SonAdow - Romance in Highschool?

Sonic/Shadow: Nicer Than I Knew

A/N: This chapter is constructed of POV's from both Sonic and Shadow for the sake of parallel plot construction. I will clearly label each section as being from either's POV, so hopefully it won't become too confusing. Enjoy!

Sonic's POV:

I bounce down the stairs with Tails flying behind me, eager to go with my family to look around our new hometown of GreenWood. I skid to a stop just before whacking into my dad, making him blink in surprise.

"Careful not to make me a pancake there, son," he jokes, and I grin apologetically. Tails lands next to us, still wriggling into his blue jacket, and I chuckle as he tries futilely to get his arms in the sleeves. I help him, holding out each sleeve so he can slide his arm into it. He succeeds, thanking me, and I give him a thumbs up. "Don't you want a coat, Sonic?" Dad asks, and I shrug.

"I don't think I'll get cold, so no, not really." Dad raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug again, grinning. "It takes a lot to get me cold. Besides, it's only September." Sighing, dad smiles resignedly.

"Alright, but if you get cold, it's your own fault," he says, and I nod. Mom walks in with her long, brown coat on, smiling at us.

"Ready to go?" She asks, and Tails and I both say, "Yes!" She laughs at our excitement, giving me a double-take as we're heading out the door. "Aren't you going to take a coat, Sonic? It's pretty chilly outside." I groan exaggeratedly, and dad chuckles at me.

"Why does everyone think I'll get cold?" I ask, holding my arms out in exasperation. "I'm not going to get cold!" Tails is snickering at me, and I ruffle his hair. "It's not that funny, little bro," I say, and he smiles.

"Says you!" He laughs, and takes flight, zooming down the street. I immediately take off after him, and we hear the groans of our parents behind us. Laughing, I hop into the air and do a front flip just for the heck of it, enjoying the fresh air that was so rare in the city. We make our way through the next few streets in this fashion, eventually returning to mom and dad when we get bored of waiting for them to catch up. We each grab one of them, Tails claiming mom and I snatching dad. We then yank them behind us, laughing like we won't ever have another chance to do so.

"Remind me how I've survived the last 10 years?" Dad yelps as I leap off the ground happily, letting go of his hand so I can flip again. Mom laughs, Tails giggling as she sweeps him up of the ground and into her arms. I roll as I land, lying spread-eagled on the ground and wheezing from all of the activity. Dad helps me up, and I grin at him.

"I don't know how you did it, but I think your sense of humor helped!" I exclaim, making him smile.

"Agreed," he says, and we join mom and Tails, walking down the street like the happy family we are. Several more blocks pass, and we make it to the center of town where a small mall complex provides most of the area's stores.

"Sonic, is that you?" A familiar voice asks behind me, and I turn, looking at the voice's owner.

"Amy? I didn't know you'd be here!" I exclaim, and she crushes me in a happy hug. "Oof! Can't...breathe!" I choke, and she giggles, releasing me. "It's nice to see you," I greet, and she nods enthusiastically.

"I'm here with Rouge. We're shopping for some new cold-weather clothes!" She responds, and I look over her shoulder to see Rouge with two large bags, hobbling over the best she can with the load. She eventually makes it over, saying hi to me with what breath she has.

"Is Julie-Su here, too?" I ask, and Rouge and Amy laugh in unison.

"Hun, she hates shopping! The only place I've ever seen her go in the mall--excluding the food court--is the sporting goods store! We couldn't pay her to join us!" Rouge laughs, and I scratch my ear in a somewhat awkward manner, embarrassed I didn't know that detail already.