Work Text:
Prompt - Defying All Odds
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~(x)~
"...Are you seriously giving me a lecture on how to make tea?" A bedraggled, baffled Rouge questioned the scowling hedgehog before her incredulously, rubbing her eyes and then blinking owlishly. Her jaw dropped further as Shadow's frown deepened and his brows furrowed even further.
He really wasn't messing around...
"Yes, yes I am. Especially since you have been using my premium tea bags and have been preparing them so wrong, it brings shame to our kind!" Shadow hissed back, arms folded with a harrumph.
Rouge still couldn't believe that this was happening and briefly wondered if a doppelganger has infiltrated Team Dark's shared apartment instead. She fidgeted in her fluffy nightgown and squinted her sleep crusted eyes.
No.
He is the real deal.
The Ultimate Life-Form is actually preparing to teach her how to make a fucking cup of tea.
The bat-girl didn't get a chance to speak as Shadow knocked her to the side with his hip and began to demonstrate how to prepare the hot beverage like it was a mission to save humanity.
At this rate, it might as well be.
"First off, you wait for the water to cool down after boiling it. Do not pour it into the cup right away or else you burn away all the flavour and you're left with bitter hot leaf juice. It even says so on the package." Shadow poured the kettle of water in gently as per his instructions and then resumed to stir the the tea methodically.
"But I put sugar in anyways so the flavour is fine-" Rouge started but was halted by the hedgehog raising his hand, never straying from preparing the tea.
"Then you might as well be drinking hot syrup with your breakfast." He huffed and then handed Rouge the mug, beckoning her to drink. No sugar or milk.
With a shrug, humouring him, Rouge puckered her lips and sipped the hot drink only to lower the mug down as her teal eyes glittered.
The way there was a stark contrast between sweet and nuttiness. The way there was a slightly bitter but welcomed undertone. The way that her whole body warmed up and filled her blood with honey.
She immediately took another gulp and then another, and then another. Each time lasting longer than the last.
This was the best cup of tea that she has EVER tasted.
"Where did you learn how to do this!? Was it from Pinkachu in Blue's gang?" Rouge asked, never looking away from her tea as her wings fluttered on the spot. Her happy smile never left her face and a wonderful blush grazed her muzzle.
Shadow couldn't help but find it...cute.
"First off, her name is Miss. Rose. Second, I'm the one who taught her how to make it like this." Shadow retorted as he continued with making breakfast for them and prepared oil for Omega (who was busy cleaning up whatever mess Rouge has left upstairs as part of his daily chores).
Each movement was like a pianist's finger grazing through the keys and the flush pink apron he wore made the whole scene look quite domestic. Rouge couldn't help but regard her coworker in a new light for a change. It...did something to her heart. Something that she's felt around him for quite some time and it's only been growing stronger and stronger-
The bat immediately brushed off the feeling, hiding her lips behind the mug and willed for the heat to die down in her cheeks.
"...then...who taught you how to make it...?" She asked once more, causing the ebony spy before her to pause and his eyes to soften and focus on the space in front of him. The sound of frying eggs and the gentle hum of the cooker fell on deaf ears whilst a subtle smile made way on Shadow's lips, unaware of the sweet gaze Rouge directed at him.
"I wasn't always meant to be a weapon...I was originally meant to be humanity's greatest ally. The people on ARK educated me as if I was a student and introduced me to many things...Gerald and Maria in particular taught me how to make tea during my etiquette lessons. I used to be terrible in brewing one." Shadow's eyes glazed with unspoken emotions and lost memories, a side of him that he wouldn't dare to show anyone else other than the members of Team Dark.
Rouge's heart skipped a beat, full of glee that he trusted her enough to share himself. A rare gem that has decided to finally peek through the rough, dull rock it was encased in for protection.
For the umpteenth time since meeting Shadow, she wondered what he was like before he saw his loved ones brutally killed. Curiousity killed the cat but thankfully, she was a bat.
With a chuckle, Rouge broke the peaceful silence.
"Looks like you haven't mastered the cooking classes then,"
Shadow looked at her with confusion and then glanced at the cooker only to let out a violent curse and whip the spatula back into his hand and pry the now, burnt, sooty eggs off the pan.
"No! I don't want to eat Rouge's horrid porridge again!" Shadow exclaimed through gritted teeth, blind to Rouge's offended expression. Here she thought that Shadow was treating them for once out of the itty bitty kindness out of his stone cold heart!
