Chapter Text
Everything goes wrong (relative to Shadow's current state of prolonged wrongness) during a random battle on a random day. None of them are expecting to have an issue, it should be a simple mission: in and out and over with.
Shadow has busied himself with destroying row upon row of robotic minions. Nothing's trapped inside them, which means there's no need to hold back.
Sonic fights at his side, a newer but not unwelcome development. "Don't overdo it," he warns, watching bolts of lightning arc across the field.
He seems concerned about Shadow's abilities, only growing more cautious with each fight. But he won't say why, and neither will any other member of the resistance whenever Shadow finds himself alone with one long enough to ask.
(It feels like a sore subject rather than a forbidden one, so Shadow hasn't tried terribly hard to tug on that string. He's not entitled to their secrets.)
"I'm fine," Shadow replies, a little heated, but he's not exactly annoyed. It's nice that this Sonic worries about him, especially when they didn't get off to the greatest start.
"Hm. Just make sure you- get down!" Sonic launches himself at Shadow, knocking him down in the midst of a channel.
Sonic pops back to his feet instantly, while Shadow's head is still spinning. He can feel the scrapes scattered across his body knitting themselves back together.
"New machine, huh?" Sonic says, sounding bored. "Suppose it was just a matter of time."
Shadow looks up, only to see a metal copy of himself.
Not a perfect copy: it's been scaled up, just a bit (ouch. even robotnik thinks he's short?), and its quills are striped with silver, rather than red.
Sonic pulls Shadow to his feet, just in time to avoid the machine's next round of bullets. "Congrats, bud, I think this means you're a real freedom fighter now."
"I'm honored," Shadow starts to joke, then breaks off mid-word to spin Sonic into the spot he previously occupied, swapping places with him in order to take a shard of shrapnel to the shoulder.
It's not from his metallic copy (which is currently charging an attack), it's from one of the many other badniks behind them that were unfortunate enough to get hit by the robot's missed shots.
Horrified, Sonic steps in to inspect the damage, ghosting his fingers across Shadow's arm.
Shadow waves him away. "Doesn't hurt." It's not a lie, but the fact that it isn't hurting likely indicates some form of nerve damage.
Anyway, they've got bigger problems. The machine has finished whatever charge-up process it was engaged with; its titanium rings (a bastardized imitation of his own) are now pulsing with electricity. Never a good sign.
Sonic grimaces, giving Shadow one last glance. It looks like it's taking all of his willpower not to grab Shadow and shake him into good health. "Chaos, just- next time, Shads, do me a favor and have a less dangerous robot impersonator before you get us both killed."
"With that attitude, you're fortunate I'm still helping you fight this thing. And don't call me Shads," Shadow says, slamming the robot with a concentrated blast of energy to buy them some time. He follows it up with a kick to the head, knocking it back a few meters.
"What, you don't like it?" Sonic grabs the machine's arm as it lunges for Shadow again, slamming his other hand down on the joint mechanism. It lashes out at him, imitating Shadow's signature roundhouse kick, but Sonic's already jumping back.
Shadow snags Sonic by the wrist and chaos controls both of them to the other side of the field.
"I- he used to- just don't," Shadow stammers, and he must sound real pathetic because Sonic just nods.
"Fine, if it bugs you so much, I'll come up with something else." Sonic pauses, glancing back over at the robot. "Uh. Looks like this thing is functioning on a 'there can only be one' mindset."
Shadow follows his line of sight. The robot is, in fact, speeding across the battlefield, ignoring everything else in its path as it hones in on him. "Shit."
"Shit, indeed."
From there, talking becomes difficult. The robot is ignoring Sonic almost completely, fixated on Shadow.
Or, more accurately: Shadow's rings.
Shadow is quickly forced into a defensive position, keeping his arms away and relying solely on kicks and dodging.
It makes it hard to fight, that's for damn sure- Sonic's trying his best to slow it down, but the machine is rock solid and can electrically charge its hands like deadly defibrillator paddles.
"It's too close! I can't hit it without hitting you!" Sonic yells over the din of the battlefield.
