Warnings: This chapter contains language, violence, mild blood, and mild adult themes.
Please be advised.
Thank you and enjoy.
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The Great Forest - 5:17 p.m.
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Leaves shake off a tree branch as a heavy scaled foot dangles from it, moving ever so slightly. The soft sound of leaves hitting the forest floor is surprisingly pleasant to his ears. He should be mindful though, needing to make sure not to burn this disgusting, overly green forest to the ground. He wants to keep himself hidden... for now at least.
Green and red eyes continue to watch the battle in the distance, seeing the fun blue blob beating the blood out of some pink stick with arms and legs. He was right: the hero is just so much fun to watch.
Iblis would go down there to properly enjoy the fight, tagging the hero out so he could have his share at beating the stick to death but decides against it. He's only watching this Sonic from afar, waiting for the moment Mephiles will show up. Until then, he'll keep watching this lovely, brutal show.
"Happy am me he didn't die dead. If he die dead, then Mephiles won't come." His tongue flicks against a bottom fang, remembering how it felt to pierce the soft flesh. A fanged smile then grazes his lips. "Sonic must stay happy, I protec until Mephiles come."
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Outskirts of Acorn Kingdom - 5:20 p.m.
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"W-what... did you say...?" Silver looks from Fleetway to the darkened hedgehog and then back to the golden one.
Fleetway just raises an eyebrow. "What? You have corn in your ears or something?" He ignores the glare and growl he's getting from the light hedgehog with a plant growing from his head. "I said he is everything that Sonic has repressed: his fear, guilt, shame, hatred. His turmoil and insecurities," he closes his eyes and smiles, chuckling to himself. "–and yes, before you ask, Sonic does get insecure from time to time."
"There's no way," Khan speaks up as he growls at the hedgehog. "-he's never been insecure–"
"That you know of." The golden head nods side to side in delight. "He's a great actor, y'know."
"My son is not an actor!" Bernadette grits her teeth. Oh, how she wishes she had her gun right now. She'd shoot this smug monster in the head. "He's not insecure about himself! You don't know a thing about him!"
Red, spiral eyes roll before Fleetway turns to see what banshee is screeching behind him. His eyes open and a big smile goes on his face. "Mommy! Hi Mommy, I miss you so much!" He moves from his spot, startling the four males around him and instantly appears in front of his mom with his arms wide open. "Can I have a hug, please? Pretty please with sugar on top?"
She takes a step back and points at him, hating everything there is about him. He only causes destruction when he's out and her son would never do anything like that. "You're not my son, you fiend!"
Jules pulls his wife behind her and growls at the nuisance. "Stay away from my wife!"
Fleetway drops his arms and just looks at his parents, a little dumbfounded. A sigh leaves his mouth, and he just shakes his head disappointingly before looking back at the hedgehogs and then to his uncle, only to receive a glare from the latter. "Jeez, I knew Sonic was stupid but now I see where he gets it from. Oh well," he turns around, about to go back to his previous sport in front of the crowd to watch the beating but looks over his shoulders to his family once more. "-I still love my stupid family, ha ha ha ha ha." He turns to Amy and Tails, seeing the uneasiness on their faces and he gives them a smile before going back.
Sally turns towards the hedgehog family, seeing how uncomfortable they are. She heard about when Fleetway would one minute try to act like their son and the next moment try to kill them because he was bored. That demon is nothing but a menace. "Are you guys alright?"
"... Don't worry about us," Jules squeezes his wife's hand and looks back to see his son still punching that guy. He can't understand what happened, but he knows for a fact that Fleetway is lying to them just to get in their heads. Sonic would never try to repress thi-
"Jules?" Chuck places a hand on his brother's shoulder, seeing his brother's brown eyes widen with realization. "Jules, what happened?"
Said hedgehog shakes his head and focuses on the dark blue hedgehog once more, hearing muffled profanities leaving his mouth. "I'll... tell you later... I just want my son back to normal..."
The group looks back to Sonic, who's grabbing the unconscious, pink Zeti by his hair, all wanting to help him but having no idea where to start.
"Wake up, bitch. I'm not done with you yet." White eyes glare at the bloody form underneath him, angry that the screams from earlier stopped. He then punches the chin, sending the head to smack the ground. "I didn't say you could pass out."
Fleetway opens his eyes, and his smile turns into a grin before he picks the conversation back up before he went to visit his family. "I guess you can also say he's finally snapped with everything he's been through the last 6 months, but the real kicker is you, Shadow,"
Shadow looks to the side, seeing those eerie spiraled eyes staring at him before he narrows his eyes. "What?"
A clawed hand flicks the tip of the black and red ears, earning a low growl in return. Fleetway is surprised that he can touch Shadow. Actually, he shouldn't be able to touch anyone but Sonic in his astro form but the reason could be because this hedgehog has a ridiculous amount of Chaos Energy. 'Meh, I'll look into that later... if I don't forget. Not important right now.' He floats back some, wanting to make his way to Dark. "You were the last straw, the one who really made him snap."
Red eyes widen in shock. This... this brutality that they're watching... this is because of him... There's no way. He didn't do anything wrong- 'Talis?' He turns to look back at the fox before turning his attention back to the maniac. Was it because he made Tails talk?
Knuckles places a hand on the agent's shoulder, snapping Shadow back to reality. "Don't listen to that creep. He likes to get in people's heads." Purple eyes shoot a glare at the threat only for Fleetway to wink back at him.
"Oh, you would know all about that, wouldn't you Knuckies~" Fleetway laughs before going towards his dark counterpart.
Shadow can feel the hand slightly tremble on his shoulder before it's promptly removed.
"Knuckles, are you alright?" Silver asks, glancing at the echidna. He remembers what Tails had told them yesterday, about how this yellow jerk had nearly killed him.
Knuckles just focuses on the yellow hedgehog kneeling by Sonic. "Don't worry about me... but – Get away from him!"
