Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was storming. Of course it was. It was in the middle of June, and it was raining. Although, it was humid, so at least it wasn't freezing rain, but Tails digresses. The weather completely ruined his plans for today, and now he was sulking in front of a window. If anyone saw him, they'd dare say brooding. 

Gross.

He sat on the back of the couch with his elbows on his knees and his feet dangling on the back as he stares out the window. His heavy head was propped up by a little fist. He felt drained. The gray of the sky matched his brain; heavy, boring, and tired. He sighed heavily, blinking slowly. He barely even registered the presence behind him. An ungloved peach paw grabbed his shoulder and he jolted in his spot, falling on the cushions on his back. As he looked at the ceiling, a certain blue speedster filled his vision as he leaned over him. That menace. The one of his nightmares. The one currently torturing him.

Sonic the freaking hedgehog.

Sonic smirked, and booped the fox's nose twice. "Hey bud, whatcha lookin' all sad for?" Tails rolled his eyes, shoving a hand in the other's face so he can sit up. Once he reoriented himself, he replied, " 'Cause it's raining. The stupid weather ruined all my plans." He pointed a finger at the window and pouted. His namesakes twitched in agitation against his lap when Sonic hummed thoughtfully.

He rubbed his chin and looked back at Tails. His voice was chipper, but light, as he stated, "What were your plans?"

The kit groaned, falling to his side. "I was gonna work on the tornado and take it for a test drive, but now I can't," He pouted harder, snout scrunching up as he flipped off the window. Sonic laughed and lightly smacked his offending hand away.

"Hehe, no need to do that bud, I already know you're anger." He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Who taught you that hand gesture anyways?"

"I saw Shadow do it to you behind your back once."

"That fucker!"

Tails snickered, saying, "Oh! Now out need'a put a quarter in the swear jar!"

Sonic groaned and leaned back, letting his eyes stare into the ceiling as he whined and groaned. Tails laughed harder at the dejected look, not even realizing the small smile on his brother's face. Tails loved his brother and his goofiness. Sometimes Tails thinks that without the goofy in his life, he would be a sad little shell, dug deep into the earth. Without Sonic, he wouldn't have been given a chance at life. Without Sonic, he wouldn't have tried mints! Which is the most important, obviously. Speaking of...

Tails' stomach grumbled, and his ears perked up. He could barely contain his excitement as he asked, "i'm hungry, can I have some mints?" His namesakes twitched and thumped with interest on the cushions as Sonic righted himself and put his hands on his hips. The older brother mimicked a hum, rolling his eyes as he tapped his foot. Oh, c'mon! Tails has been good all day! He didn't even take apart the microwave this time!!

"Mmm, okay."

"YES!"

He pointed a finger at Tails, continuing, "But! Only three, okay? you have to have room for supper later! I'm making salmon."

The fox grumbled, but the small smile betrayed his feigned annoyance. He put a thumbs up and said, "would you work on the tornado for me?" Sonic sputtered, raising both brows and mouth agape. Tails cringed. He wasn't sure why he blurted that out, but it didn't sound like a bad idea. After all, he didn't want to be in the workshop with the rain pouring down, the humid air poured through the crack of the walls and roof, making his fur stick to him uncomfortably. Plus, the sound of the droplets and winds were enhanced, making him panic most of the time. If Sonic did it, then he could still be on schedule! Yeah!

And he voiced just those reasons, making Sonic smile. The older nodded along, clearly listening. Once Tails finished, the blue hedgehog ruffled his bangs and said, "Sure! It's been awhile since I got my hands on it anyway. I sure could use some time to replenishing my awesome skills!"

Tails scoffed playfully shoving the other's hands away. "Sonic, last time I let you work on the tornado, the engine got lit on fire!" It was Sonic's turn to scoff, shaking his head dramatically.

"That was totally not my fault! I didn't know you switched brands of oil!"

"Oh, yeah, fair point..." The two chuckled, and bid each other farewell as the older of the two went into the workshop, while the youngest relaxed in the cushions and watched TV.

-------------------------

A black hedgehog stood under a tree, rain droplets soaking his once soft fur. He scowled as he looked down at his communicator on his left wrist.

Sonic had missed their weekly race, AGAIN. Sonic never missed a race, not even when tornado sirens were blaring, or when there was hail. It was an unspoken agreement between the two, never missing a race unless it was life or death. And sure, Sonic has missed plenty of races in the past with a poor excuse, but this was ridiculous. Most of the time, Sonic had the decency to at least call or text, saying why he couldn't come. Shadow didn't get any of that this time.

He growled at nothing, and clicked his heels, starting the air shoes and sped off. As Shadow ran to the brother's shared home and workshop, he wondered what the excuse would be this time. 'I forgot!', or 'I slept in!'. He was beyond pissed, and fueled that rage to rocket across the hills faster. He was so beating the shit out of that damned hedgehog.

Shadow stopped in front of the workshop door and shook his body, ridding himself of the rain. He was glad Tails had the forethought to put in a little arch above the door, so the front porch was dry. He knocked twice, but no one came. He huffed in irritation, and opened the door to let himself in. He was expecting Tails to be running back in forth, from project to project with loud music in the background, but to his surprise, that wasn't the case.

Sonic's upper body was out of view, inside the tornado engine. He seemed to be in deep concentration, with his tail wagging to the beat of his whistling and wrench in hand. The blue fur of his arms and belly was now a sickly, pale color because of the oil and grease.

Oh my.

He couldn't stop the heated blush spread across his muzzle at the view. Sonic's hips and thighs pressed against the front of the tornado in a...flattering way, he thought. And the way he worked with such precision, it made him feel butterflies. Then his thoughts paused, cause why was Sonic in the Tornado? Working? He almost laughed out loud. There was no way Tails knew about this without freaking out. Sonic was too dumb to be working on something like this.

He completely forgot about his suggestive mind as he cleared his throat and crossed his arms. He let an amused huff out through his nose when Sonic startled, hitting his head on the hood. The blue speedster stepped back from the tornado and looked over, than smiled so bright that Shadow thought the rain would go away completely.

"Hey Shads! What're you doin' here?"

Really? That dummy, of course he forgot. He huffed again, this time more harshly as he stepped to stand right in front of Sonic. The sudden smell of pinecones and oil filled his nostrils. He repressed the urge to groan. Why does his rival always have to smell so good? He frowned and replied, "Dumbass. We had a race, and you never showed. Just like last time. But at least last time you called." He frowned deeper at the other's laugh.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just got distracted is all," He bore a light smile, eyes flashing in guilt. He wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder and said, "I'll make it up to ya, how about that? It's my turn to cook tonight, so why don't you stay and eat with us?" Shadow swore Sonic's face flashed with something akin to desperation, with his quills slightly bristled and his smile tightened. He wasn't planning on it...but, he will admit, the other's cooking was really good. Way better than Rouge, anyway.

He sighed, but nodded. "Sure, now get your grubby paws off me." He looked down at the hand wrapped around him and gaped.

Sonic didn't have gloves on.

He gaped at how big his hand was. It took over his whole shoulder, and his sharpened claws poking into his skin lightly. The paws pads were slightly calloused, with his hands and arms covered completely covered in grease and oil. He bit his lip. Those hands... He wondered what they would feel like when they weren't punching him. Those claws digging in his scalp as they ran through his quills, or maybe if they ran down his sides, or his claws digging down his back as he thr-

STOP. WHAT THE FUCK.

Shadow felt his muzzle burn, and quickly shrugged the hand off, stepping a few steps back. Sonic looked confused, tilting his head to the side. Gaia, it was cute how his ears drooped form gravity. He inhaled deeply, and stated, "Your hands. You don't have gloves on."

Sonic's eyes widened and barked a surprised noise from his throat. "Oh! Chaos, sorry! I forgot, haha..." He laughed nervously, putting both hands behind his back neatly. The two stood there awkwardly, and Shadow couldn't take it anymore.

"It's fine, I don't really care or understand mobian customs anyway. I just thought I'd mention it to you, since you do," His voice cracked at the end, and he wished the floor would just eat and kill him already. Sonic seemed to relax though, and put his hands back at his sides. His smile seemed less tense, and said, "Oh, phew! Thought I'd get a harassment charge or something, heh!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, and averted the conversation to something else. "What were you doing with the tornado anyway? Isn't that Tails'?"

"Oh, it is! It used to be mine, but now Tails has claimed it basically. I was just helping him with something, since the rain messed up his schedule."

"Oh."

That didn't really answer his question, but it quelled his curiosity enough. What he really wanted to know was what he was making for dinner. Sue him, he was hungry!

"So, what are you making for dinner?"

Sonic laughed, his head tipped back slightly. "I was gonna make some salmon, that alright with you?"

Shadow nodded. Sonic smiled and walked to a workbench, grabbing a blue towel and ridding his hands and forearms of the grease. Shadow couldn't help but feel disappointed. It made Sonic attractive, not that he'd ever admit it. Absently, he thought of how the other's thighs flattened when he was pressed against the plane, and he wished he could've seen the scene closer. Maybe run his hands on the soft fur of his hips and sides-

He bit his tongue os hard he felt blood.

Sonic turned to him and said, "C'mon! If you're eating my food, you're gonna help me make it!"

-------------------

The food was delicious, as always. He sat on the couch next to a freshly showered Sonic and tired fox. Tails leaned his head on the blue hedgehog's shoulder as they chatted amongst themselves with TV on in the background. Shadow sighed as he looked at the time on his com. If he wasn't home soon, Rouge would be raising hell on mobius looking for him. But he didn't want to leave, and even as he willed his legs to lift him off the couch, they didn't budge.

Tails slowly nodded off as time went, and Shadow steered the conversation back to earlier.

"Why did Tails not just work on the plane?"

Sonic hummed, putting his elbow on the back cushions so he could lean his head on a fist. He twisted his body carefully, as to not jostle the young fox, and smiled.

"He doesn't like the rain, or the humidity. The workshop gets all stuffy, and it makes him sweat. Heh, guess that's 'cause of all the fur he has. So he asked me to work on the tornado for 'em."

Shadow hummed. He nodded along, but one question was still present. Why would Tails trust Sonic with working on their main way of getting around? The main of way of getting to safety during battle? He knows how close the two are, but even that comes to a point. No matter how close, he isn't sure how trustworthy Sonic is in the workshop.

He was about to voice this when the kit fell on the other's lap, back rising and falling with his breathing. Sonic chuckled lightly and picked him up. He stood slowly, and put the other's head on his shoulder as he cradled him to his torso. The fox's limbs hugged Sonic's torso like a koala, fluffy namesakes limp. Shadow would've thought it was cute, if not for the pang of irritation at being interrupted by his thoughts again.

"I'm gonna go put him to bed."

A bunch of pings came from Shadow's com, and he sighed. He looked at it and saw it was Rouge. Of course. He rolled his eyes and said quietly, "I should get going. Rouge is going to kill me if I don't get back soon."

Sonic giggled quietly, and nodded. They said their goodbyes, and Shadow left with one thought on his mind.

Why in the hell did Tails trust Sonic to work on the tornado? It just didn't make sense! Sonic was irresponsible, irrational, and clumsy. He can barely handle his own devices with care. The amount of times Sonic has broken his phone and com is too much, if you asked him. He sighed and sped home, ready to sleep the entire night, definitely not thinking about Sonic's paws.

Chapter Text

It was early in the morning, the sun barely up. Sonic lay in his bed, blinking the sleep away as he woke up slowly. Dried drool covered one side of his muzzle as he sat in the silence, hoping the dark will lull him back to the sleeping world. He went to bed pretty late, working on some stuff for GUN. Why GUN had given him paperwork in the mail, he didn't know. Apparently he caused too much property damage during the last Eggman battle, and was responsible for signing the paperwork regarding the damage. It made his skin crawl at the memory of sitting at his desk most of the night, working. Eugh. His back still ached in places he didn't know could from when he sat in uncomfortable angles.

His heavy eyelids slid closed, and sighed as his mind went quiet. He was so close to going back to sleep. As his brain fogged over, his door banged open loudly. Blue eyelids snapped back open and held a heavy load of fur ball in his ungloved hands. He sighed, willing his body to relax from its flight or fight mode when he noticed it was just Tails. The kit crawled under the blankets and against his stomach. Sonic's body involuntarily shivered as the wet nose of his brother pushed into his side. He patted the fur absently as he forced himself to wake up.

As he pet the messy fur down, he noticed how hot the other was. He paused his motions, and felt the shivers wracking through the other. He sighed again, heavier this time, at the realization.

Tails was sick.

He wasn't sure why, or how, but he had a feeling it was because of how many all-nighters the other had pulled this week. Eggman really had been troublesome this week, forcing Tails to work his butt off on an invention that tore apart the doctor's recently made robot. The bipolar weather hadn't helped either; with the battlefield changing from being lava hot and humid, to rainy and windy. 'Fuck June', Sonic thought. The fox whined, a whole body shiver wracking through his system.

The blue speedster leaned up on his pillows, moving the blankets off of him and his brother. He leaned to the side, stretching his arm out and turning the lamp on. He blinked away the black spots from the intrusion of light, and looked closer at Tails' brittle form.

Tails' fur clumped in spots, equally sweaty and matted. His body radiated heat, yet the younger was shivering like he was stuck in a snowstorm. His muzzle was flushed, and dark circles were present under glazed over, baby blue eyes. Sonic frowned, pressing the back of his hand to the other's sweaty forehead.

'At least a 100 fever.'

He pushed back the other's bangs in a rhythmic motion, and thought on how to help. He could always go downstairs and look for medicine, but he knew it wouldn't help. This kind of fever was stressed induced, most likely, even if the weather had a big play in it. The most he could do was offer some children's Tylenol and put him to bed. Maybe a cold pack on his neck. Just like last time this happened, and the time before that, and so on. He tried to think of if they had any Tylenol left, and his brain conquered that the didn't. He had to use the rest of it after Cream was sick, and vanilla didn't have time to grab some.

He groaned internally. He really didn't want to have to go the the store, but it looks like he might have to. Damn. Being a a 13 year old adult was hard. At least he didn't need to get a fake ID to buy the medicine, since he's a hero and all. Tails whined again, and Sonic snapped back to reality. He had brushed back and petted the other's bangs so much, they were sticking up with static at this point. He smiled and gently lifted the off of him, getting out of bed with the upmost care, as to not jostle the bed.

Tails instantly curled into a small ball, namesakes hung over his body and face as he slept. Instincts took over, it seemed, and the kit started purring as the other pushed his snout into the pillow, still warm from Sonic's body. The blue hedgehog smiled wider, urgently repressing a squeal, and quickly but quietly walked away before he let the cuteness aggression kick in.

He walked halfway down the hallway and into the bathroom. He didn't bother turning the light on, as he could see pretty well with his night vision. He went to the mirror, opening it and looking through the built in cabinet behind it, for some kind of replacement for the Tylenol. There was adult Tylenol- no, there was Ibuprofen, also no, it would hurt the other's stomach too much, bandages, his medical weed for his aches and pains- absolutely not, and....AHA!

An off brand children's fever reducer and pain reliever, perfect! He took it out of the cardboard box and set it on the counter. He rummaged around some more before he found and snatched the medicine syringe. He walked quickly back to his room and opened the bottle. He measured everything perfectly, eyeing the amount of medicine in the syringe before taking it out of the opening and capping the bottle back up.

Now comes the hard part.

He gently set own the syringe on the edge of his desk for easy grabbing, and sat on the edge of the bed, right next to Tails. He gently shook the fox awake by the shoulder, rubbing his back inbetween. The kit slowly woke, eye blink multiple times before the glazed over irises met green ones. The kit whined and huffed as he scooted closer. Sonic tried to repressed a smile, failing miserably.

"C'mon, bud, sit up for me. Gotta take some medicine, alright?" His voice spoke quietly, as to not make the other's no-doubt-there migraine worse. He shook the other's shoulder with a little more force, and Tails finally sat up, but leaned heavily on the a peach colored arm. Sonic grabbed the syringe with his unoccupied hand and gently pushed the tip into Tails' dry mouth. His opened cracked lips, and cringed as the taste filled his mouth.

"S-Sonic..." Tails' voice was tiny, and cracked at the end. His eyes closed again, coughing weakly. Sonic pushed him back just enough to he could lean on the pillows and headboard.

"I know bud, I know. I'll be right back, okay? I'm gonna get you some water." With that, he quickly but gently got up, taking the syringe to wash later. He ran down the hallway to the kitchen, cleaning the syringe. He set it down on the edge of the sink and grabbed a glass from the dish drainer. He filled it up halfway, putting ice cubes inside. He ran-slower, obviously- back to his room, and sighed with a shake of his head at Tails.

The other had fallen back asleep, mouth slightly open as he slumped against the headboard. He walked to Tails and shook him awake again. He urged the other to take a sip, then setting it back down. As he moved the covers so he could lay down, Tails' voice spoke up in the quiet room.

" 'M gonna puke..."

His quills bristled in alarm, and got back up to grab the small trash can sitting beside his desk. It was otherwise empty, besides pencil shavings and a couple of granola wrappers. He pushed Tails up gently by the back and pushed the trash can under his chin. Watery, acidic liquid spilled past the other's lips as he retched. He cringed, his mind desperately telling him to get away, but persevered. His kid was sick, and he'll be damned if he'll let a little puke get to him. At least it was just water and and stomach acid. It seemed the medicine was already through his system, otherwise he would've seen it discolor the watery vomit.

When Tails heaved a deep breath, he put a shaky thumbs up in the air, and dropped it again almost instantly. Sonic sighed through his nose and put the trashcan back down, right next to the bed. He gently climbed over Tails and closed his eyes, curling a protective arm around his brother. He used his foot to pull the blankets up and promptly passed out.

