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There were nights when Sonic just couldn’t sleep. Nights when his brain, and consequently, his legs, wouldn’t quiet down at the end of the day. Before, his bouts of insomnia used to wax and wane between the months. Only now, ever since his adventure on the Starfall Islands, he was lucky to go a week without at least one night where sleep eluded him. He wished he could go back to how he used to sleep, collapsing onto whatever surface he found and falling asleep immediately.
Tonight was one such night. His legs were restless even after he settled into bed and he couldn’t shake the yearning to feel the wind in his quills. As soon as his eyes closed, his thoughts flooded in; a torrent of internal noise that would not stop until he opened his eyes again to the darkness of his bedroom. With a sigh, he swung his legs out of bed and slipped on his shoes and socks, and a pair of gloves. He quietly crept out of his bedroom and intended to slip out of the house without disturbing his brother, until he spotted a yellow light peaking out from under the door to the garage. His ear flicked as he picked up the sound of heavy machinery coming from inside. So, Sonic wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping.
Sonic didn’t bother knocking as he entered the garage. Well, it was more of a hanger bay. The “garage” was easily triple the size of the cottage it was attached to. The massive workshop was filled to the brim with a myriad of machinery and gadgets all in various states of completeness. At the middle of it all was the Tornado.
He scanned the workshop, Tails wasn’t at his bench or his desk (or his other workbench that he insisted on having so he could work on two projects at once). Instead he spotted his brother by his plane. More specifically, underneath it. His twin tails poked out from where he tinkered in the large belly of his aircraft. From the dark recess of the hole, a light emanated and Sonic heard the sound of a blowtorch. He crossed next to the hull of the Tornado and knocked twice on the side of the plane, causing a metallic clang to briefly fill the quiet workshop.
The blowtorch shut off with a sputter and Tails appeared out from under the plane. He popped up the welding mask on his face and peered up at Sonic, blinked up at the bright overhead lights in the workshop. “Hey Sonic, what’re you doing up?” Tails rubbed at his eyes and yawned. “What time even is it?”
Sonic shrugged, “Oh like seven in the morning.” Tails blanched when he said this and his head whipped to look at the sky through the open door of the hanger bay. Outside it was still the dead of night, a cool sea breeze wafting in. His shoulders sagged with relief before he angled a disgruntled look up at Sonic, who couldn’t help but snicker.
The fox kicked halfheartedly at Sonic’s shoe. “Oh ha ha real funny! It’s only-,” he swiped up his communicator from where it sat on his tool box and glanced at the screen, “It’s only one in the morning.”
“You should head to bed, bud.” Sonic crouched as Tails yawned again.
“Speak for yourself. I thought you were asleep.” Tails scratched at his eyes again and felt around until he grasped a large mug of black coffee next to his toolbox. He took a sip and somehow didn’t shudder at the taste, the coffee was no doubt ice cold by now.
Sonic shrugged. “Eh, I tried, I think I’m gonna go for a jog instead. Wanna come?”
Tails shook his head and took another sip. “Nah, I gotta finish this repair to the fuel line,” He patted the side of the Tornado, “then I’m gonna head to bed after testing it.”
A part of Sonic doubted that. “Yeah? And how long will all that take? I’m not gonna come back to you passed out over your bench again, am I?”
Tails sniffed, a little petulantly. “No! I haven’t even done that in a while!”
Sonic chuckled and ruffled his brother’s fur, which earned him a disgruntled groan as Tails waved him off. “Try and actually get some sleep, ok? You’re turning into grumpy Tails. I’d like my cheery brother back, thank you.”
His brother flicked his tails in irritation. “Like you’re one to talk!”
“Well,” Sonic stood and stretched briefly, “I am gonna head down to the beach and catch some zee’s. So yes, I am one to talk.”
It was kind of lame comeback, which Tails communicated by rolling his eyes. He snickered and made his way through the open garage door, the scent of salt and the sea wafting in as another breeze blew in.
