Shadow was interrupted in his morning routine by a knock at the door. Mildly irritated, he set down his coffee and book and went to open the door, eager to get i this was over with. He was greeted by Sonic, wearing an uncharacteristically blank face, and his heart skipped.

It might be nothing, he coached himself, intentionally keeping his face neutral. He could be here on business of some sort, or just to hang out (though he usually texted first in that case). Sonic’s toned-down behavior seemed to belie those options, and his suspicions were confirmed when Sonic opened his mouth.

“Can I be yours today?”

Shadow stepped back, letting the blue hedgehog enter. “Just today?” he asked, wanting an idea of what Sonic needed. It was rare that Sonic gave him an exact answer to this sort of question, and today was no different.

“I don’t know. As long as I can, I guess.” He looked tired. Not overly disheveled, so that probably wasn’t because of adventure-fueled lack of sleep. Shadow grasped Sonic’s chin and looked into his eyes, trying to judge his mental state. The hedgehog stared back, steady but subdued. Not jumping to tease at Shadow for staring into his eyes, not on the edge of shattering from stress. None of this was surprising, but he wanted to be sure. Despite, or perhaps because of his role, Shadow never wanted to hurt Sonic.

“Stay here,” he ordered, leaving Sonic on the welcome mat to go get his collar. He kept it in a drawer next to his bedside, safe from wandering eyes, but accessible for days like today. When he returned, Sonic was on his knees right where he left him, shoes off and carefully placed next to Shadow’s air shoes.

Shadow crouched next to him. “Quills,” he said, and Sonic wordlessly swept them out of the way. Shadow reached around his neck and buckled the collar in place- nothing ostentatious, a simple black strap with metal rings for clipping leashes to, and a silver tag resting between Sonic’s collarbones.

Property of Shadow the Hedgehog.

He’d had several more devious ideas for the tag; he was still partial to Useless Brat. But the collar’s purpose wasn’t humiliation. Unlike their more intense scenes, where he often strove to degrade the hedgehog as much as possible, for everyday, mundane submission Shadow wanted Sonic to know he was owned. The collar was a reminder to Sonic that as long as he wore it, he was under Shadow’s control.

Sonic’s breath left in a shudder as the collar settled into place, frame relaxing a fraction. Once the collar was secured, Shadow stood and placed his palm on Sonic’s head, gauging his reaction. This time he didn’t bristle, nor did he lean into his hand. Just sat there, accepting the touch.

Pursing his lips, Shadow stepped back. “Go make breakfast.”

Sonic made to rise, and Shadow pushed him back to his knees. “You know better. Crawl in my presence.”

Sonic accepted the correction with a minor huff, crawling towards the kitchen with only slight impatience. Shadow watched him go, narrowing his eyes, before returning to the living room and sitting down. His coffee was still warm, thankfully, and Shadow settled in as Sonic reached the kitchen. Once there Sonic stood, opening the fridge and pulling out ingredients.

Satisfied that his slave was obeying instructions, Shadow resumed reading. The clinking of dishes in the kitchen was calming background noise, but even with that and the comforts of his morning coffee, Shadow found his mind drifting. He cataloged the supplies in his closet in his mind, taking what he knew of Sonic’s mood and coming up with plans.

Typically when Sonic arrived on his doorstep, asking to be owned, he wanted Shadow to break him. Shadow made sure to oblige him when needed, but he often defaulted to subtler methods of showing the hedgehog his place. That was where the collar, the rules, and the service came in. If Sonic was his, then Shadow could choose to break him or build him up, to use him and mold him into a slave Shadow was proud to call his own. Sonic had approached the concept with his usual impatience, but it had yielded good results, and now there were times Sonic was content with submission without any heavier humiliation sessions.

“Sir,” speak of the devil, “your breakfast is ready.”

Shadow looked up. Sonic knelt on the rug next to his chair; as Shadow set down his book, Sonic raised his head to look him in the eyes.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. Eye contact was something he’d been training Sonic on; to ask permission first, or wait to be asked, and otherwise to keep his eyes averted. It was both for Shadow’s comfort- eye contact was a part of social interaction he didn’t really understand, and to be honest he didn’t think Sonic did either- and a test; a neutral rule that wasn’t overly burdensome but took discipline to keep. He had to be careful with rules, since submissive mood or not, Sonic would always struggle to be tamed.

Sonic looked away. “Sorry, sir,” he huffed grouchily.

Shadow frowned; as irksome as Sonic’s attitude could be it did give him pointers on what Sonic needed today. “We’ll address that later,” he said, standing. This time Sonic obeyed, crawling after him to the dining table set at the border of the kitchen and living room.

Sonic had made scrambled eggs and bacon, one of the hedgehog’s favorite breakfast foods. Shadow huffed in amusement; he’d never say it out loud, but he loved how Sonic’s independence seeped through any time Shadow neglected to give him a direct order. (It made his obedience that much sweeter.) Shadow’s place was set, another plate and utensils waiting on the kitchen counter.

