#She loves to swim

[kinoshi]

Так как во мне резко проснулась любовь к печенью вот небольшой дизайник ребенка голденлили потому что я обожаю обеих участниц пейринга

Since I suddenly developed a love for cookies, here is a small design of a goldenlily kid

В стилистике печенек так приятно и просто рисовать

Мне не удалось достичь всех целей в дизайне, но в целом выглядит неплохо

I didn't manage to achieve all the design goals I wanted and make it perfect, but overall it looks good

Назовем ее Небесным Лотосом

Let's call her Heavenly Lotus

В целом я загорелась этой идеей просто из символичности. Лотос (он же водяная лилия) является важной частью египеской культуры, символом мудрости и отражением божественности солнца. Идеальное сочетание египетский тематики и лилий

Overall, I was drawn to this idea simply because of the symbolism. The lotus (aka water lily) is an important part of Egyptian culture, a symbol of wisdom and a reflection of the divinity of the sun. A perfect combination of Egyptian themes and lilies.

Смотря на это я видела ее более спокойной и в целом похожей на Лилию. Но так было бы слишком скучно, поэтому у нее подростковый максимальзм вкупе с проявлением характера Сырка

Looking at this, I saw her as calmer and generally similar to WL. But that would be too boring, so she has teenage maximalism coupled with the manifestation of the character of GC

Я ненавижу рисовать цветы ТТ

Мне не удалось передать элементы лотоса в ее дизайне. Но она милашная так что пусть будет

Есть еще варианты с крыльями:

There are also options with wings:

Я и без понятия о условностях мира, так что это просто фаново и без доли логики

I have no idea about the conventions of the world, so this is just fun and without a grain of logic

А вот когда пройду сюжеееет...тогда и поговорим...

But when I get through the plooooooot...then we'll talk...

[colourvariation]

| << | >> |

[pearbosc]

Homesick

[bug-butter]

Frances' from my sketchbook

[virtualbuddysim]

Ok fine i'll come back and actually use this acc 😓😓 anyways fanart be upon ye

@snowfires 's fic Like Comets in the Night is SO PEAKK ❗❗ its so good it dragged me out of my creepypasta haze by my ankles and shook me down for all my lunch money

I redrew sum scenes w my oc Miri as the mc bc i love her

I lowkey freestyled Killer's fit GULP ! ! but yk hopefully it looks ok maybe

[zefferooni]

some more lapis cuz she's the best

[anistarrose]

Davenport canonically says he's been teaching Barry to fly the Starblaster (as early as Cycle 17, a.k.a. Episode 61), and even trusts Barry enough to leave him solely in charge of the ship, specifically when the whole rest of the crew is literally diving into a flooded city with no idea what they'll find beneath, i.e., could easily all just fucking die. this was before the Hunger really Got Good, so to speak, at singling out and attacking the Starblaster, or catching the crew unawares, but regardless, I would like to propose...

Barry's fucking great at piloting the ship, especially relative to his amount of practice... and he fucking hates it. Barry's not Dav-level good, not by a long shot, but he's naturally talented as hell by the standards of people who aren't first-name-Captain, last-name-Davenport. except... Cap, you gotta understand... flying the ship is scary. flying the ship away from the Hunger singlehandedly is so scary. and flying the ship under technically lower stakes, but while his Captain and friends are there watching him? and able to be disappointed in him if he messes up? is so so so scary. the scariest thing of all, somehow.

Davenport trains Barry, Lup, and Magnus in piloting semi-simultaneously, so he gets them to compete with each others' times for flying around the robot planet, and Barry always absolutely crushes it, and then has to go breathe into a paper bag afterwards. he had enough anxiety driving through roundabouts with other people in his car to judge him back while he was on his home plane. he was the kind of guy to worry that people would think less of him if he slipped into always-goddamn-tempting road rage, or if he used his signal like a fucking nerd. upgrading from a car to a spaceship was never going to be for him.

[5-pp-man]

[doctorsiren]

“Thalassa” (2024) — Micron Pens + Prismacolor Gray-Toned Alcohol Markers + White Gel Pen on 18” x 13” Drawing Paper

[crustyfloor]

Jellyfish aren't conscious because they technically don't have a brain do they even know they exist does Mizi the jellyfish girl know she exists would it echo if i knocked on her forehead

[dontsh0vethesun]

the angler fish diva that swam towards the surface of the ocean has actually tampered with the stability of my emotional state

[kindred-spirit-93]

the peoples princess!

@notsolonedesert ur lovely ctimene has graced my lecture notes <3!! no references we die like my final braincells lol

her sarcasm knows no bounds and odysseus' famous wits have ocassionally paled in comparison to his sisters many a time ;)

sassy lil sister ctimene please and thank you. also stubborn af. idk i need more of them being siblings and and how they grew alongside one another and now tease eachother over meals and reminisce during cold winter evenings childhood shenanigans and laugh boisterously together (they have the same laugh. and a dad sneeze TM) and how they reacted to each others firstborns and and and

[myokk]

before it felt like a sin, ch. 2

ch.1

pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

word count: 6900

summary: Eloise never wanted to be different.

And yet, her differences are what have defined her life up until this point: growing up as a squib in one of the most prominent wizarding families, being exiled to muggle society, and then attending Hogwarts at the age of sixteen.

She finds herself thrust into the life she should have been prepared for from birth but was denied. As she navigates this new life and her new precarious position in her family, she must come to terms with the fact that maybe what she dreamed of her whole life isn't turning out how she ever expected it would.

a/n: here's chapter 2!! I just wanted to add these amazing beautiful drawings I look back on allllllll the time, by @kay9leo 🥹🫶 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH !!!!! 😙💓😙💓😙💓

I also want to reiterate that this fic is REALLY CANON DIVERGENT!!!!! I will NOT be following the game’s plot at all really with this (it really starts to diverge around chapter 6/7 maybe I don’t remember), and I don’t see Eloise as the game’s MC either.

Things were definitely not going as planned…not that Eloise had really known what to expect. Almost from the moment the portkey had brought her to meet Professor Fig, it seemed like everything had gone from bad to worse.

And it had all started out so well. He had handed her the provisional wand, and upon contact the magic coursing through her had been exhilarating. Finally Eloise was able to experience what she had dreamed of for so long. All too soon, however, she was putting the wand to use in ways she hadn’t imagined. Watching Mr. Ospric die had made her blood run cold but then she didn’t have the luxury of processing the shock as so much was happening at once and there was a dragon and death and then…another portkey? Before she knew it, she was fighting some sort of sentient guardians in some mysterious Gringott’s vault and there was concrete proof of the goblin uprising…it was simply too much to take in at once.

Now, she was standing in front of the ornate entrance to a room Professor Fig had called the “Great Hall”. He checked the pocketwatch inside his robes again, and muttered (more to himself than anything) “hopefully the sorting is still going on…” and then in a louder voice as he glanced at Eloise - “come along then, young Eloise!”

