Why me? (Sonadow)

Chapter 4

The rain continued to pour as the two hedgehogs sat together in the cave. "Well," Sonic said, trying to make conversation, "We're stuck here for a while. Might as well make it less awkward." He stretched out his legs and leaned against the wall of the cave, glancing at Shadow. "So, what do you usually do when you're not fighting Eggman or glaring at me?"

Shadow huffed, crossing his arms. "Why do you care?"

Sonic shrugged. "Call it curiosity. You're kind of an enigma, you know? Always brooding and keeping everything bottled up. You don't ever... I don't know, do something for fun?"

Shadow hesitated, glancing away. "Fun isn't exactly a priority for me."

Sonic tilted his head, studying him. "Man, that sounds lonely."

Shadow's ear twitched. The comment struck a chord, but he didn't respond.

Sonic decided to push further, not in a teasing way but with genuine curiosity. "You know, I wasn't always surrounded by friends like I am now. I used to be alone too. It wasn't until I let people in that things started to change."

Shadow scoffed. "Letting people in isn't as easy as you make it sound, hedgehog. Especially when you've lost the ones who mattered most."

The tone in Shadow's voice made Sonic pause. There was more pain behind those words than he expected. Sonic softened, his teasing smile fading. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Shadow glanced at him, surprised by the apology. Sonic's usual carefree demeanor seemed to take on a more serious tone.

For a while, the two sat in silence, the sound of the rain filling the cave.

Finally, Shadow spoke, his voice quieter. "I don't hate you as much as you think."

Sonic blinked, caught off guard. "Whoa, is that Shadow-speak for 'I like you'?"

Shadow gave him a sharp glare, but there was no real venom behind it. "Don't push your luck."

Sonic chuckled, leaning back with a grin. "Hey, I'll take it. Progress is progress."

The conversation lightened the mood, and though they were stuck in the cave for the night, the atmosphere felt a little less tense. Sonic smirked, "Well, since we've got nothing better to do how about you tell me about yourself, get to know each other?" 

Shadow looked at him as if he were going to say no, but he hesitated and nodded. He was a bit surprised at this. It wasn't everyday Shadow agreed to talk to someone, much less him.

"Hmm well let's see...what's your favorite color?" he asked. 

Shadow opened his mouth to respond, but the words felt foreign. He wasn't used to this—to someone genuinely wanting to know him. And yet, there was something in Sonic's eyes that made him want to try."Blue," he finally answered.

Sonic smirked, "Oops, hope I didn't ruin it for you."

Shadow rolled his eyes, "What's yours?"

"Red," he responded. He did wear red shoes everyday after all.

"For my next question, if you could make sure everyone knew one thing about you, what would it be?"

Shadow went quiet much longer this time. He seemed to be having a hard time finding an answer. 

Sonic sighed, "Look for example I would make sure everyone knew that I hated water. That way they wouldn't invite me to a beach or pool party."

"What if they were to use that knowledge against you?" he asked. 

"Now you're just overthinking it bud," Sonic chuckled.

 "Well...I suppose they should know I'm not the best with smartphones and computers."

Sonic tilted his head, "Really? I mean I would have never guessed, good answer."

Shadow nodded.

Sonic smiled at him. He seemed to enjoy talking to Shadow. It felt odd to be sitting and talking to his rival as if they had always been friends. Maybe that was how Sonic had always seen them. 

Looking into his emerald green eyes and watching him smile made Shadow feel...different. It was a strange feeling. He could feel his heartbeat growing faster and his cheeks began feeling warm. Why did Sonic's smile affect him so much? It was just a simple gesture—nothing special. Yet, it made him feel... safe. He hurriedly looked away in embarrassment. What had suddenly gotten in to him?

"You alright Shads?" Sonic asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Shadow flinched at his touch. It was warm and gentle. He turned to look at him. "I-I'm fine," he muttered. 

"Alright if you say so," he said letting go of his shoulder. He asked, "Well is there anything you wanna ask me?"

Shadow thought quietly for a moment. "What was your family like?" he asked. Sonic looked shocked as if he hadn't expected him to ask that. 

"W-Well," he stammered, "I don't actually know." Shadow looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "I don't remember anything about them," he admitted, "They abandoned me when I was a pup."

Shadow felt a pang of guilt, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Sonic chuckled, "It's fine really! It really isn't a big deal to me anymore. I have a new family now. Tails, Amy, Knuckles, you're all my family." 

It was quiet for a moment. He felt so awkward. Why did he have to ask that out of everything? 

"So," Sonic said attempting to break the silence. "I  guess it's my turn to ask you a question again." Shadow nodded. "If you had to pick, what's the last place you'd ever want to visit?" 

He shrugged, "I've never been to a theme park before, and I honestly don't plan on going to one anytime soon. I've just never really liked that kind of stuff to be honest. Too loud and too many people." 

Sonic looked at him curiously. "You don't like it because it's loud?" he asked.  "The Ark was always quiet. Loud places... they're overwhelming." Sonic chuckled, "Makes sense."

Sonic put his arms behind his head and leaned against the cave wall. "It's nice in here, don't you think Shads? Just us and the rain." 

He nodded in agreement and leaned against the wall as well, letting himself relax. The sun had probably gone down by now.

Sonic looked over at him. "Hey Shads, thanks for talking to me today." Shadow felt surprised, he hadn't expected a thank you for something as simple as talking to him.

"Well you're welcome I guess,b-but don't get used to it," he added so he didn't sound too soft. Sonic chuckled, "Alright I won't."

He closed his eyes and whispered, "Night Shads." "Goodnight," he responded quietly. For the first time in a long while, the emptiness Shadow carried felt a little lighter, and the sound of the rain didn't seem so lonely.