Author's Note 1: Here it is! This is the story some of you have been patiently waiting for: the infamous private party mentioned in "Something in Between," now complete and in excruciating detail. If you are new to my works, I advise you to read my previous stories before diving deep into this one, so you can have a full understanding of the characters' relationship dynamics. For trivia purposes and context, this story takes place after the events of LEGO Dimensions Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack and a few weeks prior Shadow's back-up mission to assist E-123 Omega in infiltrating Eggman's Facility in Mystic Jungle, shown in the Sonic Forces digital comic. It's important to read my notes on my previous works as this story follows canon events and contains other media elements. Notice that Sonic the Hedgehog is 26 years old in this story.

"Private Affairs" contains an exclusive music playlist based on Rouge the Bat's in-story personal picks. Check the notes in the end of this work for more information.


PRIVATE AFFAIRS

And Bonds Kept in Secrecy

He didn't know why he still worked for that military organization.

In fact, Shadow did, but not for the reasons most people associated with having a full-time job. Like a false sense of security provided by the temporary idea of financial stability, belongingness and necessity of building social networks, selfish ideas for personal growth and self-fulfillment. Shadow never thought humans and mobians needed so much self-affirmation to experience something akin to happiness, as he himself had only one main goal in his ceaseless, immortal life: protect their stupid bubbly dreams from imminent destruction.

It wasn't that his life and decisions were driven by his decades-old promise to Maria. Far from that. Shadow didn't believe ordinary things could be so important and almost unachievable to the point of people submitting themselves to jobs and situations they consciously didn't want to be a part of. Maybe he wasn't being considerate, since as the Ultimate Lifeform, he didn't need much like regular people did. Shadow was self-sufficient – he had power, speed, big income, immortality; he could even be seen as some sort of god, putting even God themself to shame. However, he considered himself an expert on the subject, given by the fact he had lost everything that was dear and remotely close to his so-called needs, and started it all over from concrete after being put through hell and back. He wished he could convince people to throw it all away, regardless of their closed-minded beliefs.

He wanted to convince himself to do that too.

Shadow worked for the Guardian Units of Nations with the sole purpose of keeping an eye on their upcoming projects, confidential information and brand-new machinery weapons. In other words, anything that sounded or looked remotely illegal and served as a possible threat to him and other species of living beings. He thought of that as fulfilling Maria's wish on the daily, if looking for long-term results and taking preventive action. Yet, he was tired of it. Tired of being alert all the time, of waiting for the right moment to strike. That was why he took so many short, and almost deadly, interventions lately, removing the source of the problem straight from its lair. That was why he was sick of working on cases for over two weeks, with no time to unwind or brood over something he shouldn't be overthinking.

Shadow had been working on a long-term mission for the past two weeks, alongside Team Dark. No wonder he was bitter, silent and with a disgusted frown on his face, sipping some red wine Rouge had bought for the occasion: their homecoming. E-123 Omega had some of his metal limbs destroyed, due to the backfire of their stealth mission on its last day. Shadow thought it was the only day that really mattered, since he could finally unleash some of his frustration and anger on their unsuspecting, off-guard enemies. Perhaps that was what humans and mobians considered 'basic needs' after all.

Omega didn't have the same luck as his flesh and blood comrades, considering he stayed at the G.U.N. Headquarters to get some of his parts fixed and receive a full recharge after repairs were done. Therefore, Shadow and Rouge were given a moment of solitude in their own cozy penthouse. Solitude wasn't the word, as Shadow seemed way too stressed to the point of allowing physical contact.

He was sitting on their dark gray loveseat, a hand holding a glass of wine while the other involuntary stroked Rouge's thigh in a constant rhythm. Rouge had her head on his lap, wings batting slowly while she laid on the couch with legs wide open, one of them on the back of the couch. Shadow had nothing on except for his inhibitor rings and anklets – a common evening routine. Rouge, on the other side, was wearing a black lace lingerie slightly covered by a semi-transparent black bed robe. They were silently watching television, an overrated FBI show reprising almost every Saturday night. It was boring and predictable.

Shadow's fingers were idly tracing patterns onto Rouge's thigh, his pointy claws making her skin shiver. He absentmindedly moved his caresses to her inner thigh, tearing a silent gasp and a long-awaited remark from her mouth.

"Keep doing that and I'll get wet, Shadow."

He smiled, raising his glass to his lips before teasing her.

"Isn't your man doing his job properly like he's supposed to?" Shadow's fingers went lower, very close to her groin.

"You're making it difficult for me to think about him," she replied with a grin, swiftly closing her legs to trap his hand between her thighs.

"Fuck you," Shadow chuckled. He was faster, removing his hand right before her knees could meet. He slapped her thigh gently before resting his arm on the back of the couch, which was now free of her leg.

"If only I could see that stinky echidna every day…"

Shadow could've sworn she manifested it, because the show they were watching was cut short to give space to a newsflash. A middle-aged man showed up, reporting details about the most recent commotion in Mystic Jungle and showing video footage of the battle that took place in the mountainous region.

It was the Doctor – obviously – trying to hide something from prying outside eyes, possibly a new weapon. Shadow didn't pay attention to the news or the fall of lush tropical trees in the forest. His eyes were locked on the blue blur rapidly tearing through security robots, destroying any chances the Doctor still had of succeeding on his foolish plan to conceal whatever he was scheming. It was wonderful to watch the wrecking caused by graceful mid-air kicks and precise spin-attacks. He frowned when the channel decided to show different angles of the battle, allowing the blue blur's friends to have some undeserving screen time. He wanted to see the star of the show, not his sidekicks.

Sonic. How he missed him.

"Oh my… speaking of men," Rouge interrupted his thoughts with a sultry voice when Knuckles showed up in the footage, punching one of the large robots with brute strength.

Shadow decided to ignore her and keep his eyes on the television, sipping red wine every few minutes. The news anchor gave more information about the attack and proceeded to air an interview with Team Sonic, after the fight was over and the Doctor retreated. Sonic was speaking with the journalists, displaying his usual cocky grin. He wasn't paying attention to his words, rather focusing on the way his blue fur glinted with sweat, how his chest heaved with every breath he took and every time he switched his gaze from the interviewer to the camera, green eyes dilated with adrenaline.

Shadow licked his lips.

"Big Blue surely has a way with words," Rouge stated, stealing a brief look at Shadow.

"He likes attention," Shadow commented dryly, drinking his beverage and keeping his eyes focused on the television.

"No wonder you always give him audience," she teased, turning her head to face him properly.

He really set himself up for that one. Upon noticing Shadow's discomfort and lack of sassy remarks, Rouge laughed. She knew exactly how to rile him up, just like a certain blue hedgehog. Shadow realized he should fake his reactions to avoid further embarrassment.

Rouge's ears flicked as her eyes fixed on a blank point in front of her, possibly thinking of something. Suddenly she moved from the couch and got on her knees in front of Shadow, placing her ungloved hands on each one of his thighs and squeezing them a bit. She had a determined expression on her face, one Shadow didn't like in the slightest. She was plotting.

"Honey, I have an idea."

"Don't count on me."

"C'mon, Shadow! You haven't even listened to me!" Rouge slapped his thighs, trying to get his attention when he decided to down his glass of wine in one gulp.

"I don't need to," he frowned before placing his now empty glass on the little table beside the couch. "I don't like your ideas, Rouge."

"I know you're as pent-up as me. It's been what, two weeks since the last time you had a good fuck?" Straight to the fucking point.

'Something like that,' he mentally replied, although he didn't want to value her words with a proper answer. It was none of her business.

"…"

"What about we throw a private party?" Rouge ignored his lack of response and suggested, waggling her eye ridges in a malicious way.

"A private party," Shadow repeated, unimpressed. "Pass."

"I don't feel like touching myself tonight, honey. We need to expand our resources…" and she continued, rubbing Shadow's thighs as to incite a reaction from him. "Bring men."

The black and red hedgehog crossed his arms, a smirk forming on his mouth. He didn't want to admit it, but he was very fond of the idea. It was amusing, coming from Rouge. As a matter of fact, it was almost humiliating for her to look desperate for a dick appointment – not after two weeks of seeing nothing but sterile facilities and bad looking foes it seemed.

"You want an orgy, don't you?" Shadow snorted.

"A private one," seeing him roll his eyes, Rouge most likely thought it was best to admit defeat. She rose from her crouching position and walked away, grabbing her smartphone from the coffee table. "Well, I'm inviting Knuckles. If you don't want to be a part of it, you can watch. There's nothing you haven't already seen of me anyway."

"Fine," Shadow gave up, feigning disinterest by huffing air through his nostrils.

"Shadow, I could kiss you!" Rouge turned back, ready to hug him until she saw Shadow's extended palm, silently telling her to halt. She understood the gesture and nodded, then walked away again before a single thought crossed her mind.

"Can I invite Sonic? I know you don't like being a third wheel," Rouge turned to regard him, stopping in her tracks. She had a smug smile on her face.

