The Luminous forest glittered with the last droplets of rain in the moonlight. The clouds had finally cleared from the sky, and now all was quiet. The creatures who lived in the forest were fast asleep in their hiding places, having taken shelter from the rain. Even you feel as though you could fall asleep there inside of the hollow tree. The night had been long, and the storm ravenous as it swept across the land. It was as though nature herself was trying to help clear away all of the damage Eggman had done with his latest plan. There was still so much to do, so much to rebuild. The only thing you want to focus on however, is making it home to your nice, warm bed.
Slowly you manage to pull yourself to your feet. The only sound is that of leaves crunching under rubber soles as you make your way down the moonlit path. Now the nightlife of the forest seems to be doing the same. All of the nocturnal creatures rustle and stirr beyond the foliage around you. All of these noises sound normal. All of them are familiar.
All but one.
Someone grunts somewhere near you, and you hear the sound of a body hitting the mossy ground. That surely isn't normal. Despite how tired you feel, your body seems to move on it's own towards the sound of the distressed being just beyond the giant leaves. As you brush the greenery aside, the form before you is dark as the night, save for a messy burst of long hair, white as snow. The jackal's body has completely given out on him, it seems. His breathing is shallow, and as you reach to see if he's alright, you feel that he is hot to the touch and sopping wet. The poor thing seems to have come down with a horrid fever and looks as though he's been thoroughly beaten up. The first thought that comes to mind is that he was one of the many civilians that rushed to rise up against Eggman. With a scar like the one he had across his eye, he looked as though he'd been in many fights in the past.
Despite a strange feeling in your gut that you somehow know him, you try to lift the jackal onto your shoulders. The journey feels all too long, and he almost slips from your grasp more than once. Eventually you manage to get him home to your little apartment on the outskirts of the city. Part of you wonders why you took the long way home. The other part of you realizes all too easily that you thought that the sooner you got home, the sooner your grand adventure would have ended. Besides, if you hadn't taken the long route then you wouldn't have found this poor soul in need of help.
Carefully, you run a towel over the other to dry him off as best as you can. It feels strange to be touching someone you don't know as much as you are, but if you don't dry him off he could get even sicker. The last thing you need is someone getting pneumonia because you were too shy to dry them off. Finally you manage to get him into your bed, pulling the covers up to keep him warm. The fever has him shivering, and silently you wonder if you should have tried to grab some herbs from the forest on your way through. Your own exhaustion is finally catching up. After the great battle with the evil scientist and everything else that had gone on over the last week, your body simply can't take any more. Sitting at the edge of the bed, you feel your eyes drifting closed and your cheek resting against the blankets.
As the sun rises, it shines in through the open window. At that moment, you regret never having bought curtains for your new place. While the warmth is nice, the brightness pulls you out of your sweet slumber. As you awaken, you realize just how much your back muscles are screaming at you for the way you slept. There's a crick in your neck and even your hips hurt from the stiffness of the chair. Or perhaps most of these are the pains of battle catching up to you. Either way, it feels horrid and all you want to do is take a nice hot bath to ease your aching muscles.
First things first, however, you look to your new companion to see if he has awakened yet. The jackal looks so peaceful as he sleeps, and even the sun starting to shine in his face doesn't seem to bother him. The sweet look on his face is enough to bring a smile to your lips. As much as you're curious to see who he is and how he came to be in the forest all alone, he needs his rest. Reluctantly, you stand to give a great stretch before you start your day.
The day came and went, all without the jackal in your bed even so much as shifting in his sleep. He's still breathing, but as you lay a spare blanket out on your couch to sleep with, you can't help but worry. Is it normal for someone to sleep this much? How many injuries does he have? Doesn't he need to eat? Hesitantly, you make your way back over to the bed to look over him again. Just like every other time you'd checked on him, he hadn't shifted. He simply laid there, breathing deeply and not moving much otherwise.
After a moment of contemplation, you sit on the bed beside him. It's important to check and see if he still has a fever. Doctors are hard to get a hold of right now due to there being so many others who were hurt in the battle, but you need to know if you need to try and get into contact with someone or not. Up close, it's far too easy to see just how handsome the dark one is. Getting closer makes your stomach feel as though it's fluttering inside of you. Gulping, you reach forward to press your hand against his forehead.
He gasps, dual-colored eyes flying open as you jump back in surprise. He sits up in a flash, gasping for breath as he looks around in fright.
"Wh-where-?!"
He gives out a strange little noise as he reaches to grasp his head and all but falls back against the pillow. His vision was swimming and it's hard for him to focus on much of anything.
"Easy now," you try to coax, hesitating before you reach to set a hand against his arm. "It's alright, you're safe here."
"Safe?" He snapped, heat rushing to his cheeks in pure embarrassment and rage. "You're the one who should worry about being safe!"
His voice sounds all too familiar. Confusion clouds your mind as you try to realize just where you've heard it before. It doesn't take long for all of the details to fall into place. His voice, the white hair, the dark form…
"Infinite?" You ask, shock rushing through you.
