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The G.U.N. training hall was silent. Deathly silent.
Despite knowing no one would be there at two in the morning, Amy couldn’t help but glance around her quickly. The exercise equipment was still, the many monitors lining the walls blank, the lighting dim and limited. It was like seeing the skeleton of a functioning gym. She had never been here before, but she could feel the friction in the air, as if the room itself was aware they were intruding.
“Shadow,” She hissed through her teeth, “Is it really okay for us to be here?”
“No,” came his blunt reply. He wasn’t even attempting to keep his voice down.
“No!?” She echoed, her volume rising in panic, “What do you mean no!?”
Shadow turned to look at her, his face blank, “Did you honestly expect G.U.N. had okayed a civilian to come use their facilities? Much less at this hour?”
“Well, I mean- I thought you were gonna pull some strings for me so we could keep training together!”
“And I did. With Rouge. That’s why you have her ID card. The higher-ups, however,” he paused just long enough to shrug his shoulders and turn to one of the panels on the wall, the light of it turning on casting him in an eerie blue glow, “They’ll get over it if they happen to find out. I’m one of their best agents.”
And then he dropped the conversation there. As if that were an acceptable explanation for why it was okay for him to blatantly defy the rules of a governmental military organization. Amy stared at him, blinking rapidly to try to process everything, but she very pointedly let her argument end there. After all, she was the civilian the higher-ups didn’t know about. It was probably safer for her not to bring up the five hundred objections her imagination was supplying her with. The panicked buzz of her brain must have been palpable in the silence, however, because Shadow spoke up once again.
“You can always say I kidnapped you if you need an excuse. They’ll believe it. They’re always waiting for me to go rogue.”
“But you’d never kidnap me.”
She said it instantly, casually. It was obvious, after all. Shadow was her friend, her sparring partner. She trusted him. However, if Shadow’s expression as he turned to look at her was anything to judge by, she had just declared the world was ending in three days or something equally shocking. The silence between them broke as she giggled.
“Oh come on. We all know you’re a big softie underneath your tough guy exterior. You act like you’re one step away from falling to the dark side, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You’re a good person.”
If she thought that earlier pause had been awkward, this one was ten times worse. Shadow didn’t even make a ridiculous face to help break the tension. Instead he stared at her, his eyes searching hers for…something. Amy gave her widest smile, hoping that would help him find whatever it was.
“Your faith in me is misplaced, Rose,” Shadow finally said, his words coming out at a rapid clip, “Now quit wasting time. We’re here to spar, not to chat.”
He returned his attention to the panel on the wall and busily began typing in commands. Amy stuck out her tongue behind his back. That response certainly didn’t answer if he found what he wanted or not. She hoped he had.
“I dunno. I’d say I’m pretty good at reading people.” As she spoke, she hefted one of the foam weapons in the bins surrounding the sparring ring they were standing in. It was light - far lighter than her hammer - but it would still sting if she swung it at full strength. She’d hold back a bit.
Shadow offered no further comment as the panel gave a gentle beep. In response, an energy barrier sprung up along the perimeter and floor of the ring, interlocking honeycombs locking them in. She watched as Shadow stepped to the middle of the ring and began fiddling with his gloves.
“There,” He said simply, “Now you can be as destructive as you want and not have to worry about being banned like at every other gym in the city.”
Amy stuck out her tongue again, making sure he got a good view of it this time.
“No weapon?” She asked as she took her position across from him, the foam weapon held loosely in her hand. He never fought with a weapon when they trained, but she still liked to offer him the option even if she already knew how he would respond.
“No need. I fight best in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Don’t come crying to me when you realize you’ve made the wrong choice.”
Amy’s smirk was mirrored on Shadow’s face, albeit much more subtle. In response she tightened her grip on the weapon’s hilt, her fingers twitching vaguely in anticipation. Across from her, Shadow crouched down, his fingertips just barely grazing the ground. Although their smirks remained in place, the air crackled with anticipation, as if the world itself were waiting to see which of them would make the first move.
As she waited, she studied him. Their relationship was an odd one, born of proximity and grown into a genuine friendship over many years. Nowadays, Shadow received both her first and last text of the day. Something about his blunt nature was refreshing and fun. As she got to know him better, their relationship had gradually taken on a special meaning to her, but she wasn’t ready to address what that might mean for her just yet.
Besides, there was no time for figuring out feelings when you were about to pummel your potential object of affection in a friendly sparring match.
"Well?” She taunted, allowing her battle-ready stance to finally break, “You said you're best in hand to hand combat. So get over here."
Her taunt was answered with Shadow springing forward, his speed allowing him to close the distance between them in seconds. Only years of training together allowed Amy to react quickly enough, flinging her weapon in front of her to block the impact of Shadow’s kick. She shoved back against his foot, causing him to lose his balance and jump back. Using the momentum of her motion, she jumped backwards as well, making sure to keep her weapon at the ready.
“You tell me to get over there and then you run?”
This time it was Shadow’s turn to taunt. Amy answered with a smile.
“With your speed, this distance doesn’t make much of a difference. Or is Sonic gonna start outpacing you?”
That was fine. She knew just what to say to dig at his sore points. The perks of spending so much time together.
“That blue pest? He could never match my speed.”
“You’re gonna have to prove that.”
Amy’s taunting had the desired effect as Shadow moved almost too quickly to track, the distance between them closing even faster than earlier. The light weight of the weapon allowed her to move faster than normal as she easily deflected Shadow’s flurry of punches and kicks. Her eyes flickered rapidly, following his movements as his assault continued, looking for an opening to counter attack.
There!