"Then just- go fight something else!" Shadow raises his arm to block an attack; the robot's fist clangs off his inhibitor ring with an ominous crack.
"They've got it handled," Sonic shouts. "This is the most dangerous thing here and you know it!"
Shadow teleports a few feet away, allowing Sonic to get several spindashes in before the machine blasts him back and skates after its true prey.
He's breathing hard already, as is Sonic.
...they're fast, but something this sturdy only has to outlast them, doesn't it?
"Why-" Shadow ducks under a punch. He's willing to bet it could've shattered his skull, and even more willing to bet that no amount of super healing would fix that. "-is it going for my rings? I'll only get more powerful if they break."
Sonic's expression scrunches up. Shadow only has a second to appreciat- notice it before the robot is on him again.
"You're right, that's…" Sonic's eyes go round like dinner plates, "Robotnik's trying to get you to go super."
Sonic says it like a warning. There's fear written all over his face, but Shadow's not entirely sure it's meant for him.
"Is that a bad thing?" A super form would be rather useful right about now.
"Yes," Sonic stresses, spin-dashing into a random badnik that wandered too close. "Someone like you would be a ticking time bomb, shit, he's gonna sacrifice his entire army just to kill ours-"
Shadow tries to dodge the robot's next swipe, and fails.
The robot's hand latches around his neck, harsh metal plating slicing into his fur. He loses most of his air instantly.
At the edge of his vision, Sonic yells something. He looks more panicked than Shadow's ever seen him, ears flat against his skull and terror in his eyes. However, Shadow can't hear what Sonic actually says past his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Shadow doesn't like that expression. He'd be perfectly content if Sonic never looked like that ever again.
"Let-" Shadow kicks the machine in the face, to no effect, "go-" he kicks it again, to no effect, "of-"
The hand around his neck tightens, and talking is no longer an option.
Shadow faintly wonders if being the ultimate lifeform means he can't die from oxygen deprivation, or maybe a crushed windpipe. Because, honestly? He's feeling pretty damn fragile.
Sonic dashes into the machine's arm, once, twice. The robot stumbles, but its chokehold remains firmly in the 'death' range.
His vision is going dark. Vaguely, Shadow recognizes that the robot's other hand is reaching for his left ring.
Huh. Death or 'time bomb,' whatever that means. How lovely.
Suddenly, sound snaps back into clarity. Shadow hits the ground on his hands and knees.
He gasps, with the distinctive wheezy quality that one gains when their windpipe is nearly smashed into a fine paste. It's not easy. His head is spinning and it's taking all of his concentration not to throw up.
"I'll fucking kill you!"
Shadow lifts his head. His vision is still blurry, eyes watering from pain and almost-death. There's blood matted across his throat.
Sonic is on top of the robot, fists clenched into the metal chest plating. How he managed to knock over a two-ton robot is confusing, until Shadow notices the gold flaring from the tips of his quills, the color quickly overtaking the rest of his fur.
"Do you hear me, Robotnik?" Sonic screams, pulling the robot up and slamming it back into the ground. It doesn't look much like Shadow anymore, mostly because its head is no longer connected to its body. "I know you can! If you hurt him, I'll rip you apart limb from bloody limb!"
Holy shit, Shadow thinks deliriously. Holy shit, he really doesn't hate me.
Around them, the battle rages on, freedom fighters and badniks alike giving them a wide berth.
"Sonic," Shadow rasps. There's no reaction, so he clears his throat and tries again. "Sonic, I'm fine."
The hedgehog twitches one golden ear, but otherwise gives no sign of hearing. He tears off the robot's arm and launches it across the battlefield, embedding it in some poor machine's internal core.
Shadow stumbles off the ground. It takes an embarrassing amount of effort to skate in a straight line, but he manages. "Sonic," he repeats, kneeling down beside him and the shattered husk of metal. "You can stop."
Sonic whips his head to face him, and Shadow immediately finds himself wishing he were in a fighting stance.
There's nothing sane about that smile. Or those eyes.
"Hey, beautiful," Sonic says, forgetting the robot entirely. His eyes are hard to look at. Burning swirls of chaos energy. No pupils. No warmth.
Then he gives Shadow a soft smile, and things seem more right, if only for a second.
