Work Text:
He didn't know when they became friends. For him it was very sudden - the realization that they're no longer enemies, no longer 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 rivals. No specific moment. Just out of nowhere he realized, that he minded the others presence less and less with each month, week, day, hour...
They hung out more often without fighting each other. At least not seriously. They still sparred, but lately every spar ended with Sonic laughing and Shadow slightly smiling.
They never stopped racing as well, how could they? It was their iconic thing, their happiness, their freedom. There wasn't a person or event that could stop them from that.
After all racing for Sonic equalled Shadow and for Shadow it equalled Sonic.
Shadow never before believed, that happiness could hide in that form. For him it was just a prequel of loss, hurt, sadness, grief and anger, so he tried to keep himself away from others.
But Sonic was different. There was nothing that could stop him, when he set himself a goal. At the beginning Shadow viewed him as a persistent, cocky, selfish and narcissistic bastard, who couldn't understand someone's wish to be left alone, that somehow got announced as the hero of Mobius.
He despised him with all of his soul, but lately.. lately he started to understand.
Hero was just a mask for his worries, for his cries for help, for sadness, that he didn't dare to show to any of his friends. To 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦. It was a mask that hid a person.
Unluckily for him, Shadow wasn't dumb. Once he got over his hate for Sonic, he saw him. The true him.
He noticed every time his ear flickered anxiously, his leg shifted in an uncomfortable manner or the way he caressed his fingers to calm himself down, when he tried to convince his friends, that everything will end up alright, despite not believing it himself.
At the beginning Shadow didn't care too much, but lately he's been wishing, he did.
Sonic saved a lot of people and yet had no one to save him.
Sure, his friends would help the hero...if not for the fact that none of them knew. Sonic wasn't the type of a person to let someone hear his worries and sadly none of them saw.
They didn't see how the hero was destroying himself mentally. It wasn't a slight damage to his brain, emotions and feelings, no. It was becoming a whole ruin.
His personality was less his.
Once chatty, cocky, confident, always in a move and lately? He was still chatty, but once someone pointed it out, he wasn't continuing his rambling like he used to. He was also less confident in himself, but that was a bit harder to tell. He remained his cocky self, although Shadow had a feeling, that it was rather forced, to not let anybody catch on.
Even Tails, Sonic's best friend and brother by choice, didn't notice anything. Sure, that kid is a genius, but he lacks observation skills.
Shadow was his only hope and he didn't even know.
It took him a while to talk to the hero and even more for him to believe that Shadow didn't do that, so he could use it to his advantage or to mock him for that later and finally opened up.
They spent a whole day on the highest hill that day and then the night watching stars and saying what had laid in the depths of their hearts for the longest time.
The next day Sonic looked exhausted, but happier and lighter as if a heavy weight was lifted off of his shoulders, letting him finally relax.
Shadow felt better too. Maybe he was a bit uncomfortable knowing that now there was someone who knew his secrets, weaknesses and insecurities, but in some way he was glad, that it was Sonic.
He trusted him, even if he would never admit that. He was slowly getting used to being his friend.
Friend.
So why now, when he was watching Sonic, he didn't feel as if he was the hero's friend. As if he didn't want to be his friend.
He couldn't even get the time to get used to the terms of that friendship, because a new want came in and made him torn once again. Made him feel confused, but happy, anxious, but relaxed, vulnerable...but safe.
Shadow felt his mind fighting his heart and it made him feel exhausted, sick, nauseous.
And yet seeing Sonic after another successful battle against the evil scientist, made it all go away, leaving only, adoration, calmness and love.
Hero's bright smile made Shadow feel warm as if he covered himself with the warmest blanket in the world. His mind temporarily ignored every negative thought and let itself dance and jump from happiness.
He knew, it wasn't just a stupid crush. He cared way too much for it to be only that. It felt like real love, the one you feel only once in the whole life and never again.
He smiled watching Sonic from afar feeling as sorrow filled his heart. Yeah... he could accept loving this selfless, carring, happy, hyperactive and hurt hero.
He closed his eyes as he felt his eyes fill with tears.
'What a pity, it would never have a chance at becoming something serious.' The thought comes across his mind as he walk away after seeing Amy kiss the hero lovingly.
𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