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"Sonic! Please, focus!" Tails called out to the hedgehog, his hands waving in front of him in a hastened desperation. Sonic reacted to this quickly, leaning back on instinct. "I'm really starting to worry about your attention span, you know." Amy said, her voice was clearly genuine, but had a certain indignation in it. Nothing too serious, but there was clearly a problem. "Heh! My bad, guys!" They, all three, Amy, Tails and Sonic, were sitting at a table in a local café, the only location the name has. The Sweet Spot, which was the (rather unoriginal) name, was in some weird inbetween where they weren't quite sure how fancy they wanted to be. Nothing was incredibly expensive, but they would bring it out to your table as if it was. But you wouldn't order from the tables, no, you went up to register as if it were fast food. And at this very moment their waiter, who had been dressed in an earthy-toned loose fitting sweatshirt uniform, was coming by their table with tray in hand, carrying assorted mugs, cups, and plates. This moment was always distinct because, you could tell who was coming by from the sound of his heavy footed gait. His shoe bottoms, rather metal than rubber or leather, had a heavier thud to the floor. A slight reverberation in them, almost rhythmic—nearly musical—and Sonic's mind was lost in space again. Everyone had lost track of their speech the second their waiter has showed up to the table anyway, so he wasn't noticed this time. All had turned their attention to the dark hedgehog, who would call out the orders before he would set them in front of the individual who claimed them. "Thank you!" Amy called out as she received her drink, a mixture of coffee and some syrups Sonic couldn't remember, and Tails order was always simple. Sonic didn't care for coffee, or tea, but he would never turn down a nice hot chocolate; which is what he ordered every time. He made sure to reach out his hand to grab the cup rather than have it be placed in front of him for the rare chance his hand might graze against the others. Which he was realizing now was super creepy. "Uh- Thank you!" He wasn't a nervous person, but the sudden self awareness he'd finally recieved left him stumbling back a few metaphorical steps. His waiter nods at him—with enrapturing eye contact—and walks off. Sonic turns back to group, who had followed back into their conversation, unnoticing his split second of insecurity, which he was grateful for. "I'll be in the bathroom guys, BRB!" And off he trotted. Making his way to the small restroom, door closed and locked, he sighed and looked around the oddly well decorated room. It had a cozy urban feel to it. 'Whoever designed this certainly had a passion for aesthetic' Sonic thought. For how many visits he's had here, he's never actually been to this room. Now that he was in a place he could comfortably distract himself, he simply could not seem to get his mind off of the waiter—which he cursed himself for never learning the name of. He was so unusual looking, but in such a mysteriously beautiful way. His colors were so bright, his markings were so unique, and his eyes were so sharp—just a single look could blow him back off his feet, it felt like. And he couldn't even begin to describe the way that voice sounded, like it was a heavy bass rumbling his core. It was needless to say he needed more of this strange man ASAP. "Sonic, are you okay?" Tails asked, gently knocking on the door, startling him. He was quickly followed by Amy, "Sonniicc! You've been off all day, i'm really worried now!" "Oh, uh! It's no biggie, crew! I'm just- uh- feeling a bit wonky! I'll be all good!" "Oh no, are you sick?" His little fox brother chimed in, clearly concerned. "If you're sick, we'll take care of you! I can make a mean soup, that's a guarantee!" Amy follows up. "I don't think that'll be necessary..." Sonic reaches over to flush the toilet that he hadn't even used, waiting a couple seconds to turn on the sink he was also not going to use. "I'm sure it's just allergies, or something..." The other two continued talking in the background while Sonic was busy counting the seconds before flipping off the water, and ripping out a paper towel to crumple up and throw away. He felt a bit guilty for how much he's wasted just to be believable. He opens the door; slowly, as to not accidentally slam it into either of them. "You do look a little pale..." Amy takes off one glove to press to Sonic's head, patting around to check his warmth. "I kind of just look that way, Ames" He chuckled.