Prompt Challenge from cutegirlmayra1: "Amy gets kidnapped by Eggman and suffers from a concussion. Tails says her 'fainting spells' will probably disappear when her brain brusing heals, so the best option is to keep her from racking her brain around and causing more trauma, which means rest and taking it easy for a couple of weeks. With Amy as she is... Tails asks Sonic to watch out for her for a little while.

Your move :D "

Challenge accepted.

Faint of Heart

I scowled at my little brother, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. I always thought he was smart, but this was a new level of lunacy.

"You gotta be kidding me Tails. Have you met me? I'm definitely the worst person in the world for this job."

"No, you're the best person Sonic. I know you can do it!" He smiled at me, but my scowl remained. For once, his enthusiasm was sickening me. In fact, I was sure I was about to lose my lunch.

"Why me? You know I can't stand to sit still for too long, let alone in one room."

Tails crossed his arms. A habit he'd definitely picked up from me. "You know why it should be you."

Yeah, I did. But that didn't make it any easier! I glanced at the hospital door, peeking through the window. Amy lay on the bed, so still, and it broke my heart. She shouldn't have even gotten captured in the first place. She'd been chasing after me, again, and Egghead decided she'd make perfect bait, again. It was really getting tiring. If Amy didn't always insist on being in the same place as me this wouldn't keep happening over and over.

Ah, but I couldn't blame her - it wasn't her fault Egghead was evil. I should have been there to catch her when she fell out of the cage, so if anything it was my fault. I shook my head violently, trying to clear it of the painful mental image of her body plunging to the ground, her arms stretched out to me, calling my name before she landed with a thud. The sound, so deafening yet so silent, still haunted me.

No, certainly not her fault, no one deserved to have random fainting spells. The girl had a huge crush on me after all - and it wasn't as if I didn't know what that felt like. I gulped as my heart skipped several beats. This couldn't be healthy.

"Why don't you stay with her, Tails? I don't think I can do this."

"Oh c'mon Sonic," he used that tone that said he was disappointed in me. I hated it. "Do you really think when Amy wakes up she's gonna prefer seeing me over you?"

I drooped. He was right. There was no way I was getting out of this. It was time to be super bored and super uncomfortable for possibly hours. Great.

"Cheer up. I'll bring you a board game to play while you wait. Then you two can play together."

That would help, but still… "Will you at least stay and play with me?"

Tails shook his head. "I can't. I have to look into the tech that Eggman used in that last fight."

"Gee, some friend you are."

"Says the one who doesn't want to stay with his friend in the hospital."

"Hey, she's not a f - " I stopped myself from saying anything else.

Tails squinted at me, with a hint of a knowing smile. Darn him for being able to read me so well. "Not a what, Sonic? Not a friend? Maybe more than a friend?"

"Shut up Tails. You know how I feel about her."

"Yeah, so I don't understand why you can't tell her."

I rolled my eyes. I'm so not having this conversation with him now. Especially not when Amy could wake up at any moment and overhear us. That'd be a disaster.

With a deep breath, I opened the door to her room, letting it swing shut behind me. I immediately noticed the colorful decorations sent by friends to cheer her up: flowers, balloons, teddy bears. But soon after, my eyes drifted to the pink hedgehog herself. For just a moment I stood at the entrance, just staring at Amy. Thankfully she wasn't hooked up to an IV or a breathing tube, she was just resting on her own. The doctors said they wanted to keep monitoring her for a few days, so she was to stick to pure bed rest for the time being.

Her head rest against a pillow, her bang quills poking into the soft sheets. I rushed to her side, and brought my hand to her forehead to gently brush them away. As I did, I studied her eyelids, wishing I could see those pretty green eyes, sparkling with so much life. Amy was still asleep after her last faint, which was about an hour ago. I'd rushed her to the hospital with Tails in tow, and now here I was: at her bed side, my hand on her forehead.

