[ARCHIVED] Heart Thief

Deep Wound

It wasn't an option for Sonic.

He wasn't ready for that kind of drink; especially not with the crowd he was in.

But he was reluctant to refuse either. If the prince thinks it's the only way to get him drunk...

He takes the offered glass in silence and gulps the remaining contents of his beverage, his eyes never leaving the prince's own until he feels the liquid hitting the back of his throat.

"Mmm..." He hummed in approval.

"Good. Try another," the prince smiled. The blue hedgehog nodded and raised the glass once again. But this time, he drank some more instead of drinking the whole cup. It wasn't that much different from his first one since he already drank most of it.

But the feeling didn't feel the same anymore. The sensation of the cool liquid sliding past his dry throat, along with its pleasant burn made him dizzy.

He felt his body grow heavier as the alcohol began to flow through him. He glanced over to the prince to see that he was standing quite close to him, but he didn't care. All he saw was darkness. Everything was blurry and indistinct.

In his state, he stumbled backwards. As his feet touched the uneven floor, he couldn't support himself. The next thing he knew, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his torso securely.
Shadow secured him with one arm, placing the other behind his head to help support him. 

The thief's head lolled forward, his neck leaning heavily on the other's shoulder. His arms lay limp on the prince's left shoulder, almost touching the floor with the tips of his fingers. His head started swimming. He closed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" The thief could hear his voice.
He opened his mouth to reply, but his voice failed him. Instead, he nodded weakly in response.

"Then I shall escort you home." He lied.

He lifted his head gently off his shoulder, but he did not move away, letting him stand by himself. Slowly, he got up from the ground and was led out of the ballroom. All of the royal guards immediately followed closely behind, leaving the prince and the thief alone in the hallway.

The prince looked at the thief's face, which seemed to have turned pale. His eyes wandered over his features: his cheeks were turning flushed, his quills messy and disheveled, his eyes were unfocused as if he was barely holding onto consciousness. He took off the blue hedgehog's mask and uncovered his face to avoid suffocation.

For some reason, the sight of it made him uneasy, and a pang shot through his heart. It was strange to look into his own eyes.
There was only pain, confusion and fear reflected in them. But it didn't stop the butterflies in his stomach from flying around and dancing crazily around his body. The warmth radiating from him was intoxicating. He felt his cheeks puff up, his body beginning to tremble slightly.

When the thief agreed to help him, why did he do so? Not only that, but he even managed to avoid anything reckless while dancing. He could feel the pressure Sonic was feeling, but he continued to follow his instructions without speaking another word.

Why? Why did he even agree?

He felt his heart clenching and squeezing violently. Wasn't he supposed to hate him?

They passed through the double doors, walking in silence along the long corridor. The prince didn't dare look at the thief. He couldn't bear it. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the ground, refusing to look anywhere else in fear of looking at him again. This whole time he could feel the warm gaze on him, watching his every movement. Trying to figure out what he was thinking.
It was starting to irritate him.