2
"How did I let you talk me into this mess again?" Shadow couldn't help but lament, scowling deeply at the sound of Sonic's way too chipper laughter. He had half a mind to strangle that blue menace! As if Sonic could detect his silent thoughts of murder, he was quick to try and placate him, putting his hands in front of himself defensively.
"Now, now. There's no for murderous thoughts and plots. That kind of shit is why you're still dreadfully single." He made sure to mutter that last part though. No need to unintentionally start an altercation that would inevitably lead to their incarceration. Again.
Shadow glared at him, sure that he had said something slick under his breath, but since he didn't hear it in its entirety, he couldn't rightfully wring his neck, which was a shame, really. He supposed he shouldn't be too hard on him, though. After all, it was through Sonic that he was able to land a date with the Sally Acorn. While he wasn't entirely sure about the details, Sonic refusing to tell him how he made it happen, he couldn't deny the happiness blooming within the confinement of his ribcage.
He refused to say he had a crush on her. Fuck whatever Rouge and Sonic would say whenever the topic came up, and he just knew they were gossiping about his dilemma via text. That was why Sonic's eyes were stubbornly glued to his phone, his trademark grin on his face and emerald eyes gleaming in barely restricted mirth. Then again, he could just as well be talking about his date with Rose.
It amazed him how Sonic could just shift gears and do something so wholly unexpected as to ask Amy on a date instead of the opposite. What amazed him still was how Sonic, who spent much of his formative years dedicated to running away from and eluding Amy's clutches, could change his mind, turn around, and instead run towards the very person he swore he held no romantic inclinations for whatsoever. When he brought it up to Rouge, his best friend had explained that Sonic had always harbored some sort of romantic feelings for Amy. It merely boiled down to two things; one: Sonic could surprisingly be shy when it came to romantic things, and Shadow still had a hard time wrapping his mind around that tidbit of information because out of all the words he would use to describe Sonic, shy was never one of them.
Chaos knows Sonic was a highly desired and sought-after man. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that his more, risqué, if you will, fangirls sent him things that if Amy stumbled upon, she'd lose her shit, and there would be Hell to pay. He mentally shuddered just thinking about it.
Two: Amy's feelings, simply put, overwhelmed him. She all but shoved her feelings on him and didn't allow him the space and time to truly process them, and if there was one thing Sonic despised, it was feeling caged in. So, he did was he was world renowned for: run. And Chaos, was Shadow glad they managed to resolve the tangled-up knots of their relationship, or rather, their lack of relationship. Ah, perhaps he was being a bit unfair. It was good there was a resolution to their unofficial relationship, and yes, that was a more accurate term to describe whatever it was they had going on.
Shadow would not miss the many impromptu phone calls he received from both of their dumbasses, Amy crying about what was she doing wrong in regards to Sonic then getting pissy when Shadow told her how she was fucking up and Sonic venting about the double standards and how if he boderlined, if not outright, harassed Amy like she did him, people would rightfully call him a creep and demand that he keep away from her, which Shadow couldn't justly refute because it was true.
But growing up and maturing into the people they were now definitely helped mend and grow their relationship. Amy got better about regulating her emotions and respecting Sonic's boundaries. She also learned what kind of person she was beyond her feelings for Sonic and then took time to cultivate her new persona. Sonic, likewise, stopped running away from those less than pleasant emotions he wasn't allowed to truly deal with because the public had a hard time grasping that their True Blue Hero had off days too and was allowed to express a range of emotions not merely limited on being happy and carefree.
And here they both were, about to embark on a new journey together. Assuming everything went well, and Shadow would make sure it would, if only for his own sanity and peace of mind. If that meant he had to go on a date with a woman that was leagues above him, then so be it.
"I can literally hear you brooding, Shadow. I keep telling you that Sally's gonna adore ya, but you're deadest on being all aloof and melancholic. Ah, well. Guess ya can't truly get rid of an emo's edge." Sonic easily ducked, evading the object Shadow threw at him far too gracefully. Shadow scoffed in annoyance. What a showoff.
"You can scoff to the cows come home, but my point still stands. I know Sally is a part of the upper echelon, but she's not condescending or up her own ass. She's far from it, actually, and I don't know why you think she'd be put off from being seen with you. From what Ames texted me, after her initial shock, she seemed to be really happy about the matchup," Sonic continued to elaborate, unwilling to let one of his best friends belittle themselves in front of him.
"And I told you this wouldn't work because I'm not her type. I'm not the type one could call more than a friend," Shadow countered, resolute in his stance.
"I'm pretty sure that entanglement you had with Rouge for a hot second would beg to differ, but if that's the hill you want to die on sure."
"I keep telling you that situation I had with Rouge doesn't count because it was doomed from the start, she liked Knuckles just as much, if not more."
"And I told you that Rouge's feelings weren't the sole reason why the whole situation fell through. Didn't you two only start that little friends with benefits shit when word came out that Sally was dating Scourge and Knuckles was dating Perci, or am I mistaken?" Sonic got a Chaos Spear thrown his was for his trouble, and he thanked Chaos he excelled at speed, or his face would be seriously butchered right now.
"Don't get mad at me for pointing out the truth! You, Rouge, and Knuckles did have that whole love triangle going on, and Rouge, did, at one point, really like you. She, like you, knew neither of you wanted to take it anywhere because you both had your hearts set on someone else, but were too stubborn to admit it. Besides, you two wouldn't be first ones to mess around within the friend group."
