Chapter 4: Crazy But You Like That
Shadows POV
"Fine," Amy said, agreeing with a sigh.
No! Screw him, that's what he wants!
I watch as she slowly follows him across the room. I look at the empty seat she left and seeing her jacket hung across it, I momentarily contemplate crashing their conversation just to get it back to her. I shake my head, telling myself no.
I can faintly hear Knuckles and Tails talking behind me. The fox is apologizing for letting him get this far and insisting he didn't even wanna come out tonight but Faker dragged him out.
I don't care much for their conversation so it's quickly drowned out by the sound of the music of the bar and my heart beating fast with adrenaline in my veins.
I can feel Rouge's concerned eyes dart from Amy to me and back to Amy.
Amy looks up at Rouge and I'm taken aback: She looks scared as hell!
I cross my arms and close my eyes, frustrated.
It's not my place to say anything. I shouldn't care about how scared or sad she looks. I don't care and it's none of my business! I don't care and it's none of my business! I don't-
I feel Amy's gaze bearing into me and when I open my eyes she's looking back at me.
Our eyes meet and I see the fear in hers.
Fuck this shit! He shouldn't be here, making demands, fucking up her night, crashing our party, just cause he thinks he owns her!
Fuck this and fuck this gods awful feeling I have in the pit of my gut!
I watch as she draws closer to the other side of the room with him. He's standing by the edge of the room, watching her like she's some consolation prize.
As he begins to talk, her ears lay flat and she leans back. Even her body language is uninterested in him.
I can tell he's said something to piss her off, she straightens up and stomps her foot as she yells something at him.
He looks nervous... Good. He should be.
I watch him reach out to grab her hand but she snatches her hand back. She wraps her arms around her waist and turns to the side, clearly over the conversation.
He says something, glaring at her, and she snaps back at him. She's shouting... but then stops herself. She looks like she's gonna hyperventilate, and my reflexes almost let me jump out my chair, but she doesn't so I don't.
She talks some more and then turns to leave but he grabs her and spins her back around to him. I react again, about to jump up out of my chair but, again, she snatches her hand away from him.
I've got to stop being so fidgety. It's none of my business!
"What do you think?!?" Knuckles interrupts my train of thought. I look to Rouge who is still watching them and decide to talk to Knuckles to distract myself. She'll keep an eye on Amy.
"What?" I respond to Knuckles, turning in my chair to talk to him and Tails.
"Tails said Sonic and Sally are in a huge argument right now and that's the only reason they came out tonight! So why's he so hell bent on talking to Amy?" Knuckles asks me.
"How should I know? It's none of my business. He probably wants to led her on and juggle Sally and Amy like he used to," I replied, crossing my arms and closing my eyes. This conversation had me red hot and angry and I couldn't figure out why. Why am I so upset for her sake?
"I talked with Amy and Cream the other day and Amy seems to be doing a lot better, I don't think Sonic talking to her right now is a good idea though... She may be doing a lot better, but Cream is worried he'll make her backslide." Tails said.
"You've been seeing Amy too?" Knuckles asked the fox.
"Yeah, I-"
"-Shadow! Knuckles! Someone do something!" Rouge yelled out beside me.
I turned back in my chair to face across the bar again, passing Rouges' distraught, frustrated face.
I see Amy cowering down in front of Sonic, tears flooding down her face, her eyes shut tight, as she covers her ears with her hands. She looks completely frightened and petrified in place. He is shouting at her, towering over her, holding nothing back, and she's not saying or doing anything, just sobbing in place.
I move before I can think. The room grows red around me and I can feel my blood boiling in my skin. Every quill and piece of fur on my body is standing on ends as I move across the floor quickly and quietly.
"...-Who gave you the audacity to act like such a bitch!" I heard him say as I drew in closer.
I'm red hot with anger and I wanna knock him on his ass right then and there.
But when I see Amy's face I know I can't. We need to get her out of this situation, not make it worse...
"Say that again and I'll make you swallow your teeth," as I say it, Sonic immediately squares up with me, and we're toe to toe, glaring at each other.
All the rage in my body wants to shove him on his ass but I hold my ground and remain unmoved, a barrier between him and her.
Before we can speak or move, I see Rouge jump to Amy's side, wrapping her arms around one of Amy's arms.
