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It took everything within him to coordinate his hands enough to unlock the door to his apartment. Shadow didn't even have enough energy to sigh in exhaustion. It would have been performative anyway, to try and prove to himself that he needed rest.
He was sure Sonic would have loved to be there to see him slip out of his uniform, but no, he just had to have a supportive friend group that organized a beach trip months in advance. Didn’t they know that Shadow was supposed to come home from an unexpected mission tonight?
He went through his typical routine as he always did: keys in their proper place, shoes off at the door, rifle bag emptied and weapons left to be cleaned for tomorrow’s Shadow… Taking a shower nearly slipped his mind with how clouded it was. Washing the gross layer of salty residue left behind from sweat that had dried at his scalp hours ago, he’d never been more thankful that GUN forced a living space upon him.
Among the array of botanical cleansers, ones from small local businesses owned by other hedgehogs that specialized in handmade products with lovely handwritten labels, was an industrially manufactured blight on Shadow’s sanctuary that was his shower.
He really ought to toss the half-empty bottle that Sonic brought with him on his first night. It was abandoned when he was told to use whatever Shadow already had laying out, which was mainly for his sake. It shouldn’t have been legally possible to market a quill cleansing solution as 5 in 1.
Sonic had already moved quite a few of his things in before Shadow had taken the liberty to just buy a new set of essentials. It was less of a hassle than bringing everything with him for the nights he liked to spend loitering around Shadow’s apartment.
And with a stupidly thick withdrawal envelope at his disposal, he could stock each shared room with whatever Sonic’s little heart of gold desired.
A mission like the most recent one would have garnered Shadow ten, possibly eleven grand for his services when they calculated his total contribution after the fact. His commission was determined by an array of factors he had very little interest in understanding. All he cared about was meeting Tower in his office to collect his pay from him or one of his lapdog assistants before he went on his merry way. On top of the complex human accounting formulas used, international missions were few and far between these days for Team Dark, requiring an even higher fee. It made him wonder how much his life was truly worth to the humans he worked with.
‘Undisclosed Incident Pay’ was what they called it. Four brown currency straps was all he needed to see. One, two, three, four. Two pairs of two. One plus three. The square root of sixteen. Four.
20 thousand dollars for his brain to just decide to spontaneously stop working in the middle of a miniature warzone was nothing to scoff at. It was a statement that needed to be made by Abraham himself, making sure the degree of separation for this particular payment was one. It was…jarring, to see his commander standing so casually in his doorway dressed in simple blue jeans and a jacket. He initially expected someone like his elderly tortoise neighbor lamenting that he had received Shadow’s mail by mistake again before griping about government-funded facilities for half an hour, not his boss.
Shadow had answered the door to greet the Commander of the United Federation’s military in nothing but a pair of loose sweatpants, hands ungloved and claws just plainly exposed for a human to see. Their conversation was short and sweet: yes Shadow got home safely, no he hadn’t had any more medical episodes, of course he understood he could take as much time as he needed (that he had accrued)… But what else should he have done? Invite the man inside for a cup of coffee while being the human equivalent of butt-fucking-naked?
Shadow had half a mind to believe that Tower had been so quick to depart because of what was inside Shadow’s apartment. He for sure saw traces of Sonic’s cohabitation via signature red shoes left in blatant view of the doorway. Part of him wondered if Tower was left driving home in silence with the realization that, through all the Mobian culture the man had learned over the years, the combination of Shadow’s gloves being off and Sonic’s shoes being at the door was a clear sign that they were domestically involved.
How convenient, that right after Shadow took a leave of absence to settle his heat, he and Sonic were seen closer than ever…
Whatever. Not his business.
And of course Shadow’s new blue headache of a domestic partner insisted that they do what money was made for: spending on frivolous commodities like name brand cereal.
He quickly learned that Sonic liked the concept of spending, but hated the idea of people spending money on him. Should the hedgehog even shed a passing glance for longer than usual at something, it became Shadow’s priority to buy it, from food to décor to clothing he rarely wore in the first place. Shadow just couldn’t help himself–Sonic deserved to have nice things. They’d nearly caused a scene at a small bookstore just outside of Westopolis when Shadow insisted on taking home an expensive novel collection that Sonic raved about in passing.
He might have argued against him and fought to take the collection out of his hands to put back on the shelf, but he would learn to let Shadow win those battles eventually.
Shadow was certainly not beating the sugar daddy allegations any time soon.
He digressed.
The money was good for a lot of other mutual experiences as well. Shadow would never pass up a coffee date, which only led him down the rabbit hole of learning new things about his preferences with a life partner. Sometimes the speed demon he thought he knew enjoyed lounging in a quiet local café with a new book while Shadow worked on reports assigned a low enough clearance to be brought outside of GUN’s offices. Sure they may have gotten some strange looks by being together so casually, but all Shadow had to was hold eye contact with whoever was staring and they’d suddenly find something else to focus on.
It was beneficial for the both of them: Sonic could spend as much time in public as he wanted undisturbed so long as Shadow was there to be his faithful guard dog.
The only time it backfired was when he could feel someone watching them and ended up cutting his eyes over to a shrew no older than six clinging to his mother, cowering behind her skirt more than he already had been. For the first time likely ever, Shadow purposefully softened his features in public: flattening his ears and lowering his head as a nonverbal apology for the misunderstanding.
It was all still confusing to try and acclimate to. He did innate social cues so sparingly that he had to learn through watching his partner: seamlessly shifting his body language from meek and approachable with younger Mobians to assertive but friendly with other adults.
No wonder Shadow scared off most children that attempted to interact with him when he didn’t make an effort to relax his quills in the slightest. He had been basically demonstrating to society’s most innocent beings that he viewed them as a threat for years and had no clue. That was an embarrassing day for him.
Shadow had a lot to get used to, being in the public eye.
Sonic didn’t seem to mind. He was used to the attention. Any time they went out together Shadow was able to finally see it first-hand. Being stopped three times to have rushed conversations with fans on their way to a corner store a block away was grating–he had no idea how Sonic could stand it. It gave Shadow a better understanding as to why the other hated telling anyone where he would be at a given time.
It seemed like Sonic himself didn’t even know where he would be at a given time, but Shadow could always expect him to be in his bed at least three nights a week, either taking up far too much space or rolled up into a tight ball (that Shadow may or may not have taken to mirroring in his own sleep).
Their space had to be split somehow. The lone dresser was apportioned accordingly, the bulk of its storage space being overwhelmed by Shadow’s collection of uniform articles and various leisurewear just to make room for Sonic’s meager few pairs of gloves and socks. They couldn’t pack the bookshelf with any more entries if they tried. To Shadow’s surprise, he’d come home more than once to find Sonic curled up napping on the sofa with the windows wide open, fresh air (stale city smog) making the living room humid and fluttering the pages of the open novel he’d abandoned on the coffee table. City life was suffocating, and Sonic couldn’t go a day without making some complaint about it, but being around Shadow was worth the hardship. The least Shadow could do was allow him to vent.
