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It was a beautiful day in Mobius, the sun was high in the sky and it was warm, so Sonic saw this as a perfect opportunity to stretch his legs.
Dashing into the kitchen, he found Tails and Sonia. The fox had a cup of coffee with sugary cereal and marshmallows inside, while Sonia opted for a black tea. Sonia was making pancakes on the griddle, while Tails waited at the kitchen counter. He zipped around, putting toast in the toaster, pouring himself a glass of orange juice, and getting out the butter and apple jelly- his favorite.
“You know, you could slow down a little to eat a proper breakfast,” Sonia laughed as Sonic grabbed a pancake from her stack.
“No can do, sister-sib!” He replied with a grin, catching the toast as it popped out the toaster and putting on the butter and jelly.
“He just doesn’t understand the meaning of slow,” Tails said, taking a sip of his coffee with cereal, “The word's not in his vocabulary.”
Grabbing a fork and knife, he put his food on his plate and sat down at the kitchen table. Manic came in, dragging his feet and looking tired with his quills all mussed up.
“G’dmornin…” The green hedgehog yawned, sitting next to Sonic at the table.
Tails got up and poured out some coffee for him, adding milk, cream, and 2 cups of sugar to the cup. “Good morning!”
“Morning? It’s almost afternoon now,” Sonia said, shaking her head.
“Shush it, you know I’m not a morning person…” Manic grumbled, accepting the coffee from Tails.
Finishing his breakfast and licking the apple jelly off his fingers, he put his plate in the sink. “Anyway, I’ll be out for a bit, so call me if you need anything!.”
“Alright, see ya,” Sonia said, flipping her pancake.
Tails waved to him and Manic gave a tired thumbs up before burning his tongue on his coffee.
Dashing out the door, he picked up speed, running through a grassy plain. Maybe he should swing by Knuckles and bother him a bit? Or maybe catch up with Blaze and Silver? Nah, he didn’t quite feel for it. He wanted to see Shadow, as he hadn’t heard from the ebony hedgehog since the baseball game a few days ago. Then again, he didn’t want to intrude or seeming clingy, even though he did miss him…
Sighing, he turned and headed to the city. Maybe he could catch up with Shadow later, but he could just see who’s in the city ow. Besides, he was in a good enough mood to handle paparazzi.
Slowing to a walk, he waved to onlookers and camera people that were nearby looking out for someone he called a friend. He passed Amy’s favorite clothing store and the smoothie shack Knuckles liked before he stopped at the local cafe, spotting Shadow eating at the table in the front.
“Shads!” he said, a little too excited than he would have liked.
Shadow looked up. “Faker,” He said and nodded his head, his own personal hello.
Sonic sat next to him, before noticing what the other was eating. “Cinnamon rolls for breakfast? Gee Shads, didn’t expect you to have a sweet tooth.”
Shadow waved him off. “Don’t you dare criticize my eating habits. I've caught you eating nothing but chili dogs for the whole day multiple times."
“What can I say? Chili dogs are amazing,” Sonic shrugged with his signature smile.
Shadow rolled his eyes and took a sip of his frozen latte, then motioned for Sonic to take one of the miniature cinnamon rolls. Sonic took one, and upon tasting it, he discovered it wasn’t just cinnamon- there was a distinct apple pie taste that paired perfectly with the gooey icing and sweet cinnamon. His eyes widened at the taste, completely unexpected but delicious. It was good, really good. He found himself licking the bits of icing off his gloves.
“So, what do you think?” Shadow asked.
Sonic made the mistake of looking into Shadow’s beautiful crimson eyes, causing his face to heat up. To a normal onlooker, Shadow seemed nonchalant, but Sonic could read the ebony hedgehog much better than most. He could tell by the way his ears perked up a bit and the brightness of his eyes that Shadow actually cared.
And it was ridiculously, and unfairly cute.
“It’s um, good,” Sonic stammered, averting his eyes from his crush.
“Hm, I thought so,” Shadow said with a smirk as he picked up another.
