Chapter 1: People Change
~ Rouge's POV ~
I sat at the small local coffee shop sipping on my cappuccino and rubbing the heel of my boot on my boyfriend's inner ankles. The red headed echidna returned my touch by rubbing his shoe against mine, and we began to mindlessly entangle in a light game of footsies.
As I sipped on my coffee, a black and red blur caught my attention and I put my coffee cup down to give the hedgehog now sitting down with us a warm smile.
"Hey, hedgehog, long time no see," I said, as Shadow held up a hand and a waitress walked over.
He hasn't changed a bit. Just as gruff and stiff as always…
"I'll take a large cup of black coffee to go, no cream, no milk, no sugar needed." The hedgehog made no eye contact with the waitress as he handed her a debit card.
"G.U.N's been running me ragged this week, they're talking about getting close to finding Eggman again," Shadow replied dryly, then he cocked an eye towards Knuckles, who was drinking boba tea through a huge straw. "No coffee?" He questioned with a cocked eyebrow and tiny smile creeping at the edge of his mouth.
"You know he can't have that much caffeine." I snapped back lightly at him for teasing Knuckles. He really loves to pick on him. I'm not sure how they ended up best friends, but I'm sure it has something to do with Knuckle's mindless goofiness that combated Shadows calculated calm so well.
I looked around the store trying to think of something to say. Shadow had been pretty distant from us lately, and picking up a lot more overtime at work. It was normal for him to go a few days without talking to me, we weren't as close as we used to be. But he spoke to Knuckles every days in their dumb boys only group chat. But it had been a week since either of us had heard from him.
"How are things going?" I asked cooly, sipping on my coffee. I tried to look uninterested to maybe get him to open up to us. Before he could answer Knuckles ruined my intentions by opening his big mouth, "Yeah man! I haven't heard from you since last week! You totally missed drinks at Bottom of the Barrel Bar n Grill! You never miss BBBG night!" Knuckles practically shouted, hanging halfway over the coffee table and staring straight at Shadow. Leave it to Knucklehead to clam up Shadow when he's just about to open up.
"I had a rough work week… it won't happen again. I've… missed you guys," Shadow said, as if it would kill him to show too much compassion for his teammates. He leaned back in his chair, and caught a small smile when the waitress brought back his card and coffee. He signed the receipt for the coffee and was preparing to leave when he stopped himself. Before I could question him, Shadow began to talk again.
"How about BBBG tonight?" Shadow asked, looking between me and Knuckles.
Before I could say anything, Knuckles began talking again, much to my displeasure.
"Oh Rouge can't, but me and you can totally hang! Rouge has girls night tonight, she's hanging with-OOOWWW!" Knuckles jumped mid sentence when I kicked him under the table. That dense redhead of mine couldn't save a secret if his life depended on it.
"What the hell, babe?!?" Knuckles cried out at me, pouting as he rubbed his shin under the table.
"What do you mean what the hell, what the hell to you!" I said, rolling my eyes. My face grew pink with a blush as I could feel Shadows questioning eyes staring at me.
I looked up to find him side eyeing me over his cup of coffee. He took a small sip then asked, "Girls night?"
Hearing him say it made it sound so much more childish and demeaning than it really was. It was just a few girls going out for drinks by themselves. Who cares?
"Yeah we'll I, uhhh, connected with a coworker and we've, uhh, been getting along pretty well recently…" I said, flustered, wondering why I felt the need to hide this from him. But I already knew why… It's because it's her. And he can't stand her. I watched his eyebrows raise with curiosity and I knew my secretiveness was peeking his interest. He had no idea how much he didn't want to know about this secret.
"A coworker?" Shadow asked, leaning in ever so slightly, but his voice not giving away how he felt.
"She's actually really cool and likes a lot of the things I do.. I honestly didn't even know she worked for G.U.N. but apparently they have an intelligence agency I didn't know about?"
"S.I.N.," Shadow said, interrupting me.
"Yeah, S.I.N. How did you-"
"Secret Intelligence Network, a subset of G.U.N. It's relatively new but also very exclusive. Think of S.I.N like the Navy Seals and G.U.N. is the military. It's hard but not impossible to get into G.U.N. But S.I.N is on a much more elite scale." Shadow finished his statement, having cut Rouge off again.
"Noooo way! That's badass!… So wait, babe, how did she get into-OOWWWW!" Knuckles shreaked again, as I kicked him mid sentence, again. For such a sweet and romantic smartass, he was pretty dense.
"Yes, Rouge, who is your little friend with such secret skills," Shadow laughed at Knuckles, but his eyes were picking at me.
"Never mind that," I blushed, "Why aren't you in S.I.N., Mister Ultimate Lifeform? I thought a guy like you would want to be in the best of the best?" I asked the cocky hedgehog, trying to throw him off his game and off my secret.
