Gotta drop this quick. Life is happening.

To my guests: thank you so much for your comments and feedback. I'll try not to send you to the dentist again too soon! I'm glad you're enjoying the updates, and I apologise this one took so long to go up and is short. Sadly, the bunnies got distracted by other things.

Csn anyone say Dr Who/ Sonic crossover? No? Just me? Oh well.

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If you're interested, I can post first drafts, chapters of the crossover, or even blog posts just for you guys who support me. And I can allow access to Google docs for live Q and As or writing sessions! I'll also acknowledge you on every update, right here!

Signed reviewers: I'll drop you some DMs very shortly, when life stops happening a while.

Peace, and enjoy.

POOR TIMING, SQUARED

As she comes down from her high, Amy feels her mate begin to support her back and behind before sinking to the tiled floor. Entirely spent, she becomes little more than a deadweight against him as he settles, thighs either side of his and her face buried in his neck.

She nuzzles beneath his chin in tired affection as his fingers slide through her tangled headquills, heavy breathing slowly beginning to settle as they bathe in the afterglow. The cold tiles leeching excess heat from her legs is a welcome chill after all that excitement.

They enjoy the contented silence together, a bubble of peace in a chaotic world, temporarily untouched by stress.

As the euphoria begins to wear off, though, she finds her mind troubled. Everything she said before they copulated - wanting to understand the ebony hedgehog better, to know him as an individual instead of how others saw him - had been the truth.

She's realised everything others had told her of him are distortions, a fragment of the truth vilified either by accident or with malicious intent. The violently volatile, emotionally detached hedgehog she believed him to be was instead a passionately loyal, highly private individual used to being pigeon-holed with undesirable labels. Where others saw aggression and nonchalance, she could identify logical bias cemented in strong morals, ones he isn't afraid to defend with fervour.

Even though their relationship was born of necessity not neutral attraction, before Shadow ever revealed he wished her to stay - when she was more concerned for his emotional health than their relationship - her feelings for the ebony hedgehog had already been shifting.

Its with that thought that she buries her face deeper into his neck, hiding the pink creeping across her cheeks as another realisation hits her. She's fallen in love with Shadow so fast, she became submerged before being able to take a breath, making her entirely dependant on him to keep her breathing.

But could he ever reciprocate her feelings, with how he struggled with expressing emotion? As if to cause her greater concern, his hand stills in her quills as these thoughts occupy her mind, a general stiffness in his body a sure sign of sudden stress or uncertainty.

Unwilling to ask what's bothering him directly, she instead forces herself to straighten naturally in his lap, the heavy fatigue in her muscles giving her movements a lethargic quality. Once dominating his line of sight, she allows the satisfied smile desperate to curve her lips free, glad to see an appreciative smirk on his own muzzle as she leans down to capture his lips in a lingering, chaste kiss.

She withdraws only when his body has begun to relax beneath her, and Shadow leans away from the cabinet he's resting against to prolong the contact. Half-lidded crimson orbs regard her with reverence as she stretches her arms above her, giving him an entirely intentional view of her chest and abdomen, one he seems to find as irresistible as she planned when hands come to caress her bare waist and stroke her sides.

The shift of her weight exposes her damp nether regions to chill air, sending a shudder through her spine as it wafts across her damp fur. Shifting her focus down, she cringes at the mess of fluids sticking their furs together before noticing the patches of the same fluid all over the tiled floor, bringing a pink to her cheeks in embarrassment; she didn't even know you could make such a mess while being intimate.

In contrast, Shadow's gaze is calm as he regards their soiled furs, curious rather than embarrassed or disgusted. A contemplative expression dominates his face as he observes where their furs merge together at the groin, joined by sweat and anatomy as well as sexual fluid.

She's about to jokingly suggest he's to blame for the mess when there's a knock on the door.

The words die in her throat as wide emeralds irises snap to surprised crimsons, seconds slipping past as the air between them thickens in a terse silence. Their gazes slowly slide back to the front door and for a moment, Amy hopes they've imagined the noise, a shared delusion created by nerves and hormonal influence.

Then another knock sounds, and they both jolt into motion; Amy scrambles off of her mate's lap and roughly replaces her damp panties. Shadow curses under his breath, hauling himself to his hands and knees with difficulty as he reaches for a drawer "I swear, Rose, if you've moved the tea towels as well…"

"Still in the bottom draw by the sink." Her reply is sharper than initially intended, but Shadow doesn't seem to take offence, retrieving a fabric cloth from its designated drawer and beginning to mop up any spillages he can see. She drags up her sweatpants and groans upon realising they're soiled as well, more fluids leaking down her inner thighs making it worse by the second.