Heads turn to see Sonic trying to push Fleetway from him only to have the latter firmly grab his arm, pulling him a bit.
"Fuck off, Fleet!" Dark tries to pull his arm free. He wants to pummel this sad excuse of a punching bag some more.
Fleetway uses his free hand to grab an ear and roughly pull on it, getting a loud hiss from his other before he leans down. "They're watching you-"
A louder growl leaves Dark's mouth before he snarls at the pest. "I don't give a fuck-"
"Even Tails," he whispers, instantly watching how green irises are coming back to the eyes only to look at him in horror. The dark blue quills go back to their normal shade and the immense amount of Chaos Energy disappears.
Sonic looks down in front of him and quickly gets to his feet, horrified that his hands are drenched in blood but more so that Zazz is barely recognizable: both eyes are swollen shut, his bloody mouth is opened with a few teeth now missing and a large gash on his tongue. His face, neck, chest and shoulders are covered in bruises and blood as the right arm is broken and he's pretty sure that a few of the ribs are broken as well.
Sonic knows he's snapped before but he would be able to control it for the most part. But this? He's never done anything like this before and what scares him the most about this is that he knows exactly what he's doing in this form, and he likes it. He's always wanted to do this since he started repressing things. The desire to fight someone like this, to even kill his enemy has only been getting stronger the more he represses things. And the really bad thing is that his dark side gets stronger when he represses things,
And Fleetway gets stronger as well.
He know if he doesn't stop repressing things then it'll only be a matter of time before the crazed hedgehog fully takes control of his body and he won't be able to fight back...
Fleetway is a little conflicted right now. He doesn't know if he should be delighted that his host is horrified by finally snapping or if he should feel a little bad for him. Either way, they need to get away from these people right now before they're bombarded with questions.
Everyone watches in silence as the yellow hedgehog merges with Sonic. Some are trying to process what they just witnessed while others are scared. Scared to know that Sonic was always able to do this at any given moment. They had no idea he was even capable of being so... so brutal like this. This goes against everything that Sonic stands for and this is all caused because he's been repressing things?
How many years has he been repressing things? How many times was he on the edge of snapping before he was able to calm himself down? Would he ever turn all that aggression towards them or someone innocent?
Would Sonic the Hedgehog ever allow himself to take a life in that form?
Tails is the first to move as he flies towards his brother, not knowing what to do. Should he hug his brother and tell him everything will be okay? He knows that it won't be, that his brother is not okay with what he's done but he can't let Sonic be alone right now. "Sonic!"
"Tails!" Bernadette calls out to the fox, not sure if he should go to her son right now. She wants to believe that all will be alright, that her son will be his old snarky self and explain to them what happened, but with what they just witnessed... she just doesn't know. Just... how much is he hiding from them?
'Run.' Fleetway says, needing them to leave.
Shadow watches as the fox zooms pass him to go towards the startled hedgehog and the moment, he looks back at Sonic does he notices the hedgehog take a small step before he quickly disappears from sight, not even leaving a trail of blue behind him.
Tails lands on the ground, turning his head left and right to see if he can find any sign of where his brother ran off to but Sonic left nothing behind.
Knuckles and Silver run up towards the fox as everyone else goes near Zazz, knowing they'll have to take him to the hospital, even though they're not too familiar with him or why he suddenly appeared, wanting to fight Sonic.
Rouge flies up to her partner and just sees him stare at the spot Sonic was last in. She hasn't seen Shadow look so distraught in year. Shes places a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Hun...?"
'That spiraled -eyed bastard was right...' Red eyes just look at her teal ones with remorse in them. This is something that should never have happened. This could have been avoided if he just kept his damn mouth shut. "Rouge... I fucked up..."
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The Great Forest- 5:44 p.m.
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Iblis leans forwards from the tree branch he's on and just smiles from watching how that scene played out, though it is unfortunate that his blue blob had left.
"Huh? My... blue blob...?" Iblis looks up in thought, questioning why he thought the hero to be his before he just shrugs it off. "Welp," Iblis jumps down from the tree and lands on the forest floor, taking a deep breath. He wants to catch Sonic's scent. "–I go look for the blue blob now. I find blue blob, I find Mephiles soon."
He turns into a ball of fire before disappearing from the clearing all together.
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Metropolis – Convenient Store – 6:00 p.m.
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A peach hand covers his mouth, hiding a yawn before it's brought up to rub an eye. He then leans against the magazine rack, waiting for his girl to finish picking through the eyeliners so they can buy it and leave.
He's bored to death here. The most excitement Scourge has gotten the last few days he's been here is sleeping on the bed in the hotel they're staying at for cheap. He told the saps that he was Sonic's cousin, courtesy of their dads being cousin and the sad thing was that not one of the hotel staff questioned it. 'I mean, I technically am Sonic, just a better version of the wimp.'
Cerulean blue eyes glance over to Fiona to see if she made a choice. "Still haven't picked one?"
"Hey, these people may be stupid, but they have some damn good taste." She picks up a black and dark brown one. "Didn't know Honey made cosmetics."
Impatient eyes roll and Scourge crosses his arms. "Just snag one and pay for the other if ya can't choose. We ain't got all day, Fi. I'm hungry."
She lets out an annoyed sigh and rolls her eyes. "Your tacos can wait and I'm not stealing. Gotta support Honey's brand."
"Whatever," a huff leaves the peach mouth. Scourge quickly glances at the magazine rack only to see one in particular stand out. A grin pops on his face. "Ay, Fi, look who's on the cover of Mobian Magazine."
"I can care less who it is." The fox hears her boyfriend pulling the reading article out before she turns to look at it. "Is that... Sonic?" They only have the hero from his torso up, but he looks a little older than what she's used to, and his body is definitely more toned than the one that she knows back in her original universe.
Scourge continues to look at the photo, completely disregarding the info for an interview with the hero on page six or the fact that this is an issue from two months ago.
