Sonic may have pulled off some incredible feats in his life, but no matter how hard he stared at the clock he couldn't make time go any faster.
Well, at least not without a Chaos emerald, anyway.
The hero tapped his fingers impatiently on the kitchen table, a blue leg bouncing frantically as he glared at the clock on the stove and tried to think of where said emeralds might be. He was fast, maybe he could just find one real quick and pop back in before she--
"Stop trying to figure out a way to make time go faster, its not going to happen." Amy scolded him lightly.
"I-I wasn't doing that. I was...just wondering where he's at is all. He's as fast as I am and still hasn't shown up."
"Sonic, it's 7:58. Chill, please." She sat down beside the agitated hero, her soft light green eyes searching him for a moment before speaking.
"Shadow will be happy to see you, you know that? Even if he doesn't show it."
"You say that...What if he's not? I mean what do we do, ask him to leave? What if I say something stupid he punches me?"
Amy shook her head smiling and gave a low chuckle at Sonic's anxiousness. He narrowed his eyes at her, flabbergasted.
"Are you laughing at me!?"
"S-sorry! Sorry! You've just never been this unsure about anything in your life, and it's a little funny to see you look so flustered."
A low groan left the blue hedgehog's lips as he slammed his head on the kitchen table. Shadow had actually agreed to come see him and it sent all sorts of exciting thoughts through his mind of what they could do together, and all their adventures they had in the past. Sonic had desperately missed the ultimate life form and wanted to race him again, or spar for a little while to make up for lost time. However, Shadow had always been the distant type, and the hero was worried that this whole get together would simply be a waste of his rival's time.
Amy had assured him that the dark hedgehog was interested in coming, and Sonic was surprised when she also told him that Shadow was going to be here entirely on his own, without Rouge. Unfortunately, Knuckles decided to bail once he knew Shadow was coming, and Tails texted them he would be late getting home, so it would just be the three of them tonight.
Something rapped softly at the screen door in the kitchen and Sonic held his breath.
Amy jumped up, letting out an excited squeal as she ran over to the door.
"Ah, he's right on time! 8:00 sharp. Hello, Shad-- oh!"
The ultimate life form stood in the doorway, completely drenched from head to toe by the unexpected storm. Despite the fact Shadow wasn't bothered by harsh weather he still seemed highly uncomfortable, shifting from side to side impatiently. Amy glanced up to the sky and let out a small gasp as she ushered Shadow quickly inside.
"Oh Gods, I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was raining! Come inside and I'll go get you a towel to dry off with. I'll be right back!" The pink hedgehog shut the screen door quickly and shuffled out the kitchen, giving Sonic an odd smile before she left. He knew her well enough to know that gesture was her way of 'asking' the hero to make the first move.
Sonic got up from his seat at the table and made his way over to Shadow, deciding to take Amy's advice. He was unsure what kind of mood the guy was in but it didn't hurt to start of with a friendly greeting. The hero held out his hand to Shadow, his classic grin shining on his face.
"Hey Shads, how ya been? Long time no see, yeah?"
Red eyes glanced at the hand with an unreadable expression, the dark hedgehog choosing to shake out his fur instead. Sonic winced as water droplets splashed in his face, taking it as a sign that his friendly gesture probably wasn't welcome. He lowered his arm and smiled sheepishly as Shadow squeezed the water out of his quills.
"Sorry," Shadow said quickly, wiping his hands off on his white chest.
"Uh, its alright. Its raining pretty hard, why didn't you just Chaos control over here?"
"I did."
Blue brows knitted together in confusion. Why was he so drenched if he just teleported here? Was he standing outside waiting? That would definitely explain how he knocked on the door exactly at 8pm...
"Well, it's good to see you, Shads."
Shadow blinked momentarily, looking as if he had forgotten something. He reached out and took Sonic's hand, giving it a firm yet slightly awkward shake.
"Likewise, Hedgehog."
