Chapter two
It was 7o'clock in the morning and Shadow was still awake but no longer in his boyfriends embrace, he was laying beside him, facing Sonic's facial features. Shadow heard a crash coming from the kitchen and shot up immediately forgetting about a sleeping Sonic. The sudden movement coming from Shadow woke Sonic up from a peaceful slumber.
"Hur, what, what's wrong Shadow? What's going on?" Sonic asked as he rubbed his sleepy emerald green eyes.
"I heard a crash coming from the kitchen and err…sorry, for waking you. I didn't mean to." Shadow replied feeling a slight amount of guilt for waking his lover.
"That's ok Shadow, really its fine. Lets go find out what caused that noise you heard." They both jumped out of bed and cautiously headed for the kitchen.
On entry to the kitchen they both stood in the door way and froze to see Tails bent on his hands and knees with a dust pan & brush, sweeping what looks like shards of glass on the floor. Tails felt a presence from behind him, he stopped what he was doing and turned around only to see Sonic and Shadow in the door way staring at him with puzzled expressions on their faces. Tails gave off a uneasy smile at his hosts.
"S-sorry if I woke you both or caused a panic and sorry about the glass, it kind of slipped out of my hand as I finished some water." Tails said as he brushed the broken pieces of glass into the bin.
"That's fine we have plenty of glasses and you didn't wake me shads did." Sonic said nudging Shadow who was still standing beside Sonic.
"Hay its not my fault I couldn't help thinking something was wrong and If I remember rightly I apologised which you excepted. So there." Shadow said with a grin upon his pale muzzle then playfully but lightly pushed Sonic back, then crossed his arms over his chest and lent against the door frame.
The three stood in silent for a while before sitting up at the kitchen table. Sonic put the kettle on and made himself and Tail's a hot cup of tea.
"So what's the plan then." Sonic yarned the sentence out as he looked at the kitchen clock that read 7.39am.
"Well I was thinking we could go and see what survived the fire, I'm hoping my plain wasn't affected or in too bad a shape. Fixable anyway." Tails said leaning on the back of the chair sipping his tea.
"Sure why not, nothing else to do but what if nothing has survived what then?" Sonic replied whilst rubbing his eyes and drinking his tea.
"I guess I will have to make blue prints for a brand new workshop, then build it and I think that will take at lest 6-8 months if I'm lucky." Tails said unhappily, he really liked his old workshop the way it was.
"Wow that long. Ok you can stay with me and Shadow until you're finished. We don't mind do we Shads?" Sonic said nudging Shadow with his arm.
"Mind about what." Shadow asked, as he opened his eyes and yarned.
Sonic rolled his eyes.
"About Tails staying with us while he works on his workshop."
"Oh right, no not at all in fact it would be a pleasure in having you stay with us Tails." Shadow replied trying not to yarn.
Like that it was settled, Tails would be staying with the lovers until he built his workshop and it had a proper safety inspection too.
8 o'clock came round fast and Shadow was trying really hard to stay awake but his eyelids were making it difficult for him. Sonic noticed his mate trying to stay awake and failing at it badly.
"Shadow come on I think it's time you went to bed, don't ya think?" Sonic announced to Shadow whom smiled lazily and nodded in agreement.
Shadow stood up with a wobble, steadied himself and fell back down onto his seat.
"Just for a change I'll sleep here." Shadow said in a joking manner with his eyes closed and smiling lightly.
Sonic helped Shadow up.
"Come on Shad's I'll help ya into bed." Sonic linked arms with Shadow and allowed Shadow to lean on him.
"Humm that would be nice. Well I bid de good day Tails see you tonight" Shadow said just before he and Sonic left the kitchen. "
Good night Shadow." Tails replied with a smile.
Sonic led Shadow to their bedroom at a slow pace. Once they were in their bedroom Sonic and Shadow went up to the bed and Shadow climbed in but with out warning he dragged Sonic in with himself. The two had a cuddle and kissed.
Sonic broke the kiss and sat up.
"Me and Tails are going out fore a while, are you going to be ok on your own Shads?" Sonic asked lovingly.
Shadow stayed laying down and stroked Sonic's face.
"Of course, I will be fine my love. I always am." Shadow replied with a smile.
Sonic returned the smile and kissed Shadow good night.
"Good night Shadow, love you." Sonic whispered into his lover's ear.
"I love you too." Shadow replied as sleep took over but not over completely.
Sonic placed a kiss upon Shadow's forehead and slowly but quietly got up off the bed, left the room and gently closed the door behind himself.
Sonic returned to the kitchen. Tails was washing up his and Sonic's cup when Sonic entered.
"Don't worry about that Tails I'll do it later" Sonic said in a quirt tone.
"It's ok Sonic I've done it now. Dose Shadow always wait until he cannot stand or walk before he goes to bed" Tails asked to make some conversation.
