Thank you all for your continued support, when I first imagined this series it was something extremely self-indulgent between works though it still spiraled out of control. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed the ride, the finale to this series isn't a one-shot but a multi-chaptered entry. Thank you very much ~Cosmo.

There was a knock at the door late in the morning.

Tails took it upon himself as there was no one else in the duplex awake. He could pry himself away from the Tornado's upgrade of an upgrade for a second. Tails hovered through the kitchen adjusting his welding mask mid-flight. He interrupted the stranger mid-knock—

It was Shadow.

Tails began closing the door while maintaining eye contact. The hedgehog proceeded to wedge his foot into the door.

Tails monotonically but with a polite smile said," He isn't awake yet."

Shadow looked down at the kit," Can I go wake him up?"

"Sonic said you had a bribe for me." Tails almost demanded while maintaining the guise of childish innocence.

Wondering if the alternate Tails in the opposing reality was a mob boss Shadow sighed and gestured to the package on his motorcycle. Trotting behind him Tails thought of convincing Shadow to take him for a ride— or to let him test drive it himself! OR— actually realistically speaking Tails could finally get someone to mow the front yard as Knuckles had been putting off for nearly weeks on end at this point.

The child in Tails was still bursting at the seams to get a present despite the context that he received it under. He was still giggling to himself with anticipation that he nearly crashed into Shadow's back spines.

Retrieving a large box wrapped in marigold gift wrap and tied off with an orange shimmery bow, Shadow picked up and looked down at it in his hands, "Tails, I want you to promise me you'll take good care of this."

"Oh man oh man oh man oh man!"

Shadow insisted again rather seriously,"Tails… please."

Raising one hand and using the other to cross his heart,"Of course Shadow I promise— I take good care of my things ask anyone!"

"Okay," Shadow breathed,"I'm really trusting you here." He handed over the box to Tails who was practically vibrating with ideas of what the gift could be. Tearing into the paper Tails began to open it in the overgrown front yard with his welding mask occasionally flopping down and hitting him in the snout. Shadow only wished to hear what the neighbors had to say— perhaps this sight was as amusing to any on-lookers as it was to him. He let out a dry nose laugh and held the mask up for the kit.

Once all the paper was removed, Tails stared at the object in befuddlement. It was a toolkit. It was a rusted pale blue toolbox that had three rows of space. The box possessed several odd bumps and dents.

Tails must've made a strange face as Shadow was prompted to say,"It was Maria's."

"The girl on the ARK?"

"... yeah, see she was like you— crazy smart," Shadow smirked grabbing his bag from his bike,"I figured she didn't want these to just sit around collecting dust so as a peace offering… I want you to take care of them."

Unsure of really what to say, Tails stared at the box with a heavy but airy feeling trapped in his esophagus. This was a of emotional baggage to dump on a ten year old. It was certainly a big gesture that much Tails could grasp; though it was cumbersome to hold that much of someone else's grief. Picking the tool box from the ground he held the dense case to his hip and began to limp inside with it.

Shadow felt his ears pull back when he heard how the metal of the box scrape on the concrete pathway. It was like he could hear nothing else.

"So what science did Maria want to pursue?"

Finding his voice Shadow blinked,"Something tells me robotics but I just don't think she wanted to be like her grandfather… but bioengineering or chemistry is also likely candidate."

"She'd have all these papers. She was homeschooled, mostly self taught with whatever books the scientists were leaving around. The papers they had all these really complicated shapes on them… I think it was advanced calculus and geometry."

"Did she have any hobbies? Did she build stuff?"

Shadow thought on it, the memory wasn't chaining him down as much anymore. Tails kicked open the front door to the house. Better for it, the overcast made it appear as if it was going to rain soon.

"Before the ARK maybe… she didn't have a lot besides the books. We always drew together whenever I was allowed a break from the lab."

"You were a scientist too?"

"Science experiment," Shadow corrected, almost proud that he was able to remember so much on his own.

Tails felt the corners of his mouth pinned in a flat tight-lipped smile— how the heck was he supposed to respond to that?

"Shadow if you don't mind me asking," Tails struggled to find the most sensitive way to phrase the question," What exactly are you?"

