It was growing late by the time Shadow returned to the warehouse with a backpack full of supplies and various kinds of meats. Now that it was obvious that Sonic couldn't stomach anything other than red meat, they would have their work cut out for them to accommodate his changing diet.

Arriving before Sonic was imperative, so he wouldn't find out about Shadow lacing his food with drugs – or "happy pills" as the dark agent preferred to call them. Regardless of their name, it should make the Werehog docile enough not to want to hump him, and sleepy enough to tamely curl up for the night.

He strode in, giving Knuckles a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement before throwing a steak on a pan. Shadow folded his arms over his chest and glared at an interesting crack on the wall, not wanting to pay any attention to his current task. He added the regular seasoning, combining it with a liquid form of the drug which was injected into the meat itself. Cooking Sonic steaks was not a habit Shadow wanted to get into and he rather hoped Sonic didn't get used to the treatment. An annoying snort of laughter by his side told Shadow that Knuckles was finding the scene rather entertaining.

"You know what would complete this lovely image of a fifties housewife waiting for her husband to come home?" Knuckles spoke up, knowing Shadow had caught him with his snickering, "An apron and a warm tray of cookies."

Shadow gave Knuckles a heavy glare laced with differing levels of poison, "You know full well the reason why I'm making this for Sonic," he defended himself, somewhat annoyed that he even had to considering their situation. All the while, Shadow tried not to picture himself as a fifties housewife, it was an image that was far too haunting for him to even consider, and the fact that Knuckles had managed to think it up only made the situation worse.

"Yeah, yeah, to drug Sonic," Knuckles looked at Shadow in boredom, dismissing the agent's explanation, "But the way you seem to know how he likes his steaks done makes it seem as though you've cooked for him before." He hinted.

Quills bristling slightly, Shadow glared over at the echidna sourly, "He was going to eat the steak completely raw if I didn't cook it for him."

Knuckles looked vaguely surprised for the moment at Shadow's admittance and chuckled, shaking his head so his headquills flared out by his sides.

"Face it Shadow, you're just as soft as Sonic is. If not more so," The echidna smirked at the way Shadow had turned the full intensity of his glare on him. Shadow for one, found himself honestly wishing for the company of Sonic over Knuckles's teasing presence. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to take it.

Shadow removed the steak from the pan and set it on a dish, coating it with another layer of the drug. It was fairly odorless and colorless from what Shadow could tell, and in theory Sonic shouldn't be able to notice it aside from a metallic aftertaste – and the blood from the steak would take care of that. He sighed and covered the meal up to keep it hot and waited for Sonic to return.

About twenty minutes or so had gone by before the door to the warehouse swung upwards, clattering as it met the ceiling. The blue hero walked in with a glare towards his surroundings; still dank, still clammy and dusty, still not appealing and most of all, still the last place he wanted to be on the planet.

Sonic had, again, taken the liberty to basically run and participate in a slew of physical activities the whole day, only making a stop by Amy's residence to check up on his little brother. Tails had been surrounded by numerous leather-bound and thick books, some applying to science while others were inclined to the lines of folklore.

"Werewolves in legends have been around for ages, differing by culture. Some account loss of memory when in the Wereform, some don't," Tails flipped the pages to a colossal novel before him, looking up to his older sibling across from him hesitantly. "Many are documented as going into a depressed, nervous state; experiencing weakness, melancholy thoughts in their normal form."

Sonic sighed, lifting the glass of water that Amy had very nicely given him, giving a shrug. "I'm fine, Tails, honestly... Seriously, I've faced worse."

The small fox closed the book and pushed it away, continuing to watch Sonic with bright azure eyes. "How did last night go?"

The blue hedgehog's ears folded to the back of his head; he had no intentions of retelling his embarrassing situation, to Tails no less. "It went fine, they managed to restrain me, and no one was harmed." Shifting in his seat a bit, he prayed his younger brother didn't sense just how uncomfortable the conversation was making him.

'No one was harmed; rather just my dignity. Although someone got a few nice bruises out of it,' Sonic bit his lip, trying to make light of it but held in his laughter to himself, raising his glass to his lips in a better means to hide it.

Tails didn't take much notice, flipping through another book sitting on the table. "That's good to hear."

"And the Chaos Emeralds?" questioned Sonic, standing from his seat; he didn't even need to gaze over at the clock to know it was about time for him to return back to cement prison.

"Not much on them, so far." Sighed Tails, running his fingers through his bangs in agitation. "I'm trying my best."

Sonic beamed over at his brother before making his way over, taking him into a tight embrace. "You always do." His own hand shook through the other's fringe, as Tails gave a giggle.

"Of course," he said with a smile, but he grew somber. "Take care, will you?"

Sonic's grin only grew, paired with a wink. "I always do." Not much else was said before Sonic took off, making sure to avoid Amy, who had greeted him earlier with her usual fawning. The blue hedgehog made his way back to the warehouse, trying to mentally prepare for what he had struggled to forget all day; number one and most importantly, he was turning into a Werehog later that evening. Number two, Shadow was there, currently marked with his hickies, not very happy about the circumstance. And of course, number three; there was Knuckles, who would pounce on any situation to make Sonic uncomfortable, who had witnessed the whole event.

He approached the kitchen a bit timidly, looking inside with his ears perked and a curious face before stepping in. His two friends were sitting at the table, as if waiting for the cobalt fur to return, Sonic moving in slowly with a growing sneer.

