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Shadow and Amy had become great friends in the last year or so. They frequently made plans together, and it was not uncommon to see them standing on a corner, silently speaking with one another at a social gathering.
Amy also frequently mentioned how wrong she had previously thought of Shadow, how she had misjudged him, how he was not an edgelord at all, and that he was actually rather lovely.
Sonic was obviously aware of Shadow's situation. The two had a strange thing going on; he wasn’t sure if the hybrid would like it if he labeled it a friendship, but their dynamic had clearly gone closer to that end of the spectrum.
So, yes, he knew Shadow could be a total darling, that they might be a little dorky, that they had graceful mannerisms, and that he secretly loved flowers. He was aware of all the small details that made Shadow genuinely remarkable, and he was delighted that someone else could appreciate them; he truly was! However, when he heard Amy talk so fondly of the hybrid to their friends, he couldn't help but feel as if something had been taken from him, no matter how strange it sounded.
He realized it was a silly feeling, and Amy and Shadow's bond didn't diminish their own. Sonic and Shadow remained buddies, for lack of a better description, even if the hybrid had other friends. He was simply being dumb and stupid. He should be happy for Shadow! They had a difficult time opening up to others, and the fact that they were now friends with Amy proved that he had opened up to her and gained her trust. That was good!
So, why was his attention drawn to the two of them as they talked and laughed quietly?
Sonic and his friends had just saved the city from Eggman and a particularly frightening army of robots, so their larger friend group decided to organize a party to celebrate (although, to be honest, they were just looking for an excuse to get together). Vanilla had volunteered her home, as she had a large backyard and, in her own words, enjoyed having everyone around.
So Sonic found himself in Vanilla's backyard, standing next to some of his friends, not paying any attention to the conversation as he couldn't keep his eyes away from Amy and Shadow, who sat closely together on the steps to the inside of the house.
Amy spoke the most, with Shadow only saying a few phrases that appeared to make her giggle. Sonic was aware that Shadow may be inadvertently funny at times (and also intentionally, but judging by the hybrid's face, this had been the former situation). She occasionally stood up and collected food or drinks for the two of them, with Shadow giving a little nod of appreciation.
Sonic knew Amy wouldn't spend the entire party sitting next to Shadow; she had other friends she wanted to talk to, yet she seemed to spend more time with him than anybody else! Or was it simply Sonic's mind playing tricks on him?
He attempted to return to the conversation Tails and Belle were having, but with him gone, they had apparently shifted the conversation to mechanics and other topics in which Sonic could not participate much, no matter how hard Belle and Tails tried to explain it to him. He soon found himself returning to the pair of hedgehogs lounging on the staircase.
And he saw something that made his chest ache.
Amy looked down and clasped her hands together shyly, an innocent grin on her face as she spoke. Her cheeks were flushed vibrant red, and if you looked closely, you could see her tail bouncing joyfully.
Did she ...? Did Amy like Shadow?
She told Sonic that she no longer liked him a while ago. They talked about it, and she apologized for making him uncomfortable. He said that was fine, and she was still his friend no matter what, so everything was well between them. Since then, their friendship has only grown stronger, and it was only a matter of time before Amy developed feelings for someone else.
But Shadow? Why them, of all people?
And, don't get him wrong, he completely understood what Amy saw in Shadow (for whatever reason he wasn't going to worry about right now), but why did it have to be Shadow?
It made a lot of sense, though... The way she spoke about him, their time together, and their shared interests...
And, if he thought about it, Shadow could like Amy as well. What about the concert tickets she received for her birthday? They knew about her favorite band and that she had never seen them live. They knew when the tickets would begin to be sold and was prepared at the computer to get them in time. And he had gone with her to the concert without complaint! Shadow didn't care about Hot Honey! (But after the concert, they revealed to Sonic that they liked some of the songs). He had done so much for Amy, so it wasn't unreasonable to expect him to like her back.
