#idk when peak tumblr posting time is and idc!!!!! fuck it we BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sixty Days Of Your Solace - Ch. 2
Rating: General
Words: 5500+ (9900+ Total)
Media: Sonic the Hedgehog
Pairing: Sonic the Hedgehog/Shadow the Hedgehog
Tags: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Cats, Mutual Pining, Friendship, Developing Relationship, Comfort (Check AO3 for any tag changes!)
Warnings: N/A
Chapter: 2/3
Link to the original work
AO3 Summary/Excerpt:
And then they hear it at the same time: a tiny mew. They share a curious glance before Shadow quietly treads over to the palm tree, caution lacing his every step as he gets closer and closer. Eventually he made it to the shrub, and hidden just out of view was a crate, littered with trash and…
Kittens?
--
Shadow and Sonic find an abandoned litter of kittens, and Shadow's the one who decides to take them in with a little help from Sonic.
Author's Notes:
huehehhehhfdssdgyuisfdjkbhsgdyfu8siodkfjshdgfyuioefkjsdhjksdfnbsdhfjkdsnfhsdfjksdf anyways enjoy !
Previous/Next
Sonic didn’t have the time to worry about Tails’ scolding that night, because the second he stepped through the doorway, he made a straight beeline for his bed after being completely exhausted of his energy. Somehow slowly walking everywhere for hours was more mentally draining than his average headbutt with Eggman, who had been strangely quiet lately now that he thinks about it.
He stopped at the sight of Tails fast asleep at his workbench yet again, fondness sweeping over at the sight of his peaceful expression half tucked into his folded arms. He grabbed Tails’ favourite blanket off his bed, a checkered white and mint green with a candy-shaped pattern on the border, quietly draping it over his shoulders enough so that his neck wouldn’t ache when he woke up – grumpy at Sonic or otherwise.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Sonic hopped into the washroom and quickly rinsed his arms and chest off with hand soap and water, cringing at the grime that swirled its way into the drain with the murky water. Still, he was way too tired to take a proper shower, but disgusted enough with the state of himself that he couldn’t bear to soil Tails’ spare bed.
He dried off with a hand towel, quickly kicking off his shoes as soon as he reached the bed, collapsing face first into the pillow, not even bothering to wrap himself in the matching red and white checkered blanket Tails lovingly laid out for him. In the back of his mind, a pang of guilt kept him from immediately drifting off to sleep.
Man… he really had to make it up to the kid somehow.
But the weight of his eyelids became heavier than his guilt, and eventually his eyesight got blurrier, obscuring what little he could make out in the dark. Soon Sonic’s vision was full of nothing but floating images of his brother, bicolour cats, and a similarly bicolour black and red hedgehog.
-x-
The next morning arrived a little sooner than he’d anticipated, but he soon realized by looking at the golden light filtering in through the slits of the blinds, that it was probably barely past seven.
His first mistake that morning was turning over with a stretch before wiping the sleep out of his eyes, because he was not ready for the way Tails stared back at him wordlessly in the doorway, arms crossed with a disappointed frown on his face like Sonic had just trashed the Tornado into the side of a mountain.
His second mistake was attempting to smooth over their problems with a nervous smile.
Tails’ expression grows tight for a few moments, and for a second there, Sonic worries that he’s going to get genuinely angry at him for the first time in his life. Instead, his features suddenly relax into a deep sigh, and then another more dramatic one just for emphasis. He shakes his head, mildly annoyed more than anything else, “I don’t even know what to say to you.”
Anxiety stirs in Sonic’s gut as he quickly sits up and tries to think up an answer, anything really, to explain why he bolted yesterday despite promising Tails that he’d wait and help. But all he ends up saying in the end is, “I’m sorry, buddy…”
The young fox blinks at him, a little surprised at how forlorn and genuinely apologetic he sounded, especially if the way his ears wilted were any tell. Tails contemplates chewing him out for a little longer, but after a few moments of painful silence, he ultimately relents to Sonic’s heartfelt apology. After all, what was he if not a softie for his brother?
