Sorry I keep updating this instead of AGDS ;; I want to focus on art this year and I need to get some fics out of the way gdfgx

This chapter focuses a lot on Shaun too but next one is all about Bitzer babeyy

oOo

The sixth day of that week was the worst for the hero so far.

Shaun had started fine by getting back to the red attire as soon as he woke up that morning, was able to fly around and catch the pigs trash-made bullets to shoot them back with perfect ease. The usual.

That was it, until Super Sheep noticed a certain blond dog standing on the field, shielding the flock from any leftover attacks but still looking up at the show, at the sheep in the sky, with a shine of pure awe and admiration in his eyes.

That mere sight, that reminder of all the thoughts he had been trying to ignore since yesterday, got Shaun distracted enough to not notice where he was flying towards.

In a moment his view got surrounded by leaves and branches as he crashed face first against the top of a tree.

What followed was sort of blurry, but Shaun could recall gasps, various sheep standing around his sore body, and very very distantly, the voice of Bitzer scolding the life out of the pigs.

Minutes later the hero found himself resting over the stone fence, now conscious enough to notice Bitzer shooing away the flock('to give Super Sheep room to breathe', he kept saying). Some sheep rolled their eyes at the dog for hogging the hero, while others moved their brows teasingly at knowing the real reason. Once more, Shaun saw that blushing face and his lips drew into a thin line.

He shouldn't be there. Shouldn't keep Bitzer's hopes up like that.

That was the conclusion Shaun had arrived to the previous night, staying past his bedtime and under the dim light of the lamp while all the saga of the superheroin comics was scattered all over his bed.

From the outside, it just looked like the young sheep had also been dragged to the hero's obsession that got Timmy to draw so many Super Sheeps. The real reason was way more than that, Shaun was in a serious investigation, trying to absorb one and every moment the superhero and the guard interacted in the stories.

He had looked for similarities, things he had mimicked, to see if maybe the characters had ended in the same spot as him. Shaun just wanted to see what they would do about it, what he should do about it.

The results were not as specific as he had expected. The characters were best friends in civil form. They bickered, joked, laughed, and that had slowly translated to their hero-guard identities even if their start was rough. Romance had never really been part of the story, except for some schemes where they had to pretend to be a couple at a dinner. Even then, now that Shaun considered it, the characters had such a special bond it looked like everything was settled to evolve to more if the story took that direction.

Shaun still remembered how worried he looked seeing himself and Bitzer in those pages. Because the series was based on status quo, he would never find something similar to what he needed. Worst of all, no matter how he tried, this really wasn't a situation where the sheep could be told what he was supposed to do. He had to decide based on what he wanted.

But this wasn't Shaun's problem only. It involved Bitzer, and Bitzer liked the sheep in a red cape who went around saving everyone, not Shaun, the sheep who broke fences to later fix them.

The hero felt his heart race at what his mind just implied. Of course he would have to reject Bitzer even if the sheep he liked was Shaun! It wasn't to be mean, but they just weren't- Bitzer himself had said that-

At being unable to make sense of his thoughts, Shaun let his face fall over his hooves, holding back a groan. That situation was awful. He was awful.

Leaving to bear with the light scrapes on his legs alone was what someone like him deserved, so why hadn't Super Sheep left yet? Exactly because of that. Bitzer never let anyone hurt go without at least one band-aid on.

Alcohol and bandages in Super Sheep's case, as a noticeable cut on one of his upper hooves needed extra care. As Bitzer knelt down to disinfect the scrapes first, he chastised the hero for being so careless. Shaun could only chuckle at his friend being so worried even for a superhero who already was used to these things.

Once the scolding part was done Bitzer started talking, a lot; about news that happened in the hero's absence, wondering why he hadn't been there yesterday...

Bitzer looked so bright smiling like that, wagging his tail with such happiness yet being so careful with his hoof... Shaun didn't have the heart - nor the will- to put out that light.

So despite his promise to keep the status quo, despite knowing he should avoid doing anything that may give the dog hope, Super Sheep didn't leave. Shaun just ended answering normally, not taking long to evolve to the usual jokes and such they always shared.

The pain in his hoof barely was there by the time the whole nursing process was done. Bitzer still didn't release his hoof right away, his gaze fixed on the bandage long enough for Shaun to realize they were, technically, holding hands.

This got his heart to skip a beat. It didn't help when the dog finally lifted his head to look at him, eyes so determined the hero sensed danger.

Shaun's hoof moved on its own to push Bitzer's hat down, not brutally but still quick enough to not look smooth as the hero usually was. He bleated to try conceal that with a joke— Aw, was he so worried about him?

Bitzer, though looking slightly upset for the interruption, didn't hold himself back and answered with a sincere nod. Lifting his hat off his eyes like that, smile bright and his tail wagging softly, it reminded Shaun how much of a puppy his friend still was sometimes.

The sheep felt his face fight between a smile and a worried frown.

The original plan of simply doing his hero duty and then leaving as soon as he was done quickly showed itself useless when, as laughs and long conversations had dragged Super Sheep to follow the dog around, the sun had already started to set.

Both were resting over the field by the time Bitzer was done with his tasks of the day. Super sheep was lying on his back, arms crossed behind his head and his gaze set on the blue-going-orange sky; Bitzer sat beside him.