Amy doesn't move or say anything, she doesn't even make a sound as she cries, tears just continue to pour down her face. Upon further inspection I realize she's shaking ever so slightly.
Knuckles is there at her other side and wraps an arm around her, rubbing her back and whispering to her.
She slowly lowers her hands from her ears and wraps them around her waist, pulling at the fabric of her dress distraughtly.
Then I feel Tails' presence at mine and Sonic's side. He looks extremely disappointed and a little frustrated.
"Let's leave Sonic, this is a mess!" Tails scolds him.
"I can do as I please!" Sonic snaps back at him, not budging from our standoff.
"What are you gonna do when Sally catches wind of tonight?" The fox replied, not backing down from Sonic.
I was mildly impressed; the fox has always been more mature than Sonic but bravery wasn't always his strong point. I guess people do change...
I glance at Sonic who looks pissed off.
Well some people...
"Man, fuck her!" Sonic complains, but he steps to the side and crosses his arms.
"This place is boring tonight anyways," he rolls his eyes then looks to Amy, "I will be talking to you later."
"Over my dead body," Rouge growls, her fangs bearing as she steps in front of Amy, blocking him from seeing her.
"I said what I said," was all Sonic mumbled in response as he made his way toward the door, Tails following behind, giving us an apologetic glance.
I turned to Amy who still would not open her eyes. She was shivering as if she was cold but I knew it was from fright.
Knuckles was rubbing her back and Rouge was holding onto her whispering in her ear.
I reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. Her eyes shot open and she met my gaze, her eyes teary, puffy, and red. She took a deep breath then whispered "thank you," to me and I nodded and let her hand go.
She reached up and hugged Rouge back thanking her and Knuckles for coming to her side.
They led Amy back to the bar and I followed.
When we got back, me and Knuckles ordered another drink and Amy and Rouge made their way to the ladies room.
~~~
Rouges POV
I guided Amy to the bathroom, her hand in mine. There was a line but when they saw Amy's face the other girls in line let us pass. We walk inside, over to the sinks and Amy stared at herself in the mirror sadly.
She pulled napkins out of the dispenser and started working frantically to get mascaras and eyeshadow off of her cheeks where it had run down her face.
She started rubbing harder and harder, growing frustrated with the mess she was making. She threw the paper towels down in a fit and began sobbing again.
"Amy, no don't... Please... let me help," I said as I picked up some fresh paper towels and went to work again at her face.
She stood there in silence as I wiped at her cheeks, looking anywhere but at me and avoiding my eyes, a silent tear would occasionally roll down her face as I worked on her.
We stood like that for a long time, me silently working on her face, her avoiding my gaze. The sounds of girls gossiping or throwing up or giggling filled the bathroom around us, and thankful nobody paid us any attention in their drunken stupors.
"...What happened, Ames?" I asked her, scared to set her off but knowing full well a girls gotta get these things out.
"He just knows all the things to say to push my buttons..." she huffed and tears started welling up in her eyes again. "He knows what to say to cut me deep, how to hurt me. And he uses it against me everytime I start feeling good about myself again." And she started to sob again.
I bloated her tears as fast as they came but was running through paper towels. A kind purple fox handed me a makeup removing wet wipe container and I thanked her quietly.
I gotta remember to buy her a drink later, I can't repay her for these right now...
I tore open the tiny container and started wiping at her face again, finally getting somewhere with making her look more hot and less messy in her current hot mess state.
"Every time I thought I'd get through to him in the past he'd just say something awful and cruel and knock me back down a peg... Eventually I realized I deserved better than that, but then he'd just remind me I don't. And now he's mad that I don't want anything to do with him so he wants to make sure I don't have anything to do with anyone." Amy continued spilling as I cleaned her face.
"What does that mean?" I asked her, concerned. Not having anyone there for her if he can't be?
"He said I'm still the same psycho I always was and no one would ever want to be friends with me," Amy cried, dropping her face in her hands.
Ames! I just got you looking better again, don't ruin it!
"Hey now! That's absolutely ridiculous!" I said as I lifted her head.
"Ames, Knuckles and Tails have always loved you even when you were younger and more... eccentric. And I may not have liked overzealous Amy quite that much, but I love you now no matter what. If you wanna let loose and stalk a new hottie I'm here for it!" I laughed the last part of my statement and Amy giggled with me.
