Non-alcoholic drinks were being passed around in plastic party cups; a lot of the residents couldn't afford crystal. The raising of said cups was accompanied by the cheers of those of all ages. Another battle was won against their most current adversary. Chats and laughter wouldn't cease during repairs being conducted by more forward-thinking, goal-driven Mobians. A well-constructed bonfire lit the indigo sky. Not everyone had access to the host's home; regardless, Sonic made rounds to personally greet the guests, amiable as always.

But, perhaps not with the most sincerity.

At the edge of the gathering was a contemplative hedgehog, at the very least grateful that him and his, newfound acquaintances, had made it through another day. Per the norm, he barely consumed the food and drink and observed the rest of the crowd, as if he were outside a glass building looking in.

It was effortless on their part to get together, smile, and hold one another as friends, lovers, and family kin. So natural—something he was clearly not. By now everyone had to have heard that he was created, as they assumed that he harbored one of the worst tempers and personality around. As if seeing your only friend getting shot didn't have something to do with it…

He simply did not belong in their world, but had ended up here by pure circumstance.. He couldn't just abandon it either for a life of solitude on another spacecraft.

"Mr. Shadow?"

"Hm?" Blinking at the sight of the bunny, before giving a half smile out of politeness, "Good evening, Cream." Her small hand was surprisingly strong, "You're alone again; come with us." The Chao trilled in agreement. The man shook his head no, slowly, "I'm fine.. I see your mother." Vanilla seemed worried, eyes searching around for her daughter in the sea of others, who had actually grown since they last bumped into each other.

How one ages..!

Amber eyes shone as if pleading for him to come along. Ruby orbs glazed over like that of a doll.

"I'm sorry; perhaps next time when this," hand upwards in the air making a circle with flair, "is all over and everything is settled. Back to normal." Cream lifted a corner of her lip trying to give an understanding nod, "Ok. Hope to see you soon." Cheese nuzzled to the black hedgehog before returning to its friend. "Good night Shadow."

He repeated the goodbye, making sure that mother and daughter were reunited before realizing the blue 'copy' of himself was heading his way. Pretending to not have noticed him, he casually strolled off leaving the appetizers and spritz behind, like a lone partygoer leaving the scene to smoke on the balcony. Feeling a sharp focus burning into him, he felt genuinely disturbed when a hand smacked his shoulder in goodwill,

"Hey buddy~!"

"I'm not your 'buddy'." By now he would have shoved him off, "Hi, Sonic." Not turning around to see what kind of face he'd be pulling off this time. The blue blur chuckled, "How are things?"

"…" Silent for a solid minute. Hand was off, "Same as ever, right?" A subtle yet noticeable unsureness in his voice. Now Shadow peeked behind himself, "What do you think?" The cobalt's bright green eyes downcast in defeat in trying to get something different out of the distant companion.

Shadow questioned with an unrelenting gaze, "How are things, with you? Bored already to bother talking to me?" Part of him wished to have Sonic stay longer, to be his usual persistent self—only to be confused when he just walked back to the sea of others. It was time for black to leave, skating off to the tropical wood via the beach..

"Why does this keep coming out of my mouth?" Thinking aloud, grating teeth together before biting down on the sides of his tongue to prevent a sore jaw. Interactions shouldn't be this hard..! It doesn't cost one's soul, artificial or not, to be a decent person and to have at least someone smile at you for existing.

"What am I thinking?" At the edge of the forest dead stop in his tracks. Head hung in shame.

"I don't know what you're thinking—but I got some time to kill to figure it out."

Neck twisted to find Sonic beside him, "Where'd you come from?" Admittedly, Shadow could be so absorbed in his thoughts that it was a viable flaw, if not downfall.

"You wanna race? I need the exercise." Grinning, though not right at him. The crazy shine in his irises had gone missing. "No rocket boots."

The black hedgehog took forever in processing that blurb of information; he finally bent his knees to lift his shoes just enough to deactivate the hover feature.

"Ready?" The red eyes practically glared onward, mainly inward at his incompetence for things outside of action and peril. "Set—Go!" Blue zipped along—half second later Black went after him. The competition could have been done a lot sooner had he removed the inhibitor rings on his ankles. In retrospect, it wouldn't have been fair. After saving the world countless times, they were in essence a far cry from what they used to be: Bitter rivals. The fighting, borderline narcissistic spirit had been doused considerably within the dark hedgehog since he spiraled inwards, disregarding the changing world around him—the changing people around him..

Lush green passages, cliffsides and dizzying loops later they had made it onto a plateau with its own little oasis and crisp body of water (which Sonic paid much mind to avoid). The younger hedgehog had hardly broken a sweat. Their end would have been considered a tie, although it was taxing hard on the other Lifeform catching his breath, letting out a pained cough.

"You seem out of shape."

"Your stupid type of food."

"You're malnourished; that's what."

Shadow had been getting rather gaunt. Any negative emotions and impulses that used to power outwards now inverted, as to not cause any innocents harm in the worst possible moment. Large amounts of stress affected his health. He always had to carry the blame for something. Not this blasted hedgehog near him; oh no—he was perfect in every way.

Shadow growled in response, but even that was weak.

"Geez; you should sit," guiding rigid shoulders to a nearby boulder for a bench.

He attempted to relax, gripping himself all the same. Deep breathing forced. The blue hedgehog in question settled down nonchalantly next to him, looking off to the side dejected, "Why do I bother?" Stretching his arms out and above his head, "I'm talking to a brick wall."

The older one had clasped his hands together, wringing at them wondering what the game was this time, "I'm not a wall. I.. Is there something you need to talk about with me?" Tongue then working inside his mouth, not too obvious, but it got the blue thing to smirk, "I know you saw me before your escape; seems like there was something on your mind."

