I Haven't Forgotten You
Birthday gift for Skyelara! I haven't forgotten you, hon!
Amy sighed and looked her disheveled form over in the mirror. She'd been a wreck ever since Sonic went missing after…after she'd hugged him after the concert. Then he ran away, never to be seen again. Thinking about it made tears come to Amy's sea green eyes. She had to force herself not to think about it. But the sleeping pills staring her in the face amongst all her other girly things on her dresser reminded her of what she planned to do.
"All right, Sonic," she said aloud, afraid to take the coward's way out but too heartbroken to do anything else. "I'll give you the night. If you aren't back by tomorrow…" She looked at the pills and swallowed. Then, with one last look at the photograph of her and Sonic that sat on her bedside table, she jumped into bed.
But she couldn't feel comfortable with what she planned to do. It made her sad, and she began to cry softly. She couldn't leave Cream and Tails, who needed her now that Sonic was gone (although the fox had a consistent hope in his older brother, that he would return when he chose,) she didn't want to. But somehow, without him, without his love, she would wilt away slowly.
"Well," she spoke aloud to herself, "better to end it quickly than have things go slowly." But this only made her tears come faster.
Unknown to her, a mysterious figure had perched itself on the roof just outside her large viewing window, and was peeking inside. At first, it had thought her asleep, but upon further inspection noted she was crying. This hurt the creature's heart, and he pulled against the windowpane stubbornly, desperate to get in. Finally, the mystery person won the fight against the window and climbed inside.
Her tears continued to pierce the mysterious visitor, and it made him want very much to cry, too; seeing her in such a state as this. Unsure of what to do, but desperate to do something—anything—to cheer her up, he looked around for a plot device—how to enter her life after so long out of it.
Then, he saw the sleeping pills.
"Taking drugs, are we?" He said. Amy jumped in the bed, startled. At first, she thought hearing the voice itself was an illusion—how had he gotten in? But as she looked upon the figure, she knew it to be him.
"Sonic!" She cried.
Sonic was holding the bottle of pills in his hand, leaning against the dresser so that Amy could see his quills (and her surprised face) in the mirror's reflection. She sat up on her bed, which was only a few feet from her dresser in her tiny room, and stared at him. He was frowning, obviously angry or confused as he read the back of the bottle.
"You know," he began, his voice peppy but strangely wary or tired—she couldn't tell which—"they warn about overdosing for a reason, Amy." He looked at her sternly, and Amy definitely felt like she was being punished. The girl in question looked down at her hands, fooling with her bedsheets.
"I—y'see—Sonic!" She looked at him, crying out to him desperately. She was determined to let him know that he was to blame for her thoughts. "I—I wanted a way out," she explained lamely, the urge to blame him gone. "I wanted a way out, if—if you never came back."
Sonic chuckled, amused but at the same time very serious. "What makes you think I wouldn't come back?" He smiled then, but it didn't seem a happy smile to her. She looked him over for a minute, studying places where his fur covered evidence of starvation and noted that briars and dried blood stuck to his fur. He was dirty, but not very smelly, miraculously, which is what Amy found most enticing about him.
Suddenly, she was drawn to the question he'd asked. What, in the name of Mobius, did make Amy think he'd never come back? What had made her doubt her love? Shyly, she answered: "I was afraid you hated me, Sonic. I was worried that it was me…"
"I'll have to admit: when you jumped me after three months without doing that, I was surprised!" Sonic grinned, putting down the bottle. "But I don't hate you. I never did. Is it safe to put these pills down now, or should I confiscate them?"
"Sonic!" Amy cried, throwing a pillow at him. Sonic allowed himself to be hit, for the sake of saving breakable things on her dresser from being damaged by the impact. "Now that you're back, I don't need them! Uh…" She studied him, flushing. "But…you look like you could use em." Indeed, Sonic's eyes had bags under them, purple like bruises.
Sonic, as if in answer to this, yawned hugely and rubbed one eye with the back of his spotless white glove. "Come to think of it, I am pretty tired. But no way I need sleeping pills." He laughed a little, but seemed to grow slowly more exhausted. Amy could see this was taking a toll on him.
"Where were you?" She asked. "Do you need something to eat?"
"A lot of places to the first, and no to the second." He counted off on his fingers, the 'two' resting on his elbow. "If I eat anything, I'll fall asleep faster. Next question." He smiled, looking straight at her.
"Want a bath?" Amy giggled. "You're dirty."
It was Sonic's turn to flush, and he looked away quickly. Amy giggled more. "Erm…maybe." He muttered, embarrassed.
Amy got up from her bed and went to run a hot bath for him. Sonic watched her in relative silence, the only noise being when he quietly yawned and the bath water running until it was hot. "All right," Amy responded, presenting him with the bath. "There you go." She turned to leave and go back to her room, but Sonic grabbed her wrist.
"Oh no," he teased, smirking. "I left the pills in there, and I don't trust you alone." Amy snorted at that, but saw that, despite his joking manner, his concern was real. She swallowed and nodded, sitting down on the closed top of the toilet.
They both blushed as Sonic removed his socks, gloves and sneakers. "What I wouldn't do for clean socks," he muttered.
"I can wash them for you," Amy offered. "The gloves, too."
Sonic's mood brightened as he gingerly got into the tub. "Would you?"
Amy smiled. "Anything for you."
Sonic flushed, looking away. That's exactly the same way I feel about you. Now he understood why the thought of her about to commit suicide because of him made him feel so put-out. Because he would do almost anything to make her happy. Marriage to her, however, was something he couldn't promise her.
