I'M SOOOOO sorry I couldn't update sooner!!! Last night, I was REALLY, sooper busy. I need to get less of a life… Anyway, enjoy!!!

What Would You Do?

Xzero turned towards his lover beside him in the bed. Asterik was strangely silent tonight. "Would you do me a favor, Assy?"

The albino rat's claws stroked his neck and the fingers continued to grope down his chubby body. Lightning flashed to show his lumpy figure in the bed, red eyes glistening like twin rubies. "I would do anything for you, my love."

Dark hedgie grinned, his body closing over the rat's. "I need you to go to their house. We need to get Sonic out so the rest of us can get in. See if you can find a way to lure Sonic out. Not yet, but soon. Okay?"

The albino rat grinned, and the place where his body had raised the sheets was empty, those same sheets falling like ghosts beside the pack leader. Xzero turned over, in his mind contemplating the next thing he would do to hurt Sonic when they were alone.

~ST~ST~ST~

"Sonic?"

"Is it my turn, Tails?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Shoot."

"What would you do if you were on one side of the street and you had to get to the other side, but there was a chicken in the middle of the road and you really had to get to the other side, Sonic?"

"You said I had to "get to the other side" twice, babe." Emerald eyes glistened against the off-white pillow case.

"Sorry. I got lost in your eyes." Tails resumed the calming stroking of Sonic's spine. He was delighted that he couldn't feel it as well as he'd been able to in the past. That meant Sonic was eating, at least.

Sonic shrugged and rested his chin on his crossed hands. "Hmmm. Well, if the chicken was causing mass hysteria, then I'd speed out into the middle of the road, scoop up the chicken, and bring it to the other side with me. But, if I wasn't in any hurry, I'd lay on some of that rarely seen patience and wait for the chicken parts to fly."

Tails gasped, letting his mouth fall open in false horror. "How mean, Sonic!" He scolded playfully, not being able to help the smile that crossed his face.

Sonic laughed. "It's just a chicken, Tails!"

The little fox laughed too. "Okay," he chuckled. "My turn."

The hedgie flipped over onto his back. "Hmmm. Okay. Tails, what would you do if…" But, he was cut off. Every part of his body stood still, his ears looking like they could jump right off his head with the power of his intense focus. The soft eyes glowed in the unbroken darkness of the night.

"What is it, Sonic?" Tails quizzed, automatically drawing close and clamping his fingers around untamed tan belly fur.

"Hush," Sonic cautioned in a barely-audible voice.

Now, it is a great indignity to be hushed, and Tails dispised it with a full and bitter passion. But, he gave in to Sonic's will and remained quiet, listening to the stillness.

Finally, after a long time, Tails spoke again. "Sonic?"

Cobalt relaxed a fraction. "Yes, dear one?" The sing-song voice was still a whisper.

"I'm hungry."

Blue suppressed his laughter, almost choking in the process. "All right. We'll go to the kitchen in a moment. But first…" Sonic got out of bed and pressed his ear against the wall. Faintly, he tapped along it until he'd found the place where he'd heard the faint scraping of claws against the house. The only light in the room was caused by his glowing eyes and a small light from Tails' computer.

Lightning flashed.

Suddenly, Sonic was standing on the bed, looking out the window. In the white light, he could've sworn he'd seen a shadow slinking along the roof and disappearing into the treetops, all in the same flash of lightning. After the white light had done its duty, and the slow thunder rumbled afterwards like an empty stomach, all was still but for the rain that hummed on the roof like the sound of far-off talking.

"Sonic?" Tails traced his hands up Sonic's body until he found the hedgie's tummy and pulled himself to that level. "Sonic, what did you see?"

Blue bit his lip and bowed his head. Then, he hopped off the bed. "…nothing. Let's go to the kitchen, Tails."

The fox let his lover go, but he remained kneeling on the bed, frozen in place. He was frightened by the strange events that had just happened. It seemed that, as soon as Sonic had began to eat, trouble arose. First the hemlock poisoning, then Xzero, then the nude girl, then this storm, then Sonic's unexplained actions. It made him queasy. There hadn't been something Sonic didn't want Tails to know about since…

Blue interrupted his thoughts. "Coming, Tailsy?" Head cocked to one side, eyes wide and bright.

Little fox sighed shakily. "I'm frightened," he whispered, his fist fleeing to his lips and his eyes squeezing shut. A sob racked his body and he was forced to let it out.

Sonic, who had seen much more crying then was fair to one person, flew to his side as if he'd grown wings and pressed his forehead against his boyfriend's. "Don't cry, honey. I'll do anything to protect you, and you know it, okay? Please, please don't cry," and the hedgie began to nuzzle under the fox's chin, play-biting as he went, his tongue sometimes touching the vulnerable area. "It's not fair to me." And, he pulled Tails against himself, their nipples touching and making the young fox sigh shakily again.

