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His heart had never beaten so loudly before.
Missiles and lasers being fired filled the air, leaving a disgusting whitenoise in his ears. Shadow held his sides and pressed them together; he had been hit earlier, and was bleeding a considerable amount.
Rubble fell close to them, making Sonic flinch soundless. He stared at the frail cover they had, a large piece of metal scrap just barely hiding them both, probably from one of Eggman's robots they destroyed.
His hands pressed, also, onto Shadow's hurt, trying to contain the blood and hopefully help in closing the wound.
Staring at Shadow's poorly hidden frown, he couldn't help his thoughts, wondering, doubting if they were going to outlive this. Of course, he was never one to go without a fight but the ebony's state filled his mind with an unconventional, bothering worry he couldn't let go.
Both the hedgehogs were completely covered in ashes and dust, smelling of something like motor oil and gasoline, and with quills totally disheveled.
The ground trembled with the noises of metallic pistons moving, it caused dissonance with the doctor's maniacal laughing fits.
Sonic had badly hurt his foot, but more than anything, he was worn out. And if it weren't for Shadow's healing factors, he would quite literally be dead — not only he bled for the past minutes but also got whacked on his back by falling debris from the decaying rooftop, a bit ago.
They're cornered, hiding, attempting their best to regain composure. Stubbornness was being their saving grace right now, as it always had been, but even that was starting to fail them.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped his own "Sonic..." Shadow distanced the other's hand, still keeping pressure on his very much open wound "I think... there's truly no escape this time." Sonic had never heard his voice so powerless like this, panic settled fresh on his ribcages.
His brain was yet to process just what his ears heard, the crimson on his gloves never felt so vivid and bright. For a second, he swore he could hear static.
Words unspoken reverberated in him, cutting through whatever it was Shadow was saying. Stress turned into overwhelming fear in a matter of miliseconds, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵? Desperation created a pit in his chest, so deep it almost knocks him down.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
"Even if I heal, I doubt we'll manage to get out of this─"
"Do you want to go on a date with me?"
For a moment, Sonic felt almost greatful about Eggman terrorizing as background, frantically searching for the hedgehogs, calling for them in a threatening manner. Shadow's wide eyed expression would've felt much more humiliating in complete silence.
"We're about to die─" He pointed the obvious, looking astonished.
"I KNOW! But I..." He could feel his muzzle getting warmer by the second "JUST─ Please, answer!" Sonic whisper-yelled.
Scarlet eyes stared at him, still, unresponsive "This is not the time for jokes, hedgehog!"
In the back of his mind, Sonic was yet to wonder what about this situation prompted him to suddenly be brave about his feelings. Because, needless to say, a thrashed place full of broken robot parts, pieces of blown up walls and blood staining his gloves didn't exactly compose a beautiful, romantic scenario ─ or maybe it does? Beauty is subjective at the end of the day.
"Amy─" The azure hedgehog choked in his words, he would hate to leave things unsaid "I was talking to Amy about how I felt towards you the other day, and she told me I should ask you out." He couldn't help the nervous laughter that escaped his lips "Turns out when I said 'I'll be dead before I do that!', life took it as a challenge!"
Shadow didn't answer immediately, refusing to believe the words leaving his rival's mouth. Slowly, Eggman's taunts faded to nothingness as he focused entirely on Sonic and the fuzzy sensation spreading on his chest.
"What are you saying?"
"I like you, Shadow." His stomach churned with anxiety, he'd regret every sentence that leaves his mouth next "It took me a long time to realize and come to terms with it, but it's been here since forever. Everytime we met, everytime we sparred, it served as a reassurance 'Yeah, you're definitely into him'".
At a certain point, the wound didn't even hurt anymore. He was filled to the brim with curiostiy, eager to hear everything Sonic had to say and possibly more.
"...Why me?" He hated that he felt the need to ask, he hated that he was ruining it, but this couldn't be true. It couldn't have been, right?
"I've been wondering that too, no offense." Shadow had never seen the hedgehog like this, sitting still, spilling out his heart so casually it was like this confession was of upmost importance.
It made him feel unique, in a way, to see such extroverted, overenergetic hedgehog reduced to this. Uniquely because of him. For him.
"I think... it's because you're just 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 than anyone around me." The other's stare made Sonic nervous, he looked expectant, actually paying attention "No one can keep up with me, challenge me, keep my competitive drive going. Not like you do. You're too honest, you're direct, cold, mysterious... It was frustrating at first, but after I managed to break through this facade you put up, I saw someone I've never seen before."
All the heavy pressure from such a heated fight changed; the grim air shifted into an unbelievably light one.
