Chapter Text
A radiant flash preceded a crack like dry lightning that echoed throughout the barren valley. Shadow touched down on the wavy red sand of a dune’s crest, gazing over his shoulder at the small town he’d left behind – at the sheriff he’d left lying on the floorboards of the saloon.
He huffed and stepped down the slippery hill to where he’d tied his horse’s reins to the low-hanging branch of a mesquite tree, near a stream that trickled over a flat, rocky riverbed, green brush and brittle grass dotting its banks. The animal’s ear flicked back in acknowledgement of its rider but continued grazing. He tossed his vest and gun belt over the branch, shrugging out of his ruined shirt. Patting his horse’s flank in amicable greeting, Shadow walked around to his saddlebag and withdrew a canteen, slaking his thirst with a long, needy draught.
While considering his next move, his gaze flicked down to his wrapped arm. The sheriff had been inexplicably diligent in tending to him. The sheriff: with his odd northern accent; his cocky, borderline arrogant attitude; his ceaseless prattling…
…his striking azure pelt, his eyes—
Shadow doused the back of his neck with the rest of the canteen’s water, an attempt to cool off from his straying thoughts. Even while admonishing himself for his unproductive fixation, he withdrew his emerald from his pocket, turning the gemstone so its facets sparkled in the hazy blue moonlight. The enthralling shimmer of the jewel he had stolen mere hours before had been the most captivating sight he had ever seen – and its discovered power of instantaneous travel had been more intoxicating than any liquor the bandit had ever poured down his throat.
But now, the damn emerald did nothing but remind him of the sheriff’s green irises: like smooth, frosted sea glass to match the blue, oceanic hue of his fur.
What was intended to be a brazen distraction, he realized bitterly, had devolved into authentic yearning. His stomach coiled tightly at the memory of the sheriff besting him throughout their fight, giving as good as he got. His chest constricted painfully thinking of their kiss – faster and sloppier than he would have preferred, but a spur of the moment manifestation of the intrigue that had consumed him from the moment he met those eyes.
Shadow released an annoyed sigh, pocketing the emerald and fishing out a new shirt from his bag.
What had he been thinking?
But that was the problem.
He hadn’t been thinking.
He had, as he often did, acted purely on impulse.
No more distractions, Shadow scolded himself, condemning any future thoughts about certain blue hedgehogs to the recesses of his mind.
If he ever wanted revenge, he couldn’t afford them.
His deft claws buttoned up his fresh cotton blouse with finality, purposely not letting his gaze wander back to his bandaged arm.
A train whistle, sharp and inviting, sounded over an adjacent ridge and drew the outlaw’s attention. His eyes scanned the horizon for the source of the sound, gaze narrowing until a second whistle alerted him to the locomotive’s location due north.
He donned the rest of his gear, then untied his steed’s reins. He hoisted himself up into the saddle and clicked his tongue to redirect the horse’s attention. He lightly pressed his heels to its sides, and with a powerful snort, it began a leisurely trot that exploded into a full-on gallop at the prompting of its rider, clouds of sand and grit left in their wake.
No more distractions.
Sonic spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the saloon and silently fuming. He could have pointed the finger at any number of reasons for his ire, but sitting pretty at the top of the current list were the final, baffling, aggravating words the outlaw had left him with:
“My offer was genuine.”
He released a short huff as he took inventory of furniture that would need replacing and pockmarked walls that would need plastering. Focus, he chastised himself, righting an upended table and picking up the shattered remnants of a chair he had thrown the outlaw into.
He wanted Shadow in handcuffs more than was probably strictly for professional reasons.
But he had a town to protect and friends that relied on him. He had made promises. He had responsibilities, duties, obligations. He couldn’t run off at the slightest hint of adventure, no matter how intriguing the prospect.
Besides, what chance did he stand against someone who could disappear and reappear on a whim? Hard as Sonic had tried, he had been – and would probably continue to be – wholly unprepared for handling him. How could he possibly capture a villain as corporeal as a wisp of smoke? He’d have an easier time wrangling a ghost.
