The sun softly shone into the window, basking the two pairs of closed eyes in a gentle golden glow. It had just risen, an early yet bright morning starting before many were awake, especially the two hedgehogs cuddling in the other's arms, sleeping peacefully. A soft snore came from the blue hedgehog, his face nuzzled and pushed up into a fluffy white chest, breathing in the wonderful scent of the other. A small smile came onto his cheeks, as his eyes slowly opened, revealing sleepy emerald eyes, as they trailed up and looked at the still closed ebony eyelids. The blue hedgehog chuckled softly, nuzzling his face further into the fluff on the black chest. He's finally mine… His mind thought, causing his smile to grow a little wider. Finally his. He had wanted to tell the other for quite some time, perhaps ever since the Biolizard fight, that he had feelings for more than just being friends, or friends with benefits. He wanted to be so much more with the ebon, and he knew that was finally happening. He just hoped that Shadow would stay around, and not turn away from him in times of need.

A soft moan from Shadow took the blue hedgehog from his thoughts, showing that the other was waking up. Sonic looked up again, his emeralds locking with sharp and deep crimson. What surprised the blue one the most, though, was the fact that tan lips spread into a gentle, loving smile, showing off a more caring side of the other. Sonic chuckled, and pressed his peach lips briefly against tan, his cheeks gaining a small blush when he pulled away.
"Good morning, Shads~" The blue hedgehog purred, chuckling slightly. He had a small headache from the alcohol he had last night, but he could deal with it later. "How'd you sleep?" He asked, smiling lazily. Sonic was still quite tired, and wanted to go back to sleep with his partner, but then again, Tails would ask about what happened last night, and especially about the reason why the two 'rivals' were in bed snuggling together. He chuckled nervously at that thought. Would his little brother accept this…? Would any of his friends accept this? Well, there's Amy who's going to completely lose her mind… His mind rung, as he thought of how any of them would react. It hopefully would end well if they came out to them all, especially since there had already been rumors of Amy and Sonic possibly getting together, as the self-proclaimed girlfriend spread them around all over the place, forcibly pushing her feelings onto him. And even before he met Amy, he knew he was gay, having flirted with a few pretty good-looking males. Having Amy chase him all over, only proved his thoughts further. Then when Shadow came around, Sonic didn't know what came over him. He wanted to know more about this enigmatic hedgehog, who had been rabid and rude to everyone, almost ending the world altogether because of his loss of his best friend, maybe even everything but blood sister, who he was meant to protect. Of course his thoughts weren't right at the time, but that only made Sonic want the other more. To make sure that it was him who got him back on the right track.

"It was… peaceful. Better than any previous sleep I've had." Shadow smiled slightly down at the cobalt hero, sighing in his content state. "Maybe it was because it was finally with the one who could help me feel better no matter what…" He let his voice quiet down a little bit, glad he actually got the sleep he had needed for a while. Not a single nightmare plagued his dreams that night. He had not woken up in the middle of the night, restless as usual. He hadn't even stirred in his arms as the other kept tightening or loosening his hold depending on how deeply asleep he was. It felt great to be rested for once, and to be with Sonic in the morning, especially. He didn't really care what anyone thought of him and his new partner. He'd make sure that anyone that did were punished for their hatred. All he knew was that love was acceptable. He didn't think there were any rules to having a male partner if they both were male. It were just the same as any normal female and male mobian relationship; right?

Sonic smiled, glad at the news. The other was well rested just like him then! "Good~!" He hummed, hiding the fact that his headache still wasn't going away. At least the Chaos Energy inside him was trying to rid him of the pain. "Would you like me to get you anything then? Water? Coffee?" The blue hedgehog started to list off, as he began to get out of both the bed and Shadow's light hold.

"You have a coffee maker?" Shadow sounded somewhat surprised, his eyes widening a fraction.