Yeah, he could see them liking each other. Sonic tried to be happy for them as Amy smiled and hugged Shadow on the side.
Sonic usually enjoyed finding Shadow after a party. They both always left early, frequently stumbled across each other, and ended up racing to an even more remote place, where it would be just the two of them, together and alone.
But now? All Sonic could think about was Amy putting her head on Shadow's shoulder, and him not shoving her off, like he would with anyone else.
"Hedgehog." Shadow said with a modest nod, a simple attempt to acknowledge the blue hedgehog's presence.
The memory of Team Dark arriving at the party and Amy quickly giving the hybrid a tight hug came to mind.
"Faker." Sonic smirked, disregarding his dumb thoughts and forcing himself to appear as casual as possible.
"I'm starting to believe you're actually following me after every gathering." Shadow raised his eyebrow.
"Hah! You wish, Shads! You can't go a day without seeing me, I get it." The hero teased as he approached the other, hands behind his back.
The hybrid rolled their eyes. "In your own words, you wish." They gave a smug smile.
Sonic forgot about his silly thoughts about Amy for a while, focusing solely on Shadow and his ridiculously wonderful smile.
"Do you want to race?" Sonic asked. "Y'know, to see who's right." He shrugged and wiggled his brows up and down.
Shadow took a few steps back, and Sonic missed the proximity.
"You just want an excuse to eat dust." They explained as they casually adjusted the inhibitor rings around their wrists. "A pleasure to help with that." And right after saying that, he fired up his air shoes. and skated off, leaving Sonic behind for just a second.
The blue hedgehog laughed as he approached the hybrid.
There was nothing he enjoyed more than racing Shadow. Running alone? Already great. Running next to the Ultimate Lifeform, making it a competition? Even better. He could always forget about everything else that was bothering him and concentrate solely on the race, knowing that it did the same for Shadow. He could feel the wind against his face and knew that someone was constantly pushing him forward.
There was nothing like it.
However, the euphoria after the race came close to surpassing the exhilaration of the race itself.
Sonic laughed and let himself fall back into the dense grass. Where were they? It appears they were outside of the city. Nice.
The blue hedgehog gazed up at the night sky from his place, while the other stood next to him, arms folded, staring peacefully at the stars.
Sonic's gaze quickly shifted towards Shadow. He looked so wonderful. Black quills against a black sky, with red highlights that flare off and make a dramatic contrast against the darkness of the night, framing the hybrid's silhouette nicely. Oh, and the peaceful expression on their face? excellent, such an uncommon sight, yet excellent.
Shadow hummed, distracting Sonic from his own thoughts.
"Amy said there would be a full moon today." They said. "I hadn't been paying attention to the calendar, but she was right."
… Welp.
That certainly brought Sonic's stupid thoughts back quickly.
"Huh, yeah…" He whispered, his gaze slowly returning to the sky.
Shadow looked over his shoulder. "You're quiet." He pointed out. He didn't ask about it, but Sonic understood that was Shadow's way of showing concern.
"Yeah, sorry, I'm tired." That was merely a half-lie. He was worn out, but that never stopped him from talking to Shadow.
The hybrid hummed, taking a step back and twisting his entire body to face the other hedgehog, arms down by his sides.
"Take rest, then." They said with a quick nod. "Maybe that way you'll put up a good competition." They then said, and Sonic chuckled before Shadow left.
Sonic moaned and rubbed his face with both hands.
Nope. He was probably just tired. He simply needed to sleep and the thoughts would be gone.
Spoiler alert: They weren't.
He noticed when he was around his best friends, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy.
The pink hedgehog was showing her friends the scarf she had knit, placing it over her neck and displaying the many pink wools she had used.
"That is so cool, Amy! Since when do you know how to knit?" Tails replied, inspecting the scarf intently and nodding his head.
"Oh! I've only been practicing for a few months, and it's something Shadow and I picked up together!" She said with a big smile on her face.
