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Chapter Text

Randy’s hips snapped forward, up into the air as Damien groaned. “Randy,” the squirrel said, moving to kiss him.

Randy kissed him back, wrapping his arms around the black-furred squirrel as they fucked. Randy moaned, feeling his boyfriend trail kisses to his neck. Damien’s dark eyes looked into Randy’s green ones as he came, locking his arms around Randy to hold him close.

Randy gasped as he came, cum painting his cream stomach white. He breathed through his orgasm, feeling Damien pull out of him and flop onto the empty space next to him. Damien took Randy’s hand in his, running his thumb over Randy’s knuckles.

Randy sighed, feeling Damien press his lips against the knuckles of the brown-furred squirrel’s hand. He didn’t deserve such care.

Randy sighed as he lay awake, staring at the ceiling. He thought about Proton again. . .during sex for the third time. He turned over to watch Damien sleep, blinking slowly at the other man in his bed.

Damien shifted, eyes fluttering as he slept. Randy got up to use the bathroom, turning the light on and nearly screaming. Proton stared back at him in the mirror’s reflection, the purple squirrel’s image fading just as quickly as it appeared. 

Randy breathed, staring at his wide-eyed reflection. He was just seeing things. Randy huffed, trying to calm his racing heart as he started the shower. 

It wasn’t the first time Randy had seen Proton’s ghost. He usually saw it in the moments Proton died, his head shot through and his eyes unfocused and glazed over. 

But this. This was different, Proton had never appeared so fully and tangibly. Randy stepped into the shower, lathering his small towel with soap before he began cleaning himself off.

At least he hadn’t said Proton’s name during, he made that mistake the first time and it took Damien a few days to get an answer from Randy about who exactly Proton was; what he meant to Randy.

Proton was a parasite. Draining Randy of his vitality and love of life. He had lost so much to Proton that. . .it felt strange to move on from his trauma almost as if nothing had happened to him. But it had and it fucked everything up, from his job at the Institute to his relationship with Damien. 

Randy sniffled, covering his face with his face as he sobbed. He needed help. He wanted help. 

Chapter Text

Randy sat in the therapy office for what felt like hours. In reality, it had only been five minutes. Dr. Zoldi arranged for a one-on-one session with Randy since he asked for it, but Randy’s stomach churned as he waited for the receptionist to call his name. 

“Randy,” the receptionist called as she opened the door to the office, her smile welcoming as she led him to the plush couch in Dr. Zoldi’s office. “Dr. Zoldi will be with you in a moment,” she continued, leaving the door open as Randy nodded.

Randy looked around the office, noting the amount of books in the ceiling-high bookshelves. His phone buzzed with a message from Damien, telling him to have a nice day. Randy smiled at the message, replying back quickly as Dr. Zoldi walked into the room.

“It’s good to see you again, Randy,” she said, using her tail to close the door. 

“Same to you, doc,” Randy replied, swallowing as Dr. Zoldi sat across from him. “Um, I don’t. . .know where to start exactly,”

“Why don’t we start with why you’re here?” 

“I. . .I keep havin’ dreams ‘bout Proton,” he admitted. “About his death and what he did to me, my friends, and my sister,” he continued. He clenched his hands into fists. “I thought I was doin’ so well now, but I’m jus’ as scared as I was back then,”

“Well, that’s alright. Sometimes, you have a relapse and that’s perfectly normal,” Dr. Zoldi said. “The important thing is not staying in it, and I’m here to help and I’m sure your sister and friends are willing to help as well,”

Randy shook his head. Sandy had told him how Shadow went back to the Electros to keep the rest of them safe. He didn’t want Sandy to worry about him as well. “Nah, they’ve got their own lives. . .” he trailed off, a sad smile crossing his face for a moment. “It’s jus’, I wanna get better and help them,”

Dr. Zoldi cleared her throat, her brown eyes looking into Randy’s green eyes. “And you will, what kind of dreams are you having?”

Randy tried to get through the fog in his brain to dredge up the dreams he had been having. Most of them were about watching Proton die, his head splattering open as a smoking gun pointed at Randy as well. He swallowed, opening his mouth to reply only to close it. 

Dr. Zoldi simply waited for him and Randy appreciated that. He opened his mouth again, saying, “I keep seein’ Proton’s head bein’ shot through, then the gun turns on me. Like I was jus’ as bad as him or somethin’,” 

“And you were there when Proton died, right?” he nodded. “Your sister was the one to kill him, and you are not as bad as him, you’re a victim just as much as anyone else,”

A victim. Randy hadn’t thought about it like that before. While it was true he had suffered at the hands of the Electro family just as much as Shadow or Shino, he felt like some part of him deserved it. 

