Keep It Crescendo
Chapter 10: A Fight To Forget
Thank you all for the feedback, I got no anecdotes again so just enjoy the story!
"Wait, Amy. Cream and I will take you, you shouldn't—"
"Thanks, but I can walk home," Amy stated, headed towards the exit of the apartment. She felt uncoordinated but she didn't want anyone to worry, so she walked as normally as she could out of the apartment.
"I'll walk her home," Sonic announced as he put on his jacket.
"Sonic, you're just as intoxicated as she is," Tails scolded.
"I didn't drink that much, I'm pretty much sober now. I'll be back," he said as he exited the apartment.
He noticed Amy standing by the elevator, and he stood next to her, eyeing her cautiously. "Where do you live?"
Amy jumped, and turned to glare at Sonic, "What are you doing here?"
Sonic frowned, "I'm walking you home."
"I don't NEED you to walk me home. I live two blocks away and I can get there myself!" she spat.
"It's two in the morning, and you're thinking of walking around the streets of New York by yourself knowing full well that there are gangs and bad people out there waiting on hurting others. You could yell and kick all you want, but you're not walking home alone."
Amy stayed silent. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but Sonic was right. Her grandfather would also grow furious with her if he found out she walked home alone, and he didn't need that unnecessary stress.
The elevator opened, and with a huff, she stepped inside. Sonic followed her, with his hands in his pockets and keeping a straight, emotionless face. One of the reasons why he didn't like drinking very much was because he wasn't necessarily the funnest drunk. Sonia, to this day, teases him about it. Whenever he'd drink, he'd become very serious and irritable, the complete opposite of his personality. He didn't need alcohol to have a good time, and he was perfectly happy with that. Thank you very much Sonia.
The pair left the building and Amy turned right, with Sonic lingering a few inches behind her. Neither hedgehog spoke. Rouge and Knuckles lived in a sketchy area of New York, where lucidity only came from street lamps and the night sky. Their bodies were enveloped around the sound of crickets chirping and cars driving by, blasting music from their speakers.
"Me letting you win had nothing to do with your worthiness as a competitor," Sonic confessed.
His voice caught Amy's attention. He noticed her ears perk up, which meant that she was listening.
"That didn't even cross my mind to be honest, and it shouldn't have. To be honest, you're the only person who's ever given me a run for my money."
Amy stopped and turned around to glare at him, "Then what was the reason? Because as much as I try to wrap my head around it, I can't figure it out."
"You're not going to like my answer."
"Maybe so, but you'd be telling me the truth, and I would much rather prefer that than making assumptions about your character."
Sonic sighed, "I know about Scourge, and your financial situation."
Amy froze, her lips trembling. "H-How—"
He threw a hand up in the air. "Rouge told Cream about it, and I happened to be in her and Tails' apartment when Cream told Tails about it."
She let out an angry breath, "Great, that's just PEACHY! Now EVERYONE knows! And who did you tell? Eggman?"
"Hey hey, can we talk about the accusations you've been throwing my way lately?" Sonic asked, growing frustrated. "I'm not some jerk who thinks of no one but himself!"
"You haven't denied not telling Eggman," she crossed her arms.
Sonic rubbed a hand through his quills, letting out a groan, "I HAVEN'T told him!"
She blinked, taken aback.
"You know what, since you love making assumptions so much, you know what I think of you? You are a stubborn, judgemental person who loves jumping to conclusions about others without getting to know them first. You don't know the first thing about me, Amy!"
"You don't either apparently since that's your impression of me! And can you blame me? Considering you act like a cocky jerk most of the time!"
"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I'm messing around? You sure have a sense of humor," Sonic rolled his eyes.
Amy's face fell, "Well… that's what all of Eggman's choreographers have done in the past. They harass me and try to make me feel bad about my studio. You're right I'm judging you too quickly, but can you blame me for being paranoid?"
Sonic rose his eyebrows in interest, "Come again?"
"Eggman makes a habit of telling all his choreographers to verbally abuse me in hopes that it would bring me down. I had to get a new email and put my social media accounts on private because they would constantly and constantly come up with ways to attack me. I don't believe for one second that he's never asked you to do that. I dare you to deny it!"
