Chapter 37: Festivities Around The World
"An…omelette ye be offerin'?" Shadow asked slightly disbelievingly.
"Aye," Sonic confirmed. "It be a dish mighty fine." He shifted slowly closer until his lips were all but brushing Shadow's ear. "For me Cap'n…"
"What wench would ye be, to be cookin'?" The black-furred hedgehog raised an eye ridge, amused. The insult had worked, the collared hero immediately kneeling backwards and crossing his arms.
"'tis no wench's trade to serve me Cap'n," he smirked. "But all I bin wantin' to see in honest truth was ye silly face you pulled."
"Askin' for some keelhauling, are we, me heartie?" Shadow asked pleasantly. His supposedly shanghaied ship-slave snickered, but then those emerald eyes again looked at him again and blue eye lids were lowered lasciviously.
"That be dependin' under whose keel, me Cap'n…" Sonic replied huskily, ungloved peach hands lowering themselves onto taut black shoulders. Shadow could feel his heart pounding heavier in his chest as -
"CAPTAIN!"
The door of their cabin crashed into the wood as a feline stumbled through, Grey-'Cat o'nine'-tail. "We be under attack!"
"By Davy Jones' Locker and the Powers!" Shadow cursed, at once rising from his royal bunk, "Man the cannon! Now!" he shouted, striding out into the storm, leaving Sonic – who knew he was supposed to pretend to be the "Captain"'s personal pleasure slave and therefore stay in the cabin – suddenly alone on the bed. The blue hedgehog huffed in frustration. Man, what he wouldn't give to be home again…plus, the people in this dimension were so WEIRD! Their ship (which resembled a giant swimming castle for some reason) was constantly getting attacked and the people doing it only became odder.
Sonic opened the door a bit and took a little sneak peek outside; he was actually glad he wouldn't have to partake in a nautical battle unless things got serious – faaaar too wet on deck in the blue hero's opinion. He could see Shadow standing at the railing, shouting at the other, new pirates on that strangely lamb-shaped boat that had obviously just attempted to attack them and was now lying next to their ship in the water. Sonic couldn't make out every word, but from what he understood from Shadow's yelling at the other Captain, a strange human dude in a straw hat, was that the foreign pirates had been looking for some kind of 'Piece', which Shadow declined that he possessed - but instead offered to tear him and his crew into such if they pestered him any longer. The rant had involved several 'scallywags', 'bilge rats' and something unpleasant relating to 'bung hole', but at last the other ship sailed away…and Sonic's heart did a leap as Shadow then turned straight around and walked back to the cabin. The blue whirlwind flung himself back onto the bed with super sonic speed.
"Lily-livered sons of biscuit-eaters…" the black hedgehog grumbled outside, ascending the stairs. Sonic could well understand his Captain's stress, too – this had only been the latest of several attacks, another one having involved a rather…flamboyant guy with a feather hat who had been looking for some 'juvenile, flying delinquent' (Sonic hadn't told him anything about Tails) and hadn't left until Shadow asked him whether he wanted his other hand turned into a hook as well - and the attack before that had involved hordes of ninjas.
Sonic still wasn't sure how they had gotten aboard the ship in the middle of the ocean.
"By all me doubloons, I be swearin', the next time a squiffy dare disturb us, that scurvy dog's gunna be walkin' the plank…" Shadow grunted as he entered the cabin once more, kicking the door shut behind him and adjusting his Captain's hat again. His gaze softened somewhat when it fell onto Sonic, though. The blue hedgehog smiled. Their first attackers in this world had actually been harmless, a certain mascara-wearing pirate (who they had been able to successfully drive off by about six renditions of 'Eyo, Captain Jack'…) yet, unfortunately…
"Hey, Shadow. Ready to continue where we left off?"
"That's Captain Jack Shadow."
…the Ultimate Lifeform had retained just a few annoying traits of that guy.
"Fine. Cap'n." Sonic grinned once more, rising from the bed and standing opposite the black hedgehog, broad-legged and hands on his hips, his gaze alone almost a challenge, both daring and inviting Shadow to step closer. The black-furred hedgehog did so, grabbing Sonic by his waist as he closed in, their noses touching as both Sapients could feel their breathing becoming quicker again, Shadow's hat sitting atop his head askew, but it didn't bother him…
"So, me lassie…" Shadow smirked, looking straight into Sonic's gently mocking eyes. "…you wanna see why my Roger is so jolly?"
And the hero of Mobius of course answered in the only way possible:
"Aye, Cap'n! ARRRR!"
xxx Normal story will be resumed shortly xxx This time actually where Chapter 36 left off xxx We apologize for any bouts of WTF-eritis xxx Explanations will follow xxx
Chapter 37: Prepare to Dine!
It had been about a year ago when Shadow had gotten his hands for the first time on a motorbike. Of course he'd known that it would never be able to match him in neither speed nor power, but still…he supposed it had to have had something to do with either the James Dean 'Rebel Without A Cause' movie (one of Maria's choices) or Batman: The Dark Knight (one of his choices, the flick about the Mobian bat who disguised himself as a human to fight crime was still a personal favourite) he'd watched aboard the ARK as a kid. There just had been something about that image, the freedom that always seemed to be connected with it that had attracted him – (not to mention the sheer, badass coolness of course). Suffice to say, he had been thrilled to finally own one, an abandoned GUN prototype of sleek, black power and chrome that had cut swathes through the ranks of Black Doom's soldiers back then.
