The two had spent at least two hours going against one another. Sonic was positive that it was late in the night by now. He never had any real concept of time anymore in this place. Right now, however, he didn't seem to mind at all. Not right now at least, that was the last thing on his mind. At the moment he was far too into his sparring with Lancelot, and he had begun to wonder if this was a good idea or not.

Surprisingly enough, Caliburn hadn't uttered a word against Sonic's desires to spar all the time, despite how he had developed a hobby out of degrading his wielder. He had made himself clear as to not get attached to, though he did develop some toleration to Sonic. He was, after all, the one who revealed the blue hedgehog to be the true king of Camelot. During the last few days, Caliburn knew that Sonic's nerves were stretched, and that he should not intrude on this personal matter. At a time like right now, Sonic appreciated no intervention.

Their swords repeatedly clashed with one another; unbeknownst to Sonic, each time the weapons sung out from their impact, it sent an exhilarating chill through Lancelot's body. Sonic wouldn't put it past him. Contradictory to the azure hero's adoration for speed, Shadow favored power, and it showed. A good battle was something he loved, which Sonic could understand. He loved the thrill, the adventure it gave, he loved how it got your blood pumping, your adrenaline rushing. Getting cut and bruised and having the absolute confidence and ability to look death in the face and laugh. It made you realize you were capable of doing all these things and survive, it made you feel alive.

It was absolute euphoria.

Of course, Sonic was much more lighthearted than this. Shadow was more violent, thus why Sonic wouldn't be surprised if Lancelot were the same.

Sonic's pent up frustration began to show in his swings and moves, and Lancelot was picking up on them quickly, using them against the sapphire king, which only made him even more irritated. Sonic's ego wouldn't let him lose. It made him a tad messy in the sparring match that had been lasting the last hour. The speedster wasn't even sure now how this would settle his issue with the one that had been causing his emotions to go haywire. Right now he seemed more focused on beating his opponent rather than sorting things out. And in the current situation, he was very slow to realize that this would do him no good.

They both swung, they kicked, punched, and about thirty more minutes into the spar, they had truly begun to actually fight. Sonic had been tossed across the stone room, Lancelot had been kicked off his feet, and after seeing who could punch the hardest did they become fully in tune with one another's strength and desperation to win the battle. What Sonic didn't know, however, was that Lancelot was studying him very carefully. Whether or not he was simply playing along to let Sonic empty his aggression, or that he was truly as aggravated as his rival, was unknown.

Finally, Sonic had found an opening and had elbowed Lancelot in the stomach, grasping his arm and hauling him over his shoulder, landing him on the ground with a loud thud and ran around to face him, pinned him down by hovering over him with his sword. Caliburn resisted a dry compliment to his victory.

Both hedgehogs were panting aggressively, fighting nonstop for two-and-a-half hours taking its toll on them and both realizing they needed to rest.

Yet Sonic didn't move.

Lancelot lay quietly on the floor, awaiting for Sonic to choose the next move. Yet another wave of silence hung in the air, the two hedgehogs slowly catching their breath, staring at one another, feeling something that neither of them could quite put their finger on. The longer he looked at Lancelot, the quicker his mind worked, tangling his thoughts and emotions even further than they were before. His knight was still, not making a single move other than his mouth partially open to breathe, chest rising and falling beneath his breastplate. His eyes pierced through the grates in Lancelot's helm.

The dark one simply waited, almost as if he was beckoning for Sonic to try something, whatever it may be. It was like he was examining his king. Yet another thing that intrigued Sonic, Lancelot was testing him. Sonic had no idea what was going on inside his head, he was an unpredictable sort. The way he seemed to submit for that small moment was nearly out of character for him. It was as if he already knew what Sonic's reaction would be, but was waiting to see if he would choose otherwise. And the hero simply stared.

He's not Shadow.

Sonic's breathing then became ragged due to something completely different than exhaustion, his breath suddenly catching in his throat as he carefully, slowly, moved his sword to the side—much to Caliburn's utter nervousness at the tension of the situation—and tentatively moved his hand towards the helm, aiming to lift it from Lancelot's face. It struck as a realization then that Sonic was nervous. His hands were shaking, as if he would be sharply rejected. His fingertips cautiously stopped just atop the helm's metal, barely brushing them against its surface, an implication that he possibly thought he should not go through with this.

Did his king truly fear his intentions?

And that was his opening. Lancelot, in a black blur, shot a hand up to grasp Sonic's arm and throw him onto his back on the ground, Caliburn slipping from the azure hedgehog's grip and clattering to the floor with a minor yelp, Lancelot repositioning himself exactly where Sonic had been a few seconds ago, holding the edge of his blade close to Sonic's face. What had just happened was so fast that even Sonic the Hedgehog had to take a moment to figure out how he was lying on the floor now. His brain was definitely scrambled right now.

"You let down your guard, my lord." The way he spoke was enough to drive Sonic's irrational anger through the roof, being at how quietly he had spoken was not helping the situation. "That is a first."

