The prince of hell

ch 2; Do you want anything to drink?

Shadow looks down on the juice. The color looks kinda as piss.
Doubtfully he starts sniffing above the glass.
Since it doesn't smell disgusting, he gives it a chance, and starts drinking it.
The juice is cold and-... Sweet!
"Well?-..." Knuckles asks with the fridge still opened.
Shadow smiles when he lowered the glass.
"I-... I LOVE IT!" He grins.
Knuckles chuckles, and thinks in the backhead, how cute Shadow is.
"Perfect!-... I have more apple juice if you want more later... Now... About the food..." he hums, and starts eyeing the things in the fridge.

"...Apple juice..." Shadow mumbles silently. Making sure he would remember the name of this awesome drink.
It might also taste a lot better than blood.

While Shadow is drinking the juice, Knuckles opened the freezer instead, and takes out two pizza.
Then he closed the freezer and turned on the oven.
The echidna smiles at him.
"It will take a while 'till the food gets ready... The oven must get preheated first, before I can even throw the pizza in... So?-... Do you wanna watch a movie?"
"Movie?-..." Shadow blinks confused, and places the empty glass on the counter, next the sink.

Knuckles nods, and grabbed Shadow's hand again.
The touch between their hands, causes their hearts to pounds faster, and the touch starts soon feeling warm.

They both were blushing while walking out to the living room, where Knuckles makes Shadow to sit down on the bed.
Seeing Shadow on the bed, makes Knuckles more flushed, and he looks nervously away.
"I-...I... W-will... S-start the T-tv..." Knuckles swallows hardly and moves stiffly toward the TV.
To the left side of the TV, a slightly behind its frame, he pushed the top button.
The small lamp down on the right corner of the TV frame, turned on, with a faint red color.
Knuckles walks back to the bed, where he sits down and takes the remote control from the coffee table.

The echidna started the TV, so the red light turned to green instead.
The screen lights up, and channel 6 starts where an episode from Ink master started.
Knuckles was about to start Netflix instead, when his eyes fell on the screen where a male gets a lion tattoo as cover up on the arm.
The echidna looks curiously at Shadow who stares shocked at the screen.
"Hey... Did you get those runes like that?" He asks curiously. Not sure if they were tattoos or birthmarks.

Shadow pulls the eyes away from the screen, and looks at Knuckles.
He shakes the head.
"No-... I got them by using the fire from purgatory... Then I burned my skin with it..." he starts explaining.
Knuckles shudders.
"That-... Sounds painful..."
Shadow shrugs.
"Kinda-... But it's worth it"
"How?" Knuckles raises the eyebrows.
Shadow smiles.
"Thanks to the runes, I have gotten stronger... Without them... I wouldn't be fast as I am... And I wouldn't be able to walk in the sun etc..."
"... Like magic?"
Shadow starts thinking about Knuckles' question.
Then he nods.
"Kinda... Yes-... You could probably call it magic..."
Knuckles let's out a low awe, and looked at Shadow's body.
He flinched when he noticed Shadow still has the jacket on.
"Oh-... You can take the jacket off..."
"Why?"
Knuckles shrugs.
" 'Cause we are inside now... You usually don't wear jackets indoors"

Shadow wraps the arms around his upper body.
"But-... It's a lot more comfortable with it on... And it smells kinda nice"
Knuckles wides the eyes in surprise. Did Shadow just said-... He likes his scent?!
The echidna clears the throat while changing channel.
"I- ... Ehm... I mean-... Y-you... C-can keep I-it on...." he stutters with heated cheeks.
"Thank-..." Shadow says with a single word who strokes softly at Knuckles' heart. At least it feels like that.

Knuckles inhales deeply and slammed the remote control gently in Shadow's hand.
"H-here... You can... Ehm... choose the movie..." he tells him and starts standing up, and walking away.
Maybe he can relax a little by getting his mind on something else. As shoving the food in the oven. It should be preheated by now...

The bewildered hedgehog looks curiously down on the black remote control. How does he uses it?
Shadow looks curiously at the screen where many options of movies and series are in row.
"Knuckles?-..." he looks up at the echidna who froze from hearing his name from the others lips.
Knuckles inhales deeply through the nose, and then out through the mouth.
The echidna turns around with stiff smile.
"Y-yeah?-..."
Shadow points at the TV.
"What is a movie?-... And how did those people get inside that thing?... Is that a magical tool?"

