~ A Sonadow fanfiction ~

Dib07: This is my first full Sonadow story, so be nice and I would LOVE support, comments and reviews! If you do not like Sonadow, then please avoid this story.

I try to keep all of my characters in character.

This is a slight continuation from: First Train Home, but can be read as purely StandAlone.

You'll notice straight away how different the settings are for this story. It's in the Sonic X universe, but they never left Chris's homeworld. They stayed and made their own lives for each other. All the characters are older and have to make responsibilites. Also, Sonic, like all my previous fics, is smaller in stature than Shadow. Right, I think that is everything, let us begin!

Warning: This story contains angst and tragedy.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Sonic. Sega does.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 1: Restricted

Sonic piled his stack of things in the grand master bedroom, being careful and organized. He didn't own that many things, mostly a few basket balls, lots of CD's, a few DVDs, books and a change of winter clothes if the weather got particularly nasty. When he went to unpack Shadow's things, he was amazed and shocked to find that all Shadow had packed for their new home was ammunition, guns, packets with guns in them, the odd grenade here and there, more guns, magazines of guns, and explosive case bullets that came packed in neat little shoeboxes.

"Geez, is he going to defend himself against an army of zombies or something?"

"Sonic!" Shadow roared from downstairs as the gorgeous smell of freshly cooked dinner wafted up the stairs, "dinner's nearly ready! Hurry the hell up!"

"Okay dokie." He zipped up Shadow's bag. He could unpack himself. Heck, he might shoot himself by accident hauling that many guns around.

As he straightened his back to go down the stairs, the phone on the bare, plain wall let out an unaccustomed shrill noise which made him jump outright. His first thoughts were of perhaps Tails or Chris. No one else had their new house number yet.

Clipping the phone from its cheap, plastic cradle, he spoke into it crisply, "yellow?"

"Sonic, is that you? You sound weird on the phone."

The blue wonder leaned against the chipped wall, smiling to himself as he clutched the phone close to his ear. "Good to talk to ya, buddy! That was quick! I only just saw you an hour ago!"

"Did the train ride go okay?" The kitson sounded worried. He had been anxious about Sonic leaving all week once the decision was final. Not everyone had been happy with his choice either. Amy hadn't spoken to him for nearly a month, and actually, nether was Knuckles. Things had been getting rather crowded at Chris's house, and after saving up for a place of their own, things changed. Like they always did. Tails was most upset when Sonic had decided to bail and go with Shadow. Sonic had promised he'd make constant visits, despite the distance. But Tails had a good job, sold a lot of machinery and techno-wizardry to humans, and had made quite a bit of money, all of which had been used to buy their new place.

"Yeah, it went swell. The noises didn't bother me that much either. It was kinda… fun. Weird… but fun."

"I miss you, brother. When will I next see you?"

"Urm, we're holding the party next Wednesday. Invite Chris, dude, and don't forget Amy and Helen."

"Yep. Everybody's down."

"Okay, good."

"SONIC!" Came a raged shout from the ground floor. Sonic's ears drew down at the noise.

"Sorry, lil' buddy, but I gotta go. I've been summoned!"

"Okay. Ring me back tonight, all right? And any luck finding a job?"

"Nope. Not yet, but early days. Goodnight, Tails."

"Goodnight…"

Sonic hung up with a heavy heart. This move was going to be hard on him too… he wasn't sure if this had even been the right choice. They were in debt, owed a lot to their friends, and had no job on which to start. The newspapers were loaded with jobs, but they all required human subjects to fill their contracts, not animals. He needed to find something he was good at, and apply it in this human world. The others had helped enough, and he felt guilty leaning on them all the time. It was time to stand on his own two feet. He was old enough.

The dinner table, though agonizingly plain, had been set up beautifully by Shadow. Yes he was rough, morbid, cynical and somber, but he had this artistic talent and attention to detail that Sonic really liked. Inside the dark hedgehog was a creature truly sensitive and very remarkable despite his hard edge. Like dark chocolate. Bitter, but svelte and beautiful.