-----------------

When Sonic woke up again, sunshine poured out in dazzling strips across his room, through the closed blinds. He groaned, and wiped a hand over his face. As he moved to sit up, a weight crushed his chest. He looked down, and smiled.

Right. Tails. Sick. Sleeping in his bed.

He gently pried the other's arms off of his stomach, and crawled back over him to leave the room. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he eyed the trashcan. Good, no more vomit than from a few hours ago. That was good. He stood up and stretched his arms up high, groaning softly at the satisfying pops from his back and knees. Chaos, he was old- 13 is pretty old, if you asked him!

He might as well cook breakfast, since he's awake. The grumble of his stomach agreed. He took one last glance at his brother and walked down the hallway. Only to realize he forgot his phone and com on the desk. He didn't want any ringtones waking his kit up, so he quickly went back and grabbed both, putting on the com on his wrist and stuffing his phone in his quills. He walked back down to the kitchen and rubbed his hands together.

Time to get to work!

He, as quietly as one hyperactive hedgehog could, grabbed a pan from the cupboard and set it on the stovetop. He turned the nob for the burner to medium, then went to the fridge to grab the egg carton. He cracked two, and went to the toast. He put one in the toaster, and went back to the eggs. As he worked he thought on his plans for the day.

He was supposed to have a race with Shadow today, but he knew he shouldn't leave Tails alone. But he's also missed three races in a row now, which he truly feels bad for. Maybe Shadow could come over and play video games with him! Oh, shit, wait, Shadow's admitted one time that he doesn't know how. Ugh. Sonic's ears perked up at the idea of teaching the other! Oh, or maybe he could clean up a little, Chaos knows the living room and workshop need it. He'll need to remind himself to text Shadow later.

As he plated the eggs and buttered toast, a tiny kit stumbled into the kitchen archway. There was his kit! He was wondering how fast the other would wake up. Sonic would never admit it, but he would mentally time Tails when it was his turn to cook breakfast. For some reason, every time he does, Tails, without fail, would wake up from the deepest sleep in all of Mobius from just the smell of his cooking alone. It was the little things he truly enjoyed, and this was one of them.

"Mornin' bud. Sit and I'll grab your water, kay?" Tails blinked up at him from the archway and nodded silently. The kit sat in front of the plate and sighed happily with a smile on his face. Sonic chuckled at the obvious signs of his brother basking in the warmth and heat emitting from the food. He'll have to grab blankets too, he thought. Sonic ran down the hallways to grab Tails' empty glass of water-good. The kit drank, which meant he wasn't dehydrated- and went across the hall to Tails' room. He snatched a small but and soft baby blue blanket from his bed, going back to the kitchen. He messily plopped the blanket on tiny yellow shoulders, than moved to fill the glass back up. He didn't bother with ice this time, seeing as how much the other was shivering, it wouldn't help.

He set it next to the plate and gently carded through yellow bangs from behind the kit. He snickered at Tails sad attempt at turning his head away with an angry pout. He silently moved back to the stove and turned off the nob. he set the pan in the sink and went through the food cabinet to grab some cereal. He poured some in a bowl, and put in milk. He moved to grab a spoon, when a sharp knock came from the door.

He moved to the door and opened it. He was slapped in the face with intense heat, and he internally groaned. It was still morning, and it was that hot? Oh chaos, he'll never survive today. He snapped back in focus as he was met with the intense gaze of Shadow. He smiled, and softly said, "Hi Shadow! What are you doing here?"

Shadow cringed, snout crinkling in displeasure for a split second before replying, "Rouge kicked me out for the day. Said I needed to touch grass." Sonic giggled, and quirked a brow teasingly. He leaned on the doorway and put a hand on his hip as he said, "So, you came here? That's cute." Shadow rolled his eyes and quirked a brow of his own.

"So, you gonna let me in?"

Sonic hesitated, looking back at Tails. The other's eyes were glazed back over, now barely picking at his food. His head nodded, like it was struggling to get up. He bit his lip and sighed through his nose. "Uh...Only if you're okay with being around a sick and clingy kit." He tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. Shadow merely hummed, putting his hands behind his back.

"That's alright, I don't mind. I'm immune to sickness, remember?" Shadow's voice was softer, quieter this time. The blue speedster internally thanked him.

Sonic scoffed playfully, and rolled his eyes. "Course I do. I just don't want a repeat of what happened with Knuckles. Last time Tails was sick, Knuckles stayed over and couldn't hide the fact that he was grossed out." Shadow shook his head slightly, annoyed frown forming on his face. He moved his arms to cross them across his chest. Sonic absently noted how the muscles of his arms tightened, and felt a blush heat up to his face. He quickly stepped back and threw a hand out to wave Shadow in.

"Alright, come in, come in. I'm gonna put Lil' Buddy back to bed, do whatever you want." Sonic walked to Tails and gently patted his shoulder. The kits turned his head to look up at him, and whined. Sonic whispered, "c'mon, let's go back to bed." And pried Tails' hand off of the fork. The kit stood on shaky legs and kept his hand in Sonic's as he was led down the hallway to his own room.

Shadow thought the sight was adorable. Not that he'd ever say so out loud. They way Tails clung to his brother was cute, and Shadow felt a pang in his chest as he thought of Maria. He remembered when he first woke up, and was so incredibly small. He was a Tails to Maria, holding her hand wherever they went. Back to the present, Tails being sick caught him off guard. It made him realize how young the fox really was. He also was caught off guard by Sonic's older brother/parent attitude. The way he handled Tails with so much care, it made Shadow feel dizzy off the loved threatening to break though his chest.

Sonic walked back with a gentle smile on his face, and said, "So what do you wanna do? I would suggest video games, but that might be too loud."

Shadow hummed, looking around. He saw a bunch of crayons, colored pencils, and paper littered on the coffee table in front of the couch from behind Sonic, and pointed. "What happened over there?" He quirked a brow at Sonic's agape mouth. Shadow noticed the other's fingers twitching, like he wanted to pick up the paper and crayons, but steeled himself to the floor. It seemed his rival was a little clean freak, then.

"Oh, that? That's nothin'! Tails had to be by himself most of yesterday evening, since GUN decided to give me paperwork to work on all night. I guess he just busied himself by coloring." His smile tightened, and an eye twitch. Shadow swore he could hear a muttered, 'and didn't clean up'. Sonic tilted his head with a teasing smirk as he looked back at Shadow.

"You tellin' me you wanna color? With lil' ole me?" Sonic cackled at Shadow's embarrassed blush. Shadow wouldn't admit it, but the offer didn't sound horrible. He blushed harder at the image of him and Sonic...coloring. How embarrassing.

His racing thoughts paused on one thing Sonic had said.

"Wait, GUN gave you paperwork?" He cocked his head to the side. "But you don't even work for GUN," Shadow said with a confused lilt.

Sonic just chuckled, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "Oh, yeah! Last time Egghead attacked, I caused a lot of collateral damage, or whatever. So GUN had the owners of the building I destroyed send me the paperwork to fix it, instead of them," He chuckled again, more awkwardly. As Shadow opened his mouth to reply, both of their coms went off. It was the emergency alarm.

The two hedgehog's hurried out of the door, running to the location that was pinged to their coms. As they ran, Shadow rung up Rouge. Thankfully, it only took a couple of rings before she answered.

"Helloooo Darling!"

"Backup needed at the loop atop Green Hill Immediately."

"On my way!~"

With that, he hung up and focused his attention on the path in front of him. He wondered what the doctor could have planned this time, especially if they needed backup. It was only a couple of days ago when Eggman had attacked, with new and dangerous robots. Of course, they handled it, but it wasn't like the doctor to come back so quickly. He knew they could handle it, but without Tails' observational skills to leading them to weak points in Eggman's tech, it would prove to be more difficult.

-----------------

And difficult it was. Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge ran around the giant bot, which was for some reason a giant crab, taking out it's multiple legs. Each time a leg was knocked down or ripped off by Knuckles, a new one would emerge from it's joint. Him and Sonic were tasked with trying to release the 3 gems in it's chest. Which would be easy, if it weren't the size of 2 trees stacked on top of each other.

Shadow curls into a spindash and hits one of it's robotic eyes, the bot screeching out in metaphorical pain. As he dropped, he caught eyes with Rouge. She lifted a hand to make some signs. He hit and rolled on the ground with a grunt, and instantly stood tall again to keep his gaze on Rouge as she signed a plan.

Rouge flapped her wings to fly higher, as to not get clawed out of the sky, barely avoiding it's pincers. She heaved a breath and lifted her hand once more.

'Take out the left rear leg, it should be the last one it has in that joint. Then get Sonic and you to grab the emeralds. We got the other legs covered.'

Shadow nodded and skated over to the assigned leg, making sure to keep a keen eye on the others as he maneuvered through them. As he reached the leg, Amy screamed out to him. He didn't look at her, though. He needed to focus! He let chaos energy swarm in his hand, ready to punch the leg out of its metal socket, when a giant pincer grabbed ahold of him. He shouted in surprise, the chaos energy depleting from his fist.

Eggman cackled above him, flying in his egg mobile tauntingly around the pincer he was trapped in. Ugh! He should've heeded Amy's warning, and now he was stuck.

fuck.

He grunted from the pressure on his ribs, clenching his teeth. Eggman flew impossible closer, and pointed a finger at him.

"Stupid rodent! I thought from you of all people, would know to watch your surroundings better. Now you're trapped, and Team Sonic is too wounded to fight," He spoke with a crazed manic lilt to his voice, and cackled once more. The pincer squeezed him, and he screamed. He could feel a rib crack, which 1) hurt like hell, and 2) made his cheeks flush in embarrassment. How foolish he was, truly, that he let himself get caught like this? He willed his eyes to open- when did they close?- to look below him.

Knuckled held Rouge up, with one wing limp behind her. Amy herself held the hammer to keep standing. Even Knuckles was struggling to stand, one black eye tightly closed- wait. Where the hell was Sonic? His breath quickened, eye searching desperately amongst the ruined grass and fallen trees. What if he got hurt? What if he was-

"Hey Egghead! Lookin' for me!?"

Shadow gaze snapped to the head of the crab, where Sonic stood tall with his hands on his hips. But, wait...He had a brown tool belt on his waist. Shadow's head tilted to the side a little. How did he get that? It almost looked like Tails'. Whatever, his head was becoming deprived of oxygen as the pincers squeezed tighter. He let out a breathy wheeze, much to Eggman's amusement. That blue idiot! He didn't look like he had even taken a single hit! And here Shadow was, about to get crushed by a crab. Shadow still sighed a breath of relief at the sight.

Eggman screeched insults and flew over to the blue speedster instead. Okay, that was good. All Shadow had to do was get out of these stupid pincer's then he could help. Not be useless. He willed chaos energy to flow through his body, readying for a chaos blast. With grit teeth and bristled quills, he let out a whispered, 'chaos blast'. A red and green explosion flitted around him, the robotic pincers destroyed. Gravity dragged him to the ground. He hit it with a shout of pain, white hot and burning. Black spots filled his vision, and all he could focus on was the screams of the other's around him.

But he couldn't focus on that. He was focused on Sonic.

Who was wrenching his way through a compartment right under the emeralds.

His cheeks warmed as he saw muscles tense and coil under the peach fur of his arms as he grabbed the metal door of the compartment and threw it off. Sonic immediately grabbed a tool- even Shadow, who knew his way around tools, didn't know what that thing was-. He watched his rival tears through wires and use the tool to undo a pipe, the crabs eyes flickering.

Huh.

The crab's legs stuttered, and white smoke billowed through the compartment as Sonic clawed the short distance up to grab the emeralds out of its place stuck in the crab bot. Each one lit up as the blue blur touched it, and put them in his quills. The black hedgehog grunted as he sat up, and placed a hand on his rib. He poked and prodded until he found the broken one, and pushed chaos energy through his fingers and onto the spot. Thankfully, it hadn't punctured a lung or his liver, just cracked.

Sonic jumped off the crab and rolled onto the ground with a spin dash, right to Shadow. He hissed through his teeth as the dry dirt scraped his knees as he feel in front of Shadow, but wasn't otherwise injured.

Vibrant green eyes found their way to crimson. Shadow blushed and quickly looked at the ground. Suddenly, a hand went on top of his, and he sagged as he felt the other's chaos energy finish healing his rib. He let his eyes droop from exhaustion, distantly feeling hands wrap around him. Gaia, his hands were warm...

Hands? His eyes slowly blinked open, and flushed as he was met with a peach chest. He scrambled to get down, but sonic's hands held tighter.

"Woah, Shads! It's okay, calm down! I'm gonna take you back to my place to get you fixed up, alright?" His voice was close, too close as he spoke right into Shadow's ear. But it was calming, grounding. It lulled him back to sleep, the rhythmic thumps of running further putting his mind at rest. Absently, he could feel the tool belt scratch at his back as the other ran, and almost jolted at the memory of Sonic working those tools.

-----------------

When he awoke, he was met with blue fur and peach hands working on wrapping his ribs. He blinked the rest of sleep away, and sighed. Of course, Sonic would do something so mundane...so domestic. He didn't even need wrapped! His rib already felt fully healed, only a dull ache residing. Sonic stepped back, a look in his eyes that Shadow didn't want to decipher right now. The black speedster touched his ribs with a wince as he sat up from the couch.

"Hey, easy there," A warm voice filled his ears, and he looked up at Sonic. He immediately blushed at the ungloved paws (Again?? Does Sonic want him to see them or what??). He cleared his throat and politely looked away, for Sonic's sake. Even after Rouge's explaining of Mobian customs, he still didn't fully understand. But he knew Sonic did, and therefore, respected it.

With a deep breath, he said, "Thank you for...helping me." Yeesh, his voice was a lot rougher than he thought. Had the crab somehow grabbed his neck too, and wrung it dry? He noticed a pink tint on Sonic's cheeks, but didn't notice it any mind. He must be realizing he wasn't wearing gloves, too. He sighed and took mental note of his body.

Ringing in his ears, ache in his ribs, elevated heartbeat, flushed face...

Interesting.

Shadow noticed the tool belt hanging on the back cushions of the couch and flushed harder. Gaia, why was it so attractive? Sonic had no right to look that good, working with tools...

Speaking of.

Why the hell did Sonic had it in the first place? Did Sonic run back to get it? That's impossible, they were fighting, and...Oh. Yeah, they were about to be doomed by a giant crab- of all things. So embarrassing-, and then Sonic saved the day once more. But how? By using the fox's tools to...what? Destroy and bang on the crab's inner workings of wires and pipes? It made no sense, and if his head were any clearer, he would ask. But not right now.

A hand waved in front of his face, making him jolt and tip his body back a whole inch. He glowered at the blue hedgehog standing right infront of him. The idiot just wore a small, teasing smile. "You okay, Shads? You don't got a concussion or anythin', right?"

Shadow scoffed. "Of course not, just- uh, lost in my thoughts, I guess."

Sonic tilted his head, and Shadow pretended not to think about how adorable it was.

"Well, I got time to listen! And yur not going anywhere till you're all better, anyway! So, get to talkin' pal!" He smiled bright, with a glint in his eyes. Shadow rolled his eyes and leaned back on the couch cushions. He sighed, heavy and full of something. He really doesn't want to tell Sonic that he was actually thinking about how hot it was to watch Sonic's muscles work with ripping off the metal wall of the compartment, or how his chest heaved with every breath when he used a wrench to take out a pipe...

Yeah, he was fucked.

He sighed again, keeping his gaze on his lap. Sonic sighed too, and moved to sit right next to him, arms brushing. His ears burned, but didn't try to move away. If he stayed still, maybe Sonic would leave him alone. Which, didn't happen, much to his disappointment and relief. Sonic crossed his arms as well, letting Shadow feel his biceps tighten wonderfully.

He groaned out loud, pressing a hand to his face. sonic just laughed. He needs to either deflect, or fucking leave to complain to Rouge about...this recent development. But he didn't feel like being teased either, so he opted for the former option.

"How did you know how to work those tools?"

Sonic's smile grew a little smaller, more confused. "Like, at the fight earlier?"

Shadow nodded silently.

His smile brightened. "Oh! Well, I don't know. Tails taught me how and what to take apart when the need arises," Sonic paused, seemingly stuck in his head. "I remember when we were little, Tails showed me how to properly dismantle a badnik, and I guess it just stuck."

Okay...that actually kind of made sense. But not total sense. Shadow tilted his head in confusion. "But, why did you during the fight? Couldn't you have just grabbed the emeralds and it be powered down without them?"

Sonic chuckled, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck nervously. Shadow found it cute. "I could tell from the way Egghead was acting, that it had a different power source. He kept hoverin' over that compartment, so I figured that it's actual power source was inside that," Sonic smile grew into a smirk, a smug one. "And, once again, I was right! It was using a battery, with pipes sticking out of it. All I had to do was take the pipes apart from the battery, and boom! Shut down! I'm such a genius," He seemed to be talking more to himself at the end, but Shadow couldn't help but chuckle at it anyways.

Yeah right. Sonic was far from being a genius. He only knew what to do because Tails taught him.

Speak of the devil, a cough wracked through the hallway, and Sonic jumped up to run down the hall and check on the fox. Shadow stayed put, still thinking about the conversation he just had. He eyed the tool belt behind him, and silently touched it to make it teleport into his room at home.

Yeah, he was totally fucked.

Chapter Text

Sounds of screaming and buildings collapsing was all Sonic had heard in the past 4 hours, and he was getting sick of it. It was supposed to be a chill day, and Eggman just had to come and ruin it! Team Sonic and Team Dark had been spending their Saturday at the beach, relaxing the aching muscles and bruises they had acquired from the last battle just a few days prior.

