Chapter Text
Shadow was seriously thinking about getting some frames. To frame the picture he’d taken of Sonic in the meadow. The one he’d taken with Rouge and Omega at the apartment on his birthday. And the one he found himself looking at a lot recently, from two days ago. From his first ever date. The one he was currently enraptured with once again.
The lighting was awful. Shadow looked fine in the orange glow – the red in his fur seemed to pop more under it – but Sonic’s fur had come out more of a brown shade. It wasn’t the prettiest, not next to the usually vibrant blue of his pelt. But Shadow loved this picture. He’d pulled Sonic closer using his hand; he could still see their hands in frame, clasped in front of Shadow’s chest. The dark hedgehog was looking at the camera with a soft smile. But it was Sonic that Shadow’s eyes were on right now. His head was turned to Shadow, half surprised and half… something else. His mouth hung open slightly, one ear flicked back. Sonic was bewildered. But, underneath that, Shadow could not figure out what that warmer glint in his emerald eyes was.
It was like he’d been surprised by the presence of the camera, had turned to say something to Shadow and just… paused.
It wasn’t as beautifully candid as the first one. But there was something about the look on Sonic’s face that Shadow was drawn to. He decided he quite liked these little snapshots of Sonic when he wasn’t expecting them, though he would like a few more purposeful ones eventually. Shadow might have been getting a tad obsessed with taking pictures as of late. But Sonic was right – he did often worry about losing his memories again. And if there was a chance of preserving the people he knew, the moments he shared with them, then he’d take it. It hadn’t occurred to him to get a camera before but now he was sincerely glad Sonic had gifted it to him. He’d cherish it forever. Along with all the memories he planned on keeping safe with it.
Like his time with Sonic.
It would be a lie to say their first date had gone smoothly. There had been a few hiccups for sure. But that didn’t make it bad, not by any means. Shadow had enjoyed the mostly quiet night. Had loved hearing Sonic talk about the sky, loved even more learning where the Ark was in it. And to know that Sonic had liked him for so long… It made Shadow feel all warm and bubbly. But also terribly sad. Sad that Sonic had kept it to himself. Sad that he hadn’t known sooner. Sad that he just knew Sonic had agonised over it for years, grappling with the idea that Shadow hated him.
Rouge kept making fun of Shadow for being a lovesick fool. He had never acted like this before, had never felt this strongly for anyone. The mockery was a little frustrating. She’d never get to see these pictures, it would be too much; they were for Shadow’s eyes only. But he knew Rouge was oddly proud of him too, she just tended to hide a lot of those more touchy-feely emotions behind light teasing. Sometimes she brought attention to it, in rare moments of sincerity. Like when they were setting up the clearing together.
She’d been up in the boughs, stringing the lights around the trees when she suddenly paused.
“You’ve grown so much, Shadow,” she’d said. “I’m glad you’re not afraid of letting people in anymore.”
It had hit him deep. And he realised Rouge was right. He hadn’t thought once about how devastating getting close to Sonic would be. Because it wasn’t scary. Not anymore. With Sonic, something just seemed to click for him. It didn’t quite seem to go both ways but maybe Shadow simply didn’t have time to be nervous with Sonic’s worry at the forefront.
Not that he was ridiculing the poor hedgehog for being so anxious. In fact, it helped Shadow slip into a more supportive role. He didn’t even think about his own fears around Sonic. Not because he was ignoring them but because they really just weren’t prominent. Shadow liked it. Now that he knew Sonic had liked him since the Ark, there wasn’t really any need to worry about the hedgehog changing his mind or anything like that. And the hero was strong – though perhaps not so much emotionally – so Shadow wasn’t too worried about losing him.
Not… not yet.
The whole immortality thing terrified him, genuinely. The certainty that everyone around him would one day be gone, that he’d still be here on this planet at the end of it all. Alone. With only memories to keep him company.
