*Sonic's POV *
"Well, we should go to sleep." I said as I let go of his hand and stood up, dusting myself off, then walked to the door. I couldn't help but blush as I looked at him, still smiling. Maybe it was not as clear as earlier, but it was still there. He looked happy. Shadow followed me inside, and we both went to our rooms.

I didn't wake up until almost 12, which caused me to freak out, hoping Shadow hadn't been waiting for me or think that I had forgotten. I took a quick shower and walked out of my room, where I saw Shadow getting out of his. My ears perked up, suddenly feeling a bit more calm that he hadn't been waiting for me downstairs. 

"Good morning." I said, and he said it back. We both made our way downstairs. "We can get something to eat there." I offered, and he nodded.

"Where is it?" He asked as he waited for me to lock the door once we were out of the house.

"About two blocks from here." I pointed to the left, and as we were about to start walking, I could see Shadow hesitating to get closer and saw him glance down at our hands. I smiled at that and brushed my hand against his. Giving him the option to hold it if he was comfortable with that.

Nowadays, we were still being recognized, just not as much as before. Walking down the street with Shadow did catch people's attention, but only as a glance, we weren't their heros anymore. In a way, at least. There were still few who would come up to me and thank me for everything we did. Some still came up to me and asked about the rest of the team. Whenever they were about to tell me about the others, I was quick to change the conversation, not wanting to know where they were.

The few people who actually recognized us in this town were a big part of why I gave Shadow the option. With the way he usually is, I was unsure if he liked to be affectionate in public or not, just like I wasn't sure if he was the jealous type or not.

It took me by surprise when Shadow decided to hold my hand as we walked. I looked down at our hands and then up at Shadow as a blush appeared yet again. I guess he was a bit more comfortable with public affection than I thought.

"Sonic!" I looked in front of me when we reached the Café and saw my friend there. I had texted her telling her I was going to be coming over so I could get some coffee beans for Shadow and to get something to eat for free.

"Hey, Lucy." I waved at her as she walked to us with a tray of croissants. She offered us some, and we each took one. "These are so good." I smiled happily. "Thank you!"

"A pleasure. You must be Shadow. Sonic told me you were going to come over today. Here." She handed Shadow a coffee bag. "Sit. Sit. I made something for the two of you, but have you two even eaten? Pick something from the menu. It's on the house." 

"You come here often?" Shadow asked, and I couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

"Never thought I would ever hear you say a pickup line." I stopped and handed him the menu when Shadow rolled his eyes. "Yes. But I met her at the bar the first day I got into town. Spike, Lucy, Manic and I hang out a lot when I'm in town."

"Your brother comes here?" Shadow asked as he looked down at the menu. There wasn't much to choose from. It was a small Café but it was very popular.

"Have you decided yet?" The grey cat in front of me said, her tail was long and sleek and was always high up, showing just how happy she always was. She always wore vibrant colors, her favorite being yellow, expressing who she truly was at her core. Lucy was so sweet and kind to everyone, so much so that Spike, Manic and I always had to protect her from the ones who tried to take advantage of her kindness. Shadow and I told her what we wanted, as she brought me an iced latte I always chose whenever I came to eat at her café. I thanked her as she left.

"He does. He comes to visit me. Sonia is usually busy with my mother or with Sally." I explained, but Shadow seemed to have gotten lost when I mentioned Sally. "Sally Acorn. My ex?" He nodded. He looked kind of annoyed now. "They're dating."

"Your sister and your ex?" Shadow raised a brow.

"My sister and my ex. Yes." I chuckled and shrugged. "And I thought Scourge and Manic were a shock, I was blown away when Sally told me she liked Sonia."

"Scourge and Manic?" Shadow opened the bag of coffee beans and ate one, then offered me one as if eating coffee beans was common. I politely refused, and he continued eating them. "How?"

"Well, Manic's past plays a huge role there. I know that for a fact." I shrugged. "I think he got Scourge to join G.U.N. too, which is shocking. Every time that Manic comes over, he tells me how much Scourge has changed. Manic has him wrapped around his finger."

"I bet the Commander hates it there." He chuckled.

"Actually, I heard he's about to retire. Seems like Manic finally scared him off." I laughed. Lucy brought us our plates, and we started eating.

"You make friends fast." Shadow added when Lucy walked away. 

"I meet a lot of people, but not everyone I talk to is my friend. Lucy and Spike are. Lucy is too kind for her own good. We have to keep an eye on her, or someone will step all over her." I explained as I drank from my coffee.

"You are still protecting others." He pointed out and took another bite out of his food.

"What can I say? It's in my nature." I shrugged and chuckled. "It just happens. I can't let someone get hurt or anything. If I am there, I will do something about it."

Shadow and I kept talking. The conversation just kept going and going feeling very natural. This may have been the longest conversation with Shadow I ever had without him calling me "Faker" or "Hedgehog" or anything other than my actual name. He seemed genuinely interested in everything I was talking about, and I listened to everything he talked about. At some point, he went on a rant about how annoying he used to be with Rouge when she would drag him to bars or make him learn something to help her.

Lucy brought us cheesecake as a dessert after we finished eating and gave Shadow an extra bag of coffee beans. The cheesecake was really good, and when I found out Shadow liked strawberries, I gave him the ones that were on top of my slice.  I learned Shadow had a sweet tooth, and now I wanted to buy him all the sweets I could get for him.

"Should I expect to see him more often?" Lucy whispered in my ear when I went to the counter to pay for my drink and the coffee beans, but Lucy always refused to let me pay.

I looked back at Shadow, who was standing by the door. He was holding the bag in one hand and was looking out at the sky. I smiled and lightly blushed, then nodded. "Yeah." I answered Lucy.

She loudly giggled and jumped in her spot, then hugged me tightly. "I'm so happy for you, sweetie. Tell him he's always welcomed here, and I do expect him to tell me how he likes that roast I gave him."

I laughed at her reaction and nodded as we both let go. I waved at her as I left, then walked with Shadow back to my house. "So." Shadow cleared his throat and looked away. "Do you think it went well?"

I smiled and held his hand, now that I knew Shadow didn't mind. "What do you think?" I asked.

"I think I would like -" He squeezed my hand. "For us to actually be together. Officially."

I blushed and looked down, then nodded. "I would like that too." He intertwined our fingers once I answered.