Of course, there had also been mishaps. Shadow remembered, at the beginning, riding the thing at 200 mph through a deserted base, revelling in the power…and then accidentally changing into first gear.
It had not been pretty.
And now, when Sonic had just all but crawled on top of him and into his lap, whispering sweet nothings and spicy somethings, breathing down his neck and purring into his ear, before then suggesting an egg dish, Shadow thought he knew *exactly* how the engine must have felt.
"Wh-what?" he croaked. Next to him, his supposed slave was now of course already helplessly laughing, still kneeling on the bed but supporting himself with one hand braced against the mattress.
"Awesome. You should have seen your face!"
Shadow gave his amused pet a dry look, briefly contemplating how Sonic would have been likely to fare if he wasn't wearing that collar for show but for real and he would have had an owner who would let him feel the lash the first time he tried a prank like this. Oh, how tempting it would be to wish for a submissive slave without the sense of humour of a deranged clown…
The Ultimate Lifeform shook his head with a sigh. Truly dominating Sonic would probably be as viable as trying to 'dominate' a sack of feral fleas. You could certainly break him, of course, over time and with cruelty, but the result would be an empty shell with eyes the colour of dead leaves, not Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of their homeworld, fastest thing alive, and the one Mobian with a shining emerald gaze that could always let Shadow feel as if the whole world was suddenly not as dark as it had been a moment before. The black hedgehog was almost tempted to smile again as he looked down onto where Sonic had now stretched out on the bed beside him, still grinning at his little joke. No. He was happy with things as they were, even if Sonic's submission had only ever been play and not real…his face still impassive, he poked his supposed slave rather forcefully into his stomach.
"You. Are you begging for more punishment?" he asked as the younger hedgehog yelped and scrambled into a sitting position again. "I do not appreciate being made bogus offers."
"Wasn't a bogus offer, faker," Sonic replied, poking his tongue out before winking, "But if ya don't fancy eating before daddy's dinner, I did also learn something else…"
"Oh yeah?" Shadow asked, raising an eye ridge and looking skeptical. He wasn't falling for that same trick twice. "What'd he teach you next, how to play croquet?"
"With hedgehogs for balls and flamingos for bats, yeah," Sonic laughed, before cocking his head, suddenly looking contemplative for a moment and putting a finger to his pursed lips. "Mind you, I always found that movie pretty racist as a kid. And that wasn't just because Mighty wanted to use me as prop in a re-enactment of that scene. But what I wanted to say," he said, again changing topics like a whirlwind direction and ignoring his supposed Master's deadpan stare, "I really did learn something nice. Here, lemme show you…"
Shadow's eyes briefly narrowed as Sonic then quickly crawled behind him again, settling himself in a position behind his back and he could feel bare, peach-furred fingers wrapping around his shoulders. He tried to turn his head.
"What-?"
"Keep looking forwards, or else you're gonna impale me with your quills, 'kay? Just relax, Silver already tried this on me…"
Shadow didn't have time to say anything else, because then, Sonic's hands already went to work. The Ultimate Lifeform sucked in his breath rather sharply as the blue hedgehog's fingers dug into his back without warning, making Shadow at first want to whirl around and escape the unexpected treatment as the first sharp pain struck and he cringed and tensed up, bad memories of worse people resurfacing. "What…are you…?"
"Shh…it's gonna be alright, you'll see…" Sonic murmured reassuringly, skilled hands not stopping in their work and suddenly it seemed to Shadow as if the pain was gone from one second to the next, replaced by a wonderful feeling of relaxation and lightness. Crimson eyes blinked open again, slightly disbelieving.
"You're…giving me a massage…"
"So I am," Sonic replied behind him and Shadow could almost hear the grin of his supposed slave. "It does feel good after a week of running and fighting, I tell ya…"
Shadow didn't reply, but the collared hero was still pretty sure he agreed, if the total lack of resistance afterwards was anything to go by. For Sonic, it was actually a pretty demanding task, since the Ultimate Lifeform's muscles were far tougher and way more cramped than the young telekinetic hedgehog's had been, the blue hero vaguely remembering something Shadow had once said about his muscles being denser and therefore more powerful. But the blue speedster's fingers had been strengthened by many years of hanging off ledges and/or climbing up high buildings that their crazy owner had maneuvered them onto, so that wasn't a problem. Sonic in response simply dug his fingertips deeper into those sensitive spots Silver had made him feel on his own back in the lesson and was rewarded with Shadow basically turning into a black-furred silly putty in his hands. His supposed owner was both wincing in pain and sighing in relief beneath him, red-striped quills flattening themselves for once as an instinctive reaction to both feelings, giving Sonic even more access. The collared hero grinned as he ran his bare hands through the black fur of his pretend Master, reveling in the buzz of being allowed to be so close, dressed as a slave or no. Shadow felt warm underneath his hands and there even was a bit of a tingle where he touched him, the Ultimate Lifeform feeling just a little like a Chaos Emerald or a Power Ring to Sonic's heightened Chaos senses and the blue hedgehog for a moment just couldn't help but wonder how it would actually feel if Shadow decided to…
He didn't finish that thought.
Chaos. It's like my mind is unable to focus on anything *but* that. Thanks, Silver, the hero of Mobius thought dryly, clawing into the black hedgehog's back even more forcefully for a moment to get rid of the current mental image.
