It wasn't long after the dust had settled from the invasion of the Black Arms that life had resumed as usual for the blue hedgehog and his friends.

On one of his routine cross country treks, Sonic noticed the sky above him darkening ominously as he ran through a forest.

"Shit. Looks like a storm," Sonic grumbled, slightly peeved, and decided it best to turn tail out of there to find shelter.

The rain barely held off for a minute, as it started to shower without much more warning.

Sonic made it off the soggy ground to a dodgy mountainside road that was just his speed, with all kinds of winding paths and hairpin turns.

It was easy enough for him to navigate through at a steady pace, and there wasn't much in the way of traffic at all, except for the one motorcycle on the road that was quickly gaining momentum.

At this point, Sonic was nowhere near his top speed, only taking it up a notch in order to keep himself ahead of the bike. Even if it wasn't much of challenge, watching a biker trying to keep up with him was the least the blue blur could do to keep himself entertained. Besides, it had been a while since anything noteworthy had happened.

He glanced over his shoulder, grinning cheekily at the driver, before realizing who'd been tailing him for the past few minutes.

"Shadow?" he mouthed as kept running.

The motorcyclist revved the engine, speeding up to swerve out in front of the blue hedgehog.

Sonic skidded to a halt, but the asphalt was so slippery he nearly crashed into Shadow. He recovered gracefully, tumbling over to the other side of the bike, and when he looked up the sight that greeted him was nothing short of alluring.

Shadow straddled the sexy bike in all his black and red and gold glory.

"Way to keep me on my toes! Hey Shadow," Sonic greeted. "Long time no—"

"Don't say it! I swear to god, if you finish that, hedgehog!" Shadow cut in sourly.

Sonic shot him an amused grin, shrugging it off.

"Nice bike! I almost didn't recognize you on that thing. Hey, wait, isn't this…?"

Sonic noticed the large G.U.N. lettering on the side of the motorcycle.

"Doesn't this belong to them?" he asked, gesturing towards the logo.

"Not anymore."

"You stole it?"

"No, I commandeered it. Black Arms. Wasn't too long ago, remember?"

"Of course, but, it's still government property."

"So was I, once upon a time," Shadow answered curtly.

Sonic didn't counter it, acknowledging that Shadow had a valid argument.

"Anyway, this is the very least I'm owed," Shadow explained.

"I guess… I have to ask though, why would you want a bike when you can easily just…"

Just then, a sudden realization dawned on the blue hedgehog.

"Oh, I see what's going on," Sonic sneered. "You don't have a chaos emerald."

"Ugh. Shut up," Shadow retorted in annoyance.

"And you can't warp without it. Bet you aren't so fast now, huh, faker."

"I assure you, with or without Chaos control, I'm still plenty fast. This is just for fun."

Sonic couldn't help the laughter that escaped his mouth.

"You? Having fun?! Never thought I'd hear that coming from you."

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you how much fun I can be. Get on faker, we're going for a joy ride," Shadow offered.

"Who are you?" Sonic joked.

Though inwardly Sonic thought it odd how civil Shadow was being towards him, considering his last run in with him. The blue hedgehog figured it must have had to do with Shadow finding some kind of resolve after defeating Black Doom.

Whatever the case, Sonic almost declined when, as if on cue, a loud rumble of thunder rolled above them.

"Looks like this storm's not letting up. Alright, Shadow. I'll leave it to you then."

xxxx

Sonic held on to the back of his seat as they rode, careful not to scoot so far forward he'd be impaled by Shadow's sharp spines.

The black hedgehog started off at a steady speed, but quickly surprised Sonic when they came to a turn at a cliff and instead of making the bend, Shadow revved up his bike and crashed through the guard rail. The bike hovered in the air for a moment before returning to the ground to race down the slope of the mountain.

It was all off road from there, traveling miles in minutes until they hit the edge of a city, and they sped onto a freeway.

Shadow knowingly kept going well above the speed limit, and Sonic pointed out his concern.

"Hey Shadow," he shouted over the noisy engine. "I'm not complaining but, you're on a vehicle, you kinda need to adhere to the rules here."

"No one's gonna stop a G.U.N. agent. And if they do, I'd like to see them try me."

Once again, Shadow had effectively shot Sonic down, bringing up a valid point. Sonic supposed masquerading around as a G.U.N. agent did have its perks.

xxxx

They had cleared out of the path of the storm for some time now, riding along the dry, empty freeway while watching the vibrant colors of the sunset on the city's horizon.

Shadow slowed down until they came to a stop, parking the motorcycle on the side of the road.