"What, like you and Sally?" Again, Sonic merely shrugged and let the jab roll of his back like water on a duck. Shadow didn't know why his refusal to rise to the bait irked him, but it did. It was probably because ordinarily, Sonic was the one trying to goad him into lashing out, but the shoe was on the other foot now, and it annoyed Shadow to no end.
"Yes, like Sally and I. We had a good thing going when we dated, but it fizzled out and we ended on amicable terms and are still attached to the hip even now, just not romantically. Sally dated Scourge, I dated Fionna, and now Sally's single and ready to mingle, I'm trying to see where this thing with Amy will take me, and Scourge and Fionna are dating. What I'm trying to say is that there's no shame in dating around so long as the people involved know where they stand."
"And does your pink Rose know about your past excursions, particularly your dalliance with Sally?" Shadow asked, genuinely curious.
"I mean, yeah. It's not like it was a secret, and Sally's not the only ex-girlfriend I have. She's just the one I'm closest too. I dated Fionna for awhile, and Mina Mongoose too, but those ended a little bit roughly than I expected, so while there's no hard feelings now, there was some awkward tension back then. Besides, that whole SalSonAmy shit was hilarious, although that was the reason why Amy didn't like Sally for the longest."
Shadow was glad he didn't take a sip of his coffee because he would've surely spat it out. At his genuinely flabbergasted look, Sonic couldn't help but burst out laughing. He laughed so hard there were bits of tears in the corner of his eyes.
"I forgot you were doing oversea missions when all of that shit was hitting the fan. Yeah, see, that's what I meant when I said your little Knuxougeshad triangle was pretty tame compared to that whole incident. Which, in my defense, and Sally's as well, I wasn't dating Amy, so it wasn't like I was cheating on her. And I told her she could date other people too, because again, we weren't dating, but Amy didn't want to date around, so that was how this whole feud with Sally, which was completely one-sided, by the way, came to be."
"So that's what Rouge was talking about. Apparently, Blaze had told her about it because Amy felt heartbroken over it. Like, really heartbroken over it," Shadow said, hoping Sonic was understanding what he was implying without him having to outright say it. At the weary look on his face and even wearier sigh, he knew his message was received.
"We're not even going to get into all of that because that's a part of the past I don't want to revisit unless it's with my therapist, but yes, she was, and yes, it was mess that I thank Chaos the media didn't sink its grubby hands into. Can you imagine the way that would've translated through social media? The blowback for all parties involved, not to mention the media frenzy that would have spawned because of it, would have been in epic proportions."
"Probably because despite all the tension, we managed to keep it amongst the friend group. That, and Rouge and Blaze locked Amy out of all her socials."
"Thank Chaos for small mercies like those. But either way, all of that's said and done. The point is people can change and grow. We've all had, in some ways, and you're not exempt from that, Shadow. Yes, you've done some funky shit at times, but you're not that person anymore, and we all know this, Sally especially. She really does enjoy your company. She thinks you're brilliant and easygoing and appreciate how serious and grounded you can be."
"I'm flattered that she thinks so highly of me, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around how she can go from someone as carefree and heroic and noble as you to someone jaded, aloof, and an antihero like me." He wasn't aware Sonic had moved he felt arms wrapping themselves around him in an unexpected but welcomed hug.
Nothing was said between the two of them, and Shadow used the silence to ground his spiraling thoughts. All of this self-loathing and poor perception of himself, which was ironic given how confident and self-assured he was, stemmed from extensive trauma that he was still dealing with that he didn't want anyone else to deal with, but especially her. What would she think of him if she knew just how low he stooped and how fucked up he was?
He took a shuddering breath, and cursed himself for being so weak, especially in front of his rival and brother in arms, someone who, despite how their personalities could clash, he considered to be a brother.
"Do you remember that incident when I turned into Dark Sonic, how I was overcome with anger and vengeance? I felt like I didn't have to right to call myself a hero because of my dark thoughts, because I had a low, vulnerable moment of perceived weakness. You told me that having bad days don't take away from the good ones and feeling angry and depressed doesn't make me any less of a hero. That's my humanity."
"You are one of my best friends, and someone I love like a brother. I cannot tell you how to feel or protect you from everything because some battles we have to fight ourselves. What I can do is support you along the way and be there waiting for you on the other side. If you really don't' want to do this, we don't have to. I can tell Sal something came up and it'll just be me and Ames. However, I really do think that you'll enjoy yourself if you give a chance. I'll respect whatever you choose though. No worries or hard feelings, I promise."
Shadow put a bit of space between them and discreetly wiped his eyes, and if Sonic noticed the tears, he kindly didn't point it out, respectfully everything his green eyes from a vulnerable moment, and Shadow appreciated him all the more. Maybe he'll buy him some chili dogs on this double date as a thank you. Sometimes he could forget how thoughtful and perceptive the Blue Blur was, but he supposed he wouldn't be a hero worth his salt if he couldn't pick up on people's emotions and distress.
His mind made up, he met Sonic's gaze and flashed him a cocky grin.
"And miss out on the chance to show you out? In your dreams, Faker."
Thank you for being there for me in a vulnerable moment and letting me choose for myself, was what went unsaid, but Sonic got the message loud and clear, grinning brightly and playfully slapping him on that back. As they grabbed their belongings and got ready to head out, Shadow could feel that lingering knot of anxiety sitting in his chest finally unravel.