Living with someone else had a learning curve and they both had their give and take in domesticity. Shadow had come to accept that the higher electric bill was worth giving his partner the smallest bit of joy, just to help him feel at home. As soon as the lease was up Shadow would be relocating to a unit with a balcony.
Sonic had been doing well at adhering to the house rules. He kept up with his own dirty dishes and agreed that the overhead lights were far too intense to not exclusively use lamps.
However, the one thing Sonic hadn’t compromised on yet was consistently making his side of the bed.
After he had finished his quill and skin care for the night, Shadow rummaged around one of the vanity drawers for basic first aid supplies. His most recent mission had sapped his usual energy that could almost instantly heal a papercut-he doubted a 6 inch long gash at his side that breached muscle at the time of infliction was going to heal as quickly.
It was a lot better than when he’d first received it: he could at least move and twist without risking anything bleeding. The dressing applied would be rendered useless come morning, but it was whatever. And with a swatch of gauze annoyingly stuck to his side and kept in place with a wrapping, he could finally leave the bathroom, step into the cool arid air of his bedroom, and promptly have his mood soured.
Now he had to deal with what he had ignored when he first came home. Their new burgundy comforter was bunched up and wrinkled, pillows slouching and scattered everywhere along with a few blankets, all of different knit and material. Shadow enjoyed being an actual pillow princess as much as the next hedgehog, but getting used to sleeping with a partner that preferred to make a nest of them as well was a bit much. Six on one mattress was a lot–comfortable certainly, but still difficult to organize.
Sonic knew he hated the bed not being made.
Choose your battles, he supposed.
Shadow arranged their respective sides before he plucked the one fleece that clashed with the rest of the bedding from where it was hiding underneath the sheets. A familiar waft of gardenia hit him like an invisible plume of smoke and he didn’t feel the need to stifle the purr resonating within his chest.
He was allowed to have his moments of tenderness with himself. It wouldn’t stop him from being paranoid though. Shadow took it one step further as he slipped under the covers on his side and slowly dragged Sonic’s main pillow over as if he were doing something illegal. One of the bedside lamps casted the entire room in muted orange and yellow and only added to his drowsiness. After he pulled the red and blue tartan print over his shoulders and settled in for the night, he couldn’t control how stupidly he was grinning to himself.
He was so ridiculous, tucking his knees up to his chest and nuzzling his face up against the bedding like a kitten attempting to ‘claim’ something as his own.
There was a possibility that…Shadow did miss him…(he was trying to be better about not casually lying to himself).
He allowed himself the luxury of doing whatever the hell he pleased without feeling embarrassed in the moment until he remembered another established rule that came with being in a relationship.
After his most recent mission, Sonic had made it non-negotiable: Shadow was to text or call or send a damn carrier pigeon at the least to let him know that he was safe.
He reached back over to the nightstand where his communicator had been left and curled back over onto his side, holding it close to his chest as he pulled up Sonic’s contact.
‘I got home about half an hour ago btw.’
It didn’t make sense to use shorthand over text if he didn’t have to worry about a limited keypad, but Sonic was rubbing off on him. He wasn’t expecting a reply to come so late (late for him, he was an old man after all). Sure enough, he received a reply back.
‘did you die again lol’
Trauma packaged in humor was Sonic’s way of coping apparently.
‘No.’
‘Dumbass.’
It was too quiet waiting for a new message. He drummed his fingers along the side of his phone before he figured falling asleep to reruns of reality shows would be his best bet for a peaceful sleep without Sonic. It was interesting how quickly his regular nightmares had diminished when Sonic moved in…
Before he could, he dropped everything when he noticed a text pop up on the screen.
‘cranky old man’
‘ur jus mad tht im at the beach and u arent 😛😛😛’
‘I’m not a beach pers
A flood of attachments stopped him from typing back.
He could tell who the photographer was just through the quality. The few blurry photos of the ocean and gulls mid-flight had undoubtedly been taken by Sonic. The intricate spread of food and images of the rented beach house that looked straight out of a realtor’s digest magazine were definitely Amy. He was sure that the one image of his partner sitting pretty in the sand with his quills weighed down with water was by Rouge.
He wasn’t a beach person…but maybe he could be persuaded…
Shadow erased his previous message.
‘You went in the water?’
‘knux dragged me out’
‘i almost drowned bruh’
‘I thought you had your floaties.’
‘You know, like a child.’
‘they took em :(‘
‘everyon is so mean to mi :( 💔’
Shadow giggled quietly to himself and buried his face back into Sonic’s pillow as if he had his head over his partner’s chest, fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the stitching along the border of fleece around his shoulders.
Witnessing Rouge in a group photo only made him pull up his messages with her out of instinct.
‘Hope you get sand in your vagina you bitch.’
‘Thinking you can take PTO without me…”
‘That bikini is NOT your color by the way. Coral in LATE summer? Really??’
‘🖕’
Looking back to the one perfectly candid photo of Sonic, the one that captured the arch of his spine down to his ass, fur wet enough for dry sand to cling to the backs of his thighs and ass, slightly leaning forward sitting on his shins in a way that made his ass stick out, talking to his friends so casually with his tail lifted just enough to show the crease of where his hips met his ass–Chaos, Shadow was not normal about that fucking hedgehog’s body.
He was going insane.
Heat began pooling in his gut and a familiar nagging sensation was making the space between his thighs uncomfortable.
Sonic had him in a chokehold like nothing Shadow had ever experienced before. His partner could breathe a certain way and Shadow would get the sudden urge to jump his bones. He’d made Shadow late to so many important events and meetings just from looking too enticing to abandon so early in the morning. Every new spar or race they challenged each other to was dripping with provocative undertones to the point that it became their own secret code. Should Sonic suggest they spar to work some tension out of their systems, they both knew it would only end in someone getting pinned down in one way or another.
And should Shadow purposefully neglect to give it 100% simply because he wanted to feel Sonic’s weight on top of him for much longer than a fleeting moment in a fight, Sonic wouldn’t have known any better.
What Sonic didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
…he probably knew…
Oh well.
Since Sonic was staying every so often, his partner only felt that it was fair to offer some sort of compensation for taking care of him. He had to fight the freeloader allegations somehow. They both knew he didn’t have money, but he did have a mouth, and he sure loved using it.
They’d only been living together on and off for a few months, but Shadow had collected enough rent in advance to allow Sonic to stay for a few years. While Sonic may have offered, he knew he was always welcome to stay even if he changed his mind and chose to be ‘delinquent’ for the rest of his life.
