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It was a warm and sunny day – a day that was begging to be seized. One could argue the perfect day to be going out and looking for an adventure. But on the contrary, Sonic was surprisingly not found stirring up trouble or testing the boundaries of his thrill seeking tendencies, but instead, napping peacefully up in a tree.
Laying down he had his hands behind his head, his one leg bent so his shoe was firmly on the branch, the other leg somewhat crossed over with only his ankle resting on his other knee. The soft snores coming from him were barely audible as the breeze blew across the land, the long grass swaying gently as far as the eye could see.
A small flicky fluttered down from the sky looking for a landing spot, the gusts of wind being a little too much for the tiny bird. In its quick descent down, it did not notice the blue hedgehog resting on the branch it was aiming for. The flicky flew right into Sonic, squawking in alarm as it bounced off of him.
Sonic’s eye lazily opened halfway at the tiny nudge, his ears perking up but otherwise remaining in the same position. Suddenly, the flicky sprung up and was fluttering in his face, angrily tweeting at him.
“Whoa, whoa, take it easy there little guy!” Sonic let out a laugh, “It’s all good!”
He sat up, spinning his body so his legs were now dangling over the edge of the branch. Yawning, Sonic patted the area beside him, “Look, tons of space for the both of us.”
The flicky landed, its tweeting subsiding a bit, but still looking disgruntled. Sonic watched the little bird amused, before turning his attention to the landscape in front of him. He stretched his arms up, arching his back with a satisfying grunt.
“Eh no worries, it was time for me to bounce anyways.” Sonic jumped down, landing on the ground with a soft ‘thud’. He surveyed the land with his hands on his hips, feeling the itch to run already. He had just gotten back from a long ‘cruise’ as he likes to call them. Not an adventure per say, there was no danger or bad guys he came across in his travels this time, but rather he was just roaming around the world, checking out different places.
But with his ability to go from one end of the world to the other in only a matter of hours, he was constantly changing time zones.
Sonic would find himself in a place where he would be there all day, and by the time the sun was setting in that place, the next area he would end up in the sun would be rising. To say the hedgehog experienced jet lag was an understatement. Hence, his frequent need for daily naps. As hyper active as he was, it wasn’t unusual to find him lounging about when he was home in-between travels. But Sonic found he didn’t need to nap for long before he felt recharged again.
And boy did he ever feel amped up now.
He couldn’t ignore the jittery feeling any longer and took off running, a small sonic boom erupting in the air as he shot across the field.
Sonic didn’t particularly know where he was going, he often just let his feet lead him wherever they chose to. But anytime he came back home, he always tended to pop in and check on his friends, hoping to find them in one place or another. He zoomed past Cream and Vanilla’s house, slowing down to try and see if they were home, when he saw in the distance a little pink dot, just up the road.
Could it be?
He picked up his speed, making his way toward his newly acquired target. Within seconds, he was sliding to a stop, expertly appearing right beside the pink hedgehog. He smoothly transitioned his skidding feet into a walk, making it seem like he had been walking beside her the whole time.
“Hiya, Ames!”
Amy at first jumped slightly at his sudden appearance – you would think she would have gotten used to Sonic popping up out of nowhere by now – but recovered quickly, her stride never failing. She kept her eyes locked ahead of her, her body language rigid.
“Well look who it is.” Her tone was flat.
Sonic stared, confused at her cold demeanor.
“Yeah… Uhhh, everything ok?” he attempted to lean his head forward a bit to try and catch her eye, but she refused to even glance at him.
“Just peachy.”
Sonic frowned, crossing his arms as he continued to walk alongside her.
“Seems like it…” He noticed she was holding a large bouquet of flowers and had an intricate flower crown placed on her head. “You just coming from Creams? Looks like she went all out, I don’t think I ever got a flower crown that complex before!” he tried again, chuckling a little to lighten the mood.
Amy shot him an icy glare, “Maybe it’s because you don’t deserve one.”
Sonic stopped walking, taken back by her reply while she kept moving ahead, not bothering to look back.
“Ames, what gives?!” he called out, doing a light jog to catch up to her.
She ignored him.
Now getting annoyed, Sonic stepped out in front of her, blocking her path forward.
“C’mon, I haven’t even been around the last few weeks! What could I have possibly done to make you so angry?”
Amy glared up at him, a certain fire in her eyes – he recognized that fury of hers, just waiting to be unleashed. “EXACTLY!! Ugh, how could you not know!?”
He stared at her, still confused as ever. She let out an angry sigh – unbelievable.
“What month is it, Sonic?”
“Uhhhmn… July?”
She gave him a deadpanned look. “Seriously?” she searched his face as he gave her a clueless shrug.
He really had no idea…
“It’s September.”
“Oh…kay….?” He still wasn’t getting it.
“It’s the end of September.”
Sonic studied her face while he thought hard about what she was insinuating. His thoughts got a little sidetracked with how beautifully the flower crown shaped her petite face, but it was only then when he connected all the dots.
Cream’s flower crown, the month of September being almost over, her anger…
“Oh Chaos- it’s your birthday.” He said, defeated.
“It was my birthday. You missed it. By about a week.” She pushed past him, continuing forward.
Sonic smacked his hand to his face. Shit.
“And you just roll up here out of nowhere, acting like nothing’s wrong! Like the big idiot you are!”
Sonic caught up to her again, “Awh Ames, I’m so sorry! I’m seriously bad at keeping track of time, Tails yells at me constantly for it!! I never know what day it is, never mind which month!”
Amy kept walking, not bothering to look at him. He kept trying,
“When I’m on the go I never notice that stuff! Sometimes I switch zones so fast I go over 40 hours straight of seeing only daylight! It gets so confusing!”
“Tough.” Amy said sarcastically and picked up her pace, getting ahead of the blue hedgehog. What a flippant reason that was.
Sonic sighed, feeling horrible. She didn’t want his excuses and he didn’t really blame her. He caught up to her once more, placing a hand on her arm.
“Ames-“
She spun around so fast that he immediately took his hand off of her; her face was brimming with anger.
“I don’t want to hear it, Sonic!”
He held up his hands in defence, taking a step back. “Okay, okay- I get it. There is no excuse, anything I say won’t matter, so I’m just-… I’m really sorry, okay? That wasn’t cool of me to forget.”
She eyed him, his willingness to take responsibility calming her down a tad. Sonic took advantage of the small opening, knowing full well with how stubborn she was that he probably wouldn’t get another chance.
“Please, just let me make it up to you. The day is yours, we can do anything you want. Just me and you, whaddya say?” he gave her a small, hopeful smile.
Amy glared for a few moments, thinking hard at his offer. She was still mad and he wasn’t getting off the hook that easily, but she did recognize that he was being genuine.
“…..Fine. But you’re on thin ice, buddy.”
