A/N: Okay, I lied about the whole "chapters will start coming slowly" thing. Just a couple of more chapters will come fast before I really start slowing things down. Maybe up to chapter 11, then after that I have pre-made chapters that I plan on rewriting, then I gotta start making new chapters from scratch. This story is gonna span out for an entire school year so I expect it to be past 30 chapters. Ugh. Maybe more, definitely not less.

Warning: this chapter has mature themes that can be sensitive for some. Rules don't exist for Mobian teens. I rated this story M for a reason.

Also, be on the lookout for some cracks...

Chapter 5: Party Hardly

The next day followed the usual morning routine, but history proved to be quite interesting. The class was begging to do something interesting for once, maybe a movie or something. No more work! Mr. Stewart contemplated the idea for a moment.

He smiled. "How about this: since we're learning about Mobian and Overlander tribes that reconstructed their mutated world after centuries of recovery, I'll set up a field trip to Mystic Ruins? It'll be available for anyone from this Academy- family, friends, anyone, but the maximum is 100 students! I'll need names immediately, first come first serve."

"You can do that?" A student asked enthusiastically.

The teacher nodded. "However, for my students, it'll count as a project. You're all expected to write a short essay on what you saw."

Everyone groaned, but their spirits didn't dampen much. Everybody was practically jumping in their seats.

"I'll come around with the list once I gather my things. I want to know who's attending and who's coming along. I'll be here after school if any of you need time to consider. Tomorrow, depending on how many places are left, I'll invite more students."

For the rest of the period, students asked the teacher for more details. What were they gonna do, where would they stay, how long they would be there. The teacher replied it was a two-day trip, and they would stay at a motel between the ruins and Station Square. There would be many things to do, such as travel through the forests, visit the old ruins, fly in Windy Valley or even explore the caves. The trip sounded promising, and Sonic immediately signed his family up.

oOo

Silver and Sonic walked through the halls to their English class.

"Dude, I can't wait for this trip! Can the 27th come already?" Sonic exclaimed.

"Right? I've never visited the ruins myself, but the history behind them is really interesting." Silver looked at Knuckles who was listening to their conversation without much care. The trip seemed cool, yeah, but he hated history. That essay was seriously going to frustrate him. He didn't even know what an essay was! "Knuckles?" He raised a brow at the younger hedgehog. "Do you know anything about the echidna tribes? Seeing as you're an echidna and all…"

Knuckles pursed his lips in thought. "There's not much I remember, but my dad used to tell me a lot about them." He paused. "The only thing I remember him telling me is that they were all wiped out by this monster." He rolled his eyes. "He always was superstitious."

"What happened to him? Sonic said you two met in an orphanage?" Silver said without thinking. He immediately regretted it. Damn! That was a sensitive topic. It was obvious that the other's father probably di—

"Tch, I ran away." Knuckles said with a shrug. The answer Silver was not expecting left him stumped. "I don't remember why though; maybe because of something stupid. Everything before I met Sonic is kind of a blur; I don't care to remember pointless things."

"Aww, thanks Knuckles." Sonic teased. "I'm important to you!"

Knuckles smirked. "You're too weird not to forget. I'm already scarred for life."

Silver chuckled as Sonic pouted. "Haha, very funny…jerk."

"Hey, Sonic?" Silver asked with a nervous blush. "Are you doing anything this Saturday?"

Sonic frowned. "Oh shoot, yeah I am. I'm free Sunday though?"

"Cool, do you want to hang out or do something?"

"Sure, like what?" Sonic said as he entered the classroom.

"Maybe challenge each other? Practice our abilities?"

Sonic smiled. "Sounds fun."

oOo

It was lunch and Tails was shaking with excitement. "This sounds so much fun! I read the whole chapter already in our textbooks; there really is a lot of interesting stuff there." The group sat at their joint table with Silver and Blaze as they had done the previous day. Blaze concealed an amused smile after seeing the boy so hyped up.

"I'm glad I'm able to go. I hear the forest is very beautiful."

Knuckles shrugged. "I think I'm going just to see something new. All that history and sightseeing crap doesn't mean anything to me."

Blaze glared at him. It's been three days and neither had showed signs of liking each other. "You should appreciate the ruins some more. For all you know, they could've been your ancestors."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "I think my dad used to study them or something, so yeah, maybe they were. Do I care? No, not really." He took a bite of his food. "Some great people they were if they couldn't even prophesize their own demise."

