Perhaps the strangest part of Sonic's morning, wasn't the fact that he woke up in bed with another male. Apparently he and Shadow both had drifted off during the course of the morning, just at peace and content to hold each other in their arms.
After the two had woken up, groomed, and ate breakfast, Sonic had decided to take Shadow down towards the main building of the village where he usually had meetings with the others, realizing that the others may of been worried about him. And as predicted, Sonic found his friends in the meeting room, gathered around a table with a digital map projected in the air. Princess Sally was pointing to different spots on the map.
"We'll send different patrols to canvas these areas. I don't know what kind of teleporation device that hedgehog used to kidnap Sonic, but it couldn't of been a powerful one. A short range teleporation could range out to these areas-"
"-it's called a Chaos Control, for one thing, and no, its not a short range device. So you would not of been able to find us in those locations." Shadow spoke up from behind, causing everyone to jump and turn around to see him and Sonic.
"Sonic, you're okay!" Tails cried out and ran forward to hug the blue hedgehog tightly.
Sonic grinned and returned the hug. "Sure am, Tails. I think everyone can calm down now-"
Apparently, calming down was the last thing on Sally's mind as he surged forward and slammed Shadow to the wall, glaring at him. "YOU! You were the one that kidnapped Sonic!"
Shadow glared down at Sally, looking rather unimpressed with her attempt to intimidate him. "Please, if I had kidnapped him, would I have brought him back here?"
She slammed him again for good measure. "I don't know what you're up to, you-"
"SALLY!" Sonic yelled, pulling her off of Shadow and gripped her by the arms to look into her eyes. "Stop it, calm down! I'm fine, there's no need to attack Shadow like that. This isn't like you!"
Sally shook in Sonic's arms, looking up at him with her large blue eyes before she gripped Sonic, shaking in fear and anger. "Sonic, I was WORRIED about you. We didn't know where you were all night or all morning! That hedgehog just took you without warning, what am I SUPPOSED to think???"
Sonic frowned as he awkwardly hugged her in return. How was he to explain the truth to her now? He didn't want to make her angry again like that, or hurt her feelings. Sally was like his best friend, and probably even had a bit of a crush on her. he suspected that maybe she did as well. But now with Shadow in the picture, things were getting complicated. How the hell was he to explain that he just mated with his future boyfriend of all things while they were out looking for him?
Finally he inhaled as he took a few minutes to hold Sally and even rock her a bit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make any of you worry. I'm here though."
She inhaled, as she had to fight to keep tears in check. She didn't want anyone to see her crying, especially not Sonic. She looked back up to him. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Other than the pain in his lower back? Sonic grinned and nodded. "Sure Sal, I'm just great."
She looked at Sonic for a moment before finally nodded. "Good. I'll call off the search party. Maybe we can make use of this time while Robotnik's still recovering from downtime?"
Sonic smirked. With Metal Sonic out of the way, the doctor didn't have much in the way of arsenal. "Tell me what I gotta do."
---
The plan was to be a straightforward recon mission for Sonic. He went into a meeting with Sally, Joe Sushi, Bunnie Rabbot, and Antoine D'Coolette. Sonic was to go into Robotropolis and see what factories were left wide open for sabotage. If he could, he was also to find out the status of Metal Sonic, and if Robotnik was in the midst of repairing it.
It was a dangerous mission, but it was nothing that Sonic couldn't handle. As he left the meeting with Sally and the others behind him, he turned to Shadow with a smile.
"How'd the meeting go?" Shadow asked.
"Smooth. I'm about to head out on a mission to Robotropolis. Want to come with me? It'll be fun!" Sonic grinned.
"No way Sonic," Sally replied as she came up from behind. "Mister...Shadow...is staying here in Knothole. I don't trust him, and he may serve to be a distraction to the mission."
"Aww, but Sal-!" Sonic protested, before Shadow laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
He looked back at Shadow, who looked at him with soft eyes. "It's okay Sonic. I can't really go anyway."
Sonic looked at him, confused. "But why?"
One look from Shadow was all it took for the answer to click. "Oh, right, the whole time interferring thing...right."
Shadow nodded. "It's okay Sonic. I'll be here for you when you get back." He smiled softly at him.
Sonic grinned and grabbed him. "You better be, or I will find you in the future and kill you myself."
Shadow barely had time to emit a chuckle when Sonic pulled his head in a deep kiss, the kind that made heads turned from everyone in the room and jaws dropped.
Sonic pulled away afer a moment and finally turned. "I'll see you later."
Sonic left Shadow in a daze, and he didn't snap out of it until Sonic left the room. When he did, he looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him.
Shadow blinked. "What?"
---
Out in Robotropolis Sonic darted from building to trash pile, trying to get a better scope of the city. It was just yesterday that he was out here, trying to dodge SWAT-bot patrols and facing off Metal Sonic. He was able to get a good view of several of the factories during his run, and as predicted, the security was down after yesterday's little run.
Keeping to radio silence, Sonic thought about headed back to the spot where he had defeated Metal Sonic in a racing showdown. But he figured that by now, Robotnik would had picked up the pieces and taken it back to his headquarters.
Before Sonic could start to head in the direction of Robotnik's headquarters, he heard a noise coming from the direction on his left. When he turned his head to look, there was a distinct popping sound, and something hit him hard in the back of the head, enough to knock him out cold.
From out of the shadows, a purple weasel emerged, lookg down at Sonic with a fanged smile.
