Work Text:
Rosen Anguish
The stillness of the wind still lingering with the kiss of spring and transitioning into the warm embrace of summer, is sharply cut by the gust of rapid footsteps and leaves being tossed about in the fury traveling onward.
As best she can, she navigates her way through the trees, vines, rocks, to make her way back to the city as quickly as possible. She wants nothing more than to make it home before she loses the last bit of control she has over her tears and begins crying harder. She focuses on maintaining a steady pace to make good time; though she planned her initial goal of the day for confronting Sonic, Amy was aware that the evening forecast said heavy rain was likely to make its way in the area.
“Why am I so hung up? Why can’t I let him go when I know I need to?!” She asks herself as she wipes her eyes.
Having to let go of someone you cherish is hard as it is, but letting go of someone who you can’t quite pinpoint the extent to which they cherish you, no matter how they say it, feels like swimming against an aggressive current and trying to get yourself to safety.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy were the ones everyone depended on, Sonic seemingly more than the others. It was no surprise to anyone that at any sign of trouble, he’s usually the first one called, if he hasn’t already dashed his way to the scene.
Amy is painfully aware of how busy he is. His willingness to throw caution to the wind and help those in need or stop chaos from ensuing is one of the things that attracted her to Sonic in the first place- well, to a point.
“That.. BONEHEAD.. Did he even hear me? Does he even care?” Her mind races almost as fast as she is in her effort to make it home. The uncertainty of one’s words reaching their intended target in the intended manner churns in her stomach in such a way that she feels her already fractured heart beginning to shatter. She’s maintaining her desired speed, but tears are forming in her eyes so quickly that her vision is becoming dangerously blurred; luckily, she can see the lights of the city in the distance.
Amy goes to wipe her eyes again, and in the instant that she closes her eyes, she trips and stumbles aggressively. She tries to catch herself but steps awkwardly on her foot, rolling her ankle, and tumbling to the ground. She gets to her knees and notices that in her tumble, she landed amongst fallen branches which had unfortunately stabbed holes in her outfit- her favorite outfit.
Frustration with added fuel has Amy nearing the end of her rope, but she figures she should continue and make it home. She goes to step on her foot only to be met with sharp pain, causing her to rest back on her knees, and being accompanied by thunder and roaring winds.
Unable to stifle her feelings any longer, Amy begins to cry into her hands. She wasn’t expecting today to be a total breeze, but she wanted to be home before the rain, to be tucked away from the world so her emotions could flow freely, without having to face anyone. The world around Amy grows harsher as the rain ignores a slow buildup and becomes an immediate downpour, causing her to cry harder and scream from her frustration boiling over.
The sounds of the rain falling, wind gusting, and occasional thunderclaps become all that Amy can focus on, accompanied by her pained wails. She soon finds comfort in the storm, as she feels the universe is only bringing her internal storm to life, and there’s no denying that sometimes you need a chance to cry your emotions away.
After a few minutes deeply invested into crying her emotions away, she realizes that she’s no longer being pelted by large raindrops. She wipes her eyes and notices she’s under an umbrella and being shielded from the weather.
“Get away from me Sonic, I’ve said what I wanted to say, and I meant it.” she declares loudly.
“That would explain why you’re crying, but what are you doing out here in this storm, Amy? You’ll catch a cold!” Tails’ voice warmly responds.
Amy gasps and looks further from under the umbrella to see Tails’ eyes peering at her in a very concerned manner.
“I’m sorry, Tails.” She says trying to make herself look more presentable.
“Today just hasn’t been my day. I was hoping to be home by now.” She adds.
“I’m sorry you’re having a bad day. People in town said they saw you hurrying off but didn’t say anything to anyone, and by the time evening came, I went to knock on your door to see if you’d made it back but saw your lights were off. No one had any idea where you or Sonic were, so I came to look for you both.” He explains as he hands Amy a spare raincoat he brought with him.
“Well, it’s a long story, but I did see Sonic briefly.” She confirms for Tails
“I figured that much, but why are you stuck out here?” he redirects her into answering.
“I tripped over something making my way home, and I twisted it badly. I can’t stand on it.” She answers.
“Why didn’t you call anyone for help?” He asks out of concern but gets no response from Amy this time.
“I guess you’ll answer that another time,” he says as he hops in the air and lowers his arms for her to grab.
“Let’s get home and out of this storm. You’ve been stuck in it long enough.” He says hoisting Amy from the ground and flying toward her house. He has a small idea of what happened between Sonic and Amy, but he decides to hold that conversation another time. The two sail through the sky with relative ease. Having two tails and having been through countless areas high in the sky and in all kinds of weather makes you well-versed in navigating rough weather, after all.
As they get near her place, Tails begins his descent making sure that Amy’s ready to touch down.
“Ground approaching” he says, getting very little response from Amy after.
Amy’s feet touch down and she immediately goes to a knee, still feeling the effects of her stumble. Tails lands and helps her stand, proceeding to help her get to her front door and inside safely. After she turns the lights on, she shows Tails where they can sit and dry off. It’s then that Tails notices Amy’s tattered outfit.
“Did you want a change of clothes?” he asks.
“If you wouldn’t mind. Can you walk me to my bedroom?” she asks in response.
Tails helps Amy to her room, stopping by her closet first so she can grab what she wants to wear. Once she grabs a change of clothes, he helps her to bed so she can sit without aggravating her ankle further.