'Finally,' he thought, but he wouldn't let his excitement show. His expression was tough as a rock when he spoke.

"You want to see us fucking," Shadow shook his head slowly, as if his statement was absurd. Little did she know he was actually looking forward to it.

"As I already said, you can watch me and Knuckles. It's only fair," Rouge grinned, a little fang peeking over her painted lip.

"Not interested," Shadow stood up, taking his glass from the table, and walked past Rouge, not before pausing and standing on his tip toes so his mouth could reach one of his friend's big ears, where he whispered in a husky voice. "But I'll put on a show for you."

"You better," Rouge demanded, biting her lower lip before calling Sonic's number.

•••

"…and then I said 'Catch you later, Baldy McNosehair!'"

Sonic was exhilarated. He was recounting the events of his most recent encounter with Egghead to Amy, who was following every word he said and nodding, sometimes laughing when Sonic felt overly excited when retelling Team Sonic's latest achievement, and rolling her eyes whenever Sonic made a particularly bad joke. He didn't mind, though. The hero enjoyed telling Amy his antics, as well as his adventures and points he found interesting, like Eggman's newest interest in weird, stripped hot pink gems. It wasn't a big deal, was it?

Moreover, Amy had been out of their latest battle, so as a good friend he took upon himself to tell her everything that happened in perfect detail while she was out and about with Cream. They were in his and Tails' house in Emerald Town, all packed in the living room. Tails and Knuckles were sitting on the armchair and couch respectively, while he and Amy shared the loveseat. Knuckles had his arms crossed, a proud smile on his face and eyes closed in serenity, nodding whenever Sonic cited him. Tails was smiling too, actually paying attention to Sonic's retelling of events and judging if he should intervene whenever his friend got too zippy, even if he had been a part of said story himself. They were comfortable and the atmosphere felt lively and peaceful.

That was, until Sonic's smartphone started ringing. A loud noise sounding unmistakably like Marble Garden Zone.

Sonic took his phone from his quills and stared at the boring contact who had interrupted him. Surprisingly, the person who was calling him wasn't boring at all, so he stood up and picked up the call with a knowing smirk and half-lidded eyes, walking away from the group.

"Guess you mistook Knuckles' number with mine."

He got Knuckles' attention with that, given how his purple eyes opened by the second his name was mentioned.

"Hi, Blue. It's you I want to talk to," Rouge's sultry voice rang through the blue hedgehog's ear.

"What do I give the honor?" Sonic asked, expectantly.

"Are you down for a private party at my place? Bring Knuckles too. We could celebrate you boys' victory tonight."

Sonic chuckled lowly and Amy frowned. She had no idea what Rouge was suggesting him.

"'Course I'm down! I'll bring Knux too. At what time should we drop by?"

"As soon as you can. I still have to get the drinks done. Thirty minutes should be plenty."

"Alright, we'll be there," then he paused, an important question escaping from his mouth. "Is he home?"

"Of course. Why would I call you if not to keep him company?" Rouge chuckled suggestively on the other side of the line.

"I'll see you in thirty," and he hung up, grinning. "Knux, let's go take a shower, we're going to a party."

"A party? Where?" Amy asked, now curious about their conversation.

"Who was on the phone?" Tails questioned, confused.

"Rouge invited us to a private party at Team Dark's penthouse," Sonic told them.

"Oh," Knuckles commented, obviously aware of what a private party at Team Dark's penthouse meant.

"Really? Can we go too?" Amy seemed excited. Tails, upon hearing Sonic's answer, switched his gaze elsewhere, saying nothing. He had a little idea about what his older friend was implying with 'private' party.

"Trust me, you guys don't wanna go," Sonic replied, mostly to Amy. "And Rouge only invited me and Knux."

"Why would Rouge only invite you boys? That doesn't make any sense! We're friends too!" Amy whined, feeling betrayed by her friend.

"Maybe she wants to see Knuckles and Sonic will act as chaperone," Tails suggested, trying to come up with an excuse for his friends.

"Tails is right! 'Sides, Rouge invited Knuckles, I'm only going 'cause she wants me to keep Shadow company," it wasn't a lie.

"And you need to take a shower for that?" Amy asked, unamused.

"You think I'm gonna go to somebody's place stinking like a skunk? I have a reputation, Ames."

"Even so, Shadow doesn't seem the type to enjoy your company," she pointed out.

"Oh, he does," Knuckles interjected with a devilish grin. He had stood up from the couch and walked past Sonic, waggling his eye ridges. Amy frowned, waiting for Sonic to deny it.

However, Sonic only punched his friend's shoulder on his way to the stairs, shaking his head with a smile. Amy had no clue. It was hard to keep his kind of relationship with Shadow from his closest friends, but he thought he was doing Amy a favor. She didn't need to know the love of her life liked taking dick from the back – even worse, sucked dick willingly. With that in mind, Sonic followed Knuckles upstairs, where the rooms were located. He went to his personal bathroom and the echidna used the guest room's shower, both with one thing on their minds.

When they were done, fresh and clean, the duo headed downstairs, Knuckles retrieving his car's keys from the coffee table and saying goodbye to their friends. The red echidna owned a car very similar to his personal vehicle for racing competitions, the Land Breaker. Sonic had always thought the thing was too slow, if compared to his beloved Speed Star. The hero saw Tails and Amy watching a comedy movie in the spacious living room and decided to bid them farewell too. It was close to 10 PM anyway. His friends waved him goodbye and Sonic reluctantly approached Amy, looking kind of wary. He placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"No need to call me, 'kay?"

"Who said I was gonna call? I trust you guys not to get into trouble," she winked and smiled at him.

Sonic smiled back and walked to the front door. He felt relieved and mentally thanked his friend for her consideration. The last thing he wanted was to be interrupted when he was having hot sex with Shadow.

"C'mon, Knux! Lead the way," he slapped the red echidna on the back while getting closer to his car.

"Do we even need to bring anything?" Knuckles asked, opening the driver's door.

"Nah, don't think so. She said she was getting the drinks done, so no need to worry 'bout that," Sonic pondered before getting in the passenger seat.

As soon as they put their seatbelts on, Knuckles drove to their destination. Westopolis wasn't so far from Emerald Town. The travel was quite peaceful, the heroes listening and singing along to some tunes on the radio. They had to cross Central City, passing by Battle Highway and Radical Highway. It wasn't a long ride, like Station Square to Mystic Ruins for example, so they would arrive on time if they didn't make any stops.

Then Sonic saw a flower stall.

"Stop the car right now!"

"Wha–" Knuckles abruptly hit the brakes, almost crashing into the bus in front of him.

In less than two seconds, Sonic opened the door and ran to the flower stall, leaving a couple of rings in front of a very confused salesman and coming back inside the car with a bouquet of red roses in hand, closing the door just in time the traffic light changed to green.

"No."

"No what, dude?" Sonic asked innocently, putting his seatbelt on and checking the roses to make sure everything was still in place.

"These better be for Rouge," Knuckles said, eyes on the road.

"Do I look like I'd buy something for Rouge? You're the one screwing her, not me," the hero turned to face him.

"You're giving him flowers," his friend acknowledged with a hint of incredulity in his voice.

"Roses," Sonic corrected. "So what?I should be the one shaming you for not giving ya girl anything."

"Rouge likes jewels," Knuckles frowned. He paused for a moment, before continuing. "And who said I'm not giving her anything?" he smirked, still not making eye contact with the hedgehog.

"Oh, I get it. You are giving her something," Sonic chuckled, knowing very well what his friend was implying.

"What's with the roses anyway? Think he's Amy?" Knuckles couldn't help but be curious.

"Nope, dude is into flower arrangement. Tails and I even helped him arranging some flowers when we fell into that weird dimension."

"You gotta be more specific," Knuckles snorted. They've been to a lot of weird dimensions in the past few years.

"Forget it," Sonic smiled, staring at the beautiful bouquet in his hands.

"So… you into him?"

What made Knuckles ask him that, he didn't know. However, he realized it was the best time to play dumb.

"Whaddya mean?" Sonic pretended to be clueless. Suddenly the rose petals seemed very interesting.

"You know what I mean."

He wasn't letting go of that topic, was he? What about the bro code of not speaking about your bro's unresolved love life? He couldn't even play dumb in peace without being called out on it.

"Can we– can we not talk about this right now?" Sonic turned to his friend, exasperated.

"Yeah, whatever," Knuckles chuckled. He seemed to look satisfied with the hero's sudden change in behavior. "That answers my question, though."

Sonic blinked, this was getting ridiculous.

"What about you, Knucklehead? You and Rouge seem to be getting pretty along lately," Sonic argued, defensively.

He hadn't realized the car had stopped.

"We're here," the echidna informed, looking pissed and about to throw Sonic and his bouquet of roses out of the car.

