Voice

Sonic still remembers when Shadow decided to give up his voice. Amazingly, though he was still the Ultimate Lifeform, he had caught a disease. The sickness slowly got to his voice and destroyed it. He became hoarse. But he refused to go to the doctor. Everyone tried to get him to, but he was as stubborn as a rock. The blue hedgehog wasn't at all too happy with his decision.

But he wanted Shadow to have his space. He'd convinced everyone that the dark hedgie is going to give in some day and that they should all leave him alone. Maybe that was a lie. Maybe Shadow would just give it up entirely for as long as he lived. But hey…At least the disease wouldn't kill him.

The blue speedster thought about how unfair it was…All the people talk and talk…and talk. They don't even realize how lucky they are. How lucky they are to have a voice. They take everything for granted…So, like Shadow, he stopped talking and tried writing on a notepad to communicate with friends. Tails wasn't too sure about the idea, but he did nothing to stop Sonic. And that was it. No one else did anything.

Sonic wondered what Shadow thought about what he was doing. Did he feel happy that Sonic was trying to sympathize with his loss of voice? Or did he think that the hedgehog was the most stupid living thing? Either way, he didn't care. He wanted to feel what Shadow was feeling.

Of course, the lack of talking and more writing was hard to process. At first, Sonic would tell himself, "I'm going to take a break…just for a few minutes." And start talking for a bit. Who would've known, the "few minutes" lasted for as long as a whole day. Sonic would slap himself mentally and think of Shadow again. But as days, weeks, and soon, months begun to pass, he'd grown used to it.

Sonic started spending more and more time with Shadow, and the two got to know each other during the sounds of the fan blowing wind, the pitter-patter of rain, the sounds of bird chirping…But no voice. The two both held a notepad in their hands and scribbled words on the paper. Shadow's book was noticeably neater. And the handwriting looked as if it were typed. Just…in a different style. More…Shadow-y.

Sonic found out that he was a fun guy, actually. Dry humor and sharp insults was his specialty. So even if he didn't speak, his voice would still shine through. Shadow was an amazing hedgehog, all right.

So from one visit a month, it turned into one visit a week. Then, three visits a week. Eventually…he saw him everyday like he was his best friend. Judging from the way they look at each other, that wouldn't be too far off.

And…Sometimes, words weren't needed at all. One look and either hedgehog would understand what the other meant. Like when Sonic tried to hug Shadow, he'd received one of those Death Glares. It clearly meant "Get the hell away from me before I friggin rip your head off." Or when Sonic gives him a face where his brows were all up, and his mouth a straight line, but the corners bunched up. That would typically mean "Oookay. You better tell me the truth."

And so on. But as time passed, they finally shared one look that looked surprisingly similar. A small smile plastered on their lips as their eyes glinted with a fading light. Sonic was almost scared when he saw the look on his counterpart. He thought he'd never see it on that always-seemed-to-be-angry hedgie. But apparently, it was a look that said "I'm glad you're here."

But all this time, they would still call each other rivals. Because they are. Just because they both wouldn't speak didn't mean they couldn't race. Or do other stuff that they did before everything happened. But pushing aside that fact, Sonic and Shadow would still have the word 'friend' cross their mind several times. Though…nothing else.

Maybe the hedgehogs would finally realize something…

-Voice-

Two hedgehogs sat on a black sheeted bed with a white pillow on the side. A window was beside the bed, not covered by curtains. The white and bright stars shared its light with the room. Though, it didn't do much because the room was already bright enough because of the burning light bulb in the ceiling. No dirty clothes were found on the floor. No half finished snacks were left on the floor either. It was clean…A bit too clean for Sonic.

"Hey Shadow?" the azure spike decorated hedgehog's messy handwriting showed on the lined notebook page as he turned the book for said hedgehog to see.

"Yeah?" the dark hedgehog's beautiful and neat handwriting made Sonic's look silly.

"How are you going to live if you're not going to talk for the rest of your life?"

Shadow gave him a look. "We've already discussed this before."

"No, I meant…" Sonic flipped the book for a fresh page. "I mean, how are you going to get a girlfriend?"

Shadow thought for a second. "I'm not going to get a girlfriend. Why do you care anyways?"

"I dunno. I think it just crossed my mind. Because, you know, I think it's a waste for—don't think I like you all that much and has become soft for you or anything—such a handsome and skilled hedgehog to be single. Amy would probably never leave me, so I don't have anything to worry about. I'm bound to get used to her someday…" Sonic sighed and stared at his page when Shadow was done reading it.

Sonic looked up again to find Shadow's red eyes staring blankly at him. Sonic was startled, but he noticed that the crimson eyes weren't looking at him. It was just staring at somehow unknown that just so happened to be in his direction. A gloved peach hand tapped Shadow on the shoulder and quickly retracted as an act to avoid from being cut by the sharp head quills of his doppelganger. Shadow shook his head gently and his iris became its normal size again.

He quickly scribbled something on his page. "Sorry." It read.

Sonic flipped his notebook around. "Ts'okay. What was on your mind?"

