Notes: Hey guys! Thank you all so much for all the positive feedback on this story so far. I'm so excited to continue writing these :D This one takes place a couple of weeks after the previous chapter. Enjoy!

Scourge sat on the roof of his apartment building, watching the summer sky turn different colors as the sun went down. As thanks for helping to save the multiverse, the government had gifted him with the keys to a brand new shiny apartment. He'd moved in about a week ago, finding the place small and completely unfurnished save for a bed and a couple other necessities. He guessed they assumed that he would bring more stuff with him when he moved in, but Scourge owned little more than the clothes on his back. A communicator from Tails, a toothbrush and other basic toiletries, the fondue pot he'd taken as a souvenir from the President's mansion, and a CD that Sonic insisted he listen to, even though he had no way to play it. That was it. So even though his place wasn't very big, the place felt empty, lonely, and oppressive. In other words, the exact opposite of the workshop, the place that had been his home since he left Zone Jail. And what reminded him of Zone Jail? His barren apartment. Joy.

Not terribly eager to spend large amounts of time in his new place, Scourge often found himself outside, exploring Station Square and getting a feel for his new surroundings. The city had suited his needs well enough: a long beach and lots of stretches of highway that were good for running, a bar a few blocks away where he could drink and play pool (he missed pool, he was pretty good at it but he hadn't played in years), and a pizza place that had good garlic knots and free delivery. But didn't feel welcome, since rumors about his 'evil twin' status had spread fast. People tended to give him wide berth as he walked down the sidewalk, causing him to feel alone in a city of hundreds of thousands.

He was used to having a team with him- the Supression Squad, the Destructix, or nowadays, Sonic and his friends- but for now, in terms of his living situation, he was on his own. Again, something that wouldn't be so bad if his apartment wasn't completely and utterly empty.

He supposed he could just go out and buy furniture. It wasn't like he didn't have money. He was given a decent amount by the government, and suffering from what was potentially PTSD definitely helped him weasel a few more mobiums out of them... but what would he even buy? What did most apartments usually have in them? If he was being honest with himself, he'd never lived in a normal house before. He'd lived everywhere from a fancy mansion to an abandoned warehouse, but nowhere that really suited him. He didn't need a ton of things, since he was just living by himself and didn't like staying cooped up inside for too long anyway. But with his apartment as empty as it was, it was just dreary, and not at all what a home should feel like. Or at least, what he thought a home should feel like. The closest thing he had to a home was the workshop, but that was just because he'd stayed there long enough and because his friends were there. How were you supposed to make a place feel like home with no one but yourself living there and nothing to fill up the empty space?

The answer to that question probably wasn't "sit on the roof and watch the sunset and be moody about the whole thing", but that's what Scourge decided to do anyway.

It had been a hot day, but being high up on the roof, there was quite a bit of breeze, and it rustled his new leather jacket around and blew through his short quills. He could smell the ocean even from way up there, catching little whiffs of sea air intermingled with the scents of car exhaust and hot food cooking in carts on the street below. He dropped his sunglasses down over his eyes as he watched as the sun started to duck below the horizon, turning the clouds pink and orange. The warm sky mixed with the cool sea breeze felt oddly comforting. This was a view he could get used to.

The sounds of horns honking blared up from the street below as the sunset grew more intense. Scourge's ear flicked at the noise. He still wasn't quite used to living in the city, as he was more accustomed to living on the outskirts rather than right smack in the middle of the action. Station Square was alright, as cities went. Nice place, good food, good views of the ocean. Not that he particularly enjoyed the ocean, but he could still appreciate the sight. The water shone orange, the crests of the waves a bright white. Maybe he'd run on the beach later. He'd been running a lot, still trying to process that this was his life now, and Emerald Coast seemed like a pretty good spot.

He heard the roof hatch open up as someone else climbed up. He swung his head around, catching a glimpse of pink. Oh, right, Amy Rose "coincidentally" lived in the same building as him. Joy. They lived on different floors, so they didn't run into each other often, but it was still too often for Scourge's liking.

