#pre sonadow

"What the hell did I just walk into?" 

Tails wasn't supposed to be home early, but somehow everything was just going downhill since this morning. Today was not shaping up to be one of Sonic's best days, not at all.

"Uhhhh, heeeey buddy," the hero smiled awkwardly, very aware of how his brother's wide eyes were glancing in every direction and seemingly trying to understand why his big bro was stepping out of the hallway bathroom with Shadow at his heels. 

Nope, this wasn't even remotely possible to appear as something the two rivals would do on a random Tuesday afternoon. 

"So…" Tails cleared his throat, blushing at the implications behind the sight in front of him. "Um…I–sorry for interrupting, I r-really didn't mean to–"

Sonic was utterly horrified at this point, watching in embarrassment how Tails avoided his gaze and hastily turned around to head back downstairs. 

"Wait, dude! No, this isn't what—Tails! Come back!" The hero tried to go after his brother, but with his predicament, he didn't get very far. 

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I'll leave you both alone now!" Tails' hurried words matched the speed at which he bolted out the front door, a slam echoing in the now dead-silent house.

"Well, now your brother assumes there's something between us."

With cheeks still burning up from the embarrassment, the blue hedgehog glanced over his shoulder to glare at his rival. "Wow, really? I hadn't noticed."

Shadow scoffed, "May I remind you it was your fault we ended up like this!"

The agent brought up their handcuffed hands into their line of vision, harshly waving them from side to side for emphasis. 

Sonic growled, tugging his hand back, and as a result, Shadow's too. "Quit it will ya?! And yes, I know! Don't have to rub it in my face every chance you get, jeez."

"Well, get used to it because I'll keep doing it until we figure out a solution," the striped hedgehog grunted, pulling back his hand. 

"I forgot how much of a dick you are."

Another tug in the opposite direction, and another grunt came.

"And I am always reminded of how reckless you are," the hybrid sneered, yanking his hand back. 

Fuming, the hero attempted to make the last move, claiming the final say in this needless discussion. "You know what? No, this thing is our fault. As in, you and me. So you better accept it if ya don't want me to drag your face through the dirt at Mach 1 speed."

Sonic watched as his rival's eyes narrowed dangerously thin, rubies barely peeking from under thick eyelashes. Nothing else came, no verbal response or a flurry of punches to his face. For a brief moment, Sonic thought Shadow finally understood, turning away from the dark hedgehog and thinking of how he would explain to Tails that he got it all wrong.

"Hey–! What the hell?!" Sonic was tackled to the ground from behind, groaning when he felt pain shoot up his nose at colliding with the floor unceremoniously.

"How dare you–" Shadow grunted, trying to climb on top of the hero while maneuvering their handcuffed hands to an angle that gave the agent the upper hand. "Tell me what to do!"

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and his weight was pushed off the speedster, growling as Sonic mirrored his attack. 

"You're really getting on my nerves, dude. Stop this before we actually get hurt!" The blue hero gritted his teeth, fighting against the hybrid's wrestling hands—well, hand. Pinning someone to the ground when you shared a limb with them was difficult. 

This went back and forth, pushing to be on top and rolling across the hallway floor a second later. Their argument didn't carry many words except for their names and the occasional curse, but their grunts of effort were heard throughout the house. Eventually, they reached the end of the hallway, emerald eyes noticing too late as Shadow rolled on top of Sonic. 

"Wait, Shadow! We're gonna–"

Staring down the blue hedgehog with a venomous glare, the agent snarled, pinning fawn hands to the ground. "I'll make you eat those words, hedgehog."

Not wanting to receive a nasty punch to the face, Sonic glanced around at his surroundings, quickly realizing the only way to dodge it was to twist away as his handcuffed hand lifted from the floor as Shadow readied his into a fist. 

"Damn it, Shadow," was all that Sonic breathed out as he shoved at the white chest with a harsh push. 

Then, they were falling down the stairs.

The clinking of their metal cuffs rang loudly as they tumbled to the first floor, groaning and left with aching backs. So much that the anger and determination to fight had left their systems, too tired to do anything but lay there on the floor.

In a rather compromising position, however. 

They didn't notice until the front door opened again, the fox reentering to freeze upon seeing the two hedgehogs resting there just a few feet before him. 

"Oh my god…"

A blue ear twitched at hearing the familiar voice.

"Tails? Buddy?"

Sonic perked up, raising his upper body to glance at his brother with a wide smile. "Tails! You came back–" he thought this was his opportunity to clear things up, but as everything that's been happening today, it all went sideways. 

"Soooonic," Shadow's groan came loud and throaty from where he lay under the blue hero. 

It was then that Sonic noticed how exactly his brother found them. Was the world against him today or what? He couldn't help but think so as he closed his eyes and let his shoulders sag, defeatedly. He was cradling his rival's lap, the striped hedgehog nestled quite intimately between his blue legs and his arms caging an ebony torso, and if that wasn't the worse yet, the fox's next observation was.