His lips were plenty corporeal…
Sonic threw his head back with a suffering groan and kicked the broken pieces of another smashed chair into a growing trash pile, diligently ignoring the searing blush that marred his muzzle.
He needed to let the proper authorities handle it.
He needed to forget about him.
He needed to forget the only Mobian who had come close to matching his strength and speed; the only Mobian who had matched him tit for tat in a fight—
Who was he kidding?
“‘My offer was genuine,’” Sonic muttered mockingly under his breath as he ventured toward the back wall to retrieve his hat from where he’d hung it before their brawl. “Yeah, right.” For the simple reason that he still felt the other hedgehog’s stupid, supple lips claiming his, still saw the stupid, handsome smirk that effortlessly curved over menacing fangs, he knew it was a stupendously stupid idea to pursue him.
Besides, he reiterated to himself, the outlaw’s confounding offer to spend the night together had been little more than a ruse. It had been a deceitful ploy to escape arrest—
—right?
Sonic clenched his teeth, trying to focus on anything other than the mysterious black hedgehog. He dusted off his cowboy hat and settled it atop his head, adjusting it so his ears poked out through the accommodating slots in the brim. His gaze roved the saloon for any remaining damage, and as he surveyed the tidied bar, his eyes skimmed over where a bullet had torn a chunk out of the massive, intricately carved liquor hutch. He made a mental note to ask and see if one of their neighboring towns had a woodworker that could fix it.
During his final checks, the glint of steel near the back storage room drew his attention. He stepped forward to investigate, wincing when fresh pain blossomed in his ribs upon kneeling down. The outlaw had done more of a number on him than he cared to admit. Still laying where Sonic had knocked it away was Shadow’s dagger. He picked it up, admiring the curved, obsidian blade and the glossy wooden handle. If he ever needed a reminder why he shouldn’t have lingering thoughts about the outlaw, the weapon he’d nearly had his throat slit with should have been enough.
…Should have been.
He pocketed the blade carefully and, with a pensive glance over the saloon, exited out the front. The sun was already peaking over Frontier Canyon’s distant mountain peaks, painting the pink atmosphere with streaks of orange. The melodic thrum of mourning doves helped usher in the peaceful morning. The air’s brisk coolness bit at his skin with a welcome nip, especially inviting since he knew that the rising of the sun would bring an oppressive, sweltering heat.
Sonic took the first step into the road to head to the telegraph station and report his encounter with the outlaw – but paused when he saw a familiar postman ambling up the road, humming cheerily to himself. Sonic waved.
“Heya, Big!”
“Hi, sheriff.” The friendly purple cat gave him a smile as wide as his stature, rifling through his satchel as he approached. “I have something for you.”
“For me?” Sonic never got mail. Anyone that would send him a letter was right here in Mirage.
Big pulled a stack of parchment from his bag, handing off a bundle of wanted posters before continuing down the road with a chipper wave goodbye.
Sonic was too distracted to wish him safe travels, instead standing dumbfounded in the dusty road as he stared at the stack.
Glaring up at him was a detailed sketch of the outlaw he had just fought. The warning's bold letters broadcast the caliber of criminal he had fought that evening, and who he had incidentally let escape:
Wanted by the United Federation
Dead or Alive
Shadow the Hedgehog
Dangerous and Heavily Armed
Bank Robbery
Train Robbery
Stagecoach Robbery
Reward $50,000.00
Fifty thousand dollars?!
What all had this hedgehog been stealing?!
Okay, Sonic thought, so maybe, in hindsight, I shouldn't have kissed him—or let him kiss me?—or kiss back—
"Excuse me? Sheriff?"
Sonic jumped with a yip and whipped around to face two familiar townsfolk, posters scattering into the dusty road as he startled. Ray quickly squawked an apology while Mighty laughed good-naturedly.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—" the flying squirrel cried, rushing around in frantic circles collecting the dispersed parchment.
"It’s all good," Sonic reassured him with a chuckle, the laugh more of a wheeze. He shifted to pin the last poster beneath his boot, defying the wind that nearly picked it up and sent it soaring off into the desert on an updraft. He clutched his chest while his pounding heart returned to a steady beat. He couldn’t pinpoint whether his reaction was owed to being snuck up on, or from concentrating far too long and hard on the sketch. The artist had managed to capture Shadow’s proud, haughty nature to such an alarming degree that Sonic had a hard time focusing on the very important detail that he was admiring a hedgehog with a wanted dead or alive poster. …But he digressed.