“Fine,” Tails called from behind him, “but if you track sand into the house again you’re cleaning it up this time!”
“Yeah, duh! When have I not?” Sonic spun on a single foot and looked back to his brother.
“Uh, like literally last week! Do you know how long it takes to get sand out of the carpet!”
“Jeese ok I get it!” Sonic held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll make sure to shake out the sand before I come in.” The only response he got was an affirmative grunt before Tails flicked down his visor again and shoved himself back into the underbelly of his airplane.
Sonic took off down the trail from Tails’ home to the beaches that surrounded South Isle. There was a long stretch of coast that Sonic particularly liked to jog along. It wasn’t a good place for actual sprinting or running, but he’d found it a good place to nap or in some cases, sleep. His feet led him to his tried and true spot where he could hear the waves crashing but was protected from the incoming tide by some large rocks. He flopped back, soaking in the cool sands and trying to let the crash of the ocean clear his mind.
He lasted maybe a minute before he was tossing and turning again. Once again, his legs began twitching and his mind struggled to settle.
So instead, he tried the forests. He couldn’t go too deep into the jungles this late. Even under the full moon, the forest floor was nearly pitch dark that could easily lead to a tripping hazard and land him with a sprained ankle. He found a large banyan tree that was just far enough into the jungle for shafts of moonlight to still illuminate his path. He hopped from branch to branch till he reached its large snaking canopy and found a comfortable crook to settle into.
Usually, the sounds of the jungle, the bird calls, croaking frogs, and rustling of other nocturnal fauna made enough white noise that Sonic could finally catch some rest from his ever turning thoughts. Not to mention, he was more comfortable with a hard branch under his back than a soft bed. Consequences of growing up in the wilderness and all. He was grateful that Tails always kept a room for him but he just never rested quite as well as he did when he was sleeping on a hard surface instead of a soft bed.
Yet, even with the hum of the forest, Sonic still could not find sleep. He shuffled and shifted, trying in vain to find the spot where his body would be comfortable and settle into sleep. After several minutes without success, he let out a disgruntled groan.
So it was going to be one of those nights. The kind where he was better off not even bothering to try and sleep than exhausting all his favorite spots in a desperate attempt to rest.
Welp, if he wasn’t going to sleep, he might as well run. With a sigh and a hup, Sonic swung himself over the edge of the branch and down to the ground. He jogged to the jungle’s edge, taking care not to go so fast that he tripped over an overgrown root or slipped across the thick floor of dry leaves and detritus that carpeted the ground. Once he was out from under the canopy and he could see the world around him, he took off.
Most of the time Sonic would head for more wilderness, taking laps around the island or off to some distant mountain range to push his stamina and tire out his limbs. Tonight,however, those places felt too quiet. Too serene and untouched for the racing in his mind. Sonic wanted a place that could mirror his racing thoughts. He zoomed across the ocean surrounding the island, white spray bursting from behind him as he sped towards the mainland.
Finally, he saw what he was looking for: the coastal highway that connected Central City, Station Square, and Westopolis. During the day, it was filled with a plethora of cars with either vacationers seeking any place but home or commuters meandering from one city to the next. t. At night though, these stretches of road were desolate. Sonic scrambled up the cliff-sides from the ocean and over guard rail, his feet slapping onto the pavement, his sea-soaked fur quickly drying from the rush of wind as he continued his break neck speed. After all, his destination really wasn’t something he considered long. Either way, this highway would lead him into one of the cities. On a whim, he chose Central City.
For a long while, Sonic was alone on that highway. His only company were the waves crashing up against the cliff face and the moonlit road. He could finally feel a heaviness start to take hold as the peace and quiet started to lull him towards sleep, just as it normally did. . Maybe he should turn off and look for a place to rest after all. He could find an inviting hollow of a tree or crevice between some boulders to squeeze into.
Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by the roar of a motorcycle suddenly rounding the corner of the road. Sonic managed to throw himself out of its path, feeling a rush of air as the motorcycle grazed by him.
There was something familiar about the growl of that engine that caused him to skid to a stop a few yards down the road, his sneakers leaving dark streaks in the pavement. Behind him, the motorcycle doing the same, screeched to a stop so quickly that it left a trail of smoke. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust due to the sudden intrusion of light pouring from the headlight. However, once he was able to see the motorcycle’s driver, a smirk appeared on his lips.
“Well, well, well,” Mirth bubbling up into his words, “Long time no see faker.”
Shadow the hedgehog’s muzzle crinkled in distaste, his red eyes searing into Sonic. As usual, Shadow didn’t waste time exchanging pleasantries, cutting straight to the point. “What the hell were you doing? Running in the middle of the goddamn road like that?!”
Sonic let out an indignant snort. “Uh, obviously I’m just out for a midnight jog.” He crouched, stretching a calf..
“I almost ran you over, you moron.” The growl dying from his motorcycle as Shadow killed the engine and swung his leg out the seat.
“Pfft! Please! As if that bike could ever be fast enough to hit me!” Sonic let out another snort of laughter. “Hate to break it to you Shads, but you’re the only one driving anything out here. Not exactly worried about an influx of traffic or something this late at night.” He fished out his communicator from his quills and glanced at time. “Or, should I say, this early in the morning actually?” He wiggled the screen in front of Shadow’s face, which showed that it was nearly 3 AM.
Shadow squinted and waved away the communicator from his face. “I do not need the same amount of sleep as most organisms. I believe the more apt question is why you are up so early?”
He shrugged. “Can’t a guy just go out and get some fresh air?”
“What you do or don’t do is none of my business,” Shadow crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Sonic, “but unlike me, the side effects of sleep deprivation could actually be dangerous for you. Case in point, my bike almost turned you into roadkill.”
Sonic brought up a hand to his chest in mock surprise. “Wow! I can’t believe you care so much about my well-being, Shadsy!”
The other hedgehog's muzzle wrinkled again in irritation. “How many times do I need to tell you to stop calling me that?”
“You have a problem with Shads? But not with Faker?”
Shadow’s muzzle crinkled further. “I would prefer you to call me by my name.”
“Sure, I’ll do that as soon as you stop calling me hedgehog.” Shadow’s only response was his mouth pulling into a thin line. Sonic let out a breath and swung his arms behind his head. “So, what’s got you up so late? Surely you didn’t take a night drive hoping you’d run into little ol’ me?”
“Hmph! Hardly, if you must know I was returning from a mission and I’ve already wasted too much time talking to the likes of you.” Shadow stood from where he’d been leaning on his bike, preparing to remount it and continue his ride.
“Woah, woah, woah, no need to be so hasty to get rid of me!” Before Shadow could start his bike again, Sonic placed hand on the front panel. Anyone else would have given pause to Shadow’s intense glare zeroing onto Sonic’s hand. Sonic, however, leaned forward more into Shadow’s line of sight.
“How bout we make things interesting and race back to the city huh?” He cocked his head towards the dull halo over the horizon where Westoplis was. When Shadow didn’t answer right away, he continued. “It’s just us tonight, we’ll have the whole road to ourselves.” Then he shrugged, feigning casualness to hide the gnawing bug in his stomach that didn’t want to waste this chance encounter with his rival. “Of course, you’ll lose like always, but at least it would be a little fun!”
That taunt, no matter how many times Sonic changed the wording, never failed to have the desired effect. Sonic spotted it instantly. Without fail, Shadow’s ears flicked back as his eyes widened before narrowing to slits. The sudden if not subtle shift in demeanor that was always born form the mere suggestion that he would lose; that he would ever just accept a lesser place.
As his grip on the handle bars grew tight, his canines shining from the light emanating from his motorcycle’s headlight, he declared with a low and guttural voice, “You’re on, hedgehog.”