“No one deserves to be hurt,” Dr. Zoldi replied, Randy unaware he had said that out loud. 

Randy nodded again, quiet for a moment. “If. . .if it weren’t for me, then my sister n I wouldn’t be in this mess,” he confessed. Listening to Ron usually did get him into trouble now that he thought about it. “My former friend, Ron, told me that goin’ to the Electros would be easy money n we couldn’t afford Ma’s medical bills, so. . .” he stopped, chewing on the inside of his lip. 

“So?”

“So, we went. . .everythin’ else is why we’re here in the first place,”

Dr. Zoldi nodded. “I’m sorry that you and your friends went through that. I can set you up with a support group if you’d like,” she said, writing something down in her notebook. 

Randy found himself nodding. Maybe a support group would help instead of him stewing in his own misery. 

Randy left the office with a glimmer of hope, staring down at the address for a support group that met at the close by church. 

He headed home, planning on stopping by Damien’s bakery to tell him the good news. He found Shino at the counter as he entered the establishment, ordering a slice of cake.

“Hey, Shino,” he said, watching the cream deer smile at him. 

“Randy, it’s good to see you,” she said, moving to hug him. “How are you?”

“I jus’ got back from therapy,” he replied. “What about you?”

“Just got done with classes, midterms are this week, so I’m getting myself a reward for making it this far,” she answered, her smile unwavering. 

Randy hummed in reply, smiling at Damien as he handed Shino the box of chocolate cake. 

“Hey,” Shino started, paying for her slice. “Your sister, Sasha, Ike, and I were planning on meeting up, you should come,” she finished, waiting for Randy’s response.

“Oh, uh, sure, I’m not busy this weekend,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Shino nodded, beginning to leave. “You can text me, we’re meeting at Meï’s,”

Randy watched her go, leaning against the counter as Damien leaned over to kiss his cheek. Randy couldn’t wait to see everyone. 

Chapter Text

Randy parked in Meï’s driveway, already seeing Shino’s car there. Sasha and Ike had moved into the neighborhood not too long ago while Shino got an apartment close to where Shadow and Sandy were. Randy rubbed his hands together to warm them, turning the car off and getting out as he blew out.

Everything would be fine, it was just a meeting with his sister and their friends. He knocked on the door, checking his phone as Sandy opened the door and let him in.

Sandy hugged him, her single eye closing in contentment. Randy hugged his sister back, looking at the ground as she led him to the living room. 

He looked up as Ike and Sasha waved at him, Meï smiled at him as she passed by the living room, her voice soft as she spoke to someone on the phone.

“Good to have you here, Randy,” Shadow said, clapping a hand on Randy’s back as he sat beside Sandy.

“So, uh, what’re we all here for?” Randy asked, watching Shino share a look of concern with Sasha.

“We. . .we want to take the Electros down,” Sasha said, his voice wavering. “They’ve caused us so much pain, and, and I don’t want that to happen to anyone else,” 

Randy blinked, letting out a startled laugh. “You can’t be serious,” he said, looking at Sandy for confirmation that this was just some stupid joke. 

Sandy looked away from Randy at the floor. 

“None of us are going back,” Randy continued. “We promised each other,” 

“Randy,” Shino started, her eyes hard as she looked at him. “If we can help–”

“No,” he interrupted, swallowing hard. “We promised and we’re not breakin’ that jus’ so y’all can be heroes,” 

Shadow frowned. “It’s not about being heroes,” he said. “The Electros almost took everything from us,” he continued. “We want to ensure that no one else goes through what we did,”

“And as long as Static and Ashini are still around, it will happen again,” Shino supplied. “Randy, we. . .we’re not asking you to help, we just want to keep you in the loop,” 

Randy sighed, scrubbing his hands against his eyes to stave off a wave of tears. “I know, god damn it, I know,” he mumbled. “But. . .y’all aren’t doin’ this alone,” he said. “What about Meï? Does she know about this?” he asked, looking at Shadow.

Shadow glanced into the kitchen where Meï sat at the table. “Yes, she does,” he answered. “She’s helping too,”

Randy breathed shakily, chewing on the inside of his lip until he tasted blood. “Why?” he asked, sitting beside Ike.

“Meï wants them taken down as much as any of us,” Sandy said, going over to put a hand on Randy’s shoulder. “Randy, we, I want you with us,”

Randy thought about going back, the simple reminder sending chills down his spine. “I. . .I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I ain’t strong enough to go back yet,”

Randy got up to head home, hearing Shino and Sasha speak to each other quietly. He wasn’t a coward, he just knew what his limits were. And if. . .if his friends and sister wanted to be foolish then he’d let them. 

