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Amy whined, covering her face with her hands as her head lolled back. “I don’t know what to get them!”
“Girl, I keep telling you, just give them money.”
“Nooo!”
“Then I can’t help you.”
Amy huffed, letting her hands fall into her lap as she shot a glare at Rouge. The orange light of sunset made the apartment of black and white decor glow, and the gold trimmings Rouge had scattered about seemed to burn. It was fashionable, classy, the exact sort of apartment owned by a woman who recommended cash for a Christmas present.
Amy still wasn’t sure why she thought Rouge would be able to give good advice about this.
“Shadow’s your friend, aren’t they?”
Rouge cocked an eyebrow at that. “I’d like to think so, seeing how they live here.”
“So, wouldn’t you know something about their interests and hobbies? Or something they’ve said they need?”
“Yes.”
Amy sat up straighter, “So why don’t you tell me what those things are and-”
“No.”
“Oh come on!”
Rouge rolled her eyes. Kicking her feet up and onto the coffee table between them, she pulled a nail file from the end table by her elbow and began filing her nails. “Shadow is so particular that nothing I could assume they would like would be guaranteed a successful gift.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“Amy, they took twelve minutes testing pens at the stationary store before they finally bought a pack.”
Amy pursed her lips. “T-... twelve minutes?”
“Yeah, and that’s the low bar.” Rouge smirked, “Another time, they went to four different stores to find socks that they liked. Won’t tell you how long that took, but I’m sure you can imagine.”
Amy gripped her knees, shaking her head as she did so. Rouge laughed.
“How’s that gift of cold hard cash looking now?”
“Not doing it, Rouge,” Amy ground out. “Not doing it.”
Amy ran her tongue along her teeth as Rouge rolled her eyes.
“Listen,” Rouge said with a huff flourishing her nail file, “You got the short end of the stick when you pulled Shadow for the Secret Santa. And I won’t lie and tell you that I’m sorry because I’m not. I rigged it. Thought it would be funny, and it is still absolutely funny, but the way you’re moping and whining is starting to get pathetic.”
Amy hit her knees with her fists. “I’m not whining!”
“You sure?”
“Yes!”
“Could have fooled me.”
With a sigh, Amy shook her head. “No, I’m not whining because I haven’t given up yet, and I’m not giving up until I’ve run out of time or options… whichever comes first.”
Rouge pursed her lips. “Jeez… rather die-hard of you, considering it’s just a Christmas present.”
“It’s- Rouge, it’s because it’s Christmas that I gotta try extra hard!”
“Sweetheart, they don’t even celebrate Christmas.”
“But if they’re going out of their comfort zone to do a Secret Santa, and they work so hard for a holiday they don’t celebrate, it’ll be even worse when they don’t get a present they actually like!”
Rouge snorted, waving her hand lazily even as Amy glared.
“Rouge, have you ever gotten a gift from someone you think should know you, and it’s bad? Like, it’s just a bad gift?”
Rouge raised an eyebrow at that, shaking her head. Amy sighed as she slouched into the couch.
“It’s… awful.”
Amy chuckled, watching as Rouge pursed her lips.
“A person who knows you should know what to get you, even if it’s just…time.” Amy said, gesturing between them, “Like- the promise to pay for dinner the next time you guys go out to a place you like. But when someone gives you something that’s totally not you? You have to wonder if they know you, and that sort of… hurts.”
Rouge cocked an eyebrow at that. “Can’t say I relate.”
“That’s because everyone just gets you gemstones.”
“I’m an easy lady to shop for.” Rouge said with a shrug. “Or steal for. I’m not picky on how I get my gifts.”
“Ugh, you would say that. I don’t even want to know what advice you’ve given Shadow for this Secret Santa thing,” Amy said as she rolled her eyes. “But… Do you know who they got?”
“Yes.”
Amy opened her mouth only for Rouge to hold up a finger.
“No, I am not telling you.”
