Future-Past

Please Forgive Me

'Vrrr vrrr'

'Vrrr vrrr'

A hand reached out to grab the device making the offending noise in the night. Or was it morning? He couldn't tell.

"Hello?" He answered, sounding like he swallowed gravel.

"SHADOW WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!??? HAVEN'T YOU REALIZED THAT YOU'RE BEING AN ASSHOLE AND ALL SONIC DOES IS WORRY ABOUT YOU!!??" He pulled the phone away from his ear, not wanting to have hearing loss.

"Rouge, calm down. I'm pretty sure they can hear you from the other side of the world."

"Now is not the time to be making jokes!" The bat snapped at him. But she did calm down a little. "What's been going on with you? Sonic said you haven't been home in a week."

Shadow sighed. "Nothing's going on."

"Bullshit." She said immediately. "I know you two have been fighting a lot. What's the-" She paused and quickly added. "You haven't been cheating have you?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what's wrong?"

".... I've been having ...nightmares."

"Again?"

"No, they're not like those ones. They're more like ...memories. But I don't think they're mine."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I'm having flashbacks of someone else's life."

"Really?" Rouge sounded interested.

"Yeah, and I don't like it. I've been trying to avoid them."

"Is that why you left?"

"This isn't something I want him to worry about.

"You're making him worry more than he would if you told him!" Rouge said bit loudly. "So far all you've done is upset him."

He ran a hand through his quills. "I know."

"You should go home."

"I know."

"And Shadow?"

"Yeah?"

"You're an idiot." With that, Rouge hung up the phone.

"I know."

Shadow sighs as he stares at the door a moment. Well, he's already here, no sense in going back now. He pulls his keys out of his jacket and unlocks the door.

"Shadow! You're back!" Tails shouts happily, immediately latching onto the dark hedgehog as he enters the house.

"Hey, squirt," Shadow said with a small smile, ruffling the fox child's bangs.

Tails pouts at the nickname. "I'm not a squirt!"

"Of course, you're not." He then notices the figure that appeared in the hallway. "Sonic."

"Shadow." The blue hedgehog said back. He, of course, wasn't smiling. "So, you finally decided to come back?"

"I felt like I needed to."

"Why is that?"

"I realized I was being stupid."

"Took you long enough. Do you know how worried I was about you?"

Shadow sighs. "I do."

"Do you really? Cause I don't think you understand." Sonic crosses his arms with a glare.

Tails looks at the both of them. They're going to fight again. "Sonic-"

"Tails, go to your room," Sonic said without looking at him.

"But-" Tails tried to say.

"Room. Now." His voice was stern and his eyes were cold and dark. Tails didn't like that look. The little fox ran away into his room.

"Sonic-" Shadow started.

Sonic cut him off. "No. Don't. I don't want to hear it."

"Just let me explain-"

"Explain what Shadow!? Explain where you keep going every night? Explain why you left? Explain why you hit me? Explain why you don't trust me enough to help you?" Sonic's voice broke on the last one.

They were both silent for a while. Sonic stared at the older of two, as he could not meet his eyes.

"Look Shadow, if there's something going on, you can tell me." The blue hedgehog looked away, rubbing his left arm awkwardly. "If it's something about us-"

"No, it's nothing like that!" Shadow quickly said, seeming to have found his voice. He grabbed Sonic's hands in his and looked him straight in the eye. "I know it's my fault that we always fight. And I know I hurt your feelings too many times to count. You're the most wonderful person I have ever met. And all I've been is an asshole lately, but no matter what, you've never hated me for it. I've been so stupid, I can see that now. I'm sorry for leaving, I'm sorry for breaking my promises and I'm sorry for hurting you." He paused, taking a breath. "You are the most important person in my life. You mean the world to me. I don't think I could ever live without you." He let go of one of Sonic's hands to cup his cheek. "I love you so much, Sonic. Please, forgive me."

Sonic's eyes were welled up with tears. With a sniffle, he pulled the darker in for a tight hug. "Oh, Shadow." He sobbed, pressing his face into the other's chest. "I forgive you, just please, don't leave again."

"I promise," Shadow whispered as he held Sonic tighter, running a hand over his sapphire quills.