Chapter Text
Sunny-side up eggs. White toast. The smell of strong, freshly brewed coffee. Shadow wouldn’t have the morning any other way. He finally got a well-deserved week off from G.U.N.
Team Dark’s last mission was so nonsensical that Shadow was ready to fight everyone within the facility upon return. He stormed into the commander’s office, demanding a goddamn break. Of course, the commander just rolled his eyes and approved the harsh request; it was normal behavior from the hedgehog.
Shadow poured the coffee into his favorite mug and grabbed his breakfast. He knows he doesn’t necessarily need to eat, but since he had actual time to sit back and relax, that didn’t matter. Shadow sighed as he sipped his brew, leaning slightly on the dinner table. The only thing that would top this peaceful moment is a good book or music.
However, the quiet is soon interrupted by a ping from Shadow’s phone. He groaned inwardly, hoping that it wasn’t anything super important. Peeking at the notification, Shadow was surprised to see a message from Amy Rose. She referred to him often as her “concert buddy”, but it was still pretty rare whenever they got together. Shadow would get the occasional “How are you?” or even a “Hope you’re doing well”, which he secretly appreciated. However, this message was much different.
Amy Rose: Shadow! Are you free this weekend??
Shadow hummed and responded to her text promptly.
Shadow: Hello, Amy. Thankfully, I have a week off from work, so I should be. Why?
Shadow proceeded to sip more of his coffee… before immediately spitting it out at the next message from the pink hedgehog.
Amy Rose: OMG great! We’re throwing a karaoke night for Sonic’s birthday, and you are invited! We’d love for you to be there <3
Immediately after that, Amy sent an attached image of a party invite with the exact time and date. Shadow sat for a few seconds in stunned silence before responding again.
Shadow: You want me to sing?? In front of people?? For fun???
Amy Rose: Lmao, of course, silly! No pressure, it’ll be super laid back. Please, please come!
Before Shadow could argue further, he could hear the sound of keys unlocking a door in the background. His roommate (and his kind of best friend) Rouge waltzed in, holding a bag filled with wine and various snacks. Shadow peeked at the bag of goodies and snorted. “What’s the wine for?”
Rouge sighed and placed the bag on the kitchen counter. “For a ‘successful’ G.U.N. mission, of course. Commander drove me up the wall. Need a smooth drink.”
“Damn”, Shadow huffed in shared sentiment. “It was that bad, huh? It’s 9 AM.”
Rouge chuckled and opened up one of the snacks – it seemed to be something with chocolate. “Please, let me have my stress relief. At least you have a whole week off. Speaking of which, how are you enjoying it so far?”
“Let’s just say I severely needed it. I was ready to rip somebody’s head off after that mission.”
“Pfft”, Rouge poured her glass of wine as she spoke. “Since when do you not feel like ripping someone’s head off?”
“Hey! I’ve been doing slightly better.”
Glass in hand, Rouge walked up to Shadow’s side and softly put her hand on his shoulder. “You have been. I’m proud of you.”
Ever since that fateful fight with Black Doom and seeing Maria once more, Shadow had been trying harder to grow as a person. His rough exterior had settled down, and he was more in control of his anger. Hell, Shadow even started to attend more of his scheduled therapy sessions. Initially, he avoided them, preferring not to talk about his feelings with a random human. However, Shadow has gotten used to the routine after a couple of visits. He now journals weekly, writing about whatever he feels. It turns out therapy actually does something, go figure.
While Shadow was in his thoughts, Rouge caught a quick glance at his phone screen, noticing Amy’s message. “Oh! You received an invite, too?”
The question snapped Shadow back to reality. Oh… right… karaoke. “Yeah…although I’m not sure I should go.”
“Oh, come on, Shadow!” Rouge shoved him lightly. “You have the whole week off; why not go to a karaoke party? Plus, it’s for Sonic’s birthday!”
“Exactly. I don’t want to be around that blue idiot, even on his birthday.”
Rouge smirked and leaned further into Shadow’s personal space. “That’s a lie, and you know it.”
Looking away, he gave a simple “Hmph” and sipped more coffee. Really, he was just raising his mug to hide his blush. Rouge wasn’t wrong. He didn’t exactly mind being around Sonic, and he wasn’t too much of a jerk to not show up for his birthday. Singing in front of the other hedgehog, though? He wouldn’t dare.
It’s not that he was scared; he was never afraid. Singing in front of a crowd made him feel…too vulnerable. Too open. Amy herself stated it was ‘laid back’ and ‘fun’, but Shadow thinks doing such a thing in front of them–in front of Sonic–would kill him on the inside. The only time he ever did something like that was…
Rouge poked Shadow in the cheek. “You’re so deep in thought. This is really stressing you out, hm?”
