016. Oranges
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It was her first day at work today.
And she was running late!
Her phone buzzed erratically, messages and missed calls from Sonic and Amy appearing on her screen from their group chat.
Tikal, where are you?! You're gonna be late!
Please Tikal! If you're not there with us, then I'D have to deal with Amy's wrath alone...
Oh shut up, Sonic. I'm right here!
Goodness, leave it to her dreadful sleeping pattern that made her miss the first three alarms that rang five minutes from each other this morning. Tikal had to practically rush her shower as well as quickly trying to make herself look decently presentable. As she had no time to make breakfast, she opted out in quickly reaching for a cereal bar from her cupboard before making the excruciating dash to her nearest train station.
Once the echidna had gotten to her platform, the train had thankfully arrived on the dot of her arrival. Sighing in relief with fifteen minutes to spare, Tikal had noticed the packed train stopping. While she would usually wait for the next train (since it would most likely be less busy), she didn't want to be late and risk losing this job. So when the passengers coming out of the train got off, she quickly jumped in, trying her best to avoid stepping on someone's toe.
There weren't any seats available, which Tikal expected, so she held one hand onto the nearest pole as the entry doors closed shut. When the train began to move, she held onto her bag strap tightly, avoiding any eye contact with the other passengers who towered over her.
She took a glance at the map sticker behind her.
Two more stops.
As Tikal exhaled lightly, the train stopped again at the next station. She took a peak at the people going out and the people coming in. Her small claustrophobia kicked in when the train became even more packed, resulting her to step away from the people with big bags in order not to get squashed by them.
Tikal held onto another pole near the closed exit door on the other side. She pressed her lips together when the train doors shut again. She couldn't see anything now, as the business people mostly crowded the vehicle. It was a god send that there was air conditioning otherwise the echidna would've been sure that she'd pass out.
As the train began to move forward, the force managed to cause some people to lose balance and crash into one another. While that didn't bother Tikal as she was huddled into a corner, she didn't expect to have a figure toppling over her.
And she certainly didn't expect a pair of lips crashing onto her own either.
What?
Like saucers, Tikal's eyes widened when realising the situation. Her eyes met a pair of red ones, which also mirrored her expression. They stayed frozen for a few seconds before she gasped, the person immediately pulling away from her out of abrupt panic.
She was stunned, a rush of heat attacking her cheeks as she snapped up at the male. He stared down at her, his left hand held against the pole. Tikal noticed he was a great deal taller than her and that daunted on her uncomfortably.
"Sorry," he said quietly, awkwardly shifting his eyes to the corner.
Tikal gulped as she tried to calm her nerves down. "It's o-okay."
As the train sped along, the echidna couldn't help but take a small glance at the man's attire. He was wearing a typical black business suit, a blazer and tie and everything that you'd see from anyone working at a big company. She assumed that he did work in one as her gaze travelled down the black brief case he was carrying in his other hand.
She noticed how close he was to her. The echidna risked a glimpse at the side of his face. While she couldn't see a lot, he was most definitely a hedgehog as his black and red streaked spikes were well stood out. From the corner of his lips, a slight frown was shown.
Oh wow, she was idly observing someone whom she had her first kiss with.
The thought and realisation shook Tikal and made her blush again, dragging her eyes down to the floor of the train. His fresh cologne reached her nostrils but she tried her best to not get caught up on it.
She never really opted out in being in a relationship and she always thought a kiss was something important and meant to be out of love.
However, that... that was unexpected.
Tikal peeked another look at him, only to find the hedgehog's eyes met her this time. She flinched, her mouth suddenly fumbling and quivering as she quickly broke it off again.
What was wrong with her?
She felt relieved when the train stopped at her destination. The door opened behind her and she stepped out onto the platform without a second glance before gingerly exiting her way out of the station.
She heard footsteps behind her. In fact, she heard a lot of footsteps behind her. Though, these ones felt louder than the others...
