#and sonadow is around every corner

[aa-carnivorousfatality]

I'm alive. And remembering why I don't really write in the sonic rpc anymore.

[irresia]

no bc im losing it

so in english it's "I never knew you were a hugger" which is incredibly painful and all that

and so I went to check out the norwegian dub for shits n giggles and to laugh at the voices and mf sonic says "I KNEW you were a hugger!"

I NEED TO BE SEDATED

edit 1:

edit 2: NEW LANGUAGES!!! IT GETS CUTER FOR EVERY FUCKING DUB

@dykedandelion: sonic in french says "ON A JAMAIS ÉTÉ AUSSI PROCHE" which means "WE'VE NEVER BEEN THIS CLOSE"

I checked the swedish dub and sonic says: "TÄNK ATT DU KAN VARA SÅ KRAMIG" which means something like "TO THINK THAT YOU CAN BE SO HUGGABLE"=!"=)!)"!=

@lephalacat courteously gave me a heart attack by giving the korean dub, where sonic says: "너한테 안기는 날이 오다니" which means "I CAN'T BELIEVE THE DAY ARRIVED FOR ME TO GET HUGGED BY YOU"

with the combined effort of @wackyunicornart and @dykedandelion they've expertly deduced what sonic says in the dutch dub: "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU WERE SUCH A CUDDLER" i need aIR

@shadowthehedgehog swooped in with a delicious spanish one where sonic says: "QUIEN DIRÍA QUE TE GUSTABA ABRAZAR" which is "WHO KNEW YOU LIKED TO HUG" I NEED TO SIT IN A CORNER AND CRY

@luankuro in Portuguese sonic says something akin to "DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE SO AFFECTIONATE/TENDER" THIS SEASON HAS RUINED ME

@tenebraevesper graciously handed over both the croatian dub and the german dub; both of them just as DEVASTATING - in croatian, sonic says: "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU LIKE TO HUG", and in german, he says: "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU'RE INTO HUGGING" THESE HEDGEHOGS ARE GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME

I will join @kyri45 in their several several processing business days after the italian dub was revealed to have sonic say: "I DIDN'T SEE YOU AS SUCH AN AFFECTIONATE TYPE"

@polaris-reblog and from the left field we have an INCREDIBLE Thai dub with sonic that says: "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU'D BE THE TYPE TO CARRY/PICK PEOPLE UP" CAN I GET A WAHOO

@windpolygon comes in with an absolute gem in russian: "DO YOU LIKE/LOVE TO HUG" SO WHAT IF HE DOES

@transgender-battlekukku runs in with Brazilian Portuguese that has sonic say: "EU NÃO SABIA QUE VOCÊ ERA TÃO CARINHOSO" which they so lovingly translate to "I NEVER KNEW YOU WERE SO LOVING/AFFECTIONATE" FELLAS WE DIDN'T KNOW EITHER BEFORE TODAY

the polish version, given by @hereissananxiousmess, has sonic being a sMARTASS, saying: "AH SO YOU DO LIKE TO HUG" JESUS CHRIST THIS GETS CUTER EACH TIME

the Galician version has me by the tHROAT okay @shadowthtrash so in this version sonic says: "Nunca pensei que me foses levar no colo" which means "I'VE NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD CRADLE ME AROUND" OUEGHR that's so cute

@mmiriozuzo turkish dub and sub is sO sweet honestly bc in the dub he says: "Sarılmayı sevdiğini hiç bilmiyordum", which translates to "I NEVER KNEW YOU LIKED HUGGING" while the turkish sub writes: "Sen sarılmayı sever miydin?" which means "SO YOU LIKE HUGGING?"

@ash-doodles-stuff went for my soul by revealing what the japanese and hindi version says; in Japanese, sonic says: "TO BE HELD IN YOUR ARMS" SONIC PLEASE - in the hindi version he says: "DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKED HUGS AND STUFF" OEURGH I'LL NEVER GET ENOUGH OF THESE

@sonicposting joins the bandwagon by announcing the romanian version has sonic saying: "n-am știut că-ți place în brațe", which means something like "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKE BEING HELD" although "it's hard to translate, but the way it is phrased implies that sonic didn't know shadow likes being held" THESE DUBS WILL END ME ONE DAY

@cosmicgirlypop runs in with the Arabic dub, where sonic says: "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKE HUGS!" this is the yEAR OF SONADOW PEOPLE BC SHADOW SAYS "STAY WITH ME SONIC" AS A RESPONSE

@geek-leak slides in with the Finnish dub that has sonic saying: "En tiennyt et oot halijäbä" which roughly translates to "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE A HUGGER-DUDE/HUG-DUDE" he truly is a smartass even when dying god bless

@indigocloudofnarcolepsy sprints in with a gem in hungarian, where sonic says: "Nem tudtam, hogy ölelkezős vagy!" which is "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU'RE A HUGGER" EVERY VARIANT IS SO CUTE

@scarlets-land-of-chaos-and-men NO EXPLANATION NEEDED BUT I NEED AIR

@darkmatters-ghost decided to decimate my every molecule with the Mandarin Chinese version where sonic says: "我不知道你喜欢抱抱， 啊。" bào (抱) means cuddle, and if you say a verb twice, it makes it informal and cutesy. Basically, he said, "aw, I didn't know you were such a cuddle-bug!"

C U D D L E B U G

suffice to say I think english is the glaring, obvious outlier here JHDJHDS

THE DUBBERS ATE AND LEFT NO CRUMBS BEHIND THIS IS TRULY THE YEAR OF SONADOW

[emthimofnight]

I love Stellar! She's so cute! Love your art, keep being amazing, et cetera, but also I have a question:

You mentioned that at the time of Stellar's, shall we say, adoption, Shadow and Sonic were still in their "it's complicated" rivals era. I'm guessing Shadow wasn't especially close to Sonic's friends either? And that kinda got me wondering: how do Sonic's friends feel about Stellar when she first arrives? Obviously they love her on sight, but like, does Tails feel weird that he's now basically Shadow's brother-in-law? Is Amy a little alarmed at the thought of Sonic and Shadow being responsible for a literal baby? Does Rogue foresee the inevitable Sonadow to follow? And so on ...

Idk, would love to know more about the early days and everyone's reactions.

EEEHEHEH thank you so much for the compliment!!! 🥰🥰🥰

And I'll give you a quick rundown on everyone's feelings immediately after Shadow brought Stellar home!

Rouge was the first to know, as she was actually present when Shadow discovered Stellar. The two of them had been tracking some leads about Project Stellar for a while, not realizing they were stumbling upon another attempt at Project Shadow until they were right on top of it. Rouge initially tried to reason with Shadow, recognizing his anger instantly and trying to convince him to let cooler heads prevail. She even tried to warn him against removing Stellar from her stasis pod, fearing that it was acting as some kind of life support and would kill her upon removal. Shadow decided to remove her regardless, deciding that either way, a life in the government's hands as a weapon was no life at all. Still, Rouge convinced him to take her straight to Sonic—and, more importantly—Tails, since he had the tools at his disposal to give Stellar a proper look over.

