Chapter Text
He had promised Sonic he’d be there by 8.
It’s 7:25 now. The GUN HQ building is mostly empty spare for a few stragglers. He had pushed himself overtime today after losing the last few work days to an out of town mission. On top of his mission report for the excursion, he had some reports to run that needed to be backdated as hell. He’s exhausted at this point from pushing himself and getting as little sleep as possible over the past week.
He felt bad pushing his date with Sonic to so late in the evening, but Sonic had been characteristically fine with it of course.
“No worries, babe! I’ll have the movie and popcorn ready when you get here. It’ll be a nice break for you.”
Fat chance of that. There’s a bad storm that came out of nowhere currently assaulting the outside world. The wind whistles and whips against the sturdy foundation of the HQ building, the heavy rain occasionally falling sideways. Rouge left for the day long ago, taking her car with her. And normally Shadow would have his bike, but it wouldn’t start this morning and he had hitched a ride with Rouge to get to work.
“I’m leaving for the day, hun. You’ll be okay taking the train home?”
He had assured Rouge he’d be fine. To her he’d said he could walk from the train station to his apartment, but he had planned on getting off at the stop closer to Sonic’s home at the outskirts of the city.
No one knows about him and Sonic except the two of them.
Shadow sighs as he watches the downpour from the large lobby windows. Great. It’s not that the Ultimate Lifeform can’t get a little wet on his way to the nearest train station. But he’d really rather not.
Shadow grumbles unintelligible sounds under his breath and takes a seat on one of the long black benches by the window.
He debates between texting or calling Sonic. Despite his growing relationship with Sonic and by proxy the friends that surround the other hedgehog, Shadow still struggles with navigating social cues and rules. Canceling a date. Does that warrant a phone call or is it okay just to text? Maybe it’s okay since it’s been a few months of them being together at this point. There’s not as much at stake. But then again, he could be signaling that by texting he doesn’t care about maintaining communication in their relationship. But then again—
“Coming down hard, huh?”
Shadow nearly drops his phone. He mentally chastises himself for getting so wrapped up in his own overthinking as to not notice another presence in the lobby. Who in their right mind would even dare sneak up on him in the first place?
He looks over. A few seat lengths over sits a gray and white wolf Mobian. Body leaned back into the black leather with one arm slung over the back of the chair, the wolf sits a few heads taller than Shadow. He wears a standard issue off-duty black GUN vest. He’s an agent. Someone new? Shadow doesn’t recall having ever seen him before, but then again, Shadow's never been inclined to pay much attention to other agents outside of Rouge and Omega.
The wolf turns to Shadow. “I guess it is hurricane season,” he says casually with a slight shrug in his shoulders. When Shadow doesn’t respond, he leans across the space between them and offers a black gloved hand. “Atlas, by the way.”
The cogs in Shadow’s mind take a moment to turn before he realizes the wolf, Atlas, is introducing himself. Shadow looks at the hand and then back to Atlas’ face. He doesn’t put out his own hand.
The wolf shrugs and pulls back his hand. “Not a talker. I get it. You’re definitely in the right line of work, with a personality like that. Can’t tell you how many people here don’t say shit.”
Shadow lets the bewilderment wash over him and wills it to begone. He goes back to his phone. He has to decide on how to tell Sonic—
“Okay I don’t see a nametag like the office workers wear, so I’m at a loss. Give me a hint?”
Shadow blinks and turns back to Atlas, who’s suddenly one less seat length away from Shadow. He nearly flinches back from shock before he processes once again what the wolf is saying.
Does he…not know who Shadow is?
At the sight of the silent incredulousness emanating from Shadow, Atlas chuckles sheepishly. “Come on, go easy on me, alright? I’m a new transfer from the east coast.”
Shadow digest the words. Whether he believes them or not seems unimportant at this point. It seems unimaginable that someone, much less a GUN agent, wouldn’t know who he is.
“I’m Shadow the Hedgehog.” He tries to recall the last time he actually introduced himself to someone.
Atlas’ green eyes light up. “Ohhh okay! Yeah I’ve heard of you! You’re up near the top, right?”
Shadow’s phone feels oddly heavy in his hand. “Yes.” He really needs to be contacting Sonic. “I work directly under Commander Tower.”