"Uh--"
"Your handshake from earlier. I was returning it."
Sonic couldn't help himself and doubled over as he exploded in a hysterical laughter. The ultimate life form snatched his had away and jumped back, started and confused by the hero's unusual reaction. Sonic gasped and wiped a tear from his eye, trying to calm himself down once Shadow's confusion morphed into irritation.
"I-I'm sorry, heh...It's just...you're so weird."
Black ears flattened at the comment, followed by a low menacing growl rising in Shadow's throat.
"Excuse me?"
"No! No...I mean that in a good way. I missed it."
"You missed it?"
The hero nodded and chuckled breathlessly, placing a gloved hand on Shadow's shoulder. All the tension and anxiety from before disappeared in the blink of an eye now that his rival was actually here, and seemed just as lost about all of this as he was.
"Yeah. I really did."
Sonic rolled over and snuggled into Shadow's side, listening to the steady rhythm of the dark hedgehog's heartbeat as he slept. It was late in the afternoon by the time the hero had woken up in Rouge's spare bedroom, lazy streams of sunlight filtering through the sheer window curtains. Shadow had come upstairs earlier in the day while Sonic was asleep and sprawled out on the bed beside him. The blue hedgehog had been awake for some time simply scrolling through his news feed on Shadow's phone-- his own phone busted from the explosion-- and watching his rival's serene sleeping face.
Thoughts of the day Amy reunited them floated around in his mind even now, and Sonic couldn't believe how much he still cherished that cold, wet, awkward handshake.The excitement, anticipation, nervous chuckles, even Amy's constant cooing and squealing had turned that day into his most cherished memory.
Well, maybe his second.
Green hooded eyes drifted toward the sleeping hedgehog beside him, his intense gaze roaming Shadow's form and settling on fawn parted lips. He blushed.
The kiss at the hotel...they haven't talked about it yet.
Sonic knew deep down that if Vector hadn't interrupted them, he probably would have taken the dark hedgehog right then and there. He originally planned to just tease him, and pull away immediately after his lips ghosted teasingly across Shadow's own. However it was clear the blue hedgehog had poked the bear one too many times, and all the sexy photoshoot did was send the starved beast into a ravenous frenzy.
And that night, Sonic wanted to be the full-course meal.
Now as they laid together in a cluster of fluffy pillows and silken blankets, all thoughts of being eaten alive were temporarily cast aside, the 'ravenous bear' in question a million miles away and grumbling softly in his sleep. Sonic leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on Shadow's cheek, the warmth alone was almost enough to satisfy the blue hedgehog's yearn for attention. Almost.
"Shads, wake up." He whispered, nuzzling his groggy rival affectionately. A low grumble rose in Shadow's throat as tired red eyes met Sonic's with an irritated glare.
"What is it?"
"Nothin'. Just wanted you to be awake with me."
"Chaos, you're..." He was too tired to think of a proper insult, opting to tug roughly a blue ear instead. Sonic chuckled and pulled away, giving Shadow room to retrieve his cellphone from the hero's lap.
"Anyway, you were right to wake me, hedgehog. We ended up sleeping much later than anticipated; it's already 5pm. We should get moving."
"But I'm so comfortable...can't we go tomorrow? Maybe chill for a bit after all that mess with Fang?"
"If anything that business with Fang is a good enough reason to get going. The last thing we need are annoyances like him tailing us on our trip. However, since we started it late and missed most of the Grand Prix, it would be wise to keep moving in case there are more time sensitive events Amy planned for us."
Sonic groaned, shoving his face into fluffy white chest fur in an attempt to shut out the rest of the world.
"Ughhh...I hate it when you're right."
"Come on." Shadow insisted patting his shoulder affectionately.
