I find it crazy how we have a sfw tkl community who loves the sonic fandom and write cute fics. But we donât have none of shadow and Mariađđđ can you do Lee shadow ler Maria or  perhaps the other way around, or switch for both
It does feel criminal that we lack in the Shadow & Maria fluff department. Additionally, I havenât been feeling 100% these past 2 months (apologies for the boop booth delay, but I donât want to force myself to draw when my spirits are down)
So, enjoy this self-indulgent comfort fluff fic! â€ïžâđ©č
Nightly Talks â Sonic Movieverse
Summary: When Shadow begins to doubt his existence once again, Maria jumps in to help him feel better and makes a very shocking and cute discovery about the ultimate lifeform.
Word count: 6k
Switch!Shadow đŠđ€â€ïž
Switch!Maria đŒđ©”
Warning: Light spoilers for Sonic 3 (read with caution), some angst, but lots of fluff! May be too sweet and cause cavities. This is a tickle fic. If you donât like, donât read!
Also available to read on Ao3! (I caved in, plz donât let this flop TwT)
Maria hummed to herself as she cruised through the empty halls on her roller skates.
It was testing day once again for her alien hedgehog friend, Shadow. Even though she didnât like the tests Shadow was forced to do, there was nothing really she could do about it. She had gotten Shadow out of testing one time when she snuck into the lab, and convinced Shadow to slip out behind the scientistsâ backs, placing her teddy bear in his place.
Unfortunately, ever since that day, her grandfather and the other scientists forbade her from sneaking down into the lab and seeing Shadow during experiments. So now, she couldnât help him sneak out anymore. Instead, she had to stay outside and wait for the tests to be over in order to see her friend.
Waiting always was a drag and felt like forever. Maria tried busying herself to make the time pass faster: playing her guitar, making elaborate snacks from the cafeteria food carts, coloring, or roller skating.
Even though she was told by Commander Walters in the beginning to lose the skates while staying at the facility, that didnât stop her in the moment. She was bored waiting for her friend, what else was she supposed to do? Besides, she knew the facility inside and out by now to know the best places to skate without getting caught.
Maria skidded to a stop around a corner as she heard voices and footsteps approaching. She quickly pulled off her roller skates and hid them behind her bear and other plushies she brought along.
Her face brightened when she saw Shadow, who was being escorted by two other scientists and her grandfather. âShadow!â she beamed, leaning down to his level and giving him a hug. Shadow smiled, returning the gesture.
âMaria, there you are,â she heard her grandfather say.
âWhat are you doing out here alone?â
âJust playing,â Maria answered, gesturing to the pile of plush toys on the floor. âCan Shadow play now?â
âOf course he can,â replied Gerald. âSince he did such an excellent job with todayâs experiments.â He patted Shadowâs head, who frowned slightly at that.
âNow then, Iâve got to get back to my work.â Gerald turned his attention to the scientists. âEscort them back to Mariaâs room, please.â The scientists nodded.
Now back in the comfort of Mariaâs blanket fort, she was happy to see her hedgehog bestie again. Except he didnât reciprocate the feeling back.
Mariaâs smile faltered as she noticed her friend biting back a wince. âShadow, is something wrong? What happened?â
Shadow forced his expression to be neutral. âNothingâŠIâm fine.â
âCome on, you know you can tell me anything.â There was no point in trying to hide anything from Maria; she could always tell when he was lying. That was one of the many traits he secretly admired about her.
The black hedgehog sighed. âIt wasâŠâ He glanced back at the door, as if he was afraid one of the scientists was going to hear. âThey wanted to see how far the limits of my chaos energy could reach. So the scientists had me do countless laps nonstop while they monitored me. And if I started to slow down even just a littleâŠâ He sighed again, lowering his head. âTheyâd make me start all over again.â
Maria felt her heart sink. She always hated how the other scientists treated Shadow as nothing more than a guinea pig. At least her grandfather never gave Shadow that same treatment. He, unlike everyone else at the facility, actually saw Shadow as a person and her friend.
âOh, Shadow, Iâm so sorry you had to deal with that.â
âDoesnât matter,â mumbled Shadow, shifting away from Mariaâs hand that was trying to rest on his. He heard her let out a little sigh, and was quickly filled with guilt. He didnât mean to hurt her feelings. He did want comfort, but his frustration got in the way and made him express it wrongly. âMaria, IâmâŠI-Iâm sorry.â He lowered his ears, bringing his knees to his chest and hiding his face in his arms.
