010. Desire

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"Rouge," Tikal pleaded, "I really don't want to go in there."

"Tikal! You need this. Every girl needs to party and so do you!" Rouge pointed out her dress, "I mean look at you, you're gorgeous!"

The girl gazed down at her dark green dress. Much to her dislike, it was a short dress revealing her legs openly. It wasn't a surprise that her batty friend picked it out for her.

"Honey, loosen up," Rouge said and slyly added, "You'll make the boys woo for you."

She blushed furiously and let her friend drag her into the club. Tikal wobbled behind her as they were making their way to the front. During that, the echidna nervously looked around. People were dancing, drinking or making out. She quickly looked away with a hot face as she made sure she didn't lose her hold on Rouge.

Rouge stopped walking, making Tikal do so as well. "R-Rouge?"

"Oh, Knuckieeeee!" Rouge called out teasingly.

The red echidna turned around with a glare. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

She shrugged with a smirk. "Can't help it."

"Well you better start helping it because it's annoying!" Knuckles stated as he gritted his teeth. His anger settled down when he noticed someone behind her. "Who's that?"

Tikal meekly popped her head out before nervously coming into frame.

Knuckles's eyes widened in horror. "You brought Tikal here?!" he hissed, "What were you thinking?!"

Rouge only rolled her eyes. "I was thinking that she should have fun once in a while," she said, "She looks stunning in that dress, don't you think?!"

Tikal gave her relative a stressful look.

Knuckles shook his head and walked up to her. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"What?! No!" Rouge yelled before Tikal could say anything and slapped his hand down, "She's not going anywhere!"

"You literally dragged her here when she didn't want to go!" Knuckles was agitated now, "Seriously? What kind of friend does that?!"

"A good friend!" the bat answered completely offended, "And how dare you speak to a lady like that?!"

Her relative laughed humourlessly. "Oh please, as if you are one."

"Excuse me?!"

Tikal stared between them back and forth. Just seeing the two barking at each other was quite eventful... and scary. As much as the idea of her tip-toeing away was good, she didn't want either of them to get hurt. She began to open her mouth but a familiar voice had beaten her to it.

"Will you two shut up already?"

Her blood went cold.

No. No.

Please don't tell me that's-

"Shadow!" Rouge exclaimed, her mood changing instantly, "What a surprise to see you here."

"You guys are loud," the black hedgehog stated, ignoring her greeting. He sat down on the stool with his drink, "Seriously, I could hear you from the back."

"It was her fault," Knuckles had sneered, "Bringing innocent Tikal here. What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" Rouge screeched, "Tikal should be able to go wherever she wants without your consent!"

"Yeah, but did she want to come here?" he snarled. Rouge stayed quiet. "Exactly!"

"Well, she's here now. All dressed up," she said and crossed her arms, "Too late for that."

Knuckles squinted his eyes, feeling more annoyed than ever. "Whatever! Tikal, don't be afraid to call me if you want to get out of here."

The thing was, Tikal wanted to go home badly. But she felt eyes locked onto her and she knew it was his. Even though she wasn't directly looking at them, she knew she wasn't going to be gone easily.

"N-No," Tikal stuttered and she smiled forcefully, "I'm fine Knuckles. Please go and have fun."

Knuckles and even Rouge herself gave the girl a surprised look.

"What?" Knuckles was bewildered, "Are you sure?"

Her lips quivered but she held it down. Tikal nodded. "I'm sure."

Rouge winked at her and turned to Knuckles. "See? She doesn't mind!" she said and linked her arm around him. "Now, dance with me."

"Huh?!" the echidna felt himself getting dragged away. He shot Tikal a look, but she insisted with a small thumbs up.

Once the two were gone, Tikal felt herself shaking suddenly. Her teeth chattered slightly and it didn't help that she still refused to look to her left.

Why was she so scared? Oh yes, because the man whom she was inches away from was looking directly at her. She lifted her shoulders, rubbing a hand on her bare arm. She had to go. There was no way she could face him.

"Heeeeeey, pretty lady."

Tikal quickly turned around to see a red fox. She immediately noted how messy his clothes were and that the smell of alcohol coming from him was not a good sign.

"Aren't you beautiful," he said with a grin and went to grab her hand, "What are you doing out here alone?"

The girl retracted her hand before the fox could touch it. "U-Um, excuse me..."

