Chapter Text
It was 5:00 in the morning when Shadow’s alarm came on.
He was fortunate that he didn’t require much sleep to function, (one of the very few reasons that he’s thankful for his hybridism) but he still felt sluggish from all the work he did yesterday. He’s not looking forward to going into the office and facing Commander Tower right after they had their heated argument during his last shift. Shadow was not the best at apologizing either, especially when it was in a corporate, professional, military type of setting. The words always came out clunky and awkward. And not to mention, he’s supposed to be perfect at his job, this mistake should never have happened to begin with and he certainly didn’t deserve to get so defensive about it.
Shadow shook his head to erase the thoughts – He’ll have to worry about all that later, right now, he gets to start his morning routine. He stretched, got out of bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up. He splashed some water on his face, brushed his teeth then added some oil to his quills. Yesterday might have been a disaster at work, but Shadow would be damned if he looked like a disaster. He took pride in setting up for his appearance each morning. He put his gloves on and walked out the bathroom door.
When Shadow walked into the living room, he got startled by the sight of Sonic on his couch. Not expecting anyone in his home this morning, his quills puffed out instinctually at the form present on his couch. Until he remembered. Oh yeah. That’s right, how could he possibly forget? That bastard intruded in on his home last night instead of going to an emergency room like any rational person would do. Shadow groaned in exasperation as he grimaced at the memory, his quills started to relax against his back once more.
The other hedgehog was still dead asleep. The blanket must have fallen off his body in the middle of the night as it was forgotten in a wrinkled bundle on the carpet. He was in a position that Shadow cannot imagine is comfortable in any way, with his limbs all sprawled out in a way that was reminiscent of a dead bug on the sidewalk. He was still obnoxiously snoring, with a small drool pile on his pillow. Sonic’s shoes were on the ground in front of the couch. Thank Chaos he didn’t keep his dirty shoes on his couch for the entire night, at least he somewhat listened to him last night. His gloves were off which made Shadow try to avert his eyes away to give the other a sense of privacy. He may not care who sees his own hands, but Shadow did not want to cross any unspoken Mobian cultural boundaries with the other hedgehog. There are some things he simply does not want to know about Sonic, the appearance of his bare hands was one of them.
Shadow did, however, take this opportunity to sneak a quick peak at the stitches. There was no redness or residual blood. It still obviously needs time to heal but it already looked considerably better than a few hours ago. Nothing that showed signs of infection or more serious medical care needs. His scattered anxious mind was really doing him a disservice last night. Why did he even doubt his own abilities? He’s the Ultimate Lifeform, of course he’s good at first aid practices and stitching wounds, Sonic was in good hands. He huffed a sigh of relief and went to grab an album to play on the record player to continue his morning routine of listening to music with his cup of coffee. He was reminded of Sonic’s musical preferences he voiced out last night as he grabbed a Beatles album from the shelf.
It was the only Beatles album in Shadow’s collection, as he was not familiar with much of the popular music from the 60’s and 70’s (or rather any form of relatively “recent” music until the early aught’s due to the fifty years he’s spent in stasis). Although, he purchased the album a few years ago because the band’s style reminded him of the music he and Maria used to listen to on the Ark. Maria loved to dance to albums just like it and Shadow would try his best to keep up with her, his movements always awkward and unconfident compared to hers. He always missed dancing with her.
Classic rock-and-roll reminded him of learning about the holidays on Earth and celebrating them with Gerald and Maria. Despite all the memory issues he’s had in the past, Shadow hopes that he’ll never forget his first Christmas with his family on the Ark. The music, the joy on Maria’s face, Gerald referring to Shadow as his son for the first time, the taste of hot cocoa on his tongue, and how bright and colorful the string lights were in the otherwise bland, sterile, and colorless space facility. The sound of bebop jazz and 1950’s films playing on the television. It was bittersweet to remember, one of the only good memories Shadow had on the Ark.
