sranks | ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND

[..............this is so goddamn much, hold on—]

I see.

[NO HE STILL DOES NOT, ACTUALLY?????]

How did that happen, exactly? I assumed he'd want to kill you on sight.

[try not to make it sound like a tragic accident, shadow, jeez,]

Oh, he definitely wanted to when we first met--

[Surprisingly, Sonic's actually pretty forthright about talking about what happened; sure, it means talking about some of the uh, clumsy attempts at communication and some of the month long silence...and that stupid festival, but...

Sonic doesn't go into all of the sappy details, even if his eyes have lit up in a way very few things do. They've lit up like this in fighting with Shadow before, but it stays sustained this time, that bright, fervent light as Sonic finishes his explanation.]

...It took us a real long time to get to this point, and there were, uh. A lot of things that really brought us closer together, even if it wasn't intentional. But Neo's really changed with time away from the Egghead, honest! You should see him now, Shadow--he's still more than strong enough to take on everything and keep up with me, but he's got his own way he's forging in life now, just like you and me!

It's something I'm really happy he's found for himself, more than anything.

[...]

But...hey, uh...you alright, Shadow...?

[That's...

That's a lot to take in. But the more Sonic lays out about it, the more sense it makes. Sonic wanted Metal Sonic— Neo to find his own way in life, to be free from Eggman. Neo fought it until finally giving in and agreeing that he wanted to be his own person, and with it they forged a relationship built on trust and mutual understanding, something that wouldn't have been possible back home. But because they're here, away from Eggman and the rest of Sonic's friends, things were able to work out like this.

It's... a good thing. Objectively, it's a good thing for Neo to become his own person and want to leave Eggman's service. It's likewise a good thing (objectively) that Sonic has found someone he cares for and wants to be with. These are facts.

...So why does Shadow feel vaguely frustrated about the whole thing? It isn't as though he has any reason to believe that Neo is going to stab Sonic in the back - if he wanted to, he would have done it far earlier, after all. So no, it stands to reason that the situation Sonic has told him about is exactly as it seems, and without Eggman or anyone else here, it will likely stay this way for the foreseeable future.

...

He kind of wants to punch something, and punching Sonic will not solve whatever's gone wrong in his head.]

I'm fine. [Moving on—] I must admit I'm curious about how much he's changed from the last time I saw him. I'll speak with him when I see him.

[...And...]

I wouldn't have expected anything like this, but I suppose I am pleased you've made the most of your time here.

[Objectively speaking, it is a good thing, and he can acknowledge this much.]

I think he might like that! I mean, he'd probably wanna see how he stacks up in comparison to you, too, but I figure that's just kind of another day ending in Y, yeah?

But I really am glad to hear that. [Sonic rubs the back of his head a bit, an embarrassed chuckle leaving him.] He's become something real precious to me. It's...kinda why I wanna make sure he knows about what the Egghead could do, now, so we can be prepared for it if we end up going home. But I'm real happy with him! Guy really knows how to make me feel light as air, and I never really thought I could feel like that. It's a great way to spend time when I'm not hanging out with friends like Dotty and Charlotte and Yeager!

[But despite Sonic's jubilation, he...kind of does look at Shadow a bit, kind of staring at him and kind of wondering if he really is okay. Sonic's not entirely sure if it's something he's said, but Shadow seems more...tense, than anything?

Hm. Maybe a distraction is in order--]

And you too, once you get used to how things go around here. Now that you're here, I wanna catch up and show you all this place has to offer! Obviously I don't wanna occupy all of your time, but I really am happy to get to hang out with you like this!

[Sonic really does seem happy, and that is a good thing. It's unsurprising that Sonic has made quite a few friends here as well; he's certainly had plenty of time in this strange world, after all. So all of this is a good thing. It's just going to take a little bit to get used to it, Shadow thinks.]

Hmph. You won't occupy all of my time, don't concern yourself with that. For now... show me where your favorite place to eat is.

[Is he going to regret this when Sonic takes him to a chilidog stand? Yeah, probably. But here we are anyway.]

Gladly! It isn't that far from here, actually, come on--

[It's almost on impulse that Sonic offers a hand to Shadow, and he doesn't think too long on why he does. He's just offering his friend a hand up while he goes and absolutely takes him to the local hot dog stand. They make the best chili dogs with the GOOD chili shadow, come on!!!

(Just don't think too hard about the fact that Sonic isn't the one who lets go of their hands, it's fine.)]

ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND

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