Chapter Text
While the boys talk about what Sonic should do moving forward, Amy and Maddie have a conversation of their own in her bedroom. Amy tells her of everything that occured until she went to Maddie's clinic with Sonic.Maddie listens without intervening, holding her hand for silent support as she comes close to tears again. Once she has told everything, Maddie takes her hand between her hands and gently squeezes, making Amy meet her gaze with teary eyes.
"I'm very thankful to you that you supported Sonic, going to the lengths of confessing despite not wanting to yet. " She begins and Amy shakes her head.
" It was nothing. "
" It wasn't. To love him even after he told you to give up on him, that's everything." Maddie assures her, and Amy gives her a small smile.
" For me, loving him comes easy.Like breathing.That's why it wasn't hard to reassure him. He... might not relate. Maybe it's me who's hard to love? " Amy says, her voice fading to a whisper. Maddie shakes her head, pulling the girl in a side hug. Amy lays her head on Maddie's shoulder, and Maddie lays head on top of it.
"No,please don't say that. I know what you're thinking. You use your past like a cake mold for the future to bake in, even when you don't like the shape. Because any other shape'll give you unexpected results, and that scares you. " Amy's mouth falls agape, she has never felt understood to this extend in her life. She's always been mulling over the possibility of rejection, thinking back to the times she faced it, no matter how strong, nice, heroic she's been.
Deep down, she's always assumed Sonic'd reject her. That she'd be too much once again. His one ambigious sentence,and the way he acted afterwards, fit too well to her worries, so she spiraled.
"I guess I do. That isn't fair on anyone. " She says with a sigh, and Maddie smiles.
" It's natural to act like this after all you've been through, sweetie. Sonic and you have wounds from your pasts, and today both of you revealed them to each other. What you should do now, is to start healing. Maddie says, and Amy places her arm around Maddie's waist to return the hug.
" Thank you, Maddie. I don't know what I'd do without you. " Amy says and Maddie gently rubs circles on her back.
"Don't mention it, we girls should stick together, right? " She says, making Amy giggle lightly.
" Now, let's go back to the party! " Maddie says and they both stand up. When they return to the living room, they find no one. Maddie realises the attic door is closed, and figures the boys are having a briefing on their own, With a giggle, she nudges Amy and points to the attic, who also laughs.
" See, he's in the same state you're in. "
" That actually makes me feel better, guilty as charged." She says, her hand up in air.
"Though I'd say you have it a lot better. Two of his advisors have never met potential love interests, and the other is Tom. " Maddie quips, and Amy laughs.
" But Tom married you, didn't he? I'd trust anything he says! " Amy says with a wink,taking a seat on the couch.
" Aww you flatter me! "Maddie waves her off, and sits by her side.
They can distantly hear Sonic's loud groans and huffs, alongside frantic voices attempting to console him. Amy probably could make out the words if she focused, but she decides against it, instead opting to leave everything to the flow. She's already done her share to move their relationship forward, and the rest falls on Sonic's shoulders. This realisation instantly relieves her, even if they might stay as friends, the situation doesn't depend on her actions.
As the girls engage in small talk, the attic door is yanked open, and Knuckles is the first one out. He's a big grin plastered on his face, already making fun of Sonic with his eyes twinkling with mischief. Then Tails and Tom follows, and lastly, Sonic drags himself down the stairs.
Maddie turns her head to Amy, and the corner of her mouth curls up, then she turns to the newcomers as they all take their seats.
" Good to see you again, boys! What've you been up to without us? " She asks, and Amy gets what she is doing. Driving the boys into a corner to see them squirm.
Amy likes that.
Tom makes eye contact with Maddie, and instantly he is in on the drill.Because one, he knows there is no going against girls in these type of mind games. And two, he wants to see Sonic squirm, too.
Sonic looks at Tom to give an answer, but the man has the nerve to avert his gaze. Betrayal is written all over Sonic's face,as his brothers use the same tactic.
Amy barely holds her laugh in.
