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Radiant light of the full moon streaked through the leafy embraces of forest branches, illuminating freckles upon the well-trodden path for the cobalt quilled hero. His buckled cherry shoes crunched upon dried foliage as he ambled toward his destination. Normally he would've utilized his renowned speed, but he was wary of disturbing any critters peacefully slumbering in their nests. Even so, as he heard the pitter-patter of startled animals, he cupped the corner of his lip with a gloved hand, whispering apologies into the darkness.
As he clutched a shovel in one hand and a basket of rose stems in the other, he continued onward through mossy trees and flowering bushes until he reached a clearing, grassy and kempt, overlooking the vast sea, which stretched across the horizon to kiss the distant mountains. The serenade of gentle waves lapping against the cliffside soothed his upright ears. A spring breeze combed through his quills. He inhaled deeply, the aromatic scent filling his nostrils, the air so briny he could practically taste its salt upon his tongue. Moonlight reflected divinely across the waves, a sparkle rivaled only by his toothy grin. No matter how many times he trekked here, it always felt like the first.
Refreshed from admiring the landscape, he then glanced at the bundle of stems in hand. This species was a unique hybrid, one that bloomed crimson petals with ebony splatters. The hedgehog recalled the laborious hours he poured into growing these for weeks on end—planting monochrome roses adjacently, watering them each day, breeding the resulting hybrids into super hybrids, not to mention the painstaking chore of pulling out weeds and debris by burying his knees in the dirt. If the buds successfully bloomed, he would take it as a sign to pursue his crush. Was all this effort going to be worth it?
More importantly, could he handle the answer?
As he set the woven basket down he simply… stared. At nothing in particular. Why he couldn't bring himself to start the final stage of planting the crossbred stems, he didn't know. He groaned, rubbing his temples as if just now realizing what a ridiculous idea this was.
What are you doing here?
He thought his inner voice was berating him until his ears perked at the unmistakable sound of a familiar, confident gait.
"I said, what are you doing here?"
He swore his heart raced faster than his feet ever have as he peered into the forest, searching for the source of the low voice. Then, as if materializing from the shadows, a jet black lifeform stepped into view, his rosy highlights complementing his fiery gaze.
"Shadow?" The royal blue hedgehog blinked repeatedly to make sure his emerald eyes weren't playing tricks on him from lack of sleep.
Once he realized this was no illusion, Sonic discreetly held the shovel behind his quills, subtly adjusting his footing to hide the basket at his heels. But there was no fooling his dark counterpart, who analyzed his body language suspiciously.
Shadow crossed his arms. His cool and collected tone sent chills down Sonic's spine. "Don't toy with me, hedgehog. What are you hiding?"
"Nothing!" Sonic blurted. "What are you hiding?"
The agent rolled his carmine eyes at the feeble attempt to deflect the question. As he took several steps closer he glanced toward his rocket skates, feeling the ground get considerably flatter, devoid of twigs and stones. He observed, "This clearing appears to have been tended to."
Sonic laughed nervously. "Nature at its finest, I guess."
"Is that so?" Shadow humored him. The closer he got to his parallel, the softer the earth felt with every step. "I suppose nature also watered this specific plot despite having no rain all week?"
Sonic glimpsed skyward, feigning a motion as if he felt a raindrop despite the unassuming clouds. "It could start pouring any minute. We should head back—"
He stifled a breath as Shadow, nose to nose with Sonic, scrutinized him as if he could find the answer in his irises, green as a hill zone. Suddenly he reached around Sonic's waist, fingers brushing against the underside of his back spikes.
Sonic's muzzle reddened intensely. "Wait, what are you—?"
Shadow seized the digging tool from his rival's grip. "Look what we have here." He chided with a smirk, "Shame on you, hedgehog. Wrecking the beauty of nature so you can play buried treasure."
"This isn't a game!" Sonic cried. "Now give that back!"
Shadow kept his foe at bay with an extended arm against his chest. As Sonic clawed the air in an attempt to retrieve the shovel just out of reach, the agent spotted the basket of greenery at Sonic's contrasting sneakers. Shadow halted, curiosity getting the better of him as his counterpart finally yanked the tool from his grasp.
