#sth movie fanfiction

[lucidheart3]

Visions Of What We Could Be: The Ao3 version

“Nick, c’mon! We have to return to dad’s side.” Andrew says to him, trying to drag him away from where he is glued on the glass between them and a bunch of newborn babies.

“But I wanna see Miles!” He whines, standing on his toes so that he can see the babies in the back, but he fails to recognize any that might be his baby brother.

“Aren’t you worried about mom?” Andrew’s question takes him aback, and he turns to him fully, nodding with a tinge of guilt in his face. He lets Andrew drag him, the boy’s bigger hands clasping his, and he eyes his brother’s broad back. Despite them being Irish twins, Andrew is more well-built, and taller than he is, which always results in people thinking he is a lot younger, ‘ the baby of the house’. With the arrival of the youngest, that is going to change. Nicholas smiles to himself, he is going to be the best big brother ever! They are in front of their mother’s room in a short while, and Andrew gently knocks the door. Their dad welcomes them with a stern, but concerned eyes

“Where have you been? You missed your mother’s arrival!” Tom asks, and they sheepishly avert their gazes.

“I’m sorry, Dad. Nick was a bit curious about our brother, and I didn’t want to let him go alone.”

“But you were curious too, Andy!” Nicholas says with a higher tone, and he is immediately shushed by his father. He tilts his head, then hears a shuffling in front of him. He raises his head to see his mom trying to look up to them with a tired smile on her face.

“Do I hear my boys there?” Her question invites them to her arms, Andrew and Nicholas rush to her side in a heartbeat.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Yeah, hon. Just a bit tired, is all.” Andrew smiles up to her and Nicholas lays his head on her legs. She chuckles, and pats his head. Tom comes near them and puts a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. Nicholas lifts his head, to face both of his parents.

“When will we see Miles?”

“They should be preparing him. He’ll be here in any minute.” Nicholas excitedly nods, and Andrew chuckles.

“You guys saw him, right? What does he look like?”

“You’ll see.” His father answers with a smile and he pouts. As if on cue, a nurse comes in with their brother in a crib, and they hold their breaths to face him for the first time.

“Alright boys, go sit on the couch so that you can hold him.” Tom quietly says as he takes the baby from the crib, and Maddie thanks the nurse before she goes. The boys are quick to settle on the couch, and Tom hands the baby to Andrew, instructing him to support the baby’s head.

“He is so tiny!” Andrew quietly says, and Nicholas lays his head on Andrew’s shoulder to get a better view of the baby.

“Hey there, Miles!” Nicholas says as softly as he can, and the baby opens his sky-blue eyes, and a little smile appears on his lips.

“Look, he’s smiling at me!” Nicholas excitedly says, and Andrew nods.

“He must have really liked his name.”

“Of course he does! I found that name after all!” Nicholas boasts, and Andrew grins to him. Tom takes out his phone and tells them to smile for the picture, and knowing Nicholas’d want to see it, he shows it to him without having to be asked. The picture captures one darker skinned boy, he has his black hair in shoulder length braids. Beside him is seated a more slender and paler boy with jaw length curly brown hair. And the baby in the older boy’s arms is nearly blond, and palest of them all. Tom jokes that Maddie must have run out of ink gradually with each of the boys, and Maddie giggles. Despite the happiness surrounding Nicholas, the unease in his gut overcomes it.

‘This is wrong. We don’t look like that.’

The thought pulls Sonic out of his dream, and he struggles to adjust to the complete darkness. He rubs his eyes and he is suprised when unshed tears contact his hands. He sniffs, suddenly someone touches his shoulder and he yelps. Quickly clasping a hand over his mouth, he turns to his left to face Knuckles.

“Knux, are you trying to scare me to death, dude?” He whisper shouts, frowning, and he guesses Knuckles’ rolling his eyes.

“You were crying. Did you have a nightmare?”

“Crying? Nah, I wasn’t. Totally! You don’t have to worry now, big guy. Let’s go back to sleep.” Sonic attempts to pull his blanket over him and lay back down, but the hand on his shoulder keeps him from moving.

“I recall we’ve agreed on not lying to each other.” Knuckles replies, giving Sonic’s shoulder a suprisingly gentle squeeze, before taking his hand away. Sonic groans, then kicks off his blanket from his leg and stands up. He approaches the attic door and Knuckles follows suit. They go down the stairs as silently as possible, and Sonic winces whenever the stairs creak under his foot. They reach the living room and flop down on the couch. Knuckles turns to him, contemplating how he should make Sonic talk because as much as the hedgehog loves talking, he insists on only talking about what he wants. If he feels like being secretive, it’s nearly impossible to make him tell what Knuckles is curious about.

“It wasn’t a nightmare.” Sonic mutters, and Knuckles raises a brow, but stays silent. He guesses Sonic is too sleepy to act nonchalant, and sighs. Sonic turns away from him, and his eyes trace the design of the carpet under their feet.

“It was a strange dream, we were children of… y’know...” Sonic sheepishly says, and Knuckles does a double take.

“What do you mean? Aren’t we already their children?”

“We are. But in my dream we were their real, no, sorry, biological children. “

“Oh.”

“Yeah.We were humans. You took a lot after mom, I was a mix of them and Mi- Tails took after dad. In fact, I saw the day he was born.”

“And that made you sad, why? It doesn’t sound like an unpleasant dream.”

“Yeah, that is the deal. It isn’t unpleasant at all. We were all so happy there, and I was… I was happy to imagine that reality. Maybe too happy.”

“I apologise, Hedgehog, but I still fail to see why you cried over this dream that you think made you happy.”

“Don’t sweat it, Knux, I don’t understand it myself.” Sonic mutters, laying more comfortably on the couch. He crosses his arms on his chest and closes his eyes, trying to make sense of his emotions to not worry his brother further. Knuckles closes his eyes too, and hyper-focuses as if to find a technique that will allow him to tap into Sonic’s mind and untangle him from his mess of thoughts.

“You were named Andrew. I called you Andy.” Sonic says, breaking the silence since he is bored from all that fruitless thinking. When voiced, he realises the name, especially the nickname, sounds ridiculous on the Knuckles he knows. He snorts, and Knuckles grins.

“It sounds very strange.”

“Yeah, it really is something.”

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What were you called in your dream?”

“Oh! Nicholas. You called me Nick.” Knuckles looks him up and down, and nods.

“What?” Sonic asks, raising a brow, Knuckles smiles.

“It kind of fits.”

“How?!”

“The nickname doesn’t sound too different from your actual name. “ Sonic’s eyes widen, and Knuckles smirks.

“So-nic. Oh my God! You’re right!”

“I guess I’m obliged to call you Nick from now on.” Knuckles teases and Sonic groans.

“Don’t make me regret telling you about this!”

“I doubt you will. You love talking, Nick.” Sonic pouts and Knuckles laughs, reaching out to ruffle his head. Despite his annoyance, Sonic allows him.

“What about the fox? What was his name?”

“His was the same. Miles is a human name too, y’know.” Sonic explains and Knuckles hums. They fall into a comfortable silence with Sonic occassionaly muttering, until he speaks up once again.

“One of the things that made me happy the most about my dream was getting to meet Tails when he was born.”

“I agree. It would be satisfactory if we had.”

“Yes! Think about it, he’d never be bullied because we’d be there to protect him!”

“He’d get to have parents earlier. And attend school.”

“He’d enroll into a college to be an engineer! He could even win the Nobel Prize!”

“What is the prize of Nobel? Is it a treasure?”

“Kind of. It’s awarded to successful people.”

“Hmm. It sounds like something the fox could win.”

“If he was human, that is. I doubt anyone would want to award aliens like us anything.” Sonic says, and after taking in Knuckles’ raised brow and parted lips, he realises maybe he shouldn’t have opened up this much.

“Hedgehog, would you want to be a human?” Sonic’s taken aback from the swiftness of the change in conversation. He didn’t think Knuckles had it in him to corner Sonic about his feelings, but he wasn’t all that suprised. Knuckles takes everthing on in a stride, barges head-first into every situation, it’s no wonder feelings are involved on the list of that situations. On the contrary, Sonic evades, dodges and runs away, and it is, to no one’s suprise, no different for his emotions. He refuses to face them.

“Me? A human? No! Why’d I wanna trade this handsome speedy hedgehog’s form to a furless slow-poke’s?”

“Hmm. Maybe to not be an alien? To not have to run?”

Sonic’s mouth falls open, and he can feel Knuckles’ last word trigger something inside of him. A mantra burried deep into his soul, a shield that protected him. His resolve, his promise.

Never stop running.

He feels tears pooling in his eyes. He wanted to stop sometimes, he recalls. He wanted to be crystal clear once, instead of a blur. He wanted someone to see him, that’s why he was so overjoyed that he cried when Crazy Carl first noticed him. It reminded him of his existence.

“I…” He stammers, but only sobs come out instead of words. Knuckles’ violet eyes widen, and he shuffles to get closer to Sonic. He wraps his arm around Sonic, and he shivers in Knuckles’ embrace.

“I have to admit, your dream sounds pleasant. But I wouldn’t trade my reality with it.”

“Y-You wouldn’t?”

“No, of course not. My life… no, our lives were painful, full of losses and failures. But they made us who we are. People in your dream? They are just pitiful imitations of us. Even though they are brothers like us, I can’t imagine a world I never battle the fastest thing alive or get run over by a fox kit.” Knuckles declares, and Sonic wetly giggles while wiping his tears away. When Sonic looks up to him, he takes it as a signal to keep on talking.

“Besides, without the hardships we faced, our strengths’d be non-existent. I’d never be a warrior, fox wouldn’t be an inventor at his young age. And you wouldn’t be a hero in the sense you are, now.”

“Yeah, I get it. No self-discovering road-trips or saving the world. We could never be who we are. I don’t want that, too. I just thought if we were born into this family, we could magically be protected from the tragedies but keep the blessings in our life.”

“Maybe this will teach you to think deeper before weeping, hedgehog.”

Knuckles teases, Sonic groans, this is why they can never have heartfelt moments. Sonic elbows his side, effectively breaking out of their embrace Knuckles has the nerve to fake being hurt, and Sonic frowns.

“Don’t you think that I missed you calling me shallow, Knucklehead! And quit the act, I know it didn’t hurt. Sadly!”

“You want to wound me? I change my mind, I’d gladly replace you with this Nick.” Knuckles teases further, and Sonic gasps and places a hand over his mouth, mostly for theatrics and to hide the grin he can’t supress.

“You hurt me, brother. Just when I was about to say I’d never want Andy instead.” He says, making his lower lip quiver for extra effect. Knuckles looks at him sideways, and snorts.

“Fine. I declare truce.” He says, and opens his arms to invite Sonic in a hug. Sonic snickers and throws himself into Knuckles that knocks him fully on the couch, and squeezes him to death.

“Thank you, Knucklehead. You’re the best!” Sonic mutters into his shoulder,

“You’re pretty tolarable yourself. Still no match for Nick, though.” Knuckles says, but the way he returns his embrace tells Sonic the exact opposite. Still, he pulls back with a groan, and zips up to the attic, Knuckles shakes his head, a lop-sided smile on his face, and follows suit.

[lucidheart3]

I wrote a pre-movie fic of Sonic the hedgehog 1 which came out four years ago, at the same time that Sonic 3 came out. Like, I couldn’t be more out of the loop lol

Here is the fic if anyone’s interested

"Imagine still posting fanart a whole year after the game came out" brother what are you talking about

[ihaznoclue]

You're not like other people

The winner of the vote from yesterday was----

You're not like other people (Shadow x Reader) and I would like to thank everyone who participated in the voting system :)

Pairings -> Shadow The Hedgehog x Reader

Warnings -> None

Note -> Shadow seems to like you more than anyone else, you treat him better. He then starts to follow you around and stick to you just in case if something happens to you

Genre -> Fluff

Shadow The Hedgehog

You're not like other people...

You showed Shadow more kindness and gentleness, and he could tell you were a good-hearted person the moment he laid eyes on you.

He liked you more than anyone he had met, with the exception of Maria, because of your tender hands and your kind remarks.

He could see Maria within you since your sillyness showed whenever he was feeling low or depressed, and your smile illuminated the room on the darkest evenings.

Your affectionate gestures were different, you gave him soft pats or scratches behind his ears to help him relax, and your dancing made him cringe in the most flattering way possible to provoke a response from him rather that him being sulky all the time.

He adored everything you did for him, and he loved you in return.

