Sonic/Shadow

"So, ready to go?"

Sonic, bag packed, eager to be free of the soul-crushing prison that was the modern education system, checked with his tablemate, who seemed less than eager to move forward with this day.

"If we must," Shadow sighed, collecting his own bag. He had dreaded this moment all morning. After Sonic's display the other day, he was afraid of what may happen today, especially with them meeting in such a public place.

Though, his fears may have been for nothing. Sonic was his usual happy go lucky self, not a trace of that self-doubt from before. The grin on his face was as sickeningly chipper as when Shadow had first encountered him. How genuine it was, however, he'd have to wait and see.

It doesn't matter if it's real or not, Shadow. As long as he's in a good mood, that should stop him from making a scene. Hopefully.

"Ah, c'mon, don't be like that. We should hurry, though, if we wanna beat the post-class coffee rush," Sonic noted, watching as Shadow slowly followed him out. While this was a genuine effort on Sonic's part to thank Shadow and get ahead in class, Sonic did have ulterior motives.

In their last meeting, he'd gotten something out of Shadow. Sure, it was probably just pity for Sonic's pathetic display, but it was still something—and it warmed Sonic's heart to see even a glimpse of what lay beyond the dark hedgehog's brooding. Not to mention, it gave him something to report back to Team 'Shadilver'. If he got to help Silver out and finally get Shadow to not hate him as they worked through this project, it was a win-win in Sonic's book.

He glanced sideways at his home-ec partner as they stepped outside the humanities building, watching as the sun glinted off the edge of his profile. In the light, the red streaks in his quills weren't as dark, the deep crimson giving way to hints of cherry reds and scarlets. Not as dark as he seems—Sonic could almost chuckle at the on-point metaphor.

"Ah, it's raining again."

Sonic started as Shadow's voice mumbled from beside him. For a moment, he thought he'd been caught in his accidental staring, but then his brain caught up with his ears.

He glanced beyond the building's awning to see a steady patter of rain falling from the sky—still oddly bright and blue.

"But, it's still sunny," Sonic observed unhelpfully.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I hadn't noticed."

Shadow rummaged around in his bag before producing his umbrella, opening it up before stepping out onto the damp grass.

Sonic immediately followed, uncaring about the steady pat pat pat of water on his quills.

Shadow frowned. "Do you just...not own an umbrella?"

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, technically? But I leave it at home a lot. Don't really see a need in carrying it all the time." He shrugged. "Besides, it's just water, right? Not gonna hurt anything."

Shadow let out a put-upon sigh, extending his arm a bit and creating space under the dome of his umbrella.

Sonic tilted his head, but before he could ask—

"Just get under here. I refuse to have your damp fur dripping all over our papers," Shadow said flatly.

"O-oh. Okay." Sonic closed the short distance between them, stepping under the other side of the umbrella, walking in-step with Shadow to the library. "Thanks," he chirped sheepishly.

Step by step, their feet squished in the wet ground and the rain didn't let up. It was a bit awkward, especially for Shadow. He didn't like being so close to people he wasn't entirely comfortable around. But now, thanks to his small collapsible umbrella—and his partner's apparent lack of one—he was practically touching shoulders with Sonic.

Though, the more he thought about it, this wasn't the first time they'd gotten this close. In fact, it probably wasn't even the second time. Visions of their time together replayed in Shadow's mind. Getting close enough to feel Sonic's breath, holding Sonic's hand, his own hand clasped over Sonic's ever-running mouth, fingers curving over the shape of his lips...

Embarrassment reignited, he turned to remove any trace of Sonic from his peripherals.

Where the hell is my mind going?!

Sonic felt equally awkward, though for different reasons. Shadow, now turned completely away, seemed to be shunning him. He knew Shadow had to hate this—how much of an inconvenience he was probably being. Hoping he hadn't returned to square one with Shadow, he carefully thought up the most casual and non-intrusive discussion topic he could to break the odd silence stretching between them.

"So, uh… lovely weather we're having," Sonic stated evenly. He'd seen the phrase used in his favorite 90's sitcoms for most small talk (always followed by a laugh-track for some reason), but it took a little longer for him to realize his less-than-perfect timing for such a line.

"Are we speaking in cliches now," Shadow asked, still looking resolutely forward, not too stunned, it seemed. He was starting to get used to Sonic's...unique brand of conversation and humor.

"Ha, maybe," Sonic awkwardly giggled, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, joking aside, isn't this kind of amazing? Not everyday can you enjoy a blue sky, sunshine and the calming rhythm of the rain all at once."