“What’s up, guys?”
“B-Billy just told us about what happened at the saloon last night, sheriff!”
“Just now?” Sonic repeated with a snort.
“He was passed out,” Mighty sighed, “We just found’m, otherwise we would’ve come sooner to help.”
Sonic shook his head, unable to help an amused upturn of his lips. They really needed to stage an intervention for that old goat.
“You alright?” the armadillo continued, motioning at his battered frame. Scratches marked his arms from where Shadow had dug his claws in, visible through tears in the sleeves.
“Don’t worry about it,” the sheriff reassured them, “I had it handled.”
“Clearly,” Mighty retorted, his tan, funnel-shaped ear flicking back and, once again, nodding at his general state of dishevelment.
“Trust me, you should see the other guy.”
“Hopefully we never do again.”
“Right…”
Sonic glanced down at the poster again, chewing on his decision.
His lingering pain from their brawl, his confounding attraction, his decision to let those better suited to the task handle this situation…all evaporated when faced with the reality of what harm the criminal could eventually bring to unsuspecting civilians; what havoc he could wreak if left unchecked.
What remained was a determination to fix his mistake in letting the bandit escape.
Maybe he was just a glorified thief – a good one, admittedly, with a bounty that high – but how long until someone innocent got caught in the crossfire?
He had to help bring him in.
“You’re going after him,” Mighty guessed, crossing his arms while Ray wrung his hands together nervously.
Sonic smiled sheepishly and brought his palms up placatingly. “You caught me. So, with that being the case, I could use your guys’ help. Since I’ll be gone—”
“—you want us to hold down the fort?” Mighty finished.
“Bingo,” Sonic grinned.
“We should be able to manage.” The armadillo playfully elbowed Ray and set a paw atop his head, ruffling the yellow squirrel’s cowlick tuft of fur. Ray frowned despite the playful gesture.
“But you’ll be back, sheriff, won’t you?” the young Mobian whimpered.
“Absolutely! I’m only leaving to help catch that crook. No way it takes me longer than a couple of days to find him and bring him in.”
“We’ll send word to the neighboring towns, too,” Mighty decided, “Let’m know what’s goin’ on. Maybe somebody can head him off, give you a chance to catch up. Where you plannin’ on startin’ your search?”
Sonic winked. “I’ve got an idea of where he might be heading.”
He stopped by the town’s general store to stock up on a few days’ worth of supplies for his trip north. He figured with the railroad track repairs well underway in that region, and the rampant criminal activity that had flourished near that poorly managed and sparsely guarded section of tracks – budget cuts, the county official had claimed – that there was a high likelihood Shadow felt right at home in those parts.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to have been a quick drop-in had swiftly become an ordeal.
“I promise’m fine,” Sonic mumbled, letting Amy Rose grasp his furry cheeks and inspect him closely to assuage her concerns. She turned him every which way in her search for injuries, making sure the dawn’s low lighting wasn’t concealing anything more serious.
He cherished Amy – he really did. She was one of the kindest, most nurturing and most strong-willed Mobians he had ever had the pleasure of meeting, and he was lucky to call her a close friend – but she also had a tendency to be a tad overprotective.
As evidenced by his presently being scolded. “I saw the wanted poster!” she cried. “An outlaw with a fifty thousand dollar bounty?! ‘Dangerous and heavily armed’?! You’re lucky you’re alive!” She lightly smacked his arm, making him yelp and hop back to try and escape her reach as she reared back for a second smack. “What were you thinkin’, takin’ on a bandit like that by yourself?”
“Hey, whoa, have some faith in your beloved sheriff,” Sonic chastised playfully, capturing Amy’s wrists and tenderly setting them back at her sides. “I’ll have you know that I totally kicked his a—ah! Hey there!”
