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 2 of 2

—

Sonic wakes up in the opposite way as he does everything else— slowly. His senses are returned to him one by one. The air is warm against his fur, and the blanket is pleasantly heavy. The scent of lavenders almost sends him right back under, but his mind latches onto the distant sound of breathing and the light falling across his eyes. His eyelids flutter open as he exhales a heavy breath. He blinks a few times before the blurry colors in front of him are given form by his cognition. When he recognizes the figure across from him, a smile lifts his lips even as he's still getting his bearings of the world around him.

"Well, that's not creepy at all," Sonic whispers, ignoring the strange scratchiness in his voice from his long rest. Shadow's eyes are staring right at Sonic's face as they both lie on their sides, facing one another. It was the first thing Sonic saw when he woke up, and now, it's the only thing he can look at. Shadow's stare doesn't overtly change, but Sonic can tell it is a little more unimpressed than it was a moment before. This does very little to chastise the blue hedgehog. In fact, he actively giggles under his breath as Shadow continues looking at him. Sonic squeezes Shadow's hand (their hands are right between each other in the bed, keeping them connected even if they are both on their own side). "Come on, Shads, you have to admit it's a little creepy to wake up to someone staring at you like that."

"You have slept for an unhealthily long time," Shadow points out. Unlike Sonic, his voice does not sound rough with sleep. Sonic is only a little upset that he's never heard Shadow's voice like that. It's his own fault, really. Shadow does not need nearly as much sleep as anyone else on the planet does. In fact, he probably doesn't need sleep at all. He needs to rest, though, so Shadow usually 'sleeps' to make this process go by faster. It was also probably a habit he learned since Maria needed to sleep on the ARK. Sonic doesn't know much about it. He just knows that given the time-frame of their sleeping schedules, Shadow is very rarely still in the bed with Sonic when the blue blur rouses from his slumber. There is only fading warmth on the bed and a scent that Sonic thinks will always remind him of Shadow lingering in the air.

But, sometimes, ever so often, on the rare occasions when Shadow remains, he is still awake before Sonic is. He just lies in the bed in whatever position he woke up from. He will stare at the wall or the ceiling without any emotions flickering on his face. In the early light, Shadow doesn't frown. He doesn't smile, either, but he isn't frowning. He seems relaxed. Sonic is lucky every time he gets to see it. Unfortunately, Shadow doesn't remain for long once he realizes Sonic is awake. He will get up and move on with his day as a productive member of society. Sonic will head back to sleep, getting up way later when everyone else is already halfway done with their responsibilities and chores for the day.

"I was tired," Sonic shrugs with the shoulder that isn't pressed into the mattress. He moves the arm he managed to tuck beneath his pillow. He rubs one of his eyes. He feels a lot better, actually. There are still some lingering aches from the cyber corruption, but it isn't anything that Sonic won't be able to sleep off later tonight. The physical exhaustion, at least, has almost completely evaporated. Now, if only the mental exhaustion could let up a little.

Shadow hums noncommittally. Sonic swallows thickly. He has given himself the perfect opportunity to explain everything. He doesn't know where he should start, though. The beginning would be the most suitable place, but Sonic doesn't want to bog Shadow down with all the details. But how much should he explain? Should he only talk about getting stuck at the Starfall Islands? Should he mention the cyber corruption and the consequences of it? Or would that upset Shadow? Sonic barely remembers the days after they fixed their universe together, but he thinks Shadow was worried, then. Would he be worried now? What would he say about Sonic sacrificing himself for his friends... again?

"I'm going to make breakfast," Shadow says without further questions. He pulls his hand from Sonic's grasp as easily as butter sliding across a hot iron pan. In a few smooth motions, Shadow rises from the bed. Sonic physically startles (and it almost feels like a flinch). He reaches a hand out to grab onto Shadow, but he hesitates at the last second. Shadow leaves the room without a glance back. Sonic sighs, shoving his face further into his pillow. He turns his entire face into the pillow. Why can't he just say what happened? Shadow isn't even going to care. Sonic is making a bigger deal out of this than he realistically should.