Shadow sat down. Sonic stayed on his knees, eyes down, waiting for orders. Some days Shadow had him stay on the floor, eating from a plate with only his mouth like a dog. For a moment Shadow considered it, but decided against it today.

“Sit at the table. You may make eye contact with me for this meal.”

Sonic wordlessly stood and retrieved his dishes. With permission he poured himself a glass of milk, then, after Shadow took his share, served himself a generous portion of eggs and bacon and went to town. Shadow held back a grimace at the speed with which Sonic ate; he still hadn’t decided whether training better table manners into him was worth the effort.

Naturally Sonic finished first, which meant he had to sit and wait patiently for Shadow to finish. He was about as good at that as ever; it only took thirty seconds for Sonic’s foot to start tapping. Shadow was not currently trying to torture his slave, so he let him stim as much as he needed as Shadow finished his meal.

Once he took his last bite, he faced Sonic. “Well done with breakfast. My next order is for you to tell me your limits today. Be honest.”

Sonic grimaced (his expressions were another battlefield Shadow ceded so as not to push Sonic past his fragile limits). He didn’t like answering these introspective, to-the-point questions, but they were necessary. As much as Shadow could gleam from his behavior, he needed Sonic to confirm his current needs and boundaries.

“I don’t want to do any extreme roleplay. Sex is fine, but not paired with any punishment or painplay we do. Just- be gentler today please. I… I want you to be kind, but I want to earn it first.”

Shadow digested all of this, rearranging his plans with these new factors. Some days Sonic wanted Shadow to abuse him, wanted to struggle against Shadow’s cruel and unrelenting domination until Shadow broke him. Other days, rare at first but becoming more common, Sonic simply chose to relax into his submissive role in Shadow’s routine for as long as his free spirit would let him. But some days were more like today. Sonic wanted to resist, to be punished and brought low, but for Shadow’s hand to be fair, and for rewards to come after enduring Shadow’s will.

Shadow nodded to himself, the day’s plans cementing in his mind. “Good,” he said. “Now. You made eye contact with me earlier without permission. When I pointed this out, you were short with me.”

Sonic’s quills stiffened. “Yes, sir.”

“Explain yourself.”

Sonic frowned. He stayed quiet, Shadow noted with pride; part of Sonic’s training was to think quietly before giving an answer, rather than running his mouth until his brain caught up. Eventually he spoke up. “I didn’t feel sorry. The rule felt pointless.”

Shadow sighed. “You know that’s not how to address this. Was the rule too much? You should have used the safeword.” After a few mishaps, they’d designated a specific safeword that basically meant “if I have to follow this dumbass rule for one more second I’ll run off into the woods screaming.” (Sonic, despite his desire for rough treatment, often required a delicate touch in the realm of everyday submission.)

Sonic squirmed. “No, it’s not too much, I just- didn’t feel like it.”

“In this house, the rules matter more than your feelings. Are you not willing to meet this standard?”

This time Sonic’s quills puffed in indignation, competitive buttons pressed. “No. I am.”

“Then trust me. Whether or not they make sense to you, I am the one who made those rules, and when you break them, you disrespect me. If the rule isn’t worth a sincere apology, then I hope that is.”

Chastened, Sonic’s eyes fell to his lap. “I understand, sir. I apologize.”

Shadow accepted it with a nod. “Next time something like this happens, what will you do?”

“I will apologize sincerely. Or I will ask why what I did was wrong, and then apologize.”

“Good.  I believe that was punishment enough.” Sonic sighed dramatically in relief. This hedgehog. “Now. Clean the dishes. After this we are going out to the garden.”

Sonic’s ears perked up, and he happily stood and gathered the dishes in a flash before appearing next to the sink. Predictable. With Sonic’s back turned, Shadow let himself smile, and began preparing two mugs, one with more coffee, and the other with the mint tea he knew his slave preferred.

Before Sonic arrived, Shadow had planned to get groceries and do other small errands. But none of those were urgent, and he wanted to savor owning Sonic while it lasted. The garden needed maintenance anyways. Spending the morning outside was also part of Shadow’s brilliant plot to stare at that adorable doofy smile Sonic wore any time he was enjoying nature.

...He was the Ultimate Lifeform, he had successfully played Dr. Eggman in a near-world destroying scheme and had rebuffed the invasion of alien forces in his planet and mind through his skill and willpower, and now he focused all that talent on subduing this stupid hedgehog. Perhaps he was loosing his edge.

