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Chapter Text

“So, what are we going to watch tonight?” Maria asked, taking the blanket from Shadow and placing it on their fort.

“Anything but that alien movie,” Shadow requested. “Are we having popcorn?”

“Is that even a question?” Maria smirked, looking at Shadow, who rolled his eyes fondly.

“Thought you might have eaten the whole stock,” Shadow jabbed. “You eat popcorn almost as much as you breathe.”

“And you have a weird affinity for raw coffee beans,” Maria giggled. “You’re in no place for judging.”

Shadow smiled and turned to go through their movie collection, selecting one at random and handing it to Maria. Maria took the VHS tape and nodded at Shadow’s choice, placing it near the TV and walking to her bed.

“Once you’re back from your boring tests, we can start movie night,” Maria said. Shadow watched as Maria flopped onto her bed, grabbing her book and flipping through the pages before setting it down. She had never been big on reading. Frankly, neither was Shadow.

Shadow walked over to Maria and pulled himself onto the bed, scooching up so he was pressed against Maria’s side, looking up at the ceiling. The room was quiet save for the humming of the technology around them, and Shadow took a moment to feel.

“I…” Shadow started, voice quiet. “I wanted to thank you, Maria. For the things you said last night. I’m glad you’re in my life.”

Maria reached down and grabbed Shadow’s hand, squeezing it.

“Same.”

Their moment of peace was interrupted by guards shouting behind the door. Tense, both kids sat up and stared at the chaos outside. There was loud crashing, and Shadow could hear the guards' orders to capture something.

“What’s going on?” Maria asked.

“I don’t know,” Shadow replied, getting off the bed and walking to the door. After hesitating, Shadow opened the door and followed the sounds down the hallway to the main entrance.

There were bolts of blue lighting dancing across the room, and guards went down left and right by something too fast for anyone to see. The guards fired into the room, panicked, but the blue blur of lighting was relentless and soon no one was left standing.

Shadow stood at the edge of the room, eyes and mouth agape as the blue blur finally stood still, standing over the unconscious guards. It was a hedgehog! It looked like–

“Shadow,” Maria breathed out, appearing beside Shadow. “He looks just like you.”

“What are you doing here? It’s not safe, Maria!” Shadow whisper-yelled at her. Maria and Shadow weren’t silent enough as the blue hedgehog’s head snapped to them at the sound of their voice.

The blue hog first looked at Maria before his electric green eyes snapped to Shadow’s. Shadow saw pure rage fill the hedgehog’s expression as those piercing green eyes changed to a vibrant, glowing blue.

“You,” the hedgehog seethed, clenching his fists. His quills lit up blue as blue lighting sparked off of him.

“Uh, hi?” Shadow said nervously, taking a step back. The blue hedgehog advanced towards Shadow, looking the least bit friendly. Shadow realised he and Maria were in real danger. Shadow protectively threw his arms out to block Maria from this new hedgehog.

Shadow also allowed himself to spark up, trying to dissuade the hedgehog from attacking Shadow, but it only seemed to egg on the blue blur.

“Maria,” Shadow rasped. “You need to run.”

“But–”

“No buts!” Shadow yelled, fear coating his voice. “Go-”

A tranq dart shot across the room, straight into the blue hedgehog’s neck. The hedgehog’s eyes returned to green, and sparks stopped rolling off him. He pulled the tranq out from his neck to look at it, and an annoyed expression overtook his face.

“You gotta be kidding me..” The hedgehog mumbled, his eyes rolling up to the back of his head and collapsing.

“Are you kids okay?” Gerald called out, tossing the tranq gun and running up to them.

“Professor,” Shadow sighed, relieved. “We’re okay.”

“Who is that?” Maria asked, looking at the intruder.

“No clue. He just appeared and started attacking the guards,” Gerald frowned. Guards started pouring into the room, guns aimed at the unconscious hedgehog on the floor.

“He had my powers,” Shadow frowned.

“Or something quite similar to them,” Gerald nodded, watching as they cuffed the hedgehog’s hands and feet.

“And he looks like me,” Shadow continued.

“But blue,” Maria added. “And angrier.”

“We’ll keep him in your chamber, Shadow,” Gerald stated. “He won’t be able to use his powers in there.”

Shadow jumped to follow the guards into the chamber room, watching as they deposited the hedgehog into the tube and letting it fill up with water. The hedgehog slowly came to, and the effects of the tranq quickly left his system.

Panic filled his eyes as he tried to fight the water and break the glass with his fists.

“Professor, I don’t think he can breathe!” Shadow exclaimed, looking at Gerald.

“He can breathe in the chamber just like you can, Shadow,” Gerald soothed, watching the hedgehog flail in the water in panic. “He’s holding his breath.”

Shadow ran up to the tube and banged on the glass.

“Breathe!” Shadow shouted.

The hedgehog looked down at Shadow, fury filling his eyes. His eyes flashed blue, but the tube rendered his powers useless. Shadow saw the hedgehog’s eyes begin to lose focus as the lack of air was getting to him.

“You can breathe, hedgehog!” Shadow yelled, slamming his fists on the glass. Shadow felt Gerald grab Shadow by the shoulder and pull him out of the room. Shadow’s heart raced as he watched the hedgehog again lose consciousness.

“Grandfather,” Maria started, appearing outside the door. Gerald pushed Shadow into her arms.

“Go to your room, Maria. Take Shadow, too,” Gerald gently requested. “I can’t risk you two getting injured. We know nothing about this creature.”

“You can sleep in my room, Shadow,” Maria said, holding one of Shadow’s shoulders.

Gerald ushered the two back to Maria’s room, and Shadow soon found himself curled up against Maria as they tried to fall asleep. But Shadow couldn’t. There were so many questions and no answers to be found.

“When he saw me,” Shadow whispered, holding Maria. “He looked like he knew me.”

“Maybe this was his first time seeing someone that looked like him, too?” Maria pondered.

“But why did he look like he hated me?”

“I don’t know.”

The question hung in the air as they both drifted off to sleep. Due to their sudden violent guest occupying the bases’ attention, Shadow was free from testing but had also been grounded to Maria’s room. Gerald didn’t want either of them near the blue hedgehog.

The pair grew extremely impatient after the third night of being “grounded”. They stayed up late watching movies, and Maria noticed Shadow staring off into space again. Maria grabbed a piece of popcorn and threw it at Shadow’s face, pulling the hedgehog from his thoughts.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Maria asked. Shadow grimaced.

“I can’t get his face out of my head. He looked so afraid,” Shadow frowned, tapping his fingers against his arm. “He was angry, but when he saw me…it was a different type of anger.”

“You looked angry when I met you,” Maria pointed out.

“Well, that’s because no one ever showed me kindness until you…” Shadow trailed off, thinking. “Do you think maybe he’s never been shown kindness either?”

“Maybe,” Maria frowned.

Shadow turned to look at the clock, realising it had just passed 2 AM.

“I have an idea.”

Just like they thought, the room was completely empty save for the blue hedgehog floating in the giant glowing tube. The two quietly tip-toed into the room, staring cautiously at the sleeping hedgehog.

The blue hedgehog looked peaceful when he was asleep, and all the anger absent from his face made Shadow wonder who was responsible for putting it there in the first place. Shadow moved his hand up to the glass and hesitated.

“I don’t want to make him angry,” Shadow whispered to Maria.

“This was your idea,” Maria reminded. Shadow bit his lip and tentatively tapped on the glass. The effect was almost immediate as the blue hedgehog stirred and groggily opened his eyes, seeing Maria and then looking down to see Shadow.

Just like last time, the anger was back on the hedgehog’s face when he looked at Shadow, but the anger was noticeably stifled. Shadow stared into the hedgehog’s eyes, getting lost in their vibrancy when Maria nudged Shadow back into action. Shadow cleared his throat and glanced at Maria uncertainly before looking back at the hedgehog, trying to give the friendliest smile he could muster.

The blue hedgehog’s eyes shot up in surprise, then fell into a raised eyebrow as he looked at Shadow. The hedgehog then looked up at Maria, who gave him a friendly smile. No longer did he seem angry, just mildly confused at the two.

“Step two is a go,” Maria grinned, tapping Shadow’s shoulder excitedly. She passed Shadow a dry-erase marker, which Shadow quickly uncapped and held up to the glass. Shadow gave another smile to the hedgehog before sticking his tongue out in concentration as he began to draw a bunny face on the glass in front of the hedgehog’s face.

Once finished, he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at his crude rabbit drawing over the hedgehog’s face, which made him look significantly less intimidating. The hedgehog looked at the drawing, realising what Shadow had done and sent a look of offence at the two as they laughed. But there-

A slight upturn in the hedgehog’s mouth. It was barely noticeable, but it was the loudest expression by far. Shadow walked closer to the glass, closer to the hedgehog, who looked back at him. This time, when they held each other’s gaze, Shadow saw the other hedgehog genuinely looking at him, evaluating him. Shadow puffed up, trying to look more impressive than he felt.

“Step three, Shadow,” Maria whispered. Shadow gulped and pressed his hand to the glass. The hedgehog looked questioningly at Shadow’s hand, and Shadow gestured to his hand, trying to make his request clear.

Realisation morphed into distrust as the hedgehog realised what Shadow was looking for. Everything in Shadow wanted to run away, afraid of being rejected by one of his kind. But Maria’s hand on his shoulder kept Shadow standing strong and looking hopefully at the hedgehog.

The hedgehog looked at Maria and then back to Shadow. Shadow held his breath and then-

The hedgehog pressed his hand against Shadow’s through the glass. Shadow watched in awe as the previously angry hedgehog gave Shadow a small smile that made Shadow’s heart stutter. The hedgehog pressed his other hand against the glass and looked at Maria, who quickly returned the gesture. This was going better than he could ever have hoped for.

“It’s going to be okay,” Maria said, looking at the hedgehog. “You’re with us now.”

The hedgehog looked like he believed it.

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Chapter Text

Shadow woke up early the next day, his nerves still alight from last night. Maria was fast asleep when Shadow stepped out of the bedroom and back into the chamber. The scientists hadn’t arrived yet, leaving it just Shadow and the mysterious new hedgehog.

The hedgehog was asleep again, which didn’t surprise Shadow. There are not many things to do in the tube besides sleep. However, the hedgehog seemed to sense his presence and opened his eyes, locking straight onto Shadow.

Shadow offered the hedgehog a warm smile and waved, walking closer to the glass. Once again, the hedgehog seemed heavily thrown off by Shadow’s kindness, just like the night before. But after a few seconds of distrustful glances, the hedgehog returned Shadow’s gesture with a tiny smile.

Shadow beaming at the returned gesture seemed to confuse the hedgehog again. But then the hedgehog’s face once again turned to anger, but this time he wasn’t looking at Shadow; he was looking at–

“Shadow,” Gerald greeted, walking into the room.

“Professor,” Shadow jumped, turning to face Gerald.

“Not following my specific orders, I see,” Gerald scolded.

“I’m sorry, I was just worried–”

“It’s not your job to worry. Trust me, the specimen is contained. He can’t hurt anyone in there,” Gerald spoke.

“I was worried about him,” Shadow corrected, frowning at Gerald’s choice of words. Shadow turned to look at the hedgehog and was surprised to see the hedgehog bearing his teeth at Gerald.

“Shadow, just because he looks like you doesn't mean he’s one of us,” Gerald sighed. “He took down a whole fleet of guards.”

“Well, we’re doing a great job of making an enemy out of him by locking him up,” Shadow rebutted. “I was with him last night. He was friendly.”

“He’s not friendly, Shadow,” Gerald scoffed. “Look at him.”

Shadow did look at him. The hedgehog did look angry, but he also looked scared. Shadow tapped the glass to get the hedgehog’s attention before pressing his hand on the glass.

The hedgehog looked at Shadow uncertainly, eyes darting between him and the professor before seemingly giving in to Shadow’s hopeful expression and pressing his hand against Shadow’s, but not without rolling his eyes. Shadow smiled victoriously, turning to Gerald, who seemed perplexed by the change in temperament.

Gerald took a step forward and pressed his hand against the glass. The hedgehog looked up at Gerald and reared in disgust before flipping the professor off.

“Rugrat’s not a fan of humans, I see,” Gerald scoffed, stepping back.

“He did it with Maria,” Shadow frowned in confusion. “Maybe he doesn’t like you?”

“Your input is not wanted at this point in time,” Gerald glared. “And don’t think you’re getting away with the fact that you and Maria snuck out last night to see this rodent.”

Shadow winced, realising he had just outed him and Maria of their escapade last night. But then Shadow frowned once again at Gerald’s choice of words.

“He’s a hedgehog, professor,” Shadow corrected.

“Yes, I am aware,” Gerald sighed, rolling his eyes.

“I want to talk to him,” Shadow stated with determination.

“We can’t while he’s in the tube,” Gerald pointed out.

“So, we take him out,” Shadow said like it was obvious. Gerald laughed at this. “I'm serious, professor.”

“I know,” Gerald nodded. “But you saw what he did to the guards, what he could have done to you and Maria. If we let him out, he could do the same thing.”

“He won’t,” Shadow said with certainty, looking into the hedgehog’s eyes. Shadow turned to the professor. “Please trust me, professor. I want to talk to one of my kind. I want answers.”

Gerald looked at Shadow and was silent for a moment before exhaling and turning away from Shadow. Shadow’s ears dropped in disappointment but perked up when he saw Gerald closing the door to the chamber and locking it. Gerald turned back to Shadow.

“I trust you, Shadow,” Gerald spoke softly. “And if this goes sideways, I trust you will get him back into the tube.”

“Thank you, professor,” Shadow grinned. Gerald hummed and pressed a few buttons on the console before swiping his card, and Shadow watched as the water began to drain from the tube. The hedgehog inside looked shocked at this development as he stumbled to hold himself up once all the water had been drained.

The tube door slid open, and the hedgehog stumbled out of the tube and onto the floor, taking deep gulps of air. Shadow ran up to the hedgehog and knelt beside him with worry.

“Are you alright?” Shadow asked.

“I was tranqed and shoved into a tube of water for three days while scientists looked at me like I was some sort of zoo animal,” the hedgehog spat angrily, shoving Shadow away from him and struggling to stand up. “What do you think?”

“I–” Shadow started but flinched as the hedgehog violently shook the water off himself, coating the lab in water.

“Fantastic,” Gerald said sarcastically, wringing out his moustache.

“You!” The hedgehog growled, looking at Gerald. Sparks rolled off the hedgehog as he advanced. Shadow jumped and grabbed the hedgehog’s arm.

“Stop! If you attack anyone, I have to put you back into the tube,” Shadow pleaded. “I don’t want to fight you.”

The hedgehog froze at that statement, slowly turning back towards Shadow with a look of pure disbelief. Shadow just continued to stare pleadingly at his blue counterpart. They stared unblinkly at each other before the other hedgehog sagged in resignation.

“Okay,” he said softly, the blue sparks ceasing. Shadow sighed in relief and let go of the other hedgehog’s arm. Shadow observed the other hedgehog, who seemed to be folding in on himself, his eyes darting around the room. He was quite possibly looking for an exit, but he looked more afraid than anything else.

“What’s your name?” Shadow asked softly, drawing the other hedgehog’s attention. The hedgehog was silent, looking suspiciously at Shadow before finally speaking.

“Sonic,” he mumbled cautiously. Shadow held his hand out to Sonic, who raised his eyebrow in confusion.

“I’m Shadow,” Shadow smiled. Sonic’s face twisted up in amusement as he tentatively took Shadow’s hand and shook it. Sonic then suddenly pulled away from Shadow, face turning distrustful once again.

“How did I get here?” Sonic questioned, crossing his arms.

“You don’t know?” Shadow blinked.

“Yeah, no, that’s why I’m asking,” Sonic grunted, looking annoyed. “One second I was with— and then I was here and had a bunch of guns pointed at me.”

“So you were just scared,” Shadow realised. Sonic glared daggers at Shadow.

“You try blinking and suddenly being surrounded by faceless humans pointing lethal weapons at you, and we’ll see how you feel,” Sonic hissed. Shadow’s eyes widened in panic.

“No, no! I didn’t mean that as an insult,” Shadow exclaimed. “It’s just a lot of people here thought you attacked them with no reason.”

“What?! I would never!” Sonic gasped, offended, before turning angry. “You look like someone who would attack without reason.”

“No!” Shadow denied. “No, why would I do that?!”

“You’ve got that kinda face,” Sonic snuffed, turning away from Shadow. “Look, this has been nice, but I think I’m gonna go now, ‘kay? This place gets zero stars from me on Yelp.”

“You can’t leave!” Shadow exclaimed. “I have so many questions.”

“You’re also government property,” Gerald coughed.

“Property?!” Sonic shouted in outrage, turning to Gerald. “Wanna say that again, saggy egg face?”

“Why you–” Gerald growled, only to be cut off by Shadow.

“Professor,” Shadow scolded. “Really? Don’t do that.”

“Wait,” Sonic blinked, looking at Shadow. “You’re…defending me?”

“It wasn’t right what he said,” Shadow spoke, looking at Sonic. “I’m sorry.”

“Uhh, okay,” Sonic drawled out, confused. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

“Expecting what?” Shadow asked. Sonic's face became much more tentative as he looked away from Shadow.

“You being nice to me,” Sonic murmured. Shadow frowned and placed a hand on Sonic’s shoulder, as Maria would do when he felt negative emotions.

“You deserve kindness, Sonic,” Shadow said. Sonic looked at Shadow with a very unguarded expression.

“This is weird,” Sonic finally said, pulling away from Shadow’s touch.

“You look like me,” Shadow said, switching topics.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Sonic huffed sarcastically.

“Why?” Shadow continued. Sonic raised his eyebrow.

“‘Cause we’re both hedgehogs? Feel like that’s obvious.”

“No,” Shadow sighed, trying to get his point across. “We’re not like Earth hedgehogs. Do you know what we are? Or where our kind is from?”

“You don’t know,” Sonic realised softly. Shadow shook his head, and Sonic let out a breath of air.

“I’m from a planet called Mobius. People from there are called mobians,” Sonic answered, moving to sit on the edge of the stairs around the tube. “There’s a ton of different species of mobians on the planet and hedgehogs are pretty rare to come across.”

“Wow,” Shadow breathed out, sitting next to Sonic. “And do all mobians have powers like us?”

“Uh,” Sonic drawled out, glancing at Gerald distrustfully. “Not really comfortable talking about that around moustache over there.”

“Because he’s a human?” Shadow guessed.

“No,” Sonic shook his head. “Because he’s a scientist, and he looks like someone who’s tried to kill me like three times.”

“Do I now?” Gerald asked, intrigued. Sonic glared at Gerald.

“Your voice of intrigue doesn’t make me trust you any more than I already do,” Sonic snuffed.

“Did you come here to Earth in a meteor, too?” Shadow interrupted.

“Ahh, no?” Sonic replied, looking confused. “Wait, did you?”

Shadow nodded, and Sonic seemed a bit shocked by that information.

“How did you get to Earth?”

“A portal,” Sonic answered.

“Oh,” Shadow blinked. Suddenly, the door to the chamber room slid open to reveal Maria standing behind it.

“Maria,” Gerald exclaimed. “How did you open the door?”

“It was unlocked,” Maria lied, putting a keycard that didn’t belong to her into her pocket. She turned to see Sonic and grinned.

“You’re out!” She said happily, walking up to Sonic.

“You’re Maria,” Sonic said wistfully, looking at her like she may be a ghost.

“And you’re?” Maria asked. Sonic didn’t reply and continued staring at her.

“Sonic,” Shadow answered for him. “His name is Sonic.”

“Fitting name for someone so fast,” Maria smiled, looking at Sonic. Sonic chuckled at that, looking more comfortable in her presence. “How fast are you?”

