Chapter Text
It was weekly movie night at the Wachowski household. To top it all off, it was Sonic's turn to pick the movie.
He had peak taste in films, being a connoisseur of cinema, but that was a major unpopular opinion for some reason.
It was a total coincidence that the protagonist was a sadboy loner with deep-rooted issues, which made a certain someone come to Sonic's mind once again.
Someone the blue blur met earlier at the park.
'Met' was a generous way of putting it— more of a one-sided conversation than anything that lasted a few minutes before the new hedgehog said he was busy and left...
...And then Sonic chased his motorcycle down for a few minutes until losing him due to blue justice himself accidentally crashing into an ice cream stand. So cold...
Anyway, he just looked so cool.. . Not as cool as Sonic himself, but who knew quills could have highlights like that? Maybe Sonic could get his dyed too! He was feeling a neon green.
Sonic subtly looked at the others, taking note of how quiet they were. It was as good a time as any to bring up an idea that he had bouncing around his brain for hours now.
"...So! Totally weird how we all fit on this couch, and yet we still have an empty sofa right over there." He pointed at the mentioned furniture. "I mean, it's like we're missing someone, and we gotta fix that ASAP, am I right or am I right? It's almost like we should invite someone else for movie night soon, right?"
As if on cue, a four-legged creature walked over and hopped onto the sofa. The dog mouth-breathed with his tongue sticking out as Sonic shot him a deadpan look, "Not you, Ozzie."
Tom ate some of his popcorn as he snarked, "y'know, I kinda get the vibe that you wanna invite someone over. But it's so subtle, I can't really tell."
"You drop hints as gently as pianos drop on that one cartoon coyote's head." Knuckles added.
"Yeah, Sonic," Tails looked at his brother. "Plus, we barely know that hedgehog."
"First of all: Knuckles, glad that Tails has been making you watch the classics. Bugs Bunny? Mwah, chef's kiss." The blue hedgehog pointed upwards, then stuck a second finger up. "And dos, what's the first step in getting to know someone? Exactly! A movie night!"
"Woah, okay, hold on-" Tom paused the movie while keeping an arm around Maddie. "So, it's another hedgehog, huh?" He and his wife exchanged a knowing look before smirking at their first kid.
"Looks like Sonic finally discovered girls," Maddie tossed popcorn into her mouth.
"About time."
"What..." Sonic grimaced in confusion, which then turned into a pout when his roommates began to giggle. He shook his head and gestured negatively. "No! Nonono, he's a guy!"
Tom and Maddie's lips formed a tight line for a brief second before smiling again with light chuckles. "'Kay, so Sonic discovered boys. That's also fine! Honestly, we should've seen it coming."
"Yeah, it's 2023." Tom nodded. "Who cares. You're already a blue hedgehog alien-thing, liking guys shouldn't-"
Regrettably blushing just a bit, Sonic spoke through gritted teeth: "Not. Like. That." He glared at the other two until they stopped snickering and then turned his attention back to his parents. "Look, there's just a new hedgehog in town. You know I've never even seen another hedgehog like me before! I dunno where he's from or what he's even doing here, but everyone seems so scared of him for no reason and he seems so lonely... I tried talking to him and he seemed kinda shy? Sort of a man of a few words, I'd say."
"Sounds nothing like you then," Tom barely muttered, earning a light elbowing from Maddie.
"All dark and brooding and deep-voiced, like Batman if he was three feet tall! Or me, if I was Batman! I think we should give him a warm welcome!"
"Perhaps everyone was afraid of him because he looked like he was about to murder them."
"Just because looks like an edgelord doesn't mean he's a bad guy, Knuckles. Plus, you were evil and still look grumpy a lot of the time, and now we're like insert pop culture duo here!" Sonic insisted loudly. "I dunno what the problem is! You know I can be the same with him!"
Tails still had questions. "Where did he even come from? Someone like that doesn't just come from Earth, he just seems really suspicious, looks and demeanor aside. Did you even get his name?"
He stood on his seat, striking a heroic pose with extra intense music playing in his head. The teen's voice lowered dramatically: "Shadow... Shadow the hedgehog!"
That only furthered the teasing and comments about Shadow being potentially dangerous at worst and 'cringe' at best.
'Unknown origins' this, 'possible villain' that. Shadow was cool! Everything about him was so, so, SO cool to Sonic! How couldn't the others see that?! And since when did they care so much about stranger danger? Especially if it meant destroying their house, which was in shambles every other day at this point.
There were talks of 'developing friendship eventually leading to meeting the parents' and other junk. Sonic was a teen, basically an adult, he could make decisions and judgments of character for himself.