“Rude,” Amy huffed, “Why?”
“Ruins the sport of it.”
“Why are you like this?”
Rouge smiled, “A girl’s gotta have a hobby.”
Amy ran a hand through her quills as she scoured the carpet for answers only to catch her eye on the very edge of a book sticking out from under the couch. Using her foot, she slid it gently out from the darkness where the dying sunlight coming through the window caught the gilded title.
Amy cocked her head, picking up the book. “They like classical literature?”
“What makes you ask that?”
“Well,” she turned the book cover towards Rouge, “You don’t really strike me as someone who would read, ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,’ no offense.”
Rouge shrugged as she went back to filing her nails. Amy couldn’t help but let her attentions drift as she admired the cover, letting her fingers fall over the well-loved cloth binding.
Amy had never really thought about it before, but somehow, it felt right that Shadow would enjoy these children’s stories. The atmosphere and softness of them, as horrifying as some of the older ones could be, suited them in a way she could not form into words.
Amy paused.
“Rouge,” she said, “What would you do if I asked to go into Shadow’s room?”
“What for?”
“To, um-” she looked at the cover again, away from Rouge, “to put this book back. I’m sure they didn’t mean to leave it out here.”
Rouge leveled her with a look. “They always leave their books under the couch. Try again.”
Amy pursed her lips then, looking out the window. “I just… had the thought… that there’s a lot to Shadow that they don’t often really showcase.”
“Yeah? And water’s wet. So what?”
“So the one place that a person usually lets themselves relax and be them is their bedroom.”
Rouge smirked. “Oh, so you want to go snooping and see if you can get some ideas for their Christmas present?”
“It’s not snooping!”
“It’s snooping.”
“Just- ugh-” Amy forced herself to relax her grip on the book, lest she break its spine, “Can I go in or not?”
Rouge pointed over her shoulder with the nail file, still smirking at Amy, “Second door on the left.”
Amy stood up from the couch, then paused, “They… won’t be mad, will they?”
“At you? No.” Rouge shook her head, her smile curling in that mischievous way Amy had learned meant trouble.
“Will they get mad at you?”
“Oh, that I don’t care about.”
“You sure?”
“Pinkey, I’ve no idea when they’re getting back, so I suggest you quit your quibbling and get moving.”
Amy squeaked, jumping to attention before bolting for Shadow’s bedroom door. She could hear Rouge laughing behind her as she fumbled the doorknob and slipped inside.
The room was dim, almost dark, and the smell of lavender and lemon wood polish hit her like a wave. She blinked frantically as she tried to get her eyes to adjust. The only light available was the frail beams of sun that wormed their way around closed curtains, but slowly, slowly she could begin to see the room before her.
“Woah…”
Amy took one step, then another, looking about her as she did so. The bed was small and built of dark wood, but stacked high with thick, heavy blankets in muted colours. She couldn’t help but touch one, her white gloves stark against the soft heather green, and from where she stood, she could see the very edge of the sheets poking out at the top of the duvet, smiling at the line of yellow roses there. However, that was nothing upon realizing that at the foot of their bed was a small cradle, filled with a thick blanket.
“They got Rosie a bed?” Amy gasped, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth as she squealed. “Oh Chaos, how cute is that?”
After finally pulling herself away, she got to inspect the matching nightstand, who’s lower shelf was filled to the brim with notebooks. On top sat a bright yellow one, still in use with a pen tucked in as a makeshift bookmark, next to a study lamp and clock. Across from the bed stood two bookshelves, also dark wood, also absolutely packed with books and little odds and ends. Everything there was arranged in neat rows and stacks, all placed with a purpose Amy could not fathom. There was no dresser, but there was a closed closet door, tucked into a corner that led to the space behind the bed which was covered with what looked to be an amalgamation of corkboards.
That’s when she turned and gasped. The wall where the door stood had a mirror that was surrounded with calendars, notes, and tacked-up paper. It was all organized, somehow, but not in a way she could readily understand. She squinted at the cramped cursive and frowned.