As Tikal went up the steps to go out of the station, she risked a turn of her head sideways to see who it was.
Of course, it was him.
However he had turned and walked the opposite way when they were outside. The echidna suddenly stopped and stood there for a second, a lingering sensation building inside her stomach as the bystanders rushed past her. Her fingers were brought up to her lips, brushing them gingerly as the warm feeling refused to subside her pale figure.
Tikal jolted when her phone buzzed again, snapping her out of the such ludicrous thoughts. Getting it out of coat pocket, she answered. "Hello?"
"Tikal!" Amy's voice barked, "Where are you?! The meeting's about to start!"
Her eyes widened and she quickly made a run for it, zooming past everyone as she neared the entrance. "Sorry! I'm almost there!"
...
Tikal sighed exhaustingly as she exited the building later in the afternoon, the cool breeze hitting her dreads smoothly. She smiled softly. Although she was almost late, her boss was really nice and insisted on the new comers to relax as it was their first week. Designing graphics was always a hobby of Tikal's and so she did her very best when listening to her boss's and colleagues about tips and advice. Amy did pester her at lunch about sleeping in early next time, and the bickering between her pink friend and Sonic never seemed to stop towards the end of it.
She laughed quietly as she continued to make her way towards the station. She couldn't wait to go home. A warm bath would be-
"Excuse me," a deep voice stopped Tikal in her tracks, "You dropped this."
The echidna blinked and turned around, looking at her keychain that she dropped. "Oh!" she held out her hand to take it as she looked at the person who picked it up, "Thank-"
Her words faltered when her blue eyes met red again. She gasped, almost snatching back her keychain from his hand when her cheeks heated up. The hedgehog seemed to have been taken aback by her snapped action as he stared at her with mild interest. Though, his gaze changed upon realisation when his eyes glossed with familiarity.
"Thank you!" Tikal said quickly, the squeakiness of her voice erupting her throat.
A leaf blew by on the pavement.
"...You're welcome," the male slowly told her, the awkward tension arising. He just simply nodded and walked past her without a second glance. Tikal stayed in her position, hearing his footsteps fade away before placing a hand against her chest.
Oh my goodness, Tikal thought. She saw him again, and he also seemed to have worked close by? When she entered this particular area, she noticed that he wore the same uniform as other workers when she went out on her lunch break with Sonic and Amy. Perhaps he worked for a company that competed with her own?
She shook her head, why did it matter? Because he was her first-?
Oh, right.
Even on her first day at work, she was so busy to even have the time to still fully process that... flustering event.
Tikal slapped her hands against her cheeks.
Bath, eat and sleep.
She hoped it would go in that order.
...
"Whatcha workin' on there, Tikal?" Sonic asked her the next morning in their office. He had kept eyeing on her work as he walked passed her.
The echidna smiled at his genuine curiosity. "I'm working on a logo for our new t-shirts," she explained, pointing at two of her experiments of the bubble-like writing on her screen, "Though, I'm struggling to pick what colour would work for it. I was opting to go for a blue shade or a red shade?"
The blue hedgehog grinned. "Well, that's easy! Blue looks sooooo much better for that type of font!"
"I personally think red would go with it," Tikal heard Amy's voice say. She glanced at her pink friend who came up to them, looking at Tikal's computer screen, "Blue's so overused."
Sonic narrowed his eyes at the other hedgehog. "And you think red isn't?"
Amy scoffed and dragged her stare to him, pulling off the same expression. "I do."
Oh dear, Tikal thought hopelessly suddenly caught in between their daunting towering figures.
"You seriously wanna ruin Tikal's work by having it be red?!" Sonic said incredulously, "It's gonna look terrible!"
"Excuse me?!" Amy barked back as she leaned closer to him, "Ruin? The only person who'd ruin it would be you since you gave her such braindead advice!"
Sonic leaned closer to her. "Look who's talking!"
Amy gritted her teeth. "Look who's talking!"
