Archive of Our Own

Sonic dreams of alternate universes. He has for the last couple weeks since he and Shadow returned to the restored Green Hill. Sometimes he finds himself wondering if any of it happened at all, or if it was just a dream. He has nothing to prove that it was real.

Nothing, of course, except for the strange looks Shadow's been giving him.

Shadow has never looked twice at Sonic, he's always regarded him with mild annoyance at best, like being in his presence alone sours his mood and he'd rather be anywhere else; or with genuine contempt at worst, like he did right before the shatter event.

This is different, though.

Lately he's been… hovering.

He doesn't outright hang out with Sonic and his other friends, nor does he wait for Rouge to be involved to be in the general vicinity. He's always just.. there, in the background. Sonic could be deep in conversation with Tails or Knuckles and glance off to the side and spot his dark quills peeking from around a palm tree.

Sonic never says anything about it, though. In a way he likes the attention. Normally, he has to go out of his way to catch Shadow's eye, but now he's doing all the hard work for him. Sometimes he'll wave Shadow over, inviting him to join them, because why not. Shadow never does, though, he always leaves when he realises he's been caught, and Sonic expects that from him, always has.

It is a little weird when he catches Shadow in the middle of the night, though, on the nights when Sonic finds himself obsessing over the friends he left behind, unable to settle his mind and sleep. Sometimes he'll go for a run and hear the distinct swooshing of air shoes off in the distance when he stops for a break. He's not sure what to make of that, or why Shadow seems so clingy all of a sudden. Is he plotting something? Is he making sure Sonic stays out of trouble and doesn't break the world again?

It nags at the blue blur that he should say something, because it's getting kind of ridiculous. Sure, Shadow has never been good at hiding the fact that he does care, in his own weird way, but this is way too obvious even for him.

So Sonic waits for him to arrive one night at the start of the loop de loop. He hears the telltale swoosh and knows he has the attention of his rival.

“Alright, Shadow,” he starts, speaking loudly into the cold night air, “C’mon, buddy, let's talk it out.”

For a moment Sonic wonders if maybe he heard wrong, maybe he's finally alone tonight. At least there would be no one around to catch him talking to himself.

But then Shadow emerges from the brush, and if Sonic didn't know any better, he might have looked embarrassed to be caught. His brow is tense, his hands hover at his sides in loose fists, his ears twitch at every slight noise. It's not his usual scowl, and that's concerning.

“What is your deal, dude?” Sonic asks, tapping his foot anxiously and hiding it with a smug grin. “You're surprisingly terrible at sneaking up on people, y'know~”

Shadow… says nothing. All he does is stare, and when he seems to realise he's doing it he closes himself off again with a cross of his arms and a shift of his weight. His own foot starts tapping the ground, and he finally forces himself to look away with a frustrated hum.

“Earth to Shadow,” Sonic presses, leaning back into Shadow's line of sight with a wave. “Are you gonna talk or stand there and pout?”

At least one of Shadow’s ears stays locked onto Sonic's voice, he notices, while the other continues twitching.

“What was the last thing you remember, Sonic?” Shadow finally asks, though he stubbornly refuses to look at him, which makes Sonic pout.

“About…?”

The glare he gets is familiarly irate.

“Right, right, the whole shatterverse thing. Let's see, uh..” He remembers fighting Nine, and then knocking the remaining Chaos Council through a shatter portal while they were busy arguing, then Nine needing to extract the last of the prism energy to reconstruct the Paradox Prism, and then… “After that it's all kinda fuzzy, like I wasn’t really there experiencing it myself.”

Sonic's not really prepared for the momentary look of disappointment and sadness on Shadow's face. It's jarring, it's unnerving, and it's gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the scowl he's more accustomed to. The damage is done, though. Now Sonic is hyper aware that Shadow feels way more than he's letting on. He doesn't know what to do with that information.

“I thought you were gone,” his rival says, uncharacteristically soft. Sonic feels like he should either be scared or looking for some hidden cameras or something. He's unsettled by the way Shadow's crossed hands tighten around his biceps like he's trying to keep himself grounded in the moment and not lost in a memory.

He tries to come up with a response, but this level of vulnerability coming from his rival, who normally is as unreadable as Tails's lab notes, has caught him off guard. Shadow doesn't seem to really notice this, and he doesn't give Sonic a chance to say anything anyway even if he could.

“I didn't know what to expect when Nine said he had to force the prism energy out of you. I knew the risk–we both did–and it's not like we had much of a choice anyway, but seeing you collapse like that it-” Sonic simply must be hearing things, there's no way that hitch in Shadow's voice was real. Shadow's voice doesn't do that, maybe around Rouge, but not around Sonic.

Shadow never finishes his thought, deciding instead to just turn away and leave with a grumble of “Nevermind, forget I said anything.” Sonic panics and zips around to stop him, holding his hands up as if to physically hold him there, only Shadow shies away from him with a disapproving look.

“Woah woah, Shadow! Please don't leave, I'm hearing you,” he says desperately, keeping the small distance between them for Shadow's comfort.

Considering Shadow's comfort is very strange. This whole ordeal is strange. This isn't their thing. Sonic and Shadow don't talk, they beat the shit out of each other and give backhanded compliments that make sense to only them.

“You were worried about me, I get it, I'm flattered, believe me,” he really, truly can't stop the goofy tone in his voice. It's a bad habit, especially with Shadow, who's defensive irritation grows with each word, the fists now hanging at his sides clenched tight like he's one wrong word away from socking him in the face, which is way more normal than anything else going on.

Sonic makes a genuine effort to sit in the discomfort of a feelings talk without resorting to all the little quips he knows will get a rise out of Shadow. Time and place and all that.

“I mean it,” he insists, lowering his hands and tugging at the fabric of his glove over his fingers. “I didn't know you cared so much.”

At this, Shadow huffs as if he's offended that the thought even crossed Sonic's mind, but he never denies it. Instead he again breaks their eye contact, but this time with a little dusting of pink on his cheeks. Very subtle, Sonic might have missed it in the dark if he wasn't so severely on edge and watching Shadow's every move.

Well. That's a new reaction.

“But I-” Sonic coughs, trying to shove that information away to think about later, hoping that the warmth he feels himself isn't as visible, or that Shadow isn't as observant as he is. “I'm fine now. I don't think the prism has any lasting effects now that everything's back to normal. You can stop hovering.” He winks, because he just can't help himself.

“I am not hovering,” Shadow denies with an angry hiss, taking a threatening step closer to his rival.

Normally Shadow would make some type of verbal threat here, or insult, or any number of things other than what he actually does. He bites his tongue, regarding Sonic with an intense gaze not unlike the one he had when they started this very weird and out of nowhere conversation. It’s like he’s searching for something, a tell to confirm whatever he's so concerned about.

