"Cut!"

The Sega director yelled, as he snapped the black movie board together, causing the scene to end. Everyone on stage was relieved to have the story over!

"Finally, it's OVER! That was the last shot, guys. You're free ... For now! See you next week, team."

The stage had a large, green backdrop that had been computerised to host many different scenic backgrounds relative to the Sonic games. Jumping off the stage first, was Amy, annoyed as usual - followed by Knuckles, who was humble, and then Sonic, who was still an ego maniac.

On the sidelines was Shadow, Eggman, Silver, and Tails. Everybody looked relieved that the shooting day was over.

"Hey, Amy. Want to grab a coffee?" Sonic asked cockily, but was shot down by an angry look.

"No, Sonic. Just because I have to act I'm in love with you doesn't mean I have any ounce of respect or admiration toward you. I'm going home. Later."

Sonic rolled his eyes. Such a bitch, he thought, and went to chat to the directors.

Knuckles, Shadow and Tails were joking and having a conversation, about to grab their bags and leave the studio. They were chatting about a party that Shadow was hosting later. "Will Rouge be there?" Knuckles asked.

"Um, yeah." Shadow responded plainly. He wasn't quite as evil or vicious as he had to pretend to be in the games and TV series', but he was still quite emotionless and defensive.

Knuckles was a calm, easy going guy, but was also very determined to get what he wanted.

"Sonic, I don't have control over the script. I don't know what you want me to do."

"Just, listen. I'm sick of Amy having to pretend to be this psycho young girl when in reality she's the opposite. Having to act this way around me makes her repelled by me in real life! And I don't want that. Maybe you could just make our relationship more... Normal?" Sonic was genuine, but nervous. He knew he'd gone a bit too far in asking this.

"Look, I'm not supposed to say anything." One of the directors responded. "But we're starting a new TV series in a few weeks anyway, and I'm pretty sure you and Amy's friendship in that show is more... a two way street."

Sonic was confused. "You mean, she doesn't chase me? And we're actual friends?"

"Yes. Maybe that will help. anyway, its Friday, Sonic. I'm going home. Go have fun with your friends."

The studio was inside a locked - off town, where all the characters lived. They had to be segregated from the rest of the world of course, because no one could know they were actually real!

Sonic walked down the pathway, dashed past the lake, and arrived at his house. He checked his mobile phone, and there was a message from Shadow.

"Hey. I am having a party tonight. Thought you might be interested. Not that I want you to come. Just a neutral warning. And I also haven't started drinking yet... Don't look at me."

Sonic chuckled. "Jeez, that hedgehog is crazy." Sonic walked upstairs and found a nice jacket to wear. He never wore pants, but he didn't want to get cold late at night. He grabbed some whiskey from the fridge, his card game Cards against Humanity, and his cigarrette tin.

He walked over to Shadows, not wanting to seem like he'd rushed over straight away, but got there pretty quick anyway.

"H-hey! Faaaaker!" Shadow greeted Sonic with a hug, to which Sonic blushed. "Did you get my text?" Shadow had clearly already forgotten that the only way sonic knew about this was through the text message.

"Yes, pal. That's why I'm here."

"You came for me?" Shadow asked, looking gooey-eyed.

"Knock it off, Shads. I've had a shit day, I need to get wasted."

Shadow grinned and grabbed Sonic's hand, leading him to the living room. Rouge, Knuckles, and Silver looked up grinning - they were the only ones who really got along with Sonic, even though most of the time they disagreed with him. In the room, there was also Blaze, Sally, Tails, and of course, Amy, but none of them seemed to notice Sonic's presence.

Sonic placed his whiskey on the table and started pouring into a blue cup.

"Do you need some coke or something?" Shadow asked, barely able to stand.

"Nope. I take it straight." Sonic grinned and had a long sip from his cup. Shadow giggled.

"Heheh. I'm sure you do." Shadow walked off, nearly falling over on to Rouge and Knuckles. He lay next to them drunkenly and said, "I love you guys!" and they all cuddled, laughing.

Sonic shook his head in disbelief. "I do not understand that dude." He laughed anyway, and walked over and sat down next to Rouge.

"Hey there darling." She said happily - not seductively, just with happiness. "Did you bring what I asked for?"

Sonic smiled and gave her the cigarette tin. She opened it and smiled, handing Sonic a $100 note. She passed the tin to Knuckles, who smiled and took them all outside.

Sonic followed them, leaving everyone else inside. Again, no one noticed him leave - he really was the opposite of his character, no one really adored him or chased after him. he just wasn't a big deal.

Outside, Knuckles and Rouge held hands, as Sonic started rolling a smoke. When he finished, he held up a lighter and took a hit, passing it around.