"Blue."
"Red."
"Blue!"
"Red!"
"Blue."
"Re-"
"H-How about I use both colours?" Tikal nervously intervened, hesitantly lifting her hand up between them before anything got out of hand. Their competent gazes to each other disappeared as they shifted their looks down at her. She only smiled before clicking away on her computer, putting the shades of blue and red on her logo, "How do you guys like it now?"
The two hedgehogs leaned away from each other when they saw the design. Tikal bit her lip as she glanced at the both of them, noticing from their composures that they calmed down. She mentally exhaled in relief.
"Hmm, I like it!" Sonic cheered on, taking a closer look at the design, "Heh... whaddaya know," he scratched the back of his head, "Looks like they do go well together..."
"...Yeah," Amy cleared her throat sheepishly, stubbornly refusing to look at Sonic, "Y-You're right."
Tikal smiled as they walked away. She heard faint apologies coming out from the both of them to each other and she shook her head with a laugh.
Hours had passed before it had hit 8pm. She yawned, stretching her arms and looked around to see that the office was still quiet busy. Tikal stood up and grabbed her belongings before making her way to Sonic's desk.
"Are you able to drive me back home?" she asked him. Taking the train back and then making the walk to her apartment would be quite nerve wracking for her, especially at this time.
"Sorry Tikal," her blue friend told her, "Boss is making Amy and I stay here for another hour or two because of the ruckus we made earlier," he sweat dropped, grinning sheepishly. His then eyes widened, "Oh wait! I have a friend who finishes around this time, I'm sure he can give you a lift!"
Tikal was quickly unsure about the idea. "...Oh?"
"Ah, don't worry! He's a bit of a grump but he's got a heart!" He waved off confidently before getting out his phone, "Well, I think he does anyway..."
The echidna watched Sonic as he spoke to the person on the other end. She was alarmed by the bickering he got caught up in as well, causing her to have second thoughts on the journey.
Sonic sighed and ended his call before smiling over to her. "He's waiting outside for ya!"
Tikal hesitated for a moment before going along with it. "A-All right," she said, saying her goodbye to him. She spotted Amy and waved a farewell to her as well, the other making a gesture to call her when she was home. Tikal smiled and nodded before making her way out of the office and into the elevator. Once she stepped out of the building, a black car pulled up closer along the entrance. The windows were tinted so she couldn't make out the person in there.
A buzz from her phone caught her attention and she checked to see that Sonic had messaged her.
His car is full-on black with dark tinted windows if you're confused!
Ah. She quickly texted him back with a thanks and slowly made her way to the vehicle. Her hand latched onto the handle and opened it, getting into the passenger seat before closing it. When Tikal looked over to see who would be driving her—
Her eyes yet again connected with red.
"Oh my goodness!" Tikal yelped on instinct and flinched back.
The black red streaked hedgehog she was all too familiar with had his hand held onto the wheel as he stared back at her. "...Nice to see you again too."
She blushed feebly, her mind asking many questions. "Y-You know Sonic?"
"We've had a friendly rivalry in middle school," he bluntly told her and then looked ahead, "Where to?"
Tikal couldn't believe this was the third time she had bumped into him. Was... fate screwing with her in some way? Maybe so. She snapped out of her trance and told him the route to her apartment. He nodded and began to drive along the road.
The drive was quiet. Tikal leaned against the window, admiring the night lights that surrounded the city. Her eyes tried resisting the urge to look at her driver but it proved to embarrassingly fail when she realised she kept throwing him side glances.
Then perhaps she should start up a conversation...?
"W-What do you work as?" her voice let out before she could stop herself. The car stopped for a traffic light and the hedgehog adjusted the gear shift and then turned his head.
"I'm a manager at a car company," he simply said, not seeming to be all too bothered at her horrible conversation skills, "Turbo."
Oh. She had heard of that company before. Their graphics team were competitive people, she heard. "That's nice..."
