Hello there, guys.
Johnson Michels: Dude, last time I checked it was called Renfield Syndrome, learn to type gdi.
Audrey. Terry. 58: Hell no.
And this goes for everyone: The story doesn't end until it acquires the "completed" status. You can also consider it finished if I don't update for a year, but rest assured, that won't happen. I think. There's a few chapters left before this lil' piece of crappiness ends. Alright? Alright.
Ah, this is my favorite month of the year. In my country is summer and that means we get to eat Christmas-themed ice cream. I only hope to recover from my throat infection before we buy it.
It's almost Christmas here, so it's almost Christmas in this chapter. LOL. But don't think that just because this chapter is Christmas themed there will be a rest from the actual plot. It won't happen.
I should be called Queen of Coincidences or something like that, today's December 11th and the day Sonic fell into a coma was also December 11th.
Sonic left the hospital on December 18th, just so you know, and this chapter starts just after Shadow and Silver pick him up.
P.S. GOD BLESS MEDLINE PLUS
EDIT 12/31/2014 Fuck it, I didn't make it to Xmas but at least I'm healthier and I can still make it to New Year's Eve. Enjoy the 7000 words I wrote for you guys!
Prepare for some angst, then a little comedy, then both… and a kind of happy ending of this chapter.
Oh, and… there's underage drinking in this chapter. Here in my country we pretty much give a flying fuck about drinking minors. I think. We only care when they're really, REALLY wasted and make a public scandal or something. Haha.
Sonic was relieved to finally come back home. As soon as Shadow opened the door, the sight of his —their— friends welcomed him. Amy, Tails, even Knuckles was there. The echidna and Sonic's relationship had remained distant since their fight at Silver's birthday party, but seeing him somehow made Sonic feel better. Maybe this meant their friendship could still be mended. He really looked forward to that.
However, what surprised him the most were the holiday decorations on the living room. He was about to comment about them, when Amy spoke:
"It was my idea. When I came here to check on Silver it was so gloomy, so I thought... Since you didn't want me cooking dinner, well..." She smiled sheepishly. "Do you like it?" There was hope in her eyes as she said this.
Sonic felt his throat a little dry, so he only could bring himself to nod and smile at his friend. Truth to be told, he hadn't decorated his house for Christmas since Shadow left five years ago. Instead, he had crashed at his friends' houses when that day arrived. He had spent every holiday trying to enjoy the company of his friends; very deep inside him he knew that his memories with Shadow would torment him if he wasn't distracted enough.
This year Shadow's sudden return had made him change his mind about holidays. He had planned to spend them with Shadow, once that constant fear of the black hedgehog leaving faded away.
Maybe this year he wouldn't feel as lonely as the past ones. Sure, he still had a pair of months to recover, but knowing that Shadow would be there for him made it better.
His gaze rested on the Christmas tree in the corner, fully decorated with recently bought ornaments and blue fairy lights. He remembered those three Christmas he spent with Shadow, and how much he had enjoyed decorating his house with him. It was a shame he couldn't do it this year, not in his current state.
"It's really nice." Shadow commented, the little hedgehog in his arms staring mesmerized at the decorations. "It reminds me I still need to get you a present," he said to Silver, whose golden eyes darted back to him.
"No need. I al-weady got what I want for Queez-mas."
"Really?" Shadow raised one eyebrow in half amusement. Silver nodded.
"I wanted Sow-neek to not go with mommy." He said, unaware of the surprised looks he got from the rest of adults.
Sonic felt a bitterness in his gut the moment noticed that Shadow tensed visibly, but forced a small smile to his son.
"I... " He muttered, lowering his gaze and Sonic could swear he saw a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "I also wished for that too."
Sonic's eyes widened so much he felt they would fall from their sockets. He wondered if he looked like a fish out of the water right then, but couldn't care less. A nice and warm feeling had invaded his chest, and he was about to say something probably cheesy in return, when Shadow opened his mouth again.
"We all did, right?" His ruby eyes met Tails' blue ones, as if reassuring himself. Tails looked taken aback for a while, but nodded nonetheless. "Are you hungry, Silver? Let's go to the kitchen." He left the group without even waiting for Silver to answer. It was obvious that he wasn't comfortable anymore and preferred to deal with it alone.