"How's that for fun," the black hedgehog remarked, as he hopped off the bike.

"Well, you sure showed me, huh?" Sonic returned playfully, still mounted on the bike. He scooted forward to check out its' specs. "Still, nothing beats a good ol' fashion footrace for me."

"I already know my abilities are boundless. But being in control of something else, pushing it to its limits… That's something else entirely."

As Shadow said this, his eyes lingered over Sonic's figure as the blue hedgehog straddled the motorcycle.

Sonic felt Shadow's eyes boring into him just the same way he had looked at him that time many months ago. The look he had almost mistaken for gratitude; Sonic finally understood it. After their awkward kiss, Sonic knew it must have been lust behind Shadow's gaze.

Sonic felt unusually nervous, and started to fidget with the bikes' handles.

"Do you know how to ride?" Shadow asked.

"No, but I can pilot a biplane. I bet this'd be a piece of cake."

"Hm. Let's see how well you do then."

Shadow got back on the bike, sitting behind the blue hedgehog, reaching over to place a hand on each of Sonic's hands as they rested over the handles.

Sonic felt Shadow scoot up so close to him, his spines were smashed down on Shadow's chest, and his was tail practically pressed up against the black hedgehog's groin.

"Right side controls the acceleration and brakes; you've got the throttle and the front brake on this handle, the rear brake down here," Shadow explained, guiding Sonic's hands and feet as he pointed out each component. "Left side is for shifting gears. This one's the clutch lever, which you'll use when shifting gears down here. When it's set on neutral, you'll go down for first, up for second, third, and so on…"

Shadow continued, but Sonic could hardly focus with the older hedgehog's body so close to his own, feeling his warm breath on his cheek as he spoke of engines, gears, and throttles.

"…It's all really straightforward," Shadow finally concluded. "The true test comes from how well you're able to maneuver the bike. Think you can handle it?"

"Yeah. Cakewalk," Sonic answered, his usual confidence weighed down by uneasiness he was feeling.

He was about to start up the motorcycle, when he felt Shadow's hands slip around his midsection.

Sonic froze momentarily wondering whether he should carry on as if he was oblivious to Shadow's advances. But he couldn't feign his cool any longer. Everything inside him was screaming to say something.

"Shadow…" he started out quietly.

He turned his head slightly towards the black hedgehog behind him. Shadow's muzzle was so close to his own.

"…I know what you're doing."

"Please. Enlighten me," Shadow teased.

Sonic scoffed, slightly annoyed.

"Why did you kiss me that day?"

Shadow shrugged, with an all too knowing smirk on his face.

"Can't say. All I know is, ever since then, I've been dying to do it again," Shadow said as he nuzzled Sonic's cheek. "That… and so much more…"

Sonic only side-eyed Shadow for a moment, before he felt Shadow's lips collide roughly against his own.

Shadow took full advantage of the position they were in mounted on the bike. He slipped his hands lower on Sonic's pelvis, feeling around and tempting a response out of the young hedgehog's body.

And a response, he did get; in a moment, Sonic was a panting, moaning mess, breaking off the kiss and gripping the handles. Shadow took it as permission to continue, grinding up against Sonic, until he felt his member stiffen with anticipation.

"I've barely even touched you," Shadow pointed out, as he thumbed the tip of Sonic's dripping cock. He had already haphazardly discarded his glove on the road. "Can't imagine what you'll be like with your ass full of my dick."

"Well then, why don't you stop imagining and fuck me?"

Shadow smirked, finding pleasure in hearing the hero's lewd language.

"You seem really eager, Sonic. I take it you've done this before?"

"Maybe I have… so what?"

"Not that it matters. You just seem experienced."

"What about you? I don't suppose you'd remember it even if you have."

"Sure. If that's what you wanna believe," Shadow responded simply, as he started easing himself into the tight heat of Sonic's body.

Sonic gritted his teeth at the initial pain, tears welling up involuntarily in the corners of his eyes, letting out soft whimpers and moans as Shadow started rocking his hips back and forth against him.

Sonic barely lasted a couple of minutes before he felt all the tension building up inside him, needing immediate release.

A shiver ran down his spine, his legs hardly able to support his weight, letting out muddled curses as he ejaculated into Shadow's bare hand.

Shadow, however, wasn't finished, continuing his onslaught of thrusts against the younger hedgehog's body.

"Get out," Sonic managed between pants. "Don't… don't come inside me. Please."

Shadow kept a tight hold on Sonic's torso, thrusting into him particularly hard, making Sonic yelp before finally releasing him.