Sonic let out a small laugh, “As long as its ice and not water, I’m ok with that!” Suddenly he scooped her up into his arms. She continued to glare, her face not changing despite being held.
Eh, it’s looking like he wasn’t going to win her over as smoothly as he thought…
“Soo, where to first?”
“Home first, I just need to grab a few things.”
Sonic began to take a few steps but she quickly pipped up,
“And don’t go too fast! I would hate it if Cream’s flower crown got ruined…” Amy gingerly brought her hand up to the crown on her head.
“You got it!”
As Sonic gently started to run, he kept a good pace. It was extremely slow by his standards but pretty fast for a normal mobian’s. It felt strange being in his arms while he went at such a stride - Amy had never experienced it before. She could see their surroundings so clearly and could actually watch the landscape go past her, witnessing all the details instead of it blurring by at a dizzying rate.
Amy glanced up and saw an almost pained expression on his face that made her laugh to herself - she knew it was probably killing him not being able to just go full throttle, but he was being quite sweet about it.
They arrived at her house in good time as she didn’t live very far from Cream. He reached her doorstep and set her down, nodding toward her crown.
“Look at that, not a petal out of place.”
Amy shot him a look, a small smile tugging up at her lips, “You’re lucky.”
Sonic grinned in response – a smile already! Phew, okay, maybe this won’t be so hard.
“No such thing as luck, only skill.” He replied with a cocky smirk.
Amy shook her head and began walking to the door – he swore he heard a small giggle as she turned away from him. “Hang tight, you.”
Sonic watched her disappear into the small house before looking up at the vast blue sky. Well, on the plus side it didn’t take him long to find something to do and the day certainly held some mystery. His foot was tapping uncontrollably beside him; not so much from impatience but his legs were just itching to get moving.
Thankfully, he heard her door open and shut not too long after. Amy had a tote bag draped over her shoulder, her head now crownless – meaning he could unleash his speed.
“Woo, finally!! Okay, where to? We can go literally anywhere in the world, you name it! Although, maybe not Holoska… It’s super fun to jump around on the icebergs but at this time of year its frigid cold. Like, way more cold than anyone should ever have to-”
Amy walked past him as he blabbered on, heading towards the large trail in front of her house. His head turned, watching her strut by without giving him so much as a glance.
“-experience.” Sonic frowned as he followed after her, “Hey, where you goin’?”
“Into town.” She simply said.
Sonic held out his arms, raising an eyebrow as he gestured for her to jump into them “And you don’t want to take the Sonic Express?”
Amy glanced at him, “Nope. Walking into town doesn’t take long at all and this pathway is quite beautiful.”
“But…. I can get us there in a second!”
“Yes, but I would like to walk and take it all in.”
Sonic looked at her like she had three heads. I mean, yeah, he loved taking in scenery and was very fond of appreciating nature and everything but come on!
Amy smiled and linked her arm with his. “Just take it easy for once! A nice stroll will do you good.”
Sonic sighed and mumbled a quiet ‘I guess’ which resulted in Amy nudging him,
“BESIDES! This is my day, remember? We’re doing things my way.” She reminded him.
“Alright, alright. Fair is fair.” He replied, looking down towards her. He thought for sure since she took off the crown that that meant they’d be a million miles away by now…
He pondered for a bit, coming to a realization.
“Hey… If your birthday was a week ago, how come you only just got that flower crown now?”
“Cream and Vanilla had been busy with something, so I only got the chance to see them today.”
“Whaaat? How come she’s off the hook and I’m not?!” Sonic exclaimed jokingly.
“Well for starters, there’s a big difference between being busy and completely FORGETTING….” She shot him a glare, making him instantly cringe with regret, “And also, she’s way cuter than you. So she’s instantly forgiven.”
Sonic let out a chuckle, using his free hand to scratch his ear bashfully “Wellllll, I can’t argue there…”
There was a few moments of silence between the two hedgehogs as they continued to walk, the gentle sounds of the forest echoing around them, until Sonic broke the silence again.
“Wait, if you think Cream is cuter than me… Then that must also mean you think I’m cute to begin with.” he grinned down at her, watching her face fluster.
“W-What? No, that’s not at all what I meant-“
Sonic leaned his torso forward, turning his face so it was right beside hers as he looked toward her cheekily, “I mean, usually I get ‘handsome’ but if you think I’m that cute I won’t protest.”
Amy cheeks began to turn red, his sudden and close attention on her making it all that much worse. She unhooked her arm with his and shoved him playfully, crossing her arms across her chest as she looked away with an eye roll.
“You’re so full of it!”
Sonic laughed, bringing his arm around her shoulders, giving her a light and tender squeeze. “Y’know you’re right, this has been a nice stroll! So happy we did this! I don’t think I could have gotten that confession out of you while running at the speed of sound! We should do this more often, I’m learning so much!”
As he continued on (and on and on), Amy side eyed him with a small smile; annoyed with his light teasing but finding it hard to stay that way. It seemed like if he couldn’t run with his feet he had to run with his mouth. Gods, he was such a goofball, it was so impossible for her not to find it endearing.
As the years went by, their relationship had evolved greatly. Sonic was a lot more openly affectionate with her and the two seemed to flirt nonstop. It was undeniable how close they had become but she just viewed it as close friends teasing each other; she had to, in order to protect herself.
His constant rejection of her attempts at romance in their younger years made Amy grow understandably weary. She just stopped trying and Sonic definitely noticed, but it weirdly made them closer – instead he would seek out her instead of the other way around.
But despite all his subtle advances, she never really did know where he stood in terms of true feelings. Did he really only want friendship? He loved to tease and joke, but was he this flirtatious with everyone? Was there an underlying meaning?
Constantly he gave her confusing signals but Amy refused to confess her feelings again. She had learned her lesson and decided a long time ago that the ball was in his court. If he really wanted her, he would have to make the first move and take her. Until then, she refused to let herself feel anything for him other than friendship.
While he held her close, talking away, she felt a few butterflies stirring around in her stomach from his touch. She ignored them, as she always did.
This was only friendship, nothing more, nothing less.
The large crowded trees began to gradually thin out, the end of the path becoming more prominently in sight. Small buildings were visible in the distance now as the two hedgehogs made their way into the small town together.
“Sooo, what’s on the agenda? Whatcha wanna do?”
Amy grabbed his hand and began to lead him through the narrow street.
“You’ll see!” she called over her shoulder. As they weaved in and out of the crowds, they eventually made their way towards a quaint little building. It was tucked off on a side street, away from the hustle and bustle of the main road. Sonic wouldn’t have even noticed it if Amy hadn’t led him there. He searched the front of the structure, looking for any signage or hints as to what its purpose was, but it was bare.
Maybe it was someone’s house and not a store?
