Chapter Text
"They're getting bolder you know?"
Shadow fell back on his couch in exhaustion, his arms splayed out as he leaned his head back, squinting at the ceiling. He hoped his lack of response would discourage the bat from bringing this topic up again.
He should really know better by now.
"You're gaining more and more attention now. You're about to go on your third tour. You can't just walk around in public alone anymore. You need safety," Rouge left her glass on the kitchen island and circled around the couch to stand in front of Shadow; a clear attempt to force him to acknowledge her.
"These idiots will actually attack me the same day pigs start flying," he spoke with a lack of enthusiasm. He refused to regard the matter of a few online threats as something serious.
"Shadow," Rouge's almost growled out warningly. "The internet is extremely advanced these days. Those 'idiots' can find out a lot of information about you. And if they manage to dig up your background and find out who your father is do you know what kind of danger you'll be-"
Shadow snapped his attention away from the ceiling to glare at Rouge. "If these people really think that hurting or killing me is an effective way to gain an advantage over my dad then they wouldn't just be idiots. They would be imbeciles. Plus, you forget how capable I am of handling danger because of said father."
He might be a rising star now, but that did not take away the years of training ingrained into him in his life beforehand. He still maintains his form through rigorous workouts and boxing practice. It thankfully translates well into his career as his fans fawn over his physique during his performances, never questioning why his form is so lean, clueless to the honing of his body to be lethal.
Rouge however was not having it, "Capable of handling a fistfight yes. But not a gun Shadow. You can't carry that around anymore as an idol. But a bodyguard can!"
"I refuse to have a squadron of bodyguards flocking around me everywhere I go," Shadow crossed his arms in distaste at the suggestion. That would be downright humiliating. "Plus, it would just be more suspicious to the people making these threats. They'll think there is information to dig for."
"Not a squadron, just one! That's a reasonable measure to take as a now-famous idol."
Pretending to mull over Rouge's suggestion, Shadow knew there was no point in trying to refuse. It was a reasonable enough offer that she would just go ahead and do it anyways if he did. So he sighed and relented, leaning back onto the couch to stare at the ceiling again.
"Fine, but don't bother me with the hiring process. Just make sure to get someone you know will beat me in combat, if there is anyone like that."
Rouge grinned at his trust in her decision-making. "How cocky," she drawled in amusement. "I'll make sure to get someone who can humble you."
With this brave promise, the bat strolls off to pick up her purse and put on her coat, yelling a reminder to drink water with honey to soothe his throat.
He continued to blink at the ceiling for a few seconds after she's gone before bending forwards again to haul himself off the couch. He had already changed out of his costume from his rehearsal earlier today and showered, now wearing a simple grey oversized shirt. He shuffled to the kitchen and searched around the cupboard for honey. Thankfully the hotel had stocked this kitchen with all kinds of ingredients so the search didn't take long.
He filled a cup with water before stirring a teaspoon of honey into it. Honey is supposedly great at soothing a raw throat, and while he never cared enough to ensure recovery of something as menial as a 'sore throat', he knew Rouge would have his head if he didn't take these extra steps. It did directly tie in with his ability to perform too so he supposed it was for the general good.
Finishing his sweetened water, Shadow retreated to his bedroom. Sprawling out on his bed, he considered the effects of Rouge's decision. He really did not look forward to having some big stone-faced guy following him everywhere drawing attention to him. At least while running errands alone he could just stuff his quills into a hoodie to prevent himself from being recognized and go about his day in peace.
Sighing, he thought back to Rouge's promise then huffed a short exhale through his nose in amusement. A guy that can humble him. She had no idea just how intense the training his father put him through was. As a hedgehog he may have been smaller than his opponents, but his prowess and tenacity were unmatched. He could switch between and combine different martial arts and fight dirty, something some dumb bodyguard can never learn.
Maybe he can humble the bodyguard instead, he mused. Then he could prove to Rouge that having a bodyguard is just an unnecessary liability.
With these hopeful thoughts he drifted to sleep while Rouge looked up different bodyguard agencies in preparation to contact the next day.
~~~
Sonic was bouncing his right leg nonstop.
A client needing a year of protection who will be travelling all over the United Federation. A celebrity of some sort.
He glanced at the taller, buffer bodyguards lined up beside him, waiting to be called into the room. He pulled the corners of his lips into a smile at a bear whose eyes he accidentally caught. The bear simply raised an eye at him and scoffed, disbelieving at the seemingly scrawny hedgehog thinking he stood a chance at landing this position.
