“Sonic, what the hell is that?”
Shadow grumbled, arms crossed as he glared down at the small blue and yellow Chao staring up at the darker hedgehog. Sonic had been holding it firmly in his arms, gloved hand wrapped around its circular torso.
“She’s.. a Chao? You know what they are Shadow-“
“Of course, I know what it is, but why is it here? ”
Sonic raised an eyebrow, lifting the Chao up so it could sit comfortably on his shoulder. It’s nubby hands pulled on his ear, cooing softly in curiosity.
“I adopted her, well.. kinda? I kinda just found her randomly and she latched onto my leg so she’s mine now.”
He chuckled, hand hovering behind her in case she fell off of him. Shadow stared back at him blankly, ear twitching ever so slightly in response.
“Right. Where do you plan on raising her, then? You don’t have a house.”
Sonic smirked wide in response.
“No! No, no. Absolutely not.”
“Ugh! C’mon, if not for me do it for her. She’s a cutie!”
Sonic exclaimed, spare hand waving round dramatically.
“Plus, you’ve got a nice house. Seriously, who gave you the money for this? Did you rob a bank again?”
Shadow stared back once again, eyes narrowing in frustration. His eyes followed the chao, she seemed very interested in Sonic’s ear. Gently tugging and inspecting, pulling it back and watching as it twitched. He shook his head insistently, backing away and proceeding to close the door. Sonic rushed forward and stopped it from slamming shut with his foot, hissing harshly through his teeth at the impact. Shadow peered through the gap, an eyebrow raised as his patience began to grow thin.
“... What?”
He huffed, glaring at Sonic and up towards the Chao. She seemed absolutely clueless, tilting her head as she met Shadow’s frustrated eyes. Her small wings flapped absentmindedly, not having fully developed yet. Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering on how he would convince Shadow. He’d do it in the way he usually would. Be an annoying prick.
“Please? I’ll be good!”
He pouted, clasping his hands together in a begging motion. Shadow just scoffed, opening the door again.
“What are you, 5? I said no.”
He repeated, pressing his lips together in a hard line. His gaze kept flicking up to the Chao, and she was the one doing most of the convincing. She had dropped herself back down to Sonic’s shoulder, squeaking on impact.
Sonic groaned, throwing his head back in agitation. That elicited an amused giggle from the Chao, atleast Shadow and the Chao had something in common which was finding hilarity in Sonic’s expense.
“I won’t tell anyone you let me live here, you can keep your pride or whatever the damn issue here is. Please, please, please, please… pretty please? With a cherry on top of that sundae I just proposed to you?”
He begged, words nearly slurring together by how he rushed the end of his sentence. Shadow stared deadpan back at him, his gaze dragging all the way back to that damn Chao again. Those wide eyes were staring into his soul, somehow pleading more than Sonic was without saying a thing. Shadow blinked, feeling his lip twitch. She was cute, no doubt, he wasn’t the type to think that though. He couldn’t be a damn babysitter, he’s the ultimate life form not some nanny!
So that’s why he let Sonic and the chao live with him. He had to give in, could he even be blamed? Sonic was persistent and that chao was too adorable. He always had a soft spot for the creatures, always felt that strange paternal instinct towards them. He assumed that was what everybody felt, the urge to protect something small, but over the years he had come to realise that wasn’t the case.
Sonic was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his arms resting on his spread knees. He had been wearing lots of shirts recently, which is strange. Shadow wore clothes a lot, sure, but Sonic never really did. He said it was because they got in the way of his speed and agility, stopping him from going as fast as he wanted to. Shadow had a sneaking suspicion but it was based on theory, barely any evidence backing up his thoughts.
It had been a month or two since the incident in Soleanna, where Mephiles came and tried to destroy the world. Usual antics for Sonic, stopping power hungry maniacs, but what had happened that day was different. He died. He got impaled, having the life force sucked out of him and dropping lifelessly on the grassy floor. Shadow wasn’t there to see it, but the thought of it made his skin crawl. He was brought back, they saved the day, victory for all. What happened was erased, the only people remembering what had happened being Sonic, Shadow and Silver. Shadow often wondered if the shirts were covering a scar, but he wasn’t even sure if he had one. Everything from that was wiped, were physical effects wiped too?
