Work Text:
“There you go.”
The white bat threw the thick documents onto the table without any elegance, the impact causing the furniture to shake and an accidental loud noise to be heard.
Shadow frowned, crossing his arms. With a confused expression, he tried to understand what the bat was showing him.
"What is this?"
"G.U.N. wants us to take care of it, as you can imagine. Apparently, whatever is causing this has been happening in different parts of the outskirts of Central City," she explained with a professional demeanor without losing her usual glibness, resting her hand on the table and leaning slightly over it.
Shadow raised an eyebrow, approaching the pile of folders with careful steps.
"What do you mean?" His footsteps echoed in the room set aside especially for the two of them. A depressing room, with muted colors and cold lighting; the kind of lights that appear natural but actually evoke the same vibe as an antiseptic-tinged clinic. When he stopped in front of the table, he ran his hand over the documents, hesitant, fixing his stoic gaze on the two folders in front of him. It seemed like a dilemma, even though he knew there were no real options. He looked at the recent dates and the number of cases: twenty in total.
"I warn you now that what's in there isn't very pleasant to see," Rouge murmured, subtly lowering her large ears. The twist in her expression did not hide her disgust, a detail that increased Shadow's now surging curiosity about the unknown.
"Just spit it out, woman. It's not like we haven't dealt with enough problems already," he said decisively, holding the folders, opening one, and quickly leafing through its contents.
"Well, then see for yourself, hun."
The hedgehog looked up from the document at her, raising an eyebrow when she crossed her arms, looking at him with infallible reason embedded in her eyes. He rolled his eyes, snorting, returning his attention to the important matter at hand. The indifferent movement of his hand led him to a random sheet with the details of some random victim: weight, height, species...
At first, he paused to read vaguely, but as the seconds passed, his furrowed brow screamed complete bewilderment.
There was a faint silence, which was soon broken by the rustling of the page being turned.
Rouge watched as Shadow's confusion escalated and grimaced as the gloved hand quickly flew to the next page.
What the hedgehog saw left him speechless.
Right in front of his nose: a detailed, vulgar image of a Mobian, whose species he couldn't identify—nor could he remember—with their chest cut open down to their thigh; organs exposed, some removed, others scattered, abundant blood staining what remained of the body.
The onyx hedgehog wrinkled his snout in disgust.
It was clearly visible how each rib had been broken to reach the lungs, push the liver aside, and rip out the heart. The tissue around the lungs was bluish, the air sacs giving the impression that they were about to burst. Viscous, decomposed, unpleasant, bruised, unrecognizable intestines lay exposed.
No trace of the liver, but the stomach appeared intact. The left thigh had no skin at all; parts of the internal flesh were shredded, the femur broken; the cut ended at the fibula. One eye was wide open. The other side was empty: instead of an eye, there was a deep hole. Pale lips were parted, as if frozen in their last breath.
Oh, and to no one's delight, half of both arms were also missing.
Shadow never thought that an image could make him so nauseous that he would twist his face in complete disgust.
It was the typical scene from those bloody, bad horror movies; the remains of the victim brutally murdered by the monster, which, for plot reasons, are found by the stupidly trusting characters who will die in the very next scene.
"I told you, didn't I? The worst part is that this one is the most intact," Rouge said, pointing to the other folder. She felt a wave of revulsion rise from her stomach and end up in her back, where her wings tensed in a cold shiver as she vividly remembered the other photographs.
Shadow scrutinized the other linked images.
"What the hell is this? Did they removed everyone’s organs?"
Rouge nodded, letting out an exhausted sigh, now resting both arms crossed on the table while signs of stress made her leg bounce slightly.
"According to Abe, it's very likely that the cause of all this is... another Mobian as well."
"Cannibalism," the stripped one blurted out bluntly, staring disturbingly at the image.
"Yes, in a nutshell," she nodded. "And as you know, we're the only ones sent to solve this problem."
Rouge tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes in a thoughtful expresión. "This news cannot be made public under any circumstances.”
"Hmhp, of course. Obviously, not only would humans be harmed, but so would we," he commented, glancing sideways at the display case that took up more than a third of the rectangular area of the wall behind Rouge; soldiers were watching their every move.
"Especially us," she emphasized in a whisper.
What else could cause such an act if not a Mobian? If the suspicions turned out to be true, it would completely twist the perception of their species.
Shadow snorted in disgust, pressing his snout to the area just above his upturned nose. Just thinking about all the work he would be assigned from now on gave him an irritating headache.
"I really wonder why I keep doing this.”
"Well, you're practically unemployed.”
"Shut up," he growled, throwing the documents back on the table.
Intending to leave, he turned on his heels and started walking toward the door leading outside. But before he even touched the long metal doorknob, Rouge's voice interrupted him.
"There's something else you should know, Shadow," she said in a frank, serious tone that echoed within the four walls.
Shadow stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head over his shoulder, looking at her with his usual impassive expression. Rouge understood instantly that the hedgehog would listen to what she had to say, but she had to get to the point.
"When I looked at the victims' records, I discovered an unusual pattern. Each of those previously identified victims has a rather curious history. Such as petty crimes and assaults. However, what struck me most was that several Mobian hedgehogs were treated differently. While they treat other victims with contempt, they seem to have a certain amount of respect for these particular ones."
Rouge held the other's gaze, enveloping them in a thick silence. Shadow stopped turning his back on her, turning his whole body toward the bat, one eyebrow arched in disbelief. “Respect…?”
Rouge reached out to grab a photograph from the folder, unclipping it from the others. The photo’s emulsion reacted under the LED light. “This was the last victim; the liver was returned due to a degenerative disease. As if the killer had somehow repented... but I’m not sure.”
The unsettling nature of the situation grew worse when the case history was reviewed: those victims were part of a planned sequence. Each month, a hedgehog disappeared, all with roughly the same weight, height, and age range.
No one else except the sick one was found. There is nothing to indicate the whereabouts of the others.
As if the murderer had set out to consume them completely.
“So what would it be then? Love?" Shadow blurted out, at first with a hint of irony. Then his expression showed hesitation.
Rouge tilted her head slightly to the left, absently waving the photograph between her fingers.
“There wasn't any semen, nor saliva…”
“No… not that kind of ‘love.’ You said they put the organs back in place for another reason… Maybe an apology?”
Rouge frowned.
“Do you think they felt guilty?”
“It’s just a guess…”
“Do you think they'll apologize? Do you think they wanted to honor them?... Is that why they feel bad now?” Rouge placed both hands back on the metal table, leaving the photograph covered by the palm of her gloved hand. She bowed her head, thinking about all the possibilities. “If they feel bad, they're not a psychopath, right? So why─?”
“I don’t know! I don’t even know if they're a psychopath. I don’t know what kind of crazy they are!” he interrupted her, stunned, revealing his lack of conviction in the face of the bat’s insistent questions.
A sepulchral silence, the kind that made everyone else’s thoughts seem loud, fell between them like an anvil. Shadow exhaled sharply through his nose, without any delicacy, and brought his hand to the side of his head, keeping it bowed. For a few seconds, all that could be heard was the “tick-tock” of the hands of the clock hanging on the wall and the silent murmur from outside.
Rouge made the brave decision to break the silence, clearing her throat ever so slightly.
“Love… Huh? Maybe... they love a hedgehog. And, by association, they feel some form of love for each and every one of them. Although, as you say, they don't seem to love them in the conventional way.”
Shadow looked away, nodding his head and folding his arms again.
“It's still superficial.”
Rouge sighed wearily, her wings drooping in sync with her shoulders.
“We won’t get very far with just assumptions. We were ordered to capture them at all costs, regardless of they reasons or objectives.”
"Do we at least have any viable information about what they are or any clues to catch them? Despite how ruthless some cases were, there are no fingerprints, no evidence, nothing." Shadow broke from his default posture, resting his right elbow on his other arm so he could touch his chin with the hand. The uncertainty wasn’t just evident on his face. "At the end of the day, they may end up being another one of those unpredictable experiments by that damn maniacal doctor that I'm sick of seeing around," he said, in a louder tone than he intended.
"I'm sure it's not Eggman. Not only because he's been absent these past few months, but because I don't think he's crazy enough to do this just for the sake of it, at least not so openly. Much less for the reasons above.”
Shadow thought about what his partner said for a few seconds, clicking his tongue without realizing it. It was true that the doctor was not at all discreet when it came to executing his evil plans; he always made himself known to get the attention of the heroes, mainly the blue hedgehog.
But if it wasn't him, then who?
Rouge sighed—a long, dramatic sigh—and moved away from the table after leaning on it for so long.
"They completely ruined the vacation I had planned, ugh. I was thinking of paying Knuckie a visit," she said wearily, pouting her lips. Shadow deigned to look away.
The woman took out her cell phone with a phonecase with excess of shiny accessories and typed quickly under the onyx's gaze.
"Let's discuss this somewhere else, this gloomy atmosphere doesn't suit me."
Rouge finished typing and approached Shadow, not hesitating to hold him by the arm, intertwining it tightly with hers, like a parasite. "Come on, I'm hungry and I want to go somewhere trendy in Station Square."
Shadow sighed audibly, which sounded like a silent complaint at the same time; Rouge comment commanded him to use his Chaos Control on them to transport her faster to a place that would satisfy her appetite.
"I doubt you're hungry when we have to talk about a damn case of cannibalism," he snapped, narrowing his eyes. At this point in the game, there was no point in resisting his friend; one way or another, he ended up being dragged along by her. However, he always looked for a way to contradict her.
Rouge let out a small laugh, with her distinctive charm.
"Oh, dear, let's forget that detail for a moment. I need to think on a full stomach."
Shadow snorted, preparing to manipulate the Chaos Energy.
"Ah! And the perfect place just came to mind!"
( 🍽 )
“Here you go! A dozen Green Hill-style onion rings!”
The pair of fox-like Mobians smiled in response when they saw the plate on the table, their eyes sparkling at the sight of the golden, freshly made onion rings that gave off a pleasant, rich aroma of spices and fried onions. They smiled happily, picking up a crispy, appetizing ring.
“Thanks, Sonic!” they exclaimed in unison.
“You're welcome. Enjoy!”
The blue-haired said goodbye to the couple and returned in less than the blink of an eye to the bar separating the restaurant from the kitchen. The hem of his red apron fluttered in the breeze, embroidered with white thread at the edges and on the chest, where the name of the café was written in cursive: “Cream & Cheese Delights.” The apron strings fit perfectly around his slender waist, although the loose straps that held it up hung down and sometimes fell off his shoulder.
“Come on, come on! There are many bellies to fill!” he announced loudly, standing on one foot, resting his elbows on the counter, and placing both hands on either side of his snout in a gesture to extend his voice further.
If it weren't for the fact that he was the hero of Mobius himself, they would have already reproached him for the way he positioned his upper body, boldly curving his left leg upward, despite it being a supposedly involuntary gesture.
“Slow down, speedster! Not all of us are ‘supersonic’ like ya.”
The harsh tone of Vector's unmistakable voice, complaining in the background of the kitchen, almost reached the hearing range of the customers. The crocodile poked his head out from behind a column, his right hand skillfully removing a considerable amount of French fries from the fryer.
The imperceptible shadow of a smile graced, for a few seconds, the serious face of Espio, who was standing next to him. Not far away, Charmy was clumsily finishing placing some orders on a tray.
Sonic rolled his eyes, snorting, and smiled slightly. Inevitably, his gaze explored the interior of the kitchen. It was comical that the Chaotix—supposed detectives—were working in a cafeteria, surprisingly, without any money involved. It didn't take much thought to guess which of the three members had convinced, or rather, dragged the others into such a charitable gesture. Since the owner of the newly opened establishment was none other than the adult rabbit that the crocodile was dying to conquer.
“Well, it's not my fault you're sooo slow, man,” he mimicked Vector's bored expression with his usual cheekiness. “You should have charged Vanilla instead of doing everything for free. Maybe then you'd have more energy to work.”
Vector immediately twisted his face, growling at the hyperactive hedgehog with a mocking smile. He snuffled, exposing his row of sharp teeth before replying grumpily:
“Whatever the reason, it's none of your business, hedgehog.”
“Uh-huh, so you're telling me that Charmy accepted this 'willingly',” he raised and curled the index and middle fingers of both hands several times, using them as quotation marks. He stifled a laugh in his throat. “I thought you needed the money.”
Vector forgot what he was doing and turned to face Sonic in the same direction.