Sonic would have retorted, but his current state of mind was such a maelstrom that he could hardly even form up a coherent response to the statement. However, it appeared that Lancelot had been studying the speedster—or maybe Sonic was too easy to read, either one of those made him shift uncomfortably—and slowly reached a hand up to his helm, lifting it from his face and, to Sonic's surprise, took the entire thing off and gently sat it aside on the floor next to them. Sonic stared. Again.

And there was his face, eclipsed and shaded from the lights that gleamed behind him; curious, mysterious, shining were those rubies he had for eyes. More silence, and Lancelot once again took the opportunity to try and break it, by very, very slowly reaching his free hand up, but halting before he went too far. He paused. Like he was waiting for an approval from his king to even so much as touch him, Chaos knew what kind of disruption that could cause should it get out into the public, it was a gesture that could mean a number of things, and the azure hedgehog made no hint of negativity towards his knight. He took the hint, and proceeded, a gauntlet-covered hand gently, halfway cupped the side of Sonic's face. Nothing more. Like he knew that he should not intrude any further, that he knew what the other was thinking.

Yet, this was probably the second time he had seen Lancelot unmasked. And he had the slightest of smiles, soft, warm, welcoming. There was no contempt or disgust within this knight's face.

Sonic's breath hitched.

"Now that we are at a mutual level of interest...this would...most likely be a good time to explain what is bothering you...Sonic." He still spoke so softly, quietly, trying to not startle Sonic any more than he already was. And, to top it off, this was probably the first time he had said his name without addressing it with a title.

So he did know, then. Truthfully, Sonic wasn't too shocked, but that didn't make him feel any less insecure. "You..." He gulped, choosing his words very carefully. He wasn't even sure how to put it. "...remind me of someone. Over in my world."

Now Sonic was very happy he could see the other's face. Lancelot's brows raised, and this time a more noticeable smile—no, a grin, came onto his face. "I had gathered that may have been the cause of your unrest." He propped himself up on one knee and helped pull Sonic into a sitting position. "I remember you mentioning that significant others here are like people from your realm."

Sonic nodded, idly reaching a hand up to brush his fingers against the spot Lancelot had touched. "Yeah..." He shot a nervous glance at the knight. "...Sorry about that. I kind of...have unsettled business with him, I guess."

Lancelot's only response was a mere shrug. "Interesting that it is a male, though, that you are drawn to."

The hero glared at the floor, seemingly embarrassed by this resolution. "Yeah. I'm still trying to work that out myself. I never would've even thought..."

Lancelot bore a hesitating glance at Sonic. He had realized that he was, in some way, part of the problem, and in doing so caused him to be very cautious in what he said, or did. "So, the one you are interested in is an alternate version of myself." It was more of a statement than a question. He didn't really need to ask, it had already been made obvious.

Sonic merely nodded his response, now finding it difficult to look at the other.

"I cannot say that I know how to resolve this. But if it bothers you to this extent, I would not recommend keeping it bottled in when you return home. It ends badly, if the last few hours are any indication."

The speedster was confused, once again. He was wondering why Lancelot wasn't reacting with disgust, or maliciousness. He didn't think they tolerated such things during these times. Yet he was...welcoming it? Well, maybe not welcoming it, but he wasn't giving him any negative responses. Yet.

"Maybe. I'm not too good at this stuff. I've never even thought about this sort of thing before. It just sort of...happened."

"That is how the truest of its kind is formed." This was when Lancelot turned to look at him, giving him a meaningful stare. Both hedgehogs seemed to silently agree to leave unsaid the word they were talking about. To Sonic, it would be rather corny to say it aloud. But he wouldn't dismiss it, because he knew that the subject revolved around that particular emotion. He just wasn't sure whether to pursue it or not.

"I'm still not sure. I guess I can...somehow sit him down and...talk to him or something." Haha, yeah, right, are you kidding? I'm just gonna take Shadow's hands, plop him down in a seat and say 'Hey Shadow I have a thing for you'. That'll definitely work. He chose not to say his thoughts aloud.

Sonic snuck another glance at Lancelot, and realized that the ebony hedgehog was staring at him oddly. The realization hit him a little harder due to the fact that he had his helm off, and it was easier to see where he was looking, how he was looking...and right now he looked like he was trying to bore into Sonic's mind, read it, understand it...comfort it. An unfortunate mishap on Sonic's part when he caught himself looking at the other's eyes, or markings. He had to mentally lash himself again that this was not Shadow. Don't fall for the wrong person. It was like getting a static shock whenever he tried to lean towards the other, and he was suddenly brought out of his musing when he noticed that Lancelot had gotten extremely close to him within a second, but then recoiled and sat farther away as if he had just stuck his hand into a fire. Like he had somehow managed to actually discover what Sonic was thinking. He shifted a little.

"Yo, Lance, you okay—?"

"It is not my place to tread."

Sonic blinked. What...? A sheepish grin formed. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"I am not him."

That certainly brought him back into the reality of the conversation. Hearing him say it aloud seemed to automatically sort out the files in his brain in alphabetical order and slam the mental filing cabinet drawers shut with a loud clang. It was a welcome aid, but definitely silenced Sonic on the spot.

