The smell of vanilla and coffee wafted about the cozy downtown apartment. The clicks and pops of the coffee maker from one corner of her tiny kitchen could be heard over the news on her television on low volume.
She had folded her legs under herself on the couch, her lacey morning bathrobe draping over the edge of the cushions like a waterfall of velvet and cotton. The sequence wrapped around her still tired form, head propped up on a fist over the arm of the furniture and a sigh seeping between her lips.
Despite her best efforts, sleep chose to not come easily. The sheets beneath her the softest she could find, the blankets the highest quality, and all the wine in the world could pour directly into her head and still-
Empty space, she had a passing thought. At times, her bed seemed too big-being meant for a full grown human rather than someone like her.
She could see that, she could see her forward moving notions and aura she casted-why hadn't he?
The coffee maker beeped, and she waited, still stirring her thoughts.
Maybe she had been too forward. Over the years, sneaking aboard the hovering island in the sky. Rouge could recall nights and days of every occasion she found herself planning a trip to 'steal' that giant jewel, often dreaming of her swimming in the humongous payout she'd receive from ignorantly cashing it in.
Had that been her mission in the first place.
The only treasure she found herself amidst a heist stood between her and the emerald itself, steaming and silly fists raised as if she were in danger at all.
Cat and mouse, predator and prey. Precious amethysts held in an wavering threatening stare, his defenses easily toppled over upon her closing in. Every hollow threat, vanishing the longer they remained. The great gem behind him merely a backdrop to the real score, the ultimate heist in her eyes.
And yet, years on…
She poured coffee into a ruby red mug, eyes beginning to burn. The streetlamp haloed above his now nearly towering muscular form, those same eyes unfocused on her own. If he wanted to, if the damned stars were right, she would have fallen to him.
She shook her head. Truly how pathetic that was, she thought with a huff. How easily he could have taken those big meaty fists, shattered this barrier their egos built between them in this companionship and taken hold of her. It wouldn't take a fraction of a second for this game to end.
As Rouge stirred the cream and sugar into the coffee, she almost had to laugh. She could have easily done the same. He wasn't as big or scary as he'd like to think, he was not anymore bigger than the rest of them, nor as unaccepted in the public eye as say her or Shadow. Yet that hung over him-the last of his kind, and of the few of their circle residing in the city. He didn't need to bear that alone, and it bothered her.
The bat returned to her place on the couch, crossing her legs across the cushions to take up as much space to hide these missing feelings. Her eyes scanned the ticker at the bottom of the screen, bringing the mug to her puckered lips and blowing away the rising steam.
"...Citizens prepare for a relaxing weekend as the forecast predicts beautiful high temperatures," The news anchor said, "Expect however, a strange breeze rolling in from the west, as a roaming collection of clouds approaches Central City. Studies are showing no rooting origin of the approaching storm as they read no natural occurrences based on past events."
Rouge rolled her eyes, "It's a bunch of clouds, who cares?" As she sipped, the ticker read off strange occurrences outside the city, including increasingly irregular tide high and low, and to her amusement, reports of high speed rodents causing fender benders.
—
"Damn it!"
The bag jerked and swayed back from the punch, sending ripples through its vinyl skin before being struck again and again. A taped fist struck again even harder, followed by another and another increasing in force. A flurry of fury laced jabs attacked the punching bag, the red appendages blurring in quick motion.
Sweat dripped down the sides of the echidna's face, teeth locked tight in his jaw and eyes locked down on the bag. His mind that morning acted as a flipbook of his self described failure the night before, choosing to channel this seething distaste of his cowardice by rolling them all into his routine.
She was right there, he mulled over and over.
Another hard strike rocked the chain holding the bag up. The swings were losing accuracy the more he lamented. Another strike, his wrist would buckle and a twinge of pain shot up his arm. He fought it, reasoning It was a weakness. Thus, he reasoned with another swing. All attempts were shrouded in bashfulness under her stare, under the smirks, the looks, and velvety words that slipped past the bat's pink lips.
Knuckles pants, a sore and unsteady arm cocked back for another swing as he thought back to the scene.
"Well I guess this is it," He had said, mind cloudy by brews and the bat's slender form came to stop outside her downtown apartment building. "I don't think I could ever see myself living over here."
"Aw, why's that?" Her words were so smooth and sweet, peeling back every protective shielding he held up so easy up to then.