"Did you wash your hands?" Shadow asked curtly, his voice firm as he finished placing the knives and forks. Shadow loved using cutlery, another thing Sonic did not like so much. Chris had tried to tame his table manners, and now it looked as though Shadow would take up the slack.

"Urm, no…"

"Then hurry it up."

He came back once again, drying his hands by rubbing them up and down his thighs. Shadow looked unimpressed but said nothing. They had yet to unpack their towels and other bathroom assortments besides.

Sonic sat down at the opposite end of the table to Shadow, admiring the single fat candle in the middle flickering here and there. He was served hot vegetable soup. Shadow had done himself a full course steak with all the trimmings and enough gravy to drown Alaska. It looked as though Shadow was prepared to cook two different meals every day for the rest of their lives, unless of course he had made a special effort that would not be seen again. And well, Sonic could cook too; he just usually couldn't wait for the actual 'cooking' process and went for raw fruits and vegetables.

"Looks amazing, Shades. Thank you."

Shadow cut into his steak, shrugging nonchalantly. "You wanted to discuss something with me?" Before dipping into a juicy bite, he opened a bottle of wine by popping the cork out with minimal fuss and poured out two full glasses. Being polite, Sonic leaned forward and took the glass, forcing himself to take a sip. The taste made him lurch back, pulling a face.

"Erm, yeah. No luck with a job, so we really, really need to get our hands on some money! We could sell a few things! I have some spare clothes I could sell, some CDs…"

"You shouldn't worry. We'll be fine."

"We need to get jobs to afford new furniture and make this place a home! We also need to pay Amy and Tails back for lending us the money for the house to begin with, plus the bills!"

"We don't need jobs! We'll be fine!"

"No we won't! We need money!"

"Then just promote treadmills or something! Or pose in front of the camera promoting an ad!"

"Well, I am sexy!" Sonic said with a flippant smile, of which Shadow merely shook his head at and continued eating. Seeing that he'd get nothing more out of him, Sonic tucked into his soup, the succulent taste and smell making him absolutely ravenous.

Shadow had already shown him round the whole house before it got dark. The garden was of medium size considering people round this area usually only had a patio and a few potted plants. There was also a Jacuzzi, of which Sonic was less keen on. But what troubled him the most (and what he knew he should have expected) was that there was only one bedroom. The deluxe master bedroom. No singles. Yes he should have been expecting it, it was all so sudden. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to commit himself one hundred percent. It left him feeling… restricted more than words could ever say. Shadow even coming out to him had been bizarre. Sonic had just been to the gym, since there was less places to run due to all the busy roads, shops and people all over the place. Chris had treated them all to dinner at Big Joe's down the street, and by this point, Shadow had clearly been following them. He came in, asked for some privacy with Sonic and in short… spewed it all out. It wasn't abnormal. He had been flittering everywhere, shadowing their activities like a regular outcast. Sonic assumed it was because he was bored. Now he knew that the only attraction had only ever been him.

Why? He had no idea.

Maybe it was because he was lonely too, and that by deciding to spend some time with Shadow, he'd get to the real problem maybe. But no matter how hard he tried to bend it, Shadow's feelings remained the same. And he… wasn't sure if he was ready to bond with him.

"Let me show you." Shadow had whispered into his ear that evening, pressing him against the bathroom stall out of sight from his friends and the public. "If you still say no, we'll drop it."

Truth of it all was, Sonic enjoyed the attention, and the treatment. He liked Shadow's protective side. His wealth of knowledge. His adult nature. His values. And his strength. It was then that Sonic realized what he was missing, and jumped into the relationship without a paddle.

He looked back at his friends, and saw that he had made a somewhat selfish decision. They were happy for him, but now Tails was without a constant companion and Chris without a friend.

Was this... right?


Dib07: Short, I know. Don't worry the next one will be much longer. Anything you'd like to see in this? I can slide in some ideas. I am open to suggestion. Other than that this story is all planned out. Please R & R!