Sonic and co. danced for at least an hour more before calling it a night. As Sonic, Tails and Shadow exited the Glitter Palace, good vibes seemed to be the order of the night.

"Shad, I never thought I'd say this, but you're one dy-no-mite disco dancer!" said Sonic.

Shadow nodded. "Thank you, Sonic. If you don't mind, I'd like a word with you in private. Tails, go back to the Olympic Village without us."

"Why?" asked Tails.

"Please, just do it."

Tails nodded. "Right!"

Tails hurried on back to the Olympic Village.

"OK, why are ya bein' so blunt with Tails?" asked Sonic. "What's this about, then?"

Shadow took a deep breath in through his nose. "Sonic…I have to be honest. I don't hate you anymore. Actually…I never really hated you. If you want the truth, ever since we first met…" Shadow put his hands on Sonic's shoulders. "…I've wanted you."

Sonic gulped as he looked into Shadow's blood red eyes, having a good idea of what was going to happen next. Sure enough, it happened…

Shadow kissed Sonic.

Though not sure what to make of this at first, Sonic gladly wrapped his arms around Shadow as he took him in. Despite not having kissed a guy before, the whole thing felt totally natural for the Blue Blur, figuring it was really no different from kissing a girl. Besides, he not only enjoyed the feeling of Shadow's fluffy chest fur pressing against him, but also the fact that the Ultimate Life Form was really being passionate with his affection, even going so far as to back him against a lamppost. Truly, this was heaven to him.

Shadow was getting a real charge out of the whole thing, too. After spending time not feeling at ease about whether he should open up to Sonic about his crush, it was extremely liberating for Shadow to be able to pour his affections onto a guy that he once considered his rival. That, and he enjoyed the taste and buttery feel of Ol' Blue's lips. Overall, he never wanted this moment to end, but time was limited, so Shadow eventually broke away from Sonic, who had the biggest smile on his face.

"Shad, why didn't ya tell me earlier? I've had a crush on ya since the beginning, too!"

Upon hearing those words, Shadow let out a gasp of the purest shock. Though he tried to keep his emotions in check, knowing that Sonic had mutual feelings for him was too much, and he ended up crying and giving Sonic a big hug. Despite his own surprise, Big Blue returned the hug.

"Shad…it's OK! Everything's gonna be OK! Just let it all out…"

Though feeling bad about making Shadow cry, Sonic stood tough and kept his arms wrapped around him. As he did, he wondered to himself just how messed up Shadow had been feeling inside to let his emotions out like this. He'd always known the Black Blur to be an emotionless killing machine, so the fact that he had actual emotions was pretty unnerving for Sonic. Still, he got a sense of satisfaction from knowing that he could actually comfort Shadow in his hour of need.

In this moment, Shadow was grateful to be able to receive Sonic's comfort. He had always been committed to Maria's promise to give the people of his home planet a chance to be happy, and after so many months of being unable to find true happiness himself, the Black Blur finally felt as though his soul was being cleansed of the darkness that permeated it. He just wanted to do romantic things with Sonic for the rest of his life, and knowing that he actually had a chance at that, he didn't have to hug his pillow anymore. Though he eventually stopped crying, Shadow took some deep, rhythmic breaths, inhaling Sonic's scent. After all the pain had exited his body, he just felt so relaxed. Soon, he backed away from Sonic, but kept his arms around him.

Sonic frowned. "Shad…I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or nothin'…"

Shadow smiled. "Sonic, you didn't hurt my feelings! I was actually hoping that you'd admit your love for me!"

Sonic's smile returned. "Wow! Really?"

"Of course! After all the time I'd been drowning in darkness, knowing that you're no longer angry at me is such a RELIEF! Oh…I…I could just…"

"Hey hey, don't blow any more fuses, man! Everything's gonna be mellow! Just breathe, OK?"

Shadow nodded. "I'll try, but if you could, there's one other thing I want from you…"

"Name it!"

"Whenever I cry, Rouge always gets me a glass of warm milk."

Sonic stroked his chin. "I don't think Tails and I have any milk in our fridge, but I'm sure we can stop somewhere and grab some on our way back to the Olympic Village. Does it matter what kind we get?"