"It sure is-" The magazine falls when someone rushes pass him, bumping his shoulder and pushing Fiona out of the way. "Hey, watch it, asshole!"
The guy barely turns to acknowledge him and just flips him off before going about his way.
"What a dick," Fiona says as she reaches down to grab the magazine, wanting to see more of Sonic but a small card catches her eye instead, making her chuckle. "Heh, that jerk dropped something."
"Oh?" Scourge raises an eyebrow before reaching a hand down, "-lemme see." Once the red fox hands him the card does he click his tongue against the roof of his mouth, a bit irritated at how small the font is. "If they didn't want anyone to see then why bother making the damn card in the first place? Dumb asses..."
B. M. D. S. Gentleman's Club
You're invited to watch an upcoming show with a very speedy guest.
Date and time : TBA
The link below will have more detail.
Fiona looks at Scourge, curious about it. "A gentleman's club? Please, that's just a strip joint." She bends back down to grab the magazine, debating if she should buy it or not before going back to her makeup.
The grin returns to his face as he rereads the card. "I'm keeping this."
"Whatever..."
Scourge lets out a chuckle before he stares at the two words that have caught his interest: speedy guest.
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Sonic's Subconscious – 6:46 p.m.
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"DAMN IT!" Dark roars as he punches at nothing. He was so close, so close to the jackal, his touch, his scent, his almost kiss but that damn emo, bitch ass Shadow just had to fuck everything up. "I would have won this damn bet!"
Fleetway just takes his seat in the air, and sighs. "Is that what you're upset about?"
"Fuck off." Dark turns his back to the yellow hedgehog and sighs. "He would have been on top of the roof, nailing the tiles in place under the scorching hot sun before getting up to wipe the sweat under his chin. It'd be so hot that he takes his shirt off and we'd see sweat rolling down his body, making his glistening fur cling to him, exposing his toned chest and those abs. We'd offer him a drink and he'd come down, thanking us before taking long gulps and showing us that sexy neck of his. We'd take a rag and wipe the sweat from his forehead, and he'd wrap his arm around our waist, pulling us close. There'd be some small talk, probably blushing on our side, don't really care, but then he'd kiss us. It would start out softly and he'd pull back for a moment before kissing us again but this time deepening it and we'd wrap our arms around that sexy neck of his and return the now heated kiss."
Fleetway just blinks his spiraled eyes once, twice, and three times before throwing his head back laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" He then looks back at his dark counterpart. "And you say I have it bad for Mephiles?"
Dark faces the prick once more. "Please, you're nothing but a simp for that damn ink spot."
"I may be a simp for him, but I have never fantasized about him. That is something entirely new." He grins at the other, very intrigued about this side of him. Well, he is made of everything that Sonic has repressed, and he knows for a fact that Sonic has never had fantasies of the romantic sort so where did this come from?
"Tch, whatever, cheese head." Dark just sits down and places his chin in hand, pouting. Who knows when they'll see Zero next, or of they'll ever see him again. He said he'd stay out of their life but Dark doesn't want that, hell, he knows Sonic doesn't either. "Fucking Shadow's just a punk ass bitch," he mutters under his breath.
Another sigh leaves Fleetway and he shakes his head, watching the other brood. "I'm gonna go check on Sonic, you just keep sulking about your puppy crush."
"Whatever..." Dark just lays on his side, wanting to sleep. He'd be more excited about getting fresh air but he can't seem to be and it's not about the jackal either, well, not entirely about that. But it seems like so much has been going on the last ten day then what they had to deal with the last few months. Heck, even that annoying stalker hasn't been causing this much trouble for him and that's saying something.
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Wood Zone Forest - 6:53 p.m.
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A blood smeared, gloved hand holds onto a tree before the blue forehead leans against it. Green eyes just stare at the bark.
He didn't mean for this to happen. He didn't mean to snap, especially in front of people. Not his friends, not his family and definitely not in front of Tails.
"It's just... so much happened... but still..." Sonic closes his eyes and clenches his fist. "Zazz didn't deserve that. I didn't need to go that far with him..."
"I warned you, didn't I?" Fleetway places his hand on the peach shoulder.
Sonic opens his eyes and turns to look at his other self over his shoulder with sorrow and dread in his eyes. "I didn't know it'd be this bad... I didn't think-"
"That's your problem, you didn't think," Fleetway turns the blue body around so he can fully see him. Once turned around, he places two fingers under the chin to lift it up, seeing the regret in those green eyes. Fleetway can feel something spark inside of him at seeing how sad, how miserable Sonic is and he realizes how much he misses it.
A wicked grin goes on his face as he cups the peach cheek and presses his forehead against the blue one. "-but don't worry, even though you keep messing up, I'll still be here to pick you up."
Sonic sees the spiraled eyes looking at him in a way he hasn't seen in a long time before the yellow hedgehog leans closer, making the tips of their nose touch. Fleetway moves even closer, breathing hotly on his lips. He narrows his eyes and pushes the face away from him before walking passed the crazed hedgehog. "Stop playing with me, I'm not in the mood."
A small chuckle leaves Fleetway. "You're never in the mood to play with me." He flies on the left side of the blue hedgehog. "What's the plan now? Gonna go back home?"
Sonic stops, barely registering Fleetway is now levitating in front of him. "I don't know..." He looks down at his hand, seeing the blood spots on them. "-but I can't go back..."
Fleetway keeps quiet but he can feel his smile only growing from seeing different emotions going through those green eyes. He had forgotten just how much fun it is to make Sonic sad. Depending on where they go, he just might have some fun with Sonic tonight.
"They weren't supposed to see any of this..."
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Westopolis - Shadow's House - 8:15 p.m.
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The front door closes and Shadow leans the back of his head against it, recalling the events that happened earlier.
