#and i share a name with shadow the hedgehog. what more could i want! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

realperson022 · 11 months

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I’m A Fine-Tuned Supersonic Speed Machine

Summary:

A fascination had grown within Sonic from seeing the Ultimate Lifeform's most prized possession ever since a joint mission was completed. But he never saw it in action — until he did...and experienced it first-hand, too. Or, 5 times Sonic looked at his rival with his motorcycle from afar, and 1 time Shadow caught him staring.

Rated Teen

At the outskirts of White Jungle, a group of Mobians headed for the same clearing that had been their rendezvous spot before they had ventured into the thick and foggy wilderness, where an Eggman base now rested in ruins along with a myriad of destroyed bots.

"Whaaat a day, am I right?"

Sonic the Hedgehog was dropped safely to the ground by his brother, the fox coming to stand next to him after. Knuckles and the three members of Team Dark, who happened to have joined the heroes with today's mission, made their way over to where the two brothers stood.

"Tired so soon, Blue," Rouge teased, perching herself on top of one of Omega's bulky shoulders. The hero chuckled, shaking his head. "C'mon, I live for this! You do know adventure is my middle name, right? Besides, I've gotten through missions with a lot more badniks and fewer hours of sleep!"

"Even though, I agree and have suffered because of it--" Tails began, reaching out a hand to the cobalt speedster. Without having to say anything, Sonic already knew what his buddy wanted, sticking his hand inside his quills to pull out a small electronic device while scolding him. "I'm not torturing you, bud. I just don't want you staying up so late..."

The hedgehog gave the device to his brother, sharing a look with the genius that spoke of his caring side for him; with a sigh, the two-tailed fox smiled, grabbing his Miles Electric. "I know, I know, but if you're asking me to improve my sleeping habits, it's only fair you do it, too."

If it meant better health for his li'l bro, then why not? Sonic nodded and added his typical gesture of ruffling the youngster's bangs for fun. "You got yourself a deal!"

"Oh, how sweet~" the bat cooed from her place, watching the exchange between the two brothers before she grimaced. "So much that I can't help but feel like throwing up. Shadow, let's leave before they infect us with their gushy feelings and we start spewing the same nonsense!"

The black hedgehog grunted, already moving away from the group and toward a heap of heavy flora that had leaves meticulously overlapping each other. "You don't have to tell me twice," Shadow said, pushing the green foliage and revealing what was hidden under all that.

The sleek and shiny design, the recent paint job, and the familiar striking trademark that belonged to the last living descendant of the Black Arms - the Dark Rider was everything that defined spectacular and it represented the very thing that made Sonic's blood pump faster, his feet itch with anticipation, his face light up with excitement. Its name? Adventure. The dark vehicle was an open invitation to adventure, and the hero would be more than happy to take it one day.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, boys," Sonic heard Rouge say somewhere in the background, probably thinking of giving Knux a personal farewell. And surely, his ears picked up on the usual bickering that came from the white bat's decision to do so, but he could care less about that. Right now, his full attention was on the bike that stood a few feet away from him, watching his striped rival climb onto the seat.

Somehow, the way how Shadow did it so gracefully - his feet fitting into the foot pegs, his hands wrapping around the handles, and his bottom meeting the arch of the seat perfectly - made it hard to believe that he was naturally aggressive when on foot. Then again, the speedster never did really know why one of the fastest hedgehogs on Mobius needed a motorcycle to go around when running got him to places faster. Still, he had never said anything on that matter because the hero had been hoping to see it in action one of these days.

Surprising considering how much time he'd been recently spending with his rival outside mission-related things.

"Sonic?"

Without taking his eyes off Shadow and his bike, the blue hedgehog hummed, tilting his ears in his brother's direction to show he was listening.

However, it didn't matter as the fox was too engrossed with his device to notice where his brother's attention was. Instead, the kid continued tapping at the screen of the Miles Electric and relayed the information he discovered about another Eggman base nearby. "According to these readings, there seems to be another base a couple of miles north from here."

"Active or empty?" Sonic asked, seeing the rest of Team Dark come into his field of vision as they approached Shadow. While they were busy chatting among themselves, the speedster kept himself entertained by how his rival managed to twist his upper body around so easily while being seated.

"Uhhh, looks like it's empty. Do you still want to check it out today or..?"

Casting a glance up at the foggy sky, he frowned. "Will it rain?"

"Let me check," Tails murmured and so, the hero went back to his staring, directing his focus to the motorcycle and widening his eyes at seeing the roaring engine come to life. The sound sent a thrill up his spine, yet it was the swift motion of the hybrid lifting off the kickstand with one foot, seeming to be so well-practiced by the looks of it, that had emerald eyes lighting up brighter than stars.

"Oh, it appears it won't! Not for another hour, at least."

Finally, the Blue Blur, doing as his title claimed, turned around instantly to face the young genius with an excited grin, letting him think it was one arising from the good news. "That's more than enough time to bust down that old place! Let's go!"

Before leaving, Sonic whipped his head around to catch one last glimpse of the Ultimate Lifeform on his famed Dark Rider...Well, maybe a bit longer than a glimpse, but no one noticed as the striped hedgehog disappeared in a green flash.

Catching his eye, Rouge saw the hero looking over in her direction, waving at him before heading off with Omega back to HQ. Sonic turned around, seeing his brother already leading the way up ahead; no big problem as he could easily catch up. Though, it had seemed that someone did catch onto his subtle staring.

Next to the cobalt speedster, the Guardian of the Master Emerald was narrowing his eyes at him, the corners of his lips turned downward. Blinking once, the hedgehog raised an eye ridge, shrugging. "What? Just wanted to make sure they were off safely..."

Knuckles didn't believe that for one second but said nothing, only shaking his head and going after the fox. "Whatever you say, hedgehog."

Guess Sonic needed to work on the subtlety part a bit more.

---

But like everything else, the hero of Mobius tossed the whole 'being discreet about his staring' aside, thinking that being caught by his reclusive red friend - that lacked enough social cues to not know when Rouge's bickering was blatant flirting - was a coincidence.

Besides, when an opportunity lay before you, it was only fair and smart of you to take it, right? Sonic had that opportunity and took it.

"Congratulations, guys!" Amy skipped over to the trio, the winners of the car race that had just finished a couple of minutes ago. The blue hedgehog glanced at her, seeing a newly acquired hammer in her possession, but it only lasted a second before his eyes were drifting to a certain something that stood several feet behind the pink heroine. With only a short 'thanks, Ames' in response to her words, Sonic let one of his all-known smiles set across his lips as he immersed himself in another moment to stare at Dark Rider.

And, in extension, Shadow.

Best of all, no one would notice a single thing! Because while it appeared that the Blue Blur was engaged in a conversation with his four closest friends, his focus was somewhere else, guarded behind the safety of his new favorite pair of black sunglasses that he bought off that small kiosk that weirdly popped up out of nowhere during the race.

So, there he was, nodding along to whatever was being said between Amy, Tails, and Knuckles, but mentally, he was somewhere else; his emerald eyes trailed the length of Shadow's motorcycle, the ride's polished surfaces seeming to shine brighter under today's blinding sun. Such luster, however, was a stark contrast to the aura that surrounded its owner, who leaned back against the motorcycle with his arms crossed over his chest, a stormy glare directed at Sonic.

'Ha!' The hero's idle smile lifted into a toothy grin, his rival's sour mood always bringing pure joy to him. Sonic the Hedgehog also lived to prove to the so-called Ultimate Lifeform that no superior title and all that garbage of being made to be above them all (and to think he had a big ego) was relevant when it came down to see who was the best of the two. After all, there could only be one to take the first place - today's race ended with evidence of that.

Sonic won, Shadow lost (because falling in second place was just as bad as losing in the hedgehogs' minds). As for the prize, well...the hero was taking it as of currently.

The distant voices of his friends continued in the background, still adding his nod or 'yes' into the conversation; meanwhile, his mind was deciding on how if Shadow just happened to have worn one of those leather jackets he had seen Rouge gift him, he would look the part of a gangster.

A gangster that would ride his bike around the city like a maniac, surely - skipping all those red lights, making sharp turns, speeding up to make a jaw-dropping glide over an unfinished lane or highway bridge to the other side! Just about anything that would leave Sonic exhilarated, feeling the ever-familiar sense of danger tingling under his skin; adrenaline had always been something that got his system overflowing with this buzzing excitement. And perhaps riding the motorcycle could give him that euphoric high he’d never reached with fighting Eggman and saving the day.

Solely imagining what it would feel like to ride behind the striped hedgehog made Sonic's blood rush from wonderment. Brushing his peach chest up against the back of Shadow's leathered-clad back, securing his arms around his rival's waist, inhaling his scent as he rested his chin over one of Shadow's shoulders, whooping loudly to let him know how much he loved the sensation of the wind on his fur and making his quills dance wildly in the air as the hedgehog duo traveled at unimaginable speeds--

"--date, Sonic?"

Hearing his name, the blue hedgehog's mouth opened and answered, acting on autopilot but his wishful fantasy transferred into his tone. Without knowing, Sonic let out a dreamy sigh, "Yeah, sounds amazin'..."

"Oh my god, really?!" Amy's high-pitched squeal brought the speedster's daydream to a screeching halt. Under his shades, the hedgehog's eyes quickly turned to look at his friend's extremely happy state, the hammer-wielding fighter reaching out to grab Sonic's hand.

"Huh?" Sonic didn't know what was going on.

"I knew you would eventually start enjoying our dates!"

Dates? Oh fuck. The cobalt speedster glanced at his two friends next to him, trying to gauge what the hell he signed up for this time without paying attention. Unfortunately, Tails and Knuckles were reveling at the sight of one beaming Amy Rose thinking that her beloved hero was beginning to see her as something more when in reality, Sonic had been distracted, unknowingly accepting her request.

Even so, the Blue Blur tried to calm the bouncing female, telling her that this was a mistake (and Shadow's goddamn fault). "Look, Ames...you got this all wrong--"

Instantly, the pink hedgehog's demeanor changed, her bright smile slowly dwindling and her feet losing that upbeat skip. "Wrong?"

The hero chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head in an attempt to pull away from her grip. "You see, I was," emerald eyes flicked over to look at the black hedgehog who was mounting onto his prized possession, and all the mesmeric images of Sonic on that ride, too, came flooding back to the front of his mind.

"You were what?" Amy pushed, narrowing her eyes at him.

And not only that, but she happened to visibly shift the hammer in her hold that was now empty of her hero's gloved hand closer into his field of vision; a reminder of the repetitive story that happened between the two hedgehogs whenever things didn't end up going right.

So, not left with much of a choice, Sonic swallowed what was supposed to be his original idea and instead, smiled at his friend, fearing for his life if he didn't make it look like it was genuine - there were only so many horrible headaches and pointless games of cat and mouse he could take.

"...wondering where you'd wanna go?"

Amy's enthusiasm revived, taking Sonic by the hand again and leading him to the fancy, blur race car parked next to an almost departing Shadow the Hedgehog. Along the way, the female fighter rambled on about where they should head, but Sonic was too busy trying to see if he could catch his rival leaving on his motorcycle in a black blur like in his dream and yanked his sunglasses off.

However, it was not possible as the Resistance fighter blocked the hero's sight by startling him with a kiss on his cheek, winking at him afterward, and skipping over to hop onto the passenger's seat of his racecar; by the time he looked at the place where Shadow had been, there was nothing left but a billowing cloud of dust.

Maybe Sonic had won the race, but he didn't get his well-deserved prize in the end.

---

At this point, if people knew of his interest when it came to the intimidating vehicle, they would have come up to the hero asking what exactly made him become fascinated with such a thing, especially when he wasn't one to prefer something over his feet. Was it the need to experience a ride? If that was the case, then Sonic could have simply gotten over it by testing any motorcycle at a local shop in Station Square's downtown area. Easy and quick.

Except it wasn't just about any motorcycle, the hero wanted to specifically take the Dark Rider around Mobius until he exhausted every last drop of fuel in its tank. For that to happen, Sonic knew he would most likely have to end up pestering his rival to use it, or perhaps, stealing it without permission would be better - the sparring challenge that would come after Shadow tracked him down only encouraged him to do it rather than stand here and think about it.

Well, he had been ready to act on it, the ongoing celebration of Tails' birthday party the ideal environment to pursue his one-step plan, but as he had walked past the crowd of close friends and spotted familiar black quills near one of the snack tables by the workshop's garage closed doors, he paused. The mischievous grin he had been sporting while trying to close in on his target faded away, a confused frown taking its place because right next to the Ultimate Lifeform and his precious bike stood the lavender feline princess.

Blaze.

Now what?

Honestly, her being there wasn't enough to refrain the blue hedgehog from doing something reckless around Shadow, considering that there was always someone present to see the shenanigans the hero got himself into by messing around with the one person that found him utterly annoying. So what exactly was stopping him?

He pondered the question while standing there, at a safe distance from the two most introverted people he knew at this party having a casual conversation. Luckily, someone was willing to offer an answer.

"Jealousy is not a nice look on you, Blue."

At hearing Rouge's voice, the speedster quickly shifted his attention away from his rival and the princess, exchanging his frown for a smirk. The bat had walked up to stand next to the hero, nonchalantly sipping at her red solo cup.

"Rouge, likin' the party so far?"

She snorted, shuffling closer to rest her elbow over one of his shoulders. "I am, but are you?"

Sonic gave her a weird look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ohhh, so we're gonna play dumb," the agent drawled with a roll of her eyes, finishing her drink before clearing her throat. "Look, sugar, as Shadow's 'friend'," she added air quotes around the term, "I should be telling you to get your ass as far away as possible from him."

"Why?"

Rouge gestured over to where her partner-in-arms stood. "When was the last time you saw him interact with someone apart from Omega, you, and I?"

The silence that followed gave away the answer.

"Exactly, so let him have this. Besides," her tone became suggestive, "you never know, those two could hit it off..."

"The man has a soft spot for kitties - the princess has an advantage already over you--"

"Psssh! Nice one, Rouge." The hero couldn't help but laugh at what she was saying, bending over to exaggerate the ridiculousness of the situation she was describing. Yet, uprighting himself, he noticed how the bat was not mirroring his behavior, the first sign that showed she wasn't joking, and her crossed arms only made him stop in an instant.

"You're serious?"

The cobalt speedster scoffed, picking at his ear with his gloved pinkie. "Sorry, Rouge, but I ain't looking for the Faker to have a soft spot for me."

"Then explain the ugly scowl you were clearly directing at your fiery gal."

Sonic stared at the GUN agent, holding his gaze steady before her, but after knowing how she wouldn't let this be and bring it up again at an inopportune time, he surrendered...somewhat.

"Okay, you caught me!" Sonic threw his arms wide open as if to show that she was right. "I'm jealous--"

"Ha!" she cheered, smirking. But her victory didn't last long as the hero raised a finger to cut her off, mirroring her smirk. "Of the fact that Blaze's welcomed to get close to Dark Rider without so much of a complaint on Shadow's part."

The bat took a moment to process the words, varying expressions flashing across her face to the Blue Blur's amusement and mild fear. He hoped she didn't think more of the situation because the woman tended to read between the lines when there wasn't any in-between to be looking through in the first place!