After deciding to let the subject die like Knuckles' patience with Sonic and his insinuations, the heroes began to get in the luxurious building where Team Dark resided. It wasn't the first time they've been there – they each had their own fair share of late-night visits to the G.U.N. agents. However, it was indeed the first time they'd entered the building together. As best friends, Sonic and Knuckles had a gentlemen's agreement: they would always make sure they were having sex in different places whenever their partners were free and horny.

For years, it had always worked; sometimes Knuckles invited Rouge over to Angel Island after a certain tough mission, while Sonic headed straight to Team Dark's penthouse to spend some quality time with Shadow. In other days, Sonic invited Shadow to hang out somewhere so Knuckles and Rouge could have the entire place to themselves, not bearing the burden of having an intruder overhearing their activities.

That night specifically felt different, but in a good way. Sonic noticed Knuckles was as excited as himself, greeting the doorman with high eyes and a proud chest. They were being announced to whoever answered the intercom, and when the dweller gave the okay, they were allowed to pass, heading determinedly to one of the sleek elevators. Being friends for years, little by little Sonic had grown to be accustomed to Knuckles' presence, and he thought the feeling was mutual – even though Knuckles had a hard time to adapt to someone else invading his privacy. His relationship with Rouge was surprisingly similar to his and Shadow's own, given the way neither of them would ever admit how well they workedtogether despite their differences and goals.

Sonic knew they were both stubborn – actually, he could see how Shadow and Rouge weren't so different from them. Sometimes he wondered if they were all made for each other, as cheesy as it sounded. He avoided speaking about those things out loud for a reason.

Knuckles pressed the doorbell when they stopped at Team Dark's door. Sonic assumed Omega wasn't home, or else they would have to be extra cautious if the robot was somehowrecording his friends' doings. It wasn't a problem for him, though, but he knew it would be a big one for a certain knucklehead.

As soon as Sonic moved the bouquet of roses behind him, the door opened. However, it was Rouge who greeted them, not the one he was waiting for. And wow. Sonic could feel he was staring, but he had a motive. Rouge was wearing a black bikini, showcasing her boobs, thighs and flat belly with elegance. She had attitude, and it looked like the swimsuit was wearing her, not the opposite. Sonic suddenly felt proud of his friend for snatching a girl like her, possibly for life. The hero had always found Rouge an interesting, clever woman, ignoring what other people used to say about her flirty personality and immoral conduct. He respected her either way, not always agreeing with her actions, of course.

"Hello, boys," she spoke, and he could see how Knuckles tensed upon hearing her inviting voice.

"Looking good, Rouge," Sonic checked her out briefly, before winking and giving her a finger gun with his free hand.

"Thanks, Blue," she regarded him, staring as he did and resting a hand on the door jamb. "You're not so bad yourself."

Knuckles was silent, but Sonic could notice the way he looked sideways at him with piercing purple eyes that said 'I'm going to kill you.'

"We're here, bat girl. Aren't you going to invite us in?" Knuckles spat, tired of their stupid small talk.

"Come in, then," she moved to the side to let her guests enter. Knuckles pretended to ignore her as he passed and she chuckled.

After making themselves welcome inside, Sonic looked around the living room, searching for someone. There was loud music echoing in the penthouse, so he realized he wouldn't hear his rival coming. Rouge probably picked at that, given how she approached him, watching his seemingly lost expression with amusement.

"I take these aren't for me," Rouge smirked, eyeing the bouquet in Sonic's hand, still behind his back as an attempt to hide it.

"Knuckles got something for you, though," the hero retorted, trying to diverge her attention to his red friend.

"Yeah? And what is it?" The white bat got closer to Knuckles, quickly stepping into his personal space.

"Later," he said with a promising grin.

"Where is he?" Sonic hated being a third wheel, so he spoke before they started suddenly making out in front of him.

"In the pool," Rouge smiled, looking over her shoulder. "Waiting for you."

"'Kay, I'm gonna go… see him, yeah," and he departed, leaving the two lovebirds alone.

•••

Shadow was in the swimming pool, the warm clear water surrounding his lower body and abdomen. He had his arms resting at the edge of the pool, holding a mixed drink handed to him by Rouge, eyes set forward to the vast, star-filled sky. He noticed how the full moon seemed to own the sky, as if all those little stars were nothing. It was comical to think the moon was actually inferior compared to other stars and satellites in the universe. Shadow lowered his gaze, smirking a bit, looking at the blue neon lights in the pool, complementing the color of the drink in his hand, made exclusively for him.

Rouge required him to light up the penthouse, neon lights rarely used by its occupants in normal occasions. Their penthouse was quite boring, considering the grayscale of their furniture and walls. Still, as mysterious as Rouge's nature, all rooms had their own secret neon lights smartly hidden from visitors' eyes. Today of all days he decided to turn the extravagant lights on, from the kitchen to their bedrooms, Shadow's own room lit with red neon lights. He liked that color – it was hot and intense. Rouge's chamber was lit with fuchsia lights, very accurate to her favorite hue. The contrast between his room's lights and the pool made the ample area look faintly purple, illuminating the beach chairs and tables with a uniform color. His glass doors were open, dark curtains batting slightly with the sudden night breeze, and he made sure to change his sheets to a black satin one.

He was staining them white tonight.

In the meanwhile, Rouge had put on a playlist made specifically for nights like that: she had called it 'Club Rouge: Greatest Hits,' a ridiculous name for a bunch of loud, electronic pop songs that sounded the same. He wouldn't tell her, but he secretly thought she had great taste in music overall. He liked heavy beats and loud instrumentals, hence why he listened to hard rock religiously. It was very cathartic. He wondered what their old, grumpy neighbors thought of their peculiar taste in music.

Shadow was drinking the strange beverage Rouge offered him. It tasted good, and looked very fancy like the ones served in Club Rouge and other expensive clubs he frequented when he was looking for a busy night. However, he never recalled their names, only memorized their taste and texture. The one he was drinking now was named something like 'Blue Lagoon,' according to Rouge. He thought it was a fitting name, given how similar to the neon pool lights its color was. He wondered if Sonic had ever tasted it. The blue hedgehog probably wouldn't like it, considering the drink's name paid homage to a lagoon – he knew how much Sonic hated deep waters without strategically placed bubbles. It didn't matter, though. He liked its color, blue.

And he liked emerald green too.

"Hey."

Shadow internally gasped, but his body and facial expression hadn't betrayed him. He looked sideways and saw a gloved hand presenting a wonderful bouquet of red roses to his line of sight. His eyes widened slightly, yet his expression remained impassive.

"Got these for you," Sonic said, smiling down at him.

Shadow placed his drink on the floor, next to where Sonic was standing and decided to get out of the swimming pool, fur dripping and cooling down when in contact with the night breeze. He grabbed the red towel he separated for personal use and dried his body so it would stop wetting the tiles, casting it aside when he was done. Shadow realized Sonic seemed to be enjoying the view.

Taking the bouquet from the blue hedgehog's hand, he started inspecting it. The red roses were beautiful and very bright, matching his own red stripes. He ran a clawed finger over some of the petals, making sure they were real. Sonic really got him something he could work with, as he had recently developed a growing interest in flower arrangement.

"Thank you. It seems like your amateur floristry isn't so bad after all," he replied, eyes on the bouquet.

"Heh, I knew you'd like 'em. They match your eyes, y'know?" Sonic pointed out, grinning at him.

Shadow didn't know what prompted him to look his rival in the eye, whether it was the fact that Sonic knew he would like the flowers he gifted him or the idiotic comment about his irises. Let alone what made him smile at him right after, rolling his eyes as he did so. He really was needy, wasn't he? Craving attention like a prom queen.

If two weeks without sex did that to a person, he didn't want to know what an entire month did.

"Hmph," was his only answer, his smile fading to his usual scowl.

Shadow walked away from Sonic, heading to his room with the task of finding a nice flower pot that matched those brilliant roses. However, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"I'm glad to see you."

Stopping in his tracks, the black and red hedgehog smirked. He was glad to see him too. Almost grinning, he resumed walking, deciding silence would be a better answer. He could feel prying green eyes on him, watching his every move. He didn't mind in the slightest. When he got to his room, he closed the glass doors and curtains, requiring a little privacy before diving deep into a night of uncertainties. Shadow had always seen Sonic as an ally, someone he could trust unconditionally even if destiny separated them from a common goal. However, he was starting to see the guy paying more and more attention to his likes and interests. Perhaps that was a good sign.

Besides, he knew why people gave each other flowers. He wasn't a caveman – not in that aspect, at least. He took a deep breath and pondered if Rouge was right. Was he so pent-up that a single compliment made his breath hitch? Or was it because he indeed liked attention and enjoyed having his good looks and skills recognized by his arch-rival, who was considered an equal whose opinion highly mattered? Shadow liked being praised by those who were as powerful and worthy as him, so it was probably true. Even so, Sonic's perception of him was important, whether he liked it or not. No wonder he always tried to prove himself to the blue hedgehog and no one else – even unintentionally in most cases. It was a curse and somehow a blessing, because Sonic never looked down on him.

