Chapter Text
“Hold still faker. I can see blood soaking your glove.”
There has always been a mutual fascination between them.
The sort of lasting curiosity they share about the other.
Perhaps brewing since the very beginning.
“Well… I will—”
They never made a move to quench these desires of theirs.
.
.
.
“If! You let me clean your chest after! It looks like you walked straight out of some cheap slash-horror-movie, you know?”
At least, until now… seeing as the moment just… presented itself.
And Sonic would be damned–! If he didn’t get something out of his embarrassing predicament.
Although the hero of Mobius believed he was being sly, Shadow knew better than anyone about his secret motive for the immature request.
“... If that’s what it’ll take to stop your squirming, then fine.”
Still, the Ebony-agent seemed to have given in, as if he was clueless– sighing he once again gestured for Sonic’s injured hand with a huff.
“Wait really-? I MEAN- That’s more like it!”
Not expecting to get this far, the tension in the air steadily grew thicker.
An occurrence that neither of the hedgehogs dared to bring up.
Hence… a heavy silence engulfs them.
Sharing a quick glance- the cobalt-hero hastily retreated upon seeing Shadow stare right ahead, focusing on his own wound to abide Shadow’s ‘demand’, a poor attempt of hiding his obvious fluster as his muzzle showed a soft red.
Tempting Shadow to reveal an amused smirk, but he refrained.
It might not be a big deal to the Ultimate-life-form due to his lack of understanding when it came to Mobius-culture but Sonic found himself fumbling with his glove. Lips pressed to a thin line as he tried to push down his anxiety– along with his battered glove.
“Hss…”
While the brief friction against his wound earned a pained hiss, Sonic was more bothered by the sight of his bare hand… A sight that is now something for Shadow to see.
A custom supposed to be reserved for a loved one or at the very least- family (or for dire situations like in the hospital which is technically the case buuuuut…).
“...”
If Tails had been home… ohh how he wouldn’t be in this situation. This is different from the times Sonic had to show his hands (or feet) to Tails for treatment, or to the doctors…
Right now, sitting across him who has yet to even grab his exposed hand, is SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG.
His… stupid… handsome… rival…
It didn’t exactly help that he also knew of Shadow’s stares… always drifting down to his gloved hands whenever he made just the slightest of gestures for the longest time… making him all the more self-conscious due to Shadow’s obvious fascination.
NOT very Sonic-like of him but he’d digress…
So forgive him, if he couldn’t find it in himself to look at Shadow’s reaction (whatever it may be). Sonic’s brows furrowed in anticipation, ignoring his slightly erratic heart. Leaning to the side of his stool with the sole purpose of staring at the medkit laid out on the table next to them instead.
Fortunately, “Well? Don’t cause my hand to fall off waiting like this.” he still had the will to bark a quick quip.
“Right. Injury.” Which thankfully snapped Shadow out of his daze at the reveal.
And well- who can blame him when he– an artificial being finally saw in person just the differences of their anatomy. Hands capable of incredible feats revealed just like so.
A burning curiosity that’s bothered him since he laid his eyes on his (admittedly) amazing rival.
“Do your… paw-pads hurt?” It still sounded ridiculous to him, referring to the squishy ‘beans’ attached to Sonic’s palm– a lighter pigment of his peachy fur appearing as soft cushions to his firm hand, the prominent pad on the center of his palm bleeding while there were tinier pads where fingerprints should be, fortunately unharmed.
Having none due to his alien biology, Shadow found himself briefly pressing a sensitive pad on one of Sonic’s fingers, entranced by the bouncy texture, eyes narrowing as he brought Sonic’s hand closer which is how he noticed that there would be the tiniest of nails poking out whenever he pressed.
Blatantly revealing his interest via sparkling eyes.
“...It’s bleeding isn’t it. Jeez Shadz, did you get hit harder than we thought?”
