I need to pee.
That was the first thing that came to mind; not that he was obviously tense, or that I could barely breathe.
Nope, at that moment I needed to piss… Badly.
I wonder how couples could handle cuddling. I mean, it's literally the invasion of lé personal space. Let's not forget that I, Sonic Lé Hedgehog, am a being built for running, not for this boring hugging… Never!
Yet, here I am, taking in whiffs of this dude's scent, and boy, did it smell weird. It's like the kind of scent you'd smell at a stranger's home.
Time to time he'd shift his head on my chest, his quills friggin' poking my stomach.
The ticking of a clock was oh so audible. Soon enough, I began to hum a tune to the ticks. I hoped that it'd annoy him enough to get him off me. For God's sake, I sweated like a hog under him! How did he have that much body heat?!
I needed a diversion, I thought. I just needed an excuse to stretch my legs, OR TO DO ANYTHING!
"Um… I'm kinda hungry." I'm such a genius.
"Hmph."
"Hooow about I go for something?"
He quickly rolled off the sofa then shoved his fingers into the shoes he wore, out came money.
"I could give you some. You can save for later."
"No no, the pleasure is thy. I shall purchase lé food with my own currency, mí amor." I literally asked the gods at this moment to help me out. I had to get out.
"I mean it, take it."
"But-"
"Take. It."
Whenever Shadow orders me to do something, I could never deny. His trademark stare is already terrifying.
"Thanks... I guess."
He seemed to lean in for a kiss, but hesitated. Then again, I probably stinked. Instead I gave him a quick hug. To me, kisses feel disgusting, especially when ya' feel their saliva on your lips. Ugh, don't let me get started on that. They're more like a 'human thing'.
"Buy me a beer while you're at it, please?"
"Dude, you know I can't. I gotta be a role model to my fellow animals." Breaking the law still isn't on my agenda.
"Fine then."
He just stood there, staring into my soul. Thing is, he wouldn't look me in the eyes. He would scan the living room and myself, but would never look at my face.
It was awkward… Too awkward. Besides, I remembered that I needed to pee.
"Sooo, I'll be off."
"Hmph."
"Er, love ya'."
"… Same."

…

I was surely glad that nuisance left me. However, his putrid aroma was still hanging in the air.

I can still recall being enraged at the thought of cleaning up the evidence, more specifically, the evidence of his attendance.
The sofa was riddled with his quills, the kitchen was full of crumbs, and plates were still in the sink.
I wasn't in a great mood. Although, I had to make sure that Rouge wouldn't find clues; the bat would clench unto anything that was out of place until she solved the mystery. Then again, that's why she's a good partner to work with.
The cleaning was mentally tiring. It usually doesn't get this messy; but when it does, she'd clean up the place.
After I set the last collection of forks away, I immediately got some air freshener then stuffed the air with the fruitiness of pineapples. I proceeded to pick up a book so that I could waft the scent around the apartment, for Rouge knows all.
Satisfied with my work, I picked up a novel I was reading the day before so that I could continue on the page I left on.

…

After I took a leak, I blazed through the city at incredible speeds. I just love the feeling of the wind coursing through my fur, the cool rush of anxiety vibrating through my spine, and the feeling of freedom taking control of my legs.
I don't know what I'd do without them.
I couldn't help but parkour through the cityscape without a care for who sees me. By then, everyone knew me. They knew me as the bravest soul to ever exist. They knew me as Sonic the Hedgehog, the blue blur, the hero of the day. No one can top me, for I am the fastest alive and whoever existed!
…Yet, I was afraid of being seen with him. I feared for my reputation as the 'guy with the attitude'. Just imagine, the citizens viewing me as a 'sissy'. Gawd no, never will that happen. Eggman would then scour my pride with cheesy jokes about the relationship. I can already hear him. 'Oh Sawnik, I was hoping that I could meet your boyfriend so that I can smash him to pieces!'
I'd like to hear him throw one at me, it'd be my pleasure to bash his head in.

