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The rooftop at night. Shadow performed the ritual of unloading, testing, and reloading his collection of guns, this time with only the stars for company. It wasn’t entirely necessary, nor did he plan on using every single gun he had in his upcoming mission, but the rote motions calmed him, gave him peace of mind.
He couldn’t always rely on his chaos energy. Overexerting himself was a risk, whether or not his limiters were in place. With a gun, though, he only needed to worry about ammunition. It came in handy whenever he was in a pinch.
Shadow’s ear twitched as he heard the sound of shoes on the roof not far from him. He glanced over his shoulder. Sonic’s figure broke the horizon, his blue fur gently illuminated by the starlight. He smiled and waved. Shadow turned back to the gun he was currently fitting together.
“Thought I might find you up here,” Sonic said, tone casual, as he approached with light footsteps.
Shadow sighed. “What do you want, Sonic?”
Sonic sat next to him. “I just wanted to hang out. That’s not a crime, is it?”
“You have other people who would jump at the opportunity for your company.”
“I mean, yeah, but it’s a little—” Sonic flapped a hand, gesturing vaguely. “Much, I guess.” He laughed. “Strange, isn’t it? I never had a problem with crowds before.”
“You’ve been in near-total isolation for the past six months,” Shadow told him. “It’ll take time for you to re-adjust.”
“I know that,” Sonic muttered.
Then you shouldn’t need me to remind you, Shadow almost said, but he suppressed the urge to turn the conversation into another childish, pointless argument. He knew all too well that it wasn’t that easy to adjust.
Sonic sighed audibly and fell back against the concrete with an audible fwump, folding his arms behind his head. Legs crossed, one sneaker tapping the floor. Tails had been quick to give him a replacement pair, after he’d come back with his last pair ratty, on the verge of falling apart. It was interesting how a mere change of shoes and gloves alone made Sonic look far healthier than when Shadow had found him on the Death Egg.
“Y’know, when you really think about it,” Sonic said suddenly, “the sky’s just…real big, isn’t it? Huge, I mean.”
“It is,” Shadow said idly, sparing a glance up from his weaponry to look at the stars. He was struck by a memory of the Ark: him and Maria, sitting knee-to-knee, a book of constellations shared between their laps. Maria flipping through the pages, chattering excitedly about the ways people had crafted pictures by connecting stars together, given them stories, meanings. The night sky their canvas.
It’s so fascinating, isn’t it? she’d asked him. The way people will make such art of nature. It just goes to show you how beautiful the world we live in is!
And now that beauty was being threatened by a certain doctor and his attack dog, as they razed the lands and replaced them with cold machinery. That alone was more than enough reason for Shadow to go against them. Everything else was only additional motivation—not that it meant any less, of course. He thought of Omega, reduced to pieces; Sonic, wounded and shivering in the corner of a metal cell, baring his fangs at the sight of his friends.
Sonic was rambling on. “It’s so weird to think about how we can only see a portion of space, y’know? The rest is, like—beyond us. It’s just too far away. Endless.” He laughed. “I could actually see the Earth from up there, y’know, and I’d just stare at it, sometimes. It looked so small from there, but now I’m back here and it’s—it’s kinda the same as space. Can’t see the end of it once you’ve got your feet on the ground.”
He let out a big sigh. Shadow spared a glance at Sonic to see him rub underneath his nose, in that way he did when he was thoughtful.
“Man, I really wanna go for a run again, but no way’s anyone gonna let me out of their sight for long enough now,” he muttered, face scrunched in annoyance.
Shadow wasn’t sure if he was meant to say anything, or if Sonic was just talking at him. Either way, he kept quiet, focusing on weighing and testing the empty gun he’d just finished reassembling.
“Hey, Shadow,” Sonic said, and Shadow felt his gaze on his back. “I heard from Rouge that you’re gonna be leaving HQ soon.”
“That’s correct.”
“You’re gonna go after Eggman and Infinite, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Shadow hefted the gun against his shoulder and aimed it off into the distance. “Putting down the hound will be top priority.” He pulled the trigger. The gun clicked satisfyingly.
