Chapter Text
Sonic was bored out of his chaos-stricken mind. Granted, it was pretty easy to bore him. According to Tails, he had the attention span of a squirrel on crack, but that was neither here nor there. The reason for his boredom at the moment?
The pink hedgehog rifling through dresses on the rack. Amy made an excited noise, pulling a soft gold-colored dress off the hanger and holding it up in front of herself, spinning to look in the mirror placed strategically nearby.
Sonic loved Amy. She was his friend. But right now, he wanted to drop her off in a cavern somewhere and leave her to squeal with her dresses there. Sonic hated shopping. well, correction, he didn’t hate shopping in general. But he did hate clothes shopping. First and foremost, because he didn’t wear clothes. What was the point of browsing when you already knew you wouldn’t wear it often enough to make the purchase worth it? Unfortunately, Amy had managed to wrangle him into coming with her while she shopped for clothes.
Biggest mistake he’d made in awhile, and that was saying something. But she had begged him, and Sonic had never been good at saying no to his friends. Call him a pushover, whatever, he didn’t care. It had made her so happy when he’d hinted he was even thinking about agreeing that he couldn’t help it. He had soon found himself dragged along to the nearest mall, the one in Central City, of course. The crowds were crazy, and the noise was overstimulating to him even, so he didn’t want to know what it’d do to other people (such as Blaze or Shadow). But Amy was happy, and having fun, so that was what mattered.
Even if he did feel like pulling out his own quills.
Sonic sighed as Amy led him over to a dressing room, the pink hedgehog disappearing inside with a stack of clothes to try on. He knew she’d be in and out with every outfit, wanting his opinion and critique on it. Which he didn’t mind giving- it was better than following her around as she sorted through things on the racks. At least now he somewhat had something to do.
Amy popped back out in a floral spaghetti strap dress that flared at the bottom, cutting off just above her knees. “Isn’t this absolutely adorable?!” Her voice was high-pitched in her excitement, making him suppress the urge to wince.
“Ames, isn’t it almost winter?” Sonic asked, trying to understand why she’d picked out a summer dress in the first place. She wouldn’t be able to wear it until it got warm, and they were barely in the early winter stage- still somewhat in late fall.
“Well, yes, but it’s on sale right now!” Amy explained, twirling in front of a nearby mirror. “So if I get it now I’m actually saving money later, since it’s on sale now but wont be later.”
Sonic stared at her, not comprehending what he just heard. Had she just..? “No… you’ll be spending, because you’re buying a dress.”
“Yes, but you see, if I buy it now while it’s on sale, rather than later when it’s not, then I save money!”
Was this a joke? He looked her over, and after deciding that the earnest expression meant she was not, in fact, joking, he decided not to argue with her. “Sure, Ames.”
After answering a stream of questions on how it looked and fit, Amy had decided to get that dress, and was now starting on the rest of her stack. Sonic took a deep breath, readying himself for what was to come.
It was at least an hour of trying on outfits and getting opinions and talking herself in and out of purchases before they finally left that store. Sonic felt like he could breathe back in the normal mall hallways, thankfully no longer surrounded by a floral perfume-like scent. It had been burning his nose the whole time they’d been inside that store. Amy shoved the bag with her clothes in it at Sonic, who simply sighed and took it, adding it to the others already on his arm from previous clothing stores.
“Ooo what’s that store?” Amy asked, interest peaked. “Let’s check it out!”
“Alright, Amy.” Sonic said, trailing after her as she determinedly walked across the aisles and got in people’s way. Fortunately, they were charmed by her sweet enthusiasm, and weren’t upset by the inconvenience.
Along the way, she was sidetracked by one of the stands in the center of the way, claiming that the place has some of the best bracelets and jewelry. Sonic leaned against the wall nearby, nodding along to whatever music played over the speakers.
“I don’t know why you insisted on dragging me along when Omega would have sufficed.” A grumpy, dour voice that Sonic would have known anywhere rang out above the din of the mall.
“Stop being so gloomy, hon!” Another familiar, more feminine voice answered. “I just thought it’d be fun to hang out together for awhile, that’s all.”
