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Been trying to work on a few things in between writing this. Enjoy :)", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Sorry for the wait everyone! Been trying to work on a few things in between writing this. Enjoy :)", "writing": "A dreamless sleep seemed more exhausting than anything he could have done. The black hedgehog awoke himself with a massive gasp, as if he hadn’t breathed the entire night. Panting heavily, he glanced around himself in a panic. What was happening? Why was he so weak? He could barely breathe at all. Forcing his lungs to keep moving, he tried to gather his senses. Realizing where he was, his panic started to settle, he was safe. He was in a tree, not on a laboratory table. However, his breathing still had yet to return to normal. \n\nForcefully turning himself onto his stomach, he clawed his way to the entrance of the tree. Laying on his stomach was slightly easier to breathe, but still hard enough to be concerned. Feeling branches and rocks cutting into his elbows and hands, he pulled himself through the small tunnel until he emerged from the tree, feeling the bandage around his chest slipping as he tossed the branch he’d placed there the night before aside. His legs behind him could only move slightly, proving it hard to drag himself towards where his inhibitor rings lay. Several loud gasps from his body continued to be heard until he finally reached his saviors laying on his hover shoes. He immediately snatched them, and with shaking hands put them back in their place, hearing the click in confirmation. Rolling onto his back again, his breathing slowly started to move from an asthmatic gasping to heavy pant. As his body started to regain the energy it had lost, rubies glanced above, staring at the sky between the swaying tree branches.\n\nHe listened to the birds singing around him, feeling the breeze brush against his fur. His breathing now a light pant, he brought his hands into his view, starring at the gold bracelets. [i]I haven’t had an attack like that in a while. Going so long without my inhibitor rings...coupled with what happened last night...wasn’t the best plan. Still, my anxiety hasn’t bothered me in a quite some time. I feel drained of power more than usual, as if something’s been taking it from me. I’m just thankful the Faker didn’t witness that.[/i] Rubies widened. The Faker. Where was he?\n\nLifting his head, he glanced inside the hollow hierarchy. He saw the distinct blue fur in its curled up, still sleeping form. A slight snore could be heard from within. He let a sigh pass his lips as he lay his head back. The memories from the night before began to drift into his mind, as well as confusion. Did this change things between the two of them? He forced himself to sit up, bringing a hand to his head as sudden wave of dizziness swept over him. Using a nearby tree for support, he pushed himself to his feet. Feeling his strength return to him also made him feel strange inside. Black arms wrapped around the ebony torso as he realized he could no longer call himself “untouched.” Did he regret what happened last night? At the time he had simply wanted the torture in his body to stop and had agreed to Sonic’s ministrations...but now...\n\nCrimson pools widened in horror as black ears drooped slightly. A strange liquid like substance had started to slowly drip down his leg. The white substance looked familiar, he’d seen it last night on his own pelt, yet it was mysteriously gone now, except for said sticky liquid that he could [i]feel[/i] leaking out of him.\n\nHis face blushed in rage at the situation. To make matters worse, he could hear the blue hedgehog emerging from the tree behind him. Before he could do something about his problem, said Faker was already yawning and stretching in the open.\n\n“There ya are, Shads! How’d ya sleep? It’s a nice day out isn’t....” He saw it. Of course he saw it. Compared to the ebony fur, it stuck out like a sore thumb. The hedgehog was faced away from him, arms still wrapped around his torso, shaking in agitation. Azure carefully approached the other, “Uh...Shads?” Said hybrid slowly turned his head to the other, anger clearly displayed on his face with a blush that matched his quills, “...You did this...to me...!” \n\nThe hero suddenly felt as if the day had heated up several degrees as he tried to calm the other down, “L-look, that’s...ta be expected. Ya don’t have ta be embarrassed.” Black and red quills bristled as their owner whipped around, “’EMBARRASSED?!’ YOU THINK THAT’S WHAT I AM?!” Hands raised quickly in defense, “O-Ok, and you’re probably really mad! I guess I deserve that! I-I should’ve asked before cummin’ inside, I just figured it was ok since...ya’know, it doesn’t...work right?” Crimson accented hands curled into fists at the alien’s side, “YOU JUST ASSUMED IT WAS OK?! WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME?!” The other’s shouting was slowly making the blue hedgehog shrink in size, “I’M SORRY! I THOUGHT YA KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AND WERE OK WITH IT!” Over sharpened canine teeth made an appearance at the accused, “THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?!” Azure blinked, “W-wait, you mean ya never...” Shadow stared at him, “No! I-I never...I didn’t...” His speech faltered before falling off altogether. He really hadn’t known what had been happening last night. His body had never felt those feelings before. Such things had never happened to him. Such thoughts had never entered his mind. Of course he knew the concept of procreation and had at one point during the night worried his rival would take him without consent, but he didn’t know the intricate details surrounding the topic.