"Alright, alright. I'm gettin' up." The hero replied, swinging blue legs quickly over the side of the bed. He perked up a bit, noticing that something small fluttered out of the blankets onto the floor. It was the pink charred fabric left over from his varsity jacket the night before. As he leaned over to pick it up Shadow eyed him curiously, glancing at the fabric in his hand before he spoke.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, why?" Sonic said cheerfully, tucking the fabric away into his shoe. He figured it would be the easiest way not to lose it.
"It's just...well yesterday you were kind of...upset--"
"I was just tired Shads, forget all that." He said quickly, green eyes averting Shadow's suspicious red gaze.
"You even said I was beating myself up for nothing. I was just aggravated, you know? I did just survive getting blown up after all." Sonic shoved an ungloved hand into Shadow's quills and nearly knocked the ultimate life form off of the bed in his haste to pull out Amy's notebook.
"Where are we goin' next anyway?"
Sonic opened the book and flipped through the pages, trying his hardest to look busy. Shadow decided to leave the topic alone for now and humor the blue hedgehog for the time being. They had plenty of time to talk later, and he wasn't in the mood to argue again right now.
"I haven't checked yet, I was waiting for you." he replied straightening his quills back into place.
"Oh it's...! No wait, thought I knew this one. I don't get this."
"What is it?"
A sheepish grin made its way onto Sonic's face as he picked up the book and handed it to Shadow, watching his rival's face intently for an answer. The dark hedgehog ignored him and focused his attention on the Tarot card instead, titled 'Two of Cups'. The image on the card had a man and a woman exchanging cups with one another. Above them was an emblem of two winged snakes winding together, with the head of a red winged lion at the very top. below the card were the words 'Spagonia University/Windmill Isle' in Amy's neat handwriting, the lowercase 'i's dotted with hearts in bright pink ink.
Shadow was suspicious of the implications those hearts, but lifted up the card regardless. Written underneath were the words:
'Attraction, Partnership, Unified love, Relationships'
An uncomfortable heat rose into his cheeks, suddenly realizing the drastic direction this trip was taking. Sonic leaned over to glance at the notebook page, a sly grin making its way onto his peach muzzle.
"Oooh sounds like a classic romantic getaway, don't ya think, Shads?"
"It appears that way, yes."
"And in Spagonia of all places! Oh you'll love it man, it's so cool."
"I'll admit I haven't been to Spagonia yet for a mission, so I will take your word for it." Shadow closed the notebook and tucked it back into his quills for safe keeping.
"Aw don't you boys look so cute together?" Rouge called, leaning in the bedroom doorway. The bat was wearing a simple blue robe holding a coffee cup close to her chest.
"You look pretty cozy yourself. Doesn't your club open around this time?" Sonic asked stretching casually.
"I'm keeping it closed today. Figured I'd chill here and relax for a day before going back to see my favorite grumpy man."
"Shadow?"
"Knuckles."
"Ah."
"Well, this has been a decent time, but we should get going before you involve us in another convoluted caper." Shadow sighed and reached into his quills for the green Chaos emerald. His eyes went wide for a moment, realizing that the gem was no longer there.
"I got it, remember?" The hero pulled the emerald out, briefly tossing it up in the air before catching it with a cheeky smile.
"Don't worry, I'll get us there in no time."
The dark hedgehog frowned, reaching out to take the green gem from his rival.
"I don't like the idea of you being in possession of the emerald considering your track record of being reckless."
Sonic grinned, pulling the emerald further away from Shadow's reach.
"What's the worst that could happen if I have it for a second?"
"We could die."
"Sheesh, ye of little faith. Fine, I'll give it right back when I'm done okay, babe?" He punctuated his sentence with a playful flick of Shadow's nose, the ultimate life form growling softly in reply. As much as he wanted to be annoyed with the blue hedgehog right now, Sonic's bright smile and goofy pet name were making it difficult. Shadow relented and crossed his arms, trying to hide a smirk that threatened to creep onto his muzzle.
"You better."