After Shadow had finished the last of his sugary treats, he turned back to the other hedgehog. “So, Shads, whatcha doing later?”
Shadow shrugged, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I didn’t have anything planned, if that's what you’re asking.”
Sonic drummed his fingers on the edge of the table. “Well, since I’m not doing anything and you’re not doing anything, maybe we could, I dunno, hang out or something? Have you ever been to the carnival? It’s the best thing to do this time of ye-”
Sonic’s ramble was cut short as Shadow reached over, brushing the side of Sonic’s mouth with his finger. “You can’t even clean up after yourself right…” Shadow mumbled.
Sonic froze at the touch, his face going red and his heart beginning to pound in his chest. He found himself wanting to lean into the touch, and the thought just embarrassed him more. Shadow recoiled after seeing Sonic’s expression of surprise, and the mood became tense between the two.
This crush was shaping up to be a real nuisance, Sonic thought as he tried to hide the redness in his cheeks. He cleared his throat before starting over.
“So um… the carnival? Ever been?”
Shadow shook his head. “Rouge’s been meaning to take Omega and I, but it never worked out. What exactly do you do there?”
“You have fun, that's all! There's rides and fun carnival games and all kinds of things. There's even booths where you can test your skills to win a prize,” Sonic sprang out of his seat excitedly, hoping to appeal to Shadow’s competitive side, “Come on, let's get going!”
"...I suppose I have nothing better to do." Shadow got up and put his napkins and wrappers in the trash, then went over to his motorcycle in its parking space.
“I don’t get it,” Sonic said, going up to the bike, “Why have a motorcycle if you can run faster than one?”
“It’s not about the speed, Sonic , it’s about the ride itself. Have you ever been on a motorcycle?”
“Well no, but what's the point?”
Shadow sighed, getting on the motorcycle before turning to Sonic. “Get on,” He said as more of a command than a question.
Sonic debated before obeying, awkwardly sliding on the seat behind Shadow. The engine started up, and Sonic hesitated on how he was supposed to hold Shadow without making it weird.
“It's fine, just hold on tight,” Shadow instructed, sensing Sonic’s hesitation.
Sonic simply nodded his head, wrapping his arms around Shadow’s torso and hoping the other didn’t feel how fast his heart was beating. Shadow started the engine and the two began riding down the street.
It felt exhilarating being this close to Shadow, far more than any run he’d ever been on. Sonic had never realized how warm he was until just now, hugging him tightly. He could just be like this for miles and miles, nuzzling into Shadow’s warmth…
But unfortunately for Sonic, the ride wasn’t that long, just barely 10 minutes. It was early enough not to be packed, even though the day was perfect for going on rides.
Sonic walked up to the ticket booth and leaned on the side. “Two all-day passes, please?” He said, getting the money out his wallet.
The person behind the booth fished around before finding two purple paper wristbands. “Have fun,” The woman said, letting them into the gate.
Inside was an array of thrilling rides, concession booths, prize corners, and neon colors. Sonic could hear the sounds of children screaming in delight and the mechanical whirring of the rollercoasters speeding by.
He put on the wristband and turned to Shadow, already formulating a plan on how he wanted the day to go. “Okay, since this is your first ever carnival experience, we’ve got to make this as fun and exciting as possible! Hmm. we should probably start with the carnival games since we just ate, then the rollercoasters. Sound fun?”
Shadow paused, eyeing the attractions with a skeptical look on his face. “...If you say so.”
Sonic wandered until he found something that peaked his attention. “Ooh, we could play darts! I bet you’d be really good at this, Shads! Maybe I could win you a prize...”
He paid for 20 plays of the game, then received the darts, giving half to Shadow.
“Alright, so all you have to do is try to hit the balloons with the darts, sorta like this,” Sonic rapidly threw the darts, and managed to miss 9/10 times.
“Well um, better than that I suppose,” Sonic sheepishly said, rubbing his quills.
Shadow gave him a soft smile before stepping up to throw. He aimed and took a deep breath before releasing. A perfect throw. He did it again and again, managing to hit a balloon every time.
