3 - Friends - 3

Evening, 9:45 PM

That nickname, one that was originally spoken from Sonic first when they met all those years ago. Shadow narrowed his eyes with a firm frown as he watched that smirk on the hero's peach muzzle turn into a leer real in seconds. Just what insult would he say next?

"..." Shadow said nothing. Rouge began to look rather uncomfortable from the rising tension between them, and began to sip her drink rather timidly.

"..." Silence from Sonic as well. "...Ha! I'm just kiddin'." A more light hearted smile replaced the sneer from before, and his demeanor became a lot less hostile. 'Guess he really was just joking. "How ya been, Shads? You look great, man! We barely talk, but I hope this isn't too much. I know you ain't really a party person so I wanted to break you in with a smaller gig of mine."

Chaos, this was a small party? What did a big party hosted by Sonic look like? Shadow cleared his throat with a much more calm and semi-polite manner. "I'm fine, I suppose. This was a lot to take in at first, and I see you spent-" Dear God, was that an ice sculpture behind them? Of him? Holy crap, it was. It was an ice sculpture of Shadow, planting his foot onto the head of an Eggman robot. Not gonna lie, that was kind of cool looking. Who the hell made a sculpture of him? And when? How much did that cost? Blinking slowly at this, he attempted to continue. "A lot...For...The party." He scratched behind his head, he kind of felt bad about this. He didn't deserve all of this stuff. "I suppose I should thank you. This is a lot and, well—I see how hard you worked to put this together at the last minute. I don't deserve all of this. A cupcake with a candle would have been fine."

Sonic wheezed out a hardy laugh. "Pffftt hahahahahaaa! A cupcake with a candle? Please, I haven't done that since Tails was like six years old! No no no, my friends deserve the best. I could have thrown a bigger party but yeah, it was last second and I didn't wanna scare you off." The blue hedgehog then pouted and crossed his arms. "Plus the mayor wouldn't let me host it in that fancy concert venue a few blocks from here. Said the last time I did that, I broke the sound barrier with my speakers. So freakin' lame..." After he sucked his teeth he shrugged. "But, it all came together like I planned. Not too shabby, could have used a bit more confetti." He then readjusted his the position of his thighs uncomfortably. "Then again, maybe not. I have like, confetti under my tail...And maybe up my ass." Shadow choked on his caviar while Rouge snorted. Well he was definitely completely relaxed, as usual. "I've got a whole rainbow in my butt right now."

After giggling a little more, Rouge asked an obvious question. "Baby boy, are you drunk already?"

"Girl, of course not." Sonic said with a small laugh. "Maybe a teensy bit buzzed. Alcohol just doesn't kick in as hard as it does for you guys, I hate that. I gotta hammer in like, twenty beers just to get a little tipsy. Fifty to get somewhat drunk. I downed like three shots of whiskey back to back and I can barely feel anything. It burns like hell goin' down but it does nothing to me." Shadow took note of this, as this was interesting. Getting intoxicated was difficult for him as well, perhaps due to the chaos energy in their bodies. "Anyway, enough about me, congrats, bud!" He leaned over the table to nudge Shadow's shoulder. "Frankly, GUN should have given you that medal the moment you joined them but hey, what do I know? You take down bad guys faster than me sometimes and that's worth celebrating for a whole year. I've been waiting for an excuse to throw something for you for ages, Shadow."

He then felt Rouge kick him under the table with her stabbing highheel. In other words, "I told you so", in her own way. After giving her a small glare, he nodded to Sonic's words. "I appreciate it, I suppose. I won't forget this, Sonic."

Sonic placed his elbows on the table as he leaned closer to Shadow, his eyes shining with a sense of honor. "You know, we don't see eye to eye too often. But if it wasn't for you, a lot of people, including himself, wouldn't be alive right now. I'll never be able to properly repay you for that."

Oh.

Did he...really feel that way? He never thought he would. Okay, too much thinking right now. He should change the subject. "I see your chaos abilities have grown since we last met."