Sonic ran into a spindash behind Amy, knocking off the crab bot about to attack her. Amy gave him a thumbs up gratefully before turning back to a bot in front of her, slamming it into the atmosphere with a battle cry. Sonic laughed and gave her a high five. Even if he was exhausted and injured, watching his friends do cool stuff like that never failed to get his blood pumping.

A cackle coming from above gained his attention, ears perking towards the doctor as he hovered over him like a fly. He instantly scowled and pointed a finger up at him.

"Hey Egghead! Why don'tcha leave already!? You've already destroyed half the city!" He threw his arms out with a quirked brow at the absolute ruins that used to be the city of Green Hill. Eggman played along, putting a hand right above his eyes to shield the sun and looked around with a sneer. He then turned back to Sonic and laughed.

"Oh, dear boy! This is just the first step of my evil plan! Once I destroy the city, I'll rebuild it to make my empire!" He smirked evilly, then pointed a finger at the blue speedster with a scowl.

"And you, rat, are getting in my way!"

"I'm not a rat, I'm a hedgehog!" He yelled back, putting his hands on his hips as he continued to look up. Now, he really should know by now not to get distracted with taunting the doctor, but he just couldn't help it! He didn't realize a bot sneaking up behind him, and jolted out of his and Eggman's staring contest when it exploded right behind him, the flames of it's remains flicking against his back.

He turned and smiled when he saw his favorite mobian in the world- besides Tails, no one can beat his little brother!

Shadow the hedgehog.

Said hedgehog was growling as he pulled out the chaos spear from the destroyed bot, never once looking away. Sonic gulped, finding the deadly stare go straight through his soul and sending warmth to his stomach. Wait- Focus!! Fighting! Sonic waved a hand at him and smirked.

"Hey Shads! Thanks for the help!"

Shadow rolled his eyes, and replied, "Whatever. I won't help next time, so stay vigilant."

The blue blur shrugged his shoulders and looked back up at Eggman, but startled when he realized he was no longer there. He whipped his head around the area, searching for the evil doctor, but it seemed like he had retreated. 'Hah! Take that, Egghead!' Sonic swiped a finger under his nose, and was about to proclaim his victory when a building ahead of the two rivals suddenly collapsed. A shrill scream echoed, and the two didn't hesitate to speed over to the ruins.

As he stopped in front of a giant piece of rubble, smaller ones behind it, he heard another scream, closer. His ears strained forward to listen closer, and started peeling away each piece of broken wall to search for the person screaming. His arms strained to lift up a particularly heavy one, and grunted as he finally lifted it and threw it to the side. He paid Shadow's staring no mind as he kneeled down at the little fox girl. The girl was on her knees, arms covering her head as she screamed.

He put a hand on her shoulder, and startled when the girl flinched back, falling to her rear. He smile gently and put his hands in front of him. He said softly, "Hey, are you okay?" The fox seemed to be looking intently at his lips with a furrowed brow. He paid it no mind, instead checking her out with his eyes for any injuries. There was no bad ones except the cut on her head, but he was worried about the girl's left ears, which looked bloody and mangled.

He waved Shadow over, not tearing his gaze away from the girl. Shadow stopped and kneeled right by him, and he finally turned his head to his counterpart, asking, "Hey, could you find Amy and bring her over here?" Shadow narrowed his eyes, and replied, "Why? Is she unresponsive to you?"

Sonic eyed the girl before returning his gaze to Shadow, stating, "Yeah, I think so. Maybe she'll be more comfortable with Ames."

Shadow nodded, and ran off to find Amy. He sat back on his haunches, looking at the fox in front of him with a gentle expression. The more he looked, the more guilt ate away at him. Gaia, she kind of looked like Tails. Her fur was a light brown, but hints of yellow poked through as the sun hit it. One eye was a soft green, the other an icey blue. Her pink dress was torn and dirtied with dust and dirt. He winced as he took another look at her ear.

Thoughts began to consume him as he looked around them. What if this was Tails? What if Tails was already hurt? What if-

"Hey Sonic, I'm here!"

His head turned to Amy, who sat criss crossed next to him, eyes grazing over the girl in front of them. Shadow stood behind them with his arms crossed. Sonic sighed in relief. Thank Gaia. Hopefully the girl will be less intimidated by Amy.

"Hey! She won't speak to me, so I was hoping she would for you. Maybe you can find her family while I look for Tails." Amy glanced over at him with pursed lips, but nodded. She leaned slightly forward, and spoke to the fox, "Hello! I'm Amy, what's your name?" Oh, chaos! Sonic knew he was forgetting something! He should've asked her name first! He repressed the urge to face palm as he watched in silence. The blue speedster noted that the girl seemed to be focused on Amy's lips as she spoke.

As Amy stopped talking, the fox lifted her hands and put her hands in to fist in front of her, index and middle fingers crossing over each other. She tilted her head confusedly, and Sonic snapped his fingers with a smile. Damn, he really was dense! Of course, he should've realized when she had been reading his lips!

He lifted his own hands with a bright smile and made the same sign as her, then put his fist under his chin, pinkie touching his mouth, and finally finger-spelled his name. The fox brightened up with a smile of her own and messily finger spelled her own name.

D-A-I-S-Y.

Shadow cleared his throat, and Sonic looked up to find Shadow leaning over his body slightly, his head just above his own. The black hedgehog quirked a brow and and asked, "What is she saying?"

Sonic smiled and replied, "I was asking her name, She said it was Daisy!" He turned to face Amy, and stated, "Now that we know her name, why don't you go look for her parents?" The pink hedgehog nodded with a determined expression on her face, running off to the mass of citizens. Sonic patted next to him, looking at Shadow expectantly. The other sighed through his nose, but complied.

Sonic realized Daisy's hesitant look, and pointed a thumbs at him. He made the sign for name, then Shadow, implying that that was his name. She nodded and started looking around. After a few seconds she made a small squealing sound and picked up what looked like to be the destroyed remains of her hearing aid. She grabbed Sonic's palm and placed it there.

Sonic tilted his head and stared at her, lifting his free hand to sign, 'why give it to me?' She put a finger on her chin and made a mock thinking face. Then she nodded to herself and lifted her hands to sign back, 'able to fix it? Very expensive, don't want mom to see it.' Sonic nodded his head and placed hit inside his quills. He then gave her a waving motion to follow her as he got up. Sonic looked at Shadow, who rolled his eyes and got up to follow as well. She grabbed his hand and they started walking to the citizens gathered in a clean section of the road, getting checked out by the paramedics.

Sonic searched for Amy's pink frame. He saw her talking to two nervous women, one a fox similar to Daisy and a white wolf. He called out, "Amy! Over here!" He waved his hand in the air, and Amy walked over to him with one of the women's paws in each of hers. She stopped right in front of him, smiling as the mother fox picked up Daisy, squeezing tight. The wolf stood beside her, fixing the kit's messy hair. Sonic cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the three.

"Hello! I wanted to make sure you guys were okay before we left. And- Oh!" He grabbed the hearing aid out of his quills and put his hand out, palm up, so the mothers could see it. "A piece of rubble fell on her head and broke it." He grimaced at the sight. The ear-hook was completely ripped off, and battery was missing, as well as the on and off buttons. It was also slightly flattened, probably from a piece of rubble falling on it. The pale pink paint job on it was scratched and dirty. But it was fixable, and that was all Sonic cared about.

The mother fox gasped and replied, "Oh dear! Well, at least Daisy's okay. But that's such an expensive one, it's gonna be fortune to fix." Her ears drooped as she stared at it. Lucky for them, Sonic thought, that they were in just the right hands!

He smiled gently at them, and said, "I can fix them. I've actually fixed this specific kind before, so I might have a few spare parts for it!" The two mother's looked at him with a smile, and the wolf spoke up, "That's very kind of you, Sonic. Are you sure we can't pay you for the trouble?" Sonic snorted, waving his free hand in the air dismissively.

He signed as he spoke, eyes going between the mother fox and Daisy. "No! It's really no trouble, just make sure she gets that ears checked out, it doesn't look to good. I checked her over, and nothing is broken or bleeding. All you need to worry about it that ear."

The two adults sighed, and said their thanks. The wolf stated her phone number, and Sonic pulled his phone out to punch it in. The mother fox looked at the fox, signing, 'Say bye bye!'. Daisy smiled from her mother's neck, waving with one hand and signing goodbye with her other at Sonic. The blue blur returned the gesture, placing the hearing in back in his quills.

As the three walked off, Shadow moved to stand right beside him, Amy on his other. Shadow raised a brow and smirked. "Since when did you know sign?" Amy perked up, and said, "Yeah! I can't believe I only just learned about that!" Shadow rolled his eyes, but kept his focus on Sonic.

The other just shrugged one side of his mouth pulling into a bashful smile. "Oh, I used to be mute! I could usually just talk to Tails using body language and sounds, but eventually he suggested we learn sign."

Shadow hummed, Amy smiled wider. The black hedgehog asked, "When could you finally talk, then?"

Sonic seemed to falter slightly, smile falling. Shadow thought it was weird, but didn't pay it any mind. He noted that Sonic tapped his foot nervously, it becoming a blue as it made a soft thumping sound against the road. Interesting... He'll have to ask later. Sonic shrugged again, and turned his head to face Amy.

"Could you find Tails for me? And send him home? I'm gonna get started on fixing the hearing aid back at the workshop. Thank, bye!" Sonic rushed through his sentence, even Shadow barely able to decipher it before he sped off in a flash of blue. Amy sighed, but looked at Shadow and asked, "Go after him? He's acting kinda weird." Shadow nodded and clicked his heels together, powering his skates. Once they ignited, he sped off in the direction of the brothers' shared home.

--------------------

Shadow skidded to a stop in front of the closed garage door. He didn't want to intrude, per say, but he was curious. He could hear a whirring of a tool in the workshop, and he had to reluctantly admit that he really wanted to see Sonic working with those tools up close. He bit his lip as he started pacing back in forth, trying to erase the images of Sonic in his mind as he worked with a wrench, biceps tightening as he tied an imaginary screw in something he didn't bother to conjure up in his mind. The invention didn't matter, as long as he saw sonic using tools. He suppressed the drool threatening to escape his maw as his brain made the image of Sonic sweating, arms covered in grease as he worked.

He stopped abruptly at a banging sound, and a shouted curse from inside the workshop. He opened the door and was expecting to meet Sonic on the floor in pain, maybe a finger cut off, but it was... more weird than that.

Sonic was sitting, his back to Shadow, slumped over the workbench with his head in his hands. Well...at least he wasn't injured. His leg jumped restlessly, occasionally bumping into the underside of the bench as he wallowed in what Shadow would presume to be his misery. He couldn't repress a snort at the thought, making the other jump and twirl around to stare at him with wide eyes.

Shadow blinked back at him, not expecting that reaction. Hmm, something must really be bothering the other, if Shadow wasn't greeted with that handsome smirk and a cringe worthy one-liner. He quirked a brow and crossed his arms loosely across his chest.

"You okay there, Faker? What's got the hero of Mobius so jumpy?"

Sonic rolled his eyes and turned back to slumping over the bench, this time picking up a tiny electric drill. Shadow hummed thoughtfully at the weird response. He walked to stand next to Sonic- or, more behind him, dare someone say looming over him, if they were brave enough- looking at Sonic drilling a tiny screw into the inner workings of the hearing aid. Shadow couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at the lack of display of strength, preferably form his upper arms.

Because that was what it was, totally! He just liked to admire Sonic's strength and apparent knowledge as he used Tails' tools, nothing more!! He shook his head to rid his dirty thoughts, and watched Sonic solder and meld a severe wire back together. He moved to lean his lower back against the desk, to the right of Sonic. He dared a peek at his rival's face and instantly flushed dark red.

Sonic's face was sweaty, muzzle fur slightly matted and dirty from sweat and dust, with a blank, but concentrated look on his face. His eyes were bright, but not in the usually boyish, charming way. He was doing something he knew how to do, and it was obvious he liked doing it. His brows were furrowed and the tip of his tongue poking out. Shadow thought it was adorable, and had the filthy image of him licking into those lips, feeling the other's tongue against his-

 He should get checked out by a doctor.

He exhaled, slow and calculating, as he watched Sonic lean back to search for something. He looked up at Shadow and smiled faintly. He pointed to a spot behind the black hedgehog and said, "Give me those gloves, will ya?"

Shadow nodded, and looked behind him. He grabbed the gloves and gave them to Sonic. He smiled gratefully and pulled his normal ones off, not once bothered by Shadow presence. Really, Shadow should be used to this, but he wasn't, and therefore flushed darker as he spotted dusty pink finger and palm pads. Gaia, they looked so rough, but soft. Sonic put on the thicker gloves, and grabbed...something. It was small, but bulky and had a wire on the end of it that connected to the wall.

It kind of looked like a pen, but had added features, so Shadow thought it looked more like a tattoo gun, but with a metal tip that gave off sparks as Sonic turned it on. Sonic leaned impossibly close to the hearing aid, and with his free hand pushed the broken rectangle piece to the hearing aid and began melding it together in perfect lines. Shadow felt an involuntary shiver go through him as he balked at Sonic's handy work.

He was so precise with it, his hand steady and firm in his hold on the melding tool. Once Sonic was done he placed the tool down and used pliers to grab the buttons of the on and off feature, putting them on with a small click. They were a different color than the hearing aid itself, them being a bright blue instead of the pale pink color.

Sonic placed the pliers down and sighed. He took the thick gloves off and hastily pulled his normal ones back on. Shadow didn't really know what to do except stare at Sonic expectantly. His counterpart had been rather quiet, and he intends to find out why. Absently he thinks that he was quiet so he could focus on what he was doing- which brings another question to the table, one that he can only guess the answer to.

A clear of a throat brought him out of his thoughts, and he startled slightly, only now realizing that he had been staring. He blushed, embarrassed, and cleared his own throat. Awkward, right? He then sighed heavily. No more stalling! He needed answers!

"Why didn't you want to answer my question earlier?"

Yikes, forward, much?

Sonic sighed, and placed an elbow on the bench, placing his head into his hand. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but couldn't seem to find the right words. He grimaced, and looked down at the floor. Shadow felt guilty, and decided to rephrase his question.

"You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to. I was just curious, is all."

Sonic huffed a laugh through his nose, and stared into Shadow's eyes with something soft. Something genuine. Shadow's own gaze softened, and smiled gently. "Really, it won't bother me if you don't answer. I just wanted to know, hedgehog."

Sonic rolled his eyes, but smiled back, just as soft. He replied, "It's cool. I just need a second to think of my answer." A pause. Shadow quirked a brow, and Sonic continued. "I actually couldn't speak until a couple years before I met you." He leaned back in his chair, hand crossed loosely over his chest. "Tails taught me how to speak."

Shadow hummed. Interesting... "You didn't know english? Or just had trouble learning the sounds of the letters?"

Sonic chuckled nervously, looking at the floor, before returning his gaze to curious crimson.

"I'd never heard anyone speak before I met Tails, so I guess that I didn't just not know english, I didn't know any language."

Shadow paused at that. How weird. His brain tried connecting puzzle pieces, only to find more missing spots. How did Sonic grow up then? Surely he had family before Tails? Throughout all his raging thoughts, he elected to ask a meager, "Why?"

Sonic's smile tightened. "I grew up in the forests of Christmas Island my whole life. There's no intellectual life there except for wildlife and nature. I'm not sure how I ended up there, so don't even ask that. Don't know where I came from, don't really care. Anyway, I only got off that stupid piece of land when Eggman came there with his plane. He was a lot skinnier back in the day. He even had hair." Sonic stopped to snort, before his expression turned sorrowful.

"Eggman found me, and took me off that island. I don't know why, but I guess he knew somehow that I had chaos energy and was using me to find the chaos emeralds. Once I realized he was using me, I took his plane and flew it to other islands. I chased egghead around, from place to place, before I eventually found Tails. Then it's all history, I guess." He finished with a bashful smile and shrugged his shoulders.

Shadow stared at him, mouth agape. Just how old was Sonic when he got off that island? And why did Sonic have trouble learning english, even though he had been with Tails for the better part of a few years before learning to speak? Actually, why was Sonic mute in the first place?The more he thought, the more questions were left unanswered. He sighed, and rubbed his temples, staving off his head ache.

His rival had more history than he thought he did, and needless to say, he was curious. Instead of barraging the other with probably offensive questions, he changed the subject to something else on his mind.

"That's...interesting. I'm not going to ask questions for your sake, even I'm getting overwhelmed with how many I have. Anyway, how did you know how to fix the fox's hearing aid?"

Sonic laughed at that. Shadow wasn't sure what was so funny, but he let his chest bubble up with pride at the sight of him making Sonic laugh like that.

"Actually, there's a pretty funny story to go for that question! So, Before Tails and I learned how to communicate with each other effectively, he thought I was deaf. So he rummaged through the garbage of a small town on Seaside Hill and found me a hearing aid. He showed me how to fix it, even if in the end, I didn't need it. Guess it just stuck with this ole noggin of mine! Actually!" Sonic perked up, and grabbed a small cardboard box from under the bench. He put it on the table and took out an old blue looking hearing Aid.

It was big and bulky, some parts obviously torn off. Shadow realized that it was the same color as the on and off buttons that Sonic had put on the fox's hearing aids earlier.

Sonic presented it to Shadow in the palm of his hand with a fond smile. "This is the one Tails had found in the trash. I thought it'd finally be put to some use after all these years. I'm not even sure why Tails till has it, but I found it a few months ago and didn't question it."

Shadow simply hummed, looking down at it with wide eyes. "Interesting."

Sonic chuckled, replying, "Yeah, interesting. Anyway, now that I got Daisy's hearing aid done, I'm gonna give that wolf a call and hand it back. Wanna come with? i'm sure she'll like seeing you again!"