With a quick wink and a flash of light, the hero suddenly disappeared, taking his dark rival with him. Rouge squinted at the brightness, smiling into her coffee at her moody colleague's unusually playful behavior with the blue hedgehog. She made note of the fact that Shadow had not said goodbye, but given how preoccupied he was, she didn't really mind.
"So, mr. doom and gloom can actually smile too, huh? Who would have thought?"
Shadow was not use to letting someone else take the wheel when using Chaos control, and the ultimate life form stumbled a bit once they reached their destination. Sonic reached out, quickly grabbing his rival's arm and pulling him back upright on the rooftop.
"S-Sorry...!" he yelped.
"Not even ten seconds have passed and You've almost killed me." Shadow growled snatching his arm away from the hero.
"I guess solid ground probably would have been a better choice, eh?" Sonic gestured in front of them, eyes sparkling in anticipation. Shadow straighted up slowly and followed the blue hedgehog's gaze.
"Though I really wanted you to get a good view of this."
Hundreds of red tiled roofs stretched out before them, grey bricked streets and watery canals weaving in between the sandy colored houses. Large arch doorways were carved neatly into the buildings, each unique yet still blending in flawlessly with the structures around them. Green vines covered spindly gates and walls, a lovely contrast to the warm reds and subtle browns. From delicate stained glass windows to over arching aqueducts, Spagonia exuded a refined taste in every detail of its impressive architecture. In the center of town stood an enormous clocktower, its large shadow looming over the two hedgehogs from their position.
"So...what do ya think? Do you like it?" Sonic asked nudging his rival playfully.
"Its beautiful," Shadow replied as he shifted into a sitting position on the rooftop.
"I'm a tad upset that I never had any missions out here."
"I'm not, because that starstruck look on your face was priceless."
"Hm. We're supposed to go to Spagonia University first, correct? Any idea which direction the school might be in?"
The hero stuck his arm out in front of him with a 'thumbs up' and tilted it sideways, eyeing the clocktower carefully. Shadow assumed it was an attempt to map out their location, though he couldn't fathom what measurements Sonic was using to do so.
"That way!" he exclaimed pointing somewhere beyond the clocktower. The hero jumped down suddenly and sped off, barely giving the ultimate life form time to process what direction they were going. He shrugged and jumped down from the roof, putting on an extra burst of speed to catch up to him. It was difficult navigating the narrow streets of the city, and even harder to avoid running over citizens, but Shadow eventually spotted the hero's familiar blue blur further ahead. Sonic had slowed to a leisurely jog in a open space, pausing momentarily for the dark hedgehog to catch up.
"Hurry up, gramps, its over here!" he called once he was certain Shadow was within earshot, earning the hero a stern glare once he had arrived.
"Enough with the elderly jokes, Faker. They're getting old."
"Older than y--"
"Stop."
Sonic snickered but dropped the subject and pointed behind himself to a large building in the center of the open area. Tall pillars stood at the entrance of the university and a round hawk shaped water fountain sprayed in the the front yard. Shadow noticed the area was quite populated, young humans lounging in the grass or sitting at outdoor tables nearby.
A few curious glances were thrown their way, the ultimate life form quickly noticing they were the only mobians on campus. Sonic seemed to notice this as well and greeted students with finger guns and cheeky smiles, his familiar face instantly putting them at ease. Somewhere far off Shadow heard a flirtatious giggle from a group of girls as Sonic winked at them, and the dark hedgehog had to remind himself that murdering college kids probably was not the best way to start off his visit in Spagonia.
"Hey! Hey, excuse me miss?" Sonic called flagging down an older woman walking out of the front doors. Her eyes brightened in that familiar way every citizen's did when seeing the one and only blue blur, and somehow Shadow found it more annoying than usual. Sonic glanced in his direction with a curious look, and the ultimate life form realized he had forgotten about their new Chaos energy connection. Fortunately, the woman came over before the hero could ask any questions.
"My, i-it's so wonderful to see you, Sonic the Hedgehog!" she grinned, pulling her research papers in one arm, extending the other for a handshake. The hero obliged and inclined his head toward the dark hedgehog beside him.