Sonic straightened, looking around for the source of the voices in the crowd of people. After a few minutes, he spotted them a couple yards away from the setup where he stood.
Shadow the Hedgehog stalked down the aisle alongside Rouge the Bat, a grouchy expression fixed on his face. That was normal though, no surprise there. Rouge wore a smirk as she bonked Shadow lightly with the sunglasses she held in her hand. When he frowned at her, she only winked in response, sauntering down the aisle.
“We literally live together.” Shadow’s nose was elevated haughtily as he stared around the mall in disgust. How the guy managed to do that and walk in a straight line was beyond Sonic. “And this place is beneath me, as I am the ultimate lifeform.”
Rouge rolled her eyes as hard as Sonic did from his place across the aisle from them. “You have the biggest ego around.”
“No, that place is saved for-” Shadow started, and knowing what his friend would say, Sonic darted over to the duo, skidding to a stop in front of them with a pair of jazz hands. No one ever said that Sonic didn’t know how to make an entrance.
“Sonic.” Shadow finished the sentence, sighing as Sonic grinned at him.
“Heya, Shads! Hey Rouge.” Sonic tossed a wink at her, making the bat laugh.
“Hello, Blue, fancy meeting you here.” Rouge said, smirking at him, eyebrow raised. “What are you doing today?”
Sonic sighed, jerking a thumb behind himself. “Amy dragged me out to go clothes shopping.”
Rouge blinked. “I thought that you didn’t wear clothes.” She was exactly right.
“I don’t.” Sonic agreed. “We’re clothes shopping for Amy.” He gave a long-suffering sigh. “She’s determined to find all the deals that her favorite stores have going on right now.”
“Well I can appreciate that.” Rouge said admiringly. “I’ve found a couple of steals myself so far today.” She wore a pleased smile, looking quite satisfied with herself. Sonic squinted at the bat, because knowing her, she could have meant it literally, or in regards to a good sale. She gave him an innocent smile, and he decided that it wasn’t worth the trouble to even ask if the clothes were procured legally or not. Based on Shadow’s eyeroll, it was likely the more illegal option of the two.
Sonic sighed, deciding that whatever stores she’d stolen the items from probably wouldn’t go broke with the absence of a few clothing items, and moved on with his life.
“So what are you guys up to today?” He asked, glancing between them. Based on the way Shadow immediately frowned, his participation in whatever they were doing was not completely willing. Or at least, willing with complaints. Rouge gave him the stinkeye, then turned back to Sonic with a mischievous smile.
“It would seem that Amy and I had the same idea- today is a big sale day at some of my favorite shops. I thought it would be fun to get out of the house and go shopping. Since we quit G.U.N., it’s all too easy to laze around the whole day.” She explained, glancing at Shadow. The taciturn hedgehog didn’t comment, but his ear twitched with some sort of agreement.
After G.U.N.’s betrayal of Shadow and the organization's collapse; Rouge, Omega, and Shadow had all taken leave of the group entirely. Quite understandably, after what the creeps in the organization had done. Sonic wasn’t surprised to hear that now the trio had much more free time on their hands- based on how the number of races between him and Shadow had doubled, the hybrid was now struggling with boredom. Last race, Shadow had told him that Commander Tower had reached out to the three of them, wondering if they’d ever be open to returning to the new G.U.N., once the commander had cleaned out the place and rebooted things. Shadow was considering it- hesitantly, but the guy was really bored. Sonic thought that Shadow would say yes. Not because he wanted to work for G.U.N. again, but because of said boredom, and loyalty to Commander Tower.
And when Sonic thought about it, a G.U.N. run by Tower didn’t sound half-bad. The man had his head on straight, was respectful to and treated mobians right, and had a good relationship with Shadow. He would change the world for the better while in charge of G.U.N., unlike the former leaders who had wanted total control.
Sonic realized that he hadn’t responded to Rouge, lost in his own thoughts. He hurriedly clear his throat and smiled apologetically. “Yeah, I can see that. Nothing to blow up around here anymore?”
Rouge grinned wickedly. “Nah, the boys already cleared out all abandoned Robotnik bases and blasted them to smithereens.”