(It wasn't even like he wanted to invite Shadow over right this second... because there was literally no way to contact him. He would if he could, but anyway.)
Sighing deeply, he slunk back into the couch as the movie continued. Noticing that the sofa had gone back to being empty just added insult to injury.
Around half an hour passed, and Sonic found himself zoning out of a movie he himself picked.
The teenage tradition of arguing with your family bummed him out. Especially when he was just trying to make a new friend! Maybe stretching his legs would help him out of this funk.
There was a knock on the door.
Strange nighttime visitor aside, it was kinda weird that they didn't use the doorbell, but after an 'I GOT IT!', Sonic ran to answer it.
Upon opening the door, he was instantly greeted with flora to the face. A violent mix of purple, green, and specks of brown attacked his vision.
After shaking his head quickly and spitting out any lavender petals on his tongue, Sonic moved the arm that held them a little lower.
Stars filled his eyes upon seeing who the visitor was.
Assigned Goth At Birth, and barely an inch shorter than Sonic.
"SHA-" He remembered the earlier conversation and adjusted his tone to not alert the others (as best at the blue blur could, at least). "Shadow? I-I mean..." That still didn't sound all that great to him, so he opted for one last attempt: clearing his throat and deepening his voice as he leaned against the door frame. "Shads... Hey."
"Hello."
One single word and he already came off a thousand times cooler than Sonic.
Trying to keep his voice low did not mean that Sonic slowed down in the slightest. "...I'msogladyou'rehere!" The 'cool guy' persona was out the window. "I was just talking about you- I- I mean, not really about you! More like about you being here someday, but I don't have your number! ...Or a phone, no matter how much I beg for one! Anyway, here you are!" Electricity coursed through his body— metaphorically speaking— as he rambled on.
While Sonic hopped in place, Shadow remained with his somber expression, and stayed with his flower-offering arm still extended out.
Jogging around him, Sonic couldn't stop admiring him. "I'm just so excited that you're a hedgehog just like me, I still can't believe it! There's so much we could do together! I don't know what exactly, but...! Also, I could've sworn your eyes were red and real freaky in a good way, but nowtheylookbrown'cuzit's darkand it'srealltcoolhowthathappenedand-!" He breathed in loudly. "Also, uhhh... How do you know where I live?"
"...You yelled your home address at me as I was leaving."
"Ohhh, right," Sonic bashfully scratched behind his head.
Also...
Shadow showing up to his house at night with flowers was not going to beat the romantic allegations.
Shining a grin and finally accepting the lavender flowers, it turned into a gasp when Sonic saw the roots and dirt still dangling off of them. He ran for a split second to their garden before returning to the same spot. "You ripped these out from our garden?! As in, Pretzel Lady and Knuckles' garden?! Ohhh, they're gonna kill me..." He didn't need a repeat of what happened last time he damaged it, of course they'd assume he did it again.
Shadow didn't react in the slightest. "It was a last-minute effort. I didn't want to arrive empty handed. Flowers come with friendly connotations, at least according to Wikipedia dot org."
"Bit more than 'friendly' there, my man," Sonic said with a dry chuckle. "But thanks, I guess! ...Lemme just-" In a split second, the hedgehog planted it back in its place as best as he could. Going back to the front door, he wiped sweat off of his brow. "Oh! What should we do now?! Go to the park? Play ball?!" His tail-wagging quickly stopped. "Wait no, it's too dark out and I hate it. Also, these guys would flip if I leave this late..."
"Sonic?" A voice from inside the house called. "Who's out there?"
"Uh, uhhh, j-just the mailman, Donut Lord! Hah! Don't worry 'bout it!" Before there was any further follow up, Sonic shut the door, leaving both him and Shadow outside.
"I am not the mailman, Hedgehog." Shadow said plainly. "And who is this 'Donut Lord'? How do you know him?"
"Long story! Uh..."
Chaos , this is just what he wanted earlier. Everything would've been perfect, if not for his family's weirdly judgmental selves. They would've just been watching a movie together, but nooo. Shadow was just too 'mysterious' for them.
It wasn't like Sonic planned this. What was the worst that could happen? They kick Shadow out? They wouldn't do that, if anything they'd just wait until it was over and then get privately upset at Sonic... However, if Sonic was grounded, then he wouldn't have to time to get to really know Shadow.
And he needed that ASAP. He needed to know everything about Shadow this very second, or else he would explode.
...He just couldn't tell Shadow to leave, it would make him sad, sadder than whatever he already had going on. If Sonic was a good potential-friend, he'd prevent that from happening. Shadow probably wouldn't be able to handle more-
"If this is a bad time, I can return tomorrow."