Unbeknownst to Shadow, of course, for the Ultimate Lifeform was currently suspended in a warm tub of utter bliss. He didn't squirm under the treatment like he supposed Sonic would have done, but he couldn't help the odd sigh escaping from his lips, either. The combination of torture and soothing of the massage was one of the most relaxing things he'd experienced in his life so far, and if he could have, he would have liked to keep the blue speedster continuing forever. Those bare fingers, Sonic's gloves taken from him long ago, roamed over his back and sent shivers down his spine, letting him gnash his teeth and smother groans of pleasure trying to force their way up his throat. Sonic's hand suddenly caressed his neck and Shadow's eyes flew open again, the touch sending a hot jolt right down through his system. He simply couldn't take this anymore, feeling as if any second now, he'd have to simply turn around, tackle the blue hedgehog on the bed and force him beneath him, and then Heaven help Sonic if he tried to resist…
"My Prince? We've come to assist you in the preparations for the evening! May we enter?"
"What?" Shadow blinked, slowly tearing himself away from his fantasies and raising his head toward the door where a knocking had interrupted the two hedgehogs. Behind him, Sonic groaned, slumping back onto his heels, quite unawares of what he had just narrowly escaped from.
"Man, don't they ever leave you alone? It's like you're the single entertainment of this castle's serving staff…" he complained, before adding: "And by rights, title of entertainer belongs to me. Liked your massage?" he finally asked, poking his head around Shadow's shoulder from behind to give his supposed Master a cheeky grin. Shadow nodded slowly.
"…very. Thank you."
Emerald eyes seemed to light up at this, as if for some reason that simple thank you had actually meant quite a bit to the collared hedgehog, but Shadow had no time to say anything else. The knocking came again, and the supposed Prince raised himself with a scowl of resignation.
"Yes, come in. I hope you can make this quick," he said as the door opened and two females he hadn't seen before walked in. They weren't wearing any collars which designated them servants rather than slaves, but they still seemed to differ radically in status. The one walking in front was a tall and wiry feline, her fur white as if bleached and eyes cattishly yellow with ice blue irises. She wore a long, dark purple dress bordering on black with gold-rimmed wide sleeves and décolleté. Her wrists and large, bat-like ears were adorned with metal jewellery rings and her stiff, upright posture as well as glaring gaze gave her the aura of a queen in her own domain, but not of a monarch that knew the meaning of mercy. The prime of her years seemed to have passed a long time ago and a face that could have been called beautiful before now looked more like that of a disdaining huntress, bitterness having replaced the flower of youth. She gave Sonic on the bed a stare of distaste and it took a lot for the collared hero not to let his general 'Oh, brother' – mood show on his face.
Behind her shuffled the rather polar opposite, an elderly light brown squirrel lady, whose dress was made from much plainer and rougher cloth, frayed at the edges and the deep blue and red colours faded where it was draped over her slightly pudgy frame. It wasn't dragging on the floor like her predecessor's, but stopped somewhere around the ankles, revealing paw-like feet in battered sandals. She squinted a bit, as short-sighted people in an age before glasses are wont to do, but her sky blue eyes still hinted at kindness rather than calculation and now she looked around the Prince's chambers with a bit of trepidation and a stoop to her posture, looking like she had never been to a room of such a high-ranking noble ever before. Her eyes finally came to rest on Sonic (who was also regarding the newcomers curiously) and she seemed to first nod, then shake her head to herself with an almost regretful sigh, leaving the blue hedgehog puzzled as to what that could have meant. He wasn't such a disappointing sight, surely?
"Please have no concerns, my Prince. We shall have both you and your pet prepared with the highest efficiency," the cat spoke with a curtsy but not with warmth, before snipping her claws at the older squirrel. "Rosie. Bring the utensils inside and then take care of the bed slave. I am right in presuming he is the one supposed to accompany you tonight, am I not?" she asked, focusing her gaze on Shadow, who actually had to look up to meet her stare. Shadow nodded. "Yes. So you will…polish him up?" he questioned, ignoring the look of dread that had suddenly entered his supposed slave's eyes. The feline nodded.
"Rosie will. As for me, my Prince, I shall take care of you."
At this moment the squirrel waddled inside again, carrying two baskets that were obviously quite heavy for her and finally putting them down in the room. "Your items, Mistress Hathor," she said demurely, at the same time rolling up her sleeves. "Do you wish me to begin immediately?"
"Yes, do so," the cat called Hathor waved her off, instead rounding on the black-furred hedgehog again. "Now, my Prince, please sit down so we can start…"
Sonic breathed a small sigh of relief. At least he seemed to be getting the nice one for once. He shot a brief glance at Shadow cornered by the tall feline, but wasn't particularly worried. As Prince, the other would at least be able to voice his objections, whereas for him, Sonic had thought that as a small, furry collared pet he would have actually preferred to be handed over to Cruella DeVil before letting this Hathor dame get her paws on him.
"Hello there," the elderly squirrel said at this point, letting the enslaved hero's attention snap back toward her. She was shuffling over to the bed, carrying a smaller, somewhat dusty bag over her arm. "Don't be afraid, this isn't going to hurt you," she said, giving him at the same time a look that clearly contained sympathetic pity, which Sonic wasn't quite sure how to deal with, having seldom been at the receiving end of such feelings before. Instead, he made do with a simple nod and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed to presumably get up for her. The squirrel took this as a cue to look over at Shadow, who had just lowered himself into the writing desk chair, while Hathor was now getting busy with the baskets.
