Chapter Text
Sonic The Hedgehog, probably one of the most well-known kids at the Saint Maria High School. The most prestigious and wealthy high school in all of Mobius, founded by none other than Gerald Robotnik, the current principal of the high school, 5 years ago.
It is so prestigious, in fact, that it is the only school on the planet that requires Mobians of all genders to wear a uniform alongside the typical gloves and footwear. Which, honestly, was incredibly stupid. But the principal thought that by making the students wear actual clothing, Gerald would achieve some of the most well-disciplined students of all time. And with the strict rules that followed around, it was actually working, winning a bunch of Nobel prizes in just 5 years.
The school had been named after his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik, who died from a deadly illness no one knows about. Some students speculate that it could be cancer; some think it was some other illness. One thing was known for certain, though. It’s that Maria meant a lot to the principal. So much so that he had opened a whole school in her name.
The hedgehog, otherwise known as “The Blue Blur” for his supernatural speed, was currently a sophomore, yet in just around one year that he had been studying here, he had managed to become the school’s celebrity. After all, not only was he an award-winning marathon runner while still in his teenage years, but he is also incredibly handsome and popular amongst ladies at his school. He is very kind towards students, believes in second chances, and stands up for some kids that get bullied. Some even considered Sonic a hero, a shine of light in this dark hellhole that is Saint Maria High School.
Though it was not just his peers he had been so popular amongst; all of the teachers, including Gerald Robotnik himself, always have the misfortune of being reminded of him, but for a completely different reason. Some teachers even wonder how the Blue Blur had gotten into the school in the first place.
He was a massive troublemaker, getting into a lot of verbal arguments with teachers and sometimes even breaking things, be it on accident or on purpose to annoy a teacher he dislikes.
To put it simply, Sonic was a menace. Amongst the teachers and the student council, they were always the ones to report him to the teachers and catch him red-handed, whether it was during some pointless fight or something else.
Sonic never really minded; in fact, he thought that it was just a waste of their time. It was funny seeing all those teachers throw a fuss over his antics and immediately send him to the principal's office and then into detention from there, where he was always watched over by one of the student council’s members. Gerald has warned him multiple times that if he wouldn’t stop, he’d be expelled.
But Sonic knew that those were just pointless threats. Gerald knew having the world’s fastest runner at his school would get him some great money, whether it be through competitions or some events that included running. You name it! And if he managed to make a perfect student out of the Blue Blur? His school would be a worldwide sensation; he couldn’t miss out on an opportunity like that.
Needless to say, Sonic hasn’t changed since he first arrived here. Sure, maybe he did learn a thing or two about proper etiquette, but that never changed Sonic on the inside. He still kept causing trouble just for the purpose of annoying someone he disliked.
There was someone in particular that Sonic loved annoying most, though. One of his main reasons to cause trouble over and over again was just to be able to face him again. The most feared hedgehog in the entire school. The head of the student council.
Shadow the Hedgehog. Also known as the principal’s adoptive son.
Shadow is very cold and well-mannered. Which is not a surprise, considering how he had grown up under Gerald’s wing pretty much his entire life. But Sonic believes that he hasn’t always been like that. He thinks that he can manage to crack the other Sophomore’s facade and unleash his true self if he tries hard enough.
He had been warned by other students that it would be impossible. Shadow has shown barely any emotion other than anger since the death of his sister Maria. Although he had been studying at this school just as long as Sonic was, he had been spotted at multiple events before he became a student at the school.
And one thing was for certain: that hedgehog knows how to keep his cool.
Yet, Sonic was the only person that knew how to make the ebony hedgehog snap. If the buttons are pushed right, Shadow can be absolutely enraged; Sonic knows it. But he just never went as far as to make him completely lash out on him and break his bones or whatever; Sonic did not want that.
He felt most entertained teasing and pushing him around until he’d eventually slightly break and show Sonic at least the tiniest bit of emotion.
It’s not like Sonic enjoyed making Shadow upset, not at all. He never makes people sad on purpose; that’s just mean. But for some reason, he had gotten… invested in trying to make Shadow show his true colours. He was one of the only Mobians that barely reacted to Sonic’s behaviour, so he wanted to prove to the other students that the ebony hedgehog was capable of showing emotion.