“They write like they went to catholic school,” she muttered, barely making out the details of an appointment for a bike inspection. The hand holding Shadow’s book folded close to her chest as she leaned in. “It’s a wonder anyone can read this…”
She bit her lip, looking towards the door as she did so. Drumming her fingers against the book, Amy hopped from one foot to the other before quickly rushing towards the bookshelves. She traced her finger along the wood as she read the titles, only to be distracted by the little trinkets blocking her view. She blinked, smiling as she picked up a slip of paper and squinted to make out the print.
“Is this a movie ticket?”
Amy flipped it over, surprised to find more of Shadow’s cramped handwriting.
‘September 13th, 20XX, 1400
Spirited Aloft
All present
Movie good
Popcorn was soggy, terrible
Amy laughed at your joke.’
She quirked an eyebrow, unable to help but smile that Shadow still wrote down the specifics of the film even though they were printed on the ticket. Then, she paused, mouth parting slowly as her brow furrowed. ‘Amy laughed at your joke,’ she mouthed as she reread the words.
Was Shadow talking about when they threatened to shove Sonic in the popcorn machine if he didn’t stop talking during the film? Amy stifled a giggle as she remembered how irate they had gotten. To be fair, she had been pretty frustrated too. She couldn’t remember how Shadow had phrased the threat, but in the moment, it had been so funny she had actually choked on her drink.
Guess that meant something to them.
Smiling, she put the ticket down, only to frown at how they had phrased the comment.
‘Your joke.’ Not, ‘my joke,’ but, ‘your joke.’
Amy’s eye caught the notebooks near the bed again, then back to the door.
She paused, listening intently. The grip she had on the book in her hands caused the binding to creek. Still, she heard no no sound from outside.
Amy swiftly moved back to the wall by the door, the paper fluttering from her speed as leaned in to read.
‘Dec 6th, 20XX 0300. You have a meeting with Towers.
FOLLOWUP: Meeting was about Previous Mission. Notes Given. Notes Recorded in Journal 7, Page 125. Read before Next Mission. Next meeting will be Jan 4th.’
‘August 4th, 20XX 0800. You took your chao, Rosie, to the park. You learned today that she does not like the green chao with seal-like features. For future reference, keep them apart.’
‘September 23rd, 20XX 1900. Amy Rose’s birthday party. You have her gift wrapped and in your closet next to your socks.
DO NOT FORGET.
Notes will be recorded in Journal 7, page 162.
FOLLOWUP: You have Amy Rose as your Secret Santa Gift Recipient. Refer to Recorded Notes on page 162. New Notes will be on Board 1. Followup to follow post-Christmas Part, Dec 24th. ’
Amy hummed. Of course he had her. She should have guessed. Rouge did say she rigged it, after all. Amy held the note about her birthday carefully by the tips of her fingers before letting it go, watching as it flitted against the wall before going still. Once again, she eyeballed the journals by their nightstand. Why would they record notes on their birthday? What notes were they taking now, since they were her Secret Santa?
Amy bit her lip, then shook her head. No, no she would not do that to them. She would not read their journals, though it was becoming terribly tempting. However…
Amy drifted towards the closet door, where the cork boards had been nailed into the wood. There, at the very top of the door, was a heavily covered pinboard with a large number one written on the frame in the upper left. Various scraps of scribbled notes had been pinned, scribbled out, and pinned over. Amy squinted as she leaned in to read, but there wasn’t enough light in this corner of the room.
“So dark!” she hissed through gritted teeth, “And I really don’t have time but-!”
There was a squeal by her ankle and she froze. Looking down, she was met with the wide-eyed gaze of Rosie, the chao’s sharp teeth glinting in the low light.
Amy placed a shaking finger to her lips as her ears strained to hear what was going on outside the door, only for her stomach to feel as though it dropped through the floor when she heard Shadow’s voice.
