Work Text:
“So many people…” Shadow murmured, looking at the audience.
“I know, right? Remind me to thank Amy and the rest of the gang for all of this,” Sonic chuckled as he peeped through the curtains. He could spot Mayor Fink and Fastidious Beaver chatting animatedly with Amy and Sticks, the two girls decked out matching rainbow t-shirts. He smiled, glancing at Tails and Knuckles, his two best friends smiling back as they readied their instruments.
Sonic unfurled the rainbow flag cape Amy had made for him, slinging it over his shoulders. Looking at Shadow, he noticed that his boyfriend was idly fiddling with his bass.
“You okay, Shads?” he asked softly.
“Y-yeah. I’m just…” Shadow peered through the curtains, his ruby eyes widening as he saw more people come in. He then looked at Sonic and gave him a shy smile. “I’m just… amazed that this is really happening,” he whispered.
Sonic chuckled and went closer to Shadow, gently kissing the black hedgehog’s nose. “I feel the same way. Everyone out there… they’re all here to celebrate love and the people they love,” he murmured.
“And to think this is all started when we came out to the public at Meh Burger,” Shadow said, grinning.
Sonic laughed at the memory, nuzzling his boyfriend.
They were eating lunch at Meh Burger yesterday with the rest of the team when Lady Walrus had seen them holding hands. And when Sonic had fed Shadow a French fry, the black hedgehog giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she was livid. Lady Walrus had demanded that they leave, saying that they were making her and her children uncomfortable (though Stratford kept trying to tell his mother to leave them alone) with their public displays of affection. Surprisingly, Dave had defended them, telling Lady Walrus that Sonic and Shadow had every right to dine at Meh Burger and that they weren’t really doing anything indecent in public.
Lady Walrus, after a moment of stunned silence, huffed and stormed out with Stratford hurriedly apologizing to Sonic and Shadow. That led to others in the restaurant asking the two hedgehogs about their relationship. While Shadow was a bit shy, he opened up alongside Sonic.
Yes, they were dating, they said. News around Seaside Island traveled fast. By the afternoon, everybody on the island knew.
That’s when Amy got the brilliant idea to hold a Pride Day in Hedgehog Village. There would be games, food, music, and special lectures meant to educate people about gender identity, sexual orientation, and how to refrain from misgendering one's friends, and, above all, how to be respectful of each other's identities and sexualities. Mayor Fink was excited at the proposal and Fastidious Beaver looked forward to handling the lectures. Other villagers were happy to help in setting things up with the rest of Team Sonic.
Sonic and Shadow were glad to help oversee preparations. As the day went on, they were surprised and touched whenever people with similar romantic inclinations came forward with their own stories.
Soar the Eagle, in particular, revealed to them that he has a daughter who came out as trans to him a few years back. To show his support, he would wear the colors of the transgender flag while doing his broadcasts knowing that his daughter would regularly tune in to his news show while studying abroad.
“Honestly, after all the trouble that happened… I didn’t expect things to turn out so well,” Shadow told Sonic, who nodded.
Of course, some people hadn’t approved of their relationship. Some even openly slandered Sonic, saying that he didn’t deserve to be called a hero due to his sexual preferences. Things escalated when some of the villagers who didn’t approve of both their relationship and Team Sonic’s idea for a Pride Day tried to sabotage preparations.
Surprisingly, Eggman hadn’t participated in the sabotage. Heck, he even volunteered to man security during the event to make sure nobody got hurt or harassed.
“Still can’t believe ol’ Egghead helped us out and is celebrating with us,” Sonic mumbled, pointing to Dr. Eggman who was in the crowd and joking around with Dave the Intern.
“I guess the Doctor has his good moments.” Shadow shrugged, putting his matching rainbow cape on.
Tails tapped Sonic’s arm. “Ready to rock, Sonic?” The young fox inventor asked his big brother.
Sonic gave him a thumbs up. “Ready to roll, Tails,” he said then looked at Shadow, his green eyes shining. “Ready, Shads?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Shadow smirked, grabbing his bass.
The crowd cheered as the curtains parted, revealing Dude-itude.
“Gooood Evening, Seaside Island!” Knuckles drummed an introductory beat, his cymbals clashing.
“Everybody havin’ a good time?!” Sonic shouted, the crowd cheering loudly in response.
“All right! That’s what I’m talking about!” Sonic grinned, playing a few riffs on his guitar to the excitement of the crowd. “We got a special guest performing with us tonight.” He gestured to the side of the stage.
Shadow took a deep breath before stepping up onto the stage donning a long-sleeved sparkle-dusted white shirt like the other band members, his rainbow cape flapping behind him. The outfit was a little over-the-top but, hey, it was comfy.
“One of the bravest, kindest, and coolest guys I know.” Sonic was practically glowing as Shadow took his place by his side. “Ladies and gentlemen, Shadow the Hedgehog!” he announced with a flourish.
Shadow chuckled, bumping his hip against Sonic’s as the crowds started cheering their names. Winking at Knuckles and Tails, he started playing the opening notes on his bass. “Let’s do this,” he told Sonic, the blue hedgehog grinning.
“Whoo!” Sonic tapped his foot to the beat. “Oh yeah!” he yelled and started singing, the crowd joining in.
Sonic: Rollin’ around at the speed of sound. Got places to go…
Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and Knuckles: Gotta follow my rainbow!
Tails: Can’t stick around, have to keep movin’ on.
Knuckles: Guess what lies ahead…
Tails and Knuckles: Only one way to find out!
Sonic: Must keep on movin’ ahead. No time for guessin’, follow my plan instead. Trustin’ in what you can see.
Shadow grinned as he twirled Sonic around.
Shadow: Take my lead, I’ll set you free.
Everyone started dancing to the song, their spirits soaring high.
Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and Knuckles: Follow me, set me free! Trust me and we will escape from the city! I’ll make it through; prove it to you... Follow me! Oh yeah!
Shadow’s fingers danced up and down the neck of his bass as he took over for the next verse.
Shadow: Danger is lurking around every turn. Trust your feelings, got to…
“Live and Learn!” he and Sonic sang out together. Shadow laughed a bit before continuing his bit of the song.
Shadow: I know with some luck that I’ll make it through. Got no other options, only one thing to do!
Sonic and Shadow: I don’t care what lies ahead! No time for guessin’, follow my plan instead! Find that next stage, no matter what that may be.
“Take my lead, I’ll set you free!” Sonic held the microphone out to the audience, who sang out the chorus alongside them.
“I’ll make it through…” Sonic and Shadow ended the song with an, “Oh yeah!” strumming their guitars together.
The couple looked at each other and smiled, happy to see so many people having a blast even as the final drumbeats faded away. There were couples hugging each other and laughing, some even going up to their crushes to confess, and everyone just having a good time.
“It’s been a great day, huh, Shads?” Sonic winked at his boyfriend.
“Indeed it has, Blue. Indeed, it has,” Shadow replied, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
Before Sonic even knew it, Shadow pulled him in and – onstage, in front of everyone – kissed him full on the lips.
And the crowd went absolutely wild.
Well, this is the best I can make for now. I do plan on expanding this one-shot someday to provide more detail as to how Seaside Island’s Pride Day came about.
Another song I would have liked to include here was “Time Bomb” by the band All Time Low. It’s a really good song that I think encapsulates Sonic and Shadow’s relationship.
In the meantime, read and review! Love you all :D
-GuardianDragon98