Another month, another chapter. At least I'm still writing them, it just may take me some time.
So as I'm sure every Sonic fan has seen by now, but the poster for the Sonic movie has just been released and, I gotta say, I have very mixed feelings about it. It could literally be a story all on it's own how I feel about this new look and those very uncomfortably muscular legs. So I'm curious what you guys think about it? Does anyone like the new design (what we've seen so far anyway) I'm looking for reassurance lol.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry that there really short.
The next morning had been more intense and stressful then Shadow had anticipated. Before the doctor was due to arrive the G.U.N agent was startled by the sound of an anguished filled scream from the spare room that sent shivers down his spine. After running to the room he found Sonic barely able to clutch his severed limb as he lay hopelessly on the floor, writhing in a pain that was too intense. It was obvious to Shadow at that moment that the drugs he had been given had worn off and he could now feel the effects of surgery.
He didn't hesitate. He picked Sonic up from the floor, placed him back in the bed and covered his mouth to silence the screaming while he used his phone to call the hospital.
A doctor was sent out there and then. It was a woman he had never met before but Shadow had the sense to trust her. There was nothing else he could do, Sonic was barely able to respond to simple questions due to his pain.
The first thing the doctor did was provide pain relief. Once the screaming had stopped, and Sonic finally settled after a long period of waiting, Shadow finally left them both in privacy.
It was now four days since those events. Shadow stood by the stove in his kitchen, stirring a pancake mix he made from scratch. His green apron was covered in flour, not to mention the egg shells and spilt sugar he left to clean up later.
As odd as it may seem for people, cooking was something he really enjoyed doing when he wasn't taking his bike out and chasing down criminals. Being created fifty years ago, he had taken the time he needed to master the art of combat, stealth and how to use the ability of the Chaos emeralds. When he became a G.U.N agent however, he didn't need to train for that stuff. He was put into a mission from day one and barely got a minute for himself. It was two years of pure, constant and strenuous work that lead him to near breaking point. He threw himself into the work out room but his aggression constantly grew. Why would he waste his time there when he had a job to do. Whenever he was home all he would do it fixate on his mission, go over the paper work again and again until eventually he either left the house to chase someone down or fell asleep. It was Rouge, who after first being assigned his partner, decided he was too much for her to deal with and put the t.v on in his home in order to relax. She left that day, leaving the t.v as she did. When Shadow went to turn it off, he hesitated when seeing the mouth watering ingredients being prepared for a luxurious take on medium raw steak, sided with roasted potatoes and home recipe gravy. It was an odd fixation for him watching the food being prepared and cooked in the oven, yet it was the first thing that made him forget about work.
Since that day until he ended up on the street, he watched the cooking channel every evening and wrote down the recipe and instructions. Then afterwards, it was a quick trip to the shops, then back home to cook his new meal. Over time he got really good at it. Shadow was able to whip up any sort of recipe without so much as using a measuring cup, and often whatever he would make would taste deliciously perfect. If it wasn't perfect, it went into the bin.
Today was the first time since moving into this house and getting his job back that he made something from scratch. He had been fixated only on capturing Eggman, but now, with his case being reassigned and having someone to look after, Shadow could finally relax a little, and threw all his remaining agitation and eagerness into cooking a decent breakfast.
Just as he was ready to plate up, a loud thud noise came from the room above him. Shadow looked up, wondering if he should be worried. But soon the thud was followed by the noise of shuffling, which then lead to slow, heavy steps that walked down the stairs.
What emerged at the door was a young man with his quills frazzled and a glazed look in his eyes as he barely managed to keep himself soon up right at the door frame.
Shadow remained emotionless as he faced the teenager, wondering how long until he would have to pick him up from the floor.
"Why are you up?" he asked, turning his attention back to the food.
Sonic barely answered as he opened his mouth wide in a yawn, stretching out his arm. "I'm sick of being in bed" he murmured, rubbing his eyes.
