Chapter 10. Nightmares.

He lies back on the bed. This time, only the left hand is chained to the bedpost, leaving the right limb free. But even this partial freedom means nothing, since he has no strength to resist. There is no gag in his mouth, and he could scream, but he cannot make a sound out of himself.

A dark silhouette looms over him, its face hidden in shadow. But he doesn't need to see it. He already knows who it is.

A shiver runs through his body as strong hands grab him under his knees, lifting him up. He feels the heat touching the entrance and how it rapidly spreads from the lower abdomen to the tips of his folded ears.

He wants to push it away.

He wants it inside.

This contradiction is tearing him apart. While the mind in panic screams “No!”, the body craves touch. While moans of pleasure escape from his mouth, horror makes him shudder.

'No. Please.'

It should not be. And yet it happens. He again dives into a state of frightened duality, not understanding how everything happened and not seeing any way out.

Does he even want to find a way out?

But in any case, he does not have the right to choose - the choice is made for him.

The heat rushes in, not caring at all about his condition, and he screams. From pain? From enjoyment?

...how did he end up here again?

The dark silhouette above him doesn't make a sound, only pulls away, almost leaving him, only to enter completely in a moment with a sharp movement.

'No… no.'

He burns. He melts. The hands that still hold him in the air are molding him with each push to something completely different from before. They change him, adjust him for themselves, subdue, conquer. They say, "Now you're mine."

He knows it's true. It became true when those hands were first to touch him where no one had touched him before. They were firm, but gentle. They pushed and broke inside with force, but sent waves of pleasure with every right movement.

He is horrified.

He is in ecstasy.

He doesn't want it.

He craves it with all his heart.

He couldn't have imagined that this would happen at all. The very possibility seemed unreal, so infinitely far away that he forced it to the back of his mind, never to return to the subject again. But now here he is, helplessly prostrated, chained, unable to escape, unable to hide. And above him is a silhouette black as night, imperturbable in its strength, numb to his pleas. How strong his hatred is, and how long has he been waiting for the right opportunity? Will he be satisfied with one more time, or will it happen again and again every night until he finally breaks down? Part of him is desperate at this prospect. The other part is delighted.

Please let it all stop. He can't take it, he'll be torn in half.

'Please.'

"...please, Shadow."

***

Shadow hated his job.

Every time he opened another report that came from the technicians with dry numbers of losses and successes of drones at the forefront, he could not help feeling helpless and ashamed. All his shaky power and position among the outsiders was not enough to somehow slow down the invasion. Day after day, those he swore to protect died outside the ship's walls, and he, fenced off from them and locked inside a shield by his own free will, just watched his world burn.

And, as one blue hedgehog correctly put it, "was doing Chaos knows what."

Shadow squeezed the pen of the tablet in his fingers. If then, three months ago, he knew what this task would turn out for him, he would... No, why lie - he still would not have refused to take it. But at least, at least he could gather all his courage and explain - confess - to his no-longer-just-a-rival, even knowing what the answer would be.

But it probably wouldn't change anything.

The black hedgehog sighed inaudibly and looked up from the tablet. Opposite his usual place at the table, where he often worked at night, Sonic slept on the couch. They spent the rest of the day without saying another word to each other, and as evening fell, the blue hedgehog curled up again on the sofa, quills pointed menacingly in his rival's direction. And Shadow understood why. His assurances alone were not enough to restore any of the hero's former trust, and Chaos knows if it will ever work at all if he didn't-

...apologize, apologize, you have to apologize.

Shadow shook his head. No. The problem was much deeper, and even the most sincere apologies couldn't fix it. But he was not ready to reveal the truth. And never would be, because what was going on in his head - all his unfulfilled dreams and unvoiced desires - was too tightly intertwined with reality.