He peered more closely at her then, taking in her pale appearance and added in a kinder tone, “I’m sure you’re hungry. We’ll just head in and get you sorted into your house, and then an early night for the both of us. Don’t worry about the things that were lost in the attack - I’m sure one of your new housemates will share her things with you until they are replaced.”

With that, he pushed open the doors and ushered her in. In any normal circumstances, Eloise was sure that she would have been absolutely in awe of the breathtaking appearance that greeted her. It was simply…for lack of a better word, magical. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the night sky above the castle, stars glimmering through the wispy purple clouds that covered the ceiling. There were thousands of candles floating in the air, illuminating the hall in a soft, golden light.

She couldn’t focus on any of that.

As soon as Fig opened the double doors, the low chatter that filled the Great Hall slowly faded as everyone turned to look at who had entered. Eloise froze. Hundreds of faces all staring at her, filled with curiosity.

Judging her.

They must all know that she was a squib and didn’t actually belong there.

No. She had proved her magical capabilities earlier that day, albeit in a different manner than she had expected. She deserved to be here just as much as they did.

The teacher at the far end of the hall was saying something and the students surrounding her had begun to whisper amongst themselves. There was so much buzzing in her ears that she didn’t hear a word that was said. Then, a familiar voice - how in the world could it still be familiar after so much time? - broke through the fog and her head turned sharply to the side at the noise.

“Eloise?”

Her gaze met familiar hazel eyes as Leo quickly stood up, taking a step towards her before he caught himself and stayed where he was. If the shock hadn’t already been apparent enough in his voice, one look at his expression told Eloise everything. He hadn’t had any idea that she had been accepted to Hogwarts. After she had been burned off of the family tree by her mother, it was like she didn’t exist anymore. Of course he hadn’t known that she would be there.

Leo had changed since Eloise last saw him. Of course he did, she thought to herself. It had been five years, after all. The same unruly black curls, same eyes. And yet…he almost seemed a stranger to her. He was taller, face more angular and defined than it had been at thirteen. Voice deeper. But, the expression of vulnerability and guilt written all over his face was something she recognized well. It was the same expression that he had had the last time he saw her, the face she sometimes saw before falling asleep. Just as quickly as it flashed across his face however, it was gone, hidden behind a stony exterior. His expression hardened and he sat down just as quickly as he had stood up, quickly averting his eyes. The people around him were looking between them curiously, but before Eloise could even begin to process this new situation, she felt a gentle push on her shoulder.

Professor Fig had been talking to her. “…the Sorting Hat. You need to go up and get sorted into your house.”

She looked up at him and realized that he was gesturing to the front of the Great Hall, vaguely recalling how Leo had described the sorting ceremony in his first letter home from Hogwarts. Everyone was still staring.

Well, let them, she thought. Eloise tossed her braid over her shoulder and lifted her head high, straightening her posture in the meantime. Did it matter if everyone was staring at her? She determined that if people were going to be whispering about her, speculating about her, she would give them something to talk about. About the girl who was admitted in her fifth-year at Hogwarts. The girl who surpassed them all.

Eloise shook off Professor Fig’s hand and walked to the raised platform, where there was a stool and a professor waiting with an ancient wizarding hat in her hands. As Eloise sat down, a semicircle of professors behind her and the tables of students in front of her, the hat was placed on top of her head. It was so formless and well-worn that the faded fabric slid over her eyes and she was surrounded by darkness.

Hmm…interesting, a voice purred in her mind. Eloise jumped at the sound. Don’t worry, dear. I won’t hurt you, although I suppose that not everyone would say that. My, my. You have had a rough go of things, haven’t you?

It’s not often I get to sort a new fifth-year student. She realized that it was the hat talking to her. Always much more interesting, you see. The first-years are always fun because I get to see their potential and who they will turn out to be, but even that can be fallible sometimes. People are shaped by their experiences.

An older student, though? Someone closer to the person they will be, with more experiences that have shaped them? Oh yes, these are the ones I like the most.

Wait, thought Eloise. You’ve sorted others like me before?

Oh yes. A pause. The voice purred in her ear. I can see the hunger for knowledge in you. But…Ravenclaw seems too simplistic. Behind the intelligence lies great ambition. A desire to prove yourself. Prove you belong. Yes, you may have had a rough life but you have managed to use what’s around you to your advantage. So, you must be a…

“SLYTHERIN!”

Eloise started at the sudden shout, realizing that it must have been out loud. As the hat was pulled off of her head, she could see the students at the table at the far end of the hall, the one Leo was at, break into furious whispers amongst each other. The teacher with her smiled kindly and pointed Eloise in their direction. “That’s the Slytherin table, dear. Once you sit down, we can begin eating.”

Eloise got up numbly and slowly walked towards the table. The whispering got louder as she neared it, and the students kept shooting her glances. Most seemed simply curious about the new, older student who had just been sorted into Slytherin, but others looked at her with hostility. Two students moved aside and motioned to her.

“Figured you would rather sit with us than the first years.”

The girl who spoke gave her an appraising look, taking in her muggle clothing and mussed-up hair. Eloise sat down next to her, nervously smoothing her hands over her skirt. Now that the sorting was over and she was actually interacting with her future classmates, she felt exhausted and completely unable to keep up her facade of nonchalance.

“I was going to ask if you like quidditch but…judging by your clothes -“

“Gods, Imelda,” came a drawling voice to Eloise’s left. “Can’t you give the poor girl a break? Not even one second at our table and you’re already trying to recruit her for the team.”

The boy who spoke gave an amused look to Imelda before turning to Eloise. “You’ll want to watch out for that one - if she even gets a whiff of the fact you can fly a broom, she’ll be out to recruit -“

“It’s not my fault!” Imelda interrupted forcefully, smacking her hands on the table and leaning over Eloise to talk to him. “Our best players all graduated last year and I have it cut out for me -“

“- you to the Slytherin team,” the boy concluded, ignoring Imelda’s heated protests. She sat back with a huff and crossed her arms. “Just ignore her. It’s what we’ve found works best. I’m Sebastian Sallow and this is Ominis Gaunt. Two people you will actually want to spend time with.”

He stuck his tongue out at Imelda as he held his hand out to Eloise. The boy across from them snickered quietly to himself as he listened to Imelda splutter in denial. Eloise shook Sebastian’s hand hesitantly. “Eloise. And actually,” she added, turning to Imelda, “I do know what quidditch is. Unfortunately, I’ve never ridden a broom though.”

That got Imelda going again, this time about how it was absolutely impossible that someone could know about the existence of quidditch without ever touching a broom. She seemed to be of the opinion that knowing of its existence meant an undying desire to learn how to play. “So you’re not a mudblood, then? Oh, who am I kidding - of course you’re not. We’re in Slytherin, after all. But how…”

Fortunately, food started appearing on the table before Imelda could finish her thought. It was enough to move her attention from Eloise as she began to pile different foods on her plate. To be quite honest, Eloise was relieved. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell others about her circumstances, especially during this first night before she knew anyone. Would they think differently of her if they knew that she had been disowned from her family and presumed a squib?