It was hard to mind as he watched Sonic get distracted yet again by a butterfly, abandoning his task of weeding the pumpkins to stare at the butterfly with that stupid grin. Shadow sighed fondly, hopefully quiet enough that Sonic wouldn’t notice. Shadow could hardly blame him for getting distracted; it was, after all, a very pretty butterfly. Maria would have appreciated it, would have appreciated this entire garden, a mostly organized plot of vegetables and wildflowers. That’s why he’d originally planted it, inspired by her dreams, then spurred on by his own growing love of this patch of pure, quiet life, untainted by the blood and strife that scarred so much of the world. He hoped- no he knew- that Maria would be proud.

Gaze drifting back to Sonic, Shadow felt himself cringe. While the thought of Maria watching brought him comfort most of the time, he hoped she wasn’t watching him and Sonic too closely. This weird-as-hell relationship was one part of his life he was happy to keep to himself.

Standing and retrieving his coffee, Shadow examined their progress. He’d finished tending the tomato plants, but Sonic was only halfway down his row. Well, he supposed he didn’t pick his slave for efficiency, fastest hedgehog or not.

(His slave picked him because of his insane humiliation kink and unearned trust in Shadow to keep him safe, but that stroke of luck was hardly relevant right now.)

Shadow could order Sonic to focus. The hedgehog did want to be (gently) pushed today, and one way to do that was through more training. But it was a beautiful day, and Sonic’s unfiltered joy in nature wasn’t something he wanted to train away. So Shadow sat on the stone bench, waiting for Sonic to slowly remember his task, and admired the birds skittering through the forest, the wind rustling the branches that covered the dirt road to town like an archway.

The sun rose high in the sky, and Shadow had to remind himself of his role before calling Sonic inside. It had been a wonderfully peaceful morning, and Shadow had enjoyed himself. But Sonic wanted to be pushed, and Shadow was never one to back down from a challenge.

“Your clothes are filthy,” he said as they stepped inside. Sonic flinched as if struck; Shadow filed the reaction away. “Take them off.”

Warily glancing towards Shadow before remembering the eye contact rule, Sonic obeyed, slipping off first his socks, then his gloves. His hands trembled as he stuffed them in his shoes; his cheeks burned red.

“Go wash up, and prepare a bath for me. You will attend me there.”

Sonic nodded, brushing off his knees before crawling towards the bathroom. Shadow followed at a slower pace, retrieving his phone and scrolling through the notifications that had accumulated, mostly from Rouge.

hey handsome
I’m dragging knuckles to the mall, wanna come? we could bring your boytoy, make a double date out of it.
Don’t call him that, it’s not dignified. I assume you’ve already made your trip.
oh I see, only YOU get to call Sonic embarrassing names
Rouge.
yes yes, we’re done with the mall, stopped to get lunch. I’m seeing how many mixed sodas I can make him drink at once.

Shadow wrinkled his muzzle. Rouge had tried this on him before, several times, making truly horrendous concoctions at soda fountains for Shadow to test. Almost none of them got his approval, mostly because he didn’t like soda. It was far too sweet for him.

Behind the bathroom door, the shower ran for barely a minute before shutting off. A noise that sounded like a super-sonic hedgehog shaking himself dry came through the door. Shadow sighed; he wondered if Sonic would remember to clean up his mess before Shadow’s turn. As he heard the bath begin to fill, he was struck with an idea. He texted as quick as he could, managing to compose the text by the time the water shut off. (Touch screens were hard; at least Sonic wasn’t here trying not to laugh at him for his slow typing.)

The door opened just as Rouge texted back. “Bath’s ready, sir!” came a chipper voice. Shadow stepped inside as he read Rouge’s response.

oo, devious. i’ll run it by knuckles
Good. I’m taking a bath, will text soon.
have fun, tell your little attendant hi

Shadow scoffed, setting the phone on the counter. Sonic had actually managed to clean up whatever mess he must’ve left. The bathtub was clean and full of steaming water, and Sonic knelt next to the bathtub, Shadow’s various soaps and care products arranged in front of him. Shadow unclothed, stepped past his Sonic, and slipped into the water, sighing in relief. He rested for a moment, letting his sweaty body relax. Then he turned to his slave, who was very carefully looking at Shadow’s body but not his face. Sneaky boy. “Soap.”

Sonic snapped to attention, handing Shadow the soap. As he began to scrub himself, he said, “I talked to Rouge. I invited her and the echidna over.”

Sonic’s eyes snapped up in shock before darting away. “Sorry, sir.”

Shadow accepted the apology with a nod. “Did you have something to say?”

Sonic’s throat bobbed. His eyes wandered to Shadow’s hands scrubbing his thighs, then back to his own knees. “Will we still be…”

“I expect you to maintain our normal protocol, yes.”