"So what's on your mind, Sonic?" Shadow asked, a bit more in touch with his surroundings than before.

"Mm, I'm sick of acting." He said, taking another hit and passing it to Knuckles. "I'm sick of it! None of us are really who we have to pretend to be. Tails doesn't like me or look up to me - no one does; I don't have a nemesis; and Amy doesn't give a crap about me."

"Amy?!" Knuckles scoffed. "The fuck? Why would you want her to? She's a loser, man. She never parties with us. I don't even know why she's here tonight."

"It'd be nice if it were true. You know, that she was in love with me." Sonic caused them all to look at each other, waiting for someone to laugh to break the silence. Sonic was serious, and everyone else laughed.

"You're kidding, right?" Shadow giggled. "She isn't even 18! She doesn't drink, or do drugs. She doesn't have sex... She doesn't do anything fun, man. She just stays home, writing fanfiction and reading fantasy novels. I don't even think she has any friends."

"Yeah, well she's cool. I want to be her friend." Sonic grabbed his drink and sculled it. "I love you three, though. You guys are the best. I'm not saying I want more friends, I'm just saying, it is shitty to have two different worlds to deal with."

"I feel you," Shadow smiled, putting his arm around Sonic. He looked up to the stars. "If only I could really battle you, if only I could really threaten you... Instead, I-"

"Enough, Shadow." Rouge interrupted. "I think you need some water." Rouge ushered Shadow inside, starting to lecture him. "Shut your damn mouth before you..." Sonic and Knuckles heard as they went inside.

Sonic was starting to feel tipsy, and floating. He was glad he chose to mix weed with alcohol and come tonight. He'd completely forgotten his problems by now.

"I feel ya, bro." Knuckles said. "You know, it sucks being the guider of the Master emerald in the games - and then doing nothing in real life! Shits depressing. Oh well, we got our parties, our games, our bros." Knuckles chucked an arm around Sonic and took him inside. "Let's go play some games, eh? And don't worry about Amy. If she doesn't wanna be mates with you, she's missing out. You're a decent guy, Sonic. Anyone who doesn't see that is a fool."

Sonic smiled. "Thank you, Knucklehead."

They walked inside, and sat on the carpet as Sonic got out Cards against Humanity.

Everyone played: Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, Shadow, Rouge, Tails, Amy, Blaze, Sally. Amy was pretty bored, Sally was too - they'd both been bonding over their hatred for Sonic's character. Blaze and Tails had been discussing the fuck ups of Sega, and Rouge was trying to calm Shadow down. Silver, Knuckles and Sonic were the only ones prepared to play the game.

After the cards were dealt, Sonic read out his black card. "Alright guys, the blank is 'What's my secret power'."

Everyone shuffled their white cards. Tails was the first one to put his down in the middle, followed by everyone else.

Sonic reads the white cards out in order.

"Wearing no pants," Sonic chuckled. "Heh, that's definitely one of them."

Tails beamed but tried not to make it obvious.

"Genuine human connection," He read. "I'm sick of these fucking 06 jokes." He laughed and read the next one.

"Getting really high," he read, laughing.

"Giving 110%," he said, "hmmm, not bad."

"Licking things to claim them as your own."

"Being fabulous," Sonic read as Shadow chuckled.

"Three dicks at the same time..." Sonic was unsure but laughed anyway.

"Oh my god, winner right here." Sonic laughed. "Shiny objects!"

Rouge stood up and took a bow. "Thank you, Sir Sonic of Shine. I'll take that!"

She took the black card proudly.

Knuckles is next! Knuckles smiled and picked a black card. "What will always get you laid?" He looked at Sonic nervously, knowing that not everyone really found this game funny - just him and his pals, maybe a couple of others.

The white cards came in, and he read them out.

"Half-assed foreplay... Mmmm well yeah, because I'm pretty hot, but.. next!" Knuckles read the next card out.

"Women's suffrage... Heh... Next!"

"Consensual sex... Ha! good. Next!"

"My vagina. Gee thanks, Rouge! Next!"

"Pretending to care..." Sonic grinned. "Of course." Knuckles remarked. "Next!"

"Waiting til marriage, I ain't got time for that. Next!"

"Nickelback... Jesus Christ," Knuckles exclaimed. "Last one!... A sausage festival... Hmmm"

Sonic looked at Knuckles hopefully. Everyone else was already bored.

"Consensual sex, I'd say! Thats a laugh." Knuckles waited for someone to claim the black card.

"Yay! Me!" Amy squeaked and Knuckles grinned, throwing the card to her.

"Good one, Amy!"

Sonic was surprised that Amy was even playing the game, let alone had a sense of humour. Sally smiled at Amy, saying something quietly.