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shadow stepped outside the back door of the building, more thankful than ever that the work day had ended. He was tired, definitely, even if he didn't necessarily need sleep to survive, he certainly needed it to stay sane. He sighed, locking the door and stepping back. The air was cool and crisp, his fur raising slightly at it, but it felt refreshing in opposition to the constant warmth the sweater had given throughout the day. He pulled it up over his head, slipping it off, ruffling and misplacing quill and fur all over. It would be tied around his waist before he smoothed down the messy look he now adorned. Typically, he would simply Chaos Control back home, or speed back on his jet-shoes, yet tonight he felt different. For some reason, a slow meditative walk seemed particularly enticing, as perplexed as he was by his own idea, Shadow couldn't deny it did seem nice. As tired as he was, he felt like sleep wasn't all he was wanting, but calm as well. And so, he walked, knowing the path to the point where his muscle memory could take over and his mind could run free. He thought about his place in the world, what his goals were, where he intended to end up.—He had no good answer. He wasn't sure if he cared to find one. Shadow was an anomaly, that was certain, a living weapon comprised of the DNA of who knows how many animals, as well as Black Arms. The hybrid-hog's mind went over this almost constantly, digging into his self esteem and breeding new insecurities often, all leading up to a slurry of feelings—Alienation, and loneliness. Nobody would really understand him, and there wasn't a soul he knew that intended to try. Shadow decided maybe he didn't want to think tonight. Maybe he really did just want to sleep—Yet, as soon as he had even stopped to summon Chaos Control, a loud voice came booming down the path, immediately drawing his attention. "Look out!" The voice was higher pitched in a masculine way, youthful sounding, but not incredibly young. Probably in his twenties, but maybe could pass as a teenager if he truly tried. Shadow wasn't sure why he was thinking of this, rather than trying to process what was even said. The voice sounded so familiar, he was sure of that, but by the time he was whipping his head around to figure what exactly he was meant to be looking out for, his body was crashing into the gravel and dirt below him. He let out a hearty oomph, his body impacting with the ground beneath him, as well as whatever had crashed into him in the first place. He felt his fur dampen, the water from the previously rained upon ground soaking into this body and clothes, marks of dirt streaking accross them. Whatever, rather whoever, had bashed into Shadow was now rolled over next to him curled up fetal positon and turned away, groaning and coughing whilst gripping his sternum, presumably hitting the delicate spot upon impact. Shadow intended to ask the stranger, with anger, why he had been barreling down towards him, but upon hearing, certainly pained, gasps, his feelings seemed to turn more towards concern. Yet, as he has opened his mouth to ask if the stranger was okay, he was interrupted. "Sorry!" The voice was cracked, and dry, but he began to move, seemingly recovering. "I'm okay, don't worry abou-" As soon as the two made eye contact, the stranger's voice was cut short. They seemed to recognize immediately upon finally seeing each other in better lighting, staring for a couple seconds in a weird moment of mutual confusion. "Coffee guy!" "Sonic." He now felt bad for not knowing 'Coffee Guy's' name, "You know my name!?" "Of course I do. You come often" "Really? I would thought it was because i'm—" Sonic pretends to do a dramatic hair flip "oh so famous" Shadow does nothing but blink at that. "Fancy seeing you here though" Sonic continues, resting his chin on his two interlocked hands, a teasingly and playfully flirtatious tone in his voice. "I'm outside of my workplace." Shadow begins to stand, trying to brush off what dirt and mud he can before grumbling at the stains he now has. "I don't have replacements for these, and you've dirtied them. What reason have you got to be running around so reckless in the dark anyway?" He was no longer so stoic now, the tinge of emotion, anger but emotion nonetheless, gave Sonic a weird type of euphoria to see. "I slipped! Besides, i'm the one that got hurt! Look, i'll clean them for you." "I own a washing machine." "What about a dryer?" Shadow scoffs and waves Sonic off, starting to turn and walk away. Sonic finally jumps up. "Well, wait a second! Surely I can make it up to you somehow?" Sonic typically wouldn't have such a desire to go out of his way and ask for a way to service someone, but he was truly looking for any way to befriend this guy he has been basically casually stalking for a good while now. "What makes you so concerned with me?" "You see me almost every day, and you handle my food. I'd like to have you on good terms at least" Shadow grumbled, turning only slightly to see him out of his peripherals. His arms were now crossed, considering the words of the other. He guessed he wasn't incorrect, that would probably be a concern of his as well, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure he should really even care. It was a stranger he was talking to, even if it was once he saw often and knew the name of, it was a stranger nonetheless. Shadow couldn't trust Sonic coming to his own home, and he couldn't trust going to Sonic's home either. There was no practical way for any chores to be done, so he settled on a rather stubborn answer, and turned back to having his back towards the other hedgehog. "You're forgiven. Leave me." "UUUGGHHH" Sonic slumped, dragging his hands down his face in a dramatic, theatrical manner. "Come on, man, let me do something! You've got me wallowing in guilt over here!" He was clearly teasing with that last comment, but there was a want behind his words still. "You'll live." Shadow began walking back to his home, and Sonic, surprisingly enough, did not follow or attempt to convince him more, rather just yelling back at him with more words. "I might not! What if I die tomorrow!?" He'd recieve no response.