"I dunno, I guess I still feel weird trying to fit in with all these people." He said, kicking at the ground outside her apartment.
The bat had looked at him, her face lit under the pale streetlamp accentuating her beauty. He felt the few beers pulling at him to make a move, to do something.
"Hmm," Rouge stepped to him, swaying against the building with her bag swinging by her boots. "You know you're always welcome here, Knuckles."
The echidna steamed, fingers dancing anxiously within his gloves as the bat swayed even closer. "Things can be just like the old days-"
Thwack!
The chain had given way and the bag flung itself back to hit the concrete wall of the shop, burst and torn open. Knuckles stood shaken and panting, fist twitching out in front of him as it was clenched so tightly.
"You're gonna hurt yourself."
Knuckles huffed, turning back to see a tired blue hedgehog approaching from behind. "I can handle myself." He tossed back, rolling his wrist.
Sonic frowned, walking up to pat the echidna on his back. "Give yourself a break, man." He moved past to sit on the floor, pressing his spines against the wall. "I take it that your night didn't go well?"
The echidna rolled his shoulders, the sore muscles burning. "No…I'm a chicken, remember?"
"No, you're not." Sonic tsked his friend. "I was just teasing you."
"But it's true." Knuckles sighed, resting on the ground admiring the now prone and busted punching bag. "At least one of us had a great night…right?" He grinned, receiving a nervous jitter from the speedster.
"It was…alright." Sonic twiddled his thumbs, an unstoppable smile spreading across his face. "I may have gone over my limit last night."
Knuckles nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Well, good for you then. Tomorrow should be cake."
Sonic sighed, pulling a leg up to his just to lean on the knee. "I suppose…you ever act on an impulse?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?" Knuckle laughed.
"Ha-ha." The hedgehog rolled his eyes. "No, like seriously. Do you ever do something that you really want to do, but feel…I don't know, like you spoiled it?"
Knuckles sat in thought, taking breaths to slow his panting. "I guess, maybe in the past. I never really take too much time to think about that kinda stuff. Why?" He then asked, "What happened?"
Sonic bit his bottom lip, rocking against the wall. "Last night, we were talking about after you and Rouge left. We had some more drinks, blah blah…then…"
Knuckles eyed the hedgehog, a smirk on his lips. "Did ya do it?"
"What?" Sonic jumped, holding a hand to his chest to the echidna's uproar of laughter.
"I'm joking, relax!" Knuckles coughed, "Kinda, but really did you guys…" He then bumped his fists lightly together to the speedster's horror.
"No!" Sonic dragged both hands through his quills. "What kinda guy do you take me for? No, we just talked and I ran him home."
Knuckles shot Sonic a look, tilting his head. "And never came home?"
To this, the heat rose to Sonic's cheeks as he was uneasy in his seat on the ground. "Okay, well when you say it like that, it sounds like something else happened."
"That's because it sounds like something else happened." Knuckles stated flatly.
"Well, fine!" Sonic gave in, heaving a sigh. "I went to say goodbye…and then I hugged him, the whole night we were drunk and kinda flirting." He shook his head. "It's all still a lil' blurry, but I guess I may have maybe,'' He paused, "Maybe, perhaps probably-"
"For chaos's sake!' Knuckles rolled his neck. "Spit it out!"
"I kissed him, alright?!" Sonic shouted, beforeing sighing and dropping his gaze. "I kissed him outta nowhere because it all seemed so right and the moon was out and he looked so handsome and-"
"Alright, alright!" Knuckles waved his hands, laughing all the while. "I get it, you're not on trial."
Sonic covered his face, blushing. "I woke up this morning and forgot, then we were wrapped in my jacket on his couch huddled together and he was…" He dropped his hands into his lap, "He's like a completely different person when no one else is around. He smiles! He laughs, and chaos his laugh."
Knuckles chuckled to himself as he watched his longtime friend melt against the wall. "Well again, I'm glad last night went well." He dropped his gaze to the floor. "Wish I had that gusto then…"
Sonic broke free from his swooning to shoot a concerning look at the echidna. "Hey, chin up, knucklehead. You and I both know she's totally into you." He glanced back at the punching bag, grimacing. "Unless that bag beat you to the punch."
Knuckles glared up to the hedgehog shooting finger guns at him. "...I hate you sometimes."
"Love you too, buddy." Sonic smirked. "But seriously, you can't beat yourself up. She's been around you for years, and now that all that crud that was keep you separated s'over, you just gotta take a blind swing."