Blaze huffed, deciding it wasn't worth it to argue. Instead she participated in the conversation between Sonic, Silver and Tails. She inwardly smirked when she saw the bat walk towards Knuckles.

"Knuckie!" Rouge greeted the echidna as she sat next to him. The echidna groaned. "Well, here I thought that maybe you would like to hang out with me this weekend. Guess not, maybe I could ask somebody else."

"Go ask that dark hedgehog, I see you with him a lot."

"Shadow? No way, he'd kill all the fun!" She paused. "Maybe I'll ask your cute, blue friend." She winked at Sonic and he replied with the same gesture. Silver almost choked on his food, while Tails became quickly confused. Blaze patted her friend's back with concern, but was deeply interested in his reaction.

"What!" Knuckles raised his voice. He looked back and forth between the two, violet eyes lingering on Sonic with disbelief.

Rouge giggled. "Wow, I didn't know you were so defensive about this! I hope you know that strong, but sensitive men are my type." She purred.

Knuckles blushed. "Fine! I'll go with you, but don't bring Sonic into this ever again." He growled while glaring at Sonic.

"Okay! So Saturday night I'll drop by your house and we'll go to the Lounge together." She waved goodbye and blew Knuckles a kiss. "Bye, dear."

"What the hell is going on between you two?" Knuckles accused the blue hybrid.

Sonic laughed. "Nothing, we just worked together to get you to agree to her little date. I knew you were the jealous type! It isn't all that hard to figure out!"

Knuckles's anger blew off and became annoyance. "I wasn't jealous. I just don't want you seeing a troublemaker like her."

"No, I think you like her." Sonic teased while sticking his tongue.

"Do not."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

oOo

Gym came around and Mina joined the four boys in the running activity. All of them jogged at a quick pace, though Sonic wished he could run fast again. Knuckles was irritated that the boxing activity had too many participants. He'd rather fight than run!

"So, I have these friends named Sally and Bunnie, I'll introduce you sometime. They're really cool and super nice. Sally's a princess! She's here though because she wants an education. Might as well since her brother is going to have the throne."

Sonic listened to Mina's chatter with a smile. The girl was really easy to get along with, and she was pretty cool as she would occasionally join in when he and Silver goofed off in history class. In fact, the three of them got scolded multiple times the last two days.

"Are they coming on the trip?" Sonic asked.

"Nah, they said they were gonna visit Knothole that weekend. Thank Chaos Mr. Stewart didn't see my phone!" She looked between Silver and Sonic. "Hey are you two going to the Lounge this weekend? My friends are going so you could meet them then?"

"I wasn't planning to, but sure. I'll go."

Sonic smiled. "Yeah, I'm going. Scourge made me make a deal with him to go Saturday night. Not really looking forward to it."

"What?!" Mina and Silver asked with surprise.

"What deal?" Silver questioned with a horrified look.

"He gave me your address in return for a night at the Lounge with him." Sonic shrugged. "But at least you guys, Knux, and Rouge will be there."

"Sonic, that boy is bad news." Mina warned. "He's a total flirt! He even tried to go out with me once, and he knows I'm dating Ash! I heard he's been arrested multiple times and that he killed his own father!"

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that rumor." Sonic said, mentally regretting agreeing to the green hybrid.

"Yeah, they may be rumors, but while you're out, be careful. He seems like the type who would have tricks up his sleeves."

"Thanks, I'll keep a note of that."

Knuckles frowned. "You never told me you were on a date with that green kid."

"It's not a date, it's hanging out." Sonic rolled his eyes.

"As long as I know you'll be as miserable as me, I'll be happy."

"Whatever. So tell me, who's gonna watch the kids?" Sonic asked.

Tails looked at the teenagers. "Amy can watch us fine. She's done it before."

"What do you mean by 'done it before'?" Sonic asked, bewildered. He shot Knuckles an accusatory glare. "You're the one who's supposed to watch them when it's your shift!"

"Hey! Firewood doesn't come on it's own, you know!" Knuckles argued.

"We lived in an area surrounded by trees, why would you need to leave them alone?"