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sonic rarely went this far into the city. He preferred to stay near the village in the suburbs, largely out of the way of the towering buildings and stuffy traffic. It wasn't really fair to call it a village, exactly, the population began to dwindle in recent years, it wasn't totally wrong to say it was almost uninhabited, at least the half Sonic tended to stick around in. He hated water, definitely, but more often he'd find himself sitting at the coast staring out into it, missing South Island and its energetic Green Hill Zone. But it was cold. And he needed the crowded nature of the Central City's air in hopes to keep warm in this more-chilling-by-each-night winter's season if he hoped to keep warm. It wasn't exactly freezing just yet, only just being the later end of fall now, but it was enough to make you hypothermic if you let it. Sonic was far from misfortunate, he knew that. He was a hero with many great friends, and he was proud of his many feats and victories. But that wouldn't change the fact that he was less than lucky to be curled into a spiky ball in some slightly-damp alleyway, covered only by the possibly infested, torn quilt someone tossed nearby, and it really didn't smell good. He wouldn't stay like this all night, truthfully, but right now he really just wanted to sulk. He knew with his logical side that he should find better ways to get warmer soon, but all he could really keep his mind on was the interaction he had had with the barista earlier, thinking he should've probably been more insistent. It was definitely creepy, maybe a little more than an okay amount, but he couldn't really explain to him the urgency behind his desire to be in his home. There were more reasons than one, of course, but outside of wanting to befriend him, he also wanted to be alive. He had no problem crashing at others' houses for periods of time, but eventually his brain would tell him he had to go, to lift that burden from them, no matter how close they had been. It was even worse owning his own house, he'd always felt so out of place inside it. He grew a weird comfort surviving outside, even if his body tingled with hatred for it and regret each time. He didn't want to rough it. But he hated to settle. He couldn't stay still that way. But Sonic would kill to be in a warm home now, perhaps eating a nice meal or watching a show. Or just sleeping. Sleep would be really nice. Sleeping outside in the grass was so pleasing in the spring and summer, those times then he truly wouldn't have it any other way. After another night of mostly restless sleep, Sonic sat up, fur raising as even more cool morning air could attack his skin. It was particularly frigid this morning, his body aching in a distantly familiar way. He groaned in discomfort, an exhausted whine followed in succession. His quills spiked up even more as he slipped fully out from under what little coverage he had against the wind and its unforgiving temperature. It was like electricity rattled through his body, shocks of an aching chill stabbing through and frosting over every muscle, bone, freezing his blood inside of him. Goosebumps lined up every limb. It was cold. Sonic's brain immediately kicked into overdrive, loudly alert for any escape, any place to run, any warmth to pile onto and never let go. The alley he had been in was the same he had come tumbling out of that night before, just across the street from the comfortable little building. 'Yes, yes' Sonic thought, already attempting to rush towards it. His legs were rigid and slow, and the thought of speeding through this already terrible air, allowing it to hit him harder and cooler, made him shake with just the thought. He walked over, still relatively fast, hoping it would be open at the time he had been awake now. 6a.m, probably just a bit before, was his thought. Sonic could see the evidence of his accident last night still, small skids of both their impacts and movements etched into the mud still. As he made it to the door, his hand shakingly grabbed the handle, prying it open as quickly as he could. The force of him opening it, having assumed it would be much heavier than it really was, had him stumbling in his first few steps. He was heaving dramatically, more theatrical than it would be normally, hoping that if he couldn't hide his pain from others, he could at least entertain himself. "... Can I help you?" Sonic could recognize the voice as the young Zebra, an uncommon race of Mobian, that