This chapter has been updated as of 09/08/2020

Sunday, November 28th, 7:07am, The Triplets' living room

Shadow wakes up before everyone else for a change. He considers getting up and gathering things for the day ahead, but he can't bring himself to get out of bed and he feels a pang of guilt at that. The world as he knew it ended and here he is, laying in a cozy bed with Amy as if nothing were amiss. He should be out there doing something, but he's coming to realize that he's not a good person.

He hadn't meant to confess his feelings to her last night, but she'd looked so devastated when he'd said he didn't care and so the truth had poured out. He still can't quite believe that her reaction was to kiss him. He wants to pull her close, to kiss her some more, but now is definitely not the time. Even though her lips are soft and she feels so nice in his arms, even though the world is screwed anyways. A small voice in the back of his mind wonders if she'd just been caught up in the moment last night, but Amy has shown herself to be more than capable of telling Shadow off. If she doesn't want his affection, he will know soon enough. He tightens his hold around her while he still can and the action causes her to stir. He watches as her eyes flutter open, blinking the sleep from her vision. He feels her whole body jerk the moment last night comes back to her, sees the sudden clarity of her eyes and the small 'oh' her mouth forms. For a moment he's disappointed, then she turns to him, face red and smile wide.

"Hey," she whispers, reaching a tentative hand across the space between them. He meets her halfway and laces his fingers through hers.

"Hey," he replies just as softly. He licks his lips and the action draws her eyes to his mouth, she bites her lower lip. He swallows, resisting the urge to pull her to him. The others will be up any time now and they have a big day ahead of them.

Amy tugs at his hand, guiding it to her waist. Her free hand goes to the back of his neck and she begins to lean in. He catches her mouth with his own and feels weightless. Everything is warm. She smiles against his mouth and he wraps his free arm around her, using his grip to pull her into his lap when he shifts into a more upright position. Her fingers start fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and he begins kissing along the side of her neck. She makes a noise in the back of her throat, and—

A cough from the other side of the room causes the teens to jump apart, and Shadow is suddenly very aware that they are in Sonic's house and that until recently—possibly even now—Amy's feelings for him had been quite strong. He turns and is not surprised to see Sonic standing in the hallway with a raised eyebrow. Wonderful.

"You know Shadow," Sonic begins with a drawl. "It's generally considered a dick move to make out with another guy's girlfriend. Especially while you're staying at his house." Shadow flushes, earning an amused smirk from Sonic. He tries to school his features into some semblance of indifference, but it's not easy when Amy is very clearly straddling his lap.

"Girlfriend?" Amy repeats with a tremor in her voice, and it occurs to Shadow that they may not have actually broken up. He doesn't glance at her, just watches Sonic and waits to see if Amy will hasten to his side and apologize, assure him that she loves him and only him and that this whole thing with Shadow had been a scared, confused mistake. Then she speaks again, and he realizes that he'd misunderstood the tremor. "Do you actually think that you have any right to call me that? After what you did? Seriously? The only reason I didn't break up with you, Sonic, is because it seemed pointless. Our relationship was a sham, after all, and I was the last to know. You and I both know that we were over the moment I found out."

At some point during her tirade Sonic raises his hands in surrender. "Easy, Ames. I was just goofing. If you wanna lock lips with Shadow, I can't really stop you. But like, could you try to keep it a little more... private?"

Of course Manic chooses that moment to open his door and wander up the hall. "Why with the yelling?"

Sonic replies before Shadow can say it's none of Manic's business. "Ames didn't appreciate my commentary on her and Shadow's make-out session," he sums up with a shrug. Manic raises an eyebrow and glances at Amy and Shadow, as if seeking confirmation. Shadow refuses to meet his eyes and Amy fidgets. He feels her shifting uncomfortably in his lap and it takes all of his willpower to keep his expression one hundred percent neutral. He is very aware that his shirt has been unbuttoned past his navel.

If Manic has any serious thoughts on the matter he hides them well. "Sounds hot," he says, and he has no right to grin like that. "I'm gonna cook up some grub, though. If you'll excuse me." He shoots them a wink and loops his arm through Sonic's, dragging his brother out to leave Shadow and Amy blessedly alone. Shadow gasps at the feeling of Amy's finger tracing the edges of the scar on his chest, and the way she looks at him from under her lashes very nearly makes him pull her closer again.

"I guess we should get up, too," she muses, but she doesn't seem very attached to the idea. Shadow nods, not trusting his voice to remain neutral. They make their way to the kitchen in time to find Sonic and Manic having a quiet argument about eggs.