He straightened himself in his chair, taking another sip of his coffee. "I didn't think it was a good fit for me. When I heard of the force opening a few years back I thought about it but decided against it. It's a lot of work, on and off duty. Lots of secrets to keep, information to hold, and the workload is so heavy it's hard to have a personal life outside of it… Besides I'm more of the blow things up kinda guy, not the sneak in, sneak out, never be seen kinda guy." Shadow chuckles to himself as if he's amused by his answer.
Yep. Definitely a cocky asshole if I ever knew one. He'd shit a brick if he knew Amy was in S.I.N.
"Well I guess they have enough agents now to spread out the workload. My friend has a lot more free time these days and she's been getting assigned more missions that intercross with me and my work, which is super fun!" Rouge smiled to herself as she sipped on her coffee.
"We'll I hope you and your new little friend have fun tonight," Shadow rolled his eyes, as if he was already over the conversation. I rolled my eyes back at him. His stand off attitude and piss poor attempt to be friendly made it so hard for people to warm up to him, especially if they didn't understand his personality. No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend.
"Me and you tonight, right?" Shadow grinned, turning his attention toward Knuckles.
"Yeah! And oh! Hey! Why don't I invite-"
"-No"
"Oh come on man, you didn't even know who I was gonna-"
"-No." Shadow said again, cutting my boyfriend off for the second time. Knuckle's lip poked out in a pout and his shoulders slumped down. I patted his back gently and kissed his temple on his head. Shadow looked disgusted by my public display of affection, not uncommon for him, but didn't say anything about it.
"I'm not interested in hanging out with faker or any of his little posey," Shadow said dryly, but there was a hint of anger in his voice.
"Oh come on man, Sonic and Tails aren't that bad once you get to know them," Knuckles tried and failed to convince Shadow, who was actively shaking his head 'No' as Knuckles spoke.
"Even if they were bearable, which I'm not saying they are… It's Sonic's number one fan club member that I'm not dealing with." He said coldly.
"Amy's not that bad-" Knuckles proceeded again but was cut off again.
"-Not that bad? She's a nightmare. Sonic this, Sonic that. Dude probably can't take a shit without her there to give him a trophy for it." Shadow rolled his eyes, taking another swig of his coffee.
"She's not even like that any more. Besides she was a kid back then, we were all children eight years ago!" Rouge argued.
"Exactly, she was fifteen, what fifteen year old chases a seventeen year old man around?" Shadow laughed cruelly.
"I'd hardly call you or Sonic men at seventeen. You were basically children yourselves." Rouge shot back, trying hard to hide the fact she was pissed that Shadow was talking so rudely about her new friend.
"Whatever," Shadow rolled his eyes again before looking at Knuckles, "Me, You, drinks tonight?"
"Can I bring the Babylon Rogues?" Knuckles asked, trying desperately, Rouge could tell, to make sure he wasn't alone with Shadow tonight.
A smart choice really. Knuckles and I knew all too well that Shadow gets to be a handful when he drinks.
"I'll see you tonight," Shadow said, not turning down Knuckle's guest list, and Knuckles nodded at him. Shadow stood up and brushed off his black leather jacket, picking up his coffee to take with him, he waved goodbye to me and headed out the coffee shop door.
"I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes Amy's working for G.U.N. as a S.I.N. agent," I laughed as I nuzzled my cheek against Knuckles.
"Yeahhh… Too bad he'll probably find out next Monday at work. He'll probably go snooping through the agent files." Knuckles laughed at my side, probably imagining Shadow searching through a database to find out who my new 'bff' is. I laughed as I thought of something better.
"Nope. Because you're gonna tell me what time you guys go to BBBG tonight. And Amy and I will come to catch a drink." I smiled evilly to myself, not fully prepared for the chaos I was brewing.
"You wouldn't?!?" My boyfriend asked, shocked as I said it. The look he gave me only fueled my thirst for chaos. Amy has been through a lot, she deserves a big comeback, to make a few heads roll, and certain hedgehog quiver in defeat.
"I will! So make sure you text me!" I laughed and kissed his cheek, giving his face a small nibble that made him shiver.
"Babeeee.. don't do that here!" He said, his face turning as red as his fur.
~~~
Shadow's POV
I couldn't have gotten out of that coffee shop any sooner. Not just because Rouge and Knuckles were clearly ten minutes away from making out, but also because of who arrived.
As I left the coffee shop, I saw a familiar flash of pink in the parking lot. It had been over five years since I had even laid eyes on Amy, but there she was talking to Cream and Tails of all people. Talk about speak of the devil!
She had grown out her short pink hair cut, her quills and fur now ran down her back in long elegant curls, her bangs still short in the front of her emerald green eyes. She was wearing a bright red tank top with black denim jean shorts. She sported a pair of black aviator sunglasses that were perched on top of her head and plain all white tennis shoes.
I need to leave before that faker shows up. She's always up his ass, so he can't be too far behind. Tails is even here so I'm sure he's around here somewhere...
But instead of leaving I've found myself watching her.
She moved slowly and calmly, but bubbling with a low, steady energy. She smiled widely and made eye contact with both Cream and Tails while she talked with them, and she never interrupted them. I can't really believe my eyes. Is this the same overzealous, obsessive maniac he knew eight years ago?