"Mmnn, yeah, kinda," Sonic made a rather disappointed pout. "They're pretty dope, but I still don't have good control like you do. To be honest, that was the best I ever did, and it was suuuuper hard. Had to gulp like three water bottles after that. The most I can do on the regular is make something pop for a few seconds, not super cool. But hey, I'm practicing." He started to whisper. "Hey. Don't tell anybody this, but you do realize I only started practicing to get better 'cause of you, right?"

He did? He inspired Sonic to get stronger? "...Really?" Shadow asked.

The hero nodded his head with a smile. "Yup, yup. You helped me take my job a lot more seriously. So, guess I gotta thank you for that. Anyway, GUN would be nowhere near a 'guardian of peace' they claim to be if it wasn't for them taking the stick outta their asses and trusting you. Now everyone in the world respects GUN, and feel safer all thanks to you." He felt Sonic place his hand on his shoulder again, but this time, he gripped it a little. His expression became serious, his smile dissolving a little. "You're doing good work and you need to keep going." He took his hand off of his shoulder and began to walk away. "Maria would be proud of you." Was all he said before leaving the table and diving back into the crowd.

Did he actually just...Say that to him?

As Sonic walked away to greet the guests again, he started to show a side that Shadow never thought he would see. He was making sure everyone was okay like a responsible party host, but he had personally never saw Sonic show genuine care for strangers before. "Hey you! How ya been? Yeah? You good? Yo, yo! You doin' good, too? You drunk already? Yeah? Good." But then, he stumbled upon one of their GUN colleagues. Rouge liked this one in particular, Topaz was her name if he remembered correctly. "Woah, woah, woah." He grabbed hold of her, as the woman was losing balance. "You are definitely not okay. You conscious? You feel sick?" The woman shook her head. "How many drinks did you have? Okay, did you eat something?" She shook her head again. "Oh no buddy, my friend, you can't just hammer away drinks and not eat. D'you need to puke?" He saw the woman nod. "Yeah? Want me to call you a cab? Alright, don't worry about it, I'll handle it, you just take it easy, take some food with you for the road and we'll get you home, okay?" He watched him let the woman take his shoulder and lean on him for support. "You gotta pace yourself! I understand trying to keep up with the youngins, but not at your own expense. You're alright, come on." The hero took the time to slowly help her walk out of the budling. "I'll help you outside, let's take it slow, one step at a time…"

...Tch.

Damn it, he couldn't deny it now. Rouge was right. Sonic was just that nice. But, no—They had a deal! As nice as he was acting, this was still for a selfish gain in some aspect that he just couldn't figure out at the moment. That had to be what it was, it had to. Otherwise, he would have been wrong about him all this time. And if he was, he-

-No. He should just enjoy the party. That's all, no big deal.

As time passed during the party, he watched Rouge go off and dance with the red echidna, Knuckles. It was actually both sweet and hilarious, because Knuckles apparently had no rhythm. She could do nothing but laugh at his efforts, before grabbing his arms and hands to show him how to move in certain ways that didn't make him look like he was having a seizure. Shadow was put off by the fact that the echidna was even here, because he knew that he liked to be alone as well. He isolated himself just like Shadow, up on an angelic island in the sky to guard the Master Emerald with his very life, twenty-four seven. He assumed Sonic broke through that wall however, and convinced him to come down to Mobius more often and live a little. Rouge probably helped with that too, but he could see how Sonic's friendship must have effected him. He too, grew with age like Sonic did. He was already a larger male than Sonic was thanks to his ridiculous physical strength, because he got just a little bit bigger and muscular. He was almost a little worried he would break Rouge's hands. But unbeknownst to everyone else, Shadow always respected Knuckles. All work no play, he liked that in a comrade. He knew how to control his power, and be gentle when need be. When Shadow looked over more to the left, he saw the pink hedgehog, Rose, or Amy Rose to be exact.