Sonic blanched. Shadow kept a careful eye on his reaction as he shifted to scrub his back. They had never done something like this before. Rouge had walked in on them before- thankfully not in any overly compromising situations, but getting interrupted with Sonic kneeling at his side collared and leashed was plenty enough to fluster everyone but Rouge. Shadow had spoken with Sonic afterwards, and Sonic admitted to feeling vulnerable. He trusted Shadow to humiliate him, but Rouge knowing it was happening was another level. He trusted her- or rather trusted that Shadow trusted her- but it was still a lot. And as far as he knew, Knuckles did not know anything at all about Sonic and Shadow’s dynamic.

“Tell me what you are feeling.”

Sonic sucked in a breath. “Scared, sir.”

“Look me in the eyes.” Sonic obeyed. “Color.”

Sonic swallowed. “Green.” Shadow preferred the traffic light system for safewords, mostly because of its versatility; it gave him clearer answers on Sonic’s emotional state than the yes/no of a single safeword.

Shadow nodded. “You will tell me if that changes. Once I am done I will check Rouge’s reply.” He held out the soap, finished scrubbing his fur. “Shampoo.”

Once washed and dried, Shadow got dressed in fresh clothes, ignoring Sonic’s hungry eyes flickering over his paws and ass. He led Sonic out to the living room, sat down, and motioned for Sonic to kneel beside his chair. Only then did he check his texts.

just checking, is blue okay if I tell knux about you and him
I believe so.
*thumbs up*
...
knux is a go. we’ll be over in twenty minutes
Here’s what I’m planning. Update the echidna and make sure he understands what he’s getting into.

Shadow informed Rouge of his plans for the visit. One of the things he’d done in preparation for domming Sonic was taking a consent class at Rouge’s club. It had been a borderline confusing but enlightening experience, and he had attended several more times to cement the information in his head. One of the takeaways he hadn’t previously considered was that performing such acts in front of bystanders without warning could violate their consent. It was for this reason, and because he didn’t want Sonic to have his friend’s opinion of him totally destroyed, that he was so careful about making sure Knuckles understood what he was going to be participating in.

“Sir?”

Shadow held up a hand. “Let me finish this first.” He finished typing the final sentence, clicked send, and almost immediately received a thumbs up from Rouge. He set down his phone. “Yes?”

“May I put on clothes?”

“No. You will remain as you are.” Shadow faced Sonic, watching his face turn red as he looked at his bare paws.

“Sir, how much does Knuckles know?”

“Rouge is telling him the basics of what we are and what this means. He will not be unprepared.”

Sonic remained silent for a moment. “… Sir, I’m afraid he’ll mock me. Like this I can’t snipe back. I’m defenseless.”

“No. You have me. I will make sure he does not overstep your limits. To be clear, you don’t want him to tease you at all?”

Sonic squirmed. “I- not the way you do. A jab or two I don’t mind. But I can’t take him judging me.”

“Understood. I will step in if it gets to that point. And trust your friend. He respects you as much as I do, and has seen you eat shit too many times to think you untouchable.”

Sonic snorted. Shadow smiled. He opened his phone and turned on music; some varied piano that he hoped would help calm Sonic’s nerves. “Now. We haven’t had many guests before. Let’s get something to eat and then go over the protocol.”

The knock at the door came all too soon. Sonic knelt behind Shadow as he opened the door, sweat beading his bare paws. Hardly anyone but Rouge and Tails- and Tails only because he was too smart for his own good, and even then he only knew the bare basics- knew what he and Shadow had. It was vulnerable, far too close to Sonic’s fleshy, fragile heart to share casually.

Which they were now doing. With Knuckles.

Sonic knew Shadow was not being casual about this. He took the time to old-man-type instructions to Rouge to make sure Knuckles knew what to expect, and he’d made clear that at any point Sonic could hit the brakes on any of it. Sonic wasn’t sure why he hadn’t. He trusted Shadow, of course, but the thought of Knuckles seeing him like this- without gloves-

It made him nauseous. It felt awful. Somehow, it also felt good.

Trembling more than when he’d faced the End, Sonic waited behind Shadow as he greeted his guests. Sonic heard Rouge’s teasing voice, and his stomach lurched at Knuckles answering grunt. Shadow stepped away from the door to let them in and Sonic shuffled back too, but that wasn’t enough to shield him. Rouge winked at him as she slipped off her boots. Knuckles, meanwhile, stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Sonic as his face grew red.

At least he’s looking at my eyes, not my paws, Sonic thought dizzily.

A light knock on his head from Shadow jolted him out of his thoughts and made him realize he was breaking the eye contact rule again. Swallowing his grumbling, he yanked his eyes down, and was rewarded with a quick rub on the ears. “Would you like something to drink?” Shadow said.

“Sure, darling. You still have that Chardonnay from last time, right?”

Shadow nodded, turning to Knuckles, who managed to look away from Sonic with his hands clasped awkwardly in front of his chest. “Is that the kind that tastes like grapes?”

“It can be!” Rouge said, already looking through the cupboards. “But I think this one is more oaky. You probably want a Concord; you have some of that, right Shadow?”