"My Prince, is he allowed to leave the bed?"
"Hm? Yes, he is," the black hedgehog replied with a frown. Sonic meanwhile shuddered at the idea of some Masters perhaps truly confining their slaves to the bed and nowhere else…
"That is kind of you," the squirrel said with an incline of her head, while the white cat took that as a cue to shoot her subordinate a stern look.
"Rosie. It is not your place to judge the Prince's decisions concerning how he handles his property. We've talked about this."
"Yes, Mistress Hathor," the squirrel replied automatically, by now already turning around to Sonic again. She reached into her bag and took out a thin, brown blanket that she spread in front of the bed. "Get down onto that," she instructed Sonic. "I have to clean you first and you wouldn't want your Master's bed to get dirty, would you?"
Shadow could almost hear Sonic's thoughts here.
Nevertheless, the collared hedgehog for the moment only slipped off the bed's edge and stepped onto the blanket. Sonic wasn't exactly looking forward to whatever came next, but as long as it wouldn't involve water…
"Lower yourself onto all fours," Rosie told him next – before reaching into the bag and extracting a curry comb. Made from wood.
Next, of course, Shadow could already have head-desked.
"What the hell, I'm not a horse!"
xxx
"So…you are 'Prince' Shadow, the son of the 'King' and this is your personal 'slave', Sonic. Is that correct?"
"I haven't yet officially given him his name, but yes, otherwise this is the truth. I am glad one of you commoners at least seems to listen."
"…right," Ebony replied very matter-of-factly, the black-furred feline wearing a purple dress not able to recall whether she ever had to use so many verbal quotation marks when dealing with a patient before. As police psychologist, she had been called into the office only a while ago – but she hadn't expected to have to deal with world-reknowned hero Sonic the Hedgehog, who, even for her standards, seemed to have 'lost his marbles completely'. She tried to address him, though.
"So…Sonic, then. What Shadow says is correct?"
The blue hedgehog didn't answer, just clung to the other's leg a bit tighter. Shadow and Ebony both sat in comfortable plushy chairs, but Sonic for some reason had chosen to remain kneeling on the floor.
Shadow sighed in annoyance. "He isn't allowed to talk without permission. And, you've failed to use my correct title, again." He raised an eye ridge. "Honestly, you don't seem to be very bright."
Ebony slowly counted to ten in her head.
"Very well. Prince Shadow, I need to be able to talk with both of you if we are to make any progress. Otherwise I have to talk to Sonic alone if you chose to remain obstructive."
The black hedgehog's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't do that in your position."
The feline sighed. The problem with patients believing themselves to be royalty mostly was that when you asked them 'You and whose army?' they usually just pointed out the window.
"Separate me and Sonic and my father's soldiers will have your village erased from the earth and your head displayed on a spike."
Hoo, boy…
xxx
"Your slave talks without permission, my Prince?" Hathor raised an eye ridge in disdain and Shadow's eyes blazed.
"Not for long, he won't," he replied, rising out of his chair and striding over to a now surprised-looking Sonic on the floor. Emerald eyes stared at him questioningly from where the blue hedgehog was kneeling on the mat, not at all sure what his supposed Master was up to now, and then, before Sonic even had time to think about resisting, Shadow had already grabbed him by the collar, forced him forward onto all fours, and three stinging smacks had landed on his behind. If Shadow had been able to capture Sonic's face on a camera that very moment, it would have been priceless.
"There. That should have taught him," Shadow said as calmly as ever to the squirrel who had covered her face in shock at the punishment (and who probably had even expected something worse) and ignored the satisfied, cool nod from the feline in the background. Sonic, who had just about recovered from the fact that he had just actually been spanked, twisted his head in the collar Shadow still held him on.
"…I'm going to kill you."
"Act like a slave and I don't have to treat you like one," Shadow replied in the same whispered tone without emotion, before his lips twisted into an ever so subtle smirk. "And I'd look forward to that." He raised himself again to stalk back to his seat, but not without giving a last, slightly proprietorial pat to the (now slightly tender) cheeks of the other. The Ultimate Lifeform believed he could almost hear the collared hero grinding his teeth as he walked away.
As he seated himself in his chair again, he could see that the maid called Rosie had already crouched down at Sonic's side again, apparently muttering a few soothing words to calm his 'upset' slave. The fact that Sonic was presumably already plotting terrible vengeance in his head was something she probably didn't need to know. Shadow put his feet up on the desk, absolutely content with letting the feline groom his fur with the most delicate of brushes and watch Sonic having to squirm in silence some more.
xxx
The hero of Mobius at the moment was not happy. He was still crouching on the mat on his hands and knees and now had to endure the squirrel rubbing him down with the curry as if he was about to be saddled up during the next few minutes, so Shadow could ride into the ballroom on his noble 'hog or something. Sonic groaned quietly. Also, his behind now actually stung a little, the Ultimate Lifeform's slaps, while far from cruel, having been forceful enough to produce a satisfying smacking sound and a little throbbing reminder until this procedure was finished, presumably. Of course, Sonic was well aware that Shadow hadn't wanted to hurt him – if that had been the case, he probably would have used the crop, which Sonic had had the displeasure to feel too often since he'd become a slave in this dimension – but only wanted to bruise his ego a little, since he knew that that was more effective on the stubborn blue hedgehog by far.