"Hi," Shadow says, confused, even as a blush rises to his face. Maybe Sonic's super form causes a relaxed state?
Sonic exhales, his attention caught on Shadow's bloody throat. He doesn't look upset by the injury, more… contemplative. Shadow shifts uncomfortably under the scrutiny, but Sonic doesn't seem to notice.
"Sorry," Sonic says, out of nowhere. He motions at the pile of scrap metal that used to be a robot. "I got carried away. Are you okay?"
Suddenly, Shadow knows how a mouse feels when it's cornered by a cat. Like he's crouched under a table, waiting for the other paw to drop.
"I'm... fine," Shadow replies warily. Something is wrong. Sonic's super form shouldn't feel like this. The energy here has felt tainted from the start, but-
Sonic raises his hand, tracing Shadow's cheek with the back of his fingers. His claws are sharper in this form, cool against Shadow's fur. They glint like sunlight on razor blades.
The moment feels timeless. It might last two seconds. It might last two hours.
Shadow jerks backwards on sheer instinct, narrowly avoiding the swipe that Sonic aims at his throat. The claws slash across his muzzle instead, blood welling up below his eye.
Gingerly, Shadow presses his fingertips to the cuts. Maybe the universe will give him a break and this will be a hallucination.
Nope. The wounds sting when he touches them; the tips of his gloves come back stained. Shadow hisses, from shock and not pain. "What…"
"How interesting," Sonic purrs, harsh crimson swirls fixated on Shadow's face. "I've never seen anyone bleed green before."
Shadow spins to his feet, then ducks and rolls under Sonic's next attack. He scrambles back up before he can become a sitting duck.
"You're fast," Sonic remarks, not bothering to stand up since flying is an option. He lifts himself into the air and props his chin in his hands like a besotted school-girl. "I can see why he likes you."
"What are you talking about?" Shadow growls, curling his hand until a chaos spear forms within his palm.
"Sonic, of course," Sonic says. His grin drops into a sneer. "He's gone even softer than usual, just for you. It'll make it all the more satisfying to watch you bleed."
"You're Sonic, dumbass," Shadow snaps, taking a swift step back to avoid the next bolt of lightning. He can't make himself throw the spear. Not yet.
Sonic's laugh is cruel and hard, like chimes shattering on cement. Tiny golden sparks fly off his fur as his body shakes with mirth. "Nah, we're a package deal, pal. Most people in this world call me Super Sonic."
Shadow swallows. He would really prefer an informant with more sanity than this. Okay. Okay, super forms are highly unstable reflections of the user. Time bombs, for lack of a better term. Shadow can handle that. Probably. In any case, he's got a better shot than Sonic would've had handling his hypothetical super form. "And you're here to kill me?"
"I'd tell you not to flatter yourself, but you're right," Super Sonic says, freakishly casual. "I think I'll make it slow. Maybe even relinquish control right as you draw your final breath, just so he can watch you-"
Shadow throws the spear.
It catches Super Sonic in the shoulder. The hedgehog stumbles mid-air, however the fuck that works.
For precisely two seconds, the world is unnervingly silent. Super Sonic doesn’t bleed, and doesn’t express any discomfort with having a rapidly-disintegrating spear of energy lodged in his flesh.
"That was a mistake," Super Sonic says happily, exposing a mouthful of too-many fangs as he smiles. Then, instantly, the smile morphs into a snarl, all pretenses of composure dropping. “I’ll make you regret it.”
"Then come and get me," Shadow says, summoning another spear and tossing it in the air like a coin.
He doesn't get the chance to throw it before Super Sonic's on him.
Keeping him at bay feels like juggling matches. It quickly becomes clear that just running isn't enough; Super Sonic's faster than him. A lot faster.
Chaos control is the only thing keeping Shadow alive, and even then- Sonic is so close that chaos control occasionally drags him along for the ride. Teleporting is horribly jarring if you're not the user, but it barely distracts Super Sonic for a second before those razor-sharp claws are vying for his throat again.
A second, as it turns out, can be a blessing. Those blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments of disorientation are all that's allowing Shadow to land any hits on the guy.