"You make it sound so easy." Knuckles pondered, having stood up to untape his hands. He grimaced, his namesakes covered in tiny cracks of darker crimson tarnishing the underside of the tape. He sighed. "I don't know if I can bring myself to do all that."
Sonic jumped to his feet, stretching. "Well, maybe you just gotta have a lil' faith Knux." He gazed around the shop. "Where's Tails?"
Knuckles nodded towards the stairs. "In his room, he's been in there all day."
Sonic turned to the ascending staircase. "I hope he's alright."
—
"...and then Amy wanted to buy this giant cactus plant covered in these little pink flowers," The girl's voice came in through the speakers. "Mind you, this thing was crazy big! Wouldn't have fit in the overhead or be taken through customs. So I have to keep telling her to-hey!"
Tails snapped awake, pen scribbling away falling from his fingers. "Uh-what! Huh?"
On the screen, a now seemingly annoyed beige colored rabbit sat outside by a resort. Orange circlets around her half lidded stare, a sunhat over her long ears draping behind her head. An orange tank top and pink rimmed sunglasses resting at the end of her pink button nose.
She crossed her arms, the fox then avoiding her burning stare. "You haven't heard a single word I said, have you?" Her once younger falsetto tone now a more matured one and scolded him.
Tails nervously smiled into the camera. "Of course I did! Amy keeps trying to buy a bunch of stuff that she can't take home." He pointed the pen to the screen. "Checkmate, Cream."
The rabbit rolled her eyes. "Well, since I'm apparently boring you," She pulled the glasses off revealing tangerine ringlets. "How are the blueprints coming along?"
The fox's room was a mess of schematics tapped up on the walls and parts tossed into the corners. A single bed half made sat behind him, a stretched window over the headboard shut and blocked by wooden shutters. Shoes, tech, utility belts and socks littered the floor around the bed, leading up to his disorganized work desk he sat before. A pile of crumpled up papers crowding the space underneath, falling out of a full trash bin.
The fox sighed, slouching in his office chair. "Slow, uncoordinated. I don't even think I could afford the parts I need, and since I can't just fix up the plane now…"
"Aw, buck up." Cream's voice came through the speakers, leaning into the camera. "You'll figure it out, it can't be any different than all the times you repaired it. That big brain of yours has to be good for something, after all." She mused, "Since it's not listening to your friends."
Tails propped his head up on a fist, glaring up at the rabbit giggling on screen. "You know, you can be really mean when you're right."
"How else would you hear it?" The rabbit smiled sweetly, hands cupped under her chin. "So, other than the plane and what we've been doing, how's stuff with Mr. Sonic and Knuckles?"
Tails sighed, eyes darting to the bedroom door. "Sonic stayed out all night-him and Knuckles went out to some club, apparently."
Cream furrowed her brow. "A club? He doesn't seem like he would do stuff like that." She pondered. "None of you seem like that."
"Got it, thanks." Tails huffed, then heard the rabbit giggle. "They were drinking and I guess Sonic saw Shadow, and then he stayed after Knuckles left to take Rouge home-"
"Wait, wait time out!" Cream waved her hands. "That scary guy that used to always fight for Eggman?"
"The very one," Tails sighed. "Him and Sonic are…a thing now, I think."
"Wow." Cream blanked, turning to stare off screen in thought. "I-uh…wow. That's new."
"A bit, yeah." The fox spun the pen in his fingers and stared at the pages on his desk crestfallen.
"Hey, stop that." Cream taped the camera on her end.
Tails flicked his eyes to the screen. "What?"
"You do that thing when you start to overthink and look all mopy." Cream pouted. "I'm sure Mr. Sonic is okay."
"I know." Tails groaned. "It's all still really weird…not the whole, ya know, but it's Shadow!" He tossed the pen aside, it rolling to the edge and dropping off onto the floor. "How am I supposed to react? Guy's been a menace and an actual criminal."
"But people change, Tails."
Tails glared off camera, shaking his head with arms crossed. Cream taped her chin. "Well, is Sonic happier now with him?"
"I guess." Tails shrugged, glare softening. "Seems like it, at least."
"So," Cream said, "If he's happy, and can handle himself, what's there to worry about?"
Tails rocked in his chair, twiddling his thumbs. "I don't know…I don't trust him, every time I see him he's a big jerk. Why should I just step in line and welcome him?"
