#omegadow

Rouge has three different head pats for Shadow. The first one is gently resting her hand on top of his head for if she wants to get his attention at the start of an emotional moment between the two. It usually stays there and doesn't move until Shadow does. If he doesn't want to talk, he will turn away and she will remove her hand, but if he does he'll face her. She will smile at him and nestle her fingers into his quills.

The second one is for his restlessness and agitation. Whether it is because of lack of sleep or his regular frustration, she will put her hand out in front of him as an invitation to accept her help. He'll ignore the hand if he doesn't want it, as he knows she will leave it up for just a few seconds before lowering it back down then pretends nothing happened. If he engages with her hand in some way, she will brush along his quills from his forehead to his neck. He will relax into her touch and his negative emotions will fade into exhaustion.

The third head pat is combat related, administered during a time when exchanging words would take too long. It is when Rouge is passing by directly overhead of Shadow for some reason or another. She pokes at his head with different amounts of fingers depending on the message she wants to pass along. One finger: "I'm splitting off to infiltrate." Two fingers: "Enemy called in for reinforcements." Three fingers: "Omega's incapacitated again." Whole hand. "We should think about retreat." She also signals with just her hand if she can't reach his head.

Rouge pats Omega's dome at least once whenever she is resting on his shoulder. If she is referring to him in conversation, she'll pat twice so he can know he's being talked about. The robot likes to zone out to conversation not related to him, his teammates, or killing Eggman.

She will play his head like a drum to get his attention if he is purposefully ignoring an important situation or her. If he did an exceptional job at destroying something, Rouge will rub his head for a moment and praise his work. He short circuits every time and she finds it cute.

Sometimes Omega will get so angry that his other emotions that he hides inside of his rage begin to spill out. Rouge will hover in front of him with a worried frown on her face. If he doesn't try to swat her away or go elsewhere she will hold the sides of his face and rub her thumbs along the edges of his head. She knows he doesn't like any other emotion besides rage, so this is her way of helping him regulate through them if he so chooses.

Omega did not start head patting Rouge and Shadow until he grew to begrudgingly accept his friendship with his favorite meatbags. At first it was mimicry until he started learning from Rouge what she liked, what meant the most to her, and what times were appropriate. He can't keep denying his want for friendship when he's running his claws through Rouge's white fur.

Rouge isn't afraid to ask for affection. Head rubs and scratches is what she wants the most. The thief has a lot of tension from migraines around her temples and base of the neck, usually caused by Sonic, Knuckles, and any other idiots she had been around, sometimes including her own teammates. "Hey Omega. Be a dear and work out these knots that you caused today, please?"

He wishes to destroy his teammates' enemies as a way to show affection for them. He rests his claws on top of Rouge and Shadow's heads as tactical advantage over any enemies who might threaten them. Rouge loves it, when he's not touching her ears. They are pretty sensitive and off limits, unless she is unfairly giving him a hard time, then he will poke at them.

Omega did not offer head pats to Shadow at first. Shadow and Omega are very much alike in many ways, so he wasn't sure if Shadow wanted head pats from him until one day the hedgehog stood close enough to his claws that he was basically touching him. Omega rested his hand on his head and the hedgehog did nothing to deter him.

Omega has a hard time telling his teammates how much he appreciates them, so head pats are one way to display that affection. Shadow won't sit up on his shoulders very often, but Omega always feels something akin to happiness when he does. If they are in a safe environment, Omega will sometimes do a quick couple pats while he's up there. Shadow responds with his signature "hmph", but he'll be smiling all the same.

Rouge is usually the one to comfort Shadow during panic attacks or emotionally charged situations, but sometimes she isn't around. Shadow doesn't always feel comfortable relying on Omega for emotional support, but the times he does Omega never takes for granted. Omega will offer his hand and Shadow can choose to take a seat under it or chaos snap on top of it. Either way, Omega will rest his hand along Shadow's back and rub a thumb from his forehead across his head. If he's on his hand he will cup it so if Shadow curls up into a ball he won't fall off as easily.

The rarest head pats of Team Dark are those administered by Shadow, specifically the ones he gives to Omega. They are so few and far between that Omega forgets about them until Shadow gives him one. If in the heat of combat Shadow needs a higher terrain for something, he will spin dash over Omega and put his hand on top of the robot's head as an anchoring or leveraging point then continue on his way. It happens so quick that it throws Omega for a loop each time and he never gets to process the moment until it passes.

Omega gets angry about Eggman all the time, but there is a difference between hating Eggman and hating the abandonment issues he has which he tries to play off as just hating Eggman, but Shadow sees right through him. The hedgehog stands on top of his head and reminds him of who he is and that he's not alone nor is he currently abandoned.

The third head pat Shadow gives Omega has only happened twice and it was while they were sparring. When knocking Omega over Shadow will usually continue attacking, but twice he grabbed the pointed hood shielding above his eyes and noogied him instead. It renders Omega so confused and embarrassed that Shadow wins the spar right then and there. "WHAT?!" "No one will ever believe you." "NO!"

Shadow is much more affectionate with Rouge than Omega. Continuously saving her from threats that maybe she could have dodged herself, but Rouge doesn't mind one bit. It feels nice to know she is being cared for. After a stressful save or fight, if Shadow sees she is winded or even the slightest bit weary, he will brush her hair from the top and cup the side of her head. "Are you alright?" "All thanks to you, my hero."

Rouge gets frustrated whenever she loses a jewel, money, or something else worth value to her. She will stomp around fuming for hours. Shadow really doesn't like it when she is angry. To console her, he will stand next to her until she throws herself in his arms dramatically. She buries her face in his chest fluff and he will rest his chin on her head and promise her revenge or a heist twice the amount she lost.

Rouge is the most emotionally stable member of team dark, but even she has her moments of anxiety and depression. She doesn't break often and she will usually do it away from everyone, but Shadow can tell when her breaking point is close. He'll sit beside her if he can find her and hold out an arm to her. Like him, she won't always take his help, but when she does, he will hold her and run his fingers through her hair while she works through her own emotions.