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“You want to take Shadow… grocery shopping?” Maddie sounded disbelieving, which was fine, because Sonic was ready to make his case.
“Not just any grocery shopping,” he said, standing up tall and clearing his throat. “I want to take Shadow to Costco. Specifically.”
Maddie deliberated, crossing one arm and propping her elbow on it to cradle her cheek as she stared down at him. The kitchen was freshly empty after breakfast, Tails and Knuckles already off to collect their respective laundry, while Shadow was probably folding up the blanket on the couch. That left no distractions for Maddie, and Sonic made sure to deploy his best pleading gaze, all blinky-lashes and two paws pressed together at his chest.
“Please, Maddie? He’s gotta get a taste for civilization somehow!”
“Well…” Maddie still wouldn’t give in, one fingertip tapping against her cheek. “You do need a membership to get in, and we’ve yet to actually see or hear from any, ah, suspicious visitors recently…” She hummed in thought and Sonic held her gaze, resolute. Finally, at her smile, he knew he had a win. “Alright,” she said. “But just you two, okay? And you better be on your best behavior.”
Sonic tossed up a mock-salute with a grin. “Yes ma'am!” He spun around quickly as Maddie laughed, his own shoulders loose and easy. It was going to be a good day, he could feel it.
As he’d expected, Shadow was just finishing up folding the blanket and replacing the couch pillows, setting the blanket and their sleeping pillows in the laundry basket Maddie added to the living room after the second night.
“Maddie said yes,” Sonic said as a greeting, hopping up onto the couch as soon as Shadow patted each individual pillow.
“To the… Costco trip?” Shadow sounded dubious, but that was fine, because Sonic had already gotten him to agree, and all it took was one hundred laps around the house! He’d beaten Shadow by a full seven seconds, and now Shadow was bound to his every whim. Or, at least, he’d agreed to go and see one thing in town that Sonic chose that involved strange humans and possibly snacks.
Sonic nodded eagerly. “You’ll see, it’s a great place.”
“I fail to see how a grocery store can be a great place,” Shadow said, adding little air-quotes around the last two words. Almost a week under the Wachowski roof and already Shadow was opening up beautifully and making the same horrible little gestures that spread through the family’s mannerisms like wildfire.
“That is where you are wrong, my very sheltered roomie!” Sonic shook his head and wagged a paw, then hopped off the couch when Maddie stuck her head in the room.
“We’ll leave in fifteen, okay? Can you guys take Ozzy out real quick?”
Both hedgehogs nodded in unison and she ducked back into the hallway, likely to head upstairs.
Sonic turned to Shadow before they went to go find Ozzy to say, “You wanna do the dog while I go get any requests?”
“Requests…?” Shadow tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “And you want me to… take the dog out? Myself?” He sounded offended, but there was an edge in his voice and a twitch in his ear that Sonic caught, the barest hint of nerves.
“Yeah, see if anyone has any last minute things they didn’t put on the grocery list.” Sonic left out that he was usually the one that forgot to add to the list, everyone else handled it just fine. “And yeah, you’re best buds with Ozzy at this point! He doesn’t need a leash or anything, you can just watch him from the porch.” He blinked when Shadow still looked uncertain. “He just can’t open the door for himself.”
As if on cue, the dog came trotting into the room, tail wagging as he came up to nudge his nose against Shadow’s elbow, then over to Sonic to lick his wrist.
“Fine,” Shadow finally agreed, eyes only for the dog. “Don’t be long.” He shot Sonic a look and then followed the dog to the door, careful not to step on his tail. Sonic watched as Shadow opened the door, gestured for the dog to go through, and then followed him outside. He didn’t close the door, notably, but knowing Shadow that was intentional.
Leaving the dog in capable paws, Sonic went dashing off, first to Tom and Maddie’s bedroom. Tom was on the phone with Wade, who said hi, and Tom requested Maddie make sure to get the sharp cheddar, not the medium, which Sonic swore he’d remember. Tails was sorting the laundry that amassed on top of the washer, and he didn’t have any requests, but he did remind Sonic to test the cart Maddie picked, because she had a weird habit of picking wiggly ones. Knuckles had three requests, but he’d already written them down, he said, so he trusted Maddie to handle it more than he trusted Sonic’s short term memory. If it was intended as a jab and not basic fact, Sonic might’ve taken a hit to his ego.