would sometimes take and make orders. He looked up at her, his eyes fighting to focus on her striped figure. He swallowed thickly, shaking his head aggressively with a few more heavy pants before he had spoken with a strained voice. "Just a hot chocolate... I'm gonna sit down..." He staggered over to the nearest chair, slumping down onto it. His body began to finally feel the warmth of the room, sighing contentedly as he could feel himself able to relax. Sonic hadn't even taken a second to think about how he probably looked filthy right now, noticing scuffs and damp spots on his gloves and shoes. He was normally much better at keeping at least a bit tidy, but tonight he was exceptionally unlucky, he typically wouldn't need to be on the ground, nonetheless so thinly covered. Sonic would usually wait around until it was warm enough to wander about, and if it'd be cold all day, hang around somewhere where he could trust he wasn't going to freeze his poor fingers off. He guessed today that'd have to be here, already running excuses through his head how he could delay his exit as long as possible. Very soon after, an easily recognizable dark hedgehog came around the table. He set down his drink, and was just about to walk off with no word, but was stopped short when Sonic began to speak. "Hey, wait. I really am sorry about last night, man" His voice was more genuine sounding than it had been originally, more sincere and truly remorseful, even over an action so small. The blue hedgehog's gaze flicked to the sweater the other was again wearing. Not so much as a stain. "You've already been forgiven." "Yeah, but you should know I mean it!" "I already did. Don't delay me." Shadow walked off, seemingly in a rush to cater to other customers that hadn't even yet shown up, or he really just wanted to get rid of the conversation. Either way, Sonic sighed, a little disappointed even if he understood he was bothering him during his work hours. By the next hour, Sonic had definitely already finished his drink, but still held it in his hand to maybe look less suspicious. His head rested against the table, his sleep deprivation was coming on strong and fast, even his usual fidgets like his foot tapping, leg bouncing, or playing with his fingers were all ceased as his body finally relaxed with the warmth. He wasn't asleep, but you'd hesitate to say he's fully conscious. Shadow, ever the observant, was quick to catch on, even with the now much fuller crowd. He would be serving a table just past Sonic's, setting down their respective items, and as he would walk past Sonic he would tap him on the back. It wasn't incredibly harsh, and definitely not painful, but with more force than the typical person may have. As Sonic has lifted his head up to questioningly, his vision blurry with near-sleep clouding his brain. "You can't sleep here." All he was met with was a groggy groan, the blue hedgehog whinily pushing up from his seat, stumbling to stand, walking with a staggering step. Shadow seemed to think he was heading for the door, and called out to him again. "I don't care how long you stay, you just have to be awake." Sonic didn't hear him, too focused on making it to his target, his brain not able to zero in on more than a single thing right now. It was the bathroom he had thought to go to, hoping he could freshen up a bit and maybe wake up a little more while he was at it. When he made it to the sink, closing but not locking the door, he slipped his gloves off. He made sure the water was warm, running his hands under it and slipping it through his fur and quills. He tried his best to finger-comb out some dirt and even up his disorderly look a little bit. He grunted out when he occasionally hit a snag, tugging painfully at the small knots in his pelt. Eventually, when he was satisfied enough, he left, passing out the door and immediately hit with a reminder why he was there in the first place. But it had warmed up a bit, and the wind was nowhere near as vicious, so he trudged on. But soon, very soon, only a couple steps round the side of the building, Sonic felt gravity pull his body heavily against his bones yet again. He was tired, tired tired, a kind he couldn't fight or ignore. The type where his reason and resolve faded away immediately, causing him to slump down on his knees, slowly laying to his side despite the discomfort of the damp grass and few pebbles pressing into his skin. It was almost like he'd shut down how a computer would, the second his head hit a ground semi-comfortable enough to lay it was lights out. Sonic woke up with a stiffness in every limb, curled up uncomfortably and shivering again. He was surprisingly rested with how awful his body felt. Starved, dehydrated, and aching from the ground's rough feeling. He sat up a bit, looking out to the horizon to see it was already tinging with pinks and oranges. It was getting dark. He slept through the entire day. Great. (Had no-one grew suspicious? Had no-one cared?) He sat up completely, moving his arms around his knees, hugging his legs to his body and cuddling himself with an effort to