Eternal Guardian

He studied the cut on his chest more closely, fumbling blindly in the medicine cabinet for the antiseptic, separating the fur with his other hand in the meantime. He finally snatched up the bottle, setting it on the counter long enough to remove the cap with the one hand. He leaned over the sink, pouring a little over the spot and jumping a little at the sting. He found it pointless to try to apply it with a cotton ball, as his thick coat usually prevented a single, clean swipe. This way might waste some of the antiseptic, but at least he got it over with quickly. He squinted one eye as he put the cap back on, using both hands this time, and put it away.

He sighed again, trying to relax his muscles as he got ready for the second shower of the day. Gloves and socks went into the small hamper, and he turned on the water to the cool temperature he preferred, climbing in after only a small wait.

It felt so good to cool down. He'd gotten so sweaty, that he'd almost forgotten what a nice shower felt like. Shadow closed his black lids and leaned into the flow invitingly. He chanced a look downwards, and was surprised at how easily the blood was washing away. Relief was setting in on the ebony hedgehog quickly. He couldn't believe how much better a simple race and shower made him feel.

As the water cascaded over his fur, the drops created a loud but soothing noise that banged against his body, ears, shower wall and floor. Be it that or whatever reason, it allowed a stealthy someone to enter the bathroom as quiet as a mouse just a few minutes after Shadow started showering.

Sonic knew he'd either love him for this or knock him out but it was a chance he was eager to take.

Slipping silently into the shower behind Shadow just as he was facing the shower head, wet blue arms went around the black hedgehog's waist.

Shadow was about to reach for the shampoo when the other sneaked up on him. He gasped audibly, fur standing on end. His immediate reaction was to turn to face the source, but he slid on the wet surface and grabbed a hold of the arms as he started to fall, eyes wide.

Sonic caught him, keeping him up so he wouldn't fall. Teeth nibbled gently at his ear but a second later, a charming grin plastered on the culprit's face. "You know me, so impatient. How about we share?" He loved the cool water running down his frame, easing his muscles aside from the strain of momentarily holding Shadow up. It felt good and having this warm wet body next to him felt even better.

Gloveless fingers went through Shadow's chest fur, roaming down to pet over his stomach, fingertips brushing over his sheath as if to entice him further in his favor. He'd be awfully disappointed if he was casted out now.

Shadow whined, and blushed instantly. He used the support of the other's body to stand, but noticed the suspiciously descending hand and his breathing increased in speed. He made a mad grab for Sonic's wrist, but stopped at the exact moment he was touched in an area that sent chills over him. "Ah!" He clamped his eyes shut, closing his fingers around the suspect's arm and squeezing tightly in a warning. Color rushed to his cheeks.

"Not.. now..." but he didn't pull the arms away. He just kept himself tensed, as if expecting to be attacked. "If Rouge shows up..." He trailed off, leaving the rest to Sonic's logical half, if he had one.

He didn't try to pull his hand away and he didn't separate himself from Shadow either. His free hand reached past him, grabbing some shampoo that he had been reaching for moments ago. "Nonsense. We'll be all alone..." Sonic cooed near his ear and flicked it with his tongue.

He attempted to gently nudge his other arm free of the hedgehog's grip to pour some shampoo into his palm. "Relax, Shadow." He placed the shampoo bottle back and began to lather the clear liquid into that black shiny fur, starting around Shadow's shoulders to massage, and relax his tensed muscles in the process.

Again, Shadow grunted at the contact with his sensitive ear. He watched Sonic get the shampoo, expecting for some stupid reason or another that he was simply going to give up, despite his comment, and clean himself. When he didn't Shadow's ears laid flat against his head - Sonic's next line didn't have the effect the other wanted. Instead, the command Sonic gave him put his mind in a panic. He knew what that usually meant, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to 'relax' right now. He was just trying to get a damn shower!

He winced at the new contact, muscles fighting away the effort the blue hedgehog was putting into him. He started to move away from the other and into the stream of water, not really sure where this was going, and likewise unsure he wanted to find out. He was a little irritated with the fact that Sonic seemed to be implying he was incapable of cleaning himself. "Look.. I don't need your help doing this, faker. Can't I just bathe in peace?"

