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Shadow wouldn’t say he prefers the cold over the heat, but he has often found himself enjoying cooler weather over being miserably hot and sweaty. It’s easier to put more layers on to stay warm, rather than laying around in the heat devising different ways he could peel all of his skin and fur off just to have a half a degree less of heat against his body.
Now, obviously, his inclination to the cold has its limits. One of those is Sonic the Hedgehog shoving fucking snow down the back of his jacket.
He whirls around with a snarl on his face, a fist ready to swing, hopefully he breaks Sonic’s nose—
An explosion of snow bursts in his face, right against his muzzle as the snowball launched at him bursts into soft powder. Across the field, a certain dead man walking tips his head back and cackles triumphantly into the cold air, already forming another snowball in his hands.
Shadow glares, watching Sonic’s last breaths of air puff into the chilly air before he launches himself at the other hedgehog.
“Hey, hey, hey, be nice –!”
Sonic giggles as he leaps out of the way, the powdery snow under their feet crunching. Shadow lashes for him with his claws bared, hoping to stain the white field red. He’s fucking staring right at Sonic, so he doesn’t understand how he misses the next snowball launched at him, but that too softly explodes in his face.
Shadow shakes his head with another growl, snow kicking up behind him when he runs after Sonic again. This time he’s fast enough, though only by the graces of Sonic laughing at him too hard to actually be quick to react. Sonic, between breathless laughter, finally looks at Shadow with pleading green eyes and frantic hands protecting his face.
He still sputters when Shadow takes two fistfuls of snow from either side and mashes them into Sonic’s face. Shadow doesn’t stop, piles it on as Sonic shakes his head and cries for mercy. Shadow even goes as far as he yanks Sonic upright by his stupidly adorable red puffer jacket, the zipper under his chin sliding down from the sheer force of Shadow’s yank on one side.
It opens it up enough for Shadow to shove another handful of snow in there, right against Sonic’s warmed chest. His rival screeches under him and kicks his feet frantically.
“GAH–!! Cold!!”
“See how you like it,” Shadow makes to grab another fistful of snow, but the world tilts quickly.
He hits the ground shoulder first, grunting and throwing an elbow when Sonic scrambles on top of him. Sonic’s blue fur is all wild, quills flared, snowflakes dusting him from Shadow’s previous onslaught.
The sky behind him is just as bright blue as his mussed fur and the snowflakes continue to fall in a lazy curtain of fat, fluffy blobs. The field they are in is still well covered in snow that despite both of their running and clawing at it, there aren't any patches of grass poking through. A nice blanket of white that also frosts the pine trees encircling the field.
When they had gotten here initially, both zipping through the treeline before coming to a stop in awe at the picturesque beauty, it had been suffocatingly silent. Tranquil. The snow blanketed everything into a hush that made it feel as if the air itself was holding its breath.
That is until Sonic had excitedly bounded his way around the perimeter of the treeline, kicking up the snow as he went. Shadow had stood there for a moment, arms crossed and nose tucked into his scarf to hide his small smile, fondly watching Sonic frolic in the cold like a newborn deer.
Nothing could ever be peaceful and romantic with Sonic, Shadow dramatically laments. He had fallen into the trap of Sonic laying out in the middle of the field in a fit of happy giggles, calling him over to make snow angels together.
It’s when he had finally come close, judging the Sonic-sized hole left behind as the blue hedgehog stood up, that his trust had been broken. Sonic shook the snow off his back with a shake, and then mischievously side eyed Shadow.
That is when he had been too slow to catch Sonic trailing behind him with a fist full of the cold wet snow, ready to shove it down his jacket and start this whole mess.
Shadow will end it. End this . End Sonic the Hedgehog for his insolence.
Sonic yanks him around into the snow again, and the roll over to the other side in a mess of limbs, powdery snow flying everywhere, and Sonic’s laughter still bursting in his ears. Shadow bucks his hips, a little more force than necessary, and sends Sonic over his head, facefirst into the powder.
“Okay–” Sonic rolls up on his knees, a hand up in surrender as he tries to shake the snow off his face.
