Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 Shadow felt like he was falling. Despite being in space, the only thing flooding his vision was a glorious golden hue and vibrant crimsons. He couldn’t hear, but he could see movement. His body was slack, a gentle pull downward getting stronger with every second. Despite what would typically be a terrifying moment, he felt nothing but peace in this moment. Looking at the golden movements felt like he was alive and dead at the same time. Something calm, something warm gripped his mind as he fell backwards. Was he even breathing?

        The golden light seemed to shift, blurring and moving and rushing and racing and- It was chasing him. He felt words grip the corners of his mind, wading through the fog but not able to breach it. He couldn’t tell what was going on, couldn’t hear what was being said, until he felt pressure on his right wrist that sparked right at his inhibitor ring before it was suddenly absent. The ring from his wrist melded with the blurs of gold and white and red and completely disappeared from him. The power bound by the ring seemed to reinvigorate him, flooding his senses momentarily before his vision seemed to clear and he began to hear the whispers…

        No, screams…

        His shitty, default-sounding alarm on his phone rang from his nightstand, causing him to groggily come to his senses before reaching over and practically dragging his claw against the screen to shut it off. Black ears flicked as he seemed to chase away the sound as he pushed himself up from his bed. He groaned as he slid into a sitting position, before getting out of bed and shivering when his foot pads hit the cold carpet. Damn space heater shut off in the night again. He really needed to find an override for the safety setting…

        Shadow stretched, feeling his lower back pop as he grunted again. He grabbed his phone, unplugging it from its charger and unlocking it to check on his messages. He had a group chat or two with a dozen notifications he simply ignored. If it was important enough, Rouge knew to text him personally. Same with most everyone else, he hoped. He did have a few notifications from her, just extra intel involving a surveillance mission they completed not too long ago, and how it somehow connects to their next one they’ll be assigned next week. He responded half heartedly with an emoji, before flitting to his other private message notifications.

        Sonic: hey sleepy headddddd (edited)

        Sonic: we need to go on a run sometime soon and catch up, we havent done that in a while :(

        Sonic: we could do that this morning if you actually woke up early……..

        Sonic: like cmon how am i the one who wakes up first, i thought you were the old man here

        He rolled his eyes at the back-to-back notifications he’d gotten about 2 hours ago. It was his day off, he was entitled to an extra few hours of sleep, damn it. He stared at the messages for a little longer before resigning that if Sonic waited this long, he could wait a little more.

        He dug through his cabinets in his kitchen for some food, settling on something quick he could simply throw in a bowl with some water in the microwave and call good. It was the kind of food he could shovel down quick on his way out, so it was what he had in spades. Starting the microwave, he turned to dig in a different cabinet for some espresso beans to put in a smaller bowl. He’d prepare them in large batches coated in various chocolates to last him through a week or two of occasional snacking. Usually when in a pinch on work days he defaulted to cans of energy drinks he kept in his fridge. The ones he got in particular tasted like peach rings, which he wasn’t too fond of, but at least they didn’t give a strong aftertaste of something foul and chemically, he reasoned. He wasn’t grabbing one right this second, but he was definitely considering them if he had to deal with the resident Hero of Worlds today.

        Flashes of gold passed his vision when he’d blink…

        He shook away the thoughts as the microwave beeped, grabbing his food and mixing it with a spoon before leaning over his kitchen counter. He alternated between snacking on the chocolate coated beans and his breakfast, deciding now was the time he’d grace his fellow hedgehog with a long-awaited response.

        Me: You know I don’t work today, right?

        Sonic: and??? how does that stop us from going on a run for old times sake

        Sonic: cmon pleaseeeeeeee?????

        Me: You never cease to impress me with how much you act like a puppy.

        Sonic: >:0

        Sonic: im Offended

        Me: Congratulations? I’m finishing my breakfast now.

        Switching his phone to a video-sharing app to scroll through idly as he ate, he swiped away any and all notifications until he was done eating. This was his time to relax, no one else’s, and if he was going to spend it like a glorified IPad kid, he would.