Shadow huffed. He doubted that. He notice the way she regarded him with hesitance. To be honest, it kind of hurt, but he didn't have the heart to feel anything other than that. He understood that the girl was just traumatized out of her mind after almost being crushed by a building. He shooked his head lightly and said, "fine."

Sonic pumped a fist in the air, shouting, "Yes!"

With that, they took off.

Chapter Text

"So, Darling, mind telling me where you got this from?"

Shadow looked behind him from his position from the couch, and blanched.

"Where did you find that!?"

He stood, walking over to her with stiff legs and snatched the tool belt from her grasp. The bat's eyes widened, surprised by his response, but was quick to narrow her eyes with a knowing, teasing smirk.

She placed a finger on her chin and put her other on her hip. "Did you perhaps steal it from a certain blue hedgehog?"

Shadow flushed, putting the tool belt behind his back and scowled. Stupid bat lady! Why would she not go through his room? He hated this woman! Rough raised a brow, and he realized that he was staring.

He cleared his throat and forced his expression to something blank. "I didn't steal it. I was just..." Shit. Yeah, he had nothing. He definitely stole it, but even he isn't sure why. It's totally not because it smelled like Sonic. It's also totally not because he wanted to keep the memory of Sonic wearing it fresh in his mind every time he went into his room to totally not brood.

"Sure, hun. Just make sure to have a better excuse when Sonic is asking for it. Because he is," The bat smiled, one of her fangs showing, at Shadow's twisted and scrunched muzzle.

"...He is?"

Yup!" She popped the P and stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "So better think of one fast, 'cause he's coming over."

With a laugh and a saunter over to the kitchen, she left Shadow standing there with an open mouth and wide eyes. It was comical, really, how stupid he could be sometimes. He repressed the urge to face palm. He's going to have to think of an excuse, fast, before his secret crush comes out to the blue idiot himself.

However, he didn't have time to even think of anything before a loud knock echoes through the house. It seemed to reverberate through his very being, and he stayed locked to where he stands. Rouge sighed, but walked over and opened the door with a cheery smile and a clap of her hands.

"Blue bird! Hello, come on in!"

Shadow startled, and quickly teleported to his room. With hasty steps, he locked his door and shoved the tool belt under his bed. After staring at the foot of his bed, where he shoved his current deepest secret, he sighed to release the tension in his muscles. Okay. All he had to do was act natural. Yeah...totally natural.

A soft knock on his door shook him from his thoughts, and put on his signature frown as he unlocked the door and opened it. He almost fell to his knees at the sight of his rival.

There Sonic stood, with a new tool belt on his thin waist, and a sage green bandana tied behind his ears. One of his hands were on a jutted out hip, the other holding his belt with fingers laced around it. Shadow could barely hold in his groan of pure ecstasy at the intense emerald stare, right into flickering crimson.

"Hey Shads! Wanted to ask if ya wanted to come to angel island with me!"

The black hedgehog paused his thoughts and willed his flush away. He scowled and with a huff, asked, "And why would I want to go there?"

"Because you want to spend precious time with your best friend?"

"You are not my best friend."

"You didn't deny I wasn't your friend, though!"

Shadow sighed, stepping out of his room and closing the door. Sonic's eyes flickered to the room, and back to Shadow. "Whatever, hedgehog. My point still stands, why would I want to go?"

Sonic laughed, and replied, "Oh, I don't know. Just thought I could use the company. Plus, I needed to go up there anyways to fix Knuckles' communicator. He broke it again. And you've seemed pretty curious about my smarts lately, so why not come with?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes questioningly. Sonic stared back with a smile. After a moment, the black speedster sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll go."

Sonic's smile widened, and his eyes sparkled. He clapped his hands together and stated, "Sweet! Do you have an emerald we could use to teleport up there? I would offer to drive the plane, but I'll admit, I'm a little rusty in my piloting skills."

Shadow tilted his head, but didn't offer any verbal response, opting to grab his blue emerald from his quills. He held it between them, palm up, and used his other hand to grab Sonic's shoulder.

The other hedgehog put his hand up to stop him, and hastily said, "Oh, wait! I forgot to give Rouge something!" He sped away to the kitchen, assumingely giving Rouge whatever Sonic had and came back in less than 10 seconds. He grabbed Shadow's free hand and nodded.

"Kay, now 'm ready to roll!"

Shadow rolled his eyes at the stupid saying and teleported them to Angel Island.

------------------

When they arrived, Sonic instantly sped the short distance away to the master emerald's shrine, where Shadow presumed Knuckles would be found. He's honestly not sure why he agreed to come, seeing as he and Knuckles were nowhere close to being friends. Acquaintances, sure. Allies, yes. Friends? Shadow would much rather tell Rouge all of his embarrassing secrets.

He slowly walked towards where Sonic and Knuckles were conversing, his head moving around with the scenery of wildlife and gardens. He absently noted that Sonic was pointing towards him, but didn't pay it any mind. He finally got close enough to hear their conversation- about 10 feet away- and slowed as to not interrupt, lest it was important.

"...belt. Don't know what for though."

Knuckles hummed. He crossed his arms across his broad chest and replied, just as quiet, "...on't know why he would have it. Very suspicious if you asked me."

Sonic punched his shoulder lightly, and smiled. " "m sure he's just waiting to give it back. I probably left it somewhere on the battlefield and he found it."

Shadow had no idea what they were talking about. Something about Sonic losing an item on the battlefield, and someone now is keeping it? Curious...whatever. It's not like he cared anyway. He slowed to a stop right beside Sonic, who brightened and wrapped a lazy arm around his shoulder. The black speedster raised a brow at Knuckle's narrowed gaze, seemingly sizing him up. He couldn't be bothered with a buffoon such as Knuckles, and turned his gaze back to Sonic.

"Hey Shads! I was just gettin' started on his com. Wanna help? I've heard from Tails that you're pretty tech smart." He winked, and Shadow felt his ears burn a light pink. He just nodded and stepped out of his rival's amazingly strong grasp and said, "I will help, I guess. Whatever makes us leave faster."

"That's the spirit, Shads! Knuckles, hand me your com please!" Knuckles nodded and kneeled down to the base of the steps, grabbing what Shadow thought used to be his communicator.

Springs were sticking out of it, as well as a couple of wires and the screen was cracked to the point small shards of glass was falling out of it. He winced; that ought to of hurt, if Knuckles tried using it. By the lack of gloves and bandaids on the other's fingers, he assumed Knuckles was stupid enough to try.

Sonic grasped it with gentle hands and saluted Knuckles. "Thanks, man! Tell me how you broke it again?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes but replied, albeit hesitantly, "I got mad and crushed it in my hand."

Sonic sighed with a playful roll of his eyes, and stated, "I'm adding a shock feature on yours. It's crazy how often you do this, dude. Next time you try to break it, the com is gonna be shocking you to your death." He chuckled with a shake of his head, but Knuckles seemed to take it personally. The echidna growled and pointed a finger at Sonic. Shadow wasn't sure whether to step in or just leave.

"Don't you dare, hedgehog," He spoke lowly, and in response, Sonic stuck out his tongue.

"Whatever man, get something else to take your anger out on, then! You know how expensive it is to fix this thing!?"

Knuckles, paused, and put his finger down with a flush on his muzzle. Shadow held in the urge to snort. Of course, someone like Knuckles, who lived on a deserted island in the sky, would have no concept of money.

"...Fine. Just fix it, and leave my island." With that, he stomped back to the mast emerald and climbed skillfully on top of it, sitting on the edge with his legs dangling off of it. Sonic sighed and turned to Shadow.

"Come on, I know a good spot to fix this. I'm gonna need some piece and quiet, and that last time me and Tails came up here to fix it, he wouldn't stop barraging us with questions and telling us we were doing it wrong." He stopped to snort, and grabbed Shadow's hand.

Shadow opened his mouth to protest, but didn't have enough time to say nothing except a squeak as Sonic pulled him away to run into the forest. Gaia, his hand was so warm, even from underneath his glove, and his grip was strong. Shadow let himself get led by his rival's steps to deep into the forestry around.

They stopped after a few minutes by a pond. Sonic released his hand and Shadow felt somewhat disappointed at the loss of warmth. Distantly, he thinks that he'll never wash this glove ever again. Sonic sat, and Shadow followed with a confused tilt of his head at Sonic's expectant stare.

"What?"

Sonic laughed quietly, and said, "I asked if you've ever seen the inside of your com before. I need to know before I let you help." He paused. "If you still want to, that is."

Shadow instantly nodded, more desperate than he wanted it to be, and replied, "I have. I've broken mine on accident before, and fixed it myself."

Sonic nodded with a cheery smile. He held out the com to Shadow, who took it with nimble fingers. Sonic unlatched his belt from his waist, and laid it out straight in front of them. Shadow watched with burning intensity as he opened a pouch and took out two small screw drivers and a bolt cutter.

"Okay, I want you to unscrew the screen, and I'll cut off any blunt ends of the wires sticking out," He stared at Shadow with a concentrated look on his face. Shadow tried to pay attention, he really did, but he couldn't. Not with the way Sonic's voice deepened slightly from his serious persona, or how he was currently being stared at. The fur on his back shivered, and he desperately forced his attention not on the other's lips, but his eyes. It was a small effort, though. He could care less about the stupid com, he wants to kiss the hedgehog in front of him so bad he thinks he's going to keel over and die if he doesn't.

"-I'll try to mend the screen back together with glue, but I don't know how well that's gonna work out." He broke free from his thoughts, and realized that Sonic had taken the com back and was toying with the large shards of glass on the screen. It seemed like he was trying to piece them back together, as a pre-step to his upcoming effort to fix it. Shadow knew it would end futile. There were too many small pieces missing. He wonders if he'll be able to see Sonic melt sand into glass, and turn it into a whole new screen. He's seen the process on TV before. The men working always held a long metal poll, sweating from the heat of the furnace and biceps bulging from holding it up as they shaped molten glass. The image of Sonic doing it made his stomach fill with a certain warmth he couldn't deny anymore.

"I'm sure it will end out pointless. You might need to make a whole new screen, seeing as too many pieces of glass are missing," Might as well try his luck, right? He could barely keep out the excitement in his voice as he spoke.

Sonic looked back up at him with a raised brow and a smile that lifted just one cheek. "So, you are listening. I thought you just spaced out as I yapped, heh."

Shadow sobered from his fantasy, and scowled with a raised brow of his own. "I may or may not have. Doesn't mean I'm not listening."

Sonic chuckled and put the com, as well as the two screw drivers in his hands. "Okay, smart ass. Take the screen and top piece off. Then I'll go in and try to fix the inner workings, if it's even salvageable at this point." He paused to rake a hand through his quills as he stared at the com with pursed lips. "You might be right, I'll probably have to order in a new screen, if not a whole new communicator."

Shadow's ears drooped with disappoint at the news of Sonic ordering a new screen, but cooled his expression into a blank one. He opted to nod silently and take one of the screw drivers and  quickly took off the screen and top piece that hid the inner workings of the device. He set them down gently beside him, and gave the com back.

Sonic flashed him a smile and got to work on his own. As he blabbered on about what he was doing and the functions of some of the chips inside, Shadow listened intently while flickering between his hands and his mouth. His thoughts wondered back to his and Knuckles' conversation earlier. IT was just too interesting to wave off. Who had picked up whatever Sonic had supposedly dropped? He didn't notice him drop anything, and if he had, he would've given it right back, like a normal person.

Except, he wasn't normal, because he had stolen Sonic's tool belt. Which, in hindsight, was probably the dumbest thing he's even done. He doesn't even know if it was sonic's. For all he knew, it could've been Tails', and Sonic borrowed it. And, he had taken it right from their couch. How dumb was he? Not to mention that-

Oh. Sonic and Knuckles were talking about his stolen belt. Sonic must've forgotten that he put it over the back of the couch. Gaia, Shadow felt equally guilty and like the dumbest mobian alive. But... He didn't feel guilty enough to give it back. If anything, the revelation made him want to keep it more. What would Sonic do if he knew Shadow had It? Would he yell at him, curse him out for stealing it? Or would he understand, and forgive him with a slap on the wrist?

...Would he use it to his advantage, knowing his knew found fetish for Sonic and the image of him working with some dumb tools? Would he threaten black mail, would he tease him and-

"You okay, Shadow?"

The black hedgehog startled, and whipped his head up to Sonic's confused eyes. He slowly exhaled the unholy thoughts away and frowned with a tilt of his own head. "I'm fine, why are you asking, hedgehog?" His voice had more bite than necessary, but he, under no circumstances, wanted Sonic to somehow read right through him and find out. Sonic chuckled and pressed a finger on his nose, lightly booping it.

"No reason, you just blanked out again. You sure you're okay? I'm not boring you to death, am I?" He laughed, but it sounded hollow. Shadow felt a fresh wave of guilt, and shook his head quickly.

"You're not boring me. I'm just...stuck on something, I guess." Shadow was quick to say more before Sonic could offer an ear. "And no, I'm not telling you."

Sonic rolled his eyes playfully, but held up the com. Shadow's eyes widened. Wow...Sonic worked fast. The screen was still broken, and the paint job was scratched, with some missing buttons. The bracelet that wrapped around the wrist was frayed, but otherwise, it looked way better than before. Shadow had to admit, Sonic knew way more than he let on. It made him wonder what other things he could do with his hands...

"How'd you know how to fix it anyway?"

At that, Sonic groaned with his head tipped to the sky. "The amount of times I've watched Tails fix Knuckles' communicator is ridiculous. It's burned into my brain permanently at this point!" He sighed, and looked back at Shadow with a small smile. Shadow simply hummed.

"Well, if we're done, I would like to go back."

Shadow swore he saw Sonic's expression deflate, but he saw it as Sonic not wanting to leave the island in general. There was no way Sonic actually liked being in his presence. He must just like including Shadow in activities, for his sake. Or Rouge bribed him, and Shadow knew it wasn't a far fetched possibility. The things that woman did to get him out of the house edged on actually insane.

Sonic nodded with drooped ears and a tight smile. He began to pick up screws and small tools, putting them back in their respective places in the belt. Shadow stood and watched him until his rival stood as well. The blue blur's smile seemed more genuine this time, and with a nod, the two ran back to Knuckles.

Sonic let out a loud, shrill whistle from the base of the shrine, waking the red echidna up with a jolt. He groggily sat up with a hand rubbing over his face. When he noticed the two hedgehogs', he slid off the master emerald with a grunt.

"I assume you've fixed it?"

Sonic snorted with a half hearted sneer. "Actually, I have to take it down with me. Gotta order a whole new screen, since I can't fix this one." A genuine frown replaced his snarky look, and continued, "Dude, this is gonna be expensive to fix. At least try next time to destroy something else. Tails and I can't keep wasting money on shit like this."

Shadow, standing a few feet away from the conversation, absolutely gaped. Sonic, the hero of mobius and guardian, just cussed. He'd only ever heard Sonic cuss when something was going horribly wrong in battle. Or that one time when Tails had run off and no one heard from him for two days. Boy, was Sonic mad. He had completely disregarded his rule of no cussing in front of children to cuss at a child- and ground them 6 feet deep, but that's besides the point-. He doesn't think he's ever been scared for someone so much before.

Shadow snapped out of his thoughts when Sonic sighed roughly, tapping his foot as he stared into Knuckles' soul through his purple eyes. The echidna nervously fidgeted with a bandaid on his middle finger as he mumbled an apology. Sonic nodded and turned to Shadow.

"Okay, I'm ready to go now. Teleport us into the workshop. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have to ask you something," His voice held a strange tone to it, not exactly accusatory, but also not not. Shadow didn't feel like fighting, so he nodded and stepped to stand beside and grab the hand not holding the communicator.

------------------

When the two teleported in the middle of the workshop, Sonic pushed Shadow to sit in the workbench chair with a little more force than the black hedgehog thought necessary. He grunted as he sat back, and watched Sonic take off the belt and haphazardly throw it onto the work table behind them.

Then Sonic said with intense green eyes, "Do you have my other tool belt?"

Damn. A tone that fierce directed at him shouldn't make him stomach swarm with butterflies, but damn, it did. He gulped and nodded. Sonic sighed through his nose and smiled, fangs glinting with the overhead fluorescent lights.

"Why do you have it? I'm pretty sure I remember I put it over the couch that night. It's been two weeks."

Shadow thought of himself as a good liar. A fantastic one, even. It was necessary for the job. But he found his mind drawing blanks as he worked over poor excuse after even poorer excuse in his brain. He didn't want to tell his secret, so he thought of the next best thing. A half truth, half lie.

"It teleported with me when I went home. It must've been touching my hand, or something. I forgot about it until now, I guess," His eyes flicked around the room until they finally settled back on suspicious eyes. Please buy it, Please buy it...

"That... makes sense. Just- give it back tomorrow, please. Tails needs the tools that are in that one." His tone was still clipped edged with suspicion, but Shadow didn't care. If sonic bought it even a little, then that was a win in his book. He sighed through his nose and nodded stiffly.

"Um, yeah. I'm going to leave now. Or are you going to push me into something else?" Sonic tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. Why the hell did he say that!? What was wrong with him!? He sputtered for a few seconds before teleporting right into his bed.

He grabbed a pillow and pressed it to his face as he screamed. He was so whipped that his subconscious thoughts were slipping through. That was bad.

So bad.

Chapter Text

The sun barely hung in the sky when Sonic woke up. He groaned as he looked over at he alarm clock, bright and glaring. It read 8:46. Too early for a hedgehog like him. He willed sleep to come back to him, but alas, he stayed there, laying and wallowing in tired misery. It had only been 25 minutes before he was expected to be up and running, much to his dismay.

