Chapter 40: Couches And Therapy

Shadow had been sitting on the couch for a while when Sonic finally decided to return.

"Yo," the collared speedster greeted his supposed Master and then plonked himself down on the proto-couch next to him, a veritable dust cloud emerging from the impact. "Silver sends greetings, by the way."

"Get down. You can't sit here," Shadow said, not as gruffly as usual, but still in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?" Sonic asked irritably, frowning at his pretend owner. Shadow sighed.

"I said, get down," he repeated himself – and then, just to underline that statement, pinched the blue speedster rather forcefully into his petite tail. Sonic jumped up as if stung.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he demanded, one hand holding the abused appendage and already a light blush creeping onto his features again. Shadow smirked up at him.

"I told you. When we're in public, either you obey or I make you."

"Yeah, right. Better be glad I have a strict no-strangling policy or else you'd be dangerously close," the blue hedgehog grumbled. "So what's this about me not sitting on the couch?"

"The only things you're allowed to sit on are the floor or your owner's bed - or lap - when he has given you permission," Shadow explained calmly, "Think about it as a 'no pets on the furniture' rule."

"What? But the floor is cold stone," Sonic protested. "That rule is totally unfair!"

"Yes, Sonic, I think we've been over the general 'totally unfair'-ness of this world already," the black hedgehog replied flatly, "And I can't do anything about it at the moment. Now why don't you be a good slave instead and fetch me a glass of wine and some food? Without tripping the waiter this time?" Shadow asked just a tad smugly, amused at the indignancy flaring up in his unwilling pet's eyes as their little game of struggling for dominance flared up again.

"That wine, my Master, would land straight in your starfish-shaped face," Sonic retorted, dead-panning his supposed owner and glowering down at him. The Ultimate Lifeform (who had bristled at the sea food-related insult...) raised an eye ridge.

"You want me to hand you over to Scourge, I take it?" he asked - even if he knew very well that this hypothetical course of action would very likely result in a three-way hedgehog literal battle royale...

Sonic crossed his arms. "Fine. Do it and I won't need the couch anymore because I'll sit on that jerk's unconscious body instead," he shot back, for a moment glaring over at the mentioned green hedgehog still the focus of everybody's attention at the centre of the hall.

The blue speedster looked back at Shadow. "So it all boils down to that I either freeze my butt off or can't sit down at all?" he asked, now sombre again and sounding rather unhappy at the prospect. Shadow tilted his head for a moment.

"Well...technically, I think I could also allow you to lie down next to me. I think it's mostly about your head being lower than mine, anyway."

"Lie down next to you?" Sonic repeated, sounding a bit uncertain for a moment as he hovered at his Master's side some more. Shadow could virtually see a brief inner battle behind his eyes as the collared hero's stubborn pride bridled at basically being designated a house cat but had to battle the blue speedster's simultaneous desire for comfort.

"We could be here a while," Shadow pointed out and had the reward of seeing Sonic's ears lowering themselves in defeat as his unwilling slave had to realize once more that in this case submission was really the easiest way to go. Sonic sighed.

"Fine. Scooch over," he said, lowering himself as he began to crawl onto the couch, but Shadow's hand stopped him once again.

"Wait. Take off your shoes first."

"Huh?" Sonic looked at him, surprised. "But then I'm..." he didn't finish the sentence.

"I need them. You know that," he said quietly instead.

Shadow nodded. "Yes. I know," he replied, looking into emerald eyes where that insecurity that was seen ever so rarely in the blue hero's countenance had just flickered past. "But you can keep them just below the couch. And it's not like you would be completely defenceless, is it?" the Ultimate Lifeform pointed out.

Sonic was forced to shake his head. "Well, no..." he trailed off. He knew himself that even without shoes that protected his feet from burning up from the friction heat when he ran, he was still plenty dangerous, just reduced to punches, kicks and spins. But if worst came to worst, he wouldn't be able to flee...

Shadow took a breath. "I can protect you."

Once again, there was a moment of silence following that statement. Shadow still remembered how Sonic had reacted the last time he had offered his protection, taking it as an insult aimed at his fighting prowess. But maybe this time...

"...I'll take your word for it."