His eyes turned back onto the road as he started driving again. "I guess it is."
Tikal stayed silent. He seemed so reserved. She had always been surrounded by people who liked to start up a conversation with her with no problem. So this style of pacing was something she wasn't used to. Though, she didn't seem to mind it. Perhaps he didn't like to strain his voice all that much. He was definitely the opposite of Sonic.
The car came to a halt. Her gaze set upon her apartment complex until she realised she was finally home. Tikal took a glimpse at her wrist watch seeing that it was just half past eight. She reached down to grab her bag and then hesitantly looked over to the man next to her.
"Thank you," Tikal said with a smile but it faltered slightly when she noticed that she never addressed him properly, "U-Um, I didn't quite catch your name...?"
He adjusted the gear shift once again and looked at her. "Shadow."
She didn't know what caused their eyes to lock onto each other's again. It was becoming a habit, almost. Maybe it was because the way his name rolled off of his tongue so casually. Maybe it was because she couldn't get her mind off of that accidental, yet... soft kiss back in the train.
Perhaps it was because his desired eyes had suddenly trailed down onto her lips.
Tikal held her breath back, her face heating up quickly as she gave him a jittery nod. "Th-Thank you, S-Sir!'
Her hand gripped onto the door handle of the car and opened it, but before she could get out of the vehicle, his hand had gripped on her arm. The echidna froze in position and alertedly turned her head to face him.
"It's a little rude to ask for someone's name and then not say your own back," Shadow stated smoothly, his expression still difficult to read.
The echidna gulped, focusing on his statement rather than focusing on his touch. "Tikal," she uttered before hastily pulling away from his hold and slid out of the vehicle. She shut the door quickly and scurried off into her apartment complex, her heart racing at an impeccable speed.
...
"Are you okay, Tikal? You're looking a little red over there."
Tikal jumped when she heard Amy's voice. "Y-Yes! I'm fine!"
The pink hedgehog didn't seem convinced as she raised an eye at her. "You sure? You've been jumpy all day."
"I-I have?" the echidna questioned obviously, her cheeks reddening a little more.
Amy didn't answer and instead eyed at the redness of the girl's face. Suspicious, she pressed a hand onto Tikal's forehead. The echidna wilted at the touch faintly. "Hmm, you don't seem to have a fever..."
"I don't..." Tikal said as Amy pulled her hand away.
Her friend leaned against her palm, confused. "Then why are you-"
Amy paused.
The echidna blinked.
Then she saw Amy's eyes gradually grow bigger.
Tikal bit her lip. She caught on.
"You're blushing over somebody?!" Amy abruptly stood up from her chair and slammed her hands down the table, scaring the other female. The pink hedgehog was suddenly squealing, "Oh my god, oh my god! Who is it? Who is it?!"
Amy unfortunately attracted the attention from a few people in the café because of her outburst. Tikal steadily quietened her friend down, knowing how overreactive she could get when it came to subjects like this.
The young graphics designer cleared her throat. "N-No one in particular..."
The other female rolled her eyes. "Come on, you can tell me!"
Tikal hesitantly looked around before setting her gaze back to Amy. "I'm not sure if you could call it a 'crush'. Something happened earlier last week and—"
"What happened?"
She saw that Amy had leaned closer to her, her eyes almost looking like a cat's. Her curiosity sure was something...
"On the train-"
"On the train?"
"It was a packed train so I was squashed between a few people," Tikal explained, "I-It moved and then... uhm," she swallowed, "H-He almost fell over me but he didn't and then he-"
"He didn't assault you, did he?!"
She stopped and then vigorously shook her head. "No! He didn't! He-"
"He what?!"
"W-We kissed!" Tikal finally spluttered out but also kept her voice to a minimum.
Amy leaned back and slumped onto her seat as a dumbfounded look covered her face. Though it didn't take long for her to start squealing and jumping. "You had your first kiss by accident and you're blushing over it?! That's so cute!"