I think it's utterly stupid that I was in that situation just for sympathy. I'm a nice dude ya' see... Too nice of a dude.
I can still remember the thoughts that led to this.
I was in this mission to defeat Eggman, which was easy... Of course. But, GUN thought otherwise; so they sent these guys along with Rouge n' bunch to help us out. With Tails and Knuckles, I really didn't need any. Seriously, it was as easy as taking out Badniks.
After a few explosions, Eggman was defeated. 'Yay'
I was giving thanks to the soldiers who 'helped' us, even though my crew and I did 99% of the job, when I noticed Shadow standing with his 'buddies'. Thing is, Rouge was busy talking with one of her co-workers while Omega was doing… something.
All I know is that he seemed occupied.
So there he was, staring off into the distance while everyone cheered for their victory. Quite depressing, really.
Being the awesome guy I am, I decided to say a few one-liners to him. Everyone loves those!
"'Ey Shads, guess we had a crack at that egg!"
I slapped my thigh to add a little 'pizazz'.
"Hmph."
Phase 2 was activated.
"So, you did great out there!"
"… Hmph."
"Yeah… Eggman didn't see you coming."
"Thanks?"
"Like, literally."
Not even a smirk! I even nudged his elbow. I killed crowds with these jokes, I mean not literally… If that wasn't working, I thought, I should try Phase 3.
"So, how 'bout we eat a burger or two-"
"No, thank you."
Luckily I was, and still am, great at hiding my emotions. No one interrupts me unless they want the beating of the century.
"C'mon, you probably have nothing to do."
"So? Can I not enjoy my inactiveness?"
By this point, he was giving me a death glance; and let me tell you that his stares can melt the polar ice caps in a second!
"B-But socializing is uber important, bro!"
I guess Rouge's ear's have a reason to be so large since she butted into our conversation. 'He has a point.', she said, 'It's good for you.', she said. I mean, I could've handled that all by myself! She even had theguts to wink at me!
That bat still gets on my nerves.
Getting the meal with him was nothing special, except for the silence. If you think that you've been on a more awkward outing than me, you're wrong. I had to force words out of his mouth on the way there. It was even worse at the joint. All he said… All he said was, "Hmph." It was so bad that I spelt the onomatopoeia in my mind! I even imagined a little subtitle next to him whenever he said it. Thing would be a quote from him!

Although… Although when I walked- RAN with him back home, he seemed to be a bit more… charismatic. Now, I know what you're thinking. 'Shadow, charismatic? Impossible!' Believe me when I say that I saw with my own eyes a smirk.
I guess it was because I challenged him to a race.
We were throwing insults at each other, causing chaos around us as we zoomed by strangers. Have you ever felt the rush of adrenaline, the feeling that at any moment, you could slip up and send yourself to the hospital? Well, I LOVE IT! It's a feeling that defines me. For me, danger always equals freedom and liberteh.
I think that's what brought me to Rouge's door every week. I hated the awkwardness and the talking and the boooring walks. But boy, it paid off! We'd always test each other's speed, daring each other to new limits. Not only that, we'd sometimes spar to 'stay in shape'. By the end, we'd talk about how better we were than the other. Of course, I was the best. I mean, who can out best Sonic Lé Hedgehog?

…

I couldn't concentrate on the book. The more I focused on the words, the more their meaning slipped out of my mind. Thus, I decided to stare off into space.
I've always enjoyed picking up the minute details that everyone seems to ignore. It helps me rearrange all the events I experienced before hand while filling my mind with new information. I've solved countless of cases because of this 'OCD' habit, as Rouge likes to call it. It's a hobby I still take joy in to this day...
However, neither could I do this task, a task so simple. So naturally, my mind drifted elsewhere.

