Disclaimer: Everything related to Sonic the Hedgehog (c) SEGA/Sonic Team.

"Omega."

The cyborg didn't respond, seeming absorbed in the functionality of the parts once belonged to the very robots Omega deemed inferior fixed into him. Inspecting his mechanical arms, flexing his fingers, tapping at his miscoloured flank, etc. He was frowning all the while, letting out a disapproving huff at times. Whether he was unhappy with the results or unhappy with having lesser consumer models (ah, sweet nostalgia) integrated into him in general, Rouge couldn't tell.

Shadow tugged him by the elbow. "Omega."

"Yes?" he answered at last as he turned around to face Shadow.

"A minute, please." Rouge trusted her ears as much she trusted gemmologists, and she was certain that it wasn't the echo that gave the hedgehog's voice a husky edge when he spoke.

"A minute of?" She had to strain her ears a little, but she heard it there, the slight sing-song tone behind the monotonous structure of Omega's voice. Teasing. Omega was teasing.

"Discussion," Shadow replied, and Rouge raised an eyebrow as she watched him pull Omega abruptly along and led themselves out of the stronghold.

Now, what did Shadow wanted to talk about with Omega that was so secret that he excluded even her? Curious, curious! She was tempted to sneak after them, as was her nature. Just a little peak of what her two boys had been really doing behind her back for the last couple of years.

However, Rouge sighed melodramatically to herself, she's well aware that theirs was the kind of trust that, when broken, required a limb and a noble intervention of some kind resulting in almost losing said limb to get it fixed. Even if that was a gross exaggeration, losing their friendship, business-oriented as they often were, just to validate her boredom-inspired suspicions just wasn't worth it. They could confess to her on their own time.

...Of what they were discussing about, of course.

"Hey, Rouge?" Tails approached as he wiped his hands of oil with a rag, looking anxiously at the exit for a moment and then at her. "They, uh, they didn't abandon us, did they?"

"No, sweetie," Rouge replied, patting him reassuringly on the head. "They just have some catching up to do."

Ten minutes later and her boys still weren't back yet.