“Look who's talking about doing everything for free! The ‘always well-intentioned hero who expects nothing in return’! Ha! I bet you don't even pay taxes on this!” he pointed an accusing finger at him. He gradually put his hands on his hips, shaking his head and lamenting like an underpaid actor in some play: "Some of us have to work our fingers to the bone to get something to eat, while others are just privileged bums, traveling and doing whatever they please as if the world were theirs."
Sonic opened his mouth wide, raising an eyebrow and inhaling air quite dramatically. Deeply offended, he put his hand to his chest and walked away from the counter, straightening up properly before taking a few steps back.
"I'm not a bum! Let's just say... well, there's nothing wrong with spending quality time at my friends' houses from time to time! Besides, Tails doesn't mind me staying at his house; he's never mentioned anything about, uh... rent and stuff.
“In other words, a bum,” Amy and Vanilla said in unison.
The rabbit wore a purple kerchief and her usual clothes, but this time without the burgundy vest, which had been replaced by a distinguished red apron. Amy also wore her apron, which stood out even more because of her change of dress: a pretty, fresh springtime light blue, the fabric falling naturally to mid-thigh. She wore white low-heeled shoes. And decorating her quills, a bow in the same light blue color as her dress completed the look.
“Really?! Even you, Ames?” He crossed his arms, feigning indignation, watching as Vanilla came out of the kitchen with two full trays in both hands, placing them on the counter where Sonic had been lying. Amy came out behind her, smiling sweetly, also carrying a tray with a couple of drinks on it.
“Guys, please behave yourselves. You didn't offer to help just to challenge each other, did you?” Vanilla hinted, raising a defiant eyebrow as she placed both of her now-unoccupied hands on her hips.
Sonic and Vector looked at Vanilla and her barely visible annoyance, but this comment was enough for both Mobians to apologize sheepishly. The last thing they wanted to do was anger the adult rabbit, not after learning what happened to Rough and Tumble.
“Good,” Vanilla nodded, satisfied with their response, and without a hint of anger in her voice.
However, what was meant to be a friendly smile on her part ended up being a death threat—at least in Sonic and Vector's eyes. With that said, Vanilla retraced her steps to dive back into the busy kitchen.
When she was no longer in sight, both the hero and the detective exhaled the air they had torturously held in their lungs, now changing their tense postures to more relaxed ones.
Each returned to their own world: Vector muttering under his breath and yelling at Charmy to quiet his laughter; Espio figuring out how to laugh at his companions more discreetly while at his post. The jokes about Vector's blushing and annoyance were the only thing that could entertain the trio during their task. Sonic took the new trays from the counter, regaining his enthusiasm to use his speed, taking only a couple of seconds to deliver them.
“Ugh, seeing so much food makes you hungry, doesn't it, Ames?” the blue one suddenly mentioned, glancing briefly at the crowd at the tables before leaning back casually on the counter.
Amy, who was at the cash register, looked at Sonic with a genuine smile. She finished depositing the money in its corresponding place and walked around the counter.
“Hmm, you took your time,” Amy said, positioning herself next to the cobalt-blue hedgehog, leaving her arms crossed on the bar, imitating his pose. “It was inevitable that you would be hungry. I'm surprised you didn't stop because of it.”
Sonic chuckled, shaking his head, finding her insinuations amusing. He sighed as he stopped laughing, leaning toward Amy. Their arms brushed against each other a little... too much.
“You know it's your fault for including me so enthusiastically, or have you already forgotten?” he asked playfully, nudging her gently on the shoulder.
“But you accepted in the end, eh?” she played along, returning the gesture. “Besides, the apron suits you.”
Sonic's ears perked up at the compliment, his emerald eyes locking onto Amy. When she noticed his eyes fixed on her, she felt her cheeks warm and laughed nervously, breaking eye contact for a moment, not wanting to seem so obvious.
Her love for Sonic wasn't as intense as it used to be. After all, she no longer needed to express it with the same overflowing passion she had in her youth. Now they have what she had always dreamed of: a deep friendship, a bond built on trust.
Still, that didn’t mean the feeling wasn’t there, beating with resilience.
Perhaps it was simply the fact that Sonic had been spending more time with her lately, free from sudden adventures, that made her heart stir again in unexpected ways.
Why do they make her feel embarrassed now?
“Well... when we're done, I'm sure you'll want something to eat. How about a picnic?” The question came out awkwardly, either in an attempt not to make things more uncomfortable for Sonic—actually only for her—or simply to get back to the main topic.
Sonic looked thoughtful for just a few seconds. Then he shrugged, tilting his head slightly.
“Yeah, why not? It's been a while since the last one.”
Amy's excitement could not go unnoticed. Her eyes lit up, her posture transitioning to one without insecurity, straightening the shoulders she had previously kept slumped.
“Really?!” She cleared her throat. “I-I mean... Yes! I can't remember the last time. Oh! How about we go to Emerald Coast again?”
The pleasant tinkling of the bell above the entrance filled the café, announcing the arrival of new customers.
Rouge entered with an elegant stride, the heels of her boots clicking on the shiny, waxed floor. Following her, Shadow entered with his usual unfriendly expression, instinctively sniffing the delicious aroma of warm bread and freshly brewed coffee.
"My, my, Blue. So, it's true that you're hanging around this place, what a nice surprise.”
The blue ears reacted to the bat's vibrant voice. Sonic turned his face toward the entrance, smiling crookedly when he saw the familiar figure.
“How's it going, Rouge? Long time no see,” he said, winking at her. He shifted his gaze to the dark hedgehog, the corners of his lips seeming to rise just a few centimeters.
“I didn't expect to see you with Amy either. From a distance, you look like a cute couple. Don't you think, Shad?” She nudged his arm mischievously. He growled under his breath, to be honest, he didn't really care.
Sonic snorted with amusement, looking away from the duo. Amy's heart raced again, the flush returning to her cheeks.
“What are you talking about?” Closing her eyes with a shy smile, she waved her hand like a fan toward Rouge, as if to downplay the unexpected comment and distance herself from it.
Rouge giggled, covering her mouth elegantly. Shadow, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly. His unshakeable demeanor faltered as he massaged his temple in irritation. In addition to his thoughts about the annoying situation, he swore he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He attributed it to his notable bad mood.
For now, he ignored it.
Without adding anything to the lively conversation Rouge had started with both hedgehogs, he went to sit at a secluded table that gave him a false sense of privacy. Along the way, several Mobians—and a few humans—stared at him, some following him with their eyes, curious, others recognizing him and immediately whispering among themselves. Unfazed by this brief attention, he sat down, acting calm and oblivious to his surroundings.
It wasn't long before Cream approached him with two menus, leaving one at his side and the other in the center for when Rouge arrived.
“Hello, Mr. Shadow! It's good to see you. Mother just opened the café today! Do you like it?” She spoke with a smile and a soft tone, standing on tiptoe and grabbing the ends of the table so she could get a better look at the onyx hedgehog and more or less match his height.
Shadow nodded slightly, his expression still unreadable.
“Feels strangely familiar, in a good way. You can appreciate the effort and sacrifices she made to achieve it.”
“That's right! I'm very happy because she is. Cheese, Chocola, and Gemerl love it too!” she said, her ears perking up a little, her mood giving the illusion of a dazzling aura surrounding her.
The corners of his lips curved up a millimeter. Shadow rested his gloved hand on Cream's head, stroking her for just long enough to ruffle the patch of orange fur adorning her. At this, the bunny smiled with childlike sweetness, allowing herself to be pampered by a hedgehog whose strong and boring character had softened. After exchanging a few words, Cream moved to another table. Nearby, Gemerl also played the role of waiter, attentive to the customers as well as the girl with long, drooping ears.
Shadow turned his attention to the menu, still wearing the shadow of a smile.
In the background, the sound of the television, placed at a height suitable for everyone to see, announced the arrival of a total lunar eclipse, which would cause the face of the moon to turn reddish for half of an hour, the first occurrence of this phenomenon in more than three years.
Shadow had never seen a blood moon. He was really intrigued, but it was one of those fleeting moments when the mind quickly dismisses ephemeral and irrelevant ideas as soon as new and more interesting ones arise, like a two-for-one deal on tiramisu.
Minutes later, Rouge finally sat down in the empty chair amid laughter, disorganizing the napkins and cutlery on the table in the process. Shadow rolled his eyes in exasperation as he watched her try to fit her wings into the back of the chair, without much success.
“Ugh, stupid chair. If my butt doesn't fit, my wings certainly don't,” she shifted repeatedly, uncomfortable, letting out several insults toward her extra limbs.
Shadow sighed without any pretense, staring at the letters on the menu, taking the opportunity to cover his face with it; sometimes he forgets the meaning of second-hand embarrassment. At times like these with his best friend, he always remembers.
“Aight, Team Dark, ready to order?”
Neither of the pair noticed when the blue hedgehog appeared, notebook and pencil in hand. Rouge flashed her sly smile, while the other rolled his eyes, now also using the menu to cover the horrible sight in front of him.
“Well, I'm hungry, and for the next six hours I'll be buried in documents and paperwork, so do you have any recommendations, sweetheart? If it's not too much trouble.”
“Sure! I can offer you the best salads, hot drinks... cold drinks...” Sonic gradually stopped, as if something had changed inside him. “Or... you can try the special of the day!”
Sonic smiled, diverting attention away from his sudden disconnection from his surroundings.
Rouge didn't even notice how strange it was.
But someone else didn't forget so easily.
“Special of the day? Hmm, okay,” replied Rouge. “What about you, Shadow?”
He looked up from his menu to look at Rouge. He paused to think for a moment. But at that instant, he noticed Sonic scratching one of his blue arms, which remained half-hidden behind his back, roughly with his unkempt claws.
This confused Shadow. He furrowed his brow slightly, but said nothing about it.
“A tiramisu. And a big cup with six shots of espresso.”
“Are you really going to eat coffee and drink coffee?”
“Whatever”
Rouge sighed, her smile still intact.
“Okay. How about a main course?”
Shadow's ears twitched in her direction.
A main course?
"Hmm, no.”
Not for now.
“Okay, that's it,” she said, snatching the menu from Shadow and passing it to Sonic along with hers. “So, bring us the special of the day, a pink lemonade, a tiramisu, and a... big cup with six shots of espresso. Please, handsome.”
Sonic nodded, quickly jotting everything down, the pencil wobbling slightly on the paper. He put the notebook in his apron pocket and then smiled sideways, as he always did.
“Sure! It'll be ready in a minute.”
With that said, he left, running between the other tables as he continued to take orders with boundless energy.
Now that they were alone, the bat would start chattering away to Shadow, first complaining about the price of lemons, then about needing to buy new clothes for the summer... Shadow wasn't listening.
Unintentionally, his attention fell on Sonic, observing the behavior that suddenly possessed the cobalt: he moved with an anxiety he couldn't describe, momentarily stopping with concealed nerves, again, to scratch his arm with healed scratches. Sometimes his ear, then the little fur covering his chest, even going so far as to scratch his leg, lifting the tip of his shoe.
Does he have fleas or something? he wondered.
Not knowing that this would be an important detail later.
( 🍽 )
The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky, bringing a gentle warmth to the plains of the archipelago. The weather was perfect, neither humid nor dry, and it was just the right time for spring to play its essential role. Not far from Station Square, the song of the flickies flooded the vast territory of white sand and water, the breeze gently blowing against their faces and ruffling the tops of the nearby palm trees.
It was the perfect day to spend under the sun on Emerald Coast, and a couple of hedgehogs did not waste this convenient opportunity.
Amy walked calmly along the beach, enjoying the salty breeze and the sand beneath her bare feet. In her right hand, she held a wicker basket for the picnic, covered with a white cloth with pink embroidery, and in the other, she held the white shoes she had been wearing with three fingers bent. And well, Sonic took off his apron. He walked beside her with his arms crossed behind his head, maintaining his characteristic calmness. However, the reality was very different:
He felt a chaotic discomfort inside.
His fur itched, his legs trembled for a few seconds, and the tension in his jaw did not subside.
He knew what was happening.
His body was demanding it.
But he couldn't give in and let himself go. If he had been holding back with all his might until now, he could continue. Of course he could, he was Sonic the Hedgehog.
He could keep pretending to be relaxed and carefree about everything around him. He could keep hiding his complicated feelings and his deep, misunderstood desires.
But you can't cage a wild animal for long without knowing that the time will come when it will lose control completely.
“Sonic? Are you paying attention to me?”
He jumped, not realizing how lost in thought he was until Amy's firm voice brought him down from the clouds.
