Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter took a lot longer than a week to come out :') I tried to make this chapter longer than the others to make up for it. This chapter was completely different before, but I could not bring myself to figure out how to write it so I scrapped it and did something else T-T Anyway, I hope you like this chapter :D

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The next day, following the picnic, Sonic and Shadow were both still thinking about Shadow's sudden burst of courage to tell everyone about their relationship. Sonic was worried his friends would be upset for hiding something so major for seven months, so the sooner they told them, the better. However, Shadow was still putting it off, as doubts were constantly circling in his mind. 

Sonic could practically see the gears turning in Shadow's brain as they ambled down the path. Sonic's jade eyes flicked down to the ebony's hand, swaying beside him as he walked. He reached out his gloved hand before pulling it back, reminding himself where they were. On a concrete pavement along a busy road with shops just beside them with lots of people filing in and out of buildings. The sun shone brightly overhead and bicycle bells jingled as they signalled pedestrians to move aside. The beach was just nearby and rows of shops were lined with colour and bright, bold text, an exciting welcome into their stores. A few excited people who walked past waved eagerly to the two hedgehogs, mostly Sonic, who waved back and awkwardly nudged Shadow who would just stare. 

Shadow's eyes were half-lidded and his head was bent as he kept his gaze pinned to the ground. Sonic had to admit that the sun was quite harsh today, though he wouldn't have it any other way. Today was slightly warmer than most winter days, the beach was always either warm, hot or super sweltering in the summer. Though, Sonic had promised he'd let Shadow drag him wherever he wanted today. That of course, had to be the library, one of Sonic's least favourite places. Sure, it was nice and peaceful and he had a soft spot for comic books, but he was itching to play volleyball on the sand or race across the beach. 

He quietly whined when the sun's warmth left his fur and he was instead met with the stifling air-conditioning in the library. 

"It's winter, why don't they have the heating on instead?" Sonic grumbled. 

Shadow shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Sonic's wrist, dragging him through the shelves of books. Sonic slumped behind him, letting himself be dragged through rows and rows of books about the lamest topics in the world. He couldn't care less about why living beings needed sleep or the basics of economics. Eventually, Shadow stopped by the book he was looking for and let go of the blue hedgehog, lifting the book off the shelf and into his arms where he looked over the pristine cover with a fond smile. Sonic peeped over the black hedgehog's shoulder and his eyes slumped at the title. Poetry. 

"You're into poetry?" Sonic piped up. 

Shadow glared at Sonic in defense, "Yes. Poetry has boundless topics to write about from people to places. It's an interesting form of art."

Sonic shot Shadow an amused grin, making a mental note of that fact. 

"So, do you write any poetry?"

Shadow's gaze darted away from Sonic's eyes and one ear flicked ever so slightly, "Well, no, but I've been meaning to try."

Sonic smirked as he snatched the book out of Shadow's grasp, earning an indignant yelp from the other, "Hey! Give that back, don't you dare damage the cover."

He flipped through the pages, strolling backwards to keep the book out of reach from Shadow. His eyes scanned over the poems, a few about love, a few about nature and others so cryptic he couldn't understand what they were about in the first place. Grinning, he comes across a poem titled, I Love You by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 

Shadow glares at Sonic as he chuckles and begins to read aloud the first sentences, "'I love your lips when they're wet with wine'."

"I don't drink wine idiot, hand over the book-"

"'And red with a wild desire; I love your eyes when the lovelight dies', gosh this is so cheesy. This is like straight out of a rom-com, I can't read it," Sonic chuckles and snorts. 

Shadow's face flushes red in embarrassment. If he'd known Sonic was just going to taunt him for his interest, he wouldn't have come here at all. 

"Sonic, hand it back," Shadow's tone is flat and serious, a sadness tinting his voice. 

But Sonic kept going, "'Lit with a passionate fire. I love your arms when the warm white flesh touches mine in a fond embrace'." 

"Sonic, you're being too loud. We'll get kicked out or someone will hear what you're saying and..." His cheeks burned brighter, worried that their secret would be spilled over Sonic's childish behaviour. 

Perhaps Sonic wanted to be kicked out, as he slumped down on a nearby chair and continued, "'I love your hair when the strands enmesh, your kisses against my face. Not for me the cold, calm kiss of a virgin's bloodless love." 

Sonic mocked a posh voice as he tried to mimic how he imagined the author to be. He giggled and looked up at Shadow who just stared back blankly. Sonic's smile fell short and his expression shifted to worry. 

"I was just joking you can have the book back," he closed it and held it out to Shadow who received it with cold, empty eyes. 