" Nothing, my dudes were just handing me their gifts, right boys? " Sonic nudges Tails, a bit harshly, and Tails hums through gritted teeth. Just when Sonic thinks the crisis is averted, Amy takes up her drink she left the half of, and smiles while bringing it up to her mouth.
" Oh! What did they get you? " Her voice is laced with mock curiousity, and her expression dares him to answer. Sonic is taken aback, and his muzzle heats up. She is like a lioness waiting until this poor deer falters.
Sonic clears his throat, and realises he never got to open the gifts. Panicking, he looks at Tails, who is whispering something.
His ear flicks, and picks up words which he wishes he heard right.
" Clear Obscurity Expedition thirty three! " He says, and Tails bursts out laughing.
" It's Claire Obscure, Sonic. And it's a video game. Knuckles and I got it with what's left of our allowance! " Sonic raises a brow, and understands that Tails deliberately made him say the name just to make a fool out of him. He smirks, but the humor doesn't reach his eyes.
" Ah yes! Thanks to my selfless brothers, I'll get to play a video game with a ridiculously hard-to-say title. What a joy it's to be their brother." He says, throwing an arm around Tails. He leans in to Tails' ear,the fox going stiff under his arm.
" Sleep with one eye open today, genius. "
He whispers, and Tails nervously laughs.
" Yeah yeah, we love you too Sonic. " He says with a strained smile as he pries Sonic's arm away from his shoulders, and Knuckles laughs heartily.
Sonic's gaze catches Amy's.
" What were you girls doing without us? " He asks, and Tom grimaces. His poor baby boy is still too naive,if they had more time, the first thing Tom'd teach Sonic is, never question women the way they do to you. Because they already planned out the entire dialouge from the first question they asked to the end, before you can even think of your own answer.
Just like Tom guessed, Amy doesn't need to use words, and she lifts her leg to show off her new bandage.
" Oh. "
"We told you before we went, remember? Also,I was mistaken, Sonic. You've a lot of practice to do until you bandage as perfectly as Maddie. " Amy teases, and sips on her drink while Sonic's smile falls. Now she is withdrawing the compliments she dished out? Way to knock him off his high.
" Of course. She is an amazing vet!" Sonic tells her,which sounds more of a defence than an actual compliment.
" With more practice, I'm sure you'll nail it! " Maddie encourages her son, and Sonic flashes a small smile her way. He is relieved that at least she isn't picking sides, unlike the sly fox beside him.
" Sonic, want to see the present we got you? " Tom says, placing his hands on his lap loudly to change subject before standing up.
" You got me a gift too? You didn't need to! " Sonic replies, Maddie and Tom already do so much for him,and get him whatever he wants-that are reasonable-anytime of the year. Still, the prospect of a gift excites him, and he follows Tom to the backyard enthuistically.
The others stand up, too, and they all are welcomed with a sight of a white screen and a projector. Before it, there are pillows and blankets sprawled on a huge picnic mat. His favourite snacks litter the space too, and Sonic excitedly whoops.
" Wow! Backyard cinema! " Sonic explains and rushes over to the picnic mat, then returns to Tom and Maddie's side, hugging both of their legs.
"It's so cool! Thank you thank you thank you! "
" Glad you liked it, pal! " Tom says, and pats Sonic's head. Sonic runs off to sit on the blankets. Tails, Amy and Knuckles follow right behind. Tails sits as far away from Sonic as possible,and puts Knuckles in between them. He sometimes dozes off in movie nights and he doesn't trust Sonic enough to assume his threat was a joke.
Even if it is,he'll no doubt become the butt of it.
So, Tails plays it safe, and requests his mom to sit between Knuckles and him. She obliges with a smile, and Tom sits on the other side of Tails, leaving Amy to sit near Sonic.
Sonic is less than happy about the arrangement. He was hoping the movie could take his mind of things,which involved the pretty hedgehog girl sitting inches away from him. Now everytime his eyes land on Amy he sees how beautiful her face became, illuminated by the moonlight. And he can practically feel her body heat radiating to him.
Very neat.
He throws a stare to Tom that hopefully conveys that he needs help, ASAP, but the man winks at him. Appearently everyone in this house decided to be traitors today.