If the beginning parts of Shadow’s life had a soundtrack, it would be an amalgamation of jazz songs by Miles Davis and the rock-and-roll classics from Chuck Berry and Elvis, mixed with the mechanical sounds of medical equipment (which still to this day makes him grimace). If Maria was still around, he just knew she would love The Beatles, for that type of stuff was right up her alley. He could totally picture her dancing to their songs.
He grabbed the record out from the sleeve, placed it on the player on low volume. Hoping that the sound of the music would just wake Sonic up naturally. After all, Sonic cannot stay here, in about an hour, Shadow had to go to work, and he does not feel comfortable leaving the other hedgehog in his house for any longer than he already has. He’s intruded enough.
Shadow tied up his quills before he walked to the kitchen to turn the stovetop on medium heat. He still heard the snores coming from Sonic in the living room. The other hedgehog must be a deep sleeper, annoyingly so. He might as well make Sonic breakfast too, right? It would be a better alternative to those gross and overly processed chilidogs he loves so much. It was also more beneficial for him to have a nice breakfast to recover from his wounds. And maybe Shadow could show him what a true, refined, adult pallet looks like. Shadow huffed to himself before he grabbed four eggs and cracked them into a bowl to scramble them with a fork. Whatever, he’s looking too much into it.
He poured the contents from the bowl into the skillet and started cooking the eggs. Despite the music playing and the assorted pans and dishes clambering around, Sonic was still dead asleep. Shadow’s ear twitched at the snores, then, he was struck with an idea. Sonic couldn’t possibly sleep through something like this. Shadow walked to a cupboard to grab a bag of coffee beans. He opened the packaging and popped one in his mouth as he chewed. He began pouring the beans into a grinder to prepare his daily pot of drip coffee, then pressed the button on the grinder. The loud and insufferable whirring sound of the machine overwhelmed the apartment space. Once it stopped, Shadow heard a groan from the other side of the room. Bingo.
“Ugh. Seriously?” Sonic’s sleep-deprived voice dropped a musical octave. It was a stark contrast from the usual annoying and shrill tenor of his voice that Shadow could not stand. This time, the words that came out of him were low and gravelly. It took Shadow a little off-guard, the sound of it causing a strange, inexplicable flip in his stomach. He looked out from the living room and saw Sonic rubbing his eyes and letting out a huge yawn as he sat up on the couch. He tried to avert his gaze from Sonic’s hands, yet smirking at his harsh awakening. “Why do you wake up so early? The sun isn’t even out yet, Shadow.” Sonic grumbled lowly as he continued to rub his face.
“Well, some of us are employed,” Shadow retorted as he went back to stirring the scrambled eggs in the pan, being careful to not overcook them. “People your age have jobs, hedgehog.” He grumbled as he scooped the grounded-up coffee beans into a filter and turned on the coffee machine. Within minutes, the sound of boiling water and the bittersweet smell of Shadow’s favorite dark roast coffee filled the air.
“Yeah? Well, people your age are dead, old man.” Sonic mumbled as he stretched on the couch and rose to his feet.
Shadow snarled. How dare he? The one and only day Shadow decides to be considerate, and Sonic still disrespects him like that. He would’ve never expected Sonic to be a grumpy morning person, but it still pissed him off, nonetheless. Shadow sprinted over and punched him in the shoulder and Sonic did nothing in response but laugh. Maddening.
Sonic’s nose twitched to the smells from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes once more while Shadow walked back to the kitchen to resume cooking. Sonic’s eyes widened in surprise when he realized.
“Wait, are you making breakfast for me?” Sonic asked through his mumbles.
“It was originally just for me, until you invited yourself into my home.” Shadow snapped as he put two pieces of toast into the toaster and added seasonings to the eggs. He slammed the spice cabinet in frustration.
Sonic walked to the kitchen and Shadow turned and noticed that his gait was much better than last night. He was slightly limping, but it wasn’t as noticeable just a few hours earlier. That was good, maybe he was in less pain after he got stitched up, at the very least, Sonic’s still not showing signs of infection. He sat at Shadow’s dining table, watching him cook breakfast and a sleepy smile appeared on his face. Shadow felt sick to his stomach at the sight, and he was filled with the inexplicable urge to punch the expression off his face yet again.