However, he blocked her from going any further. The lust in his eyes was evident, seeing that they were staring at her up and down. Tikal took a hesitant step back. "Why don't you dance with me? It'll be fuuun..."

Tikal felt helpless and was about to respond but she felt a hand pull her back from the stranger. Her eyes widened and she snapped her head up to see that it was Shadow.

"She's with me," he said lowly, a flash of irritancy in his eyes.

The fox sent him an annoyed look. "And who are you?" he asked and went forward to reach for Tikal's hand again.

Shadow grabbed his wrist to stop him from doing so. He shot a venomous glare as his grip started to increase. "No one you should be messing with."

He let go, leaving the drunk stranger to hold his wrist with a hiss. The fox cursed and walked away, muttering a few words underneath his breath.

Tikal stared after him, trying to process with what had just happened. If Shadow hadn't intervened the fox was surely going to take advantage of her.

She blushed when realising that the hedgehog was standing next to her. Tikal faced him as she rubbed her arm. "Th-Thank you."

Shadow flickered his eyes over to her. "I don't know why Rouge thought it was okay to bring you here," he frowned, "If you didn't want to go, you should've said so."

The echidna averted her eyes to the side. "I did. But she didn't listen..."

The fact she was refusing to look at him frustrated him greatly. He squinted before taking a hold of her hand. She looked at their hands and shot her eyes up at him in panic. He noticed this and almost let go, but he didn't. No. This time he wouldn't let her run.

Tikal's heart beat quickened.

Shadow analysed her flushed face but didn't comment on it. "Would you like to sit down?"

She pursed her lips together, and saw that his eyes trailed down to them. Letting out a yelp at that, she agreed frantically. "O-Okay."

She let him hold his hand as they went past through the groups of people. Tikal ignored the faint 'woos' and whistles directed at her and wasn't surprised when she felt Shadow's hand squeezing hers.

Once the crowd seemed to have dwindled, he sat her down onto a stool. Tikal helplessly adjusted the hem of her dress, trying to cover as much of her skin as possible.

Shadow sat next to her, giving a side glance in which she caught before he poured water into a glass. "Here."

She watched him as he slid the glass over to her. She glanced at him and silently thanked the man, lifting the glass up to her lips and took a few sips.

Putting it down gently, Tikal closed her eyes. Music was playing but she didn't want to focus on that. Neither did she want to focus on the hedgehog sitting next to her. Without realising, she shivered openly, rubbing her arms in hopes to gain some warmth.

"You should've worn a jacket," she heard Shadow say. Tikal felt alert when he took off his suit coat and handed it over to her.

Blinking, she sheepishly took it from him and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her nose caught the scent of his cologne but she brushed it off and huddled into the coat.

"There's a cut," he started and she followed his eyes down onto the slight upper part of her thigh, "What happened?"

Heat threatened her cheeks. Oh, why did Rouge have to push her to her limits? This dress was too much for her liking that it had to show a cut on her leg. Also, his attention were on them and that added her embarrassment.

"B-Badniks," she replied nervously covering it, "One of the metal pieces got stuck and..."

Tikal stopped. She was talking too much. Deciding that was enough information for the man to conclude, she nodded meekly.

Shadow just stared at her before blinking away from it. There was tint of guilt within his eyes. "All right."

Feeling a little relieved, she sighed softly and paid attention to her glass. It was so awkward. She wanted to leave and hide under her covers forever. She wanted to perhaps take a walk, get her mind settled and such. Take in the fresh air and see the chaos again for comfort.

But of course, fate decided that hanging out with Shadow the Hedgehog was a brilliant idea. She hated to say this, but it felt like she was being punished. Punished for being so stupid and scared.

She shouldn't be afraid of Shadow... right?

...xXx...

"Sh-Shadow?" she gasped as his hand crawled up underneath her skirt.

"What did you do to me?" he growled, their bodies touching one another's.

Tikal felt that it was getting unbearably hot. "I-I don't understand," she stuttered obliviously, heat spreading across her face.

"Don't play games with me," Shadow glared at her, pushing her against the wall deeper, "You know exactly what you did."

She looked at him helplessly. "But I-"

He kissed her. Tikal froze, her eyes widening. The heat from her cheeks rushed down to her neck. Shadow... was kissing her! It felt like a dream, a fantasy. Naturally, she shut her eyes and slowly began to kiss him back. She tried to keep up with his movements, but his hunger got the better of him. Maybe because his touches were making her weak, maybe because she was letting him do this.