"Guys!" Tails interrupted. "Knuckles went to get things like water and wood, Amy knows how to defend herself and so do I. We've never had a problem; Knuckles always came back before long." Sonic and Knuckles sighed and dropped their dispute.

"If it helps," Silver began. "Blaze plans on studying in our dorm that night. If they have a problem, they can just get her. She's a very good guardian."

Sonic nodded. "Alright then. I guess that's been settled."

oOo

Thursday and Friday went by quickly, though Friday Sonic had managed to land himself another detention with Robotnik for again mistaking him as Eggman. It was almost the same as the first, Sonic cleaned the classroom and got sidetracked with the teacher.

Saturday came finally and the blue Mobian was excited. In two weeks, he and his family would be at the ruins. However, that day he had a no plans until 6 o'clock; the time Scourge told Sonic during science he was going to pick him up.

First the family went to breakfast and enjoyed a delicious meal at a leisurely pace and later went to the park near their dorm. Silver and Blaze later invited the entire family to head towards the training area not far from the elevators. An easy ten minute walk, assuming they didn't borrow a few small golf carts. They made it there in one piece, surprisingly, and trained in multiple activities. Sonic and Knuckles wrestled a bit and Sonic eagerly watched as Silver showed off his telekinetic abilities. Amy managed to whack a boxing bag across the room with her hammer, though scaring Sonic a bit, and Tails drove an aviator simulator with perfect results.

The family returned to their home and watched a few movies on TV with Silver and Blaze invited. Eventually a pillow fight erupted and everybody was running through the small space in teams. Silver with Blaze, Sonic with Amy and Tails and Knuckles defended Cream, Cheese and Cosmo. Eventually Sonic and Knuckles got into a playful brawl that ended up being a draw. Soon everybody settled down and returned to the movie. By the time it was up, it was time for Sonic to get ready for his night with Scourge. Joy.

"Remember," Sonic had reminded the kids after he showered and washed his clothes. "Blaze is going to take you guys out to dinner and spend the rest of the night here. Any problems before dinner and you go straight to her. Understood?"

They all nodded. "Sonic! How come you're going on a date with somebody who isn't me?" Amy whined with frustration.

"Trust me, Amy. It's not a date."

She sighed. "Alright." She looked at Tails and the girls. "Who wants to bake some cake?" They all cheered excitedly and Sonic smiled after realizing he had nothing to worry about.

The door knocked and Sonic answered it. There stood Scourge and Rouge glaring at each other. Perfect, two exes together. Knuckles appeared behind Sonic and greeted Rouge absentmindedly. She gave him a large smile and pulled his arm outside and led him as far as way from the green hedgehog as she could before he could make sense of it all. Sonic shut the door behind him after calling out a 'bye' to his family. He walked beside Scourge all the way to the Lounge a few feet behind Rouge and Knuckles, the former who was talking animatedly about her day and this beautiful gem she saw.

"You know, I'm quite the treasure hunter myself. I used to find gems and sell them to make some coin." Rouge's eyes sparkled at that statement and an obvious connection between the two was made. They then discussed their adventures and were getting along swimmingly, with a few teases thrown into the mix.

Sonic and Scourge talked amongst themselves, he was almost jealous of how much Knuckles seemed to be enjoying himself. Almost, but not quite. His conversation mostly consisted of Scourge flirting with him and bragging about himself while he played along and sarcastically stroked the other's ego. They laughed a few times, but Sonic couldn't get rid of this awkward feeling in the pit of his stomach. Mina's warnings and the untrusting vibe that practically radiated from him made him weary of Scourge, but Scourge hadn't done Sonic any wrong. There was no reason to go with his instinct, but he was partially an animal. An animal that doesn't follow their instinct ends up in danger.

Their group of four entered the Lounge and was instantly greeted by loud music that made their hearts pound. Many familiar faces were there, but there wasn't anybody the group actually talked to.

Rouge took Knuckles's hands into hers and began swaying her hips, she laughing lightly as Knuckles blushed.

"We're in a club! You're supposed to dance!"

"How about you, babe?" Scourge said with a grin as he nudged Sonic with his elbow. "How about a slow dance? Or a lap dance? I'm fine with either."

"Um, how about no?" Sonic laughed, his eyes concentrated on the center of the dance floor. He had spent some of his youth performing on streets to earn money, it would be a shame if his talent went to waste. Speaking of talent, perhaps he could do some DJing or play a song later.