"Not all the time, usually he's already in bed with me but it can be funny sometime especially when he's…" Sonic was saying before he got cut off by Shadow.
"You do know no, no matter how quirt you're able to talk I will always hear you."
"Shadow you really shouldn't eavesdrop you might hear something you wouldn't like hehehe…good night." Sonic shouted out to Shadow from the kitchen.
"I can't help but listen, sensitive hearing and all…good night." Shadow shouted back and an almost silent yarn could be heard.
"Wow that's what I call good hearing" Tail's said in disbelieve.
Shadow was now fast asleep and lightly snoring, while Sonic and Tails were ready to leave the apartment. Sonic checked that he had his keys, which he did and left for Tails' blown up workshop. As they got half way to there destination Tails saw Amy and Cream.
"Hay Sonic there's Amy and Cream shall we ask if they want to tag along." Tails asked with a smile.
"Sure why not…Hay Amy, Cream what's up?" Sonic replied to Tails and then Shouted over to Amy and Cream whom both heard and came over to Sonic and Tails.
"Hi Sonic, hi Tails nothing much going on, on this sunny winters day." Amy replied in a cheery tone.
"Hello Sonic, hello Tails where are you going?" Cream asked happily.
"We're heading to Tails' burnt down workshop want to come along lady's?" Sonic asked nicely.
"What, burnt down, how?" Cream and Amy said together.
Tails told Amy and Cream what had actually happened on the way.
"Your lucky you didn't get hurt Tails." Cream said with relief.
"Yeah Tails you should be extra careful when you're finished your new workshop." Amy advised.
The four friends reached there destination and it was worse then they imagined. The place was nothing but piles of ash and half burnt wood mixed in with that after bonfire smell.
"And to think you made it out alive." Sonic said breaking the silence between them all.
"It wasn't this bad last night but then again it was nearly 1o'clock in the morning." Tails said
"Don't think anything survived, does anyone else." Amy announced to the group, every one agreed and left.
"I'm starving lets go get something to eat before I collapse from starvation" Sonic moaned out loud and continued to do so.
"Cream." Amy called
"Yes Amy." Cream replied
"And to think Shadow puts up with all his moaning…" Amy whispered then was cut off by Sonic randomly rushing off to the nearest café.
The three caught up with Sonic and sat down with him.
"Hay look who's coming this way its Knuckles and Rouge" Sonic said then shouted, "Knuckles, Rouge come and join us were about to order, my treat."
Rouge and Knuckle joined the their friends for a bite to eat, not ones to turn down a free breakfast.
"Hi guys what's new?" Knuckles asked causally as he sat down on the end seat.
"Well Tails over here decided it would be a good idea to blow up his workshop and noise me and Shadow up at one in the morning." Sonic said with a grin.
"Really now why would you want to do that?" Knuckles said in surprise.
"You idiot, it was obviously an accident" Rouge said then added "Like Tails would purposely blow his own workshop up, really."
The waitress came to the table where the friends were and they all ordered the food and drink they all wanted. When everyone was finished eating they ordered another drink each.
"Man I'm stuffed. I can't eat another bite, I love this place they always give the right amount of food." Sonic said as he lent back on his seat and rubbed his belly in satisfaction.
"Sonic you'll be happy where ever we go, as long as they served food there at least." Amy said as she rolled her eyes.
"It's a shame Shadow can't enjoy food like this, he really doesn't know what his missing." Tail's mentioned as he finished his drink.
"Yeah it's a pity." Rouge replied wondering if Shadow could eat food, what would be his favourite meal.
The friends left the café and took a long walk through the park before going back to Sonic's and Shadow's apartment which Sonic invited them all back to. Knuckles and Rouge fell behind a couple of feet arguing about God only knows what, Amy and Cream ran ahead they stopped in the park to play on the swings and Tails and Sonic were walking side by side talking about allsorts of subjects but one subject in particular.
"So Sonic could I ask you a question?" Tails asked in an anxious tone.
"Sure what is it Tails?" Sonic replied in a puzzled way.
"Well I was wondering to myself this morning…" Tails began now feeling a little nervous upon asking.
"Yeah Tails what about?" Sonic said impatiently wanting to know the question.
"Erm how did you meet Shadow?" Tails finally said and let out a sigh of relief.
Sonic was kind of shocked at the question and said nothing at first. They both sat on a bench by the park in silence. Sonic was thinking on what to say, he never thought anybody would ask that question now, since it was over 3 years ago he and Shadow met for the first time.
"Sonic if you don't…" Tails began to say but Sonic cut him off.
"Tails its ok, it's just its taken over three years for someone to ask that's all." Sonic started to say as the memory came flooding back.
"It's kind of a longish story really…" Sonic sat with Tails on the bench with the warmish winters sun going in and out of the clouds, telling Tails about the night he met Shadow.