Who was she kidding? Of course everyone would judge her for that. Besides, she knew she wanted to talk to Leo before revealing anything - maybe he could help her get a feel for how to approach the situation. If he wanted to even associate with her, that is. Once again, the thought passed through her mind that he could have changed through the years, just as she had. Their parents could be quite persuasive, and more often than not the two siblings had learned that it was easier to go along with them than against.

Leo had grown up with the adoration of their parents, showing magical prowess at the young age of three, when his favorite toys started following him around in a little parade. Eloise, on the other hand…as the years passed and she still wasn’t showing signs of anything at all, not even a measly show of a sneeze blowing her away, their parents started working to distance the siblings from each other. It hadn’t been very effective and yet…without her presence, she could see him moving on in his life. Just as she had tried to do.

A sharp poke to her side. Eloise jumped and looked at Sebastian. “Aren’t you going to eat anything? You need to grab the good things before they’re gone - it’s every man out for himself during the feasts.”

She looked around and, sure enough, the food on the plates was steadily going down. It all looked absolutely delicious - mountains of meat, bread, puddings…her stomach growled loudly as she took it all in. Eloise hurriedly started putting the closest food to her on her plate, reaching over to give herself a heaping serving of mashed potatoes on the side. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he replied after swallowing the food he was eating. “I’m sure you’ve had a long day if you arrived that late to the sorting ceremony. As you walked up to the stool, Ominis and I had a bet about which house you would be sorted into. I told him, after my first glance at you, that I could tell you’d be one of us, but unfortunately, he - “

“Hey! I can hear you,” Ominis said from across the table, leaning forward slightly. Eloise realized that he was blind - his eyes had no pupils at all. His gaze was unfocused but his head turned in her direction. He explained, “I could only sense your form as you walked down the Hall. And, for the record, before Sebastian can say otherwise, I said I could tell you would be a Slytherin. Will the blind jokes ever get old?”

“As long as I have breath in my body - hey!”

Ominis had thrown a roll at Sebastian’s head which, surprisingly, hit its mark.

“I might not be able to see what just happened, but I know that I’ve just won,” Ominis said smugly, returning his attention to his plate.

Eloise just sat there, not really knowing how to react. This time, it was Imelda’s turn to say, “just ignore them. Luckily, we won’t need to see much more of them as the feast’s finishing up.” She wrinkled her nose in Sebastian’s direction, a gesture that was swiftly returned. Even though she had just met the three of them, Eloise couldn’t help but feel happy just listening to their back-and-forth. She did feel a twinge of…something, though, knowing that she could have been with them since their first year, if only her magic had shown itself sooner.

Mountains of dessert started to replace the remnants of the dinner: plum pudding, lemon tarts, cakes…it was more dessert in one place than Eloise had ever seen in her life. None of the students held back at all trying to get their favorites, especially if it was at the expense of another. The atmosphere was electric - everyone was excited to be back among their friends and catch up over everything that had happened the summer before, and Eloise was happy to just be among them.

She reached for a lemon tart, and when she looked up, she saw that Leo was staring at her intently. He looked away as soon as they made eye contact, but the moment didn’t go past Imelda’s notice.

“Do you know him?” she asked, nodding towards Leo. Eloise flushed and looked down at her plate, nodding reluctantly. She knew as soon as they went through role call the next day, everyone would know that she was a Babbit.

“Yes, he’s…er -“

Eloise broke off, grabbing the nearest goblet of pumpkin juice and drinking the whole thing in one go. When she came up for air, Imelda was still looking at her expectantly. Eloise took a deep breath and tried continuing, but… “I’m not really sure,” is all that came out of her mouth.

Imelda furrowed her brow, clearly trying to figure out how that answer made sense and Eloise wasn’t about to clarify for her. Although it wouldn’t be long before it got out that they were siblings, she wasn’t sure how much she wanted these new acquaintances to know about her at the moment. She had had enough pitying looks to last her a lifetime, and she just knew that once they found out she had been a squib…

“Hey Sebastian,” a pretty blonde girl said, leaning towards the group. She shot Eloise a curious glance but quickly looked back at her target. “Where’s Anne? Is she still gone this year? What a pity…the two of you are…were…sewn together at the hip and I was looking forward to finally being the one who gets between the two of you this year.” At this, the girls surrounding her started tittering and she flipped her hair over her shoulder and pouted. “I thought there would be more of a challenge. But if you’re going to be the changed Sebastian again this year…”

“Who’s…” Eloise trailed off as she saw Sebastian’s expression. It had changed into something almost unrecognizable - at least, to someone who had only known him for all of forty-five minutes. He was looking at the girl with a mixture of barely-controlled fury and…something else that Eloise couldn’t quite place. She shrank away from him as she took in his stricken expression.

“She’s still sick,” he said shortly as he stood up. His hands bunched into tight fists and his body was shaking. Sebastian quickly turned and stormed down the hall. They all watched him go in silence; once he left, the blonde girl turned to Ominis.

“Gods, what’s his problem? So what if she misses a few days of school?” She looked around at everyone, pouting. “You all know I’m right. Last year he was a mess but he should be getting over it by now.”

“You always speak before thinking, Victoria,” Ominis said tersely, getting up. “One of these days, it’s going to get you in trouble. If you keep this up, when that happens nobody will be around to help you pick up the pieces.” With that, he strode away after Sebastian.

Eloise blinked and looked around. The rest of the students were starting to get up and slowly move towards their respective common rooms having finished their dessert, and the prefects were starting to herd the first-years along. Victoria laughed weakly and turned to her friends, effectively ignoring Eloise and Imelda as if they weren’t there. “I think the summer holidays have made people extra sensitive this year. I honestly don’t know what their problem is.”

“Come on, then,” said Imelda, shooting Victoria a dirty look. “Let’s head to the dorms.”

Eloise stood up and started following Imelda’s lead. She was parting the students with ease as she walked through the crowd. Her strides were so long that Eloise had to half-jog to keep up with her. “Our common room is in the dungeons,” Imelda said, looking over her shoulder at Eloise. “The other houses are creeped out by it, but they haven’t actually seen it. You’ll see.”

Because of how quickly Imelda strode through the corridors and down the stairs, Eloise didn’t have much time to take in the rest of the castle. She did however realize that they were winding through the corridors in such a way that she would be hopelessly lost if Imelda weren’t with her. The two of them arrived at the Slytherin common room well before the other students due to Imelda’s fast pace. As they entered the common room after saying the correct password - basilisk - Eloise couldn’t help but look around in wonder. There was light piano music playing in the background - Chopin, Eloise thought she recognized it from her piano lessons at the muggle school. Even though the overall tones of the place were cool - blues and greens filtering through the tall glass windows and from the lamps, the checkered marble floors and columns giving off an air of cold elegance - the beautiful rugs and happily crackling fires made it all come together and seem oddly cozy. Various tables and desks were scattered around the space, and comfortable looking armchairs and couches crowded around low tables. Eloise could just picture it teeming with students studying after class or hanging out on the weekends. She knew that it was a place that could finally feel like home to her.