A comfortable silence filled the air as Bitzer tickled the last boxes of his checklist. He was doing that special frown, his tongue barely sticking out in concentration as he tried to get the check marks to be perfect. The hero didn't realize he had been staring and smiling at the little gestures until Bitzer sighed, then looked at the barn for what would be the fifth time that past hour.

Shaun didn't consider the consequences of asking what was wrong until it was too late.

The dog hesitated to answer. After a moment, he showed Super Sheep that one familiar doodle on his checklist and whuffed softly— Just...problems with one of his sheep. Maybe. He wasn't sure.

Shaun bit the inside of his cheek. That morning he had told Bitzer he wasn't feeling well and that he would sleep it off in the barn; an excuse that would give the young sheep enough time to do his hero duties and return to his civil form as soon as possible.

That plan? Failed miserably. And Bitzer? Was obvious he was going to notice the lie. The only reason he didn't go to check on him yet was because Shaun had insisted, maybe too desperately, that he already had a nurse, that being Timmy's mom. Shaun might have to model her new sweaters later that week in exchange, but she was of great help by keeping Bitzer away from the 'nursing zone'.

The young sheep just didn't count with how much this would stress his friend. Now besides having involved Bitzer in an awkward situation with his hero identity, Shaun had dragged his real self to the problem! He kept complicating things and so far had done nothing but stay there and screw things up more. Why?

Because he couldn't do anything else. Shaun couldn't just let Super Sheep disappear, couldn't bear to face Bitzer afterwards, so sad yet glad to have his best friend at his side after a heartbreak, all knowing in reality...it was Shaun who provoked all that.

Shaun frowned sadly as he briefly looked down at his red suit. The question, related to the topic but probably coming from nowhere for Bitzer, escaped his lips before Shaun could control himself— Bitzer really cared about him being a superhero, didn't he?

The dog flinched. He seemed to struggle to come with an answer as he babbled various failed attempts. After a moment, he took a deep breath and actually was able to speak, a paw listing his words as he went along with that— Well, yeah, Super sheep was so cool, and strong, and smart and still took the time to be with him- with them. There were so many reasons to care!

By his awkward grin and tense paw gesturing at him at the end, Shaun could guess Bitzer was biting his tongue to not talk more than he already did. The hero looked away from his friend's face, because he knew Bitzer would be blushing, and Shaun knew he still thought that was adorable. It wasn't really the time to delve on that, to let whatever odd thought that came from that happen.

There was no reason to be disappointed when the answer was obvious, so Shaun forced himself to smile, unable to make eye contact. He bleated— Glad Super Sheep was appreciated.

That was when Shaun thought the conversation would be over. He had closed his eyes after that, hoping that would help, that it would dissipate his mess of emotions somehow.

The hero didn't notice the worried gaze set on him, nor the frown on Bitzer's face before his voice dragged the sheep back to the complicated reality.

Bitzer's voice was soft— Super Sheep was welcome there anytime he wanted, he knew?

Shaun blinked, turned his head. The dog had his gaze set on the horizon, a slight breeze barely moving his ears as he spoke. Shaun felt his heartbeat quicken.

The dog's whuff was nervous, yet determined— He didn't know much about the sheep's back home, why he escaped to be there with them everyday, but they were glad to have him there. Was always welcome to be, hero or not.

Bitzer chuckled out of nervousness as he scratched the back of his neck for a moment, a light blush appearing on his face— Bitzer would like that at least…—he looked at the jero, tapping the side of his head for emphasis—to know more about the sheep behind the mask.

The warm and sincerity in those words felt like knives against Shaun's chest.

Shaun couldn't help the way his ears lowered, nor how he automatically looked away. A sarcastic sourness in his brain had a round of questions ready for this moment. What to tell his friend now? That he actually lived there all the time? That the sheep who was so helpful and fantastic was actually the one who drove Bitzer crazy with antics? That Shaun lied and got his hopes up for no other reason than seeing these things in a book, once again ignoring the possible consequences? Or keep lying, while knowing well it was a matter of time until all this exploded?

He had no escape. Whatever he did Bitzer would definitely hate him at the end

And Shaun would deserve it.

Knowing Bitzer expected an answer, Shaun ignored the sudden lump in his throat and forced a smile. His bleat sounded sad despite any attempts to hide it— Maybe one day.

An empty promise. No more kind words, no more giving hope.

Just another weekly antic which consequences were all to fall on him the moment it inevitably went wrong.

—

The sheep recount didn't go flawless that evening. Silly mistakes like counting a sheep twice or forgetting a number, the kind he hadn't committed since he was a puppy, all of them happening thanks to Bitzer being distracted.

First by the hero of the farm who had left abruptly after their conversation, an expression so sad Bitzer feared he may have prayed on something he shouldn't have. And second, how it was Shaun being outside and not 'sick' in the barn messing up the counting.

The original plan was to ask if he was finally going to spill the beans about what he was hiding, but the moment Bitzer's gaze reached the white sheet in the dark skin, it was forgotten.

He had reached for Shaun's hoof without thinking, held it up to examine it and frown both worried and confused at the bandage there.

Shaun snatched it back before Bitzer could ask.

Yet again Shaun was acting secretively, hiding the cut behind his back and waving the other, mumbling something about an accident before running back to the barn.

Standing there, paw lifted in a vague attempt to reach for who had already escaped, Bitzer could only wonder over and over again why Shaun had looked so terrified of him.