“Oh... yeah. Look! This is where we had our picnic the other day,” he changed the subject quickly, rushing ahead to snatch the basket from Amy's grasp and spread the picnic blanket with his sonic speed.
Amy raised an eyebrow with one hand on her hip. It was suspicious that the hedgehog, who was usually forced to attend her whims, suddenly acted with a mysterious desire to do so voluntarily.
“Okay...? I have no idea where you get that enthusiasm from.”
Sonic reacted with an unstable, fake, self-imposed giggle.
“You talk as if I complain every time you invite me to hang out at picnics and sudden dates, Ames.”
Sonic sat down on the blanket, rushing to eat from the tray of chili dogs arranged with surgical precision.
“I obviously love this!” he exclaimed, his mouth full. Amy couldn't tell if he was referring to the picnic or his precious chili dog, which he chewed with more satisfaction than usual.
Amy shook her head, her lips curving into a silly smile. Ah, right: obviously, when it came to Sonic, there was a force that made her fall easily. So she forgot about the blue hedgehog's strange behavior.
“Well, if you say so.”
Or rather, she tried to ignore it.
Soft laughter floated in the air, and in a slightly secluded spot, the friendly pair of hedgehogs enjoyed a pleasant moment alone.
Amy was lying in front of the blue hedgehog, face down, holding her cheeks with her hands and swinging her legs back and forth involuntarily. She spoke, with a charming smile, about how much she enjoyed helping Vanilla with her new project of opening her own establishment: the coffee shop.
As always, Sonic didn't lose his friendly vibe, smiling and commenting from time to time when a memorable event crossed his mind, such as the little argument with Vector, ignoring the fact that he was the one who had triggered it.
Finishing his chili dog, he swallowed, nodding to whatever Amy was saying, without really paying much attention, because his priority now was to eat more of that glorious source of energy that controlled his little problem.
Sonic reached into the basket, blindly searching among the various containers. His hand touched several of them, and he knew that the larger ones were his—because there was no way that a few chili dogs would get rid of his increased anxiety—so he tried to locate one of them, but his confusion was immediate when he touched the bottom with the palm of his paw.
It can't be...
Now worried, he suddenly grabbed the basket to see clearly inside: cookies, drinks, napkins, the fluffy and creamy strawberry shortcake he hates...
There's none left.
Sonic chuckled forcefully, as if laughing at the situation would make it a joke, as if laughing would make it more digestible, as if it were something unimportant. He wished Amy would appear out of nowhere with a tray of chili dogs and tell him, between mocking laughs, to stop looking so pale.
Of course, none of that happened.
Amy noticed Sonic's growing stress and quickly sat down, looking at him with her eyebrows curved downward.
“What's wrong? What are you looking for?” she asked, confused. Looking for the problem, she glanced inside the basket.
“Ames, how many chili dog containers did you bring?” He asked, without looking her in the eyes, as they remained wide open, motionless, lost inside the basket.
“Well... I don't remember exactly,” she moved, turning his body to sit next to Sonic. “Did you want more?”
Sonic remained silent, lost in his jumble of chaotic and intrusive thoughts. Amy frowned. She already found these trips Sonic had been taking very odd: his mind would freeze, as if his systems had shut down. It wasn't the first time she had noticed something strange about him, after all. The idea of questioning him about it hadn't crossed her mind until now.
“Well, if that's the problem, I can go buy more. I think there's a food stall nearby,” she suggested with a crooked, uncertain smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“That...no...”
“Hmm?” She tilted her head, not understanding the mutterings he was uttering in a low voice. “Isn't that right? We can go now, I have no problem with that.”
She insisted, observing the terrified expression on his face. She frowned again, but now genuinely concerned as she noticed the slight, almost imperceptible trembling of his hands and jaw. As if he were suppressing something stronger than himself. “Sonic...?”
She reached out her hand with the intention of intertwining it with his, a poor attempt to get his attention somehow. But the impact she received prevented her from doing so.
She was pushed savagely to the ground, hitting her head as she fell without any softness. She opened her eyes wide, feeling herself being held by his arms with a force that was not painful, but terrifying.
She let out a muffled gasp, watching as Sonic stood over her, trapping her with his body as he made space between her legs. Her fearful green eyes met his emerald ones. Sonic's eyelids were half-closed and his breathing was erratic, sighing wildly through his nose.
The strength of his grip gradually diminished as his hands trembled.
Amy's ears drooped submissively, and she swallowed automatically, her nerves on edge, evident in her obvious blush and rapid heartbeat.
“S-Sonic?” Her voice came out in a gasp, almost inaudible. The frantic beating of her heart echoed in her ears like drums growing louder and louder; the tension that had now arisen was almost tangible.
“Amy...”
In contrast, Sonic's voice came out raspy, needy. His pupils were constricted, his irises darkened. But there was a different gleam in his eyes, one that longed for something the pink-haired hedgehog couldn't see. “You have to go,” he continued, as if pleading, formulating the words with difficulty.
This left Amy on the verge of confusion. She didn't know what to do, and unconsciously obeyed Sonic's words, trying to carefully slip her arms out of his grip. The problem was that, despite not being firm, he was still applying enough pressure to prevent her from escaping.
It was very contradictory and left her with many questions.
She could have tried to use more force to push him away, but she was distracted by the swaying of his body.
As if something had upset the balance.
“W-What's going on, Sonic?” At this point, she didn't hide her discomfort, looking away to avoid his piercing eyes watching her with voracious hunger.
She felt beads of sweat running down her fur and thought they were due to her own nerves, but when a drop fell on the tip of her nose, she realized they weren't hers: Sonic was struggling to stay in his right mind, sweating abnormally. His vision began to blur as saliva accumulated in his mouth. A thin line fell from the corner of his lips.
Amy, about to speak, was interrupted when Sonic fell suddenly on top of her, closing the little space that remained between them. Sonic hid his face between the hedgehog's neck and shoulder, rubbing his snout a little against her pink fur.
Amy shuddered when his ragged breathing invaded her neck, feeling a tingling sensation that activated every one of her senses.
What does this mean?
Amy's heart raced, processing all the overwhelming information that, no matter how hard she tried, she could barely interpret. What was he looking for? What did he want?
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard strange, muffled noises. She gradually realized what it was when moisture spread across her fur.
Is Sonic crying?
Or so she thought.
“I should have seen it coming... You should have stayed away.”
Not being able to understand it stressed the hedgehog out immensely. What should she have seen coming? Did he want to... push her away? She could barely understand the babbling he was uttering.
Her arms were freed, and his gloved hands now ran along the edges of her torso. He stopped at her waist.
The touch caused another tingling sensation. Swallowing her nerves, Amy cautiously placed her hands on the blue quills, wrapping Sonic in a tender embrace. She believed it would help to comfort him.
“Sonic, you can tell me what's wrong. Is all this drama because we're out of chili dogs?” she said with a trembling voice and a weak smile, hoping to ease the tension. Maybe she could make him laugh, like he always made her laugh. “You'll make me think you care more about them than me.”
She got no response.
Sonic didn't react, didn't say anything, remained just as still, without letting out that laugh that would dispel the tension enveloping her.
This hurt somewhere in her poor heart. Anxiety beginning to torment her because she didn't know what to do, because she didn't understand, because she had never seen Sonic like this in her life.
So vulnerable.
It was impossible to believe.
“I'm really worried, Sonic. I need to understand what is...”
The sensation of something wet and rough ran across the length of her neck, instantly sending a chill that penetrated every bone in her body. Sonic's tongue ran over everything at its disposal, followed by other slow licks of equal devotion.
Amy realized that what she had thought were inconsolable tears were actually the other's saliva, repulsively marking territory.
The words choked in Amy's throat, escaping instead as a squeal of surprise. Her ears flattened against her skull again in submission, reacting to the completely unexpected action that made her heart race even faster.
The slow, warm licks did not stop, as if they were carefully testing the taste of her skin. Amy squeezed with excessive force Sonic's shoulders in an unintentional action, copying the cobalt's ragged breathing. The tingling contact on her neck stopped. Was that all? No, because she will continue to close her eyes as Sonic dangerously approaches her lips. Her heart was pounding, waiting for what was coming, what she believed was coming.
Was that a kiss?
Not at all.
Sharp claws pierced through Sonic's gloves, and in a second he savagely tore the fabric at the waist of her light blue dress. They dug painfully into her skin to hold her, now firmly, like his prey. A scream escaped Amy's lips, her eyes wide open.
“A-Agh! Soni—!” She couldn't finish, as his lips now pressed desperately against hers, taking her breath away. She could barely keep up with him, still overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
Sonic bit Amy's lip, blood spurting out, and she reacted by opening her mouth to gasp in surprise. The blue one took advantage of that distraction to deepen the kiss, inserting his tongue into the other's mouth.
Amy tasted the metallic flavor of her own blood, choking on the fluids and the slippery tongue that explored the inner walls of her mouth and played with her tongue. Sonic gladly swallowed Amy's muffled gasps, completely losing control as he tasted the blood from the wound he himself had caused.
Sonic pressed their bodies closer together, making more room between her pink legs. He raised his knee until it brushed against the hedgehog's crotch. Although it may not sound believable, this was not intentional: Sonic's only desire was to taste every last drop of blood mixed with both their saliva.
Amy stirred, feeling that imminent but pleasurable pressure. Between slight tremors, she continued to return the kiss, with a miserable attempt to match its intensity. She didn't want to admit it, but it was already obvious that she didn't want to back down; Sonic's attitude no longer seemed so out of place to her.
At first she was scared, her racing heartbeat proof of that. However, at some point, the fear vanished.
Now she didn't want Sonic to stop.
Now she craved the same thing in the same way.
So she moved her hips to rub against him, timidly at first, but that timidity faded as she gained confidence in her indecent movements. She wrapped her legs around Sonic's hips, intertwining them, as if the immense closeness between them wasn't enough.
Things escalated at a fluctuating pace; Sonic's hands traveled up Amy's legs, giving her ardent caresses, repeating the touch in sensitive places—without going all the way down there—and at times returning to the destroyed part of her neatly red-stained dress. She no longer felt the sting of the scratches on her skin, all her worried thoughts were stripped away, and now other, somewhat indecent ones fell upon the Mobian above her.
Everything seemed like a dream to her. After so many similar fantasies she had had about her long-awaited childhood crush, it was finally happening.
After having rejected her love so many times. Who would have thought?
She felt desired, loved.
She became anxious, wanting to go further, blinded by the imminent pleasure that hit her hard.
She wanted to see how far they could go; she no longer cared about getting answers.
But her perfect dream collapsed when a sharp pain appeared in her neck. She was left drooling excessively with her creative imagination, which had gotten carried away too soon.
She opened her eyes.
A large trail of blood ran from her neck, falling down her shoulder until it stained her fur red.
It was too late when she realized how quickly Sonic had moved toward her neck, sinking his teeth in without any shame.
She froze, the pain came immediately, the small tears, previously accumulated in her eyes from such magnificent joy, slid down her cheeks with an unbearable weight that squeezed her naive heart.
She felt her skin tear, but didn't scream. She felt teeth bite into her flesh, but didn't try to pull away. She felt Sonic's sharp claws lacerating her clothes, but didn't kick, nor hit his blue shoulders in desperation.
She was in a state of total shock, still wondering to herself what was happening.
How did it happen so quickly?
Why isn't she reacting?
Had her love blinded her to such an extent that she hadn't seen it coming?
Sonic didn't flinch, finishing his work of extracting what was left of Amy's flesh in one big bite that left her speechless.
The muscles in her neck were torn out and stretched like long strings, coming off with a nauseating, watery “crack” that permanently marked her end.
She let herself be blinded by those vibrant eyes.
She let herself be caught by those sharp claws.
Which never held her with love...
But with hunger.
( 🍽 )
Shadow couldn't take it anymore.
He hated sitting at that damn table with his ears subjected to listening to Rouge talk about the possible strategies they could take for the mission, how she planned to annoy Knuckles in great detail once the job was done, and how the free bread they left on the tables was the best bread she had ever eaten in her whole fucking life.
His friend had a document in her left hand while she typed with professional precision on a laptop with her right. After eating what they had ordered, they both decided it would be easier to start the investigation right there instead of going to G.U.N. headquarters; it would be a welcome change of scenery. The depressing cold in the government building was not very appealing, to say the least. Shadow took care of bringing only what was necessary using his teleportation power, and so it was, having covered the table with folders and cups of coffee.
The afternoon light was already shining, the setting sun tinged the cloudless sky with soft shades of orange and pink. The hustle and bustle of passersby on the streets remained the same, common in Station Square, where the constant movement of people on the sidewalks in front of the hundred or so shops could always be seen through the windows.