“I tried, Ominis,” came a hushed whisper from near the windows. Imelda and Eloise froze at the entrance to the common room and glanced at each other. “I just can’t do it. I know what you and Anne told me but…”

“Sebastian. Anne doesn’t want you to wallow and waste your time here worrying about her. I know that you’re worried for her. I mean, I am too. You know she’s like a sister to me.”

“You have no idea,” Sebastian interrupted fiercely. His back was hunched over and he was holding his face in his hands. “It should have been me. I can’t live with myself. With this guilt.”

“No, you -“ Ominis cut himself off as the sound of the other students filtering in started to fill the room. The boys abruptly sat up straighter, although they didn’t look at each other. Oblivious to the tension between the two, a group of second-years sat on the sofa right next to them, as they excitedly caught up with each other.

“I’ll show you our room,” Imelda said, turning to Eloise. “It gets pretty crazy here the first night back from any holidays, with everyone catching up. I don’t know about you, but I want to get some sleep! Quidditch tryouts are next week and I already know how exhausting it will be.”

Eloise really was exhausted, and nothing sounded better to her than finally going to sleep. The dorms seemed to be set up so that the stairs going up led to the girls’ dormitories, and the ones going down to the boys’. Imelda explained that it was due to the fact that boys weren’t to be trusted, and the stairs would turn into a slide if any boy attempted to go up them. It wasn’t something that Eloise had even considered, due to the fact that she had just come from an all-girls school, but she flushed at the implication.

As they reached the staircase, they almost crashed into Sebastian. Imelda had been marching towards the stairs with a single-minded determination and Sebastian had been heading towards his with just as much purpose.

Eloise bounced off of his shoulder. She grabbed her own, wincing slightly. He was more solid than he looked. He looked blankly at the two girls before shaking his head and realizing where they were. “Gods, I’m so sorry. I’m just -“ he gave his head another little shake and saw that Eloise was holding her shoulder. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s fine,” Eloise reassured him. She gave a small smile. “I’ve had worse, it’s really nothing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” interrupted Imelda. She shot Sebastian a concerned look. “Go to bed. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Imelda shook her head sadly and the girls resumed their path. “Poor boy. He hasn’t been the same since the summer after our third year. I mean, he was always kind of obsessive, but in a charming way. He was on the quidditch team with me, and always really determined to be the absolute best, always working hard to show all of the other students they don’t even know half as much as he does. That sort of thing, you know? It’s not like he was insufferable, his charm drew everyone to him.”

She held the door open and Eloise walked in. It was a cozy circular room, with five four-poster beds. A small fire in the middle of the room warmed the whole place up, and Eloise was relieved to see it. When Imelda had told her that their dormitory was in the dungeons, she had immediately pictured a dark, cold, slimy space. Only one of the beds didn’t have trunks placed at its foot, and Eloise went straight to it. Her trunk had been lost in the dragon attack. She was relieved to see a nightgown laid on top of the bed and a pair of green slippers neatly lined up on the floor; she hadn’t been sure what she would wear.

Imelda sat down heavily on the bed next to Eloise’s and started unlacing her boots. She continued talking. “Then, in our fourth year, he comes to school after summer holidays. Alone. He hasn’t been the same since. Nobody’s quite sure what’s going on with his sister, except that it’s bad. She’s not expected to live much longer.”

“Oh my god,” breathed Eloise. “I can’t even imagine.”

“Me neither.” Imelda shook her head. “He got into trouble left and right last year, there were even rumors of a duel…I don’t think there was a single week where he didn’t have detention. I mean, I don’t blame him, but - he was taken off the team! This year he better not, I can’t afford to lose my best beater again.”

The girls continued chattering quietly to themselves about other topics as they got ready for the night. Slipping into their nightgowns, braiding each others’ hair, and, finally, slipping under the freshly turned bed covers. Eloise turned towards Imelda and simply whispered, “thank you.” Although they had just met, Eloise felt certain in the knowledge that she had just made her first friend.

Imelda waved her off. “It’s nothing. Get some sleep, the first day of classes is always overwhelming. I can’t even imagine starting as a fifth-year.”

With that, she rolled over and soon Eloise heard her breathing deepen as she fell asleep. She stared at the canopy covering her bed for what seemed like an eternity. The low murmurs of the other girls as they came in and got ready for bed slowly morphed into drowsy good-nights, until finally the room was silent except for the steady tick of a clock and their breathing.

As tired as she felt, Eloise couldn’t stop the racing of her mind. It felt like the last few days had more action than the entirety of her life. Even though banished had, at the time, been incredibly momentous for her, it paled in comparison to finding out that she actually was a witch and had been admitted to Hogwarts. She had used magic for the first time today. The rush of power that ran through her body when she cast spells was unlike anything else she had ever experienced. It just felt right. Like some part of her that had been hidden away had finally made itself known and she felt whole for the first time. She wondered if everyone else felt that same rush, that same desire to know and master absolutely every aspect of magical knowledge. She had been given a gift that until now had felt like a pathetic little daydream and she wasn’t about to waste it now that she had it.

The clock kept on ticking lazily and still Eloise was awake. She eventually got up and after shrugging on a robe and slipping on the green slippers, headed towards the common room. She and Imelda hadn’t spent much time in it earlier, and she wanted to see it at least once without any people, maybe as a space just for herself.

As it was even later in the night - it must have been around three - the fire had been extinguished and the light filtering through the windows had turned an even deeper shade of emerald green. It covered the mahogany furniture with an eerie light, as if Eloise had stepped into some strange underworld instead of the empty Slytherin common room. She trailed her hand along the velvet back of a sofa, mesmerized by the stark contrast of the green highlights and black shadows as her hand moved. Lazily twirling a globe as she walked past, the room silent except for her muffled footsteps.

It was precisely the silence that absorbed her completely. Being alone had always been her favorite thing; there was just something so special about being the only person in a place, feeling as if you were the only holder of some great secret. Eloise made her way towards the tall glass windows as if in a dream, not really noticing anything of her surroundings and yet taking it all in. The feeling of being there.

When she heard the soft voice she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“You couldn’t sleep either?”

Eloise whirled towards the voice, feeling as if her heart was about to burst through her chest. The student - a male - was sitting by one of the windows. Since the only light source was the windows, his face was entirely shrouded in black. Eloise was suddenly very aware of how indecently she was dressed to be outside of her dormitory. The sudden change from complete, eerie tranquility was shattered and she wrapped her robe more tightly around her, keeping her arms hugged around her body.