After requests (or lack thereof) had been mentally filed away, Sonic headed back downstairs and to the truck, since a Costco trip usually meant Maddie took Tom’s keys, even if Tom was leading the shopping trip. Shadow was already lingering by the truck door while Maddie warmed it up, and Shadow climbed in quickly after Sonic.
“So, my favorite hedgehogs,” said Maddie as she adjusted the rear view mirror and flashed them both a grin. “You two ready for a girls’ day out?”
“Maddie,” said Sonic, deathly serious as he met her gaze. “We’re hedgehogs, not girls. We’re also the only two hedgehogs you know!”
She only shrugged at him with an easy laugh. She’d worn her hair up in a hurried bun, her perfectly heat-formed curls from the work week loose and messy, and the little ringlets bounced. “Alright then, are you tw0 ready for a hedgehogs’ day out?”
“Much better!” Sonic cheered, raising his fist in celebration. Shadow only flicked his ears, but he looked pretty relaxed as he stared out the window, his shoulders slack and his paws tucked in his lap. He only glanced towards Sonic briefly, flicking an ear when he caught Sonic staring. Sonic, for his part, just wrinkled his nose, which made Shadow roll his eyes and go back to staring out the window.
Maddie turned on something that sounded a bit like the music she did yoga too, soothing vocals and easy instrumentals, and she hummed along and tapped lightly on the steering wheel as she drove, soothing sounds to Sonic as he sat back and mirrored Shadow, watching the scenery go by.
He’d seen all these trees and roads and street signs dozens of times, but they never, ever got old. Sonic sometimes thought that if Green Hills was the last place he ever saw, he’d be a happy hedgehog. He wanted to explore, of course he did, he loved exploring. But there was nothing like the hills of home, even if it was a road he’d driven, even in that very truck, too many times to count.
The drive was easy and short, a familiar blur, and honestly, it took almost as long for Maddie to find parking in the lot itself than it did to go from the Wachowski house to the land of bulk items. But once she did, they all clambered out of the truck.
“Stick close, okay?” she directed, and both hedgehogs fell into step right behind her.
Briefly, Sonic considered reaching over to grab Shadow’s paw, but… while he could get away with it with Tails, somehow Sonic had his doubts about Shadow, especially in their current situation. They’d come a long way in their familiarity, but while Sonic could get away with a leg thrown over Shadow’s lap or occasionally leaning on his shoulder in private, somehow Sonic doubted some innocent paw-holding in public would go over well.
Maddie deliberated over a cart versus a dolly, then settled on a cart, immediately wincing when it let out a horrible squeak.
“Maddie’s terrible at choosing carts,” Sonic whispered to Shadow, who’d flinched horribly at the noise.
Once they’d chosen a better cart, the trio set off into the sliding door entrance. Sonic watched Shadow watch Maddie flash her membership card, but she pushed the cart off to the side for a moment.
“Alright, you two,” she said, leaning on the cart and meeting both hedgehogs’ curious gazes. “We’ve got a pretty sizable list, and it’s pretty busy today, so I need you guys to stick to the cart for now, okay?”
Sonic nodded, and Shadow did too, after a delayed beat. He was already peering around them where they stood next to some display for a new TV that was about as long as Maddie was tall.
“If you guys can, try holding on to the cart. And Sonic-“ She turned to Sonic with a serious look. “We ask before we add stuff to the cart, okay?”
“Ask before adding!” Sonic repeated back at her, then made a big show of curling his paw around the edge of the cart. Shadow did the same beside him, and with the two hedgehogs reasonably contained, Maddie set off.
They went to the produce section first, which wasn’t very exciting, so Sonic stuck near the cart while Maddie went to test the grapes. Shadow, meanwhile, was busy staring at a large box of massive bags of onions, and just past that, a display for some kind of medication in bright pink bottles, his eyes a little wide.
