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Two hedgehogs, one rocky beach.
Said beach, is completely littered with debris, metallic ruble. All as much as the eyes could see. As a matter of fact, from the particular vantage point, the two rival speedsters planted their bare bottoms at,—well. Let’s just say, that despite all of this. The setting of their beachside view…was absolutely stunning.
Sonic would’ve considered cleaning it up of course, since beach litter is absolutely no joking-laughing-no-good-matter!…If he weren’t admittedly very tired from the fight that took place, mere moments ago, that is. Eggman, robots, explosions and friends, you know the deal.
No, instead of doing that responsible act, for a few notable, but unmentioned reasons. Sonic and Shadow, sat amongst the rubbish, in the coarse sand. Staring either idlely, or blankly, at the waves washing up on the beach.
Shadow had lost his emerald some time ago, during the fight, but also conveniently twisted his ankle earlier. Leading Rouge, to offer and go steal it back for him, so that he could steal it back from her later.
Long story short. As his ankle is busy healing itself, he ended up stuck around the beachside. All mopey and miserable, as always. Even his removed air-shoe, looks all miserable and grumpy, all discarded in the rocky sand.
Sitting next to the emo broodster, is a slightly bruised looking Sonic. Who wiggled his red pointed-shoes, a mere foot away from the rushing orange and deep-blue hued waves. He may or may not have a strained relationship between him and the ocean, but the overall view’s nice, despite the turbulence. Orange and teal hues dashing the skyline and all. As some unidentified flying birds flew overhead, thin cotton strips of clouds, in the distance…
Sonic’s emerald eyes glanced at Shadow so quick, that no regular ol eyes could even lay witness to the act. Thankfully, the other hedgehog hadn’t even noticed. Seemingly occupied rather, via sitting bent up, and glaring directly at the setting sun, in the far off distance… How is he not blind? Only Gaia knows… A wrist being propped up on a raised knee, as the opposing wounded foot lie resting slightly bent underneath it. The other unseen hand (from Sonic’s angle) propping up the slouched over midnight body sitting in the sand…man…you’d think The Ultimate Lifeform would have better posture.
Well anyway…since they have absolutely nothing better to do…
Sonic lightly cleared his throat, “so…since it’s gonna be awhile before anyone else finds us…” He guessed, since he genuinely got separated from Tails and Knuckles, unlike his emo…rival, here. Emerald eyes darted over again, noticing how ebony ears twitched his blue way, ever so slightly. He rolled those greens nonchalantly. Pretending not to notice in tone, before dramatically snapping his fingers, towards his other, with a single hand. “Twenty questions!?” He literally pointed.
And with the period of silence, finally being broken.
“Gaia, kill me now…” Shadow muttered, in a low, guttural voice, that modernly suits him nowadays…
Sonic suppressed a snickering chuckle, now choosing to playfully smirk towards his dark brooding mate. “Oh come on Shads! Don’t be like that-“ However nearly flinching as his other cut him off.
“Alright, fine.” Of course he decided to bite. Shadow, barely even slightly turned his head, towards Sonic. All before growling out a quick and simple question. “Why do you insist on calling me that?” Quick and simple, just like Sonic’s brain in Colors Ultimate.
Sonic’s lush eyes stared back in surprise, before shifting into raising a simple brow. “‘Shads?’ Cuz, it’s…one syllable instead of two-?” Lightly shrugging, he stated the obvious as if it were obvious, but as a question, before continuing. “Speaking of two, I—“
“What if I called you by some inferior nickname, instead of your real name?” There he goes, cutting the famous speedster off again! How ironic! And rude.
“Okay, back to one. You’re breaking the rules, and number two, Faker, that’s…not really my real name…” Everything after Faker had been muttered, making Shadow also raise a brow, but in genuine eerie curiosity. Especially given that Sonic’s chaotic eyes, had darted away from facing him again…
“Come again?” He narrowed his glare. Making Sonic instinctively slink away, all without trying to move a particularly unused hand, all too much… “What is your real name then, hedgehog…?”
“I’ve said too much!” A harsh whisper, uttered from our main hero’s peachy lips! He knows that if he so fails, to change the subject, he is doomed to over a lifetime of relentless bullying. And/or having to do the black hedgehog’s bidding. Just because of how embarrassing his full name, perhaps may be.