Like he's not sure if Sonic is real.

“Shadow,” Sonic starts, apprehensive, “what's the last thing you remember?”

For some reason, this question catches Shadow off guard, which is surprisingly satisfying as it is terrifying. His eyes betray the anxiety it sparks, they seem to dim just enough for Sonic to really understand how bothered he is about whatever he saw, and his scowl darkens but his ears droop ever so slightly.

Shadow hesitates. He never hesitates.

He looks frustrated, Sonic notes the way his fingers twitch, how he touches his thumb to the pads of each finger back and forth a few times while he mulls over his next choice of words. For a split second he even notices one of Shadow's fangs dig into his lip, and Sonic tries really really hard to not think about how badly he wants to see how sharp they are up close and personal. This is serious.

“You were disappearing by the second,” Shadow finally says, painfully, as if he had to physically force the words out of his mouth. “You could hardly stand, let alone walk, or run. I had to carry you to the portal myself and I,” he stops himself, clenching his fists once again and taking a breath. Sonic is losing his mind, surely. “I wasn't about to let you die on me.”

“Okaaay,” Sonic drawls. “Thank you very much for not letting me die, Shadow, but like I said. I'm perfectly fine now, so you don't need to worry about me disappearing on you for no reason.”

Shadow lets out a raspy hum, the one he does when Sonic is so close to driving him up the wall that he needs to take a moment to count to ten in his head. It's one of Sonic's favourite Shadow noises if he's being honest, along with the way his snout scrunches up when he displays his fangs in tandem.

For comical reasons, of course. It’s stupid easy to rile Shadow up, which is why Sonic does it so often. He takes everything so seriously, it's funny.

“You just don't get it,” he grumbles, crossing his arms and practically hugging himself again.

“I'm sorry, man. Really, I'm trying here. You're gonna have to give me a little more.” Sonic takes a cautious step closer. If it were anyone else, he'd offer some physical comfort in the way of a gentle hand on his shoulder; but this is Shadow “the Ultimate Lifeform” the Hedgehog, and comfort is not something these two engage with together.

But… maybe they can?

Maybe this is the start to a positive development to their relationship. A step towards being real friends, ones who can truly count on each other the way Sonic trusts Tails and Amy and Knuckles, the way Shadow trusts Rouge and Omega. Not just with their lives but with their demons.

“Do you know what it's like?” Shadow asks, harsher than he has been almost this entire conversation, no longer shying away from staring Sonic dead in the eyes. “To watch someone you care about die, while you stand there helpless?”

Sonic almost reminds him of the fact that he watched Shadow fall to Earth and thought he was gone for good not too long ago, but his brain registers the fact that Shadow may have just accidentally admitted to caring about him and suddenly the words won't form a coherent sentence.

“Because I do,” Shadow continues, gesturing accordingly with his hands. “I know what it's like. It's painful, and scary, and humiliating all at once, to be this super organism with all of these amazing abilities at my disposal and yet none of them can guarantee that the people I love-” he falters, having likely said something he didn't mean to, the pink on his face getting just a little darker as he pushes through, “will be safe and happy. Do you have any idea how hard it is to live with that knowledge?”

Sonic has an inkling, but holy hell is his brain all sorts of not working right now. He knows Shadow has to be talking about Maria. The world moved on from her death a long time ago, but for Shadow it’s still fresh. Sonic can't really imagine having to grieve and process that kind of loss alone, especially when everyone else has had the time and grace to do so before you.

Sonic tries to give an answer, but all he does is flounder, words caught in his throat. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you through that again, he wants to say.

“I felt you disappear,” Shadow reveals, his hands likely assuming the position they had when he was holding Sonic as he described. “I know now it was only because you reappeared in the cave, and I reappeared out here, but in the time it took for me to get back to that cave I thought you were gone. I thought I was too late.”

He… never really stopped to consider that. While Sonic was having his happy one-sided reunion with all of his other friends, Shadow was alone and preparing for the worst.

“I'm sorry,” is all Sonic can really say. He doesn't know what specifically he's sorry for. Maybe it's for causing this whole mess to begin with. If he had just stopped and listened for a second, then none of the whole shatterverse nonsense would have happened at all. “I was trying to lighten the mood earlier, but really, I didn't know you actually cared about me.”

“Hmph,” comes Shadow's wordless response, accompanied by a sarcastic little smirk. “Yeah well, I had no idea either.”

“What does that mean?” Sonic presses, confused all over again. This guy and his damn curveballs.

The little smile Shadow sported previously disappears, and he suddenly looks like he hadn't meant to say that either, lots of slip ups tonight, apparently. Instead of answering, he shakes his head, straightens his quills, and says, “It’s late, you should get back so you can sleep.”

Without really thinking, Sonic grabs Shadow's forearm when he turns away to leave the scene. “Wait!” he exclaims, ignoring how harshly Shadow rips his arm free while baring his fangs. Sonic isn't bothered by that, though, what he is bothered by is his need to not let this conversation to just end.

“Why don't you..,” he stumbles, feeling the heat of embarrassment spread over his face, “uh, why don't you spend the night?” is what he finally lands on, and he feels like the only way out at this point is death.

“What?” Shadow asks, truly perplexed.

Sonic decides to just double down, who even cares at this point anymore. “Like, sleep over? At my place?”

His rival’s ears twitch, Shadow's eyes study him for a moment too long, and then his hand finds its way to his hip. “Why?”

“I don't know!” Sonic yells, before remembering that it's the middle of the night and he should be quieter. “You're acting weird and it's freaking me out!”

He seems offended. “Sorry?”

“No, wait, that's not what I meant,” Sonic says, covering his face with his hands and taking a moment to breathe.

Shadow is surprisingly patient.

“I just,” Sonic starts over, thinking about his words more carefully than he's ever done in his life apparently, “This really seems like a big deal to you.” He drops one hand to his hip and threads the other into his quills, trying to focus on the movement so he doesn’t lose his train of thought. “So maybe, I dunno, maybe spending the night might help ease it. Or something.”

His rival seems to be genuinely considering the suggestion, which is enough to give Sonic some hope that he'll take it.

“I'm also just, like, really not sure if I'm dreaming right now or not,” he admits, scratching his cheek and chuckling weakly.

Shadow, to his surprise, which it really shouldn't be at this point, smirks with a short laugh of his own, that one particular fang peeking through and taunting him again. “You telling me you dream about me often, Faker?”

Sonic might die actually.

He stammers, embarrassingly, to deny the claim even though he knows it's a joke. That's part of the problem, actually. It's the type of joke that Sonic would make, never Shadow. 

