a hedgehogs unlikely crush

ch 5

Perci eyed Shadow as she worked on making a makeshift bed out of moss she found in the cave. The storm outside was still raging, thunder cracking through the sky, but inside, it was quieter. Shadow had finally stopped coughing, but he was still clearly ill. Despite his best efforts to protest, he remained seated as Perci searched through her bag for a thermometer, her mind wandering.

"Why do you hate them so much, huh?" Perci asked out of the blue, glancing at him while she knelt by the pile of moss. "Sonic and his friends."

Shadow, his back against the cave wall, grumbled at the question. "That's none of your damn business," he spat, his voice hoarse from the earlier coughing fit. He shifted, clearly uncomfortable with both the question and the fact that Perci wasn't leaving him alone.

Ignoring his attitude, she found the thermometer and stood, walking back over to him. "It kinda is," she said, holding up the thermometer like it was the most casual thing in the world. "Especially since you're the one who dragged me into this storm."

Shadow rolled his eyes and turned his head away. "I didn't drag you into anything. You're the one who followed me."

Perci sighed, crouching down in front of him. "Just open your mouth, Shadow," she said, waving the thermometer in front of his face. "Let me take your temp."

He slapped her hand away weakly, trying to stand. "I'm not some damn kid. I don't need you to—"

Before he could finish, Perci pushed him back down, her patience wearing thin. "Sit your stubborn ass down, and stop pretending like you're fine."

Shadow scowled, his crimson eyes narrowing at her, but he didn't have the strength to fight back. He stayed put, but the annoyance was written all over his face. Perci took the opportunity to slip the thermometer under his tongue, keeping him still with a hand on his shoulder.

As they waited for the reading, she pressed him again. "So, are you gonna answer me or what? What's the deal with you and Sonic?"

Shadow shifted uncomfortably, staring at the fire rather than her. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Maybe not," Perci shrugged, sitting down beside him, her tone a little softer. "But you seem to have some serious beef with them, and I'm just curious. That's all."

Shadow growled low in his throat. "It's not that simple. I don't trust them, alright?"

Perci raised an eyebrow. "You don't trust Sonic? The guy who saves the village every other day? The one who keeps stopping Eggman's crazy-ass plans?"

Shadow shot her a glare, but before he could snap back, the thermometer beeped. Perci pulled it out, frowning when she saw the number. "You've got a fever," she muttered, shaking her head.

"I'm fine," Shadow muttered stubbornly.

Perci sighed again, sitting back down with a blanket, wrapping it around Shadow even though he kept glaring at her. "You're not fine, and you're not answering the question either."

Shadow looked at her, his expression hard, but after a moment of silence, he finally gave in. "They're reckless," he said bitterly. "Sonic thinks everything's a joke. He doesn't care about the consequences. He just rushes into things, and the rest of them follow. I've seen too much... too much destruction because of people like them. And I'm not going to stand by and let them screw things up again."

Perci stayed quiet for a moment, absorbing his words. "Is that really it?" she asked softly. "Or are you just scared?"

That struck a nerve. Shadow's eyes darkened, his fists clenching. "I'm not scared of anything," he hissed.

"Uh-huh," Perci said, clearly not convinced. "But you didn't leave me to die in the storm. You didn't have to save me, and yet here I am, sitting next to you, making sure your fever doesn't get worse."

Shadow scoffed. "You're just... an exception."

Perci gave him a sideways glance. "Right. And that's why you're handing over your bread when I'm hungry too, huh?"

Shadow just grumbled in response, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. Perci couldn't help but smirk a little as she adjusted the makeshift moss bed beside the fire.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she muttered under her breath.

Shadow gave her a sharp look. "Shut up, bandicoot."