A/N: This would've been updated yesterday had it not been for my friend who came over to hang out and the fact she showed me the manga "Love Stage" which I ended up reading from beginning to the latest chapter... And now I can't wait for the next volume to come out! ^^ That and the month of October was a very very VERY long month for me and not for good reasons; reasons most people probably experience but with their parents and of old age instead of their sister and cancer... So yeah...
This is also probably the shortest chapter in the entire story.
Disclaimer: Idea came from Mating Season by SonicatheHedgehog000
Chapter 4
Emerald green eyes surveyed the meadow he was in; it was calm, quiet, and serene. The azure furry was currently laying on his back as he thrived in the peaceful setting not minding the fact he was completely and utterly alone.
"Sonikku?" a loving voice called him.
Okay, so he wasn't completely alone.
Sonic tilted his head slightly to look at his partner. He grinned softly as the other hedgehog gave him a peck on his lips.
"Would you like to have a little fun, Sonikku?" the other asked as he – yes, he – began to straddle the blue speedster's waist. Eagerly, Sonic nodded as he reached up and connected their lips in a passionate kiss. His partner groaned as he ripped off their gloves and kicked off their shoes. Both hedgehogs' hands explored their partner's body only breaking their kiss to get air. Sonic purred as the other broke the kiss in favor of planting kisses and licking down his neck, his chest, and his stomach. The other male stopped to glance at the speedster with lust-filled and loving eyes before his head disappeared from Sonic's immediate line of sight hovering over his lower body…
"-onic… Sonic… Sonic wake up!" Knuckles shouted at the snoozing 'hog lying down on the pedestal's steps. The only response he got was another moan from the Fastest Thing Alive. The noises humming from his friend was honestly kind of disturbing the guardian. He could tell what kind of dream the hedgehog was having and as much as he knew how pleasurable those dreams could be, he did not think Sonic would appreciate it if Tails woke up and learned that Sonic hadn't completely left mating season back on the still terrain. Especially since there was a bulge forming.
Sweatdropping, the echidna roughly bopped the back of Sonic's head causing the furry to sit up straight in shock and pain.
Emerald eyes glared at him though the blush on the peach muzzle did not help his glare at all. "What was that for?"
"You were having another wet dream so excuse me if I wanted to keep my promise to make sure Tails didn't find out." The red furball retorted. "Any longer and you would have had to explain about the 'birds and the bees' to Tails." The comment did nothing to quell the other's slowly growing blush, instead they worsened it.
"R-right. Thanks." He adverted the examining violet eyes grateful that his little 'friend' was going away albeit slowly.
Once seeing his friend was fully awake, Knuckles went back to his position on the Master Emerald careful not to wake up neither Tails, Manic, nor Silver – the last hedgehog was running away from mating season in the future by traveling back to the past. (Strange, ain't it?) The albino 'hog was glad to run into Sonic and his friends and get invited into their camping trip which was now taking place on the Floating Island. Why? Well, 1) Knuckles was a paranoid guardian who wanted to make sure the M.E. was perfectly fine at all time; 2) Sonic wanted to include Knuckles in the trip so he suggested staying on the island during mating season, and 3) there was an even greater chance that no female hedgehog would bother them while there.
At first, everything was fine; neither of the hedgehogs felt the effects of the season and they all had a generally fun time together. However, as the weeks dragged on, Sonic began having… dreams. When they first started, he wasn't aware of neither who the other hedgehog was in his dreams nor whether the other was a male or female. He guessed that he was having these dreams because it was mating season and his hormones were urging for him to find a mate even one as made-up as the one in his subconscious.
In the beginning they were harmless innocent fantasies: him being a hero and this strange hedgehog complimenting him. Then, Sonic started saving the mystery 'hog and being rewarded with a kiss. After those dreams, Sonic and the other began hanging out and doing things together that ended with the two kissing or cuddling. The hero was convinced that that was as far as the dreams would go.
Boy was he wrong.