Sonic laughed, having expected nothing else. “I’m sure Omega loved that.” The sentient bot had a love for violence, but explosions held a special place for him.
“Of course.” Rouge agreed easily, amusement dancing in her expression. “Now, doll, where’s Amy? I want to see if she has any recommendations on stores to hit.”
Sonic glanced back towards the jewelry stand behind him. “Somewhere in there. She said something about a bracelet she’s had her eye on, then she disappeared.” And Sonic was more than fine with letting her search to her heart’s content. It gave him a few minutes to breathe between giving opinions on clothes he didn’t much care about.
“Ooo, shiny.” Rouge purred, her eyes lighting up as she looked to where he pointed. “If you’ll excuse me, boys, I’ve got a date with the biggest diamond I can find.”
Shadow opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound to protest, the bat had already sauntered into the collection of jewelry. Shadow simply sighed, shaking his head in fond annoyance.
“I take it you were dragged here?” Sonic snickered at the vexed look on his rival/friend’s face. Perhaps dragged wasn’t the right word, but it conveyed the point Sonic wanted to get across.
“Not dragged, per say, but forced all the same.” Shadow replied, crossing his arms. “You?”
Sonic sighed. “Neither, just a sucker who can’t say no.” A fact he quite regretted at times. But hey, maybe Amy and Rouge wouldn’t be opposed to joining their two groups- then at least Sonic could hang out with Shadow, have another guy with him to share in his shopping-related pain.
Shadow nodded in response, amused sympathy on his face. A passing gecko mobian almost knocked into him, and Shadow snarled in warning, ears flicking back. Sonic shot the reptile an apologetic look when he saw the startled fear flicker over the other’s face, then caught Shadow’s eye and pointedly nodded at the stand the girls had disappeared into.
The hedgehog duo moved closer to the jewelry area, getting out of the way of the crowd of traffic. Shadow’s expression smoothed into cool passivity, and Sonic tapped his foot against the floor impatiently as he waited for the girls to finish up.
“How long have you been here?” He asked Shadow, breaking the bored silence that had fallen over them.
“Not long- half an hour or so.” Shadow answered after glancing at his communicator. “Rouge slept until noon.”
“Oh like you didn’t as well, Doom and Gloom?” Rouge called with a raised eyebrow, sauntering their way with a small bag clutched in her hand. Amy followed on her heels, her own package held tightly to her.
Sonic snorted at the nickname, making Shadow shoot him a narrow-eyed glare, before he turned to Amy. “What did you find, Ames?” He knew she’d be excited to show off her purchase, so he obliged.
“This rose-gold bracelet that’s just to die for!” Amy squealed, flashing the expensive stone bracelet briefly before tucking it back into the packaging. “It was on sale too!”
“It’s beautiful, Amy.” Sonic complimented skillfully. “And the pink matches you!”
Amy beamed at him in thanks, then turned a smile onto Shadow, who relaxed a little. “Hello, Shadow. How are you?” Her tone was light and genuine, making Sonic smile. The way she had been so intentional with getting to know Shadow spoke much of her kind character.
“Hello, Rose.” Shadow greeted. “I’d be better if I wasn’t being used as a glorified packhorse.” He now had Rouge’s jewelry bag tucked on one arm, the bat nowhere in sight at the moment. Sonic hoped she wasn’t pick pocketing again.
“Hey, you think you have it bad?” Sonic asked, brandishing Amy’s multiple bags from previous stores.
Amy protested, but she couldn’t deny much with the literal proof sitting right in front of her. Shadow chimed in with an insult aimed at Sonic (shocker), to which Sonic protested heavily. They bickered for a few minutes, until Rouge returned claiming she had found a shop that Amy would love. The girls then proceeded to drag both Sonic and Shadow with them to the shop, having them critique outfits they tried on. Shadow was flat-out rude to Rouge, but was surprisingly nice to Amy. Sonic tried to make up for his counterpart's bad attitude by complimenting Rouge, to which the bat responded to with light teasing. It was over an hour before they got out of that shop, and both Shadow and Sonic’s arms were laden with bags of clothes. Shadow huffed and complained, but took the bags without too much prodding from Rouge.