Half a beat of hesitation was more than enough. Amy swung her weapon for his ribcage and was rewarded with the dull thunk of styrofoam on flesh. She heard Shadow grunt in pain as his attack cut off prematurely. She once again jumped backwards, but kept her eyes glued firmly in his direction. Before she even had a chance to regain her footing, Shadow was rushing forward again. That was fine. She was ready to meet him.
Conscious thought and time fell away as muscle memory took over. The two of them exchanged blow after blow, dancing across the entire battlefield in perfect sync. For every hit Amy landed, Shadow followed quickly with one of his own. Her earlier musing on their relationship fell away to be replaced with the primal energy of pumping blood and adrenaline. They moved with a rhythm that both challenged and elated her. She wanted more.
As she jumped back suddenly, her shoes skidded across the floor.
“You’re not going easy at all, are you.” Her tone carried adrenaline and a smile, but she could feel that she was slowly wearing down. Her attacks weren’t as snappy as when they had started and her footwork was getting sloppy. Nothing wrong with a little bit of taunting to gain her a bit of rest.
“You asked the wrong person to spar if you wanted them to go easy.” Unlike her, Shadow didn’t seem winded in the least. Maybe there was a bit of adrenaline-based punch behind his words, but it was hard to be sure past the pounding of her own blood. Hmph. The benefits of being The Ultimate Lifeform, she guessed.
“You have no idea how to properly treat a lady!”
“You’re right. Especially when the lady herself isn’t holding her punches and keeps aiming for my ribs.”
“It’s a foam weapon. You’ll be fine.”
The only indication Shadow gave before he moved was a gentle smile, then Amy was once again on the defensive. She flung her weapon around, always watching and anticipating where the next attack would come from, taking every opening Shadow forfeited. His arms, legs, ribs, stomach - everything was fair game.
Suddenly, he reared back and Amy inhaled sharply. It was going to be a big attack and she would have to act now or take the brunt of it. Her brain rushed to find the best option - attack? defend? run? - flicking through them all in fractions of a second. In the end, logic fell away and she found herself grinning widely. This entire match she had been trying to play the smart, wise strategist - they were training, after all. But when it came down to it, there was really only one option.
She was Amy Rose. Playing defensively wasn’t her style.
All of her remaining energy was funneled into dashing forward, her foam weapon raised above her head as she yelled. She saw Shadow’s expression shift in surprise as he quickly changed tactics and threw up his arms to defend himself. The thunk of the weapon against his bracelets was satisfying, but Amy didn’t let up. She continued to push down on him, forcing them into a stalemate, waiting to see which of them would give up first.
“Now that’s much more like you, Rose.”
To her surprise, it was Shadow who spoke first. She could see his expression beneath his arms, his smirk was crooked in an endearing way and his eyes burned with admiration and-. Amy inhaled sharply as she applied even more force into her arms. Her cheeks flushed with something besides exertion. No, no, she was definitely seeing things. Sure, she might have feelings for him, but Shadow returning them?
Despite her best attempts to read something else in his eyes, that was all she could see; there was nothing else to read. The “special meaning” their relationship had that she kept avoiding addressing was about to get addressed real fast if she didn’t stop herself.
Too bad she had left her hesitation behind her as soon as this match began.
Amy's breaths came in heady rushes, the adrenaline coursing through her veins making it impossible to think. He was so close. Her heart was in her throat. She could only act.
"Just kiss me already!"
The words were forced from her lungs as she forced the stalemate to break, her weapon swinging downward and slamming into the floor. Her chest heaved as she stood, unmoving, staring at Shadow. He allowed his arms to drop to his side as he stared back, his expression unreadable. In the silence of the G.U.N. training hall, the only sound was their breathing.
“Wha-”
“Just kiss me! I’ve had a crush on you for years now, Shadow! And I know what I saw in your eyes just now! I told you I'm good at reading people! You have a crush on me too! So no more beating around the bush! Just kiss me al- mph!”
Her words cut off, hands on her cheeks, the feeling of lips on her own, the heat of his body pushed up against her. Her eyes fluttered closed as the weapon in her hand fell forgotten to the ground. He tasted like adrenaline, sweat, and nothing like Amy imagined kissing him would be like (and oh how she had imagined it). It was clumsy, frenetic, teeth bumping and lips not fitting together quite right.
But god was it intoxicating.
She leaned into the kiss, throwing her arms around his neck, silently demanding more. He easily obliged, angling her head a bit more to allow him easier access. Her heart and head pounded giddily, her body growing weightless, his lips acting as her only anchor to the world. Once again time fell away as instinct took over, the two of them moving together as if their synchronization on the battlefield had carried over into the kiss.
When they finally separated, Amy’s entire body felt like it was on fire. She stared pointedly at Shadow’s chest rather than his face, her breath escaping in ragged pants. This was real, right? That had just happened? He had just kissed her?
“Was that not what you asked for, Rose?” Shadow said, his voice rumbling. He was so close, still holding her loosely in his arms as her hands looped around his neck. Maybe if she were thinking properly she would have let go, but propriety had left the moment she demanded he kiss her.
“Uh, no! I mean yes! It was what I asked for! Exactly what I asked for! Thank you very much!” She responded in a fluster, her brain gently sizzling in the afterglow of both their match and their kiss.
“Did you…enjoy it?” Amy heard the concern creep into Shadow’s voice, forcing her eyes upward to meet his. The expression he wore was one she had never seen before - affectionate, hazy, warm, and in the most hidden places that only she knew of, afraid. The Ultimate Lifeform. Afraid of what she might say next. She found herself laughing gently as her nerves suddenly melted away. She pulled him flush against herself once more, his lips mere centimeters from her own.
“I did,” She reassured him easily, breath ticking against his lips, “But I think it’s kinda like sparring matches. We’ll have to keep practicing together to get better.”
“I don’t mind that.”
“Neither do I.”