Still, Shadow knows he's delaying the inevitable. For every kick he manages, Super Sonic punches him so hard he sees stars. He's just running out the clock, hoping that the rest of the resistance has caught on and seized their chance to escape.
"Give up already!" Super Sonic snarls, grabbing Shadow's wrist and throwing him into the nearest badnik. The force shatters the robot's chestplate, piercing the power core within.
Shadow teleports before Super Sonic can finish him off, chunks of metal getting mixed up in the portal and raining down on the grass around him. A few small shards embed themselves in his calf, but that's the least of his worries.
He gasps, stumbling as one of his rocket skates spits off flames. The engine is sputtering, unable to handle the energy coursing through it. Super Sonic had dug his claws into that skate more than once, trying to drag Shadow back towards himself. The core mechanism must've been damaged.
It sparks again. Then the engine gives out entirely.
Oh.
Super Sonic is starting to smile again, eyes fixed on the skate. "How 'bout that," he says, loud enough to carry across the battlefield. "A weakness."
This time, Shadow doesn't manage to dodge, off-kilter without both skates to aid him.
This time, Super Sonic slams into him full-force, sending them both flying, rolling, until he finally slams Shadow into the grass.
Super Sonic ends up straddling his waist, essentially pinning Shadow to the ground and ending the fight, but he gives Shadow's shoulders another slam for good measure.
Shadow coughs up a tiny bit of blood. His eyes sting, but there's so many things wrong he can't determine why.
Wow. He's going to die at the hands of a possessed friend, in another dimension, surrounded by a dictator's destroyed robots. Hey, at least no one can say they expected him to go out this way.
Super Sonic grins down at him. A cheshire cat that finally caught his mouse. "I win."
In lieu of responding, Shadow coughs again. His lungs might've been punctured by a fractured rib, or something equally fun.
"You are quite interesting," Super Sonic muses, prodding the cuts on Shadow's cheek with less-than-gentle fingers. Shadow hisses and reflexively tries to turn his face away, but Super Sonic catches him by the jaw, forcing him to remain in place. "I guess I can see the appeal."
"You don't want to do this," Shadow rasps, wishing he couldn't taste his own blood on his tongue.
"I really, really do," Super Sonic murmurs, tracing Shadow's cheek. His whole body burns with chaos energy. It sings in the air around them, begging to be released; Shadow feels almost heady with it.
Carefully, the hedgehog sets his fingers atop the clawmarks on Shadow's cheek, palm resting lightly against Shadow's jaw. Stupidly, for a single second, Shadow thinks that might be the end of it. Then Super Sonic digs his claws in and drags, carving the wounds deeper. From the expression on his face, it's his version of a loving caress, not an attack.
Shadow bites his tongue and tries not to scream. He can't keep from shuddering, however, particularly when Super Sonic pulls his hand back and licks one of his claws, expression almost thoughtful. Blood and motor oil make for a sophisticated flavor profile, apparently.
"I wasn't talking to you," Shadow says, when he trusts his voice not to waver. "I was talking to Sonic."
Super Sonic raises a brow. "Like you'd even know which Sonic you're looking at."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shadow asks, despite every not-broken bone in his body screaming at him not to engage.
"Takes a certain type of idiot to fall in love with the same person twice," Super Sonic says easily. "It'd be funny if you weren't about to die." A pause. "Actually, it's still funny. Now die."
Here's the thing:
Shadow isn't a big believer in magic.
It's insane. He knows it's insane. He's surrounded by magic on a daily basis. He has seen gods crack open the earth and sew it back together without a single casualty.
But spending his childhood years in a research facility surrounded by disillusioned scientists left some lasting biases. Magic wasn't real, they said. Everything can be broken down into science, if you look hard enough.
Maria didn't believe in magic either. She'd loved the stories, though, so Shadow did too. And there was one theme that stuck, when all other magic faded. One so fantastical that it wasn't applicable to any situation and therefore couldn't be disproven.
Shadow's arms aren't restrained, but he's too injured to push the hedgehog off of him.
So he does the exact opposite. He reaches up, buries his hands in golden quills, and drags Super Sonic down.
