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Everyone gets overwhelmed from time to time, whether it is from obligations or new situations. And everyone seemed to have a different way of dealing with these feelings. For Shadow, not that Sonic noticed or anything, it seemed to just settle inside him until it boiled over in an ill-informed fit of anger or holding himself away in his room. As for Sonic, he would mumble his grievances. Harmlessly, just so the air could hear. What he didn’t suspect, however, was for a particular subject to pick up on his mindless ramblings.
During the first instance, he hardly realized he had said anything at all. It was something as comically innocent as picking a flower for a child. But it was the way he did it, like he didn’t even know what he was doing to the hero. It was quick, over as quickly as it happened but the way his back slightly curved as he leaned forward… and his tail poked up ever so slightly when the back of his thighs met the heel of his skate.. Sonic couldn’t help but comment “Hot damn.” under his breath as he soaked up all the fine details of the action.
Shadow turned to him, his face asking all the questions his mouth didn’t want to, yet Sonic smiled innocently as if nothing was said at all. And as far as the hero was concerned, Shadow didn’t hear a thing.
After that day Sonic had made a mental note to gain better control of his auditory impulses. It was only by divine intervention and whatever luck he had left after surviving multiple near-death experiences that Shadow hadn’t noticed his shameless ogling. Unfortunately, one on one time, up close and personal, was going to make keeping his overactive mouth shut a lot harder.
It was routine at this point, chili dogs in the park, hang out, race. And like clockwork, they had already met the first two stipulations right on Shadow’s subconscious schedule. Only, there was one thing Sonic had failed to take into account. Stretching.
Why did he choose to stretch like that? Sure, inherently it was completely innocent, but the sun hit his perfectly sculpted leg stretched in a lunge just right as he puffed out his bold, exaggerated chest. It was as if his every detail was personally crafted by the gods, or rather, a mad scientist, but still. You would think that a man made in a test tube would turn out horribly disfigured but, for Shadow at least, it had the complete opposite effect. Obviously, perfection was made in his image.
This didn’t even grace upon Sonic’s favorite aspect of Shadow’s body. He was apprehensive to admit it, but it was impossible to ignore it in this stance. It was what met at the top of his legs and beneath his tail… “Sweet chaos.” What he wouldn’t give to just…
Shadow turned to him, cocking an eye ridge. Must’ve been from how still Sonic was standing, according to him. Sonic offers a smile to assure the hybrid he was still present, inciting the race.
“You good, Shadow? I mopped the floor with ya that time!” Apparently, the over-exaggerated stretching didn’t serve to help the agent as he clearly lost the race. It wasn’t unusual for Shadow to lose, as much as he begged to differ, but they ended this race neck and neck by a much larger margin than what they considered normal.
Shadow only acknowledged his words with a curt grunt which had sent them their separate ways, but it wasn’t long before they would be reunited once again. ‘The doctor’, as Shadow put it, had been relatively silent for long enough for suspicion to arise. This brought the two hedgehogs together once again as they were tasked with exploring the jungle for any traces of the genius.
They had found evidence of his presence in the form of a stray bot crushed under a boulder. “Oh man! I'd love to get this thing back to Tails so he could check it out, but he can't do much with a partial bot. We'd need most of it, at least.” Sonic comments as he inspects what’s left of said robot.
That’s when Shadow nudges him to the side, slightly moving him out of the way. Now he had the hero’s attention. He squats down, already enough to have Sonic’s eyes fixated on his form, then, as if it was little more than a sheet of paper, he tossed the boulder clean off the carnage. Sonic couldn’t stop his lips from moving, “Holy shit, that’s hot.” even if he wanted to.
The display of sheer power mixed with his refined, almost elegant motions was enough to send blood rushing through his veins and his mouth agape. Luckily enough for him, Sonic was quick to regain his composure. As Shadow turned to him, he brandished a smile, “Thanks, Shadow! That was awesome!” and he moves to go and collect whatever pieces he can fit into a bag he brought along.
Shadow kept his tone undesirable, “Not a problem, Hedgehog.” and the pair carried on their merry way.
As time moved forward, Sonic found himself mumbling things more and more. His appearance all the way down to how he moved was his greatest aphrodisiac, sending him into a momentary stupor, reducing him to a bumbling idiot. It almost seemed like Shadow was doing this on purpose, injecting his voice with a noticeable, tantalizing lilt. Going out of his way to mind Sonic’s needs and to talk to him, even giving him compliments and silly little platitudes which was a great honor considering who paid them.