A few minutes later, Omega appeared into the kitchen only to spot a brooding Shadow vigorously scraping whatever burnt gunk was on the pan in the sink and a pouting Rouge shoving some clearly, delicious, nutritious, porridge in her mouth sloppily. The latter never averting her death glares from the red streaked brute as she spitefully commented about how wonderful her breakfast was.
Just a typical day at the residence of Team Dark.
~(x)~
Another mission cleared.
Another day saved.
Rouge slumped over the nearest sofa in the resistance's lounge room, a place where once, everyone would huddle and go through the plans that helped them win the war against Eggman and Infinite. It was now a rehabilitation centre for those who lost a lot during the event and needed a place to stay whilst others rebuilt from the ashes outside.
Though, sometimes the key members of the resistance would gather in the room just to get some down time. Especially the G.U.N spy herself.
"I deserve a raise," Rouge mumbled into one of the arm rests, face completely pressed flush against the material as she laid belly down into the old furniture. It wasn't easy scoping around ruins and abandoned cities in search of Infinite's body plus, having Eggman's stray robots hot at their heels was just the icing on the cake. Team Dark were forced to split up and lead groups into their assigned destinations.
Thankfully, no lives were lost and the worst that the teams suffered was a couple of members getting stuck inside sink holes and catching fire on their fur. Moreover, Rouge's team found around a hundred survivors or so that have been gathered around the luminous forest, surviving on chao fruit.
No luck with finding Infinite or any remnants of the phantom ruby however and the evil scientist was still hiding away somewhere, licking his wounds.
One of her ears twitched to the sound of the door opening and suddenly a weight was pressed against the back of the sofa, causing the whole thing to sag. With an unladylike growl, Rouge lifted her head up to the side and wasn't surprised to see her dark partner in his trademark pose.
Arms folded, one leg against the sofa's back and eyes closed with a neutral frown. She blamed the sudden speed up of her heart pacing to adrenaline.
"Do you mind, Hun?" The teen scowled at him with as much venom as a kitten would have against a ball of yarn. "I am trying to chill and I'd appreciate it if you would get off my sofa," She threw a lazy arm at him, hoping it would swat some part of the infuriating hedgehog's body but missed by many miles.
"This furniture belongs to everyone in the resistance and by default that includes me. Therefore," Without a warning, Shadow bent over backwards with as much grace and agility that would make an Olympic gymnast froth with envy, causing his (thankfully, softened) quills to crush Rouge's back torso and his long legs to dangle over the back of the sofa. "I don't have to get off."
The broody weapon let out a mocking smirk as his partner seethed and yelled under him, threatening how she would shave off all his fur if he didn't get his 'heavy ass' off her back. Her wings below him scratched and stretched but not even that did anything.
He wasn't aware of the raspberry hue that decorated her muzzle.
"You are SO annoying! What the hell are you made out of anyways!? Why can't I get. You. Off. ME!" Rouge pushed up for the millionth time before finally accepting defeat and flopping back on the sofa, growling at the victorious hedgehog's scoff. "And Knuckie would always complain about Big Blue being a douche...wait till he lives with you for ONE NIGHT."
"How about you quit your yapping and let the ultimate douche form get some rest?"
"Are you sassing me? ME? Hah! Wait till you get home, I'm gonna burn every single one of your tea with my shitty tea making and replace your coffee beans with cocoa beans."
"Lay one finger on the coffee beans and say goodbye to your collection of jewels. I can confirm that the echidna will make better use out of them than you cuddling with them to bed and kissing them goodnight."
"YOU-"
"Ehem," A polite clearing of the throat caused the chaotic duo to pause in their argument and scramble into a more appropriate, mature position. The girl sat up straight, legs crossed and pretended to be preoccupied by her nails whilst the boy went back to his original position in leaning against the sofa and then they both faced towards the newcomer.
Embarrassment radiated in their cheeks as Amy Rose, Silver The Hedgehog and Blaze The Cat watched them with an amused expression. The pinker of the trio clicked her tongue playfully and pretended to fan herself with the clipboard in her hand as the other two shook their heads fondly.
"How about you save the flirting after you have handed in your reports, hmm~?" Amy winked, relishing the way that the members of Team Dark stiffened momentarily before brushing away her remarks coolly. The darker of the two looked away with a huff, unaware that Rosy caught a glimpse of his reddening cheeks.
Rouge tapped her watch a few times, fingers blurred as they speedily typed away until Amy's watch buzzed with a notification. "Thank you," Ames opened the document.
