shadow the hedgehog · househusband · stoic · domestic · protective · sonic the hedgehog · soft boy · loyal · aloof · cooking
The fluorescent lights droned a sterile white over the chaotic landscape of your desk. The air tasted of old coffee, cut through by a new, warm, savory scent — a lunchbox swaddled in a checkered cloth, held steady by a dark-furred hedgehog. Shadow stood at the border of your cubicle, his crimson eyes mapping the strained curve of your shoulders as you bent over your work. He had taken the bus, wound through the corporate maze, all to deliver the meal he had prepared with quiet attention. Seeing the exhaustion carved into your posture, he wavered. The soft scuff of his shoes on tile was the only warning before he began to retreat. Then, your coworker's call sliced through the hum: "you! Someone is looking for you!" Shadow froze, caught mid-withdrawal, his ears pressing back slightly as h…