\n\nPeach hands lowered to fiddle with each other as emeralds glanced away, “I’m sorry I upset ya. I just wanted us ta have a good time. I wanted ta show ya how much ya mean to me...” He glanced at the crimson depths to gauge the other’s reaction. He was simply stared at, as if the creation’s mind was overflowing with thoughts and he didn’t know which to address first. Hands drew up to the pounding head, claws digging into the quills and flesh in frustration, before giving a heavy sigh, “Sonic, I know we shared some....feelings last night and that we need to address those. But...” Green pools stared at him in earnest, as the other turned to replace his gloves and hover shoes in their proper places, before pausing, back turned to him, “I need some time to think.”\n\nBefore the hero could say anything, the other was gone in a burst of wind. He stood in silence for a short time, trying to process what had happened. He was alone again, he had hoped things would change after the events of the night before, but once again he was left behind, abandoned. With a sigh he redressed himself with the little clothing he had. His gloves were still around the hybrid’s chest, dirtied now and ripped to shreds, though he didn’t know why. After the famous shoes had slipped back onto stocking feet, he felt the first drops of the storm rolling through. Low rumbles were heard in the distance as he took one last look at the ancient tree that would forever remain in his memories, before running back to the empty shell he called a home. \n\nThe rain cascaded down the building’s face as a lone figure sat in silence. Somehow managing to scale a tower seemed like a feat to others, but was just a day in the life of the speedsters. Head down, letting the water drip from the tip of his nose, his thoughts ran a rampage inside a throbbing head. Crimson eyes starred at the drop off in front of him, in which one leg dangled over, the other supporting an arm. The free hand massaged his black temples. He had thought he had finally started to figure his life out, what he was meant to do and what his purpose was. After last night’s events his mind was completely confused once again. Thunder crashed loudly above him as he lashed out in anger. His body was wet once again, and he could feel it start to stiffen in the cold temperatures. His decision was a quick one as he leapt from the ledge, hover shoes kicking in to soften his landing. Now on the street side, he turned in the direction of the someone he knew he could seek refuge with.\n\nLarge ears twitched at the knock on the front door. The bat let out a sigh as she made her way there, trying to fix her unruly hair and straighten her robe. [i]It’s late. Why is anyone coming here at this hour?! Can’t I enjoy one day without having to deal with people?[/i] Unlocking the door, she stopped in her tracks, “Shadow!” The melancholy hedgehog looked worse than she’d seen him in a long time. seeing him standing the storm, fur soaking wet, head down, and ears drooping made her immediately want to comfort her friend for whatever he was going through.\n\n“Rouge,” His voice was low and gravely, as if not caring how he appeared to her in that moment, “May I use your guest room to take shelter from the rain tonight?” Before he had even finished asking the question she was pulling him in the door, trying to find something to dry him off with and warm him up. “Good grief, Shadow T. Hedgehog, what were you doing out there?! You’ll catch a cold!” Instead of pushing her away and insisting he was alright, the hybrid let her do as she wished, listening to her raves as she guided him to the bathroom. For once, he was happy she cared so much. \n\n“You take your clothes off and get in here now, mister! Taking a hot shower will help you warm up faster.” He listened to her, not worried about being ‘naked’ in front of her as most male mobians didn’t wear clothes anyway, as she turned the water on and pulled a towel out. Something caught her eye, the ripped up fabric pieces that were being used as a bandage. Moving closer, she began to untie it, muttering something along the sorts of “And what’s this? You’ve even gone and hurt yourself. As if being in the cold rain was bad enough.” He let her do as she pleased, too mentally tired to try and put up a fight. When the filthy cloth was finally removed, tan hands ran delicately along the tear in the flesh. Turquoise eyes glanced up at his own, “You’re lucky your healing powers have already kicked in. You should’ve gotten that stitched up. And where did you even find this?!” She held the fabric up to him in disgust. The rain had made it sopping wet, and the dirt from the night before had dirtied it. Instead of giving her an answer, he allowed his shoulders to simply shrug, not wanting to reveal any details from his past encounter.