 E52 in which Eggman is a Shadow fan

[3] Wickiphetiam called dibs

[4] Yes this is canon in Sonic boom, see... a handful of episodes

[5] To the couple of people who will inevitably tell me real hedgehogs can't eat chocolate OR citrus, I think we are all aware that Sonic is not only a Mobian, but has a stomach of steel and deserves an exemption. 

Chapter Text

Sonic was still resting, half-buried under layers of Shadow's blankets, propped up with extra pillows and wrapped snugly in Shadow's jacket like a burrito. The fabric carried a familiar warmth now: his scent, that faint musk of clean spice and something only Shadow could carry. Sonic had gotten used to it, found comfort in it, even craved it when Shadow wasn’t nearby. It smelled like safety. Like home.

The pain meds dulled the sharper edges, but the fatigue, the ache, the deep-down exhaustion...it lingered. It would linger. Everyone knew that. Sonic had a long road ahead, but now he wasn’t walking it alone. 

That meant more than Sonic could ever express. He had started this whole journey alone. The downhill spiral, the criticism from everyone, the descent into catastrophizing every mistake. But now, after hitting rock bottom, he was climbing up with not just the friends he had, but with Shadow by his side. 

He would never in a million years have imagined that Shadow would be with him for all of this. 

The house was quiet aside from the soft beep of Tails’s monitors and the occasional hum of tech adjusting settings. The others gave Shadow and Sonic space but remained nearby, checking in constantly. Shadow sat on the bed, scanning through Sonic’s vitals and adjusting the IV like it was his own pulse.

“I know I can’t stay forever,” Sonic whispered, “but I don’t think I’m ready to go back into the village yet. I just...even my own home doesn't feel as safe as I would want it. It reminds me of my mistakes and everything that just happened. I mean, I could camp with Knuckles once I'm more stable, and you've done so much...”

Shadow looked over immediately, his face unreadable, but his voice low and sincere. “You can stay as long as you want. This place is yours too. When you’re ready... we’ll move your setup home. But not before then. You are welcome here. I..like that you're here.”

Sonic gave him a tired, thankful smile. “Oh..Okay!" His ears did the slightest twitch that Shadow caught- it looked adorable. Sonic looked up at him with tired emerald eyes, "I think that sounds good.”

When Sonic mentioned wanting to send a message to the village, everyone gathered to help him craft the wording. Before Shadow and Amy left to deliver the message, the group sat together in a quiet moment of conversation.

Sonic, still cradled in Shadow’s bed, brought up the idea of setting boundaries: not just with the villagers, but with each other. For too long, expectations and unspoken pressures had pushed them all too far.

Amy nodded seriously, expressing how grateful she was that Sonic felt safe enough to ask for space. Tails promised to always check in instead of assuming, and Knuckles agreed not to tease or pressure Sonic when he wasn’t up for things.

In return, this meant that Sonic had to communicate if a joke went to far, if he wasn't feeling well, or if he needed help. Shadow was happy to find some verbal and nonverbal ways for Sonic to convey this, and Tails even offered to install a "help me" button on his communicator to send a silent message to his team.

They weren’t perfect, but they all promised to try.

It wasn’t about building walls. It was about learning to give each other room to breathe and ask for help. Sonic’s voice was soft but sure when he said, “Thank you... all of you...for letting me take care of myself this time, too.”

Shadow and Amy agreed to go deliver the message. Sonic had talked about specific boundaries and time away from the village with the team, but told the two not to go too hard on the villagers.

Shadow again took a moment to be astounded at Sonic's gentleness and care even for those who hurt him. He felt crossed between an urge to protect Sonic and learn from his kindness.

A while later, they marched into the village with a fire in their eyes. Amy stood tall with her hammer resting on her shoulder like a warning sign.

Shadow’s voice sliced through the gathering crowd. “Sonic will not be returning to the village right now. He’s alive, but recovering, and you’re not entitled to him. He’ll be a hero when he wants to be, not when you want him to be.”

Amy folded her arms and added coolly, “He’s taking a break from all of this. We’ll be here if something needs smashing. But don’t ask when he’s coming back. He’ll let you know if he wants to.”

Shadow shot a cold look at the crowd. "And if anyone tries to come near him, they'll have to answer to me."

They didn’t stay for questions.

Back at the house, Sonic was snuggled between Tails and Knuckles who had joined him on the bed, sipping a smoothie through a straw. 

"Guys," he said to them, "I've had this idea for a while. I really want to thank Shadow. Put something together. Do you think you can help?" 

Tails and Knuckles nodded enthusiastically as Sonic weakly pulled out his communicator to message Rouge. 

“I need a favor,” he said, texting the bat. “I wanna do something for Shadow. Like... a thank you. What does he like?”

Rouge’s reply came quickly: Sweets. Lavender. Sunflowers. Old jazz music. Classic movies. You. Especially your eyes.  Then, another text: He is SO down bad for you it’s embarrassing.