Shadow looked up again and was rewarded with a slight smile on Sonic's lips. It was a faintly mocking one, to be sure, but also good-natured, and even more importantly, the black hedgehog could see there was genuine trust in those emerald eyes. Just like back at the pool, when Sonic had willingly let him put the collar on him, Shadow once again could feel how very much their relationship had changed ever since their first day in this strange world. Sonic didn't mind making himself vulnerable to the black hedgehog anymore, could slide effortlessly from the role of boisterous challenger and playful rival to someone entirely different, much more docile and yielding to Shadow, without once ever losing the indomitable spirit at his core that had let the Ultimate Lifeform fall in love with him in the first place.

"But I gotta warn you: You exploit this situation in any way, and I'll tell everyone about your magical witch fire shoes and watch them burn you at the stake," Sonic threatened, at the same time finally removing his sneakers and crawling onto the couch, first lowering himself onto his belly and then rolling onto his side, so he could view the hall from his new vantage point. Slender blue legs were drawn up as the collared hero curled in on himself slightly, his head coming to lie next to Shadow's thigh, ears twitching as he tried to get comfortable and relaxed quills brushing lightly against midnight fur. Emerald eyes closed half-way when the blue hero grew more accustomed to his new position and let his head sink more deeply into the pillows.

"This isn't actually half-bad..." the speedster mumbled, perhaps the bulk of food in his stomach also making him drowsy. Shadow looked down at the splayed blue form, face unmoving but for the familiar quiet glow in his eyes that usually told those who knew him that the black hedgehog was pleased with something. In this case, it was simply the limpness of his supposed slave's quills, their passive state signalling the Ultimate Lifeform that Sonic truly was at ease around him (and therefore thankfully not tearing up the sofa when he shifted his weight). Next, though, emerald eyes already flew open again as Sonic suddenly could feel a gloved hand brushing over his neck just above his collar. He twisted his head to look up.

"Wha...?" he asked intelligibly, but Shadow merely gave a small smirk and continued the motions of his hand.

"Relax," he ordered. "I'm not doing anything apart from petting you."

"Petting me?" Sonic asked, sounding slightly incredulous and also trying not to blush. Not that he didn't enjoy the sensation as such, but the idea of Shadow petting anything seemed as bizarre to the blue hero as the image of the Ultimate Lifeform starring in a tap-dancing musical.

"Well, why else would an owner allow their pet on the couch?" Shadow asked with his characteristic slight condescenscion, not voicing the other obvious answer of because you would have bothered me until I did. Sonic could feel the pressure of the hand on his neck increasing, forcing him gently down onto the couch again. The collared hero relented, letting himself be subdued and tried to relax.

"If you say so," he replied, attempting to sound as casual as possible. "S'pose it's only fair payback for the massage, when you think about it," he said, eyes not focused on anything as those gloved fingers began moving on his body again, travelling from his neck over his shoulder, brushing over his jaw and his cheek, caressing his back and his collarbone and then, just once, scratching him at his soft spot behind his ears in a way that let a shower of shivers wreck Sonic's body and it was all the blue hero could do not to groan or squirm with pleasure. The collared speedster could feel heat rising in his cheeks again, not because this was particularly embarrassing, but because...Shadow was acting so gentle. The black hedgehog had been nice before, of course, even friendly, but had never touched him so carefully, never with such...affection? It seemed a strange word to apply to the reclusive and ruthless dark hedgehog, yet Sonic couldn't describe it any other way. He was being groomed here, trying to keep still while the other's fingers raked through his fur and soothed him, letting his body yearn for more of that touch. There was no teasing going on, even, no attacks on his ticklish sides or some quick pinches as punishment for all the commotion he had already caused this evening. Instead, a sneak glance upward at Shadow's face revealed to Sonic only a calm serenity on the other's face, no expression but a gleam of content in his eyes as he returned Sonic's questioning quick gaze.

For once, the fastest thing alive wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes and keep lying here forever.

Yeah, well, that or just until I get hungry. Whichever, Sonic added in his mind when a servant carried a tray of particularly tasty-looking pastries past. Shadow's fingers were currently working their way along his flank and on a sudden instinctive response, Sonic was actually taken by surprise by his own body as he rolled over on his back in an almost involuntary reaction to give the other better access to his belly. Shadow seemed to take the hint and within seconds, the unwilling slave of the Crown Prince found himself subjected to the very first tummy rub he'd had since he could remember.

It took a lot for Sonic to stop himself from uttering a sound not entirely unlike a purr.