But that was just it. What if those memories faded over time? What if he lost his memory again and no one was around to help him get it back, to remind him? That’s why the pictures were so important. To keep a record of it all. So that one day, in the future, he could look back upon them. The only issue was he had no idea how to get pictures of everyone he knew subtly without drawing attention to himself. He wanted to remember them all, forever. He had to. The rabbits’ were next on his list but at least they’d be easy. And he’d have to make copies of everything, in case anything happened. Hard copies, flash drives, store them in the Chaos damn cloud. Shadow couldn’t lose them.
He couldn’t lose Rouge. He couldn’t lose Cream and Vanilla. He couldn’t lose-
He took a deep breath, pushing the thought away. Rouge said he had to address these fears at some point. That it might help. But Shadow was content ignoring this particular issue for the time being. He knew that was bad. Really bad. He’d handle it eventually, he would, just…
Not now.
Shadow turned his attention back to the photo. He suddenly wanted to see Sonic – no, needed to. Just to get his mind off some things. Shadow hadn’t seen him since their date. They’d never set up another or even talked about if they were officially dating now. Shadow thought it was pretty obvious that they were but… who knew where Sonic’s head was. It might be nice to have a talk, clear that up, maybe even organise their next date or some time to hang out. And Shadow could get his much needed distraction. A few minutes was all he needed.
So he scrolled through his contacts for Sonic’s number. When he found it, he remembered to favourite it, so it would appear at the top with Rouge’s. Then he hit call. It rang for a while before timing out. Shadow frowned. Was he busy? Maybe he was fighting Eggman and couldn’t answer. That was extremely likely with Sonic’s lifestyle. He tried again ten minutes later. Still nothing. Shadow knew it was silly to worry about Sonic’s safety but he was in a vulnerable state after letting his mind wander to darker things. So, to ease his mind, Shadow decided to stop by the house and ask Sonic’s brother if he’d seen the hero. For all he knew, Sonic was there anyway.
All the way to the quaint little abode the brothers shared, Shadow’s mind supplied him with the worst chase scenario, something he’d thought he was starting to grow out of by this point. Over and over, it presented him with images of Sonic lying somewhere, bloodied and alone. Afraid. Whether or not he was dying didn’t matter to Shadow, it was the idea of him being hurt at all that tore the dark hedgehog apart. He took deep breaths, telling himself that if something had truly happened, he’d know by now.
But… maybe he wouldn’t.
Did Tails know there was something between them yet? If he didn’t, that would leave Rouge and Omega as the only ones who were aware. And neither of them would be close enough to the hero to learn of something like that so fast. But then, there was the news. Why had he not thought to check the news before he left? That could have easily given him with an answer for the Eggman possibility. And if anyone had witnessed something happening to Sonic, it would have spread like a disease across every known platform for news. He’d know. If he’d checked any of that.
No. No, Sonic had to be ok. He wasn’t made of glass. Sonic was strong-willed and stubborn. He wouldn’t go down so easily. Right? Maybe it was just the new view of the hedgehog that Shadow had that was skewing his perception of him. What ever anxiety Sonic displayed around him was not present when he was fighting Eggman. It was different. He wouldn’t crumble under that particular pressure.
Growling to himself, Shadow shook his head. He took a page from Sonic’s book and lifted his eyes to the sky for a beat. The same thing he’d done on his birthday too, he now realised – maybe he quite liked the sky himself. Wide, clear and blue. Maria’s favourite colour. Sonic’s fur. There were a few clouds about today, a very slight grey tint to them, but nothing too substantial. It didn’t look like it would rain.
Calm.
As expected, when he got to the house, Miles was in the garage. Shadow rapped his knuckles on a worksurface near the garage door to alert the fox, hoping not to startle him this time. Miles still flinched. At least he wasn’t under the tornado this time. The kid spun his chair around, eyes wide. He let out a breath when he saw it was just Shadow. On second thought, maybe he should have just announced himself properly; his voice would have given away who he was. And that may have still been startling to the fox but at least he’d have known.
“Oh, hi Shadow,” Miles said. “Can I help you?”
