Set during Sonic Heroes.
It had been a long day. They'd started early in the morning, hoping to get through the forest by nightfall. It hadn't quite happened that way- there was an increasingly high number of robots to destroy the closer they got to Eggman- but they were close enough. And, Shadow mused, if they'd gone much farther, Rouge would have fallen asleep while flying them over a cliff.
Speaking of which, their faithful female companion laid sleeping facedown between them, her wings that had carried him and Omega over so many drop-offs rising and falling with breath. She'd never complained about being tired, or about anything else for that matter. She most likely felt it would slow them down too much, but now that Shadow thought about it he realized she'd gotten much thinner than when they'd first met in Eggman's base.
Obviously Omega was never tired or hungry or thirsty or had to use the bathroom, so he could have gone through the scorching forest sun and freezing nights for weeks without rest. Or so he claimed. Shadow had a feeling that even the best engineered of technology needed a break once in a while to stay up and running. As for Shadow himself, well…he could eat and drink, but he never really felt a need to like Rouge did. He could close his eyes and rest and certainly feel much more alert the next morning, but he still never felt tired, and tonight he couldn't seem to turn his mind off. While it made him glad that he was able to keep up and move at a fast pace, it also worried him. Ever since he'd first seen that robot that so closely resembled him, he'd had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if he really was just another one of the doctor's experiments? Surely if he never tired or became hungry, he had to be a robot of some kind.
"You are attracted to her, correct?" Omega said. Shadow jerked his head up in surprise. Omega was turned toward him, his LED eyes seemingly boring right through him. Well wasn't he just the master of subtlety. Still, his refusal to beat around the bush was one of the few things Shadow liked about him.
"No," Shadow turned his head. "I was just thinking that…she's the only one of us who is alive, strictly speaking, and is therefore bound by nature's limitations. You and I could have been out of here by now." He knew Omega wouldn't think he was suggesting that they continue on without Rouge. They both knew full well they couldn't get far without her, as a good bit of their journey didn't take place on solid ground.
Well, at least Omega wouldn't get far.
"At least she keeps up," Omega said, turning to scan the thick jungle surrounding them. Shadow nodded. At first glance, Rouge was materialistic and not exactly what you'd call athletic. But Shadow had soon found that her strength was just as outstanding as her beauty. Through the many days and nights they'd traveled, she'd stayed awake for hours, defeating robot after robot, running for miles, and carrying two heavy robots (assuming Shadow really was a robot) long distances over and over again.
Even tonight, after they'd been running through the forest for what seemed like forever, she had run with them. Only Shadow seemed to notice that her eyes kept closing and she kept stumbling, even though bats were supposed to be able to see in the dark. Finally he'd suggested they take a break (because he knew she wouldn't) and she'd looked at him like he was her lord and savior. When she tripped over a tree root and didn't get up right away, Omega had picked her up and carried her until they'd found a relatively safe place to rest. She'd fallen asleep in his arms and even now that they were talking in what weren't exactly hushed tones she didn't even stir.
"She always sleeps between us," Omega said, breaking into Shadow's thoughts again. He wasn't used to Omega talking to him or even saying much other than "Annihilation!" or "Must eliminate all Eggman robots." Usually they said as little to each other as possible, only speaking when they had to. Rouge was the chatterbox of the group. And Omega was right, she did always sleep between them. Sprawled out like she was, it almost seemed as though she was trying to reach her hands out to each of them, and the tips of her wings brushed their legs every time she moved.
Shadow smiled and ran his fingers through Rouge's white hair. "She's the glue that holds us together." A warm feeling bloomed in his chest. Could robots have warmth in their chests? If it weren't for her, he'd probably still be sealed away in Eggman's base. Well, that or Omega would have destroyed him. Shadow entertained that thought for a minute. Nah. Omega couldn't destroy him.
"Females are far more active socially than males, and certainly more so than robots," Omega clarified.
Shadow rolled his eyes. Of course Omega had to sound like a textbook the one time he tried to say something deep. He wondered why the robot didn't just power himself off like he did every night. He'd complained often enough that he didn't like just sitting around waiting for Rouge to wake up, so why was he still allowing himself to function?
A thought suddenly occurred to him. "You have a soft spot for her, don't you?" he asked, though he didn't phrase it as a question. Omega narrowed his red slits, but Shadow knew he spoke the truth. Mechanical hands that had crushed even the biggest robots had gently cradled Rouge for over half a mile, and when she fell down in battle, he immediately sprang to her rescue. But only when Shadow was tied up with something else, of course.
"She is useful to me," Omega finally replied. "I must eliminate all of Eggman's robots and I do not have flying capabilities."
Shadow smirked. "Come on. Admit it. Maybe you don't have an attraction to her, but you do like her." He wondered if it was even possible for a robot to be attracted to someone. He wondered if there was any guy in the world who wasn't attracted at least a little bit to Rouge. It was hard to imagine.
"Why not try looking in the mirror?" Omega suggested sarcastically. "You are the one who tackled her to the ground the minute you saw her."
Shadow sat up, indignant. "That was only to protect her from you!"
"Of course." Shadow never would have thought that such a monotonous voice could be sarcastic, but there it was. He chuckled in spite of himself and lay on his back, staring up at the stars. Could Omega be right? Could feeling extra protective of someone really constitute an attraction? If that was the case, he couldn't be a robot, right? Robots didn't feel attraction. Then again, Omega seemed to feel the same thing, just to a lesser degree. Shadow sighed and stared up at the stars. Some days he wondered if he'd ever learn the truth about who he was. He had a feeling Rouge knew more about him than she was telling. Maybe he could beat it out of her somehow. Or maybe he wouldn't have to resort to beating. Maybe he could…he shook his head and turned away so Omega couldn't see the redness of his cheeks that occurred after that last thought. He lay there with his back to his companions for a while until Omega spoke again.
"The sun is about to rise, we should get moving," Omega declared, standing up. Indeed, the stars were beginning to disappear and the sky was turning pink.
Shadow stood and stretched. "Fine. Should we wake her up?"
"That's okay, I'm awake already," Rouge mumbled, stirring and forcing her tired eyes open. She sat up, ran a hand through her hair and smiled deviously. "Ya know, I'm glad to be starting the day with two guys who care about me so much," she said. She stood up and walked to a nearby stream, giggling as she reached her hand in for a drink of water.
Shadow and Omega looked at each other, eyes widened. Had she been awake and listening the whole time? She couldn't have been…Omega shrugged and moved toward the path they would follow out of the forest. Shadow stood there digging his toe into the dirt as Rouge turned around and gave him a flirty wink.
"Let's go," Shadow said abruptly as he grasped her arm in his hand and pulled her away from the stream.
Rouge just kept giggling and flashing her trademark smirk. He could play Mr. Tough Guy all he wanted to, his red cheeks told her everything she needed to know.