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“Had enough, hedgehog?!” Infinite’s shout echoed throughout the vastness of Null Space as Silver went flying in the direction that Infinite sent him. In Null Space, there was no concept of up or down, no left or right, no north, west, south, or east to be flung at. Even still, it was easier for Infinite to just have the gravity that existed in the ‘real’ world. While he could (and most certainly has) messed with the gravity of Null Space to distort Silver’s senses further, he decided that this time he would allow Silver to have the concept of gravity on his side, with a clear ‘up’ and ‘down’ to play around with.
With a loud, rather intense thump! against the ‘ground’, Silver fell, smacking against it like a wet towel, or rotten piece of fruit. He landed just where Infinite wanted him to be, a decent length away but not so far that the hedgehog would leave his sight. He was no Sonic, but his speed was not to be underestimated.
Infinite didn’t strike him when he’s down, no matter how tempting it may have been. Instead, he allowed Silver to have a moment. A brief pause in their fight to Silver to catch his breath before continuing. He wasn’t fighting Silver for the end goal to win and take him into the Empire. No no no, that certainly wasn’t what he wanted. At least, not yet it wasn’t. If he wanted to win, it would be so incredibly easy. It wouldn’t take much to overwhelm Silver with a barrage of his unstoppable, powerful abilities. It wouldn’t be that hard, which is why Infinite allowed him to take little breaks now and again. He loved the fight for the fight alone. It didn’t matter who won or who lost, just as long as Infinite brought Silver to the absolute brink of exhaustion in the process.
Speaking of…
Hm.
Silver should have gotten up by now.
Silver was powerful and excruciatingly tenacious. It’s something Infinite found both incredibly alluring and incredibly annoying. Most of the time, that hedgehog wouldn’t just stay put! It was as if he outright refused to lie down and take it! During many of their battles, he would yank Silver around by his hair before pinning him down so he could truss him up to be taken into Empire custody. Even then, even with his body tightly bound and limbs pulled taught in beautiful strappado, he would fight back. He would bite and shake and thrash until he physically couldn’t anymore. Infinite found it a delicious sight to behold. It would be nearly impossible to count all of the photos he had taken, his sweet hedgehog glaring at him with exhaustion-filled eyes, his handsome form trapped in perfectly torturous poses.
Getting him there was a pain, of course, but when he got Silver there…?
It was heavenly.
Although, something...different, was happening here. Something new, unexpected.
Whenever Infinite taunted him, Silver would always respond with something snarky and witty. Silver would give him a smirk, showing off his adorable little canines, wipe the blood from his nose, and tell Infinite to just shut up and come at him already!
It was how they played their game, and Infinite loved it. There was nothing more he loved than their back and forth, their push and pull; their dynamic was addictive, lecherous, and Infinite didn’t see himself ever letting go. He didn’t mind getting trapped in his own web of battles and mind games if it meant snaring Silver as well.
This time around though…? Silver didn’t move. He didn’t stand, he didn’t go through his usual motions, nothing. Silver was still alive. Infinite had no desire to kill him—that would ruin the fun—and in Null Space, he would know if Silver was on the brink of life and death. He’s not there yet, Infinite can tell, and yet, he’s not moving. He’s alive and breathing but he’s not even beginning to try and stand. Silver stayed completely still, apparently unable to even rise to his knees. He stayed against the ground, unmoving, his mass of white hair splayed out around him like a blanket.
…Or wings.
Yes, his hair looked more akin to wings than anything else.
Infinite supposed that he often looked like an angel.
If Silver was an angel then he was a demon, ready to drag his pretty ass down from the Heavens and into the warm bowels of Hell itself.
“He~dgehog…” Infinite murmured, as if he was talking to a frightened puppy instead of a man. His metal shoes clicked against nothing as he walked towards Silver. Part of him wondered if it was some sort of trick. Silver had pulled this move before: play dead and attack when Infinite’s guard was done. A dirty trick but Infinite couldn’t deny the fact that when Silver got away with it, he was impressed. “Don’t make me come over there.”
No response.