“Who -“

The boy straightened up, tilting his head back toward the window and, with the aid of the green light, Eloise saw that it was Ominis.

“What are you doing down here, Ominis? You almost gave me a heart attack! You’re sitting in the shadows and I thought I was alone.”

“I could ask the same of you,” he said simply, the hint of an amused smirk gracing his features. “And, might I add, I didn’t mean to scare you on purpose. I thought you were purposely walking towards me. For all I know, it could be the break of dawn and I’m basking in the early rays of the sun.”

Eloise’s jaw dropped open in mortification. She had completely forgotten that he was blind. “How did you know that I was walking towards you?” She clapped her hands over her mouth in horror, the words leaving before she could stop them. What was wrong with her? With her sudden movement, her robes had fallen open again, revealing her nightgown, but she was too distraught over possibly having offended Ominis than continuing to follow the rules of propriety. “Oh Merlin’s beard, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

He just huffed quietly. They hadn’t spoken much at dinner, and Eloise was positive that he was angry with her. Maybe he had only acknowledged her presence because his best friend had seen fit to talk with her. Growing up blind, it would make sense for him to be sensitive to any comments regarding it…her face was flushed with mortification and guilt, and she slowly started backing away. Eloise figured it was better to just end the whole encounter being ruder still by making a hasty retreat, than to put her foot in her mouth once again and risk offending him more.

“No, wait,” Ominis said as soon as he realized she was walking away. His voice was choked with emotion and it seemed difficult for him to get the words out. Eloise froze and looked at him. His whole body was shaking, and she couldn’t tell if he was angry or…

Was he laughing?

“I might be blind, but I’m not deaf. In this silence, I would have been able to notice if anyone had entered the room even if they were trying to be sneaky, which you certainly were not. Stay, if you want.”

Eloise hesitated, then took the seat across from Ominis in the window. She nervously smoothed her nightgown over her legs. “Just so you know, you’re completely in shadow. If you hadn’t said anything, I probably would have walked right past you without realizing that you were here too.”

“I’ll choose a better spot to sit next time then, when I can’t fall asleep in the middle of the night,” he replied seriously. If not for the fact that he had just been teasing her, she would have thought that he was really taking what she said into consideration. “You never answered my original question. You can’t sleep?”

Eloise shook her head, then quickly added, “no. So much has happened these last few days…my brain always has a hard time turning off. Especially after a day like today.”

Ominis hummed in understanding, tilting his head towards her. The green light filtering through the water danced over his gaunt features, making his cheekbones and the dark circles under his eyes more prominent. His pupil-less eyes glowed eerily in the light. “I can only imagine. You arrived late to the sorting, and your aura was very unnerving as you stepped into the Great Hall. I immediately knew something was extraordinary about you.”

“My…aura?”

“Yes. I might not be able to see, but my wand does it for me. It’s hard to explain but…I can sense the people around me. I can’t make out features, but everyone has their own unique aura radiating from them. Yours is…different.”

Different? It must have something to do with the fact she hadn’t had any magical ability until recently. Maybe it was stunted or…maybe her aura was different due to the stress of the day.

“I saw someone murdered in front of me today,” Eloise blurted out before she could stop herself. Ominis didn’t look surprised by her sudden outburst, he merely remained still as he waited for Eloise to continue. “It was…shocking. A dragon came out of nowhere and just ripped our carriage in half, taking Mr. Osric with it. The worst part is…I’m-I’m shocked because it happened. But I’m not sad. I don’t feel the horror I think I should be feeling, and that is more horrifying to me. When I was lying in bed, the events of today kept replaying in my mind on a loop and I kept on trying to make myself feel the correct emotions. But I couldn’t. Something inside of me is broken.”

Eloise looked down at her hands, fingers wringing and untwisting together in her lap. She tried to force herself to sit as still as Ominis, but it was impossible. She couldn’t believe how easy it was to unload all of this onto a stranger, but he didn’t seem to mind listening. There was silence for a few minutes, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one. Eloise peeked at Ominis from under her lashes. The boy appeared to be deep in thought.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” he finally said. “It’s normal for me, though. I also have a hard time turning off my thoughts, especially at night. This little corner of the common room feels like mine, in a sense. I’ve been coming here to think since I was a first-year. Maybe I subconsciously chose this place because, if you’re right, it’s more hidden than the rest. Nobody will see me if they’re sneaking around late at night, and it’s so peaceful.”

“That I can agree with,” said Eloise. “I actually came down here to see what it was like when it’s empty. I don’t quite know how to explain it, but this place already feels like home to me. A far sight better than the place I left behind. Places.”

“If you want me to leave, I’m fine with giving up my hiding place for a worthy cause.”

“No,” Eloise said quickly. “I…I like having you here. With me. It means I don’t have to be alone with my thoughts.”

Ominis smiled and tilted his head, not quite looking at her in that odd way of his. “It’s nice, talking to you. Most people avoid me. I can’t imagine why.”

Eloise huffed in quiet laughter. They sat in silence for a while longer, until Ominis broke it again. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But…am I correct in guessing that you and Leo Babbit know each other?”

Eloise’s breath hitched in her throat. She still wasn’t sure how much of her past she wanted people to know…but she also knew that as soon as the day broke the castle would be swirling with rumors. And, as much as she hated the thought, the truth would come out one way or another. She had been lucky enough so far…her name hadn’t been said at the sorting due to the unusual circumstances. But, come morning, everyone would put the pieces together once her name was called out by a teacher.

She could test the waters with someone like Ominis, who seemed like the sort of fellow who would take it in stride.

“I…like I said, you don’t have to tell me,” Ominis said softly.

“No! No, it’s fine,” Eloise assured him. “It’s…complicated. I would prefer if it never came out but…if the school I was at before is any indication, everyone will know by lunch tomorrow regardless of if I say anything or not.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “My full name is Eloise Babbit. Leo is my brother.”

Ominis showed no reaction. It gave her the strength to continue.

“I was rejected by my family. As the years went by and I still wasn’t showing any signs of magic, I was ignored by my parents in favor of Leo. When my eleventh year came and went without any acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was actually a squib. Up until then, I had held onto the hope and the day I lost that, I lost everything. I was banished and burned off of the family tree, like I never existed. Until a few days ago, I was learning how to become a perfect muggle wife at one of their horrid finishing schools. My family had already prepared a marriage for me to a prominent muggle family, reasoning that I could at least give them important connections.” She spat that last word out. Even speaking the words was a bitter reminder of the life she had almost led. “Based on Leo’s reaction, he definitely didn’t know that I had been admitted to Hogwarts. I don’t even know what’s worse: if my parents knew and decided not to tell him, or if the fact that I was burned off the family tree means that they wouldn’t have received a notification.”

She stared at her hands again. What was it about this boy that made her want to unload everything to him? Yes, he had asked her about it, but she still felt guilty for talking to him at all. Like somehow, telling him would make it his problem as well.

