hoo boy this ones a doozy
i think this one is the longest chapter ive ever written
Sonic hadn't even noticed he started to drift away. All he could think about was the sweet tasting pastry the scent belonged to. Oh how it consumed him. The hedgehog could almost taste the sweet sweet dough of a blueberry muffin, or the gloriously sticky goodness of a cinnamon roll. The speedster's mouth watered. He wanted - no... needed to get his paws on at least one of the delicious treats. His belly grumbled anxiously in anticipation of the much needed food. Sonic was so enveloped in the marvelous world of baked goods, he didn't even realize what happened next.
His hand slipped. Not his free hand, the one Shadow held with an iron grasp. Sonic wiggled his fingers. His hand inched ever so slightly out. It seemed the iron was turning to clay. Emerald eyes opened. The cobalt kid hadn't even realized he had closed them. Shadow didn't seem to notice what was going on with his charge. In fact, he seemed in a trance, looking for the Emerald had overcome his senses! Sonic tugged against the grip and his hand slid loose. Freedom! Now, for the long overdue breakfast.
Sonic wiggled through the crowd. Following his nose was easy, getting to the destination was difficult. One might think that the hedgehog's small size would make it easy to maneuver through the tightly packed space, but they would be sorely mistaken. Sonic's short demeanor made it all the harder to make it through without getting trampled by the ever moving herd of humans. He found himself dodging this way and that, using short bursts of speed to avoid getting squished by the significantly larger citizens.
Finally, red sneakers hit the concrete pavement of a sidewalk. Perfection. Peering around and through the mob, Sonic's eyes found exactly what they were looking for. A bakery.
The bakery was a glorious sight. The woman who owned the shop made sure to give it a welcoming aura. Plants lined the large open windows, the walls were painted a lovely pink and white, and the interior decorating was cute and rustic. Smells upon smells rolled out of the open doors and into the open air. A chalkboard placed on the sidewalk read, in what could only be the most aesthetically pleasing calligraphy the hedgehog had ever seen, donuts half off today. The sight couldn't be more perfect. This was heaven. It had to be.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Sonic walked forwards. The alluring sight drew him in. The scents of cookies and cakes embraced him, nearly lifting him into the sky. Sonic fell into his own trance, hypnotized by the rumble of his belly and the intoxicating air that carried him across the sidewalk. The bakery grew closer, allowing the starving hedgehog to see the assortment of goodies within. The smell grew stronger, and stronger, and stronger. Sonic could feel drool start to leave his mouth. He needed one of those pastries. He absolutely ne-
A harsh grasp jolted him backwards, startling Sonic out of his hunger induced hypnosis. Before he could process what exactly had happened, he found himself being dragged away from his oh so delicious goal and back into the crowded space. No! This couldn't be happening! Sonic saw all he ever wanted growing smaller and smaller before his very eyes. The growl of his stomach protested. Heck, everything in his body protested. He needed that food.
"Do not run off again." The all too familiar voice of the threatening adult growled. Sonic felt his wrist go numb under the intense grasp now held by Shadow. Sonic felt tears start to come to his eyes. All he wanted was some food.
"No!" He cried, pulling and pulling against the force that dragged him away from the nutrition he so desperately needed. "No, I won't go!"
"Please Shadow, all I wanted was some food, promise!" He found himself explaining. The adult stopped, turning around to look the kid over with extremely angered eyes. Sonic wanted to curl up and die. The look that Shadow gave him was the worst look he had ever received.
"If I really wanted to escape, I would have made a run for it! I'm sorry, I'm just so hungry…" He sniffed.
"Hungry?"
Sonic felt the blush of humiliation wash over him. Was he really going to start crying right now? Sonic had handled other situations with much more grace than this, why was he going to start blubbering now? He looked up at Shadow. The elder carried the most neutral face Sonic had ever seen. It was eerie, seeing him look so alive, yet so lifeless.