Sonic does not rise from the bed as gracefully as Shadow did, but he doesn't fall to the hard ground even once. Sonic stretches his arm above his head. He stretches all of his limbs, actually. He really should have done this a lot sooner. There is a slight burn in his muscles, but his actions start to ease the general achiness plaguing his body. Sonic feels so much better as he straightens his entire body. Bit by bit, he's fixing himself. Sonic has done this several times. After every adventure, there is always a period of time when he's recalibrating. He has, at least, gotten faster at it over the years. He will bounce back this time like every other time, no problem.

Sonic already smells food cooking when he enters the hallway. He inhales deeply. It is, unfortunately, not chili dogs, but Sonic will settle for what he believes is eggs and bacon. Sonic's lips twitch as he realizes what the food is. It might be true that smell is heavily tied with memories because Sonic instantly remembers that he was the one to teach Shadow how to cook. As the 'Ultimate Lifeform,' Shadow doesn't get sustenance from food. But Cream does have to eat, so Shadow actually asked (yes, asked, even Sonic was shocked) Sonic to teach him how to make a few dishes for when Cream was going to stay with him for a little bit. Sonic was so happy for several reasons, and even Shadow's grumpy mood at having someone else teach him something didn't dampen his mood. Sonic, of course, taught Shadow how to make plenty of dishes, side-by-side in the kitchen. He also told Shadow about his first attempts at cooking.

Sonic has to eat like every other Mobian, but his stomach is stronger than most. In the beginning, he would hunt food and eat it raw. Tails, on the other hand, could not handle that. Sonic was forced to learn how to cook to keep the kit feed. It was an extremely difficult process, but Sonic thinks about those weeks fondly. It was nice to figure something out for himself, and he would never deny an opportunity to provide for Tails. And, since he learned how to do all that, he got to teach Shadow how to cook.

Strangely enough, Shadow asked him another question once he was finished with his story. He asked if Sonic saw all his experiences like that. Sonic didn't understand what he meant at the time. Even now, he isn't sure he completely understands, but he thinks he knows a little more now than he did back then. Shadow wanted to know if Sonic saw all of his difficulties as a means of helping people down the line. Sonic shakes his head. He tells himself that isn't what Shadow meant (mostly because he doesn't want to answer that question).

Sonic bounds into the kitchen. His nose did not lead him astray. Shadow is standing diligently beside the stove. Sonic smiles at him. When Shadow glances over at him, Sonic winks at him. Shadow rolls his eyes when he looks away. Sonic shrugs. He moves over to the island in the kitchen. He hops onto one of the barstools. He spins around a few times before he puts his arms on the island's counter to stop himself. He bends his elbow, settling his head in the palm of his hand. He stares at Shadow's back as the Ultimate Lifeform goes through the motions of cooking breakfast. When Shadow glances over his shoulder, his eyes narrow at Sonic. "Now, who is being creepy?"

Sonic shows Shadow a humored half-smile. Shadow hurriedly looks away. But Sonic's gaze does slide away from Shadow. He doesn't stare at anything in particular. He only needs something to fill his vision as he thinks about what he should say one more time. Sonic decides on his opening statements, and he hopes that he will get through the rest of it by using the age-old method: winging it.

When Sonic opens his mouth, Shadow turns around. Sonic's mouth snaps shut. Shadow sets a plate down in front of Sonic. Shadow remains on his side of the counter with a plate right in front of him. Despite being disappointed in his own inaction, Sonic snorts at the difference in how much food is on their plates. Sonic can't see the surface of his plate, and Shadow barely has a few morsels. It's yet another reason they are mirror images of each other. Sonic needs to eat a lot of food; Shadow doesn't need to eat any. Shadow only eats because he enjoys the taste or because he wants to indulge in whatever he's made himself. Thinking about all the times he's almost starved to death, Sonic wishes he was a little more like his faker. Only if he could still eat when he wanted to, though.

