Reassurance

Most people dreaded Mondays for the requirement of going back to work after a fun or restful weekend – but not Shadow. Mondays were his opportunity for a rest, even at work. With less traffic, there was less to worry about, and the club closed earlier. And although part of the reward of going home early was that he and Rouge got to spend more time relaxing together, the hedgehog was still grateful for a quieter shift. He went to work in higher spirits and helped the crew open everything up. Jay, again, asked about Rouge, and Shadow couldn't help but feel a pinch of pity that the young man was hoping she'd be back sooner than expected. But he placated everyone with a brief status update on their boss, then got them started on their tasks before stationing himself in the lobby.

Partway through his shift, a familiar face walked in; someone Shadow was surprised to see. The blue hero spotted him immediately in the mostly-empty room, raising one hand to wave emphatically while a joyful smile spread across his muzzle. Though not adverse to hanging out with Sonic, the Ultimate Lifeform hadn't been expecting any company. Nevertheless, he waved back, his energy low and his expression not changing much. He watched the other speedster glance around the lobby as he approached, thinking he might be looking for Rouge. When he got close enough to speak over the music, he reached out his right hand and greeted the security guard with his signature enthusiasm.

"Afternoon, Shadow!" he started, pausing for a moment until Rouge's boyfriend shook his hand. "Pretty slow day, huh? I bet it's nice to be able to slack off a little."

"I wouldn't say I slack off," Shadow countered, releasing his grip. "Though it is refreshing when there aren't so many people here."

Sonic's hand raised to cup his chin, the corner of his playful smile pulling into a mischievous smirk. "Hm, well maybe you could slack off today, since I'm here! How's about a drink?"

"Huh," the dark hedgehog huffed, looking around the place. Bane was posted by the front entrance and Jay was manning the bar, while only a couple of patrons played the slot machines. So, he looked back to Sonic – grinning expectantly – and gave him a nod. "Fine. Only one."

"Yes!" Sonic quietly celebrated, turning to walk towards the bar. He threw himself onto one of the barstools and drummed on the wooden surface while grinning at Jay. "A couple of beers will do, nothing too strong."

"Of course!" the green fox chimed, smiling at Sonic. He reached down for the bottles and looked inquisitively at Shadow as he slid onto the stool next to the Blue Blur. "You're drinking on the job now? I expect it from Rouge, but that's not normally like you."

"Just this time," replied the dark hedgehog, who then casually pointed his thumb in Sonic's direction. "Mostly to appease him."

Sonic lightly smacked Shadow's arm with the back of his hand and said, "Hey, I appreciate that, man! Rouge hogs your attention too much."

The Ultimate Lifeform shook his head and grabbed one of the beers Jay put in front of them. "No, I prefer to give her most of my time."

"Well, that's just not fair," Sonic claimed after taking his first swig. "Because the rest of us want to hang out with you, too. I think this is the first time I haven't seen her around! Funny, because I came over specifically to talk to her."

Shadow's brows raised as he realized the speedy man didn't know his friend's whereabouts. Jay must've realized, too, because a disappointed "Oh" escaped him.

"Unfortunately, Rouge isn't here," the stolid being informed him.

"What? You're kidding."

He shook his head again, then felt the need to run his fingers through his striped quills. "She's on a mission and won't be back for a couple of weeks."

"Aw, damn. She texted me yesterday, so I thought..." his sentenced trailed off and he took another drink.

"She's keeping in touch with you out there?" Shadow asked, absentmindedly turning the bottle in his palm as it sat on the bartop.

Sonic shrugged one shoulder and lifted his hand to match the gesture. "Kinda sorta. It was really just that one text. She said Knux visited the other day; were you here for that?"

"Yeah, I was. He was looking for her, and I told her about it..." He hesitated, realized he was spinning the bottle, and stopped. "What did she tell you?"

The beer lowered from Sonic's lips and he swiped a finger underneath his mouth before answering, "Pretty much just that he was trying to talk to her. And I know what he wanted – to apologize, like I've been telling him to. But Rouge wasn't sure if she should contact him at all, so she was really asking for my opinion."

"And what did you say?"

The blue hedgehog gave his friend a lighthearted smile, a curve that pulled to one side more than the other. "I told her to do what felt right. Kept it vague 'cause I don't want to be responsible for the outcome; but also because I trust her to know what she truly wants. She always has, after all."

Shadow's gaze fell to the bartop as Sonic went back to drinking, and his eyebrows furled slightly. Did Rouge contact Knuckles after that? She hadn't called him yet for a chat, so he didn't know what she was up to, wherever she was. But he also wanted to trust that he would hear about it as soon as her lovely voice leaked through his phone again. He joined the young hero in gulping down the bottle of weak alcohol, finishing half of it before he heard a continuous buzzing sound coming from Sonic's direction. He discovered it was his cell phone.

Whatever he saw on the screen made the optimistic speedster smile, and he looked up at Shadow while unlocking his phone. "Guess who just texted me?"