“It’s… it’s fine, I just wish you two were around while I was making it. It was a little time-sensitive, so I’ll have to start over.” Tails huffs, trudging over to the other end of the bed and plopping down beside Sonic with a muffled thud, “Anyway, I sorta expected Shadow to bail, but you…?”
“Actually, I…” Sonic pauses, crossing his legs as he willed his anxious thoughts to settle, “I was the one that got the both of us out. Sorta needed to run and get our minds a little active after sitting for so long.”
“—But I promise we were going to head back! The thing is… well… when we got to the end of our race, which I won by the way—” Sonic smugly adds, ignoring the way Tails rolled his eyes. There’s another brief moment where he hesitates, staring back at the fox while trying to read his neutral expression. Dang, the kid was good at keeping cool. “We kinda ran into an… emergency?”
“What kind of emergency?”
“A… an ‘abandoned litter of kittens’ kind of emergency?”
Tails’ eyes comically widened in panic, “Y-you brought cats into the workshop?! With all my vulnerable gadgets and tools around?!”
Sonic flinches at his volume, reeling back at the way his arms flailed wildly. So much for being chill, he grumbled mentally. “No! No, I didn’t – Shadow took them in.”
“…Shadow did?”
“Yeah, I was surprised too, but… guess he has a kind streak in him these days.” Sonic mumbled, fidgeting with the end of his glove.
An unimpressed look shot over Tails as he deadpanned at the other, “You act as if you’re not itching to drag it out of him at every chance you get. I mean, he is kinda softer on all of us nowadays, but I guess that’s thanks to you and Amy, really. Still… I didn’t think he’d adopt them on a whim like that.”
“Hm.” Sonic dismissively hums, focusing his gaze on the plush scarlet carpet instead of Tails’ all-too-perceptive eyes, “Besides helping the cats, I don’t think this changes anything for Shadow though. All this means is that he has more excuses to isolate himself in his little hedgehog cave, and then there go the months and months of work we put into getting him out of his shell.”
“Um. Did you… want things to change?”
Sonic’s stubborn silence speaks volumes, and Tails can’t help but laugh at the slight pout he wore despite the glare he shot at him.
“…Quiet, you.” There’s a flare of annoyance in there, and somehow it makes him laugh harder, causing his tails to wag behind him. Sonic huffs at the sight, crossing his arms and boring holes into the floor even harder. By Chaos, he wishes he had laser vision sometimes.
“Alright, alright,” He settles down, twin tails finally curling up at his side comfortably, “Look at it this way: I think that this is actually a great opportunity for you two to spend time with each other.”
The hedgehog’s expression grew perplexed right before Tails continued to elaborate, “I mean— look, did he buy any toys last night?”
“Doubt it. Just food and basic supplies probably.”
Tails smiled one of his cheeky knowing smiles, “Then it’s simple! I’ll make a few toys for them by noon, and you’ll have an easy excuse to visit! Besides, I think he’ll appreciate it if he doesn’t want every inch of his room scratched up.”
Sonic gaped at the other boy, wondering how he got lucky enough to have a sibling like Tails even after showing him attitude, “You’d really do that for me? Even after what I did to you yesterday?”
“Of course!” Tails exclaimed, his two tails lifting off the mattress by an inch out of excitement which Sonic found positively adorable, “Not without something in return though! I want you both back in my workshop sometime to finish the experiment with the Chaos Drives, and…!”
Sonic nodded eagerly, holding his breath for a moment, “Name your price, pal.”
“You owe me two tubs of mint chocolate chip ice cream.”
“Deal.” Sonic stuck out his hand, and Tails immediately took it with a bright smile.
The rest of the morning was spent slowly chewing away at the breakfast Tails made for the both of them, which consisted of two eggs, three sausages, and half of a toasted bagel that they shared because one was too much for the fox kid. All the while, Tails worked away at his desk with some assistance from Sonic, eyebrows furrowed as he carefully cut pieces of rubber with a precision knife and made aluminium bells from scratch.