\n\nShe heaved a sigh, throwing the cloth away and feeling the temperature of the water. Ebony resumed removing his shoes and other articles of clothing. Normally, he showered with his rings on, as he hardly ever took them off, but after being in the filthy river water and sleeping on the dirt floor, he wanted to make sure he had rid of all dirt particles underneath them. With this in mind, he began to take them off, only to find without them he felt rather faint. He tried quickly to put them back only stumble and lean against the wall. He hoped Rouge hadn’t noticed, but to his embarrassment, she had. Her head immediately whipped around at the sound of his unsteady footing and saw him hit the wall rather hard. She was by his side in an instant, “What happened?! Are you ok?!” Black hands quickly snapped his rings back into place, breathing a small sigh of relief at the strength they returned to him, “A-apologies. I’m alright.” The other’s face moved to a frown, “You don’t have to play that game with me, you know that.” A blink, “I....sorry.” \n\nThey sat in silence for a while, until she moved away, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a worried stare. He always thought she looked more like a mother when she did that. The hybrid could feel her looking him and up and down as he straightened himself again. “You tried to take your inhibitor rings off. They’ve never had that effect on you before, have they? I’ve never seen you act like that.” Quills shook slightly as he neared the shower, “I’m just regaining my strength. I’ll be back to normal soon.” The blue green eyes displayed worry for him, “...I wish you would talk to me more...” Ebony paused for a moment, before feeling the water temperature and stepping in. The tired bat gave him one last glance before turning her back and closing the door behind her. \n\nThe creation leaned against the shower wall, taking in the heat the cascading water provided to his body. The long tear in his flesh stung at first, but soon seemed to heal faster in the warmth. It was already looking significantly better than the day before. [i]Last night...[/i] Black hands gripped the tile in confusion. [i]That hedgehog...he made me...feel things I never thought were possible. The activities we participated in...the thought of it disgusts me...and yet... [/i] He was extremely grateful the rain had washed away any remaining evidence of the night before from his legs as he returned to the city. Had the inhabitant of the house he was in seen that...he’d have rather stayed outside in the storm. A hand traced its way to his lower abdomen. [i]He accepted me...every part of me...why did I allow him to do the things he did? Why did I tell him...my darkest secret? Why was I so open? Why didn’t I stop him?! Why didn’t I push him away and leave him in the cold?![/i] Crimson eyes opened to look at the ceiling above him. [i]... why did he say the things he did?...Why was[/i] he [i]so open?[/i] Pain in his temples, followed by a light dizziness, disturbed his thoughts. Ebony eyes squinted in pain and frustration. He began to wash his concerns away, making sure to clean thoroughly under his rings without removing them. \n\nFinally turning the water off, stripped hands reached out to the towel and began to dry his fur off. He carefully stepped out of the shower, hanging the damp towel up before simply grabbing his belongings, not bothering to redress. His body still felt tired from the lack of energy throughout the night.\n\nThe hedgehog walked down the hall, barely making a sound as he reached the guest room door, or as Rouge would prefer to call it, his room. Turning the knob, he took in the plain décor. A simply made bed with a small dresser across from it, along with a small night stand set up. The room itself hadn’t had an occupant since the last time he had stayed, and even then he’d never used the bed. There should have been dust covering every inch of the room, instead it seemed Rouge frequently cleaned the room to make it look more lived in. Was Rouge lonely?\n\nFuzzy slippers trudged down the hallway quietly. A cup of warm milk in one hand as the other rubbed tired eyes that, for once, were free of makeup. The bat paused at the bathroom, and seeing it was empty, continued down the hallway to her room. Pushing open her bedroom door, her eyes caught the room across from her’s, Shadow’s room, as she liked to think of it. The door was slightly cracked open. [i]Strange. I always keep that room closed. Is Shadow in there? He hardly ever actually uses it.[/i] She peaked in the doorway, moving the door quietly. There lay said hedgehog, fast asleep on the bed. It looked as if he quite literally had flopped on the bed and hadn’t cared to move. She’d never even seen him sleep before, let alone in his own bed. [i]That idiot. He knows I keep it cold in this house. If he doesn’t use a blanket he’ll freeze all night.[/i] Making her way to her room quickly, she put the glass of milk down and grabbed one of her spare feather blankets, returning to the room across the hallway. Without trying to wake the other up, she carefully tucked the tired creature in, a bit surprise he hadn’t heard or felt her and woken up to shoo her away. However, he had seemed rather out of it tonight. Perhaps he needed a good sleep and would be back to normal in the morning. His quills and fur were still slightly damp and his body felt cooler to the touch than normal, for Shadow, proving her point he needed to warm up his body, no matter how much he denied it.\n\nThe agent made her way back to the hallway, giving one last glance at the sleeping form who had decided to curl up slightly in the soft blanket. A smile pulled at her lips. [i]It’s nice to see him feeling at home here. I wish he felt like he could use it more often.[/i] The bat retired to her room for the night, wishing pleasant dreams on the sleeping creation.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "A dreamless sleep seemed more exhausting than anything he could have done. The black hedgehog awoke himself with a massive gasp, as if he hadn’t breathed the entire night. Panting heavily, he glanced around himself in a panic. What was happening? Why was he so weak? He could barely breathe at all. Forcing his lungs to keep moving, he tried to gather his senses. Realizing where he was, his panic started to settle, he was safe. He was in a tree, not on a laboratory table. However, his breathing still had yet to return to normal.