He really hopes it's dark enough outside that Shadow can't see how red his face probably is.

Sonic finally regains some control over his stupid brain. “You'd like that, wouldn't you, Shads,” he quips, just smooth enough to watch Shadow have nearly the same reaction, accompanied instead with another one of his trained scowls, with his ears pointed back and his eyes darting to the trees around them.

Cute.

“Let's just go already,” he drones, his foot drumming on the ground.

Boldly, Sonic grabs his wrist and leads Shadow back to his place. Shadow lets him, even though they're both aware that he knows the way.

~♡~

Shadow allows himself to be dragged along, being released only when they arrive at Sonic's home.

He stares awkwardly at the property, feeling wildly out of place. Shadow’s not sure why he agreed to a sleepover with the blue hedgehog.

Actually he knows exactly why, he tells himself it's because of the nightmares, but really, deep down, it’s the desire to spend time with Sonic, delude himself into thinking this was something more than it was.

Not that he'll ever admit to such a thing.

Said hedgehog leads them inside. It's dark, obviously, because it's three in the morning. The moment Sonic is through the door, he disappears in a flash, as he often does, with a trail of blue following behind him down the adjacent hallway. He returns as quickly as he had left.

“Okay, it looks like Tails is sleeping at his lab again, so it's just us,” he tells him while switching the light on, as if trying to reassure him that no one other than Sonic would be around to witness Shadow's sudden vulnerability.

It is reassuring, for the record. It's embarrassing enough that Sonic himself is the one to see him like this. He hates that the quiet atmosphere of nighttime always seems to make him so much more expressive. Looking at the stars always brought him back to a simpler time, before everything went horribly wrong all at once.

“You want some coffee?” Sonic asks him, bringing him out of his own head. He looks just as anxious as Shadow feels, with his ears all adorably lopsided, which he can appreciate.

“It's the middle of the night,” he points out.

“It's decaf. Plus it's cold outside.”

Well, he can't argue with that logic, so he gives a half-hearted shrug-and-nod combo and watches as Sonic slips into the open concept kitchen to provide.

Shadow awkwardly steps further into the living room, taking in the colourful holiday decorations and the general coziness of this space. He trudges over to the couch and claims the spot on the far end.

He doesn't belong here, in Sonic's home. Why the hell did he agree to this? They're not friends, they're occasional allies at best. This is almost unbearably weird, Sonic said so himself.

“You're acting weird and it's freaking me out!”

He doesn't know why that bothers him so much, maybe because it's true. Not that he's really acting particularly weird, the wistfulness and pliant nature is most prominent at this hour, but Rouge is thus far one of the only ones who's experienced this side of him.

So of course Sonic thinks it's weird, Shadow spent so much time trying to bury this part of himself, trying to leave it behind on the ARK. Rouge pulled it back out of him, and here he is spilling it all again for his rival to see.

“I have a feeling you like your coffee either super sweet or super bitter,” Sonic says, holding up two mugs of joe for Shadow to pick.

He chooses bitter, and is amused to see relief cross Sonic's face while he sits down beside him and starts sipping his sweet drink.

They enjoy the silence for a moment, the only sounds being the occasional slurp of coffee to warm their insides. It's surprisingly comfortable, even with their previous conversation looming over them.

Sonic lets out a content sigh beside him, but says nothing. Shadow takes the opportunity to watch him.

He's got his head leaned back against the couch with his eyes closed, with his right arm draped over the top of it, and his left ankle resting on his right knee. There's a soft smile on his face, the embodiment of chill.

It takes everything in Shadow to resist the urge to settle into that inviting space under Sonic's arm and bask in his scent and his warmth.

Holy hell he needs to get a grip.

He also needs to relax and get comfortable himself. His posture is almost painfully stiff, back ramrod straight and both feet planted firmly on the ground, hands holding his mug in his lap.

Best he can do is lean his right elbow on the arm of the couch with his fist supporting his head and cross one leg over the other. Not nearly as relaxed as Sonic, but when has he ever been?

Shadow watches as his companion brings his mug back for another sip, and his eyes zero in on the flash of tongue on Sonic's lips when he's finished. He tears his eyes away and hides his very warm face in the heat of his own drink.

He can't take much more of this. His mind is going to all sorts of places against his will. Places where Sonic now appears, every single time, as if teasing him.

Before the prism was shattered, he could ignore these random thoughts, as that's all they ever were, random curiosities with no real deeper meaning behind them. But ever since things went back to normal, it was like these desires returned tenfold. They're so much harder to ignore now, and they're intense. They keep him up some nights, trying to find the moment things changed, the moment they turned from simple offhand thoughts about what it would be like to be in love, and to be loved in return, into something he actively wants.

The worst part is when they're not fantasies of sharing kisses in the rain, or sharing warmth during cold months; but when they're manifestations of Shadow's worst fears, always ending with him alone in grief again.

He'd much rather have to suppress the urge to kiss him stupid than to ground himself from a panic attack in front of anyone, let alone the subject of such whiplash himself. He's already had to do that once tonight, and that was one time too many.

Sonic breathes in deep beside him and lets out another sigh, dropping his foot and leaning forward to set his half empty mug down on the coffee table. When he sits up again he's twisting his body around to face Shadow directly, with his elbow now propped against the back of the couch and holding his head up, and his right leg folded under him. His expression is less chill now, more tense. Shadow braces himself for whatever he's going to say next.

He mentally berates his traitorous tail for twitching in between his back and the couch, glad that Sonic can't see just how excited he is to be focused on. How embarrassing.

“I'm sorry for scaring you,” is the last thing he expects to hear. He says it with such sincerity, such tenderness, that he feels his heart melt in response. Sonic has no trouble showing his gentle side to those who don't deserve it. Shadow envies that part of him.

He grunts in reply, because tender and soft isn't his strong suit. Not anymore. He sets his own mug on the coffee table and crosses his arms, literally closing himself off again.

“Talk to me, buddy. Tell me what’s going through your mind.”

If only he knew.

Shadow takes a moment to think about how to convey what he's thinking without giving away too much of his hand. His ear twitches, his muzzle contorts, his fang scratches the skin of his lip. He can feel Sonic's eyes on him and they're not helping at all.

His eyes focus on the decorated tree in the corner, covered in glittery ornaments and sparkly garlands. He imagines how much it would twinkle if it were lit.

“You know Halloween was yesterday, right?” Shadow asks, fighting the urge to laugh at the dumbfounded expression on his rival's face.

Sonic pouts at him. “Don't tell me you're one of those,” he groans, ears angling slightly downward in disappointment.

“One of what?”

“Fun police. Always gotta complain about people putting decorations up too early. Should've known,” he explains, shooting Shadow a wink and one of his signature grins.

