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Oh, how his body couldn't keep up with his heart.
Or his heart couldn't keep up with his mind.
It was childish love at first, if you could even classify it as that. Something stupid, like how his ears flicked in his direction or how his gaze seemed to pierce his soul, only encouraged Sonic to expand on the feeling.
Hell, it couldn't be that easy.
Sonic worried that maybe he was becoming obsessive. He even had a process for stealing a glance or two:
Glance, look away. Slowly turn head. Stare. Is that his head turning? Look away. Look down at hands. Marvel at hand. Wait for him to turn around. Repeat.
He wondered if Shadow knew, or if he reciprocated the same feelings. If he was, he wasn't giving any hints. Their friendship seemed to continue as it always had, except for the moments it didn't.
Those moments are what Sonic would grasp onto, what he would reminisce about late at night when sleep seemed to escape him. He never realized how small actions could have a huge impact.
It's the little things that really made his heart race.
When he didn't stare at him with such a harsh gaze, when he actually showed up for their ice cream plans with everyone else. When he didn't laugh at his joke but his ears twitched instead, and when he commented on the color of his quills.
It may have been a stupid comment, some could consider it a compliment. But as Shadow gently brushed through his quills after he fell while racing, Sonic didn't have a care in the world.
Maybe it was a step in the right direction.
Towards what, he had no idea.
He didn't care.
When the two were so tired that neither of them could make it back to their own place, they both had to crash with Tails. Usually he didn't have more than one overnight visitor at a time, and there was no way he was sacrificing his bed for either of them, even though they were exhausted.
One shared pullout couch couldn't kill them, could it?
Sonic had to sleep on the floor.
He woke up a little after 3, the moonlight shining dimly through the living room window. The light caught on his dark fur, painting it with a silver glow. He didn't have to use his staring process, since Shadow was fast asleep and... snoring?
He had to stifle a laugh to prevent him from waking up. Sonic never would've imagined himself in this situation, listening to Shadow snoring. The ground was uncomfortable, but he knew that moving would wake him up. Staying still wasn't an easy feat, since his heart was hammering in his chest and ringing through his ears. It was almost louder than the snoring.
His heart started to beat louder and louder, and he didn't notice when the snoring subsided and the blankets on the couch shifted. All he could do was stare at the ceiling and hope his heart wouldn't pound out of his chest.
Then Shadow replaced the ceiling that Sonic was gazing at, peering over his energy-filled body which was crumpled on the uncomforting floor.
Sonic's vision was clouded in darkness before it was completely enveloped in the same color of Shadow's quills. The entire situation was too overwhelming for him, and thinking about explaining his feelings made him pass out.
Or maybe it was Shadow's gaze, one not filled with hatred but concern, that made him fall into a shocked doze.