A gentle knock on his bedroom door shook him out of his groggy, blank staring at his ceiling. He called out a soft, 'come in', when his little brother's face poked through.

"Mornin' Sonic. Don't forget about Cream. I'm on my way to Sea side to find those parts."

Sonic grumbled with a hand swiping down his face, "Kay. Be safe."

Tails chuckled, replying "I will. Love you!"

"Love you too, bud."

Tails giggled and turned the light on, leaving the door open as he ran back out. Sonic sighed as he blinked away the black spots from the intrusion of sudden light. 'Damn brat,' he thought playfully. He stood up and stretched his arms above his head as he walked to his closet. He grabbed a fresh pair of gloves and socks, putting them on. Right before he closed the closet door, he eyed the black knee sleeve. He was bound to be running around and chasing an exited child all day, so he might as well be one step ahead. He grabbed it and slid it on his bad knee (the left one), sighing at the comforting pressure. Damn, he didn't even realize it had already been aching until now. He was getting old.

With a yawn, he stepped down the hallway and into the bathroom, brushing his teeth and getting into an intense battle with his messy quills. He groaned as the hair brush tugged on another knot, and he elected to just leave them be. They were even more mussed and all over the place, but in his still tired mind, he could care less. He tossed the brush back onto the counter and walked out and to the kitchen.

As he put a piece of bread in the toaster, a vibration rang through his quills. He ruffled through them until he took out his phone, sighing at it's percentage. Damn, he forgot to charge it again. It was only at 62%, so not bad. He typed in the passcode and saw it was a message from Vanilla. He startled and looked at the time, only relaxing when he saw it was 8:53. He still had time to eat breakfast and zoom over there.

Vanilla: I forgot to tell you, but I invited Shadow over to babysit alongside you. I apologize for not saying so sooner. - 8:51 am

Blue_Menace13: Its ok! - 8:51 am

He turned it off and put it back in his quills. He grabbed the popped up toast and lathered it with butter. As he munched on it, his thoughts wondered to his black counterpart.

Shadow had been acting weird recently. And every time, it's been increasingly odd. Especially a couple nights ago, when Shadow had been visibly nervous when asked about his tool belt. It was obvious that he was lying through his teeth when he explained his reasoning for having it. No matter how well he thinks he's good at lying, Sonic had always been able to tell. It was so weird. With the way Shadow stares at him, sometimes Sonic think he can spot a blush or two, when he has a tool in his hand. He can't wrap his head around it. Why would Shadow act like that?

He sighs through his last bite of toast. Shadow was an odd one; one that Sonic didn't fee like analyzing so early in the day. He needs to keep his brain power for Cream. With one last look at the wall clock, he leaves through the front door, not bothering to lock it, and speeds off.

--------------------

When he walks through the door, he was met with the sight of Cream eating eggs at the coffee table on the couch while watching SpongeBob. Cheese lay on the couch right behind her, sleeping. She smiled at him and waved wildly above her head with a hand. He waves back, just as enthusiastic, and says, "Morning, button! Whatcha watching? Something radical, I hope?"

Cream giggles and replies, "Yup! Shadow made me breakfast!"

Sonic smiled, bright as ever, and strides over to pat her on the head. "That's nice, squirt. So, what is the plan for the day? Got any ideas?"

Cream's eyes light up, her food long forgotten. "Oh, mama got me a new bike, since I outgrew my old one, so I wanna ride it to the park! And then we can come back home and have a tea party!" She gasped, and put her hands on the table as she stood. "We can play dress up too!"

Sonic laughed, and sat down right beside her own the couch, careful not jostle Cheese. The rabbit climbs up onto his lap and puts her hands on each of his cheeks. "Please please please play dress up with me! You can just put on a crown this time!" Sonic chuckles, and leans back on the cushions.

He put a finger to his chin, mock thinking as he makes Cream wait impatiently for an answer. Finally, he hums and nods. "I gueesssss I can. I get to be the prince though! Not Mr. froggy." Cream squeals and nods.

"Okay!"

Shadow walks through the walkway between the kitchen and the living room, with a plate of food in hand. He sets it down in front of Sonic, and sits other side of of a surprisingly still sleeping Cheese. He smiles softly at Sonic before turning to Cream and saying, "Get off him, Cream. He needs to eat before you tire him out so early."

"Okay!" Cream slides off, settling back between them from the floor and continued eating her breakfast. Sonic smiled at him and picked up his plate. "Wow Shads, didn't know you could cook." He shot the other a teasing grin. Shadow just huffed and replied, "I'm not. But eggs are easy."

Sonic takes a bite and hums happily. "Mhm. Well it doesn't taste like it's been on fire, so you get an A plus!"

Shadow side eyes him, replying dryly, "Don't patronize me."

Sonic laughs through his bite of food, letting the conversation drop. After a few minutes, Sonic finishes his food and stands to grab Cream's as well. He strides into the kitchen, putting the plates in the sink to wash later. Well, he should probably do them now, before he forgets, but he also doesn't feel like it. Chores are lame.

Nodding to himself, he walks back out and stands in front of the TV, blocking Cream's view.

Cream pouts, saying, "Move, please!"

Sonic hums, and crosses his arms loosely. "Hmm, nah. Let's do something else!"

Cream groans loudly, waking Cheese, but the smile threatening to pull her lips up says otherwise. "Fine, we can play on my Nintendo! Charmy left his last time he hung out, so you can borrow it!"

"Sweet!"

Cream bounces up and moves over to open a drawer on the TV stand, grabbing two Nintendos. She hands the red one to Sonic, and keeps the pink one for herself. She hurried back to sit on the couch, putting Cheese in her lap. Shadow looks down at her, then looks at Sonic. The blue hedgehog shrugs with a smile, and sits on Cream's other side.

"Kay button, what new games you got since the last time I was here?"

Cream squeals, and says, "Mama got me three new games for helping with chores!"

Sonic raises a brow. "Dang, I might have to use that same tactic for Tails. Kid never cleans unless he gets mints!" He chuckles as Cream explains the new games she got. He put an arm over the back rest, letting the tip of his fingers graze Shadow's shoulder. The other stiffened at the contact, but sighed out his tension with a subtle roll of his eyes.

"So, which one do you wanna play?"

Cream hums thoughtfully, staring intently at the game console in her hands. "I wanna play Mario Kart!"

Sonic whistles, replying, "You really wanna play that?" Cream nods. "Well, get ready to get beaten by the master at Mario Kart!" He laughs at Creams determined expression, booping her on the nose.

"We'll see about dat!" She holds up a peace sign, making Sonic bark out a laugh.

"Haha, where'd you get that!?"

"Charmy does it every time he says he's gonna win at something!"

Shadow chuckles alongside Sonic. "That's nice, squirt! But I'm totally more experienced!"

~

He lost three times in a row in a matter of an hour. Not that no one is ever going to know except Shadow and Cream, though. If this ever got out, he might have to move to a different country, get a different name, and dye his fur black! He sighs dejectedly, slumping into the couch with a dramatic pout.

"Dang, I guess you're the true master at Mario Kart."

Cream giggles, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Mr. Sonic, I won't tell no one that a 6 year old beat you at a video game!"

Sonic blanches, and Shadow brings a fist to his mouth to cover his snort. The blue speedster groans, loud and with dramatic flare. He slinks off the couch, grabbing the two devices and putting them back in the TV drawer. He claps his hands together as he turns to them, saying, "Okay, now that we've got some screen time, I think it's time we go outside!" He glances at the wall clock hanging above the couch. It read 10:30.

Cream slides off the couch, running to stare out the window. She puts a finger on her chin, humming. "I think I need my coat, it looks a little windy outside." Sonic looks outside as well.

"You're right! Where do you keep your coat again?"

Shadow stands, opening a closet between the TV and the front door. He grabs a lavender colored zip up sweater, handing it to the little rabbit. Cream smiles up at him, shouting, "Thanks!"

She puts it on, zipping it up halfway. Then she puts her hands on her hips, staring up at Sonic. "My bike's in the garage. Let's go get it!" She grabs Cheese from the couch and runs to the the kitchen, where the garage door is. The two hedgehog follow close behind. Once they walked through, Cream stood on her tip toes, pressing the garage door button.

Bright light and a cold breeze come through as it opens. She runs over to her sleek white bike with a pink seat, pedals, and handle bars. A little blue basket was stationed in front of the bars, holding some chalk. She eyes the bike, and frowns. Sonic kneels beside her, Shadow standing right behind.

"What's wrong, button?"

Cream points at the pedals and chain. "Somethin's wrong with the chain. It looks real loose."

Sonic eyes it, and his ears perk up. Oh, this is easy. He's fixed stuff like this before! "Oh, this is an easy fix! Does Vanilla got any tools in here? If not, I an take it to Tails' workshop and fix it up!"

Cream looks around, and points at the metal cabinet sitting opposite of them. "There's some tools in there, but it's only screws and stuff."

Sonic walks over to it, opening a couple of drawers. He hummed as he took out one, before turning back. He moved to sit criss cross next to Cream, who had brightened up at Sonic. She sat up on her knees as Sonic kneeled beside her.

"Okay Cream, i'm gonna get started," He holds up the tool for Cream to see. "Wanna know what this thing is called?"

Cream nods, and Sonic states, "It's called a nutter. Silly right?" Cream and Cheese giggle as they stare at it like it's the best thing she's ever laid her eyes upon. Shadow rolls his eyes.

"Why's it called that?"

Sonic moves the tool to the bike, loosening a bolt in the middle of the bike, where the end of the chain is. "It's called that 'cause it's meant to loosen the nuts, like this one!" He points at the loosened screw. Cream lets out a sound, staring in wonder. Shadow's also silently looking in wonder. Sonic loosens the bolt on the other side of the chain, and puts it down gently.

"Okay, now I'm gonna need your help, so look closely!" Sonic grabs the back frame of the bike, and pulls the wheel back with his other hand, the chain tightening with it. He looks at Cream and nods at the nutter. "Can you tighten the nut back for me? Remember, lefty loosy-"

Cream shouts, "Righty tighty, I got this!" She picks up the tool and tightens the nut back into place. Sonic released the wheel and high fived her. "Good job, squirt. Wanna tighten the other one?" Cream nods and repeats the process with the other one, Cheese floating by her head and staring. Shadow watches Sonic smile at her, gentle and fond. Shadow can't help the warmth pooling inside his chest at it. He knew Sonic was good with kids, and this made it obvious.

He absently wonders if Sonic would ever want kids of his own. Would he? Shadow feels slightly disappointed at the thought. Sonic would want kids with Rose. Sonic would never like someone like him, let alone have children. He sighs as he continues to watch Sonic and Cream interact. The way the two talk is makes him wish he had a chance.

"Kay, you ready to go now?"

Cream jumps up with a beaming smile. Cheese males a happy sound. Shadow jolts out of his thoughts, looking at Sonic as he grabs the tool and puts it back in the drawer. He turns back and smiles at her.

"Stay close, don't bike too far away, and wait for us at stop signs, kay button?"

Cream nods and gets on the bike with Cheese sitting in the basket. Sonic and Shadow follow close behind, not bothering to close the garage door. It was a small town where everyone knew everyone, after all. As the two hedgehog's walk behind Cream, Shadow says, "So, you know how to fix a bike too?"

Sonic chuckles, side eyeing Shadow as he bumps their shoulders together lightly. "Eh, I've fixed bikes before. Plus, it's really not so hard! I'm sure you could've done the same thing, if I weren't there."

Shadow hums. While what Sonic said was true, he still felt the need to point out how quickly Sonic figured out how to fix the chain. Shadow was still a little baffled at the fact that Sonic knew these things, after all. It's not every day you witness possibly the most irresponsible and goofy person alive act so... smart? Dare Shadow say intelligent.

"I guess. I just didn't expect a goof like you to know how to fix a bike."

Sonic scoffed playfully, staring ahead as he replied, "Yeah, I get that a lot more often than you think."

Shadow simply hummed, letting the conversation to drop. The two stopped behind Cream at a stop sign. The little rabbit looked both ways before crossing the street, the two hedgehogs right behind her. Soon the three made their way to the park, Cream and Cheese jumping off the bike, letting it lay in the grass and running to the playground. Sonic sat on a bench near Cream, Shadow in tow.

They let the sounds of Cream playing with another girl, a girl elephant, fill the silence between them. Sonic and Shadow were comfortable just watching an making small comments about random things while their charge played. A small breeze swept over their quills, making them shiver slightly. A small leaf dropped in Sonic's top quill, making Shadow snicker lightly.

Sonic looked over at him with a playful quirk of his brow, and asked, "What's so funny, faker?"

Shadow's eyes glanced up at the leaf, and replied, "Nothing."

The blue blur rolled his eyes and grabbed the leaf in his quills, letting it drop to his feet as he let go.

"Yeah, thanks for tellin' me mother nature wants my quills as a birds nest," Sonic laughed softly at Shadow's snort.

Shadow opened his mouth to retort, before the two's conversation was interrupted by a shout. The two looked around to find the source, and it settled on Cream shoving a tall squirrel boy to the ground with an angry scowl on her face. The poor chao fluttered behind her with a worried look in his eyes.

Shadow absolutely refused to laugh at the similar scowl he usually wore being present on the rabbit's face, but a snort did manage to tear itself out of his throat. Sonic smacked his arm, hard, and got up to jog over to the quarrel. Shadow winced, rubbing his arm, and got up to follow after them. In the corner of his eye, he saw another squirrel, presumably the mother, walk over to the children as well.

He hopes he gets to yell, it's been to domestic for his liking today.

He stops right behind Sonic, who was knelt down and grabbing Cream gently but firmly by the forearm. The squirrel held his nose from her perch on the ground and hiccuping. Shadow internally scoffed; it was obvious that the boy was at fault. Cream didn't resort to violence for no reason after all, and boys his age shouldn't be talking to someone so obviously younger than him, anyway.

As the mother pulled the boy up by his arm, he pointed his finger at Cream and shouted, "She punched my nose and pushed me!"

Cream shouted back, "You pulled my ear and on my dress! And you threw dirt at my friend!"

Shadow smirked. So it was the little shit's fault. He looked down at Sonic, who had been oddly quiet, and felt his blood go cold. His rival stayed quiet, glaring daggers with piercing green eyes at the boy. His grip on Cream tightened, and Shadow winced. How Cream couldn't feel that was surprising, to say the least.

He leaned down and gently pried his fingers from the rabbit's wrist, letting Sonic grip his hand like it was the only thing stopping him from screaming at the squirrel boy. Shadow could relate, honestly. How dare some random boy pull someone's ear? Not only was that painful (he knew from experience, Rouge loves doing that to him when he's in trouble), but extremely rude. Possibly more disrespectful and creepy than pulling on a little girl's dress. Shadow let out a low growl.

Sonic squeezed his hand reassuringly, and stood up straight, moving his glare to the mother. "You need to teach your boy some manners."

The mother scoffed and pressed both of her hands on her little gremlin's shoulders. "You need to teach that girl the right way to behave. She's acting like a feral animal. That's no way a lady should act."

Shadow noticed the sudden fiery rage light up in his eyes, and he heard more than saw the creak of his glove as he clenched his fist. He should intervene before Sonic does or says something he regrets, but he also really wants to see this play out. So he releases Sonic's hand and steps by Cream, walking back half a foot, letting the show unfold. Cream sniffles and grabs his hand. He squeezes it gently in silent reassurance.

Sonic stepped closer, small fangs bared and glistening in the sun. "She was in the right to defend herself. It's not feral to keep yourself safe from harm's way. You boy looks years older than her, anyway. He should know better than to bully kids younger than him!" His voice was clipped and seething. Shadow thought it was equally the hottest thing and the scariest. He's never been on the end of this side of his counterpart, and he only kinda prays to keep it that way.

Oh what he wouldn't do to get yelled at like that.

He grimaces at his disgusting train of thought and shakes his head to rid of it. He had a child near him, for chaos sake! He glances down at her smiles gently. He pokes her cheek with his free hand and says, "It'll be okay, Cream. You were not at fault."

Cream looks up at him with glossy eyes and softly says, "I didn't mean to ruin our day. I just wanted him to stop pulling my ears and dress. It made me uncomfy..."

Shadow feels a stab of guilt hit his chest, knocking the breath out of his lungs for a second. He should've paid more attention, and this wouldn't of happened. He should've stayed closer to her, or something! He sighs out the guilt, and says confidently, "You didn't ruin anything, Cream. It's that brat's fault, not yours." He pauses, thinking carefully. "Did you ask him to stop before you used violence?"

Creams nods her head quickly, defensively. The chao also nods from his perch on her shoulder. She releases her grip on his hand and puts both on her hips. "Yeah! Like, four times! After the fourth, he said he liked my dress and pulled it!" Fresh tears flew down her cheeks, and she quietly said, "He made me feel uncomfy, and I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry for hitting and pushing him!"

Shadow pulled her into a quick hug, and as he pushed her away slightly so he can look into her teary eyes, he gently stated, "You did a good job. You asked, and he didn't listen. That was a bastard move. He shouldn't have been toughing your dress either. That's creepy and very rude. I'm happy you found a solution, but you should tell an adult first. Okay?"

Cream frowned but nodded. She looked back over at Sonic and gasped, a finger coming up to point at him. She whisper yelled, "Mr. Shadow, look!"

Shadow raised a brow in confusion and looked over. There stood Sonic, the hero of Mobius, the hero notorious for refusing to cuss, with the woman's shirt clutched in his hand as he yelled in her face. Shadow snorted, and pat the rabbit's head as he stood. Cream made a noise of confusion, and the black hedgehog said with mirth, "He's got this handled, kid. That woman deserves it anyway."