Chapter Text

Shino sighed once Randy left, the cream deer fiddling with her phone as Sasha and Ike also left to head home. She met Sandy’s gaze, a pang of sadness weaving through Shino as she looked at Sandy’s missing eye.

“So, now what?” Shino asked, leaning against the couch cushion. “We just wait for Randy to come to his senses?” she continued.

“I don’t think he will,” Shadow said. “I mean, what we’re doing is dangerous and could fail,” he continued, reaching over to take Sandy’s hand. “We need measures in place to make sure everyone gets out safely,” 

Shino frowned, clicking her tongue in annoyance. “I know. With Proton dead it’s, this is infinitely more dangerous than him being alive. Static and Ashini are unpredictable, we don’t even know where they are,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. 

“I’ll have Fox search for them,” Meï said, walking into the living room. She put her phone in her pocket, sitting on the loveseat. “And about Randy, he’s free to do as he pleases,” 

Sandy shifted at the mention of her brother, staring at the floor. “I, ugh, I want to help him, but he’s gotta help himself first,” she said, rubbing her thumb against Shadow’s knuckles.

Shadow cleared his throat. “I’m sure he’ll be alright,” he said softly to Sandy. “We can talk about this more once we find Static and Ashini,” he said to Shino. “Provided they’re not dead in a ditch somewhere,”

Shino smiled at the thought, her gold eyes taking on a calculative shine. “Well, we can only hope,” she replied, shrugging as she stood up to leave. “Have a nice night, guys,”

Shadow and Sandy stayed with Meï for a while longer, helping the woman clean the cups and plates they used. 

As Shadow put the last plate away, Meï touched his arm, getting his attention. 

“How are you holding up?” his mother asked, taking a seat at the table.

“Good, we’re. . .managing,” he settled on, sitting in front of her. “Parappa’s waiting on us, so we–”

“I need you guys to stay safe,” Meï interrupted, wringing her hands. “Promise me that,”

“We’ll stay safe, Mom,” Shadow said, swallowing as Meï nodded sharply. “And thank you, for helping us,”

“Of course,”

Shadow got up to grab his and Sandy’s coats, pulling his coat on with measured slowness. 

Sandy stood beside Meï, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Meï,” Sandy said, grabbing her coat from Shadow and leaving with him.

Meï huffed, praying that her son would be alright during this. Praying that the Electro family would be brought to justice and no one would suffer at their hands again.

Randy arrived home as dusk settled over Kismet, his leg beginning to ache from the cold. He sighed once he met Damien at the door, kissing his boyfriend.

“You alright?” Damien asked, running a thumb over Randy’s cheek. 

“Yeah, jus’ tired,” he said, moving to the bedroom as Damien returned to the couch to finish watching his show. 

Tired was an understatement. Randy collapsed onto the bed, kicking his shoes off as he laid down and turned over to stare at the ceiling. This whole thing with taking the Electros down. . .it was deadly. He didn’t want anyone else to die because of him or his failures.

Randy sighed, covering his eyes with his arm as he tried to find some semblance of sleep. He breathed slowly, trying his damnedest not to think about the many times Proton had forced himself on Randy.

Maybe if Randy had fought harder, if he hadn’t just given up, then things would be different. He couldn’t always rely on Sandy to save him. Hell, she lost her eye because of him not killing Proton when he had the chance.

His phone rang, snapping him to the present. He was safe right now. He grabbed his phone as it continued ringing, furrowing his brows in confusion at the unknown number.

He answered, waiting for the person to speak as his heart beat rapidly. 

“Randy,” Ashini sang. “We’re not done yet, not by a longshot,” she said, her laugh high.

Randy hung up, bile rising in his throat as he ran to the bathroom. He heaved, clutching his stomach as nothing came up. Tears ran down his face. Shit. Shit. Shit. What if they knew where he was now?

What if they hurt Damien? Randy dry-heaved again, hanging onto the toilet bowl for dear life. He sobbed, gripping the toilet as Damien came into the bathroom to check on him.

He clung to Damien. “I’m sorry, fuck, I’m sorry,” he mumbled as Damien hushed him, the other man’s arms a cage around him. “It’s all my fault,” 

Damien simply held Randy, running a comforting hand down Randy’s back as the other squirrel continued sobbing.

Randy shuddered as his fit continued, wishing it would stop. Wishing everything would just stop. 

Chapter Text

Shadow sighed as he and Sandy entered the apartment, shutting the door behind him as Sandy took her coat off and headed into the kitchen. 