Forcefully turning himself onto his stomach, he clawed his way to the entrance of the tree. Laying on his stomach was slightly easier to breathe, but still hard enough to be concerned. Feeling branches and rocks cutting into his elbows and hands, he pulled himself through the small tunnel until he emerged from the tree, feeling the bandage around his chest slipping as he tossed the branch he’d placed there the night before aside. His legs behind him could only move slightly, proving it hard to drag himself towards where his inhibitor rings lay. Several loud gasps from his body continued to be heard until he finally reached his saviors laying on his hover shoes. He immediately snatched them, and with shaking hands put them back in their place, hearing the click in confirmation. Rolling onto his back again, his breathing slowly started to move from an asthmatic gasping to heavy pant. As his body started to regain the energy it had lost, rubies glanced above, staring at the sky between the swaying tree branches.

He listened to the birds singing around him, feeling the breeze brush against his fur. His breathing now a light pant, he brought his hands into his view, starring at the gold bracelets. I haven’t had an attack like that in a while. Going so long without my inhibitor rings...coupled with what happened last night...wasn’t the best plan. Still, my anxiety hasn’t bothered me in a quite some time. I feel drained of power more than usual, as if something’s been taking it from me. I’m just thankful the Faker didn’t witness that. Rubies widened. The Faker. Where was he?