Vanilla cleared her throat as she and her daughter entered the room, interrupting the blue hedgehog with an amused smile. Cream dashed forward and threw herself into the laughing law enforcer’s arms, squeezing tight. “Mister Sonic!”
“Sheriff, my dear,” Vanilla gently corrected her, handing the hedgehog his freshly stocked satchel.
“Aw, don’t worry about it, Mister suits me just fine,” Sonic grinned, gratefully accepting the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He patted the top of Cream’s head. “How you doin’, kiddo?”
The little rabbit’s lower lip wobbled, her small, trembling paws grasping his vest and burying into the leather. “Mama said you’re leavin’ on a trip,” she pouted, making Sonic’s ears droop with sympathy. “But you’re going to be back, aren’t you?”
“Of course,” Sonic replied earnestly, gripping her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. “Couple of days at most.”
Cream’s lips twitched down into a somber frown, nodding her understanding but still far from reassured.
“Darling, didn’t you have something to give Sheriff Sonic for his trip?” Vanilla prompted.
“Oh!” Cream released him and fished through the pocket of her dress. She timidly set her gift in his large palm, petting one of her long, floppy ears as she anxiously waited to see his reaction. He admired the braided twine bracelet with an appraising whistle, playing with the cords that allowed him to adjust the size. “Wow! You made this?”
“Mhm. It’s a good luck charm,” she explained shyly, lip quivering as she tried to stay brave despite her worries – tried to keep concerned tears from rolling down her cheeks. She may not have fully understood what kind of danger the outlaw presented, only that there was some sort of danger involved. “It’ll keep you safe.”
“It sure will,” Sonic agreed, touched. He immediately slipped it over his glove and onto his wrist, fastening it with a pull of the cords, then guided the little girl into an affectionate hug. She returned it as tightly as her thin arms could manage.
“You promise you’ll be safe?” Cream reiterated. Amy and Vanilla exchanged sad smiles.
“Pinky promise,” Sonic stated, offering the aforementioned digit to the little girl. She eagerly clasped it with her own, giggling as he gave it a firm, playful shake.
“Sheriff!”
The group turned as Ray barreled in, the blue hedgehog instinctually stepping forward to stay between the ladies and any impending danger. “Sonic,” he squeaked, “The outlaw’s struck again. Telegraph station just got word from up north—!”
“Where?” Sonic asked brusquely.
Ray handed off the note with the nearest town’s name and the area’s description. “The witness reported it less than ten minutes ago. If you’re quick—”
Sonic laughed brightly. “Come on, Ray, it’s me,” he snickered. “Being ‘quick’ is kind of my thing.”
“Please be careful, sheriff,” Amy pleaded, “Maybe take some back-up?”
“Sorry. We’re on a time crunch, and no one could keep up.” It was a statement of fact rather than a boast: not even their fastest horse could keep pace with him.
He stretched his arms overhead and hopped from foot to foot, warming up. He handed off his bag of supplies to the flying squirrel with a bright, confident smile at the group. He winked at the young rabbit, who finally offered a tiny, hopeful smile. “Looks like I’ll be back in time for lunch. Don’t wait up!”
It took him less than ten minutes to reach his destination: a section of track that ran parallel with the one under repair.
He followed the telegraph’s description until the locomotive’s billowing plumes of smoke became visible.
As he caught up with and raced alongside the speeding train, he glimpsed the reporting mark and confirmed what he suspected:
United Federation.
He used the stirrup step to hoist himself onto the caboose’s rattling platform, then passed through the unlocked door into the back cabin.
Sonic nearly tripped over a groaning man immediately upon entering. He kneeled down, hands hovering unsurely over the human’s chest. He didn’t see any bullet wounds, just a black eye. “You alright, pal?”
“Y-You’re under arrest…”
“Sorry, nope, wrong hedgehog. You hang out, I’ll go grab him for ‘ya, though.”
From the caboose, all he had to do was follow the trail of unconscious or barely cognizant agents through the freight cars. He checked on each person he passed, grateful to find that, other than a gnarly headache or a nasty bruise, the agents weren’t going to suffer any lasting injuries. He remained hyper-vigilant as he hopped over each of the couplers connecting the jostling cars and worked his way toward the front of the locomotive. He peeked in through the door of the final freight car and grinned when he caught a glimpse of black and carmine quills.