Quills raising at the foreign contact ( he’s not exactly all that touchy, even to Tails), Sonic mutters a reply to the question he found redundant, somehow managing to sound cocky.
Adamant on hiding the fact that he was close to screaming at a pillow, foot tapping on the ground.
While he did not exactly see the expression on Shadow’s face, he could visualize just how amused the ebony-hedgehog had to be from all the… squishing and probing.
And after Shadow seemingly made no attempts of doing what he promised with his bleeding wound and instead kept on… squeezing his hand that twitched at every touch– “Having fun pal?” Sonic questions Shadow’s treatment with a scoff.
Surprisingly, “More than I’d like to admit.” the Ultimate-lifeform blurted out an honest reply to what was supposed to be rhetorical.
“Wha…what?”
“What?”
Naturally, the development caused a breathless stutter. It’s saying something that Sonic actually found himself staring at his beloved rival rather than the med-kit moments ago, mouth agape.
However the cause of his fluster could only repeat the same question, realizing his blunder.
Now that the cat is out of the bag… “Did you expect me to say no?” Shadow decided to be transparent with a defeated sigh. Maybe indulging in a bit of teasing for the fun of it, even if it was also meant to mask his own embarrassment. Something that only showed itself thanks to the faint warmth from his own muzzle.
“Maybe. Didn’t think you’d be so captivated by my hand when you were very persistent about treating that tiny cut so–” Sonic didn’t go down without a fight, feigning a smug attitude. Alas, Shadow’s dealt with him long enough to know better. “It’s not tiny. I suppose your experience as a clumsy hero made you unable to discern the difference anymore.” At least he had the decency to play along their usual remarks, a means of distracting Sonic from the slight sting as his bare hand would be drenched in lukewarm water Shadow prepared beforehand, resting in between his legs; a small bucket where Sonic’s hand now stayed, tinges of red staining the once clear water, nearly matching the color of Shadow’s eyes. “Typical.”
The hero slouches forward, glancing up at Shadow with a small pout “Oh come on, if I knew any better I’d think Shadow the Hedgehog was worried about me.” he grumbled, lightly laughing at his own tiny joke.
Shadow might have not seen it as one, eyes slightly narrowing as his frown became more prominent, pausing in his movements to stare back at emerald eyes who blinked at the gesture. “...Is it really that odd for me to care about you?” He inquired, in a rather flat tone, “I can be gentle contrary to popular belief but if that’s not what you want from me then…” Leaning closer to flash a dark familiar look, he trails a gloved hand down Sonic’s wrist, pinching momentarily (not strong enough to hurt but enough to leave an impression), purposely drawing out a startled yelp out of the startled hedgehog who really had it coming.
“OK! OK! Point taken! Ease up…!” Squirming in his rival’s hold– Sonic stammered with a hearty laugh, scratching his pointy nose with the back of his free hand, back straighter than ever as he bit his smiling lower lip. “I thought so.” Such a ‘tame’ reaction isn’t enough to hide Sonic’s inner turmoil from the ebony-agent but Shadow did not probe and instead huffed in victory, a small smirk on his face as he continued on with his treatment.
Which happened to involve taking off his own gloves.
“W-WOAH THERE-”
“What now, hedgehog?”
“You’re– You– Your gloves?” Shadow wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly why Sonic was so uncharastically flustered. Still didn’t change the fact that it was such an amusing and entertaining scene to witness.
So the smug-bastard just scoffed, which could have been seen as mocking by people who didn’t know him all that well and fortunately- Sonic did, recognizing the just-as-infuriating ‘actually-attitude’.
“I don’t want to wear soaked gloves, calm down.” Faking indifference, Shadow raised his still covered hands, trying to ease the riled up hero before he proceeded. Consent and mutual trust was rather important at the moment, so he should have seen this coming.
“Sure but- Isn’t this- I mean… A hell with it…” Realizing just how his outburst might be… silly… in front of a totally ‘unfazed’ Shadow, Sonic lowered his head in defeat and sighed. Covering his red muzzle with his free hand, he buried his snout to the crook of his palm and murmured to no one in particular.