Sonic pulled out a small gift box from under his bed that they specifically kept around for emergency presents, and technically, this could count as a birthday present for the cats. Once all the pieces were assembled, Tails scooped up all fifteen toys and placed them carefully in the box, giddiness dancing in his chest at the thought of a job well done as well as being able to help out his relatively-new friend.
“These are perfect, Tails! I could never underestimate ya.”
Tails scratched his head bashfully, a small blush rising to his face as his ears flattened. Sonic quickly ruffled his head, making a promise to himself to buy him four tubs of ice cream instead of two. He’d wait around as long as he had to for any experiment Tails had to throw his way, too.
-x-
When Sonic lands outside Shadow’s front door, he finds that he’s actually a lot more nervous than he thought. For what, he has no clue, but there’s something in his stomach that won’t stop making him feel antsy at the thought of Shadow. He sighs, mildly annoyed at the feeling as it crawls up his chest because really, all this is telling him is that he either needs a slushy really badly or he needs to try taking an antacid sometime to make it all stop.
He swallows his nerves, raising a hand to the doorbell that runs straight to the shared flat. Or at least, he hopes so – he doesn’t want to think about how embarrassing it’d be if the doorbell rang throughout the whole building, including the club itself. In a few minutes, however, the door swings open, except it’s not exactly who he expects.
Sonic finds himself staring back into unblinking red lights, ignoring the towel (a towel?!) wrapped around his robotic associate’s waist.
“What is it that you require?” Straight and to the point, that Omega.
Sonic so desperately wants to call him a friend, but he somehow can’t find a way to squirm into his cold little heart. One day he’d make it – after all, if Blaze, Cream, Rouge, and Shadow could do it, he’d find his own way. For now though, he’d rather keep his limbs intact.
“I, uh, wanted to see Shadow.” Sonic found himself sweating a little, even though it was barely summer, and he didn’t pant in the slightest on the way to Club Rouge, “Is he home?”
Omega’s eyes travel down to the box in his hands, and for a brief moment, Sonic humorously wonders what exactly runs through his mind when he analyzes things.
He doesn’t have to wonder long apparently, because before Sonic can heave a sigh of relief, Omega whips out his arm – now turned a gatling gun – and points it towards the box, apprehension blatant in his cold stare. Sonic jumps back a few feet, immediately cradling the box close to his chest, “Woah, woah! What’s the big deal, dude?”
“Metallic alloy detected, unable to identify object.” Omega spoke in a menacing tone that shot chills down Sonic’s spines, but he still wasn’t willing to back down. “Leave the premises. Now.”
“Look, if Shadow isn’t home, then you can just—”
“What’s going on?” A familiar third voice chimed in.
From behind Omega’s towering frame appeared Shadow himself, tired looking and with scratches running up his arms – one scratch even managing to reach his cheeks. Sonic bites down on his lip, forcing a neutral expression so Shadow doesn’t kill him on the spot alongside Omega for laughing.
An irritated sigh leaves the black hedgehog as he rolls his eyes, “It’s fine, I know I look… disheveled. You’re terrible at pretending not to laugh, you know.”
With that, Sonic bursts into a snicker he’d been holding in for way too long, as Shadow turns to Omega and puts an arm on his, lowering the gun. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I doubt there’s any need for that.”
“I have reason to believe that the contents within that box may be dangerous. I am unable to verify.”
“Shadow, can we just—” Sonic sighs and rubs his forehead, mildly frustrated, “Can I just show you inside?”
Barely a moment passes before Shadow nods and steps aside, pulling Omega with him, who now changed his arm back to a claw to clutch his towel. For some reason.
Still, the robot continued to protest even as Sonic nudged past them into the elevator, “How do we know that you’re not—”
“Omega, it’s fine,” Shadow interrupted, although his tone was smooth, soothing almost. He glanced out the door, seemingly more interested in the outside world than anyone in the room. Sonic can barely hear the words, “…I trust him.”
And man, was Sonic glad that Shadow was facing the other way, because he wouldn’t know how to explain the dumb grin plastered on his face if he took one look at him. Heck, he won’t even get on Omega’s case today thanks to Shadow.
“…Understood.”