After they had left the cafe, Silver and Rouge wanted to go back to check if Sonic was alright since Iblis had attacked him yesterday. Once they reached the house, they were told that Sonic, his dad and uncle were gone, meeting with some guy about something, he wasn't paying attention to them but was a little relieved to know that Sonic was back on his feet. But the moment he saw that jackal his mind went back to the war three years ago, to a time where he even believed Sonic was dead and his heart ached–
A sigh leaves the tan mouth and rubs his eyes, not needing to think about the past anymore but one of the things that bother him the most is seeing Sonic so happy with the jackal after they got out of the truck. He was laughing and smiling at the jackal the same way he used to with Rose when they were dating, and Shadow could only watch in anger.
He knows it's only an excuse, a really bad one, but his stupid jealousy over that small moment made the speedster angry and turned violent. Even if everyone says the golden hedgehog only messes with people so he can destroy them, he knows that crazy-eyed hedgehog was right: the reason Sonic snapped was because of him.
"Um-wahh~"
Shadow looks down and a small smile goes on his face before he kneels and pets the dark chao on the head. "I know, you're sleepy. C'mon, Cream sent over a book from the garden."
"Chaaa~" It happily skips after Shadow, following him to the couch.
Normally Shadow would read to her in his bedroom but he's not in the mood to go too far right now. He just wants to sit on his couch and–
BOOM!
"Eeeiiiii!" The chao flies to Shadow and hides her face in his chest, afraid of the sudden thunder.
A small chuckle leaves his mouth as he gently pets her head. "You're okay, Luna. It's just the weather being a little loud right now." His ear flickers when he hears her cry from another thunderclap followed by rain, and he keeps rubbing her head. "That's right, the Chao Gardens don't have weather changes. Here."
He sets her down on the couch so he can get up but instantly feels her wrap her small arms and legs around his left arm. Red eyes look into pale blue ones, and he sees her pout at him. "Luna, I'm just making a fire. You don't have to hold on to me like this."
"Dabu-be~!" Luna clings on to him even tighter, refusing to let go.
Another sigh leaves him before he lowers his left arm to his leg. "At least hold my leg. It'll be easier for me to make a fire if you do."
A big smile goes on the hao's face as she instantly changes limbs, rubbing her face against his leg. "Uu-hi~"
The small smile creeps back on his face as he half walks / half drags his leg to the fireplace. He had left everyone earlier so he can pick Luna up from the Chao Garden since he's left her there a few days longer than he wanted to with this whole stalker situation going on. Once he got her, the helpers at the Chao Garden told him that she was getting along better with the other chao, but she would still cause trouble from time to time, something that he had unfortunately found out he was doing earlier today.
The small crackling of firewood brings Shadow out of his thoughts as he sees a tiny flame come to life. He then makes his way back to the couch and reaches over the side to grab the bag.
Luna releases Shadow's leg and climbs up the couch, sitting right next to him. She makes sure that her side is touching his, that's where she feels the safest and the most comfortable.
"Luna," he slowly runs his thumb over the face of the book, remembering the drastic change in Sonic, how that dark hedgehog didn't resemble the Blue Blur in the slightest. What was he thinking while he was in that form? Was he being influenced by that golden demon or were the words he was speaking from himself?
He's not sure but the one thing he does know is that he doesn't like him. He never wants to see Sonic be that way ever again. That was not the Sonic he had fallen for years ago and though he's conflicted with his feelings about the blue hedgehog now he will make sure Sonic will never change into that brutal form again.
Red eyes turn to watch the fire slowly consume the wood. "When did I get so clingy to him? To... want him to be next to me...?" He leans back against his seat and looks down when Luna sprawls herself on the cushion, fast asleep. "I need to apologize to him. It won't change what happened, but still,"
Another loud boom is heard causing the small chao to whimper in her sleep. Shadow just rubs her forehead with his thumb, calming her down. "-it'll be a start-"
Knock, knock, knock.
He places the book in the chao's hands before moving to get the door, a little confused. No one would be stupid enough to go out in this kind of weather at nighttime. "Wait, that's right. I'm supposed to talk with that jerk about the stalker."
A black and red hand grabs the doorknob before he opens it. "Took you long enough– Sonic?!" Red eyes widen in shock to see the younger completely drenched from head to toe. His clothes are completely stuck to him and there's a growing puddle under him but the thing shocking Shadow the most is the look in those green eyes. Their filled with regret and anguish. Shadow can't tell if the hero has been crying or not.
"Sonic... what are you doing here...?" Shadow is still trying to process that the troubled hedgehog is here, of all places, and after everything that he's done to him...? Why?
The blue head tilts to the side a little as wavering green eyes look up into red ones. Sonic opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying to figure out why he's here himself but he just slowly shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders instead. "I... don't know... I just kept running... and running... a-and..."
Shadow quickly grabs a hand, instantly feeling water being squeezed from the grip. "Come in, you're soaking wet." Once he sees how Sonic isn't moving from his spot, he gently pulls him inside of his house, closing the door behind him. He releases the hand and instantly goes to his room, grabbing a few clothes and some towels before reappearing in front of Sonic the next second. "Here, we gotta get you out of those clothes–"
Sonic looks up at Shadow. The rain is no longer hiding the tears like they were earlier. "I... I didn't mean to snap..."
The clothes and towels fall onto the floor and Shadow instantly hugs the troubled hedgehog. He has never seen tears from those green eyes or those peach lips quiver, holding back a sob before. A black hand softly rubs the soaking blue quills, needing to ease Sonic. "Shh, it's okay..."
Peach arms slowly wrap around Shadow's back, his grip tight and desperate as a few tears leaves his closed eyes. He hates what he felt back then. He hates the fact that he enjoyed beating Zazz the way he did. He's not a bad person yet he is both Fleetway and that dark, repressed form. "I swear... I didn't want to lose myself like that...!"
Shadow only tightens his embrace as he places his cheek on top of Sonic's head and a memory of when he was talking to Sonic after they failed the mission pops into his head.
"You don't know what the hell I've been dealing with!"