“You said this was a grocery store,” he muttered, flicking his ears toward Sonic.
Sonic nodded. “Yep. And see?” He stretched from the cart to poke at a tower of boxes of avocados. “Groceries!”
Shadow eyed him, his gaze moving quickly to keep scanning the store. “This is not what I imagined when you described grocery stores,” he muttered again, more to himself.
Maddie returned moments later with two plastic containers of grapes which she set carefully in the cart, then pulled out her phone to check her list.
Eager to reap the benefits of the trip before they’d even finished, Sonic stood up on his tiptoes to reach over and poke his fingertips into the container of grapes while Maddie was distracted. He snagged two of the massive green grapes and tossed one into his mouth with a loud crunching noise; the other he offered to Shadow, who took it and inspected it before slipping it into his mouth.
“Maddie picked a good container today. Crunchy as can be!” he cheered, giving Maddie a thumbs up when she raised a brow.
“There’s free samples everywhere, Sonic,” she gently chastised. “Let’s find one that doesn’t involve eating closed product, okay?”
Despite her words, he snuck two more grapes, just to watch Shadow’s eyes go wide as he munched on the fruit. Fresh fruit, as Sonic learned, was one of Shadow’s favorite snacks. It took some careful strategy and a single late night conversation had over their shared blanket, but Sonic got him to admit that fresh fruit wasn’t the easiest to get in a prison lab. Now, standing in the middle of Costco, Shadow ate his green grape in three bites, and Sonic relished the little wrinkle of his nose and the pleased flick of his ear.
Maddie pushed the cart to the deli section next, tucking it to the side next to a cooler full of various dips and hummus, which Sonic immediately started investigating, though he kept his paw firmly on the cart per Maddie’s order. He found something that could either be a corn-based dip or possibly a corn-based salad, and tried lifting the massive tub up with one paw. Sadly, it only teetered on its stack, and it was only thanks to Shadow’s quick reflexes that the whole stack of plastic tubs didn’t go tumbling down.
The next items carefully dropped into the cart when Maddie returned was a block of cheese, which Sonic made sure had the white lettering, not the orange, and two aluminum and plastic trays of pre-made macaroni and cheese.
“We freeze these,” Sonic explained, when Shadow eyed the new items. “Maddie and Tom are great cooks, but sometimes even they’re feeling lazy!” Behind him, he heard Maddie’s soft, amused laugh and he turned to face her. “Can we go find some samples now? No trouble will be caused, scout’s honor!”
She raised a sharp eyebrow at him, then nodded. “Alright, but you have to stick together, okay? I’ll meet you in the frozen aisle, and if I’m not there yet, check with the paper towels.”
After tossing another quick salute, Sonic peeled off from the cart with Shadow in tow. “Come on,” he explained, making sure to stay close to Shadow as they wove between the other customers. “The best part about Costco is the zillion of free samples! Just stick close to me and I’ll show you the ropes.”
Shadow nodded, serious as ever, but when an over-excited pair of human children rushed past them, Shadow stepped closer to Sonic, and Sonic felt the tell-tale feeling of a hesitant paw wrapping around his wrist. Instead of looking at Shadow or pointing it out, Sonic just slipped his wrist though Shadow’s paw like he had previously so he could slot their palms together. It was one thing for Sonic to initiate the paw-holding and another entirely for Shadow to initiate it.
And, really, at this point? This was at least sort of normal for them. Three times makes a pattern, or whatever the saying said.
The first free sample Sonic found was near the meat counter, and the woman dressed all in white gave them a surprised but friendly smile. “Free sample?” she offered, holding out two little paper cups. Sonic gladly took one, handed it to Shadow, then took the other, careful not to let go of Shadow’s paw.
“What is it?” Sonic asked seconds before cramming the food into his mouth.