“Ooh a bigshot, huh?” Atlas says with a whistle that hurts Shadow’s ears. “How long you been with GUN?”
Shadow wants to look away, but he’s worried the wolf will inch closer if he does. “A few years.”
“Okay okay.” The wolf brings a thoughtful hand to his chin. “Bout the same as me. Guess we just started in different places. All that aside, it’s nice to meet you, Shadow.”
Shadow doesn’t offer any more words, just nods. The strangeness of someone not knowing who he is shocks his system into a stunned silence. It’s not that he’s got an ego, but over the years he’s become accustomed to everyone in GUN recognizing both him and his status. To be approached like this as if he’s just an ordinary, albeit high level, government agent creates some kind of weird exposed feeling inside of him.
“So which are you waiting for? A ride or the rain to quit?” Atlas’ deep voice finds its way in Shadow’s eardrum again.
Shadow taps the screen of his phone mindlessly, the display turning on and showing the time as being nearly 7:40.
“I…don’t know,” he admits, the honesty surprising him.
Atlas tilts his head. “Do you need a ride?”
Oh. “Um…” He doesn’t need one, but…
“Come on. I’ll give you a lift. Where’s your homebase at?”
This is getting too personal too quickly. Shadow’s barely comfortable with his supervisor knowing his address, much less a complete stranger. But he’s so tired from the past week. And for some reason, he’s getting progressively more exhausted the longer he sits here in the empty lobby. He might have really overdone it. Even if there wasn’t the rain, he wonders if he could even make it to the train station, a thought that frightens him more than anything. He doesn’t like feeling so…weak.
“I’m…down on South Street,” Shadow finally relents.
“Oh that’s right on the way for me,” Atlas says. “I’ll get you there. Let’s go.”
Normally, Shadow would bite back at the casual order, probably with a scoff and a “Nobody tells me what to do.” But the fact that his identity is practically unknown to this person makes him hesitate again. It’s almost like…he could be someone else. Someone more agreeable. Would Atlas be treating him like this, being this friendly and amiable, if he knew who Shadow really is?
And that’s how he finds himself walking alongside Atlas in the staff garage. The wolf brings him to a bulky black jeep and hits the fob in his hands. And then he goes around to the passenger side and opens the door for Shadow.
“After you,” he says with a playful lilt and a good natured smile.
Shadow stares for a moment before silently hopping up into the passenger seat. He jumps a bit in his skin when Atlas shuts the door and slaps it a few times. Once he’s in the driver seat, Atlas wastes no time in getting the ignition going, the dashboard and radio lighting up with a blue hue.
“Okay! To South Street, yeah? Here, you can put whatever you want on.” Shadow just barely catches Atlas’ phone as it’s tossed to him. “It’s already connected to the radio. Play whatever.”
Shadow looks down. The phone is unlocked and on a music streaming service. He’s supposed to just pick what to play? Atlas said whatever, but he must have his own preferences. Why doesn’t he play what he wants? It’s his car. Is there something he’s looking for Shadow to do or does he really mean to play whatever?
Shadow realizes Atlas is already checking out of the garage by the time he hits a random trending playlist and the sound of cheery kpop comes out of the speakers. Not exactly what Shadow would pick himself, but if that’s what other people listen to, it’ll do.
They exit the garage and enter the world of whipping rain and wind. Atlas has the wipers going at full speed and he hits the headlights on. “Damn. Hope I don’t lose power.”
Shadow makes some kind of noise of agreement. He stares out the window and watches the world pass by as Atlas navigates the flooding streets. It’s then that he realizes he still hasn’t sent a message to Sonic. He can’t call at this point, not with Atlas with him. He’ll just send a quick text and—
“Okay, I gotta ask, is this actually the music you wanted to put on?” Atlas asks. “Because you don’t strike me as a guy who willingly puts on an algorithm generated playlist.”
The wolf’s question cuts through Shadow for some reason. “I–I didn’t know what to put on.”
“What, you don’t know what you like?” Atlas laughs softly and shakes his head. “Here, give me the phone.”
Wordlessly, Shadow hands the phone to Atlas’ outstretched hand. They hit a red light, and while they’re stopped, Atlas picks a different playlist.
“Here. How about this?”
The sound of smooth horns and percussion and harmonica enters the jeep. Jazz. Oh. That’s what Shadow would have put on if he had actually picked what he liked to listen to in the privacy of his own headphones. How did he…?