feel—warmth? Comfort? Either one. He always wondered how he had ended up like this every night. He had friends. Friends who loved him. Why did he not go to them? Why did he seem to crave being dejected, lost, and alone? He was enforcing so much pain and trauma to himself, yet couldn't run from it. He hadn't really spoken to them so often these days, either. It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume this behavior was driving a wrench in their friendship, even though they didn't know he had even went through it. Sonic's body felt so exposed and naked, even if he was technically naked all the time. He brought his hands closer to his chest, stuffing his face in them, only then did he realize he never actually took his gloves back out with him from the restroom. This caused a cry of frustration. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to stand. It was just too cold. The blue blur curled back up into a messy ball of spikes, shivering in the cold, and possibly due to his own emotional plight as well. A tear brimmed in his eye, he condemned himself for his self-pitying behavior. He slowly fell down to his side, his volvation not breaking even on impact. Slowly, he seemed to drift yet again, his body somehow yearning for more rest. He was deep enough in the trance of almost-sleep, his body didn't even pick up the sounds around him. Shadow, at the back exit of the coffee house, stood in the doorway, having opened it just prior. He stood merely a few feet behind Sonic, staring at him, sighing to himself. He closed the door, stepping back into the building. Shadow had been given the gloves by another customer, having been told they were left behind. He figured who they belonged to immediately, so simple yet so recognizable. He'd give them back the next day, he'd planned, leaving them somewhere in the back room, not having expected him to be right there. He picked them off the shelf, and pushed back out the door. The ebony hybrid-hog stepped next Sonic, the other finally seeming to notice, peeking his head up from his rolled up form. He didn't unfurl, but he did begin to speak. "Hey! You're out early." His tone was chipper, as always, in contrast to his poorly state. He shivered, and his voice wavered with him, but he didn't seem to care. "I only work until 5 on weekends. You left these." Shadow's instinct simply said to toss them at the other and walk off, but he knew he would regret that later if he did, just the thought cast a small amount of guilt onto him. He knelt down, one knee on the grown, hanging the gloves out to the other. His hands quickly grabbed them before retreating back into his roundness. "Yo! Thanks so much! I was just wondering about these..." He stood, looking down at Sonic again, a twinge of sympathy. He knew something was odd since yesterday, as when Shadow had begun to depart, Sonic did as well, rather than toward a house or apartment, he began to look along the ground, as if he was searching for something. Shadow realized now it was probably somewhere comfortable, safe, or warm enough, or something to help him feel comfortable, safe, and warm. He sighed deeply, knowing he would most likely regret his next decision, but was stubborn against his own mind telling him to double think about it. He leans down, his hands passing under the ball that was Sonic, lifting them up. Sonic rolled a bit, thrashing in confusion and slight fear at now being lifted. "Woah, woah! What's this about, dude!?" Sonic now unfurled, cold hitting his now exposed body in a way that made him shiver harder. "I'm taking you to my home."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"WHAT!?" Sonic immediately began squirming, pushing against Shadow's body and kicking his legs. His hold was tight, arms around him with insane strength. He didn't seem effected, either, the squirming not really throwing off his balance, and Sonic noticed that even when he pressed his whole weight against him, he barely budged. It frightened him, slightly, but he couldn't help the warmth that spread across his face at it. "I am not letting you sleep on the ground." Shadow's voice was dark, commanding, filled with intent and purpose. He meant what he said. Sonic knew better than to try to deny this, to say he had his own home, seeing as how he was probably seen at least once the other night. It also may have been helped by the fact that his voice seemed to choke in his throat instead of be able to produce a single real sound. "Come on, man, it's not any of your business!" When he was able to focus again, he was now mustering up some sort of vague annoyance, or offense. "I would have been the first to see you on the ground, Hedgehog. When you eventually got attacked or died, it would have been my fault." Sonic tried to focus on what he had said, to come back with a retort, but his brain seemed to shut out all external stimuli the moment he heard him say 'Hedgehog'. It wasn't exactly strange, he was a hedgehog, and it was technically his last name, but few ever called him that, maybe occasionally by Eggman. In fact, it wasn't usual on Mobius to refer to people