“Teriyaki chicken with pineapple!” said the woman, clasping her hands together as both hedgehogs chewed thoughtfully. “We’re having a flash-sale, you can get the pre-marinated chicken for half-off if you buy more than 3 pounds! If- ah.” She paused, her professionalism flickering for a moment as Sonic tossed his paper cup in her little trash can, Shadow mimicking him. “Maybe your… parent or guardian would be interested in buying some?”
“Maddie should totally get some, you are so right,” Sonic said, nodding sagely. “Thanks for the suggestion!” That seemed enough for the associate, who smiled politely as Sonic tightened his hold on Shadow’s paw and they went off in search of another sample.
Their next option was by the cheese and fresh pasta case, with a young man offering out cut-up ravioli on a toothpick. It was a weird way to eat any kind of pasta, but Sonic just shrugged and accepted it. “What’s inside?” he asked, through his mouthful of ravioli. It was sort of creamy, a little… nutty?
“Butternut squash,” said the man, looking more disturbed than the previous associate at the sight of the two hedgehogs. “If you’d, ah, like to buy some, it’s right around the corner!”
Sonic shrugged, glancing at Shadow. He didn’t look that impressed, but he still nodded at the associate after they’d tossed their toothpicks.
“Thanks,” was all Sonic said, before he was tugging Shadow away again. Once they were a little farther away, tucked between a display of winter coats and a pallet of what looked like LEGOs, Sonic turned to whisper, “I don’t think squash belongs in a ravioli.”
Shadow shook his head. “The cheese ones your father made the other night were far superior.”
“Agreed!” Sonic couldn’t help his goofy little grin, briefly squeezing Shadow’s paw. “Wanna go find another sample?”
Even if Shadow didn’t verbally agree, the nod and the small twitch of his ear and a ripple in his quills was enough for Sonic. He could tell Shadow wasn’t exactly relaxed, but he didn’t seem too freaked out. He was definitely unsettled, but staying below his threshold of tolerance.
Before dragging him off again, Sonic paused. “You doin’ okay?” he asked, voice low and hesitant. It wasn’t that he never directly checked in with Shadow, but it was still incredibly rare. They both preferred more subtle check-ins; the occasional shoulder nudge, a kick under the dinner table, prolonged eye contact and a raised brow. But Shadow only silently nodded, too busy staring at the LEGO set they were closest to. It looked like something fantasy-related, some kind of green and orange fancy house with leaves all over it. And something to do with elves, maybe?
Satisfied Shadow wasn’t too overwhelmed, even if he wasn’t speaking much, Sonic pulled them away and in the direction of the next delicious smell his nose caught. They were getting pretty good at navigating the busy aisles with their paws linked up, and Shadow stayed close behind him until they reached the next sample stand.
This one was another woman, once again dressed in white, and she offered them each a little plastic spoon. “Try our new double-chocolate ice cream with strawberry swirls and marshmallow fluff!”
Those words sounded right up Sonic (and Shadow’s) alley, so he took a spoon for each of them eagerly. The second the spoon touched his tongue, Sonic gasped in delight. “Oh this is great!” he said, swinging around to grin at Shadow, who’s eyes were wide as he nodded silently.
“Miss,” he said, turning back to the sample giver, “You deserve a raise for having such a fine product.”
She laughed easily, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. “Well, I didn’t make it, but thank you! I am very glad you enjoyed it. Would you like another?”
Sonic’s eyes went round as he tossed the first spoon. “Would I!”
After she’d given them each two more of the samples, seemingly endeared by their happy tail wags and grins (or, a grin on Sonic’s part, and a subtle twitch of Shadow’s mouth), she apologetically sent them on their way and Sonic went off to hunt for Maddie. They found her standing in front of the frozen breakfast sandwiches, and when she caught sight of them, she held up two boxes.
“Which do you guys think?” she asked, as they came trotting up her, paws still linked. “Should we do chicken and cheddar pita melts, or should we do the egg and ham croissants?”
Both hedgehogs studied the boxes before Sonic spoke. “Let’s do the chicken ones! Those are easier to eat with one hand, so Tom won’t struggle too much.”