Instead of mounting his bike and sneaking off like he clearly originally planned, Shadow guided the bike into a nearby ditch where it would be out of sight. As an extra measure, he grabbed a large branch that had fallen nearby and placed it over his vehicle with an amount of care Sonic rarely saw from his rival. There was a momentary dull pang in Sonic’s chest as he watched Shadow attend to his bike that it felt a bit like jealousy.
Except that was ridiculous. Why would he be jealous of a bike of all things? What the hell did he care if Shadow was so gentle with this inanimate thing?
He ran a hand through his quills, pulling at them and ruffling them into a further state of disarray to ground himself. Then, he made a show of sighing and tapping the tip of his toe against the pavement impatiently. Finally, he heard the scrape of Shadow's air shoes as he stood beside him on the deserted road.
“If I didn’t know better,” Sonic said as he stretched his legs to warm them back up, “I’d say you were stalling.”
“I was making sure the tracker on my bike was active.” Shadow answered matter of factly. He didn’t bother with stretching, merely stood and sized up the expanse of road winding before them. “It’s a government assigned vehicle, not something to carelessly misplace.”
Again, Sonic felt that pang and covered it with a bark of laughter. “Just admit it dude, you’re scared to eat my dust tonight!”
Shadow almost sneered, his face came within a hair's breath of Sonic’s that gave a perfect view of his canines. Sonic felt his breath catch at the sight both of those teeth and in anticipation for the heat in Shadow’s eyes. “On the contrary, hedgehog, I’m going to make sure you taste nothing but pavement come morning.”
Sonic told himself that all he felt was a rare warm breeze and that his cheeks weren’t going flush at the thought of Shadow grinding his head into the pavement. “Heh, don’t threaten me with a good time, Shadow.” He chuckled.
Shadow shook his head somewhat and rolled his eyes while he got into a starting position for their race. The light from the internal combustion of the air shoes glowed a golden hue, like coals breathing to life in a furnace. “First, the city wins. Try not to feel too bad when you lose, hedgehog.”
“Sure, and I’ll try not to rub it in your face too hard when you see nothing but my backside the whole way.”
There wasn’t a countdown; just a moment of silence before the world was pulled taut before the snap.
Just then, a solitary leaf danced its way down between them. As it barely alighted onto the pavement, it was violently swept aloft by the turbulence of their takeoff, soaring over the empty road in streaks of blue and red.
They started off almost neck and neck. The only company for them both was the rushing of the wind and the swoosh of Shadow’s skates. One side was a blurry wall of tall dark trees while the other was a sheer cliff that dropped into the sea. The curves of the road became tighter and narrower as it wound its way along the coastline. Even with his reflexes, Sonic still found himself forced to concentrate on the road, trying to keep up enough speed to keep ahead of Shadow while also trying not to go over the side of the ocean and turn the race into the first two parts of a triathlon.
Finally, the road smoothed out to a gentle meander. He realized that the lazy curves of the road would be easy enough to follow intuitively. Sonic took a glance at Shadow, whose eyes were trained on the road ahead, and smirked. He took the opportunity to start skipping ahead and make a show of spinning around to run backwards.
When he caught an incensed look across Shadow’s face, he took a deep breath, catching the scent of brine and pine mixing in the wind. His little show had the intended effect when he heard his rival let out a small growl of frustration. “If you aren’t going to take this seriously you shouldn’t have agreed to a race!” He surged forward in a flash of green light before shoulder checking Sonic as they passed through an outer bend in the road, almost knocking him over the edge.
Luckily, his sneakers managed to get enough traction to keep him from plunging into the water below. He pushed back, checking Shadow’s shoulder in return. “I can smell the roses and win just fine, dude! Don’t get all concerned on my account.”
“It wasn’t concern you halfwit!” Shadow shot back. “Don’t insult me by not taking this seriously.”