"Fine. I thought this would be more fun with you."

Shadow gave Sonic the space he needed, swinging his leg over the bike to get off.

"Tch. You're pathetic. You still have a long ways to go before you can call yourself a decent lay."

Sonic was still slumped over the motorbike's handles, and hardly acknowledged Shadow's remarks.

"What a mess," Shadow said, looking for something to clean his hand with.

Sonic had nearly recovered, and hopped off the bike after Shadow.

"Hey. Wait. Let me take care of this."

Sonic took hold of the black hedgehog's slippery hand, guiding it down to Shadow's unsatisfied member, and used the semen as lubricant to start pumping it with his own hand.

"You're filthy," Shadow declared.

"Says the guy who just had his dick up my ass."

The black hedgehog seemed totally unaffected as Sonic stroked his cock, staring blankly back into his emerald green eyes, only letting out the occasional grunt when Sonic would handle him particularly roughly.

Sonic rested his free hand over Shadow's white chest fur, finding himself hypnotized by Shadow's crimson stare, until he could no longer keep his distance.

Shadow slipped his hands from Sonic's hips to his back, caressing it while Sonic initiated a kiss for the first time.

With one last tug, Shadow finally got the release he'd been needing, and spilled his semen over the ground. He broke off the kiss, shoving Sonic aside in order to straighten himself up.

Meanwhile, Sonic picked up the carelessly tossed glove off the ground, and handed it back to its owner, though he didn't receive any appreciation in return.

Shadow mounted his bike once more, looking over at the blue hero, who seemed to be at a loss for words. He started up the motorcycle, about to depart, when Sonic finally spoke up.

"Shadow… You act like we aren't friends or allies… but then you go and do shit like this. I don't get it."

"Don't be so naïve. This changes absolutely nothing between us."

Sonic took a step backwards as Shadow revved up the motorcycle, speeding away without another word.

The blue hero didn't know what to make of the situation. All he had left for Shadow was hope; the hope that he might come around one day.

Sonic sensed it, in the way that Shadow kissed him, that he might open up and return the affection Sonic himself hadn't yet realized he craved.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For months on end, the days and weeks seemed to pass by uneventfully for Sonic and his friends until the World Grand Prix attracted the attention of several colorful characters, including the gang called the Babylon Rogues.

In the end, the World Grand Prix turned out to be nothing more than another scheme set up by the mad doctor, for one reason or another.

Shadow didn't know, nor did he care. And although the black hedgehog never entered the competition, he did take the opportunity to nab a Chaos Emerald once the whole fiasco was over with, and the noise had died down.

It was after it seemed everyone had gone home, while roaming the outskirts of the town holding the event, that Shadow came across an interesting spectacle purely by chance.

"Sonic the Hedgehog! We've been at it for hours! Why don't you just call it quits now, and admit that you've lost!" came the ear-grating voice echoing from above.

"Call it quits? I'm just getting started!" came the other, all-too familiar cocky voice.

Sonic and the Babylon Rogue, Jet the Hawk, were in the middle of a race that neither of them were willing to concede from, and they both zipped right passed Shadow without ever noticing.

Sonic and Jet carried on for a while longer, until Sonic's ex-gear started stuttering mid-air, flinging the blue hedgehog off to the ground.

Jet made a u-turn in the air, coming around to check on his competition.

"My gear messed me up! This one doesn't count," Sonic shouted, throwing a fist on the ground.

"Sure it doesn't," Jet returned pompously, showing off his skills on his board. "That's what you get for letting an amateur tune up your gear for you."

"Come on! You didn't wanna count it when my gear blew up during the Grand Prix."

"That's just 'cause Wave rigged the match. But this isn't a title race, so who cares? We made a bet, Sonic the Hedgehog. Loser gives up five-grand. Time to pay up! Com'on, show me those rings."

"Are you kidding? I don't have that kind of money."

Jet jumped off his gear, tackling Sonic on the ground.

"You gotta have something. Where do you stash 'em, huh? Is it here?"

Sonic was tickled by Jet's feathery arms as the hawk continued to manhandle him, enjoying himself a little too much when he frisked his body. Once he'd had enough, he decided to put a stop to it.

Sonic sat up, forcing Jet to come up with him, the hawk still straddling his lap.

"Alright, enough Jet, you satisfied now? I don't have any money."

"Ohh. Well, you know… there are other ways I can make you pay."

Sonic scoffed in disbelief. One look at Jet's devious smile told him exactly what the hawk was getting at.

"You aren't serious," Sonic said with an eye-roll.

"You ever given a guy head before?"