He was genuinely surprised at how many knots he felt in Shadow's muscles. The hedgehog stayed tense so much, he supposed he shouldn't be. But he was intent on working them out before he slipped free of his grasp, making a frown on Sonic's face. He pondered his response carefully, not wanting to say anything to discourage Shadow; why did he always have to be so defensive?

"I know you don't. The Ultimate Lifeform doesn't need help for anything...but should accept a little treat every now and then. Let me admire your muscles and give you a little shampooing massage, hm?" He grinned but tried not to seem amused by what he had to say. Maybe that ego of Shadow's would act in both their favors.

Instead, he glared bitterly over at the other. He didn't know what kind of new trick this was, but it was horribly suspicious. He growled, "You really do think I'm that naive, don't you?" Shadow bristled, ready in case Sonic were to suddenly attack. He wouldn't put it past him to do so. He didn't need a massage.. it was a pathetic waste of his time.

He held his glare for another second before hiding away the threatening set of teeth with pursed lips. If he chased Sonic off, he'd be stuck finding a meal on his own. Shadow really hated trying to decipher what was okay to eat versus what wasn't, and if he stuck in there just a little longer, he'd let the responsibility fall on Sonic to decide for him. He huffed, struggling internally.

Finally, he gave in, relaxing his quills, and pulling his defensive stare to the tile defeatedly. "If you even think about pulling one over on me.." Sonic brightened and slowly reached out so not to take the black hedgehog by surprise. He gently put his hands on his shoulders and nudged him carefully to turn back around so he could further lather the shampoo into his soft fur. "Have I gave you any real reason not to trust me?" Sonic was pretty sure he hadn't. Shadow was always the one starting serious brawls in the past; aside from his childish games, the hedgehog had yet to mean him intentional harm without provocation.

Shadow growled in response. He disagreed with Sonic's unspoken thoughts entirely, and if he could hear the thoughts, he would have put him in his place. Shadow considered Sonic's foolishness and overactive sense of humor enough to be the cause of their fights. Therefore, the blame was on him. Shadow didn't just go around picking fights.

Even though he refused to give any kind of decent answer to the question posed, Shadow complied miserably, turning his not-so-defenseless back on the other. He silently considered using Sonic's earlier gesture if the need arose.

Sonic scratched his nails gently against Shadow's fur to scrub the shampoo in nice and good, enjoying the aroma that wafted off of him. His fingers started to knead and press around tight muscles around his shoulders as he found a couple of knots. He rubbed the pads of his thumbs in a circular motion and used his other digits to flex against his skin. He watched him intently from behind and listened carefully to pick up on anything he might be doing to make him feel particularly good. In the meantime Sonic stayed quiet, relaxing himself against the assault of the shower's water sprinkling near his face and down his belly.

Instantly, Shadow's ears perked at the claws. A chill ran through his neck and lit up his cheeks, and he nervously leaned forward, uncertainty swarming his features. However, as Sonic pressed on, Shadow couldn't help but close his eyes. He never felt anything so relaxing, and no matter how much he wanted to fight it, the curiosity of the new set of chills won over. He exhaled heavily, automatically tensing at his noise, eyes popping open, and he made an attempt to stop it. Instead, he succeeded in doubling his embarrassment with a choked gasp. He peered over his shoulder without turning his head to see if Sonic had heard, but the other was too far out of his visual range. He swallowed roughly, a pink tint temporarily crossing his muzzle as he once more hid his eyes from the world. If Sonic heard he didn't let on like he did. The fact was that he did hear, however, but it encouraged him further. He was rather proud to see he could lower the hedgehog's guard and get him to accept something that quite obviously must feel awfully good on him. Shadow should feel a lot better once he worked out some of the knots settled in his muscle tissue.

Sonic's hands crept down lower from his shoulders, palms pushing carefully at a tender spot in his back to roll out the knot and ease the pressure there. His other hand used the access shampoo to run down one of Shadow's arms, stopping at his wrist.

"Nn." Shadow whined, leaning into the contact against his will. His ears were starting to droop, as was his spine. He couldn't argue with Sonic on one thing - this felt very nice. He couldn't tell exactly what the other was doing since he refused to show his face to him. If Sonic saw just how much Shadow was letting down his guard, he'd be in trouble for sure. At the moment, he was oblivious to his body language, and thought he was doing a good job 'ignoring' the other.

