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“Shadow!” The other hedgehog had his hands gripped tightly in his, his cheeks flushed pink. “If we can create a timeline of peace where there’s no more need for heroes; where the fighting is truly over… then…! I think… you should go out with me!”
“...O-On a date, I mean,” Silver’s cheeks burned redder. “J-Just one…?” his shoulders hunched shyly. “I-If you want to, of course!” he glanced away. “If…If you like me…? Or… by then, anyway…” his ears curved down nervously.
What had started out as a random, bold declaration seemed to have been shrinking in on itself by the second as Shadow watched him.
He’d just scoffed at the time and yanked his hands free. “A time without strife will never exist,” he’d dismissed, crossing his arms.
Silver looked up at him again, determination returning to him all at once. “It will!” he declared, clasping his hands into fists in front of him to emphasize his point. “I’ll make it happen, no matter what!! We-We all will! You’re fighting for that too, aren’t you?”
He had such a ridiculously naive confidence that Shadow had no idea where this boy managed to draw it from. He was born in a destroyed future, yet he still managed to find hope. How was that possible?
Granted, was it any less ridiculous than the other part of his proposal? A date? With him? Shadow didn’t have time for such foolishness.
Plus, he’d promised himself he’d never let himself be that vulnerable with anyone ever again. Not after Maria. He couldn’t do it.
Shadow had scoffed. “I’m fighting to fulfill Maria’s wishes. That is all. And I have no interest in dating, so go find some other fool to sling your ridiculous proposals at.” He had turned to go, done with this conversation.
“It’s not ridiculous!” Silver had shouted after him. “A-And there is no one else, but you!”
That had made Shadow stop. Hesitate.
Silver had taken the opportunity to run in front of him, taking his hands again. “I-I know that your heart is still hurting from everything that happened to you and maybe it’s way too soon to ask something like this, but… I really like you, Shadow!! I’m not saying this casually, I mean it! A-And I’m from the future anyway, right? S-So… even if you’re not ready yet or if you don’t feel the same right now… I’m willing to wait however many hundreds of years it takes!” he squeezed his hands in his. “I’ll wait for you!!”
Even now, Shadow still remembered how warm his hands had felt in Silver’s that day. How secure. How unwavering his gaze, even if he was clearly incredibly nervous.
He was certainly bold, Shadow had to give him that. He wondered if this boy ever picked an easy path in his whole life. Bringing peace to the world or trying to get Shadow to date him… Which one was more impossible?
Yet, he aimed for both.
Granted, when he thought about it, declaring that he would ‘wait for him’ could really only mean so much coming from a time traveller.
What waiting had he really done by returning to his own timeline?
In reality, wasn’t it Shadow who had done all the waiting? Wasn’t it Shadow who stayed alive for those hundreds of years?
But, perhaps, for a time traveller, sewing the seeds in the past was what was most important.
Had he not said that to him at that point in time, would Shadow have even considered it?
Of course, he hadn’t at first. He’d dismissed it all as foolish nonsense. Both scenarios were an impossible dream and he wanted both?
And yet… over time, Shadow had found himself thinking of this goal often too. It wasn’t anything quick or all at once, but, perhaps, gradual. So slow that even he himself hadn’t noticed it.
It wasn’t as though his mission of protecting the planet for Maria’s sake had ever changed. Her’s and Silver’s were essentially aligned anyway. But it was more that… at some point, it had begun to blend together.
And, perhaps, without meaning to, it had slowly started to become Shadow’s dream too.
Shadow sat now at the kitchen table, a mug of black coffee clasped between his hands. He glanced out the window of their shared apartment on the 55th floor of this ridiculously tall skyrise building.
The skies were crisp blue and a few flickies flitted by, chirping away happily in this peaceful world that was all they had ever known.
The birds had been something Silver had pointed out cheerfully when they had picked out this apartment. He’d said it’d be a great height for watching them, true and free.
Of course, he hadn’t let it limit his gardening either as their home was littered with plants, both potted and placed around the apartment and in boxes on the window ledges, flourishing with a variety of colourful flowers and luscious herbs.
Somehow, even with all these, Silver still spent time in a community garden too, working together with others to grow an assortment of plump and vibrant vegetables, free for anyone who needed them to take.
Although, right now, he was sitting crouched in front of their oven, gazing intently inside the warm glow of the window.
Shadow couldn’t help a little grin.
“Staring won’t make it bake any faster,” he commented as he brought the mug to his lips to take a leisurely sip.
“I know…” Silver glanced back at Shadow for a moment before returning to gaze into the oven. “But I can’t help it!! It looks amazing! Didn’t you see how juicy the apples I brought home were? We got such a good harvest this year! I bet it’s going to taste great!!”
He was beaming at him when he looked back at Shadow again. “And you’ll have some too, right!?” His eyes were practically sparkling.