"The bike, huh?" she asked, turning around to observe the black hedgehog and princess in the distance, studying the way her teammate pointed at certain parts of his GUN-assigned vehicle while explaining something to the Guardian of the Sol Emeralds. Shadow and Blaze were certainly not close, yet it would be possible for the two to get along the most outside their small group of acquaintances. So to see how the two Mobians were interacting, Rouge had only wished to poke fun at the hero about no longer receiving Shadow's full attention, regardless of it being rude and aggressive.

But after hearing Knuckles' comment the other day about what he saw at White Jungle, this curiosity Sonic had toward the motorcycle wasn't what it meant in a literal manner. The Dark Rider was a substitute for something--no, someone that the hero of Mobius had yet to accept to feel something for.

"Well, good thing you got me as your friend, too," Rouge remarked, a plan formulating in her head unbeknownst to the hero, who ended up even more confused by her comment. Instead of elaborating, the agent patted Sonic's shoulder and smiled. "Let's fix you up a date with that hot ride."

"Date?" Sonic repeated, becoming flustered. "I told you, Rouge, I'm not interested in Shadow--"

"I meant the motorcycle, Blue..."

"Oh."

Oh, indeed. Rouge chuckled, walking away from the embarrassed male, and wondered why all hedgehogs were so stubborn when it came to these things about feelings and attraction. Well, she guessed she could add one particular red echidna to the list, too.

---

Sonic soon learned what Rouge had meant that evening at Tails' birthday party. The answer came in the form of the two elite agents standing at the doorstep of the fox's workshop one week later.

“So what happened again?” Tails glanced up from where he was busy taking in the damage done to the motorcycle’s engine.

Shadow relayed the details, himself occupied with looking over the rest of his bike. “We had a mission over at Mazuri—”

“You guys went to Mazuri and didn’t invite me!” Sonic butted in as he came walking through the workshop’s entrance with a takeout bag in one hand. Passing Rouge on his way to put the bag on an empty counter, the hero gave her a knowing look to which she winked in response. “Hey, Big Blue. Aaaand you know we would have—"

Shadow scoffed, glancing up at the bat when she said that. “Never in a million years.”

Rouge rolled her eyes, “Okay, I would have sent you a message if I could, but it was a classified kind of gig. No outsiders allowed."

"Ah, I see," Sonic wandered toward where his brother and his rival were huddled around the motorcycle. The two talked and pointed at several parts from where the engine had been removed to take a thorough scan of the bike's interior. Already, the hero was closer to the motorcycle than he'd ever been before; unfortunately, this time there were dents, serious scrapes, and once sleek black colors now showing signs of rust.

But what was a little adventure if not getting a few scratches here and there?

All that mattered to Sonic was being close to the bike, caring any less for how it looked now because appearances were only one thing. He stepped over to stand on the side where Shadow was crouching, staring at where ungloved hands were delicately propped on the bike. Sonic couldn't help himself from his indulging staring again, admiring the long and bold red stripe that slithered down Shadow's arm to his hand, splitting into two thinner lines that led to his middle finger and pinkie only. Even then, the middle finger's crimson stripe followed straight down to neatly trimmed black claws while the Pinkie's stripe curled around the smaller digit twice to reach an identical claw.

Sonic always knew his rival was different, being half hedgehog and half Black Arms, but whereas the reminder of his bloodline often disturbed other people, it simply made the agent more attractive to the hero. Everything he thought was pleasing to look at for Shadow seemed like a threat to others; the sharp, striped quills, his much pointier fangs, and strong, powerful muscles.

Though, Shadow's bright, red rubies were Sonic's favorite.

They reminded him of sunsets, of cherries on top of sundaes, of the molten lava surrounding the volcanic area in Red Mountain.

Red had always been a meaningful color to the speedster, and to see his rival have it as a trademark trait of his without acknowledging Sonic's original intent already - like, hello, red shoes! - made Sonic chuckle.

It caught Shadow's attention, who glanced up at the blue hero hovering over him with a frown.

"What's so funny, hedgehog?"

Sonic shrugged, wearing a goofy smile that only seemed to make the striped hedgehog's eyes narrow further.

"Nothin', just...noticed something, that's all."

"Noticed what?" Shadow asked, his tone suggesting the hero be careful about how he went about this.

Sonic gestured at the barely eligible insignia the Dark Rider usually had beautifully painted over on the side. "You went for red as your brand."

The agent looked at his scratched bike's insignia, staring at it with knitted brows. The little pout Shadow unknowingly made when thinking hard about something brought out another chuckle from the hero.

"So?" Shadow huffed, not knowing what had his rival laughing at him beginning to annoy him.

A cocky grin slipped across fawn lips and emerald eyes lit up.

"Well, not to brag or anything, buuuut red's been my kind of thing since the start. I mean have you seen how many pairs of red shoes I own?"

"He actually has a whole line of shoes and accessories made by him for that brand - Swift Speed," the fox genius piped in from the other side, where he was writing down notes about what parts to order to fix the motorcycle.

"Oh yeah! Forgot 'bout that, I really don't tell others, though..."

"Swift Speed?" Rouge grinned, catching Sonic's attention. "Oh my god..." Her teal eyes were glued to the dark hedgehog who was standing back up.

"Rouge, don't," came the simple warning, but the bat was too excited to share her discovery. "Shadow only ever uses that brand for when he wants to give his air shoes a break!"

"Oh really..." Sonic grinned, turning back to stare at his embarrassed rival.

"Rouge, stop."

"You have like what? Two or three pairs of running shoes for each color they have," she snickered, making her friend groan in annoyance. "Something about the maker having good taste in style and comfort."

Meanwhile, Sonic was reveling in this new information, pushing this whole thing a step further by shuffling closer to his striped rival and bumping his hip with Shadow's.

"I guess we all know what that means, right?" Sonic teased, slinging an arm freely over ebony shoulders. Regardless of what Rouge just put him through, Shadow was still brave enough to look the hero in the eye and mutter. "No...what?"

"That you should be the starring model for my shoe line! Think about it...you could pose even with this bad boy," Sonic released the agent to turn around and place both his hands on the Dark Rider. And once he couldn't believe he was actually touching the motorcycle, he took the biggest step so far he could with Shadow's property. He swiftly swung a leg over it and posed for his dark counterpart with a smirk.

"And if you need help, I'm always down to show you some poses," Sonic let his eyelids droop, becoming half-lidded and suggestive.

"Get off my bike."

"Oh, c'mon, Shads! I'll take good care of you both," the hero winked, his flirtations leaving the dark hedgehog with an angered look by the way his face was burning brighter than the pretty red on his stripes. To further prove it, the hero's eyes widened as Shadow came at him with a menacing snarl. Quickly, Sonic scrambled off the bike and fled the workshop, offering a quick word of gratitude toward Rouge for trying on his way out with a hot-tempered striped hedgehog on his tail.

Rouge just watched the boys leave, the sounds of the fox tinkering filling the background. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at Sonic's blatant stubbornness, having found the smile on his face as he left running with Shadow after him bigger than the one he wore when he finally touched the motorcycle he desperately wanted.

---

It was always one step forward, and two steps back with Shadow.

Whatever chances he'd gained from last week through Rouge's help were nothing when the striped hedgehog simply ripped them away from Sonic's hands in the next moment. And because he couldn't figure it out yet, the hero blamed it all on his rival, and his outright rude intentions of ignoring him today of all days.

It was the World Grand Prix, and it was down to the last section for riders to use their boards to race through Mazuri's savannah and through exotic smaller towns around the citadel.

Sonic and his pals never missed a chance to show up and enjoy the fun with thousands of others that followed the races across the world; it also didn't stop the blue hedgehog from "accidentally" bumping into an old green-feathered friend and shaking things up with their nostalgic rivalry. And though Jet came off as the same self-centered jerk and remained to bruise Sonic's ego any way he could, deep down the hedgehog knew the hawk was more than happy to have a worthy challenge to look forward to racing with.

But, of course, no one could beat Sonic's best rival - Shadow the Hedgehog.

He was the only one that could test the hero in all the ways others dreamed of or tried and failed. No one could rise to the challenge like the Ultimate Lifeform, and that was something Sonic would rather take to his grave than reveal to anybody lest he want to endure the rest of his life with Shadow constantly reminding him.

Actually, right about now, Sonic wouldn't mind, still standing in the contestants' lane waiting for the announcer to call out the time to head over for the last part of the race. All the wins he had accumulated over the race meant nothing to Sonic right now as he continued to glare at where Jet and Shadow stood, sharing conversation.

Team Dark had arrived halfway through the Grand Prix, and they seemed to have no intention of participating this time around. It'd been a shame since it would've turned the competition a lot fiercer, action-packed...a lot more of Shadow to butt heads with. While Jet gave Sonic adrenaline to beat him at his own game, having Shadow around would have done wonders for the hero's excitement.

Heck, the blue hedgehog would have been delighted to have his striped rival witness first-hand how he beat the green hawk on the track.

Instead, Shadow didn't even acknowledge him! Not even a simple glance in his direction. The agent gave Sonic nothing, and only made the hero's mood worsen as the race progressed by voluntarily going up with Rouge to talk to the Rogues, both GUN agents engaging in civilized talk with the birds— well, Rouge more or so flirted with the purple swallow. But that was the last thing the hero cared about, his attention narrowed down to the green Extreme Gear racer and the Ultimate Lifeform.

"Oh no, here we go again," a familiar voice spoke up from Sonic's side.

He glanced over to find Knuckles coming to stand next to him with Tails at his other side.

"What do you mean?" The young genius asked, cocking his head to the side in curiosity.

The echidna pointed at the group standing across the lane, chatting comfortably with each other. "Sonic's jealous that Jet is striking up a conversation with Shadow because you see our friend here," Knuckles smugly swung an arm over Sonic's stiff shoulders. "He's got this little crush on the Ultimate Lifeform—"

"No," Sonic growled, shrugging off his friend's arm. "I'm not jealous because I don't have a crush on Shadow!"

"Say it any louder and he just might think so."

The hero huffed, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from the other racers, and though he wish for his striped rival to not have heard him, a little part of him did just to get his attention.

"Look, let's just go get ready to win this race, okay?"

Because he'd rather stand under Mazuri's hot sun by the tracks than see another second of this preposterous scene before him, his friends also seemed to notice as they shared a look of amusement and followed the hero out from the sheltered lane.

Everything went downhill when Sonic saw Shadow approach Jet because he nor his team ended up winning the final race, earning second place on the scoreboard to the hedgehog's dismay. Still, he congratulated his friends and high-fived them as they walked back to the contestants' lane to get some water. Sure, the defeat wasn't what Sonic had planned, but he took the blame for that with his mind having been distracted on the race track, especially with Jet at his side taunting him and all.

It kind of got to his head, but he was ready to move on from today, suggesting to his brother and friend about celebrating with a good dinner. So, the trio headed into the citadel, walking the crowded streets and pointing out new things since they last visited Mazuri until they arrived at a local restaurant with the best meals served fresh.

They took their seats outside, chilling under the welcoming shade of the table's thatch canopy and sharing their thoughts on the Grand Prix. The crowds along the main road thrived with lively conversations, local sellers pulled in tourists to buy exotic tokens, and a small band was playing at one of the corners of the main road's intersection. It was all going well, perfectly well, but leave it up to Shadow to keep ruining the hero's day.

Sonic had been in the middle of telling his friends about the cool move he pulled off in the first leg of today's race when a roaring engine cut through the buzzing streets and lively music. Heads turned in the direction of where the sound was coming from; a handful of excited gasps and chirps of acknowledgment went around the other tables by Sonic's.

He figured out why pretty soon.

An eye-catching ride pulled up to the same street where Sonic and the others were sitting out to enjoy their dinner. The two riders on the motorcycle found themselves at the center of attention, the Dark Rider itself having attracted plenty enough, but with the two well-known Mobians climbing off the bike it doubled the spectators' awe.

"Seriously," the blue hedgehog scoffed, ticked off that of all the places in Mazuri this had to be the one they would come to. And that wasn't even the half of Sonic's problem, eyeing his green feathery rival with open envy as he stepped away from the motorcycle and its owner.

Unfortunately, his staring didn't go unnoticed by the hawk, azure eyes making contact with an unyielding emerald gaze.

"Well, well, well, look who do we have here," the cocky hawk sauntered over to the hedgehog's table, receiving two scowls apart from the hero's. "Celebrating your second-place win?"

"Until your ugly face ruined it, yeah pretty much," Sonic snapped rudely, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jet snorted. "Awful comeback, must be a side effect from losing."

"We didn't lose! It was just a choice of heart to let you win this time around."

"Whatever," the green hawk shrugged, still wearing his smug grin to the speedster's bother. "I think it was high time someone humbled you, and you should be thanking me really."

Sonic gawked, "Thank you? For what?"

"That it was me you lost to and not Shadow—hey!" Suddenly, the hawk leaned over and his azure gaze grew mischievous. "Did you know he bet on you winning? The poor guy came up to me before the race to settle a little deal only to be disappointed by your loss."

Sonic paled, the hawk snickering at his reaction. "I can't wait to tell him it was a choice of heart that made him lose our bet."

Jet was about to go off and do whatever he came here to do, but before he could, Sonic blurted out something. "What was the bet?"

Glancing over his shoulder at the hero, Jet smirked, motioning at where Shadow was busy talking to someone on his phone. "See that nice bike? Well, let's just say you aren't the first rival to get a cool ride on it...see you around, Sonic."

Off the Extreme Gear rider went, heading into the restaurant and disappearing among the crowd standing in line waiting for their orders. Meanwhile, the hero slumped back into his chair, stunned and annoyed by what Jet had revealed; Knuckles had been ready to poke fun at Sonic again, but a harsh nudge and silent glare from the fox stopped him from doing it. The two left their blue friend to figure out his thoughts alone and in silence, both already knowing why Jet's confession disturbed Sonic so much.

And it had nothing to do with the bike, but that was for the hero to figure out on his own.

They half expected him to head over and talk to Shadow first-hand, but they were simply witnesses to their friend's obvious staring. Sonic kept his gaze on the dark hedgehog by the street, who remained oblivious to what just happened and the eyes that were on him.

While Tails and Knuckles continued with their meal, checking on Sonic every other moment, the hero himself was dissecting his thoughts one by one, glancing between his rival and the Dark Rider. There were questions about why would Shadow bring his bike back to Mazuri when it had gotten damaged here in the first place, and why would Team Dark not want to participate in the Grand Prix this year. Alas, these questions were smaller in importance when compared to why would Shadow bet on Sonic winning and getting his most prized possession involved in the mix. Did the agent really think Sonic would win?

Sonic's eyes widened, is that why he was here...to see him win?

The thought of the hybrid solely coming to the races to watch Sonic made his cheeks warm, shifting in his seat at thinking about bright rubies following his every move from the moment he stepped out of the contestants' lane to the tracks. Sonic wasn't going to lie to himself; the mere idea of having Shadow's attention was satisfying, but knowing he believed Sonic to win, it was a lot more than satisfying.