“Super fast,” Sonic grinned. Sonic actually grinned. It was an expression that fit on Sonic’s face more than his anger and distrust did. Shadow wanted to see that grin more.

“You hungry?” Maria inquired, smirking.

“Oh, I’m starving!” Sonic exclaimed, still smiling. Maria reached out for Sonic’s hand, who took it without hesitation. Maria pulled him up to his feet and then pulled Shadow up.

“Come on!” Maria urged.

“Hang on a second,” Gerald cut in, but Maria was already pulling the two hedgehogs out the door and down the hallway to the cafe. Gerald stood there for a minute before sighing and collapsing into a chair.

Great, now there were three of them.

Chapter Text

Everything was fine. Tom got the second keycard, and the Robotnik’s didn’t. But Sonic’s heart was still racing from the close call of Tom and Maddie nearly getting squished by a ton of concrete. If his lightning hadn’t been enough to free him from the anti-gravity tile, then…

“Shut up, Sonic,” Sonic whispered, jogging down the hallway. “They’re both fine. Everything is okay. We’ve got the keycard, so there’s no weapon of mass destruction today.”

“If you weren’t fast enough, they could’ve died,” Sonic frowned.

“But, you were fast enough, Sonic,” Sonic interrupted himself.

“Yeah, but talk about a close call,” Sonic huffed angrily. “If one of those metal poles had broken free, it could have impaled them!”

“But they didn’t,” Sonic reminded. “We won! Everything is fine. Except for the major property damage. I’m sure the government has good insurance.”

“Don’t try to switch the subject on me, Sonic,” Sonic scolded. “You still nearly got your parents killed!”

“Maddie said I shouldn’t hyper-fixate on my obsessive thoughts. Everything turned out okay,” Sonic pointed out. Sonic finally reached the end of the hallway and called out to Tom. “Tom! Everything’s clear!”

Sonic turned and met Shadow's eyes. Sonic’s hackles raised.

“Shadow? What are you– Tom!” Sonic shouted, running over to his father. Tom was lying on the floor unconscious. It didn’t even look like he was breathing. Sonic grabbed the back of Tom’s head and shook it, trying to wake the man up. “Come on, Tom,” Sonic pleaded, voice going weak. “Tom, please wake up.”

There was no response. Tom was hurt badly, and Sonic’s throat closed at seeing the extent of Tom’s injuries. No, no, no, no, this couldn’t be happening again. He couldn’t be losing another parent.

“What?”

Shadow’s surprised voice made Sonic turn to face Shadow.

“What did you do?” Sonic seethed.

“What I had to,” Shadow stated, standing tall. Sonic stood up, lightning rolling off him.

“You’re gonna pay, Shadow!” Sonic yelled, leaping forward with his fists raised. Shadow disappeared in a flash of light, and Sonic felt himself crash into someone’s legs. Sonic shook his head clear and looked up to see a random, strangely dressed guard turn to look at him.

“What the-?” Sonic mumbled, backing up and looking around the room. The room had changed, and Sonic soon found himself surrounded by faceless guards pointing weapons at him.

“The hell is that thing?!” One of the guards gasped.

“Where am I?!” Sonic questioned. “Who are you?!”

“Contain it!”

“Wait, stop!” Sonic pleaded as one of the guards fired his weapon at Sonic. Sonic dodged it. The guards kept firing at him, and Sonic wanted the chance to breathe. Some guard tried to grab Sonic by the quills, but Sonic turned around and punched the guard. Sparks started to roll off him as he fell into an aggressive stance. “Don’t make me hurt you,” Sonic growled, glaring at the guards.

“Capture it!” A guard ordered. Sonic jumped against the nearest wall, curling himself into a ball and slamming against one of the guards. Sonic uncurled and leapt into the air, kicking another guard in the noggin and sending the guard to the ground.

Sonic didn’t pull his punches. He was angry. Sonic wanted Tom, but they took him and attacked him, so Sonic was happy to strike back. He let all his pain and anger roll off him with sparks of lightning, and soon, Sonic was the only one left standing.

Sonic breathed heavily, trying to contain his panic and confusion. The edges of his vision were blurry, and it was getting harder to breathe.

“--It’s not safe, Maria,” A voice quietly exclaimed. Sonic’s head snapped to the two figures hiding in the corner of the room. There was a blonde girl who was looking at him with curiosity, but beside her was–

“You!” Sonic seethed, his power rolling off him like tidal waves, eyes turning blue. Sonic had never felt this angry in his life before. Sonic was once again face-to-face with Tom’s attacker—quite possibly Tom’s murderer. Shadow would pay for what he had done to Tom.

“Uh, hi?” Shadow blinked, stepping away from Sonic. Seriously?! Shadow was acting coy after what he did? Sonic was going to tear him apart.

Sonic began to advance, ready to turn Shadow into nothing but mush. Shadow turned anxiously to the girl, throwing his arms out in front of her and sparking up himself. So he wanted to fight? Good.

Shadow yelled at the girl, but Sonic couldn’t hear him over his rage.

Sonic felt something painful sting his neck, and he suddenly felt his body relax against his will, his powers ceasing to work. His vision began to blur differently, and Sonic reached up and pulled whatever object was in his neck to look at it.

Focusing on it, Sonic realised it was a tranq dart.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Sonic mumbled as his consciousness faded. The last thing he remembered was hitting the floor.

Sonic came to when he felt cold water rise to his waist. All the haze disappeared as Sonic pulled himself up and realised he was in a glass tube rapidly filling with water.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Sonic panicked, punching the glass, hoping that somehow, it would break. “No, no, no! Please!”

Sonic desperately sucked in one last breath as the water reached the top, leaving Sonic floating and uselessly banging against the glass. He looked around, heart racing, when he realised there was no way out. He was going to drown!

Someone banged on the outside of the glass, and Sonic looked down to see Shadow on the outside, yelling something at him. Sonic felt his powers spark up at the sight of Shadow, but terrifyingly, they were stifled. His powers didn’t work in here.

His lungs began burning, and his vision grew dark. He saw Shadow banging on the glass and being pulled away from the tube by someone. Sonic’s body finally forced him to take in air and perhaps a miracle was at work because Sonic could breathe.

He gasped, feeling his body return to him and tried to stop the tremors of relief at the fact he wasn’t going to drown. Why he wasn’t drowning in water, let alone breathing in water, was beyond him, but at this point, Sonic would just roll with it.

Being forced to a standstill or rather…a float? Sonic allowed himself to look around. There were men in white coats, all looking at him with curiosity and intrigue—some looked at monitors reading different numbers and then looked back at Sonic. He glared at every one of them.

Sonic pushed himself forward and banged on the glass. He wanted out! He tried to yell at the scientists, but only gargles came out of his throat, and it was likely they couldn’t even hear him. And Sonic recognised their looks. They weren’t looking at him as a being but rather as a specimen, and his feelings were all but muted noise to them.

A larger set man walked up to the glass, and Sonic had to double-take when he realised it was Eggman’s grandfather. Sonic turned to face him fully and bore his teeth at the older man, desperately trying to summon his powers.

After straining to summon his powers for two minutes while Eggman’s grandfather watched, Sonic began feeling like a fool. He was as good as trapped and at the mercy of a Robotnik of all people.

Sonic pushed himself away from the glass, crossing his arms and glaring at Eggman’s grandfather. They stared at each other, and Sonic scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. The way old Robotnik looked at him…like he didn’t recognise Sonic. Perhaps the water was distorting his appearance, but old Robotnik looked slightly younger, too.

Finally, pulling his gaze away, Sonic looked around the room. It seemed so familiar, but at the same time, it didn’t. Then suddenly, a memory of Sonic’s flashed into his mind. This place looked like Shadow’s old home.

Everything matched up, but that wasn’t possible. Sonic had seen the whole place in decay. He had seen the military base get sucked up by a mini-black hole! He had seen…

All the thoughts in Sonic’s head seemed to screech to a halt as another memory surfaced—a photo he had seen in the base. It was of Shadow and Maria. Maria had died. She was dead. There was no doubt about that. It happened 50 years ago.

But the girl Shadow stood in front of—Sonic now realised that Shadow was protecting her—looked exactly like Maria. For Pete's sake, Shadow had called her Maria! Sonic was reaching a conclusion here, but said conclusion wasn’t possible.

Sonic had to be going crazy. Maybe he was losing his mind like he was losing Tom. He had to find his way back to Tom. But as Sonic watched Eggman’s grandfather, who now looked slightly younger, converse with the other scientists, he realised it might be more complicated than he thought. 50 years more complicated.

Sonic felt exhaustion pull at him, and Sonic didn’t resist as he was dragged off to sleep. He dreamt of his Dad.

At some point, Sonic realised there was a timer next to the tube indicating how long he had been in it. He had hoped they would release him when the timer reached 24 hours, but all they did was stare at him or tap the glass. 48 hours in, Sonic grew even more resentful of his captors. Hanger gnawed at Sonic it was almost painful. After 72 hours, Sonic was bone tired despite only being able to sleep in the stupid tube or people watch. What if they never let him out?

Sonic’s family swam in his mind as he dreamed of seeing them again, racing with his brothers and watching movies with his parents. Sonic hated fishing trips with Tom, but what Sonic would give to do was just that with his Dad again.

Someone tapped on the glass, and Sonic allowed his eyes to roll open, expecting to see some stupid scientist, but was surprised to see the girl again. Maybe Maria, Sonic said in his head. Beside her, Shadow looked up at Sonic with wide, unblinking eyes. Sonic couldn’t help but sneer at the hedgehog, his anger boiling his blood to a temperature he couldn’t stand. But this might not be the Shadow who did that to Tom…

Maybe Maria nudged Shadow in the arm, and Shadow turned to look at her, seemingly forgetting she was there. Maybe Maria said something to Shadow, who turned around to look at Sonic again and smiled.

Wait. He did what?! Were Sonic’s eyes broken, or was Shadow smiling at Sonic? After a few seconds of starting, confirm Sonic’s eyes. Shadow was smiling at Sonic of all creatures. Sonic looked at Maybe Maria, who also gave Sonic a friendly smile. What was going on?

Maybe Maria tapped Shadow’s shoulder excitedly and handed the hedgehog a marker. Shadow uncapped it and walked closer to the tube. Shadow smiled at Sonic again before he began drawing on the glass.

It was a bit jarring to see Shadow smile, but even more so as he watched Shadow stick his tongue out in concentration like a little kid as he drew whatever he was drawing onto the glass. Sonic looked at Maybe Maria questioningly before doing a double take at seeing Shadow laughing. Why was he laughing?

Sonic backed away from the glass to see what Shadow had drawn. It was a…poorly drawn bunny face. But why did…wait. Sonic had been floating right in front of the drawing, so Shadow had technically drawn a bunny face on Sonic.

Sonic looked at the two with great offence. Were they mocking him? But as they laughed, their laugh didn’t seem directed at Sonic in a mean way. It seemed more…friendly. Seeing Shadow be so loose and relaxed, let alone being a little goofy, was a sight to behold. A microscopic smile pulled at Sonic’s mouth, which Shadow immediately locked onto.

Shadow’s smile faded as he stepped towards the glass again. They held each other’s gaze again, but this time, Sonic really looked. Sonic didn’t see a violent hedgehog who had hurt Tom. Sonic saw someone who looked far too worried about Sonic, who gave out small smiles because Sonic needed it. This was someone…Sonic didn’t actually know.

This wasn’t the Shadow he knew.

Through the glass, Shadow looked hesitant before pressing his hand against the glass. Sonic raised his eyebrow in confusion at Shadow’s expectant gaze, but then Shadow gestured to his hand again, and Sonic realised what he was asking for.

This wasn’t the Shadow he knew. But it could be the Shadow he knew—the same Shadow who so ruthlessly hurt his father.

Oh, but those eyes. Shadow’s eyes were so full of hope. Sonic looked up to Maria, whose death catalysed Shadow’s undoing.

This wasn’t the Shadow he knew.

Sonic pressed his hand against Shadow’s and smiled at the hedgehog.

This was Maria’s Shadow.

Sonic looked up at Maria and pressed his other hand against the glass to her. Maria’s face lit up with joy, and she reciprocated the gesture. She said something to Sonic, and he couldn’t hear it. But he could feel the meaning, the safety she promised.

Whatever she said, Sonic allowed himself to believe in it 100%.

Chapter Text

Honestly? Sonic was tired of sleeping all the time, which was baffling for him to admit to himself. It was hard to be bored in this place, not just because he was stuck in a tube. But because ever since he got here, his anxiety had been through the roof. He was scared of what they would do to him.

Sonic hated to be ogled at by the scientists, looking at him like he was nothing more than words on a page. Were they just going to leave him in here? Would they just let him starve to death and then cut apart his body like Eggman wanted to do?

And Sonic couldn’t stop thinking about Tom. Was the future going on without him? Was Tom still in that hallway alone, dying? What about Maddie? Would she run in and find the love of her life alone and think Sonic abandoned them all?

He never should have brought Tom and Maddie on this mission. They were only human, after all. They were his parents! Shadow was the one to strike the final blow to Tom, but the fault truly lied on Sonic for bringing Tom.

Sonic opened his eyes and– speak of the devil, and he shall appear– it was Shadow. Resentment pooled in Sonic’s stomach as Shadow walked across the room. Sonic was well aware of what Shadow was capable of and–

Sonic’s brooding thoughts were interrupted by Shadow smiling and waving at him. It was just so odd seeing Shadow look so…not like himself. But yet, this was himself. Fifty years ago, maybe, but this was part of Shadow.

This isn’t the Shadow you know, Sonic reminded himself. Sonic pushed down his feelings and allowed himself to return Shadow’s friendly gestures with a small smile. Perhaps it was worth seeing Shadow absolutely beam at Sonic for being friendly with him.

Sonic looked past Shadow and saw saggy Eggman enter the chamber room. His anger was back again in full force, and Sonic tried to will his powers into fruition as the man approached.

Shadow frowned at Sonic’s shift in demeanour but turned around in surprise as the older Robotnik spoke to him. Sonic couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Shadow seemed angered by old Egg’s words.

Perhaps they were discussing how they would kill him, Sonic thought. Old Egg wanted to euthanise Sonic to preserve his organs, while Shadow wanted to beat Sonic to death.

Dude! What dark thoughts! Gosh, Maddie had been right that Sonic’s intrusive thoughts were causing him a lot of anxiety. Realistically, in this situation, it was highly unlikely that Shadow wanted Sonic dead. If it were so, Shadow’s acts of kindness with no one present would make no sense.

So, what were they talking about? Ten years of isolation made Sonic an excellent lip reader, but reading became impossible when the water distorted his vision.

A tap on the glass pulled Sonic from his thoughts, and looked at Shadow, who placed his hand on the glass.

What? Now? Really, Shadow? In front of Eggman’s smelly grandfather?

Shadow’s look of hope made Sonic’s resolve break. Hope was a nice thing to see on Shadow. Reluctantly, and not without rolling his eyes, Sonic placed his hand over Shadow’s, who looked exuberant as he looked back at Robotnik Sr.

The older, moustached man approached the glass and gently placed it on the tube, looking at Sonic expectantly. If Sonic had eaten, he would have thrown up. For the first time, Sonic had a reason to be glad his stomach was empty: He was not sure he could handle floating in a tube with his own vomit.

Playing nice with a past version of Shadow was one thing. But being remotely friendly to a Robotnik? One who looked like a melted 3D-printed version of Eggman who had tried to kill Sonic multiple times? Heck, this Robotnik had tried to kill him too!

Since Sonic couldn’t say, never in a million years, due to being stuck in a tube, He made a hand gesture to the older man—a gesture that Tom and Maddie had forbade Sonic from making. Well, they weren’t here to see him do it.

It had its desired effect as the older man stepped back, looking none too pleased. Shadow looked like a confused puppy. Was Shadow unhappy that Sonic wasn’t being all buddy-buddy with Shadow’s buddy?

Shadow and Old Eggman exchanged words, and both became tense at what they said to each other. Old Eggman said something, causing Shadow to turn back to Sonic and look at him earnestly. Sonic was able to read the words that Shadow spoke through the glass.

“He won’t.”

He won’t what? Escape? Win? Survive? What would Sonic not do? Old Eggman turned away from Shadow, who looked disappointed before looking back in surprise as Eggman Sr closed the door into the chamber room.

They were up to something. Sonic felt his heart race, and he wondered if this was where he would have to make his final stand to survive. Suddenly, the water in the tube started draining- it was an awful noise. Loud and drone-like as the water disappeared beneath his feet.

With the water completely gone, Sonic was left to try and support his body weight after being unable to do so for the past three days. His legs felt fragile and shaky, as if a slight breeze could knock him over.

The door on the tube hummed to life, and all thoughts of his strength were silenced as Sonic rushed to get as far from the watery prison as he possibly could. Sonic’s legs gave out from under him, causing Sonic to crumble to the floor.

Soaked, the frigid air made Sonic shiver as he took deep gulps of air. Breathing felt so good, almost as incredible as running.

“Are you alright?” A low, gravelly voice asked, appearing next to Sonic. Sonic felt hands lightly graze his shoulders in concern. Sonic’s skin crawled at the contact.

“I was tranqed and shoved into a tube of water for three days while scientists looked at me like I was some sort of zoo animal,” Sonic spat angrily, pushing Shadow away from him and struggling to stand up. Sonic could feel his muscles tremble as he turned to look at Shadow with disdain. “What do you think?”

Shadow looked guilty as this as another shiver racked Sonic’s body.

“I–”

Sonic aggressively and spitefully shook all the water off his fur with his super speed, finding a slight sense of satisfaction as Shadow flinched at being coated in cold water. Sonic’s fur stood puffier, and Sonic huffed to himself, quickly trying to reorganise his quills while Shadow stumbled over his words.

“Fantastic,” an older voice grumbled out. Sonic turned to see old Eggman, who rang out the water from his prized moustache.

“You!” Sonic growled, looking at the older man. Anger burned at Sonic as his powers sparked up again. Undoubtedly, this Robotnik was the ring leader in the “Shove Sonic into a Tube of Water” plan. Now free, Sonic could make sure there would be one less Eggman to try and attack Sonic’s family.

“Stop!” Shadow exclaimed, grabbing Sonic’s arm. “If you attack anyone, I have to put you back into the tube,” Shadow said. Shadow’s voice turned soft and genuine as he whispered, “I don’t want to fight you.”

Sonic froze, turning to face Shadow in disbelief. But Shadow looked desperate to stop Sonic from attacking old Eggface. Strange how, not too long ago it was Sonic telling Shadow he didn’t want to fight.

So much has happened since then…

“Okay,” Sonic found himself saying, guilt pulling at every facet. What would Tom think if he had seen Sonic mercilessly attack so many in the name of Tom? Tom wouldn’t be proud. He would be horrified. The government was right the first time. Sonic was a mons–

“What’s your name?” Shadow asked softly, pulling Sonic from his spiral. Shadow sounded so…gentle. Sonic looked at Shadow, whose face was just as soft as his voice.

“Sonic,” he finally said, barely finding the words. Shadow looked ecstatic as he held his hand out to Sonic.

“I’m Shadow,” Shadow greeted. Oh, it was a handshake. Sonic was dumb. Sonic awkwardly took Shadow’s hand and shook it. What are you doing, Sonic?! This hedgehog might have killed your father! Sonic yanked his hand away, his anger returning once again.

“How did I get here?” Sonic asked. They must know.

“You don’t know?” Shadow blinked. Sonic rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, no, that’s why I’m asking,” Sonic grumbled. “One second I was with–” Sonic cut himself off. He didn’t want them to know his father’s name. Sonic couldn’t bear to say it without choking up, either. “And then I was here and had a bunch of guns pointed at me.”

“So you were just scared,” Shadow said. Sonic reared back and looked at Shadow angrily.