"I don't give a damn about what you've been dealing with! I'm telling you from experience, do not repress what the hell you just went through. Talk to someone else about it, I don't care who, just make sure you talk to someone about it because if you don't, then I guarantee you'll regret it."
He has never been more right and wrong before. Right, because Sonic had finally snapped from holding things in for too long but wrong because Shadow never tried to talk to Sonic about this, about any of this. All he's done with the younger is yell at him and only cause problems. "Sonic... it's my fault... it's all my fault that you snapped... I'm so sorry..."
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Crystal Cavern – 9:29 p.m.
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A blue portal opens and a giant black and purple hand grabs one of the glowing crystals, using it to pull the rest of its body through the gateway. Once the hand releases the crystal does it shatter from the force, dimming the cavern just slightly, and the portal closes afterwards. The hand then starts to turn into goop, followed by the rest of the body, only to reshape into the form it has now taken a liking to.
Mephiles cracks his neck, still trying to get used to being in such a big, bulky form when he travels dimensions, before he turns the crystal next to him into a chair. The good thing about him turning into the "Time Eater" , as the mortals call that form, is that no one knows who he really is, although he's weaker in that form, but that's alright. He's still immortal and if he's ever against an enemy that is stronger than himself then he could always go to a different dimension.
He takes a seat and intertwines his fingers, recollecting the information he has gotten with this stalker. "To think that such a being exists... Though I cannot die, I can't say the same for anyone else who tries to get his way. A fair fight between the two of us would not go well for me. I'm more tactical while he is speed and brawn, plus it does no good that he is immortal either."
He leans forwards in his seat as his toxic eyes look to the right, seeing the crystalized version of his pet smiling.
"Thank you."
The image of that genuine smile appears in the deity's head, causing a small smile to go across his lips. "Though I know a way to permanently get rid of him for you, Sonic."
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Westopolis – Shadow's Home 9:38 p.m.
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Shadow almost closes the door to his room, leaving it cracked just in case Luna cries. 'Heh, Rouge always did say that I spoil her.' He then makes his way to the balcony, seeing Sonic sitting in front of the fireplace with a cover wrapped around his shoulders. "Are you feeling any better?"
Blue ears twitch at the soft voice before he hears footsteps getting closer before they abruptly stop. He tilts his head upwards to see the ebony hedgehog sitting on the couch a few feet from him. He knows Shadow wants to make sure he's comfortable. "...Yeah... thanks..."
Black and red ears fold down from hearing the quiet tone in the younger's voice. He doesn't like it but, he needs to keep that to himself. There is no way he'll upset Sonic anymore, not after all the crap he made him go through.
"Can I ask you somethin'?"
Red eyes focus on the green ones once more and they hold each other's gaze before they look back to the fire. Shadow continues to look at the back of the blue head. "Go ahead."
The fire dances on top of the wood as it eats away at it, causing the log to shift slightly. "What did you mean when you said I wouldn't enjoy my new home for long?" That question had nothing to do with Sonic going dark at all, but he's been curious about it since Shadow first brought it up.
'I... I shouldn't tell him but... he deserves to know what's going on... If he's going to go through more hell then he should know why.' A sigh leaves the tan mouth and Shadow directs his attention to the flame, not knowing if Sonic will keep watching the fire or look over towards him. "That stalker... got in contact with me."
Blue ears perk up and Sonic quickly whips his head around, staring at the older with wide eyes. "H-he did? Why? Are you alright? Did he hurt you?!"
Shadow shakes his head before looking over towards the slightly panicking hedgehog. "I'm fine, but..." he then makes a fist, "-I'm... being forced to watch over you and if I refuse then he'll start killing people over here."
The cover falls off peach and blue shoulders as Sonic quickly stand on his feet and the look of shock is just plastered on his face. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Red eyes slowly look up to green ones and Shadow gets to his feet. "I'm not allowed to. No one is..."
"N-no one is...?" Sonic repeats the words as he looks down to the vinyl floor. Why would that creep involve anyone else in this sick game of his? He doesn't want anyone else to have to deal with him. He doesn't want to watch a repeat of what happened six months ago. He... he can't...
The blue hedgehog walks up to Shadow and places both hands on the shoulders. "Who... who else knows about this...?"
Scarlet eyes watch as a little fear go into the green ones and the grip on his shoulders tighten ever so slightly as they begin to tremble. Seeing Sonic like this is painful; to see someone so strong, so free spirited being scared, it's not right. As much as he wants to hug the scared hero he doesn't, not just yet.
"Everyone that was there today. We all know about him, Sonic and if I don't cooperate with him before he..." Shadow lowers his head and looks towards the small fire, knowing he needs to add another log in it to keep it burning. "-before he comes to take you away..."
Peach hands let go of the shoulders as Sonic just stares Shadow, trying to see if this is some kind of sick joke that the dark hedgehog is playing with him but deep down, he knows it's not. He opens his mouth to try and say something, but his voice is caught and he can feel a sudden lump in his throat.
The sounds from the storm outside and the crackling of wood have suddenly become too loud for Shadow. He wants to hear Sonic say something, anything about it. To get angry, upset, sad, anything. He can't let Sonic repress this, he doesn't want those other two versions to have a reason to get any stronger and take control of his... of the hero.
A black and red hand lightly touches a peach shoulder, needing to get Sonic's attention. "Please... say something. Fuss at me for not telling you, for keeping this a secret....! Hit me...! Do something, please..." he moves his hand from the shoulder to lightly to the cheek with his fingertip. "... Sonic... I'm asking you, don't keep this to yourself anymore, please..."
Sonic gently moves the hand from his face and takes a step back, looking up at the ceiling. He's scared that his friends were involved but a little hurt because they kept this from him. No, no, he's being hypocritical; he did the same thing to them. "I... don't know what you want me to say..."
Black ears fold down from hearing Sonic's voice. It's so quiet and cracking, almost like he wants to cry. "Say anything that's on your mind..."