"What up, Blue?" Scourge asked as he watched Sonic's eyes linger on the center of the room where somebody was currently dancing. "You want to show off or something?"

"Yup. So what, you just go in the center and do your thing?"

"Pretty much."

Sonic immediately left Scourge's side and squeezed his way through the crowd, at the center everyone had gathered in a circle and cheered a Mobian on as he finished his dance. Please, he could top that 20 times over! A smirk appeared on his face as he pushed through. A few curious stares and wolf whistles were sent his way. Perfect. He had their attention and a new song was coming on.

At first he tapped his feet to the beat until he finally felt the rhythm through his body. As the beat became louder, he immediately began shuffling his feet- a strange, jerking dance that hadn't been around since the 21st century. The crowd was surprised on how he seemed to move by just stomping his feet. He twisted and turned, but what surprised most of them was when his hands pushed off the ground and he did a backflip, and then landed with perfect precision. He swung himself on the ground and swiftly transitioned to breakdancing. The other Mobians were shocked at his agility and speed. His body bent and twisted in ways that were previously believed impossible. His last move was a final swing on the floor with him landing with his head propped up on his hand, sending a wink to the crowd. The others went wild.

Sonic stretched as the other teens asked for another performance. Sonic assured them that he would continue to impress after a small break. He walked over to Scourge who smirked.

"Well, well, well. Aren't you the flexible one?"

Sonic beamed. "Thanks." He paused. "Do you mind waiting here? I promised a friend of mine I'd meet her friends."

Scourge rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He eyed a pretty girl. "I'll entertain myself somehow."

Sonic nodded, not really caring. He searched through the crowd, only just realizing he lost Knuckles. Soon enough, he found Mina waving at him with her body partially behind a curtain. He made his way to her.

"Hey, Sonic!" She greeted with a smile as she pulled the curtain aside for him to come in. She closed it behind her, concealing the small space of lounge chairs and mini fridge in their little hang out area.

"Wow, what's this place?" Sonic asked aloud, aware of the other seated Mobians.

"You can rent one of these hang out areas. You put your name on a waiting list as it's based on first dibs. Take a seat! They're so comfy!"

Sonic sat down on one of the couches. Though the space was small, it was relaxing and away from all the chaos. Silver walked in and greeted Mina, then took the empty spot next to Sonic.

"Hello...Sonic?" A Mobian with short red hair and blue eyes asked. She was very pretty and said his name with hesitance. "Mina talks a lot about you. You as well, Silver."

Sonic chuckled while Silver twiddled his thumbs awkwardly. "So, I know me. Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "I'm Sally, Sally Acorn. This here," she gestured at a rabbit-hybrid who sent them a friendly wave and smile. "Is Bunnie Rabbot." Bunnie had long blond hair and green eyes. Also a very pretty girl.

"I'm Rotor." A walrus-hybrid said with a smile. "Your brother, Miles, is in many of my classes. He talks about you a lot."

Sonic's smile grew until it stretched all the way across his face. "Really? That's so cool!"

"He really is a prodigy. He's been able to master physics and robotics by reading the whole book. We're only on chapter 1! He's amazing with coming up with project ideas. In fact, next week we've decided to be partners on the project Dr. Robotnik is assigning."

Sonic's heart swelled with pride. That was his little bro.

A fake cough brought everyone's attention to a coyote-hybrid. "I am Antoine D'Coolette." He stated with a heavy accent and an air of superiority. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. "Pleasure to meet you Sonic, I 'ave 'eard so much about you." The evident lack of enthusiasm made Sonic pout.

"Right back at ya."

Mina took the seat next to Sally. "We call ourselves the Freedom Fighters! Well, we would if there was anything to fight against."

Sally smiled. "Actually, we fight against oppression of any kind. Currently, we are working on improving Overlander-Mobian relations. It would benefit my family and city greatly."

Sonic nodded. "Sounds like a good cause. It's great that you guys are actually doing something about it."

"Yeah, most of the Overlanders in Soleanna were nice. I was really shocked when I came here and noticed the sudden change in attitude." Silver stated.

"It's a work in progress, but I'm sure we'll achieve equality soon!" Bunnie encouraged.

Mina smiled and nodded at her friend before glancing back at Sonic. "Oh! We saw your dancing! That was sweet!"

