/living arrangements/
"No." Shadow said stubbornly, glaring at Sonic.
"Ooh, what? Are you jealous?" He teased the dark hedgehog, laughing at his peeved reaction.
Shadow rolled his eyes. Sonic obviously didn't know. After agreeing on the mission, everyone had to figure out living arrangements. Amy would stay with Cream and Vanilla, the house would be split amongst them and Team Chaotix. Sonic was housing Tails and the Babylon Rogues, while Tikal, who refused to leave Knuckles' side, was being pushed to room with Rouge. However, as Rouge's roommate, Shadow refused to let that happen. He didn't know the peach echidna and he never liked Knuckles. Especially after seeing Rouge flirt with him so many times.
"No. I'm not."
"Then why not let Rouge take Tikal and you take Knuckles?"
"No!" Both Knuckles and Shadow roared furiously.
Rouge, who had been primping herself in the bathroom walked back into the conference room everyone had been in. She looked a bit confused at her two favorite males' fuming faces.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Oh, I'll tell you what's wrong –" Sonic started, but Shadow smacked him instantly.
"Nothing is wrong." Shadow reassured her, an evident frown on his face.
"Then why can't Knuckles stay with Rouge?"
Rouge had to withhold a delighted gasp. That's what they've been talking about while she was doing her makeup?
"I don't see why not." She said, sauntering up to Knuckles. She daringly put two fingers on the white crescent moon-shaped tuft of fur on his chest.
Shadow yanked her back suddenly, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"Hey, watch it!" She growled, rubbing her arm.
"They want her to stay with us too." Shadow pointed at Tikal, who blushed and looked down. It was clear that he liked Rouge and was making the innocent echidna feel uncomfortable.
Rouge looked at Tikal. She hadn't noticed the young girl until now. Her shoulders slumped a little when she saw Knuckles take a protective stance over her.
Another one?
Knuckles, who had previously thought he was the sole survivor of his species, seemed to be finding more and more of his own. Not that Rouge particularly cared or anything, the only reason she gave him the time of day was for his emerald and absolutely nothing else. It seemed like he was fixated on this one in particular, and Rouge had to admit that though she was pretty, she didn't quite have the alluring and sassy factor she was certain Knuckles secretly wanted in a woman.
Still, Rouge couldn't keep her composure long enough to play it off like everything was cool.
"What the hell is that?" She scoffed, before she could bite her tongue.
Tikal smiled, her lips quivering.
"M-My name is Tikal. I've been helping Knuckles guard the Master Emerald."
"Ohhhh." Rouge said, giving Tikal the fakest smile in the world. "How is my precious gem doing anyways?"
Knuckles growled, his hands balling up into fists.
"Don't act like you don't know."
"What?" Rouge asked innocently.
"MY emerald was stolen."
Under any other circumstance Rouge would've been alarmed and even a little excited that the emerald was gone. She'd never admit it but she loved when the emerald was shattered or lost somewhere. It gave her an excuse to prove herself as a treasure hunter to Knuckles and impress him with her skills. It was the only way to get him to have any form of respect for her. Her usual seductive charms and her perfect body didn't seem to do the job for Knuckles. He seemed to want something more.
"You mean to tell me that you lost your emerald with two guardians?"
Even Shadow had to snicker at this.
"That's pretty pathetic. Though I wouldn't expect anything more from you."
"Shut your mouth before I make you regret it!" Knuckles said, waving his fist at Shadow.
"Boys, boys. No need to argue. And Knuckles, I don't know where your emerald is if that's what you're insinuating. But I'd be more than happy to help you find it, darling."
"T-That's okay!" Tikal grabbed Knuckles' arm possessively. "We can find it on our own."
"Really? You're a treasure huntress?"
"No. But I have a bond with the emerald like Knuckles does. I can help him find it."
"…I see." Rouge muttered disapprovingly, crossing her arms.
Shadow could tell that she was jealous and it was irking him to no end.
"There has to be another arrangement." He mused. "Knuckles and that girl could stay with you, faker." Shadow said, pointing at Sonic who was being hassled by Amy.
"Okay," Sonic turned indignantly, "First of all, I'm not the faker, you're the faker. Secondly, I already have to take in the Babylon Rogues. I can only fit so many people into my tiny apartment. Rouge, your place is huge! Won't you get your boyfriend to stop being so protective of you?"
Rouge blushed at the boyfriend comment and looked at Shadow, who wasn't even fazed by it or bothered enough to deny it. Before she could respond, Amy had to butt into the conversation and recapture her true love's attention.
"Hey!" Amy wailed, "How do you know what Rouge's place looks like? Are you cheating on me?"
"We aren't dating!" Sonic complained as the pink hedgehog grabbed onto his arm and yanked him towards her once more.
