The Box - Sonadow Fanfiction

Get Together

"I don't know why you're so upset, it's not like we're going to go through with it." Shadow said matter-of-factly, watching Sonic pace back and forth around the hut mumbling solutions to himself.
After Amy had finished reiterating everything sober Tails had told her, she silently agreed it was time for everyone to leave and ushered Tails, who was still singing, out of the doorway into the cool summer night. Knuckles remained uncharacteristically quiet during the whole ordeal, only speaking up to say his goodbyes as he hoisted a still sleeping Stix over his shoulder and trotted after Amy. Once all were gone from sight, Sonic inhaled deeply and started to panic, not to Shadows surprise.
"You always seem to act so relaxed around everyone, but you've got more anxiety than a turtle crossing a busy highway."
Sonic laughed sarcastically at this, "well maybe I wouldn't be so uppity if your only suggestion wasn't something we obviously can't do!"
Shadow rolled his eyes, he half stood, half sat on the edge of the kitchen counter with his arms folded, "why do you say that?"
Sonic moved rapidly forward, "what? And you live your entire life fighting off chemically induced, violent sexual urges? We can only control them for so long Shadow!"
Once he was close enough,Shadow took his partner by the wrists, "but we can control it. We know how now, all I need is you." He kissed the palm of Sonic's gloved hand and released him.
Somewhere in him, the blue hedgehog loved hearing this and wanted to ignore all the facts and just pretend nothing was wrong, but that wasn't ever who is was, and he wouldn't let himself forget that.
"Yeah but-" he looked away from Shadows heartfelt gaze, "you and I both know I won't always be around."
Neither had truly wanted to mention it, but the truth was that Shadow was immortal, and Sonic was not. Shadow had no response to this, his facial expression had only shifted slightly as his eyes barely squinted.
"So we have to, we have to fix you, we'll just find a way through it, we always do, right?" Sonic pleaded, resting a gentle palm on a fluffy black knee.
There was a long quiet that poked at both of them, why could nothing be easy for them? Even before this, everything was always a challenge, always a search and a mission, always a fight, no chance to just- exist.
"No." Shadow finally said, "I won't do it, we'll give the fox more time."
"You might not have more time, you know that! Your blackouts are getting more frequent, don't you remember having to stop four in one session?" Sonic said, exasperated.
"That's-" Shadow clenched his eyes tight and his voice cracked, "Sonic I can't lose you. I just can't- won't risk it."
Sonic's voice also started trembling as he grasped at bravery, "but we're us, we've always been risk takers," he grabbed Shadows face, "and so far it's paid off. We'll be fine, I just know it." He was trying very hard not to let the quaking pass through his lips.
Shadow croaked, "then why are we so fucking emotional right now?" They both let out pained chuckles.
"Because even though we take them so so much, it doesn't make the risks any easier to handle."
"I've always hated how heroic you are," Shadow said softly, "why must you always do what's right?"
Sonic breathed lightly, "because that's who I am- that's who we are."