"I'm sorry." He choked, tears still there in his voice. "I'm not worthy of you."

"Let's fill that tummy of yours." Sonic answered, pulling away and swiftly getting Tails into his arms in seconds.

"Why?" Tails sniffled.

"I can't stand to hear you talk crazy." Sonic retorted bitterly. "I won't put up with it."

An angry silence followed, and Tails dared not break it, but found comfort in his love's arms. In both night and day, Sonic could navigate the house quite easily, and Tails found this amazing. Another reason to love him. Another reason Tails couldn't stay away.

The hedgie muttered something and sat Tails down into what the fox assumed to be a chair and started rummaging through cabinets and the fridge to find something he could make without electricity. Giving up, he opened a drawer, took out something, closed it with a thud, and unscrewed a rather noisy jar and one quieter one and set them both on the table noisily. He was making a racket, which meant he was frustrated. Tails gulped.

"Here," Sonic grumbled, sliding Tails something across what one would guess to be a table. The fox, blind in the dark, fumbled for it and wrapped his fingers around the substance.

Peanut butter and jelly. Tails bit into it eagerly, this being one of his favorite foods. Young children have very little taste buds and favor close to no foods. Tails, however, was advanced for his age in this way, and in a few others, too. He chewed and swallowed. Grape jelly. Even though Sonic had mostly put jelly, peanut butter owned it.

The angry silence went undisturbed for the longest of times, Tails munching his late-night snack and Sonic staring off into space, thinking things over. Finally, blue huffed and crossed his ankles. "I don't like it," he said.

"What don't you like?" Tails licked his fingers delicately before going for the other half of the sandwich.

"Well, Xzero, obviously." Sonic answered, a bit more calmly. The anger was still there in his sexy voice. "And that you still feel inferior to me. I don't get that one at all. I'm just like you."

Tails forced a laugh. "Not true. You've been running around like crazy lately, and you haven't been eating very much. And your stomach hasn't uttered a single growl! Not even a whimper!" He himself took a bite into his sandwich. "You're still the hero here."

It was Sonic's turn to force a laugh. "Hmph! You think I'm not hungry? You think my belly hasn't been complaining?" He shook his head, quills making a sound like muted bells as they hit each other. "You're far from right, Tails. And, now that you've awakened my hunger fully, I'm beginning to get dizzy. It's hard for me…I lose control easier when my stomach is empty. How do you think I transformed into Dark Super Sonic when I did?"

"Fake Chaos," Tails argued.

Sonic huffed, rolling his eyes. "Half right. Fake Chaos, and overexposure to it, made me reject food. I didn't eat, and because of that and Fake Chaos, I lost control and became Dark Super Sonic. That's what really happened."

Tails giggled. "No wonder you're so grouchy."

Sonic coughed. He was blushing; Tails could tell without seeing it. "Oh, was I really grouchy? I'm sorry, but your comment set me off like a time bomb." He chuckled as the storm shook the house again, the rain beating against the windows. "I'm really starving."

"Can I listen?" Tails asked, licking his fingers clean.

Sonic chuckled. "If you can find me."

That was too easy a task. Tails followed the dreamy scent of his lover and ended up amongst the soft, silky fur only made course by some dirt and brambles caught amongst sapphire locks. He tried to purr, but it came out wrong, as he pressed his ear against Sonic's chest. The attempt at purring died as he listened.

There was nothing for a long time, and then a soft growling began. Sonic winced, turning to jello. "It doesn't sound like it hurts," Tails protested.

"I never said it hurts, love," Sonic's hand rustled the fur on Tails' head. "Besides, I've trained myself to tone down the volume of its growling."

"If it doesn't hurt, then…"

"Ooww…" Sonic moaned very softly, closing his eyes and tilting his head backwards, as if exposing his neck to Tails.

The kitsune huffed himself and crossed his hands over the complaining belly. "So it does hurt."

Sonic half-chuckled. "No, it hurts now because I love peanut butter and your breath, your being, smells of peanut butter." And he groaned, letting it die away in his throat.

Tails heard the growling grow louder. "Why won't you eat?"

Sonic shivered, his grip on Tails tightening for a moment, then relaxing, then tightening, and then relaxing again. His breathing was rushed, than calmed, and then he almost wasn't breathing at all. Wet nose touched white-furred muzzle and forehead found forehead.

"I can't Tails. Xzero makes me nervous. I know he has the power to take away everything I've ever loved. And that," he sighed deeply, "includes you, my darling."

Tails' arms wrapped around Sonic's neck. "Don't fear him so much. I'll be all right, you'll protect me. Heck, I'll be okay." He grinned, nuzzling his nose against the other one's. "As long as I have you."

Sonic sighed. "I'm hungry," he whispered.

"Eat, my love," Tails answered.

Sonic didn't take his eyes off Tails as he reached for the peanut butter.

Thought it was a cute chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!