But that was not his main reason for causing trouble.
Sometimes, both of them fought when they had huge disagreements. It would even turn physical in some cases, though Sonic would have to surrender most of the time. The power imbalance really felt like a massive brick wall. Sonic really wished he could knock some proper sense into him, but he feared that he could actually be expelled for giving him serious injuries.
In a way, they had become enemies due to the different views of what was best for the school and their students. Sonic would always try to follow his heart, what he thought the students would appreciate, while Shadow thought with his head and what his father would want of him. What was best for the school, not for the Mobians.
Shadow despised Sonic, his behaviour and his rebellious nature, how that blue menace would act without thinking and annoy the living shit out of him. Sonic hated how Shadow thinks about the school and its reputation and not its students, not showing them any mercy. Easily getting some expelled and crushing their academic dreams into pieces over small slipovers.
They had different perspectives and personalities. And that was the main reason why they never got along.
Sonic would break Shadow’s mask. He would make sure that Shadow knows his place and that he is not in the position to treat others like trash, no matter how entitled he was.
__________________________
“Sonic, you need to slow down! You will get your uniform all messy!” A pink hedgehog screeched, observing her blue friend in horror as he was literally inhaling the chili dog he got himself for lunch. He sat behind a small house filled with garden supplies alongside his friends, hiding from the all-seeing eyes of the student council. The last thing Sonic wants is to have his precious mealtime interrupted.
“Relax, Ames!” Sonic chuckled, wiping his sauce-covered mouth with his glove, making it messy. “I am just hungry. The food they serve here suuuckss! I always have to bring stuff from home and wait all day for lunch break to eat. Have mercy on me.”
Amy’s eyes narrowed. “The food here is literally not all that bad; you are just being dramatic! It would be good for you to actually eat some healthy food for once.”
“I agree with Sonic, honestly. They barely feed us here; the food tastes awful no matter how hard I try,” Knuckles, a red echidna beside them, added. “However, isn’t bringing your own food to school against the rules?”
Sonic dramatically rolled his eyes as he took one last bite of his food. “When has that ever stopped me? I’ve broken rules far more serious than something as small as sneaking your own food on school grounds.”
That was, in fact, true. But his childhood friends didn’t seem too convinced.
“I always keep asking myself why you go to this school if all you do is break the rules, anyway.” Amy deadpanned, getting up from her spot and dusting off her uniform’s skirt. All female students were required to wear a dark blue uniform that consisted of a plaid skirt, a white button-up with a dark blue vest over it, and an optional suit jacket in the same colour, in case the student got too cold. The shoes are only allowed to be dark in colour so as to not draw attention and distract other students; in Amy’s case, she wore simple black ballet pumps with cute bows at the very front. Sneakers were out of the question.
And, obviously, gloves. A sign of Mobian decency that even Sonic followed. Surprisingly.
The male students were required to wear the same clothes, except they were supposed to wear pants instead of a skirt, but everything else remained the same. The footwear rule was also the same: no sneakers and dark in colour. Sonic and Knuckles both wore that uniform, except Sonic had his jacket off at the moment.
“Well, for starters, it’s my lil’ bro’s dream to go to this school. According to his calculations, he says he will be able to enrol in the school real soon due to how smart he is. Sure, pal is 8 years old, but he is too smart for elementary and middle schools. So he is currently taking all of the exams while Uncle Chuck does the boring document work.” Sonic sighed, looking up at the clouds of the warm, spring sky as he felt the wind breeze through his quills.
“And what does that have to do with you visiting this school? It’s not like you are required to study here in order to get Tails in here.” Knuckles asked.
“Well, if he does manage to get into this school, someone has to make sure he doesn’t get bullied, right?” Sonic smirked. “I need to make it clear to others not to mess with my lil’ brother.”
“Quite understandable,” Amy agreed with a sigh. “After all, kids sure love to pick on your brother due to his tails and all.”