Ooooh...tell ya what, I don't even care anymore whether Black Dumb shows up or not. I just want Shads to continue this until his hand falls off.

Sonic's eyes were closed in bliss now, the collared hero's hands by his side lightly clutching the fabric of the upholstery beneath him, only occassionally emitting some vague noises of enjoyment as he was getting his belly scratched. His only movements now were a relaxed rise and fall of his lean chest and an occasional nudge of his muzzle against his supposed Master's leg as a non-verbal communication and way of giving thanks. Yet a small voice in Sonic's mind couldn't help but wonder whether this wasn't only a direct repeat of a situation they had had just three days ago, when he had been strapped to a table in the dungeon and had had to endure Shadow painstakingly combing through his defencless backspines; de-quilling him as part of their charade while Sonic hadn't been able to do anything but lie there and try to concentrate on his breathing while his perceived owner wreaked this strange mixture of gentle pleasure and ticklish torture on him.

Yeah, only difference is now it doesn't even need shackles to restrain you anymore, it whispered in Sonic's head. You've been tamed enough to take this without fighting back. You even roll over like a feral dog.

"Something the matter?" Shadow asked at this point and for a moment ceased the motion of his hand, letting it rest on Sonic's belly as he looked down into his supposed slave's face. Sonic realized a scowl had started to form on his forehead in reply to those last, unbidden thoughts and he hurried to quickly smooth out his features again.

"No, nothing. Just getting impatient here for something to happen, s'all," the blue hedgehog covered up, feeling the small weight of Shadow's almost proprietorial hand on his stomach as his chest rose and fell when he spoke, but not minding the sensation. The black hedgehog nodded, seemingly satisfied at his words.

"My 'father' seems to be taking his time, yes. But so do the other royals supposedly invited," he muttered. "I'll award the Crown Prince title to the first clown in this circus dimension to invent something as simple as a clock."

"Mmh," Sonic agreed half-consciously, already almost too distracted by his continued belly rub to hold up his end of a conversation. Again he could feel his body reacting, hips bucking into Shadow's touch lightly, embarrassingly, before he could stop them, as if his entire subconscious was already wishing to be claimed by none other than the black hedgehog who was supposed to own him. Sonic could sense the heat rising into his cheeks as he even thought he was able to hear a light snicker from his pretend Master, apparently amused by his slave's inability to keep still under his caress. The blue speedster twisted his head to the side, if only to avoid having to look into Shadow's face again, emerald eyes instead roving over the assembled guests in the hall. Nobody was giving them a second glance at the moment, which Sonic guessed must have meant that his unwilling perfomance probably was considered to be a normal occurrence here. His gaze again fell onto Scourge at this point, the green lord still the centre of attention as he was showing Manic off to a bunch of ladies, his black-gloved hands alternatively roughly handling and then almost lovingly brushing over the young hedgehog's body. It pained Sonic to see how the other was obviously suffering under the treatment, but at the same time was still yielding to his bastard owner's touch, even straining to move in a more pleasing manner, begging to be caressed as if it was an innate need he could do nothing about.

Shadow's fingers at this point glided ever so lightly over the slight dip on the collared hero's abdomen where his navel was located and peach-furred fingers immediately clawed sharply into the cushions Sonic was lying upon, the hero of Mobius and supposed slave of the Crown Prince nearly failing to suppress a sharp intake of breath at the unsuspected sensation. He could feel his body temperature rising...

Damn. How am I any different from Manic? Sonic thought, his mind feeling foggier than a barrel of dry ice in a London steam cleaners. He was trying to keep his breathing under control, yet still offering his unprotected belly to Shadow, a part of his brain pleading to be subjected to ever more of this. Did this mean he was slipping ever further into this role this world was trying to force on him? Was Shadow aware of what he was doing to him? Sonic finally forced himself to swallow and when he spoke, he even managed a casual tone.

"Shadow..."

"Hm?" the black hedgehog replied absentmindedly, still staring off into space as if thinking over some other problem, only one of the black ears turning toward Sonic to show he was listening.

"You wouldn't really want me...broken, would you? If you had the choice, I mean," Sonic added hurriedly, not wanting the other to get the idea as if that for some reason had suddenly become an option. The scratching on his belly ceased. The Ultimate Lifeform returned his attention to Sonic and looked down at the prone hedgehog splayed out before him, a slightly surprised expression on his face.