“You try blinking and suddenly being surrounded by faceless humans pointing lethal weapons at you, and we’ll see how you feel,” Sonic hissed. Shadow’s eyes widened in panic.

“No, no! I didn’t mean that as an insult,” Shadow exclaimed, waving his hands frantically. “It’s just a lot of people here thought you attacked them with no reason.”

“What?! I would never!” Sonic gasped, offended, before turning angry. “You look like someone who would attack without reason.”

“No!” Shadow denied, looking horrified. “No, why would I do that?!”

“You’ve got that kinda face,” Sonic grumbled. Memories of Shadow attacking his brothers in Tokyo played in Sonic’s mind. What was Sonic even still doing here? He had to get back home. Sonic turned away and began walking towards the door. “Look, this has been nice, but I think I’m gonna go now, ‘kay? This place gets zero stars from me on Yelp.”

Shoot, was Yelp even a thing at this time? Whatever, it didn’t matter.

“You can’t leave!” Shadow shouted after Sonic. “I have so many questions!”

“You’re also government property,” old Eggman said under his breath.

“Property?!” Sonic exclaimed, fury crawling up his insides. What an Eggman thing to say. How dare he! Sonic was a living, breathing-feeling creature– he was no one’s property! “Wanna say that again, saggy egg face?”

Sonic’s insult had the desired effect as he watched the old man rise angrily and step towards Sonic. Sonic raised his fists, ready to fight.

“Why you–”

“Professor!” Shadow called out, his voice angry. “Really? Don’t do that.”

Sonic’s thoughts reeled to a grinding halt.

“Wait,” Sonic blinked, lowering his fists and looking at Shadow. “You’re…defending me?”

“It wasn’t right what he said,” Shadow told Sonic, looking as angry as Sonic felt. “I’m sorry.”

“Uhh, okay,” Sonic managed to say, trying to process the situation. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

“Expecting what?” Shadow asked, once again looking like a confused puppy. Sonic found it embarrassing to admit his following words.

“You being nice to me,” Sonic said, looking away. Frustration rose in Sonic, and the blue hedgehog had to force himself not to cry. Sonic was just so confused and angry and scared, and he didn’t know what to do or who to trust or–

A firm hand landed on Sonic’s shoulder. It made Sonic’s racing thoughts quiet down, and Sonic breathed. He turned to look at Shadow, who squeezed Sonic’s shoulder reassuringly.

“You deserve kindness, Sonic,” Shadow said to Sonic. Sonic couldn’t bring himself to do anything other than to continue staring at Shadow, trying to search for any deceit in his face but finding nothing but genuine kindness.

Shadow was holding Sonic’s shoulder.

“This is weird,” Sonic coughed, pulling away from Shadow and crossing his arms over his chest.

“You look like me,” Shadow stated.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Sonic huffed sarcastically, quietly thankful for the change in subject.

“Why?” Shadow continued. Sonic raised his eyebrow.

“‘Cause we’re both hedgehogs? Feel like that’s obvious.”

“No,” Shadow sighed, rubbing his face. “We’re not like Earth hedgehogs. Do you know what we are? Or where our kind is from?”

“You don’t know,” Sonic realised softly. Shadow shook his head, and Sonic let out a breath of air. After all the undeserved kindness this Shadow has shown Sonic, perhaps he’d indulge Shadow in a few answers before he left.

“I’m from a planet called Mobius. People from there are called mobians,” Sonic answered, moving to sit on the edge of the stairs around the tube. “There’s a ton of different species of mobians on the planet and hedgehogs are pretty rare to come across.”

“Wow,” Shadow breathed out, sitting next to Sonic. Sonic resisted the urge to move further away from the hedgehog. “And do all mobians have powers like us?”

“Uh,” Sonic drawled out, glancing at old Eggman behind him. What if the man found out how special their powers were and dissected them? Or experimented on Sonic, trying to uncover the source of his power? “Not really comfortable talking about that around moustache over there.”

“Because he’s a human?” Shadow questioned.

“No,” Sonic shook his head. “Because he’s a scientist, and he looks like someone who’s tried to kill me like three times.”

“Do I now?” Old Eggman asked in intrigue, sending chills down Sonic’s spine.

“Your voice of intrigue doesn’t make me trust you any more than I already do,” Sonic called out.

“Did you come here to Earth in a meteor, too?” Shadow interrupted.

What? Sonic turned to look at Shadow, trying to see if he was joking or not.

“Ahh, no?” Sonic replied, looking confused. Shadow’s question was genuine, and Sonic found himself asking. “Wait, did you?”

Shadow nodded. Holy cow that might be the coolest way to travel ever. Talk about a grand entrance. Sonic was a tad jealous.

“How did you get to Earth?” Shadow inquired. Sonic again realised how reluctant he was to answer questions when old Eggman was here to listen. Sonic stayed vague.

“A portal,” Sonic said.

“Oh,” Shadow blinked. Suddenly, the door to the chamber room slid open, and Sonic turned to see the blonde-haired girl standing at the entrance.

“Maria,” old Eggy exclaimed. “How did you open the door?”

“It was unlocked,” Maria lied, putting a keycard that didn’t belong to her into her pocket. She turned to see Sonic and grinned.

“You’re out!” She said happily, walking up to Sonic.

“You’re Maria,” Sonic said wistfully. This was really Maria. The Maria. Maria asked Sonic a question, but he just kept staring in awe. In a sense, Maria was Shadow’s doughnut lord. Her death was what changed Shadow so much.

“Sonic,” Shadow answered for him. “His name is Sonic.”

“Fitting name for someone so fast,” Maria smiled, looking at Sonic. Sonic felt his heart warm at Maria’s smile. No wonder Shadow liked her so much. She was smart, and she knew when she was in the presence of the fastest hedgehog alive.“How fast are you?”

“Super fast,” Sonic grinned, hoping to gain Maria’s approval for his skills. Maria beamed at Sonic and leaned closer to him.

“You hungry?” Maria inquired, smirking. Sonic felt his stomach roar with hunger, and he smiled excitedly, feeling where this could be going.

“Oh, I’m starving!” Sonic admitted, throwing his hands up in the air. Maria smiled at Sonic and reached out her hand, which Sonic grasped with his own. She helped him to his feet and pulled Shadow up, too.

“Come on,” Maria exclaimed, running out of the room with Sonic and Shadow holding her hands. Sonic put all his emotions aside, focusing on the fact that soon he would be united with his one true love.

Food!

Chapter Text

“Alright, these are the best waffles I’ve had in a long time,” Sonic grinned, taking large bites from his giant stack of waffles. “Can someone pass the syrup?”

Shadow pushed the syrup towards Sonic, who barely spared him a second glance. Shadow’s mouth was agape as he watched Sonic pour the syrup over his food. That was an absurd amount of syrup. Maria just snickered at Sonic’s antics, unbothered by the fact they were almost out of syrup.

“So,” Shadow began, clearing his throat. “Do you think you could tell me more about your planet?”

“Uhm,” Sonic said, mouth full of food. He glanced over at Shadow with a hint of nervousness. “It’s got a loop-de-loop.”

“A loop-de-lopp?” Shadow repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow. Sonic nodded, swallowing his food.

“Yeah, at least on the island where I’m from,” Sonic shrugged, smiling. “It was super green and perfect for running around. I could cross the island in less than two minutes, but it was awesome.”

“Was,” Maria repeated. Sonic turned to her.

“Hmm?”

“Was,” Maria said again. “You keep saying was.”

Maria was right. Shadow turned to look at his blue counterpart, who started anxiously tapping his finger on the table.

“To be completely honest,” Sonic started, looking guilty. “I don’t know anything about Mobius.”

“Why not?” Shadow asked, surprised.

“I haven’t lived there since I was three,” Sonic said, looking at Shadow. “When you asked if all our species have powers like you and I, the answer is no. And when you’ve got powers like these, someone will always want it…I got discovered, and I ran, and I…never went back.”

A heavy weight seemed to hover over Sonic, who stared into space despondently. Shadow reached out to comfort Sonic, but the hedgehog pulled himself out of his head. He looked over at Shadow apologetically.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more about where you came from.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Shadow said, shaking his head. “You’ve still answered more questions about my past than I could hope for. Thank you.”

Sonic smiled at Shadow and turned back to his waffles.

“So,” Maria began, leaning forward on the table. “You just randomly teleported into the base? How is that even possible?”

“I wish I knew,” Sonic frowned. “A lot of impossible stuff has happened for me, but this might take the cake.”

“What took the cake?” Shadow asked, looking around. “There’s cake?”

“No,” Sonic shook his head, stifling a laugh. “It’s an expression.”

“Oh,” Shadow blinked, face heating up in embarrassment.

“When I say that this situation takes the cake, I mean that it’s ranked number one in impossible situations I’ve been in,” Sonic elaborated. “Does that make more sense?”

“Yes,” Shadow nodded, appreciating Sonic’s lack of judgment. “Thank you.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Sonic waved off.

“Sweat. It?” Shadow repeated.

“Don’t worry,” Sonic clarified again. “I have to explain a lot of expressions to my older bro.”

“You have an older brother?” Maria asked in interest.

“And a younger one,” Sonic nodded, smiling. His smile then fell. “Or…I did.”

“Sonic,” Maria whispered. Sonic’s whole demeanour changed in an instant. His warmth faded.

“I need to go,” Sonic stated, jumping out of the booth. “Thank you for the food.”

“They won’t let you leave,” Shadow frowned, leaving the booth to stand. Sonic scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“I’m not afraid of a few armed guards.”

“But they’ll be afraid of you,” Shadow stated, swallowing a lump in his throat. “They won’t see you as anything other than something that isn’t human. They will fight you every step of the way, and people will get hurt.”

“But I–” Sonic stuttered, running a hand through his quills and turning to Shadow. “I can’t stay here. I don’t belong here. I don’t want to be here!”

Shadow turned to Maria and looked at her for help. Maria frowned in thought before sending a devilish smirk Shadow’s way. Without her needing to say anything, Shadow knew what Maria was thinking.

“Security will have its eyes on us,” Shadow said to Maria. “Not to mention, the professor knows about us sneaking out, so I suspect we’re grounded.”

“It’ll have to be a waiting game,” Maria nodded. “And we need to ensure this doesn’t get tied to you, Shadow, or they’ll use this against you.”

“So we’ll be smart about it,” Shadow declared.

“I’m sorry,” Sonic interrupted. “I am actually so confused.”

“We’re gonna help you escape,” Maria declared.

“Without anyone getting hurt,” Shadow added. “Accidental or otherwise.”

“No wall of guards to fight through– by the time they realise you’re gone, you’ll have been gone so long, it’s not even worth chasing after you. But, you’d have to be patient,” Maria cautioned. “We’d need to get everything to make sure your escape is clean.”

“How long?” Sonic asked.

“Two-ish weeks?” Maria hummed, shaking her hand as she mentally calculated the time it would take.

“I can’t wait two weeks,” Sonic shook his head, turning around and walking towards the door. “I’m leaving now.”

“Sonic, wait!” Shadow called out, grabbing Sonic’s arm. Sonic grabbed Shadow’s arm, twisted it to an uncomfortable angle, and used said arm to push Shadow away from him. Shadow stumbled and fell to the floor, looking at Sonic, who towered above him menacingly.

“If I need to fight you too, I will,” Sonic threatened. Sonic’s icy cold stare sent shivers down Shadow’s spine. Just a few minutes ago, the blue hedgehog had been stuffing his face full of waffles, and now he looked as lethal as he had been the first night they had seen each other.

“People are going to get hurt if you try to leave,” Shadow said, trying to find some way to get Sonic to stand down. “I thought you said you wouldn’t hurt people.”

“I finish the fights they choose to start,” Sonic declared. “And I’ve hurt plenty of people…why stop now?”

Grief seemed to overwhelm Sonic’s face, making Shadow want to pull the angry hedgehog into one of Maria’s back-breaking hugs. Shadow knew if he tried that, Sonic would actually break his back.

“If you do this, you’re dooming Shadow,” Maria said, kneeling beside Shadow and holding him tightly. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t be free, Sonic, you should be. You have every right to be angry that you’re here. But if you do this, if you fight them and win– they’ll use it to destroy Shadow. You’ll prove to them what they already judge you and Shadow as.”

Each word Maria said seemed to sting Sonic more and more, the painful truth dousing the flames of Sonic’s anger. Maria had found Sonic's empathy and yanked it to the surface, leaving the hedgehog floundering and feeling overwhelming conflicting emotions.

“I don’t want that,” Sonic choked, suppressing a sob. “I just want my Dad.”

Maria surged forward and engulfed Sonic in a hug. Sonic gripped her as tears leaked from his eyes, soaking his fur. Shadow was squeezed between the two, not entirely sure what to do. He didn’t want to move and interrupt them. Maria hugged Sonic with one arm and let him cry. She took her free hand and carded through Shadow’s quills, letting him know she was also there for him.

Shadow leaned against Maria’s touch, knowing he was safe with her. The three of them were huddled on the floor for a few minutes before Sonic spoke up in a mumbled cry.

“I think I’ve lost everything,” he said. “I’ve lost them all.”

There was tragedy behind those words that Shadow couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Shadow couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he lost everything. If he lost Maria. Just the thought of it made Shadow tremble.

Shadow reached out and squeezed Sonic’s hand. Sonic looked at him.

“You have us,” Shadow swallowed, looking into Sonic’s watery red eyes.

“You two don’t even know me,” Sonic frowned.

“You’re Maria approved,” Shadow shrugged. “That’s good enough for me.”

“I am?” Sonic asked, eyes looking hopeful.

“Hundred percent,” Maria nodded, smiling. “You’re one of us, which means we stick together.”

“I–”

“Alright, time’s up,” Gerald proclaimed, walking into the diner. “I’ve got the government breathing down my neck after letting the blue hedgehog loose.”

“Robotnik,” Sonic glared, his fists clenching.

“Hedgehog,” Gerald returned, cocking an eyebrow.

“Sonic, that’s my grandfather,” Maria smiled. “You can trust him.”

“Press X to doubt,” Sonic glowered, his eyes not leaving Gerald.

“What?” Both Shadow and Maria said.

“He stuck me in that tank!” Sonic exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the professor.

“I was also the one that tranqed you,” Gerald added, smirking.

“Really, professor?” Shadow frowned.

“Unbelievable!” Sonic gasped. “No way am I going to trust the man with the evil moustache!”

“Right back at you, you blue fuzzball,” Gerald grimaced, stroking his moustache.

“You wanna go?” Sonic dared, straightening up. Gerald mimed rolling up his sleeves, making fake sound effects while doing it and raising his fists in front of his face.

“Both of you, stop!” Maria scolded, voice cold. “Fighting will get us nowhere, and grandfather, what are you? Twelve?”

“If I hadn’t stopped that blue rodent in time, then he would have attacked you, Maria,” Gerald reminded. “I can’t lose you. You may trust him, but I can never trust someone willing to hurt you.”

“You were scared,” Sonic whispered, looking at Gerald in confusion. “Scared that I was going to hurt Maria.”

“I wasn’t scared,” Gerald said, looking at Sonic. “I was terrified that you would hurt Maria and Shadow. They’re the most important things I have.”

Sonic looked at Gerald, his face whirling with emotions that Shadow couldn’t decipher. Sonic then squeezed his face and gritted his teeth as words left him that were hard to say.

“Thank you.”

Sonic seemed reluctant to say it to Gerald, but the steeliness in his eyes showed how he meant it. Gerald was confused.

“Thank you?” The professor repeated. Sonic nodded.

“Thank you,” Sonic said again, voice more assured. “I was scared and felt threatened that I only saw them as enemies. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve…” Sonic looked back at Shadow and Maria, his face one of pain—the pain of loss. “I would’ve deserved all your anger.”

Sonic turned back to Gerald and looked at him sincerely.

“Hurting people isn’t my nature,” Sonic declared. “I’m more the keep annoying you until the fight is over, but it’s been a rough couple of days,” Sonic frowned. “I’m not exactly in the best headspace…I’m sorry.”

“Your apology seems sincere,” Gerald hummed, looking at Sonic’s face for lies. “Which is…unexpected.”

“Do you think the guards I hurt would appreciate handwritten apology letters?” Sonic asked, looking at Gerald seriously and trying to lighten the mood. “Though I’ve been told I’m severely dyslexic, so my spelling is awful.”

Gerald quirked a smile at that comment.

“I’m sure the guards would appreciate it,” Gerald said. “Maria and Shadow have had to write many apology letters, so I’m sure they can help you find the right words.”

“Cool,” Sonic nodded, tapping his foot anxiously.

“Very well, then,” Gerald nodded, sighing. “I should go and tell the barbaric homosapien government heads that you aren’t a threat and that you will be observed while you’re here. Two weeks, did you say, Maria?”

Maria and Shadow looked like deer caught in headlights. Maria nodded quietly after a few seconds.

“We’ll speak of this more later,” Gerald nodded. “In the meantime, you two are grounded for sneaking out after I instructed neither of you to leave Maria’s room.”

“Apologies, professor,” Shadow said, bowing his head.

“All three of you go to Maria’s room. No TV,” Gerald declared.

“All three?” Sonic asked.

“Unless you would rather reside in the chamber?” Gerald inquired. Sonic raced between Maria and Shadow, hooking his arms around their necks and bringing them close to him. Shadow’s heartbeat at the proximity, feeling Sonic’s cheek against his.

“Sleepover!” Sonic exclaimed with exaggerated excitement.

“Great,” Gerald nodded, dusting his hands off.

“Can I grab some extra pillows and blankets for Sonic?” Maria asked.

“Go ahead, but straight to your room after.”

“Thank you,” Maria smiled. She turned to the two hedgehogs. “Shadow, show Sonic to our room? I’ll meet you there.”

“Yes, Maria,” Shadow nodded. Shadow turned to Sonic and gestured for him to follow. The two turned down the hallway, and Sonic began fidgeting with his gloves as they walked side by side.

“I’m sorry,” Sonic finally said, looking at Shadow. Shadow quirked his eyebrow and frowned.

“What are you sorry for?” Shadow questioned.

“I wasn’t thinking of how my actions would affect you,” Sonic stated, looking down in shame. “You’re not some threat, and they shouldn’t treat you like one just because of what I would’ve done if Maria hadn’t talked some sense into me. You’ve been nothing but kind to me since I got here, and I’ve just been a huge jerk.”

Shadow placed a hand on Sonic’s shoulder, and the two stopped to look at each other.

“I forgive you, Sonic,” Shadow smiled. “I was never upset with you, and I appreciate that you said something.”

Sonic returned Shadow’s smile, and the two began walking again.

“Okay, but seriously,” Sonic started. “Hedgehog to hedgehog. Who does your highlights?”

Chapter Text

“Woah,” Sonic murmured, looking around the room. Every aspect of it exuded some type of warmth and homelyness. It was a far cry from the room 50 years in the future. Sonic smiled softly as he walked over to the picture of Shadow and Maria together in a now unbroken frame. Shadow’s world was unbroken.

“I hope the room is okay,” Shadow said nervously, shuffling his hands. “It’s a little messy…”

“Pfft-” Sonic waved off, flapping his hand. “You should see my room if you think this is messy. No, the room is great. And anything is better than the tube.”

“Agreed,” Shadow nodded, nervousness fading. “I’ve never been a fan of the tube either. And those scientists…”

“Yeah,” Sonic frowned. “They’re either afraid of you or don’t stop staring at you.”

“Sounds like you’ve had your own run-ins with scientists before,” Shadow hummed, mirroring Sonic’s frown.

“A certain crazy scientist, to be more specific,” Sonic grumbled, rolling his eyes. Sonic thought of his first encounter with Robotnik, who was perfectly content to kill on sight with his crazy robots when he didn’t get the answers he wanted. “What an egghead.”

