Chapter Text
"I can't believe this is real," Amy whispers, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She squeezes Sonic's right hand as they listen to the priest. The man at the altar offers one last prayer while Sonic gazes at the casket. His emerald eyes seem to dull under the fluorescent lights of the temple.
"We want to thank all of you—family, friends, and associates—for coming here today to support us during this heartbreaking occasion. A week ago, someone who touched many lives, with a heart of gold and a spirit of kindness, was tragically taken from us."
A low cry escapes from the crowd as the priest nods his head and continues, "Now let us bow our heads."
Dressed in black robes that shimmer in the light, he bows his head, and Sonic, along with many others, follows suit. Amy leans her head against Sonic's shoulder as he comforts her, squeezing her hand and rubbing her fist.
Sonic closes his eyes, listening as the preacher concludes the ceremony with a final prayer.
Sonic opens his eyes and looks toward Amy, who is dressed in a silky black dress with a matching black hat resting on her head.
To his left, Tails sits with a sad expression on his face. His blue eyes are fixed on something, and as Sonic follows his gaze, his heart breaks.
"Cream—"
"My friends, I pray to Gaia that all of you can accept her sudden departure. I pray that you all find peace, and may Vanilla Rabbit rest in eternal peace. If you would like, you can now form a line for the viewing. Once again, I’m so sorry for your loss," the priest interrupts, cutting Sonic off.
Sonic watches as Cream stands up. She is wearing a small black dress adorned with sparkly diamonds and a small black shawl draped over her shoulders. The shawl drags slightly as she walks toward her mother’s casket.
The hall falls silent as everyone observes the young girl.
"Cream," Amy whispers, releasing her grip on Sonic's hand.
Cream trembles as her eyes lock onto her mother, who lies in the casket surrounded by lilac flowers and white roses. Cream stares at the red roses in her hands, their deep color stark against the vibrant scene before her. Her body shakes as she bites her lip, trying to stifle a whimper. In the background, she can hear the murmurs.
"Poor child."
"She's an orphan now."
"Who will care for her? It's such a shame."
"Be strong; don't listen to them, " Cream whispers to herself.
She stares at her mother one last time, leans down, and plants a final kiss on her mother's head. She places the roses gently on her mother's chest, her small rabbit ears drooping as she brushes back her mother's orange hair.
"I love you, Mama. I'll see you soon, I promise," Cream whispers, turning her attention toward the crowd.
Her eyes, devoid of hope, reflect a deep sense of pain and grief as she steps off the platform, one slow step at a time, walking down the long aisle.
"Cream?" Sonic calls, but Cream doesn’t spare him a glance.
Amy, who follows closely behind, repeats her name.
"Excuse me," Amy tells Sonic and Tails as she rushes after the young girl and exits through the doors.
Sonic watches as people approach the coffin to view the body. Some offer kind words, others leave flowers, and many are in tears. He quickly wipes his own tears before anyone notices, determined to be strong for others. He knows he must stay resilient, especially for Cream. The young girl needs someone to rely on, and Sonic is committed to being there for her.
"Sonic?"
Tails tugs at his leg, looking up at his older brother. He points toward the coffin.
"It's our turn to view the body." Sonic offers a sad smile, rubs Tails's head, and tousles his hair.
"Let's go," he whispers.
Sonic frowned as he realized that, while he wanted to be there for Cream, he wondered if he could afford to take care of two children. Sure, he had Amy, but she was busy working and also building a life with a woman who wanted to have children with him, which didn’t feel right.
Vector was out of the picture entirely, still recovering from losing both an arm and a leg in a gruesome battle with Eggman. He needed to focus on his own recovery, while Charmy and Espio were there to assist him.
Knuckles was still guarding the Master Emerald most days. Would that knucklehead even be capable of looking after a child?
Sonic frowned again; he knew he would have to manage somehow, but it wasn't easy to take care of Tails. Although he had a good income from investors using his hero status to market him to fans, the emotional struggle of being present for both children weighed heavily on him. He was especially concerned with ensuring that both Tails and Cream were emotionally well.