Lifting his head, he glanced inside the hollow hierarchy. He saw the distinct blue fur in its curled up, still sleeping form. A slight snore could be heard from within. He let a sigh pass his lips as he lay his head back. The memories from the night before began to drift into his mind, as well as confusion. Did this change things between the two of them? He forced himself to sit up, bringing a hand to his head as sudden wave of dizziness swept over him. Using a nearby tree for support, he pushed himself to his feet. Feeling his strength return to him also made him feel strange inside. Black arms wrapped around the ebony torso as he realized he could no longer call himself “untouched.” Did he regret what happened last night? At the time he had simply wanted the torture in his body to stop and had agreed to Sonic’s ministrations...but now...

Crimson pools widened in horror as black ears drooped slightly. A strange liquid like substance had started to slowly drip down his leg. The white substance looked familiar, he’d seen it last night on his own pelt, yet it was mysteriously gone now, except for said sticky liquid that he could feel leaking out of him.

His face blushed in rage at the situation.  To make matters worse, he could hear the blue hedgehog emerging from the tree behind him. Before he could do something about his problem, said Faker was already yawning and stretching in the open.

“There ya are, Shads! How’d ya sleep? It’s a nice day out isn’t....” He saw it. Of course he saw it. Compared to the ebony fur, it stuck out like a sore thumb. The hedgehog was faced away from him, arms still wrapped around his torso, shaking in agitation. Azure carefully approached the other, “Uh...Shads?” Said hybrid slowly turned his head to the other, anger clearly displayed on his face with a blush that matched his quills, “...You did this...to me...!”

The hero suddenly felt as if the day had heated up several degrees as he tried to calm the other down, “L-look, that’s...ta be expected. Ya don’t have ta be embarrassed.” Black and red quills bristled as their owner whipped around, “’EMBARRASSED?!’ YOU THINK THAT’S WHAT I AM?!” Hands raised quickly in defense, “O-Ok, and you’re probably really mad! I guess I deserve that! I-I should’ve asked before cummin’ inside, I just figured it was ok since...ya’know, it doesn’t...work right?” Crimson accented hands curled into fists at the alien’s side, “YOU JUST ASSUMED IT WAS OK?! WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME?!” The other’s shouting was slowly making the blue hedgehog shrink in size, “I’M SORRY! I THOUGHT YA KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AND WERE OK WITH IT!” Over sharpened canine teeth made an appearance at the accused, “THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?!” Azure blinked, “W-wait, you mean ya never...” Shadow stared at him, “No! I-I never...I didn’t...” His speech faltered before falling off altogether. He really hadn’t known what had been happening last night. His body had never felt those feelings before. Such things had never happened to him. Such thoughts had never entered his mind. Of course he knew the concept of procreation and had at one point during the night worried his rival would take him without consent, but he didn’t know the intricate details surrounding the topic.

Peach hands lowered to fiddle with each other as emeralds glanced away, “I’m sorry I upset ya. I just wanted us ta have a good time. I wanted ta show ya how much ya mean to me...” He glanced at the crimson depths to gauge the other’s reaction. He was simply stared at, as if the creation’s mind was overflowing with thoughts and he didn’t know which to address first. Hands drew up to the pounding head, claws digging into the quills and flesh in frustration, before giving a heavy sigh, “Sonic, I know we shared some....feelings last night and that we need to address those. But...” Green pools stared at him in earnest, as the other turned to replace his gloves and hover shoes in their proper places, before pausing, back turned to him, “I need some time to think.”

Before the hero could say anything, the other was gone in a burst of wind. He stood in silence for a short time, trying to process what had happened. He was alone again, he had hoped things would change after the events of the night before, but once again he was left behind, abandoned. With a sigh he redressed himself with the little clothing he had. His gloves were still around the hybrid’s chest, dirtied now and ripped to shreds, though he didn’t know why. After the famous shoes had slipped back onto stocking feet, he felt the first drops of the storm rolling through. Low rumbles were heard in the distance as he took one last look at the ancient tree that would forever remain in his memories, before running back to the empty shell he called a home.