Maria felt like she could tear up at the sight. âAwh, ShadowâŠâ She hovered her hand over his head. âIs it alright if I pet your head?â She heard a soft âmhmâ in response so she gingerly began petting his head. She felt Shadow melt at the touch, especially when she softly traced his quills or gently scratched at the soft fur behind his ears.
When he finally uncurled from his moping position, Maria suddenly yanked him into a tight hug while ruffling his head. âAaah! Hey! What are you doing?!â He didnât get an answer, but was instead scooped up and twirled around. âMaria! WhatâŠareâŠyouâŠdoing?!â
Maria finally put him down, beaming a smile. âCuring you of your sadness! My grandfather always says the best cure for sadness is confusion; if you can distract the other person with something else, theyâll forget why they were sad in the first place. Did it work?â
Shadow couldnât help but crack a small smile. âYeah, a little,â he said, trying to fix his messed up fur.
Aww only a little?â Maria pouted. She had to up her game! She hummed in thought before her face brightened. âOoh, wait! Iâve got an idea!â She stood up, motioning for Shadow to follow.
When they were in the hallway, she led them to the lift where she pulled out a keycard from her pocket that granted them access to the roof. Now Shadow understood what she was up to. She was taking them to the flower fields where she first took them after he had gotten self-conscious from a certain scene in the movie they watched.
Tranquil silence fell between them as the two laid side by side in the soft grass. It was another clear night, and the inky black sky was illuminated by thousands of twinkling stars. Even the Milky Way was fully visible.
The two sat in silence until Maria spoke. âBeautiful night, isnât it?â Shadow hummed in agreement. âIâm sorry you had to deal with what happened earlier. They shouldnât have treated you that way.â
âDonât feel sorry, Maria. It was my own fault for not being able to exceed their expectations.â
âShadow, thatâs not true. They were pressuring you, and setting very high standards for no reason.â
âIt was still my fault. If I canât be strong like they expect me to be, then whatâs the point?â
âShadowâŠâ Maria gently took his gloved hand in hers. âYou already are the strongest person Iâve ever known, and thatâs not because of your powers. Itâs because despite everything, you still choose to have a good heart. Youâre so much stronger than you know, Shadow.â
The black hedgehog was touched by her words, but there still was a seed of doubt lingering inside. âI donât feel so strong all the time,â he quietly admitted.
âWell you are,â Maria insisted. She gave a comforting squeeze to his hand which Shadow reciprocated. âYou are to me.â
âDo youâŠreally think so?â
âI know so. Youâve got a good heart, Shadow. Never lose sight of that. And never forget that you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.â
Shadowâs expression faltered. âBut what if theyâre right? What if I am just nothing more than an unpredictable monster? And Iâm just fooling myself thinking I can be anything more than that?â
Maria sat up, gently squeezing both of his hands. âHey, donât ever think that, Shadow. No matter what anyone says or thinks, youâll always be my friend. Remember what I said to you before? You can do or be anything you want to.â She gently tapped his chest. âAs long as you follow your heart.â
âBesides,â she added after a moment of silence. âHow can a so-called âmonsterâ be a monster if heâs this adorable?â She suddenly cupped Shadowâs face, squishing his cheeks before peppering his face with tiny kisses.
Shadow tried to act annoyed by the sudden affection, but slowly broke into a smile after a few seconds. Soft, breathy chuckles spilled from his lips as Maria yanked him into another crushing bear hug while still smothering his head with kisses.
âOkahahay! Okahay, I gehehet ihihit! Aaah! Youâre squeezing too tihihihight!â Now the smothering was getting to him.
Maria giggled, releasing him. âFeel better now?â
Shadow fondly rolled his eyes. âYeah, yeah. Thank you for that, Maria. I really mean it.â He suddenly bit back a wince, touching his side.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âThe endless laps I had to do earlier,â Shadow explained as he carefully tried to massage the knot away. âThey wouldnât give me a break as I kept straining myself to push faster, andâwellâŠI guess I strained myself a bit too much.â
âOh, ShadowâŠâ Maria reached her hand out.
âIâll be fine,â the hedgehog assured. âDonât worry about me. Iâve dealt with worse. This is nothing.â
Maria nodded, but she wasnât so convinced. She knew how stubborn Shadow could be whenever it came to something like bruises or sore limbs. He was always so opposed to accepting any sort of help, sometimes even from her. She figured Shadow tried putting up a tough act all the time in front of her so she wouldnât worry about him.