Amy climbed out of the hatch, straightening her dress as she reached solid ground and stood up straight. The striking sunset caught her eye, followed immediately by the green hedgehog sitting only twenty feet away. Scourge tried to get a read on her expression. She was squinting because of the harsh light, but aside from that, she didn't seem particularly put-off by his presence. Considering most of their previous encounters involved fighting, the green hedgehog remained wary.

Instead of summoning her hammer, like Scourge half-assumed she would, she walked over and sat down on the floor next to him, carefully folding her dress underneath her. "Hey, neighbor," she said, taking note of the Moebian's frustrated expression. "Whatcha up to? Brooding?"

Scourge scoffed. "I don't brood. Who do you think I am, Shadow?" he said, making Amy crack a smile. Her cheerful expression did nothing to un-sour his. "And it's none of your business what I'm up to."

"Hmph. I'm only trying to make conversation," the girl crossed her arms over her chest.

"S'that why you came up here? To make conversation?"

"No, I didn't know you were up here," she pouted. "The weather's been gorgeous today, and I wanted to watch the sunset. The roof's the best vantage point." Both hedgehogs turned their attention to the slowly setting sun, watching as the sky danced in warm colors. The clouds were all bright pink and yellow, practically glowing. It was late July, and it was evident in the hot weather. While they were cool up on the breezy rooftop, they could also see the heat rising up from the city, wobbling and distorting some of the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Scourge grunted. "I guess," he said, frowning a bit. He wasn't in the mood for talking, especially not with Amy, someone who he'd fought with numerous times in the past. Sure, they were on the same side now, but that didn't mean they had to like each other. They hadn't interacted much since Scourge turned hero, so he couldn't quite gauge where they stood.

Amy, ignoring his curt answer, tried again to spark a conversation. "Y'know, there was a story on the news about you today. Apparently people are still really curious about the new Sonic-lookalike in town."

Now that, Scourge couldn't ignore. "Yeah? What'd they have to say about me?" He kind of doubted it was anything good, since people mostly knew him as 'evil dimension Sonic.' Not exactly a great reputation.

"Well, they had it from a 'very reliable source' that you come from alternate dimension where everyone is evil, happiness is outlawed, and it rains blood on a weekly basis. I'm not even exaggerating."

The green hedgehog raised an eyeridge, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Holy shit," he said, shaking his head lightly. "So is that why the old lady a few doors down from me keeps givin' me the stink-eye? She thinks I'm gonna make it rain blood?"

Amy laughed, smiling. "I wouldn't be surprised. People will believe anything they hear on tv."

"Seriously. What news station was this? Because I have half a mind to go over there and give 'em a crash course in Moebian history. Frankly, I'm insulted. If they'd done their research, they'd know that happiness is punishable by death, and that the blood rain happens bi-weekly."

"Oh yes, naturally," Amy joked. "It's not fair that they're painting you in such a bad light, though. I mean, Sonic trusts you, why shouldn't everyone else?"

"Uh, I dunno if that's how trust works… Hey, is that why you haven't tried to knock me into next week yet? 'Cause I'm on Sonic's good side?"

"Hey, I'm giving you a chance, mister." She shot him a look, primarily light-hearted but with a serious fire in her eyes. She flexed her swinging arm. "Don't give me a reason to use this, because I won't hesitate. There'll be a Scourge-shaped dent in the pavement by the time I'm done with you."

"Alright, alright," the green hedgehog said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Just… tryin' to make conversation."

Amy giggled. "Oh, how the tables have turned," she said, placing her hands back in her lap. "But that's not the only reason I'm being polite, you know. We went from living in different dimensions to living in the same apartment building. Whether we like it or not, we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other. We should at least try and be friendly."

"I don't do friendly, Pinky."

"Civil, then."

Scourge humphed in reluctant agreement. As much as he still kind of wanted to pick a fight with Amy, the arrangement was fine by him: one less person who would act like a jerk to him was something he could live with. A lot of people, as soon as they saw him and realized he wasn't Sonic, had shied away from him, both in the building and around town. Sure, he had an… abrasive personality, to put it lightly, but these people weren't even giving him a chance. What, had everyone seen that news report? He sniffed. "While you're at it, mind tellin' everyone else in this damn city to try bein' civil, too? People been treatin' me like I got the freakin' plague or somethin'."