Even if he's not very good at it, he merely thinks of all the things he could do to make you feel better, like protecting you or lifting your spirits when you're felling down. At least he's making an effort, or perhaps he's giving you presents in secret.

Ever since he fell down from saving the earth from explosion that Dr Gerald Robotnik wanted as revenge for his grand-daughter Maria, Shadow was convinced that this was the wrong thing to do as it won't bring Maria back..

His goal was to save the planet, and he succeeded, but at what cost? He could feel himself slipping downward more quickly.

When he collapsed back on Earth, he was unconscious, but where was he? He could smell the earthy dirt that tickled his nostrils, all he could feel beneath him was dirt.

However, he heard and sensed something else. A voice? Where was he and whose voice was that?

"Where did you come from?" The stranger's voice sounded clearer, and he could hear its kindness since it was free of fear, stuttering, or trembling.

Then he felt a kind, cautious hand embrace him in. "Oh you poor thing.. You must be hurt" He heard the voice again, and then he sensed a person moving.

What was he being taken to? He doesn't want to return, but what if they were to take him back?

Their footsteps were silent, and he could hear the rhythm of the person carrying him's heartbeat, whether it was fast or slow. He found that listening to the heartbeat helped him relax.

As they kept going, he could then hear them humming, which is incredibly pleasant and reassured him that nothing was to bother him.

Shadow heard the humming fade into the darkness as he knows couldn't hear anything around him, it had seem that he fully went to knocked out mode.

Now it felt hours on end as he now could hear things around him, his body felt warm and covered. His ear flickered at the slightest sound as he now was waking up, his eyes fluttering open as he groaned at the massive headache he just got.

He heard the humming again.. the sweet sound of humming that sooth his headache to go away..

He began to sit up as the blanket that was covering him slightly shifted off of his upper body, his fur was cleaned and hes air shoes were off, neatly placed on the floor near the bed that he was sitting on

He looked around to see where he was, he was definitely not back in the G.U.N base, but the room was slightly dimmed by the sunlight behind the curtains. The walls were painted in (F/C) and the carpet beneath looked soft and fluffy to stand on.

The humming has come to a stop as he saw the person standing near the door way for the room. It was a young person, a smile stuck on their face as they realised that Shadow was now awake

"Oh! You're awake" Their soft voice spoke, it sounded nice to listen to, but Shadow couldn't know if you could be trusted, his ear flicked again

"Can you talk?" You spoke, Shadow eyes lingered on you, trying to cause any squirmy reaction or at least a shiver, but he nodded

"Good! But I have a heap of questions to ask ya little guy" You spoke in pure excitement as you gave a little clap

Shadow was curious about you all of a sudden, you weren't scared of him

He was a 4-5ft hedgehog that was made in a laboratory how can you not be scared of him?

"Are- Are you not scared of me?" He spoke which made you froze suddenly, you didn't actually think he would speak

Your eyes were widen but softened "Of course not! Why would I be scared of a cute guy like you?"

Shadow huffed at that as his ear flicked at the word 'cute' but he didn't say anything to make you upset, the pure smile laid on your face made his heart soften

He could see Maria in you for some reason, even though he just met you. He knew he could trust you

"You can stay here as long as you want, I found you in a grass field near my house as I hear the commotion outside so I wanted to take a look and saw you, so I picked you up and took you back to my house which you are in right now"

Your kind words made him realise you were the one that picked him up and carried him back here, to your house

He gave a little huff though his nose as he said "Thank you" In a whispered tone but obviously you hear it as you gave a little giggle and stepped out of the room which caused him to follow you

He didn't know why but he just did, his mind was telling him that he can't trust you now but his heart was telling him to follow you and protect you

But you were so kind, so pure..

Like an angel

HEHEHHE THIS ONE MIGHT BE MY BEST ONE YET

-A<3

[xobunni0]

𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

౨ৎ 𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜���� … shadow never imagined himself as anything more than a weapon, let alone a father. but life has a way of surprising you when you least expect it.

- 𝐝𝐚𝐝!𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰, —𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐜 𝟏𝟒𝟖𝟑, 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧 .ᐟ 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞

𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

the house was silent, except for the soft hum of the baby monitor on the kitchen counter. Shadow didn’t mean to stay up so late patrolling the house, double checking every lock, every window but that’s who he was. protecting what mattered was second nature to him.

and now what mattered most was just behind that half-open bedroom door

he pushed it open with the lightest touch, his eyes immediately landing on the two of you. the room was dimly lit by the glow of the nightlight on the dresser casting a soft light over the bed. you were curled up on your side, your hair falling messily over the pillow, your breaths slow and even. nestled against you bundled in a soft pink blanket was the tiniest person he’d ever seen.

his daughter.

Shadow lingered in the doorway his chest tightening at the sight. she was so small, her little fist curled against your chest, the faintest coo escaped her lips as she shifted in her sleep and Shadow found himself frozen.

he’d been terrified of this.. of her.

the idea of holding her, touching her, being responsible for her, had felt like too much. she was so fragile, and he’d spent his entire life built for the opposite of this. but now as he stood there, he wasn’t thinking about his doubts or his fears. he wasn’t thinking about his past

all he could think about was how perfect she was. how perfect you both were.

his gaze softened as he stepped closer, careful to make no noise. he stood beside the bed looking down at her tiny face and the way she fit so perfectly against you. the warmth in his chest was unfamiliar but not unwelcome

she was part of him, but she was also part of you. she was something new, something neither of you could have created alone

Shadow’s hand hovered over her for a moment before he pulled it back.. unsure. his fingers flexed aching to touch but instead he clenched his fist and held it at his side. he wasn’t ready not yet

it almost scared him how he would do anything to protect her.

anything.

his eyes shifted to you, your face relaxed in sleep exhaustion clear on your face. you had carried this life, nurtured it, brought it into the world and now you held it with a love so natural it made his heart ache

for all the doubts he had about himself he never doubted you.

Shadow lingered by the bed unable to pull himself away the steady rhythm of your breathing and the tiny, almost inaudible sounds his daughter made as she slept

as he stood there, his mind drifted back to the moment he first learned he was going to be a father. he clenched his jaw remembering how unprepared he’d felt, how terrified he’d been

he hadn’t handled it well. he paced your shared apartment for what felt like hours, his mind running in circles. the questions had flooded him what kind of father would I even be? what if I hurt the baby?

he had been made to destroy, not to nurture.

he had tried to keep his distance at first, convinced that you and the baby would be better off without him. he’d told himself it was for the best that he wasn’t worthy of something so pure, so innocent. but no matter how far he tried to pull away you’d pulled him right back.

Shadow’s hand pressed against his side as he closed his eyes remembering the first time he felt her kick. you had taken his hand guided it to your belly, and held it there even when he tried to pull away

“feel that?” you had whispered, your voice soft

and he had. he’d felt it.. the faint, fluttering movement and for the first time he understood. she was real. she was his.

it hadn’t erased his doubts but it had been a start. slowly, cautiously, he had begun to let himself believe that maybe just maybe he could be more than what he was created to be.

Shadow opened his eyes and looked back at you and the baby. he could hardly believe how far he’d come since that first overwhelming moment

a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he thought about how he’d nearly missed this, how close he’d come to letting his fears win. but you’d believed in him even when he couldn’t believe in himself

and now, here he was, watching the two of you so full of love something he never thought he was capable of feeling.

this. being here with you, with her was the most extraordinary thing he’d ever experienced

Shadow let out a soft breath and stepped closer again his hesitation melting away. he crouched down beside the bed, his eyes studying every detail of his daughter’s tiny face. her small features were so delicate, so peaceful and without even knowing she had already changed his life.

“I didn’t think I could do this” he whispered, his voice so low it barely disturbed the silence. he had been so scared. so doubtful.

his hand hovered over hers, and this time he let it rest gently on the edge of the blanket, brushing the soft fabric with his fingertips. she stirred slightly but didn’t wake and he couldn’t help the faint smile that returned to his face

the peaceful quiet was broken with a sudden tiny wail. Shadow stiffened, his ears twitching at the sound. his daughter’s face scrunched up, her tiny fists waving in the air as her cries grew louder

he froze, unsure of what to do. his eyes darted to you still sound asleep. you’d been so exhausted lately he wasn’t about to wake you if he could help it

but the baby’s cries continued, he glanced back down at her his heart racing

what now?

Shadow stood slowly, his movements awkward and unsure. he looked down at her his mind racing through every piece of advice and observation he’d collected over the past few days. he had watched you do this a dozen times, had listened carefully to your instructions. he could do this

couldn’t he?

her cries grew louder, her little face red and scrunched. Shadow’s hands hovered over her unsure if he should pick her up. he clenched his fists to steady himself. get it together Shadow.

talking a deep breath he carefully slid his hands beneath her. she was so small, so delicate he moved painfully slow lifting her up he cradled her awkwardly in his arms, trying to mimic the way you held her

“Alright, alright… stop crying” he muttered, his voice low and uncertain. “I’ve got you now.”

she squirmed against him, her cries still piercing the quiet of the room. Shadow swallowed hard bouncing her gently as he’d seen you do

“Is this… what you like? this bouncing thing?” he asked, his tone more questioning than soothing

her cries softened just a little and Shadow felt a flicker of relief. but it didn’t last long. her tiny face scrunched up again and she let out another wail

panic bubbled up in his chest. What else? What else do I do? his mind scrambled through the possibilities hungry, tired, uncomfortable? his eyes darted to the bag of baby supplies on the dresser

“Alright. you need something” he muttered.

carefully he carried her over to the dresser and scanned the supplies. he spotted a bottle you had prepped earlier just in case, and grabbed it with one hand holding her against his soft chest with the other

“Okay… here we go” he said, tilting the bottle toward her mouth. she squirmed for a moment but then her cries turned to quiet as she latched onto the bottle

relief washed over him as her little eyes closed again her tiny body relaxing in his arms.

“We figured it out. Not so hard. right?” he whispered, his voice softer now

he glanced over at you, still fast asleep and a rare smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. he wasn’t sure if he’d done it perfectly. probably not but he’d done it.

as he stood there in the dim light holding his daughter close Shadow realized something else he was slowly but surely, starting to learn how to be a father.

and for the first time, it didn’t feel so scary. it felt… right.

Shadow adjusted her in his arms pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before sitting down in the rocking chair by the window. he rocked her slowly watching her tiny face relax back into sleep

thank u to anon who requested this 🥹💝

𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 ⏦ﾟᢉ𐭩 - 𓊆ྀི𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𓊇ྀི

[writingtraumaforever]

“There’s Nothing To Talk About.”: A Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Mini-Fic

Notes: Based off this post by @corffee . Minor Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Spoilers!

Summary: He was left disappointed the second those handcuffs were pulled out. Communication wouldn’t be an option, that was clear no matter what the obnoxious blue hedgehog said. He should’ve known better. Should’ve expected as much from those associated with GUN. Still, he was disappointed. And confused as to why he was disappointed. A feeling of betrayal seeping into his core and leaving him feeling even more lost than he already was.

Link to my AO3!

Start:

Shadow has never once met anyone or anything like him.

He was led to believe he was the only of his kind. A creature of mystery. A monster among humans.

Turns out humans were the monsters.

And Shadow was their reckoning.

But this.. this blue hedgehog.

What was he??

Shadow had initially been shocked by the sight of him— well, all three of them, really. A fox, an echidna, and a hedgehog. None human. None of earth. His mind wanted to be open. Intrigued by beings that were more like him than those they lived among. His instinct wasn’t to fight, it was to question. His curiosity led him despite seeing them jump from that GUN helicopter, thinking for only a moment that communication may be possible. That perhaps if anyone could understand, it would be others like him.

Different.

Outcasts.

“Monsters”.

He was left disappointed the second those handcuffs were pulled out. Communication wouldn’t be an option, that was clear no matter what the obnoxious blue hedgehog said. He should’ve known better. Should’ve expected as much from those associated with GUN. Still, he was disappointed. And confused as to why he was disappointed. A feeling of betrayal seeping into his core and leaving him feeling even more lost than he already was.

So instead, Shadow warned them to leave. Not stand in his way.

They didn’t heed his warning, and he put them in their place. Once again warning them to not follow.

He’s learning very quickly that the blue hedgehog is unreasonable. And impulsive.

And fast.

He chased Shadow on foot, keeping up with ease. One glimpse down told Shadow he didn’t need the aid of air shoes, he was simply that quick. Gifted with natural speed, it seems.

He dodged every shot Shadow took at him, managing to disarm Shadow in the process.