Slowing his pace, Sonic tried to fulfill his role as a big brother. He wondered if he could slow down even more. The world needed him too; he had to protect the people, and so far, he had managed to do that to the best of his ability.
This situation was different, though. He had never dealt with someone who had just lost a loved one. How could he help her? Would simply staying by her side be enough?
Sonic looked down at Vanilla, swallowing the lump in his throat. He reached out to rearrange the colorful flowers, ensuring that Cream's red roses rested gently on her chest.
"I'll try my best to look after her, Vanilla," Sonic said, a small smile on his face as he adjusted his cuff on his black suit.
..
"Cream!"
Amy called out to the young girl, her heels clicking against the floor as she reached out and grabbed Cream's small shoulder. Dropping to her knees, she turned Cream to face her.
Amy's eyes widened slightly before narrowing, filled with sadness.
"Hic! Why? ” Cream asked brokenly, tears brimming in her eyes as she tried to pull away. She cried loudly, wiping her eyes as she stumbled back and fell to her knees.
"Cream—"
"Agh! I want my Mommy!" Cream screamed, tears falling onto the marbled flooring as she hit the ground in despair.
"It's not fair! It's not fair! Why my mommy, why!” She cried, her small palm turning red as she beat it into the floor.
Amy swallowed hard, tears gathering in her eyes as she reached out and cupped Cream's small fist.
"Please stop; you'll hurt yourself.”
Hearing the small girl's breath hitch, Amy pulled Cream into her lap, kissing her head gently. Unbeknownst to them both, the sound of soft steps approached. A figure with black upturned quills and red headlights drew near, his ears twitching slightly. A small black earring hung from his ear—one hand holding his black jacket over his shoulder, the other at his side.
His tan muzzle twitched, though his face remained emotionless. Crimson eyes scanned the marble flooring, taking in the black and white swirling pattern. He had never expected to receive a call from Rouge saying that Vanilla had passed away. To think she had a history of of illness— Shadow squeezed his jacket tightly.
Why didn’t she tell him? He would have done everything he could to save her! His eyes widened as he heard soft whimpers. Despite his cold expression, his gaze shifted to see Amy and Cream; both were crying, with Rose holding the small rabbit in her arms.
Shadow growled softly.
This made Amy look up at him, along with Cream. Shadow flinched, but his expression remained unamused.
“S-Shadow, what are you doing here?” Amy stuttered, standing up slowly with Cream in her arms.
“Not for you, that’s for sure. Now step aside,” he replied, walking past her. Amy’s face burned as she bit back a snarky comment; Shadow's rudeness never failed to get under her skin.
Cream watched as Shadow passed by, his crimson eyes glancing toward her. She shrank back, feeling intimidated by the scary hedgehog, and rested her head on Amy's shoulder.
Shadow’s muzzle twitched, and something flashed in his eyes, softening them for a moment before he turned his attention back to the front.
Cream continued to watch his back as he moved farther away.
“Why did he even come here? It’s not like he and Vanilla had a close relationship,” Amy mumbled to herself, but Cream heard every word.
..
Shadow walked into the room, sensing how his presence changed the atmosphere as soon as he stepped through the door. The sound of the doors opening alerted everyone to his arrival, causing people to turn and look at him.
Annoyance bubbled within him. He should have stayed home and let Rouge text him the grave site address. However, he paused and glanced towards the coffin, remembering why he was there in the first place.
Ignoring the stares and whispers, he made his way to the coffin. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a single lavender flower.
"Is he serious?"
"How dare he show up with just a simple flower?"
"Why is he even here anyway?"
Shadow paid no attention to them as he ascended the steps. His eyes fell on Vanilla, and the sadness he felt replaced the anger he had towards the ridiculous whispers. He noticed red roses on her chest and gently placed the lavender alongside them in the bedding of the roses.
"Shadow?"
He paused, a sharp feeling shooting through his chest. His eyes narrowed in annoyance as he turned toward the voice, colliding with the person he didn't want to see. The whispers intensified.
