Whiskey and regret (sonadow

Waaaa

The air was thick with smoke and the distant sounds of explosions, the chaos of battle raging all around. Sonic darted between Eggman's robots, effortlessly dismantling them with sharp spin dashes, but his mind wasn't fully in the fight. It hadn't been for weeks.

Everything felt off. The city in ruins, the relentless assault from Eggman, and worst of all, his own internal struggle. His thoughts kept drifting back to Shadow — to that night when Shadow had drunkenly confessed his feelings. Sonic had run away from that conversation, and since then, things hadn't been the same between them.

Sonic's heart raced, not just from the fight but from the knot in his chest that had been growing tighter and tighter with each passing day. He didn't know how to face it — how to face him.

Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the air, catching Sonic off guard. He swerved, narrowly avoiding the blast, but the ground beneath him crumbled. He lost his footing and fell hard, pain shooting through his side as he landed on a chunk of debris. For a split second, his world tilted. He struggled to get up, but his body wouldn't move fast enough.

That's when he saw it: a massive robot looming over him, its arm raised, ready to strike.

I'm not going to make it.

Just as the robot's arm came down, a blur of black and red shot into view.

"Chaos Control!"

The world around them froze. Sonic blinked, disoriented by the sudden shift in time. In an instant, the deadly robot was pushed back, its strike missing by mere inches. And standing there, breathing heavily, was Shadow.

Sonic's heart skipped a beat, a flood of relief washing over him as he watched Shadow move with swift precision, dismantling the robot with a series of expertly timed blows. It all happened so fast, and before Sonic could fully register it, the robot was nothing but scrap metal on the ground.

Shadow turned toward him, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. His crimson eyes locked on Sonic, sharp and concerned, though he kept his usual stoic demeanor.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Shadow growled, stepping closer, his voice harsh but laced with something softer beneath the frustration. "You need to stay focused."

Sonic forced a grin, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I had it under control... mostly."

Shadow narrowed his eyes, not buying it. "You were about to be crushed."

Sonic opened his mouth to respond with some quip, but the words caught in his throat. Something about the way Shadow was looking at him, the intensity in his gaze, struck him differently this time. It wasn't just the usual annoyance or frustration that Shadow often showed in battle — there was something deeper, something that made Sonic's chest tighten.

For weeks, he had been running from this. From the way Shadow's confession had left him rattled, unsure of himself and his feelings. He'd told himself it didn't matter, that he could brush it off and move on. But now, standing here, saved yet again by the one person who had always been there for him, Sonic couldn't ignore it any longer.

His mind raced as he looked at Shadow, who stood tall, unwavering, always dependable. There had been so many moments like this — moments where Shadow had risked everything to protect him. Sonic had always thought of it as a rivalry, maybe even a friendship. But now, in the aftermath of Shadow's confession, everything felt different.

Why do I feel like this?

It hit him then, like a punch to the gut.

I love him.