Sonic burst out laughing so hard he snorted. Tails looked up. “What?”

“According to Rouge, Shadow’s so down bad,” Sonic giggled.

“Oh yeah,” Knuckles smirked. “We all knew that.”

Sonic felt giddy about it. 

With Tails and Knuckles helping, and Amy happily stalling Shadow (per Sonic's request) on a supply run, Sonic got to work.

By the time Shadow and Amy returned, Shadow stepped into a softly lit room with gentle music playing from a speaker in the corner. A bouquet of lavender and sunflowers sat by the bed. A tray of Shadow’s favorite sweets rested on the kitchen counter: some cookies, a cake fresh from a bakery, and some fruit tarts.

Sitting on the table was handmade card, filled with genuine words of gratitude, scribbled jokes, doodles of Sonic and Shadow dramatically battling Eggman (with Eggman yelling 'No fair! Two hedgehogs?!'), and a little sketch of Sonic and Shadow eating cake together with exaggerated smiles. The whole thing was messy and colorful, penned in multiple hues like Sonic had grabbed whatever marker Tails had nearby.

At the very bottom, in slightly shakier but unmistakably heartfelt handwriting, it said:

Shadow,

You didn’t just patch me up. You gave me something I didn’t think I’d get back: peace. Real peace, not just the kind I fake with a grin and a spin dash. You saw the pieces I’d hidden, the ones even I couldn’t admit were broken, and you didn’t turn away. You carried me...literally, emotionally, all of it. You never asked me to be anything but myself. I still don’t know how or why you do it, how you look at me like I’m worth that kind of devotion. But I want you to know that I see it. I see you. And I’m holding on, because you gave me a reason to believe I could. Thank you, Shadow. Thank you for saving me. I love you so much it aches.

Sonic's name was barely scribbled, just like the note Shadow saw on the windowsill days ago. But this shaky signature was accompanied by wet teardrops on the card, reflecting raw emotion that was no longer repressed.

Shadow blinked hard, then turned around.

“You two,” he said to the others behind him, “go enjoy some cake. Now.” Of course Shadow wasn't going to ask to be with just Sonic out loud. And he knew if he gave a medical excuse, Tails would have refused to leave.

Tails, Amy, and Knuckles shuffled out with smirks and knowing glances.

Shadow closed the door behind them and returned to Sonic’s side.

“You did all this?” Shadow asked softly. "From bed."

Sonic grinned sheepishly. “Yeah."

"Of course you did, hedgehog." Shadow was trying to hide shaky breath. He didn't deserve this kindness. He didn't deserve thanks. He was simply doing the right thing. He was still weighed down by the guilt of his past.

"I wanted to do something nice. You’ve done so much for me. And... I... I... I love you. I really do...." Sonic paused.

He sniffled. A single tear found its way out of his eye and trickled down his cheek hotly. Shadow's eyes went wide as Sonic continued.

"You’ve held me together, Shadow. So I figured... maybe I could give something back. Rouge may have helped tell me what you like, but the cheesy parts are all mine. Tails and Knuckles were my arms and legs, heh....” Sonic grew quiet.

Shadow didn’t answer right away. His mouth sat slightly ajar as he stared again. He was sure Sonic was tired of the staring.

Sonic could never grow tired of Shadow's staring. Those radiant crimson eyes, the furrowed worried brow, and oh chaos the red around his eyes was so so pretty. Shadow was pretty. He wanted to stare back for days on end.

Shadow continued to say nothing, even as Sonic's eyes met his. He just reached forward, cupped Sonic’s cheek, and leaned down.

Their kiss was soft.

Warm.

Not fiery or rushed, just quiet and sure. Shadow’s lips were surprisingly gentle, his thumb brushing lightly along Sonic’s cheek. His lips were rough. Sonic could tell Shadow bit them, scratched them, and messed with them when he was nervous. Sonic loved every detail. 

When they pulled away, Sonic blinked. “....Wow....love you, Shadow...”

Shadow exhaled, forehead pressed to Sonic’s. “I love you too, Sunshine...”

Outside the room, laughter and the clatter of plates signaled the rest of the team celebrating. Inside, Sonic and Shadow sat together, wrapped in silence and soft lamplight.

They opened the door and minutes later, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy came in with cake for both of them, with a big piece for Shadow and a little bit for Sonic in case it upset his system.

Around Sonic and Shadow, who were still in an embrace, Sonic felt surrounded by his friends' warmth and laughter and love.

Sonic was still healing. His body still ached. His heart still trembled.

But in Shadow’s arms, with the smell of sweets lingering in the air, mingling with the soft scent of lavender and the comfortable weight of Shadow's jacket that still clung to Sonic's shoulders like a second skin,Sonic felt the feeling of letting go. He felt relaxed.

Safe.

The road ahead would be long.

But Sonic wasn’t walking it alone.