Chapter Text
Shadow had a crush, a major crush. However, he would never dare admit it.
Out of all mobian for him to fall for, of course, it is his rival, Sonic the Hedgehog. He knew he didn’t have a chance with him; there was no way he’d like guys, especially not when he had a beautiful girl like Rose by his side.
At some point, he decided it was best to avoid the blue hedgehog from now on, only seeing him when the world needed his help.
He stopped showing up to their weekly races. He refused to attend any events; if Rouge were to force him to go, he’d hide in a dark corner, hoping not to be seen.
He felt that getting close to Sonic would give him false hope. He thought distancing himself would help him forget about the blue hero and fall out of love with him.
Rouge was concerned for her friend, who suddenly stopped going out and throwing bigger fights than usual when attending events. The ebony hedgehog was hard to read, but Rouge could tell something was off.
Rouge throws a party at her shared home with Shadow, hoping to get her best friend to socialize again. It seemed to work initially; he came out of his room and went for the snacks. However, once Sonic arrives, he vanishes back into his room, locking the door.
Rouge tried to get him to return to the party, but he refused, insisting he was tired. Something was definitely off. Shadow would never admit to being tired; he is typically keen on keeping his title of the ‘Ultimate Lifeform.’
After the party ended and everyone left, Rouge noticed Sonic left his jacket behind. She views this as a perfect opportunity to get Shadow out and socialize. If something happened between the two hedgehogs, this would be the ideal opportunity for them to talk it out.
Rouge knocks on Shadow's door, patiently waiting for Shadow to open the door. “Hun, it’s me. Everyone has left already. I have a favor to ask.”
Shadow unlocks and opens his door. He leans against the door frame, giving Rouge a questioning look: “What is it? I’m not helping you clean up your party if that’s what you're going to ask.”
Rouge holds Sonic’s jacket out to Shadow. “Of course not! I have already finished cleaning up, but it seems Blue had left his jacket behind. Do you think you could return it to him for me?”
Shadow looks down at the jacket, arms crossed, and looks up at Rouge. “Why can’t you do it?” He raised his eyebrow, giving the bat a questioning look.
Rouge, being quick on her feet, quickly makes up a believable excuse. “You’re faster than me and can return it in only a few seconds. Can you please do this for me, Shadow? Help your big sis out.” She folds her ears back, giving him an innocent look.
He rolls his eyes and sighs as he snatches the jacket from her hands. “Fine. I’ll return it tomorrow. Goodnight Rouge.” He closes the door, not waiting for a response.
Rouge smiles to herself. “Thank you! Goodnight, handsome.” She hopes Shadow will give it to Sonic personally and not just drop it off at his house and run off.
Shadow was about to throw Sonic’s jacket onto his work chair before pausing, a pleasant scent hitting his nose. He sniffed for a bit, trying to determine where it came from.
He looks down at the jacket in his hands, and his muzzle flushes a bit as he brings it up to his nose and smells it. The scent of fresh ocean breeze and... a hint of lemon? Hits his nose.
Without thinking, he holds it closer to his nose and curls up with it in his bed. It was wrong, he knew it, this was Sonic’s jacket. What would he think if he knew Shadow was in love with him and his scent?
However, he couldn’t fight off his instincts, so he rubbed every part of himself against Sonic’s jacket. As much as he loved the smell of lavender, right now, he wanted nothing more than to be covered in Sonic’s scent.
At some point, he ended up falling asleep and cuddled up next to Sonic’s jacket. When he awoke in the morning, he quickly hid the jacket under his pillow, embarrassed; there was no way he was returning it now.
Rouge noticed Shadow's slightly different scent during breakfast but shrugged it off as if he was trying a new cologne.
A week passed before someone came knocking at Rouge’s door. Rouge answered it and was surprised to see Sonic was the one knocking. “Hey, Blue, what’s up?”
He gives her a bright smile. “Oh, you know, kicking Eggman’s ass as usual.” He smirks while rubbing a finger under his nose co*ckily. “But, um, I was wondering if I left my jacket here. I can’t find it anywhere.”
Rouge gave Sonic a confused look. Didn’t she ask Shadow to return it to him? “Ya, you did. I asked Shadow to return it to you; it’s strange that he didn’t.” Even if he didn’t want to return it himself, he could’ve easily given it to someone else like Omega.