I can still recall the annoyance I felt when Sonic continually visited me. You see, I am someone who enjoys loneliness. Everyone I associate with seems to understand this, everyone except him.
I cannot deny that the runs with him were exhilarating; but that's where the compliments stop.
His constant bickering about the most simpleton topics were pretentious. They're always about Eggman or his friends. It was quite troubling that he seemed to have nothing else on his mind but explosions and breaking the sound barrier. Seriously, not one day we were together that he decided to shut up and ponder on actually meaningful questions.
Even when I made it clear that I'm not in the mood to talk, he'd always choke some words out of me. When I deny him the pleasure of my voice, he'd force me to a race.
It was a pain being with him.
Later on, he seemed to visit me more often. Soon enough, I didn't have enough time for myself!
Somehow I would will myself to go with him. Then again, Rouge would always force me out the house. She'd give this wink at me whenever I stepped out the door.
That gesture always made me suspicious.
But, what made it clear to me was this one particular day. Sonic was simply walking me back to my house after we had our contest. At the door, he looked at me with a kind of melancholy emotion.
"S-So, uh, bye.", he said. By then, I was slowly retreating inside.
"Hmph."
"I'll hit you up tomorrow! Get ready to get squashed by awesomeness, more specifically MY awesomeness!"
"Suuure, keep lying to yourself." I sometimes like to have a little fun.
"It won't be a lie by tomorrow!"
"You think I'm going to believe that notion behind empty words such as yours? Hah!"
"… Just you wait? See ya'!"
With that, he gave me a wide grin before sprinting off.
I turned around to meet Rouge smiling maniacally. She simply giggled to herself before disappearing into her room.
After knowing her for so long, I figured that she knew something that I didn't. So of course, I consulted her by shouting through her bedroom door.
Each time I asked her something, I only received laughter in reply. Honestly, I found nothing funny about the situation I was in.
My anger eventually turned into banging on her door.
It swung open to reveal a bat who was red from her inside jokes.
"Tell. me.", I commanded.
"You don't know? It's sooo obvious that even you should've picked it up."
"Picked up what?"
"That someone liiikes you!" A few giggles followed.
"… What? Stop joking around."
"I'm not joking. You see that blue boy you were just talking to? He takes quite a fancy to you."
"Rouge, let's be serious-"
"Why do you think he visits here so much?"

"And why do you think he's always eager to meet you on the morrow?"
"He likes to race with me."
"Totally, that's why he takes you out somewhere before you guys play around."
"… You're not pulling this out of your ass, right?"
"Tell me, why would I lie?"
"Please don't answer a question with a question."
"Besides the point, he's crushing on you hard!"
"So?"
"This is exactly why I didn't tell you this earlier."
If it was another person, I would have shrugged it off. Love is a pathetic phenomenon that destroys you once it sees an opening. Besides, countless tend to have affectionate emotions toward me. Apparently, as Rouge says, my 'emo' demeanour is a 'chick magnet'.
This society, I swear.
However, this was Sonic, a friendly rival I tolerate at times. I once considered him as an asexual teenager who'd probably die early from one of his adventures, I still somewhat do. However, it felt as if the planets aligned. It explained the recent interest in me and his insistent nature of dragging me to friendly places. It also explained the utterly awful jokes he'd tell me whenever I try to enjoy my silence. Have you ever heard the excuse that a joke's cheeziness could atleast make it funny? Well, he failed on that note.
Although, I couldn't help but stare at Rouge with an undoubtedly frightened expression. The notion of him, out of all people in existence, taking a liking to me was absolutely far fetched… Yet plausible.
It even troubled me more that he was a male. I'm not against homosexuals, but I was born in the mid-1900s. The orthodoxy of that time still clings unto me.
However, what troubled me the most was the fact that I had to deal with this.
"It's not gonna hurt, plus he may turn out to be the most adorable sweetheart!", she offered. I cringed at the image of me, the Ultimate Lifeform, holding hands with an imbecile. It's a truly disgusting thought.
Yet, I felt sympathy for him. His situation only reminded me of one I experienced decades ago with Maria.
The relationship was really one sided, for I was the one who felt like I couldn't live without her. Then again... I'm pretty sure she also did once upon a time. But, mine was more… lustful. Her's, on the other hand, was more on the 'family' side. At first, I couldn't handle the conclusion that I could never show her my true feelings. Eventually, I stuffed that into the back of my mind so that it could never be brought up again. Well, of course I failed.
I'm not a cold-hearted soul; so of course I didn't want him to go through the same situation.
That week I made the choice to accept his offer if he was to gather the courage to ask me to a date. Ugh, I regret it to this day.