Shadow sighed with relief when Sonic made his grand reappearance. He and Knuckles hadn't spoken much, as they were both Mobians of very few words, and obviously Knuckles had grown tired of his game. Apparently Shadow was less fun to tease than Sonic, and for that the ebony hedgehog was forever grateful.

"Look at you two, waiting for me to return. So adorable," the hedgehog looked the plate sitting right before the empty seat available to him, turning to the only echidna of the group.

"What's up with you, Knucklehead?" before red could respond, he waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, interesting." He turned to Shadow, gradually leaning over the top of his chair, an eyebrow raised as he brought himself close to the other. Obviously he had detected the steaks' presence.

"For me?" his grin grew conniving before he stepped back and slid his chair out from the table, taking a seat before lifting the cover off. "I hope you made it the way I like it."

Shadow glared over at Sonic and chewed on the inside of his cheek to bite back a sarcastic reply, "You mean hardly cooked and fresh from the butchery?" He scowled slightly and gave Sonic a dry look, "Don't get used to the treatment Faker."

Sonic smirked up at his black companion, taking the fork and knife placed on either side of his plate. "You know me all too well." He didn't speak much after that, happy to dig in, cutting off a chunk and placing it into his mouth, chewing with a shrug. The hero obviously could not taste the narcotic, also undaunted by the blood that had leaked from the slab of meat, speaking with his mouth full.

"How was your play date when I was gone?" he swallowed, giving a soft laugh. "I can imagine you guys chewed each other's ears off." The blue hero wouldn't be surprised to hear the truth that they didn't spend an ounce of the day together, since neither seemed fond nor hateful towards one another. Sonic continued to feast happily on his meal, looking between them for an answer.

"I went to check up on the Master Emerald," Knuckles shrugged as if it was obvious, turning to look out the windows and making a point not to watch Sonic eat his meal. The echidna could hardly believe they had just roofied Sonic, but desperate times called for desperate measures. While Sonic was sure to be pissed come morning, Knuckles knew the other would eventually get over it.

Shadow on the other hand simply joined Sonic at the table, unconcerned by the events or by the fact that he was responsible for drugging his rival yet again. "I went home to pick a few things up and take a proper shower," He eyed Sonic casually, "I take it you went to visit Tails and Amy?"

That much was obvious. Sonic had to reassure Tails that everything had gone alright, despite the fact that Knuckles had set up a system so Tails could monitor the area. Shadow very much doubted the technologically challenged echidna had managed to succeed in that endeavor, so the poor fox had no doubt been left in the dark for a majority of the night. Tails would most likely have to come by and fix the system himself sometime soon.

Sonic nodded, continuing to cut his meat into pieces he was able to swallow, taking a sip of the water available to him. "Yeah, I stopped by, talked to Tails a bit; not much on the Chaos Emeralds, still." He shook his head; he looked clearly upset by the fact.

His disappointment melted away with his next bite to his meal, only taking a few more moments to finish it up, the plate practically licked clean by the hedgehog who had acquired the bloody and fleshy taste. He pushed the plate away with a stretch to his spine, throwing his arms into the air, and was feeling content with a full belly. Sonic burped a bit, scratching under his arm, obviously unaware that in a few moments, his world was basically about to be turned upside down, and this wasn't even including his transformation.

"I'm assuming neither of you have heard word from Eggman," he turned serious, leaning forward as he studied his companions. "He disappeared like he usually does," he rolled his eyes before continuing, "before this little fiasco started."

"No; GUN Intel has lost track of the doctor," Shadow frowned slightly, folding his hands above the table's surface, "As far as we know, you were the one to send him back to his latest base with his tail tucked between his legs." Shadow leaned back in his chair and frowned.

"I'm fairly certain we can triangulate an area he could have fled to based off of where you saw him last," Shadow continued with a shrug. "In the meantime, I'll make a call to Rouge and see if she can pull up any files concerning strange events in the area. The doctor flocks to unusual problems, so it may give us a lead."

Knuckles frowned at that and nodded slightly, "Just because we haven't seen or noticed anything yet, doesn't necessarily mean that Mobius is unaffected by the drained chaos emeralds." He tapped a gloved fist against the counter top, "I should check back with the Master to see if there are any fluctuating levels of chaos energy."

Sonic listened to both of the two across from him, his own fingers strumming across the wood. "Of course; Eggman runs away like a dog." Sonic tried not to think of a canine's feral counterpart. "Yeah, that works. If we have to, I have no problem recalling where his last base was. I can take you there." He spoke to Shadow directly before turning to Knuckles. He really hadn't even thought of such an idea, but now, it made a lot of sense.

"Yeah," he licked his lips in thought. "I didn't really even think of that. Did the Master Emerald seem alright?" the Chaos Emeralds were obviously another story. "Has this ever happened before?" he sipped his water again, feeling particularly thirsty. "Doesn't seem to be any problems as of yet…"

"I wouldn't be here if there was something wrong with the Master," Knuckles frowned thoughtfully and he looked at Sonic with a stern and unreadable expression, "But I really don't know if the emeralds have ever been drained. I didn't think it was possible. I'll have to look back at the ancient ruins covering Angel Island." He shrugged, "Maybe I can find something there."

Shadow snorted and picked up Sonic's plate before dumping it in the sink, "In the meantime, we have enough work cut out for us."

The blue hedgehog nodded, placing his chin in the palm of his hand, his elbow sitting on the table. "Tell me about it." His lids drooped contently, feeling much more comfortable that way. "Definitely check it out, Knux. I don't know why," he placed a hand to his stomach, looking bothered as he straightened up again in his chair. "But I have this weird feeling in my gut about it, you know?"

