Sonic had to marry Shadow for the sake of everyone else, and he knew it. He accepted the arrangement because he had no real choice. The two of them didn’t like each other—at least, that’s what they both insisted—but they were expected to act as though they were a perfectly devoted pair. In public, they played their roles flawlessly. In private, they slipped back into their usual dynamic: sharp words, competitive jabs, and the familiar tension of rivals forced too close.

Still, no matter how much they denied it, they couldn’t hide the quiet ways they worried about each other. It didn’t fix their relationship, but it lingered between them like an unspoken truth.

The next morning, Sonic woke up to an empty space beside him. Shadow was gone. Curious—and maybe a little concerned—Sonic padded downstairs. There, in the soft morning light, he found Shadow in the kitchen, standing by the counter with a mug of coffee in hand, as calm and unreadable as ever.