She began making them tea, the Kureig gurgling to life as she took out honey and sugar. Sandy leaned against the counter as Shadow joined her, wrapping his arms around her. 

Shadow kissed her temple, pressing his lips to her shoulder as his hands rested on her hips. Sandy handed him a mug of tea, fiddling with the tea bag’s string as she moved to sit at the table.

She was quiet for a moment, simply watching the calm surface of her tea. “Do you think Randy’s right?” she asked, gripping her mug for warmth. “That what we’re doin’ is jus’ so we can be heroes?” 

Shadow shook his head, reaching over to grab his girlfriend’s hand. She gave him a weary smile in response, her single eye shiny in the fading sunlight. “No, I think. . .I think Randy was right when he said he wasn’t strong enough yet, and that’s okay,” he replied, swallowing. “He’ll find his way back to us when he’s ready,”

Sandy nodded, finishing off her tea and sitting with Shadow at the table until he finished his drink. Parappa walking into the kitchen a few minutes later to get a bottle of water. 

Sandy went into their bedroom after clearing the table, opening her arms for Shadow.

Shadow let her hold him, Sandy running a hand through his quills. As they lay there, Sandy tried not to think about the day she killed Proton. She felt Shadow shift in her hold, meeting his gaze for a moment before he kissed her.

Proton was dead, he couldn’t hurt anyone else. Especially not her brother. She kissed back, grateful they were even alive to share this moment.

“I’m sorry,” Shadow mumbled, hovering over her.

“For?”

“For not protecting you like I should have,” he said, cupping her face. He pressed his forehead against hers, a shudder going through him. 

“You did yer best, Shug,” she reassured him. “No one’s faultin’ you fer what someone else did,”

Shadow groaned, wrapping his arms around her. Sandy had told him a bit about how she and Randy had arrived in the Electro’s clutches. Some bastard named Ron told Randy it was a good idea and a fast way to make money. . .and Randy listened.

Of course, Shadow couldn’t be angry at Randy because of his choice of former friends, but every now and then he caught himself blaming the other man. If it wasn’t for Randy, Sandy wouldn’t have lost her eye or even met Shadow. 

And maybe her life would’ve been better if she and Shadow had never met. He turned them over so Sandy laid on top of him, his hands tight around her lithe frame. 

Then again, where would Shadow be if they hadn’t met? Probably dead in that stupid makeshift ring. He knew he had worn out his usefulness to the Electro estate years ago. Maybe Proton had simply kept him around as a reminder to Static that they were both expendable.

Shadow swallowed, his breath stuttering out as he began crying. Shit. He was lucky to be alive. He should be thanking Sandy, but he wordlessly whimpered, holding her tighter. 

She hushed him, fitting herself more securely against him. “I’m not goin’ anywhere,” she said, wiping his face with her thumb. 

Shadow nodded, pressing his face against her shoulder. Sunlight faded as they lay in each other’s broken company. 

***

“Well,” Ashini started, leaning against the large oak desk. “We might be down, but we’re not out,” she continued as Static paced in front of her. “Come on, what’s wrong now?”

“You shouldn’t have called Randy,” Static snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. “You know he’s going to tell the others,” 

“Oh please, he’s too much of a coward to do that,” Ashini said, picking at her nails. “Besides, it was just to rattle him. What are they gonna do? Trace the call back? They have no one on their side,” she continued, sitting in the plush velvet chair behind the desk. 

Static stopped pacing, banging his hands on the desk. “We don’t have time to play games, Ash,” he growled. “If Dad were here–”

“If Dad was here, we’d probably be dead along with him. We can start a new era,” she said, spreading her hands on the table. “Think about it, Static. Do you really want to follow in father’s footsteps?” 

Static huffed. If it wasn’t for Elias or Proton then they wouldn’t have had to move so many times. Old town Kismet was their stomping ground and here Ashini was wanting to change everything. But she made a good point. What had following in Proton’s footsteps done for Static beyond giving him a busted-up shoulder?

“Let me take over,” Ashini continued, putting a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Just until you get your mind right,” 

Static sighed, flopping into the chair in front of Ashini as Angus walked into the office. “What?”

“Someone’s here to see you two,” Angus said, his gruff voice low. 

“Let them in,” Static said, rolling his eyes once Angus left. 

Tim walked into the office a few minutes later, taking a seat as he lit up a cigar. Tim took his time speaking, blowing a puff of cigar smoke into the air.

“Let’s make a deal,” Tim said, his brown eyes hard as he looked at the Electro siblings. 