“All I said was Halloween was yesterday,” Shadow acknowledges, narrowing his eyes playfully.

Sonic mirrors his expression, and the two of them hold it for a total of four seconds before Sonic snorts. Shadow fights the little smile that creeps onto his face at the sound.

“Ya got me there. What about it?”

Shadow hums, taking in the decorated fireplace, the photos that line the mantle, all of Sonic and his friends. Even Rouge is up there.

Instead of answering right away, Shadow gets up from the couch and approaches the colourful space, wanting a closer look at the pictures, wondering if he was in any of them.

Surprisingly, he finds one, and he carefully grabs the frame and brings it closer for inspection.

He's way in the background, leaning against the wall of Amy's living room. He looks like he's looking right at the camera, but he's really looking at Sonic.

It's hard to tell from just the photo, but Shadow remembers this moment. He knows he was looking at Sonic.

Everyone in the picture was looking at Sonic, though. He was front and center, flanked by Amy and Tails, holding up an old game console he'd gotten with the biggest smile Shadow's ever seen on him. Knuckles was peering over the back of the couch above him, with his large hands perched on Sonic's shoulders. Rouge was nowhere to be seen, but Shadow remembers her being in charge of photos that Christmas Eve. Shadow's first of many here on Earth.

She does have more pictures of this evening in particular, but those are for Team Dark's eyes only. Shadow also suspects they may be for future blackmail, but the risk is worth having a candid photo of the three of them together.

Sonic approaches him from the couch, peeking over his shoulder to see what holds his attention.

“Maria started decorating for Christmas when mid September rolled around,” Shadow tells him, silencing whatever Sonic had been prepared to say.

“Now that's too early,” Sonic jokes, earning a chortle from Shadow, who returns the picture frame to its place on the mantle.

“That's what everyone always said, she didn't care though. Said she didn't have time to wait for a reasonable date to start celebrating.”

He faces Sonic, whose gentle smile makes the topic a little easier to talk about.

“Were you guys able to do gifts up there in space?” Sonic asks, leaning his shoulder against the brick framing of the fireplace.

“Of course,” Shadow answers, mirroring him. “The professor would have them all sent up months in advance so they'd make it on time, and then we'd spend Christmas Eve watching her open them with her other relatives over video call.”

“Just her? Did you ever get anything?”

“Once.” Shadow smiles, but it's bittersweet, looking down at his air shoes and deliberately tapping the metal toe on the floor. “She designed them, and then helped Professor Gerald make them.”

Sonic, to Shadow's amusement, seems so in awe over this fact, appreciating Shadow's shoes in a new light. It fills him with pride, whenever someone else appreciates Maria's ingenuity. He always knew his girl would have changed the world.

“Would it be weird if I asked to try them on?” Sonic asks, sheepishly meeting Shadow's eyes again and pressing his pointer fingers together. “I've always wanted to.”

It would be weird, and normally Shadow would vehemently refuse to let someone like Sonic the Hedgehog touch something so personal to him. But Shadow's feeling generous, and in a slightly better mood than usual.

“Fine,” he agrees, returning to the couch so he could carefully remove them without dislodging his inhibitor rings. Sonic eagerly joins him, tail flapping wildly behind him, practically vibrating under his quills as he haphazardly kicks off his sneakers in the general direction of the front door. He's much less careless with his air shoes, which Shadow finds endearing.

Those poor things have been through way worse trauma than being tossed across a room, but he still appreciates Sonic's care with something so precious.

He looks strange with them on, in a good way.

“They're heavy,” Sonic comments, taking a few clunky and loud steps. He looks down at himself, looking pleased and positively giddy. He strikes a pose with a wink, just for Shadow, tongue poking out past his lips. “How do I look?”

Amazing, gorgeous, powerful, as always.

“Like an idiot,” he says out loud, a little more fondly than he intended, not that Sonic really seems to have noticed.

“Alright, how do you.. Oh! Haha, got it!” he exclaims, having figured out how to trigger the boost. Only to fall immediately onto his ass.

Shadow can't help it, he laughs so hard he rolls off the couch, knocking into the coffee table and nearly spilling their now cold drinks. And then they're both laughing. They laugh together for probably the first time ever in the time they've known each other.

When he finally is able to pull himself back onto the couch, Shadow swipes away the tears in his eyes. He's not laughed like that in, well, over fifty years, he supposes. The irony is it was a similar situation, only he had been the one to absolutely eat it.

He reaches for his cup of coffee, trying to suppress any residual giggles while he takes a sip to clear his throat.

Sonic is still on the floor, staring at Shadow with an awestruck expression, highlighted by the sudden rosiness in his cheeks. It makes Shadow take pause.

“What?”

“I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that before,” his rival marvels, awkwardly dragging his heavy feet into a cross-legged position.

Shadow's face grows warmer, and he unfortunately can't hide it behind a hot beverage this time, so he elects to just ignore it and let it be. He finishes the contents of his mug and then makes his way towards Sonic, holding out a hand to help him up.

“This is a lot easier to do outside with more room to move,” he tells him, letting Sonic use him to balance himself.

“No shit,” Sonic responds, straightening himself. He doesn't let go of Shadow’s hand. He seems to realise something when he now has to look down at his rival. “Wait a minute, am I taller than you?”

Shadow pretends like he's not insanely into that idea, instead feigning the expected irritation. “They add height,” he grumbles, pulling his hand away.

Still, Sonic's shit-eating grin and confident hands-on-hips pose makes his heart flutter and his ears flatten against his head. “Yeah, but mine don't,” he teases, leaning into Shadow's space.

He concedes, because he can't think up a typical retort, on account of the whole hopelessly in love thing making him stupid. Shadow shoves Sonic's face out of his bubble and watches how he struggles to retain his balance with heavy weights attached to his feet.

“You wanna try again before I change my mind?”

Sonic nods, grinning. “Teach me how you do it.”

With a resigned sigh, Shadow takes a few steps away from his rival, just enough to give him a little room to move. “The air propulsion makes it so there's no physical resistance when moving, so you have to push forward when they're turned off first or else you're going nowhere,” he explains, exactly the way Maria had once explained it to him. “Try it, come to me.”

He holds his hands up, ready to catch Sonic if need be. The blue hedgehog thinks about the logistics, then gets into position to try. He pushes himself forward with his left foot, leading with his right, and manages somehow to skate his way towards Shadow with relative ease for his first try.

At the last second he panics over his balance, and Shadow is quick to grab his elbows and stabilise him. But Sonic overcompensates, he forgets to cut the rockets, so when his torso stops, his legs keep going. Shadow expects this, because it's Sonic, so he braces himself and keeps his rival from falling backwards with an arm around his waist, just long enough for Sonic to remember to switch them off.