However, after a moment of glaring, and suspicious silence. Shadow seemed to have lost interest somehow—and/or miraculously. Becoming oddly merciful in the moment, whether he intended to, or not. “Well, if you refuse to answer that one. Then I do not regret to inform you, that you’re playing this game wrong.” Granted, opting to be a smart A-minus is just as bad.
Sonic rolled his eyes, and nearly scoffed. “Okay but who cares? Also, how do you even know that? You didn’t even know how to use a coffee maker, ‘till last week.” His stare was now a deadpan to rival his rival’s. As Shadow, suddenly turned back to fully face him, raising a brow. Sonic hadn’t even noticed that he had turned away in the first place, it’s kinda just common Shadow.
“How do you even know that?” He most certainly did not relay that information to ANYONE. In fact, there were only—maybe, two other people. Who even knew about this fact—well, two living people anyway. If you count E-123 Omega as living, which we here do.
Sonic shrugged, glad that the focus of the questions, had been successfully shifted off his end. “Rouge told me…she said that you just eat the beans for breakfast everyday instead, and refuse to learn basic instructions.”
Shadow blew air through his teeth in a tsk! “I’m not letting something that isn’t my boss tell me what to do…” heck, sometimes he doesn’t even let Tower tell him what to do. Or Rouge…although which one he is more inclined to listen to, is up to the viewer and the moment.
Sonic finally used both hands to emote for the first time, after sitting down on the beach. Resulting in Shadow noticing a particular, previously unused hand, of his rival’s, flinch. Seemingly, in discomfort, and/or pain… “Yea, that sounds like you…” The Blue Blur, breathily muttered, as Shadow raised a brow. All he had did, was raise a peach arm slightly, fingers curling up. Before twitching, and seeming unsure of what to now do with themselves…it was enough for Shadow to notice. And it was enough to bring out a part of him, he once had thought died, along with Maria, aboard the ARK… “so uh…are you and Rouge, really just friends or…”
“Your fist…”
Shadow muttered. Ignoring Sonic’s question, and making Blue rather confused, as to what that had to do with Rouge or rather, what he even meant by that. “Wh-“—However, as the new trend leads, he was cut off again by Shadow, whom of which slowly seeming to crawl a bit closer… Suppose the damage in the black and red hybrid’s ankle, seemed to have repaired just enough, to do so without much too much discomfort.
“You’re trying your damnest, to not move that hand in particular…” His voice was oddly soft, but pointed. Even still has his more regular husk, still added to it… “are you injured?” Shadow had gotten uncharacteristically close, for his typical usual likening—but now it was also too close uncharacteristically for SONIC’S, usual likeing! Super ironic, that it’s normally him, trying to make all the advances, but now it’s his own turn to try and scoot away like a gay moron-! Amy is somewhere reeling…
Sonic nearly stuttered, “on second thought! You’re right, truth or dare sounds waaay better! In fact, I’ll start! I pick dare!” He did his best to lean away from Shadow, but had made the mistake of looking away, from those crimson piercing eyes, for even a split second! “Wait—what are you doing?!” His peach arm had now been lost, to the stern grip of someone physically much stronger than he—despite hardly looking the part. All the while, another strong ringed paw, rested tightly on the injured hand’s shoulder…
“I dare you, to hold still!” Shadow commanded. And as somewhat expected, finding a way to use one’s own words, against the speedy born chaos user… The strong hand further down the peachy arm, had began to gently slide downwards towards the slightly damaged wrist. Ending with resting against the other’s equally gloved hand… Said gloves, despite being rather thick, to prevent certain claws from sticking out. Evidently held some clear indication of damage, around the obviously more than bruised knuckles…
Shadow removed his hands, before then removing Sonic’s gloves, so that he may inspect the apparent damage… Thankfully, the Blue Blur had long been frozenly stunned, by the extremely closer for comfort contact. Shadow however, was far too focused in his work, to either care nor notice…
“What are you…” Sonic began to quietly whisper, as Shadow’s own hands began to glow, through his still worn, white gloves. A golden, energetically soft yellow, now enveloping all hands, touching one another. As Shadow had beautifully cupped Sonic’s bruised and battered hand, into his own…
Sonic knew that what he was feeling, was the other hedgehog’s energy, flowing into his injured hand. At first, numbing all the pain for a moment, before lightly jabbing into him, with a pins and needles sensation. His ungloved hand, without the aid of his own will, began to straighten. It almost felt like—what he would describe to as—a static shock, for a mere moment. And right after said golden moment, the light, and feeling, both faded. Leaving Shadow, to uncap his hands, from the peachy blue-padded one. Leaving it good as new, as if it had never even been damaged at all.