        Eventually, it was time to start the day for real this time. He texted Rouge properly, making sure she knew not to bother him unless Omega set something on fire today. She understood he wasn’t honest, anyways. His entire MO was dry humor and lying while sounding 100% serious, so those that were close with him knew he was joking. He still got a chuckle when remembering he had convinced a few fans he eats coffee beans with a spoon like cereal. Of course he didn’t do that, he simply ate them with his hands. The chocolate was mess free if he wasn’t slow, after all.

        He stretched a little more, feeling the cold bite at his hands as he did so. His whole apartment was chilly, and he felt safe in assuming it was due to the snow that coated the town below. After all, snow was very obviously cold. Shadow took the time to get dressed, putting on his riding leather and some thicker denim pants. He sure wasn’t riding in this temperature, but he wasn’t taking any chances with the chill and the slush that would be flying his way with various runners and cars on the street.

        Sonic: cmoooooooooooooon shads can we please go on a run???? im dyin over here!!

        Sonic: :(((((((((((

        Me: If I say yes, will you shut up?

        Sonic: YES

        Shadow sighed at his phone openly, before responding.

        Me: Fine.

        He could practically hear the blue hog’s excitement across the town. He didn’t realize how he felt about that thought until he felt his ears warm up. He shook his head to hopefully calm his mind, but the golden blur from his dreams entered his thoughts again. He sighed, electing to unpack his dream from last night later as it made his head pulse and his back ache. He had an idea of what it was, but right now he needed to meet up with Sonic before he combusted from sheer excitement..

Chapter Text

        Shadow and Sonic arranged to meet up just outside of town, electing for a long dirt road primarily used by farmers and hunters so that it would be relatively uninhabited in the mid-morning. Obviously in his excitement, the blue blur got there first.

        “Hey, Shads!” Resounded through the field as Shadow jogged up, a half-hearted grimace on his face.

        “You know I don’t like that nickname, Sonic.” Was the reply, met with a slight laugh and a nonchalant apology. “Now, are we going to run or not, since you seemed so excited about it?”

        “Oh, yeah!” Sonic interjected, remembering his excitement quickly and bouncing a bit on his feet, desperate to let out his pent up energy alongside someone who could match his speed. “I was thinking three laps around the track, then a race back to the city after the warm up?”

        “Delaying the inevitable loss?” Shadow teased, a fanged smirk pointing towards his blue rival before the other stammered, looking skeptically before groaning.

        “Absolutely not, I just want a warm up! Unless you think you can beat this?” Sonic’s tone was drenched in his usual ego as he pointed a thumb to himself. Shadow, in response to the accusation, rolled his eyes as he watched Sonic impatiently place his fists on his hips, tapping his foot.

        “Fine then, are you ready?” Shadow asked, looking to the blue blur who was practically ready to bounce off the trees nearby. Sonic nodded rapidly, eyes shining as he got into position.

        He swore he could see flecks of gold in those green irises…

        Nevermind, it was time to get a workout in. They both took off on the path, weaving through forests and farmland, dirt and gravel. Sonic laughed as he felt the wind in his quills, followed alongside Shadow who couldn’t help but feel calm wash over him. The mid-morning weather was calm and temperate, maybe a little windy but nothing the duo wasn’t used to. Their running was more of a jog at this point, Sonic and Shadow genuinely warming up for the race that honestly excited the both of them.

        Competition between the two was rare nowadays, what with Sonic being busy being the hero of all more often than not, and Shadow working on the sidelines and in the background with Omega and Rogue under the authority of G.U.N. and Commander Tower. Their situation didn’t necessarily irritate either party, no, but it did lend to a lack of time spent together since their run-in with a certain corrupted jackal. Last Shadow heard of him through the grapevine, he and a certain ‘Buddy’ of theirs seemed to be two very happy canines. That was years ago, though. Had it really been that long since they were able to regularly face off against one another, work alongside one another?