Shadow doesn't give himself time to question it. He does, however, mentally apologize to everyone who has ever trusted his judgment.
In the stories, they never mention that true love's kiss tastes like blood.
Then again, Shadow figures, this isn't true love. This is a last ditch effort to not die, based on the age-old theory that kissing someone can wake them from an altered mental state.
Sonic stiffens, barely reacting. But there aren't claws tearing into his throat yet, either, so Shadow decides to count it as a win. Shadow closes his eyes. If he is about to be killed, he has no desire to see it coming.
Of course, true love's kiss is simply an offset of another trope: declarations of love, through action or words. Shadow's not nearly well enough for the former, and the latter isn't his strong suit- particularly when he has several broken ribs making it difficult to speak.
…Sonic would make fun of him for this. Either Sonic. Both for trying it, and for distancing himself from it via scientific analysis. But Sonic will also feel crushing guilt for the rest of his life if he murders Shadow while in the midst of a power overload, so despite how uncomfortable this is, Shadow's still damn sure gonna try every available option.
The warmth is nice, though. Shadow is okay with the closeness, if not the current situation.
The current situation, to be clear? Sucks. Sucks real bad. It's awful; zero out of ten. If there's a return policy offered for shitty decisions, Shadow would search hell itself for his receipt.
(He's never wanted to kiss anyone. Sonic is the exception, not the rule, and even then, it's more symbolic than anything else. Reserved for special occasions, like New Year's Eve, or embarrassing him in front of a world leader. And this isn't even the right Sonic. Everything about this is wrong, and Shadow especially hates that his only alternative is dying.
Although, maybe it is... mildly incriminating that this was Shadow's first instinct. This isn't his Sonic, so what exactly does that say about him?
...did he really fall in love with the same person twice? Or are they different people?)
The hedgehog breaks away first, gently removing Shadow's hands from his quills. He leaves his fingers wrapped around Shadow's wrists.
After a long, horrible handful of seconds of not-death, Shadow opens his eyes.
"You owe me so many explanations," Shadow says to Sonic, unreasonably relieved to see the color blue.
Then he promptly passes out.
----
The sun should explode, Shadow decides. In fact, a total heat death of the universe sounds more appealing than dealing with light for another second. Opening his eyes was a mistake.
He’s in one of the freedom fighter’s tents. Outside, he can hear the hustle and bustle of the camp; dozens of people packing and cooking and dismantling robots for parts. From the color of the light streaming in, it’s about midday. Hopefully the same day as when he passed out, but he’s not about to start making bets.
"Shadow! You're awake!"
Well, there goes his tentative plan to fall back asleep.
"Of course I am, you're shouting at me," Shadow gripes, rolling over on the world's most uncomfortable cot. It appears to be a collapsible stretcher, the type used by hospitals. That's kinda funny. He'd heal just as well lying on the ground.
Sonic seems torn between rolling his eyes and staring at him with exasperated relief. In the end, he just shakes his head. "I told you not to overdo it, stupid."
Shadow laughs softly, pleased by the way Sonic's ears flicker when he does. "And then you tried to kill me. I got mixed signals."
Instead of continuing the banter, Sonic goes still. "That never should've happened. I'm supposed to keep him under control."
It's not an apology, but Shadow never would have expected one from him. It's telling enough that he's acknowledging anything occurred.
"It's fine," Shadow says. When Sonic's expression doesn't change, he emphasizes, "Sonic. I'm alive. It's okay."
"I could've killed you," Sonic mutters. He takes a small step back, as if putting a safe distance between them. "I wanted to kill you."
Shadow grabs his wrist before he can retreat any further. He pulls, managing to take Sonic by surprise and drag him back despite not having any leverage.
Sonic has motor oil smudged in his fur and reeks of smoke. His pulse beats against Shadow’s fingers, quick and scared like a rabbit’s breath. He’s far from perfect, yet he feels like home. Shadow smiles. "I've wanted to kill you dozens of times. You're not special."
Sonic snorts, a bit of guilt ebbing away. His eyes land on Shadow's cheek, and he frowns. "Those won't fade, you know. Chaos injuries tend to scar."
