Sonic the Hedgehog Mobius Chronicles

a warm detour

Shadow opened his eyes that felt heavy with fatigue. He... had no idea where he was. Looking around, he was inside what seemed to be a small lodge. He was on top of an unfamiliar bed that smelled like old wood. Underneath cotton sheets that felt like they hadn't been touched in ages.

His head felt like someone had taken a hammer and bashed him a few times before he passed out and landed on another hammer. It hurt to blink. In fact, the more awake he grew, the more pain he felt.

It swelled mostly in his chest but his arms and legs were also sore. If he didn't know any better, he would've assumed the previous day was full of physical labor.

Actually... what did happen yesterday?

He woke up from that dream and then Sonic woke up later. They talked... it was a nice conversation, he remembered. Something about being a nice person despite everyone thinking otherwise. He remembered the warm feeling in his chest, it was a lot better than the gross burning sensation that made his chest sticky and gross.

"Just checking if he functions the same from the inside."

Shadow flinched at the memory.

His breathing accelerating as he remembered the feeling of her hands digging inside of him.

"Oh, don't worry that pretty blue head of yours. I'll patch him up... in a sec."

He grew nauseous and started trembling at the invasive, intrusive feeling of unfamiliar hands touching him.

Her smile flashed in his mind, her cold eyes haunted his memories. He wanted to scream but the sound got stuck in his throat, letting out a strained noise as he clutched the pillow until his fist was trembling.

He hated this feeling. He hated feeling vulnarable- he hated feeling violated.

Shadow clenched his eyes shut as he tried to ground himself, but the overwhelming pain and horrible memories only grew more vivid in his mind. He wanted out, he desperately wanted something to distract him. It hurt, it hurt. His body wracked with pain that surged through his muscles. He wanted relief, he wanted Maria. He needed Maria, he needed his sister, he needed to escape, run, run, run-

Something warm landed on his back. It was grounding and it was gentle. Soon the warm feeling spread from his back to his arms and legs, to his head to the tips of his ears. The warm feeling enveloped his entire body and whatever panic he felt a few seconds earlier melted away like nothing had happened.

It was easier to breathe again. Like something had dislodged from his throat to let fresh air into his lungs. His chest grew numb and tingly, in fact, his entire body felt numb and tingly. In the same way he felt whenever Sonic touched him. The familiar touch chased away the discomfort. It felt good. It felt like he'd been wrapped in a blanket straight out if the dryer.

A rumbling purr escaped through his nose. It had been a long time since he felt comfortable enough to let out such an embarrassing sound but he was too comfortable to care. For a moment, he melted and became goo on the mattress.

After a while of evening out his breathing and basking in such a warm feeling, he felt relaxed enough to open his eyes.

A glowing amber yellow figure standing before him. The light dimly emitting from him as he stood there, keeping a firm hand on his back.

Shadow lazily glanced up to see Sonic blankly stare in front of him. Even if they looked weird, his eyes were out of focus. Like he wasn't all there. Which, to be fair, neither was he but he wasn't like... that.

"Sonic?" He called out quietly. Not really surprised at that state of his voice as he basically screamed his vocals raw.

Sonic's eyes drooped slightly while his ear flicked. Staring blankly a little bit longer until he finally seemed to get a grip and turned his head to face him.