Here's the other half of Year's End for you. Is this the last chapter of the year? I don't know, maybe, it is rather fitting if it is. I'll have to see if I can write the next one before 2016 draws to an end. If not, then I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I shall see you in 2017!
Enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you think as always.
Sonic's POV
I got back in time from Shadow's apartment for Christmas dinner. Amy had already prepared all the food and the table was set by the time I arrived back, so my services were no longer required.
I apologised to Amy for not being there to help, but she just gave me a cold shoulder and instructed me to sit down and start eating. I did as I was told and joined my friends at the table at my assigned seat, which was in between Tails and Knuckles.
The meal was great. I enjoyed every mouthful, and once our stomachs were filled, we started pulling christmas crackers and cracking some festive jokes. Excuse my pun.
One of my favourites would have to be the joke about the shark and the snowman. I'm sure you can guess the punchline, and if not then I won't spoil it for you. But I digress, it was a really fun evening. We chatted for a long time, before the group eventually began to disperse one by one until only me and Amy remained. I helped her clean up and fill up the dishwasher, to hopefully get back in her good books. While I was doing that, I bagged the leftovers that I had promised Shadow.
After the cleaning was done, we both relaxed on the sofa for a while, just soaking in the calm and relaxing atmosphere after a busy day. We talked for a bit, about things we had discussed with our friends, presents we had gotten, how Shadow was. I was the one who brought him up as it served as a segway for my next topic; going round to his apartment again.
She didn't like that. She was keen on enjoying the alone time that we had now that everyone was gone, but when I insisted on going to see Shadow, she begrudgingly accepted that that was what I was going to do and stated that she was going to turn in early and I was free to do what I liked.
I didn't like letting her down, especially on Christmas. But I had told Shadow I'd go see him again, and I intended on keeping my word.
Shadow was happy to see me. His bright, beaming smile was a nice thing to see compared to his cold welcoming from earlier that day. He was a little rosy cheeked and I soon realised why when I got into the apartment, as he seemed to have been drinking. He had also managed to set up the telescope while I was gone, as it was propped up beside the window and the box was on the floor along with the instructions. It was a rather complicated design but I wouldn't say I was surprised that he figured it out, I was more surprised that he had managed to be so productive while being slightly drunk. I know I would never have been able to do that.
I told him to relax while I got out the leftovers from Christmas dinner and warmed them up in the microwave. Shadow was impressed by the food, but I like to think that he was more impressed by my microwaving skills.
After he finished, we talked whilst drinking alcohol. What we actually talked about is lost on me, as I was a bit drunk by the end of the conversation. But I do remember looking through the telescope, which Shadow seemed really pleased with himself about. He got a really good view of the stars through his window, there were no tall buildings around to obstruct it and it was aiming it at a really beautiful looking star system. I'm sure he'd put it to good use. I'm glad I got it for him. After that, we spent the rest of the time watching whatever Christmas films we could find on his TV.
Shadow fell asleep in my arms not long into Home Alone 6 so I turned off the TV, grabbed his bed sheets from his room and wrapped him up warm as to not disturb him. I kissed him goodnight and left, feeling happy that I had spent some time with him. It was hard to juggle our relationship along with my relationship with Amy. Either way, someone felt left out. I just wanted to make them both happy in any way I could. But sometimes that's not enough, even for me and my super sonic speed.
New Year's Eve came quicker than expected, it seemed to come around faster than Christmas had. And so, it was time for me and Amy to attend the New Year's Party that we had been looking forward to ever since we had been invited.
We spent most of the day getting ready. I had to collect my suit from the dry cleaners while Amy did herself up. She had settled on wearing a violet coloured strapless gown that was narrow at the bodice but flared out at the full-floor length skirt in several layers, and was doted with many, glittering sequins.
Meanwhile, I had a black suit and black tie to go along with it, which was kind of boring in comparison to Amy's dress, but I could deal with it. I was more concerned about having to wear pants again.
We arrived at the Station Square City Hall on time and the party was already in full swing. Is being fashionably early a thing? Even so, once we got adjusted to the lively atmosphere we started to mingle, as that's the first thing you should do at parties. At least that's what I'm told.
I talked to Tails, since he was always invited to those types of events after he battled Eggman single handedly and was awarded that Chaos Emerald. I didn't see Rouge despite the fact that I knew she was supposed to be there, but I did see Knuckles, who was also at a loss when it comes to where she was. I'm not sure how he puts up with her hijinks.
