“Even with human ears, my ear drums are ringing….” Sonic mumbled under his breath.

“Well, we all better get a good rest, eat dinner, go to bed, because I’m guessing tomorrow we are rock hunting.” Marklin told.

“Ahh, what of dinner, we have plenty of sandwiches.” Chuck said bluntly, Marklin looked at the -PILES- of grilled cheese, all over his kitchen.

“I’ll leave Timmy them, he’ll deal with them.” Marklin commented. “Maybe we could go out or something.”

“I made SOUP!” Cass exclaimed, arriving to defend her dinner. There was a clang as she opened the lid to show the steam from the soup.

“Well, I’m sure that we will all love it with every quark in our beings, and you really are the best cook in the world and I love your cabbage soup so much and no one could ever not love such a traditional east german meal, but there are too many people for just one pot of the best soup to ever be composed.” Marklin defended quickly like his life and the lives of everyone in the room to not get murdered by a crazed grandma and the refusal to eat her homemade soup depended on this one save, and it did. The others decided not to comment, feeling the direness of this situation.

“Well, maybe the kids can go and have some adult time, and have a nice meal, and we can have some grand children time and I’m sure little ol cherry blossom can help us keep a handle on- now who is that little tumbleweed who scadsdaled on up into this hootenanny right here?” Chuck phrased.

“You're worse than your mother!” Marklin exclaimed, getting ready to fight the girl's mother.

“Geeze, uncle Mark, you’d think I was not drinking all of the milk.” she sneered, trained to do so.

“YoU aRe DrInKiNg AlL tHe MiLk!?” Marklin said as his soul broke. Kathie appeared, and gave her daughter a pat on the shoulder.

“Blanche, honey, is your uncle giving you trouble again?” Kathie asked, Blanche nodded as she drank the rest of the milk.

Shadow instantly tensed up as he saw Kathie walk in, remembering ALL the fighting. He particularly did not like Marklin’s cousin.

“Oh, is that the goth one, what’d they do this time?” Kathie looked the teen up and down. “Get fashion advice from you, brother?” Kathie sneered.

“No, it’s too good to be from uncle Mark.” Blanche snarked.

“Blanche Benedict!” Kathie knelt down next to her daughter, a stern look in her eye’s. “I’m so proud of you, my little muffin.” She hugged Blanche and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“You’re even worse than I remember you.” Shadow growled. “And you have a spawn?”

“Straight from the devil himself!” Kathie exclaimed, she pulled her daughter closer into her embrace.

Shadow growled, but Sonic stopped him from saying anymore. “Shads, we don’t need more fighting.”

“He can’t take me if he wanted too!” Blanche squared up, Kathie patted her hair.

“Calm now, we don’t want to bruise his ego to bad.” Kathie said, she stood, picking up her spawn that SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE OR BE RAISING.

Shadow went to pounce at them, but Sonic quickly stopped him by picking him up. “Shadow! We can’t hurt children.”

“Fuck that logic! Let me at her!” Shadow hissed, but Sonic held on tight to his boyfriend.

Kathie clasped her hands over Blanche’s ears. “How DARE!” Kathie spat. “You have the nerve to SWEAR in front of MY-!” Kathie snapped her attention to her mother. “Is that cabbage soup?”

“Yes dear.” Cass answered simply.

Chuck stared at his nephews boyfriend. “Well then, Shadow.” Chuck coughed.

Shadow froze up, glancing to his boyfriend. Sonic looked to his Uncle Chuck nervously. “H-He’s got a, eh, bad past with Kathie….”

“Mmm hmm.” Chuck’s line of vision narrowed at the darkly clad teen. “Well then, I’m sure that excuses his behavior then.”

Shadow looked to the floor as Sonic let him stand; he bit his lip awkwardly. Sonic rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, silently hoping that this didn’t change Uncle Chuck’s opinion of Shadow.

“Well, then, what for the kids to go off and do?” Cass said, leaning into the counter and smiling at her nephew.

“Well, we can go to a nice restaurant?” Jasper said, questioning his words immediately.

“Haha, yeah, sure, let’s go!” Sonic said quickly, still feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

“Where to go that will let us in with children, who look like that.” Marklin commented.

“Rude.” Sonic crossed his arms. “I kinda like this look…. Except for the pants, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”

“You might like how you look but honey, no.” Marklin informed. “That one is in your generation I think, maybe he can help your atrocity.” Marklin gestured vaguely at Jasper.