Sonic and Tails live together, so they were the next in line to find out. Shadow basically showed up looking like he was out for blood with a baby in his arms, demanding that Tails use his equipment to see if she was okay. Tails and Sonic both wanted more of an explanation (like, where did you get a baby, WHY do you have a baby, why do you look like you just got out of a fight, etc) and Shadow would begrudgingly tell them what he'd learned, clearly deeply uncomfortable with the entire conversation.

Well, to say they would both be shocked would be an understatement. Sonic would be at a loss for words, for once. Tails, ever the scientist, would immediately want to look over Stellar to see if Shadow was telling the truth. By the time Shadow had handed the baby over to Tails, Sonic's brain would have rebooted and the motor mouth would start up again.

He'd be in total disbelief, really. He'd just start yammering on about every question and concern that would come to mind.

"The government tried to make another you?? With ME?"

"Does that make me a dad? Does that make YOU a dad?? ARE WE DADS??"

"I can't take care of a baby, I don't even remember BEING a baby! What do babies even eat??"

Etcetera, etcetera. Shadow would just stand stiffly in a corner of Tails's workshop, laser focused on whatever tests Tails would be running on tiny baby Stellar. He would totally tune Sonic out, instead focusing on the barely noticeable rise and fall of Stellar's chest, petrified that she might stop breathing if he looked away.

Honestly, the first night would be VERY tense. Shadow would still be high strung from the rescue, Sonic would be trying to wrap his head around the whole idea, and Tails would be devoted to running all the tests he could on Stellar to try and get some answers.

Tails would determine she was healthy, showed no signs of requiring any kind of life support, and was definitely Shadow and Sonic's biological child. Half Shadow's DNA, half Sonic's.

He would also realize in his tests that her energy readings were off the charts. Whatever they had been cooking up in that lab wasn't good, and Stellar was almost like a living chaos emerald. He'd immediately be concerned about the implications of keeping her around, but Sonic would have come around by that point, deciding there was no way he and Shadow would be getting rid of her.

Shadow wouldn't be so sure. He'd suggest talking to Rouge, Amy, or Vanilla about being a mother to her instead, since he wouldn't be confident in his own abilities to raise a child. Sonic would be annoyed by that, pointing out that it would be pretty messed up to try and pass her off on anyone else. Vanilla and Rouge both have their own kids to worry about, and Amy lives in the Sol Dimension with Blaze most of the time. He'd reason that they should at least try. Besides, who could possibly understand her more than Shadow?

Eventually, they'd agree to try raising her as a team. It'd be a begrudging decision, but one they'd learn to live with. The two of them wouldn't be romantically involved at this point, either, so the two of them had a LOT of growing pains trying to figure out how to parent together. Getting a baby government assigned to you is one thing, but having to raise it with your rival is another!

Oh, and as for Amy, Knuckles, and the rest of the group? They'd almost all be horrified LOL! Stellar definitely received a rocky reception at first! They all grew to love her eventually, though.

[w0lp3rtinger]

The Kids are Alright, Ch 1 (Quill Care)

So I had the backbone of this idea bouncing around my skull for a while and just... ship week offered me an opportunity.

I give an immense amount of credit to @killingthecringe and @lambpaca for looking this over. I’m writing in a style I usually like to do for short stories and such, but not for longer pieces. This is an experiment on my end. We’ll see how it goes XD

As an aside, I’d like to shout out @sharpedgedfool. They gave me the idea of Shadow with bangs (not sure what else you’d call that) from their one SonAdow au and it is Excellent. Please go check them out. They’re also the ones penning the @teamdarksupernovaodyssey comic and it is excellent thus far.

Anyway... here we go XD

---

“You can say no.” Vanilla’s face looked tight, brow furrowed while she fiddled with a stubborn earring. “This is entirely my fault, after all.”  

Amy laughed as she waved a hand. “It’s really not that big of a deal. I can handle the three of them, no problem! We can order pizza, watch a few movies, play whatever- it’ll be fine!” 

“You say that, but you’re lucky the communication error was two-fold and I inadvertently got you back up,” Vector said with a chuckle.

Amy pouted. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means you have no idea what you’re in for.”

Somewhere within the cottage, there was a crash, and the sounds of Cream and Charmy’s giggling flooded the space. In an instant, Cheese came flying at full speed around the corner, banging into walls as he went while draped in just about every scarf and ribbon within the household. Cream and Charmy rounded the corner too only to stop dead at the look Vanilla gave them while plucking Cheese out of the air.  

Amy took a step back. 

“Now what’s all this about?” Vanilla gestured to Cheese as she spoke, his little hands doing the best they could to take a scarf off from around his eyes. 

“We’re playing a game!” Charmy bounced on his heels until his excited wings lifted him from the ground. “Cops, Robbers, and Spies!” 

“So why is Cheese all wrapped up like this?” 

Cream huffed, crossing her arms. “He’s the cop, Mamma.” 

“That doesn’t explain-” Vanilla sighed. “I told you both to not put too much weight on him. He’s small.” 

Cheese gave a cry of indignance, his puggy hands sitting atop his hips. 

“Exactly!” Cream said, gesturing with both hands, “He put it on himself! He’s fine! Besides, he’s only going to be the cop until Tails gets here.” 

Vector raised an eyebrow at that. “What happens after Tails gets here then?” 

“Then Tails becomes the cop, and Cheese becomes the alien!” Charmy had started to rotate midair slowly, his belly now facing the ceiling as he rolled his eyes. “Duh!” 

“Ah, should have guessed that.” Vector said, snapping his fingers as he winked at Vanilla. “Gotta have an alien in Cops, Robbers and Spies.” 

Vanilla cracked at that, hands moving to hide her chuckle as Cheese floated out of her arms. With a little giggle, he darted back down the hallway just over out of reach of the kids, who chased after him with their arms outstretched. 

“You two are too cute,” muttered Amy, shaking her head. “Look at you. It should be a crime.” 

Vector put his arm around Vanilla at that, a toothy grin spreading across his face. “Vanilla’s the cute one. I’m just here for the slapstick.” 

Vanilla smirked and smacked him playfully in the chest.

“See?” Vector said, jerking his head towards her. “Look at that. What did I tell you?” 

Amy laughed and leaned on the hall closet door. Just then, Vector’s phone rang, and he held up a finger as he stepped outside to take the call. Vanilla sighed watching him go, an easy smile softening her eyes. 

“We really did need tonight.” She fiddled with her earring again as she turned back to Amy. “Before we head out, you know where your check is, and you know where money for food is, right?” 

“Checks’ under the heart magnet on the fridge and the rings are in the bifold at the back of the junk drawer.” Amy crossed her arms, head held high, then she paused. “Hey, wait a minute. Vector said two of us would be here. Where’s their check? Do you need me to split mine? I can, it’s no problem-” 

Vanilla waved a hand, “No, no no no. That’s your money. Shadow just owed Vector a favor and this is what he decided to call it in for.” 

“Shadow?” There was a pause. Amy’s brows furrowed, lips pulling back in an uneven smile of disbelief as she shook her head. “Wait, no, they’re the other person coming tonight?”

Vanilla shrugged, bowing her head to rummage about her purse, a knowing smile catching the corners of her lips. “I didn’t ask and I’m not going to.” 

“But-!” 

Vector poked his head back in through the door. “Alright, they’re gonna be here on time, but since Amy’s early, we can leave now if you’re good.” 