Shadow stayed quiet for a bit, soaking up the rare image of a defeated Sonic before he cleared his throat to once again push the hero’s buttons. “Didn’t think you could be so shy.” Shadow mused, expecting a fiery reply. “I’m not! This is just different.” And that he did, AKA Sonic refuting him with a stomp to his foot as he tried to explain the severity of the situation, all while trying to keep his image as the chill hero of Mobius with an ego big enough to fill the moon’s holes, whether he was succeeding or not– it’d be up to the judge, Shadow.
Leaning back with a hand raised to the air, Shadow tries to ease Sonic so he actually could help, trying to resist the urge of riling up the hero further. “Count it as an exchange then. You showed me yours so I’ll show you mine, simple.” Except it actually wasn’t but that’s a secret.
Sonic didn’t need to know that Shadow has craved to know more of the hero for a long… long… time. So naturally, he’d want Sonic to know more about him too… He isn’t letting this opportunity slip him by. Then of course, there’s the injury. (Although… it really wasn’t lethal.)
“...That’s… we’re not a cou– I mean… I guess… But we can just ignore my first request then, it doesn’t feel fair anymore if I also get to touch your chest fur.” Scratching his neck, Sonic once again gave in to Shadow’s logic, while also accidentally exposing the fact that he did make the request so he’d feel better about being exposed to his rival by satisfying one of his longest questions (Basically what does shadow’s chest fur feel like?). “Why? Just let me touch your chest if that’ll help you find it fair.” And oddly enough, Shadow didn’t point it out, instead pursuing his own ulterior motives he’s sure Sonic shared in a way that’d also satisfy Sonic’s woes.
“Woah. I didn’t know you could be so touchy.” Sonic whistled (for someone that was a flustered mess earlier, his ability to bounce back shamelessly is pretty admirable…), not exactly complaining as he flashed a cheeky grin (Rouge would be proud) , always amused and often eager whenever Shadow initiated these sorts of rare interactions. “If you want to say No then just say it–” But Shadow had to save his stoic and ‘dont-touch me’ image, doing so with a small scowl.
So just like Shadow expected him to do, “NO!” Sonic would correct him with a flail to his free hand. “I was just saying, Shadz.”
“It’s a yes then.” Shadow would state confidently, definitely overbearing. The sort of attitude that Sonic has gotten used to by now, simply earning a chuckle out of him.
“Whatever, just get on with it.”
Get on with it, Shadow did. Not taking any longer to remove the confines (leaving behind his inhibitors on, how? Sonic did not see) of his dark hands that were just a tad bigger than Sonic’s own.
“Gasp—!” Then naturally, there are also the major differences that’d cause such a drastic gasp from the (dramatic) hero. A reaction Shadow anticipated for with keen interest.
Briefly stretching his now bare hands, Sonic’s eyes glimmered in awe. “Your hands– They don’t have paw-pads? And are those claws…!? Hey your middle finger’s red–” Immediately, the hedgehog BLASTED his findings, speaking in a way that’d rival his own quick feet, free hand floating in the air- obviously hesitating to touch. Something that Shadow only rolled his eyes at as he looked over with delight, silently pleased by Sonic’s shared interest. (To be fair, Sonic did express it more vocally and visually.)
“Alien? Remember?” Shadow would remind, smirking.
In turn, Sonic nodded with a laugh. “Can’t exactly forget that Faker!” relieved that his shock and curiosity about the other’s anatomy overwhelmed the inevitable fluster he felt about their ordeal.
“But just- seeing it for myself… makes me wonder what else is different about you and me, hehe.” So placing his cheek on his palm as he watched Shadow’s hand dip into the bucket to clean his wound with the gentlest of rubs- he giggled his thoughts, completely distracted from the sting.