A purr escaped, causing Shadow to blush again angrily. Still, with Sonic's lack of verbal response, he wondered if he could hear with the water running. He took a peek at the stray hand, wondering what was going to happen next, but he trusted Sonic enough to let him do what Shadow assumed was him continuing to explore.

Blue hedgehog squeezed Shadow's forearm comfortingly as the water ran down it, washing the shampoo off his arm quickly after he applied it. The hand returned to his shoulder to idly massage while his other abandoned Shadow's back and retrieved more shampoo. Once he got it, he poured some more into his palms and put it back, then rubbed his hands together behind him. Afterwards his arms went around Shadow again and his fingers combed through his chest fur (mindful of his previous injury) applying a small amount of shampoo in and rubbing it in gently. From there he worked it into a lather down his stomach. Fingers kneaded the skin just above his crotch, purposefully avoiding the sensitive area and rubbing along the inside of his thighs instead.

Shadow furrowed his brow, pulling both eyes back open and blinking away the water that stung at them. He eyed the arms suspiciously, frowning for a beat as Sonic nearly touched his freshly disinfected wound, then moved lower. His eyes widened at how close the exploring digits were to his manhood, and he tensed, holding his breath as he continued. He swallowed down a knot in his throat, feeling very nervous, but leaning back against the other all the same. Another broken gasp could be heard as the back of his neck sank against Sonic's shoulder and his legs were manipulated into something resembling jelly. He was losing his will to stand alone very quickly.

Sonic purred delightfully as he leaned more into him, finding this so-called weakness in the hedgehog rather satisfying if not arousing. His hands slid around his thighs to the back of them before roaming up over Shadow's rear end. One hand gently grabbed his tail, massaging it and making sure it got lathered as well. When he was done with that, Sonic started to move in front of Shadow, more water pounding down on his head and drooping his quills. His eyes beamed fondly at him before he lowered himself on his knees. His mouth was awfully close near his crotch as he eyed Shadow sinisterly...but didn't do anything.

His hands roamed down one of Shadow's legs instead as if the point was to get at them easier and no perverse alternative was acknowledgeable. At least not off the bat.

Again, Shadow showed concern. Sonic was touching him in places that no one had come close to touching until that morning, and he still associated it with the acts they participated in together. He was growing more and more uncomfortable internally, and when his back support left him, he grew even less certain. He stared down at Sonic warningly, breathing heavily despite his mental resistance. It made him fidget, clawing at his sore palms. Sonic ignored his look of warning, not about to do anything the hedgehog wouldn't like anyway. His hand massaged over his calf as he cleaned his fur, scratching through it gently to make sure he got every inch of him. Either hand roamed up both his legs, over his knees and stopping at his thighs again. He eyed the sheath hidden behind his fur, Sonic's tongue licking over his lips in hungry anticipation.

He eyed Shadow again, ears laid back and looking suspiciously innocent. "Anything else you'd like me to do while I'm down here?"

Shadow's eyes widened immediately at the increasingly dangerous expression on Sonic's face, followed by a frighteningly suggestive tone. He exhaled roughly, trying to step backwards out of Sonic's grip. "No, and I would suggest you not take it upon yourself to do 'anything else,' either!" He growled, face reddening as the blood flow increased in his body. 'Dammit!' he cursed himself mentally. Why did he have to react that way?

Sonic pursed his lips into a pouty frown. "If you insist..." It was disappointing but he wouldn't force the pleasure on Shadow. If he didn't wish to take advantage of the situation, then that was his problem.

Sonic casually rose to his feet, intent on starting on himself and getting the shampoo worked into his fur. He reached for the bottle, not going to take nearly as long as he did on Shadow so they could get out and go eat. His time with the black hedgehog was fun while it lasted; and once Shadow started moving around, he'd see just how magical Sonic's fingers were. The massage would have helped his muscles immensely.

As Shadow let the water run over him, rinsing away the suds Sonic left all over his body, he glared at the wall pointedly, color staying in his cheeks. He was furious that Sonic still had this effect on him. Images were racing through his mind, and he was beginning to regret turning down the offer. But he had his dignity to uphold. He couldn't just give in to that jerk. Still, ideas were running wild, and he felt the familiar tingling down below. 'No!' he clamped his eyes shut, 'No, no, no!' He opened his eyes to look down, relieved that his member wasn't showing itself... yet.. but it was definitely at risk for doing so. He kept his silence as he redirected his dark stare back to the tile.