The rain cascaded down the building’s face as a lone figure sat in silence. Somehow managing to scale a tower seemed like a feat to others, but was just a day in the life of the speedsters. Head down, letting the water drip from the tip of his nose, his thoughts ran a rampage inside a throbbing head. Crimson eyes starred at the drop off in front of him, in which one leg dangled over, the other supporting an arm. The free hand massaged his black temples. He had thought he had finally started to figure his life out, what he was meant to do and what his purpose was. After last night’s events his mind was completely confused once again. Thunder crashed loudly above him as he lashed out in anger.  His body was wet once again, and he could feel it start to stiffen in the cold temperatures. His decision was a quick one as he leapt from the ledge, hover shoes kicking in to soften his landing. Now on the street side, he turned in the direction of the someone he knew he could seek refuge with.

Large ears twitched at the knock on the front door. The bat let out a sigh as she made her way there, trying to fix her unruly hair and straighten her robe. It’s late. Why is anyone coming here at this hour?! Can’t I enjoy one day without having to deal with people? Unlocking the door, she stopped in her tracks, “Shadow!” The melancholy hedgehog looked worse than she’d seen him in a long time. seeing him standing the storm, fur soaking wet, head down, and ears drooping made her immediately want to comfort her friend for whatever he was going through.

“Rouge,” His voice was low and gravely, as if not caring how he appeared to her in that moment, “May I use your guest room to take shelter from the rain tonight?” Before he had even finished asking the question she was pulling him in the door, trying to find something to dry him off with and warm him up. “Good grief, Shadow T. Hedgehog, what were you doing out there?! You’ll catch a cold!” Instead of pushing her away and insisting he was alright, the hybrid let her do as she wished, listening to her raves as she guided him to the bathroom. For once, he was happy she cared so much.

“You take your clothes off and get in here now, mister! Taking a hot shower will help you warm up faster.” He listened to her, not worried about being ‘naked’ in front of her as most male mobians didn’t wear clothes anyway, as she turned the water on and pulled a towel out. Something caught her eye, the ripped up fabric pieces that were being used as a bandage. Moving closer, she began to untie it, muttering something along the sorts of “And what’s this? You’ve even gone and hurt yourself. As if being in the cold rain was bad enough.” He let her do as she pleased, too mentally tired to try and put up a fight. When the filthy cloth was finally removed, tan hands ran delicately along the tear in the flesh. Turquoise eyes glanced up at his own, “You’re lucky your healing powers have already kicked in. You should’ve gotten that stitched up. And where did you even find this?!” She held the fabric up to him in disgust. The rain had made it sopping wet, and the dirt from the night before had dirtied it. Instead of giving her an answer, he allowed his shoulders to simply shrug, not wanting to reveal any details from his past encounter.

She heaved a sigh, throwing the cloth away and feeling the temperature of the water. Ebony resumed removing his shoes and other articles of clothing. Normally, he showered with his rings on, as he hardly ever took them off, but after being in the filthy river water and sleeping on the dirt floor, he wanted to make sure he had rid of all dirt particles underneath them. With this in mind, he began to take them off, only to find without them he felt rather faint. He tried quickly to put them back only stumble and lean against the wall. He hoped Rouge hadn’t noticed, but to his embarrassment, she had. Her head immediately whipped around at the sound of his unsteady footing and saw him hit the wall rather hard. She was by his side in an instant, “What happened?! Are you ok?!” Black hands quickly snapped his rings back into place, breathing a small sigh of relief at the strength they returned to him, “A-apologies. I’m alright.” The other’s face moved to a frown, “You don’t have to play that game with me, you know that.” A blink, “I....sorry.”

