Chapter Text
The object – dubbed a ‘comet’, as it was the closest thing it could’ve been compared to, based on the satellite scans – was on collision course in the direction of Mobius. Under its light, the dark sky looked almost starless.
Shadow laid under it, staring at the space above, silently wondering when was the last time he took a moment to rest like this. To breathe and stay motionless as the danger drew closer. The grass beside him rustled suddenly. He would’ve looked over, had his neck not hurt too much to move (probably broken by the fall, but he would heal- he always did). He didn’t really have to do that, though, he knew who approached by the heaviness of the steps.
Omega.
He stopped above Shadow, tall in spite of the dented breastplate and exposed wires. The stiff body angled, so the optics could scan the shape of his coworker on the ground. On his shoulder sat Rouge – ankle swollen, wing bent at an unnatural angle. She clung to the broken handle, barely hiding how her whole body shook. Slowly blinking, Shadow’s eyes flickered between the two.
“YOUR INJURIES APPEAR TO HEAL AT A SLOWER RATE THAN USUAL,” Omega concluded, claws flexing involuntarily.
Don’t you say, Shadow wanted to snark back but only groan made it past his mouth, so he opted to rolling his eyes.
Noting the fact, Rogue winced. Her frown focused on him for a moment, before turning towards the sky- towards the ‘comet’. All three of them tried to stop it – as soon as G.U.N. detected it; they made plans, readied the artillery, did everything they could.
And still, in the end they found themselves out of commission.
From the distance, the glowing golden spot was barely visible, but it moved towards the threat. Sonic – the only person who always came on top, even against impossible odds – was their only hope now.
“Quite a long fall you took, huh?” Rouge slurred out, squinting.
Missing teeth, he assumed, remembering how he sounded when his own were growing back in. No matter how much he wanted to ask for confirmation, to check up on both her and Omega, his voice wouldn’t cooperate. With a frustrated growl, he could only look at them from the corners of his eyes. Soon, he reassured himself, he’ll heal soon.
Silence overtook the space between the three of them. It would’ve been peaceful, if all the critters weren’t gone – running away to find shelter, feeling on an instinctual level that danger was approaching. Stillness hung in the air as the ‘comet’ moved so slowly, one could believe it wasn’t really moving. The soft gold flashed bright every few seconds against the harsh orange hues, but made no changes. Cold breeze ruffled the fur and the quills, but was not the reason for the shiver running down Shadow’s spine.
Just as he predicted, not long after Shadow felt the burning sensation of his muscles stitching back together. Bones set themselves into the right places, fur regrown where it burned off. Something billed up his throat, painfully, but he forced himself to swallow it down. Bitter metallic taste clung to his cheeks nonetheless.
Rouge must’ve heard the noise he was making, as she looked at him worried, while Omega remained as unreadable as always.
No one dared to speak until Shadow cleared his throat.
“I…” he coughed out, head turning to spit out some blood. Finally, his neck regenerated. “There’s something you need to know- in case Sonic-”
“Sonic can do this,” Rouge shut him down confidently. If she was with anyone else, her stern expression would’ve hidden the underlying doubt.
“In case Sonic can’t-” Shadow tried again, only to be interrupted by Omega.
“ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS, THE BLUE HEDGEHOG’S EXPECTED SUCCESS RATE IS FORTY TWO POINT THREE PERCENT.” The exposed wires of his arm sparked, optics dimmed ever so slightly.
“I do think of you two as friends,” Shadow breathed out. A weight lifted off his chest, exchanged for something else – something heavier, more familiar.
There’s a chance they won’t survive, if Sonic won’t succeed. And come what may, Shadow was a realist – even if he would be fine, Omega and Rouge were different. Easier to damage, to get rid of for good.
A pause.
At the edge of the world, the three stood stunned. Shadow could feel his face heat up the longer quietness stretched out. Warm hues illuminated their faces against the freezing air, but made them no clearer to read.
It was Omega who spoke up after a moment.
“YOU ARE ADEQUATE PARTNERS. EFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR OUR TIME WORKING TOGETHER TO BE CATALOGED AS ‘NOT WASTED’.” With his voice-box steady in volume, he paid the other two the best compliment he was capable of.
Rouge fought the smile tugging at her muzzle, but gave up at some point. Shadow didn’t even try to. They grinned, ear to ear, despite the actual meaning of those words. In case this is a goodbye, I enjoyed your company.
“I’m not usually one for all that sappy stuff,” after a moment, Rouge sighed, slightly shaking her head, “but I’ll cave in just this once. There won’t be a next time so better remember my words well,” her smile shifted into something between soft and uncomfortable, “I do consider you guys a… family. Kind of.”
The words barely made it out her mouth, but she was the only one brave enough to admit what they all felt. Openness like this, from any of them, was something to mark on the calendar. Something to cherish, and sometimes maybe even celebrate.
Family, Shadow tasted the words inside his head. He had it once, he never thought he’ll have it again- let himself have it again. Yet there he was.
Rouge and Omega were not his siblings, nor parents or children. They did not play a specific role in his life like Maria and the Professor did. They were annoying, they were cold. Too loud and too complicated – unreadable, similar to him.
And sometimes, when in the darkness of his own mind, wondering what he would do if he could go back in time to before the ARK disaster – he hesitated. A part of his heart screamed that he would go back and fix everything. Another part, maybe smaller but just as strong, whispered that he wouldn’t. That he cared for the people he head now just as much as for those he lost- that he couldn’t deal with loss again.
The ‘comet’ shone brightly, and all the trio could do was stare – spend their last minutes together, or wake up tomorrow to celebrate.
Either way, they would be together. And maybe that was enough.