She suddenly got a deviously playful idea as she saw Shadow subtly try to rub his soreness away. She wasnât sure if this would even work on him, or if he would even allow her to do such a thing, but it was worth a shot. Shadow always made exceptions for Maria whenever she wanted him to do something with her so surely he would make the exception for this.
Plus, he really looked like he could use some extra convincing after filling himself with so much doubt. Would this work on him? Only one way to find out.
Maria let out a fake gasp. âWait, Shadow, you said you were still feeling sore from earlier?â
âYes? But I already said Iâll be fine.â
Maria put on her best worrisome act. âWe should do a checkup to see if anywhere else might be hurting.â
At the mention of âcheckupâ, Shadow scooted away, wrapping his arms around his torso. Maria immediately regretted her choice of words. âItâs okay, Shadow. I meant: why donât you let me check you up to see if thereâs anything wrong? There might be something serious you donât even know about!â She tried to keep a straight face, not wanting a smile to give away what she was really planning.
Shadow seemed hesitant at first, but agreed in the end. As much as he wanted to convince his friend and himself that a little sore muscle in his side was nothing to fret, he knew Maria wasnât going to take no for an answer. Even if he hated checkups in general thanks to the GUN scientists, he knew Maria would never do anything to hurt him. He trusted her more than anyone.
He sighed. âAll right, fine.â
âPerfect,â Maria beamed, now letting her smile show. She motioned for him to come closer. âNow then, Iâll examine you from head to toe and my assistant here,â she gestured to her teddy bear sitting next to her that she brought along. âwill write down anything unusual so I can right away help you. Okay?â
âAll right,â nodded Shadow, playing along.
âGood. And I promise, Iâll be gentle.â Shadow nodded again. âOkay, now hold stillâŠâ Maria gently rubbed his head. âAny headaches or soreness?â
âNo.â
âAlright.â She moved to his ears, gingerly rubbing them before giving them a playful flick to make them twitch. âEar reflexes look normal. So far so good.â She tested his eyes, making him follow her index finger waving in his face. She checked his limbs, gently bending his arms and legs at the joint back and forth. She checked his reflexes, tapping his knee with her finger and Shadow humored her by kicking his leg out.
âWoah! Reflexes are more than okay,â she stated with a laugh. âOkay, last part. I gotta check and see if anything else hurts.â Maria reached for his torso. As soon as she squeezed both of his sides, Shadowâs breath suddenly hitched. He curled reflexively, but not from the soreness. As a matter of fact, he didnât even feel the sore knot in his side anymore. It was something else entirelyâsomething odd. A strange feeling he had never felt before.
Maria noticed this, and at first thought she accidentally hurt him. But after another careful experimental squeeze, she saw the corner of Shadowâs mouth curl as he choked on another grunt. It took every single ounce of willpower to not burst out in an excited squeal. Aaaah! No way! No way!! It works! Heâs ticklish!! Heâs actually ticklish!
âShadow? Are you okay?â Maria asked innocently. âDoes something hurt here?â
âN-No, Iâm fine,â Shadow answered as nonchalantly as possible.
âHmm, are you sure? Youâre all curled up. Here, lemme seeâŠâ She squeezed his sides again, this time not letting up.
Shadow emitted a startled sound, choking on air again. Why did these squeezes to his sides make him want to reflexively curl into a ball andâŠlaugh?! What was Maria doing to him?
âW-Wait! Maria..! AAAH!â Shadowâs voice cracked as he let out a high-pitched yelpâwhich he would forever deny until the end of time. He felt Mariaâs small fingers start to poke and tase his sides. Why did he get the feeling that she was doing this on purpose now? âMariâAH! No waHAhait! Wait!! AAAH!â
âShadow, will you please uncurl so I can see if somethingâs wrong?â Maria tried to sound stern, but her smile said otherwise.
