Prompt: It's 2 a.m. and you wake to the sound of someone throwing pebbles at your window.
*This is a story based on a prompt from my friend. Enjoy the story! I know Shadow is OoC, so I apologize, but I tried to keep in in character as much as possible.*
A Shadow x OC One-Shot: Shadow Lilies
It was just another day at Chaos High School. Amy and Cream were walking with me to class, as per usual, but something was different. They were talking about their boyfriends and how much fun they had on their dates this past weekend. Amy's my sister and Cream is my cousin, but other than them, I don't have any friends. I try to make friends but most of the people in my grade are either too obnoxious, too intimidating, or really nice.
We walked into our homeroom and my heart skipped a beat. A certain black hedgehog was sitting in his desk, reading the book I lent him last week. He was the scariest guy in our grade, seeing as though he beat Sonic to a pulp a few weeks ago.
"Hey, there's Shadow. Isn't he the one-" I cut Amy off with a hand to her mouth. She pulled my hand away, raising an eyebrow at me for a moment before nodding and sitting at her desk.
Cream rested a hand on my shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry, Shiori. Just talk to him." With that, she walked over to her desk, leaving me there to think.
I could go talk to him and ask him about the book… Then again, I would probably get embarrassed and make a fool out of myself. Shadow hates people that can't just say what they want to say. I stopped thinking about and, without wanting to, my body moved towards where Shadow was. No no no no no! Stop it, me!
But it was too late. He slipped his bookmark where he had stopped reading and looked up at me. "Yes, Shiori?" My heart skipped at least thirty beats before I finally composed myself enough to speak.
"Um, how do you like the book I lent you?" My mind was telling me to run and not look back at him. Run and not look back into those piercing red eyes that were so easy to get lost in.
There was a moment of silence between us before he responded. "... It's a good book. A nice story with well-written characters." Those words made me smile. Shadow wasn't known to give compliments often, but when he did, it meant that he genuinely liked what he complimented.
The bell ringing interrupted our moment, signaling us to get to our seats. I gave him a little wave, which he returned, before going to my seat. Our teacher, Ms. Blaze, walked into the room and began her lesson. It went by slowly, leaving me with some time to think about my encounter with Shadow. The rest of my classes went by at the same pace and, when it came time for me and Amy to leave, she told me she was staying the night at Cream's house.
"I see… so I get the house to myself?" She nodded, giving me a hug before running off. I let out a sigh, trudging over to my bus. My seat was empty, but a new weight in the seat took me off guard. Looking up, I saw that Shadow was sitting there, still reading the book I lent him. I blinked twice, remembering that he rode our bus normally. A tinge of blush rose to my face as I put my earbuds in, playing my favorite song.
The bus ride felt shorter than usual and, when I got off, Shadow got off as well, going in the opposite direction as me. I raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging, making my way home.
When I got there, I was met with an eerie silence. The candles I lit this morning rested in front of a shrine with a picture of our parents. "Mom, Dad… I'm home." I got down on my knees, bowing my head for a moment before looking at the picture. "Amy's staying at Cream's place tonight, so it's just me." I stayed there for a moment, trying to keep myself from crying, before rising to my feet. "I love you both." With that, I walked up the stairs to my room.
I walked into my room, shut the door, and sat down at my desk. Pulling out my homework, I noticed that there was a new book in my backpack. I grabbed it and, looking over the cover, saw a sticky-note on the front.
Payment for you lending me your book - Shadow
My heart started beating faster; Shadow… lent me his book? That was really sweet of him. I lightly smacked my face twice, pulling myself out of any oncoming fantasies, and started working on my homework.
~Hours Later… 2:00 a.m.~
I was sitting cross-legged on my bed, reading the book Shadow lent me. The story was pretty… dark, to say the least, but it was very intriguing. As I was finishing Chapter 15, I heard something hit my bedroom window. Slowly, I crawled off my bed, hearing another "plink" as I approached the window. I looked down and saw that no one was there. Looking closer, I saw black with a streak of red against a tree.
I threw on my robe and ran down the stairs, peeking out the window to make sure I wasn't hallucinating before. Opening the door, I saw that Shadow was leaning against a tree, watching me walk over to him.
"Shadow?" I asked. He stood up straight and walked over to me, grabbing my hand.
"I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow," he explained, holding my hand with both of his now. I was confused; why would he visit me at 2:00 in the morning? I shivered, pulling my robe tighter around me. He pushed himself off of the tree and held out his hand and I could swear he was blushing a little.
"... Come on." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Trust me." With a nod, I gently held his extended hand. It was warm, even though his hand was gloved. We walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand, the only light source being the scattered street lamps and the full moon.
Without any warning, a gloved hand covered my eyes. Before I could scream for help, Shadow silenced me. "It's just me." His hand stayed on my eyes, but we still moved forward. My mind was restless as my heart began to beat faster and faster. He had his other hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward.
My eyesight returned to me and, after blinking a few times, I gasped. The sight before me was… indescribable. The night sky was clear of any clouds, revealing an ebony black sky with millions of stars. "This is…" I couldn't express my awe. This view was just too beautiful to put into words. "This is beautiful," I muttered. Beside me, Shadow was sitting down, motioning for me to join him.
We laid back, staring up at the star-covered sky. "Do you know your constellations?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Well, if you connect that star," I pointed towards a star, "to the one next to it, then make a loop, you see Ursa Minor." I continued pointing out the constellations I knew, glancing over at him to see if he was paying attention. He seemed to be interested in what I knew, but I stopped, staring at him intently.
When he finally spoke, he said, "Maria and I used to do this on the Ark." I turned over, resting on my side. "She only knew a few, but it still impressed me how she was able to learn new things, despite being severely ill."
The atmosphere between us was tense, heavy with reminiscence and sorrow. "I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories," I whispered, turning away from him. Behind me, he let out a sigh. We just laid there, the tense silence making my mind fall back on more negative thoughts. Did unintentionally bringing up his memories make him think I'm insensitive? What if he doesn't talk to me anymore?
I mentally slapped myself. He's not going to hate me because I didn't know! Stop being such a drama queen, me! Another sigh from behind me made me look back at him. I turned over again, facing him; he was also laying on his side, his red eyes staring straight into mine.
"Shiori…" His deep, airy voice sent a shiver down my spine. "Will you stay by my side?" My eyes widened at his request? Slowly, I nodded. "Then… there's something I want to do. Close your eyes."
I closed my eyes as he requested, and his breath fanned over my lower face. An unfamiliar warmth covered my lips, catching me off guard. My eyes flew open and I saw that Shadow was kissing me, his eyes closed. I closed my eyes again, reciprocating the intimate gesture. We continued the kiss for another minute before parting, our breathing slightly ragged.
I wrapped my arms around him, catching him off guard. "I'll stay by your side Shadow. As long as I can." He smiled, returning my embrace.
After relaxing in the silence of the beautiful night, Shadow escorted me home. I thanked him for the wonderful night, kissed him again, and walked into the house. My heart felt lighter than ever before and I knew why. A dopey smile rose to my face as I made my way to my room. I crawled under the covers, letting my mind dream of what my relationship with Shadow held for my future.
