A dark grey smoggy smoke, encompassing the street, made the city look deserted. Distant sounds of traffic could be heard, but it was largely quiet. The buildings surrounding the cityscape also looked deserted - a frantic scene of absence. People knew to get out of the area, and as a result, it was empty. All until the sudden noise of a high-pitched, pulsating blast came whooshing out of the sky - blue in colour, landing to reveal the blue blur standing upright and scanning the floor with his eyes, searching for clues. The hedgehog spoke.

"Hmm… looks like Eggman's tracks lead me here… but, where could he be?"

And with that sentence, a pre-destined explosion suddenly detonates a few blocks from where Sonic is standing, revealing a fat and moustached antagonist, inside a floating egg-shaped vehicle - he spoke with an espousing voice.

"Aha! SONIC THE HEDGEHOG… SNOOPING AS USUAL I SEE!"

Sonic could be seen visibly cringing at Eggman's use of that phrase, and then stood broad shouldered in a hero-like pose, squaring up to the threat in front of him, and pointed at Eggman with his gloved hand in dramatic fashion, it's fabric scraping his arm to create a crisp sound effect.

"EGGMAN! Why did you blow these buildings up?! WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?"

"HMPH, well a good villain never reveals, Sonic - to find out, you'll have to stop me from completely destroying this pathetic city completely….

"What? B-but Eggman, you ca-"

"…Minions, ATTACK!"

And with that, Eggman sped off in the opposite direction, laughing maniacally, taking some of his minion robots with him, while allowing some of the other robots to start wrecking the buildings around them - punching in windows, tearing up the cinder blocks that made up the pavements of the street, picking up and throwing bus stops at cars, creating fires, explosions and carnage wherever the naked eye could see.

Sonic's face went through a cycle of emotions, seemingly processing the ensuing carnage before him - looking frightened, concerned, but then determined - but before he could react, he suddenly heard the sound of a director's voice bellowing from the other side of the studio.

"CUT! THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS."

Suddenly a bell rang for 3 seconds while the robots stopped what they were doing and hovered away into the studio for their break - gangs of people suddenly emerging from behind black screens, sprinting with fire extinguishers to put the fires out. An increasingly loud, ambience of murmurs began to stir, eventually overtaking the area. Eggman moved out of the mise-en-scene and towards the cameras, nodding at Sonic as he raced past him and headed straight towards the coffee table, picking up a cucumber sandwich. Sonic simply stood still for a few seconds, looking around at the scene unraveling around him, relieved that the filming was over, but also slightly tired, sighing to himself and nodding at the director as he walked towards the side of the studio and grabbed a towel to put over himself. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he suddenly see's Rouge approaching him, clapping her hands, and prepares himself for an interrogation.

"SONIC! MY, YOU WERE SO GOOD OUT THERE!"

"Ahh well, thanks Rou-"

"Although I do think you could have been a little less dramatic with your posing towards Eggman in that scene but - I think you also worked it pretty well too, although there is always room for improvement, especially with acting…"

"And you would know - that's why you're my acting coach Rouge".

Rouge nodded and smiled showing her fangs, while putting her arm around his shoulders in a playful manner. "Yes Sonic, exactly! You wouldn't have made me your coach if I didn't know what I was talking about, would you? Now, there are a few other things we need to talk about - like, what companies have you thought about sponsoring lately? A few of the ad executives I talked to earlier thought that a sports brand could be the best choice for you - seeing how 'sporty' you are, but you'd also need another face to accompany you on that… a feminine face. They considered my face, but the CEO said i've got far too much on my plate with this job at the moment to be too heavily involved in any mass marketing campaigns, let alone any content - so they were thinking about bringing Amy-Rose in again for you…"

Sonic stood listening to Rouge while still trying to wipe his sweat away. At the mention of Amy-Rose, he couldn't help but to roll his eyes. How the higher ups chose her to represent the mainstream, modern and 'female' personality of the company was fairly obvious - for she was pretty and pink, but her attitude towards others was something to be desired for Sonic - especially with her stalking efforts towards him. He was somewhat flattered that she liked him that much, as it inflated his ego slightly, but was also disturbed by the lengths she would go to and what she was capable of… so working with her was always a risky endeavour.

"Right… so you're basically saying I don't have a choice in this, right?"

"Well… not so much, but if you wanted I could see if I could talk to someone about it - although don't forget your contract Sonic…"

"...yeah, I know. Thanks Rouge".

Sonic then saw his opportunity for exit and turned away, before disappearing into a blue blur towards the studio doors that led into a corridor. Rouge appeared startled at Sonic's sudden departure, but then calmed down and sighed to herself. A few seconds later, she eyed the director standing at the coffee table, flew over and started talking to him about Sonic's performance.