'Fast and easy,' Sonic thought after witnessing Shadow walk away to place his roses somewhere. He liked pampering him, either with compliments or gifts, although Shadow deserved a punch in the gut every once in a while. It was incredible how much he influenced his actions. Sonic would never consider giving a man flowers – not until he found out Shadow appreciated them.

His thoughts were interrupted by Knuckles and Rouge bringing fruits, drinks and sweets to one of the beach tables. He took a great look at the food – grapes, strawberries, apples and some sweets like sugarplum and hot chocolate bombs. The drinks were colorful and seemed that came straight from an open bar. Rouge was a professional barwoman indeed. Sonic didn't get drunk easily, far from that, his fast metabolism helped his body not lose control of itself, granting Sonic enough resistance to ingest high doses of alcohol without getting tipsy. It all looked fine and appetizing, until he realized what exactly was missing.

"Wait… no chili dogs? I'm outta here!" Sonic complained, scoffing.

"Leaving so soon, Blue? Maybe you could get something else to satisfy your hunger later," Rouge pointed out, nodding her head to the direction of Shadow's bedroom.

There he was, coming back empty-handed. It turned out Shadow had finally found a good place to display his little gift.

"If you say so," he answered the bat, who laughed lowly with a knowing look.

Shadow nodded, greeting Knuckles, who nodded back. They couldn't stand each other, still they acted civil when cohabiting the same place. Sonic was personally looking forward to their interactions throughout this unusual night, when even he didn't know what to expect from it.

"Now, take your clothes off, boys! The pool is waiting for you!" Rouge announced, raising her own colorful drink.

•••

Following Rouge's shameless suggestion, Sonic and Knuckles undressed, placing their garments over one of the beach chairs next to the pool. It wasn't like they were wearing much, since the only discarded articles were their gloves, socks and shoes. Shadow was surprised to see Knuckles had actual fingers under his boxing gloves. However, he had assumed the echidna wasn't missing any appendages, considering Rouge had always spoken highly about his seemingly 'fingering skills.' Now he could only imagine how the thing would happen after noticing Knuckles' fingers were bigger than his and Sonic's.

Sonic and Rouge were wandering around the pool, checking out the bright city below and speaking nonsense, downing their drinks in a rushed manner. Shadow resumed his spot in the swimming pool, across from his bedroom's glass doors, sipping his almost-forgotten drink as he watched the night sky. Knuckles got in the pool as well, settling across from him, a few feet apart since the rectangular swimming pool wasn't small. The Guardian of the Master Emerald was drinking his own beverage and staring at Rouge, who seemed to be having fun engaged in a futile conversation with the blue hedgehog. The music was loud and Shadow felt his index finger tapping against the tile, where his arm rested at the edge of the pool.

Suddenly, Knuckles decided to break the ice. He was way more tolerable to have around when he had his mouth shut in Shadow's opinion.

"Have you and Rouge watched the news?"

The last thing Shadow wanted to talk about was the Doctor.

"Are you asking if we saw what happened in Mystic Jungle?" Shadow inquired, frowning.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I didn't pay much attention to it," he replied sincerely. He wasn't going to tell him why, though. "G.U.N. might send us to investigate any suspicious activity if it's proven necessary."

Overhearing the conversation, Rouge and Sonic stopped chit-chatting and decided to join the men, each one heading to an opposite side of the swimming pool. Sonic, before going to Shadow's side, grabbed two strawberries from the food table and presented one to the other's mouth from behind. Shadow ate it, realizing he hadn't eaten anything yet, even after drinking so much in so little time.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" Sonic asked while placing his drink on the floor and entering the pool contently, since it wasn't too deep. He ate the remaining strawberry in his hand and rested his arms at the edge of the pool in the same manner Shadow had done previously. They sat side by side, yet too far to touch shoulders.

"About today's attack," Knuckles answered. Rouge was moving to seat behind the echidna, legs swingling in the water and trapping his body between them. The agent played with his locks and paid attention to the conversation in silence.

"Really?! Oh c'mon, this is a party! We should be having fun! Let's deal with ol' Egghead in business days," Sonic said while casually stretching his arms, purposefully touching shoulders with Shadow. He seemed to be craving physical contact as well.

"As much as I'd love to catch up, I have to agree with Blue," Rouge said, winking at Sonic and getting Knuckles' attention when she subtly pulled his head by grabbing one of his locks.

"Whatever," Shadow mumbled, sourly.

Shadow realized that night was going to be longer than he expected, so he picked the cigarette pack he had brought with him from his room and decided to have a smoke. He grabbed one and placed it loosely between his lips, ready to light it up. As soon as Rouge looked in his direction, she asked for one. And then Knuckles. And then Sonic, who barely smoked, always saying it was no good for his health. Maybe their idea of having fun in a 'private' party was doing everything they weren't supposed to do in front of the cameras, as world-renowned heroes – that didn't apply to Rouge, though.

The bat was dancing to the music's rhythm while sitting behind her man, swaying her hips to the beat. She leaned her head back and presented her cigarette, already between her painted lips, subliminally asking Shadow to light it up for her. Shadow swiftly raised a finger, burning Chaos energy already enveloping his hand, and threw a single tiny Chaos Spear right at Rouge's cigarette, lighting it up instantly. He could hear Sonic muttering 'wow' under his breath.

As a good host, he did the same for Knuckles, who had mirrored Rouge's silent request. Then, as he was moving his finger to light his own cigarette up, Sonic leaned closer, holding his own between index and middle fingers, its butt already in his lips, and directing it so it was next to Shadow's. The black and red hedgehog lit them up quietly with a subtle brush of Chaos energy. Sonic inhaled, then exhaled the smoke forward, to the night sky, its smell dispersing with the breeze. He winked at Shadow right after in a way to say 'thank you.'

Rouge was restless, and Sonic seemed to notice that. He had asked her to dance with him and she agreed, both mobians moving to the far end of the area, next to the railings. Sonic had used his towel to dry his lower body and thrown it over one of the vacant beach chairs. The purple neon lights, courtesy of the gentle mix of blue and red coming from the pool and Shadow's room, illuminated the two bodies that were rapidly moving to the song, swaying and pulling closer whenever the beat threatened to drop. Rouge and Sonic mimicked each other's movements, mirroring steps in a fast-paced rhythm. Shadow paid attention to the song, considering it fitting for the two flirty nuisances.

Open and close, open and close

No dey postpone, no dey postpone

Baby, open and close, open and close

No dey postpone, no dey postpone

A minute later and Shadow felt his jaw figuratively drop. Blowing smoke into each other's mouths, the two were grinning with half-lidded eyes, a strange and somehow intimate closeness that Shadow had never witnessed between them before. Their noses touched and when the beat dropped again, Rouge suddenly moved, presenting her back and dark purple wings to Sonic's firm chest and bending over, hands resting on her knees while her cigarette hanged loosely in her mouth. She moved her ass to the beat and Sonic placed both of his arms behind his head quills as to prevent his hands from touching her. He thrusted his hips forward, not really touching her backside, but accompanying her motions in synchrony. Sonic briefly took a glance at Shadow, mouth curving upwards.

Shadow wanted to switch places with Rouge.

He didn't look back to Knuckles to check if he was staring too. He had assumed he was, after all the view was quite enthralling. Shadow had taken them both to his bed so he knew what their bodies were capable of. Their dancing skills left his mouth feeling dry and he began to imagine Sonic dancing with him to a sexy song, much to his delight. He daydreamed about his rival touching him, instead of keeping his hands to himself, fondling all the places he was aware turned Shadow on while whispering sweet nothings into his ear, before finally pushing him against a wall and doing all the unspoken little things he knew Shadow wanted.

He bit his lower lip. Goddamnit.

Shadow realized the song had ended, and another one had already started. Rouge and Sonic were closer now, his partner in crime swaying to the heavy beat with the blue hedgehog, back and wings pressed tightly against his torso, while Sonic placed one hand around her waist, taking his cigarette from his lips with the other. His rival exhaled smoke through his nostrils and mouth to the vast, navy sky, and he could've sworn he had made eye contact with him in the purple neon light.

Shadow decided to grab another drink. Enough of this shit.

On his way to the drinks table, he realized Sonic had forgotten his own glass on the farther side of said table when he had asked Rouge for a dance, therefore Shadow bent over and picked it up. He wasn't expecting a palm suddenly colliding with his ass when he sipped the overly sweet drink, almost choking on it.

"Stealing drinks now?" Sonic asked him with half-lidded eyes. It seemed like he ditched Rouge as soon as he saw Shadow getting out of the pool.

"Mind your business, hedgehog," he didn't even look at the hero.

"'Is okay, you can have it. We're used to exchanging fluids anyway," then he winked, picking a hot chocolate bomb from the table and eating it on his way back to the pool.