Troubled green eyes finally look into the worried red ones and Sonic flinches a bit. "I... don't want you guys to worry about me... this thing with that stalker, it'll pass-"
"Sonic, he's coming tomorrow to take you away! I-"Shadow closes his eyes a takes a breath, desperately needing to calm down. "No one wants you to leave, Sonic. I... you're going to sacrifice yourself to make sure we're safe because you do that... you're the type to sacrifice everything to make sure everyone else can live happily and... I don't want you to..."
"You're right... if that's what it takes for everyone to stay safe, then I'll," Sonic bites the corner of his lip. "-I'll go with him," he then turns around and starts heading for the door. "-but I don't know why you care. You hate me anyways, heck, you won't even let me say your name anymore."
Black ears fold down as he remembers yelling at the hero to not say his name. But it's because Mephiles has said those stupid words to him that brought memoires and emotions that he didn't think mattered anymore. "Look, Sonic, I-"
"I don't care..." Sonic grabs the doorknob but doesn't open it. He turns to look back at the approaching hedgehog. "You only deal with things that benefit you. I get it."
Shadow finally stands in front of Sonic, still trying to keep himself calm. "That's not true. This whole thing with you-"
"Is not your business." Sonic fully turns around to face Shadow, seeing how the older hedgehog is trying to keep himself calm despite wanting to get upset. "I don't even know why you act like you care because you don't."
Red eyes go wide before they narrow at Sonic. He then walks until he's right in front of the younger. "I do care."
Sonic lets out a dry laugh and he licks the top row of his teeth before he shakes his head. "Yeah, maybe when we were younger, but you don't give a damn about anyone except yourself."
Shadow digs his fingertips into the palms of his hands to hold himself from lashing out. 'I'm the one who told him to speak his mind in the first place...' Instead, he just takes a short breath. "You're wrong, Sonic. I'm not selfish."
"Really?" Sonic crosses his arms over his chest. "Sure could've fooled me because from what happened earlier today I'd say you're pretty freakin' selfish."
"I admit that I was wrong, I messed up and I'm sorry." Shadow grits his teeth. Why is Sonic pushing him right now? He's trying to stay calm, to work this out peacefully, but this stubborn hero is just making it really difficult right now.
Another dry laugh leave peach lips. "At least you could admit that. I'm impressed."
"Why are you doing this? I'm only trying to help but you're making this really hard, Sonic."
"Hey, I'm just doing what you told me to." Sonic sees Shadow look a little confused before he continues. "You wanted me to talk, to say what's on my mind, to not hold anything in, right?"
Shadow takes a breath and rubs his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose afterwards. 'He's right. I did tell him to let it out.'
Sonic waits until the older hedgehog looks at him. "So I'll say one more thing, maybe the most important thing and then I'll leave, kay?"
Shadow raises an eyebrow. "The... most important thing...?"
"Yeah." The younger takes a step closer to Shadow and in a very calm manner does he speak. "Fuck you, Shadow," he then turns around and grabs the doorknob once more.
Red eyes go wide and before Shadow even realizes what he's doing, he grabs a hold of Sonic's shoulder and pulls him away from the door before slamming him into the wall. Leaning in close, he lets out a low growl. "What did you say?"
Sonic just glares at the older. "I said Fuck. You. Shadow." He sees the other pull a fist back before throwing a punch his way, but he doesn't even flinch as the wall right next to his head gets a hole in it.
Angry red eyes bore into equally angry green ones as Shadow leans a little closer. He had told Sonic to speak his mind, but he didn't think the younger would go this route. He knows he deserves it, but the thought never crossed his mind that the younger would ever say those words to anyone, especially not him.
Sonic just continues to hold Shadow's gaze, even when he feels the other's lips touch his own for a brief moment before they pull back. He doesn't know if he's angry or surprised that Shadow just kissed him, even if it only was for a second, but he feels his body moving on its own when his hand decides to grab the front of Shadow's shirt, pulling him close and he moves forward, kissing the tan lips.
Shadow's eyes widen from the sudden kiss. The fact that Sonic had pulled him in for a kiss surprises him. He thought the younger would at the very least question him about it if not punch him. But this? This is not what he was expecting.
Several seconds pass before Sonic pulls away and looks to the side, feeling a little calmer. He sees the hand pull out of the wall but doesn't look back at Shadow.
Shadow slowly traces a finger across his bottom lip, still surprised at Sonic. "Why did you kiss me...?"
"I'm upset with you... and I needed to let it out but," He feels fingers touch his chin, gently guiding him to look back at the older. "-I didn't want to get violent."
The moment the peach lips close does Shadow close the gap between them, kissing those lips once more. He knows he shouldn't be doing this, that this is wrong because first off, he doesn't have consent to do this, even if Sonic did return it, but he can't help himself. He's been wanting to do this for years, just a chance to be close to Sonic.
Sonic watches as the red eyes close and he finds himself wrapping his arms around the older's neck, closing his own eyes before returning the kiss. He can feel the other hand lightly touching his side but hardly pays any mind to it as he presses his lips against the tan ones.
There was a point in his life that he wanted to be closer with Shadow. Maybe it was from hanging out all the time with him, when they would have their friendly banter, but he wasn't sure if the older was interested so he never pursued it. It was some time afterwards that he then started dating Amy. He's not too sure what drove him to ask her out but the time they were dating, he truly enjoyed it. He didn't think anything had really changed between him and Shadow, but the latter would hang out with him less before he just stopped altogether and then there was a sudden rift between the two hedgehogs which cause them to barely get along anymore. He still doesn't really understand why it happened the way it did, why their friendship was on thin ice.
Lips part ways as both males take quiet, shallow breaths. Shadow opens his eyes and sees Sonic lick his bottom lip before lightly biting on it. He moves his hand to hold the peach cheek, his thumb softly rubbing it back and forth. "Sonic..."
