They talked much longer than Shadow had anticipated, sitting in that corner booth until the early hours of the morning. Sonic was a freestyler and just as into hip hop dance as Shadow was, if less structured about it. From what Shadow could tell he had never actually bothered to learn any choreography - much less take an actual dance class. Everything he had learned had been from watching other people on the street - his friends, his rivals, the people he admired - sparking it with his own passion, then developing his unique style from the ashes. Now he was the best freestyler in the neighborhood, and he wasn't shy about it either.
"How could you possibly know you're the best?" Shadow asked over the rim of his fourth glass. He had allowed Sonic to choose for him again and now he had a fruity drink that was so brightly colored it almost hurt his eyes to look at sitting in front of him. It was surprisingly good though and he was just on the verge of draining it when Sonic responded.
"You mean other than the obvious?" he said, his trademark cocky grin on full display as he puffed out his chest. Shadow rolled his eyes as a chuckle escaped his lips and Sonic watched him, his grin melting into a warm smile. "Honestly there's no way to really tell," he began again, more sincere this time. "There are so many impressive dancers and everyone's style is so different - it's hard to say that anyone is definitively better than anyone else." Shadow could hear the admiration in his voice as he spoke and the red and black hedgehog's eyes softened. It was clear how much the other loved to dance, if not from his own passion when he spoke then from the pride even his rivals could spark in him. As he looked down to where his hands grasped his glass, he couldn't help but think that seeing Sonic so driven...made his own motivations pale in comparison.
Then suddenly Sonic's foot slid between his, their shins brushing against each other, until it hooked against the back of Shadow's boot. Shadow jumped and his gaze flicked up to focus on the hedgehog across from him.
Sonic was smiling at him, leaning forward a little in his seat, and Shadow flushed. "We do have competitions though," he was saying, his shin still brushing ever so slightly against Shadow's. "I've never lost once." And here his gaze fixed on the red and black hedgehog, unwavering and confident, and Shadow could feel the flush still decorating his cheeks burn brighter still. He desperately wanted to turn and hide his face but Sonic's eyes were impossible to look away from. They were the mesmerizing green [of leaves as they danced in the wind] and Shadow found himself getting lost in their unexpected depths.
He swallowed and Sonic's eyes flicked down to follow the movement, his gaze so tangible that Shadow felt it like fingers trailing down his throat. It left paths of tingling skin in its wake and Shadow could sense his blush quickly making its way down the rest of his body until he was sure he was as red as his stripes. His mouth worked silently for a moment, unable to force words past the nervous lump in his throat. This was ridiculous. So far Sonic was managing to make him more flustered than Fiona could when she was in full-on flirtation mode - and he had barely even touched him! He needed to escape before he did anything else to further embarrass himself.
"It's late. Perhaps we should call it a night," he tried at length and winced internally at how nervous he sounded even to himself. But if Sonic noticed it he didn't let on. In fact, he seemed perfectly unaffected by Shadow's attempts to cut their time short, his smile growing into a relaxed grin as he sat back in his seat.
"Let me take you home then," he said and Shadow opened his mouth in automatic protest but then Sonic's foot brushed against him as the hedgehog made to get up and Shadow fell silent. Sonic left more than enough money on the table for the both of them, nodding at one of the waiters as they made their way out of the bar, and then they were outside again. Sonic bowed Shadow ahead of him and the red and black hedgehog rolled his eyes but took the lead. They walked in companionable silence for a while, both of them still enjoying a slight buzz from their drinks.
Shadow's gaze flicked to the side to watch Sonic out of the corner of his eye. The hedgehog wasn't looking at him, his attention all focused on the stars above them, and Shadow couldn't help wondering what this was. The night had turned out much different than he had expected. He thought over their conversation at the bar - the gazes, the touching - and wondered how it was possible that he had ended up having drinks with someone who had accused him of sexually harassing his girlfriend only a few hours before. Not only that, but Sonic had even covered his tab.
Shadow frowned, shifting his focus from Sonic to the sidewalk. If he hadn't known better, he'd say he'd just been taken out on his first successful date in over a year. And he hadn't even known he was on it.
In the middle of mulling over that little gem of a fact, he felt Sonic's arm brushing against his and he jumped, snapping out of his reverie. They were nearing his home and Shadow found himself struggling to control his own heartbeat. He didn't know what was supposed to happen now - the night had shattered all of his expectations and left him with only a strange sense of anticipation. If this was a date did that mean that Sonic was going to kiss him? Did he want him to?
They turned into Club Rouge's parking lot and as they neared the door Shadow chanced a glance at Sonic only to find the blue hedgehog watching him. He startled. Where Sonic had been relaxed and almost casual on their walk now he was once again intent, his eyes drinking in Shadow's every movement, glinting like emeralds. The silence that had been companionable when they first started out suddenly became unbearable, tension crackling along Shadow's skin until he thought his brain might short circuit, and he searched for something to say to fill it.
"Thank you for the drinks," he said, voice hoarse. He quietly cleared his throat and Sonic smiled and nodded at him.
"Any time, Shadow," he murmured, and the tension that Shadow had been trying to dispel only ratcheted higher at the way the blue hedgehog caressed his name. "It was my pleasure."
They finally got to the door to the club and stopped, turning to look at each other. "This was a lot of fun," the blue hedgehog continued, his face warm and earnest. "I'm glad I got the chance to get to know you a little better."