I also spoke to a couple of towns folk and was approached by the mayor. We shook hands and he thanked me for my service, for saving Station Square from Chaos several years prior and then proceeding to save the world not long after that. I told him that I was happy to help and would always try to protect people from Eggman and his evil schemes. I hadn't seen much of Eggman for a while, not that I was complaining, I was glad that I didn't have to deal with battling him and working around both Shadow and Amy at the same time.
Once I was done mingling, I could get down to the really fun part; free alcohol. They had set up a temporary cocktail bar on the first floor and Amy and I had both agreed that we wanted to get some cocktails. The bartender guy did a little show while preparing customers' drinks, he juggled fruit and drink shakers and all kinds of cool stuff.
I challenged the bartender to make me the most alcoholic cocktail he could come up with, which he confidently accepted, while Amy just ordered a martini. Unlike her, I felt rather experimental and adventurous that night.
The display the cocktail guy did was nice, but it was the same sort of shtick over and over again and I eventually got bored of watching him juggle various objects. My mind started to wander as I glanced around the room, trying to find something interesting to look at, when something, or should I say someone, caught my eye.
Shadow was standing beside an indoor water fountain, talking with Rouge and what looked to be Omega... In a tuxedo? To this day I don't know how he put that on.
Shadow was dressed up smart in his blue GUN uniform with his quills slicked back. He really had made an effort. It was good to see him, for a while I had thought that he wasn't going to show up.
I watched him for about a minute. He didn't notice me staring. I glanced away as to not make it obvious to Amy. I counted to ten in my head and then glanced over at him again. He was still absorbed in his conversation with his team. I looked away for the second time and waited a little longer before looking again.
Shadow's gaze seemed to wander from his main focus, with his eyes eventually falling on me and he caught me looking at him. His expression was unchanged and neither of us let on that we had seen each other. He tilted his head slightly to the right and nodded over at the stairs.
I could only assume at the time that he wanted to meet me on the second floor. I watched him as he turned to Omega with his back to me. His hands were behind his back and I could see that he had three fingers up.
He wanted to meet upstairs in three minutes. He glanced over his shoulder at me to check that I understood and I nodded in confirmation. He then finished off his conversation with Team Dark and disappeared off into the crowd, making his way to our meet up point no doubt.
I turned to Amy and placed my hand on her arm to catch her attention, as the people talking all around us were too loud for me to get her attention verbally, even though I was right next to her. "I'm going to nip to the toilet." I told her, leaning close and speaking into her ear so she could hear me.
"But you haven't had your drink yet." She replied.
"Well, I better make some room for it in my bladder."
"Alright, I'll save your drink for you. And make sure you're back in time for the New Year's countdown, I'd like to have a dance with you." She said with a smile.
"Ok, I will. See you in a bit." I responded, kissing her on the forehead before heading off into the crowd. I managed to weave my way through and made it to the stairs. A gripped the banister and exhaled calmly, before making the climb.
The second floor was much quieter, in fact there weren't that many people about. They must have really been drawn to the cocktail bar downstairs. I glanced around for a moment, before I caught sight of Shadow, who was standing outside on the balcony, staring up at the starry sky and the large, silver moon.
I stepped out into the cold night air, silently approaching Shadow. He had removed his GUN jacket and had it swung over his shoulder, allowing me to reach out and touch his bare back, just below his quills. He quivered as soon as I laid my hands on him. I knew his sweet spot.
I proceeded to wrap my arms around him and pull him in close. He turned his head and I greeted him with a kiss on the lips. Our time together was so rare and so short, and we chose to cherish every minute, every second, that we got to spend together.
"It's so good to see you here." I whispered, planting hot kisses on his shoulder and cheek.
"It's good to see you too." He responded. "I never thanked you for making time for me on Christmas, I really appreciated that."
"I'll always make time for you, whenever I can." I replied. "Can you believe it's New Year's Eve already?"
"No, time seems to be going by so fast." He responded.
"It's strange because it never use to bother me before. Normally time has to keep up with us."
Shadow gazed up at the moon "It will be the start of a new year soon. Just think, five months ago I had come back from being away... Feels like a life time ago." He murmured.
"You're not going on anymore surprise trips are you?" I asked.