" Which movie are we watching, dad? " Tails softly asks as the intro begins.
" Real Steel. It's one of my favourites." Tom replies with a smile, and Sonic raises a brow.
"One of your favourites? How come I've never watched it? " Sonic asks, and Tom laughs.
" I don't know, maybe because you insist on watching Speed for every single movie night?" Tom smugly says, and everyone laughs.
" I do watch other movies! "
" Like what? Speed two? " Maddie shots back,and Sonic groans in his hands.
" This house is a nightmare! "
" Says who spied on it for years! " Tails says, making sure his fate is sealed.
He regrets nothing.
Amy giggles beside Sonic, throwing him teasing glances.
" You know what, Miles, don't sleep tonight. " Sonic threatens, and Tails sticks his tounge out. Thankfully the intro is over before the tension can escalate, and they start watching the movie.
Sonic has to admit, it's a pretty good one. It's got action, cool visual effects for the 2010's, and good ol' family drama. It's kinda funny that the movie predicted robot boxing in 2020's, but not aliens or world ending weapons. The reality is crazier than a sci-fi for once, he muses.
The situation Hugh Jackman finds himself in is familiar somehow to Sonic. Hugh ends up with a kid,Max,his son that he only knew the existence of and he wants nothing to do with, then gets roped into playing by the kid's requests. They recover a training robot named Atom,and start pitting him against fights with other robots despite Hugh's initial protest.Much like how Sonic kind of had to force Tom into help him.
Hugh,or Charlie as he is called in this movie, drops Max off to his aunt near the end,believing he is unfit to care for him. It reminds Sonic of how Tom and Maddie were ready to let him go to Mushroom planet.
He might have shed a few tears when Max got left behind, but it's only for him, and Amy to know. He realises she is looking at him as he gets emotional when she holds his hand gently, running a thumb over it. He has no doubt she drew the same parallels he did.
In the end, Bailey convinces Charlie to take Max to the final fight. She reminds Sonic so much of his mom, and Amy. She always supports Charlie, even when, especially when he doesn't want to hear her out, but needs to.
The couple share a kiss,and Tails turns his head away with disgust. Usually, Sonic'd do the same, but he can't bring himself to.
Especially since Amy watches them with sparkles in her eyes. She coos, and turns her head towards Sonic, only to see he is watching her instead of the screen. Their noses almost brush against each other, and they realise they are practically cuddling. Amy scrams away with a quiet yelp, and so does Sonic, their muzzles heating up.
In the finale, Atom almost wins against a champion robot, only losing thanks to jury votes.Still, he is declared people's champion, and Max starts seeing Charlie as his father, mesmerized by his performance while operating the robot. The family all loudly cheer upon their celebration as the post credits roll.
A strong breeze goes by and ruffles Sonic's quills, and Amy folds her arms against her chest, attempting to warm herself. Sonic grabs a blanket and places it over her shoulders.
" Thank you. " Amy whispers,hugging the blanket close. Sonic gently smiles at her as he too shivers, so Amy places half of the blanket on him, while inching closer.
" Wow! Got much more warmer. " Sonic quips, but the warmth isn't from blanket. It's right from his core, which ignites more when Amy's shoulder touches his.
He tries to engage in the discussion over the movie, but his nerves get the best of him. Amy appears unaffected,making points to appreciate Bailey effortlessly,like she is meant to exist by his side. Maybe it's just him who's been denying it the whole time. This connection, this sense of belonging that she feels, it doesn't happen overnight.
He must've done something good, something great to make a perfect girl like Amy fall for him.
Or she is just attracted to fools, he can almost hear Knuckles say that.
Whichever the explanation is, both work in his favour. Amy loves him, and despite everything he's done to mess it up, she's waiting.
Not for long, he knows that, so he doesn't allow it to get into his head and resolves to confess today.
The conversation around him fades into silence, and Tom declares it's too cold to remain outside, so they all scurry inside, each taking a few pillows and blankets. Amy collects the bowls,so does Maddie, and they walk towards kitchen, already engaging in a hushed conversation.