“Aren’t they all, though?” Shadow joked. Sonic smiled and turned to Shadow.

“Yeah, well, this guy is the biggest egghead of them all,” Sonic stated. “That’s why I call him Eggman.”

“Charming nickname,” Shadow regarded with amusement.

“Right?” Sonic grinned. “But the nickname became a lot less cooler when Eggman embraced the title.”

Sonic missed the times when the name Eggman would infuriate Robotnik, but now he has practically given Robotnik a brand. Was there a baby Eggman in the past right now? An evil baby Eggman...not a pleasant visual.

Sonic continued casually walking around the room, admiring certain details before his eyes landed on a shelf with small cardboard and plastic boxes. He stepped closer to the shelf and noted how all the boxes had different names of movies printed on them. Intrigued, Sonic gently pulled one out, turning it over in his hand and realising it was just like a DVD case but way bulkier. He opened the plastic case and frowned when there was a smaller black rectangle in the case.

“What’s this?” Sonic asked, shaking the plastic box slightly. Perhaps the DVD was inside this box?

“It’s a VHS,” Shadow answered, walking to Sonic.

“A VH– what?” Sonic blinked, looking up at Shadow in confusion.

“A VHS,” Shadow repeated. “You put them in the TV, and they play movies.”

“How do you open it?” Sonic inquired, trying to find a seam of where the VHS would open.

“It doesn’t open,” Shadow informed.

“So this whole thing goes into the TV?” Sonic asked sarcastically.

“Mm-hmm,” Shadow nodded. Sonic looked at Shadow in surprise and then back at the VHS.

“What?!” Sonic exclaimed, lifting the VHS above his head to look at it from a different angle. “No way this plays movies! It’s too bulky! It wouldn’t fit into the TV! And is that a roll of black tape in it? You’re messing with me.”

“No?” Shadow denied, looking confused. “It fits in the TV.”

Shadow gently took the VHS and its box from Sonic’s hands and walked to the fort where the TV was. Sonic watched as Shadow turned the TV on and inserted the black box into a slot at the bottom of the TV, and the movie started playing. Sonic’s jaw dropped.

Shadow seemed amused by Sonic’s dumbfounded expression as he took the VHS out and turned the TV off.

“I? What? I don’t– How?” Sonic mumbled, watching as Shadow put the VHS back in its box. “How does a piece of plastic play a movie?!”

“I don’t know,” Shadow shrugged. “I guess I never questioned it.”

“Witchcraft,” Sonic muttered, shaking his head.

“Witch what?” Shadow repeated, a small laugh coming from him. “It’s just technology, Sonic.”

Sonic’s face heated up in embarrassment. Of all things, how come learning about a VHS stumped Sonic the most? Did Tom and Maddie know about VHS? It was a way to make a movie play in the past, but Sonic was familiar with DVDs. Though, the more Sonic thought about it. He didn’t know how a metal disc could play a movie either, so perhaps the plastic box contained the same power as a DVD.

“I’ve never seen it before,” Sonic finally said.

“Fair enough,” Shadow nodded. “There’s a lot of things I haven’t seen either. I’ve never been outside the base.”

“Really?” Sonic asked. “Not even once?”

Shadow shook his head, picking at the plastic edge of the VHS case.

“Maria has told me a lot about the outside world. It seems very vast,” Shadow hummed.

“It’s pretty cool out there,” Sonic nodded. “There are some places that are super crowded with people and some spots where you can’t find a human for hundreds of miles.”

“That sounds nice,” Shadow smiled softly.

“Eh, it’s kind of lonely,” Sonic grimaced.

“Sounds better than being surrounded by people who are afraid of you,” Shadow returned.

“Alright, touche,” Sonic grumbled.

The door slid open, and Maria came in, arms full of pillows and blankets. The girl stumbled into the room and clumsily dropped everything before exaggeratedly dusting off her hands.

“I think this will do,” Maria declared, nodding. “What are you doing with the VHS, Shadow?”

“Oh,” Shadow said, realising he was still holding it. “Sonic didn’t know what it was, so I was just showing him.”

“Ooh!” Maria smiled excitedly. “Maybe once we’re ungrounded, we can show him our favourite movies!”

Sonic looked curiously over to Shadow, who seemed pleased with the idea. The concept of Shadow having interests and favourite movies was far more pleasant than Shadow being a bloodthirsty vengeance machine.

“You got a favourite movie?” Sonic asked, looking at Shadow with interest.

“I like the animated movies,” Shadow hummed. “Mostly those…what were they called again, Maria?”

“Oh, the Disney ones?” Maria answered, sorting through the blankets and pillows she had brought.

“Yes, those ones,” Shadow nodded. Sonic had to bite his cheek in amusement when the image of Shadow wearing Mickey Mouse ears entered his head.

“Have you seen any movies, Sonic?” Maria inquired.

“Any movie with Keanu Reeves is an instant favourite of mine,” Sonic grinned, placing a hand on his hip.

“Who’s he?” Maria asked, looking curious. For the second time, Sonic found his jaw-dropping. Maria didn’t know who Keanu Reeves was? The national treasure? It was unacceptable!

But then a thought popped into Sonic’s head.

If he was in the 1970s, then there was no Keanu. The legendary actor didn’t star in his first movie until the late 1980s. There was no Keanu!! How many more things did not exist in the past? How much had Sonic lost? What if he never got them back?

“Sonic, calm down,” Sonic said, running his hands through his quills.

“Calm down?!” Sonic repeated. “Calm down?! Things can’t get any worse!”

“You’re spiralling, Sonic!” Sonic exclaimed. “Stop it!”

“You–”

“Sonic,” Shadow called out firmly, grabbing Sonic by his shoulders. Sonic blinked back to reality, feeling the warm weight of Shadow’s hands against his fur. “Sonic,” Shadow repeated, voice softer.

Sonic gulped and looked at Shadow. Shadow moved his hands from his shoulders and took Sonic’s trembling hands, forcing them to be still. Sonic took a breath, his eyes shuttering shut.

“Whew,” Sonic exhaled, embarrassment rising. The blue hedgehog pulled away from Shadow and awkwardly scratched behind his head. “So, that was probably really weird.”

“Are you okay?” Maria asked, kneeling to Sonic’s level. “You were…talking to yourself?”

Sonic was well aware that talking to oneself was a normal thing. Tom and Maddie had said as much when he first started living with them. But after ten years of living in isolation, Sonic’s version of talking to himself had evolved. With super speed, he could maintain a conversation with himself from different points in a room. This emulated when two or more people had a conversation with each other– Sonic played all the roles.

This behaviour was quelled for the most part by spending time talking to other people. But when Sonic was having a hard time processing something, he found himself talking to himself, and from the outsider's point of view, Sonic imagined it looked very strange.

“Yeah,” Sonic nodded, wringing his hands. “Talking to myself can help me process stuff, I guess. I don’t usually do it around people, so sorry if I freaked you guys out.”

“We weren’t freaked out,” Shadow stated firmly.

“No,” Maria agreed, looking at Sonic in kind. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I don’t know if I am,” Sonic admitted, frowning. “When my thoughts catch up to me, I just…I can’t handle it.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Maria asked.

“No,” Sonic said quickly. “I don’t.”

Maria was quiet momentarily as she tried to figure out what to say next. Sonic wished he could do what Maria asked, but he wasn’t sure if telling them about the future…about the tragedy that would befall them was a good idea. Sonic could feel his panic rising with each passing thought of the consequences of being in the past and–

“Wanna dance?” Maria smiled.

“Wha–?” Sonic blinked, face pinching in confusion. Maria grabbed Sonic’s hands and pulled him over to her record player.

“When I’m feeling sad or angry,” Maria started, pulling a record from its sleeve and placing it on the player. “I dance.”

The player sputtered to life, and Maria began to sway to the music, humming alongside the song. It didn’t make sense to Sonic…dance when you have negative emotions? You danced when you were happy, but Sonic was far from that mood, so he stood off to the side, arms crossed, and watched Maria passively.

As the music continued, Maria’s small dance moves turned larger as she swung her arms out to the song's beat, her hair flying everywhere as she spun around. Maria grabbed Shadow’s hands, forcing his arms to sway with hers. To Sonic’s surprise, Shadow grinned at Maria and began dancing.

The pair seemed so at ease…so happy. That impossible weight of loss didn’t hang on Shadow; Maria simply brought out the best in him. Sonic felt this weird pang of mixed elation and devastation as he watched them do the wave, smiling the whole time.

Oh, how Sonic wanted what they had. How he wished things could be simple and he could just be carefree. But every time he tried, he saw Tom and felt the crushing weight of guilt of smiling when Tom could be dead. He shouldn’t get to be happy and feel content, much less dance, when Tom’s life is on the line.

Shadow stood before Sonic and held his hand out to Sonic invitingly.

“I can’t,” Sonic shook his head, looking down.

“Oh,” Shadow blinked. “Are you bad at dancing or something?”

Sonic looked at Shadow and puffed up.

“Excuse me, but I am an excellent dancer,” Sonic declared, waggling his finger at Shadow, who blinked innocently at him. Then some cogs started turning in Shadow’s head, and Sonic continued. “I just am not in a dancing mood.”

“No, no, no,” Shadow nodded, holding his hands up as a smile appeared. “I would be scared too…Maria is a great dancer, and I learned how to dance from her, so I wouldn’t want you to feel like you were being shown up.”

“Shown up?!” Sonic repeated, agape. There was no chance that Sonic would let Shadow think he was the better dancer of the two. Shadow already had the coolest hair and voice. He wouldn’t let Shdaow take dancing from him too. Sonic mimed rolling up his sleeves, a competitive smirk growing on his face. “Alright, you asked for it, mister.”

With way more flair than was necessary, Sonic leapt over Shadow, doing a backflip, before landing behind the ebony hedgehog on the proverbial dance floor. Shadow turned in surprise as Sonic jutted his chin out.

“You wanna dance?” Sonic smirked, his feet already moving to the song. He did one of his super speed spins and threw Shadow two finger guns. “Let’s dance.”

Picture of Sonic and Shadow I drew

Chapter Text

Shadow glanced over to Sonic, who was watching him and Maria dance and frowned. Once again, Shadow noticed a dark look pass over Sonic’s face, which felt so wrong to see on the hedgehog. Shadow let go of Maria’s hands and walked over to Sonic, who looked up at him.

Shadow gave his best smile and held his hand out to Sonic. Sonic seemed to crumble with guilt as he looked at Shadow apologetically.

“I can’t,” he said, shaking his head in sadness.

“Oh,” Shadow frowned, letting his hand fall. Why couldn’t Sonic dance? Was he embarrassed about it? “Are you bad at dancing or something?”

Sonic straightened, face going from apologetic to offended. The blue hedgehog stood tall and puffed up as he waggled his finger in Shadow’s face like he was scolding him.

“Excuse me, but I am an excellent dancer,” Sonic declared. “Just not in a dancing mood.”

The sudden shift in demeanour shocked Shadow as he saw Sonic’s sadness disappear, and instead, a look of offence at being considered a lousy dancer took the main stage. This gave Shadow an idea.

“No, no, no,” Shadow began coyly, holding his hands up. “I would be scared too…Maria is a great dancer, and I learned how to dance from her, so I wouldn’t want you to feel like you were being shown up.”

Shadow knew he was taking a risk with his words. There was every chance that Sonic would become angry at Shadow’s jab, and he would have made the whole thing worse. But his gamble seemed to pay off as Sonic seemed to gape at Shadow’s boldness.

“Shown up?!” Sonic repeated. A sly smirk grew on Sonic’s face as he looked at Shadow. Sonic took a few steps towards Shadow, still smiling as he mimed rolling up his sleeves. Shadow’s heart raced at their proximity, and even more so when the following words came from Sonic. “Alright, you asked for it, mister.”

Sonic suddenly lept over Shadow, which was an impressive feat in itself, but the hedgehog managed to top it with a backflip before landing gracefully behind Shadow. Shadow fully turned, watching in delayed shock.

“You wanna dance?” Sonic asked rhetorically, already moving his feet. Sonic spun at least twenty times in a second and pointed finger guns at Shadow. Shadow could only stare at the stacking impressive feats Sonic was performing. “Let’s dance.”

Mesmerised, Shadow watched Sonic dance, each move more impressive than the last. A simple shuffle of the feet turned into Sonic in a one-armed handstand while spinning and then posing on the floor.

“Woo!” Maria exclaimed, jumping up and down to the song. “Go, Sonic!”

Sonic grinned at Maria, rising from the floor and moving in a way that had Shadow completely transfixed. Every dance move Sonic pulled seemed carefully executed, yet the carefree expression on Sonic said otherwise. He was just naturally an amazing dancer.

“You gonna join us or just stand pretty?” Sonic called out to Shadow, his feet moving in such a way that made Sonic look like he was gliding backwards.

“How are you doing that?” Shadow asked in wonder.

“It's called a moonwalk,” Sonic smirked, demonstrating it to Shadow again. He stopped and began weaving his arms in front and behind his torso. “This is called flossing, a personal favourite dance move of mine.”

Shadow studied Sonic’s movements and then tried to copy him. Shadow frowned in frustration when he couldn’t do it right. Sonic slowed down his movements and patiently waited for Shadow to mirror him.

“There you go!” Sonic exclaimed happily, watching as Shadow was able to weave his arms faster and faster. A burst of bubbly, elated laughter spilled out of Sonic as he watched, and Shadow laughed. “Look at you, the ultimate flosser! Gotta say, I’m impressed!”

Shadow puffed out proudly at the title as he continued flossing. Sonic switched up his dance moves and began bouncing around happily, his arms grooving to the music. Shadow watched in admiration, and his smile widened at Sonic’s happiness.

“He’s a great dancer,” Maria said to Shadow, appearing beside him.

“He’s incredible.”

Maria turned and looked at Shadow and smiled.

“Have you ever tried this one?” Sonic hummed, striking a pose on the floor.

“He’s a little crazy, though,” Shadow chuckled. “In a good way.”

“Definitely,” Maria nodded. “He fits right in with us.”

The door slid open, and Gerald walked through. Sonic was still posing when Gerald cleared his throat, causing the hedgehog to jump and scream in horror. Sonic turned to Shadow in betrayal.

“Why did you let me juno in front of Robotnik?!”

“I don’t know what that is!” Shadow exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender. Maria ran over and turned off the music.

“You know what,” Sonic began, relaxing. “You’re right. My bad.”

“What’s a juno?” Maria asked.

“Moving swiftly forward!” Sonic yelled, panicked. Sonic turned to Robotnik. “Robotnik, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“It’s professor, to you,” Gerald corrected, quirking an eyebrow.

“Professor Robuttstink,” Sonic nodded. “You got it!”

“Sonic,” Maria scolded. “Be nice.”

“Sorry,” Sonic said to Maria, looking ashamed.

“Not to me,” Maria stated, looking at her grandfather. Sonic groaned loudly, looking up at the ceiling before reluctantly looking back at Gerald.

“Sorry,” Sonic grumbled. Gerald puffed out a breath of laughter as he looked fondly at Maria.

“I see you’ve already got him wrapped around your finger.”

“I am not!” Sonic exclaimed, standing taller. “I am a grown independent hedgehog who makes my own choices! No one tells me what to do!”

“Is that so?” Gerald smiled, looking at Sonic with amusement.

“It is very so!” Sonic nodded, pointing to Gerald.

“Well, pardon my blasphemy,” Gerald apologised. “I see you’re having a dance party without moi,” Gerald looked at Sonic. “Yes, I know French.”

“I don’t,” Sonic shrugged. “Oh! But I do know some Klingon!”

“Never heard of it,” Gerald hummed, crossing his arms behind his back. Sonic sagged in disappointment. “Never mind that, though, I am here to talk shop.”

Shadow and Maria stood next to Sonic and turned their attention to Gerald.

“How did it go with the government heads?” Maria asked.

“Well, they weren’t pleased at first when I said that I wasn’t going to cage the blue fuzzball, but they did settle down when I promised you would be compliant,” Gerald informed, looking at Sonic.

“Compliant?” Sonic repeated, frowning.

“You’ll be joining Shadow in all his tests,” Gerald stated.

“Tests?!” Sonic exclaimed, looking at Shadow in panic. “I can’t do tests. Do you know how bad I suck at Math?!”

“No, not academic tests,” Gerald huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Though perhaps it would be wise to review your academic skills…”

“Rude,” Sonic said, crossing his arms.

“Physical tests,” Gerald continued. “The same ones as Shadow gets.”

“They don’t involve needles, right? I don’t do well with needles,” Sonic frowned, hackles rising.

“Not usually,” Shadow shrugged. “It’s pretty boring.”

“They’ll probably want a few blood tests, blue hog,” Gerald pointed out.

“I’ll get them with you,” Shadow offered, looking at Sonic.

“Oh, you’re not due for blood tests for another few—”

“I’ll get them with him,” Shadow restated, looking at Gerald resolutely. Sonic smiled at Shadow appreciatively.

“Whatever,” Gerald shrugged. “Tomorrow around eight in the morning, I’ll collect you boys for the standard rounds of testing.”

“Very well, professor,” Shadow nodded.

“That’s so early!” Sonic complained at the same time.

“What time do you usually get up?” Shadow asked.

“Uh, eleven like a normal hedgehog should,” Sonic stated. “Well, like a normal alien hedgehog should. Can you believe that Earth hedgehogs are nocturnal? They miss all the fun. I feel bad for the little guys…”

“Have you seen an Earth Hedgehog in person?” Shadow inquired, eyes wide in interest.

“Yeah, some humans keep them as pets where I’m from and Madd– I uh mean, one of my friends sometimes takes care of them, so I’ve gotten to meet a few,” Sonic replied excitedly. “They’re so small! Like an Earth Hedgehog can fit in my hands!”

“The book I read about them said they weren’t big, but I didn’t think they were that small,” Shadow gasped.

“Did you know that they eat bugs too?” Sonic asked.

“Ew,” Shadow grimaced.

“Right?! That’s what I said!” Sonic exclaimed. “Bugs are disgusting!”

“Some are actually quite high in protein,” Gerald informed.

“Yeah, but they taste gross,” Sonic continued, shivering in disgust. Shadow raised an eyebrow at this.

“You’ve eaten a bug before, Sonic?” Maria asked, saying what Shadow was thinking. Sonic’s face went blank, and the blue hog blinked a few times, seemingly realising what he admitted.

“I–” Sonic searched. “Well, look, you may have lived on a military base all your life, but I’ve had to rough it occasionally,” Sonic stated, placing his hands on his hips. “And we're a few bugs consumed during those times because I kept eating poisonous berries, and I started getting desperate? Yes. But I am now a refined and dignified hedgehog who only consumes the highest quality of foods.”

For the first time, Shadow actually found a reason to be thankful he lived on a military base. The idea that one became desperate for food and resorted to eating bugs sounded incredibly depressing. Shadow never had to worry about food or if the food was poisonous.

“That’s disgusting,” Gerald spoke.

“Yeah, I know,” Sonic agreed. “Human food is amazing. I can’t believe I went thirteen years before I tried a chilli dog. They’re truly the finest human food.”

“Why would you eat a cold dog?” Shadow asked in horror. “That’s horrible!”

“What! No! I would never eat a dog! Keanu would be so disappointed in me,” Sonic sighed. “A chilli dog is a hot dog with chilli sauce.”

“I still don’t know what either of those things are,” Shadow frowned.

“Dude,” Sonic said, looking at Gerald in exasperation. “You’ve never told Shadow what a hot dog is? This is outrageous. I am outraged!”

“The subject was never relevant,” Gerald replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Hot dogs are like one of the five main food groups!” Sonic declared.

“I would have that fact-checked if I were you,” Gerald stated.