"Broken?"

"Yeah, like...Manic. Like any of those others here," Sonic said, voice laced with a hint of impatience as he still didn't exactly look at Shadow, wondering whether he was actually worried what the black hedgehog's answer might be. Shadow tilted his head, looking pondering for a moment.

"You mean, if I actually owned you and this wasn't just a charade. That you would actually obey me and do as I say? No inane stunts anymore that make me want to bang my head against the wall?" he asked back, apparently looking for clarification even though his face was not yet betraying any feelings. Sonic managed an unwilling shrug lying down.

"Yeah. I guess."

Shadow exhaled slowly. He wasn't exactly sure why Sonic was touching upon this topic now – although it could be that the blue hedgehog was simply bored because there was nothing to do – but he still wanted to give his supposed slave an honest answer. The Ultimaze Lifeform briefly tilted his head back, trying to imagine what it would be like if Sonic was truly submissive – not that he hadn't done that before already, mind you. He didn't deny he did find the image appealing in some ways – the constant availability, the energy he could save himself by not having to argue over every single little thing Sonic didn't agree with, the idea that the blue speedster could not simply rush off whenever he felt like it...but then he shook his head. Taking away Sonic's freedom would mean destroying him. And that was something Shadow felt like he never wanted to see happen. What use would it be to have the blue hedgehog constantly in your captivity, chained or caged, when even the most gentle caresses Shadow took such pleasure in giving his supposed slave would then probably turn into painful punishments for Sonic instead? For the fastest thing alive, having to be touched by the one depriving him of the freedom he lived for would undoubtedly mean suffering and worse...

Once, twice, in the dungeon and in the garden, Shadow had seen the pure fury and terror in Sonic's eyes when the blue hero had been restrained for real with no possibility of escape and it was something the Ultimate Lifeform had wished never to see again. He had also enjoyed pinning Sonic down on the bed, of course, but while frustrated, the blue speedster's expression then had actually looked quite different...

"Hey, I'm still talking to you. Did you actually ever wish you could make me...more like them? Would you want me to be like the real deal?" Sonic asked, poking him into his ribs and Shadow's mind snapped back into the present. He looked down at the hedgehog by his side, actually catching his gaze now. It surprised Shadow a bit, since Sonic's eyes actually seemed to contain a hint of insecurity as he looked up at him, almost as if the blue hedgehog was actually worried that Shadow could make him submit if he wanted to, or that the black hedgehog's answer was important for another reason.

Shadow cleared his throat and then decided that the only thing he could possibly reply with was the truth, and it was quite simple indeed.

"I wouldn't want anything that makes you unhappy, Sonic."

There were a few moments of silence as the younger blue hedgehog blinked, briefly tilted his head as if to see whether there wasn't some sort of stinger still waiting after that initial remark, but when Shadow didn't say anything further, finally there spread a smile across the speedy hero's lips again, and Shadow quickly found himself the subject of another affectionate nuzzle nudge.

"Good answer," Sonic grinned up at him from below. "And now why don't you live by that principle and scratch my tummy some more?"

Shadow snorted, but still set his hand in motion again, the blue hedgehog again wriggling contentedly in response. Sonic for some reason now seemed a whole load happier than he had been when he had been forced to lie down a quarter of an hour ago, and that was good enough for the Ultimate Lifeform. Black ears flicked when the speedster's voice piped up again.

"Hey, Shadow. What are you looking forward to most when we get home again?" Sonic asked, his tone light and apparently just feeling like easy conversation this time. The black hedgehog once again paused, briefly drumming his fingers on the peach-furred belly as he sought an answer.

"...I don't know," he replied at last, which was true. His motivation for leaving this dimension wasn't so much that he missed their home world, but rather that he could stand this one even less – even if it had given him Sonic, which had made this last week one of the best he could remember...

"What about you?" he asked back instead.

"Toothbrushes."

"What?" Shadow once again thought he shouldnt be surprised anymore, but apparently random!Sonic-remarks were hard to build up a resistance to.

"Toothbrushes," Sonic repeated firmly. "By now my mouth feels as if something had crawled in there and then died of veneral disease. I am daydreaming about toothbrushes and toothpaste. And chili dogs, of course."

"Mouth hygiene and trash food," Shadow dead panned. "Silly me, and I had been thinking you might be missing your freedom, or a system of democracy, or a lack of people wishing to torture you."