"Likewise," Shadow responded, dismissing the warm feeling in his belly as a side effect of the alcohol. It had been a nice night, one of the best he had had since he had arrived here, and he was almost sad to see it end so soon. It doesn't have to end now a treacherous voice whispered in the back of his mind, but the red and black hedgehog ruthlessly crushed the thought almost as soon as it appeared. Not only had they only just met, but Sonic had a girlfriend. No matter how well the night was going he couldn't just invite him up to his room.
Then Sonic said something that brought his crushed thoughts back to life en force.
"I'd like to do this again sometime."
"I...," Shadow started then paused, his gaze drifting to the ground in between them. "I wouldn't mind," he said quietly and he heard Sonic chuckle next to him, soft and sweet.
"I'm glad," he murmured, shifting closer and Shadow looked up to see Sonic leaning in towards him. Distantly he could feel himself do the same - like two bodies pulled closer and closer by a force outside their control, powerless to escape each other, until they met in a collision both devastating and beautiful.
Shadow gasped, electricity sparking along his skin as Sonic's lips met his. They were soft and smooth as they moved against him, gentle at first but resonating deep inside him to shake him at his very core, eliciting an answering call from within that made Shadow surge against him and press back even harder. He worked his mouth against Sonic's, turning his head so he could press closer, his hands automatically coming up to grasp the other's face and keep him there. He heard Sonic give a soft broken moan, so quiet that it was quickly swallowed up in their kiss, and then the blue hedgehog took control, pushing him back against the door and trapping him there.
Dimly, Shadow knew that Sonic had intended this to be a chaste kiss, tender and sweet and appropriate for a first date. But he didn't care. There was a fire flaring up inside him and both he and Sonic had been lost in its flames. Shadow shuddered. Sonic was devouring him, sucking at his bottom lip and scraping it with his teeth before licking at the seam of his mouth, asking for entrance. And Shadow gave it to him, surrendering himself without a second thought. It was so much hotter than Shadow had imagined, feeling Sonic's body pressed against his as the blue hedgehog licked into him, his tongue brushing against Shadow's teeth before it caressed the roof of his mouth. Little sparks were radiating out everywhere they touched and a dull throbbing pleasure had settled in between his legs where Sonic's knee moved against him, pulsing faster and faster to the rhythm of his heart. Shadow moaned and spread his legs a little wider, listening to their harsh pants every time they broke apart for air.
They met over and over again, fervently grasping at each other as they did, Shadow throwing his arms around Sonic's neck to keep him closer and arching his body into his chest as he felt the blue hedgehog's hands wrap around his waist and grip his tail. Shadow's breath hitched, pressing his ass into his hand. Sonic's fingers were working magic on his tail, caressing it, fondling it, getting closer and closer to where Shadow needed it with every stroke. And the whole time Sonic was tongue-fucking him, grinding his knee into Shadow's dick with just enough pressure to make his legs shake.
And Shadow thought about letting him inside, about unlocking the door behind him and leading Sonic to his room, to his bed. He wanted it. He wanted it so bad he could taste it on his tongue, just as dangerous and intoxicating as the gin burning in his system. All he had to do was step over that threshold and it would be real.
"Shadow," Sonic breathed against his lips, barely a whisper in the night as he moved in for another kiss.
And then an image seared through his mind and Shadow turned away, pushing the blue hedgehog back to arm's length. Sonic stared at him, dazed and confused, mouth already open in a question but Shadow cut him off.
"Fiona," was all he said, his voice hoarse, and Sonic blinked at him. It took a moment for the blue hedgehog to register what he'd just said - and Shadow tried not to feel proud of that fact - and then the fog cleared from his eyes and he startled, taking a step back as if he'd only just remembered where he was. Shadow tried not to grimace. Inside him, that voice that had whispered so temptingly was screaming at him for ruining what had promised to be an amazing night for something so trivial as morals, but he stood his ground. They couldn't do this, not now. And Sonic knew it too. Across from him the blue hedgehog was rubbing the back of his head, sheepish, and Shadow felt a bizarre sense of deja vu.
"Oh, right," Sonic said, a slight blush forming along his cheeks, "for a second there I forgot all about that." Again Shadow felt that little puff of pride in his chest and internally rolled his eyes at his own childishness. Then Sonic looked up at him, completely serious once more. "Fiona and I don't have much of a future, not after what happened today," he said honestly. "I can't look at her the same and I don't think she was who I thought she was in the first place. But..," and here the somber tone melted from his voice, replaced with that warmth and sincerity that Shadow had come to associate with the blue hedgehog, "I really like you, Shads." He looked up at Shadow, his eyes deep and vulnerable, and Shadow felt his heart pounding again, hard and relentless in his chest. "I felt something real when I was with you and I don't want to ignore it. So, if it's okay with you," and now Sonic's fingers were brushing against his, writing gentle questions against the sensitive skin of his palm, "I'd like to try us out."
For a moment Shadow just stared at him, mouth working. A hundred and one things were running through his mind, trampling all over each other in their haste to be spoken, and it all seemed to get lodged in his throat. But no matter what he thought, it all seemed to come to the same conclusion. He swallowed, the sound unbearably loud in the silence.
And then he nodded.
Thanks so much for reading this new chapter! I wanted to leave this little note at the end to warn you guys that I probably won't be updating this story for the next 2 weeks or so - I have a huge video project to work on and the deadline is so close that it's killing me through sheer proximity. After I finish that though I will be free to return to this story or post some of the other things that I've been working on up until now. So fret not!
As always, I love to hear reviews and, if you like this story, feel free to recommend it to your friends!