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Amy stood with concern plastered on his face, like what he was hearing from Shadow’s mouth was a whole different dialect.
“She’s friendly, but she’s always pushing me and trying to beat me, and I see sometimes that girls who compete with their friends secretly hate them.” Shadow fretted, picking at her quills as Amy sighed behind her.
“Yeah but… She’s not a bitch like that. She keeps people around, and she’s never done that before.” He shrugged, swatting Shadow’s hands away from her quills.
“And? What If I’m the first!” Shadow insisted, tapping her foot and pursing her lips. “I hate girls! They’re so complicated, Amy!!” She gritted her teeth and leaned back on the wall, furrowing her brows in thought. Everything she learned about other girls was more baffling than the last, and she was starting to not trust her social intuition around the layers of presumptions and assumptions and fake compliments and that's-the-ugliest-effing-skirt-ive-ever-seen’s.
“Oh, but Sonic’s really not that complicated, Shadow!” Amy insisted, patting his shoulder. “You said she pushes you? How?”
Shadow struggled with her words to describe it, before resigning to simply giving a slight and painful shove to Amy, who barely faltered. In return, he playfully pushed back.
“Do you do it back, like that?” Amy pressed, shaking off the shove.
Shadow slowly nodded, narrowing her eyes. “I.. Guess.”
“Then she’s doing it to be playful. If you want her to stop, just say so.” Amy concluded with a shrug.
“No, no,” She grumbled quietly. “You’re her friend. Promise she doesn’t hate me?”
“Sonic is super friendly! She likes physical affection and competition. I know she wants to be closer friends with you!” Amy assured, laying his hand on Shadow’s shoulder. “I see how she acts, she thinks very highly of you.”
Not everyone was so understanding when Shadow was confused about social interaction, not the way Amy was. Many cultural or social things she had trouble picking up on had a quick and concise explaination thanks to Amy. Shadow smiled at him, softly with a nod. “Okay. Thank you.”
And speak of the devil, about 15 minutes later, Sonic came up to Shadow and started chatting up, very nice and complimentary as always, but now Shadow wasn’t afraid of hostility. She felt genuinely flattered, a warm feeling spreading from her chest. Sonic made some dumb remarks, Shadow said something in return, they shoved eachother… It was a routine Shadow felt comforted by. Then, of course, they started boasting and challenged one another to a race… Where both ended up a little tired, wandering close to Team Dark’s apartment. And, hey, if Sonic wants to be closer friends, why not let her on inside?
The two walked past Omega and Rouge, giving the typical waves to one another, before settling into Shadow’s room.
“It’s quite nice here,” Sonic smiled, looking at Shadow with a soft grin. “You are glowing today.” Shadow looked down in confusion, as she was absolutely not bioluminescent. Sonic helpfully clarified, gently guiding Shadow’s chin back up. “You look good, babes.”
“That’s.. Kind, you look good too.” Shadow returned awkwardly, sitting down on the floor. Sonic sat down with a smile, sighing. “I’m kind of parched.. Ya got any water?”
“Here.” Shadow quietly handed over a bottle of water from her nightstand, watchihg as Sonic drank it in one big drink. “You have no manners,” Shadow teased.”
“Manners are silly,” Sonic chuckled, slightly out of breath. Shadow was too, but better at regulating her breathing- And, you know. Not talking. She was busy studying what that determination in Sonic’s eyes was for. The race was over, they said a vague “next time” but this seemed to be something else. It didn’t matter much though, because Sonic doesn’t ever stay quiet long. Shadow sighed as she laid on the floor. Sonic took a look at Shadow before noticing the next thing to compliment.
“Y’know, your chest fur just looks so gorgeous!” Sonic cooed, laying on her side parallel to Shadow. “So soft and well perfumed, you just look amazing, Shadow!”
Shadow felt the same fuzzy feeling she always did getting a compliment from Sonic- She didn’t expect it to be her fur complimented. “Oh, thank you.. I never thought it drew any attention-”
“May I?” She interrupted with a warm smile.
Sonic hovered a hand over the white fur of Shadow’s chest. Her eyes flicked up to Shadow’s, and left a moment of hesitation. Awaiting permission. Despite them not fully touching, Shadow felt heat radiating from Sonic’s hands- Even a small spark of static from carpet meeting fur and fabric. She nodded, and much to her surprise, Sonic drew her hand back. Shadow opened her mouth to ask as Sonic started taking her gloves off.