I'll take that as he wants coffee. Sonic chuckled mentally, as he nodded. "Yeah, Tails uses it whenever he decides not to go to sleep making another of his cool inventions." The cobalt hedgehog shrugged, stretching once he was off of the bed. "How do you like your coffee, then? Since you sounded like you wanted a cup, heh~"

Shadow sighed, pausing for a moment. "No sugar, creamer, or anything besides the coffee, please." He mentioned, nodding. Shadow was one of the few people who took their coffee straight black, not minding the bitter taste. He practically ate the beans if there were any left from their recent brewing. It just tasted better that way to him. However if Sonic felt any different about his answer, he didn't say anything and nodded, smiling.
"Alright! It'll be ready for you in a few moments! If you want a shower, the bathroom is just down the hall to your right." The cobalt hedgehog noted, and headed out down to the kitchen, yawning slightly. At least his leg was healed from the tumble he took last night. It still hurt a little bit, but nothing like swelling or a bruise was present on his ankle. Nothing was the matter with him. And that was just how he liked it.

He walked into the homely kitchen, turning on the coffee pot and leaning on the counter in front of it, watching as the black caffeinated drink slowly filled the pot to the brim. He poured a cup for himself, and just as he was pouring the second mug for Shadow, a small familiar yawn from his little brother got his attention. He quickly finished pouring the coffee, and whipped around to face the tired but confused looking fox, rubbing his eye as he attempted to get out the extra bit of sleep.

"Sonic..?" He asked, tilting his head slightly as he observed the two filled coffee cups in the other's hands. "Why are you taking two cups of coffee at once?" Said hedgehog froze in his spot, as he quickly came up with a lie.

Damn, he thought, I should have remembered that he's also up at this time… He looked around with a somewhat guilty look on his face, before nodding. "Oh, uh, yeah! Of course! I went home early so I could, y'know, crash, and I need the extra boost today!" Sonic chuckled, grinning anxiously. He looked to the side, hoping that Tails believed him.
"Uh-huh…. And you probably do need both of them, since you left the shower running.." Tails frowned, observing the fact that the shower was in fact running, as was the fan. Sonic chuckled slightly, looking up towards the bathroom. Come on, Shads…. Just don't come out yet… "Even if you don't even look like you took a shower, anyway." Another observation from the still tired fox. The blue hedgehog panicked more, before shrugging innocently.

"Who says I didn't-" And just as he started to say the sentence, the shower shut off, and Sonic cursed internally. Tails would soon figure it out, and if he didn't get away now - Moments later, Shadow came out damp with a towel around his waist, completely oblivious to the tension brewing between the two brothers. He walked into Sonic's room, and shut the door behind him.

Sonic turned back to the double tailed fox, who was wearing a confused and slightly worried look. "Sonic… Why is Shadow here?" He asked, not accusingly, but out of worry that the other was unwelcome. But it was quite the opposite. Sonic was having trouble speaking, stuttering over his words and even blushing a little bit at the predicament.

"L-little buddy… You know I wouldn't keep anything from you, but, I just couldn't say anything about, y'know, me and Shadow…" The blue hedgehog slowly set down the coffee, getting ready for his brother's judgement. "And, he's here… well, because…" He sighed, looking the other straight in the eyes. "Him and I… We're dating." The blue hedgehog stiffened, hoping his brother wouldn't turn him away. Besides, they were dating, right? He had accepted the proposal to be Shadow's boyfriend, but was it valid enough to say so?
Tails' eyes widened as a small grin passed over his face. "Oh my gosh, really? That's awesome! Congratulations!" The small fox immediately hugged his older brother, squeezing him with joy. On the other hand though, Sonic was surprised at this reaction. He was congratulating him. Not walking away in disgust.
"S-So… Me dating a guy, doesn't gross you out…?" Sonic hesitantly said, his fears slowly diminishing. Tails looked up and smiled even wider, shaking his head.

"No, of course not! Sure, it may be your former rival, but you found someone you can finally settle down with, even if it's not much!" The young fox smiled. "Besides, you're my brother! I trust you!"

Sonic grinned, ruffling his younger brother's bangs that fell over his eyes, the younger of the two giggling. "Thanks, Lil' bro~ It means a lot that you support my decision!" The cobalt speedster chuckled, before shuffling out of the hug, and grabbing up the two warm mugs of coffee, still smiling down at the fox lovingly. He was glad he had Tails as his brother, even if he had adopted the other. "Now I'm gonna head back to my room and uh, tell Shads the news that you're good on this." He winked slightly, and even if he showed that he was fine with Tails finding out, he was terribly uncomfortable. He never knew coming out was going to be that hard on him. He thought it would have been a quick confessing and a brief coming out of the closet, but he didn't realize he would feel like coming out might not be such a good idea. The blue hero frowned as he came into his room, and shutting the door soon after.