The tension between them held so thick you could almost taste it. It was practically unbearable; until tonight.
It was Silver’s 21st, and with him being on the younger side of the group, it was only natural for everyone to get shitfaced, it was tradition after all. And to the surprise of no one, the event was held at the forever popular Sonic’s home. It was only a matter of time before everyone suddenly found it hard to keep themselves upright and their drinks in their cups.
As natural, as this event was for a 21 year old, it was natural for Sonic and Shadow to find each other regardless of the number of attendants. “Can you believe that he's never drank before?” Sonic confided in the hybrid as they had found themselves alone in the kitchen, “Silver is such a stickler for the rules sometimes.” as he brings the drink to his lips.
Shadow notices the action in his quiet tendency to scrutinize every little thing Sonic does nowadays. “And what's your poison?”
Sonic takes the cup and subtly frowns as he studies it. “Oh this? It's just juice.” He shrugs. “Someone had to be the designated sober friend and I drew the shortest straw.”
The hero had subconsciously taken a page from Shadow’s book and had made an effort to be a bit more observant when around his rival. He noticed the shift in his eye ridge but it wasn’t followed by any words. He could deduce though, he figured it stemmed from this sudden admission of responsibility. He hoped Shadow picked up on that.
Unfortunately for the hero, he always seemed to be operating on borrowed time whenever he was alone with the hybrid as a barely coherent Silver had stumbled into the kitchen, calling him to his small group, signaling the end of his conversation with Shadow.
His time with Silver droned on a lot longer than Sonic had anticipated. He spoke vaguely of topics, switching from one point to the next. He was a mess, and for the time being, Sonic’s mess to clean up. This form glorified babysitting made him appreciate Shadow that much more, always the sober one against his will.
Shadow… how was he right now? Parties weren’t really his style, he knew from a time the hybrid confided in him that situations of these sorts made him uncomfortable. But you couldn’t tell from looking at him alone, no, he was always so effortlessly cool. Does he even know how beautiful he is? Sonic knew he himself was good-looking, made evident by his fans but if Shadow knew, would he even care?
Everything he did somehow felt like a breath of fresh air and a cool breeze all at once. His flippant attitude only made him more tantalizing, the way he carried himself forced Sonic’s heart to want to know him more. He was so intimidating yet so addicting. The hero was determined to know him inside and out.. when he was ready to admit his attraction of course.
He frowned at the thought, realizing Shadow was probably gone by now. Every encounter with him, somehow, was unfortunately fleeting. He was still a bit lonely just in the presence of Silver, Sonic was always the type to feed off social interaction. Eventually, Silver meanders in, all too excited to publicly embarrass himself on the dance floor, something sure to be a funny memory to him in a few year’s time.
That’s when he caught him, leaning against the wall, the party lights outlining his defined features, his sharp eyes observing the party. Whatever position he took he somehow looked as if he was a model stepping out of a magazine. Every inch of his body was so mouth-watering perfect. He whispered under his breath, “Just take me already.” In some sort of desperate plea to no one.
That's when Shadow notices him, his sharp eyes locking on him as he starts his saunter. Just being under Shadow’s gaze was enough to make his legs tremble. He could only imagine what it would be like to actually be pinned close to him.
The hybrid smirks at him, revealing his unnatural fangs in all their glory. Sonic couldn’t help but wonder what they felt like against his own expectant lips. He stops his walk short right in front of Sonic, the hero couldn’t help but sigh at his almost unreal appearance.
He had to hold himself upright to not give into his weak legs when Shadow leaned in close, so close he could smell hints of fragrance, undesirable between cologne or body wash as he spoke into his ear. “You know I can hear you, right?”
Sonic was frozen. He sucked in a breath, letting out an involuntary “What?” before his mind returned to him. Once some of the fog in his brain cleared, Sonic dragged the agent all the way up the stairs, shoving him onto the bed in his bedroom. His embarrassment represented itself as rosey cheeks and warmth that graduated all the way to the top of his ears. He backs into the door as Shadow sits up to look back at him. “What did you hear?”
Shadow’s mouth twitches in amusement. “I've heard enough.”
“Don't beat around the bush!” Sonic pleads in a voice octaves higher than usual. “What. Did. You. Hear?”
“You want me to be with you. Believe me, that's what I need too.”
At this point in time, Sonic wouldn’t mind being swallowed up by a hole in the ground. In actuality, he’d be thankful. All he can do is stare incredulously “Excuse me?”