“You wouldn’t happen to know where your brother is, by any chance?”
Miles hummed. He was thinking about something. Absently, the fox fiddled with the screwdriver in his hand, twirling it and rolling it between his fingers. Shadow watched the movement, mildly entranced for a moment. The way Miles’ fingers moved was so fluid. The dexterity of a mobian used to working with fiddly wiring. Despite not doing anything at the moment, it was still rather impressive to Shadow. Miles really was something else. And so young too.
Gerald would have loved him…
Stop. Focus on the present. The here and now. If he got wrapped up in that, he’d truly spiral beyond the point of return.
“I might,” the fox muttered. “Could we talk first?”
Shadow blinked. There was something serious about Miles’ tone. Immediately, he sensed that this was going to be important. Shadow wasn’t sure what to think of it. But if the fox wanted to talk he supposed he had the time; he wasn’t in a rush or anything. Not really. This might even be distraction enough until he found Sonic. Miles looked alright, so Sonic was more than likely perfectly fine. The kid wasn’t worried about his brother.
“Sure.”
Miles straightened in his swivel chair, tails twitching at the ends. When he looked up to meet Shadow’s gaze, those blue eyes had frozen over. Black ears flicked uncomfortably. He wasn’t used to seeing such a sharp look on the kit’s face. It was so strange but oddly menacing on the usually pleasant fox. He hated to admit that it set him on edge a little bit. What exactly was this talk about? And why did Shadow suddenly regret agreeing to this?
Dread crept up in his chest. It startled him a little. Perhaps his subconscious hadn’t quite moved on from… darker subjects yet. He was not really in the headspace for what ever this would be, clearly.
“I like you, Shadow,” Miles started. “I do. You’re very smart, you’ve helped us save the planet countless times, and I know you care about everyone in your own way.”
A lot of compliments. Instead of being relieving, they just made him grit his teeth instead. Where exactly was this going? Shadow knew a “but” was coming, he just didn’t know what it would be. The uncertainty was difficult to handle right now.
“But if you ever, ever hurt my brother…”
The screwdriver stilled in the fox’s hands. Shadow saw his grip tighten. So that’s what this was about. Miles did know. Still, Shadow could not settle. It was that unfamiliar, severe edge that kept his guard up.
“I will make your life hell,” Miles said lowly. “You understand? I have access to a lot of things, a lot of classified information that G.U.N. doesn’t know I have. Inhibiting technology. Stasis chambers. Scans of Professor Gerald Robotnik’s restored journal pages. Your genetic makeup. And I will not hesitate to make you suffer.”
Shadow stared at the fox kit, a little mortified. Miles could apparently be scary when he wanted to be. And protecting his brother was definitely good enough motive. Shadow believed the kid’s words wholeheartedly. The look in his eyes was enough but the tone certainly helped. While Shadow could easily take the kid in a fight, he knew he wouldn’t be able to actually hurt him, not really. But Miles could certainly find ways to hurt him, of that he was certain. Psychologically more so than physically maybe but, right this second, Shadow would believe Miles fully capable. Sitting before him was not the kid-genius he’d come to know.
No. This was the reserved, protective fury of a brother.
“Sonic is my world,” Miles continued. “He’s amazing. But he’s not the most emotionally available at the best of times. You break his heart, you break him. And I won’t ever forgive you if that happens. You keep him happy or else, Shadow the Hedgehog.”
Shadow dipped his head. Suddenly, the screwdriver in Miles’ gloved hands felt way more threatening somehow. The stillness was worse than the fiddling. He didn’t believe himself to be in genuine danger. And getting the tool from the fox would be simple. But it was a flathead and it looked rather sharp; Shadow sort of wished he’d put it down. Without moving his eyes too obviously, Shadow scanned the desk behind the kid for other tools. A soldering iron and a drill. On the table beside the fox, there was a saw, it’s jagged teeth flashing. Hanging to Shadow’s left was a wall of many sharp implements, all of which could probably do some serious harm. And that wasn’t even counting the innumerable actual weapons the fox had either made or was working on in this workshop.