Knuckles rolled his eyes at the blue and pink pair. He wasn't sure why Sonic was so insistent on denying his feelings for the pink hedgehog. Deep down in his heart, despite how much he flirted with other women and fooled around with them, Sonic cared about Amy more than any of those other women. Was being a playboy really more important than someone he had genuine feelings for?
"I hate that bat with every fiber of my being." Knuckles said to Shadow. "And you know that. So what does it matter if we stay with her? I mean, not that it's set in stone or anything. But I don't see what the big deal is."
"Because," Shadow huffed, "I'm her roommate."
Knuckles' jaw dropped.
"YOU'RE HER WHAT!?"
"Thank you so much for this." A green crocodile said graciously, eyeing the older rabbit walking alongside him down the stairs. She was carrying blankets made of yarn, likely handmade by her and her daughter, giving him a tender and affectionate smile.
"You don't have to keep thanking me Vector. It's the least I could do for you guys. You work so hard and you've protected my daughter and me countless times." She opened a door, revealing a room with three makeshift beds. The walls were adorned with paintings.
"This room is lovely, Vanilla…" Vector looked around at the art. It was beautiful. "I had no idea you were an artist."
Vanilla smiled sadly, placing the blankets on the beds accordingly.
"I'm not. This room was my husband's art studio."
"Oh." Vector's face fell at the mention of Vanilla's past love.
Unaware of his distraught expression, Vanilla casually changed the subject.
"I've been meaning to tell you something. I had a feeling you wouldn't be happy about it."
"What?"
"I'm going to apply for a job at the school the kids are going to undercover."
"Vanilla - !" Vector protested, startled.
"Listen to me Vector. I know that you're going to disapprove of this. But G.U.N. has agreed to pay me if I do get a job at the school, and I do need the money. I'm going to be the school nurse. It's a fitting job for me, is it not?"
Vector's mind flashed back to all the times she tended to his wounds when he got injured – even thinking of the missions where he purposely got himself banged up so she could help him. She was good at what she did.
"Yeah… I guess. But I just need you to know this. I'll be there to protect you. Okay?"
"I know you will Vector. But I need you to trust me to protect myself."
"I wouldn't be able to live it down if you got hurt." He grabbed her hand, holding onto it tightly. He loved Vanilla so much, even if he wasn't willing to admit it; he had to let her know that he cared in any other possible way.
Much to his delight, she didn't retract from his touch; instead she stroked his hand affectionately with her own fingers.
"…Then how about we protect each other?"
Vector froze, blushing furiously as Vanilla inched closer and closer to him. For a moment he was sure they were going to kiss, but instead she enveloped him into a warm embrace.
"After so many years of being a single mom, the last thing I need is to be seen as a damsel in distress. This will be a great opportunity for me in so many ways. I hope you can understand that." She whispered softly.
"Of course I understand…" Vector murmured, contemplating whether or not to stroke her back. He decided against it when a pair of green eyes was peering into the room, watching their friendly exchange.
"Um, Vanilla?" Amy slowly opened the door. The elder rabbit pulled away, causing Vector to frown and try his best to not hold any animosity towards Amy.
"Yes dear?"
"Charmy and Espio are starving. Is it okay if I cook them something in your kitchen?"
"Sure. I think we could all use something to eat!" Vanilla patted Vector on the arm, nodding her head towards the kitchen. Vector smiled coyly and followed.
"And then you know what happened!?" Charmy was bouncing around on top of the table with a fork and spoon in his hand. He was using the utensils to reenact an intense battle scene.
"The plane went WHOOSH!" He made the fork and spoon clash with each other, "And there was a BIG explosion! It was like FIREWORKS! Right Espio!?" Charmy grinned, looking at the purple chameleon who remained silent, glaring at the hyperactive bee.
Cream on the other hand looked totally engaged within the conversation and was asking Charmy questions about the event.
"Oh, I hope no one got hurt!"
"Nope, Egghead was controlling all of the planes so only his stupid robots were hurt!"
"Oh yeah, they're so stupid!" Cream said, pointing her fist out.
"Hey!" Vanilla scolded, even though she had a playful look on her face. "Watch your language."
"Yes Ms. Vanilla." Charmy said, putting the utensils down.
"And get your dirty feet off of the table." Vector added, scooping Charmy up into his arms and swinging him around a couple of times before putting him down into the chair.
"Yes Vector…" Charmy mumbled, blushing at Cream.
"So what's for dinner?" Espio asked disinterestedly.
"Well, I'm just going to find a few ingredients and make you guys something delicious!" Amy said, turning to wink at the chameleon. He blinked a few times, looking away. Amy was a sweetheart, but she definitely weirded him out sometimes.
"How do you guys feel about this new mission?" Vanilla asked, setting up plates for everyone.
