Amy had come to terms with something that had been her only goal in life, and had understood what it now meant for her and upcoming days, weeks, years. She now accepted that Sonic was not into her. He loved her, sure, but as a friend only. She had known that from the beginning, but she always had that little glimmer of hope that if she held out for just a bit longer, if she pushed him onto more and more dates, that he would fall for her. The only thing she'd get in return would be the often smile and wave goodbye, the rare hugs, and the few walks home with her. She would even kiss him; on the cheek, mind you, but he always took it as a kind, loving gesture than one of actual love.
She had grown up now, matured, and stopped cutting her quills short, the way Sonic told her he liked. Amy made a plan.
She was going to stop that, all of that; The sudden hugs and tackles, the chases, the dates, everything. Once she woke up, looking at her clock and then calendar, she realized just how much time she now had on her hands. She got up and took a long shower.
As the water ran through her quills, she thought deeply. Amy never really got to learn much about anyone else from all that time fruitlessly chasing Sonic, and chaos knows she had enough useless and useful information on him to fill a library. If it only hosted one book, because man, he did not do a lot of things on his free time.
Amy turned off the water and palmed her quills dry, stepping out to grab two towels and put them on. Since Sonic was also around Tails a lot, she knew much about him, too. Not a ton, but enough that was comfortable. She made a mental plan to talk to him tomorrow, because there were three others before him. Knuckles, Rouge, and lastly, Shadow.
She and Knuckles got along well, but that was often when Sonic was separated from them and their main goal was to get him back. She hardly talked to Rouge, and didn't know anything about her other than she was a master thief that also worked for G.U.N, like Shadow. Shadow was an enigma of himself. She knew slightly more about Shadow, but all she did know only made her more confused the more she thought about it.
Shadow had a tragic past that makes him broody often and dwelling on the past. He also worked for GUN, but also Robotnik if the time came for it, mainly because he was somewhat related to him. Though, Shadow did say that he rather not associate himself with Eggman if he had the choice, he did happily agree to give him a nice beating when they needed. Shadow also hung out with Rouge on his spare time, but most of his time he spent alone when not working.
Amy sighed and opened her closet. She looked at the five sets of the same dress grabbed them all, walking over to her trash can. She needed to start anew. The pink hedgehog hovered their, arms outstretched with her dresses barely hanging in her grip over the can. Finally, she caved and pulled them back to her chest, plucking one of the garments from the pile and tossing the rest. She wasn't entirely ready to start fresh.
She went back over to her closet and hung the dress back up towards the back, grabbing a simple tank top and shorts to head out in. Amy needed to make a few phone calls.
Xx
Amy found herself talking to Rouge and Shadow over the phone for upwards of an hour. At first she only called to see if they had a free day, and they did, but Rouge was over at Shadow's house and he could hear them talking. So, randomly, he would add little quips as small jokes or comments until he was flat out involved in the conversation.
She smiled to herself as she hung up, knowing what she was going to do today.
Shadow told he would go to the mall with them, but there was a catch, and he didn't say what. Rouge invited her to Shadow's house afterwards for a movie, which he didn't actually agree on but Rouge didn't seem to care about his opinion.
She stood outside the mall in question, rocking back and forth. She mainly asked to go because she didn't have many other clothes, but just random pick-and-match clothes consisting of the same jeans or shorts and about ten shirts.
The mall was huge, consisting of mostly clothing shops, but there was a food court that looked awful, a jewelry store Amy knew Rouge would go into, and some random stores with assortments of everything. The floor was a glossy white tile and the walls a fake wood paneling, and the air smelled oddly sweet. Mobians and humans alike trotted around, laughing and giggling with friends or significant others. Many just alone. Some took the escalator, which they slowed to deter people from using them, but few seemed to want to leave the bottom floor.
Now that she had more time, she would probably turn into a mall zombie, wandering by herself, as the only person she ever went to the mall with was Sonic after she begged and dragged him through. It came to the point where she would dump her bags on him so he wouldn't run when she turned around, because he wasn't that rude.
"Daydreaming, Rose?" a tenor voice came, and she whirled around, hammer summoned and raised above her head.
When she realized it was only Shadow, looking somewhat tired or defeated, she pulled her hammer away and let it disappear in a puff of smoke. "I'm so sorry, Shadow. Force of habit..." She offered, and he shrugged.
"Rouge flew ahead while you were out of it. She's in there." He set a hand on her back and ushered her through the door, point up to the bat who dashed into a store right away.
The contact was new and strange but welcomed. Sonic rarely lead her anywhere, or even touched her other than a hug. Shadow's hand was different, too. He had a gentle touch, just enough for her to know he was there and telling her to move forward. His claws were sharper than she thought, just barely poking the space between her back quills.