"Keep that pink annoyance at the edge of her seat. Mess with her head."
"I don't deny it," Sonic shook his head. "But I never took it seriously. I didn't think anyone did. To be honest, everything you're telling me sounds totally new to me."
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Look, my intention isn't to hurt you. Let's settle that right now. I let you win because I figured you needed the money more than I did. You were also hurt, and beating you on a twisted ankle wouldn't be rewarding. That's the truth. If that offends you, I really don't know what to tell you other than it wasn't my intention to offend you."
He eyed her sincerely, and Amy looked into his eyes for any signs of deception. She found none.
She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
"Let's start over," she said, extending her hand. "Hi, I'm Amy Rose."
He chuckled and shook her hand, "Sonic the Hedgehog."
"What the HELL?"
Sonic and Amy turned. Scourge had his car parked across the street. He walked out and slammed the door closed, approaching the pair with angry, violent eyes.
Amy released Sonic's hand, suddenly feeling like kicking herself. She had forgotten that Scourge worked a late shift on Fridays, and would pass by this street to go home.
"Scourge, let me explain, he was—"
"Zip it," he threatened, hovering over her. He eyed her outfit, his eyes trailing down and up. When his eyes met hers, he looked absolutely livid. "Is this how you thank me?"
"Scourge—"
"Get in the car!" he ordered, snapping his fingers. "Right now!"
"Hey dude, chill out," Sonic scowled. "We weren't doing anything."
Scourge's eyes flickered toward his, "I'll deal with you later Shadow."
"I'm not Shadow. My name is Sonic," Sonic stated.
Scourge stared at him closely and narrowed his eyes, "Wait a second. Aren't you that new choreographer at Eggman Studios?"
Sonic said nothing, and Scourge looked between him and Amy. "I see what's happening now. You're sleeping with him to move that studio of yours forward! Is the assistance I give you not enough? How many times have you done this? Damn it, I would have never thought in a million years that you'd do this to me Amy."
"You've got it all wrong Scourge, but if you'd just let me talk—"
He grabbed her arm roughly, "You want to talk? Oh we're gonna have lots of time to talk."
"Scourge, stop, not in public!"
"Hey," Sonic snapped, pushing Scourge back lightly. "Stop. That's not cool."
Scourge punched Sonic in the face.
"Scourge, stop!" Amy screamed in horror.
Sonic really shouldn't have walked Amy home drunk. Damn it Tails. That fox was always right. He punched Scourge right back.
Suddenly, Amy noticed Cream's car pull up. Shadow and Tails hopped out and ran towards Sonic. Sonic was in the process of, frankly, ripping Scourge's face apart. Scourge was barely able to get a blow in, which surprised Amy. Scourge was a hell of a fighter, yet he was unable to put up much of a fight against the blue hedgehog. Where had Sonic learned to fight?
Tails wrapped his hands around Sonic's waist and pulled him off of Scourge. "Sonic, STOP IT!"
At the sound of the yellow fox's voice, Sonic relaxed his shoulders, and watched as Shadow pinned Scourge against the wall, preventing him from getting near Sonic.
"Calm down, both of you!" Shadow threatened, glaring straight into Scourge's eyes.
"I'm calm," Scourge argued. "He's the psycho you need to restrain."
Tails glared at Sonic, and if Sonic wasn't intoxicated, he would have groaned. Tails was SO going to give him a lecture when they got home. Meanwhile Amy stood in between both parties, with her hands covering her eyes in shock.
Scourge shrugged himself off of Shadow, "Let's go Amy, I'll take you home."
Sonic recoiled, but Tails hardened his grip on him.
To avoid more problems, Amy looked at Scourge and nodded, letting him guide her towards his car. Shadow didn't want to let her leave with the green hedgehog, but with Sonic on the verge of snapping again, he had to be the bigger person and let things be for the time being.
After the doors closed and Scourge pulled away from the curb and drove off, Tails released Sonic.