The woman finally nodded her head nervously with her hands up in surrender, and Sonic released her as he spat out a few more...colorful words that Shadow could pick up on before making his way to Shadow and Cream. Shadow smirked as he watched in amusement as the two squirrel's sped walked out of the park, a few other residents of the area giving them dirty looks. Sonic stopped and knelt down to Cream's level, putting a gentle hand on her cheek.

"Are you okay, Button? Which ear did he pull? Chaos, did he rip your dress?" Shadow sighed wistfully at Sonic's worried 'big brother tone', as Tails liked to put it. Sonic could really be a mother hen when he wanted to be, and seeing it first hand made Shadow's heart ache with feelings he refused to acknowledge. He'll let them eat him alive later.

Cream giggled and put a hand on his cheek as well. "My ear only hurts a little, Mr. Sonic. My dress is fine, but the dirt he threw at me and my new friend is all over it." She sighed and looked down at her dress with a pout. Shadow noted that, yes, dirt was all over her dress, as well as grass stains, but he knew that that was because of her, not the boy.

Sonic smiled and stated, "Dang. Guess I should've made you put on play clothes before we left. Is your jacket dirty?" The girl looked down once more and pulled and prodded at the jacket, before looking back up with a bright smile.

"Nope! It's clean, but I think Mama will need to use some of her special laundry det-er-gent for the grass stains."

Sonic stood back up and rummaged through his quills to look at the time. "Well, it's 12:45, so should we head back and make some lunch?"

Cream jumped up and shouted, "Yes! Can you make me the same salad you made me last time? With that special sauce too!?"

Sonic chuckled and nodded. "Sure, squirt. C'mon, grab your bike."

She nodded and put Cheese back in the basket. The three walked back in peaceful silence, only talking when Sonic reminded her to stop at a stop sign.

After they put the bike back in the garage, they headed in and went to the kitchen. Cream sat on the chair with her booster seat. Cheese was nowhere to be found, but Shadow had a feeling the chao went into her room to take a nap. Shadow sat across from her and Sonic was in the kitchen, gathering ingredients for lunch. He set out the bag of lettuce, chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese. He also pulled out ranch and dorothy ranch bottles, much to Shadow's displeasure.

So that was the 'special sauce'. Ew.

The two sitting at the table watched Sonic work for entirely different reasons. Cream watched because she liked to, and she was 'starving', as she so kindly put it.

Shadow couldn't stop thinking about getting down on both knees and begging Sonic to marry him and be his house husband. Like, seriously, it shouldn't be that mesmerizing, making a simple Gaia-forsaken salad! But it was, and Shadow had to stop himself from sighing like a lovesick fool many times.

After a few minutes, Sonic finally placed the bowl of salad in front of Cream, and she grabbed the fork and dug in. Sonic sat at the head of the table, taking out his phone and typing. Shadow felt his own phone buzz in his quills and took it out to see that Sonic had messaged him.

Blue_Menace13: What time does Vanilla get off Again? - 1:03 pm

Shadow rolled his eyes. 

Ultimate_Lifeform: I believe 4:30. - 1:03 pm

Blue_Menace13: Cool, thx. I haven't babysat Cream in a while, doesn't she also take naps? - 1:04 pm

Ultimate_Lifeform: Yes, after lunch. But it might be too late, since I usually put her down at 12:30. She might not be tired. - 1:04 pm

The two glanced at the girl, who was desperately trying to keep her eyes from closing as she groggily took another bite.

Ultimate_Lifeform: Nvm. She def is. - 1:05 pm

Sonic snorted softly.

Blue_Menace13: Wake her up when? - 1:05 pm

Ultimate_Lifeform: Usually 3:00. might need to make it 30 minutes later since we're putting her down later. - 1:06 pm

Blue_Menace13: so 3:45 ish? - 1:06 pm

The two hedgehog's jolted as the fork clanged against the bowl, and she thunked her head against the table, whining softly about being tired. Sonic hummed as he eyed to bowl. It was mostly eaten, only five-ish more bites and it would be gone. He got up and picked up the rabbit, quietly speaking, "Can you put the rest in the trash? I'll wash it later."

Shadow nodded and stood as Sonic carried the girl to her room, making his way to the trash. He paused, and set it down on the counter instead. He pulled open a drawer and grabbed a fork, making himself a bite. He put it in his mouth, and almost outright moaned at how good it tasted. How did a simple salad taste like whole 5 star gourmet meal!? He almost went through wth his plan on begging Sonic to be his husband right then and there. He quickly finished the rest of it before Sonic could come back- they were still rivals, after all. He will absolutely not be letting Sonic know that he liked this- and put it in the sink.

He absently thought about the day so far, and determined that Sonic had been doing more than enough work today. He had been so good with Cream, it was a wonder Shadow had stayed at all. Obviously, he wasn't needed. But he could still do this one small thing, and show his appreciation. Plus, he can't let Sonic one up him with basic babysitting, either. What kind of rival would he be to do that?

He quickly poured soap in the bowl and grabbed a sponge, washing the silverware first, and then the bowl. As he rinsed the three soapy dishes, Sonic walked back in, stopping in surprise. Shadow was quick to wave it off with a hand, and continued rinsing the stuff off. Sonic nodded and walked back down the hall to do whatever he was doing.

Shadow placed the bowl in the dish drainer, and walked into the hallway to find where Sonic was. He honestly kind of felt like a lost ducking, with how much following around he was doing today. But he refused to acknowledge the twinge of annoyance at the fact and found himself leaning on the doorway of the laundry room, watching as Sonic poured a small amount of stain cleaner on Cream's dress.

Shadow quietly said, "Need help with anything?"

Sonic looked up briefly at the other before going back to carefully watching how much he poured on each stain. He nodded and pointed with one hand at the washer, saying just as quietly, "Start the washer? I'm almost done putting this removed in the stains."

Shadow nodded, though Sonic didn't see it, and with a absent hand on a blue waist- the room was fairly cramped and small- passed by to the washed sitting on the opposite wall. Sonic's quills fluffed up at the contact, but didn't say anything. Shadow didn't either as he pressed buttons and put the girl's jacket inside the washer as well. It may not be visibly dirty, but he did it anyway, just to be safe.

He stepped out of the way to let Sonic put the dress inside, and he closed the lid softly and pressed the start button. With a sigh that both hedgehog's felt on a deeper level, they walked out and sat on the couch. Who knew taking care of one kid could be so draining? They had barely even done anything! Somehow, this felt more draining than taking down Eggman. Shadow didn't know how to feel about that, so he didn't dwell on that and closed his eyes, leaning his head on the back rest.

Sonic let out a soft exhale, and move to lay on his back, his head resting on the armrest. Shadow cracked an eye open at the small groan, and frowned. Sonic's back and legs were twisted in an uncomfortable potion, where his feet were still planted on the floor as his hips and upped body laid flat on the couch. His iconic red shoes were kicked off and sat messily at the foot of the couch.

Shadow rolled his eyes and grabbed under blue knees, pulling the other's legs and feet to rest on his lap. Sonic let out a small gasp, and his body stiffened. Shadow glared at him and murmured, "Don't be dumb. Don't give yourself a back cramp for my sake. I don't care what you do, just don't speak."

Sonic relaxed, and giggled quietly. "Kay, Shads, whatever you say." With one last airy giggle, he closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his stomach as he fell in a relaxed slumber. Shadow stared at the hedgehog's softened face in wonder. He had seen Sonic asleep before, but it never looked this...peaceful. This content. He could clearly see the thick, black lashes laying gently on peach cheeks, and he held himself back from leaning in closer and pressing kisses across his muzzle. He dared a peek at his soft lips, flushing as they parted to sigh softly in sleep.

He quickly looked away to the ceiling, fingers twitching. Oh, how he desperately wishes he could hold Sonic's muzzle in his hands and brush his thumb under an eye as he pressed kisses to his forehead. He wanted to tell- no, scream at the other how dearly he loves him, how much he wants to lay in patches of sunlight with him, and most importantly, tell him how much he reminds him of Maria.

Maria...she would've loved Sonic. They were both so similar, that sometimes, it made Shadow's heart ache with longing. For both Maria and Sonic. But it would make him selfish, and he knows that he is for comparing the two. He never meant to put that standard on Sonic's shoulders, but he has, and now he can't stop. Another breathy sigh escapes Sonic's mouth, and Shadow physically can't stop himself for what he down next.

He, as slow as possible, leans in and presses the gentlest of kiss to the other's soft lips. it was barely a press of lips, with his barely grazing the others, but he finds himself satisfied for now. He leans back and closes his eyes, letting sleep take him. He misses the heavy blush cover Sonic's muzzle.

--------------------

A fairly loud alarm wakes Shadow, and he blearily blinks the fog and sleepiness in his eyes away as he looks at the phone on the table. He quickly shuts it off and realizes that Sonic must've made an alarm for the end of nap time. He glances at the phone's clock and, yes, it was indeed 3:45. He turns his head to look at a still sleeping blue hedgehog, and smiled at the sight.

His upper body was laid flat on the couch and had his face pressed between the back cushion and the armrest. One arm was tucked under his head, and the other was crossed lazily over his chest. His mouth was slightly parted, and his quills were somehow a bigger mess than the actual morning. His legs and feet were still planted in Shadow's lap, he realizes, and he gently pushes them off so he can stand. He makes sure they're on the couch and not about to fall off, and made his way to Cream's room.

As he opens the door, he almost falls flat on his face because of a stupid rubber duck in front of the door. He sighs at the mess, and carefully steps over dolls and fake food to kneel down by the bed. Her dress was swapped with a pink and purple striped shirt and pink pants with hearts on the bottom of the left pant leg. The rabbit's blankets were by her feet, and she was sleeping in such a weird position, Shadow is sure even a girl as young as herself is going to be feeling the ache in her back for days to come.

Cheese lay on the small cat bed on the floor and at the foot of the bed, snoring quietly. At least now they don't have to go chao hunting, now.

He sits on the edge and presses a hand to her shoulder and shakes it lightly. Cream groans and kicks at his stomach, but he leans back to doge it. He's played these games before, and he finds pride in knowing how to avoid a strong kick by the little one. The amount of times he been kicked for trying to wake her is actually ridiculous. He distantly wonders how Vanilla can deal with it daily. They freaking hurt.

He shakes it just a nudge more roughly, and Cream's eyes barely crack open as she sits up and glares at Shadow. He merely chuckles and pushes the messed up fur between her ears back, smoothing it down. She leans into it and slumps as she closes her eyes, trying to go back to sleep. Shadow raises an amused brow and grabs her hand. He stands, and Creams begrudgingly follows behind him as they make their way back to the living room. He doesn't bother waking Cheese, the chao needs more sleep than normal mobians do.

Her eyes fall on Sonic and instantly stops, stomping her foot and scowling at Shadow. She harshly whispers, "He can stay asleep but I can't? No fair!"

Shadow huffs through his nose, letting his hand fall from hers and back to his side. "will you go to sleep later for your mother, if I let you sleep longer?"

Cream stares at him for long moment, before her shoulders slumped. She shakes her head, replying, "Probably not."

"That's what I thought. Sonic deserves some rest, so leave him be. You can put on a show quietly while I make you a snack. Okay?"

Cream nods and climbs on the couch carefully, grabbing the remote from the coffee table, then wedging herself between his body and the back cushions so she can lay on her side, with her head resting on his chest and an arm laid out over his. The blue speedster subconsciously pulled her tighter with the arm that used to be under his head, it now resting over her side.

Shadow chuckled at the sight and made his way to kitchen. Now, what to make...

Ouch. He never realized how bad he was at preparing for meals until now. He had absolutely no idea on what to make, and he couldn't find any bread to make sandwiches. He opens the fridge and finds a small Tupperware container of grapes. He shrugs and grabs them, opening it to make sure they hadn't gone bad. But just to make sure, he put it under the cold tap of the sink, washing them off, and dumping the water out with a hand pressed to the top so they don't fall out.

He strides out of the kitchen, and hands them to the rabbit. She quietly thanks him and balances it on Sonic's rising and falling stomach. She giggles at the small groan of protest at the cold of the container. Shadow huffs out a laugh through his nose and opts to check on the laundry. He goes through the motions easily, like he's done the millions of times before.

And, in a way, he has. He's cared for Cream multiple times, and has been through the motions of feeding and and taking care of her needs many times. But... he's also done things like this with Maria. He used to sneak off into the kitchen, making snacks for their movie nights, and helping her do homework assigned to her. He helped her do daily things, like walking and making the bed when she couldn't.

He lets the familiarity wash over him with a small smile as he switches the clothes from the washer to the dryer, pressing buttons and watching the clothes spin from the circular window. He sighs in contentment, and walks out back to the living room. Cream had put SpongeBob back on, much to his annoyance. If he could choose a cartoon, he would've picked something much more entertaining, like the good old classic looney toons, but they don't put that on TV anymore, apparently. And the new Looney Toons might be even more annoying than this crap. He internally groans as he moves Sonic's feet to his lap as he sits.

He pulls out his phone and distracts himself from the TV by looking through messages and social media for about 20 minutes. After that time passes, Sonic groans and his eye flutter open. Cream doesn't spare a single glance at him as she grabs another grape from the container still sitting on his stomach. He glances down and lets out a surprised chuckle.

"Using me as a table and a bed now, huh?"

Holy shit. Holy. Shit. His sleepy voice is low and rough. Shadow feels heat spark in his stomach as he listens to Sonic laugh again, the low, rumbly sound sending jolts down his spine. Cream lifts her head up to glare at Sonic and says, "Stop laughin', your moving my grapes." She puts her head back down on his chest and stares back at the TV. The silly comment breaks Shadow out of his stupor, making him chuckle a little. This girl can be so sassy when she wants to be.

Sonic gasps dramatically and replies, "So snarky! Who taught you to speak like that?"

Cream didn't give him a verbal answer, only grabbing another grape an plopping it into her mouth. Sonic rolls his eyes and looks at Shadow. The black speedster can see a pink tint flush his cheeks, but doesn't pay it any mind. He raises a brow in silent question. Sonic snaps out of his daze and laughs nervously.

"What time is it? I'd grab my phone, but my hands are kinda busy," He emphasizes his point by slightly lifting up his hands and makes a jazz hands motion before letting them back down to rest. Shadow huffs and looks down at his screen.

"It's 4:01."

Sonic gapes for a moment, before closing his mouth with an audible click of his teeth and raises a brow of his own. "Why'd you let me sleep in?! I had an alarm for a reason? Did it not go off?"

Shadow sighs at all the annoying questions, shaking his head lightly. "It did, I turned it off before it could wake you."

Sonic makes a confused sound, saying, "That doesn't answer my question, faker. Why'd you let me sleep in?"

That...was a good question. Even he doesn't know. He simply jut felt like Sonic deserved to get some more rest, especially after all the hard work he's done today, and let him sleep through the alarm. He doesn't see the big deal, since Sonic has done similar acts of kindness for him. His face falls into a genuinely confused one as he replies, "Because you deserve it? You're the one that's put in the most work for taking care of Cream, so you deserve more rest? Is it not obvious?"

Sonic gapes at him once more, the light pink tint darkening to a deep red flush across his whole muzzle. Shadow glared at the staring, his own cheeks pinking in embarrassment. Did he do something wrong? Was it rude to let someone sleep through an alarm? Damn these stupid mobian customs! Sonic quickly shakes his head and smiles brightly.

"No no, it's totally fine! I just didn't expect you to care that much, is all," Sonic's tone was light, and Shadow nodded.

"I also switched the clothes to the dryer."

Sonic's eyes shine with so much appreciation that Shadow has to look away.

"Thank, Shads! I totally forgot about the clothes."

Shadow nods once more, and the door opens. Vanilla walks in with nurse scrubs on and a tired look on her face, but smiles lightly at the sight before her. Cream smiles and scrambles out of Sonic's grip, kicking him in the stomach as she slide off the ouch via his body. Sonic groans as he  sits up and holds his stomach. Shadow quickly grabs the container of half eaten grapes before it can fall to the floor. He sets it on the table, and glares at a sheepish Sonic.

Cream runs over and hugs Vanilla's waist. "Hi mama, did you have a good day at work?"

The mother smiles down at her daughter, replying gently, "I did. How was staying with Shadow and Sonic?"

The rabbit beams and says, "It was awesome!"

Vanilla chuckles and turns her attention to the hedgehogs. "Was Cream good?"

They nod in unison. Sonic sighs and says, "Yeah, we had a lot of fun. There was a little scuffle at the park, I'll call you later and tell you about it."

Vanilla nods and rummages through her purse. She grabs out two twenty dollar bills and walks over to hand it to both speedsters. "Thank you both for watching her. It's the least I could do."

Shadow and sonic shake their heads, also in unison.

Shadow speaks up, "I don't need money. I enjoy watching Cream."

Sonic perks up, "Yeah, same! I have enough money form my paycheck from the government to last me a couple more months." He pauses to mumble, "As long as Tails doesn't buy any kind of explosive again, we'll hopefully last longer than that."

Shadow stares at Sonic in both horror and astonishment. He knew that the two brother's didn't have jobs, and he has wondered in the past about how they pay for food and bills. And now he has his answer. But by the way Sonic spoke, he's almost 100% sure they don't get paid a lot. Which is...concerning. He sighs and grabs both 20 dollar bills from Vanilla.

He passes a look and a small smile to a concerned Vanilla. (It seems he's not the only one worried about his rival's financial situation) She quirks a brow at him and gives him a confused smile in return. Shadow shoves Sonic up and off the couch, sneaking the dollar bills into his quills as he does. Sonic glares at him as Shadow stands as well.

Shadow smirks at him, hands up in faux surrender, but also showing Vanilla where he put the money. Vanilla's mouth falls into a an 'oh' shape, and she laughs. Sonic groans as he puts his shoes back on, and shoves Shadow playfully once their on. He turns to Vanilla with a bright grin.