"I just wanted some food, I haven't eaten for almost an entire day." Sonic confessed. He felt the grip around his wrist soften ever so slightly. Perhaps Shadow held some pity for the blue blur? It seemed highly unlikely. This was the hedgehog that was dragging him around against his will, injuring him with little to no remorse, and treating him like an inferior life form. There was no reason for Shadow to even care. He obviously didn't plan on keeping Sonic alive. The blue hedgehog was expendable. Nothing more.
"Please… I don't need very much."
Yet another heavy sigh escaped the adult. The free hand reached up and pinched their owner's brow for the unnumbered time that day. A small grumble of relentment barely reached the blue blurs ears. Sonic felt himself perk up. Was Shadow giving in? Better take the chance before it leaves forever.
"Come on!" Sonic shouted, taking the elder's hand. A mixed look of surprise and annoyance appeared on Shadow's face as the smaller hedgehog began to drag him back through the crowd. The blue blur didn't bother trying to find out the elder's reaction, all he wanted was some warm food in his watering mouth.
"It's this way!"
The luxurious sight of the bakery faded back into view, taking all the smells with it. Sonic stopped briefly, inhaling the scents like a vacuum cleaner before stepping forwards again, pulling the adult after him. Red sneakers crossed from the pavement into the tiled floor of the shop, ensuring him there would be no going back. He would feast.
Sonic promptly stepped into the line formed by customers. Hunger licked greedily at his insides. It was a struggle not to cut straight to the front. Sonic the Hedgehog has manners, he reminded himself. Oh how it hurt to stare at all the food and have nothing but a glove to chew on. He needed food, but he was content to wait.
For the first time in a while, Sonic felt completely safe. The happy bright colors and the laughing cheerful people made the hedgehog forget all about his unusual predicament. For once in his entire life, the blue blur felt like a normal kid. There were other children at the bakery too. One child jumped up and down, excited to receive her slice of cake while her mother looked on with a smile. Another kid sat on one of the hand-carved stools, legs swinging back and forth above the ground while they enjoyed a large cinnamon roll. Yet another stood in line, holding his parent's hand while looking through the steamy glass at the freshly baked cookies. Sonic smiled wide. He had visited a similar shop with his own mother years ago. He could even feel her fingers grasping his own…
"Hey." A voice spoke, startling the young hedgehog out of his daze. He looked around to see who could be talking to him when he realized where he was. The counter.
"What do you want?" A sweet voice asked. Sonic looked up to see the barista smiling down at him. What did he want? A blankness consumed him. It even showed on his face.
"You'll have to excuse him, we've been traveling all day." Another voice explained. Sonic became aware of a painful pinching in his fingers. The hand that held his squeezed harder and harder. Sonic snapped out of his hunger induced daze.
"I uh.. I uh…" Sonic looked at the assortment of pastries in front of him. What did he want? The shiny shell of a donut caught his eye.
"I'll have two glazed cinnamon sugar donuts, please." He ordered. The tension on his fingers released slightly. The woman smiled and carefully grabbed the two donuts. She slid them carefully into a wax bag and handed it over the counter.
"That will be 20 rings." She declared. Oh crap. Sonic didn't think about how he would pay for the food. He had his own stash of rings, but he had left it behind when G.U.N started chasing him. How would they pay? He looked up at Shadow nervously. What were they going to do?
The adult sighed. He produced 20 rings and handed them over the counter, grabbing the bag of goodies on his way back. Huh, Shadow had 20 rings. Wait, Shadow had 20 rings? Where did he get those? When did he get those?
"Thank you!" The barista chirped. "You and your son have a good day!"
"I... uh... what?" Shadow stammered, unsure of how to react to the current situation.
"Thanks! We will!" Sonic responded, pulling Shadow out of the bakery. He dragged the adult into the open air and down the sidewalk. That was close. Close and confusing. Now... to eat.
"Can I have my food now?" Sonic asked, looking back at Shadow with the biggest eyes he could muster. The adult looked back at him. Sonic noticed that his older companion held the most confused and bewildered look on his face that the hedgehog had ever seen.