According to the bat, Sonic threw her a Sweet Sixteen birthday party some years ago and it was nearly just as grand as this one. She looked extravagant tonight. Her quills grew longer as she aged, and they were now down her back. She had a sparkly red braided headband, and a small amount of lip gloss. She wore a light pink sundress that fluttered with every move of her hips, her signature golden rings on her wrists without gloves, white stockings and black chunky Mary Jane heels. She moved rather well, getting others into high spirits and following her lead. She was beginning to create a conga line behind her, and considering some people in here were humans, it was kind of funny to watch taller beings put their hands on the shoulders of shorter Mobians to continue the line. He couldn't deny it was pleasing to watch, as he was glad there wasn't much of a rift between Overlanders and Mobians anymore. Right next to this, he saw what Shadow liked to call Sonic's own shadow and his favorite of the colorful bunch, Tails.

Truth be told, he didn't look like he was having much fun, but he was clearly attempting to. He was recording the conga line, nodding his head to the music while taking a sip of a cup of soda, the only liquid at the party he was allowed to drink besides juice and water. He looked slightly bored, maybe because parties weren't his thing either. He wouldn't be surprised if the fox was as introverted as Shadow was, since geniuses tended to stay to themselves to begin with. The fox definitely got a little taller, more yellowish orange strands of hair on his head and he appeared to have grown a rat-tail ponytail. He wore a beige vest with a white dress shirt underneath with the sleeves rolled up. He snapped his fingers on beat of the music, and as the beat dropped, everyone raised their hands up in the conga line to pose in front of his phone. After a flash, they all laughed and cheered for each other while Tails saved the photo on his device. Then, he looked at the phone screen to see the time, and noticed it was nearly 11 PM. He held up a hand and waved goodbye to Amy and the others who waved back with happy smiles, before picking up a gift basket and walking towards the exit of the building. He must have been informed by Sonic that since he was still a minor, he couldn't stay the entire time. Again, Shadow had to admit, quite responsible.

People like the rabbit girl's mother and other older adults were casually mingling and drinking together. He noticed the rabbit woman was taking back glasses of wine like water, which was both impressive and a little scary. Any other woman would be plastered by now but she looked almost completely sober. She looked like she was having a good time though, and that's all that mattered. She was talking with the crocodile of that group, the Chaotix, was it? Vector. Right beside him was the chameleon, Espio, if he remembered right. That bee boy wasn't here obviously because of his age. Perhaps this sounded silly, but Shadow never truly realized how one could have fun in their own way, even in a situation they didn't particularly like. Maybe he could learn from that. But frankly, he liked basking in this atmosphere. It was positive, free and quite welcoming. Watching everyone else have a good time was enough for him, and he liked enjoying the party this way.

Suddenly, the music gradually waned out, and the crowd settled down a little. Almost instinctively, the party guests all looked at the stage where the DJ was supposed to be mixing. A blue blur suddenly appeared on stage with a microphone, and the hero leaned against the setup while the spotlight shifted on him. "Bring it in, bring it in people." The crowd huddled closer towards the stage, and Shadow found himself standing up from his table and moving along with them. He was somewhere in the front, watching the blue hedgehog for what he would say next. "Alright, I think that's everyone. And I see the people sitting down are looking and listening. Cool." He twirled the microphone while clearing his throat. "Tonight, we gathered here together to celebrate someone's unbeatable endurance. You all already know who I'm talking about," He glanced upwards with squinting eyes. "Spotlight?" The light then shifted from Sonic to hone directly on Shadow, who's pupils instantly reacted the moment the bright light was put on him. Everyone immediately looked in his direction, warm smiles directed his way. "Shadow," Sonic began sincerely with an ardent smile. "Not gonna lie, when we first met, you scared the shit outta everybody." This caused a round of laughs to echo in the venue. "But then, when we all saw what you were really about, we realized we had you all wrong. Now, I'm only admitting it now 'cause I'm a little drunk—But!" He interrupted the audience from laughing at this. "A drunk mind speaks a sober heart, and I always respected Shadow, and always found him to be almost cooler than me." His voice shifted, he was completely serious. "You've been a worthy opponent, but an even better ally. You haven't even worked at GUN for a decade and you're already making crazy moves. This is only the tip of the iceberg for you, so don't stop now. There's so much more for you to do."