It meant Shadow respected him, acknowledged his abilities, and perhaps, admired him. On some level. An equal level for sure if Jet's words were anything to go by, but it made the hero wonder if that were the case, then why treat him as if he were less?

"Why won't you let me ride with you?" Sonic asked, whispering under his breath.

"What was that?"

Startled by Tails' voice, the blue hedgehog looked over at his brother and smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing! Just thinking about what to order for dessert."

The fox slowly nodded, amused by his behavior. "Okaaay..."

Avoiding his brother's curious gaze, the hero went back to staring at Shadow and his motorcycle, finally noticing that it looked way better than it had been over a week ago. It got its shine back, a new paint job, and tires, too. Now seeing the bike sporting its usual attractiveness, Sonic couldn't help but think about the deal Shadow and Jet made a little more, recalling that the hawk only explained what he won because of the bet.

Though what would have happened if Sonic won the race leaving Shadow to take his side of the bet?

A what-if the hero would not know unless he asked Jet - definitely not - or Shadow - also not a chance. He let out a dejected sigh figuring he would never know the answer, and all because he got distracted by Shadow and Jet talking to each other as if they were best buds—oh, that asshole.

Of course, what an idiot he was!

Sonic was right; it was always one step forward, and two steps back with the Ultimate Lifeform.

At least now he knew that Shadow knew he was the winner before the race even began, smirking at seeing his feathery rival walk back out of the restaurant and flashing the hero another cocky grin. Sonic saw Jet reunite with Shadow at his motorcycle, saying something to each other before the dark hedgehog offered the hawk a helping hand.

Sure, it made Sonic's jaw tick, but the giddiness he was suddenly feeling surpassed the hotness he felt in his chest at seeing Shadow leave with someone that wasn't him on his precious bike. Because at the end of the day, all that mattered was that Shadow knew Sonic was his best rival, the only worthwhile to come to see and play an easy deal for to just end up fooling everyone else.

Well, he didn't fool Sonic.

---

It was a month after the incident at the World Grand Prix when Sonic saw his rival again.

The spontaneous visit could have gone perfectly great if it weren't for the awful timing to end up with an injury after Eggman's attack. Luckily, with the additional help of Team Dark, the Doctor was easily defeated, cursing at the hero and his friends for ruining his plans once again. The one that didn't walk away from the battle so lucky was Sonic, sporting a sprained ankle.

So, now here he sat on the ground, bearing the same old argument Tails and Amy had each time the speedster was injured. It upset him for the most part because he felt embarrassed to be treated like a child. In front of his rival nonetheless! But he kept quiet, blocking out whatever his brother and Amy were discussing, and glanced over to where Shadow and Rouge were checking up on Omega. It appeared the destruction-loving robot took a pretty nasty hit during the fight and had some damage done to his core battery.

But by the looks of it, nothing serious was done as Rouge patted her teammate on his bulky arm while Shadow rolled his eyes rather playfully. Not long after, the dark hedgehog headed for an overgrown bush, parting tree branches and thick leaves to reveal where he had hidden his bike this time around.

Sonic perked up at the sight of it, curiously watching how attentive Shadow was being as he made sure his motorcycle didn't get scratched. It was kind of cute, the hero thought. He'd never seen his rival take care of something so much to the point where it looked like the Dark Rider meant everything to him.

Maybe it did, Sonic smirked, guiding his gaze over the bike's comfy seat and the insignia's outline. The symbol's red color reminded him of his owner with ruby eyes and striking striped quills, and he couldn't help himself to a soft laugh at remembering how he proved to Shadow that he'd been wearing Sonic's signature color all these years.

Something about red looked perfect against black.

The thought made the hero's chest swell up with warmth, risking a chance to look at his dark rival. He saw him looking over his bike, passing his gloved hands over the handles and shiny surfaces—those same hands ran along Sonic's sides, pressing gently into blue hips—holy fuck, Sonic's eyes widened, feeling his breath taken away at realizing where his thoughts were going. Where the hell did that even come from?

Feeling even more embarrassed, the speedster shifted, readjusting his sitting position on the ground and making sure that neither Amy nor Tails were looking at him. Damn it, the last thing he needed was for his brother to point out his blushing face that sure enough he felt crawling down his neck too. Amy would surely give him hell about it, demanding to know what evoked this sort of reaction from him.

He knew the only way to calm down was to avert his eyes from Shadow and the motorcycle, but...the temptation was irresistible; just a small peek, he reasoned with himself.

Emerald eyes steadily retraced their way back to the hybrid standing by the Dark Rider, starting from familiar air shoes, going up the length of striped feet, stopping to momentarily admire the athletic muscles, and continuing up to a strongly built chest until...crimson eyes were staring back at him.

"Fuck," Sonic whispered, mortified at being caught and quickly, ripping his gaze away from Shadow.

He didn't dare to look back and see if Shadow's eyes were still on him, instead struggling to breathe properly; however, this caught his brother's attention to the blue hedgehog's dismay.

"Sonic, are you feeling okay?" The young fox knelt, scanning Sonic's face and pressing a hand to his forehead.

Tails frowned, "You're burning up and shaking..."

These observations devastatingly attracted everyone else's attention, too, making the hero squirm even more under curious eyes. Least of all, now Shadow standing within arm's distance and staring down at Sonic with a knowing smirk. Another flush of redness swarmed the hero's face as he made eye contact with his rival, and to his even greater displeasure, had Amy fret over his health, too.

"Oh! I think he has a fever! We need to take him back to the workshop before it gets worse!" The pink hedgehog crowded the hero's space and glanced over to Tails with an irked expression. "C'mon, Tails! We can't waste any more time!"

"If I take him, the height will just make it worse. He could end up feeling nauseous."

Amy glared at the fox, crossing her arms over her chest. "Then what are we going to do? He can't walk with his sprained ankle—"

"I'll take him."

All eyes landed on Shadow.

"Uh, n-no, that's okay—I'm sure we can figure something else out," Sonic stuttered, staring at anything but the agent.

"Yeah, we don't want to impose on you," Amy added, her jade eyes narrowing at seeing how the dark hedgehog was looking at Sonic. "Besides, carrying him back to the workshop is equally as dangerous as Tails taking him over."

Shadow's smirk remained, casting the pink hedgehog a mirthful look. "We can take my bike."

Rouge nodded, "He's a natural on that thing, so there are no chances of anything bad happening."

"But what about—" Amy started, finding another excuse but was cut off by the hybrid.

"We'll get there before any of you do unless..." Shadow was now blatantly challenging the pink hedgehog. "You want to wait here and come up with another solution while Sonic's condition gets worse."

Offended, Amy rose to her feet. "No! Of course not! I just—I just want to make sure Sonic's in good hands."

Having remained a silent spectator of the discussion, Sonic would have thanked Amy for her care, but all that his mind was feeding him was thoughts of Shadow's hands again - caressing his fawn chest and fingers running through his blue quills. Oh god, Sonic was doomed.

So, so doomed as Omega caught onto how his face continued to redden, almost matching the color of his shoes.

"THE BLUE HEDGEHOG'S SYSTEM IS SHOWING SIGNS OF THE QUICKENING OF HIS HEART RATE AND HIS UNFAVORABLE TEMPERATURE CONTINUING TO RISE."

"You heard the guy. Let's get Big Blue moving," Rouge snapped her fingers and nodded for Shadow to take the injured hero away.

That was all the striped hedgehog needed to crouch low on the ground, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Sonic. With their faces only being only a few inches apart, the hero was afraid to say anything to him, avoiding his rival's gaze. Although, it was difficult doing so when the very same thoughts he was having about Shadow's hands were nearing the possibility of happening in real life as he felt gloved hands slide delicately across his back and hook an arm under his knees.

This would haunt his dreams in the middle of the night if the feeling of being pressed up against the hybrid's sturdy chest wasn't already awakening even more confusing reactions from the blue hedgehog.

Sonic bit back the whimper that fought to free itself from his lips, roughly swallowing the thickness lodged in his throat.

"Okay, we'll meet you back at the workshop," Rouge walked after the dark hedgehog carrying his blue rival to the Dark Rider. She observed in delight as Shadow settled the hero carefully on the seat, deliberately touching his shoulders and waist while explaining to Sonic he wanted to make sure he was secured.

Shadow was then climbing onto the bike, too, and glancing at Sonic over his shoulder. "Hold onto me or you'll fall off."

"Wait, what?"

Huffing, the bat turned to Rose who was in earshot of hearing Shadow's advice as she walked up to them. "He was joking. Sonic's not gonna fall off, buuuut..." Rouge sauntered over to stand before Sonic, a mischievous smile making the hero nervous. "It won't hurt to make the ride a little safer."

Sonic blushed, hesitantly circling his hands around Shadow's waist. "Um, can we go now?"

"Get him outta here, Shadow before he grows any more impatient!" The bat winked at the cobalt speedster, backing off to let the hybrid start the engine. "You're in good hands with the Ultimate Lifeform, Big Blue—oh!"

She gestured for Shadow to wait for a second, her eyes still on the flustered hedgehog behind him. "Before I forget, you owe me."

Sonic frowned, confused. "Owe you? For what?"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't act stupid, Blue. You know what I mean, but in case you don't, Shadow will tell once you get home."

With that being said, Shadow took Rouge's wave as his cue to leave, grinning as he sped across the field with now a gasping Sonic the Hedgehog behind him. The hero hadn't expected the motorcycle to reach these kinds of speeds, seeming to almost match Shadow's and his natural pace when running. But as the shock gradually resided, exhilaration took over and made Sonic forget about his previous awkward state.

He had waited too long for this and it was everything he had hoped for.

Sonic let out a laugh, enjoying the whipping wind hitting his face as Shadow made a turn to head for the city's limits. "Whoa! Hey, aren't we going to the workshop?"

The dark hedgehog shot the hero a quick glance, grinning. "We are, but if we're going to beat them there, we might as well take a little detour."

Finding this playful side of his usually grumpy rival amusing, Sonic chuckled, relaxing into his place against Shadow's back. "Since when are you the fun type?"

The hero saw the agent shrug, guiding them into the first street at the road signs' speed which was a little slower than what Sonic liked but loved the rumbling vibration coming from the engine.

"Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

Sonic smirked, "So I guess my work is finally paying off."

"What?!" Shadow yelled out as he increased the speed, skillfully driving between the lanes and using any openings to push through the rest of the cars and building traffic.

They were approaching the heart of the city, but Sonic let out another cheerful laugh as Shadow dodged the incoming traffic, shocking the hero when he ran a red light.

"Did you just do what I think you did?!"

"Can't hear you! Speak up, hedgehog!"

Grunting, the speedster scooted closer, pressing his chest right against Shadow's back, and leaned over to let his mouth hover closely at the hybrid's left side of his face.

"I said you ran a red light—"

Sonic's words died on his tongue as Shadow quickly turned his face to press a soft kiss to unsuspecting lips, breaking away with a smile at seeing the hero's shocked face. Shadow chuckled, his ruby eyes twinkling now under the evening sun. It took the blue hedgehog a full sixty seconds to realize what just happened, staring at the agent with wide eyes, flushed cheeks, and mouth agape. It was only after Shadow saw the hero blink that he laughed, nudging Sonic's muzzle with his own to regain his focus.

"See, told you you're rubbing off on me," Shadow purred, shifting his attention back to the road sadly, but he felt Sonic finally react.

"You...you kissed me?" Sonic didn't know what to do. This was all so unexpected, but...he liked it. After all, surprises were his favorite thing. Still, he needed to make sure this was what he thought and not some funny joke Shadow decided to pull on him—"It's not April Fools' today is it?!"

Shadow snorted, shaking his head. "No, you idiot!"

"Then why did you kiss me?!" Sonic shouted over the bustling noise of other cars and honking.

"Because I can!"

"I'm serious!" Sonic rolled his eyes, squeezing Shadow's waist for emphasis.

"Fine! I'll tell you...after this!"

In a practiced maneuver, the agent was pushing the pace higher, switching lanes to the farthest left before making a graceful turn. He was leading them to the highway entrance ramp, not slowing down as his swift speed scared away other drivers and let him onto the highway. Without having to worry about any highway patrol at this hour, Shadow took advantage and really made Sonic's first ride worth all the time in the world.

Sonic felt the air being punched out of his lungs in the best way possible as he held on tighter to Shadow, not holding back his loud whooping as they broke every highway speed rule by worming their way between cars and angry drivers. Shadow joined him in his bout of joy, feeling the vibrations of the agent's laughter against his chest and grinning even wider when Shadow's shoulders shook with every laugh as well.

"Get ready!"

That was all the hero got before his rival was tilting the bike toward the right, gliding across the three lanes to get to the edge where a sign Sonic caught a fleeting glance of signaled that a bridge was coming up in a few miles. He was about to ask Shadow about it until he saw another three massive signs alerting drivers that the bridge was under reconstruction, leaving a shiver to run down Sonic's spine.

That was it; the tingling sensation he'd been dreaming about these past few months.

This was what Sonic craved ever since he felt the desire to ride this very motorcycle with his rival and run it for as long as it let them.

"Oh, this going to be so fucking cool!" Sonic's eyes widen as the bridge's ramp leading to the higher ground came into view.

"Ready?!"

The unfinished bridge was approaching quickly at the speed they were going, a wide space empty of any structure to lead to the other side; the hero's blood pumped faster under his skin, his emerald eyes lighting up with the dangerous glint a daredevil always wore in the face of something life-risking. Sure, they could easily miss the other ledge and fall to their potential deaths, but unlike all those times when Sonic was fighting Eggman or another huge badnik or a wrathful god, this time everything felt safe somehow. No matter how dangerous this was Sonic knew he was going to be safe.

As long as he had Shadow at his side, nothing bad would ever happen to the hero.

So, Sonic surprised the dark hedgehog with a share of his own kiss to a tan muzzle, leaning into Shadow's body as much as he could, and confidently gave his answer.

"More than I will ever be."

The two hedgehogs were then feeling the rush of air against their quills, taking in the view under them as the bike reached its highest speed and the first tire left the ground. Shadow grinned, feeling Sonic's grip around his waist tightening but hearing the hero let out an excited scream; it echoed in the air as they glided over the space between the bridge's ledges, immediately marking it as a memorable moment in Shadow's life.

As predicted, the striped hedgehog and his bike made their landing perfectly, bouncing once as the tires made contact with the ground again.

"Holy shit! That was so awesome!" Sonic giggled, bracing his forehead on an ebony shoulderblade as he fully embraced the euphoric high he just experienced.

His rival let him enjoy it in silence as he drove them to the workshop for real this time, slowing down as they exited the highway at the next ramp and turned onto a street that let out of the city. During the ride, Sonic's forehead gesture turned into full-on nuzzling, practically hugging the striped hedgehog and purring at feeling Shadow's warmth.

When they arrived at the workshop, they found themselves alone, the agent kicking out the stand to stabilize the motorcycle. He tapped Sonic's hands to let him know they were here, making the hero's eyes flutter open and the smile he'd been wearing falter. Reluctantly, the blue hedgehog dropped his arms from Shadow's waist, suddenly nervous again now that they were face-to-face again.