"And Cream has always been there for you no matter what!" I pointed out and she nodded.
"Amy, I didn't realize it then, but every bit of crazy, overzealous, nagging Amy was just a girl who loved with all her heart and wasn't afraid to show it... You cared for your friends fiercy and protected their honor faithfully. If I wasn't such a couldn't-care-less, bitch back then, I would've seen what a real and authentic friend you were!" I said, rubbing her shoulders and then turning her around to face the mirror.
She still looked beautiful, but now sported a bit less eye makeup, and a much prettier 'just cried my eyes out' blush across her cheeks and nose.
"We're your friends now, no matter what. And we'll be there every time Sonic decides to be a dick, don't you worry." I say, smiling at her in the mirror.
She gives me a soft smile back and nods, and I hug her, throwing my arms over her shoulders and giving her a tight squeeze.
"Do you want to go home?"
"No way, I need a drink after all that," Amy says with a laugh and we head back to the bar.
~~~
Amy's POV
Walking back to the bar was probably the most embarrassed I've felt in a very long time. I know I'm a little drunk, but crying in the club is so not the vibe I wanted to set for the new me on my first night back out.
But when I see Knuckles waiting for us at the bar, it made me happy. I look to Rouge and she's happy too. They're both happy despite where my drama led the night. Well, everyone except Shadow. Gods, do you always have to look so angry at me?
As I sit at the bar, the bartender hands me a Whiskey Sour and when I look at my friends, Shadow nods slightly. He ordered my drink for when I returned.
I gratefully took a sip of the drink and tried to shake the thoughts of Sonic out of my quills.
"I've drank so much, I'm going to lose it if I don't get to dance tonight!" Rouge whined from her bar seat.
"I can't muster up the energy right this second, but you should totally go dance with Knuckles!" I replied cheerfully.
Her ears flopped down, as she frowned and then said, "No Ames, I should stay with you, especially since-"
"-No way," I cut her off, "I wanna forget about that mess, not live in it. I'm fine! I just need a drink or two to calm my nerves and then I'll be out there with you!" I finished my piece, giving her a reassuring smile.
Rouge smiled brightly and grabbed Knuckle's hand, running off with him towards the dance floor. I watched my friends dance and laugh until it looked like they were about to make out and quickly turn my attention to drinking my drink.
"Is your... drink okay?" Shadows' voice startled me. I forgot he was here again!
"Uhh-yeah! They know how to make a good whiskey sour here!" I smiled nervously as I took another sip of my drink. My head kinda hurt from crying but I couldn't feel it that much on account of the overwhelming fuzzy feeling in my belly. Must be the whiskey...
There was an awkward silence for a moment, and when my eyes met his, a warm blush streaked across my face.
He looked so calm and... cold... but it somehow made me feel calm and... warm.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, and his face grew a shade of pink. His drink must have him blushing...
"Yeah... I'm just... frustrated..." He said, sounding so conflicted with every word.
"Why?" I asked, leaning closer and taking a sip on my drink.
"Sonic pisses me off more than anyone I know... but tonight I really, really wanted to knock his head off his shoulders," he said, his red eyes glowing with a low heat.
"Oh... yeah... He's had that effect on me lately too.." I replied, not knowing what to say. I really wanted to forget about that mess. And I hate being the girl always talking about Sonic. Why did he have to bring this up?
"Does he always talk to you like that?" He asked me, staring into his empty drink glass. He looked up at me and his face turned pink again so he looked back down at his empty drink. He tapped on the table twice and the bartender took his glass and started making another drink.
"He didn't use to... I'll admit, I annoyed the shit out of him when we were younger. And every now and then he'd have enough and snap on me... Say something shitty that I probably deserved... But then he'd apologize after he cooled down. But one day we both said things, argued back and forth... After everything was said and done, I left. Tonight he said some things that I'm sure he'll apologize for later. But I'm not interested in a man who has to apologize for everything he says." I said, and realized I'd been staring into my now empty glass the whole time too.
I looked up to see Shadow's icy cold glare melted with red hot eyes. He looked pissed again and I wanted to look away but then he said, "That's bullshit."
