a hedgehogs unlikely crush

ch 17

Perci smiled as she walked hand-in-hand with Shadow, heading towards Meh Burger. She wasn't sure how Shadow would react to the food, but it was a casual date, and she was looking forward to it. Shadow, on the other hand, was already planning how much fun it would be to rub it in Sonic and his friends' faces. The idea of seeing their jaws hit the floor? Priceless.

When they arrived, just as they expected, Sonic and the gang were already seated at their usual table, munching on burgers and laughing about something probably stupid. Shadow smirked. This is going to be fun.

As they entered Meh Burger, every pair of eyes in the place turned to them—particularly the group at the table. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy froze, staring in disbelief as Shadow waltzed in with Perci. Not just walking side by side—no, they were holding hands. Shadow, the ultimate loner, hand-in-hand with Perci? Sonic's jaw nearly hit the table.

"Oh, hell no," Knuckles muttered under his breath, blinking as if he were seeing things.

Perci squeezed Shadow's hand, feeling slightly nervous with all the eyes on them, but Shadow gave her a sideways smirk. "Don't worry, Butterfly. Let me handle this."

With that, Shadow walked them right up to Sonic's table. He didn't say a word at first—just stood there, glaring down at them, waiting for someone to speak.

Sonic was the first to break the silence, looking completely dumbfounded. "What the—Shadow? Perci? What's going on here?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing. "What's going on? Isn't it obvious, Sonic? I'm here with my girlfriend," he said, emphasizing the last word and watching with glee as their expressions twisted in confusion and shock.

Tails blinked several times, adjusting his goggles. "You mean—wait—girlfriend?"

"Damn right," Shadow replied, wrapping an arm around Perci's waist for good measure, making sure everyone at the table got a full view. "Got a problem with that?"

Knuckles leaned over to Sonic and whispered, "Is this some kind of alternate universe thing, or did I miss something?"

Amy, always quick to jump into the drama, folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see that coming."

Shadow ignored them all and focused on Perci. "Come on, Butterfly, let's grab a seat," he said smoothly. But as he looked around, there was only one seat left at Sonic's table. Instead of letting that stop him, Shadow grinned wickedly.

Without asking, he pulled Perci onto his lap, taking the seat for himself as he sat her down comfortably. "Looks like there's no space for you, so I'll just make some."

Sonic looked like he was about to choke on his chili dog. "Dude, seriously?"

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Shadow asked, playing up his gentlemanly act. "I'm just making sure my girlfriend is comfortable. Something you should be familiar with, right?" The sarcasm was thick, and Sonic's eye twitched.

Perci couldn't help but chuckle at the whole thing. Shadow was clearly enjoying himself, and she didn't mind being part of it. If anything, it was nice to see him let loose and have a little fun. She snuggled into him, feeling his warmth, which only made Sonic look even more exasperated.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Sonic muttered under his breath, glancing at Tails, who shrugged helplessly.

Shadow leaned down to Perci and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "Want to order anything, Butterfly? It's on me." He shot a smug look at the group, knowing full well that Sonic and the gang would probably never get over this.

Perci giggled. "Yeah, I'll take a Meh Burger."

Shadow flagged down Dave the intern. "Two Meh Burgers," he ordered. Then, with a smirk, he added, "And maybe you could hurry it up. After all, I don't want to keep my girlfriend waiting."

Dave raised an eyebrow, glancing at Perci and Shadow. "Uh... right away."

As the group sat in stunned silence, Shadow's smirk remained firmly in place. He had done it—completely blindsided them all and marked his territory. He didn't care about what they thought, not as long as Perci was happy.

When their food finally arrived, Sonic and the others could only stare as Shadow made a show of being a perfect gentleman. He pulled the burger wrapper off for Perci, made sure she had her drink, and even wiped a crumb off her cheek with his thumb. Sonic looked like he was seconds away from screaming.

"You're really laying it on thick, huh?" Amy muttered, shaking her head.

"Just showing how it's done," Shadow said with a cocky grin, making sure Sonic was the one getting the full brunt of his smugness.

Perci, leaning into Shadow's chest, couldn't help but smile. Yeah, it was a little over the top, but seeing Shadow act like this—both playful and protective—made her feel special. She wasn't just the bandicoot girl from the village anymore. She was his girl, and the way he made it clear to everyone made her heart race.

And just to rub it in a little more, Shadow leaned down to Perci, his voice dropping to a low, intimate tone. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Perci's face turned bright red, and she could feel Sonic glaring daggers at them from across the table. She bit her lip and whispered back, "I think we're causing a scene."

"Good," Shadow replied, louder this time, making sure everyone heard. "Let them watch."