"Are those…handcuffs?" Tails gawked at the silvery thing wrapped around both hedgehogs' wrists. 

"Look, bro. You got this all wrong—me and Shadow were just–"

"I interrupted you again, didn't I? Ohmygod. I'm so sorry, Sonic. I just came back for—you know what, I'll just stay with Amy for today and leave you–"

Staring at the fox with wide eyes, the hero scrambled to inform him of his misunderstanding, of everything being thrown out of proportion, but Shadow's next words did not help.

"Fuck, Sonic…You pushed too hard again."

A hot blush bloomed across the fox's muzzle at hearing the Ultimate Lifeform's words, seeing him lean up with his arms braced on the carpeted floor. And because their hands were restrained, the little movement had Sonic stumbling forward to be inches away from Shadow's dazed face. 

"Dude, seriously?" 

Shadow raised an eye ridge at noting his rival's flushed face and looked away to see the fox standing by the front door, sporting the same color across his face as his brother. 

This was perfect timing for Shadow to clarify things for the hero's brother, maybe even going as far as throwing in a hefty speech as to why he would never see Sonic in that way. 

The blue hedgehog wished that had been going through his rival's mind as he waited impatiently for the agent to say something to Tails. He almost thought of doing a head start for Shadow when finally the striped hedgehog spoke. Definitely, not favoring Sonic's wishes. 

"Hmm, learn to knock unless you want to see something you shouldn't next time."

No. No. Nononono! 

Realization dawned on the hero, paling immediately at checking his bro's face for his reaction and oh god, why was Shadow doing this?! They just had a whole fight about this! Now, the hybrid was feeding these scandalous insinuations—did the fall do some serious damage to the Ultimate Lifeform's head?

"U-uhm…I'mma head out now…" Tails was beet red, coughing awkwardly and shying away from both hedgehogs' gazes. 

"Tails, wait! Don't go–Miles!" It was fruitless, the speedster watched in mixed horror and humiliation as his best friend zoomed out the front door almost at a speed similar to his. 

"I thought you taught him some manners, at least."

Hearing the mirthful comment on Shadow's part, one of Sonic's eyes twitched and his lips curled into a nasty snarl. 

"Why did you do that?!" The speedster snapped at his dark counterpart, one of his hands reflexively curling into a tight fist. He was seconds away from wiping away that stupid smirk off Shadow's face, regardless of knowing the violence wouldn't go unpunishable and he'd end up in the same position as his striped rival later into the day. 

"I dragged your face through the dirt. Metaphorically, of course."

Gawking, Sonic took a few seconds to properly process his rival's words, blinking rapidly once a conclusion settled over him. 

"Wh…that—are you serious? Payback? Really, Shadow? You understand this doesn't make things any better for you too, right?" The hero sighed, exasperated by the hybrid's scheme. 

Shadow shrugged, a smirk still plastered across his lips. "It was worth it. Besides, if your brother spreads the news about us, it'll get Rouge off my back about going out on a date with Silver–"

"Silver? Wait, you're dating?" 

The dark hedgehog noticed how a frown came across the hero's face, his blue ears drooping slowly. If the agent didn't know any better, it appeared the news of his personal life dampened Sonic's mood. 

"No, but Rouge is persistent about it. That woman and her nosy habits," Shadow rolled his eyes at remembering his friend's failures to convince him to go out with someone. 

"Sooo…you're not dating?"

The agent dared to make the hero wait, observing closely how emerald eyes flickered between two things; hope and disappointment.

"Not yet."

It was an implication, a reminder that it was only a matter of time before the dark hedgehog was taken. For Shadow's first intimate conversation, first embrace, first kiss, and all that came with first dates to be stolen by someone else regardless of the love being there, or not. Because even a creature like Shadow was tempted to get a taste of all that, a bit of what a life like with someone at his side could be. 

However, it seemed Sonic wasn't so willing for his rival to go around and do that with just anyone. And maybe it was the protective side he had for his friends in him that made him act, or…it was more. Something else that went beyond the thought of helping Shadow. 

Sonic didn't know exactly, but he was taking his opportunity. "What…what if we do tell people we're dating?" The hero spoke, avoiding crimson eyes directly. 

Shadow almost laughed, amused by his rival's awkwardness. 

"Weren't you just against it, hedgehog?" 

Chuckling nervously, Sonic shrugged and looked down to meet Shadow's eyes before shifting his gaze to the front door. 

"Well, yeah but like you're onto something with the whole fake relationship thing."

Oh, of course. Shadow should have known. It was obvious there wasn't any other ulterior motive for the hero to agree to something like this. 

"I assume you're speaking of your situation with Rose," the agent barely held back the instinct to roll his eyes at the mention of the pink hedgehog. One way or another, from his mouth or Sonic's, the girl's name always popped into the conversation, leaving a palpable tension between the rivals.