Another few moments later and the hedgehog was curled up and rolling alongside him, dashing against his back tire as they made chase down the busy streets.

It all just made them more similar. More the same.

So why was this hedgehog trying to stop him??

Why was he protecting them??

He must not know what they’re capable of.. that humanity isn’t worth protecting.

They’ve made their beds.

Now they must lie in them.

The climax of the rather aggressive introduction came with the two colliding and creating a energy spike that shook the city into darkness. Both hedgehogs are sent flying backwards, hitting the rooftop of the building below like falling, sparking stars. Shadow grunts at the impact, his head throbbing and his body aching..

He’s never been.. hurt. Not from anything more than needles and experimentation.

But this hurt.

This knocked him dizzy.

But he knew he couldn’t let his guard down with his rival still near, shaking his head to try and regain some composure as he pushes himself up on his feet and looks around to spot the blue hedgehog—

He‘s out cold, curled up in a defensive position with blue sparks flickering through his quills weakly.

Shadow sighs at this, releasing some tension in his throbbing body as he rolls his aching neck and slowly approaches what he assumes is the protector of humanity..

That’s what he was meant to be. Their protector.

No.

Their weapon.

Fear prevented this, though. Steering them to instead rid themselves of him before he became what they considered too powerful.

They’ll do the same to this hedgehog eventually.

He’ll see..

Shadow almost pities him.

Standing over him, he uses the toe of his shoe to lightly nudge him in the side and roll him onto his back. The hedgehog groans but doesn’t awaken.

He’s indeed alive. Resilient, it seems.

Shadow’s eyes shift around them, looking for any signs of the two he had arrived with to be following. They apparently weren’t able to keep up, but they’d be coming soon, he’s sure. If the way the fox and hedgehog reacted to the echidna’s defeat was anything to go off of, they obviously cared for one another..

This also intrigued Shadow..

Were they.. a family..?

Shadow’s glowing red eyes fall back to the hedgehog at his feet, sighing to himself before crouching down to take a knee beside him. He lets his gloved hands cradle blue quills, lifting his head up and resting it in his lap so he can rub and rummage his fingers through them. Searching. Assuming they work similarly to his own in ways or storage.

There’s so much junk in this hedgehog’s head— it’s infuriating.

Eventually, he finds what he’s looking for, pulling out the modified handcuffs the hedgehog had flashed him downtown. Popping them open, he moves to clip one around the hedgehog’s wrist, lifting his arm to the attach the other to a nearby pipe. Once this is done, he moves to carefully lift his adversary up from his lap and prop him against the pipe. He’ll come-to quicker sitting up..

He needs to get moving. Find where he came from. Find whoever released him..

He needs to see where he lost her..

But he hesitates. His eyes skimming over the hedgehog before him..

He does look quite similar. Coloring aside, they have similar noses, similar body types..

Shadow wonders if… maybe he came from wherever Shadow came from..

They have differences, though. Shadow’s eyes are sharp and intimidating.. this hedgehog’s are wide and exciting. Like they can’t be quick and big enough to take in the world around them.

Shadow’s fur is long and unkempt, rugged and course from decades of being in that cryo-tank.

This hedgehog’s looks soft and brushed.. clean and taken care of.

Shadow’s face frowns.

This hedgehog’s smiles.

Shadow is dark.

He is light.

Shadow gives off intimidation and fear.

This hedgehog gives off safety and courage.

In many ways, his spunky and obnoxious attitude makes him think of—

He should go.

Moving to shift closer to the hedgehog, he looms over his sleeping form and whispers into his ear,

“Don’t try to find me.”

It’s not a threat. It’s a warning..

It’s a damn courtesy.

Standing from his crouched position, Shadow turns away from the hedgehog and walks to the edge of the rooftop overlooking the darkened city. He sees orange and red streaks dodging through buildings and down streets in their direction..

His brows furrow a bit, turning to look at the hedgehog one more time. Watching him groan and shift slightly with a pained expression..

No..

They’re not the same.

This hedgehog has someone..

Shadow has nothing.

With a trick of the light and a flicker of energy, Shadow vanishes into the night.

The fox and echidna wake the hedgehog.

Shadow is accompanied only by his demons.

[kittydoremi]

Drew my Sonic from my Sonic in Wonderland au/fic, but this time it's Movie Sonic 🤭

He's in a world of his own

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

"What eventually did the trick was a gentle rock of the swing accompanied by Tom’s quietly singing John Denver. By the third chorus of the second song all three boys and Maddie were asleep. Tom let his head fall back. His best friend and his boys, all jammed together while the crickets kept time with the swing. It really couldn’t get much better.

And they still had three days of vacation to go."

Surprise, I'm back with this piece again, except now ✨ DIGITALIZED!!! ✨ Once again, this is fanart from none other than the lovely fic "Part of the Tribe" by @samthefrank and @humanityinahandbag !! Aka the fic that rewired my brain and that I have revisited at least five hundred times. 💙💛❤️ I am addicted to this family 🥹

[abbilaura-artdump]

Quick doodle of the chilli dog scene from Remember to Live~ drawing Sonic with blue arms is always weird to me…

Every introvert needs an extrovert who is willing to order the chilli dogs for them

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64421821

[pincushionx]

Finding the Reasons to Exist (Chapter 16) by @meatbunattack

Bros asking like he isn’t a literal stuff animal.

Also, this fic is literally one of my favorite Sonic movie verse fics ever, obsessed with how they characterize Shadow and the others!

(Excerpt this sketch came from)

“Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by saying that." Stone's voice cut through Shadow's thoughts, making him look at the sheepishly smiling human. "You can just disregard it, it was just a silly thought I had."

"Do you think I'm cute?" Shadow couldn't help but ask, no judgement in his voice as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

Stone looked at Shadow with wide eyes and looked between Shadow's hands that were resting palms up in his lap and Shadow's expression. Stone let out a soft cough while looking off to the side. "Well… When you are calm and inquisitive like this… Yes, you can be cute. But you can be just as serious and 'cool', don't worry about it too much."

Shadow let out a soft hum at the admission and looked back at his hands again. So when he was calm, Shadow was cute. Maybe that's why Maria had found him cute, too. He'd always been calm around her.

[guardian-of-da-gay]

"Love you!"

Read on Ao3

For @year-of-the-echidna's Prompt 4: Love

tw for language barriers, accidental voyeurism

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later, love you.”

Sonic’s Donut Lord said it when he left that first morning.  The hedgehog’s home had been badly damaged by Robotnik’s giant robot and the Lord of Donuts, as one of the protectors of this realm, was needed to defend the traffic detours left in the wake of destruction.

Knuckles understood all that.  Or… most of it anyway.  But he was less sure of the human’s words.  He knew better than to ask though.  In his experience, when people knew you didn’t fully understand their language, they would take advantage.  He did not know these Wachowskis very well yet, he would keep his confusion to himself.

For now, ‘love you’ was a form of ‘goodbye’.

His suspicion was confirmed later that day when the ‘pretzel’ woman was called to her duty as a healer of animals.

“I’ll be back in a couple hours.  I love you.”

Sonic had ducked and glanced at Knuckles and the fox.  Knuckles did not understand the meaning of this look.  He observed closely as Sonic looked to the matron of clan Wachowski and said a quick: “Yeah… love you, too.”

Definitely a form of farewell, but just in case he was wrong, Knuckles would not use it himself.

*

The next time Knuckles heard the word he felt a little more comfortable with this strange new tribe.  The hedgehog was eager to explain things and share parts of his world with both Knuckles and the fox.  They even taught him to play their pointless game ‘base of ball’, which Knuckles won, of course.  Afterward, they introduced him to an Earth delicacy: ice cream with sprinkles.

“I love mint!”  Tails exclaimed.

Hm.  That wasn’t how you used that word.

The Pretzel Woman smiled at the Lord of Donuts while he rolled his eyes.  “I love mint too!”  She said.

Ah.  Perhaps that was how you used that word.  It was… some sort of preference?  Was it just a similar sounding word to the ‘goodbye’ word?

“Tom thinks it tastes like toothpaste,” the Pretzel Woman said in a whisper far too loud for the Donut Lord not to hear.

Tooth paste?

“Hey, to each their own,” the Lord of Donuts shrugged his shoulders.  “You guys enjoy your toothpaste ice cream.  It leaves more moose tracks for me and Sonic!”

Moose tracks?

“What kind do you want, Knuckles?”  The Pretzel Woman asked.  “We have plain vanilla too if you want.”

Knuckles hesitated.  ‘Moose tracks’ did not sound appetizing, even if there were these magical ‘sprinkles’ involved.  The pasted teeth ice cream sounded equally baffling and unappealing.  If only there were a grape kind!  But Sonic had already told him that ice cream did not have grapes in it.

“I will have the ‘plain vanilla’,” he said.  “With sprinkles.”

‘Plain vanilla’ was not so bad, but he was disappointed to find that sprinkles tasted like nothing but crunchiness.  Grapes would have been far better.

*

“Trust me, Knuckles, I get it,” Sonic said.  “I used to love watching people.  Tails too.  But you don’t watch people in the shower.”

So ‘love’ meant ‘enjoy’ too?  It seemed to be quite a versatile word.  Unless there was some subtle nuance in pronunciation that Knuckles was missing.  It wouldn't be the first time.  Regardless: “I wasn’t watching anyone!”  Knuckles said, thoroughly confused.  “You told me to retrieve the Pretzel Woman’s permission.”

“Yeah, but she was in the shower.  Like… not wearing anything?  That’s private.”

Knuckles disagreed.  His people had always bathed communally, but even if that weren’t the case… “Sonic,” Knuckles looked at him, deeply unimpressed.  “I don’t wear anything.  You don’t wear anything.”

“Okay, fair!  But humans are different.  They need clothes to hide their… business.”

“Business?  What business?”

“It’s an expression!  Nevermind!  The point is you don’t go into the bathroom without knocking and if you hear the shower running, just turn around and wait.”

“I was waiting.”

“Outside.”

Knuckles sighed.  Humans certainly had plenty of nuance to their culture.  Why should their language be any different?

*

“Mads, could you get my car started so I won’t freeze when it’s time to go?”  The Lord of Donuts reclined on the couch with the Wachowski’s golden wolf.

The Pretzel Woman poked her head in the room, her arms full of their dirtied breakfast plates.  “You want me to start your car so you can be warm on the way to your job?”

“I can’t.  I’m trapped.”  The Donut Lord pointed to where the wolf’s head lay in his lap.  Knuckles knew from experience that the wolf was not that heavy, the Donut Lord should have been able to free himself.

The Pretzel Woman rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.  She set down the plates and made for the back door.

“I love you,” the Donut Lord called after her.

“I know!”  She called back.

Knuckles was doubly confused.  That made it sound like ‘love’ was a term of gratitude.  This language was so tricky!

But he had no time to dwell on it.  The weakling Lord of Donuts needed rescuing from the wolf.

*

“Oh my God!”  Sonic nearly collapsed with laughter.

Knuckles tried not to bristle in anger.  He didn’t know what was so funny.  The fox had merely spoken the truth and yet Sonic was laughing so hard at him!  Knuckles clenched his fists.  He felt a strange urge to defend the Tails’ honor.

“Man, Tails, I love you!  Never change.”

Knuckles frowned.  Sonic was laughing, but ‘never change’ seemed to be a compliment.  And he’d said ‘I love you', which either meant ‘goodbye’, ‘prefer’, or ‘thank you’.  Tails, at least, didn’t seem offended.  He beamed with pleasure, his tails twitching.

Knuckles was no closer to uncovering what ‘love’ meant.  But it seemed at least to be a good thing.

*

Tom looked very pale lying on his hospital bed.  They’d been reassured that he would survive his wounds, but it had still taken a long time for Sonic and Tails to fall asleep.  They lay curled together on a chair against the wall.

Maddie was in the hallway, speaking on the phone with Tom’s mother.  It seemed when one of the tribe was injured, many people had to be informed.  The concept was foreign to Knuckles.  In the echidna tribe, information never needed a far reach; there simply weren’t enough of them.  Everyone was usually there when an injury occurred.  But Maddie had called Tom’s mother and her own sister.  Then she’d been called by Tom’s brothers, one by one.  She’d pulled Sonic aside to speak with him, then Tails.  Everyone had spoken with her but Knuckles, so he wasn’t surprised when she finally called him out of the quiet hospital room.

Knuckles could not see them, but he knew there were G.U.N. agents guarding the doors at the end of the hall.  They would be escorted back to Green Hills once Tom was well enough to travel.  For now, at least, the hallway was empty except for a few chairs set against the walls and some scattered plastic plants.