And there it was.
That awful feeling spread from his chest to every single part of his head.
Knuckles moaned in confusion. "Shadow? Since when have they been interested in knitting? It doesn't seem like his style at all."
Wrong, it was, and Sonic knew it.
Amy giggled. She seemed to know as well.
"Well, he told me they wanted to pick up a new hobbie, something they could do with their hands, so I suggested knitting!" She explained, removing the scarf to show it off. "I've been wanting to learn how to knit for a while, so it's been nice learning with someone else!" She then smiled broadly.
"Yeah, that sounds cool." Sonic spoke with a strained smile.
He could slap himself.
His friends then shifted on to a different topic, but Sonic couldn't. He attempted to participate in the conversation, but every time he opened his mouth, he realized how stupid he sounded. And he knew the others noticed, too, since whenever he said something off, they would swiftly look at each other and then pretend as if nothing had happened.
"I don't know, I just think that no matter how much time they could've given this game, the story is already bad." Tails commented as he shrugged. "It’s beyond salvation. If they intended to develop a better game, they should have just restarted, right, Sonic?" He gently elbowed his older brother.
"Huh? Ah, yeah, it's kind of mid." Sonic shrugged, without bothering to turn and look at his friends. From the corner of his eye, he could see Tails turning to face Knuckles and the echidna shrugging.
"I mostly enjoy it for its aesthetics. It's very pretty at times." Amy then continued as if the short exchange had never occurred.
So, yes, everyone noticed how bizarre he was acting.
However, no one brought it up. Or not until Amy and Knuckles had left. He should have expected Tails to not let it go that easily.
"You're weird today." The kid spoke after a few minutes of silence while the two brothers cleaned up the mess they had made.
"Am I? How?" Sonic asked hastily, feigning ignorance.
Tails’ eyes squinted suspiciously. "You seem spaced out."
The blue hedgehog reached up to scratch at the back of his neck. "Huh, I guess I am." He spoke as his foot tapped against the floor.
"Are you okay?" The child inquired as he approached his older sibling, who responded with a big smile. The young mobian frowned.
"Yeah! Never better." Sonic replied as he offered a thumbs up, but his hand swiftly returned to his side when he observed Tails' incredulous expression. "I don't know, maybe I just need to stretch my legs a bit." He shrugged.
"Are you sure?"
"Yep, running always solves all my problems." The blue hedgehog was now heading up to the door, attempting to escape the conversation.
"It really doesn't." Tails shook his head.
"Well, I like it. So I’m going for a run. See ya!" And he ran away.
Initially, he planned to just run around, but as he got lost in his thoughts, his feet began to work on autopilot, and as his consciousness returned to reality, he realized he had automatically run to Team Dark's shared apartment.
He wasn’t... Completely opposed to that. He made his decision as he climbed the stairs and arrived at the correct floor.
Shadow's presence would undoubtedly distract him... He understood how ridiculous he sounded, but once his hand went up to knock on the door, there was nothing he could do about it.
He held his breath until Rouge opened the door.
The bat hummed as she examined the hedgehog from head to toe. She then grinned and placed a hand on her hip. "Heeey, Blue." She said, tilting her head to the side. "Here to see the ultimate lifeform, I presume." She then raised her eyebrow.
Sonic blushed. "Ah- Yeah, is he home?"
Rouge chuckled before turning to face the interior of the flat. "Shadow! Blue’s here looking for you!"
After a split second, Shadow was at the door. They were wearing a sage green knitted sweater with the sleeves pulled over their hands, but as he noticed Sonic, he swiftly pushed the sleeves up his arms.
"Hey." The blue hedgehog said with a slight smile on his face.
"Hi." The other offered a slight nod.
Rouge giggled. "Well, I'd better leave you two. Have fun." She replied as she returned inside the house, and the hybrid immediately closed the door behind him.
"I like your sweater." Sonic pointed out after a little pause.