“I honestly don’t know why he would want to get into this school,” Sonic mumbled. “The teachers here are total crap, treat other students like slaves, and the school acts like a factory that creates perfect dolls. They barely pay any attention to the wishes of other students. The student council says how “they will try to make this school a good place for all of us,” yet what they really do is just make sure that no one breaks any rules. Nothing more. I don’t want Tails to suffer in a school like that; he is still a child.”
Sonic jumped slightly when he felt a heavy hand drop on his shoulder. He looked up to see Knuckles looking at him with determined eyes. “Yet we have you, Sonic. Honestly, before you showed up, this place had been a mess. Your presence really does help some of us feel more at ease.” He said. The echidna is a junior, just a grade above Sonic.
Amy hummed in agreement. “Yeah! It’s probably the first time they see such a rebellious student who is not afraid of being expelled. I am sure that you are giving them courage. Even if they are still scared of showing it. Tails would be glad to study at a school where he knows that he would always be protected by his big brother no matter what.”
Sonic smiled, feeling much better that Tails would have some form of protection for as long as Sonic was around. “Heh, you guys are so sappy.”
“If that’s what it takes to get through that thick skull of yours, then we will be sappy.” Amy giggled. “Now come on, we have 5 minutes left before the next lesson starts.”
Sonic groaned, getting up from the grass. Unlike Amy, he didn’t bother to dust himself off. The uniform was dark, anyway. Knuckles followed suit, grabbing his bag while at it, and started leaving alongside Amy while Sonic was still packing his things. “Guys, gosh, wait for me!”
For being the fastest creature in the universe, he sure as hell was slow when packing his belongings.
Just as Sonic rounded the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted a familiar hedgehog’s back, arms crossed on his chest as he had a conversation with Amy and Knuckles, who had never looked so pale in their lives before. Their eyes immediately contacted Sonic's, signalling him to get out of her as fast as he could.
But the ebony hedgehog was faster, whipping his head back before Sonic even had the chance to think about it.
Emeralds locked with rubies, an intense silence between them now.
“So you were with that hedgehog, after all.” Shadow murmured without glancing back at the both, probably having been looking for Sonic in the first place. Amy and Knuckles both chuckled nervously, slowly walking backwards to avoid any further issues with the head of the student council.
“You can seriously leave me alone with Hot Topic over here! Hey!” Aaand the two were gone. Great.
Now, the two hedgehogs were alone. Sure, Sonic does enjoy teasing him, but that is when he has free time to spare. Sonic was not in the mood for teasing today. And especially face his enemy.
Shadow wore his student council attire. Just like every male student, he wore the regular uniform, except in the colour black with golden strips in some places, and over his shoulders hung a short black piece of fabric. A cape coat that only went up until his chest, made out of a thick, rather expensive-looking material. He had this instead of the usual jacket the students were provided, to make sure that Shadow stands out from the crowd.
To make sure that the students know that they are being watched.
Golden chains connected the coat together and hung loosely over Shadow’s shoulders. Sonic would be lying if he said that Shadow didn’t look attractive as hell in that uniform. But he would never admit it out loud.
Shadow narrowed his eyes at Sonic, glaring daggers. “That is not how you address the head of the student council, hedgehog.”
Sonic smirked, his small annoyance suddenly disappearing as he now had a reason to bicker with the other hedgehog. “Oh, I am sorry, Your Highness! I shall refrain from calling you ‘hot topic’ in the future. I beg you for mercy!”
The Blue Blur then gave an incredibly dramatic bow, opening his hands up and putting one leg before the other, moving his torso down to “show respect” before Shadow. But both of them very obviously knew that Sonic was just teasing him yet again.
Sonic was shortly thrown off balance when he felt his wrist was suddenly grasped in Shadow’s gloved hand, pulling it closer to his face and dragging Sonic’s body with it. He gasped, not expecting such a move. “Whoa, what the—!”
When green eyes looked up, though, he noticed how Shadow’s eyes bore into his dirty glove, stained in the chili sauce Sonic had wiped off the corners of his lips earlier.
Sonic held back a growl. Shit, he had noticed it.
“Well, why don’t you look at that,” Shadow smirked. “Being disrespectful and sneaking food inside school? It’s like you are begging to be sent to the principal’s office.”
