"--GET AWAY FROM ME!!!--" Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs as he hung upside down from the glowing red bonds binding his broken legs. Tears streamed upward from his swollen, blackened eyes across his bleeding forehead as he wriggled and writhed, trying desperately to break free. The jackal could only laugh at his futile attempts as he approached, his large member erect and ready for servicing. The bruised and bloodied hero shut his eyes as tightly as possible as he felt the hard tip press against his lips, wishing with all his might that a miracle would happen and someone would save him from this torment. 

"You're resisting again. Do you need another lesson?" Infinite questioned playfully with his glowing eye piercing through the soul of the dangling hedgehog. 

Sonic knew defiance only rewarded him more pain, and despite how much he hated to surrender, he relinquished control to his captor by relaxing his jaw and allowing the large cylinder to enter his mouth. 
It was humiliating, disgusting, and repulsive, but it was the only way he could survive the situation, as unbearable as it was. 
In and out, the hot, hard organ found its way down his throat as he struggled to breathe without gagging. The noxious taste clinged to his tongue as his whole body swayed in the air to the motion of the mercenary's hips. The whip marks on the blue hedgehog's tattered abdomen burned as the jackal pressed their torsos together, while the bones in his broken legs cracked under the weight. 

His mind ran faster than his body ever could.
There was no escaping this. No fighting it. And no salvation in sight. He was completely trapped and at the mercy of one who had none. 

After everything the jackal put him through, after every vile, violent, and vulgar act, Sonic couldn't when he developed feelings for him. 
When did he change while the anguish remained?

The last couple of days of being in the hospital, of being free from such inhumane treatment, gave the broken hero time to reflect. And though he fought to ignore the intruding thoughts that dare corrupt how he came to view the jackal, he couldn't prevent them from peeping through his subconscious and speaking their piece of rationality. 

*Was it love? Or was it just desperation?* His inner voice echoed.

"--shut up---"

* Why would you care for someone who hurt you? How could you choose him over everyone else?

"--SHUT UP--"

*WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, SONIC?!?!?!*

"---I SAID SHUT UP!!!---"

The inner conflict racked his brain as he held each side of his head, his awareness gradually returning to the present, to the hospital room where Shadow sat by his bedside. 

"Are you all right?" the black hedgehog asked as he gently laid his hand on Sonic's leg, causing the blue hedgehog to instinctively wince and pull away, believing his legs were still fractured from the memory he just relived. 

"I'm sorry--" Shadow reactively stated, "do you need a doctor?"

Through gritted teeth, Sonic examined his legs, which though sore and bandaged, were otherwise intact. He instantly became angry and directed his rage towards the one whom had remained at his side day in and day out. 

"I DON'T NEED ANYTHING!" He shouted while staring him down. "I KNOW YOU HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO. WHY DON'T YOU BEAT IT ALREADY?!?!?"

Though slightly taken aback by his abrupt hostility, it wasn't something Shadow was not expecting. The last few days have been difficult to say the least. Though Sonic was cooperative in eating and taking his medicine, he was otherwise resistant to venturing outside of his recovery room and was quick to push back when he felt cornered. Despite how many times he lashed out at him, the Ultimate Life Form refused to bend. He refused to believe Sonic was beyond repair and was determined to help him, no matter what. 

"Nothing is more important than this," he said in his usual calm voice, which only further irritated the angsty patient. 

Clicking his tongue, Sonic quickly looked away to the blank wall.
"--suit yourself--" he replied with a low scowl, "---I'm going back to sleep."
Without hesitation, he rolled over on his side and once again buried himself within the white sheets, shutting out the world, especially his partner. 

Shadow had been patient with him, trying to give him the space he thought he needed, but not leaving him alone in isolation for more than a few moments at a time. 
This constant company prevented the blue hedgehog from hurting himself again, and at the same time, forced his higher consciousness to attempt to readjust to some state of normalcy.
Though the doctor was optimistic about this approach, Shadow had come to realize that he needed to take the initiative. Things needed to change if there was any hope in him recovering, but as stubborn as he was, it was going to be an uphill battle that required a great deal of tact.

After pausing to weigh his options, he formulated an idea that may peak his interest. 

"Would you like to go on a run?"