“Whoa, great job Shads!” Sonic excitedly said as the neon lights went off, indicating a winner.
The person behind the booth handed Shadow a bright red stuffed bear, to Shadow’s surprise.
Shadow went to hand the bear to Sonic. “Here, take it.”
“No way, I cant take it! It’s your first prize that you won, fair and square.”
“You said you’d win a prize for me, so why cant I win a prize for you?” Shadow said, trying again to gift the bear to Sonic.
He looked at the stuffed toy, all red and fuzzy. If he did keep it, he’d always have something to remember this trip by...
Sonic sighed before finally taking it, and he couldn’t help but notice when their fingers brushed together. “Fine… But I’m going to win you a prize too!”
<-O->
He still hadn’t managed to win a single prize.
They had been here for hours and it was starting to get busy, but try as he might he just couldn’t win a prize to save his life. And, to rub salt in the wound, Shadow was winning loads of prizes, gifting them all to the blue hedgehog. It simply didn’t make sense- how was he not winning anything!
There was only one prize game left, and Sonic was determined to win at it, no matter how many times he failed or how much money he spent. He narrowed his eyes at the neon sign… this game of ring toss was all that stood between giving his crush a present or returning home empty.
He paid for a round, getting 5 rings from the person behind the booth. He only needed to land 3 rings to win a prize, seemed easy enough. He took a deep breath, aimed, and-
“You should aim lower,” Shadow said, startling the blue hedgehog so he almost dropped a ring, “You’ll never get it in if you aim so high. And look at the target, and not at the ring.”
Shadow came over to him, adjusting his stance and moving his arms until he was content. “Okay, now throw.”
Sonic threw the ring, and to his surprise, it landed perfectly on the bottle in the second row. He turned to Shadow, a look of wonder and giddy happiness on his face.
“I thought you never played any of these games before- how did you know?”
“It’s not about the game itself, its about the skills behind it. This game has a strong dependency on hand-eye coordination, so you focus on that,” Shadow explained.
“Hand-eye coordination, huh?” Sonic picked up another ring and putting on a cocky grin, “I think I can handle that…”
Following Shadow’s instructions, the other throws went just as perfectly as the first. Sonic pumped his fists in the air in excitement as the neon lights signaled a winner.
“Yes! Did you see that, Shads! Not a single ring dropped too!” Sonic excitedly said, turning to the ebony hedgehog.
Shadow smiled and let out a light chuckle, the sound reminding Sonic of sweet honey. “Yes yes, you did well, Sonic.”
He received his prize, a giant blue tiger, and gifted it to Shadow. “There! Now that I’ve won you a prize, we can start on some of the rides!”
The shrill screams of people on a rollercoaster caught his attention, and he whipped his head around. “There! Ooh, it’s called the Earth Shaker, sounds awesome!” he turned his gaze back to Shadow, then paused, “Or maybe uh… we should try something a little more tame for your first ride.”
Shadow’s ear flicked in annoyance, and he proceeded to drag him in the line of the ride. “I’m the ultimate lifeform, faker. I’ve ran faster than this… metal contraption, I can handle it and more.”
Sonic shrugged. “Alright then, nothing like jumping in to the deep end for your first swim. Or actually, don’t do that, or you might get auqaphobia if you don’t drown first.”
They left their stuff with the carnival employee and got seated. Shadow raised an eyebrow when the metal bar was put over them.
“Don’t worry about it, its just a safety precaution,” Sonic explained
The ride slowly started and it began to climb up the first hill, taking the inhabitants higher and higher.
“This isn’t nearly as earth shaking as the name suggests,” Shadow scoffed.
“Not yet, just you wait,” Sonic excitedly said as they neared the drop.
One moment, they were almost at a standstill at the top of the hill. The next, they were speeding their way down.
Sonic put his hands up and yelled in excitement as they went through the loops. It was kinda weird that he liked these rides so much, especially since they went the same speed as he did, but he just found them cool. The ride continued, going up and down more hills, loop-de-loops, and twists until it slowed to a stop back where they started.