Shadow was feining to collect rent again right about now…
Just so he could feel his stress and tension unravel from his body with every little tongue trick.
He was so fucking good with his mouth for things beyond making quick quips in the middle of spars…
Stopping now and waiting for his body to calm down again would be like trying to put toothpaste back into its tube (metaphorically and literally, there was no way he was going back in his sheath without taking care of himself).
Shadow turned to lay flat on his front, the friction feeling far too good for how minute it was. He could allow himself a little bit of degeneracy…only after such an arduous mission. Like Sonic would remind him every time he unwrapped him from his tactical pants like a present and swallowed him down, he deserved it.
What was he to do without Sonic there?
He needed more surface, something more elevated and softer that still had some structure. So, Shadow pushed himself up to rest on his knees, ignoring how his spontaneous arousal had decided to display itself in the most obvious way possible. He swallowed his pride and shook off any embarrassment he felt with himself while arranging one of the bed’s miscellaneous pillows between his thighs and tossing a random blanket over it (one with a lighter color, it would be easier to clean that way).
Too lazy to turn onto his back and use his hand, but energetic enough to create his own setup of pillows and blankets to fuck.
He took a breath and lowered only his torso to begin with, releasing it as his hips slowly followed until he made contact with the plush fabric.
Chaos, what the hell was he doing? It was so juvenile…but Shadow never had much of an adolescence anyway. He had to make up for the lost time.
Shifting his leg placement too much sent a small twinge of pain through his flank that radiated from his wound. Any minor discomfort he felt became dulled compared to when he found the right angle to make his shoulders sag. He had been harboring so much tension over the past few days that it was his baseline. It was hard to keep his eyes open and his breathing steady.
He’d only ever done this sort of positioning once or twice, but that was before being in a relationship. The way it dawned on him that grinding up against something rather than using his hands felt good was comical, like he was experiencing Sonic’s flavor aftercare for the first time: pleasantly surprised. Now that he’d gotten a taste of the intimate appeal of leaning over someone and fucking into them, it was all Shadow ever wanted.
It felt too good to move to a less degenerate position.
So good, in fact, that it distracted him from his messages. Shadow’s attention was only grabbed when his phone rang.
Long gone were the ‘Blue Gumball Bitch’ days. Instead, Sonic had been promoted to the title ‘Migraine’, both its cause and relief.
He cleared his throat to force the trapped purrs out of it as he answered, “Yeah.”
“Oh good, I thought you fell asleep–did you see my last message?”
Shadow paused and pulled his phone away, deciding it was too much effort to hold it up for longer than he already had and putting it on speaker. It was a photo he had missed in his self-inflicted distraction of a moderately sized olive shell striped with brown and tan, still intact with a small chip at its spire.
“It’s nice. I like it.”
“We can put it on the bookcase. Maybe start a lil’ collection of stuff when we go on trips.” A gasp, “We should go to the aquarium sometime! Do you like those? You strike me as more of a museum guy…”
Yeah, sure, whatever he wanted–Chaos he was starting to feel good…
Shadow crunched his abdomen again until his spine formed a hill between his tail and the quills of his shoulder blades, willing his tone to remain as cool as it had been at the beginning of the call, “For someone that hates water you sure do love marine life.”
He could hardly comprehend what the hell Sonic was droning on about after that, simply lacking the capacity to engage in a true discussion with his mated partner because he was too busy fucking his pillow like a horny teenager. Every time a pause was filled by a distracted hum of approval, Sonic was left scrambling to continue to keep his attention. Like usual…always wanting his attention.
He shifted his weight side to side as he gradually shifted each knee higher, motions causing his body to flatten over time. In his wake, he left a growing patch of wetness that was too thick to fully soak into the fabric underneath. The pillow under his head was held with a vice-like grip, like someone was going to take it away from him as a punishment for being so filthy. Sonic’s voice was a constant presence off in the background and Shadow hoped he was quiet enough to where the other hedgehog wouldn’t be able to hear how choppy his breathing had become.
His scent was addicting.
No one was around to judge him…his partner wouldn’t even judge him if he were to see him like this, but it still felt wrong. Someone as powerful as himself being neutralized by just brushing up against the bed too hard once. Now he was fucking oozing all over himself like he was in heat again.
He was pathetic.
Eerie silence hadn’t been noticeable until Sonic let the dead air hang between them for nearly half a minute.
“Hey Shad?”
“Yeah.”
The tone on the other end of the line suddenly shifted from cheerful and peppy to something sultry and smothering.
“You wanna tell me what you’re doin’?”
Ah fuck.
Shadow huffed. Why was he trying to torture him?
“You seem to already know…”
“Mm, maybe.” Sonic paused, “You miss me that much, huh?”
Shadow rutted down again and released a breath, his heartbeat leaping up and down between his throat and chest. The ego of that blue fucker needed to be studied. Just hearing someone having a bit of difficulty breathing over a phone call and assuming that they were doing something sexual? What if Shadow was wallowing in pain instead? Sonic knew he often took the brunt of the attacks aimed at Team Dark–he knew that Shadow would have been exhausted. And even though he caught his mate that he lost his virginity to and frequently had sex with (at least once every other week if neither of them were too stressed) in the middle of a private act, what gave him the right to assume that he was doing it with him in mind? Just because they were a couple now didn't mean that they had to exclusively jerk off to one other.
It was ridiculous. Sonic should have known better than to make up absolutely banal, baseless, bogus assumptions…
…But the friction from rubbing his dick against his own warm and sopping wet mess made Shadow chew his lip, “Perhaps.”
“You wish I was back home, don’t you?”
“You seem to be forgetting who you are. You could come visit if you wanted and get back in no time at all.”
He could stop being such an asshole and just make the trip to welcome him home like a good partner… It wasn’t like it would take him any effort to do it either.
But instead of hearing the call drop and the front door open, Sonic only hummed to himself, pretending that he was actually musing over it, “Nah, I think I like you like this: all desperate…specifically for me.”
Fucking tease.
Shadow huffed through his nose and continued to focus on advocating for lessening his own hardship by himself. Each grind felt like he was trying to chase a high he was too afraid to peak at without Sonic there. It was almost like, now that his partner was aware of what he was doing, he wasn’t allowed to continue without him.
“Ya’ know I haven't jerked myself off in like…two weeks.”
He said it like it was something to entice Shadow, but that was to be expected when beginning a new relationship. Shadow himself hadn’t gotten off alone in about a month. They both slowed down since making it through the debilitating part of their cycles. With their hormones leveled back out to normal, they weren’t jumping each others’ bones every other waking moment they spent at Shadow’s apartment. They hardly felt like touching each other most of the time save for snuggling up against each other in bed. Each touch they made, Shadow sliding his hand across Sonic’s lower back as he passed by, Sonic tracing the edges of Shadow’s red markings while they watched a movie, none of them were sexually charged. Had they done any of their current small acts of affection during their cycles, they’d be fucking every five minutes.