Sonic looked to Jasper with a raised eyebrow. “Eh, okay?” Jasper stood, and grabbed Sonic by the arm, dragging him off. Sonic yelped, but went with him anyways. Marklin stared at Shadow, then grabbed him by the arm, dragging him off with him. Shadow tensed a bit at the contact, but otherwise didn’t object to being dragged away from Chuck. Once upstairs, Marklin opened the door to his and Jasper's room, of which Jasper was already in with Sonic, one glare and Jasper dragged Sonic elsewhere. Sonic looked at Shadow as he was being dragged out, giving him a sympathetic smile. Marklin cracked his knuckles eagerly.

“So, high punk or femmie classic.”

“Excuse me?” Shadow blinked.

Marklin smiled. “High punk classic femmie it is.” Marklin dove for his closet, he pulled out a few articles of clothes and tossed them to Shadow. “Put that on.” Marklin told as he started to find his own outfit.

Shadow simply nodded, not ever questioning this human, and putting on the clothing. Marklin started to change as he found a outfit for himself. “So, you seem like you know what you're doing for make-up then.”

“I don’t wear make-” Shadow cut himself off as he finally got to see this form of himself in the mirror. He blinked, seeing that the natural stripes around his eyes had been turned to make-up, and he saw that he also had mascara on. Then, he noticed the red frosted tips. “What has this world done to me…?”

“Something beautiful.” Marklin commented as he straightened himself out.

Shadow sighed, accepting his fate. Marklin walked over to the vanity in the room, he leaned a little bit over Shadows shoulder.

“You would look great with a nice slick and a simple red eye.” Marklin informed, pulling a hand over Shadows hair to pull it back and out of his face as a test of how he looks. Shadow looked at Marklin through the mirror silently.

Marklin started his work, pulling back Shadows hair, and redoing the teen make-up. Shadow just silently accepted this. When done, Marklin spun shadow around, and took a step back.

“I did too good of a job…. I’ll have to do well on myself now.” Marklin got in front of the vanity and started on himself. Shadow just grunted and let the man do his thing, silently liking the work he did.

Marklin finished up his own face and hair, and stood back up, ready for a nice night.az

Shadow stood up, smoothing down the outfit given to him. “So, shall we let Sonic and Jasper get in now?”

“Of course.” Marklin said quickly, he opened the door and stepped out. Shadow followed behind.

Sonic whistled, “Wow, Shads.”

Shadow blushed, giving his boyfriend the smallest of smiles. Jasper pulled Sonic into the room quickly.

“So, what’cha got for me?” Sonic asked with a grin. Jasper dug for anything he could find. He through a pair of pants a shirt he hoped fit Sonic at him. Sonic put on the outfit.

“Eh, this is kinda tight….” He commented. Jasper looked over, taking note, and kept looking, he threw some more options at Sonic to try on.

Sonic tried on more, either finding them too tight in the areas they needed to be loose or too loose in the areas they needed to be tight. Jasper took a deep inhale, then disappeared into the closet. He arrived back out with some more options. Sonic tried on a bit more before finally finding one that fit him. Jasper just nodded and dug for his own clothes. Sonic took that time to look at himself in the mirror, winking and finger gunning at his reflection. Jasper got into clothes that would suit Marklin, and looked at Sonic.

“We need to handle your hair.” Jasper sweeped it a bit flat, to which it spiked up more. “On second though it’s fine.”

Sonic simply grinned to himself in the mirror. Jasper dragged Sonic out of the room. Sonic yelped as he was dragged out. Marklin looked over Jasper, and just accepted the look. Shadow looked to Sonic, already prepared for the mess that came with Sonic’s look. Sonic grinned and wrapped an arm around Shadow.

“So, where are we going?” Marklin asked Jasper, Jasper took a deep breath.

“Where ever you want, Distel.” Jasper said, well trained to just let Marklin pick food.

Sonic looked to Marklin, growing impatient because it’s Sonic and he’s hungry.

“How about ‘The Eclipse.’” Marklin stated, Jasper whimpered as his wallet immediately emptied but accepted the fate of his children's college fund.

Sonic smiled and started to jump up and down. “Sounds great!”

Marklin smiled, and took Jasper by the arm, starting toward the door. Sonic looked to Shadow excitedly, offering his arm; Shadow took the offered arm and was immediately dragged by Sonic after Marklin and Jasper.

