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1.
At this very moment, Shadow was laying on the floor, face up, as Rouge tried to convince him that going to Amy’s annual Christmas party was a good idea. She was dressed up in a cropped red top with fur lining the sleeve cuffs and neckline of said shirt, paired with a skimpy leather skirt as well as ripped fishnets and cherry Doc Martins. Needless to say, she looked like a festive hooker. Her usual blue eyeshadow was replaced with a vibrant red that matched her top, and her gloved paws were tugging on Shadow’s leg, pulling him across the floor.
“Shadow, at least help me!” Rouge groaned.
“I don’t even want to go.” He replied, arms crossed as she continued dragging him.
“Get up, biggie.” She said, giving up and pushing his leg up (keeping it straight) towards his head, stretching his hamstrings. Shadow was pretty flexible, but it’s never been something anyone noticed until now, as his shin was just a few centimetres from his face. She let go of his leg, and it swung back down to the floor landing with a thud.
“Babe, just come with me. It will be good for you, besides, you don’t want to hurt Amy’s feelings!” Rouge whined with a wild throw of her arms and a bounce from her knees. It was true, Shadow didn’t want to hurt Amy, she was one of his closest friends. Their Friday evenings watching Shameless was something Shadow always looked forward to. However, he figured he would bring the festive spirit down. He was never one for celebrations. But, if Rouge was so insistent, he supposed.
“Fine,” He said with a dramatic eye roll. A grin burst over Rouge’s muzzle, and her eyes gleamed with... something. Shadow stood up, brushing himself off.
“Lets go then,” He mumbled, turning to the door before a paw grabbed onto his wrist.
“Not so fast, we need to get you into some festive accessories,” Rouge exclaimed with a twisted smile. Shadow groaned, giving in as she dragged him to the bathroom.
She picked up her red eyeliner, accentuating Shadow’s fur pattern around his eyes. While she let the eyeliner sink into his fur, she trotted off into her room, leaving the hedgehog in the bathroom alone, looking into the mirror. His burgundy eyes stared back at him, looking at the bright red eyeliner. He felt… pretty. Pretty was never an adjective that came to mind when thinking of Shadow. Scary, threatening, intimidating, those ones suited him more.
He liked feeling pretty.
Rouge came back, snapping Shadow out of his head, with a cute white snowflake hairpin that she stuck under his left ear. She picked up her white eyeliner and started drawing various snowflakes around and on the other eyeliner. Once she was finished, she stepped back and smiled at her work. For a final touch, she grabbed white shimmery glitter and dabbed it over the top of his cheeks, along the bone.
“Looking hot. Let’s go!”
-----------
“Sonic, could you set up the table? Don’t forget the Christmas crackers!” Amy called out from the kitchen, where she was perfecting her mash potatoes. She wore a red apron over her sage green dress, lined with fur along the short flare skirt, matching the fur shrug that sat on her shoulders.
“Yeah, I got it!” Sonic replied, a Santa hat hanging off his right ear as well as a few baubles that were strewn across his quills that were placed there by Tails, who thought it was hilarious.
Sonic rummaged through the kitchen, grabbing six plates and six sets of cutlery, placing them delicately around the table. After that, he walked upstairs, opening her storage cupboard and taking the box of Christmas crackers. They were red and gold, each with a different pattern – some with stripes, some with dots. The glitter from the gold seemed to fall off really easily, as there were shiny specks at the bottom of the box. Regardless, he took the box and walked downstairs, one foot in front of the other.
Sonic looked up from the box to see the new arrivals, Shadow and Rouge. Rouge was chatting away with Knuckles while Shadow stood awkwardly by her side, nodding eagerly as Amy spoke about something called “A Nonsense Christmas”. And he looked absolutely stunning. His accentuated eyeliner which was littered with drawn on snowflakes which perfectly matched the pin under his ear, a gentle sprinkle of glitter over his muzzle which Sonic wanted to trail his fingers across.