Little did he know it wasn't exactly his thoughts bothering him, but the medication the two had used on him to settle him for the night. It was weird; his stomach felt a bit funny; he didn't want to say he felt nauseous, but there was definitely something distinctively troubling it. He leaned forward in his chair, laying the side of his cheek on the table, closing his eyes for a few moments; he figured if either of the two furs had anything else to say, they would do so, Sonic falling unusually silent for the time being.

"I think I remember reading about something like this happening before a very long time ago," Knuckles frowned and looked thoughtfully at Shadow, "I'll go up to Angel Island in the morning and see if there's something we need to worry about, I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Shadow looked over at Knuckles with a quirked eyeridge and shrugged, "I'll see if I can get Rouge to act as a liaison between you and us so you won't have to keep making the long trips between the island and here." Shadow waited patiently for Sonic to squeeze in a cliché joke about Knuckles and Rouge's rather aggressive type of flirting as the hero would no doubt attempt to get a shred of revenge on the echidna. When Shadow was met with silence, he looked back at the blue hedgehog curiously, "Sonic?"

Sonic's stomach was literally doing flips and was beginning to feel cramped, but the blue hedgehog ignored it, forcing himself to lift his head. He rubbed his hand over his eyes, nodding a bit to Shadow's question of him listening. In reality, he hadn't heard a word of what was said, strangely unable to pick up on it.

"Hm?" it took him a moment to respond, opening his clouded eyes to look at the two of them. "What's up?" he obviously hadn't heard an ounce of their conversation. He sat back, unable to sit up straight, his shoulders hunched forward and his hands loosely on his lap. Surprisingly, Sonic didn't find anything strange about this behavior, a relaxed smile coming across his muzzle. "Seriously, I didn't hear a word you said."

Seeing that Sonic looked rather dazed and confused was a clear sign that the drugs were beginning to work their way through Sonic's system. Shadow watched him carefully and rolled his eyes, "Of course not." He waved a hand in front of Sonic's face to see if the jade eyes could follow them easily enough, "Feeling sleepy?" He asked.

Sonic swayed a bit with the hand that trailed in front of his face, the smile never leaving his lips. His stomach ache had completely disappeared at this point. The drug was working fast; Sonic had never really ever been intoxicated before, so the narcotics were, of course, going to take effect both quickly and powerfully.

"Actually," he continued the funny grin of his. "I feel great. First time in a while." He beamed both at Knuckles and Shadow, obviously unaware of his drugged state, especially now with their side effects coming to fruition. "Why," he blinked before speaking, clearly trying to keep track of his words, it was proving difficult. "Why would I be sleepy, Shadow?" he didn't even address him as 'Faker'; he was far too content to do so.

Shadow stared at Sonic, not having expected a reaction like this to the drug, "You were swaying..." He muttered. Knuckles shot Shadow an incredulous and accusing look, as if asking just what he had given Sonic.

"In fact, you're still swaying," Shadow continued, choosing to ignore Knuckles in favor of paying proper attention to Sonic. He reached out to settle his hand on a fawn shoulder, looking at him intensely for other effects the drugs might have had on Sonic.

"Swaying?" Sonic asked, as if it were a joke, giving a soft chuckle with the question, his eyelids further drooping. "Swaying, huh? I'm not meaning to, honestly." He tried desperately not to crack up, but it was proving impossible, smiling further at Shadow's paw on his shoulder. "I think you guys worry a bit…a bit too much about me, you know?" The hero was starting to slur his words, leaning onto the table for support, wobbling a bit but not bothered by the fact unlike his counterparts.

"I'm absolutely," he slammed his fist to the table, not realizing how strong he was being as the table shook under his strength, his movements becoming dragged out and lazy. "100 percent," again, he tapped on the table to prove his point. "Positively fine."

He pulled away and fell back to the chairs support, looking around the room with a blissful and oblivious grin before his eyes fell to the floor; something caught his eye, his smile slowly slipping off in a curious gasp. "What," he pointed to his shoe, the glinting of his buckle catching his attention. "Did you see that?" he looked to Shadow and Knuckles for an answer. "Did you see it blink at me?" he was referring to the glint of the metal from the light, giving another laugh. "It's really nice and shiny, I never really realized how pretty it looks." He closed his eyes, swaying forward a bit before falling back to the chair, obviously not aware of just how ridiculous he looked.

"Can I see it?" he asked the two with innocent curiosity, as if he needed permission to investigate his own shoe, his ears folding to the back of his head.

"No one is stopping you," Knuckles stared at Sonic before turning on Shadow, who for once had absolutely nothing to say in regards to the ridiculous situation. "How much did you give him?" He hissed accusingly at the surprised agent.

Shadow shot Knuckles an impatient look, dropping his voice so the drugged Sonic wouldn't overhear them. Not that the hero would probably care, what with the massive fascination he now held with his shoe buckle, "Enough to drug a Werehog. One that is considerably larger and heavier than Sonic." Really, he should have foreseen this; it was obvious that the drug would do loopy things to Sonic and now the blue racer was higher than a kite. In all honesty, Shadow hadn't really thought it through; having just assumed Sonic would go to sleep until his transformation.

Shadow didn't want to admit it, but he thought perhaps his last interaction with the Werehog was clouding his judgment on how to deal with Sonic now. As a result for his hasty decision, the hero of Mobius was high.

Fantastic.

"Sonic—" Shadow turned around to explain some things to his rival but promptly stopped, his eyeridges shooting up in surprise as he saw the latest shenanigans Sonic had gotten himself into. The hero of Mobius had somehow managed to coordinate his movements enough to slip off one of his shoes and had turned the entire thing upside down on his head, looking rather proud of himself. Shadow lapsed into silence with a quiet Knuckles standing beside him, neither daring to say or do anything.

