Chapter Text
Amy didn't know the first time she noticed the signs. Maybe she didn't want to notice the signs.
She thought herself as an expert on all things love. Love was just part of fate after all, and that's something she has been an expert on since she was a kid. Putting her trust in her tarot cards was how she got things done, wasn't it? She wouldn't be where she was today if not for them.
If not for that fateful day she wouldn't be in this mess at all.
Not that she would want it any other way. The life she had was a good one. She wouldn't be who she was if it wasn't for meeting Sonic when she did.
It's been a long time since then; many adventures, battles fought, and friends made on the way. Yet due to all of that, she felt like she was left behind. That the fate she honed in on since then has been spilling from her fingers.
Fate is funny that way sometimes.
If you found the weird, agonizingly painful pit in her chest funny, which she almost wanted to. Maybe it would hurt less.
Maybe she was being dramatic about it. No, she definitely is. Let's face the facts here, no one has ever said Amy Rose had tepid emotions. At least, she doesn't think they would, that would mean they don't have a very good judge on her character. She showed her emotions on her sleeves and the sheer intensity of her feelings were felt from miles away. Anyone with eyes and sense could tell what she was feeling at any given moment. Being such an open book made her the person she is, she knew that. She presented herself to the world with no facades or censorship. She was herself to a fault.
Anyway, moving on. She wished that hole in her heart would leave her alone. Yet the more she thought about it, the more it opened up.
At first it was the fond looks made when they thought no one was watching. Like it was a secret from the world, even from the one receiving it. A silent declaration of affection.
Then it was noticing how they sat closer to each other at events. That in itself was surprising, both didn't really like physical touch, but Amy supposed they didn't really get close enough to touch either. Yet, the proximity was something that only happened more recently. Like they couldn't help but lean towards each other. That their connection tethered them together.
Their usual back and forths still held the same intense competitive air it always did, but now they had this weird tension. Full of unspoken words hidden within in their eyes and body language. Something Amy felt like she read too well.
It was subtle, but she knew them well, very well. They were her closet friends after all, how could she not notice?
Neither Sonic nor Shadow were emotionally open people, Amy understood that side of them extremely well. Due to this sad reality she was stuck in, she made it her mission to catch their small nuances and quirks. After knowing them for years she can pick up their feelings with only the smallest context clues. She thought herself as an expert in reading people. It's the least she can do for her friends after all. Amy Rose was one who made it her mission to understand her friends to their fullest.
People called her nosy and obsessive, but she liked to think of it as supportive and dedicated. How could she be good friends with people if she didn't learn all she could about them? She couldn't, that's how. She needed to be a good friend— no, she needed to be a wonderful friend, by knowing them on a deep, personal level.
She denied her theory at first, more to save herself the heartbreak rather than worrying about jumping to conclusions. Honestly, she would happily jump to conclusions and investigate the matter if her heart wasn't on the line.
Well, maybe she should do just that; investigate. It could save her from her woes and in the worst case scenario… Okay, let's not think about that right now.
Amy Rose was no slouch when it came to these things. She is going to run into her mission head on. She will run for as long and as fast as her legs will allow.
Even if she can't catch up, she will endure.
First things first, she needs the opinion of the one who'd be the perfect partner in crime; Tails. Being the closest to Sonic, and one she put her own undying faith in; he was the best to throw around theories with.
If she could get him to talk about it, that is.
While Tails was more direct and open with his thoughts than others, he was also the type of person to keep out of other's business. Nothing Amy couldn't wrangle out of him though.
Amy walked into Tails' workshop with a confident air, ready to convert him to her mission. "Hey Tails, whatcha working on today?" She put her elbow on the table, resting her head in her hand. Looking down at what he was working at, with a familiar smile on her face. Boom her friendly opener. She definitely has him feeling like nothing is out of the ordinary.
Not looking up from his work, he greeted her with a similar smile. "Just some improvements to the X Tornado," he grabbed something under the table. Amy did not know what it was, but it reminded her of a layer cake. "Sonic helped me with testing it's last update and we found the responsiveness of the lasers were faltering over time. I thought it probably had something to do with the main power supply but I found—." He glanced up, "this is a power cell, Amy. You're kinda looking at it weird."
She laughed awkwardly, "am I?" She darted her eyes away and then back to Tails, "I don't always understand the words you say when you get into your projects, you know that!" She stood up straighter, and laughed more genuinely. "Not that I don't like listening, of course! I always enjoy our talks, even if it's just me listening to you ramble."
"Yeah," he grinned, "I know." Tails finally fully looked up at her, "oh! Wait," he put the power cell and screwdriver down. "What are you here for anyway?" He rubbed his chin, "you know it's just me here today. Sonic is out for a while, he's—."
"Well, that's totally fine!" She put her hands up, "it's actually you I wanted to see today." She cupped her hands together and tilted her head, "I wanted to talk to you about Sonic actually."
