Fate's Wretched Odyssey

VIII

"You goin' somewhere? I noticed you bought a new suit the other day," Tails asked once he had finished wrenching a bolt into place on the engine he was working on. Sonic set down the toolkit his brother had asked him for, quills somewhat disheveled. He had slept well, but the fact that the night had been dreamless worried him. It had been like that since the dream with the hunters, which had taken place at the start of the week.

"Yeah, but I didn't think I'd be helping you for this long!" He panicked and darted out of the room. "I only have half an hour to shower, dry my quills, get dressed, contemplate my life's choices, and get there." The blue hedgehog ran into the bathroom and shut the door while Tails leaned against the frame.

"Oh? Where are you meant to be going, and why the rush?" A short pause filled the air before a small sigh reached Tails' ears. "It's Shadow. He asked me to reserve a table down at some restaurant in town for five. He'll be pissed if I'm late!" Shower water began streaming as Tails responded, "But if it's a date, he shouldn't be upset, right? He'll understand, Sonic."

"No! It's not a date! He'll kill me if I'm late — or worse — fire me! I- I'm already on thin ice with the guy, so I have to get there as soon as possible." Tails raised a brow when he heard the shower water switch off.

If anybody was always late, but faster than the rest of the world, it was Sonic.

"Alright, well, here's the suit," Tails opened the door and hung it on the rack. Sonic was blow drying his quills, his eyes determined. "Thanks. I'll see you later. I'll be out; two hours tops." He quickly slid on his deep blue suit, fixed the tie, and rushed out of their apartment. But not before grabbing the car keys of course.

The restaurant, Golden Plaza, that Sonic had reserved was apparently a well known place, according to Rouge. Expensive food and classy folks. So he had ditched casualwear and went with something more formal. He just had to hope he wouldn't need to dip into Tails' college funds to afford it.

He pulled into the parking lot with only a minute to spare and hurried to the stairs of the esteemed building. That's where he saw Shadow waiting, leaning against the railing with a cigarette between his fingers. "You're late," he stated calmly. Sonic huffed, "I am not. I made it right on time, see?" Sonic pulled out his phone to display the time. 4:59 pm.

Shadow raised a brow, snuffing out the cigarette and flicking it at Sonic's face. "If you're on time, then you're already ten minutes late. Now let's get going." Sonic wiped the ash from his forehead and repressed a snarl.

As they walked, through the corner of his eye, Sonic could see a faint darkness that whispered over the bottom of Shadow's lower eyelids. He blinked once, then twice before he came to what seemed to be an impossible conclusion. Shadow was wearing a spot of male makeup. Just some light eyeliner that was enough to really bring out the color in his flaming eyes.

Sonic swallowed shyly and turned his gaze away.

The two walked into the fancy foyer, and the blue male could swear he felt his heart sink. 'No way am I affording rent after this.' Chandeliers made of crystal hung from the domed ceiling, and several candles were lit amongst the walls. Decorative paintings were hung on just about every vertical surface, and bouquets of flowers lined the windowsills. There was a haze of indistinct chatter that radiated in Sonic's ears as he gazed around the large space, subconsciously taking in the appearances of all the customers that were currently seated.

Though, something suddenly smacked him in the face like a brick falling from the sky. Just about everyone was accompanied by a mobian of the opposing gender.

'Shit.'

The two males strode up to the reception, waiting patiently for someone to show them to their reserved table. Sonic felt his nerves growing. Sweat collected on his brow, and he could feel his foot tapping the tiled floor impatiently.