Shadow didn't give a damn how beautiful the day outside was.
His head had been aching for minutes, and he tried not to let it show, but the throbbing discomfort increased torturously, and the incessant murmur of the tables next to him only made it worse.
He wondered if it was really him or a mysterious deity who made it possible for him to agree to do this.
He was surprised that, despite it being five in the afternoon, Vanilla's café was still receiving repeat customers, undoubtedly demonstrating its boom and promising start.
But all of that was negative for Shadow; the more people came in and stayed, the worse his headache became. The previously warm and familiar atmosphere became chaotic for him, unlike his friend, who didn't seem to have noticed the evening falling.
Or was he the only one who found everything irritating?
The answer took a back seat, as did Rouge's tiresome chatter, which became torture, an incoherent squeak in his ear. He had to pull himself together and regain his concentration; it was simply unacceptable to him.
“I'm going to the bathroom,” he said, dragging his chair across the floor as he stood up with stiff limbs.
Rouge barely nodded back, uttering a quiet “uh-huh” as she stared intently at the computer screen; the artificial light reflected off the rectangular glasses she wore, which helped protect her delicate eyesight. “Don't take too long.”
He rolled his eyes and walked away from the table. He hurried along, dodging the riffraff that crossed his path. He pushed open the bathroom door and headed straight for the sink. A Mobian hare just coming out of one of the stalls jumped in fright when he saw him. Shadow slammed his hands on the marble, the action speaking for itself, enough to scare away the other person present.
Shadow looked up at the mirror and saw his reflection, hating to do so.
"What's wrong with me today?"
Nothing seemed to have changed in him. He had the same bored expression, the same brown leather jacket with a fleece collar, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and the same bright red stripes running through his limbs.
Ever since he acquired his Doom Powers, he has made sure there are no other hidden changes in his body. Recently, he discovered patterns of the same red as his stripes tracing faint lines across his back, where his wings had once sprouted. They were like scars reminding him of where his kind came from, the agonizing pain he had to endure when his body was deformed, molded, and once again used for the benefit of others. He loathed it; the disgust he felt toward himself was so intense that for a time he avoided any mirror, any reflection. This led him, some time later, to feel a sickening need to examine himself for other imperfections every time he came across one.
Ironic.
The sensation left by the immense—and strangely light—wings sprouting from his body still bubbled in every fiber of his being. He learned how to control them, yes, by force, but he did it, and he knew how to make use of it. That didn’t mean he liked them; he believed it wouldn’t matter to him, that as long as he maintained the perception of control, it wouldn’t be a problem in the future.
The truth was that he feared being consumed by those powers again; he feared becoming corrupted until he drowned once more in his sea of ruin.
Frustrated, he ran his hand over his dark snout; he hated being a one-of-a-kind experiment, he hated having those damned genes that made him different.
Perhaps, at one point, it did make him feel special—until the complications tied to his mortifying past turned it into yet another burden on his list of misfortunes.
It turned out to be his way of coping with the visceral truth of how others always end up controlling his role.
Maybe his discomfort was a consequence of this very thing; maybe his body was finally making him pay for the resentment he’d accumulated over decades.
No, he wanted to believe it was a consequence of the mission at hand, even if it didn’t make sense.
It was better than accepting his change… himself.
He washed his face with a splash of water and returned to his place with Rouge. He sat down, remaining calm, ignoring his little crisis from a few moments ago. He searched through the papers to help in some way, enduring the headache like an office worker tired of his routine.
“Hey, I think I found something useful.”
Rouge spoke from the stretcher, turning the laptop toward Shadow so he could see. The hedgehog leaned forward, receiving the glasses Rouge handed him—the light from the screen also irritated him—and read the information in front of him carefully. An image of a little old man crossed Rouge's mind when she saw the way Shadow squinted, even with the glasses on.
She couldn't help but chuckled at the comical detail. Shadow turned his ruby eyes toward her, and the bat cleared her throat before his frown could judge her.
“It turns out that I discovered some rather interesting news,” she said, composing herself, straightening her back against the chair's backrest, her wings contracting. “Cases of cannibalism among Mobians are nothing new.”
Perplexity was evident in the hedgehog's frown. How is that possible? Abraham hadn't told him about it until a few hours ago. When did it start? How many already knew about this in advance?
Why were they being informed so late, as if it had only just become relevant?
“I had to log in directly from another network to get confidential government information, piece of cake,” Shadow didn't doubt it, his friend's amazing skill with technology was indisputable; he barely understood what an email was. “Cannibalism among Mobians spread like a 'virus' decades ago. 'Primitive instincts' and shit like that, but that's not what matters. Supposedly, the abnormal and erratic behaviors that identify them have been compiled.”
Shadow opened his eyes in bewilderment, following every word of every paragraph on the screen. There was a long list of symptoms and long-term effects.
“G.U.N. was experimenting on these Mobians a while ago... some of the files are incomplete or discarded, others mark the subject as ‘failed,’ and there isn’t a single result that shows any progress or a possible cure. In short, all those Mobians died in horrible ways.”
There, the horizons cleared for Shadow: secret government experiments, torturous procedures, failed tests… those words marked part of what he once was.
“Weight loss, polyphagia, excessive sweating, body itching, anxiety, bipolar disorder...” Rouge recited what the file said. Shadow lost track of the conversation.
The background noises blended together, turning into unintelligible murmurs.
Because when he read what Rouge was telling him, a fleeting thought lit up the invisible light bulb in his brain. He connected the dots and absorbed the information.
A cannibal with a twisted sense of justice.
A merciful murderer to those who deserve it.
Guilt.
Hedgehogs.
Murderer.
He couldn’t believe it.
“I’m sure that when they realized the phenomenon had returned, they resorted to desperate measures, like...”
With a jump, Shadow got up from the chair, almost knocking it over backward, startling Rouge a bit with his sudden action. "Shadow? Is something wrong?” she looked at the alarmed expression her best friend had. His glasses slipped down his nose and hit the table. Without thinking, Shadow pulled out the green Chaos Emerald he always kept hidden in his quills. He couldn’t waste any time.
It could be too late.
"Rouge! Do you know where the hell Sonic went?", he asked in utter desperation, staring so intently at Rouge that even she could sense the worry in his ruby eyes.
"Huh? Blue? Uhmm... I remember he’s with Amy, why...?”
“Where?”
“Where? Why do you want to know─?”
“Damn it, Rouge! Where?! Do you know or not?!”
Rouge frowned, completely oblivious to the other’s thoughts. The diners' heads turned toward the loud shout that interrupted the quiet conversations floating in the air.
Hesitantly, she finally agreed, seeing the urgency that radiated from his voice. “Amy told me they would be at Emerald Coast... But at least tell me what is ha—”
"Chaos Control!"
As if it were a bad joke, Rouge once again couldn’t finish her sentence, this time thanks to the blinding flash that struck her. As soon as she opened her eyes again, Shadow was gone.
Rouge sighed, exhausted. She held her forehead with her fingers, muttering with her elbows on the table.
"For Chaos’ sake, what's wrong with him?" she said aloud, blinking several times, puzzled by what had happened.
It was clear: Shadow knew something she didn’t.
( 🍽 )
It was impossible, right?
The very idea was absurd; Sonic, the “hero” of Mobius, a cannibal?
To anyone else it would be nonsense, a stupid accusation, but for Shadow, it was the genuine evidence he’d been missing.
The severe itching, the apparent increased anxiety, and his overall behavior all seemed out of place. And even though he might be mistaken, with just that observation Shadow can act, no matter if it turns out to be mere coincidence.
Because, as they say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Shadow appeared near the beach, deserted at this hour. Without wasting any time, he took off running in his Air Shoes. He skated across the stretches of sand, noticing that there wasn’t a soul strolling nearby. A detail he didn’t know whether to take as a relief or something worrying. "Amy! Sonic!", he called, turning his head in different directions. There was no sign of the hedgehogs. He clicked his tongue; he had to hurry. If the pink hedgehog was in danger and he didn’t get there in time, he’d never forgive himself.
He had to save her; after all, he considered her a friend too. He won’t make the same mistake. He will do whatever it takes to achieve it, no matter the cost.
Even if it meant eliminating him.
Sonic, his greatest rival, who at one point had even begun to develop a certain fondness for him, had probably become his next target.
He stopped dead in his tracks; there was no longer white sand beneath his feet. Looking around, the grass was more abundant in this area. By not paying attention to his surroundings, he ended up walking past the beach, and now his eyes beheld a lush forest. That explained the sudden green color. He sighed, raising his hand to his ear; an earbud-shaped communicator awaited him there.
Maybe he shouldn’t have left without giving Rouge an explanation; although he’d never admit it out loud, her help came in handy sometimes. It would take him forever to find that elusive hedgehog on his own.
"Shadow?"
The ebony ears followed the direction of the sound. Shadow left his hand paused in midair, his body reacting to the unmistakable voice behind him.
He slowly turned his head back.
Standing in the middle of the plain, his back hunched forward and his expression utterly confused, was Sonic, letting out a dry laugh while raising an intrigued eyebrow.
"What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?” the hero of dubious title inquired mockingly, already knowing that Shadow does, in fact, stalk him from time to time.
But that’s not the point right now.
Shadow remained stoic, his limbs tensing automatically as he allowed Sonic to see his body head-on. He intended to remain calm; any false move would betray the true intentions for which he had come.
Shadow said nothing, so Sonic pursed his lips, tilted his head, and acted as if he was already running out of patience. He sighed, walking at a slow pace. The soles of his shoes crunched lightly on the grass beneath, the waves crashing against the shore stood out in the momentary silence that danced between them.
“I see, nothing to say. Uh, I’m afraid I can’t compete this time. Sorry, Shads," he apologized with a lopsided smile that seemed forced onto his muzzle.
Sonic brushed past Shadow; the fur on their arms barely grazed each other, yet the friction was inevitably electrifying.
Shadow held back every urge to kick his ass.
"Well, good talk!" he announced sarcastically, waving a dismissive goodbye to the black hedgehog.
"Where's Amy?"
The question stopped him in his tracks. The blue hedgehog stood still, his back to Shadow. This made the red-striped one impatient; Shadow swallowed hard. It was eerie how he just stood there without saying a word.
Sonic finally looked at him, his face betraying no emotion, but his green eyes looked different: they shone brighter than Shadow remembered.
"Excuse me?" The grim smile he gave him didn't reassure Shadow at all.
But he won’t succumb to nonsense.
He got straight to the point:
“Amy, I know you were here with her. Tell me where she is.”
Shadow’s eyes were fixed on his in an unsettling way; his face betrayed no emotion, but in his eyes burned a feeling that the blue one couldn’t decipher.
Sonic’s smile twisted, the corners of his mouth drooping until they formed a thin line with his lips.
The silence was awful; Shadow clenched his hands, waiting for something. Sonic scrutinized every detail of the other. Shadow also tried to figure out what was wrong with Sonic, but he couldn’t see anything that would indicate he’d done anything out of the ordinary.
Only his fur and quills were disheveled, but when weren’t they?
For a moment, he thought framing him would be difficult. However, he noticed something.
The opening at the tips of his gloves allowed his claws to peek out.
Sonic noticed Shadow's analysis of him.
"It's weird that you're asking. What? Did you get jealous about our date?” he leaned forward, emphasizing the word "date", resting his hands on his knees and tilting his head slightly with a sarcastic smirk.
Sonic didn’t even consider that a date.
Shadow growled, not at the insinuation, but at his brazen and unpleasant behavior.
The mockery on Sonic’s face vanished quickly, his expression twisted; he’s used to getting an immediate response.
Well, he got it, because the ebony hedgehog had had enough of his games and teleported in less than the blink of an eye, grazed his nose, and with a single yank pinned him against a tree. The jolt knocked several leaves from the canopy, and the impact against the thick, cracked wood stunned him for a few seconds. Shadow’s right arm pressed against the blue hedgehog’s throat, his left hand braced against the tree’s bark, just inches from Sonic’s head.
Sonic's world spun, and as soon as his vision stabilized a bit, a black and red blur was the first thing he made out.
“I really can’t stand you,” Shadow growled dangerously close to Sonic's snout. “I’ll say it again. WHERE. IS. SHE?!” Their breaths mingled, they were close, too close.
Sonic kept his face hidden, his head bowed so that Shadow couldn’t get a good look at him. Impatient, Shadow increased the pressure on his neck by pushing down with his arm; a groan escaped the cobalt hedgehog as his air was cut off. “It’s you, isn’t it? The murderer of all those Mobians. What did you do to her?” again, there was no response. “ANSWER ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”
A groan deflated the peach-colored chest.