Sounding disgruntled, he sighed, "really?" Tails raised his brow, giving her a suspicious look. "What is it this time?"
She leaned down to put both elbows on the table, her head resting in her hands. She hummed, "well… Have you noticed anything different between Sonic and Shadow?" She darted her eyes away and then back, "has he said anything recently that stood out to you?"
Tails gave her a shocked yet somehow deadpan stare. After a pause, he answered, "ya know Amy, that's not something I really care to remember."
She jumped up, slamming her hands on the desk. Resulting in a loud thud and everything on the table to leap with the motion. "Aha! So you have noticed something!" She leaned forward, bringing her face closer to Tails, "spill."
He narrowed his eyes, "Sonic and… Shadow?" He spoke carefully, like he was testing the words on his tongue. He paused again, Amy could practically see the gears turning in his head. "Really?" He crossed his arms, his face scrunching up more in concentration. "Why are you bringing him up?"
Amy felt exasperated, she sighed heavily. "Look, Tails, I'm gonna spell it out for you. So we are on the same page, alright?" She breathed in and out before quickly spilling out, "I think Sonic and Shadow might have mutual romantic feelings for each other." There. It's out of her, and she felt the weight drop off her heart. And then back on it immediately with new fighting spirit. She hoped Tails didn't notice her composure waver for a moment.
This is for Sonic, she repeated in her head until the pain ceased.
Tails blinked. Once, twice, and then a third time. "Wait, that's what you came to see me for?" He sat back further in his chair, "that's all you noticed? Nothing else you want to point out?"
"Yeah?" She stood up straight again, her fist on her hip. "Not like it isn't glaringly obvious once you know what to pick up."
"Uh-huh…" Tails studied her face for a moment before continuing, "if that's all you noticed then. Is that it? Did you just want me to confirm it?" He pinched his nose bridge, "well, yes I noticed it too. Among other things…" He looked at her again, his eyes looking more sympathetic yet they still held his previous judgmental tint. "Is that really it?"
"Gaia, Tails, yes!" She threw her hands up and turned away, "if I noticed anything else I'd say it. Anyway…" She turned to face him, "I want your help to set them up."
"You…" He pointed at her, his brow raised, "want to set Sonic up with someone else?"
"Yeah?" She put a hand on her hip, trying to look casual, "why not? He's one of my dearest friends, I want the best for him. Even if… It's not with me." She paused, looking down at her hands, "what friend am I if i take happiness from him?" Not to mention he isn't exactly secretive about his feelings about me. We're friends and that's it. Just friends. Her hands fell to her side, tumbling before she forced them into tight fists, "it's because I love him that I want to do this for him. I want to support him no matter what." She paused, longer this time, "isn't that what love is?"
Tails stood up, walking around to stand next to her. "If you're sure about this… Then I'll help." He put his hand on her shoulder, "but…" He paused, and looked away. Amy saw that same quizzical look he always had when he got stuck in his own head. "Yeah, I'll help with whatever you need. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for… Any developments too."
Amy smiled genuinely for the first time since she got here. Well, maybe even longer than that, but she wasn't going to ruminate on that sad thought. She grabbed Tails' hands and bounced as she rambled, "I am so pleased you are willing to help me Tails! I thought you'd be more against it, but I suppose I wasn't as crazy as I thought about noticing the signs. Like, wow! I mean, it's kinda unbelievable, right? Sonic and Shadow, can you believe that? I know I didn't at first, it's honestly something that takes a while to think about and— Oh! I'm rambling, aren't I?"
She didn't notice her grip on Tails tightened. His ears were folded back and his pupils were small, focused on her face, she felt pinned to the floor. She quickly let go, ashamed. "Sorry, Tails, didn't mean to do that…" She hid her hands behind her back and leaned back on her heels. "So… Anyway."
Tails held his hands close to his chest, looking down at them. "Yeah… Anyway," he sighed, "what are your plans here exactly?" He stood up straighter, but still held the same hesitance in his eyes. "I really don't know how to want me to help you here. I can try to talk to Sonic…" He laughed meekly, "but you know how that would go. Plus, I wouldn't know how to approach him on something like that."
"Oh, don't worry about that!" She held her shoulders back and puffed out her chest, "I'll handle any emotional conversations. I'm sure I can get it out of them after some convincing." She turned on her heel to face the window, "but~! First, we will need to devise a plan to get them to make them spend more time together."
Tails' tails swayed more frantically as he stared at her silently.
She turned again to point at Tails, "basically we are setting them on a date!"
He put his hands up with his eyes closed, being completely and utterly done with the topic. Then, he heaved a heavy sigh, pinching the space between his eyes, "look Amy, I think that's going a bit too overboard with things. Should we do that much?" He shrugged, "honestly even just bringing up the topic to them seems too far already…" He quickly mumbled, "but you seem pretty adamant on this so I'm not gonna tell you to stop." Tails harshly coughed into his elbow, "why do you think the best idea here is to trick them into having a date?"
