Work Text:
It began like this.
One, two, one, two. Hey, you’re pretty cool. This isn’t as bad as I thought. Let’s get lunch sometime. I guess… we could do that.
A simple smile was the catalyst.
They fell into a routine with surprising ease. They would choose a time and place that fit into their respective schedules, then meet to rehearse. Shadow knew the steps already, but Sonic was quick to catch on. As time slipped by, they began to improvise. Sometimes Sonic would lead and their carefully practiced moves would devolve into the chaos they knew so well. Sometimes Shadow would lead and they would find themselves experimenting with different styles. Sometimes they couldn’t agree on who would lead and they would trip over each others’ feet while exchanging mildly heated words.
Regardless of when, where, and how they found time to rehearse, their sessions always included something new.
Three, four, three, four. I brought this. Let’s give it a try. Can we do it like this? Sure… come over here and I’ll show you.
Moving perfectly in sync, they led and followed one another to the conclusion.
Eventually, as they came closer and closer to perfecting their routine, they turned their combined attention to other areas of their private performance. They had no audience to interact with, only each other; so they had no choice but to learn to communicate not only efficiently but flawlessly every time.
Sonic could tell that Shadow was trying his best, but he often tried to leave as soon as they were finished– leaving little room for interaction outside of their main routine. He got into the habit of requesting a second rehearsal as soon as the first one was finished, before Shadow got the chance to even glance towards the door. That was great, can we go again? Let’s try it like this now.
Shadow never refused him. Here, like this. Fingers would entwine, he’d position his hand like so, and they would start the whole thing over; but never in the exact same manner as before. Sometimes it would be quicker, sometimes it would be slower, sometimes they would talk more, sometimes they would remain relatively silent until they arrived at the finale once again, sometimes it was better, and sometimes it was worse.
Sonic always tried to convince Shadow to stay when it was over. At first, he never did; a few times, he was out the door before Sonic was done catching his breath. As they began to meet more regularly and for longer periods of time, he would occasionally linger. Once the conversation got to be too heavy for his liking, he would make up some excuse about work or needing to rest up for work and leave just as quickly as always.
It changed at some point, for seemingly no reason. Shadow began to stay with him consistently and talk more about what was working and what wasn’t, what they were doing well and what could use improvement. Sometimes they would talk over coffee. Sometimes they would go for a run together and shout over the whipping of the wind. Sometimes they would even go to dinner.
Sometimes they would go home together.
The dance had evolved so drastically that it no longer resembled its original form in the slightest.
Shadow acknowledged this more readily than Sonic had expected.
One, two, three, four.
When they put it all together, it was easy to call it what it truly was.
On the night they both realized it, they stopped dancing and looked at each other.
Shadow leaned against him and did not speak.
He held him until one of them whispered what both of them were thinking:
“Let’s go again.”