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Moss-covered trees hid away due to hanging branches that provided protection and countless homes for critters. The setting sun basked beneath the mountains, not wanting to say goodbye to the shadows. The patches of lavender hustled a soft lullaby from the gentle breeze against the anthropomorphic hedgehog's leg. His burning eyes settled amongst the earth, his shaking breathing returning to it. He wiped his muzzle rather harshly, his tan fur marked by the slowing current of tears. His gloves had dirt marks on them from the log he was sitting on. The haziness saturated his lazy focus.
From afar, a similar figure appeared suddenly. His dark-brown leather jacket disturbed the wind's calmer flow. Emerald-green eyes scanned the scenery, a wide smirk tugging his lips. One of the many things that brought him joy was unused terrain all to himself… though it was clearly inhabited by someone for the moment. “Shadow?” Sonic called, his usually-quick steps walking towards him. Shadow grumbled, snapping his head in the opposite direction. What was he supposed to do now that the annoying imposter had shown up? “What do you want?” the black-and-red hedgehog responded gruffly, doing his typical pose of crossing his arms. The blue hedgehog just plopped down next to him, humming in thought. Blood pressure rose from the proximity of contact. “Ah… I dunno…” he eyed him suspiciously, “Whaddya doin’ out here all by yourself, my friend?” his gloved finger poked his skinny shoulder. An irritated growl escaped underneath the other's breath.
‘Friend’. He hated that word; it was a poor description of the two, at least to him. That blue-quilled bastard and Amy have been on-and-off for how long? And yet, they were just “friends”... now. Again. And again. What did they make of them? Who was he, at least to him? Why has it started to matter to him? Nothing rarely got under his skin, yet this—
Shadow's upper lip twinged upwards. “Yoohoo?! Earth to Shadow!” A hand waved in front of his stuttering facial expressions. His deprecating thoughts instantly floated away, only to catch sight of his shirt. That disastrous T-shirt that had a bold, white cross on it. The mere reminder of it made his stomach churn. “Man, what is it with you today?” Sonic chuckled warily whilst his brow cocked. Shadow's tired exhale rumbled throughout his chest. A familiar voice of a blonde-haired girl rang in his tipped ears; something about vulnerability. It made his other eye twitch.
The latter wiped his hands off stubbornly, his dark gaze resting on the hopeful green pupils. Damn him. His blank stare moved ahead into the distance. “I just…” his head hung low, “keep falling everyone.” A scoffed mutter could be heard from underneath his breath. Sonic's irksome smile faltered into a frown. The more he studied his expression, the less he realized that he understood. That was sudden. It felt like the oxygen surrounding them fled towards the woods, now aired with the sense of awkwardness. Sonic ran his fingers through the back of his spikes; a nervous habit of his. “You're not a failure, Shadow.” His name came out like a question. “You're my brother, that's enough.” he did his best to say that… albeit truthfully.
The hesitance in his tone made the darker hedgehog's cheeks burn. He liked that. That small bit of resistance to normalcy stated a lot for someone whose motto was being the living and breathing embodiment of freedom. Of course, it disappeared the second he took another breath. “I know things are hard right now.” he continued, before matching his lookalike's deprecating posture. A light joke to lighten the atmosphere. “I'm here for you.” the blue hedgehog patted that same poked shoulder. His voice no longer had that boyish nervousness to it. Ultimately, Shadow faced him. His vision squinted as if he was trying to decipher what was in front of him; it was like looking into a smudged mirror. Lies were easy to see despite the smoke. “Are you really here for me,” he murmured, “or are you just saying that to avoid something else on your mind?” a scowl grew at Sonic's fiddling of his off-putting shirt.
That god-forbidden cross. That stupid fucking jacket that didn't even fit him properly. He'd randomly develop this obsession with a book and suddenly has turned himself into one of the many stereotypical humans. “Hipster” as they called it. Not to be confused with a “hippie”. He undertook its teachings, constantly preaching it to whomever was near his vicinity. His friends were a mixture between confusion and being supportive… all except one. Something felt off about this; tossing a thin blanket onto a large object that is supposed to be hidden is what it felt like.
“Actually—” Sonic scooted himself closer with a soft grunt, “When I was running, I was hoping to run into you.” he laughed wholeheartedly at his own joke. The sound made Shadow's chest flutter. It made him feel pathetic that it brought a smug smile to his previously-downcast grimace. “Why? So you could catch me sulking?” Shadow attempted, his prideful grin growing wider. The blue hedgehog denied it heavily with a playful shove. “I was…” he trailed off, his foot tapping nervously, “I was thinking about something.” he signaled the closed space between them. The black-and-red hedgehog agreed. “Yeah. I was beginning to wonder the same thing.” He replied sarcastically. Sonic was now the one folding his arms over his chest. It was rare to see him seem unconfident.
Shadow suppressed his eyebrow quirk. “I've been wondering about myself, Shadow.” he finally spat out. Shadow bit the inside of his furry cheek. “Why is that?” Shadow's heart thudded harder now, although his face remained neutral. “This whole new me…” Gloved hands pointed towards himself, “doesn't feel like me, y'know?” his head shook. The air around them grew more stiff. In one swift movement, the jacket laid against the mud alongside the shirt. An exasperated huff replaced the growing silence. “I've been lying to you.” He thinned his mouth, “...A lot.” he concluded, shame creeping into his careful tone. Their breathing got deeper to calm unforeseen nerves. His hand inched towards his grip, before pausing. “I—” His helpless sparkling eyes glanced up to the dashing orange hues, “I like you.” he bit back his quick tongue. It began to feel dry.
The flow of time waits for no one, not even for the fastest alive. Shadow sat rigid, his previous glare softening. He went to twist his body towards his, just to find that the still blue hedgehog was already matching his position. He wanted to question him, despite it exposing vulnerability in his racing mind. “You… like me?” Shadow eased nearer, not being able to see past the spikey quills now. Sonic's lips quivered in a readily confirmed way. Unconvinced, the black-and-red hedgehog pulled him by his shoulders. "If you really… like me in that sort of way," Shadow stared deeply, "you would've shown me by now." He said that as if he took offense at the lack of evidence. Sonic's mind paced. He'd forgotten his metaphorical steps; ironic for someone who's speed relies on them, something the person before him would say. Fuck. What was he supposed to…
Something— No. Someone pressed against him. Everything that could've and couldn't be in a lifetime allowed for this very kiss to happen. The black-and-red hedgehog chewed his bottom lip, cursing himself to damnation. No. He wanted to stay firm to his belief, just as Sonic had been to his. There's no such thing as escaping from one's reality, when that very reality is in front of you. Sonic's tinted cheeks were akin to his buckled shoes. Shadow wiped his mouth in a disgustingly-confident way. It had the last bit of sinful saliva tinged to it. "I frequently ponder," Shadow bit the inside of his unfair cheek, "if your God misjudges me for everything I've done." Sonic didn't know whether to nod or disagree silently. A long-needed epiphany showed as a softened realization. "Well..." the latter drawled, "I don't want to spend a whole lifetime wondering the same thing; especially if you're not involved." a ghost of a returning grin marked his tingling lips.