Chapter Text
“No, grandpa, I’ll be fine.”
Shadow groaned into his phone, dragging his suitcase through the somewhat lively halls of his dormitory. Several mobians were scattered around the place, making light conversation, laughing, flirting .
It was irritating to say the least. What are they so noisy for? It’s literally 9 in the morning.
The black hedgehog was thankful, however, that no one approached him. Whether out of fear or simple disinterest, he didn’t know. Or care.
“Are you sure, son? I’d hate to send you off so unprepared. You should’ve let me come with you.” Gerald’s hoarse voice cranked out the opposite end of the phone.
“You know why I didn’t let you come, grandpa. And please don’t resist Maria’s help, I know how you can be.”
Gerald’s scoffing brought a small smile to Shadow’s lips, as he stopped in front of the elevator, pressing the ‘up’ button.
“Maria shouldn’t be stuck here taking care of me, Shadow. She should be out spending time with that Towers boy.”
“She
does
spend time with him, she just wants to make sure
you’re
okay. Abraham is busy with work most of the time anyways.”
Shadow was secretly thankful that the elevator was empty, as he promptly went inside and pressed the button for the top floor. He wasn’t exactly sure why Gerald insisted he get one of the more expensive rooms, especially considering how much of a hassle it was to get to it.
“I’m almost near my room, grandpa. Do you mind if I call you later?”
“Oh, of course not. Have a good day, son. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay? I’ll tell Maria to give you a call later too.”
“Alright. Take care, grandpa.”
Shadow shoved his phone back into his leather jacket, subtly scanning himself through the reflective walls of the elevator. Soft music played in the background as the confined space continued heading upwards. The young hedgehog sighed slightly, crossing his arms as he considered his situation for the hundredth time today. He was finally at the start point of achieving his career as a scientist, like his dear guardian did before him.
Gerald was overjoyed, of course, as well as Maria. And as happy as he was to receive their support, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from lingering back to his elusive biological parents. What would they have wanted? Would they have even expected for him to make it this far?
A bitter scoff escapes his lips, as the doors reopen with a soft ding. Of course they wouldn’t have expected him to make it this far, hell, they probably expected him to rot away in the alleyway they left him in. Gloved fingers gripped the bar of the suitcase harder, as his scowl became visibly more angry looking. Shadow wasn’t sure why he was so hung up on his parents in the first place, it’s not like he knew anything about them, after all.
“At least I get a room to myself…” He mumbled to himself in a low whisper, coming to a halt in front of a large wooden door. The silver plate in the middle read 619, and he briefly scanned the hallway, noting this floor only had four rooms. That probably meant his dormitory would be large.
The rustling of clothes filled the empty hallway, as he fished out a keycard from his jean pocket. The ID photo was unflattering, as expected of the amazing photographers in the administration building. He cringed a bit, before sighing and swiping the card, as the door lock flashed green and softly clicked open. He took a moment to breathe in a bit. He was already at the university, but entering this dorm would mark his place here, his presence. The beginning of his own legacy. With a soft nod to himself, he pushed the door open…
…only to be met face to face with a woman standing straight in front of him.
Shadow blinked several times, as aquamarine eyes stared back. His gaze dragged downwards slowly, taking in the form of the white bat girl he was facing. She was dressed casually, a fitting pink blouse and black flared jeans which accentuated her rather impressive figure, and large black bat wings rested on her back, contrasting the white of her fur. She didn’t
look
like a thief, and really, a thief would have nothing to rob in a damn room, but what else could this woman be doing here?
“...Can I help you..?”
His gaze snapped back up, eyes locking as her velvety voice filled the room. She stared at him with a confused, and somewhat irritated expression, one hand on her hip as she leaned her weight onto one leg.
“...I should be asking you that.” He retorted, crossing his arms once more as his voice took on a similar edge of annoyance. “This is my room, after all.”
She simply raised a brow at him as he said this, cocking her head to the side.
“I think you have the wrong room, bud. This is my room, not yours.”
It was Shadow’s turn to look confused. And unimpressed.
“Well it obviously is mine, otherwise I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Oh? Well I’ve
been
here for hours. And I’m
positive
that I wasn’t assigned a roommate.”
“Me, too.”
“...”
“...”
* * * * *
It wasn’t long before they both sat in the administrator’s office for their hall, as the elderly woman typed slowly into the small laptop on her desk. Rouge tapped her foot in irritation, heel softly clicking against the wooden floor of the office space. Shadow’s ear flicked, as he threw a glare in her direction, to which she reciprocated by tapping her foot even harder .
“Oh, sorry dears, it seems there were some last minute changes to your rooming.” The lady took off her glasses as she addressed the young adult mobians with a soft, apologetic smile. “There were some complications with the dormitories, Mister Robotnik’s previously assigned room needs some changes and renovations, so we had to room you two together.”
Shadow’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance, as Rouge simply blinked at her.
“...So we’re roommates indefinitely ??”
“...Until the renovations are done, yes.”
The white bat groaned, sinking further into the uncomfortable couch as she crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at the black hedgehog from the corner of her eyes, only to find his crimson eyes boring straight back at her. She’ll never admit, but her heart did seem to race slightly at the sight. Rouge cleared her throat, before directing her attention to the mouse lady in front of them once again.
“How long would that take?”
“Unfortunately, it might possibly take up the entire first year. There were some major complications with the room. Rest assured, Miss Monet, we will offer all the support needed to accommodate you both comfortably.”
Rouge continued to probe and whine, trying to pry information and make negotiations while the stoic black hedgehog remained silent. The bat’s efforts were futile, however, as all other dorm rooms seemed to be fully occupied. Learning from home also wasn’t an option for either mobian, considering both of their homes were located quite far away from the city their university resided in.
Finally, they both thanked the office lady for her time, before exiting the room. The door clicked shut behind Rouge as she sighed, and looked up at him. His gaze was on the wall opposite to them, arms crossed as he stood taller than her by a few inches. She took this time to really observe him, noting his obsidian colored fur and mysterious aura. His eyes seemed to shine softly in any sort of light, as if staring at a pair of rubies under the sun, and his upturned quills had deep crimson stripes running through them. He was unlike any hedgehog she has come across, that’s for sure. She sighed deeply, rubbing her arm a bit as she looked away.
“....I’m Rouge. Rouge Monet.”
Shadow’s ear flicked as his eyes finally fell upon her once again. There was a tinge of something unfamiliar in the back of his brain every time he’d hear her voice. She was, undeniably, rather beautiful. Her fur resembled the purest of white snow which usually fell during December. And yet, her warm tan skin contrasted the icy edge. Though the situation was still deeply bothersome, he won’t deny being curious as to what it would lead to.
If anything happens at all, that is.
With a soft inhale, he turned towards her fully, taking one step forward. Rouge seemed a bit surprised at this, suddenly snapping to attention as her ears perked up, arms falling to the sides rigidly. She watched as he tilted his head down, his eyes burning into hers in a weirdly intense way as she could feel her heartbeat pick up slightly. His voice sounded deeper when he talked this time, and completely flat as opposed to the annoyed tone from before.
“Shadow. Shadow Robotnik.”