Shadow walked over and took his arm, leading him to sit down at the small table against the wall with only two chairs. Clearly not one to entertain.
"Nice apron" Sonic commented as he sat down. Shadow chose to ignore this. "You need to get as much rest as possible, you're not fit enough to walk around."
"I lost my arm, not my legs. And I can't spend another minute up there, the walls are closing in on me and I can barely breath!" he said dramatically.
Shadow merely scoffed, "That's because you're stinking up the place" he commented, getting the unfortunate whiff of bad body odour as he walked back to the counter. It wasn't as bad as when Sonic first arrived and he had to shower him down with the hose, but it had been over two weeks since then and the kid hasn't washed since. He feared that in itself was going to be another mission.
"No it's because you've boxed me in to a room with no windows and I'm going crazy." Sonic then pulled a look of discomfort as he held his stomach. "I need to run, I feel like I'm going to explode" he winced, attempting to stand up. Shadow was there quick to stop him, making him sit back down, "You're not going anywhere" he stated firmly. Sonic did all but throw his head back and stomp his feet like a child. "I need to!" he complained, becoming increasingly agitated.
"What's making you feel like this?" Shadow asked, noting how Sonic's legs were twitching like wild fire. He was barely able to contain himself, constantly rock back and forth with urgency.
"I don't know" he moaned, "I have all this energy built up and it's hurting, all I want to do is run around, get it out my system, something, I don't know. I feel like I'm suffocating, I need air!"
For once, Shadow felt he could understand. Often whenever he would go a while without using his chaos powers he would feel the energy build up, feeling a lot like butterflies in the stomach. It never made him this irritable however, but he would get more aggravated the longer it lasted.
Knowing there would have to be a compromise, he placed the two plates of food onto a tray, along with a glass of water and container filled with medication.
By merely picking up the tray with one hand, and balancing it on his side against his ribs, Shadow freed up his other hand so that he could help Sonic stand and guide him along towards the back door without any incidents. As part of the orders given by the doctor, Sonic wasn't to be left alone under any circumstances unless he was asleep or having bed rest. Simply, he was too unstable to be left alone. One moment he would appear fine, the next he was either unconscious on the floor or being delirious and putting himself at risk. Lately Shadow had been worried, it seemed like more often then he realised that Sonic would re-enact a memory, walking into walls, having half a conversation and sometimes hitting himself. This had only been a couple of intenseness from the past four days. Most of the time he was asleep, those were the peaceful moments. This was the first day since he had left the room, no wonder he was desperate to get outside.
After placing the tray down first, Shadow barely had to do anything to help Sonic as the hedgehog practically threw himself down the steps of the patio, sitting on the last step. He inhaled deeply, taking in every ounce of the fresh air that seeped its way into his lungs. It was almost a high on its own, the cold was welcoming and reviving, and even though he wasn't able to run, the small walk and sitting down made all the difference to his stomach. Never again would he step back inside that house, this was his home now, this patio step.
"Happy now?" Shadow asked, sitting down next to Sonic and placing the tray between the two of them. The goofy smile was enough to answer the question but Sonic still replied, "More then ever. I never thought I'd feel a breeze again. So what's this?" he moved on, looking down at the food.
"You've never seen pancakes?" Shadow asked, taking his own plate and helping himself to a mouthful.
"Is that what they are, my, I never knew" was the sarcastic reply. After briefly pausing, Sonic took the plate and lay it on his lap. Truth be told, they looked really tasty. Nice and thick, covered with maple syrup and a slice of butter melting on top.
Shadow was using a knife and fork to eat. And even thought he wasn't wearing gloves, Sonic didn't fancy getting sticky fingers. He picked up the knife from the tray, knowing he could only do one at a time. Despite having technically lost his arm a while ago, the robotic limb was connected to his central nerves, so he was still able to in a way feel objects in an unconventional way and had never lost any ability or experienced any handicap with it. Now though, he was going to have to learn to use his left hand for everything, and while in theory it sounded easy, it was moments like this that proved otherwise.