The three of them settled into silence as Omega stomped into the elevator with muffled steps instead of his usual stomps, causing Sonic to look down and find him wearing bunny slippers in the largest shoe size he’d ever seen in his life. Besides maybe Big. He doesn’t know what to say anymore, and drops the topic mentally as Shadow finishes up locking the door and strides into the elevator with them, jamming the button for the fourth floor.
Through the somewhat awkward silence, Sonic glances back at Omega who predictably was unreadable as ever, but maybe it was worth making conversation.
“So, uh…” Sonic started with a grin, shifting his weight onto his other foot, “Can I ask why you have a towel wrapped around your waist?”
“No.”
Well. So much for making conversation. Great job, Sonic, he mentally cursed himself.
As the elevator door dings open, the three of them shuffle out one by one and wait for Shadow to open the door. It’s only now that Sonic realizes that he’s never actually been to the residential area of Club Rouge, and that technically, this is the first time Sonic’s ever seen where Team Dark lives.
Sonic had never heard of a modest yet stylish-looking penthouse before, but this would definitely have to be the one. He steps in and slips off his shoes out of courtesy, looking around the place with a spark of awe in his gaze; everything from the pristine white countertops to the accented walls with gold geometric patterns reminiscent of jewels said ‘luxury’, just a tasteful step below gaudy – and given Rouge’s background as a treasure hunter and a government spy, he didn’t doubt that she loved to live large.
On one hand it seemed like the décor was restrained in some way, and perhaps it’s due to the others that lived here that she had to tone it down. Still, it’s admirable to see what she’d done with the place since he’d last been in Club Rouge.
Shadow motions him through the flat, through a darkened hallway with the lights off until he makes a sharp right, facing the door. His hand hesitates on the doorknob for a moment, glancing back at Sonic with a peculiar look on his face. “Don’t mind how stuffy it smells, I… underestimated how potent having five cats in the same place would be.”
Sonic blinks. ‘Potent’ sure was a word choice.
Yet, as soon as Shadow stepped through the door and Sonic got a blast of said ‘potent’ air, he knew exactly what the other hedgehog was talking about. It took every muscle in his body not to scrunch his nose at the smell, mentally encouraging himself over and over to tolerate it and get used to it.
Soon enough, the smell got less unbearable, and Sonic found himself plopping onto Shadow’s bed without an invite, earning him a sharp look over the shoulder but nothing else. “So, uh… why do they stink so bad?”
“Omega and I tried to give them a bath earlier, but it didn’t really work out.” Shadow sighed, resigning himself to taking a seat beside Sonic on the bed, “Apparently they’re not too fond of him; ended up scratching him up and one of them urinated on his lap.”
Sonic’s brows shot up in surprise, “Hope the cat that did the deed stays in one piece after that.”
To Sonic’s surprise, Shadow’s expression grew into a smirk, “She sure will, since I’m looking after them and all, but it was fine enough entertainment, at least. He’s been sulking in the bathtub with his rubber ducks ever since.”
Shadow shifts suddenly to face Sonic, although neither of them realized how close their proximity would be until they were nearly touching noses. Heat rises to Sonic’s face as he leans back a little, hoping that it wouldn’t be all that noticeable to Shadow. Thankfully, it seemed like he was too lost in thought to notice or care.
“Speaking of Omega, what was going on between you two downstairs? I came down because he usually doesn’t take that long at the door unless it’s for food deliveries, and I heard a commotion.”
Sonic’s lips pull into a nervous smile as he hands over the box he’d been holding all this time, “These are for the cats, Tails made ‘em when he heard about the kittens and asked if I could deliver them.” He laughs, anxiously fumbling with one of his quills, “I’m honestly surprised you let me inside instead of leaving me at the door—”
“Miles made all of these…?”
Both of them pause and look at each other, and Sonic catches an unreadable expression on Shadow’s face before it settles back into something a little more neutral. It’s strange how nostalgic that feels to Sonic, who had only seen something like that in Shadow’s most vulnerable moments back on the ARK.
“You can call him Tails, y'know,” Sonic smiles, joy bubbling inside of him as he mentally mends two bridges – makes them stronger, rather, “He thinks of you as a friend.”
