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A/n: Love is in the air.

"Checkmate."

"I hate chess." (Y/n) grinned as Shadow swept the chess pieces angrily off the board, huffing and crossing his arms.

"Yeah, it's not my favorite. The only reason I won was because you were worse at it than I was."

Currently, the pair was sitting in the back of a plane while Detonator piloted, following some directions from back at headquarters. They'd found an assortment of games, most of them strategy for obvious reasons. Apparently (Y/n) was very good at strategy games.

"I used to play a lot of strategy games back on Earth," she said, leaning back. "I always lost to (F/n), but I guess I get some redemption with you, huh?"

"Don't push it," he grumbled. "I can still beat you at training."

"Don't remind me." He smirked to himself and she stood up to collect the fallen pieces. He followed her, using his speed to collect them all before her, depositing them on the table and bending down in front of her. He slipped the single piece she'd picked up out of her hand and reached behind her, setting it down. Instead of withdrawing his hand, however, he rested it on the table, tilting his head.

"Shadow?" One of his ears flicked. By the look on her face, he knew that if she could actually talk, she would have been stuttering.

He sighed and rested his face against her neck, dropping his hand to her shoulder and sliding it down to her hand. "They were ready for a telekinetic," he murmured against her neck. "They'll be ready for you and me, too."

"What happened to all that Ultimate Lifeform stuff you are so proud of?"

"Here, I'm not the Ultimate Lifeform. I am just Shadow, and all you've got is a...self...." He hesitated, then rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. "A self-righteous hedgehog that has a fancy pair of rocket skates." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Your definition, not mine."

"Really? I mean, I know you're self-righteous, but you're admitting it?"

"I've come to realize a few things." He lifted his head, bringing her hand to his face and holding it gently with both hands. "And it's all thanks to you."

"What would you do without me? First, I get you stuck thirty years in the past, all your Chaos powers disappear, and now I'm making you see all this stuff about yourself? I'm actually kind of flattered." Shadow allowed a small smirk that pulled at his lips. Blowing out a soft breath, he pressed his lips to her hand.

He felt her shift, before her hand on the side of his face. He pulled back slightly, looking up at her. Her eyes were wide, and she was biting her lip, drawing his attention to it. Realizing what he was doing, he forced his attention to her eyes, his heart gaining speed.

I can't. I can't do this. I can't risk it if I can't protect her. He looked down again, daring to press his lips to her hand once more, his fingers caressing hers. Much as he didn't want to admit it, he cared for her. He wanted her to make it back to their time, and he would like to make it back with her. But he would do what he had to.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Raising his eyes once more, he was surprised by the concern in her own. "I just want you to be safe," he said, looking down again. Her fingers suddenly entwined with his and his eyes widened slightly.

"You know, now we're pretty much on level ground. We each have a different skill, and we'll need to look out for each other." She used the hand on the side of his face to force his gaze to hers. "Promise me that you'll let me."

"I don't-"

"Shadow." He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.

"I promise, if you'll let me." Her hand slid to his shoulder and she nodded.

It was another moment before Shadow averted his gaze yet again, licking his lips. The plane shifted slightly and they both adjusted their position, the (a/t) releasing the hedgehog's hand. He looked up at her, taking a deep breath as he wrapped one arm around her waist and pressed his cheek to hers. He expected her to say something, but she didn't.

"I'm sorry for everything I did," he breathed, his free hand finding hers and gripping it.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't reply. He was afraid he would die. He was afraid he could. And it was surprising how much fear made you realize. He pulled back slightly, glancing at her face. Then,

"Forgive me."

And he pressed his lips firmly to hers, pulling her against him. He felt her stiffen, then place one hand on his chest, the other running gently through his quills. He squeezed her hand, tilting his head.

They broke apart a few seconds later, only by a few centimeters. Shadow opened his eyes halfway, both their faces flushed. "What was that-"

"Sh," he breathed, running a hand over her ears and stopping at the side of her face where he stroked gently. He angled his head, his lips brushing hers. He smirked softly as she leaned into it, the hand in his quills sliding down to his neck. He slowly closed his eyes once more, pressing into the kiss with a low hum.

Breaking apart once more and sucking in a deep breath, Shadow drew his finger under her chin, holding there gently. He pressed his forehead to hers, feeling her soft breaths on his face. She bit her lip again, closing her eyes.

"Alright," Detonator's voice came over the intercom. "We're going in for a landing. Get in your seats, please." Shadow looked back at (Y/n) as she opened her eyes and stared at him.

"We'll talk about this later," he said in a low voice. She blinked and simply nodded, allowing him to help her to her feet and into her seat.

"Be ready," Detonator said. "Because I think we have a welcoming committee."

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