Before I realized it, they're saying goodbye, and before I had a chance to escape, I heard my name being called out.
"Shadow? Shadow! Hey! Is that you?" She says cheerfully and a smile crept across her face, one of her eyebrows jumped up questioningly.
I want to ignore her and walk off, but she sounds so… happy.
"Yeah, it's me," I sigh, shoving my hands in my jean pockets.
She walks up to me from the parking lot, the morning sun shining in her hair. The green in her eyes sparkles as I stare into them, and without realizing it, I've missed every word she's said! Damn, what did she just say?
"I'm sorry, what?" I said, mildly confused as to what just happened to my train of thought. It's not very often that it gets derailed…
"I said Long time, no see! How have you been?" She smiles so big her eyes close and I start to struggle with a weird feeling in my chest. Indigestion? I need to start getting a medium instead of a large coffee…
"I'm… good?" I say, and I'm questioning why I did. I didn't even want to speak with her, and know I'm telling her I'm good? Since when have I been doing good?
"That's great to hear! Boy you've really grown up, you're so tall now!" Amy said, reaching up on her tippy toes and holding her hand up to the top of my head. Her mouth was opened into a small little 'o' shape and her eyes were bright and wide open in shock.
What an idiot... Of course I grew taller, you grew too, just look at your- I jumped in my skin, startled by my train of thought, once again running off the rails. I blushed realizing where my mind, and eyes, had wandered off to when she leaned toward me like that.
"I gotta be honest, I didn't expect to see you here…" I heard Amy's voice say and it snapped me back to reality.
She was standing in front of me, eyes closed with a smile on her face; she looked a little nervous.
"Are you okay?" I blurted out, not even thinking.
Why do I care if she's okay? She seems fine enough…
"Huh?" She replied, quizzically, taking a moment to think about it. Oh god, here it comes, the never ending blabbing about faker!
"Yeah…" she said with a smile, "I'm good…" She replied; and that was it. No faker, no bullshit, no long winded statement piece. Just… good. And for some reason it made my stomach feel weird all over again.
"Well that's great," I replied, trying to avoid her gaze, I crossed my arms over my plain white t-shirt and closed my eyes tightly, tilting my head away from her and our conversation. I gotta get outta this, I'm feeling so weird.
"Ohh uhhh… yeah," she smiled again nervously. I didn't know what to do, I peaked an eye open to look at her and she was just smiling goofily.
What a doe eyed dope... Just as empty headed as she was back in the day. I scoffed in frustration and her eyes shot open, her smile disappearing followed by a frown. My chest grew tight and painful when she frowned and it made me more uncomfortable than my stomach twisting in knots earlier.
"Well it was great seeing you again! I'm glad to hear you're doing good!" She smiled again, quickly, then said, "I'll see ya around, Shadow!" and with that she walked off into the coffee shop.
It took me a moment to realize I never said bye to her. It took another moment to realize my face was hot and flushed, the palms of my hands were even sweaty. As quickly as she came, she left. And although I made it feel like a million years, she cut the conversation off in a matter of seconds and took her leave quickly.
Standing in the parking lot was growing uncomfortable but I couldn't figure out why my feet wouldn't let meleave. …I'll see ya around, Shadow!…
I decided then and there… only to myself… that I like the way she said my name. But only because it's been so long since I've heard anyone say it so happily.
Before anyone else I knew could see me red faced in the parking lot, I jumped on my motorcycle and drove away from the coffee shop.
~~~
Amy's POV
The coffee shop felt different today. Maybe it was the friendly faces greeting her, or the long lost friends she hadn't seen in ages, but today was turning out to be a great day.
In a room full of random mobians, I spotted my friends, a white bat and red echidna, easily. Rouge was sitting at the coffee table wearing a pair of black leather skinny jeans, black open toed heels, and a dark purple crop top. Knuckles sat beside her, his arm around her shoulder, wearing black denim jeans, a red hoodie, and a green bandana wrapped around his forehead. His dreads hung around his bandana but the gold dread cuffs wrapped around his braids gave him an effortlessly elegant look. Rouge's buzzed head style also gave her an effortlessly elegant look and the two together gave off major couples goals. I won't be telling them that in case it goes to Knuckles head.
Rouge looked up from her coffee cup and spotted me, she waved me over and I joined them at their table.
The waitress met me at the table and when she asked for my order I asked for a medium to go black coffee with one cup of creamer and two packets of Splenda on the side.
"How are you this morning?" Rouge asked me, smiling.
It felt nice to get out and see people again. It had been years since I'd hung out with people like this.
After such a rough time eight years ago, I took some time to myself to put distance in between me and some people, and to gain a new perspective on those people. It took a while to realize who really cared for me and who was only tolerating me or using me.
Having friends who actually want me to have coffee with them is a nice change.
After I took the job at G.U.N. five years ago, and before I got reacquainted with Rouge months ago, I had only been seeing Cream at my place or her place every few weeks to catch up on how her and her mom were doing. The change of scenery and new friendly faces was refreshing to say the least…
"I'm great, how are you guys?" I smiled at the two of them.