Figuratively – and perhaps not so figuratively – he was standing in a minefield.
He also took note of Miles’ words. So Sonic had problems with his emotions? He’d keep that in mind. What exactly did Miles mean by that though? Some clarification might be in order – later though. The current subjected needed his attention first. Soothe the fox, get answers after.
“With that said… what exactly are your intentions with my brother?”
“To be perfectly truthful, I wasn’t quite sure at first,” Shadow said slowly.
He was hoping honesty would be his ally here. He wasn’t good at navigating these sorts of conversations. But he’d been getting much better at talking to others with Rouge’s help. She wasn’t here to guide him this time unfortunately. Though his brief experience with Sonic had proved to be wonderful practice. It just felt so effortless with the hedgehog though. This, not so much.
“But my intentions were never malicious,” he told the fox, picking his words very carefully. “I don’t really know Sonic that well, so I was simply curious. But after our date a few days ago, I can assure you that the feeling is mutual and I do not intend to hurt him going forward.”
“You promise?”
“I promise, Miles,” Shadow said. “And I keep my promises.”
Miles finally set down the tool. Shadow let out a slow breath through his nose, an odd relief filling him. The fox’s features smoothed out so quickly, as though nothing had happened. Ears upright, namesakes swishing loosely, far less tense, Miles looked exactly how he had before. He gave Shadow a little smile. The atmosphere in the room shifted. Lightened.
And it threw Shadow for a loop.
“I’m assuming you already tried calling Sonic?” Miles asked, though it didn’t really sound like a question. “He keeps his communicator on silent when he’s taking a nap; you’ll only reach him through the emergency line. But I don’t recommend disturbing him like that if it’s not important.”
The mental whiplash was insane. Shadow was still trying to process the threat. Now Miles was answering his original question, completely ignoring the lecture he’d just given Shadow. Again, he tried to keep track of the things he was learning about Sonic though. He kept his communicator on silent. That made sense. And Sonic took frequent naps; that hadn’t occurred to his racing mind earlier. It felt ridiculous not to have considered that as an option. He’d already known that, for Chaos sake. But no use dwelling on that now. Of course Sonic was just sleeping out there somewhere. Probably in his meadow or something, as strange as that still was. Maybe he should have swung by there first.
“If you want to go see him, last I checked he was near Station Square. But he usually won’t nap in the city, so check around the forest. I’d approach slow. If he doesn’t react to your presence – or worse, if he does but turns away – I’d keep your distance.”
Shadow quirked a brow. Was Miles seriously advising he creep up on Sonic like a wild animal? He supposed, in many ways, that was fairly true. But did he really startle like one? Or did Miles have another reason? Maybe it was to avoid waking Sonic up. But then, Shadow was sure he’d been quiet in the meadow on his birthday too. Sonic had known he was there then. He might have just been about to wake anyway though. Either way, Shadow suspected he was a light sleeper.
But, wait, hadn’t Miles just said if he didn’t react to his presence to keep his distance? So was the goal to wake him? Again, that didn’t make sense with the whole approach slow thing.
“May I ask why?” Shadow asked.
“To be honest, it’s just good practice when Sonic’s sleeping,” Miles told him. “Sometimes, he just likes being alone. That doesn’t mean you always have to leave necessarily though.”
Ok, now Shadow was just getting confused.
“I’m sorry?”
Miles shook his head. His brow was furrowed. Even he didn’t look so sure.
“I know, it’s confusing,” the fox said. “Trying to read Sonic can be like watching static sometimes. I’ve gotten pretty good over the years but it’s not easy.”
He fox ran him through some tips to handle Sonic when he was sleeping. Shadow had gotten none of this last time. The dark hedgehog supposed that now he was getting closer to Sonic, Miles thought it was safe to let him in on this more personal information. This stuff sounded essential to avoid upsetting Sonic. Shadow appreciated it. It was all beneficial to keep in mind. The fox told Shadow if he wasn’t sure, the safest thing to do was stay out of his personal space. Sonic didn’t always mind company, as long as that company was quiet and non-intrusive. He didn’t always like to acknowledge an intruder. Not until he was ready.