The pretty little ears atop Silver’s head had perked up ever so slightly at his words, but his tail, which was usually as active as the wind itself, had only wagged once, maybe twice since Infinite had started approaching. Either Silver had become a wonderful actor since their last encounter, or something else was going on. The idea of something else, something unpredictable, made Infinite’s heart skip a beat.
“Well, if you’re being so insistent…” Infinite huffed, tail swishing as he walked over to Silver, hands neatly tucked behind his back. He stood before Silver, bracing himself for an attack that would never come. He peered down, observing the collapsed man in front of him. The golden cuffs on his boots and gloves had shut, which Infinite suspected meant no energy was flowing through them. Silver wasn’t gearing up for a powerful attack or a quick escape, no no no, instead he was powered down like a computer. Infinite nudged Silver’s shoulder with his boot, earning him a meek little grunt in response. Fascinating. Silver had never made that sound before. “Cucciolo, what’s the matter with you? Hm? Giving up? That doesn’t sound like you.”
There’s a quick twitch of his tail at the nickname, which Infinite knew he could understand and aptly hated, but there’s nothing else. Not another grunt or whimper, or even attempted to get away.
Infinite’s nose twitched.
Silver cried out as Infinite’s foot collided with his chest, sending him rolling across the floor of Null Space. It was like kicking a sad, pathetic, sponge. There was no muscle, no sign of resistance, or even the attempt of it. Silver groaned as he skidded to a stop, his hair falling in front of his face once more. A bruise would appear on his tan skin from Infinite’s boot soon enough. His ear twitched, tapping against the interior of his mask, then his mouth pulled into a snarl. With a running start, he rushed up to Silver, the toe of his shoe slamming into Silver’s chest at full force. A bit of blood and spit leave Silver’s mouth, nothing but a wheeze coming out of him as Infinite forced the last bit of air out of his lungs.
Once more, Silver goes flying.
“What’s the matter with you, riccio?!” Infinite shouted, “It’s no fun if you don’t fight back!”
The rage in Infinite’s bones was unmatched and unwarranted. Silver had done, quite literally, nothing, yet he felt it anyway. He had pulled Silver into his world for a playful back and forth, and whatever this was, wasn’t it!
Infinite almost kicked him again. Just to see if he would make another sound, or if he would do something other than just take it.
Thankfully, Silver does.
It’s nothing impressive, but Infinite was willing to take anything at that point.
A high pitched whine leaves Silver’s lips, pulling his knees towards his chest in an adorably sad attempt to protect himself. He really did look like a hedgehog all curled up like that. Almost in an instant, Infinite’s anger is replaced by an almost uncharacteristic attentiveness. He walked over to Silver, clicking his teeth as he bent down on one knee, running a hand through the other's hair. He’s tempted to yank at it, pull Silver up by his hair and force him awake. While that sort of thing would be rather fun, considering Silver’s condition, it’d be like throwing around a ragdoll instead of a toy that could fight back. That was only fun sometimes and Infinite wasn’t in the mood.
“What’s the matter, riccio?” Infinite asked again, this time, his voice much softer and touch gentle. He pushed Silver’s hair out of his face, pulling all of the soft, silvery (Infinite thought he was hilarious) hair behind his head. A hair tie appeared in his hand, and he pulled all of Silver’s hair into a loose but secure ponytail. No need for his hair to be everywhere when it could so easily be contained. He plopped down onto his knees, pulling Silver into his lap, his head cradled in the crook of his arm. Silver grunted, trying to shift away from Infinite, a hand weakly pushing against his chest, just under the ruby embedded in his chest. “Ah ah ah, you’re not going anywhere, so don’t even try. What’s gotten you all, how should we put it…in this slump, hm?”
“...Tired.” Silver managed out, voice a hoarse whisper. His eyes fluttered open for a moment before shutting them again; even despite his exhaustion, the golden shimmer of his eyes still managed to captivate Infinite. If he didn’t know better, Infinite would just take them.
“Tired, huh? Tsk. I’m almost offended.” Infinite said. He almost asked Silver why he was so utterly exhausted, but he suspected he wouldn’t get a good answer, if any at all. To get that information, he’d just have to observe Silver, which, he’ll admit, he would have far more fun with than expected. To simply look at that beautiful specimen of a man up close and personal…it drove Infinite crazy.