I moved my hand from her face to her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She was bound to wake up at any moment now, as her faints did not last very long. I let go of her hand and took a seat on the chair next to her bed, trying to calm my restless legs. My mind was quick to declare boredom, but I tried to fight it. Yeah, the hospital room was small, I was sitting down, and there wasn't much going on at the moment. The only sounds I could hear was my rapid heartbeat and Amy's breathing.

She looked so calm and peaceful now. I hardly ever got the chance to just look at Amy - whenever she caught my eyes on her, I immediately looked away, thanking Chaos for my quick reflexes. But now, she was still, and I could enjoy her pretty face. I wish I could do this more often, but, nope. That wasn't gonna happen.

I sighed heavily and stood up, stretching my legs and arms. For a millisecond I contemplated creating a boom just to wake her up, but that wasn't a great idea. When was Tails getting back with the board game? I could have gone there and back with how long he was taking. Oh, I'd been pacing for the past few seconds. I forced my feet to stand still, and my eyes went back to Amy's face.

This was gonna be a long day.

Just then, I heard Amy gasp and begin shuffling on the bed. She wearily blinked her eyes, squinting and reaching up her hands to rub them. Amy started to sit up, and then clutched her forehead in pain and squeezed her eyes shut.

"It's alright, Ames," I said as gently as I could.

Her eyes opened again in shock and then looked at me. "Sonic?"

I grinned at her. "Yeah, the one and only. How ya feelin'?"

She sunk back down against her pillow and moaned, rubbing her forehead. "Ow, my head hurts… where am I, anyway? What happened? Did I faint again?"

"Yeah. Me and Tails took you to the hospital. Doc says you're gonna be fine, just to rest for a while."

"Oh…" she looked around the room, her eyes briefly lingering on the flowers and balloons by her bedside. "Where's Tails?"

"He left for a moment, should be back soon."

Amy smiled just a bit. "Aw, and you stayed here with me. You really care about me..."

Her sweet words weren't spoken with her normal exuberance, but they still made me smile. And my heart was beating faster than I wanted. Damn it.

Don't run away. Don't run away. Don't run away, Sonic. I forced my feet to stay still, but they were aching to leave this scene immediately. Just by looking at Amy I could tell she wanted to leap out of the bed and tackle me into a hug. The only thing stopping her was her current state.

I wasn't just uncomfortable - I could feel sweat forming on every pore of my body, and an emotion that could only be described as terror ran through my heart. And she'd only just woken up and said a few words.

Why had I agreed to this again? Was I really going to spend the day with Amy and have to face my feelings for her? I didn't want to do this. I never wanted to do this. This mushy stuff was overwhelming me, and always had. I already knew what would be the death of me. Not Eggman, not Shadow, not old age. It would be Amy Rose, and my feelings for her. One pink hedgehog had already slayed me, and each smile, each word, each giggle, each time she said my name were just more daggers through my heart, reminding me of what we could never have together.

I'd been over this in my head already. I wanted too much - and so did she. I wanted to take care of her too much, protect her too much - and she wanted to be with me nonstop. I couldn't do this. It would have to be a never-ending game of me running from her - it was the best of both of us.

But now, with her in such a vulnerable state, I had to be here for her. I had to finally face my fears.

It was then I realized I was dumbly staring at Amy without moving, and several seconds had passed. She was staring back, sitting up despite her obvious pain, and smiling at me.

"What is it, Sonic? You haven't said anything."

"Uh." This was awful. I hated this. Everything about it. She was the only one who could make me feel like this. I was going to have to run, and let Tails take care of her. I couldn't -

The door swung open, and Tails entered, cutting off my escape. Thank Chaos. I couldn't forgive myself if I ran just then.

"Hi Amy - I'm glad you're awake."

"Hi Tails."

"Sonic, sorry it took me so long, but I had to stop by Amy's house to get something."

"What did you get?" she asked in a soft voice, her hands gripping the covers of the blanket.

Tails set his bag on the ground. "Well, since you and Sonic are gonna be in here for a while…" he paused to shoot me a grin so fast only I could catch it - I scowled back. "I brought a few things for you to do together."