"Got you here first as promised," the hybrid teased, noticing his rival's avoidance of eye contact. "Is something wrong? Did I hurt you—"

"No! M'okay!" Sonic blurted out, meeting Shadow's worried gaze instantly.

It knocked the breath out of him, again. He was starting to like this feeling a little too much.

"Just..." the hero rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. "You said you were gonna tell me why you...kissed me."

Relieved to know it had nothing to do with his sprained ankle, the agent relaxed and smiled. "Is that all?"

"Is that all?" Sonic repeated, incredulously. "Uh. Hello, how are you so calm after—that?"

"The ride or the kiss? I can't tell when you seemed to have loved both," Shadow smirked, entertained by how easy it was to fluster his blue rival.

It seemed the roles were switched today.

The hero glared at the other hedgehog, growling. "If you aren't gonna take me seriously, I'm leavin'."

Swinging his leg over the seat, Sonic winced as he placed both his feet on the ground, prepared to walk away when in his first step, he was assaulted with a sharp pain shooting up his injured leg. He whimpered, forgetting the whole point of this ride was to have him take off weight from his sprained ankle. Unfortunately, Shadow was there to remind him as well, surprising the blue hedgehog again by grabbing out to him.

"Hey! What are you doing—?" Sonic gasped as he was swept off his feet, feeling up Shadow's comforting warmth again against his side that was pressed to the hybrid's chest. Annoyed and embarrassed, Sonic huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't need to be carried, Shadow."

"Are you always this stubborn?" The agent remarked, not letting go of the hero and taking him to the house attached to the workshop.

"So funny," Sonic grumbled, looking away from his rival and to the front porch instead.

The dark hedgehog climbed the steps and gently sat the speedster on the top one, being extra cautious of the injured ankle. He settled himself next to the hero after, leaving only an inch of space between them. Sonic would have scooted away, he would have but...the temptation was going at it again, stronger in its magnetic pull. So, he remained where he was and waited for the others to arrive with Shadow.

And for a long quiet minute, Sonic thought this was all there was to this day, unanswered questions and foolish emotions storming his mind.

But Shadow broke the silence, admitting to Sonic something quite shocking.

"I kissed you because I've been wanting to for a while now."

"Oh."

To say the least, the hero was stunned to hear this. It was kind of hard to tell this was what Shadow's been wanting to do when all their interactions ended with petty competitions over a round of racing or sparring.

"Since when?"

Shadow glanced at the blue hedgehog, answering confidently. "After the race car competition a few months back."

Sonic's jaw dropped, remembering that race as it was the beginning of his phase where all he paid attention to was the Dark Rider. Now that he recalled the memory, thoroughly going through each thing Sonic had studied with great curiosity and realizing his gaze somehow had gone from the bike to the rider.

"But you always pushed me away..." Sonic also didn't forget about everything that happened after that day. "You spent all your time with Blaze at Tails' birthday party, you wanted to beat me up when you brought in your bike, and you ignored me all day during the Grand Prix!"

With every new thing Sonic listed, the more confused he became, comparing Shadow's behavior in the past weeks to the present. "Hell, you even paraded Jet around Mazuri on your motorcycle afterward."

This caught the Ultimate Lifeform's attention, leaning forward with hooded eyes. "What? Did that make you jealous?"

"No!" The cobalt speedster scowled, feeling his cheeks burn hot under Shadow's pretty—stop it, you! "I just don't know why you waste your time with others when it's clear that I'm the best you got—I mean as a rival!"

The striped hedgehog chuckled, "You're so cute when you get mad."

"Shadow!"

"What? It's true!" The agent reached for Sonic's face, cradling his cheek sweetly. "And you're right, red's definitely your signature color."

Sonic groaned, glaring at the other. "I swear I'm gonna—"

The hero's vocal threat never came as Shadow pressed another kiss to his peach lips, savoring his time with this one. He brought his other hand to gently grasp the back of Sonic's upper neck, angling his neck to deepen the kiss. Shadow felt his rival shakingly plant his hands on his white chest fur, tangling his fingers in the soft strands. The hero rubbed at the hybrid's chest, pulling soothing purrs from there, too, and felt the vibrations along where they touched.

For the second time that day, Sonic the Hedgehog felt himself riding a delirious wave, up and up and up until he no longer could think straight; his head became empty of any thought except for the feel of Shadow's lips on his, moaning softly as the hybrid's tongue teased him with a dip and caress against Sonic's teeth and tongue, too.

The Dark Rider may have given a taste of adrenaline and excitement like no other adventure, but kissing Shadow...topped even the best moments in Sonic's life, new and amazing. It was fulfilling. It made his blood rush like rapid currents and burn hotter than molten lava. It made him feel like he was airborne, gliding over that same bridge's gap without the need of the Dark Rider. All he needed was a kiss to feel like he could fly far, far above till he reached the stars in the sky.

"Kissing you feels like making that jump over the bridge and still feeling that exciting rush under my skin," Shadow whispered, breaking away to look at Sonic's blissful face.

"You've read my mind."

The dark hedgehog chuckled, finding Sonic's dreamy sigh adorable.

"You were right, too."

Humming, the hero pressed another kiss to Shadow's lips, sighing in pleasure before asking what the hybrid meant.

"Right about what?"

"You're the best I got, and I want you to know that."

"You mean..." Sonic gazed at Shadow, his heartbeat stuttering as the dark hedgehog caressed his muzzle.

"Will you let me be the best you got, too?"

Sonic smiled, "You've always been, Shads."

With confessions made, the two hedgehogs embraced each other into another kiss, slower and tender. Even so, it didn't take away that beautiful and wonderful feeling they felt as they coasted the city's streets to glide over the bridge. Well, not quite. This - being together - felt a lot better; the best feeling actually.

They broke apart once they heard the familiar voices of their friends in the distance, and as they waved over to the two hedgehogs, Shadow glanced down at Sonic's sprained ankle, quickly cradling it in both hands. To the hero's surprise, the agent was able to heal it, seeing the hybrid smirking back at him.

"You healed it...with your emerald." Sonic discovered his rival's secret, "You had one all along. Why didn't you just do that from the beginning?"

Shadow gestured at the incoming group with his head. "How else was I supposed to get you all to myself?"

"I dunno, ask like a normal person," Sonic teased, tugging for the agent to sit back down with him on the porch steps.

Seeing the hero wiggle his now-healed foot, Shadow leaned over to whisper something into his ear just in time as the pink hedgehog reached them. Sonic laughed at whatever was said, making Amy frown as she stared at how close the two rivals were sitting next to each other.

"What's so funny?"

Sonic smiled at her, sneakily squeezing Shadow's hand closest to him. "Nothing, Ames, just finding out how good of a jokester Shadow is."

"I'm full of surprises, hedgehog."

Yes, he was, Sonic thought, the tingling sensation still lingering on his lips.

#sonadow #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #it's so unpolished but made with a bunch of love for these two gay hedgehogs #kudos to you if you know where the title comes from :)#my writing

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cartoonartistpng · 1 year

Text

Dadphiles!Silver Sheet

Technically Silver 2.0 since I wasn't happy with his old design. Now he's far more snazzy.

Silver's eyes glowing aren't a unique feature of this AU, by the way, it's just how I draw him.

This post will be updated as time goes on. New additions will be marked as (✨New!✨). Last update: (Mar 6, 2024)

-> Dadphiles AU Masterpost

-/-/-/-/-

🔹After receiving his dad’s crystal, young Silver was always on the lookout for something to help hide it, knowing the shard would be something a bandit would try to steal. He got into the habit of stuffing it in his chest fur.

🔹Eventually, Silver would find twine to wrap around the crystal and wear as a necklace. As Silver grew older, the twine got smaller. Pre-06, Silver couldn’t take the necklace off even if he wanted, as it could no longer fit over his head. Not without cutting it.

🔹While wearing the crystal, Silver is ignored by Iblis and its monsters for reasons unknown to him. This has led Silver to establish a sort of safe haven for other survivors. Silver’s clothes and cuffs are hand-made gifts from the survivors out of thanks. With Silver’s input, the designs are dedicated to his lost brothers, even with the limited resource options.

🔹 Silver has enhanced sight, mainly being able to see better at night than a normal hedgehog. This is a combination of evolution and his practice of working in darkness. However, his pupil does give off an iridescent glow.

🔹Due to his appearance (blue glow, near-white fur, crescent markings) and his preference for working in the darkness, the survivors of his haven call him “Moon Child”.

🔹Silver only trusts Blaze with the knowledge and, eventually, shares the protection of his father’s crystal.

🔹Like his brothers, Silver believes the three are blood-related. That Sonic is on the other side of the world--far from Iblis' destructive path and a place full of green and blue--and that Shadow is somewhere "made of metal". When his family disappeared, Silver grew determined to find them. Inspired by his speedy brother, he began traveling the world. Yet as the years passed and he found nothing but wastelands, doubt began to creep in. While he never completely gave up, Silver shifted priorities to building a safe haven, not unlike the one he was granted as a kid.

🔹 Also like his brothers, Silver does not remember what his dad looks like or even his name, beyond his eyes and voice. However, he believes this is for his father's safety, who obviously has a powerful ability others would hunt him for. Silver finds this theory perfectly normal.

🔹Silver cannot actually read or write fluently. He recognizes some words, having been taught by Blaze, but it was difficult to find free time between shifts to do so.

🔹Silver had noticed that Blaze was always very poised when standing, sitting, or moving. She explained the concept of “proper manners and etiquette” to him, which only confused him. Regardless, Blaze would often catch Silver trying to emulate her posture.

Post-06 Facts:

🔹(✨New!✨) Silver is far more forgiving of Mephiles' actions than his brothers, mostly because his definition of "wrong" is skewed from living in an apocalypse. His brothers end up having to explain a lot more to Silver than they initially beleived.

🔹Despite being the youngest of the trio, Silver is also the tallest. Coupled with his psychokinesis, it's easy to keep things out of his brothers' reach, much to their annoyance.

🔹Due to a lack of proper food in the future, Silver cannot handle any spices. Sonic is incredibly gutted to learn his brother doesn't like chili dogs.

🔹Silver has a bit of a hoarding problem in the beginning of his life with his brothers, still not used to so much being simply available. This leads to his brothers finding random piles of food and clothes stuffed in odd places around the house.

🔹(✨New!✨) Silver lives in the past with his brothers and cannot travel through time, like Canon!Silver can.

🔹(✨New!✨) Between the events at Soleanna and the loss of his brothers' crystals, Silver grows far more protective over his own crystal.

🔹(✨New!✨) Following Sonic Unleashed, Silver legally goes by Silver Prower, like his brothers.

(Old Ref Sheet)

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catiecat1320 · 4 months

Text

New Fic!!

This one’s a Secret Santa gift. Their one wish was for angst. A lot of angst.

⚠️Warning for character death!⚠️ It’s not graphic or anything but [redacted] still dies, soooo…

Read below the cut ⬇️

If Shadow had known what would happen, he would’ve never done such a thing. Wouldn’t have ever thought of it— he shouldn’t have thought of it at all, regardless of what happened after.

Perhaps he was a hypocrite.

It was all his fault.

……………………………………………………

It was an accident.

Shadow knew this, yet he couldn’t help the blazing fury that buried itself in his gut. Why did Sonic have to be such a moron?! That cocky, blue, son-of-a-bitch hedgehog just had to go around meddling in everyone’s business and ruining everything!

He… he’d been so close. So close. Then— Chaos, he wished he could just throttle that—

“Shads?”

There was only one person bold enough to call him by a nickname that lame. Shadow growled, hoping that he would go away, but a second later he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. The black hedgehog whipped his head around, crimson eyes piercing emerald, and jerked away.

“Woah! Geez, take a chill pill.” Sonic huffed, his breath visible in the chill air. “What’s wrong?”

“Gee, I wonder.” Shadow spat, baring his fangs at the hero. “Oh, maybe it’s what happened this morning!”

Sonic reacted with no more than a twitch of his face at the comment, as if it had been nothing important at all. “Dude,” he started, taking another step closer, only to be cut off by Shadow.

“Do NOT ‘dude’ me, faker. Do you even know what you did?”

The confusion that settled on Sonic’s face as he tried to recall told Shadow everything he needed to know. “You don’t. Of course you don’t. What did I expect?”

“Shads—”

“My name is Shadow.”

“Shadow. Look, I… I’m sorry I made you upset—”

“‘Upset’ is an understatement. I hate you with every fiber of my being.”

Sonic frowned, his fingers doing a nervous tap dance on his elbow. “Okay, why— sorry, what random nerve did I touch this time? What happened?”

“If you don’t know, I can't help you.” Shadow snarled in response. Without another word, he sped off, rocket skates flaring as he slid down the icy hill. He hoped to lose the other hedgehog, but Sonic clearly had other ideas as he gave chase.

Sadly, the blue blur had always been just a little faster than Shadow, as much as he hated to admit it. Sonic eventually caught up in their impromptu race, trying and failing to talk with the sheer speed tearing apart any sound he made. Could he not see that Shadow wanted to be left alone? He was practically pleading to get decked.

A few moments more of this game of cat-and-mouse caused Shadow to snap. Scratch trying to clear his head. Sonic isn’t , nor will be, letting up— that much was clear. Well, fine. He’d share a few choice words with the idiot, since he wanted it sooo badly.

Shadow abruptly turned around, grabbing Sonic by the shoulders and slamming him into the ground. “This is all just a game to you, isn’t it? You think it’s just harmless fun.” He spat, the bitter malice in his voice surprising even himself. “You play the hero and inflate your ego, basking in the limelight and not caring about what you leave behind.”

“What do you mean?” Sonic grunted, flipping Shadow off him and getting up, dodging furious punches.

“You know exactly what I mean. You just don’t care.” Shadow sneered, letting his barriers break. Pent up frustration and disappointment morphed into anger, fueling the fire that now burned openly. His fist caught the hero’s jaw with a crack, causing him to stumble and giving Shadow the opening to kick him firmly in the gut. “People got hurt. Hospitalized. Things were burned, shattered, destroyed in that building, and you turn tail and run off without a second thought. The fastest thing alive can’t be bothered to clean up his own messes, apparently.”

“I… I didn’t know.” Sonic whispered, distraught. He dizzily sidestepped Shadow’s chaos spear. “I was focused on… the badniks—”

“Something you should’ve gotten rid of a long time ago.” Shadow retorted. “But you’re too busy going off on adventures.” Both hedgehogs were out of breath by now, clouds of mist puffing out with every breath. The reasons for both, however, were very different: Sonic had gotten it knocked out of him, figuratively and literally; Shadow had spent all his breath screaming. “I was in that building, Sonic. It nearly came down. But do you care?”

“I—”

“What would make you care? Does someone important to you have to die before you come down Earth? What if… what if it had been Tails, huh? Would you finally realize your stupidity then?”

That was low. Shadow realized as soon as those words left his mouth— there was nothing that Sonic cared for more than his friends. Not even himself. But he faltered at that, and the black hedgehog took the chance to lunge, the thought disintegrating.

The both of them went tumbling, and Shadow ended up on top, pinning the other firmly to the ground. It was completely unnecessary, anyhow— the “hero” didn’t seem very keen on escaping.