Whatever the case, it didn’t really matter now. Sonic sat, emerald eyes following the chao’s movement. He had a red crop top on, although you could barely tell it was ‘cropped’ considering it covered his entire torso anyway. His foot tapped against the oak wood floor, gold buckle glistening under the dim light. Shadow was making his way down the stairs, having just been in his room, gazing down at Sonic with.. an unreadable expression. Something he himself couldn’t even place if he tried.
“You really like that thing, huh?”
Shadow called out, floor creaking lightly under his step. He didn’t have his air shoes on, strange to see in all honesty. He just had a hoodie on, hands in pockets as he made his way over to the couch. Sonic glanced up at him, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Nah, just adopted her for zero reason.”
He retorted, voice dripping in sarcasm. A scoff arrived from Shadow, making his way behind the couch. His arms draped over the cushions, picking at a loose thread that had been poking from one of them.
“I take it you’re annoyed?”
Sonic questioned, looking back at the Chao as if he didn’t just ask the most ridiculous question. Shadow huffed, shoving his elbow into his shoulder in response. Sonic responded by punching him in the arm, lightly, he wasn’t planning on fighting the guy.
“I assume that’s a yes.”
Sonic continued, rolling his eyes with that shit eating grin spread across his face. He brought his hand up, leaning his head against it as his knee bobbed up and down. Shadow manoeuvred over to the open room kitchen, opening the fridge and scanning absentmindedly.
Sonic’s gaze shifted from the Chao to Shadow, eyes landing on his feet. They seemed… off? He was putting more weight on one leg than the other, when he walked it looked like he was limping, as if standing was strenuous. He never did that, atleast whenever Sonic saw him, but he had his shoes on. Were his shoes keeping his legs mobile? He was quickly snapped out of his train of thought when a drawn out sigh emanated from him.
“You’re seriously stealing my food already?”
Ah, he stole a bar of chocolate earlier when Shadow was in his room. Sonic laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck.
“Heh, maybe?”
Shadow simply rolled his eyes, closing the fridge door without even taking anything from it. As he walked away from it, the Chao waddled her way over to jump onto Shadow’s leg. His eyes widened, drawing in a sharp intake of air at the sudden pressure. He froze in place, heart beating through his chest as he stared down at the Chao. She simply stared back, jade eyes wide with childlike whimsy and curiosity.
“She likes you.”
Sonic commented, a soft smile gracing his features. Shadow was still taken aback, the air caught in his throat as he tried to come back to reality. This small… child, baby even, approached him without fear. It was startling, horrifying for him to consider that there’s a young being like this Chao that looks up to him. That may even see him as a parental figure, that frightened him.
It made his quills stick up.
It made his ears fall back.
It made his eyes snap open in shock.
It made his throat feel tighter.
Made his heart stop.
Made his breathing hitch.
Body tremble.
He couldn’t breathe.
Why couldn’t he breathe?
Why did his stomach churn?
“Shadow?”
Sonic’s voice called out, his hand gently placed on Shadow’s trembling arm. When did he stand up and walk over? Shadow snapped his head round to look at him, his chest rapidly rising with each small breath. Sonic’s brows furrowed, a frown replacing his previous gentle gaze. He picked the Chao up, taking her away from Shadow’s wobbling legs.
“You need a sec?”
His voice was low, uncharacteristically soft and caring, it was strange for Shadow to hear. Well, barely, his own heart beat was too loud for him to focus on the blue hedgehog's voice. He swallowed hard, practically disappearing from view by how fast he sprinted to the back door of the house. Sonic watched on, the worry building up like waves in his chest.
Later that night, when Sonic’s Chao had passed out on the little bed he had set up, Sonic made his way to the back garden. Shadow had been there for hours, hadn’t left since he ran off. Sonic didn’t want to go out there, leaving an infant alone is cause for disaster. He had gotten himself ready for bed, which basically just means he took his clothes off which barely made a difference. His feet padded across the grass, coming to a halt when he looked up to the view. Shadow’s house was on top of a hill, isolated from pretty much everyone, so his garden was just the rest of the hill. It looked out onto other mountains and hills, city lights glimmering far in the distance. The chirp of crickets rang out nearby, along with the hum of owls and the rustling of tree leaves in the wind.
Shadow was humming quietly to himself, a tune Sonic didn’t recognise. It was a strangely melancholy look for the darker hedgehog, misty eyed with a faint smile. The moonlight shone against his face, crimson eyes glowing in contrast to the pale blue shine.
“I’m fine, I know that’s why you’re here.”
