Words Hurt

Second Chance

Sonic Pov-

It had been a week since my incident with Eggman, and no one has heard or seen him ever since then. My practice with Silver was going well, resulting in me learning how to detect and channel Chaos Energy.

Tomorrow, we were going to finally move onto practicing Chaos Control, along with many other abilities. Silver even said that I may even learn a new ability for myself as each user experiences the flow of it differently. It made me think about what else I could do.

As I heard the doorbell. I frowned. Tails was out, saying that he needed to get a few things for an invention he was working on, resulting in me being home alone for once. I could tell he was very reluctant at first, but he planted an updated tracker in my shoe that would alert him if I left the perimeter, or if I said a codeword he gave me.

Sighing, I got up to answer the door. The moment I saw who it was, I froze, confused. “Shadow?” I inquired, hands curling around the side of the door and it's hand respectfully. What was he doing here? Especially when he made it abundantly clear he didn’t want me around. My ears drooped, pressing against my skull, echoes of the harsh words he said surfacing in my brain. My heart ached just looking at him.

“Can I come in, please… I need to talk to you,” he asked, almost timidly. I blinked, eyes going wide at the request. What...? My grip loosened on the door, allowing it to swing inwards. Numbly, I stepped aside, too occupied by my thoughts to register Shadow stepping through. My body moved on autopilot, following him to the living room after shutting the door.

Once there, he turned to stare at me with those crimson eyes of his. “Sonic,” he started with a wary side. His form was sumped a little as he tried to find the right words. My heart fluttered as he looked at me with longing and regret. Could he…? ”I wanted to say how sorry I am for hurting you. I didn’t mean all those awful things I said to you,” he continued, his voice thick with emotion.

My mouth fell open to gape at him. It was as if the words had taken my breath away, leaving me to breathe audibly. This couldn’t be happening. Was I dreaming? There was no way Shadow, or all people, would apologize to me. I closed my eyes, wanting to escape this cruel joke.

Slowly, I shook my head, expecting to wake up any second with my little brother calling through the door, telling me to stop being so lazy and come downstairs for breakfast. This time, though, that didn’t happen. When I reopened them, Shadow was still there, looking apprehensive and worried now.

“Sonic…?” He asked, coming closer. I leaned back, wondering why I hadn’t woken up yet. Gulping, I wondered if my brain would make me go through this nightmare again. Shadow always left in the end. Over and over again.

Tears started to form in my eyes as I looked at the one who I could never have. Shadow… The real Shadow thought I was a waste of space. An annoyance that needed to be removed. A coughed sob forced its way to my lips and I bit my lip. A gloved hand came out to caress my cheek, his expression, alarmed. The fabric against my skin felt so real… This was so unfair.

“Why?” I asked, hoping to get a response. Maybe if the real Shadow couldn't provide some closure, my imagination could fill in the gap. “Why did you do that to me? What d-did I ever do to you?”

“Nothing…” He exclaimed without any thought. I flinched at the volume, resulting in him lowering his voice. He shook his head and looked down. His hands were curling into fists. “You did nothing wrong.”

My eyes widened in shock. This dream was taking a completely new direction to the countless ones before. I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.

“You’re perfect. You went out of your way to make me feel welcome, despite everything I did to you and your friends. You put others before yourself, sacrificing everything just to make sure they are safe and happy. You don’t care about the odds or the cost, even when you know you’re outnumbered.”