A wide, sharp grin grew across Sonic’s face. This was what he’d been searching for all night. What his restless mind and body were seeking. Nothing came with quite as much thrill or got his blood pumping like the look of fury in Shadow’s eyes when he was pissed off.
And oh, how easy it was to rile him up. Normally, Sonic got bored of experiencing the same thing over and over again. He even needed to take a break from some of his favorite views from time to time because he’d looked at them too long. Shadow was the only exception. Him and chili dogs specifically for reasons Sonic couldn’t ever quite put his finger on. Frankly, he didn’t care to try.
Digging into it might spoil whatever magic the two had over him.
He locked eyes with Shadow, defiant and grinning wildly. “I don’t know, Faker. I’m just having a casual jog right now.” Which wasn’t true as Sonic could feel the pleasant strain in his lungs, a sign he was actually having to push himself a little. It got the reaction he wanted though and he felt far too giddy to see the growing snarl flash across his rival’s muzzle. “I’d be paying attention if there was something actually worth paying attention too.” To emphasize just how “easy” it was for him to keep ahead of Shadow, he threw his arms behind his head and closed his eyes as if he was going to take a nap while running full speed down the freeway.
“Then I’ll give you something to focus on, hedgehog!” Shadow threw out a punch aimed for Sonic’s head. Sonic caught it before it could meet its target and met Shadow’s glare with his own.
“Promise?” A wild, giddy, and boyish laugh burst out from him. Sonic wonders if his laugh set a new record for how quickly he got the race between him and Shadow to go from a simple test of speed to sparing. It’s how almost any encounter between them ended, and Sonic would be a liar if he said he didn’t seek it out a little. Not that he’d be able to explain why he did it exactly. Nor what he got out of it. Why did he love testing the broody asshole in front of him? Why push his buttons until he unleashed his rage upon Sonic like he was now?
Perhaps, it was because simply racing over the highways would feel boring. They’d done that before athousand times on a thousand different days. Or, maybe he just enjoyed the thrill of dodging the heel of an incoming air shoe aimed at his head.
“You’re still not taking this seriously!” Shadow’s jaw was clenched as he threw another roundhouse kick aimed for Sonic’s ribs. It missed its target as Sonic jumped and landed on the railing that ran along the highway, sparks flying from under his sneakers as he landed.
“So? When do I ever take anything seriously?” He laughed, sending a loose smirk back to Shadow, who he was still three steps ahead of. His rival looked like he wanted nothing more than to shake the smirk off Sonic’s face as his brow was low and his eyes glinted in the scattered street lamps that started to appear as they neared the city. Shadow’s gaze was trained on Sonic with an intensity that sent a little thrill up his spine.
They’d long since left behind the empty expanses of the open roads. The concrete beneath them morphed from a sloping snake that meandered lazily across the coast line into an increasingly tangled nest of freeways, exits, and on-ramps. The clamor of the city started to make itself apparent in the distant echoes of sirens and blaring horns. Conveniently, the stretch of highway that they occupied remained perfectly vacant.
All of a sudden, the rail that he was grinding on was replaced with open air and the gutless feeling of free fall. It was only then that he caught a glimpse of the multiple warning signs and orange construction gates that he would have seen if he wasn’t so concentrated on what was behind him.
This empty stretch of freeway was not abandoned just due to the early hour but because of construction. Nowhere was ever truly empty in a city, after all.
He managed, just before he fell completely through the hole in the middle of the freeway, to grab onto a stray piece of re-bar and cling to it for dear life.
He heard the woosh of air shoes as Shadow passed overhead, hearing what seemed to be the bastard laughing at him.
“Asshole!”
It took Sonic no more than half a minute to hoist himself back up to the other side of the freeway. Even then, that half a minute was all Shadow needed to put an immense distance between the two of them. For as much shit Sonic gave him for being slower than him, he was still fast. Sonic tensed and revved into a spin dash to try and begin closing the distance between them.