“I didn’t know you were so considerate, maybe I should crash at your place more often!” Sonic said mid-yawn.
“Do not consider this an extended invitation to my home. This was…” Shadow rumbled, choosing his next words carefully, “… an unprecedented circumstance.” Shadow glared at Sonic’s stitches if he wasn’t being obvious enough. The toaster finished with a mechanical “pop”, Shadow broke the eye contact to grab the butter from the fridge to spread on the warm slices of toast.
“Aw man, but I have so many movies to show you. I gotta make it up to you somehow, you know? I’m not the best cook, but I can order takeout for us! Do you like Chinese food? Pizza? Tex-Mex?” Sonic sounded strangely genuine as his list grew.
For reasons that Shadow did not expect, they weren’t friends and frankly, they rarely see one another outside the occasional race, party (which again, Rouge drags and bribes him to be her plus-one, he would never willingly go to such things in his own volition), or G.U.N. mission when it involved Eggman. To which no one has heard from him in a year now, the doctor might have been serious about his retirement this time.
“Excuse me?” He asked, not bothering to look up at the other hedgehog as he mixed the eggs one last time before turning off the burner. His ear flicked while he grabbed plates, silverware, and a mug from the cabinet to serve their breakfast.
“I was being serious last night, you know?” Sonic scratched the back of his head, almost appearing shy if Shadow didn’t know any better. “Plus, it looks like you listened to me after all. You do have a Beatles album, and you put it on for little ole’ me, is that part of this ‘unprecedented circumstance’, Shadow?” That same teasing and smug grin came back on his face and the rage in Shadow’s stomach came back.
Sonic was partially right. Shadow didn’t need to be so accommodating towards his uninvited guest, and it was strange that he was giving him all this special treatment right now. He should be punching him in the face and physically kicking him out of his home after he nearly invited himself and intruded his space. However, something stopped him, maybe Rouge was right about teasing Shadow for having a soft spot for the other hedgehog. How frustrating and confusing – as were most of his emotions that came with Sonic.
Shadow shook his head to erase the thought. Then, he served Sonic a plate of eggs and toast and placed it on the dining table, along with a bottle of hot sauce and a glass of water.
(Again, he was going above and beyond for this nuisance. Why is he trying to host right now? Sonic wasn’t Rouge and he certainly didn’t need to impress the other hedgehog by making him feel at home. It was infuriating trying to wrap his head around it.)
“Shut up and eat your breakfast, after that, you need to leave. You cannot stay here.” He snarled, hoping the other hedgehog would take the hint.
“Sure. Thanks, bud” Sonic said with a huge smile on his face, the one that he’s known for. Shadow merely rolled his eyes.
“Oh, by the way, your quills look so cool pulled up! It’s a good look on you, Shadow.” Sonic uttered, the comment making Shadow’s face heat up, so embarrassing. He did not know how to respond to something like that, Shadow just grunted in response while he prepped his portion of the meal.
Shadow served his own plate and poured his first cup of coffee for the day as he rubbed his temples, nearly grumbling to himself. He did not offer a cup to Sonic, not wanting to see the disaster that would come from Sonic with caffeine in his system. It would be so disastrous, and Shadow could only take so much this morning.
Shadow sat in the chair right next to Sonic as he poured hot sauce on the scrambled eggs. Sonic was tapping his foot on the floor as he began to eat, causing the whole table to slightly shake. In turn, Shadow grabbed his coffee mug (which was filled to the brim) to prevent it from spilling from the vibrations, and he frowned at Sonic’s actions. Annoying hedgehog, why can’t he just stay still for ten minutes, maximum? Is that so difficult?
He was a sloppy eater too, the sight making Shadow grimace. The crumbs on the toast were getting everywhere somehow, some of them not even landing on his plate, but all over the dining table. Looks like Shadow will have clean the apartment tonight (not only from the table crumbs, but the bloodstain that was still present on his couch), how infuriating.
