Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

’’I obviously won this one!’’

Sonic’s eyes widened at a sudden snort somewhere beside him. The blue hedgehog was currently spread out on the grass, the usual, laid back smile plastered to his face, as he relaxed after a – according to him – successful race. The sharp noise somehow managed to throw him off for a second there, making him get up just slightly and eye his rival with a small pout on his face.

Well, rival-sort-of-friend-who-saved-his-life, to be precise. Not that Sonic cared too much about labels.

But somehow, he couldn’t really get himself to call Shadow just his rival, no. After the Prism accident, some sort of bond formed between the two, whether they liked it (Sonic) or not so much (Shadow). And since the two hedgehogs were the only two with memory – and knowledge – of what had happened, it was pretty much inevitable.

It wasn’t that Sonic didn’t have anyone else to talk about what had happened– well, okay, he didn’t, and it was his fault only. He tried to tell his closest friends about the whole accident, but somehow… he couldn’t actually bring himself to do it. Each time he looked in his friends’ eyes, he couldn’t shake off the memories of their selves from different universes. The worst case might’ve been Tails and Nine. Sonic tried playing off each time he winced before hugging his best friend, the memories of Nine’s betrayal flooding his mind. The look on Tails’ face was straight up heartbreaking– Sonic wanted to tell him that his odd reactions weren’t the kit’s fault right then and there, looking in Tails’ big, almost teary eyes, but still, he couldn’t bring himself to explain it all to the fox. He decided he needed time, but really, was he ever going to actually tell his friends about what happened? Sonic didn’t have an answer for that.

So that basically left Shadow as the only person he was able to talk to.

But, see, it wasn’t that easy either.

Because Shadow didn’t want to talk. Neither about the Paradox Prism, nor about… pretty much anything else.

It shouldn’t have been a shock to Sonic, since their only form of interaction used to be teasing and insulting each other while fighting, whether against each other, or a mutual enemy.

But that was before the Prism accident! Surely, Shadow should’ve been more willing to talk to his rival after everything they went through, since there was no one else who could understand them, right?

Well, no. Sonic forgot one very important detail – Shadow was still very unmistakably Shadow. Which basically meant he didn’t talk. To anyone, besides Rouge and Omega, his closest friends. (Would Shadow himself call them his friends? Sonic wasn’t sure. Shadow’s criteria for becoming a friend of his were extremely high, after all.)

So when Sonic, still somehow very unaware of Shadow being his usual self, and expecting some sort of change of heart from his rival, spotted the ebony hedgehog in the middle of his usual running route, his face twisted into a grin, and he felt himself speed up.

’’Shadow!’’ Sonic yelled at the other hedgehog, waving his arm enthusiastically.

The blue blur’s smile only widened after his rival finally turned his head around to look him up and down with an unreadable expression.

Before punching him right in the face.

Safe to say, their first encounter after the Prism accident wasn’t exactly as Sonic had imagined it to be, as instead of a friendly gesture, or at the very least a nod to acknowledge his presence, it all became a rather pointless fight between the two, before Sonic finally could ask him to stop beating him up, because he just wanted to talk, damn it.

Shadow let him breathe for a second. Before huffing out a small ‘’I don’t want to talk’’, and resuming their fight, jumping at the other hedgehog with his fist out.

So how exactly did Sonic find himself in his current situation, laying down on the beautiful hill, with Shadow next to him? Not just sitting there, but also kind-of-sort-of laughing with (at) Sonic?

It hadn’t been an easy task to eventually make Shadow talk to him, let alone sit with him after a race across Green Hills. But if there was one word to describe Sonic, it was persistent. (Or, according to his rival, annoying, or a pain in the ass, if he was aiming for a bigger amount of words despite the rule.)

Therefore Sonic didn’t back down after their first, rather unsuccessful, encounter. Each time he saw Shadow on his way somewhere, he managed to catch up to him, before the Ultimate Lifeform either spat out a ‘’what’’ with a deep frown (and sped up to lose his rival on the way), or went straight to punching the other hedgehog without a warning.

Somehow, after a few fights, Shadow finally decided to let Sonic talk, growling out a quick ‘’spit it out’’, while still running. And talk Sonic did, first crying out a few ‘’finally!, finally!’’, before asking Shadow to stop, or at least slow down, so they could talk in peace.

’’No’’, was Shadow’s only response before speeding up. Sonic rolled his eyes at the other hedgehog, obviously managing to catch up to him.

’’Look, Shadow– we need to talk about the Prism, and–’’

’’We have nothing to talk about, Hedgehog’’ Shadow spat out, taking a sharp left in an attempt to lose the other, entering a wild forest. Sonic frowned before following his rival into the woods.

’’We do! You’re the only one who remembers everything that happened, Shadow!’’

’’That does not mean we have anything to talk about. Now leave me alone’’ the black hedgehog snarled at his rival, his sharp fangs showing for a second, taking Sonic aback and making his eyes widen comically. The sudden display of aggression didn’t stop him, though.

’’No, Shadow, come on! I’ve been trying to catch you for, what, almost two weeks now! Don’t tell me you don’t wanna talk about it’’ Sonic rolled his eyes, running right beside the other hedgehog and watching him thoroughly. He couldn’t miss the hiss coming from Shadow’s throat, directed right at him, just like his narrowed ruby red eyes.

He didn’t answer this time, though.

Well, not with words.

A sudden punch to his side knocked all of Sonic’s breath out of his lungs, but without more than a wince, he remained in his position beside the black hedgehog, unyielding, and still running at his top speed.

’’Would you cut it out!?’’ Sonic cried out, trying to punch his rival back, but failing, as the other managed a quick dodge, glaring at his rival with a frown and pure anger in his red eyes.

’’Come at me, bro’’ Shadow snarled, the few words making something deep inside Sonic’s stomach twist, remembering the last time the other hedgehog used these exact same words.

So Sonic did.

Bodies clashed against each other, trying to throw the other off their balance. After a few more hits to his side, Sonic stumbled, and eventually felt himself fall down, but not before grabbing Shadow’s tail, taking the ebony hedgehog with him. He heard a low growl over him before a pair of fists invaded his personal space, hitting him in the face. The blue hedgehog vaguely noticed that he was the one laying on the grass, while his rival was basically sitting on him. Sonic, of course, immediately got him back, earning a hiss through the sharp teeth. Then it all sort of became a blur.

’’Dude– stop this, come on– Shadow!’’ Sonic cried out, finally able to regain his balance, rolling his body with Shadow’s, so that he was now the one on top of his rival. The black hedgehog didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the change in their dynamic, if the low growl from his throat was any indicator.

With the rest of the strength Sonic still possessed after the ruthless fight, he eventually took a hold of Shadow’s hands, pinning them above his head so that the other couldn’t punch him. Again, Shadow wasn’t very happy with the outcome, his red eyes narrowing in a frown, as he still wiggled underneath Sonic, trying to somehow get out of the trap but failing.

’’Why won’t you talk to me, Shadow?’’ Sonic asked, desperation slipping into his voice, making Shadow roll his eyes at the display of emotions. Their eyes locked.

’’Because there is nothing for us to talk about, Faker’’ Shadow retorted with a snarl, the wiggle of his body beneath the other hedgehog now more persistent.

’’Yes, there is!’’ Sonic yelled, squeezing Shadow’s wrists with his own hands, trying to keep his rival in his place. ‘’Dude, I still haven’t– I should’ve thanked you. Earlier. For saving my life.’’

Shadow’s eyes widened at the unexpected statement, his body suddenly going stiff, the wiggling and turning coming to a stop. He opened his mouth before closing it again, Sonic watching closely.

’’Don’t mention it’’ Shadow muttered out, his eyes suddenly everywhere but on Sonics’. The hedgehog on top shook his head.

’’No’’ he said, making his rival meet his eyes after a few beats of silence. ‘’I need to mention it. Shadow, I– if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be here. So… thank you.’’

Shadow’s face slowly morphed into a different emotion than just shock. He seemed… embarrassed?

’’Obviously. And it would be your own fault, too, fool’’ he retorted, his eyes rolling. Sonic frowned.

’’I know’’ the blue hedgehog agreed, nodding slowly, watching the bewilderment come back to his rival’s face. While it only lasted a second, before the usual frown took its place, Sonic didn’t miss it.

’’Get off of me’’ Shadow ordered in a low voice, making the blue blur suddenly hyper-aware of the position the two were in. He felt his own muzzle heat up at the realization, as he quickly jumped off his rival, standing up and brushing some dust from his body to hide the embarrassment.

From the corner of his eye, Sonic watched the other hedgehog get up as well, readjusting the golden rings on his wrists. He felt rather than saw Shadow’s piercing gaze on him.

’’I’m going. Do not follow me’’ Shadow warned, his air shoes lighting up, as he turned around.

’’Wait!’’

Shadow didn’t bother facing his rival again, instead opting for a deep sigh. He didn’t run off, though. The corners of Sonic’s lips involuntarily quirked up.

’’Same time again next week?’’

That made Shadow finally turn around, a sharp look in his red eyes, one of his eyebrows shot up.

’’What?’’

’’Oh, you know’’ Sonic started innocently, crossing his arms, a playful smirk on his face now. Even though his expression made him seem laid back, the quick foot tapping gave away how nervous he actually felt inside. ‘’It was a good race! Wanna do it again? Maybe you’ll even win next time, who knows’’

Sonic fixated his eyes on the other hedgehog before him, awaiting a response. Which never came. Well, unless the deep frown on Shadow’s face could be considered a response. Sonic watched his rival light his shoes up again before storming off ahead without another word.

He did show up a week after, though. In the same place, at the same time. Sonic couldn’t contain his excitement the moment he noticed his rival awaiting him. He genuinely wasn’t prepared to see him, fully expecting the other to simply not show up, since he didn’t seem interested in either accepting or denying his offer.

But he came. And the second he saw Sonic, he turned around, a silent challenge behind his eyes, speeding towards the forest they had last seen each other. The blue hedgehog didn’t stay far behind.

And so it kind of became a routine between the two, except now, their little races didn’t end in fights. Sonic wasn’t exactly sure how that happened, since the other seemed to just… well, dislike him, at best. What motivation did Shadow have to keep showing up in their usual spot to run together? Sonic had no idea. But he couldn’t complain. Shadow was, after all, his only real competition. The only person to actually give him a challenge– it was thrilling.

Eventually, as their races became a routine between the two, they started talking.

It was a slippery slope– Sonic knew that much. He tried giving Shadow his space, knowing fully well the other didn’t want to talk, since he showed it rather bluntly. But after a few more races, Shadow kind of… opened up, as much as he seemed to be capable of.

They didn’t share secrets, or anything of the sort, no, obviously not. But they were able to speak to each other, beginning with Sonic asking Shadow about the other’s plans for the day, and the other answering warily. After some time, Sonic got bolder, asking Shadow different types of questions. Nothing too invasive, rather childish– because, as Sonic slowly came to realize, he didn’t know, well, anything about Shadow.

And neither did Shadow about Sonic. So he started asking questions, too.

While he still remained the silent, keeping to himself type, he eventually couldn’t help but open up, just the tiniest bit. While he didn’t particularly enjoy sharing personal information, he felt more at ease, and willing to actually talk, which Sonic knew couldn’t have been easy for him. So he appreciated every single word Shadow aimed at him, especially since their teasing remarks weren’t hurtful anymore, more like playful.

They slowly progressed into some sort of, maybe not friendship, but a bond, an understanding. They got each other. Whether they liked it or not, they went through a lot together, and it wasn’t something the two were just able to ignore, as much as Shadow wanted to at first.

So that’s how they found themselves now, the two hedgehogs sitting on top of a hill, watching the waves of the ocean crash on the shore lazily, while the sun began to set. And while talking to each other came naturally to them now, a snort from Shadow was not expected.

The ebony hedgehog didn’t smile– Sonic was pretty sure he could count the times the other gave him a quirk of his lips on only one of his paws. He just didn’t do that, and while Sonic could now with rather certainty tell when Shadow was amused, or content, he didn’t let it show on his face.

’’What’re you laughing at, Faker?’’ Sonic called him out, eyeing him with a glint of amusement in his voice. The other just shook his head.

’’You didn’t win. I’m certain we are both aware of that’’ he finally explained in a low voice, still not sparing Sonic a glance, instead watching the sunset with some sort of longing in his red eyes. Sonic watched him carefully.

Shadow was… well, to put it lightly, pretty.

If Sonic were to put it in other words, the ones that his own mind decided fit better, he’d say Shadow wasn’t just pretty. He was breath taking.

What?

In Sonic’s head there were now two voices – one telling him that, well, he couldn’t exactly deny it. Shadow, now deep in thought while watching the sight before them, was just beautiful. The deep black of his fur shone in the setting sun’s light, his scarlet markings now somehow softer during the golden hour. His big, ruby red eyes weren’t exactly narrowed, it was just the usual expression Shadow wore that made him kind of look like he was frowning most of the time.

And yet, despite the expression, he looked beautiful.

From his sharp muzzle, through the fluffy looking white tuft of fur on his chest, to the rest of his slim, strong body.

There was still the other voice, though.

The one that made Sonic realise these particular thoughts about his rival weren’t, well. Regular.

And yet, he couldn’t deny the previous voice, no matter how hard the latter tried, because Shadow was undeniably gorgeous.

And as Sonic got to know him more, he became more and more aware of just how beautiful Shadow was, inside and out.

Sure, his grumpy attitude threw off almost everyone. His sharp remarks, his giving-no-shits mentality. But Sonic was finally aware of how most of it was just an act. Yes, Shadow was snarky, kept to himself a lot. But underneath it all, as Sonic realised, he cared.

The ebony hedgehog had been through a lot. And yet, he still cared, he still fought for what he believed was good.

Sonic would’ve had to be blind to not notice his beauty. Inside and out.

A deep sigh escaped his throat, making Shadow finally shift his focus from the scenery before them to his companion, a slight tilt of his head with a silent question making Sonic suddenly very aware of his surroundings.

’’Nah, I’m pretty sure I won’’ Sonic eventually uttered, laughing awkwardly while scratching the back of his neck after being caught staring. The other hedgehog only shook his head without another word, going back to watching the sunset in silence.

Sparing Shadow last one glance, the blue blur finally turned his head to observe the sight before them.

Shadow’s voice shook him out of his thoughts.

’’It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’’

Sonic’s head turned around again, slowly this time, as to not startle the other hedgehog. He watched in awe as his rival’s eyes were taking everything in, the sun making his eyes not exactly red now, softer, golden-ish even. The usual frown wasn’t replaced with a smile, exactly, but the soft expression on his face told Sonic how content the other hedgehog actually felt. Sonic felt his own lips quirk in a small smile.

’’It really is’’ he agreed in a delicate voice, still looking at Shadow without sparing it too much thought, before Shadow’s head turned to face him. The beautiful eyes, now wary and slightly confused, examined Sonic’s expression, making him finally realize he’s been caught staring.

Sonic spluttered, inching away from the other hedgehog– it wasn’t like they were sitting as close as to touch, but they were close enough for the blue blur to back away to put even more space between them. His eyes shot everywhere, trying to think of an excuse.

’’I mean, uh, yeah, duh! Of course it is! I told you it would be, that’s why we’re here!’’ Sonic rambled, expecting the sudden flow of words to make Shadow forget about the little slip up he had just witnessed.

He didn’t.

But he decided to let Sonic think otherwise.

’’Right.’’ he nodded, his sharp gaze returning to the sunset. Sonic let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping a bit, deciding he could let himself catch a breath, not under Shadow’s careful gaze anymore.

Somehow, that accident didn’t stop him from shooting Shadow a few more glances from the corner of his eye while they sat in comfortable silence.

The ebony hedgehog seemed too enraptured with the sight to notice, and if he did, he didn’t say anything, much to Sonic’s contentment.

Shadow’s jaw was rather sharp – all of him seemed pretty much angular; where Sonic was soft, Shadow was sharp-edged, pointy, even. He was really slim, too.

Somehow, that specific word his mind has disclosed, made something in his stomach turn just slightly. Sonic winced at his own thoughts. Being slim wasn’t bad, obviously, that much Sonic knew. And it fit Shadow, too!

Yet. He could feel something, an instinct of some sort, banging inside of his head.

Shadow is slim! He probably needs food, he needs to gain weight to be stronger!

What? Sonic sort of answered his own voice in his head with confusion. He is strong. He’s the Ultimate Lifeform after all, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even need to eat–

’’Wanna grab a chili dog?’’

If Sonic were being honest, the way those words slipped past his lips came as a surprise to him as much as it did to Shadow at that moment.

’’No?’’ the ebony hedgehog answered, confusion lacing the word. His head tilted to the side again in a questioning way, one of his eyebrows shooting up.

’’Right, right uh– are you sure?’’

Shadow’s content expression faded away in a split second. While he looked purely confused at first, a slight frown painted his face now. Sonic gulped.

’’Yes, I am sure. I thought you knew I don’t need to eat as often as you, Mobians, do.’’

Sonic was already looking for a witty response before Shadow continued.

’’Besides, I have no idea what you see in those chili dogs, but they disgust me’’

Sonic’s jaw dropped.

’’Dude– what?’’ he uttered, pure bewilderment painted across his face, as he got just the tiniest bit closer to the other hedgehog. His rival seemed to notice the sudden movement, as he watched the other closely, warily, but didn’t move an inch.

’’I’m sure I’ve mentioned I didn’t like them some time ago’’

’’No, no you didn’t! I would’ve remembered such blasphemy!’’

Shadow scoffed.

’’Don’t be dramatic’’ he muttered with an eyeroll. Sonic’s eyes narrowed.

’’No, dude, I’m actually sure I would’ve remembered that!’’ he muttered, mostly to himself, as he looked down at his lap, fiddling with his gloved hands nervously. ‘’Wait, what food do you like then?’’

’’Coffee beans’’ Shadow answered without hesitation, not looking at his rival anymore. Sonic’s jaw, once again, dropped.

’’What?’’ Sonic could only gasp out before breaking into a loud laugh, clutching his sides, trying not to fall on his back completely with the force of the sound that came from his own throat. Shadow’s eyes narrowed at him.

’’Whatever’’ Shadow muttered. A small pout formed on his face at the sight of the other hedgehog laughing hysterically at him.

’’No, not whatever– coffee beans, really?’’ Sonic asked and watched as Shadow nodded quickly before turning his head to face the opposite direction, trying to escape Sonic’s gaze. ‘’Well, would you like to grab some right now?’’

’’Shadow turned around sharply, a silent question in his eyes as he watched Sonic regain his posture.

’’I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!’’ Sonic shrugged, watching the other hedgehog’s ear twitch as if nervously.

It wasn’t a lie – Sonic really could use some food right now. He wasn’t actually starving per se, but he sort of needed to get Shadow to eat something right now. He wasn’t sure where that particular need came from, but he decided to not argue against it. Shadow was kind of his friend after all – obviously he wanted to keep him healthy and strong!

While he did enjoy pestering his other friends about eating regularly, insisting that he needed to look out for them since they couldn’t (Tails mostly, who often forgot to feed himself, too busy rigging up stuff in his workshop) do it themselves, he found out he had the same instinct while thinking about Shadow now, too. That was new. But it was completely normal – he just cared about his close ones, he couldn’t help it!

’’I’m not’’ Shadow answered honestly, watching Sonic wince at that with uncertainty.

’’Alright, fine. Then come with me to keep me company?’’ Sonic asked in a teasing but playful voice, nudging Shadow’s side with his elbow, watching the other hedgehog squirm under the sudden contact.

’’I’m pretty sure I’ve got some stuff to do’’ Shadow started, but was quickly silenced by a tsk-ing sound coming from the blue blur.

’’Oh come on, it’ll be fun! Wait, what if we go to the coffee shop in the center? I could try your coffee beans’’ Sonic added, winking at the other hedgehog, which only earned him a lazy eye roll.

’’You won’t like them’’ Shadow warned, but Sonic watched in contentment as he eventually got up, looking at his rival with expectancy, the other still sitting on the grass.

’’Let me be the judge of that’’ Sonic retorted, getting up and stretching his legs, ready for another run with the other hedgehog, this time in the direction of the city. Shadow looked away, his shoes lighting up, also ready to go. ‘’Race ya there!’’

Before Shadow could respond in any way, the blue blur was already gone, sprinting down the hill. Shadow scoffed before following and catching up to his rival quickly.

The run took them about three minutes, and while they arrived at the place at basically the exact same moment, Sonic couldn’t help himself but mention how he ‘’still was the fastest thing alive, after all, so it wasn’t that odd Shadow couldn’t outrun him’’. The black hedgehog didn’t bother answering that remark, instead opening the door before them in complete silence. Sonic followed close behind with a small huff of laughter.

After ordering ‘’the finest coffee beans’’ the shop was in possession of, the two hedgehogs sat down together in the corner, where they could watch everything and everyone. The coffee shop wasn’t exactly crowded, just a few couples or groups of Mobians here and there. Sonic wasn’t exactly a fan of said spot, since his character required a place where he wouldn’t just watch, but also chat with other people. Sonic was a social butterfly, and while he obviously mostly spent time with his closest friends, he didn’t mind making new ones; it came insanely easy to him.

The same couldn’t have been said about Shadow, though.

The reserved hedgehog didn’t make friends. Sonic knew that much, and how his rival was more of a listener-watcher than talker, so he chose their spot himself, his tail wagging just slightly, as he noticed Shadow nod and hum in contentment at his choice.

As soon as the bartender called him to collect his order, Sonic got up and in a millisecond came back with the coffee beans. Shadow lifted his eyebrow expectantly, watching the other hedgehog and waiting for a reaction at the new taste. Sonic grimaced just slightly the second one of the coffee beans touched his tongue, but quickly regained his posture when he noticed Shadow watching him closely.

Sonic pretended the best he could to actually try and think about the bitter taste that entered his mouth. He couldn’t help but wince just slightly the exact second he finally managed to bite through the hard bean, and as more of the bitterness sipped into his taste buds, his facade finally crumbled.

The same snort he’d heard not even an hour ago reached his twitching ear and he eyed the ebony hedgehog before him with a grimace, as he noticed his rival try to stifle sound, obviously amused by Sonic’s expression.