He pulled away, a string of saliva breaking apart between them. Tikal's eyelids closed halfway as she breathed heavily. Before she could do anything, Shadow ravished her lips again. She looped her arms around his neck, pulling him in more. He groaned, his hands sliding down her petite body. Tikal let out a few whimpers but Shadow thought nothing of them. Instead, his lips left her own as the went further down onto her neck. He left soft kisses until she felt his teeth, making her grimace. It was until she felt his hand fiddling with the lace of her underwear that she finally resisted.

"S-Stop!" Tikal squeaked, pushing him off of her. The warmth immediately disappeared as his body left hers. She stood there, shocked, touching the fresh kiss mark on her neck. Gritting her teeth in embarrassment, she looked up at Shadow who was just as surprised by his actions.

"I-I..."

"Tikal, I'm-"

She hastily looked down and ran off, leaving him standing there in shock.

...xXx...

She hugged his blazer coat tighter around her, hiding the reddened face she was producing at the memory. The way his hands moved around her body was no was no dream, no mistake. It was like he wanted it to happen for years.

His lips. They were so soft. Despite his arrogant and unspoken nature towards others, he had a side that he rarely showed. She didn't realise until recently how lucky she was to witness it.

As much as she was shy to admit it, Shadow had some sort of attraction towards her. There was no denying that. When they were talking earlier, she didn't miss the subtle glances he gave down her body. There was a flash of lust in those ruby eyes, and then they quickly spawned back to normal. But, they gave off a different feeling than the ones the other men had given her.

Did Shadow attract her?

She imagined his face in her mind.

Shadow was very handsome. Not like she hadn't known that already. She was told that he attracted many females, but brushed them off coldly. She felt bad for them, as Shadow was simplistic and straight forward with most of his answers. One could say he was an aromantic. But after those events, he was indeed the opposite.

His eyes were really something. Not many people had red coloured eyes, so it was a first for her. They were... beautiful. Easy to get lost in.

Strong? Shadow was definitely strong. Like Sonic, he could run fast and defeat badniks with no problem. Though his powers were much more precise and deadly, he was calm and collected when using them. He'd defeat the enemy in a blink of an eye.

Tikal refused to fight by any means. Her pacifist nature caused the black hedgehog to save her countless of times. At first, he'd snap at her for going into danger. That was because he didn't know. Once she told him, he still didn't seem to grasp the concept of not fighting for self defence. Though as time went on, he gradually became less annoyed and just saved her with no comment. They became acquaintances, friends. She was so happy.

He protected her, with his strong and sturdy arms. It was something that flustered her dearly.

After that night, it was all she could think about. She easily avoided him like a plague, but her heart hurt terribly. Whenever they made eye contact at meetings or battles, he'd look away or vice versa. She felt upset by it. And she came to the conclusion that yes, she did have some infatuation towards him. She liked him. She had romantic feelings for him. She wanted him. She wanted Shadow the Hedgehog.

She was just... she was just so overwhelmed by all of it.

Tikal glanced over to the man. Shadow didn't seem to care to really register what was going on in his surroundings, for his phone was too busy occupying him. He probably got the impression that she didn't want to talk to him.

Feeling a little bravery building up inside her, she slowly stood up from the stool. Shadow's attention went off from his phone completely as he looked up at the girl. Tikal almost shrunk under his stare but fought it off. "C-Can I stay over for the night?"

Knowing how wrong and foolish that sounded, she blushed a horrid red. Rouge was probably going to be busy with Knuckles tonight, and she was the one who had the keys to the house. Tikal saw his eyes widen before they quickly relaxed. Pocketing his phone, Shadow got up from his seat and intertwined their fingers without a word. He walked her out of the club and Tikal couldn't help but take in the fresh air. She needed that.

She looked up at Shadow, seeing that he hadn't said anything or faced her yet. The sounds of her heels were the only thing occupying their walk. Tikal gazed down at them. She had been walking in them for hours. It shouldn't hurt to just take them off now. She'd rather walk barefooted than have her feet aching for the rest of the night.

Tikal tugged on his hand making the hedgehog reluctantly stop and turn his head to her. The echidna let go of his hand and began to lift her legs, letting the strap loose free from her heels as she took the both of them off. She held the straps with her two fingers as she intertwined their hands again.