"Rouge?" the deeper voice asked, receiving a nod.

Emerald green eyes scanned back and forth, which made Shadow oddly anxious. He kept a hold on his drink and waited for the answer of what was going on. Then Sonic let out a satisfied sigh, which told the idling lifeform that it couldn't be bad news.

"Well, you can put whatever worries you have to bed, my friend," he said, putting his phone away. Shadow was surprised that he'd picked up on his concern; he thought he'd been subtle enough, but apparently Sonic was more observant than he assumed. "She just asked me to tell Knux that she doesn't want to talk to him."

A controlled sigh seeped from the immortal's nose. He tried not to smile too much when he responded, "Glad to hear it. I was a bit on edge about that."

"Don't sweat it, dude! Rouge may be sneaky, but I've personally never known her to betray someone she cares about like that. Hell, even if she did talk to him, it would probably just be to tell him to back off."

"That's a good quality to be reminded of. I wouldn't want to feel like I couldn't trust her."

"From what I've seen, she's crazy about you, so..." Sonic snapped his fingers to point one finger-gun at his drinking buddy. "S'all good."

They shared another few moments of swigging, then a question rolled to the forefront of Shadow's mind. Everything he knew about Rouge's relationship with Knuckles was from her perspective; the whirlwind start, the heartbreaking end, the bitter dislike afterwards – but he didn't quite know what they'd been like together, in-between the most emotional moments.

"If I may ask, as a... concerned partner," he carefully uttered, wanting to cushion the phrasing of his query, "what were they like together? Rouge told me some things, but I'd like to get more context on that time in her life."

"Hmm," Sonic drawled, eyeing Shadow with a bit of caution before returning a sense of snark to his expression. "You sure you want to know? It could make you jealous."

The Ultimate Lifeform's eyes rolled before he could stop them. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, well... they were-" he hesitated for a split second, gazing at the open air to recall memories, "- great together, honestly. Really flirty, like all over each other most of the time; we'd all hang out in a group a lot and it was fun! We spent a ton of time at bars and clubs."

A white-clothed index finger gently tapped beneath his mouth as he continued, "They argued now and then, but they were a passionate couple – so, sure, things got bad sometimes, but the 'good' seemed to be really good."

Shadow worked on finishing off his drink, silently analyzing Sonic's recollection of the bat's past relationship, and subconsciously comparing it to their own. The blue hedgehog leaned back against the bartop and looked at his friend again. "I got the vibe that maybe Knuckles felt a little inadequate in some ways? Like, Rouge always seemed to have everything figured out and breezed through life like it was nothin'. But Knux..." He shook his head. "He just took some things too seriously. Never felt good enough about his accomplishments. And you know, I tried to help him with that! But, friends can only do so much."

A shrug punctuated his sentence and he took a few more drinks of his nearly-empty beer. Shadow's drink was gone now, so he pushed away the bottle and rested his elbow on the bar, letting his hand dangle off the side, then asked, "Do you think he felt like he wasn't enough for her?"

The air was quiet for a moment, then Sonic sighed. "Maybe. He doesn't exactly tell me what's going through his mind most of the time. So, when we were all hanging out, they seemed to be rock-solid; they had fun together. Things were different behind closed doors, I guess."

Silence spread between them again. The black speedster's gaze drifted while he soaked in the words that revealed so much of what he hadn't known before; what he was glad to know now. He zoned out enough to not notice Sonic smirking at his faraway look.

The playful voice returned to ask, "You're comparing, aren't you?"

Shadow blinked and red eyes dragged back to green ones. He didn't get to speak before the Blue Blur added, "It's okay. I probably would be, too. Just don't think about it too much, alright?"

Thick cobalt eyebrows curved to change his visage from cheerful to supportive. "You and Knux are nothing alike. Well... I guess besides the fact that neither of you like to be vulnerable. Otherwise... yeah, Rouge switched it up for a reason. I think you were just the guy she needed."

"You really believe that?"

"Definitely," Sonic nodded confidently. "I think you bring something into her life that she didn't have before: stability. She knows you won't switch up on her, you're... you know, reliable." A bit of cheekiness entered his tone and he put one hand beside his mouth as if he was telling a secret, though his volume didn't lower. "By the way – speaking of stability – I'd put a ring on it, if I were you. Rouge is a catch, and if you're lucky enough to be compatible with her, I'd say don't let that opportunity slip away."

His heart skipped a beat. There it was, another friend encouraging the decision he'd had in the back of his mind for the past month. And with no prompting from Shadow about a proposal, Sonic's cherry-on-top opinion was enough to convince him. Three people vouching staunchly for his commitment to Rouge told him that it really was right. There and then, he let the doubts evaporate, swept back the comparisons, and did away with the last bit of fear he had about sharing his biggest secret with the love of his life.

"Don't worry," Shadow told his bar-buddy, a warm smile touching his lips. "I won't miss my chance."