“Is that…better?…” The ebony creation muttered. If anyone knows better, it truly sounds like he now cares. A stark contrast, to the front he defensively and usually puts up. Which…given his life story, trauma, and history, could anyone really blame him…?
In short, his demeanor had changed again. And whether either of them liked to admit it, Shadow’s walls had broken down, via the act of healing…
Sonic took his fixed up hand back, flexing it and turning it over multiple times in awe. “I—wait yea actually!” He eagerly redirected his attention to Shadow, “how did y…”
Said ebony hybrid, had somehow already turned, and slightly scooted away, without Sonic hearing nor noticing. Perhaps, his ankle wasn’t as badly damaged as one had initially thought, or already fully healed.
Instinctively, the blue chaos user, initially chose to reach out a bit, towards the ebony spiked back, in silence…however, he stopped halfway. Despite what has just occurred, he knows that Shadow is not one for physical unwarranted touch, especially by surprise…somewhat ironically.
It was more than easy enough, to tell that the hybrid was getting defensive…again…thankfully, Sonic had actually somehow learned not to press him, on topics that get him like this any further…
So, Blue turned back away, but he didn’t distance himself. Despite all of his injuries priorly somewhat impeding his movement, now haven been healed completely, by the leftover extra energy in his system. Admittedly, making Sonic less tired too, but Shadow a bit more tired…
Eventually, he cleared his peachy throat, minding the silence, all too much… “Uh…anyway, where were we…?”
Shadow, much to Sonic’s surprise, had actually responded again, just like at the start. But keeping his voice rather low, as half expected, “Rouge and I are completely platonic roommates, she did attempt to advance towards me once, but I denied her advances for…reasons…” Said reasons, were a little bit more obvious if you ever asked him on his status of getting a girlfriend.
Hint, do not do that.
“Right right, kinda odd given how I always see her with you and all. You two at times are practically inseparable…but uhm…ok-“ He’s pretending not to find it too odd—was it too odd? Not like Shadow’s the least open person he’s ever seen, nor met. He actually admitted that he loves the scent of lavender, and pampering himself all girly like—not to say that that automatically makes him available to Son—I mean uh…not attracted to women in the slightest buuuut…
The two of them would’ve nearly continued their game, if it weren’t for an obvious question on Sonic’s ever so running mind… “Speaking of man…do you think they’ll ever find us?” Of course referring to Knuckles, Tails, maybe Rouge and Omega, etc.
The waves rushed over the beach again, this time nearly hitting Sonic and Shadow by their shoes…and well, sock.
“It’s been twenty-three minutes.”
Sonic tilted his head, “wha?”
“I’ve been counting.”
Ah…. That hardly answered that question…
Shadow shifted back into the position he somehow started in, however, it somehow looks ever so softer, and less broody than before, despite it all… “I’m honestly surprised that you’ve managed this long, without running off in some form of impatient desperation….” To be fair, if Shadow’s now healed ankle hadn’t impeded him as well…well yeah, neither of them would be here right now. Watching the beautiful sun set, over a serene image, of the slightly calmer but still rushing waves…
The sky grew more purple than orange by the second, as the salty breeze washed through their quills and noses…
Sonic was a bit surprised in himself too. Normally, when he and Shadow are on screen together, it typically either begins or ends in a race or duel… “Well then…I guess you, just make great company.”
Another pause. Only without the dead silence, due to the amount of comfort in the air, and the sound of the orange to lavender waves, washing up in front of them…
Sonic, of course still choosing to break the peaceful silence, once again. “So…favorite roommate?”
Shadow lightly smirked, shutting his eyes, in a sense of genuine bliss. “That would be like asking you, favorite teammate.”/brother.
“Touché—“ he shrugged, “wait, does Omega even live with you and Rouge anyway? Or-“
Shadow lightly shrugged back, “it’s…complicated.”
Speaking of complicated teammates, their friends, absolutely forgot about the two of them.
But hey, at least they have the view…