Shadow’s words faltered as she glanced away. This was a thing of trust. A show of vulnerability, so… Sonic must think they’re close friends.
“You can look, Shads,” Sonic chuckled, and she did- And she saw paws that looked a little like a cat’s, with hand pads and itty bitty claws poking out.
“I like your… Hands.” Shadow murmured, which she thought was probably an appropriate response to seeing someone gloveless? She didn’t dwell on it much longer, seeing as clawed hands were scratching gently into her chest fluff. It felt… Very warm, and very welcoming. If Sonic does this with all of her friends, Shadow can see how she has so many. Rouge says Sonic just shows friendship physically, and that was why she was touchy, and goodness this felt amazing. Shadow could feel herself melt into the carpet like butter. She barely registered when a second glove flopped on the ground and another bare hand cupped her cheek, right below her ear, someplace in between… Sonic looked so contented, with her bright friendly eyes and fluttering, perfectly done eyelashes. Shadow barely even noticed when a soft sigh left her lips. “Do you do this often?” She asked cautiously.
“Uhmmm..” Sonic smiled, laughing again. She was seemingly planning on leaving it at that, but when Shadow raised a brow she continued. “Something like that, yeah.”
Sonic’s hands trailed down to Shadow’s, where she rubbed gentle circles with her thumbs, a gesture that made Shadow feel similar to the way she did when she was complimented. An overwhelming amount of… Friendliness? Shadow’s eyes narrowed, but she shook it off.
‘Sonic is super friendly! She likes physical affection and competition. I know she wants to be closer friends with you!’
Yes. Friendliness. This is how Sonic shows she wants to be better friends. They always have some small competition or banter, so it shouldn’t surprise Shadow that the next step would be physical affection.
Shadow laid in silence as small giggles and hums filled the silence, hands trailing up her arms and back to her chest fur. Maybe overindulgent, Shadow pressed a face into Sonic’s shoulder, feeling the shorter, but still soft fur of the other hedgehog. This felt, in some way, the right place to be.
So, if it felt so right, why when Rouge’s loud shoes scraped down the hallway, did the two girls both have sparks of panic in their eyes? Shadow, like instinct, grabbed her emerald and used Chaos Control, tucking Sonic’s bare hands under her stomach, grabbing the gloves, and putting some distance between the two on the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief when Rouge passed by, unnoticing. Or so she thought. Rouge quickly spun back around with a confused look on his face. “You two look tense. Did something happen?”
The two girls glanced at one another, guilty, before giving half hearted no’s. Rouge was unconvinced. “Sonic, why are you laying like that?” Shadow fixed her fur and furrowed her brows, attempting to regain some composure.
“Hands were cold,” Sonic replied with a shrug- Kind of. It was difficult with her hands pinned under her. “We’re just talking about our run.”
“Just checking,” He sighed, and Shadow also (mentally) sighed in relief. She nodded approvingly at Rouge, who smiled back, before his face morphed into one of surprise, before looking over at Sonic who was quickly realizing her mistake and trying to put her thumbs up away. Rouge gasped and a wicked smile spread over his face.
“What.” Shadow prompted at once.
“No- No, nothing,” He snickered, and Sonic looked down at the floor.
“What!!”
“Why are her gloves off, Shadow?”
“You and Amy are the ones who told me she was being friendly with the physical touch!”
“Yeah, with hugs.” Rouge gaped.
“You guys were talking about me?” Sonic gave Shadow those big bright glossy eyes again, and she almost forgot she was being… Scolded? Teased? Shadow didn’t understand what they were doing wrong. Or why she knew on instinct to hide it. Just because it felt… Private? Intimate? Both, but in a platonic fashion?
“Shadow was saying that girls seemed confusing, so me and Amy were helping her out.”
“Shadow thinks I’m confusing?” Well, she certainly does more now. Apparently, the gloves are not normal friend behaviour. Or, maybe not for friends that aren’t close yet… So, obviously, Sonic is just considering Shadow really close.
…Right?
“She said it looked soft and wanted to feel it,” Shadow recalled. “It’s just a compliment. Don’t make it weird,” She stood up and dusted off, as Sonic quietly slipped her gloves back on.