“Rosie,” she whispered, “sweetie, I need you to be very quiet.”
But Rosie was not quiet. Rosie squealed again, giggling as she flew up into the air and did a loop around Amy’s head. Amy tried to catch her, but Rosie dodged the grasping hand in favor of flying straight for the now slightly cracked door.
Amy hissed through her teeth, eyes wide as she tried to run tip-toe to catch the chao. She made a desperate last grab only for Rosie to push the door open and-
Amy dodged to the side, uselessly trying to hide, and her shoulder hit the light switch.
The light was blindingly bright and painful. Amy yelled as she threw the arm holding Shadow’s book over her face, flailing as she tried to hit the switch off. She could hear a high-pitched whine growing louder and louder the longer the light stayed on, the greater the panic that bubbled up within her. She whined and squinted through the light to try to find the switch. Her eyes watered while she squinted through the glare.
Then, all of the sudden, she heard a click, and the light was off again.
“Why are you in here?”
Amy froze. She turned slowly only to come face to face with Shadow who was standing right behind her, watching her with those hard eyes. Rosie sat on top of their head, still giggling as she watched Amy, with a face that said the chao knew exactly what trouble it had caused.
She took a step away, giggling nervously.
“I-,” she fumbled, holding their book out in front of them, “This was under the couch. I figured you’d want it somewhere safe.”
Shadow blinked slowly, taking the book from them. They drummed their fingers on the cover, the sound causing a shiver to crawl up Amy’s spine. Shadow’s brow furrowed for a moment, and Amy watched as their eyes slid from hers to their room behind her. She saw them chew the inside of their lip, shuffling where they stood as though suddenly too nervous to look at her again.
Her heart sank and she sighed, tightly shutting her eyes as she covered her face with her hands.
“I… also was looking for clues about what to get you for Christmas.”
Shadow said nothing. The silence stretched. Amy’s hands began to shake.
“I’m so sorry!” The words came in a tumbled rush. “I just wanted to get you something nice! Something you’d actually like! I know Christmas isn’t really your thing, and with the crowds- There’s nothing worse than a shitty gift from someone who should know you better and I want to make it worth it and-”
“H-hey,” their voice sounded strangely small. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine!”
She heard Rosie coo gently, and felt the chao headbut her hands. Amy relented just enough to take Rosie from the air and hold her, but still, she did not open her eyes.
“Amy-” there was a pause, then a huff, “Would you look at me?”
She scrunched her face, but all the same, slowly opened her eyes.
“I really am sorry,” she mumbled, still pouting. “And if I can make it up to you, please let me know.”
For a moment the two of them stood in silence. Then, much to her surprise, Amy saw Shadow laugh.
It wasn’t much. In fact, it was probably the quietest laugh she had ever heard. The smile that normally was restrained to their eyes and never the rest of their face turned the corners of their mouth up as they rolled their eyes, shaking their head as they did so. A light almost fluttering sound she could only assume was their laugh echoed in their throat, gone in an instant as they coughed into one closed fist.
“You… probably know by now that I have you for Secret Santa.”
Amy pouted. “Yeah… more because Rouge said she rigged the game than anything else, but yeah.”
She could see Shadow grit their teeth.
“Oh?”
Amy nodded. Shadow pinched the bridge of their nose.
“Why am I not surprised…” they huffed, shaking their head. “Listen, why don’t you tell me what you’d like, and we’ll call it even.”
“...That’s it?”
Shadow nodded, “That’s it.”
“But-”
They held up a hand. “I’ve been trying to figure out something since November, and I’m running out of time and patience.”
Amy couldn’t help herself as she giggled. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been in the same situation trying to figure out what you might like.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“Oh really?” Amy put one hand on her hip, the other still holding Rosie, “Oh, Mr. Ultimate Life-Form doesn’t need anything? Well what if little old me doesn’t need anything either?”
She grinned as she watched Shadow’s eyes narrow, one of their ears twitching.