Tails, Amy and Knuckles gave Sonic a confused glare. They too had believed for a while that Shadow was admitting that he cared for Sonic in a special way, so they didn't react very well with Shadow's need to turn around the context. Sonic shrugged and sighed at them. Personally, he was more than used to this kind of behavior of Shadow's. He just hadn't expected it to come back after Silver's birthday. Shadow had become elusive again, and honestly it ticked him off, but he felt that he deserved it in some way. Besides, counting the forced kissing incident, he knew that it would be better for them to start again. At least he was thankful that Shadow was in his bashful phase and not in the aggressive one he was on the first day he arrived at his house.
After their little chat at the hospital the day Sonic woke up from his comatose state, they hadn't touched the subject of the 'second chance' again. During Shadow's visits to the hospital, the air was thick with tension, urging them to speak, yet neither could bring himself to. Sonic could barely talk with his sore throat and aching muscles, and Shadow really didn't want to put Sonic's health in danger talking about things that might upset him. He wanted to wait for Sonic to recover and hoped that he would understand.
Sonic did. But that didn't make it easier. Sometimes Shadow would give hints that yes, it's okay for you to love me, I like-no, love you back but I won't say it out loud, and almost immediately he was all no, never mind, I didn't meant it that way, let's just be friends, alright?
To say it was frustrating was an understatement. Sonic was patient and all, but so far nothing that he had planned to do to court Shadow the proper way had gone right and he sometimes felt even farther and farther from his mission than ever.
"And here I thought you would be all lovey-dovey by now." Knuckles folded his arms crossed, half-teasingly. He seemed to enjoy that Sonic was having a hard time, the little—
Oh right. He didn't know what happened after Silver's birthday nor how he ruined his chance with Shadow getting drunk, no, he only knew Sonic had fell into a coma and woken up the same day. But then again, that was information that was made public once Sonic was discharged from the hospital, doing his best to make it look like he was completely and miraculously recovered, ready again to save the world in a pinch. The exact causes for his coma and part of his lung being extracted were extremely confidential, the doctors knowing how dangerous would it become for a megalomaniac villain —Eggman— to know that the fastest thing alive was no more what it used to be. Sure, he would still be fast, but to reach the speed of sound would be no longer possible. He really didn't want to think about that, not now. He had enough troubles already. He took a deep breath and tried not to snap at Knuckles, the doc told him clearly that he needed rest, and that he was going to have.
"If you need me, Amy, Tails, jerk, I'll be at my room." He said, walking to the stairs after catching a glimpse of Knuckles' pissed off face. Fuck kindness, his expression was too priceless to miss.
Amy and Tails hurried to his sides, believing that he needed help to get upstairs —and he did, thank them— and getting worried for even the slightest thing. Once Sonic made it to his bed —which had been made and cleaned with the rest of his room, bless his friends— Amy forced him to promise that he would text her or Tails should he need anything, for they would stay downstairs for a couple of hours more and in return Sonic made them promise not to let Shadow and Knuckles kill each other —call him exaggerated, but he had seen Knuckles tensing when his eyes met Shadow's figure, and vice versa, and hoped for the sake of their damaged friendship that Knuckles wasn't verbally chastising Shadow for trying to get over Rouge's death by now. If he was, so help him, he would die trying to beat Knuckles to a pulp again.
"You worry too much." Tails sighed, though he had to admit he had been concerned about that aspect too. The rational part of his mind told him that Knuckles was here because he was genuinely worried about his— their friend, not because he wanted to pick a fight. Of course, Knuckles wouldn't say this out loud, it would start raining money before that happened.
"Hey, Sonic, why did Shadow react that way? For a moment I thought... You know." Amy trailed, not sure anymore if she should have brought the subject up.
"He's been through a lot lately," Sonic answered hoarsely, Amy wincing at the sound. "Rouge, my love for him, his indefinite feelings for me, me hurting him, my coma..."
"You hurt him?" Amy asked incredulously. Sonic's gaze met the sheets, feeling a pang of self-disgust. Just imagining what could've happened, had Shadow not punched him, had Shadow been weaker than him...
He felt like throwing up when the image of Shadow squirming, thrashing, struggling desperately under him flashed in his head. If things had gotten further than a kiss and... And biting, he would've never been able to live it down.
He was a pervert, a pervert for Shadow, but only when Shadow wanted him to be his pervert. Not like...
