May was always the worst month, as well as June. well, through September if he was being honest. why? he went through what was called a “heat”. he hated it with a passion. yes, he took suppressants to help control the urges, but the hormones hurt him mentally

it only got worse when he started dating her. every single hedgehog instinct Shadow had went through him like a river. she helped him since she had her own, of course, and she could tell the signs as soon as they started. the antsy feeling a few days before as well as his ears constantly twitching and flicking as the slightest blow of air; extra sensitive quills and tail? yea, she could tell.

she was lounging on the couch, waiting for him to get back from meeting up with Sonic. apparently, Eggman had been looking for them both so they went to go check it out. she had her book in her lap, curled underneath the blanket when she decided to close it and get up. as soon as she did, Shadow came in through the door, eyes a bit wild and holding a glint she’d never seen before in them. he looked tired, almost as if he’d used too much energy.

“Hey.” she greeted simply before moving across the floor to the kitchen to grab a snack. she kept an ear turned back to him, listening to his every move. he started ranting, and she listened as she held a cold container of blackberries in her hand, snacking on them. he kept circling her, talking with his hands. subconsciously, he would move closer when he got behind her, but would continue his circling when she turned to face him. yea that was something he did; all male hedgehogs circled females they wanted during their time. so, she spun slowly to keep her eyes on him, like always