“Mmm, not bad!” Sonic said as he chewed. Sickening. Although, Shadow felt a strange sense of satisfaction to Sonic enjoying his cooking, even though Sonic mostly ate junk food. He figured it was another thing that Shadow could one-up on Sonic about, he’ll take the small victories where he could. Of course, he could never show this satisfaction.
“Your table manners are disgusting.” Shadow stated flatly. Sonic laughed at that, because of course he did.
For a few minutes, all they heard was the clink of silverware on their plates and the album still on the record player. When Sonic wasn’t talking, it wasn’t too bad to spend time with him like this. It was nice to have a person over for breakfast, it reminded Shadow of when he and Rouge were roommates many, many, years ago. Sure, she had some quirks that drove him insane, mainly the vast amount of makeup products she would leave on the bathroom countertop and the fact that she left her dirty dishes by the sink, but not in it. But he missed seeing her every morning and making meals together like this.
Maybe in Shadow’s want for privacy and solitude has made him realize how alone he truly feels on a daily basis. Especially if he is thinking that Sonic’s company, of all people, is “nice”.
Once they were both finished with their meals, Sonic spoke up, “Hey, since you cooked, want me to do the dishes?” Well, that was unexpected and rather polite of him.
“Sure…” Shadow realized that it might be better for Sonic to keep him busy. If the other hedgehog is preoccupied with something, the more likely he’ll shut up for once and maybe this was a way of him showing gratitude to Shadow. It was a surprisingly considerate request. Maybe he could stay at home until Shadow leaves for work, if he’s offering to help for a little bit.
The record needed to be flipped after all, and Shadow still wanted his usual three cups of coffee this morning. He poured his second cup then walked to the record player to switch it to Side B while Sonic washed the dishes that piled up this morning.
“Though, can I trust you to clean effectively?” He growled, remembering Sonic’s horrid table manners.
“Jeez, I’m not incompetent. I’m grown, asshole.” He snapped, as he was scrubbing a plate with a soapy sponge.
Shadow grunted in response then went to his usual morning routine. He opened up the mystery book from last night, there was only one more chapter left, as he sipped on his morning coffee. He got about three pages of silence before Sonic said another thing. Because the other hedgehog couldn’t shut up for long, of course.
“Oh! This is my one of my favorite Beatles songs,” Sonic said over the sound of the faucet running, referring to the music still playing in the apartment. Shadow couldn’t remember the exact song title of this one, but it was gentler in tone than the other songs on the album. Shadow diverted his attention away from the book for a second to focus in on the lyrics, trying to pinpoint what the song was called.
For if I ever saw you
I didn’t catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
That was also unanticipated, since when did Sonic like mushy, borderline romantic songs? He expected that kind of response from Rose but not Sonic.
“Gross.” Shadow stated flatly and Sonic laughed in response to his honesty before they both went back to their individual tasks at hand.
After about ten minutes, and another refill on Shadow’s coffee, Sonic returned from the kitchen as he wiped his gloves on the towel that hung on the stove. He watched Shadow read from the kitchen, lightly tapping his foot as if he were in thought. The prolonged staring was making Shadow a bit uncomfortable. Did he have anything else to possibly do? Does he want Shadow to provide him with some entertainment? Shadow should be kicking him out at this point, after all, he did tell him to leave after he had his breakfast.
“Can I help you?” Shadow grumbled as he glanced away from his book to scowl at the other hedgehog.
“I didn’t take you as a murder mystery fan. That book sucks though.” Sonic smirked at him as he took a seat next to Shadow. Annoying. Does he not know that he’s overstaying his welcome already? He seriously needs to get out of Shadow’s personal bubble.
“I didn’t take you as a reader.” Shadow teased, slightly smiling to provoke him.
“Ugh, why does everyone say that? I love reading. Just need to be in the right mood for it, you know?” Sonic complained while he shook his head and crossed his arms in annoyance.
“I also didn’t expect to agree with you. But you’re right, the janitor being the murderer the whole time really pissed me off.” Shadow growled.