Shadow called out, voice barely above a whisper as his gaze stayed locked on the grass beneath his feet. He picked at strands, fidgeting like he was trying to stop himself from breaking apart at the seams.
Sonic slowly lowered himself beside Shadow, nudging his shoulder against his with a featherlight touch. He gave a gentle smile, lowering his head to meet Shadow’s half lidded gaze.
“You and I both know that’s not true.”
Sonic muttered, a slight iridescent glow emanating from his chest that caught Shadow’s attention. He turned, eyes widening somewhat as he took in the sight in front of him. Sonic did have a scar, a diamond shaped glowing scar that split through the centre of his chest. Blooming purple veins surrounded it before fading off, the tan skin around it seemingly dulled down. Shadow’s theory was correct. His wide eyes flickered between the scar and Sonic’s face, brows furrowing ever so slightly.
“Sonic.. I never realised-“
“Let’s not change the subject, Shads.”
Sonic interrupted, looking away with an almost irritated expression. His voice was low, commanding in a way. Struck a nerve. He brought his knees up to his chest, hugging his legs to block the scar from view.
Shadow sighed, running a hand through his quills nervously. He’d ask about it another time.
“What were you singing?”
Sonic asked, voice muffled somewhat by his knees pressed against his muzzle. Shadow gazed up at the starry sky, a rare tranquility present in the hedgehog.
“Just something Gerald used to hum, usually to get Maria to sleep during rough nights.”
He recalled, a bittersweet expression spread across his face. Sonic glanced over at him, a tinge of dread filling his body at the mention of Gerald. He knew he used to be different, that the death of Maria sent him over the edge, but he still tried to destroy the planet. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his own face though, seeing Shadow so strangely at peace. Recalling these memories in such a fragile way, wandering through the words carefully as if he’d forget it all if he slipped up.
“She always struggled to get to sleep when she had flare ups, it was always that tune that got her through.” He continued, lip twitching upwards faintly. “When that didn’t work I had to come through and she’d hold onto me like some teddy bear.” He chuckled, eyes becoming glossed over. He bit down on his lip, having to stop talking or else the flood gates would burst.
Sonic frowned, lowering his legs and shuffling over. He, reluctantly, placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder. He could feel him tense under his touch, but he slowly but surely relaxed, leaning into his palm.
“You can cry, yknow?”
Sonic uttered, watching as the stoic hedgehog in front of him began to unravel. The dams burst, flood gates buckled under the pressure, as the tears came pouring and the sobs were ripped from his throat. Sonic didn’t seem shocked, disgusted, none of those, he just pulled the other into a tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around his torso, bringing a hand up to cup the back of his head.
Shadow hiccuped, burying his face into the crook of Sonic’s neck. Quickly, his blue fur became damp with Shadow’s tears, but he didn’t care. He just wanted him to feel safe, at ease, because God knows how long it’s been since he felt wanted. His cries sounded strangled, sniffles and shaky inhales paired alongside it. He brought his hands up to Sonic’s back, clinging onto him for dear life. His grip was tight, almost overwhelmingly tight, as if Sonic would leave forever and never come back if he dared to let go.
“It’s okay, Shads, you’re safe now.”
He muttered, resting his chin atop of Shadow’s quills. He heard a brittle laugh come from his shoulder, muffled and almost inaudible.
“Shut up, you stupid.. Stupid blue hedgehog.”
Sonic laughed lightheartedly, a toothy grin spread across his face. Blood rushed to his cheeks, ears flattening in an almost sheepish manner as he uttered:
“There’s my favourite faker.”
Page 2
“Shadow!”
A voice cried out, a gutwrenching scream tearing through a girl’s throat. All he could hear was her laboured breathing and his heart banging like a drum inside his ribcage. The surrounding gun fire was muffled in his head, vision blurry with a vignette of black surrounding Maria’s form. He needed to get her out. He needed to save her.
They were sprinting, Shadow leading the way and Maria holding onto his hand with a tight grip. She wheezed, hair whipping in her face as she tried to run but her legs just couldn’t keep up. She felt a stitch in her side, lungs tearing bit by bit. Her eyes watered, blood rushing and pumping through her body to try and keep her conscious. Her clothes felt damp, stuck against her skin, sweat beading on her forehead. Her throat felt like it was tightening, having to force air in despite her body protesting it.