"C'mon, the last thing you need is to get depressed again," Tails' voice took him back to reality. He heaved a sigh, trembling slightly. He also didn't need to think about the incident. He would make everything in his power not to make Shadow look so broken again. He wasn't supposed to break Shadow, he was supposed to fix him, to mend him, to put the pieces back together and make him happy again.
"You're right." He couldn't help but feel pity for Amy, who was staring at him and Tails with both confusion and worry, but some things were better left unsaid. He didn't need to dwell on the subject over and over, he needed to move on. If he didn't, he couldn't be Shadow's support.
Downstairs, as he fed Silver, Shadow couldn't stop mentally scolding himself with the same harshness he was sure Knuckles would have used on him. In fact, he was kind of surprised that the echidna hadn't come over yet to rub salt on his open wounds, but he was relieved that the red brute was nowhere near. He didn't need more bullshit in his life at the moment. He wasn't sure if he would be able to stand it.
He still couldn't believe what he said in the living room. He wasn't sure, however, whether he regretted saying that he wanted Sonic to survive or crushing Sonic's hopes just after that or the oh-so-obvious display of insecurity that followed.
He frowned slightly when he noticed that Silver still hadn't opened his mouth to let the spoonful of now-cold soup inside (Shadow's arm would soon feel sore from staying in the same position too much time, he knew it), and not only that, but the little kid was staring at him with a disapproving frown. Right, he was not exactly screaming, but he wasn't in the best of the moods and Silver knew that better than any other.
Must be disappointing to have such a negative father, huh?
"Daddy." Silver protested, pouting adorably even though Shadow was pretty sure that was the completely opposite from what Silver intends. He chuckled dryly.
"Right, sorry."
There was a heavy silence between them, only broken when Silver took a sip of the spoon and decided the taste was of his liking; even though no one had told him, he already had figured out that it was Tails who cooked the soup, and then he had one of those moments of wisdom in which he wasn't a three year old hedgehog, but a full grown adult in the body of one, and concluded that Tails should rather stick to be an inventor rather than a cook, nonetheless.
"Emy does it better." Silver commented and Shadow agreed, and he couldn't help wondering why Sonic and Tails didn't like Amy's food. Silver noticed that his father was thinking about the blue hero, because while he was not be able to properly read minds, he recognized the change in Shadow's emotions when Sonic was involved. His daddy felt doubt whenever he thought about Sonic. There were times, however, when Shadow felt something else and quickly switched back to confusion and doubt. He wondered if it was love, but then again he couldn't be sure. This power of his had (conveniently) awoken the exact day that his mommy coughed blood, and by that time he only felt desperation coming from his daddy and resignation from Rouge's part, and therefore couldn't know what happened when his daddy felt romantic love towards someone.
However, he knew Sonic loved his daddy. He also wanted his daddy to be happy, but it seemed that his daddy didn't feel he deserved to be happy. Sonic needed to make his daddy realize that he was wrong.
"Sow-neek loves you daddy." He reassured.
"That I don't doubt." He answered.
"Me neither." Knuckles' voice joined them. Silver gasped in surprise. Shadow didn't even look at the echidna.
"Na-kahls, what will you give for Queez-mas?" Silver rushed to ask.
"I though you said you already got what you wanted," Knuckles tilted his head, taken aback by the sudden question. It took him a while to realize that Silver was trying to distract him from speaking to his daddy.
"I'd give you a brain," Shadow muttered, almost whispering.
"What did you say?!" Knuckles exclaimed, offended.
"And new ears." Shadow added, unfazed by Knuckles' outburst. "Shouldn't you be with Sonic?" He asked, focusing on feeding Silver.
"S-shouldn't you?!" Knuckles hissed, startled.
"When did you started playing matchmaker? Besides, I'm busy here." He stressed. Silver's face went to one that clearly said 'don't use me as an excuse, daddy'.
"I'm not playin' matchmaker. I just happened to see your little display of affection and wondered why you chickened out seconds later."
Shadow felt his ears burning.
"I spoke the truth. What's wrong in it?" He bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything stupid in front of Silver. He was above having violent outbursts, he was composed, he was calm, unlike the echidna in front of him.
"Nothing. I guess." Knuckles huffed, avoiding his gaze. "Just came here for water," he growled, walking to the kitchen counter and pouring himself a glass.
"Tch, whatever." Shadow mumbled.
"I don't want more soup, daddy. 'M not hungry." Silver said. Shadow sighed.
"Fine," he breathed out as he took Silver in his arms and put him back on the floor.