Recently, the dreams began to grow more intense: more passionate kissing, curious fingers, grinding hips, etc. When he finally had his first wet dream with his mystery lover, he discovered the other's gender considering the other had topped him in such a way only another male was capable of doing. Since then, the dreams would alternate with different scenarios of him being the submissive or dominant partner. Either way, the result always ended with him writhing and moaning in pleasure in the real world. He accidentally woke up Tails one time with his loud moans, but he evasively avoided giving the real answer, instead telling Tails a more innocent one. After that little incident, Sonic persuaded the others to wake him up if he started to act that way so he didn't end up possibly scarring Tails. Thankfully, it didn't much for them to agree. Unfortunately, they ended up having to wake the azure hedgehog up early almost every single day. To Silver and Manic, it seemed as if the emerald-eyed male was getting worse and losing control over his lustful instincts causing them to worry that he may end up mating with one of them to quell the urges. However, Sonic never made a move on them or even hinted to liking either of them that way.
Actually, Sonic discovered that he didn't seem to like their touch and as the dreams continue, it was almost as if he only wanted one person to touch him: his mystery lover. Heck, there were times during the current season when he could hardly tolerate Tails touching him seeing how the older would seem to bite back a warning growl.
Suffice to say, Sonic was getting worried about his mental state. He was just glad that mating season was almost over – the more intense parts at least. There was a reason why mating season was hardest on hedgehogs during June to August; it was because his species normally loved mating during the hot season. Once it cooled down, the urge wouldn't be as strong anymore. Though, he couldn't help but wonder who his mystery lover was in his dreams. He had a slight suspicion on who it might be, but refused to believe that was true blaming everything on mating season. There was no way his subconscious chose him.
Later that day, the other campers woke up and they all gathered around for breakfast. They chatted and laughed about random things. The air was light and carefree; it was a beautiful day. Only thing is, they had nothing planned to do for that day. It was time for them to spit out random ideas until they all agreed on something. After a bit of bickering, they eventually agreed with Tails's idea of a more intense version of hide-and-go-seek.
Tails's version of hide-and-go-seek was something the young genius believed would appeal to his older companions. His friends, with the possibility of excluding Manic, were fighters, heroes who would put their lives on their line to save someone else. They were able to handle physical hits that would normally maim an average being. With this in mind, the kitsune proposed that the game be like a combination of a scavenger hunt, wrestling, and hide-and-go-seek. The object of the game was for the seeker to find and 'capture' the others before the time limit was up while invading any and all traps the hiding players set. If a hiding player was aware that the seeker was nearby, he could attempt to fight off the seeker in any way they could – without causing serious damage to the other – or rat out another hiding player in exchange for 'immunity' for a period of time. For the seeker to win, he must capture the other players by overcoming their traps, tying them up, or pinning them to the floor for a period of ten seconds. The captured anthros would then aide the seeker in capturing another player. The game would end when the seeker has captured all hiding players or when the time limit is up. Should the time run out, the hiding players would be the victors. The person who was captured first would be the seeker next round. All in all, it seemed like a very interesting prospect. If it was played correctly with competitive players (*cough* Sonic and Knuckles *cough*) it could end up being a fun game especially in a massive island like the one they were in now.
The five males figured out who would be the seeker first by drawing straws, the one with the shortest one would be the seeker. Knuckles the treasure hunter was the first seeker. Knowing about the echidna's skills in treasure hunting as well as his massive strength, the best bet for the other seekers was to set up traps and hope he wouldn't get near them. Well, that was how it looked for Tails and Manic. Silver and Sonic on the other hand were more than capable of handling the guardian in hand-to-hand combat. The seeker's biggest concern would be Sonic concerning the azure hedgehog's speed, agility, ingenuity, and experience.
Knuckles was to sit on his precious gem while he waited for the others to set up their defenses during the five minutes he was not allowed to leave. Violet orbs were hid behind ruby lids as each of the players departed. Once the five minutes passed, the red furball would have two hours to capture the others.