"No, not unless my superiors have anything to say about it. Besides, I'm not in any hurry to go anywhere, not when I have you in my life."
"I'm glad to hear that." I replied, resting my chin on his shoulder. "What's your New Year's resolution, Shadow?" I then asked, as we were, or at least had been on the topic of New Year.
"To make sure I'm always with you." He responded.
I was touched. He said it so nonchalantly, his tone was so matter of fact and it really caught me off guard. I felt my cheeks grow hot and flush pure red. I was left utterly speechless. "I- I don't know what to say to that." I stuttered.
"Then don't say anything." He replied. He then changed the subject for me "What about you, do you have a New Year's resolution?" He asked.
"To give up on eating chilli dogs." I told him.
He burst out laughing. "What kind of resolution is that? Did Amy make that one up for you? She must have really high expectations because you could never manage that."
"Well, you know what they say, not a lot of people keep their New Year's resolutions."
"I'm not going to be like those people. I'm going to stay true to my word." He stated.
I believed him. Whenever Shadow said something like that, he meant it. Honestly, though, I made up the giving up chilli dogs thing. My actual resolution was to figure out what I was going to do about my duelling relationship with Shadow and Amy. Something would have to be done eventfully, I couldn't avoid making a decision forever.
I doubted that I would be able to keep that resolution.
"Why did you pick here to meet up, by the way?" I asked curiously.
"I wanted to watch the fireworks at midnight. I've always liked fireworks, but you don't get to see them go off very often. There's so much energy packed up inside a tiny rocket... And they explode in a big display of bright colours and lights... They're just so... Mesmerising." He stated.
"They are quite pretty." I agreed.
He moved my hands and stepped to the side, turning around to fully face me "Why don't you stay up here and watch the fireworks with me?" He then asked.
"I'd love to." I said almost immediately, completely forgetting about Amy and what she wanted from me.
"Great." Shadow responded, smiling happily. "How about I go get us both a drink while we wait?" He suggested.
"Sure." I'm not sure why the mention of drinks didn't set off an alarm bell in my head. An alarm bell that should have been saying 'You need to get downstairs and be with Amy before the countdown starts'.
He was about to leave, but turned back to me and asked "What time are we on?"
I quickly retrieved my phone from my back pocket and checked "We got about eight minutes till midnight." I told him.
"Plenty of time." He stated "I'll go get us some drinks and be back in time for the fireworks."
He went up to me, took hold of my tie and pulled on it, bringing me in close for a kiss on the lips "Don't go anywhere." He whispered, spinning on the balls of his feet and hurrying off.
I smiled to myself and leant back against the stone railing. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air, waiting in anticipation for the new year to begin and the fireworks to start. A voice pierce the silence.
"I don't believe it."
My eyelids shot open and I felt my heart skip a beat. There was a person standing on the left side of the balcony entrance, hidden in shadows and had most likely gone unnoticed by Shadow when he had exited mere moments earlier.
As the feminine-looking figure stepped out into the moonlight I realised it was...
"Rouge?" I questioned aloud. I was already getting nervous, in fact I could feel myself sweating "How long have you been standing there?" I asked.
She ignored my question and began to approach me. Each step was slow and deliberate, putting me on edge. The worst part was that I couldn't back away, as there was a already mentioned guard rail made from stone and a large drop behind me.
"I didn't think it was true." She continued. "Before Shadow went away, nearly two years ago now, he came to me and told me that you were acting strangely around him... Not like yourself at all. He thought... He thought you might have had some sort of feelings for him."
My grip was tightening on the stone rail. I swear I might have chipped off a few bits of concrete that night after digging my fingers into it.
"He asked me about it, and I said I didn't see it that way, that it was probably nothing. Then he told me that you wanted to tell him something the day before he left, but you chickened out. He asked me if I would keep an eye on you while he was gone, and for a while, I actually believed what he had said about you, since you were so down in the dumps after he left. But when you started dating Amy, I thought there was no way that it could possibly be true."
She was very close to me at that point. If she had gotten any closer, then our chests' would have been pressed up against each other's. Well, technically my chest and her breasts. But I was more focused on her eyes, that were narrowed, cold, dark and unforgiving "And yet here you are... Kissing him on a balcony and not even remotely trying to hide it."