Sonic seemed oblivious to Shadow's inner fight with his body. The hedgehog just started washing his blue coat, running the shampoo down his arms before massaging it in. He poured a little on his chest too before he put the shampoo back and started rubbing his hands all over himself. The water forced suds down his lithe physique; ears drooping at the tips as he fully relaxed under something he's normally so fearful of.

Sonic eyed Shadow observantly, not saying anything or making any special faces. But his hands wandered rather low on himself despite the fact Shadow wasn't looking yet. The blue hedgehog touched himself, caressing over his sheath and between his legs to make sure every part of himself was clean - and to offer a little eye candy for a certain someone. He looked for a reaction.

Shadow offered a glimpse toward the other before blushing furiously and looking away again. He bared his teeth. Sonic totally did that to get attention! He growled lowly, fighting back his imagination as hard as he could, and it still wasn't working. Just the way that bastard looking all soaking wet like that doubled his fantasies for a reason he couldn't describe. He just looked more vulnerable, more eager, more.. everything that came to his mind that he didn't WANT to come to his mind... Sonic seemed to fit the description.

He narrowed his eyes, struggling to keep his focus on the wall, brushing his hands absently over the parts of his body that still needed rinsing - after all, the water didn't cover everything easily. He stopped at his own lower regions, noticing the head threatening to show itself, and turned a deeper color. He wanted to feel himself more, but settled with forcing it back in as much as he could while it was still vaguely noticeable. This only encouraged a throbbing which made it worse. Panic set in as he tried to think of anything but the other, but as simple as it seemed, it was that kind of thinking exactly that doomed him to the process.

Sonic watched him. He kept rubbing himself between his legs, managing to control his body's sexual urges a bit better than Shadow. He didn't let himself get aroused to the point he was coming out. When that started to happen, he moved his hand away but at that point it seemed Shadow was struggling with those urges his own self. Sonic grinned to himself, about to make it all so much worse...

He reached for the shampoo again, not that he really needed anymore. When he grabbed it, he pretended to let it slip, letting it fall to the shower floor. Frowning at his supposed clumsiness, Sonic bent over, tail sticking up and giving him the perfect view of his backside as he retrieved the bottle.

Shadow winced at the noise echoing off the walls as he instinctively cocked his head to see. He watched the other reach for it, then trailed his eyes back and stopped. His defenses dropped as he stood there, frozen in that second. Sonic was so easily accessed in that position. Did he even know? Shadow could just... "No!" He accidentally yelled his internal argument as he grabbed Sonic's other wrist, pulling him upright carelessly. He panted, forcing away only part of the terror that shone on his face. "I.. You didn't have to worry about picking that up... " He snapped his eyes away, embarrassed by his show of stupidity.

Sonic's ears twitched as he heard the abrupt cry behind him. He looked at him, appearing confused, but knew exactly what it was that flustered the poor hedgehog. At the same time Sonic seized on that when he grabbed him, pretending to stumble and pressing his wet body against Shadow's.

"Oh." He uttered simply and reached over to put the shampoo back, moving himself a few inches away from Shadow, acting as casual and coy as ever.

That was about the time the pounding in Shadow's ears made its entrance. "Dammit," he mumbled, turning his back to the other as the inevitable happened. It was too horribly impossible to distract himself, especially when the object of his increasing desire was right next to him, holding his thoughts captive. Shadow clenched his fists, furious at himself. He had to think of something... anything... before he got any worse. He had to control himself. Besides, he already rejected Sonic - how would it look if he came back with the same idea?

It suddenly dawned on him that he no longer had any business in the shower at all. It was only his fantasizing that held him there as long as he had been. Desperate for freedom from his excruciating thoughts surrounding the lookalike, Shadow threw himself out of the bath, grabbing a towel as he made a mad dash for his room. Now was not the time to worry about making a mess.

The blue hedgehog stared dumbly as Shadow made his crazy run out of the bathroom, leaving a trail of water behind. He blinked and stared some more before laughter started to bubble in his throat, something he died down to a quiet chuckle in order to keep it from reaching Shadow's ears. That was just too funny.