"I'd prefer whole milk, please."

"You got it, babe!"

On the way back to the Olympic Village, Sonic and Shadow stopped at a Circle K, where they grabbed a half gallon of whole milk. Once they got to the Olympic Village, Sonic stopped Shadow outside the door to Sonic and Tails' dorm and whispered:

"Keep it down, man. Tails might be sleepin'."

Shadow nodded. Both him and Sonic carefully entered the dorm, sneaking their way into the kitchen, where Sonic grabbed a small, collapsible cooking pot and a drinking glass. He poured some milk into the glass before turning the stove on and pouring the milk from the glass into the pot. He hummed "T.N.T." to himself for a bit while stirring the milk until he felt Shadow hug him from behind.

"Huh!?" said Sonic. "What the…!?"

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist your soft, cuddly touch. Besides, you smell like fresh blueberries." Shadow took a deep whiff of Sonic's scent.

"Awww, thanks for the compliment, Shad!"

"Please, my dear Sonic, call me Shaddy."

"Shaddy? That's a cute nickname! Where'd ya get it from?"

"It was Rouge's idea. In the past, I would've dismissed it as silly and childish, but now that I have you to love and hold, I really do feel like Shaddy!"

"And so ya should! Now if you'll excuse me, I think your milk's all warmed up…"

Sonic poured the milk back into the glass, and indeed, the liquid was suitably warm. He handed the glass to Shadow.

"Bottoms up, babe!"

Without question, Shadow slowly took a drink of the milk. As the warm liquid entered his throat, he began purring, and his face turned green. At this point, his blood pressure dropped, and everything that was tormenting him melted away. Sonic even smiled.

"Awww…you're so cute when ya purr!" said Sonic.

Shadow put down his empty glass. "Not as cute as you, you blue lifesaver!"

Shadow scratched Sonic in front of one of his ears, and the Blue Blur just couldn't help but purr himself.

"Awww yeah…do it to me like that!" said Sonic.

Shadow giggled as he scratched Sonic in front of his ear. Knowing that the legendary blue hedgehog was under his spell was very satisfying for him, but even so, he stopped soon enough.

"Why ya stoppin'?" asked Sonic.

"Because, we're going to have some more fun!" replied Shadow.

Sonic crossed his arms, but then touched one of his cheeks with his index finger. "And what kinda fun could we have at this hour?"

"Why, we're going to take a shower together!"

Sonic blushed. "Um…Shaddy…a-are ya sure about that?"

"Do I look unsure?"

Sonic stared at Shadow's smiling face. Even if he wasn't used to the idea of taking a shower with another guy, the Blue Blur liked the Ultimate Life Form, and he didn't want to make him cry anymore, so there was but one option…

"Ah, whatever! Let's get down on it!"

Shadow patted Sonic on the shoulder. "I'm glad you see things my way!"

In the bathroom, Sonic and Shadow took their gloves, shoes and socks off, though there was one question…

"Hey Shaddy…"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't ya take those bracelets off before we get in the shower?"

Shadow smiled. "Rest assured, my dear Sonic, these bracelets are rustproof. Besides, it's better for my health that they stay on."

"Hey man, call me Sonny if ya wanna! My Uncle Chuck always calls me that!"

"Oh, that's such a cute nickname, and so fitting considering that you are my sunshine! But enough talk, let's wash up!"

Shadow turned on the hot water and waited a few seconds for the water to warm up, after which him and Sonic stepped in. Shadow then grabbed a bottle of a combination shampoo/body wash.

"May I wash you first?" asked Shadow.

Sonic gave a thumbs up. "Go ahead, babe!"

Though Sonic was excited to have Shadow wash him, he got a bit nervous once he heard the bottle pop open. He braced himself for what was coming next, but he needn't have worried: though the initial feeling of Shadow rubbing his quills was unusual, he quickly found how pleasurable it was, and he let out some delightful moans.

"Is this good for you, Sonny?"

"This is GOOD, man! Keep it up!"

