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An ice cream stand stood at the edge of the boardwalk, its striped umbrella drooping under the summer sun's heat. The air thick with the sticky sweetness of sugar and the salty tang of the ocean.
The sun was at its peak, the day at its hottest. A crackly tune played from the worn speaker beside the stand, a familiar melody to many—a call to a sweet treat to be had. A jingle that promises of a cold, sugary salvation—just what everyone needed to survive the heat.
The line grew steadily, each person eager for their turn. But there was one who stood out—a pink hedgehog practically vibrating with excitement. She waited, somehow managing to stay patient despite her obvious enthusiasm. This wasn’t just a random stop for her, this was her destination. While the others in line seemed to be escaping the sun on a whim, she planned for this.
Her eyes gleamed as she looked at the sun-faded menu listing all the different flavors. She squinted at the options, but it was just out of habit—she knew exactly what she wanted.
Finally, Amy had made her way to the front of the line. The vendor raised a brow at the grinning hedgehog in front of him. "Strawberry swirl?" he asked, already reaching for a cone.
"You know me!" Amy was beaming like always, as she put down the exact change for the soft serve.
“Here you go—one strawberry soft serve for my most frequent customer.”
Amy's eyes lit up as she grabbed the cone from the vendor. Standing aside, she wiped a bead of sweat from her temple as she brought the ice cream closer to her mouth. Of course not a moment longer, she took an eager lick, the sweetness melting in her mouth. Then another, and another.
"You'd definitely marry ice cream if you could, Amy," the vendor teased, leaning back as he waited to serve the next customer.
Amy giggled, "Don't tempt me! It's the only thing that's keeping me alive in this heat. That's why I come here every day. Your stand is a little piece of heaven on Mobius!”
"Save it for your diary, kid," the vendor snorted, before turning his attention away to someone behind her. "What can I get you?"
Amy turned to look at the customer—and nearly dropped her cone.
Shadow stood a few steps away, arms crossed, outside the umbrella’s shade, eyes narrowed at the menu. The sunlight draped over him softened his usual scowl.
"Shadow?!" Amy blurted, strawberry soft serve smeared on her nose. "Since when do—?"
“Rose,” he cut her off, his voice flat. He didn’t look at her.
The vendor leaned in, hands on the counter as he smirked. "Lots of flavors to choose from. Amy there always goes for strawberry though."
Shadow finally took his gaze away from the menu to glare at the vendor. "Strawberry then. In a cup."
The vendor didn’t miss a beat, and made his order quickly. Shadow placed exact change on the counter, took the cup without a word, and stepped back into the sun. He studied the soft serve he held for a moment.
Amy, who had moved to sit on a bench nearby, called out to him, tilting her head, "You're really gonna eat that standing up?"
Shadow had his gaze fixed ahead, his back to her. "I'm not staying."
"Come on, Shadow," she said in her usual light but persistent tone. "It's a million degrees out. Just sit for a minute—please? You'll melt faster than your ice cream."
He glanced over his shoulder, red eyes narrowing at Amy. "I don't melt."
Amy rolled her eyes with a playful smile. “Yeah, yeah—Ultimate Lifeform. Keep me company? Sit!” She gestured to the bench, already halfway through her own cone.
Shadow hesitated. His gaze flicked between the empty spot and Amy’s expectant smile before he exhaled—a barely audible huff—and strode over. He sat rigidly on the far edge of the bench, leaving enough space between them for a third person.
Amy grinned and promptly plopped down right beside him, closing the gap with a bounce that made the bench creak. “See? Not so bad,” she said, nudging his boot with hers. “Now taste it! Tell me what you think.”
Shadow stared at the paper cup in his hands, soft serve untouched. His gloved fingers tightened around the tiny wooden spoon as if it were a foreign object. Slowly, he put what was barely a spoonful into his mouth, barely grazing his tongue.
Amy watched him, her own cone dripping onto her glove. “Well?”
"...Sweet," he muttered, his gaze carefully avoiding hers.
“Isn’t it?!” she laughed, hurriedly licking the runaway drips from her glove and cone. “Do you like it? Does it remind you of sunny days or anything?”