Shadow glanced down at her feet before looking back at her. "You're going to get cold."

Tikal gazed back at him, a small smile lining her lips. "It doesn't matter... I'm used to it."

He caught her smile and refrained himself from getting too happy about it. The hedgehog let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head and removed his suit coat off of her.

She tilted her head at that before feeling his hand underneath her legs and the other on her back. The echidna yelped and shot her blue eyes up at him. He didn't look back and instead stared forward, his signature frown on his lips as he sped off.

Tikal leaned against his chest, squeezing her eyes shut. His speed was incredible that she still didn't adjust herself to it. She couldn't help but steal a glance up at him. The frown was still stuck on his face but that didn't change the fact he was still so captivating. She resisted the urge to lay a hand on his cheek and gazed ahead.

They came to a stop. He gently put her down as he fished for his keys in his pocket. Shadow unlocked the front door and motioned the echidna to go in first. She nodded in thanks as she scurried inside away from the breeze. She heard the door shut from behind, and Shadow walked past her, flicking on the light switch.

"Would you like anything to eat?" he asked her, disappearing into the kitchen.

Tikal slowly trailed after him, rubbing her arm. "J-Just water's fine."

"Again?" Shadow leaned back from his fridge to look at her.

She just nodded, unsure of what else to say.

He grunted and pulled out a carton of orange juice instead. Tikal quietly made her way into his living room and sat down onto the couch, adjusting the hem of her dress. Shadow came to view a few seconds later and handed her the small glass of juice. Tikal reached for the glass, and their fingers brushed lightly.

Startled, she looked at him with pink cheeks, slowly retrieving the drink from him. Lips hidden beneath the rim of her glass, she watched as the hedgehog took off his suit coat and neatly folded it, placing it onto a nearby chair. Tikal finished her sip from the drink and anxiously laid the glass down the coffee table. She then brought her legs up onto the couch, fiddling with her dress once more.

The urge of wanting his lips to press against her skin suddenly played through her mind.

No, Tikal! You were raised better than this!

But... but she couldn't help it. It just felt so right. The urges were too strong to fight off.

"Let me make this clear," his deep voice echoed in the room. Tikal snapped out of her trance as Shadow lifted his legs up onto the couch, facing her. "My feelings are still the same," he looked directly at her, his features serious, "I don't know why I've been like this, but I can't seem to stop myself from being with you," the man glared at her as he started to lean in slowly, "Just what did you to me?"

Apprehensive of his forwardness to the subject, Tikal felt herself burn up and leaned away slightly. "I-I don't know..."

It-It's happening again...

"Stop lying," he growled lowly and his body came in contact with hers as he pressed her onto the cushions, "Just stop."

"I-I'm not," she responded truthfully, weak against his touches as he pinned her down, "Sh-Shadow..."

Fear crept into her stomach. What was she suppose to do? He had her where he wanted her for so long. Nothing she was saying was getting through to him. He was glaring at her, frustration starting to build up in him. She could see it and felt powerless against it.

His fingers started to crawl up her leg and she yelped softly when they went under her dress.

"What do you want me to do, Tikal?" Her named rolled off his tongue, and it was getting unbearably hot with how close they were, "Should I let you go?" His hand began to rub her upper thigh, "Or let you stay?"

Trembling, she lifted up her right hand and buried it under his quills. Shadow didn't seem the least bit surprised at that and her actions pretty much answered his question.

Eyes half-lidded, the man hovered his lips closely over hers. Tikal steadily moved her hand onto his chest, wanting to almost push him back as their lips were just inches away. She took in his minty scented breath, his sensual touches on her thigh, his gentle low cooing voice.

Shadow looked at her then averted his eyes down her lips. Feeling alert, Tikal built up the energy to resist but before she could use it, Shadow had landed his lips onto hers. All the strength she had in her hand immediately vanished. Her irises turned hazy as she timidly kissed him back, lips moving in sync with his.

Tikal felt tears prickle underneath her lids. She let them fall, squeezing her eyes shut as she wrapped her thighs around the hedgehog's hips. He pulled away but they were still so close. He seemed to have noticed her tears but said nothing of it. Instead, Shadow brushed them away with his lips before making his way down her neck. He moved her long dreads away and caught the faint bite mark he remembered putting there.

Embarrassed, Tikal quickly covered it with her hand. "P-Please don't..."

