Chapter Text
A pansy, deep black and with petals standing so tall they were almost curling, sat in a clear vase on Shadow's windowsill. As the morning light filled the room, it shined on its petals and the pansy, in return, shined on the room. Shadow watered it in the morning, in little time, and ignored it for the rest of the day.
He remembered the day Sonic knocked at his door and offered it to him, saying he was bringing it on a friend's behalf. He told him to take care of it, and Shadow couldn't say no. Something in him yelled at him not to. That same thing told him it was special, or important. It clearly wasn't his left brain.
He'd gaze upon it once and never look at it again. He noticed it had maroon edges only the fourteenth day in. Sonic had told him it reminded him of Shadow, but he didn't think it extended this far. He'd never been compared to a flower before, much less a pansy. He didn't consider himself feminine, so he supposed it made sense. He told himself not to think much of it.
This day was no different from the days before. He turned his calender to June, and marked another day taking care of that flower. He wondered when Sonic would take it back, when the flower would fade away. It could've been that day for all he knew.
His phone dinged. Looking at it, he saw it was a message from Sonic.
"hey shads!"
And his phone dinged with many more, because the hedgehog couldn't seem to put all of his sentence in one message.
"wanna race?"
"gonna be at the loop-de-loop on that one hilltop again btw"
"same way as last time"
"from the loop-de-loop to that big oak tree"
"and back"
"shads?"
"RESPONDDD"
"are you asleep?"
"WAKE UP"
Shadow huffed and typed out a quick response. He didn't need Sonic getting any more impatient.
"I'll be there in ten."
And he put his phone on silent. He hated that hedgehog. The hero somehow always managed to annoy him. Everything about him made his stomach churn and his face redden. The latter was mistaken for fluster sometimes, but Shadow knew he'd never get so worked up over any hedgehog, much less Sonic.
He tossed the phone onto his bed and padded to the bathroom to do his skincare routine. He locked the door and turned on the sink. After removing his gloves, the hybrid began washing his face. It was an important part to any routine, he'd told himself a thousand times before. It had nothing to do with wanting to look nice. Healthy skin was crucial to a healthy life.
He'd find himself vain if he only took care of himself to take pride in his looks, or to get attention from other men. Men? No, people. He could've sworn he meant people. Just people in general, no one in specific, and no gender in specific. Not that he'd ever like a man. It was completely fine, but he wouldn't be interested. Not in their looks, their charming wit, their speed, their blue fur, his softness, his warmth, his-
"Shit!" Shadow hissed. He got soap in his eye.
After thoroughly drying his face off with a towel, he went back to his bedroom. He picked up his phone and checked the time. He had two minutes to be there.
He dashed out of the door and managed to get to the loop-de-loop right as Sonic ran to it. Their paths crossed, making them bump into each other and fall over.
"Hey, Shads," Sonic chuckled. "Really eager to race today, huh?" He got up and dusted himself off. Blades of grass fell out of his royal blue fur. "You didn't even teleport! You forget to grab a chaos emerald or something?" he asked.
Shadow almost didn't notice his outstretched hand. He grabbed it and let Sonic help him up. The hybrid dusted himself off just like the hedgehog did. He swore to himself that his imitation was more mockery than flattery.
"Shadow?" Sonic repeated. And Shadow realized he hadn't yet spoken. "You're an idiot," he deadpanned. "I just wanted to warm up first. It has nothing to do with you." He stepped to the side, just a bit farther from Sonic. The hero laughed.
"Alright, I'm not pushing it," he said. He put one leg in front of the other. "You ready?" he asked.
Shadow nodded, and Sonic sped off. Shadow quickly caught up to him. "Asshole!" he spat, earning him a laugh from his blue counterpart. "How?" he asked. His legs pounded off the ground in tune with Shadow's. "You took off without me!" he shouted. He hated how he sounded, and clearly Sonic knew that.
"Aww did you miss me for that one second you couldn't see me?" he sneered. "Want me to wait next time? Maybe hold your hand so you won't get lost?" He punctuated each mocking question with a snort or a giggle.
Shadow wanted to punch him, but he couldn't. For the integrity of the race, of course, he wouldn't. Maybe he'd punch him after. "No! I just don't like an unfair race! You can't just run off!"
"Hey, you said you were ready! Can't blame me for listening to you," he teased. Shadow couldn't help hating him, couldn't help hating the way his quills blew in the wind, the way his eyes shimmered as he teased him. He respected him, yes, since he was strong and skilled and maybe just mildly attractive, but he couldn't help loathing his attitude. His cockiness was infuriating, like he was too good for him.
Like he was out of his league.
Shadow realized he had yet to respond. That's another thing he hated about the hedgehog: how he made him get lost in his own thoughts. "Stop twisting my words," he snapped.
"First!" Sonic cheered. He had beat Shadow just how he beat him in any other race. He'd distract him, with mockery and teasing. Shadow halted to a stop as soon as he hit the loop-de-loop. "You need to talk less," he huffed.
Sonic shrugged. "Maybe you should talk more. That's how I won," he argued. Shadow only huffed and walked away. "Same time tomorrow?" Sonic asked him.
The hybrid grumbled and nodded. He dashed back to his apartment. Feeling satisfied with his morning, he made himself lunch. Or would it be breakfast? He didn't remember eating that morning. Maybe he was eager to race Sonic.
He poured some water into a cup of ramen and popped it in the microwave. Once the minute was up, he took it out and immediately began eating it. He made his way to his room, sat on his bed, and looked at the pansy Sonic asked him to take care of.
It only made him think of Sonic, his cobalt fur, his stupid smirk, his lips, his touch, and his teasing. He didn't even end up punching him like he wanted to.
Did he want to?
He supposed not. Sonic wasn't too annoying. Sometimes, he considered his existance pleasant. He'd be willing to spar, though. What happened to him? When he first met Sonic he had no issue with destroying his whole life, but now he was too soft to even hit him.
Maybe he was more like a pansy than he thought.