Mostly intrigued by how Shadow managed to keep his claws from grazing his skin, hard hands that lacked squishy ‘beans’ only softened by the short fur but welcoming against his paw-pads. The sight of their hands under water together nearly taking his breath away, head intruded by fantasies he doubted would be true.
But to at least know this caring side of Shadow is true, ahhh he should get injured more often (not)
“Hm~” Crossing his legs, he leaned closer with a gentle hum towards his current caretaker, eyeing Shadow in a cheeky fashion. “Maybe that’s why you’re so touchy with mine. First time seeing a normal mobian hedgehog’s hand Shadz?” He teased, filling in the silence and challenging Shadow’s focus.
Slightly exasperated, Shadow gave Sonic a questioning look. “Describing yourself as normal is just a bold lie.” He pointed out, slightly shaking his head. Otherwise, what sort of rival would Sonic be against him? The Ultimate-life-form?
“Awe~ What a compliment. Especially coming from a hedgehog literally out of this world.” Cooing at what Sonic knew was just a statement, Sonic played it off as something sweet. Grinning as he sneaked his fingers to intertwine with Shadow’s under water, feeling a little bit too bold now that he realized what he had just done.
Damn his body that moved faster than his mind–
BUT HE DUG HIS GRAVE, HE’S GOING ALL THE WAY!
Stared down by Shadow raising a brow, he leaned closer to fill the gap between them- foreheads touching. “Behave, hedgehog” He simply commanded- unable to mask his amusement about the situation, softly squeezing the hand under water (careful to not disturb the wound) which allowed him to feel the paw-pads in their full glory against his whole hand, enticing him in a way that caused his fluffy chest to tighten.
Sonic’s breath hitches against his throat, helpless to the hold of the other’s hand as their faces were so close together, certain that if he moved forward… the space between them would promptly vanish.
Shadow must know that too. He had to.
Piercing eyes seemed to glow, shades of red swirling within to convey emotions that Shadow’s expressions never could without. A look that clawed at Sonic’s heart, itching him to reach out and ask if it’s what he thought it was, affection… longing…
“Heh- Just for you Shadz.” While delayed, Sonic eventually replied with a soft sigh. Retreating from their foreheads touching and slipping past Shadow’s fingers to remind himself of the distance he had to keep. Looking away to keep his heart steady, causing him to miss the disappointed and saddened expression on Shadow's face that disappeared just as fast- assuming a neutral state as he curtly nodded at Sonic’s tone, resuming his treatment now that he was sure Sonic’s hand had been cleaned.
The rest of Shadow applying medicine and bandages was done in silence. While not exactly comfortable or something Sonic liked, the cobalt-hedgehog did not trust his mouth. Afraid of spouting a little too much again, sentiments that just felt right due to their undeniably intimate interaction.
And that’s exactly what bothered him, if they could be this intimate– Could they be more? Could he explore more of Shadow as a whole? Would the ebony-hedgehog ever allow him…? Should he try…?
Thoughts spiral to the point that he wasn’t even aware of his foot tapping on to the ground, filling the silence for him.
Compared to the moment leading up to the actual treatment, it didn’t take Shadow long for him to finish. So he coughed to catch the distracted hedgehog’s attention, succeeding with a small jolt from Sonic.
“Huh? Oh- Thanks Shadz! Tied me up pretty nicely.” Hiding the crisis Sonic had just moments ago with a casual attitude, he looked over at his bandaged hand (A bit relieved that his hand was a bit covered up, no longer feeling as exposed. Although he did miss the hand that held it so gently…). Admiring the work, he genuinely smiled knowing it was thanks to Shadow as he opened and closed his long fingers to check his hand’s condition.
Even if he doesn’t get to pursue Shadow, maybe moments like these would be enough to satisfy him.
Maybe.
“Naturally.” Replying with a shrug, Shadow overall sounded satisfied with Sonic’s praise. If it wasn’t obvious from his smug choice of words.
