AN: It's been a while, and for a good reason. I'm in my last year of college and I'm drowning in work. For now, have this piece of crap. Which it is.
"Picturesque"
Dark gray clouds swirled above their heads, bringing the more serious of the two's attention to the changing weather. He stopped in the middle of the well-worn dirt path he had been briskly walking to gaze up at the sky, mentally calculating the amount of time that they had before the storm hit. It wasn't much; but they could do it, thanks to their shared gift of speed.
"Sonic," he snapped, prompting his companion to come to an abrupt halt a few steps ahead of him. "We'd better head back up. It looks like we've got some weather coming in."
Sonic's face paled at the sight of the ominous clouds above. "Crap," he cursed, "I hate summer sometimes. All right, let's get going."
Without further delay, the pair of hedgehogs sped back in the direction that they had come, splashing through muddy puddles and tripping over stones in their way. They sprinted past the bending grasses and swaying black-eyed susans, swatting away the insects that buzzed in their ears. Now and then, one glanced at the other as they ran, taking note of how to possibly beat him in their little race. One grinned while one scowled. Competition was almost always unspoken between them, and always a given. That was one thing that had never changed in their years of associating with one another.
At the first touch of droplets on sweat-soaked fur, two sets of legs worked harder, faster, anything to get to their destination before it was too late. Sonic had taken to running off the path, expertly weaving through the neck-high grass. Rolling his eyes at the blur matching his speed at his side, Shadow continued on the path that he knew well, if only because it signified to Sonic that he wasn't going to follow in his footsteps.
Regardless, they both reached the gazebo on the hill seconds before the rain began to pour.
"Yes!" Sonic cheered, placing both gloved hands on the railing and peering out at the sheets of rain falling from the monochrome sky. "Thanks for your eyes, Shadow. Me and water don't mix."
"I know."
As their eyes met, all traces of words melted away. The harsh rain inundated the world around them and the gusts of wet wind chilled them both to the bone; yet they remained frozen in place, held fast by the depth of the other's eyes. Both jumped at the unforeseen consequences of what they had done – neither had expected the other to look back at him.
Just as neither would ever speak what they were thinking at that precise moment.
"So, what now?"
"We wait until the rain stops, and then we pick up where we left off."
Their mutual stare had yet to be broken. "Heh, okay. Just know that I'll be pointing and laughing at you when you fall on your ass in the mud."
"Same."
Because they had already come this far, they shared a small smile before turning away at the same time.
~END~