"I'm telling you, bro, they're fine," Manic is insisting, but Sonic shakes his head.

"The fridge is warm," he points out. "Nothing in it is good anymore!"

Manic makes an incredibly frustrated noise. "Dude, how are you so dumb? Eggs are fine warm. Like, yeah, the bacon's done for, and the milk is probably no good. But the eggs are fine. Plus, we don't have much else left, unless you want crackers and peanut butter for breakfast today?"

"Do we have any beans left?" Sonic tries, and Manic shakes his head.

"Nah. I think it's time we go foraging."

"We're not stealing food," Sonic replies heatedly, and it sounds like an old argument. "We'll figure something else out."

"Like what?" Manic wants to know, and Shadow's with him on this one. "Bro, there are easily a dozen empty houses on this street alone. No one has come or gone in days, and it seems wasteful to ignore them. Besides, if we don't hit them then it's only a matter of time before somebody else does."

"It's not happening, Manic."

Manic rolls his eyes at Sonic and grabs the eggs. "Right, well. You enjoy your crackers, then."

Breakfast, a weird mix of eggs and peanut butter on crackers, is had in silence, and afterwards Manic offers to lend Shadow some clean clothes since his bag is still at Amy's condo. Of course, Manic's wardrobe leaves much to be desired in Shadow's opinion. Finding a shirt that fits is easy enough, but as far as pants go...

"There is no way those are going to fit me," he points out when Manic offers him a pair of black skinny jeans.

"They're pretty stretchy," Manic replies. "You could at least try them."

Shadow snorts, doubting that they're that stretchy, but when Manic provides a mass of strappy black fabric as an alternative, he decides that the skinny jeans, while not really his style, are worth a shot.

"Don't look," he absentmindedly tells Manic as he begins stepping into them. To Manic's credit, they are stretchy. They're also incredibly form fitting and get stuck on Shadow's thighs.

"Yeah, no, they don't fit," he informs his companion as he begins pulling them off. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Manic glance at him.

"I guess you're more bootylicious than me," Manic muses, and a blush covers Shadow's entire body.

"Manic," he yelps. "Don't look!"

Manic makes a placating gesture as he turns around again. "Sorry, sorry. Try the pants on the bed."

Shadow grumbles even as he complies. The pants on the bed are the black strappy mass. He steps into one leg, and he's pretty sure he could fit both legs into it if he wanted. Unsurprisingly, the baggy pants fit much better than the skinny jeans. Still...

"Do you have anything else?" Shadow asks, tugging at a strap connecting his left knee to his right hip.

Manic turns around and eyes Shadow up and down. "Nothing that'll fit as well as those," he answers. Honestly, Shadow thinks he'd prefer something a bit too small to... these.

"What about your school uniform?"

Manic snorts. "Bruh, I haven't washed those pants since I got them. I mean, if you really want—"

"No, these are fine," Shadow hastens to reply.

"Suit yourself," Manic says with a shrug before heading into the hall. Shadow follows behind him, still tugging at the offending straps. Bad enough that the pants are so baggy...

"Who even puts this many straps on pants?" he mutters to himself. "It's so impractical." Amy's bell-like giggle rings behind him and he glances back to give her a reproachful look.

"I don't know," she muses, grabbing one of the offending straps and using it to tug Shadow over to her. His heart skips a beat. "Seems practical to me," she murmurs as she releases the strap to wrap her arms around his waist. When she presses a soft kiss to his lips, he doesn't hesitate to return it.

"I can't even fathom how Manic hasn't gotten himself killed with some of the stunts he pulls in pants like these," he grumbles as soon as his lips are unoccupied.

"If they're so bad then take them off," Amy suggests with a laugh, and given how forward she's being Shadow's mind goes somewhere incredibly indecent. He splutters out a half-formed protest, which in turn causes Amy's cheeks to flush pinker than her hair. "Oh! No, no no no, I meant like wear your own, or borrow Sonic's, or something! I swear!" Her voice raises in pitch as she speaks and by the end she sounds strangled. He can't blame her with how he reacted.

Shadow grimaces and rubs the back of his neck. "I knew that," he mumbles, and they both know it's a lie.

"Of course," she agrees with a forced laugh. They don't meet each other's eyes.