As soon as Shadow looked up from putting on his shoes and gloves, he noticed Sonic's attitude was what it wasn't supposed to be. He got up and met his boyfriend at the door, taking the coffee from him before they had the possibility to be used as an excuse. Or projectiles.

"Sonic, what's wrong? Did Tails-"
"Yeah…" Sonic sighed, groaning softly. He really didn't want anyone to know until they both got used to what would likely happen between them and his friend group. His eyes closed as he laid his head on the other's fluffy chest, finding only slight comfort there, until he felt the black and red furred arms wrap around him to pull his body closer.

"It will be alright… As long as he continues to support you, then it, again, will be alright." Shadow murmured to him, his hand slowly brushing through the long blue headquills. He was acting so gentle, and Sonic felt like he's needed something like this for a while. It felt even better when he was getting the attention from his former rival. A sigh came from the blue hedgehog, as his hands loosely wrapped around the other, his face pushed as far as it could go into the warm and fluffy chest. He would stay there forever if he could. The blue hedgehog sighed, feeling better.
"Hhn..." Sonic mumbled into the chest, looking up only slightly. The blue hedgehog huffed, hating to be seen like this, but he would have to suck it up and deal with it, seeing as he really needed the comfort right now anyway. Even worse, he felt up to having another round with his partner, his pouch heating up more and more at the contact between them both. The blue hedgehog leaned up and kissed the other passionately, which was met with a kissing back that was just as passionate. Sonic groaned slightly in the kiss, tilting his head to the side as he opened his mouth for the other's tongue to enter his mouth. He was glad Shadow was up for the activity so early in the morning, but he knew they also would have to be quiet, as Tails was actually here this time, and not at some random party for Sonic. Their tongues tangle for a few moments, as they shuffle back over to the bed. Shadow was almost forced on his back, as the blue hedgehog's dominant nature finally came through. The ebon groaned within the kiss, feeling his mate grinding up against his crotch, feeling the heat from both of them. Shadow's arms snaked around to the cobalt's back, pulling him closer, as close as he could get. He was just about to tangle his legs with the other on top of him, before Shadow's communicator went off with a familiar chime. Rouge was calling him now of all times?

Sonic heard the ring and reluctantly got off him, pouting at the interruption. He was just about to have some fun with his mate and that bat had to make them pause. She better have a good reason… Sonic thought to himself. The ebon sat up, taking the communicator up to his face and frowned, answering the call. "Yes, Rouge?"
A small laugh came through the transceiver, as the bat heard how annoyed he was. "My my~! Did I catch you at a bad time, Mr. Sunshine~?" As usual, she knew something was up, especially since both of the hedgehogs had left together last night at the party. Her intuition had told her to make sure they weren't doing anything dirty while they were at the fox's house. Of course, she knew about their former rival relationship, but then again, knew at least Shadow's thoughts on the blue hedgehog. She smirked, waiting for him to respond.

"This had better be good…" He growled, his eyes narrowing. "I was finally enjoying my morning."

"Were you now~?" Rouge challenged, raising her own eye-ridges, curious. "I was beginning to think that wouldn't be possible, with how you-" Before she could finish off with a coy comment, Shadow cut her off.

"Rouge, I suggest you get to the point of your call before I ignore you altogether." Shadow had hissed, causing her to cough in slight amusement.

"You can never take a joke, can you~?" The bat sighed, now looking back at the computer that was still open. "Now then, is Sonic there?"

The blue hero perked up, hearing his name. Whatever the bat-girl wanted to say, it involved him, and that couldn't be a good sign. Could she have found something from his deep past..? If that were so, the blue hero had a reason to tense up.

"Yes, why?" Shadow glanced at his tense mate, frowning slightly.

"Well… I'd like to speak with you in private, then, Shadow." A few moments pass, the two hedgehog's eyes meeting with intensity. Sonic's glare was almost forcing the black hedgehog to stand down, and not follow through with Rouge's request. Shadow had a look of uncertainty, and he wanted to know what was so interesting about Sonic. The ebon slowly looked back at the communicator, making up his mind.