And so, Sonic continued to moan with delight as Shadow rubbed his hands through his quills. Though he enjoyed the Olympics very much, to him, there was something special about relaxing after the Games with a nice, warm shower, and now that he had somebody special to share it with, it was that much better. Shadow got a real charge out of taking a shower with Sonic as well. Though he'd taken a few showers with Rouge before, and though he enjoyed those, he didn't nearly enjoy those as much as the one he was taking now. Having had a competitive streak with the Blue Blur, the Ultimate Life Form smiled as he thought about how his one-time rival was now under his control. After washing Sonic's head for long enough, Shadow let his hands travel down to Sonic's chest and belly.

"Ooh, that feels soft and squishy!" Shadow squeezed a bit. "It feels like a giant marshmallow! Perhaps I should call you 'Marshmallow the Hedgehog' now…"

Sonic giggled when Shadow squished his tummy. Although he'd never really considered himself to be gay, Ol' Blue loved being touched by someone he liked regardless of gender identity. However, if he thought that sort of touch was something, it was peanuts when he felt Shadow rub the part of his back just above his tail, which caused him to let out an especially loud moan.

"That didn't hurt…did it?" asked Shadow.

"No way; that feels so good!"

"Then have some more!"

Shadow continued to wash Sonic, the latter letting out some very euphoric moans as he was being washed. At this point, Big Blue didn't even care whether or not it was gay to have another guy bathing with him. Throughout his life, nobody had told him that there was anything inherently wrong with doing such sensual things with another guy. Sure, there were some people who claimed it was wrong, but Sonic was smart enough to think for himself, and having decided that there was nothing wrong with it, he continued to bask in the pleasure he was receiving at the very moment. What really sealed the deal for him was that Shadow seemed to know exactly where to touch to please him the most. However, Sonic's bliss was interrupted when Shadow's hand travelled somewhere lower than he would've liked, causing him to gasp, freeze up and blush.

"Is something wrong, Sonny?"

Sonic smiled awkwardly. "Um…I uh…heh heh…should we be going down there just yet?"

"Why not? I have to make sure that you're completely clean…don't I?"

"Um…OK. Just don't stay for too long, ya dig?"

With a chuckle, Shadow proceeded to wash Sonic's nether regions. While this was going on, Sonic tried to relax and remind himself that there wasn't supposed to be anything weird about this. Nevertheless, he found himself becoming rather tumescent from Shadow's touch. His hand just felt too nice. Fortunately, Shadow was done with this before it got too weird, and once Sonic had rinsed off, Shadow turned around.

"OK, now you can wash me," said Shadow.

"Gladly!"

Sonic took the shampoo/body wash and proceeded to wash Shadow, who let out a happy "ooh" the moment he felt the Blue Blur touch him.

"Is this good for ya, too?" asked Sonic.

"Sonny, this is very nice!"

Sonic smiled as he continued to wash Shadow. Thinking about when Shadow washed him, he concentrated on certain spots of his head a bit more than others, trying to make him moan more than usual. Sonic really loved hearing Shadow moan, not only because it sounded really good to his ears, but also because he enjoyed having the upper hand on the so-called "Ultimate Life Form". Aside from that, he enjoyed how soft Shadow felt and was grateful that they were no longer fierce rivals. Besides, Sonic also felt good knowing that he could wash away the troubles of someone who up to this point had been feeling horribly messed up inside. At one point, one of Sonic's hands travelled down from Shadow's head to his chest fur, which not only surprised Sonic with how extra-soft it was, but also because Shadow let out a loud gasp when he was touched there.

"Awww…what's the matter?" said Sonic. "Did I touch ya in a place or in a way that makes ya feel uncomfortable?"

"N-no…" said Shadow. "I…I just love when people floof my chest fur!"

Sonic smirked. "Well, if ya love that, then dig THIS!"

Not only did Sonic floof Shadow's chest fur, but he also rubbed the same part of Shadow's back where Shadow had rubbed him earlier. Within seconds, the Ultimate Life Form turned into a giggly, moaning mess whose face was so green that it would've put grass to shame. Sonic had a big smile on his face, so big that he had to do his best not to laugh because to him, it was just too funny that someone who was known as the "Ultimate Life Form" was completely under his spell. The feeling was sending an electric charge up and down Sonic's spine. Similarly, Shadow was getting a real charge out of the whole thing. After spending such a long time wallowing in the darkness that stemmed from the loss of his friend Maria, it felt so good to be comforted by somebody who genuinely cared about his feelings, not to mention he was feeling extremely pleasurable at the moment. However, as pleasurable as he felt, Shadow couldn't just let Sonic have the upper hand all to himself, so after mustering up some strength, he spun around and pinned Ol' Blue to the shower wall.

