Summary: Sonic returns from his adventures defeating the End. Driven by loneliness, hunger, sleep-deprivation, and a desire to be clean, he goes to a house that he often considers home. Unfortunately, he isn't sure if Shadow will still let him do that.
After Sonic Prime and Frontiers

Trigger Warning : N/A

Ships: Sonadow (Sonic x Shadow)

Part 1 of 2

—

Ever since he was a hoglet, Sonic did not have a home. Not in any real sense, anyway. He could consider Mobius his home, but the island chains were so vast that most human nations considered it a continent or country in its own right. The untamed wilds of the islands aren't places he felt particularly safe, either. Comfortable, sure, but nature was not the kindest roommate by any stretch of the imagination. Sonic was a free spirit in those early days. He was often compared to the unrestrained wind. It was because of his mentality and actions that it never mattered to him if he possessed a home in the conventional sense or not. He would keep running. He would rest under trees. He would eat what he could scavenge for himself. It was a peaceful existence.

His first home, ironically, came about because Sonic realized that his lifestyle was not one meant to be shared. At least, not with the tiny kit who stared at him with eyes so full of hope and admiration that Sonic felt a sense of responsibility surge in his body for the first time in his life. A personal responsibility, of course, since Sonic was already dealing with Eggman's schemes in those days. Sonic had no doubt that Tails would have followed him to the ends of the islands and back around, but he also knew that Tails would never thrive as a nomad. Sonic put aside his preferences to build a temporary abode on some random island. They were far away from the other Mobians, but it didn't matter since Sonic could get to the nearest village within seconds and Tails had the ability to fly. It was fine, and Sonic doesn't regret settling down even temporarily.

But Sonic could only manage a few years of that sort of life. Eventually, his sense of freedom and justice led him to participating in more adventures that took him away from the home he built for himself and Tails. He would never leave the kit alone. Tails would either come with him or he would go stay with someone a lot more responsible than Sonic could ever be (because he was also a child when he was raising Tails, he thinks but rarely acknowledges) until the blue hedgehog returned. After a few years of this repetitive cycle, a shift began to form inside their home. After some point, most thought of the house as Tails', and Sonic would stop by from time to time to rest. Tails didn't say anything about it. Sonic didn't argue with it. Maybe he wasn't meant to have a home, especially after seeing Tails make the haphazard shack into an actual house and workshop that would stand both the test of time and survive through the future's storms.

Sonic had a second home, however. At least, he considered it a second home. It might still be his second home. He considers it as such. He doesn't know if the other person would agree with him. Sonic doesn't know if he would be angrier if they did or if they didn't. Or maybe, he simply doesn't remember any of this.

It was once an abandoned house almost completely reclaimed by nature. Sonic and Shadow found it on accident after one of their races was interrupted by a sudden downpour. Sonic hates water, and Shadow didn't like his quills being out of place. A temporary truce was called when they entered the house to protect themselves from rain and wind. Even after the weather cleared, they were cleaning the interior to make themselves comfortable. Sonic joked about claiming it for themselves. Shadow didn't give Sonic a response, only a hum of acknowledgement.

Despite it starting as a joke, the end of their races or fights would always carry them to this porch. They would let their muscles rest or bandage their wounds. Besides cleaning, they started properly working on fixing the house. They removed any wild animals (making sure they were given other homes because Sonic wouldn't let Shadow simply kick them to the curb). They cleared away all the vines and moss. They fixed the leaks in the roof and the holes in the wall. Next came decorating the house, and they had their own ways of doing that much like everything else they did. Sonic brought any rocks or shells he found while running around the islands. Shadow delivered any souvenirs he bought while on his missions for GUN. Bit by bit, piece by piece, the house became theirs in all the little ways that turns a structure into a home.

They didn't stay there all the time. Sonic's main place to stay would always be his and Tails' house. His other friends never rejected him when he came to sleep on their couches or crash in their guest rooms. Shadow, too, mainly stayed in an apartment issued by GUN with the other members of his unit (his friends, though Shadow rarely said it that way. Sonic was the one to call them that all the time, and he continued to do so when Shadow didn't correct him). But sometimes, they would both end up at this house.

