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"You're immortal," Her voice was hushed, tone restrained "not invincible."
He grimaced, stifling a scoff and turning his attention to a corner.
Anything was better than seeing that worry in her eyes. It reminded him of his incompetence. An incompetence unacceptable of an ultimate lifeform. A being like no other, the closest thing to perfection.
He shouldn't be able to be damaged like so.
Shadow much preferred her scolding, actually. Those harsh, sharp words and that biting anger, careless and clumsy for someone so calculated. It was much easier to deflect from behind his shield of arrogance.
Her concern wasn't.
When the bat's irritation inevitably melted away for the churn of worry and sympathy to show, he knew he was done for. That rare kindness, tenderness reserved just for him... it never failed to swallow him whole. The elusive, cunning tactician's willing vulnerability. Claws as sharp as daggers, so gentle over his skin. That manipulatively flirty smirk twisted into a frown of genuine concern, one she tried so hard not to show.
A dangerous addiction, for something forbidden.
Shadow didn't watch as she wrapped the bandage around his wounded arm, somewhat slumping into bed he was so carefully dragged onto, unknowingly leaning towards her in search of more comfort. Lazy attempts to brush the spy off had already been ignored, as it would, without fail, every time.
It was silent, with only them occupying the space resembling a medical bay. The air smelled of blood and alcohol and that sterile cleanliness that made you sick the more you smell it. Yet his senses latched onto something else, too. A subtle yet familiar smell, one he'd grown comfortably accustomed to within the few years that had slipped by. A reminder of the bat that so loyally stays at his side.
"You're being careless." Rouge's words forced his eyes to hers. "You should know better than to underestimate your opponents."
"I am the ultimate lifeform, it's not inaccurate for me to underestimate lesser beings."
He speaks, but truthfully, he was focused on how effortlessly she managed to catch his undivided attention. It's as if his body responds on its own, now. Like a dog being commanded, acting on pure muscle memory and verbal prompts.
"That's not a good reason." She bit back at him. And he bit back a smirk, opting his twitching ear to show amusement instead.
"I don't need to justify myself."
He did, though. Because she, of all people, deserved it. It was his way of compensating for his greed of her comfort. A clumsy, egotistical reasoning in exchange for her doting concern he so secretly craved.
It was pathetic, really. You'd think that choosing to be alone and distancing yourself from the few allies allowed for yourself would've made you less responsive to affection. Or maybe, it did. Had anyone else had been with him here, right now, well... he'd already be gone.
It was just something about this bat thief that kept him wrapped around her dainty little finger. Was it the sheer absurdness of the contrast to her character? A greedy, self serving thief with an ambiguous at best morality, consistently showing concern and care for him, and only him... Did it give him a sense of self importance, perhaps? An illusion of uniqueness, the title of being "special" to her?
Whatever it was, his hunger for it only grew as time passed. The hedgehog would never outwardly admit it, but... sometimes, he'd allow for mistakes at the cost of his own body and health, only for the chance to be in her arms in the end. It's like a prize. Undeserving, yet irresistible.
It was disgusting.
It went against every rule he had set for himself. Every boundary, every line. It was gross and sadistic, and infinitely selfish. For anyone else, it would've been something so pure and deserving, an innocent little craving for the love and affection everyone is so dearly entitled to.
Everyone but him.
This was his dirty little secret, one that even he refused to acknowledge. Because he was scared of what it could mean. Scared how it could shatter his entire identity, his self as he knew it.
And in his mind, he actively resisted this. It was a shame that, leading with his heart, his body didn't follow suit.
Shadow glanced away again, noting that he'd stared at her for too long. Those mesmerizing eyes always put his body in a trance.
"You didn't use to be this reckless. Who's going to protect the Earth if they snuff you out because your arrogance finally caught up with you?"
"Tch. It'll take more than some bullets and lasers to take me out. Don't undermine my strength."
"I'm undermining your intelligence."
"You're undermining your own, by doing that."
She rolled her eyes, and this time he could help the upward twitch of his lips. He groaned a bit when she intentionally pulled on the bandage, though, shooting a glare in her direction only to be met with her own.
There was no hostility. They both knew it.
"You don't have to keep patching me up. It's not your responsibility, I can manage on my own."
"Don't even."
He didn't argue further, letting out a slight hum as he sneaked another peek at her face. She was so focused, so careful with how she tended to him.
"I worry about you, you know," Rouge's tone had softened considerably, "Your thrill seeking tendencies have gotten frequent. I know you can handle yourself, but-"
Shadow stared as she struggled to find the words. As much as she felt for him, she was never good with... genuine emotion. It scared her, a bit, being so vulnerable. Sassy, witty quips were much more manageable. With a heavy sigh, she carried on.
"I don't want to lose you. There were some close calls recently. I know you walk it off, I do. But for Chaos' sake, Shadow-"
"You care that much for me?" Rouge bit her tongue at the question, feeling her face heat up just a bit. His unrelenting stare didn't help, she wasn't one to shy away from confrontation either, though.
"You're my teammate, and very frequent work partner, of course I-"
"You know I can tell when you're lying."
Now, that ticked her off a bit, as she huffs, puffing her cheeks out.
"Oh, yeah? You know me so well, huh?"
He hummed in confirmation, unknowingly leaning towards her as his voice dropped an octave, now a surprisingly sultry whisper.
"Your ears twitch every time you lie about something important. Something that someone like you can’t lie about. They fold back a bit, as an indication of subconscious guilt, I suppose."
Rouge was speechless. He had... observed her so closely to pick out her non verbal cues? The motion of her ears were usually far too delicate to be noticed by others, but Shadow... he was analyzing her, without her even knowing. Watching her.
....
Admiring her..?
"I'm fine, Rouge." Her silent shock was broken as the dark mobian continued, tone casual and posture straightened back. "And I will continue to be fine. I promise."
A short pause, before she carried on, fastening the last of the bandages. The bat didn't give herself time to mull over the revelation. She couldn't afford to. The feeling she so carefully curated and stored away wouldn't be able to handle such a thought process, and she was unfortunately the victim of strenuous over thinking. And the thought that he was interested enough in her to extensively observe her and her behaviour? That was too tempting of a topic.
Snapping herself out of it, Rouge gave him a once over, still scowling a bit in a mixture of irritation and concern.
"You look like a mummy."
"That's a bit of an oversell, I'd say."
"You look stupid, Shadow. The freaking ultimate lifeform shouldn't be looking like an ICU patient."
"You should've seen the other guys."
Another eyeroll, and this time the hedgehog couldn't hold back a soft chuckle.
"Since when did you become such a smartass?"
"What can I say? I learn from the best."
"Jerk."
"You're charmed."
"No comment."