Shadow still was gripping the metal bar, his hands curled tight around it.
“You alright there, bud?” Sonic gently asked, tapping his shoulder.
Shadow faced him then nodded, slowly letting go. “It was just… different then I expected. But… I kinda liked it,” He added.
“Wouldn’t expect anything less from the ultimate lifeform,” Sonic said, giving him a nudge as they got off the ride.
They went on more death-defying rides, and Shadow actually began enjoying himself on the rides, even putting his hands up on the big drops. It was nice seeing this side of Shadow, open and having fun. The sight made Sonic's heart flutter, but he decided to blame that on the rides.
"I think we've been on enough rides, I'm starting to get hungry…" Sonic said, rubbing his stomach, "How about some funnel cake? Maybe some cotton candy…"
Heading over to the concession cart, Sonic bounced around, deciding on what to get. There were no chili dogs to his disappointment, but when he turned, Shadow had his wallet out, paying for blue cotton candy.
"Hey hey hey!" Sonic took the wallet to Shadow’s surprise, "I'm supposed to treat you, remember? You can't pay for stuff yourself, it ruins the whole thing."
Shadow tried to snatch back the wallet, but Sonic held it just out of his reach. "Give that back. You paid for the carnival games, so I could at least pay for the food."
Sonic shook his head, finding it cute how Shadow was just a bit too small to reach. "Nuh-uh, no way, I'm paying."
Sonic returned the wallet to Shadow, then paid for his and Shadow's cotton candies.
"You didn't have to do that," Shadow said, taking a bite out of the blue sugary cloud in his hands.
"Yeah, but I wanted to," Sonic said, "Anyway Shads, you really got a monstrous sweet tooth, man."
Shadow had already eaten half of the sticky treat, licking his lips. "Yeah, and?"
"Nah, I just didn't expect that from you. Anyway, we could hit up the ferris wheel, since that's practically all that's left to do around here," Sonic said, a bit disappointed that his day with Shadow was nearly over.
Shadow nodded, taking another bite of cotton candy. They made their way over to the Ferris wheel, going inside the cart and fitting their various won prizes inside with them.
The ride began, taking the two hedgehogs to the very top, a perfect view of the setting sun over the horizon. Had they been here that long? It seemed like they had just arrived there… but time passed quickly when he was with Shadow.
Sonic’s eyes drifted over to the hedgehog in question, and he nearly swooned at the way the golden rays of sun illuminated his black fur. Sonic thought he had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life, and he had seen a lot . His breath caught, and it felt like you could knock him down with nothing but a feather.
Suddenly, it dawned on him how much of a date this was like. Winning stuffed toys? Romantic Ferris wheel rides? This was the exact kind of thing Amy always wanted to do with him. And there he was, doing this with Shadow.
His heart quickened as he thought about it, and how much he wanted to reach over and hold Shadow’s hand.
But this wasn’t a date, and he knew that. As much as his heart wanted it to be, this just wasn’t… Sonic had saved the world too many times to count from Eggman and other baddies, but this ? He wasn’t even sure his feelings were worth the risk of losing Shadow after doing so much to be able to be called a friend. The thought of Shadow returning to being cold and indifferent about him would hurt too much. He couldn’t give all this up, not after everything .
So, although his heart ached, he never took the black hedgehog’s hand.
“So um… Shads,” Sonic said after they got off the ride, rubbing his quills, “Even though we’re done with the carnival… maybe we could, I dunno, watch a movie or something?”
He half expected Shadow to refuse; they had already spent practically the whole day together. Besides, Shadow probably had some important thing to do, G.U.N. related or otherwise.
Sonic felt a hand brush against his, clasping in his own. He looked up at Shadow, a confused look on his face.
“I’d… like to do that.” Shadow said shyly, his face turned away but Sonic could still notice the blush on his cheeks.