Chapter Text

Static looked at Tim, wondering if he had finally gone off the deep end. “We don’t need help,” Static said, scoffing as the other man blew out more smoke.

“Oh, but you do,” Tim said, tilting his head at Ashini. “Your sister here told me as much,” he continued, his tail flicking out in a gesture that betrayed his nervousness. 

Static stared at Tim for a long moment before frowning. 

“You’re a sinking ship, Electro,” Tim continued, stamping his cigar on the desk’s ashtray. “All I’m offering is a lifeboat,” 

Ashini looked between the two men, huffing at their staredown. “We’ll take your help, Tim,” she said, reaching over to grasp his hand in a short handshake. “It’ll be our pleasure to work with you,”

Tim smiled then, his straight teeth gleaming in the lamplight. “Good, good,” he mumbled, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a wad of cash. “I’ll send my men over soon, take this as a show of goodwill,”

Ashini stared at the cash, swiping it off the table before Static could protest. “Deal,”

Randy arrived at Dr. Zoldi’s office at the behest of Damien. His breakdown caused his boyfriend to worry and fuss over him the next day. Randy sat down on the couch, clasping his hands together as Proton’s ghost sat beside him.

“You don’t deserve this,” the ghost said, a shiver running down Randy’s spine. “Come back to us, you’ll be better off,” the ghost continued, smirking as Dr. Zoldi walked into the room. 

“Randy, it’s good to see you,” Dr. Zoldi said, shutting the door behind her. She moved to sit in front of him, surprise morphing her face for a moment as Randy grabbed her hands.

“You gotta help me,” he begged. “Please.” 

“With wha–”

“I keep, I can’t keep doing this,” he said, cutting Dr. Zoldi off. “I can’t keep seeing his ghost,” 

He took in a shuddering breath as Dr. Zoldi put a firm hand on his shoulder. “I know,” she said, her voice soothing. “Have you spoken to your friends or family about this?”

“No, I. . .I don’t want ‘em to think I’m crazy,” he answered. Never mind the fact that they broke their promise. “I might be,” Randy mumbled.

“You’re hurting, Randy,” she replied. “Progress is not linear, you will have setbacks and that’s okay,” Dr. Zoldi said, swallowing as she wrote something down in her notepad and tore it out. “Look, I’ll write you a prescription. Come back in two weeks for your check-in, alright? And please, speak with your friends,”

Randy nodded, knowing a dismissal when he saw one. He took the prescription to the pharmacy, heading home to an empty apartment. Damien’s shift at the bakery wouldn’t end until later in the day. 

Randy collapsed onto the bed, curling in on himself. He needed to be stronger. 

Shadow sighed as the car rolled into Old Town Talfryn, his gun a hefty weight on his hip. If push came to shove, if he had to kill Static and Ashini for peace, then so be it. 

Shadow looked over as Sandy grabbed his hand, squeezing it as she went over the compound map with Shino, Sasha, and Ike. 

They moved as one to where Parappa remembered the hatch being. Shadow helping everyone down into it, and sticking close to Sandy to cover her blind spot. 

As they walked, Shadow couldn’t help but feel like something was off. No one met them down the sewers except rattatas. When they reached the compound’s door, it was quiet. As if they were being led into a trap or something worse. 

Sandy took in a breath, kicking the door open. It banged against the wall, the noise echoing in empty halls.

No one was here. 

Chapter Text

Shadow swore at the empty compound as Shino walked in front of him. 

Shino frowned, looking around the dilapidated underground building. “They, they’re not here,” she stammered. “That’s not possible, someone has to be here,” 

“Shino,” Sasha started, putting a hand on her shoulder as a shudder went through her. 

Shino tried to breathe, her chest heaving rapidly as Shadow moved to stand in front of her. He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug.

“It’s okay,” Shadow said as Shino quietly sobbed. “We can head home, look more tomorrow and–”

“No,” Shino interrupted, tears still sliding down her face as she clenched her hands into fists. “I want them to suffer just as much as we have,” she spat, her gold eyes becoming hard under the small light.

Ike guided her back up to the car, his voice low as he spoke to her. Shadow sighed, watching them leave. He leaned against the wall, holding the gun he brought. 

“Shadow,” Sandy said, looking at her phone. “Look,” she continued, showing him her phone as it blipped with two messages.

Unknown: We’re still here. Not done yet.

Underneath that was an address, dread worming its way into Shadow’s stomach. There’s no way. . .this has to be a prank, right?

“Let’s just head home for now,” Shadow said instead, staring at the messages. He swallowed, walking back to the car with Sandy and Sasha. Once he and Sandy made it back to their apartment, he pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple.

“I love you,” he said, his voice wavering for a moment. 