Sonic fully belly-laughed at Shadow’s critical review. “Yeah, well, duh, I figured that out in the first chapter. It was kinda obvious,” he said as he scratched at his nose in habit.
“I thought it was a red herring…” Shadow groaned, “It should have stayed that way.”
"Why are you still reading it if it made you so mad?” Sonic asked, with a confusing lint in his tone.
“I’m only finishing it for the epilogue. I want to see the relationship develop between the two leads. The rest of the book was a waste of my time.” Shadow graveled. He was interested in the romantic tension between the two main characters. It was arguably more entertaining than the murder mystery plot. That’s not giving the author much credit, considering the murder plot is about as dry as stale, unbuttered, white bread.
“You’re so dramatic, Shadow. Don’t get me wrong, it sucks, but it’s not that bad.” Sonic was clearly entertained over Shadow’s gripes with the book. Sonic let out a hum in thought before he spoke again.
“Oh, I know! Maybe I’ll have to lend you one of my favorite books sometime. I have a feeling you’d like it. It’s about political vampire and vampire hunter type of stuff, it has a decent mystery plot, and it definitely suits your brooding personality.” Sonic suggested.
“I don’t know if I would like your… preferences.” Shadow said with uncertainty. Since when was Sonic into fiction books with political theater? Shadow would have thought high-action books would have been more his style, or comic books – they had more pictures than words after all.
"You hardly know me, Shadow. Just give it a shot.” Sonic said, with a noticeable yet small annoyance in his tone.
Shadow supposed he’s not entirely wrong. He makes a lot of assumptions about the other hedgehog, but a lot of them were unfounded. The only thing he knows about Sonic is how annoying he can be and that he loves chilidogs, his friends, and racing. Despite knowing the other hedgehog for as long as he did, Shadow did not know him. It was honestly surprising, given their spars, shared missions, and competitions over the years. Maybe he should give him a shot. If Sonic lends Shadow a book, he wouldn’t turn his nose at it, especially since Sonic seems to hate the book Shadow’s currently reading as much as he does. Who knows? Maybe their preferences in reading are similar than Shadow originally thought.
Shadow did not like having Sonic in his home. Their relationship was going through a change that he did not appreciate. Sonic’s talking about making plans to see movies with him, and lending books. It doesn’t even sound like he’s joking, for Chaos’ sake. So, for all that Shadow knew, Sonic is being genuine. What’s next? Starting a book club and making friendship bracelets together? Just the thought of it made him sick.
After finishing his third cup of coffee, Shadow placed the mug on the coffee table and closed the book, “Alright. I’m heading to work, and you’re overstaying your welcome.” Shadow grumbled, even though he did not have to leave for work for at least another 10 minutes. However, he wanted to stop whatever this was with Sonic early and work was the easiest excuse he could make. Maybe he’ll take his bike for the slower route to work, a bike ride sounds nice this morning after the disastrous events that took place from the past 24 hours.
“Geez, G.U.N. makes you work so early. You should try to leave them sometime, find a new job.” Sonic suggested. Sonic isn’t completely wrong in his wariness of G.U.N., considering his horrible first impression of the organization. It nearly matched Shadow’s atrocious first impression of G.U.N., although their experiences were also extremely different.
Hell, half the time working with G.U.N. feels like a hostage situation for Shadow. It helps him pay rent, but ultimately, it’s the same sketchy government organization that has some “coworkers” that treat him like an experiment and not a person. He’s not free when employed by them, he’s fairly certain if he tries to quit his job, they’ll likely lock him up at the facility. Afterall, he is a living bioweapon that should not be trusted to his own devices (as Tower once told him years ago). Too valuable to imprison for life, yet too dangerous to be completely free. Sonic’s advice was surprisingly insightful, but obviously, he did not know all the complexities that came with it. It’s just not as simple as putting in his two weeks and going somewhere else.
Shadow walked to his coat rack and put on his work jacket, grabbed his badge, and his keys. When he glanced up, Sonic was still sitting on the couch in the same position he was in. Are Sonic’s ears even working? Shadow thought that he was being obvious about kicking him out. He’s only mentioned it multiple times throughout the morning. Instead of getting ready to leave, Sonic looked as if he was hesitant, words trapped within his throat. Shadow is hoping a stare will give him the hint to leave his apartment before he starts beating him senselessly.