Shadow was readying to wedge the ground claw of his steel crowbar into a crack in a sealed, wooden cargo container when Sonic swung the door wide open and piped up: “Looks like your arm’s doing better!”
The outlaw stiffened momentarily, crowbar hovering just shy of its target. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. “Of all places,” he muttered to himself with an irritated sigh, glancing over his shoulder to confirm who had found him again.
There, preening in all his heroic glory, was the sheriff. He had the gall to wiggle his fingers in greeting and call, “How’s it goin’?”
"You again," Shadow snarled. He calmly set the crowbar down, not bothering to reach for his pistol. He shoved his sleeves up past the elbow.
"Me again," Sonic sang-song with a smug grin, "Bet you weren't expecting to see—”
Shadow lunged forward and grabbed him roughly by the throat. He swung him inside and thrust him into the wall beside the exit, strong enough that he kept the sheriff aloft with a single, powerful hand, his boots dangling uselessly off the floor. The bandit kicked the door shut and locked it, wary of any feds who might decide to foolishly reattempt his capture.
"How did you find me?!" he demanded.
"You're not what I'd call discreet," the sheriff coughed, twisting the outlaw's wrist in retaliation for the painful grip on his windpipe. Shadow didn’t budge, however, and Sonic gasped as his claws cinched tighter. “You and I have unfinished business,” he wheezed. “I got a set of handcuffs with your name on ‘em.”
The bandit laughed callously, casting a critical eye over the law enforcer. “You must be joking.”
“Serious as sin,” he gagged, toes of his boots kicking out to try and connect with his aggressor and free himself.
"Are you sure that's the business you came here to finish?" Shadow wondered aloud. He dropped Sonic, who staggered and gasped in a breath. His hand remained planted firmly against the blue hedgehog’s chest, razor claws trailing back up his throat to cradle his muzzle with deceptive geniality before he pinched his chin and forced their eyes to lock.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sonic replied sardonically, trying to pull out of the other’s grasp, green eyes luminous with disdain.
Shadow’s burgundy irises flicked down, tracing every minute detail of the other hedgehog’s lips. The shameless admiration made Sonic swallow thickly. He watched carefully, though remained purposely unresponsive to the bandit’s touch, as his claw ventured back down his neck, down his torso—
—and hooked into his belt loop, tugging him forward and off the wall. The outlaw’s other hand captured his lower back and dragged him flush. His penetrating gaze met the sheriff’s surprised one with a challenging gleam, irises like crushed crimson velvet, and just as soft and inviting.
It took every ounce of his self-restraint, but Sonic successfully resisted the urge to abandon his mission, to lose himself in the heady desire to continue what they'd started in the saloon.
With his impressive amount of self-control (if he did say so himself), the blue hedgehog yanked Shadow's hand from off his belt and tossed it away, stepping back and out of reach. To his bemusement, the bandit let him go without a fight.
"You're wanted by the United Federation,” Sonic announced, hating how weak and tinny his voice initially came out.
"Yes," Shadow sniffed, rolling his eyes as he turned away and sauntered back to the crate.
"These are their freight trains you've been robbing.”
"Observant. I see why your little town made you sheriff."
Sonic ignored the jab, following close behind as the outlaw retrieved the dropped crowbar and sized up the cargo container. “I'm guessing it's the same with the stagecoaches? Federal property, right? And the banks—?”
"The banks I rob just for fun," the outlaw deadpanned. If the comment was meant as a joke, it wasn’t a very good one, Sonic decided, considering he couldn’t tell.
"You have a bounty on your head for fifty thousand dollars.” Sonic intercepted Shadow as he went for the crate again.
"Ah, so the reward’s gone up," Shadow rasped, expertly feigning a lack of concern and shoving past his rival when he tried to step between him and his goal. “Is there a point you’re eager to make, hero, or you just feel like stating the obvious?”
“‘Hero’? That’s new,” Sonic snickered, “I prefer sheriff, though. You’re targeting the United Federation. Why?”