“Shadow I can’t-” Maria began, voice brittle in tone as she struggled to maintain consciousness.
“We have to! I cannot let you get hurt.”
He interrupted with urgency, swiftly turning a corner and rushing into a nearby room. It was a familiar area, an escape pod not yet deployed located in the centre with a control panel situated in front. Shadow immediately slammed the door shut, backing away as he caught his breath. His lungs ached, burning with every brittle inhale and exhale. He turned to look at Maria, brows stitching close together in confusion. She was stumbling over to the control panel. Shadow began stepping forward, but he should’ve been more aware of his surroundings.
“Maria, what are you-”
A metallic hiss was heard as the pod slammed down around him, encasing him entirely. He rushed to the barrier, hands placed against it. His breath fogged up the glass, eyes wide as his heart almost slammed its way through his ribs.
“Maria! Let me out, now! Please, they could come any second.”
He pleaded, voice wavering and tears bubbling up on the waterline of his eyes. Maria turned her head, a weak smile gracing her features. That was when Shadow’s gaze lowered to her chest, and he felt his entire world collapse around him.
His heart stopped.
Breathing came to a halt.
She had been shot.
Her pale blue dress was stained red, a pool of crimson surrounding her feet. Some of the panel buttons had been stained, her entire palm having been soaked in her own blood. He was too focused on getting her to safety, he didn’t notice that it was too late.
“Shadow, promise.. Promise me…”
“NO! No, please. Maria, we can get out of here with Gerald. We can go to Earth, like you’ve wanted to for years. It’s not too late.. It can’t be.”
He sobbed, tears flowing as he struggled to have a steady intake of oxygen. Maria shook her head, hand trembling over a switch as she gazed back at him.
“Shadow, I beg of you, please do it for me.”
No. He had been here before, this was a dream. It had to be.
He could stop this, fix things.
“For a better future!”
This isn’t real. He can fix it. She’s alive.
“For all the people that live on that planet.”
This isn’t real, Shadow.
“Give them a chance to be happy…”
It’s just a dream, Shadow.
“Let them live their dreams…”
She’s alive.
“Shadow, I know you can do it.”
This is not real.
“That’s the reason you were brought into this world.”
Wake up!
“Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog.”
“MARIA!” Shadow cried out, body lunging forward in his bed. He panted, his ears folded back and quills disheveled. It wasn’t a dream, but a bad memory. A memory that constantly haunted him whenever he closed his eyes. He could never escape his mistake, in sleep or in reality it followed him everywhere. He could feel sweat dripping off of his head, the racket of his heart slamming against his chest. His mouth felt dry, throat burning every time he swallowed harshly.
Then, he began to notice a strange pressure on his leg. A warm, light pressure. He blinked several times, trying to adjust to being awake before looking down at his leg and he saw… the Chao. She was hugging his calf, gazing up at him with bright eyes. Where did she even come from? Did she waddle all the way upstairs? Did she fly? She couldn’t have, her wings are too small. She hummed, crawling up and sitting on top of his leg.
Shadow’s breath hitched, eyes wide and mouth agape. He didn’t launch her when he woke up, did he? He exhaled slowly, slowly calming down, leaning forward towards the Chao. He proceeded to hold his hand out in front of her, watching in something akin to awe as she climbed up onto his bare hand. She poked at the paw pads on his palm, a noise similar to a ‘woah’ slipping from her mouth.
Shadow felt a smile force its way onto his face, feeling such a strong protective urge crash over his body. He hadn’t felt like this since… Maria. Maybe it was because the Chao was a girl, maybe it was because she kept running back despite the fact that Shadow was typically seen as frightening. Whatever it was, it was overwhelming. Yet, at the same time, it was comforting. It had been so long, decades, since he had a connection like that. He wished he could focus on the comfort, the warmth of the idea, but the daunting gloom came creeping back. The dread of getting close to somebody, the lingering horror that stopped him from forming any kind of relationship.
He did not want to lose them.
He’s immortal, he can’t die of natural causes, he’s going to watch everybody around him turn to dust. That fact alone horrified him to his very core, sent him spiraling into a deep descent he couldn’t crawl back out of.
“Chao chao!” A toddler-like voice called out, grabbing Shadow and pulling him back to reality in such an abrupt way it gave him whiplash.
… Did that Chao just fucking talk?
She stared up at him, her head tilting to the side. She snapped him out of his dissociation at the very least, beaming up at him with that same childish innocence.