The guys kept their distance from each other to which Shadow mixed a curt laugh with a sigh of relief, and worry, "So I have lost my edge." He couldn't tell in that moment; his mug was changing from its dark tan to a slight shade of pink. It would explain a sickly feeling.

Awkward pause came after; both caught sight of shooting stars and heard the wind against the ferns and saw it brush upon the surface of the lake. Red eyes hid behind heavy lids, ".. Sonic."

"Yes?"

"What, am I to you? Now?" The other raised his brows in shock. "Because, I don't see you as I did before. You were simply annoying back then." The cobalt rodent tucked his arms into his lap, shrinking down into himself. "I've looked at us as.. Something other than enemies."

"Hm; frenemies?" Nervous chuckle, "Best rival buds?"

Fist clenched, wanting to resist the next word, "No." Ruby revealed itself, hardly able to make contact with Emerald—Peridot—whatever.

What Shadow couldn't say he showed, placing a nervous hand in the space between them—

A clear vulnerability.

Sonic kept further away, "Just friends, right?" Being rather accusatory, "Since I'm not available as anything else to anyone."

Shadow masked disappointment with a scoff, "But, Amy? Tails—?"

"No," The blue one gripped his knee hard, hiding his face away, "and don't even think about Tails being some..!"

The black hedgehog took his hand back insulted, "That's not my thought process—and that's not what I'm after, Sonic Hedgehog." Now directing anger outward, "If I wanted that I would've taken advantage of you many times over by now." Sonic nearly fell off the rock wanting to get away from the subject, "What?"

Shadow, noticing his own voice raised, made his last phrase a mumble in apology, "Although, however 'natural' that's supposed to be I don't think I'd enjoy it one iota." Trying to turn it into triviality, "You might though."

It earned him a wild punch to the face, "You bastard! I'd hate it!" He was frighteningly livid.

Not realizing the weight of his words, Shadow actually cowered under Sonic's abrupt stand while holding his face, "S-Sonic."

Green eyes darkened considerably, "In case you haven't noticed I'm never swooning for a dame or for a man—When have you seen me being kissed? Don't answer that." Shadow gulped at the prickling words, just taking the yelling like a child. "I mean, when have you seen me, a growing teenager, wanting to get cozy with someone else?" Tone kept sharp to cut into the other's psyche.

The older hedgehog went quiet, curling into himself on the flat surface. That glare barely softened.

"No; I haven't seen it…"

Sonic exhaled, freezing up when he continued. "And I understand why, if you understand me."

Cobalt turned away, gripping its arm enough to bruise.. "I do." Shaking, "So you know, then, that I can't afford to."

The black hedgehog shivered from the cold. Out of a kindling of self-preservation, he snapped himself out of fear and sat up to bring his knees to his chest, shielding against the breeze. Eyes shut to hide away from the world to indulge in self-deprecation and pity. He never did hear, however, the zipping rush of speed that signified the blue hedgehog's departure. Shadow looked again: Sonic was grounded on his knees at the bank of the water, leaning near it as if he wanted to force drowning headfirst.

".. You should go back to them."

"I, c-can't. Not now," rubbing a damp glove to his face, back turned. Shadow's heart about stopped at the low cry, and he wanted to rush to his aid—but what could he do? Be allowed to do? His face red and tingled with all sorts of built up tension, he got up putting on a serious expression at a last-ditch effort to assume control. It crumbled when he got a long look at his so-called rival, "Stop that, please."

Lime jerked upward in a cross of anguish and rage in trembling features, hands about to form claws with how they were tensed, "Easy for you to say, robot for brains!"

By default, the elder responded with violence; his own face stinging from earlier. "Oh!" Sonic gripped his side and lower abdomen after that swift kick, hissing but not retaliating.

"Why won't you now?!" Shadow already regretted the blow; guilt was no longer a stranger, "Sonic..! Answer me!" Pupils unfocused.

The younger guy laughed maliciously, "Go away egomaniac—you'd be doing all of us a favor!"

Tears fell from his cheeks all the same as if he couldn't believe the words that were spilling from his mouth. No longer understanding where he was, Shadow's vision got blurred and darkened; he tried to keep his composure even as hands broke from rationality, blindly binding onto cobalt and peach fur,

"I'm not leaving, you hear?!"

Loud enough to give earaches for a week; Sonic gulped, wanting to tear away from his grasp. To challenge the supernatural strength, he gripped onto one of the black hedgehog's gloves to try crushing the bones beneath as punishment for getting this far. It was enough to make the other wince,

"You don't have to be alone in this, Hedgehog."

Reddened sockets allowed the liquid to freefall, "I can't lose anyone I care for, especially not-!" Burrowing himself into a tight hug and more consoling from the Shadow of his own self, incapable of finishing a single sentence, "Why, you-?!" Inhaling and exhaling haphazardly when calloused fingers rubbed small, tight circles on the most stressed points of his muscles, a trick that Rouge had taught him after a lousy day. Sonic groaned in exasperation and, needless to say, embarrassment for his 'disgusting' show of 'weakness'...

A few minutes of the massage led to less dialogue, glances and weak attempts at a smile or two between them. The breakdown had made Sonic exhausted, more than any fight in his prime. There was a reason why he in particular didn't like to stay inside his head for too long.. "Shadow."

Practically lying in his arms, the trust was so great that he began to fade into nothingness. The freak of science gazed at the creature in awe through watery orbs under the moonlight.

He wouldn't dare break this connection now. With utmost care he carried the sleeping tragic hero to find a spot soft enough to lean back and take his own rest, keeping Sonic abreast, "There, there.."

They didn't know or care when they woke up—the sky was still dark and spotted with stars. In the far distance sensitive ears picked up on the sounds of ongoing festivity.

On the way back, they decided to walk.