That was when he noticed that Lancelot wasn't paying any mind to his lack of facial cover, and Sonic could have sworn he was seeing several hints of regret and possible disappointment in the knight's features. This opened up a whole new area of exploration in Sonic's mind, to which he inwardly colorfully cursed and swore at it wasn't like there was enough going on in his head to give him a headache already, no.

Was Lancelot...upset at this? That it wasn't him Sonic was interested in? A second time he resisted the urge to laugh—this wasn't like his character at all. There must've been a gas leak. But that would've been absurd. And Sonic was merely speculating and assuming things.

"Yeah...I get that. Is something wrong...?"

The streaked one shot him a look. This time the silence dropped heavily, and lasted for what Sonic imagined to be a good four or five minutes. Something was going on in the black hedgehog's mind.

"Lance...I've already made it obvious what's bothering me. Talk to me." The knight hesitated, but Sonic cut him off. "And no, that was not an order from your 'king'. Just talk to me, like I'm a normal person."

A flash of disbelief in the other hedgehog's eyes. It wouldn't be the first time—nearly everyone he talked to seemed to have the same reaction. Their king? Wanting to converse with less-superiors like them? It was the most complex concept for them to wrap their minds around. It was irritating. Sonic beckoned for him again.

"...No. I am afraid that is not the best idea." He spoke quieter, as if someone would shatter his words should they be spoken too loud for anyone else to hear. Sonic moved to scold him, but Lancelot raised his head to look at his king kindly, gently. It was something that was an extreme rarity on Shadow—this version of him, Lancelot, seemed to still have a softness about him that made it all the more difficult for Sonic to keep to himself.

"My lord—" A glare from said king, "—Sonic...I have no business intruding that far on this issue. It is yours to sort out. He is yours to sort out." A pause, a minor glance at the floor, before turning back to the other. "If you pursue what you seek too far in this realm, you will only end up hurt."

The azure hedgehog took a moment to let this sink in. Then it hit him. Lancelot was possibly having a flicker of the same issue that Sonic was. Something was going on. And somehow, this gave him some sort of twisted hope that it would mean the same for the other one involved in this. But Lancelot? What was he to do? He was right. He realized that Sonic was interested in his doppelganger, and he knew that if he tried to interject, then something bad would happen. Sonic had to return home, that was one thing, but another's feelings were also a part of the problem, and he did not want to be the reason for the wreckage. Especially when it included his king...his adoring king. God help him, were it any different...

But this was a little shocking. It was...Lancelot. Sonic hadn't even thought that possible. He was certain the other didn't think so either, but right now, what he had said, what he had shown; he didn't want to take the role which someone else was supposed to be taking, not to mention what consequences they would receive. A knight becoming intimate with his king? Heaven knows what kind of chaos would ensue should that get out of hand and into the public. Sonic was certain of this too. When in a predicament like this, it had to be treated carefully, and unfortunately, that applied for Sonic's world as well. There was no telling who was bound to blow things out of proportion.

Were there another way for the knight...

The thoughts were quickly shaken off. The night had gone from awkward, to tense, to both crammed together into a mess of nonexchangeable words that were meant for completely different people. Neither would be able to forget, and both continued to think, but Sonic's mind was no longer a hopelessly tangled mess of confusion and frustration. Lancelot's words rang true, and they both agreed; there was no need for more. Sonic had been relieved of the branch of the problem.

Caliburn, who was still lying on the floor a few feet away, took the moment to clear his non-existent throat, disrupting the hedgehogs' silence and bringing them back to attention. Sonic and Lancelot shared a quick glance at one another before they moved to stand, only, unexpectedly, Sonic found himself shooting a hand out to gently grasp Lancelot's wrist, causing him to look at his king in shock.

"You won't ditch me, will you? You'll stay, right here, until I leave." He inquired, maybe a little more desperately than he intended. Sonic wasn't sure why he had blurted that out—by the time he'd grabbed Lancelot's wrist his mind and body ran on autopilot.

It was Lancelot's turn to freeze. He was certain they were both treading on dangerous territory...but he somehow let himself choose to have at least one little slip-up. He waited a moment, before taking Sonic's hand in his own and bowing his head, raising Sonic's knuckles to his mouth to a soft, gentle kiss. The speedster's cheeks flushed and he suddenly forgot if this was a knightly gesture or if this was a bit more personal. Or both.

"I will serve you endlessly until you have departed from this realm." He lowered Sonic's hand and looked back up at him, practically beaming through his eyes as he said those words. He meant every one of them.

Sonic was still blushing, feeling rather embarrassed and close to smacking Lancelot for the overly royal gesture, but appreciated his loyalty. Naturally he would've found it overly-sappy but this time...it was new, like he could get used to it. He smiled at him warmly and nodded.

"Thanks."

And with that, the two of them collected their swords and walked back to the castle. Relief and reassurance had been given, and they would both be ready, whenever the time came, for the moment when Sonic would have to leave. It was inevitable. But after this...Lancelot was a knight. He would serve his land's king no matter what. Sonic was always ready, always to jump into action. He would continue fighting, no matter what happened.

And they would be ready to say goodbye.