Amy let go of his hand and opened the door, walking right through without knocking. Sonic followed behind her curiously, the mystery of it all intriguing him. The first thing he noticed was the smell – oh man, the smell. It made his sensitive nose scrunch up instantly – it smelt damp and earthy, but not fresh and more stagnant.
His eyes scanned his surroundings; the area was dim lit and a lot bigger on the inside than it looked to be on the outside. There were rows and rows of shelves with all sorts of creations on them. Upon further inspection, most seemed to be things like vases and bowls.
Amy made her way through the room like she owned the place and headed straight towards the back. As Sonic wordlessly followed, he began to notice weird tables stationed all along the walls. He looked back in front of him just in time to see Amy disappear into another, smaller room.
“Hey Ames, just what is this place?”
She glanced behind her, seeing him appear in the doorway. There were only two tables in this room and she started placing big, heavy sounding objects onto both of them.
“This place is where I found my new hobby!” She stepped out of the way, presenting two blobs of clay. “Ta-da!”
Sonic gave her a perplexed look and then eyed the substance that resembled mud.
“I don’t get it.”
Amy laughed, “You don’t get a lot, do you?” She walked towards him, holding onto his arm lightly as she ushered him to sit at the one table, “Here, I’ll show you!”
“Okay, first things first – this is potting clay. Beside you is a bowl of water, you can dip your hands in there to help mold the clay.” She pointed to a large pedal underneath the table. “Next, you’ll press your foot down on that to make the tabletop spin and depending how hard you press, you can control the speed. Then, you just use your hands to create whatever you want!”
“Errr…” he looked at the lump of clay in front of him, still unsure.
Amy smiled at his cute expression, “Here silly, like this.” She leaned forward, each hand grasping onto each of his on either side. She held his hands gently against the clay, “Okay now press the pedal-“
Before she could finish her sentence, he slammed his foot down on the pedal, causing the surface on which the clay sat to spin around at full speed. Bits and pieces of wet clay splattered everywhere from the velocity – covering the walls, the floor and most of all, the hedgehogs. Sonic released his foot, looking wide eyed over his shoulder at Amy.
“-gently….” She finished, deadpanning a look toward him. There was a few beats of silence with both of them just starring at each other. Sonic brought his hand up to his face, his finger pointing to a general area around his cheek.
“You, uh…. You got a little something… Right there...”
“Oh yeah? Do I?” Amy replied sarcastically, feeling the thick pieces littered all over her. Her one hand was still hovering near what was left of the mound of clay and in one smooth motion she scooped some and gently slapped Sonics temple with it.
Amy’s expression was of mock concern, “Oh, I uh… I think you got a little something there too.”
Sonic raised his brows, a playful grin spreading onto his lips.
“Realllllyy? Is that how you wanna play? You sure?” he began to slowly stand up.
Amy took off, not giving him the chance to get the upper hand, laughing as she ran away. Sonic scooped some into his hand and went after her in retaliation.
As she ran, she pushed over any chair she came across to block his path. The room was so small that he couldn’t use his speed but he easily maneuvered his way around any obstacle, his long limbs catching up to Amy quite quickly. She peered over her shoulder and saw Sonic approaching fast. At the last second she ducked away from him, pivoting her small body so she was just out of arms reach, dashing in the opposite direction.
Sonic, impressed with her timing, spun around only to be met with another splat of clay to the face. He wiped it away, suppressing a grin as he looked to the other end of the room at Amy, who was giggling nonstop at her victory.
“Alright, your luck is about to run out!”
“I thought there was no such thing as luck, only skill?” Amy stuck her tongue out, taunting him.
Sonic chuckled – she was good…
He suddenly leaped over the table and chair, closing a lot of distance between them in a matter of seconds, catching her off guard. She made a break for it to run out of the small room completely but Sonic’s hand just managed to catch her as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Feeling herself get caught caused Amy to squeal, laughing hysterically at what was to come. His strong arm brought her towards him, his free hand holding the lump of clay hovering in front of her face.
“Any last words?”
In between laughs she managed to utter a ‘noooo!’ struggling against his hold. She was wiggling her body as much as she could in any attempt to escape, and almost came close a few times, causing Sonic to grip her closer to him, strengthening his hold.
“Okay, have it your way!”
He slathered the clay across the side of her face, laughing along with her as she whined in defeat. Amy stopped squirming and crossed her arms, her body going half limp in his hold.
“Alright, alright you win. You can let me go now.”
Sonic grinned, his hold loosening but not enough to let her go.
“Oh yeah? How do I know I can trust you?”
Spinning around in Sonic’s arm so she was facing him, the front of her body was now pressed closely against his, her one arm hooking up around the back of his neck.
Before, the close proximity was okay since they were just goofing around, but now….
He could feel himself getting hot.
Amy looked up at him with a daring expression, a small smirk on her lips “Hmm, you can never know for sure. But isn’t that what makes this fun?”
He couldn’t respond, he couldn’t think straight - how could he!? Her body against his, her luscious eyes holding his own captive… She was completely intoxicating.
Despite that all too familiar feeling coursing through him, despite a small voice in his mind yelling at him to let go, that this is getting too far, his arm still remained wrapped tightly around her waist, unmoving.
Amy’s heart was thudding in her chest with excitement; being like this with Sonic was so exhilarating. Seeing his awestruck expression coupled with the lack of a witty comeback made her realize that this was suddenly more than just being playful.
She stared into his eyes, her demeanor becoming less flirty and more aware. She slowly brought her other hand up to his chest, lingering in the moment with him, waiting to see what he would do. Wanting him to do something, anything-
SLAM
Both hedgehogs looked to the side in alarm – there, in the doorway, was an angry mouse, wooden broom in hand. The broom handle was still held against the wall from her hitting it.
“Just WHAT do you think you’re doing!?“
Sonic let go of Amy and she scurried ahead of him towards the older mobian.
“Oh, hi Molly!! Heh, what are you doing here? It’s your day off! You should be enjoying it!”
“Listen here, Miss Rose, I know I gave you permission to come when the shop was closed but I do NOT appreciate you making a MESS of my studio!” she pointed the broom stick towards Sonic, “Especially with some ruffian whose clearly nothing but trouble!”
Sonic sheepishly grinned, “Er, hey there. My name is Sonic.”
The mouse continued to glare at him, unmoving.
“Uhmn, you may have heard of me, I’ve saved the world countless times-“
Molly stomped over to him, poking the wooden stick into his stomach harshly, making Sonic take a few steps backwards.
“I don’t care WHO you are! YOU made a mess in my shop!!”
Amy stepped in, gently pushing down the broom.
“I’m sorry, Molly. It was an honest mistake, I was just trying to teach him how to work the table and things got out of hand. We’ll clean it up right away.”
The small mouse glared at her for a moment before responding.