’’Yeah, um–’’ Sonic started, finally deciding to man up and swallow the coffee bean, while trying not to straight up gag. ‘’You can have the rest’’

Shadow’s eyes rolled at that, as if he was expecting such outcome. Without another word he took some of the coffee beans spilled on their table and put them to his mouth. Sonic heard the sound of gnawing, imagining the sharp fangs sinking in coffee beans. He grimaced involuntarily. The blue blur watched as Shadow swallowed what was left of his coffee beans before extending his arm to take some more.

Sonic’s frown disappeared the exact second Shadow took another handful of his delicacy. Somehow, the blue hedgehog felt, well, satisfied. He managed to make Shadow eat! Even though they technically weren’t real food– they were coffee beans, for Chaos’ sake. But he succeeded nonetheless!

A warm feeling settled deep in his stomach, despite the previous nausea from the coffee bean he eventually swallowed. Sonic smiled lightly, watching Shadow keep on gnawing on his beans.

’’What’’ came a gruff from beside him, Sonic snapping back to reality at the low voice directed at him. He’d been caught staring. Again He could physically feel his muzzle heat up at that.

’’Nothing! I’m just glad at least you like the beans of bitterness’’ Sonic remarked, rolling his eyes in a playful manner, earning himself a sigh from the other hedgehog.

Shadow quickly finished his little snack, licking his lips after. Sonic carefully observed the movement of his tongue, deep in thought, not noticing the way Shadow observed him intently with genuine confusion.

The two eventually parted ways after walking out of the coffee shop together, not bothering to say anything other than a quick ‘’bye’’ and ‘’see you’’ (and a wave of the hand from Sonic) – they knew they were going to see each other in another week, just like they have for the past few weeks now.

And yet… Sonic wasn’t exactly okay with that. He knew he was going to see his rival soon, but it somehow wasn’t enough anymore. He felt a strange twist inside at the thought of not seeing Shadow for another week, watching the ebony hedgehog sprint off in the other direction, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

What if he needed taking care of?

Sonic shook his head at the ridiculous thought that clouded his mind for a second there.

Shadow was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, come on. He wasn’t injured, he was strong. Why the sudden need to look after him?

Sonic decided he finally started seeing Shadow as more than just his rival, but also his actual friend. They might not have known a lot about each other still, but that couldn’t just erase the multiple times they spent together saving the world. So of course he cared – Shadow was a friend, so it was understandable that Sonic had the instinct of taking care of him. Obviously.

Maybe it wasn’t that obvious, but Sonic decided to not pay it any more mind than he already has, shrugging the chaotic thoughts aside and eventually turning around to break into a run towards his home he shared with Tails.

So feeding Shadow became Sonic’s habit of sorts.

Okay, that didn’t come out the way it was supposed to – Sonic, obviously, didn’t feed his rival per se, but he did begin bringing coffee beans with him whenever it was time for their weekly runs. And Shadow, at first very surprised, as much as wary, took the gift from the other hedgehog every time.

The first time it happened made Shadow, of course, question Sonic’s real intentions. The blue blur couldn’t do much besides shrug and answer with some kind of an excuse, like Tails had too many of them, so I took some for you. Shadow didn’t buy that, but still took the gift before throwing the little beans into his mouth and sprinting off to leave Sonic behind.

Sonic was, to put it lightly, very content with the outcome of his actions.

And so it became a routine – Sonic would bring coffee beans for the first four weeks, making Shadow eventually stop questioning him and his motives.

By the fifth week, Sonic became bored. Not by bringing Shadow snacks, but by only seeing him once a week.

’’Hey, Shads?’’

The ebony hedgehog looked up from his gloved hand, full of the coffee beans he was about to munch on. His eyes narrowed.

’’Don’t call me that’’ he started, earning himself a snort from the blue blur. ‘’What?’’

Sonic’s eyes wandered, looking anywhere but at Shadow.

’’Uh– do you maybe, I don’t know, wanna see each other tomorrow?’’

Shadow looked him up and down with a curious gaze, before cramming down a few of his coffee beans. Sonic finally decided to look at the other hedgehog.

’’Why?’’ Shadow asked, titling his head just slightly. Sonic’s eyes widened before a sigh escaped his lungs, making the ebony hedgehog raise one of his eyebrows in question.

’’To hang out? I mean, I know we see each other every week, but like. Maybe we can also hang out sometimes other than every Sunday?’’

Shadow’s head tilt deepened, as he seemed to consider the offer. After a few beats of silence, he finally answered.

’’Not tomorrow’’ he decided, noticing the way Sonic’s ears flattened against his head just slightly. ‘’G.U.N. needs my presence for the day. We could see each other on Tuesday, though. If you’re free, that is.’’

Sonic’s ears went immediately back to normal, but before he could spit out some sort of too enthusiastic response, he crossed his arms and looked Shadow up and down, pretending to think about it.

’’Hm, let’s see– yeah, no, I think I can squeeze you somewhere in my busy schedule on Tuesday, yes’’ he decided, nodding his head, pretending to actually be deep in thought. Shadow’s left ear twitched in irritation at that – Sonic knew Shadow knew he wasn’t busy. Like, ever. The only thing he actually could consider time consuming during his daily routine was fighting Eggman, and it wasn’t really part of his schedule, as the evil doctor came and went whenever he pleased.

’’Whatever, Hedgehog’’ Shadow rolled his eyes, getting ready to sprint by lighting his shoes up, as they kind of forgot about their usual race because of their prolonged conversation.

And race they did.

Their usual finish line, the hill they used to sit on and watch the sunset together was finally reached by the two hedgehogs panting in exhaustion. They wouldn’t have ended up like this, if Shadow didn’t decide to play dirty mid-run, kicking Sonic in the back of one of his knees with a smirk of satisfaction, making him wobble and almost fall to the ground. You can probably imagine how the rest of their race went.

It wasn’t really unusual for the two of them to fight a little during their run, though it did change its nature – while they used to kick and punch each other to actually harm each other, now it turned more playful, teasing, trying to see how far they could let themselves go. It seemed to be actual fun for both of them, if the huge grin on Sonic’s face, and a small smile tugging at Shadow’s lips was any indicator.

They both lay down on the grass, a comfortable silence falling between them, the only sound being their panting breaths, slowly going back to normal as they relaxed on the ground. It was Shadow who eventually broke the silence, surprisingly.

’’Were you serious about Tuesday?’’

Sonic’s previously half lidded eyes snapped open fully, eyeing his rival laying next to him.

’’Yeah? I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t, dude’’

Sonic watched the other hedgehog closely, noticing the way his nose scrunched at the answer, as if something was still bothering him.

’’You want to… hang out. With me’’

’’Right’’

’’Why?’’

That actually made the blue hedgehog get up from his position as he propped himself up on his elbows, to be able to actually see Shadow. The ebony hedgehog didn’t meet his eyes, still looking up to the sky, an uneasy grimace on his face. Sonic could tell he wasn’t mad, or angry, or anything – more like, embarrassed? Unsure?

’’What do you mean, why?’’ Sonic questioned, his eyes widening as he watched Shadow remain in his position, not bothering to look the blue blur in the eyes. ‘’I mean, don’t know about you, but I have fun. With you. I like our races, our spars. Don’t you?’’

’’They’re… decent’’

Sonic snorted, going back to his previous position, now also observing the sky above them. It was now painted pink and orange more than blue, signaling the eventual end of the day. There were a few clouds, also painted in different colors, making the whole scenery breathtaking.

’’Right’’ Sonic rolled his eyes, knowing fully well Shadow would never say anything more if he truly enjoyed himself; decent, in Shadow’s dictionary, meant, well, very good – Sonic knew that by now. ‘’I enjoy hanging out with you. We can spar, or race again, or just do whatever else. What do you like to do in your free time?’’

The second those words escaped his mouth, Sonic realised he actually had no idea what Shadow liked doing. They were still getting to know each other, and while he felt like Shadow was full of the Sonic-knowledge by now, he couldn’t say the exact thing about himself.

It was Shadow's turn to prop himself up on his elbows, eyeing his rival warily. Sonic let out a deep sigh, waiting for a response.

’’I like running’’ Shadow decided, making Sonic chuckle. Shadow’s eyes narrowed at the sudden sound. ‘’What now?’’

’’Okay, no, yeah, I do too. But we do that already. What else do you like doing?’’

Shadow’s eyes dropped to his lap at that, as he got lost in thought. Sonic waited patiently for a response, though he wasn’t sure what took the other hedgehog so long – he couldn’t name anything from the top of his head? Anything?

’’I… enjoy music’’ Shadow finally decided, seemingly content with his own answer as he laid down again.

’’Hm, maybe we can work with that. Do you play something? Or just listen to music?’’ Sonic asked, rolling on the grass so that he was now laying on his side, watching the other hedgehog beside him. Shadow hummed to himself.

’’Listening’’ he answered, not meeting Sonic’s gaze.

’’Okay. We can listen to music, then’’ Sonic shrugged, as much as the position he was in let him. Shadow only nodded at that in silence.

’’You know, you can hang out with the whole gang, if you want to, too. I’m sure they’d like to actually get to know you’’ Sonic hummed, still looking at Shadow. The latter visibly tensed under the blue hedgehog’s gaze.

’’I… wouldn’t be so sure of that’’ he eventually muttered.

’’I am, though’’ Sonic insisted, earning a low sigh from the ebony hedgehog. ‘’Seriously! I don’t know what kind of beef you’ve got with Tails, but the rest of Team Sonic would like you–’’

’’Team Sonic?’’

Before Sonic could answer that, why yes, their gang was obviously named Team Sonic, why wouldn’t it be, a low rumble reached his ears. As he squinted his eyes while watching his rival, he finally noticed the way Shadow was trying to– wait, was he stifling a laugh?

Sonic couldn’t even bring himself to be mad about the other hedgehog’s reaction at his friend group’s name, not when he was finally getting an actual laugh! It might’ve been the first time he’d heard it, in fact. Most of the time the most he could get from Shadow was just the tiniest bit of a smile, or a teasing smirk, a snort, anything– but a real laugh? That was new.

’’Right, right, laugh all you want, everyone else digs that name, so whatever’’ Sonic mumbled, trying (and failing) to sound offended, even though deep down the only thing he could think about was the low sound from Shadow’s throat, just barely there. ‘’Plus, Rouge hangs with us all the time! You could join her some time, you know’’

At that, Shadow fell completely silent. Sonic cursed at himself in his mind.

’’Rouge is fun. She’s charming. She can make friends with anyone she wants’’ Shadow eventually admitted, side-eyeing the blue hedgehog. ‘’I’m not like her. You and I both know that’’

Sonic winced.

’’I know you’re not. But you’re you, and honestly? It’s enough for me to know you could make friends if you wanted to’’ Sonic answered truthfully, eyeing the sky above them.

Only a few beats of silence after, he realized what he’d said, as Shadow didn’t reward him with an answer. His eyes widened, as he shot his eyes in the other hedgehog’s direction.

’’I mean– no, actually, I meant exactly what I said. You could make friends, Shadow. I know you enjoy your little grumpy, give-no-shits persona you show, but deep down, you care. And honestly? I think it’s a great trait’’ Sonic decided.

Shadow didn’t meet his eyes, and as Sonic watched him closely, he finally noticed the faint blush that set on his dark muzzle, making Sonic rethink if he’d said anything wrong.

Nope, he didn’t. He was just being truthful, after all – and he knew Shadow appreciated that. Even if he didn’t bother answering him.

’’That doesn’t change the fact that I know your friends won’t like me. Not that it matters, since I’m not going to spend time with them’’ Shadow shrugged eventually.

’’Suit yourself’’ Sonic decided, putting his hands behind his head to make some kind of a ‘’pillow’’ so his head didn’t hurt too much from laying on the hard ground. ‘’The offer stands, though.’’

Shadow only hummed at that, closing his eyes.

And while Sonic wasn’t satisfied with that answer, because, after all he knew he was right, and his friends would like Shadow if they only got to know him (if he’d let them), he couldn’t help but reminiscence the way he assumed Shadow wouldn’t like him either. But hey, that was before the Paradox Prism – who knew they would get stuck in the Shatterspace together for an unknown amount of time?

Sonic couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at the thought. He was so happy to see Shadow, the real him, right then and there, but instead of the same reaction from the other hedgehog, he earned himself a bunch of kicks and punches, making him almost pass out. He guessed he deserved it, though, after destroying their reality.

’’What are you laughing at?’’

Sonic’s eyes opened; he hadn’t even realized he’d closed them. He looked over to his rival, his eyes now half lidded, yet a small grimace visible on his muzzle.

’’Just remembered. Something.’’ Sonic shrugged, at which Shadow hummed quietly, waiting for him to elaborate. ‘’When we found each other in the Shatterspace– I still remember how hard you punched me’’

Shadow’s eyes were now tiny slits, as he eyed the blue blur carefully.

’’And that made you laugh?’’ Shadow asked, getting another shrug in response. ‘’You deserved it, though.’’

Right.

’’I did’’ Sonic admitted, not saying anything else. Shadow hummed again before they fell into another wave of comfortable silence.

It was, as expected, Sonic who broke the silence after a few minutes of watching the sun eventually set.

’’Wanna grab some coffee beans?’’

Shadow’s only response was a low snort, making Sonic smile to himself.

Chapter Text

So, despite Shadow’s previous reluctance to join Team Sonic during one of their activities, he decided to show up.

Well, okay – he didn’t actually decide to do that. It was mostly Rouge’s and Omega’s nagging that made him eventually give up and tag along. Rouge spent a lot of time with Sonic and his friends nowadays, sometimes dragging Omega with her, but never Shadow. He straight up refused to go there, insisting that he wasn’t going to act like he enjoyed their company, therefore what was the point?

Somehow, though, something’s changed, or maybe it was just the certain activity the friend group announced that made Shadow decide to go.

That didn’t matter too much though, not to Sonic, obviously grinning from ear to ear at the amazing news – Shadow was the one who broke them to him after their weekly race, when they sat together in their usual spot. It seemed to be a habit at this point, they would run together, spar for a bit too, then relax together on the beautiful hill overlooking the sea, whether in silence or talking, depending on their moods. It was… nice.

At Sonic’s visible enthusiasm caused by the news, Shadow’s shoulders dropped, a scowl on his face.

’’It’s not a definitive decision’’ the ebony hedgehog huffed, crossing his arms on his chest. Sonic’s eyes rolled at that, knowing fully well the other was totally going. Even if he didn’t know it yet.

Not letting Shadow’s remark affect him too much – because Sonic has already made it his own decision, that Shadow was going to show up – the other hedgehog shrugged, watching his friend stare at him warily, like he was waiting for the blue blur to start convincing him to go.

’’Sure, sure, whatever you say’’ Sonic finally said, his tone light, making it obvious that he didn’t believe Shadow at all.

’’I am serious’’ Shadow muttered, his fists involuntarily clenching at his sides. Sonic nodded at that, pretending to be deep in thought, as if actually considering his decision.

’’Mhm, you sure seem to be’’ Sonic agreed, nodding again and eyeing Shadow seriously, though if the ebony hedgehog watched him close enough, he could definitely tell how much fun he was having by the light of amusement behind his green eyes. ‘’It’s a meteor shower though. Doubt you’d like to miss it’’

’’I can watch it alone’’ Shadow insisted.

’’Yeah, yeah, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, as I’ve already told you countless times, we want you here. All of us’’ Sonic remarked, rolling his eyes to show just how disappointed he was with Shadow and his seemingly short term memory loss. The darker hedgehog scoffed.

’’Whatever’’ Shadow spat out, already standing up. Sonic’s wide eyes followed his movement.

’’You’re leaving? Already?’’

Their usual hang outs lasted a bit more – sometimes they could even sit there for literal hours, until the sun had set, letting the two hedgehogs watch the night sky together until they were both too tired to stay on the hill. Every so often their time together was spent in silence, if Shadow was feeling like it (since Sonic very rarely felt like staying quiet himself, and if he did, something was most likely very wrong), and Sonic could respect that. Most of the time though, they talked, and talked, and talked.

Sonic found himself enjoying Shadow’s company every day more and more, getting to know the ebony hedgehog, the side of him, well, pretty much nobody knew, besides Rouge and maybe Omega.

And they started hanging out in between their weekly races, too! Which was fun for them both, since they could respect each other’s needs and differences. While the blue blur enjoyed hanging out at crowded places, such as bars or clubs, he noted how stiff Shadow seemed there, even though he tried to not show it too much. So Sonic opted for less stuffed places, or even the ones where there was no one beside them, like the beach at night, or different forests he enjoyed running through. Shadow seemed to appreciate it, but didn’t deny Sonic’s requests to hang out at Rouge’s club every now and then.

Sonic knew he had to be patient with Shadow, if he really wanted to get to know him, and, contrary to popular belief, he was able to do that for him. After all, Shadow was the one who saved his literal life! And Sonic wasn’t going to just leave the ebony hedgehog be, the plan to actually befriend his rival became one of his priorities, to be fair. Sonic wasn’t sure why exactly, but it just– felt right, he guessed.

Shadow was a good person, underneath all that grump. He’s been through a lot, that much was undeniable – his usual broodiness, distancing himself, it was all very much understandable. And Sonic eventually found out that it was just the surface of Shadow, on the inside, he was a strong, independent, smart and caring person. He liked that about him.

’’I still have some unfinished G.U.N. paperwork to do and I’d better get it done as soon as I can’’ Shadow admitted, stretching his arms above his head, his quills shaking just slightly with the movement, making Sonic follow them with his eyes. He looked at Shadow, locking eyes with him briefly. ‘’...if I want to join you tonight.’’

The end of the sentence was almost whispered, as if Shadow was very reluctant to admit it. Sonic couldn’t help but feel his lips stretch into a grin at that, making Shadow huff in annoyance.

’’I meant– if I even do. Join you. Tonight’’ Shadow stuttered, avoiding Sonic’s gaze, looking everywhere but at him. If that was even possible, the blue hedgehog’s smile would have widened at that unusual display of emotions from his rival.

’’I want you to come’’ Sonic admitted, shrugging, as if that was obvious. He watched one of Shadow’s ear twitch at that before flattening against his fur.

’’We’ll see, Hedgehog’’ Shadow muttered, before taking a Chaos Emerald from his quills and disappearing within a split second. Sonic’s eyes widened comically, though there was no longer anyone to laugh at his expression. The blue hedgehog sighed to himself.

Somehow, he still wasn’t exactly used to Shadow’s ability to teleport. He’d seen it countless of times, but up close it was even weirder – one second the ebony hedgehog was there, and the second he just. Poof. Wasn’t.

Sonic knew he would see Shadow later that day though – there was no way he wouldn’t come and he was sure of it. He also made sure of it, because what Shadow didn’t know (and couldn’t, like, ever find out) was that Sonic had asked Rouge earlier to convince their friend to come.

He had done that earlier the same day – while he asked Shadow to come a few days before the event, and the other refused, he decided to bring out the big guns on the same day of the meteor shower. He’d sent Rouge a quick message about dragging Shadow along with her, to which she’d responded with a question mark and a smirking cat emoji. Ugh.

Right, it was still Rouge he was talking to.

While his friends knew about his newfound friendship with Shadow, they didn’t mind it, because, well, why would they? The only person seemingly conflicted about the sudden change in dynamic between the two rivals was Tails. And Sonic could understand that – Shadow had held some unexplainable vendetta against his fox best friend (which turned out to be mutual!), for some reason. He knew, deep down, that the two could actually get along, if they only really got to know each other. While Sonic didn’t understand (and didn’t bother to) most of Tails’ rambling about his trinkets, he was sooo sure Shadow would, as the ebony hedgehog was insanely smart.

But still – besides Tails’ doubts, Amy’s slightest concern and Knuckles’ shrug, they were fine with his new friend. Maybe they didn’t get the sudden change of heart, since the last time they saw the two interact, they were pretty much at each other's' throats (and they completely missed their whole dynamic progress in the Shatterspace!), but they didn’t mind, obviously.

And there was Rouge.

The bat was well known for her flirtatious way of being and charming personality. What she was less known for, was the fact that she was both Sonic’s and Shadow’s friend. Separately. Well, also Shadow’s flatmate, but even fewer people knew that.

So all she could tell about their relationship was from what she’d gather from both sides. And while Sonic talked about Shadow a lot, though mostly unintentionally, or just obliviously, the blue blur didn’t know what the other had said about him to Rouge. If he’d said anything at all, that is.

He’d asked Rouge that, once (he totally didn’t think it through) – to which she responded in a quiet voice and a wink, that Shadow, in fact, talked about him. A lot. Which Sonic didn’t quite buy, since Shadow didn’t really talk a lot in general, so why would he talk about Sonic like that? Rouge was probably just messing with him, but that didn’t really keep his muzzle from getting a bit warm and his ears from twitching suddenly, making the bat giggle behind one of her gloved hands.

And while Sonic knew he started talking about Shadow, it wasn’t anything out of ordinary. He talked about all of his friends! He even talked to Shadow about them, every now and then mentioning Tails’ new inventions, or Amy’s tea parties. It was just the way he was, he loved his friends, so it was obvious to him that he enjoyed talking about them.

But Rouge had, well, a different opinion on that matter.

The first time she’d mentioned how Sonic ‘’couldn’t stop talking about his boyfriend’’, the blue hedgehog’s whole face felt like it was set on literal fire – he started sputtering, looking at her with wide eyes and a scowl. Sonic didn’t like Shadow like that, come on! Can’t two guys just be friends?

Rouge’s only response to the flustered state Sonic found himself in after such accusation, was a shrug and a small smirk. He looked at his friends for some kind of help, since it happened during one of Amy’s tea parties they were all invited to. Tails shrugged too, just as did Knuckles, while furrowing his brows in question. The only help seemed to be Amy, who immediately jumped to his defense.

’’Rouge, come on, they’re not like that’’ the pink hedgehog rolled her eyes. ‘’Right, Sonic?’’

Sonic nodded vigorously at her, before realising the reason Amy had decided to back him up on this. And the reason presented itself in Rose’s eyes, as with a dreamy sigh she looked at him with such adoration, such… softness.

Right. While Amy by any means didn’t make it easy for him, Sonic still somehow tended to forget about her crush on him.