"Are you okay?" Shadow looked at her and she briskly nodded.
"Y-yeah! I'm okay. I'm just a bit... out of it, you know? I don't know what to do or expect. I haven't hung out with you or Rouge in like, ever." Amy rubbed the back of her neck, and Shadow looked away.
He walked over and took the stairs, two at a time, until he got up to the store Rouge flew into. Amy was right behind him, but had to walk the stairs normally ashe her legs weren't as long as Shadow's. He tossed his head to the store, which was for dress-type clothing, and turned to leave.
A few things ran through her head there.
Should I tell him to stay?
Should I follow him?
Should I take him in with Rouge?
Amy shook her head and went in. The bell dinged slightly above her, and she looked up to look at it.
"Amy! You made it!" Rouge suddenly hugged her and she gasped, hugging the bat back.
"I was here already, but Shadow said you got too excited and flew in without noticing me." She chuckled, looking around to the many dresses and dress tops. They all looked so fancy.
"Sorry, honey. I'm not used to shopping with girls other than ones from work, and they mostly want to get in and get out." She ran to a rack and pulled Amy along, "And did Shadow send you up here? Such a gentleman!"
They shopped for at least two hours, pulling out dress after dress for Amy to try. Rouge grabbed one for herself, an open back with low cut V neck. It hugged her hips nicely and flowed along her legs, and was a pleasant dark purple shade. Rouge even did a small dance in it from excitement.
Amy found a dress that was a lime green and strapless, snug around her stomach and hips. It was elastic around the chest, and, to add a little touch, had red roses wrapping around the stomach. The lowest the garment stretched was down to her knees loosely, allowing her to move around freely, as she spun a bit before telling Rouge she loved it.
They took them off and nearly ran to the counter, where Shadow was standing, facing away from and scaring the clerk with how silent he had been. Rouge set their dresses on the counter, but before she could start, Shadow turned and paid immediately, terrifying the clerk further. Once that was done, he looked at them, then silently left.
"What was that?" Rouge mumbled, but Amy could only offer a shrug. She had next to no clue what Shadow was thinking no matter the time or day.
"Are you not going to buy shoes as well?" Shadow called over his shoulder, and at the mention of shoes, they grabbed their bags and rushed to the nearest shoe store.
Rouge found black wedges (after trying and failing to wear the stilettos she was determined she could walk in) that perfectly matched her dress and Amy picked out a nice pair of white sneakers with pink polka dots. They shopped for a bit longer, picking out and discussing which shoes just did not look like they would go with anything, before going to the counter with about three boxes each.
Shadow was there again, this time holding a bag with shoes over his wrist, facing the door and ignoring the clerk hovering their hand just above his shoulder, trying to get his attention without calling or touching him. Once Amy and Rouge got close, he spun and paid for them, nearly shoving Rouge out of the way to do so.
"What is this?" Amy huffed, not sure if she should be upset or not, but the transaction was completed before they could complain any further.
After about thirty more minutes in another shop for regular clothes, which Shadow paid for again, they followed him out and down the stairs. He ran outside with their bags and came back shortly after, making a beeline for the food court. Shadow looked over his shoulder at them and smirked.
"Since I paid for your clothes, make it up to me by buying me lunch?" he asked sweetly, and, oddly enough, the girls listed and sat down with him.
When someone came around to ask what they wanted, Shadow slammed the paper menu onto the cheap table, jabbing his clawed finger into the middle of the section labeled 'Desserts.' His face split into an eerie grin.
"All."
Xx
The trio left successfully broke, Shadow grinning devilishly to himself as he was stuffed to the bring with terribly unhealthy junk food that he reluctantly shared with the girls. Amy found herself smiling a bit as they walked to Shadow's car, thinking about the day they had, and also the fact that Shadow had a car and she had no clue.
"How long did you have a car, Shadow?" She asked, and his smug grin dropped a bit to an impassive look.
"Years. Have you not noticed?" He looked at her strangely as the piled in, then looked ahead as he began to pull out the parking space.
"Yeah, no, I haven't. Spent most of my time chasing a certain blue hedgehog that didn't like me in the first place, remember?" She said, and silenced stretched on until it was awkward.
"...Good off you. Did not see what you saw in him."
"Shadow! That's a bit rude, he's your friend, too!" Rouge slapped his shoulder, and Amy feared the car with swerve, but it stayed straight. She actually didn't know where they were driving.
"Hardly." Was all he said, then looked into the rear view mirror, right at Amy. "I forgot to ask if you were still interested in the movies."
The pink hedgehog flushed slightly and looked at her knees. She thought that part was a joke, but she did want to hang out with them more. So, she agreed.