“We are leaving!” Marklin called.

“I’ll have leftovers!” Cass called, as the children picked at their soup.

“I’m sure that we will love it!” Marklin gave Kathie a glare of gratitude seeing she was on atleast bowl three and pushed Jasper out the door.

“Bye!” Sonic waved as he dragged Shadow out.

“Have fun….” Amy said, picking at her soup.

Once at the cars, Jasper and Marklin started to decide which one to take, until a set of keys flew out a window at Marklin, hitting him the landing in the snow. Shadow looked unamused at the group of cars, but as soon as he saw the motorcycle; his eyes looked longingly and sadly at it. Sonic noticed his boyfriend’s demeanor and hugged him tighter. Jasper got the edsel unlocked and opened the door for Marklin, because chivalry might be dead but Jasper likes being alive. Sonic smiled and led Shadow to the car, opening the back door for him, always being the one with chivalry (AND LITERALLY KING ARTHUR -Fire).

Jasper hoped in and got the car going. And with everyone in, they were off to ‘The Eclipse.’ It was not a long trip to the restaurant, once there the $15 valet took the car quickly away.

Sonic whistled. “This place looks fancy.”

“That means you must be proper.” Shadow glanced to his boyfriend, aware that the last word to describe Sonic’s eating was proper. Jasper took Marklin arm, and they walked in, leading before the teens. Sonic led Shadow in, following Jasper’s example. Marklin and Jasper got to the maitre d’s pedestal, Marklin took a step towards it.

“Table for four.” Marklin said, leaning onto the table with the book. The man glared at Marklin.

“Are you gonna make a scene if I don’t give you a table…?” The man asked.

“Oh, sweetheart, who do you think I am.” Marklin chirped, the man sighed, and called over a server to seat them. They all followed the server and sat at their table. Jasper helped Marklin sit in his chair, then took his own seat next to his husband. Before Sonic could even try to do anything, Shadow seated himself, tired of the chivalry. Sonic simply huffed and sat down beside him. Marklin and Jasper both skimmed over their menus quickly. The waiter returned.

“Monsieur, a bottle of your finest Sherry, and two shirley temples, bitte?” Marklin said, putting his menu down. The waiter nodded and walked off to get what was asked.

“So you know what you want?” Marklin asked as they waited.

“Quiche au Saumon et Crevettes.” Shadow read, in perfect French.

Sonic blinked, looked at the menu, turned it upside down, then put it down, shaking his head. Marklin sighed deeply. “I’ll order for you.” The waiter came back with the drinks, serving the wine then placing down the two pink drinks in front of the teens. He waited for the order.

“Ah, I’ll have the lapin à la moutarde, sided with the lobster bisque, the truffle risotto, and the butter braised scallops.” Marklin told. “The young man in blue will have the bastille burger, sided with french onion soup gratinée, baby lettuce salade, and duo of salmon.” Marklin added, the waiter nodded. He looked to Jasper.

Jasper pointed at truite aux amandes, “With baby lettuce salade, french onion soup gratinée, and the lobster risotto.” Jasper said, the waiter nodded and looked to Shadow.

“Je veux Quiche au Saumon et Crevettes.” Shadow blinked, wondering why he was speaking French. Marklin shook his head.

“Sided with french onion soup gratinée, baby lettuce salade, and duo of salmon.” Marklin elaborated, the waiter nodded and left them be.

Shadow coughed a bit, his voice going back to English. “I hate your world and how it affects my brain.”

“Of course,” Marklin sighed, starting on his glass of sherry. Sonic looked to his drink curiously, as they didn’t have such drinks in their world.

“It’s just a soda with juice in it, sided with a cherry.” Jasper informed.

Sonic, understanding those words, nodded and took a small sip. Shadow, recalling that both soda and juice has sugar, looked to the one who had ordered such a drink for the hyper one with a glare.

“So, enjoying the night?” Marklin asked the teens, starting his second glass of sherry.

“Everything seems to be going well.” Shadow said. “As long as you never order sugary things for him again.”

“Oh please, it’s ginger ale and a splash of grenadine, the most sugary thing is the cherry. I could have ordered a Roy Rogers or a Arnold Palmer, and sugared him up real good.” Marklin swayed, thinking about the piles of much worse mocktails to give Sonic.

Shadow rolled his eyes and sipped at his drink.