"I'm a little nervous." Cream admitted, "But lucky for us Tails is going to help us fit in at the school."
"And if any of those bullies think they can mess with us, Espio's gonna set them straight! Right?" He once again looked toward his older companion with that same innocent smile on his face.
"…Right." He said.
"If you need any help, you can come to me too!" Amy chimed in from the kitchen, chopping up some vegetables.
"I think we'll be fine." Cream said, before adding, "Tails is one of the smartest boys I know." She smiled to herself as she walked to the kitchen to get some milk.
"I-I'm pretty smart too!" Charmy said. He didn't like the way Cream was talking about that fox.
Espio rolled his eyes.
"Perhaps Cream could pose as a child prodigy. I'm not so sure about you, Charmy."
Charmy pouted.
"I think I'd be awesome! I already know my times tables, and Vector told me that that's more than what some people on the football team know!" He bragged.
Vanilla giggled.
"It's so nice to spend time with all of you." She said, feeling sentimental all of a sudden. Being surrounded by her and her daughter's companions was reminiscent of what a true family should feel like.
"So blue boy, this is your place?" Jet asked, shoving past the fuming hedgehog into his apartment.
"Looks like crap." Wave said, smirking at Jet who started laughing.
"At least I have a place." Sonic said indignantly. "Aren't you older than me, Wave? You should be able to house your two boytoys on your own."
Instantly the swallow had Sonic being held up by his neck.
"Say that one more time and I SWEAR –"
"Please! Let him go!" Tails called out, holding onto a few scraps of metal. He put them down and ran to Wave, standing next to her adamantly until she let go of his friend reluctantly.
"Can we all get along? Please? I know you guys don't like each other but we all have something to gain from this mission. But only if we work together."
Jet scoffed.
"I figured you'd be more bothered by the fact that that little rabbit friend of yours is rooming with the bouncy bee."
Tails' fists balled up. He had no idea that Team Chaotix was staying with Vanilla. But it made sense because Vector was head over heels for Vanilla.
"…What?"
"Oh. You didn't tell him?" Jet looked to Sonic innocently.
Sonic on the other hand simply scratched his head, clearly at a loss for what to say.
"I didn't want to upset you, bud. But hey, you'll see her a lot when you tutor her for high school!"
Tails sighed, his namesakes swishing around behind him furiously.
"It would have been nice to know. I don't want to seem like a third wheel around them. Why does he have to stay there anyways?"
"Commuting reasons." Sonic said with a shrug. "That isn't important right now. We need to establish some rules here. Where's your other friend?"
Storm tumbled out of the bathroom as if on cue, smiling lightly at his friends.
"Hey boss!" He said, greeting Jet.
"Hey Storm. Blue boy here was just about to tell us what to do."
Storm looked at Sonic, the smile on his face disappearing instantly. He crossed his bulky, feathery arms and gave Sonic a stink eye.
"As I was saying, there are certain boundaries that need to be set. FIRST of all, if I find that you guys have stolen any of my stuff, there will be hell to pay. You guys may have skills when it comes to Extreme Gear but I can harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds. So I win!" He said, somewhat immaturely.
"It's not like you have anything worth snagging anyways." Wave said.
"Good one," Jet smiled at her, and Wave had to look away before she blushed at his compliment.
"Yeah, well if you change your mind, keep your claws to yourself." Sonic snapped, "Also, no sex on the couch, no staying up past eleven on weekdays…" Sonic looked at the three of them for a moment before thinking of another rule.
"…And no eating worms." He mainly said that to get a rise out of them. And it worked.
"Speciest much?" Jet asked.
"Well that clearly ruffled your feathers." Sonic said, him and Tails both laughing as the three birds got angrier at their snide comments.
"You get the gist of it. It took a lot for me to allow you guys to stay here. If you screw it up then you're out. Do we have a deal?"
Jet frowned, but nodded his head slowly.
"We have a deal."
Storm poked Jet worriedly.
"Do… Do I have to obey those rules Jet?"
"Yeah. We'll play it safe for now." Jet told him. Storm nodded and walked off. Jet smiled at him while he walked away. He had yet to meet someone else that was as loyal as Storm. He always stood by his side faithfully, no matter what. It was a lot more refreshing than Wave, who was stubborn and bratty and scolded him for being irresponsible. Storm could appreciate Jet and what he had to offer.
Wave was about to go to the bathroom when she caught sight of Sonic's Chaos Emerald.
"Hmm…" She said to herself deviously, "I can think of one rule I might consider breaking."
Jet overheard, and raised an eye ridge at her, genuinely surprised. He hadn't seen the gem she was eyeing.
"What? You wanna get frisky on the couch?"
I'm here because I don't want to study for my AP exams. :^)
This was a biiit of a filler but before we dive straight into the high school and drama and blah blah I just want there to be a few more chapters of prep.