Shadow pinched his nose in frustration. “Sure. Get out of my kitchen, Rouge.”

“Oh right, how could I forget,” she said, grinning in Sonic’s direction as she sauntered out of the kitchen without closing the cupboard and plopped into Shadow’s favorite chair. Shadow sighed and looked to Sonic, who jolted as he remembered his role.

He scrambled for the kitchen, completely forgetting the more dignified method of crawling he’d developed and embarrassing himself further. It was a relief to get around the island and out of everyone’s sight; but that just meant he had to stand up to get Rouge and Knuckles’ drinks. Once he stood he saw his master shooing Rouge out of his spot and realized he’d forgotten to get Shadow’s order.

“Do you want anything, Sha- I mean sir?”

Shadow scowled from the living room. “Don’t shout. I’ll also have Chardonnay.”

Sonic bit his lip but nodded quickly, grabbing the wine glasses, then the bottles. He was as careful as he knew how to be with the bottles; he didn’t want to know what the punishment would be if he broke them. Managing to get everything poured, he carefully replaced the bottles in the cupboard before grabbing Shadow’s glass and carrying it carefully to his master.

Knuckles watched him kneel and hold out the glass with wide eyes. “He’s really obeying you,” he said in disbelief.

Sonic cringed, ears folding down. Shadow looked from him to Knuckles, who blinked like a deer in headlights. He seemed more intimidated by Shadow than ready to laugh at Sonic, which was good, maybe, but that wasn’t Sonic’s problem right now. He hurried back to the kitchen, retrieving Rouge’s glass and offering it to her in the same manner. “Thanks darling,” she said, giving him a genuinely encouraging smile before going back to staring in glee at Knuckles’ confusion.

Finally he grabbed Knuckle’s glass. He’d chosen a stemless one for Knuckles, since he knew his friend struggled to hold ordinary wineglasses with his mitts. He knelt next to Knuckles’ seat next to Rouge on the couch, face burning as he looked anywhere but at Knuckles.

Knuckles, for his part, took the glass carefully. “Thanks, Sonic,” he said.

“My pleasure sir,” Sonic forced out, then crawled with as much grace as he could muster to his spot at Shadow’s side.

“Doesn’t Sonic get a drink?” Knuckles asked as Sonic settled into place.

“If he’s good,” Shadow said, resting his hand on Sonic’s head and giving his ear a comforting scratch. Sonic leaned into the touch, a purr starting in his throat. It stuttered as he remembered their company, but Shadow scratched again, and Sonic decided that perhaps it was best to focus on Shadow’s comfort instead of everything about this humiliating situation.

He let himself drift, only half-listening to the conversation being held above him. The nausea had turned into burning in his chest, not a good or a bad burning, just an intense one. He leaned into Shadow’s hand and focused on breathing, letting the bundle of excited stress loosen with each exhale.

Knuckles’ voice brought him back to the present, and he realized he’d been addressed. “Uh, huh?”

That wasn’t particularly proper protocol but Shadow wasn’t reprimanding him, so it was probably fine. Knuckles didn’t seem too bothered repeating his question. “Why are you submitting to him like this? I mean, this is the last kind of thing I expected from you.”

Sonic’s ears folded back as he cringed. A tap on his head; Sonic looked up at Shadow, who gestured to Knuckles. Sonic reluctantly met his eyes and saw genuine confusion and curiosity. None of the judgment he feared.

Still, he struggled to think of an answer. Shadow had trained him to think through a question in silence before answering it, but in the pressure of the moment Sonic felt all that progress slipping with the urge to babble and fill the awkward silence. The strain of staying quiet clashed hard with his attempts to come up with an answer. “Too much,” he forced out, and immediately Shadow rubbed his ears again.

“Next question,” he said to Knuckles.

“Ah, sorry, okay. Uhh.”

“You should ask where he bought that collar. Who knows, maybe you or I’d like to shop there someday.”

Knuckles stared at Rouge in confusion for a good few seconds before the implications sunk in and his muzzle turned as red as his fur. “I- you don’t- why would we need a collar?”

“I don’t know, why would we need a collar?”

“I’m not wearing one!”

“I never said you would, Knuckles, sweetie. Though I do think you’d look handsome in it. Sonic does, after all.”

“I-” Knuckles said, bluescreening. Sonic, half relieved at Rouge’s distraction and half flustered by the compliment, leaned into Shadow’s hand, which started rubbing his ears again.

Yeah, maybe this wasn’t so bad.

“Speaking of which, Sonic, I had no idea you painted your nails! Did Shadow ask you to or was it your idea?”

Nevermind, Sonic wanted to die. He covered his face with his hands, which only served to put his naked paws even more on display. He shuffled them under his armpits, avoiding Rouge’s gaze and ignoring the relieved sigh from Knuckles and the chuckles of his master.