“Fine. But this place better be SPOTLESS or else you aren’t welcome here anymore, girl.” She began to walk out of the room before turning around, “And watch yourself around that blue one. I’ve never had an issue with you until he showed up.”
Amy let out a small laugh, “Yes ma’am.”
Molly left, calling out to them once more when she was out of view, “HE’S TROUBLE I SAY. TROUBLE!!”
Amy turned to Sonic, giving him a look, but Sonic’s eyes remained on the doorway as he scratched the side of his ear, baffled, “…What just happened?”
“You heard her. Time to get cleaning, ‘Trouble’.”
Amy walked to the small closet, grabbing some cleaning supplies. As she turned around she tossed a sponge towards him, which he caught clumsily. Filling the bucket with warm water and soap she could hear Sonic walking towards her.
“Yeeesh, is that mouse always like that?”
“Like what?” Amy asked, a fake innocence in her tone.
“A little ball of rage?” he replied flatly.
Amy giggled, focusing on the task at hand. “Yeah, she’s a bit eccentric but she has a big heart. She means well.”
“She means well for you maybe. She wanted my head on a spike.”
Amy shrugged, shutting off the water, her smile turning into a smirk. “You do have that effect on people.”
Sonic gave her a mocked insulted expression, “Hey! I am nothing but a delight!”
Amy let out a laugh as she lugged the heavy bucket to the middle of the floor, plopping it on the ground, suds floating everywhere.
“Suuuure, keep telling yourself that.” she teased with a grin, “Remind me how many enemies have come after you again? Supposedly ‘unprompted’?”
Sonic leaned down, dipping his sponge into the soapy water. “Yeah yeah alright, but the more important number is how many of those enemies I turned into friends.” He grinned at her, “Because, I am a delight.”
Amy grinned back, “Turned into friends or forced into friends? Just off the top of my head I can name 4 that would be only distant aquientences at best.”
Sonic shrugged her off, “Eh, same diff.”
Amy laughed at his response while he glanced around; the place looked like a disaster zone. He looked towards Amy, who was already scrubbing on her hands and knees.
“Hey, wait a minute… This is your birthday celebration, you shouldn’t be cleaning.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s going to clean itself.”
Sonic crouched down, placing his hand over her scrubbing one, making her stop as he gently took the sponge away, “No, but I can clean while you…. Sculpt or whatever it’s called.”
“What? A-Are you sure?” she was genuinely shocked at his gesture, which made him smile even more.
“Positive.” He stood up, holding out his hand for her, which she took. Amy glanced around the room, feeling bad.
“You really don’t have to-“
Sonic chuckled, “What part about positive do you not understand?”
He ushered her over to the table with the untouched clay. “Go! Do your thing! I’ll take care of this. I mean, I kinda caused it after all.”
Amy sat down, smiling at him “You got a point there.”
Without another word, Sonic began to clean. She couldn’t help but watch him, a warm feeling taking over. Of course he did cause the mess, but it’s not like it was on purpose. As he scrubbed and cleaned for her, he seemed even more handsome than usual. It was little things like this that made her so attracted to him…
Letting out a tiny contented sigh, Amy began to get to work. She dipped her hands in the water and began to push the pedal lightly, the clay spinning around and around while she gently applied pressure. She was always someone who had to stay busy one way or another; constantly learning new hobbies, trying new things. It helped keep her mind at ease and this hobby was no different. It brought about a kind of peace.
When Sonic finished with the floor, he began making his way around to the walls, plucking, scraping and scrubbing all the bits and pieces he could find. As he got closer to Amy’s work station, he couldn’t help but look over at her. The sight he saw made him stop what he was doing completely, her smooth movements captivating his eyes.
Not only did she make whatever she was doing look so easy, but she looked so poised, so content. Her graceful hands glided over the clay mound, her facial features so relaxed it barely seemed like she was concentrating at all.
Even covered in clay she was a sight for sore eyes.
Sonic, his body now completely turned towards Amy, continued to admire her. It honestly took him back a bit at how she could make a task that is so messy look so beautiful. It’s something he had noticed more and more over the years; the aura that she always emitted was so stunning. It sucked him in each and every time.
He found himself putting down the sponge and taking a few steps towards her. Sonic leaned in, watching her fingers expertly command the clay.
Amy’s back was facing him so she didn’t realize he was so close until he spoke right beside her ear.
“Damn, you’re real good at that.”
Amy jumped, turning her head quickly towards his voice only to see just how close he was. Her nose and lips graced the side of his cheek, causing her to snap her head back forward just as fast. She could feel a deep blush burning on her face so she tried to stay focused on the clay.
“T-Thanks, I’ve had a lot of practice.”
Interestingly enough, Sonic didn’t move away. In fact, she could even feel his chest touching her back shoulder slightly. She wanted to see what his expression was, if he was equally as flustered as her but she didn’t want to risk looking. Amy cleared her throat slightly, trying to re-centre herself; feeling his presence hovering over her was so distracting in the best way possible.
Sonic could tell by her once smooth movements becoming more rigid that he was throwing her off her groove. He had to admit- feeling her lips brush against his cheek, feeling how teasingly close they were to his own made both his heart and body freeze. It was a wonder she was still able to work at all.
Unless she wasn’t as effected. Unless she truly did not care for him in that way anymore. Maybe his fear was true, maybe he had waited too long to act. They both loved to flirt with each other but that could easily just be chalked up to be playful banter.
Maybe he was over thinking all of this…
Well, in the meantime, there was nothing wrong with continuing to put out some feelers to let her know he was interested. That was the safe way to go about this; he didn’t want to risk making their friendship awkward…
Sonic straightened back up, placing his hand tenderly on the back of her neck. His fingers gave her an affectionate squeeze, “Seems like it! You’re a pro already.”
Amy sucked in a tiny gasp of air, the slight squeeze on the back of her sensitive neck causing a wave of a sensual feeling. He then dropped his hand down, his fingertips just barely sliding down her back as he walked away. A pleasurable shiver shot down her spine.
What the hell was that!? Was he trying to get her riled up? Was he trying to evoke her feelings even more? Is he doing this on purpose?
She tried to calm the fluttering in her chest, hoping it would cease her blushing as well.
Womp, womp, womp
Looking down at the sound, she realized she had stopped molding the clay. Sonic caused her to be so out of focus that her hands were only hovering beside it now, causing the clay to begin to warp to the side as it spun.
“Damnit.” She muttered, dipping her hands into the water before beginning to fix it. The slightest touch from him still sent her spiraling, even after all of this time. Does he know that? He must. But why torture her like this? What was his angle?
Or maybe he was clueless as usual and she was running with her wild thoughts. This could all be in her head and he’s just being normal.
Ugh. She decided she would go insane if she kept thinking like this and pushed her thoughts off to the side. She had to believe he just saw her as a friend. If he wanted anything more, he would actually do something.