"What the HELL has gotten into you?" Tails shouted. "You know you can get easily triggered into anger whenever you drink. I told you to not take her home and did you listen to me?"
"We should go, before the neighbors call the police," Shadow chided.
Tails huffed, "We are NOT done with this conversation. In the car, now!"
Like a misbehaved child, Sonic did as he was told. As he walked toward the car, he overheard Shadow telling Tails that he didn't need a ride because Knuckles had already offered him a guest room to stay in for the night.
Sonic opened the back door of the car, noticing Cream sitting on the seat in front of him. She offered him a nervous smile, and he sighed.
"I'm sorry you had to see that Cream."
Cream shook her head, "I'm sure you had a good reaso—"
Tails opened the door, entering the driver's seat with a scowl. It was obvious that he was pissed off. As he started the car and pulled away, the car was silent for the first few minutes. Sonic did everything possible to avoid looking at the front mirror of the car, where he just KNEW Tails was sending him periodic glares.
Sonic hated angering Tails for exactly this. Tails was hard to displease, but when he was, the yellow fox made sure to make you feel bad about it. And he never failed.
"Sonic—" Tails started, his voice low and menacing. The blue hedgehog winced. "What, in your right mind, led you to getting into a fight with some random hedgehog in the streets?"
"He wasn't—"
"I'm not finished," Tails snapped, holding one finger in the air. "You do understand the severity of what you did, right? I wouldn't be surprised if the police showed up at your front door tomorrow because some neighbor called to complain."
"Maybe you should let him explain himself Tails," Cream offered.
"No Cream, he made a mistake, and I don't think he understands that."
Sonic sighed and rubbed his temples. It was like the fight had drained all the alcohol out of him, and he was starting to think more clearly.
"I think he perfectly understands that he made a mistake," Cream argued. "And now that you've made him realize that, you should let him explain himself. You more than anyone knows that Sonic doesn't snap at just anyone, even if he did have a little to drink."
Tails had no argument on that. He looked at Sonic from the front mirror, letting out a long breath.
"Okay, I'm ready to listen. What happened?"
"That was Amy's boyfriend," Sonic answered, looking up to face Tails. "And he punched me first, mind you."
"Why did he punch you?" Tails asked.
"Well I told him to lay off because he was practically strangling Amy and forcing her to get into his car, I couldn't just stand there!" Sonic exclaimed. "He was hurting her…"
Cream's breath caught in her throat, and Tails inaudibly swallowed a gulp of saliva.
"W-Well, it's good that you defended her, but I still think you could've handled it better. You shouldn't have punched him back after he punched you."
"I know," Sonic agreed. "And you're right, it was irresponsible of me to have walked her home in my state. It won't happen again."
Tails nodded, pleased with his answer. "Well I'm glad you realize that."
Cream sighed in relief, glad that Sonic and Tails had settled their differences. Her mind wandered towards Amy. Was she alright? Was Scourge going to do something to her?
Amy turned to look at Scourge, who had his eyes fixed on the road. Sonic had gotten him good. His left eye was black, and the corner of his lips was bruised. Amy bit her lip, wrapping her arms around her waist. She worried for what fate awaited her when she got home.
"Amy, I get competition and wanted to get ahead. But is sleeping with him really necessary to defeat my uncle's studio?"
His voice sounded suspiciously calm, which almost terrified Amy. His facial expression was serious, no hint of anger, nothing.
"I-I'm not sleeping with him, I swear," she said softly. "He was just walking me home."
"And why would he need to do that?" he rose an eyebrow. "Where were you?"
Amy winced. THAT was the million dollar question she was waiting for.
"I was… at Rouge's house," she sighed. "She was hosting a Halloween gathering."
Scourge furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at Amy, who was licking her lips out of nerves.
"I thought she hosted those things on Halloween?"
"She's meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow, so she did it today."
"And why the hell was Sonic the Hedgehog there?" Scourge asked. "If I may ask."
"You know him?"
"My uncle won't shut up about him," Scourge answered. "But that's not important right now. Answer my question."
