Jayde the Hedgehog • By Your Side [3]

6: Playfulness✔️

Music: Adventures - William Ekh

22:34

Shadow took a sip from his drink, looking through the papers for the mission. It was vital that he checked for an miscalculations within the assignment otherwise all the blame would be on him and it would add to the tally of failures recently made. Everything was mostly in order, from Omega being the distraction to Rouge heading in first to shut down the power and check security.

Shadow glanced up to look at Jayde. She sat on the sofa, dressed in a long shirt for her night clothes, making some adjustments on her board. The two had made a quick stop at Jayde's broken house to gather some of her belongings and patch up the roof with a plastic sheet in case it rained. Her orbs where lit by the fire close to her, so full of concentration and determination.

That's what Shadow admired about her.

She was not a mould of society's expectations of a feminine hero. She wasn't the one to follow behind the male. She wasn't the one to wait for instructions before she joined the fight. Jayde did things her way and didn't let anyone prevent her from completing her task. That's why Shadow took an interest in her. Jayde was Jayde.

The female looked up to him as she felt his gaze, getting lost in the swirling ruby orbs she secretly loved. A small smile hit her face, a chuckle lifting up into the air as Shadow quickly looked down, embarrassed he had been caught staring. The female bounded over to him, pulling one of the chairs to sit beside him, "Yes?" she grinned.

A faint blush spread across Shadow's muzzle as he coughed but it was hidden by the darkness of the room, "Nothing." He muttered, continuing to write down a few notes. Jayde rested her arms on the table, followed by her chin, watching as the pen hit the paper, revealing his unique handwriting.

Shadow could see her in the corner of his eye glance up at him, bright, azure eyes burning into him as she mumbled, "You work too much."

"No, it's my job." He spoke, switching the papers around. He went to grab the pen but his gloved fingers met with woods. Shadow frowned, certain he had left his pen there. He rummaged around the files before looking at Jayde who had a small grin on her muzzle and a playful glint in her orbs, "Where's the pen, Jayde?"

"What pen?" she asked, scratching her head with the said item, "I don't see a pen?" She got up and walked back over to the sofa, Shadow quick to follow.

"Jayde, give me the pen."

Azure eyes looked back and put the pen behind her back, a playfully evil smirk on her face, "Come and get it, Ultimate Lifeform."

Shadow smirked and hummed a laugh, "You know you can't get away from me."

The Protector rummaged through her quills before revealing the red Chaos Emerald that the ebony hedgehog kept hidden in his spines, "Oh, really?"

His orbs widened before he grinned even more, "Okay, you want it that way?" Shadow raced towards her, but Jayde's board slipped under her feet, causing him to leap and hit the floor. Jayde burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she bowed over. Shadow huffed, dusting himself off. He listened to her captivating laugh, a small action which made his heart race at her happiness. Jayde promptly stopped laughing, eyes widening as he shot towards her again. She quickly hopped on her board and shot out the door, the Ultimate Lifeform not far behind her.

He knew he could easily still chaos control in front of her with the energy stored in his inhibitor rings, but he decided to mess with her. He skated beside her, watching as her quills flew back behind her, the new mature style she had.