Under the sheets, Sonic's eyes widened in astonishment at the very notion of running. 
He couldn't remember the last time he was free to run in the wind, and to his surprise, he couldn't remember when he stopped missing it. 
The joy he used to feel in speeding across the landscapes, breaking the sound barrier, and reaching levels no one else ever could was the largest part of him that he treasured. 
It gave him unshakeable confidence. Skills few could match. And a purpose in the world.
And yet now....it felt like something from a previous life...something he was no longer capable of doing. 

Before, he would have jumped at the opportunity to race against his partner, but in that moment, for reasons he couldn't understand, he was completely torn.
He wanted to leave the stale hospital room behind and embrace his calling to speed through the many glorious places around the world, to reclaim that part of himself he thought was lost; however, as he tried to grasp the happiness running once held for him, the floodgates of tainted thoughts cracked open, flowing in a jumbled mess of horrid images and echoing screams. 

The times he wished, prayed, and begged for someone to save him from the excrutiating pain that never ended, the shattering realization that he had been abandoned by those whom he believed would never leave him behind, and the closure he felt in fulfilling the role as the abused property of a ruthless mercenary tumbled around in his mind.
These thoughts combated against the cherished memories of old, the most painful ones overriding the ones of laughter and contentment. As badly as he tried to cling to the happy times, they remained out of reach, while confusion, pain, and the deafening loneliness took precedence. 

It was all too much to process! Sonic pulled his knees tightly to his chest as his heart pounded at such a magnitude that he feared it would burst.

*HOW DID YOU BECOME THIS?!*
His inner voice shouted across the expanse of replaying memories. 

"--not again--"

*WHOSE FAULT IS IT? YOUR FRIENDS FOR FAILING TO SAVE YOU?!?!?*

"--stop--"

*WHAT ABOUT THE BASTARD WHO PUT YOU THROUGH ALL THAT HELL!?!?!?*

"--just stop--please"

*OR DO YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO BLAME FOR LETTING HIM WIN?* 

Shadow peered over the pile of blankets, noticing them quiver slightly from the one underneath. 
Was his suggestion that demanding? 
Was it what he said or how he said it that maybe seemed too imposing? 
Either way, he couldn't let the silence stand--but just as he was about to speak, a small wimper escaped from under the sheets as Sonic whispered as softly as possible to Shadow's invitation, "N-no, thank you..."

The black hedgehog was stunned by the meek response. Based on his recent behavior, he was expecting more of the resentful tongue lashing that the blue hedgehog had been dealing out regularly, or hopefully, some sort of compliance to rekindling how things were. However; he received neither. Instead, the sound of pitiful defeat in his partner's voice broke Shadow's heart, and with that, he couldn't bear restraining himself any longer. 

After kicking his air shoes off his feet, he climbed into the bed and spooned the blanket-wrapped hedgehog in his arms. Sonic was shocked as he felt the tender warmth seep through the sheets while his partner held him close. Compiling to his confusion, his body reacted on its own and tried to pull away, but Shadow held firm and lovingly kept him from escaping what he knew he needed right now. Caught in the embrace, tears found their way into the broken hero's eyes.

"--Wh-what are you doing?" he managed to muster out. 

An entire series of replies dashed through the black hedgehog's mind as he tried to pick the most appropriate response to appeal to his partner; however, each one that he devised, he imagined being instantly shot down by a negative counter. 
*I want to help. = I don't need your help.*
*I missed us being like this. = Why do you care all of a sudden?*
*I want to hold you in my arms again. = Why is it always what YOU want?*

In the end, the Ultimate Life Form dismissed all of his carefully chosen words and said the first thing that popped into his head. 

"--I'm tired of sleeping in that damn chair."

The humorous comment caught Sonic off guard and made a small chuckle slip out of his mouth, which bewildered him even more. 
He couldn't remember the last time he genuinely laughed!

It was as though that simple comedic phrase had magical properties as his body began to relax and the swirling thoughts and voices in his mind grew a little quieter. 
He allowed himself to be pulled in closer until their bodies melted into one. The broken hero was so tired, more so than he realized despite how much rest he had been collecting. In scanning himself, he discovered that he still didn't feel completely at ease...but....it was better. 

That sense of peace that he had been missing for so long allowed him to close his heavy eyes for actual rest, and though he didn't know what awaited him on the other side of the veil of dreams, at least he knew in the real world, in this moment, he was safe.