Sandy smiled, kissing him softly. “I love you too,” she replied, pressing her forehead against his chest. 

Sandy stayed there for a moment, simply listening to Shadow’s heartbeat. Tomorrow. . .tomorrow everything would change. They could die tomorrow or be back under the Electro’s thumb. Sandy took in a breath, letting out as she let her boyfriend go.

She needed to check on Randy before then. 

Chapter Text

Randy woke up to his sister calling him. He yawned, answering the phone as Damien shifted and threw his arm around Randy. 

“Hello?” he rasped, clearing his throat as he fully sat up. 

“Hey, Randy,” Sandy said, a short rustle sounding over the phone. “I jus’ wanted to check in with you,” she continued. “Damien told me you had a breakdown,”

Randy looked at his sleeping boyfriend, knowing Damien only did that out of concern. “I’m good now,” he answered, picking at the loose string on the cover. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah , we’re jus’ takin’ a day to ourselves,” Sandy answered, hoping her voice didn’t waver.

Randy hummed in reply. “I’m glad, go ahead n enjoy y’all’s day, I’ll see you later, okay?” he said, moving to get out of bed.

“Alright, see you later,” Sandy replied, hanging up as Randy went into the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.

A few minutes later, Randy walked out of the bathroom to find Damien awake and stretching. Damien yawned, mumbling, “Morning. How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Randy replied, quickly kissing his boyfriend as he went over to him. “Better now that yer awake,” he watched Damien playfully roll his eyes at that.

“Come on, what’s the plan for today? It’s my day off,” Damien asked, getting out of bed and heading toward the dresser to grab clothes. “Oh, there’s this new restaurant I’ve been wanting to try out,”

Randy wrapped his arms around Damien’s waist, nuzzling into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “We could jus’ stay home,” he said. He didn’t want Proton’s ghost popping up during lunch and ruining the day.

Damien put a hand on Randy’s, squeezing briefly. “Is this about Proton?” he caught Randy’s gaze in the dresser mirror. “You say his name in your sleep, so. . .” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind. Let’s just enjoy today, hm?”

Randy nodded, swallowing as he let Damien go so the other man could shower. Randy finished getting dressed, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. Way to go, Proton, ruining another moment for Randy. 

He took his medicine, rubbing the scar Proton left on his leg. He hoped Sandy was having a better morning than him. 

Sandy swallowed as they pulled up to a derelict church. It was funny, considering the Electro family were head of the most unholy acts. She quietly took Shadow’s hand, gripping it for strength she didn’t have at the moment.

Shadow looked at her, leaning forward to kiss her. She kissed him back, pulling away and sighing. No matter what happened, no matter if one of them got hurt, Sandy wanted Shadow to know she loved him. 

They got out of the car, walking up the intact steps of the church and pushing open the creaking door. 

Ashini was the first to notice them, a smile plastered on her face. She nudged Static, causing the purple squirrel to look up. He had simple satisfaction in his gaze.

“Welcome back,” Static said, leaning against the church pew. 

The doors shuddered shut, trapping Shadow and Sandy inside as the police the family bought out surrounded them. Nonetheless, the two stood firm in the face of Static and Ashini’s satisfaction. 

They needed to make it out alive. 

Chapter Text

Shadow huffed, looking at the guns pointed at them. He had his own gun pointed at Static’s head. 

Static called the police off with a wave of his hand. “They’re too valuable to be killed,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I thought your little posse would be with you, but I’ll take what I can–”

Shadow fired, the bullet grazing Static’s cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. He once again pointed the gun at Static’s head, watching the color momentarily drain from the other man’s face. 

“I made a promise,” Shadow started, putting his finger on the trigger. “I intend to keep it,” he said, a wide grin on his face. 

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” Ashini asked, her brown eyes hard and unflinching as she stared at Shadow and Sandy. “You and I both know you’re too weak to pull the trigger,” she taunted, watching Shadow take in a breath.

His hand began to shake for a moment before it stilled, the hedgehog still holding the gun to Static’s head. “I think you’re underestimating me,” he said, firing again and hitting his mark. 

Static’s body thudded to the floor, brain matter and blood splattering against the church pew. Ashini stood, a maniacal smile on her face in the quiet aftermath of her brother’s death. 

“Do you really think killing us will end this?” she asked, laughing. She tilted her head, stepping around Static’s body as Tim walked into the church. “It won’t. There will always be more powerful people than us running the show,” she continued, her smile showing teeth.

Sandy swallowed, watching Ashini for any sign that she or Shadow were in danger. The police didn’t move a muscle as Ashini walked toward the pair, circling them like prey. 