Sonic needed to recuperate after battles, Shadow’s missions were taxing on his body, they didn’t have time to mess around when there was so much rest to catch up on.
But maybe they could dabble a bit while separated like this…
“What do you expect me to do with that information?”
“I dunno, persuade me to join you?”
Shadow scoffed. He knew Sonic was probably already palming at himself in bed, trying so hard to remain quiet enough so none of his friends heard him. He’d probably have to bite into something just to control his volume…he was always so noisy and whiney when he actually allowed himself to be. Every time Shadow shut his eyes he could feel the body next to him, the warmth between them stifling while Shadow forced their tongues together and stroked him until he whimpered helplessly…if he focused hard enough, he could still see Sonic’s brows knit and ears flatten right before he buried his face in Shadow’s neck, panting against his fur and squirming while his thighs shook and he came all over his hand–
“Shad.”
“What?” He glared over to the phone as if Sonic could actually see him.
“Do you want me to?”
He stifled a whine of his own from the back of his throat and swallowed it down, “In a house full of people?”
“I can be quiet.”
“Yeah, right.”
Shadow was one to talk. His throat was beginning to ache from purring so much. Still, as much as he hated to admit it, he missed Sonic’s voice.
“You can join me if you want, just don’t be obnoxious.”
Rustling on the other end of the line became nothing more than background noise while Shadow sank his claws into the blankets, grinding down at a particularly good angle. He held his breath to stifle a weak vocalization but figured he might as well just power through the initial embarrassment now. They were about to have phone sex–why would he try to stay quiet?
And then it hit Shadow: they were about to have phone sex. Degenerate, desperate, debauched phone sex.
The sudden intrusion from his regular, rational mind made getting back into the mood a bit annoying until the rustling on the other end of the line turned into the distinct squeak of door hinges.
“So whatcha doin’?”
“What do you mean?”
“I dunno. You sound different than you usually do when you jork it.”
When he ‘jorks’ it. Amazing.
Sonic must just know him that well. He apparently sounded a certain way when he touched himself to the point of it being a discernable pattern. Great. The self-awareness brought with it a sickly feeling of embarrassment again, but Shadow repressed it before it could persuade him to stop entirely. His breaths coming out more choppy and labored with each grind certainly didn’t help.
Luckily for him, he had the entire apartment to himself and could be as loud as he damn well pleased.
Sonic didn’t have that luxury. Served him right for being such a fucking tease.
“I think you’re hearing things.” He asserted while rutting his cock against the wet mound of bedding between his thighs. Shuffling and more static caused his ears to twitch.
“Turn your camera on.”
“And run the risk of getting caught more than we already are?”
“Everyone else is upstairs–don’t worry about it.”
Shadow didn’t have it in him to think about the repercussions. He’d already been comfortable with filming them both at the same time before, it shouldn’t have been any different to capture only himself. It was only embarrassing if he made it out to be. They were simply doing something any other normal long-distance couple would do. Part of being couple was doing just this: normal couple things.
Fuck it.
Shadow maintained a view of the middle of his chest up at first. On his screen, all that came up was a stock image of a pair of handcuffs. His reflection only made him self-conscious of how he presented himself. Maybe he could practice some of his social cues to clue Sonic in on how submissive he was being.
He flattened his ears to pull the most sympathy he could from the other’s heartstrings, “I don’t get to see you?”
“The angle would be too awkward. I’m in the bathroom.” He said through much clearer audio. How that could happen was beyond Shadow, but he appreciated audio engineers for such a small yet significant feat. It only meant he could hear Sonic’s little breaths and whines in their fullest.
Sonic could have totally set something up to put on a show as well, but whatever.
Shadow scoffed and nuzzled the side of his face into the pillow, “I guess you’re gonna have to talk me through it.”
It was a dynamic that he’d only experienced in the opposite role: coaxing his partner through it and persuading his body to let go by praising how well he was doing, how nice he felt around or inside him, how good of a boy he was… Shadow hadn’t experienced much of the same treatment besides a word of encouragement here and there, often at his own provocation.
Maybe it was his time to truly experience what made Sonic squirm so much.
“I sure will…” the other hedgehog let out a dreamy sigh, “if I can see what you’ve been doing.”
Shadow shifted his gaze away from the phone and moved it down to fully show what he had been hiding below his waist. Sonic wouldn’t be able to see much, but he would be able to interpret enough to understand why Shadow had been so hesitant. He didn’t want Sonic to have the gratification of knowing that he was so desperate for a bit of physical touch that he would resort to grinding against his own bedding.
It was difficult to combat the deep-seated fear within him that vulnerable moments would be used against him. Sonic would never do that. Shadow knew he wouldn’t.
It didn’t make it any less shameful.
“Holy shit.”
“If you say a fucking word, I’m leaving you to touch yourself to an ended call–”
“You look so pretty… ”
That was another thing Shadow was learning how to get used to: being called pretty. Rouge never hesitated to let him know he was handsome, be it while plainly existing at her apartment or right before a meeting. He had been genetically engineered to be near-perfect after all, and being pleasing to look at fell under the category of perfection. Sure, he had his own flaws only he seemed to notice, but they didn’t bother him at the end of the day.
What did bother him was the fundamental source of those flaws and differences.
The Black Arms race were disgusting creatures with an innate drive to simply serve a master. All they did was kill and eat and reproduce. They didn’t find attraction in each other, they simply copulated with whatever happened to be near.
Shadow had never interpreted sharp fangs and claws as attractive before. They were tools used to maim, extensions of himself he used to fight to preserve his own life. They were barbaric remnants of the half of his biology he preferred to not acknowledge unless it became somehow relevant. They were ugly reminders of just how different he was to a typical Mobian like Sonic whenever he scratched him or bit him hard enough to draw blood, most of the time without even trying.
For such things to be called pretty, hearing the label being given to him, it didn’t feel right.
“Really?”
“Yeah–Gaia…”
Ironic that Sonic would call out to a higher being in veneration for blessing him with someone with such a demonic origin.
“What about this is pretty?” Shadow rolled fully onto his side, strings of fluid still connecting the fur of his thighs to the blanket. He had fully expected Sonic to swoon over getting to see the mess he’d made of himself, but instead all he was treated to was the reveal of his battered body.
He could practically hear Sonic’s brain buffering on the other end, being shaken out of his lust and promptly shifting into concern, “What happened?”
“Nothing major, calm down. It’ll be healed by morning.” Shadow lowered himself back onto his front and allowed the phone to remain at an angle that would still capture his face and most of his body.