Donning a serious, detective like persona, Amy explained, "spending quality time together will make them have precious, unforgettable moments, my dear, Tails. Being put into situations where you are stuck together add to this." She stood straight and held her finger up, "you see, Tails, if we put them in a tense situation they will grow even closer at a faster rate. It's science!"
"Uh-huh…" He held his cheek in his hand and tilted his head, "I think I get what you're saying here… But isn't that a normal thing that happens to us a lot? I mean, we are always in tense and life threatening situations."
Amy sighed heavily, letting her arms drop to her sides. "You don't get it!" She crossed her arms and smirked, "this is all part of the matchmaking process. Trust me Tails, I know a lot about love." She opened her eyes, "people bond through shared experiences! When put through a situation where you need to protect another, as an example… You think on your feet! It's just the pure instinct and emotions at play." She extended her arm out and pointed at him in emphasis, "we need to set up new ones for feelings to melt out of them!"
"Amy…" Tails' ears flattened. "We are not putting them in danger for your "matchmaking process," he bent his fingers to add to his mocking tone. "Can't we just, oh I don't know, suggest the idea to them at least? Start off small?" He held his hands close together, leaving a small gap that closed more and more until he clasped his hands together with a swift clap. "Isn't building up the tension better?" Feeling worn out and irritated, he spun his hand around, looking away, "or something like that…"
"Hmm…." She turned away from him, hand on her cheek. He has a point there, it would be more natural and not scare either of them away. Gaia knows how easy that is when it comes to topics like this… She snapped her fingers, "you're right, Tails! I knew you were just the right guy for the job!"
His head slowly turned back to face her, "job…?" He lowered his head, then one of his ears flinched.
"Yep, I'm assigning you work for my little "matchmaking process."" She chuckled mischievously, hand covering her mouth. The glint in her eyes shone as she declared, "you'll help by getting info from the both of them. I'm gonna need even more than I already know to get things started. I'm sure you can get anything out of Sonic easily enough, but you probably have enough on him already." She quickly laughed but it ended up sounding like a scoff, "so then you should focus more on Shadow."
"Amy," Tails scratched his chin, "you do realize I don't know much about Shadow, right?" He laughed awkwardly, "I don't know what you expect me to say here. He's not exactly a fan of mine. I don't think he even considers me an acquaintance."
"Huh, well, I suppose that is true…" She crossed her arms, "it's so weird because he's always so nice to me."
"You don't say."
She hummed, ignoring him, "maybe it's just a you thing…" She snapped her fingers, "we can work on that later! I'll work on Shadow then, you focus on Sonic."
"If you're sure," he put his hands up in defeat, "then fine." Then, put his hands behind his back, "so, um, what did you want me to do exactly? You know how bad Sonic is with talking about his feelings. Even with me he can barely get a word out…"
Giggling, Amy spit out her words, "yeah, that's the only way you can get him to stop talking, huh?" She smiled fondly, her gaze falling to the floor. "Either that or he talks too quickly for you to get a single word out of it." Not to mention it's cute when he stumbles on his words… GAH! Get yourself together Amy Rose! She slapped herself, making Tails flinch. "Alright! You'll be watching Sonic so you can catch anything out of the ordinary. And I~ will be monitoring Shadow." She pumped her fists in the air, "Operation: Get Sonic and Shadow Together is a go!"
Tails gave her an unimpressed look, "that's the best title you have? Isn't it a bit long?"
She put her hands on her hips, her brow raised, "well, what do you suggest, smart guy?
"Don't put me on the spot like that!" He put his hands up in defense, his eyes wide. Then curtly pointed at her, his brows furrowed, "it's your idea, can't you think of anything else?"
"Well…" She looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed, "sometimes on Tailsblr I see people call pairings they like by "ship names"… Could that work? Or is it weird with real people?" She rubbed her chin, "who's name would even go first? Does the order even matter? I've heard it determin-"
"Forget I asked."
Amy stifled her embarrassment with a mild giggle, "yeah, let's just go with the original name." Rubbing the back of her head and slowly stepping away, she waved, "I'll be going now then. I'm gonna plan my attack on Shadow." She stopped in her tracks, "wait, no, that sounded weird." Putting her hands to her hips, she tried again, "I'm going to plan a date with Shadow." Once her words caught up with her, she felt her quills stand on end and heat rise to her face. She wheezed, "you know I mean." Then her wheezing turned into faint, pathetic giggling.
Tails raised a brow, his mouth in a thin line of annoyance. Yet, his eyes held some hint of understanding. He dubiously waved back, "don't worry about it, I understand pretty well." With a knowing look in his eyes, his wave turned more friendly, "I'll see ya later, Amy."
"Ri— right." Pushing aside all of the tension in her shoulders, she stuttered, "an— anyway, thanks for helping me, Tails! B— bye-bye!" Then she ran as fast as she could out of there, leaving a pink trail in her wake.