Shadow Makes a Fool of Himself

Shadow shuffled the flowers around, mixing and matching colors and shapes and patterns. Normally an associate would not be allowed to do this, but Shadow's designs had been bringing in three times the business since he'd been hired, so the manager just let him have his way.

He ran a hand through his red and black quills, sighing. Despite the influx in business, Tuesday's were always slow.  He'd rearranged the display at least four times since opening at nine. There was nothing else to clean, the garbage had been taken out, and the plants had been watered and fertilized. He glanced at the clock again. Five thirty PM. The shop closed at six. Any other shop would have closed already, but Shadow needed to milk out every dollar he could from his hourly wage, so he stayed put. He sat behind the cashier counter, foot tapping on the stool, slouched over the desk. He rubbed at his eye, yawning. Having full time classes and work made him exhausted and he was sure the bags under his eyes showed it.

The door's jingle startled him, making him shoot up so fast the stool fell over hitting the display behind him. He tried to catch them, but several pots clattered to the floor, breaking. The guest stood in the doorway, shocked, and Shadow's face burned with embarrassment. He ducked beneath the counter on instinct, quickly scooping the mess.

"Sorry about that! Let me just clean this up a bit and I'll be right with you!"

He heard the tap-tap of the customer's shoes against the tile floor. "Hey that's okay, take your time."

Shadow put the pottery into paper bags, sweeping the dirt aside. He grimaced at the dirty floor, but even more at the thought of standing up and seeing this person in the wake of the carnage he just created. He took a deep breath and stood, his cheeks defying his calm.

"Sorry for the wait sir. How can I help you?"

The customer in question was a blue hedgehog, just about as tall as himself, with a fuzzy peach patch on his chest, muzzle and arms. He wore a light jacket in the chilly spring weather, and white gloves. His emerald green eyes held no judgement, no anger, only genuine happiness. It took the ebony hedgehog aback; most customers who came in were stressed, in a rush or pushy.

"Don't worry about it dude! Just glad ya didn't hurt yourself. I need some flowers for a little girl's birthday party I'm going to. Her name is Cream."

"Um, sure." Shadow set a hand instinctively on the order book. "Are these for now or later?"

"The party is in an hour, so yeah, for now." He pulled out a bright pink card with princesses and unicorns on it, as well as a twenty dollar bill.

"This is all I've got. Can ya help me?"

Shadow took the card and money. The card left gold glitter on his gloves.

"I'll see what I can do. Please feel free to look around."

The blue hedgehog smiled, and Shadow was not prepared for how brilliant it was or the tsunami of happiness that flooded through him at the sight of it.

"Sure thing buddy! Thanks!" As soon as the customer turned, Shadow shoved his head into the fridge, furiously pressing ice to his cheeks. He was almost angry, not only at himself but at this stunning blue hedgehog. How dare this customer be so sweet and friendly when he was sure his own demeanor was the exact opposite. How dare he let himself be such an embarrassing associate. How could this be any worse.

Once Shadow deemed himself calm and not blushing in the slightest, he picked out pink and white roses. They matched the unicorn and princess on the card. It was a small bouquet, only ten flowers, but he figured this girl didn't need a huge bouquet anyway. He made sure to pat his face dry before turning back. The last thing he needed was the hedgehog to think he was crying.

The blue hedgehog was bent over smelling the flowers, his posterior pointed in Shadow's general direction. Shadow caught a glimpse of it, cursing himself in his head because now he was red all over again. He coughed, and the hedgehog's ear twitched, looking behind him. He stayed like that a moment longer, and Shadow wanted to scream "he's doing it on purpose! He's doing it on purpose!" But kept his mouth shut. He'd made enough of a fool of himself.

"Thanks buddy! She's gonna love it."

"Actually, I noticed the glitter on the card was gold. Would you like me to add glitter to the tips of the roses?"

He thought the hedgehog's emerald green eyes couldn't be any more gorgeous than they already were, but then they just lit up like stars at the suggestion and Shadow hated how his heart melted.

"Yes! Yes do it! Oh my god this is gonna be awesome!"

Shadow's lips twitched upwards just a little, and though he tried to hide it he knew that stupidly cute hedgehog noticed because he gasped ever so quietly, smiling even wider. Shadow pulled out two little tins, ignoring that beautiful glimmer in his eyes, pouring glue into one and gold glitter into the other. One by one, he dunked the tips of the petals into glue and glitter, bedazzling them all in liquid gold, setting them to dry in front of a gentle fan. The blue hedgehog's fingers drummed across the counter top, smile showcasing his bright white teeth. He bit his tongue, focusing on his work.

"While those dry, would you like a calligraphy note to tie around the bouquet?" He asked, breaking the silence, avoiding looking at the radiant blue hedgehog by staring at the flowers.

"Sure! Her name is Cream. I think I said that already, didn't I?"

Shadow couldn't help it, a quiet laugh slipped from his lips. He ducked down to continue avoiding looking at him, taking one of the punch out tags and a calligraphy pen.

"Yes you did. What do you think of gold ink?"

"That's the theme!" He nodded, blue quills bouncing with energy. "You're really good at design aren't you?"

Shadow finally looked up at him, flustered by the compliment. "Um, I guess? Thank you."

He caught sight of that stupid grin again, and how his stupid ears flicked with eagerness and how his stupid bright green eyes were so stupidly mesmerizing and happy and Shadow wanted to slap himself. It was so stupid, stupid, stupid. His hands shook despite his efforts to keep them still as he dipped the pen into the ink. His stomach was twisting with anger and butterflies, his heart fluttering with anxiety and something else quite pleasant. He bit his tongue harder. This guy was just a customer, rushing to get a present at the last minute just like everyone else. He was no different.

Except for that he was a total heartthrob and he totally knew it.

Shadow shook his hand before attempting to write, knowing that a sloppy card would be worthless. Happy Birthday Cream, the card said, the gold shimmering in the light. He handed it to the customer, letting him inspect it.

"Do you like it?" Shadow asked.

"Do I like it? I love it! You have awesome penmanship. Can you write my name on it too?" The customer handed it back.

"Sure, what's your name?"

"Sonic!"

Shadow's lips curled upwards again, but he let it this time. It was better than trying to hide it and having his customer get all adorable again when he noticed. He did of course notice anyway, but Shadow didn't look at him, focusing on the card. He wrote out his name on the card before punching a hole out in the top using his little pliers, slipping a gold string through and wrapping the flowers in plastic wrap. He handed it the customer, still not entirely convinced his name was "Sonic", but didn't question it. He handed him a little packet along with it.

"Put this powder in the water to help it last longer. Your total is sixteen dollars and seventy-three cents. Your change is three dollars and twenty-seven cents. Have fun at the party."

Shadow handed him his change, card and flowers. Sonic grinned at him, taking the change and putting it in his pocket.

"Thanks dude! Say uh, when does this store close?"

"Um, six. Why?"

Sonic checked his phone. "Its five fifty. Wanna close early and come with me?"

Shadow's eyes widened so much with shock he was sure his eye sockets broke.

"Uh, no I'm okay. I need to get home and let out my cat."

Sonic pouted, ears falling flat against his head. "Aw okay. See ya later then." And then he left. Shadow didn't say goodbye. He didn't even have a cat, he just couldn't stand that cute face anymore. Instead he went home and started throwing his pillows at the wall of his apartment, howling in frustration, until he finally fell asleep on a disheveled pile of couch cushions, mumbling about a stupid hedgehog in his dreams.