Just anyone walking up to speak with him was different than how someone closer to Sonic had to act, for some reason. Knuckles knew this stuff and so did the rabbits. But apparently, this information was not shared among all of Sonic’s friends. Shadow asked why. Miles told him that most of their friends were probably not seeking him out for much on a daily basis. And if they were, they probably wouldn’t know where to look to begin with.
So there were friends and then there were those that were closer. And for what ever reason, Sonic treated both scenarios differently. He’d act fine if someone disturbed him but that didn’t always mean he was fine. If his family – side note: Sonic considered the echidna family – or the rabbits – Miles gave no explanation on them – bothered him however, they should know better. Because they’d learnt the complexities of Sonic. They were also more likely to be there to hang out or just talk, not looking for anything more, so they would be more patient. No emergencies.
It didn’t make sense, Miles admitted as much. A double standard. But that was just the way Sonic was. So Shadow had to learn this stuff too.
When Shadow asked how Sonic would even know he was there if he trod lightly. Miles assured him that he wouldn’t catch Sonic by surprise. Apparently, when Sonic was napping, he wasn’t really asleep. He kept a lot of awareness, much like a cat did. So Shadow hadn’t had a chance at sneaking up on him last time. Somehow, Sonic always seemed to know what was going on around him. Miles even told him, rather hesitantly, that he was like that when he was sleeping too. Sonic was an exceptionally light sleeper. Unless he was exhausted, sick or had passed out, Sonic was always aware. It made Shadow wonder how much rest the hedgehog actually managed to get like that.
It also made him wonder why Miles had not wanted to tell him that at first.
Armed with this new information, Shadow thanked the kit and was on his way. It was time to do what he had originally intended to do: find Sonic. But keeping in mind that Miles was a good resource for anything and everything Sonic related was valuable. Calling him might not be a great go-to if the hedgehog had his communicator on silent a lot. So learning some of his favourite spots was a good idea. Problem was, even Miles didn’t always know exactly where he was.
But Shadow had a starting point for now.
The forest by Station Square was large but not like the one outside of Central City where Shadow lived. It might take a while to search; he was in no rush right now though. A good walk around would clear his mind anyway. And help him process Miles’ threat. It had come out of nowhere and Shadow had been taken off guard. The kid was obviously concerned about his brother’s wellbeing. Considering how Sonic was around him when Shadow returned his feelings, he couldn’t imagine what he’d be like if he’d rejected the hero right off the bat. And if they actually got close before he broke up with him…
Miles was right, it would probably destroy the hedgehog.
And he wasn’t sure how to take Miles’ threat itself. The fox claimed to know a lot of sensitive information and obviously had some serious plans in mind. The inhibiting technology he was talking about might have been his limiters. But it might also include the inhibiting chamber G.U.N. was working on to contain him if a… “situation” arose. They thought he didn’t know. He did. And now Miles knew that information too. It made Shadow uncomfortable. On the other hand, it showed the lengths Miles was willing to go to protect his brother. Shadow was sure the kid wouldn’t do anything with that information unless Shadow seriously fucked up though. It was just concerning.
Flickies sang in the boughs as Shadow strolled through the shaded forest. He was keeping an eye out but so far no luck. Sonic should stand out with that fur, at least that’s what Shadow had assumed. Maybe he just wasn’t here and he’d gone further out. But he hadn’t combed the entire forest yet, so he might as well keep going.
He’d been looking for twenty minutes before he began to lose hope in the area. Sonic had to be elsewhere.
With a sigh, Shadow looked towards the sky through the trees. Then he froze. Up ahead, resting in the crook of a tree branch, was Sonic. Shadow hadn’t even thought to look up the entire time. At least now he knew for next time. So it wasn’t just the dirty floor Sonic liked. He could also sleep on the rough bark of a tree. Rather, Shadow supposed he wasn’t sleeping. Apparently.
