He is My Master

13: For the Very First Time

*******EXCLAIMER*******
I DO NOT OWN THIS NOVEL IM MERELY TRANSFERRING IT TO WATTPAD CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL AND GIVE KUDOS TO AUTHOR Chiisai Kitsune ON FF.NET HERE

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4256772/13/

Sonic was surprised when the next touch that came wasn't hot pain searing through his back, but instead a gentle, almost...affectionate stroking along his side. His eyes opened again, surprised.

"Shh...what is wrong, your muscles have tensed up as if you would go into seizure..." Shadow murmured close to him, still trailing his hand over Sonic's blue fur, fingertips brushing over the skin over his ribcage.

The blue hedgehog took a few seconds before he could reply. His head turned once more towards Shadow and his tone sounded strained.

"I...thought you wanted to rip out my quills?" the blue hedgehog half-asked, hoping his voice wasn't as shaky as he expected it to be.

"Want is kind of the wrong word, Sonic." Shadow chuckled a bit and his ostensible slave immediately felt a spike of fury flare up inside him at the other taking this so lightly. Sonic tried to cling to that anger, which was so much better than the paralyzing fear...

"Yeah, but you're still gonna do it. Wouldn't you expect anyone about to be tortured to 'tense up'?" Sonic snarled, still refusing to meet those crimson eyes where he had believed to see softness once...he tried to twist away from the hand petting him but it was futile.

"Torture?" Shadow's fingers halted. "What did you think I was going to do?"

"Tear holes in my back and burn them out with glowing coals, Shads. That, obviously," the shackled hedgehog snapped and was glad to feel the hand finally dropping away from his side. When Shadow didn't say anything for the next few moments, though, Sonic in the end gave up and turned enough to look at his supposed Master, too morbidly curious what was going on now. Emerald eyes widened slightly as he saw the other one all but turned to stone, sitting on the table and staring at his own hand held in front of him. The black hedgehog's posture was slumped and his face was expressionless, yet his eyes...his eyes were just as soft as Sonic was sure they had been just hours ago, but now they also spoke of a sadness that wavered between the wistful and the bitter, and of a disappointment that had hurt badly.

"...Shadow?" Sonic finally asked, completely unsure as to what was going on right now, but also sensing that perhaps his flayed back was not top priority of the agenda anymore right now.

"You thought I was going to actually tear your spines out. You thought me capable of doing this to you," Shadow spoke quietly and blue ears had to twist towards him to understand his words.

"Well, you-" Sonic started, but the black hedgehog interrupted him again, still talking in that quiet voice.

"I know I've done some...questionable things in the past. But I thought you had seen me differently. I thought you...actually trusted me."

"But I did!" the blue hedgehog protested, "Right up until - and then you seemed so - and I thought you were mad at me and wanted – and – and - and what were you actually planning to do?" Sonic finished, emerald now confused.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to force this charade on you any longer. I'm sorry for putting you through this," Shadow sounded tired. "I'll go out there, take that bulldog out and open your shackles. Then we can blast out of the castle, find and challenge Black Doom," he said, simultaneously reaching back into his quills and taking out the key they had fought so vicously over only hours ago. "Just hold still so I can open your collar. Later, I can distract Black Doom and when you get the Emerald, Chaos Control home without m-"