Shadow turned and slotted the book back on the shelf before walking off. Sonic hurriedly got to his feet and zipped over to Shadow, placing his hands on the darker one's shoulders. 

"Oh come on! I was just joking around, you don't have to go," Sonic chuckled nervously, praying Shadow would turn around and tell him he wasn't actually mad and was just teasing. 

"Just go find some comics or leave, I really don't care, but I came here to read," that flat tone of Shadow's sounded more bitter than usual. 

Air shoes shuffled over the carpet as he stiffly walked across the library, going nowhere in particular as long as it was away from Sonic. The blue hedgehog sighed and slumped to the ground, leaning against a shelf. Great, now he'd pissed off the guy who he wanted to piss off the least. He hadn't meant to make it seem as though he was making fun of poetry or mocking Shadow for enjoying it. Although, that was definitely how it sounded, Sonic realised as he replayed the interaction in his mind. 

Sonic groaned and curled up hugging his knees and started lightly knocking his head on the wooden shelf. He cursed under his breath before sitting up straight. Now it was time for an apology. Wait no, he should probably wait a while, let Shadow blow off some steam. So he hopped to his feet and meandered through the rows, sliding past a couple people and yanking a comic book he'd already read off the shelf. Loudly, he fell back onto a bright red bean bag and flipped open the first page. 

One sentence in and he was already agitated. 

"Ughhhh," Sonic complained and sunk into the red fabric. 

He was irritated with himself and too restless to focus on the book so he slapped it shut and dropped it on the floor next to him. Surely it had been long enough and he could go find Shadow. But first, he needed to think how to properly apologise. It was a dumb reason to get into an argument, but the last thing he wanted was for Shadow to believe Sonic disregarded his feelings. 

So Sonic brought up his communicator and searched up how to apologise. He wasn't a moron, he just didn't want to go about this wrong. 

"Acknowledge the offense... Explain what happened... Express remorse... Offer to make amends. Yeah, I know, what exactly do I say? Stupid Google," Sonic muttered under his breath. 

Suddenly the best idea in the world jumped into his head and he, for some reason, decided that the best way to say sorry for indirectly mocking poetry, was to read that same poetry but more seriously. So Sonic scrambled out of the bean bag, earning a confused look from someone reading quietly close by. He looked like he was drowning in the bean bag as Sonic clambered to his feet and took off down the aisle. 

Shadow had found a quiet, peaceful spot in the furthest corner of the library where he held a cookbook close to his muzzle. No longer wanting to read poetry, his eyes scanned over the different assortment of sweets, his sweet tooth suddenly craving chocolate. A loud whip of air in the library caused him to look up immediately and Shadow spotted a streak of blue light zip out of the library's front doors, readers disturbed and also glancing in the direction of the entrance. Shadow grumbled as he tried to bring his attention back to the book. He knew Sonic wouldn't stick around. Perhaps he was extra fidgety today or something, but Shadow certainly didn't appreciate the childish act of mockery from earlier. He felt like a single parent bringing their child into a public space. Always having to tell him to be quiet, always getting stared at (although that was likely because Sonic was a celebrity). 

Would it be worse if everyone knew about them? No one seemed to freak out over the fact that Sonic and Shadow were together, alone. 

Shadow silenced his endless worries and his train of thought that kept going around and around and around. He forced his attention back to the cookbook, flipping through the pages to find something that would jump out and capture his attention. Although, when he stopped at a blue raspberry cheesecake, the first thought was the person whose quills perfectly matched that shade of blue on the page. Shadow sighed deeply before flicking to the next page. Until he was interrupted. 

In a split second, a white glove grabbed the top of the book and gently pulled it down from Shadow's face. The raven hedgehog, curled up on the very edge of the couch surrounded by pillows, gave a nasty glare to the mobian standing above him. 

"Sonic, seriously, just find a quiet spot and go away," Shadow's voice teetered over the line of anger. 

"I know I pissed you off and I'm sorry, really, really sorry. I got you some chocolate?" Sonic sat down next to him and held out a bar of milk chocolate with a sheepish grin. 

One of Shadow's jet black ears perked up and he eyed the chocolate curiously. His crimson stare hardened when he looked back at Sonic who started to sweat nervously. He did want chocolate right now, so he supposed that Sonic was good for something. Shadow extended his hand and grabbed the chocolate bar before quickly unwrapping it and wolfing it down. Sonic just watched in amusement before he remembered; pulling out the other thing behind his back. 

He gulped and kept his eyes on Shadow, hoping he wouldn't get socked in the head for this. 

"'Not for me the saint's white bliss, nor the heart of a spotless dove'," Sonic's voice was devoid of the joking tone it had before, now serious and slightly shaken. 