His features washed with guilt. "Does it hurt...?"

She closed one eye and brushed her fingers over it. "It doesn't, b-but..."

Shadow's gaze went back onto it. Steadily, he removed her hand away from the mark. Her breathing hitched when feeling his warm breath over it. She relentlessly withered around but slowed down to realise that he was placing soft pecks on her neck. She flinched when his tongue began lapsing her skin but Shadow gripped her wrist, preventing such potential escape.

The echidna let the man continue his administrations, a few whimpers and squeaks escaping from her. She squeezed her thighs anxiously against his hips, earning a groan from him. Shadow pulled away, putting his hand's attention on her leg. He held it under her knee, letting it rest on his shoulder and kissed it all the up to the upper part of her thigh, dangerously close to the hem of her dress.

Shadow stopped when seeing the echidna's legs shaking. Letting out a soft sigh, he pulled away and locked his gaze back over to her. Tikal looked back at him, face completely flushed as she slowly sat up, pulling her knees against her chest shamefully.

"Y-You've fallen in love with me," Tikal stated bravely sobbing quietly.

He didn't say anything and instead just averted his eyes down. The hedgehog rubbed his temples, a small headache forming. "So it seems."

Her heart fluttered at the sound of that and Tikal didn't think twice when she went closer to him, closer to the point where she got on top of his lap. Shadow watched as her hand framed his face.

"Do you not want to be?" she asked, biting her lip. Being this close to him made her quiver slightly.

His frowned flattened. "No," Shadow whispered. He suddenly took her other hand and brushed his lips against her finger tips.

"Th-Then," Tikal trailed off as his eyes flickered over to her, "I feel the same..."

She felt him stiffen but she didn't break off her stare. Hearing someone confess their feelings back to you was a new feeling for Shadow and so the redness against his muzzle was no mistake.

Tikal smiled upon seeing that. "Ever since... that day," she nervously spoke, "I-I haven't been able stop thinking about you," the echidna let out a quiet laugh, "I've never felt this way before with someone. You're so... mysterious, Shadow," Tikal trailed her eyes down to their hands, "What," she then looked back at him, "What made you..."

"You caught my attention," Shadow answered her when she trailed off, "I refused to believe myself about it but then," the hedgehog lifted his other hand up to touch her one that caressed his face, "I saw how you were like with everyone," he said before sighing, "You... hated fighting. I never understood it because all my life I've been fighting for my own right. But then I realised how afraid you were to even come with us to the battlefield."

"I don't like hurting people," Tikal stated in a mere whispered, "Even if they're my enemy..."

Shadow cracked a smile. "I know. That's why I wanted to keep protecting you," his lips turned into a frown, "Then... it became something different. I thought you put some sort of spell on me," he closed his eyes, "I had these feelings for you and it just wouldn't go away..."

Tikal exhaled a shaky breath she was apparently holding. "That night... were you out of control?"

He opened his eyes. "I couldn't control myself after realising what was happening to me and I just..." Shadow gave her a guilty look, "I'm sorry."

She pressed her lips together before parting them. "I-I'm sorry for running away like that."

"You had every right to," Shadow shook his head, "If you didn't then..."

Tikal felt pressured for him to continue. "Th-Then...?"

"I would be out of my mind," he said, "I'd completely lose it."

Once again, she knew the answer to the next question but decided to ask anyway. "...Because?"

His stare hardened but it gradually softened. "Because I'm in love with you, Tikal."

She smiled, tears staining her face again. "I don't want to be afraid anymore," Tikal pressed their foreheads together, "So please show me that you do."

Shadow's eyes widened. "Tikal-"

She kissed him. It was a bold action and she didn't even think she could do it, but she did. And she didn't want to hold him back anymore with her fear and clumsiness. She finally felt the same way, even after those months of not being able to properly reciprocate everything. She had... fallen in love with him too. Who would guessed that opposites do attract?

Shadow closed his eyes and moved his lips along with hers, using the same hunger and strength he had prior. Slithering his hands onto her sides, he laid her down and hovered over the echidna.

He pulled away briefly, just enough so he could take in her frame. She was intoxicating. Soft features were adorably flushed, cheeks a flattering red; Tikal's lips just parted slightly, releasing shaky breaths. The hedgehog felt a little amused to see that the girl's eyes were half-lidded with arousal and an almost drug-like haze.