“That’s the stuff.” Atlas sets his phone in the holster attached to the radio. “Goes well with the rain.”
It does. The pitter patter of rain on the roof of the jeep along with the smooth music seeps into Shadow’s bones, and he finds himself sinking into the soft seat. Chaos, he’s tired. This isn’t like him. But it’s as if his muscles and tendons and bones are turning into butter. He wants to keep an eye on the road, to make sure Atlas is going the right way, but at some point he shuts his eyes and leans his head back. His breathing slows and his grip on his phone loosens. He thinks he hears Atlas say something, but by that point, he’s already crossed the threshold.
He falls asleep.
Safety is something Shadow doesn’t often think about, and yet he knows it’s a concept that runs his life. Safe. Protected. Invulnerable. He needs his fronts and his masks and his personas to be safe. But there’s different kinds of safety, he’s started to learn. There’s the safety that he encases himself in when he goes to work and goes on missions and fights alongside others for the sake of the world.
And then there’s the safety that he discovered from being with Sonic.
The kind where it’s okay if he exposes a few layers of himself. It makes him vulnerable, and yet it’s okay. He’ll do or say something or act in a way that goes against the rules of his brain, and Sonic will just…accept it. It’s okay. The rules are always so confusing and unclear to Shadow, and it’s become easier to hang back and constrict himself rather than do what might come off as wrong or unwanted. And he’s become comfortable in the prickly exterior that he presents to the world and that keeps others at arms’ length.
But he can be safe with Sonic. It’s only been a few months since they started officially dating. It was unclear what they were at first. After their most recent adventure in saving the world, Shadow and Sonic had somehow ended up running into each other in their normal everyday lives. At the grocery store. At the library (Sonic reads?). At GUN even when Sonic would offer some intel or assistance to Commander Tower. And with more time spent in proximity together, the invisible rope that’s always kept them connected at length grew shorter and shorter.
“Hey, Shadow. I got these free tickets to check out the new exhibit at the natural science museum. Wanna go too?”
Of course, Shadow had misunderstood. He must have assumed that this would be an outing with multiple other friends of Sonic. Except when he got to the museum, it had just been him and Sonic.
“Well, yeah. I wanted it to just be us. Is that…okay?”
Is that okay? Shadow’s instincts had told him to bolt, but in the end he nodded and went along with it. It took him weeks to realize that it had been their first date. He hadn’t realized at the time, but looking back it’s so obvious.
“Whoa, Shadow! Look at this!”
When Sonic had grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him along to the sedimentary layers display, it had taken Shadow several minutes to realize they didn’t let go of each other.
“It’s just…I think I really like you. I know we can’t, like, be public about it, but can we be…together?”
Can’t they? Shadow hadn’t argued with Sonic’s desire to keep things a secret. Maybe he should have asked why, but he figured Sonic just didn’t want the media all over them. Still, there had been a barely perceptible question inside of him of “Why?” that never came out. It was easier to nod along with Sonic and agree. There’s probably something he’s not getting, and he doesn’t want to look stupid by asking.
Their first kiss was on the back porch of Sonic’s house. Shadow didn’t know what he was doing, but he must have not messed up too bad, because the second it was over Sonic smiled and pulled Shadow closer.
“Can I kiss you again?”
Again happened only when they were sure they were alone. When they were out in public, they were acquaintances, maybe even friends somehow. Alone they were something else that Shadow still struggled to label.
He just wants to do things right. The rules exist for a reason. Even if he doesn’t know what they are exactly.
Shadow wakes up slowly. It takes him several minutes to realize he’s even awake. He’s so comfortable and warm, that it seems preferable to go back to sleep. He makes some kind of worn out grunt and shifts his position. He’s sitting back against something soft. He must have fallen asleep in his armchair again. That’s okay. That’s fine.
He’s safe here. He can sleep.
“Hey, Shadow? You awake yet?”
Shadow springs to life at the sound of another voice. He whips his head to find Atlas next to him in the wolf’s jeep.
“What—?”
“Ah, sorry. I’ve been parked in this lot for almost an hour. I felt bad waking you up.”
The night’s events rush back to Shadow. Oh Chaos, what the hell was he thinking falling asleep in a fucking stranger’s car? His heart feels like it’s about to burst from his chest, and he fumbles as he frantically searches for his phone.