"It's-"
"You have to tell me who it is!" Amy took a hold of her hands, "Is he handsome? Hot? Muscular even?!"
Tikal tensed slightly. "W-Well-"
"Echidna? Fox? Maybe a hedgehooog?"
"Um-"
"Jesus Amy, would you let the girl speak for just a second?"
She looked up to see Sonic taking a seat next to the pink hedgehog as he handed the both of them a cold drink.
"Oh, be quiet!" Amy huffed but took a sip of the drink anyway, "Tikal's got a huge crush and I wanna know who it is!"
The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes and then turned to Tikal. "Did Shadow take you home safely yesterday?"
Hearing his name made the heat she had just tried to resist flared onto her cheeks again. "Y-Yes, he did."
"Shadow took Tikal home yesterday?" Amy asked him a little surprised, "I thought he only takes the train."
"Only sometimes," Sonic shrugged chewing on his straw, "He took it once last week Monday, I think."
The female hedgehog's ears twitched. "Last week Monday?"
"Yeah, why?"
Amy immediately snapped her eyes to the echidna. "Tikal?"
Tikal pressed her lips together as her skin began to take a deeper toll in red. "Y-Yes?"
The red face and stuttering answered everything Amy needed to know.
"Call Shadow!" the pinked haired shook Sonic, "Call him now!"
Tikal's eyes widened like saucers as she intervened. "No, Amy-!"
Her pleads fell upon deaf ears.
"What?!" Sonic sounded offended, "You want to talk to Shadow?!"
"I have to!"
"For what reason?!"
"A reason an idiot like you wouldn't understand!"
"So you like Shadow now?" the blue hedgehog said in distaste as he abruptly stood up, "Am I not good enough for you?!"
"W-What?" Amy looked up at him as her own face bloomed red.
Sonic paused, slapping a hand over his mouth and descended down into his chair. A blush threatened his cheeks but he chewed at his straw again. "N-Nevermind..."
Awkward silence fell between the two as they looked at each other. Amy cleared her throat and turned to Tikal again-
To find that the seat was empty.
Both Sonic and Amy blinked in confusion. "Tikal?"
...
Tikal managed to step out of the cafeteria without a sound. For once, she was happy that the two hedgehogs were arguing. It gave her the perfect opportunity to slide out of her seat and leave.
Her mind shifted into her thoughts.
Amy now knew. And would possibly tell Sonic about it as well. While that wasn't much of a problem for Tikal, the real problem was how she was going to face Shadow whenever they meet again. Her friends knew him so there would be no doubt she'll stumble across him quite frequently now.
Taking a sip from the drink Sonic bought her, she pressed the elevator button to go up. She waited until the doors opened. Tikal kindly stepped aside for the people getting out, giving them a small smile as they thanked her. When the small crowd went, her eyes travelled across to a figure still standing inside. She trailed her gaze up and immediately regretted it.
Speak of the devil.
Professionally and calmly, there stood Shadow. One hand pocketed while the other held the same brief case from before. He noticed her quickly and Tikal snapped her head down as she walked in, anxiously pressing the button for her floor number. "H-Hi..."
"Hi," he responded when the doors closed.
Tikal stood close to the exit door, her back facing him. She had to speak too soon, didn't she?
When the doors opened to her floor, she began to walk out.
Until, of course, Shadow's hand stopped her again. "Wait."
Tikal turned her head. "Y-Yes?"
"I was suppose to have a meeting with somebody in their office on the top floor," he said, "But they're off sick. Though, I'm still able to go into the room with an access card. You're a graphics designer, correct?"
Not trusting words, the echidna slowly nodded.
Shadow nodded. "Good. I would like to interview you for a possible position at my company."
She was taken aback. "I'm... sorry?"
"For you to be working in this building, you must be impressive," he explained, "Knowing how your boss is picky with his employees."
"O-Oh..."