The tips of his fingers traced Silver’s jawline, his thumb brushing over the upper lip. Specks of blood lingered just below his nose, and it took all of Infinite’s self control not to lick it from his skin. If Infinite had to guess…the blood was from overuse. He had seen it a few times, when Silver used his powers for an extended period of time, his body would react, blood dripping from his nose or mouth or eyes, depending on how intense his usage was. Infinite hadn’t seen any blood leave his body before knocking him down, and he knew none of his strikes had hit Silver in the face (he’d much rather not bruise that pretty face if given the chance) which meant that he was bleeding before being pulled into Null Space.
“Were you in a fight, teroso? Is that why you’re so tired?” Infinite asked, although he knew that he wasn’t going to get a response. He searched his mind for who or what Silver could’ve been fighting with. He had not been paying attention to where Silver was or who he was with when he grabbed his hedgehog by his ankles and yanked him into a fight (literally). The Doctor was the likely perpetrator of Silver’s exhaustion. The fight was likely more intense than Infinite had originally given it credit for; it’s not easy to get Silver to the point of exhaustion, as he knew, but it wasn’t impossible. “Were you saving the world like a good hero? Fighting robots and helping people?”
“Y-Yeah. ‘Course.”
Infinite’s tail jolted to life. Silver’s voice was stronger, still quiet, maybe, but it was stronger. Each moment he stayed resting on Infinite’s lap was another moment that he gained his strength back. Infinite trailed his hand down Silver’s torso, unable to feel the softness of his grey vest through his gloves. He wanted, needed, it off. He needed to see the marks that he had made on Silver.
“What am I going to do with you?”
That was the question, wasn’t it?
What was a jackal to do with an exhausted hedgehog?
There were a million different answers, and Infinite wasn’t sure which one would yield him the best results. Silver was so pliable like this, so sensitive, so…easily moved. He was sure he could get an agreement out of Silver to do just about anything as long as he didn’t push his powers further.
Choices choices…
“I’m not going to hurt you. As long as you’re good, that is.” Infinite said, standing up as a cube rose from the ground, carrying Silver with it. The cube was up to his waist, Silver’s limp body resting on its side. He placed his hand against Silver’s shoulder, rubbing it slowly. At first, Silver tensed, but slowly his muscles relaxed, the soft chittering of a purr bubbling up from his throat.
Suddenly, it clicked. Infinite knew exactly what he wanted to do with Silver.
“I need your vest off, amour mio.”
“What?” Silver croaked, yelping as Infinite yanked him closer, flipping him onto his back. He attempted to curl back into himself, arms attempting to cross over his chest. “Ffffuck off…!”
“Shh shh shh, shh…I said I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
“Bullshit.”
Infinite scoffed. Now Silver was fighting him? Ridiculous!
“I’m going to help your sore muscles, but I can’t do that if your upper half is covered.” Infinite grabbed Silver by his wrists, pinning his arms besides his head. He briefly considered holding his wrists there, but that would be more unhelpful than not. It would be incredibly attractive, sure, to have him pinned to a table by his wrists, helpless to Infinite’s touch…but that wasn’t what he wanted! It isn’t what he wanted this time, at least. “Work with me here, riccio.”
Silver glared at him but eventually relented, nodding slowly. “Just, urgh, let me.”
“Very well.”
The hedgehog took about five times too long to take off his vest, his muscles screaming at him as he sat up, hands shaking as he unzipped the grey, sleeveless vest from his torso. The white, fluffy lining that went around the collar fell from his shoulders; his tanned skin felt like a sight for sore eyes, even as Silver glared daggers at Infinite.
“You had better watch it.” He hissed, his vest tossed off to the side. “I can see you staring at me. That, hgh, that mask doesn’t do shhhhit for you.”
How could Infinite not stare?
The flame-like pattern of scars across Silver’s torso was beautiful. It stopped right at his ribs, the tan skin was darker where the scars lay, his veins and muscles pulled taught across his lower torso. No one inch of Silver was the same as the last, a map of pain and violence decorated the body of a pacifistic hero. The sheer juxtaposition of it all made Infinite dizzy with delight. Truly, the world could not have crafted a better, more beautiful, more powerful rival for him.