“Hey sexy!” Sonic called out, and he would wave if he wasn’t holding a wide box full of festive activities. Shadow snapped his head to look at him, and once he realised that he was ‘sexy’ he said a simple hello in response.
Sonic grinned toothily and started laying out the Christmas crackers, noticing that the food had travelled from the kitchen to the middle of the table. Rouge, Knuckles and Tails had left to help Amy make various cocktails (and a singular mocktail for Tails). So, Sonic and Shadow were left alone in the dining room.
Discarding the box on the floor, Sonic shuffled around to other side of the table, leaning against it with his fingers curling the edge of the table while eyeing Shadow up and down with a devious smirk.
“What?” Shadow asked with a hint of aggression, his paws squeezing his arms tighter from where they were crossed.
“Didn’t realise you were such a glitter person,” Sonic replied, bringing one of his paws to cup the bottom of Shadow’s muzzle. Sonic stared into those gorgeous maroon eyes, and Shadow stared back before he frantically looked away and hit Sonic’s paw, getting him to back off.
Sonic’s smile dropped as Shadow walked away to join the others in their cocktail making.
2.
Sonic was restless.
Well, he always was, whether it was wringing his hands together or rapidly tapping his foot, he couldn’t be still. Not like he enjoyed being still but usually it could be done. However, tonight (at one in the morning) he was particularly restless, bouncing his knee while he sits on the edge of his bed, looking out the window and gazing at the stars. He felt horrible, he wanted to rip out all his quills and use them to stab himself in the thigh because of how uncomfortable he felt in his own head at the moment.
He should go on a run. A run always clears his head.
Sonic stands up and quietly but quickly sneaks to the front door and slides his red runners on. Glancing back to make sure he didn’t wake Tails, he swung open the front door, stepped out and gently closed it behind him. And off he raced.
One foot after the other, he sped down roads and pathways, and if he were a car he would’ve been fined a hefty amount because he went triple over the speed limit. But no matter how fast he ran, he still felt shitty and alone.
He needed a race. And there was only one hedgehog to keep up with him. Even though he may or may not have made him uncomfortable by caressing his face during the Christmas party, and they haven’t spoken since, it wouldn’t hurt to try. The worst he can say is no.
Sonic sped through roads and weaved through alleys to get to Shadow and Rouge’s flat. He drifted to a stop, ruining the bottom of his shoes as well as the nicely cut grass, looking at the shut blinds and well-trimmed hedges under the windows. Walking around the side of the flat, he found Shadow’s room and hastily knocked on the window.
And he waited.
Sonic was never good at waiting; three seconds had passed before he felt antsy and he raised his fist to knock again. Before he got the chance, the curtains suddenly opened, and two tired eyes peered from behind the glass.
‘Race?’ Sonic mimed. The other looked at him with a perplexed and irritated expression before glancing over to his clock on the wall. He rolled his eyes and closed the curtain.
Well, there goes that idea. Sonic fell back on the grass, picking at it and throwing it across the ground. He needed a distraction desperately before he scratched deep cuts into his skin just to try and clear his head. The hedgehog pulled out a particularly long blade of grass before shredding it into tiny strips, scattering them on top of the other grass.
“Are you coming?” A deep voice says from across the thin grass patch. Sonic looked up with a shocked smile, noticing how Shadow, arms crossed and all, had a slightly damp muzzle from splashing water to wake himself. To race. For Sonic. With Sonic.
“Yeah!” Sonic jumped to his feet, breaking out into a sprint, and rushing past the other hedgehog. Shadow followed close behind, gaining on the other to be neck and neck. Sonic pushed himself to run faster, Shadow forced himself to skate faster. It was a back and forth of speeding up gradually, weaving through obstacles and dodging trees.
It was thrilling, just like it’s always been. And it worked, the ebony hedgehog being next to him, the wind rushing through their quills, Sonic felt free of his own mind and sheer restlessness. He wasn’t worried about his bond with the other anymore. If he was willing to sacrifice sleep at 2am for Sonic, it was safe to assume he wasn’t upset.