Green eyes open only to see Shadow lean in for another kiss. He's not sure why he won't push the older away or why he's tightening his arms around the neck, returning the kiss. This shouldn't be happening, he and Shadow shouldn't be kissing, especially not after such a heated argument but he can't help it.
Feeling lips press against his own once more, Shadow takes a step closer to the younger, feeling the front of the bodies touching as he tightens his hold on the cheek and waist. 'Fuck that stalker. He can burn in hell.'
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Sonic's Subconscious – 10:03 p.m.
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"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! This isn't supposed to happen!" Dark paces back and forth, absolutely pissed that out of everyone, Shadow is the one kissing Sonic.
"Okay, calm down, we can fix this!" Fleetway says, his mind racing from the situation.
"How? You can't interfere since he's not pissed or stressed, and I can't do shit!"
"Shit!" Red, spiraled eyes dart back and forth as he's trying to think but nothing is coming to mind. And it's even worse because he can feel the lips on his own since he feels everything that Sonic can. "Why the hell are his lips so fucking soft? You'd think with that sharp tongue of his he'd have crusty ass lips but nope, they're soft as hell!"
Dark stops pacing and just stares at his yellow counterpart with his white eyes. "You're fucking joking?" He just gets a deadpan stare in return. "Fuck, I forgot you can feel everything."
"And you can't? Fucking lucky."
"Only if I want to and I don't fucking wanna feel Shadow kissing us. He's not Zero!" A sudden thought comes to mind. "Shit, what about our bet? We didn't say anything about anyone else kissing us."
A clawed finger taps impatiently against his cheek before Fleetway lets out a groan. "Well, shit, I guess the audience wins."
"Wait, what? They're not a part of this!"
"They are now!" Fleetway turns to look at the cracked fourth wall. "Best two out of three?"
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Westopolis – Shadow's Home – 10:10 p.m.
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"Sonic-" lips presses against his some more and Shadow can't help to return he kiss once more before abruptly pulling back. "... we need to stop..."
Quick breaths are coming from the peach lips as he nods his head. "Yeah..." A few seconds pass before Sonic grabs Shadow's face and pulls him in for another kiss while he feels the hands on his hips pull him closer. This is the fourth time that they've been trying to stop each other or themselves from doing this but they just keep failing.
The moment Sonic feels a finger move against his hip does he pull himself back, his breathing heavy. "F-for real this time, Shads..."
"Yeah..." Shadow licks his lip and struggles but is able to take his hands off the younger. His ears twitch before he hears Sonic start laughing, making him tilt his head in curiosity.
"What are we doing...?" Sonic moves his hands from the face only to see Shadow grab one of them, kissing the back of it. He raises an eyebrow and just lets out a small laugh.
"Fighting, I think...?" Shadow releases the hand and lets a small smile go on his face.
"Right, right, I'm upset with you but didn't wanna get violent." He leans his head against the wall. Normally he'd be against being standing in between a wall and someone but for now, he can make an exception.
Shadow just let's out a small laugh. "That's an interesting tactic you made."
"Me?" Sonic chuckles, "-you're the one who kissed me first. I had no choice but to fight back."
Red eyes playfully roll before Shadow reaches out to grab his hand but decides against it. If Sonic wants to hold hands, then he'll let the younger make the first move. He already kissed Sonic without permission, he won't do anything else without consent. "Right, sorry about that."
"Yeah, you better be." Sonic sees the looks the older is giving him and he can only laugh. He doesn't like how his day turned out, not at all but he's glad that he and Shadow are back to talking terms again. It just sucks that it took all of this nonsense for them to talk with each other the way they used to, 'Or maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself. Either way, we seem pretty cool for now at least.'
"Hey, can you do me a favor?"
Shadow lets the smile leave his face as he looks at the younger, waiting for the request.
"If you see Zero then can you apologize to him?" He sees red eyes widen slightly but Shadow doesn't say anything, giving him a chance to say his reasoning. "I know you both really don't care for each other and what happened three years ago can't be fixed, but what happened today, that was completely out of line on your part Shadow. He literally was only doing his job and you attacked him for whatever reason I don't need to know about." He sees red eyes close. "I'm not saying you have to go out of your way to find him or anything but if you do see him, can you apologize?"
A long, deep breath is taken and Shadow nods his head before looking back at the younger. "Yeah, I will. I promise," he then taps Sonic's nose. "-but don't expect me to be buddy-buddy with him."
"Ha, yeah right. It's a miracle in itself that you'll apologize to him. I'm not stupid enough to try and push it." He sees Shadow give him a dubious look before smirking. "I'm not."
"Heh, sure you're not." Shadow lets out a soft smile seeing those green eyes happy once more. He knows Sonic isn't all the way back to normal, that he's still holding on to some things but even if this is a small step, he's happy about it.
"Can you do me a favor, Sonic?"
Green eyes glance to the right and Sonic chuckles. "Right, can't do something without getting something in return," he jokes before looking back at the red eyes, seeing a little hint of seriousness in them. "Yeah?"
"Can you," he can feel his cheeks get a little warmer for even thinking this. "-stick out your tongue for me?"
Sonic just stares at Shadow, completely oblivious to the older's reddening face while his own heats up some. "O-okay...? I'm just sticking my tongue out, right?"
"Y-yeah..." Red eyes watch as the peach mouth moves a little bit before the lips finally part and the tongue comes out.
Sonic's not sure if Shadow meant just the tip or all of the tongue so he just sticks half of it out. His eyes go wide when he sees Shadow coming closer before kissing the tip of his tongue, instantly making his face flush red and he feels the slightest tingle in his mouth from it.
Shadow then kisses the middle of the tongue, feeling the wet muscle against his lips before he pulls himself back. He can't for the life of him explain why the hell he wanted to kiss Sonic's tongue. That is the most random thing he's probably done his entire life. "Can... you do me another favor?"