"I'll send you mine after I've slotted in the information for arsenal triangle. Be sure to have Omega beta your final reports before forwarding them to G.U.N, Rose." Shadow received a nod from the young girl as she skimmed through Rouge's report and then turned the watch off once content with what she read.
"Say, is Big Blue still mad that you're working with us and G.U.N now~?" Rouge, ever so eager for gossip, flew towards the now red faced pink hedgehog with a dangerous smirk. She fluttered her eyelashes at Blaze who instinctively covered the gem on her forehead and pouted at the spy.
One day, that gem will be hers...
"Not as mad as before...he does occasionally drop quips about how he's not fond of it and the worst he's done was change my password to my cloud where I access all the work." A cute frown rested on the Rose's lips but the sweet blush on her cheeks didn't go unseen by anyone.
It was no secret that she was so into him after all.
"He did deserve that threat with your hammer," Silver added, busy with sorting out the paper files in the back of the room with Blaze helping him.
"Something tells me that if I wasn't involved, he wouldn't have been as adamant that you leave G.U.N, no?" Rouge's wings twitched at Shadow's question. A stubborn, acidic, quenching coil tightened in the pits of her stomach and an unimpressed expression was left on her face.
In all honesty, she too wasn't keen with the amount of time that her partner was spending with Amy.
She started to regret asking the question now.
"Huh? He is? But you're one of the most strongest people we know therefore I'm not worried about my safety. If anything, he should be happy that I'm working with you guys instead of the people I don't know in G.U.N. Heh, I may love Sonic but sometimes even I think he's a little crazy," Amy giggled, her blind obliviousness towards Sonic's jealousy caused Rouge and Shadow to look at each other with a deadpanned expression.
For someone desperately in love with him, she sure was absentminded when he showed signs of mutual affections. Rouge felt her heart ease up a little but a nagging, ugly question still clung to her chest.
"Shadow's not just strong you know?" Rouge began, making way to Shadow so that she could lean against him with an arm around his shoulders. She tapped his cheek playfully and continued. "He's tall, dark, handsome and mysterious. Isn't that every little girl's fantasy? Little girls like you, Amy?" The bat finally bit her tongue when she noticed how Shadow parted his lips in subtle awe, ruby eyes widening.
Does...does the idea of Amy liking him...sound appealing?
'And why should I care if it does? Why do I give a damn at all?' Rouge screamed internally, trying her best to not show any of the turmoil externally.
"Certainly Shadow is very handsome," Rouge felt her heart squeeze painfully and irrational anger rushed through her veins like lava. "But no offence- it's really hard for me to see you under a romantic light. Even if Sonic wasn't around..." Amy trailed off apologetically. "But, I know that there are better matches for him."
The cheeky girl waggled her eyebrows, an endearing quirk she adopted from her mischievous blue beau and then beckoned Silver and Blaze to join her as she exited the room. The futuristic duo gave an acknowledging nod to Team Dark and also made their way out.
A heavy, tense silence was left between the light furred bat and the dark furred hedgehog. So tense that it could have been cut with a knife. That was until Shadow uncharacteristically broke it.
"Tall, dark and handsome, huh?" His husky voice ricocheted against the room that Rouge couldn't help but jump slightly, placing a hand on her chest to calm her stupid heart. A boyish smirk was present on his honey coloured muzzle and it only widened when the red on Rouge's cheeks became more prominent.
"W-Well! I'm not blind you know?" Rouge was close to bashing her head against the wall in embarrassment. She is Rouge the fucking Bat! She does not stutter. She should not stutter.
Shadow only closed his eyes fondly and turned to leave the room. Though, just before he exited, he leaned against the doorway and turned his head quite a bit so that Rouge was able to see the corner of his smile.
"Good thing I'm not blind either." A rare, toothy grin escaped from his lips and then he made his way out, leaving behind a flustered bat.
'Does that mean...that...he thinks I'm...pretty?'
~(x)~
They were on an undercover mission.
A mission that desperately needed the Sonic Team for it to succeed, much to the leader's dismay.
A filthy rich, corrupted member of what's left of the government on the planet hosted a party to celebrate the purchase of some land. Land which was already occupied by poor survivors who have nothing left to fight back with. The land was purchased with illegally obtained money which was rumoured to have been gained by selling Eggman some manufactured goods.
G.U.N infiltrated to find evidence of the rumour whilst Team Sonic snuck in to utterly destroy the rich bastard to bring justice to the people.
All in all, this man was going down.
So far, he hasn't noticed the fellow spies and heroes who have blended in with the crowd. Some were pretending to sip on some disgustingly expensive punch. Others were mingling with some very sketchy, rich members of society, pulling faces when their backs were turned.