Sonic laughed at his tone. "Yeah, that too, I suppose," he replied with a grin, before continuing more seriously, "Nah, I think what I'm looking forward to most is seeing Tails again. It's been only a week, but it seems so much longer." His grin turned mischievious. "Also, I actually miss Knucklehead. It's a bit boring when I can't rile him up."

"Yes, I think I might have noticed a coping mechanism on your part there," Shadow replied dryly. Sonic chuckled and shifted his weight on the sofa.

"Maybe even Amy," he said at last. "She's annoying as hell sometimes, but I do like her. Plus, this version of her over here is way scarier. And the Chaotix. They're fun. And then I promised Cream I'd come over to take her to a mountain flower field at some point, I think..." he said, a bit of a far-away smile gracing his features as thought of his numerous friends and allies he had back home. He twisted his head. "And you?"

"...Rouge, maybe. Perhaps Omega, but other than that...no-one, really."

"...oh," Sonic said, not sure how else to reply. Shadow's voice had been quiet as he said this, the black hedgehog's eyes downcast as once more the differences of Sonic's cheerful, outgoing personality and affection for so many, and his own, bordering-on-the-sociopathic behavior were driven home. As soon as they got back, Sonic would have a lot of other people to care for and spend time with...

"I like living with Rouge," Shadow said, almost to himself. "But most of the time I'm...just alone."

Sonic blinked, stretching on the couch still under Shadow's touch. He wasn't sure what to make of what the black hedgehog had said just now, but it had sounded...slightly sad...

"When we get back," Sonic started, apparently looking for the right phrasing, "how would you like to – not be alone any more?"

Shadow looked back up at the collared hero, those words having washed over him like a warm wave. Sonic had just proposed that they could extend the relationship they had formed over here even when they got back, hadn't he? It hadn't been mere lack of another choice that he had eventually gotten closer to Shadow in their daily forced proximity here, he actually wanted to-?

"I'm sure the others would like to get to know you a bit better, too. It's not fair if me and Rouge are the only ones to see you as anything more than the Incredible Sulk," Sonic smiled up at him and only confirmed Shadow.

He even wants me to get along with his friends...

The Ultimate Lifeform could feel a sensation spreading out from his chest that he had not experienced since a long, long time ago. It was the feeling of belonging somewhere, with someone...

A gloved hand rubbed a flicking blue ear.

"Yeah. I think I'd like that."

Sonic smiled. "Cool," he simply replied, because that was everything that needed to be said. Instead, he rather preferred to shift back into his more relaxed position and let Shadow's fingers roam his pelt again, both hedgehogs now seeming thoroughly at ease.

Sonic sighed in content, relieved from his earlier worries. When that voice had warned him of turning into an actual slave, it probably had just been his over-the-top ego again and it was wrong. Shadow didn't want him broken, and the situation wasn't the same as his forced de-quilling in the dungeon. Because this time there's trust, the blue hero thought. Because Shadow had assured him that he wanted Sonic like he was, that he did not have to change to be loved by the black hedgehog. Because this time there was...and again, Sonic had the feeling of mentally choking on the next word when he was supposed actually think it, even if Silver had spoken of it so easily. But then again, what else was he supposed to think, when those fingers brushed over his fur so carefully, manipulating his body in ways he hadn't thought possible for anyone else to know? In a way, this was actually even more intimate than what they had been doing last night – back then, their actions had been driven by lust more than anything else, but this was something else entirely...

Sonic once again could feel his body temperature rise and cheeks colour slightly as this gentleness he was so unused to from Shadow threatened to let him become blue-coloured wax in the other's hands. He actually would have liked to grab the other's hand now, snake his own, ungloved fingers into his and then rise up from his position to climb on top of his supposed owner and ravage him, show him at least physically what he felt when he wasn't able to do it with words. But of course, as a slave he wasn't even allowed to rise from the couch without his Master's permission, much less claim his lips (or more). Sonic was almost bursting from his forced inactivity at this point, nearly ready to break every protocol imaginable and simply drag Shadow from the couch and out into the corridor so they could at last have some privacy – when suddenly, the doors were flung open and the frog doorman called out for all to hear:

"Lords and Ladies: Our Holy Majesty Black Doom and His Royal Highness, King Maximilian of Acorn!"

To be continued...