They sat in silence for a while, until she moved away, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a worried stare. He always thought she looked more like a mother when she did that. The hybrid could feel her looking him and up and down as he straightened himself again. “You tried to take your inhibitor rings off. They’ve never had that effect on you before, have they? I’ve never seen you act like that.” Quills shook slightly as he neared the shower, “I’m just regaining my strength.  I’ll be back to normal soon.” The blue green eyes displayed worry for him, “...I wish you would talk to me more...”  Ebony paused for a moment, before feeling the water temperature and stepping in. The tired bat gave him one last glance before turning her back and closing the door behind her.

The creation leaned against the shower wall, taking in the heat the cascading water provided to his body. The long tear in his flesh stung at first, but soon seemed to heal faster in the warmth. It was already looking significantly better than the day before. Last night... Black hands gripped the tile in confusion. That hedgehog...he made me...feel things I never thought were possible. The activities we participated in...the thought of it disgusts me...and yet... He was extremely grateful the rain had washed away any remaining evidence of the night before from his legs as he returned to the city. Had the inhabitant of the house he was in seen that...he’d have rather stayed outside in the storm. A hand traced its way to his lower abdomen. He accepted me...every part of me...why did I allow him to do the things he did? Why did I tell him...my darkest secret? Why was I so open? Why didn’t I stop him?! Why didn’t I push him away and leave him in the cold?! Crimson eyes opened to look at the ceiling above him. ... why did he say the things he did?...Why was he so open? Pain in his temples, followed by a light dizziness, disturbed his thoughts. Ebony eyes squinted in pain and frustration. He began to wash his concerns away, making sure to clean thoroughly under his rings without removing them.

Finally turning the water off, stripped hands reached out to the towel and began to dry his fur off. He carefully stepped out of the shower, hanging the damp towel up before simply grabbing his belongings, not bothering to redress. His body still felt tired from the lack of energy throughout the night.

The hedgehog walked down the hall, barely making a sound as he reached the guest room door, or as Rouge would prefer to call it, his room. Turning the knob, he took in the plain décor. A simply made bed with a small dresser across from it, along with a small night stand set up. The room itself hadn’t had an occupant since the last time he had stayed, and even then he’d never used the bed. There should have been dust covering every inch of the room, instead it seemed Rouge frequently cleaned the room to make it look more lived in. Was Rouge lonely?

Fuzzy slippers trudged down the hallway quietly. A cup of warm milk in one hand as the other rubbed tired eyes that, for once, were free of makeup. The bat paused at the bathroom, and seeing it was empty, continued down the hallway to her room. Pushing open her bedroom door, her eyes caught the room across from her’s, Shadow’s room, as she liked to think of it. The door was slightly cracked open. Strange. I always keep that room closed. Is Shadow in there? He hardly ever actually uses it. She peaked in the doorway, moving the door quietly. There lay said hedgehog, fast asleep on the bed. It looked as if he quite literally had flopped on the bed and hadn’t cared to move. She’d never even seen him sleep before, let alone in his own bed. That idiot. He knows I keep it cold in this house. If he doesn’t use a blanket he’ll freeze all night. Making her way to her room quickly, she put the glass of milk down and grabbed one of her spare feather blankets, returning to the room across the hallway. Without trying to wake the other up, she carefully tucked the tired creature in, a bit surprise he hadn’t heard or felt her and woken up to shoo her away.  However, he had seemed rather out of it tonight. Perhaps he needed a good sleep and would be back to normal in the morning. His quills and fur were still slightly damp and his body felt cooler to the touch than normal, for Shadow, proving her point he needed to warm up his body, no matter how much he denied it.

The agent made her way back to the hallway, giving one last glance at the sleeping form who had decided to curl up slightly in the soft blanket. A smile pulled at her lips. It’s nice to see him feeling at home here. I wish he felt like he could use it more often. The bat retired to her room for the night, wishing pleasant dreams on the sleeping creation.", "pools_count": 0, "title": "Unforeseen: Chapter 4", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "236" }