Shadow blushed a shade of green that complemented the wool nicely.
"Did you make it yourself?" The blue hedgehog then inquired.
The hybrid appeared taken by surprise. Something difficult to accomplish with the ultimate lifeform. "How did you know?" They asked.
"Amy told us you guys have been knitting together." Sonic shrugged, attempting to ignore the unpleasant sensation creeping up in his chest. "You're pretty good at it."
Shadow hummed. "Thank you." They crossed their arms and briefly glanced down at their feet before returning their gaze to the other hedgehog. "Did you need something?"
"Uhm- Nah, I was just, ah-" Why did Sonic suddenly become nervous?! He cleared his throat, attempting to control his shaking voice. "I was wondering if you'd want to race! Maybe we could hang out later?"
Shadow’s face resembled a pained expression.
The hybrid shook his head. "I'm busy today. Amy will come over later."
Ah, that terrible feeling again. Sonic's heart felt tight in his chest, and his smile became difficult to maintain.
"But- I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you joined us." Shadow then provided.
However, the blue hedgehog didn't like the idea of third wheeling. Just sitting there while Shadow and Amy exchanged whispers and smiles? While they exchanged adoring looks? No. No, no, no. Sonic couldn't do it. He didn't even like to think about it.
"Ah- No, it's all fine! We can hang out another time." The hero pushed himself to speak. "You two have fun." His voice became significantly quieter.
"Okay." Shadow spoke quietly. "I'll see you, then."
"Yeah! See you." Sonic sighed before walking away, and when the hybrid entered the apartment, he raced away.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
How could he allow himself to be overtaken by such an unpleasant feeling?! He was an idiot! It was a good thing Shadow and Amy were friends!
What if they were dating? Would that be okay too? For them, sure, but what about Sonic? He wasn't able to handle it.
He ran around for a few minutes, his mind filled with visions of Amy and Shadow together, which made him increasingly frustrated. He ultimately hurried back home, straight to his room, passing Tails and locking the door behind him.
Sonic dropped himself face down on his pillow and screamed, believing it was the only way to escape the terrible emotion that was choking him.
After a few seconds, Tails knocked on the door. It wasn't locked, so when he didn't get a response, he just strolled in. The blue hedgehog felt the kid sit on the edge of the bed.
"Running didn't help?" The fox asked quietly. Sonic groaned aloud. Tails sighed. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you now?"
The blue hedgehog sighed and slowly turned to lie on his side, eyes lost in the distance.
"I… I think Amy and Shadow are dating." He said after a few seconds of silence.
Tails hummed. "They have been spending a lot of time together lately…" He grumbled to himself. "Why does that bother you?"
"I don't know! I just don't like it! And I should be happy for them, but I'm not." The older mobian sat up and complained, his arms moving around with his words, his hands eventually clutching both sides of his head and pulling on his quills. "Am I a bad friend?"
The kid shook his head. "I don't think you are." He said. "You're just jealous."
Jealous?
"... What?" He asked quietly, the grip on his head loosening. "Why would I be jealous?"
Tails squinted his eyes, but when all he got back was a clueless look, he sighed. 'You clearly like Shadow."
"What? No I don't-"
"Sonic." The kid interrupted. "Just think about it, okay?"
The blue hedgehog groaned as he did as told.
Well, Shadow was really pretty, for starters, but that was undeniable! It didn't mean he liked them! They had crimson eyes that sparkled in the sky, pristine black quills, a perfectly shaped face that turned green when flustered, soft chest fur that caressed their chin and framed their face in an incredibly charming way, and a voice as smooth as butter and as deep as outer space... But anyone could agree on that! Shadow was objectively physically stunning, and Sonic saw it as anybody else would.
They just happened to have an excellent personality that complemented their stunning looks wonderfully. On the outside, Shadow appeared cold, distant, and unyielding. But on the inside, he was so gentle, compassionate, and tender. He was a lot of fun to be around, never backing down from a challenge and always willing to give Sonic his full energy back. He had a unique sense of humor and care, which made him stand out from others.