Shadow stays silent at that, a curious look overtaking him.
Sonic continues, “But yes, he did make all of these when he heard about the kittens.”
While Tails originally had done it for Sonic’s sake and so that he would have more opportunities to hang out with Shadow, there was no way he'd steal Tails’ thunder. He’d let the whole world know loud and clear that his little brother was a compassionate genius.
Shadow looks lost for a moment as he picks up one of the trinkets, a small mouse-shaped toy with a bell tied to its tail. He shakes it gently, drawing the attention of three of the kittens as they just barely popped their heads over the edge of the crate in curiosity. One of them starts crying desperately to be let out, seemingly fascinated with the toy as she stubbornly tried climbing up the crate herself, only to slip down at the very end.
It draws a chuckle out of Shadow, a gentle and pleasantly deep sound, Sonic realized. He wasn’t sure if Shadow had mind reading powers as a part of his abilities, but if he did, he’d be screwed if he ever found out that Sonic was filing that sound away in the depths of his mind under ‘to think about until the end of time’.
Man, he was hopeless. And he doesn’t even remember when or how it got this bad.
Sonic leans over the box and cautiously scoops the squirmy one out, only for the rest of them to start yelling for their sibling to come back. He glances back at Shadow on the bed with a sheepish grin and is met with one of his own. In typical Shadow fashion, the hedgehog huffed in resignation, “Okay, I guess we’re taking them all out of the crate at this point.”
One by one the two of them pluck the bundles of fluff out of the crate when Sonic suddenly scrunches his nose at a particularly funky smelling kitten that he could swear was giving him the stink eye. No pun intended, he thought, though he did mentally snicker at his own joke.
“Boy, you weren’t kidding when you said they smelled bad. This one smells like they were swimming in hot garbage.”
“That’s probably because they were swimming in hot garbage, hedgehog.” Shadow fires back, rolling his eyes, “Didn’t know that you had memory problems at your young age. In fact, that should be my whole schtick.”
Sonic grins cheekily, giving a nudge with his elbow which Shadow narrows his eyes at, “Oh, you’re on a roll from yesterday, huh? Am I really rubbing off on you that much that you’re making jokes about your own past now?”
A moment passes between the two before Shadow huffs, absentmindedly brushing the back of his hand over one of the kitten’s pitch-black fur. They leaned into his touch with a rumbling purr, trusting him fully. It admittedly gets a smile out of Sonic at the heartwarming sight, even with Shadow’s stubborn grumpiness.
“…Within reason, it’s fine.” Shadow mumbled, “Don’t you dare make a habit of it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” came his natural response as he picked up a rubber ball toy and rolled it to the other side of the room. Surprisingly, one of the broody cats perked up and started chasing it down, tail playfully flicking from side to side as it attempted to pounce. The thought of getting one of the more moody cats to actually play along gave Sonic a boost of confidence, and with that he glanced to the side at his friend and steeled himself for his next few words, “By the way, I guess it never occurred to me to ask but you’re not, um… actually fifty years old, are you?”
Shadow’s hands pause for a moment, eyebrows furrowing before he slowly responds, “…No? I was in stasis for fifty years – I’m not actually fifty years old.”
For some reason, relief floods Sonic and his shoulders relax. Shadow shoots him a questioning look that comes off more as a glare, but before he can say anything, Sonic continues, “Oh good, good. I was worried I was racing an old man this whole time. It would’ve been super embarrassing to lose to a fifty-year-old. Anyway, so uh… how old are you anyway?”
A scowl sets on Shadow’s face, “I don’t need to be old to embarrass you, hedgehog. I can already kick you into next week any time,” then a thoughtful pause as his face shifted into a look of concentration, “And I’m fifteen years old, I’m pretty sure…”
Sonic lights up at that, scooting right up to Shadow and into the personal space he loved to conserve so much with an eager gleam in his eyes, happy to know that they were even more similar than he initially thought, “What?! Me too!”
Shadow opens his mouth, then closes it, strangely shy. He mutters under his breath, “…I knew that.”