Amy gasped, her eyes wide. "Really? You're going to stay with me, Sonic?"

I suppressed a sigh and forced a grin. "Yep, just me an' you - "

"Awww, it's gonna be so much fun!" she yelled, and then winced at the sound of her own voice and snuck back under her blankets. Her hands gripped at her ears.

"Let's just take it easy, yeah?" I soothed. "We're not gonna do anything too exciting."

"You should take that back," Tails corrected me as he pulled out the board games from his bag. "Look what I brought, Amy. Your favorite, right?"

She risked a glance while peeking above the covers. She looked so adorable I almost let out an audible 'aww' but stopped myself. It's a good thing I did, because her eyes suddenly got huge as she recognized whatever was in Tails' hands. I glanced over and had to smile - Tails really was kind hearted for his friends. Why hadn't I thought to bring her this - it was perfect.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Your Fuzzy Puppies stuff, yeah," Tails said. "That's what took me so long, but I figured you'd want to play your favorite game while stuck in this room."

That's my little bro.

"Thanks Tails... " her eyes turned to me. "Don't worry Sonic, I'll teach you about the game. I've always wanted to play it with you."

Oh. Right. I was going to have to play it with her. I eyed the small, cute dog figures. The only thing I knew about the game is that Amy was obsessed with it. Almost as obsessed as she was about me. No, I wasn't jealous. And no, it hadn't occurred to me until just now to play it with Amy.

"Okay, you two have fun!" Tails began spinning his tails and floated above the ground. "I hope you feel better, Amy."

"Thanks Tails."

I watched him fly off, and kept staring at the door for a solid ten seconds. I could feel Amy's eyes on my quills, and probably the rest of me. Here we go. Ugh, why was this so difficult? Why was one girl enough to completely outdo me?

"Sonic, can you bring the game over here?"

I gulped and turned around, scolding myself. I was here for Amy, not for me. I grabbed the stuff and set it all down on a table in between her bed and my chair. I was careful to avoid eye contact with her, as my stomach was turning in knots of anxiety. The four walls around us was making me claustrophobic, too - certainly not helping my mental state.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah Ames, I'm fine," I lied, making myself look up at her. I couldn't show her any weakness, any signs of discomfort. I'd already failed her earlier today, and I wasn't going to fail her now. Time to be strong.

"Are you worried about me?"

"Nah, you're a tough girl. You'll get through this, I know it." I gave her a thumbs up, and she giggled softly. "So, uh, tell me how this game works."

We spent the next hour or so having fun with cute puppy figures. And I have to admit, I never thought I'd get into it as much as I did. But Amy explained everything so well, and the passion in her eyes was unmistakable. I could honestly listen to her talk all day about this - if only to see her forget about her troubles at the moment and just enjoy life. I'd come to accept that not everyone lived as I did - I preferred the freedom of the open world and sky, and others chose to spend their time in more stationary things. When I was younger I looked down on them, but being friends with Tails, Knux, and now Amy was making me see that lifestyle differently. What I could appreciate was their passion for whatever it is they liked - especially Amy. We all knew her true passion was me - after all I am a stud - but seeing her like something else was kinda refreshing.

"Wow, that was definitely more fun than I expected, Ames. Thanks for teaching me."

"You're welcome, Sonic!" She laid back down, her head obviously bothering her.

"And I haven't thought about running in about an hour. That's gotta be a new record. So thanks for helping me beat that, too," I joked.

Amy didn't say anything at first, and just kept gripping her head. Damn - I'd almost forgotten that she was in so much pain, as the board game had really perked her up. I felt another pang of guilt as I realized how selfish I'd been. Amy was the one who was in pain, who was trying to heal, and who really needed me now. But all I'd been able to think about was myself, and what I wanted. I'd only barely agreed to stay with her after Tails convinced me. Not to mention she was only in here because of me. Man, I was certainly losing hero points over here.

"Ames, I gotta apologize to ya."

She didn't move other than opening her eyes. "Why Sonic?"