Sonic had been staring with an unfocused gaze at the wall as his mind mulled over the injustice done to him – and tried to suppress the very light blush it had also produced, the feel of Shadow's hand on his behind not having helped in that department – when the curry comb was suddenly dragged over his very sensitive side and his head snapped up with wide eyes before the hero of Mobius was forced to dig his fingers into the mat, bare his teeth and bite his lower lip, because of course she was now going to clean the most ticklish spot of them all. Sonic could almost feel Shadow's smirking gaze on his body as he tried his hardest not to gasp or to wriggle as the cleaning tool danced over his flanks, and, eyes squeezed shut, swore he wouldn't let Shadow get away with this.
If we ever make it to this dinner, Shads, I *will* make it a date to die for.
xxx
Shadow the Hedgehog was leaning back in his seat and enjoying the show. Of course, he was far from harbouring sadistic or malevolent feelings for the other hedgehog, and if the female squirrel had actually done anything to cause Sonic real pain or discomfort, he would not only have put a stop to it but also would have been wearing a fur stola as accessory for the dinner.
However, the elderly servant called Rosie actually seemed to be quite gentle with him…right now she had exchanged the curry comb for a dandy brush and was using it to clean Sonic's headfur while the collared hero had sat back upon his heels again and was enduring the treatment in silence. The squirrel female was stroking him now akin a scared feral animal as she went over his left ear, the blue triangular appendage stubbornly flicking upwards again each time the brush forced it down. Sonic's eye on that side was squeezed shut in an instinctive protective reaction, the right one watching his caretaker with a bit of wariness and a bit of a contemplative pout on the blue hedgehog's face, as if the supposed pet hadn't yet quite made up his mind what to think of the procedure. Again, he squirmed a bit as she brushed over his stomach – both Sonic and Shadow noted with relief that Rosie apparently had quite a bit more sense of tact than the rest of the castle employees and left Sonic's more private areas alone – and Shadow couldn't help but notice that so far, he had been the only one whose touch hadn't made Sonic cringe, but was actually actively sought and leaned into when offered. A small smile had almost stolen upon his features, had not Hathor at this moment finished her brushing and dusting of his fur and made a remark upon his wardrobe.
"Are you not planning on taking your…jewellery off for the night, my Prince?"
Shadow turned around in his chair and Sonic looked over at the cat as well. Shadow frowned, at the same time unconsciously grasping the power ring on his left wrist with his right hand.
"No. Why should I?"
The feline's tone was neutral when she spoke again, but there was nevertheless a hint of disdain snaking through her words.
"It might seem a bit more…suggestive of a banded pet than a noble. No disrespect intended, my Prince."
"Let that be up to my judgement," Shadow replied coldly, yet there also was a faint aura of warning. The female seemed to take the hint.
"Certainly, my Prince. I will now file and polish your quills, if I may."
Shadow merely turned around again, meeting with the slightly curious stare of Sonic, while Hathor behind him seemed to bend down and extract various metal tools that she was about to apply to the black spines on his back. Shadow wasn't particularly worried – the feeling he had in them was comparable to the feeling a human had in their hair. Now the squirrel seemed to address him, though.
"May I remove your slave's clothing, my Prince? I need to clip his nails."
"...he can do that on his own," Shadow replied with some retardation (and having caught a glance of Sonic, who was frantically shaking his head in the background), but a polite cough from behind him cut him off.
"My Prince. I know slaves sometimes appear to be somewhat intelligent, but let me assure you, they are not. They cannot even care for themselves, let alone wield any tools. It would be best if you let Rosie take care of this."
"It is for the best, my Prince," the squirrel agreed demurely. "Bed slaves often have very overgrown nails on account of being confined to the room and not being able to walk or run, so in doing this you can avoid further injury to him."
Shadow raised an eye ridge. Declaring that Sonic hadn't been able to run enough was tantamount to saying a puppy in a wheelchair wasn't cute enough. Of course, he was under no illusions that their one day out in the city and the couple of times he had taken Sonic around the castle or for a walk in the park (or the occasions where Sonic had simply run away to go exploring) were anywhere close enough to satisfy the urge for freedom and movement his collared hedgehog harboured, but Rosie couldn't know that – and by now Shadow was imagining to pick up just that slightest hint of resentment from her towards him. His eyes narrowed.
"Very well. But don't hurt him or cut his feet."
Sonic shot a look of despair at him as Rosie turned back to resume her work, moving Shadow enough to add "Oh, and let him hold on to his shoes – he gets scared otherwise."
Sonic's gaze changed from dismay into a 'Har Har'-version instantly, accompanied by a simple "Of course" from Rosie and a slightly disapproving tsk from Hathor. Shadow watched as Sonic reluctantly had to sit back on his behind as Rosie lifted his legs and pulled off first his shoes, then his socks; she gave the former to Sonic to hold as promised (after subjecting the anachronistic sneakers to a slightly curious look, anyway) and discarded the grey, lumpy woollen socks behind her. Sonic long ago had had to exchange his white cotton ones for a medieval substitute, since with his constant shoe-wearing habit a pair rarely stayed fresh for longer than a day. Shadow was luckier in that respect since he didn't actually wear any; the jets embedded in his hover skates were powered by the Chaos Energy he kept and channelled through his body, and the receptor plate in his skate worked best with direct skin contact. Which of course had meant that Sonic had been able to wear the socks meant for the Prince – yet that still hadn't spared him from now having his feet exposed and in Rosie's hands, a fact that obviously made the blue speedster more than uncomfortable. The squirrel raised an eye ridge as she looked at the toned and well-muscled blue-furred foot, apparently not quite having expected what she found. Shadow thought he could recognize a little smile on her face.
