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It had been thirty minutes since Metal Sonic had a fight with Sonic and Shadow.
It had only involved Metal Sonic and Sonic at first. Metal Sonic instantly attacked Sonic after stumbling upon him while patrolling through a forest. Sonic had been relaxing on a tree, minding his business.
But Metal Sonic would never deprive themself of the opportunity of putting him in his place.
Shadow had coincidentally been in the same forest, simply going on a nature walk. After hearing the commotion, he instantly went to check it out.
Shadow had no choice but to join the fight. It'd be suspicious if he didn't.
Metal Sonic's passion during the fight had gradually dwindled. Becoming much more concerned with not causing serious harm to Shadow over shredding up their copy.
But their disgusting copy had continuously goaded them with his childish quips. Metal Sonic had grown so infuriated that they unintentionally slammed their fist against Shadow’s stomach in the heat of the moment.
Metal Sonic froze upon hearing the whimper that escaped Shadow's lips as the hedgehog stumbled from the blow. Metal Sonic had nearly reached out to steady Shadow. All previous focus on Sonic dissipating.
It was strange to cause Shadow harm again. They hadn’t been in a real altercation with him ever since they’ve been together.
Sonic had quickly taken advantage of Metal Sonic's brief hesitation. And in a split second, the robot found themselves sprawled on the forest floor from a swift kick to the head. They didn't bother getting back up. Instead, they watched with agitation and a bit of remorse as Sonic checked on a dazed Shadow before going back to teasing them.
"Maybe you oughta get your screws tightened up, Metal! You're getting sloppy." Sonic laughed like the cornball he was. He suddenly perked up when Shadow let out a low grumble.
"Come on, Shads. You think you still got a race in you?" Sonic sounded eager, bouncing around with unbridled energy.
"..Maybe." Shadow drawled out, his eyes flickering over to Metal Sonic's slumped form.
Despite their defeat, Metal Sonic felt warm after identifying the subtle worry in the hedgehog's body language. The twitching of Shadow's tail said it all.
Thankfully, Sonic didn't pick up on the tension, chirping out another stupid little phrase as he began to pull Shadow away. Prepared to race the black hedgehog.
Metal Sonic waited until they knew that the pair was far away, before sitting up. Wiping the dirt and mud from their frame.
Shadow's concern meant one thing. He would want to check on Metal Sonic as soon as he could. So the robot stayed put in the same area, knowing that Shadow was bound to return soon.
Metal Sonic struggled to fight the urge to seek out Shadow themselves, so they tried to occupy themselves.
For thirty minutes, they busied themselves with observing the nature of the forest, analyzing all the little bugs and insects.
It was entertaining in the beginning. But when a trail of ants tried to crawl within one of their joints, nature had lost its appeal. So they sat down on the same fallen tree where Sonic had been sitting earlier. And began to practice their self maintenance. Running self diagnostics and recalibrating systems.
Eventually, Shadow returned as Metal Sonic expected. the worry in his eyes dimmed a bit when he saw that Metal Sonic had moved up from his spot on the ground. Metal Sonic stood from the fallen tree and met Shadow halfway.
“Are you alright?” Shadow asked in a small voice, eyes looking over Metal Sonic’s scuffed form.
Metal Sonic absently nodded, of course they were okay. They had taken much worse hits and had been scratched and dented, but had left the situation more or less operational.
Metal Sonic automatically inspected Shadow's figure, pausing when he spotted an uneven patch of fur on Shadow's belly. Right where he had been struck.
Metal Sonic reached out to gently press their palm against it. The skin underneath it seemed tender and sore compared to the rest of the stomach.
Shadow let out a sharp breath, and they instantly dropped their arm.
An indescribable emotion filled them, and while they were not able to decipher it, one thing was clear.
They did not enjoy harming Shadow anymore.
Metal Sonic lowered their head, hoping to convey their shame. But to their surprise, Shadow only chuckled, gazing at Metal Sonic affectionately.
“It’s alright, Metal.” Shadow gave the robot a small smile. “We still have to keep up pretenses, don’t we? I imagine that if I managed to land a hit on you, you wouldn’t have been upset either.”.
Metal Sonic nodded in agreement. It was rare for Shadow to upset them, anyway.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Metal Sonic reached for Shadow’s hands and took them within their own. They wanted to show Shadow that they could be gentle as well.
Shadow’s face blushed a vibrant hue as his red eyes quickly darted away from Metal Sonic’s optics.
“It’s getting dark.” Shadow murmured after a moment. “I should get going, and you should too.”.
Metal Sonic beeped with amusement and tenderly squeezed Shadow’s hands. They detected the underlying sense of doubt behind each word.
Hours later, the two of them were curled up against each other on the grass, Shadow practically sitting in Metal Sonic’s lap, his face buried against the robot’s chest.
Metal Sonic delicately twirled a lock of fur on Shadow's head around his claw, a sense of serenity and tranquility washing over them as Shadow's soft purring intensified.
They hadn't felt this relaxed in nearly months, with everything that's been going on. If Shadow didn't object, they would gladly spend the entire night with him like this.
In the midst of their contentment, Metal Sonic had somehow forgotten to take one factor into account.
Metal Sonic jolted when an unexpected beep sounded within their head, and they quickly became flabbergasted when Dr.Eggman's voice began to furiously echo from their speakers.
"Metal, where are you? I expected you to return hours ago! Are you aware of the time? What is your status!?". Eggman's voice demanded, sounding irritated.
Metal Sonic was stunned. They had been so distracted with Shadow that they had forgotten all about their creator.
There was the sound of a few keys being hit, and Eggman suddenly sighed. Sounding simultaneously relieved yet agitated.
"Okay, from my end it seems that you're operating. Return back to base now. I already have so much on my plate, the last thing I need is you going missing.".