Shadow scoffed, though he was smirking too. “Do you even need to ask me that?” He took another sip of his coffee.
“Well…” Silver hesitated. “I just know sweets aren’t your favorite, so I don’t want to force you, but…” his expression turned tender as he smiled so warmly at him Shadow felt like his heart might stop. “Food always tastes so much better when you share it with people you love, y’know?”
“...Yeah.”
Silver turned back to the oven, satisfied and Shadow set down his mug. Unconsciously, he twisted the silver wedding band around his finger.
Even if they had been married now for several years in this peaceful future they had built for themselves, Shadow still felt himself struck in moments like this.
Was it okay for him to be this happy…? He’d thought about it many, many times in the past decade they had been together.
But when he asked this to the Maria who remained forever in his heart, he knew her answer would never change.
‘Give yourself a chance to be happy.’
He had… and he was.
The oven timer dinged and Silver bounced to his feet with an excited cheer before scrambling to grab the oven mitts and remove the still bubbling apple pie from the oven.
Shadow had asked once why SIlver didn’t simply levitate the pan out and he’d shrugged and said that there was a simple joy in the act of taking it out by hand that you missed using telepathy.
He wasn’t sure he entirely understood, but Silver was always finding small joys in things Shadow would have otherwise overlooked. It was part of what drew him to him. The magnitude of his positive energy… His undying hope in the face of all the plight in the world… The way he believed in the goodness in everything and everyone.
Even in Shadow himself, no matter how undeserving he felt.
Like how Maria had been too…
That being said, none of this stopped Silver from using his telepathy to set the table. Shadow lifted his mug out of the way so it didn’t get accidentally knocked over.
Just because Silver had been using these powers all his life didn’t mean he couldn’t still be a little clumsy at times.
But even that had become cute to Shadow now.
Silver busied himself for the next few minutes while waiting for the pie to cool by making himself some tea and refilling Shadow’s coffee before getting distracted watering some flowers and trimming off any broken or dying bits to make room for new growth.
Granted, Shadow knew he wasn’t fully distracted as he kept glancing back towards the pie every 30 seconds or so, as if the pie itself would tell him when it was time.
Eventually, he darted back to it. “I think that’s been long enough!” he declared, bringing it to the table with telepathy and grabbing a knife.
He handed it to Shadow, which he took wordlessly before he started cutting out a couple slices.
It wasn’t as though Silver couldn’t do it himself, but it was more… a routine they had started and they had carried on ever since.
Silver then scooped out the slices with the pie server onto two plates, setting one in front of Shadow.
He supposed this, like many other things in their life, was just one of a multitude of collaborative efforts between the two of them. Even if quite small in comparison to others.
Shadow was hit with the strong scent of apple and cinnamon, a familiarity and comfort washing over him at the pleasant aroma of his husband’s favorite dessert.
Silver picked up his fork and scooped a bit of pie before holding it out to Shadow, despite the fact that Shadow very much had his own full slice in front of him. But this really was so like Silver to do. “Okay, you try it first!”
Shadow huffed out a laugh. “Me? After how anxiously you were waiting?”
Silver nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I want to see you enjoy it first!”
This too was typical.
And extremely endearing.
Shadow leaned in to take the bite, long since used to such embarrassing gestures.
Granted, he might think differently if there were anyone else in the apartment, but… when it was just the two of them… Things like this were okay.
Nice, even…
He sat back, chewing on the pie and nodded. “It’s good,” he replied simply and Silver beamed, his ears perking up.
“Really!? Then I’m even more excited!” he scooped another piece, about to shovel it into his mouth before Shadow quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him.
“Stop. That’s way too hot for you. You’ll burn your tongue,” Shadow warned him firmly.
Silver pouted, his ears flattening. “Huh!? But you just had some, didn’t you…!?”
“Well,” Shadow shrugged, then smirked. “I am the Ultimate Lifeform.”
Then he stood so he could lean over the table to blow on the steaming bite of pie a few times. “That’s better, but still be careful,” he noted as he released his wrist and sat back down. “Be patient.”
Silver’s cheeks flushed and he swallowed, but he nodded, a wide smile returning to him quickly. “Okay, thanks for always looking out for me, Shadow,” he chirped as he ate the bite of pie.
He hummed happily as he chewed, cupping his cheek as his whole face lit up with delight. “So good!!!”
And Shadow smiled too.
There was a nagging thought in the back of Shadow’s mind always that this impossible dream of a life he had achieved now was, as all life on this planet typically was, fleeting.
However, if there was one thing being with Silver had taught him, it was to pay attention to all the little things along the way, rather than focus on the end. Life was a journey, not a destination.
And so moments like these, enjoying a delicious pie that his husband had made and indulging in the delighted expressions and sounds he made, on this warm, sunny day in the peaceful future they had achieved together…
Shadow would cherish every second.