"Good! Are you excited for tonight?" Rouge smiled so big her eyes closed.
"Of course! It's been so long since I've been out with friends, I'm excited." I said with a smile, and thanked the barista when she brought me my coffee.
"Rouge says you've been MIA, what happened? Last I heard from you or about you was like, what Amy, five years back? Sonic said-OWWWW!" Knuckles yelled mid sentence and reached under the table to grab his… foot? Shin? I'm not sure, but it was pretty obvious Rouge had kicked him or stomped on his foot to shut him up.
I appreciated the jester, especially since the mere mention of Sonic's name still gave me a raging stress migraine, but I was trying really hard these days to get over that kind of stuff. So, I plastered a huge smile on my face, ignored Knuckle's pain and Rouge's irritation at him, and pushed forward with the conversation even though it was kinda awkward...
"I'm not sure what you've heard, but I can clear up the rumors," I said with a smile, Rouge's anger melted into concern as she reached across the table and grabbed my hand.
"Amy, you don't have to talk about it, Knuckles is just a bonehead, he forgets his manners!" Rouge said, her eyes cutting to the side to glare at Knuckles before landing compassionately back on me.
"Hey! I may be a bonehead but I still care! I don't remember you asking about Amy when she left!" Knuckles said defensively, poking his lip out in a pout and crossing his arms across his chest.
"Sweetie, me and Amy weren't exactly the best of friends when we were younger." Rouge said, irritation in her voice. I watched her stare daggers at Knuckles.
She wasn't wrong, we only crossed paths a few times when we were younger but I could tell she didn't like me. She swears now that she just has resting bitch face and that I was just intimidated by her. And maybe she's right about the latter, but she definitely didn't like me. I could tell I annoyed her back then; every time I opened my mouth she rolled her eyes so hard I thought she'd lose them. Thankfully when Rouge meet me at work, she gave me a second chance and recognized right away that I had grown up a lot the last time we saw each other.
"I'm not blaming anyone for looking in on me or not looking in on me." I said, stopping their catfight before it started. "I kept everyone who I cared about updated," I saw Knuckle's face fall into a frown and immediately went into explaining myself further, "I didn't let everyone that I should have know because I'm embarrassed to admit I've been avoiding some people for a while now..." Knuckle's frown turned into confusion and he hung his head to one side quizzically.
I took the lid off my cup, poured the tiny cup of creamer into the dark coffee, its color barely changing a single shade, and then I carefully ripped open the two packets of Splenda and dumped one and a half of the packets into my coffee. I gave the coffee a quick stir with a stirring stick, then took a big sip of the warm dark goodness that I needed for a pick me up.
"I know it's not fair to you," I said, looking at Knuckles who smiled, "or anyone else, to just disappear like that… but I needed some time and space to grow up and figure out what I want out of my life."
I sighed and looked out the window, thinking about all my years chasing down Sonic… always a step behind Knuckles, who was a step behind Tails, who was a step behind Sonic. I was so naive back then… I still feel a great sense of embarrassment when I think about the way I acted as a child. Sonic meant the whole world to me at one point in time. And I blew it, being a total freak. Worse yet, that's all anyone around here really knows me for. Sonics crazed fangirl… Sonic's stalker…
I threw on another smile and looked both of them in the eyes, I had been thinking to myself too long because they now both carried a concerned look on their face.
"I'm tired of chasing things that aren't good for me. I want to forge my own path. I want to chase my own dreams." I said nervously, my hands trembled under the table, as I looked down at my coffee to avoid their stares.
"That's all fine and dandy, Amy…" Knuckles said very seriously, and I felt the tears pooling up in my eyes. I didn't realize he cared this much for me when I left… He'd always been like an older brother to me, consoling me every time Sonic tricked me or abandoned me or blew me off. He was really a sweet guy, him and Tails both. It was hard to face them after years of chasing Sonic like a lunatic. It always felt like I showed my ass chasing after the wrong guy.
"But! You've got a lot of making up to do! Starting with your friendship fees!" Knuckles laughed, waving his boba tea around. I wasn't sure what he meant until Rouge started scolding him.
"You can not be serious! Pay for your own boba you cheapskate!" She yelled, smacking him over the back of the head with a small drink menu. I laughed and reached into my wallet, pulling out a five dollar bill.
"No, no, Rouge, he's definitely right!" I laughed as I passed him the five. "I've missed far too many nights out. You know, Rouge, everyone knows about my embarrassing teenage years, but have I ever told you all the crazy things Knuckles used to get into back in the day?" An evil grin crept across my face and Rouge caught on quickly. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and her ears twitched as she leaned in closer across the table.
"Oh come on, Ames, you wouldn't, not in front of Rouge! I just convinced her to be my girlfriend!" Knuckles whined, clasping his hands together begging.
"Oh no, on the contrary! I think you've tricked her!" I laughed, teasing Knuckles, "Rouge is the most beautiful and smartest jewel thief on Earth! There's no way she'd fall for a goofball like you unless you left out some key details!"