Like many other battles they had learned to forfeit, Sonic simply sighed and dropped the persistent urge to ask for every single detail he could. Shadow could handle himself.
Small sections of his coat had been split by healing wounds, his thighs and abdomen and chest littered with freshly healed scars that were still barren of fur. Wounds typically took less than 24 hours to heal depending on the severity. Fur growth tended to be slower than that, but he would be back to his sleek pretty self in no time at all.
Sonic hummed, trying to voice his displeasure in his concerns being written off, “To answer the question, I like how unique you are. You don't typically see different fur color patterns let alone quill patterns.”
His tone gradually melted into something soft again. Admiring, even. Shadow slowly dragged his hips over the same warmth as before, distracting himself by examining his middle and ring fingers of each hand. They curled tightly around Sonic’s pillow just before straightening back out. Deep, sharp red strips etched up the backs of his hands and underneath his inhibitors. They outlined faint hills of tendons and veins, the ones Sonic liked to trace over whenever he felt like appreciating them. The red stained all the way up to his claws that never mastered the ability to retract like Sonic’s had. He was always on alert. Always ready to be violent.
“I like how strong your body is and how you use it to put me in my place.”
Turning one of his palms upright, the red ended as the softer parts of his touch began. Both pads of his middle fingers stuck out as a matte pitch black over what would have been tan like the rest.
Sonic had a knack to casually say things that made Shadow’s skull feel like it was full of cotton. Tonight was no different.
“Your body is pretty because it’s yours.”
Shadow forced a growl so hard that his muzzle wrinkled, “Stop being so fucking sappy.”
“Fine then. I like that it belongs to me. How about that?”
It did. All of his muscle and strength was at Sonic’s whim, claimed over and over throughout his heat and the weeks beyond. Should the other hedgehog even allude to wanting Shadow to do something for him, it would be done whether Shadow was conscious of it or not. All he had to do was command him.
It’s what Shadow was bred and trained to do: take orders. Like a dog.
That’ll make his eyes roll at Sonic's words in a good way for once, Chaos…
He could barely keep his eyes open let alone focused, only glancing up every once in a while to be sure his body was still in frame. He burrowed the side of his face into Sonic’s pillow. Purrs rattled between his ribs, and for the first time that night, Shadow allowed them to be heard. Besides words that he certainly had no capacity to cohesively string together, he had to let Sonic know what he was feeling somehow.
“Oh that got you goin’ huh?”
Maybe.
Shadow emulated whatever he did while riding him for the first time and rolled his hips across the mound between his thighs at a particularly pleasing angle. Air left his lungs in the form of heaves and mild whines. It wasn’t worth trying to keep in anymore.
“Fuck you.”
Closing his eyes only brought the image back up, slightly grainy from elapsed time and a few medical emergencies altering his memory.
He’d attempted to ride Sonic another time after both of their cycles were over and done with. Just for practice, of course. Combining the thrill that came with a new relationship and one too many shots after a long work day only resulted in Shadow wrapping his arms around Sonic and fighting gravity’s influence to grind on his thigh without falling. He certainly could have worked on his riding skills, but Shadow was determined to make his hickeys show through blue fur if it was the last thing he did, dammit. It wasn’t his fault that his bastard of a partner knew playing with his tail was a biological cheat code that made him cum quick.
The noises just like then were mirrored on the other line, and they were starting to get to him. It sounded so wet from spit or lube or whatever Sonic had on hand–literally. It could have been his 5 in 1 for all Shadow knew.
6 in 1: Now body-safe for internal use.
Chaos, what if he was going further than Shadow expected…internally…
A gradual, strengthening tension squeezed his muscles and caused his hips to twitch and his face to wince. It was so good.
Neither of them said a word while existing together, seeking out their own pleasure while getting to a point where they were comfortable. It took a bit of maneuvering, freeing his hand by propping the phone up on his bedside lamp, shifting his weight again, all for Shadow to finally feel like he could shed a bit of attention on his audience of one. He couldn’t get off on whatever the hell Sonic was doing if he was still fluffing his pillows.
Sonic could see enough of him like this. He could get to watch the way his thighs and ass moved, witness his tail wagging so hard that Shadow could feel it all the way up his spine. He could imagine himself under Shadow getting ridden or filled.
Either way, being Sonic’s live jerk off material was enough to feed into the positive feedback he was once so adamant about avoiding.
The Hero of Mobius’ personal cam whore. Something hundreds could only dream of being.
His legs felt so shaky.
“Why this method?”
Shadow looked over to his phone with lidded eyes, “I made the mistake of laying on my stomach after not seeing you for over two weeks.”
A sickeningly sweet coo, “Were you imagining me before I called?”
Shadow’s breath caught in his throat as he ground down against the blanket again. He was too busy fighting for air when all he wanted to do was suffocate in Sonic’s scent.
“The fucking picture…”
Sonic released a breathy laugh that sounded like it had tapered off from a groan, “I knew that one would rile you up…you’re probably soaked under there, huh?”
“Stop talking–”
‘Please keep talking…’
“And you complain about me always making a mess, look at you.”
He didn’t want to. Shadow already knew the view he would see: himself, absolutely and utterly pathetic. Vulnerable and weak and needy. Body craving his partner and wanting to be bred like he was in heat all over again. He squeezed his thighs tighter around the pillow between them, the surface bunching up in a way that created a more dense surface and lacked the give he needed.
He needed to feel that whatever he was grinding up against was accepting him, like Sonic’s own body had.
The other continued, unfazed, “Does it feel as good as me, though?”
He couldn’t even lift his head enough away from Sonic’s pillow to shake it, “No…”
“Ya’ know, since we haven't done anything in a while it’s probably gonna be really tight–”
Suddenly, a whine broke free from Shadow’s throat followed by open-mouthed pants. Each breath sounded so pained that he couldn’t have exactly that: the feeling of being stretched and split in two. Just thinking about every inch sliding inside while Sonic’s fingers dug into the fur of his hips hard enough to bruise made his stomach flip.
What the fuck was wrong with him? To be this desperate over a few words?
“I haven’t had…” he swallowed, “time to go that far…”
“Oh I was talking about me, but we can talk about you if that’s what you want.”
Chaos above.
“We can talk about how my hand doesn’t even compare to you right now.”
Chaos help him–please, now more than ever.
“Lemme see you, pretty boy…I wanna see how wet you are for me.”
Shadow growled at his little pet name being thrown back in his face. Still, he gathered as much strength as he could and lifted his head. A string of spit extended from his bottom lip to the small spot on the pillow, and he inhaled whatever he could back through his teeth to swallow and give himself some decency.
