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Shadow's bathroom was spacious, clean, and well-equipped, so it was only reasonable for Sonic to want to stay a little longer.
The cobalt-blue hedgehog stood before the huge, mirror-smooth sink, facing an entire row of toiletries, and blinked his emerald eyes.
In the end, he picked the bottle of body wash with a lavender pattern on it—definitely not on purpose—quickly used it to wash his short fur, then grabbed a random bottle of shampoo, squeezed some into his peach-colored palm, and gently rubbed it into his quills (which is to say, his hair).
Shadow, on the other hand, was surprisingly indulgent in this regard. The hedgehog lay in the large square bathtub, a thick layer of foam covering the water's surface. He had been flipping through a book from time to time, but now he closed his red eyes, relaxed against the edge of the tub, his curved quills spread out like seaweed across the tiles.
Although Sonic deliberately dawdled a bit, he still finished washing in less than 10 minutes. He stood on the rug in front of the bathtub, his back to Shadow, leaning sideways and twisting his long quills like wringing out a rag, as water splashed onto the pristine white rug, leaving large wet patches. Hmm... Shadow didn't comment on it either. Speaking of this hedgehog—
He suddenly realized that the black hedgehog was gone. When had he come out?
Sonic shook his quills, sending most of the water flying off, and the rest would soon dry. "Hey! Where'd you hide?" he called out.
"What?" came a muffled voice, as if speaking from the other side of the door.
Sonic turned around and found Shadow climbing out of the bathtub, his quills covered in foam.
"Are you sleepy?" Sonic asked with a hint of a smile, a bit curious.
"..."
"Wait, I have another question—do you have gills?"
Shadow shot him a sharp look, meaning "Of course not, idiot."
He still showed no intention of getting out of the bathtub. Sonic guessed he might really be sleepy, or perhaps it was the magical effect of the bath—that drowsy, half-awake, half-asleep sensation. Sonic had experienced it during the few times he had taken a bath himself; he didn't dislike the feeling, but he preferred to finish washing up early.
"Hand me that bottle over there, the green one," Shadow suddenly said.
Sonic glanced at him, walked over to the sink to find the shampoo, but instead of obediently handing it over, he slowly turned around, wearing the kind of smile Shadow hated the most. "I've got an idea—let me wash it for you."
"What—" Shadow widened his blood-red eyes. "Why are you doing this?" he asked in confusion, straightening his back a little.
"Equivalent exchange. You've heard of it, right?" The blue hedgehog said as he squeezed a large amount of shampoo onto Shadow's quills.
"Tch... I don't buy your definition of 'clean,'" Shadow said, though he wasn't really opposing it—his quills even relaxed a bit, which caught Sonic off guard and left him at a loss.
Before this, they had somehow stumbled into a strange, almost ambiguous relationship, but in a way, neither of them was used to intimacy—especially between the two of them.
This... is strange, with an oddly warm feeling, but since Shadow is willing to give it a try, Sonic won't fall behind—he'll enjoy it too.
The blue hedgehog reached out, tentatively rubbing the shampoo into Shadow's quills, working it into a lather. Seeing that the black hedgehog didn't react, he grew bolder, gently scratching with his short nails.
He had no experience bathing other hedgehogs, so he thought about how he usually did it for himself and simply copied the motions. Hmm... watching Shadow gradually relax, his own heart felt as if it were soaking in warm bubbles.
"I'm pretty professional, aren't I? You're feeling great now, right?" Sonic leaned forward, looking into Shadow's eyes as he spoke.
Shadow rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and adjusted his sitting position. Sonic noticed that some foam had dripped onto his cheek, so the blue hedgehog naturally extended his thumb—and then rubbed the black hedgehog's cheek.
Sonic raised his hands as Shadow turned around, wearing an innocent, mischievous grin. Shadow's glare turned into a comical expression with one eye wide open and the other half-closed, tinged with confusion.
"Alright, alright, turn around. I'm not done yet."
"You just need to do your part, Sonic." The corners of Shadow's mouth curled up, and his eyes narrowed wickedly. Sonic simply shrugged.
"Hmm... done!" Sonic suddenly blurted out, his voice sounding especially loud in the quiet bathroom.
He felt Sonic part the junction of his quills, "Absolutely perfect, though your quills were already pretty clean."
"Then don't get too cocky."
