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Hands are creeping all over, each finger making him shiver as they trail the surface of his body. Sweat begins to drip from his temples down to his brows. Breathe, breathe, he thinks to himself. He's lost count of how many sleep paralyses he's experienced. Waking up continuously over and over every night is very tiring.
He abruptly gets up with a gasp, and his breathing heavy. An arm reaches out to his nightstand, turning on the lamp and his head violently turns side to side to see if something or someone is there. His breathing is still heavy and his feet are wobbly as he tries to stand up. His vision suddenly turns static-y as he successfully rises to his feet.
Every step he takes feels like he'll fall down an endless pit without any chance of him getting out of. He comes in contact with the doorknob, turning it and heading straight to the stair railing, taking each step downwards carefully as to not slip. He feels for the light switch once he reaches the first floor, light suddenly invading his vision. His pupils adjust to the brightness as he slowly heads for the kitchen.
He approaches the sink, not bothering to wash the glass he took because he so desperately wanted to wash the itch away in his throat. Water runs down his chin as he empties two glasses of water, harshly setting the glass down on the counter once he's done.
With a sigh, he claws at the counter and leans his weight on his arms, shallowly breathing as he tries to collect himself with his head down. The moment he collects himself, he suddenly feels lightheaded and a wave of nausea hits him. It feels like his body is burning and sweat begins to mat his fur.
"Fuckin' hell I can't be sick right now."
He shakily places the back of his hand on his neck, feeling for his temperature.
Sure enough, he was sick.
Absolutely sick.
He pushes himself off the counter with an annoyed groan, hastily approaching the living room. His head is pounding and it's just so, so hot. He throws himself onto his couch, sprawling his limbs behind and in front of the couch with his head resting on the arm. He reaches for his phone on the nightstand beside the couch. Good thing he left it there earlier.
He opens his phone screen, grumbling curses to himself when he fails for the first two times trying to unlock his screen. He eyes dart to the upper left corner, the numbers '3:14AM' displayed in its designated position. He finds his messaging app and looks for one contact he's sure is awake at this ungoldy hour.
| Me
shadz m sivk, plz hel "((
A few moments pass and his phone buzzes.
| Hot Topic Wannabe 🔥
Omw rn, hang tight.
The blue jockey stays there laying on his couch, lips parted while breathing heavily. It feels like an eternity until he hears a specific knock at the door. He grumbles to himself as he sits up, standing and appraching the front door while leaning his weight to the wall for support. He opens the door and he's met with a dark hedgehog standing on top of his 'Welcome' mat. The blue hedgehog collapses onto a dark shoulder without warning, eyes half lidded and tired and shallowly breathing.
The other says nothing as he lifts the blue one onto his feet and holds him by the waist with his other hand placing the jockey's arm on his shoulder.
"C'mon, one step at a time."
The blue hedgehog replies with a weak groan, following what the other said. He hears a small thud behind him once they're inside the room, the other leading him to his couch. The dark hedgehog lays him down onto the soft square cushions and kneels beside him. He sets a bag down to search for necessities in treating this stubborn blue bastard. He places the items on his right side, taking the temperature stick first and placing it under the other's armpit. Following this, he opens a small packet of paracetamol and opens a bottle of water, setting them aside once he's done.
He examines the other hedgehog that was laying on the couch. Sweat mats his fur, his chest rising is up and down in a steady rhythm but faltering when a harsh breath is sucked in. His eyes dart to the blue hedgehog's face, noticing how his eye ridges are scrunched into an unpleasant expression. After what felt like a few minutes, the stick beeps and he takes it out of the blue one's armpit, examining the numbers in the small display in one of the sides.
He huffs when he sees that the numbers are incredibly high, his expression turning into a frown. He reaches for the small pill that was set aside earlier and guides Sonic into a sitting half sitting position.
"Open," A dark hand places the pill in his mouth, reaching for the bottle of water after he's done. He brings it up to the other's mouth and carefully pours the liquid into the hot cavern as to not make him choke.
"Swallow." The blue one does as he's told and he's laid back down onto the couch, his head resting on the arm.
Shadow sits back, placing the used items back in his bag. With a sigh, he props his arms beside Sonic on the couch, positioning his muzzle on his forearms. His eyes slid shut as he mutters lowly, "Stubborn hedgehog. Look what happened."
Just yesterday, Sonic asked for Shadow's opinion on whether or not he should join this year's football competition. Shadow lifts an eyeridge after noticing the the blue hedgehog being fidgety and somewhat looking tired. Of course, being the good friend he was, he merely told him, "No, hedgehog, you're sick."
With Shadow's reponse his face contorts into a surprised expression and replies with, "Whaaa??? Nah, I'm a-okayyy. Whad'ya mean?" Shadow only scoffs at this and gives him a warning, "I better not see you at the field later." and walks away from the blue furred hedgehog after giving a pat on his shoulder.
And lo and behold, he sees Sonic doing exactly what he told him not to do. Whatever, it won't be his fault when his sickness gets worse anyway. With a sigh, he heads to his room with a frown and harshly shuts the door before flopping onto his bed face first.
He gets kicked out of his thoughts by a gloved hand reaching out to his own. He lifts his head up, ears going forward with alert. Tired emerald eyes are now looking at him.
"What is it, Sonic?" The dark hedgehog asks calmly.
"Are you mad, Shads? Don't be mad. I'm fine, I think-" The blue one says with a playful smirk, though it's weak and laced with exhaustion.
Shadow huffs, unimpressed. "You're burning up, idiot."
Sonic chuckles playfully but winces when his body shivers violently. His grip on Shadow's hand tightens, seeking warmth, and Shadow sighs in defeat. Without a word, he maneuvers Sonic so that he's sitting up against Shadow. Sonic immediately nuzzles himself onto Shadow's side, his muzzle resting on a dark shoulder.
"I told you, you should've listened." The dark hedgehog mutters, his voice laced with worry. Sonic hums in response, exhaustion taking over him.
Lightly tugging at Shadow’s wrist, his eyes flickering shut. "Stay ‘til I fall asleep?"
Shadow pauses for a moment before exhaling, placing his other hand over Sonic's. "...Fine."
Sonic hums again in satisfaction, and within moments, he’s out like a light. Shadow mindlessly rubs his thumb in circling motions onto a gloved peach hand, and he recieves a purr as an unconscious reply to the gesture. "Reckless idiot," he mutters, but his hand never leaves Sonic’s.