Maddie sat in one of the hallway chairs, looking very tired.  “Hey honey,” she started.  “Sorry I haven’t had a chance to talk to you yet.”

Knuckles stood at attention before her.  “What did you wish to speak of?”  He asked.  Was she thinking, as he was, of their tribe’s security?  About the Master Emerald?  Who would lead the tribe now that the Lord of Donuts had been struck low?  How their wolf was coping without them back in Green Hills?

“Sonic told me about what happened,” Maddie said.

Knuckles’ shoulders slumped.  Oh.  That was none of those things.

“I just wanted to say I think you handled yourself really well.  I know it must have been hard, everything with Sonic…”  She trailed off, an expression crossing her face and then vanishing just as quickly.  She shook her head slightly before refocusing on Knuckles.  “Tails said you were really mature and looked after him.  I’m just really happy with how much you’ve grown.  You’re a good big brother and… I’m really proud of you.”

“Oh.”  Well, Knuckles really didn’t know what to say to that.  He toyed with the cuff of his gloves.

Maddie slid off the chair, reaching for him.  Her hugs were not quick things like Sonic’s.  Knuckles always knew when a Pretzel Woman hug was coming.  He knew that if he backed away or tensed, her arms would drop and she would change the subject, but he did neither.  He let her long arms wrap around him.  Knuckles was an echidna warrior, but Maddie’s arms made him feel so small.  Like he was a child again.

Her cheek pressed against his head.  Knuckles honored this bold display of trust by holding still.  The wrong move could prick her thin skin.

“I love you,” she said, carefully stroking the back of his head.

“You’re welcome,” Knuckles replied.  Hugs made him feel… unbalanced.  In a way that was very nice but almost overwhelming.  Just before it felt like too much, she pulled away.

She had a soft smile on her face.  “‘You’re welcome’?”  She asked.

Knuckles was still reeling from the hug, so he answered honestly, even if it made him look silly.  “‘I love you’ is an expression of gratitude.”

“What?”

Her tone was amused, but she managed to make it sound like she wasn’t laughing at him, so he continued:  “When Tom started the car for you, you said ‘I love you’.  It is a form of ‘thanks’, isn’t it?”

A shadow flickered across Maddie’s expression.  “No… Do you really not know what ‘I love you’ means?”

Knuckles’ shoulders tensed slightly.  Had he mis-stepped?  “That word gets used a lot.  I’m not familiar with it.”

“Oh.”  Maddie had that look on her face that she got sometimes when Knuckles told her things about his past.  He didn’t like it.  He thought he would rather not say anything than have her make that face.

“Love is like…”  Her eyes flit around, searching for inspiration.  “It can mean something that you like a lot.  Like: I love cake.  I just like cake a lot.  But it can also mean something beyond like.  It’s a feeling.  Like how married people feel toward each other?  Or how parents feel towards their kids and their kids toward them?  You know?  I love you and that means I want you to be happy and safe and always a part of my life.”

“So it is like… a deep affection?”

“Yes!”  She smiled warmly.

“Like… “  Knuckles sought for an example, and said the first that came to mind: “A mother and son?”

“Yes!  So… I feel love for Tom and Tom loves me and we feel love for you and Sonic and Tails.”

Knuckles nodded.  “I understand!”  He thought over all the times he had heard the word and found that, yes, it made sense that they were expressing affection for each other.  Or for pasted teeth ice cream.  Tails did really like that tooth paste flavor.

Maddie was watching him with a strange expression.

“What?”

“It’s… It’s nothing,” she said casually.  “Just… didn’t you hear that word before?  You know… like from your tribe?  Or… your father?”

What a strange question!  But perhaps Knuckles had done too good a job with his English.  “My people did not speak the same language as you,” he said.  Judging by the surprise that crossed her expression, he was correct.  He’d successfully fooled at least one of the Wachowskis into thinking their language was his first.  The thought didn’t leave him as glad as it once might have.  Instead, he felt the need to elaborate:  “Father used different words.  I have not heard ‘love’ before coming here.”

“Oh.”  Now a series of expressions crossed Maddie’s face.  Relief and sorrow and pity and resolve.  She shook her head minutely.  “What did your dad say?”

Knuckles tipped his head in confusion.  His father said many things.

“I mean, what words did he use to express affection?”

“The echidna words?”  No one had ever asked him for echidna words.  None had even asked for his echidna name.

But here Maddie was, a soft smile growing on her face.  “Yeah.  How do you say ‘I love you’ in echidna?”

It had been so long since Knuckles had heard or spoken his native language aloud, a part of him feared his tongue would forget how to form the words.  But when he opened his mouth, the words came back to him, old and familiar like a long-lost friend:  “T’onga ahau tekoe.”

He saw something almost like fear enter Maddie’s eyes, but she bravely took on the challenge: “Ton-guh ah-how tay-kway?”  She smiled like she was apologizing.  Which was appropriate.

“You just said ‘You are a mouldy pouch’.”

Maddie burst out laughing, then clapped her hands over her mouth.  Her eyes flicked to the open door, beyond which, the rest of their tribe lay sleeping.  “Sorry,” she said in a softer voice.  “Tell me again, I’ll get it.”

Knuckles repeated it for her and she tried again.  Again, she fumbled the words.  She insisted Knuckles help her to say it.  Knuckles obliged in large part because it was sort of amusing listening to all the nonsense she said while she stumbled over the words.  Eventually she was able to say it, albeit in a very stilted robotic tone with a powerful accent, but she said it:

“T’onga ahau tekoe, Knuckles.”

Knuckles smiled, his face warm beneath his fur.  “T’onga ahau tekoena, matem,” he replied.

“Wha-wha-what!”  Maddie held up a finger.  “What was that last part?  You didn’t teach me that last part!”

Knuckles looked away.  It was easier to say things in his own language.  He was too embarrassed to repeat it in English.  Instead he waved a hand.  “A lesson for another day.”

Maddie seemed unsatisfied, but she let it slide.  Curious, but not forceful.  She’d let him open up in his own time.  That was something Knuckles loved about his new matem.

[xobunni0]

gun play, creampie, smut with plot 18+

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

౨ৎ 𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡.. shadow’s gun makes your mind wander somewhere unexpected.

- first smut GULP, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐧, 𝐰𝐜- 3.5k , 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐬ay, got carried away with writing this 😓

────୨ৎ────

you were sprawled on the bed together, the blanket tangled between you as you leaned against his shoulder. his fur was warm, softer than you’d ever admit to him, shadow didn’t always speak much but you didn’t mind. his presence was enough

for a while, the two of you sat in comfortable silence, shadow’s hand rested lightly on your arm his thumb tracing small patterns against your skin. you could feel the subtle rise and fall of his chest

your mind began to drift as the rhythm of Shadow’s breathing lulled you. your gaze lowered to where his hand rested lightly on your arm, then wandered to the edge of the nightstand beside the bed. sitting here, just within arm’s reach was the sleek, black outline of his gun

it wasn’t out of place, not really. you’d seen it countless times before. Shadow never went anywhere without it. even in the safety of your shared home, it was always nearby.

“you’re staring” Shadow said, his deep voice breaking through your thoughts.

you blinked, startled, and met his sharp gaze. he had noticed your line of sight and followed it to the weapon. his expression didn’t change

“Sorry” you murmured, sitting up slightly. “I wasn’t trying to…”

he shook his head, his hand moving to rest over yours. “It’s fine.” his voice was calm

shadow’s arm curled around you, pulling you back against him. the gun stayed on the nightstand, untouched.

the silence in the room stretched on, but your gaze kept flickering back to the gun on the nightstand. it wasn’t fear that filled you.. more so curiosity. you’d never actually touched it before, though you’d seen Shadow wield it countless times perfectly

“Shadow” you began softly, your voice tentative.

his ears twitched at the sound of your tone, and he tilted his head to look at you. “What is it?”

you hesitated unsure if this was crossing some line. but the words left your lips before you could stop them. “can I… hold it? your gun I mean.”

the moment you said it, his expression hardened slightly. not in anger, but his gaze shifted to the gun, then back to you as if trying to read your intentions

“Why?” he asked, his voice calm but firm

you shrugged, feeling a bit dumb under his intense stare. “I don’t know. I’ve just… never held one before. I guess I’m curious. You’re always so comfortable with it, and I just wanted to see what it’s like.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment you thought he might refuse. but then he sighed, reaching over to pick up the gun. he held it in his hand for a moment his fingers curling around the grip

“It’s not a toy” he said firmly, his gaze locking with yours. “It’s a weapon. a dangerous one.”

“mhmm” you hummed, nodding quickly

he studied you for a long minute, his crimson eyes searching your face for any sign of uncertainty. finally, he shifted, sitting up straighter as he held the gun out to you, grip first

“Here” he said, “But be careful. Don’t touch the trigger.”

your heart thudded as you reached out, your fingers brushing against his as you took the weapon. it was heavier than you expected the cold metal unfamiliar in your hands. you held it awkwardly, unsure of how to position your fingers until Shadow reached out to adjust your grip

“Like this” he murmured, his hands steady as he guided yours. his touch was careful and gentle, as he made sure you were holding it properly

you were struck by how natural it seemed for him. the way he handled it, the way his voice softened as he instructed you

“Feels… weird” you admitted, turning the weapon slightly to look at it

“Good” Shadow said. “It should. Guns aren’t something you should ever feel comfortable with. Understand?”

you nodded, his words sinking in as you handed the weapon back to him. he took it without hesitation, his fingers brushing yours briefly

you watched as his fingers moved slowly up the gun, ensuring the safety was on, and running a careful thumb along it. there was something about the way he handled it, that made you feel all fuzzy and warm on the inside.

it wasn’t just the gun it was him. the way he sat, strong yet relaxed, his crimson eyes narrowed in concentration. the sharp line of his jaw, his hands, it was impossible not to notice how utterly in control he looked

you swallowed, your cheeks warming as you tried to focus on something, anything else. but your eyes kept drifting back to him, to the way his muscles tensed just slightly as he clicked the loading part back into place.

“Something on your mind?” Shadow asked suddenly, his deep voice cutting through your thoughts

your head snapped up, heart skipping a beat as you realized he had caught you staring. his gaze was stern, but there was a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. he knew.

“No” you said quickly, though the heat rising to your face probably gave you away

Shadow raised an eyebrow, setting the gun back on the nightstand before turning his full attention to you. “don’t lie” he said, leaning slightly closer.

you groaned, covering your face with your hands. “It’s just… you. The way you handle that thing. It’s… I don’t know… kind of attractive, I guess.” you mumbled through your fingers.

the room went quiet for a moment, and you dared to peek at him through your fingers. Shadow was watching you intently, his smirk now fully formed

“Attractive, huh?” he said, his tone teasing in a way that was rare for him.

you rolled your eyes, letting your hands drop as you glared at him. “Don’t make it weird.”

“I’m not making it weird” he said, though the faint amusement in his voice betrayed him. he leaned back slightly, crossing his arms over his chest

your thoughts betrayed you. no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop replaying the image of him holding the gun, his fingers curling around it, his sharp gaze. there was something about it that made your heart race

you hesitated, biting your lip. you sighed deciding there was no point in trying to hide it. “It’s just… the way you handle it” you said quietly. “I don’t know Shadow. There’s something about it that’s… really attractive. The way you’re so in control...”

you hesitated, unsure if you should even voice the idea forming in your mind.

“Shadow” you began, your voice barely above a whisper

he tilted his head toward you, his gaze locking onto yours. “What?”

you swallowed, your heart pounding as you debated whether or not to ask. “Would you… use it on me?”

the question hung in the air, heavier than the silence that followed. Shadow’s expression hardened immediately

“No” he said flatly, his tone sharp

you sat up, shifting closer to him. “Wait!! I don’t mean like that” you said quickly, trying to clarify. “I just mean… not to hurt me. I don’t know. I’m curious what it feels like. to have you in control like that.”

Shadow’s eyes darkened slightly, his jaw tightening. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking?”

you hesitated but nodded, meeting his gaze despite the nervous energy buzzing through you. “I do. I trust you Shadow. Completely.”

his gaze flickering between you and the gun on the nightstand

he exhaled deeply his shoulders relaxing just slightly. “Fine” he said, “But only because you trust me. And you’ll tell me to stop if it’s too much. Understood?”