Sonic harshly yanked his wrist away as if he had been burnt by Shadow’s fingers, straight up snarling at the ebony hedgehog. “What do you need from me? You have been looking for me, haven’t you? Miss me that much?”
The faint smirk on Shadow’s lips had faded, his expression growing calm and neutral yet again. He pulled out an envelope from behind his coat, handing it over to Sonic. “Fath—I mean, Professor Gerald Robotnik has asked me to deliver this to you; it’s regarding Miles Prower’s request to enrol in the high school early.
All anger seemed to have vanished as the blue hedgehog accepted the letter, closed shut with a red stamp. “Did… did he pass?”
Shadow let out a ‘Hmph,’ crossing his arms yet again and turning away. “I have no idea myself; I was only asked to deliver this to you, as well as make sure that you aren’t breaking any rules again.” He made sure to say the last bit extra loud as his gaze went back to the dirty glove; Sonic only rolled his eyes.
“Puh-lease, the food here sucks, and we both know it. It’s not like you are going to let students here starve, will you now?” Sonic tucked the letter safe into the pocket of his bag, slumping it over one of his shoulders before he forced a smirk on his face. “Or is it yet another of your beliefs? Let the students starve so they stay fit for the ‘school’s reputation’?”
Shadow’s head snapped in Sonic’s direction, growling. “Watch your tone, hedgehog.”
“Or what, huh?” Sonic taunted, taking a dangerous step closer to the other student. “Afraid to admit that I am right? After all, you never really care about what we want; you just want to please your father.”
That was Shadow’s final straw, because within seconds, he tackled Sonic to the ground, pushing his face into the dirt while the other struggled to break free.
Sonic sent his knee flying into Shadow’s stomach, making the other gasp in pain and loosen his hold on the azure quills. The other immediately took his chance to pounce on Shadow, grabbing hold of his wrists and pinning them to the ground.
Dirt got on the white sleeves of Sonic’s uniform, but he couldn’t give less of a fuck right now. For once, they were out of the student’s curious eyes; for once, Shadow was vulnerable, and they were both out of the camera’s reach.
For once Sonic could show Shadow his real place.
“What’s wrong, faker?” Sonic smiled, tightening his grip on Shadow’s wrists when he felt him try to break free. “Don’t tell me you’re giving up already?”
Shadow narrowed his eyes. “You may think you have power over me right now, but let’s not forget about your brother now.”
Sonic’s eyes widened, subconsciously holding the wrists in his arms to a painful degree now, claws leaving marks even through the thick fabric of their gloves. “Why are you bringing Tails into this?”
“Think about it; your brother has been trying so hard to enrol in this school. It was his dream, he told us in an interview,” Shadow said. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if I were to tear all of his hard work into shreds just because his brother couldn’t keep his mouth shut for once?”
Those words hit Sonic like a bullet. The thought of his brother being sad, how months of hard work would go down the drain… it made Sonic’s heart ache.
“You wouldn’t.” Sonic breathed, furrowing his brows in anger.
“Oh, but I could, so I won’t ask you twice. Let me go, Sonic.”
Sonic finally gave in, letting go of the student and getting up from the ground, giving Shadow a chance to get up as well. The azure hedgehog sighed, walking over to his bag and checking the time on his phone. Shit, he was 10 minutes late for his lesson now, and he looked messy as shit.
His ears picked up on footsteps disappearing into the distance; Shadow was heading back inside the building, rubbing at his wrists as he did so.
Once he got to the entrance, he stopped, not looking back, but still speaking nonetheless, drawing Sonic’s attention.
“I could send you to Father's office, you know. Send you into yet another detention.” Shadow turned his head only halfway, just enough so Sonic could see a teasing smirk on his face. “But I won’t. I think you have learnt your lesson for today, hedgehog. Know your place.”
And with that, he was gone. Doors slamming closed, leaving Sonic alone with his thoughts in the garden.
Sonic clenched his fists, groaning loudly and kicking a random rock away, never feeling this much hatred inside himself before.
That faker used his family to taunt Sonic into letting him go. He manipulated him until he finally gave in. Shadow knew his biggest weakness now, and Sonic was sure that he would not be letting such precious information go that easily.
Gosh, he hated Shadow the Hedgehog.