âI cANât if you keep poking me like thAT! What are you doing?!â
âIâm just trying to make sure my best friend isnât trying to hide some kind of injury from me. But by the way youâre acting, something tells me you are hiding an injury!â
âI am not!â
âThen let me see!â
Shadow slowly uncurled, and yelped as Maria went for his sides again. âQuIHIHIT it!! Youâre doIHINg thihihis on pUrpOHose!â
Maria slowly gasped, pretending to be shocked. âWhy Shadow, you wouldnât happen to beâŠticklish, would you?â
âN-No! IâI donât even know what that means!â
âWell,â Maria began to explain, pulling her hands away. âtickling is when a certain spot on your body is touched in a way that makes you laugh.â
Shadow blinked. He had never felt more confused. Maria giggled at his dumbfounded expression. âWhat I was just doing to you seconds ago. Thatâs tickling.â
The black hedgehog glanced down at his side where Mariaâs fingers had been mere moments ago. Curious, he squeezed his own side and frowned as nothing happened. Maria giggled at her friendâs innocent attempt. âYou canât tickle yourself, silly. It only works if someone else does it to you.â
âThis doesnât make any sense. How is this even possible?â
Maria shrugged. âI donât know. And nobody has ever really figured out why. All we know is that itâs a silly way to play around and make you laugh.â She suddenly smirked. âAnd it looks like it works on you too!â
âWhat?â
âYou! Youâre ticklish, Shadow! Ohh, this changes everything!â
Shadow felt his cheeks grow warm, but he didnât know why. âNo, Iâm not!â
âAre too!â
âI am not!â
âAre too!â
âAm not!â
âAre too~!â Maria sang, booping the flustered hedgehog on the nose.
Shadow huffed, lowering his ears. âNo. Iâm. Not!!â
Maria was unfazed by his outburst. âAlright then, Mr. Ultimate Lifeform. You wanna keep denying the obvious? Iâll prove it to you! Lift up your arms.â
Shadow didnât like where this was going. He hugged himself tightly. âNo way!â
âWhat, are you scaaaared~?â
âIâm not scared of anything!â
âThen lift your arms up.â Shadow reluctantly obeyed, slowly raising his arms above his head. âNow, keep your arms up no matter what.â Shadowâs eyes widened as Mariaâs fingers slowly moved closer. He felt something bubbling in his chest: fear but alsoâŠexcitement?! He brushed it off as just adrenaline. After all, having his arms raised like this left vital spots vulnerable. So yes, it was just adrenaline and nothing more.
Maria wasnât making this any easier as she slowly, painfully inched her wiggling fingers closer, smirking like a pint-sized villain. And for some reason, the anticipation was maddening! Shadow had never felt this much panicky anticipation. Not even the times where he anticipated grueling tests and experiments the night before.
This was nothing like that. As much as his body panicked, his mind told him nothing serious was going to hurt him. He could feel the corners of his mouth trying to tug upwards. A strange feeling was bubbling and growing in his chest: the urge to laugh.
Finally, Mariaâs fingers touched down. She placed her fingertips on his forearms, before softly and slowly tracing down his arms. The closer her fingers got to his exposed underarms, the stronger the urge to laugh became.
Shadow bit his lip, refusing to let any emotion show. His arms trembled as he struggled to keep them up. His instincts were shouting for him to yank his arms down. He couldnât take the anticipation anymore!
He let out a muffled yelp as Maria rested her fingertips against his underarms. Shadow couldnât fight his instincts anymore.
âShadow, keep your arms up!â Maria playfully scolded. When Shadow couldnât lift his arms back up more than an inch, Maria went ahead and pushed his arms up all the way. Without wasting another second, her fingers plunged down to wiggle and scratch rapidly against the exposed underarms.
Shadow, unable to keep it together, let the dam break as loud laughs poured out of him. âAAAH! MarIAHAHAHA! NOHOHO!â Reflexively, he slammed his arms down to his sides, only to trap Mariaâs still wiggling fingers. âNO! NOHOHOHO!! DOHOHOHONâT!!â
âDonât what?â
âS-STOHAHAHAHAP!!â
âStop what?â
âAAAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHO!!â
Maria couldnât help but laugh alongside her friendâs screechy reactions. âYou keep saying ânoâ Shadow, but youâre not telling me what specifically!â
For some reason, the teasing tone in Mariaâs voice made Shadowâs cheeks flush even more. His stomach was bubbling with a maddening fluttery sensation that felt like he swallowed a swarm of live butterflies. How was that even possible?!
Quickly losing balance, Shadow flopped onto his back against the grass. âOoh, making things easier for me by lying down?â he heard Maria say. âI mean, you already lost trying to keep your arms up. But if you wanted me to keep tickling you, Shadow, you couldâve just told me!â
âWhAHAHAT?! NoHAHAHAO!!â
Shadow kicked and rapidly squirmed against the grass. His arms were glued to his sides, and Mariaâs fingers somehow were still able to move. As if that wasnât bad enough, now that he was laying down, Maria suddenly switched tactics. Now, she moved her hands to his ribs, where her devious fingers poked and kneaded at his ribcage.