Simple as that.
Amy let out a small, frustrated breath, causing Sonic to glance over his shoulder at her. He saw the state of her clay and assumed she was frustrated at her project not going the way she wanted it to.
He chuckled to himself – he definitely would not have the patience for this hobby, he didn’t know how she did it.
Amy finished up her project (which became a flower pot) and Sonic finished cleaning, the room becoming surprisingly spotless. Both hedgehogs then cleaned themselves up, the bits of clay stubbornly sticking to their quills and fur, before heading out of the shop.
Sonic stretched his arms above his head, the warmth of the bright afternoon sun hitting his face pleasantly.
“Alrighty, arts and crafts is checked off the list. Where to next, birthday girl?” he began jogging in place, his body brimming with energy. If Amy was going to choose to take the lazy stroll route again, he was fine with it but he needed to at least move somehow - he couldn’t help it!
Amy smirked playfully at his energetic display and begin to walk down the street, “Do you want to go for a quick run, get it out of your system?”
He continued jogging but kept beside her at her walking pace, “Nope! I’m sticking with you! When I said the day is yours, I meant it!”
She couldn’t help but giggle, “Okayyyy, if you say so.” She noticed people giving them strange looks as Sonic continued his restless jog, but she didn’t mind at all. She was always proud to stand by him.
But Amy did have to think about what she wanted to do next – she had packed a few things in her tote bag to be prepared for anything; coat, bathing suit, snow pants. With Sonic, being in any weather climate was possible. He also had a tendency to convince her to do just about anything, but she couldn’t decide where she wanted to go just yet.
“Man, what a beaut day though! I mean, we can do whatever you want to Ames, but I definitely wouldn’t mind staying outdoors, at least until nightfall-“
As the two rounded a street corner, a colourful twirl of something caught her eye. She turned her head towards the centre of the plaza and realized it was a women’s dress – she was dancing. Matter of fact, a lot of couples were dancing. There was band playing some music up on a small platform and the makeshift dancefloor was packed. Amy’s eyes lit up with excitement as she looked to Sonic eagerly.
Sonic, glancing at her and then at the dance floor ahead, trailed his sentence off at the realization.
He stopped his jogging in place, “Nope. No way.”
“Awe Sonic, please!!!”
“Ames-“
“The music is just so lovely!! And it’s outside, just like you want!”
“Amy-“
“And you’ll be able to move your restless body around!”
“I-“
“AND you owe me.”
She crossed her arms, that last sentence being said with a certain finality. In return he gave her a long, tentative look before groaning in defeat,
“Fine…”
Amy squealed with excitement, dragging the begrudged hedgehog into the middle of the area. She swiftly turned around, still holding Sonic’s hand while her other hand came up to rest on his chest. Sonic awkwardly placed his free hand on her hip, looking uncomfortable.
“I can’t dance, just so you know…” he mumbled, looking away from her flustered. He was not good at this at all.
“Oh c’mon, I see you dance all the time!”
“Yeah, fun stuff like break dancing, but not this… Slow stuff.”
Amy laughed, lifting his hand above her as she twirled herself around, before coming back into him.
“You have to learn that not everything fun is high speed and crazy action!” she pulled her hand away from his chest and used it to guide his own hand from the side of her hip, to rest on her lower back, correcting his form. “There is fun to be had going slow sometimes too...”
He stared at her, the change in position feeling very intimate. Something else he had never really been good at.
She smiled softly at him, “But don’t worry, I can teach you.”
A twirl of someone’s dress beside them caught Sonic’s attention and he decided to take the matter into his own hands. This time he extended his arm, gently twirling Amy around before bringing her back, holding her closely.
She erupted into giggles, the pure joy emitting from her face making his own heart sing.
“Whoa! Maybe I don’t need to teach you, you’re getting the hang of this quickly!”
Sonic just smiled warmly at her, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as an overwhelming sense of happiness overcame him. Sure, this kind of activity wasn’t his cup of tea. Neither was that clay stuff (or cleaning for that matter) but he quickly had been discovering that if it made Amy happy? It didn’t matter. It automatically made him happy, just seeing her like this. He actually wanted to do it – whatever it was.
Gods, as if he hadn’t fallen for her hard enough already...
As they continued to dance, Sonic would occasionally step the wrong way by accident, resulting in Amy tripping over his feet, making the two stumble and laugh before regrouping and trying again. They were by far the least graceful couple in the plaza but neither hedgehog seemed to mind.
They were each entirely consumed by one another; dancing in their own world together, paying no attention to anything else.
Amy was cherishing the moment, soaking in every little detail; how it felt to have their hands intertwined, his sturdy arm holding her close, the melody of the music, the way Sonic’s eyes sparkled at her in the sun, his full attention being on her the entire time…
It was like something out of a movie.
To her surprise, they continued to dance for a few more songs with zero reluctance from her partner. He must be really taking this whole ‘the day is yours’ thing seriously.
Eventually though, the band took a break, which resulted in everyone stopping in order to clap. The two hedgehogs clapped along with the crowed as Sonic glanced to the side, noticing a café with some tables and chairs out on a patio.
“Hungry?”
The pair ordered their food and sat down. Amy was on cloud 9 – dancing with Sonic for a whole afternoon!? It was so simple, yet so magical. She knew it was bad but she could feel her hopes soaring high again – this felt like an actual, romantic date. Would a friend do something like this? Could she imagine Knuckles or Tails ever doing this with her?
For her?
Perhaps.
But they would not continue to dance for an additional 5 songs. And it definitely would not be with the same chemistry that she had with Sonic. It was like they were the only two on the dancefloor; the connection she felt with him was just simply unmatched with anyone else.
He must feel it too.
He had to… How could he not?
They both decided to get croissant sandwiches, although Sonic got four to Amy’s one. He inhaled the first sandwich and was already on his second, Amy only having had a single bite out of hers. She eyed him humorously,
“I honestly don’t know where you can fit all that food in.”
Slumped back with one arm dangling across the back of his chair, Sonic gulped down another bite, shrugging with a smile. “I gotta huge appetite, what can I say?”
“No kidding. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you truly satiated.”
While chewing, Sonic raised a questioning brow at the unknown word, making Amy smile.
“It means satisfied. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you truly full, or, truly satisfied.”
Sonic nodded thoughtfully, taking another bite. “Hmm, sounds like a perfect challenge to me…”
Now it was Amy’s turn to give him a questioning look before he continued.
“You’re a great cook. I’m a great eater… Just sayin’, sounds like a match made in heaven.” He gave her a playful smirk, “Challenge accepted on my end.”
Amy laughed, “Yes, well I guess with that logic you’re right.”
“Besides, if anyone could stand a chance satisfying me, it would be you.”