Shadow jammed the crowbar between a gap and shimmied it into place. Sonic was on him in an instant, snatching his wrist and hauling him back. "Hey, you—!"
The black hedgehog whirled around and wrenched his hand away. He abandoned the crowbar in its housing and advanced on his officious foe, poking an aggressive index into the other’s chest.
“Let me make myself perfectly clear,” Shadow growled, hackles inching up. Sonic huffed indignantly and, at his stubborn refusal to back down, the bandit snatched his bright red bandana and yanked him close to try and illicit a reaction. The average westerner would have trembled in his hold, but Sonic lifted his chin defiantly. “I’m tolerating your presence right now because I find it entertainin’ how badly you want to be the one to capture me. But the moment you cease to amuse me—”
"I could care less about being the one to bring you in, so long as you’re stopped.”
“But it’s a hefty reward, isn’t it?" Shadow hissed, dark irises gleaming with furor and jostling his rival with a brutal shove. “What would you do with the money?”
“You got me all wrong, pal,” Sonic argued, scowling softly at his suggestion. “I don’t care about—”
“Retire? Buy yourself some acreage? Or maybe you'd rather go back to city-livin', find a nice little high-rise apartment?"
"I don't care about the money," Sonic reiterated with a growl, "I care about—”
“Noble,” Shadow sneered, “If I believed you.”
“I care about stopping you from hurting anyone else,” Sonic hissed before he could be interrupted again.
“I haven’t hurt anyone.”
“The federal agents I passed on the way here would beg to differ.”
“I haven’t hurt anyone who wasn’t asking for it,” the black hedgehog clarified flippantly. Sonic puffed up in agitation, fur rising and quills stiffening. Shadow ignored his pitiful attempt at a threatening display. “Fine. If not money, then you want something else. Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have time to explore whatever fantasies you—”
“Oh, please,” Sonic scoffed, “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re breaking the law – pretty consistently, if the reward amount says anything – and you’re gonna answer for it.”
“Not likely,” Shadow retorted. “How about this: we make a deal. You quit pesterin’ me, and I make it worth your while.”
“Not likely,” Sonic snipped.
“Alright, sheriff,” he sneered, drawing his pistol, “Then let me present some new terms.”
“Right, because that worked so well for you last time.”
“You don’t have the room to dodge here,” Shadow pointed out, motioning at their enclosed surroundings with a cutting motion. Sonic scanned the small train car with a quiet swear. He had a point. “You’re fast, but you’re not that fast.”
Sonic rolled his eyes pointedly as his taunt from the saloon was shot derisively back at him. “I’ll give you that,” he sighed, a deliberate twinge of disappointment coating his tone as he added, “Especially since you plan on cheating again…”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, it’s like I said at the saloon,” Sonic shrugged, a smugness returning to his contemptuous glare that made Shadow want to wring his pretty little neck, “It’s just a crying shame you have to rely on all these toys and tricks to keep up with me.”
“Cute, but I’m not entertaining this again. I’ve more than proven myself.”
“That’s nice you think so!” Sonic smiled with cloying amicability, his sarcasm accentuated by the lift of a skeptical brow.
How the blue hedgehog managed to so effortlessly grate on every – single – last one of his nerves was nothing short of mystifying. Maybe he had his own emerald: except instead of allowing him to teleport the way Shadow’s did for him, the sheriff had one that gave him the uncanny ability to drive him up a wall.
Despite every ounce of common sense that screamed at him to finish his heist, to take his second prize and be done with this interaction entirely, Shadow found himself once again holstering his pistol and circling the sheriff. The other hedgehog gladly fell into step to mirror Shadow’s movements, both parties hunting for an opening.
“So,” Sonic intoned, “While I have you: gonna tell me how you’re able to vanish into thin air?”
In the time it took for him to blink, Shadow disappeared from in front of him. The sheriff’s only hint of foul play was the snap of arcane energy that resonated deafeningly in the confined space.
“Like this?”
Sonic jolted as Shadow’s voice sounded from behind him, another crackle of mysterious power alerting him too late to his trickery. He gasped as his scruff was grabbed, body involuntarily seizing. He tried to throw an elbow into the bandit’s ribs to free himself, but the villain slid smoothly out of the way before the strike could connect. He hauled the sheriff back against his torso, turning and driving him bodily against the crate and pinning one arm harshly behind his back.