“I didn’t know you could talk.”
He uttered, voice raspy from being asleep for hours. She simply giggled in response, rolling over in his hand and staring back wide eyed. It made his heart beat rapidly, in such a strange reaction fueled by adoration. It was something he wasn’t used to, wasn’t sure if he had even felt that before. Was this why people had kids? Had pets? The joy that fuelled them from seeing something so innocent be so happy in a world that had fucked them over for so long? It made him feel a hint of jealousy, threatening to overtake his judgement, but he shook it off. He had always felt jealousy and anger towards those who were happy despite everything, it’s part of why he started off hating Sonic so much.
He was so optimistic, cheeky, cheerful and it made his blood boil. How could someone who had gone through so much, fight daily, keep going? He still can’t fathom how Sonic keeps running, insistent on persevering. Maybe it was because he had closure, he knew his purpose and didn’t have many questions unanswered. Maybe it was because that was just his nature, always one for the next adventure. Always on the run.
The Chao had made her way to Shadow’s lap, raising a hand and poking his chest where the white fluff protruded on his upper torso. He glanced down at her, sighing softly with a weak smile.
“Insistent, aren’t you?”
He chuckled, the red glow of his eyes reflecting off of her pale blue skin. He tilted his head, taking in the Chao’s appearance for a moment. It was just a regular Chao, and hasn't taken influence from anybody yet. He pondered for a second about what she would end up looking like with Sonic raising her. Well, saying that, she seems to be picking up on his personality. Particularly the pushy aspect.
Then, he got an idea. He didn’t have too much of an issue with her being in his room, not that he’d ever admit that aloud, but he didn’t want to risk flinging her across the room like he nearly did just minutes ago. He quickly placed her on his bed, standing and getting up to do something that seemed to fascinate her. Her intense gaze followed him around the room as he picked up the pillows on the left side of his bed and placed them on the floor. He opened his closet, grabbing a spare blanket before going back to the pillows neatly placed on the carpeted floor. He had made a bed for the Chao, almost twice the size of her.
“There. You tell Sonic about this and I’ll have to kill him.”
He murmured, hesitating before gently picking the Chao up with one hand. She didn’t seem to understand what he had just said, Shadow wasn’t even sure if she knew what death was. He squatted down, lowering her onto the fuzzy blanket coated pillows. She seemed to enjoy it, smiling up at him before rolling around and laying on her back. After a mere minute, she passed out. Soft snores slipping through and echoing throughout his bedroom.
Shadow crawled back into bed, laying on his side on the right section of his bed. He had only lived in this house for a month, sleeping in a bed was a foreign concept to him. Sleeping in general was alien. He was grown in a tube and spent most of the beginning of his life in that same exact tube, can’t exactly blame him for finding it uncomfortable at first. As he stared blankly across the room at the wall in front of him, he felt… different. Dread, sure, but he always felt that. That was nothing new, he could never shake it no matter how hard he tried. That wasn’t it, he felt warm. Not the same warmth he felt with Maria, far from it, but it was like the flicker of a reawakening flame. A glimpse of a life worth living for, however mundane.
He exhaled slowly, not wanting to stick on that thought any longer, and letting his eyes fall shut and drift into sleep once more.
“Sonic! Sonic!”
A girl exclaimed, shaking the blue hedgehog's lifeless body.
Sonic watched on, eyes wide as he perceived himself from a third person. He was dreaming, it was obvious, the way Elise’s face was blurred and Sonic’s own dead body was disfigured and almost completely fogged out. It was strange, he couldn’t make out a single thing of his own corpse other than the gem shaped wound glowing from the blocked out shape.
“Elise! Elise, can you hear me? Don’t cry, it’s okay!”
Sonic exclaimed, running over to her to try to comfort this dream state version of her, but it was useless. He passed right through her, stumbling forward onto the grass below. As his face hit the ground, groaning from the rough impact, he pushed himself up and turned around. He expected to see Elise holding his husk but instead it was just an endless void. He was floating, small stars flickering around him. He was in space?
“Chaos control!”
Two voices yelled out, a flash of light emanating from behind him. He snapped his head round, looking over to find the Ark engulfed in flames barrelling towards Earth. No, no, no. He knew what this was. He glanced down at his hands, a vivid yellow aura encasing his entire body. He could fix this! He had been too caught up in all of this to remember it was a dream, a painful memory. It was too late, he couldn’t change this.
