Work Text:
Tonight was forecasted to be cold. Colder than the other days that had led up to now. It was even rumored it would snow very, very early in the morning. Not the first snow of the season, but the first snow during the prime pre-Christmas season. The evening streets were filled with people rushing to the nearest stores to buy last minute gifts. There were couples holding hands walking towards Central Park. This was what New York was known for, and that’s why there were so many more people than normal.
This was what Shadow’s first Christmas looked like. Shadow didn’t know what Christmas was until about a month prior. Sonic and Tails realized that it would be smart to inform Shadow of upcoming holidays, rather than letting him figure them out on his own. Definitely after the events of Halloween. Tails took Shadow into his apartment: “There’s something I need to tell you about. I’m glad you could make it,” Tails says, leading Shadow towards his TV. “What are you showing me? It better not have any more ghouls or monsters: you can only have so many of those ask you for candy before it becomes aggravating,” Shadow responds while rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that. This is something much more pleasing. And in my opinion, one of the best times of the year,” Tails sits Shadow down on his couch. He puts a DVD into his player and switches it on.
The film he put on was a compilation of different classic Christmas songs all put to a background video that fit. He sat down next to the TV and explained each song to Shadow. “This one’s about the winter season coming in; it’s definitely one of my favorites,” he said to “Winter Wonderland.” “This one’s about this guy who comes down chimneys to deliver presents: his name’s Santa. He rides on a sleigh that’s pulled by flying reindeer!” Tails said about “Up on the Housetop.” “I’m interested in this “Santa” character. How often does he do this?” Shadow asks. “He does it on Christmas Eve, December 24th. You’re supposed to send him a list of what you want for Christmas so his elves can make it,” Tails answers. “He has elves? Where does this Santa live?” Shadow says. He is much more intrigued about the holiday now. “He’s up in the North Pole, which is quite far from here,” Tails responds. “I'm excited to meet this Santa. I’ll be sending him my list pretty soon.”
Now, it was closer to Christmas, and Shadow had started to become annoyed with the same songs playing over and over. Tails never told him that he would have to sit through “All I want for Christmas is You” being played over four times in every single store or restaurant he visited. This holiday seemed to last longer than Halloween, and was even less bearable than seeing all of the inflatable skeletons pop up everywhere.
Shadow walked up the stairs to his apartment as he heard “The First Noel” begin to fade into the background. He unlocked his door and crashed onto his sofa. For the past week, he had been doing the same things over and over. Going to get coffee beans, going to the store, going to Battery Park, and then sleeping on his sofa while watching TV. He hadn’t seen Sonic or his friends in what felt like forever. He was starting to miss them more than he thought he would.
It was a Friday night. It was chilly, and it was supposed to get even chillier. Shadow was ready for the cold, but he wanted something with him, or in this case, someone.
He pulls out his phone and pulls up Sonic’s contact. He had never called Sonic, but this was the first night where he really wanted to. He stared at the little contact photo of a large “S.” He took a deep breath and pressed the “Call” button. Shadow placed the phone next to his ear as it rang. “Hey Shads, you okay?” Sonic says from the other line. Shadow is surprised that Sonic even answered; he had forgotten what he was even going to say: “Yes, Sonic. Everything is fine. I just wanted to ask if you needed anything for tonight; I heard it was going to be very cold,” Shadow came up with a quick excuse. He could never tell Sonic that he missed him. “Aww, you do care about me,” Sonic says, attempting to annoy Shadow, “I’m okay, Shadow. If I need anything, I’ll let you know,” Sonic answers. “Okay,” Shadow says rather defeatedly. “Everything okay over there?” Sonic responds. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” Shadow responds quickly. Putting it off as if nothing was happening. “Shadow, I’m alone walking down 5th. You can tell me anything you need to. Plus, if you’re wanting me to, I’m no longer busy with all of this Christmas junk, so I can come to your place and we can talk,” Sonic offered. Shadow smiled brightly: “That would be perfect, Sonic. I’m ready for you whenever,” he says. “Perfect, I’m on my way right now.”