They're still standing like that—close enough that their legs are touching, but both looking studiously away—when Manic comes back down the hall. One look at them and he bursts out laughing. "Oh man, you two are hopeless. What'd I miss?" Matching glares do nothing to stifle his mirth. "Fine, be that way. You two need another moment alone, or can we head out now?"

It takes a huge effort but Shadow manages to keep a neutral expression and tone when he replies. "You're sure you don't own reasonable clothes?"

Manic laughs. "Positive bro. Unless you'd prefer a kilt?" Shadow glowers at the suggestion and Manic raises his hands in mock surrender. "Look if it's that big a deal just borrow something from Sonic, I'm sure he'd be chill."

Shadow shakes his head. "No, these will do," he mutters, not even trying to sound like he means it.

Manic rolls his eyes. "Whatever. You ready to go?"

...

Sunday, November 28th, 9:03am, The outskirts of the blast radius

There isn't much talking during the walk to Tails' workshop. Seeing the ruined remains of the city puts everyone in a subdued state. Sure the streets are still intact, but the further east they go the worse off the buildings seem to be. At some point Amy's agitation must become clear, because Shadow takes her hand in his and gives it a comforting squeeze. She shoots him a grateful smile in return, but he doesn't even glance at her. His eyes are dark and there's a frown on his face. Not his usual frown, mind you, but a strange, pensive one. That Amy can tell the difference is a surprise; she'd never considered a frown anything other than a frown before now.

Sonic's comment when he notices the two of them holding hands doesn't come as much of a surprise. "Jeez, Shadow, can't even wait until we've been broken up for more than a day to put the moves on my girl? I thought we were friends," he says with feigned hurt.

Shadow raises an eyebrow at Sonic. "Perhaps she realized she could do better than an obnoxious child who considers her a possession rather than a person."

Sonic's grin vanishes and his face goes far redder than Amy's ever seen it before. "Okay, Shadow, what the hell is wrong with you?" Manic takes one look at the situation, mouths an apology at Amy, and begins to walk faster. Amy wishes she could join him without drawing attention to herself, but Shadow's hand death-grips her own. She wonders if he notices. "All I've ever done is try to be your friend," Sonic continues, "and yet you can barely go two words without insulting me for no reason!"

Shadow laughs, and it's only a hair less mocking than his reply. "That's not how I see it at all. No reason? Nothing I've ever said to you has been uncalled for." He pauses for a moment, then adds as an afterthought "Nothing I've done, either."

"You broke my ribs!" Sonic shouts incredulously, an obvious exaggeration. "Are you trying to tell me that was called for?"

Shadow shrugs. "As I recall, you attacked me first. Perhaps you shouldn't pick fights you can't win."

"Arrogant, much?" Sonic snarks. "I gave as good as I got."

Amy remembers all too well the black and purple bruises under Shadow's shirt the other night. Though, now that she thinks about it, something is off, something she was too distracted to notice this morning. Even as the realization hits, Shadow is using his free hand to lift his shirt and reveal the completely unblemished skin of his stomach. His grin is mocking, and there's something almost feral in his eyes.

"As good as you got?" he echoes. "Really? Because I'd call a broken rib far worse than I'd call this." Amy can't tear her eyes away from Shadow's body until his shirt falls back into place. There's just no way... she remembers the bruises so clearly...

She glances at Sonic to gauge his reaction and is unsurprised to see his eyes wide and his mouth agape. That's how she feels, too. After a moment he closes his mouth, but he keeps staring at Shadow as if trying to figure out what he just saw. Come to think of it, Shadow's lip had been split in the encounter, too; she'd completely forgotten about that, but she definitely should have noticed while kissing him, both last night and this morning. His lip is fine, though, not even a pink spot to indicate a recently healed injury.

"What are you?" Sonic breathes, and Shadow stiffens. Amy glances at him and feels the urge to run. His eyes, usually so cold and distant, are a roaring inferno. He's tensing, she realizes, getting ready to lunge. His grip on her hand is too tight. She whimpers before she can stop herself. Red eyes meet green and for an instant Amy is certain she's about to be seared away, burned into nothing like the centre of the very blast that had thrown her and Shadow together. And then the heat is gone, replaced by open horror. Shadow drops her hand like she's the one to burning him.

"Did I hurt you?" he asks, and though his voice is soft there's anger in his eyes. She doesn't think it's directed at her. She shakes her head and the anger fades. "I scared you, though."

"I'm fine," she answers, even though it wasn't a question. The fact that he's so agitated by the thought of upsetting her leaves Amy feeling warm inside. She doesn't notice Sonic frowning at them.

