HERE. HAVE ANOTHER BEFORE I PASS OUT FROM EXHAUSTION.

Yes. It's shorter than usual. But meh, I think it came out alright. Super cheest though. Hope you got some nachos.

Sequel to "My Dirty Little Secret" And Post "Light Up The World"

here's the song for this watch?v=K3GkSo3ujSY

"Why?" was all the reformed villain asked, his icy blues hardening to hide the emotions that were true behind his tears. "Why do you keep me around like this?! Why do you act like you care so much?!," he snapped at the other hedgehog.

Across from him, his blue counterpart froze. One minute they were both enjoying chilli dogs. The hero carrying the conversation like most dinners they had. Yet this one, it seemed that he didn't notice the other slowly broiling in his own inner torment.

Half way through the story involving the most recent defeat on Eggman, which was caused by a beachball of all things, did the green teen finally snap and slam his fist down on the table.

Finally, after what seemed like years, the blue hedgehog found his voice. "What do you mean?," he asked, honestly confused.

Scourge scowled, his angry tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'm a horrible person. I fucking destroyed my world and many people within it. I almost destroyed your world. I almost killed you and your little gang of heroes. So WHY?!," his shoulders trembled," Why care what happened to me? Why did you drag me out of that dungeon? Why did you care for me until I was better?! Why are you treating me like I didn't nothing wrong? WHY DON'T YOU HATE ME DAMN IT?"

The rogue found himself panting, gasping as he looked to the table. Tears falling and hitting the wood with a silence he found deafening. Each breath he took seemed harder to keep steady. "I'm a screw up….Why do you care?"

It terrified him he didn't know the other's true motives. Was he using him? Was he preparing to shove him back to that hell scape? To leave him alone?

Thoughts of betrayal made his heart clench even more painfully after he realized not too long ago that he started falling for the other.

"...Green," Scourge tensed at the voice breaking through his thoughts. Panicked, he fell out of the chair and attempted to run.

He didn't get far, as a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection and pulled him backwards into the other's chair.

His teary blues widened in fear from the other's emeralds that seemed to hold an anger within them. No...No...Not anger. Hurt.

"I care because you try so hard to change for the better! You've been working so hard to try to get better after all you've been through!"

A gloved hand grasped his chin, making him look up and to him instead of away. "You could've given up in that dungeon, but you didn't. You could've snapped back to your old ways after you got all healed up, but you didn't!" The azure hedgehog seemed to be panting just a bit. "You could've hurt EVERYONE when then least expected it." He paused, the emeralds searching for something.

"...But you didn't."

Trembling, the pinned hedgehog finally pulled his chin away from the other. Shuddering as he tried to hold in his out of control emotions.

He needed space, he needed to be away. "Why do YOU hold everything in?," Sonic asked, his tone quiet.
That caught the other off guard. The blues snapping back to him.

"Why do you shove yourself back down after climbing up so high? Why do you do this to yourself? Why can't you have happiness? Why do you constantly need to be alone and in pain?," the azure male's usually smiling look seemed to disappear for a moment. Actual concern showing through.

"Because..," Scourge swallowed, feeling his inside turn and twist in discomfort. "Because I'm ugly….," he whispered," On the inside and out….."

"Who says?!," Sonic said, his hand finding the wet cheek and making the other look up again. "Who says you're not amazing? That you can do everything? That you can BE anything? Who says?!" He asked, his carefree emeralds intense as they seemed to gaze into something more than just the opposing sapphires.

"E-everyone-," Scourge was startled to find himself at a loss. To stutter like a nervous child. "No! Everyone DOES NOT say that!," The cerulean hedgehog reaffirmed, at some point becoming closer to the other in the space.

"The only person who's thinking that, SAYING that, is you!," tears finally seemed to prick in the emeralds.

"You're perfect to me."

"B-but I-"

"No!" The other pulled him into a tight embrace. "You're perfect. You have flaws, imperfections. Everyone does! But that doesn't make you as small as you make yourself sound!"

"Is destroying worlds seriously a flaw?," he asked, his tone exhausted and monotoned.

Sonic snorted," Wow. Getting sass already?," he asked, feeling the other relax into his hold though it was obviously at a reluctance.

After a long moment of just standing there, Sonic chuckled," It's weird...y'know?," he started quietly. "Over the time we've been hanging out, I feel like that….," he laughed softly. "We've BOTH gotten a bit better at things."

That perked the other's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Well….you actually seem to enjoy my stories about my day, and I enjoy hearing what you did all day."

Scourge scoffed. "Well. Yeah. Gotta keep tabs on the potential hazard…," he mumbled more to himself.

"What do you mean?" The other said back.

The scarred male sighed," People always hurt you..Break you...I was...just….waiting to see when you'd….finally come to your senses and throw me out." He was only vaguely aware of his chin on the other's shoulder.

"But….it never came with you...and it scared me…."

Sonic sighed to himself," I'd never throw you out...I'd never leave you alone ever again. I've seen what people can do….To hurt others." The hero sighed, running a hand through the other's back quills. Something he recently found relaxing for the other.

"I won't let you EVER be in that position again...I promise. And you know how I feel about promises."

Shuddering, Scourge finally returned the embrace. Sniffling as he pressed his face against the other's shoulder more.

True. What he felt and what he had was far from imperfect. But it felt….Normal. Relaxing. Comforting even.

And he hoped to never lose that feeling.

Vaguely, he felt the other peck his cheek. "Come on buddy. Let's go relax on the couch for a while ok? We can watch some tv and make jokes." He found himself smiling when he faintly could see the other's smile forming in his mind.

"Alright…."

For the first time in what felt like years, which is probably was, the two never felt more at ease with someone.

They wouldn't change it for the world.