Shadow watched Ashini, his jaw twitching as she hummed. A lock turned somewhere in the church. 

“Shadow,” Sandy mumbled, looking at Static’s body. She heard sirens wail in the distance. Shadow glanced over at the now-dead Electro’s body, unmoving and still pouring blood. 

“It’s alright,” he replied, clearing his throat. “We’re going to be fine,”

Ashini snapped her fingers, the police moving as one around them, wrestling the two to the ground. Nonetheless, Shadow and Sandy fought, the number of police around them seeming endless.

Sandy kicked an officer away from her, grabbing Shadow’s hand for a moment. They were in this together. 

Randy sat back as he finished his shared dessert of a molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream. He sighed, grateful that it seemed like Proton, for now at least, was gone. Randy reached across the table to grab Damien’s hand, squeezing it as the other man smiled at him.

“And to think you wanted to stay home,” Damien teased. “How was your food?”

“Not as good as yours, but I can make an exception,” Randy joked, earning a small chuckle from his boyfriend. “I am ready to head on home though,” he continued, thanking the waitress as she took their plate and Randy asked for the bill. “Thanks fer this, hon,”

“Of course,” Damien replied, getting up to use the bathroom as Randy’s phone rang. 

Randy saw the call was from Shino, answering the phone as he got the bill back. 

“Hey, uh, I, where are you?” Shino stammered, the sound of a honking horn blaring over the receiver. 

“Out with Damien,” Randy answered. Dread began to build in his stomach. “Why?”

“I’m on my way to the hospital, Shadow and Sandy are hurt and. . .I don’t know what they did, but. . .can you make it?” Shino asked. 

“Yeah, of course,” Randy said, paying for his and Damien’s meal right as Damien walked back to the table. 

Randy got his card back, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair as he drove Damien home first. 

Randy hoped Shadow and Sandy were alright. 

Shino met Randy outside Sandy’s hospital room, walking in behind him as Randy went into the room.

He paused as he looked at his sister, at the bruise blooming across her face and side as she slept with Shadow lying beside her.

“He wouldn’t leave her side,” Shino said. “He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong either; he just kept reassuring Sandy,”

Randy swallowed, finally looking at Shadow to find the man in a similar state to Sandy. Of course he wouldn’t leave her, not again.

Shadow shifted, groaning as he did so, and opened his eyes. His red eyes blearily looked at Randy before a tired smile flashed on his face.

“We did it,” Shadow mumbled, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. “We’re okay now,”

Randy blinked, wondering what Shadow was talking about. Wondering what exactly he and Sandy had done. 

Shadow went back to sleep, his grip on Sandy’s hand firm. 

“What did y’all do?” Randy demanded, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer until Shadow woke back up. 

Did they really. . .there was no way. Randy shook Shadow awake, grabbing at the front of his shirt.

“Did you kill them?” he asked quietly, disbelief cutting through him as Shadow simply snorted. 

Randy let Shadow go, looking at his sister. She hadn’t woken up yet. Randy left the hospital room, running a frustrated hand over his face. What the hell were they supposed to do now? 

Chapter Text

Sandy woke up with a groan and her head pounding. She sucked in a breath, finding Shadow beside her and holding her hand. She pressed her dry lips against his hand, turning to find Randy and Shino walking into the room, speaking quietly to one another.

“What are y’all doin’ here?” Sandy asked, her throat dry from sleeping. 

Randy looked at her, rushing to her side. “Shino called me,” he simply said, swallowing. “What did you n Shadow do?” he asked.

Sandy opened her mouth to reply, to come up with some excuse. 

“Don’t lie to me,” Randy begged, green eyes looking into Sandy’s own. “Please,”

Sandy frowned, shifting as she took Randy’s hands in hers. “I won’t,” she said. “We, Shadow killed Static n Ashini’s still out there,” she admitted, sniffling as tears pricked the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry I couldn’t–”

Randy hugged his sister, his hold tight as she suddenly sobbed. “You did enough,” he replied, rocking her. “I’m jus’ glad y’all are alive,” 

He wouldn’t know what to do if he lost her and Shadow at the same time. He pulled away after a moment of Sandy getting his shoulder wet. He was grateful they were still alive .

Sandy sniffled again, wiping her eye. She thanked Shino as the deer brought her tissue, watching Randy clasp his hands together.

“I’m just glad y’all are alive,” he repeated, nodding as the doctor came into the room. 

The doctor checked Shadow and Sandy over, waking Shadow up long enough for the hedgehog to get his own bed. “Are you a relative?” the doctor asked, looking at Randy.