"There's clothes in the dryer, by the way."

Vanilla puts her purse on the coffee table, and replies, "Oh, thank you dear!" She looks back up at them and continued, "Well, if you boys are all set, you're free to leave."

The two hedgehog's say their goodbyes, each with a wave, and leave the house. As they step out with the door closed, Shadow turns to him and says, "Race?"

Sonic smirks and replies, "Oh hell yeah!"

--------------------

Sonic thumps back on his bed with a tired, heaving sigh. His body still thrums with leftover adrenaline from his and Shadow's race. His heart beats heavily against his chest as he catches his breath, and winces when he feels something poke against his scalp. He brings a hand up to find the offender, and finds two scrunched up twenty dollar bills.

He stares at them with a star struck expression for a beat, then smiles and brings a hand up to let his fingers brush against his lips with a soft smile.

"I'm on to you, faker."

Chapter Text

A blue hedgehog stare out his bedroom window from his perch on his bed blankly. His eyes skimmed over the trees and flowers flowing with the breeze, and the way the clouds covered the sun, darkening the outside world for a few seconds before brightening once more. He thought for hours, sitting in his room until mid-morning rolled in fast. 

Sonic knew something was off with Shadow. I mean, who wouldn't? The guy never stopped staring at him, and always asked questions about his ability to fix things. Not to mention the.... kiss they- Shared?

Jeez.

Feelings were hard. Sonic had figured Shadow felt something more than rivalry for him since what he deems the Tool belt Incident, and the more he thought about his and Shadow's past interactions up to now, the more it was obvious. He honestly feels a little dumb for not realizing it sooner.

Shadow had a crush on him.

It was laughable, really. The broody, ultimate edge lord, had a crush. On him, no less! The blue hedgehog went through his memories and flushed at Shadow's blatant staring at him, when he thought he wasn't looking. Or the blushing, chaos, all the blushing Shadow does when he's around him. Sonic didn't know what was worse, the feeling of eyes on his back at all times when Shadow was around, or the fact that he knew already.

This realization made him think of his own feelings for the black hedgehog. Sure, he was conventionally attractive, especially when he was in battle and roundhouse kicked bots into oblivion, or when he smirks like he won the best prize in all of Mobius. Or when they spar, and Shadow looks at him like he's the only one in the universe, with those alluring, handsome red eyes. Or how his muscles ripple when he throws a punch at Sonic, the way the sun reflects on his fur...

Yeah, he was just as fucked up for Shadow as Shadow was for him.

But, how does he go about this? Does he even want a relationship? He never liked thinking about being tied down, especially with the responsibility of caring so deeply for someone else. He already knows he's too selfish for something like that. That's why he never indulged in Amy's fantasies. Or, maybe, it was because she wasn't a boy. Wasn't him. 

Shadow matched him, in more ways than one. He was fast, strong, and never held back. Their rivalry was like nothing else, and Sonic ever wanted to stop their spars, or friendly races. Would a relationship change that? He hopes not, because he plans on pursuing this crush of his.

All he had to do was indulge in Shadow's weird fixation on him working with tools. He smiled at the thought, and got up to find Tails. If he was doing this, he needed to make sure he planned everything thoroughly.

-------------------

Shadow was so going to kill that bat.

Rouge had decided on going on a spontaneous shopping trip with his motorcycle. His beloved, fucking motorcycle. She can fly, for Gaia sake! Why did she need his Dark Rider in the first place!? Other than showing off, he supposes, but he knows Rouge is badass enough with just her presence, so he doesn't see the point in taking something that was definitely not hers.

So now here he stands, next to his crashed baby, and a sheepish Rouge. He had to call GUN to tow it back to his home, since it was absolutely destroyed. He sighed, which turned into a loud groan, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I said I was sorry! I'll pay for the damages, promise!"

Yeah right, Shadow thought. He looked up from the concrete to glare at her.

"Shut up, woman. We both know you won't. How did this happen again?"

Rouge's wings flapped nervously behind her, eyes flickering between the bike and his face. He raised a brow at her hesitance. That was new. Rouge only got like this if she was lying. He knew the signs, and whatever was about to spew out of her mouth was going to be absolute bullshit. He could feel it.

"I- uhh, I got distracted?"

Absolute Bullshit. He growled, low and seething. "Distracted? Distracted!? How on Gaia do you get so distracted you completely destroy a government made vehicle!?"

Rouge took a step back as Shadow took one towards her. She held her phone in her hand, typing erratically. How dare she text while there was a literal crisis right in front of them! Who could she possibly even be testing at this time?!

Shadow sighed through his nose. In for 8, out for 10. He repeated the process until he stopped envisioning ways to kill his stupid roommate. Rouge stood beside him, hands fidgeting with her phone and typing every few seconds with shaky fingers. At least she had the heart to be genuinely sorry. Even if she was, Shadow knew she still wouldn't pay for the damages.

"Hey, what's all the trouble over here?"

The two looked up, and met the baby blue eyes of Tails. He has a cream colored tote bag around he shoulder, and a newly looking bought tools inside, along with a few grocery bags. Shadow could almost cry at the sight of the genius standing before him. Tails could fix his bike! And Commander Towers wouldn't have to know, Since GUN wouldn't be picking up the motorcycle! Along with the fact that he wouldn't have to spend a penny... it was truly a win-win.

He pointed a finger at the fox and barked, "You. Can you fix my motorcycle?"

Tails' eye widened at the harsh tone, and his namesakes thumped on the concrete behind him in anxiety. His eyes flittered over to Rouge, who simply shrugged. What the hell was that? Shadow scowled and stepped in his line of view, keeping the fox's attention on him.

"Can you, or can you not, fox?" He growled out.

Tails yipped nervously and and nodded. "Y-yep, sure can! Do you have an emerald? You can't...exactly drive it to my workshop..."

Shadow stepped back and rummaged through his quills, taking out a green chaos emerald. He stepped back to the bike and pointed a finger at Rouge.

"If it turns out we have to take it to GUN to get it fixed, you're paying for it. And if you don't, I'm going to kill you and turn you into taxidermy art for my fucking wall."

He didn't wait for a response as he slapped a hand on the destroyed bike and teleported him and it to Tails' workshop. He didn't notice Rouge giving Tails a look as she flew off. The kit just sighed and began his trek home, preparing himself for the travesty that was to come.

-------------------

When Tails opened the garage door, he was met with a still seething Shadow standing with his arms tightly crossed, standing menacingly over his wrecked bike. He pattered over to his work desk, and placed the tote bag down, careful not to disturb any tools laying on the desk.

"So, what do you want me to do with the bike exactly?" He turned and smiled gently at Shadow. "I mean, I can piece it back together, sure, but do you want me to fix any scratches and paint it over?"

Shadow hummed, staring down at the bike. "I can take care of scratches and the paint job. I just want you to piece it back together to the best of your ability. You should be good with the engine and battery, I replaced both only a couple months ago. So no need to replace those. I do want you to replace the tires, though. One is flat and the other is too much of a risk to use after this."

Shadow growled in annoyance, but didn't say anything further. Tails nodded with a hum and stepped closer to examine it. It wasn't a pretty sight, to say the least.

The metal was bent and scratched so severely it was hard to tell the original color of the motorcycle. One tire was barely hanging on, and the other one was flat and torn. The underside, where the engine and inner workings should be, had missing pieces that were scattered across the floor and also bent to no return. One handle bar was completely gone and the front light was cracked. The seat was torn with it's foam sticking out.

Yikes.

Tails sighed and determined, that no, he actually can't fix this. Without help, at least. This wasn't his forte, and although with proper instruction and learning, he could, but right now he could not. He doesn't know how to break the news to Shadow; he would rather not lose his batty friend to Shadow's wrath, and he doesn't want to get yelled at. But he also can't just stand here either.

With a deep breath, he gently said, "I can't fix this."

Shadow sputtered, and turned to Tails with a sharp scowl. The kit backed up with his hands up, namesakes thumping behind him nervously.

"Not without help! I need help, jeez! I'll bring in Sonic to help, okay?! Just please don't kill me!"

Shadow took a step forward, Tails took a step back.

With a low growl, Shadow stated, "I'm not letting that irresponsible idiot go anywhere near my bike!" Shadow huffed and crossed his arms once more. "What would he even do to help? Hand you tools, or something?" He sneered mockingly, too angry to see Tails' confused expression.

The fox's head tilted and replied honestly, "No, if anything, I would be doing that. Fixing up vehicles and such is more his thing, not mine." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, then continued, "Sonic is more equipped to fix your motorcycle, not me."

Shadow gaped at him, like Tails just said the sky was green and not blue. Tails tilted his head further to the side at the stare. "Did you...not know Sonic could fix things like I could?" Shadow continued to stare, looking even more confused than before. Tails let out a bright, bubble laugh, slapping his knee.

"Shadow, did you really not know? Where do you think I got my smarts from? How did you think I haven't died by exploding myself on accident yet?" He giggled once more, before quieting down at Shadow's stupefied face. Tails sighed, realizing this conversation was going nowhere.

"Shadow, I wasn't always this smart. Sonic taught me basically everything I know abut inventing and buildings. Actually, he's the one that built our house!" He smiled at the memory. He remembered how every time he picked up a tool or tried to help build their house as a kit, his big brother would freak and take it away almost instantly with a good scolding.

Shadow shook his head, seemingly coming out of his thoughts. He made a high pitched sound, face flushing a deep crimson. His red eyes gleamed with something, something Tails couldn't identify.

"So, you weren't always this smart?" He raised both his hands and gestured to his workshop. Tails sighed and shook his head. Shadow said, "Sonic, our Sonic, taught you how to build and invent? He even built the fucking house? By himself?" Tails nodded again, and Shadow put a hand to his temple, rubbing it as he stared at the floor. The fox could hear him mumble something like, 'that explains a lot.'.

Tails spoke up, "so, want me to go get Sonic, or..."

Shadow's head whipped up, nodding almost desperately, blush not going away. If anything, it seemed to become darker, much to Tails' amusement. He snorted internally; Shadow must be super embarrassed to be flushing like that. He walked to the door that leads to inside the house, and didn't find it surprising in the slightest to find Sonic already standing there, looking sheepish.

"Oh-! Uh, hey buddy! Heard my name, and thought you might need some help!"

Tails just raised a brow and opened the door wider, letting the other walk in. Sonic stopped right in front of Shadow and the bike, faux look of surprise on his face. Tails could tell it was fake, by the tapping of the other's foot and the overly dramatic tone in his voice.

"Oh my chaos, what happened to your bike?" Shadow narrowed his eyes at the other, but gestured towards the bike with one hand and replied, "Rouge happened. She thought it'd be a good idea to being it with her while she went shopping. That stupid bat doesn't even know how to drive it." The black hedgehog rolled his eyes.

Sonic whistled as he lowered his upper body slightly to get a better look at the wrecked vehicle. "Dang, Shads. Sure you want me and Tails to fix this? Think this might be more of a GUN thing," His tone held a certain something that Tails could decipher, not that he thinks he wants to, with the way Sonic stares back at Shadow with a slight smirk and intense green eyes. He could see Shadow gulp and look away, red flush coming back full force.

Shadow shakes his head, and replies shakily, "No. They'll make me and Rouge pay too much to fix something as dumb as this." His weird flush and tone go away, replaced by a genuine and annoyed scowl at the mention of GUN. "If I have to take this to GUN, I'm killing that stupid woman. If anything, Commander will put me on more missions for this mishap."

Sonic chuckles, and turns his head over to Tails with a bright grin. "I think I got this bud. Go inside ad relax, I'll take a look at the stuff you ought while I'm out here."

Tails's namesakes wag happily and he salutes playfully as he goes inside. Thank Chaos. He doesn't know how much more he could take, witnessing their terrible flirting.

~ POV CHANGE !! YAY

Good, Tails is gone. Now time for part two of his plan. Sonic smirks and goes over to the work table, where Tails dropped off his tote bag of stuff. It was almost too easy. He had told Tails earlier to go buy some random tools- ones that were perhaps specifically made to tuning up motorcycles- at a specific store. Where Rouge would just randomly be, with a crashed bike. He internally claps himself on the back proudly at his amazing scheming skills. He took the bag and walked back over to the bike, kneeling down to take some stuff out.

He can feel his faker's eyes on him, and he represses the shiver that threatens to go down his spine and bristle his quills. Sonic settles back on his haunches, looking up and beside him at Shadow, who quickly flickers his eyes to the side. Sonic smirks. Yeah, this is way too easy. 

"I'm all good over here, why don'tcha go sit down at the chair over there? Don't want ya to distract me while 'm working, you know how it is!" He grins at the other's expression, following his body as he stiffly walks over and sits in the chair Sonic had pushed him into weeks ago. He lets Shadow do his own thing as he starts to focus himself on working on the task in front of him.

-------------------

He's got everything done. The only thing he has left to do were the tires. Which he totally didn't do on purpose. See, Sonic's three step plan was easy. He got Rouge to do his bidding, as well as Tails (sorry bud), which was step one. Step two was getting Shadow to agree to let him work on the bike. Simple, right? Step three was to make Shadow absolutely lose his mind. Which was the easiest step, if Sonic were to say. It wasn't hard to figure out that Shadow liked staring at his arms, which was why he left the tires as the last thing to do.

He had to tease his rival a little, first. He doesn't just do this kind of stuff for free, after all! So he started with small things, like putting the broken inner mechanics of the motorcycle first. Then he stitched up the seat. After that, he repaired the handle bar and the light with spares he had laying around. And finally, the tires. Where he'll have to work his arms extra hard to lift and move around. Then he'll grab the new ones and replace them.

And his plan was absolutely working, by the way Shadow's erratic breathing and intense staring was going. Sonic had to bite his cheek as he worked to stop himself from smiling or spilling his secret plan. He purposefully wiped a bead of sweat from the side of his temple, turning to stare at Shadow while he did it. Sonic could see the flush that creeped down Shadow's neck at the notion.

"So, how am I doin' so far? Not gonna kill me or Rouge for tearin' up and touching your fancy bike?"

He suppressed a snicker at Shadow's trying to come up with words. Eventually, Shadow took a deep breath and replied with a carefully blank expression, "Yes. Thank you." Damn. He was really trying to keep his calm, it seemed. Shadow's never that short, unless he was angry. But Sonic knew he wasn't angry, he was flustered. Oh, how the power trip was starting to get to Sonic.

The blue speedster smiled and stated, "Of course, man! I'd do anything for ya! This bike is a piece of cake," He smirked at Shadow before turning to the bike again, kneeling before the back tire. This one was the one barely hanging on, so he didn't have to do anything except pull it off. And pull he did. He made sure to be a little extra with his grunts as he pulled it off the hinge and lifted it over his shoulder, biceps tensing and bulging from the effort.

He flicked an ear sneakily to his rival, and almost burst out laughing. He could hear the heavy breaths over his own, and the way his foot tapped the ground in an anxious pattern. He walked over to the corner of the workshop and tossed it down with a heavy thud. He leaned down with a teasing flick of his tail, grabbing the new tire and walking it over to the bike.

He put it on it's hinge, grabbing a large nutter wrench and tightening the bolt that kept the tire on the hinge. He crawled a couple of steps to the front of the bike and unscrewed the bolt on the front tire. This one was slightly flat, much to Sonic's disappointment, and grabbed it with a glance at the other hedgehog. He stood and walked it over to the same corner as before, tossing it down and grabbing the new one.

======

He came back and kneeled down to put on the new tire, repeating the process as the other one. He stood up, and with a bright grin, he looked over at a gaping Shadow. He let pride wash over him at the look. Damn, he knew he was good, but he didn't know he was that good.

With a clap of his hands and a quirked hip, he asked, "All done. So, how'd I do? Did I earn 5 stars on yelp or what?"

Shadow stood up and grabbed plush blue hips, pulling Sonic's body into his. As he pulled the other into him, he pressed a needy kiss against the other's lips. Sonic let out a noise of surprise, before smirking into the kiss and wrapping his arms around the other's neck, his biceps flexing slightly. Shadow groaned into the kiss, and swiped his tongue over Sonic's bottom lip.

"Fuck, marry me."

woah. Not that he was complaining, though. It was just- Shadow asking him to marry him over a stupid motorcycle? Oh yeah, he's got this hedgehog totally wrapped around his finger. Heat pooled in his belly at the thought.

The blue hedgehog complied with a low moan, opening his mouth wider as he tilted his head for a better angle. Shadow's tongue swept in, brushing over his own for dominance. The press of their kiss turned rough, clacking teeth and drool going down their chins. Sonic thinks he could do this for-fucking-ever. Unfortunately, his mortal body needed oxygen. He gasped into the kiss, moving his head back for air. A bridge of spit broke as he tilted back.

Shadow tried following, but Sonic's growl made him back up. He opened his eyes, meeting burning red with specks of gold and brown. 'So beautiful', Sonic thought. He smirked, and said, "damn. Didn't know I was that good! Was that my reward for fixing your stupid bike?"

Shadow rolled his eyes in annoyance and squeezed his hold on the other's waist. "Not stupid. But that bike is stupidly expensive. Thanks for fixing it."

Sonic laughed with gleaming verdant eyes. "Of course. Anything for you."

The blue speedster released his hold on the other's neck, and stepped back. His head tilted to the side and he smily slyly, one cheek lifting up. "We're totally dating now, by the way."

Shadow sputtered, blushing profusely as he tried to get out a single word. Sonic laughed loudly, head tilted back to the ceiling as he watched. Gaia, Shadow could be so freaking adorable sometimes! Eventually, Shadow growled and clamped his jaw shut with an audible click and a huff through his nose.

