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The hearthfire was warm, and its flame’s light danced across the otherwise dim room. Its sound, smell, light, its warmth was a deep comfort.
Fire took and protected life. It did not discriminate; only circumstance and setting determined how it was wielded.
Black wood and red flames.
○
Sonic had been awake far too long. His very Chaos energy was restless, and that drove his mind and body like a motor. He could not sleep while his mind raced and his legs ached for movement. His entire being demanded motion.
So he ran.
Some things were not meant to be constrained, and wind was one of them. It spiraled inside Sonic's mind, catching his worst thoughts like debris in a tornado, and threatening to tear apart the cage that was his bodymind. He ran long enough that the pumping of his legs was a constant that he no longer remembered how to break from.
The place he chose to run was a sure indication of his state of mind. Water sprayed his front, and soaked his shoes and socks. Saltwater stuck to his fur. Sonic may have been no stranger to running over water for emergencies, but to do so alone at night was foolhardy even without considering his inability to swim. Yet it was exactly what gave him the rush of adrenaline that satiated his need for stimulation– anything– that he so desperately needed.
It shouldn’t have been all that much of a surprise that while running parallel to the coast over the ocean in the dark, he soon slipped over an algae-slick rock formation he mistook for a wave. The water was quick to grab him and pull him down. It was freezing. All he saw was senseless black. Slick plants and protists grabbed at his legs. His hand found purchase in sand. He pushed himself in the opposite direction and miraculously found himself in water shallow enough that his head broke the surface, and he gasped for air. He crawled to the beach. The ocean was denied to claim his life but was satisfied to take his temperature as toll.
Cuts Sonic didn’t know he had stung from the saltwater. He shook. It should have been from the cold, but he knew that wasn't the sole reason. He dragged himself to his feet, huffing with his hands on his knees before standing at full height, finding a semblance of control as he put his hands on his hips. Looking outward, he saw the moon and the ARK, and was met by the judgment of the two satellites. He swallowed. There was a tug in his chest and the smell of smoke before the thought occurred to him that he shouldn’t let himself be alone for the rest of the night.
Sonic returned to his speed, still beyond anything others could dream of meeting, yet a significantly slower pace than earlier that night. He neared a familiar stretch of coast, and felt the shift in air pressure and the way his fur rose. A metallic taste, and chemical smell. He used to think the sensation meant rain was coming. Now, he could smell smoke under it all.
Sonic cut inland and met the meadow of white lilies which he knew not to disturb.
He didn’t know what to say when he found Shadow already sitting up in his favorite place to sleep. A month ago, Sonic would have demanded they spar. Few things could release this overwhelming amount of energy inside him better than spending it all in a violent display and letting it hang in the air between himself and Shadow. Static crackled around Sonic; the very air tasted of the energy spilling out of him.
Shadow was quick to his feet. “What the hell happened to you?”
Sonic knew how he looked. Drenched, with the debris of the ocean and beach stuck in his fur. He had wide eyes that neared a manic look. Sonic shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. Sarcasm lined his voice because no other tone seemed appropriate. “Oh. Just took a run over the ocean and fell in. Y'know how it is.”
There was a growl in Shadow’s incredulous tone as he asked, “How are you such an idiot?!” It wasn't the first time Shadow had expressed such sentiment. Sonic was well aware of how his brashness had driven Shadow mad in the early days they knew each other. Now, Shadow marched over, grumbling about how Sonic couldn’t even swim, had no sense of self-preservation, and should be more careful when the world still needed him. Shadow’s eyes were fiery, yet he didn’t chide Sonic, and Sonic didn’t find offense.
Sonic knew he would do exactly as he pleased without consequence. Danger was a thrill, and harm was not real. But Sonic stood in front of Shadow. Not because he could grab Sonic’s hands and take on half of the pain. Not to race or spar and let the energy release into the space between them. Not even because Shadow understood, and could keep Sonic tethered to reality. But Sonic knew how Shadow valued his life. It was with the same reverence as he gave Shadow’s. Sonic stood in front of Shadow because he trusted Shadow when he could not trust himself.
As Shadow neared Sonic, he felt heat radiating off him. Sonic wondered if Shadow was genuinely warmer than usual or if Sonic was just that cold.
Shadow reached out and grabbed Sonic's bare wrist. Sonic felt the skin under Shadow’s hand ignite not from the foreign Chaos energy entering him, but from the touch itself. The familiar circuit of their Chaos energy opened. The energy that tore through Sonic spread across both of them, and Shadow’s warm energy was welcomed into Sonic’s channels.