“Oh. Oh !” Sonic smiled and bounced excitedly on his toes, “Well then, there's a ton of movies that you probably haven't seen- have you seen the fast and the furious? Or maybe Kung Fu Panda? Tails really likes that movie...”
<-O->
They got to Sonic’s house just as the sun dipped past the horizon, the sky lit up with oranges and pinks. Shadow parked his bike in the driveway and Sonic got off, missing the warmth already. He got his house key out of his quills and opened the door, stepping inside.
“I’m back and also Shadow’s here!” He yelled to his siblings from the front.
“You really don’t have to yell so much,” Sonia said, not looking up from her book while sitting on the couch.
“Oh. Right. Sorry,” Sonic said, rubbing the back of his quills, “Anyway, Shadow, you can wait right here while I put these up in my room and make us popcorn, sound cool?”
Shadow nodded and sat on the other side of the couch before Sonic zipped away upstairs. He placed each stuffed toy down with gentle care, arranging them all out on display. He practically had to, this was a gift from Shadow of all people.
He rushed back downstairs, starting up the popcorn maker before heading to Tail’s workshop. The young fox was still there, tinkering with a new invention with his welding goggles over his eyes.
“Hey little bro, you wat any popcorn?” Sonic asked, peering over at the fox’s invention.
Tails stopped, turning to the hedgehog and removing his goggles. “Oh! Um, sure, I could go for that right now.”
“Alrigh cool. I’ll leave some for you. What’cha workin’ on anyway?”
“Nothing much, it’s a bit of a surprise for later. But unto more pressing matters, what’s the whole Shadow situation looking like, hm?” The yellow fox asked with a sly grin.
Sonic felt his face heat up at his brother’s request. “Well, nothing really. We just went to the carnival and rode some rides, thats all.”
“That’s all, huh?”
The blue hedgehog shook his head. “Sometime’s I don’t know who’s worse with the teasing, you or Rouge…”
“Just because we want to see you happy! You’re clearly head-over-heels for him, and Shadow probably feels the same, so what’s the big holdup? You’ve never done anything slowly in your life before, why start now?” He said, crossing his arms.
“I’m not going slow, I never go slow! I’m just, ah… waiting for the right moment. Yep, that’s it.”
Tails raised an eyebrow in disbelief but decided not to press on. “Whatever you say, Sonic. Have fun with the rest of your date!”
“It’s not a-” Sonic started, his cheeks turning a new shade of red, but chose to just sigh before he left the fox’s workshop, “Don’t stay up too late.”
The fox just nodded, returning his goggles to his face, and turned himself back to his project.
The popcorn was almost ready when he got back to the kitchen, so he got out 3 bowls for him, Shadow and Tails, and left the rest inside the popcorn maker. He quickly delivered his brother’s bowl, but as he re-entered the living room, he was struck by the sound he heard.
Laughter. Shadow’s laughter.
The sound was like taking a break in a lush grassy field, untouched by human hands and filled with the beautiful nature he swore to protect. It was like his heart skipped a beat.
“Well, it seems as through Sonic’s back, so I’ll leave you both to your movie,” Sonia said after spotting the blue hedgehog, getting up from her place on the couch.
“It was nice speaking with you,” Shadow said, a small smile lingering on his face.
“Likewize,” She said before passing by her brother, “This one’s a keeper,” She whispered into his ear before leaving.
Sonic passed his ebony counterpart his bowl, then got them both blankets from the nearby closet, trying to hide the blush in his cheeks. “So um… did you have anything in mind or…?”
“I suppose I’ll trust your taste,” Shadow said as Sonic turned on the TV, “You’ve proven yourself enough with today’s itinerary.”
“Wow Shads, what an honor,” Sonic said with a light chuckle, sitting next to him on the couch and wrapping the blanket around himself, “I was thinking about Kung Fu Panda, does that sound cool?”
Shadow simply nodded as the movie began. Sonic had always loved this movie, but on this viewing, he found it difficult to focus on Po’s journey on becoming the dragon warrior compared to the person sitting right next to him.