Then the Doctor abruptly hung up.
Metal Sonic was still silent, humiliation flooding their very core. It was bad enough that they were being ordered to return. But Shadow overhearing the lecture made them ashamed.
Shadow had sat up while he listened to the call, his eyes wide with surprise.
He looked at Metal Sonic with concern as Eggman ranted. But once the Doctor hung up, Shadow had quickly turned his face away.
Metal Sonic wanted to sink into the dirt. Now the moment was ruined.
Suddenly, Shadow let out a loud snorting noise before bursting into giggles, his hands coming to cover his mouth.
Metal Sonic gave the back of Shadow's head a cold stare. This was one of the most humiliating things that they had experienced in a while. And here Shadow was, laughing. As if this was a game.
But Metal Sonic could not resist beeping in amusement at Shadow's laughter. It was a pleasant noise to his processors.
Finally, Shadow’s giggling ceased, and he turned back to Metal Sonic. A smile etched across his face.
"Sorry for my outburst," Shadow spoke, swallowing down another fit of laughter. "I just..I'm sorry. He sounded like a father. I didn't expect it.".
Metal Sonic's shoulders slumped, their expression somehow looking exhausted. Once the situation dawned on them, they couldn't bring themselves to entirely enjoy Shadow's amusement anymore. Eggman's call only meant that they would have to part from one another.
They didn't get to spend time together often. It had been nearly two months since they've last been able to be together like this.
It wasn't as if they could simply visit one another, they were supposed to be enemies. So they had to sneak around, and take advantage of every rare opportunity that presented itself.
It was especially difficult for Metal Sonic to meet up with Shadow. Everything they did was logged and recorded. If Dr.Eggman decided to investigate any suspicious behavior, it wouldn't take much for him to read Metal Sonic's thoughts, or to watch all of their memories.
Shadow seemed to soften after picking up the shift in their mood, and he leaned forward to rest his palm upon Metal Sonic's shoulder.
"It'll be okay, Metal. We could always stage another fight or encounter. That is, if we don't end up bumping into eachother again.".
Shadow reassured, his tone light.
Metal Sonic let out a low beep of agreement. But how would they even make the time to stage anything? That, and even if their hostility was faked, they'd still had to battle each other.
Shadow's took in all of Metal Sonic's features before his eyes locked onto the robot’s optics. Suddenly, he let out a deep sigh before leaning forward to gently caress Metal Sonic’s cheek with a careful hand.
"Would…Would a kiss make you feel better?" Shadow offered gently. Looking a bit nervous.
Metal Sonic was dumbfounded. They had never kissed Shadow before. The concept had never crossed them once. And why would it? They didn't even have a mouth.
But still, the prospect of getting a kiss from Shadow was thrilling, and they found themselves agreeing feverishly.
Shadow smiled shyly, and took a moment to prepare himself. Metal Sonic watched as Shadow licked his lips before he gently pulled Metal Sonic's face closer to his. Closing his eyes as he leaned forward nervously.
Metal Sonic was unable to tear their gaze away as Shadow moved closer, vibrating with anticipation.
Overwhelmed with impatience, Metal Sonic lunged their head forward without thinking, meeting Shadow's lips with their own smooth muzzle.
Metal Sonic only then recalled their sharpened point of a nose when Shadow's eyes suddenly shot open, and he flinched away.
Metal Sonic recoiled, horror and shame filling them when they saw the small trickle of blood running down Shadow's lips.
Shadow had a startled expression, and the robot feared that Shadow would be upset and never want to kiss them again. But after a moment of silence, Shadow casually licked the blood off of his lips and wiped the trickling blood from the small cut off on his wrist.
"We can try this again if you'd like." Shadow offered, his tone light and pleasant.
Metal Sonic nodded again, digging their claws into the soil to steady themselves as Shadow cupped their face again. and leaned forward. Another wave of excitement washed over them as they patiently waited for another kiss.
Shadow hesitated for a brief second, before tilting his head to gently press his warm lips against Metal Sonic's cold, metallic cheek. The contact was brief, but it sent a jolt of electricity throughout Metal Sonic's circuits, leaving them faint and euphoric.
Shadow pulled away from Metal Sonic and stood to his feet, taking hold of the dazed robot's wrist to pull them up as well.
"We should get moving. I wouldn't want you to get into any serious trouble with the Doctor." Shadow hummed.
Metal Sonic was disappointed that they had to seperate from Shadow so soon, but the kiss had left them in a much better mood.
They didn't know how they were going to do it, but they'd find another opportunity to sneak off with Shadow again soon.
It wasn't ideal, but perhaps they could leak a small detail of a plan their creator developed. If only to give Shadow an excuse to come prowling around Eggman's base.
Or maybe they stage a scenario and pretend to capture Shadow.
Metal Sonic suddenly realized that Shadow still hadn't let go of their wrist. The hedgehog had a thoughtful look on his face.
Shadow accidentally caught Metal Sonic's gaze and let go of their wrist sheepishly.
"My apologies, I had something on my mind." Shadow stammered, releasing Metal Sonic's wrist. "Until next time?".
Metal Sonic gave a short unenthusiastic nod at Shadow's words, still unwilling to part with him. But as they studied Shadow's fidgety demeanor, an idea dawned on them.
Without a second thought, Metal Sonic quickly moved over to Shadow and pulled the hedgehog into a tight embrace, nuzzling his cheek gently. Then they let go and activated their jets and flew off into the night sky before Shadow could react.
Shadow stood frozen in the clearing for a moment, watching as Metal Sonic disappeared into the sky, before sighing and rubbing his face as if he could wipe away the blush that had risen on his face away.
Shadow sighed with a small smile, before turning and walking off into the dense forest at a much more moderate pace. He was already looking forward to their next meeting.