Two.
Three.
Shadow frowned as he realized why Sonic wasn’t answering him.
Through clenched teeth, the hiss of his laughter grew louder.
Slowly, Sonic raised his head; the shadow of the tree obscured half his expression. Consequently, the emeralds that served as his eyes stood out; in them, there wasn’t a shred of remorse.
His shoulders shook as he laughed like a cynic caught committing the most atrocious act of the century.
The smile at either end of his snout said it all.
Terror paralyzed Shadow.
“Oh, Shads. Do you really want me to tell ya?”
Shadow’s teeth ground together as he clenched his jaw.
“It seems you already know the answer.”
That was enough to unleash his fury.
Sonic jerked his head aroun— Shadow’s clenched fist slammed into his snout in a fit of rage. He didn’t give Sonic a second to recover, catch his breath, or even think; with a powerful spinning kick aimed straight at Sonic’s ribs, he knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying far out of his personal space. Sonic shot off to the left, and when Shadow turned to look at him, his eyes burning with rage, the blue hedgehog had already curled into a ball, rolling through the air in a blue trail until he landed on the ground on all fours. He dragged his hands and feet as he fell, bringing dirt with him.
The heat on his nose made him run his finger across it; blood dripped down to his chin. Sonic smiled excitedly, quickly wiping it away with the back of his hand.
His body was flooded with adrenaline.
“Now we’re talking. Come on! Didn’t you want to know?! I'll explain it to you visually if you still don't get it!”
Shadow snorted in fury, his knuckles turning white beneath his gloves from the pressure he exerted.
“You’ll take back those words, hedgehog!”
Sonic scoffed, one of his little ears twitching.
“We’ll see about that, Faker.”
They charged forward at the same time; just before colliding head-on, they bared their spikes and executed a spinning charge. The circular motion, combined with the impact of the sharp spikes, caused flashes of orange and blue energy to course through each of the dark and blue filaments. Inertia took over, and they were sent flying in opposite directions. As they regained their balance, they lunged forward again. They seemed to read each other’s minds— when one raised a leg, the other blocked the kick with his own. Several blows missed, and those that landed left bruises.
In particular, every time they fought, they seemed to be immersed in an elaborate dance, where the sweat of desperation, adrenaline, and the need for control created a perfect cocktail for both of them.
Shadow took two steps back; his legs began to give way, and he stumbled slightly as his feet got tangled. He exhaled, his chest heaving. He was anxious; his throat burned from dehydration, and his vision faded for a few moments.
He screamed in horror inside; the damn headache hadn’t improved at all since he left the café, and now it tormented him.
His palms, covered by gloves, were sweating. His jaw was trembling. His heart rate was tormenting him. Everything felt heavy—his breathing, the inhibitor rings, his limbs…
His body was demanding an antidote at the worst possible moment...
If Sonic found out, it would be a huge problem.
“Please, not now...”
Sonic appeared behind him, about to return the kick that had broken a few of his ribs. Just in time, Shadow reacted, teleporting away in a green flash. Sonic blinked, and just as he was about to turn his head, a painfully firm grip grabbed more than one of his blue quills.
He flinched, and Shadow yanked him from behind, forcing Sonic’s back to arch toward him.
Sonic gritted his teeth and groaned, closing one eye as he twisted his face. “Hey, hey! No quills, no quills!”
Shadow panted beside the blue ear, watching Sonic’s pained face with a grim expression.“You sick piece of shit,” he spat at him in disgust. “I’ll rip out every one of your miserable quills, make you swallow them, and then cut open your belly to pull out your disgusting guts, just like you did to all those Mobians.”
Sonic didn’t seem to react negatively to what Shadow spat at him; on the contrary, he flashed a cocky grin.
“Ooh, is that a reward or punishment?”
His face went straight down to the ground.
The sound of the earth rumbling and his mocking face pressed against the ground was Shadow’s response.
He crouched down until he was on top of Sonic, shifted his weight behind the other’s knees to pin him to the ground, and held his wrists in his hands.
“Don’t you ever get tired of talking pure bullshit?”
“Hmmhm! Hmmhm!”
And even with his whole face pressed into the ground, his snout just wouldn’t shut up.
Shadow rolled his eyes, pulled the quills again, freeing his face and saving Sonic from drowning. He took a deep breath as he resumed the flow of air in and out of his lungs. He laughed. “Haha! Aah, I have a feeling you’re enjoying doing that with my quills. Don't worry, I'm not judging. To each their own.”
A vein stood out on the ebony’s temple.
“Stop it already! Stop making light of everything with your jokes! Don’t you care about anything?! Amy... Wasn’t she your friend? Wasn’t she someone important in your life?” his voice trembled a little at the end. His grip was weakening. “Did you really do that...? I thought you...” He fell silent; something inside him had urged him to. He hated being so sensitive about these things; he wished he could feel an automatic aversion whenever a vulnerable emotion came up.
To make matters worse, a sharp pain in his head made him gasp, warning him that he soon wouldn’t be able to hold on any longer. He’s already getting fed up with it; it was like an endless headache.
What could be the reason?
Why did he still have a bad feeling ever since the fight began?
Shadow snapped out of his reverie and noticed that Sonic’s mouth had remained closed for a long time. He frowned.
He noticed Sonic’s legs and arms were trembling.
This was no longer normal.
"Sonic?" In a moment of carelessness, he moved his own legs back a little.
Grave mistake.
Sonic’s wrists came free, and in a swift motion he swung his elbow back, striking the confused hedgehog’s chin. Sonic twisted his hips, drew his legs up, and lifted them to deliver a painful kick to Shadow’s stomach. Shadow fell to the ground, disoriented, his eyes widening as he noticed that Sonic was now on top of him.
He had him cornered.
He couldn’t do anything, and it’s not for the obvious reason.
His body couldn’t do anything.
It didn’t respond; no matter how much he tried to react, his legs and arms were frozen.
Sonic stared at him, an ill-timed chuckle grating on Shadow’s ears. “Well, what’s wrong? You got tired quickly, old man”, he tilted his head mockingly, his words slurred.
He’s already figured it out.
Shadow’s fucked.
Sonic sighed, averting his gaze to an invisible point.
“It hurts me that you do believe that about me. Amy was a great friend; she’s always been there for me in one way or another”, he murmured, answering the earlier questions. The slight curve of his eyebrows didn’t go unnoticed by the ebony-haired hedgehog. “It’s my fault; I knew that at any moment I’d get them involved too."
Who is them?
It's seems like Sonic's speaking to himself.
Shadow couldn’t make out a single word Sonic was saying; his own breathing was louder than the blue hedgehog’s voice.
Sonic sighed, his ears drooping ever so slightly with grief.
“It’s a shame that words come at the worst moment. Don’t you think?”
Shadow’s vision flickered, sweat trickled down his temples, his skin was hot, and his jaw trembled.
“Spare me the ‘why eating people is bad’ speech. I know, I know it’s wrong. I know the most sensible thing I should do is repent, stop, feel disgusted by my actions—I know, Shads.” The sun was crossing the horizon; it would soon set completely. Shadows stretched and covered their bodies on the grass, the warm colors faded, the birds flew back to their nests, and the air blew silently. "I know I owe you a reasonable explanation," he laughed. "Ya know, it's funny, how all of this is the result of unfortunate events..."
Shadow struggled to listen to him—the mess he’d made was clouding his judgment.
"I'm going to be honest with you, I.... don't remember when it started; I just couldn't stop." The look of panic on Shadow’s face encouraged Sonic to continue his macabre speech. “I just... shit, I couldn’t stop! I needed more!” his laughter transitioned into a chaotic, lunatic cackle. His eyebrows remained curved downward, contradicting the immense smile on his snout. “It wasn’t even part of my plan! I never intended to kill them! It was never my intention to taste their flavors! Oh, man! You have no idea what blood and fresh meat taste like! It was glorious!”
His smile faded, and the euphoric tone in his voice dropped. As if he had never said anything like that.
That was terrifying.
"But I can’t lie to myself; I admit I wasn’t one hundred percent aware of what I was doing at that moment. Ames was special to me, after all… However, I don’t regret it. Do you know why?”
The ebony implored to be freed; his sleeping tongue wouldn’t let him express himself.
"Because...", laughter interrupted him. “Because now we’re together forever. Her flesh still vibrates within me. Isn't that pure love? Ah, She was so eager to get my attention... Oh, of course! That way we’ll never be apart again! Isn't it brilliant?”
Shadow was trying to escape, but Sonic’s hands were holding his wrists with tremendous force. He suspected that Sonic was even exerting more force than he had during their fight, or when he pinned him to the ground.
As if all this time he’d been holding back, waiting for the perfect moment.
The perfect moment to tear him apart.
“Her taste... was different from the rest. When I tasted her blood, it was like an electric shock through my body. She was so sweet, warm, and addictive. I’ll never forget the way she writhed beneath me. You have no idea how much I’ll cherish that moment…” He wouldn’t shut up, his eyes lost in nothingness, seeming to see beyond what Shadow could interpret. When Sonic slowly lowered his gaze to the stressed, vulnerable hedgehog, his pupils dilated and a strand of saliva hung from his teeth. “I wonder what yours will be.”
The alarms in Shadow went off when Sonic yanked his right arm toward him, positioning it next to his face. It was as if he wanted to rip it off, because the force with which he yanked it could have dislocated Shadow's shoulder and torn his ligaments.
“Ah, yes. What will the 'Ultimate Life Form' taste like? That question has been on my mind lately.”
Sonic became a blurry dot in Shadow’s eyes. His body, the ground, everything was spinning; the trance was so devastating that he lost all sense of his surroundings.
“Feel lucky—I was dying to be like this... Heh, I guess it’s true that I’m not the most patient here.”
The strength in Shadow’s limbs had completely vanished. There was nothing left he could do.
Sonic lowered his upper body, closed the gap between his chest and Shadow’s, and whispered delightedly: “Want to know something? Getting to know you was like an addiction that hurts, Shads, 'cause... Well, I was just thinking about having you between my teeth.”
Sonic’s cruel laughter echoed in Shadow's head as a tiny, miserable tear trickled down the corner of Shadow's eye; it was so frustrating when your body wouldn’t respond, when you knew you couldn’t let it happen but still gave in.
Ruby eyes were lost in the moon’s glow, imposing and unattainable; it was the sole witness to the nefarious act about to begin.
“What do you say, Shadow? Wouldn’t you like us to be one?”
He thought about it.
Yes, Shadow really did think about it.
The little sense he had left worked against him.
If he perished right here... if he let this delutional hedgehog consume his immortality, would the anguish finally go away?
Hatred, guilt, dark energy...
Won’t he have to worry about his damn misfortunes anymore?
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
He hated being trapped in that body, which he had once seen as an advantage.
Now it’s his undoing.
He would like to rest in peace.
No longer owing anything to this world, to anyone.
To Shadow, Sonic’s words sounded eloquent; they were the perfect excuse to give up.
His eyelids gave way, closing his watery eyes. The faster Sonic does it, the sooner it will be over.
Therefore, all attempts at resistance were abandoned; he plunged into darkness and extinguished his perception, awareness, and knowledge.
He gave up, with the bitter final wish never to open his eyes again.
The waning moon high above illuminated the forest surrounding them. A red shadow gradually covered the satellite’s face; one end—the same one destroyed in the past by the Eclipse Cannon—remained untouched, while the color on the other side gave the illusion that the moon now wore a wide, lopsided, yellowish grin.
“Where do I start? Hmm”, Sonic pretended to ponder it, still tugging on the ebony arm, a red gash opened between the upper arm and what remained of the forearm. He’s seriously trying to rip it off. “Oh, right! First, I’ll immobilize you permanently, and then I’ll cut open your chest until I find your dark little heart. What do you think?”
Sonic was so focused on indulging his fantasies that he didn’t notice the hedgehog beneath him lay faint.
Nor did he notice that the sky was putting on a wonderful show for him.
The phase was fully completed. The was twilight flooded the place, until, in a celestial glow, the satellite bathed everything in a beautiful red.
The only expectant one evolved into a blood moon, its face tinged with an intense crimson that left every other eye around the world dazzled.
Sonic gently and tenderly pulled aside the leather jacket that was preventing him from pressing his muzzle against Shadow’s collarbone and inhaled his delicate lavender scent, as if Shadow’s body were a precious commodity. His saliva stained the dark fur—there was no distance between their bodies. He chuckled under his breath, like a fool. His eyes almost rolled upward with anticipation at the mere thought of having the juicy flesh at his disposal.