He’d never admit it but Shadow was able to do more than keep pace with him. It was the greatest joy to race the other hedgehog because Shadow actually forced him to try. When they raced, Sonic needed to push himself to the point that he would start to feel the strain in his legs and his lungs. Shadow was not as fast as him, but he was fast enough that if Sonic let his guard down or slowed for just a second, Shadow would easily overtake him.
There were other things that the other just naturally benefited over Sonic.. For all his tenacity and ruthlessness, Shadow always carried himself with this sort of grace that made his every motion smooth and rhythmic. It was always present in Shadow’s quick and lethal fights, as well when he skated across the landscape. If Sonic was a bullet, then Shadow was a blade.
It was honestly criminal how he was able to make everything he did look so good.
When Sonic almost gained back his lost distance, Shadow glanced back, smirking devilishly. “What was that about watching your backside the entire time?”
“The race isn’t over yet! You really shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch!” Sonic called back, watching the stretch of abandoned highway coming to an end. Sonic finally took note of where the construction ended and the traffic of the city began. As much as he sometimes enjoyed dodging cars, it wasn’t exactly something he was in the mood for. Then, he spotted it: a skyscraper that towered up near the construction.
“Speaking of chickens,” he smirked at Shadow and veered sharply to the right, “last one to the top is a rotten egg!”
The concrete and glass of the building flew beneath them asthe edge of the roof rushed to meet them. Sonic didn’t slow or stop as they reached the arbitrary finish line he’d set just a moment ago. His feet pounded over the concrete until they suddenly met nothing entirely, as his momentum carried him several feet into the air that sent him tumbling rapidly towards the roof. Using gravity to slow his ascent, he tried landing on the edge, but his shoe scraped and slipped over it instead. . There was a dizzying moment where he felt like he was about to fall back as his arms desperately pinwheeled for anything to hang onto. “W-woah, shit-!” His cry was cut off by a firm hand grasping his wrist before glancing up with surprise at Shadow. If he didn’t know any better, Sonic almost thought he saw a look of fear and concern on his rival's face. If it was there, it quickly disappeared and replaced once again by Shadow’s usual prideful dourness, the breeze wafting up from the city floor feeling warmer in contrast to Shadow’s cold gaze. He almost thought his rival was going to let him drop. After a moment, however, Shadow let out a frustrated sigh and pulled Sonic back over the ledge. Once over, his hand clutched Sonic’s wrist for a moment longer than necessary. Then, noticing how his touch lingered, he flinched as if he’d been burned.
Sonic tried not to think about how the feeling of Shadow’s touch was still faintly loitering on his skin, leaving a weirdly poignant afterimage.
“Heh, thanks for not leaving me hanging!” Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Shadow rolling his eyes before walking a hair from the ledge and flopped onto his back. The night sky above was starting to lighten with the coming morning. Sonic tried to fight it off but a yawn escaped him.
“Don’t tell me that actually made you tired?” Shadow scoffed.
Sonic waved a dismissive hand. “Dude, please, I’m just star gazing!”
“It’s the middle of the city. There’s hardly any stars to gaze at.” It was true. There really were only a few stray dots that signaled the presence of a wider universe.
“Fine, whatever, then I’m moon gazing! It’s still pretty!” Sonic propped himself up on his elbows and patted the roof next to him. “C’mon, look!”
To Sonic’s surprise, Shadow looked torn. It felt odd to see such a look of uncertainty cross Shadow’s face. Finally, he shook his head and began turning away. “I still have to turn in my report to GUN.”
To Sonic, it just sounded like an excuse. For some reason, he was miffed at the thought of Shadow leaving so soon. “Dude the sun’s not even up yet you can make your report thing or whatever later.” This at the very least gets Shadow to pause at the ledge. “There aren’t a ton of stars in the city, but the moon looks a bit brighter with all the city lights!”
“That hardly sounds possible.” Shadow countered.
“Well… you won’t know unless you come over here and look with me, now will you?”