Shadow does some last minute cleaning before he hears a knock on the door. He collects himself in front of the mirror before walking towards it. He’s never been this nervous to see Sonic before, but at the same time he couldn’t wait to see him again. His heart was racing as he undid the lock and turned the doorknob: “Hey Shads, missed me?” Sonic says teasingly. Shadow rolls his eyes: “Sure, whatever helps you sleep, hedgehog,” Shadows plays it off. He missed Sonic more than he could ever admit. Shadow steps aside to let Sonic in. Sonic places his coat on the rack and walks straight to Shadow’s kitchen. “What do you have in your fridge?” Sonic rummages through all of Shadow’s cabinets and jars, something that he’s always done. Every other time Sonic has done this, Shadow has gotten annoyed and pushes him out of the kitchen, but this time, Shadow loved watching him. Sonic looked so adorable mumbling to himself and being extra picky. Shadow didn’t catch himself smiling at this until Sonic called him out: “What’s got you smiling, Shads? I haven’t seen you smile like that in a while,” Sonic giggles. Shadow immediately returns his face to normal: “Nothing, I was just thinking about what to cook tomorrow for breakfast. Preferably something warm.” “Ooookay,” Sonic laughs and turns back to looking for more food. Shadow buries his face in his hands out of embarrassment.
“So, what’s going on?” Sonic asks. The two of them are sitting on Shadow’s couch. Shadow had forgotten that Sonic came over for a reason and not just to hang out, though he wishes that it was the other way around. “Sonic, if I’m being honest, I’m starting to feel a lot better. I don’t think we have to talk about it anymore,” Shadow tried to change the subject. “Are you sure? I just want to make sure you really are feeling better and not just putting it off. Shadow, if it helps, you don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything. I’m always going to be here to listen. I won’t judge you at all,” Sonic said. He placed his hand on Shadow’s shoulder. This very small gesture sent a surge throughout Shadow’s body. The feeling of Sonic’s hands was something that he didn’t feel often; Sonic never knew how Shadow felt about touch, but Shadow never minded Sonic’s touch, in fact he enjoyed it most of the time. He could never reveal to Sonic his true feelings.
“Shadow, you okay?” Shadow’s body had sunk. His eyes closed and he became relaxed. He had lost himself in focusing on Sonic’s touch; he had lost himself in thinking about Sonic. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry,” Shadow responded, sitting up. Sonic moved his hand away thinking he had bothered him. Shadow didn’t know what was going on with himself. He didn’t know why he was acting so weird around Sonic, and why he kept thinking about Sonic putting his hands on him. Didn’t he just miss him? Maybe this is what happens when you miss someone too much. “Remember, if you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask,” Sonic says. He slowly shifts closer to Shadow.
The two hedgehogs didn’t speak to each other for a while. Sonic glanced at Shadow occasionally, but Shadow sat with his head down. He wished that he was able to tell Sonic his feelings without messing anything up. He wished he could tell Sonic how cute he looks, or how he finds his teasing attractive. He wished he could tell Sonic how he felt without having to use any words at all. After a while he couldn’t bear to think about what could be, and all he could do was turn to look at Sonic. He was met with Sonic’s green eyes: the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.
Shadow doesn’t remember how long they looked at each other. It could’ve been for a few seconds, or even a few minutes. The only thing Shadow knows is that he didn’t want to look away, and he really hoped that Sonic felt the same.
Eventually, Sonic turned his gaze to the floor: “It’s getting a bit late, I think I should head back to Tails’s,” he says with his blushing red cheeks. “Oh, if you wanted, you could stay here,” Shadow blurts without thinking. At this point, he would do anything to keep Sonic to stay, Shadow couldn’t be left alone with his thoughts after a moment like that. “Are You sure, Shadow? I don’t want to bother you,” Sonic says while standing up. “I’m sure. My couch is a pullout. You can sleep here, and we can go get breakfast across the street next morning,” Shadow stands up next to him. He confidently lays out the plan and hopes that Sonic accepts. “Are you sure it’s okay with you Shadow? I don’t even have my stuff for nighttime. “I’m sure it’s okay, Sonic. You’re always welcome here. I have an extra toothbrush, mouthwash, and other things that you may need,” Shadow smiles at Sonic. Sonic smiles back, surprisingly not in a teasing way.
