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"So I figured out the cipher for this," Tails says the second Sonic zooms into his workshop.
Someone should really teach this kid the intricacies of social interaction. Preferably not Sonic, because he has no idea either. Tails waves the GUN folder in the air, then lets it drop back onto his desk.
"Looks like they're keeping at least one emerald in their high security vault in the Holoska mountains. Possibly more than one."
Sonic places his palms on Tails' desk and leans in to inspect the screen, like he understands anything on it beyond the surface level of the map. "Any idea what they're using it for?"
Tails shakes his head. "No clue. There's no readings of power surges in that area, but I wouldn't put it past them to try."
"Me neither. How hard would it be to get inside?"
A shrug. "Not great. There's maybe one way in- this mountain pass, here- and they'll definitely corner us on the way out." Tails taps the screen with a claw. They're painted black, probably to match his t-shirt. Sonic frowns. When did this kid get older? And more importantly, how did Sonic fuck up his fashion choices so exceptionally?
"What about by plane?"
"Nope. Even if I hacked their radar, they've got a whole ballista of turrets."
"...what about by tunnel?"
"What, you mean Knuckles?" Tails asks, and Sonic can see the gears in his head start turning before he even gives him a nod. "That could work… we'd need to bring some kind of explosives to make it through the walls, but- where's my pencil."
Tails ducks halfway off his chair to retrieve a notebook from the floor, nearly slamming his head into the desk as he sits back up.
"Okay, Knux can get us past security, but we'll also need him to guard the exit point to get us back out after we find the emerald- do you think we could recruit Amy, too, or is she not-"
"Hey," Sonic snaps his fingers in front of his little brother's nose, earning himself a glare. "Sorry, uh, before you go all 'mad scientist' on me, I got a different problem."
"Hmm?" Tails clearly is only half-listening, but that's fine. Even half of a genius' attention is gonna result in pretty good advice.
"So you know how my metabolism works faster than most people's?"
Blue eyes flicker up at him, more intent than Sonic originally assumed. "Yeah?"
Chaos, this was a bad idea. Over ten years of hiding his issues from this kid and now he has to destroy it all in two seconds flat? Emotional honesty sucks.
Rip the bandaid off, hedgehog, growls a voice in his head that sounds scarily like a certain hybrid.
"I'm kinda… starving, a lot of the time."
Tails stares at him, dropping the facade of disinterest in favor of outright horror. "...what?"
"Okay, that sounds worse than it is," Sonic hurriedly adds. "It's not like I'm passing out constantly or anything like that." Well. Not anymore, not since Shadow started helping him, but Tails doesn't need to know that. "I've got a solution for now, but it's not gonna work forever. I was wondering if you had a… different idea?"
"Depends. Do you only want to use legal sources, and do you need a certain blood type?"
"...no?"
Tails nods. "Got it. I can hook you up with someone."
Sonic blinks at him. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Tails affirms, scribbling something down. He looks up again, that same piercing stare that makes Sonic's chest go cold. "You know you can talk to me about this stuff, right? I'm not going to be disgusted by it."
"Yeah, I- I know."
Despite this, he says nothing. Just stands there with his throat closed up while Tails stares at him expectantly.
Big brother of the fucking year.
Finally, Tails sighs. "Okay. As long as you know. Anyways, I'm assuming you want to do this mission as soon as possible?"
Sonic nods again, grateful to think about something other than his communication issues. Thank fuck to whichever deity gave Tails role models like Amy and Knuckles to balance out that particular shortcoming. "Leaving emeralds with GUN for any amount of time is begging for trouble."
"Tomorrow, then! I won't get a deal set up before we leave, so you'd better use that solution of yours tonight so you're at peak condition. That work?"
"Peachy keen, lil' bro." Sonic stands up, pauses. "You're aware you're the best, right?"
Tails smiles ruefully. Perhaps he hates the coddling, or perhaps he just recognizes it as the apology it is. He's a smart kid, after all. "Yeah, yeah, obviously. Now get going, I've got a heist to plan."