Amy paused at his comment; the tone in which he said it made her get goosebumps. It made her think he wasn’t talking about food anymore. Their eyes locked for a long, intense moment before Sonic raised up from his chair.
He leaned over the table, getting closer and closer to her.
Amy’s heart seemed to stop beating, she was frozen in place; all she could do is watch him close the distance between them.
What was he doing!?
Sonic reached his hand up to the side of her face and she lifted her chin, almost as a reflex, her cheek gravitating towards it. She held her breath with anticipation; just waiting to feel his palm cup her cheek, waiting for his lips to finally collide into hers, after all these years.
This was it!!!
Her eyes began to close- when suddenly he paused, halting his movement.
What???
Amy looked up at him, his face so close she could feel his breath. All she could focus on was his lips – Gods, they were just mere inches away... His hovering was torture, was it on purpose!?
It made her glance up at his eyes and she noticed he wasn’t looking at her at all, but rather just above her. She could then feel his fingers on the side of her head, near her ear, and then he pulled away with a grin.
“There!”
He dropped his hand down to her eye level, showing off a piece of clay pinched between his forefinger and thumb.
“Ya missed a spot! Just noticed it now.”
Oh my Gods…… If she could sink into the ground and never show her face again she would.
“I-I need to go to the bathroom.”
Amy got out of her chair as fast as she could and left the table, heading towards the restroom. Sonic blinked as he watched her sudden departure, clueless.
“Okay…” he replied, but she was already out of earshot. He looked down at the clay in his grasp and flicked it away, leaning leisurely back in his chair again.
Sonic may have been putting out feelers before, but this time he truly only meant to grab the piece of clay with no other intentions. He figured she probably ran inside to double check if she missed any other pieces.
In the café, Amy burst through the washroom door, locking it behind her before slamming her hands down on the sink.
She wanted to scream.
She narrowed her eyes, glaring at her own reflection.
“He doesn’t love you, you idiot!!!!” she spat out harshly, tears threatening to spill. Her hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly as she scowled into the mirror.
That was the issue with high hopes; the higher they were, the more devastating the crash down was.
Letting out a frustrated huff Amy turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water - attempting to snap herself back to reality, attempting to halt the storm of emotions that were gnawing inside.
How stupid could she be!?
The cold water managed to help, it at least calmed her down enough so she was no longer on the verge of tears. But it was much harder to shove all those feelings back down once they arose.
She had done so well shielding herself from feeling this pain again, from feeling these… feelings in general for him! Why was today so different? Was she just imagining that he was actually into her? Was she that delusional? She wasn’t a little girl anymore! She knew better by now.
But if so, then why did her heart keep betraying her like this...
Amy wiped her face dry with a paper towel and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in.
Just get it together. Don’t let your emotions ruin a good day. Just focus on the happy, on the fun. Don’t let all this other crap complicate things.
Just go back to the status quo of being just friends. Just like it’s been all these years.
She exhaled, opening her eyes again. For a moment longer she stared at her reflection, lingering in her mental pep talk, before throwing out the paper towel and heading back to the patio.
As she went outside and approached their table, she could see Sonic leaning back as far as he possibly could with his hands behind his head, the chair wobbling on its back legs.
Amy sat down, catching his attention.
“Oh hey, you find any more?”
“…What?”
He continued to teeter on the back legs of his chair, somehow managing to just keep his balance with only the tip of his shoe anchored under the tabletop. His one hand gestured around his head.
“The bits of clay, was there any more that were missed?”
Amy sighed. Of course he was oblivious. Who was she kidding, how could she ever think this was anything more.
“O-oh. No. All good.” She smiled weakly, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Sonic eyed her slightly, instantly picking up that her vibe had changed. He shifted his body weight, rocking the chair so it was back down on all fours.
“You okay?”
She continued to chew and watched his gentle eyes stare at her, a slight concern gracing his features. Swallowing, she just nodded with a smile.
“Of course!” she took another bite, looking off to the side to watch as people walked by – any distraction from his eyes was needed right now. How did he have the ability to see right through her and yet still be so damn clueless at the same time? It was infuriating.
Sonic knew she was fibbing with her answer but decided to drop it for now. If she didn’t want to say what was bothering her, he wasn’t going to push it.
“Alright, well… As interesting as dancing was, I’m a little nervous now to ask what’s next.” He said jokingly with a grin.
Amy took her last bite and shrugged, still looking off to the side. Sonic frowned slightly to himself – okay, something is definitely up. His eyes followed to where she was looking at which was in the direction of further into town.
It gave him an idea – he knew how to cheer her up.
Sonic stood up suddenly, out stretching his hand towards her.
“C’mon, let’s go.”
Amy paused for a moment before accepting his hand, following him as he led her away from the centre of the square. She assumed Sonic was getting them away from the crowds so he could have space to take off running - finally giving himself the opportunity to bring her somewhere completely different.
She found herself suppressing an annoyed sigh; it’s not that she would particularly mind doing that but he was so predictable! Just because she couldn’t quite make up her mind, it didn’t mean she didn’t want to stay in the area. It was so like him to just take charge and be spontaneous at even the hint of her uncertainty…
But to her surprise, he stopped walking where a row of shops began, turning to her.
“Take your pick!”
Amy looked at him confused.
“Of… What??”
“Stores! Which one you wanna check out?”
“I-…” she glanced at the buildings and then back to him, “You really want to go shopping? On a beautiful day like this?”
Sonic chuckled, “Well, I don’t, but I know you’ll want to. And I wanna treat you to it, I’ll buy ya anything you want.”
He began to move forward but Amy just stared after him, remaining in the same spot.
“Sonic, if this is still about making it up to me for forgetting my birthday, you’ve more than done so.”
He turned his head and stopped, giving her a smile. “Nahhh, it’s not like that at all. I just really wanna do this for you!” he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, making her walk alongside with him. “But the offer won’t stay on the table for long, so you better choose now.” Sonic winked at her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
Amy, not having time to turn down the offer as he ushered her along, ended up picking a store that she had visited often. It was one of her favourites, it had just about anything you could think of in it.
As they walked through the doors she turned to protest once more but Sonic had already wandered down an aisle on his own, distracted. Amy shook her head to herself and began to browse, not knowing how to feel.
Sonic figured she would enjoy her shopping experience more without him hovering over her the entire time, so he ventured off but stayed closed. It might not have looked like it, but he kept an eye on her, very aware that her mood was still off. He thought for sure shopping would help raise her spirits…
Just what happened at the cafe for her to be so down about?
As she browsed the long clothing rack, she kept looking over to where Sonic was – it didn’t surprise her that he was playing with all the trinkets and gadgets that were definitely aimed towards kids.