Before Amy could get a word in edgewise, Vanilla turned down the hall and called out.  “We’re heading out! We love you!” 

There was another bang, and this time, Cream whipped around the corner, skidding as she did so until she ran face-first into her mother’s open arms. 

“Bye, Vector!” Yelled Charmy from the other room.

“Be good!” Vector boomed back, patting Cream on the head as he did so. 

“I’ll try!” 

“That’s all I ask,” he muttered, shoulders slumping, before straightening again and offering Vanilla his arm. “Well, you take care Amy. See you in a few hours!” 

Again, Amy opened her mouth, stepped forward, had half a mind to catch the door before it closed, but just as she reached out to do so, they were gone. 

—

Tails arrived shortly after Vanilla and Cream left, excitement bursting from his face like sunshine until he found out what game Cream, Charmy, and Cheese were playing. 

Amy peaked her head around the corner, splitting her attention between the fruit she was to be cutting as a snack and the argument brewing in the living room. 

“No fair!” he said, his twin tails whirling behind him, building a slow and angry wind, “I always have to be the cop! Why can’t I be the alien!” 

“You snooze, you lose.” Charmy stuck his tongue out. 

“You do usually get here late.” Cream said as she pushed the mass of scarves towards Tails gingerly, Cheese hiding behind her shoulder as she did so. “And so by the time you do, it’s the only role left.” 

Tails grumbled at that, crossing his arms. Amy put down the knife with a sigh, wiping her hand on a kitchen towel as she moved into the living room. 

“Well now wait a minute,” she gestured at the pile of scarves, “Can I be the cop?” 

Silence, and then, almost at the exact same time, each and every child’s face soured. 

“You are not a cop,” mumbled Charmy. 

Amy pouted, placing her hands on her hips. “Why not?” 

“You’re just not.” Tails shook his head. 

Rolling her eyes, she started to wrap the fabric around herself. “How hard is it to play? I just put these on and then I have to do something, right?” 

Cream tried to take the scarf from Amy’s hand. “It’s not just the costume, it’s the mindset,” she said, “and you just don’t have the kind of mindset to play this.” 

The doorbell rang. Amy quickly snatched the scarf from Cream’s hands, tying it across her forehead as she marched down the hall. “I’ll show you! I can absolutely play this game!” 

With that, she threw open the door, pointed her free hand to look like a gun, and promptly stuck her finger in the chest of the person outside. 

“Put your hands where I can see them!” she called down the hallway, watching as all three kids came running, yelling for her to stop. “I said put your hands-!” 

She turned around. 

Amy’s finger was buried in the white fur of Shadow’s chest, his eyes wide as he stared at her. In an instant, her voice died, throat closing up and sending her into a coughing fit as her face started to burn. 

“Ah, um, sorry, I-” 

“Under what authority?” 

Amy blinked. Her mouth popped open, jaw working to reply, but nothing came out. 

Shadow took a step closer. Though he was shorter than she was, she suddenly felt the need to stand taller still even as her spine threatened to curl in the stare of those wide eyes. 

“Under the authority of me, that’s who.” 

Shadow raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down as he did so. 

“I’m a cop!” She insisted, brandishing her finger guns in front of her as she struck a pose. 

They scoffed. “No you’re not.” 

“See!” Charmy threw his hands forward, then groaned as he slouched. “We kept trying to tell her, but she isn’t listening!” 

“Well I’m not doing it.” Tails crossed his arms. “So she either does it or we play something else.” 

Charmy perked up, “Hey, Shadow? Would you-?” 

“He’s not a cop either.” Tails shook her head. “I would know. I’ve seen what he can do to cops.” 

Shadow gave a low chuckle at that as they gently pushed Amy’s hand aside, which she promptly pulled back to her own chest. 

“Oh yeah,” Charmy frowned. “Yeah, he’s more of an alien.” 

Cream whacked him on the arm with the back of her hand. 

“That’s rude and you know it, Charmy.” Tails hissed. 

“Ooh,” the little boy’s face turned downward, “Sorry… I forgot.” 

Amy rolled her eyes, feeling her face start to burn even as Shadow shrugged. 

“I could play the alien,” he said, kicking his shoes against the stoop to knock dirt away before stepping inside and shutting the door. “However, we are then still stuck with Amy being the cop, and obviously that is not going to work.” 

Charmy perked up immediately. The boy gave a whoop of excitement before zooming up and around Shadow’s head. 

“Yeah! Shadow and I are on the same team! You’re all gonna lose!” He stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry.

“That’s not fair, Charmy!” Cream crossed her arms as she tossed her ears side to side with her shaking head. “Also, now there’s too many of us to play the game!” 

Amy pouted. “Why, exactly, can’t I play this role anyway? Nobody’s even told me how this game works!” 

“The goal of the cop is to keep the robber from helping the alien return home.” Shadow said, nose twitching as he turned to face her. “You would want to help the alien.” 

Amy pursed her lips, then crossed her arms with a click of her tongue. “Yeah okay, no, I don’t want to be the cop. Besides, someone needs to get you guys food. I can do that while all of you hang out, so it’s not an issue.” 

“We can get our own food, you know.” Tails said as he made a face. 

Amy leaned in, watching Charmy as he flicked the floating ball above Cheeses’ head from the corner of her eye as she whispered, “No, you can’t, because Charmy can’t know where the knives are.” 

Tails made a soft sound of understanding. 

“It’s still not fair, though!” Cream plucked Cheese out of Charmy’s reach. “Because you’re gonna win, and then you’re gonna be rude about it all day!”

“You know what, how about we play a different game.” Amy said with a clap of her hands as she stood back up. 

“Aw no, come on!” Charmy said as he sat down on the banister. “That’s not fair! It was just gonna get good!”

“You heard Amy,” Shadow said, and with that, he scooped Charmy up under one arm. “Also, what did I tell you before about sitting on things that are not furniture?”

Charmy pouted as his wings buzzed loudly with discontent. Shadow patted the kid on the head with a roll of their eyes before walking down the short hallway. As soon as he crossed the threshold where he could turn into the kitchen or the living room, Amy watched as he tossed Charmy into the air, letting the boy bumble off, grumbling to himself. With that, Cream and Cheese followed, coming up behind Shadow to take his hands in theirs. 

Tails prodded Amy, startling her out of her staring as she turned to face him. 

“Did you know Shadow was coming today?” he whispered. 

Amy shook her head. The boy’s twin tails twitched behind him as he brought a hand up under his chin. 

“Oh…I kinda thought you invited him along.” 

Amy’s face twisted, brow furrowing. “Really? Why?” 

“Well, I dunno…” He looked away then, suddenly finding the painted pattern in the wall significantly more interesting. “But Cream and Charmy both told me that sometimes, he’ll be the one watching them while Vector and Vanilla are gone if you’re busy.” 

“Oh?” Amy blinked, leaning closer. “Really?” 

Tails nodded at that. 

“Have you ever been over when that’s happened?” 

Tales looked at her incredulously. “No, because I’m usually busy doing something with Sonic and Knuckles and, you know, you.” 

Amy hummed to herself as she looked back down the hallway to see that Shadow, Cream, and the rest had now vanished into the living room. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” 

“Probably because you’ve been getting weird about Shadow.” muttered Tails. 