"NO!" Sonic lunged forward to grab the other's shoulders. "No... Just gimme a sec..."
Shadow looked down at the invasion of his personal space, then back at the perpetuator. "...Get your hands off of me." Sonic did so immediately.
Sonic's brain was working a mile a minute. Shadow. Family. Hedgehogs. Arguing. Friends. Grounded. Secrets. Shadow again.
Suddenly, a lightbulb appeared in his mind, and a mischievous smile slowly crept onto his face.
Teen rebellion time.
"Okay! Got it. This is gonna be prettyyy weird, but just trust me...!" And just like that, his gloved paws were on the other hedgehog again, tightly at that.
Shadow didn't have time to react, much less put up a fight. Sonic covered up the dark hedgehog's mouth roughly with a hand, using the other one to prop Shadow over his shoulder. In the blink of an eye, they went from the front lawn into the house through a window. Not stopping until they reached the kids' attic bedroom.
Sonic wasn't exactly known for his strength, and Shadow's accessories weren't exactly making him any lighter, but the time it took for Sonic to run up the house and in through the window was quick enough.
He set Shadow down as soon as he could, luckily keeping him on his feet thanks to his uncomfortably stiff posture.
Finally, Sonic felt more at ease being in his room. The same could not be said about Shadow and his teeth-grinding scowl.
"What was the meaning of that?!" Voice significantly showing much more emotion, he quickly stomped closer to the blue devil. "Why would you-"
"SHHH-" Sonic brought a finger to Shadow's lips."ShhhshSHHHHHsh. Sh."
The black hedgehog shook off the distraught feeling of what just happened, attempting to adjust to the new setting, tone, and instructions. That being said...
"...Hands off in three... two..." Once again, Sonic did as he was told, lest Shadow bit him with those fangs or something.
"Sorry! My bad!" Sonic whispered. "I never noticed how touchy I am!"
"Shocker." Shadow frowned, Sonic offered a nervous grin as he rubbed his own forearm.
Okay, so upsetting Shadow— especially this early on— wasn't part of the plan, but it slipped through the cracks of an otherwise foolproof idea.
Quiet seconds passed while Sonic pressed his ear to the room's door, making sure that the others were still distracted. The noises of loud sound effects, cheesy jokes, and copyrighted music confirmed it.
Sonic spoke lowly as he got back on his feet. "Look, you're not much of a talker to begin with, but we gotta be extra hush hush right now, comprende?"
"We'll be here in silence? That sounds like a complete waste. Is this your idea of a good time?"
"Pfft, do I look like that's my ideal good time?! You haven't lived until you've partied with me!" Sonic did a little dance. "Do you even know me?!"
"I literally do not."
"...Right." Sonic abruptly stopped. "And like, ...not dead quiet. They still got, like, an hour and a half of movie left to watch, but still! They can't know you're up here, especially the fact that I let you in."
"And why is that?" Crossing his arms, Shadow raised a brow. "Why would you let me in, then?"
Really good question.
"To spend time with you right this sec, aaand the rush of disobeying authority!" Sonic announced. His proud tone immediately turned a bit sheepish: "Sorry for basically kidnapping you, by the way."
"Okay." Shadow sounded as monotonous as ever as he calmly walked around. "The less people the better."
Turning away for a moment, Sonic silently squealed to himself, flapping his hands as well. He composed himself and absentmindedly brushed a hand through his quills.
The blue blur glanced back at Shadow, who seemed more interested in his surroundings than having a conversation. Given context clues about the guy, that added up.
Shadow had a resting grumpface, but he had subtle reactions to various items in the room, from intrigue to vague disgust. It didn't help that, ever since Tails and Knuckles moved in, it has been basically impossible to even walk there thanks to all their junk.
Those brownish-red eyes then stared deep into Sonic's, silently wondering what to do next. As the two-person-party host, it was Sonic's job to keep the fun going. Something about Shadow made that fact feel all the more intimidating, however...
"Y-You can chill on the beanbag chair, if you want! Mega worn out, but still a fave! I call the race car bed!" Running there, Sonic stood on the edge of the bed, letting his back land on the mattress. "Ahhh..."
"I prefer to stand."
Propping himself up on his elbows, Sonic took note of the dark hedgehog's clenched fists and in-need-of-a-back-massage posture. "...Cool, cool! Um... sorry 'bout the mess?"
"It took a lot for me to not say it out loud," placing a hand on his waist, Shadow shifted his weight onto a leg, "but it does look like mess, yes."
In that moment, it was as though something clicked in Sonic's head.