“I’ll wait outside. Let me know when it’s safe to come back in,” Tails says as he closes the door.
Amy says nothing, changes her clothes with relative ease, and sits at the edge of her bed. She looks at a photo she keeps by her bed of herself, Knuckles, Tails and Sonic which was taken after stopping another one of Robotnik’s crazy plans. Knuckles has Tails in a friendly headlock and are high fiving each other, Sonic is beside Knuckles and has his arm around Amy’s waist for the photo. Everyone is smiling, especially Amy, sporting a noticeable blush in the process. In that moment, it was the closest she’d ever felt to Sonic; though it was for a photo, and he may have only been trying to make sure she wasn’t out of shot.
“Why doesn’t he think I’m worth a chance?” she asks herself silently. She’s been by his side, sang his praises, been his biggest cheerleader, and yet feels like she’s always the last thing he sees. She begins to cry again, laying down, burying her face into her pillow.
[Knock Knock]
“Are you okay in there, Amy?” Tails asks outside her door.
She’d momentarily forgotten that he was out there waiting, being so wrapped up in her thoughts.
“Sorry, Tails. You’re good to come in,” she replies, trying to wipe her face and sit up to greet Tails as he enters.
“Thank you for everything tonight, Tails.” She says as he makes his way to her bed.
“You don’t have to thank me, I just wanted to make sure you were safe” he responds, sitting beside her.
“So, what’s going on? What happened between you and Sonic?” he inquires.
Amy hugs her pillow tightly and exhales sharply, before answering Tails’ question.
“I think I spoke to that bonehead for the last time.” She responds.
“Last time? Why?” Tails asks, not having to question to who she’s referring.
“You don’t have to feign ignorance, Tails. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about Sonic, even he does… But that’s why I can’t speak to him anymore; I’m in a position I can’t win, no matter what I do. He’s not interested… I need to let go.” Amy says, feeling her eyes beginning to water again.
“I see. You’re feeling that you’re at your limit as far as trying to show him how you feel and hoping he’ll get with the program.” Tails replies as he grabs tissues for Amy to wipe her eyes.
“You tell me, Tails, what do you think he feels toward me? You know him better than anyone else I could possibly imagine. I’m sure you know some of his deepest thoughts and feelings, right?” she says, accepting the tissue from Tails.
“Well, the thing is, he’s never really said anything to me as far as what he feels about you; but his actions do tell a different tale in my perspective.” He replies
“His actions? You mean constantly acting as though I don’t exist? Not cherishing anything I’ve done for him or said to him to try and show him there’s someone who wants to be fighting at his side, or just be able to be who he can turn to when he needs an escape from the world?” Amy snaps back quickly, taking Tales aback.
“No, I mean he does bring up a lot of memories with you when we’re talking or hanging out. I don’t think he realizes he does it, though.” Tails responds, which catches Amy off guard.
“What do you mean?” she asks quickly, keeping Tails from shifting to another thought.
“I mean he’s always bringing up memories about things you do or moments involving you. It could be even the smallest of details in our day, but he’ll somehow find a way to involve you in the conversation. It’s something he does so often, I don’t think it registers how often he does talk about you.” Tails explains.
“I wasn’t expecting that, that’s for sure.” Amy replies. “But it still doesn’t mean much. I might be part of his fond memories, but it doesn’t mean I’m in his mind or in his heart in the same way he’s in mine…” she adds, clenching her pillow and sinking her face into it partially.
“I disagree,” Tails interjects adamantly, “The fact that he’s got so many memories involving you should stand for something, and especially if he can recall details concerning you as close as he does. It means he’s paying attention, or at the very least, aware, right?” He says, trying to change her outlook slightly.
“I suppose… But Tails, what does that mean?” she asks, looking him in the eye.
Tails can see she’s on the verge of tears again. This is something that’s been eating away at her for a very long time, and he knows she’s looking for some shred of hope, or something that she can cling onto to give that hope. He wants to provide that hope for her, but not at the risk of presenting false hope.
“It’s late, Amy. It’s also been a long day for you. You need to allow yourself time to gather yourself, let your emotions simmer a tiny bit, and let your mind clear a bit. I’m going to try and find Sonic and make sure he’s alright; though I’m sure he’s not silly enough to be hanging out in the rain like this.” He says as he gets his raincoat and heads for her door to leave.
“I can’t answer your question concretely, and I don’t want to answer it solely with guesses, but I don’t think Sonic feels absolutely nothing.” He adds with a warm smile.
“But—” Amy tries to speak
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Amy!” he says reassuringly as he makes his exit.
She sits in her bed, listening to the rainfall and struggling to keep herself together. Tails’ words are usually reassuring, but the doubt that’s been plaguing her mind is keeping her from being able to believe in them.
“I want to believe you, Tails.” She says to herself. “But I also don’t want to feel my heart hurt this much!” She screams again, bursting into tears.
The thunder seems to boom just as hard as Amy’s breaths between her sobs, the rain flowing just as endlessly as her tears. It’s been a draining day filled with emotions. Her heavy mind wishes the rain would wash away her tears, her anguish, the entire world, at this point.
Tails wipes his eyes outside, crying a bit himself. It sucks seeing a friend go through something that hurts them so hard. He sets off to do a quick search through the city to see if there’s any sign of Sonic, and already has it in his mind that he’ll search the outskirts if necessary. He inhales sharply and clicks on his flashlight before hurrying off to find the blue bonehead.