"Thanks!" Sonic replied while rubbing his neck. "I actually plan on going out and performing again."

"Do it!" Sally gestured towards the curtain that separated the two areas. "We'll watch you from here."

Sonic got up, scooted past Silver and left the small space. Mina again stood and moved the curtains so they could get a good view. Sonic was sure they expected him to dance again, but not this time! He headed straight for the stage.

"Yo, can I perform a song?" He asked the DJ, who responded happily and handed him a microphone. "Do you have any guitars?"

"Behind the stage curtain."

Sonic headed towards the back and picked up a guitar similar to his at home. He quickly tuned it by ear and walked onto the actual stage. People watched him with awe and excitement. That strange new student could sing, play guitar, and dance?

He placed the microphone on a stand and spoke into it, looking at the DJ for an 'ok' gesture to see if it worked properly. When he got the signal he wanted, and the silence that filled the room, his hands once again found themselves skillfully climbing up and down the neck.

"Woo!" He cheered into the microphone. "Aw yeah!"

"Rolling around at the speed of sound, got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow! Can't stick around, have to keep moving on, guess what lies ahead, only one way to find out!

"Must keep on moving ahead. No time for guessing, follow my plan instead! Trusting in what you can't see. Take my lead I'll set you free.

"Follow me, set me free, trust me and we will escape from the city. I'll make it through, follow me. Follow me, set me free, trust me and we will escape from the city. I'll make it through prove it to you. Follow me! Oh yeah!"

"Danger is lurking around every turn, trust your feelings, got to live and learn! I know with some luck that I'll make it through, got no other options, only one thing to do!"

I don't care what lies ahead, no time for guessing, follow my plan instead! Find the next stage, no matter what that may be. Take my lead, I'll set you free!

"Follow me, set me free, trust me and we will escape from the city. I'll make it through, follow me. Follow me, set me free, trust me and we will escape from the city.

I'll make it through through, prove it to you! Follow me! Follow me! I'll make it through, oh yeah!"

If the crowd was shocked before, now they were paralyzed. Sonic had sung the song so amazingly; it sent shivers down their spines. How he held his voice for long periods of time and how he could transition his rock voice to a soft one so fluidly, all while simultaneously playing an instrument left them at a loss for words. They cheered, begging for another song.

"Sorry guys, maybe some other time?"

The crowd groaned about not having another performance. Sonic merely shrugged. Whatever, can't make them all happy.

He walked through the crowd back to the curtain where Mina swung an arm around his shoulder. "That was great! Maybe one day we can have a duet? Or you can play guitar while I sing!"

"Sure!" Sonic replied enthusiastically.

After receiving many compliments, Sonic told his friends that it'd be best if he got back to Scourge. He left them and went to look for the green hedgehog, who he eventually found trying to bust a move with a cute Mobian girl.

Sonic scowled. "I don't think your girlfriend would like that."

Scourge raised a brow at Sonic and completely ignored the other girl. "I'm sure she wouldn't like me being here with you, but hey, whatever."

"I thought you were into girls." Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but c'mon. We look a lot alike, and there's nobody I love more than myself."

"Okay, two things wrong with that statement. We may look somewhat alike, but the differences outweigh the similarities. Two, I'm not you. Don't act like I am."

"I'm sure if you had one bad day, you'd be just like me."

Sonic furrowed his brows. "As if!" Sonic pointed to himself. "Because unlike you, I'm original."

Scourge hummed to himself with a smirk, disbelieving Sonic. Sonic continued to glare at the other until Scourge stretched his arms.

"As much as I'd like to exchange glares with your pretty little greens, I say we lessen this tension by getting some drinks."

Sonic paused and blinked slowly. "Huh?"

Scourge rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you've never had a drink before."

Sonic shook his head. "Never had a reason to? You're forgetting that my top priority for the past few years has been finding food and watching over my family. I never had time for things like drinking. Besides, isn't underage drinking against the law?"

Scourge snickered. "Are you serious? That law applies to humans only! Nobody gives a shit for the homeless savages they call 'Mobians'."

Sonic bit his lip and hesitantly shrugged as Scourge led him to a nearby bar. "Don't you think that's a bit messed up? How they don't care for us? I mean, in the end, we're still technically kids."