Me and Rouge fell into a fit of giggles as we watched Knuckles try to comprehend that we were only teasing him and neither of us were actually serious.
We laughed and enjoyed our coffee as Knuckles thought to himself frustratingly before saying, "Hey!" and eyeing us skeptically, causing us to laugh more.
~~~
Shadow's POV
I spent the first half of my morning trying to think over my conversation with Amy. I wasn't sure why, but something about it didn't stick right with me. She seemed… different… somehow… and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. As far as I'm concerned, she was still the same ditzy brained lunatic she's always been. Sure, we had a nice heart to heart on the ARK but what girl wouldn't try talking some guy into saving the planet? Regardless of that, she couldn't keep her head out of Sonic's ass long enough to talk about anything other than nonsense most of the time. Maybe I haven't seen her in a few years but I know crazy and crazy doesn't change.
Something's still bothering me about it though… I rummaged through the drawers of my toolbox in my garage looking for a wrench to start changing the oil in my motorcycle.
The conversation in the parking lot flashed through my mind as I got to work on my bike.
Why the hell was I feeling so damn uneasy around her? It's got to be the crazy in her…
After lunch, I had finished changing the oil in all 3 of my bikes and also made up my mind about my issues with Amy.
I was feeling so weird because she has changed so much… she's definitely not fifteen any more. She's a woman now and the idea of crazy fifteen year old Amy now in a… twenty-two? Twenty-three? Twenty something year olds body is… weird.
It's all weird. I haven't heard about her in over five years, it's been eight years since I've even seen her!... Hell I thought she was dead or something...
I shook my head and decided I'd had enough of Amy Rose. I picked up my phone and decided to call Knuckles to get my mind off of her.
I dialed the number and listened to it ring three times before I heard him pick it up.
"Sup?" He said, I could hear his video game playing in the background.
"Hey… you on the PlayStation?"
"Yeah… why?… what's up?" I heard him say in between gunfire and yells.
"What time are we heading to the bar?"
"I don't know man… Eight?" He said, half talking, half focusing on something else.
"Cool…" I said, about to hang up when I heard him on the phone again.
"Hey man, you wanna hop online with me until seven?"
"Hell yeah," I laughed and then hung up, walking over to my entertainment system to boot up my PlayStation.
~~~
Amy's POV
"So what's the scene tonight?" I asked Rouge, as I stood in front of my full length mirror. I held up a black spaghetti strap mini dress but decided against it immediately, discarding it to other clothes now piling up on my bed.
"I told you, just a chill bar. They'll play good music, people will dance, there's pool, there's darts-"
"They have Billiards?!" I couldn't contain my excitement.
"Billiards?.. yeah Ames, they have pool tables and stuff, but do nottttt keep me stuck on a table all night, I wanna dance!" Rouge groaned in protest to my excitement and took my hands in hers. She pulled me around my room and shimmed with me a little, a smile breaking out on both our faces. She spun me around playful and in return I dipped her toward the ground in my arms, one of her legs pointing up in the air. We laughed at how silly we were dancing in my bedroom, before separating and looking back to my closet and clothes.
"Come on, Rouge, you know I want to dance too! But you owe me at least one pool game!" I laughed as I turned to beg her, throwing on pouty lips and puppy dog eyes for extra effect.
"You've got a deal!" Rouge laughed. She gives me a hug then turns me back toward the mirror.
"Now then," she said, pulling my hair off my shoulders and behind my back, combing through it with her fingers. She looked at me in the mirror from over my shoulder and said, "What are we gonna wear tonight?"
"I don't know…" I groaned, frustrated as I looked at my poor mangled closet and the mountain of clothes on my bed. We had been tearing through my closet for thirty minutes now with nothing decisive so far.
"It sounds like a chill downtown bar, maybe I can just wear this?" I said motioning to the outfit I'm currently wearing from today, my red tank top, black shorts, and white sneakers.
"Oh gods no!" Rouge said, almost as if she was insulted.
"What's wrong with it? I just don't wanna cause a big scene on my first night back out in so long…" I said, thinking nervously about going out tonight. Maybe it's too soon to go back out..?
"Ames, this is your premiere night! The new and improved you! A chance to reintroduce yourself to the world!" Rouge talked with such excitement and enthusiasm, I could feel those feelings rising in me as well.
"So tell me," Rouge said, turning me back around to face the mirror, "what do you want to say to the world?"
I stared in the mirror nervously, and contemplated what I wanted to say.
"I'm… fun?" I said, looking at Rouge for help. She shook her head disapprovingly.
"Fun? Is that a question?" She replied, raising an eyebrow at me.
"No…" I responded shyly. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone but I was so nervous I thought I'd break down if I pushed too hard. But Rouge's reassuring hand on my shoulders made me feel safe and secure, and I knew I could trust her. I took a deep breath and tried it again. I looked back in the mirror at my clothes on my body. I looked in the mirror at the bed behind where I had discarded the black dress.