Shadow said goodbye to his guests and shut the door. Behind him, Sonic sagged in relief. Shadow turned to him, kneeling in front of him and cupping his face. Unshed tears glimmered in his slave’s eyes, and his breathing was shaky.

“How are you doing?” Shadow said quietly. “Too much?”

Sonic shook his head, bumping his cheeks into Shadow’s palms. “Just a lot. Overwhelmed.”

Shadow nodded. “You did well. I’m proud of you.”

Those words made something in Sonic break. He leaned forward in Shadow’s grip, tears threatening to spill, and Shadow wrapped his arms around him. Sonic trembled in his grasp, bare paws running anxiously over Shadow’s fur.

“Punish me,” he said suddenly. “Please, I have to have done something wrong today. Just. I don’t want to think right now. Please punish me.”

Shadow squeezed tighter. “You did well today Sonic, there’s nothing to punish for. But I can reward you.”

“Please,” Sonic gasped, so fragile in his arms, “I just don’t wanna think. Please.”

Shadow considered. There were two ways he usually used to tire out Sonic when he was like this: pain, or pleasure. Pain was a frequent choice; despite the hedgehog’s claim that he wasn’t a masochist, he seemed to find a degree of comfort in enduring pain. But Sonic was fragile already, and he said earlier he wanted a more gentle touch. Besides, Shadow had missed the feeling of being inside his slave.

“How about this. I take you to my bed, tie you down, and fuck all the thoughts out of your empty little head,” Shadow whispered into his ear. Sonic shuddered; Shadow grinned. “You want that?”

“Please,” Sonic gasped again, apparently running out of new words. That was fine; all he needed to do for the rest of the day was scream Shadow’s name.

“Then let’s eat first,” Shadow said, realizing they hadn’t eaten since before the visit, and that Sonic probably needed a breather before another intense session. “Then I’ll take you till you can’t remember your name.”

Shadow kept his word. He made them sandwiches, making sure Sonic drank a large glass of water. Then he picked him up, carrying him into his bedroom and laying him gently on the covers like the treasure he was.

Sonic shivered as Shadow let go, but he needed a few tools for what he had in mind. Most of the heavy-duty toys were in his closet, but he kept more normal toys in the drawer next to his bed. Carefully he pulled out a vibrating dildo, a bullet vibe, and a bottle of lube, along with padded straps.

Shadow arranged these tools on the bed next to Sonic. “Arms,” he said, and Sonic held them out. He locked each one in a padded cuff, strapping them to opposite sides of the headboard. He did the same with Sonic’s feet, strapping them to the base of the bed frame. Then, with his toys in easy reach, he climbed over Sonic and kissed him.

Sonic gasped into the kiss, letting him in immediately. Shadow dove in and pleasured his mouth, pressing his tongue against Sonic’s lips, his cute little teeth, the roof of his mouth, his tongue. He pulled back to let Sonic gasp, then dove in again, worming his tongue to the very back of Sonic’s throat, as far as he could go, feeling his slave gag around him.

With one hand, he groped Sonic’s chest. Top surgery had made this area mostly numb, but the feeling was staring to come back, and Sonic loved when Shadow kneaded his pecs like dough. The other hand crept down his stomach, fluttering across peach fur, the crease of his thighs, then the fluffy mound that hid his favorite treasure.

Sonic gasped as best he could around Shadow’s tongue as his fingers wormed their way over Sonic’s vulva. Two fingers pinched his dick, squeezing and rolling it, as the others pet over Sonic’s pussy. Shadow felt the area grow wet, and drawing back, he pressed a finger to the opening.

“Color?”

“Green.”

Some days Sonic’s pussy was off-limits due to bottom dysphoria. Apparently today was not one of them, and Shadow took full advantage of that, plunging his finger in deep. Sonic gasped, eyes widening as Shadow wriggled the finger inside him.

“Feel that? Feel how deep I am? It’s like I’m massaging your guts.”

Sonic breathed heavily as Shadow wriggled another finger in, carefully yet forcefully stretching his pussy open. Shadow leaned in, pressing a kiss to Sonic’s dazed face. “I love your eyes when they lose focus. I love your mouth when it runs out of words. I love your tongue when it hangs out so cutely, useless for anything but moaning my name.”

“Sh-Shadow-”

“That’s right-” Shadow scissored his fingers, making Sonic squirm- “Cry for me, my slave.”

Sonic took another gasping breath. “Y-yours.”

“All mine.” He massaged Sonic’s chest, doing his best to fuck Sonic open while still rubbing his dick with his thumb. “My little captive bluebird. It’s an honor to hold the key to your cage.”

He pulled his fingers out abruptly. Sonic was wet enough; he reached for the dildo and lined it up. He checked Sonic’s face- wide-eyed, holding his breath in readiness not fear- and thrust the dildo in to the root.