Shadow's house was massive. Amy had no idea why she thought he lived in a cave or something, but just the thought that Shadow basically lived in a mansion was hard to fathom. It was fancy as well, with a large plush L couch and a fireplace, too, that wasn't lit. The floor was all hardwood with rugs under the furniture, including the coffee table. The walls were painted beige in the living room, but from her quick look in the hallway, the walls were blue. They, somehow, matched Shadow's personality.
It looked like a house a snooty rich family would live in, not Shadow. Shadow was...Shadow. He wasn't bad. He wasn't mean.
Speaking of, he excused himself and stepped a few feet away. Shadow answered his phone with not 'hello,' but with 'What do you want?'
"He's kinda blunt, isn't he?" She asked, and Rouge waved her hand at her.
"A bit, but that's just how Shadow is. He's used to people talking to him directly, not politely. Anyway, do you want a horror, mystery, or comedy?" She held up three boxes, and Amy decided on mystery. It had a red circle on the cover.
Shadow came back just as Rouge was putting up the other disks, sitting on the direct right of Amy. He leaned back and huffed.
"That was Sonic, by the way. He told me he had been calling around because he hadn't seen you all day, Rose, and was worried because you did not answer your phone."
At that, she checked it. Oddly enough she had gotten at least twenty calls and messages from Sonic alone. She hastily excused herself and stepped into the hallway, going halfway up the wooden stairs to sit down on them. Amy called Sonic, dreading when he answered.
Amy! I've been looking for you all day! When you didn't show up to breakfast with s like you always do, we got worried. Where were you?"
She swallowed. "Sorry. I skipped breakfast to hang out with Rouge and Shadow at the mall. Do you know Shad--?" He cut her off.
"Were you there to buy another dress for a date? I'm not gonna go. I'm too busy, you know that, Ames."
The pink hedgehog tilted her head back until she was flat out lying on the stairs. It was weirdly not uncomfortable, but by no means would she want to sleep on them. "No. I wasn't. I was just buying clothes and shoes with them, then ate a ton of junk food with Shad--" He cut her off again, but instead of listening, she ripped the phone away from her ear and hung up.
Amy sat there for a few seconds longer, turning her phone on silent. Just as she did so, Sonic called again. It was going to be hard to move on if he expected her to just be the same as she always had. The pink hedgie stood and meandered to the living room, where Shadow and Rouge were standing, looking like they were heading somewhere else.
"Shadz said the viewing room is better for mysteries, so let's go girly!" The bat grabbed her hand and rushed off while Shadow lagged behind.
She knew the place like the back of her hand from visiting and sleeping over so often, which wasn't saying much, because she wore gloves nearly 24/7 and only knew five rooms: Living, kitchen, bathroom, and one of the guest rooms. Rouge did find the viewing room easily enough and brought Amy in with her, looking around in awe.
It wasn't very large, but it was silent. Their footsteps, even on fluffy foam carpeting, echoed the walls. The seats had two levels as the room dipped down, long enough to be called couches. A giant screen sat in the middle of the far wall, taking up the height but not length of the wall. With speakers on either side, the length was taken care of, and there was a small laptop plugged up to the speakers.
Amy sat on the far left and Rouge the far right, both still looking around. "Wow." Amy breathed, and Rouge nodded.
"I don't use it often, so it may be cold." The door creaked open slightly before being pushed the rest of the way, Shadow coming in backwards while holding two bowls of popcorn. He walked to the front couch and stepped on a button on the floor, opening a panel so a simple black table lifted from the floor and set the snack on. he gave Rouge the disk they planned on watching, then turned to Amy.
"Do you want a separate bowl, or anything to drink?" he tilted his head and lowered his eyes. Amy swallowed. Did Shadow always look so alluring? Maybe it was just because he was a hedgehog, or that his eyes were red. Something like that, yeah.
"U-um, I c-can share the bowl with you, if that's okay? And if you don't mind, I would like a drink, thank you."
Shadow nodded and left.
"Ooh, were you blushing?" Rouge cooed over her wing, sitting up from putting in the movie. She wiggled to the side to get closer to the laptop and open it.
"N-No! Was not!" Amy retorted, but the door opened again and she shut her mouth right away. Shadow came in with a large glass of clear soda and ice and set it on the table, on top of a coaster, mind you. Amy found herself snorting, then tried to play it off by coughing.
"That's fine, I'm picky. I like things clean."
"Don't tell me he put a coaster down!" Rouge cried out, not even bothering to stifle her laughter. Amy looked at Shadow, expecting a sneer, but it didn't come. He smirked playfully and chuckled under his breath, and the pink hedgehog slowly joined in.
The movie was finally playing and Shadow sat, right in the middle between the girls. Rouge didn't mind and took her bowl of popcorn and unceremoniously shoved a handful into her mouth. It started playing right away.