The black hedgehog sighed again and returned to the papers. The work, no matter how hateful it was, could not wait. He had already attracted the attention of too many, from the obvious top of the command to the junior officers. It wasn't every day that outsiders infiltrated the main base, so the new prisoner (as well as his current position as the personal "toy" of the second-in-command) caused a wave of discussion and gossip among the crew. It didn't help that the desperate daredevil (or, rather, an idiot) who made it all the way to the living sector turned out to be a hedgehog, and even Master Blue. Everyone wanted to look at the outlandish "primitive", and Shadow was afraid that the Commander, as an unpredictable sadist, would change his mind and decide to bring some entertainment for the whole crew. At best, he could simply put the prisoner on public display. At worst...

Shadow gritted his teeth. The perverted habits of invaders still did not fit in his head. With so many rules and restrictions that did not allow Chromes to look for an official couple by themselves, it would seem that the topic of sex should be strictly taboo. But no - the Empire only encouraged the unhealthy promiscuity of its citizens, who were not even afraid of the prospect of forced sterilization in the case of a "mistake". How, why and where did these traditions come from - there was no answer in public sources not filtered by propaganda, and to ask the rebels - Shadow had not yet gone that crazy.

And what's the difference to him anyway? As soon as the plan was completed and the emeralds were in his hands, he would with no regrets just blow-

A strange sound sharply returned the black hedgehog's attention to reality. Dark ears twitched towards the source, Shadow looked up to understand what was happening…

And froze, forgetting for a moment how to breathe.

While he, immersed in his thoughts, was filling out the papers, Sonic changed his position. The sharp spiky ball uncurled, and now the hero was sleeping, sprawled on the sofa in an absolutely unambiguous pose: arms raised above his head, arching his back and spreading his legs apart, between which...

Shadow hardly drew air into his lungs. The blue hedgehog was completely aroused, and this fact alone was enough to bring him to the same readiness. The sound repeated - Sonic moaned something sensually in his sleep - and Shadow hurriedly bit his lip, holding back his own voice.

'Damn it.'

The dim light from the screen of the tablet was more than enough to see all the details, and the sensitive eyes quickly adjusted to night vision and shifted by themselves to the area alluring them - just below the border of the peach fur, to the delicate, soft skin, the elastic ardor of which was forever remembered by his fingers after that time. Shadow noticed a drop of precum glinted in the darkness, and his mouth involuntarily filled with saliva. What does it taste like, he wondered? Tart and spicy like Shadow himself or sweeter?

'I'm hopeless.'

Tearing his eyes away, the black hedgehog leaned over the table, covering his burning face with his palm, and clenched his teeth. Hopeless and incredibly stupid - why didn't he predict such turn of events? The blue idiot could have a dream about anything, but for some reason, today he was visited by some wet fantasies. Or not fantasies - they probably had something with Rose, she always hung around. Or even with any other girl - who would say no to the Hero of Mobius? And how could he even dream of something like that now? What, Shadow alone suffered from the memories of yesterday's events? Alone felt restless? Alone wanted to-

There was another moan. Painful and plaintive, more like a whine, it immediately cooled the ardor of the black hedgehog and forced him to pay attention to the sofa again. Sonic, contrary to his condition, restlessly tossed from side to side, having already thrown one of the pillows to the floor, and emitted incomprehensible sobs, as if he was about to burst into tears. At the same time, the blue hedgehog didn't seem to wake up, and his unusual and slightly frightening behavior forced Shadow to get up and come closer.

It looked too much like-

Unconsciously discarding the last thought, the black hedgehog shook his head and frowned. Was the hero having a nightmare? Maybe it was better to wake him up?

Hesitating for a moment, Shadow held out his hand and cautiously ran it along the peach chest, barely touching the fur. In response, the blue hero suddenly took a deep breath and stopped trembling. And then he arched up, snuggling closer to his arm, and, spreading his legs a little wider, let out an approving moan. His almost fallen member bled again, and Shadow froze in shock, fascinated by this image.

It looked like... an invitation? Request? Plead?

Did he have any right to follow it?