"Seriously. Stop screwing around."

Jet suddenly grabbed Sonic's jaw, forcing him to make eye contact, but the hedgehog looked away in embarrassment.

"Has anyone ever told you, you have really pretty eyes? Yeah… almost like, a girl… In fact, I could just pretend you're a girl, while you've got that pretty mouth of yours wrapped around my big—"

"Alright!" Sonic shouted, effectively cutting him off. "I'll do it!"

"Puhh!" Jet squawked out laughter. "That was a lot easier than I thought! I knew you were the kind of guy that gets off to other guys the second I saw you!"

"Ugh. Are we gonna do this or what?"

Jet rolled off his lap, and sat with his knees raised, while Sonic prepared him for the time of his life.

Just a short distance away, an uninvited spectator watched as the show unfolded.

Shadow was appropriately hidden in the shadows of some trees, from which he had a perfect view of Sonic, the blue hedgehog kneeling with his head ducked in between Jet's green legs. As Shadow watched, he contemplated whether he should make his presence known.

"You aren't half bad, Sonic the Hedgehog," Jet declared in a satisfied tone.

Sonic wiped off his mouth and shrugged.

"I try to be the best at everything I do."

Jet slid a hand up Sonic's thigh, gazing into his eyes for moment until something snapped him back to reality. He cleared his throat before speaking up.

"Wave and Storm are probably losing their shit waiting for me. I should probably get back. Those two… I mean, I dunno what they'd do without me."

This brought a smile to the hero's face, wondering whether Jet realized he had it backwards.

"Sure, Jet. Go for it."

Jet tossed his gear in the air and hopped on the hovering board.

"I'll see you around then, Sonic the Hedgehog. Next time, I might just return the favor."

Sonic simply nodded. Once Jet was out of sight, he laid his head on the grass, thinking about how easily the hawk had persuaded him into having sex. No matter how obnoxious he was, Sonic thought the Babylon Rogue was really easy on the eyes.

"Just when I thought you couldn't be any filthier…"

Sonic's heart leapt out of his chest, and he shot straight up, jumping to his feet upon hearing Shadow's intense voice.

"Shit, Shadow! What the fuck?"

"You've proved me wrong, hedgehog."

"What're you doing here?"

Shadow shrugged pretentiously.

"I was just taking a walk, when I came across your little show with the Babylon Rogue… 'You weren't half bad.' Jet's words, not mine."

"You watched us?!" Sonic growled.

Shadow carried on unfazed, even though he knew the blue blur had all but lost his cool at this point.

"Damn, I knew you were loose, Sonic, but to let someone coax you that way… I didn't think you'd give in so easily."

"Oh, please… I was just having fun with him, which is more than I can say I had with you!"

"Hey," Shadow said approaching Sonic, and grabbed a firm hold of his shoulders, "there's no need to get so worked up. I think you're misunderstanding. I got a real kick out of watching you with someone else."

Sonic turned his face in disbelief, attempting to hide the blush on his cheeks.

"You don't have to look so embarrassed… What I mean to say is, I like a filthy boy," Shadow purred. "So now that I know your game. Play with me, Sonic."

Even if his words were lewd and shallow, the black hedgehog had a way of sweet-talking Sonic that was absolutely irresistible. And Sonic couldn't say he didn't find his bad boy persona extremely attractive. Not even having oral sex with Jet turned him on quite like Shadow's mere presence could.

"I promise you, I'll give you the satisfaction you deserve," Shadow whispered seductively into his ear. "What do you say?"

Shadow ghosted a hand down Sonic's peach belly, pressing his fingers between Sonic's inner thighs just gently enough to get a reaction.

The touch sent shivers down Sonic's spine, and he had to take a moment to reconvene before making a decision.

"What do you want to do?" Sonic asked hesitantly.

"Nothing we haven't already done. But this time, it'll be miles better."

"What makes you so sure?'

Shadow placed an arm around Sonic's waist, and their surroundings seemed to dissipate before materializing again in a completely different setting.

"Aughh. You should've warned me you were gonna use a chaos emerald to warp," Sonic said in slight annoyance.

Even though he had done it himself once before, the effects of warping still weighed heavily on Sonic's head, and he needed to cling onto Shadow for a moment for support.

"Where are we?" Sonic wondered aloud, looking around the bright apartment.

"My home."

"Ohh. When did this happen?"

"I guess after parading around like a G.U.N. agent, someone took notice and they decided to make it official. Along with Rouge, I'm one of a few agents that operate independently… I get offered jobs, and only have to take the ones I'm willing to do."

