Work Text:
It was a bright summer afternoon in Station Square. Amy Rose was currently making the most of the day as she finished her grocery shopping before heading back to her apartment. While she wished she brought her car with her on account of buying four full bags of groceries, she soon learned it wasn’t needed, as she was met by a familiar black quilled hedgehog that grabbed two of the bags without prompting.
“Thanks for that Shadow!” Amy chirped as she leaned in to nuzzle his cheek. “It’s a nice surprise getting to see you this early!”
“Hmh. Training ended early today. Omega has had his weapon system repairs on the back burner for too long, and Rouge…well I couldn’t tell you. Probably found an excuse to bother that damn echidna again.” Shadow rolled his eyes at his own explanation. “Honestly, sometimes I don’t know what to do with them.”
“Well I’m glad they had other things to do. I’ll take any extra time I can get with you!” Amy said as she skipped towards her apartment building. While she was happy to be dating Shadow, his duties with GUN did mean he was often away for weeks at a time, so even a few extra hours with him was important to her.
“The feeling’s mutual, Amy.” Shadow responded as he followed the pink hedgehog up the stairs to her apartment. While he was annoyed by his friends’ antics, he did have to admit that getting to see Amy was always a highlight of his day, even if he wasn’t the best at showing it. For now he simply appreciated being close to her, following her through the front door of her apartment as a vanilla fragrance met his nose.
“Oh Shadow, wait!” Amy called out as she grabbed Shadow by the arm before he could take a step into the apartment.
“Hm? What is it?” Shadow asked as his foot hung over the first step out of the entrance.
“Sorry…I nearly forgot; I just had the floors waxed, can you please take your shoes off before you come in?” Amy shook her boots off before placing them neatly by the door.
Shadow rolled his eyes, but he acquiesced; slipping off his air shoes and sliding them towards Amy’s boots with his foot. “There.”
“Thank you!” Amy chirped as she trotted into the apartment with groceries in hand. Shadow simply followed her into the kitchen before they set the bags down on the countertop.
“You’ve got quite the spread, Rose. What’s it all for?” Shadow asked as he started grabbing canned goods from one bag and placing them into a cupboard by the stove. This wasn’t the first time he helped Amy with groceries, since they’d usually go shopping together when he planned on spending the night with her.
“Sonic’s birthday is coming up! A lot of this is for food I’m making for his surprise party, his cake too.” Amy explained while placing vanilla extract and bags of powdered sugar into her baking cabinet. “Vanilla and Cream are helping with a lot of it, but I won’t be slacking either!”
“Understandable.” Shadow closed his eyes. Parties weren’t really his thing, though Amy had a way of making him attend social functions he really wasn’t crazy about. He wasn’t a fan of big gatherings, but knowing his girlfriend, escape from this one would be unlikely. “You’ll have to let me know the date. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it.”
Amy continued to put groceries away as she flashed a knowing smile, though it was hidden from Shadow due to her back facing him. “Oh don’t worry, I already let Rouge know the details and she said you guys don’t have any missions lined up that week!”
A quiet groan escaped Shadow’s lips as he opened Amy’s fridge. “Rouge isn’t my keeper, you know.”
“Yeah, buuuuuuut she does have all your GUN info on file.” Amy said as she twirled around to face the ultimate lifeform. “Besides, if you need to get your brooding in, I’m sure you’ll still do that at the party.”
Amy then skipped over to the fridge as Shadow closed it up. “Come on grumpy, do it for me?”
Shadow sighed before looking Amy in the eye. “If Sonic tries to put a party hat on each of my quills, I’m drowning him in the punch bowl.”
No sooner did the words leave his lips when Amy pulled him in for a thank you kiss; quick, but sweet.
“Thanks Shadow! I promise it’s gonna be-...” the pink hedgehog’s voice trailed off as she noticed something; for once, it seemed she was looking slightly down at Shadow, though both of them were standing up straight.
“Something wrong, Amy?” Shadow asked with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s uuh…nothing, nothing. Just me being silly. Hey, could you do me a favor and water my plants over on the windowsill? I’ll put the last few things away!”
