Nicer with You

One-Shot

Do you want to do something for Christmas this year?

Rouge had asked the Shadow the same question countless times, and every time, she'd received a different answer.

The first year, he'd simply stared at her, and numerous emotions had flashed across his face – pain, resentment, and disinterest – faster than the rapid blinking of fairy lights. Then he'd said, 'No,' and refused to discuss it further.

The following year, they had been standing on the roof of GUN's headquarters. He'd taken one look at the Christmas lights, shoppers, and garishly decorated storefronts below, then he'd shaken his head with a grimace. 'I'd rather not.'

The year after that, he'd allowed her to keep him company on Christmas Day. They hadn't celebrated or exchanged gifts or done anything to mark the occasion. They'd even been summoned to GUN's headquarters late that night to accept an emergency mission. But it was a start.

For several years after that, he had still dug his heels in every time, but she could tell that his walls were beginning to crumble. He bought her a token gift one year, and another year, he had deigned to go out with her for a round of drinks with some of the other GUN agents. He'd bailed almost immediately, but it was progress. It was something. They'd found a rhythm, albeit an awkward one.

But last year, all that progress had been undone. It had snowed in Central City – a once-in-a-lifetime event. But when she'd asked him her usual question, he had merely stared at the snowy streets below. Then the metal railing on the roof of Club Rouge had crumpled beneath his fingers, nearly snapping in two. Back then, it had only been a few months since he had lost his "family" for a second time in White Space. He had disappeared in a flash of light before she could even attempt to comfort him.

This year, she'd found him alone on the rooftop of GUN's headquarters, looking out over the city. It was drizzling, and the skies were overcast. She'd slipped over to him, raising one of her wings to shelter him from the rain.

He gave her a wary look, and she nestled into his shoulder, raising her eyebrows. 'Am I interrupting your brooding, handsome?'

His only response was a half-hearted grunt. He returned his gaze to the streets of Central City far below. The faint strains of Christmas carols rose from nearby stores, and she could see countless parents and families dashing around, running last-minute errands.

'Hey.' She tried to keep her voice nonchalant, but his hackles rose almost immediately. She sighed and placed a hand on his back. '... Do you want to do anything for Christmas this year?'

'No.'

Her heart sank, and she resisted the urge to dig her claws into his shoulder. They were back where they had started, all those years ago. 'No?'

'No,' Shadow said, even more flatly than before. He folded his arms over the railing. 'I don't have anything to celebrate.'

Rouge stared at him in silence, and raindrops fell from her lashes. Then she removed her wing from his shoulders, letting the downpour soak him through. 'Well, that's nice. What about what I want, huh? Did that ever cross your mind?'

Shadow blinked several times. Then he turned and stared at her as though she were speaking another language.

She pursed her lips and glowered at him. 'I've been patient, you know. Every year, I've let you do whatever you want. I know you hate shopping, I know you don't like having fun, and I know the last thing you want to do is celebrate "family" after you've already lost yours –' Shadow flinched, but she'd already known that her words were going to strike a nerve, which was why she refrained from saying them for so many years. She wrapped her wings around herself, blinking the rainwater from her eyes. 'I just... I really thought we were getting somewhere.'