“Don’t act so cocky now, remember my request! No backing out, I gave you the chance and you ignored it, so c’mere Faker!” Standing from his stool with a swing to his long legs, Sonic then would tower over his rival with a sly grin- eyes narrowing as he does squeezing motions in the air to drive his point. Also possibly to appear threatening, trying to see if he could coax out an interesting reaction.
A vain attempt but still, Shadow had a good chuckle out of it. “Bold of you to assume I ever planned on escaping. Go ahead.” Leaning back to give Sonic more room to check, he puffed out his strong chest to reveal his natural fluff (as if Shadow wanted to show it off, done so in peacock fashion.).
Squealing from the granted permission that sounded like music to Sonic’s flickering ears, he did a quick spin around Shadow to contain his bursting excitement before he resumed his earlier position. “Don’t mind if I do!” He exclaimed a little too excitedly… definitely forgetting that he was just supposed to clean up Shadow’s blood soaked fur.
Priorities, right?
And oh god. Priorities.
Not even thinking twice, one gloved and the other bandaged– Sonic had slowly placed them on Shadow’s chest, knees buckling as he gasped at the UTTER SOFTNESS that encased his hands, gloved or not.
“Chaos… This can’t be real. Did the ARK attach how clouds would feel-like on your chest???” Sonic questioned in utter disbelief, sounding enamored, with his mouth forming an ‘o’ as he ran his hands down the white fur only hindered by dry blood. EVEN THAT WASN’T ENOUGH TO MAKE SHADOW’S FUR FEEL ROUGH OR SOMETHING!
“Who knows what they were thinking. Whatever the case, Maria– always said I was a great cuddle partner because of my chest.” A bit stiff from the contact, Shadow hid his rosy muzzle with his hand, informing Sonic a little bit of lore regarding his dreamy chest that even he could not deny. It’s a miracle that Shadow managed to keep his voice from trembling, almost slipping up how nervous he actually was, instead sounding proud instead.
Fortunately for the ‘Ultimate-life-form’, Sonic was soooo in love ( he is definitely… not feeling jealous about his own fluff…) with his fur (which he kept on caressing and feeling till his hands would press against Shadow’s sturdy chest) that he wouldn’t have noticed otherwise “Is that an invitation?” Uncontrollably giggling at what he assumed was something absurd and too far from reality to ever happen- he failed to catch Shadow’s quiet murmur. “It can be.” So soft and vague that Sonic could only register it as an incoherent hum, ear flickering momentarily. “Did you say something?” He asked with a tilt to his head, prying away from the fur to check on Shadow who reacted by looking away– only confusing Sonic more.
“I said, don’t forget about what you’re supposed to do.” Shadow grunted, closing his eyes to appear frustrated at Sonic’s ‘incompetence’.
Taking the bait, Sonic snapped back into focus and nodded with a small laugh. “Right-! I guess this is how you felt with my hand a while ago–” He muttered, smiling to himself as he began checking for any injuries.
Unlike when Shadow was treating him though, Sonic persisted with his chatter. “You can’t exactly blame me for this Shadz, my expectations were basically dirt compared to the real deal this entire time.” Mindlessly admitting that he’s definitely wondered the entire time about Shadow’s fur, Sonic just had a dopey grin– just surprised by how strong the ebony-agent’s chest as a whole even is to his hands apart from the main attraction. “I don’t think I’ll be able to live the same knowing that you basically have a cloud attached to your chest.” He admitted with a dramatic sigh, basically just praising Shadow to the moon. “You cursed me with this knowledge Shadz! Ahhh!” But as he kept on searching through the thick fluff, he eventually found himself kneeling to get a better angle– shortly groaning how weak he is to the fluff, covering his face with his hands for a bit to recover from his weak knees.
Even a theater kid would not be able to compete with Sonic’s dramatic flare.