"The system's rigged. So what? We get drinks, partying, and sex. If it weren't for the few humans that care, we'd all still be living on the streets doing whatever we pleased. If ya ask me, they only care because they know we're more powerful than they are. Mobians are the superiors. We've got the power. They're scared that we'll grow to hate them and rebel."

"Maybe so, but they're not all like that." Sonic frowned as he sat on a barstool. He had plenty of experiences with huma-Overlanders and most weren't pretty. But he had also met some who gave him food and offered him kindness. Despite all his bad memories with the other mutant race, he couldn't find it in his heart to hate; it was against his nature to do so.

Scourge sat himself on the barstool next to Sonic and ordered a couple of beers. "Babe, if you believe that, then you're a bigger fool than I believed. They all want one thing: control."

Sonic huffed, but kept silent. It really wasn't worth arguing with Scourge. He caught his beer when the bartender slid it across the table. He took a sip from his mug and grimaced. Ew.

"I bet you don't attract many partners with that look, huh?" Scourge smirked as he took a swig of his own beer.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Sonic retorted in a sarcastic tone before drinking a little more; the taste was becoming a little more bland rather than gross.

"How about another question?" Sonic raised his brow, but nodded anyway. "How many partners have you had?"

"Like, dating partners? None."

"Woah, really?" Scourge looked genuinely shocked.

"Really really."

"Damn, blue...you must've had some sort of sex life?"

Sonic spluttered, nearly choking on his beer. "What?"

"You're a virgin? Never would've figured, babe. I mean, with your looks and all."

Sonic groaned. "Wow, can we like, not talk about this?"

"Yeah, you really are boring." Scourge froze for a second before a sly grin curled his lip. "Hey, Sonic? Can you do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor." He replied snarkily.

"Aren't you a cutie?" He mocked. "No, I want to challenge you to a drinking contest."

"No way!"

Scourge smirked. "What? Afraid you'll lose?"

Sonic glared at the other as he placed his glass on the table. "Please, me lose? As if!"

Scourge hummed cockily as if he didn't believe a word.

"Fine! I'll play along with your little challenge. Let me just check up on Knuckles real quick, then we'll get started."

With that said, he left without waiting for a response.

oOo

"How's the date?" Sonic asked Knuckles, the latter currently relaxing in one of the lounge chairs not too far away from the bar.

Knuckles groaned as he sunk in his chair. "She's gonna make me dance again."

"You act like that's a bad thing."

"Yeah, well not all of us are peppy little dancers who also play their guitars and sing. Yes, I saw that."

"How was it?" Knuckles shrugged in response, resulting in Sonic whacking his head. "You suck!"

Knuckles growled as he rubbed the sore spot. "How's your date?"

"Not a date." Sonic argued. "Our hangout is okay. Well, it's actually really weird. Don't try the beer."

"It's not that bad."

"Ew, you're gross." Sonic stuck out his tongue and winced. "I think I'll just settle with soda next time."

Knuckles shrugged. "Rouge will be back from the bathroom in a bit if you want to talk to her?"

"Nah, not now. Don't ruin your only chance at love."

"Harr harr. Now go away."

oOo

Sonic returned to Scourge and sat in his seat. He noticed Scourge's cocky gaze and immediately he felt competitive. "Alright, let's start this."

"I'll warn ya', babe. I'm a pro at this."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't lose."

"We'll see about that."

After finishing his drink, Sonic started feeling very disoriented and he wasn't entirely sure it was just the alcohol. He blinked and the next thing he knew he was in a hallway with Scourge, more than half his body weight was on the other. His concept of time completely vanished and he had to blink a few times to process what had happened.

"Where are we?" Sonic slightly slurred, after all, he did just have a couple of drinks.

"Downstairs. You look a little dizzy there, babe. You okay? I think I'll rent us a room for the night. Can't have you going home to those brats like this!" Scourge said with a grin.

If Sonic we're in his right state of mine, he would've lashed out at Scourge for calling his family such a foul name. He was too busy trying to stand up straight and walk without falling over. Chaos, he was never gonna drink again. This was horrible. "R-room? Theres rooms here?"

"Yeah, for the couple that got lucky or the drunk." Scourge smirked. "You and I just happen to be both tonight."