"Oh, shit, I do like Shadow…" Sonic muttered in realization. He then looked up at his brother with wide eyes, his face glowing red. "I actually like them so much."
Tails chuckled. "Congratulations, you're the last one to know." He remarked teasingly.
The blue hedgehog grumbled aloud, humiliated. "Tails, I like Shadow and I'm jealous of Amy! This isn't okay!"
"Well, if it helps you, I don't think Amy and Shadow are dating."
"Why not?"
The kid shrugged. "I'm pretty sure Amy knows you like them, and she wouldn't just go and date the guy you have a crush on."
Tails was correct about that. Amy was definitely not like that.
"But… But what if Shadow likes her?" Sonic inquired, glancing down at his hands, ears pressed against his skull.
"I guess you'll have to go talk to them and find out." Tails suggested.
It came down to that or simply crying over it, right.
"He's with Amy right now." Sonic shook his head.
"You don't have to do it now, just do it when you're ready." The child stated as he waved his hand casually.
"Huh, yeah…" Sonic sighed. "Thanks for the talk, bud."
"Don't sweat it." Tails smiled. "You're pretty annoying when you're emotionally constipated." He teased.
"Hey, don't try pushing it." The older brother smiled back. "I can ground you, you know."
"You don't have that power over me!" The child exclaimed humorously as he dashed out of the room.
"You know I do, young man!"
The conversation with Tails was quite helpful. However, his head was still filled with nasty ideas. After a few hours, he was even more sure of his crush on the hybrid, which felt like a much-needed slap in the face. If he truly thought about it, he realized he had felt the same way about Shadow for a long time, but everything between them was different! It wasn't his fault he didn't realize that he felt weird around the hybrid. But now he imagined touching Shadow's hand, staring into his face, and going near to his lips. Yeah, there was no doubt, he was definitely into Shadow.
And the thought of them liking someone else really hurt. Sonic couldn't sleep because he was too preoccupied with the thoughts that were racing through his mind. So after midnight, he went outside and tried to forget about it for a moment. He discreetly got out of the home, and once outside, he took off, sprinting at the right pace for his feet to move automatically.
In fact, running was quite helpful.
He ended up at a viewing point where he could see the beach and the water. Even though Sonic didn't particularly enjoy water, he could admire the view. The quiet ocean, the moon mirrored in the water, the few clouds in the sky, but most importantly, the stunning dark hedgehog standing at the edge, arms crossed and back facing Sonic.
It appeared that he and Shadow had the same plan.
The blue hedgehog tried to get away quietly, but the hybrid seemed to have noticed his presence, as he turned around and gave Sonic a little nod.
"Hedgehog." They said their silky voice breaking the rhythm of the ocean waves crashing on the sand.
"Hey, Shads." The other spoke uncomfortably, attempting to smile despite the gloom. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"I could say the same to you." The hybrid now approached the blue hedgehog, causing his breath to catch in his chest. "What are you doing up at these hours?"
"Couldn't sleep." He shrugged. "What about you?"
"I… Needed some time to think." Shadow's eyes shifted to the side, interrupting the hedgehogs' intense eye contact.
"Oh." Sonic chuckled anxiously. "Am I interrupting? Should I leave?"
"No." The hybrid replied instantly. Sonic didn't notice their hand coming up, not touching him, but reaching out to do so before dropping back down. "I wanted to see you, anyways." They whispered quietly.
The blue hedgehog flushed. "Really? Why?"
"You left so quickly earlier…"
"And you missed me too much." Sonic teased.
Shadow gave him a glare. "It's unusual for you, hedgehog. You can't blame me for being curious."
The hero gave a dry laugh before sighing.
"I just- I don't know, I didn't want to bother you guys." He shrugged.
"You wouldn't have bothered us."
