Chapter Text
“Get out of here, Shadow.”
Green eyes were uncharacteristically cold as their owner’s stare was averted, oblivious to the sound of Shadow’s heart as it shattered at their feet. Thunder crashed overhead, and the ground beneath him crumbled. He didn’t fight the fall.
Shadow growled awake. His nightmare dissipated in a puff of smoke. He rolled to his back with a groan and threw an arm over his eyes. He felt a bump against his side and looked down. His black and red-striped Chao, dubbed Dark Dasher, was peering at him. Shadow huffed and ran a comforting hand over their head. They nuzzled his palm. Dasher had followed him to his apartment over Rouge’s club one day, and he just went with it. He had quickly discovered that he didn’t mind the little companion. He stretched and swung his legs off the edge of the bed. After pulling on a fresh pair of socks, he slipped his feet into his shoes and dragged himself to the bathroom to groom his quills and brush his teeth. He stared into the medicine cabinet for a moment, then pulled out the bottle of cologne to add a bit of spice to his natural lavender scent in case a certain individual took notice. He shook his head at himself and released a soft sigh.
He fed Dasher, then filled a mug with coffee beans to pick at as he read the newspaper. Rouge poked fun at him when she first saw it, calling him an old man. He shrugged it off. He had tried social media as an alternative and it left a lot to be desired. If he went on the internet at all, it was best avoided at morning and night, should it leave him in a bad mood. He finally checked the clock and bristled. He hadn’t realized that he slept in.
He hopped on the Dark Rider and sped off. There was something about it that he occasionally gravitated toward instead of simply using his air shoes. The heat of the past noon sun mockingly beat into his black fur. He turned his gaze to the sparkling ocean hugging the cliffside as he followed the curve of the road.
He would be late. It shouldn’t matter, but this time was different. He was different. It was for the better to keep with the pattern anyway, he supposed. He could have warped, but he wanted to appear casual, like he’d just been in the area. It was pathetic. However, the thought of appearing eager made something sour curdle in his stomach. Tails’ lab appeared before his eyes, the location of Sonic’s birthday party this year. He had barely seen the blue nuisance since he returned from the Starfall Islands and his friends - he heard through Rouge - had gone off on separate adventures for a while. Things had been oddly quiet. Not even Eggman had stirred much. It was beyond strange, and Shadow had, with caution, allowed himself to relax a bit. Mostly, he had traded extra training for trying out new avenues and hobbies. It had led to some dead ends, but his rare moments of rest had been more peaceful.
He pulled up, the noise of his bike gathering attention from the outdoor partygoers. A rush of air hit his quills, and Sonic was in front of him.
“The Ultimate Lifeform arrives in style! Is my birthday party too trivial for you to use Chaos Control? I see you still didn’t bring me a gift!”
“Hmph.”
“Thanks for coming, anyway,” Sonic added with a softer smile. In spite of himself, the cute look soothed some of his ruffled feathers.
He spent a brief time mingling with those he tolerated, such as Amy, Tails, and Silver. He didn’t last long through talks about baking, fortunes, mechanical terminology, and gardening before he roamed over to the table to pick at the food and pretend to himself that he wasn’t stalling. Rouge was… busy with Knuckles on the roof. He wasn’t going to interrupt or question anything. Whether they were dating or not was between the two of them. At this point he’d either disappear after a quick goodbye or linger at the edge of the party with his arm crossed. He gave Amy a significant look when the music paused. She waited as he came over and whispered a title to her. She giggled and scrolled on her phone to change the song to a familiar one. He allowed his foot to tap for a moment, then he located Sonic in the small crowd and grabbed his arm. He took a deep breath and tried not to be too tense.
“Whuh?”
“Dance with me.”
“You want to - really, us, t-together in front of, well - everyone? Heh. What has gotten into you, Shadow?”
He could’ve sworn he saw a mild red flush beneath the fur of Sonic’s muzzle before sliding into his usual teasing confidence but… no. That notion was ridiculous.
“Shut up.” Shadow hesitated. He was so annoying. “It’s your gift. Amy’s idea.”
“Sure it was -”
Shadow tugged him into the open space. He started to shimmy and follow the beat, becoming looser as he went on and Sonic’s energy began to infect him. Green eyes magnetized him and shaking blue quills hypnotized him. At one point, he dared to brush his palm against Sonic’s back, under his spines, and Sonic moved in closer. Hot breath gusted Shadow’s cheek with the unmistakable smell of chili, but it made his heart leap before Sonic spun away into a series of athletic flips. As the song closed, Sonic laughed breathlessly and gave him a thumbs up with a grin. His heart sped. A sense of accomplishment flooded him.
What had gotten into him, indeed.
Back at the apartment, he grimly told Rouge, “I think I might have… feelings.”
“Most sentient beings do hun, it’s normal.”
He chose not to elaborate and retreated to his room. He brought out his rarely used laptop to search the library’s website for books on techniques to romance another.