Archive of Our Own ^beta

He’s never needed first-aid, or frankly any sort of medical aid. He knows they teach courses on first aid at GUN and that most basic medical supplies are supposedly easy to get even in supermarkets, and even Rouge has a few wads of bandages and pill bottles in the bathroom cabinet, and he’d seen Maria get tended to by doctors and nurses more than enough times. He’d had doctors fuss over himself, take blood and measure and make him do tests upon tests, but he’d seen all their equipment demonstrated, so all in all this should be laughably easy.

But Sonic just won’t stop talking, and trying to assist, and neither of them has ever stitched up a wound before.

“Stitches,” he announces. “Can’t be that hard. I mean, they’re used in clothes, right? I saw Knuckles mend a shirt once.”

“There are different kinds of stitches,” Shadow argues. Maria was very fond of cross-stitching, for one, which really won’t help them here. “And this thread is the wrong quality. We really shouldn’t…” do this, of course.

But they’re on a remote island in the Soleannan archipelago, and the closest town didn’t have a pharmacy, much less a hospital. Sonic’s bleeding so much Shadow refuses to let him move, and the longer time Shadow spends looking for help the longer Sonic has to lie here on the beach and bleed. Shadow has no idea how much blood Sonic can even lose before his life is seriously endangered. He’s started to sound almost delirious, but that might just be because of his plunge into the ocean – he’d fallen off a cliff and into the sea, headfirst into the rocky bottom.

Why had he let himself get distracted, Shadow thinks bitterly. Why had he looked back at Shadow. Why had he-

“Look, Shadow,” Sonic says, and pins him in place with his eyes. “This is it. The one option. Right? You said there weren’t any towns here. And – not to rush you, or anything – but I’d rather you try something instead of just debate with me.”

Yes, yes, that all sounds very logical, but Shadow’s gloves are streaked with Sonic’s blood and his thoughts keep circling back to Maria. Medical procedures can’t just be fucked around with, you have to be precise and calm and trained to do it, ideally you should’ve gone to medical school, ideally-

But there’s no one else here, and Sonic’s in pain.

And about to be in a lot worse pain, if Shadow can’t do this right.

“Fine,” he growls. “Stay still. This will likely hurt.”

The wound is in Sonic’s side. The angle is awkward, Shadow can feel every breath Sonic takes beneath him, and after a second of internal debate Shadow rips off his own gloves. They’re dirty and Shadow can’t carry nor transmit diseases; his bare hands will have to be good enough. The needle and thread he’d gotten from the town by asking around in ten different houses, and they’re obviously intended for stitching up fabric and not skin. Nevertheless, it’ll have to work.

“You know,” Sonic says, breath hitching, just as Shadow pulls the needle through the first stitch. “I don’t think I’ve ever had to get stitches before.”

“Wow,” Shadow says flatly. “Did it occur to you that I might perhaps appreciate being able to focus right now?”

First stitch through. He ties off the thread and gets ready to do another one. Sonic might need four in total – or five. Is that normal or is that terrible? He can feel Sonic’s heart beating too quickly where he’s bent awkwardly over him.

“Oops,” Sonic says. His breathing sounds pained and his flesh is feverishly warm against Shadow’s bare fingers, his blood slick and terrible. “I know you won’t make any mistakes, though. You’re so… calm.”

“Calm?” Shadow’s face twists in a grimace. He aspires to always be calm and in control, but right now he feels tremendously stupid.

“You’re obviously – focusing so hard on getting them right,” Sonic says. “Right?”

“I’m trying,” Shadow agrees. He takes a deep breath, and pulls the needle through a second time, hearing Sonic fail to take a deep breath of his own. Shadow cuts and ties off the thread, trying to ignore the fact that each of his improvised tools very obviously originate from an elderly person’s sewing kit. He’s about half-way done. Sonic is still trying to run his mouth, still conscious and responding, not like one of Maria’s worse episodes. This will all go perfectly fine.

Then Sonic starts chuckling.

Shadow freezes. “Sonic,” he says through gritted teeth. “Could you not move your stomach muscles. When I am trying to stitch up your wound.”

“Sorry,” Sonic says, not sounding the least bit apologetic. Why is he always so damn cavalier about his own safety? “It’s just funny. I didn’t even know you knew anything about medical stuff.”

“I don’t,” Shadow growls. “Don’t make this more difficult for me.”

“Well,” Sonic says. “Anyway. You seem like you know what you’re doing. And the last time we were alone on an island you were definitely trying to hurt me, and now…” he chuckles again, and Shadow keeps very still. “Life sure has its twists and turns, amiright?”

“I hardly think this is the time for philosophical discussions,” Shadow says, and sighs. The time right after he’d awakened from stasis hadn’t been very fun for anyone – but… Shadow did enjoy competing against Sonic. He never really liked the Doctor, but Sonic was intriguing. On ARK there hadn’t been any hedgehogs, no one who even remotely resembled Shadow, and then down here there hadn’t been many either… except for Sonic. Who could match Shadow in every way, be it speed or chaos or strength.

But he’d tried to kill him.

And now Sonic is lying bleeding underneath him, except that he’s smiling up at him. Unhurried. So confident that Shadow will manage to treat his wound, will not only want to do it but will also do a good job of it. Will take care of him.

Shadow looks away, but then has to quickly glance back again. There’s no time to have emotions about this, he needs to finish sewing up Sonic’s wound, and he’ll just have to ignore the fact that Sonic’s smile is twisting into a smirk. “Just let me finish this,” Shadow tells him, sternly.

“Okay,” Sonic says, and Shadow knows he’ll start talking again in approximately 20 seconds, but before that it’s quiet. Not a comfortable quiet, or a relaxing one – Sonic’s still bleeding – but an understanding one. Maybe this day won’t change anything in their relationship, or maybe – it’ll change everything.