”Maybe he simply forgot! Could you ask him for it?” Sonic usually would’ve just done it himself, but he didn’t feel right just barging into Rouge’s apartment.
Rouge opens the door wider for Sonic to come in. “Sorry, Blue, but G.U.N asked me to come in for work. You can go ask him, though; he should be in his room.” This was a lie. Shadow isn’t one to forget things; whatever his problem was lately, it must involve Sonic. She needed to give them a reason to talk.
Sonic gladly walked into the apartment while Rouge grabbed her leather jacket and walked out. “His room is down that hallway on the right. Good luck, hun.”
Sonic gives her a thumbs-up as she closes the door to leave. “Good luck at work, Rouge!”
Once the door is fully closed, Sonic goes down to Shadow's bedroom. He gives a few knocks instead of barging in, respecting the ebony hedgehog's privacy.
When Shadow opened his door, he was taken aback when he saw Sonic knocking, not Rouge. “What do you want, Faker.” He crosses his arms and looks Sonic dead in the eyes.
”Hey Shads! It’s been a while; how have you been?” Sonic gives him a bright smile. He genuinely is curious about how his darker counterpart has been since they haven't had any races recently or seen each other much at all.
Shadow was not one for small talk in the slightest. “Get on with it, faker; why are you here.” He kept a straight face, showing his lack of amusem*nt.
Sonic could take the hint and got straight to his point. “Rouge said she gave you my jacket. I just wanted to ask if you still have it.” He thought about adding in how Shadow most likely forgot to return it but knew he wouldn’t take lightly being accused of such things, being the ultimate lifeform and all.
Shadow kept a straight face as he panicked internally. He wasn’t expecting the blue idiot to actually come looking for his jacket. He’d been bathing in his scent, and there was no way he could return it with a straight face.
”Did she? It must have slipped my mind; I’ll see if I have it lying around somewhere.” He allows Sonic to come in and looks through his closet. He knew it was basically theft to keep Sonic’s jacket, but it was too embarrassing to return it. He would instead opt for finding one of his jackets, which he doesn’t care much about, and giving it to Sonic instead.
Sonic looks around Shadow's room, amazed at how tidy it is. He had never seen his rival's room before; however, it suited him well. While looking around, he noticed a red and white sleeve poking out from underneath Shadow's pillow.
He quickly looks at Shadow to see if he is still looking through his closet before removing the pillow. It was… his jacket? Why would it be here, of all places?
He picks it up and notices a faint smell of lavender and a small dark quill stuck on the fabric. No way. He cautiously approached Shadow, getting close enough to smell him quickly.
Shadow notices the other’s presence and weirdly quietness. He stops looking through his closet and turns to see Sonic, who is mere inches away. “What is it, faker?”
He knew Shadow had a slightly different smell to him but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was till now. It was his scent. “Shadow…” He didn’t want to embarrass the other but needed to know. “Have you been… self-anointing to my scent?”
Sonic had a big grin when Shadow broke eye contact with a slight flush on his face. “Self-anointing? What are you even talking about, hedgehog? I’m the ultimate lifeform-“
Sonic quickly cut him off, “You may be the ultimate life form, Shads, but you’re still a hedgehog.” His face flushes a bit when he realizes what this must mean. “Wow… Shads… you must really like me.”
Shadow’s ears fold back as he looks down on the floor. His muzzle was now shaded with a dark blush, no longer able to contain his embarrassment. He clenches his fists, not knowing how to respond.
Sonic is quick to notice the other’s embarrassment. He gives Shadow a small smile before leaning in to kiss his cheek. “I think that’s kinda cute, Shads.” He whispers before pulling away, dropping his jacket back on the bed, and running to the bedroom door.
Sonic gives the ebony hedgehog one last look with a big grin. “You can keep the jacket! We should have a race sometime soon. I miss them. Bye, Shads!” He closes the door, not waiting for a response. He leaves the apartment feeling giddy now, knowing his rival has feelings for him.
Shadow stands there briefly before lifting a hand to the cheek Sonic just kissed. He was too overwhelmed to process anything that just happened.
His eyes catch sight of the jacket left behind. He smiles lightly as he grabs the jacket and curls up with it.
His crush willingly permitted him to keep his jacket to self-anoint in his scent. His tail wagged happily at this. Maybe he had a chance after all.