“Understood” you said calmly, despite the rapid beating of your heart

Shadow’s expression shifted ever so slightly. his sharp features softened, and the faintest smirk curved his lips. he didn’t say anything letting the weight of your words hang in the air

Shadow reached for the gun, his movements slow. he checked it again, ensuring the safety was on and as he turned back to you his expression was unreadable

he raised the weapon, holding it completely in control instantly making your breath hitch. even though you knew there was no real danger, the sight of him like this in control made your panties wet

“you like that?” he asked, his voice low

you nodded eagerly at his question, your thighs rubbing together for any type of friction you could get

he noticed the small movement but doesn't say anything as he moves closer to you, until he's right on top of you and you're face to face with him. slowly, he traces your cheek with the tip of his gun, then slowly traces the gun from your cheek to your neck again. from your neck to your collarbone

you close your eyes, a small smile visible on your lips. shadow watches the scene before him tently. it edges him on as he brings the tip of the gun to your lips you open your mouth obediently, he pushes the gun to lie on top of your tongue. you twirl your tongue around it and shadow can’t help but think about how that pretty tongue of yours would feel like on his dick

the room is getting hotter and his dick getting harder at these thoughts. but god are you pretty with your mouth open for him. his innocent girl with a gun in her mouth all because she was curious. he never could’ve imagined this happening, his sweet girl. not in his wildest dreams. he was surprised, but seeing you like this it did something to him

you go on to suckle gently on the gun and it drives shadow absolutely insane. “you’re so pretty like this.” he breathes out to you he pulls the gun from your mouth and admires the coat of spit on it. “you nasty girl.” he whispers to himself and your thighs clench together once more at his words because it is disgusting. you are nasty for wanting him to do this to you

“take that off.” he gestures to your blouse. you obey, surprised by his sudden demanding tone. the usual collected shadow is no longer there and right now, you could care less. you slip the blouse, exposing your chest and shadow’s eyes catch on the sight before drifting further down as you pull your shorts and panties off of you. you’re bare before him now and his eyes continue to wander. he’d never done that before. he said he always wanted to be respectful and was awfully timid when it came to being intimate

you grow shy under his gaze, but secretly, you love the way he’s looking at you.

the growing heat between your thighs becoming unbearable and shadow had barely even touched you

god, what would it be like when he finally does touch you? “you getting shy already?” he’s teasing you, mocking almost. he chuckles, and moves to lie down next to you.

“Come here.” He demands, patting his lap. You move on top of him and straddle him. you’re naked on top of him and you can feel him.

he holds up the gun that was still in his hand, tracing it from your belly to your chest. he runs the tip of it over your hardened nipple, making you shiver at, the cold metal against your warm skin.

he continues to move the gun over your smooth skin. your collarbone, your belly, your neck, anywhere he could reach. but then…. click.

one short ‘click’ makes your eyes shoot open. he loaded the gun. your eyes dart towards his face, he looked amused, knowing exactly that the sound would’ve startled you. a shiver runs down your spine at the realization that the gun is actually loaded. if he wanted to he could hurt you..

“What is it? Don’t tell me you're scared, I won’t hurt you, sweet girl.” Those last words drive you insane and he can see you can’t take it anymore. you try finding any friction to satisfy the fuzzy feeling in between your thighs, shadow notices and gives in this time. he gently lies the gun down next to him and sits up with you still on his lap. you stare at his much bigger hands as they slowly run up and down your sides

shadow sees the look in your eyes hunger, need and he smiles to himself. he looks at you for a moment, admiring every curve, dip of your body.

“you can barely take this dick think you can take my gun?” he asks in a degrading tone of voice, mocking your desperation as if he hadn’t purposely been building up the tension inside you.

you nod frantically, a small whine escaping your lips at the thought and the degrading tone of his voice. to say the least shadow is surprised at your sheer desperation. he knew you were obedient but look at you on your knees right next to him, breathing heavily, slight sheen of sweat already covering your body, your nipples hardened and eyes low solely focusing on him. It’s driving him insane.

you desperately pull him in for a kiss. this kiss is full of hunger and desire as you swirl your tongue over his bottom lip and lick into his mouth. he deepens the kiss by pulling you in by the curve of your ass, his other hand having snaked behind you to firmly grasp you and move you as he pleases

when you come up to catch your breath, he looks at you mischievously. he wants you so bad… but he wants to play with you for a bit.

he suddenly flips you both around so he’s on top now, grasping his gun in the process so you don’t land on it. you look up at big adoring eyes so full of love for him . you try to pull him in for another kiss, but he stops you and lets his gun sit on your lips again

“such a needy girl, Just hold on, okay?” you nod, eager to find out what he has planned for you. shadow smiles at your obedience and then focuses on the gun still resting on your lips. he slowly drags it down again. down your jaw, your neck, your collarbone, your hardened nipple, your belly button… until he’s nestled between your legs now, the tip of the gun resting right underneath your belly button

his gaze lowers to your pussy, clit already swollen, begging to be touched and your sweet hole already so wet. “so pretty and wet for me, aren’t you?” he dips his head down slowly and unexpectedly licks a stripe from your hole to your clit, moaning at your taste and making you mewl at the sudden pleasure.

he looks up at you, admiring the pretty look on your face at his sudden action. “hey?” you answer with a breathy ‘yeah’. “can I try something?” you pause for a moment, curious as to what this ‘something’ is, but you eagerly not your head. he smiles and sits up, slowly dragging the gun with him.

The gun traces down… slowly down to where your pretty clit is aching for shadow to touch. when the cold metal touches your clit, you squeal softly in surprise, shadow quickly asks if you’re okay, but the only answer you give him is a low and breathy moan

he traces the gun lower… all the way to your pretty hole. the tip of the gun catches on it and teases your entrance slowly, warming you up to the feel of it. shadow can’t get enough of the sight before him. your legs spread out for him, his gun between them, your pretty face while you make those sweet sounds for him. It edges im on even more

he stops teasing your entrance with the gun for a second, and he painfully slowly pushes the tip of his gun inside you. he slowly keeps pushing the gun inside you.

you feel so good all filled up by it. shadow slowly starts moving the gun out of you until only the tip is left inside you. a sweet hum leaves your lips when he pushes it inside you fully again. he starts fucking you with it, a slow but deep pace. “no.. no more shadow.” you whine out so desperate to be filled up by his cock instead

his dick is growing impossibly hard at the sight before him and he can’t take it anymore. he slowly pulls the gun out of you now, carefully leaving it back on the bedside table

he slowly drags his finger through your folds, gathering your wetness before coating his tip with it, then spreading your arousal all over his length. the sight of him pumping his dick in his hand makes you impatient.

“shadow…” you mewl, reaching for him. “What is it?” he asks gently, “What do you want?”

“please.. please fuck me.” you say directly and he smiles at that, leaning down to met your gaze. “Yeah?” he asks, slowly dragging his dick through your folds, teasing you. your hips buck up into him and he laughs at you. “such a needy girl aren’t you?” so mean. you enjoy it, though. you like it when you feel degraded by him.

“yes, please shadow, please…” you beg and he smiles before finally pushing inside you. he stretches you out slowly. your pretty mouth parts open a little and the sweetest moan escapes you. he pauses for a moment to let you adjust, he is stretching you out so good.

“Fuck, you feel so good, baby. pretty pussy so wet for me.” he slowly starts moving in and out of you

”And all because I fucked you with my gun?” his thrusts speed up and you moan with each one. he grabs your thighs and wraps your legs around his waist, making his cock hit deeper

“You’re a naughty girl, you know that?” he sets a mean pace, his thrusts hitting that sweet spot inside you, every damn time.

“Getting off to me threatening you with my gun" he curses and he can feel you tightening around him at his words, having caught on to the fact that you like it when he says these things to you.

“I didn’t expect my sweet girl to like those things.” he states, obviously out of breath. "Turn around, baby." He demands before pulling out of you. You whine at the emptiness, but you do as he says, propping yourself up on your knees and resting your head down on the soft pillow below you.

He kneels behind you, admiring the way your back is arched and the way your pretty pussy is soaked for him before teasing your entrance with the tip of his dick again. “shadow-“ your about to complain about him not fucking you when he suddenly pushes inside you. He loved the way your pussy swallowed him entirely, feeling every thick vein on his dick flush against your soft gummy walls.

Your face is pushed down into the pillow and your eyes roll to the back of your head as he keeps fucking you, his firm hand planted itself ontop of your head holding you in place pushing your face deeper into the pillow, “this is what you wanted, huh? that puny gun doesn’t compare to daddy’s curvy dick.” you can feel your orgasm starting to build quickly.

you try to tell him that you're close, but all that leaves your mouth is moans and whines. you brain is mush at this point. "What is it sweet girl? You close? " he asks not in concern but in a mocking tone of voice. you just answer with a whine.

he chuckles at your reaction before reaching in front of you to slowly rub at your clit. You mewl and squirm at the sensation, shadow’s thrusts grow sloppy and you can tell he's about to cum as well.

he sets a fast pace rubbing at your clit. "so tight, you're squeezing me." you whine at his words. "I'm gonna cum inside you." he curses at the thought. "Fuck, I'm gonna fill you up so good”

he’s thrusting into you at an ungodly pace and his fingers rubbing your clit is just too much. pure sweet bliss as your orgasm washes over you. your cunt spasming around shadows dick, coating him with your slick

he moans and fucks you through your orgasm. "Shit, so good, I'm gonna come." The movement of his hips stutter as he comes, filling you up just like he said he would, slowly pushing his cum deep inside you with every thrust.

im officially 18 today 🪽🥨

𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 ⏦ﾟᢉ𐭩 - 𓊆ྀི𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𓊇ྀི

[thatonesonicfanfictionwriter]

Omfg your writing is so cute !! I already requested a couple times before but I just can’t help it

Sonic x reader that admires Shadow, But Sonic misunderstands this as reader having a crush on Shadow when reader just sees Shadow as a mysterious, cool role model, so this causes Sonic to try and compete and up throw Shadow in order to gain readers affection. Only for reader to confess to Sonic and him being confused like “i thought you liked Shadow???” And reader explains that they just admire him and look up to Shadow, but Sonics the one they actually like!

Sorry if this is hard to understand but take your time!

🐛

“The Wrong Idea”

Pairing(s): Jealous Sonic the Hedgehog x Reader, background Knuxadow/Shadknux (Knuckles x Shadow)

Requested: Yes (by an anon).

Description: Sonic the Hedgehog never got jealous! At least…that’s what he tells everybody. So why was it always that faker that made him feel this way?

Notes: Wooooo, request number seven (eight?- technically the eighth one I’m posting-)! And don’t feel bad for requesting multiple! I’m having fun writing these!

(Reader will be gender neutral.)

(Not proof-read/beta-read.)

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Sonic the Hedgehog never got jealous.

At least…that’s what he told everyone.

But right now, it seems like he wasn’t telling the truth.

He has no clue why, but every time he sees you chumming up with that faker, he gets jealous.

He knows it’s selfish, but he wants your eyes on him, not Shadow of all mobians.

Right now, you and Shadow were outside of Rose’s Bakery, Amy’s bakery that she set up with the help of Vanilla and Cream, eating sweets and drinking bubble tea.

Shadow had some kind of coffee-flavored one with tapioca bubbles (because of course he did), while you had a simple fruit tea with your favorite fruit-flavored bubbles.

…Not that he remembered your exact order each time you go to Rose’s…

Oh, who was he kidding. He had a massive crush on you but he was 90% sure you had a crush on the faker.

So all he had to do was one-up him, right?

Sonic zoomed off, paying for a bouquet of your favorite flowers, before zooming back over to where you and Shadow were, only to find you both gone.

His ears droop in disappointment, the flowers drooping as well in a sad yet funny irony.

“(That’s okay, that’s okay. You’ve just gotta catch ‘em next time!)” Sonic thinks to himself. “(It won’t be that hard! You’re the fastest thing alive after all!)”

The next time he sees you both, you’re on your way over to a movie theater, chatting on the way there.

Bingo!

“Hey [Name]! Shads! Good to see you guys!” Sonic says, zooming over to you both.

“Oh! Hey Sonic!” You say, waving at him with a warm smile on your face, one he always cherished.

“Sonic,” Shadow acknowledges. “What are you doing here?”

“Well sheesh, can’t a guy say hi to his friends without the suspicion??” Sonic asks. “Anyway! What are you guys up to?”

“[Name] offered to take me to see a movie in theaters, to have the “full Mobius experience,”” Shadow states, doing air quotes with his hands.

“Oh, sweet! Mind if I tag along?” Sonic asks.