Suddenly, Shadow began preparing to stop, confusing his competitor. Then Sonic realised, he was getting awfully close to a cliff edge. Upon realising this, he dug his heels into the course dirt as harsh as possible, leaving tracks where he skidded to a stop which was way to close to the edge for comfort. Shadow emerged from the woods, gliding at a normal pace with a slight glint of worry in his eyes.
“Sonic, are you-“ He stopped himself, realising what he was going to ask. Sonic gave him a thumbs up and a cheeky grin.
Shadow nodded before gazing up towards the stars, wandering to the edge of the cliff before sitting down, letting his red striped legs hang freely. He gazed towards the destroyed moon, the Ark, the stars and softened. Sonic creeped towards where he was sitting, gently sitting down next to the other and leaning forward to gently gazing into Shadow’s eyes. His beautiful burgundy eyes which reflected thirty solar systems right now and were glazed over with fondness.
“Maria always told me how badly she wanted to see the stars from Earth.” Shadow reminisced, head tilting softly. Sonic sat in silence, hoping the other would continue. When Shadow spoke of Maria, it was best to stay silent until he signalled for a response.
“She loved astronomy her whole life. She also wanted to see a supernova. Betelgeuse, that star over there,” he pointed to a particularly bright star while leaning closer to the blue hedgehog “has probably already gone supernova. We just don’t see it yet because the light hasn’t travelled. By the time we do, the supernova will probably be gone.” Shadow explained, looking at Sonic for some sort of affirmation.
“That’s a bit sad, only seeing something’s true beauty after its gone.” Sonic responded, his emerald eyes still looking at the other intimately. Shadow turned his head to look back, to return the soft gaze. And he did, for a few seconds he looked into the warm inviting green that swirled in Sonic’s irises before turning to look at the grass. Close enough, he figures.
“That’s wise coming from you.”
Sonic chuckles.
3.
Rouge, squeezing the remaining hot water from an earl grey tea bag, wondered to herself – how did this happen? Shadow, the ultimate life form, caught the flu. Influenza. She through the used teabag in the bin, gently picking up the teacup to bring it into the hedgehog’s room. Nudging the door open with a bump of her hips, she walked into the bedroom.
Shadow was curled up in his doona, his paws holding onto his phone and rapidly typing. He wasn’t wearing his gloves, which meant the bat could see how his stripe of red fur extended from his middle and ring fingers.
“You’re supposed to rest, not text, babe.” Rouge said, placing the tea on his bedside table and gently pushing his phone away from his face.
“I’ve never been sick before,” He responds, eyes still glued to the screen. His eyes widen as his cheeks grow a striking red, after reading something on said screen. She sees how he tries to tug down a fond smile, sitting next to him on his bed.
“Who are you texting?” Rouge teases. Shadow’s eyes snap up at her as he shuts off his phone.
“No one.” He says, his muzzle growing a deeper shade of red. Rouge hums as she nods her head, unconvinced. She heard an urgent knock on their flat’s door, glancing towards the sound. Getting up to leave, she smirked at him knowingly. Shadow was safe for now, but Rouge was not one to let things go.
Twisting the doorknob, she sees a blue hedgehog tapping his foot quickly and impatiently on the floor, his hand holding a plastic bag full of goodies.
“Oh hey Rouge! Heard through the grape vine that Shads felt ill so I made him some chicken noodle soup.” Sonic smiled, his foot had ceased its tapping. Rouge smirked knowingly and stepped aside to let the guy inside. He beelined for Shadow’s room, his hand on the doorknob when before he could open it, Rouge opened her mouth.
“Use protection!” She called out from the front door, creaking it shut. Sonic paused, heat rushing to his face as his eyes widened and his quills raised. Slowly, he creaked his head to stare at Rouge, embarrassed. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to grab onto words, desperately reaching for a response, his breath caught in his throat. Failing, he swung open the door and slammed it shut, seeking refuge away from the all-knowing bat. He pressed his back against the door, bringing his paw up to his mouth, covering his muzzle.