But that was the least of Shadow's worries.
Before he could get a closer look inside the rattan basket, a glowing streak of cyan made it disappear and then reappear a few feet away in Sonic's grip.
Shadow glared at the speedster, at first with annoyance. Why would he hide a few measly plants? Then it dawned on him. Slowly his expression turned into one of horror, staring wide-eyed at the so-called hero.
But Sonic paid no mind as he refused to make eye contact, red with embarrassment. He could practically feel that scarlet gaze burning his azure fur. "Please, Shadow. Just go home."
"Sonic."
Shadow said it with such bleeding concern that his sapphire twin regarded him. Aghast, the ebony hedgehog paled as if he'd seen a ghost, troubling Sonic. "Stop looking at me like that, Shads. You're scaring me."
Shadow ignored the request. "Is that what I think it is?"
Sonic tightened his clammy grip on the wicker handle. "What do you think it is?"
Shadow's hesitation was brief, as if his hypothesis would somehow become true if he voiced his suspicions. "Performance-enhancing drugs."
Sonic laughed at the notion. He had never touched a drug let alone taken one. He wasn't even sure he knew what one looked like. "Don't be ridiculous—"
"That's why you've been so secretive," Shadow mulled distantly, rubbing his fingers under his chin as if he solved the case. "Either you plan on outperforming me, or you've been taking these to get on my level."
Sonic's expression twisted into one of confusion. "What? No! You've got it all wrong!"
Shadow remained skeptical, requiring proof. His eyes bore into his foe like daggers stained crimson. "Then hand it over," he demanded, the golden power inhibitor on his wrist gleaming menacingly around his outstretched hand.
Sonic's heart seized at the thought. His fingers clenched the woven handle so tightly he nearly bled. He swallowed before replying, "I can't."
Neither of them wavered. Not even the void's icy breeze could make them flinch. Was that the wind or Sonic's internal cry for help?
Then Shadow sighed, tightening his gloves as if foreseeing this outcome. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this."
In a flash he leapt forward, trailing an amber aura in his wake. Sonic's mind deconstructed the act in slow motion, perceiving Shadow's feet leave the ground, his limbs curl into a ball, his attack home in on Sonic's beating organ.
Sonic dropped his possessions, steeling himself to block the spindash with crossed arms, the force so powerful his heels dug trenches in the dirt. He grunted with the effort of holding Shadow off as the high-pitched rev of the spinball deafened his ears. It was like preventing a screeching tire from burning rubber on his vitals.
Seeing as this was getting him nowhere, Shadow performed a backflip, landing gracefully on his feet. "Hmph. I'm just warming up."
Sonic chuckled, stretching his legs like a marathon runner in a show of confidence. "Sure thing, faker," he emphasized, knowing this would warrant some aggression.
Shadow couldn't help but clench his fist with ire, drawing his arm back before zooming forward with a punch.
The blue blur easily sidestepped to dodge but Shadow expected this, extending another blow at the last second, hitting his opponent square in the jaw.
Sonic reeled back, more out of shock than pain, rubbing the soreness away. Regardless, he found himself smiling. It wasn't often he brawled someone who matched his abilities. After crushing laughable badniks for days on end, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't itching for some excitement. "Lucky shot."
"Calculated shot," the agent corrected. "Are you as slow in the brain as you are with your feet?"
Sonic gasped dramatically, tossing the back of his hand to his forehead. "Alas! You have discovered my fatal flaw!" He bowed humbly. "Teach me, O Wise One."
Just as Sonic was about to straighten, his opposer kneed him in the abdomen. He doubled over with a groan, sinking to his knees.
"Lesson one," Shadow advised, "never let your guard down."
In his kneeling position, Sonic took the opportunity to grab Shadow's ankle and yank him to the dirt, knocking the wind out of him as he landed on his back. Shadow coughed, attempting to regain control of his lungs as Sonic loomed over him, boasting, "Lesson two, surpass the master."
Shadow sprung to his feet. Meanwhile Sonic revved up into a concussive ball, billowing dust, and charged forward to knock over his contender like a bowling pin. But Shadow performed a handless frontflip like a gold-medal gymnast, easily dodging it.