There was something growing in Shadow's chest, something warm. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. This overwhelming appreciation was a little too much for him, he wasn't used to it. Everyone around him just nodded in approval and clapped for him, cheering his name and patting him on the back. So many people, people who he's never even talked to or met were congratulating him, saying he deserved the award. Saying he's deserved it for some time. He just didn't understand. He didn't understand why they were showing so much kindness to a stranger, to a former villain like him. Sonic said it himself, he scared everyone when he first awakened from his cryostasis. But at the end of the day, maybe he was never truly a villain before. He was just someone who lost his way, along with a couple of tremendous mistakes. Yet he was being forgiven, not just by Sonic and his friends, but everyone in the country.

Again, this felt so undeserved. He didn't deserve their appreciation-

"Aaaaaand-!" His thought process was interrupted by Sonic's highly energetic voice. He suddenly jumped down from the stage right next to Shadow in the crowd and made a whistle. A few caterers began to cut through the horde of party goers, wheeling in a heavy looking metal cart. It was holding a small barrel, one that held alcohol. Oh God, wasn't this something they had at frat parties? Some kind of beer keg? That's what Rouge told him, at least. "Hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and bought you a little something as a gift for your accomplishment." Sonic stopped the cart with his foot and leaned down to grasp the plastic wire faucet and threw it up and down in his hand. "Rouge told me you were a fan of exotic liquor, so I got you a little something from a little place called Chun Nan." He handed Shadow the other end of the wire, where he was evidently supposed to place in his mouth. "This is called Shé Z. Did I pronounce that right...? Anyway, it's like Baijiu's big brother with a murder charge. Not even the hardest drinkers can take a shot of this. I didn't even want the caterers to serve it 'cause I knew it'd put everybody flat on their asses or worse, send 'em to the hospital. Soooo, no pressure or anything but," Sonic raised a brow. "You wanna take a sip?" His expression softened a little. "It's okay if you don't wanna, it's a huge ask. Honestly, everybody would be relieved if you told me to kick rocks with this shit." A few people chuckled at that while making a few sounds of approval. "I can offer you regular alcohol instead, it's no biggie."

Shadow could tell everyone was staring, watching with baited breath to see if he'd actually give this abomination a taste. Okay—This was from Chun Nan, which meant that it was undeniably strong to drink. Probably a high percentage proof of alcohol. Sonic was subtly challenging him, in front of everyone. Yet, Shadow could sense there was no actual malice. If he backed out, no one would berate him for it. He could see that everyone had the same intuition that parties weren't Shadow's scene to begin with, much less drinking like a college kid. Even Rouge was giving him a look as if saying, "You don't have to if you don't want to, it's okay." There would be no actual downside in denying his challenge.

And despite this, he felt inclined to give it a go.

"Hmph." With dauntless conviction, he placed the plastic wire in his mouth and gave Sonic a look, indicating to let the booze heave down his gullet.

"Ohohohooo! Didn't expect that answer! That's what I'm talkin' about." Sonic instigated as an impish rush of mischief shines in his eyes. "If you really wanna get hot, you gotta bring the fire, baby! Come on! Let's light this shit up!" With the most jock-like grin he'd ever seen, the hero twisted the nozzle to pump the liquid through.

It came through like a waterfall and almost instantly splashed against Shadow's tongue. Everyone began chanting and encouraging Shadow to keep going. "Go, go, go, go!" Even Sonic was egging him on, nearly beside himself with grand elation. This wasn't bad, Shadow thought. The only issue was the constant shooting of the liquid, so it barely gave a normal person time to breathe while drinking. However, Shadow wasn't normal. He didn't need oxygen the same way regular Mobians did, so he knew how to use proper breath control. Hmm, as he drank, he realized he was getting slightly buzzed. Wow, not bad. It's very rare that he ever felt buzzed, this alcohol must have been strong indeed. That's why he liked exotic drinks, as they had more punch than domestic stuff. Too strong for normals to handle, but just right for someone like him. If Sonic was a little drunk like he said earlier, he could have been taking sips of this behind closed doors.