And so that continued through the afternoon- a pattern formed. Find a shop, pick out outfits, try them on, show off to the boys, then buy them and dump the bags on the boys before moving on. Sonic knew he had a ridiculous amount of energy, but even he was having a hard time keeping up with them.
After a few hours of this, Sonic’s stomach screamed at him to eat something, and after all the walking he’d done, he wanted something sweet and unhealthy.
“Hey guys, what do you say we go get ice cream or something?” Sonic suggested before the girls found another shop to empty of its stock.
Shadow gave him the flattest, most disgusted look he’d ever seen from the hybrid- which was saying something, as Shadow gave him a lot of those kinds of looks.
“What?” Sonic asked, confused. He couldn’t understand what was so bad about what he’d said.
“Ice cream?” Shadow asked, drawing the words out. “At this time of year?” His tone clearly stated his questioning of Sonic’s intelligence.
“It’s not like it’s cold inside!” Sonic defended himself, wishing he could gesture, but his arms were stuck. “We can eat it in here!”
“I’m down for it!” Amy grinned, bumping Rouge with her hip. “What do you say, Rouge?”
Sonic looked to the bat eagerly, giving her a hopeful look, practically begging her to say yes. If she said yes, then Shadow would go along with it.
Rouge pretended to consider it, tapping her finger against her cheek as she drew out the moment. Based on her smirk, it was quite intentional. When Sonic heaved the biggest sigh of his life, she laughed. “Oh, alright. Why not?”
Sonic and Amy cheered, Shadow sighed heavily, and Rouge laughed again at all of their reactions. Shadow grumbled the whole way to the food court, complaining about how it was the wrong season for ice cream, but he was wholly ignored. Sonic fell back to walk with his edgy counterpart, letting the girls take the lead again. As he watched them laugh together, walking side-by-side, he was struck by how far the duo had come. He still remembered having a sit-down talk with Amy over her dislike of the bat. A dislike that was mostly based on misunderstandings and assumption. But now? They talked and laughed together like best friends- sisters, even. Sonic smiled, content to observe his friends, simply glad that they were getting along so well now.
Glancing to the side, he snickered at the crabby expression on Shadow’s face. Seriously, it was just ice cream. Why was Shadow in such a mood over ice cream?
Shadow noticed his look, pinning his ears with an annoyed flash of his teeth. “What?” he demanded, adjusting his grip on Rouge’s bags.
“Nothing, Shads. Just wondering why you’re so pouty over ice cream.” Sonic chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s not that bad.”
Shadow sighed. “I was just hoping to leave. The noise… is a bit much.” And now that he pointed it out, Sonic realized that with Shadow’s more sensitive hearing, the noise level was probably overwhelming.
“Ohh.” Sonic hummed. “That makes sense. The mall is really busy today- it’s not usually so loud and hectic.”
“Yeah.” Shadow muttered. “It hasn’t been so bad the last few times I’ve been here- with you, or with Rouge. But today… it’s just a lot.”
“Well, tell you what, after ice cream, I’ll help convince the girls that we should leave.” Sonic offered with a smile. “Does that sound alright?”
Shadow nodded, a flicker of gratitude crossing his face. “Yes. Thank you.”
Sonic grinned at him, then shifted the bags he carried with a wince. Honestly, he knew he was strong, but even his arms were getting tired after hauling these bags around all day. It was about time he dipped regardless, so if he could get Shadow out of here and spare him some overstimulation and headaches, then it was a win-win. Shadow perked up a bit, no longer so grouchy at the knowledge that he had someone in his ‘I want to leave’ corner. He still grimaced at unexpectedly loud noises, but his snarls had softened into glares instead. Sonic would take it.
Moving a bit closer, Sonic bumped Shadow’s shoulder with his own, giving him a smile. Shadow sighed, leaning into him slightly before pulling away. Sonic grinned, then looked out over the area as they walked. Shadow was beginning to be more open to casual touches- something Sonic was very excited about. He’d always been a pretty touchy person with his friends, something none of them had minded. In fact, most of them were the same way. Even Knuckles was pretty physically demonstrative, a trait that had only increased when he’d begun dating Rouge. (Sonic secretly thought that she had softened him a bit. He’d never tell the fearsome echidna that though.)
