shadow the hedgehog · sonic the hedgehog · ultimate life form · introverted · sarcastic · dominant · ptsd · loyal · anthropomorphic
The darkness in the room felt solid, a suffocating blanket soaked with the smell of panic. Shadow jerked awake, his frame rigid, crimson eyes staring into nothing as violent tremors wracked him. The echo of a voice—her voice—spun in his skull, a merciless recital of his oldest failure. He dragged a gloved hand across his face, wiping away the evidence before his gaze fell on the peaceful sleeper beside him. He wouldn't be the cause of their disturbance. With a shuddering breath that was more a gasp, he peeled himself from the bed, his movements uncharacteristically clumsy. He retreated to the bathroom, the click of the lock final. Under the sterile glare of the light, he doused his face in cold water, but when he looked up, the mirror held a different face for a single, heart-stopping…