Sonic drew his lips together in a narrow line as he examined the other's features.
Tails did say to ask them when he was ready, but in his defense, he didn't believe he would ever be truly prepared, so he might as well do it now.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Only if it isn't stupid."
Sonic smiled, embarrassed. "It kind of is."
Shadow rolled their eyes, teasingly. "I shouldn't have expected anything else coming from you." He was just joking. "Go ahead."
The blue hedgehog took a long breath before speaking.
"Are you and Amy dating?"
The hybrid's face scrunched up with confusion.
"Amy and I…?" He mused softly. "Why would you think that?"
Sonic was so embarrassed that he was genuinely hopeful at that moment. "I don't know, you guys seem really close, and you spend a lot of time together, and do a lot of things together…"
Shadow hummed. "Hm, no, Amy and I are just friends."
"But- I saw her blushing when you guys were talking, at Vanilla's house…"
The hybrid's face brightened up with realization.
"Ah, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you about this, but if it'll ease your worries…" They spoke quietly before clearing their throat. "Amy was telling me about her crush on the princess."
Sonic's ears perked up, and his eyes widened. "The princess...? Wait, you mean Blaze?” Shadow nodded his head. "Huh… That makes sense."
"Were you... Worried about Amy and I dating?” The hybrid tilted their head to the side, wondering.
The blue hedgehog blushed intensely. "Uuh… Is it weird if I say yes?"
"Depends on your reasoning."
"So, I-Uhm. I may or may not like you, romantically." Sonic closed his eyes and waited for a reaction, but after a few seconds, it never came.
"Ah, I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable; in fact, we can forget I said anything! Actually, forget about what? Haha! Nothing happened here-!"
"Sonic." Shadow called his name firmly, causing him to drop his words and stare at them with wide eyes and red cheeks. "If it helps, you don't need to be worried about my interest in Amy. She's… Not my type."
And Sonic, who considered himself acquainted in Shadow language, was able to recognize where the other was heading with it. His heart skipped a beat as his chest filled with hope.
"Oh, yeah? So, what's your type?”
The hybrid rolled his eyes, but his little smirk revealed his decision to humor the other hedgehog.
"I'm kind of into runners." Sonic smiled widely upon hearing that. "I also like blue, incredibly messy spikes…"
"Hm, I think I'll need a little bit more of a description, Shads, y'know, to get the image clear." The blue hedgehog said gently leaning forward and closer to the other.
He could have squeaked when Shadow leaned in.
"Well, I might be into extremely talkative guys. And a bit obnoxious too."
Sonic chuckled. "You have weird tastes, Shads."
The hybrid rolled their eyes. "Trust me, I'm aware."
"Lucky for you, I think I might know a guy that fits into that description perfectly." As he leaned in closer, the hero's smile shifted to a smirk. "I'll just need your help to refresh my memory."
"I happen to know how to help." Shadow replied, looking at the world-famous hero through half-lidded eyes.
Sonic's heart was in his throat as he approached the hybrid, who, in turn, leaned closer. The blue hedgehog closed his eyes and waited for whatever he hoped for. He felt Shadow's warm breath on his face and braced himself for what was about to happen.
Subverting expectations, the hybrid smacked Sonic on the forehead before teleporting away.
"Ouch!" Sonic complained as he rubbed his face. He could hear Shadow laughing from behind him. He was unable to suppress his laughter as well. "Hey!" He exclaimed, turning around to face the other. "You can't just do that to me!”
"Oh, I think I can." They placed a hand on their hip, slightly cocked to the side. "Because I just did, hedgehog."
"Well, two can play that game!" Sonic grumbled as he sprinted towards the other, nearly catching him before they teleported away again. "Come back here!"
Of course their love declaration transformed into a sparring session.
Amy couldn't stop laughing once they told her about it. Sonic wondered how he had ever imagined she and Shadow were together, especially given how the hybrid would secretly squeeze his hand from time to time.