Chaos Needs a Leash

Ch.6

Two things became apparent to Shadow after he sat down. First, the overwhelming stench of coffee, and second, the absolute mess that was Tails' house. There was clutter everywhere. The worst part of the mess, however, was how the floor was so littered with screws, bolts, and metal scraps that it could easily classify as a minefield. The sight of the clutter made Shadow inwardly cringe. Instantly, he was filled with stress that had nowhere to go.

    Shadow immediately stood up and started pacing without thinking. He had to work away some of his stress before he could say or really do anything at all.

It was then that Shadow did step on a small pile of screws. He initially flailed his arms before losing all balance and falling forward.

Before Shadow's face would have inevitably hit the floor, which would have no doubt caused numerous cuts from the scraps lining the floor, something caught him.

"Woah! Slow down there Shads!" Sonic had caught him. "Sure you may have fast healing, but trust me, that would've been one nasty fall."

"Now I know something is wrong." The two-tailed fox interrupted the situation unfolding before his eyes.

With careful consideration, Shadow decided to take a risk, and formulate a retort. "What tells you something is wrong?" The icy tone that bled into Shadow's voice sent shivers down both Tails' and Sonic's spines.

    "Please do not scare the eight year old in the room, Shadow."

    The yellow vulpine sent a harsh glance towards the blue hedgehog, and shouted out, "stop treating me like a little kid!"

    Shadow viewed the event with mild amusement, also not failing to notice the mischievous chuckle that escaped Sonic's lips.

    Tails let complete silence encompass the room, the tension in his small form evident to anyone adept at seeing the signs of stress. Shadow could understand why Tails felt uneasy, after all, it could be assumed that such brotherly banter was usual, but a complete lack of violence in regards to Shadow and Sonic was simply unheard of.

    As Shadow was sorting through his memories from the past few days, he realized something. Sonic didn't even try to push him away. Sonic came over when he was asked. What was it that Sonic had said? 'Look, Shadow. I'm not here to hurt you, or taunt you. I was told to come here, and I figured it probably had something to do with you, especially after you told me that you lived here. I just came here because I care for your wellbeing,' Shadow thought it was.

    Wellbeing aside, why would Sonic come over when he knew it had something to do with him? Shadow's eyes widened in realization. Sonic had wanted to. Sonic had wanted to spend time with him on that day with the beach. Sonic had wanted to come when Rouge called.

    "Shadow, you okay?" Sonic asked worriedly, glancing over his shoulder at Shadow.

    Shadow attempted to change the subject. "I'm fine. Tails still needs to wash his hands before I allow him to get anywhere near the book."

    "Wait. A book, for me, from Shadow? This is getting weird."

    "Please stop." Shadow was starting to feel self-conscious. He never felt self-conscious. Was Tails judging him?

    "Shadow. You're okay. Tails is probably one of the safest people to tell." Sonic said in a comforting tone.

    "You're right. Hopefully. I still don't trust Rouge's smirk. If I'm to be honest, it terrifies me."

    It was then that Tails interjected again with, "I'm pretty sure her smirk would terrify anyone. With this book you mentioned, what is it about?"