Amy frowned. "Really?" she said, her green eyes looking out over the city. "That's unusual… the people around here are usually friendly enough, especially to people who are friends with Sonic."

"Yeah, well, that's the thing, ain't it? I ain't just Sonic's friend. I'm his evil twin, too."

"I wouldn't say evil," the girl shrugged. "At least, not anymore. You saved the world! Lots of worlds, from what I understand."

"Yeah, but… I dunno. It was never about saving people for me, it was about kicking ass and making sure the multiverse didn't get destroyed, just because I didn't want to get killed in the process. I saved the day for pretty fuckin' selfish reasons." He looked down at the ground, his brow tense as he shook his head. "I still dunno if I'm cut out for this whole good guy biz."

"Y'know what I think?" Amy said, standing up and smoothing out her dress. "The fact that you're worrying about whether you can be a good guy, and what people think of you… it shows you care. And if you care, I think you're already on the right track."

Scourge stared up at her, wide-eyed, like something had just clicked. This was something he spent a lot of time thinking about, wasn't it? He could still barely believe that he'd wound up a sort of hero, since he didn't think it was something he'd ever be able to do. He didn't think he was cut out for this, but he wanted to be. This was the life he'd chosen for himself, and he wanted to make it worthwhile. He said nothing, but dropped his gaze as Amy walked towards the edge of the roof. She rested her arms on the wall that went around the edge, coming up to her chest.

"Hey," she nodded over to him. "Come over here, the sun's about to go all the way down. The ocean looks fantastic."

"In my opinion, oceans are never fantastic," the green hedgehog grumbled, but ultimately got to his feet. He stepped over to the edge, leaning up against the wall.

"Something else you have in common with Sonic," the girl hummed. She watched as the sun dipped below the ocean, painting everything a deep red.

Scourge ran a finger through his short, choppy quills, casually wondering if they'd ever grow back. "Yeah, we got a lotta shit in common. Which is fuckin' weird, since my world is supposed to be the opposite of yours. I'm a jerk, but Sonic and I are way too similar to be opposites. And this was even before we were on the same side."

"Huh. Yeah, that's true…. You're both fast, hate water, you used to be blue… Your personalities aren't even on opposite ends of the spectrum, are they? I mean, if you can put personalities on a spectrum."

He shrugged. Differences between alternate dimension Sonics was a conversation he'd expect to have with Z, not with Amy Rose on top of a roof, watching the sunset. Near the horizon, the sky was still brilliantly vibrant, though the other parts of the sky were starting to darken and dim. Lights all around the city began to flick on, the ones on the street having been turned on a while ago. It was a pretty good view, since the apartment building was nice and tall. The whole city was lighting up.

"Kind of wish we were in Mystic Ruins right now," Amy hummed to herself. "You can see the city skyline really well from there. I bet it looks fantastic right about now. It's hard to tell when you're right in the middle of it."

"Yeah… Guess I never thought of it like that. I grew up outside a major city, so I saw the skyline all the time. Got a good view of all the lights at nighttime. It's different to be inside it, lookin' out."

"Jeez, what kind of house did you have where you could see the city that easily?" Amy smiled, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"A rich, fancy one. I hated it," Scourge said, refusing to delve any deeper into what his childhood home was like. "Huh. Maybe that's why my apartment's only got like, three pieces of furniture inside," he said with a smirk. "Gotta keep the place as un-fancy as possible."

"You're exaggerating, right?" Amy asked, not sure if she believed him. "You've gotta have more than just three things."

"Uh… bed, folding chair, table. Three," the Moebian counted off on his fingers.

The girl's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. How empty is your place?! What if you have company over?"

Scourge smirked. "Not a problem, my bed's a king size. Plenty of room."

"That's not the kind of company I meant," Amy glared at him.