âWaHAHAHAIT MAHAHARIA!!â
Ignoring his protest, Maria got another wicked idea. She halted her playful assault for a moment. âHey, Shadow? How many ribs do you have?â
âW-Whahat..?â The hedgehog gasped out, sitting up.
âDoes being the ultimate lifeform make you have an extra or less set of ribs?â
âIâŠI have the same as you. Twenty-four; twelve on each side.â
âHmmâŠI better check to make sure.â
âWhat?!â
Maria faked concern again. âI gotta make sure youâre not missing any! What if one of them came loose from all those laps you did earlier?â
âN-Nothihing came loose!â Shadow answered with a wobbly smile. He was trying so hard not to laugh, to no avail. Even worse, he couldnât even activate his chaos energy to get out of this flustering situation. In any other scenario, he could have easily teleported out of there, but he needed to concentrate in order to activate his power. And right now, his brain couldnât concentrate on anything else but the anticipation and tickly sensations.
âMariahaha, nohohoho!â Shadow couldnât hold back the anticipatory giggles as Maria slowly inched her wiggling fingers closer to his torso.
Flopping on his back again, Shadow tried to roll away from his villainous friend. Maria quickly reached out, swiftly yanking him back by his sides into her lap.
Now feeling more vulnerable than ever, Shadow frantically tried to squirm free. No luckâwhy was his super strength sucked out of him when he really needed it the most?!
âShadowâŠthe more you try to get away, the longer Iâm going to tickle youuu~!â
Shadow batted her hands like an angry kitten. âStohohop tahahalking to me like thahahahat!â
âLike whaaaaat~?â
âJuhust stohohâAAAH!â
Shadow yelped as his left wrist was yanked upwards. Before he could protest, he shrieked as Maria began kneading his lowest rib.
âOkay, oneeeâŠâ
âNAHAHAHAHAO!!â
âTwooooâŠâ
âSTAâSTAHAHAHAAAAP!!â
âThreeeeâŠShadow, hold still! Youâre going to make me lose count!â
Maria was having a ball teasing her friend this way. Who knew the ultimate lifeform was so ticklish and susceptible to baby talk?
And Shadow? His ears were pressed flat at how embarrassed the tickles were making him, especially the silly feeling of being cradled in someoneâs lap. Even his tail was betraying him; he could feel it wagging behind his back. He just hoped Maria didnât notice.
She did. But she didnât say anything as she knew her friend would feel embarrassed if she pointed it out. So she just continued kneading at Shadowâs ribs, slowly moving to the next one and enjoying hearing the stoic hedgehog squeal uncharacteristically.
The higher she got, the louder and more frantic Shadowâs laughter became. When she managed to get to his sixth rib, she paused. âHmmâŠaw man, I lost count. Guess weâll have to start over.â
Shadowâs eyes widened. âWhat?! N-No you donât! You were at six!!â
âWas I? I donât know, itâs just so hard to remember with you squirming around and trying to push my hands away. Oh well~!â
âMariaha, I swearâŠif you try ihit again, IâllâNAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!
Maria cut him by digging all her fingers against Shadowâs ribcage, vibrating rapidly. âSorry, whaddya say?â
âMAHARIAAAAHAHAHAHA!!â
âIâm right here, Shadow. No need to yell.â
Ohh the teasing. Somehow, it made everything so much worse. As much as Shadow was losing it, he also didnât want to accidentally hurt his friend with all his squirming and kicking.
Maria, of course, took advantage of him not fighting back. She moved her hands around, tickling every spot she could possibly reach.
When her fingers scribbled down to his belly, Shadow arched his back with a loud squeal. He managed to roll out of Mariaâs lap, and immediately covered his mouth with his gloved hands. He couldnât believe he was capable of making a sound so high-pitched like that. So embarrassing!
âOh myâhahaha! Shadow!â Maria doubled over in giggles. âThat was soooo cute! I didnât know you could squeal like that! I guess I found a really good tickle spot! No, waitâthe Ultimate Tickle Spot!â
Shadow could feel his entire face burn crimson by that statement. His ears pressed flat as he huffed, pretending to act all nonchalant. âN-No thatâsâthatâs notâwhatever! Thatâs ridiculous to say! And not true!â
âUh-huuuhhhâŠDonât worry, Shadow. I wonât tell anyone. My lips are sealed!â
âThereâs nothing to tell anyone!â Shadow objected.
