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“Why you.. Stop it!” Sonic clamored, his voice beginning to match the visible show of anger that the latter displayed through tapping his foot with impatience. “My past has no relevance to you,” his voice broke, before he started up again with more bite and desperation in his tone, “so quit being nosy and drop it!”
At the remark, the ebony hedgehog nearly snapped his lack of a neck as he turned to face the hedgehog. There was anguish in his eyes, which was if not equivalent— then definitely more— clear than the glossy finish that seemed to only coat his eyes when angered. His mannerisms didn’t look exactly foreign either. The way he glared at the other looked like a familiar expression that would only resurface when the latter was furious…
Or a natural one.
“I’m only looking out for my friend as you are doing at the moment. Likewise, I won’t leave without an apparent response.” The heroic hedgehog's speech alone would leave any mobian fleeing for their money— of course, Shadow didn’t earn the title of ‘Sonic's rival’ for free. The latter took a reluctant step forward, which served as a keystone for a few more hasty strides.
The two hedgehogs faced each other, visage unmoving as both remained still with an unwavering stubbornness.
“I’m going to ask you again, calmly.” The hedgehog looked so small, now cornered. “What happened between you and the Echidna back then?” Shadow felt a smile tug at his lips, there Sonic was— his Quills hunched up and rapidly breathing as if caught off guard.
He looked so desperate, so cute.
Along with tension so thick that you could cut it with a butterknife.
More like a bomb about to blow.
BANG!
“Who the fuck do you think I am!?” The hero kicked the coffee table, shattering the items which mounted it. “It was a fling for Chaos sake! I didn’t- I was a much worse person back then!” Sonic writhed, mouth catching up with his usual speed of doing things— Shadow swore that he saw a bit of blush creep on the others muzzle.
“Sonic..” He’d rather have the latter tell him that he despised him than admit that he felt strong feelings of excitement whenever the other got sentimental like this.
Shadow thrived on the pure joy of getting to know these other sides even.
“The me back then only saw him as someone I’d– you know– do.. Whenever I felt like it. It wasn’t fair to him because there were no strings attached on my part.” The azure hedgehog was now as small as the enemies he could defeat on any bad day.
At that moment, The Ultimate Lifeform found himself doing something that he’d prefer to jump out of an airplane with a pole stuck to his tongue than ever do in his seemingly never ending life.
He raised his arms up in surrender. No fingers crossed, both hands where the hero could see them. Then gently grabbed him, caressing the dent between the hero's thumb and the rest of his hand.
“I love you, Sonic. To the ARK times infinity.”
Null.
“I’ve been enamored by you for a long time, and have grown dependent on seeing you happy. I need you, Sonic.” Null.
“My passion plagues me like a disease that only ever gets worse. Where I find myself needing more and more of you like the only cure to the miserable eternity that awaits me. My need for you derives from the very cognition of needing a drug. Be the one who rips out my heart from your cold-blooded hands, then breathe life into me for loving to your heart's content.”
Null.
“You’ve changed, and that’s okay.” Shadow settled for.