Sonic tried to use his free hand to reach back and grab a quill, a shirt collar, anything that might give him leverage, but his hand was captured and pinned flat against the wooden container. The outlaw’s claws interlaced with the sheriff’s splayed fingers, holding him taut.
Sonic focused on slowing his breathing to combat the treacherous blush that bloomed across his face. He bucked to try and dislodge his foe, but the outlaw remained unyielding. The sheriff quickly realized the futility of his attempt to escape and decided to save his strength for a better opportunity.
“Thanks for the demonstration,” he muttered, “But you didn’t answer my question. How—?”
“What’s this?”
Sonic shivered at the gravelly voice, low and quiet and so temptingly close. But the warmth spreading in his lower abdomen chilled when he realized what was being referenced. His eyes flashed, all mirth fading from his features as Shadow moved his thumb to toy with the twine bracelet Cream had given him. “A token? My, my. Who’s the lucky lady?”
“It’s not like that,” Sonic hissed, though why he felt the need to elaborate at all baffled him. “Don’t—”
Shadow’s thumb shifted to slip his claw between the bracelet and the sheriff’s wrist, ripping the jewelry off with a simple twitch. Sonic thrashed violently in protest, nearly maiming the outlaw with his flared quills. Shadow shoved him roughly into the crate, making the wood splinter and bow with the force of the propulsion.
“Give me that,” Sonic ordered as he whirled around to face his rival, voice darkening by the second.
“No, I don’t think I will,” Shadow drawled, fingers curling tightly around the bracelet. He chuckled scornfully while the sheriff watched him with a menacing glower, limbs shaking with barely controlled frustration.
“I said give it back. Now.”
“So, you can take things seriously.”
“That was a gift. Give it back, Shadow.”
The sheriff’s deep, rumbling tone did nothing to faze the outlaw, who matched his timbre as he strode forward and growled, “So, we’re on a first name basis, are we?”
Sonic held his ground as Shadow closed the distance, ferocious emerald eyes sparking with indignation that Shadow once again matched, his own ruby ones burning bright like a wildfire.
“Why don’t you take it back, Sonic?”
Moving fast enough to catch his opponent off guard, Sonic threw a fist into the bandit’s cheek. He caught his collar before he could fall and moved to pin him to the wall. Shadow regained his bearings quickly, however, and slammed a retaliatory punch across the other hedgehog’s muzzle in turn.
Sonic faltered briefly but didn’t back down. He grabbed his rival, rearing a fist back at the same time as Shadow did, each hedgehog snarling ferociously at the other as they braced for the free-for-all.
The train car lurched as the locomotive’s brakes screeched to life. The pair were launched forward, slamming together in a pile of graceless, flailing limbs against the wall.
“Get off.”
“You get off!—ha!” Sonic grabbed Shadow’s wrist as they grappled, stealing back his bracelet from his unclenched fist.
Violent pounding on the train car’s door made them pause and glance at the source of the interruption.
“Shadow the Hedgehog! Come out with your hands up!”
Shadow froze, a feverish growl building in his chest.
“Aw. Out of time,” Sonic pouted mockingly.
Shadow rushed him, stooping low to tackle his rival. The sheriff tried to dive aside but was snatched around the midsection. They rolled along the rickety floorboards, a very angry, very vengeful bandit clinging to him all the way and delivering blow after bruising blow. Sonic caught his wrists and threw his weight forward, sending them wheeling the other way, the careening combatants trading the upper hand as quickly and as often as they traded hits.
Shadow managed to get a boot between them and kicked Sonic off. He rose slowly, incidentally occupying the space in front of the door. So consumed by his fury towards the sheriff’s meddling, so distracted by his plans to end his interference once and for all, that Shadow failed to register the noisy clank of a shotgun slide being pumped from outside the door. Sonic’s ears perked at the telltale sound of a shell being loaded, however.
“Move!”