Amy snapped her attention back to Tails. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

He rolled his eyes and looked at her with a smirk akin to the one Vanilla gave earlier. Amy felt herself bristle. 

“Okay, whatever, you little brat,” she huffed as she grabbed Tails’ hand and marched towards the living room. “Just know that the only one being weird about anything is you. All I did was try to ask a few perfectly normal questions and-” 

There, sitting calmly on the living room floor, was Shadow. He had been surrounded by a thick knitted blanket in which he sat cross-legged. Charmy fluttered behind Shadow’s head, trying and failing to get his quills pulled back into a ponytail. His face was scrunched in concentration, the bristle brush tight in his teeth as his small hands attempted to collect all of Shadow’s quills together. Meanwhile, Cream and Cheese sat in front with serious faces as Cream placed tiny gemstone stickers all over Shadow’s face. 

“What are you guys doing?” Tails said, breaking the silence.

Shadow’s eyes snapped up to meet Amy. 

It was then she realized she had stopped breathing.

“Ey!” Charmy snapped, in a gruff voice reminicent of  Vector’s as he puffed his chest out, “You gonna step in or are you gonna just clog up my doorway?” 

Amy laughed at that, even as her voice cracked “Step into where?” 

“We decided to play salon.” Cream said without looking up, though Cheese did dignify Amy with a glance and nod in her direction. 

Tails groaned. “Oh guys, come on, I don’t want to play salon!” 

“Hey ah, wait a minute,” Charmy went to buzz over, but then paused before Shadow, “Pardon me sir, it’ll only take a moment.” 

Shadow gave a slight nod, and Charmy zoomed across the room to stop at Tails, swinging an arm around his next to stop his momentum. 

“Are you the guy I was recommended to build me one of them fancy chair hair dryers?” Charmy said, one hand on his hip, the other drumming fingers against Tails’ shoulder. 

Tails blinked. He looked at Charmy out of the corner of his eyes. “I dunno. Maybe. Whatcha got.” 

“Eeeeeh.” Charmy shrugged. “I got ah, I got some cardboard, and some wire hangers, and some nice tape.” 

“We also have an old hand-held hair dryer mom can’t get to work. It’s in the trash, if you want to use it for parts.” Cream called over her shoulder. 

Tails’ eyes lit up at that. “Yeah, okay, maybe I am your guy. What’s in it for me?” 

Charmy paused. He licked his lips, brow furrowing, before turning to Amy. “You said there were gonna be snacks?” He asked, his voice his own again.

She did her very best not to stumble into a fit of giggles as she nodded. 

“What are they?” 

“Apple slices and gram crackers.” 

“Can we also maybe get some chocolate?” 

Amy cracked a bit of that, her voice shaking as she said, “If you play nicely.” 

Charmy turned his attention back to Tails. “You can have my chocolate..” 

“Youv’e got yourself a deal, sir.” Tails said as he shook Charmy’s hand. “Lead me to your supplies.” 

Charmy clapped Tails on the back and they both left to find the hair dryer 

Amy shut her eyes, placing a hand over her mouth as she laughed to herself, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. As she turned back to face the living room, however, she stalled. 

Cheese was in charge of sticking the gemstones on now. The little chao was diligent, taking his time with each and every single one as he placed them in a line down the red streak of Shadow’s arm.  Cream was now standing behind Shadow with a quill comb Vanilla kept aside for Amy in the event she ever needed to stay. It was a little plastic thing, sparkly green and covered in daisies, and it fit so nicely in Cream’s small hands as she gently pulled Shadow’s quills into the ponytail Charmy had failed to accomplish. 

Shadow, for his part, just sat there. His back was still straight, but his shoulders had slumped a little into a comfortable bend. The gemstones didn’t seem to bother him, nor did any inexperience on Cream’s part with the comb. Instead, Amy watched as his eyes fluttered, almost shutting but not quiet, as Cream patted him gently on the head upon finishing his quils. 

Amy’s hand drifted to her chest, fingers resting above her heart as she leaned against the wall. The sounds of Tails and Charmy’s chatter behind her slowly faded into the background as the bright sunlight coming through the living room windows illuminated the mahogany table, the little comb in Cream’s hands, the red in Shadow’s eyes.

Cream cleared her throat, and Shadow turned towards her. 

“Mr. Shadow, your styling is almost done. I just have one more question for you.” 

He nodded. 

“What are your thoughts on bangs?” 

Amy breathed in sharply at that and Shadow’s eyes went wide. Cream, giggling softly, just shook her head. 

“I’m not going to cut anything,” she whispered as she leaned into Shadow’s ear, “It’s just for pretend.” 

Shadow paused at that. Amy watched his furrowed brow rise, then smooth as his eyes crinkled at the corners instead, the closest she usually got to seeing him genuinely smile. 

Amy’s heart thundered under her fingertips. 

Just then, there was an almighty bang. Shadow was alert again, sitting straight up, head whipping around as did Amy’s towards the sound. There, in the kitchen, Charmy had dove into the trashcan. His little legs kicked as he dug through the garbage with Tails standing off to the side. 

“And I’ll need some electrical tape. Electrical!” He said, “Not duct tape!” 

“All we got is duck tape, so you’re gonna just have to figure it out!” Charmy snapped back.

Amy took a deep breath before letting her head fall into her hands. Evidently, nobody was going to be getting chocolate with their snacks. 

[sonysakura]

📋 Just Leave a Comment Fest (April 2024): Totals!

Much thanks to @justleaveacommentfest for organising! No excuses just results 🔥 And I'm quite pleased with mine

Total amount of comments: 20 Total amount of works commented: 13 Total amount of words typed: 4 662 words

Fic Recommendations: All of the fics mentioned are Sonadow-centric (Sonic the Hedgehog)

💙🖤

Indica Day: Comment on an Unfinished WIP 💿 CyberGuild by IndigoGoomba (Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply, 5 209 words, 4/? chapters) — AU, Gaming/Virtual Reality

CyberGuild, a Virtual Reality MMORPG made by RoboEgg. The revolutionary class system and cyberpunk setting catch the eyes of every gamer on Mobius, including Sonic and his friends. Peace is no longer an option when a group of ex-RoboEgg employees decides to wreak havoc upon the servers, aiming to get revenge for their "unlawful termination."

Sativa Day: Hyperfocus on a Modern AU 🧣 Dance by sarcasticism (Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply, 20 097 words) — AU: High School/Modern/No Powers, Sports

Shadow hates his high school. He has one friend, Rouge, and she isn't always around to scare his bullies away. There's a blue hedgehog who occasionally talks to him too, but Shadow tries to stay away from him outside of track because he worries he'll be teased for associating with the likes of Shadow. Not that Sonic seems to care about that. At all. Okay, so Shadow has two friends, both of whom attend the first school dance of the year, Shadow and Rouge in the corner judging everyone and Sonic surrounded by friends as always. After a certain echidna asks Rogue to dance with him, Shadow is alone and, most importantly, bored. Until someone dares Shadow to ask Sonic to dance and, to his surprise, Sonic says yes. Thus begins Shadow's third year of high school. Thus begins Shadow's crush.

