Work Text:
As soon as the containment field changed, Shadow’s eyes snapped open. He could hear the alarms ringing but he ignored them. He pulled his fist back and let it swing at the glass. It shattered, showering the floor in liquid and broken glass.
It only took him a few minutes to kill the agents that tried to stop him. After they were dead, he looked up at the two remaining men in the observation room and sneered. They weren’t going to stop him alone. He was going to get out of here and he would have his revenge.
The grief that had filled him since that horrible day, his only companion while in the limbo of stasis threatened to overwhelm him. Shadow stuffed it down. He had more important things to do than to give into the whining as though he were nothing but a child.
He started to move through the facility, pleased that no one was there to stop him. He’d been on ice so long they'd grown overconfident in their abilities to contain him. That was a fraction of the men that would’ve been needed to successfully subdue him.
As he ran down the hallway, his keen ears picked up the sound of whimpering. Shadow turned, confused. He’d been pretty sure that this prison had been specifically designed to keep him, and him alone in place. There shouldn’t have been any other prisoners and the last time he’d roused from unconsciousness, there hadn’t been.
Shadow turned and approached the cell where the whimpers were coming from. He smashed the control panel, and the doors slid open.
The creature on the floor bore a striking resemblance to Shadow and he sucked in a surprised breath. He’d been led to believe that he was the only of his kind on Earth. Possibly the only one in the universe. Clearly that wasn’t the case.
The creature hunched inward when Shadow entered the cell and was curling around himself. His tears and whimpers were quiet, but still audible. Someone had hurt him.
Shadow approached him slowly. His grief and anger being temporarily replaced with wonder. He looked different than Shadow did, but he was definitely the same species. The one thing that stood out above all else, even more than his lovely cerulean pelt, was just how young he looked.
“It’s alright little one, I’m not going to hurt you.”
He only curled into further on himself, fear wracking his frame. He must’ve thought that Shadow was another GUN agent come to torment him. A cursory inspection of him revealed that he was bruised and dirty. That set off some alarm bells. Shadow knew basically nothing about his physiology. Really the only things he knew were that he contained a massive amount of energy, and he had advanced healing. If they were the same species and this one could also heal quickly.... It meant they had managed to hurt him in a way that not even his healing had been able to keep up with.
Shadow approached slowly, not wanting to scare him. He reached a hand, slowly, wanting to show him that he wasn’t going to hurt him. Shadow knew that he needed to get moving, but he didn’t care. He had a chance to meet another of his kind, and he wasn’t going to lose it.
“I’m not one of them. Look, little one.”
Green eyes raised from where his head was buried in his knees. He stared at Shadow, surprise written on his face.
“Another hedgehog?” He said, quietly.
Was that what he was? Was that what they both were? “Yes, I am.” Shadow held out his hands. The blue hedgehog let him take his hands and draw him to his feet. However, as soon as he was balanced, he flinched and whimpered.
“What’s wrong?”
“My feet. They burned the soles of my feet to keep me from running. I don’t know why I’m not healing. It’s not working like it normally does.”
The anger was back. He was young, this little blue creature. Twelve or thirteen maybe. He really was just a kid, and they were hurting him. Hurting one of Shadow’s kind.
“We need to get going. Come here.”
“Wait, what?”
Shadow scooped him into his arms. “Time to go.”
The blue hedgehog swiped at his tears. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“I’m Shadow.”
“Sonic.”
Shadow nodded. “Hold on tight, Sonic.”
The world seemed significantly brighter and louder than Shadow remembered it. Not that he had seen much of the world before he’d been iced. The cars were faster, the people talked into small devices they held up to their heads and the bright lights reflected off the wet pavement.
Shadow had skimmed himself across the bay to the city before coming to a stop at the edge of the water. There were a lot of people in a small area and Shadow wasn’t accustomed to dealing with crowds. The most he’d ever had to deal with were the soldiers on the base.