"Because you love Mr. Sonic, and want him to be happy."
The fox heard this and dropped his head on the desk. "But that sucks!"
Cream giggled, shaking her head. "I know, Tails."
"Hey Tails! Ya in there?"
The fox snapped up, turning back towards the bedroom door. "Crap," He turned back to his computer and scrolled to the call button. "He's back. Gotta go, Cream."
The rabbit gave a tiny frown, before smiling. "Aw, okay. I get back next week, maybe we can all get together when we do!"
Tails smiled into the camera. "Sure thing!"
"Great." The rabbit reached to grab the camera, before winking. "Later, foxboy!" Before the screen went black as three quick knocks were heard at the door.
"I'm respecting your privacy by knocking, but am now asserting my authority as your brother by coming in anyway!" The door thrusted open, followed by Sonic waltzing in with a carton of orange juice in hand.
Tails glared at the hedgehog. "That wasn't funny the first ten hundred times you've done it."
"It's always funny to me." Sonic chuckled, walking over to sit at the foot of the fox's bed and turning around the room. "Man, you gotta clean this place up! And you always talk about how my room's a mess."
"My room's only a mess when I'm working," The fox said, typing away on his computer.
"Which just so happens to be often, but I could make excuses too." Sonic drank, standing up and leaning on the chair the fox sat in. He stared down at the countless pages and blueprints littering the desk. "Still working on the tornado, huh?"
"Yup," Tails said, reading a few notes stored on the screen. "I just need to make sure that I can't repair it, before starting completely from scratch." He rubbed his face, frustrated. "It's going to be a nightmare."
Sonic nodded, seeing the video chat window still an open tab with a rabbit logo listed as most recent. "How's she doing?"
"Who?"
"Cream," He pointed to the screen. Tails saw this and quickly closed the window to Sonic's laughter. "Hey, relax. Not assuming nothin'."
"There isn't anything to assume." Tails said, before turning in his seat. "I'm glad you're safe, Sonic."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sonic asked, screwing the cap back on the juice.
"Well, when you decide to not come home or say anything, I'm gonna worry." The fox said, softly glaring at the keyboard as he spoke. "But since Knuckles told me that you probably crashed at Shadow's and not to freak out, I'm happy you're home."
Sonic blanked, "O-Oh. Okay," He rubbed his arm, turning away. "Sorry, bro. Things got a little crazy and I guess I lost track of time."
"It happens," Tails sighed. "Just…I'm trying to trust that things are okay. Sorry if it feels like I'm not accepting this whole Good Guy Shadow thing just yet."
He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and Sonic knelt beside him. "I know, buddy. I get it, and I appreciate it."
Tails bit his lip. "Can you promise me something?"
"Sure!" Sonic grinned.
Tails shifted in his chair. "If anything happens, anything at all-" He paused, looking for the right words. "-If something strange or bad happens tomorrow and if I can't be there-"
"Tails." Sonic stopped him, pulling the fox into a hug. "I promise, I will be okay. If anything seems off or I get a feeling, I can handle it."
"But what if I can't-" Tails tried.
"Miles."
The fox fixed his stare, turning away as his birth name came down over him as the hedgehog spoke. "You have to let some things go. I know this is all new and scary-it is for me too, trust me. I'd never throw myself into something I didn't think wasn't safe." He ruffled the fox's hair. "I'd also not want you to try to put yourself somewhere you'd get hurt, too. I know you want to be at my side for everything and you are, but I think you should try to start living your life as it is now."
The fox sighed, eyeing the blueprints as a jumbled mess of crumbled scribble drawings. "How's that?"
"Well, for starters." He pointed to the screen. "Cream and Amy come back soon right?"
"Yeah," Tails furrowed his brow. "But I don't see what that has to do-"
"How about you make some plans for your lil girlfriend?" Sonic grinned, smacking the fox on the back. "You could use a distraction too!"
Tails stonewalled the hedgehog, rolling his eyes as the speedster laughed. "I think Shadow hypnotized you," He mumbled, turning back to the computer. "That might be it."
"Maybe he did." Sonic smiled, giving the fox a quick hug before turning to leave. "Don't stay cooped up in here too long, Tails. You'll fry your brain!"
"Well now I have to look up how to reprogram annoying older brothers!" The fox called back, sticking his tongue out as Sonic blew him a kiss before shutting the door followed by the fox turning back to the monitor in thought.