●
After teleporting to the house that Tails owned and Sonic claimed wasn't his permanent residence, Shadow was quick to get Sonic on the couch and remove his wet clothing. He paid no mind to the idiocy of Sonic’s teasing about the undressing; Shadow worked with procedure. Many things were ingrained into Shadow’s being, but his innate ability of medical care was one that had never bothered him. Controlled and urgent, Shadow went to the kitchen to start the kettle, then went upstairs, mindful to keep his airshoes hovering a few centimeters above the boards so as not to wake Tails. Shadow knew the house well enough to easily find a blanket, and spare gloves and socks. Back downstairs, Sonic had decided to sit on the floor. Shadow got him into new gloves and socks, but as the kettle sounded, Shadow stood and dropped the blanket on the other’s head in an almost cheeky manner.
In the kitchen, Shadow took a deep breath, smoothed his quills, and reminded himself he needn’t be worried. Shadow prepared the cup of tea and returned to the living room. The blanket still lay like two tents over Sonic's ears– apparently, he was wholly unbothered by it. Shadow gave over the cup of chamomile tea. It remained unspoken that Shadow knew his regular nighttime tea, just as it was unspoken that he had memorized which cabinet the blankets were kept in.
Shadow started a fire in the hearth before coming back to the couch to settle for the night. Shadow slid himself behind Sonic and wrapped his arms around him. Pressed to Sonic's cold body, Shadow’s own– designed to maintain itself– began to warm. Sonic's cold state was an excuse for their proximity, but he didn’t think they needed such excuses anymore.
Beyond just temperature, Shadow knew the grounding was something Sonic desperately needed. Often, Sonic's energy reminded Shadow of a cool breeze. Tonight, he was met with a hurricane. He was spiraling. Aimless, with his thoughts tearing him up/
Sonic readjusted himself so that his side leaned into Shadow to spare him his quills. Tired yet restless, he found himself droning on about whatever. Some project of Tails' he half understood, and later, some gossip from Rouge. Eventually, the sunlight began to creep over the top of the curtains and onto the ceiling.
“You should get some sleep,” Shadow whispered what they both knew.
There was still a fluttering in Sonic’s heart, a prickling of his skin, a buzzing in his head. It was uncomfortable, but manageable. Almost his baseline. Sonic settled into Shadow, who brought the blanket back over his shoulders. Sonic rested his head against Shadow’s chest and could hear the other’s heartbeat if he listened carefully. Sonic thought even if there was no longer a suitable label for what they were, he was grateful for Shadow to be with him. Their weaving energies lulled Sonic into a sleep that finally welcomed him.
●
Shadow held Sonic tight even after his body had heated.
Everywhere, Shadow saw Sonic in the ocean, the sky, or the plants at his feet. His coloring marked him as a creature of the Earth. Before, Shadow had looked at his own patterns and wondered what that made him, but now he did not worry over it.
Shadow stayed up to watch the fire. Blackened wood, with red smoldering as the last remnants of the fire.
He fell asleep at some point. He didn’t need to look over Sonic. With their bodies pressed together, Shadow’s own was tuned well enough to recognize if something was wrong with another’s health. After all, that was how he had slept nearly every night of his brief childhood on the ARK. When Shadow woke, he felt a familiar breeze running through the channels of his Chaos energy.
Surely, Tails came meandering downstairs a while after the sunrise lit the inside of the house. They met each other's eyes. Tails gave a quiet wave before heading into the kitchen. Shadow heard two bowls get filled, then Tails came over. In one hand, he held his bowl of cereal, and the other offered Shadow a bowl of coffee beans. Tails set it beside Shadow on the floor before he cozied up in an armchair and wrapped his dual tails around himself to protect from the morning chill.
Using the hand that wasn't supporting Sonic, Shadow slowly began to eat the coffee beans. Sonic had once expressed that he found coffee gross, never mind eating the beans raw. (Although Shadow didn't see how it was any worse than eating nuts.) The first few times Shadow had found himself at their table for breakfast, he had been given a cup of green tea with a measly 30 grams of caffeine. Despite the subpar sleeping habits of the brothers, neither were coffee drinkers. The implication behind the addition of coffee to their pantry was blatant and not lost on Shadow. Nor was it lost on him how Tails chose to eat in the living room with him instead of the kitchen. Perhaps he just wanted to see his brother before heading to the workshop, but Shadow didn't mind the company.
Shadow looked to the top of the hearth– littered with photos of friends and allies alike. He had noticed it the first time he was at the residence months ago. Back then, the photo depicting him had been a group selfie taken by Rouge of Team Dark and happened to have Shadow in it. A photo she had given to the brothers, simply so Shadow’s face was amongst Tails' and Sonic's friends and allies.
Now, there was a new photo, its frame a bit closer to the center than the old one had been. Compared to Rouge's, the new photo was at a worse angle and more blurry, the result of using a physical camera turned around and hoping for the best, yet Shadow couldn't help but feel some endearment.