"Aight, aight," Sonic said loudly, "Let's do something else. Let's... play... "

"Sonic & Knuckles?!" Knuckles said excitedly.

"Sonic adventure 2?!" Shadow suggested.

"Noooooo, let's play something like, truth or dare, or whatever. You know. Something teenagers play."

He looked over to Sally and smiled, knowing that she was probably happy to be playing something more appropriate to her and Amy and Tails.

"You can start, Sally." Sally was surprised. "Umm, okay. Shadow, truth or dare?"

Shadow was almost asleep, in day dream world, smiling - but he was quickly disrupted. "Erm, truth? Wait, no. Fuck! Dare! Dare me to drink more! Then I can answer truths later."

Sally cocked an eyebrow. "Truth it is. Shadow, do you have feelings for anyone?"

Everyone went silent, except Sonic and Knuckles, who were having a conversation separate. Rouge glared at Shadow, shaking her head.

"Eerrrr... yes. But that's only one question, right? So it doesn't matter who."

"That's right," Sally smiled warmly. "Your turn. You get to ask someone Truth or dare now."

Shadow was tense and turned to Rouge. "Miss Rouge. Truth or dare?"

Rouge grinned. "Dare, obviously."

"Well, I dare you to ... seduce the most handsome man in the room."

Rouge sighed. "But there's so many!" She crawled over to Knuckles, who was still in mid - conversation with Sonic, laughing. He noticed Rouge and pulled a confused face.

"Hey handsome," She said, but Knuckles just looked around the room and ignored her. "What are you doing" he mouthed, embarrassed. Sonic stopped talking and looked to her. She ran her hand through Knuckles' locks, making eye contact. Sonic looked and nearly burst out laughing. He looked at Shadow, who was enjoying the result of his dare. Rouge turned around, and sat on Knuckles' lap, surprising him.

"Hmph, done. My turn." She turned to Amy, and raised an eyebrow. "Amy," she said.

Amy looked up. Oh dear God no, she thought. Sonic looked at Rouge daringly.

"Yes?"

"Truth or Dare, little miss Pink."

"Eeeeeeer... truth."

Sally stared at her. Sonic sighed of relief, knowing Rouge wouldn't dare her to do something she'd regret. Rouge smiled devillishly.

"Are you a virgin?"

Amy blushed, and Sally became angry. "She's 16! Rouge!"

"What? I was 16."

Sonic put his hand forward and exclaimed, "Maybe such a personal question shouldn't be asked, Rouge?"

"Oh Sonic, quit it. You're the one I'm asking this for." Rouge winked at Sonic, who blushed, and Amy became furious.

"The fuck does that mean?"

"Nothing! Amy, it means nothing. Rouge is just playing."

Amy rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Rouge lay back into Knuckles' chest as he massaged her, clearly relaxed and unfazed. Shadow was staring off into the distance. Sally walked after Amy, and Sonic followed.

After they found Amy in the doorway, Sally stopped Sonic. "Don't. She's not interested in you, whether its to sleep together, or to 'go for coffee.'"

"Sally, back off! I'm not interested like that either! I just want to be friends with her!"

"You're too old for her," Sally exclaimed. "She doesn't do the things you do. So just forget about it, okay?"

Sally took Amy's hand and walked her home. Sonic frowned and went back inside. Everyone else had left too - Knuckles and Rouge had disappeared (wink), Silver and Blaze had gone home... And Tails had left too. All who was left was Shadow. Sonic sat down next to him and sighed.

"Man, this whole Amy thing is really getting to me."

Shadow stared at him blankly. Sonic explained it again, slower, repeating what he'd said before. Shadow shook his head and glared at Sonic.

"Sonic, I heard you the first time." His tone surprised Sonic as it was angry. "You can't change what people do and don't want. You just need to accept it and take it for what it is. There's no point wishing it were different! Cause it won't be! And the more you force it, the worse it gets."

Shadow hiccuped. "That's what Rouge told me anyway."

"Wow, thanks Shadow." Sonic gave him a light hug, opening his mouth to speak, but Shadow reacted quickly, still angry, and grabbed Sonic, pulling him even closer to him. "Uhh... Shads.. are you ok..."

Shadow stared at Sonic, trying to search his eyes. Sonic wasn't confused, he was just concerned. He wasn't scared of Shadow being affectionate with him. He was quite calm.

Sonic felt his mind slip into an altered state - maybe it was the alcohol, but he couldn't think straight or control himself. He closed his eyes and rested on Shadow's cheek, but Shadow grabbed him and kissed him - Sonic didn't respond as he was practically asleep, but he knew what was happening and enjoyed it.