"Shower," the ebony states as he stands, bundling the tea towel into a ball before throwing it into the sink. "Rouge went to manage the situation in Knothole this morning. I imagine she's here to brief me."

Amy pauses, actually caught off guard. "The situation? Is there a situation? Shouldn't I talk to her as well?" Anxiety pulses in her temple, a thudding rhythm in time with her heartbeat as the memory of abusing Tails' flashes back into focus. "Does she know… she must know, right?" A realisation hits her and she brings her hands to her mouth in mortification. "Oh Chaos, does Towers know? Is that going to be common knowledge in GUN? Should I make a formal-"

Firm hands grasp her shoulders and force her to look into deep crimson irises, the serious expression on Shadow's face enough to silence her before he talks in a soft tone. "I promise it won't become common knowledge. Anyone spreading such rumours will find their tongue inexplicably extracted in their sleep."

She giggles nervously, unsure if his intensity masks a joke, but other than raising an eyebrow at her outburst of laughter, his features remain serious. Only once she goes silent again does he continue. "While I don't usually condone working with a bias, Rouge is my former partner. I'll be surprised if the outcome isn't in our favour.."

A hand raises to her face, lightly stroking the fur of her muzzle with the back of his fingers. "I will protect you, my Rose. Try not to concern yourself with such things." She leans into his touch a little but can't seem to break eye contact, enraptured in his intense gaze, and Amy notes the depth of emotion on display in those crimson pools.

Despite his carefully crafted expression, his eyes glisten with so many conflicting feelings they're hard to identify, but a few stand out regardless. He looks worried, perhaps even fearful, but she cannot discern why as he lightly strokes her disheveled quills back into position.

"Shower," he reiterates. His fingers linger on her cheek and jaw, the contact alone a comfort, his gentle tone an added security. "She'll stay at least half an hour, to torture me with the asinine details of her latest exploits." Amy's muzzle curves uncertainty, a tentative smirk quirking his own before its abandoned seconds later with a defeated sigh. "That was supposed to be a joke. Humour isn't my area of expertise…"

The fuschia hedgehog is quietly thankful for the impatient knock that distracts him again, smiling in humour when he turns to glower at the wooden blockade over his shoulder and chastise it in a raised tone. "Patience." The inanimate object is unable to acknowledge his command, but a few seconds of silence seem to be enough to satisfy before he turns back to her. "You drink tea, correct? Would you like a cup, as I will be boiling the kettle?"

Finally comfortable with the subject matter, her smile turns genuine. "Please. Just one sugar, no milk." He returns the smile with a slight upturn of his own lips, a more natural one, before turning to the door. He's just a few strides from opening it before she catches his arm. "Uh, Shadow? You… might want to put on some pants, since… you know…"

The state of his groin seems to return to him suddenly. He glances down at the obviously foreign whiteness coating his fur, a momentary pause before he looks up again with an awkward grimace. "...yes. Pants. Pants would be wise."

oOoOo

"Shads!"

Cerulean arms extend in an exaggerated friendly greeting, Sonic careful not to drop anything in the process as a wide grin spreads across his face. For his part, Shadow looks entirely unimpressed in the open doorway, regarding the younger hedgehog with an impressive combination of disdain and nonchalance before slamming the door in his face.

Trying not to be disheartened by his less than enthused reaction, Sonic raises his voice through the door with a touch of melodrama. "Oh, c'mon. How am I supposed to apologise if you won't let me in?" The silence that follows isn't entirely unexpected, but he doesn't let it deter him. Adding a sing-song note to his voice, he plays his trump card. "I brought coffee~"

The door cracks open a few seconds later, just enough for a single, half-lidded crimson orb to peer suspiciously into the hall. Sonic raises the holder containing three cups to reinforce his statement, tone still high and musical. "Triple-shot café macchiato with caramel syrup, whipped cream and a ginger crumb~."

With a sigh of defeat, Shadow opens the door properly. Sonic doesn't hesitate to extract the largest cup from the holder and pass it over. The darker hedgehog takes a sip, seems to deem it worth allowing his rival in and promptly turns to head inside. "Where's Rouge?"

"She didn't message you? She had a late night in office and an early start in Knothole. When she called this morning to clue me in on Tails, she sounded exhausted." Extracting his own sensibly-sized mug, Sonic places the holder and its remaining occupant - as well as the mobile store bags Rouge gave him - on the kitchen counter before pausing to take a sip of his half-shot mocha. "I was planning to drop in here and apologise anyway, so offered to do her a solid, let her go home and sleep."

Shadow closes the door with a gentle click. "Towers getting his money's worth," he states blandly, leaning on the wall and taking a deep drag of his coffee before noting the frown of confusion on Sonic's face. "Her contract expires in six months."