Sonic stayed there for a little while after his reality was fixed. He wasn't entirely sure why. It could have been the guilt churning his stomach or the fact that he didn't want them to see the residual effects of nearly sacrificing himself to save his universe— his 'home,' in the strongest sense of the word. Shadow stayed with him those days, and Sonic isn't sure why he did that, either. It might have been to make sure Sonic didn't make another reality-shattering mistake. More likely, it was because Sonic probably looked the way he felt— like death itself was coming after him. Shadow is great at hiding his emotions, but after knowing him for so long, there are certain tells Sonic has picked up on.

He wonders if he would remember any of those tells now. He didn't dare tell any of his friends, but his memories are still spotty after returning from Cyberspace. The cyber corruption ate away at his mind just as much as his body. It took a lot of effort and a recording device Sage made for him to remember everything he needed to know. It was through sheer determination that he held onto everything, but even then, there were some moments when his name didn't echo in his mind when he tried to figure out who he was or why he was so determined to find the chaos emeralds.

His friends are gone. Not in any dramatic way, Sonic reminds himself. They are simply going on their own adventures. Sonic is happy for them. He's proud of them, too. But without any of them around, he doesn't have anywhere else to go. He isn't going to stay at his friends' houses when they are gone, and Sonic hates the silence inside his and Tails' house when he's alone. He hates silence, end of sentence. Nature would provide him with enough noise and company, but Sonic is in desperate need of a long shower (no matter how much he hates water, the dirt beneath his quills is causing him to feel itchy beyond belief) and a decent meal. He also needs a very long nap, but he worries that he won't remember enough in time when he awakens. He would rather not get into a dangerous situation so soon after leaving the last one.

Even with all of the reasons to walk into the house protected by a thick forest, there are plenty of reasons to turn in the opposite direction as immediately as possible. Sonic knows he can't be blamed for it since he didn't intend to get caught on Starfall Islands, but he still left Shadow without a word. Usually, Sonic will leave a note explaining that he needs to zip away. Additionally, the newspapers would track Sonic's location fairly consistently. Shadow would know exactly where Sonic was, and this time, he would have no idea. He wouldn't know if Sonic was in danger or not.

Sonic sighs. Is it presumptuous to assume Shadow would have worried about him? Sonic knows Shadow has been concerned for him before, but to what extent would it be this time? Was there anything special about this situation that would lead Shadow to pay any amount of attention to the fact that Sonic disappeared completely? Would he be more or less worried after figuring out that Knuckles, Amy, and Tails were missing in action, too?

Sonic runs his glove over his face. He pushes these thoughts away from him. There isn't a single reason to put this off any longer than he already has. Sonic climbs the wooden steps of the porch. He hears them creak softly, and the noise is just familiar enough that a few other memories rush to the forefront of his mind. Sonic takes another shuddering breath as his gloved hand slides across the doorknob (something he and Shadow had to replace. They had an argument about this one since Sonic was fine with a single lock but Shadow thought they needed over a dozen. They eventually compromised on two locks and a security system made by GUN). The door is locked when Sonic pushes the door open. He puts the code in the security system, anyway, and an antsy feeling fills his body with the beginnings of adrenaline.

Sonic closes the door. He slides his shoes off, setting them on the ground beside another pair of shoes that he was hoping wouldn't be here but are. When he turns around, he makes eye contact with Shadow immediately. The self-proclaimed Ultimate Lifeform sits on the couch with a book in his gloved hands. Shadow's red eyes narrow slightly as he looks across Sonic's body. Sonic gives him a half-smile and a large thumbs-up. Shadow's face doesn't change in the slightest as he returns his attention to the book. Sonic swallows thickly. It could have gone worse, he optimistically thinks.

Sonic should talk. He should give a quip or a retort or even a good-natured greeting. But when he opens his mouth, nothing comes out— not even a shaky exhale. The silence he was running from has entered his body. Sonic's temper flares, but he doesn't perform any actions in anger. He has dealt with this before. His voice will return to him in due time as long as he doesn't force it (a lesson Tails, of all people, hammered into his head when they first began living together. Sonic thought he wasn't used to talking to people. Tails thought it was something more. In the end, they never went to get it checked out, but they found routines that worked for them).

Sonic leaves the main room. He passes through the kitchen and the hallway to find the room with his clothes. Sonic gets a new pair of gloves and socks. He stares at them for a few seconds longer than necessary. He is almost amazed by them. They are so clean. They look like they will fit him exactly. They are nothing like the dirty, threadbare pair that he is currently wearing. Sonic knows this is how his gloves are supposed to look, but it's been so long. It might be one of the few memories he never gets back from the hellscape he traversed through for the sake of his friends... And the world, too, he supposes, since the End was coming for them all. He doesn't want to think about that, though. He wants to focus on the nice pair of gloves in his hands, half-worried the gloves he's wearing will dirty the ones he wants to wear. Fortunately (and depressingly), the dirt and blood have stained his gloves so thoroughly that they stay with him despite a new host being right there.

