I'm baaaack. Sorry it took a while to update this, got half way through then life decided to show up.
Anyway I'm glad everyone like the slow, chill down chapter last time, it's nice to know that it keeps people reading with the serious doom and gloom stuff.
Speaking of which, enjoy ;)
After surviving the terrifying ordeal, the fireplace was lit up and towels were placed down on the floor in front of the flames. Sonic sat cross-legged, a towel draped over his shoulders while he shivered restlessly. His eyes fixated on the flames, ignoring the black hedgehog who walked into the room with a blanket in hand.
"It wasn't that bad" he huffed, already annoyed at the drama.
Sonic gave himself a stiff lip. "I could have died."
Shadow rolled his eyes, sick of hearing it. "For the last time, you were not going to drown by a hosepipe."
"Pfft, the way you were doing it I could have."
The conversation then ended, Shadow refusing to get into this argument again. He stood near the fire, eyes cascading over the shivering form of his prisoner. The blue hedgehog had taken off his socks, letting them dry over the horse rack, much to his annoyance however, the tracking bracelet was kept on. Fortunately, it was water proof. The scar from the bullet wound was intensely visible now in the burning light, it has scabbed and was irritated from the water. However, it wasn't just the scar that Shadow had given him that was now visible, but clearly others that hadn't been noticed before until now. Areas where different scars ran across his legs and feet were covered through dark blue fur, but now the skin bared through, giving thin lines almost like lightning strikes over his legs.
Than however, Shadow looked up. Sonic had happily removed his socks and the bandage that was around his ankle so that the coldness wouldn't make him ill, yet he still refused to take off that jacket. It was ridiculous! He wouldn't even take off his gloves. He was shivering like mad! No matter how close he got to the fire, he wasn't doing himself any good. The jacket was damp, and clung to his skin. Even though he had the towel over him, it wasn't making a difference. All he was going to do was catch hyperthermia.
Perhaps Shadow had been too hasty in blasting him with cold water… outside, after it rained and the wind still blew strong.
"You need to take that thing off" he said.
Sonic looked up at Shadow for a moment, but only stiffened his lip and turned back to the fire, pretending he was fine. By far the agent was not in the mood to deal with this again. The only positive outcome of this ordeal was the horrible odour from the younger hedgehog had finally gone and he was actually clean. But the jacket stunk, smelling of wet fur instead of pine wood that the fur cleaner promised on the label. Shadow had managed most areas, but Sonic wasn't letting him anywhere near his arms, or near his jacket. All he could do was dump a load of shampoo on Sonic's head and let it run down as he washed it off.
It had taken a good hour to finish the awkward job, Shadow wasn't about to let him win now.
"Sonic take it off or I'll rip it off!" he snapped, startling the young lad.
His head shot up towards the agent, eyes now filled up with worry as to what might happen. He had to take a breath, nerves getting the better of him. How could he fight such a small request?
"I… I can't" he sighed, his head dropping low to his knees where he rested his chin.
For a moment Shadow said nothing, his mind seeping into a brief thought. It started to occur to him, something he hadn't considered before. Perhaps the jacket wasn't the problem…
"If you don't take it off you could get sick. What if I gave you another one to wear instead?"
Instantly, Sonic's ears lifted. His head was facing towards the black hedgehog that stood beside him, eyes widened with an emotion that Shadow could not place. He looked neither happy nor upset. It was just a blank face with large eyes.
"Um… y-yeah… yes please" he muttered slowly, as if having to debate it in his mind. Despite the indifference he felt towards his situation however, Sonic was certain of one thing; he was freezing and wanted that blanket in Shadow's hands, but the douche bag was using it as leverage to get him to remove the jacket.
"Alright" Shadow answered, dropping the blanket, expecting Sonic to replace his towel with it. The hedgehog did just so, sighing happily in the comfort of the material.
Shadow left him, and went to his bedroom.
Clothes wasn't something Shadow ever wore. In fact, he couldn't remember if he even had any in this house. It was while since he had been home, his job requiring him to travel around. The only time he would wear an outfit was during undercover missions, but Rouge dealt with all that. He did have a walk-in closet ironically, but it came with the house. Shadow preferred to store his guns and other weapons in there instead. Only he had to clear them before Sonic arrived. No weapons for the prisoner to use. So, all he had in there was a couple of jumpers for the winter times (for extreme frost, providing no one was there to see him), a bullet proof vest, a formal suite which he still had yet to wear, and a red coat that was much too small on him.