"You know what," Knuckles spoke again, and he didn't saw the terrifying way the spoon in Shadow's hand bent because of the force he applied on it. The ultimate lifeform wanted him out, now. But Knuckles was oblivious, and continued: "I'm still wondering what she might think of this."
Shadow froze. If Knuckles hadn't kept talking, Shadow would've probably knocked Silver out so he couldn't see him murdering Knuckles.
"But the more I think about it, the more my conclusion changes."
Shadow blinked in disbelief.
"Rouge might have stolen many things, but I really doubt she would have liked to steal your happiness away. Think it through."
This was the second time this excuse of a brute left Shadow speechless. Damn it.
This brash, punch-first-ask-later moron, telling him to think. It was comical in a disturbing way, because it worked.
Knuckles left the kitchen, too focused on drinking from his glass to notice that his words really had affected Shadow. He hadn't meant to say what he said, in fact, he had planned to say 'I'm now sure that Rouge thinks you're an idiot for not allowing yourself to get over her and she doesn't like you thinking of her as an evil witch who doesn't want you to be happy with anyone else," but he had a stroke of who-knows-what and changed his words at the last moment. He huffed; was he getting softer? He frowned, as deep in thought as he could. Maybe not softer, maybe he just imagined that Rouge wouldn't have liked either if he went and mistreated Shadow.
Either way, he wasn't doing it for Shadow. Just for Rouge.
"Na-kahls is wight, though I didn't get what he said," Silver commented, his golden eyes meeting ruby ones.
Shadow sighed mentally. Great, just what he needed, his own son and Knuckles allying against him.
Was he really right? No, there was no doubt; Rouge was, despite it all, good hearted, and the only one who kept Team Dark united despite their differences, and—
And she had smiled before dying.
She had smiled and wanted to say something, but couldn't, because her mouth was full of blood and the hospital was still too far for them even when Shadow was running at top speed to take her—
He started hyperventilating to calm himself, and clutched his chest where it was supposed to be his heart, beating faster than ever in his life, pumping that dirty blood of his—
"Daddy."
It took Shadow a moment to calm himself, not even Silver's tight hold on his leg helped.
I. Really. Don't. Need. To. Remember.
He felt his eyes moistening with tears, and blinked hard, not wanting to shed any in front of Silver.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe!
Remembering Rouge shouldn't bring him so much pain. They had loved each other, they had a beautiful son, and—
He had watched her die in his arms and had brought her dead body back home (not home anymore, just a house, a burnt house, ashes) and had not allowed Silver to see her because there had been so much blood, an ugly shade of red and that was the only ugly thing about Rouge because the rest of her had been so beautiful—
Omega buried her while he went inside the ashes and tried miserably to explain to his son —their son— that his mom was gone forever, along with what they called home.
"Shadow."
He looked up, his eyes meeting Tails' and making the genius fox flinch at the sight.
Shadow looked so distraught that it reminded them of that time at the hospital when he feared that he might have a breakdown sooner than later.
"Are you alright?" It was a stupid but, somehow, necessary question.
"Yes," Shadow answered, his open wide eyes darting back to the floor and his hand still in his chest. If he sounded really unconvincing, Tails didn't tell.
Shadow was still hyperventilating like he was about to have a panic attack, and Tails glared warily at him. Silver was shivering, and Tails could tell it wasn't because of the cold. However, once he set his eyes on the young hedgehog (whose back was turned to him) he flinched, and willed the trembling away.
Wow, so young and already hiding his fear, wonder where he learnt that from, Tails thought.
Shadow took a deep breath and did the same.
"I got distracted," it sounded like and apology, and Tails didn't like it one bit, but decided not to dwell on the subject.
"I see," he answered, and cleared his throat, trying to remember the reason why he stepped into the kitchen in the first place. Oh, right. "I came for Sonic's pills, he told me you had them."
"They're on the counter." Shadow's eyes followed Tails' figure as walked past him and took the boxes of painkillers and antibiotics the doctors had prescribed for Sonic.
"Thanks. Oh, and... Um..." Tails stopped before heading out of the kitchen. "I also brought with me the first dose of your treatment. Is it alright with you if we start once I give these to Sonic?"
Shadow nodded to the floor. Tails didn't need further approbation, and went upstairs.
"Daddy, are you sick?" Silver asked, his bright golden eyes filled with worry and sadness. Right, Rouge had been sick too.