Anyone else would have said the shower Sonic takes is quick. Too quick, really, and a few would give Sonic an odd look as if trying to assess if he actually washed himself. Sonic would assure them all that he did wash himself quite rigorously. He scrubbed and scrubbed until his body hurt for reasons behind the general achiness and hollowness that his recent adventure put inside of him. This was one of the longest showers he's ever taken no matter how other people would react. He even let himself spend a few precious seconds merely standing under the stream, letting the water fall across his close-eyed face. All it took was a little water slipping through his lips for him to remember that drowning was a very real threat, and Sonic was speeding through the process of cleaning himself (without skimping on the efficiency).

When Sonic steps outside the shower, he wraps a towel around his shoulders. He squats on the bathmat. He feels the water dripping from his quills to the cold tiles. He remains in this position for twice as long as he was in the shower for. Again, not very long for other people, but Sonic is someone who's constantly in motion. Squatting motionlessly in the silence in the bathroom while he's still wet is not his style. No one would believe he was the real Sonic if they saw him. But he can't bring himself to move until his breathing feels a little more under his control (there were very few things he could control while the cyber corruption was destroying him. Not his memories, not his thoughts, not his actions... But the rise and fall of his chest was in his control. He could hold his breath; he could speed his heartbeat up. It was physically unhealthy, but it kept him sane, so how unhealthy could it really be?).

Sonic rises to his feet. He shakes his body quickly to rid himself of the water. He can already hear Shadow berating him for inviting mold into their bathroom, and Sonic smiles despite how much he hates getting lectured by his faker (in general, too, but Shadow is especially bad because Sonic can't run away from him). Sonic hangs the towel on the back of the door on a metal hook, right beside the towel Shadow claimed for himself. Sonic taps a finger against the door between their towels. Was there a reason Shadow has one specific towel and Sonic uses all the others intermittently? Sonic frowns, looking away. It doesn't matter. His memories will either return to him or they won't, but it won't solve any problems thinking about them too hard.

Sonic puts his new gloves and socks on. They feel weird against his fur. Sonic wonders how long he was in the shower for; how did the air get this damp? It isn't dramatically so, of course, but there is a touch of warm water seeping into the air itself. Sonic's nose twitches. Is the air even more humid for other people when they exit the shower?

Sonic leaves the bathroom. His first step has been officially completed: shower and changing. Next on his list: eating. An easy enough objective, but one he needs to accomplish immediately when he hears his stomach rumble. Sonic moves from the hallway into the main room once more. Shadow is still on the couch, still reading his book. His ears twitch slightly as he registers Sonic's presence, but he doesn't look over his shoulder. Sonic's throat tightens at the thought of speaking, so he doesn't say anything when he moves to the kitchen. A chili dog would be amazing right now, but Shadow has not properly stocked the kitchen in Sonic's absence. Sonic will have to mention that at some point when he's back on good terms with Shadow, capable of speaking again, and has permission to continue staying here from time to time.

Sonic makes a sandwich. They are extremely easy to make. Sonic just doesn't make them usually because he requires a lot of food, and a single sandwich doesn't fill him up. Two doesn't, either. Not three. Not four. Sonic should probably stop eating by now, but he doesn't know when the last time he has eaten is. Did he even eat while he was on the Starfall Islands? He probably did. He isn't sure, though. He doesn't remember a lot about what happened on the island.

Sonic puts the bread away before he can make himself yet another sandwich. He will have to go shopping soon. Or Shadow will. They often went together, but Sonic isn't sure what's going to happen now. He's either getting kicked out, or all the chores will be left to him.

His second objective is finished. There are only two more: talking to Shadow and taking a long nap. Sonic was hoping to complete them in that order. He knows he can speak again, but that doesn't mean much when he isn't sure what the right words are. Sonic is certain Shadow will understand Sonic's circumstances, but can he easily forgive the abandonment? That's the real kicker about this. Shadow will never say it in a million years, but he doesn't like it when people leave him without a word despite doing it all the time himself. It feels too much like death to him. Sonic doesn't think he would be making the situation better by roughly explaining that he kind of did die. He went to some sort of afterlife, didn't he?