“Alright. So, what are we going to do in the meantime, Shads?” Sonic’s demeanor quickly shifts from soft back to his normal, cocky self. He slumps back on the sofa, stretches his feet onto Shadow’s coffee table, and places his arms behind his head. He looks up at Shadow with a sly smile. Shadow doesn’t know whether to respond with his normal annoyance, or to reveal his fondness towards Sonic’s seemingly roguish character. Shadow chuckles and responds neutrally: “We can watch something for a little until we get tired, we can bake something, or we just sleep now,” Shadow suggests. “I don’t really care. I’m down for anything, as long as you’re here,” Sonic says as his eyes begin to close. “Maybe we should go to bed,” Shadow suggests as he shuts off the kitchen lights. “Nooo, I want to stay up and…do stuff. I’ve never been able to have a sleepover with you before,” Sonic began to doze off. “If you’re thinking like that, then it’s definitely time for us to go to bed,” Shadow responds. He walks over to Sonic on the couch: “Here, get up so I can set up your bed,” Shadow says while tapping Sonic’s shoulder. “I don't wanna get up. Just give me a blanket,” Sonic says while turning over to lay his full body onto the sofa. Shadow smiled as he watched. He went to the cabinet by his room to retrieve a blanket. He places it over Sonic and, impulsively, pets Sonic’s quills to soothe him. Shadow walks over to his room to go to bed, overjoyed that he’ll wake up to see Sonic the next morning.
Shadow wakes up to the sun peeking through his window shades. He gets up and collects himself before going out in the living room to see Sonic. Sonic had gotten up from the couch and was sitting at Shadow’s dinner table. “Good morning, Shads. Did you look outside?” Sonic says while giggling. Shadow sighs and then pulls back the curtains on the windows next to his couch. The whole cityscape outside was covered in white. There was even still snow falling from the sky. “Wow, I’m always amazed when this happens,’ Shadow says. This winter has been the first time he has ever experienced snow. This is the third snowfall that he has seen in his whole lifetime.
“It’s nice, isn’t it? Of course, it’s fun the first few times, but then it just becomes annoying. You have to walk around being cold and wet. It’s a little better than rain, but it’s equally just as inconvenient,” Sonic says while watching the astonishment on Shadow’s face. “I love it. It’s my favorite part of Christmas,” Shadow says. “Well, you’re in luck because it happens even after Christmas,” Sonic gets up and walks up next to Shadow. The two of them watch the snow for a few seconds before Shadow turns to look at Sonic. He smiles brightly; this is the first snowfall he has seen with Sonic. Sonic turns to meet his eyes, and for a second they look into each other's eyes again, before Sonic opens his mouth: “We should go walk to get breakfast! There’s a place around here that I’ve always wanted to try,” Sonic runs to get his coat. Shadow shuts his eyes and shakes his head: he wanted that moment to last a bit longer.
He walks over to Sonic and puts on his scarf: it was an introductory Christmas gift from Tails. They walked down into the cold air, which was much colder than anything Shadow had felt. It didn’t help with the snow falling onto his quills, which only made his head more wet and cold. “I can see how this becomes annoying. It’s already getting on my nerves,” Shadow says to Sonic as they reach the crosswalk. A few seconds of silence are shared between the two of them as they cross the street and reach the sidewalk before Sonic breaks it: “So, are you ready for Christmas?” “Yeah, I have all my gifts ready. Are you ready, Sonic?” Shadow responds. “I sure am! I’m super excited for this year’s Christmas, especially since you’re here,” Sonic says. Shadow blushes. Sonic turns to him and teasingly remarks: “Awwww, you do like being around me.” Shadow rolls his eyes: “Ugh, it’s just because that’s how people are supposed to be for Christmas. Tails told me it’s all about being together; that’s what ‘Christmas spirit’ is,” Shadow excuses. He was starting to enjoy the way Sonic was teasing him, and he was annoyed with himself that he liked it so much. “Mhm, mhm, sure, Shads. Judging by how you’ve been acting since last night, it seems otherwise,” Sonic inches closer to Shadow and raises his eyebrow. “What are you implying, hedgehog?” Shadow asks with a cold tone. “Come on Shadow, you haven’t noticed that you’ve warmed up to me? You easily let me come over, you didn’t get mad at me rummaging through your kitchen, and you were soooo insistent on my staying the night. You missed me didn’t you, Shadow?” Sonic teases. “Ugh, fine. It was a bit lonely without hearing your exasperating voice,” Shadow responds. “You admitted it. You like having me around,” Sonic keeps picking at Shadow. “You got what you wanted, hedgehog,” Shadow responds lividly. “I didn’t know you had a soft spot for me, Shads. That’s so cute,” Sonic keeps going. “That’s enough. We settled how I feel, we can put this conversation away,” Shadow becomes angrier. Sonic laughs: “Look at how much you’re blushing, Shadow. Is there anything else you wanna tell me?” Sonic jokingly teases. This comment stops Shadow in his tracks, but Sonic continues to look at him with his sly smile. “Sonic, where would you get that from?” Shadow stutters: “It’s…it’s not something I want to talk about right now,” his voice goes soft. “Shadow, i didn’t mean-” “You shouldn’t have said that, Sonic. You shouldn’t have kept mocking me. You shouldn’t have…I shouldn’t have invited you over,” Shadow’s head drops. “Shadow, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept teasing you. I didn’t mean to bother you with it. I was just trying to be funny,” Sonic realizes what he did and places his hands on Shadow’s back. “Don’t touch me, please. I can’t handle it right now. I don’t think we should go to breakfast anymore.”