"Oh, Gaia, I hope these two don't start fighting at such a time—"
"Yeah, but knowing Shadow's personality, he wouldn't be able to withstand being provoked by our blue hero. He is his biggest rival."
What? Shadow thought, enraged by their comments. They spoke as though he were the aggressor!
He glared at his blue counterpart, who stood before him, his expression unwavering and unbothered by the speculation. Sonic wore a bright, toothy smile, his green eyes trailing Shadow from head to toe.
"It's nice to see you, Shadow. Long time no see," Sonic said, stepping forward, one leg planted on the bottom step.
Shadow growled lowly, and he noticed Sonic's ear twitch at the sound.
A small smirk tugged at Sonic's lips as his eyes narrowed on his black and red counterpart.
"Still so welcoming," Sonic says, a hint of mockery laced in his words.
On any other day, Shadow would have matched his pettiness, but today was not that day. He stepped off the steps, passing Sonic and ignoring his comments.
Their shoulders brushed against each other as they moved through the crowd.
"Hold on," Sonic said, grabbing Shadow's wrist. Shadow's eyes darkened at the sight of the crowd ahead, causing some onlookers to flinch.
"Is he going to hit Sonic?" whispers circulated among the spectators as Shadow pulled his hand away from Sonic's grasp. Sonic chuckled, though there was no amusement in it.
"What is it that you need?" Shadow asked Sonic quietly, dismissing the whispers around them. He loathed being under the same roof as Sonic. The constant comparisons he faced from the public were unbearable.
Shadow couldn’t help but wonder how much hatred he would receive if they knew how he had tainted their precious hero a month ago.
"You've been avoiding me for a month, " Sonic interrupted Shadow's thoughts. His voice was barely a whisper; if it weren't for Shadow's heightened hearing, he wouldn’t have caught it. The sound tickled his skull and ears like a feather.
Shadow's muzzle tightened, and his lips pressed together as he fought against the dryness in his mouth. Was this blue buffoon serious? Here, of all places!
He stared out at the crowd, their whispers of concern for Sonic driving him mad. They had no idea how corrupt their beloved hero truly was—who he really was behind that dazzling smile.
"Shads?" Sonic whispered.
They stood with their backs to each other, but Shadow could sense Sonic shifting, turning to face him.
"I don't have time for this," Shadow replied, and Sonic scoffed softly.
"When do you ever have time for anything? I mean, besides brooding, of course, and disappearing the next morning."
Another jab!
"Tch." Shadow clenched his teeth. He had come here to pay his respects to someone dear to him and to offer his condolences—not to be reminded of his biggest mistake.
"I didn't come here for you. I came to give my condolences. If you're done talking nonsense, I’ll be on my way, fool."
Shadow’s voice rose as he stepped forward. Sonic stared at the black and red hedgehog, his fist tightening at his side.
"Look at Sonic. Whatever Shadow said has really upset him."
Sonic growled lowly. He couldn’t believe this was happening after everything they had been through. After he had revealed his most vulnerable self to Shadow, the hedgehog brushed it off as if it meant nothing.
This was the worst!
Sonic knew he shouldn’t be acting like this—not here, not now. Not when they were about to bury Cream’s mother, Ma Vanilla, who had been one of his long-time friends. But he couldn’t help it.
"Bro, are you alright?"
Tails asked Sonic, noticing the tension in his older brother's knuckles. His fists were balled so tightly they had turned white.
Sonic shook off the anger, forcing a strained smile as he released the tension in his hands, ruffling Tails' head.
"I'm fine," he said.
..
Shadow sighed as he stared at the headline of a news article on his phone.
"SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG UPSETS SONIC AT VANILLA THE RABBIT'S FUNERAL."
He squeezed his phone in frustration and tossed it onto the comforter chair.
“What a load of rubbish! If anything, he upset me by asking such ridiculous questions!”
Shadow walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine. He twisted off the cap using his teeth and tossed it aside. The small condo apartment was part of a specialized G.U.N. facility arrangement. As a top-tier agent, Shadow had been given the apartment as a reward for his hard work.
