Bliss

Rouge's new blackout curtains shielded them perfectly from the morning sun – but they couldn't stay in bed all day. Shadow's phone vibrated on the nightstand as cheerful, hoppy musical notes rang out into the calm air of their bedroom. It stirred him almost immediately, the hedgehog not so fond of sweet harmonies, but he didn't want to turn over and quiet the alarm. Because then, he would have to let go of Rouge's body. She slept in his embrace, with the warm bare skin of her back pressed against the soft blanket of Shadow's furry front. They'd found a way to work around her wings – it actually didn't hurt her much for the hedgehog to lie somewhat on top of one, so long as she didn't move too violently in her sleep.

His right arm was nestled comfortably under the crook of her neck while the left enwrapped her waist, just under her bosom. It was bliss... except for the incessant chirping of his cell. The Ultimate Lifeform reminded himself that the point of it was to wake him up and get him out of bed. But he couldn't help but nuzzle his forehead into the back of his girlfriend's hair, smelling the lavender aroma of the shampoo she'd started using recently; because Shadow had mentioned he liked the scent. It was the only flower he found pleasant.

Finally, he turned his body and slipped his left hand from Rouge's stomach, arcing it towards the nightstand and grabbing his phone. The sing-songy sound was quelled with a flick of his thumb. It would be time for Rouge's club to open soon, but she was still fast asleep and breathing softly. Shadow thought it might be one of those days where she decided to go in late – but why not attempt to wake her anyway? He rolled towards her, letting his phone lay on the mattress so he could scoop her waist in his grasp again, then hugged her tightly and kissed her tan cheek.

"Rouge," he whispered, waiting for her to shift. When she didn't, he repeated himself slightly louder, to the same result.

He knew it; some days she was an extraordinarily heavy sleeper, and the same alarm tones that worked on him did nothing to her. The bat hadn't set her own, so maybe she had been sort of planning to sleep in? He assumed so. Therefore, he carefully slid his right arm out from under her and looked over her sleeping form one more time before giving her his portion of the blanket.

He took the most direct route to Club Rouge, which gave him some time to stop for a bit on the way. Shadow had been working himself up for a while to visit the jewelry store downtown; now that he was alone with a few extra minutes at his disposal, he knew it was time to get it done. He parked his motorcycle in front of the store and walked up to one of the big open windows. Looking through the transparent glass, he could already see some decent contenders for the ring he would be presenting to the love of his life.

Two years together was long enough to consider engagement, wasn't it? Shadow thought so, and he couldn't imagine Rouge would say no, but he was still uneasy about pulling the trigger. And frustratingly, there was no obvious reason as to why. He tugged at the collar of his navy-blue security shirt. The thought of sliding a diamond onto her finger felt right, even made him happy – but anxiety sprung up all the same.

'Only because it's a big step...' he reasoned to himself as he stared down at the jewels basking behind the store window. 'Anyone would be nervous.'

The maroon-striped hedgehog hesitated to go inside, but made himself enter anyway, tensing at the chime of the tiny bell above the door. There were a few people inside, but what made him want to turn around was the store clerk's attention immediately snapping to him. He ignored the human's attempted eye contact and went over to one of the raised glass boxes holding an assortment of gem-encrusted accessories. Even though he was there for the rings, Shadow also noted the amethyst-adorned bracelets and necklaces on display.

Then, he cringed at the female voice approaching from behind. "Welcome to Janey's Jewelry, can I help you find something today?"

"No, thank you," he said, his gaze fixed on the gems. "I'm just browsing."

"If you're interested in our amethyst collection, you should take a look at the bejeweled platinum wrist cuffs!" Stepping beside him, she leaned over a bit and pointed at a pair of tall metal bracelets with purple stones lining the center.

His brow furrowed as he flitted his eyes towards the cuffs, then up at the young blonde who was no doubt trying to push a sale. He repeated himself, "No... thank you. Just looking."

Brown eyes trailed over his quills while her expression changed from friendly to awkward. It seemed she was desperate to get him to buy something, because she kept trying.

"I see you're quite a fan of the color red! Perhaps you would like to see what we have available in the ruby collection? We have more than enough ruby accessories with a gold finish, if you're interested in finding something that matches your style!"

An annoyed sigh left Shadow's lips and he turned away from the human; away from the jewelry. He tossed a careless, "I don't have time," into the air and walked outside again, the bell chiming once more with his exit.