"Let's find somewhere to eat." Sonic mumbled.
Shadow stepped forwards. He pushed his way in front of the hedgehog and began to lead him down the pavement. Sonic just went with it. What else could he do? He was beginning to grow too fatigued to keep fighting this guy. In fact, he was getting kind of used to being dragged. How healthy was this relationship?
Sonic's stomach growled. Loudly. That was the last straw. He needed food, and right now. Dashing forwards, he reached for the precious bag held by the constraining adult. His fingers grazed the wax. So close. He tried again.
"Will you stop?" Shadow growled, smacking the hedgehog back.
"Come on Shadow…" Sonic whined. " I need to eat the food to feel better, you know."
The blank stare that followed surprised the blue hedgehog. Shadow looked simultaneously annoyed and neutral at the same time. What was even the purpose of the expression he carried?
"You can't just let a donut grow cold, you have to eat it quickly." Sonic pouted.
"Donut...quickly?" Shadow parroted, confused yet again.
"Don't tell me you've never had a donut before…" Sonic trailed off. The all too serious look on Shadow's face told Sonic everything. This guy, the dude who didn't know who Eggman was, the dude who didn't know who the current Guardian of the Master Emerald was, the dude who didn't know about the space colony accident, had never eaten a donut before. Sonic didn't even know why he was surprised.
The hedgehog acted quickly. He tugged at Shadow to stop, they needed to sort this out. Surprisingly, Shadow relented. He looked around once or twice before pulling the blue blur into an empty alleyway. Sweet sweet privacy.
To Sonic's growing excitement, his arm was released and the wax bag was dropped into his paws. Food. Sonic didn't even think. He buried his gloved hand deep into the wax bag and pulled out the hard earned pastry. The hedgehog was glad humans had such large food sizes, this would fill him for sure. The soft dough was hastily shoved into his watery mouth, and the hedgehog tasted an explosion of flavor. The graceful sweetness of sugar mixed wonderfully with the sharp taste of cinnamon swirled beautifully around in the hedgehog's mouth. Sonic felt himself falling to his knees as the most fantastical ballet of texture and flavor danced on his taste buds with ease. The hedgehog blinked back a few tears. This was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his entire life, second only to chili dogs.
"Are you done yet?" The rough voice of Shadow pierced through the haze of delight. Sonic blinked away the haze of contentment. Shadow clearly didn't appreciate the sacred time of the donut.
"Haven't you had one of these before?" Sonic asked, muffled by the donut currently being shoved into his mouth. Shadow shook his head, unamused by the whole affair. Sonic's jaw fell slack in disbelief.
"No donuts? Didn't your mom ever take you to a bakery?" He nearly shouted. Or maybe he did, but it was muffled by the dough blocking the view to his face. Neither could tell by that point.
Shadow shook his head again.
"I never knew my mother."
Sonic frowned. He dug his paws back into the bakery bag and produced the other donut. Much to the elder's surprise, the young hedgehog held it out, mumbling words far too muffled to be any language. Shadow blinked. Sonic urged on, holding the precious pastry closer to the adult. Shadow reluctantly took it. Sonic watched on with growing interest as the adult held it up. He sniffed it once or twice, letting the chemicals enter his system. Sonic groaned in anticipation. He mumbled louder, seemingly insisting on the black mobian to take his bite already.
Shadow obliged. He slowly opened his mouth, and allowed a small amount to pass onto his tongue. Red eyes dilated slightly under the sensations Shadow was receiving. Sonic scooted closer, amusement and interest overcoming his expressions. Shadow seemed to like this "new" food. But alas, things changed. As quickly as the scarlet eyes had widened, the pupils contracted as a twisted look of disgust and surprise overcame the adults face. Shadow coughed, bringing up the food previously enjoyed.
"Uugh." He spat, handing the pastry back to the younger hedgehog. "Too sweet."