His shy demeanor is immediately dropped as he playfully shoves his not-friend back into his regular sitting position with a smirk, making him sit cross legged on the floor. Almost immediately, the sleepier one of the kittens scampers into Sonic’s lap, seemingly wanting to get away from all the chaos around them. Shadow held back a snort at the idea.
If only they knew that the person they went to was essentially chaotic energy if they were a three-foot supersonic blue hedgehog.
“So… are you up to the task of helping me give them a bath?”
Sonic’s eyes widened, hesitancy lacing his expression for a few moments as he hummed and hawed with a hand on his chin, “Hm… it’s not that I mind helping, but given what you said about them freaking out and whatever, maybe we should approach this differently.”
He suddenly falls into silence, thinking hard about his plan of attack so much that Shadow could see the metaphorical gears turning in his head. Shadow leans back against the bed, taking a deep calming breath as reprieve from socializing and letting the gentle sound of mews and soft rays of sunlight stream in through the window, illuminating the specks of dust floating about.
For once, his room felt lived in, which was nice to actually know and see since Shadow’s room had the most light out of all the bedrooms – Rouge’s personal demand since Shadow didn’t seem to get enough sunlight (not that he needed it anyway, but he couldn’t be damned to argue), and the less sunlight Rouge had to tolerate, the better. And, well, Omega was Omega; at the very least, he didn’t run on solar power. It didn’t make their sky-rocketing electricity bill any easier, but they were kind enough to never bring it up to him. Either way, having all this light in his room and little to no personality or life in it made it feel a little useless until now.
At his side, Sonic suddenly sits upright, as if there were a lightbulb flashing above his head.
“Wait! I got an idea; do you have anything I can hook up to the speakers in the living room?”
“Yeah, there’s a laptop that we share. Why?”
Sonic grins with confidence, “Bet the reason why it was harder to give them a bath was because they weren’t calm, so maybe to help with that I can play some classical music!”
Shadow frowns, seemingly skeptical of Sonic’s plan. However, he was out of ideas and had no desire to get scratched up again. Whatever consequences this plan would have, Shadow would leave the idiot to face them alone before he gets a single claw sunk into him. He sighs heavily, carefully setting the two kittens playing in his lap back in the crate before he stands up.
“Sure, whatever.”
He pretends that the self-assured smile Sonic flashes his way doesn’t affect his heart.
-x-
The ARK could’ve been on another crash course to collide with the Earth this very second, and Shadow would’ve believed that much sooner than what he was witnessing before his very eyes.
The kittens, to his utter disbelief, were completely calm as they soaked in the now-clean and warm shallow waters of the bathtub, the dulcet and charming sound of what Shadow recognized as Beethoven coming through the bathroom door left slightly ajar.
Shadow completely ignored the smug look on Sonic’s face. He can’t guarantee that he won’t punch him the second he glances to the side, even if his plan did go off without a hitch. Well. Besides the scratches they got trying to get them into the bathtub once the litter recognized the familiar scene.
Sonic reaches for the drain plug and pops it open, letting the last of the water drain out, leaving five kittens shivering with sea legs and crying for warmth. Shadow felt his insides warm in sympathy at the pitiful sight, scooping each sopping wet kitten up with a light green hand towel and placing them onto the countertop where a larger bath towel of the same colour was laid out. Beside it was a black hand towel, neatly folded for Sonic’s use.
The two of them got to work immediately, wordlessly working away for the first ten minutes as they dried each one off carefully, trying to ignore the cries for help they let out at getting their heads scrubbed dry. At the very least, they smelled nice and clean – a pleasantly fruity Piña Colada scent, actually.
“Make sure to get their ears properly or they might get an infection,” He said quietly, folding the towel over once to wipe the soft white paws of the grumpy cat that looked three seconds away from hissing at them, “If there’s any moisture in there, it’ll cause problems.”
Sonic nodded, following Shadow’s instructions the whole time without complaint. Shadow really had to hand it to him; when he wasn’t being a nuisance for fun, he really was good at working with others. Maybe that was just a part of his natural charm that Shadow found attractive. In a respected-rival-friendly way, of course, he mentally added.