Shadow took a deep breath to calm himself, all he wanted to do now was throw Sonic in the water and watch him drown, dying out of his biggest fear. He wasn't in the mood to fight Knuckles after so he let it pass. After all, he liked when Sonic slapped his ass. Shadow could hear the echidna snickering in the back when his friend said something insulting to mock his lack of retaliation. The Ultimate Lifeform reduced to a little bitch in his own home… unacceptable. However, he was in his property so he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. Appearances be damned, he wouldn't hide the fact that he liked being spanked by Sonic. Shadow got nothing left to lose anyway.

When he got in the pool again, it was crowded. Time to gossip about their annoying friends.

Sonic started, of course. He spoke about Tails' newest invention that ended with one of his workshops on fire; a stupid prank he and Knuckles pulled on the Chaotix when they were working on a case; their recent encounter with some old acquaintances called Mighty and Ray who were presumably missing; and the gang's supposedly love affairs. Knuckles recalled the times Silver had asked him for love advice whenever he would drop by Angel Island. They were placing bets on who Silver was possibly referring to, with Sonic insisting he knew it was Blaze.

"I doubt it. She thinks he's too naïve," Rouge commented while swingling her legs in the water, feeding Knuckles grapes like a servant.

Shadow decided not to comment. He knew Blaze was quite reclusive and serious, having an entire Empire on her shoulders. In addition, he had always seen her as someone hard to read, sometimes even doubted she had any interest in men, like Sonic persisted she did. Obviously, the blue hedgehog had to make things about himself, saying she had a thing for him. It was ridiculous, because he knew it was the other way around. Sonic was a narcissist, hitting on a woman who could easily be another version of himself from an alternate dimension.

They spoke about the Babylon Rogues and the possible affair between Jet and Wave, the group's engineer and Tails' rival. Then, to cut the conversation short, the subject of Sonic and Amy surfaced. It was quite ironic and Shadow could feel himself chuckling, because as soon as Knuckles mentioned the heroine's name, Sonic instinctively shifted closer to him, almost sitting on his lap underwater. He didn't know if Sonic was nervous or if it was a clear sign to show where his loyalty laid. He thought it was both.

Sonic was on edge. He was tired of talking about their friends' whereabouts. Shadow was right beside him and he couldn't find an opportunity to hit on him or just pull him into a kiss. Thanks to Knuckles' obnoxious timing to mention Amy, he could finally press his side closer to his rival's, making sure he was covered. Shadow knew how much he avoided talking about his feelings in general, even more how he felt over the whole Amy situation. She was his friend and that was it. He wasn't interested in having a serious relationship again anytime soon. Therefore, when he dismissed his friend's commentary and the subject gradually faded, he was happy to hear Knuckles was getting curious about Shadow and Rouge's past fling.

"What stopped you two?" the echidna asked, possibly waiting for the answer to be him. Sonic knew how much he considered himself better than Shadow when speaking of Rouge's love interests.

"Shadow had his reasons," Rouge replied shortly.

"Yeah, reasons," Sonic snorted, thinking about when he and Shadow flip-flopped after a night out in Casinopolis. Shadow liked men – it was obvious since day one, no matter how hard he pretended to be straight by spending the night between some random girl's legs. "You never do shit without a reason, am I right?"

Shadow turned to face him, narrowing his eyes.

"Like you have your reasons to be onto me all of a sudden."

Ouch. Sonic noticed their noses were almost touching and gave Shadow a little bit of personal space, feeling kind of guilty. However, he could pinpoint in the other's body language that he wasn't exactly uncomfortable with the proximity. Rather the opposite.

Poor Rouge. If Shadow had decided to stay with her indefinitely, she would have to get used to being a cuckold.

Knuckles and Rouge were talking to each other about something Sonic couldn't hear clearly. Maybe they were flirting or throwing insults at one another. Whatever, he was glad to finally have a moment for himself and Shadow. He shifted his attention to his rival and started talking about ordinary things, asking how his week had been and what he'd been up to. It'd been three weeks since they last saw each other in person. Surprisingly, Shadow was eager to answer him, rambling about how terrible his past weeks had been, making Sonic laugh every now and then. He was used to this side of Shadow, usually shown whenever they weren't around other people. Just the two of them being good friends and something else.

And it really seemed like they were alone, because Knuckles and Rouge went silent. Sonic turned his head to see what his friends were doing and regretted afterwards. They were making out as expected. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Shadow saw them too, his words dying in his mouth as soon as he watched the whole scene playing out before his eyes. The only words being spoken were the current song's lyrics.

Show me a piece of your heart, a piece of your love

I'm calling you up to getting down, down, down

The way that we touch is never enough

I'm turning you up to getting down, down, down

Feeling bold, Sonic shifted closer, his arm brushing Shadow's back quills, a hand on his opposite shoulder, drawing his attention back. Sonic could feel Shadow's body heat from the close proximity and he was hot. The hero turned his head to face him, their noses almost touching like moments ago.

"I know it's been a while and we're not exactly alone, but…" Sonic's voice was a little hoarse, then he finally asked, clearing his throat. "Can I–"

"Yes," Shadow breathed, cutting him off and glancing at his mouth. Sonic leaned closer, their friends long forgotten in the background.

When their lips met, the beat dropped.

Shadow rarely interacted with Sonic when other people were around, let alone displayed affection or other lovey-dovey shit. But that night of all nights, he was about to risk it all. He didn't care if the Doctor had a spying bot over his penthouse, nor if a helicopter was recording their little get-together from high above the sky. He had been waiting for this moment ever since Rouge had suggested this encounter.

Sonic moved to his front, trapping Shadow's body with his own against the pool's wall. He gripped the edge of the pool with one hand, while the other was raised to his cheek where he brushed a thumb lovingly. Shadow tried to keep up with the heated kiss, Sonic not giving him time to adapt as he pressed his entire body on him, pelvis rutting against his own in a slow rhythm. Sonic seemed to be as pent-up as him, considering the heat emanating from his wet body. Shadow allowed himself to get lost in the other's presence, wrapping his arms around his neck and humming against his lips. The two hedgehogs missed the exact moment Rouge had stopped kissing Knuckles to stare at them dumbfounded, the echidna following suit. They were surprised, to say the least. Years of secrets and affairs coming to the surface in a warm, Saturday night. Rouge cleared her throat, getting the hedgehogs' attention. Things were getting too steamy for her liking.

However, Sonic just looked over his shoulder unbothered, still trapping Shadow against the pool's wall with his body. Shadow was silently panting, slowly opening his eyes. His cheeks were burning. Rouge and Knuckles could see his mouth slightly open, moist lips glinting in the pale moonlight. He hadn't let go of Sonic yet, actually tightening his grip on the other's shoulders.

"What is it, Rouge? Didn't peg you as a voyeur," Sonic stated with a grin.

Rouge laughed. Knuckles got out of his trance and shook his head as to get rid of what he'd been looking at. The echidna had never seen them making out, yet he'd witnessed them in a way more compromising position before. Shadow thought the latter had been more traumatizing.

"Now that we're well acquainted with our men, how about a little game?" Rouge suggested with a smirk.

Shadow was grateful for the suggestion, deep down. He wasn't one to delay his sexual urges, far from that, but he thought a game among allies would be a great alternative to prepare his psyche for what was about to come. He had never had sex with Sonic in front of his best friend, let alone her lover – not willingly, at least. However, he had always imagined what it would feel like to beseen, be watched from afar by familiar faces. Shadow didn't want to prove anything to anyone, but he was fond of the idea of Sonic fucking him in front of his friends. Perhaps he unconsciously wanted to show them that he was capable of being loved by the most lovable guy of them all – not in the sentimental way but still. No one batted an eye at him due to his ruthless nature, so it would be a huge slap in the face of everyone who deemed him unworthy of any kind of physical contact.

Then it happened. Shadow found himself bonding with them, regardless of his current needs.

Rouge had sat on Knuckles' shoulders, heels locked on the echidna's ribs for support. Her teammate held her thighs firmly as to support her weight. Sonic had done the same, sitting on Shadow's shoulders and positioning his upper body in a fighting stance. Along with the blasting electronic music, the two were noisy, trying to pull the other down to fall from their partner's shoulders into the clear pool water. They were laughing, screaming, exchanging insults, having fun. Sonic and Shadow never backed down from a challenge, so they played to win, despite the spoken rules. However, Rouge had managed to win a few rounds, leaving Shadow to fish Sonic out of water and yell at him to think of another strategy.

They both hated losing so they worked together, Shadow making sure Sonic wouldn't fall whenever Rouge pushed him forcefully. And then, Sonic got the upper hand, Rouge stumbling backwards so many times that Knuckles had asked to change partners. In the end, it turned into a typical Team Sonic versus Team Dark match, with Shadow holding Rouge as Knuckles held Sonic, both teams playing with determination to win, even more than before. Sonic was faster and stronger, so Team Sonic was victorious in the last few rounds. Frustrated, Shadow had thrown Rouge in the water by gripping her ankles, making her body fall backwards. Another day losing to that annoying blue hedgehog and it hadn't even been his fault. Useless woman.

