traitor || sonadow angst

xxxiv

Another nightmare. Another sleepless night.

His eyes stared at the ceiling, because what else were they to do? Every night, he reviewed the nightmare. He was no closer to figuring out who the boy was.

The dreams were getting more graphic. Violence, blood; hell, even what Elias did to him. It was like he was tied back, restrained, and forced to watch. It was sickening. He couldn't help him.

He realized, perhaps it was his subconscious, playing through his regrets. Perhaps Sonic wasn't in danger. That was definitely likely.

Something about the dreams were chilling, though. Far worse than fabrications. There was something evil in them. If they were created from his regret, would the boy not be Elias? Elias was a human. The boy in his dreams was mobian. Who was this guy? And why him?

It unsettled him, and he was nearly as on-guard as he was with Elias.

He decided it was best not to tell Sonic and protect him quietly. Sonic was in recovery. He wouldn't want to worry him more. Rouge nagged him to tell his therapist, but what would they do? Tell him to take melatonin? He'd tried. He tried taking multiple. Nothing worked.

Sonic shuffled in the sheets, trying to pull more blankets onto himself. His hand grazed Shadow's, prompting him to turn to face him.

"Morning." He smiled.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep." He sighed contently, still half asleep. "Did you?"

"Yes."

"No nightmares?"

"No nightmares."

Sonic smiled, stretching his arms above his head. He dramatically fell back onto the mattress with a sigh.

"I'm tired."

"Aren't we all." Shadow chuckled. "You know, while you're injured, you can rest as much as you'd like. No one's expecting you to do anything productive."

"I don't know, dude. Tails is coming over later, he might nag me to clean the house or something."

"The house is clean. And he's your brother, he'll understand."

"You're right. He's a lovely brother." He smiled. "Except for when he's nagging me to clean the house."

Shadow sat on the edge of the bed, watching. Sonic stand up and grab his crutches. He knew he was capable enough to not need his help, as he had made it very clear. Sonic was very good with them, and he had discarded the 'bumping into things' stage very quickly.

"Maria used to use those."

Sonic had originally seen mention of Maria as taboo - honestly, Shadow had too - but she had been a part of Shadow's life. Not every memory has to be backed by loss. Though, he was still careful when he spoke of her.

"Forearm crutches? They existed back then?"

"They've existed since the first World War. though they were slightly different, they served the same purpose. Her condition gave her balance issues, among other things, so they were the most viable option. Sometimes she would use a wheelchair, too."

"Did you used to wheel her around?"

"I used to do everything for her." He sighed. "Should I wheel you around in a wheelchair?"

"Oh chaos, I really hope it doesn't get that bad."

"It won't. You're nearly healed, you know. The nerve damage wasn't that severe, and it was only in one leg. Hopefully, your leg without it will be pretty back in commission soon, and at most you'll need physio for your other. You've been surprisingly careful with it. Not what I expected." He smirked.