"Shads, you are so fucking cute."

He leaned back in and pressed a gentle kiss to Shadow's lips. Shadow rumbled happily against him, and kissed back with such softness Sonic thought he'd melt right into the floor. Sonic smiled into the kiss and giggled. Shadow's eyes rolled and he frowned playfully.

"What is it now, hedgehog?"

"Nothin'! So, getting married, huh?"

Shadow groaned, slapping a hand to his face in embarrassment. "Gaia, I don't know why I said that." Sonic chuckled, amused. He will absolutely be using this as black mail later. Shadow peeked at him through his fingers and asked, "How long have you known?"

"Since you stole my belt."

Shadow steamed, wanting to melt into the floor. He groaned again, grimacing at his own actions. Sonic raised a brow, and put a hand on his hip. "I also knew because you kissed me when we babysat Cream. After that, it's not hard to notice how you stare at me."

Shadow whipped his head up, millions of emotions going through his face. First, surprise, then guilt, then annoyance, until it finally settled on reluctant acceptant. "Damn. I guess I was pretty obvious, huh."

"With how you stare at my biceps? Hell yeah. Your actual feelings? Not so much, heh. It actually took me forever to realize how you felt about me."

Shadow hissed through his teeth, then his eyes widened in realization. "So you were teasing me this whole time!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Sonic, then at the bike. "You put on a whole fucking show when you replaced my tires!"

Sonic laughed loudly and stuck out his tongue playfully. "Got me! Oh boy, you were really having a hard time keepin' your hands to yourself, huh? I could totally tell!" He laughed louder, slapping a hand to his knee at Shadow's annoyed face. "Oh man Shads, you should've seen yourself! You were blushing and everything over there! Haha!"

Shadow just slumped his shoulders, rolling his eyes with a grumble. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Is the bike done?"

Sonic sobered up, wiping away a fake tear as he heaved. "Yeah, it should be. Unless you want us to fix the paint job and replace the metal covering. I don't think any of our tools will fix those scratches." He winced as he looked over the largest scratch in the metal on the side of the motorcycle. Yikes. That will definitely be a pretty penny to fix.

He heard his partner from beside him heave a heavy sigh-turned-groaned. "No, I'll take it back to GUN to fix those things. Is it good to ride back, or will I need to chaos control it?"

The blue blue hummed thoughtfully, a finger pressed to his mouth. "Do you have the keys, or does Rouge still have them?"

"I took them. Want me to try to turn it on?"

Sonic stepped closer to the bike, running a hand over the handle bar. He looked towards Shads with a nod. "Yeah, I wanna hear how the engine sounds. If I think it sounds fine, it should be good to ride back."

Shadow nodded at him and took the keys out of his quills, walking up to put it in the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered a couple of times before it roared to life. Sonic hummed again, brow furrowing and lips downturning in concentration. Shadow wanted to kiss them. But he held himself back so Sonic could focus.

Sometimes he wish he could do what Sonic could do. He really wanted to know what Sonic was listening for, it seems interesting. The engine sputtered and stopped for a millisecond every few seconds, the smoke coming from the back a dark, ashy gray. Sonic turned the key, and the engine, off. He turned it back on, and the engine let out a few weak coughs before dying.

He stood back with a satisfied, but sincere smile. "Knew it would do that. If you rode it home, it would've died anyway. Here, let me try something, actually."

He gently pushed Shadow to the side, getting on the motorcycle. Shadow felt a sudden tightness press into his chest and heat bleed into his stomach. Was Sonic going to do what he thought he was going to...? Sonic turned the key back on, and the engine barely made a sound. He pressed his foot onto the gear shifter lever, and pushed down hard as he pulled on the handle bar clockwise.

The engine made a sudden sound of life, but it died quickly. Sonic growled and pushed down harder on the lever with his foot, pulling the handle bar again at the same time. As the engine finally roared to life, louder and clearer than its owner had ever heard it, Shadow felt a hot, white, spark of heat get sent down to his groin. Damn, who knew Sonic could be so hot starting a motorcycle? He had the urge to purr like the stupid fucking engine, but for entirely different reasons.

Sonic smiled and stood off the motorcycle, hands out to it with a jazz hand motion. "Fixed it! It should be good to ride it back now. If it engine sputters out again, just do what I did. Make sure you're in natural as you do it." He paused, eyes narrowing before continuing," I recommend not driving it until you replace it, actually. Hard starting it like that can kill more parts of the bike, not just the stupid engine."

Shadow wished he had all the knowledge. He really did. But now he had a smart ass boyfriend who could do shit like this for him! So, he actually wishes to stay in the dark, just so he can witness more of this in the future. He nodded his head, replying," Sounds good."

Then, they were left in awkward silence. The purr of the bike in the background did nothing to dispel Shadow's nerves. In fact, it makes him more anxious. like, what does he do now? Should he say goodbye? He doesn't want to leave, though. Should he- Sonic sighed loudly, and quickly stepped forward to press an urgent kiss against the other's lips.

Shadow yelped in surprise, but quickly got into the kiss as he twirled his fingers through the back of Sonic's head, pulling him closer. sonic hummed into the kiss, head tilting as he pressed his hands into Shadow's chest. His own fingers grasping and gently tugging at his chest fur. A rumbling growl reverberated through his throat, and Sonic smirked.

Sonic bit the other's lips playfully before leaning away with a small gasp. His eyes were hazy and hungry. Shadow knew if he looked in the mirror, he would find the same thing in his own eyes. Sonic breathed against his neck, nipping at the skin there lightly. "Stay the night."

He didn't have to ask twice.

Chapter Text

He put it on it's hinge, grabbing a large nutter wrench and tightening the bolt that kept the tire on the hinge. He crawled a couple of steps to the front of the bike and unscrewed the bolt on the front tire. This one was slightly flat, much to Sonic's disappointment, and grabbed it with a glance at the other hedgehog. He stood and walked it over to the same corner as before, tossing it down and grabbing the new one.

======

As he went to lift the other one over his shoulder, something pushed him into the wall. He eyes widened before he let out a squeak as lips crashed into his. Shadow's hot, flushed body pressed eagerly into his, gloved hands grabbed his waist tightly. Fucking finally. Sonic grinned into the kiss and pressed harder with a swipe of his tongue.

He felt more than heard Shadow groan into his mouth, and he closed his eyes, letting the comfortable feeling of heat pooling in his gut wash over him. Sonic curled his arms around Shadow's neck, flexing his biceps as he did. Shadow moaned lowly in response, hips bucking roughly into blue ones. Sonic laughed breathily and keened when wet lips trailed down to his neck, sucking softly.

He tilted his head to the side, and released his arms from around the other's neck. He grabbed the hands on his hips and placed them on his upper arms with a cheeky grin. Shadow instantly squeezed his biceps and nipped softly at a blue neck before trailing back up and clacking their teeth together.

The blue blur moaned, forcing his groin to meet the other's, eliciting a swipe of the other's tongue over his own. He opened his eyes and smiled as he said breathily, "Damn, Shads. Who knew you had the hots for some arms?" His eyes fluttered back closed with a moan as Shadow growled into the kiss, grinding their swollen pouches together.

"F-fuck, Shadow!" His stomach felt hot, and the butterflies in his chest made it hard to breathe. He gasped for air, turning his head to the side so he could suck in oxygen. Shadow went back to kissing his neck, slowly trailing off to his shoulder with a hard bite. He shouted in surprise, the pain quickly turning into pleasure at a particularly rough thrust of hips against his own.

"C'mon Shads, gotta do better than that-! Ah!" He yelped at the thigh going between his legs. He bucked down onto it, shivering as it grinded against his pouch pleasantly. Shadow chuckled, and let his lips trails down his arm, stopping to nip and bite at his biceps. Sonic smirked; this was his chance to get back in control.

With another roll of his hips, he wrapped his arms back around Shadow's neck, flexing as hard as he could. He moaned at Shadow's choked squeak, his own hips rutting against a blue thigh as he moved his own over Sonic's swollen mound. The blue speedster's eyes fluttered as his weeping cock slipped free, and looked into burning crimson.

"Heh, Shads! Ugn- l-like my arms- ah- that much?" He grinned evilly as he tightened his hold on the other's neck, his upper arms bulging. Shadow keened as he hips stuttered against Sonic's thigh, his own erection slipping free. The black hedgehog growled, kissing Sonic briefly before replying huskily, "You have no idea- ahn, w-what you do to me- Fuck!"

Sonic kissed down Shadow's jaw with low moans, freeing one of his arms to slide his fingers down Shadow's toned stomach. He reached the other's weeping dick, and wrapped his gloved hand around it, pumping it once. He let go of it, and pushed Shadow back slightly, freeing their interlocked legs. He brought his free hand up and bit his glove off, throwing it to the side.

With a chaste kiss to Shadow's lips, he wrapped his now ungloved paw around his and Shadow's dicks, pumping them with slick sounds. Shadow tensed, moaning into Sonic's neck with a buck of his hips. He mumbled something against Sonic, and he nipped at the junction between the blue speedsters shoulder and neck. Sonic hissed at the sensation, and muttered out a shaky, "W-what was that? Can't hear ya over our dicks, h-he, ah!"

Shadow growled and pressed a hard kiss against soft, kiss-swollen lips with urgency. He swiped his forked tongue over his bottom lip, nipping hard enough to draw blood. Sonic groaned, pressing into the kiss harder as he squeezed their cocks tighter. He rolled his hips roughly, earning him a keen and shuddery breath from his rival.

"I said, s-shit- choke me, uhn-!" Shadow spoke lowly, voice rough and blissed out. Sonic breathed out, hard. His dick twitched at the other's words in interest. Who knew Shadow liked getting choke out? Not that sonic's complaining. He thought it was hot as fuck. With a breathy giggle, he adjusted his hold on Shadow's neck, nosing his own muzzle against Shadow's so he would turn his head into the crook of his elbow. Shadow easily obliged, his cock leaking pre-come over Sonic's hand.

The blue hedgehog kissed Shadow's cheek, and squeezed his forearm into the nape of his partner's neck. The force made his bicep bulge, and Shadow's high, muffled moan made Sonic almost cum right then and there. Black hips roughly bucked forward, cock twitching in the other's hold. Sonic pumped faster, twisting his wrist at the base of each pump, groaning into a black shoulder.

Shadow keened, forcing his muzzle harder into Sonic's elbow, biting his arm gently. A request. And Sonic was happy to oblige. As he squeezed their wet cocks, he squeezed Shadow's neck, forcing his head into his sweaty arm. He bucked into his hold on their members, sliding his hand up to Shadow's head and palming at the tip before going back down.

Shadow moaned loud. He bit our a string of curses, and whimpered, "f-fuck, yes! Sonic!" The blue hedgehog felt his heart stutter at the way Shadow said his name. He liked that, a lot actually. He could listen to Shadow's cries forever if he could. He sucked on Shadow's shoulder, he squeezed his arm, hard enough to make Shadow wheeze out as he came.

Hot, white spurts of cum hit their stomachs, and Sonic moaned at the feeling. His eyes fluttered and rolled up into his head as he came as well, his hand slowing down with gentle strokes. Their combined cum made wet squelches as he slowly pumped up and down their softening lengths. He released his tight hold on the other's neck, his arm aching from the continuous flexing. He shook it out to rid of the staticky feeling, and pressed kisses that trailed up Shadow's neck.

He stopped the stroking, and brought both arms around the other's upped back. He smiled gently at Shadow, eyes shining, and he kissed Shadow. It was gentle and warm. The passion was still there, hot and greedy, but it burned down to a simmer, rather than a raging fire of desire. The black hedgehog kissed back, sighing softly into the kiss as he tilted his head for a better angle. Shadow's hand went up to grab the back of Sonic's head, hands melting into soft, blue quills.

Eventually, Sonic tilted his head back to breath, gasping gently as he opened his eyes. He was met with gleaming red eyes, and he smiled softly. He pressed another chaste peck and said, "So, arms huh?"

Shadow flushed, burning a deep red and groaned. Sonic laughed gently. Shadow said, low and gravelly, "I guess. How long have you known?"

Sonic smirked, replying mirthfully, "Since you stole my belt."

Shadow groaned again, letting his head plunk onto a blue shoulder. Sonic brought his clean hand up to stroke in black quills, preening them back down. "I was that obvious?"

"Oh yeah, super obvious."

Shadow chuckled, and stepped back with a grimace. Sonic copied his expression, looking down at both of them. Their dicks had returned to their pouches, but their mess was prominent on their stomachs and thighs. Sonic sighed. This was going to be a bitch cleaning up. Oh well, maybe they can shower together! The thought sends a spark of heat to his groin.

Shadow spoke up, hesitant and soft, "So, you know I like you then?"

Sonic whipped his head up, surprised at the gentle tone. He saw Shadow searching his face, and Sonic willed himself to relax. Oh. He was never letting Shadow go.

"We're boyfriends now. No getting out of it." He raised a brow at Shadow's blanched expression, smirking slightly. "Maybe one day we'll get married too, have some ki-."

Shadow winced, and replied, " Stop . Let's go get cleaned, you can work on my bike later." The two looked at the bike, and silently agreed upon doing it later. Shadow grabbed Sonic's hand, teleporting them up to the bathroom. Sonic quickly turned the nobs, letting the water heat up as he took off his remaining glove, shoes and socks. Shadow did the same.

Sonic grabbed his hand and led them both into the tub, sighing as the hot water seeped into his tense muscles. He rolled the shoulder of the arm that flexed around Shadow's neck. Damn, that hurts more than he thought it would. He pointed to his citrus soap behind Shadow and said, "Grab tht for me?"

Shadow nodded, silent. He gave it to Sonic and the blue hedgehog opened it, pouring a decent amount into his hands. He closed it and gave it to Shadow. As he lathered his stomach and arms, he glanced at Shadow who poured some into his hands and followed suit. The silence was comforting. With the only sounds of the water pattering against their fur, and the slick sounds of soap being washed into their fur, it was...nice. It was relaxing.

It felt almost like they've been doing this their whole lives. Sonic let himself smile gently as he turned around into the direct spray of the water, letting it rid the soap out of his now clean pelt. He switched positions with Shadow, and got out to grab towels from the drawer sitting between the toilet and the tub. He quickly dried himself off, leaving the other towel to sit on the closed toilet lid for Shadow.

Shadow turned off the shower, getting out and drying himself as well. Sonic took the towel from him and put their towels in the hamper. He smiled at Shadow and quietly opened the bathroom door, grabbing the other's hand and guiding them to his room. Once inside, he closed the door and fell onto his bed, sighing at the feeling of the soft blankets.

He motioned for Shadow to follow, who did, albeit hesitantly. The blue blur huffed, and grabbed Shadow, pulling him down to lay on their sides. He giggled at Shadow surprised face, booping the other's nose. Shadow sighed through his nose and smiled. Sonic smiled back, leaning in to kiss the other softly.

"Should we talk about this?" Shadow asked.

Sonic shrugged a shoulder. "What's there to talk about? You like me, I like you. I already declared us boyfriends, so what else is there?"

Shadow merely rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Just wanted to make sure that... that wasn't just a spur of the moment kind of thing."

Sonic's eyes softened, and he pressed a gentle hand to a tan muzzle. "Nope, I dare say I love you. I'm not going anywhere, if you'll have me."

Shadow pressed a kiss to his palm, replying quietly, "Of course." He paused, face becoming more contemplative and slightly annoyed. "So, how obvious was I really? "

The blue speedster chuckled, removing his hand from the other's muzzle to lay against his side instead. He let his fingers massage small circles into black fur as he spoke, "It wasn't actually that obvious. I only actually realized after you kissed me when you thought I was asleep at Cream's. From there, it wasn't had to guess."

Shadow groaned, wincing at the memory. "Damn."

"yeah, haha."

The two sighed, and relaxed into their embrace. Damn, guess getting it on and getting choked really took it out of someone, huh? Speaking of...

"Why do you like my arms so much, anyway? They're not even that impressive. Or is it just having a tool in my hand in general?" Sonic smirked, raising a mirthful brow. Shadow hummed thoughtfully, his eyes scrunching closed.

"Your arms are very impressive, actually. At first, I just thought it was hot that someone as dumb as you could use them properly - hey!-, but then I realized that it was actually your arms. I don't think you realize how sexy you are."

Sonic blushed, an embarrassing sound tearing through his throat. Well. At least now he knows! He really did think that his biceps weren't impressive. Knuckles' is way larger than his, and Sonic never really used his upper body for anything. He knows he has muscle there, but he never guessed they would be so...impressive that Shadow would drool over them. If anything, Sonic should be drooling over his! Shadow's biceps are bigger, and more prominent, even though they weren't flexed or being worked.

"Wow, thanks, I guess! Good to know I have something impressive about me," He laughed at the end. Shadow frowned at his words, and pulled him closer. See! Shadow could literally manhandle him! All he could do is pick up barely-heavy things! He just doesn't get why Shadow likes his so much. He wasn't used to someone liking his physical body. It was new. It made him feel good about himself, too.

"You have plenty of other impressive qualities, Sonic. I just find it hot how your arms flex, is all. Don't talk about yourself like that." Sonic sighed at the accusatory tone. He didn't mean it like that, he just...he already knew he didn't have many good qualities about him. But it wasn't a big deal. Really!

"Kay, Shads. I won't, promise." He pressed their lips together, not a kiss, just a gentle reassurance. Shadow sighed against him. He tightened his hold on the other's waist, pressing his muzzle against the soft fur of his shoulder. They let their conversation end their, rather enjoying each other's presence.

As the two flitted off to sleep, Shadow mumbled something against Sonic's shoulder, earning a hum in reply.

"Mm, love you."

Sonic gasped softly, and smiled.

"Love you too."