*Shadow's POV*
"You're excited to get back to work?" Sonic asked me as we both walked around the forest.

"It keeps me busy." I shrugged, we had been seeing each other every day since Maria disappeared.

"Have I not been enough?" Sonic gasped dramatically, making me chuckle and roll my eyes at him playfully.

"Shut up, Faker." I looked down at the ground where I saw a blue flower and picked it up. I don't know why, but I instinctively gave it to him.

He had been over at my place every morning just to check up on me, and every day, he had something planned to make me stop thinking about Maria. Honestly, I could not get her out of my mind, but it was mostly the things she said on her last moments with me. Everything she said about him.

I had spent years mourning over the loss of the first Maria, never truly accepting that I had to move on. Only for my own daughter to come and tell I deserve happiness, and I should allow myself to finally move on. She wasn't wrong, and I felt it was time I accepted how I truly felt.

Thanks to Maria, I was ready for Sonic to reject me, but I was not going to give up. I knew Sonic was the one, I knew she had been right ever since she first told me about how we even got together in the first place. I was finally ready.

"Thank you." Faker smiled as he held the flower.

"I like you." I had practiced how I would ask him out at home, but when it came down to it, I blurted it out just like Maria said would happen. I mentally face palmed myself and stopped walking when Sonic stopped.

"What?" He said, shocked and looked down at the flower. "What?" He repeated a bit louder this time. "I -" He shook his head. "Shadow -" He stopped again, stuttering so much he couldn't get a single word out. He groaned and dashed off.

I guess Maria was right. I would have to ask him another time. And probably a third time if what Maria said was true.

*Sonic's POV*
"What is he doing here?" Tails got all defensive when I walked into his lab with Metal Sonic by my side.

"I saw him outside Eggmans base destroying some glass, and I went to talk to him. Turns out he's not a big fan of Eggman either but has nowhere to go." I shrugged. "I offered him to stay with me or you at your lab."

"What were you doing at Eggmans base?" Tails asked. "Are you avoiding Shadow again? He confessed he liked you 3 days ago. Go talk to him already. You like him too. That parts obvious. Dont you want to see Maria again someday?" He looked at Metal. "I'll trust you because Maria said I could."

"That's getting ahead of ourselves. I know Shadow and I are supposed to be end game, but I never asked Maria what happened to us in the future. I don't want Shadow getting hurt because of me. If we date, I'll be yet another weakness to him." I shook my head.

"At least don't avoid him. I'm sure he misses you." Tails said and walked to Metal, then asked if he could help him with a project. Metal agreed instantly.

"I guess you're right. I should go talk to him then." I rubbed my face and walked away.

I didn't realize where I was going until I was in front of Shadow's house. I knocked, and he opened it. He sighed in relief when he saw me, then let me go inside.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again, Hedgehog." He offered me a beer, and I took it as he opened his and took a chug. I did the same thing. "Sorry for scaring you away."

I laughed and kept drinking, feeling like we both needed the drink after everything that had happened in the past month. I was glad to see that Shadow was doing better and wasn't as grumpy as he used to.

We spent the night talking and drinking. "Chaos, will you go out with me?" Shadow asked me. It's good to know he was more of a lightweight than me. I laughed softly and helped him to his bed after I cut him off from more drinking. I couldn't help but wish he would have meant it, asking me out when he was sober or something.

I helped him lay down in his bed, but he wouldn't let me go, so I ended up staying the night, I slept beside him, feeling just a tad bit tipsy and tired.

*Shadow's POV*
I woke up the next day feeling groggy, I had started drinking the night before before Sonic had even gotten there. I had offered him to drink with me, feeling like I needed company at the time, and we just ended up talking and laughing, getting to know each other better. He was being more clumsy and slurring his words a lot, acting more hyper and crazy making me smile.

I turned to my side and brightly blushed when I saw him laying down beside me. I gasped and quickly sat up, looking down at him shocked. I searched my memories to try to remember if anything happened, hoping nothing had.

"You're awake." I looked at him as he slowly sat up. "How are you feeling? I brought you to bed after I cut you off. I hope you don't mind. I slept here, too." He said, his words calming me down.

"It's fine." I said and rubbed my face, then got up, fixing my fur as I did so. "Breakfast?"

"I got it." He said as he got up and walked to the door before I could. I chuckled and suddenly remembered why Sonic had cut me off from drinking. I sighed, realizing Maria had been right again.

I walked to the kitchen after I took a shower and saw he had made pancakes the way Maria had made them the first time she had spent the night. I smiled softly, now realizing it had been Sonic's recipe to begin with.

"Sonic." I said, and he looked up as he ate some chocolate chips. "I asked you something last night." I said.

"W-What do you mean?" He stuttered, making it very obvious he absolutely knew what I meant.

"Will you go out with me?" I asked yet again as I got closer to him.

Sonic smiled at me with a bright blush across his muzzle. "How about we go out on a date first, Shadz? We've been hanging out a lot, but it's different once you realize you like each other."

"So you do like me back? I never got an answer the other day. Just stutter." I said, making him punch my arm playfully. "I'll take the date." I laughed softly.

"What's so funny?" He raised a brow as he served the plates.

"Maria told me I would have to beg you for you to give me a chance. Said I would ask you 3 times and earn our first kiss on our first date." He was madly blushing by now.

"We will see about that." He walked to the table, then he stopped, his ears going up. "Hey! She told me she didn't know how we got together!" He laughed. "She lied to me!"

I shrugged and started eating, enjoying the food just like the first time Maria had prepared it for me. I couldn't help but finally feel happy. I had Sonic in my life.

Thank you, Maria, for everything. 

We love you too.

THE END

******
A/N: the end???
High chance of an extra chapter soon, because idk if this was a good way to end it. I'll think about it. Right now, my mind is blanking.

What did you guys think of this book?