The ridiculousness of their situation was almost laughable, but neither Mobians could manage to laugh at Sonic's expense. Both knew that Sonic was going to be ripe shit-pissed when he managed to gather his wits.

Sonic looked to the two of them, his movements definitely lagging, but he felt no qualms about it, for once comfortable with his slow pace. The shoe on his head was in danger of slipping, but the smile never left his face, even as he spoke to his counterparts.

"Seriously, you two need to chill," he looked between them, the shoe falling from his head. "Why are you—NO, my hat!" it took him a moment to realize his makeshift cap was gone, giving a dramatic pout, using the table for support as he bent over to pick it up, his hand clumsily spilling his glass of water in the process.

He lifted himself with trouble, unaware his glove was soaking wet, feeling like Jello when his back hit the chair. He ran another hand over his hazy eyes, now realizing something was definitely up, but still unable to think much about it. After pulling his fingers away, Sonic realized how wet they were before finding the cup spilt on the table, looking at the other two with a guilt ridden expression.

"I am so sorry," he picked up the cup and stared at it sadly. "Now it's all empty. I didn't mean to hurt him…"

The silence that stretched between Shadow and Knuckles was nearly deafening. The echidna promptly turned and began marching away. Shadow watched him go halfway for a moment before his eyes narrowed irritably , "And where are you going?" He demanded.

Knuckles turned back to eye first Shadow, then the mournful Sonic who was staring sadly at the puddle of water on the table. "He's talking to inanimate objects and wearing his shoe as a hat." He smirked over at Shadow, "I think that's my cue to leave. He's your problem now. Good luck." He chuckled as he left the irate hedgehog alone with Sonic.

Sonic watched as Knuckles paused, his frown only growing as he watched him stiffly walk out of the room. "Knuckles," he asked, sounding even more upset. "Where are you going? I didn't mean it, honestly!"

Shadow rubbed his temples in an attempt to fight away the beginnings of a migraine. "C'mon, Sonic. Let's get you in bed." He grunted and grabbed a hold of Sonic's arm, pulling it over his shoulder and sliding his arm around Sonic's waist to support the drunken hedgehog. If Shadow had any luck, Sonic would fall asleep before he transformed, "You have a long night ahead of you."

Sonic barely realized Shadow put an arm around him at first. "Why is," he looked down at the touch around his waist, making eye contact with Shadow.

He stared for a moment, looking back down to the arm around him, before meeting his gaze again. "What are you doing?" he whispered, confused, before a faint red tinted across his muzzle. Quickly, the question faded from his one-track mind, shaking his head. "No." he stated suddenly, his hands taking a hold of the table desperately, as fast as possible in his current state. "No Werehog."

Shadow frowned as Sonic twisted in his grasp to cling childishly onto the table. He grabbed hold of Sonic's arm and tugged him insistently. "You don't really have a choice, Sonic," Shadow said patiently, trying to lead the hedgehog gently away. Sonic refused to budge. "You're going to turn into the Werehog whether you come with me or not. We're just trying to make you comfortable before then." Shadow had no idea why he was trying to reason with the hardheaded and drugged Sonic, but he figured it was worth a shot.

"I don't like it," Sonic clung to the wood for dear life as the darker hedgehog managed to drag both him and the table along, the legs of the furniture scraping across the floor. "I don't," he tried his best to pull out of Shadow's grasp, his ears drooping. "I don't want to." He stared at Shadow with foggy eyes, pleading with the older fur. "Don't make me do it. Please."

Sonic the Hedgehog obviously wasn't in the right state of mind, and would beg anyone not to let him turn into a mindless beast which openly attacked his friends.

"That's not up to me, Sonic," Shadow grunted as the table hit the door frame, preventing their progress from going any further. He looked at the dark jade eyes, which were foggy and incoherent along with the drooping ears and tail, and sighed to himself as his heart gave a slight twist at the sad sight. He put his arm around Sonic's middle and hefted him up so the hedgehog's grasp would finally slip on the table.

Sonic at first wriggled desperately in Shadow's grasp, his blush returning even darker than previously as he let go of the table in shock. "Shadow!"

Shadow carted him off to the area of blankets they had arranged for Sonic to sleep, even as Sonic continued to squirm in his grasp, and dumped him on the little nest. He knelt besides Sonic and narrowed his eyes, "Stay, right here."

When finally the older hedgehog dropped Sonic, giving him a firm demand, Sonic took Shadow's wrist and pulled him close. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Don't go. Knuckles can go, but not you." He spoke like a drunk, but failed to realize.

Shadow stopped and quirked an eyeridge at the uncharacteristically timid looking Sonic, "Why does it matter if I go anywhere?" He asked, but relented and sat down next to Sonic. He sighed, thinking that he was getting soft in his old age.

"Because," Sonic blinked thoughtfully, biting his lip before formulating a formidable answer. "Because I need you here." It was the best response he could come up with, even in his haziness trying to protect his feelings. "Where are you going?" This time Sonic asked in a whisper, obviously frightened by not having his company.

Shadow looked down at his wrists which were getting wet because of Sonic's soaked gloves. "I'm not going anywhere."

Sonic finally smiled again, the grin looking warm and content as he nodded at Shadow's answer, his ears perking to the best of their abilities. "Good." He continued to watch Shadow, his head tilting to the side, lazy emerald eyes never leaving the entrancing hedgehog.