1.	“Please."
>> 2. Not seeing any visible resistance or rejection,

…the black hedgehog carefully changed the position of his palm and ran his thumb over the nipple hidden in peach fur, which caused Sonic to muffle a sob. Gods, why did he have to struggle again and again from the violent desire to possess this body? Not as a substitute, not projecting his own experience, but for real, when he, Shadow, can approach at any moment, give free rein to his hands without restraining their movement, and receive a sincere moan of pleasure in response, encouraging any further actions, even if he dared to go as far as he wanted to. Why did he have only these brief moments in the darkness, under the cover of night, which he  was stealing from the unsuspecting, peacefully sleeping and so desired in his defenselessness and openness blue hedgehog? Why did he calmly put up with the fact that perhaps, if he followed the impulse, this would be the first and last time he could taste, smell, feel the texture of the skin, hear the short breath caused by the sudden touch of the tongue to the most intimate parts?

Why? Because hope died in him a month and a half ago.

Shadow took a sharp breath and jerked his hand away. No. He had no such right. Not since the day his mind gave in under the relentless pressure of a madman who craved only torture and pain. A maniac who broke him, forcing him to flee into an illusory world of fantasies and dreams, where he himself perverted the image that saved him before but now only served as a reminder of his fall. An image that had nothing to do with the original sleeping in front of him now.

Which he raped a little more than a day ago.

Closed his eyes in pain, Shadow took a step back and turned away. He didn't even have the right to touch him. What was he thinking, deciding to come so close? Why did he watch? How dare he imagine an impossible scenario, encroaching on something that he, spoiled and perverted with lust, was not worthy of?

There was another moan. The quiet, barely audible "Please," that followed it was the last straw for Shadow. He must wake him up. Right now. Otherwise, he would just lose his mind.

The black hedgehog took a deep breath and, diligently looking away, stepped back to shake the hero by the shoulder. "Hey faker. Wake up."

And at the same instant, Sonic opened his eyes wide and kicked him sharply in the chest with both feet, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Not expecting this attack, Shadow flew off to the side, hitting his back on the edge of the bed.

"The hell are you doing?", he hissed as soon as he regained his breath.

And then he stopped short: the blue hedgehog, raising his quills and tensely pricking up his ears, was breathing rapidly, and in his eyes, still covered with a veil of recent sleep, genuine panic burned.

What did he really dream about?

"Shad?" Sonic asked, frightened. But after a second, his face changed. "The hell are you doing?!", he shouted angrily.

Really, what were you doing?

“Tried to wake you up,” Shadow growled in response, rising from the floor, with one hand pressed to his aching chest.  "Because I got tired of your whining."

The hero froze in confusion. And then slowly looked down and only then noticed his own provocative condition. Blushing up to his ears, Sonic hastily covered himself with his hands and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Y-you..!" he began accusingly, but could not continue because of obvious embarrassment.

"What?" Shadow threw angrily over his shoulder, returning to the table. "I'm used to working in silence, and your wet dreams are too loud. Go deal with it in the shower and spare me from the noise."

Sonic seemed to blush even more. He gasped for breath and disappeared into the bathroom in the blink of an eye, slamming the door loudly in the heat of the moment.

Shadow fell heavily into his seat. Leaning on the table, he hid his face in his hands. In a moment, he bit into it with his fingers and nervously, on the verge of hysteria, chuckled.

Idiot. Gods, what an idiot he was for thinking that the hero could have been dreaming about something other than that.

Stop lying to yourself - you were his personal nightmare.

The black hedgehog lowered his head, almost falling on the table, and grabbed his ears with his hands, clenching them in fists. But before he could continue his self-torture, the room was lit up by a dim, acid-green flash of the medallion. The device sent a vibration down his arm and gave a trill that cut through the nerves like a knife.

With a short sigh, Shadow pulled the tablet closer to him and read the incoming message.

"Richie, I had a bad dream. Come here. Quick."

