Chapter Text
“If there were anyone else who spent this much time in a bathroom, I would start to worry.” An all too familiar voice huffed at Rouge. Rolling her eyes at Shadow, she turned to face him. The man was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. “I’m not saying I want to go. I am saying that I am starving, though. You promised food at this stupid party. I might die of starvation if you don’t get your ass out of the fucking bathroom.”
“Shadow, darling. I might die from the pure sass coming from you, and then no one eats anything. You might be complaining, but I’m almost certain that you’re going to have a great time. ” Rouge's eyes scanned over the hedgehog with a raised eyebrow.“Most people would want to look their best when meeting strangers. "That alcoholic uncle vibe you were trying to pull doesn’t look half bad. I'm not sure if I love the cactus swim shorts, or the stained Hawaiian shirt more."
“Well, most people want to make a solid first impression. I want to go home already, and we haven’t even left. You better not ditch me in a place filled with people I don't know. I can and will kill you, bring you back, and then kill you again.” Shadow warned, narrowing his eyes as he let his roommate escape.
“You act like I'm ditching you all the time!” Rouge responded with a huff. “Sir, you are the one ditching me all the time to go to your shop! You have been here for a month, and I can count how many times I've seen you on one hand. The store will be fine on its own for a day. It's not even open yet! You need to start enjoying the little things in life more, starting with this party. Besides, you know Vector! It’s his place we are going to anyway, so you can quit being so dramatic.”
Once free from the bathroom, Rouge quickly turned before patting the nonexistent pockets of her bikini. “Do you happen to know where the car keys are? I also don't remember where I put the pool bag either.” She asked, looking at her friend with a lost expression.
“Both the keys and the bag are in the car already. If you didn't spend all that time in the bathroom you would have noticed.” Shadow responded while guiding his hopeless roommate out of the apartment complex. “Also, fuck you. I vaguely saw him once in the apartment while going to my room, so he doesn’t count. I have no idea what you see in me that makes you think I want to meet people. Do you even know who is going to be there?”
Rouge did a quick once-over of the bag as she listened to her bitter friend drone on. “I mean vaguely?” She responded once, content with all the items placed inside. “I’m pretty sure there are two other new people who will be there.” Rouge then began making a mental tally of all the names of attendees as she climbed into the driver's side.
The car sputtered to life as the bat struggled to find herself comfortable on the hot leather seat. “So aside from you and me, there is also Vector and his boyfriend, Espio. I’m pretty sure Vanilla and her daughter are going to show up for a little bit. The kid is easy to get along with and can be pretty spicy when she wants to. Vanilla is pretty laid-back though, so I am sure you will like her.”
Rouge’s mind struggled desperately to remember who said they would come. “I think Big is going to be there at some point.” She spoke more lost than the last time, the busy sounds of downtown, and the wind in her face. Rouge’s face scrunched for a moment in pure concentration before finally giving up on any more attempts. “I’m sure there is more, but we can find that out when we get there.” She spoke nonchalantly, her right hand dismissing any worries as it waved in the air.
“I think you mean if we get there!” Shadow snapped at Rouge, holding the side of the door for safety. “Eyes on the damn road!”
“My eyes are on the fucking road!” Rouge barked back with a loud scoff. “You are always so dramatic about the most random fucking things.”
“The only thing random here is the distance between us and the middle of the road! I forgot how shitty you are with driving.” Shadow whined, placing his head in his hands so he didn't have to watch the mess unfold around him. “From now on, I'm the one driving. I would rather be run over by the trolley than get in the car with you again.”
”Oh look. It’s your lord and savior, The curb.” Rouge joked in an annoyed tone. She pulled to the side of the road, parking right next to the newly owned suburban home. “Not to mention that I have been taking my medication, and my driving is significantly better!” She bounced back to the topic.
Rouge quickly exited and grabbed the bag, unwilling to see more of Shadow’s theatrics as he hurled himself out of the car. Circling to the passenger side, Rouge witnessed her friend as he lay on the small patch of grass next to the walking path. She never thought that Shadow would be so against meeting new people that he would get this pissy about anything. “Real talk.” Rouge finally spoke up with a sigh, leaning against the convertible as she looked down at the small pile of quills on the ground.
“Do you not want to go? If you don't want to, that’s fine, but I do think you will have a good time. I know these kinds of settings are not your vibe, but I wouldn’t be this pushy unless I think you would like everyone there a lot. It would mean so to me if we could stay for at least two hours, though. There is also some delicious free food a couple steps away.” She bartered. nudging her head at the red picket fence and the smell of freshly grilled burgers. ”If you want to go home though, I won't push you anymore”.
“Two things.” Shadow groaned, getting off the ground now that his stomach had settled. “First off, fuck you. I am giving you two hours and two hours only. I did not suffer through this ride just to not get food.” Shadow pointed at Rouge with all the frustration in his body. “Secondly, don’t think you can just breeze past that other part. Did you take your fucking meds today? That driving was the worst I have ever seen, and I wish I didn't.”
Rouge froze for a moment, unable to enjoy a single moment of victory over her friend. Her mind scanned through the day repeatedly. Suddenly, the realization hit.
“So I have some good news and some bad news.” Rouge gave Shadow a hopeful glance to downplay the situation as much as she could. “The good news is that I don’t have to worry about when I can start drinking. The bad news is that I absolutely did not take my meds this morning. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Well, we may as well plan my funeral because there’s no way I’m surviving this. You’re horrible enough off your meds, but if I can’t even get drunk enough to deal with an unmedicated, boozed-up hooligan…” Shadow spoke, contemplating the life choices he made that led him here. The Mobian put his hands on his face in mental anguish and shook his head with a loud groan.
“Oh shit, I almost forgot!” Rouge perked up, grabbing her phone from the bag so she could get a clear look at the group messages. “Ok, so there is one more person I know here. Her name is Amy. Super cute, pink, and a total bitch, but in a good way, I promise.” As she spoke, her eyes were glued to her phone.
She messaged Vector about their arrival as she guided Shadow to the suburban home. “Anyway, she is a real stickler for the law, so I may have told her that you’re twenty-one. Amy would lose her mind if she found out someone underage had a drink or two, and it would be a whole thing. There is not enough alcohol in the world to deal with her tirades.”
Shadow rubbed the bridge of his nose as he left Rouge in silence for a couple of moments. “So you brought me here with the promise of food and planned to sweet-talk me to stay with booze?” He asked, raising his eyebrow for a moment before deciding that she had been through enough scolding for today. “I guess today won't be a total bust after all.”