The Perfect Gift
-Amy-
I paced around the store frantically.
{There's nothing HERE that he'd like, either!} I thought in exasperation. Christmas was only three days away, and I still hadn't found the perfect gift for my beloved Sonic. I had been to nearly every store in the mall, and I had yet to see something that would appeal to him.
"Maybe there'll be something in one of the shops downtown…." I mumbled.
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-Sonic-
"Come on, I'm serious here! I need your advice on this! I've bought something for every single one of you guys that's going to be there EXCEPT for Amy!" I said in exasperation.
"….Seriously? You're asking MY advice? Honestly blue, I didn't think you were THAT clueless. Alright, if you want to get her something that doesn't absolutely SCREAM cliché and overdone, give her the one thing she wants most from you."
"The one thing she wants most from me? ….Wait, Rouge, do you mean….?"I nearly dropped the phone when she said,
"That's right, genius. Your HEART. She wants nothing more than your love, and honestly, I think everyone else; even SHADOW and OMEGA at this point would agree that it's time you stop running from your own feelings. I think it's obvious that if you didn't love her, you'd have told her where you stand a long time ago. Haha, but listen to me, sounding all out of character! I gotta go, there's a rare jewel at the museum with MY name on it! Think about what I said, will you? Ciao!" before I could say anything else, there was a "click", indicating that Rouge had hung up already. Heaving a sigh, I set my cell phone back on the coffee table before flopping down on the sofa.
"A lot of good calling HER for advice did me…."I grumbled.
...Still…maybe she had a point… Wait a sec, what am I thinking?! There is no way in Chaos that I could even CONSIDER saying something like 'I love you' to a girl like Amy. Sure, she was a good friend, and yeah, I'd admit she was pretty cute, I guess, but the way she constantly chased me, and how she loosely threw around her proclamations that she was gonna marry me someday just screamed 'immature'; like she didn't even really understand the true meaning of the word 'love'. Dropping my 'cool guy' demeanor and trying to get serious with her was just asking for regret…with a capitol "R". No way, José! I'd just have to think of something else, I guess.
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-Amy-
I tapped my foot impatiently.
"Come on, pick up….this is important…." I quietly pleaded.
"Hello, Amy. This better be an emergency; I'm kind of in the middle of a…'Treasure Hunt'." Despite Rouge's reluctant tone, I sighed in relief.
"Hey, Rouge. Sorry to bother you. You know I wouldn't call unless I absolutely needed to. Listen, I'm having a bit of a crisis, and-"
"Let me guess….you managed to find the perfect gift for everyone else, but you can't seem to find one for Sonic? Alright, I'll remind you of a little expression- 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' Make him some homemade cookies or whatever. Give him something that comes from the heart. Or better yet, stop trying to force him into a relationship or something. Look, I gotta go now. Good luck."
"Wait a minute, Rouge-"
Click.
I sighed. Well, I guess the homemade cookies thing was worth a try. But my mind crept back to what Rouge had said just before her hasty goodbye.
'Or better yet, stop trying to force him into a relationship'
Was I really doing that? Did Sonic feel I was pressuring him? …..Come to think of it, maybe I had been acting a little….overly persistent lately. But I just loved Sonic with all my heart, and I didn't want to see him with anyone else, was that so wrong? Sheesh, what would a jewel thief like Rouge know, anyway!
I heaved another sigh. What was I going to do?
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-Sonic-
I had checked almost every jewelry store and flower boutique. I even looked on some shopping websites and in some clothing stores. But everything I saw was either the wrong gift, or it sent mixed messages. But…I was still looking. I only had three days counting today, after all.
Give her my heart…
Seriously, what if there was a small chance Rouge was right? What if despite how Amy acted about it, her feelings for me were totally sincere? What if I was missing out on a good thing?
Man, this was so confusing!
Then again….I couldn't help but think back on some things. Like how cute it was whenever her eyes lit up when she saw me, and how her smile made any room seem a little brighter. And….oh Chaos….I really WAS in love with Amy, wasn't I?
You know what? It was time for me to go for it! No matter what might happen later on in the future, I was finally going to tell Amy how I felt about her.
….I just hoped I wouldn't have to regret it later on…..
Nodding decisively, I rushed out of the clothing store and back to a nearby jewelry store. The first time I was in there I saw a necklace that was perfect for her, and I wanted to get it while I had the chance.
After purchasing the necklace (which I had engraved), I left the shop and looked around. There was one more thing I needed to get that I knew would really surprise her. Aha! Found it!
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-Amy-
I exhaled in relief when I examined the cookies to see that they weren't burnt. Satisfied, I set the tray on the counter to cool and walked into the living room. Plopping down on the sofa, I turned on the TV.
I had given it a lot of thought, and maybe Rouge was right. Maybe I was being a little….overly persistent with Sonic. So, as much as I hated the thought, I was going to pull him off to the side, and tell him that even though I love him, I'm not going to force him into anything he didn't want or wasn't ready for.
