Chapter Text
Before dawn could rise, before it could wash away the night that had weighed on the forest, two lightning-fast streaks shot out from the grayish gloom: one red, one blue – one unruly, one steady. After a few brief clashes, they tangled without mercy. The grass screamed, blades flying and roots tearing from the sudden assault. But the grass assassins had no time to care; they were too busy tearing at each other. The squeaks and grunts of hedgehogs mixed with the sounds of fists and kicks across the thicket. Finally, the ravaging ended with the blue hedgehog pinning the black one to the ground.
“Whoa-ho, I win.” Sonic sat astride Shadow’s ilium, repeating smugly. His peach‑pink hands pressed down on two arms striped with deep red. Emerald eyes looked slyly into a pair of clearly unconvinced crimson ones. His tail swished back and forth, slapping the other hedgehog’s thigh – as if, with just a pair of wings and a red comb, this cobalt hedgehog would flutter into the air like a strutting rooster.
“Don’t get too cocky, hedgehog.” The Ultimate Life Form – Shadow – said, trying to regain the upper hand through biological identity. “Next time you won’t be so lucky.”
His voice was low, carrying the sullenness of someone who hadn’t slept enough. If he hadn’t been pinned under Sonic, his scorching cobalt fur pressed against the damp grass, the threat would have sounded much fiercer and more convincing. Oh, but –
“Oh well, looks like luck isn’t really on your side, eh, Shads?” Sonic drew out the syllable, winked at the black hedgehog beneath him, and grinned casually, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth and a hint of tongue. Shadow found himself staring at them.
Shit, he thought. Why is my neck so itchy, so hot?
Flustered, half angry at himself and half complaining about Sonic, Shadow pushed the cobalt hedgehog off him and sat up. He gave a short grunt, closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around himself, and pursed his lips. “If you keep ingesting that high‑oil, high‑sugar, high‑calorie junk food – those biochemical creations that share your suffix – you’ll find Tom will have to install a wider front door.”
“Wow…” Sonic whispered in mock surprise, the wind from the cliff blurring his chuckles. “…That’s harsh.” Still, the other hedgehog’s laugh made Shadow’s chest swell strangely. He didn’t know why.
He decided to ignore it.
A touch that could not be ignored landed on him without warning, carrying the warmth of sun‑soaked fur. Shadow stiffened, his ears drooping like a blade of grass bending. He opened his eyes, his body instinctively ready to strike back – but when he recognized that ever‑smiling face, he lowered his already‑coiled hand. His cheeks grew hot and green. “What are you doing, Faker?”
Sonic had sidled up at some point, one hand braced on the grass between them, the other resting on the pitch‑black fur. He poked a finger into the sensitive side of Shadow’s waist, making Shadow nearly jump up and curse him. Then he poked his own waist, opened his palm, measured like a ruler, and theatrically compared. “Hmm‑hmm, someone’s going to get his nose pecked by a woodpecker. Faker, my waist is slender. You’re thicker than me. Ah‑ha, junk food scores a point.” He hummed as his blue quills swayed with the grass in the wind.
Shadow rolled his eyes, very annoyed to notice that the other hedgehog’s body was indeed leaner than his. “It means I’m stronger than you.”
“Alright, alright, tough guy, enough bickering.” Sonic grew bored with the argument. He rolled his eyes, stood up from the grass, stretched against the wind, then turned around, bent forward, one hand behind his back, the other extended toward Shadow sitting on the ground. Half‑lidded, minus the mischievous grin at the corner of his mouth, Sonic looked just like a London gentleman from a black‑and‑white film – perfectly old‑fashioned. “Would you like to sit by the cliff with me, Shads?”
Shadow was silent for a moment, staring at the hand Sonic offered. The glove was grayish‑blue; his face was certain and smiling; his fur almost merged with the misty sky above. Everything briefly stole Shadow’s attention. The rising damp wind carried away part of the sound’s weight. It took him a while to parse what the other hedgehog had said. “The cliff?” he said, looking toward the gray clouds creeping closer. “It’s going to rain, Faker.”
Sonic opened his mouth, then closed it. He seemed to hesitate. Finally he chose to snap his mouth shut with a pop, his expression bold and alert. He grabbed Shadow’s left hand and hauled him up from the grass. With the crisp metallic clang of inhibitor rings, giggles, and a slightly surprised gasp, the two hedgehogs almost collided. Facing Shadow, he danced backward in a tango‑like step, holding Shadow’s hand and singing, “The view is here, and there, it’s everywhere~ Rain? So what if it rains? We could be standing at the front door in the instant before the first drop falls~”
“Careful, hedgehog. Have you forgotten the last time you came home soaking wet and got scolded?” Shadow warned, matching Sonic’s dancing pace. “Three days of no snacks.”