"So… you're a mercenary."

"Essentially. Although it's not a term they like to use. Besides a job, they've also provided me with this apartment. They claim it was charitable act for their past misdeeds towards me, but I have a feeling it's more of a way to keep me under their watch."

"Well, whatever the case, it's still a pretty sweet deal."

"That it is. And I won't be the only one benefitting from it tonight," Shadow said suggestively as he approached Sonic.

With ungloved hands, he cupped Sonic's cheeks, reeling him into a quick kiss.

"Com'ere," Shadow whispered.

Shadow took Sonic by the wrist, leading him into his bedroom.

In it, the lights were dimmed, but Sonic barely had a moment to take in his new surroundings before Shadow pushed him roughly onto his bed.

Shadow crawled over him, kissing him and pinning him down by his hands while he grinded up between Sonic's spread legs.

Once they were both aroused, and their members were aching to be touched, Shadow rolled off to lay on the bed, leaving a panting Sonic bewildered as to why he stopped.

"Sonic… it'll make it feel better if you do this for me first," Shadow said.

The younger hedgehog still wasn't quite clear on what he meant.

"Put that big mouth of yours to good use."

Shadow showed off his throbbing cock, slicking it up and down with his fingers, and Sonic finally understood.

"Alright," Sonic agreed, feeling comfortable enough to be a bit flirtatious. He knelt in front of him on his hands and knees, starting off slow by just flicking his tongue over the tip of Shadow's engorged cock first. Wrapping his mouth around it, he took in a little more of the shaft with every bob of his head, until he'd slicked the entire length, and Shadow was getting just that much closer to his peak.

"That's… that's good enough," Shadow gasped out in pleasure.

Sonic stopped, but not before realizing this was the first time he'd seen Shadow appear even the slightest bit vulnerable.

That was over as soon as the black hedgehog returned to his dominance over Sonic.

Shadow impatiently pinned him back down on the bed, resuming his previous position over the younger hedgehog, splitting him wide open, and aggressively entering him without further warning. Any whimpers and moans were stifled through rough kisses, as Shadow began pounding into Sonic, finding a rhythm that built up the closer he got to his release.

Sonic felt his own release coming, and braced himself, gripping the sheets as he ejaculated onto his own belly.

"Fuck… Shadow… slow down… please," Sonic managed between rough nips and licks he could hardly count as kisses any more.

Sonic's insides felt like they were burning, as Shadow came inside him only a moment later, hot semen filling him up, then spilling down his thighs as Shadow pulled out.

"Hoh, fuck. You're something else, Sonic. I've never seen someone that can take me like you can."

Sonic would've lapped up the compliment, but his aching body said otherwise. He steadied his breathing a bit before speaking up.

"So, you really have done this before… and you remember it."

"I never said I didn't. You just assumed so."

The response put Sonic in a pensive mood and he wondered who Shadow might have copulated with before. He started to recall the first time he'd had sex with Shadow and how cumbersomely that evening had ended.

"Shadow, when we did this before… I asked you what this meant for us… I just want to know what all that was about, us not being allies… or friends for that matter. Was that all an act? Just trying to keep up appearances? Because, you don't have to put up a front. Not for me."

"I think… you've had a long day. I'm gonna go take a shower," Shadow answered curtly, completely forgoing the question. He got off the bed, heading to the bathroom without speaking another word to the blue hedgehog.

Sonic almost called his name after him, but Shadow shut the door, potentially cutting him off. It seemed it was becoming a trend with Shadow, for Sonic to be left alone, at a loss for what to say or do. He heard the shower turn on, and then off a little while later, but Shadow never returned.

Sonic was beginning to worry, so he went over to knock on the bathroom door, and when he didn't get any response, he turned the knob, opening the door, only to find that Shadow was gone.

Sonic stepped into the room needing a shower himself, and turning to the sink he noticed an envelope with his name written on it.

"What the?"

Upon discovering its contents, Sonic was in utter shock and disbelief; it was a voucher to be exchanged at any bank for ten thousand rings. Sonic crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it away, storming out of the bathroom, out of the room, and out of the apartment.

All the blue hero could do now was silently berate himself for ever believing Shadow might want something more than their petty rivalry, and more importantly, something that went further than skin deep.

That was the night that Sonic resolved to stay free and unattached. No matter who he slept with, no one would ever break his spirit again.

END

A/N: And that's it for this story! Hope the ending wasn't too depressing XD If you liked and haven't already checked out To Choose Is To Be Free, feel free to do so now. It picks up a while after this one, in the present time.

Thanks for reading! Til next time ;3