Shadow's vision bloomed with colors he'd never seen before, not in this gray hell of a place he was, not ever in his life. Sonic never looked so bright, even with all this dust and powder stuck onto his fur.
"You're caring, you feel intensely, and you're..." Sonic's mumbles became incomprehensible. He frowned, confused "You're pretty." That caught him off guard, finally getting a visible reaction out of him to calm the blue hedgehog's mind "You're very pretty, too."
Everything was worth it, the risk of dying, of being rejected, being laughed at. Everything was worth it when Shadow was left spechless.
"So, I— I'll ask again!" His breath hitched "Do you want to go on a date with me?"
"Yes," An immediate answer, it surprised Shadow more than it should've "yes, I do." Needless to say, Sonic was ecstatic.
Emerald irises met rubies, it felt magical. Their chests hopped in sync, overflowing in happiness they could almost not repress. Sonic felt like the luckiest person to (still) be alive, Shadow learned he liked the sensation of sugar high butterflies on the stomach.
The shitty lighting coming from outside the shattered walls did no favors, nor did the blood fixating onto his middle, but goddamn has Shadow never looked this attractive. And he thought the very same for Sonic as well.
Another explosion like sound interrupted his thought process, consequently breaking them out of their immersion. They were back at the dusty, messy chaos it was Eggman's base.
When the blue hedgehog went to look, scared they were found, it was Amy hammering down a wall, followed closely by Tails, Knuckles and Rouge.
"Don't worry, boys, we have your back!" The pink hedgehog yelled and proceeded to bash at a badnik wheeling at her direction.
Sonic never noticed the lack of distance between them, immediately backing away "Are you serious...?" How red his face must be felt embarrassing.
A grunt and the harsh sound of metal being smashed onto the floor "Well, we might just leave you two, then." The echidna sounded light hearted, despite the message.
"You wouldn't dare, Knux!" Such poor attempt to fake confidence was almost pitiful "Behind you!" Knuckles swiftly turned around and broke the robot down to atoms.
"Enough with the teasing, boys!" Rouge interrupted herself, kicking a badnik onto a wall with surprising strength "Sonic, Shadow, we have a fight to wrap up, if you don't mind?"
"Right! C'mon Shad—" But when Sonic turned to his ebony counterpart, he noticed how his muzzle was tinted with crimson and how he didn't even dare look at him in the eyes.
Just this mere sight brought everything back, all the cheesiness and his whole confession... He never expected this moment would actually happen, but since when anything in his life goes as planned?
He's sure his eyes opened wide and that even the tip of his ears flushed as well. In the end, he couldn't take the embarrassment deeply engraved in his bones "L-Let's just go!" Sonic simply stood up by himself and walked to the battlefield.
Shadow didn't. Not for a hot second, too entangled in whatever the hell had just . His blood still flowed and his heart pounded loud in his chest, now for a different reason. Sounds of rockets being fired took him back to how severe was the situation at hand. The wound closed enough for him to be able to fight.
Low and behold, Eggman fell and failed, going away with another threatening promise of a comeback, nothing scary for the teams.
In the end, they found out Sonic twisted his ankle, which was promptly taken care of. A makeshift splint from badnik scrap wrapped around with gauze Tails brought would have to work until they got back home.
Shadow's healing definitely saved some trouble, but the kitsune insisted in involving the wound in gauze with medicine, just to avoid infections. Both Amy and Rouge yelled at him when he tried to remove it — think a cat with those medical cones trying to scratch itself, or something — so much to his distaste, the gauze stays on.
Since they had walked out of the crumbling lair, the bat couldn't help but notice how unusually was Shadow acting. Quiet, careful, staring but straining himself. Nothing too out of the ordinary for the untrained eye, but she's been by his side far too long to know something's wrong.
Knuckles, Tails and Amy were taking the lead, walking and clearly discussing something she didn't care for at the moment. Both of them were left trailing behind.
"You scared me."
"I thought we wouldn't make it either." So blunt, it was like he didn't care what the outcome would have been, distracted.
There was clearly something "I can hear your thoughts from here, why are you so out of it?"
"Shadow." Before he could answer, someone else called. For the first time since they left, he looked determined, staring at the blue hedgehog behind them.
Sonic's posture also was strange to her, more closed off like he was insecure or nervous about something. Was that a blush in his face? The other hedgehog wasn't holding up any better, pinching onto the bandages, fidgeting.
Something definitely happened, and boy oh boy would she like to know.
"...Can we talk?"
"Mhm..."
Chaos, it was almost physically painful to watch them slowly waddle away, side by side.