It wasn’t a big deal. Everyone knew about that, it was general knowledge at this point. Sonic, obviously, knew too, and while Amy knew he was aware of her crush on him, she still hoped he liked her back. Actually, she was pretty sure of it, but decided to, well, give Sonic some time. To realize his feelings for her. She was fine with waiting.

Little did she know, Sonic wasn’t – he loved Ames, he was sure of that, she was one of his best friends! But that was it. She was a friend, and honestly? It was enough for him. He knew the love he felt for her was strictly platonic, and while he would have to be blind not to notice how beautiful, smart and strong Amy was, he couldn’t bring himself to see her as a potential partner.

About that. Sonic couldn’t bring himself to see anyone as a potential partner. He just loved his freedom, his independence too much! He knew that soon enough he was expected to settle down, build a family, whatever. But that lifestyle just… didn’t fit him. He was meant to be free, running, never slowing down. And a partner would only do just that, he supposed. So he didn’t bother looking for one.

Back to Rouge, though – when Sonic had presented that point of his view, the only response he got was a quick ‘’well, Shadow doesn’t slow you down, does he?’’ (and a flattened pair of ears from Amy).

She wasn’t wrong.

But that didn’t change anything!

And while Sonic made it very obvious that he had absolutely no romantic interest in his rival, Rouge decided to pointedly ignore it.

So Sonic could almost immediately feel the growl form in his throat after receiving the stupid message from the bat. He quickly typed something back about her being one of his only friends, and how she was the only one able to actually drag him to their little hang out. Rouge, of course, agreed, and before Sonic knew it, he was already sitting down in his usual spot on the hill, while Shadow complained about how Rouge didn’t know what boundaries were.

After the little reminiscent of the past event, Sonic eventually went back to the present and turned his communicator on, his eyes widening at the time. How long had he been sitting there on his own?

The blue hedgehog got up with a groan, stretching his legs before breaking in a run, because, unlike a certain Chaos Energy user, he didn’t just teleport from one place to another, so he had to get to his house by himself, if he wanted to get ready before watching the stars with his friends.

After around five minutes, Sonic was already standing in front of the front door of his home he shared with Tails. The blue blur immediately sprinted inside, running straight towards his room, before a voice coming from beside him stopped him.

’’Sonic, you’re back!’’ Tails smiled, walking up to his older best friend. Sonic couldn’t help but grin at the fox, too, ruffling his fur with a quick hand movement.

’’I am, little buddy,’’ Sonic nodded. ‘’I was just out on a run with Shadow.’’

Something changed in Tails’ previously content expression at those words.

’’Right’’ the fox started slowly, looking up at the blue hedgehog. ‘’He’s gonna be there tonight, isn’t he?’’

Sonic winced slightly. He couldn’t ignore the spark of uncertainty in Tails’ voice.

The blue hedgehog knew about the kit’s perception of Shadow. Tails saw him as the brooding loner, always snapping at everyone for no reason – well, to be fair, that’s pretty much what Shadow wanted everyone to think of him, even if it wasn’t exactly the truth. Still, besides Tails sharing the general opinion about the ebony hedgehog, there was something between the two that made absolutely no sense to Sonic. What kind of beef did the two have with each other? And, most importantly, why?

Sonic couldn’t let it be, not really. Shadow had really grown on him ever since the Paradox Prism. Tails, on the other hand, was his best friend; he was like a little brother to him, too, to be fair. They had history, they lived together, it was the whole package. But Sonic couldn’t just choose between both his friends. So whatever conflict the two had, he had to get rid of it before tonight.

He promised Shadow his friends would love to meet him, hang out with him, for Chaos’ sake!

’’He is, yeah’’ Sonic started carefully, watching closely as the kit’s brows furrowed just slightly. ‘’You… don’t really like him, huh?’’

’’I don’t know him’’ Tails shrugged. ‘’All I’m aware of is that he likes fighting us for no apparent reason. And that you’re his friend now. Which still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, to be honest.’’

Sonic nodded slowly. Well, it was reasonable for Tails to dislike Shadow, probably. Especially since Tails still had no idea about what had really happened due to the Prism accident, as no one besides the two hedgehogs had any memory of it all.

Still. Sonic felt this weird twist in his gut. While he could understand his best friend’s point of view, he still had this odd need for his friends to get to know and like Shadow. Maybe it wasn’t that odd, after all – Shadow was a good person, even though not many Mobians got to know that. He was the city’s anti-hero, all they saw was someone who fought both Sonic and Eggman, there was no way for them to tell what side he was actually on.

’’Look,’’ Sonic started, breaking the silence that fell between the two, making Tails’ nose scrunch up in uncertainty. ‘’I know that Shadow may not seem very approachable on the outside–’’

’’That’s an understatement’’ Tails muttered under his breath, his gaze not meeting Sonic’s anymore.

’’ –but’’ Sonic continued despite the interruption. ‘’I got to know him. And he’s a good guy. It just takes some time to know that, ‘cause of the act he puts on. To be honest, I feel like you two could get along’’

Tails’ eyes widened comically at that.

’’Me? And Shadow’’ the fox started before erupting into a loud laugh, making Sonic sigh in defeat. ‘’Good one, Sonic!’’

’’Wasn’t exactly a joke, but sure,’’ the blue hedgehog muttered. ‘’Anyways. If you really don’t want to get to know him – your loss, just so you know – can you just, I dunno, ignore him? So he doesn’t feel even more unwanted there than he probably already will?’’

Tails’ laugh slowly died down as he processed Sonic’s words. The kit’s eyes widened, and Sonic could only assume that the unreadable expression on his little brother’s muzzle was something close to sympathy.

’’I– yeah, i can do that’’ Tails said slowly, eyeing Sonic carefully. ‘’I can do that for you, Sonic.’’

The blue hedgehog’s eyes visibly brightened. He knew his best friend wouldn’t disappoint him – they both were pretty much able to do anything for the other. Sonic was sure he would actually fight the whole world if Tails needed him to do that. The kit was like a little brother to him, he couldn’t help but feel protective of him.

’’Thanks, bro’’ Sonic grinned, his gloved hand finding itself between Tails’ ears again, ruffling the fur there, making the fox chuckle under his breath. ‘’Shouldn’t you be getting ready? The meteor shower starts in, what, half an hour?’’

Tails jumped slightly at that, looking at the watch on his left wrist. His eyes widened.

’’You’re right!’’ the fox gasped, already making his way towards his workshop all while muttering something about a prototype of a gadget he was still not exactly done with, that was needed for tonight. The rest of his rambling didn’t quite reach Sonic’s ears, as the hedgehog shrugged with a lazy smile and made his way towards his own room.

’’Tails, Sonic! Are you guys ready?’’

Amy’s high pitched voice made Sonic’s ears twitch at the sudden sound and open his eyes lazily. He knew the pink hedgehog was going to drop by on her way to the hill where they were going to watch the meteor shower to help them pick some of the stuff. Still, he didn’t know it was already time for them to go– he might’ve taken a tiny nap to rest quickly before the event, but Amy didn’t need to know that. Or the fact that he forgot to set an alarm.

’’Yeah, yeah, we’re coming, Ames!’’ Sonic shouted back, getting up from his, extremely comfortable at that moment, hammock and walking up to the mirror beside his night drawer. His eyes widened at the sight he was met with – oh. It must’ve been a great nap based on how messy and uneven his quills looked. As much as he normally wouldn’t mind it, he knew the pink hedgehog would make him go back and brush the bird’s nest on his head anyway.

Sonic sighed deeply before taking some gel from the drawer and putting it on his quills, trying to bring back his casual look. After a few seconds of brushing them, they managed to look at least slightly better, but… ah, whatever. He looked fine and ready to go.

The blue hedgehog made his way down the stairs, waving at Amy with an easy smile, earning one in return. The pinkette was already holding two baskets in her hands, full of snacks and sweets she promised to pack for them. Sonic’s smile slowly morphed into a grin as he got closer.

’’Ames, you got the goods?’’ the blue blur asked, standing next to her. Amy smirked at him, nodding.

’’Your chili dogs are ready, sir’’ she saluted jokingly, making Sonic snort with amusement. ‘’I’ve got some other stuff too. Oh, and I brought coffee beans too! What do you need them for, though? You could’ve just asked me to make you coffee, Sonic.’’

Sonic laughed awkwardly, scratching his neck and avoiding Amy’s curious gaze.

’’Right, uh– have you ever tried coffee beans? Like, raw?’’ Sonic asked, earning a confused shake of the head from the pink hedgehog. Yeah, no wonder why, if he didn’t know Shadow liked them, he wouldn’t have tried eating these things either. ‘’Shadow likes them. Like, a lot. So I thought we could get some for him, you know’’

Somehow, Amy seemed even more confused than before.

’’He likes eating coffee beans?’’ she asked, though it sounded more like she was talking to herself, tapping her chin with one of her gloved fingers. ‘’Weird. It was nice of you to think of him, though! I’m sure he’ll appreciate it’’

Sonic smiled bashfully at that, but before he could say anything else, Tails was already emerging from his workshop, some odd machine in his paws. Both Sonic and Amy looked at him with their heads tilted to the side in curiosity. Upon seeing their confused glances, Tails immediately raised one of his hands, carefully, to not drop the… thing.

’’You’ll see’’ the fox said in a serious voice, but the proud little smile on his muzzle gave away his real emotions. Sonic glanced at Amy, who was already looking at him with a raised eyebrow, before the two of them shrugged.

’’Shall we get going, then? I think I have everything… Tails, do you need help holding that, um. Device?’’ Amy asked politely, at which Tails nodded quickly. ‘’Great! Sonic, go help Tails’’

Sonic’s head turned to her in a split second with a quiet ‘’huh?’’, but upon seeing Amy’s gaze, urging him to go on and help Tails, he just sighed and took the machine from his friend’s hands carefully.

The three of them finally exited the house, each one of them holding something (Amy with her baskets, Sonic with Tails’ machine, and Tails… with a singular blanket, oh wow).

Before they knew it, they reached their destination, putting down their stuff. Sonic looked around – even though it was really dark, with the light illuminating from the moon, he could tell his friends apart from their silhouettes, and as he turned around, he noticed they were the last ones to arrive there. Knuckles was already laying some of the blankets and pillows he had brought with him for the rest of the group on the grass, while Sticks was looking up to the sky with some sort of a wary grimace.

’’Hey, Blue.’’

Sonic turned around, his eyes immediately locking with Rouge’s, a small smirk playing on her lips. Omega was there, too – the robot was standing right behind his friend in silence. The blue blur smiled at the two of them.

’’Rouge, Omega! Glad you guys made it’’ he admitted, extending his hands to fist bump the two of them, which they did at the same time, as if they were in complete synchronization.

’’SONIC. IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU’’ Omega’s robotic voice made the blue blur’s ears twitch, as he looked up at one of the members of Team Dark with a smile.

’’The pleasure’s all mine’’ Sonic chuckled.

Hold on.

He looked around, before his gaze zeroed on Rouge again. Sonic didn’t even need to open his mouth, before Rouge put one of her gloved hands up, as if to stop him.

’’Don’t worry Blue, Mr. Grumpy Pants is on his way. Miscalculated the amount of paperwork he had to do’’ Rouge shrugged, rolling her eyes. Sonic nodded at that, but couldn’t help the way his ears flattened just slightly in disappointment.

’’But, uh– he’s coming, right?’’ Sonic asked, putting on a light tone, not wanting to sound desperate, or whatever. Rouge didn’t seem to buy that, if her little giggle was any indicator.

’’Of course’’ she said, batting her eyelashes at the hedgehog, who sighed in relief in return. ‘’What kind of boyfriend would he be if he stood you up? I would never let him do that, don’t you worry your pretty head about it’’

Sonic rolled his eyes.

’’We both know he’s not my boyfriend, so cut it out, Rouge’’

’’Well, not yet, maybe’’ the bat giggled, tilting her head to the side, while watching Sonic closely, making the hedgehog groan.

Before he could think of a smart remark to answer Rouge with, he heard someone come up from behind him. He turned around, only to see Amy look at him with wide eyes.

’’Sonic! Would you like to sit next to me tonight?’’ she asked, twirling some of her fur in her fingers, looking up at the other hedgehog with a hopeful look in her eyes.

’’Oh! Yeah, why not’’ Sonic answered, following a smiling Amy to the spot she had picked.

’’DO YOU THINK SHADOW WILL CONSIDER THIS CHEATING, ROUGE?’’ Omega’s robotic voice reached Sonic ears before he could flop down on the blanket Amy had chosen. Sonic turned around in a split second, his mouth hanging open while pointing an accusatory finger at the big robot.

’’Not you too, Omega!’’ Sonic gasped at the insane betrayal from the robot. Rouge shrugged in response, before whispering something to her friend. Sonic’s ears twitched, trying to pick up whatever the bat could’ve said to Omega, but he didn’t succeed.

Omega’s response told him enough, though.

’’YES. SHADOW IS A POSSESSIVE INDIVIDUAL.’’

Sonic couldn’t help but feel his muzzle immediately heat up, watching as Rouge laughed into her gloved hand, before putting in on Omega’s arm to steady herself before she could fall from the force of the laugh that seemed to almost knock all the air from her lungs. Sonic scoffed before turning his back to the two.

Were they joking? Or was Shadow really… possessive?

Sonic shook his head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts that clouded his mind for a split second there. Okay, so what if he was? Why would that matter to the blue hedgehog?

And why did he suddenly feel so hot?

Before he could dwell too much on the topic, he felt Amy sigh beside him, making him turn around to face her. She looked up to the sky with squinted eyes. Sonic followed her gaze, awaiting to be met with the sight of the moon and the stars, maybe a shooting star already, if he was lucky–

’’Oh, come on!’’ Sonic groaned, watching… well, nothing. Or, to be more specific, the thick clouds that basically covered the whole sky. He heard Amy sigh beside him, upon seeing – or, not seeing – the same thing as him.

’’Bet it’s the aliens’ fault’’ came Sticks’ mutter from somewhere behind Sonic, making the blue hedgehog groan even louder this time. He turned around, to watch the rest of the group look up to the sky with pretty much the same expression he was wearing.

’’Tails, weren’t you the one who said the sky would be clear tonight?’’ Rouge asked flatly, making them all zero their eyes on the fox sitting down while fiddling with the device he had brought with him. Tails’ eyes shot up at the sound of his name before smirking proudly.

’’I did!’’ he announced, standing up, the mysterious machine still in his paws. He was met with silence, so he coughed into his fist awkwardly, before continuing. ‘’Right, right, yeah– hold on’’

The rest of the group watched in silence as Tails turned around to continue fiddling with the box. Sonic stretched his arms above his head with a quiet yawn, as the rest of his friends decided to settle down around him. Rouge sat down between Omega and Knuckles, who, as Sonic noticed– blushed? What? Maybe he was imagining things with how dark it really was, but the moonlight still managed to shine through the clouds, making it somewhat possible to see.

Sticks sat down next to Amy, a tin foil hat in her paws before she placed it neatly on her head, turning around to the pink hedgehog in case Amy wanted one too, as the badger took more with her. When Amy declined the offer (for some reason), Sticks only shrugged, saying something about there being ‘’more for herself’’, as she put another one on the hat she already had on.

Sonic felt himself relax. Tails was still doing something with the mysterious device, but the rest of his friends had already sat down. The blue hedgehog felt at peace – all of his friends were there, snuggled together on the blankets and pillows. Where they were supposed to be. Or, maybe, how they were supposed to be, Sonic thought – together.

There was still one person missing, though. And Sonic didn’t like that, as he felt his stomach twist with disappointment.

Shadow was probably too overwhelmed with his paperwork to show up. Sonic couldn’t blame him – he knew the ebony hedgehog treated his job seriously (too seriously, Sonic decided), so a hang out he didn’t exactly want to attend in the first place wasn’t too important to him right now. Sonic sighed, feeling his shoulders drop against his will.

’’Hedgehog.’’

Sonic yelped, turning a hundred and eighty degrees the same second the barely audibly whisper reached his ear, making it suddenly twitch. He couldn’t mistake the low, gravelly voice, though.

’’Shadow!’’ Sonic exclaimed as quietly as he possibly could, feeling a wide grin forming itself on his face.

Said hedgehog was standing now in front of him, the Chaos Emerald still in his gloved hand (how did Sonic not hear the snap of him teleporting there?). The blue blur couldn’t help but focus on his black and red quills, now brushed back neatly, as if he had done something to them he hadn’t before. His red, slightly glowing eyes were half-lidded as he watched Sonic in concentration, before turning his attention to the rest of the group sprawled on the blankets. His gaze turned sharp the second he noticed the rest was now watching him in silence.

Before Sonic could say anything about how stiff Shadow seemed, Rouge waved her hand at her friend with a small smile.

’’Look who showed up’’ she murmured, winking at the ebony hedgehog, making him grunt awkwardly. ‘’It’s good to see you, Shadow’’

Sonic turned his eyes to Shadow before nodding vigorously, as to agree with the bat, making Shadow huff out something under his breath. Sonic didn’t get the chance to say anything else, when the black hedgehog sat down right next to him. They weren’t close enough to touch, but Sonic still felt his muzzle heat up at the proximity.

Oh, come on, get a grip!, the voice inside his head ordered. Sonic nodded to himself, trying to calm himself down. Shadow sat down next to him. It was, well, not out of the ordinary. They sat, even laid down beside each other all the time after their races! Why would it be any different this time?

He could’ve sat with Rouge or Omega, yet another voice in his mind supplied, making Sonic nod once again, because, okay, fair, he could’ve! But Shadow still chose the spot next to the blue hedgehog, for some reason. There must’ve been a reason, right–

’’Ta-dah!’’ Tails’ voice snapped the blue hedgehog out of his thoughts, making him look up from his lap to eye the fox in confusion.

Before anyone could say anything, the mysterious device grunted a few times, before its lid opened up, revealing a huge, hm, stick? The whole group watched in awe as the tube shot up in the air, growing longer and longer with each passing second, before disappearing between the clouds. A loud sound erupted from the machine – they all watched as the clouds started scattering, revealing a huge windmill at the top of the device, now working loudly, making the clouds eventually disappear from their field of vision completely.

The night sky was more beautiful than ever.

’’Oh, thank you Tails! That was amazing, Tails!’’ the fox chirped in an exaggerated voice, looking up at his invention, still up in the air, before he clicked one of its buttons, making the huge fan fold itself inside of the tube and the box absorb the long tube. At the end of the process, the box returned to its normal look, making it look… well, innocent and small enough, that nobody would think of its abilities.

’’Tails!’’ Amy clapped her hands while giggling and looking at the young genius. ‘’That was incredible! How did you even think of that?’’

’’Well, if you really wanna know, I began with assessing the tubes needed for–’’

’’Nevermind, don’t answer that. It was really impressive, though!’’ Amy interrupted in her sweet voice before Tails could get into the complicated details of his project, making the fox frown.

’’The fox… built that?’’ came a low whisper from beside Sonic, and the blue hedgehog turned around immediately, grinning at the focused look on Shadow’s face, as he watched the machine deep in thought.

’’He did! Tails is a young genius, after all’’ Sonic smirked, still looking at his rival. The other nodded with a quiet hum.

’’Impressive.’’ Shadow admitted, gloved hands folded neatly in his lap. Sonic couldn’t help but genuinely smile at that praise – it was, honestly, unusual for the ebony hedgehog to actually compliment something or someone. Sonic’s eyes turned slowly to where Tails stood.

The kit looked in silence at Shadow (who didn’t seem to notice the intense stare aimed at him). Sonic could tell how proud Tails must’ve felt based on how straight he stood, a small smile forming on his face after hearing the praise come from the Ultimate Lifeform.

Sonic’s guess turned out to be correct – the two could definitely get along. If only they wanted to.

’’Okay, everyone, sit down, please!’’ Amy’s voice interrupted Sonic’s thoughts, the pink hedgehog putting her hands up in the air to get everyone’s attention. Tails nodded and flopped down between Sticks and Knuckles, snuggling close to the red echidna, searching for warmth. Knuckles grunted something, but it must’ve meant he agreed to the new position, as he extended one of his arms to wrap it around Tails.

Sonic’s eyes looked up to the, finally, clear sky. He watched it closely, trying to spot one of the shooting stars–

’’Oooh’’ came a gasp from basically each one of them, as one of the meteors actually appeared in the night sky. It was breathtaking.

Sonic watched in awe, before turning his head to the side to see Shadow’s reaction to the beautiful sky.

Instead of a face full of amazement, similar to his own, he found the ebony hedgehog sitting completely stiff. Sonic both felt and noticed the uneasiness in his rival’s body, some of his quills twitching every now and then. Sonic frowned at the sight.

Before Sonic could rethink his decision, he felt himself move his body just slightly towards the other hedgehog. As he felt Shadow’s fur on his own, he decided he was close enough. Without looking at the other (who was now even more stiff after the sudden contact, if it was even possible), Sonic tilted his head to the side, just slightly, but enough for his muzzle to make contact with Shadow’s shoulder. The other… did he just stop breathing?

Sonic’s head snapped up, eyeing his rival with concern. The other was looking straight ahead, refusing to meet Sonic’s eyes. He knew Shadow wasn’t, to put it lightly, too keen on physical touch – at first, whenever he would grab the other hedgehog by the wrist, or just pat him on the back after a race, whatever, Shadow would immediately brush his paw off of himself. But that sort of changed, as their friendship progressed.

It took time, a lot of it actually, but Shadow eventually stopped flinching at the sudden physical contact from Sonic. The blue hedgehog knew he was… touchy, but he tried to overcome it. For Shadow. So he didn’t hug, or high five Shadow like he would any of the rest of his friends, knowing fully well it would make his rival extremely uncomfortable. But after some time, even if Shadow did brush Sonic’s paws off, he didn’t flinch or wince anymore at the touch.

It was progress.

So, okay, Shadow’s current reaction could’ve been predictable, now that Sonic was thinking about it.

He didn’t tell Sonic to get off of him, though.

He didn’t push his head from his shoulder.

He just… waited?

Still, Sonic could tell it wasn’t the best thing he could do to comfort his friend at that moment. He had to do something, though.

