A few hours later, Sonic woke up in his bedroom to the ringing in his ears less prominent. There was still very clearly some tinnitus going on, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. It had subsided enough to where he could hear a conversation going on the other side of the bedroom door. He couldn't tell who was talking, his hearing wasn't that strong yet, but it didn't sound too serious. He could tell it wasn't a fight, the voices sounding more concerned if anything. If he had to guess, it was probably Star, maybe even Shadow too, explaining to the others what had happened earlier that same morning. Curiosity getting the better of him, Sonic pushed the covers off of him and got up from his bed, approaching the door and pressing an ear up against it.
"I can't be sure when Sonic will get his hearing back, I've never actually used my Song Blast on anyone before." He could already tell that was Star. She was the only one who possessed the power.
"Why on Earth would you use something so powerful against your brother anyway?!" That was definitely Amy. Her voice was unforgettable, especially when she was unhappy.
"He left me with no choice. With no fighting experience it was the only way I was going to be able to beat him."
"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine. He's resilient." Sonic frowned, recognizing the voice of Shadow. He was here too? The others have actually let him in? Just how long had he been out for? Surely he wasn't out for that long where his friends actually trusted Shadow enough to let him in the house.
"I can barely believe that you're even here, Shadow. After what you did to Star."
"I know I made a mistake, but why is it so hard for everyone to believe that I've changed? That I've apologized for it and that I now truly do love Star?"
"Yes? Why is it so hard for that to be accepted?" Star added. "Why is us being together so bad? Why is it so bad that I've forgiven him and want to be with him?"
"It's not that it's bad." Sonic heard Tails' voice pipe up. "It's just hard to believe. You know, cause she's Sonic's sister?"
"Oh so what?!" Shadow's voice had a hint of frustration in it now. "I don't care if she's Sonic's sister! I love her with all of my heart and nothing is going to change that. Just because she looks like Sonic doesn't mean that she is Sonic. She is her own special and unique person with her own special talents and her own beautiful personality. I was blind at the start not to realize that before, but now I finally see her for who she really is and I love what I see. And no amount of judgment from anybody is going to make me feel different."
"That's the spirit, hun." That was clearly Rouge now, but Sonic had stopped paying attention.
He was shocked by Shadow's words. He really felt that strongly about his sister? Had he really been wrong to judge him this whole time?
Sonic sighed and opened the door, causing the conversation to come to a full stop as they all looked at him with worried eyes. He looked into the eyes of Star, Shadow, and each one of his friends. Nobody said a word, watching each other with baited breath.
"Sonic?" Tails finally broke the silence, holding a hand up to him. "Are you alright?"
Sonic said nothing to the fox and looked at Shadow, his brows furrowing a bit, but there was no glare in his eyes. Just unsure curiosity. "You," He pointed at the ebony hedgehog. "In here, now."
Shadow blinked, unsure of how to feel about this. "What for?"
"We're gonna have a talk. Just you and me. Now."
Shadow looked at Star unsurely, but she nodded her head and encouraged him forward. Shadow sighed and nodded, following Sonic back into his room.
Sonic closed the door behind them and went to his bed, sitting down on the side of it and patting a spot next to him. Shadow tilted his head in confusion and the blue hedgehog rolled his eyes. "My hearing is still trying to come back. I won't be able to understand you unless you're close to me. So come sit down so that you don't have to shout and alert the others."
Shadow nodded and went up to the bed, sitting down beside him. He… honestly didn't know what to say. It was weird, being completely speechless around his rival. But if this was a talk about his relationship with Star, which he was pretty sure it was, then he didn't want to mess it up if it will really get Sonic to see the truth. That he really did love his sister.
Sonic took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh, and looked at the other hedgehog next to him. "I heard what you said… out there to the others."
"... Ok."
"... Did you mean it? Like, did you honestly truly mean it? Do you really feel that strongly about my sister?"
"I do, Sonic. I really do."
Sonic jumped a bit at the use of his real name. Shadow rarely ever uses his real name, and when he does, he knew it really was serious. He sighed and shook his head. "I… I want to believe you… I want to believe that you really do care about Star like that but… you hurt her… The first time you were dating, you hurt her… How am I supposed to believe that you won't hurt her again?"
"Sonic," Shadow gently placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "I was a fool back then. I felt nothing for your sister because I've never felt love before… Not since Maria. But I wanted to try. When I heard her song, the one she wrote about me, I was confused as to why she had feelings for me. I didn't know how the heart worked, even when Rouge tried to explain it to me. I was clueless, so the day when I went to go ask her why… when I saw her standing in front of that children's church… when I volunteered to play the guitar while she sang to the kids… when I was compelled to sing with her… I knew I felt something then. I wasn't sure what it was. I wasn't convinced that it was love because when she kissed my cheek that day, I didn't feel anything."
"Well if it wasn't love then what was it?" Sonic frowned at him. "If you knew you didn't love her, why would you continue to date her? Why would you do that to her?"
"It wasn't intentional, to hurt her like that. It was Rouge's idea, but it's not completely her fault… it's not her fault at all. I was the dumb one. I was the one who made Star believe there was something between us. I wanted to try. I wanted to feel something, especially with how much she opened her heart out to me, but I just couldn't… not even when I kissed her back."
"... So what changed?"
Shadow sighed and hung his head, his ears lowered. "My heart… The day she confronted me about the fake relationship… the moment I saw how hurt she was… the moment she said she never wanted to see me again… something in my heart snapped… and I finally felt something. My heart longed for her. I couldn't explain it then, and I can't explain it now, but I knew I wanted to be with her." He looked back at Sonic. "I fell in love with her."