Taking a moment to look at Sonic from the corner of his eye, Shadow noticed something he hadn't before. The smile on Sonic's face wasn't as wide as he always seemed to make it. It was soft, and even. The same could be said for his eyes, subdued but still shining. He hadn't assumed Sonic the type to wax poetic, and this did stun him.

It was kind of...nice that he seemed genuinely excited about something as simple as the juxtaposed combination of sunshine and rain.

"I…suppose you're right."

And with that, the chime above the library cafe's door rang as they stepped inside, Shadow shaking the lingering droplets of rain off his umbrella before neatly collapsing it and placing it into one of those plastic umbrella bags hanging by the door.

Sonic snickered. Of course he uses those.

They lingered there for a moment, still and silent, before Shadow coughed and they both belatedly realized their shoulders were still brushing.

"Oh, um," Sonic started, but Shadow just strode forward, immediately putting some distance between them.

Sonic could do nothing but follow.

The bright fluorescents of the library gave way to the soft, warm lighting of the cafe within it. The small space was surprisingly unbusy for a Friday afternoon, the murmur of the few groups at the tiny circular tables creating a comforting hum of white noise in the background.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sonic the hedgehog."

Sonic glanced towards the counter to see Blaze standing behind it, smirking as she adjusted her signature ponytail. Silver stood just behind her, awkwardly waving.

Sonic stepped up to them, grinning. "Oh, hey guys! Long time no see! Nice to see ya again, Silver."

Blaze punched a few buttons on the register. "How's it going? Didn't take you for a coffee guy," Blaze pointed out, careful not to crack a smile at the amusing guest accompanying Sonic.

For his part, Silver seemed like he was trying his hardest not to acknowledge Shadow's prenscence, instead focusing on cleaning every surface within his reach.

Sonic chuckled. "Nah, too hot and bitter for my liking." He threw a thumb back at Shadow standing silently behind him. "But this guy seems to like it, and we've got some work to do."

He spun around to face Shadow now, flashing an easy smile as he leaned against the counter. "So whatcha gettin', buddy? Anything your heart desires," Sonic winked, holding up his student ID. Lucky for the broke Sonic, this was covered by his meal plan.

Shadow's arms remained crossed over his chest as he stayed behind Sonic, seemingly eager to keep a standard amount of distance between them now. His eyes only flicked up to the faces before him, awkward and fleeting, before fixing his gaze on the menu above. "The only thing my 'heart desires' is caffeine, so an americano will suffice," Shadow deadpanned.

"With cream and sugar," Silver coyly asked, moving to Blazes' side.

"Oh.. uh, yes, as always, I suppose," Shadow mumbled, for a moment embarrassed at how regular his coffee purchases evidently were.

His eyes flicked to the bake case as Blaze put in the order, gaze lingering on the oversized chocolate chip cookies stacked in a pile before he could stop himself.

Sonic caught him and smirked, making Shadow turn to hide his reddening cheeks.

Sonic glanced up at the extensive menu, unfamiliar with what half of these drinks were supposed to be. "Uhhhhhhh...I guess I'll just have a," he desperately scanned for something that wasn't terribly bitter or saccharine, "mango lemonade?"

Blaze punched a few more buttons on the dated POS. "Alright, that'll be $6.75."

Sonic handed her his card as Blaze went through her familiar routine of inputting his information.

Shadow finally spoke up quietly from behind him. "I will go find us a table," he muttered before walking off in the direction of empty chairs at the back of the cafe, seeming eager to shorten this interaction in whatever way he could.

"Sure thing, dude." Sonic gave a thumbs up as he walked away, before turning back to Blaze. "Actually," he said, quieter now. "Could I get a cookie too—chocolate chip?"

Blaze shrugged as she swiped his card again. "Sure."

She reached into the lighted case, placed it in a paper sleeve and plopped the requested baked good in his hand before fixing him with a more pointed look. "So, Project Shadilver. Any juicy updates?"

Silver rolled his eyes, giving an embarrassed whine as he finished off their drinks. "Blaaaze. Please tell me you're not still on that."

Sonic let out an awkward laugh. He didn't know what she classified as juicy. Shadow closed off so much of himself that any info about the mystery he created was shocking in and of itself.

"Uhhh, let me think...well, he likes blue," Sonic flatly stated.

Blaze eyed his own particularly blue form. "Uh-huh," she said evenly.

Sonic backtracked. "I, uh, mean the color in general! Not, uh—" He paused, trying to not any more fuel to whatever fire he was making. "Um, sky-blue! To be specific, oddly enough..." He searched for something else. "Also, he's weirdly good at sewing? Like, unexpectedly crafty. And pretty helpful. Honestly, every once in a while, he can be weirdly nice?"