He settled onto the white couch, holding a wine glass in one hand. He placed both the glass and bottle on the glass oval-shaped table. He hadn’t even had time to process everything that had happened.
Pouring the wine into the glass, he couldn’t help but think of Vanilla, who had baked a strawberry cake for him just two weeks ago. He took a sip of the strong liquid, his mind flashing to Cream and how she had looked at the funeral. Her eyes didn’t shine brightly at all, and even though Shadow never had much of a friendly relationship with the young girl, she had always been happy and welcoming whenever he visited Vanilla's house.
Shadow felt bad. He should have at least said something to her. He saw her with Amy and thought a simple “sorry for your loss” would have made her feel a bit better, even if only for a moment.
He chugged the wine. Life had a way of screwing people over; kids weren't safe either, and he knew that from firsthand experience.
Staring at the little bit of red wine left in his cup, he swirled it, contemplating a visit to Vanilla's grave. At least this time, he had a grave to go to.
But he was sure, just like Maria, Vanilla wouldn't respond either. Shadow's crimson eyes narrowed slightly, filled with sadness. The only thing that pulled him out of his thoughts was the soft ding of his phone.
He sighed, placing the glass on the cupboard and staring down at the phone. A message popped up on the screen as he reached for it.
Sonic.
"Shadow, we need to talk. You can't avoid what happened between us forever."
Shadow repeated the message aloud, clenching his teeth as he watched the dots appear on his screen, then disappear and reappear, almost as if the blue fool was contemplating his thoughts. He could almost picture the world's precious hero, enraged, biting his gloves and pacing back and forth, pausing to tap his foot every so often.
Shadow growled, "Bastard can't take a hint. I don't want to be bothered."
Another ding sounded from his phone.
"Look, Shadow, I never took you to be such a coward. What we did was a mutual decision, right? Did we not have a connection? You can't tell me you didn't feel it too. So why are you ignoring me? I... never mind. Whatever. Look, I'll be at Crimson Lake Beach every night until you talk to me."
Shadow stared at the message, squeezing his phone. Why did it seem like Sonic didn't regret that night as much as he did?
Memories of that night flash through the hedgehog's mind: the fight, the talk, the euphoria, the aftermath of cuddles and laughter, and the painful regret he felt once the high faded.
"Do you ever want to run and just never stop running, Shadow? Do you ever want to be something other than what the world expects you to be? Don't you ever get tired?"
Sonic's breath was ragged with each word as blood dripped from his nose, staring at his ebony counterpart.
"Did you call me out here to talk nonsense?" Shadow asked, launching forward and drawing back his fist to strike.
Sonic's emerald eyes widened for a moment before he jumped out of the way, raising his left leg to kick.
Shadow used Chaos Control to teleport behind Sonic while forming a spear in his right hand. Sonic, anticipating the movement, spindashed forward to evade the blasts.
"Hah suspected such an answer from you it's not like you have any other purpose then to serve the promise of your dying friend."
Shadow paused, his fist halting in mid-air as his eyes widened at what Sonic had just said. He pressed his lips together tightly, feeling the crimson from his busted lip seep into his mouth.
“Did I strike a nerve? Why’d you stop?”
Sonic questioned Shadow. The soft howling wind of the night, the sound of the waves, and the broken moon seemed to envelop and cast a shadow over the two.
“Even if I have, what does it matter to you? Besides, you shouldn’t be thinking about running away. You’re a hero; it’s your responsibility to protect this world, too,” Shadow admitted with a sigh as he lowered his fist.
He watched as Sonic sighed and then collapsed against the soft sand beneath their shoes.
“That’s true, but I just figured you’d get tired of people constantly labeling your identity and who you are as a person, too. I love people, the world, the sense of freedom, and the right for people to choose, but not at the cost of my own,” Sonic confessed.
Shadow flopped down next to him in shock; he had never heard Sonic talk like this before. The blue hedgehog was usually the epitome of confidence and optimism, always oozing happiness, as if it was the only emotion he knew.
The two of them stare into the vast ocean, which looked even darker at night.