He laughed, a rare happy sound. "Ha, I'm just bustin' yer chops," he snorted, crossing his arms over the short wall on the roof's edge. He rested his head in his arms, still smiling. "But yeah, my joint's pretty empty. Why do ya think I'm hangin' out up here?"

"Y'know, there is a way to make your apartment feel less empty."

"Yeah? Is it… get more furniture?"

"Yes. And I'm willing to help you. House shopping is a lot harder than you'd think," she nodded as Scourge looked at her in disbelief. "I'm guessing you don't have much for your kitchen, and you're going to need something because trust me, you'll need to cook at some point. Not to mention all sorts of cleaning supplies, stuff for your bathroom, living room, bedroom… I mean, there's living minimalistically, and then there's living with nothing. One is definitely better than the other."

"Um," the green hedgehog said, causing her to pause. "I don't remember hiring you as my interior designer."

Amy's eyes lit up, like he just said the magic words. "Can I be though? I haven't had anything to do since the whole Time Eater fiasco, I promise I won't make your place won't look too fancy or flashy or anything-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Scourge interrupted her, standing up straighter. "I don't need someone to help me pick out shit. I'll spruce up my place how I see fit," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes. Amy laced her fingers together and looked up at him, practically pleading. "Ugh… but if you're that desperate for something to do… I guess you can come with me to the furniture store. If I tell myself that I'll go alone, it'll never get done anyway…"

"Woooo!" Amy cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "Oh my gosh, this is gonna be so much fun, we're really gonna make your place feel like a home!"

"Heh, yeah… never really had one of those before," he said, lowering his voice a bit. "Never had a normal life in general. Don't really know what to do with myself now."

"Well… let's just take it one step at a time, okay?" the pink one smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Living on Mobius might take some time for you to get used to, and yeah, it can get kind of boring when you're so used to fighting… That's one of the reasons I like being with Sonic so much. There's never a dull moment with him."

Scourge barked out a laugh, shrugging her hand off of him. "Tell me about it."

"I would, but we'd be here all night," Amy giggled. "How 'bout tomorrow? We'll go shopping and swap stories?"

The moebian hesitated, but eventually agreed. "Yeah, alright."

"Cool." She turned, walking away from the side of the roof and heading towards the hatch that lead back downstairs. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

The green one grunted, lazily waving a hand at her. The girl disappeared back into the building, and his eyes drifted back to the darkening city. He took a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth. Well, hanging out with Amy wasn't something he expected to be doing. It would probably be good for him… and for his apartment. Chaos knows that place was in need of a makeover. Amy seemed to have a good grasp on what kind of things he'd need. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Chaos, he was really not used to this. "First time for everything," he muttered, content to stay outside and watch the lights of the city a little bit longer. Station Square didn't feel like home yet, but these things took time. That was one concept he was all too familiar with. But he and Amy becoming friends… that would definitely speed up the process, he had a feeling.

The sun was gone from view, the edge of the horizon still a bright yellow orange from the light wrapping around the globe. In the opposite direction though, the sky was a dark blue, the moon fully visible. Scourge made a confused face as he noticed that a good portion of the moon seemed to be gone, something he'd have to ask Sonic and Tails about later. Maybe Amy would know. 'For being the Prime Zone, Mobius is a weird-ass place,' he thought, amused. He could get used to living in a place like this.

Notes: I'm just getting this out of the way now, this isn't intended to be Scourgamy. I don't really ship, and I don't write about shipping. If you ship it, that's totally fine! But it's not happening in this story. They're just gonna be friends. Okay? Okay.

But yeah, Scourge and Amy in the same apartment building in Station Square! That'll lead to some interesting scenarios. At some point I'll probably write about them getting lost in an equivalent to Ikea, and then trying and failing to put furniture together. But for now, I'll just leave this plot thread as is.

Side note! I'm part of a Sonic skype group with my friends Hikareh and Yamiii, and a few other cool peeps. We talk about headcanons and the games and give each other writing advice and whatnot, and it's a lot of fun! If you're interested in joining, drop me a line :) We'd love to have more people!

Hope you enjoyed this one! Thank you so much to everyone who leaves a review, they make my day. See you all again next month!