Before I could figure out her next move, in one swift motion she lifted her hand and slapped me across the face. Hard. "Ouch!" I yelped, instinctively putting my hand to my sore cheek.
"You're lucky it was me that saw you two up here! Because if it were Amy, then that would have been a lot worse! She probably would have hit you with her piko-piko hammer, that would have been much more fitting." She snarled.
I couldn't even get a word in before she started shouting at me again "You idiot! What are you playing at?! You're dating Amy and Shadow?! How could you do that to them?!"
"I'm not doing this to hurt them, either of them, I swear!" I cried.
"It doesn't matter if you're trying to hurt them or not, Sonic, you don't do something like this. It's not right." She spat.
"And who are you to lecture me on what's right, you're a jewel thief for crying out loud!" I retorted.
"Don't you dare bring my profession into this, that has got nothing to do with the fact that you're cheating on Amy!" She said back, jabbing at me with her finger.
"Please don't tell her, Rouge, this will destroy her if she finds out." I pleaded. Arguing back was getting me no where and I knew how bad it looked.
"If you know it will destroy her, then why the heck are you doing it?!"
"Because... Because I couldn't help myself." I admitted. "I'm not doing this to hurt Amy, I'd never do anything to hurt her but... I love Shadow, and I just... I just couldn't stay away." I closed my eyes, my cheek throbbing. Rouge certainly packed a mean punch, or slap I should say. "I didn't mean for it to turn out like this."
Rouge went quiet. I opened my eyes and saw her looking down at the floor. She then sighed "You don't do yourself any favours do you, Sonic?" She shook her head and put her hands on her hips "I never thought you could be so stupid."
"I know I'm stupid, and I know what I'm doing to Amy. You don't have to tell me. I think about it everyday, it eats away at me, all the time, when I'm with her, when I'm with Shadow, when I'm alone. I could have chosen to stay away from him, heck, I could have chosen to not drag Amy into my messed up life, to start something with her but... I've never been one for long term planning, I've never really thought things through... And now I'm paying the price."
Rouge seemed to have calmed down. She looked almost sympathetic towards me. I didn't want her sympathy. I already felt weak and pathetic as it is. "You need to fix this, Sonic, and you need to fix this soon." She told me bluntly.
"How?" I asked. Deep down I already knew her answer.
"You need to tell her. It would be best if she hears it from you rather than finding out herself. Because she will find out eventually, you do know that, right?"
I didn't answer.
"Oh Chaos." She murmured "Did you actually think that you could go on like this forever without any consequences?" She asked, though she wasn't expecting an answer. I don't think she wanted one. "You're such a fool."
"I know." I muttered. That's all I could say.
"Sonic, look at me." She ordered.
I hadn't made eye contact with her for a while. I had been looking anywhere else but her eyes and her intense gaze. I sighed and reluctantly made eye contact with Rouge.
"I'm not going to tell Amy about what I saw, but my silence comes at a price. The only thing I want from you is for you to tell her about what you've been doing behind her back. Now, I'd say you have two choices; you either tell Shadow that you can't do it anymore and beg Amy for forgiveness and hope she'll take you back or you tell Amy, say that you can't be with her anymore and stay with Shadow." She explained. "I'll give you till the end of January to tell her, because I'm not going to be able to keep quiet forever, and if you can't tell her, then someone has to... And I guess it will have to be me."
I couldn't believe it. I was going to have to do the one thing I had never wanted to do. And if I didn't tell Amy about my affair, then Rouge would, and I couldn't bare to imagine how that would turn out. "But what good will come from that?" I questioned.
"Nothing. But maybe you should have thought about that before you started cheating on her." She replied coldly.
Rouge took hold of my hand and clenched it tightly in hers "You need to tell her, Sonic. She deserves to know. Don't make me have to do this... I don't like it anymore than you do but... It has to be done. It's not fair to keep her in the dark, to lie and cheat behind her back. I know you're not a cruel man, and I know you don't have any malicious intentions, so please... Think about it, and do the right thing." She finished. She let go of my hand and turned to walk away.
"Rouge." I called after her.
She looked back at me, saying nothing in response.
"Thank you for not saying anything. I'll tell her, I will, I just need some time."
She glanced away from me "I'm not doing this for you, you know." She replied. "Just because we had a little thing together in the past, it doesn't mean anything to me. I'm doing this for Shadow and Amy. They're my friends, I don't want to see them get hurt, especially not by you." She explained. "But can't you see that you're stringing Shadow along?"