âWhat, that you screech so adorably loud when I tickle you riiiiightâŠhere?â Maria quickly reached out to scratch at his furry tummy again. Shadow flinched away with another loud squeal, falling on his back again. âAwww!! See? I wonder if any of the other scientists have found out about this? Oooh, what if they do?! Then youâd be in reeeal trouble, Shadow!â
Even though he knew Maria was just teasing, the thought of having this embarrassing secret be discovered by the GUN scientists made Shadow genuinely panic. What if she was right? Nobody would ever let him live it down or take him seriously for the rest of his life. And the ProfessorâŠwhat would he even do if he found out the ultimate lifeform was secretly ticklish? Heâd rather get disintegrated by his own chaos energy than letting that happen.
He snapped out of his thoughts with a little gasp as Maria pulled him back into her lap again. Now cradled and facing her again, Shadow frowned. âYou better not mention this to anyone.â
Maria smiled. âDonât worry, your cute secretâs safe with me.â She playfully booped Shadowâs tummy, who squeaked at that before trying to cover it up with a cough.
âI mean it, Maria!â The black hedgehogâs ears lowered. âIf anyone finds out about this offensive tactic because of you, IâllâŠIâll steal your roller skates! And never give them back.â
Maria let out a long dramatic gasp, half-pretending to be greatly appalled by that threat. âThreatening the second thing I love most? First one being you, of course.â She lowered her tone to sound icy. âBut my roller skates? Stealing my skates..?â
Shadow was worried for a split second if he had accidentally made Maria legitimately angry. Now he really regretted his choice of words. He could feel a cold chill run down his spine at his friendâhis normally sweet and bubblyâfriendâs tone, and the way she tightened her grip.
What he didnât expect was to burst into hysterics as Maria ruthlessly tickled him. She furiously dug one hand into his belly while the other was shoved under his arm. And this time, she wasnât playing nice anymore. No matter which way he squirmed, her fingers kept tickling and he couldnât break free.
âNAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! MARIAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!! WAHAHAIT, PLEAHEEHEEHEEHEASE!! I-IâM SO-HAHAHAHAAAA!! IâM SORRY!!â
âIâm sorry, too, Shadow,â Maria said with faux sympathy. âIâm sorry that I do not accept your apology!â
âWHAHAHAHAT?! YOUâYOU CAHAHANâT DO THAâHAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!â Maria cut him off by using both hands to furiously tickle his belly. âNOHAAAAEEEEEEEHEHEHAAAAAA!! NAHAHAHO, PLEAHEEHEEHEEEEEASE!! NAHAHAHAT THEHEHEHERE!! IHIHIâM REAHEEHEEHEALLY SOHOHORRY!! AAAAHAHAHA!! I DIHIHIHIDNâT MEAN IHIHIHIT!!
Shadow frantically batted at Mariaâs scribbling hands, trying to push them anywhere else but his stomach. But that proved to be a mistake, as Maria switched from tickling his belly to his underarms, down to his ribs, then back to his belly, over and over so he couldnât get used to the tickly feeling.
Eight seconds later, Shadow was starting to lose it. Maria was wielding a very evil duo attack: she had one hand softly fluttering behind his back (he had no idea he was even ticklish there, either. How many tickle spots did he have?!) while the other scribbled the center of his tummy. Having two spots targeted simultaneously made his body confused; he didnât know if he should arch away or curl inward.
Even though Maria had softened up her touch, that wasnât the bad part. It was the awful teasing words she was cooing in his ear that made him want to combust. âTickle tickle, Shadow~! Whoâs a ticklish wittle baby hedgehog? Itâs youuu~! Aww, youâre trying so hard to get away, but you canât! Aww, does that fluster you? Me saying the word âtickleâ? How aboutâŠtickletickletickletickle!! Tickle tickle tickle! Tiiiickle tickle tickleeee~!â
Shadow felt like he was going to burst into flames. That evil baby talk was going to be the death of him! Tickly shocks plagued his entire body.