So, once again without dwelling too much at the idea, Sonic felt a low rumble erupt from his chest. Slowly, he rubbed his arm on Shadow’s, feeling their fur, blue and black, brush against each other.

While Sonic wasn’t too sure what he was doing, it… seemed to work?

The quiet purr was beginning to become more steady, and before Sonic knew it, an odd sound of clicking erupted from his throat. If Sonic were being honest, it might've been a bit unusual for him to produce these sounds, but it seemed to do its job.

Sonic felt the hedgehog beside him stiffen once again as the purring began, but shortly after, his muscles eventually relaxed. Just the tiniest bit, but they did. Shadow was slowly losing the stiffness in his body, and Sonic could feel it, as he sat right next to him, their arms brushing against each other.

A huff escaped his throat before he could stop it– but Shadow didn’t seem to mind, actually. Sonic watched as the other’s eyes slowly became half-lidded, his lips weren’t pursed in a thin line anymore. His whole body was getting more and more soft, limp, even. The blue hedgehog couldn’t help but feel the purr in his chest get somehow louder with the pride of making his partner relax.

No.

No, Shadow wasn’t his partner, what? What was he even thinking, is he okay? Maybe he has a fever that makes him hallucinate or something, because there’s absolutely no way he just thought that. Nuh uh.

While Shadow seemed completely at peace now (as much as the always aware of his surroundings, wary of people around him, hedgehog could be considered to feel at peace), Sonic’s own body tensed just slightly. Not wanting to alarm the ebony hedgehog, in case he could actually feel the other stiffen beside him, he took a breath deep, then exhaled, trying to calm himself down.

This is fine.

Was Rouge right all along? Did he… like Shadow? Like that?

Now that Sonic thought about it, he might’ve been a bit of an idiot to not notice it earlier.

He knew Shadow was attractive. He would’ve had to be blind to not that, come on – him and his handsome face, the red, piercing eyes, the slim, yet such strong body–

Okay, yeah, that made sense.

But wasn’t it obvious that Shadow was conventionally attractive? It was! Everyone could probably say as much, well, if they weren’t afraid of the black hedgehog, at least.

Still. Not only did Sonic find him attractive, he also found him beautiful. Gorgeous. Breathtaking.

His mind supplied him with the memory of one of their times spent together on top of their hill. He couldn’t forget the exact moment he called Shadow beautiful in his head, the way the golden hour made him look even more gorgeous than he usually was so effortlessly.

And it wasn’t just his looks – Sonic knew how much he liked Shadow for his personality, too. The way he was such a gentle soul under all this broodiness, the way he started joking around Sonic after they spent so much time together. It was still a new thing for the blue blur, though. Each time the Ultimate Lifeform could say anything close to an actual joke, in that sarcastic, gravelly voice of his, it took Sonic a good moment to realize he was, in fact, attempting to crack a joke, before erupting in laughter.

And, if Omega wasn't lying, he was... supposedly. Possessive. Which was, if Sonic were being honest, hot as hell. If only Shadow could be possessive of him, though--

Sonic hadn’t realized the way his own body eventually relaxed against Shadow’s fur, not before it was too late.

Sonic felt his head fall on the ebony hedgehog’s arm before he could stop himself. A quiet gasp tore itself from his own throat, as he waited for a reaction.

Which didn’t come.

Shadow, once again, tensed under the touch. But only for a few seconds. After that, his body relaxed again, and Sonic heard a quiet huff come from beside him.

To say Sonic felt like he might’ve been the luckiest hedgehog on Mobius was an understatement. He actually couldn’t believe how his rival let it slide, but he obviously wasn’t one to complain.

A strong scent hit his nose as he settled in his place. Sonic caught a whiff of… was that lavender?

Lavender, mixed with coffee beans, Sonic decided. Yeah, that made a lot of sense, actually. Maybe not lavender itself, but Shadow’s favorite snack? Absolutely.

There was something strong, sharp about the scent– pretty much like Shadow himself, really. Sonic couldn’t help but smile lazily at the realization, his low purr and the clicking sounds continuing to erupt from his body.

Sonic watched another star fall from the sky, accompanied by a series of ‘’ooh’s’’ and ‘’aah’s’’ from the rest of his friends. Not Shadow, though - the ebony hedgehog seemed entirely hypnotized by the sight above him in complete silence.

And as Sonic focused his gaze on the hedgehog next to him, watching the night sky, he decided that maybe, just maybe, liking Shadow wasn’t such a terrible thing.

Chapter Text

Okay, so it seemed as Sonic was wrong. Liking Shadow was, in fact, a terrible thing.

And it wasn’t Sonic’s fault, either! Well, not entirely, because even if he wanted to, he couldn’t blame it all on Shadow. The feelings he felt towards his rival were technically easy – adoring the ebony hedgehog couldn’t be hard after getting to know him, really. He was strong, passionate, intelligent. Handsome, too – the whole package, right?

The problem was what Sonic was going to do about his feelings. And, well, he wasn’t going to do much.

Sure, Shadow let him pretty much nuzzle him the few nights before, but how could Sonic interpret in any other way than just the Ultimate Lifeform finally opening up after all this time? Just because he didn’t flinch, or push Sonic away, didn’t mean he felt anything even remotely close to what the blue hedgehog did.

Plus, they didn’t talk about what happened. Like, at all – Sonic knew he wanted to talk about it, he really did, but. Well, he wasn’t even sure what to say, to be honest. Hey, Shadow, it was really nice of you to let me lean against you! Do you wanna kiss? Come on!

But even though whatever had happened between the two hedgehogs during the meteor shower was left unsaid, Sonic couldn’t bring himself to complain too much about it. The more he thought about it, the more glad he was that Shadow didn’t say a word. Because even though he didn’t seem to have felt what Sonic has, it didn’t change anything between them. Neither for the better, but nor for the worst. And the blue hedgehog felt obliged to appreciate that.

Still, his internal conflict got… worse, to put it lightly, after their little bonding moment under the night sky. With the realization of his true feelings, came doubts, lots of inner monologues, arguments with himself, and. Well. Subjectively, the worst of all – fantasies. Sonic felt a shiver run down his spine at the mere thought of the way he started looking looking at Shadow just the tiniest bit differently now – the way he thought about holding the other hedgehog’s gloved paw while they sat in their usual spot at the top of the hill together, or how bad he wanted to wipe the smirk off of Shadow’s face with a kiss, after he won one of their races . It was terrifying! Sonic hadn’t felt that way about anyone, until now, now that he thought about it.

So excuse him, if he was genuinely concerned with the way he was feeling now! It was a new feeling to him, after all, and it just so happened to be aimed at his rival. And while part of him wanted to be happy, because, hey, he had a real crush! Liking someone was thrilling, the excitement of seeing them, feeling the warmth while talking to them, it was all pretty awesome. There was still the other part of him, though, that made him feel pretty miserable about the whole thing. The part that made him notice all the negative aspects of his newfound attraction to the ebony hedgehog – it was still Shadow, Shadow, who didn’t feel the same.

But, a tiny voice in his head argued, maybe you could get Shadow to like you?

Oh.

Wait, maybe he could! Sonic wasn’t all that bad looking, if he was being honest – and, noting how many admirers he’s had at this point, he was probably underestimating himself. At the same time though, said admirers were mostly just, well, fans. Girls who liked him for saving the city all the time. They didn’t like the real him, since they never got to know him. That didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t ugly, though, right?

Sonic looked in the mirror in his room, his tongue sticking out as his focus remained on the messy azure quills on his head. He had already used some gel on them this morning, trying to tame them at least a little, but that didn’t really do much. While they stopped sticking in completely different directions, Sonic knew they still looked pretty wild. The blue hedgehog shrugged, opting for just leaving them this way – it wasn’t like Shadow didn’t know what he looked like.

It wasn’t about Shadow, of course, Sonic wasn’t just taking care of himself for the Ultimate Lifeform, he wasn’t that pathetic, come on– oh, who was he kidding. Sonic sighed in defeat looking into the mirror with a frown before stepping away from it to jump in his hammock with a loud huff.

’’Sonic, are you ready?’’ Tails’ voice reached Sonic’s ears, making them twitch at the sudden sound, while he still lay inside of his hammock, before grunting out an incomprehensible response, muted by the fabric of his hanging bed.

Because he was left without a response himself, Sonic got up from his previous position to answer his best friend with actual words, but before he could say anything, the door swung open, revealing Tails with his hands on his hips.

’’Are you?’’ Tails asked, looking at his brother, very much not ready.

’’I’m getting there, Tails’’ Sonic sighed, getting up from his hammock and going back to his mirror with a small frown.

While most of his friend group had been aware of his feelings towards his rival before he found out about them himself, he didn’t tell them about the realization he had. Sure, they liked teasing him about Shadow, – especially Rouge – but were they aware of how true their jokes had been? Or were they, in fact, only kidding?

And if, after all, they were just teasing Sonic, how would they react if he told them that they were right? Sonic shivered at the thought, trying to get rid of the image of Rouge’s smirk out of his head as soon as it appeared there.

In conclusion – they had no idea about the inner turmoil Sonic had been experiencing ever since the meteor shower.

So Tails had no idea why Sonic was so mad about his quills sticking out, even though he’d already brushed and gelled them several times today.

’’You look fine, Sonic’’ Tails said, looking at his best friend with concern, though his consolation sounded more like a question. Sonic’s frown deepened at the questioning tone of the fox’s voice.

’’Ugh, no I, don’t! My quills are all sticking out!’’ Sonic moaned, grabbing his brush and trying to get them to stay in place, earning a sigh from his little brother.

’’You’re so dramatic’’ Tails snorted, making Sonic glare at him from the mirror’s reflection. ‘’You look the same as always! What are you even trying to do?’’

Sonic groaned. That was the problem!

’’I don’t wanna look the same as I always do’’ the blue hedgehog muttered under his breath, still waiting for the brush to magically tame his quills.

’’It’s just Rouge’s birthday, dude’’ Tails retorted, still not quite sure what to make of Sonic’s oddly gloomy mood. ‘’You look good, come on’’

Getting no response from the hedgehog, Tails’ head tilted to the side, as he watched his best friend carefully.

Sonic could pinpoint the exact moment an idea had popped in Tails’ mind, as a grin slowly formed on his muzzle, making Sonic groan louder this time. Before he could say anything, knowing well what Tails was getting on, the kit spoke up in a teasing voice.

’’Oh. Oh–’’ the fox started, both of his tails swinging in the air lightly, as if he was trying not to burst out laughing. ‘’I think I know why you wanna look better than usual, Sonic’’

’’Tails–’’

’’You see Amy everyday, though. How is tonight’s party any different?’’ Tails asked, tilting his head with his gloved hand, deep in thought.

Wait.

’’...Amy’’ Sonic echoed, his tone flat. Tails nodded.

’’Well, yeah?’’ Tails responded with a flicker of uncertainty in his voice. There was a beat of silence, and Sonic’s lidded eyes found Tails’ in the mirror’s reflection. The fox’s eyes widened. Bingo. ‘’Oh.’’

’’Yeah, oh’’ Sonic grumbled, not giving his quills even a second of peace, before sticking one of his paws in his gel and dropping a handful on his head.

The blue hedgehog didn’t register his best friend’s footsteps, too engaged in taking care (more like absolutely torturing) of his azure quills. He looked in the mirror and gasped, seeing Tails right behind him with a reassuring smile.

’’Sonic, it’s okay– I mean, everyone kinda knew, right?’’ Tails explained, putting one of his hands on his best friend’s arm, earning himself a disappointed groan in response. ‘’Well, okay, I kinda thought we were just joking, but– but it doesn’t change anything, right?’’

’’It changes everything, Tails’’ Sonic muttered under his breath, finally leaving his quills in peace (but not feeling quite satisfied with the state they were in). The hedgehog turned around to face his little brother. ‘’I like Shadow, dude! And I had no idea until the meteor shower–’’

’’You didn’t know?’’ Tails interrupted, a snort escaping him. Sonic rolled his eyes, clearly not as amused with the revelation as his best friend.

’’No, Tails, I didn’t know’’ Sonic grunted, crossing his arms on his chest, huffing in desperation. ‘’I was kinda busy, you know, saving Green Hills, and all that. No time for romance, or whatever’’

Tails eyes dropped to the floor as the fox shook his head with a quiet chuckle.

’’Sure, okay’’ he finally answered, locking eyes with his older brother after a few more moments of quietly laughing at the other. ‘’Good for you, though. For finally realizing.’’

’’It’s so not good for me, though’’ Sonic moaned, turning once again to face the mirror again and frown at his quills. ‘’He doesn’t like me back. So it’s pointless. Whatever’’

’’How do you know that?’’ Tails asked with a flick of his namesakes. ‘’I mean, have you talked to him about it?’’

’’What do you think’’ Sonic grumbled, but upon seeing Tails’ small sympathetic smile, he sighed, trying to remain calm. ‘’Sorry. No, I haven’t. Come on, he’d run away, or punch me, or something’’

Tails laughed loudly at that, making Sonic smile despite the whole situation.

’’Okay, yeah, you have a point– still, though. You can’t be sure how he feels, I mean, it’s not like he told you he doesn’t reciprocate your feelings, right?’’ Tails asked, and getting a slow nod in response, continued. ‘’Yeah! And let’s be honest here – Shadow isn’t all that easy to read. You can’t really assume anything, if he hasn’t told you directly, I think.’’

Sonic thought about it. Well, maybe Tails wasn’t wrong – Shadow was really hard to understand, and even though Sonic had gotten better at reading him, he still wasn’t an expert. Shadow kept a whole lot to himself, didn’t like sharing his thoughts too much.

’’...I guess’’ Sonic finally responded, fiddling with the brush in his gloved hands. He looked up to see Tails nod at him with a reassuring smile.

’’Get ready, drama queen. We’re leaving in a few minutes’’ Tails said, turning on his heel and walking towards the door. Sonic looked into the mirror, still wondering what more he could about the mess on his head, while having only minutes before leaving.

The hedgehog assumed Tails had already left his room, until he heard the teasing tone again, making him jump slightly.

’’You look fine, Sonic’’ the fox insisted with an eye roll, before closing the door behind him. Sonic sighed.

So, Rouge’s party, huh.

She decided to throw her birthday at her own club, right under the apartment she shared with Shadow. Sonic was, obviously, invited, him and the whole team. While he knew Rouge must’ve invited Shadow, the blue blur couldn’t have been certain that the other would show up, since he knew how much the ebony hedgehog disliked any social events, at least not until he asked. So he did, once they saw each other on their weekly race, and, surprisingly – Shadow was coming.

Okay, maybe not so surprisingly – Rouge was Shadow’s friend, if not best friend, so Sonic could’ve predicted she’d make him go either way. Didn’t mean Shadow was happy about it, though.

What made it even worse for him, was the fact that Rouge had invited way more people than just their usual group. While it didn’t come off as a surprise to Sonic, he got why Shadow wasn’t too happy about it. But it was Rouge’s birthday, and she made friends easily, quickly charming most of Green Hills, so obviously the club was going to be a bit crowded tonight.

Sonic wasn’t bothered about it. He liked people, he liked interacting with them, whether he knew them or not. And, besides, his plan was to spend most of the night with his own friend group, anyway.

Which included Shadow now.

You got that right, Shadow had become sort-of-kind-of part of Team Sonic! And while the blue hedgehog knew Shadow would never in a million years admit it (mostly because of the name of the group, the black hedgehog still laughed at it), Sonic appreciated how he became part of them.

After the meteor shower, basically the first time Team Sonic and not only two thirds of Team Dark, but also Shadow, hung out together, it was… easier. At least that’s what Sonic thought.

But, honestly, he wasn’t too far from the truth. Shadow wouldn’t admit it, but he didn’t have a horrible time during their stargazing – while he was very much uncomfortable at first, with Sonic’s help, he relaxed a bit. And noted how the rest of the group didn’t make him feel unwanted.

Not only not unwanted, though. After the group decided to eventually head back to their homes, they began talking to Shadow. Which, quite frankly, surprised Sonic. He was pretty sure that while his friends had a pretty neutral approach to the anti-hero, they wouldn’t exactly jump into a conversation with him. Well, they really proved him wrong.

Rouge and Omega were, expectedly, the first ones to come up to Shadow and start chatting with him, the bat teasing him about his paperwork, earning a quiet groan. But, right after that, Amy came up to him, too – asking about said paperwork, as if trying to make small talk. So did Sticks, trying to get him to admit that most of their issues had been the government’s fault (since he worked with G.U.N., he probably knew a lot, maybe almost as much as she did, Sticks explained). Eventually the whole group kind of circled Shadow, Rouge, and Omega, engaging them in a conversation.

Sonic watched it all with wide eyes, not sure how they had managed to not only seem friendly towards his rival, but also get him to actually talk. While Shadow had begun looking overwhelmed after a while of their chat, Sonic knew he, deep down, appreciated them trying to start a conversation.

Well, at least he thought so.

That was until Shadow had asked him about his friends’ motives, as he called them. Sonic shot him an unimpressed look, before a flat ‘’what’’ escaped his mouth. Shadow rolled his eyes, as if his doubts were very much valid.

Only after Sonic explained to him that his friends had no ulterior motives, they were just being friendly, because that’s what friends do, Shadow, had the black hedgehog nodded, still deep in thought, as if actually considering his explanation. Sonic couldn’t tell if he managed to fully convince him, though.

So, tonight! Sonic, despite doubting if the way his quills looked satisfied him, was pretty excited for the party.

He was going to have fun, hang out with his friends, have some drinks. And maybe, just maybe, spend some quality time with Shadow.

Just because Shadow didn’t like him back, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to ever, right?

’’Where are you guys?’’

Amy’s irritated voice came from Sonic’s communicator, though there was no reason for the pink hedgehog to get annoyed – the best friends were already standing right before Rouges’ club. Amy didn’t know it, though.

’’Right–’’ Sonic started, speaking into the device, before sprinting inside (and grabbing Tails’ wrist to take the fox with him), standing before Amy with hands on his hips in a sassy demeanor, in a split second. ‘’ –here!’’

Amy shouted in shock, her green eyes widened comically at Sonic’s sudden entrance, before her bewilderment shifted into something more of a slight frown.

’’Sonic!’’ she growled, looking at him with her narrowed eyes, making the blue hedgehog bat his eyelashes exaggeratedly. Amy sighed, calming herself down. ‘’I’m glad you’re here. You guys are late, though’’

Tails glared at Sonic, massaging his wrist Sonic had grabbed roughly. ‘’Yeah, yeah. Sonic was busy getting all pretty for tonight.’’

’’Hey!’’ Sonic gasped, looking at Tails in shock, which only made the fox shrug his arms nonchalantly. The blue hedgehog felt Amy’s gaze on him, as if she was examining him.

Sonic turned on his heel, looking Amy in the eyes and raising his eyebrows flirtatiously, and immediately making her muzzle flush.

’’Well, do I look all pretty, Ames?’’ Sonic asked, amusement audible in his voice. He was obviously joking, but as he noticed the pink hedgehog eye him even more closely now, he realized she wasn’t very aware of his intentions. ‘’Amy. I’m kidding. And Tails is lying. I didn’t do anything to myself, come on, we all know I look good without trying’’

Sonic heard a huff of laughter from behind him and felt a frown make its way onto his muzzle because of the fox’s reaction. Amy, however, raised one of her eyebrows at him. Sonic noticed the blush disappeared from her face.

’’I can tell you tried brushing or gelling your quills. Or both’’ Amy added after a beat of silence, still examining the hedgehog before her. Sonic, for a change, felt his own muzzle heat up at the – not so wrong – suggestion.

’’Pfft– and if I did, so what? It’s Rouge’s birthday, I’ve gotta look good for her, right?’’ Sonic tried turning it into a joke, crossing his arms on his chest, suddenly feeling very exposed.

’’I wouldn’t try anything with Rouge, if I were you’’ Amy finally remarked, putting one of her hands on her hips. Before Sonic could roll his eyes, or a thought could cross his mind that maybe Amy was thinking Sonic was, Chaos forbid, going to cheat on her (though, they very obviously weren’t together), Amy continued, her eyes following someone behind him. ‘’You know, Knuckles is here tonight, too’’

Sonic snorted at that, and started laughing even harder upon seeing Amy’s smirk. How could he forget about Knuckles’ crush on Rouge?

The two have been dancing around each other for a while now, Rouge teasing the echidna whenever she got the chance, leading him on, and so on, and so on. Sonic knew Knuckles’ feelings weren’t unrequited, though – Amy had told him enough on one of their little tea parties, and, as far as Sonic was aware, the bat wasn’t just toying with Knuckles. As Amy explained, though, she wanted him to ‘’come to her first’’, or whatever. But, while the pink hedgehog seemed to undoubtedly understand and support Rouge in whatever her scheme was, Sonic couldn’t really get the idea of making the echidna chase her. They both liked each other, so what were they waiting for?

’’Right, right, my bad. I’d never do that to Knuckles’’ Sonic promised, still trying to calm himself down from the sudden burst of laughter that had erupted from his chest. Amy smiled at that, chuckling under her breath.

’’Speaking of, where’s the birthday girl?’’ Tails’ voice came from behind the two hedgehogs, the neatly packed gift from him and Sonic in his gloved paws. Amy looked around, before her lips turned into an ‘’o’’ as she gestured to someplace on the right from them.

’’Come on, let’s give it to her’’ Sonic urged, patting his best friend on the back, the two making their way towards the spot Amy had shown them. As expected, the bat was right there, a gorgeous, maroon dress on her body, though the two could only watch her back as she talked to someone.

’’Rouge! Happy birthday!’’ Tails announced, raising the package in his hands in the air, making the bat turn around to face them, a grin spreading across her face. She came up to the two, and ruffled the fox’s fur in greeting. Before she could do the same to his hedgehog best friend, the blue blur had ducked swiftly from her gloved hand with a smirk.

’’No, nope, I’ve worked too hard on this’’ he muttered to himself, imagining the mess that could form from his quills if only Rouge had ruthlessly ruffled them. The bat seemed taken aback by the sudden duck, but still smirked at him.