“Oh, come on, Shadow, don’t be such a spoilsport!” Sonic’s voice wilted at once. He pouted, squeezed Shadow’s hand in revenge, then stopped at the edge of the grass and pulled Shadow down to sit on the cliff. He turned sideways to Shadow, spread his arms as if to hug the whole world and show it to him. “See? What an amazing view.”
Shadow followed the direction of the blue arm. Suddenly, both fell silent. Everything was still, silent as ash. The sky was a murky gray‑green, not a single bird in sight, holding its breath as if about to weep tears from the gloom. The mountains loomed as blurry gray shadows, heads bowed and bodies bent, silently cradling the small town in their midst. The sharp edges of streets became soft and blurred; the flickering streetlights, the occasional passing car lights, and the slivers of light leaking from window sills all blended together. The whole town seemed placed inside a faded old photograph. Gray overflowed, swallowing even the air itself. This was the color of silence.
Here, now, the world was so quiet that only their existence remained. Shadow heard their soft breathing and steady heartbeats. He realized how close they were – their knees touching. In the distance, thunder rumbled faintly. It’s going to rain, he thought. A heavy rain.
A hand gently grabbed his arm. Shadow turned his head and met a pair of eyes – softly glowing green under the gray veil. Through the reflection in their pupils, he saw his own eyes, also glowing deep red in the dimness. Sonic looked at him, his gaze cautious, as if they were standing under a house of cards that would collapse with one heavy breath.
“I think the view is pretty nice, don’t you, Shadow?” Sonic asked. Shadow could feel the hand on his arm trembling slightly.
“Yes, I think so,” Shadow said, forcing himself to stare at the other hedgehog. He noticed their cheeks had unknowingly drawn very close – the gap between their lips no wider than a few feathers. “It’s nice. But why did you insist on showing me? I know this is just one of the many things you’re stubborn about, but I’m curious.”
A lightning bolt split the sky. In the flash, Shadow saw Sonic’s fur washed with gray‑blue, his cheeks a dark purple. “It’s because… her.” Sonic’s voice trembled, full of hesitation, as if his tongue were touching a hot iron.
“Her…?” Shadow turned sideways, biting his lip. The sky above grew darker, more overcast, as if about to pour at any moment. “You mean… Maria?”
“Yes, Maria.” Sonic looked uneasy, as if he wasn’t mentioning a departed friend but tearing open an old wound on Shadow. “You told me you wanted to fulfill her wish – to see the world she loved so much. So I – uh – took the liberty…” He lowered his head clumsily, his ears shooting up in panic. As if the ground had grown invisible thorns, or as if he’d finally realized how tightly they were pressed together, he shifted his legs, trying to pull away from Shadow – or escape. “If this makes you uncomfortable – I, uh – I’m sorry—”
Shadow reached out reflexively. Instantly, automatically, without thinking, he grabbed Sonic’s waist. “No…” he murmured. The wind grew stronger, blowing through their fur, making their quills flap like flags. He could barely hear his own voice. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m not uncomfortable.”
Thunder rumbled. Sonic stopped struggling. He widened his eyes, turned sideways again, and leaned toward Shadow. “Really…? No – I mean –”
“Really, Sonic.” Shadow said, and showed a sad smile. The first raindrop fell. “I am really… grateful… for everything you’ve done.” More and more rain fell from the sky, drenching their fur. Shadow closed his eyes, leaned forward, and gently kissed Sonic’s lips.
Sonic froze, his emerald eyes going wide behind the curtain of rain. But then he made up his mind. He put his hands on Shadow’s shoulders, chased after the lips that had begun to hesitate and pull back, and kissed back with warmth and determination, letting himself melt completely into the kiss. The rain kept falling, wetting their kiss. All the gray – the sky, the clouds, the mountains, the town – everything witnessed by the rain melted through the rain into the kiss that the rain witnessed. They breathed like newborn babies, tails swishing, fingers entwined in each other’s fur, emotions burning so fiercely that even the torrential rain could not extinguish them. They kissed as if nothing else existed in the world but each other and the frantic sound of rain.
They were soaked through. The rain still fell, the wind still blew, and the two drenched chickens finally ended their kiss. They looked at each other, faces completely red. Water still streamed from their quills.
“That was… incredible,” Sonic said. “We should kiss often from now on.”
“Agreed,” Shadow replied. “But first, we need to figure out how to explain to Maddie why we went out in the rain first thing in the morning.”
“Isn’t there any other way?” Sonic asked.
“Yes. Simple and effective,” Shadow said.
“Oh! What is it?” Sonic asked hopefully.
“Learn to give up junk food for three days,” Shadow said.
END.