Sonic was having trouble cutting a straight line through his food. Without any support to hold it steady, it was already proving a challenge, but no matter how much he concentrated, he was just naturally pulling to the left. His aim was to cut the food into four equal pieces, now he was lucky if he got two pieces out of it, he was trying so hard to get it right. In the end he gave up, threw the knife down and ate with his hand.
It was almost pitiful, and Shadow couldn't help but feel a pang of compassion, something he rarely felt. But the moment was short when Sonic moaned out, "Mmm this is so good!" he nearly shouted.
"Glad you like it" Shadow said as a standard response.
"I can't believe I've never had these before" Sonic said with a mouthful, enjoying every bit of it.
Shadow raised his brow, "You've never eaten pancakes before?" he asked with disbelief.
Sonic shook his head, "No. The only exciting thing we ever got as kids was oatmeal. My mum believes in strict diets. None of us were allowed to eat junk food in case we got fat" he tried to make quotation marks with his hands as he said so, only to realise it wasn't going to work with just one hand, "Aw no I can't do that anymore!"
Shadow found himself a bit surprised at the fact that Sonic actually said something about his family without prompting. It truly was a day for firsts.
"You don't say. And when you say we?" he asked, hoping to get more.
"Me and my sisters. My brother just did what he wanted, so long as dad was happy I suppose" he shrugged, staring tiredly into the distance.
At this point Shadow felt in awe, it was usually such a struggle, he wondered if this sudden attitude change was a result of something, maybe a side effect of his medication? He seemed so relaxed and less angry when talking about his family now.
Speaking of which, Shadow remembered he still needed to give Sonic his meds. He had to take several different kinds throughout the day, and as Sonic was deemed unreliable and had a questionable past, he was the one who had to take responsibility in making sure Sonic took them without any problems. He thought it was completely unnecessary for himself to be having this much control but orders are orders. He would obey them for now.
Shadow picked up the glass of water and handed it to Sonic, who thanked him and took a small sip. "Here" Shadow said, next handing over the medication, until the blank look in Sonic's eyes reminded him the poor kid only had one hand and was holding the water.
With an annoyed sigh Sonic put the water down, took the meds and threw them into his mouth, then picked the water back up and gulped it down. It was a small thing, but it proved to be a big irritation of what simple things he could no longer do.
"So, you mentioned your dad, what was he like?" Shadow asked, redirecting the conversation to before.
With a stifled laugh, Sonic began to grow dreary, "I don't know how to describe him. Scary, arrogant, bit of a jerk. He wants me and my brother to be a lawyer like him, nothing else was allowed. But my sisters could do whatever they wanted. So unfair..."
"Is that why you ran away?" Shadow asked, not realising he had pushed too far.
Sonic turned and looked him dead in the eyes. For that moment, Shadow braced himself and prepared to restrain him if necessary. But to his surprise, Sonic didn't react as he expected. The glass fell from his hand, and chipped as it landed on the ground before Shadow could catch it. Sonic didn't react. He simply stood up, almost zombie like and staggered back into the house.
Shadow left the broken glass on the floor, quickly forgetting about it, and followed.
The blue hedgehog climbed his way up the stairs, his eyes fixated only on the next step he was about to take as his head hung low.
"Sonic?" Shadow questioned, but he got no response. Sonic didn't even care that when he walked into his room Shadow followed him in. All he did was lie back down on the bed and pull the covers over his head, and there he stayed.
For a moment Shadow stood next to the bed and listened. There was no sound, no crying, no muttering, barely a noise of breathing. It was as if he had just powered down for the time being. His behaviour had been so frantic, this was one mood he wasn't used to.
"Sonic speak to me" he ordered, shaking the lump concealed by the blankets, but he got no response. At this point he felt it best to leave him alone.
At least now he had some research to do.