Knuckles parts the lips. Unsure if he should laugh, or think Shadow is adorable.
The lips curl upward into a wide smile.
He let's out a short laugh, and can't believe how someone can be so cute.
"No shadz-... That's a TV... And there isn't any magical over it... And those people aren't inside my TV... They are actors... And made movies we can watch through the TV, cell phone or laptop... No one live inside that thing" he explains.

Shadow head spins around from all new things.
"I see-..." he mumbles without completely understanding everything.
Knuckles smiles.
"I'm soon back..." he says and starts walking out to the kitchen.
Shadow jolts.
" May I get more apple juice?"
"I'm on it!" Knuckles says from the door frame who separated the kitchen and the living room/bedroom.

***

Despite it's the credits who plays on the screen, where Netflix soon starts suggesting three other movies, Shadow couldn't stop staring.
It seems... Until now, he hasn't known what fun was...
Why haven't he tried walking up here, earlier?

Knuckles had a lot fun too.
But maybe that fun will soon end...
"... When will you go back home?" He asks with sadness in the voice. Not ready to let's go yet.
Shadow flinches the eyes from the screen and looks confused at him.
"Home?-... I can't get home 'till I have got my mate..."
Knuckles' heartbeats increased in speed.
"Oh?-... Then... Where will you stay during the nights?"

Shadow narrowed the eyes thoughtfully. He hasn't thought about that yet.
"... I don't know... Probably somewhere I can stay kinda warm... Like a cave or something?" He shrugs.

Knuckles gets terrified of hearing Shadow's idea.
Sleeping in a cave alone, wouldn't be very safe...
He shakes the head in protest.
"NO!-..."
"No?"
Knuckles swallows hardly.
"I can't let you sleep outdoor ... Besides-... It's still cold during the nights... And caves are very damp... You would probably get a cold or something... S-so..." he blushes.
"... Why don't Y-you S-stay H-here?"

Shadow smiles and wraps the arms around Knuckles' neck.
"Thanks Knux-... You are the best..."
Knuckles chuckles shyly.
"Th-thanks..." he gulps and looks away, while inhaling Shadow's scent. The hedgehog's scent wasn't something he could explain with words... He smells as the forest... But kinda not... Like the campfire, but also not.
So no... Knuckles can't describe his scent. Only how much he likes it.

Knuckles smiles.
"... I know you aren't a student... But would you like to come to school with me?... It starts early tomorrow... Which sucks... But it would be fun to show you to my friends"
Shadow leans slowly away from him.
"School?"
Knuckles nods.
"Yeah-... It's a place where you learn things... And gets friends"
Shadow let's out a short breathe.
"Oh-... Okay then... Perhaps I can get a look... As long I can be around you, I'm happy"
"Same!"

***

It's night, and probably around 3 am.
No matter how much Knuckles tries, he can't fall asleep.
The sound of Shadow's soft breathing, keeps him alert.
It was a stupid idea to suggest they would sleep together...
No way he could fall asleep... As things are now, he will walk exhausted to school.

Knuckles turns around, and stiffened when his muzzle brushes softly at Shadow's.
The heart increases quickly in speed, and the cheeks heats up.
The echidna starts breathing shakily while warm breath from Shadow hits softly at his face.

Knuckles was about to turn around again, when Shadow snuggles closer and wrapped the arm around him.
The echidna starts trembling while panicking inside.
He should push Shadow away... But part of him, doesn't wants doing that. Instead he wants to embrace Shadow tightly, and steal a kiss.
In middle of Knuckles' thoughts, Shadow starts mumbling something in the sleep.
Knuckles hums asking.
"... Apple juice..." Shadow mumbles, which makes Knuckles to wide the eyes.
Shadow grunts.
"I.... More..."
Knuckles smiles widely, and starts snickering a little.
He wraps the arms around him.
"I will buy more tomorrow... I promise" he says in low voice, and closed the eyes.
Shadow smiles.
"... Thanks Knuckles..." he answers while asleep.