Shadow is proud of how unbothered he feels at the proximity, but Sonic's blush might just do him in anyway.

“I, uh,” he stammers, holding tightly onto Shadow's shoulders so he doesn't fall, “I think I'm gonna need a bit more practice.”

Shadow decides to tease him. He pulls him upright, but keeps his hand on the other's hip, taking a single selfish moment to brush his thumb over his fur. “Too bad, this is a one time thing.”

Sonic pouts. “Oh come on! I thought we were having a moment!”

“A moment of what?”

That seems to catch Sonic off guard, strangely. “Uh, y'know,” he falters, shy, “bonding. Getting to know each other better. Or, or something.”

Suddenly the intimate hold is too much for the two of them. They take a mutual step back. Shadow secretly misses the contact.

The moment is tense now, awkward. There's something unspoken happening between them, but Shadow can't reliably put a name to it. His mind threatens to overwhelm him with thoughts of forsaking this game they're playing and somehow convincing Sonic to ravish him right then and there.

“I think we should get some sleep,” he forces himself to say instead, aiming his hard stare anywhere but at his rival.

“Oh, uh, okay, sure,” the disappointment in Sonic's voice sends a pang through Shadow's chest. “Uh, I'll help you set up the pull out bed.”

While Sonic first works at removing the air shoes, Shadow takes the time to move their mugs over to the kitchen bar so they aren't subject to falling and shattering. But, when he turns around to face the couch again, he finds Sonic crouched under the tree and presumably fiddling with the wires beneath it. He tries really hard not to stare.

The tree lights up, and Shadow knows it's beautiful even though it's drowned out by the overhead living room light for now. He doesn’t let it show on his face though.

They nestle the coffee table right up against the loveseat beside the couch, and then pile the cushions on top of them so Sonic can pull the bed out.

It's not the most comfortable mattress in the world, but it'll do. Shadow's fallen asleep on way worse.

“How many pillows do you need? I have, like, twenty on my bed you could borrow,” Sonic offers.

“Just two is fine.”

Shadow sits on the bed while Sonic leaves him. He takes the opportunity to slip out of his gloves and socks, tucking the socks into his shoes and laying his gloves on top of them.

The weirdness is back again, the reality of him preparing to sleep in Sonic's home is surreal and bizarre. He had been able to ignore it while they were talking, but they'd have to sleep eventually. The derealisation was inevitable.

He massages his hands, the pressure on his pads relieving some of the stress the situation ignites in him.

Two pillows make a dull thud beside him, drawing him out of his thoughts. Sonic seems to have had the same idea removing his own gloves and socks. Shadow watches him carefully as he steps towards the lightswitch near the front door and turns off the overhead light, leaving them in the dim glow of the tree alone.

The air is tense between them as he decides to sit beside Shadow on the bed instead of returning to his room immediately, as they agreed.

He's sitting between Shadow and the tree, which leaves him slightly breathless as the glow highlights his silhouette. Sonic isn't looking at him, he's focused on his own hands, dulled claws digging into the skin below his pads.

He looks like he wants to speak more, so Shadow waits.

“You scared me too, y'know,” is what he says, softly, almost a whisper.

A small “huh” escapes him before he can stop it.

“Back in the Grim, when you launched me out through the rift,” Sonic continues, threading his fingers together and pressing his knuckles to his chin, elbows perching on his knees. “I went and got the others for help, but the whole time I was so scared that I had left you there to die.”

Shadow tries to explain why he did, perhaps Sonic still hadn't realised. “You know what would have happened if I hadn't-”

“I know,” Sonic interrupts him, catching him by surprise, especially with the hard glare he gives him. “I understand why you did it, that doesn't change the fact that it scared me.”

Shadow feels his heart pounding, he doesn't know exactly why.

“I know you know how that feels, to watch someone sacrifice themselves for your sake.”

Those words are like a punch to the gut, the air forced out of Shadow's lungs. He clenches his hands, digging his claws into his pads painfully.

“That's different,” he snaps, daring Sonic to challenge that.

Of course, this is Sonic he's talking to, when has he ever backed down?

“No, it isn't.”

“Yes, it is.”

“How? How is it different?” Sonic argues, leaning into his space, short fangs catching the light in a way that makes him look dangerous. The familiarity would have been comforting, perhaps even captivating, if not for the sensitive topic. “Explain that to me, Shadow.”

“Because I-” he starts, but he doesn't get the chance.

“Because you loved her? You loved her and she threw her life away for your sake, even though it might have been easier to let them take you?”

“The world wouldn't have ended if they had gotten me,” Shadow snarls, his own larger fangs on display, demanding Sonic end this stupid argument.

“Her world would have!”

Shadow's rising anger dissipates all at once, drowned out by the conviction in Sonic's voice, and the righteous anger in his bright green eyes. Something about the way he says that triggers a warmth in Shadow's chest that settles in his cheeks. He realises he isn't talking about Maria.

The expression on Sonic's face falls, as does his head, so close it's almost on Shadow's shoulder, which burns under the anticipation of contact that never comes. Sonic shifts around to face him, tucking his right leg under his thigh like before, and Shadow thinks that's all he's gonna do.

Instead Sonic surprises him by grabbing his tensed fist and manually unraveling it.

The touch is electric without their gloves in the way, the air is so thick that Shadow feels like he can't breathe or he'll ruin whatever moment is happening. With his hand unclenched, Sonic starts petting the fur between his rough pads, testing the sharpness of his black and red claws, and Shadow feels like both melting into the softness of his pads and pulling away like he's been burned.

“I thought I had lost my last piece of home, Shadow,” Sonic says, the tenderness in his voice making a return. “Green Hill was gone, and you were all I had left of it, and then I thought you were gone too.”

Shadow doesn't know how to handle this. Sonic sounds like he's on the verge of tears, and Shadow almost feels like he is too. He carefully flexes his fingers in Sonic's hands, and he doesn't know whether he's happy or annoyed that he doesn't let go. Sonic fully envelops Shadow's hand in both of his instead, trapping it there in the middle of a lightning storm.

“Sonic,” Shadow whispers, but he's not sure what he wants to say. Does he apologise like Sonic did earlier? But he knows he would do it again in a heartbeat, and deep down, he knows Maria would have too.

“I'm not good at this whole talking about feelings thing,” Sonic says, looking up into Shadow's eyes again and flashing an unsure smile his way. “But I hope you know I care about you, too.”

His eyes very blatantly dart to his lips, and for a moment Shadow is embarrassed at Sonic's complete lack of subtlety. But he's the one facing the only light source in the room, and he knows his burning muzzle is probably a bright red contrast against his black fur, almost matching his stripes.