âM-MARIAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! CâMOHAHAHAHAHON, PLEAHEEHEEHEEHEASE!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! IâM REAHEEHEEALLY SORRY!! IHIHIHIâLL DO ANYTHIHIHIHIHING, JUHUHUST STAAAAHAHAHAHAHAP!! NOHO MOHOHOHORE!!â
Maria finally showed mercy and ceased her tickling. âTell you what, Iâll make you a deal. You apologize for doubting yourself and for threatening to steal my skates, and then you promise youâll never doubt yourself ever again because youâre Shadow the Hedgehog. And Shadow the Hedgehog is amazing and awesome at everything he does.â
Shadow weakly nodded with a soft eye roll. âFihihineâŠâ Just as he was about to open his mouth to say the required words, his eyes widened at Maria hovering her wiggling fingers over him like tickling crane claws. âMariahaha, nohohoho! I cahahahanât say ihihit if youâre doing thahahahat!â
âThis is to make sure youâre serious about your promise and the things you say,â she smirked. âGo on and say it. If you donât, Iâll have to tickle you again~!â
Shadow curled in the fetal position. âNOHOHO! You better nohohohot!â
âThen say it!â
âOkay, okahahay!â Shadow tried to get the words out, but Mariaâs teasing fingers werenât helping. They kept inching closer, slowly wiggling towards his stomach or making pinching motions towards his ribs, before pulling away at the last second.
And poor Shadow was consumed with anticipatory giggles that wouldnât let him get a single word out. âMaria, thatâs cheaheeheeheating! You cahahanât do thahat!â
âShadow, you have thirty seconds before I tickle you to death.â
âNO! Okay, fihihine!â Shadow breathed a giggly sigh. He tried to fix his gaze on Mariaâs eyes instead of her teasing fingers. âMaria, Iâm sohohorry for doubting myselfâŠand threatening to steal your skates. I promihihise I wonât ever doubt myself again. There, I said it.â
âAnd?â she pressed. When Shadow didnât want to say, she gave him a few quick side tases.
âAAAH! OkAHAhahay! And! BecauseâŠâ He sighed. âIâm Shadow the Hedgehog, and Shadow the Hedgehog is amazing and awesome at everything he does.â
Maria smiled in satisfaction. She pulled her claw hands away, and gave Shadow gentle rubs to the head. âI accept your apology. And your promise.â She gave him a hug. âNow was that so hard to do?â
Shadow scoffed. âVery.â
âBut donât you feel better?â
ââŠYeah. Thank you, MariaâŠreally. You always know how to help me feel better. I really donât know what Iâd do without you. Thank you again for everything.â
The two embraced in a warm hug. When they finally broke, Shadow gave her a stern look. âDonât think I wonât try and get revenge for your little stunt you pulled today.â
Maria laughed, not taking the hint. âOh, Shadow. No you wouldnât. You love me too much as a friend. Câmon, letâs head back.â She suddenly yawned. âIâm getting tired.â
Shadow nodded, softening his expression. âOf course. Here,â he took her hand. âNo need to walk all the way back.â He activated his chaos energy, and teleported them back to Maria's room. She invited Shadow to stay and sleep together in the blanket fort, which he happily accepted.
Once they were nestled under the blankets, Shadow decided to enact his revenge. No way was he going to let her get away with tickling the ultimate lifeform. Very carefully, he slid his hand under the blanket. When his fingers found Mariaâs side, he started gently squeezing.
Maria squeaked and burst into giggles. âShahahahadow! EEEEheeheeheehee!â
Now it was Shadowâs turn to smirk. âDid you really think I wasnât going to get back at you after what you did to me?â
âI donât knohohow! Mahahaybe? EEEEEHEEEK!! Shahahadow, wAHAHAhahait!!â Maria squealed and giggled louder as the hedgehog delivered rapid pokes up and down her ribs. She batted at his hand, and tried curling on her side.
âOh, did I miss a spot here?â Shadow pointed out as he poked her other side of ribs. He smiled as he heard her bright giggles.
Maria tried shielding herself by pulling her blanket over her head.
âTrying to evade my revenge will only make things worse!â Shadow declared, yanking the blanket off of her. Maria squealed in surprise, opting to hug her torso for protection. She turned her back to the hedgehog.
âDo you really think thatâs going to stop me?â Shadow playfully remarked, raising an amused eyebrow. He was surprised Maria wasnât putting in a lot of effort to try and stop him, like he did with her. He figured maybe this was just something she secretly liked.