’’Oh, Sonic, afraid I’ll ruin your pretty fur?’’ she mocked, putting her gloved hands on her hips, gazing at him through half-lidded eyes. ‘’I can tell you did something to it. You look good’’

Before Sonic could answer the bat, a flicker of pride in his chest, she continued.

’’Too bad you didn’t doll yourself up for me, though’’ Rouge sighed. ‘’But I’m sure a certain someone will appreciate your efforts, too’’

Tails snickered, hiding his smirk with his hand, before handing the gift to Rouge. Sonic could only stare with his widened eyes full of disbelief.

’’You’re lucky it’s your birthday’’ Sonic muttered, before going in for a hug. The bat gently wrapped her arms around him, but as she nuzzled her cheek against him, he could feel the teasing smile on her face. Whatever. He was going to let her make fun of him, but only tonight.

’’I really am’’ Rouge sighed, ungluing herself from the blue hedgehog, and winking at him. ‘’Thank you for the gift, and for coming! Make yourself at home. Or, at club, you know the drill’’

Sonic shook his head slightly and laughed at that, putting one of his gloved hands on Tails’ back, leading his younger friend through the crowd. It took them some time, but eventually the two found their way through the crowd and spotted Amy sitting by the table with someone. Wait–

’’Silver!’’ Sonic exclaimed, waving his hand in the air, immediately drawing the white hedgehog’s by Amy’s side attention. Sonic’s friend waved at him, too, a huge grin plastered to his face.

Sonic quickly ran up to the table, taking Tails with him, the fox raising one of his paws in a greeting. Silver waved at him, too, before gesturing to someone sitting on his other side.

’’Guess who came along–’’

’’Blaze!’’

The violet cat smiled gently at Sonic, waving one of her paws at him.

Sonic had known the two for a long time now– though, since they lived in Crisis City, they didn’t see each other much. Not enough, definitely, because Sonic got really close with both Silver and Blaze. Fortunately, though, the two appeared on special occasions in Green Hills, such as birthdays.

’’It’s good to see you, Sonic’’ Blaze purred, her eyes closing in a warm smile. Sonic couldn’t help but return the gesture, flopping down on one of the table’s seats with Tails next to him.

’’Where’s– oh, nevermind’’ Sonic choked, watching Knuckles, standing a few meters away from them, talking to Rouge. Obviously. It was good to know he finally got the courage to talk to her, though. Or, Sonic at least could hope so, because Chaos knows what the two were actually talking about. Knuckles might’ve as well came up to her to ask her about the Chaos Emeralds, or anything remotely as stupid to talk to your crush about.

’’Yeah’’ Amy answered, taking a sip from her blue cocktail. Sonic watched the glittery liquid in his glass closely, making the pink hedgehog chuckle. ‘’You haven’t gotten yourself anything to drink yet? Come on’’

Sonic didn’t get a chance to answer her, before she grabbed one of his wrists gently, leading him towards the bar. The blue hedgehog could only shrug to Silver, turning around to walk with Amy.

’’What would you recommend?’’ Sonic asked. Amy hummed in response, lost in thought, searching through the menu, before pointing a finger to one of the drinks with a smirk.

’’Shadow bo– come on!’’ Sonic groaned, smacking his forehead with one of his gloved hands, a loud laugh coming from Amy’s side.

Shadow boxer? There was no way that was a real drink. What the hell–

’’I’m just messing with you, Sonic’’ Amy admitted, wiping the small tears of laughter from her eyes with a grin, making Sonic frown. ‘’I got the blue lagoon. It’s good. And has glitter!’’

Sonic huffed in amusement, before flipping through the whole menu in a search of something better than a glittery drink.

’’You like him, though, don’t you?’’

Sonic’s eyes snapped from the menu to watch Amy. She wasn’t looking at him, though. Her eyes were placed firmly on the whole wall of different beverages before them, a small smile on her face. She didn’t look upset, yet… there was some kind of nostalgic sadness in her.

’’Ames–’’

’’Sonic. It’s okay, I’m just asking’’ Amy turned her head around, locking eyes with the blue hedgehog. Despite the small flicker of sadness in her green orbits, a small sympathetic smile danced across her lips.

Sonic sighed deeply.

’’I… I think I do’’ he finally answered, focusing his gaze on the suddenly so interesting floor, too embarrassed to look Amy in the eyes.

’’I’m happy for you, Sonic’’ Amy’s gentle voice pulled him away from his racing thoughts in a second. ‘’And I’m happy for Shadow, for having someone like you love him’’

’’Woah, Ames, let’s not–’’

’’Sonic’’ Amy sighed, making Sonic’s ramble stop instantly. ‘’Maybe… maybe you haven’t realized it yet. And that’s okay, you’ve got time. But I’m serious when I say I’m happy for you. The tiniest bit jealous, too, maybe. But mostly– happy. I want what’s best for you, Sonic. You’re my friend.’’

Sonic’s jaw hung open at the sudden display of emotion. It wasn’t that unexpected, maybe, Amy was the kind of person to talk out all of her feelings– which, honestly, Sonic couldn’t help but admire. He wasn’t able to express his emotions even half as well as Amy. Still, the way she just…

’’Thank you, Ames’’ Sonic sighed, deciding against arguing over the fact that Amy had just said all that about his feelings towards Shadow. ‘’You’re my friend, too. And– and I love you, you know that?’’

Amy smiled gently at him, nodding.

’’I love you too, Sonic’’ she answered without a beat of hesitation.

’’What can I get you?’’ their little bonding moment got interrupted by the bartender’s voice, making them snap their eyes towards him.

’’The Shadow boxer’’ Sonic answered, a playful smirk on his lips, making Amy snort in amusement beside him.

After getting his drink handed to him in a few minutes, the two hedgehogs made their way towards their previous table, watching Silver talking animatedly about something to Tails, the fox nodding excitedly, while Blaze just watched the two of them with a small smile on her muzzle.

Three pairs of eyes snapped up, noticing the arrival of the two. Sonic eyed the whole table, before smirking.

’’Knuckles still isn’t back, huh?’’

Amy chuckled beside him, before taking her seat and taking a sip from her glittery drink with a smile.

’’Maybe someone stopped him’’ she answered in a playful tone, making both Sonic and Tails laugh, though Silver and Blaze only looked at each other with questioning glances.

’’Wait– Knuckles is flirting with Rouge?’’ Silver asked, his eyes widening. Sonic nodded, before taking a sip from his own drink. Bitter. Just like a certain someone–

’’You guys didn’t know?’’ Amy asked, her eyes darting between the cat and the white hedgehog. The two shrugged.

’’I guess you can… tell, now that I’m thinking about it’’ Blaze murmured under her breath, her tail flicking behind her, and her eyes locking on something in the crowd. Sonic turned around, noticing the cat was watching the echidna and– Rouge, still with him. The two seemed to be kind of lost in their own little world.

Good for them, Sonic thought, turning around again, to give the two some privacy (as much as one could give them privacy in a crowded club, after all).

The group of friends fell into a comfortable chat, the Crisis City residents talking about everything that’s happened since they had last been in Green Hills. Sonic could slowly feel himself getting detached from the conversation, though.

Where was Shadow?

He had to be somewhere, right? He promised Rouge to come, as far as Sonic was aware. Though, maybe he came for a few minutes, and had already left, feeling too overwhelmed with the crowd. Sonic wouldn’t be too surprised by that outcome, since he knew Shadow well enough to know he was able to just teleport somewhere else the second he felt uncomfortable. Still– he didn’t even say hi to Sonic.

’’Your friend’s here’’ Tails whispered in the blue hedgehog’s ear, making him snap his head up in a split second. He barely registered the way Tails snorted in amusement at his sudden reaction, too busy watching his surroundings, trying to get at least a glimpse of the black and red fur–

There he was!

Oh. He wasn’t alone.

Jet.

Sonic watched through half-lidded eyes, as the hawk leaned over Shadow– the two were, apparently, talking about something, the black hedgehog leaned against the wall, a small drink in his hand. Jet stood beside him, and Sonic watched his beak move while he was telling Shadow something.

The Ultimate Lifeform, oddly, didn’t look too bothered by the close proximity of the hawk next to him.

Sonic, on the other hand, felt bothered by that. For some reason.

He felt a flicker of an emotion inside his gut, and while he knew what said emotion could’ve been, he didn’t dare put a name to it. Nope, definitely not.

’’Sonic?’’ Amy’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, but his glare on Jet didn’t soften.

’’Uh, yeah? What’s up, Ames?’’ Sonic finally managed to tear his eyes away from the two, gazing at Amy with his, now, widened eyes.

’’Oh–’’ Amy started, turning around, to pinpoint exactly what took so much of Sonic’s attention just a few seconds ago. Before the blue hedgehog could react in any way, a small grin plastered itself on Amy’s muzzle, as she turned around to face him. Sonic groaned internally. ‘’I think I know what’s happening’’

This time, Sonic’s groan was very much external and audible.

’’What’s up?’’ Silver asked, looking around, not sure what exactly made Sonic zone out so badly. The blue hedgehog already opened his mouth to stop Amy, but before he could interfere, it was… Blaze who betrayed him.

’’He was looking at Shadow. And the green hawk’’ the cat explained between sips from her cocktails, making Amy chuckle in joy and Sonic groan in irritation.

’’Oh, Shadow’s here? I haven’t seen the guy in a long time!’’ Silver grinned, fully unaware of the internal monologue inside Sonic, who was already trying to think of an excuse. Thankfully, Silver was so very blissfully oblivious to Sonic’s inner conflict.

’’Maybe we should say hi?’’ Blaze murmured, her eyes back on the black hedgehog. Sonic barely noticed – but he did – the way Amy touched the violet cat’s paw under the table. Sonic’s eyes squinted suspiciously, before Blaze nodded to herself and smiled teasingly at Sonic. ‘’Maybe later. He seems busy’’

Sonic’s head turned slowly to face Amy, the pink hedgehog sipping her cocktail, pretending to be unaware of Sonic’s glare on him.

’’Sonic, why don’t you come up to him and say hi?’’ Amy asked innocently, watching the blue blur through half lidded eyes.

’’He seems rather busy right now–’’ Sonic started, but upon seeing the glare from Amy, he stopped and coughed into his fist. ‘’Uh. Yeah, I’ll go. To say hi’’

Sonic stood up from the table, feeling just the tiniest bit tipsy from the drink – judge him all you want, he was a light drinker! Not his fault his body wasn’t exactly good at handling alcohol.

He was tipsy enough for a dumb decision, though.

As Sonic walked towards his rival, Jet still glued at his side, he watched the two talk. Shadow, unfortunately, still didn’t seem exactly uncomfortable. Well, if he did, Jet would probably already be sent flying through the club with the power of Shadow’s fist.

Sonic chuckled at the thought involuntarily, drawing the black hedgehog’s attention with the sound. The tiniest quirk of lips appeared on Shadow’s muzzle at his sight, making Sonic’s muzzle heat up at the sight.

’’Shadow!’’ the blue hedgehog said with a grin on his face, finally walking up to his rival. ‘’Haven’t seen you yet. Enjoyin’ the party too much to bother with saying hi?’’

Sonic knew he was babbling. But what was the alcohol in his veins, if not the perfect excuse for talking nonsense?

Shadow didn’t seem to share his mindset, the faintest sign of a smile on his face now gone, replaced by a small frown and a raised eyebrow.

’’I haven’t seen you, either’’ Shadow explained, crossing his arms on his chest, looking the blue hedgehog up and down. As his red eyes trailed higher, to rest on his face, he noticed a flicker of… something, behind the ebony hedgehog’s eyes. ‘’You brushed your quills.’’

Sonic grinned as he felt one of his gloved paws come up to touch his work, feeling a sense of pride in his chest. Shadow noticed–

’’Hey, Sonic.’’ A different voice interrupted the blue blur, making his eyes snap to the green hawk. ‘’Long time no see, huh?’’

’’Jet!’’ Sonic nodded with a smirk. Jet’s smile faded instantly, replaced by a frown.

Shadow watched the exchange between the two Mobians unimpressed, sipping his drink, while eyeing them with boredom.

’’What d’you say for a little race, Hawk?’’

Sonic heard the words escape his mouth, before he could even think about them. Shit.

Jet raised one of his eyebrows at him, eyeing him suspiciously, before nodding with a smirk.

’’You’re on’’

Sonic had no idea what he was thinking, challenging Jet to a race.

But, before he knew it, the two of them were already outside, glaring at each other, standing on the line Sonic had hastily drawn in the ground with a stick, calling it ‘’their starting line’’.

They were supposed to race each other throughout the city, the finish line being Rouge’s Club again.

So excuse Sonic for not thinking straight – with both the tiniest bit of alcohol in his veins, and the image of Shadow next to Jet in his head, he wasn’t exactly able to rethink his decisions, okay? It just… happened, sort of.

All Sonic knew was that he had to race Jet, and he had to win.

And, since beating him in a race a long time ago, he knew Jet wouldn’t dare to back down. He was basically as competitive as Sonic, but also arrogant, so the blue hedgehog was pretty sure he wouldn’t turn down the offer.

Sonic stretched his legs, watching Jet do the same on the other side of their line. Sonic glared at the hawk– oh, he was so going to regret even coming up to Shadow tonight.

Sonic couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised by his own instincts taking over him. It was unusual for him, after all, as far as he was aware, he was pretty good at controlling himself, especially his Chaos damned animal instincts. Somehow, though, the way Jet had leaned down against Shadow, and how the black hedgehog didn’t even move–

How come Jet was able to do all that, while it took Sonic so much time to get Shadow to let him put a hand on his shoulder?

The blue hedgehog slightly slouched at that thought. Maybe Shadow didn’t like him. Okay, he didn’t, Sonic knew that, and was supposed to come to terms with it– still, there was still this stupid flicker of hope inside of him, begging him to believe that maybe, just maybe, Shadow would someday look at him as a potential partner, you know?

No, Sonic told himself, this is not the time for doubt. I need to race Jet, and I need to win.

The image of Shadow, a clicking sound coming from his throat, watching Sonic win, the small quirk of lips on his muzzle that Sonic learned to appreciate so much, appeared in his mind.

As impossible as that dream was, it was enough to make Sonic’s mindset change just enough to run.

’’Ready…’’ Jet started from beside him, already in a starting position. Sonic glared at him, matching his posture. ‘’Set…’’

’’Go!’’ the two of them exclaimed in the same exact moment, taking off, breaking into a sprint.

As they raced through the city, Sonic couldn’t help but notice that Jet had gotten better since their last race. Shit.

At least this race wasn’t going to be as aggressive as the ones Sonic was used to with Shadow, to black hedgehog constantly jumping, punching, kicking him to slow him down, even though the gestures were purely playful now.

That train of thought was quickly shut down by the hawk himself, the second he aimed a kick to one of Sonic’s legs, making the hedgehog wobble on his feet slightly. He shot a shocked glare at his rival.

’’Dude!’’ Sonic growled, speeding up, watching Jet outrun him just slightly, turning around to shoot him an arrogant smirk. Sonic glared at him, pushing his muscles to run even faster, as he watched the hawk jump on one of the building’s roofs, while Sonic still ran through the streets.

Oh, Sonic was so not letting him play dirty.

The blue blur jumped right after Jet, sprinting down the roof, watching as the hawk was already to jump in another one in a swift move. This was his chance.

Sonic felt his muscles tense under him, as he jumped with all the strength he could muster up, landing on Jet’s back, making the hawk yell with anger.

The two became a blur, rolling together on the building’s roof, while punching each other all the while. Sonic could feel a particularly strong punch to his muzzle, leaving a tingling sensation on his cheek. Sonic huffed out, before headbutting the hawk now underneath him.

The green bird groaned, before sending a punch into Sonic’s stomach, making the hedgehog roll off him with a sharp hiss through his teeth. Before Sonic could do anything, the hawk was on him again already, one of his fists clenched and aiming for the blue blur’s face again.

Sonic felt heat rise up in his gut.

Before Jet could land another hit, Sonic jumped, extending one of his legs to kick the hawk in the stomach. Jet groaned, taken aback by the sudden attack, as he shielded his stomach from Sonic, but the hit still managed to land, making the green bird screech.

’’Let’s race’’ Sonic groaned, looking at the hawk through half-lidded eyes. Before Jet could answer, Sonic was already jumping on another roof, speeding up and not waiting for a response. A few seconds after, he felt the presence of his rival right behind him.

’’Not a chance’’ Sonic muttered to himself under his breath, speeding up. He could feel his muscles tense, but he didn’t care – he told himself he was going to win. Therefore, there was no other choice for him, but to do just that.

A sudden hit to his back was enough to make him lose his balance, though. Sonic felt himself slip, landing on the edge of the roof they were currently on. They were so close to the finish line–

’’Jet!’’ Sonic hissed through his teeth, as he felt himself slip even further, almost falling off, the tiles under his shoes slippery. He watched as the hawk leaned over him, a sharp smirk on his beak.

’’Guess I’m winning this one’’ Jet panted, before leaving Sonic there and spriting off.

Sonic felt himself slip further.

He was going to fall off–

No. He was going to win, that’s what was going to happen.

With the rest of the strength he still possessed, Sonic pulled himself up, quickly navigated Jet, and curled into a ball.

And shot ahead.

He more heard than saw Jet’s bewilderment, a loud screech tearing the air as he practically flew past the hawk, landing gracefully on the finish line.

Sonic uncurled from the ball, stood up and watched as Jet ran up to him with a furious expression.

’’Looks like I won again, huh?’’ Sonic laughed, crossing his arms on his chest, feeling the heat of pride in his chase at Jet’s expression. The hawk’s feathers clenched into fists.

’’This isn’t over, hedgehog’’ Jet spat out, walking past the blue blur, but not without shoving him with his arm first. Sonic couldn’t even be too mad– he won.

As the blue hedgehog came back inside of the club, he quickly inspected his surroundings, looking for black and red fur. Where was he–

Amy’s hand waved in the air, urging him to join her. The blue hedgehog sighed, but eventually walked up to the table he was previously part of, only to–

’’Shadow!’’ Sonic gasped, feeling his tail wag behind him involuntarily. He watched as the other hedgehog eyed him suspiciously with a frown. ‘’I won!’’

A whole cacophony of groans erupted from the whole group. Except Shadow, though. The black hedgehog was still watching him warily. Sonic looked around, only to notice that Knuckles was back– with Rogue at his side, too! Silver, Blaze, Amy and Tails were sitting in their previous spots, while Rouge and Shadow sat next to them.

’’SONIC. DID YOU WIN THE RACE?’’

The blue blur turned around in a second, watching Omega come up to their table with five drinks in his huge metal hands. Sonic nodded at him, gloved hands on his hips, a prideful smirk on his muzzle.

’’I SUSPECTED YOU WOULD. THERE WAS A 93.421% CHANCE JET THE HAWK WOULD LOSE TO YOU.’’ Omega explained, setting the drinks down. Sonic felt a low laugh erupt from his chest.

’’Oh, Omega, I knew I could count on you!’’ Sonic nodded at the robot with a huge grin on his face.

The blue blur turned around, only for his eyes to immediately lock with Shadows’. The Ultimate Lifeform was watching him with a frown, still not saying anything. Sonic sighed.

’’Oh, Sonic! You did so good! You’re so fast!’’ Sonic exaggerated a high voice, still looking Shadow in the eyes. He expected an eyeroll, a snort, anything– Shadow was still glaring, though.

Before he could ask him what was up with him, he felt a gloved hand touch his forehead. Sonic froze in his place, watching as the ebony hedgehog stood up, still touching the same place with his paw.

Sonic knew he was blushing. There was no way he wasn’t with the giggle coming from both Blaze and Amy. Rouge was full on laughing at him.

But that didn’t matter, not at that moment– because then and there, there was Shadow, still touching his forehead, and even if it wasn’t much, if it wasn’t anything special itself… it was the first touch Shadow had initiated. Sonic couldn’t breathe.

He watched the ruby red eyes examine his face closely, as the paw on between his twitching ears brushed lower, to his muzzle. Okay, now, Sonic definitely wasn’t breathing.

Shadow was so, so gentle, while still glaring at him with those big eyes. His hand rested there, on Sonic’s cheek.

The blue blur’s reaction would’ve been a short, airy laugh, trying to ease the tension. Before he could do that, though, Shadow spoke up.

’’You’re an idiot’’

The mutter was accompanied by a shake of the head, before the corners of Shadow’s lips quirked up. Just slightly. But it was enough, Sonic decided, nuzzling into the gloved paw, still resting on his muzzle.

Their friends were watching them, Sonic was well aware of that. Still, he couldn’t unglue his eyes from Shadows’.

’’You’re hurt’’ Shadow murmured, breaking the silence that fell between the two. Sonic’s eyes widened – only then did he remember the few punches Jet managed to throw his way. ‘’Right here’’

Sonic felt the gentle hand brush against his cheek once again, making him realize what the other hedgehog really meant, a flush of embarrassment across his muzzle.

’’I won, though’’ Sonic grinned. Shadow frowned at him, already taking his paw off of Sonic’s face, but the blue blur stopped him, grabbing his gloved hand and placing it back on his muzzle.

The widened eyes, and the faintest blush on the other’s face was so, so worth it.

And if the two got an insane amount of teasing after their little exchange, it didn’t matter to Sonic. Because there was still hope that maybe someday– Shadow could feel the same way Sonic did.

And it would be so, so worth it.

Chapter Text

Aaand, they were back to not speaking about the tension between them.

Look, Sonic didn’t want to push the other hedgehog, okay? He knew the fact that Shadow had opened up to him wasn’t easy for his rival. And the affection the blue blur had been showering Shadow with – while Sonic was sort of glad the Ultimate Lifeform didn’t mention it, it was getting frustrating, in a way.

Because as much as he wanted to go slow, give Shadow his space, time, whatever the other needed (Sonic was so smitten, a voice peculiarly similar to Rouge’s echoed in his mind), Sonic still couldn’t just ignore his own feelings, building up in his chest whenever he got the chance to talk, or just see his rival. Friend. Crush. Whatever.

Rouge’s party had happened exactly two weeks ago, now.

And Shadow, despite the little show of affection he had displayed towards Sonic that night, didn’t mention it ever since. Or did anything remotely close, to show at least the tiniest bit of the fact, that something must’ve changed between the two.