“Oh. Mhm.” Rouge brought a hand to his mouth and stifled a giggle. Shadow understood that he believed Shadow was either wrong or didn’t understand something. Sonic likewise got up, shaking off the situation and putting on a bright, confident smile.
“Exactly. I’m just a girl’s kinda girl! A ladies lady. Maybe you just don’t get it,” She joked, side hugging Shadow. Shadow much preferred the physical touch before to the hug Rouge implied was more normal.
Rouge stood speechless for a few moments before simply laughing to himself and waving the two off as he walked down the hallway. “Y’know what, sure hon..”
Shadow looked over at Sonic, who was a little flush. “You didn’t mind that I had my gloves off, right?” Her eyes were so bright, her smile too soft, voice sweet and honey and so genuine, no matter how annoying the words out of her mouth were, Shadow adequately appreciated hearing Sonic’s beautiful voice. Shadow looked down at her own hands, and hesitantly shook her head.
“What are you not telling me?” She mustered any hardness in her voice, which at the moment wasn’t a lot. Sonic’s (now covered) hands scratched at the base of her ear, and she struggled to keep a level head.
“Nothing. Taking your gloves off is a sign of trust, and you know I’m very trusting. And friendly, like you said!”
Shadow sighed, relieved. Yes, friendly! But, along with it, a pang of irritation. Irritation that melted with a nicely placed pet. “And you do it with everyone?”
“Well.. I do it with Tails, sometimes… Not as often anymore.” Sonic replied with a shrug. Tails, basically her family.
Shadow quietly contemplated, sighing.
“It must be confusing not really understanding some cultural stuff about mobians, huh?” Sonic asked, because she knew Shadow wouldn’t say it out loud. She quietly nodded.
“And this isn’t making it better. I’m being made a laughing stock,” She hissed, glaring at Sonic.
“Rouge? He’s not laughing at you. He’s laughing at me.” Sonic affirmed. “Well.. Maybe a little at you. Mostly at me.”
“Why would he be laughing at you?” Shadow didn’t find anything Sonic had done hilarious at all.
“She’s understanding why my advancements of.. Friendship are confusing you.” It clicked a little for Shadow, who tapped her foot on the floor in thought.
“He thinks you’re flirting.” Sonic looked taken aback, but nodded. “How presumptuous.”
“How so?”
“Relationships are nuanced, so deciding right away we’re being flirty is presumptuous because how he may flirt and how you may flirt are different.” When intuition and understanding fail, Shadow falls back on logical reasoning. Which Is often tricky for emotion. But, it works nonetheless. “Now I realize.. I feel clueless because of a big misunderstanding!” She concluded. Sonic slowly nodded.
“But what if she’s right?” She asked softly, snaking an arm around Shadow’s waist. The “What-If” made the contact feel so much more electric. But it wasn’t a question. It was a suggestion, and Shadow understood the implication. That maybe, it was more than just a bit of a touchy friend.
“I wouldn’t be upset,” She answered vaguely, but clear enough that Sonic smiled in return. Shadow looked down and slowly pulled her own gloves off, running them up soft fur as shoes and gloves got kicked off, and the two laid back on the carpet in the room, parallel again. “You’re soft.”
Sonic giggled in return, playing gently with Shadow’s quills.
“And very giggly,” Shadow cracked a smile. “For someone who made me feel crazy because of conflicting social cues.”
“Conflicting?!” Sonic scoffed in disbelief as she ran her hands up Shadow’s arm again.
“You flirt like a straight girl complimenting another girl!” Shadow protested with a glare. Hands played more with her chest fur again, neutralizing her as a tranquility washed over the two hedgehogs. Shadow felt like she was melting again, body relaxing into the hold of the other as she gently swirled circles into Sonic’s shoulder. Their noses touched and Shadow felt that sense of rightness again. Something she’d have beat the snot out of someone for suggesting if it hadn’t confronted her in the face.. Perhaps why she was told it was just girl behaviour and not super obvious flirtation. Their noses slipped by one another as Sonic gently connected their lips in an innocent peck, and then again in a soft, but sufficiently deep, second kiss.
Shadow was breathless. She could stay like this forever, she thinks, in Sonic’s warm arms, delicate kiss, in the relief state of shaking off confusion. Her hands felt perfect on Sonic’s back and waist. Shadow has no idea how she’s going to will herself into putting on the gloves later- Because being here, like this, against none other than Sonic, feels perfect.