"They haven't crippled you or burned you across the soles…that was nice of them, you're very lucky."
The words had been a whisper, as evidently Hathor hadn't even picked them up, but Shadow's artificially engineered ears had heard them well enough, as apparently had Sonic, who now regarded the female servant with a bit of surprise. Next, though, she reached for her pair of scissors and shifted her grip from his ankle across the underside of the blue hedgehog's foot and Shadow was once again treated to the sight of his pet deliciously arching his back and cramping his toes up, his feet obviously even more ticklish than the his sides.
Sorry, Sonic. Can't help you there, Shadow thought with some amusement while behind him, Hathor was busy filing away at the tips of his headquills and polishing the blade-like spikes with a cloth drenched in some sort of fragrant oil, Shadow's reflection in the mirror looking sleek and shiny.
Sometimes, being a prince was the life.
Xxx
I hate him…I hate him…I hate...oh gods, not THERE!
Sonic had thrown his head back as his hands clawed desperately into the carpet beneath his fingers, the hedgehog panting as blue toes wriggled futilely in his keeper's grasp, every movement of her hands on his sensitive soles making him want to kick loose and escape this torture. The hero of Mobius could feel sweat already breaking underneath the fur that had so laboriously been groomed over the last half an hour, including Rosie making a valiant attempt at straightening out the quills that had been mussed up from Antoine poking a blade through them. Usually the blue speedster kept his spikes straight through simple spinning in the air during homing attacks and the like, the centrifugal force of his high-powered spins enough to get them back into their aerodynamic shape, but he hadn't been able to do that since he got here, and as a result, they had been a pretty good mess by now.
Rosie shifted her grip again to proceed with her work and Sonic nearly bit his tongue in an effort to hold still. This entire day had consisted of people trying to touch him where he didn't want them to and/or trying to kill him, and while Sonic preferred the latter, neither of the experiences had been particularly pleasurable. The collared hero watched with a resigned and unhappy expression and drooping ears how Rosie finally clipped off the last of his nails (that weren't overgrown, thankyouverymuch) and he was allowed to put his foot down again as she retrieved a fresh pair of socks to put on him as well as his beloved sneakers.
He spotted Shadow looking at him with a kind of worrying interest and Sonic made a mental note that while he might permit the black hedgehog to…do certain things to him in the future, he'd make it a firm point that his sneakers stayed on. Now that Shadow knew where and how Sonic was as easily to push to breaking point as a kitten suspended above a bathtub (actually, that would suffice in his case, too….) he had no intention on giving the black hedgehog the chance to repeat his former 'punishment' when Sonic had pounced on him two days ago.
"Where are his items, my Prince?" Rosie asked at this point and Shadow indicated the drawer where Sonic had shoved the accessories bought in the city upon first arriving home and getting rid of them. The mood of the blue hedgehog darkened further. He had hoped not to have to wear them again; they made him feel even more restrained than he already was. Sonic sighed. At least he was able to take himself not quite that seriously, which was why he had been able to play this ridiculous charade in the first place. He snorted.
Yeah, Shads. Would like to see *you* in my place.
Rosie returned with the bands and belt again, but fortunately had left the more…intrusive…items as well as the muzzles the other Prince had previously bought in the drawer straight away. She beckoned Sonic to stand up and fastened the bracelet around his biceps and the two cuffs around his ankles as well as the pair around his upper thighs. Next was the belt around his waist, at which he winced when she tightened it to the same level Shadow had previously – which was just enough to be uncomfortable. Sonic was glad he would be able to loosen it as soon as the females were out of the room, but then the squirrel actually surprised him by giving him another sympathetic smile and doing so herself. "There, there," she said quietly, running a hand through his head fur like he often had with Tails. Blue ears twitched in curiosity, as emerald eyes met the aged gaze of hers, an unexpected gratefulness in them. "I wish you wouldn't have to endure this fate, poor thing," she whispered, still petting the hedgehog slightly taller than her, "Let's make you at least as comfortable as your Master permits."
"Uh…thank you," Sonic replied sincerely, glad that there actually were nice people around in this place. She looked up with a bit of a start, blinked at the hedgehog regarding her quizzically for a moment, and then at last broke into a wide genuine smile, showing off her rodent front teeth.
"Oh, that's nice, you are polite," she breathed, before then bending down to her bag again. "For such a nice pet like you, I think I even have got a special treat…"
Sonic's ears perked involuntarily up at this. He highly hoped this treat was edible since he hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday lunch, even if he was at the same time just a tiny bit annoyed that his unconscious was actually starting to let him react like a genuine slave – how long until he would roll over and beg when Shadow asked him to?
"I know that you are not allowed to own anything, but I hope your Master may let you keep this. I think it is perfect for you."
And then his eyes grew wide and wider as the squirrel pulled out the very long and very red item that was supposed to be his 'treat'.
xxx
Shadow, meanwhile, had had perfume dabbed behind both twitching black ears, sensitive nose crinkling at the too strong smell and had then been hustled behind a Chinese-looking folding screen Hathor had extracted from behind the chest of drawers. On it were several staring and possibly deranged feral pandas depicted and Shadow had the tiniest inkling that they were all secretly laughing at him as he was struggling into the garments given to him.