Shadow was silent again for a beat. “You can enjoy the moon all you want. The race is over and now I need to resume my previous responsibilities.”
“For a guy who tries so hard to protect the world, you really don’t take much time to stop and savor it.” Sonic eyed Shadow from where he was lying and nearly flinched.Shadow’s brow was furrowed and his mouth set in a deep downward line that conveyed this deep mixture of anger and sadness. This was unlike any expression Sonic had never seen before from his rival.
“You were not made Sonic, you just are. Nothing defines your existence but yourself, that’s a luxury you were born with.”
At the moment, the brightest thing in the sky was the moon, the dust of the shattered half glinting nearby. Tails once told him that the dust from that shattered half would one day form a ring around the earth. Shadow would likely see this happen, as well as the day the cosmos ended.
“Isn’t that all the more reason?” Sonic asked.
“You say that like it’s that simple.”
“Cus it is?”
Shadow was silent for a long time. “Only for you hedgehog.”
“You know Shadow,” Sonic sat up, coming to sit at the edge of the sky scraper with Shadow, “you can let yourself be happy.” The only response he got was a heated glare from Shadow. “I’m serious! You act like it’s going to kill you or something.” Shadow didn’t respond, but Sonic could see him processing what Sonic said. They basked quietly for a minute in the breeze that rose from the streets below. Glancing down at the Westopolis streets, the flow of traffic looked like brightly lit congested lines of ants inching along from one destination to another. The cacophony of car honks and sirens crawled up the walls of the skyscraper, like the echo of a rushing river in a canyon.
Finally Shadow spoke. “I…,” Shadow started then stopped, then with a deep breath started again. “I told…someone… recently that I would let go of my anger. I am trying but…,”
“Easier said than done?” Sonic supplied when Shadow’s words trailed off. The other hedgehog only nodded and continued to stare down at the bright ants below.
“Well,” Sonic gave Shadow’s shoulder a slight, good-natured punch, which was luckily not retaliated with a harder punch but just a heated glare, “if you ever need some tips, you know where to find me.”
Shadow let out a sound somewhere between a scoff and a harsh self deprecating laugh. “You’re the last person I’m going to take advice from.”
“Do you take anyone’s advice?” Sonic teased.
There was a beat before Shadow answered, with a completely straight face. “Rouge’s on occasion.”
“Ah! Good to know my word means less than a thief's."
“She’s actually quite honest.”
“And I’m not?”
Shadow looked at him again. This time his gaze was searching. “You’re you, Sonic. No one can pin you down. You’re a lot more elusive than people give you credit for, and I think you like it that way.”
A worm of anxiety squirmed in Sonic’s chest. He chuckled to try and release some of the pressure. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t lie, but I don’t think you tell the truth nearly as much as you say you do.”
Sonic wasn’t quite sure how to respond to such a blatant detangling of his character. He almost wanted to hop to his feet and be gone in an instant. Except that felt like he would just be proving Shadow’s point. So, he forced himself to stay grounded. If there was one thing that got under his skin, it was being estimated. He didn’t know how Shadow always seemed to see right to his core, whether he intended to or not.
“Well,” Sonic cleared his throat to try and clear the defensive tone he started with. “I’m telling the truth, you know. When I say you can come to me if you want advice for taking it easy. I’m serious. What’s the point of saving the world if you can’t also enjoy it?”
Once again Shadow’s face twisted into a mix of pain and anger, then he took a breath, long and slow. On the exhale, he opened his eyes and looked at Sonic. “Fine. What exactly would you suggest.”
Sonic blinked, he didn’t exactly have an idea at the moment. Just like his feet, though, his mind worked just as quick. He snapped his fingers. “I know! You like coffee right? We could start there!” He hopped to his feet to join Shadow at the edge of the building. “Ever tried the stuff they make in Mazuri?” When Shadow shook his head, Sonic’s grin widened. “Then I’ll take you!”