Sonic had been feeling really weird about his job lately - and his conversation with Rouge didn't help his mind relax about it - quite the opposite. He was the company mascot of Sega - a position that many around the world knew him for - but had recently started to feel tired of the job. His dissatisfaction started a few years ago - when Sega started ramping up company meetings about the direction of the franchise. He had to attend all of these meetings, which wasn't fun - as the executives were describing the company's financial problems, as well as their desire to constantly craft 'new public personas' for Sonic. They described it as 'ensuring maximum audience accessibility', with the company telling Sonic that audiences are constantly looking for new things to identify with, so 'Sonic' needs to stay fresh with his appearance, if the franchise is to survive, maintain advertisement revenue and keep sales figures at an acceptable level. This all felt severely controlling for Sonic - who increasingly felt himself being criticised and crammed into a corner, unable to move as he wishes. Pretty ironic for a character who's supposed to represent complete freedom, right?

The problem Sonic faced was that he wasn't sure how he could escape - all he knew was that he wanted too. Where would he go? He was a known public face in the streets of Metropolis, so he had a duty to protect his public persona, and still be a hero for those around him - for the hero dynamic of his perceived character was indeed true to who he was. Other companies would probably want to work with him - but Sonic knew his audiences would feel betrayed by his actions if he ever did leave and go somewhere else. So, where could he go?

Just as he was running out of the studio, thoughts scrambling within his head, he spots a door opening in front of him a little too late, and bashes his head against it, falling straight on the cold marble floor of the studio corridor. His head felt a little bruised, looking up to see a black and red hedgehog with strong vermillion eyes standing next to the door, a little startled to see Sonic on the floor so suddenly like that. Sonic instantly knew who the figure was, but the figure spoke first.

"Oops...Sonic, didn't see you there..."

Shadow broke out into a small smile, trying his best to not crack up in front of Sonic.

"Oops?"

"Yeah… oops..."

Sonic, without meaning to, snapped slightly at that response, while Shadow stood tall - looking down at Sonic, trying his best not to laugh.

"Haha, wow...maybe try saying sorry?!"

Shadow still looked a little surprised, but blinked and held out his hand to Sonic. He could sense Sonic was feeling stressed.

"Yeah, sorry, haha...Something on your mind, faker?"

Sonic saw the gesture as an offer of help and took his hand, getting up and brushing himself down, dust escaping his fur.

"Well… yes actually but...you know, it's not that important..."

"Oh? Something serious?"

"Well, kinda… I don't feel like I can talk about it here though… no offence."

"Ah well, no problem Sonic. Just as long as you're okay?"

"Yeah, i'm okay - thank you."

Shadow gave a small smile, and after seeing Sonic was standing up and wasn't too damaged, started walking away in the opposite direction, leaving Sonic standing there.

Shadow had been working at Sega for a shorter timeframe than Sonic - but he was pretty used to how the company operated. Sonic hadn't really had the chance to talk to him properly, even though they had worked together a lot - mostly due to what Sonic thought was his elusive and mysterious personality. But he also realised that he might have been going through lots emotionally, like he is now. When he first met him, he couldn't help but feel strangely connected to him - the only hard part was actually getting to talk to him. But regardless, Sonic knew he couldn't divulge too much of what was going on within his mind to anyone at this moment in time.

After watching Shadow walk away, he gently brushed himself off again and started running towards the exit door, feeling relief hit him at the sensation of the cold air hitting his face - finally being able to run against the wind outside.

As Shadow walked away, he couldn't help but smile to himself after seeing Sonic lose his composure like that. Shadow was pretty sure he had a crush on Sonic, but knew that it wouldn't be the best idea to pursue it - for work relationships usually end up messy, in addition to Sonic having many different forced allegiances with 'romantic interests' he had to maintain within the company. He had worked with Sonic many times, and through getting to actually see him work, and hear him talk up close, he couldn't help but feel interested in him. Sonic was one of those people whose personality definitely speaks for itself - heroic with a hint of sarcasm, nonchalant with a hint of worry, and carefree with a hint of sadness - all of which piqued Shadow's interest. Shadow had previously gone on a journey of self discovery within the last few months within his mind, carefully analysing himself after wondering why he was never interested in the women that pursued him - and through this, discovered that he was gay and had feelings for Sonic. However, he wasn't sure if Sonic actually swung that way, and he lacked a method of finding out. He had his suspicions and suspected Sonic might have been bisexual, but thought it would be best to venture on the side of caution for now. He wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardise Sonic's career by being selfish.

Shadow walked into the studio, eyeing the surroundings and noticing Rouge with the director. Trying to ignore her, he made minimal eye contact as he walked towards the coffee table, but Rouge instantly saw him and approached him, making Shadow huff slightly under his breath. With her husky, feminine voice, she spoke.

"Hey handsome…"

"Hey Rouge. Look, i've told you before, i'm not interested."

Rouge pouted. "What makes you think i'm gonna ask you out? I just called you handsome..."

"Well, your track record says otherwise - if you stopped calling me every night I wouldn't think you were interested."

"Pfft, whatever. Have you seen Sonic? He ran out, and we need him to shoot the next scene."