----
5:16- hey would u be ok moving our suck sesh to tonight? gotta go to another continent tmrw and idk when we'll get back
5:20- Sure. If you promise to never call it that again.
5:20- blood binge
5:20- flesh fest
5:20- Stop
5:21- anatomical eatery
5:21- That one didn't work as well.
5:22- so ur saying the other ones did?? ;)
5:22- No.
5:22- Spar first? We haven't in a while.
5:23- ur on! wanna meet at that field right outside the city? 15 min or smth?
5:23- See you there.
----
Fighting Shadow is always fun.
It's a rush like no other, easily taking his mind off of anything beyond the feeling of the wind in his fur and the harsh breaths of his rival as they both throw all their strength into winning a pointless battle.
So, no, Sonic isn't thinking about the consequences of ending their… arrangement. He's just trying to match Shadow spindash for spindash, weaving under the roundhouse kicks Shadow swipes at him.
He's not thinking about how little Shadow's been sleeping. He's not thinking about how much closer they've gotten since this started, he's not thinking about Shadow's exhausted grin, or oddly giggly laugh, or the warmth that lights in his eyes when his guard finally drops-
"Head in the game, Sonic," Shadow snarks, a smirk pulling at the edge of his lips as he attempts to sweep Sonic's legs out from under him.
Sonic jumps back just in time; he dives back in before Shadow can regain a proper fighting stance. They trade a few blows, mostly chest shots that are easily blocked but will leave bruises for them to find in the morning.
He gets lucky and lands an elbow jab to Shadow's jaw, sending the hybrid dazedly reeling back a few steps. After that, it's just a matter of slamming Shadow to the ground.
Hah! Four outta ten ain't bad, especially considering Sonic hasn't eaten yet.
Shadow is breathing heavy underneath him, jet black quills framed by flowers, their petals mangled by the two of them roughhousing across the field. He looks… pretty? And his nose is bleeding from Sonic nearly breaking it two spars ago, and-
"Alright, I yield." Shadow lets his head drop back. It exposes his throat, but he doesn't seem to notice. "Can we go to your place today? After last time, I…" Shadow's muzzle scrunches up in distaste.
Yeah, Sonic can't really blame him for that one. The fact that it's been three weeks hasn't done much to dull the mortification of Rouge catching them. Sonic's been avoiding her ever since; he can't imagine living with her the way Shadow is.
It occurs to him that he forgot to let Shadow up, but- Shadow doesn't seem to notice either. He supposes it's not that far off from their usual positioning during feedings, but, it's… strangely vulnerable. Trusting.
"Uh. Yeah," Sonic says, his mouth dry for no discernible reason. "Tails should be at Amy's by now… you wanna run, or teleport?"
Shadow wrinkles his nose. "Teleport. I want to shower as soon as possible."
"Aww, but you look so cute with grass in your quills," Sonic teases. He's halfway through plucking out one of the strands when his brain catches up to his mouth.
Shadow's staring at him, caught between offense and blushing like a lightbulb. Okay, now it's definitely awkward that Sonic is sitting on top of him.
Oops.
"I didn't-"
Shadow cuts him off, blurting out a, "Chaos control," so abruptly the words slur together.
They reappear upright on the patio of Sonic's home, forcing Sonic to catch himself on the railing or risk breaking some bones via tumbling down the stairs. He'll never get used to the mind-twisting sensation of being shoved through space and time.
Shadow, however, has no such hang-ups, barging into the house without asking permission. Lucky bastard.
Sonic decides to let Shadow steal the main shower (although fighting him about it does sound funny), taking the smaller one off the side of Tails' garage instead. The overhead light doesn't work and there's that haunting feeling of scrapped inventions past, and Sonic makes a point to get clean as quickly as possible. Which, for him, is about five minutes- four of those being him deciphering the twelve different product bottles Tails keeps in the shower.
(Terrifyingly, one of them seems to be a value-size jug of hydrogen peroxide, "Do not use for burns" scribbled across it in Tails' messy scrawl.)