“Do you at least know what pizza is? Please tell me you know the existence of pizza; you pour soul!” Sonic questioned, grabbing Shadow by the chest fur and pulling him close. Shadow blushed as their noses practically touched.

“I know what pizza is,” Shadow nodded, slightly afraid of Sonic’s manic look. Sonic sighed in relief and loosened his hold on Shadow.

“Whew,” Sonic smiled, wiping invisible sweat from his brow. “Crisis averted. Well…mostly.”

“Have you ever been tested for ADHD?” Gerald inquired, looking at Sonic.

“I have,” Sonic nodded, looking back at Gerald.

“And?” Gerald pressed.

“I have,” Sonic affirmed, looking like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Makes sense,” Gerald stated. “You are a strange creature.”

“Well, you smell strange,” Sonic shot back.

“Ah, it’s the coveted old man smell,” Gerald declared proudly. “It shall only grow worse with time.”

“Gross,” Sonic grimaced.

“Anyways, now that the government heads are placated for now,” Gerald began. “Comes to your plan of the hedgehog escaping.”

The room grew serious, and Sonic stepped forward.

“I don’t belong here,” Sonic frowned. “I have to leave.”

“But we’re trying to go the less violent route,” Maria said, placing a hand on Sonic’s shoulder.

“I don’t approve of this,” Gerald stated, crossing his arms. “The potentially devastating outcome of this escape backfiring onto you and Shadow is too risky.”

“I’m willing to take that risk,” Shadow declared, standing beside Sonic.

“For a hedgehog you just met?” Gerald pushed.

“Yes,” Shadow nodded.

“No,” Sonic shook his head.

“No?”

“No!” Sonic exclaimed. “Robotnik is right; you can’t put your life on the line to help me escape, Shadow. That’s crazy!”

“But…” Shadow trailed off, thinking of the conversations he’s had with Sonic. “You have…people out there. You have a father. Brothers. That’s why you’re fighting to leave, right? So you can find them.”

“Well,” Sonic said, rubbing his eyes. He was silent for a moment, looking despaired. “Finding them might be more complicated than I thought.”

“What do you mean?” Maria inquired.

“I don’t know,” Sonic answered. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or say. I don’t even know where I would go if I escaped. My family? They’re not out there.”

“Oh,” Shadow whispered. Sonic turned to look at Shadow in earnest.

“But I do know one thing,” Sonic continued, grabbing Shadow’s hands and holding them to his chest. “I won’t just willingly let someone throw away their life for mine. That’s not who I am. It’s not someone I ever want to be.”

“But–”

“You have people in here, Shadow,” Sonic said quietly, squeezing Shadow’s hands. Shadow looked up to see Maria looking back at him. He then looked back at Sonic, whose bright green eyes looked at him with a heat that warmed Shadow up to his ends. “Don’t throw them away.”

“I won’t,” Shadow nodded, shoulders slumping. “I won’t.”

“I’m going to find my way home,” Sonic declared, pulling away from Shadow. “But…maybe it be kinda cool to hang out with a fellow speedster for a while.”

“Really?!” Shadow and Maria said excitedly.

“Not like I really have a choice, eh, Robotnik?” Sonic said dryly, looking up at Gerald.

“Righto, indeed, blue hog,” Gerald nodded.

“Besides,” Sonic shrugged, looking back to Shadow casually. “This base has like the best waffles I’ve ever had. There’s no way I’m going to leave this place without trying your other food.”

“I get the feeling you’re going to be trouble even when you’re complying,” Gerald mourned, eyeing Sonic up.

“Can’t say you’re wrong,” Sonic grinned, shooting Gerald a finger gun. “Now, since I’m chilling out here for a while, can I borrow someone’s phone? I need to search for some stuff on the internet.”

“What’s the internet?” Gerald inquired, placing his hands on his hips. Sonic turned and looked at Gerald in cold horror.

“WHAT?!”

Chapter Text

Sonic was warm up until a slobbery tongue started licking at his face.

“Ozzie!!” Sonic exclaimed, lazily pushing the dog away. “Dude, that’s so gross. We talked about this.”

Sonic rolled away from Ozzie and brought the blanket back over him, trying to sleep more. Ozzie whined and let his head lay on Sonic’s leg. Sonic looked over his shoulder, and Ozzie wagged his tail hopefully at the hedgehog.

“Ugh,” Sonic smiled, sitting up. “Fine, you win. I’m up.”

Sonic looked around the room and frowned when he noticed his brothers were absent. Knuckles not being in bed didn’t surprise him. The echidna warrior was always up early to train. But Tails usually slept in alongside Sonic. Yet, the fox’s bed was empty.

“Tom’s waiting for you downstairs,” Ozzie boofed.

“Yeah, okay,” Sonic hummed, stretching his limbs and groaning. Sonic then froze and slowly turned his head to the dog. “Uh, Ozzie? Since when have you been able to talk?”

“Sonic!” Tom called out from downstairs. “The day is racing you by! Let’s get a move on!”

“Um, let’s address this issue later,” Sonic started, petting Ozzie’s head. Sonic then raced downstairs into the living room, where Tom sat on the couch. Sonic grinned and struck a power pose in the room. “Sonic the Hedgehog is present! What are we doing today, Doughnut Lord?”

“Hey there, Sonic!” Tom greeted with a warm smile, clapping his hands together. Tom then gestured to a stack of books on the table. “That’s what we’re doing today.”

Sonic walked over to the books and picked up the first one in the stack. Sonic frowned and looked at the rest of the stack. He looked up at Tom with a raised eyebrow.

“History books?” Sonic asked, putting the book back on the top.

“Yeah,” Tom nodded. “I realised we’ve been spending so much time trying to catch up with your maths, writing, and reading that we haven’t covered much history. So I scrounged the garage for my old textbooks and found them.”

“A history lesson?!” Sonic exclaimed, mouth agape. “On a Saturday?!”

“It’s Tuesday,” Tom stated, smiling slightly.

“Oh?” Sonic blinked. His eyebrows furrowed. “I could have sworn…You know what? It doesn’t matter. History is still boring!”

“It’s important for you to know, Sonic,” Tom hummed.

“Why does a hedgehog need to know human history?” Sonic asked rhetorically.

“Because it makes you a better person.”

“Really? Knowing whoever the 23rd President of the United States was will make me a better person?”

“No,” Tom laughed, patting the spot next to him. Sonic moved to sit next to Tom on the couch. Tom looked down on Sonic. “History shows the absolute worst in people and the damage their beliefs can do–”

“Wow, I can feel myself getting better already,” Sonic stated sarcastically.

“And while there is a lot of bad in history,” Tom continued. “It also shows the good. The strength and bravery people hold to fight for a future. History is a record of people’s mistakes and how they overcame it. We get to learn from their mistakes and build on the good we already have, even in the face of the bad. Just because you’re from a different planet doesn’t mean human history doesn’t matter. Knowledge is power.”

“Knowledge is power? I think I saw that on a Walmart notebook cover once,” Sonic smirked. Tom bumped Sonic lightly with his shoulder, and Sonic laughed.

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Tom nodded.

“Whatever,” Sonic said, rolling his eyes. “Look, I’ve lived my whole life knowing nothing about human history, and I’m doing great! I’m the blue blur! The hero you need and deserve!”

“Always humble,” Tom regarded. Sonic grinned. “C’mon, Sonic, don’t you want to know even the tiniest bit of history? I can tell you all about the late 70s and into the 80s. That’s when I was a kid. Best decade in history.”

“Pass,” Sonic chuckled.

“You sure?” Tom frowned. “You never know when that information could come in handy.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tom nodded. “You could be stranded back in the 70s with no way to get home.”

“I–” Sonic froze, looking at Tom. “What?”

“Just think of all the major historical moments you could be affecting. Maybe you end up causing Maddie and I to never meet or even be born. But there’s no way you could know since you never learned your history.”

“Tom–”

“Oh, well,” Tom sighed, standing up. “I guess it doesn’t matter either way. I’m dead already, aren’t I, Sonic?”

“No!” Sonic yelled, grabbing Tom’s hand. “No! You’re not dead! Tom, you were still breathing!”

“But you left me, Sonic,” Tom shrugged. “I could have stopped breathing the moment you disappeared. I guess you’ll never know, will you?”

“Tom,” Sonic said. “Dad. I can’t lose you. Please, don’t leave me.”

“It’s not up to me, Sonic,” Tom hummed.

“Wake up!”

A voice tore through Sonic’s consciousness, and though he thought he was already awake, he found his eyes snapping open to an unfamiliar environment. Sonic sat up and tried to stop hyperventilating as he tried to figure out where he was.

“Sonic!” A low, husky voice called out, grabbing Sonic’s wrists tightly. “C’mon, Sonic! Snap out of it!”

“Keanu?” Sonic whimpered. Sonic’s eyes fluttered as Shadow’s red eyes came into focus.

“No,” Shadow frowned. “It’s Shadow.”

“Shadow,” Sonic breathed out, his hands grabbing Shadow’s. “Wha’ happened?”

“I think you were having a bad dream,” Shadow answered. “You were tossing and turning, and blue sparks were coming off you.”

Sonic gasped as the haze left him. The day had ended, and Maria made Sonic a bed out of pillows and blankets which Sonic quickly passed out in. It was well into the night, and Sonic looked over to Maria, who was in bed, eyes tired yet full of worry. Sonic noticed some char marks on Maria’s sheets from Sonic’s lightning.

“Oh my god,” Sonic said, horrified. “Oh my god, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“We’re okay,” Maria soothed. “You didn’t get us. Shadow woke you up before the lightning got too big.”

Sonic sagged in relief against Shadow, absolutely exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Shadow asked after a minute, letting Sonic continue resting against him.

“When I was dreaming,” Sonic began quietly. “I was reliving a memory, but it got corrupted with guilt or something...it wasn’t right. It was too much.”

Shadow’s arms snaked around Sonic’s waist, and Sonic buried his face in Shadow’s neck, and Shadow awkwardly rubbed Sonic’s back.

“Thank you for saving me, Shadow,” Sonic whispered. Maria got out of bed, blanket in hand, and took a few small steps to reach Sonic’s pillow nest. She sat down, pressing close to Sonic’s side and laid her duvet over the three.

No words were spoken as Maria, Sonic, and Shadow all adjusted themselves until they were decently comfortable on Sonic’s little bed. Sonic lay in the middle, curled up into Shadow, who held him gently. Maria wrapped her arms around Sonic and Shadow, hugging them close.

The way Sonic was positioned between the two made his joints ache. But Sonic didn’t think he’d ever been more comfortable in his life than he was right now. When he finally fell asleep again, his mind was quiet. In his sleep, he held Shadow closer.

Before he knew it, Shadow was nudging Sonic awake. The blue hedgehog groaned loudly as he rolled from Shadow, causing Maria to cackle at Sonic’s dramatics.

“C'mon’, Sonic,” Shadow smiled softly, poking Sonic’s ear, causing it to twitch sporadically. Sonic blindly waved Shadow’s hand away as he buried his face in the pillows. Maria, ever the traitor, pulled the duvet off Sonic.

“Such betrayal!” Sonic exclaimed, picking his head up to look at Maria.

“You gotta get up, Sonic,” Maria said. “You’ve only got twenty minutes to get ready before you and Shadow get picked up for tests.”

“Ugh,” Sonic rolled his eyes. “I’m already ready. Just wake me up when they get here.”

“You’re not going to brush your teeth?” Maria asked.

“Or your quills?” Shadow added. “Your fur is an awful mess.”

“Okay, fine, you win,” Sonic huffed, getting up. “You two are such hygiene police.”

Sonic walked to the bathroom, used the step stool to reach the sink and grabbed his blue toothbrush, which Gerald had given him the day before. Sonic was using his super speed to brush his teeth when Shadow walked in and looked at him in confusion.

“What?” Sonic asked with a mouthful of toothpaste, turning from the mirror to properly look at Shadow.

“You use your powers to brush your teeth?”

“Yeah,” Sonic nodded, turning to the sink and spitting out the toothpaste. “Don’t you?”

“No,” Shadow shook his head.

“You should,” Sonic remarked, turning to the mirror and trying to comb through his quills with his fingers. “It’s a huge time saver.”

“I don’t use my powers unless asked to,” Shadow elaborated. Sonic frowned and jumped off the step stool, facing Shadow.

“It’s not their power,” Sonic stated, poking Shadow’s chest fur. “It’s yours. Use your powers the way you want to. I mean, within reason,” Sonic trailed off. “Like, don’t use your powers to fuel your rage-filled revenge as you seek to destroy the world.”

“That was specific,” Shadow commented, raising an eyebrow.

“What I’m saying is,” Sonic continued, waving his hands around as he tried to get back on track. “If you’re afraid of your powers, that will make everyone more afraid. Trust me on that.”

“Okay,” Shadow nodded.

“Good talk,” Sonic grinned, patting Shadow’s shoulder and walking out of the bathroom. When Sonic re-entered Maria’s room, Sonic noted that a guard was leaning in the doorway, casually talking to Maria. The man was young and exuded an air of carefree, yet Sonic felt a twinge of recognition as the man looked over at Sonic.

“Oh! You must be the new guy!” The man smiled, standing to his full height.

“Captain, this is Sonic,” Maria introduced, looking at Sonic.

“Captain?” Sonic repeated, smirking. “Are you a pirate or something?”

“Hah!” The man chuckled. “The Professor said you were a bit of a joker.”

“Really? I always felt more like Batman,” Sonic shrugged.

“He wasn’t wrong,” the man remarked, stifling another laugh. “I’m Captain Walters. Pleasure to meet you.”

“W-walters?” Sonic gasped, air escaping from his lungs. Sonic stared at the captain with wide eyes.

“Sonic?” Maria called out. “Are you okay?”

Sonic didn’t reply and walked towards Captain Walters, studying his face. Captain Walters began shifting uncomfortably as Sonic continued to look at him unblinkingly. It was hard to draw similarities between the Walters Sonic knew and the one he was looking at. This Walters seemed less haunted by life, less prejudiced, and certainly younger. But of course, it was the same Walters Sonic knew.

The last time he had seen Commander Walters was when Sonic watched the poor man die. And now he was here, standing in front of Sonic. Alive.

He surged forward and wrapped his arms around Walters’ legs, hugging him tightly.

“Oh,” Walters blinked in confusion, trying to balance with his legs being ensnared. “Uh? Thank- thank you?”

“Ahem,” Sonic cleared his throat, pulling away in embarrassment. Sonic looked up at Walters’ and saluted the man. “Thank you for your service, sir.”

“Thanks?” Walters replied, scratching the back of his head. “Um, I guess the professor was right about that, too.”

“What? Did he say that I was weird?” Sonic guessed.

“Not his exact words, but yeah,” Walters shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Meh,” Sonic shrugged. “It’s part of my amazing charm.”

“I’m ready,” Shadow announced, walking out of the bathroom. Sonic turned to Shadow and placed a hand on his hip.

“Took you long enough,” Sonic smirked.

“Apologies. I had to do my skincare routine,” Shadow responded.

“You’re wha- what?” Sonic gaped. “You have a skincare routine?”

“Yes,” Shadow nodded. He then smirked and leaned closer to Sonic. “Don’t you?”

“Okay,” Sonic drawled, raising his hands. “I see the parallel you’re trying to do, but it won’t work. Using my speed to get ready is a time saver. Your skincare routine is a time spender.”

“At least my face isn’t covered in dandruff,” Shadow leaned forward, crossing his arms.

“How dare you!” Sonic gasped, rearing back. “I do not have dandruff! Wait, is your skin care routine why your fur is so soft?”

“Probably,” Shadow mumbled, shrugging. “I have some products you can try if you’re interested.”

“Definitely,” Sonic grinned. “Who knew the secret to great-looking fur is to actually take care of it.”

“I find it strange how I envy you and don’t envy you at the same time,” Shadow sniggered.

“Cheeky,” Sonic remarked, flicking Shadow’s ear.

“You two are adorable,” Walters crooned.

“Wah– We are not!” Sonic fumbled, blushing furiously. “We are two very manly hedgehogs, thank you! I should have your head for that, soldier!”

“You’re fun,” Walters chuckled. “Come on, you two. Let’s not be late.”

Walters turned and walked out the door, and the two hedgehogs followed after the Captain.

“See you later, Maria!” Sonic called out, waving goodbye.

“Bye, Sonic,” Maria smiled. Shadow nodded and followed Sonic out the door. As Shadow walked next to Sonic, the blue hedgehog noticed his counterpart's mood, which seemed to fall the further they got away from Maria. Sonic bumped his shoulder into Shadow, causing the ebony hedgehog to look up at him in surprise.

“Hey, do you think if I start taking better care of my fur, I’ll get cool highlights like yours?”

It was a stupid question that they both knew the answer to. But the question threw Shadow off guard, and he couldn’t help but laugh at its absurdity.

“What is it with you and the red in my fur?” Shadow inquired.

“Um, hello??” Sonic exclaimed, gesturing to Shadow. “You get the cool fur, the cool shoes, the cool powers, and a cool voice! Leave some for the rest of us.”

“You think my voice is cool?” Shadow asked, blushing. Sonic froze, realising he might have admitted too much. Sonic groaned in embarrassment and put his head in his hands.

“I’m losing so much aura.”

Instagram: Wenber_dm

Chapter Text

“Ow,” Sonic hisses as the scientist sticks a needle in his arm. The scientist looks from what she is doing.

“Oh,” she blinked in surprise. “Sorry?”

She briefly glances at Shadow, sitting quietly beside Sonic on the table. Shadow hadn’t made any noises of discomfort or acknowledgement as she had inserted the needle into the crook of his arm. He never reacted to what they did to him. Shadow’s eyes stray to the guard beside the emergency lockdown button. If he or Sonic were to attack, the guard would press the button, and the whole building would go into lockdown until they were contained. Their distrust of them left a bitter taste in Shadow’s mouth.

“How long is this going to take?” Sonic asked impatiently, his foot rapidly shaking in some sort of self-stimulating behaviour.

“As long as they have to,” another scientist answered, coming over and placing little sticky circles connected with wires onto Shadow—four on his torso and two on the sides of his head. The scientist then moved to Sonic to do the same thing, but the blue hedgehog batted him away.

“What are those for?” Sonic questioned, looking at them in suspicion. The scientist looked at his fellow worker, sharing a confused look with her before turning back to Sonic.

“Um, they’re to measure your vitals,” the scientist said, placing the sticky circles on Sonic, who reluctantly remained still.

“We look like we’re fresh out of the Matrix,” Sonic giggled, fiddling with the wires. Shadow didn’t reply and continued staring at the wall in front of him, hoping that if he spaced out enough, the whole thing would be over sooner. Sonic didn’t seem off-put by Shadow’s silence and was looking at the scientists’ backs as they all stared at a monitor.

“Why don’t you guys have nametags on your lab coats?” Sonic wondered aloud. “Isn’t identification super important in a military base? Like, what if one day you walk into work and they’re like, ‘We don’t know you! Hands in the air!’ and you have no way to prove you actually work here?”

“We have identification cards,” a scientist answered hesitantly, moving his lab coat to show an ID card hooked to his belt. Sonic squinted as he read the card.

“Louis Voss,” Sonic read. Sonic sat up straighter and pointed to himself with his thumb. “I’m Sonic.”

“Sonic,” Louis repeated, testing the name out. “Interesting name.”

“Excuse me, but Sonic is a very cool name,” Sonic stated, crossing his arms.

“Stop moving so much,” the other scientist cut in. “You’ll mess up the readings.”

“Sitting still isn’t really my thing,” Sonic frowned, uncrossing his arms and resting them on the cushions on either side. “What’s your name?”

“Dr. Regina Fineman,” the woman answered, not looking away from the monitor.

“Cool,” Sonic nodded, tapping his fingers against the cushion. “Have any of you ever had a chilli dog before?”