"Something that goes like, 'you're a friggin idiot.'" Shadow wrote back.

"Idiot? I don't know what I'm doing wrong…" a confused expression splattered like paint onto his face.

Shadow just shook his head and laughed a little. "Nevermind."

Silence.

"Hey…" Sonic wrote in big letters. "Can I stay for the night? It's too late to go out and head back to my apartment."

"Sure." Shadow wrote. Then looked at it and thought for a moment, the tip of his index finger pushing softly at the corner of his lips. Then he added, in his cursive writing, "…As long as you don't mess anything up."

Sonic gave him a ghost of a grin and a thumbs up.

*XXX_XXX*

After a while of playing Super Smash Bros Brawl—with Sonic flying out of the screen multiple times—Sonic and Shadow both lay on the same black sheeted bed they were "talking" earlier on with the lights off. Now the bright stars made its use in the dimly lit room.

Sonic turned around as the same time Shadow turned. They faced each other, face about six inches away. Sonic traced every small detail on his seemingly perfect face and wondered why he never got tired of looking at it. Shadow looked deep into the other's emerald eyes and found hundreds of different shades of green. Both hedgehogs were occupied and staring.

'Shadow' Sonic mouthed, his breath brushed lightly on the other's tan lips.

Getting no answer back, Sonic snuggled closer to Shadow. He hoped the other wouldn't push him away.

Nothing happened.

He moved a little closer…Sonic eyes widened in surprise as Shadow suddenly moved.

Shadow's bare hands clasped Sonic's face. It felt rough on the blistered spots where he got from writing all the time, but it still had a smooth and silky feel to it. Sonic was too busy focusing on how close they were and how hot he felt and trying to keep his heartbeat normal, he didn't even notice as Shadow pulled him even closer to him.

The black and red hedgehog practically crushed their bodies together. He rubbed his thumb on the side of Sonic's fawn cheek as Sonic finally got to courage to rest his hands on Shadow's muscular arms.

Did it really matter if it was abnormal? Sonic could think about other things later.

Sonic was the one to actually press his lips to their other's.

A blue ear twitched as he heard Shadow's softer-than-a-whisper moan. For a few seconds, the world seemed perfect. Sonic felt like he could faint.

But it all ended as Shadow suddenly snapped his eyes open and shoved Sonic away. Hard. So hard, Sonic hit the wall just a little below the window. That was roughly a feet. Not to mention they were still intertwined when he decided to push the 'hog away…

"Sonic." Shadow's hoarse whisper rang Sonic's ear as guilt flooded into his stomach.

"No, Shadow. Don't." Sonic whispered back.

Shadow didn't listen. It was Sonic's fault. He hasn't spoken in so long, and Sonic just had to surprise him like that. It didn't matter who started first either. "G…get…Get out…" Shadow's voice sounded bad. Really bad. And Sonic was the reason why he spoke and strained his voice for the first time in a long time.

"Shadow." Nervous and guilt. Mixed together, it was never a good thing.

"Get out." Shadow said again.

Before Shadow could scream at him, Sonic grabbed the other into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. But I'm not leaving."

Shadow laid there, a single drop of tear gathered at the corner of his wide red eyes, in the firm but warm embrace of the cobalt hero. Blood rushed to his face, his ears. "It was your fault, Sonic. It was your damned fault…" Shadow spoke louder. Instead of hearing his own voice, he heard the pumping and beating of his blood in his ears.

And then Sonic loosened his grip…And pulled back, staring at Shadow in surprise. From being so close to his blue double, he felt the other's heart skip a beat. What? Did he say something that he wasn't supposed to say? He didn't let out the secret that he saw Sonic taking a shower one day, did he?

"Shadow…" Shadow heard a soft and surprised voice faintly. He tried focusing on what the other was saying, but the blood in his ears didn't really like the idea. "Shadow, your voice…"

His voice.

My voice. My…voice? What…what about it?

"Shadow, oh Shadow! YOUR VOICE." Sonic shook Shadow. "Speak again. Speak again, Shadow, please."

"Why…?" Shadow asked, half to fulfill Sonic's request, and half out of his own curiosity. The sound of rushing blood was fading slowly. He heard his voice. His own, very own voice. It was…it was…

"Beautiful. Shadow, you're voice is back!" Sonic cried.

"I…I-I..." Shadow stuttered. "What? This is…so confus…"

Before Shadow could finish though, Sonic was already squeezing him in a hug, cutting off his air supply. And he thought that it was only ever going happen once, and that was when Amy mistook him for Sonic…

"It sounds perfect, Shadow. You are perfect."

The dark hedgehog lunged forward and…pressed hard and maybe just a little rough on Sonic's lips with his own.

Retracting back after a moment's realization, Shadow's face was flushed. "S-sorry. I just—thank you Sonic."

Sonic laughed softly. "Say…can I keep those notebooks of yours though? I really need to learn how to write neat like you…"

Shadow laughed and said, "No."

…But he gave him the notebooks anyway.

((Optional)) And in every notebook's first page, written in big letters read, "I LOVE YOU SONIC THE HEDGEHOG."