Shadow was no fool. And Tikal knew that. Beneath the desire that slowly burned in her crystal blue eyes, Shadow could see the fear—the insecurity, the anxiety. He knew without her telling him that because in the back of her mind, unpleasant—unwanted memories were trying to break through. Despite her confident move from a few minutes ago, Tikal's body was instinctively tense and she'd fidget beneath him, as if she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

Tikal wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, desperately. "Please?" she asked, her voice a gentle whisper.

She saw him analysing her eyes again, letting him see her want—her need, her affection.

With a hardened line on his lips, Shadow obliged and finally leaned down to kiss her once again.

...

Hardly anyone was at the cafe during the late afternoon.

In her uniform, Tikal began walking up to a table to take their order. Though, her walking slowed down as she noticed Knuckles, Rouge and... Shadow sitting on the empty table. Knuckles and Rouge were sitting together whilst Shadow sat alone on the opposite side. Her relative and the bat seemed to be bickering on about something and the black hedgehog was hardly paying attention as he sat there with a bored expression. However his red eyes flickered over to her as she neared and Tikal flinched, a heated blush forming her cheeks as her grip tightened on her notepad and pen. Hesitantly, she continued dragging her feet towards the table.

"Tikal!" Rouge greeted her happily. Though, Tikal didn't miss the eye twitch that her friend gave off. Knuckles should probably go easy on her...

"H-Hi," the echidna stuttered and pulled out her notepad in front, "What would you guys like to order?"

Rouge had told her the drink she wanted and Knuckles grudgingly muttered about wanting a regular coffee. Tikal wrote their orders down before slowly turning her gaze to Shadow. The echidna already knew what he wanted so she quickly jotted down a latte for him without a word.

She nodded at all of them with a smile and turned to go to another table, but Rouge's hand stopped her from doing so.

"Tikal," Rouge said, making the orange echidna turn around to face her. The bat's eyes trailed down her leg, "What's that on your leg?"

Tikal blinked and looked down at her black pencil skirt, locating what she was looking at. "Oh! That's just a cut from when we had that battle with the badniks."

Rouge didn't seem too convinced as she raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she pondered, "Because it looks like a hickey."

Knuckles choked on his water and snapped his head towards Tikal's leg. "What?!"

Tikal frantically stared at her thigh closely to where the cut apparently was and indeed, it was a hickey. The bite covered the cut that was there.

"Who... who gave you that?!" Knuckles stuttered as he shot his head up to his relative. Poor thing.

Rouge gave her a knowing look. "Well, well, well. Someone was having fun."

"Rouge!" Knuckles barked, "I told you dragging her along the party wasn't a good idea! Perverts were everywhere!"

Tikal blushed furiously at the comment and looked at her thigh once more. What could've...?

The images of last night immediately shot into her head.

The echidna bit her lip. Sh-Shadow!

She dragged her eyes over to the hedgehog and he was suggestively smirking at her. He was enjoying this. Tikal wanted to wipe it off him because he was watching her suffer and embarrass herself in front of her relative and close friend! Th-That wasn't fair! She was so stupid not to have noticed earlier!

"It-It's not what you think," Tikal blundered, fruitlessly trying to deny it.

As much as he was finding it a pleasure to see the female echidna struggling and the other two teasing and lecturing her, Shadow couldn't let her face this alone. Actions took responsibilities after all. Shaking his head, he slowly stood from his seat, gaining the attention of Knuckles and Rouge. Tikal paused and nervously looked over to the man as he came closer to her, taking and lifting up her left hand in the process. Shadow brushed his lips over her fingers and Tikal's eyes widened, dropping her head down to cover the embarrassment evident on her face.

Shadow pulled his lips away and turned his head to an amused white bat and an utterly gobsmacked red echidna.

"I'm dreaming, I'm freaking dreaming," Knuckles said, his mouth hanging as he pinched himself, "Y-You and Tikal...?"

"This is a surprise," Rouge suddenly said, a smile twitching upon her lips, "Looks like miracles do happen."

Tikal hid her warm face with her dreads as much as possible.

Shadow looked over to her. "Yeah," he lifted her head up with his hand under her chin. The echidna fumbled with her words and he chucked. "They do."

He went forward so that their faces were unbearably close. "I love you," Shadow whispered gently. The words made Tikal weak again and she smiled shyly, letting him capture her lips.