He set Sonic down, the blue hedgehog looking up at him. His feet were bare, which was concerning. He should’ve at least had on a good pair of shoes and thick socks.
Shadow sighed and ran one of his hands down his face. “This is bad. I don’t know where to go. We need somewhere safe. Somewhere where GUN can’t find us. I need more information.”
Sonic rubbed at a sore spot on his leg and looked up at him. Shadow saw the tears starting to well up.
“What’s wrong,” he asked urgently. Maybe there was an injury he’d missed. He’d thought he’d checked everywhere, but there was no guarantee that it wasn’t invisible, or Shadow hadn’t missed something in his rush.
“I miss my family so much.”
Shadow rubbed his back gently. “Were they like you? Like us?
Sonic shook his head. “No, I’m adopted. I have human parents and two mobian brothers. They aren’t hedgehogs though. One is the last of the echidnas and one is a fox. We live in the prettiest place on Earth. It’s quiet, and open. There’s lots of places to run around and the little town is full of nice people.” He sighed, bone deep. “I just want to go home.”
It sounded like heaven to Shadow. “Sounds nice. Why aren’t you with them?”
Before Sonic could answer his question, GUN helicopters started circling overhead.
Shadow gritted his teeth and scooped his little friend back up. Then he was running again.
It took a little time and a couple of teleportations to get them enough distance from GUN. Sonic had clung to Shadow the entire time. He’d watched in wonder as Shadow skimmed across the air and flashed them between places.
Shadow had hunkered him down in a small, wooded area. He might have been able to get them much further, but he wasn’t sure how Sonic would hold up to that rigorous of travel. One look at Sonic dozing off as soon as he sat down had told him that he was right.
Shadow ran a gloved hand down Sonic’s back and marveled at him. He was so bright. His color, cleaned up a little now, shown in the darkness of the night. He was so, so pretty. And so, so young.
Maria had guessed that Shadow was about fourteen when he was found. Putting him at about seventeen when he was placed in stasis. This little one looked like he was younger than when Shadow was found in the meteorite.
Shadow resolved himself to keeping watch for enemies. He didn’t need much sleep, and his dreams would only be filled with the sounds of his family dying. Every time he closed his eyes, the sight of them flashed through his mind. Their bodies broken, their breath still. There had been a dozen people near the cannister of chaos energy, but only Shadow had survived. Only he had been able to endure the energy ripping through everything in its path.
It hadn’t been without it’s cost though. Shadow had been badly injured and in no state to fight the agents who took him. All he’d been able to do was get a glimpse of Maria’s face and the professor’s back, their still bodies, before they were shoving him into a stasis tube.
Shadow hadn’t known him long, but he did not want that to happen to his little blue friend. He wanted to protect this little one, even if it meant killing people to do so. He would stop at nothing to keep him safe.
“Do you think your home is safe?” Shadow asked Sonic. He wanted to take him home, but not if he wasn’t going to be safe.
Sonic shrugged and bit his lip. “I don’t know. Maybe. They took me from there but….”
“It’s alright, take your time.” They would have hours before GUN could track them down.
“We weren’t ready. After our last interaction we thought they’d just leave us alone if we weren’t getting into trouble. When they came for us…” Sonic sniffled, his voice going watery. “They told me they’d shoot my dad if I didn’t go quietly with them.”
Rage rose in Shadow’s throat. He was just a baby, and they’d threatened to kill his family in front of him. Exactly what they’d done to Shadow.
“This time will be different. We’ll be prepared and you’ll have me. We can stop everyone from hurting your family,” Shadow assured him. “Let me take you home. There we’ll regroup and make a plan.” And hopefully get some adults in the mix. Not that he didn’t think that Sonic wouldn’t be a lot of help, but they really needed some grown-ups.
Sonic visibly brightened at the thought of going to his home. “Okay!”
“Where do you live?”
Sonic hummed a little and let himself be drawn to his feet. “How familiar are you with the western part of America?”