“Yeah,” he answered, watching her look at the clipboard she was holding.

“Visiting hours are almost over, we’re going to keep them for a day longer, make sure nothing’s wrong internally,” she said, looking at Sandy. “Looks like Mr. Robotnik will be just fine, Ms. Cheeks,” she continued.

Sandy smiled at this news. “Alright, thanks, doc,” she mumbled. 

The doctor eventually left Sandy and Randy alone for a few minutes longer. 

“So, now what?” Randy asked, running a thumb over Sandy’s knuckles. 

“Well, once we get outta here, we’re gonna rest,” she answered. “All of us, includin’ you,” she continued.

Randy nodded, sniffing to fight off a wave of tears. “Sounds good,” he mumbled. “Sounds real good,” he said, slipping into his coat as a nurse entered the room and told him visiting hours were over. 

Randy headed home to find Damien in their bedroom dozing off with the TV on. Randy kissed Damien’s cheek, earning him a sleepy smile. 

“How’s your sister and Shadow?” Damien asked, yawning as Randy switched the TV off. 

“Should get released soon,” he replied, wrapping his arms around Damien. “Jus’ glad they don’t look too bad, y’know?” 

Damien hummed sleepily in reply, having enough energy to kiss Randy softly. Randy kissed him back, burying his face into Damien’s neck as he began to drift off. 

This time, instead of dreaming of Proton, Randy dreamt of a future with his friends and family by his side. They weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They weren’t going back to the Electro family or any other crime ring in Talfryn. 

He was finally free. 

Shadow and Sandy were released from the hospital a few days later, the pair having a small get-together in the days leading up to the weekend. 

“I still can’t believe you guys made it out with a few bruises,” Sasha said, sitting beside Ike as the bear nodded in agreement.

“We got lucky,” Sandy said, sighing into her drink. “Jus’ wish we coulda dealt with Ashini too, y’know?” she continued, getting up from the couch to get more ice.

Sasha watched her for a moment, the seafoam green rabbit shifting closer to Ike. “I know, but you two could’ve at least told us your plan,”

Shadow sniffed, switching the channel to a music station. “It wasn’t a plan,” he said, shrugging. “Not really anyway. We can only hope Ashini takes the hint and leaves. . .wouldn’t mind putting a bullet in her skull though,”

Randy frowned, shifting as Sandy sat beside Shadow and put a comforting hand on his thigh. 

“We’re all thinking it,” Shadow mumbled, staring into his cup of wine. 

Sasha and Shino shared a look, the air heavy with their unspoken conversation. Shadow was right. Maybe if they got rid of Ashini too then they’d truly be free. 

“C’mon, Shug, enough of that,” Sandy said, making Shadow look at her. “We did enough,” she continued, swallowing as she ran a hand through Shadow’s quills. 

Shadow nodded, finishing off his drink and setting the cup on the coffee table. “I know,” he replied, pressing his forehead against Sandy’s. 

Randy huffed, watching the pair for a moment as Sasha and Shino spoke quietly to each other. He caught snatches of their conversation, about their next steps and if Ashini even needed to be dealt with. 

He hadn’t seen Proton’s ghost in a while, so he took that as a good sign. A sign that things were finally changing for the better. He hoped things would stay better, that they would all heal from this no matter how long it took. 

Sandy laughed at something Shadow whispered to her, the hedgehog pressing a kiss to her shoulder. 

Everything finally felt alright. 

Ashini paced around the office, the glee she felt brimming through her. She was the sole head of the Electro estate now and she had Shadow to thank for it. Whatever obsession her father and Static had over Shadow, Sandy, and their little group was gone. 

It was time to start fresh, anew, to rise from the old ways Elias built into Proton and the ways Proton built into Static. She didn’t need that group anymore, hell, they were too much trouble for her father and Static, so why bother?

Ashini finished off her wine, her high laugh echoing in the office as she sat in the plush chair behind the desk. Where she belonged. 

Oh, this. . .this was better than anything in the world. Ashini smiled, looking at Tim as the squirrel walked into the office. 

“Are you sure you’re not going to stab me in the back?” Tim asked, sliding over a stack of paper. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she replied, reading over the deal Tim drafted up. She would officially be his partner in his crime family in a matter of minutes once she finished reading and negotiating. 

Ashini signed the last page once she found nothing would screw her over. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Tim,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

“You as well, Ms. Electro,” Tim replied, raising his glass. “To new opportunities,”

“And a better future,” Ashini added, clinking her refilled glass against Tim’s. 

While she had no use for the old ways, she could at least honor her brother and father. But tonight was a celebration, she could honor them later.