Maddie hummed, then nodded. “Good point, Sonic, thank you.” She sent the chicken melts in the cart and returned the other box to the cooler. “Did you guys find some good samples?”
Sonic nodded eagerly. “Totally did!” He peered in the cart and found she’d already crammed the aforementioned paper towels into the bottom. “Where to next?” he asked, turning to blink up at Maddie.
“I’m thinking… eggs and milk. You think you can lead the way?”
“Sure can!” Sonic might not have had the whole store layout memorized, but he’d tagged along to enough Costco trips he knew to go to the last cooler aisle. With Maddie close behind with their massive cart, Sonic skipped off in the right direction, his paw still firmly clamped around Shadow’s. He found the eggs and milk easily, and waved a proud paw to show Maddie when she arrived with the cart.
While Maddie checked the eggs for the best carton, Sonic and Shadow lingered near the cart. Sonic spaced out for a moment for no reason in particular, but was pulled back to focus when he felt a gentle tug on his paw and he turned to find Shadow inching down the aisle towards-
“Oh, you wanna go check out the coffee?”
Coffee was another thing they’d discovered Shadow liked. Sonic still hated it unless the sugar content rivaled the caffeine, but they’d discovered on only Shadow’s second full day that he actively loved the stuff. Tom had been the first to offer it, and that had also been the first time Shadow interacted with the man outside of their forced interactions at dinner. Even if Sonic thought it tasted disgusting, he liked watching Shadow’s fur ruffle with pleasure as he sipped on his own cup of coffee, a very small ritual he now shared with Tom. Maddie was usually the one to make it on her way to work, but later, when everyone was up, Tom would pour himself a cup and Shadow too, and it always made something warm flip and dance in Sonic’s chest.
Now, Sonic was content to let Shadow creep towards the red and orange canisters, his nose twitching. “This is the one your family uses,” he said, tilting his head.
“You can tell? Seriously?” Sonic tried sniffing it, but it all smelled like, well, like coffee to him. But Shadow’s nose was far better than his, this was another thing they’d figured out, so he spun around to wave frantically at Maddie. He was about to shout her name down the aisle when she caught sight of his waving, and she cocked her head. Sonic pointed to the coffee and blinked, and she nodded and held up a single finger.
“She says to get one can,” said Sonic, turning to Shadow who was looking at him with a raised brow, his mouth a very small, very tight line.
“She didn’t say anything at all,” Shadow countered. “How did you communicate that?”
Again, Sonic just shrugged. “She calls it mom-telepathy,” he explained. “Beats me how she does it. Tom can do it, too. He said I’ll get it if I ever have kids, but-“ Sonic shuddered at the idea, and beside him, Shadow looked equally horrified. “Anyway, wanna pick out a can?”
Picking out a canister of coffee was, apparently, a deadly serious decision for Shadow. He eyed each one, turning them slightly with his free paw to check for the expiration dates, then sniffed the ones he deemed worthy. Finally, just as Maddie pushed the cart up level with them, Shadow pointed at a can.
“This one,” he said to Sonic, and Maddie reached between them to snag it, which meant neither hedgehog had to release their clasped paws, which Sonic was just fine with.
Their next destination was the cleaning supplies section, and the second they stepped into the wide aisle, Sonic caught the way Shadow flinched at the onslaught of sharp, chemical smells.
“Hey, Maddie?” he piped up, keeping a firm grip on Shadow’s paw even if he’d tensed up. “What else you got on that list? This aisle gives me a headache!”
Never in his life had the cleaning supplies aisle at Costco given him a headache, but Maddie was perceptive enough to pick up his meaning, her eyes only glancing briefly to Shadow. “How about you guys go find me some lint-rollers? They should be back with the paper towels, I completely forgot them!”
Without questioning the suggestion, Sonic quickly turned and pulled Shadow with him, who stumbled briefly before quickly regaining his composure and following. They had to really weave around a few people to pretty much cross the entire store, but Sonic finally found the right section.