“Cream told me you were looking to purchase a pressure canner. If you don’t give me an answer, I’m going to assume she’s right.”
“Don’t you dare! Those are expensive!”
Shadow crossed their arms. “I never said I’d get it new.”
Amy opened her mouth, then closed it as she rocked on the heels of her boots. “Okay, fair… and yes, yes l was looking to get one of those.”
“Excellent. Merry Christmas in advance. Now please leave.”
“Hold up!” Amy held a finger under Shadow’s nose, watching as they went cross eyed trying to follow it, “I want to know what to get you, too!”
“Isn’t that what you broke into my room for?”
“Yes, but I couldn’t get any good answers!”
“Oh well,” Shadow said, a smirk slowly sliding across their face as Rosie laughed again.
“No! Come on! You have to tell me!”
“I don’t have to tell you anything. Now leave.”
Amy squinted, eyes darting between them and the light switch on the wall. The smirk fell from Shadow’s face as she reached a hand out towards it.
“Don’t you dare,” they hissed.
“I’ll do it. I’ll turn the light back on.”
“You will not.”
“Try me.”
“Threatening me? In my own room? Over a Christmas gift?”
Amy puffed up her chest. “I say that’s a good enough reason.”
“Careful, you’re starting to sound like Rouge.”
Even as Shadow sneered at her, Amy could see the way they looked between her and the light switch. With a huff, Amy dropped her outstretched hand to support Rosie who had decided at this point to try and climb onto her head.
“What even is wrong with your lights anyway?” she said, looking towards the fixture in the center of the ceiling. “It’s like they’re built to kill.”
“Voltage issue,” they grumbled.
“Haven’t you asked anyone to fix it?”
“Doesn’t matter. Stop changing the subject.”
Amy crossed her arms. “I mean, it does. It’s hard on the eyes.”
“I’m fine.”
“But-”
“I like low-lighting anyway, so it's not like I would turn them on even if they did work.” Shadow rolled their eyes as they shook their head. “I’m fine. Now, please, leave.”
Amy pouted, opening her mouth to retort only to pause. The gears in her head whirled as slowly, her furrowed brow lifted and her mouth curled into a smile. She leaned in, grinning ear to ear.
“I think I know what to get you for Christmas.”
Shadow squinted at her, pulling back ever so slightly. “You do?”
Amy nodded as she giggled. “Can I run it by you? Just to double-check?”
She couldn’t help but notice how Shadow looked away, and for a split second, she swore she saw a look of nervousness flash across their face even as they nodded.
“How about I get you some nice hanging lights?” she said, pointing at the ceiling as she did so. “Like a couple sets of nice energy efficient string lights, where you can change the color, the brightness, all that stuff! So no matter how you’re feeling or what you need, they’ll work for you!”
Shadow seemed to freeze. It was at this moment Rosie started squirming, Amy’s vision momentarily blocked by her tiny hands wiggling for Shadow as she cooed. Slowly, Shadow took her, letting Amy be free to clasp her hands at her chest while she bounced gleefully from foot to foot.
“You’re not saying no-oo~!”
Shadow blinked, shaking their head a little as they seemed to come back to themself and look up from Rosie. “That… does sound nice.”
“So you think you’d like that?”
Shadow nodded, and Amy could not contain a shriek of glee as she hugged them, jumping up and down. “Yes! Yes yes yes! Aaaaah I’m so happy! I’ve been so worried- I wanted to get you something you liked so badly!”
She laughed as she let them go. “Sorry, okay, I- I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’ll get out of your quills!”
Shadow, eyes wide, only nodded. Amy couldn’t help but lean in for one more hug, squeezing tightly as she squealed with joy before rushing out and towards the apartment door.
“Thanks again, Rouge!” she said as she rushed through the living room.
“For what?” She called out, lifting her head from the couch.
Amy didn’t bother to reply. She just laughed as she closed the door.