“Next time,” Shadow continued after a moment, his voice low. He glared at Sonic with bloody ruby eyes, hoping that his message would finally get through that thick skull of his. “Remember what’s around you. And when someone gets hurt because of your idiotic actions, make sure it’s you.”

Then he warped away, unaware of the single tear that traced down Sonic’s face, that which was etched with a wounded expression of acknowledgement.

……

Miles away, in a luxurious apartment above the dazzling Club Rouge, Shadow reappeared in a flash of light. What would scare the wits out of most people had become customary in this unconventional household, and the bat barely glanced up from her spot on the couch. “Welcome back, hun. Are you feeling better?”

“No.” Shadow growled, the lingering anger from his fight beginning to wane, leaving just exhaustion. Rouge pursed her lips, looking the scruffed up ultimate lifeform over.

“You ran into Sonic.” She stated, not as a question but as a fact. It wasn’t too hard to guess— after all, there’s no one else that cracked the stoic Shadow— in more ways than one— as much as his archrival.

“He ran into me.” Shadow huffed in response. Rouge shook her head, chuckling to herself.

“I assume you two had another lover’s spat?”

Brilliant crimson glared daggers at Rouge, who was unfazed. “He is NOT my ‘lover!’ I can’t stand him.”

“Sure thing, hun,” the bat laughed. “So explain why your muzzle suddenly matches your stripes.”

“I… Shut up!” Shadow yelled, his voice cracking. He was in no mood to deal with Rouge’s bullshittery. Storming up to his room and slamming the door, he collapsed beside the bed and buried his face into his arms, breathing heavily.

Why was everything going wrong today?

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that. He might have even fallen asleep at some point— he didn’t know. But he remembers when Rouge knocked on the door and came in (without permission), and sat down beside him.

“Hey. I’m sorry,” she started softly. “Are you feeling alright?”

Shadow lifted his head and shook his hand at her. So-so.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He didn’t answer, instead turning away. Rouge sighed. She was hoping he would open up; not that she expected much. She tried a different tactic. “Well, I heard the paper files from the ARK were destroyed today, but they probably had digital or backup ones. That’s what you were looking for, right?”

That caught Shadow’s attention. The hedgehog perked up immediately— because it was. Not that he’d tell anyone (but Rouge was smart enough to know), but he’d been digging through just about everything to find the records from the ARK, a piece of his past, and it just so happened that the building that held them got torn apart. He thought they were gone, but Rouge’s words sparked hope— and regret.

Shadow slumped once more, the harsh words he’d shouted with such misplaced fury earlier grating on his ears. “Rouge, I… I yelled at Sonic. For destroying those. It was an accident— not even his fault! He was trying to help. And I lashed out at him for it… I-I think… I went too far.”

Rouge patted his arm gently. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for Shadow to act without thinking. “It’s alright. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You know him. Now come on, let’s get started on those files. You can apologize the next time he comes around.”

Shadow nodded. “Okay…Thanks, Rouge.”

“No problem.”

……………………………………………………

“What happened?”

Shadow looked up from the computer quizzically, deep in everything they’d dug out of government files. Rouge stood in the doorway, phone in hand, barely concealed worry written on her face. “Two weeks ago. You… Tails, I’ll call you back.” The bat said, promptly hanging up. She took a breath before continuing. “You came home after fighting with Sonic. Shadow, what happened exactly? What did you say?”

“Is that really important?” Shadow winced, mentally shoving the resurfacing memory down. “What’s going on?”

“He’s gone off the radar. It’s Christmas Eve, and no one has seen nor heard from him since you—”

Shadow didn’t hear the rest of her sentence. He’d already dashed out, heart pounding, rocket skates leaving a trail of slush in the freshly fallen snow.

……

Rouge frantically pinged Shadow’s communicator, but he didn’t bother to answer— instead turning the thing off— too wrapped up in his thoughts as he sped through crisp, pale scenery. It can’t be that hard to spot a speck of blue against it all, right?

Sonic was known to disappear for days at a time, doing who-knows-what. But two weeks was a record without any word, for as much as Shadow knew, plus the blue hedgehog always returned for special occasions. And what more occasional than a white Christmas?

There was definitely something going on. Something bad.

Shadow had a sinking feeling that it was caused by himself.

Harsh words reverberated in his skull, his mind having handily retrieved them from the back of his Things To Forget pile.

Where was that idiot?

……

He must’ve searched through half the country before catching a glimpse of the blue blur trudging through some inconspicuous woods, heading somewhere in deep. Shadow grumbled in annoyance as he changed direction and chased after Sonic. So he was okay, just ignoring all of his friends.

A closer look, however, told a slightly different story. The hero’s lithe frame was marred by neglected scrapes and bruises of unknown origin, and Shadow could see, both from the rise and fall of his chest and the puffs that left his lips, that his breathing was labored. Shadow’s brow furrowed with concern. What happened?

Before the black hedgehog had a chance to call out to him, Sonic slowed, his ears flicking, likely picking up on the sound of snow crunching under metal shoes. Then he turned around.

“Shadow.”

Shadow decided that he’d prefer one of his nicknames right then. It was unnerving to hear his name, partnered with an uncharacteristically serious expression, come out of Sonic’s mouth. But of course he didn’t say that. “Where have you been?” He asked instead.

“Places. Does it concern you?”

Yeah, this— this whole thing— was unnerving. Shadow couldn’t put his finger on why. “I… It’s Christmas Eve. You’ve been gone for two weeks. Your friends are looking for you.”

“Oh.” Sonic responded, much less of a reaction than Shadow had been expecting “Tell them I won’t be there. I’ve got things to do.”

And he ran. The little bitch ran off before Shadow could get another word in, causing him to stiffen in frustration. What—

That’s when it struck him. Sonic was acting just like him. It seemed as if the events from two weeks prior were playing out with them on opposite sides.

In an ironic twist of fate, that left Shadow to play the role of annoying, stubborn pain-in-the-butt.

He groaned and chased after Sonic, hoping to catch up before he lost him.

……

Unfortunately, Sonic quickly outpaced Shadow, who did terribly in this kind of terrain. He ended up stumbling blindly through the woods trying to find his blue rival again. Luckily, the “things'' Sonic had to do weren’t exactly quiet. Horrendous screeching of metal and machinery, punctuated by the sound of an explosion, led Shadow to his destination: an abandoned Eggman base. Sonic had clearly wasted no time tearing through the thing, and Shadow followed the trail of destruction out the other side.

Well, maybe abandoned wasn’t the right word. A hoard of beeping badniks surrounded Sonic, their glowing eyes failing to elicit any fear as the hero stared them down with half-lidded eyes. In the absence of shadow-casting trees, the winter sun highlighted the dark bags upon Sonic’s pale muzzle, along with a fresh scratch that he took no notice of. He readied himself into a fighting stance, waiting. Then the first bot attacked— but not at him.

Shadow jumped, the bolt missing his face by only a millimeter— much too close for comfort. Oh, right. He was in enemy territory. He snapped out of his thoughts and shifted gears, spin-dashing the badnik and landing beside Sonic.

But as they fought, Shadow noticed two things: one, Sonic was slower, his attacks not as effective as they usually were. Although, that wasn’t unexpected— Sonic was observably injured, after all. What both worried and frustrated Shadow was number two: most of the time, the two hedgehogs fought side by side in perfect sync. It was like magic, the way they clicked. But this time…

“Stop trying to protect me,” Shadow growls, ducking as Sonic flipped over his head and stomped on a badnik beside him. “I can handle myself.”

“Sure. Like that bot didn’t almost blow your head off earlier.”

Well, at least he got his sass back, Shadow thought, rolling his eyes. “That was one time. Focus on yourself. You’re hurt.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?!” Sonic snapped, his voice breaking. “Gods, do you hear yourself?”

Shadow stopped dead, the weight of the remark hitting him like a train. Oh. Oh, Chaos. That’s… He didn’t mean… Had Sonic…?

Any words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. Amidst the flurry of frantic thoughts came one which was clear as crystal: You caused this. Whatever Sonic’s been doing to himself is because of you.

“Oh Sonic, you’re a terrible hero.” Sonic drawled in a horrible imitation of Shadow’s voice. “Go fuck yourself over more than you already are.” He delivered a swift kick to a motobug and sent it crashing through the last of the badniks. Emerald eyes brimmed with tears, and one escaped, tracing a path down his cheek.

He’s crying. Chaos, he’s crying. Shadow had never seen Sonic cry before. He wanted it to stop.

But Sonic didn’t stop. “Oh, w-wait, you did what I said. Actually, do this instead,” he shakily continued.

“What do you want from me?! What… What more? I… everyone else is clear. I’ve got to be a hero. The hero. The supposed better person. The light in the dark. The beacon of hope. I… I’ve got to be everything. I can’t— I can’t cry. I want to cry. I shouldn’t be crying. Why am I crying?” He rubbed at his eyes furiously, but the tears just came faster, along with his breaths. Eventually he gave up and looked up at Shadow numbly, face flushed and damp. “What… What am I doing wrong?”

Shadow, who had been standing there like an idiot, speechless, finally found his voice. “Sonic…” he whispered, taking a step forward.

That’s as far as he got.

Because then everything collapsed, all too fast; but at the same time, all too slow.

…A badnik. They’d missed one. Or maybe just didn’t smash it hard enough.

With the last of its artificial life, it fired at Shadow, who, mind reeling from Sonic’s mental breakdown, froze on the spot. His mind screamed at his body to move, but he simply could not react fast enough.

The shot didn’t make it to its target, though.

Because Sonic was there instead.

The bolt punched through the hedgehog, somewhere among his ribcage, then out the other side, bringing a burst of bright red, stark against royal blue.

Sonic collapsed to his hands and knees, taking in a single, sharp breath.

Shadow doesn’t remember screaming.

But he knows he heard it— shocked, terrified, piercing— as he dropped to the ground beside his counterpart.

No, no, no.

Warm blood ate at crystal white snow, melting it into a sickening slush.

Sonic toppled into Shadow, coughing, droplets of red dripping down his chin.

He weakly grabbed at his chest as Shadow frantically turned him over, exposing the worst of it.

It was a gruesome sight, one indescribable, one his memory blurred out.

…Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew then that Sonic wouldn’t make it.

In a twisted way, it both calmed him and panicked him.

He peeled off now blood-soaked gloves, fumbling with his communicator before pressing SOS.

Then he applied pressure to the wound, wincing at Sonic’s pained whimpers.

“Shad… Shadow. Shads.”

Shadow hesitantly looked over.

Sonic’s usually lively emerald eyes were devoid of the spark that Shadow so liked to see. They’d taken on a dull, glassy look, struggling to focus on Shadow’s face.

“Y-you’re… you’re crying,” he mumbled.

Shadow blinked, processing the remark. “That’s… that’s not important!”

Sonic didn’t seem to hear him. “Hmm… you m’kay?”

The sudden question so clearly contrasted the situation at hand that Shadow could help but choke out a bitter laugh. “What? Y-yes. No. I don’t know any more. Why…That sounds like a question I should be asking you?”

“Mmm… ‘m fine. Always fine.” Sonic replied absently, his head lulling to the side. “Sleepy…”

“No!” Shadow yipped, eliciting a disappointed whine from the injured hero. “No. No, no. Stay awake, Sonic. Th-they’ll be here soon. You’ll… you’ll be okay. Okay. Please.”

Sonic shook his head lethargically. “Shadow. I… Don’t cry… hate crying.”

“Sonic. T-that’s not important,” Shadow chokes. He opted to let up on the pressure, which was not doing anything to reduce the bloody puddle that formed beneath the two. Instead, he gently gathered the other in his arms, cradling him against his chest like it would fix everything. “I… earlier you asked what I wanted from you. I need you to stay alive. Please, Sonic, please.”

Sonic blinked, slow, deathly. “Sorry. Can’t… can’t do that,” he whispers, pressing against the patch of fluff, and Shadow sobs in protest.

“No no n-no, Sonic, please. Sonic!”

“Shhh…” Bare paw pads pick up on the sensation of touch, and Shadow realizes that Sonic was grasping his hand. “Shhh… ‘s gonna be okay, Shads. Mhm? ‘Innit funny… this is how— I die… after everything…”

“Y-you’re not going to die, Sonic. You’re not! Sonic, Sonic, Sonic…” Shadow shook him in a desperate attempt to keep him awake. He absently wondered if Sonic could hear his erratic heartbeat as he rambled, straining to pick up on sounds of rescue.

“Sonic, Sonic, please. They’re coming. Just… just hold on. They’ll help you and you’ll be okay and everything’ll be fine. Sonic. Sonic, I-I’ll take you on a vacation, okay? Anywhere you’d like. As a Christmas present! You deserve it. Okay? Don’t die. Don’t die. Don’t die… Sonic?”

No response.

Shadow looked down in panic to find that Sonic’s eyes had drifted closed, a single teardrop belonging to himself trailing down a blue eyelid. “Sonic! Wake up wake up wake up—”

“Mmph… squishing me…” he weakly mumbled. Shadow had never felt more relief in his life as when Sonic shifted in his arms.

But that relief was short-lived.

“Shads… don’t blame yourself, m’kay? ‘S not… ‘s not your fault… not— your fault…” Sonic whispers, his words slurring together. He gave Shadow’s hand a light squeeze. Then his head drooped and he exhaled, shallow, content.

He did not take another breath.

Shadow let out an unholy screech. “S-Sonic! Nononononono Sonic, Sonic y-you’re supposed to be home for Christmas, Sonic, what about your friends?! I… don��t do this to me— please! I’m sorry! Wake up. Please. I need you! I can’t do this again, Sonic. Sonic! I… I love you, Sonic. I love you.” And he did. Shadow confessed, to himself as much as to his lover, something he’d always denied, something which was always true, in a frenzied attempt at the impossible.

It was too late.

Much too late.

On a day that was meant to be joyful, filled with holiday cheer,

A life was lost, and another, shattered beyond repair.

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sonadow #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #angst #whump #character death #writers on tumblr #writeblr #oneshot #secret santa #merry christmas #CatieCatWorks

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kittygamer2888 · 3 months

Note

Hello, I’m one of the contestants of the AU Sonic Smackdown, @delightrolls, the creator of the Sonic Thunderstorm AU. I was trying to decide who to vote for between you and @chopp-6467, but the decision is proving to be difficult. Would you kindly tell me more about your Evil Sonic AU? Anything and everything you feel comfortable sharing about your phenomenal story! And if you want some more specific questions I would like to ask:

Is there anything that could convince Sonic that what he is doing is wrong or change his worldview?

Is there anyone on Sonic’s side after Tails leaves him?

Does Sonic ever manage to lure anyone else over to his side like Shadow?

What does Sonic intend to do to change the world? Assert a Totalitarianistic government? Kill anyone they deem as rotten? Something else entirely?

How did the Master Emerald go missing? Are the Chaos Emeralds also missing?

Why did Sonic’s “friends” betray him? Was it for him now being blue? For his Superspeed? For something else completely?

Do Sonic and Tails’ robots look like Badniks or like something else?