“Could you not slam the door, I’ve got a headache.” Shadow mumbled, only his eyes peeking out from the covers. Sonic quickly snapped out of his panic, shaking his head fast while taking deep breaths.
“Right, sorry!” Sonic stood up straight and walked over to the bedside table where a cup of earl grey sat, untouched. “I made you my very own chicken noodle soup,” Sonic smiled, reaching into his bag and pulling out a container full of the soup, a spoon and chopsticks, placing them on the bedside table.
“You made it? Your recipe? I doubt its any good.” Shadow smirked, still finding sass despite being infected with influenza for the first time. Sonic’s smile dropped, offended, and so did Shadow’s.
Wordlessly, the azure hedgehog opened the container, threaded the spoon through the broth and held it to Shadow’s lips. He parted them, allowing the warm broth to spill across his taste buds. Sonic took the now empty spoon out of his mouth, and Shadow’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s amazing,” He whispered, eyes glued to the spoon in Sonic’s hand.
“I have a knack for making recipes,” Sonic replied, his usual confident grin taking its place on his muzzle.
Shadow rearranged his body to sit up, back pressed against the headboard of his bed. Sonic sat down with his knees tucked under him, arms crossed on the quilt. He reached out with his paws (and may Sonic mention that Shadow wasn’t wearing gloves?), grabbed the container full of soup and chopsticks, grabbing noodles in between the sticks and slurping them up. Shadow continued devouring the soup that Sonic made, chewing on chicken, slurping up noodles and drinking the broth. Sonic had never made food for others before, so he’s glad Shadow likes it.
“I quite liked this, what other things do you cook?” Shadow asked, his (naked!) paws wrapped around the empty container. Sonic couldn’t tear his eyes away from the other’s ebony paws, the way his red fur extended from two fingers and the way his claws, sharp and feral, tapped against the plastic.
“Well, y’know, I’ve basically perfected my chilli recipe, I make pastas, enchiladas, potato bake, I can cook anything, really.” Sonic replied, placing his chin on the bed. Shadow nodded, eyes glued to the empty container.
“How come I got sick from last night and you didn’t?” Shadow asked. After they gazed at the stars on that cliff, they fell asleep under the moon’s cool yet welcoming light. They were woken by a sudden pour of rain, and had to rush to their respected houses.
“Maybe I just ate a lot of dirt as a kid,” Sonic replied, Shadow huffing out a silent laugh.
Shadow reached to grab his tea, now at a reasonable temperature to be consumed. As he brought the teacup to his lips, he gently parted them, allowing the drink to soothe his throat. All through the motion of taking a sip, a pair of emerald eyes were glued to his paws.
“My eyes are up here,” Shadow joked.
Sonic snapped his forest green eyes away from his paws and to Shadow’s burgundy eyes that looked straight back at him with unusual fondness, a cute grin tugging on his lips.
Shadow’s smile fell as he looked away quickly.
Sonic’s fell too.
4.
Sonic grew on Shadow like he was a colony of E.coli and he was room-temperature beef. Which is objectively not good at this time of year. Dollar stores are stocking their shelves with romantic themed cards for Valentines. Chocolatiers dyed their white chocolate various shades of red, and florists were busier than ever.
And Shadow has no impulse control.
So, he purchased a bouquet of pink camellias, lily of the valleys, and daffodils to pair with a bar of chilli chocolate. Did he spend time looking up meanings of flowers to create the perfect bouquet? Yes, but who’s gonna know that. No one cares about floriography.
Rouge, as she stood on the other side of their kitchen island, looking between the bouquet – sitting in a vase of water, the chocolate, and Shadow. She knew. No matter how quickly Shadow could burn a botany book, she would always know and confront him with a knowing smirk.
“I didn’t know you were one for holidays,” She alluded. Shadow felt his face grow hot, letting out a loud irritated groan as he melted to the floor, laying in the fetal position. He covered his face with his paws, hiding the flush on his cheeks and his glazed over eyes.
Rouge walked around to the other side of the counter and crouched down to Shadow, petting his quills in infantilising taps. He split his fingers so one eye could look at her, analysing her soft yet teasing expression.