“So, I’m guessing since you only have that burger place, you don’t get out to nice restaurants much?” Jasper asked, still sipping on glass one.

“Nope!” Sonic nodded. “We have a few other restaurants, but none nearly as fancy.” Marklin nodded, their first round arrived, cold first. Sonic smiled happily and started shoving his food into his mouth. Marklin started to eat his soup, Jasper had his salad calmly. Marklin sighed and just let the teen. Shadow glanced to Sonic and sighed before eating calmly and properly.

“Well, it’s good as always.” Jasper said.

___________________________

Jasper pulled Marklin out of the restaurant, blank emotionally.

“Come on, babe, let’s go get some ice cream.” Marklin said, his walk wobbly.

“Ya know, I’m starting to like drunk Mark.” Sonic commented.

“See, he agrees. We should get ice cream” Marklin hiccupped.

Sonic started jumping up and down like a small child. “Yeah! Ice cream! Ice cream!”

Shadow just sighed at his boyfriend's behavior. Marklin just gestured at Sonic. Shadow looked to Jasper. “We aren’t getting out of this, are we?”

“Nope.” Jasper relented, he collected the car from the vallet.

“Alright.” Shadow sighed. “I guess we’re getting ice cream….”

Sonic smiled brightly and hugged Shadow. “Yay!”

Once in the vehicle, Jasper waited for Marklin’s slow toil on where to go for what he wanted. When Marklin finally decided, Jasper started the drive. Meanwhile, Shadow regretted all his life’s decisions as Sonic wouldn’t leave him alone, too excited to stay quiet.

“So how much is our fee for this trip, oh drunk one.” Jasper swayed, glancing to Marklin who was tracing figures into his window.

“Oh, you know….” Marklin trailed off, Jasper just rolled his eyes and looked into the back seat, and smiled at the scene.

“Do you think they’ll have chili dog flavor!?” Sonic asked his boyfriend excitedly. “That was always my favorite kind! Uncle Chuck alway got me it when I was sad!”

Shadow patted the other teen’s head calmly with a small smile. “They might not have the same flavors as we have in our world.”

“But if they do….” Sonic looked starry eyed.

“Chilli dog flavor sounds like some of the crap you’d eat when you were pregnant.” Marklin said firmly, snapping his attention to his husband.

Sonic’s mood instantly depleted. “This world really doesn’t know good food.”

“I’m sorry for your existence if that what good food is to you.” Marklin told, Jasper rolled his eyes but left it be.

Sonic crossed his arms and glared at Marklin. “It really is good food! Your food tastes so weird and I haven’t seen cost numbers that high since Egghead’s electricity bill!”

“Sonic,” Shadow sighed. “Their world works different than ours. It’s just something we have to live with.”

“It was FRENCH-”

“Mark dear, please put your seatbelt on and face forwards.” Jasper told, Marklin quickly did as Jasper asked.

“French?” Sonic looked to Shadow, the word foreign to his ears.

“It’s an old, dead language.” Shadow clarified.

“Dead language, pfft, not that dead, people still use it to be cute, god I hate those people, french being dead,” Marklin muttered.

Shadow looked to Marklin, confused. “French was a language from long ago, used by our ancestors. It died out about a hundred years after Mobians entered the world.”

“Whatever.” Marklin seethed, he went back to his doodles on the window. Soon, they finally pulled into the pace of Marklin choosing. Sonic’s mood instantly lifted as he saw the place. Once stopped, Marklin tried to get out of the car with his seat belt still on. Sonic instantly unbuckled and basically flew out of the car. Shadow sighed tiredly before unbuckling and getting out. Jasper unbuckled Marklin and got out, he walked around the car and helped Marklin function up to the order window. Their was four options, Chocolate, Vanilla, Butter pecan, and Raspberry. Sonic slightly frowned at there being no chili dog flavor, but then again chocolate!

Jasper pulled Marklin to the window. “Butter pecan, and-”

“Chocolate and Raspberry, the chocolate has to be on top, no other wAY-” Jasper dropped Marklin so he’d stop his drunk rant. Jasper picked Marklin back up and let the teens order.

“Chocolate.” Sonic smiled and looked to Shadow.

“I don’t need anything.” The dark teen crossed his arm.

“Aw, come on, Shads! I know you have a HUGE sweet tooth!”

Just a second after that statement, Shadow sighed. “I’ll have chocolate too….”