He lingered in front of that coat, eyes fixated on its thick padding and rich crimson colour. Shadow kept it in perfect condition. It served as a reminder to the promise he made that day. He promised he would pay that child back for saving his life, for giving him purpose.
Well Sonic was here now… trapped, wounded… frightened?
On one level Shadow felt it was almost repulsive, the twisted turn of events that led to this. What could he do though? Sonic is a thief, and not a minor one either. He's pulled off some of the biggest heists G.U.N has seen, robbing millions from banks to small corner shops. There have been reports of assault from when police officers have tried to catch him, not that he believed Sonic would do this out of violence, but his means of escape was to use his speed to run away. Too many times an officer has been in the way and ended up getting hurt from the sheer force, knocking them back into walls or tables.
The only way Sonic could escape a prison sentence was to help them capture Eggman and prove that he was working under the forceful direction on the madman. However, Shadow worried the kid was too stubborn. He clearly couldn't see the severity of his situation or how important this mission would be to himself, as well as millions of others who would be free from Eggman's terror. Sonic didn't want to know, and Shadow knew why.
He was terrified of Eggman.
So much so that he couldn't trust… anyone.
This was a problem. Shadow needed his trust. He needed him for this mission to work. There was already a plan formed in his mind, and he had hoped to reveal it this morning before everything kicked off again. Now though, he had time to think of this on his own. He knew the best way to get to Eggman and it was through Sonic. Without the blue thief, he had nothing! There was no way his plan would work without him.
Shadow stared back at the jacket, it hung loosely on the hanger, same as it had done so for two years.
It was a risk, this could go either way. Sonic could blame him or this could prove to the blue hedgehog that he could trust him. Whichever way, Shadow was willing to take the risk. He took the coat in hand walked back to where Sonic sat in front of the fire.
"Here" he said while offering the coat.
And then... nothing happened. Sonic accepted it without any problems and then stood up, ready to leave the room so that he could change.
But then he felt the material in his fingers. Oddly it was familiar, soft and padded, and no doubt would be warm. The colour of the material was nice too, a rich crimson red, with golden hems at the seams, and a small gold ring on the zipper for decoration.
His hands started to feel wet, and this time it wasn't because of the water.
Sonic knew this jacket, he remembered the last time he had seen it... "H-how..." he stuttered, barely able to keep his hands from trembling. He opened it up and looked inside for the label. There it was. His name embroidered with golden thread.
This was his coat. The one he gave away.
"How did you get this?" Sonic frantically asked, but his question was answered the moment he looked up. His eyes locked onto the ruby orbs of the black and red hedgehog that stood before him patiently, waiting for a decent response. However, Sonic felt that he couldn't give one. This was like being slapped in the face, with a brick! Shadow... the man outside of the School... he had blocked him from his mind. He didn't remember what that man looked like, what species he was or even the colour of his fur. He never wanted to think about him, or recall that he existed, because whenever the memory seeped into Sonic's mind, all he could picture was his sister lying in blood while crying. His dad glaring at him with hatred in his eyes, his mother and sisters afraid of him... but worst of all... he saw Eggman. The malicious, psychotic grin that haunted him every night. The monster that forced him to steal, to attack, to become a mindless slave, never letting him forget about the past. How his actions could effect the ones he loves... how easily he could harm Tails.
Sonic blocked that man out of him mind, because if it wasn't for that man, sitting in front of the School, hungry and cold, Sonic never would have been late for class. He never would have given his coat away, never would have argued with his parents, never would have hurt his sister, never would have ran away... and never would have met Eggman.
The red coat dropped to the floor, and Shadow sighed after feeling he had waited long enough.
"Listen, I just want to say-" He closed his eyes when he spoke, but perhaps if he hadn't, he would have seen the metal bar coming, before it slashed across his face.
His vision blurred a moment, white lights and black dots as the searing heat tore at his flesh. His legs gave way, and he crashed to the floor. All Shadow could see was the red splatters on his white gloves, and Sonic standing above him with the poker tool that had been resting in the fire.