“I’ve never felt so pathetic,” He mumbled, his hands falling away from his face but his eyelids closing. Rouge’s expression dropped with her heart. She sat on the floor, guiding Shadow’s head to her lap, changing her pats to be long, smoothing the crimson quills.
“You’re not pathetic, you just haven’t been in love before.” She hums, an unusual motherly tone infecting her voice.
This reminded him of days on the Ark where the scientists had been particularly relentless, and Shadow wouldn’t dare speak. Not even to Maria. So, the girl held him through his mutism, through his suffering, running her dainty fingers through his sharp quills, never once pricking herself. Maria never thought of him as dangerous or a weapon despite Shadow’s insistence. Rouge was the same in that regard. Shadow allows himself to rest in Rouge’s lap, a soft rumble emanating from his chest as he accepts the physical affection. Her fingers thread through his red and black quills gently, realigning any out of place and plucking out crooked or bend quills. She preened until Shadow spoke up.
“I hate this feeling, make it go away.” Shadow murmurs, his eyelids receding just enough for him to look up at Rouge.
“You can’t.” She replies. “You can tell him.” Shadow’s purring stopped, eyebrows furrowing.
“Fuck. No.” He says, sitting up and feeling as Rouge’s paws fall from his fur. Rouge sighs, standing up from the floor. She can’t fix this, and she shouldn’t intervene. This was Shadow’s problem.
Shadow stayed on the cool tiles behind the kitchen island, watching his paws as they twitch with some restless energy that kept him awake at night. The same restlessness that he felt when that damn blue hedgehog crossed his mind and his infatuating eyes. Sonic was heroic, everyone knew that. But what made him heroic? Was it his self-sacrificial tendencies or his confidence against enemies? Was it the burning anger he felt when people hurt his friends or the way he protected anyone who needed it? Or maybe it’s just who he is.
Shadow felt his cheeks flush, thinking of how Sonic was the first person – mobian or human – to give him some grace and to see that he was capable of good after Maria. That was something Shadow never saw in himself, hell, he still struggles with that sometimes. But Sonic is always there to remind him.
That’s why he loves him, isn’t it? Because he’s just there.
With newfound confidence, Shadow stands up to take the chocolate and bouquet in hand. Running or taking his motorbike would ruin the perfectly organised bouquet, so Shadow would have to walk. He shoved the bar of chocolate in his now neatened quills and took the flora in both his hands, leaving the flat.
-----
A doorbell rung through the interior of a homestead, a kit fox who lived in the space getting up to answer it, putting down his welder and relocating his goggles to his forehead. He hopped off the chair in the garage, slowly pattering to the door. He grabbed on the knob and twisted it open, blue eyes widening as an unexpected visitor stood on the other side, holding a bouquet of flowers.
“Shadow?” Tails maunder. Shadow looked down, expression blank yet expecting. “Oh, Sonic, right.” Tails realised. The other nodded. The fox eyed the bouquet.
“What’s that?” Tails said suspiciously.
“Flowers,” Shadow replied simply “it’s not a romantic thing, don’t worry.” He lied. Tails turned away to fetch his brother from his room, waving his arm to let Shadow inside.
“Sonic! Get in here!” Tails yelled, paws cupped around his mouth and tails tensing. Shadow was briefly impressed by the sheer volume that came out of such a small boy. Sonic zipped into their living room, usual smirk gracing his face.
Tails simply walked away tiredly (presumably back into the garage to work on whatever invention he was welding at that time) while Sonic watched him go, rubbing a finger under his nose. Once the door slammed, Sonic looked at Shadow, then at the bouquet, then back at Shadow with… a different expression.
“I wanted to give you these.” Shadow stated, shoving the flowers into Sonic’s arms as the latter looked at them with shock. The other crossed his arms and looked away, feeling his muzzle grow warm.
“What- why?” Sonic stuttered, sheepishly looking up again.
“You saved me, you changed me for the better. I owe you many thanks.” Shadow replied as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.