The hedgehog opened his mouth only to close it again. That was a good question, Shadow offered a vague shrug as a response. The fox began to wonder if he was perhaps the most mundane person in the friend group. Sliding the toolkit on the counter, something caught the Kit's eye. A stack of golden rings; Knuckles finally got around to paying his share of the rent this month.

Tails paused for a second, that meant Knuckles somehow traded goods and/or… services to someone in exchange for rings. That was more concerning than Shadow showing up like the pale horse of death ready to claim another soul for the fiery pit. No offense to one of his only best friends but what could an idiot like Knuckles possibly hold down in the way of a job?! He barely remembers that he's supposed to be guarding the Master Emerald half the time!

"You okay over there chief?" Shadow asked as he took a seat at the kitchen table,"You've just been staring at that pile of rings like it owes you more rings."

"About thirty to be precise!" Tails poked at the stack watching it topple over.

Shadow chuckled," Are you always so serious?"

"When are you not! I thought that was your thing!" Tails reprimanded,"Knuckles was supposed to pay rent for about two weeks now, and I'm beginning to think he's a Gigolo."

Wheezing like a wounded donkey Shadow began to laugh himself under the table."— do you— do you ev-even know wha-what that word means?" Shadow imagined Knuckles standing on some street dingy corner wearing his dumb cowboy hat getting pressed on by some lonely housewife, that poor magic mike bastard.

"Sonic lets me watch HBO!" Tails stick his tongue out.

"Sonic lets you do what?" Sonic stumbled out of his room from down the hall rubbing his eyes along the way.

Revving up his tails, Tails picked up his toolkit rounding a corner into his garage swiftly, calling out,"Thanks for the tools Shadow!"

"Ah, what a cute kid," Shadow felt his lungs get back under his control enough to speak.

Sonic yawned,"What's so funny?"

"Well Tails thinks Knuckles is a hooker."

"...I think I'm gonna need you to back up about 3 steps so I can get the context," Sonic picked at his ear, taking the seat next to Shadow,"So what inspired you to come here at… jeez what time is it?"

"Time for you to set an alarm; it's 9 am."

Sonic punched his partner in the shoulder,"Ah c'mon you know justice never sleeps!"

"Justice never sleeps because it is highly traumatized of the moral ambiguity of its actions," Shadow snorted," I brought over some old records I wanted to share with you."

"...Shads I hate to burst your 1950s malt shop and 25 cents for a gallon of gas coated bubble, but no one has a record player anymore."

Shadow sighed unloading his bag that had his record player in it," you sure are lucky you're pretty."

"That's why I leave the bills to the ten-year-old," Sonic nodded and placed his head on the table tiredly.

"So how do you stave off the boredom when you're not saving the world?" Shadow queried, thinking that Sonic would more than likely keel over at the lack of stimulation. Boredom kills most bunnies and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic groggily slurred his words,"Would you believe me if I said I was the fastest pizza delivery guy in the station square area?"

"It'd be more believable if you were the fastest pizza delivery boy on the whole continent."

—

I want to hold your hand, Please let me hold your hand

I want to hold your hand—

Please let me hold your hand…

You look so good to me, oo-ooee

I saw you walking all alone

that's why I want to walk you home

Sonic had done it again. Somehow Shadow had been convinced into something he didn't believe in, like sleeping in on a Thursday. Perhaps there were better ways to spend a Thursday, though he was having trouble coming up with one. Nothing quite topped dozing in and out listening to some old soul on an old Crosley. Especially with good company that was holding onto him as if he was gonna float away. When he wasn't sleeping he was looking up at the ceiling wondering how exactly he became so lucky.

There was nothing that needed his attention outside of Sonic's room. Which seemed fitting since it was his first time in Sonic's room. Plenty of picture frames on the dresser, scattered miscellaneous papers, a large window covered with a blanket instead of a curtain that let a decent amount of soft grey light that reflected off the light cherrywood floor. Shadow needed to take in every detail because he never knew if this was going to suddenly change too. He wanted to remember how the mattress felt resting on the ground instead of a frame and how the pillows were stacked up around them like Fort Knox.