Regina turned from the monitor and walked up to Sonic, huffing as she pulled a tongue depressor from her pocket and forced Sonic’s mouth to inspect his mouth. Sonic made loud noises and complained through his open mouth. Once she was done, she turned away.

“You could have just asked me to open my mouth,” Sonic glared, wiping the drool from his face. Regina paid Sonic no mind as she moved over to Shadow, who opened his mouth obediently as the scientist inspected it. The more willing he was to follow their instructions, the quicker the testing would be over.

Regina then grabbed the otoscope from the table, used it to look in Shadow’s ears, and then moved back to do the same for Sonic, but Sonic pushed her hand away.

“Dude,” Sonic started, looking the scientist in the eye. “Stop.”

“Excuse me?” Regina blinked. Shadow looked over, hearing the frustration in Sonic’s voice.

“We’re not mindless,” Sonic frowned. “I would appreciate knowing what you’re doing to me and allowing me to consent to it. If you wear the white coat, you’re supposed to be super smart, so shouldn’t you be able to tell that we think and feel just as much as humans do? Don’t be such a jerk.”

“I–” Regina floundered. Her mouth moved, but no words came out as she searched for a reply. The other scientist seemed just as shocked as she was. “Uhm. Ears.”

“Ears?” Sonic repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“This device,” She clarified, holding it up to Sonic. “It’s used to check your ears.”

“Check away, then,” Sonic nodded, letting Regina handle his ears as she looked into them with the otoscope. She was silent as she moved to check the other ear before suddenly speaking up. “I have had a chilli dog before.”

“Oh yeah?” Sonic hummed, a smile growing on his face. “Are you a fan?”

“Definitely,” Regina nodded, pulling away. “The spicier, the better, in my opinion. I used to have them all the time as a kid.”

Shadow watched in complete and total awe as Sonic continued to have a casual conversation with the scientist he had just told off. Sonic forgave so easily. Now, the scientist was actually talking to Sonic like he was a person.

“Shadow?” Regina called out. Shadow blinked in surprise, realising the two were no longer conversing, and the woman was now in front of him with a small triangular rubber mallet. “I’m going to test your reflexes. I…uhm…Is- Is that alright?”

Shadow stared at her in flummoxed shock and barely managed to nod slightly. As she tapped Shadow’s knees to test his reflexes, he looked over to Sonic in wonderment, who was smiling warmly at him. Sonic suddenly pulled a funny face, and Shadow let out a surprised giggle. Sonic burst out laughing and wiped a fake tear from his eye.

“Shadow, why does your laugh sound like air escaping from a balloon?” Sonic cackled. Shadow blushed at Sonic’s jab but didn’t feel judged in any way.

“Why is your voice so squeaky?” Shadow jabbed back, smirking. Sonic dramatically gasped in offence.

“Squeaky?!” Sonic squeaked. Shadow laughed harder as Sonic clamped his mouth shut in embarrassment. “That was terrible timing.”

“I thought it was great timing,” Shadow smirked. Sonic rolled his eyes and lightly pushed Shadow’s arm.

“You still need to stay still,” Louis reminded, turning from the monitor. “The more you move, the longer it will take. We need these readings to be accurate.”

“Sorry,” Sonic apologised, trying to sit still. Shadow blinked in surprise. He had forgotten he was in the lab. He had been entirely focused on Sonic. Sonic had returned to talking with the two humans in the room. Before Shadow’s brain got ahead of his impulses, Shadow reached out and wrapped his hand around Sonic’s, seeking more comfort.

Sonic briefly glanced at Shadow, who looked away shyly. When Shadow refused to meet his gaze, Sonic shrugged, returning his attention to the scientists and readjusting his hand so their fingers were now intertwined.

Shadow traced Sonic’s profile in his mind. Something about Sonic’s mere existence made Shadow’s chest feel funny, the ends of his body tingle, and a stupid smile he could never stamp down when Sonic spoke to him. This wasn’t like the comforting warmth he felt around Maria. This felt more like a blazing fire, and despite the heat, it felt right.

Sonic looked at Shadow, and their eyes met. Shadow didn’t realise how much darkness was in his mind until Sonic ran in with a light. How had it only been a few days of knowing this hedgehog, and yet he’d already changed Shadow in a way he wasn’t quite sure of yet?

“What?” Sonic asked, going crosseyed as he looked at his face. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No,” Shadow shook his head, smiling slightly. “Just glad you’re here.”

Sonic beamed at the ebony hedgehog and tightened his hold on Shadow.

“Me too,” Sonic whispered back.

“Alright, you boys are all set,” Louis announced, turning off the monitors. Sonic threw his hands up in celebration, pulling Shadow’s hand, which he still held onto. Shadow hummed in amusement and used his free hand to start pulling the sticky tabs off himself.

“Ow!!” Sonic shouted out, causing Shadow to turn to look at him in concern.

“What’s wrong?” Shadow asked, looking the hedgehog up and down for any sign of injuries.

“It’s pulling my fur!” Sonic declared, gesturing to one of the sticky tabs on himself, which he had started to pull off.

“It’s easier if you yank them off quickly,” Shadow informed, demonstrating with one of his own. Sonic just gaped at Shadow.

“That’s so barbaric!” Sonic cried out. “Think about your beautiful chest fur!”

“My…what?” Shadow blinked.

“I mean, your totally normal, regular-looking chest hair!” Sonic backpedalled, letting go of Shadow’s hand to wave his own around. “Not beautiful- I mean, it is beautiful, but from a totally non-weird, just another one of the guys observing someone’s totally normal-looking chest fur–OW!”

“You’re saying ‘totally’ a lot,” Shadow stated, holding one of the sticky tabs that had been on Sonic’s chest in his hand.

“My beautiful chest fur!” Sonic mourned, seeing a small tuft of hair stuck to the tab that Shadow held. Shadow rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile at Sonic’s dramatics.

“It’ll grow back,” Shadow consoled.

“But at what cost, Shadow?” Sonic exhaled dramatically, holding Shadow’s shoulder. “At what cost?”

“Here,” Shadow started, using his speed to pull the rest of the tabs off Sonic before the other could process the discomfort. Sonic blinked in surprise before his face twisted into something Shadow couldn’t understand.

“You…used your powers for me,” Sonic said softly.

“It’s a time saver, right?” Shadow hummed. Sonic’s smile only widened, and the warmth in his eyes grew.

“You boys ready to go?” Walters called out, walking into the room. Shadow quickly finished taking off his tabs and jumped down from the table, Sonic following suit.

“Walters!” Sonic greeted cheerfully. “Where are we headed next?”

“The R.R. room,” Walters informed.

“Okay, now I’m almost certain you’re a pirate,” Sonic responded, raising an amused eyebrow. Walters just laughed as he gestured for the two hedgehogs to follow him down the hallway. After a short walk, Walters led them into the Running Room, the large open space where Shadow’s speed and power were measured. In the middle of the circular space, the scientists were already entering the small tower behind the protective glass to observe the hedgehogs.

As Shadow walked further in, he heard Sonic stop walking beside him. Shadow turned to look back at Sonic, who was anxiously looking around the room while taking steps back towards the door they came through.

“Sonic?” Shadow called out. Sonic didn’t seem to hear Shadow as his eyes grew lost in some sort of memory. Sonic began mumbling to himself, and Shadow walked closer to hear what he was saying.

“Knuckles…Tails…there’s no blackhole. No magic marble. No blackhole, Sonic. You’re safe, Sonic. You’re–”

“Hey,” Shadow interrupted, moving his hand to place it on Sonic’s shoulder. Sonic seemed to snap back to reality and see Shadow in front of him. As Sonic jumped away from Shadow, the blue hedgehog’s quills puffed up in agitation.

“Don’t touch me!” Sonic cried out, folding in on himself. Shadow reeled back in surprise and looked at Sonic with wide eyes. “Stay away from me!”

“Sonic,” Shadow breathed out, hurt making his way into his voice. “What’s going on?”

Sonic whined slightly and started banging his fist on his head repeatedly. Shadow jumped forward and pulled Sonic’s hands away from his head. Sonic’s hands clenched into fists as the hedgehog squeezed his eyes shut, inhaled deeply and shakily exhaled. Sonic’s hands relaxed.

“Sorry,” Sonic croaked, shaking his head and opening his eyes to look at Shadow. Shadow saw fear in Sonic’s eyes. “Bad memories.”

Shadow did the only thing he could think of and engulfed Sonic in a gentle hug, which Sonic returned after a few seconds, nuzzling into the crook of Shadow’s neck.

“Awwwww,” came from the group of scientists over the loudspeaker. Sonic and Shadow quickly pulled away, faces heating up in embarrassment as one of the scientists cursed, realising the loudspeaker had been turned on.

“Alright, you two,” Gerald announced over the loudspeaker. Blue hog, I’d like you to stay on the bottom track of the loop and Shadow you at the top so I can measure your speeds individually. You may begin whenever you’re ready.”

“What are we doing?” Sonic asked, looking at Shadow.

“Using our abilities to run as fast as we can so the professor can measure our speed,” Shadow explained. Sonic looked around the room and placed his hands on his hips.

“Bet I can run more loops than you,” Sonic declared.

“What?” Shadow blinked. Sonic turned to Shadow, a smirk on his face.

“Tell me, other hedgehog,” Sonic began. “Have you ever lost a race before?”

“No,” Shadow stated. “I am the fastest thing alive.”

“Hate to break it to you, Shadow,” Sonic grinned. “But you’re not the fastest thing alive. I am.”

“I–” Shadow began before stopping and looking at Sonic, questioning. A burning flame in Shadow’s ribcage sent waves of energy down into his fingertips. He had never felt this feeling before. “What is this feeling you’re making me feel?”

“Competitiveness!” Sonic declared joyfully, falling into a runner’s stance. “Don’t feel too ashamed when I complete more laps than you.”

“Are you sure you aren’t saying that to yourself?” Shadow inquired, mirroring Sonic’s stance. Sonic glanced over to Shadow and gave a smirk that screamed, ‘I’m going to win’. However, Shadow was sure it would be him who would win.

“On three?” Sonic hummed. Shadow nodded.

“One.”

“Two.”

Lightning began to flash between the two as they shared one last look before they started. Sonic’s eyes were vibrant blue, while Shadow’s were vibrant red-orange. Something in Shadow just felt entirely right in this moment.

“Three!”

It felt perfect.

Chapter Text

It was finally over. Eggman was gone, and Sonic is staying on Earth. Sonic turned to look at Tom and the Pretzle Lady—his friends. He had made friends! Everything was coming up, Sonic!

“So, what now?” Sonic asked, watching as the other protector of Green Hill worked on dispersing the crowd that had formed during the fight. Sonic had taken to calling Tom’s work partner ‘Munchkin Man’ since he was the sidekick to the Doughnut Lord, and Munchkin Man preferred munchkins over doughnuts. The names just write themselves sometimes.

“Now,” Tom started, placing his hands on his hips and exhaling. “We get some well-deserved rest. I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.”

“Oh,” Sonic deflated, realising it was time to part ways. Tom and Pretzle Lady would return to their home, and Sonic would return to his… lonely cave. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Where are you going?” Tom called out as Sonic turned from them. Sonic looked back with a furrowed brow.

“I was going back to my cave,” Sonic answered, fiddling with his ring bag. “Since you guys are going home.”

Tom and the Pretzle Lady looked at each other before looking back at Sonic.

“Why don’t you come home with us?” Pretzel Lady offered.

“Really?” Sonic asked, his face lighting up joyfully before coughing and schooling his features to nonchalant. “I mean…I guess I could, maybe…Why?”

“Well, you just had a big fight,” She started, stepping away from Tom and crouching in front of Sonic. “And I’d feel a lot better if I made sure you’re alright. Plus, I’m guessing you’re hungry, right?” The Pretzle Lady smiled. Sonic nodded. “We’ve got some cake at home.”

“Oh! I’ve never had cake before!” Sonic exclaimed. “No one ever throws it out.”

The pair exchanged another look that Sonic couldn’t decipher, and Tom reached down to tussle Sonic’s quills while Pretzel Lady stood back up.

“You can have all the cake you want, bud,” Tom said softly. Once again, Sonic felt a warm, fuzzy feeling flutter in his chest, just like when Tom tucked him in at the hotel. He hadn’t felt this warmth since his time with Longclaw. Tom turned and called out to Munchkin Man. “You got this sorted, Wade?”

Oh, Wade was the man’s real name. The name suited him.

“Yeah, I’ve got this,” Wade nodded, confidently placing his hands on his hips, gun still in his hand.

“You’ve got the safety on, right?” Tom inquired. Wade glanced down at his gun.

“Oh, shoot,” Wade cursed under his breath, fixing his gun before looking at Tom with a slightly less confident expression, but still wanting to do his job. “Yeah, I’ve got this. You’ll text me about this whole situation, how the blue devil is actually real, and how the Men in Black were after you, yeah? Because like, I have no idea what’s going on.”

“‘Course, Wade,” Tom smiled, patting Wade on the shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Wade!” Sonic waved.

“Bye, Blue…devil…thing?”

As they walked back to Tom’s house, Sonic excitedly regaled them with every single detail of his fight with Robotnik. The Pretzle Lady wrapped her arms around Tom’s torso, and Tom smiled happily while he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. When they reached the house, Tom started patting himself down, and his brows furrowed in concern.

“Where’s my–?” Tom started only to stop and pull a face. “My keys are still in my car, which is back in San Francisco.”

“Oh,” Pretzel Lady realised. “Oh, shoot, mine are too. Did we hide a spare somewhere?”

“No, I’ve been using the spare since I lost my key during—”

“That disastrous hike with your brothers last year,” Pretzel Lady nodded, remembering, frowning. “Do you know how to lockpick or—?”

Sonic sped up to the front door and opened it, causing the two adults to stare at Sonic in surprise.

“You never locked the door when we ran from Eggman,” Sonic reminded, smirking. A breathless laugh escaped from Tom, who nodded in acceptance.

“‘Ladies first?” Tom shrugged, looking at Pretzel Lady. The Pretzel Lady smiled and walked past Sonic and into the house.

“Oh my god!” Pretzel Lady shouted, causing Tom and Sonic to jump. The Pretzel Lady was looking at the dining room, completely riddled with bullet holes and broken glass. Tom cringed and scratched the back of his neck as he slowly closed the front door behind him.

“I may have forgotten to tell you about the…minor…damage to the house?” Tom spoke, his voice rising in pitch with each word. The Pretzel Lady whipped around to look at Tom, her face scrunched angrily.

“Minor damage?” Sonic repeated, walking around the dining room and looking outside through a bullet hole in the wall. “I thought this was pretty bad, but I’d hate to see what major damage looks like.”

“No,” The Pretzel Lady breathed out, glaring at Tom. “This is pretty bad.”

“Oh look,” Sonic said. “I can stick my whole hand through this hole. Don’t worry; I know how to fix this. We just need to put pictures over all the holes, and no one will notice!”

“I think they might notice,” Tom hummed, looking at the sheer number of bullet holes on the walls and floor.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sonic nodded, holding his finger under his nose and tapping his foot in thought. “It’d probably be weird to put picture frames on the floor. It certainly would be a tripping hazard.”

“I’m going to process this tomorrow,” The Pretzel Lady declared, exhaling loudly. “The important thing is both of you are okay.”

“You should see the other guy, or egg drone thing. It looked way worse than the room after Tom and I were done with it.” Sonic grinned.

“Did it, though?” Tom grimaced, seeing stray bullet holes in the kitchen and the living room. “I’ll call a contractor tomorrow. Do you think they’ll believe me if I say it was termites?”

“No,” The Pretzel Lady huffed, shaking her head before looking at Sonic. “It’s getting late, so why don’t we get you fed and then off to bed?”

“Aw, really?” Sonic whined. “I’m not even tired!”

“You say that, but the second your head hits that pillow…” Tom trailed off, smirking. Sonic rolled his eyes before looking at Pretzel Lady hopefully.

“So, cake? I was promised cake.”

“That you were,” Pretzel Lady nodded, smiling warmly and turning into the kitchen. Sonic ran and was already seated on one of the stools by the time the Pretzel Lady had reached the kitchen, his hands clasped together on the counter while his feet swayed excitedly beneath him. “The good news is that the cake seems to be free from bullet holes.”

“Can I have a corner piece, Pretzel Lady?” Sonic asked excitedly. “From all the birthday parties I’ve watched, apparently the corner piece is the best.”

“Sure,” Pretzel Lady nodded subduly, grabbing a plate, cutting a corner piece from the top of the cake, and sliding it to Sonic. At the same time, Tom walked around the table and placed a fork by Sonic’s plate.

“I’m gonna quickly shower,” Tom declared.

“Good idea,” The Pretzel Lady nodded, resting her elbows on the table.

“Make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone,” Tom joked, walking up the stairs.

“Uh, rude!” Sonic exclaimed with a mouthful of cake.

“The cake good?” The Pretzel Lady smiled, watching as Sonic scooped up a large chunk with his fork and shoving it into his already stuffed face.

“It’s fantastic!” Sonic declared.

“Good,” she smiled, fiddling with her hands as she watched Sonic eat. Sonic began to slow down to savour his food, and the kitchen descended into a calm, peaceful silence.

“Thank you,” Sonic finally said, looking up through his eyes at the woman. “For the cake…and everything else.”

The Pretzel Lady’s face softened, and she reached across the table, not touching Sonic’s hand but close enough to feel a connection through their proximity.

“Of course, baby,” The Pretzel Lady whispered.

“I’ve been calling you Pretzel Lady all this time, I forgot I can ask you what your real name is,” Sonic prompted.

“It’s Maddie,” Maddie stated.

“Thank you, Maddie,” Sonic thanked, smiling. “So, you’re Tom’s best friend.”

“Uh-hmm? Pardon?” Maddie blinked, looking taken aback.

“You and Tom are best friends,” Sonic repeated. “At first I was a little jealous that I wasn’t Tom’s best friend, but if you’re his best friend, I can’t argue, you know?”

“We’re not friends,” Maddie interjected.

“What?!” Sonic exclaimed, standing up on his chair. “How could you not be friends with Tom?! He’s so cool, and he protects Greenhill! You two live together! If you’re not friends, why do you two push your bodies so close together?”

“No,” Maddie cut off, closing her eyes as she tried to find the right words. “Tom is my husband.”

“Husband?” Sonic questioned, raising his eyebrow and sitting back down. “What’s that?”

“It’s…something different from a best friend. It’s a different type of love,” Maddie started.

“There’s more than one type of love?” Sonic asked. “But it’s one word.”

“It’s one word, but it isn’t one feeling. You love running, yeah?”

“Mm hmm,” Sonic nodded. Maddie then gestured to the cake.

“You love cake too, right?”

“Very much so,” Sonic grinned.

“But when you think about these loves, can you feel inside yourself how they feel different?”

Sonic thought about running. The intense feeling of freedom crashing into his face as he ran, the immense relief of a way to make his negative emotions easier to carry, the pure joy he simply found in being fast. His mind then turned to cake, which he got to try for the first time today. It was sugary, sweet, and soft, but it wasn’t those things that warmed his chest. As he looked at what was left of his cake, he was reminded that he got to eat cake for the first time because Maddie gave it to him the night he defeated Robotnik and got to stay on Earth.

He loved running. He loved cake. But the way he loved these things was completely different.

“I never realised,” Sonic mumbled, rubbing his chest almost as if he was trying to grab hold of his emotions to examine them closer.

“There are infinite ways to love something, but it’s usually categorised into a specific word that’s easy to identify and communicate to others. Like how you know that the love of a friend is different from the love of a best friend.”

“Right,” Sonic nodded, brows furrowed in thought. “So your love of Tom doesn’t fit the best friend category? That’s why he’s not your friend?”

