Partners in Crime

Rouge didn't talk to him at all the next morning. Shadow shrugged it off, deciding she was upset over his poor choice of words to describe the way she had been acting. But in all honesty, he had spoken the truth and didn't believe he deserved to be chastised for it. Sure, it was wrong and he knew that Rouge had been genuinely upset by his words, but he hoped that her anger would motivate her to turn a new leaf. It distressed Shadow to think of Rouge having sex or casual relationships with multiple men. He wasn't sure why exactly, but it did.

Wham!

A plate with waffles, eggs, and bacon was slammed onto the table, right in front of Shadow. He looked up at Rouge incredulously. He never expected her to make him breakfast, especially after what happened last night. Still, he was not one to turn down a hot meal. So he ate graciously. She sat down across from him and sipped her coffee quietly.

On the inside, Shadow felt guilty and wanted to apologize for his poor choice of words. But how would he make it up to her? He had never been exactly 'nice' to Rouge, he was always professional or protective of her… but hardly ever nice. Plus, he still believed his words to be true. Sure, they were harsh, but she was always flirting with multiple men and having casual relationships. What ever happened to courting someone?

Instead of saying anything, he simply ate his breakfast in silence. It was delicious, but he couldn't enjoy it with Rouge shooting him dirty looks. So he decided to break the silence, just this once.

"I shouldn't have used that language with you. It was inappropriate and hurtful."

Rouge's irritated expression changed to one of surprise. She hadn't expected that from Shadow. It wasn't the 'sorry' she was looking for, but she knew he had no intentions of apologizing for what he said. And if he did, he was too stubborn to actually do it. Rouge shook her head.

"Whatever." She said, twirling around tufts of the luscious white fur that covered her head.

He looked up at her, his bloody red eyes holding no emotion. It made Rouge feel frustrated. She could never understand what was going on in his head, no matter how hard she tried. Why was he so mysterious? She was without a doubt the closest person to him… that was alive at least. The only other exception was Omega, but he was a robot, not a person. Here she was, trying her best to be angry with him, but he sure made it difficult. She had to admit that she had a weakness for the black and red hedgehog. For so long she had been alone. For so long, it was just her on the streets, stealing jewels to survive. When she began doing work for the government and eventually met Shadow, she never expected to care for him so much. He uncovered the compassionate side to her that had been hidden from years of pure selfishness.

"I never took you as one to hold grudges." Shadow said after a few more minutes of silence.

This comment definitely offended Rouge.

"You called me a slut less than 8 hours ago, and you expect me to be okay with it?" Rouge growled.

Shadow's eyes narrowed and he looked down at his food.

"I didn't call you a slut. I said you were acting like one. And it's true. Why does this anger you so much? Since when do you care about what anyone says about you?" It was an innocent question. Shadow truly was curious. He had seen the way men looked at her; he heard what other women said about her. He knew that with her advanced hearing she heard it too. But it never seemed to faze her. Rouge wasn't a weak soul. That was part of the reason he almost, kind of sort of actually enjoyed working with her as opposed to other agents. She was strong and didn't let trivial things like words bother her.

"Because, Shadow. You are not just 'anyone.' You're my ally and partner. And… you're… my friend." She choked the last part out nervously, not knowing how he would respond or if he would even agree. "I don't care about what others say about me because they don't really know me. But to hear YOU say that word with me, I'm your partner and we should have respect for each other! You saying that just proved you're no better than all the other miserable dicks that judge me."

Shadow hadn't been sure that it was possible for him to feel even more guilt for what he said, but Rouge proved him wrong.

He finished up his breakfast in time to watch Rouge stand up, grab her purse and get ready to leave.

"Rouge, wait."

Rouge turned around and was startled by how fast Shadow had moved from the kitchen to the front door.

"I… apologize." He said slowly. Even though he was right in front of her, his eyes were downcast. He refused to look at her.

But he still had Rouge's full attention.

"I…" Rouge didn't know what to say. She didn't want to say anything if he refused to look at her though. "Shadow," she said softly, her soft fingers finding his cheek and forcing him to look at her.

His eyes widened at the contact, but he said nothing.