***

After a very tense, very long evening where they both mutually agreed not to speak about anything that had just happened and decided to instead distract themselves with movies and idle chatter, Sonic and Shadow were out cold by 2 am huddled together in a calmly swinging hammock.
Though, and they would never admit it, neither of them were truly asleep, instead each had privately decided to stay awake and feel the others warmth, listen to their breathing and take in as much as they possibly could.
According to Amy, who spoke on behalf of Tails, there was a 82% chance Shadows memories of everything after he had first breathed the serum would, for lack of a better definition, evaporate as the chemical in his blood and his brain was reversed. Why this would affect a memory, Shadow couldn't understand, but decided to save that worry for when he could confront the fox and ask the real questions.
Sonic, however, couldn't get his mind to stop racing around, he wanted so badly to do this the wrong way and just deal with each other as they were, for as long as they could, to hide and never come out. He knew this was a selfish thought, but it didn't matter.
Morning grew closer and after a sleepless night of depressive thinking, Sonic hoisted himself up and off the hammock, followed closely by Shadow, who stretched and yawned as if to pretend he slept at all, and the two were out the door and on their way to the workshop where Tails was already tinkering around, rolling about in a little wheelie chair.
"I knew you two would show up bright and early," he started, looking up from a machine that he was attempting to improve, "I'm sorry about last night, I had one too many." He looked down, ashamed.
"It's okay buddy," Sonic knelt beside him and smiled, "it's really our fault for letting you drink."
Tails gave a weak smile back, then glanced up to
Shadow, who, although was just standing there casually, seemed to be emitting an aura of anger that pushed Tails to stop fidgeting with the machine and look directly at him, "the math and the science don't lie, I tested your blood and your- uh-" he cleared his throat and glanced down Shadows body," "your blood, and the only solution I found was a direct reversal, something that won't work on Sonic because his organs shifted, but will work for you."
Shadow breathed, he knew the fox was only helping but it was hard to stay relaxed, "it's only been a little while, is there not more research you could do?"
Tails nodded, "there is, but- well," he scooted himself over to another part of the workshop, grabbed a piece of broken glass and swerved back, "I just don't have the time."
All three looked at the glass and it became clear what it was, an empty vial stained with blood.
"See, your blackouts aren't just in your mind. It's all of you, I was running tests, trying all these different things when the vial started vibrating and shaking until it exploded."
Sonic shouted, "SHADOW COULD BLOW UP?"
Tails had to speak loudly over him, "no, you idiot, the blood got too hot for the vial," he darted eyes between the two hedgehogs, "what it does mean, is that one day Shadow just, won't be. He'll be violent, just purely violent all the time."
Another long silence, Sonic took the vial from his brother and looked at Shadow, "then we don't have a choice."
Shadow stared daggers at the cursed glass, "how long?" He asked from the side of his mouth.
"Could be days, could be centuries. Sonic's kept me updated and I know you've managed to suppress it, but I can't say if that's helping or making it worse, it's almost like a virus."
"And why could it erase my memories?"
"That one is complicated, everything about you is connected to this, you're sharing everything, even memories, and if it goes, it may take them with it."
Tails began to twist his fingers together, and looked up to Sonic, who stood somber yet tall, putting on a facade that he could read so easily now, it was truly sad how often Sonic pretended to be fine, he hated sharing this information, he wanted to put it off as long as he could just so his friend could finally stay happy.
"We do it, soon." Sonic said wholeheartedly, "rip it off like a bandage, get it over with."
Shadow began to argue but was cut off, "come on, this is going to eat away at us, at everyone close to us until we get it over with."
"But- I-" Shadow pondered for a moment, he was desperate not to lose Sonic, yet he never wanted to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. He thought back to that trainee, Silver, who he was so close to harming and then thought of all his friends who would grow to fear him like they did once, and how that made him feel.
He inhaled deeply and picked up the vial, giving it one last look over before crushing the rest of it between his fingers, "fine. As soon as we can."
Tails nodded and immediately scooted to his computer, diving directly into action, "there is one complication," he said with a flicker of disgust, "we need Eggman."
"Why?" Sonic asked, looking out of the workshop and into the horizon where that overly modern lair was.
"He gave me everything I need to create a reverse serum except one thing-" the fox turned and pointed to Shadow, "-something to contain him."
"Contain me?" Shadow huffed, feeling slightly embarrassed but mostly enraged by this.
Tails nodded, "we don't know if your body will try to reject this. Whatever it was that trapped you before, you couldn't teleport from it, and we need it." He turned back and continued typing what looked like nonsense in Sonic's eyes.
"That's true, we couldn't get out." Sonic's cheeks went red as he remembered their first encounter.
"There's only one problem," Tails pressed a large button and something somewhere started making noise, "he won't do it."
"You've asked him?" Sonic said.
"Yes, a few days ago when I first started running tests. He says he likes knowing you're out here helpless."
Shadow stepped forward, spirit blazing, "since when have we ever needed to ask nicely?" He brightened quickly at the prospect of letting out some anger on the badniks and possibly the individual that caused this to begin with.
"I'll leave that part to you guys to sort out, it's going to take a few days to get this ready, and I need to give it my full attention." Tails stuck his tongue out unconsciously as he started focusing on all the numbers and symbols that appeared on the screen.
"Thanks Tails, no one out there is smarter than you." Sonic said gingerly, patting his friend on the back before he and Shadow took their leave.
The couple had only stepped a few feet from the workshop when Sonic paused, "here- I wanna do something!" He jolted back in and out of the shop in barely a movement, holding an retro, beat up looking polaroid camera. He grabbed Shadow close and raised it, snapping a photo and waiting for the camera to print.
"This is almost older than you!" Sonic chuckled, waiting for a laugh that did not come.
"Think you're funny, huh?" Shadow breathed.
"I just wanted to remember today." The blue hedgehog said shyly.
"Today has been awful, why?"
"Because then, we can look back on this photo and laugh at everything we were scared about."
Shadows heart skipped, he loved how intrepid Sonic was, no matter the situations, he would have a positive outlook and usually that was enough to turn any bad thing into a good one.
Before Shadow could respond, Sonic pulled the photo from the camera, "I'll be right back! I don't want to lose this." He zoomed off, and was back in barely the blink of an eye, "now, we need to gather the team for this Eggman beat down!" He punched his own hand repeatedly, clearly a little too excited for the probable fight.
"I agree. And not just team Sonic," Shadow looked forward with a steely determination, "my team as well."
Sonic grabbed his hand and held it tightly, "let's do this." He smiled.