Thank you for your time and regardless of whether you win or lose I think your story is phenomenal :)

Holy crap, I am SO sorry for the late answer, i had school n' other stuff, fu--

Anyways, yea, for the questions- I don't think Sonic will be changing his view on the world any time soon, but if there was anyone to try and attempt to convince him once more, it would either be Amy or Robotnik, but other than that, he just doesn't want to listen to anyone since he's too far gone at that point when Tails isn't there anymore.

-question 2: Yea, no, there's no one there for him when Tails leaves, but he eventually makes a Metal Tails, maybe even make some Metal versions of the rest if he ever felt like it.

-question 3: When he means by taking over the world and 'changing it into a better place' that is straight up Eggman behavior, lmfao. If anything, he mostly wants **revenge (sorry) against the world and make it his own so that there would be no one there to stop him if that time was ever to come, and because of his bias towards the world, he wouldn't hesitate to attack innocents by then.

-question 4: The Master Emerald didn't exactly go missing, more like.. it's there, it's just that Sonic will do anything to get it, and once he gets the power from the Master Emerald, he wouldn't hesitate to take it out of Angel Island with the power of his machines if he succeeded. But, as for the Chaos Emeralds, they are in this universe, they're just currently scattered, but Sonic could care less about the Chaos Emeralds since he only wants the Master Emerald, It contains the ultimate power, so of course he would go for the big and shiny and more powerful Emerald. This right here, will eventually become a huge problem for Sonic later on! :P

-question 5: Sonic's friends were fake friends from the start, so eventually, they were going to leave him behind at some point when he was still a normal hedgehog with super speed, because they saw him as a really annoying and hyperactive hedgehog to them. But once he broke the sound barrier, you could say that they were secretly jealous in a way and picked on him, and soon, left him behind. Sorry if i wasn't too specific with this part ^^'

-question 6: As for the badniks, it's pretty much just your regular badniks like the ones you see in the og Sonic games (For example: Buzzbombers, Motobugs, crabmeats, etc), but I have been thinking about maybe making some custom ones just for this AU, so far I can only come up with 1 which I forgot the name of, but i think i have it saved somewhere in my gallery, idk though.

Aaand, ye, that's all.

Again, i am so sorry to answer this late, I'm currently in school answering this ;-;" but thank you so much qwq♡

I'm glad you and some others like the story so far, it's currently a work in progress, but I've tried to come up with some stuff here and there during these questions, so.. yea👍

Tbh, i thought the story i did for this AU would be silly, i didn't think people would actually like it, so weh.. thanks for that, too 🥲❤️

Also also, I've seen how this can somewhat count as propaganda, so.. hope you don't mind if i tag the @au-sonic-smackdown account

#asks #ask blog #delightrolls #propaganda maybe?#Evil Sonic AU

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caffeine-clouds · 1 year

Text

Sonic Inspired Outfits - Style/Fashion Tips (Intro Post!)

Yep, you read that title correctly. Here it is my followers - the dumb idea: I thought I could do a fun little series of posts for those of you obsessed with Sonic (like me), and are also looking for ways to maybe get into fashion more or find their style. I feel like this series could also be great for kinnies or fanartists looking for alternate outfit inspo <3 Putting together outfits is fun, aesthetics are awesome - and it feels amazing to express myself and the things I love through what I wear. So, I'm here with you today to share how you can style your outfits to give off the vibe of different Sonic characters! Each post will have just one character in it because there's a lot to talk about with each! And of course, we're starting off with our Blue Blur. Do I have qualifications? Ha! No, but I do look at styling videos and I spend an unreasonable amount of time on Pinterest - and I get complimented on my outfits if that's worth something. I'm making these posts because when I do google "Sonic outfit inspiration" the results are.... well... ugly.

You see this? This makes me have an aneurysm. So time to change that!

The examples of outfits I provide will be masc, fem, and gender neutral! So no matter who your favourite character is - you can style yourself in a way that is most comfortable for you and your identity!

Posts will be split into two halves: 1. Outfits that I think the characters would wear and look good in (in Sonic's case this reds, whites, greens etc.) 2. Outfits that I think invoke the essence of the character (again, in Sonic's case - these outfits are going to heavily feature blue) Interested? I'll be tagging these posts under "sonic character outfit inspo" Interested in a specific character? each post will be tagged with "[name] character outfit ideas"

I will be doing literally as many characters as possible, probably not Archie but certainly games and IDW - if you want me to do a specific character - send them in my inbox and I'll get to them sooner! Hope you all will enjoy! - COMPLETED CHARACTERS - Sonic the Hedgehog Vector the Crocodile Rouge the Bat Tangle the Lemur E-123 Omega Blaze the Cat Tails the Fox Whisper the Wolf Big the Cat Silver the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog

#sonic character outfit inspo #sonic the hedgehog #sonic aesthetic

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spoiler1001 · 2 months

Text

Tether

Sonic vanished through the portal, landing back in his own time, leaving Shadow behind to deal with whatever made itself known. As he traveled, images flashed through his mind: A spear of light piercing through his chest.

Sonic brushed off the vision, placing a hand on his chest, feeling a solid mass of muscle. Sonic let out a breath and frowned in concentration. This was… well not new but something that was going to be pain to take care of.

------

Shadow saved Sonic from that gray hedgehog. He really had come a long way from trying to destroy the world. SOnic could see the hero that Shadow was becoming maybe…

The image of the spear flashed through his mind again. Iron filled his mouth. This adventure was turning into a bigger issue than anything the doctor could do.

-------

“Shadow may I have a word?” Sonic asked quietly. He gestured behind him, away from the others. Shadow looked a Sonic, his head cocked to the side just a fraction. The two walked away from the prying eyes of the others.

“Normally you are not one for subtlety. What seems to be the issue.” Shadow asked.

“Tails.”

“Is the boy hurt? Injured? If he needs rest, Omega carries a blanket for when Rouge has missions that take multiple days.” Shadow’s head turned to look over at the fox boy who was talking with knuckles while sitting on a desk, kicking his feet outward.

“No, no. it’s just that he’s still a kid, if something were to happen to me, he’d be alone.” Sonic wrapped his arms around himself. “He’d have others but-”

“You’re his brother. He’d be losing family. All of his family. I’d keep an eye on him, keep him safe if something were to befall you.” Shadow nodded.

“Thanks. Shad, I don’t want to worry about him being left behind.” Sonic chuckled.

“Just don’t try to get yourself killed. The doctor would be insufferable if he even thought he defeated you.” Shadow deadpanned.

“I wouldn’t deny the world a chance at seeing my beautiful face.” Sonic grinned.

Shadow ignored him and walked away.

------

Sonic thought getting stabbed would hurt more. The spear went through him; he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Elise’s scream bleed into a high pitch ringing. Iron filled his mouth as he tried to breathe. As the world got dark around the edges he hoped Tails wouldn’t take it too hard.

-------

Shadow looked around at the ground around him, the chaotic vortex of time swirling around him. His speedy mind moving as fast as it could- stopping when he detected a darkly familiar scent. Rouge and Shadow shared a look.

Tails hadn’t seen it. Knuckles cried Sonic’s name out. Tails turned to look but Shadow was faster. Kneeling down, Shadow placed his hands on either side of Tails’s head. It blocked out the sides of his vision, and locked his eyes foreward, forcing him to focus on the hedgehog. Tails’s eyes were wide and tears were building.

Rouge and Omega rushed to the body. Her sharp gasp told Shadow how bad it was. Tails struggled in Shadow’s grip to look over his shoulder, but the hedgehog didn’t budge. Shadow watched Rouge pull the silk blanket out of the hidden compartment in Omega and wrapping Sonic in it. It was a tense couple moment and Shadow felt every second.

Rouge stepped back. She turned to look at Shadow and nodded, her gloves stained red. She clasped her hands behind her back as Shadow let go of the fox. The fox couldn’t rush to Sonic’s side quickly enough. Shadow closed his eyes and turned away at the cry that Tails let out. He was so young… Shadow wished that the young fox boy could have gone longer without feeling this pain.

-------

The Chaos emeralds were truely a miracle. Sonic floated above them, the wounds on him closing. Tails looked up at his brother with wide eyes, a small smile on his mouth. His eyes shone with awe. His tails, normally moving ot twitching were completely still. Shadow stopped as he passed to kneel and wipe the tears from the younger’s face. Sonic nodded at Shadow as he finished his walk to Sonic, golden light beginning to radiate from Shadow’s fur.

-------

Everything was normal. Time fixed itself. The festival went off without a hitch. No Eggman in sight. It was that way for weeks. Sonic relaxed, the ghost sensation of getting stabbed with the spear fading with time. He thought it was done and over with. No one showed evidence of remembering what happened. Not even Tails or Shadow.

Until the first thunderstorm after they had killed the god of time. Sonic had been sleeping in a spare bed in Tail’s current worksop. It was cozy. Warm.

Sonic was awoken by his door creaking loudly. He looked up to see the fox peering from the doorway. His eyes were distant, staring through Sonic.

“Hey bud, bad dream?” Sonic mumbled, already moving to make room. Tails was pressed into Sonic’s chest before he even finished asking the question. Tails was tense, shaking. Sonic took a deep breath. “Hey, it’s alright. You’re ok.”

Sonic scratched between Tails’s ears. Tails finally relaxed as exhaustion took over. Minutes passed as the two sat in silence.

“Hey, Sonic?”

“Yeah buddy?”

“Did you get hurt in Soleanna?” Tails’s question got his attention quickly. Sonic felt the spear dig into his back for a moment, before he gave Tails a reassuring smile.

“What makes you ask that- is that what your nightmare was about?” Sonic kept his voice even as he talked. Tails just nodded in response.

“Well, don’t you worry about that. I’m here and I’m ok.” Sonic promised. Tails seemed to accept that, drifting off to sleep next to his brother. Sonic stayed awake collecting his thoughts.

#sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #miles tails prower #unbreakable bond #tw character death

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cheetahsprints · 4 months

Text

Prompt #13: Snow

Inspired by this post

• Sonadow Prompt Fills •

• Ambience Music •

White, as far as the eye could see. Almost blinding, to anyone that lacked keen eyesight. Shadow wondered if the creature had a plan, or if it was just too stupid to know that a little snow wouldn’t stop Shadow’s pursuit. He was the Ultimate Hunter, after all. He cocked his gun and smirked to himself. He activated his air shoes and easily glided over the covered hills. Some of it melted a trail beneath him.

He slipped through trees. His ears twitched as he listened.

There was an unexpected yelp. Shadow ground his teeth. Had another hunter got to his target before him? Impossible, without cheating, for this prey was faster and trickier than any other Shadow had known.

Shadow would make the mysterious interloper pay.

He skated toward the sound at full speed. A clearing opened to a small iced over lake. Shadow scanned the area. It was empty and still, there was nothing of note except… except for a considerable hole in the lake. Based on when he heard the cry, he concluded that his prey had been under too long.

“Damnit… you have to be kidding me.”

He nestled his gun between low hanging branches and dove in. He could just barely make out the large, fluffy form of the werehog in the shimmering abyss. He grabbed the hog by the scruff and pushed his air shoes to their limit until he breached the surface. He dragged the werehog to the edge of the clearing and gathered some thin, dry branches. He lit a fire with his shoe exhaust.

Shadow rubbed his hands over the fire and wondered what on Earth he was even doing. He could’ve simply let the werehog drown and fetch him afterward. He was wanted dead or alive. Perhaps, it seemed like too cheap of a way to end the hunt.

He had been exhilarated by the chase this last year, admittedly. It had breathed more life into his hollow soul than he had felt in ages.

The sun peeked in, casting a beautiful rosy light across the clearing that reminded Shadow of why he sometimes liked this backwater planet.

The werehog had shrunk to his usual hedgehog form, and it was the first time Shadow had seen his more vulnerable state. Curse him, but it was more difficult to think of the scrawny blue thing as a bloodthirsty monster that he needed to neutralize. His eyes cracked open and landed on Shadow.

He yelled and scrambled backward until his back hit a tree trunk. Shadow continued expressionlessly basking in front of the flames. The hedgehog gasped for air noisily.

“Are you gonna - are you gonna kill me?!” The hedgehog broke off and wrapped his arms around himself, shivering violently.

“Get over here where it’s warm, moron.”

He actually crawled the distance like a shy kitten. Shadow rolled his eyes and pulled the other to his side to share body heat. The blue hedgehog’s muzzle flushed pink.

“Um… my name is Sonic. I can run fast, but not on ice. I can’t swim either.”

“You shouldn’t have sprinted off into the wintry hinterlands then, you fool,” Shadow admonished.

“Haha, well I’m not exactly in total control of my faculties in that form. Why didn’t you let me die?”

“No fun.”

Sonic laughed again. “It’s oddly comforting knowing you were enjoying this chase as much as I was. I’ve never had such a challenge before!”

“Neither have I,” Shadow confessed.

Sonic shuddered and curled further into him. His bare, peach-furred hand glided along Shadow’s belly and settled in the clump on his chest. Shadow hoped he wouldn’t feel the rate of his heartbeat.

Shadow added, “I’m not going to kill you when you’re defenseless and not in werehog form.”

“Hey, I’m not a weakling like this! Your loss. Don’t expect me to go easy on you next time I transform,” Sonic murmured, then gave his ear a lick. Shadow shivered for a reason that wasn’t related to the icy crystals clinging in his fur.

“I’m counting on that.”

“I can’t wait! But uh, can we get out of here, dude?”

“It’s Shadow.” He hauled Sonic over his shoulder, purring with satisfaction when he squeaked. “Let’s go.”

If they stayed together at a cabin in the wilderness, having snowball fights, hiking, playing games during blizzards, and curling up in front of the fire with cups of coffee and cocoa respectively, until the next full moon, well… it was just for them. The other hunters didn’t need to know.

#sonadow #prompts #sonadow au #werehog Sonic #bounty hunter Shadow

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fluideli123 · 2 months

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[Original Ask Post]

3.🌍What tags or warnings will your/one of your wip(s) need if you intend to share it?

Oh god, this one is a WIP that haunts me in the best way. It's a 10 chapter fic that follows Maria Robotnik's perspective on Shadow the Hedgehog called "Maria Has Loved You Since The Beginning." It follows before Shadow's creation to Maria's last moments alive, diving into Maria's character, characteristics of the 50s culturally, Gerald Robotnik's work as a scientist before Shadow, and how the Ark's life was as a space colony with many different families.

And if you ask, "what would you have to tag for this story? It sounds so sweet beyond her death!" If you know me as a writer, I love ripping people apart emotionally and a girl's death isn't the only anguish she'll ever face in her short life. She's disabled, lost her parents, lived in space for most of her life, and even told her grandfather to not follow through with the original purpose of Project Shadow.

There's nothing more exciting than wanting to tell the tragedy of Maria Robotnik and how her life influences every decision Shadow makes for the rest of his life. She had a huge impact on Shadow, and to see why is just- it makes me so excited to think about still.