"Is all of this really necessary?" he asked, even though he knew the question was futile.
"You are the Prince, my Prince. Of course you have to appear your best for the ball. May I have a look?" the feline asked, to which Shadow grunted his assent without really caring. He wasn't entirely sure why the screen was even necessary in the first place. The white-furred cat stepped around the contraption and gave him a long look, but was apparently very pleased with what she saw.
"Verrry well, my Prince," she purred, "These are the clothes of a true heir to the throne. I do believe we have finished our work here."
"Indeed. Thank you, then," Shadow replied, relieved that this was to be the end of it. "You and Rosie may go now. Take the evening off if you want to."
"Too kind, my Prince. Come, Rosie," Hathor called to the squirrel behind her, who Shadow could hear picking up the baskets and uttering a quiet, but respectful good-bye to him. So far, the Ultimate Lifeform was still busy looking at himself in the mirror and trying to decide what he thought of the get-up. The door fell into the lock as the two servants had departed, and the Ultimate Lifeform took that as his cue to emerge from behind the screen himself and let Sonic have a look at him. And then he stared.
xxx
Sonic took a double-take. Shadow was not only dressed to kill, due to the brushing and cleaning of his fur he looked also as smooth as James Bond out for a Casino night (and one that wouldn't include a tour of the sewers after losing all of his rings, too). He was wearing a cape now, heavy in lush red velvet and fastened to his left shoulder by a golden plate reminiscent of an ancient commander's armour. His legs were clad in red and black gaiters secured with a buckle that made him appear like he was wearing boots and wound around his waist was another belt from which an ornamental silver sabre hung, the trademark of nobles throughout the ages. On his head perched a crown – a diadem, placed between the two ears and divided into three jags. It was a strange combination of gold and corroded black metal, as if it had once been bright and shiny but had been overtaken by something darker as the years went on. There was a tribal-like spiral design etched into it, the same that Sonic knew was on his collar.
All in all, the blue hedgehog had to admit he liked what he saw…right until Shadow's sudden stone-faced expression and slowly rising eye ridge fiercely reminded the hero of what he was currently wearing.
"Nice ribbon, faker."
"…shut up."
Sonic couldn't fight the heat rising into his cheeks, which also unfortunately complimented the large, red ribbon tied around the side of his neck rather nicely, he thought surly. Emerald eyes looked away quickly, the hero of Mobius crossing his arms and refusing to make eye contact.
"I hope you know I'm not planning to wear that."
"I was hoping you wouldn't," Shadow replied conversationally, trying to suppress his amusement but failing slightly. "It doesn't match your other items at all."
"Thanks," Sonic muttered dryly, freshly cleaned peach fingers already digging into the knot that forced the garment around his neck and tugging it loose. Underneath it was still the collar, but at least he had gotten used to that by now.
"Also, of course, I wasn't planning on showing up at dinner accompanied by the Easter Bunny."
At which point, of course, the ribbon was flung at Shadow's face.
xxx
"Tell me a bit about your life, Sonic. Have you always been a…slave?"
"Yes, you can answer her," Shadow said reluctantly as the blue hedgehog questioningly looked up at him. "You remember about your previous life, don't you?"
The hedgehog on the floor nodded. "Yes…" he said, not raising his gaze from his own bare feet. "I was a…Wild. I lived in a…village, and then on my own before the slavers came and caught me."
"Hm-hmm," Ebony said and jotted something down in her notebook. "What was the name of this village, Sonic?"
"…" There was a pause, and again the younger, dishevelled-looking hedgehog looked up at the black one, this time as if for re-assurance. "…I was caught on Christmas Island…"
"So Shadow said beforehand," Ebony replied. "But what was the name of your village, Sonic?"
"I…" the blue hedgehog hesitated. "…it didn't have a name…"
"What were the names of your parents? Your friends?"
"I, I don't know –"
"You're scaring him! Stop it at once, I won't allow it!" Shadow barked at this point, rising from his chair and while Sonic on the floor was looking ever more distressed. Tails and Knuckles were watching the proceedings in the room through a one-way mirror with concern etched on their faces. The echidna looked down at the younger fox.
"Does Sonic even remember his parents?" he asked. Tails shook his head.
"No. They died when he was barely a year old. But he knows his dad was called Jules, he told me. And while where he grew up might not have had a proper name, he usually refers to it as 'Green Hill Zone village' since it was the only one there."
Knuckles frowned. "So…he isn't only delusional, he also suffers from amnesia? Is Shadow contagious?"
Tails shook his head again. "No. I can read my big brother's face like a book and I know how he looks when he has forgotten something. But he hasn't." The little fox turned a confused frown toward the Guardian. "Knuckles, for some reason, he is lying."
xxx
"Right. Ready to go?" Sonic asked Shadow, who was just adjusting his new cloak a bit. "And don't think I'm not gonna get you back for those slaps, by the way."
The black hedgehog seemed non-impressed. "There were people in the room and I had to punish you. Be glad I was able to think of a non-painful way at the time."
"Non-painful. Yeah, right," Sonic retorted sarcastically, rubbing his rear-end in mock anger. "I hope you know my revenge will be terrible."
"Don't. This is important and I'm looking forward to this dinner if only because the day so far has been a total waste of time."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Sonic replied, casually handing Shadow his new (gold-fibred) leash that Hathor had left and turning his head aside so the black hedgehog could hook it in. His supposed Master raised an eye ridge.