"Huh?" Sonic responded before almost falling onto Scourge, only to have the other catch him just in time. Shit, he couldn't even support himself. He cringed, not liking how his legs felt like they turned into complete jelly. He was finding it hard to concentrate on anything but that.

"Trust me, babe. You'll understand soon."

Sonic attempted to pull the other's hand off of him, but failed. He was seeing double.

"Are you sure that-" Sonic paused as he momentarily forgot how to make words. "Does alcohol usually do this?"

Scourge hummed in response as he opened a door labeled 'vacant' before shutting and locking it behind him. He pushed Sonic onto a bed and crawled up above him, lowering his mouth near the other's ear. "Great, isn't it?"

Sonic spent the next few minutes zoning in and out, trying his best to keep a grip on reality. He stared straight at the ceiling, feeling dizzy as he started making out figures in the popcorn ceiling and seeing them move. He had no fucking clue on what was going on. He didn't even realize that Scourge had slipped off his vest and pants and was leaving markings all over his neck.

"I don't think I've ever done a man before, but from what I heard, there's not too much of a difference." Sonic heard Scourge mutter through pants, but he didn't process the words at all. Who could when the room was spinning?

Sonic suddenly felt something rough on his lips, biting and leaving bruises. It had probably been happening for a while, but he only just noticed it and it startled him. He felt a rush of adrenaline in his veins and did the one thing he could manage to do in his condition.

He brought up a hand and pushed Scourge off of him.

"Get offa me!"

Scourge paused for a second, but quickly got over the shock that overcame him. His ice blue eyes filled with annoyance. "Listen here, you little bitch." Scourge began as he restrained the blue hybrid. He grabbed the other's arm and twisted it around, knowing full well he had the upper hand while the other was drugged. "You're gonna be mine tonight, and we can do this the easy way or the hard way." When he felt Sonic freeze, he smirked. "Yeah, that's right. Go back to being a doll."

Sonic felt Scourge's body shift to move, but suddenly the entire weight of the green hybrid vanished. Sonic managed to turn over and raised a confused brow as he made out the figure of a passed out Scourge in the corner of the room. He suddenly felt himself heaved onto someone's shoulder, completely spacing out until he saw his clothes on the floor.

After a minute or so of trying to piece together what was happening, Sonic weakly attempted to wiggle out of other's hold. "Wait! My pants!" He yelled, after determining that was of the utmost importance.

"Already taken care of," a familiar voice responded. Sonic's drugged mind wished it had the willpower to lift his head and see who was carrying him. "Chaos Contr-!"

A green light covered his vision and suddenly the floor of the room had changed and Sonic briefly wondered if they teleported somewhere. He let out a drunken cry as he was dropped head-first onto a bed.

He rolled over to his side and gasped as he saw a teenager with black and red hair glowering down at him. "Oh my Chaos!" Sonic began, his expression horrified and scared. "It's a fake me!"

"Were you drinking?" Shadow asked with a glare.

"I don't need to answer you, you fake hedgehog!"

"You idiot, I'm Shadow."

"S-Shadow?" Sonic asked softly, taking in the other's appearance. It took awhile for his mind to process the fact that he was now conversing with Shadow, not a talking asperagus-er, Scourge. It could've just been him seeing things, but he swore he saw the other's cold expression soften for a bit.

Shadow returned to his normal hard look and glared at the blue hybrid. "You've been intoxicated and drugged. I thought you were smarter than to leave your drink unattended like that."

Sonic looked at Shadow with confusion. "...Sorry."

"You're apologizing to me? Do you have any idea on what almost happened to you?" Sonic blinked at him in surprise and Shadow frowned. "You were about to be taken advantage of, you idiot."

Sonic merely furrowed his brows as he recalled a memory. 'You're apologizing to me? Do you have any idea on what almost happened to you?' Strong hands gripped onto his shoulders. He remembered the words, he remembered a younger him feeling guilty and bawling, but he couldn't remember the voice or face of the one person who cared for him then. He felt frustrated tears gather in the corners of his eyes. He felt a sudden wave of betrayal and anger overcome him as he clenched his fist. Among those feelings, there was also pain and loneliness.

Shadow merely watched Sonic's reaction with confusion. He had no idea what triggered this reaction out of the blue hybrid, and doubted even Sonic understood. If he pressed on it later, the other would most likely not remember a thing. He noticed Sonic's cheek glisten.