He ends up lounging across his bed for about twenty minutes before Shadow walks out of the bathroom, casually fluffing up his quills with a towel. Sonic rarely sees him without ten gallons of product in his quills; without it they lay in a similar shape, but less defined, a fluffy halo of quills that stick up at points.
"I don't know what to do with this," Shadow says, switching the towel to one hand. Sonic pops upright.
"Just throw it across the hall at that door, I'm gonna do laundry tonight before we leave." Sonic points in the general direction of the laundry room (closet, if he's being fair), just over Shadow's shoulder. Shadow raises a disapproving brow, but seems too happy with the opportunity to throw something to fight him on a perceived lack of cleanliness.
Shadow doesn't even wait for it to hit the door before stalking over to Sonic. There's plenty of space on the mattress, but Shadow sits directly beside him, close enough for their fur to brush.
It's too much and not enough. Shadow's muzzle is inches from his own, and as he watches, Shadow's eyes flicker down-
"I found a new way to get blood," Sonic blurts out.
Shadow jerks back, ears swaying with the force. "What?" He asks, like he's struggling to comprehend the words themselves.
"Yeah, um. I asked, and Tails knows a guy, so." Why does this feel so awkward? Why is Shadow staring at him like- like whatever that expression is, drawn brow and suddenly cold eyes. Sonic forces a laugh. "Great news, right?"
Shadow stares at him for another second. "Right."
Neither of them speaks for far too long to qualify as a natural lull in the conversation. Sonic taps his fingers along the edge of the bed; Shadow crosses his arms and stares at the wall.
…yup. Great news.
In the end, Shadow's the one to break the silence. "Are we doing this, then?" he asks, straightforward as ever.
"Oh, uh, sure? Did you want to do that right now?"
"Yup," Shadow says. His expression doesn't change.
"Oooookay," Sonic answers. There's usually more buildup than this, and suddenly he finds himself as nervous as the first time. Shadow, by contrast, looks like the picture of serenity.
Sonic sort of wants to punch him.
He leans in. Stops. "Did you use my shampoo?"
Shadow's ears go flat. "What else would I use," he mutters.
"No, no, it's- nice?"
Okay, forget punching Shadow. Sonic wants to punch himself, preferably in the face. Great. Awesome. Totally normal thing to say, nice job.
Shadow blinks, owl-like. "...thanks."
Deciding that continuing this conversation sounds far more painful than attacking a close friend (are they close?), Sonic leans in again, one hand landing on Shadow's chest. Shadow stiffens, then relaxes, features going soft. He's not wearing eyeliner, Sonic realizes suddenly. Of course, he couldn't- Sonic doesn't own any.
Would it be weird to offer to go grab Tails' makeup? Probably. And it's not like Shadow looks bad without it- quite the opposite. But it's another layer of armor gone, one less thing tying them to their old dynamic. Not the hero and the ultimate lifeform, just… Sonic and Shadow.
He ducks his head before he can stare any longer. It's a wonder Shadow hasn't called him out for it yet.
Shadow sighs when Sonic sinks his fangs into his neck, an action that's distracting for so many reasons. Doing this doesn't require much focus, but suddenly he's thinking about what else could get Shadow to sound so relaxed, so happy.
(Not much, he has to assume. Shadow's tightly wound at best. And yet, Sonic wouldn't mind pouring hours or days or years into figuring it out.)
There's a headboard directly behind him, but for some reason, Shadow chooses to fall against Sonic instead. He brings his arms up to loop around Sonic's shoulders, leaving his muzzle nestled against Sonic's temple. His breath is warm, just like his blood, ruffling his fur as an added bonus.
Sonic's memory twists for an indeterminate amount of time, minutes blurring together, but eventually Shadow is murmuring something against his ear, giving his shoulder a light shake.
He detaches his fangs within a few seconds- or he thinks he does- but leaves his muzzle pressed against Shadow's throat.
