Shabig Week starts on 11/1 through 11/7!

Shadow hadn't meant to spy. Really, he'd just been taking a walk through the woods, trying to decompress from his last mission, when he'd spotted him. The compulsion he'd suddenly felt to hide was strange, but one he immediately fell victim to as he ducked behind a tall bush and simply watched. Each cast of the reel was elegant, and the patience the other had to just sit until a fish nibbled on the line was astonishing. Thus far, Shadow had witnessed an hour long wait for said nibble.

"Y'know," the calm, slow voice of Big made Shadow jump, "You can come over here and watch, instead of hiding behind a bush. The fish only bite the bait."

Slowly, reluctantly, Shadow emerged from his hiding place, while doing his best to ignore how his muzzle was flushed and warm at being caught. Most of Sonic's friends didn't realize just how observant Big really was, with how often his commentary seemed nonsensical, or how he'd often go on tangents about his frog. But Shadow knew better. Big was slow in speech and movement, but his mind was sharp. He often knew exactly what to say to Shadow when he was agitated to pacify him, and his seemingly nonsensical comments would frequently later prove extremely useful. Sonic's friends usually chalked it up to sheer dumb luck, but Shadow had caught Bigs knowing smile when the others caught up to what he'd already observed more than once. The large purple cat liked his calm, tranquil lifestyle. It didn't surprise Shadow in the least that he would prefer to allow Sonic and his friends to draw conclusions on their own with a smattering of vague clues, over taking credit and point things out directly himself.

"How long have you know I was there?"

"Oh," Big shrugged, adjusting the line, "A while. I thought you'd maybe come out eventually, but I suppose even the ultimate lifeform can be shy sometimes, hmm?"

"I'm not shy!" Shadow barked instinctually, quills bristling.

"No? Oh. My mistake," Big hummed, tail swishing absently across the dock. Shadows quills immediately drooped at the soothing tone he was greeted with, guilt swelling for how quickly he'd snapped over nothing.

Slowly, Shadow shuffled from near the bushes, meandering his way over to where Big was sat, froggy ever present on his head. He was fairly confident it was a different frog every time he saw Big, but the cat was adamant that it was the same one very time. Regardless, the little amphibian was eyeing him from atop its perch, and Shadow couldn't help but give into the childish urge to stick his tongue out at it. He recoiled the moment after he'd done it, as Big turned his head to look at him at just the right moment.

"That was rude," Big commented, though he sounded more amused than anything as he turned his gaze back out towards the lake.

"I…It wasn't meant for you," Shadow muttered, finally moving to sit next to the cat on the dock, his legs hanging over the edge to allow his shoes to just barely skim the surface of the lake.

"I know," Big hummed, his ear twitching as Shadow's shoes made ripples across the surface of the water.

They sat in silence for a while, both watching Bigs line as the late afternoon sun beat down on them through the leaves of the surrounding trees, a faint breeze occasionally stirring their fur.

"…Did you want to talk about it?" Big finally offered, his tail moving to curl around Shadow's hips where he sat.

"Not particularly."

"Hmm…Did you want to borrow my spare rod?" Big tilted his head to watch Shadow from the corner of his eye, "The fish are real active today."

"You haven't caught anything in over an hour."

"Nope."

Shadow snorted quietly as he tipped his had back to offer Big a tiny smirk. "Alright. I'll join you."

Big simply hummed in acknowledgement, before handing Shadow his ever present spare rod and some bait. "Now, get your feet out of the water. You're scaring the fish away."

At that Shadow let out a proper laugh, pulling his feet up to sit cross legged before baiting his hook and tossing it out into the lake. The cat was the only one of Sonic's friends who didn't seem to have even a hint of fear towards Shadow, and would make little comments and demands of him like that frequently. Anyone who observed those little interactions thought Big lacked any sort of self preservation skills. Shadow knew it was because Big genuinely held no fear of the hybrid, knowing full well that Shadow was often more bark than bite. It was different from Rouge's lack of fear towards him, too, as she'd still hold her tongue if she thought he'd react poorly. Big simply didn't care one way or the other. It was nice, to have someone treat him so…normally.

Truthfully, Big gave Shadow a sense of peace he hadn't felt since he lived on the ARK, when he would stand next to Maria on the observation deck and stare down at the earth. It was tranquil and serene, and he cherished any moments he managed to get with the cat by himself. Not that Big was hard to catch alone, really, but Shadow's life invited chaos, and it tended to follow him wherever he went. As such, there were fleeting few occasions when he had the time to simply sit, and not feel guilt over missed responsibilities, or for generally disrupting Bigs daily life.

It wasn't long before the hybrid felt himself listing to the side, the quiet and peaceful nature of the lake and surrounding woods slowly putting him to sleep as he stared out at where his lure bobbed on the water. He grunted quietly as a large paw fell on his shoulder, pulling him in against Bigs furry side, the cat's fluffy purple tail curling around him. He resisted for barely a moment before snuggling in to the comforting warmth, his hands lax around his borrowed rod. He barely even registered as the red plastic was removed from his hands, his eyelids drooping as he struggled to stay awake.

"I'm right here, Shadow," Bigs voice rumbled quietly, making Shadow shiver. It was all the permission the hybrid needed to finally let his eyes slip shut, a slow breath leaving him as he let sleep overtake him. He was warm, he was happy, and he was safe. No one else's presence could lull him into such a calm state so quickly.