Dream Blunt Rotation: Read a Fic, Send a Fic! ❤️‍🩹 I don’t wanna see you smile by kty0309 (Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply, 3 627 words) — Hurt/Comfort

“I guess…” he starts, looking anywhere but at Sonic, “I can stay until the fox returns.” “You could also just take me back to the party,” Sonic grins, smiling wider when Shadow glares. “Hey, it was worth a try,” he laughs. Shadow isn’t fast enough to shut down the part of his brain that thinks it’s almost…precious, that Sonic could easily ditch Shadow and head back to the party, but here he is, letting himself be taken care of. It makes Shadow feel uncharacteristically soft as he sits on the couch. Sonic never listens to him, it’s a good feeling….being trusted.

🩸 Mercy by @applebyeye (Gen, No Archive Warnings Apply, 2 397 words) — Established Relationship, Animal Death

A little chao interrupts the boys one morning.

💌 Yours If You So Wish It by @damnitd (Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply, 939 words) — Arthadow; Fluff

After months of getting used to a new world Arthur makes the decision to confess his feelings.

Links: Individual comment counters: 4/19, 4/20, 4/21, 4/22 Tracker sheet (template by eisoj5) Contains both fics I commented on and planned to but didn't have energy for

[sillyfanatic]

Crimson

Hey sonadow fanatics..... r you ready for a pirate au??? absolutely you are!!!!

click here to read it on ao3 babey!!!

(wc; 2938)

-

It seemed as though the ship would never cease its incessant teetering. Back and forth and once more again, the ship rocked dangerously against the brute force of the waves that surrounded it. The sky roared fiercely, it’s thundering only interrupted by a vicious slash of lightening, cracking somewhere near the ship. Too close for comfort, really.

The old hammocks rocked with every movement, old wood grinding under the force of sleeping bodies. How anyone could find peace in this moment was beyond him. And yet, Sonic could hear the soft snores of his crewmates, uninterrupted, and as loud as ever. As if the world wasn’t breaking down around them.

Sonic was sick.

Like, really really, about to spill your lunch kind of sick. And there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. Mother nature was hell-bent on disrupting his evening, never letting him get a single second of rest. With every new swing, the hedgehog felt his head spin dangerously, his insides unsettled.

“Shit-“ He whispered to himself as a particularly tall wave flung the boat sideways, the whole room going askew. Yeah, this was it. He was going to throw up. Lightning whipped somewhere near, and he fought the urge to shiver, whispering a quick prayer to no one in particular.

A sound could be heard between the thundering; the doors to the crew’s quarters had been open.

Who was insane enough to flee onto the ship’s deck when the sky was in such turmoil?

Heavy boots thudded against unreliable floorboards. A familiar sound.

Oh.

Someone hadn’t fled outside; someone had just come in, Sonic realized. The footsteps continued, heavy, regular, always the same. And they were heading towards him.

Shit.

Was it too late to pretend he was sound asleep?

“Sonic.” A voice replaced the footsteps, deep and smooth like the thunder above. There was no sense in avoiding it.

“Cap’n.” He greeted cheerily, despite the misery that plagued his stomach. If this hammock would stop moving for a moment, then perhaps he wouldn’t have to feel this way. He struggled to move his body, sitting up to eye the man before him.

The room was dark, simply lit by a single lantern. Still, the lack of light only managed to make his captain all the more terrifyingly stoic. He was drenched from head to toe, droplets of rainwater softly tumbling from his hat, falling onto the floor. He seemed unbothered by the fact that he was soaked, his eyes glowing in the low light; his features set in a usual scowl.

It was truly a sight to see.

His gaze lingered over Sonic, assessing the man before him. He observed carefully, taking not of any irregular details. The tired look in his eye, his classic grin, smaller than usual, and the way he trembled slightly - despite his efforts to conceal it.

“Hmph. You should be resting, you know?” He muttered after quite a while, the sound of his voice managing to soothe Sonic ever-so-slightly. He spoke plainly, unmoving. How he managed to stay still as the ship swung was beyond Sonic. Impressive, to say the least.

“Uh, yeah! Of course. I was just heading to bed, haha!” The awkward laugh hung in between them as Shadow took in his response. His lips were pressed together firmly, his eyes squinting lightly in a questioning manner.

There was another wave and the boat pushed Sonic, barely giving him time to react before he was nearly flung backwards, gripping his hammock for dear life. His stomach dropped, and his face lost a bit of colour.

“Sonic… are you really seasick?” The man before him mused. His captain had seen straight through him. There was the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. The crewmate was still desperately hanging onto his bed, trying to tether himself to something solid.

“Wha- me? Psh, I would never.” Sonic dismissed, hand waving in the air. But Shadow looked unconvinced, eyeing him oddly. The blue hedgehog didn’t like being observed in this way, being portrayed in a cowardly light. It was unlike him entirely. Sonic did not do fear.

And so, in an effort to prove himself to his captain, Sonic reluctantly left the comfort of his bed, bearing his weight on uncertain legs. To his surprise, he stood quite easily. He let his hands fall to his waist. “See, I’m fine!”

That was, until, mother nature decided to mock him, sending the ship onto its side once again. And this time, without anything to hold on to, Sonic did fall; straight into Shadow’s chest.

He collided harshly, his captain taking a few steps backwards under the weight of his employee. Strong arms circled him, and Sonic found himself buried in a wet shirt, breathing in the faint smell of rain and cologne.

Once the ship had regained some sense of normalcy, Sonic managed to stand, trying to flee his captain’s embrace. Shadow, on the other hand, didn’t let go, moving his hands to grasp at Sonic’s arms, tethering him to reality.

The blue hedgehog felt his muzzle warm abnormally, the heat stretching all the way to the tips of his ears. He felt fuzzy and flustered, and it might not have been from the nausea.

What was wrong with him tonight? First, he felt fearful of the storm above him, and now, he was beginning to feel flustered? These were two emotions that Sonic did not wear well; he had to get in control of his feelings, lest he make a fool of himself in front of the captain.

Sonic tried to make sense of the world around him, still held to the ground by the captain’s strong grip. As he lost himself, Sonic swore he saw Shadow’s lips move. The worrying roar of thunder managed to eclipse his words, and all Sonic could do was stare.

“Well?” The captain asked, looking expectantly at the man before him.

“Huh?” Sonic muttered, still trying to make the room stop spinning around him.

If you throw up on your captain, you’ll be exiled! He tried to scrutinize himself, but his thoughts didn’t make his head any less dizzy. There were too many things – too many feelings – swirling all at once, and it was bound to give him a headache.

“Do not ask me to repeat myself, hedgehog.” Shadow spoke harshly, looking unamused.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t hear you, cap’n!” He uttered softly, his body burning up beneath the grasp of the other man. He’d never been this close to his captain, and the proximity only seemed to make him more terrifying. Shadow squinted, huffing out something under his breath, but responded, nonetheless.

“Are you certain you’re not feeling ill?” His eyes glazed over his crew’s pale features, the unnatural blush that crept onto them. Perhaps he had a fever. “You don’t look too well, Sonic.” That last sentence was spoken very softly, with a look that resembled concern. It wasn’t often that Shadow spoke to his crewmates by name, often preferring to use nicknames. Sonic didn’t really have a nickname, and so he wasn’t usually addressed. Just by “hey you!” or “moron” or some other insult of the like. Hearing his name, especially from his captain, made his heart squeeze oddly.