Well, as long as he was keeping himself occupied and not bothering her…
She sighed and tried to focus on the new distraction, but her eyes kept drifting towards the immature hedgehog. Why did she have to be so attracted to him, why could she never shake these foolish feelings? Amy glanced up again and Sonic was gone from his spot, making her pause. She looked around the store, his signature blue nowhere in sight.
What a jerk, he probably left her all alone in here thinking she wouldn’t notice-
Sonic suddenly popped up right in front of her on the other side of the rack, wearing a top hat.
“Top of the mornin’ to ya!”
Amy barked out an unexpected laugh, covering her mouth slightly in embarrassment. Sonic grinned in response - finally!!
Ducking down behind the row of clothes he popped back up again, top hat gone but now sporting a vibrant pink feather boa draped around his neck.
Amy only giggled this time now that she was expecting it, “What are you doing?” she kept slowly walking further down the aisle, Sonic doing the same but backwards.
“Searching for a new look, whatcha think?” he flung the one end of the boa over his shoulder, pouting his lips slightly.
“I think it’s a huge improvement.” Amy smirked, stopping to look at a sweater that caught her eye. By the time she looked up, he was gone again. Her smirk turned into a genuine smile at the unknown of what exactly he was planning next.
She pulled out the sweater to get a better look at it, feeling undeniably happy again. It made her think she was being unfair to Sonic earlier. Maybe it was just her unconscious attempt to make her feelings of hurt more valid; making him the bad guy as a way of coping.
A part of her wished he was being a jerk, it would make things a lot easier to deal with…
She kept the sweater and moved along, continuing her browsing.
The realization that had always been there crept up again - the truth was that she didn’t want him to keep to himself, she wanted to be bothered by him. She wanted his attention, she wanted his company, she wanted his goofy antics and hyperactive tendencies.
Plain and simple; she wanted him more than anything. And she always has.
As Amy went to reach for another item hanging, Sonic jumped out from the rack of clothing with a mask on, making her jump back in alarm with a small yelp of surprise. She lost her balance, falling back into the rack behind her. It began to tip over before Sonic quickly reached over her, grabbing the pole before it fell any further.
Amy, still leaning on the clothes Sonic was now essentially holding upright, gave him a look. She lifted the mask off his face revealing a cheeky grin as he chuckled.
“You’re really easy to scare, did you know that?”
She rolled her eyes at him -maybe she should be more careful for what she wishes for.
Sonic paid for the few items she picked out, despite her protests, and the pair left the shops, now heading in the direction of the boardwalk.
“You take me shopping and now you’re leading me to the ocean? Just who are you and what did you do to Sonic.” Amy joked, giving him a skeptical look.
Sonic grinned, “Hey, I like the ocean. Just as long as I’m not in it, it’s great!”
Amy hummed her acknowledgement, smiling softly as they reached the boardwalk and began to walk along it. Instantly, the salty fresh breeze that pushed from the water enveloped her senses. Her attention turned to Sonic when he swerved to the side, heading straight towards a tiny ice cream vendor without a word. The warm breeze blew past her again, making her look towards the ocean.
She made her way to the wooden railing that separated the walkway with the beach and leaned on it, starring out to the horizon. Soon, this same warm wind will become harsh with freezing temperatures as the fall months approached. Amy could already feel a titch of cold mixed within the warm breeze, hinting at what was to come.
The seasons always seemed to change so fast; out with the old, in with the new. Over and over again. Even if the ‘new’ wasn’t necessarily wanted or welcome, it came unapologetically, regardless of anyone or anything.
And yet here she stood, after all this time, in the same predicament as she had been as just a young girl. The seasons may change, but she never did.
Why?
Despite all her best efforts, she was only just lying to herself. Lying to the world.
Lying to Sonic.
She had never been untrue to herself. She always had pride in what she did, in what her intentions were. All except for this.
Sonic returned, two huge ice cream cones in his hand. He gave her one, already licking his own.
“They had a two-for-one deal! How lucky, eh?
Amy accepted it, her look lingering on him for a moment too long, before focusing on her ice cream.
“Yeah, lucky…” she stared ahead, her façade getting harder to hold the longer her thoughts festered within.
Sonic looked at her in suspicion, turning his body so his back was facing the railing, his elbows leaning up on it for support. He gave his ice cream another lick, his new position making it easy to put his full attention onto her.
“Alright. Whats up.” he said as more of a statement than a question.
Amy glanced up at him, opening her mouth to answer but then getting cut off by him.
“And I don’t want to hear any excuses or any bullshit, just tell me the truth.”
Amy stopped leaning forward and straightened her posture up in defence, “That’s rich coming from you.”
Sonic licked his ice cream again, remaining casual despite her defensive change. “Well, we’re not talking about me right now. We’re talking about you, and something is clearly wrong.”
She just stared at him, a painful tightening in her chest making her unable to respond.
At her silence, Sonic stopped leaning, standing upright as well, “C’mon Ames, you’ve been off this whole afternoon. Ever since we had lunch. Did something happen?”
Amy remained quiet, her anxiety spiking at his questioning. She didn’t know what to do or how to answer. He was grilling her about something she was only just now coming to terms with; she didn’t want to rush her answer on such a delicate subject.
Sonic leaned forward towards her, getting more on her eyelevel, his brows scrunched together. “Did someone say something to you in the café? I know you can take care of yourself but I have no problem finding whoever upset you and putting them in their place-“
She was already on edge and his close proximity wasn’t helping.
“It was YOU!” she blurted out, taking a step back from him. The mix of pure confusion and hurt on his face made her turn away from him.
“You’re the reason I’m so upset…”
Sonic just stared at her, completely blindsided by her answer. It was him?
“What-? Ames, how- I thought you were having a good time today! We did so many fun things, fun things that I thought you were enjoying? What, was it because you didn’t want to eat the croissant? We could have gone literally anywhere else, like literally ANYWHERE else, how was I supposed to know you didn’t want to eat there-“
“It wasn’t the croissant, Sonic!!!” she shouted, his ignorant rambling prompting her outburst. He was making it hard for her to think! And boy did she ever need to think right now.
At her outburst, a few people on the boardwalk stopped to stare. Amy glanced around, feeling embarrassed at the sudden attention she was drawing to herself.
Sonic could tell the public situation wasn’t helping and making her get more worked up. He gently put his free arm around her, coaxing her away from the crowd.
“C’mon, let’s go talk somewhere more private…”
She walked along with him down to the beach, the dread and nerves growing inside her with each step. Sonic guided them towards the other side of a large group of rocks, away from the public part of the beach. Once they were in privacy, he dropped his arm away, stepping out in front of her.
“Okay so if it wasn’t the food… Then what?”
She stared at him, searching his eyes. Even now, after he treated her to the sweetest day ever and she was accusing him of ruining it, there was no trace of anger or annoyance. Just patience and concern.