Shadow and Sonic eat in silence which is... decidedly weird. Shadow rarely talks while eating, but Sonic usually can't get himself to shut up. Sometimes, he will tell Shadow stories about his past or his day or his plans for the future. Other times, he will test jokes or taunts out on Shadow to see how much a reaction he gets. Depending on how high Shadow arches his brow, Sonic will use the joke with his friends and his taunt on his enemies. Shadow knows Sonic does this, but he doubts Shadow has figured out what reactions Sonic is specifically looking for (the secret is that Sonic doesn't know, either. It's always a feeling).

But Sonic doesn't say anything. He supposes his adventure on the Starfall Islands affected him more than he thought it did. Usually, he would be telling Shadow every miniscule detail about his time on the islands. He would complain about Eggman, tell him about how he played pranks on Sage, or mention how odd it was to not be able to touch his friends. He would downplay the cyber corruption and lapses in memory until it didn't sound like anything awful happened to him. Shadow might have even been interested in the ancient civilization and their titans. He would definitely want to hear about how Sonic combined cyber and chaos energy to create an even greater super form.

Sonic finishes his food long before he usually does. He praises himself for his speed even if he knows he only managed this because he wasn't talking. When Sonic finishes, Shadow takes his plate. Sonic wants to offer to do the dishes, but the sink turns on. Sonic's voice is drowned out by the water flowing into the metal tub below it. Sonic waits for Shadow to get finished. Once the two plates, two forks, and two pans are clean, Sonic rushes over to dry them off and put them away.

This, Sonic thinks, is familiar. When Sonic did cook for both of them, they would wash the dishes together. Sonic smiles as he remembers one time in particular when they got into a fight with the water. Despite them both hating getting wet, neither side yielded until Shadow actually laughed. Or, well, he exhaled with a different cadence than his sighs, and Sonic knew it was the closest he would ever get to making Shadow laugh. The ebony hedgehog denied such accusations, but Sonic doesn't think he could ever forget.

Once the dishes are back where they are supposed to be, Shadow puts his gloves back on his hand. Sonic takes a deep breath. He squeezes the hand towel between his fingers as he turns toward Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform steps around Sonic to leave the kitchen. He doesn't say anything. His footsteps get quieter as they move further away, but each one slams into Sonic's ears like thunder. He whirls around to stare at Shadow's back. "Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

Sonic's jaw sets to stop himself from talking. That is not what he meant to say at all. Sonic wonders if it's too late to learn how to rewind time.

Shadow stops. He glances over his shoulder at Sonic. There isn't much to discern from those deep red irises (he has been told by other people that Shadow's eyes remind them of blood or fire. Sonic thinks that's fair even if it isn't what his mind drifts to first. No, instead, he thinks about a forest on one of the farthest islands making up Mobias. He would go there every year around the same time for one specific event. In the autumn, those trees would turn into the deepest shade of red Sonic has ever seen. At least, until he first saw Shadow's eyes). "Did you go willingly?"

"No."

"You stayed because there was some enemy that was either threatening your friends or the world. Did you handle everything?"

"Yes."

Shadow shifts where he stands. He crosses his arms over his chest. "Then, there's nothing more for me to ask. You are not obligated to give me a mission report every time something happens to you."

Sonic sputters in disbelief. "I mean, yeah, but don't you— I just— y'know, I left without— Did you worry?"

Shadow's eyes narrow very slightly as his eyes scan Sonic's body. When his eyes return to Sonic's gaze, he asks, "Did you want me to worry?"

Sonic does not answer. Obviously, he doesn't want people to worry about him. There's no reason to. He's fine. He's always been fine. Sonic goes on adventures all the time. He bounces back from each one. Life-threatening experiences are nothing he's unfamiliar with. When people worry about him, Sonic always feels guilty because he knows they are getting worked up over nothing. They should be spending their thoughts and energy on something else, not wasting it on him.

But Sonic can't bring himself to say 'no.' There is a part of him so infinitely tiny, but it still unthinkingly calls out that yes, he would be happy if Shadow worried about him. At least, a little bit. It would mean that Shadow cared, wouldn't it? Sonic wants Shadow to care about him. No matter what else they have going on, Sonic hopes the foundations of something is there.