"Kind of," Shadow answered calmly, making Silver relax. "Tails will cure me, so it's nothing to get worked up about."
"Yay!" Silver beamed, his previous sadness forgotten. "Daddy, can I go see Sow-neek?"
"I think we should let him rest for now."
Silver pouted slightly, but nodded. Shadow's gaze stopped on the stairs, waiting for Tails to come back.
The next day Sonic woke up from his coma, Tails had talked to Shadow about what he found in his blood.
Even though Shadow had expected and was sure that he was carrying Vampire's disease, that didn't make it less painful when his suspicions were confirmed.
What really had surprised him was the possibility (possibility, because it was impossible for Tails to know Rouge's exact cause of death and Shadow would never exhume Rouge's body for something as selfish as wanting to clear his conscience) of Rouge having certain bat-only hereditary disease that attacked only in the adulthood and had the same symptoms as Vampire's disease.
Too good to be true, but Tails didn't let him dwell on the subject further because he mentioned Silver and how lucky he was to have been born a hedgehog or else he would have suffered the same fate as his mother. Shadow had nodded absently.
Then, Tails had started talking about treatments. In this day and age, according to Tails, Shadow's diseases had a cure and the sooner they disappeared, the better. Shadow had agreed, feeling a bit dizzy with all the information running through his head.
Tails had decided to end their little chat there and go back to Sonic's hospital room, but there was still a question lingering in Shadow's head.
Does Sonic know it's my fault he fell into a coma?
He had talked to him in his sleep, but he doubted that Sonic had actually heard him. He opened his mouth to ask, but then his over-developed hearing caught a 'pervert' being said by Silver, and his body moved on its own, his hand closing around the doorknob and twisting it almost violently.
A week later, the question still nagged Shadow.
He didn't have the nerve to ask Sonic personally during his visits to the hospital, as he didn't think it wise to mention anything that could upset or worry Sonic while he was recovering. That included their feelings. Nope, no talking about feelings. Sonic, fortunately, had understood Shadow's reasons for not touching the subject. Instead, they spent their time together talking about trivial things: the weather, the news, Shadow's decision to handle any villain (should any appear) during Sonic's recovery, why Sonic and Tails didn't like Amy's cooking, etc.
No feelings.
I'm sure as hell he wouldn't be talking to me this way if he knew I infected him. Shadow thought one of those days, biting his lip anxiously. For some reason, that discouraged him further from speaking to Sonic about the matter. The thought of Sonic hating him, now that he was out of dying-risk, had formed a tight knot on his stomach.
He intended to ask Tails once he was back from giving Sonic his pills.
Tails was back sooner than expected. Once their eyes met, the fox nodded and reached for a bag on the couch. He brought out a syringe and two vials, then a pack of cotton, a bottle of alcohol and a rubber cord.
Silver gulped at the sight and he tugged at Shadow's leg, his big eyes pleading permission to leave and avoid watching his daddy being 'attacked by an evil needle' as Silver would say. Shadow nodded, almost amused; that needle was far from evil to him.
Silver floated upstairs, probably going to see Amy. Shadow knew Amy wouldn't let him bother Sonic in case he was asleep, so he didn't worry. Or maybe Knuckles could play with him, if he was still in the house.
Tails tightened the cord around his arm, and Shadow tried not to look as the needle pierced his skin. He hissed in pain when the contents of the syringe entered his bloodstream. It had never happened before, and it had taken all of his willpower not to draw back his arm.
"It's a very strong dose," Tails commented, still injecting the medicine. "One per week, during eight weeks." Finally, he took the needle out, before Shadow bit his tongue enough to draw blood.
"I look forward to the next," Shadow said rather bitterly, all thoughts about the needle not being evil completely forgotten. He rubbed his sore arm. Tails threw up the syringe and went upstairs again, and Shadow sighed in disappointment when he opened his mouth to ask the question and found no one around him. The pain had distracted him.
Knuckles was the one who made the dinner that night, and, surprisingly enough, it tasted quite good. Tails' face didn't go blue nor green in disgust and Shadow assumed Sonic's wouldn't either, if he were able to see him eat right now. Knuckles had been the one who delivered him the food, and Shadow was surprised to find himself wanting to be the one who did that.