"I appreciate your apology, but I'm still angry with you. I know I brush it off, but those sorts of comments really do hurt me. I'm just a woman, living my life the way I want to."

"I didn't realize that it made you so upset. If I had known, I wouldn't have said it. I mean, I shouldn't have said it in the first place. I am better than everyone else who judges you Rouge. I'll never use that word with you again." He surprised himself with all these words, telling her what was deep within him, letting her know that he cared for her.

She couldn't help it, a smile made its way on her face. It was a genuine smile, not like the seductive or sly ones she had when she was flirting. It was nothing like the tiny smirk she had either. It was a happy smile, and the hedgehog's heart fluttered when he realized how beautiful she looked.

His cheeks flamed up when he realized her hand was still on his cheek.

"Thank you Shadow… I won't invite anymore guys over for sex while you're here. I promise." She said.

He still felt dissatisfied though. He knew it was none of his business what Rouge did in her spare time, but he was concerned that his friend took it too far with her sex life. Rouge saw this dissatisfaction, but chose not to comment on it because she knew it was difficult for Shadow to apologize to her. Though she had been so sure it would have taken a bit more to get it out of him… Maybe he cared about her more than he let on?

"You still haven't forgiven me." He said with a bit of impatience in his voice.

"Aw. Do you really want to make it up to me?" She batted her eyelashes.

Shadow's throat was suddenly dry. He knew she was getting flirtatious again, and even if he didn't want her angry with him, he didn't want her being flirty with him.

"I… suppose…"

"Then come with me." She grabbed his hand, pulling him out the door with her.

…Why? How? WHY?

The Ultimate Lifeform didn't want to believe it was true, but it was more than just true. He was wearing a ski mask, his crimson eyes darting from left to right making sure that no one was giving them suspicious looks.

Is this really all Rouge did when she wasn't on missions for G.U.N.? Have sex and steal jewelry?

"Who the hell steals jewels in broad daylight?" Shadow growled to himself. It was half past noon, and Shadow and Rouge were at one of the most popular jewelry stores in Station Square. He was on top of the roof while Rouge was in the back of the store that only employees had access to. She was snagging some of the new shipments. He monitored her progress on their communicators.

"Are you almost done?" Shadow asked impatiently, tapping his foot. He would never say it out loud, but he was nervous. Not just a little nervous, but incredibly nervous. He didn't underestimate Rouge's thieving skills one bit, but if they got caught then he knew there would be consequences. And not just the standard consequences for any random civilian who got caught in a thieving scandal. Shadow worried not just for himself, but for his beautiful bat friend. What would happen if G.U.N. caught her stealing?

"Shadow, I'm coming up through the vents. Do you still have all the screws?" Her sultry voice rang through the communicator.

"Yes, I have the screws. Please hurry up. I don't want to get caught."

At this, Rouge laughed.

"What? Afraid G.U.N. is going to fire their two best agents if they find out?" She asked tauntingly.

His shoulders slumped. Had she been caught before? This was the most time Shadow had spent with Rouge outside of work in years. Even when he lived with her he tried to remain as closed off as possible. Of course this was the only way she was going to forgive him for using the 's' word. For a moment Shadow felt angry that he had let a four-letter word push him to assist Rouge in one of her crimes. What was even more surprising was that no one seemed to notice a black, veiled hedgehog on the roof. His dark colors contrasted greatly with the bright blue sky. His thoughts were cut off however, when he heard Rouge tripping on her way up. She cursed.

Then, an alarm went off.

"Shit!" She cursed again.

Alarmed, Shadow looked down just in time to see Rouge shimmying her way up through the opening he had created in the roof. He couldn't help noting how the clothing she wore whenever she was stealing something clung to her fantastic, feminine body perfectly. Her face was completely concealed, only allowing her nose and pretty aqua eyes to be shown.

"Hello! Earth to Shadow!" She said, waving her hand in front of him frantically. Had they been under any other circumstances she would have blushed and teased him for 'checking her out.' But since she was covered up more than usual, she didn't think of his stares as endearing, simply him just staring into space.

