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Tonight was a night like any other.
Shadow The Hedgehog stood, overlooking the city of Green Hills. Luxurious buildings and exclusive boutiques stand outrageously against the void-like horizon, shining in the sheen of golden light that spreads from the countless spotlights and brightly lit stores in the dead hour of night.
The chatter of countless mobians rings loudly from below. Shadow scowls, causing his fangs to prick against the inside of his mouth, he cringes at the taste of his own blood against his tongue and reaches into the pocket inside of his suit and glances down at his pocket watch.
As he looks back up, he watches as the bartender from across the street punctually and formally–yet forcefully, removes a drunkard patron from the now closed bar. Who happened to be a purplely hued fox, covered only by her skimpy outfit and an extreme amount of vibrant faux feathers.
She yelled something in a blind rage at the bartender, who shuts the double doors in her face. She stands still for a moment, swaying idly. She bangs on the door once, twice, three times. Eventually she turns and walks down the street.
The ebony hedgehog finds himself melting into the shadows behind him, and he appears just around the corner the fox had been approaching. Nobody sees, and if they do, they simply don’t care. Which is odd for someone such as a vampire, but not out of the ordinary.
They collide, all according to plan. At first, her eyes flash with something akin to rage, but soften with painted lust and the hope of pay. If the outfit didn’t give it away before her body language did now, an intoxicated and seemingly desperate prostitute.
This would be too easy.
He allows himself to be pulled into a passing alleyway by the collar of his suit (which wrinkles the ironed fabric, infuriating.) The fox then pushes him against the wall, kissing him with a false, fervent passion that is sparked by nothing more than the thought of money.
He counts the seconds as they pass, before roughly shoving her off and against the opposite wall. Her lack of clothing gives Shadow remarkably easy access to her neck.
The foxes snarl is covered by an exaggerated moan, and as she begins to reach towards Shadows belt, he strikes.
When he bites, it's without remorse. The fox shrieks, but the sound dies just as quickly when Shadow forces a hand over her mouth.
Her blood is coppery sweet. The twinge of alcohol flowing through her system tampers with the taste, but not nearly enough to be outrageously noticeable. It had certainly been a while, until just now had been one of the longest Shadow had gone without sustenance in a good ten years.
Fists are pounded against his back as he drinks to his heart's content. She struggles against Shadows' frame, fighting to get free to no avail. Slowly, her hits grow further and far between. She grows pale under her fur, and by the time Shadow is content, she's long since fainted.
Shadow drops the woman, paying her no mind whatsoever. He dusts himself off, straightens his wrinkled attire, and turns to dissolve into the night when a sudden click makes him pause.
“Oh come on, didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to just leave a lady like that?” A snarky voice quips, Shadow only turns enough to get a look at the fellow hedgehog running his mouth.
He's Shadows height, if not maybe a bit taller, and bright blue. Bright bright blue. Basic black suspenders hold up red slacks with a long sleeved white shirt messily tucked into them. The sleeves are rolled up just above the elbow and a matching red bandana hides the collar of his shirt.
Shadow grunts, “Cowboys belong in the west, at least that's what I assume you are.” Shadow replies, “Or perhaps you're here filming a movie? I’ve heard the western genre has been quite popular this year.” The barrel of the shotgun shakes slightly with the laughter from its bearer, “Nope, just here to hunt down some blood-sucking monsters. Easy mix up, though!” The blue hedgehog shoots back cheerfully.
The ebony hedgehog's eyes land on the gun in the blue one's hands. “Intresting toy. You don’t seriously think that will be enough to stop me will it–?”
Shadow’s point dies in his throat when the blue menace races towards him, barrel aimed square in between his eyes. Time seems to slow, because said blue menace is outrageously fast, even for someone like Shadow, who's been alive, young, and.. Decent. For a long, long time. He barely moves out of the way in time when he feels the burning sting pass him.
Silver bullets?
Shadow scoffs, rubbing the side of his face where some of the fur on his muzzle had been lightly singed. “You’re richer than you look, hedgehog.” Shadow shoots. “How would a poor looking man like you afford silver bullets?” He asks–mostly rhetorically–as his gaze lifts back up.
The hedgehog grins, peach fur crinkling with amusement. “Well, let's just say I’ve had you on my radar for a long time. And I myself have been saving.”
The pair stand in a stalemate for only a moment before Shadow jumps forward toward his foe.
He just barely does another shot, the loud piercing Bang! Makes his ears ring and his focus sharpens on the blue hedgehog, Shadow grabs the barrel of the gun in attempt but the gun only fires again next to his ear with yet another deafening pop.