Tom shakes his head to the sides with an amused smile.
The boys are already done carrying the blankets to Tom and Maddie's closet when Maddie and Amy emerge from the kitchen.
" It's very late,I should go home now. " Amy declares, and Sonic sprangs uo to his feet.
" I'll drop you off!" He breathlessly shouts,clenches his trembling fists,then throws a pointed glare at Tails who giggles.
Appearently the fox has a death wish today.
Knuckles stands up to, placing a hand on Amy's shoulder. He didn't get to encourage her as he did to Sonic today.
" I believe Rose will be giving you her gift, right? " He says, to prevent Sonic from rushing back home after leaving her near her home.
"Right! I almost forgot about it! " Amy replies,patting Knuckles' hand to show her gratitude.
" You got me a gift too? " Sonic asks, his eyes sparkling as he approaches her.
" Of course! It isn't much, though. " She says, averting her gaze as Sonic takes her up in his arms again.
" I'm sure it's perfect!" He says, throwing one last glance at Tom who is keeping the door open for them. Tom gives him a thumbs up, and Sonic replies with a firm nod.
He's got this.
Amy's body in his arms isn't just weight to lift, it's presence. He is hyper-aware of her arm clinging to his neck, and her waist under his hand. Their hearts close, their pulses in sync, Sonic registers that he has never held anyone this close to his heart. His grip on her tightens,and he glances at her.
The complete trust she has on him to carry her safely in speeds she can't dream to reach on her own, is astounding.
She leaves her life in his hands without a second thought.
He slows down when waterdrops land on his quills, and he looks up. It's raining, again. He takes up an even slower pace, a secure rhythm that won't risk him slipping on the wet ground with Amy in his arms.
" Why are you slowing down? "
" It's raining, duh! "
" Well, that never stopped you before. " Amy says in a teasing voice, but her chuckle dies down at her throat as Sonic bows his head.
" I'm sorry, Amy."
"Why?" Her voice is small, and Sonic places her on her feet to face her properly. He takes her hands in his, and looks right into her eyes.
" You hand over your life, and your love to me,with your eyes closed. But I've been reckless with both." He says as rapid raindrops stroll down his face. Amy shakes her head to sides.
" You got it wrong, Sonic. Like I said before , you've never let me get hurt! "
"Yes and I... I've always assumed it's enough. I wanted so badly, to be the hero you saw in me. That's why... I told you to give up on me. I thought to love means to protect. And if I ever let you get hurt...Then I didn't love you right.But you never needed saving, did you? "
Sonic's eyes shine with unshed tears as his voice cracks with every word.His fur and quills are darker with the water, and his emerald eyes shine more amidst the darkness.
Amy's breath hitches, he looks gorgeus.
Amy takes a step towards him, and he bows his head again, watching the rain hit the ground beneath her feet.
She holds his chin gently, and lifts his face up to face her.
"You didn't save me by keeping me safe... you saved me with your love.It's so gentle. So sefless. No one's ever held my heart and treated it like something delicate. That's why you're my hero, Sonic. Not for your strength, or your speed. For your heart. " She says softly, and Sonic smiles through his tears.He lets go of her hands, and before she can miss his warmth, he pulls her in with his arm on her waist. His other hand finds her shoulder,and he squeezes her into a embrace. Then Sonic buries his face on the crook of her neck.
" Thank you, Ames.For loving me. For letting me love you the only way I know how." He mutters, her fur raises where his hot breath hits. She lifts her arms, and embraces him back, and rests her head on the side of his.
The rain grows more violent, loud noise filling their ears and raindrops hitting hard on their bodies, but they don't care. Their embrace makes them feel shielded from all the bad in the world.
Their split is gradual, as if they are getting used to being two, rather than one. Once they are seperated, Sonic grabs her hands again, his skin already missing hers .He takes in a deep breath as her emerald eyes find his, her lashes damp from the rain making them even more breathtaking. Then he falls to one knee. Taken aback, she crouches down with him, her dress landing on the puddle beneath their feet. Sonic chuckles, and Amy giggles. He shouldn't be surprised really, Amy Rose'd always, always follow Sonic the Hedgehog.
