The suns bright rays barley bothered Randy's eyes as the male squirrel laid slightly back on one of the blueish zero gravity lounge chairs. The chair was positioned perfectly on the houses back deck so that his upper body was lightly shaded by the retractable awning while his jeaned covered legs stuck out just enough to feel the warmth of the fiery midday sun.
Randy took a sip of his beer as he watched his sisters 4 young children run around the yard with small plastic shovels as they continued their newest game of finding, what they referred to as, yard treasure. So far, he found himself greatly enjoying his role in this game as the guardian of said treasure, which consisted of a few dirt caked rocks, and a handful of "real neat sand" that now occupied his lap.
A sigh escaped Randy as he sat his beer down, on the patio table next to him, just in time to look up and see Shadow open the sliding glass back door and walk out onto the deck. The tall hedgehog looked at Randy and then the kids before returning his attention to Randy.
"Well hey there Shadow! Why don't ya just come right in and make yerself at home!" Randy sarcastically greeted.
"What do you care? It isn't like this is your house." Shadow groaned as he took a seat next to Randy in the other patio chair. "Where's Sandy? And aren't you supposed to be at that barbeque?"
"I was at the barbeque, but Sandy called me all frantic like, so I came over here ta watch the kids and she took off." Randy picked his beer back up and continued to slip down the cold liquid.
"Where did she go?" Shadow questioned concerned.
"I don't know. Like I said she was kinda freaking out on the phone and she ran right off when I got here. I don't even know when she'll be back." Randy finished off the last of his beer and then gave Shadow a questioning look. "Why da hell are you here? Shouldn't ya be recovering from yer date last night?"
"This morning Sandy invited me to join her and the kids at the park for lunch. And the date was just a waste of what could have been a perfectly good evening alone considering you weren't at home for once."
"Ah, so she didn't put out." Randy laughed as Shadow glared at him.
"You have a little something here." Shadow brushed the rocks and sand off of Randy's lap causing the squirrel to flinch as the hedgehog was slapping him roughly in an attempt to literally bust his balls.
"Hey! Stop trying ta jerk me off, ya fag!" Randy punched Shadow on the arm as he sat up straight in the chair.
Shadow raised his eyebrow a bit surprised. "You didn't seem to mind last week."
Randy became a bit fluster as he quickly looked away from Shadow and fidgeted with his empty beer bottle. He hadn't expected the other man to ever bring that night up as neither of them had so far… besides both had been heavily intoxicated. Right as Randy opened his mouth to speak the cell phone in his pocket started to ring. A large sigh of relief exited his mouth as he put down the bottle in his hand, and pulled out his phone to see who was calling.
"Speaking of past regrets, it's Mei." Randy grinned as he answered the phone call. "Hey!" Randy beamed happily as this interruption just saved him from a likely very awkward conversation. After a moment Randy glanced at Shadow as his smile dropped off his face. "Yeah. He's here." Randy then held out the phone in Shadow's direction. The black and red furred man reluctantly accepted it.
"Yeah?" Shadow question as he stood up and walked back towards the sliding glass door in an effort to get out of an ear shot of Randy.
Randy's attention was taken off Shadow at the sound of small running feet radiated off the deck. His eyes fell on a small mostly purple furred squirrel boy just as the small rodent dumped another two small handfuls of sand in his lap.
"Daddy Show is here!" The young boy screeched happily.
Randy looked at the boy and faked being shocked. "What? No way! Where?" Randy demanded franticly.
"There! See! Daddy Show!" The boy pointed to Shadow as his two older siblings, both of whom greatly resembled Shadow, ran onto the deck.
"Hey guys, y'all should go find some nice treasure fer yer dad while he finishes up his phone call." The three children nodded excitedly in agreement with their uncle as they rushed off to join their young sister who was still digging away in a small patch of flowers.
"Yes. I understand." Shadow paused for a moment and looked at Randy who was tapping his foot acting impatient while pointing to a nonexistent watch on his left wrist. Shadow's eyes rolled at his ex-brother-in-law turned roommate. "Alright. Fine. I need to go."
After tapping the phone to end the conversation Shadow tossed the phone back to Randy, who barely managed to catch it.
"What did she want? Besides me naked in her bed, of course."
"Didn't you just get done calling her a past regret?" Shadow scoffed as he took a seat next to Randy again.
"Yeah. I regret I didn't bang her more." Randy smirked as he stood up and made his way into the house. He quickly returned with two open beers and handed one to Shadow, who immediately set it aside.
"I have a probationary meeting on monday, and she keeps checking to make sure I have everything in order for it." Shadow looked on at the children making a mess of themselves and the yard. "She's like this every year it comes around."
"I'm so glad I'd done with probation." The squirrel took a long drink before letting out a loud laugh. "Again."
Shadow looked at Randy from the corner of his eye for a moment before looking back to the playing children. "I'd trade your idea of probation for the reality of mine any day."