“You sitting still in a theater for hours? Doubtful,” Shadow states.

“I can too sit still in a theater,” Sonic grumbles.

“Sure thing! Though, we are going to see a horror movie, just warning you in advance,” you tell Sonic.

He makes a “Pshhh!” sound, waving you off.

“Puh-lease! Horror is my middle name!” Sonic states.

“I thought it was Maurice-” you start, only for Sonic to take your hand in his, gently pulling you along.

“C’mon! We wanna get the best seats!” Sonic states.

Boy, was Sonic not prepared for this movie. Luckily (or maybe not so luckily, he hated seeing you scared), you weren’t, either, with you and Sonic clinging onto each other every time there was a scary scene.

When you all exited the theater, you were still slightly shaking.

“R-Remind me not to trust movies with holiday names in them anymore…” you mutter.

“You did say it was gonna be scary, [Nickname].” Sonic tells you.

“Would you like me to take you home?” Shadow asks, holding out a hand for you to take.

“I’ll take ‘em home, Shads!” Sonic suddenly announces, putting an arm around your shoulder. “Besides! I can get them there lickity-split!”

“I appreciate that, Sonic,” you say with a small smile, and Sonic swears he sees a light blush on your cheeks, but he brushes it off.

“Sure thing!” he tells you, before scooping you into a bridal-style carry. “See ya later, Shads! Now hold on tight, [Name]!”

You wrap your arms around Sonic’s neck and he rushes off towards your home to get you back safely.

A few days later, when you texted him asking him to meet up, he was nervous.

What if you were mad at him? What if you told him you didn’t want to be friends?

What if you were dating Shadow?!

He took a deep breath, exhaling sharply.

“Calm down, Sonic. They just want to talk with you. It’s fine,” Sonic says to himself before rushing out of his and Tails’ shared home.

Getting there in the blink of an eye, Sonic immediately notices something.

You.

You’re dressed in a really nice outfit and you have a picnic set up, hiding something behind your back.

You look-

“You look gorgeous…” Sonic mutters aloud.

Your face turns pink, and you look to the side, a bit embarrassed, but you wave him towards you, which he does, sitting on the blanket next to you.

“So…” you start.

“So…” he continues.

You clear your throat with one hand before bringing out what was behind your back; a bouquet of blue orchid flowers, Sonic’s favorites. You hold it out to him and he takes it with a shocked expression, his face tinted pink, cradling the flowers carefully.

“I- But- We- I thought-” Sonic sputters. “I thought you had a crush on Shadow!”

You blink twice before bursting out laughing, hunching back before hunching forward, wiping a few tears from your eyes.

“No, silly! I’ve liked you this whole time!” you tell him. “Shadow felt like a mentor to me. And don’t tell him I told you, but he came to me for love advice.”

“Love advice??? Him???” Sonic questions. “Who could he possibly like??”

Looking around, you cup a hand around your mouth before whispering in Sonic’s ear, and Sonic’s face quickly morphs into one of genuine shock.

“HE HAS A CRUSH ON WHO?!” Sonic yells.

“Don’t say it so loud!” you tell him, letting out another laugh.

“I just- Knuckles???” he questions. “I would’ve never thought!”

You giggle before placing a kiss on Sonic’s cheek, a smile appearing on both of your faces.

Neither of you could be happier.

[writingtraumaforever]

A Courtship Christmas: Chapter 3

Notes: The movie got my Courtship Series heart racing, y'all. And I'm also so pleased that the movie didn't actually differ too far from the minimal assumptions I've written in this series so far. So the series is still readable and makes sense even after the movie! YAY!

Summary: Sonic and Shadow arrive at the Robotnik's for Christmas, and are greeted by a very... very shocking person.

Courtship Masterpost!

Link to my AO3!

Start:

Preparations turn out to be a very serious matter to Shadow, which honestly isn’t much of a shock to Sonic. After hearing his quite extensive preparations that led to the whole ‘courting’ misunderstanding the first time he came to have dinner with his family, it’s not surprising Shadow would do the same for Maria’s family. 

Things were cool between Maddie and Shadow. He had returned back home with Sonic that night and he and Maddie had gone for a walk. Sonic isn’t sure what all was said on this walk, but when they came back, they were both smiling and back to acting as if nothing had happened. Sonic assumes his mother made things right. She rarely doesn’t. She’s a great role model, honestly, and very empathetic and tactful.

After they returned, they all sat down for a talk that went much more swimmingly. Tom and Maddie agree to let Sonic go with the conditions that he calls every night before bed to check in and always answers if they call or text. 

Since then, Sonic and Shadow have been preparing for the trip. Which means lots of Youtube videos on meeting long-lost family (which there are actually a lot of, much to Sonic’s surprise) and practice runs with Knuckles and Tails’ help. Knuckles even wore a blonde wig to try and help “get into character”, insisting on being Terra Robotnik. This didn’t turn out too great since Knuckles himself was.. a terrible host. For example, Sonic seriously doubts the Robotniks will be insisting on Shadow participating in a battle of the arenas.

Rouge had gotten as many files on the family as she could find, which wasn’t much but it was enough. Shadow had been going through and memorizing faces and names and dates and marriages. The surprisingly extensive Robotnik family tree. Turns out they had pretty much outcasted Eggman’s side of the family after everything that happened, which is understandable but also kinda sad since it wasn’t Eggman’s fault his grandfather was a smidge psychotic. Then again, the egg didn’t seem to fall too far from the nest, so..

They were well off, having been compensated by GUN since the tragedy on the ARK. On top of the geniuses in their family having sold many of their creations to the US government in the past as well as exploration escapades and more. They were a pretty impressive bunch of eggs, honestly–

Shadow made Sonic promise no egg jokes while they were visiting, by the way.

Turns out Terra does a lot of philanthropy and charity work, donating most of her time to causes for children with chronic illnesses and such. Which makes her sound like she’d be pretty nice despite her relatively stern tone in the letter to Commander Walters. That was written out of frustration with the deceit she had endured, though, so Sonic had high hopes. Besides, what sister of the saintly Maria could be evil???

When Shadow saw her picture for the first time, Sonic swears he sat perfectly still for a solid ten minutes just staring at it. She looks just like Maria… she just has more ginger colored hair, like a strawberry blonde. And older, obviously. Much older. Her files say she’s 54. Shadow can’t seem to get over that number. Sonic isn’t sure if it’s because it shows how much time has passed since the tragedy or because it shows how old Maria should be now..

Probably a little of both. Or a lot of both.

Sonic makes sure to be there with him through all of it, though. By his side and preparing along with him while constantly reassuring him that Shadow doesn’t really need any preparation since being himself is plenty good enough.

Shadow prepares anyway, to no one’s surprise.

It all comes down to the moment they’re standing in the living room with suitcases packed and warp ring in hand. Maddie hands Shadow his and Sonic’s freshly pressed suits that she had tailored for them, Shadow neatly and very carefully draping them over his forearm and holding them to his torso as if they’re something to be treasured.

“Alright you two,” Maddie sighs, stepping back to get a good look at them, “It’s around 6:30 PM in Poland, right now, and it’s going to be pretty chilly.”

Tom nods, zipping up Sonic’s jacket all the way before stepping back with Maddie as well, watching Sonic immediately roll his eyes and unzip his jacket again.

“Uh- guys? We have fur. We’ll be fine,” Sonic points out with a shrug.

“Some of us have more fur than others,” Shadow mutters under his breath.

“Hey! We talked about this. My lack of chest fur makes me more aerodynamic!” Sonic defends scandalously.

“Right,” Shadow nods before looking to Maddie and Tom, “I’ll make sure he stays warm, Mr. and Mrs. Wachowski.” “I don’t need a babysitter,” Sonic rolls his eyes, but Shadow just rolls his eyes right back.

“They’re your parents and they’re worried. Let me reassure them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonic sighs with a little smirk.

“We know you’ll take good care of him, Shadow,” Maddie assures, leaning down to give him a little hug.

Tom moves then to do the same, muttering in Shadow’s ear as he does, “And if you don’t, I’ve heard of some real mean hedgehog recipes from Egypt..” Shadow’s eyes widen slightly at Tom when he pulls back, Tom doing the thing where he points at his eyes and then points at Shadow’s as if to let him know he’s watching him.

Shadow just swallows hard then nods.

“I’ll have him home safe in three days, sir.” “I know you will,” Tom smirks then, winking playfully as if he hadn’t just threatened to cook Shadow dear God–

Maddie moves over to Sonic then, giving him a big hug that has him grunting from being squeezed so tight, “And you, little mister, better behave. I don’t want Shadow calling me saying you’re embarrassing him by being too rowdy.” “Me??? Rowdy!?” Sonic gasps as if absolutely baffled by such an accusation, “I would never!” 

He then hugs Maddie right back, smiling all soft as he leans into his mother’s touch and squeezes her just as tight, “I’ll send lots of pictures.” “You better,” she instructs with a little kiss to his forehead before she pulls away to let Tom hug him goodbye now.

“Seriously though. Behave. And be safe.” “Always do, always am,” Sonic grins, hugging his dad back before he pulls away.

Shadow clears his throat then, glancing down at his watch, “I really hate to rush, but we’re going to be late..” “Right, right,” Maddie nods, knowing Shadow is very serious about being exactly on time, “We’ll let you two go. You have your emergency warp ring??” “Always!” Sonic says with a grin, Shadow already tossing another warp ring into the air so that a portal to Poland appears.

“Phone charger?” “Yup.” “Toothbrush and toothpaste?” “Check.” “Underwear??” That earns a pointed deadpan look from Sonic to Tom.

“Right, you don’t wear that– okay! We’ll see you two when you get back!” Maddie grins then, waving as she leans against Tom and watches the two grab their luggage and begin stepping through the portal, “Have fun!! Keep us updated!” “We will!” Sonic waves back cheerily, stepping through the portal that Shadow is already on the other side of and waving from as well. He hates he couldn’t say bye to Knuckles and Tails before he left. But they said their goodbyes the night before, and waking Knuckles and Tails up early was like pulling teeth– the echidna being lazy and the fox always staying up too late tinkering. It’s best they just sleep in and Sonic call them later. It’s only three days, after all. Then he’ll be back for Christmas!

As they stand waving, the warp ring eventually closes and they’re left standing on a snowy driveway, a large fountain appearing behind where the warp ring had previously been.

“Welp,” Sonic sighs, grabbing his suitcase with a grin, “Stage 2 of OSITRASIHB is a-go. Can’t believe we’re on our first trip together! We have to do some sightseeing while we’re here. What even is there to see in Poland?? They have castles, right??” Sonic looks at Shadow and finds him staring at whatever is behind them, “Shads..?” He turns and looks then and–

“Woooah..” It is a castle! ‘Robotnik Manor,’ the large stone sign above the gate reads. Behind it is possibly one of the coolest homes Sonic has ever seen. Donut Lord seriously needs some upgrades.

“Dude, this place is..,” Sonic starts, but he never quite finishes as he walks up to the fenced gate in awe, leaning against it with his hands gripping the rails–

“Odejdź od bram!”

Sonic jumps back from the fence with wide eyes, both he and Shadow looking to the source of the noise and finding a camera peering down at them from the corner of the stone column.

“Did he just speak Sim??” Sonic snorts with a quirked brow at Shadow, but Shadow just gives him an unimpressed look before turning back to the camera. “Um.. Jesteśmy tutaj, aby zobaczyć Terra Robotnik..?” 

There’s a long pause of silence from the other side of the camera. Sonic is just completely baffled that Shadow seemingly spoke another language! Then again, he’s like– super smart, so it shouldn’t be that surprising. 

After a moment of waiting, the light under the camera beeps green and the gate slowly begins to open itself up, Shadow and Sonic watching with wide eyes as the path to the manor is opened to them..

“...So you speak Sim, too?” “Polish,” Shadow answers, grabbing his suitcase and beginning to roll it behind him as he walks, “And yes. The Professor spoke it often in moments of frustration.. It.. didn’t take long for me to pick up on it..” Sonic frowns a little at that, finding the implication of Gerald often getting frustrated with or in front of Shadow a bit heartbreaking. He catches up to the hybrid, lugging his own suitcase behind him as the gate begins to shut once more.

