Sonic really wasn't a bad guy. He had a nasty job, sure, but outside of work, he always made sure to be polite and respectful. It helped to create bridges to other people, to have friends - especially when you found yourself hunted by whatever mafia or criminals you managed to piss off this time. The more people I have on my side, the better, Sonic thought.

Only he had never meant to befriend a hero of all people.

"Oh gods, are you okay?"

He was wanted by the hero association after all, so all heroes should know him, right? It was practically impossible for such a miscalculation to happen.

And it had taken a gross monster covered in inch-thick strands of hair to help him figure it out, too.

"Mumen? You're a hero?"

The monster in itself had been easily disposed of, but he'd been there, exclaiming that it was his job as a hero, even if he wasn't much help.

"My apartment is close by. Come on, I'll patch you up."

"Thank you, Mumen, for dragging that villain to jail for us", the other hero, the one who had managed to injure him, shouted. Sonic couldn't care less who it was, but his words made something twist painfully inside of him.

"Don't listen to him."

Sonic's head was spinning, and he didn't know if it was because of pain and blood loss or because of what he had just found out. But the vague shape of his friend (? enemy?) appeared in front of him and despite everything he trusted him.

"Are you an idiot, Mumen Rider?" He mumbled weakly, and knew he should push away, but Mumen's hands were comforting as they pulled him up and maneuvered him to a sitting position.

"I'll carry you on my back and return for the bike later! Stay strong, Sonic!"

Through the fog, and the gentle bouncing from the piggyback ride, and how wonderfully soft and strong Mumen's hands were agains his thighs, he kept thinking: Mumen? A hero? A hero?

Maybe he should have known. Maybe the way Mumen always spoke about justice should have been a giveaway. Maybe ... the way he was just so altogether good and honest and genuine should have made it obvious. But for some reason, it hadn't clicked in his brain, and now he was probably being carried to jail Or worse, those underground chambers beneath the hero association HQ where they kept monsters and high-ranked criminals…

Yes, how could he have made such a mistake?

"We're here, don't give up!" Mumen said and Sonic half-acknowledged that it wasn't jail or the hero association HQ. He heard the rustle of keys and smelled something like coffee and dust.

He was laid down on something soft and comfy, but as soon as Mumen let go he found himself inexplicably cold.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back with a first aid kit", Mumen said. There was something in his tone, and while Sonic has behind a veil of pain and confusion, he knew he didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.

"M-Mumen..." Sonic mumbled. He fumbled, reached for something that wasn't there, and whined.

"Don't move so much! I-I'll be there in a second, just hold on", something loud hit the floor somewhere outside of Sonic's vision. There was swearing and other uncomprehendable noises, but he still couldn't see what was going on.

"Here! I'm here now!" apparently Sonic's eyes had slipped shut because as he opened them Mumen Rider was leaning in close with one hand on his cheek. It pulled Sonic out of the haze somewhat so he leaned into the touch. The hand moved to his head and played with his hair for a moment. The touch alone made some of the pain ebb away and he didn't feel like he was looking through a glass wall anymore.

"I'm gonna have to take off your pants to clean your wound. Please forgive me, Sonic", Mumen said. Sonic fought to focus on his eyes for a moment and was overwhelmed by the intensity behind those glasses.

Then they were gone and hands were fiddling with his belt and Sonic lost his concentration again. Back into the haze he went, where everything was dulled by cotton.

And suddenly his leg stung and he winced in surprise.

"Don't move, I'm almost done cleaning your cut."

Oh. Oh yeah, the cut. And you had to clean it and- wait. Did Mumen say he'd take off his pants? Was he pantless in the home of a hero? Agh! It stung!

"There-! Let me just wrap it up properly", Mumen said. Sonic looked up slightly and saw Mumen wrap a bandage around his leg and give it one last pat before looking up. They made eye contact and while it wasn't awkward, Sonic felt himself jolt in surprise. Mumen smiled, the same way he smiled every time they'd hung out in the park, or at a café, or the bath house. Sonic didn't deserve it, he realized. He didn't deserve such a bright smile from a hero.

"I'll get you some painkillers and a glass of water."

"Wait!"

"Sorry, would you rather have tea?" Mumen paused. Sonic wanted to scream a bit at that.

"I..." he started.

"What's wrong?" Mumen looked concerned as he crouched down on the floor beside him. That's when he realized he was on a couch with beautiful pillows and blankets.

"F-fuck, I'm bleeding all over your couch", he whined and tried to sit up. Mumen put a hand to his chest to stop him. Again Sonic was mesmerized by how comforting his touch felt.

"Not anymore", Mumen smiled", I bandaged your wounds, remember?"

"I'm sorry", Sonic sighed. He glanced at the blanket and the blood stains covering it. If he'd been more aware he would have refused to lay on the couch.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're okay", Mumen said. Sonic suddenly wanted him to cup his face again. He looked away.

"So did you want tea or water", Mumen asked again.

"Whatever", Sonic mumbled and thought about how Mumen would send him to jail soon enough. He was practically defenseless and injured and now that he was not in any danger of bleeding to death surely it wouldn't be long until he found himself behind bars. Forced to wait for his wounds to heal before he could escape.

"I'll put on some tea then. Wait here while I get you some painkillers." The hero (the notion that Mumen was a hero still made Sonic's head spin) got up and moved out of the living room.

"I don't need painkillers", Sonic said.