Shadow thought briefly about his response - Sonic did look a little stressed, and it must have been important for him to run out like that. Shadow decided to conceal the information.

"Can't say that I have Rouge…"

"Uhh, that's a shame. If you do see him, let me know - we start filming again in an hour."

"Sure."

Shadow took his newly hot cup of coffee and walked back out of the studio. They didn't need him for this scene today, but he was there just in case they did need him for anything, on standby. However, if they weren't filming for an hour, Shadow thought it might be a good idea to venture outside for a bit for a cigarette and a quick skate. With that idea, he quickly started skating towards the exit.

Sonic managed to find a small cafe a little out of the way of the studio, a cute little place with french-style theatrics, purple chairs and black tables, and sat in one of the window seats, sipping an orange soda at his own pace. He concentrated on the soda bubbles in his drink whilst tapping his foot impatiently. That encounter with Shadow was slightly strange earlier, and he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the smile? Or perhaps it was just his mood after having an existential crisis all day.

Sonic sighed to himself, waiting patiently for his chilli dog to appear on his table. When it did, he thanked the waitress, got up off the seat and ate it as he ran around the blocks of shops surrounding the studios, at 'sonic speed' of course. All of the shop owners knew him, for he was a regular.

As he was running, he thought to himself that he might just go home. Screw Sega, screw having to work and screw not having personal freedom. He stopped briefly, seeing his reflection in a shop window, and put his hands to his blue quills, lacing his fingers amongst the strands and feeling oddly proud of himself for having this realisation.

However - just as he was about to speed away, Sonic heard the sound of coughing over his shoulder. He looked at the reflection to see Amy-Rose standing behind him.

"Ahem! Where do you think YOU'RE going?"

Sonic swung around, seeing Amy standing there wearing her trademark pink dress and pink boots. Her hair was slightly curled, as if she had done it specially, and her makeup was slightly darker than usual.

"Er, Amy! I was just, er, walking around for a bit - got a little bored inside the studio…"

"I've heard they want you back there Sonic - they're still filming…"

"Yeah, I know that…"

"So why are you not heading back? You've been running around the block for about 10 minutes now…"

"Err, because i've erm, got some things that still need being taken care of! Yeah, that's it…"

"Sonic, I know when you're lying…"

Sonic's face contained a blank expression, as Amy's skeptical eyes scanned Sonic's entire body, head to toe. She then looked up, and spoke again.

"You know Sonic, the studio wants you back, but do you know who wants you even more?"

Sonic blinked, remaining blank-faced.

"Me! I won't tell anyone where you are if you agree to go out with me right now."

Amy put her hands to her hips, communicating her confidence and resolve. She was sure she got him this time.

Sonic's face stirred from it's vacant expression and became fed up.

"Urghh, no Amy, for the last time - I will not go on a date with you."

"Bu-"

"Ever."

"But what if-"

"Never."

Amy's face then became unmistakably angry and full of rage.

"Grrrrrr, WHY?!"

"Because Amy, I'm sorry to say it but - you're not really my type, okay?"

"Then what IS your type? Why won't you tell me? We have to pretend to date at work, so why not do it for real?"

"My type is none of your business Amy. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. I don't appreciate being stalked by you on a regular basis and I especially don't appreciate you trying to control me, so just BACK OFF!"

Amy heard the angry tone in Sonic's voice and stepped back, unsure of what was happening. She had never seen this side to him before, and was unsure of what to make of it. Was he going through something? Did something happen?

Sonic rarely lost his composure around others, but today was different, and with that, he turned away from Amy and ran off at the speed of sound, heading straight for his house - leaving a confused and baffled Amy-Rose in his wake.

"Wow, what's with him?"

And with that, Amy turned around and walked back to the studio.

Shadow thanked himself for deciding to go outside, as he found himself witnessing the altercation between Sonic and Amy from behind a phone box across the street. He had seen the pair together, and thought he would check to see if Amy Rose would try anything, which she did of course - but also he wanted to see how Sonic would react. When he ran off, he was very tempted to run after him straight away, but restrained himself from acting until Amy went away first. He took one last toke of his cigarette, put it out with his metallic jet-boots and skated after Sonic.

AUTHORS NOTE:

So - this started off as an AU idea that came to me through watching various people review the Sonic franchise on youtube - as well as watching some theatrical philosophy stuff and I thought, why not mix the two?!

Excited to write this one - you can expect the next chapter in a couple of days.

If you're further interested in Sonadow and have an unhealthy obsession with the two greatest hedgehog boys (like me), feel free to check out my one shot fic, "The Virus", if you just want some cute fluff for now (also working on a prequel to that story) and let me know if you like it!

Please also review this one! I would appreciate it as I want to improve my writing, and any constructive tips would be highly useful.

Plus! I've also got another Sonadow one shot in the works that's quite... explicit. You have been warned. But stay tuned. ;)

Thanks for reading guys!