*Based on the comic done by Shadow-PupX3 on Deviantart
It had just been simple...or at least it had been supposed to be simple. A quick in and out mission of White Acropolis. Unfortunately, the weather raged and a blizzard befell the two agents. Now both were trudging through the thick, white snow. The flakes fell hard and fast, coating their fur quickly. But as they walked through the storm, they got lost. Or at least Rouge had assumed they were. It had felt like they had been walking for hours, her feet now hurting in her high-heeled boots. She couldn't see very far in the snow, just the foggy background, the only things piercing it was the snowflakes, and the dark pelt of her partner.
Rouge shivered. How long had they been walking? Where was Shadow going? Was he going back to the ship? The warm....Cozy, GUN vehicle. Rouge's half-frozen wings twitched at the idea of returning back to the comfort of the ship. But She knew Shadow better than that, he was probably still trudging onward to the Doctor's base, wherever it was. This storm just made it harder to know which way was right. Still, she trusted Shadow despite his "Ultimate Lifeform," complex.
She shivered, her pelt was soaked. The tan fur on her arms was now drenched with the water from the melted snow. As for her hair, now it was hard to tell where her head ended and where the snow began. She shivered harder, her body desperately trying to get warm. She looked up only to see her partner still steadily walking, his pace had made him slowly walk farther and farther ahead. How could he still go on? She realized something, Shadow wasn't going to stop. She couldn't go back to the ship. She could barely see 5 ft. in front of her, let alone wherever the ship was. She tried to push herself forward, Shadow was getting farther away. She had to..That's when her frozen toes failed her. Instead of walking forward, the momentum and her unsteadiness caused her to fall forward. Face first into the snow. She tried to get up, but her limbs didn't respond to her commands, she was too tired and too cold. It was starting to hurt just to walk, she couldn't just keep going and with Shadow's relentless stamina. Rouge squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't keep up with him. A relaxing idea slowly began to take over her head. Rest, just for a little bit, lie here and everything would be fine. Just a little rest...
Shadow's ears twitched, noticing the lack of his partner's boots crunching on the snow. After a moment a soft thud replaced it. Shadow turned back to see Rouge now face-down in the snow, she had collapsed. Shadow's instincts kicked in as he rushed over, perhaps she had gotten frostbite? His worry grew as he knelt down, and gripped her arms, trying to pull her up. He knew that she wasn't like him, although she was tough, she didn't have his quick-to-adapt fur coat. Nor did she have the same endurance, he was built for missions like these, while Rouge despite all her toughness, was still Mobian.
Rouge's head lifted up and she looked at him.
"Sh-Shadow?" She asked, her teeth chattering slightly.
"Rouge," Shadow inwardly relaxed out of relief. But tensed as he asked the next questions, "are you hurt? Do you think you have frostbite?'
Rouge wiggled her toes and her fingers. "I don't think so.." she looked away for a second. "But Shadow...I don't think I can keep going. I'm sorry, I know how important this is to you. But I can't keep going."
Shadow's eyes softened, she was exhausted. She had been working on reports on overtime and then was called on this mission. His heart sank, his own selfishness in only focusing on his purpose and not the needs of his partner got them to this point. He looked down at her, his crimson eyes piercing through the icy blizzard.
Rouge was surprised as the dark Hedgehog pressed her closer to him. Embracing her, and keeping her out of the cold. A blush tinged her cheeks, Shadow had never been this affectionate. Her reasoning tried to tell her it was only to keep her warm, but her emotions told her it was something a little more. An apology? A promise? As she relaxed into the soft fur she couldn't help but feel like it was both.
....