The two of them return to Shadow’s apartment. They sit almost a foot away from each other on his couch. “I was afraid of you finding out about this. I started to suspect that I didn’t just see you as a rival when I began to think about you every day while you were gone. When you came back, everything that you did made me happy. I liked watching you rummage through my kitchen. I liked it when you teased me. I liked it when you fell asleep on my couch. I liked the way you looked in my eyes for Chaos knows how long. I wanted you to stay the night because I like being around you. I want to be around you for as long as I can,” Shadow confessed. Sonic looked at him with a sympathetic face. He didn’t say anything in response. Shadow didn’t dare look at Sonic: he couldn’t believe he was bearing his heart like this.
“I’m sorry, Sonic. I know you don’t want to hear this, and I know how you feel about people liking you,” Shadow says. Sonic had a hard time with people joking about him getting into a relationship, or teasing him around people who liked him. Shadow was especially afraid of Sonic becoming uncomfortable around him when one of his friends would make a snide comment on his feelings for Sonic. His breathing increased: “I shouldn’t have even told you, now I’ve ruined everything. I’ve put this on you along with Amy’s feelings for you. Though, I wish that I was as brave as her when confronting my feelings for you,” Shadow adds. Sonic chuckles, and a few seconds of silence follow. “Shadow, you don’t have to be sorry for anything. It’s not bad that you told me, it’s actually really good that you told me. It would have been so much worse if you had kept it in. I don’t want you to have to worry about how I feel or how this will affect things. Everything will be fine, Shadow,” Sonic responds sincerely and smiles warmly. Shadow looks up at him and feels relieved.
“I hate to leave you at a time like this, but I have to go set up a few things for Christmas Eve tomorrow,” Sonic says. “Don’t worry about it. Thank you for listening to me, Sonic,” Shadow says as they both stand up. “Of course. I’m always here for you,” Sonic walks towards the coat hanger and places his on, “are you coming tomorrow?” Sonic asks. “I don’t think so, but I’ll see you some other time,” Shadow responds. “Alrighty. Take care, Shads,” he winks and walks out the door. Shadow waves and watches the door shut. He hears Sonic speed down the stairs. Shadow sighs and heads towards his room.
・❥・
Thirty minutes later, Shadow hears a knock on his door. He opens it and is met with Rouge. “What brings you here?” Shadow asks. “I just wanted to visit before Christmas, also I have some things to tell you,” Rouge says. “What’s wrong?” Shadow asks urgently. “I found out you finally told Sonic how you felt after all this time,” Rouge reveals. “How did you find out? Who told you?” Shadow became upset and anxious. “Don’t freak out, I heard from Knuckles that he was talking about something about someone confessing to him with Tails. I had to assume it was you.” “What else did Knuckles say?” Shadow continues to ask. “ Knuckles said he was like: ‘I want to tell Shadow I feel the same, but I have no idea how to go about it. It’s scary to talk to him. I never know how he feels about anything,’” Rouge quotes. Shadow stops breathing for a second. He takes a deep breath and goes to sit down on his couch. Rouge sits next to him.
“So you’re saying, Sonic likes me too?” Shadow says, trying to believe those words. “I’m pretty sure that’s what that means. I remember when Knuckles told me about his crush on me, he went to Amy about it because he didn’t know how to tell me,” Rouge responds. “What do I do, Rouge?” Shadow asks. “You’ve already told him how you felt, so now you have to wait for him to do his part,” Rouge answers. “How long will that take?” “It’s Sonic’s call. You just have to be patient, Shadow.” “I already told him I’m not going to the Christmas Eve party. I have my own plans with you for Christmas. What is there after that?” “New year’s. That’s a perfect time for Sonic to tell you,” Rouge says giddily. “New year’s, what’s that?” Shadow asks with a confused tone. “They seriously didn’t explain New year’s to you?” Rouge asks with an annoyed tone. “No, I haven’t heard of it at all,” Shadow reveals. “Well, I guess I’ll tell you.”