The Tags: Major Character Death, Graphic Descriptions of Violence, Ableism, Historically Accurate Speech

Pale, gentle hands lift the tonearm to carefully set her piece of vinyl on the turntable platter, settling the needle down on the beginning of the record and pressing play. Slow, palliative music begins to play, filling the quiet room with the soothing strumming of tenor guitars and cellos before the singers speak and sing to the swaying tempo of their art. Since her Grandfather gifted her a few vinyls of The Ink Spots last year for her birthday, Maria has played a specific album each day. Though, despite loving all their music, it was no secret that her favorite was The Anthology. Every Monday, she would play her favorite to start the week off right, brushing her golden hair while belting the lyrics to Bless You, only to come home from her studies later that day, press play on her record player, and time it just right so she'd finish her first assignments to the song We Three, her favorite song out of them all. At times, she wished she could replay that one song repeatedly for hours, but Maria loved the wait, knowing that in the end, she'd be rewarded for her patience with her song each and every single time. Every time she'd zone out of her homework and focus on the lyrics playing in her albums, she'd spot something new in them. The warble of the singer was different from the last, the guitar strings being ever so different from one another in the beginning, and the way the deeper speaker in the band always rumbles through the sound amplifier pleasantly. She loved discovering new things in everyday things, no matter how small. She was a true Robotnik, always chasing after something amazing, looking at things from all angles. She was proud to wear such a weight to her name, especially when her Grandfather allowed her to watch his experiments with his scientific peers, and she shared their joy and excitement over every trial, hypothesis, and answer. But nothing made her adventurous heart sore like when she snuck her nose in her Grandfather's business and found that the government back on earth had sent him a project—one that Maria latched onto with all her heart.

#fox speaks #my writing #fanfiction #writer rambles #WIP Ask Game Posts #shadow the hedgehog #maria robotnik #gerald robotnik #sonic fanfiction #sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedghog fanfiction

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welcome-to-green-hills · 1 year

Note

Happy Easter Mystery! :3 (gives hugs while stuffing my face with chocolate because I'm a chocoholic XD ) Do you want another potential Sonic 3 scenario? :3 I thought this potential one up yesterday...think hypothetically in the middle of the story ;)

It was eerie as Tom and Maddie maneuvered through the halls of the old research labs. It was...so spooky.

Something full of the most modern tech, that modern day phone and technology companies would be jealous of...yet fully abandoned...

"Jeez..." Tom muttered, trying to break the silence that was quietly freaking him out, "To think that 50 years ago, there was all this...tech, makes the likes of Star Trek outdated...it's so odd."

"Oh?" Maddie responded, trying to humour the situation, "And...the fact that our three boys are aliens from across the galaxy is not at all...odd to you?"

Tom gave a small smirk, "Alright, alright."

Maddie giggled a bit, readjusting the little backpack full of some of Tails' helpful gadgets on her shoulder.

Although, mentioning their boys...Tom was now stuck in thought.

"Maddie...do you think..."

Maddie held his hand, "I know...I'm worried to. But...our boys, their...very smart. They've been in this sort of scenario before - not exactly of course, but still - and...if they DO need our help, then, they can just call us. Their smart kids, and they have each others backs."

"Right. Just...well...you saw what that...hedgehog did to them back at the house..."

Maddie shuddered at the memory. She couldn't deny what happened...

Sneaking through the rooms, Tom saw something on an old table. A old rectangle block...picking it up - it was an old VHS tape. MAN, now did Tom feel old...

But then he saw the title on the side, written in big ink.

'PROJECT SHADOW - CASE STUDY 8'

"...Project Shadow..."

"Shadow..." Maddie asked, "Isn't...that the name of the black Hedgehog Sonic told us about?"

Tom looked around, and saw an old, dusty monitor in the corner, with an old VHS system attached and plugged in. Something told him to put the tape in.

And he did.

The TV switched on, Tom and Maddie got in front to watch it.

'"Is this on- it's on? Oh! Yes! Project Shadow Case Study, part 8.'"

An man appeared on the screen, dressed in a white lab coat, and he had a moustache...a moustache that slightly resembled...

Tom and Maddie dared not speak up his name...but shared a glance at each other.

"'His vita- I mean! It's vitals are running perfectly normal! It's almost as though this creature was like us humans! It's a big breakthrough! Our next sta- M-Maria!'"

A girl ran past, behind the old man. Presumably Maria.

A teen girl she seemed, with beautiful golden hair, dressed in a blue dress and cardigan, and had the giggle of an angel.

"'Sorry Grandfather! Shadow's idea!'"

"'No it wasn't.'"

Tom and Maddie noticed a...familiar face walking up to Maria. A black hedgehog...with read markings on his quills. Was it...

It was.

Shadow.

His face showed much more...happier marks. His eyes were gentle, innocent...and a smile was on his face.

Tom was stuck, looking at Shadow's face...he gulped a little, somewhat anxious.

"'Alright you two! Run off now. Haha, I'll join you in a moment, I need to record this-'"

"'What is this?'" The black hedgehog asked, walking up to a gadget - an old record player.

"'Press it Shadow!'"

"'M-Maria! Don't encourage him-!'"

'Lord almighty, feel my temperature rising-'

"'Grandpa? You listen to-!"

A laugh could be heard coming from the black hedgehog...a laugh...that tugged the heartstrings of the two humans watching the screen.

"'Oh!!! No! don't touch it-! Uh- E-End of case study!'"

And the video stopped.

Tom and Maddie were frozen, watching it. They both could feel the mixed emotions between them. Maddie then turned to her husband, who was still staring at the now blank screen.

"...Tom...?"

"...Sorry, it's just...it's...seeing...if that is really...who we think it is, then why does...he reminds me of..."

"...Sonic."

"...Yeah."

Maddie hugged Tom's arm, rubbing his hand supportively. Tom just shook his head and looked at her. His eyes were pained...

"Just...what the heck happened to make him become...this."

👉🥺👈 Vinyl lover Shadow, my beloved 👉🥺👈 My heart ❤️🥺❤️

#Now I feel old. I haven’t seen VHS tapes in years!#sonic movie #Movie!Shadow #sonic movie 3 #mystery anon #off topic #Thank you for always sharing your short stories with me ❤️🥺❤️#Man I really need to finish writing my two SCU short stories to share

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theflashdriver · 1 year

Text

Six Months of Eternity

I don’t normally put explanations at the start of my fics these days, but this one for sure needs it. I wrote this oneshot with a mind to creating a greek myhtology edition of the storybook series, fitting in with Sonic and the Secret Rings as well as The Black Knight.

All you’ll find within is silvaze fluff but the names and setting are quite different from the norm. I hope you enjoy.

---

Flowers growing along the banks of River Styx was still such a fresh sight, Hades wondered if he'd ever tire of it. Unlike that of the spirit filled river, time's flow always felt like such an anomaly to him. How long had he been tending the agapanthus along the river's edge? When had he first allowed them to take root and thrive next to the departed?

Most measured time in twelve month cycles, consisting of four key seasons with contrasting features, or so he'd been told. Hades counted them in pairs of six, one bright season and one dark. By that count, he'd tended these plants for twenty nine bright seasons and what had to be nearing twenty nine of the dark. That thought made him pause in his efforts, he closed his open palm and the eternal river settled back into its regular flow.

He was the god of the underworld; his domain reflected that so very bluntly that it even shared his name. The hedgehog was Hades, lord of Hades. He was surrounded by stone, dwelling within a spiralling cave system that would put the labyrinth to shame, and yet he ruled it all from this single room. Here the land conformed to his will, rather than contorting to torture the bad or reward the good. With a wave he could direct any of the five rives of the dead through his abode, with a point he could transform stalagmites into stone furniture and it'd take no more than a thought to pull precious metals through the earth for use in decoration.

And yet, still the pale hedgehog lived in shadow and stone rather than gleaming gold. The room was only lit by the glowing symbols on his gauntlet covered hands, casting the rocks in a dull blue and never granting him a clear view of his flowers. He wore dark chains and heavy metallic boots, fitting of his station and intended to keep his appearance harsh. He had a helm to complete the appearance, capable of turning him invisible, but it had lain unused on his throne for approaching six months.

Immediately beyond this space, outside his throne room and home, was a cavern that he did not like to tend alone. There all five rivers (Styx, Lethe, Acheron, Phlegethon and Cocytus) met to water and fertilise soil, letting more plants grow. He had only dared visit it to derive what sustenance he needed, not wanting to dwell on all he'd created with his missing companion.

Soon fresh seed would arrive in need of laying, the plants that died on the surface always found their way down here. Autumn was near, his loneliness had about reached its deepest point. Hades hadn't moved from where he was sat in what must have been days... but then, what were days to an eternal being? Prior to that, he'd slumped on his throne for at least a week and done little more than stare at the ceiling through which she would return.

He finally rose from being knelt next to the Styx to give a cursory glance across his domain. Not long after being cast down here, he'd set water filled bowls atop four stalagmites- each representing a different zone within his ruled space. The fiery realm of tartarus held his attention for the shortest time; there all cruel and heinous souls were tormented in macabre manners matching by their misdeeds in life. The Elysian fields fully contrasted this, where those souls who were good thrived on in glory as they had in life and found comfort in rest. Between the two was the Asphodel Meadows, a place for those neither good nor bad and so the largest area of his domain. It was a land of relative peace but no glory, where work was needed but not eternal. It was similar to mortal life... or rather, that was how it had been explained to him.

As was so often the case however, Hades did find himself lingering above the pool that let him observe the Fields of Mourning. It was home to those who died waiting for others, who had lost their life awaiting a love they would now never see again. They would know no peace and no comfort, only the aching of an empty heart and a touchless existence. It was an afterlife of longing, filled with rumination on could and should have beens. Few of that plane's denizens were actually bad people, they'd simply failed to harness their life while longing to combine it with another's.

His eyes did eventually drift skyward again, to the ceiling that separated him from the world of the living. He had tried to pierce it once upon a time, longing for a window into the world above to see all that he was missing. The hedgehog had gathered a great sum of metal, forging a great shining drill and setting it to pierce upwards. He'd worked and worked, spinning and pushing with all his might, but his domain had refused to acquiesce for ten full days. Then, for only a moment, the ceiling finally gave way. A single stray sunbeam had pierced the dark of his domain... carrying a woman upon it.

The woman was Persephone.

She had been enraged upon first arriving, he could remember that moment so clearly. The instant she touched the ground the ceiling had completely resealed itself, leading both her and the other gods to believe she'd been kidnapped. In her fury, the nature goddess had summoned the will of flames, those of forest fires and nurturing sunlight alight, attacking him whilst simultaneously brightening their cavernous surroundings.

He gave up the fight without hesitation, allowing himself to be knocked flying before he began bumbling through an explanation. It had taken him stumbling over a dozen claims that he'd just wanted to see the blue sky and catch a glimpse of grass for her to pause and cease clobbering him. He'd recognised her from the start as the goddess Persephone, daughter of Demeter, and began panicking about the ramifications of what had happened.

He'd been terrified, certain that his foolish lusting for sunlight's touch had doomed him and made a key enemy of a vital nature goddess. Hades was certain she'd chew out the moment others dared to journey along the Styx to save her, that this enemy would lead to others and his isolation would only further. The hedgehog even thought that if he dared rise to his feet, she'd knock him off of them again and the assault would resume.

That was, until the goddess took his words as the truth. Until she begrudgingly allowed him to rise and explain himself further. Until that explanation led into conversation. Until conversation eventually gave way to laughter. Until laughter gave way to venturing through his domain. Until he and Persephone spent some time together.

Hades reputation regularly proceeded him, that he was a figure eternally draped in darkness and that he controlled his domain harshly. It was clear that Persephone had somewhat expected that talk to be more of a day to day reality, rather than how the underworld god handled his work preventing the dead from escaping. Soon however, the harvest goddess was rolling her eyes at his worries and browbeating his lack of maturity when faced with such situations. She'd called him, the god of the underworld, callow. No one had dared do that before!

Days and weeks did pass without sign of rescuers, long enough that conversation drifted to other things. He'd learned of her woes as she learned of his, the feline was practically bound at the hip to her mother and thus her duty over both nature and harvest. Although her role spanned the whole surface world, she had little control over where she went or what she actually did. Her strife was just like his- each claimed a whole domain of their own and yet was unable to do as they so deeply wished. For the first time ever, he was around someone long enough to have fun with them. He'd shown her all of his world, from how the dead were judged to their respective resting places, and been more present across his lair than ever before. Eventually, that had led them to the place where all harnessed crops and dead plants came to be reborn as seeds once more.

That place, a potential garden without the oversight of Demeter, had immediately stolen the cat's attention. He'd made the earth change with the flex of his hand, churning simple stone into soil so that she could plant. With little else to do, the two of them set about the creation of a fresh garden made from once dead plants. Persephone filled the room of barren rocky soil with life so casually, conjuring warm light as the two of them seeded row after row.

At first he'd thought it was due to the growth being so alien to him, to watch a conjured sun rise and the flowers bloom had been undeniably breathtaking, but now he knew the truth. It was seeing her, so free and happy, that had filled his heart with love. He'd felt that vulnerable warmth within his chest for the very first time. It was as if she was the sun itself, the one he'd foolishly sought to see, had actually come to spread warmth through him.

Harnessing his control over their surroundings, he moved that cave to lie just beyond his throne room. Those first six months they spent together soon became truly blissful, they would enchant each other with tales of their so very different lives and yet both were so seemingly lonely. One of them locked to act as an eternal aid, the other simply trapped alone. They lived almost inverse lives and yet he could relate to her as he had no other, and she had claimed the same as him.

Six months however, even to a god, is too long to go fully hungry. For each month that passed without the arrival of her rescue, Persephone had to eat something. Knowing of its potential damage, fearing for the consequences, they settled between themselves to use the bare minimum. A single pomegranate seed for every month, enough that she could survive comfortably and no more. The living were not supposed to eat the fruit of the dead, Hades had feared it might even kill her outright, but she had rolled her eyes and insisted it was preferable to an inevitable death by starvation. Though it made him tense every time, nothing went wrong each time she ate... at least, nothing in the short term.

By the time Demeter and Zeus arrived at the river Styx, Hades domain being the last place they'd thought to check, six months had passed. Though the two were grateful for Persephone's safe return, the ire of Demeter made him all but certain this would be the last time they would meet. Besides, it wasn't as if she truly had a reason to return to his domain. The afterlife was a place without seasons after all.

No, he hadn't expected to see her again, not without some great tragedy and even then only from a distance. The god had considered himself lucky to have even met her; though all may eventually become part of his domain the thought of her in such a position was perturbing. To see someone living and see them dead were very different things. He wanted to never see her again, if it'd mean she'd never suffer death.

That was until six months later, when a sunbeam fell through the slightest of cracks in his ceiling and carried persephone straight to his throne. She had grown sick in the land of the living, owing to the already once dead seeds she'd consumed, but a remedy had been formulated. For every seed she'd eaten, she'd spend a month with him. When he'd flustered and worried, apologising again, she'd just called him callow and led him out toward their gardens to watch the fresh seed of autumn arriving.

The reminiscing faded from Hades mind, this was another stage of his wait. How long had he been stood here? Infinite time with and without her, it was confusing to consider. Presuming the surface world would last in perpetuity, he would always spend six months with her followed by six months alone. Both measures of time would be endless, an endless series of six month chunks, and yet one flew by so much faster than the other. It was foolish to think he was spending an eternity without her, but now he felt it more than ever.

