Experience Tumblr Like Never Before
shadow the hedgehog x gn!reader
(ФωФ): shadow making a nest!
I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED SO MANY REQUESTS. LUCIDWORLD IF YOU SEE THIS YES ITS YOUR REQUEST. i have SO many shadow fics coming up but i lowkey post a lot😞🙏 gonna slow down a little before posting again😞
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You wake up to find Shadow missing. Again.
This is the third time this week that you've rolled over in bed only to find his spot empty, sheets cold, and the faintest scent of him still lingering. You groan, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you sit up, stretching your arms over your head so hard it makes your whole face turn red, making you let out a deep, satisfied exhale after you stretch. The room is dim, early morning light creeping in through the curtains.
You know exactly where he is.
Slipping out of bed, you shuffle toward the living room, yawning. And sure enough—
There he is.
Nestled into the most ridiculous pile of blankets and pillows you have ever seen, making you pause in the doorway and stare.
Shadow is curled up in what can only be described as a nest, made of every single blanket he could find, stacked and arranged into a perfectly enclosed, warm little burrow. His quills are relaxed, body tucked in on itself, ears twitching slightly as he dozes.
You blink, your heart squeezes.
He made himself a nest, a fucking nest.
You hold back a squeal and step closer, careful not to startle him. As you approach, you notice something else—the air in here is cold. You shiver, rubbing your arms. You hadn’t even noticed it when you woke up, but now that you’re out of bed, it’s obvious—Shadow must’ve lowered the thermostat.
So that’s why he left, It’s spring.
Hedgehogs hate heat.
Your chest tightens. You had noticed him shifting uncomfortably in bed last night, restless, tossing the blankets off only to pull them back on. Now it makes sense. He must’ve gotten too warm and instinctively made himself a cool, dark space to sleep in.
You lower yourself onto the couch beside his nest, watching him. He’s softer like this, quills slightly fluffed, arms tucked in. His chest rises and falls steadily, and for once, he looks truly relaxed.
He’s beautiful.
You rest your chin on your knees, just admiring him for a moment.
And then, because you can’t resist, you reach out and gently brush your fingers along the spines at the back of his head.
Immediately, his ear flicks, making you freeze.
His quills shift slightly, not raised, but reacting to the touch. You try again, this time scratching in between his quills, right at the base where his fur is softest.
Shadow makes a sound.
A deep, slow exhale through his nose.
Encouraged, you keep going, carefully massaging through his fur, scratching just enough to be soothing. His body melts under your touch, tension draining from him entirely.
And then—
He hisses.
You jerk your hand back instantly.
Did you do something wrong? Did you touch a sensitive spot? You stare in horror, heart racing—until you actually look at him.
His eyes are still closed. His quills are relaxed. He’s still nestled deeply in his nest.
…He’s not mad.
You blink.
That was… not an aggressive hiss.
Your lips part. Oh.
That was happy hissing. You have to bite your lip to hold back a squeal.
But just as you think you’ve recovered— Shadow shifts, stretching slightly—and sploots.
Your soul leaves your body.
He is flat on his stomach, legs stretched out, completely flopped over like a tiny, exhausted creature.
Your heart explodes.
You reach out again, gently scratching at his back, fingers threading through his fur. He lets out a slow, content sigh, leaning into your touch.
Your voice comes out in a soft whisper. “I love you.”
Shadow stirs. A slow, lazy blink. His eyes flicker open, glowing faintly in the dim room, and when he turns his head to look at you, his expression is softer than you’ve ever seen it.
He doesn’t say anything at first. Instead, he moves closer, shifting just enough to tuck his face against your shoulder, nuzzling into you.
A deep, low purr rumbles from his chest. Your heart shatters.
You close your eyes, wrapping your arms around him, letting him bury himself against you. His voice is quiet, barely above a murmur.
“…I love you too.”
He purrs again. Content. Relaxed. Safe. And in his little nest, you hold him closer.
DOOT DOOT DOOT SHADOWS POV
Shadow was never one for comfort. He didn’t need it, didn’t seek it, and certainly never expected it. But this—this nest, this cool, enclosed space he had instinctively built for himself—felt right. It wasn’t something he consciously thought about. It just happened. Waking up too warm, unable to settle, feeling restless in a way that had nothing to do with battle or his usual insomnia. The temperature had been too much, the blankets suffocating, so without thinking, he had moved. He had gathered everything soft, anything he could burrow into, making a space that felt protected, safe.
And now you were here, watching him. He could feel your presence even before you spoke, before you reached out and touched him. Your fingers had skimmed along his quills so gently, so carefully, as if afraid of disturbing him. And yet, rather than recoil, he had leaned into it. Your scratches, firm yet soothing, worked through the tension in his body, and for the first time in a long while, he truly relaxed. His instincts took over, responding before his mind could catch up, and before he knew it, a hiss escaped his throat.