A wrongful assumption might Sonic just say. He knew his capabilities and he knew he could prove them. He wasn't bouncing his neg from nervousness. He was bouncing it in excitement.
"Sonic? You can come in now."
Standing up instantly from his seat, Sonic didn't acknowledge the quiet snickers from the other bodyguards as he approached the door.
Opening it as narrowly as he could to slide himself in, he shut it behind himself before registering his surroundings. The office layout was not unfamiliar to him. He had been in this office twice before in hopes to be matched with clients; both times met with scrutiny and rejection before even getting the chance to explain himself. It's frustrating being judged on appearance alone. He wished the agency would let him demonstrate his skills to the client or something.
But it's fine, this one he would not give a chance to underestimate him.
Settling his eyes on the desk first he saw his broker agent speaking to a chair. He power walked forward until he stood next to the desk to be in the client's line of sight.
"Miss Rouge, this here is one of our newer bodyguards. He has a firearm license and is one of the speediest little guys in Empire City!" Sonic tried not to wince at the agent's undermining description, making him out to be some cute underdog. He forced himself to look at the client, prepared to see an unimpressed stare of sorts followed by half-hearted questions with zero intent to consider him no matter what his answers were.
His eyes were met with amusement instead.
"A hedgehog huh?" The white bat leaned her face forwards onto her hand. She looked different from the previous two clients he faced. For one thing she couldn't have been past her mid twenties, not much older than Sonic himself as a 22 year old. For another, she looked like a model from one of those fashion magazines. Dressed in a large white button down with sleeves that ended right below her elbows, cinched around her waist with a large black belt to emphasize her curves with black denim pants to match. Somehow, despite her outfit being rather casual, Sonic felt out-dressed even though he was clad in a suit and tie.
Sonic snapped himself out of his reverie and brought his hand up to his forehead in a salute, "That I am."
Miss Rouge giggled. He wasn't sure if it was at his response (which wasn't meant to be funny he thinks), or if she downright didn't take him seriously. He was ready to wipe that smile off her face if the latter was the case.
"Alright, what martial arts do you know?"
Sonic took a short breath before reciting the types he had technically learned within his training, "I've formally learned taekwondo, judo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ma'am."
"And which one is your favorite?"
The question came a bit too quickly after his response, implying that the question isn't improvised, but rather something she was planning on asking him no matter what. He could be over-reading it, but something about that gleam in her eyes told him that he shouldn't stay on script for this answer.
Praying that the broker agent wouldn't give him hell for this later, he straightened his posture and smirked.
"None of them ma'am."
"Uhm-"
The bat cut the agent off with an intrigued grin, "Really now? You don't have one style that you prefer more to others?"
"I believe in doing whatever I can to win. I appreciate the techniques I formally learned but I cannot be tied down to one fighting style."
His answer seemed to please her, enough so that she asked the agent to leave the room so that she could ask Sonic more questions in private. Sonic tried not to gape at how she managed to convince the agent, basically sweet-talking him out of the door in a daze before closing it shut. Her charisma is seriously nothing to laugh at.
"Now," Miss Rouge strolled back to the chair before beckoning Sonic to come closer as she sat down. "How can I know that you're worth it?"
Sonic assumed by 'worth it' she meant worth considering. He could ramble on and on about his credentials and fighting history. Or he could continue to surprise her...
"Pick three of the other bodyguards outside."
The bat blinked at this request, confused. "Pardon?"
"Pick three bodyguards," he repeated, a fire in his eyes, a thirst for a challenge. "I can fight them simultaneously and win."
The bat seemed taken aback by this confidence, processing the wager for a second before a smile climbed back on her face, "Your cockiness is so familiar. Although I doubt your agent would allow you to fight the other bodyguards for the sake of a demonstration, something tells me I should take your word for it at least."
Sonic took the approval in stride and grinned, "I promise you any danger that comes your way ma'am I can deal with."
Miss Rouge raised an eyebrow at this before correcting him, "Oh it's not me that you'll be guarding."
Now Sonic was the confused one. Not her? She looked like an A-list celebrity of some sort, most likely needing protection from slightly-too-passionate fans or creeps.
"Tell me Sonic, have you heard of Shadow?"