Why couldn’t he just be a jerk for once!!
Amy fell down to her knees in defeat, sand fluttering around her from the movement. It was useless.
“No, everything was perfect…. The pottery, the dancing, the food, the shopping… You…”
She couldn’t push down her feelings, she couldn’t make up excuses any longer. It had to come out.
The tears began to fill up in her eyes.
Sonic kneeled down onto one knee in front of her, his voice so gentle and kind. “So then, what was it?”
Amy felt the ice cream melting onto her hand, making her look down at the item she forgot she was holding. Sand coated it from her dramatic fall.
“Even the stupid ice cream was perfect, and look, I managed to ruin that too.” That was the last straw, making the flood gates open - the tears flowing freely down her cheeks now.
Sonic took the cone from her hand and threw it over his shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. “Who cares? I can always get us another one.” He then threw his own over his shoulder as well, “I didn’t like that flavour anyways.”
This managed to make Amy laugh through the tears; she sniffled in between her tiny laughs, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand.
He smiled softly, placing his hand on her arm encouragingly, “Now what do you mean ‘ruin that too’? You haven’t ruined anything today.”
She shied her arm away from his hand, “I’m about to…” she replied quietly, looking down, not wanting to meet his eyes.
Sonic scrunched his face in concern, his hand falling away. At how serious she was being, he changed his position from kneeling to sitting down in front of her.
He was honestly at a loss of what was going on and she was kind of starting to scare him a little.
“Ames…”
Amy took a deep breath in - she felt like she was going to be sick.
But it was now or never.
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep pretending or fooling myself.” she looked up at him, making eye contact. “Whatever this is? Whatever we have going on between us? It’s not working for me. It’s killing me inside. I thought it was fine, I thought I could handle it.”
“What-?”
“I honestly thought for a long time I was over you. Truly, I thought you had just become my best friend and that was that. And I was happy with it. I really was. But today….” She trailed off, looking to the side. “I don’t know what it was about today, but it just hit me like a truck that I’m not over you. I don’t think I ever will be. I can’t outrun these feelings for you. No matter how deeply I bury them, they will always resurface. And every time they do, it’s more painful than the last.”
Her tears began to flow heavily again,
“And it drives me insane that I can’t tell where you stand with me.” She looked up again, her eyes narrowing slightly. “And I’m not stupid. I know you love to flirt and it might not mean anything, but sometimes the things you do mess with my head so much that can’t tell up from down anymore. And I don’t know if you do it on purpose or not, but if you do, it’s cruel. Whether you know it or not, it’s just cruel.”
Amy sniffed, a little sob escaping her throat. Her voice began to shake, “I tried to hate you. I tried to tell myself you’re selfish and annoying and just outright stupid. But you’re not. You’re everything my heart wants and I know this is going to change everything between us but I can’t keep lying to myself. Or to you.”
Her hands balled into fists in the sand, “I love you. I love you Sonic, I always have and I always will and I just can’t keep doing this anymore.”
Amy let out a breath, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. She felt a giant weight that had been pressing down on her suddenly lift from her confession. It felt like such a relief, she had no idea she was so burdened with that until this moment.
She opened her eyes and carefully looked to Sonic, scared of the aftermath.
Sonic only stared at her, his expression hard to read. He seemed mainly shocked, but it was taking him a few moments to soak everything in that she had said – especially since this came out of seemingly nowhere.
The two hedgehogs held each other gazes, the only sound being the wave’s crashing gently behind them.
It felt like it went on forever and the silence started to bother Amy – why wasn’t he saying anything? Normally she couldn’t get him to stop talking…!
Her nerves began to sky rocket as the seconds ticked by of Sonic just starring at her. She really had no idea what he was thinking, how he was going to react. All those years of closeness, all those years of building a strong bond of friendship; potentially gone.
Was he disappointed? Mad?
She couldn’t take the silence any longer - the looming thought of crushing rejection taking over. She began to stand up,
“Listen, if you need more time to reply to all of this, I understand. But I’m going to get going now and leave you to it-“
Sonic’s hand grabbed her wrist quickly and sternly, pulling her back down towards him as she turned to look at him in shock. Smoothly, his lips crashed into hers, stopping the rest of her sentence in its tracks.
Amy immediately melted into him, their lips connecting together as if they had done it a million times before. Any thoughts in her head dissolved, any feeling of nerves or anxiety were obliterated from her memory; all there was in the universe was his lips on hers.
He pulled away, much too soon for her liking, and rubbed his thumb across her cheek, wiping a tear away.
“I’m sorry I ever made you feel that way… I promise you, it was absolutely not my intention...” He kissed her again gently, keeping his hand cupping her cheek before pulling away again.
“I thought you were over me too. And I didn’t want to push you, but…” he softly kissed her once more, finding he was unable to stop himself. But just as much as he couldn’t stop himself, she was also like putty in his arms; she was so completely and utterly his, in every way. Finally.
When he pulled away again it was just barely, his lips remaining only just an inch away from hers as he spoke. “I have felt the same way about you for so, so long…”
Amy pushed herself forward onto him, herself initiating the kiss this time while moving to sit on his lap, her knees on either side of his hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she hungrily attacked his mouth, Sonic gladly matching her energy. She felt his hands begin to trace up her thighs, causing her breath to hitch in her throat with excitement.
His hands then made their way past her hips and up her sides before wrapping around her back, pulling her closer to him with a need. As he pulled her further into him, he fell backwards to lay down, making her lay on top of him. She ceased kissing for a moment and starred into his eyes with a dazed expression on her face.
“I-…”
Sonic smiled, “Just in case you were wondering,” he lifted his head slightly, giving her nose a small peck before resting his head back down, “I love you too.”
Being able to say those words out loud gave him a bigger rush than any battle could; he didn’t realize just how badly he needed this, needed her.
Amy let out a small cry as she hugged him tightly, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck; she was overwhelmed with happiness that she couldn’t properly express.
Sonic wrapped his arms around her and heard a muffled “It took you long enough…!” making him chuckle.
“You got that right…” he squeezed her tightly, nuzzling his head into hers – he felt stupid for wasting so much time waiting around. He murmured a quiet “I’m sorry” into her ear, kissing the side of her head.
Amy then pulled away, sitting up while she remained straddling him. She smiled down at the hedgehog,
“No, I’m sorry. I feel bad for you.”
Sonic, still laying down, cocked his head to the side at her, confused.
“I have no idea how you’re going to top this birthday. Next year is going to be a doozy for you.”
Sonic laughed, gently tossing her to the side and rolling his body so he was now on top of her, sand flying around them. He pinned her down, smirking.
“Oh don’t you worry about that. I already have some ideas….”
He leaned in, kissing her again, neither hedgehog making any moves to get off of each other anytime soon.
They had a lot of time to make up for.