“You’re absolutely stunning, you know that?”
“Don’t mock me…”
“Mock you? No no, I wouldn’t do that…” Infinite ran a finger down the center of Silver’s chest, down between his pectorals and down to his bellybutton. Goosebumps appeared along his skin, and Infinite relished in them. “...At least about this. You are one easily mocked, of course, but your allure is not to be overstated, Silver.”
“Jeez, what a way to make a guy feel special.”
“Flip around for me.”
In any other situation, Silver would’ve thrown a fit, and Infinite would’ve had to fight him to do something so simple. Yet, his precious hedgehog did so without a tantrum, only grunting as he pulled himself up, and landing against the ‘table’ with a thump!
“Good boy, Silver…”
“Do not-!”
“Shh.” Infinite cooed, interrupting Silver. He scratched the top of Silver’s head with his nails, which earned him an annoyed but affectionate purr, his ears drooping forward. Something tight swelled in Infinite’s chest; for all of Infinite’s fantasies about pushing Silver to his absolute limits, and then pushing him further, to see him exhausted and in pain, teary-eyed and bleeding, there was something…sweet about seeing him just purr and relax in his hands. There was something there: perhaps when Infinite broke him, snapped that strong, powerful, telekinetic mind, he would keep Silver around. He was the type to toss away broken toys, but Silver was the exception to that. Silver, no matter the predicament, the problem, the position, managed to look perfect. “There we go. I’m just going to help out your poor, sore muscles. You’ve been pulled taut, riccio, and it’s going to do neither of us any good if you stay so tense.”
“Then why did you pull me in here?” Silver huffed, and Infinite could almost taste the venom that leaked from Silver’s voice. He was sure the look he was making would kill if his face wasn’t turned away. “You couldn’t tell that I was, oh, I don’t know, in a mood?”
“I wasn’t paying all that much attention, if I have to be honest with you.”
“Tch. Typical.”
“What I was paying attention to was how handsome you looked: all limp and exhausted. I was hoping that I could further that, push you beyond your limits, but the doctor had gotten to you already, clearly.” Infinite sighed, slowly trailing his hands down Silver’s back, cupping his back muscles with his fingers, his thumbs pointed towards his spine. “Not to say that it’s a problem of course…this is a nice change of pace compared to how you are normally.”
“Mmm…”
“Just look at you, practically falling apart in my hands.” Infinite slowly kneaded Silver’s upper back, his thumbs moving in circles. It had been a long time since he had massaged another, although the skill hadn’t been lost to time, thankfully. His touch is firm but not painful against Silver’s back, pushing just hard enough to coax Silver into relaxing into it. He knew it would be a stretch to get Silver to fully relax, but he would take mostly calm as a win. “Gaia, who knew you could be so cute? Where has this been hiding this whole time?”
“Do you ever stop talking?”
“You would miss my voice, riccio.”
“Would I though?” Silver squeaked as Infinite pushed his fingers into a divot in his muscles, “Ow! Watch it!’
“Ah, a sore spot…” Infinite muttered. He softened his grip, and slowly began to rub around it. The goal wasn’t to irritate the sore area, rather to erase it, to knead it away like an air pocket in a roll of bread. “Does that hurt?”
“Is it supposed to?”
“No. Let me know if it does.”
“Why? So you can make it worse?”
A hardy smack! echoes throughout Null Space, immediately followed by a yelp from Silver. Infinite’s hands plant on Silver’s shoulders, stopping him from sitting up.
“You hit my ass! What’s wrong with you?!”
“You were being a brat, Silver. I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart. Don’t make me change my mind.” Infinite said as his nails dug into Silver’s skin, fighting against Silver as he tried to squirm free. It doesn’t take Silver long to relent with a huff, his body deflating against the surface he was laid on. Infinite retracted his hands, luckily not having to break Silver’s skin in the process. “As much as I take pleasure in hurting you, that’s not what my goal is. So, I’ll tell you again—and hopefully you’ll not give me sass this time—if something hurts, you need to tell me, capisce?”