He flew forward as Shadow began his descent to the planet, the super form fading from the other hedgehog’s body. The further he flew, it only felt as if he was pulling himself back. Shadow just got further and further away, becoming a small blip in Sonic’s view.
“No! Shadow!”
Suddenly, he was pulled back, his head slamming violently against an unknown surface. He saw his own legs, blurred entirely. He adjusted his vision, as best as he could, squinting his eyes several times before getting back up on his feet. He was back in that field again, a mangled version of his body standing in front of him. The entire form was blurred out, as if his brain was unable to fathom what had happened, except for that damn scar.
“You deserve this.”
The demented figure before him spoke, his own voice directed right at him. Sonic felt like he couldn’t breathe, he felt like he had been stabbed again. He shook his head rapidly, closing his eyes tight. He didn’t want to face this, he wanted to run, he wanted to leave this all behind. He felt a hand grip tight around his throat, choking out a gasp as his eyes were forced open. Face to face he saw himself, colour drained and crystals forming all over like a disease.
“You deserve this.”
The figure repeated, tilting his head with the sound of glass shattering. Sonic felt his body falling, descending rapidly at a rate he couldn’t process fully before he was woken up. His eyes snapped open, arms wrapped around his torso in a firm hug. He glared up at the ceiling above him, sun spilling in from the nearby living room window. He groaned, looking down at his chest. Alive and well, nothing changed, nothing blurred. He ran his hand through his disheveled quills, his chipped ear twitching as he heard the loud smash of a plate hitting the floor. He shot up, eyes darting over at the kitchen with adrenaline coursing through his veins and heart pounding in his chest.
It was Shadow and the Chao, a shocking sight to see. Shadow had a cupboard open, a plate shattered on the floor in front of the Chao. He sighed slowly, picking her up and placing her on the counter next to a bowl of cereal.
“You aren’t allowed in that cupboard, okay? Don’t want you stabbing yourself with a broken plate.”
Shadow explained, voice soft in tone as he elaborated on the dangers of broken glass to this infant. He began picking up shards, throwing them in a nearby trash can. As he turned round, he caught a glimpse of Sonic sitting up on the couch. His face became flushed for a moment, before gulping and continuing his course towards the kitchen counter.
“You slept in.”
Shadow commented, back turned to Sonic as he grabbed a small plate from a cupboard above him. The Chao propped her hands up on the sides of the bowl full of cereal, almost tipping herself into it like a pool. Shadow pulled the bowl away however, bringing it over to Sonic and placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“Your chao has been a pain, as you can see.”
He waved towards the trash can where the pieces of glass had been put in. He closed the lower cupboard door with his foot, somewhat limping his way over to the fridge. Sonic could smell… deodorant? Some kind of perfume, the closest smell he could connect it to being strawberries. Did Shadow put on perfume? Was he going out? Was he still dreaming? He shook his head, flinging his legs over so he could sit up normally on the couch. He grabbed the bowl of cereal, groggily blinking as he adjusted to being awake in reality. It was fruit loops, and that just left Sonic questioning if he already had fruit loops or if he went out and bought some for him.
He glanced up over at Shadow, snickering under his breath as he watched Shadow cutting up an apple for the Chao. Shadow’s ear twitched, but he didn’t turn around as he spoke. “What?”
Sonic bit his lip, clearly finding this whole thing amusing. “Didn’t take you for the domestic type.”
Shadow, unknown to Sonic, rolled his eyes and ignored him. “I’m only doing this because you slept in and decided to have a little extra beauty sleep. Clearly you need a lot more.” He retorted snarkily, passing the plate with apple slices over to the Chao. The seeds had been picked out one by one and thrown out, and the slices were so small that you could eat it without chewing. As Shadow turned, a pillow was sent hurtling towards his face. It made a great impact, eliciting a grunt from the hedgehog.
“You tryna call me ugly, Mr. Ultimate Lifeform?” Sonic quipped, taking a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. His laugh was muffled by the food in his mouth, cheeks full and stray droplets of milk staining his tan muzzle. Shadow picked the pillow up, throwing it back on the couch and rolling his eyes once more. This time, he did so in a much more exaggerated manner, wanting to make his agitated state clear. As if it wasn’t obvious enough.
“God, you’re insufferable.”
“I know.”
He gave a lopsided grin once he had swallowed his cereal, pointed fangs showing at either side.