Shadow held back the urge to yawn, keeping an eye on Sonic's movements behind him. The moment the blue hedgehog straightened up, he turned, grabbed him firmly by the wrist and shoulder, and without warning tossed Sonic into the bath—"Whoa!"
Sonic's scream was drowned out by the water as Shadow pressed him down to the bottom of the pool. Watching the hedgehog's wide eyes and tightly shut mouth, he couldn't help but smirk in triumph.
The massive bathtub was directly beneath the bathroom's ceiling light, which illuminated the bottom clearly. At that moment, Sonic seemed to blend in with the blue tiles.
He noticed Sonic frowning in annoyance, and then the hedgehog hooked one leg around Shadow's waist, flipping them over in an instant before pinning his wrists to the bottom of the pool.
Shadow gritted his teeth, struggling and kicking Sonic away. Their fierce movements stirred up bubbles of all sizes underwater. Both hedgehogs burst out of the water at the same time. Sonic gasped for air, rubbing his watery eyes with his paws, but Shadow had no intention of letting him off. He started splashing water in Sonic's face—as if charging into battle.
The blue hedgehog raised his arm in surprise to shield his eyes, letting out a dissatisfied growl before stumbling and using his free hand to strike back at Shadow.
They went back and forth, turning the pool into a water fight. The thick foam that had been floating on the surface was broken apart, and water splashed out of the pool, spilling everywhere—but neither of them stopped first. Shadow didn't realize that the smile on his face was practically radiant now.
Sonic, constantly choking on water, realized he couldn't outmatch the other hedgehog like this. He shouted urgently, "Chaos, cough—I give up! Stop it, Shadow!" By the end, he couldn't help but laugh.
Shadow stopped, looking the blue hedgehog up and down with undisguised satisfaction, panting as he said, "You look like a mess again, Sonic." The corner of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
"Who did it? You bastard." Sonic hissed, raising a hand to rub his eyes, which were stinging from the water. He blinked a few times, and those turquoise eyes met Shadow's again. "You know? The timing of your challenge is really strange. Don't think I'm used to this." His tone carried no anger, but instead a sense of relaxation and an irritating cheerfulness...
But at this moment, they looked happy.
So Shadow smiled too, a brief and hoarse laugh—he even felt a bit unaccustomed to being able to make such a sound.
Sonic tilted his head, his expression strange. "Heh, amazing..." He said, resting his chin on his paw.
"I can't deny it." Shadow snorted again, crossing his arms but still wearing a smile.
"Hmm..." Sonic's expression seemed to soften, and he began slowly wading through the water toward Shadow, a lazy grin spreading across his face—this moment felt as natural as if it had happened countless times before. The blue hedgehog stretched out his arms and suddenly, tightly embraced him.
The wet blue fur pressed slightly against Shadow, chilly and cold, forming a stark contrast with the warmth radiating from Sonic's body—a warmth so precious. Shadow's eyes widened abruptly, his mind racing through calculations, a mix of irritation and bewilderment washing over him, but mostly confusion—how had they ended up here, and why hadn't he pushed him away the first moment?
But soon, Sonic let go, his warm hands still resting on Shadow's narrow shoulders.
They looked at each other.
Shadow blinked and asked, "You...?"
Sonic suddenly opened his mouth wide, then let out an incredibly awkward laugh, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Uh... I just—suddenly felt like I should do this. You... I can leave here." He let go of the other hedgehog, his gaze darting left and right around the bathroom, as if planning an escape route.
"...No." Shadow said, staring at the wall to the left.
"Huh?"
He sighed, then looked at Sonic with a teasing gaze once more. "Look at you. Planning to walk out looking that dirty?"
After saying this, Sonic visibly relaxed a lot. He waved his hand helplessly. "I almost forgot, thanks to you, and also..."
Shadow's heel suddenly slipped, so he hastily stepped back. When had this annoying hedgehog gotten so close to him again?
"You look about the same as me now..." Sonic said, looking at the tangled white fur on his chest, the tips still dripping with water. Shadow glared at him, his cheeks flushing with heat.
Then, as if struck by a sudden flash of inspiration, the hedgehog raised a paw and said, "I've got another idea. Let's have a race."
"It's useless, you—"
Before he could finish, the blue hedgehog lunged over and pushed Shadow back into the water.