“Yes,” Maddie affirmed. “And different types of love can also have different types of intentions. Friends are there to hang out with, talk to, etcetera. A best friend is someone you often spend one-on-one time with and share more of your feelings with because you feel comfortable and trust them more than your other friends. The type of love Tom and I have is similar to the kind of love that best friends share, but it’s more… passionate. It’s more than just a best friend.”

“How?” Sonic asked. Maddie’s face grew soft, and she smiled wistfully while twisting a metal ring around her finger.

“The love I have with Tom is…like no other love I’ve experienced. It’s powerful and unyielding like nothing in the world could tear us apart. Loving him this way is…knowing that no matter what, I will always be by his side through happiness and pain and knowing he would do the same for me too.”

“Ew,” Sonic grimaced. “That sounds so sappy.”

“It is,” Maddie chuckled. “But it’s a wonderful type of love to know.”

“Am I going to find someone that makes me feel that way? That’s so gross!”

“Maybe. Not everyone wants that type of love, and it’s okay if you don’t. When you first discover that type of love, it can make you do silly things. When I first met Tom, I stuttered and kept walking into walls because I was too busy looking at him and not my surroundings.”

“Maybe it wasn’t love,” Sonic suggested. “Maybe you got cursed.”

“Rachel would agree with you,” Maddie laughed, taking away Sonic’s now-empty plate and placing it into the sink. Sonic frowned in thought as he got off his chair.

“I don’t think my love for Tom is a best friend love,” Sonic realised. “It feels more like when I think about Longclaw.”

“Who’s that?” Maddie inquired.

“Longclaw was the one who took care of me before I came to Earth,” Sonic explained. “But I don’t know what word best fits the way I loved her.”

“Well, that’s the best part of growing up,” Maddie began, moving to crouch down in front of Sonic. “You get to find the right words.” Sonic smiled, and Maddie reached out and took one of Sonic’s hands. “You were very brave today, Sonic. I’m really proud of you.”

“You are?” Sonic said hopefully. Maddie nodded again, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Why was she about to cry?

“I promise you, Sonic,” Maddie declared. “You will never be lonely again or have to eat from the trash, or be cold, or anything ever again. Tom and I are here for you.”

Sonic had felt his love for Maddie shift over the day as he got to know her more, but at that moment, he suddenly felt that love slide in right next to his love of Tom. He loved Maddie the same way he loved Tom and Longclaw. Now, he just had to find the word to describe it. He would…one day.

The next hour seemed to blur by, and he suddenly found himself lying between Tom and Maddie in their bed, all snuggled close together. As Sonic’s eyes were drifting shut, he saw Tom reach out to clasp Maddie’s hand and squeeze it firmly. It was truly incredible. Sonic felt their love for each other emanating from their skin. Sappy, yes. But the power of their love…perhaps Sonic would be lucky enough to find it for himself one day.

“Hey!” Shadow exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of Sonic’s eyes, bringing him back into reality. Sonic blinked rapidly and turned to see Shadow looking at him with worry. “You okay? You started to space out.”

He, Shadow, and Maria had been eating breakfast after the hedgehogs had finished their tests for the day. The three were talking when Sonic suddenly found himself unable to look away from Shadow, and he got lost in memory.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonic nodded, smiling. “I’m okay.”

Shadow relaxed and smiled in relief before gently turning his attention back to Maria to continue their conversation. Sonic pretended to listen but was too busy processing his sudden realisation. The love he had for Shadow didn’t fit the word friend…crush was a better word.

Oh, boy, was he in trouble.

Chapter Text

Shadow watched Sonic pace around the room, hand to his chin, while he muttered quietly. Shadow thought Sonic was stressed, as he occasionally scratched his quills and then dragged his hands across his face. He would pause momentarily, his foot tapping rapidly, before he shook his head and continued pacing.

Shadow sat crisscross on the edge of Maria’s bed, his head resting in his hand as his eyes tracked his fellow hedgehog. Shadow deeply inhaled through his nose and then out of his mouth.

“You’re going to wear a hole into the ground,” Shadow finally called out. Sonic’s shoes squeaked as he stopped and looked up at Shadow.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Sonic chuckled bashfully, holding a finger under his nose. “I made a serious dent on a baseball field back at home.”

“A trillion dollars for your thoughts?” Shadow presented. Sonic tilted his head in confusion.

“Don’t you mean ‘penny’ for your thoughts?” Sonic reiterated.

“I believe your thoughts are worth far more than a single penny,” Shadow frowned.

“And you have a trillion dollars lying around?”

“Maria’s piggy bank might have some money…” Shadow trailed off, looking around the room for it. Sonic’s face softened, and he sat down beside Shadow on the bed.

“It’s just an idiom, Shadow,” Sonic informed gently. “You don’t have to buy my thoughts.”

“Ah,” Shadow realised. “Yes, in hindsight, that makes more sense. Sonic, you’re upset. I am seeking the reasoning as to why.”

“Heh, you sound like my older brother,” Sonic hummed, a sad smile dancing across his face. Sonic’s expression faded into something more solemn, and he started nervously playing with his gloves. “I’m not upset…I’m just–” Sonic exhaled. “Conflicted.”

“Is it contagious?” Shadow asked. Sonic shot up and looked at Shadow, bewildered.

“Dude, you don’t know what conflicted means?”

“I think we’ve already established my education is subpar,” Shadow huffed.

“But you know what subpar means?” Sonic laughed. Shadow rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder into Sonic.

“The professor uses that word a lot to describe his lattes,” Shadow explained. “What does conflicted mean?”

“Oh boy,” Sonic hummed, putting a finger to his chin in thought. “How do I explain it? I mean, like, have you ever felt happy and sad at the same time before?”

“I think so,” Shadow nodded.

“Well, happy and sad are opposites. They conflict,” Sonic informed. “Like Jack Traven and Howard Payne from the movie Speed! Or Neo and Agent Smith from the Matrix!”

“Who?” Shadow blinked, suddenly becoming very lost. Sonic blinked a few times, visibly spacing out before smacking his face with his hand, groaning slightly.

“Movie characters, sorry,” Sonic waved off. “But one’s a hero and the other is the villain.”

“Opposites,” Shadow notes. Sonic smiles.

“Yeah!”

“So, you’re feeling like a villain and a hero at the same time?”

“No– I– Maybe?” Sonic stuttered, talking to himself with a furrowed brow before shaking his head. “Conflict usually means…wait…” Sonic pauses, blinking a few times. “When two people fight or if there’s like a war or something, it can be called a conflict. But conflict is also used to describe what causes the main character in a show or movie to become the hero. Conflicted means opposites like up and down, but it can also mean incompatible…”

“Why does one word have so many different meanings?” Shadow prompted.

“I dunno, dude,” Sonic groaned, putting his head in his hands. “Explaining things is hard. Existing is hard.”

Shadow frowned at Sonic’s crash out, but decided to continue pressing.

“What type of conflict are you facing?”

“Emotional conflict,” Sonic said from his hands.

“So,” Shadow drawled out, eyes squinting in thought. “You’re experiencing emotions that are opposites of each other at the same time?” Sonic nodded. “And this is bad?”

“It’s not bad, per se,” Sonic huffed, sitting up. “It’s not good either.”

“That’s…a conflicting statement,” Shadow hummed.

“Hey, at least you’re a fast learner,” Sonic shrugged.

“Thank you,” Shadow acknowledged. “What emotions have you conflicted?”

“Gosh, the more we say conflicted, the less it sounds like a real word,” Sonic joked. Shadow remained silent, waiting for Sonic to continue. Sonic frowned, realising Shadow was not going to be fooled by his diversion.

“Someone hurt my Dad before I appeared here at the base,” Sonic started quietly, looking down at the ground emptily. “I didn’t see it happen, but when I found…” Sonic looked over at Shadow hesitantly. “Tom, my Dad, he was all crumpled on the floor. I ran up to him, and he wasn’t waking up, no matter how hard I tried…” Sonic gritted his teeth, fighting the emotions of the memory. “And then Sha– the person who attacked Tom,” he gulped. “Was just standing above him, completely unfazed.”

“Oh, Sonic,” Shadow whispered.

“I wanted to kill him,” Sonic spat angrily. “I was going to kill him. But, before I could even land a hit, I was suddenly here, at the base.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Shadow breathed out, entirely at a loss for words, “how you must feel.”

“Not great,” Sonic supplied. “I don’t even know if Tom’s alive, it’s driving me insane.” Sonic choked out. “But then I’m with you and Maria and…I’m okay. And then I’m furious with myself for being okay because Tom could be–”

Sonic trailed off, looking absolutely devastated. Shadow couldn’t help the surge of rage washing over him as he thought of the person who so cruelly attacked Sonic’s father. Who would do something so awful to someone so amazing? Sonic didn’t deserve it.

“Woah, Shadow, you all right?” Sonic questioned, alarmed, his hands half outstretched to him. He hadn’t realised he was sparking up in anger.

“What kind of…monster would do that to you?” Shadow snarled, clenching his fists. Sonic reeled back in surprise, eyes searching for something within Shadow. Sonic then, hesitantly reached out a hand and gently placed it over Shadow’s fist. Shadow looked at Sonic, who looked at him in earnest.

“He wasn’t a monster, Shadow,” Sonic said quietly. Shadow looked at Sonic with surprise, but there was no clear sign of a joke or deceit on Sonic’s face.

“How could you say that about someone who might’ve,” Shadow didn’t say the word they were both avoiding, “do that to your father?”

Sonic looked away, face scrunched in thought as he searched for an answer he clearly didn’t have.

“Because…” Sonic trailed off. “Because, hurt people hurt people. And he was hurt badly…and he had no one to share the pain with, so he tried to pass his pain off to someone else. You can’t pass pain off, you can only share it.”

Sonic squeezes Shadow’s hand, which allows his hand to relax from its clenched state, and they intertwine their fingers.

“So what if he’s hurt?” Shadow frowned. “He has no right to do that to you!”

“No, he doesn’t,” Sonic agrees quickly. “But the people who hurt him didn’t have a right either, and they still did it. I know what pain does to a person,” Sonic begins. “I know what it was going to do to me had I not suddenly appeared here. But I know who Tom’s attacker really was back then, before the pain changed him,” Sonic declares, turning to face Shadow. “And I really like that version of him.”

“Liking him even though he still attacked your father? That’s…incredibly conflicting.”

“Yep,” Sonic nodded, popping the ‘p’ and pressing his lips together. “And I mean, it’s not just about who he used to be, it’s also about who I am and how I see myself as a hedgehog. All the things that have happened to me…I never let it change me,” Sonic said whistfully. “And when I was about to let the pain change me,” Sonic raised his empty hand and held it against Shadow’s cheek. Shadow felt his heart racing faster than he had ever run before. “You saved me, Shadow.”

“I did?” Shadow stuttered. Sonic nodded once.

“He was never a monster,” Sonic declared softly into Shadow’s gaze. Sonic then dropped his hand from Shadow’s face and cleared his throat. “Still, all super conflicting, though. I mean, that’s just what I think. I mean, Tom could have an entirely different opinion since, y’know, he was the one to– so then your brain makes you feel guilty about forgiving, but then you feel empathetic for Sha– the guy who hurt Tom, and it’s just this whole back and forth. I feel like a chewed-up straw.”

“I do not envy your brain,” Shadow informed.

“Yeah, this is what happens when you don’t take your ADD meds,” Sonic declared self-deprecatingly. “And being in this whole situation.”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Shadow frowned.

“Hm?”

“You don’t know if your father’s alive, but what about your brothers? Aren’t they out there?”

“Ah, no,” Sonic shook his head.

“But they’re alive?”

“Technically?”

“That was a yes or no question,” Shadow stated. Sonic’s mouth moved rapidly, but no sounds came out.

“Look, the best way I can put it for now is it’s a time-related issue,” Sonic declared. “Make sense?”

“No?”

“Great!” Sonic exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and moving over to his pillow pile.

“Sonic–”

“I’m so tired, Shadow,” Sonic said, face crumbling. “And emotionally spent, so I have no filter, and it’s making me crazy. I know Maria and Robot-stink aren’t back from dinner yet, but can we please go to bed early?”

The way Sonic looked dissuaded Shadow from pressing anymore, and he nodded reluctantly. Sonic sagged in relief, kicking his shoes off and melting into the makeshift bed. In the minute it took Shadow to turn off the lights and join Sonic in bed, Sonic was already fast asleep.

By the time Maria quietly snuck back into her bedroom, Shadow and Sonic were snuggling together, Sonic sleeping on Shadow’s chest while Shadow held Sonic close. She nearly died from cuteness overload on the spot.

Chapter Text

When Shadow opened the door to Maria’s room, Maria grinned excitedly, putting her book down and moving to get up. She frowned when she noticed Shadow’s troubled expression and the lack of Sonic.

“Sonic asked to speak with Professor Robotnik privately,” Shadow explained before Maria could ask, moving to sit in the chair across from Maria. Maria sat back down.

“Oh, what about?” Maria asked. Shadow scowled, pulling his legs to his chest and crossing his arms.

“He didn’t care to tell me,” Shadow grumbled.

“Are you okay?” Maria asked, looking at Shadow’s hunched form.

“He usually tells me everything. Like, he has a compulsion to tell me anything. And I like hearing him talk,” Shadow admitted. “But a few days ago, we had a weird conversation, and now he’s more reserved. Now, he wants to talk to the professor? He hates the professor.”

“Hate’s a strong word,” Maria pointed out.

“He has a strong hate for him,” Shadow rebutted. “Sonic’s words. Not mine.”

“What was your weird conversation with Sonic about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Sonic was having conflicted emotions about his father’s attacker,” Shadow paraphrased.

“Attacker?” Maria repeated, alarmed.

“I may need to catch you up on a few things,” Shadow realised. “Sonic told me that before he appeared in the base, he was with his father, who had just been attacked by someone.”

“Who?” Maria gasped. “Maybe we can find this person and you know, get them sent to jail or something?”

“He wouldn’t say,” Shadow frowned. “And the strangest thing, he was forgiving towards this attacker.”

“What? Does he not like his Dad or something?”

“It’s not that,” Shadow shook his head. “When Sonic talks about his father, it’s clear how much he cares for him. Which is why I don’t understand why he would be so sympathetic towards a monster that would attack his father so thoughtlessly.”

“Well, I guess Sonic’s a confusing guy,” Maria shrugged, leaning back in her seat. “But I think he’s a lot like the heroes of the movies we watch…the hero who gives the villain a second chance to be good.”

“I never understood that,” Shadow huffed. “He shouldn’t be so forgiving of someone who does that. But he is, and he’s so compassionate that when he speaks, I almost believe it too.”

“He does seem to know what he’s talking about for most things,” Maria contemplated.

“He said that chilli dogs are one of the main food groups.”

“Okay, most things,” Maria reiterated, smiling.

“He also said another thing,” Shadow continued, amused expression turning serious. “Sonic passively mentions his brothers and mom and how he knows they’re alive…but not out there.”

“I always assumed that maybe they’re on another planet since you and he both came from space,” Maria theorised.

“Space is technically ‘out there, ’” Shadow said, making finger quotations. “Besides, Sonic came to Earth when he was little, remember? And what he said a couple of nights ago has been rolling around my head…he said it was a time-related issue.”

“What does that mean?”

“I think…maybe…Sonic could be–”

The door opens, and Sonic angrily stomps into the room with his arms crossed. He doesn’t greet Shadow or Maria; instead, he brushes past them, heads straight over to one of the bean bag chairs, and flops into it.

“Everything alright, Sonic?” Maria questioned, leaning over to get a better look at Sonic, whose face was buried in the bean bag chair. Sonic didn’t verbally reply; instead loudly groaned into the chair. Maria and Shadow look at each other in confusion. “Is this a cry for help?”

“Robotstink grounded me!” Sonic exclaimed, pulling his face from the chair to speak before collapsing back into it again. He said something else, but the bean bag muffled it.

“What did you do?” Shadow asked. Sonic sat up, offended.

“What do you mean, ‘what did I do?’ I didn’t do anything!” Sonic declared. Shadow raised a brow, and Sonic huffed. “He called me a liar.”

“What did you say?” Shadow continued, walking up to Sonic and sitting in the bean bag chair across from him.

“Nothing,” Sonic dismissed, eyes straying away from Shadow.

“The professor wouldn’t ground you over saying nothing,” Shadow frowned, crossing his arms.

“I didn’t say anything,” Sonic persisted.

“You asked to speak with him privately,” Shadow continued.

“Yeah, well, it was a stupid idea,” Sonic sneered to himself.

“Why?”

“Just drop it, Shadow,” Sonic sighed, looking frustrated.

“You obviously said something to make the professor upset enough to ground you again, so what did you–”

“I SAID DROP IT, SHADOW!” Sonic yelled, standing above Shadow with his fists clenched. Shadow’s eyes were wide with surprise, pressing himself further into the chair. Sonic’s face remained unchanged as he looked down on Shadow before he scoffed and stalked out of the room. Shadow turned his head to look at Maria.

“What did I do wrong?” Shadow asked quietly. Maria got up from where she was sitting and moved to hug Shadow.

“You’re okay,” Maria comforted. “I just think Sonic didn’t want to talk about what happened.”

“Should I go and apologise? I didn’t mean to push, I just wanted to know what happened,” Shadow frowned.

“Give him some time to cool off,” Maria replied.

“He’s hot?”

“No,” Maria smiled, a laugh bubbling out of her. “Anger is associated with heat.”

“Oh, okay,” Shadow nodded. “Perhaps we should then speak with the professor?”

“Why?”

“If Sonic doesn’t want us to tell us what he said, then the professor would know,” Shadow explained. Maria frowned.

“Do you really want to go behind Sonic’s back to know?”

“I know you’re using an expression, but I don’t know what it means,” Shadow sighed.

“Sonic wasn’t comfortable with us knowing what they talked about, and you go and find out anyway without Sonic knowing then-”

“It would be like a betrayal,” Shadow realised. “But I want to know.”

“Well,” Maria began. “What’s more important? Knowing what they talked about or–”

“Sonic is more important,” Shadow declared. “He’s more important to me than anything. Obviously, besides you, Maria.”

Maria gave Shadow a curious look as she moved to sit across from Shadow on the other bean bag chair.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Maria started. “Do you like Sonic?”

“Of course I do,” Shadow frowned, becoming worried. “Why? Have I done something else to make it seem I don’t? Is that why he’s angry at me?”

“No, I mean,” Maria looked around as if someone might be listening in on their conversation before she leaned in close and whispered. “Do you like like him?”

“What is the significance of saying the word twice, Maria?” Shadow inquired, looking lost. Maria huffed in amusement.

“Do you remember when we watched Singin’ in the Rain?” Maria asked.

“I do,” Shadow nodded. “I liked that movie.”

“And you remember how the main character liked the woman in the movie?”

“Liked is a bit simple to describe it, they were mashing their food holes together,” Shadow pointed out.

“Kissing,” Maria corrected. “And so we would say they like like each other.”

“You could also say they’re in love with each other,” Shadow raised a brow.

“True,” Maria shrugged. She then looked at Shadow expectantly. “So?”

“So what?” Shadow blinked.

“Do you love Sonic?”

“What?!” Shadow exclaimed, jumping up. “I- ah- why are you asking that?!”

“Do you wanna kiss him?” Maria asked in a sing-song voice, batting her eyes.

“Stop that,” Shadow blushed, throwing a pillow at Maria.

“You totally do!” Maria exclaimed, grinning.

“I,” Shadow began, but frowned. “I don’t know what love feels like.”

“Well, I love you,” Maria said softly. “But in a sisterly way. I don’t really know what romantic love feels like either, but if you could think of any moment between you and Sonic that might be romantic, what would it be?”