"Chaos Spear!"
Upon hearing Shadow's battle cry, Sonic serpentined throughout the clearing to avoid numerous bolts of energy the agent's palms emitted. But no matter how quickly Shadow fired, Sonic managed to evade every shot by a hair.
At one point the blue blur skidded to a halt, and suddenly a glowing spear jutted out of a tree right before his face.
Sonic let out a nervous chuckle, grateful to still have a nose. "Someone's getting antsy."
He ducked in the nick of time to avoid a jet-boosted roundhouse kick to the head. Sonic then swept his leg to trip his assailant, but to no avail as Shadow leapt high into the air, backlit by the witnessing moon, before clasping his hands together to pummel Sonic into the ground.
CRUUUSH!
The hero narrowly somersaulted clear, shaking dirt from his quills. When he looked up to see the crater Shadow formed with his fists, his stomach churned. "Whoa, Shads, take it easy!"
Tired of this dance, the lifeform was tempted to execute a Chaos Blast right then and there, but instead he sneered, "Not until I get what I want."
He dashed forward. His parallel instinctively did the same. However, a vine caught Sonic's toe, hurtling him straight into Shadow. The hedgehogs were a mass of flailing punches and kicks, their limbs a blur as their tangled bodies rolled in the grass like a prickly tumbleweed.
Their careening stopped dead in its tracks as Shadow straddled Sonic, their panting faces inches apart, their arms wrestling for dominance with Shadow's fists against Sonic's palms.
Through grunts, Sonic tried to reason with him. "Okay, Shadow… hff… This was fun at first… hff… but now—" He cried out as his wrists bent at a dangerous angle.
"It was never a game, Sonic." Using gravity to his advantage, Shadow pushed harder.
Pain shot through Sonic's arms. "Shadow, stop!" he pleaded, his biceps nearly giving out. "It's not what you think!"
Shadow snarled, his fangs gleaming like dual blades. "Don't lie to me!"
Sonic's muscles screamed. He didn't remember his counterpart being this strong, didn't understand where such passion was coming from. "Why are you so worked up?"
"I won't let you destroy yourself!"
Shadow's guttural cry echoed throughout the crisp air, followed by a chorus of flapping from retreating crows. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he almost wished Sonic would run away, too, as he shut his eyes tight to suppress his hot tears.
Witnessing such raw emotion made Sonic yield, letting Shadow pin his wrists to the dirt beside his spiky head. Though Sonic took shallow breaths, his peach torso still brushed against his rival's ivory chest fur, soft and full, making his back spines prickle. "If it matters so much to you," Sonic relented, "then you can take what's in the basket."
No sense of victory hailed Shadow as he sulked from revealing a shred of vulnerability. Instead a numbness washed over him like a waterfall. He crawled off the sapphire hedgehog, taking a few steps to retrieve what he thought was a performance-enhancing substance. But what he found was much more tame.
Perplexed, Shadow inspected a leafy stalk carefully. "These look like rose stems."
As Sonic stood to brush grass off his quills, he could feel his face grow warm, resorting to sarcasm as a defense mechanism. "That's because they are rose stems, genius." He almost laughed. This was G.U.N.'s best agent?
It still didn't add up. "Why were you hiding these from me?" When Sonic failed to answer, Shadow read his flustered face instead. "Are they intended for Amy?" Sonic shook his head. "Blaze?" Another shake. "Knuckles? You are aware he's in love with a rock—"
"It's you!" Sonic blurted, immediately slapping his palm over his mouth. He had to say something—he felt as if he were going to explode any second. But the regret was instant. He wanted to be cremated right then and there and have his ashes flung over the cliff into the depths of the sea below, dissolving into nothingness.
Shadow was taken aback but quickly composed himself, clearing his throat. "I see. Yellow roses?" he surmised, knowing that this flower hue symbolized a strong bond among friends.
"No," Sonic replied, downcast. There was no point in lying anymore. "They're a hybrid. Black for eternity and red for luh—! …Ove."
That last word caught in his throat, so foreign on his tongue. Unconsciously he rambled, desperate for some sense of control again. "I thought that maybe once these bloomed, I'd have the courage to… ask you out."
