Embrace

a Sonamy IDW-inspired oneshot
by: ElyPandita

Amy sighed heavily. Sore shoulders and itching eyes were signs of how many hours she had spent at the Restoration headquarters. The amount of paperwork after the metal virus had almost successfully taken over was insane, and that wasn’t even the worst part: entire cities were destroyed, people got lost, families were torn apart and many, just so many relationships were broken because of the crisis; true colors shine inside of the storm.

And who was in charge to restore all of that? Leader of the Restoration herself, heart of the group: Amy Rose, of course. And it was tiring, draining even; she was all about giving the most in every situation, loving everybody and seeing the light amongst the worst situations…but this time, the damage was beyond her abilities. Retrieving the world after total domination because Eggman got to imprison Sonic half a year? Pfff, piece of cake. But broken hearts, fears and people on the verge of madness after watching a loved one being consumed by a deadly virus was something else; ah, how terrifying was all of that. Amy was sure she could fix everything, just how long would it take and how much of her very soul that would drain from her body were questions she wasn’t able to answer… yet.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she stood up from the chair, leaning on the desk filled with folders and lots and lots of paper. It was just so. Much. Paperwork.

Something was lurking in the dark, her ears twitched, quills brusted and hands tensed as she got aware of the danger. It would take a mere second to summon her hammer and threaten whoever tried to get on her office but before Amy could think of a proper warning, a pair of strong arms surrounded her body. The familiar scent took over her nostrils making shiver whole.

—Sonic? —her voice came out in a whisper —. What are you…?

—Just…let me have this. I need to feel a heartbeat different from my own —Sonic said, calmly —. Sorry if I scared you.

—It’s okay. We’re aware subtlety is not your forté.

He chuckled. Amy allowed herself to relax into the embrace and enjoy that one in a million moment with the one she truly loved. Little did Sonic know just how much she needed that as well, like a rechargeable battery being plugged in before the inevitable shutdown.

“I need to feel a heartbeat” , he had said and the more Amy reflected on those words, the more she saw the sadness behind them. Sonic, world’s number one hero, mister “I’m too cool for feelings” was craving a gentle touch; as much as she enjoyed their hug, it was inevitable to feel devastated by such realization and couldn’t stop a little while escaping her mouth. It was a cry of pain, just not a pain of her own.

It made sense, a least to her, that Sonic felt vulnerable after the metal virus incident. For weeks, he had to avoid touching anybody to protect them from infection, all while running non stop to prevent his own body from succumbing to the infection. Then, disappearing for days with no recollection of who he was and how much he had lost to give everyone else a chance to live. It was traumatizing yet heart wrenching in every perspective. Amy felt like crying but maybe that was not the time nor the place to do so.

Fatigue started to kick in, she felt her eyelids falling by their weight and her body losing strength as the arms around her waist tightened a bit more. Amy gave in, drifting away from reality and allowing every sense to take over; she was so tired…of everything, but not in a ‘I want to escape and never doing this again’ kind of way but more as a ‘I need to go back of who I was and heal my own wounds’ mentality. How ironic was it that Sonic was the one giving her just that very thing, a chance to heal and go back to what Amy Rose used to be.

And as if he was able to read her mind, Sonic breathed into her neck, hiding his muzzle onto her skin, almost trying to fuse into one being right then and there. It was not uncommon for both hedgehogs to share some slight touch, a hug, a subtle kiss on a cheek, even some hand holding whenever Sonic found the courage to reach Amy; but that kind of intimacy was new, and even with that it didn’t feel unusual, nor nerving or uncomfortable; it came to be in a way so natural that neither of them had to ask any whys or hows, that embrace just had to happen. Still…

—Say, this is nice and all —Amy suddenly said —, but I’m kinda tired of standing up. There’s a cot in the back I often use to rest.

—Gotcha.

In the blink of an eye, Amy was carried like a weightless body across the room, her whole being resting on the cot as her companion stood on top, speechlessly watching her every move. A steady hand caressed Amy’s face, the touch was firm but soft and never left the sight of a pair of green eyes piercing through the dark. It was threatening, yes, but somehow comforting. Sonic’s thumb caressed her face with the subtlety she had said he lacked; his gaze saddened, the same pain she perceived when he embraced her figure.

I was afraid to lose you.
I’m sorry you’re carrying all this weight on your shoulders.
Forgive me.
I'm glad you’re okay.

How lucky was he to have Amy Rose to read his expressions, she thought, as speaking about feelings was not his favorite thing in the world. Somewhere in time, their friendship evolved in such a way that words were no longer needed, and as Amy had to learn to manage her emotions and words, Sonic had to learn how to feel as a whole. Wasn’t it ironic that sadness was what he was fighting with now that he had decided to give into emotions? It certainly was hard.

Now Amy felt bad she was complaining about paperwork, Sonic had almost died in exchange to save everyone and it wasn’t even the first time.

It’s okay, I got you.
Is not your fault.
There’s nothing to feel guilty about.
You’ll always have me.

Were the thoughts Amy expressed by opening her arms towards him, she wanted to be his safe space, no words necessary. A subtle smile crossed her muzzle reassuring him, and it worked: Sonic felt on top of her accepting the hug, on her terms, on intimacy, not running away from Amy anymore. Her chest received him in perfect synchrony, as if she was made to hold him close. As their breathing synchronized, Sonic seemed to fall into a deep slumber, losing resistance and allowing Amy to caress his ears and quills, quietly giggling when spams of leisure ran down his spine.

She felt like sleeping as well, the scent of a big forest, mind and fresh fruit once again blinding her senses, the smell of Sonic getting stronger by the second, mixing with her own raspberry-like aroma.

Their breathing slowly synchronized until it almost became one.

Amy’s heart was beating furiously but she still managed to drift away into a deep slumber.

The paperwork could wait. Everyone could wait for a while. If she was the one to fix everything and everyone, comforting herself and Sonic first was a must.

What was a war without a hero? A nightmare.

But what was a world without love? That was an answer she wouldn’t risk anything to get to know.

Not even Sonic, not even herself.

That embrace was all she got, all she needed and Amy Rose was not willing to give it up.