Ruby eyes surveyed Sonic and assessed that at the very least the hero was no longer frantic. He slipped his hand over Sonic's, covering the damp glove still clinging to him. He gently pried the other's hand off of his wrist and eyed him, "Why me, specifically? Knuckles would do a better job keeping an eye on you than I could." After all, Red had experience watching and Guarding over his precious Master Emerald.

Shadow couldn't help but wonder if the reason Sonic wanted him around was in some way connected to the Werehog's affection for him. He shook his head fractionally; no, that was a ridiculous leap of logic. At the very best, they tolerated one another's company for the rivalry it provided. If Sonic truly thought they were 'friends' than he needed a bit of logic and reality crammed back into his head.

The blue hedgehog was still staring where Shadow's hand had just been as the said fur spoke, switching to look to the other's wrist where his own fingers had held, then met his fiery gaze. Sonic stared into Shadow's eyes, narrowing his lids a bit further before a smile came across his face.

"I dunno," he answered with a bit of a chuckle, tilting his head more to the side in an innocent approach. "I just," he shrugged, sliding a bit closer, wobbling dangerously close to falling over. "I like you. I enjoy your company, Faker." He stated nicely enough, still unable to tear his gaze from the others; however dazed his eyesight might have been, Shadow's eyes still flared brightly and passionately as they always did.

Shadow didn't move, but reached out to settle his hands on Sonic's arms to steady the woozy hedgehog, "I see..." Shadow blinked and looked at the blue hedgehog, making sure to keep his grip firm on the other, "I suppose there's nothing wrong with that." He admitted, more to himself than Sonic. Enjoying his company wasn't terrible. On occasion Shadow found himself searching out Sonic to occupy his time with a race of some sort or another.

He looked at the drowsy hedgehog, wondering with slight concern how much longer Sonic was going to be able to keep stringing words together. After all, the light was beginning to fade, and sunset would be on them in just a few minutes. However, Shadow couldn't suppress the small smile which tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched the sleepy-eyed Sonic. He was missing a shoe and his gloves were drenched with water. Reminding himself that they would once again rip if they weren't removed, Shadow took one of Sonic's hands in his and began to peel the gloves back.

"Here, I doubt you can coordinate yourself and we're running out of spare gloves," Shadow hummed as he moved to the other hand.

"Yeah, I dunno," Sonic agreed, "I can't control my hands too good." After Shadow pulled his gloves off, he wriggled his fingers and stared at them in fascination. Following the quick inspection, his droopy eyes met Shadow's face again, being caught off guard by his small smile. Before he could stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth, he spoke candidly, placing both of his hands on the floor beside Shadow.

"I like when you smile," he uttered softly, continuing. "And your eyes; they're beautiful." As soon as his admission was finished, a bright crimson flush came across his peach muzzle, and he looked away shyly before meeting his gaze again. "I dunno…I'm sorry, that came from my brain and out of mouth and it wasn't supposed to." He again swayed in his spot, unsure how to rectify what he just stated, but not thinking too much of it.

"But you make," he took a hand and placed it on his stomach before it met one of Shadow's arms gripping his shoulders, one of his eyes blinking before the other. "You make my stomach do flips. And no one has ever really done that before, you know? Not even chicks." He stared at Shadow firmly. "I didn't get it for a while, because," he blinked again. "Because you're so different from me."

Slowly, the smile returned from earlier, lazily spreading out across his flushed face. "But I guess that's why it works, right?"

Shadow jolted, simply doing nothing but holding Sonic up at first. He stared blankly at the other as his words slowly registered. Could it be, that against all logic and reason... Sonic actually liked him? Was that why the Werehog had gone after him? His heart jumped slightly in confusion at Sonic's comments, feeling an odd sort of warmth begin to bloom in his chest.

What the—

"Sonic..." He said slowly, absolutely rigid, "What are you getting at?" He looked at the drugged hedgehog and leaned forward inquisitively, immediately thinking to take advantage of Sonic's inhibited state of mind to pry the proper information from him. In a second, Shadow's motivations had changed from keeping Sonic upright, to interrogating him about this revelation, "Just how long have you felt like this...?"

"Oh man, I dunno," the hedgehog fought to recall where this all started, looking upwards with difficulty, licking his lips in an obvious struggle. "Well, I noticed after the whole ARK incident, you made my chest feel all funny." He made a face as he continued to try and remember. "Made it feel all tight, and beat all fast. I wanted to be around you and try to tease you; I dunno, I joke with almost everyone, but I think...I think I was trying to flirt with you, because you always tried to act so tough and unaffected, and it put a smile on my face when I was able to get you pissed off."

"I guess…it was just a gradual thing," His smile never left his face. "I like you; it took a while to admit to myself, but I do." The hero put a hand to his chest, swaying once again, not realizing how jumbled his phrases are coming out. "I just was always so scared to tell you since you're…you're Faker!" He almost fell back before sitting forward again, subconsciously putting a bare paw to Shadow's knee.

"I felt ashamed because you're so cold to me," He paused. "Well, I thought you'd honestly kick my ass." He laughed for at least over a minute before speaking, forgetting the conversation in that moment. "But then again, who is crazy enough to turn down this?" His free hand pointed at his peach chest, unable to hold it straight as he tried to replicate a sexy look; it failed miserably, since one of his eyelids was closed lower than the other, his head quills appearing messy as well.

"I dunno why I can say it now, though. I think because I feel all funny, you know? You make me feel safe, Shadow. Really," he whispered his last word, giving an assured nod. "More than anyone."