Sonic’s eyes stung with tears, seeing the deeper meaning in what Shadow had said. He looked back down at the flowers so the ebony hedgehog couldn’t see his emotions spilling from his eyes. A tear splattered on a pink petal.
“What do they mean?” Sonic asked, voice shaky with adoration. Shadow looked back at him.
“Lily of the valley, the small white ones, represent purity, sincerity and happiness.” Shadow pointed at the dainty flower. “Daffodils, the yellow ones, mean hope and new beginnings.” He moved his finger towards the flower, eyes glancing up only to see Sonic’s blue fur as his eyes were glued to the bouquet. “And pink camellias express longing and admiration.” Shadow finalised, eyes looking back at the flora.
He saw Sonic’s shoulders shake, one paw letting go of the stems to cover his muzzle.
“Sonic?”
The blue hedgehog swiftly wrapped his arms around Shadow, careful not to harm the flora. A sob tore from his throat as his free paw held onto Shadow’s back like a lifeline, despite him standing as straight and awkwardly as possible. Sonic nuzzled into the crook of the other’s neck, making Shadow slowly raise his paws to gently hold him. He felt tears fall from Sonic’s eyes, wetting his black fur. After a few deep breaths, Sonic pulled away with one open paw holding his shoulder and the other (holding the bouquet) rested against his bicep.
“No one has ever…” Sonic shook his head “thank you, Shads.” He looked into deep mahogany eyes with a hopeful smile gracing his lips, Shadow staring right back into his chartreuse eyes.
Shadow turned his head to the left, feeling his muzzle grow warm once more.
5.
Rouge sat in her hired limousine, the leg that crossed over the other was bouncing softly as she gazed at the glass of champagne in her paw. She tended to go all out for her birthdays, but the dress she donned (skin tight, dark and shimmery with a seductive high slit) may have been a bit overkill. But what did Shadow know, the only thing he wore was what Rouge forced him into – a leather jacket, red choker and platform boots with straps snaking around his ankle.
They sat in front of Amy’s house, waiting for her to come out and join them, as everyone else was there. Shadow sat next to Rouge, picking at his gloves, Knuckles sat on the other side of the limousine, eyeing up the birthday girl as Sonic and Tails teased him from his left. Amy pulled open the door, her puffy blue dress blowing in the wind.
“Sorry I took so long! I was trying to do something with my hair and it just didn’t work out.” She explained sheepishly with an embarrassed giggle, pulling in the train of her skirt so she could close the door.
“It’s alright, our reservation isn’t until 7:30.” Rouge dismissed with the wave of a paw.
Amy nodded and sat next to the bat, patting down her ruffled skirt. The limousine started moving, and Shadow really started to take in everyone’s appearances. Knuckles had a white blouse straining against his muscled frame, and his gross lego shoes were replaced with a pair of converse. Tails, bless his soul, wore the aviator jacket that Sonic gifted him when he grew out of it, and matched it with short brown boots. The last person, Sonic, had his red varsity jacket and black and white Jordans. It was a fact that Sonic lived the colour red, but the way he wore Shadow’s colours was something that he couldn’t ignore.
“We’re here, edgy hedgy.” Rouge elbowed him. Shadow rolled his eyes, following everyone out of the limousine.
The restaurant was grand, from the waiters in matching formal uniforms to the red curtains. They all sat down at their reserved table, Shadow, Sonic and Tails on one side, Knuckles, Rouge and Amy on the other. Derailing into mindless chatter, Shadow sat patiently, looking down at his paws that rest on the varnished table, the fabric of his gloves suddenly becoming the most interesting thing.
Occasionally, he let his maroon eyes wander across the luxurious interiors and maybe in Rouge’s direction, but he always looked back to his paws. Their casual talk started muffling in Shadow’s ears, his mind going silent as he let Rouge enjoy her birthday without his shitty personality ruining the vibes. His eyes fell flat against his head at the thought, paws clenching into fists to match his furrowing eyebrows. His body jolted in surprise when he felt pressure on his shoulder. He snapped his head to look at Sonic defensively.