He did as he was told, sitting back on his knees and barely attempting to cover up the mess he’d made. The cool air of the room made every nerve ending he had feel like it was being fried. Another bead of precum slipped down the length of his cock and slowly trailed down his thigh, clinging to his body until it joined the shallow pool below.
A shuddered breath sounded from over the phone, “Fuck Shad…”
How kind of him, to point out the exact thing Shadow was internally begging him to do. He slowly rolled his hips over and over, swallowing hard and furrowing his brows as each small twitch only pushed him closer toward the edge. If he focused hard enough on the scent around him, maybe he could visualize Sonic there with him, laying next to him, encouraging him to keep giving in to what he was craving so desperately-
“Wait-is that my blanket?”
Shadow’s eyes shot open. His body stalled as the other hedgehog continued, to his chagrin.
“Were you getting off to my scent again?”
“No…”
A giggle released over the other end, sending heat straight up to Shadow's muzzle.
“It’s alright, you can keep going.”
Gardenia and citrus enveloped him in a comforting warmth that helped him forget all about the shame that still lingered with such acts. It was something one only did out of desperation: to use another's scent as an emotional support anchor while alone.
“You don’t have to be so embarrassed-sometimes when you aren’t home…I mean, you know…”
Shadow readjusted and sat up on his knees and palms, still dragging his hips down in long strides against the dampness of the blanket as if he were tempting Sonic into yapping as he always did, “No, go on. By all means.”
All he was met with was the plain pair of handcuffs, stock image watermark printed diagonally across the circle it had been compressed into.
“I might do the same thing with your side of the bed while you’re at work–I might, I’m just sayin’–”
So Sonic got desperate for his touch too, huh? Perhaps he could use it to his advantage and get back at him… He had quite a few matters to address in the coming week, ones that would take up the bulk of his days and leave Sonic alone in the apartment for extended periods of time… If he truly wanted to, Shadow could randomly send a risqué message between 15 minute breaks and turn his phone off, leaving his partner to fend for himself without any other sort of feedback or nasty words of encouragement.
Something to file in the back of his mind for later, he supposed.
“Since you're suddenly so camera shy, why don’t you at least tell me what you’re doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? Playing checkers?”
Shadow let out a small squeak and turned his face away to hide his grin. The mood could be lightened within a second but it could easily be reestablished. Sonic seemed to have a natural talent for doing both.
“You don’t need me to tell you that I’m straight up fucking my hand wishing your ass was in my lap instead. You’re smart, you can infer.”
Well he couldn’t infer all that just from some heavy breathing and slick noises. Something about it made his head light: the image of his partner touching himself presenting in his head via a fuzzy afterimage. He tried to visualize the other from their previous nights together, but to piece it all back together while coordinating his movement was difficult.
“I just wish I could see you.”
Silence lingered over the line for far longer than Shadow appreciated. He was too proud to beg Sonic to talk to him again.
And then a notification announced Sonic’s next few words, “There ya’ go.”
He groaned as he paused to grab at his phone, but stopping the addicting pressure was worth it though. Judging by the way Sonic giggled maniacally on the other end like the little shit he was, Shadow’s typical ability to mask his emotions was out of commission.
He could only stare at the screen.
At this point in their relationship, they had seen each other inside out. Neither of them were particularly prudish, but…Shadow almost had half a mind to scold Sonic for doing something so explicit. He didn’t know why it suddenly felt so overwhelming to get a nude sent to him, but he could see his pulse in his own vision.
Warm vanity light reflecting off of bathroom tile, knees bent, flannel pajama pants bunched around the middle of split blue thighs, a clear wet string heavy between Sonic’s fingers and the tip of his cock, palm he had been fucking into coated in the same fluid…
Shadow had seen his dick before so many times, but to see it on a screen from Gaia knows how far away just added another layer of depravity. Shadow was the only person alive to have access to Sonic’s body, let alone pictures and videos of it. He was the only person to ever know what he felt like and sounded like–
He had to lay back down.
He saved the image before replacing his phone back against the lamp, “You’re a menace.”
“Hey, you do it to me.”
Realization settled deep within him like a seed, roots spreading into every small crack and crevice of his mind that they could reach. All the wetness he could feel still was made to prepare him for that. His body knew what he wanted. It was only doing Shadow the favor of reminding him of what he wanted without having to explicitly acknowledge it. He’d spread himself open so many times without Sonic there in anticipation of his return. He’d tried to force his body to comply and secrete enough lubrication to ease his own fingers, but his thoughts could only get him so far. He needed Sonic there with him, coaxing him into relaxing for once and taking things slow, giving his body enough grace to catch up.
Now it seemed that his thoughts were the only thing lagging behind.
Each curl of his abdomen and arch of his back only spread his mess further up his body and stained his coat in a thick sheen of fluid. Shadow could feel every millimeter of him, how he fit perfectly all the way until their hips met and how heavily his taste lingered on his tongue.
A noise forced its way out from the back of Shadow’s throat and earned him a huff in response.
“Keep whining for me.”
He turned his head so Sonic could hear it come from the pit of his chest. It all manifested in his mind so quickly like a cracking dam: hips snapping against the backs of his thighs, teeth sinking into his shoulder, legs hooking around his own to force them to stay open and compliant. He needed to feel fingers trace down the ribbons of muscle covering his back. He needed to hear how feral he made someone as casual and protective of his private life as Sonic.
And the words that he could hear in his mind only echoed the ones currently being said from hundreds of miles away.
“Good boy, Shadow–”
“Hhh-fuck…”
He could practically see Sonic doing all of his usual quirks he had learned to notice over the course of their relationship. He was probably chewing into his lower lip just enough to pull it inward, the hand that wasn’t stroking himself attempting to cover his mouth just enough to make him feel like he had some control. Shadow wondered if his head would be dipped or canted off to the side this time…
And yet still, Sonic was wrapped up in appealing to Shadow’s fantasies.
“You’re just begging to be bred, huh…you look like you want it so bad…”
Shadow buried his face into his pillow to release the breath he had been holding through a long groan. Even though it was muffled, it would have been loud enough for Sonic to hear perfectly.
“You’re wet for me, right?”
Sweat was settling across his skin again. His thighs squeezed against the bedding hard enough for his knees to nearly touch. Everything was so sensitive but still not enough. One of his hands slipped down between his legs to grip at the pillow harder, falling into the trap of falsely believing that he could keep himself tame enough to not rut up against the side of his arm as well.
His brows furrowed, “Yeah…”
“Lemme see you again, pretty boy.” Sonic’s voice came out so heavy and breathy that it would have been impossible to deny.