"No. If it's about him, he shouldn't be bothered by it." Shadow started, but he didn't exactly know for sure how Sonic felt about this. All he knew was that angered glare, and that silent beg for him to not go. Whether it was for the fact that it were a terrible secret he wanted to keep secret, or if it were his mate leaving, was not made clear.

The blue hedgehog's ears flopped a little, his expression becoming blank for a second as he thought about Shadow's reaction. Would he be disturbed? Worried? Hateful? His breath hitched as another thought came to him. His past was finally catching up to him. After so many years, so many friends, and so many adventures that he had tried to run away from his past with, was finally catching up to him. His eyes dropped to his lap, breathing out heavily. Maybe Shadow would stay… Maybe he would leave… But Sonic wasn't going to listen to the thought of the other leaving. If he really did love him, then he'd stay; right?

"Shadow.." Rouge said, shaking her head. "There's a reason why I wanted to tell you alone, but, well~" She sighed, making up her mind. Whether he liked it or not, she was telling Shadow the news. It might be bad to Sonic, but there was a good thought behind her reasoning of telling them both without Sonic's consent. Shadow was sure to love the news. "You know, Shadow, your little blue boy here-"

"N-no wait-!"

"-Is Immortal too!" Silence.

Silence wasn't good. And when there was silence, the thoughts came alive.

Shadow stilled, staring down at the communicator. Sonic had frozen up and paled, white noise in his ears. Neither of them had expected this to be said, or heard, because they both were expecting something else. The blue hedgehog felt like he couldn't breathe. His breath was coming in small puffs, and by the second there didn't even seem to be enough air as it was. Immortal. There it was; another of his secrets. Would she talk about him too? He didn't even want to talk about that scientist… his… adoptive father. He didn't want to go back there. He knew that the good doctor wasn't there anymore. He'd been replaced anyway.

"Sonic?" The blue hedgehog didn't hear the question of his name by the ebon. He just kept thinking about his troubling past, how it was finally and undoubtedly back, coming back to him, it was just like back at the party. He felt uncomfortable, and just wanted to run. But even here, he couldn't do that. Even if he left for a few months, which he considered, would leave his mate with questions, and he didn't want to do that to him. He couldn't leave his mate behind. It was bad enough he knew his secret now, but when there was more revealed, which was likely to happen, there would be no way to escape the other's reaction. He couldn't escape-

"Sonic!" The blue hedgehog's head whipped to his ebon partner, suddenly feeling the hand on his shoulder, and hearing the sudden call out of his name. His ears fell back, and he looked absolutely mortified, guilty of showing off his worry and scare over his past. Shadow easily noticed, and his hardened gaze softened, not knowing how hard the news hit the blue speedster.

The ebon slowly turned off the communicator, not wanting to ruin the other worse with whatever else the bat had in store as a secret. Sonic slowly looked down, messing with his gloves, fidgeting as he felt guilty all over again for having kept a secret like this.

"Listen, Sonic…" Shadow started, causing the blue blur's head to look up reluctantly towards his mate. "Why would you keep such a thing a secret…?" The mentioned hedgehog frowned, looking back down. He had too many reasons for keeping such a thing a secret. For one, he could relate too much to Shadow. He lost his best friend, or mainly, adoptive father, and his story of being the blue blur he was known as was all because of an experiment anyway. After all that happened, he became the Doctor's enemy, and has been fighting him as long as he remembered. Sonic sighed, closing his eyes to gain as much control over his emotions again, before opening his eyes and looking up at the ebon.

"It's because… I didn't want to remember that I was. I didn't want to remember that I was immortal. It… just hurts to know that I'll be watching everyone, even you grow old, even if you don't look a day over 17 right now, while I have to stay here."

"...So you think I'm going to die of natural causes. Correct?"
"Yeah, of course! You're a Mobian like me, aren't you?"
"Why do you think I am called the 'Ultimate Lifeform'? I'm not called that for nothing." Shadow rolled his eyes, frowning. "I was made purely for the purpose of healing, protecting others, and being there forever," He emphasized the forever, since it were the truth, "-And if you think I'm going to be gone that easily, you're in for a long ride, Sonic." The blue hedgehog gasped, his eyes widening at the sudden realization. Why had he forgot about that? How did he forget about that? His heart swelled, as he smiled and teared up slightly, launching to his mate, and hugging him tight. When he had done so, he pulled back slightly, emerald staring up into crimson.

"Shads, I… I don't know how I had forgotten that!" Sonic chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "I-I thought you were gonna say something bad about me being immortal…" He looked back at the black and red-striped hedgehog with a worried glance, that was met with a small smile.

"Why would I be mad about you being immortal?" Shadow asked, a slight twinkle in his eyes. "In fact… It makes this relationship better… Because neither of us will be alone for as long as we live." He mentioned, smirking as he placed a quick kiss on his mate's cheek. Perhaps this would be better for the two of them to know that they are both immortal without having to hide that they were, like before. It wasn't exactly a good idea to keep this sort of a secret from each other, but they didn't think it would be good to have shared, how they were rivals before, anyway.

"Hm~." Sonic hummed, blushing slightly from the small kiss. "Yeah, I guess so… I guess I just never, y'know, thought about you being, Immortal 'n all…" Sonic joked, before noticing that Shadow was more focussed on an item just behind him. "Hey, Shads, what are you…" Before his breath caught in his throat and his eyes dilated. Since when was his guitar and medallion out so nonchalantly?! They were never out!

"Since when did you play the guitar?" Shadow asked, not looking away from said items. He was intently staring at them, trying to figure that out himself, yet still wanted to know. Perhaps he'd be able to get at least that much out of the cobalt hero.

"Er, w-well, that's not really important, is it?" Sonic stuttered, giving a sheepish smile and laugh. "'Sides, I didn't realize I still had it, I-I thought I sold it." He lied, hoping the other would take it as that and leave it be. However, that wasn't the case. It was his personal guitar when he was much younger, and when he was still in a lot of contact with his brother and sister. He couldn't just bare to let it be, let it go. If either of them broke, he couldn't imagine what would happen. He didn't want to go through that either. "So, can you, y'know, leave it alone? I'll go put it away-" But before he could get out of the bed, Shadow shook his head, frowning.

"You said you used to play… I want to hear you play something for me." Sonic paused at his request, sighing.

"Not… Not yet. I don't want to sing yet." The blue hedgehog sighed, rubbing the sides of his arms with a distant look. Would he even be good with the cords, and more? He didn't want to risk it, right now. The ebon, instead sighed, and nodded, leaving it be, not wanting to push him to explain something that was probably sensitive.

"If that's that, then… shall we wake up a little more before we do anything else this morning?" Shadow suggested, chuckling a bit. It was a rare noise Sonic heard from his new mate, and a small blush came to his cheeks as a smile broke through his earlier demeanor. Anything good he could get from Shadow would always make him feel better.

"Yeah~ That's gotta be the best idea I've heard this whole morning!" Sonic smiled, his mood literally flipping a 180 degrees to keep his prose of being happy most of the time so he wouldn't worry his mate anymore. It was so people could look up to him anyway. It's why he was always saving the day. Well at least he could keep himself together in bad times.

A little while later, they were both out in the kitchen, sitting down next to each other while Tails joined them with breakfast of his own. It was a companionable silence, and they couldn't ask for too much more. It was nice having a slow and quiet morning. But, then again, it was a little too quiet; Sonic spoke up after a moment.

"So… Tails… You already know how me and Shadow are together, right?" He started, looking up from his eggs. He seemed a little tense to just talk about that at first. The fox looked up from his own plate, finishing down the food that was already in his mouth and nodded, smiling a little bit. Sonic looked back down to his plate, coughing a little. "W-well… you know I've got to leave you on your own, sometime, right…? S-So I was thinking… Y'know, Shadow and I could move out and you get the whole house to yourself..? I know how much you need the space, and…"

"Wait, Sonic, you're moving out?!" Tails asked, coughing as he almost choked on a piece of his eggs. He swallowed the bit and just kept staring at Sonic, disbelievingly. There looked to be some sort of conflict going on in Tails' head, at least from Shadow's point of view.

"Yeah… look, Tails. I know you have a lotta gadgets and gizmos, and you're running out of room to store your items! So I was thinking about it! Besides, you're growing up, a-and I thought I'd kinda help you by moving out-" And even before Sonic could finish what he wanted to say, Tails had latched onto him, hugging his older brother tightly. Soft sobs were coming from the young fox, and Sonic felt his heart melt in sympathy for him. He really was just a kid, though, so it made sense. There was no need to hide his feelings in his own house. Yet, Sonic had no doubts Tails would be fine on his own. Apparently he had a few adventures of his own before they'd found each other. Sonic curled his arms around his little brother, running his fingers through the short orange fur he's taken care of for quite a while now. He softly murmured to him, looking down at him with peace and gentle determination.

"Tails… Listen… I'm not going to be completely gone from your life... I'll be somewhere nearby, and you can call me when you need help, or something… Okay…? I love you, lil' bro…" This only caused the fox to cry harder, just staying in his older brother's arms while he calmed down. After a few more sniffles, Tails pulled away from the hedgehog, rubbing at his eyes to help dry up the rest of the tears. He gave a weak but shaky smile up to the other, swallowing down another hiccup.
"T-thank you Sonic… I-I love you too…" He responded once his voice was mostly under control, another sniffle thereafter. "S-so you'll still be here when I call…? You're not gonna ignore my calls…?"

"What? Of course I'm not gonna ignore you! You're my little brother! I can't just forget you!" Sonic laughed, ruffling his bangs. "And I'd be kicking myself if I ever did!" At this, the little fox smiled a little wider, nodding.

"Thank you, Sonic! Just, be careful out there!" He mentioned, Sonic laughing.

"I know~ I can take care of myself~!"

"You better!"

The two brothers laughed together for a little while, hugging it out. Shadow observed them, smiling slightly, his cheek leant into his palm. His boyfriend always could cheer someone up, granted it may take a while. Whatever the case, Sonic spread his contagious joy everywhere he went, even to his mostly dark and new mate. Maybe that's why he fell in love with the other… because he could finally feel loved without it being a one sided thing. Either you get full-hearted love, or you get something akin to care, and nothing more. The ebon sighed, watching as they finally separated and sat down, starting to eat once more.

"So you're moving out? When?"

"I was thinking sometime today~! It's way easier then and you can move your own stuff immediately too!" Sonic grinned, getting up to wash all of their plates, realizing they all were done eating. The fox hummed a little, his ears dipping at the notion.

"Oh, uh, okay. That's good." Tails nodded, frowning slightly. He just wanted his brother to be here a little while longer. "I, guess I just thought that you'd stick around a while longer…" A hand was set on the orange furred shoulder, and Tails looked up. The gloved hand connected to a peach arm, which connected to a blue hedgehog smiling kindly to the worried kid.

"I'm sorry, Bro. But I gotta move out sometime… Again, I'll be there for you." Sonic smiled wider, chuckling. "You just worry too much~" Tails sighed and nodded, somewhat shrugging the hand off of his shoulder.

"I'll remember that, Sonic. Thanks. But if you're moving out today, you and Shadow may as well get started so you can get outta the house faster." Tails mentioned, making Sonic perk up.

"Oh, yeah, Shads! We should! What do you say about buying a house with me then?" The blue hedgehog smiled, looking straight at his lover, almost bouncing on his heels from the excitement. Shadow blinked, before standing from his own seat and nodding, chuckling a bit from his mate's sudden excitement.

"We should find one as soon as possible then. I've only really been staying with Rouge at her club, so…" Shadow hummed, nodding. "Westopolis seems like a good start for finding a home, correct? I hear there's more than enough on the market at this time." Sonic seemed to perk up at the mention of the famous city, smiling somewhat wider.

"Ooooh~ I've always wanted to try and live in Westopolis! That's a great idea!" Sonic looked a little over excited. "Let's go!" But before he could go and take his mate's hand and rush out the door with him, Shadow held him back.

"No. Not at this time." Shadow shook his head, frowning a little. "I was thinking we could do something else before we search for a house. You know, think of other choices than rather just going straight into house-buying."

"Like..?" The blue hedgehog asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Like… a date. I was wondering if you'd… Wish to go on a date with me before we find a house…?" Shadow even sounded somewhat hesitant, almost as if he didn't know whether or not this would be an okay thing before they went to find a house. After all, he was pretty new to this sort of thing, this dating. It took only a moment before Sonic answered.

"Oh? Sure! I've got just the place in mind if you don't~!" He chuckled, smirking at him. "Ever been to Casinopolis~?"