Work Text:
There was only one thing on Sonic’s mind as he soared across the sky like a shooting star. The last dregs of Chaos power were seeping from his body, so he pushed himself to fly faster toward his destination. He’d heard Tails murmur that it had been a week and seen the tears of relief on his little buddy’s face.
Guilt tugged at his heartstrings. He hadn’t known time moved differently on Mobius. His friends had probably thought he had gotten stuck on Earth with no way home. Even Egghead seemed relieved to see him. Part of him thought that he should have stopped to reassure Tails, but his heart pulled him in the opposite direction.
He knew she would be worrying herself sick over him.
The stars winked out, one by one, as he zoomed through the night. The first rays of light kissed the Earth with a warm good morning as his feet touched down on the ground. The Chaos Energy left with a single exhale, his starlit fur darkening to cobalt.
Sonic peered through the windows, looking for any sign of movement. She could possibly still be asleep, but he also knew Amy liked to rise with the sun. The house lacked the warmth of her presence, dust sparkling in the early sun’s rays. He rapped a knuckle on her door, knowing she would be ecstatic at being awoken by him.
Silence greeted him. Disappointment pulled his lips downward as he turned from the door, looking out toward the dirt road. Amy would have to come home eventually. He would wait for her, because as soon as word came that he was back, she would come looking.
She didn’t keep him waiting long.
Her pink form grew larger on the horizon, sprinting toward him. Realization struck him. She must have seen him arc across the sky and raced after his fading form. Was she awake, searching for him amongst the twinkling stars, wishing for his return? Did she know he was coming here, or did she merely follow blindly?
She was close enough now that he could hear her desperate breaths, see her jade eyes blazing like a wildfire. Amy stopped short in front of him, hands on her knees as she gulped down air. Her eyes never left his, her chest heaving. The sun shone behind her, a halo around her form. She must have been running for a while, never stopping to catch her breath.
He must have been the only thing on her mind.
A smile spread across his face as he waved in greeting. “Yo.”
Sonic expected her to tackle him. To bring him into a bone-crushing hug, relief pouring out in tears as she gushed about how happy she was to see him.
He did not expect her to berate him. “Idiot!”
The smile vanished as he took an involuntary step back. He opened his mouth, ready to explain, but she cut him off as words fell from her mouth in a rush of emotion.
“Don’t you know…,” she glared at him as she panted, “how I felt…during this past week?” Her voice wavered as tears began to swim in the pools of her eyes. “If you never came back….”
Sonic’s heart clenched at her words. He hated being the reason for her tears. It took his entire willpower to stop himself from reaching out and reassuring her. But he knew Amy, and he knew she needed to get the words out. She needed him to just listen. So, he gave her a small smile, silently assuring her that he was here for her.
“It felt like I would never stop crying when I thought about you. But I decided to think things over. But nothing I could do would solve the problem.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks, glistening in the sunlight. “All I could do was act foolish. What on earth should I have done? So I made up my mind last night…and I decided to wait for you. Even when I became an old woman, I would still have waited for you.”
He could barely hear her voice above the pounding of his heart. His cheeks warmed as he regarded her with fondness. She would have waited for him to return. Forever.
“But as soon as I decided that, you came back.” Her knees gave out as she fell to the ground, shutting her eyes as she cried harder. Like her body could no longer hold the emotion coursing through her. “It took a lot of effort to make that decision.” She rubbed at her eyes with both hands as if she could physically stop the tears.
Sonic knew at that moment what he wanted to do. What he had to do. In a heartbeat, Sonic dashed to one of her bushes and returned with a lavender rose, kneeling before her on one knee.
“Idiot!” His smile widened at her words. She could have called him anything, but he knew what she truly meant. “Say to me…just tell me that you love me!”
When her eyes opened, daring herself to look at him, shock clung to her features. She gaped at him, looking at the rose and then back to him. He could see the unspoken question hanging from her lips.
Sonic merely winked at her. “I love you, Amy Rose.”
Her eyes widened at his confession. For a moment that seemed to last forever, she simply stared at him. Then, his Amy came crashing into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest. All he could do was laugh as he held her, tears tickling his fur.
“Oh, Sonic,” she murmured as she finally pulled back to stare up at him, a final tear cascading down her cheek. “Do you really mean that?”
“Do I need to say it again?” A sly grin spread across his face. “Or do you want me to show it?”
A pretty blush blossomed on her cheeks as she averted her eyes for a few seconds only to lock onto him again. Like she couldn’t help but be pulled into his orbit. “Stop teasing me.”
“You must be sleep deprived if you think I’m teasing you. Did you seriously stay up all night and run here on fumes?”
“It’s been a very long week, Sonic,” she sighed, resting her forehead against his. Her warm breath mingled with his, and suddenly the closeness felt far more intimate than he expected. Up close, he could see the darkened patches under her eyes. “I tried to sleep, but I was so worried about you. Everyone was, but I think…they were also worried about me. Cream offered to have me move in. I told her I couldn’t. I didn’t want to burden anyone, and saying yes felt like I was giving up on you.”
Sonic told her gently, “You should rest.”
“I should say the same to you. Have you slept at all?”
He shook his head slightly. The movement caused his nose to bump against hers. “Not since we were all together. It was only about twelve hours for me. I’m pretty exhausted though. Losing all that Chaos Energy tends to drain me.”
Amy hummed and then squeaked as Sonic pulled her tightly against him and fell back onto the grass. “Sonic! What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? We’re going to rest.”
“I have a perfectly good house right behind us.”
“I’m too tired to move, and you’re a nice blanket.”
“I suppose,” she said, wrapping her arms around him as she snuggled in closer, “that you make a decent pillow.”
He snorted. “I’m a damn good pillow, thank you very much.” His thumb ran slow circles along her back.
For a long stretch of silence, they just lay there. The birds sang their morning songs, a sweet lullaby. Sonic thought Amy was asleep until she mumbled against his chest, her lips searing his skin, “Are you sure this isn’t a dream?”
He peered down at her, and jade stared back, unblinking, unbelieving. “It’s real.” His voice softened as he added, “I’m here.” Then he fell into her gravity as his lips brushed hers. Light, tentative, but sweet as honey. Her muscles tensed under the palm of his hand before she relaxed, pressing her lips back into his.
The sun climbed higher in the sky, warming them both as Amy settled against his chest. Sonic closed his eyes, holding her a little tighter.
He was finally home.