"Huh?" It caught me completely off guard. Is he pissed at me?
"That's bullshit. You annoyed everyone."
Ouch, yeah I know. I was a bit too much for everyone back then...
"Yeah I know that's what I've been trying to work on," I reply, asking the bartender for another drink.
"No, that's not what i'm saying," he said, shaking his head 'no'.
"You annoyed everyone. No one else talked to you like that. We all endeared your antics in our own little ways. Most people didn't even find you that annoying like Knuckles or Tails.
You being annoying is no excuse for him talking to you like that," he said, a hint of anger in his tone.
"I don't know... Sonic got full force crazy Amy, everyone else just got pieces of it..." I said, trying to think back to those days.
"I still think it's bullshit... you weren't even that annoying. You just liked a loser way too much and-" he cut himself off.
I looked at him and his face was all red and flustered. He took another sip of his drink to avoid my gaze.
I giggled to myself and he shot me a questioning, gruff look.
I answered his look, "Sorry, I just can't help but laugh. You keep getting all red in the face and I know it's because you keep downing those drinks like their water. I didn't take you for such an alcoholic." I said with a wink.
His face flushed from red to pale and then he shook his head as if he was arguing with himself.
"Look, don't let that loser talk to you like that again, okay?... You don't deserve it..." he said, mumbling the last part as he finished off his drink.
My chest grew tight and my face flooded with a blush. My belly felt warm and fuzzy again and I thought maybe the alcohol was sitting too heavy, but when his eyes met mine, all the uncomfortable feelings melted into a pool at the bottom of my-!
I crossed my legs tight to push away all the tingling feelings that were growing inside me, and glared at my drink for a second.
I gotta lay off the alcohol too!
When he looked up from his drink to me, all the red in my body seemed to pool and heat up in my face, I felt like my cheeks were on fire.
He didn't say anything, just looked at me sternly, and it was all I could do to nod in response, closing my eyes tightly as the blush consumed me, I replied, "I won't, I promise."
He didn't say anything, but pointed at my empty drink.
"Need another one?"
"I think I better slow down," I laughed nervously, my blush fading but still prominent.
He had a blush too I noticed, but I'm sure he knew because he replied, "Yeah, I think I better do the same," as he pushed his empty glass across the table.
We both paid our tab, and then turned to watch Knuckles and Rouge.
They both looked a flushestered, hot mess, and something told me this was some sort of foreplay for them. Teasing and grinding and kissing and seducing on the dance floor.
I looked away quickly embarrassed, and blushed again when I met Shadow's eyes.
"I know I told Rouge I'd stay longer, but I think I'm partied out... I'm going to head home," I said, trying not to feel embarrassed.
"Wait here one minute?" He responded, and got up from the bar without giving me time to answer.
He walked straight up to Rouge and Knuckles, and they peeled themselves apart. Rouge looked upset for a second and looked at me, then she looked back to Shadow and... smirked?
What were they talking about?
She raised an eyebrow at him and said something then laughed. Knuckles playful punched Shadow in the arm then gave him a quick guy hug. Shadow gave Rouge a side hug and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
She said something again with a wink as he walked away and he shook his head.
Rouge winked at me and it gave me a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then she turned back to Knuckles and they giggled to themselves before starting to dance again.
Shadow walked over to me and pulled my jacket off the back of my chair, holding it out for me awkwardly, his face a bright red blush.
"What was that about?" I asked curiously, searching his face for answers but the blush only spread further across his face.
"I'm walking you home," he said, turning to meet my gaze, his face a flustered mess.
~~~
That's all for this chapter! Thank you for reading, please like/review/leave a comment and tell me what you think! I appreciate all interactions with my story!
If you do/don't know, I'm also writing "The Crown's Shadow", a Shadamy au set in medieval times.
I was inspired by a Taylor Swift song to write this story and had writers block on "The Crown's Shadow" because of it.
I could continue with that piece until I started this one...
Now I will be writing a chapter for each story every other turn. This means chapters for each may come out slower.
For example, both stories now have 3 chapters. I will write chapter 4 for one story, then chapter 4 for the other story.
So if you're waiting on a chapter, I may be writing for the other story. I encourage you to check out my other story if you're waiting for a new chapter for this one!