…

Well, even better - he probably shouldn't stay in his quarters tonight.

***
And yet he had to return.

In less than half an hour, after another dose of humiliating indulgence to Aidan's desires, Shadow was graciously released to go about his business further. And the black hedgehog, once again after the appearance of the blue prisoner on the ship, had an irrational impulse to piss the Commander off, so that, while he takes out his irritation on him, Shadow could stay out of his own cabin as long as possible.

No, such self-destruction would not lead to good.

Unrestrainedly shaking his head, driving away seditious thoughts of simply running away to any other room, the black hedgehog held the control medallion at the sensor, opening the door. It moved aside with a low but still audible hiss, making him worry that he might have awakened the blue hero again.

But Sonic, to his surprise, wasn't sleeping - in the darkness of the cabin, his face was illuminated by a dim glow emanating from the working tablet, into which the hedgehog stared intently, immersed in reading. Shadow paused for a second at the entrance, and then reached for the panel on the wall. 

"You could turn on the light," he noticed.

At his command, the room lit up with a muffled glow, which slowly increased in brightness to not cut the eyes accustomed to the darkness.

"I was fine," the Hero of Mobius muttered under his breath, not even bothering to look at him.

Shadow shook his head silently. Then he walked past the prisoner to the drawer for spare gloves and, pulling them on as he walked, returned to the table to continue his work.

There was silence for a few minutes. But, when the black hedgehog had already decided that their mutual ignoring was extended for the rest of the night, Sonic suddenly asked:

"What, today your owner kicked you out?"

The pen in Shadow's hands stopped for a moment, but immediately continued to slide across the screen.

“No, I have a lot of work,” the agent replied.

"Right," the hero snorted, "Need to kill as many primitives as possible."

Shadow put his pen aside with a sigh and looked at the blue hedgehog, who continued to read imperturbably.

“Faker, I don’t like this myself,” he reminded him.

"But the following privileges," Sonic waved his hand in the air vaguely, "suit you. And the bed is softer in the captain's cabin, isn't it?"

The black hedgehog closed his eyes and wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Let's not talk about it."

"Okay," the hero shrugged, "Just warn before you drag another prisoner in - I am definitely not a voyeur."

Shadow's heart sank painfully at the other reminder. He needed to apologize. He must do it. A pressing lump of guilt rolled up to his throat, and, with a forced swallow, the black hedgehog opened his mouth, not knowing how to begin to repent.

     1. “I’m sorry.”
>> 2. "Are you going to sleep tonight at all?" escaped his lips instead.

"While you are hanging around? No." the hero cut off, furiously brushing something on the screen with his finger.

Shadow breathed out. The moment was lost, and he had no choice but to continue to play his indifferent role. 

"I already said I'm not going to-", he tried to remind him.

“Then you could just let me watch my “wet dream,”' Sonic interrupted him through his teeth, unable to hold back the blush that appeared on his cheeks. “I wouldn't even remember it in the morning. But, oh no, I'm distracting him from work!" The tablet crunched dangerously in his hands when the blue hedgehog squeezed his fingers tighter. "Just admit that you simply dream of fucking me again while I can't resist."

Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, oh gods, yes.

Shadow rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I have no idea what you were thinking up there, but you just make me sick.”

The hero snorted in response with distinct doubt. "Didn't notice that it caused you any trouble at that time."

The black hedgehog straightened up. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform, faker, I can control my body if necessary," he said coldly.

A heavy silence hung in the air. Both hedgehogs froze: Shadow - still straightening up in his chair, not returning to the papers, Sonic - frowning and burning the tablet with a gloomy look.

"Keep working, Shadow," the hero said dryly in the end and rolled to the side to face the back of the sofa. "Won't bother you anymore."

The fierce tapping of his fingers on the screen announced that the hedgehog had returned to reading, and Shadow exhaled quietly and went limp, leaning against the table.

With every passing hour it became more and more difficult to hold the mask on.