“If there’s anyone in this school who understands the horrors of one’s family, it’s me,” he said. Eloise looked up at him in surprise. He chuckled quietly, as if he could see her expression. “My family are direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Absolutely stark-raving mad, pureblood fanatics. We’ve gotten quite reclusive in the past hundred years or so, and don’t have much contact with the outside world. Your family’s inbreeding resulted in fear of giving birth to a potential squib. Mine, in the form of a useless, blind son who has no interest in continuing their crazy beliefs. I guess you could say we are two kindred souls. Maybe that’s what your aura was trying to tell me earlier this evening.”

“I guess so,” Eloise replied. Both could tell that the other wasn’t saying everything on their mind, but she wanted to give him the same comfort he had offered her and decided not to pry. “Thank you, Ominis.”

He inclined his head towards her and then moved his unseeing gaze to the large stained glass window. They sat there for quite some time, at least it felt that way to Eloise. The passage of time seemed not to exist as she and Ominis sat there, deep inside their own thoughts. Formless shadows danced behind the window, their regular movements helping to calm her thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity, Eloise found herself stifling a yawn.

“It seems your day has finally caught up with you,” Ominis said, smiling softly. “I think it’s best if we head to bed. Hogwarts might be more progressive than the muggle school you’ve just escaped, but if anyone sees us here together it would just further the rumors already swirling around you.”

Eloise nodded her assent and stood up slowly. She hadn’t realized how much time they had spent there until she felt the stiffness in her muscles that only comes from remaining still for a very long time. Ominis also got up slowly, gracefully stretching out his long body in the process. As he stood, she saw him grab his wand out of his pocket, and it began glowing a faint red as he walked. That must be how he gets around, she thought to herself. He did say his wind has a mind of its own.

She followed him and they slowly made their way to the two sets of stairs leading to the dormitories. They paused once they were about to part. “Goodnight, Ominis.”

“Goodnight, Eloise. I’ll see you tomorrow. Or rather, I’ll sense your presence later on this morning.” He gave her a faint smile and then turned to head down the stairs leading to his dormitory. Eloise stood there, watching until she couldn’t see the red glow of his wand anymore. With a yawn, she turned towards her room and soon slipped under the covers, sleep finally coming. Before she fell asleep, she had only the fleeting realization that Ominis had not actually answered her question.

The title is a link to everything on ao3, but just in case you didn’t catch that, here it is🫶

next chapter

[theadventurek9]

Aayla's obedience/rally retirement is fleshed out and planned now. We will attend one day of a trial in a few weeks for obedience and rally to be able to get points and hopefully finish her OTCH2 and RTCH. Then in September we will go to ASCA finals, she will do one pretrial on Sunday. Then will only do utility to get the first day nerves out of the way. (Unless she needs to finish OTCH2 and/or RTCH then will add the classes needed) Then Monday we will do Rally finals and Tuesday we will do Obedience finals. Then we will both will step into the obedience ring for the last time.

[jojo-schmo]

I wish I could tell the original artist that this drawing permanently changed the entire direction of my life in 2009. I want to shake their hand, look them in the eye, and admit I would not be who I am today if this drawing didn’t exist.

EDIT: Original artist is @ivynajspyder !!!!

[riobirb]

sonadow olympic surfing gone wrong

Dislike sonadow DON’T READ‼️‼️

The surfing contest was being held at the Tokyo Games. The weather was cloudy and windy, thus making the water rougher but not to close the competition. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Blaze were the competitors of today’s surfing competition. Shadow was currently near the end of his performance and Sonic watched Shadow from the beach.

For Sonic especially, the water was intimidating, he focused on the horizon not seeing the water. The performance by Shadow to Sonic was simply incredible. The way he moved, every turn and flip. They way the water ran through his black and red wet suit and quills.

Get it together, Sonic.

Tails came next to Sonic, he noticed Sonic was too focused to say anything and just watched as well.

When it was over, his score appeared on the top of the score board, 773.840, and was currently in first of everyone. Sonic was astonished. It makes sense that his performance would get him that score. He saw Shadow get out of the water, carrying his board, with that proud smirk on his face. He would undoubtedly pull off that expression. 

“Hey Shadow! You did great!” Sonic cheered from the distance.

“Yeah, Shadow! That was awesome!”

 Shadow looked up at them and smiled at the praise

“Thanks.”

Sonic and Tails walked down from the small sandy hill to Shadow.

“That just leaves me. Don’t feel too sour when I win!” Sonic said in an ego tone, obviously wanting to beat Shadow and to himself impress him.  Shadow chuckled. 

“Low chance, Sonic. I’m way ahead of your level, as you can see by my score.” Shadow said pointing at the score board. “You’re going to have to surpass that. Think you can manage?” Shadow sneered. 

“Oho!” Sonic exclaimed and walked closer to Shadow and stood in front of him. Sonic gave Shadow a look that was now tinged with eager and determination while lightly placing his gloved index finger against his chest.

“You bet I can.”

“Get your finger off me.”  Shadow said irritably.

“Come on, guys! We’re all just here to have fun.” Tails said. 

They both looked at the yellow fox, with his face painted with concern.

” Just to have fun?” It’s more than that, kid.”

“It’s okay Tails, it’s all good and fun. But I’m still gonna beat you Shadow!” Sonic reassured to his little brother placing a hand on his shoulder before turning his attention to Shadow switching his tone to annoyance. 

“Whatever. Just don’t kill yourself out there. The wind has picked up and the waves are quite strong.” Shadow said more sternly, a hint of worry in his voice. 

Sonic was caught off guard by this. He wasn't expecting the ambiance and voice to alter so quickly. Shadow never expressed feelings like that to him before.

“Yeah, don’t worry.” Sonic said trying to play it cool. “You don’t need to be my mom too.”

Shadow huffed, feeling insulted by Sonic’s actions. 

“I should be going to the interviews now. Good luck, Sonic.” Shadow said as he started to walk towards the reporting crew.

Sonic’s face brightened a little.

“Thanks, Shads!” Sonic replied nervously. 

Suddenly, everyone could hear the static of the speaker from the announcer.

“Our last contester for the day. Sonic!”

“Alright! Let’s do this!” Sonic said dashing to grab his board and headed to the ocean.

“Good luck Sonic!”

“Yeah, you got this Sonic!”

Tails and Knuckles cheered.

Sonic grinned at his two closest friends, before setting the board in the water and paddled toward the shallow water and further to where the waves were, which were absent for the time being. He stopped at starting point and prepared to begin. Sonic couldn't help but stare at the water, which was rougher and darker than usual; up close. Though he couldn't accept it, he started to feel a little scared.

‘You can do this Sonic. You just have to ignore the water. If I don’t look down…I only see the horizon..I don’t see the water. You got this! Win this race!..and beat Shadow!’

“Start!” The announcer called.