Sighing, Shadow put his coffee back down and glanced back at his phone. “Is it possible to attend a karaoke night and not sing?”
“Ha! Well, sure, if you want to be a loser about it. I’m going to sing, and I don’t have the best voice in the world.”
“It’s not that, it’s just –”
“What, you afraid to perform before your… crush?” Rouge teased Shadow further by making kissy faces in his direction.
“Screw you! He’s not my crush! Dealing with him afterwards is the problem. Sonic doesn’t know when to shut up.”
“Well, if Sonic doesn’t tease you, I sure will. Oh! Maybe you should sing that song from that girl you and Amy like. What was it called? Espresso?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Or maybe…Juno??”
“Rouge…”
“Yeah, Sonic will definitely like that one. I’m totally recording it, by the way.”
“Rouge, you are the worst. Seriously.”
Laughing some more, Rouge winked at Shadow before leaning in to hug him. “I’m just kidding, hon. But seriously, you should go! You obviously don’t have to sing if you don’t want to, but at least show up for your friends, hm?”
Rouge walked away to sit in the living room and enjoy the rest of her drink. She booted up Netflix, ready to watch her trashy reality TV shows. Shadow stared at Amy’s message, falling further into his thoughts. He shouldn’t be so stressed over this, but it was hard. Harder than forcing himself to attend those damn therapy sessions. Singing was more than a source of meaningless fun; it was an outlet for him… and her.
…
“Shadow! Shadow!”
Maria rushed into the lab with a large guitar, smiling brighter than the stars. She had her favorite roller skates on. Shadow had just finished his latest wellness check with the doctors. Well, Gerald called it a wellness check, but Shadow knew what it really was in the end. “What is it, Maria? You shouldn’t be rushing around, especially with those on.”
Maria excitedly grabbed Shadow by the wrist. “Follow me!”
The siblings both raced over to Maria’s room, Shadow slowing down his own speed for her sake. Upon entering, Maria went to her guitar case to pull out a single item—a microphone.
“I need you to be my lead singer for this song I’m practicing”, she stated it so bluntly, Shadow had to double-check what she said.
“I’m sorry, what? Why me?”
“Well, who else is going to do it? Grandfather?”
Rolling his eyes, Shadow walked over to Maria and took the microphone from her hands. “Fine, as you wish. What am I singing?”
“You know that song I played for you before? You should remember the lyrics, right?”
Smiling at her softly, Shadow turned on the microphone. “Of course I do.”
Settling into a small chair, Maria tuned her guitar for the perfect pitch. After a couple of strums, Shadow eased into the song's start.
‘Can you feel life moving through your mind
Ooh, it’s like it came back for more–yeah!’
As the song continued, the siblings got further into the performance. Shadow had his eyes closed, focusing on the feeling of the music. He opened them to glance over at his sister, who was paying with intense passion. Seeing her play that way made him want to sing even louder.
‘Live and learn
Hangin' on to the edge of tomorrow
Live and learn
From the works of yesterday
Live and learn
If you beg or if you borrow
Live and learn
You may never find your way!’
The siblings finish the song strong, Shadow nailing the final note, and Maria giving a (rather sick) guitar solo. The absurdity caused them to laugh, only for their fun to be interrupted by Gerald coughing. He had apparently been standing in the doorway since the chorus of the song, simply enjoying the show before him. Shadow blushed and was ready to sprint out of the room, but Maria placed down her guitar, grabbed his hand, stood up, and took a bow.
At this, Gerald laughed and began to applaud. “Marvelous performance, you two!”
While Shadow was still embarrassed, he bowed as well, taking the compliment from his creator.
Maria hugged Shadow and exclaimed, “We must practice more songs together. You and I are going to be rockstars!”
Returning the hug, Shadow glanced over to the guitar and smirked. Looking back at his sister, he asked, “Encore?”
Smiling even wider, Maria danced in delight. “Encore!”
…
That night was filled with nothing but dancing and singing. Shadow and Maria worked together, curating a list of songs to practice for their ‘rockstar debut’.
They never got to work on that debut, but those nights were the ones Shadow treasured most. What Rouge said was, of course, correct. He should just show up. There would be no harm in that. Aggravating as he is, Sonic would appreciate it as well. Who knows? Maybe he’ll get to waltze in, grab some cake, do a stupid song, and just leave.
Or maybe Sonic will ask him to sing some more…?
He supposed he didn’t entirely have a problem with that either.
Writing back to Amy, he smiled slightly, thinking about the possibilities ahead.
Shadow: I’ll be there.