"Are you...crying?"

"Huh? No, I'm not..." Sonic touched his face and felt his gloves dampen. I took him a moment to actually realize that yes, he was crying. He used his arms to wipe the rest out of his eyes before more could fall.

"Oh, really?" Shadow mused with a raised brow.

Sonic glared at him with reddened eyes, but didn't reply.

Shadow looked at Sonic with brief concern. He expected the other to deny it, considering how in his book Sonic was synonymous with hubris. The lack of response was alarming. Did he strike a nerve?

He frowned, reminding himself that he didn't care about the other's feelings.

"H-Hey, can you do me a favor?" Sonic's voice was hoarse.

"What, is saving you from that green guy not enough?" Shadow scowled, trying to forget how he was concerned about the other just a few seconds ago.

Sonic stared at him with a serious expression. "Can I hold your hand? Just until I fall asleep. Please?"

Shadow was taken aback by the request and crinkled his nose. What?

"I don't want to be alone."

Sonic's voice was so lonely and genuine that Shadow's eyes widened, and the memory of someone else clouded his mind. He felt...a twinge of sympathy.

Shadow let out a sigh of defeat and sat on the bed. He hesitantly extended his hand towards Sonic who smiled gently as he entwined his fingers with it. He laid his head down on the mattress and got comfortable, their hands only inches from his face. He gave Shadow's hand a couple of small squeezes and caresses as if making sure that he was in reality and not his drugged fantasy. The warmth and contact reminded him of something he missed, but had trouble remembering as it happened so long ago. He let out a content sigh before giving in to exhaustion.

Shadow watched as the other slept for a few moments before pulling his hand out of the other's loosened grasp. Sonic was calm, and his face relaxed. The trail of tears down his cheeks still glistened under the light, and his eyes were still puffy. He placed a blanket over the younger hedgehog, not because he cared, but the sight of the pant-less teen bothered him. He frowned as sat in a nearby armchair, watching the other sleep, and wondered what exactly his boss had in store for the kid.

A/N: The Lounge is pretty representative about the lifestyle Mobian teens have. The restrictions for Overlander kids do not apply to Mobian. For Overlanders, there are rules similar to what we have, like a drinking age and age of consent. Mobians have no laws because many don't have parents to enforce them. They have freedom, yes, but that also means nobody cares about their safety. Mobian children truly are on their own in a harsh world. The Mobian Academy of Station Square was created because of a couple of reasons. 1) Some wealthy sympathetic Overlanders and elder Mobians created a charity because they believe Mobian children are still children and deserve to have a stable lives. 2) GUN supports the school because it allows them to keep control over Mobian children. If they believe GUN cares about them, they won't cause trouble. Any strange activity can be kept under supervision.

In this time period, music and the arts are just coming back. Ever since Overlanders and Mobians rediscovered artifacts from the 21st century, stuff from right before the Xorda invasion, the two species have been trying to catch up and surpass what humanity had achieved. The educational focus has been mostly on science and mathematics. The revival of the arts is very new, and Sonic is very musically talented. It's therapeutic for him, music is very significant in his life. Can you imagine any of the Sonic games without their amazing soundtracks? No. No matter how bad the game, the music is always perfect. For example, Sonic 06.

Also, Sonic's memory? The crack in his psyche has formed. Really important down the line. It's an integral part of Sonic's childhood and plays a huge role in the person he is today. The person he remembered? Have a memory from when you were younger and someone said something to you, but as time went on you forgot what they looked and sounded like? That's now.

Poor Shadow. He's ordered to watch over this kid and now he's actually sympathizing with him? That's not good for him. That's good for us shippers though. I'll take it. Also, Scourge is trash. Hopefully he got a concussion or something. If he hadn't resorted to a cheap tactic, Sonic would've definitely put up a big fight. Remember, Scourge is a coward.

Readers, promise me something. If you ever go to a party, don't EVER take your eyes off your drink and just be cautious okay? There's terrible people out there, and they will fuck your shit up. Sonic made the mistake of leaving his drink alone with Scourge because he honestly didn't expect the green Mobian to stoop so low; never trust others with your drink! I feel like this is important to bring up because New Years is just around the corner.

Also, I edited quite a few mistakes here, but there's bound to be more? Please feel free to look around and correct me. I'm sure I've missed some.