While Shadow remained sitting, he looked down at the flustered hedgehog with obvious satisfaction, his tail unknowingly wagging the entire time Sonic had praised him. “You asked for this. Be grateful you can cease with your wrong theories.” Although he maintained a ‘cool’ attitude, treating it as not that big of a deal, he waited for Sonic to resume his search albeit feeling impatient from the lack of soft hands on his chest.
“Aughh… That’s true… My fluff (if you can even call it that) just can never compete when yours is legit heaven.” Revealing his flushed muzzle with a sigh at Shadow’s truth, he stood back up and dusted himself as if he had not just done something completely immature, typical Sonic stuff.
“I wasn’t aware that this is a competition.” Shadow hummed, a small smirk on his face as he looked up at Sonic who ignored his challenging gaze. Instead focusing on the fluff once more, separating fur to look for injuries.
“It’d be the only competition where I’ll admit defeat.” Sonic confessed with a lighthearted chuckle, cut short by his confusion about how he has yet to find the source of the blood despite his persistent search.
So in the end, he simply began cleaning the blood off first, using a damp clean cloth and water by his side. He’s had experience cleaning all sorts of stuff from Tail’s fur that was sort of like Shadow’s so he was pretty skilled.
“Hm. While I don’t doubt my complete victory, I should also have the chance to judge the absolute winner; my hands, on your chest, next.” Shadow declared, gesturing to his still-bare hands and pointing at Sonic’s peach chest- doing the same gesture Sonic did moments ago towards him, a payback you could call it.
Except Sonic did have an amusing reaction. Speechless for a moment before shaking his head, ignoring the fact that his muzzle was just as red as Knuckle’s fur. “Heesh, ( not even gonna ask me out to dinner?) blunt as always but alright– I’m almost done with cleaning you up anyway.” He managed to not break down into a stuttering mess, acting suave and unbothered.
Something that Shadow knew otherwise but he kept shut. “Whose blood is on your chest though? Since you have no injuries at all.” Sonic would inquire, a bit concerned now– knowing Shadow’s tendencies and all.
“That’s yours.” Hit with an answer like that, what else was Sonic supposed to do other than freeze. “Oh.” Eventually he resumed cleaning Shadow up as well as offering an apology for the inconvenience. “Sorry about that hehe... I’ll treat you to some chilidogs later.” Totally not just an excuse to spend a bit more time with the G.U.N agent.
“You won’t have to.” Though Sonic knew Shadow probably didn’t mean much, he still found himself a bit disappointed by Shadow’s reply.
“Your chest is enough.” Well… at least until that part. A surprise that nearly caused him to grip Shadow’s fur a bit too tight.
“Jeez you can’t exactly eat my chest can you? But alright.” Almost bursting into laughter thanks to Shadow’s determination (something he assumed was out of Shadow’s desire to make it fair between them), Sonic put down the now stained cloth he used to remove blood on the table beside them and sat back down at his stool- nearly tipping it over backwards but he managed to keep it up by tangling his legs with Shadow’s, a teasing smirk on his lips at the contact and Shadow’s disapproval for his carelessness.
Puffing up his bare chest, Sonic gestured to himself as though he were a meal– a casual smile on his face (if only he knew how much he was thinning Shadow’s patience here) “So here, It’s not much but it’s honest fur.” He joked, not really caring whether Shadow would understand. It was just his own means of staying calm, after all- this is the same hedgehog that was panicking over Shadow seeing his hand earlier.
“Then, allow me.” …Said hedgehog now allowed to touch and probably caress his chest.
What a disaster you are, Sonic.
Rustle
Sonic nearly shrank from the warmth that quickly spread from his chest to his entire body at Shadow’s faint touch– fur raising a tad bit at the goosebumps that hit him. He was at least grateful that he had choked down the squeak that threatened to spill.
Meanwhile Shadow retracted his bare hand like he had touched fire, taken aback not by the softness of the fur but from how he could easily come in contact with Sonic’s scarred flesh, truly underestimating how short Sonic’s fur actually is compared to his.