"But... you don't have to if you don't want to," Shadow then told her, noticing her lack of optimism, "I can easily find another-"
"No!"
Her outburst kept him quiet as he let go of her. The elevator doors had just shut and they began moving up again.
"I-I mean," Tikal corrected herself gently this time, embarrassed by her own voice, "I would like to..."
He stared down at her for a moment and cleared his throat. "All right, thank you."
She nodded sheepishly as she stood beside him this time. When the elevator doors opened, she followed him out into the hallway. She was met with a few gazes and smiles from the people whom she was familiar with as they walked past. Though, she hadn't missed the gleam in their looks when they noticed who she was with.
Shadow was obviously well known.
Tikal got out her phone to see another countless of messages and calls from Sonic and Amy. She decided to text their group chat saying she was fine and that she was back at the office. Putting her device away, she kept following Shadow until they stopped at a door. She watched him slide a card in and pushed it open, gesturing for her to go in first. The echidna nodded in thanks and stepped in, the sound of his own footsteps behind her clicking as he closed the door.
"I apologise for the inconvenience," Shadow stated, putting his brief case away.
Tikal shook her head, laying her bag down. "It's okay."
Shadow pierced his eyes on her. "I lied."
She almost dropped her drink, looking at him with bewilderment. "E-Excuse me?"
"I lied about needing a graphics designer," he said taking a step closer to her, "Sorry."
On instinct, Tikal took a few steps back. "...Th-Then what is it?"
Her back suddenly hit the door but before she could move away, his arms caged around her. In jittery motions, the young echidna dared to connect her eyes with his. She stood still, like a child who just got scolded by their mother, when he leaned down. "I don't know, you tell me."
Just hearing the change of tone in his voice made her stomach flip and her heart skipping beats. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this going as her grip shook against the cup. "S-Sir-"
"Shadow," he promptly corrected her, leaning closer.
Tikal averted her hazy eyes down his lips, the same ones that touched her own on the train. Did he feel the same way she did? Did he... like it? So many questions played in her head yet there was so little time to process them as she could feel his fresh minty breath blowing onto her skin.
Should she...?
"Ames, I don't think Tails is in today. He said he wasn't feeling well," she suddenly heard Sonic's voice say.
Tikal gasped, abruptly shoving the straw of her drink into Shadow's mouth. The black hedgehog's half lidded eyes opened fully as he looked at her. The echidna pressed a finger against her lips, telling him not to speak.
She then heard Amy. "Oh, but I don't think he'd mind if I went in to pick up a few of my documents."
"You do know that every access card is different for each room," Sonic stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "You can't get in."
And thank Chaos for that.
Amy groaned. "Right, right. I keep forgetting about that."
"Come on let's get outta here," Sonic sighed and took a hold of her hand, "There's this new restaurant down town, you wanna go?"
The pink hedgehog suddenly turned red. "Y-You're taking me to dinner?!"
The other hedgehog scratched the back of his hand and quickly turned away, hand still in hers. "Yeah, s-so what?"
Amy didn't respond.
Sonic rolled his eyes and pulled her along. "Come on, let's go!"
"Oww. Stop tugging me!"
"You're too slow!"
"Oh, everything's too slow for you!"
"Shut it!"
Once Tikal heard their voices fading, she frantically pulled the straw out of Shadow's mouth as he leaned off of her. She breathed in before hesitantly walking to a small trash can and dropped her drink in there.
"You seem to have a bad habit of chewing on your straws," she heard Shadow say making her turning around quickly, "...And a habit of using too much lip balm."
As if she didn't have an excuse to be redder than before. "S-Sorry!"
Quiet.
Then he laughed. He laughed. Even if it was a low sounding laugh, one that wasn't like the ones she had heard before, she didn't think he was capable of doing it.
Tikal wanted to slap herself for that. Her expectations were disgustingly rude.