Blaze's eyes sparked with a knowing look. Sonic felt caught red-handed, but he wasn't quite sure what for.

His eyes landed on the cookie in his hand, sticking out of its waxy paper bag. "And, a new development—he may have a sweet tooth."

Blaze was quiet for a moment, as if she was considering saying something before deciding against it. She tossed her gaze back to Silver. "You taking notes back there, Silver? You better be if you want to get into Shadow's pants before Sonic here—"

Silver interrupted her half-sarcasm by sliding their drinks onto the counter in front of Sonic. "Hahahahaha anyway thanks for coming goodbye see you have a nice day!" He pointedly grabbed Blaze's hand in his. "Blaze I think it's about time to clean the espresso machine, don't ya think," he said in a rush before pulling her aside as his cheeks turned a deeper pink.

Sonic shrugged as they disappeared, sweeping up the drinks in his hands as he went to find Shadow at a small table in the corner of the cafe.

Eyes following Sonic's form at the counter, jovially chatting away, Shadow began to think they were talking about more than just drinks. He frowned, unsure why that bugged him. It was better he was unloading some of his constant want for conversation on someone other than him.

He dropped his eyes to the papers he'd pulled out as Sonic started heading his way.

Carefully putting down each of their drinks in their respective places, and placing Shadow's cookie in front of the dower hedgehog, Sonic plopped in his chair, placing his right foot on his left knee in a patented cool guy pose.

"What is this," Shadow inquired, eyeing the sleeved cookie before him.

"I did promise you a pastry along with that coffee, and I thought I saw you looking at it," Sonic shrugged, taking a sip of his lemonade.

"You shouldn't have. I don't need it," Shadow mumbled, taking the lid off his Americano to stir the sugar, letting the steam rise off as it cooled down.

"But you wanted it," Sonic said simply. "Live a little," he quipped.

"Hmph. Whatever," Shadow muttered, taking a sip from his drink. In all honesty, he was pretty hungry, and definitely wanted to tear apart that cookie with little regard for anyone who may see. But, he'd hate to make Sonic's head grow any bigger.

" … Friends of yours?" Shadow said this, immediately regretting asking something so trivial.

"Eh, acquaintances mostly. Girlfriend and friend of an old high school friend of mine. Simple, right," Sonic chuckled, thrilled that for once Shadow was taking some initiative for interaction. Though he hoped Shadow wouldn't follow that up with any probing questions about their 'private' Shadilver meeting. So he did what he did best—kept talking. "Man, high school feels like a whole lifetime ago. I kinda miss it, y'know? What about you? How'd high school treat you?"

For a moment, Shadow paused. Memories… he couldn't quite reach. Memories he'd spent years burying. In an instant, they threatened to come forth into his conscious mind. Feeling foolish for letting his guard down so easily, Shadow grabbed his bag and pulled out his home-ec binder. "You said we would discuss our next assignment, and I intend to only do so."

There it was again, a wall of ice, as tall as a skyscraper and 10 miles wide. Sonic sighed, grabbing his crumpled home-ec handouts from his bag as well.

Their next assignment seemed to focus on basic household maintenance and repair. Changing air filters, keeping out bugs and mold, checking smoke detectors, blah blah blah, another set of things Sonic was completely ignorant to. They were both given handouts with tips and resources for handling these kinds of things in a cost-effective manner.

They were given a checklist of things to check and list the status of; good to go or in need of changing/repair. Half of these would be difficult for Sonic to actually fill out, considering he lived in a dorm and had little to maintain as it was. But Shadow figured he could fill out the checklist for the two of them, and Sonic could handle the write up required for how they would handle each item.

As they talked, though, Sonic was still stuck on getting through to Shadow. He knew it wasn't impossible, he'd come so close the last two times they met. It was a challenge to Sonic, and he was not about to back down. He just needed to be… smart about it.

Good luck there, dumbass.

He really didn't want to go there again today. Thinking back, what had made Shadow open up before? When they were working on the budget, Shadow was much easier to talk to after Sonic had his little mathematical meltdown. And after he'd had his more catastrophic breakdown the other day, he'd finally given him an actual answer to his inconsequential question.

Oh god, don't tell me I have to keep melting down to get anything out of him.

Nah, it wasn't just that. More than that, Sonic thought that maybe the only way to get Shadow to open up was when he was helping him out. It seemed to be a common denominator in all their previous encounters, so perhaps he should just spin it like that?