“Yeah yeah, I got it…”
Infinite hummed in approval, more than satisfied to see Silver’s submission. He continued his work massaging Silver’s muscles, working out any soreness that might’ve been present in him. It didn’t take long for Silver to begin purring up a storm, the soft clicking filling the air. Much like how Silver couldn’t stop his purring, Infinite couldn’t stop his tail from swishing side to side like an excited pup. There was something so…intimate about falling into his most feral instincts alongside another. Maybe he should do it more often.
Time as a concept barely existed within Null Space, so Infinite couldn’t say truly how long he spent easing Silver’s tension, his hands feeling every single curve and divot that Silver’ back had to offer. It could’ve been twenty minutes, but it also could’ve been five, perhaps even an hour. It didn’t matter, really, how long it took, because by the time Infinite felt satisfied with his work, Silver looked so relaxed that Infinite wasn’t even sure he was awake.
“Does that feel good, amour mio?”
“Mmm.” Silver’s tail flicked back and forth as he stretched his arms forward, forcing Infinite to pry his hands away for a moment. He was awake, good. “Sì, it does…I didn’t realize that you were so good with your hands.”
“Aha, this is the least I can do with my hands.”
“Don’t make it weird.”
“Hah!” Infinite barked as he did a final stroke down Silver’s spine, the muscles in his back having been thoroughly kneaded. The man in front of him was like a hedgehog pancake, completely relaxed. Infinite was tempted to treat Silver to something more, to make him scream, but he refrained himself. He walked over to where Silver’s head was, his face nearly tucked into his crossed arms. “Look at me.”
One of Silver’s eyes fluttered open, and Infinite tilted his head up, his chin neatly tucked into Infinite’s hand, “What?”
“I’d like to kiss you.”
“...Why?” The word came out startled as Silver shifted himself upward, propping himself up on his elbows. It wasn’t snarky or carrying the vitriol that Silver had filled his words with earlier, instead just…a genuine, startled confusion.
“I spent all that time taking care of you, don’t I deserve a reward?”
“...Yeah, alright.”
“Good boy.” Infinite grasped his mask, tilting it up to reveal the bottom half of his face. He bent down, brushing Silver’s pretty hair out of his face, twirling it around his finger,before locking their lips together.
It wasn’t chaste by any means, with Infinite practically smashing his face into Silver’s, but the kiss wasn’t nearly as passionate as he had wanted it to be. Silver was, understandably, still exhausted, and while he was relaxed, he clearly didn’t have the energy to be anything but a doormat. Infinite didn’t bother to use his tongue this time around; perhaps another time, when Silver wasn’t on the verge of passing out with their lips locked.
“You get some sleep, hm? I’ll be seeing you soon. Maybe I’ll get to see you in my dreams, if I’m lucky.”
Gravity stopped existing as Infinite pushed Silver’s shoulder back, his entire body going with it. Before Silver could react, he was thrown out of Null Space, landing in a bed in one of the rooms in the Restoration HQ. His eyes shot open, now wide awake as he stared at the ceiling, no sign of Infinite anywhere.
“...The shit?” Silver muttered into the air, completely unsure if what he had just experienced was an extremely vivid dream, or if Infinite really had taken time out of his day to just…touch him. He ran his finger tips across his lips, his cheeks flushing as he threw one of his arms over his face, a large sigh leaving him. There wasn’t any denying it, it definitely happened and it was definitely real. Silver also definitely enjoyed it, which was concerning in its own right, but he decided that he was far too exhausted to think about it in any meaningful manner. He rolled over onto his side. He was sure that his friends were worried about him, but now that he was back at HQ, there was nothing to worry about. He’d be found soon enough, but right now, he needed a nap. Even though Infinite wasn’t there, he still whispered an insult to him, “Bastard.”
Silver rolled onto his side, his eyelids like weights as they shut. The rest of his body fell into relaxation along with his mind. He didn’t even care that he was still fully dressed (...somehow, Infinite definitely did take his vest off) and still wearing his boots. His exhaustion was too strong, allowing sleep to take hold a lot faster than it did normally. The room was cold and quiet, and Silver fell asleep with nothing but the phantom sensations of Infinite’s nails tracing his back to keep him company.