While many of Sonic and Shadow’s meetings were late-night races and spars, this photo had been taken in the day. They had had an outing in a forest in which Shadow learned Sonic was absolutely a nerd. Sonic had worn a guitar strapped over one shoulder, and across the other, a satchel carrying an identification guide to local plants of all things and a camera, primarily used to document the most interesting finds of their hike. Shadow hadn’t been able to keep himself from commenting on how ridiculous Sonic looked, but Sonic had been quick to remind Shadow of his own nerdy interests in astronomy, which in no way shut down the teasing, but it had made it mutual.
Toward the end of the hike, Sonic had dramatically held up his camera, “Wait! There's one last beauty I want to take a picture of!” Shadow had paused to let Sonic indulge. It was only fair when Sonic had heard him speak of constellations countless times before. Sonic had swung his camera around the scenery before landing on Shadow and imitating taking a snapshot without actually taking an unsolicited photo.
Shadow had rolled his eyes. “Oh, haha." He had said drily, as if ‘beauty’ did not ring in his ears.
Sonic had looked between the camera and Shadow before holding the lens to face himself. “Okay. Now for real. Get in here, Shads!”
And to Shadow’s surprise, he had moved next to Sonic, who pulled him in tight. Had Sonic taken the photo at that moment, he would have looked an awful mix of surprised and flustered. Instead, the photo showed the moment Shadow had relaxed into an awkward yet genuine smile beside Sonic’s beaming one.
In the present, Tails stood up from the armchair, drawing Shadow’s attention away from the photos. Tails gestured to Shadow’s bowl in an offer to take it to the kitchen, but Shadow wasn’t done, so Tails headed out to the kitchen with only his cereal bowl. Shadow heard it hit the sink before a door opened and Tails entered his workshop for the day.
In Shadow’s arms, Sonic stirred, and realizing where he was, he nuzzled into Shadow’s chest. “Morning.”
“You stink.” Which would have been a rude comment to wake to, had Shadow not pulled Sonic closer and rested his forehead to his shoulder.
“Oh, do I?” Sonic asked. The answer was quite obvious. The entire room pungently smelled of brine. It was no wonder why Tails had skedaddled as soon as he swallowed the last bite of his cereal. “If I stink so bad, think of how much it rubbed off on you. Y'know, with how long you've been holding me.”
Sonic pulled away to face him, letting their legs tangle. He leaned back on his palms causally, his gaze unmistakably drinking Shadow in. Casually, he said, “I guess we'll have to take a shower.”
“You can take yours first.”
“You won't join me?" Sonic smirked. He stole one of Shadow's coffee beans and popped it into his mouth. He grimaced at the taste without losing his laid-back composure. Airy and unconcerned, he said, “We could even wash each other's quills.”
Shadow’s eye twitched. Because it sounded suggestive. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Sonic only meant to get a ruse out of Shadow. Maybe that was a small part of it, but Shadow also knew Sonic was not like that, and he meant exactly what he offered. No more or less. And Shadow had no idea what to feel about the knowledge that Sonic not only had no qualms with them washing each other up, but outright encouraged it.
Shadow’s ears tilted back. The way the idea discomfited Shadow was obvious, and he wished Sonic would just throw out a ‘Nevermind’ and go on upstairs. Unfortunately, of all things Sonic lacked patience for, he consistently found some for Shadow, and it was equally obvious how he was considering the proposal. Shadow looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen, then to Sonic, who tilted his head. “I… will stay down here and make us a proper breakfast.”
“Oh, sweet!” Sonic smiled, without an ounce of disappointment in his countenance, before he popped up and then helped Shadow to his feet. “That sounds amazing. You’re awesome, Shads.”
Sonic squeezed Shadow’s hands and didn’t immediately let go. Instead, he pulled Shadow in with the leverage from their laced fingers. Sonic pressed his forehead to Shadow’s, and his voice was soft when he spoke, “Thanks for, y'know, being here with me.”
“Of course.”
Sonic allowed himself to savor the moment and feel where a storm had been last night, was now a soft breeze. He wanted to say more, but the words didn’t conjure.
Sonic took in a deep breath that devolved into a chuckle. “Oh, man. I really do stink, huh?” He pulled back, “I’d better get in the shower before this smell becomes permanent.”
Sonic stepped away with trepidation, letting their hands remain connected until distance made it impossible. The halt in the circuit of their energy was harsh, as one being was split back into its two vessels. But in the abruptness, some of the warmth of Shadow’s energy lingered as Sonic made his way upstairs. It swirled through the channels of Sonic’s chaos, and sparked when there was a flicker of that restless storm, and replaced it with something like a steady glow.
In fights, their energy fed each other into wildfires and storms, yet just as well, could their energies soothe the other. As Sonic waited for the shower to hit the right temperature, he basked in the sensation that traveled his body. A cool breeze that was wholly his own.