Shadow gently traced imaginary lines up and down the girlâs spine, eliciting more high-pitched giggles. She simply covered her mouth with both hands, and twitched at the soft touch but didnât try to move away.
Shadow took that as his cue to continue. Time to turn the tables. âHey, Maria, remember that rhyming chant you always liked to use to mess with me? Well, letâs see if it works on you, too!â He traced another set of parallel lines down her spine. âLetâs see, line line, spider crawling up your spineâŠâ his gloved hand switched to a scribbly claw. âPat patâŠâ He gently patted her shoulder blades beforeâŠ
âHeart attack!â Shadow suddenly reached out to tase Mariaâs sides.
Maria squealed loudly and shrieked laughter as the tases didnât stop. âEEEEEK!! ShAHAHAdow! AAAheeheehahaha!! WAHAhahait, noho faHAHAhair!! Iâm only supposed to do thâAAAH! Thahahat to you!!â
âWell, now Iâm doing it to you!â The snarky hedgehog pointed out. âThis is what you get for pulling all your devious stunts on me!â
Instead of letting her answer, Shadow decided to be mean and slipped his hand under her pajama shirt, gently digging into her belly the same way sheâd done with him. The reaction was priceless; Maria screeched and flailed as if she was being electrocuted, but that didnât deter Shadow.
âSHAHAHAHAHDOW!! AAAAAHEHEHEHAHAHAHAAAA!! WAHAHAHAIT THAT REALLYâEEEEEEHEEHEEHEE!! TIHIHIHICKLES!! EEEEEEEEEK!! NAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!â
Mariaâs flailing arm suddenly smacked Shadow on the head. He ducked as her elbow almost collided with his jaw. He decided to turn the tables one last time by slipping his free hand behind her to scribble her back while still fluttering his other against her belly.
âEEEEEEHEEHEEEHEAAAAHAHAHA!! HEHEHEHEY, NO FAHAHAHAHAIR!!â
Shadow kept tickling the girl for a few more seconds before her laughter turned silent. He stopped immediately, suddenly concerned. âMaria? Are you okay?â He shook her shoulder. âDid I go too far?â
Maria shook her head as she panted, her cheeks dusted a pink hue. She sat up, coughing between pants.
Shadow became very worried, guilt washing over him. âIâm sorry, I should have stopped.â
âShadow, itâs okay,â Maria insisted once she caught her breath. âIâm okay, really. I was just laughing really hard.â She giggled, adjusting her shirt. âYou really got me good back there. But Iâm fine, I promise.â
She smiled reassuringly, which Shadow felt relieved for. He didnât want to accidentally tire her out too quickly, even if she half-deserved it. âJustâŠdonât try that on me again, or else I wonât be so merciful next time,â he told her.
Maria laughed it off, completely unfazed by his little threat. âNo promises. Iâve never heard you laugh before, Shadow. But it was so cute! And I never knew you were ticklish, either. But I am so gonna tickle you now every chance I get!â She waggled her eyebrows cheekily. âMaybe thatâll teach you not to be so pouty all the time!â
Shadowâs mouth dropped agape, but he recovered in the next second. âTry it, and Iâll make you sorry you ever did.â
âOooh, soooo scary.â
âYou should be. You just never learn, do you?â
âNope!â
Shadow shook his head with a faint smile. âWe better get to sleep. Itâs not healthy to stay up so late.â
Maria was about to protest when a yawn interrupted her. Giving up with a tired sigh, she snuggled under the blankets again. Shadow adjusted the blanket for her, making sure she was covered before handing Maria her bear that was discarded off to the side during all her tickly induced flailing.
Maria sleepily smiled and cuddled her plush bear close. Then, Shadow slid under the blanket next to her. Once comfy, he faced his friend who was almost asleep.
âGood night, Maria. Sweet dreams.â
Maria reached out to pet Shadowâs head. âGood night, Shadow,â she sleepily replied, eyes barely open. âSweet dreams and sleep tight.â
Shadow smiled warmly, and gently petted her head in return. The soft glow of the fairy lights hanging above combined with the warmth of the fuzzy blankets and pillows quickly lulled Shadow into a peaceful sleep. So much better than sleepless nights floating in a giant test tube.
The two friends slept blissfully together, protected in the safe space of their blanket fort. And for the first time since Maria had discovered him in the lab, Shadow slept tranquil enough to not have any nightmares or doubting thoughts. Nothing could harm him as long as they had each other.
THE END














