<<Hųśh>>

-'24'-

Shadow sank into the couch, a silent sigh escaping his lips. He put his head back, resting on the back of the couch. His eyes were heavy, barely even open. He slowly closed his eyes, only being able to hear his chest rise and fall. That was until the door opened that is.

The ebony hedgehog flicked his ears, listening out for whoever had entered the home. He could hear the person scraping their feet as they walked, their footsteps quite heavy. He knew exactly who it was. "What do you want, Sonic?" He asked, his voice low and barely over a mutter.

"Well, I live here too." The blue blur reasoned, his voice wasn't as loud and boisterous however. It was actually quite soft and quiet - Shadow had to admit he liked it. It was oddly soothing, a welcomed change he could get used to. "You tired?" He felt a weight place itself beside him, Sonic's breath becomming louder.

Shadow hummed in affirmation, not opening his eyes. "I'm exhausted too." The taller hedgehog responded softly. Before Shadow could respond, he felt the lapiz hedgehog lean forwards, eventually resting his head on Shadow's shoulder. "You can go rest on the bed upstairs." Shadow reasoned, though he didn't squirm away from the other. "You're warm." Sonic muttered back. Shadow felt the other hedgehog roll onto his stomach, wrapping his arms around him.

"Can I lay down atleast?" Shadow muttered, opening one eye and staring down at Sonic. The hedgehog stared back, a smile on his face. He slowly sat back up and shifted away to the other side of the couch. Shadow hummed approvingly and grabbed a couch cushion, setting it against the arm of the couch and moved the rest to ensure he would still have cushions at his side. He adjusted himself and layed down, eyes slowly closing once more.

That was until Sonic made his presence known once again.

The taller hedgehog threw himself on top of Shadow, winding him. His ruby eyes shot open instantly . The air left his lungs almost instantly, leaving him to gasp for air for a few moments. "Sonic... what the fuck?" Shadow choked, still recovering. Sonic didn't seem intent on answering, now sprawled on top of shadow with his arms wrapped around him.

He merely sighed. There was no way out of this. He closed his eyes once more, relaxing his muscles. Sonic made a good blanket at least.

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Rouge sat by the echidna, ensuring she stared anywhere but where he was. She was tempted to glance at him, but she could feel his eyes on her. She didn't want to look at him in such a state, hearing his strained breaths was enough.

"I don't need babysitting, bat." Knuckles reasoned. She shook her head "Who said I'm babysitting you?" She glanced at him, but quickly looked away when his amethyst eyes met hers. It was terrifying. She knew he was going to live, bit it still pained her. If she had gone with Shadow and Knuckles, maybe she could have saved him. She wasn't going to take a bullet from him - nobody was worth that sacrifice - but she would have tried to save him.

The group, along with Tikal, had gone out for more supplies. Rouge had offered to stay back with Knuckles and the emerald - it turned out Knuckles had entrusted it to the echidna shortly before he hid away in the bakery.

"How long were you in the bakery?" She asked the echidna, finally looking at him. "Not too long - about five days before you came along." He replied. "I wanted to stay on the island but Amy was concerned." The bat hummed in response, glancing at the emerald. "What about you?" He asked. "Seem a little over dressed for this."

The bat glanced down at her outfit. She had forgotten about it all together in her honesty, having loosened the corset enough to move and fight. She kind of felt normal, having managed to find some combat boots and cargo pants.

"I was at a party with Shadow." She explained. She could still remember every detail of the night; the dancing, the laughter, the jokes. How it all ceased in a matter of seconds as thousands of the beasts stormed the building. They broke the windows and attacked anybody they could, like scathing beasts. She was lucky to find Shadow amidst the chaos, the hedgehog teleporting them away. She shuddered and pulled herself out of her thoughts. She could still hear the screams. She couldn't keep her mind off of Shadow.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, a suprised gasp escaping her lips. She whipped her head to the side, the echidna stared back, a concerned look on his face. She sent him a small smile back, though quickly dropped it. He wasn't as ignorant as he once was, he could read people quite well - it had been six years since their first meeting afterall.

"I guess I just miss how life was." She shrugged. "And my normal suit." She added, a bitter giggle following. Knuckles shrugged back. "When I'm healed up we're gonna solve this." He smiled, though Rouge could tell he was still in pain - and definitley exhausted. He needed more help than they could provide, and it pained her more to see him in such a state.

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893 words
Written/published: 21st January, 2025
((Edited))