Sonic snapped back from reality, and saw a wave approaching him, he turned his board to the opposite direction and began to battle rapidly and stood up as soon as he felt the wave lift him higher. He started to turn his surfboard around the wave and perform some tricks.

“Air Reverse-Front. Air Reverse-Back. Back Side-Grab.” The announcer stated. 

Sonic then decided to step it up a bit and go up top the wave. 

“Hah!”

“Floater-Front. Floater-Back”

“Time to take it up a notch!” Sonic said out loud to himself. Sonic went back up the wave and both hands on the board and threw up his legs straight to the air.

“No foot grab-back! No foot grab-front!“

Sonic grinned and did some more flips before the wave died down.

“End of the wave!” The announcer said.

Sonic put up his fist in the air and turned his board back to the starting point and waited for the next wave. After a moment, he felt raindrops hit him, he stared up at the sky as light downpour began. Great.

“Next wave!” 

As the wave approached him, which was approaching much faster and greater than the last one, Sonic couldn’t help but feel inside that he was about to be in some sort of danger. If he felt like his life was at risk, he would stop and go back to shore.

Sonic began to battle behind it and stood on top of his board. The rain grew harder.

“Big wave!” 

Okay. Here we go.

Before the wave got bigger, Sonic had time to perform a few flips. Shadow was right. The waves were rougher, and they were also significantly larger.

Sonic performed his last couple of tricks to earn some extra points, before getting ready. Sonic gripped his board as the wave crashed down before him and began to ride it. Sonic now felt terrified. The wave was very rough. The intensity with the speed, the water moving rapidly and stronger, and the deafening crashes of water striking his ears. Sonic was mentally screaming inside. 

Suddenly, Sonic was caught off guard as the water started to change direction making Sonic nearly fall off his board.

“Whoa!”

Sonic shakily struggled to get into his original position as he gripped his board even harder now, so hard he swore he was going to make his hands bleed. He wanted to get out of the water so bad. But he was stuck.

Suddenly, the wave hit down, completely covering Sonic, screaming before the wave pulled him down into the water.

“SONIC!!” Shadow exclaimed.

Shadow couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. Shadow had been through many horrors throughout his life and lives with those memories. Shadow's heart felt heavy, he couldn't bear to lose another person that was precious to him. Without hesitating, he suddenly took off sprinting to the ocean.

“Someone call an ambulance!” Amy yelled to the employees working at the surf event.

“It seems that Sonic isn’t getting back up his board! What is this?! Shadow is running to get Sonic?!” The announcer questioned.

“Shadow, have you lost your mind?!” Tails exclaimed. “You’re going get yourself killed out there!” 

“Shadow!” Amy cried.

“Yeah, Shadow! Are you trying to get yourself killed out there?!” Knuckles yelled.

“Sonic is drowning! Someone has to help him!” Shadow snapped as he ran, staring at them in complete rage. Everyone stood silent as they watched Shadow, not bothering to stop him, dove in and started swimming out to sea. Shadow’s eyes widened while his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sonic’s board but no sign of Sonic. His strokes got faster, his panting got more hitched as panic overcame in him. 

‘Sonic…Sonic…Sonic!’

Shadow continued searching, and when he couldn't find him, he started to think the worst. At this point, he was panting so profusely he was struggling to breathe under the intense fear of the situation while he called his name.

“Sonic! Sonic!! Where are you?!”

He then noticed a dark figure in the distance but couldn’t make out what it was, he squinted his eyes as he paddled to reveal Sonic's quills, and his face was down in the water.

“Sonic!!” Shadow swam to him. 

When Shadow reached Sonic, he flipped over and to reveal Sonic’s face. His skin was paler and his eyes barley open but irritated from the contact of the sea salt and water spilled out of his mouth.

“Sonic!” Shadow exclaimed while holding him and runed his hand on Sonic’s cheek. He threw one of Sonic’s arms on his shoulder and held it while wrapping his other arm around Sonic’s back and started to swim them back to land.

“Look! Shadow is coming back with Sonic!” Blaze said to everyone as an ambulance was parking at the scene. 

Shadow breathed heavily as he finally reached the surface, where the paramedics were coming out of the vehicle with a stretcher and first aid kits. He carried Sonic bridal style out of the water and laid him gently to the ground. Shadow stared at Sonic pained at the sight. His lips were now purple and his face was bruised, his entire body was shaking, and he wasn’t breathing. Shadow kneeled and placed his index and middle finger on Sonic’s carotid; he had a pulse. Shadow didn’t hesitate and began to perform CPR. He cupped Sonic’s cheeks and leaned his face down gently placing his lips on his and gave two rescue breaths, spitting out some water that travelled in his mouth. He then began to perform 30 chest compressions, each one getting rougher, as he stared at him, who was spitting up some painfully large amounts of water, making Sonic cough and wheeze violently, Shadow felt horrible but continued to pump his chest, getting more stressed at each compression. Finally reaching 30, but Sonic still wasn’t responding, making Shadow more panicked now. He leaned down again grabbing his face rougher and doing two more rescue breaths, spitting out more water when suddenly sonic coughed out another large amount of water on Shadow’s face and chest, and continued to cough out the remaining water out of his system. After several moments, Sonic shakingly looked up at Shadow, his vision was blurry but could see his eyes were widen in a relieved, concerned expression.

“S-Shadow.?” Sonic said, his voice rasped. Shadow grabbed one of his hand’s and pulled his trembling form into a tight but gentle embrace, resting his other hand on his back.

“I’m here, Sonic. It’s alright. You’re safe now.” Shadow said reassuringly.

Sonic leaned his head against Shadow’s wet shoulder and nuzzled his face into his wetsuit. He never thought he would be in this situation. On the brink of death and being in his love interest’s arms. He felt pathetic and wondered if he could ever face Shadow again after this.

“I-I thought I wouldn’t make it..” Sonic whimpered. 

Shadow shushed him and squeezed him tighter. 

“You’re not dying. Not while I’m here.”

“Sonic, hang in there! The ambulance is already here.” Shadow reassured.

“I-It’s so c-cold.” Sonic whimpered.

“I know, you’ll be warm in a minute I promise.”

The paramedics then came towards them with a stretcher and removed Sonic from Shadow’s embrace. They placed him in the stretcher and wheeled him into the back of the ambulance, and Shadow got in as well. The paramedics closed the doors before the gas turned on and headed to the nearest hospital. Shadow couldn’t take his eyes off him as he watched the paramedics treat Sonic.

‘Sonic. Please hang on. I can’t bare to lose you too.’

It was the next day. Sonic was surfing on the waves, it was a sunny day, cloudless day. Sonic was performing tricks, hearing the cheers of his peers and fans. Dark clouds slowly began to cover sky. It began to rain a storm. Sonic started to feel panic, remising everything that happened yesterday, he laid down on his board and began to paddle back to shore, when the wind suddenly started and slowed him down dragging him back to the waves, which were now rougher and bigger. Fear paralyzed his whole body as he stared at the waves headed down towards him. The waves then hit him as Sonic screamed reaching his hand out for help before it dragged him down.