How the hell did he not end up falling from there though? Right. Not asleep. Just resting. That was still hard to comprehend. And Shadow himself didn’t even sleep all the time either. But when he went to sleep, he did fall unconscious. Completely. Dead to the word.
Sonic was still far enough away that Shadow thought he might as well start trying out his new techniques. Approach slow, presumably to give Sonic the time to decide how he would react. Because that could vary, according to Miles. It was up in the air if they were technically close enough for this stuff to matter but if Shadow started the habit now then he could get used to this weird caution. So he made sure to tread slow and deliberately. He took in Sonic’s position as he got closer.
The blue hedgehog was lying on his front, stretched along the branch like a wildcat. His head was turned towards Shadow, nose buried in the crook of his arm. His other hand hung down freely on the opposite side of the branch. As he was watching closely, Shadow saw an extremely subtle twitch in his ear just before a more obvious one. Had he done that in the meadow? If so, Shadow had certainly missed it then. Maybe that was his first sign: the pronounced acknowledgement. Then one emerald eye cracked open slightly. Shadow stopped while he waited for Sonic’s reaction. That eye scanned him momentarily. Finally, Sonic pushed himself up using his arms, pausing to stretch, once more like a feline, and then sat up on the branch, one leg dangling down.
“Hi Shads,” Sonic mumbled, rubbing one of his eyes.
Immediately, there was something off in his voice. Crackly and quiet. A bit like how his voice had been back in the meadow after…
After he’d been crying.
Shadow narrowed his eyes. It was subtle but… was Sonic upset? Or was he just tired? It was hard to tell. And he couldn't see any redness in his eyes from here. So when he wasn’t all panicky, how he was feeling was more subtle. Interesting. How many times had Sonic been upset in the past that he just hadn’t picked up on? And the only reason he’d even guessed it to begin with was that tiny little waver in his speech. Sonic was way easier to read when he was overwhelmed. Shadow was just glad to know he didn’t feel like that right now. The stress of a pre-planned date must have been a lot if he seemed mostly fine now. But the question was how did he feel at the moment?
Shadow returned the greeting as Sonic swung down from the branch. Now more monkey than cat this time. Maybe the wild animal allusions weren’t so outlandish. When the hero next spoke, the crackle had left his voice. Shadow didn’t rule out there being an actual issue underneath that steady calm though.
“How are you?” Sonic asked.
“I’m fine,” Shadow said. “I was coming to see if you were busy but clearly you’re not.”
Sonic chuckled. His light teasing seemed to go over well. The blue hedgehog didn’t look completely relaxed, shoulders slightly hunched and quills in that mid-raised range. Shadow didn’t think he’d ever seen Sonic’s quills lowered. Then again, he’d really only been around Sonic during battle, when they were racing, and one date where he’d been riddled with anxiety the whole time. So he didn’t have the widest scope of interactions with the hero.
He was sure he’d see it sometime.
“You alright?” Shadow asked.
He hoped Sonic didn’t pick up his phrasing. The hedgehog hesitated very briefly before he responded. But the instance of silence where he had to think about it was rather telling. If he hadn’t been listening for it, Shadow would have completely missed it though. Again. So he really did have to be laser-focused on all the little things to read Sonic. But just because he knew Sonic was bothered by something, didn’t mean he knew exactly what he was feeling or what the problem was.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Shadow didn’t believe it.
He chose not to push it though. If Sonic wasn’t ready to tell him, maybe he should let it go for now. He took note that something was bothering Sonic and made the difficult decision to move on.
“Are you doing anything tomorrow?” Shadow asked. “You could come over and we can just watch a movie or something?”
Shadow was hoping his suggestion was very low stakes this time. Sonic didn’t need to put any pressure on himself to make conversation if they were watching something. And he was laying out the plans right away, so Sonic wouldn’t worry about what they’d be doing either. And if he wasn’t free tomorrow, they could always reschedule. Hence the question as an opener. It gave Sonic all the information he needed to make his decision while – hopefully – not being too overwhelmed.
