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The last of the streamers had settled on the floor, and the faint scent of vanilla frosting lingered in the air. Amy Rose stood in the quiet of her living room, surveying the remnants of her birthday celebration. Tails had rigged a confetti cannon that still hadn't been fully cleaned up, Vanilla's handmade birthday banner hung above the couch, and a half-eaten slice of cake sat abandoned on a paper plate. But now, the house was empty. Everyone had hugged her goodbye, promising to do it all again next year. Everyone except...
Him.
Amy sighed, plopping onto the couch and tugging one of her quills absentmindedly. She hadn't expected Sonic the Hedgehog to stick around for the party—he never does. Too busy racing ahead of everyone, off to just running around wherever he could, too restless for small talk. Still, a tiny part of her had hoped he'd at least... shown up. She glanced at the clock. 9:00 PM. The sun had set long ago, and now just by herself, the artificial light from her lamps just made her feel more... alone.
Then, a knock.
Not at the door. At the window.
Amy's head snapped to her left. There he was, waving and grinning through the glass. His quills blown back, clearly from running. Typical Sonic.
She huffed as she stood, marching over to pull the window open. "You're late."
"Late?" He hopped inside, shifting his glance around the empty and messy room. "Come on, Ames, the party's over. That means I'm right on time." His smirk was infuriating—and adorable to the pink hedgehog.
"You missed the cake," she said, crossing her arms. "And the games. And Cream leading everyone to sing Happy Birthday."
Sonic winced as he sat on the windowsill he climbed through. "Okay, that I'm kinda sorry about. But hey—" He jerked a thumb toward the door. "I got you something."
Amy followed his gaze and made her way to her door. Opening it, a small, lopsided package sat on her porch. Wrapped in newspapers, but topped with a big red ribbon. The corners were haphazardly taped, the wrapping slightly torn all over, with the cherry on top—the ribbon slightly singed as it hung limply over it.
"You got... something for me? I can tell you wrapped it yourself." She blinked.
"Wrapped, delivered, and yeah... I got you something." He leaned against the windowsill, arms behind his head. "Go on. Open it before I change my mind."
Amy hesitated. Gifts from Sonic were rare. Unprecedented, really. She'd gotten used to birthday shouts from outside her window or hastily scribbled birthday cards slid under her door. But this?
She fetched the package, noting that the newspapers were old front page articles about Sonic's acts of heroism. She chuckled as she took off the ribbon; the wrapping came undone easily, revealing a plain cardboard box.
When she opened it, she discovered a smaller cardboard box. Amy paused, already dreading the irritation that would come if that box turned out to contain yet another, even smaller one. But instead, she found a small red velvet box. Her pulse quickened.
"Sonic, if this is a ring, I swear I'll—"
"Relax, it's not an engagement ring," he cut in, his gaze avoiding Amy's glare and drifting toward her curtains. "Just... open it."
With a hint of disappointment, she obliged and lifted the lid. Nestled among the cushion was a bracelet—a string bracelet that spelled out "AMY ROSE" and sported a few charms: a golden ring, a red sneaker, and one of her hammer.
"It's a friendship bracelet," he said quickly. "You know, 'cause we're... pals. Buddies! Teamwork makes the dream work, and all that."
Amy's gaze remained fixed on the bracelet as she traced the charms with her thumb, her throat tightening. She glanced at Sonic, who fiddled with his fingers while sitting on the windowsill—a similar bracelet now gracing his wrist, spelling out "SONIC" with the same charms.
He scratched his nose, now suddenly fascinated by her carpet. "Look, Amy, I'm not great at this stuff. But... birthdays are a big deal to you. So... happy birthday."
The room felt warmer. Amy clutched the bracelet, her earlier annoyance melting away. "Sonic... this is the sweetest thing anyone's ever—"
"Don't. Not sweet." He pointed at her, mock-serious. "I've got a reputation to uphold."
She laughed, her smile beaming. "Too late. You're officially a softie. Did you get one for everyone else too?"
"Ugh, betrayed by my own good deed. And no, just... you and me." He pushed off the windowsill and flopped onto the couch, arms sprawled over the back. "So, are you gonna put it on or what?"
Amy slid the bracelet onto her wrist, turning it in the light as the charms jingled softly. "It's perfect."
"Cool." Sonic's grin softened ever so slightly. "But, uh... there's one more thing."
"More?"
He reached behind his back and pulled out a slightly crumpled photo. Amy recognized it instantly—a selfie from the boardwalk near her favorite ice cream stand. She was mid-laugh, strawberry ice cream smeared on her nose and cheek, while Sonic photobombed the background with his signature peace sign.
"I, uh... thought you might want it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Since you're always talking about making memories or whatever. I got it from the guy who takes pictures of people by the boardwalk. Didn't get around to framing it, but I figured you could handle that."
Amy took the photo, her eyes shining. "You really got this for me?"
"Hey, don't go getting all mushy on me. I just happened to bump into the guy, and he got it printed out for me."
She jumped onto the couch next to him, her smile radiant as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Sonic. Really..."
Sonic stood abruptly, slipping from her grasp. "All right, mission accomplished! Time for me to get going—"
"Wait!" She grabbed his wrist. "Don't think this gets you off the hook for missing the party. And... just stay? For a little while?"
Sonic paused, her touch grounding him. His gaze flicked around the empty living room, landing on the unfinished cake. "Yeah, okay." He pulled away again, snatching up the paper plate and immediately taking a bite. "Mmm, this is pretty good! Who made it?"
Amy rolled her eyes but couldn’t help chuckling. "Vanilla and Cream did. Apparently, Knuckles helped out too."
"That knucklehead? Probably helped with the tasting the cake, sure."
They both laughed as they settled on the couch. Amy traced the charms on her bracelet, the photo resting beside her as they chatted the night away. For once, the fastest thing alive didn’t seem in a hurry to leave.