"Nice try."

"Shaddy…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Did you really think I was going to let you have all the fun?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP!"

"Why should I? We're only getting started, aren't we?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T TAKE THE TICKLES!"

"Really? You smash robots for a living and you can't take tickling?"

"NO NO! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"So, I guess you're also The Most Ticklish Thing Alive now, huh?"

"PLEASE…STAHP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"OK, I'll stop, but on one condition…"

"Y-yeah…?"

"Just tell me that I'm the Ultimate Life Form and you're a Faker, and I'll stop."

"Yeah, up yours, jive turkey!"

"OK, I see how it is."

"NO WAIT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Too late, Sonny! You shouldn't have given me sass!"

"I'M SORRY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You know, maybe we should call you 'Tickles the Hedgehog' from now on."

"I'M NOT TICKLES! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Tickle tickle TICKLE!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO MORE!"

"Sonny, just give up and admit that I'm the Ultimate Life Form and you're a Faker. It's the only way you're going to get out of this."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK! OK! YOU'RE THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM! I'M A FAKER! I'M A FAKER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Despite Sonic fulfilling Shadow's demand, Shadow kept tickling him for a few more seconds. By the time they were through, Sonic was huffing and puffing, with a face that was all red and tingly from laughing so much.

"Sonny, you have the cutest laugh ever."

"Awww…thanks! To be honest, I actually kinda enjoy bein' tickled."

Shadow smirked. "Oh really? Maybe we can do it some more, then."

Sonic grabbed Shadow by the wrists. "No no no! Thanks, but once will do for now!"

"Too bad."

"Come on, let's just finish washin' up, babe!"

And so, Sonic continued washing Shadow. He felt a bit odd when it came to washing his nether regions, but Big Blue justified it by figuring that not only was it something that he had too, but that he'd already permitted the Black Blur to touch him there. Still, he did get chills from hearing Shadow chuckle at this. Nevertheless, he smirked as he let his hand travel downwards from Shadow's shoulder.

"Unless you want me to tickle you until you pass out, I suggest you rethink floofing my chest fur again."

Sonic let out a sheepish chuckle as he moved his hand away from Shadow's chest fur. He didn't spend too long on Shadow's crotch, just long enough to cover all the necessary spots. Once they'd both rinsed off and shut off the water, Sonic grabbed a towel to dry off, but Shadow grabbed it from him.

"May I take care of that for you?" asked Shadow.

"Only if you'll let me take care of it for you as well!" replied Sonic.

"Gladly!"

Sonic let Shadow dry him off, which was just as pleasurable as being washed. Once this was done, Sonic grabbed another towel and dried Shadow off. Once that was taken care of, they put their gloves back on, but left off their socks and shoes, and proceeded to brush and floss their teeth. Once they had taken care of their dental hygiene, they grabbed their shoes and socks and got into Sonic's bed with Tails, where Shadow cuddled up with Sonic.

"Sonny, I can't tell you how grateful I am to have met you! Today meant a lot to me!"

"Speak for yourself, babe! Knowin' that you ain't angry at me anymore makes me feel groovy, too!"

Just then, Tails stirred a bit in his sleep.

"No Sonic, don't eat the ponies…"

Sonic chuckled a bit.

"Shaddy, let's just get to sleep, huh?"

"As you wish. Good night, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Good night, Shadow the Hedgehog!"

And so, both hedgehogs went to sleep. However, a few seconds later, Sonic stirred Shadow awake…

"Shaddy…I just realized somethin'…"

"What?"

"'Joint' is not a letter; it's a word, man!"

Shadow groaned. "Sonny, go to sleep before I change my mind about you."

"Right…"

And so, Sonic, Shadow and Tails continued to sleep. For the first time in his life, Shadow could feel his psyche beginning to clear up. Granted, he still had a ways to go, but even so, he would gratefully take whatever he could get.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.