Shadow sits up, letting Sonic push him back against the headboard for better access as he licks up the blood still ebbing from the bitemarks. The marks that denote Shadow as his, this perfect pretty thing writhing underneath him-
Whoa. Sonic feels the gears in his brain screech to a halt. What. What?
It's about the most jarring return to reality he's ever experienced, and then Shadow decides to make it a million times worse by whining breathlessly when Sonic pulls away.
Sonic drags a hand down his face, trying not to think about how it smears blood on his glove. "Fuck. What am I doing."
Shadow blinks, once, twice, then drowsily asks, "what do you mean?"
"I mean-" Sonic gestures at him, the motion shaky with agitation. Shadow tilts his head, pupils far too dilated. "Why are we doing this? Why did you ever ask me to do this?"
Ain't that the question. Sonic's been wondering since the beginning, and he fully expects to receive a usual cryptic Shadow answer.
But Shadow laughs, bright, almost mocking. His eyes crinkle at the edges and he looks down his nose at Sonic, oddly haughty for a guy who couldn't currently manage two steps on his own. "Stop panicking, Sonic. It's just fun. Not a big deal."
"Fun," Sonic repeats dubiously.
Shadow nods, leaning in until their noses brush. "Fun, and nice, and it helps you. 'Course I'd do it."
That's. Oh.
"You sound pretty certain about that," Sonic says. It's definitely underhanded to ask Shadow questions in this state, but Shadow's never expressly told him not to, and it's just this once.
"Yes. I am. I would do anything for you. Plus," Shadow pauses, loops his arms around Sonic's shoulders for the second time today. His smile is almost adoring, tainted only by the mischievous tilt to his ears. "Your eyes are super pretty."
Sonic freezes. Is he supposed to say something to that? What the fuck is the correct response?
Luckily, it doesn't seem to matter, because Shadow lets go of him and collapses into a fit of giggles, conversation forgotten.
Great, I broke him, Sonic thinks faintly, remaining stock-still for another second. He glances down at Shadow, who's still laughing quietly at the ceiling. His quills are splayed out around his head like a halo, chest shaking, quickly-healing bite on full display.
Shadow catches Sonic staring at him and smiles, laughter dying out in favor of blissed-out silence.
He looks at peace.
"What," Shadow asks, hushed. The lamp is on, but otherwise the room is dark, perfect for spilling secrets.
You're beautiful.
Sonic doesn't say it. He stalls out with his tongue caught between his teeth and Shadow's blood on his lips. "Nothin', Shads. Go to sleep, okay?"
"Okay." Shadow pauses. "Are you staying?"
He should really go pack… "Yeah," he says instead, and it's completely worth whatever sleep he's going to lose postponing this when Shadow's smile returns full-force.
The hybrid curls up next to him without asking, burrowing into his side like he's trying to achieve hibernation. Sonic lies back, head halfway off the bed. As always, Sonic finds himself wondering how often Shadow allows physical affection outside of these moments. And, if as Sonic suspects, he simply doesn't- then what happens when this ends?
The Shadow he knew before all this would close himself back off and pretend this entire ordeal never happened.
But the Shadow who's currently cuddled up against him and purring up a storm, who called his eyes pretty and touches him without fear… Sonic doesn't know what this version of Shadow will do.
The uncertainty should bother him, should constrict his ribs like barbed wire. And yet all Sonic can do is smile with uncontrollable, painful hope.
Shadow likes him. Right? Probably? Is there another way to interpret tonight's events?
Shadow's a bit socially stunted, so it's definitely possible Sonic's reading into things. Perhaps even likely- Sonic's never been able to understand Shadow's motivations; maybe it's crazy to think he could now.
Still… it's at least worth investigating, isn't it?
"Will you miss this?" Shadow mumbles into his fur. It takes him by surprise.
Sonic hesitates. Stares at the patterns of light on the ceiling formed by the lampshade and popcorn texture. In a whisper, he says, "Yeah. Will you?"
"Why else would I ask."
Shadow drifts off before Sonic can think of an equally snarky retort.
He grins up at nothing at all for a long, long time.