Sure the thought was kind of depressing, but hey, at least the sugar cookies turned out okay, right? Haha.
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-Sonic-
The day of the party had finally arrived, and Tails and I had just finished setting everything up.
"Looks good, Sonic." he said. I smiled and nodded.
"Sure does, Tails. Thanks to you and your newest gadget, anyway." I said. Tails was about to say something, but stopped when we heard the doorbell ring.
"Hey, sounds like our friends are finally starting to show up." he said, rushing over to the door. I chuckled and followed him. To my surprise, the first ones to arrive were the last ones I expected to actually accept my invitation…the Babylon Rogues.
"Hey, guys. Glad you decided to show up. Come on in." Tails said, moving aside for them to enter.
"Hey, how've you guys been?" I greeted.
"Can't complain." Wave replied, taking a seat on the couch. "I've been working on a new Extreme Gear that'll totally wipe the floor with you and your friends." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. No matter what time of year, these guys had a one track mind; competitive racing.
"And unlike some people, we've been practicing for the next EX Grand Prix, so I hope you're ready to lose." Jet remarked with a smirk. I smirked back as I brought out five cups of hot chocolate on a tray.
"Please, like I really need to practice to beat you in a race…" I said teasingly. Jet didn't make an angry remark and neither did Wave and Storm. They just smirked back at me and each took a cup of cocoa.
"Seriously though, where do you want me to set these? I kinda just set 'em on the ground for now…" Storm said, looking down at the bags of gifts his team had brought.
"Oh, sorry, Storm. Just go ahead and set them under the tree with the other stuff. I'm going to be passing everyone's gifts out to them at the end of the night." I replied.
Eventually, everyone showed up. Team Chaotix, Knuckles, my brother Manic and my sister Sonia, Cream and her mom, Big, Silver and Blaze, even Shadow, Rouge, and Omega made it; though Shadow seemed kind of reluctant about it, haha. Amy was the last to arrive.
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-Amy-
When I saw Sonic, I had to fight down the urge to run up to him and hug him like I usually do.
{He doesn't like that!} I had to remind myself sternly. Instead, I just smiled and said,
"Hi Sonic. I kind of got a late start heading over here, hope I'm not TOO late for the party."
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-Sonic-
I was a little confused, needless to say. Was this really Amy? Where was the tackle-hug she usually gave me on sight?
"No problem, Ames. Come on in." I said.
Seriously, was she mad at me or something? It didn't seem like it, she was smiling.
As the evening advanced, everyone had a good time chatting and snacking, and while everyone else was busy, Amy came up to me and asked if she could talk to me alone.
"….Um…Sure, I guess." I said, following her into the kitchen. At first I thought it was because she'd seen what I'd hung at the top of the door frame, but she didn't stop there.
What was going on here? Was she okay?
"Sonic….I've given it a lot of thought, and….well…" she began.
Uh oh…where was she going with this?
"…Even though I sincerely DO love you…I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want."
Oh, I knew it! I knew it was a bad idea to….
Hold on….did she just say what I THINK she said?
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-Amy-
I didn't know what Sonic was thinking, but it looked like the wheels in his head were turning, and it was making me nervous.
"Um…Sonic?" I asked. He didn't say anything at first, he just took my hand and led me gently back over to the door frame.
"Sonic, what're you-" he placed a finger to my lips and I stopped talking.
"Listen, Amy…I um….didn't exactly rehearse this, so….sorry if it comes out a little corny. But…I've uh….I've been doing some thinking too, and…the more I thought about it, the more I realized….well, I actually have two gifts for you this year. The one I have for you in the living room under the tree isn't all that, but….the one I'm going to give you now is something I know you've wanted for quite a while now." he said softly. I could feel my heart skip a beat. What did he mean by that? Suddenly, he pointed up, indicating for me to look that direction. I did, and I blushed.
"S-Sonic…is that…?" I asked, looking back at him. He smiled and nodded, pulling me closer to him and taking my chin between his thumb and index finger.
"Merry Christmas, Amy. I'm done running….I'm yours." he said, pressing his lips to mine softly.
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-Sonic-
I couldn't help but feel somewhat triumphant when Amy wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back.
I'm sure that our absence from the living room caught the attention of some (if not all) of our friends, but I don't think either of us cared at the time. At that moment there were only two people in existence: Me...and my girlfriend.
Later that night, I passed around the gifts, and everyone seemed to like the stuff they got. (Although Shadow and Knuckles kind of grumbled about 'having a bunch of stuff to take home and find a place for', but I don't think they meant it, and no one else seemed to think so either). But I think the person who liked their gift the most…was Amy.
"….'Always Yours'…Oh Sonic!" I laughed as she jumped into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
Who knows what the future will bring us? All that matters is the here and now, and the precious moments I would spend with my friends…and the girl of my dreams.
(A/N: Sorry again for OOCness, and I hope it was a passable oneshot. Happy Holidays, everyone!)