Sonic smirked to himself as he dashed off to the other side of the island leaving his companions in the dust. He was confident that he'd win no matter how good of a hunter Knuckles was. He had beaten the echidna so many times before why should this time be any different? Yes, as long as he encountered no obstacle powerful enough to deter him from his goal, the hero was not getting 'captured' anytime soon.
Shadow exhaled deeply as he surveyed the area he arrived in. It was a plush, tranquil lake surrounded by green plumage. The only sound was the faint calls of birds and the soothing rush of the waterfall's plummeting liquid. The ebony hedgehog had found this place some time ago and he immediately taken a liking to it. Sure, he never bothered to visit it again after that time, but nevertheless he treasured the peaceful place. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, that is. Still, he was grateful he remembered its location for it was a good distance away from the Master Emerald's pedestal meaning he wouldn't be running into the echidna anytime soon. He was completely and utterly alone; in other words, he was free!
He didn't bother fighting off the grin that managed to make his way on his face again as he had no real reason to. He didn't know why he bothered biting back grins and smiles when he was with company or why he only allowed smirks or amused smiles on his lips only if something darkly entertaining occurred such as someone making a fool of themselves or getting hurt. Whether it was because of stubborn pride or something else, he could never tell (more like he didn't want to find out); he just didn't want others to him smile.
The anti-hero began setting up the rest of his stuff. He was to stay there for a few weeks and even if he ran out of food, he could always survive off the chaos energy radiating from the Master Emerald nearby. Hygiene would be his biggest problem, but that was a problem that would be easily taken care of.
Speaking of which, it had been a few days since he arrived, any longer and he might turn rank – not that that would matter to any other hedgehog considering his growing pheromones would be enticing to them. If he didn't bathe soon, there was a chance that hedgehogs a fair distance away would be able to detect him. A small chance, but he was not about to risk it.
Crimson-streaked hands removed the little article of clothing on his person as he made his way to the pond. He slowly stepped into the water and waded near the waterfall. He closed his eyes as he focused on the cool droplets of water hitting his face. Once he deemed he was close enough to the cascading water, he relaxed as he washed himself. During this state of relaxation, he had let his guard down just enough to notice a little too late that someone was near his hiding spot.
Curious brown orbs eyed the bathing hedgehog as their owner crept closer to get a better look at him. Long, green quills blending into the forest's natural borders almost perfectly thus allowing for the hidden anthro to watch from a safe distance. The only things that might seem out of place were his gloves, shoes, or his red vest. Fortunately for Manic, the ebony hedgehog seemed unaware of anyone close by.
The rocker only vaguely remembered how he arrived at the peaceful place. Most of his attention was on running away from Knuckles and calculating what his best chances were to not get caught when all of a sudden he smelled something delicious. He found himself following the source of the scent before he was aware of what was going on. Next thing he knew, he was watching a seemingly male hedgehog with a somewhat girlish figure bathe himself. For some reason, his eyes refused to waver from the mystery 'hog's wet body, lingering as long as they could on the other's face, chest, tail, butt, and groin.
He was not committing voyeurism no matter how it sounded like; he was just… curious, okay? Yes, the dark one was sexy-looking and his scent was mouthwatering which was causing the green furball's horny instincts to overload, but that did not mean he was interested in the other sexually!
Wait… no! No, no, no! It was just nature telling him to bend the crimson-streaked one over and take him not his sane mind! The safest and logical thing to do was to leave before the other could notice his presence. Yes, that's exactly what Manic will do. Brown eyes widened at what the ebony hedgehog was doing now.
Shadow bent down to clean his lower body inadvertently showing off his well-shaped ass to the green 'hog.
Manic gulped. Then again, what's the harm of coming over to talk to the hedgehog once his bath was done? He only wanted to be friends, alright!? Mating season was not getting to him. He did not like anyone that way let alone the ebony male that he just saw today. Nope, no feelings once-so-ever. He'll wait patiently until the other finished before attempting to be friends.
… That didn't mean he had to leave the place just yet…
Fun Fact: Originally, I was going to make Sonic find Shadow, but I decided against it.