Jasper paid quickly and they now waited around.

“My sweet tooth Shads.” Sonic cooed, causing Shadow to blush and look away, arms crossed.

“My sweet tooth isn't that prominent, Sonic.”

“Oh really?” Sonic smirked. “Then why do you put an entire bag of sugar and 4 creamers into your coffee every morning? Or that time when you ate an entire two tiered cake in one sitting?”

Shadow’s blush only got worse from there. The window called for the order, and they collected their ice cream. They got back in the car to eat. Marklin was actually eating his normally, Jasper was eating slowly, taking his time. Sonic ate his quickly, and though Shadow was unhealthily addicted to sweets, he ate his slowly. It was quiet and nice as they ate. Sonic smiled happily, wrapping his arm around Shadow and for once not spoiling a quiet moment.

Marklin looked at Jasper, and nudged him, Jasper looked back at Marklin tired slightly, but awake enough to care enough not to look too tired, Marklin slowly licked his ice cream exaggeratedly, eyes clouded in god know what drunken thoughts, Jasper snorted and looked back the other way, flushed up slightly and smiling gently. Sonic and Shadow noticed this, and greatly tried to ignore it.

Once all finished, Jasper started the drive home. “So, how are you liking being human?” Jasper asked the teens in back.

“It’s, uh, pretty weird….” Sonic replied. “I can’t run as fast and it feels like I’m dying because my lungs work differently here. I guess I’m getting use to it?”

Shadow simply shrugged. “It seems that your world doesn’t even know what to do with me. I feel as if my brain is being picked apart….”

“Well then.” Jasper said, tapping his hand on the wheel, Marklin slept quietly in the passenger seat. They soon enough arrived home. Jasper carried Marklin into the house softly. Marklin woke on the trip, and cuddled into Jasper. They all walked in, as they did, Kathie in the kitchen gave then a thumbs up, stressfully and painfully, as she ate the last bite of the soup, meanwhile, Shadow and Sonic’s eyes widened at the familiar emerald laying on the couch.

“What the heck is the Master Emerald doing here!?” Sonic questioned, surprised.

“Oh hell, what do we have to fix this time.” Marklin snorted, Jasper put him on his own feet, Marklin stumbled over to his couch, and knocked on the emerald. “It’s not talking.” Marklin informed bluntly.

“Of course it’s not.” Shadow crossed his arms. “It’s broken.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do with it!” Marklin blurted, “I need my couch for sitting, and look at it, it’s just taking up a whole end.” Jasper walked over and put an arm around Marklin.

“It’s fine dear, we can move it in the morning.” Jasper informed, Cass peaked in the room.

“You found that thing already, good, we put it there so that the nice girl inside would be comfy.” Jasper brought a hand to his forehead and just took a breath.

“Don’t you have a wife you are supposed to be living with?” Jasper asked.

“She told me to come over here for a day or two so-” Cass commented.

“Yeah, ‘A’ day or two, come on.” And with that, Cass was dragged out of the home by Ramona to go back to their home, the two dogs followed quickly, instinct to follow their human.

“Okay, that happened.” Sonic blinked.

“Well, what are supposed to do with this thing.” Marklin called.

“Well, my theory is that, the chaos emeralds are in this world, and brought the emerald here, so that we can find the emeralds, you can feel it’s a little warm, that means the first one is close.” Chuck told quickly, entering the room and sitting next to the giant emerald.

Sonic’s heart almost leapt for joy. “We can finally get them all back!”

“It will also help restore some things in our world, that haven't been working right since the last time mean old robotnik took over.” Chuck said, thinking of the possibilities.

“Well what are we supposed to do?” Marklin hiccuped.

“We get collect them all, of course!” Sonic smiled brightly. “An adventure! Finally!”

“Sounds like so much ‘fun.’” Marklin said, his sarcasm much more obvious than normal. Jasper grabbed him around the chest.

“I’ll take him to bed now, good night.” Jasper sighed, he dragged Marklin off to sleep his drunkenness away.

“Night!” Sonic called to the drunk guy. Marklin waved back, still hiccuping.

Sonic smiled excitedly to Shadow. “Maybe the rest of the Master Emerald is here too!”

“And if Knuckles still knew that it existed, then I think he’d be thankful if we complete it.” Shadow nodded.

“Right-o, kids, but for now, why don’t be skedaddle on off to sleep.” Chuck said sweetly.