They still spent time together, hung out. If Sonic really thought about it, perhaps they’ve seen each other a bit more than before. But mostly due to his own offers towards the ebony hedgehog, inviting the other for a race, a spar, anything. And while Shadow didn’t come up with more hang out ideas than before, he accepted Sonic’s.

So Sonic couldn’t help but wonder – maybe Shadow was oblivious to his intentions? Maybe, just maybe, he had no idea that the blue hedgehog had been, well, less or more intentionally, trying to woo him for some time now? Now that Sonic thought about it, it probably shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Shadow wasn’t, after all, your average hedgehog. He most likely had no idea about the not unusual courting rituals among Mobians, and, well– it’s not like he had the best image of what a casual friendship looked like, Sonic supposed, with him being friends with just the blue blur, Rouge and Omega.

That’s when his brilliant brain decided to finally speak up, bringing up a certain idea. What if Sonic got a bit more persistent? Showing Shadow that, hey, maybe being just friends wasn’t enough for him anymore. And, you know, maybe the Ultimate Lifeform could think about it, come up with a similar conclusion on his own?

Yeah. It wasn’t a terrible idea, Sonic decided.

Oh, he was so going to woo Shadow, like no one ever had before.

The chance to make his plan come to life came quicker than the blue hedgehog had expected. Although, at first, Sonic wasn’t exactly all too enthusiastic about the prospect. He was smitten, sure, yes, he was big enough to admit that (only to himself, though) – but just he was a certified nap enthusiast, just as much.

And the fact that his dream just got interrupted? Now, that was just rude.

While Sonic would rather not dwell on the blurry image still lingering in his mind, he couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down his spine at the memory of a pair of ruby red eyes, staring straight into his soul.

So the sudden sound of a received message, coming straight from his communicating device, placed right next to his – mind you, very sensitive – ears, wasn’t all together a nice way to be woken up. Especially, since not one, but two more messages came, right after!

Sonic grunted, wriggling inside of his hammock, trying to navigate his loud communicator with one of his ungloved paws, a yawn escaping his mouth. When he finally got ahold of it, opening one of his green eyes lazily, before he could even acknowledge the message he’d been sent, his gaze drifted to the time on the bright screen.

7.13 pm., the clock read.

Oh, Chaos save him.

Knowing fully well what messages he had most likely just received, based on the time, Sonic gulped, his throat suddenly oddly dry, before opening them.

From: Shads

7:12: Where are you, Hedgehog?

7:12: You’re late.

7:13: Again.

A groan tore from the blue blur’s throat, one of his bare paws coming up to cover his eyes in embarrassment.

He didn’t forget about the spar he was supposed to have with Shadow, okay? He didn’t! He just, well… didn’t exactly expect himself to fall asleep. Not for that long, at least!

Sonic narrowed his eyes, trying to remember what made him sleep for, huh, two hours? Oh, wait, right. He was with Knuckles, fighting none other than Eggman himself, and his bunch of Badniks. No, that was in the morning. Right after that, it was Tails who needed his help with some new experiments with the Tornado. Oh, and later, both Amy and Sticks called him to help the badger move her furniture in her hut (which Sonic was used to, really, since Sticks liked moving her stuff a whole lot, for some reason; confusing her enemies, she explained, which didn’t help Sonic understand it at all). The hero recalled walking Amy home after, too.

Okay, fine, maybe it was one of Sonic’s busier days. He was used to… well, doing pretty much nothing, besides running and collecting rings on his way, hanging out with his friends, and occasionally fighting Robotnik.

Still– as he tried recalling the very moment he laid in his hammock, wondering if maybe it was just the particular position he got in that made it so difficult to wake up, him being too comfortable and all, the image of a blurry pair of red eyes came back.

Sonic groaned, feeling his muzzle heat up just slightly, and, at the exact same time, remembering the reason why he woke up in first place.

He was supposed to meet the ebony hedgehog in their usual sparring spot – the beach. Sonic insisted on it, explaining how the sand made it even more difficult to move (it was a great weapon, too, Sonic noticed, throwing some grains in Shadow’s face, watching the Ultimate Lifeform struggle to see for a few seconds), so they could adapt their fighting styles to rougher terrains. And Shadow didn’t complain – not after throwing Sonic in the water, watching in amazement the blue blur’s lack of the ability to swim.

The first time it happened (like, a week ago) was a fun one. To Shadow, at least, because Sonic remembered being not only mad at the other hedgehog for, as he called it, seriously endangering his life during a play fight, but also very embarrassed.

Because while he struggled to even float on the water, keep himself from drowning, the Ultimate Lifeform proved his title true once again. The black hedgehog, after a few moments (a few moments too long, Sonic decided) of grinning wickedly at Sonic flapping around in the water hopelessly, dove into the water right next to him, splashing the blue hedgehog.

Sonic spluttered, obviously unamused at the sudden helplessness he’d found himself in, before he felt a pair of gloved hands wrap themselves around his waist.

And there it was – Shadow got just the tiniest bit more comfortable with physical touch since Rouge’s party, or so it seemed. It wasn’t like he got as touchy as Sonic was, definitely not. But it was a big change coming from Shadow, the way he didn’t hesitate to fist bump Sonic anymore, or how his gloved paws occasionally brushed against Sonics’, not making Shadow flinch anymore.

Sonic liked it. A lot.

Back to the story, though.

Not getting enough time to react, the blue hedgehog was roughly thrown out of the water, landing on the ground with a loud thump. Sonic groaned, messaging his head, which he somehow managed to hit with the sudden landing, and watched as Shadow emerged from the water with a smirk on his face.

Yeah, that sight alone made Sonic forget anything about being treated so roughly, instead opting for dwelling on the memory of Shadow’s hands on his body, fishing him out of the sea. The blue blur gulped, still watching his rival walk out of the water, feeling the warm sensation grow slowly on his muzzle.

So, yeah. Sonic guessed he could mark that memory as one of the more obvious signs of not feeling very platonic about Shadow.

The blue hedgehog snapped back to reality in a split second, trying to shake the image of his wet, proudly grinning rival out of his head. He decided to pointedly ignore the way he could feel himself smile lazily at the memory.

Right. Shadow. Their spar. Oh, Chaos–

Sonic shot up, making his hammock swing wildly, before the blue blur was nothing more but a, well– a blue blur. The hedgehog sprinted through his room before running towards the front door.

’’Sonic–’’

The azure hedgehog stopped the exact moment his little brother’s voice reached his ears, making them twitch. Sonic turned around, trying to locate the fox– oh, he was just standing there. Sonic’s foot tapped on the ground in impatience, as he watched his friend’s eyes widen.

’’What’s up, Tails? Make it quick, though, please, I’m already late, Shadow is so gonna kill me–’’

’’Oh, I didn’t know you had a date’’ Tails teased with a playful eye roll, his namesakes flicking behind him in amusement. Sonic groaned.

’’We literally spar all the time, what makes you think today’s a date?’’ Sonic asked with a frown, crossing his arms on his chest with a huff, his foot still tapping with an impressive speed. Tails was about to make a smartass remark, like he usually did, before noticing Sonic’s bouncing leg and snorting in amusement.

’’Okay, yeah, go. Or Shadow will be mad–’’ Tails muttered in a playful tone, already heading back to his workshop. Before Sonic could come up with an answer, the fox was already gone, and, as the blue blur noticed, looking at his communicator, it was 7:20 now.

Oh, Chaos save him, Shadow was going to skin him alive, Sonic thought, remembering how much the ebony hedgehog hated being late. He was always on time, though, even more, he was even earlier than that.

Yeah, Sonic was fucked.

The blue hedgehog broke into a run, arriving at the beach after not more than two minutes. He took a deep breath, looking around, ready to take responsibility and get yelled at, or punched, or anything Shadow was about to do to him, really–

But, as Sonic realized after a few seconds, the beach was empty.

The sun was already setting somewhat; since it was late spring already, the days lasted longer, allowing everyone to hang out outside more. Not that sitting in the dark was a problem for Sonic, though, he was a hedgehog after all. Still, he enjoyed both spring and summer, the seasons that allowed him to spend more time outside with his friends.

The blue blur watched the golden spot hang above the line of the sea, his ears twitching nervously, trying to register, catch a familiar sound, dictating that Shadow was, in fact, still there, and was going to jump and kick his ass any time now–

But the black hedgehog wasn’t there. Sonic could tell that much after a few more seconds of turning in different directions, smelling the salty air and waiting for a sign of his rival’s presence. There was none.

Sonic could feel his ears flatten against his head in disappointment. Well, it’s not like he could blame Shadow for leaving, not entirely. Sonic was supposed to get there, like, half an hour ago already. The ebony hedgehog probably had better stuff to do than to just wait for his rival to show up and beat the crap out of him (with – not so – friendly affection, of course).

The blue blur sighed, one of his gloved paws coming up to his quills, brushing through them in a calming manner. Okay, Shadow wasn’t here anymore. Sonic needed to message him. No, call him.

But Shadow didn’t pick up. Not his first, or fourth call.

’’Oh, come on’’ Sonic muttered under his breath, a flicker of irritation in his voice as he turned his communicator off after yet another failed attempt to contact the other hedgehog.

Look– he didn’t want to seem desperate. He really didn’t. But there was only so much he could do, when he was supposed to meet his friend (crush, technically, making his desperation the tiniest bit more reasonable), who was now completely ignoring him! He knew he might’ve been dramatic, but the sudden ghosting Shadow treated him with… it was. Worrying, kind of.

Because Sonic knew Shadow well enough to know that when the ebony hedgehog was really mad, not only did he tend to throw punches left and right, but he was dead silent, too. His snarky remarks and insults were aimed at Sonic when he was only mildly annoyed. When Shadow was actually angry, he was quiet, calculating, precise.

And Sonic could only guess that’s how Shadow was right now.

Or, he could’ve been ignoring Sonic to mess with him. Yeah, that was a possibility, too, now that he was thinking about it.

So, deciding to look for the missing hedgehog himself, Sonic broke into a run once again, feeling the grains of sand fly in the air behind him with the impact of his sprint. The blue blur headed towards the city – he wasn’t sure why, but maybe, just maybe, Shadow was still there, on his way to his apartment.

After a few good minutes of searching the city, though, Sonic knew that wasn’t the case, as the streets were slowly emptying, Mobians leaving to return to their houses due to the sun setting already. And no black and red quills in sight. Shadow must’ve arrived home already, right?

‘’He left, like, half an hour ago. Wait, no. An hour ago already, maybe’’ Rouge decided, taking her chin between her gloved fingers, deep in thought. ‘’Wasn’t he going to see you, though?’’

Sonic sighed, stepping from one foot to another, trying not to show just how much disappointment he was feeling after not finding Shadow in his own apartment. Rouge answered the door, and as soon as they swung open, she was greeted with a quickly panted out ‘’Is Shadow home?’’. The bat blinked once, twice, before smirking and muttering out a ‘’hello to you, too, Blue’’.

’’He was– I just, ugh, I took a nap and woke up late! When I got to our usual sparring spot, he wasn’t there. Just kinda assumed he went home, you know’’ Sonic explained, fiddling with his gloved fingers, not meeting Rouge’s eyes fully. He could still somehow feel the bat smirk teasingly.

’’Oh, I see’’ she nodded in a low voice, making the blue hedgehog’s eyes snap up to meet hers, the amusement behind hers unmissable. Sonic felt his ears flatten against his fur, and after a beat of silence she continued slowly, carefully choosing her next words. ‘’He was, hm, pretty pent up..., you could say, before leaving.’’

’’What do you mean?’’

’’I mean, he was in a very obviously bad mood before leaving’’ Rouge answered, raising one of her fingers in the air, before Sonic could interrupt her. ‘’Nuh uh, if he wants to tell you why, he will. What I’m saying is– I think he was hoping to see you. To, you know, make his bad mood go away, whatever’’

Sonic couldn’t help the faint blush against his muzzle, but still opted for frowning, hoping to distract the bat from his coloured cheeks with his narrowed eyes.

’’So… you’re saying he’s mad at me, because he wanted to see me, because he was feeling particularly gloomy? And I didn’t show up’’ Sonic asked slowly, raising one of his eyebrows. Rouge lips’ quirked up slightly.

’’Huh, maybe you’re not that dense, Blue’’ she noted, a flicker of irony in her voice, making the hedgehog groan. ‘’He likes you, Sonic. I can’t exactly speak for him, but as far as I’m aware, he does. And, you know, even silly ol’ me and my bottle of red wine wasn’t enough to make him brighten up today. He went to see you.’’

Sonic’s eyes widened at the sudden seriousness in Rouge’s voice, taking him slightly aback. The bat was looking at him through half-lidded eyes, but didn’t wait for a response.

’’Do what you want with that information. And find him, that’d be a good idea too, I think’’ the bat decided after a beat of silence, leaning against the door frame, still watching the blue hedgehog closely.

’’Right. Right, yeah, I will– thanks, Rouge’’ Sonic said, sending a laidback smile her way, even going as far as desperate to hide how much her words actually affected him.

The bat couldn’t be fooled, though.

’’Go, get ‘em, tiger!’’ she called out with a snort, before closing the door behind her. Sonic couldn’t suppress the groan that tore from his throat at the choice of wording.

As soon as Sonic left the building, the chaotic turmoil in his mind came back with full force. He looked up to the sky, noticing how dark it’s already gotten, the stars slowly appearing there, shining softly down on him.

Shadow liked him– and maybe it shouldn’t have been as surprising as it seemed to make him feel, but, you know. While Sonic was aware that the ebony hedgehog couldn’t hate him, since they spent an actual lot of time together now, Rouge saying that made something in his gut twist slightly. Not in a bad way, though. More like the metaphorical butterflies Amy mentioned sometimes, whenever he was talking about romantic, probably. Hm.

Yeah, that feeling seemed to fit her descriptions, now that Sonic was really thinking about it..

He was down bad. So what? Could anyone blame him, really?

Of course not, Sonic himself decided, nodding his head slowly, still deep in thought. Ugh, his inner monologues have been getting pretty monotone lately. It was like Shadow was a part of his average day, now, even if they didn’t see each other. He was just sort of… there.

And it wasn’t a bad thing. Well, at least wouldn’t be, if he knew that Shadow was feeling something at least vaguely similar to him, he supposed.

Yeah, no, he wasn’t good at the feelings stuff.

He was good at knowing Shadow, though. At least, he liked thinking so. That’s why the sudden idea of the ebony hedgehog’s whereabouts came to him the exact moment. Sonic didn’t dwell on it too much, allowing to trust his gut, and sprinted down the road, watching his destination appear closer every passing second.

And if when Sonic finally arrived at the top of their cliff, a stifled gasp erupted from his throat, he wasn’t going to blame himself.

Because not only was he right, but the black and red fur looked gorgeous in the moonlight, and so, so soft. Sonic could’ve been fooled, hadn’t he known how sharp Shadow actually was, his body all angular, pointy, even. The softness wasn’t a myth entirely, though – with the very few times Sonic got to feel the black and red fur under his own skin, he found out it was silky, smooth. The blue hedgehog could only wonder what it’d feel like under his bare paws, though, without the fabric of his gloves separating them.

Deciding to not let himself get carried away with his fantasies, Sonic heard his own voice echo through the night air.

’’Let’s spar’’

The only indicator that Shadow, in fact, heard him, was the slightest twitch of one of his black, furry ears, barely visible in the dark. But Sonic noticed.

He didn’t face the blue hedgehog, though. Sonic watched his rival, his silhouette still, unmoving.

Sonic felt himself being drawn to the ebony hedgehog, his steps making quiet thumping sounds in their wake, as he made his way through the grass. Shadow still didn’t move, but Sonic knew he could feel the other coming closer.

’’Shadow–’’ Sonic started, watching his rival’s ear twitch once more, the same way it did a few seconds ago upon hearing his first words since arriving there. The rest of his body remained stone still. ‘’I’m sorry, look, I overslept, I didn’t think you’d–’’

’’Stop’’

Sonic watched in bewilderment as the other hedgehog’s head hung slightly lower. He still wasn’t facing the blue blur, making Sonic unable to see his facial expression from behind him. From the tone of his raspy voice alone, though, he could tell he was… upset?

Okay, so maybe he didn’t take Rouge’s words as seriously as he should’ve. Wait, or maybe he did? And he took them too far, instead? What if Shadow wasn’t all that mad about Sonic not showing up, and he was just still worked up over whatever issues he’d had while he was home? Wouldn’t be too weird for him to want Sonic to shut up purely because he was in a sour mood, honestly.

’’Stop what, exactly?’’ Sonic asked carefully after a few moments, tilting his head to the side. His ear caught the quiet sound of Shadow’s sigh being let out, a deep sound.

’’Stop– pitying me.’’

Sonic wasn’t sure whether Rouge’s words mattered anymore, because what the hell was the blue hedgehog even talking about right now? He must’ve misheard him, right?

But Shadow didn’t say anything else. He just sat there… not waiting for a response, not exactly. But Sonic gave one anyway.

’’I’m not. What– dude, what do you mean?’’

Shadow still wasn’t facing him, making it even harder for Sonic to understand what the other could’ve meant. The blue blur sighed in exasperation, crossing his arms on his chest, unable to control the way his foot started tapping the ground quickly, one of his worst habits, showing how impatient he really was.

’’You’re busy. You don’t have to hang out with me all the time. I understand it’’ Shadow muttered under his breath, his voice low and raspy. Sounding more like he was convincing himself than Sonic, actually.

He was making less, and less sense with every word he was saying, Sonic decided, shaking his head.

’’Shadow– Shadow, look at me. Dude, come on’’ Sonic nudged the black hedgehog’s back with one of his gloved hands, crouching slightly behind his rival. Shadow… shuddered at the touch. Or was Sonic just imagining things? It wasn’t easy to tell, not with how pitch black it already was outside, making Shadow’s ink black fur even less noticeable against the darkness.

Finally, after a few more beats of silence, a pair of sharp, maroon eyes found his own, tearing an involuntary gasp from his lungs.

It was exactly like his dream– those gorgeous eyes, boring into him sharply, making him feel like Shadow was practically watching his soul. Like Shadow saw him. Not exactly in a comforting way– but it wasn’t bad, either.

Suddenly, a less blurry, more defined memory of his dream came back to him, hitting him like a brick– it was… it was this, the exact situation they were in right now. In his mind, Shadow was sitting on top of the cliff, too, boring his eyes into him with a burning emotion of… something. Sonic wasn’t sure what to name it. Or if he really wanted to.

Because sometimes, the truth made him afraid.

’’Hedgehog– Sonic’’ Shadow’s low voice started, making the blue hedgehog snap out of his memory in a split second, hearing the gravelly sound, the way his voice pronounced his name. It made him feel… bare, naked. ‘’I am being serious. I don’t want you pitying me, spending time with me, when you have… other things. To do.’’

Sonic couldn’t stop the groan from escaping his mouth, making the sitting hedgehog frown at him.

’’Shadow– did you really think I stood you up? I was napping, man, it’s not that serious–’’

’’It is, to me’’ Shadow blurted out, seemingly without thinking. Sonic came to that realization the moment the black hedgehog’s eyes widened, as if taken aback by his own words. The blue blur couldn’t help that small quirk of his lips that was already forming on his muzzle.

Now. That made Sonic realize some things.

Not only did Shadow just admit to appreciating their time spent together (not in those exact words, but Sonic decided to go for that exact interpretation), he was serious about it, too. It meant something to Shadow. And Sonic would be lying if he said he didn’t feel something twist deep inside of him, something warm, making him feel… good, actually.

It felt good to be important to someone.

Not that he thought he wasn’t, to his friends for example– he knew he was. They loved each other, he was well aware, it was just a fact of life.

Still. It was Shadow he was talking about right now. Shadow, his rival, the person who saved his life, someone who took a lot of time to open up, who was a broody loner on the outside, but so, so strong and caring on the inside.

Shadow, who was important to Sonic, too.

’’You’re staring.’’ Shadow interrupted his train of thought, a small growl to his voice, as if he was…, upset with being watched so closely. Sonic snorted, making the other hedgehog’s head tilt to the side in confusion, his narrowed eyes still sharp as ever.

’’Wanna spar?’’ Sonic asked, opting for the safest option to break the silence, before he could blurt out something sappy, or way too honest, earnest, for his liking. He was way too vulnerable, and even though he trusted Shadow – which he realized at that particular moment, as if it wasn’t very obvious to him before – he didn’t trust his feelings.

He was stupid for waiting for a response, though– the gloved fist was immediately aimed right into his face the second the words left his mouth. Sonic hasn’t been this thankful for his quick reflexes for some time now – he ducked in a split second, catching the fist, and throwing a punch in his rival’s direction himself, vaguely noticing the way the corner’s of Shadow’s lips turned up.

After a few more hits, kicks, even growls and hisses– Sonic heard a voice, deep inside of his head. As if coming from somewhere far in the back of his mind. Telling him exactly what he was supposed to do.

And, because Sonic might not have been too trusting to his feelings, his instincts were a whole different story. They were primal, they made him feel like he was doing the right thing.

So Sonic gave in.

Before he noticed, he wasn’t throwing punches in his rival’s direction anymore. While Shadow was still aiming his way, ready to hit him, Sonic was… doing something.

Something… hm. Different.

And Sonic knew, deep down, the, at first wide, then slowly more narrowed, tighter– circles he was drawing around Shadow weren’t accidental. Weren’t a new fighting strategy, either. He knew what it was, deep down.

Because his instincts weren’t telling him to fight Shadow, not anymore. They were telling him to woo, court him. And Sonic listened.

Circling around the other hedgehog seemed to throw the other off for a few seconds, his eyes following the blue blur in pure confusion, his head slightly tilted to the side. While his fists were still clenched, ready to throw a punch whenever, he stopped running, jumping, kicking. He was watching.

His scrunched nose gave away how he was probably mad at Sonic for just leaving their fight like that, though.

But that scrunched nose was something Sonic learned to adore, in a way.

And he couldn’t not feel a sense of pride in his chest. Not when he heard the huffs erupting from Shadow’s throat–

Before he knew it, huffing wasn’t the only sound Shadow was making. Soon, there was clicking, too, as the blue hedgehog watched his rival through half-lidded eyes.