The only person he’d really had to restrain himself around had been Shadow. In the early days of their friendship, any attempts at hugs or anything of the like was usually met with warning glares, or sometimes outright violence. Sonic had understood, but it had been a little hard to adjust to, especially given that his love language was touch. It was how he expressed affection, so he’d struggled to show his care for Shadow without that. Recently, though, Shadow had become a bit more open to such gestures. It had started small- at first, he’d simply accepted the touches without much emotion. Lately though, he’d begun to reciprocate a little. Sonic would be lying if he said it didn’t make him happy.
Entering the food court, Amy and Rouge debated which ice cream place to go to- which was a fair thing to discuss, as there were four different ice cream stands. Sonic and Shadow let the girls decide the place, as Sonic wasn’t picky, and Shadow just flat-out didn’t care.
Once the girls settled, they got into the decently long line (apparently, they hadn’t been the only ones with the ice cream idea) and started to look over the ridiculously long list of flavors. Sonic quickly chose a double scoop of chocolate toffee on a waffle cone, then glanced to Shadow while the girls ran through the list together. Shadow’s ears were pinned, a grimace on his face as his eyes darted over the extensive list. Around the handle of a clothing bag, his hand tightened into a fist.
Recognizing the signs of anxiety and overstimulation, Sonic placed a hand on the hybrid’s shoulder to ground him. “Easy, Shads.” He murmured, hopefully too quiet for the girls to hear. Well, too quiet for Amy at least. Rouge could definitely hear him, but he was hoping she was distracted with picking ice cream. “Want help?”
Shadow took a deep breath, shoulders heaving as he did so, his posture wound tight and tense. He nodded; eyes still fixed on the list.
This had happened a few times before- when already stressed and overstimulated, if presented with too many options, such as now, it caused him to spiral. The choices overloaded his brain, sending him even further into the stress. Sonic was learning that anxiety really was no joke. As grateful as he was not to have that particular struggle, he wished he could do more to help his friends who did have that struggle-such as Shadow and Tails. Heck, he was pretty sure that both Blaze and Silver had issue with anxiety as well.
“It looks like they have a few coffee-flavored options- how does one of those sound?” Sonic kept his voice low, but lighthearted.
Shadow’s ears twitched, straightening. He nodded, breaths coming easier.
“Alright, great. One scoop, in a bowl?” This was based on assumptions- the fact that Shadow wasn’t the biggest fan of ice cream, and the hybrid’s hatred of being dirty.
Shadow nodded again, relaxing a little now that he had an order picked out. Sonic squeezed his shoulder, then let go, giving Shadow a sympathetic smile. He knew how much Shadow hated the overstimulation issues he had- he thought it made him weak, like he should be trying harder. Sonic tried to assure him that it didn’t mean anything of the sort, but he didn’t know if Shadow listened at all.
“Thanks.” Shadow muttered, the panic in his eyes replaced by annoyance now.
“No problem, dude.” Sonic said easily, trying to keep the situation light- the last thing he wanted to do was make it a big deal, because that only ever made things worse. Shadow functioned better when it was dealt with and moved on past. “You want me to order?” He cautiously offered, not wanting to overstep.
Shadow hesitated, looking a little torn. Likely because, yes, he did want Sonic to order for him, but at the same time not wanting to appear incapable or weak.
“No shame either way.” Sonic told him, leaving the choice entirely up to his friend.
Finally, Shadow nodded, looking away with a slightly vexed expression. Sonic shook his head, pushing the point home.
“Shads.” He waited until the hybrid met his eyes, then said precisely, “No shame. Alright?”
Shadow held his gaze for a minute, then relaxed, giving him a nod. Sonic grinned, then leaned forward to ask the girls what they were getting. Amy was going with a bubblegum twist, no surprise there. Rouge had picked a cookie dough mix, which actually sounded really good. It was their turn now, so they all stepped up to order. Sonic smoothly stepped in after the girls, ordering both his and Shadow’s, before paying for the group.