Before anything, Rouge took a glance at Sonic's friends and upon realizing they weren't even aware both hedgehogs went away, she opened her wings and silently followed them.
Shadow hadn't realized before how blue was the sky, counting that moments prior he was two more minutes of bleeding from never seeing it again. A light breeze swayed his quills and shot a jolt to his very core, he's survived. He feels another's gloved hand tracing his own, like questioning and praying this wasn't an illusion, this is happening.
Their fingers dared to intertwine, but didn't, both hedgehogs still too caught up in the veracity of this scenario. It felt invasive to be there, and usually Rouge wouldn't care, but she decides to go anyway — blackmail is still blackmail, she could tease them all she wanted with what was already seen.
"You, uhm... Was it─ Did you mean what you said?..." But Shadow just laughs in response.
Sonic giggles through a confused grin "What?"
"I've just never seen you stuttering over anyone before..." Chaos, who gave this guy the right to have such an adorable smile?!
"Well, yeah! I've never liked anyone to the point I'd confess on the verge of death."
"I feel honored."
"You should be, heh!"
Something about Sonic's endearing words prompted Shadow to finally hold his hand, surprising the hedgehog. Time for him to speak his mind.
"I did mean it. I do want to go on a date with you."
He sucks in a breath audibly, 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵... "Do you really like me?..."
Shadow smiles, amused to a degree "Is it that hard to believe?"
"Yes?? Why would you like me? I thought I was just an annoyance to you."
"You used to be. Your laugh, your ego, your recklessness... Everything about you was irritating. you were the only one that could keep up with me and it annoyed me even more." Sonic's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he realized real life Shadow confessing his undying love for him was much better than any daydream he could've had "Suddenly you sped into my life without any warning, now not only we were rivals, you were actually growing into me. Your smile, your messy quills, your voice, your positivity... I still thought you were too much but I was drawn to you regardless, without knowing why." He looks into the greenest eyes with distress "Sonic, for Chaos's sake─ You stretched your hand out to me! You were willing to risk your own demise just to save me from a fall I had already committed!"
"You... remembered."
"How could I forget? I owe you my life for this."
"I couldn't save you though..."
"Because I pushed you away!" Before Sonic could even begin to feel upset, Shadow stepped closer and tried to ignore the warm feelings blooming in his chest "You tried in the first place, who in their right mind would've done that?"
His eyes sparkled like he's just about to board on the most dangerous adventure of his life, the green in his irises put nature's colors surrounding them to shame "Heh, I'm just that reckless I guess!"
Shadow's tired eyes never looked so vivid, with a soft touch to them, shining bright and red and hypnotic. Sonic could lose himself in them at any time.
He smiles, then Shadow smiles because he's smiling, Sonic keeps smiling because Shadow's smiling — and quite the rare sight this is. Aren't they just perfect together?
"Where are we going?" The ebony hedgehog asks all of the sudden.
"Huh?"
"You promised me a date, hedgehog, or were you lying?"
"Right! Right...─ Chaos, I can't believe this is happening, it still feels unreal..."
At this point, he could only feel flustered "Don't patronize me." It didn't sit right, to be this gleeful and embarrassed because of another person, but he didn't mind. Not when it's Sonic, not when he's being an idiot for going on a date with him.
"I didn't really see a place for us to go, how could I know we'd almost die today," This last part came off as a mumble "but I swear next time—"
"You're already booking a 'next time' and we haven't even gone on a 'first time' yet." Shadow smiles and Sonic feels like swooning all over again "You really are impatient."
"We should go eat chilidogs!" He consciously ignored the taunt (and how hot his face is), putting on a confident facade.
"I'd rather not."
"What if I try coffee beans? It's a fair trade, don't you think?"
"It would humor me to see you struggle to eat something so bitter..." The hedgehog seemed to put in some thought for a while "I'll eat this fast food monstrosity, then."
"You're... very interesting."
"Isn't that why you like me?" Shadow dared trace his index finger below the other's chin, realizing just how much he had him wrapped around his finger when his surprised expression looked lovesick anyway "Let's race."
"Y-Yeah! Let's!.." He learned, also, that he liked this effect he had on Sonic "I won't let you win just because you're a beauty, hope you know that." Then again, it came with the price of Sonic having the very same effect on him.
It was almost annoying, how his heart would beat so loudly he could barely hear his thoughts "... I'm not going easy on you because of a sprained ankle either. This was your idea after all."
"Alright! Race you!" Was the last thing he heard before realizing he's been left alone, and that there was a blue, blurred trail slowly dissipating into thin air.
With a sigh, he smiled to no one. Quickly, his rocket shoes activated and he skated towards the horizon.