Most importantly, no one was aware of a seething Shadow The Hedgehog whose eyes were currently sending daggers at all the rich, unfortunately good-looking pompous folks who swarmed around Rouge.
Shadow wasn't stupid and he absolutely wasn't blind either. Rouge looked ridiculously beautiful tonight and the feral side of him wanted to grab her into his arms and hold onto her tight, spitting at anyone who dared to look at the beautiful woman.
A long time working with his partner and defying death together despite the odds over and over again has blossomed his platonic love for her into a romantic flower.
And he couldn't stand preserving and looking after her from a distance anymore.
It...hurt too much.
Maybe it was time to listen to what Rose has advised to him on an almost daily basis to the point where she grated on his nerves. He refused to allow pride get in the way of happiness once more. He deserves to be happy too, right? Letting go of the ghosts of his past and accepting the cursed blood that ran through his veins has enabled him to become more free of himself. Appreciate the beauties of the world.
'And feel like a normal person for once instead of a machine...' He thought.
Suddenly, the contemporary beats and filthy words of the music transitioned into a soothing, soft melody. A contrast with a whip-lashing effect. On high alert, Shadow looked around his surroundings, hands geared to shoot a chaos spear if needed, only to step back and do a double take.
On the piano was none other than the blue rival himself, playing a traditional sonnet like he was born to play the instrument. The peaceful expression the cyan teen had was quick to change to one of determination, making eye contact with Shadow.
Sonic flickered his olive irises from his dark twin to the now lone bat and then back to his twin again.
It was a message.
'Go dance with her.' It said.
Gulping, Shadow peered around once more and noticed that everyone else in the party was swept into a slow dance, transforming the once asphyxiating party into an event made for royalty. Looking towards Rouge once more, Shadow felt his heart almost leap out of his throat as he realised that she was staring at him intently.
Teal orbs sparkled whilst ruby orbs glittered.
Automatically, his body began to make way towards his belle, silently noting some of the familiar figures dancing around him. The rest of Team Chaotix were playing along with Sonic with their own respective instruments, the crocodile himself marvellously singing to a jazzy tune.
The twin tailed kitsune and large eared bunny girl danced a childlike routine with eager smiles. Meanwhile, Rose dragged a reluctant red echidna with her, forcing him to dance and winced every time he stepped on her foot. The futuristic albino hedgehog and the princess of Sol were the very few in the crowd who performed a proper, formal dance routine.
It was like he was in a dream.
'If so, then I pray to you Chaos, don't let me wake up...'
Finally, Shadow and Rouge were no more than a breath away. Their faces were so close that they were able to feel each other's sweet breath. An enticing, indulgent offer unspoken between them.
Yet, the hidden gentleman in Shadow's heart recalled some of his lessons from ARK and took a step back with a smile, bowing towards his partner with a hand reaching up towards her.
"May I have this dance, Miss. Bat?" He asked, head still bowed down and smile never wavering. His ears twitched at the sound of her inaudible gasp only to burn when she started to laugh. Shadow stood back up, arm still outstretched and muzzle now as red as his team member's namesake.
Why was she laughing!?
"About time! I've been waiting for this all day!" Rouge took his hand without hesitation and began to lead the baffled hedgehog into a dance. His bafflement turned into excitement and before he knew it, he was smiling along with her. The dance was clumsy, disorganised, silly and yet it was one of the best things that's happened in Shadow's life.
It was the best dance that he has ever danced.
For the pair, it felt like time has stopped and that they were ordinary people with ordinary lives and living the most out of it. The warmth of Shadow's hand against Rouge's waist filled the bat with euphoria. The toothy grin and the way Rouge clasped Shadow's fingers almost made the latter burst with indescribably joy.
Happy.
They were happy.
As the song hit the bridge and Vector's voice was nothing more than a soft, vocal, the duo slowed down until they were doing nothing but swaying to the music. Rouge couldn't help but bring Shadow into an embrace, smile widening at his delighted gasp and tightened her grip when he reciprocated the hug.
They didn't need words to explain how they felt.
They never needed to.
They always knew.
'I want to be with you forever...'
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The day ended with a quick battle against the rich man, exposing all his misdeeds and alliance with Dr. Eggman, causing him to launch the remaining of said doctor's minions against the heroes. Without a doubt, the heroes won. The man was arrested and the people regained their land back.
If anyone noticed the sweet, loving smiles that Rouge and Shadow exchanged with one another after the fight, they didn't say a word.
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~(x)~