a hedgehogs unlikely crush

ch 20

The next morning, Shadow was feeling especially bold. He decided to take Perci on a high-speed trip to Meh Burger for breakfast, skating through the village at breakneck speed, Perci holding on tight to him, laughing the entire way. It wasn't long before they neared the burger joint, and, right on cue, Shadow swerved just close enough to kick up a wave of dust—directly into Sonic's face.

Sonic sputtered, waving his arms frantically to clear the dust from his face, but it was too late. Not only had the dust gotten in his eyes, it had landed all over his food, and even worse—in his mouth.

"Damn it, Shadow!" Sonic shouted, standing up from his seat, his food completely ruined. He coughed, brushing the dirt off his chili dog while glaring at the smug hedgehog skating toward him.

Shadow, of course, feigned innocence. "Oops. My bad." He shot Sonic a sarcastic smirk while helping Perci down, gently holding her waist as if nothing else in the world mattered. Perci giggled, finding the whole situation more amusing than she should.

Amy, sitting at the table with Sonic, quickly stood up to greet Perci. "Hey! How have you been? I didn't expect to see you this early."

Perci smiled, standing beside Shadow. "We just came for breakfast. Figured I could use some company." She shot a playful look up at Shadow, who was already pulling out a chair for her—or so everyone thought.

Instead, Shadow sat down first, and with one smooth motion, pulled Perci onto his lap.

Sonic's face turned red with anger, his hands balled into fists on the table as he glared at Shadow, who was making a big deal out of the whole thing. "Really, Shadow? Really?"

Shadow leaned back in the chair, holding Perci close, his arm casually wrapped around her waist. "What? There's only one chair. I'm just being a gentleman," he said with a devilish smirk, knowing full well he was rubbing it in.

Perci was blushing, but she didn't mind at all. In fact, she leaned back into Shadow, enjoying the attention and the way he made Sonic fume.

Knuckles, clueless as ever, sat down beside Sonic and pointed at Shadow. "Hey, if you're paying for Perci's food, can you, uh... pay for mine too?" He grinned, completely unaware of the tension in the air.

Shadow's eyes narrowed at Knuckles. "No."

Knuckles blinked, his smile fading as he leaned back. "Oh... okay then. I'll just... get some water."

Meanwhile, Sonic was still fuming. He slammed his hands on the table, standing up again, clearly unable to let it go any longer. "You think this is funny, Shadow? Skating in here, showing off like a jackass, acting like you own the place. It's bullshit. All of it!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow, not moving from his seat, his arm still wrapped around Perci's waist. "What's your problem, Sonic? Jealous?"

"Jealous?" Sonic laughed bitterly. "Of what? You living with Perci now? This whole romantic act you've got going on? The kissing? The teasing? It's bullshit, and you know it. I don't get how you suddenly think you can just... what, move in with her, act like some kind of hero?"

Shadow chuckled, clearly enjoying Sonic's outburst. "You're just mad because I got what you wanted." He leaned forward slightly, his smirk growing more wicked by the second. "I live with her, Sonic. She asked me to. I take care of her. And you? You're just sitting here, getting dust in your food."

Sonic's fists clenched, his teeth grinding together. "You're so full of yourself."

"And you're full of jealousy," Shadow replied smoothly. "But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because at the end of the day, I'm the one going home with her."

Perci blushed at Shadow's words, and while part of her wanted to tell him to calm down, another part of her couldn't help but feel flattered. Shadow was really putting it all out there, and Sonic? Well, Sonic was just losing his mind over it.

"You're such an ass, Shadow," Sonic finally muttered.

"And yet, she still prefers me," Shadow shot back, his voice dripping with amusement. He waved over to the server. "One large sundae. For Perci."

Amy, watching the entire thing unfold, leaned over to Perci and whispered, "Is this how he always is now?"

Perci shrugged, giggling softly. "Pretty much."

Sonic, completely frustrated, sat back down, crossing his arms. He couldn't stand seeing Shadow bask in all this attention, and even worse—he couldn't stand how Perci seemed to love it.

When the sundae arrived, Shadow set it in front of Perci like she was royalty. "Anything else, Butterfly?"

Perci shook her head, smiling. "This is perfect, Shady. Thanks."

Shadow smirked at her nickname for him, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Only the best for you."

As Sonic watched them, his blood boiled. Shadow was enjoying every second of this, and it was driving him insane.

Shadow leaned back in his chair, savoring the tension. Sonic may have been the hero of the village, but right now, Shadow was the one winning—and that, to him, was priceless.