“Y’know, you’re not the only one who’s got a score to settle with that freak.” A hard edge crept into Sonic’s voice, even as he tried to keep his tone light.
“You are not coming with,” Shadow said harshly, stowing the gun away.
Sonic groaned. “Not you, too, Shadow.”
Shadow swivelled to glare at him. “If you want to throw yourself into danger again, fine. But I’m not dragging you out of another cell this time.”
Sonic’s ears flattened against his head. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant,” he said quietly, looking away.
Shadow sighed and shook his head. “You need to rest and recover first. Build your muscles and stamina back up. Then you can join Silver and Blaze on the frontlines.”
“Hey, I’ve got plenty of stamina already,” Sonic mumbled. A token protest—his voice and posture already gave away that he wasn’t into arguing further.
Shadow decided he’d done enough with his gun collection, and after a moment’s hesitation, he lay down on the roof next to Sonic, folding his hands atop his stomach. “I’ll make sure to pummel that mutt extra in your place.”
Sonic grinned at him. “Knew I could count on you, Shadow.”
“Why are you here, anyway?”
Sonic blinked. “Well, y’know—bedroom’s kinda small,” he said, smiling as if this was no issue. “It’s a little better outside. Cold, but the air’s fresh. And you’re here, too. Bonus points.”
“I can’t be here to accompany you every night,” Shadow told him.
“I know, I know, I just—wanted to hang out a little before you left.” Sonic nudged Shadow’s shoulder with his own. “Been six months since I last saw you in the flesh, remember?”
Shadow sighed. “I remember. But if you need company, you should ask Amy next time. You know she wouldn’t turn you down.”
“Yeah, but…” Sonic hesitated, scratching his cheek. “She’s not you, Shadow.”
And there it was again: the reminder that Sonic was deliberately choosing him for company over his closer, longer-time friends. Shadow had no idea what to think of it, to be honest. It was an idea almost as uncomfortable as it was alluring.
It was strange. He had no issue with Rouge, who’d somehow slipped past all his boundaries to nestle herself in his comfort zone; nor with Omega, who’d apparently ignored that his instructions to guard Shadow had ended the moment they’d left the Doctor’s base. Nobody else instilled in him the same feelings that Sonic did, the conflicting urges to pull him in yet also push him away. Maybe it was to do with their battles on the Ark. The hazy memory of Sonic, shrouded in golden light, his expression desperate as he’d clung to Shadow’s hand, begged him to hold on for just a little longer…
Shadow turned his head to face Sonic, and met with Sonic staring back at him. His smile was soft, drooped eyelids and relaxed ears openly displaying his comfort.
Sonic glanced over his face, then leaned in a little closer. “Hey, Shadow,” he murmured. “Can I kiss you?”
Shadow’s eyes honed in on Sonic’s lips. Chapped, bitten, and still healing. He hesitated. “Why?”
“‘Cos you look real beautiful in the starlight right now?” Sonic said with a wink.
Shadow could’ve said the same to him. He sat up a little so he was just hovering over Sonic, nearly nose-to-nose, but not moving in to claim the prize just yet. He cupped Sonic’s face with one hand, gently stroked his thumb across the too-prominent cheekbone. Sonic kept smiling up at him, patient. Expectant.
This was a bad idea, Shadow thought. He was heading out to fight a war, and he didn’t need any distractions. But he had to admit, he’d missed Sonic, too. His silly smiles, the quips, the teasing. Racing together across grassy hills and fields. Sparring to a standstill, until they were both covered in dust and sweat, laughing breathily. The way Sonic seemed to lift the atmosphere with his mere presence. How, in the face of danger, he just grinned and kept shouldering on. C’mon, there’s gotta be a way through somehow, he’d say, breezily confident. We just need to keep looking. Or he’d jut his chin out, eyes narrowed in a challenge. You’re not scared, are ya?
I am, Shadow thought. So he did the one thing he knew he could do when he was scared: pick himself up and keep going.