“Hey,” he tugged on Shadow’s paw, snagging his attention from whatever Shadow’s faraway look had landed on. “Think you can figure out which ones we usually get?” It was partially to distract Shadow and partially because Sonic actually had no idea. The handles were green and they were the plastic-y ones, not the paper ones, but that was all he could remember.
“Why would I know?” Shadow asked, turning to stare at the various options stacked up on the steel shelves in front of them.
“You figured out the coffee with, like, no effort!”
Shadow sighed, but he also didn’t turn Sonic down, and seemed to be genuinely trying to guess. Sadly, his shoulders slumped. “They all look and smell the same to me,” he said.
“To me, too,” Sonic muttered. Even worse, he had to let go of Shadow’s paw to heft one of the packets into his arms. There were only two options with green handles, and he picked the ones closest. “Now, come on, let’s go find Maddie again.”
Maddie, thankfully, had finished up her escapades in the cleaning supplies aisles, and Sonic caught sight of laundry pods and dishwasher pods in the cart, and he plopped the lint rollers right on top of them.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at both hedgehogs. “You think you guys can get some snacks too? Knuckles put cheese puffs on the list, but I’m also thinking… chips? Maybe something sweet too?”
“We’re on it,” said Sonic with yet another salute before he turned to Shadow. “You wanna- uh.” He held out his paw a little pathetically, cringing at his own uncertain embarrassment. Thankfully, Shadow just took his paw and they resumed weaving around strangers’ carts and dollies, narrowly avoiding being run over more than a few times.
Sadly, they had to let go again to carry things, but Shadow still stayed close by. The cheese puffs were easy to find, and Sonic handed them off to Shadow to carry, ignoring the huff of surprised displeasure at suddenly being used as a pack-mule. But he also didn’t argue, clutching the bag to his chest while Sonic selected two varieties of chips: salt and vinegar potato and ranch Doritos, which he tucked under his arm.
“Guess you might have to choose the something sweet,” he said, turning to Shadow. “My paws are all full!”
Once again uncertain, Shadow glanced around them. They were right in between the salty snacks and the baked goods, and Shadow drifted off to the rack of bakery donuts.
“Good choice!” said Sonic, as Shadow carefully reached out a paw to pull a cardboard tray off the shelf. He had to balance it awkwardly, but luckily Maddie wasn’t that far behind them.
“Donuts?” she swooped in to lift the precariously balanced box from Shadow’s paw, setting it on top of a box of-
“Why’d you get more dinner plates and stuff?” Sonic asked as he piled the chip bags into the cart, Shadow quickly adding the cheese puffs.
“What’s that, hon?” Maddie must’ve been distracted where she’d been eyeing some chocolate covered dried mangoes, which she added to the cart after a delayed moment. “Oh, well, we never bought more when Knuckles and Tails moved in, so I figured it was high time!” She patted the box of dinnerware nestled in between the snacks.
It was little things like that that always made Sonic feel a little extra warm and fuzzy, made him grin up at Maddie or Tom just because he could. And he wasn’t the only one either, as he noticed Shadow glancing between Maddie at the box, his fingers curling around the edge of the cart’s basket.
Maybe Shadow still hadn’t agreed to stay, but the way his ears were pushed forward and his eyes were still oddly wide was enough to make Sonic smile.
Their list apparently complete, Maddie instructed them to both hold on to the cart again and she wheeled them towards the checkout. This was always Sonic’s least favorite part, and when two separate humans bumped into him, he shot a plaintive look Maddie’s way. She nodded when he glanced towards the empty space past the check stands, and Sonic sighed in relief, grabbing Shadow’s wrist and pulling him through the bottle neck of carts and people and loud kids.
The hedgehogs lingered by the stacks of empty boxes ready for customers to take, Sonic’s paw still wrapped around Shadow’s wrist. They waited quietly for Maddie, standing as close together as they could with the excuse of the busy strangers milling about them. And just as Maddie pushed the cart up to them, Sonic’s stomach gave a very loud, very pointed growl.
“Hot dog time?” Maddie said with a laugh, and Sonic nodded eagerly.