"Nice to meet ya, Miss! This is my buddy Shads --er-- Shadow. He's not much of a handshaker. Hey, if its not too much trouble do you mind directing us to Professor Pickle's study? Its been ages, so I kind of forgot where it is, ya know?"
The woman shook her head quickly giving the hero a tight lipped smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Sonic but that is no longer his study anymore. We named it after him though."
Green eyes slowly clouded over, his winning smile faltering if only for a second. Shadow could feel a strange, creeping sensation radiating from the hero's Chaos energy, quickly dimming its normally warm and lively rhythm.
"Oh, that's a shame." Sonic replied.
"Oh? Oh no! Goodness no, I just meant that he's retired!" The woman sputtered, raising a hand to her mouth in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry about that. He's in the main library nowadays, that dedicated old man. I suppose you never stop doing what you love, right? You should find it to your left when you first walk in."
"Oh no worries, thanks so much, ma'am!" The blue hedgehog dashed inside, nearly scattering the woman's papers in the process. Shadow gave her a chilling sideways glance before following after him.
"Sooo, real quick," Sonic piped up, stretching his arms casually as they walked into the large building.
"you wanna talk about what your deal was back there?"
"Only if you want to talk about yours." Shadow replied tersely.
The hero shrugged, pausing for a moment in front of the large wooden doors of the library wing.
"Welp, this was a productive conversation then, huh?"
"Not any more than usual."
The tone of their banter had an unhealthy air about it that immediately made the ultimate life form want to change the subject. Sonic seemed to feel the same way, opting to open the doors instead of carrying on back and forth as usual. The library was massive, the entire left side and upper floors packed with thousands bookshelves lining the walls. To the right were large filigree windows, rays of gentle sunlight and dust motes settling on the rows of wooden tables and plush chairs in the center of the wing.
"Quite impressive," Shadow remarked as they walked inside, making a mental note to spend some time here by himself in the future.
"I've been meaning to ask, why are we going to see this Professor Pickle person? Assuming you did not make him up of course. The notebook only said to visit the university."
"Nah, I totally didn't make him up I swear," Sonic chuckled.
"That's the man's name. He's this really cool guy that Amy, Tails, and I met a while back, so I figured that's why she sent us to the school specifically. If anyone knows why she sent us here, he would. By the way, you'll never guess what his favorite food is."
"Uh...Pickles...?"
"Cucumber sandwiches."
"Chaos."
"Oh, there he is!" Sonic grabbed Shadow's wrist and led him to the far side of the wing, to a thin figure settled into a large green chair. The professor hadn't changed a bit since Sonic had last seen him; Pickle's wiry frame, large nose, and bushy eyebrows were incredibly hard to miss. The elderly man was snoring loudly in the plush chair, a laptop tilted slightly in his lap and foam coffee cup long forgotten on the floor.
"This is...the man?"
"Trust me, I know he doesn't look like it but Pickle's a genius. He and Tails clicked like crazy and to this day, my bro buys every book this guy writes." Sonic tapped lightly on the Professor's shoulder, trying his best not to startle him.
"Hey...? Professor Pickle? Its your favorite hedgehog!"
The elderly man awoke with a loud snort and gasped, looking wildly around the room.
"Oh!--Oh...My goodness, have I fallen asleep again...?"
His eyes (or brows) settled on the hero, blinking momentarily before standing upright from the chair. Shadow leaned over quickly caught the laptop before it fell on the floor in the man's haste.
"Oh, Sonic! It's so good to see you again, boy! It's been ages hasn't it?" He took the hero's hand and shook it eagerly, Sonic returning the enthusiasm and patting Prof. Pickle on the back.
"It's good to see you too! I'm sorry I haven't called or anything since I've been gone."
"Oh, no worries young hero, none at all. Tails and Amy have kept me posted on most happenings since we've met. Goodness, you've grown so much how old are you...18?"
