And thus we have a prime example of why I don't write distinct romance. -u- Ah well. Feedback is appreciated!

"You know," Amy said thoughtfully, "I don't think I've ever seen you two go on an actual date."

Sonic and Shadow paused their conversation to stare blankly at her, then at each other.

The pair had been walking around the mall on a hunt for some unknown object when Amy had popped up and insisted on joining them. She'd followed them, listening to their typical banter, until that bit of wisdom popped out. Really, it was no wonder Sonic and Shadow were confused.

Amy huffed at their expressions. "It's not that hard to understand me, is it?"

"Uh, no," Sonic said slowly. "But that didn't make any sense. We go on dates all the time."

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Name one that doesn't involve racing, or fighting, or some other non-romantic activity."

Shadow blinked. "Those don't count as romantic activities?"

Sonic choked, and Amy gaped. She closed her mouth after a moment and her eyes took on a determined gleam. "Alright, that's it. I'm setting up a proper date for you two. No, don't argue, I'm doing this no matter what. I'll call you tomorrow with details." And she dashed off without giving them a chance to offer input.

Sonic sighed and turned to his partner. "How bad can it be?" He grimaced at Shadow's expression. "Yeah, don't answer that. But it might be nice to have a little variety in our romantic life. 'Sides, if it turns out too bad, we can end things our way."

Shadow frowned for another moment, then nodded. "Alright. We'll allow it this once."

Sonic grinned. "Great! Now what was it we were supposed to be looking for?"

"Explain to me again why I'm helping you spy on them."

Amy looked up from the screen she'd been studying to see Tails looking as annoyed as he had since she'd first come in. She smiled brightly, just like the last time he'd asked. "Because I want to see how well their date goes, and you know you do too."

Tails sighed and turned back to the console. "If they find out, you're responsible."

Amy refrained from pointing out that he'd said that several times, instead closely studying the scene before her. Sonic and Shadow were sitting in a nice restaurant, chatting while they waited for their food.

Well, okay, it wasn't a super nice restaurant, but it was nicer than the fast food places they'd been known to frequent. And Sonic was talking, mostly, while Shadow sat, cheek resting on his palm, and allowed his eyes to glaze over. Amy pouted a little; she couldn't hear what was said, since the drone couldn't get closer without being spotted, but her mission to make the couple do more couple-y things didn't seem very successful so far.

Tails noticed her expression and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He offered a commiserating pat on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, they don't exactly follow most norms of dating. You told me about Shadow's comment, remember? All that stuff they usually do is dating to them." He nodded sideways at the console. "This probably just isn't their sort of thing."

Amy bit her lip, debating whether it was too early to admit defeat. Her eyes flashed as she made her decision. "No, I'm not giving up this early! They still have a movie and a romantic walk in the forest!"

Tails suppressed a sigh and returned to his other project. She'd get it eventually. Really, though, it was a relief that she'd accepted Sonic's relationship with Shadow at all. He'd concluded that he could manage whatever fallout came with, and he'd stick with that conclusion.

Even if it meant watching cheesy romcoms while spying on the happy couple.

Tails looked up as the lights went on in the theatre. "Any luck?"

Amy let out a long, disappointed sigh. "No. They fell asleep."

He nodded, trying to look sympathetic. Really, he was amused that their plan had gone sideways with such an obvious mistake. They couldn't see much in the darkened theatre; the drone was built for a daylight excursion, after all. But he wasn't going to point this out to Amy. Instead, he said, "There's still the walk."

She perked up immediately. "That's right! And that's the best part of a date: holding hands as you walk through the quiet forest, just the two of you…" Suddenly she was brimming with enthusiasm again. "It can't go wrong!"

Tails began brainstorming potential ways it could go wrong, challenging himself to guess what would happen.

He guessed meteor shower, not rain, but decided that was close enough.

Amy was distraught when the pair began to comment on the darkening sky. She'd picked that date especially for the clear weather. (And the clear schedules, but Shadow was the only real problem there.) For the one good thing she'd been sure she could count on to go bad-!

Tails found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to console the distraught girl without saying 'I told you so' (mostly because he hadn't. He should've, though).

"I've got it!"

The spies whipped around to face the console at the chipper announcement. Sonic was bouncing a little, wearing his trademark grin. Shadow gave him a puzzled look. "If you mean the fact that it's about to rain, well done. It certainly took long enough."

Sonic waved him aside. "No, not that. I meant I know what we can do now."

"Oh, really."

"Yup." His grin widened a bit. "We can race with a bet."

Something in Shadow's stance changed slightly, though neither spy could say exactly what. His expression reflected a hint of curiosity. "Go on."

Sonic nodded sideways to indicate the park as a whole. "Amy wanted us to hang around here, right? So we can race through the park and back here. We'll have done something here, it'll be fun, and we can make it home before it starts to rain. It's a win for everyone."

"Except the loser."

"Not if we're doing the usual bet."

Shadow considered, then offered a slight smirk. "You're on, faker."

Sonic returned the smirk. "Ready when you are."

At some unseen signal, both hedgehogs took off in a colorful blur. Amy took the short pause to blink at Tails. "What's the usual bet?"

Tails shrugged. "No idea. They've used it before, but never actually said – look, they're back."

Sonic skidded to a stop just before Shadow, looking over his shoulder with a slight frown. It changed to a sly smirk as he looked the other over. The speedster stalked slowly over to him, still smirking. "That was a really easy win."

Shadow shrugged, meeting his look with a neutral expression. "Perhaps I didn't stretch enough this morning."

Sonic shook his head and tut-tutted, now circling his partner. "You and I both know that's not it. So how about you just admit," he paused in front of Shadow, "that you let me win." He leaned in so close their noses were almost touching.

Shadow took an automatic half-step back, but was stopped by Sonic's hand cupped behind his neck. Upon closer inspection, his cheeks were starting to darken, though his expression remained steadfastly neutral. "I admit nothing of the kind."

Sonic pouted, then released him and spun away. "Fiiiiiine, you're no fun," he whined.

Shadow snorted, then stepped forward and caught his hand. "Come on. Unless you want to get wet, we should return home." Without waiting for Sonic's response, he turned and began walking toward the park entrance.

Sonic snickered and began to follow, but paused and turned to face the camera. He gave it a peace sign and a grin, then mouthed, "Hope you enjoyed the show!"

"Faker, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Shads, let's go!"

There was a whoosh, and they were gone.

Amy unglued her eyes from the screen and turned to Tails. "That was- huh?" She blinked at the formerly occupied space beside her. "Tails?"

"Over here." She looked to see him in a far corner of the lab, working on his project. At her confused look, he shrugged and said, "They seemed like they might be needing privacy soon. Did Sonic notice the camera?"

She blinked, then nodded. "It sounded like he did."

"Right. I'm directing him to you if he comes asking, just so you know."

Amy thought about that, then shrugged. "I'm okay with that. I just wish I knew what their bet was."

Tails shrugged. "We're probably better off not knowing."

She resisted the urge to pout. "If you say so." A quick glance at the clock revealed disappointing news. "I should get going now."

"Alright, see you." Tails waited until she'd left, then sighed and frowned at the console. He grumbled something about brain bleach and went back to work.