"Poor baby." A fake cry came from Randy before the younger man started giggling again. "Who didn't get laid last night. OH the absolute horror!"
"As if you did." Shadow shot back as he now finally picked up his drink.
"I'll have 'ya know I had a very magical time with myself last night."
"Thanks for that bit of information." Shadow nodded his head in disapproval before taking a sip from his bottle.
"I'm hungry! Let's order some pizza!" Randy slammed down his half empty beer bottle and slapped his hands on his knees. Getting glees of joy from the children still running around the yard.
"I'm amazed you aren't sick of pizza considering it's basically all that you eat." Shadow continued to nurse his beer as Randy pulled out his phone and typed in some numbers.
"Yer so full of crap. I eat cheese burgers too, ya ass." Randy pushed Shadow's shoulder playfully getting an annoyed grunt in response.
"It's no wonder you're getting fat."
Randy's eyes widened as he pointed at him warningly. "I will kick yer ass, mofo!"
This caused Shadow to smile, as he found these days it to be quite difficult to actually upset his brown furred friend. So, he always took a little joy in the moments he was actually able to pull him from his "everything's one big joke" take on life.
Hours passed and all four kids were covered head to toe in layers of dirt and grim. Two different flower beds were half dug up or trampled and there was a large pile of small rocks stacked underneath one of the patio tables. Randy had the kids strip down, two at a time, before he hosed them down and Shadow carried them in to take a bath. It was half past 6:00 and the kids were already dressed in their PJ's eating left over pizza from earlier. The two adult men sat on the couch simi buzzed as a kid's movie, they had both been subjected to far too many times, played on the large TV screen. They staired at it blankly as the young children played, between bites of pizza, on the living room floor.
"You should try calling her again." Shadow suggested as his eyes kept their dead focus on the television screen.
"I already left two messages with her and Static. She'll call when she can." Randy replied.
"What about his parents?" Shadow now looked at Randy.
"Last thing I wanna do is start freaking everyone out. You freaking is annoying enough." Randy stood up a bit unsteadily and made his way to the fridge. "You want another beer, numb-nuts?" He called.
"No." Shadow replied as he readjusted his sitting position. "But I need your phone, though."
"Where is yours?" Randy grumbled as he returned to the couch, beverage in hand. He dropped the phone into Shadow's lap as he let himself fall down on the overly expensive furniture.
"I left it at home.
"What is the point of having a cell phone if ya don't take it with you?!" Randy whined.
Shadow ignored him and started messing with the other man's phone. He cringed a minute but continued sliding through the current app he was in. "How many of dick photos do you need of yourself, Randy?" Shadow scolded under his breath.
Randy snatched his phone back and wiped it down. "Stop going through my shit, and drooling all over my screen, ya perv!"
"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't mean to click it and now I'm likely going to have PTSD."
"Har Har!" Randy fake laughed and stuck out his togue exposing his recently acquired pricing.
"I hate that thing." Shadow groaned as he took back Randy's phone.
"And it hates you!" Randy shot back showing that he was wading far deeper into intoxication than the other man.
After a few minutes of typing on the phone and listening to it Shadow finally stopped what he was doing and tossed the phone back at Randy, who didn't even seem to notice. "The only messages I got were from you and Mei." The hedgehog sighed tiredly.
"What did I want?" Randy questioned. His eyes were now closed as he leaned back, head facing the ceiling.
"Nothing important."
"At least ya can always count on me fer dat!" Randy smiled still keeping his eyes closed.
"Dad?"
Shadow watched as he son Wes, who was about to turn 7, climbed on the couch between himself and Randy. "Yes?" He questioned softly as the boy cuddled into him as he looked up as he continued to speak.
"Are you and uncle Randy gonna spend the night?" The boy asked hopefully.
"Maybe." A smile took hold of Shadow as he saw his offspring grin at his response.
"You guys can sleep in me and Blaze's room. It's boys only!" Extreme excitement traveled with the little boy's voice.
"Boys only!" Blaze, the younger purple squirrel, echoed his brother getting groans of disapproval from their female siblings.
"Except mom! Mom can come in." He continued to smile at his father.
"Yeah, mom!" Blaze kept parroting the other boy.
Shadow wasn't sure if it was the booze or just his love for his son, but he hugged his son, as his heart had started to melt. "I'd like that." He responded while being shocked at how hard it was to hold back his tears at the moment. He really missed them… even Static's children had grown on him. And Sandy… Shadows body went tense as he thought about his feelings for his now ex-wife. A stay tear found its way down his face before he slightly jumped to the ringing of Randy's phone.
Randy barely budged as he seemed to have had more than his fill of suds for the day. Shadow picked up the phone and saw that it was Sandy that was calling. "I gotta take this, Wes. Go play." The boy happily followed his father's command as Shadow answered the phone. "Sandy?"