"Oh yeah? Why? Did you enjoy your slave lessons so much?"
"No, not because of that," Sonic waved him off, ignoring the customary tug at his neck with which Shadow usually checked whether he had attached the lead correctly, "It's because we've now got proof that not everybody in this world is a total screwed-up psycho."
"And the sane Sonic the Hedgehog came to that conclusion because…?"
"Think about it, Shadow. Silver was kinda nice to me and actually lets slaves talk and reason with him. And just now Rosie, she clearly wanted the suffering of all the poor people here to end!"
"Yes. But you're also forgetting that it was in this kingdom that people tried to gangbang you in the corridor. Twice," Shadow pointed out dryly, of course ever the Mr Reality Check. He briefly wondered whether it was that tactful to remind somebody that people recently tried to rape him, but then dismissed that notion. One thing he appreciated about Sonic at times was that the blue hedgehog placed equally minute importance on that insanely complicated set of social rules and etiquette that Shadow had never quite managed to figure out himself.
"Yeah, believe me, am not gonna forget that any time soon," Sonic replied, his expression hardening even if he didn't seem disgruntled with Shadow for bringing the point up. "But the important thing is there's hope, Shadow. You said that even if we defeated Black Doom it might just end up worse. I don't think so anymore. There's obviously a lot of people unhappy here with the slavery – maybe even that D'Coolette guy - and right now we can help them change things."
Shadow was quiet for a moment, just staring into the for once serious gaze of his supposed slave, emerald eyes dark, but burning as if there was a fire deep inside them, buried too far from the surface to be ever extinguished. This was Sonic the Hedgehog, he thought. He had been enslaved, abused, chained up, whipped, groped, humiliated and even been nearly killed and tortured at the hands of these people and he was still doing his damndest to save them. Shadow sighed.
Whoever said life was easy if you have a hero for a boyfriend?
"Spare me. I see your point," he said, cutting Sonic off before the other would think that Shadow needed another 'Come to the light side! We have a dental plan!'-speech. Unfortunately, Sonic was full of these. But then of course, this bright and shining, indomitable innocence was why he loved him…
"You're still gonna wear your power rings?" Sonic asked in a sudden topic change with a sideways glance as they were both heading out the door soon after, Sonic following docilely on his new accessory.
"Yes," Shadow replied. "I can't actually take them off that easily, and also…" he pressed his lips together for a moment, before he continued. "…I need them." When Sonic looked at him questioningly, he elaborated, "They help me to control and store the Chaos Energy in my body. It requires a lot of effort otherwise and the way this week has been going…" he trailed off, lapsing into silence as he didn't want to actually admit that next part aloud. He looked up in surprise as suddenly, a bare hand had found its way onto his shoulder, stopping him and then he found that Sonic's face was all at once quite close to his.
"You have been exerting yourself quite a lot recently, haven't you?" Sonic asked, serious for once. Shadow had given up all of his food for him, had had barely a full night's sleep since they had come here, had instinctively defended Sonic against Drago with a Chaos Spear without an Emerald…if Sonic had tried to do all that (or, indeed, if Shadow had really starved him, like he had claimed he would at the beginning of the week) the hero of Mobius would barely be able to walk now.
The black hedgehog looked aside. "Well…"
Sonic grasped his chin lightly and kissed him. "Thank you, Shadow." And before the Ultimate Lifeform could fully recover, the hero of Mobius was already grinning again. "So, tell you what, how about you truly stuff yourself at this dinner before we snatch the Emerald? I mean, since I'm kinda lacking the time to actually make that omelette I promised you…"
A small smile flitted across tan lips. "I will. And I can always take you up on your offer later, I suppose…"
"With pleasure," Sonic winked – and then they turned the corner and the toad in uniform, who was apparently also the announcer of the evening opened the door to the Throne Room and banged his staff on the floor.
"Honoured Lords and Ladies, Prince Shadow has arrived!"
To be continued…
Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day, Everyone! :D :D :D *gets viciously mauled* I'm sorry, I'm sorry, yet another random silly joke when it was just AFD a few chappies ago - but it's the last one for this year, I promise. XD But ITLPD is way cool, so I thought I should give it a little feature. It's celebrated on Sep 19th, (which is already the date over here on posting...) so have fun tomorrow, by greeting friends, co-workers (and random bystanders - even more fun) with a friendly ARRRR! on your way. Seriously, it's a real thing. Shiver those timbers. Also, if any of you should think that Captain Jack Shadow is the best thing since jars of dirt, I recommend the SatSR adaption on my other account, where he actually shows up AND makes sense in context. :P (/shameless plug)
Also, longest thing I have ever posted this chappie. Even without the pirate nonsense. Just for you :3 Not much happened this time, but I hope you found it cute AND I can promise - next chapter's going to "rock" - which is an awful pun atm, which I hope you will have forgotten by the time you read the next installment and this sad joke will actually make sense to you.
Third, awesome new FANART! And I mean awesome. I won a contest and SegaMew drew me a prize of this fic - it's the de-quilling scene, featuring one of the fluffiest Sonics I've ever set eyes on. Please check it out, link on my profile! :D
Lastly, no idea about the new update. Am flying to Nice in a coupla hours and am not entirely sure about internet connections there - am also nervous about being surrounded by scary french people. Gotta practice this 'parlais' - thing...
So, hope you liked and if you read, please review?^^