"Mhm." Sonic doesn't trust his voice from how flustered he is right now. Why on Mobius would Shadow kiss his tongue?
Shadow leans his face close to the youngers. "Can you stick your tongue in my mouth?"
Now Sonic notices how red Shadow is. He's just as red as Sonic is. "I... I never done that with anyone b-before..."
The back of a black finger softly runs down the side of the peach cheek. "Neither have I... that's why I want you to do it to me..."
Sonic can feel his heart jump at that, but he finds himself leaning towards the taller hedgehog. He brings a hand up to Shadow's cheek before he hesitantly places his lips on the older's, instantly feeling the mouth open up for him. Green eyes close as he hesitantly slips his tongue inside.
The moment he feels the tip of the tongue touch his own does Shadow grab the younger by the hips, squeezing them slightly. He feels the tongue presses against his before it moves to the left, touching his inner cheek.
Sonic moves his tongue from the cheek back to Shadow's pressing against it again only to feel it push back against his, sending a shiver up his spine from contact. This is completely different from when the stalker did this to him, hell, that doesn't even count because he never wanted it in the first place.
A small sound comes from Shadow as he pushes his tongue against the younger's again. He can feel a small amount of heat spreading through his body and he adds a little more pressure the next time he moves his tongue.
"Mmmn~" the sound comes from Sonic's throat as he feels Shadow taking the initiative. He moves his hand from the face to the shoulders, gripping them tightly as he moves his tongue alongside Shadow's.
Neither one of the hedgehogs is experienced with this and are only moving on instinct. Black hands grip the hips tighter as peach ones grip the shoulders. They both tilt their heads to the side as their tongue's go upwards against each other, only to pull back. The tips touch before sliding to the sides of the tongues, allowing the middle to meet.
Sonic is the first to pull back, needing to gulp down some air. His body feels hot and his jaw hurts from how much he was using his tongue. He's never had to move it like this before.
Shadow is slightly panting and is in the same boat as Sonic, with his jaw hurting but, that's something he can work on. He moves a hand to caress the peach cheeks. He wants to kiss Sonic some more.
Sonic sees Shadow coming closer and places two fingers against the tan lips. "Shads... I gotta go..."
He kisses the fingers before pulling them down. "You're right, I... let myself get carried away..."
"You're not gonna make me stay the night?" Sonic is surprised that the older is letting him go so easily, especially with the storm outside. Zero was very adamant about making him stay, refusing to let him travel at nighttime.
Shadow just shakes his head. "I don't trust myself right now, Sonic. Even if you stayed in Rouge's room or mine with the door locked, I'd find a way to sleep with you tonight."
"You mean like us next to each other, right?" It wouldn't be the first time he's slept next to someone. The first time was with Zero and then he slept next to Mephiles, even though the jerk actually forced him to sleep but still.
"No, as in sexually..." Shadow blushes a bit and rubs the back of his neck.
Green eyes widen at the realization before he nods his head, his own cheeks warming up at the notion. "Oh, uh, right. Gotcha... I, uh," he sees Shadow get the door for him. "I'll be on my way then, heheh."
"Don't get sick in the rain." He smirks when he hears Sonic just laugh. The moment Sonic takes a step outside does Shadow touch his hand to get his attention. "I'll be over first thing in the morning."
A soft smile goes on Sonic's face as he nods. "Thanks."
"Hey, it'll be alright. Mephiles is going to help us anyways." A small frown makes its way on Shadow's face. Not only do they have to work together but that bastard never even came to discuss a plan. He better show up.
Sonic takes a moment before he facepalms himself and just laughs. "That's right. He did say he was gonna help me with the stalker." He lowers his hand. "You guys talked?"
The frown is now evident on Shadow's face. "A little. He was supposed to come over so we can go over something in more detail but that never happened."
More laughter can be heard from Sonic. "Ah, don't worry 'bout it. He'll come through." Sonic then pats Shadow's shoulder. "Have a good night, Shads."
A small smile replaces the frown as Shadow lightly squeezes the hand on his shoulder before letting it go back to Sonic's side. "You too."
Once the door closes does Sonic stretch his arms above his head and he walks to the street, letting the rain cool off his still hot body. He's not worried about cars coming since the weather is so bad out here and it's really late. Though he doesn't wanna be out here himself, but he is glad that Shadow was honest with him as to why he shouldn't have stayed there.
He can feel his face heat up from even thinking about doing it with Shadow before another thought pops into his head, making him blush even more. "I freaking kissed Shadow!"
"You did."
Footsteps can faintly be heard, making Sonic turn his head to see who's coming but the moment he turns does he feel a hand tightly gripping his throat as claws are digging in the side of his neck, lifting him off the ground. He can't tell who the person is because of all the rain and it being so dark outside. "Ga-get off!"
"I have such an unfaithful pet." A purple sphere surrounds the two before they disappear.
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Acorn Kingdom – Hedgehog Residence – 6:45 a.m.
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Knock, knock, knock.
A grumble leaves Jules' mouth as he sets his mug down on the counter before he goes to the front room. He knows everyone is supposed to come early since it's going to be one hell of a day, maybe quite literally but before 7 o'clock is way too early for him. Heck, he was lucky to even get some kind of sleep with everything that happened with Sonic yesterday. "I'm coming."
Once he reaches the door, he yawns and covers his mouth before opening it, only to instantly wake up at seeing the person on the other side of it.
"Good morning, my soon-to-be father-in-law. I'm here for my Love."
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T.B.C.
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I did not mean to make this chapter so long. Crap, sooooo, sorry about that. Haha, ah.
Last two chapters I realized that Shadow was a complete jerk so~ redemption hopefully? Mayhaps.
So yeah, the Sonadow/Shadonic relationship gets fixed only for the Mephonic one to be on thin ice. Whoopsie. And then we have our favorite stalker wanting Sonic. Jules, what are ya gonna do?
Until next time,
Take good care of yourselves Luvs~