But that feeling had a completely rational explanation: Shadow didn't want the brute of Knuckles to take care of Sonic, he feared that the brash echidna would make a bad movement and end up hurting Sonic more. Yeah, completely understandable. Nothing to do with affection.
Once dinner ended, Knuckles and the rest left the house. They didn't bother to say goodbye to Sonic; according to Knuckles, he was asleep when he went to leave the dinner at his room and expected Shadow to re-heat his plate of spaghetti and give it to him once he woke up. Shadow scoffed internally; of course he would've done that, he didn't need to be told to.
At least they didn't tease him about that stupid comment of his.
He sighed for no apparent reason, and went to the couch, where Silver was seated watching TV. He decided that it wouldn't hurt him to watch Frozen with his son for the hundredth time that year.
Twenty minutes later, he felt the distinct weight that told him that Silver had fallen asleep against his arm, his face peaceful and a trail of drool escaping his lips. He picked his son up and went upstairs, deciding to tuck him in the crib. His arm still throbbed in pain, but he endured it. Once he finished, he went to check on Sonic.
As if on cue, the blue hedgehog was rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to get rid of the last traces of sleep.
"Water..." He croaked, his eyes still not meeting Shadow.
"Got it," Shadow mumbled, and handed him the glass that rested on the nightstand. Sonic seemed surprised to see him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shadow shut him up putting the glass against his lips. "Drink," he demanded, not liking at all the throaty whisper Sonic's voice had become.
The blue hero nodded, gulping down the water slowly.
"Where are Knucklehead and the rest?" He finally asked, his voice still hoarse but not as much as before.
"They left not long ago."
Sonic nodded slowly in understanding.
"What time is it?"
"Almost nine," Shadow answered. Sonic opened his mouth to speak again, being interrupted by his stomach grumbling. Sonic smiled sheepishly, his belly already had talked for him. "I'll reheat your food," Shadow mumbled, taking the delectable-looking but cold plate of spaghetti off the nightstand and leaving the room. Sonic counted the seconds for him to come back. Sixty-two.
He ate in silence, his eyes shining in awe at the taste of the food. Shadow found himself liking that look, and he felt his ears burning at the realization.
Sonic finished his plate, his eyes still bright.
"God, Shads, your cooking is Heaven," he complimented. Shadow blinked at him in confusion, still a little distracted.
"I didn't cook it," he answered, almost shyly. He had liked the compliment... Though he would never admit that.
Now it was Sonic's turn to blink owlishly.
"You didn't? Then... Tails?"
Shadow shook his head no.
Sonic's muzzle turned green. "... Amy?" He seemed afraid to ask.
Shadow used his hand to hide the little amused smile that crept up his lips. He shook his head no, again, and muffled a chuckle when Sonic's eyes widened like windows, his mouth open like a fish out of water.
"Kn-kn-Knu...?" He tried to say, failing because of the shock.
"Uh-huh," Shadow nodded, and for a while the amusement reached his eyes and Sonic loved it.
"That bastard... He told me once he couldn't cook to save his life, now I see he said that 'cause he didn't want to help in Thanksgiving," Sonic grumbled, pretending to be annoyed.
"How are you feeling?" Shadow asked suddenly. Sonic looked at him a little baffled. Shadow felt a blush creeping up his cheeks, not able to stand that gaze for too long, and cleared his throat. "Y-your health, I mean. Does something hurts?"
There was a brief but pregnant pause before Sonic answered.
"Nothing unusual. The stitches felt sore, but the pills are doing a damn good job and I feel like new, but drowsy," as if to prove his point, he yawned.
"You should rest."
"I'm tired of resting," Sonic complained. "Can't wait to be good again." Shadow gulped, feeling a pang of guilt. Sonic kept talking, but Shadow didn't really pay attention, too focused on struggling to decide whether to ask that question.
No, he wouldn't ask it now. But would he ever do it?
"But you know, I'm glad you get to take care of me. I really—"
"Sonic," Shadow interrupted, already sensing where the blue hedgehog's words tried to lead to. That wouldn't happen. Not now. No feelings now.
He pretended he didn't heard Sonic's frustrated yet resigned sigh.
Sonic deserved to know that his beloved Shadow was the one who infected him. But not now. Shadow could only imagine how would he react, and he needed to be prepared for the worst case scenario (Sonic hating him forever and throwing him and Silver out of his house). Prepared and healed.
Yes, once his treatment was over, he would look for somewhere else to live and once he found it, he would tell Sonic.
