*Sonic's POV*
I’ve been in some strange situations before, facing Eggman’s robots, battling time warps, even getting turned into a werehog, but this. This takes the chili dog.

He kissed me.

Right there.

In front of everyone.

My brain short-circuited. It felt like someone had hit the slow-motion button on my life. His lips were firm yet soft, and they didn’t waver for even a second. There was no hesitation. Just confidence. And warmth.

I froze. My hands hung awkwardly at my sides, and fists clenched tightly. I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing. My heart was hammering in my chest like I’d just run a hundred laps around the planet. The world around me felt blurry, like it didn’t exist anymore, no Knuckles, no Amy, no Tails or Rouge. Just him.

But then reality snapped back like a slap to the face.

“W-What the heck, Shadow?!” I pushed him back, heat rushing to my cheeks. My voice cracked slightly, which I instantly regretted. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see everyone else staring, Amy’s jaw practically on the floor, Tails looking completely baffled, Knuckles staring wide eyes unsure on what to do, and Rouge. Oh, she was loving this. That smirk of hers widened.

"Whoa whoa! What is going on here?" Tails shouted, clearly confused. I placed my hands on Shadows chest, accidentally touching his chest fur, feeling how soft it was for a moment as I pushed away from Shadow.

I felt like I was about to explode, my face redder than Knuckles fur. But deep down, under the confusion and embarrassment, there was something else. A spark of something new. Something interesting. It was a small fluttery feeling that I couldn't quite place.

"Would you -" Amy interrupted Shadow as she grabbed my wrist and pulled away even further away from Shadow.

"He has to go, Shadow. Sorry." Amy said out loud. I looked at Amy, snapping back to reality once more, then looked back at Shadow.

Right. This wasn't real. I couldn't forget that. This kiss wasn't real either. Shadow wasn't aware of what he was doing. He was forced to feel this way.

So why did I feel so disappointed?

Shadow looked furious at seeing Amy touch me in any sort of way, so I moved away from Amy. "Yeah. Got a lot of things to do. Sorry, Shadz. I got to go." I quickly said, scratching the back of my neck and dashed off before anyone could start questioning me.

Completely forgetting that they now could do the same to Amy.

*Rouge's POV*
Shadow looked like he was going to kill Amy, so I decided to intervene. "What's going on between you and Blue?" I asked Amy.

"No. Question here is what's going on between Shadow and Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

"I agree with Knuckles. What is going on here?" Tails asked now.

"There's nothing going on between Sonic and I. We are just friends. In fact, I gave up trying to go after him already." Shadow started growling, assuming the same thing I did, I guess.

"So you two are dating now?" I placed a hand on my hip.

"What? No! You think I would've let Shadow kiss him if I was dating him? We are just friends. I meant what I said." Amy defended, but she looked so nervous.

"Are Shadow and Sonic dating?" Knuckles asked.

"Sonic doesn't do relationships anymore." Tails blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth.

"What?" We all asked, including Shadow.

"Anymore?" Shadow asked what we all were wondering.

"Sonic used to date this one girl before, and it just didn't work out. He has refused to date anyone since then." Tails explained. We were all still confused, so he continued with his story. "She was someone important to him, important to the two of us before we even met all of you. They dated for a long time until it got too dangerous for her. Eggman kept going after her as a way to get to Sonic. Finally, she ended things for her sake and ours. Sonic's refused to even think of anyone in that way since then. He doesn't allow himself to fall for someone knowing what it may cause."

"The question here is whether he's gay or not. Not if he would be in a relationship. Shadow just suddenly kissed him. He probably doesn't even swing that way." Knuckles said. I wanted to kick him.

"Knuckles!" Both Tails and Amy shouted.

"What? I'm asking the real questions here. I've never seen Sonic even look at a guy that way." I walked up to Knuckles and kicked him away from us, then looked at Shadow.

"Do you actually like him?" Tails asked him, causing Shadow to start growling.

"Like him? Faker? Are you crazy? I can't stand that idiot!" And suddenly, he was acting the way he always was.

What is going on here?