A losing battle against Shadow’s fur but CHAOS– did he find himself gulping from the sensation of bare hands against Sonic the hedgehog. The owner of his trembling heart.
“Is that all? Didn’t think you were so easily satisfied.” Quite cocky of Sonic to challenge Shadow even though he’s the one that’s about to explode. “If you insist then I’ll continue a bit longer. Not like Shadow was any different. Immediately making use of this taunt to shamelessly stand up to pin Sonic down the chair, a clawed hand placed firmly on Sonic’s thigh. “Only a fool would be content with that much.” Chaos. Sonic nearly melted right then and there, paired with Shadow’s words and his touch– Sonic nearly ‘deluded’ himself into thinking Shadow actually desired him, a thought he shook away with a chuckle as Shadow’s ticklish hand ran through his chest.
Sonic merely stared up at Shadow’s focused look, as if the ultimate-life-form was dissecting him ( who’s the alien now?). “Your fur is so short…” Shadow murmured, sounding soft as if he were whispering an important secret.
“Nothing I don’t know about. Tell me something new.” Alas, it’s a fact Sonic already knew so he whispered back a little challenge with a cheeky hum, not expecting actual results.
“About you or me?” But this is Shadow we’re talking about. A Shadow who is in an obviously good mood. The hedgehog even leaned close to Sonic’s ear, speaking lowly. Afraid of ruining the soft atmosphere they currently basked in as he cupped Sonic’s fit-chest as though it were dough.
Which Sonic certainly would have panicked about but thanks to Shadow’s implications with his question– he found himself more stunned than anything else. “Uh… You’d tell me more about yourself?” Trying to confirm whether he was hearing right, he tilted his head with a questioning gaze, ears flat on his head as Shadow continued to whisper his replies..
“...I don’t see why not.” Shadow explained, believing that while they were rivals– Sonic was basically one of the very few mobians he trusted ( Rouge high up on that listdid. He wanted to show Sonic how much he trusted the hero even if he didn’t say it out right.
Having long since believed that their relationship has progressed at least that much throughout the years they’ve known each other.
Unless, Sonic didn’t see it like that. “Do you?” Quietly and strangely meek from Shadow of all people, his question traced with worry that Sonic managed to catch on to.
Immediately, he’d try to ease them. The last thing he wanted was for Shadow to build a wall back up again. “No-! Just– unexpected. A welcome one, don’t worry.” So he reassured him– hands reaching out to cling to Shadow’s stronger arms. A silent plea as he looked up at him in the eye.
Shadow’s portrayal of the trust he has for him is enough to erase all of Sonic’s nervousness for the meantime, encouraging him to take this chance.
Containing his excitement, Shadow cleared his throat. “Then, where do you want me to start?” He asked, continuing with his adventure of fondling Sonic’s chest– purely because of how firm it was to his warm hands, vaguely tracing his claws in a circular pattern on a small scar which would consistently earn him Sonic’s subtlest shivers. Something that the cobalt-hedgehog didn’t even know, too distracted by Shadow’s soothing warmth. Perfect…
“Damn uh. I don’t know, we’ve known each other for so long but I barely know about what makes you so different from other hedgehogs, being an alien and all so… maybe some alien facts I don’t know about?” A bit distracted from the pleasing strokes to his chest, Sonic leaned forward to rest his face on Shadow’s chest fur, his sentences coming off a bit drawn out from the comfort.
Shadow didn’t really expect Sonic to be so curious about his alien anatomy but he can’t say that he’s complaining. For the longest time, he’s kept his biology to himself so he didn’t mind the change of pace, especially if it was with Sonic. “Hmph. It’s only fair for you to share something about yourself back to me then, body-wise.” Of course– He wanted to learn more about the other too so he insisted on this exchange.