He has several missed calls and texts from Sonic. His phone is on silent mode. When did he turn it on silent mode?
“Whoa, hey, it’s okay, man,” Atlas says with hands in the “I mean no harm” position. “We’re on South Street. You didn’t give me the exact address, so I just found this parking lot to chill in for a bit.”
It’s nearly 9 o’clock. “I–I didn’t mean to–to—”
“It’s fine! Happens to the best of us. You must be exhausted. Give me your address and I’ll drop you off so you can get some shuteye.”
Through nearly gritted teeth, Shadow gives him his apartment building’s number. After checking his GPS, Atlas nods and backs out of the lot, torso twisted to look behind him with one large hand on the back of Shadow’s headrest.
Shadow is too stunned to say anything else. Atlas doesn’t say anything either as he pulls up to Shadow’s building.
“You gonna be okay? You look a little pale.” Atlas’ voice is low with concern.
“I’m fine. I’m just—” How can Shadow explain how freaked out he is from how unwittingly vulnerable he had just made himself.
“You work tomorrow?” Atlas interjects. “Will you need a ride?”
“What? No. I have my bike.”
“Okay…Why didn’t you take your bike home tonight then?”
Oh. “It…wouldn’t start this morning. I have to get it into the shop.”
Atlas nods. “So you need a ride. I’ll come get you tomorrow morning. I’ll even get us breakfast.” He flashes a toothy grin at Shadow. “I’ll call you when I’m here.”
Before Shadow can stop him, Atlas yanks Shadow’s phone out of his hand and types something in it. A few seconds later a ping goes off in Atlas’ pocket.
He hands Shadow’s phone back at him. “Alright. Got your number. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Shadow wants to bark some kind of retort, something along his usual style about how he doesn’t fucking need help. But his body is aching. It must be the exhaustion, but he’s almost worried that maybe he’s getting sick.
“Uh…Sure. See you…tomorrow.” He reaches for the passenger door, but a large hand on his arm stops him.
“Wait. Here. My umbrella.”
Shadow looks at the black umbrella Atlas holds out to him. He looks out the window. “I’ll be inside in a second.”
“Maybe, but you clearly don’t want to get wet, right? Just take it. You can give it back to me tomorrow.”
Wordlessly without taking his eyes off the wolf, Shadow takes the umbrella. He pops the door open and releases the umbrella’s switch.
“Okay.” Shadow stands outside the jeep with the rain pounding on the top of the umbrella. “Bye.”
Atlas does a little salute with two fingers and nods. Shadow shuts the car door and waits until the jeep drives away before he swipes his card key to get in the building. He folds the umbrella up once he’s inside and shakes the water out of it. He numbly drags himself up the two flights of stairs to his apartment and shakily shoves the key in the lock. He’s so tired.
Once he’s inside he collapses on his sofa and groans. Sleep. Sleep. He wants to sleep. But his phone in his hand reminds him of how he fucked up tonight. He switches the silent mode off and dials Sonic.
“Shadow! Jeez, there you are. Is everything okay?”
Shadow groans. “I’m sorry. The storm started and my bike’s busted right now and I had to get a ride and—”
“It’s okay! It’s fine. I know it’s pretty bad out there right now. I was just worried about you, that’s all.”
“I’m fine.” Shadow stares at a piece of fuzz on the sofa a few inches away from his eyes. He flicks it off. “I just got home.”
“Aw man, I’m sorry. Don’t worry about tonight, okay? We can do something over the weekend.”
Shadow nods. “Okay.”
“I’m glad you got a ride. It’s really bad out there. What, did Rouge give you a lift?”
“No…um…” Some kind of slimy feeling wriggles inside Shadow’s mouth when he considers telling Sonic the whole of what happened. “Just a coworker.”
“Cool cool. Alright, well. You sound exhausted. Get some sleep, okay? Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Shadow’s mind spins backwards as he lays on the sofa. Did what happen really happen tonight? He looks at his phone again and goes into his message history. He sees the text that Atlas sent to his own number.
“Shadow” is all the text says that was sent to what is an unknown number in his phone.
He stares at it for a moment, eyelids falling shut against his will.
Before they fully close, he saves the number as a new contact in his phone.