He seemed… enraptured, if Sonic could call it that, watching the blue blur. His expression was focused, he was watching Sonic intensely. And that was the exact reaction Sonic was awaiting, something was telling him, the feeling of warmth inside his chest being an indicator of that, probably.

Was Shadow– was he giving in to his instincts? Was he finally realizing what Sonic had been doing the whole time?

’’What are you doing, Hedgehog’’ Shadow hissed through his sharp teeth, unyielding. The flicker of excitement in his voice, that Sonic somehow managed to catch, indicating he wasn’t mad, maybe. He was watching Sonic’s circles intensely, but his fists were still clenched.

Nevermind, then.

And Sonic wasn’t ready to give him a verbal answer to that question. It was way too embarrassing– especially since the blue hedgehog had actually firmly believed that Shadow would understand his intentions based on his movements, body language, instincts. Anything, but words–

Sonic didn’t forget that Shadow wasn’t a typical hedgehog. That he probably had very little to no idea about their species’ courting rituals.

Because he hoped the other would listen to his instincts, sparing the blue blur the need to explain his intentions with words.

Well. A hedgehog could dream.

’’I’m, uh–’’ Sonic started, still not stopping himself from running in circles, watching Shadow’s intense gaze on him. Before he could finish whatever he was going to say, though, a swift kick to his left shin made him immediately lose balance–

’’Your little distraction technique isn’t very effective’’ Shadow hissed, from somewhere above him. Sonic’s eyes shot open, not even realizing he had closed them, finally noticing the position they were in.

When Sonic lost his balance and fell, Shadow must’ve jumped him, as he was now sitting on top of the blue hedgehog, his eyes boring into the others’.

Huh. Wouldn’t be the first time they found themselves in such position.

Distraction technique, though–?

The blue hedgehog wanted to laugh. He did. But he couldn’t– not with the way his rival was watching him with so much intensity, Sonic felt like he wasn’t able to breathe anymore.

How did they get so close?

Sonic gulped, not daring to move.

Their muzzles were almost brushing now, way too close, and not close enough at the same time. Sonic wasn’t even sure anymore.

Because, at that moment, he couldn’t form one coherent thought, even if he really wanted to. Not with how piercing Shadow’s gaze was on him, making the blue hedgehog forget about everything else.

There was only Shadow.

The two seemed to find themselves in a trance. They were watching each other, their eyes locked together, the tension thick in the air between them. Sonic felt his throat dry at the closeness they found themselves in, as he searched for a similar feeling behind Shadow’s eyes, his breath hitched.

Maybe Shadow did give in to his instincts. Maybe it wasn’t a lost cause. Maybe Sonic was wrong about this. Maybe he could–

Before the blue hedgehog could finish the thought, something behind the ruby eyes shifted. Just slightly. But Sonic noticed.

Noticed the way Shadow’s face backed away from his, his breath now distant, not brushing his muzzle anymore. The excitement in his eyes seemed to be gone now, too. There was… pain, instead.

Pain?

’’I don’t– I don’t get you’’

The words came out as a rough whisper. They were quiet, but so, so painfully full of emotion. Feelings Sonic didn’t want to name.

Because he knew he was a coward, deep down.

Sonic could find a thousand of Badniks, or Eggman himself– Chaos, even his evil family from the other universe. Sonic could fight anyone, anything, head first diving into a fight, a trouble. He wasn’t afraid to sacrifice himself for the greater good, either.

When it came to feelings, however. Sonic was pathetically weak. Afraid.

The blue hedgehog gulped finally, his eyes searching for Shadows’, waiting for them to lock, to help him understand. But Shadow wasn’t looking at him anymore. His gaze was distant, too.

’’What… what do you mean?’’

The pain, or something remotely close to it, was gone now, Sonic noted. Shadow was just visibly… upset now. Whether the pained emotion he saw behind his rival’s eyes was real or not, the blue blur couldn’t be certain about anymore.

’’I thought– I was stupid’’ Shadow spat out, his voice still low, but Sonic couldn’t– wouldn’t– miss the way it trembled. ‘’I thought there might have been something. Something. But then you stand me up, your partner and you, and I–’’

Sonic’s eyes widened.

Shadow was anything but stupid.

There might have been something. Between them?

Partner?

Sonic felt one of his gloved hands raise. Before he could think whatever he was planning on doing through, his paw was found Shadow’s muzzle, his cheek, making the ebony hedgehog freeze in a split second, his lower lip… trembling.

Sonic used his hand to make Shadow’s face turn his way, searching for the other’s eyes.

Hoping.

But Sonic was a hopeful fool, if anything.

Two whispered words, a quiet snap, and the buzzing energy still in the air, even after everything went quiet.

Shadow was gone.

And Sonic was alone.

Laying on the grass, the sudden loss of the weight and warmth making his gut twist in an awful way. Only then did he fully realize the position they were in. Sonic missed it. Missed the warmth. Missed Shadow.

Because even if he couldn’t have been too far, not when Chaos Control teleporting, he felt more distant than he has in a long, long time.

What had Sonic done?

Not even five seconds passed, before the blue hedgehog was sitting up, a focused frown on his face, trying to stay calm despite the shake of his paws, as he touched his communicator, waiting for it to dial a certain number.

’’Rouge’’ Sonic hissed through his clenched teeth, speaking to the communicator he was holding in his gloved, still slightly shaking, hand. ‘’What the hell was Shadow mad about? Before leaving?’’

Sonic knew the bat heard him clear. He also knew she wanted Shadow to tell him himself whatever was bothering him.

But he wasn’t going to respect that wish anymore.

Not now. Not when he needed answers.

A quiet sigh came from the other side of the device.

’’Sonic, I’ve already told you–’’

’’Rouge’’ Sonic snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose with his gloved fingers, trying not to let his voice raise despite the anger bubbling inside of his chest. ‘’Why does Shadow think I have a Chaos damned partner?’’

Sonic was met with a beat of silence.

He waited.

’’I think–’’ Rouge started slowly, carefully choosing her next words. ‘’I think Shadow might be dumb enough to think Amy’s your girlfriend, Sonic.’’

It’s been a week since Sonic’s last seen Shadow, now.

He knew the ebony hedgehog had been avoiding him. And a small part of him, the hopeful one maybe, had a vague idea of the reason behind it, no matter how disappointed and weird, incomplete even, he felt without seeing Shadow for so long.

Sonic didn’t want to hope for too much. The disappointment would be way too much, he was aware of that.

He knew that, for Chaos’ sake.

Yet– an even smaller part of him wanted to hope, because what if Shadow really–

It wasn’t time for that now.

Sonic sighed, rolling inside of his hammock.

He couldn’t help but wonder, these nights. These sleepless nights, a whole week of them, to be specific.

Couldn’t help but wonder about Shadow.

He wasn’t able to just forget like that, obviously. Not since Rouge explained to him how, that particular day, she had mentioned to Shadow, that she saw Sonic walk Amy home.

’’What?’’ Sonic hissed, clutching the communicator in his hand. ‘’What the hell, Rouge–’’

’’Listen to me, Blue’’ Rouge interrupted with a hiss on her own, visibly upset. Sonic took a breath, trying not to snap at the bat right that moment. ‘’He asked me about you, earlier today. So I told him that I saw you with Amy, wherever– you two are friends. You know that. I know that. Apparently, Shadow doesn’t.’’

As it turned out, Rouge was just teasing Shadow. And she crossed a line, or so it seemed.

Because even though the bat knew Sonic only had eyes for the black hedgehog, Shadow didn’t.

His self sabotaging tendencies didn’t help, either.

And after adding two plus two, Sonic had the whole story. Or, at least he thought so.

Because, once again, he didn’t dare to hope. It was way too dangerous.

Still– if he happened to be right, it would mean Shadow–

The blue blur groaned, rubbing his sore eyes with his hands, trying to do something, anything, to stop the train of thought, and just go to sleep, because it was getting ridiculous, seriously.

Shadow was safe. Rouge had informed him he returned home a day after their little encounter, but he wasn’t going to see Sonic probably any time soon.

Sonic needed answers. But he had to wait for them. He had to wait for Shadow.

What if never came, though? Kept ignoring Sonic forever? Was he able to do that? Most likely, yeah. Shadow was an insanely stubborn individual. Way too stubborn for his own good, really.

All he could do for now, was try and clear his head.

Sonic yawned, getting out of his hammock with a groan, stretching his limbs. He felt like he was in a trance, as he barely registered the way he walked out of his room, opened the back door, and stepped outside, watching the night sky, shaking slightly from the night breeze that hugged his whole azure body the moment he wasn’t inside anymore.

Sonic was really lucky, living in such a beautiful place with Tails. The shore they lived next to was breathtaking, to say the least, even at night. Or maybe especially at night? Sonic couldn’t help but admire the glowing reflections of the stars in the see.

He smiled, despite himself, watching the glowing water.

Then, suddenly – quiet snap, the buzzing energy in the air, right next to him.

’’Let’s spar.’’

Chapter Text

’’Let’s spar.’’

Sonic whipped his head to the side, his ears twitching at the gravelly voice he knew so well and recognized immediately. His emerald green eyes widened as he watched the black hedgehog stretch his arms before him, not saying anything else. Just observing.

’’Shadow’’ Sonic gasped, one of his bare paws coming up to his muzzle, trying to remind himself he wasn’t dreaming. He was awake, it was late at night, and Shadow was here. He was here, in his backyard, after a week of the odd absence.

The other winced just slightly at Sonic’s tone, but said nothing else. Waited.

And Sonic wasn’t having that.

Because – and stay with him – Shadow kind of ghosted him, didn’t he? And over what, stuff that wasn’t even remotely true?

As much as Sonic learned to be patient with the other hedgehog, knowing he was a closed-off person, not able to open up easily, due to his turbulous life… he was mad. Angry. Because Shadow just left him like that, no words of explanation. Left Sonic hanging, unsure, for a whole week now. Over some stupid thing that his rival made up in his head.

Shadow had his own issues to deal with, Sonic got that. But didn’t he? The blue blur had feelings, too, after all.

Therefore, he couldn’t very well contain the flicker of anger in his voice, even if he wanted to.

Even if all he really wanted to do was nothing, but jump into Shadow’s arms, hug him tightly, feeling those strong arms around his waist, and, maybe, just maybe, cover his stupid muzzle with kisses.

Sonic decided to ignore that train of thought, opting for feeling anger. It was easier than admitting he still wanted Shadow close to him, after all.

’’Dude– what the hell?’’ Sonic growled, feeling his fists clench and teeth grit.

And if Sonic didn’t know better, he might’ve thought Shadow didn’t care about how mad he was, with the way his usual frown didn’t falter, his hands were still at his sides, ready for the stupid spar he was talking about.

But he did – he did know better, he knew Shadow. At least well enough to notice the raw feeling of guilt behind the other’s eyes, even if it appeared for a split second only, hard to decipher in the night’s darkness.

Sonic breathed in deeply, trying to compose himself, get rid of the wave of emotions. His eyes locked with Shadows’.

’’Let me get this straight,’’ Sonic started in a low voice, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation, looking the other, unmoving hedgehog, up and down. ‘’You disappeared, didn’t bother answering my calls, or even texts for a whole week. Over– ugh, that’s another thing we need to discuss. Anyway. You disappeared, and after seven days, you come here, in the middle of the night. And you want to fucking spar?’’

That seemed to finally get a reaction out of the black hedgehog. Even if it was just the smallest deepening of his frown, it was still a reaction, right?

’’...are we going to spar, or no?’’ Shadow asked in a low tone, titling his head to the side, seemingly suddenly uncertain about the situation they were in. Sonic took a sharp breath through his nose.

What?

’’Shadow!’’ Sonic growled, taking a few steps towards the ebony hedgehog, making his red eyes widen. He still didn’t move, though. ‘’You’re– ugh, you said you don’t get me, but right now, I’m the one who can’t seem to understand you!’’

Shadow’s eyes wandered, looking everywhere but into Sonics’. He seemed… uncertain. Insecure. Just a few moments ago he was frowning like usual, nothing new. Now, Sonic couldn’t help but feel like the other actually felt some kind of regret, or embarrassment.

’’Can we just– talk?’’ Sonic asked with desperation in his voice, trying to catch Shadow’s ruby eyes, but failing, as the other still seemed to be drilling a hole in the ground with his red orbs.

The ebony hedgehog huffed out a small sound, but didn’t say anything.

Instead of using his words, Shadow responded with a sudden punch to Sonic’s stomach.

’’Man– and here I thought we were over this’’ the blue hedgehog grunted to himself under his breath, rolling a few feet away with the impact of the hit. He looked up, watching Shadow still in his previous position, his fists clenched, observing Sonic.

Before the blue hedgehog could say anything else, Shadow was already charging at him with one of his gloved fists in front of the rest of his body, ready to throw another punch in Sonic's way.

The blue blur ducked quickly, but wobbled just slightly – yeah, the sleep deprivation was getting to him, slowly. He realized how tired he actually was with the way his usually pretty quick thinking was long gone now, his movements slowed down just a bit.

But Shadow didn’t know that, so he wasn’t aware that a spar wasn’t the best activity for Sonic to participate in at that moment – or maybe he did, and that’s why he wanted to fight. It would be a quick and easy win, after all.

’’Shadow, let’s not–’’ Sonic’s grunt was interrupted by the black hedgehog’s fist coming his way, directly towards his face. The blue blur could only groan and duck once again, before jumping a few feet away from his rival, still facing him.

Shadow growled under his breath, already running towards the other again, this time aiming for a kick in the other’s stomach. Sonic, not aware of his next move, wasn’t quick enough to dodge the hit this time, falling on his back with the strength of the black hedgehog’s leg.

Before Sonic knew it, Shadow was already on him (they seemed to get better at ending in this position, lately). Sonic watched as the Ultimate Lifeform bared his sharp fangs at him, his fist raised, ready to throw another punch, this time directly to Sonic’s muzzle.

’’Shadow–’’ Sonic cried out, catching the other’s fist just in time, before the hit could land. Shadow watched his gloved paw in Sonic’s bare one with another growling sound, his eyes travelling to Sonic’s face.

’’I’m not in the Chaos damned mood!’’ Sonic groaned, taking his chance while Shadow was still distracted with the other’s hand around his own. The blue hedgehog’s fist connected with Shadow’s face in a split second, earning himself a low groan from his rival on top of him.

Before Shadow could get him back, Sonic jumped to his feet, watching the other closely, waiting for another punch.

Which never came.

’’Fine’’

’’Fine?’’ Sonic hissed, walking up to his rival, feeling something deep inside his gut twist with fury. ‘’No, it’s not fine– Shadow, for Chaos’ sake, can we just talk?’’

The blue hedgehog watched Shadow cross his arms on his chest, finally abandoning his fighting stance. A quiet hmph left his throat, but he didn’t say anything else. Sonic sighed.

Better than nothing, he supposed.

’’Wanna come inside?’’ Sonic suggested, feeling a shiver run up his spine at the slight breeze of the night air against his fur.

’’No’’

’’Fine!’’ Sonic gritted through clenched teeth, mirroring Shadow’s pose, crossing his own arms on his chest. ‘’But we need to talk. I’m serious’’

’’That’s new.’’ Shadow muttered under his nose. A quiet sound, but Sonic’s ears twitched, catching it. The blue hedgehog frowned.

’’Ha ha, super funny’’ he growled, sitting on the sand, before waving his hand to instruct Shadow to do the same. He didn’t move at first, but after a few more beats of silence, the ebony hedgehog eventually lowered his body, landing on the sand with a huff.

Silence fell between the two – but it wasn’t the usual kind of silence, the comfortable one, in which they would sit and watch the sunset together. This one was awkward, which, honestly, Sonic wasn’t aware could be something he was even able to feel in Shadow’s presence anymore now.

The blue hedgehog watched his rival sitting in front of him with half-lidded eyes, trying to read what the other could be feeling, thinking about. It wasn’t too easy, as his black fur seemed to blend in with the night sky way too easily, leaving only a few dark red stripes on his body, matching his sharp eyes. The white tuft of fur on his chest was still visible, though, standing out from the rest of his dark fur.

Sonic sighed, fiddling with his paws, suddenly aware of how bare not only did he look, but also felt – gloves were, hm. Pretty much the only piece of clothing Mobians stuck to, and they did so very seriously, showing their paws to, well, nobody, except maybe really closed ones.

The blue hedgehog’s friends have seen him without his usual gloves – Tails (obviously), Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, too.

Not Shadow, though. Not until now, at least.

Somehow, Shadow didn’t seem bothered by it, like, at all. The uncertainty in his eyes came from the situation they were in itself, not necessarily the way Sonic was– kinda naked, he supposed.

Oh, right. Shadow wasn’t just your average Mobian. That’d explain his obliviousness to the inner turmoil Sonic was currently fighting.

Sonic could only guess the black hedgehog couldn’t care less about Mobian culture, completely unaware of the gloves thing. He wore them, too, and didn’t take them off… ever, probably. Still, he didn’t seem all too bothered by Sonic’s paws being on full display.

Weird.

The blue hedgehog sighed, deciding to mimic Shadow and try not to care about how bare he felt. The other raised one of his eyebrows at him, blissfully unaware of the inner debate Sonic just had with himself.

’’Shadow,’’ Sonic started after a few more silent moments, noting the way the other’s ear twitched at the sound. ‘’I think– I think you might’ve read… some things wrong’’

Sonic’s eyes followed the snarl on Shadow’s face, as his sharp, white fangs glistened in the dark. The blue hedgehog gulped, suddenly feeling hot all over.

Maybe he should’ve started this conversation differently–

’’I read something wrong?’’ the ebony hedgehog hissed, watching Sonic with an almost predatory look in his eyes, sending a shiver up the blue blur’s spine.

’’Uh– yeah?’’ Sonic murmured, deciding not to let the other scare him, or whatever he was trying to do. He wasn’t backing out now, not when he finally got Shadow to listen to him.

’’Maybe you shouldn’t have been giving me those mixed fucking signals all the time’’ Shadow snarled, slowly getting up from his sitting position. Sonic watched closely as the other hedgehog raised to his feet, his fists instantly clenching. Yeah, no, that was never a good sign.

It wasn’t the thing that caught Sonic’s attention the most, though– mixed signals? What?

’’What?’’ Sonic asked out loud with a tilt of his head, genuinely dumbfounded now. Shadow’s eyes narrowed, his frown deepening, if that was even possible at that point.

’’Whatever. Forget it’’ Shadow responded, turning around, not facing Sonic anymore.

Oh, he wasn’t leaving now, no way in hell.

’’Shadow– wait’’ Sonic said, also standing up slowly. He would’ve thought Shadow wasn’t listening to him anymore, if not the slight twitch of his ear.

The blue hedgehog sighed, crossing his arms and dropping his gaze to the ground. It was now or never.

’’What do you mean, mixed signals? Dude– I think I’ve been pretty obvious this whole time’’ Sonic chuckled awkwardly, still not looking at the other.

With his eyes fixated on the sand below his feet, he couldn’t catch the way Shadow’s eyes widened at that, before he slowly turned around. He was silent the whole time.

’’I thought so, too. Before– I found out you had someone already’’ Shadow’s quiet mutter shook Sonic to the core, making his head raise to finally see the other hedgehog facing him. The other wasn’t looking at him, either. His arms were crossed across his chest, the snow white tuft of hair shining softly in the moonlight, a strong contrast to his black fur.

And, okay, as much as Sonic was angry with Shadow now, the sudden display of emotions from the Ultimate Lifeform was… something, to say the least. Because he knew Shadow just didn’t do that.

Sonic could only guess how much strength it took him to say those words.

’’I don’t’’ Sonic grumbled, watching the ebony hedgehog through half-lidded eyes. That finally got his attention, making his head snap up, a look of confusion painted across his muzzle. ‘’I don’t have anyone, Shadow. Dude– did you actually think I was with Amy?’’

And if Sonic wasn’t able to see the faintest blush on the other’s muzzle, it was only for the better.

He noticed, however, the quiet groan that left his throat.

’’Rouge–’’

’’Rouge was kidding. Joking. Teasing. Whatever, she wasn’t serious, because she knows I’m not dating Amy’’ Sonic rolled his eyes, watching Shadow head tilt slightly. ‘’Shadow– I didn’t think you were that stupid’’

Aaand, that was a wrong move.

Because even though Sonic ended his sentence with a short, breathy laugh, Shadow didn’t seem to share his humor.

Sonic gulped audibly, watching the ebony hedgehog’s frown deepen, a quiet growl erupting from his throat.

Yeah, no, he probably shouldn’t have said that–

Before the blue hedgehog could fix his mistake, the other one was already on him in an instant, throwing punch after punch to the other’s body, making Sonic groan in pain, taken aback by the sudden attack.

Sonic knew he wasn’t able to stop Shadow, definitely not with words, not now– so he did the only thing he knew he was supposed to.

He fought back.

The two landed on the ground together in a second, rolling in the sand while growling, punching, scratching, anything to provide some kind of injuries to the other’s body.

And, poor Sonic, couldn’t help the shiver of excitement of feeling Shadow’s body so close to his, practically rubbing their fur against each other, after so long.

Which was stupid as hell, something inside Sonic’s mind decided, because, come on, they were fighting, not hugging. And even though Sonic was well aware of that, he just couldn’t stop thinking about finally being able to get in some sort of physical contact with his rival-friend-love-of-his-life. Oh, he was pathetic.

No, wait–

A particular growl from Shadow’s throat finally snapped Sonic from that train of thought, making him forget about the inner turmoil at calling Shadow the L word of his life. Come on, he was better than this–

This time, it was a direct punch to the side of his jaw, that made the blue hedgehog groan and stop thinking about that. Sonic grunted before using what he had still left of the strength in his body, rolling them over, so that it was now the blue blur on top of his rival.

Hm, I guess I can see the appeal, Sonic decided internally, watching Shadow writhe underneath him, his sharp teeth bared at the other in a threatening expression. Not a bad view. Maybe that’s why Shadow likes doing this to me all the time–

Because even though Shadow was, well, not exactly the most endearing version of himself in that particular moment, there was something thrilling in the way he laid there, his chest heaving, his pupils dilated as he watched the hedgehog on top of him with a snarl.