“I planned to, I promise...” Something that Sonic apparently already thought of. Pleasing Shadow, immensely. Showed by basically massaging Sonic’s chest, touches that otherwise would be suggestive but it seemed like Sonic really needed the affection, judging from the faint rapid thumps Shadow could feel through his hands of the hero’s heart, only encouraging Shadow to touch more. Meanwhile the softest of purrs from Sonic would basically massage Shadow’s ears in return.
“Then let’s see…” Now with their agreement set, Shadow contemplated on where to start, looking down at a drowsy Sonic who he swore he could feel the hedgehog’s slobber gathering on his chest fur. The hero’s lucky Shadow was willing to let that slide. “I… have a particularly long toun–” But speaking of saliva, Shadow murmured what should have been the start of their ‘anatomy-fact’s-session’, alas– it had to be ruined by the sound of a clicking door.
“Sonic, I’m home–!” An announcement that reached both their ears caused them to separate from one another as though they had just scorched themselves.
BAM!
Flash
…Causing a bit of a ruckus involving a certain hedgehog falling into the ground and the other disappearing with a quiet ‘chaos control’ mutter, teleporting to who knows where.
Thankfully done fast enough, excluding Sonic who was still dazed enough to remain lying on the ground- a saliva trail down his muzzle. “Sonic? What are you doing?” The young fox who had entered the room thanks to the noises, asked with a raise to his blue eyes, a hand on his hip while the other held groceries.
“HI TAILS– ! Welcome home buddy! Just uhm, fell. That’s all–” Not even bothering to get up, he spread out his arms to greet his little brother with a smile. Heart pumping from nearly being caught in what probably could have caused some misunderstandings in his relationship with Shadow.
“Oh Chaos, what happened to your hand? Did you hurt yourself again?” Tails walked over, placing the groceries by the table as he helped Sonic up– pointing out the injury with obvious concern.
“From Egghead, yeah, but don’t worry! I’m all patched up!” Sonic explained with a grin, wiping his muzzle in an effort to revert it back to its peachy color rather than that of a rose.
Something that Tails would obviously not miss after getting a closer look “If you say so…” obviously suspicious, surprisingly he glanced away to mind his business, but of course that led to his observant eyes landing on another pair of gloves on the table.
“Huh? Whose gloves are these?” He inquired, picking them up before they were snatched from his hands by Sonic– the hero’s lips a thin line before he nervously laughed, hiding the gloves behind his back, acting innocent.
“MINE! Just some uhm, I was trying out a different brand, yeah.” He explained, ears drooping to the back of his head and a leg hidden behind the other, Tails narrowing his eyes at this bad habit of his brother.
Playing along for a bit longer, Tails crossed his arms and shot Sonic a raised eyeridge. “Oh… I thought it looked like Shadow’s for a second there.” He commented, feigning ignorance.
“HAHA– THAT’S SILLY.” Sonic forcefully laughed, looking away.
“...Yeah… you’re lying to me aren’t you.” Tails would state, not even questioning this possibility. He knew his brother all too well.
Still Sonic persisted, gulping. “...Maybe.” He murmured, neither a yes or a no.
.
.
.
“...I won’t ask.” Eventually, Tails assumed it wasn’t anything harmful and dropped his questions before it ended up as an interrogation, giving in with a sigh as he turned his back to bring the groceries he had bought to his workshop.
“Thanks!” Sonic shouted as Tails was out of the living room by now, leaving Sonic alone with the two gloves now held by his bandaged hand.
Proof of his dream-like interaction with a certain alien.
Burying his face on the gloves as a means of reliving the soft fur that was just all over his face earlier, he almost squealed at how childish he and Shadow had been– Behaving like a bunch of highschoolers sneaking around to ‘date’…
He released a heavy breath after he had finished registering all that had happened. Moving the gloves close to his still-tingling chest as he glanced out the window. A determined spark shining within his eyes and smile, planning on dragging that alien from whatever hiding spot he was in to continue what they started.
Some other day… Eventually…
Definitely.