"What do you wanna say?" She said, giving my shoulders a friendly squeeze.
"I'm fun!" I shouted, proudly.
"She's fun!" Rouge replied, encouraging me.
"I'm interesting!" I shouted, pushing through my low self confidence.
"She's interesting!" Rouge replied, being my biggest supporter.
"I'm sexy!" I yelled, getting a little too into it.
"Yeah, you are!" Rouge cheered as she shook me by my shoulders, "Now let's get you something fun, interesting, and hella sexy to wear!"
"Yeah!" I yelled out in agreement, pumping my fist in the air. We laughed and cheered to ourselves like we'd accomplished something grand. After all the excitement died down, me and Rouge stared at each other blankly and panicked at the mountain of clothes before us.
"I still don't know what to wear!" I whined, throwing my head back and slumping my shoulders in defeat.
"Me either!" Rouge groaned, throwing herself back onto my bed into the massive pile of clothes.
~~~
Knuckles POV
Rouge is going to want some details on when we're heading out tonight. I'm not gonna lie, throwing a surprise like this Shadows way is gonna be fun. Dudes been in a funk lately and he's always ragging on me. It'll be nice to put him in the hot seat and throw him off his game for once. He'd become my best friend over the years, though I don't think he realizes how much of a role Amy played in that.
Unlike most people back in the day, I didn't find Amy annoying or crazy. I thought she was passionate, caring, and resilient. And although I'd never admit it to anyone, it was nice having her around and I enjoyed her company. She was always kind and supportive of me, and Tails, and especially Sonic.
Sure, she nagged a lot, and demanded a lot of Sonic's attention anyway she could, but I knew it all came from a good place. She cared about his, and our, safety, which counted for a lot in my opinion.
She felt like a little sister to me, and she treated Tails like he was her little brother. We felt like a weird dysfunctional family in some ways.
When she formed Team Rose and we stuck to Team Sonic, I thought for sure Sonic would grow to respect her as me and Tails did.
But when Cat retired to focus on fishing and Cream stayed home to take care of her mom, Sonic wouldn't let her back to work with Team Sonic. Without the Freedom Fighter I could tell Amy was a little lost. When she disappeared I thought something bad had happened to her. And when Sonic didn't go looking for her I grew resentful of that.
Of course, Cream ended up explaining things to me, that I shouldn't worry, that she's okay, that she's not seeing people right now and needs her time and space.
But after seeing Sonic's complete disregard for her after all she'd done for him, I reevaluated how I felt about him as a primary person in my life.
Me and Sonic are still buddies... we work well together: him, me, and Tails. But when it comes to my best friend, that's definitely Shadow now.
He might be stubborn, hard headed, and set in his way; but he doesn't abandon people. He's always stuck by Rouge, even in her biggest mistakes. I respect him for that.
When Tails started dating Cream and working at the shop full time, I started working more with the master emerald and less with Sonic. I had more contact with Rouge and Shadow and we worked well together. Before I knew it, Shadow and Rouge were my best friends. And I can't help but see how that all started with Amy.
Honestly, if Amy hadn't left, I'd probably still be running with Sonic and Tails, and who knows if me and Rogue or Shadow would've ever hung out.
Amy doesn't know it, but I respect her more than she thinks, and I'm glad she's back and doing better…
After I finished reflecting on my past, I finished getting ready for the night.
I put on a single gold chain necklace to complete my look: black slim fit trousers, a matching black button up short sleeve with the front buttoned up only half way to show off my chest. Rouge didn't care to admit it, but she loved my chest and I can't resist dressing up for her.
I straightened out my dreads and tightened my gold dreads cuffs in place. After one last look in the mirror, I texted Rouge the night's plans and then gave Shadow a call so that we could correlate an Uber together.
~~~
Amy's POV
I could hear the bar music from the parking lot. It sounded good and despite how nervous I felt in my outfit, I was excited.
I had settled on the black spaghetti strap mini dress. I paired it with some sheer black stockings and my black platform Dr. Martens, and my slightly oversized worn out blue jean jacket to cover up with. I was down for sexy, but a girls gotta stay warm, right?
Rouge had helped me curl my hair into a teased and tussled beach wave mess. I liked the messy look, felt natural, like a driving with the window down, couldn't care less kinda vibe. For my face I went with a bold black smudge eyeliner for a sexy and chic meets grunge look. My partner in crime, Rouge, was sporting a black sheer long sleeve crop top that showed through to the black bra she was wearing underneath. She matched the top with a purple bodycon miniskirt and a pair of black thigh high boots with heels on them. As usual, her boobs looked killer. I looked down at my cleavage and thanked the Mobian gods they decided to finally give me something. My boobs were nowhere near as huge as Rouges, but I at least I had something to work with now.
We made a beeline straight for the bar and Rouge immediately caught the bartenders eye. The red tenrec gave us our ordered drink, Rouge an aged red wine, me a whiskey sour. We took our glasses and headed out to the dance floor, trying to loosen up and make the most of our time here.
