Sonic laid out in a peaceful field of sleepy lavender, the sun looming high above in the sky. It was that perfect time of year where the sun wasn't close enough to burn, but gave just enough warmth to sleep under it without the need of a shady tree.

He yawned as he turned to a more comfortable position on his side.

'What a great day,' he thought. 'No need for shade… Or shades, or shadows for that matter. Wait a minute… Shadow? Shadow!'

Speak of the devil, the black blur was approaching him at incredibly high velocity. If Sonic hadn't been quick on his feet, the impact could have been painful.

"Shadow?! What the hell? I was trying to take a nng—"

Before Sonic could finish, Shadow bested him with a kick to his side, effectively pissing off the blue hedgehog.

In a split second Shadow was off again, not leaving Sonic much time to think, much less react, so he did the only thing that came naturally to him and ran after the black hedgehog.

"Alright if it's a chase you want, it's a chase you'll get!"

It only took a moment for Sonic to catch up to the black hedgehog, surpassing his speed and distance until he realized that the black hedgehog had warped ahead of him.

"Dammit," he muttered and took his speed up one more notch. Only this time when he caught up to Shadow, the black hedgehog halted and turned around in order to catch him in his arms.

The sudden force of inertia sent Sonic reeling into Shadow, and they both rolled over each other until they came to a complete stop.

Shadow conveniently landed on top of the blue hedgehog, making his intent all the more evident.

After regaining his composure, Sonic noticed the leery look the black hedgehog gave him from above, as Shadow straddled him on his hands and knees. Sonic immediately shut him down by shoving him off.

"Shit… What's your problem? I don't see you for an age, and this is how you greet me," Sonic huffed.

"You're tired? That was barely a marathon. You really ought to keep yourself busy even in times of peace… You're losing your touch."

"Shut up! What the hell do you want?"

Sonic's patience with the black hedgehog was wearing thin.

"I thought I made it profoundly obvious just now, but I suppose you're more dense than I'd imagined."

Sonic made a fist in the ground, but resisted the urge to connect it with the black hedgehog's jaw.

"I mean, isn't this how all your little trysts begin? A little knocking around, a little chase, and then a roll in the grass? It's all very juvenile, but that's what makes it all the more interesting."

Sonic scoffed, looking away in annoyance. He hated how much the black hedgehog knew about his habits.

"I'm not… I'm not in the mood right now."

"Really… You don't seem so sure of that yourself," Shadow countered, looking at the blue hedgehog through a half lidded gaze and those hypnotic crimson eyes.

Sonic found it harder and harder to resist when he looked at him like that, and allowed Shadow to push him back down on the grass and resume his previous position over him, only this time the black hedgehog wedged his knee in between Sonic's legs.

Sonic placed a hand on Shadow's chest, ready to push him away again, but instead of doing so, he stroked him gently, running his fingers through the fluffy tuft of white fur. That was all Shadow needed to put his desire into overdrive; he lowered his muzzle to nip at a sensitive spot on the blue hedgehog's shoulder.

Sonic gasped as he felt something warm and hard pressing into his groin.

"Fine… You win… for now," he whispered breathlessly, before beginning his own exploration of the black hedgehog's body.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sonic awoke to the soothing purple and orange hues of twilight filtering through the trees in the forest. He hadn't realized just how far he'd ended up after his race with Shadow; it was quite a bit a ways from where he'd initially wanted to nap. He was sore, to say the least, and to stand up was a struggle in order to not further agitate himself. He wasn't about to run anywhere either, in this state.

Sonic looked around for any sign of the black hedgehog, but he quickly reminded himself of his better judgement and mentally kicked himself for ever thinking Shadow of all people would stick around after screwing him.

"Tch… figures. That asshole."

He didn't waste time beating himself down for sleeping with said asshole, however.

The blue hedgehog hated feeling dirty, so the next thing he needed to do was look for a place to shower quickly, and he wasn't about to jump into a stream or river in the forest.

He recognized the area he was currently in was near the newly rebuilt Station Square; he hadn't visited the city since its destruction some years back during the battle against Chaos, as it had taken nearly as many years to rehabilitate completely.

"Alright… I can do this," Sonic assured himself and made his way at a steady, but quick pace towards the city.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If Sonic didn't know any better, he would've never guessed the city had undergone the devastation that it did. The town looked nearly identical in configuration, save for the upgraded buildings; even the casino was back and conducting business as usual.

After a quick trip to the casino, Sonic was showered and refreshed, feeling back to his normal self again.

He was about to start running when he spotted a familiar red blur coming out of a brand new bakery near the casino.

"Knux?"

It was indeed Knuckles the Echidna, carrying a brown paper bag in one hand and waving back at him with the other.

"Hey, Sonic!" Knuckles sped over towards the hedgehog, grinning brightly at him. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so… Not since the last time we kicked ol' Egghead to the curb."

Knuckles nodded, recounting the event in his head.

"That was one hell of a fight," Sonic said enthusiastically, punching his fist into his palm for emphasis. "But, since then, it's been radio silence."

"Really? Think Eggman's actually turned over a new leaf this time?"

"Nah, I doubt it. He's probably just taking his time cooking up his next hair-brained scheme. I'm not complaining though. It's nice to be able to get some R and R without the constant threat of destruction."

Sonic stretched, still feeling slightly achy from his earlier activities, and he couldn't help but notice how the echidna's violet eyes lingered on his body when he did so.

Knuckles realized Sonic had noticed him staring, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Your fur's all wet," Knuckles pointed out. Oh that was a great cover, he thought. But he couldn't help that he liked how it glistened a darker blue, though he'd never admit it to the hedgehog.

"Yeah, well I just showered at the casino. I went for a run and ended up here. It's actually the first time I've been back here since it was rebuilt. How about you? What're you doing here?" Sonic asked as he started to walk without any real direction.

"Well, you know it's one of the closest metro areas to my island so it's pretty convenient to stop by here for food and supplies," Knuckles explained. He walked alongside the blue hedgehog, taking the lead.

"Oh really? Did you finally blow through all the grapes on your island?" Sonic teased.

"I've always eaten other foods, Sonic. Unlike you, I can't live off of one single type of food," Knuckles teased back, referring to Sonic's known love of chili dogs. "But I did discover something that I can practically never get tired of."

Knuckles reached into the brown bag and produced a puffy round pastry for Sonic to see.

Sonic blinked twice inspecting the little puff and giving it a sniff or two.

"Well, it's no chili dog, but it smells pretty good."

"It's a leek bun. You wanna try it?"

Sonic shrugged but before he could say anything else, Knuckles put the pastry in the hedgehog's mouth.

"Well, it isn't terrible," Sonic said after taking a bite and swallowing. He finished the rest of it before wondering where they were headed. "Are you on your way back home?" he wondered.

"Sort of… Actually, I was gonna make one more stop before heading back to the island."

"Oh? Where to?"

"The chao garden."

Sonic had all but forgotten about the chao garden's existence in this city. Come to think of it, he hadn't heard the term in ages.

"The chao garden… Whoa, that totally slipped my mind! Do you mind if I tag along? I'd love to visit it, too."

"Not at all," Knuckles agreed, leading the way toward the hotel.