Shadow bares his fangs in a threatening display, the blue hedgehog only grins and tosses the now empty shotgun to the side, trading it instead for a shabby knife. What a fool.
When the blur of blue races towards him, Shadow still isn't prepared for his regular speed, he only managed to get half out of the way this time and the blue hedgehog tackles him to the ground by his right shoulder.
He shoves the other hedgehog off him before he can bring the knife anywhere near any one of his vital points. Shadow growls, pushes himself up, and shuffles into the void spanning across the alley wall. The blue hedgehog however, really doesn't seem key on ending their tussle then and there.
A gloved hand closes around his wrist as he shifts through the shadows, pulling him starkly back and away from the sharp darkness, and the once oh-so pathetic knife finds itself embedded roughly into the palm of Shadows hand. He grits his teeth and grabs the face of the blue runt with his uninjured hand and pushes him down by the muzzle.
“What did you say your name was, hedgehog?” Shadow asks the hedgehog below him as he buries his heel into the other's sternum. “Oh, don’t tell me you're curious? Have I really impressed you that much?” The blue shoots back, looking quite impressed with himself at the fact he managed to injure Shadow to such a degree.
“Fool, of course not.” Shadow replies curtly. “I’m just curious what they’ll be engraving onto your headstone when they find you without a spine.” He shrugs, “Alright, well if you’ve really gotta know, ‘names Sonic.” Sonic’s eyes flick back up to him, green and bright like the bright hues of the gambling chips from the flashy casinos surrounding them.
Shadow rips the dagger previously shoved through his palm, the wound mending almost immediately after the foreign object was removed. “‘Sonic’,” Shadow mutters. “Of course a fool as light on his feet as you would have a name like that.” Sonic musters a laugh under the weight of Shadows boot. “Whats that? A compliment? Please, go on.” He teases, one hand rising in an attempt to push Shadows weight off of him and the other reaching for the eagerly abandoned shotgun.
Shadow raised a brow, watching him struggle in confusion. “What now, hedgehog?” He asks, leaning harder onto Sonic's chest making the cobalt hedgehogs breath stutter under the weight. Shadow carefully moves his foot to stand on the shoulder of the arm reaching for the gun, the idea of breaking Sonic's arm is intriguing, Sonic however doesn’t even look frightened at the possibility, a grin fitted onto his face underneath a thin sheen of sweat.
“You hunters confuse me,” Shadow begins. “Why look for a fight compared to the likes of this, knowing you will lose.” This question is meant to be purely rhetorical, Shadow has lived for hundreds of years. He has come to learn that these hunters–If you could even call them that–are nothing short of adrenaline junkies, people stuck on the rush of their first catch and are hooked on the power, no better than the alcoholics in the bars, it's the closest thing to a free drug they can get. Once they start, they never stop, they chase the rush again and again, shooting higher and higher until death is just another hit of the cigar that they can't seem to drop once they’re in too deep.
However in Sonic’s eyes, it looks like the adrenaline isn't what he wants, or at least not the only thing he's looking for. “You ask a lot of questions, huh?” Sonic shoots back, shoulder draining under the weight of Shadows heel.
Shadow narrows his eyes, so Sonic fits into the oddly smaller alternative, especially in today's society. Money, then? What a fearless individual, putting himself on the line for something as simple as that. He can almost remember the days when he would’ve–
Sonic shoves Shadow’s heel off his shoulder with a violent push that nearly makes Shadow double over. He managed to dodge another silver bullet by the tips of his quills, Sonic had forced him away from any potential shadows for him to use as portals. He dashes down the sidewalk, he can hear Sonic say something into some sort of handheld radio before making chase, oddly enough Sonic doesn't continue to use his shotgun once out on the street.
Shadow careens into a flashy bar at the last minute, knowing Sonic was unusually hot on his trail. He pushes past dancing couples and drunk gamblers as he goes, feeling the ghost of Sonic's hand in an attempt to grab him. He pushes through a door and up a flight of stairs, hearing Sonic panting not too far behind him.
The roof has nothing but a few dancing spotlights, shooting bright beams into the air.
Shadow barely registers the sharp tug of his quills backwards, he grunts when Sonic's knee meets his back right between his ribs. The air leaving his lungs strains him for just a moment, before he whips around and sweeps Sonic's legs out from under him.