Shadow half expects Sonic to clarify that this is all as a friend, of course, but he doesn't. He lets the unspoken intimacy hang ambiguously in the air, and it's killing him.

His own eyes fall and linger a little too long on Sonic's mouth, he's not entirely sure if it's by accident.

Shadow stops breathing when Sonic scoots himself closer, his shin now pressed against Shadow's thigh and burning. He feels his hand being tugged forward, sees Sonic leaning in, and thinks he must be dreaming.

But the pressure on his lips is all too real, Sonic's face is all too close, and the moment is all too short.

Just as Shadow's free hand is about to brush against his soft cheek, Sonic pulls away, muttering some rushed apology that Shadow refuses to listen to any longer. He tears his captive hand away and grabs Sonic's stupid head with both of them, glaring daggers over his squished face.

“Do you ever stop talking?” Shadow growls, honest to God, growls like a feral animal, eyes alight with a frustrated anger. It isn't a question, so Sonic doesn't answer, only obediently reciprocates the feverish way Shadow kisses him again like he'll die if he doesn't. For a moment Shadow feels like he actually might.

He's not sure how long it lasts this time, all he knows is he'll be drunk on the feeling of Sonic licking his fangs the whole time, and the resulting faint taste of copper, for the rest of his immortal life, even if they never do this again. Shadow hopes they'll do this again.

He doesn't know when he moved, or if he was even the one to move himself. Shadow returns to the moment and finds his legs draped over Sonic's, and Sonic's hands on his waist, and his arms perched on Sonic's shoulders. The extra white fluff on his chest is mere inches away from the short-furred one across from him, threatening contact with every heavy breath the two of them make. Dull claws tease the quills on his back, and it takes every bit of willpower Shadow possesses to suppress the shuddering whine it wants to draw from him.

Sonic still has that stupid look on his face, like he doesn't quite believe what's happening, an absent smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His eyes dart all over Shadow's face, drinking up every minute reaction like he's trying to savour and memorise them. He feels exposed, on display. It's unsettling how quiet he is.

Shadow gives into the embarrassment and presses his head to his rival's shoulder, dragging his hands down Sonic's arms slowly until they settle on his forearms. He feels lightheaded, he needs to ground himself again before he loses his resolve, and for that to happen he needs Sonic's distracting hands off of him.

“Shadow?” he hears him whisper, black ear twitching against his head. He pushes those wandering, wonderful, warm hands to the side, forcing them to the bed, and he lets out a shaky breath when Sonic follows his lead and leaves them there.

He doesn't want to break the contact, even though it's still too much, too overstimulating. Shadow's still floating, tasting him, breathing him in, feeling Sonic's heart beat in time with his own. He tastes like sweet coffee, he smells like nature, he feels like sunshine.

“Go to bed,” he orders, making no effort to detangle himself. He knows he needs to, but he doesn't want to, doesn't want Sonic to leave his side, wants to melt into him until even he can't tell them apart.

The snort he hears makes his heart soar, it's giddy, fond, comforting. It soothes the live wire that is Shadow's mind and ignites it again all at once. It's intoxicating. “I'm gonna need you to let me go before I do that.”

He doesn't want to, but it's too soon to ask him to stay, too forward, so he lets go of Sonic's arms and forces himself away enough for him to move. Shadow can't bring himself to look at him, too ashamed over his momentary loss of control. He's the Ultimate Lifeform, he should be better than that.

Sonic makes him look at him anyway, with a hand on his warm cheek. He's smiling, but it's not his usual cocky grin or the overjoyed one Shadow is expecting. His smile is small, intimate, filled with so much emotion and trust. All Shadow can manage is a disinterested scowl, but the way Sonic's expression doesn't falter lets him know that he doesn't believe for a second that it's real.

“I really am going to be super pissed if this is a dream,” Sonic jokes, pulling a surprised and amused huff out of Shadow.

“Me too,” he agrees, quietly, eyes darting to the photo collection again.

Sonic's hand falls from Shadow's cheek, and he mourns the loss until it finds its way to his hand. He doesn't say anything else, except for a whispered “Goodnight” when he finally stands to leave the room and head to bed, accompanied by a deep yawn that triggers one in Shadow as well.

Now alone, he drags his claws through his quills and wonders if that really just happened or if he somehow imagined it all. He drops flat on the bed, pressing his other hand to his chest to feel the way his heart races. He breathes a heavy sigh, running his hand over his face as he rolls onto his side and hugs one of the pillows to his chest.

And just his luck, the pillow smells like him. Shadow breathes in the earthy scent and groans, hopeless, resigning to his fate of being unable to ever escape this torture. This stupid fucking hedgehog that infuriates him to no end and makes his tail thump against his will at the same time.

~♡~

Sonic was fairly certain this entire ordeal was a dream when he went to bed last night, or this morning, or however you want to consider it. There's literally no other possible explanation as to how he kissed Shadow and not only didn't get immediately impaled with a chaos spear but apparently triggered some sort of feral need inside of him instead. The real Shadow would have killed him instantly for even entertaining the idea.

Surely he only imagined the desperate attempt to devour him for all he's worth, and the bashful display right after when Shadow couldn't even look at him. He can still vividly feel the way his claws had trailed down Sonic's arms in the most uncharacteristically gentle way, and the warmth from his hands when he held onto his forearms as if for dear life.

But now Sonic can't explain why this dream Shadow is still here, asleep on the pull out bed in the living room, sheet blanket tangled around his legs and quills in all directions. He snores, and it's loud, and he'll probably forever deny it but Sonic swears he can hear faint purring in between, briefly increasing in volume when he nuzzles into the pillow he holds against him. Sonic wishes for a single moment that he was that pillow.

It reminds him how young Shadow really is. He's not just some mysterious angsty immortal alien from another life, he's a regular teen, the same age as Sonic, with all that entails and a little extra baggage as a treat. He's messy and unpredictable and complex. He does experience emotions, contrary to popular belief.

And he's in love. With Sonic.

And Sonic might be a little in love with Shadow too.

His rival's probably had weeks, or months, to sit with his feelings, Sonic unfortunately only realised this last night.

Or this morning. Whatever.

He had disappeared into the other room to retrieve the pillows Shadow asked for, and the whole time he couldn't get that laugh out of his head. It was like it was playing on loop in his mind, the way Shadow laughed so hard he crumbled to the floor. It was a new sound he'd never heard before, a big booming laugh that Sonic felt in his core. It's been added to the list of sounds he loves hearing and wants to hear a million times over. It was definitely worth the bruise to both his ego and his ass.