Shadow? He had heard that name from Tails before. He was a pop star of some sort that was recently rising to fame. He had never heard his music before but from what he knew, the guy was rather popular with the ladies.
And Tails of course, who occasionally raves about how cool he is and how soulful his voice is. Sonic himself wasn't much of a music fan, or a celebrity fan in general to be honest. He didn't live under a rock per se but he didn't keep up with the lives of famous people often. Most of the information he knew of he would hear from Tails or passingly from social media.
"The singer?" Sonic asked in uncertainty, unsure if his obvious lack of familiarity would benefit or ruin his chances at landing this job. Were bodyguards supposed to be super familiar with their client? He assumed it would help for him to have pre-existing knowledge of what Shadow's schedule or lifestyle looked like. He prayed his answer didn't come off as ignorant.
"Yes, the singer. As he's been getting more attention from the public, he has been recently receiving a number of online threats claiming that they will make attempts on his life. While every celebrity experiences this at some point and they tend to be empty threats, I want to take precautionary measures to keep him safe, especially since he'll be going on a live tour soon."
Sonic nodded slowly, now pondering the bat's relation to him. His curiosity got the best of him before he could stop himself, "And you're his..."
"Manager," she supplied with a grin. "I handle all the behind the scenes stuff. Subtlety is much more my thing."
Sonic exhaled lightly in relief at her casual response to what he felt was an unprofessional question. Subtlety? From her fashion sense alone he would have thought the opposite.
"One last question Sonic," Miss Rouge leaned forward again, a much more serious look in her eyes.
"Are you willing to take a bullet for your client?"
Sonic weighed this question in his head. The reason bodyguards get paid so much is because they're essentially putting their life on the line to protect their client. It's like paying with their body in a way, a shield to make sure any damage that was intended for their client lands on them instead. Realistically of course, the chances of life threatening danger happening were extremely low. No criminal in their right mind would try to kill a celebrity unless they were sure they could get away with it. The only type of client a shooter would risk getting caught for would be a controversial politician.
While yes, money was a big factor in why Sonic trained to become a bodyguard in the first place, it also gave him a chance to follow his ideals more honorably. If it weren't for Knuckles he would still be out on the streets endangering his body for much less, but as a bodyguard he gets the chance to endanger himself for someone. To save their life. And if he lands this job, he would gain more than enough money to pay for anything Tails needs or wants. He needed this job.
"If I'm being honest," he blurted out. "I would go through torture to save my client."
The bat's eyes widened at this; he wasn't sure the reason why. Maybe she didn't believe him, or maybe she thought his blind willingness to lay down his life for someone he doesn't even know to be foolish.
She broke back into a giggle waving her hand, "Oh my! Don't worry, Shadow doesn't have such audacious enemies just yet. I was just making sure you're not the cowardly type."
Sonic smiled at the sudden change in her demeanor. 'Just yet' she had said. It could have been a careless expression of her speech, or it could truly imply that he might develop bigger enemies in the future.
Was it strange that a part of him was hoping that the latter was true? Tails did always say he was too much of a thrill-seeker.
"Well," Miss Rouge stood up from the chair again, picking up her purse. "It was great to meet you Sonic. You're a very charming hedgehog and I look forward to working with you."
Sonic's breathing stopped for a few seconds, "You mean-"
"Yes, I'll talk to your agent now about setting up a contract. I think you're just what Shadow needs."
He felt his heart float as a grin stretched across his face. Clasping his right hand to his chest and bowing, "Thank you ma'am."
"You better skip the formalities next time I see you," the bat quirked an eyebrow at him before walking towards the door. "Just call me Rouge. I'm not old you know."
"Of course ma'a- Rouge," he substituted happily. It felt a bit strange calling his employer by their name but he was happy to amend.
"Perfect! Oh and one more thing," she set her hand on the doorknob, making no move to open it until she finishes her sentence. "Shadow will probably be a pain in the ass early on since I had to pester him about getting a bodyguard in the first place, but keep showing him that dashing smile of yours and he'll come around eventually."
Sonic blinked at the... piece of advice? He wasn't sure what the aim of that statement was, but he was still on his happiness high so he grinned again.
"Will do."
Rouge called the agent back into the room while Sonic made his exit. He really wanted to shove it into these other bodyguards' faces, but settled on whistling a jaunty tune while walking past them as they stared at him incredulously.
This is gonna be great.