"You're sure?" Shadow asks, and she nods. He doesn't smile, but the edges of his face soften. He leans in and brushes a chaste kiss across her cheek, then straightens before she can return it. She brushes her hand against his, uncertain if he'll accept the invitation, but his fingers twine with hers.

"Can we get going?" Sonic demands, drawing their attention back to him. His arms are crossed and he's tapping his foot impatiently, giving every impression that he wasn't wide-eyed with horror moments ago. Shadow glares at him and Sonic returns the expression. For a moment it seems like they're going to have another spat, then Shadow nods and the three of them start walking again.

The rest of the walk passes without incident.

...

Sunday, November 28th, 9:32am, Tails' workshop

The moment Tails' workshop comes into view, it becomes clear that the building is sturdy. While the surrounding buildings have extensive burn damage and are on the brink of collapse, the workshop stands tall, a lone island in a sea of destruction. Getting closer, Shadow sees that the workshop is a concrete box. The door opens as they approach, revealing a short, androgynous kid who seems to have replaced sleep with coffee at some point long ago. Shadow suspects this is Tails, which makes the sleep deprived look understandable; from what Sonic said last night, Tails is spending as much time working on upgrading and improving the Tornado as possible, and needs regular reminders to eat and sleep. Actually, come to think of it, the kid looks familiar...

The kid runs a hand through fluffy, ginger hair and grins at Sonic. "I thought you were supposed to be fast, but you're the last to arrive," he teases, blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Funny, Tails," Sonic drawls. "You can blame Shadow for that," he continues, as Tails holds the door for them to come in.

Tails glances at Shadow. "Oh, we met, didn't we? Not formally, or anything, but I helped Sonic take you to the ER. Do you remember?"

Amy's grip on Shadow's hand tightens at the mention of the ER, and Shadow nods. "Tails, was it? Thank you for that."

The boy grins, then turns to Amy. "And you are?"

Amy returns the smile with an easy one of her own. "Amy Rose. It's nice to finally meet you, I don't think I've seen you around. Do you go to a different school?"

Tails laughs, freckled cheeks taking on a pink hue. "I actually skipped a few grades," he admits. "I'm in university."

"Oh wow, that's amazing!" Amy enthuses. "How old are you?"

"I turned sixteen last month," Tails answers proudly.

"Awesome! But, how did you and Sonic meet?"

Tails' expression falters. "Oh, ah, that's a long story," he murmurs, and Shadow decides to throw the kid a bone.

"An interesting one, I'm sure, but we're here for business not pleasure." Tails looks like he doesn't know whether he should be grateful for the subject change, or offended over being dismissed so casually. Either way, they stop dithering in the doorway.

Inside, there isn't much to Tails' workshop. It's almost entirely one open room, with a red and white biplane taking up most of the space. The far wall looks like it opens up, but the others are lined with shelves and workbenches, all of which are buried under tools and parts. In one corner, there's a sort of living room area consisting of a mini fridge, a microwave, a couch and loveseat, and a small TV sitting on a pile of what Shadow can only describe as 'stuff'. It's far from luxurious, but he admires it. It's the kind of place he could easily lose himself in for hours, even days, with no fear of being bothered by the outside world.

Arranged around the sitting area are Manic, Rouge, Knuckles, and two people Shadow only kind of recognizes from around school and the pool party. A girl of average build with lavender hair, amber eyes, and an ashy brown complexion is seated on the loveseat next to a tall, slender boy with very dark skin, gold eyes, and curly, white hair. At the sight of her friends, Amy drops Shadow's hand and rushes over to give them all hugs.

Rouge takes one look at Shadow from her perch on the mini-fridge and lets out a guffaw. "Shadow Hassan, what are you wearing?" she asks. "You look ready to go to a rave."

Shadow scowls. Perhaps he should have borrowed something from Sonic, after all. "And you look ready to go clubbing, yet here we are."

Rouge opens her mouth to deliver an undoubtedly cutting retort but Manic speaks up first. "Not that I wouldn't love to spend my day discussing fashion, but don't we have more important things to worry about?"

Shadow and Rouge cross their arms in near unison, both of them staring Manic down. He has a point, though. "You mentioned an entryway to the old tunnels?" Shadow recalls.

"One step at a time," Sonic cuts in. "First, let's make sure everyone knows what we're here for."

Knuckles shrugs. "No idea. Rouge said you guys needed some muscle, and I have nothing better to do."