The casually rude comment paired with a kinda sassy pose... Shadow's generally dry persona and how it contrasted with his own... Sonic could have fun with this.
"Bit of a neat freak, huh?" A smirk was clear on Sonic's face as he began zooming all over the place. Flashes of blue spread as he moved items, making the room look emptier and emptier by the second. He also made sure to run past Shadow a couple times, the wind threatening to make him spin.
The bedroom was cleaned in record time. Making this the cleanest it had ever been.
Sonic's half-lidded eyes matched his cocky demeanor. "That clean enough for ya?"
Having regained his balance, Shadow resumed with his instinctive fight stance. Registering that it was all over, he eased up. "Hmm. Impressive... You could do the same with your hygiene." Now innocently wide-eyed, Sonic gave himself a little sniff. "Mostly referring to your quills."
"Psh. As if anything's wrong with them!" Sonic slicked them back confidently again... before his eyes darted around worriedly. "...What's wrong with them...?"
"The spines stand up in awkward spots, extremely scruffy in odd places, there is a clear lack of conditioner, the grease gives them an unwanted sheen, the split ends make me want to get a pair of scissors myself, and I can see chunks of cheese buried in them."
Shadow didn't even need to get a closer look, he came up with that right on the spot, meanwhile Sonic felt as though he received a third-degree burn.
Two could play that game.
"Well, excuuuse me for being normal about my quills! Not all of us are like you, with your no doubt incredibly specific haircare routine, the way the spikes are styled in the coolest way, your flawlessly slicked spines without a single one out of place, your epic red highlights, plus your fur seeming extremely soft, aaand I'm just complimenting you, aren't I." Sonic brought a hand under his own chin. "Hm."
He met Shadow's gaze, his ever so slightly astonished reaction, before the ebony hedgehog masked it and looked away. "...Hmph."
"Soniiic!" Tails could be heard from down below. "You okay up there?"
Hunching over with a deep exhale, Sonic went to the exit. He shot one last look at Shadow, "like I said, zzzp!", as he mimed zipping his lips. Shadow merely rolled his eyes.
Sonic ran down, making sure to close the entrance to his room. Tails was as happy as ever to see his brother, but still carried an air of concern.
"Totally! Totally fine, I just got the mid-movie zoomies, y'know?" Letting out a forced laugh, Sonic pretended to stretch his legs. "Can't hold these bad boys down for that long. I'm just gonna keep letting it out in the room, 'kay?"
Tails nodded slowly. "Okay... I just heard a bunch of noise and I could've sworn you were talking-"
"Nope! Wh-Why- Why would I-" Sonic swallowed hard as he subtly moved the fox away from the attic's entrance.
"You talk really loud, Sonic." Tails looked up at the stairs. "Is someone up there?"
"Okay! Ya got me... Myself!" Sonic instantly corrected him. "I was talkin' to myself. You know I was lonely for a long time, old habits die hard, ahaha...!" Turning him around with an arm around his back, the hedgehog guided him back into the living room. "Look! You're missing the best part!"
"This is the best part!" Knuckles commented, earnestly. "Because they're playing a popular song, and I recognize it!"
"See?! Knucklehead approved!"
Tails lowered his voice, keeping the conversation between the two without the others' knowledge. "Alright... You wouldn't lie to me, ...right?"
There was a pang in Sonic's heart, and his lips just barely quivered.
"I'm fine." He stuck out a pinky. "Trust." And after confirming their pinky promise, Tails went back to the couch.
Tom, Maddie, and Knuckles were a bit confused as to why Sonic just so badly didn't want to keep watching the movie, but Tails explained as Sonic ran off again.
He took a moment to breathe before entering the attic again. This wasn't that bad, right? He just secretly had a new friend over... Having to lie to them like this, especially to Tails, definitely changed his mood.
Nevertheless, he still had someone waiting for him.
When Sonic opened the door, he got a clear sight of Shadow passing the time by skating all over the room. Which he had more freedom to do so thanks to the impromptu cleanup sesh. Those chunky shoes were oddly as light as a feather.
As he kept moving around the area, he would keep glancing up and down at each item and square foot with utmost attention. Almost as if inspecting, for whatever reason... for a second time. He was more more intense about it than he was earlier.
Upon hearing Sonic clear his throat, Shadow stopped in his tracks. He kept his typical apathetic composure, but the way he rapidly shot his head up was suspicious.
The two looked at each other for seconds that felt like minutes. The blue hedgehog stared with fully raised eyebrows as the other remained utterly silent.
"Uh..." Walking in, Sonic placed his hands on his hips. "You lookin' for somethin', Hot Topic?"
There was a pause. "No."