“That’s pretty cool!” Sonic encourages, focusing on the positive, “You never told me you spoke a different language!” “You never asked..” “Well– do you speak any other languages??” “A few,” Shadow nods, “Not fluently. But Maria and I learned some Spanish during schooling. She was far better than I was at it, but we’d watch tv novellas together and make fun of how dramatic they were a lot. I picked up from that more than anything.” “Seems like you’re more of a hands-on learner than a sit down and reading learner.” “Yeah, I.. have trouble concentrating when it comes to studies,” Shadow admits, though it’s obvious with the tone of his voice that his thoughts aren’t really with the conversation. As they get closer and closer, Shadow gets tenser and tenser. His eyes stare wide at the castle before them, fist clenched tight around the handle of his suitcase, jaw locked and teeth grinding nervously..

Sonic keeps talking, hoping to calm his nerves some with distraction. The driveway up is a good ways, after all.

“Me too, man,” Sonic chuckles with a shrug, “I struggle with sitting still in general, though. Let alone doing it and concentrating. Mom tries real hard to homeschool us, but I’m more interested in learning from experiences than books.” “Books can be very entertaining,” Shadow counters, “..However, books chosen for me are often last appealing than the ones I choose for myself.” “Ditto,” Sonic snorts, “Definitely prefer my comics.” “Those aren’t books.” “Uh– wrong. Comicbooks. Emphasis on the books part.” Sonic is smiling, expecting Shadow to flash that classic tiny smirk of his at Sonic’s shenanigans but finding the hybrid too focused on the stairs they’re now approaching that lead to the door..

“...It’s all gonna be fine, Shadow,” Sonic assures as they begin ascending the steps, “They’re gonna love you..” Shadow takes a deep breath, eyes never leaving the door as he climbs the stairs beside Sonic. He simply nods. Not convinced but trying to stay optimistic and not let his anxiety get the better of him.

Sonic sighs a bit at this and moves closer so he can gently reach out to take Shadow’s free hand. Shadow flinches slightly at this before looking to Sonic finally.

Sonic is looking right back with that same soft smile he gave Shadow on the moon..

Shadow smiles back after a moment before sighing and looking back to the door. 

Sonic was with him. He can do this..

Stopping right in front of the door, the two stare at it a long moment. Sonic doesn’t rush Shadow. Doesn’t knock for him. He just waits.

Eventually, Shadow’s eyes settle on the door knocker a few feet above them.. He can’t quite reach, so he lets his air shoes slowly lift him up until he can. Taking the knocker in hand and rapping at the door three times before slowly letting himself descend back down.

There’s some scuffling from the inside, Shadow’s hand squeezes Sonic’s a bit tighter. Sonic squeezes back, nervousness now rising in him as well.

What if these people were awful to Shadow?? What if they treated him horribly and this whole experience just adds to the list of scars Shadow already has?? Maybe Sonic shouldn’t have encouraged him coming. Maybe they should’ve just stayed away and let things stay normal. Maybe–

The door slowly opens, warm and thick light from the inside pouring out into the dark cold of the evening outside. Shadow and Sonic’s eyes rise to the tall, lanky man dressed in a butler’s attire.

The man’s eyes scan around in a confused manner a moment, looking right over the two before Sonic clears his throat and the man finally lowers his eyes to their level. He flinches in surprise at the sight of them, eyes blinking wide once then twice. Then he offers a wide and breathy smile, “Sir Shadow! And you brought a guest! Wonderful!  My Madam has been expecting your arrival! Please, do come in.” He quickly scoots away from the door and opens it wider for the two, Sonic and Shadow exchanging a glance before entering with a grateful nod and muttered ‘thank you’s.

The door is shut behind them, and inside they’re met with a sight just as awe-inducing as the outside. The inside has a large and grand staircase that leads to the second floor, wooden hand-railing with Christmas florals  and lights decorating all the way down them. There’s a chandelier immediately above their heads, lit with golden lights that make the wooden ceiling seem to glisten. It all feels very noble and traditional and vintage but simultaneously well-kept and warm and classy. It looks like something out of a movie! To their left it opens up into what appears to be a dining room: a long table with white table cloths and bouquets of poinsettias and holly and pinecones. Very festive but elegant. There’s large red candlesticks as centerpieces down the table, tiny globes with lights in them scattered along it as well. The chairs look large and comfy, a wreath placed on the backs of each one. There’s a smaller chandelier than the one in the foyer in there as well. A large, glass window behind the head of the table..

To their right, they can see what appears to be a library of sorts. Shelves and shelves of books, a few comfy couches and floor pillows sound a festively decorated fireplace. The mantle is lined with stockings with initials on them.. ‘A’ ‘J’ ‘M’ ‘S’.  

“I can escort you to your rooms if you’d like to be relieved of your bags,” the butler offers, “Madam is currently in a meeting, but I will inform her of your arrival as soon as it is finished. She will be so pleased you’re here, and want to introduce you to everyone.”

Shadow and Sonic just look at him, staring a moment before Shadow eventually nods. “Thank you, Mr..”

“Tanaka,” the butler replies with a little bow towards Shadow, “Call me, Mr. Tanaka. And I will be happy to assist you anytime during your stay.” “Mr. Tanaka,” Shadow nods, swallowing before glancing back to Sonic who is smiling politely at the man, “thank you.. This is Sonic.” “Of course. We know of Sir Sonic’s heroic reputation. It is an honor to be hosting you sir,” the butler bows to which Sonic very dramatically bows right back with a “Likewise, dude.”

The butler stands then, “Now right this way! Let’s get you settled in.”

They follow the man up the stairs, taking in the sights as they go. The walls are lined with framed art and pieces like vases and sculptures. Shadow notes that he’d like to pause and take them all in at some point if he has the time, pondering their meaning and purpose. The hall at the top is long both to the right and left, shut doors that have shoes on the outsides of some of them or coats hanging from the knobs..

It occurs to Shadow then that they may be having more guests at this party than he anticipated..

Stopping at the room on the end of the left hall, Mr. Tanaka opens the door to show them the inside.

“We do hope this room will be fitting,” the butler says, “We prepared it just for you. And there’s even a second bed if your guest will not be sharing one with you.” Shadow blinks at that, looking at Sonic who looks back to him a bit shyly before blushing and looking away.

They aren’t supposed to be sharing a room..

But Shadow is too nervous right now to request anything else. It feels rude.

He’ll deal with it later.

“This will be perfect,” Shadow assures with a small nod, “Thank you again.” “Of course, sir,” the man smiles, moving then to gesture to a small button on the inside of the door attached to what appears to be an intercom system, “If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to buzz this button and myself or a maid will quickly come to see what we can do for you. There is also a bell system that will ring when certain things are about to take place such as dinner or breakfast. You are in no way obligated to attend these things if uncomfortable or needing rest. It is simply there to keep the household on a schedule.”

“I like schedules,” Shadow says without giving it a thought, Mr. Tanaka smiling at this. “As do I, Sir Shadow.” Shadow smiles a bit then, and this seems to light up the whole room for a moment in Sonic’s opinion.

“Well I will let you two settle in,” the butler comments, nodding his head at the two as he exits the room, “Again, feel free to buzz if you need anything.” “We sure will,” Sonic smirks, walking into the room to take it in.

Shadow gives a small wave as the man makes his leave before shutting the door and sighing against it.

Sonic is scoping out the room. There is, in fact, two sleeping areas. One being the king-sized bed in the center of the wall and the other being a twin bed pressed up longways against the large window on the right side of the room. Sonic immediately moves there and puts his suitcase on top of it, turning to Shadow with a whistle, “Damn. This place is huge!” “Very,” Shadow mutters as he turns to Sonic, walking to the bed and placing his own suitcase on top before sitting down on the edge beside it.

“And they’ve got butlers and maids?? A dude could get used to living like this,” Sonic grins, looking out the window now at the view. He can’t see too far since it’s dark out, but there’s golden Christmas lights that light up a large garden below. Whoever their landscaper and decorator is, they need a raise.

“Mm,” is all Sonic gets from Shadow.

Sonic turns to look at him then, seeing Shadow staring down at the floor from where he sits on the edge of the bed..

A small, sympathetic smile curls onto Sonic’s lips as he approaches him, plopping himself beside him as Shadow’s seemingly absent gaze lifts to his, “Hey.”

“Hello,” Shadow murmurs back, leaning into Sonic’s palm when the hedgehog cups his cheek. “I know it’s all overwhelming,” Sonic begins, thumb lightly caressing the apple of Shadow’s cheek, “But you’ve done the hardest part, right?? You got here. You showed up. That takes mad balls, Shads.” “That’s a really distasteful expression, Sonic,” Shadow grumbles with a scrunch of his nose and disapproving look in Sonic’s direction. “Oh-ho, look who showed up at a Manor and got too classy for his American boyfriend,” Sonic teases with a Italian accent. “..That’s Italian. This is Poland.”

“Whatever, dude, I don’t know what Polish sounds like.” “You said it sounds like the Sims.” “Good point! Let me try that. Bow deesh you’re super geneva.” Shadow blinks at him, a slightly amused tilt growing on his lips, “What?”

“And now you know how it feels,” Sonic smirks to which Shadow just chuckles and rolls his eyes at him. “You’re idiotic.” “And you’re brave,” Sonic smiles, tilting his head to get Shadow to look back at him again, “..Seriously. I would’ve chickened out the second I saw the camera staring at me at the gate. You’re seriously awesome, Shadow..” Shadow just sighs a bit at this, nuzzling against Sonic’s palm a bit before moving to scoot closer to him with a quirked brow, “Shouldn’t you call your parents and tell them we’ve settled in??” “Oh yeah, you’re right!” Sonic nods, pulling his phone out now and pulling up his contacts to FaceTime his mom.

It only rings once before he gets an answer.

“Hey, baby! You get there safely?? We miss you so much!!” “He just left!” Tom can be heard yelling from a few rooms away.

Sonic chuckles at this, “Yeah, we just got to our room.” Maddie’s brow quirks, “...Room?” Sonic smiles a bit nervously and rubs the back of his neck, “Uh.. yeah. Apparently they only prepared one room for us– but it’s got two beds, see!” Sonic turns the phone to show his bag sitting on the twin-sized bed by the window, “I’ll sleep there! And Shadow will be sleeping here.” He then turns the phone to show Shadow sitting on the bed beside him.

Shadow gives a small wave with a quiet “hello”.

Maddie is about to argue with Sonic some more on these sleeping arrangements.. But then she sees Shadow and her heart instantly melts.

“Aw honey, you look so frazzled. You doing okay?? They treat you well??” “We’ve only met the butler,” Sonic explains, scooting closer to Shadow so the phone can now see both of them in the frame, “But he was super chill.” “Mhm,” Shadow nods, looking a bit sick still.

“So you haven’t met the mystery sis yet??” “Nuh uh,” Sonic answers, Shadow shaking his head in response.

“Why didn’t she greet you two?? Ain’t she the host??” Maddie frowns, seeming a bit off put by the woman who invited them not having the common courtesy to welcome them.

“She was in a meeting apparently,” Sonic shrugs. “She planned this meeting for when you two were suppose to be arriving??” “Well.. most people don’t arrive exactly on time, in her defense,” Sonic smirks, elbowing Shadow a bit playfully to which the hybrid just huffs and shrugs his shoulders.

“Don’t be so defensive, Maddie, you’re gonna freak the guy out,” Tom adds, entering the frame beside Maddie. He waves at the two with a little grin, “Hey guys.” “Hi, Dad!” “Hello, Mr. Wachowski.” “I’m not trying to freak him out, I just–.. It’s weird is all I’m saying. But I don’t know anything about the woman, so what do I know,” Maddie shrugs, putting on a smile for Shadow.

“Maybe it all boils down to a different lifestyle and culture,” Tom shrugs, “Butlers answering doors ain’t so uncommon in some countries.” “Yeah, dude. Don’t look too much into it,” Sonic agrees with a reassuring smile, “And if her butler is being honest, then she’ll be super pumped when she realizes you’re here.”

Giving a small hum at this, Shadow just shrugs his shoulders and looks at the floor again. Sonic sighs at this, looking at Tom and Maddie on the phone screen before offering a sideways smile, “Anyway- we just wanted to call and let you guys know we got settled in. Think we’re suppose to have dinner soon.” “Thank you for calling, sweetie. Please call again before you go to bed! Wanna say goodnight. And your brothers will wanna talk to you.” “Can do,” Sonic winks with a grin, “Love you guys.” “Love you too, kiddo!” “And we love you too, Shadow!” Shadow smiles a bit at that, looking at the screen again and showing his slightly lifted spirits at the sentiment. Love is a hard emotion for Shadow. Sonic doesn’t think he’s ever heard Shadow even say the word ‘love’ when referring to himself. But they all know that he loves them too, even if it’s difficult to voice. 