They stepped off to the side to wait, making idle small talk as they did so. Shadow loosened up enough to join in, thought he still looked a little tense. Sonic really couldn’t blame him. The noise level was beginning to grate even on his ears. Honestly, he was surprised that Rouge was as fine as she was, with her increased hearing. Maybe she was just used to it. Once the group got their treats, they wove through the crowd, looking for a table. Sonic spotted an empty one near the edge of the court, and beelined for it, knowing it would be a bit quieter there. Shadow must have caught on, because he gave Sonic a grateful glance. Once seated, they began to talk again, mostly just catching up with each other. Amy talked about the possibility of starting a small side business from her home, decorating cakes. Sonic knew she’d be great at that. Her cakes were some of the best he’d ever seen- or tasted. Rouge spoke of some contracts she’d taken up in her unemployed life- ones that thankfully mostly abided by the law. Sonic interjected with a question about G.U.N., curious as to what the two ex-agents thought of the situation.
“I’m cautious.” Rouge said slowly, twirling her spoon between her fingers. “I don’t want to be impulsive and jump back into anything- especially after what they did.” A dark, venomous look flickered over her face before it was gone in a flash. “But if Tower truly is able to change things… I wouldn’t be completely opposed to returning.” She considered her words, then nodded. “Much needs changed, though.”
Shadow nodded, scooping the last of his ice cream from his bowl. “I agree. Tower is trustworthy, and he’s an excellent commander, but even he can’t perform miracles. I won’t return unless I am certain that things have changed.” His eyes glowed briefly with chaos energy. “And if they haven’t, even after he’s tried… then I will deal with the problem myself, and raze the entire organization.”
Rouge smirked, pointing her spoon at Shadow, and inadvertently flinging melted ice cream at him. “Exactly. What he said.”
Shadow hissed at the ice cream droplets that land on his arm, the liquid immediately soaking into his fur. Sonic hid his smirk and offered the hybrid a napkin, which the other took and scrubbed at the spot with. Based on the way he sighed, it hadn’t worked, and it was still sticky. Shadow huffed, then proceeded to glare for the rest of the conversation as Sonic and Amy finished their ice creams.
“I’d say I’ve had about enough for today.” Sonic said, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m ready to go home. How about you guys?”
Shadow nodded enthusiastically enough to make Sonic crack a smile. Amy agreed, satisfied with her haul. She should be. She had enough clothes to last to the end of time itself.
“I suppose.” Rouge sighed a little, but seemed resigned to going along with the three of them. “I can always drag Knuckles back with me if there’s more sales I want to check out later.”
Sonic smirked. He was certain that Knuckles would not be a fan of the idea. But, he’d go along with it for his girlfriend’s sake. “Alright, it’s settled then. You all done with your ice cream?”
Amy and Shadow both nodded, but Rouge frowned. Her ice cream was mostly liquid by now, so with a shrug, she picked up her cup and chugged the rest. Shadow gave her a flat, dismayed look, making Sonic laugh at the both of them.
“Don’t do that again.” Shadow ordered as they got up to throw their trash away. “That was disgraceful.”
Rouge laughed, sauntering up to him and leaning into him. “Oh, did that injure your delicate sensibilities?”
“No, it was disgusting.” Shadow shot her a glare, throwing his cup in the trash with more force than necessary.
As one, the group turned to the exit, Sonic and Amy walking behind the arguing duo. Rouge was intentionally riling Shadow up, and it was working beautifully. Sonic had to admire her technique, as a fellow Shadow-riler.
Sonic and Amy listened to them bicker with enraptured amusement, snickering and full-out laughing at them at times. Finally, then pushed through the doors into the chilly weather outside, which made Amy squeal a little. The group parted there, Shadow chaos-controlling himself and Rouge home, while Sonic and Amy made their way through the parking lot to Amy’s car.
Sonic hated travel by car, it was much too slow for him, but even he made exceptions. The exceptions being that he didn’t want to carry both Amy and all of the bags back while running. And as he’d promised to keep her company on the ride back, he resigned himself to a slow car trip.
Oh well, the things he did for friends?
What a horrible life I lead. Sonic thought sarcastically, smiling to himself as they drove. In all honesty, it was pretty perfect right now.
If only that could last.