After the intense battle, they got out of the pool, drying the water excess with a towel and moving to the food table. They ate and drank, laughing and mocking each other, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Sonic slipped a couple of times in the wet floor, not exactly falling face down, but it was enough to make Shadow chuckle, amused with his carelessness. Sonic hadn't missed his smile, feeling proud to incite such reaction from his rival. Knuckles and Rouge were talking about their treasure hunting skills, bickering to prove who had the best stories about hidden ancient locations. Sonic and Shadow didn't care at all, deciding to walk away to the vacant beach chairs and rest their ears from all the babbling. The two hunters definitely had more in common than they imagined.

Shadow had laid down on one of the beach chairs, wet body being cooled down by the night breeze. He found himself stargazing when he had a moment of peace and quiet. Sonic had gotten a bottle of vodka from the kitchen, drinking its content straight from the bottleneck. Shadow moved his gaze from the sky and watched him approaching. The blue hedgehog's half-lidded eyes were dark with something he couldn't place, mouth curving upwards with a hint of mischievousness. In the blink of an eye, Sonic straddled him on the beach chair and started dancing like a go-go boy to the electronic music.

Sonic pretended to sit on Shadow's lap a few times whenever the beat dropped, never really descending fully. He watched his rival's startled expression, body unmovable lacking any sort of reaction. Sonic expected Shadow to throw him off or simply yell at him, but he was met with a face of curiosity and amusement. Shadow was grinning, laughing whenever Sonic gripped his hands to wander his torso, entertaining him like a pro. He probably had never been to a strip club where he actually touched the dancers, so Sonic decided to make his fantasy come true. Shadow was biting his lower lip, eyes fixed on Sonic's body, not caring about Rouge recording their moment with her smartphone as Knuckles laughed at his best friend's forwardness.

The hero wanted to remember this night forever. Shadow looked happy; his walls had fallen for a short period of time and he allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Enjoy Sonic's attempts of making him feel comfortable, not embarrassed. It wasn't about pranks anymore – it was about living life alongside the one he trusted. Then, as to show Shadow how much he wanted him, Sonic poured vodka on his rival's torso, descending his upper body to lick his stiff abdomen. Shadow's breath hitched and he watched his movements carefully, Sonic's tongue savoring the vodka along with his natural taste. Shadow pulled Sonic's head to face him when the hero's mouth had found his chest fur, and they made eye contact. On the spur of the moment, Sonic leaned closer and kissed him, Shadow's eyes fluttering shut instantly. They made out for a while, barely noticing Rouge taking her bikini off and skinny-dipping with Knuckles, the two matching their friends' activities in the clear pool water.

After a lot of convincing, Sonic was dancing with Shadow to one of the slower pop songs playing in the background.

It wasn't a regular dance though, they were just moving side to side with their bodies extraordinarily close, very similar to how Sonic and Rouge had been dancing when the party had started. Shadow's back was pressed to Sonic's chest, black and red quills relaxed, the hero holding him close with his nose buried on his neck, smelling the other's musky scent while peppering some kisses on the exposed skin. Shadow held his forearm loosely, closing his eyes and relishing the moment of veiled privacy. Sonic's other hand was cold after holding the freezing vodka bottle for a long time, therefore he decided to play with Shadow a little. Turn him on a bit. His fingers touched his rival's groin, tearing a gasp from his mouth, body shivering instinctively.

Sonic kept moving his hand, fingers rubbing where his dick would be emerging when stimulated enough. He wasn't one for temperature play himself, but he knew Shadow liked it. His body had endurance to go on extremely high and low temperatures, yet a single brush aimed at a sensitive region was enough for him to crumble. Shadow massaged Sonic's groin with his ass and the hero moaned, already pent-up due to the other's tail touching his lower body whenever his hips swayed to the music.

Sonic's fingers kept working on Shadow's sheath, and the other reacted with words.

"Not here," he whispered for only Sonic to hear.

"Where then?" Sonic whispered back and recoiled his hand, loosening his grip on the other.

"In my room," Shadow leaned his head back, resting it on Sonic's shoulder, and the hero placed a single kiss on his muzzle.

Shadow led them to his bedroom, ignoring Rouge and Knuckles in the pool on the way. Knuckles seemed to be sitting at the edge of the pool, with Rouge licking his abdomen, tongue traveling lower and very close to his groin, bare big boobs exposed for anyone to see. She didn't care at all, and Shadow found himself smiling. He really liked that woman.

When the heroes got in the bedroom, where red neon lights were warm and inviting, Sonic pulled Shadow roughly into a kiss, holding his body close. Then he pushed him, his rival stumbling and falling backwards onto the mattress with a thud, black satin sheets slightly disturbed. Sonic got on his knees in front of Shadow, who had his legs wide open, swingling on each side of Sonic's head, sheath and entrance on full display. His tail wagged excitedly, breath coming in short takes. Sonic noticed something beside him on the nightstand: a silver pistol, its silencer pointing at him.

"Is that thing loaded?" Sonic asked, head trapped between Shadow's thighs.

Shadow got into a sitting position, supporting his weight on his hands and gripping the sheets. He had an amused expression on his face – half-lidded eyes and a grin, little fangs shining in the red light. His chest was heaving with anticipation and desire.

"Always," Shadow replied with a deep voice, gaze lowering to his own groin and back to Sonic's eyes, presenting his sheath to his face.

Sonic realized he wasn't talking about the lone pistol forgotten on the nightstand. Whatever, if that thing accidentally blows his brains out in the middle of his task, it would be Shadow's loss, not his. He smirked, waggling his eye ridges, and finally went to work, mouth slowly sucking and licking Shadow's sheath in earnest. It wasn't long until his dick was fully erect and out. Shadow's head leaned back, red eyes watching the other's ministrations intensely.

The blue hedgehog licked his tip and Shadow's mouth hanged slightly open. The sight of Sonic's tongue on his length was so arousing that he could feel he was going to cum faster than usual. Damn that hedgehog and his provocations. Sonic pumped his erection with a practiced hand, palm easily sliding his dick after licking it from base to tip. Shadow let out a low moan, eye ridges contorting to an expression of pure bliss. However, when Sonic finally put his mouth to use, sucking his cock slowly, taking his time, Shadow noticed he was purposefully neglecting his balls. Sonic bobbed his head up and down tentatively, his throat getting used to the intrusion, and Shadow gripped his blue quills, supporting his upper body with the other arm.

"Suck my balls," Shadow demanded, turning his gaze forward.

And he was glad he did that.

Water reflecting in his eyes, Shadow watched Rouge blowing Knuckles in the pool, moist lips sucking the echidna's tip… and damnit. Shadow couldn't believe what he was seeing. Knuckles was big, and his cock was thicker than his and Sonic's. He wasn't one to compare sizes between men, but he could see he was bigger than some guys he had had sex with. Not as big as Sonic, it seemed. He was personally glad for that.

Now he understood why Rouge had always spoken so highly of Knuckles. Good for her.

Still, he wondered if she could take it all in her mouth. He knew he could.

'Not that I would want to,' Shadow internally reminded himself. Despite considering taking a glimpse of the echidna's hidden asset a fortunate occasion, he still couldn't stand him. Not enough to ask him out to grab a beer. And it didn't matter, since he was busy with his own man. A man he actually felt attracted to, both in body and personality.

"He's big, isn't he?" he heard Sonic say, then he eyed him, trying to find out how Sonic guessed where he was staring at.

Sonic chose that exact second to teabag him, sucking his balls as he had asked. Shadow let out a loud guttural groan, legs subtly shaking. He didn't know if he was trembling because his ball sack was dipping in and out of Sonic's mouth or the fact that he was thinking about the echidna's hard cock again. He'd rather think it was due to Sonic's perfect timing.

"Should I feel jealous, Shad?" Sonic let go of his balls, fondling them with a hand while pumping his dick with another.

Shadow groaned, closing his eyes, leaving his mouth slightly open. Then he processed Sonic's words again. How did he…?

"Wait…" Shadow started, expression morphed into one of pleasure, despite his newest and confusing discovery. "How did you know?" Big. Sonic had said big.

"We jerked each other off once, no biggie," then Sonic resumed sucking his balls as to prevent him from asking further questions, stopping when Shadow was at a loss for words. "We were pretty young back then. Just friends giving each other a hand," his voice was raspier than its usual tone.

"I– I can't believe it," Shadow confessed, looking at him, and moaned again when Sonic's hand jerked him off faster.

"We all gotta start somewhere, dude," then the conversation ended.

Sonic wrapped his hand around Shadow's base when he came back to suck his dick. Shadow could feel his toes curling and he groaned louder, panting. He was pretty close to his climax. Sonic was deepthroating him, his tip brushing the back of the hero's throat whenever his head bobbed down, gag reflex barely there. Shadow gripped his quills roughly and shifted his gaze forward again, watching Knuckles fucking Rouge's mouth with vigor, his friend taking it all as to answer his previous doubt. She really could take it, huh? They made one hell of a team.