Shadow sighs. He uncrosses his arms. He moves to stand directly in front of Sonic. The hero of Mobius avoids eye contact with Shadow, both unable and unwilling to explain his selfish desire. Shadow's touch is hesitant, but he eventually settles a hand on Sonic's shoulder. Sonic stares at the inhibitor ring on Shadow's wrist. He sees his distorted reflection staring back at him with a gold tint. "It was... unnerving... to see you the other day. You seemed... disconnected. I told myself I would not ask about what happened. If you want to talk about it, I am willing to listen with more attention than I give your usual stories."

Sonic half-heartedly chuckles. "You love my stories, admit it."

"I do not," Shadow responds without missing a beat, but Sonic doesn't believe him one bit.

Unfortunately, Sonic knows this isn't the time for more jokes. Shadow has given Sonic the perfect opportunity to talk about everything. Since he has all of Shadow's attention, Sonic starts from the very beginning with how he, Amy, and Tails were investigating the Starfall Islands. Once the first words were out, Sonic found it remarkably easy to talk about everything else. He even told Shadow what he didn't tell his other friends: his memories would come and go while he was venturing around. There were even times when he couldn't remember his own name. Thinking back on it, Sonic thinks he was actually kind of scared, but he didn't focus on that when he was trying to maintain feeling in his body when everything was going cold and then numb. He managed to retain enough sense of identity and sensation in his body to defeat the End, though, so Sonic thinks his story had a happy ending.

Shadow stares at him. Sonic has always been a lot better than most at figuring Shadow out than most, but he doesn't understand what Shadow is thinking at all. There isn't even a hint. Sonic awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. He has to force himself to remain rooted in place when running seems like a much more favorable option. In the end, Sonic decides on something else to say. "I'm sorry for forgetting about you. I mean, I didn't always forget about you. A lot of the time, I did remember who you were. Out of everyone, I forgot you the least... I think. I'd have to ask Sage for the exact numbers. I'm sure she has them all recorded since she was basically my memory bank. Whenever I would remember something, I would tell her about it. This was, of course, after she started working with me instead of against me, but that's not the point. I just—"

"Sonic?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"... Yeah, that's fair."

Shadow considers his next words very carefully, but it isn't long before he's meeting Sonic's eyes with an expression that borders on something positive— happiness, perhaps. Maybe relief. Sonic isn't sure. He thinks this is a good thing, though. "I do not blame you for forgetting me, but I... appreciate the apology. Thank you for telling me all of that."

"I should have done it earlier, to be honest. I don't want you to think I... y'know..." Sonic trails off, coughing slightly to avoid saying the word.

Unfortunately, Shadow doesn't let him off the hook. "What?"

Sonic rolls his shoulders. He rocks on his heels which helps him avoid looking at Shadow. "I didn't want you to think I abandoned you."

Shadow makes a noise. To the untrained ear, it would sound like a scoff. To Sonic, who knows Shadow and has been sort of living with him for a while, it sounds like a snort. "If there is one thing I have learned from you, faker, it is that you won't leave me alone. A bit of absence isn't enough to convince me that you have permanently left my life."

Sonic throws his arm around Shadow's shoulder. The ebony hedgehog half-heartedly glares at Sonic's wide smile. "Aww, you know you love it, Shads."

"Unfortunately," Shadow admits with an eye roll, as if this is the heaviest burden on his shoulders.

Sonic laughs openly. He feels a lot better after getting his most recent adventure off his chest, so he isn't upset in the slightest about Shadow's mood (which is actually not as foul as the look in his eyes would imply. Again, Sonic knows him pretty well). "Come on, let's go watch a movie. We should go shopping later. I noticed a distinct lack of chili dog ingredients when I was making my sandwiches yesterday."

"Two days ago," Shadow corrects.

"Wow, that was a long time."

"Did you think I was lying?"

"No, but your standards of what's unhealthy and my standards are completely different."

"I have the appropriate standards."

"Agree to disagree, faker."

"You're insufferable."

"Shh... the movie is starting."