Not for the first time that day, Shadow was at a loss for words. Sonic liked him, and not in a friendly way. But in the romantic sense of the word. Sonic would need a little more than just sense beaten into his head. In all honesty, Shadow had never even considered the possibility of forming some sort of relationship with anyone, much less Sonic. He stared at the other, torn between laughing at the sheer absurdity and continuing his blank staring at the drugged hero. He let out a soft, humorless chuckle, deciding a nice medium would fit neatly.

He was hyper-aware of Sonic's ungloved hand on his leg, the sensitive area giving a surprising jolt through Shadow's body that had his heart jumping to his throat. "You cannot be serious," He said evenly, ruby eyes meeting jade, "You're drugged, delirious, and incapable of differentiating between your shoe and a hat."

Shadow didn't want to think about this and how well it explained the Werehog's affinity for him. It was far more comforting to blame it on the drugs so he could ignore the way his heart was bouncing in his chest. He made sure to keep a firm grip on Sonic to keep him upright, "Besides. You can keep yourself safe." He muttered, unsure why he was continuing this thread.

Sonic, even in his confused and inebriated state, easily displayed the hurt that washed through his cloudy eyes after Shadow's dark chuckle and reasoning. He looked away, nodding a bit, now fully relying on Shadow to keep him sitting up. "I guess," the hero muttered quietly. "But no one can do everything by themselves, right? At least not forever; that's what friends are for." He sucked on his bottom lip, still struggling with his words. "But I don't feel this way about anyone else; not Knuckles, Rouge…not Amy. It's just you." He stared at Shadow with suddenly wide eyes, continuing to study the other. "You make me feel different, but it's nice."

"...I know it seems crazy, but it's the truth. I've just," he stuttered as he spoke, obviously nervous. "I was j-just scared to tell you, because I knew you would react this way. I was scared you'd reject me."

Sonic shrugged. "I dunno, at least I tried. You're just," The usually confident hedgehog regained his smirk, a blush still painting the apple of his cheeks. "You're hot, Shadow." His blush thickened; the hand on his rival's leg giving a gentle scratch to his fur. "I used to like watching you run and fight because…" he looked down, biting his lip with a guilty smile, not continuing, "Yeah."

"...I think," Sonic the hedgehog giggled as he moved his face closer to Shadow's. "I think it explains those hickies." He licked his lips openly. "I wish I could remember."

Shadow immediately covered Sonic's hand with his when sparks jolted through him at that sly caress. He pulled Sonic's hand up by his wrist so it wouldn't be in such a distracting place any longer. Once the fawn paw was removed, Shadow made a small sound of relief.

When he looked up, Sonic's face was inches from his and Shadow froze, crimson eyes going wide. He felt rooted to the spot, stuck in the dark emerald gaze of Sonic. He was suddenly aware of both the bruises Sonic had given him on his throat, and of the other's proximity. "Sonic what're you-..." He trailed off slightly, his heart giving a stuttering beat. Shadow wasn't used to being so utterly thrown off his course like this, and he was clawing to get his head back on straight.

He didn't like the strange changes Sonic's admittance was making him feel, and he steadied the drugged hedgehog who was trying his best to keep his head up. They were so very close. Shadow could see the defined curves to Sonic's jaw in his current position and the individual fibers of his thick fur, the dark cobalt illuminated by the dusky moonlight from the warehouse windows.

Wait a second... Moonlight?

Shadow stilled as that thought struck him and his eyes widened, staring over at first the window, then back towards Sonic and his dilating eyes. Immediately all thoughts fled his mind as he realized that they were out of time.

The blue hero pulled away from the black hedgehog, using one of his last rational thoughts to force himself out of the other's proximity, curling on his side to the floor as light quivers racked through his lean form. His shivering wasn't as violent as the previous night, with the drugs in his system relaxing him even as he transformed, barely looking bothered as his hands grew larger, his fangs growing to look pointed like daggers, and his ears curving almost like horns as they lay flat against his head. His fur became thicker, darker and shaggier, the hedgehog's body growing sculpted with thick muscle as he rested contently across the floor, spreading himself with a bit of a whimper.

A flood of saliva began immediately as he lay dazed on the ground, giving a saddened sigh. As Sonic tried to lift himself in his woozy state, his talons skittered across the cement, but both the medication and his strangely flexible limbs made it difficult to walk. The Werehog did not notice the black hedgehog behind him at first with the loss of his heightened senses, confused by his surroundings and his exposed state; naturally, like a wild animal, he was frightened by this discovery, trying to drag himself towards the exit.

Shadow watched the transformation with fascination. It was just as intriguing to see it a second time as it was the first. Seeing that Sonic was attempting to make a sluggish escape, Shadow swiftly got up and darted around the large figure to angle himself directly in front of him. He was immediately back to business, Sonic's admission of his feelings had given him a bit of an idea, and he hoped he could use the knowledge to his advantage.

He steeled himself in front of the Werehog, knowing full well that if Sonic was really determined he could simply blow past him undeterred. Luckily, the drugs seemed to be doing a wonderful job keeping him relatively calm. He stood rigidly, his arms folded over his chest as he watched the Werehog.

Emerald eyes met Shadow's feet as the dark hedgehog stepped quickly to tower over him. Sonic lifted his head to stare dazedly upwards and meet blazing crimson. Shadow's face meant absolute business, and the Werehog's ears folded back with another whimper; his tail began to softly wag to and fro behind him, tilting his head a bit as his mouth opened, letting his large pink tongue to fall to the floor with a 'squish' of a sound.