Sonic threw himself into the outlaw just as a shotgun blast blew through the bottom half of the door. Raucous gunfire followed the spray of projectiles that obliterated the wood, riddling the cargo container with bullet holes as the feds unloaded their weapons carelessly. The hedgehogs rolled, entangling again as they tumbled haphazardly to safety.
“What are you doing?!” Shadow roared over the din of gunfire.
“Saving your life? I thought that was pretty obvious?” Sonic snapped as they scrambled to separate. He blinked back tears as smoke began to fill the train car.
“What do you care?” he thundered over the noise of the squealing brakes and shouting feds. “I’m wanted dead or alive, you fool.”
“That’s all good and well, but I don’t want you dead.”
Shadow had no time to process the confounding confession as the decimated remains of the door were kicked the rest of the way in and the feds reloaded their weapons. The stunned sheriff watched as the outlaw moved quickly. He slammed the heel of his boot into the crowbar still wedged in the crate, sending the front panel flying off and the tool clattering to the floor. He reached in and snagged a small gemstone from its depths, pocketing it before turning to storm toward Sonic.
As the federal agents burst in, Shadow grabbed the sheriff’s arm, tossed a scathing look over his shoulder at the officials, and teleported.
Sonic gasped as a violent tension ensnared his body, the feeling of his very essence rending and reassembling making him buckle. He was sent hurtling through time and space like a stone skipping over a tranquil lake surface. He retched as the nauseating world of blurred shapes and colors stilled, the sinking feeling in his gut drawing a strangled hiss out of his throat.
Shadow dumped him unceremoniously in the dirt as they landed miles away from the site of the heist.
“There. Now we’re even,” he grumbled.
“W-What was…” Sonic gagged as he struggled to sit up, clutching the bandit’s leg for support. One of his hands unintentionally ventured high along his inner thigh as he regained his bearings, making Shadow stiffen. “That was awful.”
The outlaw kicked Sonic sharply in the stomach and sent him sprawling onto his back before he could fully rise. The sheriff grunted as he toppled over, then growled when Shadow planted his boot on his chest.
“I’m getting really sick of seeing you from this angle,” he snarled weakly, trying earnestly to shove his rival’s boot off. His only reward for his valiant effort was Shadow digging his heel painfully into his torso, bunching up the fabric and revealing a fuzzy peach stomach.
“Somehow I doubt that,” the villain replied tauntingly. He sank down onto one knee, leaning his full weight onto the other hedgehog and making him gasp.
“Get off me; and get over yourself while you’re at it.”
“You sure that’s what you want?” Shadow cooed derisively, a slow, easy smile tugging at his lips. The sight momentarily paralyzed the blue hedgehog as he drank in the expression. The moment was shattered when the heel of the outlaw’s boot rammed down into his exposed abdomen, making him groan in anguish.
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” he murmured.
“So I’ve been told.” As if to further prove his point, Shadow lifted his hand and dangled Cream’s braided bracelet in front of his nose. Sonic’s eyes narrowed, the harrowing promise of swift and holistic vengeance burning in his gaze. Somewhere far in the back of his mind, he absently wondered when and how he had managed to steal back Cream’s gift, but it didn’t really matter.
All that mattered was getting it back.
“A token to remember you by,” Shadow sneered, “Until next time, hero.”
With a burst of light that made Sonic flinch and blink away black dots from his vision, he disappeared.
He lay for a long moment, simply catching his breath and recovering.
Then, his scowl lifted into a smile.
“Sooner than you think,” the sheriff chuckled, scooping out one of the emeralds from his pants pocket to admire it. The little show he had put on, pretending to be completely overwhelmed by the nauseating effects of the teleportation, had worked wonders. He had had ample opportunity to snag the bandit’s prize, using the intentionally placed hand along Shadow’s inner thigh to distract him from his retrieval of the jewel from out of his pocket.
He wondered how long it would take for his rival to notice the missing gemstone.
Not long, as it turned out.
Sonic grinned harshly as he heard the distant, furious roar of the hedgehog who had just discovered their dual exchange.
He scrambled to his feet and took off, holding his hat down so it didn’t go flying off with the burst of speed.
The hardest part was over.
With their roles reversed, now Shadow had no choice but to come to him.