You had pulled away instantly, but he had felt the way your heart rate spiked, the way you stiffened in surprise. It only took him a moment to realize why. You thought he was upset. That hiss had startled you, made you think you had done something wrong. Shadow almost smirked at the thought. If only you knew.
The truth was, he wasn’t used to expressing things the way you did. He wasn’t good with words, wasn’t soft or affectionate in the way that came naturally to you. But his body—his instincts—knew what they wanted. When you touched him, something in him eased. The tension he carried constantly, the weight that never seemed to lift, all of it melted away under your touch. His body reacted before his mind could stop it, and that hiss? That was nothing but satisfaction.
And then you had whispered those words.
“I love you.”
Simple. Gentle. Meant only for him.
Shadow had never cared for words, but somehow, the way you said it made something shift inside him. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, still drowsy, still unwilling to leave the comfort of his nest. When he turned his head to look at you, your expression made his chest tighten. There was no teasing, no expectation. Just warmth. Just you.
He didn’t think. He simply moved.
With a slow, deliberate motion, he nudged his head against your shoulder, pressing into you, letting himself seek out the comfort you so easily gave. He barely noticed the deep, rumbling purr that left his chest—his body did what it wanted, instincts taking over. He felt the way your arms wrapped around him, how you welcomed him without hesitation, how you held him without question.
For the first time in a long while, Shadow let himself be still. He let himself be held.
And with his face buried against your shoulder, surrounded by the safety of his nest and the warmth of your presence, he murmured the only thing that mattered.
“…I love you too.”
Just finished watching Sonic 3 and a flame that died years ago has suddenly been rekindled.
So anyways I'm now taking requests for Shadow. And Knuckles, but mostly Shadow.
Maybe Chaos, Silver, or Tails of I'm feeling a little funky.
Gender neutral reader
Just finished watching Sonic 3 and it was awesome!! Haven’t seen anyone written for movie Shadow yet sooo.. 👀
Warnings?: No spoilers for the movie in this! But maybe him being out of character, I haven’t wrote anything in years lol
- I feel like his love languages would be quality time and physical touch, he wouldn’t be used to touch at first but would gradually warm up to it. Definitely wouldn’t be the type to be over the top with public affection. Maybe handholding or a hand on your waist in public, but that’s probably it
- Might would be one to get jealous, needs reassurance that you’re not leaving and that you love him, truly. He’s been through a lot and needs to know that you’re not leaving him too
- Likes looking at the stars with you!! Reminds me of that one meme
“Do u like stars?”
“Ya, they’re cool”
- Likes to watch moves with you too! Just please don’t have him watch movies that have ‘aliens’ that are considered bad guys in it :( Just watch cat videos on YouTube with him, he’d be content with that
- Try and show him video games! He’d be really confused on how the controls work, a lot has changed in fifty years
- I feel like he’d like the game Stray, cause cats!! I feel like he absolutely loves cats. Would also probably like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. Anything that’s a calm game where you can just do whatever
- Speaking of cats.. he’d love going to a cat cafe with his s/o, would probably want to take them all home afterwards though
- Would end up having a black cat come up to him, rubbing against him and purring. He’d just pick up the cat and ask
“..can we take him home?”
- You can’t say no to Shadow, especially when he’s holding a cat in his hands.. so needless to say, you guys have a new pet now
- But besides cafe dates, just staying at home and cuddling would be perfectly fine with him as a date, anywhere with you, he’s happy
- I feel like he’d genuinely be a really good boyfriend, just takes him time to warm up a bit and get more comfortable with romantic stuff
- And motorcycle rides!! They’d be so fun, but if you get scared if he ever goes too fast, just ask for him to slow down or go a normal speed, he’d probably listen (cause it’s you)
- Gets all blushy and flustered when it comes to physical affection and kisses, he’s not used to it but he loves it
- He’d also like music, specifically older songs. Likes to put vinyls on a record player and dance with you to the song :’)) even if you don’t know how to dance, he’ll try and guide you
Not really sure what else to add here! Hopefully this was good, sorry if it was out of character :’)
I absolutely love Shadow so much, he’s such a cool character and looked so amazing in the movie
After two years (almost three) I’m back!! For how long? I have no idea lol
I just watched Sonic 3 in theaters and it was SOO GOOD. Not going to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it obviously, but I highly recommend watching it! You guys are gonna love it! Just remember to stay for the post credits scene, it was awesome!
I want to come back here to maybe write some more sonic x reader headcanon stuff!! I’m not sure if I’ll stay around for awhile, but I’ll write what I can :D
,,really wanna write Shadow x reader cause,, wowza,, he’s so pretty :’)
Also it’s kinda crazy to me how I first started writing on here when I was 14 😭 and here I am being 17 now??
But feel free to stick around for a bit! I’ll see if I can write a bit! Might be a little bad since I haven’t wrote anything in almost 3 years lol
Edit: I wrote new movie Shadow x reader headcanons here!! :D