It was this realisation that led to Sonic sitting himself down next to Shadow to tell him he wasn't the only one terrified of losing the other. He'd gotten carried away, though, alluding to Shadow's past with Maria may have been a step too far, but hey, it worked out in the end, didn't it?

He should probably still apologise for that, whenever Shadow wakes up.

As quietly as he can, Sonic slips into the open kitchen to get started on breakfast, or lunch, as it's currently about noon. He hopes Shadow doesn't have anywhere to be.

As for food, can't go wrong with the classic bacon and eggs. Hopefully Shadow isn't vegan. The thought alone is almost enough to make Sonic laugh to himself. It's exactly the kind of juxtaposition he's expecting to learn out of the blue. He starts brewing a pot of coffee and decides to wait for Shadow to wake up to make toast.

And he doesn't have to wait long. His ears twist at the sound of rustling, and Sonic looks over his shoulder just in time to see Shadow bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath like he'd just run a marathon without a break.

For a moment he's clawing at his chest and torso, like he's feeling around for whatever he thought was on him. Shadow looks down at himself to confirm his lack of findings and he lets out a sigh of relief, pressing his palms into his eyes and rubbing away the remnants of his nightmare. One hand finds its way back to his chest fur, right over his heart, while he takes deep, calming breaths.

Sonic resists the urge to go to him and offer comfort the way he would if he were Tails. He trusts Shadow knows how to soothe himself better than Sonic could anyway. At least at this point in time. He's not even sure if he was meant to witness that to begin with. He's not really sure where he stands with Shadow currently.

He continues working on their food, grinning when he hears Shadow sniffing the air as if he's just now realising the delicious smell. Sonic faces him just in time for Shadow to open his eyes again and see him standing there, and Sonic elects to act like he didn't just see him having a panic attack, for Shadow’s comfort.

Still a weird thing to worry about.

“Morning, beautiful,” Sonic greets him. With the sunlight pouring into the room now, there's no feasible way for him to miss the instant flush on his rival's muzzle even when his flat expression doesn't change, and Sonic relishes in the fact that he could just do that now, make it happen whenever he wants. He knows now to look at the subtleties.

Shadow doesn't greet him back, which he expects, instead awkwardly detangling himself from the sheet blanket all coiled around his legs. Once free he stands and stretches his back, and even from halfway across the room Sonic can hear a few loud pops, and the soft whine that Shadow lets out in response. He tries not to dwell on that particular sound, for now.

“Bathroom's all the way down the hall if you need it,” he tells him, returning his attention to the stove while Shadow disappears.

He goes about preparing the plates, pouring the coffee, setting the table. It's weird, Sonic thinks, how he does almost exactly this routine with Tails most mornings, the only difference being that he tends to glue himself to Sonic's back while he wakes up, but knowing Shadow is the one about to eat with him makes it all feel so different. It sends a tingle down his spine, one so distracting he needs to remind himself that it's just breakfast.

“What'd you make?”

“Gah!” Sonic exclaims, falling into the chair he was leaning over, startled by his companion's silent return. He's so much quieter without his clunky metal shoes, he realises. Shadow stares down at him, a hand on his hip, waiting for an answer. His quills are straightened out again, and some part of Sonic wishes he still had that messy bedhead.

“Just some eggs and bacon, hope that's okay?” he says after a moment, earning a rough grunt in return as affirmation.

Suddenly there's a mechanical popping sound, which startles Shadow so bad he gets into a fighting position, delicious fangs on display again.

Sonic rushes around to Shadow's front, carefully putting his hands on those raised fists and drawing his rival's attention to the point of contact. “Easy there, buddy, just the toaster,” he tells him, flashing him a smile when he meets his eyes again.

Shadow relaxes, and Sonic thinks he might be a little more in love with the way he trusts him instantly.

He brings them their toast and they begin eating.

“You sleep okay?” Sonic asks, hoping to break the silence. Shadow… doesn't really give him much of an answer, only a low hum to agree.

“I know that mattress is kind of stiff, maybe next time I'll plan ahead a little better.”

“Next time?” Shadow echoes, giving Sonic a strange look.

And wow hang on, Sonic might need a second to reboot after fully registering the almost full octave deeper voice thing he has going on. Shadow's voice has always been low enough to rattle one's bones, but this? This is new, this is.. whew.

Sonic suppresses a shudder, shaking off the distraction and focusing on the words.

“Uh, yeah. Next time,” he repeats, ears lopsided, anxious. “Sorry, I.. I was kind of hoping this wasn't a one time thing given everything we talked about,” he clears his throat, feels heat pool in his cheeks as he adds, “and did.”

Sonic might have felt bad for bringing it up that way, except Shadow sets his right elbow on the table and tries terribly to hide the way his face flushes again. He looks like he might snap at any moment if this continues, but damn it if Sonic won't try to toe the line.

Shadow doesn't say anything for a long time, and it makes Sonic wonder what he could be thinking, or feeling. Is he happy that it happened? Is he scared? Or is he somehow feeling both, glad that it was out in the open but afraid of what it could mean for them going forward? Sonic really wouldn't blame him if he just wants to forget about it, but he would also be quite happy to explore it, or leave it be and see where life takes them.

“Well,” Shadow finally says with a sigh, letting his hand fall back to the table to idly rub his napkin between his fingers. He clears his throat, probably stalling. “In that case… you'll need to learn how I really like my coffee.”

Sonic's heart skips at the playful glint in Shadow's mahogany eyes, the way they stare into his own, hopeful, guarded, searching. Don't think he misses the way they jump between his eyes and his mouth again.

The air around them is charged, waiting for something to happen to release it, it's almost tangible, he can feel it tingling over his body, urging him to move.

But the moment is ruined when a rock song starts playing from somewhere hidden. Shadow grumbles while digging through his quills and pulling out the source of the noise: his cellphone.

“What,” he answers, ready to pounce on whoever's on the other line. “I texted Rouge already, I'm fine.”

Sonic watches, entranced by the way Shadow talks with his hands.

“Yes, yes. Y- No, I won't be home until tomorrow.”

He wonders if he's overcompensating for his lack of gloves, maybe he's hyper aware of the air brushing his fur.

“Yes, tomorrow. It's Friday, I'm having dinner with the rabbit family. Yeah, them.”

He taps his sharp claws on the table, the clicking sound scratches Sonic's brain in a way he can't explain, in a good way.

“Nowhere, don't worry about it,” Shadow growls at his call mate, if Sonic had to guess he'd say it was probably Omega, since it wasn't Rouge.

“No!” he barks, his hand curling into a fist, he looks only a little panicked. “No location tracking- Omega, I swear to God-”

Sonic doesn't even realise he's grabbed Shadow's hand until he chokes on his threat. He gets an idea, a sly grin tugging at his lips.