Shadow frowns, turning his attention to the strangers. "And you two?"

"Sonic found me at the school and said he was going to save the city," the dark skinned boy replies with an eager look in his eyes, and Shadow can't help but think that they're all doomed.

The lavender haired girl sighs. "Someone has to keep Silver out of trouble," she answers, and he's glad at least one of their recruits seems to be taking this seriously.

Between Shadow, Sonic, and Rouge it doesn't take long to get Knuckles, Silver, and the lavender-haired girl, Blaze, up to date, and then it's just a matter of fine tuning the plan and making sure everyone is aware of their role.

The first step is getting to the lair, which will involve splitting into three groups of two and one group of three when they get near to the Twinkle Park area, decreasing the chances of being spotted by any G.U.N. agents still present. Then, they'll meet up again in Twinkle Park and travel together from there. In the lair itself, they'll split up once again, this time into one large group led by Sonic and a smaller one led by Shadow. Sonic's group will fight their way to the centre of the building, destroying as many guards as possible on their way. In the Emerald room, Rouge and Tails will work on retrieving the Emeralds while the others keep the robots at bay. While they do that, Shadow, Amy, and Manic will use the distraction to make their way to Aziza's holding cell and attempt to get her out. During the discussion, various things that could go wrong get brought up, but they eventually determine that there's only so much they can plan for.

When they eventually leave the workshop, they do so fairly optimistically despite the dangers. A part of Shadow feels they should use their own Emerald to teleport in and out, but he understands why they aren't and he's reasonably confident in their current plan. When the time comes to split into smaller groups, Shadow is unsurprised to be paired with Sonic. Disappointed? Yes, but not surprised. They're the fastest, after all; they can take the longest route and still get there ahead of everyone else. That doesn't mean he has to like it. Once the two are on their way, they speed up. Even with his injured ribs Sonic is faster than Shadow, much to the surly teen's ire.

It isn't long before Sonic takes advantage of the alone time and speaks up. "I'm not too sure how I feel about you dating Amy," he says, as if that weren't already obvious.

"I couldn't tell," Shadow scoffs, earning an annoyed glance from Sonic.

"Shadow, I'm serious. I can tell you like her, and don't get me wrong, that's great, but I'm just not sure you're a good match for her."

Shadow scowls. "And you are?"

Sonic gives Shadow a funny look. "No, of course not, dating holds no interest for me. I'd rather be running or hanging out with Tails. You're a better match for her than me, but that really isn't saying much. Amy's sensitive and needs constant reassurances. No offence, but I don't think you're up to the task."

"And I don't think my relationship is any of your business," Shadow snaps back.

"Of course it's my business. Amy's like a sister to me. You dating her is as much my business as it would be if you were dating Sonia or Manic. I just want to be sure she's being treated right. Besides, how do I know you're not taking advantage of her?"

Shadow misses a step at that and the only thing that keeps him from smashing into the pavement is a steadying hand from Sonic. He clenches his fists to resist the urge to strike his companion for even suggesting such a thing. "Do you really think that's what's happening?" Shadow asks in a deceptively mild voice. Sonic doesn't miss the bite in the words.

"It's not something I want to believe," he placates, "but I need to look at the facts. I mean, she's had an incredibly rough week. She's scared and vulnerable, and you've got that aloof, unaffected attitude. Someone like Amy's going to notice that, be drawn to it. And then there's the fact that you're older than her, and stronger than her. What am I supposed to think?"

Shadow frowns, because what does age matter? "You're older than her too," he points out.

"I'm not the one whose hands were all over her this morning," Sonic drawls. "Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't walked in on you two?"

Shadow feels the heat rising in his neck. His mind slips to that morning a few days back, to him wrapping the towel around Amy's shoulders. He wonders how Sonic would react if he pointed out that he's already seen Amy naked. Sure, he didn't actually see anything, but he very easily could have. The memory makes his insides knot up. "What are you getting at?" he asks, hoping he doesn't sound as flustered as he feels.

"I just need to be sure you're not going to hurt her or push her into anything she's not ready for."

Shadow shoots Sonic a dark look. "You're one to talk," he scoffs. Sonic gives him a long-suffering look and Shadow reins in his irritation. "Alright, look, all you need to know is that I am not leading Amelia on, nor am I going to do anything to her that she does not expressly request. I...," he grimaces. Being open with Sonic is the last thing he wants. "I have grown rather fond of her. I want to make her happy."

Sonic sighs. "As long as she is happy."