Sonic pulls Shadows left leg, which pulls the ebony vampire down to his level. Shadow kicks Sonic square in the face when he makes an attempt to drag him closer, Sonic's nose begins leaking a bright crimson that makes Shadows' fangs prick.
Sonic doesn't stop, though. He pushes forward to straddle Shadow's thin hips, to make only what Shadow can assume to be a myriad of hits to the face. But they never come.
Shadow doesn’t completely understand what's happening at first, a distraction of some sort that caught him unpredictably off guard, however the sudden clash of teeth makes him jump and brings him to the horrifying reality of what’s going on.
Sonic has him by the neck, one hand pressing against his windpipe and the other bracing his waist in a way that makes his blood feel like it's crackling inside his body, he tastes of processed meat, spice, and something distinctly unique yet familiar. His mind screams at him to move but Sonic licks the roof of his mouth in a way that makes him want to cry out.
This proximity is strange, he's been close to women to this degree before, but he’s never been interested in them, it's never inspired this reaction. Especially with a man.
Never with a man.
Shadows' hands trail upwards, across Sonic's chest and up to the back of his shirt. He needs to be closer. He needs more.
He whines into Sonic's mouth when he feels the cobalt hedgehogs gloved hands sort past his consistent layers of suit and proper wear, when the foreign fabric grips the fur on Shadow's waist, he shivers with feverish intensity.
Shadow almost can't remember the last time someone got this close to him, hundreds of years ago before they killed her most likely, but even then it was never like this.
Sonic's hand tightens against ebony fur, he breathes in roughly through his bleeding nose, the deep irony liquid had dripped down and smeared across his upper lip in the fray.
Shadow pulls from him for only a moment, the smell of metallics and flesh doing absolutely nothing but driving him mad as he licks across Sonic's upper lip, causing the others breath to catch.
Sonic's blood is different, it's stronger with a hint of something new. Something distinctly off but all the more addictive.
Sonic captures him again, the taste of the blue fools blood still fresh on his tongue, the combined lingering taste with the warmth of Sonic's mouth makes him crave, and craving is a dangerous game.
When they part, a thin strand of saliva connects their lips. Sonic breathes quick and hard, reaching up to wipe his lips with a cocky smirk. Shadow feels oddly small for the first time under Sonic's gaze, however he doesn't let it show.
The tense silence shatters with a light chuckle from Sonic, Shadow scowls. “What’s so funny, fool?” He asks. Sonic just shrugs, "Was that innocent woman really not enough to fill you up?” Sonic shoots, looking pitiful with his shirt covered in more wrinkles than before and scarf only half done up.
Shadow grunts, “It was, until you gave me a taste of yourself.” Sonic narrowed his eyes, “Who knew you were such a sweet tal–!?” Shadow's teeth sink in, he doesn't bite hard enough to kill, but just strong enough to taste the ruby beneath cerulean fur. Sonic's noise of surprise is something between shock and ecstasy as Shadow takes a long drag from the blue fool.
Sonic shoves him off with borderline brutal force, he winces and reaches up to graze his newly-bitten wound. “Jeez, man.. What the hell! At least, I dunno, give a man a warning next time will ya!?” Shadow pays no mind to others' statements, fingers brushing over his lips as he licks off the remaining blood. The bitter liquid feels more like a spell than sustenance.
“My apologies.” Shadow begins, standing up. “I supposed that I assumed you’d take that better than you did.” He dusts himself off once again, not even thinking twice to help up the blue fool beneath him.
“Oh yeah. Of course.” Sonic began, a specific sarcastic edge to his voice. “As if I’m perfectly fine with being bitten,” The blue hedgehog rolled his arm a few times, quietly wincing each time. Shadow studies him with a narrowed gaze, “You are stronger than I originally took you for.” He informs, gaze not once leaving the blue hedgehog. “And much, much faster. I’ve never met a mortal who could keep up with me speedwise.” Sonic looked up from his wound with a grin, “Is that so? So I did impress you back there?”
Shadow scowls, but he never looks away, “I suppose. Don’t let that get to your head, though.” Sonic sighs, “Too late, already in my head.” He announces, standing up with pride as if nothing had happened. Shadow rolls his eyes before turning his back to him and walking towards the now accessible shadows.
“It’s been fun, but I have places to be.” Shadow announced, “Perhaps we’ll see each other again some day?” He inquired, half looking back. He could just barely pick up Sonic’s smirk from the corner of his vision.
“Psh. Yeah, and I’ll beat you fair and square. No kissing required.”
Shadow’s face warms only slightly as he moulds into the ever changing shadows.
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, What a curious individual.