Sonic hates thinking about the Starfall Islands like that. It wasn't the afterlife. Cyber corruption might have hurt like death, but it wasn't that. Losing his memories wasn't losing himself.

Sonic should take that nap right about now. He will know what to say when he wakes up. At least, he won't be so confused about what to say.

Sonic finishes putting away everything in the kitchen. He is a bit slower as he turns the corner into the hallway. He waits half-heartedly for Shadow to stop him in some way— either calling out his name or violently pushing him against a wall— but Sonic gets to move through the hallway without any resistance. Sonic isn't sure what he wanted to happen, so he doesn't feel relief or disappointment as he comes to the end of the hallway.

Despite his shaky memories, he remembers the majority of his life and the people in it. He remembers that for some reason or another, Sonic and Shadow shared a room despite there being two rooms in this house. The other one was a guest room that no one used because no one knew about their hideaway. Sonic supposed it started because they both picked the same room without knowing the other one picked it. Or maybe they subconsciously knew it. Sonic did pick up the peculiarity of the bed smelling like lavender. Shadow claims he has better senses than his 'fake,' so he would have noticed other details. Regardless, they picked the same room and they were both too stubborn to give the room to the other. From that day onward, they just slept in the same bed. Since they didn't talk about it, there was no need to think of it as weird or awkward. It was honestly one of their tamest interactions.

But Sonic has this feeling that maybe he shouldn't do that today. Sonic is decent enough at following his instincts, so he opens the door to the guest room. It hasn't been recently used, but he thinks it's been recently cleaned. Sonic snorts. For all his darkness and edginess, Shadow cares more about keeping things clean and orderly than Sonic ever will. Another reason they are often likened to mirrors of each other. Opposite forces with habits on either side of the spectrum.

Sonic leaves the door ajar as he face-plants onto the bed. It doesn't smell like lavenders. Sonic is a little disappointed by that, but he isn't so dependent on the scent that he can't fall asleep as soon as he finds a comfortable position. Or maybe he's needed to pass out since he returned from the Starfall Islands. There's no way he can think about it since he's completely asleep.

—

Sonic started his nap which he knew was actually going to be him sleeping the rest of the day, night, and following day away. He knows this, so he's curious why his eyes flutter open when the guest room is completely dark. Well, not completely dark. There's a bit of light coming from the window. It's barely enough to give Sonic a vague outline of the room. He rubs his eyes, forcibly holding down a yawn. He is about to return to his dreams under the impression that a nightmare could have roused him from unconsciousness when he notices another light in the room. That's technically not true. It isn't another light so much as something reflecting back the minimal light in the room, giving the illusion of another source. Sonic stares at the reflective surface as it trudges closer. His eyes are adjusting bit by bit, but he doesn't need them to. He smells lavender in the air, and there's a faint red glow that registers in his mind when he lifts his attention ever so slightly. Sonic flops onto his side as Shadow stands right beside the bed.

Sonic hums, caught halfway between needing a lot more rest and wanting to see what Shadow is doing. Shadow is frowning. That isn't anything new, exactly, but this feels more like a frown representing his emotions rather than the one he naturally wears on his resting face. Shadow reaches his hands forward, and Sonic notes that the second light he saw was Shadow's inhibitor. The gold sparkles in the minimal starlight filtering between the trees and the half-closed curtains. Shadow grabs onto the comforter. He removes it from the bed. Sonic slides with it until he flops onto his back on the mattress. Sonic frowns at this bizarre action. He wants to comment on it, but he's suddenly covered completely in darkness by Shadow putting the comforter over him. Sonic has to pull the edge of the comforter under his head, and he scoots closer to the pillows.

Sonic has a dozen questions. None of them are given a moment to be asked when the blanket lifts again. Shadow slides right under it. He lays right beside Sonic. The blanket flops over him. Sonic raises an eyebrow despite his eyes being half-closed. He might be crazy or hallucinating. He could be in another illusion Sage created to pacify him when his memories were almost completely gone. He would definitely prefer the second option, but he thinks it is actually a third one: this is real.

Sonic has another chance to explain to Shadow everything that happened, but he's accidentally trained himself to sleep when Shadow's scent settles in his mind and his body heat moves through the space beneath the blanket. Sonic curses the simple pleasures in life as he crashes once more.