Yup, another chapter up in the same day. Truth be told, I wrote these during my classes in school, in a notebook so I could bring them home and edit them when I typed them up on the comp. I gotta say, some parts are definitely different than what I originally had written, so it's no surprise it's a ton better on here! Anyway, onto the story.

Disclaimer: If I ever tried to go around saying I owned Sonic the Hedgehog, which would in a way also mean I owned Shadow, the biohog would come up and blast me into oblivion with several dozen Chaos Blasts. I really don't see how SEGA can stand going around with that fear hanging over their heads every time they say it!

"Ow! Be careful!"

A sharp stab of pain when a bandage was wrapped a little too tightly around a wound. Tails mumbled a small apology before giving Sonic a sten glare. The two of them were in the young fox's kitchen, the fox busy trying to patch him up.

"If you would stay still I wouldn't have to hurt you while bandaging you. What did you say set Shadow off again?" he asked unexpectedly, giving the blue hedgehog a mildly curious look. It wasn't every day nowadays that Shadow beat Sonic up enough that he needed bandages after all, and he was curious to know what had caused it this time. He still remembered the time Sonic had tried to scare Shadow on Halloween, and had only ended up with a black eye and severe internal bleeding.

Feeling a hot blush rising to his cheeks, Sonic valiently fought the reaction away and managed to overcome it. Giving the young fox a sheepish grin, he shrugged helplessly while chirpily answering, "I was talking with some chili dog in my mouth and some of it got on him."

The lie worked like a charm, Tails gave him such an exasperated look that he knew right away he wouldn't question him further, (After all, some things just weren't meant to be known) which Sonic definitely didn't want him doing.

He didn't even want to admit to himself that after Shadow had gotten over the initial shock of his impulsive action and had beat the crap out of him, Sonic in his dazed and pained state of mind had actually admitted to himself that the beating had been… worth it.

He never would have thought Shadow tasted spicy, or that he could make that soft little sound that Sonic was never able to describe. He fervently denied that he had spent ten stunned and pained minutes trying to do so. Moreover, in this completely insane state of mind Sonic had thought he wouldn't mind trying it again sometime, just to taste and hear it again.

Even now, that crazy, delusional thought made the saner Sonic shudder. How could he ever want to actually kiss Shadow? The guy was his best friend, and you don't go kissing best friends and then like it. The idea was just… he didn't know, but he knew to even think it was ludicrous. Therefore, he pushed it aside, pretended it had never happened, that the thought and desire still drifting in the back of his mind didn't exist…

"You need to stop doing things that make him put you in this state," Tails lectured, frowning when he had finished bandaging the beaten hedgehog. "You're not enemies anymore, and you've got enough of them that want to put you in this state that an ally doing so is just crazy."

"It's not my fault the guy has an extremely short temper! Maybe someone should teach him that every now and then he's gonna get some chewed chili dog on him if he's around me," Sonic defended himself, playfully grinning at him.

Tails opened his mouth to return a comment, which would probably have been some disgusted remark about him just waiting to swallow before he spoke, but the words never came out for the doorbell sounding brought their attention to whoever was ringing it.

"I'll get it," Tails said almost instantly, moving away from where Sonic sat on the counter. Quickly he stepped towards the doorway to the hallway where the front door was.

"No, you stay here, and I'll get it!" Sonic offered quickly, hopping off the counter and speeded ahead of him. Hands grabbed at the young fox's shoulders, and he pushed him back gently. Before a protest could come out, Sonic cut in with, "It's the least I can do for you helping me."

Unable to refute this, Tails just gave a small nod and turned around, going back into the kitchen. A quick dash had Sonic standing in front of the door, frowning as the doorbell sounded again. Someone wasn't so patient…

Opening the door quickly, Sonic had a large grin on his face and the playful words, "What brings you here?" were on his lips but died under the fiery stare of coal.

His mouth fruitlessly opened and closed, words trying to come out but not making it as the one at the door stared coldly at him, slowly looking him over, and, noting the various bandages, a spark of approval flashed through the cold one's eyes.

"Sh… Shadow…" he finally managed to mumble out, feeling heat flare in his cheeks just at the sight of the biologically engineered hedgehog. Had he always been so… The thought was roughly brushed away in fear of what would have been thought.

"Move."

A single word, spoken in that deep, cold voice, but held so much weight in it.

"You're standing in the way," the inky hedgehog added, arms reflexively crossing over his chest, and Sonic's eyes caught the action, and somehow he couldn't help but stare slightly at the fluffy white fur on his chest, wondering vaguely if it was as soft and fluffy as it looked.

The shock of this curiousity had Sonic stumbling back, giving the hedgehog outside the door enough time to slip insie and close the door, casting a vaguely urious look at the startled hedgehog before going off down the hall.