As if drawn to them, Sonic reaches out to trace the claw marks. Same gentle touch, same sharp claws that sliced through his skin only hours ago. The roughness of his paw pads is strangely soothing. If Shadow closed his eyes, it would feel like a memory.
Shadow inhales sharply, but doesn't flinch away. "I don't mind." He couldn't. Embarrassing as it is, Shadow doubts he could hold a grudge against the hedgehog for longer than a minute. Sarcastically, he adds, "Plus, now I can remember you whenever I look in a mirror."
Sonic winces, not meeting his eyes. It doesn't look like guilt this time. It's something else. Something determined and oddly sad. It’s gone as soon as it appears, a smirk in its place, "If you wanted a memento, I could've just given you a necklace or something. Hell, even a lock of my quills would be less creepy."
"There's no fun in that. Fighting to the death is more exciting."
Sonic doesn't laugh. He does, however, relax slightly, leaning back on his heels. "Speaking of that, why did you feel the need to, uh- not that I'm not flattered, but, why did you…."
Shadow twists one of his rings. Gold and corrupted energy glint in the low light. "What, kiss you?"
Sonic nods. To Shadow's eternal amusement, he looks flustered. It makes it easier, somehow, to know he's not the only one struggling.
"I don't know. Ran out of ideas, figured it was worth a shot." Shadow pauses, then snickers at nothing in particular. "My sister would've been so mad. I got an actual fairy tale kiss and I didn't even enjoy it."
"Gee, thanks. I hate you too."
"I've never hated you, Sonic," Shadow says softly. It's too honest, so honest it hurts, but Sonic smiles, so Shadow doesn't try to backtrack. "I'm just not interested in romantic relationships. Not to mention, you were trying to murder me at the time."
Sonic doesn't flinch at the mention of his brief bout of insanity. He keeps smiling. "Alright, fair. You're the first one crazy enough to try that, though. Most people just talk me out of my super form."
"I'll keep that in mind for next time."
Sonic's ears flatten down. He makes a valiant effort to engage in a staring contest with the tent ceiling. "...about that. We found a star pole after you passed out."
Shadow freezes. "What?"
"I'm going to use it to visit the Chaotix. They'll know how to send you back." Suddenly, Sonic stands, turning to leave. "It shouldn't take long, and then you'll get to go home. Great news, right?"
"Sonic-"
Sonic ducks out of the tent before Shadow can speak.
"God damn it," Shadow hisses, shoving himself off the medical cot. His ribs feel like shattered glass, but he keeps his footing.
He throws open the tent flap and immediately bumps into Amy.
“Shadow, what-”
“Which way did he go,” Shadow interrupts, holding his hand to his shoulder. He can feel a trickle of blood seeping through the bandages.
Amy blinks. “That way,” she says, pointing out of camp, towards the battlefield, “are you sure you should be-”
“Thank you,” Shadow mutters, already leaving. He’s not fast enough to catch up with Sonic, not without his skates at full functionality. He can’t afford to waste time.
The battlefield is still covered in robots and small amounts of blood. But there’s no corpses, so hopefully Shadow was their closest call to a casualty.
At the center of everything, there’s a pole, so tall it scrapes the sky. It was probably recovered from one of the buildings the robots were protecting, although Shadow has no clue how it fit inside. Maybe it shrinks. Maybe it disassembles into smaller poles. Shadow doesn’t care, and doesn’t have time to care.
“What the hell are you doing?” Shadow yells, as loud as he can manage.
Sonic whips around, blue quills unmistakable even at a distance. “Me? What are you doing, you moron! You’re gonna hurt yourself!”
Shadow closes the last few hundred feet himself, since Sonic isn’t moving. He halts several feet away. Sonic watches him, seemingly frozen in place. “Then stop me,” Shadow challenges. It’s desperate, pleading. “Don’t leave, and you can stop me.”
Sonic laughs. The sound is devoid of humor. “Shadow, it’s not like I’m gonna die-”
“I’ll never see you again,” Shadow says, choking on the last word. It hits the nail on the head, and Sonic stops cold.
“Yeah, well. You need to go home.”