Shadow looked as though he was about to speak but Sonic needed a moment to digest the entire ordeal. “There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start with this - how much have you heard?”
Shadow took a beat to respond, crossing his legs. “A lot, I suppose. I first noticed you were doing it a few weeks ago.”
As a foil to Shadow’s cool confidence, Sonic felt as though his eyes were bulging out of his head in disbelief. “Weeks? You've known I'm into you for weeks and you didn't say anything?”
Shadow simply shrugs. “I wanted you to make the first move. I didn't want to scare you off.”
How incredibly ironic, the man of his dreams through he would scare him off. Sonic muffles his groan in his gloves. “Scare me off? Chaos, Shadow! We could have been waiting ages if you left it up to me!” He takes a peek past the fingers he was hiding behind, gulping as he tries to gauge Shadow’s reaction. “How long have you wanted me?”
Shadow offers an uncharacteristic, comforting smile, “Longer than a few weeks.”
This was enough to convince Sonic to remove his hands, returning the smile. “Good to know.” He finally found some confidence, as he made a B-line for the hybrid still waiting on the bed. “So you want me to make the first move? Here you go.”
Finally, after months of unchecked wanting, Sonic pulled Shadow in by the shoulders and closed the gap in a kiss. It was chaste and delicate, lovingly sweet. Sonic pulls away to soak in the feeling, loving the gentle smile still found painted on Shadow’s lips. “Though you've probably already guessed, I like you. A lot.”
Shadow chuckles lightly, “The feeling is mutual.” He takes a moment to articulate his feelings, deciding to add more. “I adore you.”
Sonic moved to sit at his side, feeling bold as he rested his hand on the hybrid’s thigh. “Maybe we can go out sometime? On a real date?”
Apparently, Shadow was determined to keep Sonic on his toes as he shifted from his former brazen nature to one reserved for a gentleman as he tenderly kissed the back of Sonic’s hand. “I'd like that.”
The hero melted a bit from Shadow’s kind petting, unable to stop his tail from wagging and his ear from twitching. “Awesome.” The adrenaline from these giddy feelings took control of him as he scooted closer. “Well...” Sonic felt compelled so he did as his hazy mind told him. He grabbed Shadow’s hand and brought it to the fawn of his chest. “You heard me earlier. Since I asked nicely, can I have you?”
He couldn’t help but squeak as he pulled into a deep, rough kiss. They gave in to their more natural desires as Shadow’s hands find themselves on Sonic’s lower back, toying with his tail with a slight gasp.
Shadow finds himself peppering Sonic with kisses from his collarbone to his shoulder. Sonic takes a more assertive approach as he grabs Shadow’s shoulder, setting him down on the bed so that he was laying recumbent. Shadow does as he’s told, allowing Sonic to crawl over him so that he was straddling athletic thighs. With a sigh, he leans down to lock his lips with Shadow’s as a stray hand traces Shadow’s side, traveling past his ribs, to his waist, to his hips, to his-
With a knock, a voice brings their actions to a sudden stop. “Hey, Sonic! You in there?” The voice belonged to Blaze the cat, shockingly slurred and unkempt. Comically unbefitting of the normally pragmatic princess. “Silver is looking for you, he said he feels sick.”
Sonic corrects himself in an instant, “Shit!” completely losing his momentum as he pulls himself off Shadow to fix his quills. He couldn’t hide his frustration as he turns to his partner, “I'm sorry, Silver probably needs someone to hold his quills back while he gets it all out. I promised I'd watch him, so.”
But Shadow was a patient man, he nodded as waved him off, “It's no problem, I understand. Till next time.”
Sonic grins in agreement, determined not to let Shadow slip from his grasp any longer. “Til next time. I'll see you tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow. My place.” Shadow’s tone made it known it was a promise, there was no doubt in Sonic’s mind they would be reunited soon.
Sonic offers Shadow one more million-dollar smile as he stands to leave. The hero trusted Shadow wouldn’t let something as sensitive as their newfound affair get into the mouths of drunks. Sonic was ready for them to part, but he was left with one last piece of advice.
“Word to the wise, I'd be careful what you mutter around Rouge. She noticed before I did.”
Just as before, Sonic felt his blood run cold. “She what? Oh gods no.”
Shadow can’t help but laugh, much to Sonic’s chagrin. He remedies the embarrassment with a kiss to the hero’s forehead before disappearing into a flash of light.