"It's cold. It's serving its purpose."
Amy sighed, shaking her head. “Don’t overthink it.” She took an exaggerated lick, letting the ice cream smear her nose again. “See? That’s how you do it. Just enjoy it!”
A quiet moment passed between them. Amy focused on finishing her cone while sneaking glances at Shadow, who hadn’t once looked her way. He finally lifted the spoon again, scooping another small bite.
“It’s… sweeter than I expected,” he admitted, the words sounding forced but honest.
Amy blinked, having just finished her cone. Then beamed, "Aha! I knew you'd crack."
"I didn't—"
“Shhh...” She waved a hand dramatically in front of Shadow who was yet to look at her again. “Just enjoy your sweet and functional ice cream, grumpy.”
Shadow’s spoon paused mid-air, his eyes flicking to her for the briefest moment. “You’re insufferable,” he muttered, but there was no bite to his words.
Amy giggled, leaning back on the bench and stretching her legs. “And yet, here you are. Sitting with me. Eating strawberry ice cream. Voluntarily.”
“I was coerced,” he said flatly, though the corner of his mouth twitched—just barely.
"Coerced?" She laughed, and wanted to lean into Shadow, but resisted the urge, keeping her distance. "I didn't force you to sit down. You could've vanished away like you always do the moment I asked if you really didn’t want to be here."
Shadow didn't respond, but his gaze fell back to his cup. He took another small bite. Then another slightly larger than the last. The strawberry soft serve melted on his tongue, its sweetness lingering in a way that felt unfamiliar.
Amy smiled as she watched him with her elbows resting on her knees, head propped up with her hands. She looked away from Shadow after staring at him for so long. "You know, you don't have to act like enjoying something is a crime. It's okay to just... like things."
He stiffened, fingers once again tightening around the spoon. “I don’t—”
"Overthink it," she interrupted, her tone gentle but firm. "You've already said it's sweet, that's a start!"
Shadow dropped his spoon into his cup and turned to Amy staring right at him. His shoulders tensed as he instinctively backed away, but after a moment, he relaxed. “…It’s not unpleasant,” he admitted, as he tried to maintain eye contact with Amy.
Amy’s face shone brightly, her grin wide and unmistakably delighted, all for him to see. “That’s progress!” She jumped up from the bench, clapping her hands together.
She twirled in place, the joy practically radiating off her. "I should've taken a picture," she teased. "Shadow the Hedgehog, enjoying ice cream! Who would've thought?"
Shadow huffed, leaning back slightly, relaxing further. "Don't push your luck."
She laughed, plopping back onto the bench beside him. “Sure, sure. Your usual brooding is mega productive, but so is… sitting in the sun and eating strawberry ice cream with a friend!”
Shadow didn't respond immediately. He stared at the remnants of his soft serve, realizing he had already eaten most of it, with what was left half-melted in the cup. "...Friend?"
Amy froze, a little shocked, then smiled softly before pushing her luck. "Yeah, friend." She rested her hand on Shadow's shoulder as he stared at her. "This is what friends do, right? You sit down, hang out, enjoy ice cream together, and remind you it's okay to just... be."
For a moment, the air was still. The distant sound of waves crashing into the shore could be heard, drowned out by the noises of passersby, and the soft tune that continued to play out of the ice cream stand's speaker. Then, to Amy's surprise, Shadow gave a faint nod before shifting away from her touch. "Hmph, perhaps."
Their friendship was definitely a work in progress, but Amy was very pleased about whatever progress was made today. She resisted the urge to bounce in excitement and give the brooding hedgehog a hug, wanting to let him come into things at his own pace. "See? You do get it!"
Shadow finished the last of his ice cream in silence. "It's sweet," he repeated, more to himself than to her.
"And you're not melting!" Amy teased, lightly nudging his arm.
Shadow stood, a faint warmth on his cheeks he tried to ignore by patting and brushing himself clean of... nothing. "I'm leaving before you get any more ideas."
Amy stood up alongside him and smiled as he walked away. "Next time, I'll have a different flavor with you, so you can try out more!" She called out, waving goodbye to him.
He didn't look back, but the faintest smirk tugged at his lips. "We'll see."