Shadow heaved but held himself up with shaky arms just enough for his camera angle to capture how much more he had worked himself up. A fleeting moment of courage took off the weight keeping his head down so he could see what his partner was watching, what he was getting off to. In the dim orange light from the lamp, his fur looked even darker, the faint blue undertones reflecting off of every hill and point and mound that hid under his coat. The wound wrapping’s integrity had suffered from his constant rubbing and pulling, rolling and bunching in a way that was beginning to hurt if he laid on it for too long.
Sonic sucked in a breath, “You're gonna tell me when you’re close, right?”
Shadow nodded, jumping when he was verbally reprimanded for trying to lower his body back against the mattress. Having such a kneejerk reaction to a simple noise made him feel like a dog more than he already did.
“Keep yourself up so I can watch you cum for me.”
He didn’t have the energy to argue. He barely had enough to do as Sonic instructed, but he pushed on for his sake. Sonic wanted to watch him grind down against his pillows simply because it made him look desperate. How desperate did one have to be to fuck something inanimate in place of their partner? The only difference was that Shadow wasn't imagining Sonic underneath him, he wanted Sonic pressing his weight down onto his upper back, leaning over to breathe against his ear while endlessly praising the way he took it all to the point of making his eyes roll.
An onslaught of words that Shadow could barely interpret became the background noise to his overwhelming string of thoughts.
…good boy, for me, begging to be bred, so pretty like this-
His gut twisted and he sucked in a breath, “‘m close…”
“Don’t hold anything back. I wanna hear it all-”
Shadow’s hand jolted away from his body almost as soon as he began touching it. Reprimanded again.
“No, no hands. Only your hips.”
“Fuck you, I hate you–”
He did as he was told and occupied his fingers by curling them into the sheets instead. He was exhausted, but if Sonic wanted him to get off by rutting into their shared bed for friction, that’s exactly what he would do. And he wouldn’t complain about it. He was lucky to even catch Sonic so late at night rather than getting off on his own thoughts and personal collection of material.
Videos were good, but still images where he could piece back together exactly what they did leading up to and subsequently following that moment would be the death of him.
Neither of them had a proclivity for taking photos of themselves at all, but in the heat of the moment, Sonic was the one too pretty to not capture.
Shadow had his own damn arsenal of souvenirs: ones where they were coming down from their high and Sonic was satisfying his biological urge to run his tongue over the tousled spines of Shadow’s quills, smoothing them back down into place the way he liked. He had ones taken while inebriated with enough motion blur to allude to the brutal pace he was indulging his partner in. He had ones taken with focused precision of the markings he’d gifted to the other to show his ownership, of bloodied bites and scratches and streaks of white bleeding onto blue in a way that still made Shadow’s stomach twist.
Those were just the 30% of the time that he had been the one taking the lead. Sonic surely had a locked folder of his own filled with five times as much material.
And Shadow gave him the same oxytocin-influenced excuse every time: he was pretty like that. He was pretty while whimpering between breaths like he currently was over the other line.
Shadow’s eyes screwed shut as he moaned loud enough to make him self-aware for a moment.
He came so hard it almost hurt: to work muscle groups that hadn’t gotten any attention in weeks. He panted into the open air and kept grinding slowly against the pillow, wetness spreading up the blanket underneath his hips more than it already had. When his eyes opened again from being screwed shut he was met with the release that he had been denying himself for the past month. It would have been much better to feel it all slip down the back of Sonic’s throat rather than being wasted on blankets, but that could always be done when they were reunited.
Meager whines felt like glass in his throat as Sonic took control of their conversation again.
“You think you could do another?”
“Yeah.”
“God, Shad, you’re perfect–”
“Can I please touch myself…”
A pause that felt like an eternity cut through the tension over the line.
“Yeah.” More shuffling, “Wait…”
“Hurry up before I lose it.”
What Shadow noticed then made his blood run cold.
He was finally treated to more than just his partner’s voice. Instead, the contact photo was replaced with his actual face before he slid backwards to gather the rest of his body in frame, hips bordered by a loose nightshirt that originally belonged to Shadow, tube socks bundled up at his ankles before they disappeared under his pajama pants. The most striking feature (as always) had to have been his quills, so relaxed that they appeared flat and fell limp over the front of his shoulders as he sat back up against the door.
“Sorry, keep going.”
How could he focus on himself now? With Sonic so exposed in a way that only Shadow knew he had the privilege of seeing?
Looking even closer, tinges of scarlet dusted over his cheeks and overwhelmed the peach of his chest, inner ears flushed a deep pink. The fur at his temples had been soaked through from exertion. All were features he retained even without Shadow there to fuck him so wildly that they actually broke a sweat. Racing was no issue, but they couldn’t go a single night together without being left dripping in some sort of fluid after being physically intimate.
He sat back on his shins and watched Sonic sink down more and more, ears flattened, eyes glazed, hand still shakily stroking himself, the one not occupied slipping over his mouth to stifle how Shadow’s name was whimpered over and over like a mantra. It wouldn't do him much good, considering that, if anyone was listening in, they would surely hear how obscenely wet his fist was as he stroked himself.
Teeth ripped into Shadow’s bottom lip and left a raw, ferric taste lingering on his tongue as he began working himself with his hand also. Still caught up in the muscle memory of it all, he could only manage to meekly grind against nothing but air. His own self-lubrication was seeping down the backs of his thighs and cooling the further it trailed away from his core.
All he wanted to do was crawl into Sonic’s lap and fuck himself on his partner’s dick until he was stupid. He wanted to cum so hard from it that he would taste color and see sound. He wanted his knees to fucking ache from holding his weight up against hard tile and his thighs to be on fire from exertion. He wanted them to keep their volume down through biting and sloppily forcing their lips together, knowing that they’d end up losing it and blow their cover.
And at the end of it all, he wanted to feel the teeth marks left on his neck the next morning.
So everyone, including Shadow himself, could be reminded of exactly who he belonged to.
He watched Sonic stroke himself until his body finally caught up, forcing him to put on the best show Shadow had ever seen in his life.
One of the the longest, deepest breaths yet grated against the back of his throat, shoulders hunching and body melting down against the door until he was flat on the tile, half of his quills still arched up against the wood barrier keeping their little tryst a secret from the rest of the house. His back arched off of the floor, legs slipping and trembling from the lack of support as his heels raised in tandem with his hips. As his features went slack, his teeth finally released the hem of the nightshirt, fabric stained dark where he had been drooling into it.
“Hoooh-ly fuck, Shad–”
Sonic’s free hand slapped over his mouth again. Watching trace glimpses of Sonic’s fangs actually reveal themselves as they sank into two of his fingers only made Shadow louder.