That if Sonic didn't find out before. But Shadow forced himself to trust Tails' confidentiality.
Christmas was quiet, but enjoyable nonetheless. Silver got so many presents from Amy (and one from Knuckles, another from Sonic and a little robot made by Tails) that Shadow feared he might become spoiled, Sonic practically forced Knuckles to make the dinner (and everyone had agreed, much to the latter's displeasure), Tails broke the law when Amy was about to give Sonic some eggnog (she didn't know the problems alcohol had brought to Sonic, unlike Tails) and he snatched the cup from her and downed the contents in one gulp. He had to endure the strange and shocked looks he got from everyone (even Sonic! Didn't he realize it was for his own good?!), and did his best to hide his embarrassment as he said:
"No alcohol until you recover, Sonic." The latter had groaned in protest and for a split second Tails could swear that his big brother wasn't playing along with him and oh boy, he wanted to strangle Sonic.
Ten cups of eggnog (no, he actually didn't like it, but he didn't want anyone getting drunk, so what better solution than to drink all the eggnog left) and five hours later he remembered that he had a really good tolerance to alcohol. Yeah, it wasn't his first time drinking. The first time had been around one year ago, it was goddamn summer, the water had ran out and the only thing in the fridge was beer. He was at Sonic's house, and by the looks of it, either his brother was planning to throw a party or invite Vector for a drinking contest. Tails wouldn't allow either, and he was thirsty and one thing led to another. Sonic had felt utterly humiliated that his baby brother could not only drink all the beer on his fridge, but still be sober even 10 hours later. Needless to say Tails had been angry at Sonic for not even caring about him being underage.
Oh, and most important, Sonic felt for the first time in five years not alone. What a Christmas.
All of Shadow's treatment doses had been given to him while Sonic wasn't in the same floor, even though Shadow hadn't told Tails that he didn't want Sonic knowing about his treatment nor why he was receiving a treatment in the first place, it was as if Tails knew. That or it had to be a really wicked set of coincidences.
Tails and Amy's visits had become less often with the passage of time, as Sonic was getting better and needed less care (or that was what he said, annoyed by Amy's constant pampering and Tails worrying over nothing).
And as much as time really wasn't a problem for him, being immortal and all, Shadow felt that those eight weeks of treatment were the longest of his life. He was relieved (but sore) once the eighth dose was given to him. He'd use the excuse of going to the mall to get food to instead search for a place to stay in case the worst happened. It was kind of easy, the city was full of department complexes and he'd only chose a random one. And he could buy new furniture, in case the worst happened and Sonic really didn't want to see him again.
Suddenly he wasn't all that optimistic, and he felt a painful tug in his chest. He had grown very used to living with Sonic; that might've be the reason of his anxiety.
He stopped in the middle of the street, taking deep yet shaky breaths.
It's nothing really, I shouldn't be sad for having to leave. It was meant to happen someday, though I didn't expect it this way.
He frowned; he hadn't even told Sonic yet and he was already worrying about the consequences. He shook his head and decided to buy the food he had promised, according to Silver, they were running out of cookies.
Sonic was playing with Silver when he heard Shadow opening the main door. Silver had flew to his encounter, exclaiming something about cookies.
Sonic wasn't the brightest of hedgehogs, but he could see something was off the moment Shadow was smiling. It wasn't a happy smile, those were for Silver and the little hedgehog had flew out of the room to eat cookies without the danger of having to share his. It wasn't bitter, either. It was... Relieved? What was he relieved about? Why was he clutching his arm so anxiously, though?
He was about to speak, but Shadow went ahead.
"We need to talk."
Sonic gulped, those words always meant trouble. He nodded, speechless.
"You deserve to know that it was because of me that you got in a coma. Well, technically I didn't know I had it in my blood, b-but you know what I mean," his eyes averted Sonic's and gradually focused on the floor, as if ashamed. "I was the one who infected you, Sonic." He clenched his eyes shut, and visibly tensed. Sonic could tell it had taken a lot of courage for him to speak. He opened his mouth again, but Shadow continued. "You have all the right to be angry at me, a-and..." He fumbled with words, not as confident as in the beginning.
"Shads." Sonic's voice wasn't hoarse anymore, as his recovery was almost finished. That word was enough to make Shadow flinch, and the black hedgehog hissed in embarrassment at his own reaction. "Why would I be angry?" He really sounded oblivious.