“Hmph, sure I guess.” Shadow replied before walking out of the kitchen straight to the living room. Amy watched him as he walked away, trying to see if she could recall a moment between the two of them when Shadow wasn’t wearing his air shoes. She kept her eyes on Shadow as she hastily finished putting the last of the groceries away.
Once that was done, Amy stood at the edge of the kitchen as she watched her boyfriend water her plants with a small green watering can. With her curiosity piqued, Amy waited until Shadow watered the last of them before she jogged over, using the momentum to slide on the freshly waxed hardwood floor towards him.
Without missing a beat, Shadow put the watering can down and spun around in time to catch Amy, wrapping his arms around her waist as the two were now muzzle to muzzle. He noticed a spark of excitement in the girl’s green eyes as she stared intently at him. Amy’s spontaneous hugs weren’t new to him, but the look she was giving made Shadow smile inquisitively.
“Alright, what is it Rose?”
“Hmmm…” Amy studied her boyfriend as she was close enough to feel his breath. Getting a closer look now, she confirmed that she had a good few inches in height over Shadow, whose nose just managed to be on level with her mouth.
Perfect nibbling range
Amy shook the intrusive thought from her mind as she let out a giggle. “I’m sorry, it’s just…have you always been shorter than me? I can’t believe I’ve never noticed!”
“My air shoes give me a few inches, though I’ve always been the same height.” Shadow replied dryly. “What, is me being short amusing?”
“Heh…I don’t know if amusing is the right word.” Amy said before swooning. “But cute definitely fits the bill!”
“I’ll take your word for it then.” Shadow rolled his eyes as he moved to let go of Amy, though she chose to lean further into him, trapping the ultimate life form against the window.
“Heh. In fact, you’re the perfect height for me to…” Amy deviously flashed her fangs before lunging forward and beginning to nibble on Shadow’s ears. “Numnumnumnumnum!”
A slight blush spread across Shadow’s face as Amy continued her assault on his ears, only being capable of holding onto the pink hedgehog while trying to keep the both of them from falling onto the floor.
“Amy, hey, Amy! Heh…” Shadow couldn’t help but chuckle at how ridiculous his girlfriend was being; hitting him with a barrage of playful nibbles and kisses. “Come on. I’m not that short.”
“Mwah! Enough to be a short king, Shadow.” she responded in between kisses. With how much she was showering Shadow in affection, it looked like she hadn’t seen him in months, though maybe that was due to how much love Amy had to share.
Shadow allowed Amy to continue the barrage for a few more seconds until he moved his hands. “Alright, alright, that’s enough Amy.”
The black quilled hedgehog quickly grabbed Amy by the legs before hoisting her up into his arms with ease. For her part, Amy let out a cute little yelp as her cheeks went red.
“Oh! Sorry Shadow, guess I got a little carried away again, huh?” Amy admitted as she glanced away sheepishly. She had a habit of losing herself in her displays of affection, despite knowing it could be too much for some people. She shifted around in Shadow’s arms before looking him in the eye, thankfully he looked unperturbed.
“You’re fine, Rose.” he answered with a soft smile. “Though I suppose if I’m a king, that makes you a queen, right?”
Now it was Amy’s turn on the backfoot. While she loved dishing out affection, she still wasn’t used to getting it in return, so it meant something when it came from Shadow of all people. She blushed a little redder as she twirled one of her quills with her finger.
“I-I umm…I suppose so, yeah.” she admitted sheepishly. As the words left Amy’s lips, Shadow turned so that he could press her against the wall before leaning up and pressing his lips to hers. If Amy wasn’t as red as a rose before, she certainly was now as Shadow held the kiss for several seconds. Being so close to Shadow, being so loved by him made the butterflies in her belly take flight, and all she could do in response was kiss him back while her tail swished and thumped against the wall.
They held the kiss for who knows how long, at least long enough so that Amy eventually needed to come up for air. She gave Shadow a tap on the shoulder before he leaned his head back, the bitter taste of his favorite coffee blend still dancing across her tongue.
“Now then, anything else I can do for you, Amy?”
“Hmm…maybe stay for dinner?” Amy suggested as she rested her head against Shadow’s. “I can’t just let you walk out after all that.”
“Hmph, sounds good.”