The Werehog turned completely to his side, muscular limbs stretched out as his tail continued to smack the stone below him. He looked submissively up at the other hedgehog; his big, jade eyes staring up at Shadow, his lids drooped like in the hero's previous form. A content smile spread across Sonic's lips as he revealed the soft belly of his fur to the currently more dominant of the two, giving a tiny noise in between a small yelp and a bark.

It was unbelievable. Shadow watched with amazement as the Werehog tamely rolled over without so much as a growl of warning. Perhaps Shadow could keep Sonic contained. It was possible if he continued to act like a puppy, but he doubted the Werehog would be this tame if he wasn't drugged. Slowly, and somewhat warily, Shadow approached the Werehog. He wasn't so foolish as to have forgotten his last encounter with Sonic's transformed self as he knelt next to the other.

Reaching out cautiously, Shadow buried his hand into the chest fur of the Werehog, rubbing there and on his belly. He spread his fingers and began to scratch the area, just as he would a feral puppy, never once taking his gaze away from the dark emerald eyes or his lolling tongue. Shadow looked at him carefully, wondering just where the snarling and salivating beast he had been forced to deal with the last two nights had gone.

The Werehog drawled out a happy sound, throwing his head back and closing his eyes ecstatically, letting out a pleasured rumble of his throat as he felt Shadow's touch spread across his belly's fur, his mouth wide open and panting as his tail wagged a bit faster behind him. His back leg gave a twitch once every scratch, feeling safe with the hedgehog's whose scent he could now sniff out and detect; it was his prospective mate, the Werehog struggling to lift his head and give the other a lick.

It was useless, and Sonic realized how strict of an eye Shadow was keeping on him, deciding to just stare up at his companion. Jade irises glinted despite still being half lidded and fogged, unable to leave the other who was giving him attention; the glow in his eyes relayed every word Sonic had stated in his drugged up, fuzzy speech.

Shadow's lips pressed together as he saw the purely affectionate look in the werehog's eyes. It was clear by the complete lack of instinctual madness; Sonic's confession was true and not the result of him being completely shitfaced. Shadow breathed through his nose as he rose from his crouch and strode back to the nest of blankets, taking a seat in the large bundle. He looked over at the Werehog still on the ground and patted his lap in a universal gesture for the other to follow him, "Come here, Sonic." He said evenly, ruby eyes maintaining eye contact with the Werehog's.

Crouching down and scratching Sonic's belly was not something Shadow was going to do all night. He wanted to try to put the Werehog down to bed, hopefully before Knuckles got back from wherever it was he had gone off to. Shadow knew Sonic seemed to respond well to him, but he didn't know how well Knuckles would be received. That, and Shadow was honestly curious to see how much Sonic could understand while in this form and how well he would listen.

The Werehog tried his best to lift his ears attentively towards Shadow's request, but they quickly drooped back into place as it proved difficult to keep them raised. With a bit of difficulty, the hero gained enough steadiness to raise himself to his massive paws, moving over to his muse with shaking limbs as he struggled to stagger closer, trying desperately to stand on two legs but falling unsuccessfully. Finally, he resorted to shifting to a more comfortable stride for him anyway, moving on all four feet, hesitantly bringing himself closer to Shadow in unsteady steps.

Sonic curled up beside him with a warm sigh, air blowing through his nostrils to tickle the other hedgehog's fur. Before Shadow could protest, Sonic nudged his muzzle past his arm, instantly beginning to salivate as he rested undauntedly on Shadow's lap. He closed his eyes, letting out a hum of approval, not planning on moving from his comfortable spot anytime soon.

A muscle in Shadow's cheek twitched with agitation as a pool of drool began to form over his legs, courtesy of the heavy mass currently snuggled up against his stomach. Scowling slightly, Shadow wrapped his arms under Sonic's head in an attempt to shove the heavy weight off of him, but once again the stubborn Werehog refused to budge. This amount of affection Shadow was not okay with.

He grunted and attempted to slide his legs out from underneath Sonic so he could stand up and clean himself up. The very last thing he wanted to do was get slobbered on all night long, although that didn't seem like much of an option at this point, at least not if Sonic had anything to say about it.

The Werehog felt a hand desperately try to shove him away, but he closed his eyes tightly in response, giving a small agitated sigh; his head was far too heavy for the other hedgehog to move with all the dead weight of the medication. His tail gave a soft wag behind him, and he turned onto his side so he was now laying the side of his muzzle on the top of Shadow's leg.

He continued to drool freely as he looked down the black fur of Shadow's thigh, his gaze turning entranced. The blue hero licked his jowls before his tongue lulled out to give an affectionate lick to the inside of Shadow's limb; of course the irrational, animalistic Sonic saw nothing wrong with this sweet action. He lifted his head to stare up at Shadow, trying to direct a lick to his lips with a playful whimper.

Shadow yelped in shock at the feel of Sonic's tongue darting in a place far too sensitive and close to his groin for the agent's comfort. He stiffened and gave Sonic's nose a sharp whap, his ears pinning back as he tried to shove aside his momentary shock. His heart was pounding in his chest a hundred miles an hour and a warm flush began to creep up towards Shadow's muzzle, horrified by Sonic's actions. Chaos, if the hedgehog just had any idea what he had very nearly licked, Sonic would be mortified.

"No," Shadow said sternly, "No licking." He stared into the uncomprehending gaze of the Werehog as he tried to get his message across.

Sonic crossed his eyes as Shadow gave a whack to his nose, scrunching up his muzzle at the small tingle of pain that was mostly dulled from the drugs. His lips lifted to reveal his teeth but not in a threatening manner. Surprisingly, his tail just began to start up in response as his tongue drooped from out of his sharp teeth, only taking a moment to stare with lidded eyes happily at the other before he attempted to get another lick on him again.