On the horizon, heralded by a halo of pinks and oranges, the sun was about to crest over the horizon.
He could see the wheels turning in Shadow’s head, the tension in his shoulders, like a small war happening behind an otherwise stoic face. “Take me?” he wasn’t able to meet Sonic’s eyes for some reason. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s not exactly a hot spot, Shads. You gotta know where you’re going to find it. How bout we make it interesting, loser buys?”
“Loser?”
“Yeah we can meet at your place and race to the coffee spot. Though, with your speed, it might take us a while. Should probably start saving up.”
Shadow let out a small growl. “Fat chance hedgehog. Besides, it would be more of a problem for you to lose. Unlike you, I have a job.”
Sonic scoffed, “Never stopped me before. You know how many favors you can garner when you literally save the world multiple times?”
“You’re a pompous ass sometimes, you know that?”
Sonic barked out a laugh. “I could say the same to you!”
Somehow, instead of earning him another glare, Sonic sees his comment earns him something much rarer: a-blink-and-miss-it up-turn at the corner of Shadow’s lips. It’s small but Sonic feels his chest soar at being able to get Shadow to smile.
“Fine. Though this coffee better be as intriguing as you make it sound.”
A wide grin burst across Sonic’s muzzle. “Cool! Then it’s a date!”
“A what?” Shadow blanched, his head whipping to Sonic in surprise.
“A date?” Sonic watched Shadow’s brow furrow and quickly backpedaled before he got his jaw punched. “Dude, it's just an expression.”
This, unfortunately, didn’t help. If anything Shadow only looked more confused when he said, “Why would you word it like that?”
Then Sonic got a stupid reckless idea. And like most of his stupid reckless ideas, he acted on it before he could second guess himself. As the rays of the sun finally peaked over the horizon, rays filtering through the skyscraper buildings, he surged forward before Shadow could react and kissed him.
It was short, almost chaste. Sonic was surprised when he didn’t immediately receive a fist to his jaw. Instead, and he was pretty sure he was just imagining this, he heard Shadow sigh a little and lean in.
When Sonic pulled back, Shadow looked more than stunned.
Sonic winked. “That clears things up for ya?”
Then before Shadow could get even the utterance of a word in, Sonic was gone, a rush of wind being the only evidence he was ever there.
——————————
Shadow stood on the roof of that sky scraper for a very long time staring at the spot where Sonic was. He stood there long and still enough that a bird mistook him for a statue and landed on his head. It was only then that he flinched, like a spell was broken, spooking the bird and causing it to crap on his head while it flew off.
The sun was shining, glistening over the morning dew that would quickly evaporate off the tower skyscrapers. All the while, Shadow the hedgehog had been kissed by his rival, he’d missed the deadline to turn in his report all because he couldn’t say no to a race with said rival, and a bird shat on his head.
Shadow’s head sunk into his hands and he let out a deep weary sigh. One thing at a time. He told himself. The shit on his head would have to wait until he arrived at GUN HQ and use the facilitated showers. This was fine. Not fine actually, but he could tolerate it because he had a chaos emerald and just needed to get back to his bike. He was pretty sure he might even have a grooming kit he could use to take care of the bird poop.
He fished the chaos emerald out of his quills and, in a bright flash of light, was gone from the roof and standing at the side stretch of road where his bike was. He brushed aside the branches, lifting the bike back onto the road. Only then, in the middle of the brightening morning, did Shadow’s brain and body finally catch up.
He brought his fingers to his lips.
He’d been asked on a date? Kissed… and then the insufferable blue bastard ran off!
The kiss…
The date…
Shadow would deal with that later, when his head didn’t feel so light it might float away. Maybe he’d tell Rouge. Actually, no, she would be far too nosy. The point was he would deal with that later.
He was about half way back to HQ when he let out a curse.
“Shit!”
He never managed to set a date for when their… “date” was supposed to happen.
And he didn’t have Sonic’s number.