“Can we do the chicken bake trick?” He let go of Shadow to pump both fists with excitement, jumping when Maddie nodded. He whipped to Shadow eagerly to explain as she directed them to get in line. “Tails saw this video on the internet,” he explained, gesturing to Shadow as he spoke. “You get a chicken bake and a hot dog and you put it inside the chicken bake. How cool is that!”
Shadow only watched him with a look of slight disinterest. “I don’t know what a chicken bake is,” he said, after a beat, low voice barely audible over the hubbub of the store, but Sonic just waved it off.
“Prepare to have your mouth melted in joy,” Sonic said with a grin, then took a chance and hooked his arm through Shadow’s as they marched down the line.
To Sonic’s disappointment, Maddie didn’t let him order, but she did let him snatch the two soda cups she got and he once again dragged Shadow off, this time to the soft drink dispenser, where he immediately put some of every single flavor into the cup. No ice. When he turned to face Shadow, he was met with familiar horror and disgust, which only made Sonic laugh. Shadow, after he’d watched Sonic operate the machine, carefully filled his cup with lemonade (and only lemonade) and a few ice cubes, carefully snapping the lid on just like Sonic did and stabbing it with a straw.
They took their drinks with them back to the tables where they found Maddie easily. She’d managed to snag a totally empty table, and Sonic hopped up onto the plastic bench and patted the spot beside him for Shadow.
“Now,” he said, snagging the food on the table and dragging it forward, “I will teach you the ways of a professional chef!” He assembled their lunch carefully, careful to return the now empty hot dog buns to their paper bags, then offered the modified dish to Shadow in the little red and white paper tray. “Be honest,” he said. “My heart can take it.”
Shadow shot the food a dubious look, but he always at least tried what Sonic gave him. While Maddie sipped on a smoothie, Shadow lifted the chicken bake to his mouth and took a bite, his nose scrunching up at the odd flavor combination while Sonic shoved half of his directly into his mouth. He’d barely chewed and swallowed when Shadow gave him a look.
“This is…” he tried, staring down at the food. He took another bite, but Sonic could see the distaste in the way his lip curled, in the lack of spark in his eye.
But Sonic had a habit of making things complicated and also giving Shadow just a little bit of a hard time, so he just flashed a grin and took another giant bite of his own. “Bangin’, amiright?”
Shadow’s grimace was poorly hidden. “It’s edible,” he said, which was basically well-mannered-Shadow-speak for “it’s awful and I hate it.”
“You don’t have to finish it,” Maddie cut in, just as Shadow was about to force himself to take another bite. “Sonic usually orders two anyway, I’m sure he’d be happy to… take it off your hands.”
Sonic nodded eagerly, and clapped once when Shadow gave in and slid the food over to him.
“We’ll have some sandwiches when we get home,” Maddie added, while Shadow did his best to subtly gulp down his lemonade to wash his mouth out.
Once their food was finished and the trash was disposed of, Maddie herded them out towards the exit. They fell into step beside the cart, clinging tightly as Maddie navigated them through the busy parking lot. They’d just reached the truck when a silver sedan came careening through the parking spaces, going way too fast for a busy parking lot! And it would've been fine, except that Shadow had wound up on the opposite side of the cart as Sonic, the side closest to the open space the sedan was about to rush through, and Sonic just didn’t have the time to react. He saw the car barreling at them, he saw Shadow, and he didn’t have the time!
But he shouldn’t have worried. As if moving on instinct, Maddie leapt forward and caught Shadow easily, swooping him up into her arms as she stepped back. The car passed them far too quickly and closely, and Maddie shouted something very un-Maddie-like as she shook a fist at them. At her side, wrapped up in one arm, Shadow clung to her shoulder while Sonic just stood and stared.
The whole moment was barely a second, and Maddie let Shadow slip back onto his own two feet quickly. He ducked his head and his shoulders hunched, every quill on his back bristling.
“I’m sorry, Shadow,” Maddie said, rubbing a hand over her forehead as she glared in the direction the rude car disappeared. “I’m used to grabbing the other three, and- well, I’m still sorry, I shouldn’t have grabbed you without asking.”