"Oh…" He breathed, snapping back to reality. He went forward and covered up the entrance to the backroom of the jewelry store. His work was shoddy but he didn't care. He didn't have his Chaos Emerald with him; it was back at his watery apartment.

Police sirens wailed and Rouge gasped as she saw a bunch of officers surrounding the entrance to the jewelry store.

"Shadow, hurry." She growled.

He turned to glare at her.

"Don't rush me, bat." He said, finally placing the last screw. He turned around and his body was instantly pressed against Rouge's, who pulled him towards the edge of the roof.

"Rouge…" He said, inhaling the bat's fruity and alluring scent, a blush crawling onto his cheeks. He calmed down a little when he realized she was only holding onto him so they could fly away. Slowly but surely, his arms wrapped around her waist and she spread her wings, catching flight before the police looked on the rooftops.

He was still blushing. He couldn't help it. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, and what was even more bothersome to him than that disconcerting fact was that it felt nice. He looked at her, but for the first time it seemed that she was focused on 'business,' or whatever their main objective was, while he was busy ogling over her. This wasn't the first time he held onto Rouge when she took flight. He was used to holding onto her strong, powerful legs, usually with Omega beneath him. To be this close to her, holding onto her feminine body that was covered by thick fabric, it gave him a rush of emotions… Feral desire…

"No," Shadow chastised himself.

"Hmm? You say something hun?" Rouge looked down at him. He could tell she was a bit more relaxed, just by looking at her eyes. He could feel her heartbeat, nice and steady. His was still beating rapidly. Why was this giving him such a rush? He was the Ultimate Lifeform, he had faced many foes in his lifetime. He almost teamed up with Black Doom to conquer the world. He witnessed the death of his best friend. What was happening here, that was so exhilarating?

Perhaps it isn't what you're doing, but who you're doing it with.

"No, I didn't say anything."

"Okay sweetie." She said, holding onto him and her bag of jewels as tightly as she could.

He decided to ignore her little nickname for him.

"Why would you steal jewels in the daytime? It's easier to do at night."

"Yeah, but I love a challenge. Wasn't that fun?" She asked, lowering when she reached Night Babylon and saw the alleyway of her club.

"No. What if you get arrested? I'm not bailing you out." Shadow said grumpily.

"Those are interesting words for someone who practically begged for my forgiveness."

"I did not beg." Shadow said stubbornly.

She descended gracefully, placing the dark hedgehog on his feet. He had been so accustomed to having his hands wrapped around her waist that he almost didn't want to let go.

"You came with me on one of my heists, that's a plea all in its own."

Not wanting to get into an argument with her over this, he simply shrugged.

"Whatever you say." He walked past her, taking off his ski mask and entering the club. Since it was a weekday and midday the club was pretty empty. There were only a couple of bartenders who didn't bother looking up to see who had entered the club.

Rouge entered a minute after he did, having taken off her thieving clothes as well. She was in her usual pink and black jumpsuit. He craned his head back slightly, catching a glimpse of the curvy female trailing behind him.

"All is forgiven now, right?" He asked, just to make sure. He didn't want Rouge pulling any funny business on him later.

"Of course, my dear." She gave him a grin, showing off her sharp fangs. "I guess this makes us partners in crime, doesn't it?"

They reached her personal quarters and Shadow turned to face her completely.

"…I guess it does."

"Would you like to do this with me again?" She asked, though there was a suggestive tone in her voice that he didn't like.

"Hmph. Don't push it." He said, moving aside so she could unlock the door.

"Okay. But I do have one more favor to ask of you…" She said, unlocking the door to her apartment.

"And what is that?" He asked, "If it's another heist –"

"Oh, no no no." She laughed, "I know I promised no more guys in my bed this week, but if you do happen to hear me getting it on with someone…" She paused, trying to stifle a laugh.

"What?" Shadow asked, tired of her beating around the bush.

"Wait till I reach my orgasm before you throw him out the window, okay?"

Shadow's jaw dropped and his cheeks turned even redder than before.

Rouge laughed, walking into her apartment, satisfied at her best friend's stunned reaction.

"R-Rouge!" He said, following her indignantly.