“Later!” “Bye, boys!!” Sonic hangs up.

Tossing his phone on the bed behind him, Sonic turns his attention back towards Shadow and moves to lean his head on his shoulder and lightly nuzzle against him. Shadow just sighs and returns the gesture, seeking comfort and hoping to ease the pounding in his heart and the nausea in his throat some. 

“We ain’t gotta sit in here,” Sonic offers, “We could go look around? I saw a garden outside, maybe we can go walk it and get your mind off of just sitting here brooding.” “I don’t brood,” Shadow huffs. “Right, right, Hot Topic, you’re definitely don’t brood.” 

Sonic smiles a bit and pulls back to look at Shadow, “Seriously, though. If you just sit here in your head, it’ll just seem worse than it is. Nothing bad has happened. Everything has gone super smoothly so far. There’s no reason to let your head scare you–”

He’s interrupted by the sound of thumping outside, resembling footsteps sprinting down the hall towards their door.

“He’s here!? He’s really here!?”

Sonic and Shadow exchange looks at the voice. It certainly doesn’t belong to a 54 year old. 

“Which door, Mr. Tanaka, which one!?”

The steps stop right outside their door.

“This one???”

They can hear the mumbled voice of the butler further down the hall.

And then there’s knocking on the door.

Shadow’s heart leaps right up into his throat, Sonic’s eyes widening a bit as he looks at the door and then Shadow. “...Are you gonna answer??” Shadow doesn’t move. He doesn’t budge from his spot on the bed, frozen there with wide eyes and his lips parted with slightly panicked breaths.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” Sonic hushes gently, rubbing through Shadow’s quills, “Just breathe.. I’ll tell them you’re resting or something..”

Shadow nods. Nothing more.

Sonic swallows and pushes himself off the bed, walking to the door and reaching for the knob.

There’s a few more knocks just before he opens the door.

Sonic’s eyes go huge at who he finds on the other side..

“Oh! Sorry,” the little girl smiles sheepishly, “I wasn’t sure you heard the first time..” She looks Sonic up and down a bit curiously, only a foot taller than him at most.. Her head tilts, her brow quirking, “...You’re quite bluer than I imagined..”

Sonic can’t answer. He can’t find his voice.

He’s only seen Maria in pictures or old found footage from the ARK..

He stares at the little girl, his brows knitting up tight and distress slowly growing inside him despite it being dampened by the pure shock.

“...I’m..,” Sonic eventually manages, voice coming out weak and quiet, tight from the lump in his throat, “..not Shadow..”

“Oh,” she blinks, her head tilting again with a little giggle, blonde hair falling over her shoulder at the motion, “that makes more sense. Then who exactly are you??” Sonic tries to answer again, but once more, he finds himself not able. His brain isn’t working anymore. All it can do is play the same thought on repeat.

‘You’re dead. You’re supposed to be dead. How are you here???

Maria Robotnik..’

[kittydoremi]

So I had an idea

Sonic in Wonderland, but with Movie Sonic

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

"Can't Die with Regrets."

SONIC 3 SPOILERS!!!

Based on this post

AO3 version

“If neither of you have the guts to help me, then I’ll do it alone.”

Words that Sonic was regretting. Severely.

It had been nearly an hour since he’d last seen his brothers. In a fit of rage, and grief, and too many negative feelings for him to process, he’d all but stolen the Master Emerald and hunted down Shadow, fully intending to kill him.

Looking back at himself, the way he’d just lost control, he felt ashamed, but he could still remember why he’d done it in the first place. He still could feel the paralyzing fear that had gripped him when he’d found Tom unconscious, completely unresponsive. Fear that had quickly turned into an early kind of grief, reminding him all too much of a night long ago, when he’d found himself alone in an unfamiliar forest at night, crying over the loss of Longclaw.

His first parent.

Things had been fuzzy. He was scared. He was stressed. He was angry.

He had not waited ten painful years for his family, only to have it stripped away from him again. He didn’t know what he would do without them. Without his dad.

“What kind of hero abandons his friends to pursue revenge? Abandons his family?” Shadow’s chilling words still echoed in his mind. He hadn’t had an answer. All he’d been able to feel was rage, and grief, and a spiraling sense of being completely out of control.

And while the fury had subsided as he remembered Tom’s words to him recently, about not letting his pain from losing Longclaw change who he was, the grief had stayed. The fear had stayed. Even as he let go of Shadow, as they sat and talked about their experiences with loss, the pain continued to burn in his chest.

Sonic pushed it to the back of his mind as they both charged up on the Chaos Emeralds and went to stop the giant cannon about to destroy a chunk of Earth. Talking with Shadow had helped him a little, as he reminded them both about how they could deal with their grief and their pain. Finally befriending this edgy other hedgehog had done him well. Fighting alongside him was even its own brand of fun.

But it was hard to not think about his family.

How the last he’d seen his parents, his father was in some kind of coma and being taken into an ambulance. His mother was looking at him and his brothers… strangely, as she sat with her husband. With a blank expression, one that chilled him and stirred a different fear entirely in his stomach.

Like she wasn’t quite sure of them anymore.

And his brothers?

He had not parted with them on friendly terms. He’d been in the thick of his grief-induced anger still. He’d snapped at Tails for attempting to comfort him, and had nearly fought with Knuckles over his demands for the Master Emerald. Knuckles had refused to fight him, which in hindsight made him feel even worse.

He wanted to apologize to them. But he didn’t know where they were.

In the distance, the huge cannon thing was crackling with chaos energy, clearly about to fire. Shadow dealt with the last of the bots that they’d been fighting, then they were both making a beeline for the cannon.

It probably wouldn’t destroy the entire earth— it was a precision weapon— but it would still kill many innocent lives. At the moment, it was aimed directly for London.

As far as Sonic knew, his entire family was down there.

So the only plan he could come up with in the panic of the moment was to block the hit directly, using the combined chaos powers of both himself and Shadow.

It was a big risk for sure, but there was no way he was letting that blast hit the earth.

“Now this might hurt a little!” he yelled to Shadow, as they flew directly up in the line of fire.

The cannon unleashed its blast.

It hurt more than a little, as they both raised their arms to create an invisible shield of sorts, blocking the blast, protecting those far below.

“This was your plan?” Shadow demanded beside him, his voice strained as he squinted against the blinding light.

Sonic didn’t answer, grunting as he tried to conserve his quickly-draining energy. Desperate for any kind of hope, he hollered, “Would someone mind shutting down the giant death ray?!”

He figured it was just the Robotniks up there, and they were the ones who’d planned this whole thing, but somehow his plea was answered. Slowly but surely, the continuous blast started to tilt, gradually away from the earth.

However, it was quickly getting harder and harder to keep blocking it. The ray was hot and excruciating to the touch, only less so because he was in golden god mode, but even that energy was starting to… fade.

Sonic gritted his teeth, nearly whimpering as he struggled to keep on blocking it. Hundreds of people are at risk down there! he snapped at himself silently. Including your family. Keep at it!

The ray continued to turn, slowly.

The edges of his vision started going dark.

He shook his head slightly, glaring up at the ray. The ray glared back at him.

You HAVE to do it! You have to get back to them! You have to see if Dad will be okay. You have to check on Mom. You have to apologize to Knuckles and Tails. YOU HAVE TO!

SO KEEP AT IT!

“Can’t… hold… much… longer!” he gasped out, as if whoever was turning the ray could hear him. Shadow looked over at him for a split second, then immediately turned back forward, pushing even harder against the blast.

Sonic couldn’t risk looking down to see how far the ray had turned from the earth. All he could do was keep looking up, keep hoping against hope that they were going to save everyone— and make it out alive. Both of which he couldn’t afford not to do.

But it wasn’t looking likely.

He didn’t have any more energy he could just summon out of nowhere. And he was very quickly running out of time.

And even as he struggled against the ray, his heart began to sink.

He had too many regrets. Too many things he still needed to say. Too many things he still didn’t know.

Stupid cannon should’ve waited a bit longer, at least so he could’ve gotten a chance to do all that.

But, just like throughout this whole ordeal, he was absolutely powerless with such a thing.

It was too late.

The darkness at the edges of his vision spread, as his arms and body started going numb. And with a final yelp, he blacked out.

The last thing he registered was a hand on his shoulder, forcefully shoving him to the right. Then everything went blank.

---

Sonic had truly thought he was going to die.

If he’d fainted while still in the direct path of the death ray, he would’ve gotten incinerated.

But that hand that’d pushed him… had it gotten him out of the way? Shadow had saved him?

His consciousness slowly edged its way back in, stirred by the sound of coughing. As his senses recovered, he realized he was lying down, sprawled half on an earthy floor, halfway on top of someone else…

Vision and hearing foggy, he squeezed his eyes shut tighter for a moment before wearily blinking them open. “Sonic, look,” a young, familiar voice said quietly.

Slowly, shakily, Sonic pushed himself to his feet, still trying to register what was happening, where he was, what was going on. But as he looked up, the memories returned, and another wave of grief hit him hard.

There was a huge, nebular mass in the sky above them, clearly the result of some kind of massive explosion. Tails had gone on excited rants to him in past months about astronomy, and stars, and what happened when they exploded. How they left a beautiful nebula blanketing the space around them even after they were gone.

“Shadow and Robotnik,” Tails said quietly beside him, staring with a hollow look up at the remains in the sky. “They sacrificed themselves… to save everyone.”

…Oh.

Shadow was gone.

Sonic looked at the distant fire, swallowing. “You always have a choice,” he murmured, remembering how he’d told that to Shadow right before they’d gone in to stop the death ray.

“The light shines, even though the star is gone,” was what Shadow had said, as they’d sat and reminisced on the moon’s surface.

They’d saved Earth, and everyone on it, but Shadow had given everything to make the right choice in the end. He’d become his own fallen star, like Maria, and he would shine on even now that he was gone.

Sonic’s chest ached. For all the drama and violence and pain of the last few days, he would never forget Shadow. The words they had shared stuck with him. Shadow had not deserved to die. He’d become a hero when it had mattered the most.

And so had Robotnik, apparently.

Sonic swallowed again, then turned to face his brothers, a sudden dread pooling in his heart. In what he’d thought were his final moments up there, he’d been desperate to live so he could apologize, and he’d pictured himself dramatically rushing back, shouting out the “I’M SO SORRY”s, hugging everyone left and right, rushing to do everything he thought he couldn’t. But now that he was faced with the real opportunity, and the reality of what had happened, he… was scared.

Scared that he’d gone too far. That they wouldn’t trust him again after he’d betrayed their oath.

Especially as he realized that Knuckles and Tails must’ve saved him after he fell. Even after what he’d said to them. It was the only explanation for how he’d woken up piled with them both in the middle of a corn field, relatively unharmed for having apparently fallen all the way from space.

“Guys, I’m really sorry for running off like that,” he said softly, avoiding the two pairs of eyes locked on him. His heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest. “I shouldn’t have left you behind.”

He dared to meet Knuckles’s eyes. The echidna stared back at him, his eyes hard.

“The truth is,” he went on, shifting his gaze again, “you’re the best teammates a hedgehog could ever ask for.” He glanced at Tails, the words spilling out now, and he was struck with a sudden gratefulness that he was here, getting to say all this, when he’d truly thought he’d missed the chance. “And the best friends,” he quickly added. “…Can you ever forgive me?”

Sonic held his breath. Silence reigned. His heart skipped a few beats.

Knuckles continued to stare.

Then the echidna slowly raised a fist towards him. “Team Sonic?” he asked quietly.

Sonic stared at his brother’s extended fist for a moment, almost weak as relief rushed through him. In a rush of emotion, he smiled like a sap and lurched forwards to hug Knuckles close, grasping to pull in Tails as well. “How about, just ‘team’,” he replied softly, resting his head against the echidna’s chest and wrapping his arms around both him and Tails.

His teammates. His friends. His best friends.

His brothers.

----------------------

there will be a second chapter soon btw

[phox-129]

—

Sonic understood what it took to want to kill. It didn’t make Shadow hurting Tom any better—it didn’t make it ok. But it made it less unforgivable, softened the hurt into something not as red and angry and big.

But still—Sonic did not forgive Shadow.

But he wished Shadow was here so he could learn to, one day.

(or, the complicated intricacies of sort-of-maybe falling in love with the guy who almost killed your dad, and the aftermath of a sacrifice)

—

Hi I don’t usually post abt my writing on here but ppl seem to like this one so here it is!!