"I have," Shadow confesses after a few more minutes of silence. He wipes the excess blood from his mouth, forgetting about the sand on his gloves.
" But it's not like we can abandon our responsibilities. It would be easier if I weren't feared. At least with you, people love you; with me, I'm not so sure."
Sonic looks at Shadow, who is sitting up in the sand, and meets his gaze.
"Lots of people love you too, Shadow—"
"It's not like I care if they do or don't. Let's just get that straight, hedgehog."
Sonic stares at him for a moment before laughing, which prompts Shadow to let out a little chuckle in response.
" Figures do matter, but for me, Shads, I want to live for myself. If only for a moment, I want to make a choice that prioritizes my own happiness, not the world's."
Shadow stared into Sonic's emerald eyes, his favorite color—the color of his favorite Chaos Emerald.
"Well, start now," Shadow found himself saying, surprised at his own words as Sonic's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Make your own choices, Sonic."
Shadow felt his heart pounding at these unexpected words. Here he was, encouraging his rival, someone he would rather see fail. At least, that's what he wanted Sonic to believe.
"What if it's a choice that I refuse to regret, but it affects the lives of the people around me?"
Sonic asked, leaning in slightly with a small smirk on his face and his eyes soft.
Shadow felt a lump in his throat as he experienced Sonic’s warm breath brushing against his lips.
"It depends on the choice you made, especially if it's affecting them negatively," he replied.
Shadow gasped as he felt Sonic pull him closer, his breath barely above a whisper.
"And what if I just don't care how it makes them feel?"
Without hesitating, Shadow pressed his lips against Sonic's.
..
"Ah, Sonic! Hah!"
Sonic drags his lips across the tan muzzle easing his way down toward the other's neck.He licks at the other neck before pressing his teeth against the dark fur, biting down hard.
"Ah, Fuck!"
Shadow's voice was heavenly the feeling of him clenching around Sonics length, as spurts of white spilled out of his cock.
Sonic feels the wetness on his stomach as he continues his thrust. He stares up at Shadow both of their muzzles are deep crimson.
Sonic's lips part at the sheer beauty in front of him at the unimaginable occurrence. Shadow's lips were parted , a little drool escaping the corner of his mouth as he whined. His crimson eyes fluttered filled with lust. His quills disheveled from the number of positions they did .
"Agh! Slow down fuck so deep!"
Shadow wraps his legs around Sonic. The overstimulation is overwhelming.
"Hah!"
Sonic chuckles, "All I'm doing is holding your hips , you're moving on your own."
Sonic removes his hands placing them at his side, as Shadow whines leaning forward and kissing him. Grinding his hips, his cock though he'd just come remained firm and hard.
Sonic moans feeling the warm walls, the slick connecting them as he starts bouncing Shadow once more.
"Gah ah!"
Shadow comes once more and Sonic feels himself edging closer as he pulls Shadow into a deep kiss falling back words on the bed. His cock twitches burying himself deep inside as he cums painting the other's insides white.
"Agh!"
Shadow moans feeling full relishing in the pamper kisses as he feels Sonic move to his side expecting their activities to be over but a devious chuckle cuts through his thoughts as he feels lips on his and his left leg being lifted up.
"I'm not done with you."
A sharp thrust cuts through over fucked senses.
"Gah Sonic!"
..
Shadow groans at the dreadful memory. His phone dings again, and he expects it to be Sonic, but instead, it’s a message from Vector.
“Shadow, can you come by Vanilla's house tomorrow? It seems she might have left a few things for you in her will. There are also important matters to discuss.”
"Okay."
Important matters? Shadow thinks to himself, wondering what things he might be receiving from the will.
He stares at Sonic's previous text message, debating whether or not he should respond to the idiot. His fingers hover over the keyboard as he questions why Sonic would go this far for a one-night stand.
"Idiot," he replies, his heart pounding slightly as Sonic quickly responds.
"Every night."
Shadow reads the text aloud, a soft sigh escaping his lips.
"I'm strangely tired. I never get tired."