'What a rude way to do business,' he thought, climbing back on his motorcycle. He'd find a ring one day. He wasn't really looking to buy right then, anyway. He'd go back when he had more time. For now, it was enough that he went into the store at all.

Shadow made it to Club Rouge a few minutes after opening, parking his bike next to the owner's designated spot. Before going inside, he executed a perimeter check, walking around the building and finding nothing suspicious. Then he entered the club through the locked back entrance, equipped with his small keyring and the walkie-talkie that clipped onto his black belt. The casino lobby was well-occupied, the sunny Saturday afternoon bringing in a spattering of regulars and young people who were getting an early start on their weekend partying.

The group he was most familiar with by now were the male hedgehogs who always bogarted the billiards table. Always the same handful of people in their little crew, always smoking more than drinking, and annoyingly, always staring at Rouge when she was around. Shadow didn't like them any more now than he did when he'd first seen them. But they didn't cause trouble, so he let them be, as much as he kept an eye out just in case. He looked over and saw Jay working the lobby bar, the dark green fox checking his stock of liquor while he had no patrons. The surveying security supervisor decided to check in with him before starting his patrol.

"Hey, Jay," he greeted, raising one hand briefly. "You're not low on inventory, are you?"

The young bartender shook his head, straightening up and giving Shadow a subdued smile. "No, I was just double checking. We're all good for today!"

He earned a nod from the hedgehog, then spoke up to stop him from walking away so soon. "Um, is Rouge not coming in today?"

"I'm not sure. She's sleeping in, at least."

Jay looked a little downcast at the answer, but he simply turned his attention back to the bar, retrieving the white rag he used to buff the bartop. "Okay. Was just wondering."

He wasn't just wondering; Shadow knew the fox still carried a bit of a flame for his boss. But the Ultimate Lifeform tried to limit talking about her to spare the kid's feelings. Even if he was really an adult, Jay felt so young to Shadow, the hedgehog's maturity far more developed. Though, he wasn't surprised the fox's crush had sustained for so long. Rouge was easy to fall in love with.

The stoic, navy-laden guard began his patrol around the club, walking the edge of the room and scanning his gaze across his surroundings. The customers were behaving themselves for now, even as the pool players got more boisterous with each game won. He was climbing the spiral staircase to the second story when his cell phone vibrated in his shirt pocket. Pulling it out, he saw Rouge's name on the screen while the black rectangle shook in his palm.

Shadow smiled and answered, "Hey, you."

"Heyyy," her voice dragged, soft and a touch apologetic. "Sorry I didn't get up this morning. I was sleeping pretty hard."

"It's fine." He looked around the second-floor disco while they talked, offering the bouncer a respectful nod when they made eye contact. "I figured you wanted to sleep in. Everything looks good here."

"That's great. Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be coming in at all today. I got called for a mission."

"Oh," Shadow muttered, a little disappointed. "How long will you be gone?"

She sighed on the other end of the phone in a way that sounded like she was recalling information. "The Commander said about three weeks? But he rounded up, so maybe less than that."

He was quiet for a moment, raising his free hand to rest on his hip. After a couple seconds of silence, the bat sighed again – more gently – and said, "Sorry, sugar. I know it's last minute."

"No, it's okay. You have a job to do – don't let me keep you from it." His smile returned and he added, "I'll take good care of your business while you're serving the people."

Rouge chuckled a little. "Thanks. I'll call as much as I can, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too... Bye."

Shadow didn't like to say goodbye back, not when she was actually leaving. They hung up at the same time and he resumed his duty for a couple hours before going home. He would return to wrangle the evening crowd when the sun went down.

The movie he'd put on to pass the time was halfway over when Shadow got a call from one of Club Rouge's bouncers. Immediately, he knew it was something bad, because they never called otherwise. The wolf on the other side sounded like he'd had an altercation.

"Can you come in sooner?" he asked in a gruff, irritated tone. "There's a jackass outside demanding to see Rouge. I don't trust him and he won't leave."

Shadow left the couch and turned off the TV. "How aggressive?"

"Well, he did try pushing through – I had to block the door. Didn't get more physical than that, but he's still out there being loud."

"Alright, I'll be on my way soon." The hedgehog retrieved his uniform. "Just watch the door until I get there."

Someone demanding to see Rouge? That wasn't good, especially if they were causing a scene. He had a sinking feeling as he sped back to the club.