As he observed earlier, the barrel was small. Smaller than a half barrel, so not even worth a hundred cans of beer. It wasn't at all fit to be in a party of over a hundred people, so it wasn't hard to finish off. It was only for Shadow, after all. So in a few more minutes, Shadow blinked when he realized no more alcohol was coming through. He must have finished it. Shadow pulled the wire from out of his mouth and like a mic drop, simply let it fall from his palm to the floor. Astonished, Sonic tapped the barrel with his foot, only to see it knock over easily without it's liquid weight and roll over on the floor like a tumbleweed. Everyone's eyes became as big as saucers. "Did he really finish the whole thing?" Someone whispered. "Didn't that stuff kill people who drunk over ten shots?" A female voice. "He really is the ultimate life form..." He felt a sweat drop form on his head from that one. Okay, now this was getting silly. They weren't actually impressed by that, right? It was half of a half barrel, that's for weaklings. Then again, this alcohol wasn't simple beer, it was strong enough to kill at least one person if they drank too much at once. It was only fit for shots and Shadow downed a small barrel of the stuff. Sure it warranted some praise, but not this much-

A few coughs suddenly came under Shadow's breath, causing the other guests to gasp. "Is he going to be okay?" He heard them whimper. They looked concerned, half expecting him to just faint in front of them.

That is, until he released a small burp.

"..."

...

...And like a firecracker that just hit a detonation, every single living being in the venue exploded with roars of hurrahs.

People immediately began to push through and praise him for such a stunt, and it was Sonic's friends who got to him first. Rouge gave him a hug and held up her phone to take a selfie with him. "Mr. Sunshine just broke a record! I can't wait to show Topaz, she's gonna be so mad knowing she missed this."

Knuckles rushed in and gave him a punch to the arm, which actually hurt a little, but it was all in good faith. The echidna was grinning from ear to ear. "Nice, I think even I would have struggled with that one!"

Amy placed her hands onto Shadow's and held them together. "That was really cool, but I still can't believe it. Is your throat burning?" When she saw Shadow shake his head without a word, she gawked. "N-No way...! That stuff's made from rice wine and the bitter petals of fermented Chun Nan equinox flowers. That's used in poisons and antidotes!"

The emerald guardian leaned over while nudging Shadow's arm with his elbow. "Hey, since I've got the chance to ask, what's your favorite drink? You like the foreign stuff, right?"

The pink hedgehog pouted and butted in. "Wait your turn! I wanted to ask him what his favorite flower was, first! If I know that, I can determine his astral sign."

Abruptly, Rouge slung her arm around Shadow's and pulled him away from them both. "Um, excuse you. He was my friend first, so I think I deserve more attention here."

"No way, bat girl!" Knuckles scowled. "I got questions to ask! Stuff that's actually important, might I add."

Amy whined as she leaned against the echidna to push him away. "Noooo, it's my turn to ask! I need to know for my readings!"

"Your readings?" Knuckles repeatedly incredulously. "To hell with that, I need a sparring partner. Sonic's like a wet noodle, I need somebody with spunk!"

Soon, other GUN colleagues and party goers attempted to try and get Shadow's attention. They were asking what his favorite drink is, what he liked to do for fun, and how and why his tolerance was high enough to be able to handle such a liquor. They also asked how long he's been working at GUN, how it feels to be a hero, whether or not he was faster than Sonic, and so many other questions that made his head spin. It was a lot of noise, a lot of nonsense spilling into his ear at once. And in spite of all that, Shadow didn't mind it one bit. He was so significantly flattered that he couldn't have possibly felt offended by anything they were asking. So many people asked if they could party with him again, and he obviously had to turn them down since he wasn't a party person. They didn't even mind the rejection, they were oddly very understanding. Even the rabbit girls' mother, soon learning that her name was Vanilla, walked on by beyond the chaos and told him something rather sweet. "I don't think we've ever properly met, but you are quite the pistol, young man." Young man? Did she not know he was more than likely older than her? The two members of the Chaotix came over and gave their compliments, commending Shadow for his unwavering strength in everything he did, including drinking.