So far there wasn't anyone I noticed in the bar yet, thank gods. Me and Rouge danced for a while together, entertaining the occasional guy or gal who wanted to dance with us or buy us a drink, but never being apart from each other for more than one song. Us girls gotta stick together in these kinds of scenes.
By the time an hour had passed I had garnered the attention of a purple wolf who would not take a hint, and insisted on groping me on the dance floor every chance he got. Everytime I broke free from him or got back to dancing with Rouge he'd come over with another fruity margarita to try and give me. I entertained the first free drink he offered me but I'm not a margarita kinda girl and started refusing every drink he offered me after the first one. I knew what game he was playing and I was not about to let him get me drunk enough to go home with. You could buy all the drinks in the world but I'm not going to be guilted into putting out.
When I finally tired of trying to fight him off me I pulled Rouge to the side and asked if I could cash in on her promise to play a round of pool with me. She agreed and we broke free from the dance floor and made our way over to the pool tables. Thankfully, this wasn't your generic cheap old bar, so we didn't have to pay in quarters to play.
While I waited for an open table Rouge grabbed us another round of drinks. Lucky for us, a pair of older gentlemen squirrels were heading home for the night and gladly gave us their table as they departed.
I racked the balls and Rouge walked over to the wall, inspecting the used pool sticks for one that met her fancy. After handing her the cue ball and motioning to the table, offered her the chance to break the rack.
Rouge leaned forward, lined up her shot, and sent the cue ball barreling into the rack, starting the game with a loud break.
~~~
Shadows POV
The dimly lit bar smelled like smoke and beer, and the noise and random lights didn't help its atmosphere.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out why everyone liked this bar so much, but it's where everyone in town always wanted to go. Despite this being mine and Knuckles' go-to place, I still hated the crowds and the scenery, but I had to admit, the girls dressed very appealingly in this place...
As we entered the main area I looked around and was relieved to find nobody I knew here; yet. But Knuckles mentioned that Jet, Wave, and Storm might be swinging by here later.. I don't hate them per say, but I'm terrible at warming up to people... I don't really see them enough to be comfortable around them like Knuckles is.
We made our way to the bar and I ordered a Rusty Nail; Knuckles ordered a Shirley Temple. My eye twitched a little as I watched him eat the cherry off the top then start drinking the red drink through its striped straw.
"Don't look at me like that, old man!" He shot a dirty look at me, which I returned. "I will not be bullied into drinking your bitter old man drink just to prove my masculinity. I'm confident in myself," he said, like a dork. He smiled to himself and finished off his drink before ordering a bottle of beer.
I gave him a quizzical look to which he replied, "What? I can't drink Shirley's all night! Besides, I still love beer."
"I'll drink to that!" I laughed and took a large swig to finish off my drink and also order a bottle of beer.
I scanned the room lazily for any one who might fancy my interest. It'd been a while since I'd taken a girl home for the night and I was certainly not gonna finish the night out lonely while Knuckles went home to his girlfriend. One night stands weren't exactly but neither was that girlfriend-boyfriend crap. Still, a hedgehog gets lonely every now and then and I wouldn't be the first guy to admit to going to bed with some girl he just meet.
Before I could scan the room any further a pink bunny sat beside me at the bar. She was wearing a fancy white lacy top that smooshed her boobs up together. It looked like one of those lingerie bodysuits? She was wearing distressed holey skinny jeans on over the top of her bottoms, that or her top was some kinda corset top. Girls wear weird complicated things now a days and I thought lingerie wasn't meant to be seen but what do I know about fashion? I know she was sporting some silver strappy high heels that looked like tacky hooker heels.
"Can I buy you a drink?" She said, reaching her arm across the table to stroke the back of my hand that was resting on the bar.
She stunk of too much perfume and alcohol. Maybe she was just too drunk, but I definitely wasn't interested in her at all. I many be open to a one night stand, but I still have standards, and consent is at the top of that list. I don't think this girl could even remember tonight, let alone giving or being able to give consent.
I waved her hand off mine and muttered, "Maybe, next time," before turning away from her and taking another sip of my beer.
"Fine by me," the bunny scoffed as she made her way down the bar to the next guy sitting with an empty barstool beside him.
"What's the matter, pink not your color?" Knuckles picked at me, shoving a playful elbow into my side.
"Not at all," I said as I waved him off too, turning on my stool to face the room, the bar to my back.
"Although Sonic has definitely ruined blue for me-," Knuckles chuckled at my statement, "-I can still date a pink girl without thinking of how annoying Amy is. Especially if it's a hot pink girl." I laughed and took a swig at my beer.
"Prove it," the red echidna sitting next to me said, a devilish smirk crept onto his lips.
"Pick out a fine pinky of your liking," he gestured to the room in front of us, "and get her number." Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a daring look, one eyebrow cocked up as he smirked.
He really thinks I can't do it? Idiot.. I'll show him.
"Dude, I could take home any pair of panties in this place that I wanted." I laughed, the alcohol definitely doing most of the talking, although, I do know that I'm damn sexy.