He'd never have it any other way.
" Ames, can I be your boyfriend?" Sonic askd, Amy gasps,she never expected he'd ask this fast, right after their confession.
"Yes!" She shouts, tears strolling down her face as she laughs. Sonic brings her hands to his lips, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. She squeals, her muzzle heating up,and draws her hands away from his to cup her own face. She stands up, putting a short distance between them to calm her nerves.
Sonic chuckles, stands up,and waits for her to collect herself.
Once she appears calm enough,Sonic catches up to her, and interwines his fingers with hers. Amy looks up to him, her lips part. He flashes a boyish grin, and Amy admires their joined hands.
" This is crazy! " She says, her voice loud.Everything is processing so fast that her head spins. But she should've expected it when she fell for the fastest thing alive, really.
" It is! To think that I was trying to get ready for you to never talk to me this morning... I was a fool. I can't imagine not having you by my side, Ames. " Sonic says, and Amy scoffs with amusement.
" C'mon, as if that'd ever happen! We just... woke up the pain we thought we buried deep in our hearts.Now that we've each other, we'll be just fine. " She says, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
" Damn right! " Sonic says with a wide grin, and Amy laughs.
Her house comes in the view, and part of her feels disappointed. She'd love to hang up with her newly-declared boyfriend more, but it's already midnight, and if they stay out in the rain any longer they are going to get sick.
" Guess I gotta go in,now." She says, her fingers slowly slipping away from his.
" I guess... " Sonic says, placing his hand on his neck.
" Bye then! " She says, unlocking her door.
" Bye, milady ! " He waves her off, and Amy bursts out laughing.
" Milady?!" Amy repeats through her giggling fit, and Sonic pouts.
"What?! I got excited! " He protests, balling his fists on his sides.
"Alright, good sir!" Amy waves him off, and closes the door, only to remember her gift again.
She yanks the door open, and thankfully Sonic's been standing around.
" Wait, Sonic! I forgot to give you my gift! " She calls out, and he gives her a thumbs up.Amy wonders why he's been standing still, the Sonic she knows would be home by now.
Perhaps he needed a minute to calm down? The thought that she flustered Sonic the Hedgehog enough to stall makes her giddy.
She grabs the canvas she painted on from her room, and rushes to the door. She hands it to him, and he falls quiet, his mouth agape.
" You don't like it... " She says, feeling defeated.
"No, of course I like it! It's just...not something I expected! " He says, his muzzle pinker than usual. Amy raises a brow.
" Wait, let me look! " Amy looks at the painting and the sight knocks her socks off. The painting depicts Sonic reaching out with a big grin and a wink. The background is pink, and there are big roses of various colours littering the scene.
She yells with embarrasment, hiding her face with her hands.
" Oh Chaos I brought the wrong one!"
"What do you mean the wrong one?!" Sonic asks, but his question falls into deaf ears as Amy rushes inside with a speed rivaling his.
He looks at the painting again, shaking his head to sides with a smile.
He guesses this painting must be for Amy herself, a self indulgent portrait that was never meant to see the light of the day.
He loves it even more just for that.
Amy comes in with another canvas, this time depicting him mid-action, running with blue sparks enveloping his form.
" Wow! That's so cool! The sparks look very vibrant! " He compliments her, and Amy sighs in relief. She reaches to take the other painting from him, but he shakes his head.
"Nuh uh! This one comes with me! " He says, handing her his intended gift back.
" But why?! This is meant to be your gift, not that! " She protests, pointing to the romantic painting with a grimace.
" I want this one!" He says, pulling the canvas to his chest like a kid.
"At least take the other too!" Amy pushes him, but Sonic doesn't care.
" No, thank you. Because everyone sees me like that. But this one? Only you can see me like this. " He says with a laugh, and turns into a blur. Amy assumes he had run off, but something soft touching her cheek takes her aback.
She brings her hand on it as the blue blur disappears into the rainy night.
" Sonic! Did you just...kiss me?!"