I looked away from her, my eyes coming to rest on a cabinet of medical supplies. "I shoulda caught ya…" I muttered, shameful. I don't often feel so defeated, but the sudden rush of negative vibes was overwhelming. Especially after all the fun we just had playing her game.

"...I called your name."

Her words cut deep. She blamed me. I let her down. I clenched my fists, my eyes on the tiled ground. "I know. I know. I watched the whole thing. I shoulda caught you, but I just froze. I don't have an excuse, I just didn't. My bad."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Is that why you're here? Because you felt bad about it?"

I stood up and slowly walked towards the window, looking outside. Guilt weighed down my steps, making it hard to lift my feet. I could feel my face contorting from the emotional pain. Outside I could see the world, everything so free and exciting, but I was stuck in this room with my heart crushed from my own failure. I couldn't do anything right when it came to Amy. I couldn't even have a normal friendship with her. As long as I kept my feelings for her under wraps, I was going to do nothing but fail. I knew that. But… no. No. I couldn't. I couldn't date her.

I was an unrivaled success when it came to everything - other than Amy.

"Guess I'm not much of a hero for ya, huh?"

"Sonic…" was all she said, her voice full of pity. Even though I was a failure, she felt bad for me. She was so selfless. I didn't want her pity right then. I wanted to run away, like I always did.

When I could finally find the courage to look back at her, I gasped. Her head had fallen backwards against her pillow. Her eyes were shut, her mouth slightly open. She'd fainted again.

I was at her side in an instant, my guilt now overwhelming. I didn't want that to be her last thought of me being all pathetic and emotional. For some stupid reason I grasped her wrist, trying to feel for a pulse, and was relieved when I felt one. Of course she wasn't dead, but this faint had scared me. My eyes flew to the "call nurse" button, but I knew I'd get there faster.

I zipped out into the hallway, locating a uniform-wearing individual.

"Amy fainted again. Just thought I'd let you know," I said, my voice full of urgency.

"Ah, I'll check on her." The nurse walked down the hall, super slowly. Jeez, I'd hate to think she really helped dying people all day with this speed. I had to resist the urge to just carry her myself to Amy's room. I could have been here and back 5 times by now…

The nurse finally made it in, and checked Amy's pulse just as I did.

"There's not much we can do now, Sonic. We've already completed a brain scan on her." The nurse turned to look at the board game stuff set up on the table next to her bed. "I think she needs some rest, on her own. It might be a good idea for you to stop exciting her so much. It's probably what brought on this faint."

I was livid. "What? Exciting her? I"m just giving her some company so she's not alone and bored in there!"

"Either way, Mr. Hedgehog, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

No way. She was kidding! I crossed my arms, staring her down. Did she not know who I was? Or more importantly, did she not know how Amy felt about me? How much she wanted me with her right now? How much she needed me?

"I can assure you, if you begin to act belligerent, I will call security."

Psh. All of her big words didn't scare me.

"Fine. Let Amy be in there alone. That'll really help her," I spat with sarcasm, running out of the room.

I turned left down the hallway and jumped out of the nearest open window. Heh, did they think they could keep me away from my girl? Not likely. I'd have to give it a little while before Ms. Slowpants finally got out of the room though. It was kinda funny to think that earlier I was dreading the thought of spending time with her, and now, I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of me seeing her. Especially not slow, rude, unsympathetic nurses.

In the meantime I'd pickup something for Amy. Something to cheer her up. What though? Ice cream? It'd probably melt before she woke up. What would she want? I realized that as long as I'd known the girl, I really didn't know what types of things she'd liked. Other than me. What kind of food did she like? Flowers? Chocolates? Games? I honestly had no idea. The only thing that I could give her was myself.

Ah. Duh. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was an idiot. Of course - the best thing I could give Amy was myself. My presence. Just me being there for her when she needed me. Maybe I'd screwed up today, but I was gonna make it up to her. By just being there.

I turned around and headed back for the hospital. Forget going through the front door and checking in, or trying to sneak in. Stealth was never my strong suit. I was going to go in Sonic style.