Shadow hadn’t been anywhere on Earth, really. He’d seen movies and pictures. Had spent time in the facility in the middle part of what they called America. He didn’t remember anything of where he’d come from.
So, he stared in wonderment at the rolling hills and beautiful sections of trees. The area where the base had been was flat when you got away from the mountain. With not much in the way of life. Few trees and even fewer animals. So this area, filled with rolling hills, dappled with sunlight and miles of forest, was alien to him. It could’ve been a whole other world. His little blue friend squirmed in excitement as more and more of the area looked familiar, which was a good sign.
“Calm down, little one. I might drop you.”
“Sorry,” Sonic told Shadow. “I miss them so much. And we’re so close.”
Shadow thought on what he would do if he could get his family back. He’d probably be just as excited. “It’s alright. Just be careful.”
They came onto the edges of a small town. Shadow hesitated. People were dangerous and these people could very well turn around and inform GUN of their location. Before he could figure out a way to go around, Sonic was pointing at the town.
“It’s okay! These people are my friends. They helped save me from the mad scientist who wanted to use my power for evil. They’re...” his voice dropped low, “they’re really nice. And they look after me and my brothers.”
“Still, it’s better if as few people as possible know for the time being. Is there a way to get there without going through town?”
Sonic nodded.
It was a lovely home. Like the ones that he and Maria had seen on television. A home with light and love and warmth. Something Shadow had never known. Sonic asked to be put down and Shadow figured it would be fine as long as he wasn't going far.
Sonic hesitated on the porch. His indecision clear on his face. Shadow watched him agonize and couldn’t take it. He stepped up to the door and knocked firmly. There was the sound of movement and then the door cracked open. This was not the lighthearted swing of someone greeting a neighbor or a friend. But the opening of someone afraid of what was on the other side.
A purple eye looked through the crack and then the door opened with such force it startled Shadow.
The creature in front of him bellowed, “Sonic!” and then was sweeping his little blue friend into a ferocious hug.
Sonic wrapped his arms around the creature and clung tightly to him. Apparently the creature’s shouting had brought enough attention that the rest of the family tumbled down the stairs. The littlest one was a fox, which meant the one holding Sonic must’ve been the last of the echidnas. Two humans brought up the rear and before Shadow could even introduce himself, Sonic was being passed off to the man who swept him into his arms and held him tight.
“Dad,” Sonic said, burying his face in his father’s shoulder.
“Oh, kiddo,” the man whispered and held his son tight. “I am so glad you’re alive.”
There was a moment where Shadow felt a little like he was intruding, and clearly wasn’t the only one as everyone looked other places. It was broken with Sonic announcing, “I brought a friend!”
All eyes turned toward Shadow who froze. He hadn’t interacted with very many humans and he hadn’t interacted with any Mobians besides Sonic. He wasn’t really sure how the social conventions went.
Shadow gave an awkward wave. They all stared at him and Shadow wondered if it was because of how different he looked from the other Mobians or because how similar he looked to Sonic.
“Hello, I’m Shadow,” he said finally.
The woman of the group smiled. “Hi, Shadow. Were you the one who brought Sonic back to us?”
Shadow nodded hesitantly.
“A notable ally,” the echidna announced. “Surely he is an honorable person to bring our brother back to us. I’m Knuckles, last of the echidna warriors. The eldest brother.”
The little one, smaller even than Sonic was, hopped up and down, flicking his two tails. “I’m Tails! The youngest.” Tails opened his mouth to start asking a flurry of questions but the woman held up her hand and pointed in the house.
“Everybody disperse. Boys, I want you both to go up and get ready for bed.” She stopped the arguments with a look. “There will be plenty of time later to talk with Sonic. Right now, your dad and I need to talk with these two. So, teeth, reading, and into bed. And no spying, that means you Miles,” she said while pointing at the fox.
The boys grumbled but let themselves be sent off. Sonic was still being held by his father, and seemed to be in no rush to be set down. With the other two out of earshot, Shadow felt it was important to let them know about their son.