He pressed his lips against Sonic’s. He was warm to the touch, skin soft where it wasn’t chapped. Sonic made a noise, a little satisfied sigh, and laid a gentle hand on the back of Shadow’s neck, sliding underneath his quills. Shadow let Sonic guide him, tilt his head for a better angle. Warm breath tickled his face, the taste of tea faint on Sonic’s lips. Chamomile. At least it wasn’t Tails’ awful mint tea, or Shadow would’ve gone for the throat instead.
They stayed connected for a few moments, until the sensations became a little too much for Shadow, and he pulled away. Sonic’s hand slid like water off the back of his neck to trail down his arm.
“See?” Sonic asked. He might’ve looked smug, if not for the clear affection softening all his sharp edges. “Not so bad, huh?”
Shadow touched his fingers to his lips, tingling where they had contacted Sonic’s. It was an unfamiliar sensation. He’d never kissed anyone before, of course. He’d never really understood the desire, the concept…until now. There was a strange hunger stirring in his belly, his hands itching with the desire to pin Sonic down and devour him. Shadow restrained the urge. He couldn’t come on too strong, he reminded himself, glancing down just enough to see the scars healing across Sonic’s shoulders, under the uneven patches of fur.
“Not too bad,” Shadow replied instead.
Sonic gripped his arm, tugged him down a little. “C’mon. Why stop there?”
“Don’t push it,” Shadow told him, trying for stern, but he leaned back in for another kiss regardless. He felt less like rejecting it when Sonic was inviting him.
Sonic seemed to be in the mood to take it slow, at least. He let Shadow set the pace, and Shadow let Sonic guide his movements. He knew this wasn’t Sonic’s first—he’d overheard him bragging about his kissing skills, witnessed him and Amy make out when they thought nobody was looking. Seen him surprise Knuckles with a sudden kiss on the lips, fluster Blaze with a quick peck on the cheek. There’d been his fling with Jet, too. Each time, Shadow had been surprised how jealous he’d felt, even though he had no claim on Sonic to speak of. Granted, Rouge’s teasing over it hadn’t helped, but…
He broke the kiss off again. It was nothing compared to a race or a sparring session, yet Shadow felt as energized and hot-blooded as when they’d finished either. Heart beating in his chest as if to remind him it was there. Hands trembling a little. He sat up, trying to remember how to breathe.
“You good?” Sonic asked, concern clear on his face.
Shadow nodded. “I’m just not used to it.” He wiped the saliva off his mouth with the back of his glove and grimaced. That was a much more unpleasant feeling.
Sonic sat up to lean against him, nuzzling into his shoulder. “That’s cool. We can do the rest when you get back,” he said, smile mischievous. “Unless you want something nice to remember me by?”
In any other scenario, Shadow would’ve shoved him away for that comment, but he was feeling unusually lenient right now. He rolled his eyes instead. “You and Rouge have been spending too much time together.” Then he glared. “Don’t tell me you planned this with her.”
Sonic held up his hands in mock-surrender. “No way. This was all my own idea, I swear. But, now that you mention it, I might hafta ask her for some advice on how to get under your skin.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Shadow groaned. He was starting to regret this. Rouge would never let him hear the end of it when she found out.
“Y’know…” Sonic drew the word out until Shadow looked at him again, then grinned. “I could be persuaded to keep my mouth shut, if you know what I mean.” He glanced pointedly at Shadow’s lips.
“Insatiable,” Shadow muttered. Sonic laughed. “Fine,” Shadow said, taking Sonic by the shoulders and guiding him back down against the roof floor. “If you’re going to play this game, then I’m going to win,” he said, his own lips curling into a smirk. Challenging Sonic to another competition.
Sonic cupped his elbows, still laughing. “Oh no, Shadow, I’d hate that.”
Shadow kissed him again, firm, attempting to take the lead this time. He pushed away thoughts of the future and allowed himself to indulge in this simple-minded pleasure. The night was still young, after all, and they had plenty of time.