        The two had both been so caught up in their own actions, in their own goals, it was hard to imagine that it’d been years since they could do something like this regularly. It felt nostalgic in a way, comforting and warm. Like an old friend. They hadn’t ever been friends, though, Chaos, no. Rivals, frienemies at best. Maybe one of them longed for more once upon a time but that was totally gone by now and-

        WHAM!

        Shadow, lost in thought, had face planted directly into a tree. His snout crashed against it and when he bounced back onto the forest floor, he gripped it with a groan. His nose was bleeding a little as he heard Sonic’s shoes grind to a stop against the dirt before he sprinted back.

        “Shadow, you okay?” Sonic hollered as he closed the distance between them, kneeling infront of Shadow and reaching a hand out to push Shadow’s away to inspect the damage. Shadow let one of his hands free before hissing at the open air hitting his nostrils, one of which was bleeding a bit from the force. Fangs gritted harshly as he felt his upper jaw sting and he groaned. How could he have been so careless and unaware?? He gently rubbed the affected area of his snout, not caring about the small streaks of red that now adorned his gloves. 

        “‘M fine, Sonic.” Shadow grumbled, giving himself a moment to process what happened before pushing himself up. Sonic’s hands held onto his shoulder and his waist, trying to keep him steady in a concern that bordered on excessive for Shadow’s liking. By the time he was standing, the synthetic hedgehog had already healed his injury.

        “What even happened?” Was asked as Shadow waved it away, dismissing it as he rubbed his face and checked himself to make sure everything was in order.

        “Just got lost in thought, took a play from your book.” He quipped, earning a gasp in mock offense before there was a small laugh.

        “At least you’re fine enough to still be an asshole.” Sonic replied, groaning a bit playfully. “Anyways, are you ready to keep going or did you want to rest a bit?”

        “I’m fine, let’s go. This is the last warm-up lap anyways. Besides, it’ll be all the funnier when you lose to a hedgehog with a possible concussion.” Shadow joked, bringing Sonic’s concerns right back. “Before you say anything, remember I was created to heal fast. I’m fine, Sonic. No concussions, no bleeding, no nothing.”

        “Fine, fine, but just because your pretty little face got all busted up a second ago doesn’t mean I’ll hold back.” Sonic fired back, grinning before continuing his jog, Shadow following close behind.

        Their final lap came and went, and they were both lined up at a mock starting line that Sonic dug in the ground with his shoe. They got into position, looking towards eachother with childlike grins from way back when. Once again, warm nostalgia filled Shadow as Sonic counted down their race.

        “Finish line is the cafe on Mission, you ready?”

        “As I’ll ever be.”

        “Alright! Ready, set, let’s do this, GO!”

        And they were off, practically flying off the roads. It was a damn near miracle they didn’t bump into eachother in their friendly competition. Blue and gold blurs passed eachother by, bobbing and weaving between eachother, the roads and forests leading to the city, and quickly through traffic and cityscapes as well. Cars, bikes, buildings, all were navigated around with ease now that they focused on the race instead of other matters.

        And after about three minutes of running, a winner was finally declared as they both reached the cafe within seconds of each other.

        “YES!” Sonic shouted triumphantly, jumping in the air as he realized he’d won. “Still got it!” He bragged as Shadow stood, rolling his eyes playfully.

        “Congratulations, did you want a cookie or something?” Shadow said with a smirk, voice dripping with sarcasm.

        “Well, we are right next to a cafe…” Sonic said after a pause and some genuine thought. He didn’t seem to pick up on the cue in the moment of excitement.

        “I was joking,” Shadow began, quickly intercepted with an ‘oh’ of Sonic realizing. Shadow held up a hand to shush the blue hog, “However, I can get you a cookie if you want. You did win our little race after all.” Sonic perked up immediately upon hearing that, not willing to question the surety of his edgy companion before rushing inside, leaving Shadow chuckling to himself.

        As he walked inside the cafe and ordered Sonic his much-desired sweet, he couldn’t help but realize he was genuinely having fun. Maybe they should do this more often...