White rivulets spilled over his fist and trailed down over the side of his abdomen. Some droplets managed to evade soaking into the fabric of the shirt and slipped onto the tile in a way that Shadow would have murdered to hear the quiet impact of. It was so much…
He did say that he hadn’t gotten off in a while…
Seeing the thick saliva that coated Sonic’s fingers as he finally released them from the vice-like grip of his teeth was what helped Shadow over the edge a second time. All he could watch as his head dipped was his thighs shaking and cock throbbing against the fabric as he soaked it for a second time. Claws gripping hard enough to split fibers and threads, he locked his elbows to prevent them from giving out as they strained to hold up his weight. A breath that his tongue manipulated just enough to form the vowels of Sonic's name was the only noise he could release that wasn’t a sob or whimper.
When he opened his eyes again, he was met with Sonic’s own weak gaze, his partner lying limp on his side watching back as they both regulated their breathing.
Seeing him so blissed out was a better highlight of their sex lives than the sex itself. Sonic always somehow looked so peaceful even after the roughest treatment-both giving and receiving. While getting himself off didn’t compare in the slightest to the wilder side of his tastes, it still got him high enough to slow down and relax for once, and that was a good enough reason for Shadow to give it to him as often as his body would allow.
He was so pretty, effortlessly.
Shadow focused on his phone screen with intent as Sonic's setup was moved. All he could see were misty green eyes, lids heavy and pupils blown. Part of his muzzle arched up in a way that let him know the fucker was smiling.
“Heyyy cutie patootie~”
Shadow sputtered out a scoff. A weak grin pulled at the sides of his lips and forced him to bury his face into the pillow to hide it. He grabbed his own phone from where it had been resting and revoked the other of his full-body-shot privileges.
“Fuck off.”
More coos and compliments fell on deaf, ringing ears until Shadow had enough strength to sit up and witness the disaster he’d created. It was nothing a quick wash wouldn’t fix anyway. He grimaced as he circled a finger in the viscid self-lubrication that had spread up to where his abdomen had been resting, opaque from rubbing and grinding against it for so long.
Sonic’s voice broke through his trance, “Damn dude, save some for me when I get back.”
Well if he had been a good partner and sped home to help him out, he wouldn’t need Shadow to save some for him.
Sonic pulled his phone close to his face until his features had become distorted like he was looking through a fisheye lens, taking care to whisper as if it even mattered anymore, “You wanna see the carnage?”
Shadow was glad he kept his camera off for the most part. He wasn’t sure if he could have gotten off to a sight like that.
“What the hell, sure.”
After a short period of shifting around and Shadow fighting his eyes to stay open, he was treated to a sight that filled him with both a sense of self-pride and self-consciousness. All the fiddling and fumbling was due to being limited to only one hand. The other hand being shown was absolutely coated in thick streaks of white that had been smeared over his palm and began dripping down his wrist. From what Shadow could see in the background, his thighs didn’t fare any better. His shirt would certainly need changing. He might as well take advantage of being holed up in the bathroom and clean himself off in the shower.
Such a mess.
But Sonic was a mess because of him.
He set his phone down on the edge of the sink and flipped the tap on, “I feel like I should Venmo you a tip or something.”
“Why?”
Sonic shrugged, “For the nice performance you just put on.”
Shadow puffed a laugh out of his nose, “That’s all free for you. Comes with the mating package.”
He ought to clean himself up as well, but sleep was taking him faster than he could resist. It was hard enough just to keep his eyes open. Between bouts of rest, Shadow watched bits and pieces of Sonic show up on screen, the other hedgehog moving about as he made himself presentable again. The view changed again after Sonic had dried himself.
“I’m taking you back upstairs with me so don’t be too loud.”
Sonic’s room at their rented condo was cute: small and sparsely decorated with a predictable nautical theme that fit the beach house vibe well. It was eerily similar to his own bedroom at Tails' cottage, twin bed in the closest left corner and desk situated under the windowsill. As soon as the door was shut and locked, he balanced his phone up against what Shadow assumed was a lamp on top of the nightstand.
As he felt his upper lip stretch over his fangs, he ignored the other hedgehog’s “Ooh, big yawn” quip in flavor of nuzzling his face against Sonic’s pillow. His eyes remained closed as he thought of his own retort.
“What else did you do today besides jerk off to me?”
“I tried mackerel for the first time.”
His brow raised, “Did you like it?”
“Ya’ know, it was better than I thought.” Sonic paused, “How was your mission?”
Shadow lazily waved a hand and let it fall back down onto the bed at his side. Work was work. It never changed save for the location and threat level. He could fill him in on all the details of his injuries later.
What would have been considered aftercare any other night, grooming and nuzzling against each other, had instead taken the form of post-coital socialization.
Sonic began showing off the rest of his shell collection gathered from one of their many trips out to the beach that week. A pocket encyclopedia specializing in the identification of common shells and corals was procured from a bag at the foot of the bed, sticker label still on the back cover with the logo of the gift shop it had been purchased at. Sonic rapidly scanned through the pages until he seemingly found what he was looking for, making Shadow wince as he manually broke the book’s spine to prevent its tight binding from snapping it shut.
“I think this is a scallop shell?” He kept flipping before gasping quietly, “No, I lied, it’s a cockle,” and continued reading, “‘also called clams, are a type of mollusk most commonly found in coastal regions and estuaries.’ ”
Sonic looked back up to his screen and held the shell up to the camera again while Shadow remained silent.
“I showed you my cockle, please respond.”
The duality of hedgehog.
He was adorable.
“That was a good one, huh?”
Shadow turned his head to hide the way his lips tugged into a smile, “No.”
“I’m so funny you don’t even know.”
He went through the remainder of his hoard, presenting to his mate various other shells as if they were tokens of his affection. It wasn’t too bad of a haul either: he’d somehow managed to find near perfect whelks and the smallest sand dollar either of them had ever seen. Like he (almost) stated before, Shadow wasn’t much of a beach person, but seeing Sonic so excited about being able to give a name and a history to something anyone else would have ignored would be worth getting a bit of sand in his quills.
He watched each new possible addition to their bookshelf through lidded eyes that couldn’t help but drift shut every few seconds. Sonic didn’t seem to mind. Scientific descriptions made digestible for the common person continued to soothe him to sleep, along with the scent from the red and blue tartan fabric over his shoulders. Funny how Sonic’s voice had once been so irritating to him. Now he couldn’t get enough of it.
Shadow wasn’t sure how much time had elapsed when he stirred out of his nap, but it had been enough for Sonic to end up falling asleep curled up under the covers, apparently not bothering to end the call. He’d mentioned before that he always sort of liked the idea of them taking a nap together while far apart. Shadow never truly saw the appeal of it back then. They shared enough time sleeping in the same bed-a video call was overkill as far as Shadow was concerned. He and Sonic would have plenty of time to catch up when he got home.
So Shadow admired his partner one last time before quietly ending the call, weakly typed out a message before sending it, and turned off his lamp for the night.
‘I liked your cockle.’