24 DECEMBER 2XXX

It was a cold, snowy night on Mobius. The fragile snowflakes dropping from the air and sound of Christmas caroling was one thing about Mobius that made it so appealing to Shadow. What a jolly, good night.

Except for the less fortunate Mobians in the area…

The Ultimate Lifeform himself wasn’t the most aware person despite his title and ended up tripping over a lump in the snow on his way home. What a klutz; he was embarrassed as he stumbled. As he took a peek at what had stopped his Christmas peace, Shadow noticed it wasn’t a lump; that’s a body. Not just any body, it was Espio, Shadow found him cool. That’s right— Chameleons were cold-blooded; he must have gone into cold shock. What was he doing out here anyway? And who was trying to bury him?

Those mere questions led to the situation that Shadow found himself in on Christmas Eve. He brought the chameleon to his apartment and ran a hot bath for him. The Ultimate Lifeform kneeled next to Espio in his icy state; not by choice, Espio was clinging onto him for dear life. Shadow couldn’t blame him, he must’ve been cold and he’s unconscious anyway. He had to admit that the closeness was nice, Espio had a calming effect despite being currently knocked out by the cold. Shadow nuzzled his head into the other’s neck, getting a bit more comfortable.

“Hm…”