Shaking his head quickly to rid it of the poisonous tought, Sonic followed the other. The black-and-red hedgehog hadn't completely ignored him, insulted him unnecessarily, or beat the hell out of him again so perhaps he had gotten over the kissing? Sonic hoped so, it had hardly been two minutes, and already he was tired of being so jumpy around the other.

He found him in the kitchen, murmuring quietly to Tails, who listened intently and held out his hand after a few minutes. Shadow promptly dropped more than two dozen microchips into the fox's outstretched hand, slipping his hand back as soon as having done so.

With a quick phrase of gratitude, Tails raced off without any other word, probably not even realizing Sonic was there again. It was then Sonic realized both he and Shadow were alone again, and his heartbeat quickened at the thought.

Watching Shadow, who hadn't moved much besides a slight shifting to get more comfortable and to cross his arms, who was steadily keeping his gaze on the wall, Sonic itched to race around the room a thousand times.

Eternity seemed to drag on as the silence between them thickened and threatened to choke Sonic, since the blue speed demon could not stand any long silences.

Finally, after an agonizing three minutes, burning red eyes slowly slipped along the wall until they came to rest on Sonic, and on a dark tan muzzle, the corner of a lip twitched, either meant to be a frown or something more… friendly.

Sonic caught the movement and wondered what was going on in the other's head, but he didn't look a gifthorse in the mouth. "So," he stated happily, bouncing forward to make sure Shadow kept his gaze on him (At the very least just to make sure he wouldn't try anything), "what was that all about?"

He could tell Shadow was thinking over his question and weighing how annoying it would be to actually answer him or not, and he must have decided to just answer it whether it was annoying and would encourage further conversation because he raised his right shoulder just a tiny bit in a one-sided shrug. "G.U.N., asked me to deliver those microchips to Tails. Didn't ask and they didn't tell."

A slow blink was a response to the long train of words coming from Shadow, which was rare since really all he'd had to say was 'G.U.N.'. Sonic suddenly felt like he was floating on air. Shadow had decided to speak more than one word or sentence at a time towards him, which must mean he wasn't pissed at him anymore and he didn't have to always watch what he did or said!

With this elated realization, he decided to push his luck and barely gave into the sudden unknown desire to scoot somewhat closer to the extremely dangerous biohog.

"Just out of sudden curiousity, where have you been staying recently?" he asked, grinning. He didn't know why, but he felt it was very important to know this.

A small, slow blink was the only physical reaction he got from Shadow. "Rouge's," was his simple, one-word answer.

The hope Sonic had unknowingly sparked dimmed. Rogue had gotten to Shadow, and he didn't know why he felt so disappointed all of a sudden. "Oh," he uttered in reply to his answer.

Seeing, or perhaps more sensing the disappointement in his voice, Shadow decided to elaborate. "She was letting me stay there because I had nowhere else to stay."

Ears perked up at the sudden noted use of the past tense, and words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "So… so you have nowhere to stay?"

Seeming to realize where this was headed, even though Sonic himself was completely lost and only going on instinct and feeling right now, Shadow's ears pinned back against his skull and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you getting at?"

"Well… er… uh… I mean…" sonic stammered, confused and utterly lost now, instinct not even providing a correct response to the sudden question.

"…If you are trying to offer your own home as a temporary residence..." Shadow started softly, closing his eyes for a few moments while his arms crossed over his chest again, ears barely twitching as he seemed deep in thought over something.

Sonic's breath had frozen in his lungs, and he stared wide-eyed at the other hedgehog. Had that been what he had been going to ask if the track of conversation hadn't been shifted so quickly? How had Shadow known it while he himself hadn't?

"…Very well," he finished finally after several minutes had passed and Sonic had offered no disagreements on what he thought he'd been going to say, eyes still closed yet ears now perked forward again in a relaxed manner.

"But," he added, snapping his eyes open to pin the furry across from him with a very serious stare, "there is one condition first".

"Wh… what is it?" Sonic couldn't help but curiously ask despite his apprehensions. For all he knew Shadow wanted to do some evil thing to him that would leave him crippled or hurt for weeks.

In silent response to his question, Shadow uncrossed his arms and took the few steps towards the other so they were now very close. Close enough that Sonic could once again stare at the inky hedgehog's white shock of fur and wonder if it was just as soft and fluffy as he thought it must be.

His thoughts were interupted by a gloved hand snapping forward and grabbing his wrist, using it to force him forward with a quick jerk, and all his thoughts became silenced as he felt warm heat on his lips, and a spicy taste made him weak-kneed.

Shadow released him and stepped back, slowly licking his lips in mild appreciation, fangs glinting wickedly under the kitchen lights. "So long as I'm allowed to do that whenever I want," he said simply, not in the least bit as breathless as Sonic now was.

Before Sonic's mind could process the words, the pleased hedgehog was gone in a flash of Chaos Control, leaving the still stunned blue hero alone in the kitchen to sink to his knees and try to figure out what the hell had just happened.

"Fuck..." he mumbled dazzedly. "Chili dogs, that's what the taste was… spicy chili dogs."