"What? Are you not in pain?" Mumen said, eyebrows poking out above his glasses for once.

"This pain is nothing compared to what I have gone through in the past", Sonic said. A brief image of the hero Saitama, fist clenched and rushing toward his crotch, interrupted him momentarily," As a ninja, I would rather not rely on medication to make myself feel good."

"You sure? There is nothing wrong with pain relievers."

"I'm sure", Sonic hurried to say. He would much rather that Mumen just sat down again. For some reason he wanted to be close to him until inevitably being sent to prison.

"Then I will not force you! But I'll still get you some tea. Just you rest up for a bit, Sonic!" He did not get to say anything before Mumen was gone and noises could be heard from the kitchen. Swearing, he turned around and dug his face into the pillow. It smelled of some flowery detergent and something else. Mumen himself maybe?

Fuck, he didn't want to go to prison. And the notion the it would be Mumen to send him there made it so much worse, somehow. They had been such good friends but then it had turned out that Mumen was really a hero and that they simply could not keep going like this. If only Sonic had looked him up before starting to hang out with him, then he would be fine right now. Then his chest wouldn't feel so small.

"Do you like earl grey or green tea better?" Mumen called.

"I said whatever!" Sonic called back, muffled by the pillow. Huh, it really did smell like Mumen, didn't it? "Earl grey." he said as an afterthought.

"Okay", Mumen said and entered with two mugs and a plate of cookies on a tray. "do you want help sitting up?" Why were there cookies? Why would Sonic spend such a treat on a criminal like himself?

"I can manage", Sonic said, pushing himself into a sitting position without looking Mumen in the eyes.

"Okay", Mumen said again. The tray was put down on the table, beside the first aid kit and a book that was lying open with its backside up. He gave Sonic a steaming mug and didn't let go until he was sure Sonic would not drop it.

Sonic looked at his cup with a frown. It was brightly blue with two pink elephants holding each other's trunks. One of them had long eyelashes and lipstick so that everyone could tell it was a girl elephant. Sonic would have disliked it if it hadn't been Mumen's cup.

"I didn't know you were a hero", Sonic said after a small silence.

"Hm, yeah, I didn't tell you because I figured you wouldn't wanna be my friend then", Mumen mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked, but his heart clenched because that would have been true.

"I figured out that you were that wanted assassin kind of fast, but ... I don't know, you were being so nice and ..." he trailed off, and Sonic forgot how to breath. The lady elephant looked at him, holding her partner's trunk.

"You knew? Then why didn't you sent me to jail? Or tell the cops? Or the hero association?"

"I know I should have... I told myself I would, at least in the beginning. But you were just such good company, and I didn't wanna lose you!" Mumen said, looking into his own cup.

"... You knew", Sonic said," so are you going to send me to jail now?"

"Of course not", Mumen finally looked up, and the ceiling lamp reflected on his glasses.

"But today other heroes saw me. They must have seen you run off with me."

"I know, but I can't send you to prison. I just can't. Sorry", Mumen said, and Sonic almost laughed.

"Don't apologize to me, I don't wanna go to prison either!" He said instead, mostly because laughing took a little too much effort, and he was hurting just a little bit. His chest was lighter though, and everything seemed a little bit brighter than it had earlier.

"Heh, that makes sense I guess."

Mumen leaned forward and grabbed a cookie. He had a sweet tooth, Sonic remembered from all the times they had gone to the café together. Or whenever Sonic had caught him on his lunch break - he always brought cake or a few cookies! It seemed he liked to enjoy sweets at home too.

"Does that mean we're still friends?" Sonic asked. Hopeful.

"Yes. Of course. I mean, if you still want to?" Mumen said, looking at him with hope and fear in his eyes. The fear would have been unnecessary, but Sonic found it just reflected his own emotions.

"'Course I want to. I'll always want to be your friend", he said. Mumen smiled, widely and brightly and like he always did when they were together. Sonic smiled back, like he often did when they were together, but hadn't today. Because today had been weird and heavy, but it had turned out for the better and he could finally relax.

"That's a relief. I was worried you wouldn't trust me after this", Mumen Rider said. Sonic couldn't help it - his smiled turned into a grin.

"I admit thinking you would take me straight to jail, but I see now that I was foolish for thinking that. You're definitely too gullible to see what is in front of you", he said. He was only half joking - it was true that the right thing to do was to send him to prison. No matter how much both of them disagreed.

"You make it sound like you're a bad person, Sonic", Mumen said softly.

"No I don't, but it's up for discussion."

Mumen laughed, with his head tilted to the side and his cup of tea in his lap. It was such a warm, domestic scene, with the setting sun (already?) bathing them both in warm colors and the tea and cookies spreading their sweet smell across the room. On the table was a first aid kit and an open book. In Sonic's hand was an ugly cup with heterosexual elephants. Mumen's hair painted with sun and Sonic just wanted time to stop, right then and there.

Wow.

"You're not a bad person. It's just the circumstances, I'm sure of it."

"I trust you", Sonic said, meaning it both in general and in answer to the previous statement. His face is slack.

"Mm, I trust you too", Mumen said, into his mug.

Sonic couldn't help it - he moved his hand from his lap to where Mumen's rested on the couch pillows. They made contact, warm fires dancing across their fingers and arms, and it felt right.

Mumen didn't look up from his cup, but Sonic could see his smile, and he could feel their fingers intertwine.

Author's note: There's no ... Mumen in the character list...?