a hedgehogs unlikely crush

ch 35

Shadow strode confidently toward Amy's house, Perci walking beside him. He had a lot on his mind and figured it was time to talk things over with Amy. As soon as they knocked, Amy opened the door, a warm smile on her face.

"Hey, Shadow, Perci. What's going on?" she asked, stepping aside to let them in.

Shadow didn't waste time. "I've got something important to discuss," he said, his tone serious but calm. Perci glanced at him curiously, not sure what this was about, but trusted Shadow enough to just listen.

Amy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Okay, what is it?"

Shadow leaned in slightly, his voice dropping as he explained his plan. "It's about Sonic and... well, you, too. I think it's time to take the heat off all this tension between Sonic and me. So, I was thinking we should all go on a double date—me and Perci, and you and Sonic."

Amy blinked, completely caught off guard. "A... double date? Shadow, Sonic and I aren't even a thing yet!"

Shadow smirked. "Not yet, but it's obvious he's got a thing for you. And this might just push him to stop being a damn idiot about it."

Perci smiled at the idea, thinking it was sweet that Shadow wanted to do something nice, even if it had his own twist to it. "I think it could be fun," she said. "It might even help Sonic chill out."

What none of them realized was that Sticks had been lurking outside the window, eavesdropping in her usual conspiracy mode. However, she only caught parts of the conversation—just enough to catch the words "date," "Sonic," "Amy," and "Perci."

Sticks immediately sprinted off in a paranoid dash, convinced that something major was happening. She burst into Sonic's place, breathless, her words coming out in rapid-fire bursts. "Sonic! You'll never believe this! I overheard Shadow talking to Amy and Perci about a date! Something about you, Perci, and—dammit—I couldn't catch all of it, but it's bad! It's really bad!"

Sonic's ears perked up, but as Sticks kept rambling on, his brain started to fill in the blanks. The thought of Shadow setting something up behind his back involving Perci and Amy? That made his blood boil.

"Wait—Shadow and Perci?!" Sonic repeated, his face growing red with fury. He jumped to his feet, adrenaline surging. "That bastard's planning something!"

He grabbed his shoes and dashed out the door, heading straight for the canyons, where Sticks had said they were. His mind was running wild with possibilities, none of them good.

By the time Sonic reached the canyon, he was ready for a fight. He slowed down, hiding behind a boulder as he heard voices nearby. His eyes narrowed when he saw Amy walking up beside Shadow and Perci.

Shadow turned around with his usual smirk, noticing Sonic before Sonic could even try to make a move. "Well, look who decided to show up," Shadow said smugly, making Sonic bristle.

Sonic's eyes darted between Shadow and Amy, his mind already spiraling into jealousy. "What the hell is going on here, Shadow?" he demanded, stepping out from behind the boulder. "You planning something behind my back?"

Amy raised an eyebrow, confused at Sonic's aggression. "Sonic, what are you talking about?"

Sonic's gaze locked on Shadow, who had that infuriating, cocky smile plastered on his face. "I heard about this 'date' talk. Sticks said something about a date with you, Perci, and Amy? What the hell, man?"

Shadow let out a short laugh, clearly enjoying how wound up Sonic was getting. "You really should learn to listen better. What I said was, we're going on a double date—me and Perci, and you and Amy."

Sonic blinked, completely taken aback. "Wait... a double date? You've got to be kidding me."

Shadow's smile widened. "Not at all. In fact, I thought it would give you a chance to, I don't know, maybe stop being such a damn child and step up for once." His tone was smug, and it pissed Sonic off even more.

Sonic's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching. "You're just doing this to fuck with me, aren't you? Trying to show me up? You think you're so great because you've got Perci, but let's see if you can out-charm me when it comes to Amy."

Amy, who was completely bewildered by the sudden competitive energy, sighed. "Sonic, it's not a competition."

But Sonic, now feeling the heat of the moment, wasn't listening. His mind was already set. "Oh, it's on, Shadow. You think you're gonna outdo me? Hell no. I'll show you how it's done."

Shadow rolled his eyes, but a slow grin spread across his face. "Oh, Sonic. You can try all you want, but we both know how this is going to end."

The tension in the air was thick, and it was clear that this "double date" idea was about to turn into a full-on battle of egos. Sonic saw this as his perfect chance to one-up Shadow, even if Amy and he weren't officially together yet. Meanwhile, Shadow was more than happy to let Sonic dig his own grave while he enjoyed every second of it.

"Tomorrow night," Shadow said, his voice calm but confident. "Meh Burger. You and Amy, me and Perci. Let's see who outshines who."

Sonic cracked his knuckles, his competitive spirit flaring. "Oh, you're on, Shadow. And don't think I'm going easy on you, either."

As Sonic walked off, clearly hyped for the challenge, Amy sighed again, rubbing her temples. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"

Perci chuckled softly, leaning against Shadow. "Maybe. But at least it'll be entertaining."

Shadow smirked, wrapping an arm around her. "Yeah. Entertaining for us, at least."