12. Enthusiasm
Snow fluttered in the cool winter breeze, landing safely on the frozen ground. The sun's rays of light did nothing to ease the biting chill of winter wind, but Sally paid no mind to it. She sprinted through the tall mounds of white snow, hear head tilted backs as she laughed, sapphire eyes twinkling like gems.
Pausing, she bent down and scooped up a chunk of snow, molding it into an almost perfectly round snowball. Turning around, she scanned the park for a potential victim. Her eyes lit up and her lips curved into a mischievous smile as she stared at her victim.
This is gonna be good, Sally thought to herself, her smile growing wider still as she pulled her arm back, preparing to throw it. Ready, aim- Wait, where did he go?
Puzzled, her arm drooped to down, hanging limply at her side, though her hold on her snowball was secure; she looked around for any signs of her target.
"That's so weird. I could've sworn- Jesus Christ, that's cold!" Sally screeched as piercing cold suddenly flooded her system. Spinning around, she found herself staring into the amused crimson orbs of her target.
He was dressed in his usual attire, and the only means of warmth he had was a light blue scarf that was wrapped snugly around his neck. She remembered that scarf because she had knitted it for him awhile back. When she gave it to him, he merely scoffed and walked off, so it was surprising for her to see him wearing it.
She could've questioned him about it, but thought better against it. He would end up denying his true reasons anyway; he certainly was a peculiar person at times, but she was deeply pleased that he was wearing it nonetheless.
"Rule number one, dear princess: never let your guard down," he said, smirking at her. He felt the tiniest bit nervous when he saw Sally smirking back at him.
"You're right about that, hedgehog, but maybe you should heed your own advice," she said before hurling her snowball at his shocked face. "Bull's-eye!" she shouted before scurrying off, laughing. Shadow remained standing where he was as his shock slowly wore off. When it did, he wasted no time in scooping up snow and making snowballs before he ran after her.
The pair threw snowballs back and forth at each other, and Sally felt her face glowing with the happiness she felt. It was a rarity to see Shadow so open and relaxed, and she was glad that he was making progress.
A squeal escaped her lips as she was suddenly tackled to the ground, her arms firmly pinned down. Shadow sat on top of her, smiling in victory, crimson eyes gleaming down at her.
"Looks like I won, princess," Shadow declared, his voice slightly breathless. She said nothing as she stared at him. It suddenly occurred to her that she was pinned down beneath him, and she couldn't deny the desire she now felt. Her hands gripped his scarf and pulled him forward so that their lips met in a kiss that warmed Sally's very soul. She trembled in pleasure as Shadow's tongue mapped out her mouth, and she gripped his scarf tighter in response.
She appreciated moments like these that were shared between them, when they really let loose and completely lost themselves in each other, and damn, did she love losing herself with Shadow.
"That you did," she said once their lips parted. Shadow pressed another kiss to her lips before helping her up. She could tell by the way his eyes had darkened that he was just as effected as she was.
They stared at each other in pleasant silence, each sporting a laidback smile on their faces. Said silence was soon shattered, though, when Sally, still lost in the sensations, shoved Shadow into the snow and took off running.
"Best two out of three!" she called over her shoulder. And the hunt was on once again.