Amy was surprised Scourge was keeping his tone at a calm level. "Well, Rouge has a cousin named Cream, and Cream's husband's best friend is Sonic. So she invited all three of them."
"I see," Scourge answered. "Was the best friend the fox that was holding him back?"
"Yes," she affirmed.
He turned and pulled up in front of her house. Amy noticed the curtains swiftly close. Her grandfather had probably stayed awake to wait for her. Scourge parked and turned the car off, staring blankly at the steering wheel. Amy watched him cautiously, biting her lip to ease her nerves.
He turned to look at her and she winced. He blinked in surprise and frowned, turning his head to look at the street. "You're telling the truth, right?"
Amy nodded, "I am. Sonic and I did nothing inappropriate. We were just shaking hands because we had a disagreement and that was our way of making up. I promise."
"Why didn't you ask me to go with you?" Scourge asked. "And be honest."
Amy swallowed a lump, "U-Um… well. We were drinking and… you know how you get when you drink."
He nodded slowly. He then started the car, "Get inside, your grandfather must be worried."
Amy widened her eyes in utter shock. That's it? She didn't believe it! Cautiously keeping an eye on him, she stepped out of the car. "I'm sorry."
He nodded and dismissed her, and she closed the car door. She watched him pull away from the curb and drive away.
What the hell just happened?
Sonic woke up to the sound of someone knocking on his apartment door. Probably Tails. Thank goodness today was Saturday. He stood up and opened the door, surprised to see Shadow standing on the other side.
Sonic, who's quills were disheveled all over the place, smiled groggily. "Hey, Shadow right?"
Shadow didn't respond, and instead asked, "May I come in?"
Sonic shrugged and opened the door, allowing the other hedgehog to walk in. Sonic yawned and fixed his quills, "You're up bright and early. Did you even drink last night?"
"I have a high tolerance," Shadow responded bluntly. "Last night was child's play."
"Gee, way to lay it on me," Sonic muttered sarcastically. "Want anything to drink?"
"No thanks," Shadow declined, sitting on one of the couches.
"Chili Dogs?" Sonic offered, pulling out a few and putting them into the microwave. "I got some leftover from dinner last night."
"Chili dogs for breakfast?" Shadow inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, chili dogs are a good meal for any time of the day," Sonic pointed out. "So, want some?"
"No thanks, I had breakfast already. I came here to talk to you."
Sonic turned his body to look at him, "What about?"
"Last night."
Sonic winced, the events entering his mind at a rapid speed. He sighed, "Are you here to yell at me too?"
"No. Whatever led you to beat the hell out of Scourge, he probably deserved it," Shadow declared. "Though the way you beat the hell out of him does make me... curious. Where did you learn how to fight like that?"
"You came here for that?"
Shadow rolled his eyes, "I'm just trying to make sure Rose isn't surrounding herself with violent individuals. Scourge is already pushing it."
Sonic widened his eyes. That had hurt. "Woah, woah buddy I'm not violent! I never lose my cool like that, ever! Ask Tails if you don't believe me. I just, you see, he was hurting her. And I couldn't just stand there—"
"I already said I understand why you hit him, I've done it myself before. But Scourge is not an easy opponent, and I understand that considering he's accustomed to instigating fights. But where did you learn how to fight?" Shadow corrected, raising a hand to stop Sonic from blabbering.
Sonic scratched the back of his head, "Well, it's not really the fact that I could fight. To be honest, I was just throwing punches and hoping one would hit him in the face. I think it's the fact that I'm fast that helped me."
"Fast?" Shadow asked.
Sonic sprinted towards him. "Yeah, fast. I don't think I really gave him the chance to hit me back, considering that I was just swiftly throwing punches."
"I'm fast too," Shadow argued. "Yet he still managed to take me by surprise."
"Were you drunk?" Sonic asked.
"Are you insinuating that the intoxication helped you?" Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To be honest, yeah. I'm not going to lie, he had moves, but I don't think I really cared if I got hurt at that moment. I didn't care about anything to be honest. I was mad, drunk, and not thinking. I don't think I would have won if I hadn't drank."
"I see."