He did it; finally, he had Shadow right where he wanted him.
“And then..., I...”
Suddenly, crimson eyes snapped open.
Sonic's delirious babbling was cut short.
His head jerked back as a hand gripping his blue quills pulled him backward.
Sharp fangs tore two holes in the bluish neck.
Everything about Sonic froze: his expression, his actions, his voice. An immense burning sensation spread across his neck, and the red liquid gushed out with astonishing speed.
The smile faded from his face.
“W-What?” Emerald eyes were wide open, his mouth hung agape, and a pained gasp escaped, leaving him breathless.
Shadow raised his torso like a living dead; the force holding Sonic’s head in place prevented him from moving—though Sonic was already in a state of shock—and he sank his fangs even deeper, desperately sucking the warm liquid that poured directly onto his palate.
They switched positions, ending up with both of them sittin—Sonic straddling Shadow and Shadow on the ground. Sonic trembled in place like a skittish animal, his ears pinned back, his breath caught in his throat from the fright.
He couldn’t move, he couldn’t react; his brain was screaming at his limbs to do something, anything… but it was in vain.
Is this how it feels to be prey?
He groaned and felt ashamed. The way Shadow savored his neck sent a shiver down his spine; the ebony hedgehog seemed fully prepared to drain every last drop of blood from his body. A lump caused by blood running down Shadow's throat appeared every time he swallowed, like an animal that had been thirsty for days.
Maybe months.
Maybe years.
The fangs tore away from the skin. Next, the rough tongue took their place, licking the remnants of the newly formed holes; the vapor of his panting escaped his open mouth after finishing his task, saliva strung between his teeth. Sonic’s hands gripped the obsidian shoulders, his arms losing some of their strength. Shadow pulled away from the blue neck, and finally, they made eye contact.
The cobalt's eyes were half-closed, the heaving of his peach-colored chest left him gasping, and the crimson eyes gazed at him in rapt fascination.
Sonic immediately noticed the change: that intense color wasn’t peculiar. His pupils were slits, like a cat’s. A grayish streak shaped like lightning spread like dye from the corner of Shadow's eye to the tip of his second upper quill. His fangs overflowed his lips; before, only one had done so in particular, but now both looked intimidating. Sonic was sure they had grown in size.
Sonic swallowed, blinked twice, and was a little embarrassed by the way things were now heading.
He placed his hand on his neck, where the wound still burned. When he removed it, a red stain marred the immaculate whiteness of his gloves.
Sonic let out a dry laugh, raising an interested eyebrow.
“You’re full of surprises, Shads,” he said, barely stroking the fur on the other’s shoulders with his claws, which had pierced the fabric of his gloves a good while ago. "By the way, I like you new look."
Shadow stared at him intently, his head tilted slightly, like a puppy. The little frown seemed cute to Sonic, for some reason.
He smiled, his hips shifting to settle more comfortably in Shadow’s lap. It was humiliating to be straddling him, even more so when it was his grumpy rival. However, the sudden change in tone piqued the blue one’s curiosity.
The bite still hurt, as if it wanted to make itself known, or as a reminder of his carelessness. But something in particular didn’t make the situation unpleasant:
The hedgehog in front of him wasn’t the Shadow he knew.
Shadow looked extremely serene, as if he were a completely different hedgehog. It was impossible for him to have developed short-term memory in such a short time. Although, Sonic had to admit that he would find it hilarious if this were true.
It was as if he were awakening a hidden side within himself.
And that really turned Sonic on.
His fingers moved toward the visible fangs, wanting to make more contact. Shadow, docile as ever, opened his mouth, allowing Sonic’s phalanges to explore the enigma within. Sonic opened his eyes when an abnormally long set of fangs greeted him. His fingers ran over his teeth, the white tips of his glove becoming stained with blood and saliva. He paused two fingers on Shadow's tongue, running them up and down the flesh of the boneless muscle. Shadow gasped, wrapping his tongue around the two fingers. That action sent a strange wave straight to the blue one’s pelvis.
The smile didn’t fade from his face. As he chuckled, he pulled his fingers from the other’s mouth, a long strand of saliva stretching between them until it snapped.
"This has gotten interesting," he purred, lowering his snout to the ebony one. “But don’t think I’ll be left behind, Dark.”
Once the warning was given, he turned his face away, opened his mouth wide, and with a mighty bite sank his teeth into Shadow’s shoulder.
Shadow was startled, his pointed ears perked up. He let out a guttural growl as Sonic’s powerful teeth tore the flesh from his shoulder.
He wasted no time, and in self-defense, he also sank his fangs into the blue shoulder. Blood gushed from both sides; Sonic devoured the flesh with relish while Shadow greedily sucked the other’s vital essence.
Blood splattered the green beneath them, claiming the ground with their depraved acts, painting the earth like a blank canvas. Each spilled drop was an essence of their hypocrisy, greed, bestiality, and gluttony.
Sonic panted between each bite, which he didn’t even bother to chew; his jerky movements clouded his mind.
At this point, neither of them was fully aware of what they were doing.
Sonic should have been writhing in agony from the deep bites in his skin, but the reality was that he loved them; the pain motivated him to keep going. He knew he had lost a considerable amount of blood, which will harm him later; he couldn’t have cared less. If Shadow had to dry him from head to toe so he could eat more of his delicious flesh, he’d accept without a second thought.
"F-fuck, yes. Eat from me,” he stammered over the large wound on Shadow’s shoulder. This one was busy taking his second bite into the blue shoulder.
Sonic swallowed with his eyes closed; the flavor exceeded all his expectations.
He laughed; the goofy smile that slipped out made it even better.
He pulled away slowly, licking the blood that lingered on his lips. Now he was dying to appreciate the work of art he had created on the other’s body. He wanted to feel proud of being the cause of such a mess.
But great was his surprise when the trapezius muscles regenerated with incredible speed before his very eyes, making the bone no longer visible, and, in a matter of seconds, Shadow’s shoulder was as good as new.
Sonic was dumbfounded.
His mouth hung slightly open; it was like a swift blow to his pride.
“You’ve got to be kidding me...”
Shadow’s gloved hand cut off Sonic's air as it sped toward his neck. He squeezed hard, causing Sonic to let out muffled groans.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
And there he was, the Shadow he knew.
Sonic frowned with a twisted smile, his two hands cupping the tight collar around his neck. The grip lifted him up a bit, his legs rose, no longer so close to Shadow.
“D-Did you really think I’d let you beat me? Damn dude! I was supposed to be the first one to bite you!"
Shadow frowned, growled, and increased the pressure.
At times he was transported to a dreamlike place, where an addictive liquid flowed into his mouth and quenched the dryness that was irritating his throat. He simply didn’t stop drinking and let himself go. Something inside him made him search for a place to bury his fangs, a strange call he followed with his eyes blindfolded.
Now, when the fog cleared from his mind, he discovered that divine calling had turned out to be... Sonic’s neck.
He was happier before.
Although the throbbing headache mysteriously disappeared.
In fact, he had never felt better.
He was flooded with misgivings, so he slowly released the blue one’s neck, pulling his hand away and letting him breathe properly.
Sonic exhaled, involuntarily brushing his fingers lightly against his neck. Shadow left a mark on it.
“Jeez, I’m already starting to miss your submissive side.”
Submissive?
Shadow was about to reply directly, but he forgot when his crimson eyes saw the traces of blood on the peach-colored lips.
That drew him in indescribably.
Sonic didn’t miss the opportunity to speak. He talked and talked, but he wouldn’t shut up.
"Seriously, what was that?"
"How scary, man."
He was laughing.
"You looked like you were possessed by some spirit; I almost shit myself from the fright."
God, he was talking as if nothing had happened, as if the situation were nothing more than another joke, just one more of his antics.
It was intolerable.
And Shadow was pissed; he was grateful that sometimes his brain automatically canceled out that arrogant voice.
The moving lips, stained red, with a provocative drop trickling down past the chin, ensnared him, making him fall into their trap.
He knew that the red liquid was his own, spilling from the shoulder that had been torn open just moments before. And, in fact, he had no idea how it had remained intact.
But he couldn’t stand it.
That, along with Sonic’s chatter, will end up driving him crazy.
He really wants to shut him up.
Shut him up, silence his own lascivious thoughts.
When he realized it, he was bringing his face closer.
If nothing else will shut him up, he’ll do it himself.
Shadow closed the distance between them.
He brushed his lips against Sonic's. He stuck out his tongue and licked the trail of blood.
And from that simple act, the cobalt's neurons didn’t connect. His motor activity was paused again.
It ran down his jaw and ended up in his neck. With his hands, he pulled the blue waist toward him, only to push him to the ground moments later. Sonic let out a groan as his back hit the ground, his eyes wide at the ebony hedgehog’s unusual actions. Shadow’s tongue was already tracing a path along his collarbone, cleaning away the blood with his saliva, and Sonic’s hands reached up to the striped quills in an attempt to stop him. “W-What the fuck are you doing?”
Shadow mouth reached his peach-toned chest, where, a little lower, the scars from breast surgery were still visible.
Which, to be honest, Shadow had thought all along were just battle scars.
He still remembers how Rouge explained these things to him, since he himself had approached her to ask. He didn’t want to feel outdated or seem so closed-minded.
He didn’t skip that area, as it sparked genuine curiosity in him. They weren’t ugly or unpleasant; on the contrary, he found them attractive and brave—scars with emotional value behind them.
Unlike him with his own, Sonic looks free with them.
His were reminders of what his past actions had sealed.
A shiver ran through Sonic as he felt Shadow’s oddly cold tongue touch his hot skin; he gasped in surprise, expecting anything but this.
Shadow traced both scars with his tongue; something in Sonic trembled. The tingling coursing through his chest activated far more delicate sensors.
Shadow shouldn’t be doing this.
Shadow wondered why he was enjoying it.
Shadow didn’t even know he wanted Sonic like this.
At what point did things go so wrong so quickly?
Surprisingly, the mission they’d assigned him wouldn’t leave his head.
Oh, G.U.N. won’t like this at all.
What the hell is he doing? He literally has Sonic pinned beneath him. Isn’t this where he’s supposed to call Rouge and say: “Hey, get your ass over here—I’ve already found the cannibal. I bet you’ll never guess who it turned out to be!”... or something like that? But he didn’t.
The future penance was breathing down his neck, but he did nothing about it.
The short-term pleasure was stronger.
He abandoned Sonic’s chest, raising his gaze to the emerald orbs.
What he found awakened a part of him he didn’t know existed.
Sonic looked at him with furrowed brows, pursed lips, heavy breathing, and lowered ears. The perceptive hedgehog was reduced to a confused one, brought down a notch, his arrogance gone.
That influenced Shadow to position himself at face level.
“Woah, who knew you looked better like that. You’re less insufferable when you keep quiet, you know?” he scoffed in a low voice, his smile creeping up an inch.
The blue-haired hedgehog clicked his tongue, furrowing his brow as he averted his gaze from those piercing crimson eyes. "Was that supposed to shut me up?" he scoffed with a faint laugh, the blush on his peach-colored cheeks as light as his demeanor. “You should question your methods, Faker.”
Shadow laughed more discreetly, storing in the trunk of his memory the new, embarrassed expression that the blue-furred hedgehog was struggling to conceal.
“How do you want me to do it, then?”
The phrase slipped out without his permission; he even rephrased it to himself.
Sonic’s ears perked up with interest.
He slowly propped his elbow on the ground and lifted his torso slightly. The hedgehogs shared breaths because of the menacing proximity.
“Am I hearing right? Is the ‘ultimate life’ really hinting at me?" his breath brushed against the dark muzzle, his eyes narrowed, and he regained control of the situation with impressive ease. Shadow tensed his jaw.
"I-I don't... Shut up," he stammered, swallowing hard. Their mingled breaths stole his attention; he felt he was losing his own.
Sonic sighed gracefully through his nose.
They were just inches away from intertwining.
“Let’s see... What do you think I want?”
No, wait, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Shadow had a mission to fulfill.
And the solution was right under his nose.
The sane voice in his head kept questioning why he hadn’t taken advantage of Sonic’s weakness. He could have finished it long ago; his work would already be done.
However, there was a vibrant energy pulling at his reins. It forced him to stay, convincing him with addictive and influential sensations.
It’s all that hedgehog’s fault; if his claws hadn’t caught him… If his flavor hadn’t seduced him...