Shadow still looked ruffled, but he nodded stiffly, glancing up at her. “It’s fine,” he muttered, in a voice that implied it very much was not fine. He was still eyeing her, his paws all pulled into his chest. And then, to Sonic’s shock, he shook himself, stood straighter, and looked up at Maddie with a much clearer expression. “I didn’t mind,” he said, and he only looked away when she met his gaze.
The smile she wore was tender, one Sonic had seen dozens of times when she tucked he and his brothers into bed or Sonic managed to make her laugh unexpectedly. The warm, twisty feeling was back in his stomach, and he turned to help unload the cart so he didn’t have to think too hard about it. It was another little reminder how far Shadow had come, another little reminder that it wasn’t just Sonic that cared so deeply for Shadow; his whole family did, in their own ways.
Thankfully, there were no more incidents as they finished loading up the truck, and Maddie returned the cart while both hedgehogs climbed into the truck cabin.
“You okay?” Sonic asked for a second time, but this time, Shadow didn’t just nod.
“Your mother has quick reflexes,” he said, staring out of the back window where Sonic could just catch Maddie turning back from the cart corral to return to the truck.
“She’s kind of the best like that,” said Sonic.
To his utter delight, Shadow nodded again. “Yes, she is,” he mumbled. Sonic didn’t have a chance to reply before Maddie hopped in the driver’s seat, swiveling around after hitting the ignition.
“Everyone strapped in back there?” she asked, and when she received two pairs of thumbs up, turned back to hit the truck into reverse for their journey home.
That night they ate dinner off their new plates. They were black all around with red in the very center, and Tom and Knuckles both sung their praises of the color schemes. And after, they all had the donuts Shadow picked out, and Sonic watched Shadow’s ears flatten in embarrassment when the whole family thanked him for the choice. But he didn’t run off, and he didn’t shy away, just nodded and nibbled on the jam-filled donut he’d chosen for himself when given the first pick.
And when they curled up on the couch later under their blanket, after a movie with the whole family and some hot cocoa and popcorn, Sonic propped himself up against the pillows and stared at Shadow as he got comfortable. He probably wouldn’t sleep much, and Sonic caught sight of some mystery book tucked under his pillow, but he still curled up with Sonic on the opposite end of the couch.
“So what’d ya think?” he asked, once Shadow had settled with his back to the pillow.
Shadow shot him a look. “Of?”
“Of the store. The great and wonderful land of Costco.”
Shadow hummed, lip twitching and brows furrowing, and Sonic relished the expression. Shadow was always the most openly expressive when it was just the two of them, and it was something Sonic truly cherished.
“It was…” he paused, still thinking. “Most of the Human world is very overwhelming,” he finally settled on. “That store was no exception.”
“I guess I can’t argue there,” said Sonic with a sigh. “But it wasn’t all bad, right?”
Shadow shook his head. “No. Not all bad.” He looked at Sonic as he spoke, sending warm tingly sensations all through Sonic’s whole body.
“Tomorrow,” he said as he shuffled down into the blanket, “We’ll go somewhere quiet and people-free. Deal?”
The suggestion seemed to be acceptable, as Shadow nodded with a small smile. “Deal,” he said, in a rare moment of indulgence.
Sonic flashed him another grin, then reached over and snagged the remote. “I’m not tired at all, do you wanna watch more TV?”
And after a nod from Shadow, they spent the next few hours binging some wildlife show, both lost in the wild world of competitive catfish fishing. (Or, as the TV presenter called it, competitive noodling.)
All in all, the day had been pretty boring. Nothing exciting had happened. And yet Sonic still felt himself grinning wide as he watched Shadow grimace at the TV, the flashes of the screen reflecting in his glittering red eyes.
Sure, the day had been pretty boring, but he’d spent it with some of his favorite people, largely hand in hand with his favorite person, even if that person was a sullen hedgehog that hated Sonic’s food choices.
That, in Sonic’s book, was a good day well spent.