"24, good buddy. It's been a bit longer than that. Just glad you stuck around this long to see me! Haha..."
Sonic immediately regretted his own joke, the morbid topic hitting a little to close to home in light of the events that brought them here. It was silent for a few long moments before the professor decided to speak.
"Ah...and you must be Shadow the Hedgehog, correct? It is such an honor to meet such an impressive hero in person."
Shadow nodded, smirking at the genuine compliment. Being recognized as a 'hero' and not an 'agent' or 'project' by a stranger, particularly a human, was also a welcomed change of pace.
"I'm glad you two arrived when you did. I too have been following your trip online, though I have been invested in it much longer than that."
Shadow blinked.
"You have?"
"Yes, yes, of course. You see, Amy and I kept in touch and after she entered college and I was more than willing to help her prepare and research on occasion in video chats. Heh, Of course, once my colleague Otto told me she had an online blog about tarot cards and fortune telling, I soon became a fan of hers myself!"
The hero chuckled, and shook his head, hardly able to believe Amy and Professor Pickle actually talked for so long. He was aware they worked together for a while during his first time here, but it never occured to him they would have much in common.
"Hah, well I guess that makes sense, all that mystic cultural voodoo is basically your job. Oh, right uh, since you know about our trip, does that mean you know why we were told to come here?"
"Why...? Eh...let's see um..." The man faltered for a bit, scratching his head.
"O-oh yes! How could I forget, Amy had a gift for the two of you."
He reached into his brown vest, pulling out two small cream colored envelopes. Both were sealed with wax rose stamps, one with red wax and the other pink. The pink envelope read 'Now' on the front in Amy's handwriting, and on the red was written 'Later'. He handed both envelopes to the hero, pulling away briefly when Sonic reached for them.
"Now before I hand these to you, Amy told me that you are not, under any circumstances, to open the one marked 'Later' until after your last destination. You can only read the one labeled 'Now.' Understood? We all know how impatient you tend to be..."
Sonic nodded, holding his hand out again once more.
"No I totally get it. Shads and I are doing everything by the notebook exactly how she wanted, no worries."
The professor handed the envelopes to him, seemingly satisfied with the blue hedgehog's answer. He turned to sit back down in his green chair, looking around absently for the laptop he had earlier.
"Good. Ah, now if you will excuse me, I simply must finish my next book I have been working on lately, my publishers have been quite vocal about the deadline..."
Shadow perked up a bit noticing he still was holding Pickle's laptop. The ultimate lifeform handed it back to him, dark brows creased in confusion.
"Excuse me, Professor, but was that all? Amy sent us out here to simply retrieve two letters from you?"
"Eh...what? Oh goodness no, she intended for the two of you to spend some time in Spagonia for yourselves and enjoy the culture, city of love, and knowledge, and all that. You also have access to the room that was previously my study if you are unable to find a place to room for the evening. Just stop by and let me know if you need it. I will most likely be here working until late with my assistant."
The hero slipped the letters into his head quills, giving the professor a thumbs up in approval.
"Thanks, Pickle! Don't worry about us though, this is Sonic the hedgehog you're talkin' to; nobody's gonna turn me away!"
"Haha, I suppose not. Well then, I do hope the two of you have fun. It was nice to finally meet you, Shadow."
"We will! I'll try to drop by before we leave and say goodbye."
"It was nice to meet you too, Professor." Shadow replied giving a slight nod as the two hedgehogs walked away. Sonic glanced back, watching the elderly man open his laptop eagerly and continue his work.
"Wow, that went well, you seemed pretty happy to meet him, Shads." He drawled once Pickle was out of earshot. The dark hedgehog appeared not to have heard him and Sonic stopped for a few heartbeats, concerned. He cautiously felt around Shadow's chaos energy and the wavelength seemed to normal, only warming during their conversation with the professor.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes why?"
"Well its just...you seem happy but also...kinda not?"