"Um, Shadow, sorry to cut you off, but I think I need a little help with something," Sonic furrowed his brow, trying to channel some of the innate dumbassness he seemed to constantly exude.

Shadow, looking slightly annoyed, cocked an inquisitive brow in his direction.

"Well, you see, as you probably could tell by now, I'm not the best when it comes to all this home-ec type stuff," Sonic took a pouty sip from his lemonade. "But you're like a natural at this stuff! How do you do it?" He hoped his calculations were correct.

Shadow looked back down at their papers, and then sat back with his hands folded across his chest. He looked to the side. "It's nothing natural. Comes from years of practical use and necessity."

Bingo.

Ha, looks like I'm not so bad at math after all!.. maybe.

"Really? Wow, I feel like I probably could have done a lot more with my teenage years, huh? Would've helped me out here." Sonic gave a self-deprecating laugh at his own adolescent laziness.

"It's nothing I choose to do," Shadow finally broke off a piece of his cookie. "Everyone's life takes them in different directions. Mine required me to pick up basic household duties."

As much as he really wanted to ask further about this, Sonic had learned enough not to stick his nose where it didn't belong. "Fair enough. Though I gotta say, it's pretty cool to see you work. You fixed all of those clothes like it was nothing!"

Shadow sheepishly looked back towards the ground. "You could, too. Just practice."

"Do you ever sew actual clothes and stuff?" As much as he hated dancing around what he actually wanted to say, Sonic seemed to be getting somewhere. It was painfully slow, but it would have to do.

"No, just repairs. I… prefer crochet," Shadow took a sip from his cup. He didn't know why he kept responding, kept letting things slip. He knew what Sonic was doing, and yet, the responses came easy, the flow of conversation almost...natural.

A voice in his mind told him he shouldn't stay any longer than he had to. But… the kid did buy him a cookie. He at least owed him something like a proper conversation.

"Oh, cool! That's the one with, like, two big sticks and yarn, right?" Sonic actually did know what crochet was…kind of. But he figured acting like he knew nothing would give Shadow more to say. What do you mean 'acting like'?

"No. That's knitting. Crochet just uses a big hooked needle. As long as you have a hook, some skill and the right size yarn, you can make anything from blankets to scarfs," Shadow picked up his papers to try and straighten them up. For no particular reason.

"Really, just a hook? Sounds complicated. Must take a while to make anything," Sonic leaned into the table, resting his forearms on the surface.

"Sometimes, depending on the pattern. Though, it makes for a good way to… relax, I suppose," Shadow moved his hands to his jacket pockets.

"Sounds like it! Though, don't know if it's for me, don't have enough patience" Sonic chuckled at the thought of him attempting to crochet.

"Hmm, It's not for everyone," he looked away. There was a short silence. Shadow would be content at leaving it there. However, Sonic seemed eager for more, and he… also didn't want it to end there. There was something about the slow, easy conversation that was almost comforting in a way he wouldn't have expected. He glanced up at Sonic. Hmm. He just kept surprising him.

He might as well relent, though he didn't know what possessed him to. Shadow took a deep breath. "How… about you?"

"Mm?" Sonic's ears perked up, thrown off a bit by Shadow's question. "How about what?"

Shadow's cheeks reddened slightly. He was dreadful at small talk. "Relax. How do you relax?" He cringed at his own wording. More words came out of his mouth, as if that would make anything less awkward. "Even you must… need a break from your ceaseless 'cool guy' persona… "

At this, Sonic smiled. He did it. Shadow was actually talking with him.

"Oh, uh, well maybe it's a little obvious, but I like to run," he leaned back, rubbing his neck in slight embarrassment at not having many hobbies to his name. "But other than that...I guess I also like reading a good book from time to time."

Shadow, cookie halfway to mouth, stopped, mouth agape. "You… read?"

"Well don't sound too surprised, now," Sonic laughed. "Yeah, it clashes a bit with that 'cool guy' persona, huh? But, I've always loved reading, to be honest. Running is great because I can feel the rush of wind through my quills, the blood pumping in my veins. It's, like, the physical essence of freedom." Shadow was stunned into silence. He had not expected Sonic to be this… eloquent.

"Books, I guess, are freeing in a different way. They let my mind explore different walks of life, see into new perspectives," Sonic thought wistfully, remembering his days as a kid, playing out the stories of his favorite heroes.

Mesmerized by this new side to Sonic, Shadow wanted to know how someone like him could seemingly be so vapid and yet weirdly insightful. "Do you…have a favorite book?"