He managed to get a bit of a lap on Shadow's cheek, pulling away to sniff at the bandages surrounding his neck with a befuddled whimper. The stronger of the two tried his best to delicately take a hold of the material with his teeth, getting a grasp of it without hurting Shadow in the process, trying his best to reveal the marks he had gifted who he saw as his mate with; why wasn't he wearing them proudly? The Werehog didn't understand, and he stopped midway through unraveling the gauze, giving a sound that could definitely come out as confused as he gently placed a paw on the midnight hedgehog's leg.

Shadow grunted as those sharp teeth pulled at his bandages, knowing what the Werehog was going after immediately. He sighed as he attempted to look away from Sonic's pleading gaze, trying not to focus on those drowsy puppy eyes boring into him. Shadow sighed and relented, undoing the bandages at his throat and tossing them to the side. If Sonic was just going to tug them off all night, there would be little point in keeping them on anyway. Shadow very badly wanted to shove the massive Werehog off of him, but if he couldn't even lift Sonic's head, there was no chance the rest of the body would be moving any time soon.

He settled a hand on Sonic's large head and gently scratched him behind the ears, eyeing him with some amusement, "Happy now?" He growled to the Werehog. An ear flicked slightly as he heard the sounds of Knuckles rummaging around in the other room, apparently the echidna had returned from whatever it was that he had been doing. Shadow absently continued to scratch soothing circles behind Sonic's ears, hoping with any luck the Werehog would soon nod off and Knuckles could help him shift the heavy beast off of him so he could get away.

The hero looked in a state of complete rapture, leaning into the ministrations to his fur, gazing with tired eyes toward Shadow's neck; he was quite proud of his work. Sonic leaned forward to give the tiny bruises an affectionately long lap, but let the hedgehog below him give out a sigh of relief; he didn't intend to create more, lowering his head back down to Shadow's lap. He let out a content sigh, drooling freely since he didn't realize how pissed off it made the rational one, closing his lids as he easily got lost in his touches.

He spread himself out on the soft sheets and blankets underneath, his mouth hanging open as his tongue rolled out, but not looking to explore Shadow's thigh again. He turned his face to the side as well as his body, breathing nice and steadily across Shadow's fur, giving a twitch here and there every moment or so; Sonic was easily giving in to sleep, unable to keep his eyes open. The Werehog let out a hum of approval at the GUN agent's touch.

Shadow sighed and stroked his fingers through Sonic's silky fur, watching the gentle rise and fall of the blue furred chest. He was very glad Sonic was simply curling up to sleep instead of deciding to slobber over him again. The welts and hickies would most likely be completely healed come morning, but that didn't mean Shadow wanted to add to their collection.

The content Werehog was covering Shadow in a lovely coat of drool, and ruby eyes quietly surveyed the large, unmoving form. Sonic might not be completely asleep at the moment, but he was far too relaxed and drugged to move a great deal. Shadow struggled to angle his hips slightly, just enough to wedge the large beast up a few inches so he could gain enough leverage to slip his legs out from underneath Sonic's head. His fingers slowly withdrew from the furred ears and Shadow stood up quietly, edging around Sonic so he could make his escape.

The Werehog felt the movement of his captive sneaking away, his ear giving a twitch before he reached his stretchy arms up to take a hold of the midnight hedgehog's waist, dropping him back to the blankets despite his want to escape. Sonic's tail wagged happily behind him, and he slid Shadow to lie back next to him, ignorant to his struggling in his haze. He wrapped his limbs greedily around him, nuzzling his nose into the fur behind the black hedgehog's ear before taking thick inhales of his scent.

It was only a few more minutes until he was snoring softly into the back of Shadow's head, the tone similar to Sonic's usual, but much deeper. Completely knocked out from his medication, he was not in a state to move an inch except for his breathing. A puddle of drool formed underneath them. Shadow was stuck in Sonic's iron clad grip, as he did not intend to let go even in this state.

Shadow for one was rather at a loss as to what to do. He twisted as best he could in the Werehog's iron grasp, only managing to wriggle his way enough to turn around, his face getting buried in the fluffy mass that was Sonic's chest fur. This was not going according to his plan at all. Shadow sighed sourly and stilled, deciding the best way to deal with his current problem was to simply wait until Knuckles came into the room to free him.

In the meantime, Shadow fought back a yawn, ruby eyes drooping slightly from exhaustion. He hadn't gotten much sleep in days, and though he didn't need it to survive, Shadow still found himself quite tired. He let out a soft growl, deciding it couldn't hurt him any if he closed his eyes for just a moment to rest. Sonic was out for the count, Knuckles was still around in case the beast woke up, and it wasn't like Shadow was going anywhere with the unrelenting grip holding him in place.

The dark agent slowly relaxed against Sonic, sighing softly into the chest fur as he slid his eyes closed. In seconds, Shadow was breathing evenly and curled up against Sonic sound asleep. He had slipped into a deep sleep faster than he would have even suspected, but the ordeals from the last few days had truly worn him out.

He didn't even stir when Knuckles poked his head into the room to check on them, violet eyes blinking with surprise as he took in the sight of the two hedgehogs sleeping curled up against one another. A gruff grin tugged at his lips, an odd mix between his typical arrogant smirk and an amused smile. Knuckles flicked the light off and quietly closed the door, letting the two of them get some rest. It seemed like his strength wouldn't be needed tonight.

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