“He’s injured. His feet are burned,” he told them.
The woman turned to look at her son, her face going very concerned before she stilled the expression. “Come here baby, we’ll get you all cleaned up. Tom, why don’t you get our guest something to eat and introduce ourselves?”
“Right,” the man, Tom, said.
The woman took Sonic into another room and shut the door. They hadn’t been parted since their escape and suddenly Shadow felt very nervous about him being out of sight.
“Hey, it’s alright, bud. I promise he’ll be fine. Maddie’s his mom and she’s a doctor. She’s going to take good care of him. Right now, he needs to have the privacy to tell her what’s wrong. Come on, let’s get some food into you.”
Over a warm and hearty meal, leftovers it seemed, Tom explained who they were. Tom and Maddie Wachowski with their three adopted sons. Sonic, the first to come to their family. Then Tails, then Knuckles. Two regular people with three super-powered Mobian sons.
“Why did GUN want your son?” Shadow asked. Tom had made him a cup of hot chocolate to go along with his meal. Maria had used to do that. Make them hot chocolate in the winter for drinking while they watched movies.
“You haven’t seen him run, have you?”
Shadow shook his head, startled out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, if you had, you’d see. He’s the fastest creature in the universe. And when he does, his natural energy, chaos energy Tails calls it, kicks up.”
“Oh, that’s...that’s what GUN wanted with me. They wanted me to generate chaos energy in large amounts.”
Tom gave him a sympathetic look. “How did you...no it doesn’t matter. There’s time for that later.”
But Sonic and Maddie hadn’t emerged from the room and Shadow found himself liking and trusting Sonic’s father. “I fell to Earth in a meteorite. They kept me in a lab being studied by the professor. I lived there with him and his granddaughter until...” Shadow trailed off for a second. Remembering the way they looked the last time he saw them. “GUN wasn’t careful enough with the energy and it killed both of them.” A simplification, but the best he could do.
The look on Tom’s face said that he knew there was more to the story, but he didn’t press. They sat in silence, not uncomfortable, just quiet, until the door opened and Maddie entered the kitchen holding Sonic.
“Hey big guy,” Tom said. “You ready for something to eat.”
Sonic looked sleepy but he nodded and held out his arms. Tom took him without question and Shadow realized that his feet were bandaged thickly. Sonic ate slowly, taking careful bites, never getting down from where he was sitting in his father’s lap.
Maddie smiled at Shadow. It was friendly, but tired. Both her and Tom looked rough around the edges. Shadow assumed that being threatened and losing one of their sons to a government organization would be tough on most people.
“They’ll come looking for him here. We need a plan for that,” Maddie said.
Shadow’s current plan was to kill anyone who looked wrong at his new friend, but he supposed Sonic’s parents should also be allowed to kill if they liked.
“I can take them,” Shadow told her.
Maddie’s eyes crinkled as she suppressed a smile. “I know you can. So can Sonic, Knuckles and Tails. We still should have a plan to try and deal with the worst.”
Shadow could understand that. But when his attention turned to the little blue hedgehog, who was apparently the fastest person in the universe, all he felt was rage and anger. They had taken a child from his family, just like they had tried with Shadow. Had threatened to kill them, like they had with Shadow.
Shadow liked his little blue friend, a lot. The days they had spent on the run had been interesting and Sonic was cheerful and good natured. Shadow didn’t just want to send them away. He wanted to kill them. He wanted to take every hurt Sonic had been dealt and re-deal it tenfold.
Sonic buried his face in Tom’s chest, seeming not to care about the impending GUN attack or Shadow’s homicidal nature.
Maddie’s face went very soft. “Ah, baby, are you tired? Do you want to go to bed? We should probably continue this conversation when your brothers are awake anyway.”
Sonic nodded into his father’s chest. “Yes, tired.”
“Okay, little blue man, big bed or your bedroom?”
Sonic hesitated and then spoke softly, “Big bed, please.”