Making sure I had enough speed, I aimed myself at the wall of the hospital and quickly ran up the vertical surface. Where was Amy's room again? Based on the layout of the building - I made a map in my head and then made it up to the roof. I paused for just a moment to turn directions and head for what I hoped was her room. I ran down the side of the building, and aimed myself at the window. It wasn't open - darn. Should I break it open? No, that would cause a scene. I'd have to open it from the outside…

As I rushed past, I caught a glance at Amy's sleeping form, and the otherwise empty room. Perfect. I quickly slid my gloved hands in position to jockey the window open, all the while running in circles on the vertical surface. Once the path was clear, I jumped inside and landed on my feet right next to Amy. The door to her room was shut, and we were alone. I sat down beside her.

She was still motionless, asleep, but her face didn't look peaceful. I wish we could have ended our conversation on better terms. Was she dreaming about me, now? And not just about engagement rings and wedding dresses, as I imagined she always did. But was she thinking about our conversation, about how much I'd disappointed her? Was she reconsidering her feelings for me?

Of course not - Amy was dedicated to me. But still. I didn't want to make her stop liking me. I had to stop messing up.

Looking around the room, I realized I was still stuck here, and couldn't even play the game. I'd just have to wait for Amy to wake up again. And keep her company while she slept. After a few minutes of kicking my feet against the ground, I realized I could talk to her at least. She couldn't hear me anyway. Actually, that was a great idea. I could even practice telling her stuff I wanted her to know, and yet didn't want to tell her. Such as…

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, so. Amy. You know, uh, the way you feel about me? Well I feel the same."

I immediately checked her reaction. Still asleep. So far so good.

"And I wish I could tell ya, I really do. But I can't. I have my reasons, alright? Maybe… maybe one day. We can be together then. I'd like that alot Ames, but now? I dunno. I can't, I'm not ready, not yet. And I'm sorry that it makes me come across like a jerk most of the time. But I really do care, Ames. I'm just bad at this stuff. One day I hope ya understand. I've been wanting to tell ya this for so long."

She was still dreaming.

"I care about ya, Ames. And everytime I leave you behind it hurts me more. But I'm staying strong. Cuz right now that's the best thing for both of us. But know that I'll always be here for ya. And I'm sorry for not catching you, but I promise, I promise, that next time I will. And the time after that, and time after that. I'll be the hero you dream about."

There. I'd said it. All the words in my head, out in the open. It'd been easier than I thought to say them, but then again, Amy couldn't hear me. Or could she? Maybe girls could hear things in their sleep. Oh well. I guess, I wouldn't mind so much if she did hear me. It'd make things easier for her. Maybe I should tell her for real soon…?

"Sonic?" Aw, she was awake. She stretched her arms out a bit and blinked at me.

"Hey Ames," I greeted her. "Welcome back to awake land."

"Did I faint again?"

"Yeah, but you're fine now. I stayed here with ya."

She smiled up at me, her eyes tired, he quills disheveled. I wanted to untangle them for her, hug her gently, repeat all I've said before, but I didn't. I was faint of heart when it came to love.

"I know you did… you really are my hero, Sonic. Don't ever think otherwise."

Her words warmed my heart, but I stayed silent. Maybe I could never tell Amy how I feel, but I hoped my actions would show her the truth. Maybe I wasn't perfect (as much as I hated to admit it), but I would still be her hero.

Just a few quick notes:

I should definitely write in first person more - it's a lot of fun to get into the character's heads! I feel in my element with it.

I did mention Fuzzy Puppies, but this isn't necessarily set in the Boom world. I think I made their characterizations in this a bit more "Modern Sonic"-esque.

Yes, "Flipside" will still be finished, I need a break from it because I'm having some issues with the plot. I'll figure it out.

Anyway, thanks for the prompt, Mayra! This was a pleasure to write, and not something I'd normally do. I'm open to taking other requests if I find them interesting enough, so feel free to hit me up, readers. I already have one other request pending, so keep that in mind. :)