’’Get off of me, Hedgehog’’ Shadow spat out, looking at his rival through half-lidded eyes, making Sonic snort at the sight.

’’No way, just so you can punch me again?’’ Sonic asked, a breathy laugh escaping his mouth, earning himself a growl from the other hedgehog. ‘’And here I thought you had already dropped the hedgehog’’

This time, Shadow didn’t growl, but his eyes rolled at that in a very visible display of irritation.

’’Get. Off.’’ Shadow demanded, writhing beneath his rival, trying to aim yet another punch to Sonic’s face, but failing with how quick the blue blur’s paws caught his, pinning them above his head, making the ebony hedgehog frown.

’’Nope’’ Sonic answered, popping the ‘’p’’ with a small quirk of his lips. ‘’Not until we finally talk. Without fighting, for once’’

’’Get off of me and I’ll think about it’’ Shadow grumbled under his breath, still trying his best to get out of Sonic’s grip, not expecting the strong hold the blue hedgehog actually had on him. Sonic tsk’d at that, shaking his head.

’’Nah, I think I’m good like this’’ Sonic decided, rubbing his chin with one of his paws, earning a groan from the hedgehog beneath him.

Sue him, he wasn’t letting the occasion to tease Shadow go that easily.

And not only riling up, but sitting on the Ultimate Lifeform? It wasn’t just about the physical contact, but the, well, power he was holding now. It was thrilling, if he were being honest with himself.

’’Then spit it out’’ Shadow growled, eyeing Sonic warily, finally abandoning his poor attempts to escape.

’’Shadow– okay, huh, maybe I wasn’t really prepared to get you to listen’’ Sonic started nervously, making the ebony hedgehog roll his eyes in impatience. ‘’What I’m trying to say is… I thought I was being obvious. But– maybe I should’ve been more. Obvious, that is–’’

Shadow growled beneath him.

’’The point?’’ the black hedgehog snarled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath through his nose, as if to compose himself. Sonic felt the way he breathed in with his chest rising underneath him. He desperately tried fighting the heat spreading across his muzzle.

’’The point is– Shadow, you’re hurt’’ Sonic grunted, his eyes catching the shiny, maroon dumpness on the other’s forehead. He might’ve not noticed it sooner, with how it was basically blurring with the red stripe on the Ultimate Lifeform’s quills, but now that he was so much closer, it drew his attention.

’’Yeah, we were fighting, idiot’’ Shadow grumbled, suddenly extremely uncomfortable, still under his rival, feeling his weight on his chest. Sonic frowned.

’’I didn’t know I scratched you that deep, though’’ the blue hedgehog explained, releasing one of Shadow’s hands, before his own paw came up to the scratch across the other’s forehead. He touched it gently, earning a hiss from the hedgehog beneath him.

’’Oh, uh– sorry’’ Sonic shivered, watching Shadow closely. His rival’s eyes were watching him, too – his pupils dilated, his nose scrunched slightly, possibly because of the sting.

’’Let me go’’ Shadow sighed, with one of his paws finally released, trying to push the other hedgehog off of him. Sonic obliged without a word, standing up, watching his rival carefully in silence.

’’Let’s uh– let me patch ya up’’ Sonic murmured quickly, the words slurred with how fast they left his mouth. Shadow’s eyes narrowed in confusion, as he most likely had no idea what the other had just blurted out. Sonic gulped before repeating the request. ‘’Let me take a look at it’’

Shadow huffed out in frustration.

’’I can heal it myself’’ Shadow reminded him, his gloved paw coming up to feel the place where the scratch was. The second his hand touched it, another hiss, this time definitely more quiet, as he was trying to hide it, left his mouth through gritted teeth.

’’I know’’ Sonic nodded, looking at Shadow with his head tilted to the side, a small frown on his muzzle. ‘’I wanna help, though’’

’’Idiot, I just said–’’

’’Let me help, Shadow’’ Sonic insisted in a hard voice, watching the other through half-lidded eyes, his frown now unnaturally deepened. He looked more like Shadow than himself, now, with the downturn of his lips, so unusual for his usual laid-back persona.

Shadow growled, taking a step back.

’’You ghosted me for a week– let me have this one thing’’ Sonic grunted under his breath, still watching Shadow closely, his nose scrunched.

And maybe it was a low blow. Maybe it was pathetic for him to say that out loud, so honest, and vulnerable with how hurt he actually was.

But it couldn’t have been the wrong move, not with how it seemed to take the other hedgehog aback.

A few beats of silence, then a short nod, barely visible.

’’Fine.’’

The two hedgehogs made their way inside of Sonic’s house, entering it through the back door Sonic used to exit it, huh, an hour ago now, now that Sonic looked at the clock on one of the walls.

Sonic watched Shadow look around in silence, his head turning in different sides, taking everything in. Huh. Actually, it shouldn’t have been a surprise– it was Shadow’s first time inside his house, now that he was thinking about it.

They didn’t hang out at each other’s places, opting for open spaces, such as the beach, hills, cliffs, forests, anything. Actually, they even visited closed spaces, too, like the coffee shop. But this was entirely different, Sonic decided.

There was some weird, unspoken rule between the two. They never visited each other’s homes, for some reason.

Sonic wasn’t sure why, but it was definitely a waste, because as the black hedgehog’s eyes landed on his TV for a split second, the blue blur thought of all the stuff they could’ve been doing at his place. Watching movies together, eating popcorn, playing video games– anything could’ve been fun with Shadow, really.

Maybe it would’ve been too domestic, for the both of them. To let each other inside of their spaces, do stuff that was so usual, domestic to them (at least to Sonic, since he spent a lot of time in front of the TV – he loved movies).

Didn’t change the fact that they could’ve been doing so many fun things together all this time.

But maybe, if everything went right from now on, they could make up for the wasted opportunities, Sonic thought, feeling the sudden warmth across his muzzle.

Sonic guided Shadow through the house quietly. It was still the middle of the night, after all – the blue hedgehog was pretty sure Tails’ could’ve been still awake, tinkering inside of his workshop. Yeah, even though that meant they wouldn’t wake the fox up, Sonic did not want the kit to see Shadow right now.

The two took a few more steps, before standing in front of the bathroom door.

Shadow looked at him with one of his eyebrows raised, before walking inside with a quiet huff. Sonic followed after him.

’’Sit down’’ Sonic instructed, one of his paws pointing to the bathtub. Shadow complied without another word, sitting on the edge and watching his rival closely.

Sonic rummaged through the various shelves, finally finding what he’s been looking for. He turned around to face Shadow, a roll of bandage and a cotton pad in his paws.

The black hedgehog eyed the stuff in his hands, making Sonic suddenly very aware of his bare paws, once again tonight. The blue blur sighed, not saying anything else, before wetting the cotton pad with warm water.

He got closer to Shadow, extending one of his arms, to reach the scratch on his forehead.

’’I could’ve healed it myself’’ Shadow grumbled, reminding Sonic of his freaky healing abilities, with a roll of his ruby eyes.

’’I know’’ Sonic agreed with a small quirk of his lips, just barely there. He carefully touched the fur around the scratch with the cotton pad, his pink tongue sticking out through his teeth in focus.

He felt Shadow tense at the contact, but the ebony hedgehog didn’t say anything else.

After a few more seconds of cleaning the wound with warm water, Sonic watched it closely, deciding what to do next.

Blame his stupid sleep-deprived mind, or maybe his instincts, or maybe something entirely different the blue hedgehog didn’t dare to put a name to.

Not dwelling too much on it, his tongue, still out, gently licked a stripe across Shadow’s forehead, ruffling the black fur. Sonic felt some blood on his tongue, but the steely taste didn’t make him feel anything, really. If anything, it was the strong smell of lavender that actually managed to affect and cloud his senses.

A low gasp left Shadow’s throat at the unexpected contact. But he didn’t say a word. Because if he did, Sonic was sure he would’ve backed out awkwardly in a second, embarrassed about the whole situation.

But Shadow didn’t tell him to stop. If anything, his stiff body seemed to relax, just slightly. But it did, which the blue hedgehog counted as success.

Sonic watched him carefully, before returning to his previous ministrations, licking another stripe on the black hedgehog's fur, covering the scratch with his tongue with gentleness he wasn’t very well aware he was capable of.

A few more licks, and something inside Sonic’s mind told him the scratch was finally taken care of properly. He moved back, watching the damp fur on his rival’s head, abused by Sonic’s tongue.

Hm. Now that Sonic was thinking about it, and watching the black hedgehog's muzzle, he couldn’t miss how unkempt the rest of his fur was.

So, if Sonic wanted to blame his actions on whatever of the previous reasons he came up with, he didn’t this time.

Because he didn’t want to dwell on it too much, he decided, as he lowered his head once again, his tongue sticking out, this time licking the area around Shadow’s fluffy ears.

Sonic thought about a possible reaction from the hedgehog below him. He was most likely going to punch him in the face now. Or kick him in the stomach. Or, he could just teleport in an instant.

Those were the reactions you could expect from the black hedgehog.

Not whatever actual reaction Shadow had to Sonic’s tongue on his fur.

Because while they were still sitting in silence, the only sound between the two being the occasional smack of Sonic’s tongue caressing Shadow’s dark fur, a new sound joined.

A clicking sound.

Which very, very slowly, transformed into a low purr. Just barely there, and if Sonic wasn’t listening with such carefulness, he would’ve missed it, really.

’’Not. A. Word’’ Shadow’s hiss reached Sonic’s ears, making the blue hedgehog lips quirk up in a shit-eating grin.

’’I didn’t say anything’’ Sonic murmured teasingly, but returned to his previous work, taming the delicate black and red fur on Shadow’s head, mostly around the ears now. The other hedgehog’s clicking sounds came back.

Slowly but surely, Sonic worked his way down, licking every unkempt tuft of fur he could find. And if Shadow minded the way Sonic’s tongue was on one of his eyebrows now, then slowly slid down to the rest of his muzzle, jaw – he didn’t voice it. And the blue hedgehog was grateful for it. Because he didn’t want to stop.

Not when this was the first time he was this close to Shadow (not counting their multiple fights), to his mouth. He felt just the tiniest bit embarrassed with how warm his own muzzle felt, now that he was basically licking at Shadow’s jaw, while the other only hummed in contentment.

Which made Sonic curious. How far would Shadow let him go?

He opted for, maybe not the safest option, but definitely the one he’d been thinking of for quite some time now – before he could rethink his whole existence, Sonic felt his mouth widen just a bit, exposing his fangs, before nipping at Shadow’s jaw for a split second, only to lick the spot gently right after.

And Shadow– Shadow didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he liked it, Sonic supposed, with a warm sense of pride in his chest, as he listened to a low hum from the black hedgehog.

And Sonic was weak, okay?

As much as he wanted to compose himself, pretend Shadow was the only one affected by the sudden display of affection, he couldn’t. He frowned slightly, hearing similar clicking sounds erupt from his own chest this time.

’’Not a word’’ Sonic grunted, before returning to his work, earning himself a low snort from the ebony hedgehog.

He wasn’t sure what made his rival let him that near himself, let alone groom him, but it wasn’t like he was about to complain, right?

Sonic licked some other spots on the other’s face, before moving a few inches away, to inspect his work. The blue blur hummed to himself, deciding to go for quills this time. They were fine, just– he kinda wanted to brush them? Just to make Shadow look and feel better, obviously. Not to satisfy his own desires, nooo, definitely not.

As one of his ungloved came up to hold Shadow’s muzzle, making the black hedgehog hum quietly, and actually lean into the touch, taking Sonic by surprise, the other touched the top of the red and black quills.

A gloved paw stopped him, grabbing his wrist, before his paw could sink deeper between the quills.

Sonic looked down, only to already be met with a sharp gaze of red eyes, watching him warily.

Sonic waited, raising one of his eyebrows. Shadow bored into his skull with his eyes, now. But he still didn’t say anything for a few more moments.

’’Go on’’ a low rumble urged him on, the hand previous gripping his wrist retreating.

And Sonic did.

A shiver raked up his spine at the intimate contact of his bare paws with red and black quills. Sonic hummed to himself, his hand sinking lower, smoothing the quills with his gentle touch.

After a few beats of silence, the low rumble coming from beneath Sonic, returned. It was still quiet, really, but somehow not any less rewarding. The blue hedgehog didn’t even realize how invested he was in the new activity, before he felt himself scratch Shadow’s fur slightly, not enough to injure him, but it was still a contrast to the previous gentle brushing.

Shadow didn’t seem to mind, if the clicking sounds that joined the low purr were any indicator.

So Sonic delivered.

A few more minutes, filled with sounds of two hedgehogs purring quietly, passed. Sonic got so lost in his thoughts, only being able to focus on the task, smoothing the quills, scratching the fur, that he didn’t realize how much time had actually passed.

A louder grumble from beneath him made him snap out of it – his eyes widened, and Sonic backed away, just a little, to admire his work. Because, really, he was proud of himself. Not just because of how silky smooth Shadow’s dark fur and quills looked, but also how Shadow himself looked so much different now.

His eyes were half-lidded, as if he was stopping himself from falling asleep right there and then. Maybe he was just as sleep-deprived as Sonic was? Who knows. But Sonic couldn’t help the small smile that crept up on his face as he watched Shadow’s calm, slow breath exit through his nose.

He looked so… relaxed. Like he hasn’t, well, probably ever, at least in Sonic’s presence, the blue hedgehog decided, tilting his head to watch the other closely.

Shadow, as if he snapped out of a trance, looked up to meet Sonic’s gaze with his ruby eyes, now widened, and kind of… lost?

The two looked at each other in silence, before the black hedgehog coughed into his fist, not meeting Sonic’s eyes anymore. It was a shame, though.

’’I– I need to go’’ Shadow decided, standing up from his previous position in a split second, making Sonic take a step back at the sudden movement.

The blue hedgehog frowned. Shadow was fine just a few seconds ago. What happened?

’’Wait, Shadow– we still haven’t–’’

Two whispered words. A quiet snap, and the buzzing energy in the air, once again.

’’– talked’’ Sonic sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. Alone in the darkness of the bathroom, now.

A quiet knock on the window.

Sonic’s eyes snapped open – he wasn’t asleep, anyway. But he did close his eyes in hope of sleep coming to rescue him from his misery, any time now.

He couldn’t help but dwell on what had kept him up tonight. Because he saw Shadow, finally, after a whole week of no contact. It was last night, too – they shared a very intimate moment, and everything felt so blissfully right.

Before Shadow, apparently, decided it was too much for him.

And Sonic didn’t see him the next whole day. He texted him, though – asking if maybe now he wanted to see each other, hang out, talk. Anything. And he was, once again, met with the stone cold silence from the other side.

Back to reality, though.

The blue hedgehog groaned, deciding it was probably an odd time for a bird to fly around now. But it would explain why it must’ve crashed against his window, since it was way too dark outside to be fling right now.

Another knock, louder this time.

One thing was certain. That bird was persistent, Sonic decided with a frown on his face.

And another, louder, this time bang against the glass.

’’I hate these stupid birds’’ Sonic moaned to himself, his voice groggy from not using it for a few good hours now, before finally hoisting himself up on his elbows – not an easy task for someone laying in a hammock.

The blue hedgehog finally decided to turn his around in the window’s direction, just the slightest bit curious how stupid the bird must’ve looked like.

A pair of furiously red eyes stared back at him, making Sonic cry out loud, before covering his mouth with one of his paws, realizing it might’ve not been the best time to be screaming.

The eyes, previously watching him intensely, now rolled, in Chaos damned amusement. Sonic huffed to himself with irritation, before scrambling out of his hammock, and taking a few thumping steps towards the window.

Sonic opened it slowly, feeling the chilly night breeze envelop his whole body, as he watched his rival just standing there with his usual frown.

What was this guy’s problem?

’’If you wanna spar again, Shadow, the answer’s no–’’ Sonic started, eyeing Shadow, still standing before him, unfamiliarly still.

Before he charged forward, jumping through the window.

And, look – Sonic thought he was ready for anything Shadow would throw his way by now. He expected a ruthless punch, or a slap, or anything even remotely violent, you know?

Not a kiss–

Sonic felt his eyes widen, taken aback by the completely unexpected action from his rival. Could he even call him just a rival, now that he was practically clinging to Sonic, their lips brushing against each other?

Sonic hummed, as shocked as he was, finally getting a hold of the whole situation, one of his ungloved paws coming up to rest against Shadow’s muzzle, earning a similar hum of contentment in return. Sonic couldn’t help but smile, because, as much as he was very much enjoying himself with Shadow’s lips against his, now slowly moving, the whole situation felt, well. Surreal.

Shadow didn’t seem to mind his stupid smile, as he hummed slightly louder now, pushing himself against Sonic, trying to get as close as possible to the other hedgehog. Sonic gasped at the sudden movement, opening his mouth involuntarily with the sound. Which only seemed to spur the black hedgehog on.

Sonic grunted, trying to match the other’s peace, as his gloved hands started wandering on his whole body now – Sonic felt his control slip away from him, as the curious hands grabbed at his waist, then slowly travelled higher, then lower again, and after a few moments, Sonic felt like they were everywhere, making thinking somehow even more difficult now.

With his brain being nothing but mush, all Sonic could do was let the little sounds slip out. And Shadow didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, a few grunts escaping his own throat in response.

’’Shadow–’’ Sonic started, when they finally detached themselves from each other, coming up for air. Before the blue hedgehog could say anything else, the Ultimate Lifeform’s mouth was already on his jaw, trailing lower and lower, nipping and kissing every spot he could reach, his sharp fangs brushing against the tender skin.

Sonic tried to stop him, knowing they should talk, like, right now.

But how could he, when Shadow was all over him, nibbling at his skin with a quiet hum and a few clicking sounds here and there? Before Sonic could stop himself, a quiet moan escaped his throat against his will. The blue hedgehog stiffened, feeling like he couldn’t breathe anymore, too embarrassed by his own sound.

Shadow didn’t seem to share his mindset, as his ruby red eyes glowed in the dark, looking at Sonic for a split second with something concerningly close to need, before returning to kissing all over Sonic’s sensitive neck.

’’Shadow– we, uh, we should–’’ Sonic tried again, but the other hedgehog didn’t stop his work, sinking his fangs lightly in the blue fur, making the other shudder in anticipation.

Nope, as much as Sonic was enjoying this – because he really was, and he didn’t think he would ever stop replaying the scene in his mind, after it all came to an inevitable end – he had business to take care of.

’’Shadow–’’ Sonic gasped, sinking one of his paws in the other hedgehog’s quills. Shadow probably liked that – actually, Sonic was sure he did, one of his blue ears twitching at the gravelly grunt from his rival. But before the other could do anything any more stupid, like kiss him again and make Sonic lose his Chaos damned mind, his fingers closed against a tuft of quills and pulled.

The half-lidded ruby red eyes that were watching him now… Sonic had to look away, or he was sure he was going to actually die.

’’We need to talk, Faker’’ Sonic gasped out, finally turning his face again to look the other in the eyes.

Well, it seemed to work well enough, with how Shadow’s eyes widened at the serious tone of his rival.

Dumbfounded, the black hedgehog only nodded, before one of his wrists got grabbed by Sonic’s paw and he let himself be led to the hammock Sonic was previously laying in.

Before Shadow could react in any way, he felt himself being pulled behind the blue hedgehog, the two landing inside of the hammock, now swaying slightly from the sudden impact.

Sonic sighed, writhing, finally getting in a comfortable position, facing the other hedgehog and watching him closely, his nose scrunched just slightly in concentration.

A few beats of silence passed, the two only looking each other in the eyes without a word.

’’I think, uh’’ Shadow started, taking both Sonic and himself by surprise at how hoarse his voice sounded. ‘’I think I know what you were trying to do, now. The whole time.’’

Sonic felt his muzzle warm up at that… particular choice of wording.

’’What was I trying to do?’’ Sonic asked, trying to sound as sure of himself and teasing as it was possible at that very moment. He was pretty sure he did a horrible job, with how shaky his voice came out, but Shadow didn’t seem to notice, as Sonic watched the faintest blush appear across his muzzle with satisfaction.

’’...Don’t make me say it’’

’’But, Shadow– I have no idea what you mean. What was I doing this whole time?’’ Sonic teased, a shit-eating grin across his muzzle, making Shadow frown in irritation.

Before Sonic could feel proud of how flustered he got the other hedgehog, it was already time for revenge.

’’Rouge kind of explained to me the whole hedgehog courting ritual’’ Shadow murmured, one of his paws coming up, to rest between Sonic’s ears, taking one of them between his gloved fingers, and rubbing.

And Sonic just knew he was never going to live down the way a deep purr erupted from his chest at the sudden contact.

’’Stop trying to be smooth, that’s like, my thing’’ Sonic complained with a frown, rolling his eyes, earning a quiet snort from the other.

Before he could say anything else, a quick kiss to his lips made every single thought in his mind go away, just like that. He didn’t even get a second to react, or return the kiss, before Shadow’s lips were already gone, and he was looking at Sonic with a smirk.

’’Consider me wooed’’ Shadow muttered, eyeing Sonic carefully.

And Sonic couldn’t blame himself for the way his brain short-circuited. Because when exactly did Shadow get so smooth–

Sonic realized his wide eyes and the absolute silence couldn’t be a good sign to Shadow the moment his smirk disappeared, replaced by an embarrassed frown, his eyes already leaving his, trying to look anywhere but at Sonic.

’’Forget it–’’ Shadow started, but before he could form the rest of whatever he wanted to say, he got silenced by a pair of lips on his own, taking him by surprise this time.

And, just like Shadow did before, Sonic detached himself from his rival – partner? – in a split second, looking at him with a satisfied grin.

’’I’m glad all my hard work paid off’’ Sonic sighed dreamily, one of his paws coming up to brush through the black and red quills with a quiet hum, earning a similar sound in return, before the two fell into comfortable silence again.

And if Tails found the two in the morning, snuggled comfortably inside Sonic’s hammock, he didn’t make a big deal out of it.

(He did. The scream that escaped his throat at the sight managed to wake the two hedgehogs in an instant, before the kit ran out of the room as quickly as he could.)