“Yeah, I’m uh- I’m okay.” He gave a sheepish smile, in a poor attempt to appear normal. Another wave rocked the boat, and he resisted the urge to tremble, shutting his eyes firmly. This was entirely unlike him, and he had to be this way in presence of his captain. “On second thought, maybe it’d be nice to have some solid, unmoving ground, eh?” He confessed, trying to pass it off as a joke.

Shadow’s gaze was forever upon him, his arms solid by his side. Sonic couldn’t be more grateful for the strength of the man before him, feeling comfort in being semi-rooted into the ground. It would at least stop him from flailing around the crew’s quarters.

“Hm.” Was all he said, letting go of Sonic, much to the blue hedgehog’s chagrin. With a nod, he spoke confidently. “Follow me.” The captain turned on his heels, trudging wet boots back to the door.

-

“Why are we here?” Sonic asked as they made their way through the captain’s chambers.

Although the captain had his own private quarters, they weren’t very big. There was a desk in the left corner of the room, angled towards the door. At the other corner, carved into the wall, was a rather large cot, adorned with crimson sheets and pillows that matched them. Scattered along the room was a large wardrobe and a bookshelf, filled to the brim with old books, organized in a system that Sonic could not recognize or understand.

But the real showstopper here was the back wall. In front of Sonic stood not wood, but glass. Stretching from one side to the other, the old windows allowed a crystal-clear view of the ocean behind them. Thick velvet curtains, the colour of the midnight sky, hung heavily above the windows. They weren’t drawn, allowing Sonic to observe the storm behind them. And just as his eyes took in the sight before them, lightning ripped the horizon in half. It was - once again - far too close to the ship, and the blue hedgehog shivered slightly, trying not to lose his footing.

If it wasn’t for the looming threat outside, Sonic would’ve been more impressed. He tore his gaze over from the imposing glass, moving to admire the room around him. It was clean, and yet it looked comfortably lived in. There were things scattered on the desk, neatly pinned down by a few paperweights. The bed was nicely made, but the sheets were crinkled. It was homey, and it sent a warm feeling through Sonic’s chest. He decided he liked it here.

“So, this is where the elusive Shadow spends all his time, huh?” Sonic mused, turning to grin at the man besides him.

(The captain was rather reclusive, spending hours locked inside his quarters doing lord knows what. Scarce were the times where others were invited inside. The only exception seemed to be the ship’s first mate, who could easily be found entering the chamber during the daylight.

Still, it was very odd for Shadow to allow Sonic in here, letting the blue hedgehog soak the pristine floors beneath his tired feet. They’d only been subjected to the rain for a few seconds, and yet that was all it took for the storm to greedily drench them.)

Once more, the captain did not answer his question. Instead, Shadow took Sonic’s wrist in his grasp, quickly tugging him towards the cot. The blue hedgehog barely had time to react, letting himself get dragged by the arm. Shadow’s grip was strong, sending shivers down his spine. (that’s a normal thing to feel, right?) “Sit.” The captain instructed once they stood by the bed, his hand still wrapped firm around Sonic’s arm.

“Wha-“ He started, but Shadow didn’t let him finish, tugging him down harshly and situating him onto the bed. Sonic quickly found himself sitting on a comfortable mattress, cotton sheets soft against his damp fur. It had been a long time since he’d felt the softness of a proper bed, and it managed to shut him up.

Shadow stepped aside for a second, igniting an oil lamp that resided on his desk. He turned to walk to another corner of the room, returning with a small stool. He placed the seat before Sonic, moving to place himself on top of it. The blue hedgehog found himself situated in front of Shadow once more.

The captain folded his arms across his chest, feet firmly planted onto the ground. Sonic found himself wondering how a person could find himself so comfortable in such chaos. There wasn’t another person capable of holding such a substantial amount of Sonic’s admiration; Shadow was the only one to do so.

“Hm?” Shadow hummed in an inquisitive manner. Sonic realized he’d missed another question.

“Uh- I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” He asked with a sheepish grin, hoping to charm his captain out of annoyance. It seemed to work well.

This time, Shadow didn’t bring attention to the fact that Sonic was making him repeat himself. “You’re really scared of that storm, huh?” He asked, tilting his head to observe the man before him. Something deep within sonic fizzled at the movement; not unlike the feeling he got when thunder roared above his head. The hedgehog pushed these feelings down, avoiding his gaze and looking behind his captain. But behind lay the storm, and that was enough to make Sonic gaze onto his captain once more.

“I wouldn’t really say scared.” He tried to play off, dismissively waving a gloved hand.

“Hm.” Shadow hummed, nodding.

A silence fell between the two as they both sat, listening to the rain aggressively batting against the windows. And Sonic couldn’t help but wonder again, why was he here?

“Hey, Shads?” He questioned, shuffling awkwardly on the mattress. The captain only looked at him, visibly displeased by the nickname. This only excited Sonic, who continued speaking. “Why am I here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s an honour to be allowed in here, but uhm- yeah. Why are we here?”

Shadow took a moment before answering, the same usual scowl now adorned his features.

“I thought it wise to bring you somewhere where you wouldn’t be puking all over the place.” He responded simply. The answer felt like an insult, somehow; even if the intention behind it was rather sweet. “Besides, it was you who’d said you wished for firm ground, was it not?” Shadow remarked, making Sonic blush again. “This is as stable as you’ll get, I’m afraid.”

“Oh.” He uttered softly, nodding. He had said that, hadn’t he? When he’d requested somewhere stable, it had been more of a joke, not an advance to get himself into the captain’s quarters. But he was here now, wasn’t he? Sitting on the captain’s bed, across from the captain himself – (Shadow, who was staring at him in a manner that was so intense, he felt his fur growing warmer. And yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to look away.) “Thank you.” He whispered after a long silence.

Shadow simply nodded, standing up. “I’d suggest you get rest, Sonic.”

His ears drooped as he realized it was time to return to the crew’s quarters. At least it had been fun while it lasted, right? “Oh, yeah, of course, let me just-“ He made an attempt to stand, reluctantly heading back towards a shaky hammock, away from the stability of Shadow’s cot.

But before Sonic could properly stand, before he’d fully lifted himself from the comfortable mattress, a hand came in contact with his chest, firmly pushing him back down. Shadow stood close, his body shielding Sonic from anything else, effectively keeping him in his place.

“Where are you going?” His captain demanded, his touch never leaving the young man’s chest. It burnt through his damp clothes, making his head fuzzy.

“Uh- to my hammock?” Sonic muttered, perplexed.

“You’ll be sleeping here tonight.” Shadow spoke simply, removing his hand from his crew’s chest. This comment took Sonic off-guard, the blue hedgehog giving a puzzled look to the man before him.

“What? No, I’ll sleep in the crew’s quarters, it’s okay-“

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The captain spat, a usual scowl plastered in his features. It was the weirdest form of hospitality Sonic had ever received.

“I’m all wet, I’m gonna soak your bed.” Sonic tried to defend, lifting himself up, only to be pushed down once again. The ease that came with Shadow’s strength was something that Sonic admired greatly. He didn’t mind being pushed down; usually, he’d put up a fight and try to wrestle his way out of it, but he was much too tired to do so now. A yawn escaped him, a betrayal on his body’s part.