Shadow came, moaning louder than before, matching the volume of the music. Sonic swallowed his load, which didn't seem to stop. There was cum dripping from his chin to his neck. Shadow's release was intense and numbing, making him slowly collapse on the bed, breathing heavily in the afterglow. He removed his hand from Sonic's quills and ran it across his face, what a night.

"How was it?" Sonic asked, wiping his mouth and chin with the back of his hand and getting up. Shadow could see his cock hanging out of its sheath.

"You did great," then he moved to lay on the bed properly, leaving room for Sonic to join him. "Perfect as always," he admitted.

Before Sonic could get on top of him, Shadow moved away from his reach and slipped out of the bed, quickly running to the open glass doors while holding his flaccid cock, yelling at Knuckles from the bedroom's entrance.

"Son of a– If you cum in my pool, I'll kill you!" Shadow threatened, fuming. It was too late however, Knuckles had come on Rouge's breasts, sperm rapidly spilling in the water. The echidna held a middle finger at him, too spent to care.

Sonic grabbed Shadow from behind, holding him back before he ran after Knuckles about to aimlessly throw Chaos Spears at the treasure hunters. He was trying not to laugh, but he couldn't help but chuckle at Shadow's behavior. Dude was beyond pissed at the happy echidna.

"Let 'em have fun! Come on, Shadow!" Sonic tried to calm him down, dragging him back to bed. Shadow was gritting his teeth in anger so the hero decided to plant a sweet kiss on his mouth, getting on top of him and positioning himself between his legs. It seemed to work, given how Shadow looked at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes, frowning. Sonic continued kissing him, moving to his neck, weakly biting the sensitive skin there.

"Stop this," Shadow ordered, tired of being patronized.

"What do you want?" Sonic asked, looking him in the eyes after leaving his favorite spot on his neck.

"I want to ride you," Shadow simply said, smirking at him.

Sonic smirked back, eyeing him proudly. He removed his body from Shadow's mid-section and reached the nightstand, careful not to touch the stupid loaded pistol on it. He grabbed a little bottle of lube from the drawer and came to face Shadow's back, as the man had positioned himself on his knees for the other to stretch him as he liked. Shadow had laid down on his stomach, already bent over.

The hedgehog left his arms outstretched under his pillow, face slightly in contact with the soft surface. He moved his face to the side so he was watching the pool, seeing Knuckles and Rouge moving to one of the beach chairs, hands never leaving each other's bodies. He was glad Rouge had found someone who could keep up with her oddities and met her high standards. He didn't think Knuckles was too much, but at least he was useful for her. His thoughts were cut short as he felt a single finger threatening to slid inside him, circling his pucker with the cold liquid. Shadow hissed when Sonic inserted his first finger, stroking between his back quills to soothe him. He was relaxed, but the intrusion made his body stiff involuntarily.

After the initial surprise, Shadow could find himself enjoying being fingered by Sonic, who was taking his time instead of speeding things up as usual. When Sonic's finger moved inside again, Shadow bucked his hips backwards to meet the digit, fucking himself slowly. Sonic slid another finger in and he groaned, feeling his inner walls stretching further. He realized Knuckles was watching him curiously from his spot over Rouge, who kissed his neck and played with his cock, getting it hard again. Shadow smirked, looking back at him intensely, ass going up in the air until his flat abdomen wasn't touching the mattress. Sonic inserted a final finger in, curving his three digits to massage his prostate, earning a loud, guttural moan from Shadow, who kept his eyes on the echidna until they fluttered shut once Sonic brushed his prostate again, erection back in place. He had missed the way Knuckles abruptly turned his gaze elsewhere, giving Rouge his undivided attention.

Deeming Shadow stretched enough, Sonic removed his fingers from Shadow's pucker, hearing the other grunt in complaint. He coated his fingers with more lube and started working on his painful erection, begging to be touched. Shadow swiftly moved to lay on his back and wrapped both his legs around Sonic's torso when the other was done, switching their positions. On top of his rival, Shadow grinned, running a hand through Sonic's chest as he aligned his erection to his lubed hole from behind.

Sonic had switched his gaze to the side, possibly hearing movement outside given the way his ear flicked. Rouge and Knuckles were screwing his plans again. Shadow forcefully grabbed Sonic by his chin to get his attention.

"You should focus on your opponent, Sonic," Shadow demanded and the hero snorted.

"Yeah, yeah," Sonic chuckled, amused.

When the tip was in, Shadow's mouth slightly opened to release a whimper, never breaking eye contact with the blue hedgehog under him. He moaned lowly as he descended on the other's lap, Sonic groaning huskily when feeling the pressure around his cock. Shadow took a moment to adapt when the other's dick was fully inside him, then he moved, slowly. He went up, and down, then up again, until he set a pace that was steady.

"Think you can keep up?" Shadow asked, riding him.

"Wanna bet?" Sonic grinned, slightly out of breath.

If Sonic was watching Rouge, then the bat was probably watching them too. He had told her he would put on a show. And he always kept his promises.

When Sonic's cock found his prostate, Shadow gradually sped his motions, feeling his balls smacking Sonic's abdomen. The blue hedgehog moved his hands to his hips, meeting his movements, thrusting back inside whenever his body went down. Shadow leaned his head back, riding him faster, his rival speeding his thrusts and testing his limits. The black and red hedgehog raised a hand to Sonic's neck, choking him as he rode his cock, Sonic firmly gripping his wrist with one of his hands.

Shadow moved his head to the side and saw Rouge being fucked by Knuckles on the beach chair, its creaky sounds being muffled by the loud music coming from the penthouse's interior. 'They better not break my chair,' he thought. She was looking at him, head leaned back, watching the exact moment Sonic met him halfway and came, filling him to the brim with a loud moan. Shadow screamed, releasing the other's neck and trying to keep up, until he came afterwards, body trembling and breathing heavily. He needed support, so he wrapped his arms around Sonic's neck before falling forward. The two hedgehogs stayed like that for a while, panting and holding onto each other after a blissful orgasm. Shadow removed his ass from Sonic's pelvis, hissing due to overstimulation and grimacing after he noticed warm cum dripping from his hole to the sheets.

The heroes laid next to each other, chests heaving as they tried to control their breathing. A moment later Shadow moved to his side, laying his head on Sonic's shoulder, a hand resting on his chest, clawed fingers idly caressing his peach fur. Sonic raised a hand to hold Shadow's, pressing a kiss on his forehead. The hedgehog slowly closed his eyes, feeling emotionally exhausted.

And then Sonic decided to be an angel and invite the two nuisances to his fucking bedroom.

"Yo Knux! Come over here!"

"What are you doing?!" Shadow hissed, gripping his upper arm. The hero just grinned at his disgrace.

"Yeah?" Knuckles walked in, his spent dick on full display. Shadow couldn't help but drop his eyes to his length. What a nice cock he had now that he saw it up-close.

"Bring ya girl here, Shadow's bed can survive an earthquake."

"Sonic…" Shadow threatened, closing his legs instinctively when he saw the echidna staring at his lower body.

"I'm not done with you yet," Sonic concluded.

Rouge approached them with moist pussy lips and dried cum in the corner of her mouth, slightly walking side to side.

"It's been a while since we've shared a bed, Shadow," she said, lying down next to them.

"Hmph," Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Even longer with you, Blue," Rouge winked at Sonic and Shadow's eyes widened a bit.

"Always a pleasure," Sonic's index and middle fingers played with one of the curves of Rouge's right wing.

"What do you mean by that?!" Knuckles yelled, sitting on the mattress and raising a fist at Sonic.

"Jealous, Knux?" Sonic asked with half-lidded eyes and a cocky grin.

"I'm not jealous!" Knuckles punched the bed with enough force that startled Shadow.

"That's my bed, you fool!" Shadow complained, trying to kick him, but the echidna was out of his reach so stretching his leg only made things worse to his backside.

Sonic laughed at their reaction and Knuckles turned to Rouge, ready to argue. The two treasure hunters started bickering again, Rouge dismissing his anger and actually finding amusement in the accidental revelation. Sonic wasn't even paying attention to their argument, rather thinking about the day he and Rouge had indeed shared a bed.

It had happened ages ago, a little after Shadow's fall. His rival's death had done a number on him and Rouge, who grew fond of Shadow when finding out about his true identity. Sonic couldn't sacrifice himself to save his rival, as much as he wanted to, considering he had been low on rings as well. However, as a hero to the world – and to the universe it seemed – Sonic felt like he was going to be forever in debt with him, if he had actually died. He was supposed to be his savior, not the other way around. That was why he had gone after Rouge, a year later after Shadow's supposedly death. They were both secretive of their emotions, too proud to break into tears in front of others, so they comforted each other in a way they knew wouldn't give away much. It was a pity-fuck, it hadn't meant anything, but it had helped them go through their shared grief. An almost-friend who left too soon.