Shadow looked down in thought, running through all his memories with the blue hedgehog. There were many moments where Shadow could feel a pull towards Sonic, but one moment jumped to the forefront of his mind.

“When…when he held my face and looked into my eyes and said I saved him,” Shadow whispered. “I think I wanted to…kiss him in that moment. Like the way they do in the movies.”

“Aww,” Maria cooed. Shadow blushed and turned to face Maria.

“Why would you make me realise this?!” Shadow exclaimed, grabbing his quills. “Now I’m going to be hyper aware of this every time I talk to Sonic!”

“You should tell him how you feel!”

“Sonic is going through way too much for me to put this on him,” Shadow said. “And I don’t know if our feelings are mutual.”

“With the way that he looks at you…Like you’re the centre of his universe. Mom and Dad looked at each other like that,” She whispered. She looked up at Shadow. “I like how he makes you.”

“Like what?” Shadow asked.

“Happier. And most importantly, more secure in your own self. In the few weeks he’s been here, you’ve been so much less afraid of your own powers. When he’s with you, I think you can see yourself like I do.”

“How?”

“Like someone worth existing, someone who deserves more than a life in a laboratory and is worthy of happiness and love.”

Shadow looks at Maria for a long time before moving up and engulfing her in a tight hug.

“I love you, Maria,” Shadow whispered. Maria returned the embrace.

“I love you too, Shadow.”

After a moment, Shadow pulled away and looked at the door Sonic had left through.

“I’m gonna check on him,” Shadow decided. “I think he could use a friend.”

“Sounds good,” Maria smiled. As Shadow left, he turned to look at Maria.

“We should watch Singin’ in the Rain with Sonic tonight.”

“Sonic’s grounded, remember?” Maria spoke up.

“I know, but now you’ve made me wanna watch the movie again. Besides, Robotnik doesn’t have to know,” Shadow smirked mischievously. Maria returned the look.

“I love the way you think.”

___

Shadow found Sonic in the tube room, sitting on the stairs and looking at the giant test tube in the centre. Shadow sat down next to Sonic, not saying anything, just being there. Sonic finally spoke up.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“I forgive you. I’m sorry I pushed you,” Shadow returned. “I’m not good at picking up on social cues yet, but I’m gonna work on it.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, Shadow,” Sonic said, turning to look at Shadow in earnest.

“Well, neither do you.”

“I scared you,” Sonic shook his head. “I saw the way you looked when I yelled. And I just walked away.”

“I was surprised, not scared,” Shadow corrected. “You matter to me more than you’ll ever know, Sonic. I wish I could fix what haunts you.”

Sonic smiled softly and took Shadow’s hand with his own, intertwining their fingers.

“Being here with you helps,” Sonic said. Butterflies danced in Shadow’s stomach with the way Sonic was looking at him.

“Then, I’ll never leave your side,” Shadow declared. Sonic’s eyes widened in surprise as a stuttered laugh escaped his mouth. After a moment, Sonic leaned into Shadow and rested his head on Shadow’s shoulder.

“You’re gonna give a guy the wrong idea, Shads,” Sonic muttered quietly. Shadow didn’t know what that meant, so he kept quiet, opting to rest his head on Sonic’s instead.

“Maria and I were planning on watching a movie tonight,” Shadow informed.

“I’m grounded, ‘member?” Sonic grumbled.

“Robotnik will never know if we don’t tell him,” Shadow replied.

“Rebellious,” Sonic laughed. “Count me in. What movie?”

“Singin’ in the Rain,” Shadow said. “Ever heard of it?”

“Oh! Actually, I have!” Sonic exclaimed. “Haven’t ever watched the movie, but I heard some of one of the songs when Tom Holland was doing a lip sync battle against Zendaya. Dude, Zendaya had no idea what was comin’ when Tom took the stage. Oh man, you should have seen it!”

“You’re so weird,” Shadow chuckled. Sonic rolled his eyes and poked Shadow in the side.

“Yeah? Look who’s talkin’,” Sonic smirked.

“Touche.”

Chapter Text

They’ll take Shadow away from you. Maria will die.

That’s all that circled Gerald’s brain since Sonic confessed that he was from the future. And Gerald…

They’ll take Shadow away from you. Maria will die.

Gerald couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t accept that.

He, Maria, and Shadow were a family. Those two were the most important things in Gerald Robotnik’s existence, and the mere concept of a timeline where he loses everything was cruel. This possibility only existed because of Sonic.

__

“Be careful with those, you idiot!” Gerald exclaimed, watching as one of the base's guards accidentally bumped into an energy cell on the cart. “If one of you bumbling oafs even slightly damages these energy cells, the outcome would be explosively catastrophic!”

“Sorry, Professor,” the guard hastily apologised, jumping aside.

“Why on Earth do we keep these in the entry way?” Gerald muttered, steadying the capsule rocking on its base from the impact. “This is going to end up getting someone killed.”

The professor’s gaze dragged over the capsule's contents, pure raw chaos energy. Robotnik had trillions of questions about Shadow’s existence. Where did he come from? What created him? How was he capable of producing an infinite source of energy? At first, answering these questions was all that mattered to Gerald, and the anthropomorphic hedgehog held no emotional significance to the professor. But Maria changed things. She always did.

Maria came into his life when her parents had died. He took care of her out of a nagging sense of obligation, but she was quick to revive the dried, shrivelled heart Gerald had long forgotten. Maria saw the world in a way Gerald had never been able to…she saw extraordinary beauty in even the smallest things. She saw something in Shadow.

It wasn’t long after that Gerald saw the life that she saw in Shadow. Now, his heart beat for these two kids who deserved a much better life than what he was able to give. But they were happy. And he was happy.

Suddenly, the chaos energy in the energy capsules began frantically dancing around, shining brighter than ever before. Then, a guard shouted in surprise as something crashed into his legs.

“What the–?” a blue creature blinked disorientedly, eyes hazily darting around the room.

“The hell is that thing?” Another guard exclaimed, pointing his gun towards the blue creature. Gerald tilted his head in curiosity, realising it looked strikingly similar to Shadow. Perhaps they were the same species?

“Where am I?” the hedgehog questioned. “Who are you?!”

As more guards surrounded the hedgehog, Gerald could see the rising anxiety. Some guard ordered the rest of the guards to contain it and foolishly fired his weapon. The hedgehog was able to dodge at an inhumane speed.

“Wait, stop!” the hedgehog pleaded. Another fired shot turned the hedgehog’s fearful demeanour into aggression. Sparks of energy began rolling off the creature, his eyes flashing blue and bearing his teeth as he warned. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

Gerald’s eyes darted over to all the energy cells. One misplaced shot or spark could turn this place into rubble.

“Capture it!” Gerald yelled out. It was all a blur from that point on, this creature downing these armed guards like it was nothing. His heart was beating rapidly, feeling a paralysing amount of fear of what could happen. And then his heart stopped in his chest as he looked up to see Shadow and Maria in the room.

Pushing every instinct of self-preservation aside, Gerald sprinted out of the room, down the hallway and grabbed the tranq gun from the wall. This weapon had been specially built in case Shadow ever defected, a tranquilliser strong enough to subdue him for a short time. Running back into the entryway, Gerald couldn’t remember any time when he felt this much fear. The creature had turned its attention onto Shadow and Maria, slowly advancing towards them. Shadow raised his arms to protect Maria behind him, but a bloodthirsty creature would leave no one behind. Gerald aimed and pulled the trigger.

The tranq embedded itself in the speedster's neck, and all its dangerous waves of lightning ceased as it collapsed onto the ground. Shadow stared wide-eyed at the blue hedgehog at his feet.

“Are you kids okay?” Gerald yelled, throwing the gun aside and jumping over unconscious soldiers to get to his kids. He scanned them for injuries and sighed in relief when he found none.

“Professor,” Shadow spoke. “We’re okay.”

Gerald wanted to yell at them. Ask why they decided to leave the safety of their room and risk their lives like that, but Maria had a question.

“Who is that?” She asked, looking down at the unconscious hedgehog.

“No clue. He just appeared and started attacking the guards,” he frowned. Backup finally arrived and overflowed the room, aiming their weapons at the intruder while a more armoured guard started to restrain the hedgehog.

“He had my powers,” Shadow stated, expression distant and confused.

“Or something quite similar to them,” Gerald agreed.

“And he looks like me,” Shadow continued. Gerald frowned, hating how Shadow had to witness someone visually similar to him being treated with all the prejudice and hate the guards had about Shadow.

“But blue,” Maria added. “And angrier.”

“We’ll keep him in your chamber, Shadow,” Gerald decided. “He won’t be able to use his powers in there.”

Gerald guided the armoured men carrying the blue hedgehog to the chamber where they deposited him. Pressing a few buttons at the console, the large glass tube slid shut and began filling up with water. The tranquilliser's effects had already faded, waking the hedgehog up as the water reached about waist high. The hedgehog was quick to start looking for an escape, even trying to break the tube's glass. But it was all for nought as the tube filled, leaving the blue hog helpless. Gerald took some pleasure in the hedgehog’s distress, feeling it only fair considering that this creature had nearly killed Shadow and Maria. This was the least he deserved.

“Professor, I don’t think he can breathe!” Shadow exclaimed from his side. Of course, Shadow had followed him, and of course, Shadow was more worried about the hedgehog than himself. That’s why Gerald was here…to care for Shadow.

“He can breathe in the chamber, just like you can, Shadow,” Gerald soothed, trying to quell the panic rising in Shadow. “He’s holding his breath.”

Shadow watched the hedgehog panic in the water for a few seconds before running up to the tube and banging on the glass to get the hedgehog’s attention- to tell him to breathe. Gerald rolled his eyes. Why would Shadow want to help someone who was prepared to attack him? He could hear the panic in Shadow’s voice and decided enough was enough. Gerald walked up to Shadow, grabbed him by the shoulder, and dragged him out of the room. He felt Shadow push back against him, but Gerald’s will was stronger, and soon, they were in the doorway. Maria appeared, eyes full of worry and anxiety.

“Grandfather,” Maria started. Gerald pushed Shadow into her arms, and she instinctively held him close.

“Go to your room, Maria. Take Shadow, too,” Gerald ordered. Maria opened her mouth to argue, but Gerald spoke again, this time, more gently. “I can’t risk you two getting injured. We know nothing about this creature.”

Maria’s protests died as she saw how worried Gerald looked and nodded, slowly guiding Shadow away from the chamber room.

“You can sleep in my room, Shadow,” Maria said softly. Gerald watched the two leave before he turned back into the room. At this point, the hedgehog had figured out he was able to breathe while in the tube, and without his powers to use, it had settled down, scanning the room and the people inside it with distrust. As Gerald walked up to the tube to get a closer look at the creature, the creature glazed over him before stopping and turning to look at Gerald again, its face showing signs of surprise. The surprise quickly morphed to recognition, which morphed into anger.

He deduced that it must know that Gerald was the one to incapacitate it. That's good. Gerald wanted this thing to know that he was not one to cross. Once Gerald was done, it would regret ever looking at Shadow and Maria.

“Let’s keep it in there for a few days,” Gerald announced, looking at his fellow scientists. “Monitor its vitals and such.”

“Sir, the commander wants to speak with you,” one of the soldiers announced, appearing in the doorway. Gerald put his hands on his hips and looked around the room with disappointment.

“Alright, who snitched to the government that we have an uninvited visitor? You can tell me, I won’t be mad…I’ll be furious!” Gerald shouted. “Couldn’t have waited until morning to call mommy and daddy, could you? Of course not.”

“Sir, the commander,” the soldier pressed, looking slightly fearful of the professor's reaction. Gerald rolled his eyes, groaning loudly and a little too dramatically, but he conceded and followed the other man out of the room.

Many hours later, Gerald made his way back to the chamber room. All the other scientists had long since gone to bed, allowing the machines to monitor this blue creature in their stead. The hedgehog appeared to have also fallen asleep, having exhausted itself from it trying to escape. But then, something caught Gerald’s eye. Rounding the tube, Gerald noticed someone had drawn on the tube’s glass with a dry-erase marker. The large bunny face was a Maria calling card, but the shaky, unpracticed lines suggested it was Shadow who had drawn it. They had been here. Gerald’s gut twisted at the thought.

___

Three days later, Gerald woke up earlier than he typically would, feeling that either Shadow or Maria or both of them would be in the chamber room. They had already tried to make peace with the creature the night before, and Maria’s kindness was never-ending. Shadow followed Maria.

He was entirely correct, of course. Gerald found Shadow in the lab, looking at the blue hedgehog. The blue hedgehog paid Shadow no mind, instead choosing to bear his teeth at Gerald as he walked in.

“Shadow,” Gerald called out calmly. Shadow jumped in surprise and turned to look at the professor.

“Professor,” Shadow blinked, looking slightly guilty at being caught.

“Not following my specific orders, I see,” Gerald hummed, raising an eyebrow at the ebony hedgehog.

“I’m sorry, I was just worried-”

Gerald inwardly sighed in relief, realising that Shadow must only be here to ensure that the creature that nearly attacked him and Maria last night was still safely contained. Shadow was deeply protective.

“It’s not your job to worry,” Gerald said softly. “Trust me, the specimen is contained. He can’t hurt anyone in there.”

“I was worried about him,” Shadow frowned, fur prickling in agitation. Him. Shadow saw this thing as more than what it was. Had Shadow forgotten what this thing did last night? Perhaps Shadow was simply blinded by the fact that this creature looked strikingly similar to Shadow. Shadow wanted answers as much as Gerald did about what Shadow was.

“Shadow, just because he looks like you doesn’t mean he’s one of us,” Gerald began softly, reluctantly using the proper pronouns so as not to make Shadow feel dehumanized. “He took down a whole fleet of guards.”

“Well, we’re doing a great job of making an enemy out of him by locking him up,” Shadow rebutted, frustration and pain coming deep within him. Shadow saw himself in this creature. “I was with him last night. He was friendly.”

Friendly? What absolute nonsense!

“He’s not friendly, Shadow,” Gerald scoffed. “Look at him.”

The blue hog’s eyes hadn’t left Gerald, his eyes ablaze with anger and violence. Had the creature been free, Gerald was sure the thing would try to kill him. It was a rabid, unforgiving creature. There was nothing more to it.

Shadow clearly couldn’t see what Gerald clearly saw. Gerald’s heart broke for Shadow as he hopefully walked up to the glass to try to get the other hedgehog’s attention. When Shadow tapped on the glass, the blue hedgehog looked over to Shadow, the anger suddenly seeming to fade away, though its eyes kept darting back over to Gerald distrustfully. And when Shadow placed his hand against the glass, the other hedgehog rolled his eyes and reciprocated the gesture.

What?

The thing cooperated with Shadow; its aggression was no longer present. Perhaps the gesture calmed the creature? Gerald walked up and also pressed his hand against the glass. The hedgehog looked up in surprise and, after a second, flipped Gerald off.

What barbaric behaviour!

“Rugrat’s not a fan of humans, I see,” Gerald scoffed, stepping away. He would not allow his pride to be wounded by a hedgehog flipping him off.

“He did it with Maria,” Shadow frowned in confusion. “Maybe he doesn’t like you?”

So Maria was with Shadow. Of course, she was.

“Your input is not wanted at this point in time,” Gerald glared. “And don’t think you’re getting away with the fact that you and Maria snuck out last night to see this rodent.”

Shadow winced, realising his mistake before his face twisted to one of determination.

“He’s a hedgehog, professor,” Shadow declared.

“Yes, I am aware,” Gerald sighed, rolling his eyes. Can’t a man be hateful in peace?

“I want to talk to him,” Shadow continued.

“We can’t while he’s in the tube,” Gerald pointed out.

“So, we take him out,” Shadow stated. Gerald laughed at this, causing Shadow to frown. “I'm serious, professor.”

“I know,” Gerald nodded. Shadow’s heart was as big as Maria’s. “But you saw what he did to the guards, what he could have done to you and Maria. If we let him out, he could do the same thing.”

“He won’t,” Shadow said with certainty, looking into the hedgehog’s eyes. Shadow turned to him. “Please trust me, professor. I want to talk to one of my kind. I want answers.”

Something about the desperation in Shadow’s voice struck a chord in Gerald. Shadow never asked for things. But here Shadow was, asking Gerald to trust in him, asking Gerald to help him get answers. Gerald looked at the blue hedgehog, forcing himself to look past his hatred momentarily, and saw fear in the creature’s eyes.

He cannot be truly mindless if he also shows fear.

Gerald inhaled, turning to close the laboratory doors and lock them.

“I trust you, Shadow,” Gerald spoke softly. “And if this goes sideways, I trust you will get him back into the tube.”

Shadow’s look of happiness just about made this whole risk worth it. Biting his tongue, Gerald opened the tube. Gerald stayed stuck to the side, watching as the blue hedgehog flung himself out of the tube, desperately sucking in gulps of air. Shadow was at his side instantly, hands hovering hesitantly over him.

“Are you alright?” Shadow asked. The other hedgehog looked up at Shadow angrily.

“I was tranqed and shoved into a tube of water for three days while scientists looked at me like I was some sort of zoo animal,” the hedgehog spat angrily, shoving Shadow away from him and struggling to stand up. “What do you think?”
Shadow was about to speak, but the blue hedgehog began shaking himself dry, causing water droplets to fly everywhere.

“Fantastic,” Gerald muttered, wringing the surprising amount of water in his moustache. The hedgehog’s eyes were on him instantly, and the aggression returned in full force.
“You!” It yelled, sparks beginning to fly off of it. Shadow grabbed the hedgehog’s arm to stop him from moving towards Gerald.

“Stop! If you attack anyone, I have to put you back into the tube,” Shadow pleaded. “I don’t want to fight you.”

The hedgehog froze at that statement, slowly turning back towards Shadow with a look of pure disbelief. Shadow just continued to stare pleadingly at his blue counterpart. They stared unblinkly at each other before the other hedgehog sagged in resignation.

“Okay,” the other hedgehog conceded softly. How had Shadow so easily disarmed the hedgehog?

“What’s your name?” Shadow asked softly, drawing the other hedgehog’s attention. The hedgehog was silent, looking suspiciously at Shadow before finally speaking.

“Sonic.”

Everything after that was a blur, and Gerald found himself seeing the delightful spirit that Sonic truly was. Not that he’d ever admit that to Sonic. And as Shadow and Sonic spent more time together, Gerald began to suspect there was something between the two. Gerald thought they were good for each other.

Of course, that is, until Sonic declared he came from the year 2024. Sonic's tale was dark and grim, full of tragedy and death, and the more Sonic spoke of it, the harder it was for Gerald to accept.

They’ll take Shadow away from you. Maria will die.

And that was merely the catalyst. Shadow would spend fifty years reliving Maria’s death in his head. Gerald would spend fifty years behind bars, creating a weapon that could annihilate Earth. Gerald would escape and not only manipulate Shadow into believing that destroying Earth was what Maria would want, but his own grandson, too. Gerald would be the catalyst that causes Shadow to kill Sonic’s father, which would have been the catalyst for Sonic to lose himself and kill Shadow had Sonic not ended up here in the past.

And Gerald could not accept that.

Gerald turned Sonic away, grounding him for lying and being cruel enough to come up with a story like that. Days later, Gerald wondered why he was prolonging the inevitability of accepting the truth. He saw the way Sonic looked at Shadow. It was that raw, kind of sappy love that made Gerald sick to his stomach. Sonic loved Shadow and Maria so much that the hedgehog was willing to look Gerald, someone he hated and was afraid of, in the eye and plead for help.

“Do you really believe that we can change a predetermined outcome?” Gerald inquired, looking up from his desk. Across from him sat Sonic, whom he had called in after his tests.

“I know we can,” Sonic declared, looking at Gerald empathetically. Sonic knew the pain and fear Gerald felt. Gerald nodded softly at this.
“Then, let’s get to work.”