Sonic keened, a low “ohhhhh” sound Shadow ached to memorize. “You dick,” he growled, “too fast.”

“Is that any way to speak to your master?” Shadow said, thrusting the toy hard into him, trusting Sonic to use the safeword if necessary. When Sonic didn’t respond, he stopped moving altogether, taking his hand off Sonic’s chest.

“No! No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry master,” Sonic sobbed.

“You take what I give you,” Shadow said, staring into his eyes as he thrust hard, gauging Sonic’s reaction. He continued to gasp but didn’t seem to be tensing or flinching, so Shadow continued the rough pace. “And you’ll thank me for it.”

“Th-thank you, master,” Sonic cried, tears starting to leak from his face. “No one fucks me like you do.”

Shadow licked the tears from Sonic’s cheeks, making the hedgehog’s face scrunch up. Shadow laughed at him, adjusting the dildo’s angle and watching sparks burst in Sonic’s eyes. “That’s right. I’m the only one who can do this to you. The only one you let break you.”

“B-break me,” Sonic said. “Break me till there’s nothing left to break.”

Shadow was happy to oblige. He leaned down, still thrusting the dildo, and locked his lips around Sonic’s dick. The little appendage twitched in his mouth as Sonic moaned, writhing. As soon as Shadow felt Sonic’s orgasm crest, he switched on the vibe in the dildo.

“SHADOW!” screamed Sonic, yanking on his binds, bucking up into Shadow’s mouth and then twisting away as he tried to escape the over-stimulation. Shadow didn’t let him. He grabbed his hip, holding him down as he suckled his dick, thrusting through the orgasm. Something gushed against his cheek; Shadow grinned in pride as he realized he’d made Sonic squirt.

As Sonic’s orgasm finally settled down and he started to whine in pain, Shadow popped off his dick, leaving the dildo seated firmly in his cunt, still vibrating. Sonic gasped, breathing heavily as Shadow sat back, letting him adjust to the reduced but still present sensations while he prepared his next move.

This time he opened the lube bottle, coating his fingers. Then, as Sonic settled down, Shadow leaned down in front of his groin, prodding at the perineum. Sonic jolted, groaning. Shadow continued to tease, almost playfully poking at the skin around his rim, watching it clench and flutter.

“Shadow,” Sonic said in a pleading voice. He groaned as Shadow took a few more long seconds to tease him, then gasped as Shadow thrust in a finger down to the knuckle. The finger pressed against the still-vibrating dildo in Sonic’s pussy, sending a jolt through him. “Ah!”

Shadow chuckled cruelly. “Keep singing, hedgehog,” he said as he twisted the finger, stretching Sonic as slowly as he’d teased him, speeding up from time to time to coax more jolts from the slave underneath him.

Sonic moaned as Shadow slid the next finger in, scissoring. His ass clenched around him, and for a moment Shadow wished he could turn him over and paddle him till he was red and screaming. But Sonic had asked for no painplay, and he would not violate that trust. He satisfied himself with stretching Sonic’s asshole while teasing his dick, giving just enough stimulation to make him huff with frustration, but no more.

Satisfied, Shadow pulled his fingers out. He lubbed up his dick, long since emerged and dripping, and pressed it against Sonic’s pucker. The slave froze, shivering, but Shadow didn’t move.

“Shadow?”

“That’s not how I want you to beg,” Shadow said in a low voice.

“P-please? Shadow please I need you, I need you to fuck me, please.”

“So close,” Shadow said, clicking his tongue, playfully pressing his tip against Sonic’s ass before pulling back. “But that’s not how a slave addresses their master.”

“Master, please! Sir I need you! I need you to use me until I’m worth less than the cum dripping out of me! Please Master, please!”

Shadow shoved all the way inside in a single thrust, and Sonic screamed. Shadow paused, watching Sonic’s face twist in pain. He pressed a hand to Sonic’s face, meeting his eyes, asking wordlessly if he needed to stop.

Instead Sonic huffed, thrusting with what little leverage he had back onto Shadow’s dick. Shadow grinned, wrapping his arms around his torso, thrusting hard and deep. “Good boy. Good slave. You’re earning your place in my bed. Every squeeze of your walls, every twitch of your pathetic little dick. All of them make me want to devour you.”

Sonic moaned wordlessly; in response, Shadow reached blindly for the final tool. He found the bullet vibe and pressed it to Sonic’s dick, turning it on, and Sonic howled.

His ass squeezed as he came again, writhing as Shadow continued to fuck him brutally, holding the vibe to his dick. Sobs spilled out of him, paired with “Stop- stop please-” the moment Shadow heard it he grabbed Sonic’s hand with his free one and squeezed twice. Sonic squeezed back, twice; enough confirmation for Shadow that he remembered the safewords and could stop this if he really wanted. He let a sadistic grin spread over his face, leaning down and dragging his fangs over Sonic’s throat as he continued to abuse his genitals.

