Heart Racing

Dirty Gloves

Sonic slammed the door open in a rush when he finally reached the hospital room. His wide smile almost blinded his rival when he turned to look at him. Tails rolled his eyes at his brother, reconsidering his earlier decision to let Sonic stay with Shadow for the time being. He watched as the blue racer skipped over to the red bag in no time, his hands busy as he searched.

Tails sighed at the sight before glancing at Shadow, who gave him a confused look. He did his best to smile, knowing the reaction he was going to receive.

"Sonic is staying with you. He watched as Shadow groaned into his hands. "But it won't be for long! A nurse will come by later to check on him. If they find nothing significantly wrong with him, he will be on his way home. Out of your hair."

"How about we conclude that nothing is wrong with him and send him home now?" Tails chuckled at his response, nodding his head slowly. Sonic frowned. "I will probably be ready to go by tomorrow anyway."

"If you believe so, then I shall take Sonic home for the night and return-" Tails almost gasped when he felt a hand on his mouth, quickly turning to look at Sonic. The blue racer glared harshly at his injured rival. Tails felt his eyes widen at the unfamiliar scene. He's never seen Sonic like this..

"I won't let you leave until you've fully recovered." He stated it seriously, his eyes unwavering as Shadow glared back.

"It's funny that you think you can stop me." Shadow scoffed, arms crossed once again. Tails swallowed as the tension in the air rose with every second. Daggers flew between the pair, sending shivers down his back. "I won't let you get ahead of me, prodigy."

Sonic chuckled, his hand finally falling back to his side and off of Tails' mouth. The nickname brought back unwanted memories for the younger brother. Sonic sighed deeply as he scanned Shadow's face. Slowly, he made his way over to the bed as his rival watched him carefully. He was startled at the sudden grip that appeared on his wrist. Sonic's dirty glove held his arm as he stared deeply into his questioning eyes.

"Stop calling me that." He practically growled, shocking his brother as he watched from the door. Shadow continued to stare, confused as to the reaction the nickname caused. I haven't called him that in years. "No one is getting ahead of anyone. I will stay with you until you fully recover and will not be partaking in any races."

Shadow noticed how Sonic forced his mouth shut, stopping his next words and not letting them fall upon his younger brother's ears. It was something the blue racer wanted to say to Shadow. Only Shadow. Tails thought carefully, his eyes scanning his older brother as he scrambled for reasons and explanations.

Sonic never stops. He always races ahead and thinks later. Why would he stop racing until Shadow got better? What did he gain? Shadow was always getting in the way of his wins, anyway. So why would he wait for him?

"Catch." Tails shouted when he noticed a card fly his way, finally catching it in his palms after multiple attempts. He glanced at it, confused once more. Sonic laughed at his reaction, letting go of Shadow's wrist. "It's my membership card for that one chili dog place I love."

"But," Tails mumbled, his eyes glued to the yellow card. "Why would you give this to me? Do you suddenly hate chili dogs?"

"No way!" Sonic gasped as he approached his sibling, one of his hands landing on his shoulder. He shook it slowly, making Tails look up at him in awe. He smiled and gave his brother his iconic thumbs up. "Keep it safe for me, yeah?"

-

Tails gave Sonic a final hug before waving swiftly to Shadow, a soft smile on his face. His brother watched as the young teenager quickly made his way through the halls of the hospital, looking back a few times to wave goodbye. Sonic finally dropped his own hand when Tails disappeared from his sight, smiling to himself.

"They grow up so fast." Sonic sighed, leaning up against the door frame. He heard Shadow groan and laugh when he turned back around. His face was covered by the blanket, and he hid from Sonic's teasing eyes. "Why are you hidding?"

"I'm not hiding." Shadow spat, only holding the blanket harder to cover the light above him. He hoped to drown out the voice of unwanted company as well. Sonic laughed as he finally closed the door. Shadow shut his eyes, unknowingly, as he heard his rival's shoes squeak towards him. "He's almost an adult. Of course he's grown up."

"Yeah, but he is still my little bro." Shadow rolled his eyes. "Plus, he isn't an adult yet!"

"I can't wait to see your reaction when he has to leave for college."

"He has to leave?!" Shadow swiftly shoved the blanket back down onto his lap, revealing his unamused face as he stared at Sonic's frightened one. His eyes wide as he daydreamed, Tails waved a final goodbye as he held onto a suitcase in his other hand. His small body fades slowly into pure darkness. "What if he gets kidnapped? What if he gets lost? What if-"

"He isn't stupid, Sonic." Shadow groaned as he watched his rival freak out. His red shoes tapped quickly onto the tile under him as his worry increased. "That nerd probably worries about you so frequently that he has gray hairs."

A frown sat on the blue racer's face as he considered that possibility. He knew how much of a burden he was for his younger brother, especially with his recent career choice. Tails was always against his decision, saying how dangerous it was. Sonic only brushed it off with laughs and jokes, never considering just how right he was.

He remembered just how scared he felt when he watched the black race car flip over. He almost winced as he thought back to how he found Shadow unconscious inside the hot vehicle and how hot the flames were. His mind was about to wander off again, but the sudden shift of blankets brought him back.

"Why won't you just sleep in the lobby?" Shadow groaned as Sonic looked back up at him. He didn't realize he had been staring at the floor. "I would actually be able to get some sleep."

The blue racer only smiled back as a response, hands behind his back, as he walked back towards his now-proclaimed favorite chair. It was only named that because it was the nearest one to Shadow's bed. The wheels shifted to the right as he sat down.

"Don't be like that, Shadow!" Sonic laughed, and his hands moved quickly to play with the blankets. Shadow galred, unable to do anything to stop Sonic's dirty gloves from covering the sheets in dirt. "You know you need me. Who is going to feed you, huh?"

Shadow contained the cough that tried to erupt from his throat, swallowing hard as his face flushed a slight pink. Sonic smirked.

"You're lucky to have me." Sonic continued, his voice coming out more like a whisper as he leaned into Shadow's ear. His rival shivered as warm breath crawled down his neck. "I will take good care of you- Hey!"

Sonic shoved the pillow down from his face, revealing an angry Shadow.

"Back up. You reak." Sonic chuckled but grabbed hold of his hair and took a quick sniff, his face going red when it hit him.

He smelled like smoke and burned sausage.

"Go take a bath!" Shadow shoved his shoulder lightly as a way to move him away. His face still red from Sonic's actions. The blue-haired racer chuckled but nodded his head as he forced himself off the chair. Shadow watched as he grabbed the red bag with one hand and skipped over to the door just beside the table. A dirty glove placed itself on the door handle, ready to reveal the bathroom, but it stopped. Sonic turned around with a smirk that made Shadow glare.

"Only if you join!"

Another pillow smacked his face from across the room. Sonic cried as he pushed the door open.