I furrowed my brow. I felt a twinge of anger inside me. "No I'm not. I'd never do that to Shadow."
"You really are a fool." She sighed. And in the blink of an eye, her tone changed "Look, Shadow isn't just my friend, he's my team mate, I rely on him, I trust him with my life. And I swear, if you hurt him in any way, if you continue to lead him on like this, then you will have me to answer to. You understand?"
I swallowed hard and nodded.
"Now, I suggest you go downstairs and be with your girlfriend. She's been waiting for you." And with that, she left, not even giving me a second glance.
That's when it clicked. I remembered that Amy wanted to dance with me at midnight. I needed to go find her!
I rushed out back inside, almost crashing into Shadow, who was carrying the drinks he had gone to collect "Hey Sonic, I got us some drinks. Are you ready to watch the fireworks?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, Shadow, I can't. I have to go." I apologised.
"Hey, it's alright, don't worry about it. If there's somewhere else you need to be, then I won't stop you." He responded.
"No, it's not alright. I really wanted to watch the fireworks with you."
"Don't beat yourself up about it. When the fireworks start, I'll watch them and think of you."
"And when I hear those bangs I'll think of you." I replied. I touched his arm "But I have to go now. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Before he could say anything else, I quickly moved passed him, dashed over to the stairs and hurried down to the first floor. I had to stop making promises I couldn't keep. Shadow had such patience with me, I didn't understand why, what had I done to deserve that from him? But surely he must have had a limit of to his patience. But then... What was his breaking point?
Amy was still waiting beside to cocktail bar, and looked to have had finished her martini. She looked rather sad, but seemed to perk up a little when she caught sight of me coming over. "There you are, I was starting to think you might have fallen in. Where have you been?" She asked.
"Sorry, Ames, I got caught up with some towns folk that wanted to talk to me and I couldn't get away. But I'm here now, and that's all that matters."
I gratefully took my cocktail from her and took a quick swig, and almost choked. It really had a powerful kick, I guess the bartender had won that round. I turned to him and gave him a thumbs up and he smirked at me as he was cleaning a glass.
"I saw Shadow here earlier." Amy told me.
"Did you say anything to him?" I asked.
"No, he was ordering some drinks and I didn't want to hold him up." She replied. "I saw Rouge too. I asked her if she'd go look for you for me. Did you see her?" She asked.
"No, I haven't seen her." I lied.
Amy gave me an odd, almost suspicious look. "I guess that extra drink Shadow ordered was for her then. She was probably too busy talking to him to look for you." She murmured.
The room suddenly went quiet as the mayor began to speak. He was using a microphone to amplify his voice.
Amy gasped. "It must be getting close to midnight." She said excitedly in a hushed voice.
Her assumption was correct as the mayor encouraged us to join him in counting down from ten. The crowd began to count in unison, with me and Amy joining in by shouting as loud as we could.
"10,
9,
8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" We all exclaimed, our shouting so loud that you could probably hear us a block away. I knew Shadow could definitely hear us from where he was. High up on that balcony, staring up at the moon and the stars on that cloudless night. I could picture him in my head. I imagined him smiling to himself as he listened to us chant.
The fireworks started almost immediately. Although I couldn't see them, I could see flashing lights of various colours shining through the window. Red, then yellow, then blue, and then green... And the sound of loud banging over head. I thought of Shadow as I listened to the fireworks exploding. I was sure that he was enjoying them.
I turned to Amy and offered her my hand "Would you like to dance?" I asked.
She smiled and took my hand. As soon as she did so, I pulled her over to the middle of the room and began to spin us both around in a circle. After several turns, and feeling mildly dizzy, I pulled her close to my chest, scooped her up in my arms, and lifted her up above my head, her gown draping over my body as I spun her around in the air, while she laughed all the while.
As I spun her around and around, I caught sight of Rouge watching us, her arms folded and her gaze completely fixated on us both. That's when the realisation of it all truly hit me like a ton of bricks. I was going to have to tell Amy everything, and if not, then Rouge would, which I knew neither of us wanted. There was no way out of it, no way of keeping it a secret, no way to stop Rouge from telling her if I failed to do so. By January, everything was going to change, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
The New Year had only just begun and already my time was running out.