“So would I, if I were to sleep in it.” His captain observed. “What is your point, hedgehog?”

“I can’t- I can’t just sleep here, dude! Where are you gonna sleep?”

“Don’t worry yourself about me.” Shadow spoke, finally turning away from his employee. What an idiotic statement. Shadow was being the ridiculous one, Sonic thought. It would make more sense for the dark hedgehog to get proper rest, wouldn’t it? The captain had duties that were far more important than a measly sailor!

Before exiting, Shadow moved to shut the curtains, banishing the only view of the storm. This managed to ease Sonic a bit, and the hedgehog released a breath he had not realized he was holding. The lamp on the desk was quickly extinguished, basking the room in a peaceful darkness that would never be allowed in the crew’s quarters.

Sonic opened his mouth in a final attempt to protest, but as he did so, Shadow spoke abruptly, not even bothering to turn around as he did so. “Get some rest. That’s an order.”

Sonic was baffled, mouth hanging open with an unspoken sentence. He listened to the heavy thud of Shadow’s boots as he exited the room, the dark hedgehog disappearing into the storm. The door closed behind him, shutting the world off from Sonic. And then he found himself alone in the captain’s quarters.

What the fuck was happening?

Despite his unwillingness to fall asleep here, exhaustion weighed heavily upon his shoulder, and the young hedgehog soon found himself drifting off; surrounded by soft cotton sheets that smelt like the captain’s cologne.

-

A/N

> hey... guiys.... Myr finally yanked herself out of her depression to finish correcting this bad boy!! I’m feeling v creative today, nd i have the motivation to write for the first time in a while! I started the third chapter of my satbk fic and it’s lookin v good!!!!

> thank you for reading, as always any interactions r appreciated and critcism is always welcome!! have a beautiful day my loves <3

-

second part ->

[cutegirlmayra]

Ok, are you still doing Sonamy prompts? 'cause if you are, here's a 'silly' one: Remember how you said you wanted to do an actual GOOD SonamyShad love triangle? Ok. Now, have you heard 'Satisfied' from the Hamilton musical? There, see. Eliza is Amy, but if you want to, you can switch Sonic and Shadow for Alexander or Angelica, you can make Shadow the outcast or you can do a platonic/romantic Sonamy where he is the outcast! (not sonadow) IDK, I just love the feels. :') You're the best!

(x) This lovely preview image was used with permission! Please support the Artist as well~

Yeah, I love that musical! I see Amy as Eliza a lot actually xD But I usually ship Sonamyshad as Sonic and Shadow having feelings for Amy. >////

Prompt:

The drink in his hand wasn’t much of a calming substance.

Long ago, Shadow had begun to feel… stirrings… for Amy, but such things were ‘disagreeable’ with him and his lifestyle. Instead, he kept it bottled up. Didn’t say much about how she made him feel during the time they all did missions together to put an end to a foreign enemy, nor the fact that he had chosen to partner up with her during that time instead of Rouge.

Rouge was the first to pick up a strange ‘attachment’—so to speak— coming from him when it came to Amy Rose. He was quick to interject when roles and aids were being called out, and always strongly enforced that he and Amy were a good balance of brawn and wit.

It was beginning to get controlling though, and although Amy never suspected anything, Sonic’s presence in her life was overwhelming to Shadow… he began to get eerily jealous of Amy’s admiration for him. He became more persistent in being with her, and even went so far as to drive a wedge between the two by keeping Amy away from Sonic…

However, these attempts failed.

Amy was always seeking out Sonic, never realizing Shadow’s harbored feelings, and soon…

Well, the wedding was a surprise.

Shadow clanked the glass down hard on the table, tsk’ing as the merry crowd gathered and cheered at some joke Sonic had said.

Although he respected Sonic… he didn’t owe him any favors.

He quickly gorged in one fatal gulp the rest of the drink, wiping his mouth and prepared to leave with a scowl on his face.

“Hmm?” Rouge, fancied up, moved slightly from Knuckles’s embrace to cock her eyebrow up at his obvious upset exit. “Leaving so soon?”

He only grunted in a sigh.

His eyes narrowed, not liking her eyes on his back, before…

“Alright, alright, alright! Let’s hear it for the lovely couple! And now, a toast!”

A toast?

Shadow stopped a moment, pivoting his head slightly to the side, but not fully looking back just yet. “Odd..” he didn’t think they would start without-

“And here’s the lovely bride now!”

Shadow couldn’t help it. All he needed was to watch a piece of fabric fly by the corner of his eye for the temptation to be too great and turn around to look at her.

He was stunned from head to toe, unable to look away and unable to close his mouth.

The longing to have Sonic never exist grew again… and jealousy turned to envy instantly.

She was beautiful.

Then, Sonic all but disappeared.

So did the party.

The guests.

The tables and it’s over-glorified food and beverages.

He found himself walking after her as if daydreaming, moving parallel but out of sight behind the crowd as he watched her through the slits of their bodies all tightly together in a line to welcome her.

“To the Groom!” To the groom… the groom…

“To the bride!” To the bride… to the lovely bride…

“To their future!” Amy…

“To their union!” To this revelation.

“And the hope that you’ll provide!” This can’t be happening…

Shadow stopped walking as the sides of his face pulled down in utter anguish.

Had he fallen so deeply into this… this fascination with her that he couldn’t even snap himself out of the trance she had on him? Could he really just not walk away? But watch this act be done?

His fists clenched along with his jaw… jagged in a line upon his teeth were the full bearings of his fangs.

“He doesn’t deserve her…” It was so faint, so completely drowned out by the crowd, that not even his own ears could pick up his muttered betrayal.

But someone did see his mouth move.

“Shadow?” Amy turned to look straight through the crowd, lifting a gentle and angelic hand towards him.

“Oh?” The crowd turned, as the announcer from before gestured to Shadow. “Do you have anything to say?”

“…Simply…” he held his head high, realizing he had to now.

Looking at Amy’s eyes… seeing her concern in them…

Did she know?

“…That you always… be satisfied.”

She smiled.

Rewind. “Chaos…” he slowly pulled the Chaos Emerald out, hurriedly walking back and away from everyone, heading outside.

“Control.”

“I remember that night… I just might regret that night for the rest of my days…” Shadow moved through the forest, seeing a weary Amy, struggling to breathe, crawling towards the only safety she could perceive.

He watched her, knowing exactly what he did and responded to her with… and thinking maybe history could repeat itself in a different way this time.

He approached her.

“S..Sonic?”

He felt a twinge of pain.

His face scrunched up, but he lowered himself down as her face moved up to get a better look at him.

“Are you alright?” He was following the script, not sure when to change it.

There’s eyes remained locked as long as Amy could muster them before she collapsed and he picked her up.

“Here.” He gave her something to drink as she gulped it down, hitting her chest a moment as she coughed up smoke.

“Explosion.” She explained with a weak voice. “Thank you… Shadow.”

“Rest. You need it.” He moved the drink away from her and as he did so, lightly brushed his fingers over her hair.

She didn’t notice.

She never did.

It was so secretive, the slight pleasure he obtained from those ‘slide-of-hands’ he all but perfected over the course of time they spent together… but now…

She coughed again, “I’m so lucky you found me…”

He didn’t respond, just helped lift her up more so she could breathe…. Then… leaned her back against his own as he rested upon a stump.