"It's all right," he said pocketing his hands... and then slowly added in with a small smirk, "Though, I think I liked the orange flavoured lip balm you had on the other day. It tasted much better than the strawberry."
She gaped at his words, horrified.
Shadow took note in her flustered expression and felt satisfied. "Are you busy for the rest of the day?"
All the echidna could muster was a shake of her head.
The black hedgehog picked up his brief case and held out his hand to her. "I would like to take you to dinner."
...
"What did you major in?"
Tikal stopped playing with her food and dragged her eyes up at him. "L-Literature..."
He raised a fine eye at that.
She suddenly let out a free smile. "I had two passions at University. Graphics and Literature, but I chose and focused on Literature more because of my grade in high school."
Shadow nodded. "So how did you get a qualification in Graphics?"
"Since the high school I went to didn't have a course for Graphics Design, the University I went to only allowed me to major in Literature instead," Tikal explained feeling more comfortable with her wording, "I didn't mind because back then I found creating graphics more of a hobby than doing it for professional work."
"So I'm guessing you changed your mind right after you graduated?"
"Mhm!" Tikal laughed softly, "Even though my major doesn't match with my current job right now, I was still able to show a portfolio of work I had done at home."
"Ah," Shadow took a sip from his wine glass, "You know, I always thought Sonic would go for a career in sports. I didn't think he'd take up the same."
"...L-Life comes with many surprises, I guess," she quipped.
He rolled his eyes. "He has a brain of a dolt."
"He works hard," Tikal came into her blue friend's defence, "With Amy and Tails there and all... he's our motivator in the group."
Shadow set his glass down. "Mm."
"W-What about you?" Tikal immediately set her eyes down onto her food again, "How did you become what you are now?"
"It's not much of a big deal to be honest," he answered calmly, "I majored in Business and Finance. My father is the current CEO of our company, though he'll be stepping down soon to give that position to me."
"Oh," the echidna tilted her head at him, "Are you excited?"
"I'm quite happy, yes."
She analysed his facial expression when he said that and tried to suppress her laugh.
Shadow had noticed this. "What?"
"No," Tikal giggled out, "...It's just, you don't look too happy."
He stared at her as she began laughing softly.
"But," her giggles died down as she smiled at him sweetly. "That's good to know."
The hedgehog gave her brief and amused smile back. "Thanks."
Tikal nodded at him, catching his lips curl upwards.
Smiling suits him.
"It does?" she heard him question making her jolt slightly, "I guess so."
"W-What?!" Tikal squeaked eyes widening at his words, "Y-You heard...?"
Shadow paused at her panicked gaze and chuckled. "It's fine, Tikal. I appreciate the compliments."
Heat flared up her cheeks and her hands flailed in front of her. "I-I'm sorry!" But she froze when she processed the word compliments and not compliment.
"You tend to daydream a lot," Shadow answered her unspoken question, "I like your eyes too by the way."
Tikal shamelessly buried her face into her hands for the rest of the dinner.
...
Shadow offered her a ride home and seeing how late it had gotten, she gladly accepted it.
As he drove them into the main road, he asked her. "How would you like to become a graphics designer for Turbo?"
"Y-You're not lying this time?"
"I'm not."
She thought about it for a moment. "I don't mind..."
He gave her a side glance. "I'm just giving you an opportunity," he said, "Sonic likes to comment about your work a lot and ends up showing me some of it whenever he and Tails stroll into my office on their breaks. I'm impressed."
"You are?" Tikal began playing with her dreads, "Thank you so much..."
"You're welcome," Shadow said as he stopped for a traffic light and turned his head to her, "So how about it? You don't need to be interviewed or anything. You'll be working for me without any trouble."
Her mind dived into some contemplation. "It's a bit sudden, isn't it?"
His eyes fell onto the road as they started moving again. "It is. Like I said before, I won't force you. I can give you time to think about it."
At least he was giving her an option.
Another questioned lingered in her head. "Wouldn't that mean I would be competing against my friends?"