“I don’t want to,” Shadow wants to scream. “Please don’t make me.” He bites the words back. Aloud, he says, “What do you want?”
“I want to protect you,” Sonic replies, after a moment. There’s a strain in his voice as he struggles not to let it break. “That was the deal, right?”
“Sonic…” whether he’s warning or begging, Shadow has no idea. He has no idea about a lot of things. Going home. Staying here. He should know. Why doesn’t he know?
Sonic smiles. He steps forward, slowly, as one would when approaching a wild animal. Something unstable that's just as likely to bolt as it is to bite. It would be insulting if it weren't so true. Once in range, Sonic cups Shadow’s face in both hands. “It was nice to meet you, Shadow,” he says softly. “I’ll see you around.”
Inhaling unsteadily, Shadow presses his cheek into Sonic’s palm. Sonic’s touch burns like hearth-fire and determination. If Shadow just refused to let him go, if he just pushed hard enough… he could do it. It would hurt both of them, but he could do it. He could stop this.
Shadow says nothing. He nods instead.
Sonic presses a quick kiss to Shadow’s forehead, then lets go, backing away quickly. The air is cold without his presence.
“Now sit tight while I do all the work, should be easy for you,” Sonic jokes. It falls so flat it’s almost hilarious, in the way that one-legged puppies with mange are almost hilarious.
Shadow chuckles wetly in response, wrapping his arms around himself. It’s his ribs. It’s just his ribs. That’s why his breaths are tight, that’s why he’s freezing, that’s why his eyes sting-
Sonic turns away from him and races up the star pole. He tears open a wormhole in the sky. There are probably lights and darks and unbelievable colors, swirls of energy eating the heavens alive. It’s probably beautiful. He’ll probably never experience anything else quite like it.
Shadow stares at the ground, at the spot where Sonic was standing just seconds ago, and sees none of it.
He raises his hand to his cheek, and tries to think of nothing at all.
----
Shadow stirs slowly. There's a hand nestled in his quills, fingers scratching absently at his ear. He’s lying on a bed, and he can hear at least two other people breathing.
His ribs don't ache. Neither does his shoulder. He must've been out for a while.
“Sonic?” He asks, making an educated guess.
“I’m here,” someone replies, and Shadow’s heart stutters like the traitor it is. No accent. Sonic's voice is confident and kind and openly loving. “How’re you feeling?”
Shadow shrugs, and opens his eyes for the first time. The bed is his own. They’re in his room, in Rouge’s apartment. A quick glance reveals that Rouge herself is splayed out at the foot of his bed, snoring quietly. She’s crushing his left leg. It’s a little uncomfortable, and Shadow doesn’t care in the slightest.
Sonic has pulled a chair up to his bedside and is half-slumped against the wall, his cheek smushed against it. There are bags under Sonic's eyes, so deep they could be bruises. He's probably been awake for every night that Shadow was asleep. Keeping watch.
“I’ve felt worse,” Shadow replies belatedly.
Sonic laughs, clearly exhausted. “Yeah, I bet. Like when that happened?”
At first, Shadow doesn’t understand what he’s pointing at. Then Sonic reaches out and taps Shadow’s cheek.
“Oh,” Shadow murmurs. A bit of the tightness in his chest lifts at knowing the scars followed him here. “I thought maybe it was a dream.”
“It wasn’t,” Sonic affirms unhelpfully. Shadow snorts, lifting his own hand to cover Sonic’s. Because he can do that now. No excuses, no reasoning; Shadow can just touch him because he wants to. It’s incredibly relieving.
“I’ll explain later,” Shadow says, since he has to say something, but he doesn’t want to say anything. None of it sounds real, and all of it feels as painful and raw as a fresh wound. “...I missed you.”
Sonic smiles, aligning their palms so he can squeeze Shadow’s hand. “Oh, yeah? I bet I missed you more.”
Shadow tries not to laugh. He does anyway. It’s so harsh it hurts his throat, so loud and abrupt that Rouge startles awake and Sonic stares at him with unfettered concern.
After he finally manages to catch his breath, Shadow looks Sonic dead in the eye, and says, “I seriously doubt it.”