“A pity your hero didn’t find you.” Shadow retorted to, at last, going by his old words, but they held new meaning now.

It wasn’t a silly taunt anymore.

It held so much… more now.

“Hmph. You’re just like me then. I’m never satisfied with my rescues either.”

That triggered something in him, a sudden urge to lean down and claim her his right then and there. A kiss… forbidden and deadly… but could it change fate?

“There’s still a million things I want me and Sonic to accomplish.” She smiled, that same… unyielding smile of total and pure joy.

How could she be so content? With a boyfriend like him!?

Shadow turned away, tsk’ing again, as Amy giggled.

“But just you wait.” She retorted, looking down and away from straight up into his face. She lightly stroked Shadow’s hands around her waist… “I’ll make that Sonic respect me.”

I already respect you.

Shadow looked away, fighting the urge to pull her up further and take hold of her mouth and never give her time to breathe again.

But what good would that do? The second she caught hold of fresh air again, she would run back to her Sonic. Nothing he could do could change that.

The conversation lasted two, maybe three minutes… but it was in that moment that Shadow began to feel something for Amy.

They both played games of wit on their missions. They enjoyed the other’s company. She even got him to smile on more than one occasion.

What did she see in that blue menace?

Then again… currently speaking, with Shadow’s feelings and all, he was the true menace to her ‘happily ever after’…

“Do you ever wonder what would happen if Sonic wasn’t the one you end up with?”

She fidgeted, sweating a little in his arms as she didn’t speak.

She was flying off of hope, and nothing more.

Beautiful… and boy, did she know it.

She played innocent and cute so well… but he saw sides of her that he was sure even Sonic didn’t get a chance to see.

He wanted to take her far away from here, far into his arms and into a void where neither of them could escape from. A place where no ‘Sonic’ existed… but then he looked down to her face, hearing only silence, and watched in humiliating shock with her eyes light up.

“I’m just helpless, you know?”

And truly, he knew she was-

“Helpless?”

Her eyes simply screamed-

“Helplessly devoted to him~” she swooned, melting into Shadow’s arms with sighs as his own twitched and shook uncontrollably.

It didn’t matter. Nothing he did would ever matter to her more than Sonic. More than her own diluted feelings for him.

Then Sonic came.

“Woah! Amy! I finally found you!”

Shadow glared up at him, spooking Sonic slightly as Amy’s face lit up with smitten grandeur at his arrival.

“Sonic!”

“Miss me?”

“Aways!” she coughed then but tried to move out of his grasp.

“..Shadow?”

Shadow continued to hold her.

He closed his eyes, ‘That’s when I realized… three fundamental truths at the exact same time.’

He handed her off to Sonic, who played the charming rescuer even though Shadow did all the work of helping her stay alive.

“I was worried about’cha. You gave everyone quite a scare, Amy.” He smiled warmly down to her, so friendly and full of hidden love she wouldn’t discover until another few years.

“Hehe, worried? Scared? Oh, Sonic!” she wrapped her strong arms around his neck, being careful to be gentle. Something… Shadow knew because she replicated it when he held her through missions as well.

Sonic held her bridal style, the exact same way he did.

So why was it different?

Shadow turned away, fists turning white as the gloves over them before he folded his arms and took a deep breath, turning away from the ‘happy’ couple.

“I miss you all the time! Why can’t you understand that?” she sighed, but Shadow knew from the tone of her voice that she was only playing.

He knew her.

Every gesture and mannerism…

But he wanted so much more than knowledge…

He gritted his teeth again, stifling any noise of aggravation he may make towards them.

Shadow reminded himself that Amy was his first love, that he was an abomination made on the Space Colony Ark, and that was why he let Sonic take her away that day.

Nice going, she was right.

He turned to the two.

He will never be satisfied.

He walked over to them, “What are you doing?” Sonic asked.

Shadow turned him around, “I’m about to change your life.” He stated and gave Sonic a little ‘nudge’ so to speak, “Go take Amy around the lake. Try and be somewhat chivalrous and give her a good time.”

“W-what!?” Sonic’s face lost it’s ‘cool attitude’ and suddenly was in shambles as Amy blushed and looked surprised back at Shadow.

He faked his smile and walked away from the two. “My only job in this life is to protect humanity and let them live out there dreams. So maybe that is why…” He pulled out his chaos emerald.

“I let Amy have her dream…” he was plenty far enough away for Amy and stubborn Sonic with his nose up in the air to avoid Amy seeing any further expression of his embarrassment on his face, although totally applying what Shadow said and giving her a night to remember… one that left Shadow without any chance to climb—but then again— he already knew he had lost.

“Even if she’s clueless.” He smirked, holding the emerald out, “That doesn’t mean… I want her any less.”

He teleported through time back to Amy and Sonic’s wedding, folding his arms as he watched her walk down the isle, Sonic sweating buckets and having to be fanned by Tails’s twin tails just to stay calm and not overheat from anxiety.

Cold feet?

Shadow snickered, before looking away, leaning on the door and not looking back.

“I’d have to be naïve to set her feelings aside,.. it’s just another reason why I-“ he gripped his head, suddenly feeling the rush of sorrow crash inside himself. “Maybe that’s why…” he started to feel a migraine the size of a walnut in his head, only growing bigger as he turned fully away from the scene and covered his face, trying to get some air.

“I gave her to Sonic… Now that’s her groom.”

He looked up through his fingers, glaring.

“Thank you for all the help you’ve done, Shadow.” Amy’s eyes beamed with praise.

He looked down at her hand…

“If it takes fighting a war to be with you…” he grabbed it, dropping down to one knee and surprising her, seeing her blink fast as he kissed her hand. “Then it was worth it.”

Sonic later bent to one knee… shocking her even more… frustrating Shadow even more…

Shadow walked out of the church, “I’ll leave you to it.” He lifted a hand up, dismissing the happy couple, letting Sonic win over himself.

Who was he kidding… Sonic had him beat before Amy even knew of his existence.

Three….

He knew Amy like he knew his own mind by now.

Sonic came out later, basking a minute in the moonlight before Shadow approached him.

“Shadow?” he straightened himself up, seeing Shadow’s demeanor looked off.

“What’s up? The food not good enough for ya? Hehee.” He smiled obviously, as Shadow took a deep breath to calm his rage, and then looked up within the shadows of the darkened trees towards him.

“Take care of her Sonic… you’ll never find anyone as trusting or as kind as Amy Rose…”

“Uhh… I think you mean, Miss The Hedgehog.” Sonic raised an eyebrow. Just as oblivious as her…

Shadow rolled his eyes.

Even he didn’t fully realize Shadow’s feelings for Amy.

He wondered… if he had told Sonic of his feelings… would he have been silently resigned? Would she have been his? Or would he have been lying about being indifferent to it all?

Either way…

If Shadow had succeeded in driving a big enough rift between them, she would have acted content and fine, but she’d obviously be lying as well.

Shadow left then… But deep in the night, when he dreamed or fantasized… It was always her eyes, Maria’s words in her mouth, as she would lean her back against his chest just like that first night… looking up at him…

Even if she never loved him…

At least he kept her eyes in his life…

But he’d never be satisfied.