a hedgehogs unlikely crush

ch 40

Sonic stood there, arms crossed, staring daggers at Shadow, who was still lounging back with Perci beside him. Tension hung in the air like a thick cloud, and even though Amy had intervened, Sonic couldn't shake the fury bubbling beneath the surface.

"So, we're supposed to just sit here and have a 'grown-up talk'?" Sonic sneered, still not buying into Amy's whole speech. "What's there to talk about? Shadow's still a smug asshole who—"

"Who's what?" Shadow interrupted coolly, his eyes narrowing. "Better than you? You're right, Sonic. I am. Now can we skip to the part where you stop embarrassing yourself?"

Perci nudged Shadow, shooting him a look. "Shadow, don't make it worse," she whispered, though she couldn't completely hide her smirk.

Sonic's blood boiled. "Embarrassing? Oh, you think this is about embarrassment? You think just because you've got Perci now, you're on top of the world? Like I'm jealous or something?"

Amy crossed her arms, her patience quickly wearing thin. "Sonic, this is exactly the problem. You are jealous, and it's making you act like a total jerk. Can you not see that?"

Sonic threw his hands up. "I'm not jealous of Shadow! I'm just... I'm just sick of the way he acts, like he's above all of us just because he's got a girl now. And you're all just okay with it?"

Tails, who had been quietly observing the situation, finally stepped forward. "Sonic... you're not really mad at Shadow, are you? You're mad that things are changing. It's always been you at the center of everything, and now you feel like you're losing control."

Sonic shot a glance at Tails, shocked by how accurately he hit the nail on the head. "I'm not losing control. I'm just—"

"—jealous," Amy finished for him. "And insecure. And it's okay to admit that, Sonic, but you need to deal with it in a better way. Attacking Shadow, constantly picking fights, that's not going to solve anything."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "For once, I agree with Rose here. Maybe stop being a whiny little—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Amy snapped at Shadow, cutting him off.

Knuckles, who had been sitting on the porch with his legs stretched out, suddenly looked up. "Okay, so are we actually gonna have this serious talk or just keep insulting each other? Because if we're not, I'm gonna go find some snacks. All this emotional stuff makes me hungry."

Sticks, still chewing on her stick, waved a hand. "Or maybe the snacks are a trap. Could be a plot to distract us from what's really going on."

"Sticks, there's no conspiracy," Tails muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Perci, finally having enough, stood up and crossed her arms. "Look, can we stop with the bickering and just be real for a second? Sonic, I don't know what your issue is with Shadow and me being together, but this is my life too. If you can't accept that, then we've got a problem."

Sonic blinked, caught off guard by Perci's directness. He opened his mouth to argue but realized he didn't really have a response. He was upset—maybe more than upset—but he didn't know why. Was it really jealousy? Or was it that he didn't want things to change? That he didn't want to admit that Shadow had something he didn't?

"You don't get it, Perci," Sonic finally said, his voice softer but still tense. "It's not just about you two being together. It's about him," he pointed at Shadow, "thinking he's better than me. Always has. And now, with you, it's like he's rubbing it in my face."

Shadow leaned back, crossing his arms. "I don't need to think I'm better than you, Sonic. I just am. You've been blinded by your own ego for so long you can't see what's right in front of you. Perci's with me because I treat her right. Maybe that's what you need to learn."

Sonic clenched his fists, ready to lunge again, but this time it was Perci who stepped between them. "Both of you, stop. This isn't about who's better than who. Shadow, you're not helping by being condescending. And Sonic, you need to get over this idea that everyone's against you. I love Shadow, okay? It doesn't make you less important. You're still my friend, but this fighting needs to end."

Amy nodded, clearly on Perci's side. "She's right. This whole thing has gotten way out of hand. Sonic, you've been acting like a jealous kid, and Shadow, you're not helping by provoking him."

The air grew thick with silence. Sonic looked down, his mind spinning, but he couldn't find the right words to argue anymore. Shadow, as much as Sonic hated to admit it, wasn't entirely wrong. He had been acting like a brat, letting his pride get in the way.

Before anyone could speak again, there was a sudden buzzing noise. Out of nowhere, Orbot and Cubot zoomed into the yard, skidding to a halt in front of the group.

"Hey, Sonic! Hey, everyone! Eggman's wondering why you haven't fought him in days," Orbot announced in his usual chipper voice. "He's feeling a bit... neglected."

Cubot nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he says it's like you've forgotten about him or something. He's even got a special robot ready to fight you! You should really check it out!"

Amy groaned, clearly done with the day's events. "Of course Eggman would show up now."

Sonic sighed, rubbing his temples. "Perfect timing. Just when I was about to..." he trailed off, realizing he didn't even know what he was going to say.

Before anyone could react, the sound of Eggman's maniacal laughter filled the air as a giant robot stomped its way toward the shack. "SONIC! I hope you're ready for a fight!" Eggman cackled.

Shadow stood up, cracking his knuckles. "I'm so done with today."

Sonic rolled his eyes, finally ready to blow off some steam. "Let's finish this quick."