Shadow fell, so Sonic could rise.

They never spoke of it again, but they remembered it all too well.

Lost in the bittersweet memory, Sonic hadn't realized Shadow was feeling kind of neglected, watching him with prying amber-ish red eyes trying to point what exactly had been on the hero's mind for the last few seconds.

"You said you weren't done with me yet."

"Did I?" Sonic turned to face him, a fond smile on his face.

Sonic teased Shadow, lips hovering his, escaping whenever his rival tried to kiss him until his head was pulled down. Shadow kissed him deeply, massaging his tongue with his own as Sonic gradually got on top of him, settling his body between his legs. Rouge and Knuckles stopped their banter and started watching the rivals, off in their own little world, making out as if nothing and no one else mattered.

"What about a break, handsome?" Rouge suggested, pushing Knuckles to the mattress. The echidna's head fell near the opposite edge of the bed, his position granting him exclusive view of the hedgehogs from the back. He could see Sonic rutting against Shadow as they kissed, the black and red hedgehog's legs wrapping around his hips to increase friction.

Sonic took care of Shadow, building up the tension once again. He didn't want to hurt the other, but he wanted him to feel him. Feel how he cared about him, despite their silence. Shadow moaned against his lips when Sonic's dick got up again, brushing against his own on their abdomens. Sonic moved his lips to his neck, where he bit the barely visible skin, earning a grunt from his rival. Shadow's hands went to his quills, tilting his head a little so he could bite his shoulder. The hero was restless, actually wanting to be inside again, regardless of Shadow's sore body, so he aligned his erection to the other's well-lubed hole, holding Shadow down with a hand.

Shadow groaned when Sonic's tip threatened to enter him again, but when it did, it was easy. His inner walls felt squishy, so it wouldn't be much of a problem to any of them. Sonic slowly thrusted inside him, letting Shadow adjust to his length once again, and set a pace that felt good for both, actually taking his time to speed up since he wanted the other to feel him as much as he was allowed to. Shadow moaned, his legs trembling. Sonic noticed that and placed both of his joints over his shoulders, thrusting deeper than before, considering the change of angle. Shadow groaned loudly and gripped the black sheets as soon as his movements sped, Sonic holding himself steady with both palms outstretched on the mattress.

All Shadow could see was emerald green eyes looking back at him. His eyes had shifted to the side briefly, looking at Rouge getting on top of Knuckles, riding him as the echidna gripped her hips, moving with her. He could see her wings batting slightly with excitement. Then he looked back at the hedgehog on top of him. So handsome, so attentive. He was close, really close. When Sonic groaned his name as he sped his thrusts to an even more intense pace, Shadow came, looking into those eyes, moaning his name back. Sonic didn't slow down, trying to reach his own peak, and Shadow allowed him, despite the slight pain he felt. He allowed him, as he would always do. 'Keep going,' he thought, unconsciously telling himself that he could take it. He could take everything.

Overstimulated, Shadow had momentarily lost control. And an almost Chaos Control had been released accidentally. It happened fast, only a millisecond that felt like an eternity to him. Time stopped, and he could see Sonic, Rouge and Knuckles moving in slow motion. He noticed the way Sonic's eyes fluttered shut, his mouth open as he came inside him; the way Rouge descended on Knuckles' dick, already soaked in fluids; and how he had been holding on to the echidna's ankle, removing his hand so fast as if it had been burnt. Shadow could feel Sonic filling him up again and the warmth made him close his eyes, bathing in the moment. His Chaos Control ended, and no one else but him noticed it. Sonic was riding the last remains of his orgasm as Rouge and Knuckles tried to catch up, so close to their own. When they came, Rouge crying out as Knuckles groaned, Shadow realized Sonic had been removing his shaky legs from his shoulders, carefully pulling out. They all laid together on the mattress, holding their respective lovers, controlling their breaths and calming their hearts.

Until Sonic opened that big mouth of his.

"I dunno 'bout you guys, but I need a shower."

"Just you?" Knuckles laughed, flaccid cock resting on his abdomen.

An exhausted Rouge started chuckling, boobs moving with her giggles. Shadow found himself laughing too.

•••

Shadow woke up in the middle of the night. It wasn't exactly night, though. Almost 5 AM, he checked on his smartphone's screen, next to the beautiful roses Sonic had gifted him. He had a peach arm around his waist, a nose buried on his shoulder and he realized where exactly he was. In his bedroom, after surviving one of the weirdest nights of his life. Shadow tried to look back as much as he could without waking Sonic up, and he could briefly see another two bodies snuggling on the other side of the bed. Rouge and Knuckles were cuddling, his friend's hand very close to Sonic's blue quills. He kind of hoped she pierced her finger on it.

They had taken a shower after last night's steamy session, Sonic carrying him to his shower as Knuckles and Rouge moved to her personal bathtub. Sonic took upon himself to change the bed sheets to an angelic white one, as if he was trying to fake some sense of purity in the room still reeking of sex. Shadow didn't mind, he was too tired to care. He just threw his head on his pillow and dozed off, Sonic following suit. Sometime later Knuckles and Rouge went back to his bedroom, making themselves comfortable in his large bed. It was a miracle it had survived all their bouncing.

From no orgasms in two weeks to three orgasms in one night. He did a mental note to thank Rouge for her stupid idea later.

Because now, he allowed Sonic's steady breathing to lull him back to sleep.

A few hours later, Shadow woke up again to kisses and a hand stroking his quills affectionately. He didn't even need to open his eyes – he already identified who had woken him up by their sweet gestures alone.

Shadow cracked an eye open, and saw emerald green irises staring back at him closely. He snorted.

"Morning, dude," Sonic placed a prolonged kiss on his forehead, making an obnoxious smooching sound.

"Leave," Shadow told him, closing his eye again.

Sonic laughed, a loud sound echoing in Shadow's ears. He liked that sound, as much as he always denied it. Shadow really hated waking up early on Sundays, let alone after a whole night of anal sex. He knew Sonic did too, but he vaguely remembered the hero saying he had places to go with Tails that day, back when they were talking in the swimming pool.

"Guessed you'd be too tired to leave the bed today, so… I brought breakfast!"

That got Shadow's attention.

"Breakfast in bed?" Shadow silently chuckled and opened his eyes. "How thoughtful."

Shadow eyed the silver tray and felt his mouth water. He tried to stand and walk to his bathroom, but he was stopped short by Sonic stealing a kiss from him. He blinked and smiled, letting the other try again so he reciprocated. They kissed for a brief time before Shadow left to do his necessities, like brushing his teeth and taking a piss.

When he came back, stumbling a little due to his backache, Sonic was sitting with his back leaned in the headboard, sipping coffee while he waited for his rival to return.

"Last night was fun," Sonic commented when Shadow sat on the mattress, pulling his duvets to cover his legs.

"Indeed," he grabbed a mug filled with coffee beans from the tray and started munching on them.

"Knux already left to Angel Island after he and Rouge had breakfast."

"Why did you stay?" Shadow knew Sonic was late to whatever he and his fox friend had planned for the morning.

Sonic turned to face him, smiling at the other's lack of observation. For an agent, Shadow was quite slow.

"Because I care, duh."

Then he shifted closer to Shadow, pressing a kiss on his muzzle and resting his head on his rival's while he tasted his coffee. Sonic didn't see the smile gracing Shadow's features, but he noticed how the other leaned into his touch. Shadow didn't know Sonic had been watching him sleep, caressing his quills and committing every flick of his ears to memory before he left to face the world. However, that day he had decided to stay. If the fastest thing alive was late, then it would be obvious something important had stopped him.

Or someone.


Author's Note 2: Phew, so many revelations! Did you catch all the references? I had a lot of fun writing this story as you can probably guess. What's better than Team Sonic and Team Dark bonding after long weeks of kicking butt and saving the world? Too bad Tails and Omega weren't invited, but I guess it was for the best.

The songs mentioned in the story were compiled into a playlist called "Club Rouge: Greatest Hits," available on Spotify for streaming and Google Drive for download. Message me privately if you want streaming and download links! As a gift, I've gathered at least 20 electronic pop songs that played throughout the party, although there were more. Seeing that I value my readers' music taste, what other songs could be playing at Team Sonic and Team Dark's little get-together? Tell me your suggestions in the reviews!

So, who do you think Silver was talking about when asking Knuckles for advice? And how do you think Sonic and Knuckles ended up giving each other a little hand? Shadow has no clue so enlighten him with your ideas! By the way, would you let your friend invite your best friend and their partner to your bed to keep you company? You can skip this one if you want.

As always, you can message me on Tumblr (self-titled blog) or on Twitter (sugarcunty) if you want to know more about my thoughts on these characters or just talk to me in private. Don't forget to let me know what you think of this story in the reviews! I love interacting with my readers. Favorites are super appreciated. See you soon! XOXO, galsgeneration.