"This is why I don't drink. I don't like how it makes me feel," Sonic confessed as he moved to collect his chili dog from the microwave. "What you saw last night was not representative of me or my personality. I wasn't thinking."
"Clearly. Considering you might lose your job now," Shadow told him.
Sonic perked his ears up, "What do you mean?"
Shadow rose his eyebrows in interest, "You didn't know? Scourge is Eggman's half nephew."
Sonic dropped his plate of chili dogs, which landed on the ground with a clang. A million curses entered his mind, and he couldn't decide which one to scream.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I honestly thought you knew. That's why I was so surprised when I saw you two fighting."
Sonic grabbed his quills, "CRAP! I'M GOING TO LOSE MY JOB!'
Many constantly wondered why Scourge didn't just dump Amy. Eggman, his buddies at the shack, and the girls he had one night stands with from time to time. Eggman had his reasons, he wanted Keep It Crescendo to rot, and the fact that Scourge helped her with the studio financially was a recurring argument between the two. HIs buddies complained that she was too whiny, and only used him for the money. And the girls clearly wanted him for themselves.
None of them understood. And damn it none of them would ever understand. There was no one out there like Amy. He loved her, damn it, and he wasn't going to let her go. She was the only one on this damn planet that had ever cared about his feelings.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, holding onto her hot chocolate with both hands.
Scourge shook his head, "Nothing. Tell me about your day. How's the studio?"
Amy frowned, "No Scourge, don't change the subject. What's wrong?"
Scourge stared into her jade eyes, full of care and determination. She wanted to help him. Not because she wanted something from him, but because she loved him.
"I lost my Mom yesterday."
She had cared for him and had gotten him through that very tough time. He didn't know when their relationship had taken a turn for the worst. But one day, he had grown to love her so much that he was afraid of losing her. Just seeing her with that bastard Shadow boiled his blood, even if he knew they weren't doing anything wrong.
Their relationship had gone from loving one another to becoming into an exchangeable relationship. She'll provide the care he needs and lacks in exchange for money to keep her studio up and running. He could tell by looking into her eyes that she no longer loved him. But he did. He still loved her, and he was sure that losing her would be the end of him.
Yes, he still cheated on her, and hurt her emotionally and physically. He did the former because he had a reputation to uphold back at the shack. His buddies expected him to be a womanizer enveloped in cash and riches. He did the latter because he was afraid of losing Amy. He hated hurting her, but if it meant she'd be too afraid to leave him, then so be it.
Last night was different though. In terms of Shadow, Scourge never had to worry. It was clear Amy wasn't interested, even though the bastard was.
However, something about the way she looked at Sonic really put him on edge. He couldn't quite describe it, but he had seen that look before. Once upon a time, that look was directed at him. One thing was for sure though, if he didn't play it nice, he was going to lose Amy. And for real this time. Dance studio be damned.
He hated admitting it, but Sonic the Hedgehog terrified him. He felt threatened by Sonic. Not only was he stealing the heart of the woman he loved, but he was also a skilled fighter. He woke up feeling like he had been jumped by a group of people overnight.
He wasn't going to let that blue rat get away with it though. He'll kill him before he even dares taking Amy away from him. Amy was his, and only his.
No more messing around, he needed to start taking his relationship with Amy seriously, that meant no more one night stands and no more violence. He was going to save this relationship. He was going to regain her trust, even if it was the last thing he did.
And when he was ready, he was going to propose.
Okay so we couldn't get 70 but maybe we could get 70 now? Like what do you think about Scourge? Back in 2015, I was just going to make him into this clear cut bad person who abuses Amy, but now that I've grown and had more practice writing, I realized how cheesy and boring that is. So I went back to the drawing board and fleshed out Scourge's personality to make him seem more real, and I'm excited for the next few chapters to come.
Characterization is important, and Scourge just had no… character. Especially for a character that is essential for the whole plot, like c'mon 2015 me, get it together! I already know how the story is going to end, and trust me, Scourge's fleshed out characterization ENHANCES the story a lot from what I originally had planned. I can't wait for y'all to read the rest.
Anyway, please review! I love reading your comments.