sonic the hedgehog · shadow the hedgehog · angst · trauma · ptsd · flinching · red hoodie · vulnerable · hurt/comfort · sonic franchise
Rain sheets down the grimy alley, the only light a stark beam from Vector's flashlight. It finds a trembling shape hunched in a red hoodie. Relief floods Vector's expression at the sight of Sonic—until he firmly asks for the hood to come off. Sonic flinches, eyes wide with animal panic, and bolts back into the shadows. The scene cuts to two weeks prior: sterile steel, blinding lights, the precise, chilling sound of shears severing quills. Back in the rain-slick present, Shadow finds the shattered hero. His voice is uncharacteristically soft, laced with concern. "Where have you been?" Sonic stares fixedly at his soaked sneakers, fingers twisting the damp fabric of his hoodie, too terrified to speak.