"Y-you're kidding me, right?" Shadow's confused eyes met his. Sonic shook his head no, approaching Shadow. "I-I was planning to tell you e-earlier, but you were recovering—"
"Shads. I'm not angry, I already knew." Sonic's hands rested on both of Shadow's arms, and squeezed gently. Shadow's eyes weren't scared anymore; shock had replaced it.
"W-who told you?! Was it Tails?"
Sonic quickly shook his head no before his beloved went into a fit of rage and tried to kill the fox.
"You told me. At the hospital, remember? When I was unconscious." Shadow's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't understand it at first, I didn't really care, but then Tails explained it to me."
"When?" Shadow mumbled, shaken.
"He came when you were asleep."
"Oh," was all that came out of Shadow's lips. He looked so meek right then that Sonic couldn't believe he was talking to the same hedgehog. Sonic tried to lighten the mood.
"So, you were worried about me being angry all this time?" He smirked, amused. Shadow flinched again, a blush creeping up his muzzle.
"Of course not!" He exclaimed, though Sonic knew he was lying. "A-are you sure you're not angry?"
"Yep."
"Not even a bit?"
Sonic smiled, feeling a little warm. He loved when Shadow became doubtful, it was adorable. "Nope."
"B-but the doctor said you wouldn't be able to run as fast as before."
Sonic's smile didn't falter.
"If I didn't know you better, I'd think you really wanted me to be angry."
"Honestly..."
"Shadow, I'm not angry. And I could never, ever, hate you. Got it?" His hands were still around his arms.
"But—"
"Never." His face was ridiculously close to Shadow's, and the latter felt his pulse increasing drastically.
"Aren't you even disgusted?" Shadow whispered against his face. He really couldn't believe that things weren't going the way he expected, and even worse, he was feeling so glad that it didn't happen the way he imagined, he wondered how he could restrain from smiling like an idiot.
"Not at you, never at you," Sonic was still too close, and Shadow felt his hands squeezing him again. "Only at me, for the way I got the virus. If anything, I kind of deserved it, y'know?" His eyes were sad now. "No one should dare to hurt you in that way, and if someone did I would be glad if they got the same punishment as me—"
Shadow put two fingers over's Sonic's lips, and placed his other hand on his chest, separating them.
"In the very improbable scenario that it happened, no one would get infected. I'm cured." He said the last sentence with a relieved smile.
"Y-y-you are?!" Sonic exclaimed, surprised. Shadow nodded. He didn't expect Sonic hugging him the next second. "That's wonderful! How—"
"Tails cured me. Hurt like hell." Shadow answered, relaxing against the touch, but not reciprocating it.
"Remind me to thank him."
"Alright."
They stayed that way for a while, until Shadow spoke again.
"Sonic?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't know why, but... I-I'm really glad that you don't hate me." Sonic could already feel him blushing.
"You know I'm a sucker for you, Shadow," he on the other part was glad to be healthy enough to talk about their feelings, and felt a dorky smile forming on his lips at when he caught a glimpse of Shadow's beet red muzzle.
"Sonic?"
"Hmm?"
"Can you release me?"
"Oh, right," he blinked, and obliged. "Sorry."
"Don't be." And Sonic was really, really shocked the next second, when Shadow's hands took his gently and their lips met. It couldn't be called a kiss, it was more like a peck with how chaste and brief it was, but Sonic melted into it nonetheless. He dreaded the moment those precious lips left his. He really had missed them in those five years of absence.
Shadow was still blushing, though there wasn't doubt in his face. Nothing that could tell Sonic that he regretted what he just did. He might've not known what made him kiss him, but he didn't regret it. And Sonic felt even warmer at the realization.
"Shads..."
Shadow opened his mouth, but then Silver's voice made them both turn their heads towards the half-open door.
"About time!" Silver exclaimed, his eyes bright with excitement. Shadow choked on his own breath, taken by surprise. Sonic couldn't help smiling as he helped Shadow with his coughing.
About goddamn time, indeed.
Goodbye, 2014! You were a shitty year. I hope you readers got a good year, though. I'm waiting for 2015 'cause of the new season of Durarara and Avengers Age of Ultron. I've recently got into Marvel slash, a lot of it. And I also got an unhealthy obsession with Chris Hemsworth. Oops.
And there seems to be a fucking error with FF lately, the chapter won't update! DDDD:
