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Sonic and Shadow sat on the ledge of a tall building. The moon shone on the city and the night was filled with the chatter of the city folk.
"Are you sure you wanna do this, Shadow? Hands are pretty important. Mobians don't normally show them to each other." The azure hedgehog stated.
"If you keep pestering me then I won't." Shadow said with an angry scowl, making Sonic shut up. "I don't understand why others make such a big deal about it. They're only hands." The ebony said in confusion.
"I guess that's just how it's always been." Sonic said, looking down at the city below him, dangling his feet.
"Hm." Shadow hummed. "Growing up with humans, we had different customs. Besides, I don't really care what others think." He said with half-lidded eyes. Sonic fumbled with his hands, trying to figure out what to say next.
"I guess I understand, but-" He lost his words, and stuttered trying to put his thoughts into words. Shadow rolled his eyes and nudged his shoulder lightly, grabbing his attention.
"Do you want to see them or not?" He said staring directly into his eyes. Sonic nodded and looked away, as if trying to be polite.
Is this another Mobian thing? God, I don't understand this species. Shadow thought as he swiftly pulled off both of his gloves, revealing his hands. He shifted his gaze to Sonic, noticing his eyes closed as if resting.
A light red dusted his muzzle but not enough to be noticeable, especially in the dark. The moon shone on Sonic's face, subtly outlining his figure.
Shadow reached out a hand and poked Sonic's face, earning a yelp from the azure hedgehog. He shot a small glare before he noticed the black hand next to his face.
Almost immediately, his face went from annoyed to awed. "Woah.." Sonic said, gently grabbing onto Shadow's hand, examining it carefully. He remained that way for a second before pulling away abruptly.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to just grab your hand like that." Sonic fumbled, his muzzle turning a light shade of pink. Shadow blinked and brought his hand forward.
Taking the signal, Sonic hesitantly grabbed Shadow's hand again. "You have claws." Sonic said stunned, mouth agape, almost in jealousy.
One of Shadow's ears bent to the side in confusion. "Is that not normal?" He asked in almost a whisper.
"It's not un-normal, it's just not common." Sonic said, grazing his fingers over one of the sharp edges.
His eyes moved from his fingers, up the red streak that crept up Shadow's arm. Emerald eyes met Ruby ones and didn't move for a few seconds. Sonic looked away swiftly, trying to hide the blush creeping onto his face.
He flipped over Shadow's hand and looked at his palm. It was a dark-ish red and stood out against his black quills. Markings on the back of Shadow's arm caught the azure's attention.
Shadow felt a soft graze over his lower arm. Something inside his stomach dropped as he realized what Sonic had seen. He quickly looked over to see Sonic quietly observing his arm, with a look of concern. He knew what they were, and there was nothing Shadow could do to convince him otherwise.
"Shadow.." He said in a soft voice, "did you..?" Sonic trailed off, as he looked at the faint marks trailed along Shadow's lower arm.
"It was a long time ago." Shadow said truthfully. He hadn't brought anything to his skin since Maria had caught him. He promised her.
"It doesn't matter anymore." Shadow said, pulling his hands back. He slipped his gloves back on and sat with his knees up to his chest.
"Do you.. feel like talking about it?" Sonic said, breaking the silence genuinely concerned for the ebony's mental state.
Shadow shook his head. "It's something that doesn't affect me anymore." He met Sonic's gaze with half-lidded eyes. "Maybe another time, when I feel more open to the subject."
Sonic nodded. "I understand." He fidgeted with his hands, trying to think of a way to break the awkward tie around the two.
"Thank you." Shadow said softly after a long waited pause. Sonic's ears perked, and he smiled softly.
"Its no problem." Sonic said nudging his arm, earning a low chuckle.
[ Flashback to the Ark ]
Shadow looked at the bandages wrapped tightly around his arms. He felt horrible. Not for himself, but for Maria.
Shadow walked down the hallway and to the main corridor, where Maria was sitting quietly. Shadow's ears bent downwards the slightest bit. She had been giving him the silent treatment for quite a while now.
Shadow walked slowly towards the blonde and sat beside her. He tried to make her eyes meet his but she looked out into the distance as if he wasn't even there.
"Maria.." Shadow said softly. "please don't be upset. I can't bear to see it." He said, a small tremble in his voice. Shadow felt awful. Not only had he hurt himself, but he had hurt Maria as well.
"Then why?" She said softly. Shadow turned his head to look at the blonde.
"What..?" He said in a low whisper. Maria's eyes started to glaze over and a single tear ran down her face.
"Why would you hurt yourself..?" She said, finally meeting Shadow's gaze. Lost for words, he looked to the floor.
"I didn't mean to.." He said in a quiet mumble.
"You didn't mean to!?" The blonde snapped. "You didn't mean to run your claws over your arm!? If you didn't mean to then you would've stopped!" She yelled, tears like waterfalls streaming down her face. It hurt Maria to see her brother like this.
Instant guilt shot through Shadow's entire body. "I-I'm sorry.." He said, voice breaking. Maria's gaze softened and she pulled Shadow into a tight hug.
"I forgive you. Just.. please.. don't do it again. Promise?" She said, wiping her nose.
"I promise."
. . .
[ Present ]
Shadow looked at his arm quietly, his eyes moving up the trail of marks that lingered. He hadn't broken his promise, and he never intended to. The image of Maria crying over it was enough to make his heart hurt.
"Hey, Shads!" Sonic called from afar. "You coming? Or are you just gonna stare at the city all night?" He said with his signature grin. Shadow felt a smile creep up his face and his muzzle tinted a light pink.
"Yes, I'm coming." He said, walking up next to Sonic. The blue hedgehog gave him an over exaggerated smirk, earning an eye roll from Shadow.
"You're so corny sometimes." Shadow said, nudging Sonic's arm. Sonic laughed in response.
"I try." He said, giving his nose a small rub. Shadow smiled softly as they continued walking.