"Yes," he simply answered, "If that will bother you, then I understand."
She contemplated, gazing into the night sky before looking at her hands.
"I'll... I'll think about it," she said timidly twiddling her fingers. After taking a soft breathe in, she then asked, "Is there another reason?"
He gave her another glance. "Another reason?"
Tikal pressed her lips together and finally looked at him. "Why you want me to work for you...?"
He stayed silent as he pulled up to the front of her apartment complex.
"Probably."
She blinked at him as he got out of the car and saw him walk around it. He opened her door and offered a hand.
"Thank you," she said, taking it as she stepped out of the vehicle with her bag resting on her shoulder.
Shadow shut the door and followed her until they reached in front of the staircase of the building. Tikal turned around and smiled at him. "Thanks again."
He nodded with another small smile of his own. The echidna then watched him dish out a piece of paper from his blazer pocket and presented to her.
"When you've thought about it, let me know."
"Ah," Tikal glanced down at it before taking it, "Thank you, I will."
"Then," she watched him trace his ruby eyes down to her lips and for a split second, they gleamed. He turned around and took the steps back down to the pavement, "I'll see you around."
Her gaze set upon his retreating figure. By now, it was the time to go inside her complex. However, she couldn't seem to move, as if her shoes were glued onto the ground.
"Shadow?"
It was the first time she said his name.
He stopped as he reached the bottom of the staircase and slowly turned around, his face indifferent. "Yes?"
Her heart said go and so she did. Tikal dropped her things and wistfully rushed down the steps. She saw his eyes widen but thought nothing of it and wrapped her arms around his neck, toppling her lips over his.
...
"So Shadow's stealing you away from us?"
They were all huddled together at Tails's apartment in the morning. Tikal dressed in her work clothes as the others had the day off.
Tikal shook her head at Sonic. "I-I wouldn't say stealing..."
"You're such a dolt!" Amy complained hitting his arm, "Don't you know anything?!"
"Apparently not," the blue hedgehog hissed and then glared at her, "God, you didn't have to do that ya know!"
Tails, who sat beside Tikal, absently minded the two hedgehogs' behaviour as he gave her a supportive smile. "Congratulations, Tikal! I'm sure you'll do well!"
Tikal laughed quietly, giving him another piece of tissue for his stuffed nose. "Thank you Tails."
"If you could ever give me a tour around the place," the fox then said quietly, "That would be great too!"
"Of course," she said, admiring his cute interest, "I'll make sure it happens!"
The fox beamed, hugging his mug of coffee against him. "Thanks a bunch!"
Tikal smiled at him before standing up, making Sonic and Amy stop their bickering. "I'll be going now."
"You sure you don't need a ride?" Sonic asked, tossing his car keys around.
"No, it's okay," she said, shaking her head with another smile, "I-I'll see you guys later..."
"Make sure to call me!" Amy said, a teasing grin lining her lips as she gave her a supportive thumbs up. Sonic and Tails both grinned at her also, waving a goodbye.
She nodded, sheepishly waving back at them before making her way out.
As usual, the echidna made her way to the train station and patiently waited for the train at her platform. Once it arrived, she hopped on and held onto a nearby pole before it started moving.
The train steadily got packed the two stops before her destination. She stepped aside for people to squeeze through, making sure she didn't let go of the pole.
When it moved again, she suddenly felt a body crash against hers, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut and grip away from the pole as she frantically held onto the person's clothes instead.
However, her eyes snapped open and immediately connected with a pair of red when realising the familiar feeling of slightly chapped lips colliding with hers. Tikal yelped and quickly pulled away, embarrassed.
"...Glad to know you stuck with orange again," she heard Shadow's voice say lowly, quiet laughter erupting his throat as he wrapped an arm her waist to hold her steady.
She shyly glanced up at the hedgehog, cheeks burning before burying herself into his chest.
The journey couldn't be any better.