Shadow shook his head, leaning on the doorframe of the library entrance.
"The professor is a kind, intelligent, man. In many ways, he reminds me of how Doctor Gerald used to be. Very rarely am I treated like a person when I meet new people, especially when my reputation proceeds me."
Sonic smiled warmly, linking a peach arm with the dark hedgehog's as he pulled him gently toward the university doors.
"You know, I always treated you as a person. where's my warm and fuzzy reaction, eh?"
"Hedgehog, we fought when we first met and you barely knew my name."
"Pssshh, that's how all my best friendships started out, shut up."
The rest of their day in Spagonia went rather calmly, the two hedgehogs spending their time lounging around in the grassy parks and taking pictures over the city on rooftops. Sonic bugged Shadow to death about climbing the clocktower for a photo, but the ultimate life form refused in fear of damaging it.
The petty argument somehow spiraled into a mix of 'Tag' and 'Hot and Cold', Shadow chasing the annoying hedgehog through the hidden alcoves of the narrow streets. For hours the heroes zipped and zagged though arched pathways and dark alleys, spurred on by nothing more than the thrill of the chase and the chaos energy buzzing wildly between them.
Eventually Shadow forfeited and coaxed Sonic to return, under the pretense of 'getting bored' with the game. However, the blue hero highly suspected that his rival merely grew lonely in the last few hours and missed him. Since it was getting late, they decided to meet up again in front of a small outdoor restaurant for dinner. Shadow had spotted the simple umbrella tables and rose bushes lining the entrance, figuring it would be a nice place to end their afternoon. To Sonic's surprise, Shadow arrived much earlier than he did.
"Wow so the old man finally wins one, eh?"
He commented walked over to the outside tables. The dark hedgehog was already seated and judging from the menus and glasses of water, he had been there for some time.
"I've won more than you care to admit, well all know that--oh, wait."
Shadow stood up and held up a hand, implying he didn't want Sonic to sit down just yet. He pulled a white bag from under the table and placed it on top, rummaging through it before turning back to the hero.
"Come here."
Sonic shrugged and walked over, curious.
"What's up?"
The ultimate life form pulled something dark out of the bag, unfolding the bundle and holding it out for the blue hedgehog to see.
It was a new jacket, a satin jet black varsity with lovely crimson accents, buttons, and sleeves. On the left breast of the jacket was a small stitched patch depicting a beautiful pink rose.
"Shadow..."
"I wanted to replace your previous jacket. The woman at the store insisted the rose patch clashes but...I think its appropriate."
He nudged the hero to open his arms, putting the new jacket on him to see if it fit correctly. Shadow took his time as he buttoned it, pointedly ignoring Sonic's intense gaze until he finished.
"It fits. Good. It looks good."
Sonic wrapped his arms around his rival's neck and kissed him softly, the sensitive touch sending heat throughout Shadow's entire body on contact. He noticed right away it was different from their first one at the casino, which was passionate and relentless. These were small, gentle, chastised kisses, the weight of affection and gratitude evident each time Sonic came back for more. The ultimate life form let out an amused huff at his insistence, gloveless hands holding Shadow's head still and leaving light pecks all over his face. The only sensations registering in Shadow's mind were the softness of peach lips and a curling warmth from the hero's energy enveloping his own.
Sonic broke away first, his emerald eyes glossy and warm as he leaned in nuzzling his face into the dark hedgehog's shoulder.
"Finished already?"
"Yeah. I love it...I love it so much, dude."
"I'm glad you enjoy it," Shadow breathed. His mind was suddenly foggy, that familiar buzz from before making it difficult to focus on anything else beyond the blue hedgehog in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder, silently thankful nobody else was around this late in the day to see them, or witness how completely intoxicated he had become with the hero from just a few kisses.
"However, do me a favor. Please don't blow this one up."
Sonic chuckled, planting one last kiss on Shadow's flushed muzzle.
"No promises."