“Are you alright?” The hedgehog asks with a sympathetic, comforting beam. Shadow nodded, their moment being interrupted by a waiter requesting drinks.
The whole night he felt Sonic look at him, concern burning into his fur. He could also tell Rouge glanced in between Shadow and Sonic, trying to figure out why the blue hedgehog looked over so frequently. No one else at the table noticed Shadow’s lack of interactions and continued socialising with those who actually wanted to talk.
At some point of the night, Rouge excused herself and dragged Sonic away with a handful of quills – which he complained about with various ‘ow’s and ‘stop’s. When they returned, the hedgehog’s azure quills stood more up than usual, and the Rouge looked incredibly satisfied with whatever conversation they had.
Once their dinner had concluded, the group of mobians wait outside the restaurant for Rouge’s limousine. Rouge wrapped her arm around Knuckles’ broad shoulders drunkenly, her other holding a cigarette between her fingers. Amy stood straight, smiling gracefully as Tails excitedly explained brainwashing technology to her, his tails curling in excitement. Sonic and Shadow leaned against the concrete that contained hedges surrounding the venue, watching their friends chatter away.
Sonic glanced down at the other, taking a deep breath before talking softly.
“Are you okay?” Sonic, turns his head just a few degrees in Shadow’s direction. Shadow looked back, confused.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, you basically disassociated the entire night.” Sonic didn’t smile. His expression remained entirely neutral which unsettled the other, who simply shrugged.
“Never been big on socialising,”
Sonic looked down to where Shadow’s paw held him up against the ledge, inching his hand just a little bit closer. He looked up with his hopeful green eyes, seeing Shadow looking back towards a drunk Rouge laughing at Knuckles, who held her up. The cobalt hedgehog remembered what Rouge told him. Don’t give up on him. His eyes looked back down, pushing his paw closer to Shadow’s slowly and discretely.
He linked their pinkies, Shadow snapping his head to look down, paw still unmoving but not leaning away. Sonic continued, sneaking his cotton glove under Shadow’s leather, intertwining their fingers and it felt like nothing else was there. The only thing that mattered was Sonic and Shadow, two hedgehogs who were pitted against each other over and over, and the electric sensation that zipped through Shadow’s blood from the reassuring hold.
Sonic rested his other paw under Shadow’s tan muzzle and tearing his enchanting, red eyes away from the friction between their paws to look at him. For a moment their eyes met again, the electricity from their paws moving to the intense look in their eyes before the ebony hedgehog gave in, melting into Sonic’s paw and letting his eyes slip shut.
The soft cotton glove pulled Shadow’s relaxed face closer to the other’s muzzle, their foreheads pressed against each other. Sonic watched the other’s relaxed expression for a moment, taking in the softness that people don’t usually see in the ultimate lifeform. Their faces were so close that every exhale ruffled the other’s fur on their muzzle. Sonic couldn’t hold back anymore, and he let his eyes slip shut before pressing their mouths together in a gentle kiss.
Shadow squeezed Sonic’s paw, staying still as he allows the other to press his lips against his own. It was brief, yet it felt so pleasant. Sonic pulled away, opening his eyes, watching Shadow’s slowly flutter open as green meets red.
The limousine pulls up.
Shadow snaps away.
+1
Sonic was panicking, pacing around Tail’s workshop (the fox’s eyes were glued to his posture, baby blue eyes following in bore) with anxiety fuelling his muscles. It had been three weeks since Rouge’s birthday party and Shadow had been avoiding him like the mother fucking plague. Its not just avoiding phone calls or leaving texts on delivered, once Sonic caught Shadow in a Costco, inspecting a loaf of bread before he saw Sonic and chaos controlled away, the loaf dropping on the dirty ass tiles.
“Stop pacing, you’re leaving marks on my floor.” Tails whined with a flail of his arms. Sonic stopped and looked at the ruined floor, tar circling around the open space.
“Whoops- Sorry!” Sonic grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.