"Oh." The response feels inadequate even to Sonic, but he's honestly taken by surprise. Rouge loves her job, as far as he's aware. There's only one reason he can fathom for her early retirement. "Things getting serious with Knux then, I take it?"

He knows he should have expected the disinterested shrug, but it still irritates him slightly, especially with the follow up statement. "Ask her yourself."

Leaning up against the edge of the breakfast bar, Sonic rubs three fingers across his forehead to ward off the developing headache. Six months of gently prodding Shadow towards a more amicable disposition, of drawing out his dark sense of humour and playing to their inherent competitive natures, all undone in five minutes by his own impulsivity.

Right back to square one, the thinks, a soft sigh escaping his lips as his hand drops. It's only after noting the dents in the fridge and remembering his last interaction with Amy that makes him realise he can't smell her anymore.

His heart skips a beat, an unexpected flutter that has his brows creasing slightly. Thankfully, his ebony rival is too preoccupied with draining his plus grande to notice the sudden change in emotions, giving Sonic plenty of time to get his features back in check.

That doesn't change the facts though; the prospect of Amy having left Shadow's apartment makes him a little giddy. You can't be serious, he chastises himself, stealing a glance to Shadow, the hybrid entirely engrossed in getting the last dregs from his cup. You like her now, when she's taken and you're engaged?

Chasing after a girl Shadow liked was more than thrill-seeking, it was a death wish, waving the red flag at a bull and not bothering to run. Adrenaline floods his system at the prospect and he can't help but enjoy the sensation, even if it comes from a terrible origin.

"Where's Aimes?" He tries to sound casual, but his words are well enunciated and his body language stiff, especially once those appraising crimsons meet his own gaze. His mouth dries instantly. Forcing himself to swallow, the thrill of danger he's missed for seven months sets fire to his muscles. "I mean, I came to apologise, but I can't smell her. Did she leave?"

The pause hangs heavily between them, a sure sign his ebony rival has already decided something isn't right with this conversation. Sonic struggles to keep his expression neutral when the silent hedgehog pushes off the wall and closes the distance between them, getting unnecessarily close as he leans across the tense azure to place the empty cardboard cup on the kitchen island behind him.

An entirely intentional move, Sonic realises. He could've just walked into the kitchen. Two feet further, at most. His muscles quiver in anticipation of a fight, Shadow's purposely careful motions adding a friction to the air long before the hybrid speaks in a hushed tone. "Showering."

The azure can smell Amy on him now he's so close, a light blossom of fragrance amongst his musky male aroma, the tang of semen permeating the waistband of his sweats. Pants might hide the mess, but they couldn't mask the musk of sex; he'd interrupted something.

No wonder Shadow was pissed.

There's challenge in his tone, and having always thought Shadow to be emotionally unstable at best or entirely defunct at worst, it's surprising to witness him acting like a protective mate. Their gazes meet, intense rubies to emotive jades, and a smirk creeps onto Sonic's muzzle as all the information clicks into place, unable to stop himself from teasing his upright rival.

"Ah, right. You marked her." Cerulean quills flex warningly while the ebony leans over him, the silence between them thickening exponentially until Sonic fills the void. "It's your first time, isn't it?"

An ear flicker is all the reply he needs to know he's getting under his rival's skin, though he can't tell if its the subject matter or the ebony's hormones going haywire. For the near seven months they'd been socialising before the Heat, Shadow had refused to discuss anything remotely intimate with his blue rival. When pressed as to why, he'd cited that he wasn't interested in the 'petty, depraved indulgences of common Mobians' and changed the topic.

Sonic had previously translated that to 'asexual' and not asked again, not wanting to be on the receiving end of an agitated punch should he ask the wrong thing. It's pretty obvious now that deduction was wrong, but his curiosity is piqued; why lie about his interests?

The egocentric part of his brain wonders if Shadow had a crush on him and had been uncomfortable, but logic quickly reels him back in and offers to a more likely scenario. He probably knew little given his upbringing, persistent amnesia, and poor social skills. With most likely had nothing to relay, he may even have been embarrassed about that.

Yet now he's with Amy, dropped himself in the deep end to see if he can swim.

The hero can't help but feel a little disappointed the pink hedgehog is still here, something that begins to weigh on him, and his mind wanders his fiance. He cares for her deeply, but Princess Sally is little more than a political match, one to cement alliances between Mobian states and make the young Acorn Kingdom relevant.

They would rise from the ashes of the fallen Eggman Empire, it's heir and matriarch to wed the Hero of the People for the strongest union in Mobian political history.