“Why do you care all of a sudden- I-Is Rouge there with you?”

Sonic just lets his own dull claws trace the lines of his knuckles on the back of his hand. He keeps the pressure light, teasing, watching to see what Shadow will do.

“Right, yeah, I for-forgot that you two are grade-A assholes together. Can I go now?”

He refuses to look at Sonic, and that just won't do. Sonic hates being ignored. He turns Shadow's hand over so his palm is facing up, and he's too focused on the call that he just allows it.

“What- No, stop scanning me, get out of my phone.”

Poor Shadow seems way too distracted to really process that all he has to do is pull his hand out of Sonic's reach. That or he's too into the contact himself to risk pulling away.

Shadow sighs, and then he gasps when Sonic tangles their fingers together, palms and pads pressed fully against each other. He finally looks at him, and Sonic bites his lip at the warmth between them. “Nothing, I'll- I'm busy,” he hisses, just barely pressing the very points of his claws against the back of Sonic's hand. “No one. I'm just busy. I'll call you back when I'm not. Goodbye.”

He ends the call and places his phone face down on the table, glaring full daggers at Sonic's feigned innocent expression. Shadow's muzzle is furiously red, but Sonic doesn't have time to admire it because those unnaturally sharp claws are now digging painfully into his hand.

“Ow, ow, okay! Message received! I'm sorry!” he apologises, sighing with relief when the pressure lets up. Shadow doesn't let go, though, which he hopes is a good sign.

Instead he stares at their joined hands, the scowl he had softened into something curious, and a bit insecure. Sonic's heart leaps into his throat when he feels Shadow's thumb pad softly caress his joint.

“You really wanna do this again?” he hears him ask, watches him stubbornly keep his eyes on their hands, ears pulled into a defensive position as if he's steeling himself for the rejection he thinks is coming. Sonic smiles, face warming, letting him know it was safe with a gentle squeeze.

“I think we've established pretty well how we both feel by now,” Sonic observes. Shadow finally looks at him. “I can't promise how it'll be, I'm not good at this sort of thing, but..,” he chews on his lip, catching the way Shadow focuses on the action, and he shrugs noncommittally. “I'm willing to try, if you are.”

He lets Shadow think about it, and he takes his sweet time doing so. Sonic's heart pounds in his chest. He's not used to being vulnerable in this way, it's why he never pursued Amy after all these years she's chased him. This kind of talk makes him feel way too exposed, too vulnerable. He doesn't like being vulnerable. Sonic wants to have fun, he wants to go off on adventures and not have to worry about anyone slowing him down and keeping him in one place.

Amy's strong, she's smart, she's beautiful.

But she doesn't match his speed.

Not the way Shadow does.

He'll always cherish her friendship above anything else. And he was prepared to do the same with Shadow, before his tired brain crossed that line before he could stop himself. And now that he's had a taste… he wants more, if Shadow will take him.

Sonic's heart drops when Shadow pulls his hand away, taking in the way he closes himself off again by crossing his arms.

“Shadow?” he whispers, praying he's not second guessing himself.

“I,” his rival starts, looking pained, “I'm- I don't know, Sonic,” he finishes, absently reaching for a bite of his food before deciding to ignore it for now. “I don't know if I'm ready.”

“That's okay!” Sonic tells him, leaning forward to catch his eye. “We can take it slow.”

The snort he gets from Shadow is slightly bitter, not in the way that it's aimed at him, though. “Slow isn't really your style, Faker.”

“Neither is falling in love, but here we are, Faker,” he quips in return. Sonic flushes at the admission, wondering briefly if it was too forward for how new this all was, but it's out there now, he can't deny it or take it back. “We don't have to involve anyone else while we figure this out, alright?”

Shadow sighs, but it's irritated, and Sonic briefly wonders if he said something wrong until Shadow explains, “I think Rouge already knows, probably Omega, too.”

“Is that… my fault?”

“Maybe a little,” his rival smirks at him and his heart jumps.

Sonic laughs, scratching at his cheek. “Sorry, got carried away.”

They don't say much after that, finishing their breakfast/lunch/whatever you wanna call it together in peaceful silence.

It's when they're washing dishes together that Sonic feels like one last thing isn't resolved, and he wants to fix it, start this.. whatever they have together now off right.

While Shadow towels off the last dish, Sonic dries his hands and waits patiently for him to set it down. He leans against the counter, facing his companion.

“I'm sorry, by the way,” he says, waiting for Shadow to mirror his pose, dish towel thrown lazily over his shoulder. “About last night. Or, I guess this morning technically.”

“What do you mean?” Shadow asks, searching his face. Sonic recognises the spark of uncertainty in his eyes.

“Easy, gorgeous,” he soothes, smiling at the rolled eyes and the pink dusted cheeks he gets in return. “I'm definitely not sorry about that.”

“Then what?”

Sonic presses his fang into his lip. “Throwing her death in your face the way I did,” he answers after a short pause, hating the way Shadow's ears drop and how the colour drains from his face. “That wasn't cool at all, I'm sorry.”

Shadow studies him for a moment, ear twitching, judging his sincerity. He pulls the towel off his shoulder again and rubs the textured fabric over his pads. “I forgive you,” he says, and Sonic feels like he can breathe again. He takes a step closer to his rival, but stops when Shadow turns away from him and leans over the counter to drape the towel over its rack so it can dry. “Even though you were right.”

His heart swells, he reaches over and very gently touches the space right above Shadow's tail. He loves the way Shadow breathes in sharply at the moment of contact, like it burns him. He moves closer to fully box him in against the counter, pressing wholly up against Shadow's back and nuzzling into his shoulder, leaving little room for him to turn around again. Sonic's thrilled to bits when Shadow allows himself to relax against him, letting out a trembling, almost relieved sigh, soaking up their shared warmth, and then turning to face him.

Their height difference is practically unnoticeable without Sonic wearing Shadow's air shoes, until they're standing nose to nose like they are now. Shadow having to look slightly up into his eyes is such an exhilarating view, one he doesn't think he'll ever get over.

Sonic tilts his head forward and to the left, a silent question.

Shadow's eyes dart all over his face, answering with a subtle nod and a careful, tentative hand on his cheek fur, the first of hopefully many gentle intimate gestures he'll initiate.

He happily obliges, pressing a kiss onto his lips, drinking in the gasp that leaves Shadow, relishing in the sting of the claws pressing into his skin where black and red hands encircle and hold Sonic close. This kiss is less hungry, less violent. Now that there's the promise of more, anytime, anywhere, Shadow seems content to just enjoy the moment, sit in the slow build up of emotions they're too shy to voice out loud. They'll get there one day, at their own pace.

They have no trouble keeping up with each other, they've always been equals in speed.