Despite that truth, he wasn't certain what he'd do once she returned. He'd had time enough to plan, even that period it was infinitely less than a blink in terms of his lifespan, and yet he'd come up with nothing... just like the other times she'd been destined to arrive. With that in mind though, he'd always come up with something during these moments. Languishing at his lowest seemed a trigger for inspiration, he'd always come up with something new to do just before she'd returned. Expanding the garden, redirecting the rivers, kissing her for the first time...

Hades eyes lowered back to the dish of water beneath him, catching sight of more mourning figures. They had died awaiting those who had never returned, so now they stayed waiting even in death. Was he all that different? What could he do to separate himself from them? It wasn't as though he could lock her down here and ensure loneliness never returned.

It was another thing he had been refused, just like the domain of the sky which was his birthright. He couldn't love Persephone in the way he longed to love her, for she was a living thing. Even if she wanted to abandon the world of the living, though he knew she would never give up such a duty and he would not ask it of her, the feline could not. In her absence the world grew brittle and cold as Demeter wallowed in her sorrows. All life would die if Persephone left permanently.

To live two eternities in conflict, it was a fate unique to them.

He'd kissed her, and she'd kissed him, but he hadn't found the strength to profess his love... unlike those reflected in the bowl beneath him. It was in part for fear of rejection, that much he could not deny, but mostly the underworld god could not allow himself to ruin the one relationship fate had granted him. While it was true that she was bound to his domain for half of the year, it wasn't by either of their choice. If she could come and go freely he might have been more willing, but the thought of being denied and souring their eternity together was too much to-

A flash of light tore the hedgehog from his thoughts. His gaze was sent spinning in the direction of his throne, just in time to find it filled. Warmth immediately spread through the hedgehog's body, reddening his cheeks and electrifying his heart.

Her garb was just as he'd recalled. A long white robe, tied with ribbon around the waist. Her wrists and ankles were adorned with bangles, each shaped from wicker reed and detailed with etched vines and flowers. Flaxen sandals housed her feet while a floral wreath topped her head; matching the colour of her muzzle with its collection of white flowers, varying from peonies to baby's breath. A second floral band of that same colouration hung from the end of her braided ponytail, positioned just above the small of her back.

She was everything he wasn't, and her outfit reflected that- where he wore rigid metals she wore flowing fabrics. Compared to him, everything about her was bright and shining. She was his sunlight, better than the real thing even. Though the sun itself was Helios claim, its association with plants and their growth was something inherent. The plants needed that light and so she embodied it, from the flames at her disposal to the glowing amber of her eyes. Now that it was within reach, he sought that warmth's embrace more than ever.

But, strangely, the light wasn't shining upon him, despite her return. Immediately upon arriving, the purple furred feline had turned away from him to stare at one of the cave's vacant walls. She'd taken up his helmet, setting it upon her lap, but besides that hadn't moved an inch. From this angle though, with her head turned right, he could see that she was frowning.

Hades stumbled toward her, moving faster than he had in months. He fully tripped before her feet, having to scramble to rise. The hedgehog only actually made it half-way, finding himself still beneath the purple feline. He hadn't seen her like this since the first time she'd arrived, her posture was stiff and her face was sullen.

"Persephone,"His blood felt like ice "Is something wrong?"

Quiet hung in the air for a moment longer, only filled by the trickling of the Styx and the thudding of his heart at his throat.

All his fears fell away at the sight of her eyes, "Still so callow, Hades?"

A relieved grin melted onto his muzzle, "Did you expect me to be otherwise?"

"I suppose not, though I did consider it," The goddess hummed, stroking up and along the ridge of his discarded helmet, "Then again, you've already had more than enough time to grow."

Heat rushed to his face for the first time in what felt like so long, that paranoid pounding of his heart in his throat was fully replaced by a static buzz at his gut and a shot of adrenaline surging through his system. This energy, this spark, he had missed it like he missed the sun. There was an electric tension in the air, more powerful than that generated by her facade. Hades' patience, his want to savour, had fully vanished by the third beat of his heart.

He pushed himself to rise, gripping the arm rests as he leaned in close to her, "I missed you."

"Is that so?" Persephone crooned,"Based on the state you're in, I couldn't tell."

Mirrors weren't exactly commonplace in his domain, and he hadn't stared in Tantalus' pool in some time, but the hedgehog knew he looked awful. With loneliness came the flopping of his quills, the loss of light from his eyes and the muting of his expression. Either way, that didn't stop her from closing the distance and pushing her lips against his. Warmth was finally fully upon him, and it had somehow caught him completely off guard.

Hades reacted as fast as realisation would allow, leaning in to share the effort and unleash what had been pent up for so long. She tasted exactly how he remembered, of the pomegranate that had sealed her fate. He lost himself in her so truly thoroughly, from that lip-lock to hitching of garbs and the mutual brushing of furs.

He couldn't know what had happened in her time away, let alone what all she had thought about, but one thing was clear. He'd been on her mind, just as she had been on his. Their kiss from before, and the kisses that had come after, now felt so simple by comparison. He could feel her convey emotion with contact rather than words, sharing in a way that he had only ever shared with her. This was all purest instinct for him, unbridled emotion made tangible contact and connection, and so he truly had no idea what he was doing.

Hades loved every second of it.

Minutes of lip-lock weren't enough to make up for the time they'd lost, just as quickly as breath was reclaimed that contact did resume. Soon the lord of the underworld found himself hand in hand with her, having blindly tossed his gauntlets aside as their bodies arched to fit each other's. He'd more than happily spend every six months spent like that, soaking up her touch after lacking all contact, but Hades was greedy. As much as he longed for her touch, he needed to hear her voice.

"I missed you," He murmured that phrase again and again between breaths, pushing with his words as he sank deeper into her.

It was only when he was half knelt on the throne's seat, her head pushed against the stone backrest and his helmet preventing them from pressing closer that a response came, "I missed you too."

His forehead found hers as panting claimed him, happy to have stretched beyond the goddess' mental walls and prise those words free. For as close as they'd grown over her sabbaticals from the world of the living, the feline still avoided wasting words. When persephone spoke she was blunt and thoroughly intentioned, more reclusive in conversation than one would think of a nature god. Then again, he was far more open to dialogue than anyone likely thought.

As his eyes reopened, they were met with orbs of amber sunlight. It was common knowledge that absence made the heart grow fonder, that was why he'd sought the sky in the first place, but their endless pattern of being together and apart was somehow more tantalising than more permanent absence. Every time she returned, he could feel them growing closer... only to have that torn away again.

Why was he wasting their precious time with thoughts, he should have been acting.

"So..." For all his thinking, words immediately failed him.

"So?" He could hear the smirk in her voice.

"How are you doing?" He managed to ask, immediately regretting his blandness but still finding his mind blank.

"Better now," She breathlessly admitted, before seeming to catch herself, "And you already look much better."

"You look great," He blurted in response, "Y-You always look great."

Those words did seem to have an impact, Hades felt her hand slip up to his chest. Her head tilted, her cheek brushed against his until a kiss took the place on that contact. He lost himself in her again, his eyes did close, but only so long as to be caught off guard. With a well placed push he was forced to stumble back and to her feet, but Persephone was plainly intent on maintaining their kiss even as he struggled to rise from the awkward position.

She only released the hedgehog, both his chest and lips, once she was fully stood too, "Things on the surface are always so complicated, always so difficult," She mused as she stepped past him with his helmet tucked beneath her arm, "But you're not like life on the surface, Hades. I always know just what to expect from you. I can read you like the seasons, I like that about you," The feline admitted before she seemed to realise she'd over spoken, "Not that I presumed that would be the case at first, of course."

Though her words were complimentary, they reignited the paranoia he'd felt just before she'd returned to him. Unlike those last times, he hadn't arrived with something new to do or offer before she'd arrived. Regret ached in his chest as he watched her walk away, but it didn't last for long.

Realisation stole pain from and replaced it with panic. He had come up with something, he'd just been too afraid to broach it. Could he stand to? Was it right to?

"Come on, harvest has started," She insisted, starting to walk deeper into the caves of Hades, "Let's check the growth before the reaped seed finishes arriving."

Following her and the length of the Styx, Hades soon found himself in the garden they'd made so many visits ago. The verdant space within the otherwise dreary cave seemed to grow all the more alive due to the presence of the nature goddess, flowers came to bloom and almost turn as if to face their arrival.

Beyond the sloshing of the various rivers, another sound filled the air. Turning to his left, Hades found the great well which grain and seed was set to endlessly fill. The seed didn't slip through a crack in the ceiling as she had, nor did it fall from the already grown plants of his domain. Instead, it was carried on the Styx itself, that river passing through the well's basin and depositing the pips, nuts and kernels perfectly. He could hear the sound of the well gradually filling, the seed rising up the shaped stone to make it not dissimilar to a grain silo.

That sound did not hold his attention for long though, his eyes held more sway over him than his ears. He watched as Persephone rose to her tiptoes to claim a pomegranate, the tree lowering its branch so as to meet her halfway. With a simple flex of her strong hands, preternaturally knowing where to pull, the fruit was brought in two and the seeds revealed. She was in her element, just as Hades was certain she was in gardens on the surface, but now so strangely free despite her entrapment. It was beautiful.

She caught him staring before she could eat, extending a hand with half the fruit as if to beckon him closer, "Hungry?"

"Famished, thank you," He professed, taking the offered half, "Are you sure that you can...?"

"I did some research and consulted the riverboat man," The feline responded, drawing some seeds, "How much I eat while here doesn't matter, just that I ate during the month. I'm free to consume up until a month before my leaving. That should make my stay even more comfortable."

Food in hand, they began a survey of the once dead plants. Things weren't in any worse of a state than how she'd left them, but there were improvements still to be made. He'd purposefully spent as little time as possible in here and it did show in areas of wilt, but frankly he preferred those to the rough hewn stone and dark colouration so ever present elsewhere in his abode.

Although the hedgehog was doing his best to pay attention to their garden, but his gaze scarcely left her. By the time she'd finished her seeds, dropping the fruit casing only for it to turn to mulch, he had barely partaken in six. That idea from before was like lightning in his mind, terrifying and yet awe inspiring. He didn't want to break this, he didn't want to ruin his relationship to the only companion he had, but how long could they go on like this? If every return was like the one he'd just experienced, his heart would only long more and more for her. His want to ask and yet need to refuse himself would endlessly consume him if he didn't act quickly.

"About what you said before," He blurted aloud as she peered through the petals of a crocus, "Maybe I do have something unpredictable for you," He forced himself to offer.

"Do you?" She inquired, turning and raising a brow.

"M-Maybe?" He gulped, immediately regretting his choice to act.

"Go on, I'm listening," Persephone claimed, though she moved on to continue leading him through their gardened space.

Hades scrambled for words, "Since you're going to be spending so much time down here, basically an eternity-

"Exactly an eternity," She stopped him, "Just six months at a time."

"Right, yeah," He felt his brain strain, "I was just wondering if you'd..."

She hadn't had to cut him off this time, words had simply failed him, "If I'd?"

"I know you have important work to do on the surface, I know it's important to you and the world," His hand found his quills, only for him to immediately remember and cringe at the juice soaking his hand, "But," He let the fruit drop as he caught up to walk beside her, "Th-This isn't me talking out of loneliness, Persephone. Accidentality stealing you was the best and most important thing to ever happen to me."

The goddess suddenly came to a halt, she turned to him with a quirked brow raised and an analytical look on her muzzle. Almost immediately however, that expression broke down to reveal a look of realisation. In that moment, panic fully struck him.

Words flew from his mouth, "I just want to make sure that, if you don't want what I'm about to offer, we can go back. We can just stay like this, we can just-

"Hades," She took him by his hands, "Just say what's on your mind, nothing can go wrong that eternity could not mend."

His panic was washed away in an instant. She had processed all he was going to say even before he could think it. The goddess had already foreseen how this would all happen, here amongst sunflowers and fruit trees and all five rivers of the underworld. Regardless of that truth though, Hades wanted the words to stick. He had to say it, just as she'd asked.

"I love you," He finally said it, relief flowed through him like souls along the Styx, "And I'd love you to be the queen of Hades."

She leaned in close, raising to her tiptoes, "The place or the person?"

"Both?" The god of the underworld squeaked.

"Oh, well, in that case," She leaned in close before suddenly pulling back, "I'll consider it."

In one swift movement the feline put her hand to her head, promptly placing his own helm atop it. Before the hedgehog could so much as blink the cat had harnessed the power of that artefact to disappear. All of a sudden he was stood alone atop the soil, frantically casting his eyes all around in search of her and failing to process her cryptic answer.

For just a moment he thought she'd vanished, but before panic could claim his heart he felt the goddess leaning into his back, "Are you certain about this? About what it means."

"I am," He responded, not even trying to turn to her, "I don't know what to do with myself during the six months your away. I perform my roles as best I can, fulfil my duties and do what I think is best but," Hades was shocked he wasn't floundering, "I feel so much more alive when you're around, like I'm actually living rather than just working. You brighten my life more than the sun ever could."

"Is that all that's on your mind?" She quietly asked.

He could feel the heat radiating off of her, a warmth like supposed Summer carried upon her touch. Embarrassment was an emotion that Persephone hid well, she rarely allowed herself to show more than the lightest of cracks. Now he truly understood why she was stood behind him, why she had used that helm. He'd seen enough seasons through to understand her, just as she had predicted this predicament.

"I can't lie to you, I don't want to risk what we already have, but I know what I want and can't deny it. Whenever you return I fall even deeper in love with you, and I'm scared that if I don't ask now I'll fall too deeply. I won't be able to ask out of fear of losing what we already have," Words kept flowing from his mouth, he scarcely had time to breathe, "You have brought light and warmth to a home I thought so dark and cold. I know nothing nor anyone I could compare to you, despite holding dominion over so many souls," That sounded a little too macabre, but the lord of Hades swallowed in an attempt to own it, "How could I do anything but love you with all my heart," His mouth was dry after professing that, in the most blunt and honest manner he could. Was that a sign? "Persephone, please give me an answer."

"You're so very callow Hades," He felt something top his head, it took a moment to realise it was his own helm, "But I suppose I can help to balance that out."

"You mean?" He finally turned to look at her.

She was looking up at him, though not with her usual smugness nor seriousness. The feline was admittedly attempting to maintain the latter, her brows were furrowed and she was trying to keep her expression muted but her muzzle was pink. Hades could see through her facade. The goddess was always beautiful, but there was something undeniably cute in seeing the effort crumble. He supposed this is what she was used to seeing from him; harmless panic and embarrassment.

"Come on, it's been a while," The goddess finally averted her gaze, blush still dusting her white cheeks as she snatched up his hand and half shoved him to move, "Why don't you reacquaint this new queen with her domain?"

A smile creased his lips as he felt his heart pound.

"Why of course, Persephone, queen of Hades," He squeezed her hand, feeling himself glow as he turned to lead the way, "I'd be more than happy to."

#silvaze #Silver the Hedgehog #Blaze the Cat #sonic the hedgehog #greek myth #mythology #fanfic #romance

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