Dose

1

Sally was feverish, her mind a clouded swirl of irritation. Her fur felt uncomfortably sticky, like something was crawling beneath it. And her stomach ached like someone had punched her in the gut. Hard. Like, really hard. Like, someone had up and decided to take a baseball bat and take a swing at her stomach as if it were a baseball. Weird analogy, but it the message got across nonetheless.

"I hope I'm not sick. Although, it would be just my like to be coming down with something. Then I wouldn't have to go out to Club Rouge to socialize with the gang," Sally murmured, a crooked smile dancing across her lips. Said bat would be infuriated, of course, but she was very tempted to incur her wrath if it meant not dealing with anyone. It wasn't her intent to become a recluse. It just sort of happened. She had been so busy with her kingdom and jotting across the world visiting other world leaders and dealing with all sorts of other things that everything else that was urgent fell on the back burner.

She hadn't meant to go ghost on all of her friends, and it was Rouge who reached out and said they were hanging out at her club to catch up. Were her heart not already swirling with guilt, she would've refused her, but she knew her friends had simply missed her, is all. It was that thought that motivated her to drag her ass out of her bed, her movements sluggish, but still graceful at the same time.

Her bare feet padded across her bedroom floor; her gaze shifted to her digital clock, and she felt panic creeping in her bones. She had forty-five minutes to get ready and be there or Rouge would surely try to skin her alive. Fuck! How had she slept in that late?! Shouting expletives, she ran to her bathroom, almost stumbling in her haste to get ready.

The club was thankful not too crowded, which meant he wasn't going to get a headache. Shadow had no idea how he allowed himself to be roped into such foolish shenanigans. It wasn't as if he didn't want to see Sally. The princess was a great comrade and an even better friend, but he didn't understand why they couldn't hang out somewhere else. The only upside to this is that they had the entire VIP lounge to themselves, so at least they wouldn't be disturbed.

"She better come or so help me Chaos, I'll wring her neck," Rouge growled, her voice stern, her teal eyes narrowed in annoyance. She snuggled deeper into Knuckles' comforting embrace as he silently tried to keep her temper at bay. After all, he just came out here to have a good time, and he knew how passionate Rouge got when she set her mind on something.

"There won't be any need for that. Sally wouldn't bail out on us. It's not like her," Sonic reasoned, his tone confident and leaving no room for argument. He knew Sally the longest, and they were close. He knew she would honor her word, so he wasn't worried in the slightest. Amy was by his side, so close they were nearly touching. They weren't dating, but they were closer now than they were in the past, so that was definitely a win.

"I'm glad someone has faith in me." All of their heads jerked in the direction of that voice, and Shadow felt his heart speed up. Sally was grinning like crazy, and she was definitely a sight for sore eyes. She had been gone for two years, and while Sonic was the one who talked to her the most, he hadn't seen her in person either, so everyone else was thoroughly surprised at how different and yet similar she looked.

She had let her hair grow out again, and it tumbled down her back in voluminous, bouncy auburn curls that shone under the club lights. Her minidress looked like it was crafted in gold, and knowing Sally, it was safe to say that it was. It barely stopped pass her ass and left hardly anything to the imagination. The neckline dipped dangerously, but tastefully showed off her ample cleavage. Her heels were a matching gold, and they were high, but she strutted in them with ease.

Her lips were a hypnotizing red, and her makeup was minimal but flawless. Golden hoops hung in her ears, and matching golden bracelets adorned her wrists. A diamond ring, and it was a sizable ring too, graced her middle finger on her left hand while a golden clutch was in her right hand. She looked beyond good, and the pleased look in those mesmerizing, sapphire eyes of hers let it be known that she knew it too.

Jaw-dropped expressions and silence greeted her, and she couldn't but burst out laughing, almost doubling over in hysterical mirth.

"What's wrong, guys? Has it been that long since y'all have seen me? Where's my warm welcome home?" she joked, arms wide open. Sonic was the first one to snap out of his stupor and was quick to pull her into a hug, hugging her tightly, as if he was afraid she'd disappear.

"I missed ya like crazy, Sal!" he exclaimed, his eyes bright and his smile even brighter, and Sally beamed at him, genuinely happy to see him. She missed him dearly, and she was fighting back tears. Rouge was pushing him to the side before hugging her, and Sally laughed at the affronted look on Sonic's face.

"I was afraid you weren't going to show up, Blue Eyes," Rouge joked, though her gaze was serious, and Sally laughed awkwardly, picking at the hem of her dress. Thankfully, Amy, Silver, Blaze and Knuckles chose that moment to hug and talk to her too, and she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She high-fived Knuckles and Silver and giggled with Amy and Blaze. It felt so good to be back home! She was so happy she feared she'd burst at the seams!

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around, smile still on her face. Her eyes met crimson ones, and she felt hot all over again, but only much more intense.

Shadow stood in front of her, using everyone's distraction to steal a moment for him to converse with her by himself without being bothered by prying eyes and questions. He was blindsided by her appearance and the feelings it invoked within him. She was sexy, seductive in a way he hadn't previously associated with her, not that he thought she wasn't attractive before. It just never hit him like this.

"Welcome back, princess," Shadow said, lips brushing against the back of her hand. Sally felt weak in the knees, fearful that she'd take a tumble and hit the floor. Thankfully, she remained firmly on her feet, but the heat within her continued to burn. It burned harder in response to Shadow's words and actions, and she had no idea why. Nobody else inspired such an effect on her.

Unless…

I think I'm going into heat. FUCK.

Can y'all tell how much I love Shadally? 'Cause if it wasn't obvious before, I really love them. And I love writing for them. This has been sitting in my head for a while, and obviously the plot is pretty straightforward, but I wanted to try my hand at a Shadally take on it. Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this baby :)