Shadow glared at him, his sharp gaze daring Sonic to continue.

And dare he did, "'But give me the love that so freely gives and laughs at the whole world's blame, with your body so young and warm in my arms, it sets my poor heart aflame.'" 

Shadow's expression softened, his fists unclenched and his quills settled down as he listened to Sonic recite the poem, the azure hedgehog's voice becoming more confident the further he went without getting punched. Soon he was smiling at Shadow and sliding closer to the ebony. 

"'So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth, still fragrant with ruby wine'," Sonic smirked, his eyes flicking to Shadow's lips and back up to his eyes, giving him the most seductive grin he could muster. 

Shadow's face reddened to a shade akin to his eye colour. The poem no longer sounded cheesy when Sonic spoke it to him with meaning, like he was talking about Shadow personally, like he was the one who wrote it. Shadow unconsciously leaned closer and Sonic's voice got quieter as if their love was the most secretive thing in the world. To the two of them, it was. 

"'And say with a fervor born of the South, that your body and soul are mine. Clasp me close in your warm young arms while the pale stars shine above.'" 

Shadow bit his lip and picked at the fabric of his gloves as Sonic inched closer to Shadow, his forest green eyes filled to the brim with sorrow, his eyes alone begging for forgiveness. Sonic's 'apology' was so ridiculous Shadow couldn't decide if he wanted to punch him or kiss him. 

Sonic sighed and read the final line, "'And we'll live our whole young lives away, in the joys of a living love.'" 

Shadow scoffed before closing the distance between the two, only kissing him for a short time before pulling away and looking around frantically, forgetting where they were for a moment. 

Sonic chuckled with relief, "So you forgive me for being an idiot?"

Shadow turned back to Sonic with an unamused face, "I forgive you for being an idiot every day, Sonic."

"I didn't mean- hey! I said, I didn't mean to insult poetry. Lovey-dovey poems aren't my thing, but hey, I did that pretty well, right?" 

Shadow rolled his eyes, "It's my fault for bringing you to a library, I should've known better."

"Hey, I'm the one apologising it's supposed to be my fault."

Sonic rested his hand over Shadow's, "We good?"

"We're good," Shadow sighed, "You're lucky I'm in the mood for chocolate."

Shadow brought his forgotten chocolate bar back to his muzzle, taking another bite. Sonic grinned widely and kissed his tan cheek. 

"Hey, the writing in this book is so good I can't even comprehend what it's meant to be about so, maybe it's just not meant for guys like me. That's why I like you. You're the kind of guy who does get it."

The compliment caught Shadow off guard, but then again, a lot of romantic things about Sonic had caught Shadow off guard since the beginning of their relationship. He'd never imagined such sweet affection coming from the fastest thing alive. 

Now that Sonic was genuinely appreciative of one of Shadow's interests, the raven hedgehog took it as a sign that he could ramble about it. 

"It's talking about physical affection, that poem. Kisses, hugs, are what the author wants from their partner," Shadow takes the book from Sonic glazing his finger over the stanzas, "But then the second stanza is what the author doesn't want. 'Cold, calm kiss' and 'bloodless love'. It's about passion and warmth." 

Shadow stopped himself when Sonic stared at him with a lost expression. When they met eyes all Sonic could do with smile and tilt his head at Shadow. 

"Passion. That's what I like in you."

Shadow blinked slowly before shutting the book and turning his head to fumble with the abandoned cookbook, keeping his eyes away from Sonic's in embarrassment. 

Sonic stood up from the couch, "Well, at least I've learnt something about you today, but also, I saw a volleyball competition happening on the beach when I went out, so..." 

Shadow clutched the cookbook and poetry book in his arms, "Go," he calmly stated, no venom behind it, "I'll stay here and if I finish up before you come back, I'll head out and meet you there."

A warm smile spread across Sonic's face, "Okay..." 

Shadow blinked, waiting from him to go. 

"I love you."

Before Shadow could process what the hell Sonic said he had already left the building. The ebony hedgehog's heart thundered in his chest as he looped those three words in his head. 

I love you. 

It was the first time either of them had said it to each other. 

Shadow's face was cherry red as he settled back under the swarm of pillows and excitedly opened back up the cookbook. His heart didn't sting when he looked through the poems or when he eyed the blue raspberry cake. Whether Sonic had purposefully gone outside to give Shadow space or if he really just wanted to play volleyball, Shadow appreciated it nonetheless. 

Sonic could enjoy the sun and the sand, while Shadow could curl up and read cryptic, overly romantic poetry, knowing his partner thought it made him "passionate".