“Um, y-yeah, ok.”
It was the same response that Shadow had gotten the first time. Same nervous inflection, same stutter. He could still see the shaky surprise on his face in the meadow, framed by the colourful flowers around them. It was cute. But part of him also wished just bringing it up wouldn’t start the nerves so quickly.
Mind calmed and plans made, Shadow made another light-hearted remark about leaving Sonic to it. He did interrupt his nap after all, even if he’d let it be on Sonic’s terms as he’d been instructed. It felt right to let him go back to his rest. And if he didn’t want to be alone, if he said the word, the dark hedgehog would also stay. But like Miles said, that was for Sonic to decide. So Shadow turned to leave.
A hand closed around his wrist momentarily before letting go. Still, he stopped, facing Sonic once more. His touch had been fleeting and uncertain. It made Shadow’s eyes narrow slightly.
“Hey, Shadow?” Sonic mumbled.
“Yes?”
“Are… are we, like… a thing?”
It took Shadow a moment to figure out what he was asking. Then it clicked. Sonic wanted to know if they were actually dating now. If they were… boyfriends. The term was strange to Shadow, foreign. And it seemed like Sonic was afraid to use it himself. But why did they really need titles? As long as they were on the same page about their relationship, Shadow thought that was the only thing that mattered. Who said they needed labels and words and all that anyway? What was important was what they felt. And it had slipped his mind that he’d wanted to bring it up himself.
“I imagine so,” Shadow responded. “I mean, that’s what we both want, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. So we’re…”
Shadow heard the whisper of the first letter. Not even the first syllable, the letter. And Sonic couldn’t say it. It seemed they did share the same sentiment. But Shadow knew he had to help the hedgehog out before he worked himself up. Like their first date, when Sonic apologised for not talking to him enough. What ever preconceived notions Sonic had about dating didn’t have to be how they operated. As far as Shadow was concerned, there were no obligations they had to fulfil; there was no rulebook for this stuff. What ever worked for them was perfectly fine. Sonic needed to understand that. And Shadow would be there to remind him until it stuck.
“We don’t need labels, Sonic,” Shadow said gently. “We like each other; we’re dating. That’s all we need, right?”
Sonic smiled. Soft, still a little insecure, but it was genuine.
“Right.”
It occurred to Shadow that Sonic might not ask him to stay if he believed Shadow himself wanted to leave. He was certainly starting to seem the type. So this time, Shadow asked, as casually as possible. Did he want him to stay? Sonic had stopped him to begin with after all. Sonic hesitated before his ears lowered slightly. Shadow got the feeling he was not wanted right now. And that Sonic was worried that would come across as rude. But if there was one thing Shadow did understand, it was the desire to have some alone time. And that was not rude or selfish or what ever else Sonic was likely concerned it would be.
“I can already tell that’s a no,” Shadow said, giving Sonic a smile. “I get it. Enjoy your nap Sonic. I’ll see you tomorrow. Six work for you?”
“I-it’s not that I don’t want you here,” Sonic mumbled, rushed. “I just…”
“It’s alright, Sonic,” Shadow assured. “I know. Believe it or not, I also happen to like time to my self on occasion.”
Like earlier, he was hoping the light humour would ease Sonic. It had worked before. And, upon seeing Sonic relax slightly, it seemed to be working now too. Shadow supposed it was a non-serious form of reassurance, which did match up a bit more with how he’d previously perceived Sonic. But it sort of made sense for this newer side too. Maybe directly acknowledging Sonic’s discomfort wasn’t always the best angle. Sonic needed that but he also needed some lighter banter to balance the emotional talk.
A mix of both. Shadow would try his best. Sonic just needed a distraction every once in a while, just like he did.
“Hadn’t noticed,” Sonic said with a light chuckle. “You said six?”
Shadow nodded.
“I’ll be there.”