New Metropolis had lost its collective mind when his status as the Royal Consort was announced. An entire city came together to celebrate their union, to acknowledge the future prosperity their reign would bring. Sally had cried from joy, her people's happiness all she ever wanted, and at the time Sonic had been elated.

Happiness and peace are what he's fought for, and they're on the brink of both. Problem is, he's realised he isn't happy, and he can't tell if it's just selfishness on his part. Caught somewhere between friends with benefits and intimacy, he's not even sure he loves her; they smile and wave to their people, eat together, and he's marked her for the season. Sally glows with happiness every day.

But for Sonic it feels stagnant. He enjoys the sex, but not her company, and there's no emotional attachment.

He'd gone back to Knothole to clear his head, run into Amy, and their accidental encounter had been amazing. Rather than trying to finish so he could sleep, he'd been struggling to hold back; the curve of her hips, the noises she made, how much she'd wanted him… everything had been so intense. With Sally feeling even more lackluster in her wake, he'd found himself craving more of the fuschia hedgehog, but she'd left Knothole by the time he returned.

Running into her at Shadow's apartment had been a fluke. Both learning his rival hadn't marked her and influenced by her pheromones, it'd been so tempting to do it for him. All that held him back where his morals, and even those had caved eventually, succumbing to her deliciously sweet scent with the intent of claiming her before his rival could.

Then she'd rejected him.

It'd stung, that she'd decided Shadow was somehow a better match. Pride bruised, he'd intended to walk away before she confessed to her misdeeds with Tails. Chaos, that had been the last straw, to hear of her own poor decisions against his own brother. Piling this insight on top of his own frustrations snapped something inside him, something so volatile it left him unsure what he might have done if his anger continued to rage unchecked.

He's thankful Amy was remorseful, thankful Shadow had returned when he did. Even almost thankful for the clout to the jaw, a painful reminder of what he's supposed to represent, especially coming from Shadow.

The strike and subsequent introspection had sent him home, back to the political marriage, cold palace halls and formal greetings, but he's thankful for it. Thankful they retained their common sense while he struggled, because he wants to be by Sally's as his kind finally flourish, and because he wants to care for Sally like a proper mate.

Shadow's apparently easy submission to this urge is a slap in the face for the azure, though. As someone he'd always considered as less emotive than himself, the fact he managed to submit to it so naturally almost like a slight.

It isn't of course; he's jealous of the ebony's ability to do so when he can't, and not sure he can bring himself to ask the sullen hedgehog for advice. After all the teasing he's endured before, Shadow may be vindictive with his insecurity, and Sonic doesn't think he can deal with it.

Its at this moment he realises the position his big mouth has gotten him into; a jealous rival towering over him, assumedly seeing him as competition for the mate he's already claimed, pent up aggression evident in his stiff stature. His closeness sends adrenaline sizzling through his body, a nostalgic physical arousal that dulls an encroaching numbness that's plagued him since peace settled over Mobian kind.

Chaos it feels good, but his stomach sinks into his shoes with the realisation that he can't risk the happiness of his friends just to feel a buzz. They were happy, a Marked couple expecting an urchin. Regardless of how desperate he might be to feel alive again, he can't use the rivalry Shadow seems to be wary of to do so, he can't.

I need to talk to Sal. He feels dumb, that it took him so long to realise that his unhappiness isn't other people's responsibility to fix. If he wants their relationship to blossom, he has to put effort into it, and right now that means talking to her about being unhappy.

Attempting to diffuse the situation he offers the hybrid a chagrin, hands raising defensively between them and forcing his quills to lower to signal his submission. "Easy, Shads."

He regrets the statement as soon as its verbalised, the ebony's features twisting from disgruntled to a scowl in moments. "Or not." A soft growl emits from Shadow's lips, prompting him to explain faster, before he gains another bruise. "Honest, I'm not here to step on your toes, I just want to tell Aimes everything's cool. You know, between us and back in Knothole."

Terse silence stretches between them, and Sonic swallows nervously, his muscles continuing to quiver in fight or flight as he waits for Shadow to act on that information. For all his usual confidence and bravado, the ebony hybrid had always been able to sap it from him when overly intense, something evident now as he struggles not to blabber nonsense as they hold each other's gaze.

When he doesn't seem willing to chill, the azure motions to the door with a thumb. "I can… just go, if you want? She doesn't need to hear it from me exactly. You can tell her, right..?" He edges out from beneath his oppressive presence, movements slow and careful, emerald orbs still holding his silent rival's hard stare. "Yeah, I'll just-"

He spins to leave and comes face to face with a surprised Amy, her own features confused as she looks between the two hedgehogs and halting his strategic withdrawal in its tracks.

Chaos damnit.