Shadow growled deeply, his hands cupping the other’s waist with astonishing speed.
Fuck it.
He pressed his lips to his in a rushed, reckless kiss. Sonic gasped, startled in place. His body hit the floor with a thud, except this time the cold touch of Shadow’s hands encircled his waist, contrasting with the warmth of his body.
It didn’t take him long to reciprocate in the same way. Their lips weren’t in sync: Sonic leaned in, kissing Shadow wildly, who was more than obviously inexperienced.
That’s Shadow's first kiss.
Shadow vaguely tried to fall back, and although Sonic was pinned beneath him, held by his rough hands, the blue one was in perfect control of the situation. Sonic bit Shadow’s lower lip, opening a small wound. They both gasped, their breaths mingling into a single cloud, then they came together again, going deeper, exploring each other’s mouths. Their tongues sought each other, entwining in a vulgar dance, hungrily vying for dominance.
Their bodies weren’t waiting for what they called love.
Or at least, not that kind of “love.”
Sonic wrapped his arms around Shadow’s neck, pulling him close, and let out moans as the ebony hedgehog used his fangs to return the bite on his lips. The taste of their mingled blood was like an antidote capable of curing any of Shadow’s diseases. To Sonic, it was nectar, a powerful aphrodisiac that intensified his pleasure.
They were excited to know that they had spilled each other’s blood.
Their bodies sought contact, their pelvises greeted each other, and their thighs could barely move for lack of space. Shadow moved his hips as he continued sucking on Sonic’s tongue, creating friction between their erogenous zones; a delicious jolt shot down from Sonic’s cobalt back to his contracted belly, and he moaned in delight. The ebony seemed to make the movements on purpose—even if it wasn’t so—dry, circular thrusts that had already moistened the folds of the “hero’s” vagina.
When their lungs begged for air and their lips lost their blood-red hue, they parted, a thread of saliva still connecting them. Their breaths was beyond help; it was as if they’d just come out of one of those belligerent races they loved to run against each other. Sonic groaned, swallowing the saliva and blood that had flooded his mouth. He grinned brazenly, entwining his blue legs around the dark hip.
“I thought that just a few moments ago you wanted to kill me. Heh, how do you see it now, Shads?”
Shadow snorted; he swore his headache would return because of the blue one’s irritating, arrogant tone.
He narrowed his eyes and stepped back just enough to look down at the other. Sonic's breath was ragged, his cheeks flushed, and there were marks from hungry, territorial bites on his shoulders and neck, and… moisture dripping from the soft pink opening, which, though somewhat hidden by the blue fur, throbbed with the obvious arousal taking hold of the blue one’s muscles.
Shadow pinched the edge of the fabric of his right glove with his sharp teeth and yanked the garment off in one swift motion, leaving his ebony paw bare. It was revealed that the red stripe that began on his forearm ended on his index and middle fingers.
“I say the same, hedgehog. Just look at you—one kiss and you’re already a mess. All this time, you turned out to be a degenerate” he muttered, repositioning his left hand on his waist. He glanced down out of the corner of his eye, the cobalt thighs closing on their own.
He slid his bare paw down the length of the bluish torso, and Sonic arched his back in response. The hand reached the knees, tortuously slowly parted the legs, and the fingers traveled up the thigh to the tense inner flesh. Shadow never broke eye contact with the emerald eyes that devoured him with their gaze. His only two red-painted fingers tentatively explored the new terrain, barely brushing the pink folds with his paw beans.
The pink cleft made him swallow hard; never in his immortal life had he been in a situation like this. He didn’t even know what he was doing; he was just obeying the orders his instinct whispered to him.
Sonic bit his lip, suppressing the gasps that the brief contact provoked. When he noticed the other hesitating, he scoffed under his breath; with malicious intent, he spread his legs, helping the lost tourist reach his destination. "Don't chicken out now, Shads," he crooned, tilting his head; his quills splayed and his heaving chest were deliberate provocations. “You know damn well I’m not patient, dammit. If you’re going to do it, do it.”
Shadow sighed through his nose; it was true that his patience had run out too, and he wanted to finish off the hedgehog beneath him once and for all.
He needed to put him in his place.
Shadow gave a dry laugh, regaining the mobility of his fingers.
“So pathetically impatient, as always.”
Shadow takes advantage of this slight edge, even though he seems just as desperate.
He obeys the order without hesitation.
Sonic moaned loudly when he felt intense pressure on his clitoris—this was the first thing that caught Shadow's attention. A thumb traced circular motions over the protrusion that had just emerged; intense pleasure spread from there to Sonic's lower abdomen. His blue legs tensed, his vaginal lips responded by contracting, and Sonic gasped with eyes closed.
The opposite reaction sent a wave of heat surging through Shadow’s groin. It was so strange; those sensations had never coursed through his body before. But he isn’t disgusted.
On the contrary, it encouraged him to keep going.
He realized he hadn’t done anything wrong, so he kept pushing further. He applied prolonged pressure to the nerve bundle several times before releasing it and lowering his fingers. They caressed the tender flesh of the outer lips; Shadow could feel the throbbing calling to him. Sonic squirmed on the ground, stifling moans in his mouth as his toes curled inside his shoes, simultaneously clenching his hands into the grass around him, with a sudden need to hold on to something.
He didn’t remember how good it felt; it had been a long time since he’d last masturbated, and even longer since he’d had sex with anyone. He had the idea that Shadow is a full-fledged virgin, so he really wouldn’t believe he’d dare.
The fact that the ebony hedgehog had no experience whatsoever excited Sonic more than he’d admit, since it boosted his already exaggerated self-esteem to new heights.
He would be the first to take his virginity, to devour him whole.
He moaned at the mere though of it, which made him lower his gaze, darkened by arousal, to where the other hedgehog was playing with his fingers. Sonic’s eyes widened as he pictured Shadow wedging himself between his thighs, his crimson eyes never losing their intensity. The gloved hand and the bare one gripped the flesh of his slim, trembling thighs, stretching them just enough for the dark muzzle to gain access. His vagina tightened in anticipation.
Sonic’s heart skipped a beat.
“Don’t tell me that… Ahh!" barely audible, he couldn’t finish when the elongated tongue pierced the sweet layers of his sex and plunged fully inside, the velvety walls clamping down on the boneless organ. They both moaned, and Sonic threw his head back. Shadow devoured the pink vagina with his muzzle like the finest dish in a five-star restaurant.
He explored the entrance as far as his tongue could reach, moving more smoothly once the warm walls allowed him to begin a steady back-and-forth motion. Sonic moaned shamelessly, grinding his hips against the wet snout devouring his pussy. Closing his eyes, he tangled his fingers in Shadow’s black quills, ruffling them and tugging at a few.
“Mhm! F-fuck, ah! Why are you so good at this, motherfucker?" he exclaimed, genuinely stunned. Shadow gasped at the comment; it was pure ecstasy every time Sonic spoke to him like that. His eyes were half-closed, his eyebrows arched upward, never taking his gaze off Sonic as he moaned like his glorious feast. His claws tore into the flesh of the trembling thighs, Sonic’s sweet essence dripping from his mouth, each lick producing wet, lustful sounds against his vulva.
Sonic’s mind escaped to another world where pleasure reigned supreme. Every action Shadow took caught him off guard.
It must have been humiliating for him if that action hadn’t turned him on even more.
Sonic's lips were chapped from the self-inflicted bites of his own teeth; each time a sharp moan escaped his throat, a searing heat flooded his lower abdomen, sending exquisite pulses—they hurt, but only from the sheer amount of stimulation.
Shadow knew Sonic was on the verge from the vibrant contractions he felt on his tongue. So, closing his eyes, he picked up the pace, sucking with vehemence and devotion; higher up, his fingers returned to where they belonged, to their task: tending to the pink protrusion. Emerald eyes opened in surprise, their sclera slightly red from accumulated tears.
Each tear of hunger was the purest nectar.
At that very moment, Sonic spotted the crimson moon in the distance, majestic against the dark cloak of nite dotted with tiny, twinkling stars. He watched it upside down, panting as saliva overflowed from his mouth. The color reminded him of one just as beautiful.
Where have he seen it before?
“Shit, ah! I-I’m going to…!” he clamped his legs shut, squeezing the dark muzzle between his thighs. The vibration of the moan that Shadow expelled against the walls of his cavity was the trigger that brought his release.
With a stifled shriek, Sonic arched his back into a perfect arch, his clear juices splattering onto Shadow and the blue fur of his inner thighs. He trembled violently, using the last of his strength to clamp the dark muzzle between his thighs, a way to make sure nothing was wasted. Shadow eagerly swallowed every drop, the obscene sound of orgasm sliding down his throat intensifying the pleasurable ache in his own crotch. After a few seconds, the intrusive hands on his dark quills fell to the sides, and the legs pressing against his face collapsed.
When Sonic’s vagina stopped trembling, he withdrew his tongue, feeling it a little numb. He sucked on the pink folds, licked upward, and placed a parting kiss on the overstimulated clitoris. He was panting as if air couldn’t reach his lungs, staring at the mess he’d made, identifying streaks of blood scattered among the orgasm fluids and his saliva. He figured it would be impossible to avoid the graze of his fangs against the sensitive flesh.
He licked his lips, now wanting to see the delighted expression on Sonic’s face.
Oh, but he couldn’t even move.
The sole of the red shoe slammed into his face with a resounding thud, knocking his head to one side. Shadow grunted, shaking his head and wrinkling his nose; he was flipped onto his back, and then a weight that made him gasp slammed down on his abdomen. Shadow went beyond the point of bewilderment when a panting, horny Sonic with a pleased grin positioned himself on top of him.
“Chaos, virgin my ass. Who taught you all that? Huh?" the claws gently scratched the ebony torso, tracing invisible paths.
Shadow’s muscles tensed; having him on top of him was doing nothing good for the heat sheathed in his groin. Sonic’s comment made him growl and sigh through his nose. It was too late for regrets, but inevitably a blush rose to his cheeks. The thing was this: no one had taught him, no one had told him how to do it. One way or another, it came naturally to him, and he simply followed what he thought was best.
It would be ironic, but he felt like a vile pervert.
Maybe he’s always been that way deep down.
"Ah, it doesn't matter," the path traced by his gloved fingers led him to the other’s crotch, Sonic's smile widening as he saw a brownish-red glans peeking out, dripping pre-seminal fluid inside the sheath. His heart rate quickened, excited. “You have to finish what you started, don’t you think?” he came closer. "Now I'd like to hear you moan," he added before reaching into the bag and pulling the throbbing organ out. He didn’t let Shadow reply.
Sonic raised an eyebrow.
Expecting a conventional member, a slippery tentacle appeared instead, relatively larger than the penis of an average Mobian. Shadow felt so much shame that he reached for the blue one’s hands, immobilizing them in a feeble grip. He knew that writhing organ was something repulsive.
“S-stop this, you fucking whore...”
Deep down, he feared the possibility that the atmosphere between them would fade, that Sonic would pull away, that he would be rejected, or that Sonic would say something that would only make him hate his body even more.
Shadow shuddered and gasped in fear as Sonic's fingers slyly stroked his erection, reaching the slit of his penis, where they played with the slim, swollen head using the thumb, rocking it back and forth just as the black hedgehog had done earlier when manipulating the pink bundle of nerves. The tip curled slowly around Sonic’s fingers, as if the organ had a life of its own.
Shadow swallowed the grunt—almost a moan—that had threatened to escape him.
Anyway, he suddenly moaned, because in the blink of an eye the wet folds were already caressing his erect length. He blinked in confusion as Sonic sat on top of his penis, not penetrating him. The warmth still enveloped every sensitive fiber. As a result, the tip of his member rose with interest. Shadow gasped, his hands leaving Sonic’s to sink into the flesh of his slim waist, his eyes seeking out the emerald ones; the mischievous smile he received calmed the anxiety in his heart.
He didn’t need to say anything; Shadow understood that Sonic’s will remained unchanged.
Sonic began to move in circles over the organ, rubbing his swollen clitoris against the throbbing flesh, moaning as he bit his lip when he clearly felt the small bumps that started at the base and faded halfway up. To enhance the rotation of his hips, he moved his hands with professional dexterity toward the obsidian-colored shoulders. Although Shadow held Sonic firmly, he let the blue hedgehog do the work.
Because he discovered that his pelvis ached with arousal when he imagined Sonic using him as nothing more than a personal toy to satisfy his own needs.
The little blue tail wagged from side to side, the friction overstimulating his dripping pussy, which clamored for attention. He gasped, his head snapping back.
Sonic couldn’t stand it for another second.
