Chapter Text
Sonic’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at Jet, who was visibly confused. A wave of anxiety overtook the hedgehog and he looked away.
“Your uh- one of your feathers is out of place, I just thought you should know.” Jet squawked at his “disheveled appearance” and quickly fixed it. Sonic let out a meek laugh that was mostly forced. His head was a storm of emotions.
Why is this so hard? I’ve been hyping myself up to do this, and I finally have the opportunity- yet here I am, about to waste it! Maybe I’ve been reading the signals wrong? Or he’s just messing with me! It could be anything! There are so many ways this could go wrong. Perhaps I should just keep it to myself, I mean, I don’t want to make things weird between us if I am wrong.
Sonic left his head for a moment and looked to his right; Jet was just staring into the pond, no tics, just fidgeting with his fingers. It was strange seeing him so calm, usually he’d be stressed or mocking Sonic, but he was just sitting there, smiling. The blue hedgehog smiled lightly, still conflicted on what he should do, but just content with this moment. The atmosphere and ambience was just perfect. After two years of “rivalry” and then friendship, he’d connected with Jet in a way he thought he never would. Though the two were different, both had a lot of similarities in their core.
“What are you thinking about?” Sonic quietly broke the silence between the two, barely audible over the sound of crickets and frogs.
“Uh, j-just how special th-this night is . . .” Jet turned to look at Sonic, a facial expression Sonic couldn’t read, but he could tell it wasn’t bad. They both shared a smile and Jet turned back to look at the water. It was almost as if time itself froze, and they were stuck in this moment, something that both could feel, but neither were complaining.
If you’re gonna do it, do it tonight. It doesn’t have to be right now, but you’ve got to do it!
“What m-m-made you want to d-do something like th-this? Not that I’m not grateful! It’s just, thi-this gesture is just so . . . pers-personal? If that’s the right word.” Sonic was slightly taken aback, his face heating up, feeling he’d just been caught. He couldn’t tell if Jet had caught on or if he was just asking an earnest question.
“I just, um, I- well, I knew you haven’t been feeling the greatest since you broke your arm, so I thought I’d do something to cheer ya up. Is it working?” Jet flushed slightly at Sonic’s question, which he was confused by; it wasn’t a weird question, there was just something about the context and the way he said it that felt like there were other implications. Sonic watched as the hawk's face shifted trying to decipher something that wasn’t there, so he reached out and rested his hand on Jet’s upper arm, leaning forward to be more in Jet’s viewline.
“Do you feel any better?” The older teen gave a reassuring smile to Jet, which pulled him from the mental process he was going through.
“I- you’re joking ri-ri-right?” Jet let out a light chuckle.
“This is the best I have felt in weeks! To feel so f-f-fr-free again, it was incredible. I-I can’t thank you en-eno-enough! I’ve never really had any friends outside of Storm and Wave, an-and the first one I do just h-happens to be the most th-tho-thoughtful and caring Mobian I’ve ever met. I mean don’t get me wrong, y-you’re a lil’ shit -” Both laughed, but for different reasons.
“But you’re amazing. Now im-imma stop giving you an ego boost, bu-but know, yes, I feel so, so, so much b-be-better. Thank you.” An even larger smile grew on Sonic’s face, but was quickly replaced with a shocked one when Jet practically tackled him in a hug, to which the hedgehog reciprocated. Unlike last time, Jet wasn’t letting go, Sonic’s heart pounded, so loud in his ears it managed to drown out all of the world around him- this was his moment.
“Jet-” Sonic started to mutter out before being interrupted.
“Gah, I’m sorry, I didn’t ask, I pr-promise I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable and-” Sonic laughed at the flustered hawk.
“No, no, it’s fine! It’s just, there’s something I need to tell you-” Once more, Sonic was interrupted by Jet, who’s calm demeanor had completely changed.
“Is i-it another one of m-m-m-my feathers?” Jet tried pushing down his green feathers, shakily trying to fix everything.
“No, Jet, dude, just listen.” Sonic lightly grabbed Jet’s arms and pulled them down back to his side then let go. This got Jet’s attention, and while he was still fumbling around, he was more still.
“This could go badly, so I’m just gonna say it. Jet- after hanging out with you more and more, I have begun to realize a few things that I’ve had to come to terms with. They’re not bad, they’re actually good, and have a warm feeling. But you should still know, no matter what your response may be.” Sonic took in a deep shaky breath, preparing for what he was about to say. He wasn’t making eye contact with the hawk, but he could tell he was staring.
“I . . . I kinda like you. And I mean uh,
like
-like you.” Heart racing a million miles a second, Sonic was glad to have gotten that out, but feared the reaction he was going to get in response. The hedgehog felt his whole body heat up in fear and anticipation. When he wasn’t getting a response he looked up to see Jet looking at him confused. Or at least what Sonic read as confused, he wasn’t quite sure what the face was. Dread took over the teen and he realized his mistake. Sonic quickly got up and started speed walking to his Gear.
“I’m so sorry, I should have never said anything! I just thought- I don’t know.” Sonic’s voice wavered, tears threatening to escape his eyes.
“Sonic-” Jet stood up and tried to speak.
“No, no, Jet, it’s okay, really. I had a feeling something like this would happen, and- I’m just gonna get out of here. Thank you for joining me, I’ll see you at school.” The teens voice was only getting weaker as he ignored Jet’s callings of his name.
Just as he was about to take off on his Gear, a hand grabbed his arm, causing him to turn around and reveal his distraught face. Jet gave a stern look, which only made Sonic feel worse.
“GAH! I li-li-like you too, idiot!” Sonic started, shocked, whilst Jet stared at the ground, hand still holding onto Sonic’s arm.
“If you would h-have given me a minute, I woulda said it!” Jet gave an empathetic look. He had an ever so slight smile, happy to finally get it off his chest not long after he accepted the reality.
“You-you really mean it?” The taller teen stared, finally being met with Jet’s blue eyes, only slightly visible in the dark.
“Y-yes, you dope! I’ve been meaning to say it for a while now but just couldn’t find the right time.” The hawk chuckled. Sonic slowly relaxed and Jet let go of his arm, sure that Sonic wouldn’t leave. The hedgehog wasn’t too sure of what to say, but his racing heart turned from one of fear and anxiety, to one of happiness.
“You have no clue how much this means to me.” Sonic’s voice was still weak, but he felt the lump in his throat start to leave, and the stress headache followed. He wasn’t sure where they were to go from here, but he didn’t care either way.
Sonic found himself shocked once more when Jet took a hold on his hand, an action the two weren’t keen on, but what felt right in the moment.
“To m-make up for the emotional dis-di-distress I caused you, would you care to go to Em-em-emerald Cafe so I could get you a chocolate milk? It’s on m-m-me.” Jet gave a soft smile and looked at Sonic, to which he returned.
“Only if you get me a cookie, too. There were a lot of damages done.” Sonic gave a smug look, to which Jet gave a playful annoyed face.
“Deal.” Sonic cheered and let out a laugh.
“Race ya there!” Sonic yelled out, catching Jet off guard. Jet had to run and get his Gear from off of a tree, whilst Sonic already had his in hand. The hedgehog took off into the sky, with Jet not far behind. The two sped through the star speckled night, taking in the chill of the air, and the warmth of the happiness.