“Hey, before I go. Can I get your number, Shads?” Sonic winked at him. His tone was sultry, and his body language was almost flirtatious, but Shadow knew better. The other hedgehog was just making fun of him, as he always did. He was downright confused by the ask to begin with, his eyebrow raised.
After a long bought of silence Shadow muttered, “Why?”
Sonic laughed and he walked to the couch to put his shoes back on. “Ha! To message you, duh! How else are we going to schedule that movie night?” Oh, he’s still on about that? Why doesn’t the hedgehog ever take a hint and find out that Shadow is not interested?
“I don’t want to watch a movie with you. And I certainly don’t want you in my house.” Shadow’s ears flatted against his skull as he snarled. He fought of the urge to slap him for such an idiotic request.
“Ouch.” Sonic stated as he glared down in the floor in thought, “Tough crowd, tough crowd.”
To Shadow’s surprise, Sonic seemed genuinely upset for a split second. A pang of guilt hit his stomach at that reaction. Maybe he was being a little unreasonable to Sonic. Shadow did not consider him to be an enemy by any means and half of the time, he’s not horrible to spend time with, especially when they race or spare. He would honestly say that he admires the other hedgehog’s courage and strength, despite the many criticisms he has with him. Ugh, what is he thinking? He doesn’t want Sonic in his space, that was the truth but maybe Shadow could have approached that with a little more sensitivity.
“Listen man, I know we’re not exactly besties. But we’ve known each other for a long time now and I want to get to know you better, I guess,” Sonic rambled on, avoiding eye contact and tapping his foot on the ground. “I guess what I’m asking is, do you want to be friends?” Sonic smiled shily and shrugged his arms. He asked as if it was as simple as asking a question about the weather. So casually and collected, as if that isn’t the most ludicrous thing that Sonic’s ever asked him.
Shadow wasn’t sure where this change in their relationship was coming from. They’ve been antagonizing each other for a little over a decade now, why does he want to be Shadow’s friend?
Some part of him, deep down, knows that he doesn’t deserve good things like that. He doesn’t deserve Sonic. He sees how he treats his friends and Rose (Shadow is still unsure if they are dating or not), and Shadow doesn’t deserve that type of kindness. Especially with how rude and violent Shadow treats the other hedgehog. Shadow has left him with injuries too numerous to count and has said the cruelest things towards Sonic. Hell, he’s even tried to kill him once when he was manipulated by the doctor and Black Doom all those years ago. It’s not right. It’s not natural. Why would Sonic want a friend that behaves like a monster towards him? It just doesn’t make any sense.
Shadow’s ear twitched in thought, and he came to annoying conclusion that the longer he stands here, the more likely he’ll lose the chance to ride to work this morning. He grumbled out a “hmph” before he shook his head, speed-walked to the kitchen to grab a pen and a sticky note. He quickly wrote down his number with his nearly perfect handwriting.
“If you’re so persistent, here,” He growled before giving Sonic the sticky note. Sonic looked overjoyed and almost relieved as he buried the paper in his quills. It dawned on him that Shadow may have made his worst mistake. After all, he didn’t say yes to being Sonic’s friend, but he didn’t exactly say no either. He’s just going to give the other hedgehog false hope. What is getting into him lately?
“But if you annoy me, I’m blocking you, hedgehog. Do you understand?” Shadow quickly added, knowing that will likely happen anyway.
“Loud and clear.” Sonic laughed and gave out a salute-like gesture that made Shadow roll his eyes. He grabbed the doorknob and forced the other hedgehog out of his house then locked the door with his keys.
“I’ll see you later, Shadow! I’ll text you! Thanks again, man!” Sonic cheered as he ran away, a loud boom following him. The large gust of wind that followed Sonic’s sprint hit Shadow’s face.
Shadow growled as he watched him leave, then hopped on his motorcycle to go to work.