“What’s got you so riled up anyway?” The kit asks, turning back to his laptop, coding some python bullshit Sonic could never comprehend. Sonic chewed on his lip, debating if he should let his brother know his train wreck of a love life.
“I kissed Shadow at Rouge’s birthday and now he’s avoiding me.” Sonic burst.
“I saw that, I thought Shadow enjoyed it.” Tails shrugged.
“How do you know that?”
“His weird long alien tail was swishing.” Tails recreated the movement with his arm, making Sonic groan.
The hedgehog raced out of his brother’s workshop, causing a huge burst of wind to radiate through the inside of the workshop, ruffling Tail’s fur and sprawling papers everywhere. Tails sighed, smashing his head on the keyboard before removing the spam and continuing with programming.
--------
Shadow lay on the couch, cuddled up to Rouges side as her wing wraps around his shoulder, the both of them fully engaged with the movie on screen – which so happens to be Legally Blonde. They would’ve invited Omega but he might of blown up the TV as soon as he saw Elle on the screen.
Suddenly, an urgent knock echoed through Rouge and Shadow’s flat, startling the two of them out of their engagement to the film. Rouge detached herself, pausing the movie with a sigh as she went to answer the door. Shadow lay sideways on the couch and stretched out with a whine as he felt his spine crack.
He heard the door shut, figuring it was just a girl scout or something and he heard footsteps return to the living room. Return is a strong word, because Shadow knew Rouge’s footsteps and that is not what they sound like. He sat up, eyes glued to the corridor and readied an attack in case it was a threat. A blue hedgehog peeked around the corner, a blue hedgehog which he had been avoiding.
“What are you doing here.” Shadow threatened, his fur standing on end. Sonic held his paws up in mimic surrender.
“Just trying to talk!”
Shadow narrowed his eyes, bearing his fangs as his feet planted to the floor.
“I just don’t get it, why are you mad at me?” Sonic cried, arms flailing dramatically.
“You tricked me into thinking you- argh!” Shadow pushed his palms into his eyes.
“I didn’t trick you, I am like really into you!”
Shadow’s shoulders dropped and his paws detached from his face as he slowly looked up.
“But you flirted with Amy right after?” Shadow whispered with vulnerability in his tone.
“That’s just our friendship, we were joking.”
“Fuck me, I'm so sorry.”
Shadow’s posture dropped allowing his body to ragdoll just a bit. Sonic rushed over and enveloped the other in a hug, burrowing his muzzle in red quills and inhaling deeply to smell the lavender that followed Shadow wherever he went. He gently patted Shadow’s back as the latter brought his own to gently hold the blue fur he had grown to adore.
They hugged like that for a while, Shadow resting his face against Sonic’s collarbone while the latter nuzzles into familiar quills. Just like on Rouge’s birthday party, the connection was electric and filled both their bodies with a comforting warmth. Each exhale ruffled fur, each pat soothed emotions and each second was held on to like time was slipping through their fingers and all they could do was watch.
Slowly, Shadow tore himself from Sonic’s embrace and moved a paw to cup his peach muzzle, allowing himself to indulge in those beautiful green windows he catches himself staring into with a soft smile. Something about those irises that seem to swirl with various limes, cadmium, parakeet, and emerald that shines with the hope in his soul that’s just as beautiful – if not, more – than his eyes.
“What are you looking at?” Sonic asked nervously, bringing a paw to hold the wrist of the paw that cupped his muzzle.
“Your eyes.” Shadow replied simply, before leaning in to kiss the other once more, craving the electricity he felt three weeks ago. Sonic kissed back, the two of them falling into a push and pull that made Shadow wrap his arms over the other’s shoulders, forcing him to stay close. Their lips parted for a breath, the ebony hedgehog taking the opportunity to look into green eyes once more, now glazed with love, pupils unfocused.
“Too autistic for this shit,” Shadow mumbled, pulling himself closer to the other. Sonic laughed softly, bringing his paws to thread through Shadow’s dark quills.
Across the hallway, the shutter of a polaroid camera fell on deaf ears, the bat smirking as she shakes the print.