Sonic clapped his hands a few times while knifing through the groups of people. "Alright, alright everyone, settle down. Give the man some space, yeah? You're gonna suffocate him." With a chuckle, he held up a crystal shot glass up in his hand into the air. "You ready everyone? Grab a shot, we're doing this together this time!" He watched everyone run to caterers and tables of beverages like cockroaches to rotting food. Once everyone settled with a drink of some kind, they all readied themselves for a toast. Rouge walked next to Shadow and handed him one, a shot of normal tequila this time. She gave him a knowing smile and turned her attention to Sonic. "Probably the only person in this world who can kick my ass in his sleep, and the ultimate lifeform: To Shadow!"

Everyone raised their drinks high. "To Shadow!"

Sonic and Rouge clinked their glasses with the striped hedgehog's and downed their drinks. But the hero stared at the bio-hedgehog and smirked. He barely murmured, but Shadow could still hear it. "I fibbed, I knew the whole time that you could down that barrel no problem. You're too cool not to."

He didn't want to, yet he couldn't help it this time.

Shadow smiled, and downed his shot as well.

This must have been what it felt like to live.

Late Evening, 11:45 PM

Like that, the party was over. The venue was closing, and Sonic was instructing everyone to gather their stuff and go home. He was organizing guards to call cabs for people to get home safely. Rouge said he specifically instructed all party goers not to drive here with their own vehicle if they planned on drinking, and to only travel via cab or public transportation. He didn't want any drunk drivers coming out of his event. A lot of people were completely wasted, and he and some of the caterers were helping people to their cars. Even his friends looked a little tipsy. Rouge was out of her mind, and Knuckles was a little high as well. Amy decided to take it upon herself to escort them both home, knowing they both could just crash at Rouge's place tonight. Sonic made sure that she'd be okay going home by herself, to which she simply replied that he knew she could take care of herself easily. Vanilla was oddly still pretty sober despite being seen with a new glass of alcohol every fifteen minutes of the night, and offered to assist the Chaotix home since they were both barely standing.

One by one, everyone was leaving. Soon enough, the place was a ghost town. The only people left were caterers and guards gathering their equipment and leaving. Sonic was still around, as he planned on helping staff clean up the place since it was his mess to begin with. Before he headed back in to start cleaning, he glanced in Shadow's way. He made a big bright smile and held up a peace sign, before disappearing inside. He hated admitting this to himself, but he had no choice. Sonic made his night sensational, and actually made him like going to a party. That wasn't an easy feat. Before Shadow left the building earlier, Sonic even gave him a prized bottle of that Shé Z stuff. The bottle was gorgeous, dark red with glittery thick glass. It was heavy and as large as his entire arm. The cork was large and thick, like an ancient gourd. A royal blue ribbon was tied around the top into a bow with a small tag on it saying, "To Shadow, Love Sonic." No doubt this costed a small fortune, as this stuff was both dangerous and imported. But at this point, it wasn't a surprise anymore. Sonic was willing to go broke if it meant making others happy.

But that wasn't all he gave him, of course. He didn't just give him the bottle, he gave him a small white gift box that was wrapped just as nicely. It was no bigger than the palm of his hand. And what was inside, almost made Shadow drop the bottle.

It was a picture of Maria, smiling innocently.

It was hand drawn, but it was expertly done. One could easily see graphite and pencil strokes done with her hair and eyelashes. It was practically an exact copy of her, with precise realism. Traditional art in itself was a difficult talent, but this...This was outstanding. The colors were used perfectly with contrasts and gradients blending together flawlessly into one small masterpiece. A small picture frame was behind the drawing inside of the box, indicating that it would be Shadow's job to place it in the frame and place it somewhere in his home. The picture was laminated so it couldn't be ruined. Who drew this? And how did they know how Maria looked? Perhaps Sonic asked the ice sculptor to do it? Either way, this would be a treasure he'd keep forever. He never had any surviving photos of Maria before her death, and he tossed away the black and white photo he had on the Ark during the Black Arms incident. It was admittedly one of his biggest regrets. But now he didn't need one, because he had this.

Shadow placed it back in the box the way it was, careful not to damage it, and held it close to his chest with his hand. His arm shook, he hated this feeling. He hated feeling this conflicted. He hated not knowing whether or not he deserved this kind of treatment.

"Thank you, Sonic..."

3 - END - 3