On the outside of the duplex, the overcast had turned into rain. A hard downpour like that caused people inside the warm comfort of their homes to shiver. Being so unaccustomed to the sensation of touch Shadow spent the better part of his life being cold, almost ice to the skin. It was something he was always consciously aware of, how he radiated coldness. Though Sonic never once commented on it.

He felt his eyes gradually fluttering back closed for another forty winks— until there was a loud crash in the front entryway.

"KNOCK KNOCK ITS KNUCKLES!"

Sonic let out a groan into Shadow's side,"I live in the nuthouse." Sonic continued his half rant,"Doesn't even sleep inside he sleeps in the backyard porch swing but still eats my food—"

"We should at least say hi," Shadow smirked.

"You just want to tell him that Tails thinks he's a prostitute."

"Oh more than anything." Shadow swung his legs over the mattress helping Sonic up in the process.

Sonic moved the needle from Shadow's Crosley from the Fats Domino record. Something that made good sleepy material more so than any podcast, or deep sleep hypnosis videos that Knuckles swore by that activates his chakras or his fifth eye or whatever.

The two emerged from the hall into the kitchen to see Knuckles stuffing his face with lunch meat from the fridge. It was quite a majestic sight.

"Hey Knuckles." Sonic chuckled, while telling Shadow to stay quiet. This is another way to cut the time between world saving- pranking those close to you in hopes to remind them to stay vigilant and also embarrass them.

Knuckles unaware and still eating turkey straight from the packaging "Yo."

Shadow raised his eyebrows, this was sure to be amusing.

"So I noticed you paid your share of the rent this month and I commend you… but just remember you can talk to me about anything," Sonic said in mock-concern.

"What's s'at s'pposed to mean?" The echidna managed to get through with his full mouth.

"Well being a hooker, that's gotta be a really demanding job."

Knuckles bumped his head on the ceiling of the fridge, attempting to stand and turn in shock. He coughed," Ex-Excuse me?"

Sonic snickered under his breath," Well at least that's what Tails told me."

Yelling beyond ceiling into the sky perhaps reaching and spooking the angels guarding the pearly gates of heaven- Knuckles stomped the ground," TAILS!"

Knuckles finally turned to Sonic for information; only to see both Shadow and Sonic trying- but failing to keep their composure. Seeing Shadow, the echidna felt his stomach drop in fear. Shrieking as if he'd seen a poltergeist. Realizing any dynamic that Shadow and Knuckles had would now forever be ruined with running inside jokes.

"I didn't peg you, a proud echidna warrior, as a screamer," Shadow quipped innocently, though his snide and somewhat spiteful smirk defeated the illusion.

What Shadow and Rouge had in common was sharing in mutual enjoyment of Knuckles suffering, the echidna noted bitterly. Covertly he tried kicking the empty lunch meat baggie under the fridge. He clasped his hands together realizing that this evening could not pass fast enough,"...I- uh, I'll get dinner started."

"Would you like help with that, stud?" Shadow ribbed, but didn't want to think he was only there to be a nuisance. He had to remember to play nice, at least a little bit. Sonic shook his shoulder playfully still fighting his case of the giggles. Perhaps another reason why the love between them flourished was that their humor was on the same wavelength. Shadow's deadpanned voice often worked against him but in terms of comedy it was absolutely perfect how it killed him.

Tails finally fluttered into the source of all the commotion,"Knuckles finally you're home! I'm so hungry!"

"What've you been saying about me you little- helicopter clown?!"

Tails avoided Knuckles wild swatting effortlessly. Tails furrowed his brow,"I simply suggested that you managed to pay your rent this month by realizing your hidden talent of seducing bored housewives with your charming idiocy as a Gigolo."

Knuckles blinked. Processing what the annoying ceiling fan just said, there was a beat of silence where the electricity sparking off of a group of people remembering what having friends was like. A little exasperation, a little bit of teasing, though at the end of the day... something ultimately positive.

Finally after a lot of internal monologue and definition searching the echidna exclaimed," WHAT DOES THE INSANE CLOWN POSSE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT?!"