“Sha-Shadow, Master, Master,” Sonic begged, whimpering as Shadow sucked his throat. He nearly bit down before remembering Sonic’s wishes and drew back, leaving a kiss in apology. Instead he draped himself over Sonic’s bound form, pounding into him with the rhythm and force of heavy machinery, the dual vibes pleasuring any parts Shadow couldn’t reach.

Sonic came twice more, sobbing each time. Shadow praised him, licking away his tears and ignoring his pleas, feeling his balls slowly tighten. Sonic screamed and clenched down a third time, and Shadow’s arms locked around him as his dick jerked, shooting Sonic full of cum.

“Yesss, take it,” he breathed as Sonic sobbed, “let me defile you with my cum. My perfect toy, my beautiful, worthless slave, so pretty sobbing on my dick.”

He pulled away the bullet vibe, and Sonic sobbed in relief. Shadow left the dildo in but turned off the vibration, letting Sonic rest, stuffed full in two holes. His slave choked and trembled underneath him, sticky with his own release, a work of art Shadow was honored to own.

Shadow pushed himself up, looking Sonic in the eyes. Sonic struggled to look back, dazed. “Are you ready?” he asked gently.

Sonic took several seconds to process, but nodded. Shadow pulled out the dildo first, watching Sonic’s cunt flutter without it. Then, slowly, he pulled out, watching his cum drip down and stain Sonic’s tail.

He set the toys aside, then unbuckled Sonic from his restrains. He gathered the shivering hedgehog in his arms. Sonic groaned as he picked him up, and Shadow laughed at him. “Come on. We need to pee and clean up. Then you can sleep.”

Sonic was barely able to stand; Shadow had to help him sit down on the toilet. He washed himself and the toys before helping his slave clean himself. Once they were finished, Shadow carried Sonic back to the bed, replacing the soiled blanket with a clean one before tucking him in and crawling in beside him.

“Was that what you wanted?” he asked, kissing Sonic gently on the cheek.

“Mhm,” breathed Sonic, eyes already closed. Shadow smiled at him, stroking the fur on his cheek.

“You did so well. I’m so proud of you.”

“‘M so tired.”

“Then sleep, my slave,” he whispered, kissing his forehead. With rare ease, Sonic obeyed.

The next morning Sonic woke Shadow with a long groan. The black hedgehog sat up, watching Sonic attempt to roll over while half-asleep, before giving up.

“My ass hurts,” he mumbled. “You’re mean.”

Shadow smiled; it probably wasn’t worth correcting Sonic’s manners when he was half asleep. “You asked for it,” he said, too quiet for him to hear, getting up to start his morning routine.

Sonic left the bedroom at almost the same time he’d arrived yesterday, limping noticeably. Shadow suppressed a smirk of pride and met Sonic’s eyes as he walked into the living room to stand at Shadow’s chair, looking him in the eyes.

“I’m ready.”

Shadow set his book down. This wasn’t surprising; Sonic could rarely handle long periods of submission. That didn’t mean Shadow wasn’t sad to see him go. “Would you like me to cook breakfast for you before you go?”

Sonic shook his head. “We’ll both make it. Compensation for you wrecking my ass.”

Shadow let himself roll his eyes; Sonic acting on his own terms meant Shadow felt free to snark back. “You asked for it.”

Together they made the same breakfast as the previous day, mostly because Sonic insisted. Shadow grumbled at the choice and Sonic laughed; Sonic made fun of Shadow grabbing a handful of coffee beans while making coffee and Shadow insulted his entire lineage. It was familiar, in its own way; not worse but different than what they had when Sonic needed to be owned.

After they ate Sonic stood by the door, leaning down for Shadow to take off his collar. With careful hands Shadow unbuckled it, reigning in his own reluctance. Sonic needed freedom like he needed chaos energy. There was no force in the world that could keep him in Shadow’s hold forever.

Shadow lowered the hands holding the collar and met Sonic’s eyes. “Check in with me tonight and in a few days. Let me know if you think of anything that troubled you or that you want to note for the future.”

Sonic shifted. “Yeah, yeah, I will.” He never was too keen on the “following up” part of aftercare; it had taken weeks of nagging to convince him to check in regularly after their sessions. Sonic smiled at Shadow, pulling on his shoes, still stained with garden dirt. “See you around, Shads.”

Shadow walked him out the door, watching as he dashed off, slightly unsteady from soreness. Shadow stood for a moment, looking down the empty road, holding Sonic’s collar to his chest.

Then he turned and went inside, returning the collar to its drawer and continuing with his day. Shadow knew he could never keep Sonic from flying away; would never keep Sonic his against his will. But he knew his bluebird; he knew that eventually he would always return to Shadow’s cage.