"... The heart doesn't really work that way… does it?"
"Apparently it does." Shadow nodded, then gently grabbed Sonic's hands into his own, making him look into his eyes. "Look, Sonic. I know you love your sister, and I know you wanna protect her… but so do I… I love her so much that I don't plan on letting anything happen to her, and I don't plan on breaking her heart ever again. I want to protect her and take care of her, love her and cherish her. I wanna treat her like the queen I know she is underneath. And… I've never felt this strongly about anyone. Like I said, I've never felt love again since Maria died. This is the first time in over 50 years since I've opened my heart to anybody… Please… don't take that away from me."
Sonic's breath caught in his throat when he heard Shadow say that last sentence. This wasn't about Star anymore, it was about Shadow and how heartbroken he would feel if he couldn't be with Star. He had that same look in his eyes that the blue hedgehog had had four years ago when Star had announced that she was leaving. It was the look of losing someone you deeply care about. Someone you deeply love.
He frowned as he reflected back to the earlier events that had happened.
He… He had fought with Star.
The twins had never fought before. They've had the regular sibling spats, but they never actually went physical with each other. It made Sonic feel sick to his stomach. The worst of it was that Star had used an unstable power against him, but she was right. With no fighting experience it was the only way she could beat him… but again, he hated the fact that they had to fight at all.
But, she had insisted. She had insisted because she didn't want to lose Shadow. Just as much as Shadow didn't want to lose her.
It was then that he finally realized his biggest mistake.
"Oh… Oh my gosh."
"Sonic? Are you alright?"
"I… I… I think I'm gonna be sick." Sonic suddenly jumped up from the bed and dashed to his private bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
"Sonic?!" Shadow's eyes widened, completely surprised by the other's reaction. He got up from the bed and went after him, his ears lowering when he heard the sound of vomiting and crying behind the door. "Sonic?" When he opened the door, he saw the blue hedgehog slumped over the toilet, puking into the bowl as tears ran down his face. Shadow's heart ached at the sight of it. Again, he didn't know why, but ignoring the question, he sat down beside his rival and gently rubbed his back. "It's ok. It's ok. Get it all out of your system. You'll feel better afterwards."
"It's my fault. It's my fault." Sonic sobbed.
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
"It's not you… It's me… I'm the one breaking her heart."
"No, Sonic. You are not breaking your sister's heart."
"If I keep you two apart, I will be." Sonic looked at him with teary eyes. "If I say no and keep you and her away from each other, I will be the one breaking her heart. I… I can't live with myself for that. I can't do that to her."
"Then don't. Let us be together."
"But… but… I can't… I don't wanna lose her again. I just got her back… I can't lose her again." Sonic hung his head, tears dripping from his eyes and onto the floor.
It was then that Shadow realized what this really was about. It wasn't about him or his love for Star or Star's love for him. It wasn't about Sonic and his distrust in Shadow or his sister's judgment… It was about a little brother who was scared that his big sister was gonna go away again.
"Sonic," Shadow gently lifted Sonic's chin back up to him. "You're not gonna lose your sister just because of who she falls in love with and who falls in love with her. She will always be your sister, and she will always be with you. The bond between siblings is unbreakable, especially with twins."
"It doesn't feel like it… She was gone for so long. I missed her touch. I've missed her hugs, and her sisterly kisses. And I've missed how she sings to me, and… and…"
"I know… I know…" Shadow gently pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back and gently swaying them side to side.
Sonic was shocked from the comfort, but he didn't hate it. It felt… nice. Sonic sniffed and hugged back, holding onto the black and red hedgehog tightly as he sobbed into his shoulder.
"Sonic, I know you're scared to lose her, but trust me when I say this, I promise I am not going to take her away from you. I would never do such a thing. I couldn't do that to anyone. I lost a sister myself once, and I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone, especially not on you."
"But… but what about her job?" Sonic sniffed, lifting his head back up at him again. "She's a singer now. She goes on tours. What if she has to leave for her job again? … What if you go with her?"
"I don't see any reason why you can't come with us." Shadow smirked. "And plus, she'll always come back. She lives here now, doesn't she?"
"... I guess."
"Sonic, I swear to you that I'm not gonna take Star away. She is my girlfriend, but she is your sister first. And she will always be your sister first… Ok?"
Sonic nodded silently, coming to a realization that Shadow was right. Just because Star was some big hotshot now and had a boyfriend didn't mean that she was gonna stop being his sister. He should've known that. How could he be so stupid? "I'm such a big fool… I'm sorry, Shadow."
"You're not a fool, and I accept your apology. But really, it's not me you should be apologizing to." Shadow looked back to Sonic's bedroom door, where he knew Star and the others were waiting. "If this is what all your fighting has been about, then you need to talk to her about it and apologize to her, not just me."
"I understand." Sonic nodded again, following his rival's gaze to the door. "I… I'll talk to her now."
Shadow nodded. "I think that's a good idea." And he helped the blue hedgehog back to his feet, flushed the upchucked waste down the toilet, and guided him over to the door.
Sonic stopped for a moment when they reached the bedroom door, his hesitation coming from a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He lowered his ears and looked at Shadow. "Is… Is she mad at me?"
Shadow smiled softly. "No… just worried about you and mad at herself."
"Because she used her Song Blast?"
"Because she used her Song Blast."
Sonic sighed and looked back at the door. He knew what he would have to do. "Ok… I'm ready."