Sonic’s eyes widen and was blinded by the white walls. Clearing his eyes, he scanned his surroundings. He was in a hospital room. He was on bed, wrapped in a blanket to his waist, he was wearing a green hospital gown, an iv attached to one of his arms that were both bandaged, and had bracelet wrapped around one of his wrists. He ran his hands through his body to discover some bandages were on his face, wincing as his fingers contacted his face. He noticed a window in his room and the weather was sunny. He turned to his right and saw Shadow sitting on a chair no longer wearing his wetsuit, his head kneeled with his arms hung inside his legs. 

“Shadow.?” Sonic called quietly.

Shadow gasped and perked his head up surprised. 

“Sonic! Do you remember anything?”

“No. What happened?” Sonic asked.

“You passed out shortly after I rescued you, I had to perform CPR on you because you stopped breathing. I got you to breathe again and we were brought to the hospital. You were severely hypothermic.”

Sonic stared at him in shock his body feeling warm with embarrassment as he tried to imagine Shadow’s words.

‘Shadow did what?! Has he been with me the whole time?! Oh man, this is so embarrassing!’

“Oh..” Sonic bashfully looking down at his hospital blanket.

“What’s wrong?” Shadow questioned concerned.

“Shadow. I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for everything that happened yesterday and thank you. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. You have saved me and protected me numerous times despite me hardly ever listening or taking the time to thank you properly. You warned me about the weather during the surfing events, and I was insensitive. In the end you saved me but what if that didn’t happen? I would have died feeling that regret all those warnings you gave me. Drowning in that water. It scared me so much. I wanted to get out of the water, but that wave already pulled me in before I could anything. And worst, you could have seen that. I hate myself for it. When I’m out the hospital, you can don’t have to talk or even see my again..you probably hate me for making you worry so much. If that’s how you feel..I completely understand.” Sonic explained his voice cracking at the last sentence.

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows before resting a hand on his shoulder making Sonic look up at him.

“Sonic. While you are careless and impulsive. The system has failed you as well. The surfing events should have never taken place given weather conditions. “Hate you” after everything that happened? Quite the opposite. Don’t make me worry like that again.” Shadow said. 

Sonic stared at him speechless before nodding.

“I will. Thank you, Shadow.”

Shadow then kissed his temple causing Sonic to gasp, his cheeks brightened, and his heart started to race.

“S-Shadow?! Wah-“

“I apologize. I just couldn’t wait any longer. Especially after yesterday.” 

“W.Wait for what?”

“To tell you that I like you.”

Sonic’s eyes widen. Sonic couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He sensed Shadow liked him back but was never certain. He didn’t think he would ever get a confession. He’d have to pinch himself after to make sure, because if this was, this was the best dream that he’s ever had.

“Shadow. I like you a lot too.” Sonic smiled.

Shadow smiled back warmly, his cheeks now tinted pink as well. Sonic grabbed Shadow’s hands and leaned closer to him.

“When I discharged. I would like to talk more about this. And for us to go to some sites in Korea that I’ve always wanted to see! There’s this skateboard store I’ve been dying to go for months! I need a new skateboard, and they always have dope outfits release there! “Sonic explained excitedly.

‘He’s coming back to his usual self. That’s good.’

He kissed his knuckles.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Suddenly, there was a knock from the door. The two hedgehogs turned to look at the door while Sonic released his hands from Shadow’s, expecting it to be a nurse or a doctor to check on Sonic. 

“Come in.” Sonic said.

The door slammed open taking the two hedgehogs by surprise, seeing similar faces, walking towards them. Their friends. They all displayed signs of relief and joy, and several of them were carrying various presents and flowers. Shadow reminded everyone to be cautious around Sonic and to slow down.

They all came surrounding the bed, with Shadow now standing next to Sonic. 

“Sonic!” Tails cried crawling up to his brother’s bed and sitting on his lap hugging him tightly. 

“Tails!” Sonic hugged his brother back tightly smiling.

“I was so worried about you!” Tails said.

“I know, I’m sorry for making you worry like that, bud.” Sonic said softly rubbing the young fox’s back in an attempt to comfort him. Tails wiped his face with his gloved hand before letting go looking up at sonic with a weak smile on his face. 

“Sonic! You made it!” Knuckles said nudging Sonic’s shoulder lightly making Sonic chuckle.

“Of course he did, that’s why you’re all here.” Shadow said unamused.

“Sonic!” Amy exclaimed shoving herself through Tails and Knuckles and hugged Sonic while the two boys looked at her annoyed.

“I’m so glad you’re safe! Thank you, Shadow for saving him! I made you a little gift bag, Sonic. I tried to find all the sweets you like but there was a so many desserts at the pastry shop I went to downtown. I bought you some as well Shadow to thank you.” Shadow wasn’t expecting anything for him. 

“Thanks Amy.”

“Hey. It’s good to not to see you dead Sonic.” Silver said.

“It’s good to not be dead.” Sonic said giving them a cocky grin.

“We were really worried, Mr. Sonic.” Cream added. “I was so scared.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry like that, Cream.” Sonic looked at Cream with a soft smile.

Everyone else expressed their relief to Sonic and gave Sonic their gifts, which was mostly flowers and some treats. The door then opened again to reveal Rouge, who sported a black sleeveless turtleneck, cargo pants, summer shoes, some bracelets, a necklace, some earrings on the side of her ears, and shades resting on her forehead. She held a bouquet of blue roses.

“Hey, Sonic. I’m glad that you made it. You scared me to death! And you too, Shadow!” Rouge expressed in a scolding tone looking Shadow catching him off guard.

“What did you expect me to do? Let him drown?” Shadow snapped back. Rouge ignored him and turned her attention to Sonic.

“Good thing you had your knight and shining armour there to rescue you.” Rouge gazed back at Shadow teasingly pouting her lips to a cheeky smile, hinting his feelings towards him.

“Watch it, Rouge.” Shadow hissed trying to compose his flustered face.

“Oh, relax honey. I’m just teasing~”

“Hmph.”

“Guys we’re in a hospital. Thanks Rouge.” Sonic said trying to prevent any starting argument and took the flowers from Rouge. His nose was going to hate him with the number of flowers he received and smelled.

Sonic’s friends all spend a while afterword spending time together, and Sonic reflected to himself feeling grateful to have a group of friends who cared and loved him. And now one of them being his significant other. While some of the boys started eating some of Sonic’s desserts from Amy’s gift bag and her yelling at them, Sonic laughed softly and stared at Shadow who smiled back at him.

the mental illness going through my brain while I played the game LMFAO

i'm a sonic girlie and been a fan of sonic since i was 6 and a sonadow fan for 11 years now. They're very special to me 💙❤️