Of all of the beings you could have picked up in that forest, you had to go and find Infinite, didn't you? Everyone wondered what had happened to him after he'd been defeated. The jackal seemed to vanish into thin air. Some assumed that he'd gone somewhere to lick his wounds and would appear again some day to try and take revenge on everyone whom he'd thought wronged him. Others assumed that he'd died shortly after fleeing. Apparently neither of those thoughts were correct. You realize it's important to keep on your guard. For all you know, that first assumption is the closest thing to correct right now. However…
Your gaze wanders down to Infinite's chest. The fact that he was so easily recognized without his mask already has the dark being on edge, but the lack of Phantom Ruby on his chest has him clutching the blanket and trying to hide his bare chest faster than he means to. God, he hates this. He hates being looked at as though he's weak. He hates feeling weak. His body tightens up, and as he lays there watching your every move he readies himself for a fight.
"I remember you now," he growls out. "You're that pest that helped Sonic battle against me. To think, out of everyone who could have found me, it had to be you."
He tries his best to snarl, to look intimidating. Even still, it reads to you as a cry for help. He doesn't have the ruby anymore. He doesn't have Eggman anymore. Heck, it looks as though he doesn't have any sort of powers whatsoever without the help of the scientist.
He's just someone who needs help.
"I'm not going to fight you," you say. "The battle is over, whether you like it or not. Now you can run off into the forest if you really want to. I won't stop you. But my bed is a hell of a lot more comfortable than any forest floor would be."
As much as you want to stay where you are, you force yourself to stand. Infinite needs space. You don't want to force your help on him if he isn't willing to take it.
"Get some sleep. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're here," you promise, crossing your finger over your heart.
It's a silly action, but it means more than you realize. With a soft smile, you turn and make your way over to the couch. While it might be a bit terrifying to try and sleep not 20 feet away from someone that had been previously trying to murder you, somehow you feel as though you'll be alright. Your actions have far more of an impact than you realize. For the longest time, Infinite lays awake in your bed. He tries to tell himself to get up. To leave. No matter how many times he tells himself to get out of bed, he simply can't bring himself to. His internal war rages long into the night before sleep finally overtakes him once more.
The couch doesn't feel anywhere near as good as your bed does. You give a soft groan as you shift against the cushions. Waking up just doesn't sound like something you want to do right now, but your back muscles can't bear to be laying in this position anymore. The smell of coffee wafts through the air, and at first you assume that perhaps you left the window open again and the smell is coming from the cafe across the street. As you sit all the way up and look to the bed, the realization that your guest is missing hits you. For only a moment anxiety wells up in your belly, making it churn uncomfortably.
Where is Infinite? Did he leave? Did he do something? Though you trusted him last night, your worry has caught up to you. Strangely enough, you find yourself less worried about what he would do to you and more worried about what others would do to him if they found him.
"Hey."
The smooth voice makes your ears perk, and as you try to locate the source your eyes meet a pair of monochromatic ones across the room. There Infinite stands, cup of coffee in hand as he leans against the kitchen counter.
"You were still sleeping, so I uh…" He trails off, swirling his cup of coffee for a moment before he takes a sip.
"Oh, no it's okay," you find yourself saying as you stand.
Your sudden motion has him taking a step backward, but for the most part he stands his ground. A look of shame flashes in his eyes at the realization that he'd been about to run, and he tries to hide it by focusing on drinking more of the hot liquid in his hands.
"It's… It's pretty good. You uh, want some?" He asks.
His question throws you off for only a moment before you nod eagerly. It feels like it's far too early to be dealing with the fact that your once mortal enemy just crashed at your place in your bed overnight. It's definitely too early to be dealing with how attractive he is now that you can see his face. With a soft sigh, you make your way into the kitchen beside him to let him pour you a cup of the delicious brew. Without a second thought you bring the cup to your lips, taking a moment to savor the aroma before taking a deep drink.
"You like your coffee black?" Infinite asks, showing the slightest hint of amusement.
"Not usually," You say, feeling a hot flush creeping onto your cheeks. "But you know, I haven't exactly been home in a while. If I do have cream, I'm sure it's gone bad by now."
"Fair point."
It's strange being here like this, in this moment. Not two days ago, the two of you were locked in combat. It was winner take all with the safety of the entire world at stake. And now? Now time seems to have slowed and there's nothing between you but a strange feeling and talk about how you took your coffee. This is… so much nicer. Then again, you suppose any time where you're not fighting for your life is much nicer than war. Just the thought of never having to wage war against each other again puts you at more peace than you're willing to admit.
"So uh, I never did catch your name," he says, half-hiding his face in his coffee cup.
You can't help but smile as you look up at him. Is he...actually being shy? Somehow that didn't seem possible judging from how he was in the past. Perhaps without the Phantom Ruby's influence his personality isn't quite as abrasive.
"(Y/N)," You answer. "It's (Y/N)."
"(Y/N)," He repeats, enjoying the way it flows. "I like that."
As the two of you make eye contact, you come to the realization that perhaps Infinite is going to be a guest in your home for just a little bit longer than you realized.