Shadow waits until he opens his eyes and turns his head towards him to launch the snowball in his hands. It lands solidly right in the center of Sonic’s face, and he goes toppling over with a yelp. Shadow launches another snowball at him, nailing him in the back of the head. He does it again and again –
“ACK– it’s in my ear !! Dude! Okay–! Okay, Shadow ! I give!”
Shadow stands over him, panting, another snowball in his fist. Sonic stays curled under him in the snow, sputtering and shaking the snow off his head, out of his eyes, off his face. His blue ears flick frantically atop his head, and Shadow considers pelting him with another snowball into one of them.
“Jerk,” he catches Sonic mumble under his breath. Shadow growls, snow crunching underfoot when he comes closer, raising the snowball still in his hand. Sonic’s foot suddenly kicks out, hooking him at the ankles, and Shadow yelps as he goes buttfirst into the snow.
“I wasn’t even throwing my snowballs at you that hard!” Sonic clambers on top of him so he can grab Shadow’s wrists.
“I didn’t take up your offer to go run so you could throw snow at me,” Shadow huffs, their legs tangle as he continues to struggle, fighting against Sonic’s hold.
“I was just playing ,” Sonic pouts, and then squeaks when Shadow shoves him over into the snow again.
The chill of the snow under his knees and all over his body is enough to keep him from overheating, much thanks as well to the snow Sonic had put into his jacket and thrown all over him. He’s hopeful that his rival is just as damp and cold as he is by now.
“Enough enough enough! I’m done, I’m sorry!” Sonic whines at him, arms protectively held in front of his face.
Shadow sits on Sonic’s hips, using his weight to hold him down, despite Sonic’s initial squirming. They stare at each other in silence before reaching a wordless truce.
Sonic the Hedgehog lives another day by Shadow’s graceful mercy.
Except, being grateful that Shadow isn’t burying him in the snow isn’t what Sonic is showing him. He’s got those stupid green puppy eyes fixed up at him when he realizes Shadow isn’t about to wreck his shit with another ball of snow.
“What?” He huffs.
“Some of those really hurt,” Sonic pouts, rubbing at his nose briefly. Shadow catches him at the wrist, gently tugging his hand away from his face so he can look closer.
“You’re not even bleeding,” he clicks his tongue. Shame.
“It still hurt !”
“Quit whining,” Shadow leans in anyway, knowing that Sonic won’t leave it alone until he makes it up to him. Even though Sonic started it .
He presses a kiss against the side of Sonic’s muzzle, fighting a smile when he feels the chill of Sonic’s fur on his lips, and gives one more kiss to the top of one of his eyebrows.
“There. Better?”
Sonic huffs, mouth working silently before he drops both arms spread out in the snow. He tips his head up again, dropped back on the ground. He puckers his lips at Shadow, staring.
“Didn’t hit you there,” Shadow says matter-of-factly.
And yet, unable to resist, always an inevitable with Sonic, he leans in to kiss him anyway, a short, soft peck.
Sonic smiles, a content hum in his throat when he closes his eyes and relaxes, “yeah. Better, now. Thanks.”
Shadow rolls his eyes. He makes to stand up, adjusting on his knees, about to get off Sonic, when the blue hedgehog grabs him against the side of his jacket.
“Wait, you gotta make a snowman with me.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Shadow grumbles, yet halfway considers it in the back of his head.
“It’s either a snowman or you lay here and make a snow angel next to mine. Cmoooon.”
Rolling his eyes again, Shadow resigns himself to his fate, and flops over sideways into the snow. Sonic watches him in shock. Heh, idiot, bet he thought Shadow would chose the snowman.
Shadow looks at their snow angels side by side, and thinks his looks much more neat. Still, Sonic is more than happy with that, and carefully steps close to them, squatting in the snow, tail waggling behind himself, and pressing a careful heart above the snow angel's heads.
Sonic stops back once he’s done, smiling at Shadow, obviously proud of himself, as he gives the darker hedgehog a nudge with his shoulder, “heh?”
Shadow shakes his head, catching Sonic’s hand in his, “cute.”