“Of course. Let’s get you tucked in.” Tom carried Sonic out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Shadow was left alone with Maddie who buried her face in her hands. “Are you alright?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s been a tough few months. Alright, do you want to sleep up in Sonic’s bed with the boys, or do you want the couch?”
Shadow hesitated, feeling like perhaps Sonic’s mother wasn’t alright, but he didn’t feel it was his place to point it out. However, the choice was very simple to him. “The couch, please.”
Shadow slept fitfully at best. Most of the time he stared at the ceiling and listened to the sounds of the home. Sometime after 2 AM, he heard crying and the soft tones of comfort. How little was Sonic? He’d never asked his age. Too afraid of the answer he’d be given. That Sonic was older than he thought but immature. Or that he was younger, and putting on a brave face.
Shadow lied there for so long that eventually the sun peeked over the rooftops and show in the windows.
The sound of footsteps across wood floors drew him to sit up on the couch. It was the echidna, Knuckles, headed toward the front door. When he saw that Shadow was awake, he motioned for him to be quiet.
“I am going to patrol our property, hedgehog. Would you like to accompany me?”
Shadow nodded and followed him out of the house.
The air was crisp, and cool. The sun just starting to warm the day up. Knuckles, it seemed, took his responsibilities seriously. Patrolling the edges of their property and then make loops through the rest of it. He ended it by checking the outside of the house diligently.
“My thanks for your company this morning. We must take extra care now that our brother is returned to us.”
Shadow realized that he hadn’t spoken all morning, not even when he agreed to come along. “Yes, that makes sense. He must really mean a lot to you guys.”
Knuckles settled in on the porch swing and nodded sagely. “Sonic is pure of heart and naive. He believes the best in all, even me. This has led him into finding us, his new family, but it has also led him into great trouble. He’s a good brother, and a good friend. Both of those are his greatest strengths, but also his greatest weaknesses. I dread that our fox brother will follow in his footsteps, even though it would make him a good man in the end.”
“What about you,” Shadow asked.
Knuckles snorted. “I’ve lived through too much and done too many things to be like that. I follow my brothers because they lead with their hearts. I trust them to make the right choices even when it’s difficult. And when the world attempts to reward that with hurt, I protect them. Some of us don’t get to be naive. I believe you understand that well.”
Shadow didn’t say anything. His circumstances spoke for themselves. There was the faint noise of movement from inside the house and Knuckles stood.
“Come, we will break our fast and talk about the next steps.”
Shadow had only eaten the food that Maria shared with him. They had discovered that he didn’t really need to eat, so they had simply chosen not to feed him. However, Shadow had found that eating satisfied something in him. Maybe he didn’t need to eat, but he wanted to, and he enjoyed it.
The breakfast the Wachowskis served was probably everyday for them, but it was a feast for Shadow. He’d had scraps that Maria sneaked to him, but nothing else. Here, he got a whole plate of eggs, bacon and toast. There was also a pile of fruit that Maddie had offered him some of but Shadow declined.
“Just this for now,” he told her.
She nodded. “If you need a snack later, you’re welcome to have some. But no grapes!” She rushed to tell him. “Knuckles likes them a lot so we keep them in the house, but you can’t eat grapes. They’re poisonous to hedgehogs.”
“Don’t worry, mother. I shall eat all of the grapes to protect our new ally from them.”
Sonic snorted into his glass of milk. “Very considerate of you and not at all to do with you not wanting to share them.”
“You can’t consume them, brother, so I don’t see the issue.”
“Then why don’t I get any?” Tails asked.
Shadow felt a pang. Maria used to tease him like that. Resolve filled him. GUN had taken his family from him, but they wouldn’t do the same to Sonic. No matter who he had to kill, Shadow would keep this family together.
The five of them settled down into what could only be described as a “war meeting.”
Tom had pulled out a map of the area around the house and started pointing out possible places GUN could attack from.