Sonic laughed. Apparently Shadow wasn't accustomed to the world of candy. His taste buds were weak. Sonic felt truly powerful in that moment. Here was something he could do that Shadow couldn't. He giggled to himself as he began to ingest the other donut. Man. What was he going to do with Shadow.
The other donut didn't hit quite the same way as the first one, but it filled his belly nonetheless. Sonic wiped the crumbs off his gloves. He felt better - happier too. unfortunately, he knew it wouldn't last. Shadow would eventually grow tired of him, and Tails would find his body in a dumpster a few weeks later. The blue blur gagged. Ugh. He would be rotting and eaten by rats at that point. Emerald eyes turned to look at the other hedgehog. Shadow was peering around the corner. He seemed wary, almost nervous about being followed. How in the world would G.U.N catch up to them that fast? What did Shadow have to be nervous about?
Sonic began to wonder if he should be nervous too. Well obviously he should be nervous about Shadow… but should he be worried about something else too? Sonic looked around. As his eyes looked from left to right, he almost didn't notice a small pair of hands making their way out of a box on the ground. The hands were only slightly bigger than his, and were reaching for something.
Huh?
The hedgehog watched in a mixture of amusement and confusion. The hands crawled towards Shadow. Why would they be reaching there? The gloved fingers began to grasp their way around the hedgehog's beautiful golden rings. Sonic's mind raced faster than lightning. A pickpocket was gunna take Shadow's anklets! Should he do something?
Before Sonic's next thought even came, Shadow reacted. He yanked his ankle away from the hands, executed a perfect spinning reverse crescent kick pulling the thief with it, and slammed the victim against the wall. His own fingers wound tight around the throat of what appeared to be a girl. She was young, yet older than Sonic, and wore a striped long sleeve shirt with cute overalls. Her large white ears flattened down in horror as she looked up at her aggressor with frightened eyes. Her wings flapped uselessly around as she struggled in the choke-hold frantically.
"Do not remove those." He growled, squeezing harder on the young bat's neck. She gasped, trying to say something only for her lungs to fail her. Shadow's hands began to glow.
Sonic nearly fainted at the whole ordeal. He had never seen Shadow do that before. Chaos Control was one thing, but harnessing its energy like that? Sonic had never even dreamed of doing that. He nearly forgot what was happening in the shock of the moment.
"Pl...ease…" The girl struggled. She was losing consciousness quickly. Sonic reacted accordingly. He curled tight and spun, aiming for Shadow's midsection. He launched himself forwards, only to find himself deflected back. Shadow had kicked him away. His fierce red eyes turned back to the girl, his aura growing darker by the second. He was going to kill her. Sonic panicked. What could he do now? He did the only thing he could think of.
Sonic ran forwards, jumping onto Shadow's arm, trying to tear it away from the poor girl. He hung there, legs flailing and kicking in an attempt to stop the aggressive adult. He swung back and forth, yet the arm did not move. He might as well have been swinging on an iron pole.
"Shadow no!" He cried, not louder than a whisper. Planting his red sneakers on the wall around the girl, he aligned himself and pulled. He strained and strained, trying to get the ridiculously strong arm to stop strangling the girl. He had to help.
"Let her go!" He shouted, looking into the luminous red eyes glaring down at him. "Please! She didn't mean it!"
The grip on the bat's neck didn't falter, but the hand stopped glowing. Progress! Her blue-green eyes looked pleadingly up at the two, hands wrung tight around Shadow's grasp in an attempt to free herself. Shadow's eyes looked from Sonic to the girl. Sonic watched the intense snarl on his lips waiver slightly. Progress?
His fingers tightened, pupils contracting to mere slits as his shining white fangs appeared once again. Sonic looked back at him in horror. He stared pleadingly into the gaze of the elder, trying to somehow telepathically get him to stop. But there it was again. It was back. There was something else behind the gaze, the same look as before, but what on earth was it?
A shadow cast itself on the scene, causing the three to turn and look. Sonic felt his heart skip a beat at the sight he saw. This was horrible timing.