by their species at all, some may even be insulted by it. Even just bringing up their species, while not exactly derogatory, wasn't in any way common. This left him to think. Yet, as soon as he attempted to dwell, he heard the sound of a boom, like the rapid firing of an engine of some sort, then the sound of a steady flame, kind of like the sound a powerful torch makes when you light it, given much louder. Suddenly after, the cold wind whipped against his body, an instant shiver running through him. He realised then, both from own experience and from the way gravity began to feel, they had began going fast. Unexpectedly fast. Sonic was no stranger to fast, that much was obvious. But if you had excluded some oddballs like Metal Sonic, nobody else besides him had ever gone this fast. He was astonished, and found himself looking up at the others stern face with a newfound level of respect, not to mention attraction as well. He'd never be as fast as him, though, but the attempt was cool. Now that Shadow's face was so close, he could finally take in and appreciate all the little details. The black of his fur was countershaded by a dark tan, a russet color on his muzzle and the inside of his ears, which he now noticed has soft white hairs lining the sides and bottom of, fluffing the inside. 'Kind of like a cat', he pondered. It seemed, soon enough, they had reached Shadow's home. Sonic was planted on the ground, being gently set onto his feet to stand beside the other. He, for whatever reason, had a split second of thought to sprint away now that he had the chance. Whatever desire it is he had to destroy himself, he had to suffocate it, at least just this once. Shadow unlocked the door, opening it and gesturing for the other to go in. When Sonic had hesitated, the other grumbled, firmly placing his hand on his back and pushing him inside. He followed, closing the door behind them. "You have access to the living room and restroom only, and the kitchen for water, but you cannot use anything else I do not approve prior." The black hedgehog immediately set his ground rules, staring at the other without so much as a flicker of breaking eye contact. Sonic, on the other hand, was switching between over his shoulder, above his head, or at the wall next to him every other couple seconds. "Yeah, that's fair." "I only plan to keep you one night, two if I have to. Afterwards, i'll find you somewhere else to stay." "Aw really? Unfair, i'd expect more hospitality from you, Mr.-... uh" Sonic attempted to slide out a teasing remark, left again with his plight of not knowing the other's name. "Shadow. The hedgehog." "How delightfully edgyyyy" His voice had a slightly flirty snide to it, hitting a pose with his hand on his hip, eyes half lidded. Shadow scoffed, walking past the other and toward the hall. "I can kick you out, and i'm not afraid to do so." Sonic chuckled at his response. Before he could fully disappear down the hall, he turned to look at the other. "I am going to bed now, whatever you need to do to make yourself comfortable do it, but I expect you to leave everything as you found it." Sonic gave him a thumbs up, nodding alongside it. "You got it, boss." After Shadow hed left, and the blue hedgehog had heard the sound of a door softly clicking shut, he sighed, sinking into the couch and finally taking it all in. A terrible urge bubbled in the back of his mind, the urge to just leave. He could, if he wanted to, it wouldn't be hard. The other probably wouldn't even notice until he came back. He shook his head hard, trying to get the thoughts to fling out of his head. There was a lot of effort and trust being put into what Shadow was doing for him. It'd be awful for him to waste it. Sonic slumped over on his side, looking ahead of him at the coffee table, covered in some neatly stacked books, all seemingly simultaneously regularly used but well cared for. It was now he had realized he had not only not eaten dinner, but hadn't really anything at all that day, and he was beginning to feel it. He was tired, but not sleepy, moreso fatigued. He felt weak and ached in many places. He tried to ignore it. In an attempt of distraction, the blue blur whipped out his communicator, the one given to him by Tails, checking for any messages he may have recently missed.
Ames
hey, sonic! i know we all got together super recently, but knuckles and i were going to this new restaurant nearby if you want to hitch along?
Today; 11:45 PM
sleeping in again i assume... well, it was super good, and we had a great time! let me know if you want to come with me and try it some time! Today; 3:21 PM Sonic sighed, placing it again face-down on the table, promising to himself he'd go see her tomorrow, feeling sorry for ignoring his friend, even if it was just because he actually was asleep all day. Either way, he was still gradually realizing he was actually incredibly tired, getting a feeling his earlier rest wasn't actually restful at all. He pulled a pillow down, twisting around it, holding it close to his body, relaxing against it. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.