The home might as well have been a fortress the way it was protected. Cameras and motion detectors surrounded their land. Knuckles patrolled first thing in the morning, and Tom patrolled before they went to sleep. Every entrance marked, every possible vantage point blocked and a home filled with a family scared of being taken away.
After the initial plan was finished, they turned their attention to other matters.
"We have a guest bedroom you can have if you don't want to share with the boys," Maddie volunteered.
Shadow blinked in surprise. He hadn't known what to expect from this family. Wasn't sure if the obvious offer to stay was temporary.
"I guess, we don't actually know your plans. Maybe you don't plan on staying. But, we'd be happy to have you here," Tom said.
Shadow meant to say no. Meant to tell this lovely family that there was no room for him but what came out was, "I'll think about it."
Shadow sat in a chair on the porch and looked out. Sonic was right, it really was a beautiful place. Rolling hills and beautiful trees. A wonderful place to grow up. Another chair creaked as someone joined him. Shadow was about to ask to be left alone when he glanced over.
Sonic seemed to be soaking in the sight. Shadow couldn’t have send Sonic away if his life depended on it.
“How old are you?” Shadow asked. Unable to keep from inquiring.
“Uh, twelve, wait, thirteen. I guess my birthday passed when I was locked up in that prison. Hard to believe I was in there for eight months. Not getting over than anytime soon.”
Young then. Young and putting on a brave face even though he was a child who’d been threatened with his parents’ lives.
"How old are you?" Sonic asked.
And oh, what a complicated question that was. "Seventeen," he said. Not sure if he was lying or telling the truth. There was no way to tell. Seemed as good a guess as any.
"What are you doing after this? Where are you headed?"
Shadow looked out at the rolling hills.
"You can stay you know. They really mean it. There's no trick, no right answer. You can stay for a while if you like and leave later. Or go exploring and still come back. You'll always be welcome here."
"GUN took my family from me," Shadow said. "They killed the only people I ever had. Now, after fifty years in stasis, I have to learn how to live without them. Have to find a way to move past the rage. Maria wouldn't want me to give it to anger and hatred. But I can't go on knowing that they stole everything from me and there was no punishment."
"Well, uh, I don't really know a lot about. I mean I know a little because my mother Longclaw was killed by the Echidnas and then the rest of Owl-kind killed all of them off. But, I think that there’s some options in-between killing everyone and doing nothing."
Shadow snorted lightly. There were many things between killing all of them and nothing. It was just that Shadow didn't know any other way. He didn't have a single idea on how to take revenge on the people that had taken everything from him.
"If you're looking for ideas, Tom and Maddie are pretty good at figuring stuff out. I mean, they figured out lots of stuff for me!"
Sonic was young, young, young. So young and so naive. Tom and Maddie were his parents, of course they were good at figuring things out for him.
But, what other choices did Shadow even have? Wander a world he didn't understand looking for answers? Dart between hideouts, always on the run from GUN? At least if he stayed, he would have a roof over his head at nights. People to help him, and company so he wasn't alone all the time. A chance to stay in one place and figure out his next move.
Sonic was right, it didn't have to be forever. It just needed to be until he could manage to figure out a plan. Which meant giving into his hyperactive blue ball of quills.
"Alright, I'll stay."
Sonic looked ready to cheer.
"But, not forever. I have some things that I need to do and I can't do them here. This is temporary."
That didn't dampen Sonic's excitement the way Shadow had hoped, but as long as he knew. That it wasn't forever.
Because he'd had a beautiful little family once. And the world had taken it away from him. Had ripped the only people he'd ever known from his arms and taken everything. Shadow couldn't do it again. He couldn't live through losing the most important people in his life and be forced to carry on. It wasn't going to happen.
He couldn't get attached.
But this, this time with Sonic and his family, that wouldn't lead to attachment. He would hold himself apart while he figured out what to do next. Would make sure he wasn't engaging in ways that weren't appropriate.
Sonic startled him by throwing his arms around Shadow and hugging him. For a moment, Shadow just stood there. Then, he hugged Sonic back.