"Proveeee it!" Knuckles laughed, poking me in the ribs again. "Go grab a pinky for the night."
"I will!" I said, not liking to be challenged twice.
I scanned the room for any worthy contestants and prayed to the Mobian gods that there was a hot fox or maybe a cute squirrel in the bar tonight.
I saw a pink lion wearing a blue miniskirt and black tank top who did not look friendly. Pass. I saw a pink cat wearing a white dress with a huge wine stain on the front of it. Pass. I saw a pink raccoon who already had her tongue down a green badger's mouth. Pass.
Gods, this was harder than it looked. Pink isn't that rare of a color. There's got to be more pink women than this?
As I scanned the room a second time, I saw pink girl with curly teased hair over by the billiards table in the back corner.
The girl was in what looked to be a slightly oversized jean jacket, but when she leadened forward over the table for a difficult shot, her jacket slid up her back, revealing a black skin tight dress. I couldn't see her face, but from behind I must admit she was a stellar view. It only got better when I watched her sink the eight ball, leaving whoever her opponent was with four of their balls on the table. She'd won the game and I for one love a girl who knows how to use a pool stick.
I chugged the rest of my bear, placed the empty bottle back on the table and said, "Bet," to Knuckles before heading off towards the pink girl.
I turned back to Knuckles whose eyes were as wide as saucers and knew I had him beat. He shook his head and laughed, so I turned my head back to the direction I was walking and pressed forward.
I shook the nerves out of my arms, and looked down at my white shirt to make sure I was clean. I was wearing the same outfit as this morning, blue jeans, white t, black leather jacket.
As I grew closer to the table I recognized a familiar voice, "that was a quick game, I forgot how quickly you'll run the table on me," Rouge said.
I looked at Rouge with a raised eyebrow, but pushed forward, my only thought was that I must win this bet.
The girl was racking the balls again, a kind jester considering loser racks balls and she won.
As she racked the balls on the table I slammed my hand down beside her, she was leaning over the table in her tight dress, pinned by my arm and shoulder which were over her on the table.
"You play a sharp game, think you can beat me princess?" I said over her shoulder close to her ear as smoothly as I could, dropping my voice a little deeper than usual. I could tell she tensed up slightly and prayed to the Mobian gods it was a 'tingly shiver down her spine' kinda tense up and not a 'stranger danger' kinda tense up. If she wasn't down I'd take my walk of shame but I layed it on thick with this one, so I hope she wasn't too intimidated. If I came on to strong and lose it here, Knuckles will never let me hear the end of it.
She slowly stood up, her back and butt pressing against me my front so I took a step back to give her room to turn around.
"You think you can beat me in billiards?" The all too familiar voice said. The 'hot pink' turned around and there stood Amy Rose the Hedgehog, in a tight black sexy dress that was short in all the right places.
Her slightly too big jean jacket hung off her shoulders teasing her collarbone and neck in seductive bliss. Messy curls of pink hair tan from her shoulders behind her back and I almost melted when she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear on her left side. Her legs were coated in some sear black stockings and she wore some badass 'kick a door open' black boots. Her emerald green eyes shimmering, matched with some black makeup stuff around them that made her face look sexy and seductive.
I drank the image in and admired the women in front of men, stuck in awe.
Her cheeks grew red under my gaze. My palms were beginning to sweat again, I felt the blood rushing out of my brain which is where I really needed it right now, but there was somewhere else my body felt it needed to be. My breath stuck in my throat and I'm embarrassed to admit I'm caught speechless and out of breath by the mere sight of her in front of me.
I can feel Rouges devil eyes burning in the back of my skull and Amy just keeps liking up at me with those big bright, doey, fuck-me eyes and I think I'm surly gonna pass out from shock.
And I can only think of one thing. What. The. Fuck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First chapter down! This story is a bit more raunchy and less teen friendly what I usually write. Characters are all adults. They will cuss they will talk about their sex lifes, and they will have sex lives.
In most of the Shadamy stories I read, Shadow is this rough on the outside, soft on the inside, kinda knight in shining armor. Not this Shadow.
No worries, Amy does not need a Prince Charming.
As per usual I'm not actually that much of a Sonic fan, so imma write him a little more douchie than I usually do. Gonna use him as foil and make Sonic the villain/jerk of my story.. if your not into mild Sonic slander, this might not be the story for you.
If you're cool with that and like the story, please give me a review in the comments. I appreciate them very much, I read them all, and I love any kinda interaction with my writing you can give: even if you wanna tell me you hate the story, writing, characters portrayed, etc. I'm all for negative criticism.
And if you like it, please feel free to share this store with others. If you know a Shadamy fan let me know, I'm writing this and The Crowns Shadow if you're into a more sweet and gentlemanly Shadow.
Age of all characters at the moment:
Shadow and Sonic: 25 years old
Amy and Sally: 23
Rouge, Knuckles: 25
Tails and Cream: 22
Silver and Blaze: 26
Jet, wave, hawk: 24
Photo for story cover credits: Myly14 on Deviantart
https/myly14