"Ooh, that's a toughy. Can't really pick a favorite, per se, but I do tend to lean towards fantasy books. Ya'know, your Arabian nights and Arthurian type stuff? I love a story with a solid hero, too! Not just your run of the mill dashing and daring types. A hero that maybe starts out the underdog, misguided or weak, but grows, evolves over the course of the story. It's pretty rad, don'tcha think?"

Shadow could see it a little now. Maybe Sonic was far more mature that he let on. Or at the very least he could be. Perhaps he'd taken him too lightly before. He had something more underneath that constant grin he wore. Shadow finally looked up, really meeting Sonic's eyes. "I suppose I can understand what you mean."

A comfortable silence settled between them as Shadow scribbled down the rest of their assignment plan, finishing off the rest of his cookie, leaving only crumbs on the empty sleeve.

Sonic smirked at his correct guess.

His phone vibrated on the table—a message from the track team group chat that Big had created. People only ever used it to send desperate messages about homework or test answers. Big, it seemed, was the only one who ever used it for 'official track business' like encouraging updates about their progress, their season schedule, and, occasionally, videos of his newly-acquired pet frog.

Most of his messages, unsurprisingly, went largely ignored.

Sonic gave a casual glance at his phone screen, figuring it was just some other freshman asking for upperclassmen advice on a shitty professor. But he paused when he saw Big's name atop the message.

"Hello everyone. Reminder that our mandatory team meeting about Saturday's prelims starts in 10 minutes. Meet at the track. We will have a short practice once we discuss everything. Hope everyone's having a good Friday! :)"

Oh crap, he almost forgot. He looked back up to Shadow.

"So, not to cut this short, but I completely forgot there's this big team meeting I gotta be at for this meet we have tomorrow and it starts soon and I—"

Shadow waved a hand. "Go ahead," he said, stacking up their papers. "We've essentially finished anyway. I'll have the checklist filled out by next class and give it to you so you can do the write up—not much more we can do for now."

Sonic gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks! You're the best, Shadow." He drank down the last of his lemonade and stood from the table as Shadow packed his stuff away. He glanced out the window. At least it had stopped raining outside. He gave his partner a sly smile. "So, what are my chances of seeing you at the track meet tomorrow? Out team is pretty highly ranked, ya'know."

Shadow deadpanned. "It'd be in the negatives. I'm not one to frequent sporting events as it is." He wrapped his hands around his half-emptied coffee cup as they stepped outside. "I work all day tomorrow as it is, anyway."

Sonic pouted. "Laaaame. Guess I won't be seeing you till Monday, then." He gave a wave as he began walking backwards in the direction of GHU's sports complex. "Hope you have a great day anyway! Gotta run—pun definitely intended." And with a final wink and a two-finger salute, he was off.

Shadow glanced up at the sky as Sonic's form disappeared, feeling the sun soak into his tired bones. His eyes found the vague form of a rainbow spreading across the clouds.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of it arching over a building. Maria would enjoy the sight.


Blaze's eyes followed Sonic and Shadow as they stepped outside the cafe's door. She had been subtly keeping watch on them ever since they came in, quietly suspicious as she watched Sonic draw more words out of Shadow than she thought was possible.

She wasn't an idiot; she'd seen the way the kid's eyes softened as he talked about what was supposed to be Silver's crush. And she couldn't help but notice the way the brooding hedgehog was less tense around Sonic than she had ever seen him.

As much as he tried not too, she could tell Silver saw it too. Normally, he would be wistfully staring in Shadow's direction the whole time he was here, only doing his job when Blaze gave a pointed poke to his blushing cheeks. But today, he was trying to do whatever he could to keep himself busy, to not look that direction.

He tried to pull Blaze away from her skeptical glances at the pair, getting her to help him with the small drink orders that were trickling in.

Blaze's resolve didn't waver. She still wanted her anxious friend to have a chance with his months long object of affection. And while Sonic didn't seem to have a conscious interest in Shadow, the two were still getting closer, while Silver still hadn't had a conversation with Shadow outside of coffee orders.

Silver's eyes found Shadow as he ran a hand through his dark quills and a soft smile curled onto his face. Blaze could almost feel the love-sickness coming off him in waves. She let out a breath. She just wanted Silver to be happy, and if he had chosen Shadow, she had to at least try to get them together. For him.

She watched through the window as Shadow's gaze lingered on Sonic as he left. She shook her head. They all saw what was happening. But those poor guys didn't have a clue.

She pulled out her phone and pecked out a message to Amy.

"There may be a kink in our plan."