Shadow had difficulty masking his bewilderment. He opened his mouth as if to say something but failed to express a coherent thought, unable to recall the last time someone rendered him speechless.
Sonic rubbed the back of his neck, elaborating, "I know it's stupid. Even though you get on my nerves, you also… get me, you know?" He reminisced over the moments they were forced to team up against a greater evil, racing side by side, occasionally stealing sidelong glances at each other.
Then images of the Finalhazard flashed in his mind, followed by the harrowing sight of Shadow plummeting to his supposed death. "When I thought I would never see you again, it made me realize I had taken you for granted."
I should just stop talking, Sonic told himself. But his lips betrayed him. "Since then, I just couldn't stop thinking about you."
What are you doing? "I mean, look at your speed. Your strength. Everything about you screams danger."
Shut. Up. "But instead of running away from you, why is my heart telling me—"
Shut up shut up shut up!
He growled, yelling over his thoughts, "—to run with you!?"
Sonic was practically on the verge of a cardiac arrest. His breath was short, his ears were numb. He felt as if an anchor pulled him by the pit of his chest to claim him as part of the earth's core. He expected a witty comeback. A kick to the stomach. Anything! But what he got was worse. Shadow stared at Sonic as intently as a sniper through the lens of his scope. As pervasive as a bullet, what really killed Sonic was the silence.
Sonic shook his head to clear his mind. It was all so ridiculous, devoting so much time and effort and emotion to someone who couldn't care less. "But it doesn't matter." He hastily gathered his belongings and began to head homeward. "Clearly you don't feel the same way so let's just move on and pretend none of this ever happened—"
"Wait."
Sonic froze, feeling Shadow's grip around the crook of his elbow. His heartbeat pounded so incessantly he thought his eardrums would burst. "Yeah?"
The crimson-eyed hedgehog averted his gaze, though Sonic thought he spotted a faint rosy tint across his tan muzzle. "It appears as though your sentiments mirror mine."
Cogs slowly turned in Sonic's mind, trying to process the confession. But then he laughed in denial. "Come on, Shads. You're not serious."
Shadow squeezed Sonic's arm in affirmation, finally locking his ruby irises with his counterpart's emeralds.
Fixated, Sonic read no hesitation, no amusement in that scorching gaze, straight as a gun barrel. That's when he knew Shadow was indeed telling the truth.
It finally clicked. Then Sonic turned bright red, realizing just how close Shadow was standing, feeling his warm breath on his lips.
Shadow stroked Sonic's cheek with the back of a curled finger, a touch that was extra gentle in case he miscalculated his own strength, before resting it under Sonic's chin to slightly crane his neck. The agent found his blush quite endearing, and being its trigger was icing on the cake. They were in such close proximity that Shadow could breathe in his admirer's scent, sweet as freshly cut grass. Shadow's blood pumped so madly he thought Sonic could hear it. He briefly wondered if he would ever get used to the hero's presence. Perhaps he would find out at a later date.
If so, it would be a date to die for.
With slowly lidding eyes, Shadow leaned in, parting his lips just as their muzzles were a quill's breadth apart—
"Shadow, come in!" urged an electronic voice.
The hedgehogs jumped out of their trances. Shadow cursed under his breath, realizing the command came from his wrist communicator. He pressed a button as he spoke into it. "Yes, Rouge?"
"You're supposed to report every hour so we know you're safe while patrolling," his bat coworker scolded.
Shadow grimaced. "I can take care of myself."
"It's just a precaution," Rouge stated. "In any case, that cheery attitude of yours lets me know you're fine. Bye~!" The call ended with a beep.
A forlorn sigh escaped Shadow's lips, the moment officially tainted.
But with his ever-present smile, Sonic brushed off any disappointment he may have had. "You should get back to work."
Shadow glared at the blue hedgehog, feigning annoyance. "This area is well within my jurisdiction, and I haven't finished inspecting it," he claimed, watching Sonic's grin grow wider, so contagious he wore a hint of a smile himself. He then graciously took the shovel from Sonic's grasp, walking toward the primed plot. "Come. I hate leaving a job unfinished."