Rising onto his knees, he pulled his vagina away from the tentacle, fluids trailing behind, clinging to his outer labia. He reached his arm back to grasp Shadow’s arousal, which trembled once it was cupped in Sonic’s palm. The increased pressure at Sonic's waist tried to warn him of something.
He positioned himself, the tip dripping with pre-seminal fluid pressed against the opening of his pussy. Sonic exhaled in short, ragged breaths; it was sure to hurt, but so what? They’d come too far, and a little pain was no problem for him.
He slowly inserted it, and they both groaned instantly. Sonic was smiling with a furrowed brow; he was already a bit rusty. His hips continued to descend with exasperating slowness, and each time he felt his walls widen, a tearful moan slipped from his lips.
“S-Sonic... Damn it, I can’t… ngh.”
Sonic turned a deaf ear; the stinging in his vagina made him bite his tongue to keep from cursing more than he should. He lowered his gaze, and despair washed over him as he realized he still had an entire half to go.
He let out a frustrated sigh.
What the fuck is he doing? Going slow was never his style.
“Fuck it.”
With one swift motion, it all went in; the sharp moan that followed wasn’t his alone.
Shadow bit his hand, piercing it with two fang marks; his eyelids were squeezed shut, his ears pinned back, and his eyebrows furrowed downward by the shame that pierced him like an arrow.
He cummed in one go.
Sonic stifled a moan as the thick liquid painted his cavity white. The muscles of his vagina contracted and tightened around the member, releasing his seed in pleasurable pulses. The blue one’s head tilted forward; Sonic hadn’t planned on being filled so quickly. Between sweet gasps, he watched as a tiny bulge became visible in his belly.
"Mgh, I thought I was the fastest one here, Faker," he laughed, slurring his words, followed by a moan.
Sonic closed his eyes in ecstasy as the alien penis continued to pump inside him.
They stayed like that for a minute, the claws of the hand resting on Shadow’s shoulder scratching his flesh as Sonic's pussy adjusted to the shape. Sonic inhaled, flaring his nostrils; his legs trembled as he lifted himself up, sliding the member until only the tip remained inside, and several thick drops of semen spilled from within. He exhaled, slamming his hips down; a wet sound formed as he collided with the ebony pelvis.
The moans were quick to emerge; the silence in the woods was tormented by wet thuds, breathless gasps, and shameless cries of pleasure.
The slow, tentative thrusts turned into quick, desperate pounding. Sonic rode Shadow’s cock with enthusiasm, the fluids spreading at the point where their bodies met sounded even more lascivious than the moans escaping their throats. Sonic moaned with each thrust that reached the hilt, babbling and stammering incoherently. The tip of Shadow’s penis pressed into his cervix with a shuddering force, touching places he had never explored.
Shadow was overstimulated, letting out high moans that he later felt ashamed of. He had recently had an orgasm, and now the cobalt’s velvety walls were squeezing him with ambition. He was going to leave him dry. Likewise, he said nothing, deigning only to moan as the blue swallowed his penis mercilessly, burying it again and again in his hot interior.
“You’re so good to me! Mh-mhmn! Damn! You should see yourself...” He leaned his torso toward Shadow, groaning insolently right above his flushed ear. “Letting your rival fuck you, ngh! Where did your authority go, hmm? You seem like an obedient little puppy.”
Sonic bit Shadow’s dark ear, letting out a playful laugh. Shadow growled hoarsely; all he could think about were the exquisite sensations he felt down there. His claws dug into the blue flesh were red with all the blood that was spilling out; Sonic didn’t care about the burning sensation of those wounds.
"You certainly look pathetic. What will the others say? Ha, at least one part of you is useful” he slowed his thrusts and moved back and forth, the vulgar sound of the base entering and barely exiting twisted the tip of the engulfed member. “Why didn’t you introduce me to your little friend sooner? Compared to you, we actually seem to understand each other.”
Sonic knew very well that what he was saying was cutting. The humiliation and denigration should have driven Shadow away; they should have intensified his hatred for the false hero of Mobius.
But it made his heart race, a warm feeling engulfing his chest.
"You're so good to me."
"You do it so well."
"At least some part of you is useful."
It relieves him to know that he’s still good for something.
It made him feel loved.
In his twisted mind, that was what it meant to be venerated.
Sonic seemed to like his atypical organ; he didn’t back away even when he showed his wild nature. Well, they weren’t that different in that respect.
Maybe he would actually come to like—and misuse—the damn powers he developed that time in the White Space because of the horrible monster that haunted his past. Such as that tentacle-filled Doom Morph.
"You're perfect, Shadow..." the lying mouth whispered tenderly once more. Like sugar flakes drenched in honey. “D-do you like how I’m fucking y-you? How humiliating it is to let me do this to you?”
Shadow threw his head back in pleasure, his gaze unfocused.
"Y-yes... Ye... Mgh" He couldn’t manage a single word before a loud moan escaped his instead.
The way Shadow started romanticizing the situation so quickly couldn’t be healthy.
He had already idealized the idea that it was just an act of compassion on Sonic’s part.
A lenient attitude that didn’t make him hate himself.
Oh, he really isn't aware of how little control he has over his own body.
He let out a soft moan, his head tilted to the side on the floor; at this rate, he’d cum again any moment. He moaned softly when he felt teeth sink into the flesh of his shoulder. Sonic held the flesh between his teeth until he tore the ligament, feeding himself and self-penetrating at the same time.
And there’s Shadow, letting himself be devoured by him.
"Damn... tasting your flesh is like tasting a damn god. Mhmn, sweet, so sweet…” he murmured, scratching Shadow’s arms and shoulders with his unkempt claws, marking the entire body beneath like a predator digging through the remains of its prey.
Sonic licked his lips, saliva and blood dripping repulsively from his mouth. After numerous, heartless bites to Shadow’s chest, shoulders, and arms, he ran his tongue along the dark cheek, ascending to lick the pointed ear.
"Don't hold back, I... I really like how you moan," his muzzle was covered in crimson. Shadow’s shoulder had already regenerated. “Hearing your voice makes me hungry.”
Shadow was influenced like a naive fool; ecstasy clouded every corner of his brain.
Words were useless to him; moaning was better.
The two were very close, and Sonic resumed his erratic thrusts, deliberately moaning with a sly grin in Shadow’s ear. Their closeness made their heartbeats and breaths merge into one. Sonic lowered his hand to his slightly swollen belly, which kept brushing against the raven-furred hedgehog’s tense abdomen. He touched the small bulge, feeling the tip of Shadow’s penis move on its own, caressing and thrusting into the corners of his cervix. He laughed, the prolonged pleasure melting away what little rationality he had left.
Wow, he didn’t think this obsession would go this far…
Why hasn’t he killed him yet?
He always does that to them; he kills them quickly.
In his way of seeing things, with pity.
What changed this time? What makes Shadow special?
Sonic would also like to know the answers, since playing around this long wasn’t part of his plans.
He's used to end quickly only with those he wouldn’t honor.
He clearly didn't do this to Amy.
Or at least he didn't take advantage of her body in a carnal way; he simply devoured the parts of her that he liked.
He enjoyed it in his own way, because something inside him tells him that the best thing to do was consume them completely, tear them apart.
Because it wasn't love.
It was possession.
“Agh, I can feel you here, Shads” he laughed again like a drunk. “You fill me so well! Mgh! Too deep, too much, too mu— Ah! Fuck!”
So… What made him want Shadow in a sick way?
His powers? Clearly not...
His meat? It could be…
As long as it’s not all of Shadow... things will be alright for him.
The screams were cut off as Sonic reached his climax, arching his back and rolling his eyes upward; the contractions of his walls brought immense pleasure to Shadow, who couldn’t resist sinking his fangs into the other’s neck one last time to savor the pleasure of tasting his blood. He lowered his hands to the blue one’s rear cheeks, squeezing his ass splattered with white fluids and the occasional drop of blood that had seeped from the fleshy walls due to some internal tear. The blue legs trembled violently, went numb, and could no longer hold the hedgehog’s hips up. Shadow was next to release his whitish essence; both hot orgasms bathed their genitals.
Sonic collapsed completely on top of Shadow, his breathing loud and ragged as his limbs trembled; Shadow lay just as still, his heart pounding in his chest.
Their exhausted bodies remained motionless after the orgasm. The semen bubbling inside his battered entrance gave Sonic a pleasant tingle.
Shadow bared his fangs. He observed Sonic with his eyes closed, his quills even more disheveled, and hand and nail marks all over his waist and hips.
He sighed, letting his head fall back.
Finally, they both got what they wanted.
The warmth emanating from Sonic’s body intoxicated him. For a few moments, the idea of staying together longer relaxed his muscles in a way, lulling him into a drowsy state.
“Shadow!”
But not for long.
The screech in his right ear made him snap his eyes open, lifting his torso until he was sitting up again.
For some strange reason, Shadow’s hearing was extremely sensitive, more so than usual. The sudden, jerky movement he made was the result of the fright caused by the sudden sound still ringing in his ears.
Another detail to add to his list of “Qualities of mine that confirm my alien race.”
A Sonic too stimulated to complain aloud grimaced as the movement—strong enough to push him back—severed his closeness with Shadow. The tentacle emerged from the pink slit with an obscene “pop”; copious semen spilled from within.
“Where have you been!? It’s been an hour since you left without paying the bill!”
Shadow blinked several times, his breathing quickened. He looked around for Rouge’s scandalous voice, but it was just him and the semen-collector hedgehog.
For a few seconds, he thought Sonic’s madness had infected him to such an extent that he was now imagining things, until the fleeting image of the communicator in his ear flashed into his mind.
He raised his bare paw to his right ear, and when he felt the cold metal of the communication earpiece hooked to his skin, it was the precise moment his awareness returned.
Reality hit him like a bucket of cold water over his head. Only, first the bucket hit him, and then the water.
"An hour?" his voice came out hoarse. He turned his gaze to the sky; the moon’s white glow had returned.
“Shadoooow? You’re not ignoring me again, are you?”
The aforementioned sighed, using his thumb to turn on the device.
“I hear your damn, hideous voice loud and clear, Rouge. Shut up.”
He heared a sigh on the other end of the line, somewhere between relief and dejection.
“Thanks, Chaos, you didn’t break it” Shadow grimaced, knowing his friend was referring to the times he’d broken his communicator to avoid talking to her. “Working for G.U.N. doesn’t give me a lifetime guaranty.”
“Get to the point.” he ran his hand over his face, closing his eyes in irritation.
“Ugh, sorry I’m a good friend and care about your well-being. You haven’t been back to the coffee shop. What happened? Did you find Sonic and Amy? Just then, Tails came up to me asking if I’d seen him; he wants to test out a gadget and all that, and he needs Sonic's help.”
The second question made his heart race.
Of course he found one, but the other hedgehog… better not to remember it.
"Uh... I..."
And now what?
He didn’t arrive on time.
He didn’t see Amy anywhere.
He didn’t catch the Mobian responsible for the murders.
He didn’t control his damned instincts.
He let himself be cornered.
He let himself be humiliated.
And he let himself get fucked.
By no one but his unwanted and detestable rival.
He swallowed his saliva.
Shadow wasn’t used to this… but a lie was the only thing that would save him.
“No... I didn’t find him.”
“Really? So what the fuck have you been doing all this time?”
“It’s none of your business. I’m on my way there.”
“Hey, tell me what’s going on. You were acting weird a little while ago, and you still don’t want to explain anything to me.”
“Yeah, sure. Bye, woman.”
“No, wait! Don’t even think about cut—"
Shadow cut off the communication, sighing wearily. Anyone who didn’t know them would think he and the bat get along terribly.
They couldn't be more wrong.
His eyes traveled to Sonic’s body.
What a mess.
His legs spread wide open revealed the semen-filled entrance, and the walls pressed against nothing. Thick streaks slid down, staining his twitching blue tail and the grass-covered ground.
Shadow let out a guttural growl, dragging all ten fingers across his face in a frustrated, anxious, and desperate gesture.
“Shit, shit, shit...”
The atmosphere was too calm compared to his mind; everything darkened with the arrival of nite. Shadow didn’t even realize it was already nite.
The chirping of crickets among the trees surrounding them—some of which had been damaged by the arduous fight they’d had—the murmur of the wind, and the light from the immense spotlight in the sky were the only witnesses to his sinful act, his colossal mistake, his appalling self-control.
Shadow opened his eyes, letting out another dejected sigh, and peered through the gaps between his long fingers.
"What have I done?"
In the end, the main course cost him dearly.