“You sure know a lot about cats.”
Shadow flinches at the sudden question, forgetting that he was the one that initiated it in the first place.
“I don’t. It’s basic common sense.”
“Well, whatever – I mean that you know more than me.” Sonic huffed, settling back into a somber expression as he struggled to wipe down a particularly wriggly cat, “You seem to be really particular about how you care for them.”
“It’s simple; I don’t mind cats. I’ve taken care of a few chao myself, but kittens are different. They can’t live without support during their early life; they need to be constantly cared for and nurtured. I just… I don’t really know if I’m the right person to be doing this, but someone has to.”
Sonic paused, glancing at Shadow, trying to read him through his concentrated expression. He could tell that the latter was trying his best not to show his emotions outright, even though his admittance couldn’t be considered anything but vulnerable. Sonic decides to test the waters, and places a comforting hand on the other’s arm.
“I don’t think it matters if you’re ‘the right person’, really,” He speaks softly as he gives his arm a light squeeze, “The fact that you’re looking after them to this extent is enough. ”
The two of them don’t say much after that, deciding to let the piano music fill in the silence between them.
Cleanup was quick, even more so given that they’d decided to make a race out of it – playful banter and mocking jeers peppered in as they quickly but carefully set everything back to their original place, only slowing down when it was time to take the cats back. Shadow decided against putting them back in the crate, realizing that he’d probably have to thoroughly wash it now that they were also clean. Maybe he’d invest in a cat bed or two.
Sonic and Shadow settled back down on the ground, letting the kittens roam free if they so pleased, but within a few minutes, every single one of them curled up somewhere in the room to nap, either on the plush carpet, the ratty blanket Shadow had laid out, or on the hedgehogs themselves. It isn’t until all of them are sound asleep that Shadow brings up the question that’s been bugging him for the better part of an hour.
“I have to ask, why classical music?”
“Ah, well…” Sonic scratches the top of his head, settling against the bed and brushing a thumb over the kitten fast asleep on his right leg, “Actually, Tails used to have a lot of nightmares growing up about the times he got bullied, and the only way I’d get him to calm down is playing classical music since we only had a few CDs at the time. It worked wonders, really – he still listens to classical music on my old boombox, and I like to join him sometimes!”
“…Tails got bullied?”
“Yeah, by a couple of jerks that made fun of him for having two tails.” Sonic’s expression grows irritated, falling into a scowl that was more befitting for Shadow than Sonic, “Boy, I’d love to see the look on their faces when they see who he is today. Or maybe I’d wanna punch it off of them.”
“Here’s some free advice,” Shadow pivots his head and looks at Sonic with a playful smirk, and Sonic has to fight down the blush that threatens to burn his face, “Revenge isn’t all that great. Take it or leave it.”
Sonic stares back at Shadow for a moment before his words sink in before he suddenly dissolves into laughter. This time, not even Shadow can fight the grin off of his face.
“Oh, speaking of which, we forgot to turn off the music.” Sonic stands up, preparing to leave, “Should I—?”
“No.” Shadow interjected a little too quickly, changing his tone into something a little more gruff, “Sit still for more than three seconds, why don’t you?”
Sonic gives him a small smile and settles back down a little closer this time, face illuminated by the white-gold late afternoon sun. He’d seen Sonic burn as brightly as a star in person; far too dazzling and ethereal that even the sun couldn’t compare anymore. Even so, in the sereneness of his room punctuated by the gentle notes of piano music coming through the door, shared by five sweet cats and… a friend, he couldn’t complain in the slightest at the way his heart stuttered in his chest at the way the light caught in his emerald eyes.
Shadow smiled to himself, hiding his expression away as he focused his gaze out the window. He had a feeling that he’d grow to love classical music a lot.
#sth#sonic the hedgehog#shadow the hedgehog#sonadow#my work#fanfiction#my fanfic#miles tails prower#tails the fox#shasoni#shasonic#idk when peak tumblr posting time is and idc!!!!! fuck it we BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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