Sonic the Hedgehog was not meant to be tied down. Ever.
Amy washed Sonic's socks and gloves in the sink, her back to Sonic as he bathed. Both of them were humming, but they didn't realize it was the same tune. When Amy was hanging up Sonic's things to dry, she heard the bath water being drained out. Sonic was cowering in the opposite end, afraid of being sucked down the drain. He was actually shivering with fright!
Amy came over to him and stepped into the bath, getting the bottom of her nightgown damp from the receding water. She touched Sonic gently, and allowed him to cling to her as the last of the water flowed away. Sonic relaxed immediately, and along with that relaxation came the release of his iron grip around Amy's legs. When he realized he'd done this, he flushed and scratched behind his head.
"Err…Sorry."
"It's quite all right," Amy smiled warmly. "But now I need to change."
"Sorry!" Sonic apologized again, drying off with a towel. "I'm such a baby."
"No you're not," Amy responded in a friendly manner.
"Anyway, can I trust you to change without killing yourself? Hmm?"
"Stop it!" Amy giggled, but she was really quite embarrassed. Now that he was back, the whole episode seemed unnecessary and foolish.
After Amy had finished changing, Sonic rejoined her in her room, in still-damp socks and gloves. His shoes he carried with him, depositing them outside her doorway. "I can retrieve them after I leave," he explained.
"Oh." Amy couldn't help feeling sad at that, although she knew what spending the night here would mean for him.
Her sadness must've shown, for Sonic quickly defended himself. "I won't go forever!" He promised steadfastly. "I'm only going back to my house, Amy!"
"I know," Amy sighed sadly. "But, that's just tonight, right? After tomorrow, who knows where you'll be? Off fighting Eggman in some obscure part of the planet…in another world, even!" She looked down at her knees. "You won't be here with me."
There was a moment of silence, and then Sonic was kneeling before her. "You're right," he admitted. "I can't always be here, right next to you. My job, Amy, is to keep everyone safe. That includes you." He gently pressed the damp glove to her face, making her look him in the eye. "But, that doesn't mean I'll run out tonight and forget you."
Amy took the hand from her cheek and held it in both of hers, squeezing it, letting him know of her wish to keep it. Even for just that short amount of time. "Sonic, you never forget anyone."
"Okay," Sonic grinned, as if proving her a liar. "So if you know that, then why were you planning to kill yourself with those pills after I left?"
Amy saw what he was getting at, and turned away. She'd forgotten she was holding his hand, so he slowly dragged her back to face him using the strength in that arm alone. "Amy," he whispered lovingly, "I haven't forgotten you. I can't. Because…" he took a deep breath and kept it for several seconds before letting it blow in her face. Amy's eyes slowly grew wide as he spoke. "I—I love you."
"Oh Sonic!" Amy breathed, amazed.
"Now—now look Amy, I know the worth of what I've just said to you, and let me say that you put more worth in those words than I do." He sighed, looking at her seriously. "Just because I love you, doesn't mean I can marry you."
"Oh." Amy looked down at her hands, one still holding his. She let it go at once, but her took both of hers, causing her to look up.
Sonic saw the lingering sadness in her eyes upon hearing the fact he couldn't marry her. He bit his lip. Okay, hedgehog. You got yourself into this mess. So explain yourself out of it. Gotta make sure she doesn't think about using those pills again. "Amy, what I mean is…" he sighed. "Even if I did marry you—it's not like I don't love you, but—it's chains to me, Amy! And I can't be tied down!" He reluctantly felt his eyes getting wet and sighed. He'd never actually had to explain to anyone why he could never settle, why he was meant always to stay free. "I do love you, but to be chained—to anyone—would mean sacrificing my freedom. And I can't do that." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Does that make sense?"
Amy smiled, kissing his nose, making him start. "Yes, as crazy as it sounds. Yes, I do think it makes sense. And, I understand why my glomp confused you now." Her smile grew wider as she hugged him, tears running down her face. "You're the wind, Sonic. I understand why you need to feel free, and I understand that I seem like a chain to you. So, if I change…if I become more independent and less like…this…"
Sonic pulled her away from him to look at her, wiping the tears from her face with his glove. His eyes were soft, but he was listening with great intensity. "Amy…you're not…"
But Amy shook her head, shushing him, and continued. "If…if I mature just a little more, Sonic," she began, pushing her quills back and looking at him. "Will you consider dating me, at least?"
Sonic smiled. "Yes. And I'll consider marriage, too, with time." He laughed. "You're not the only one who's immature, here!" That got Amy laughing, too.
"That's right! I'm not the only one to blame here! Well," she giggled as he yawned hugely, "I think it's time travelers like you had a good night's sleep!"
"Well…" Sonic rubbed his eyes, yawning again. "Perhaps, perhaps. I'm tired!" And he turned to go.
"Wait, Sonic!" Amy grabbed his arm, and made him turn around again. She really hated to, after she saw that he really did look exhausted to the bone.
"Yeah?"
"Sonic, can I…" Amy flushed, "Can I make an immature request?"
Sonic chuckled. "Shoot."
"Can…can you watch over me until I fall asleep? Just for tonight?" Amy closed her eyes and bowed her head against the negative that was certain to come. But…
"Sure." Sonic shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy."
"Great! Thanks!" Amy giggled, jumping into bed. "Wee! Uh…" She peeped at him from beneath her cozy covers. "Thanks, Sonic. I appreciate it."
Sonic winked. "No prob! All in a night's work."
Amy smiled and turned out the lights. Sonic was alone in the darkness.
The blue hedgehog waited for a few minutes until he was sure Amy was asleep. Then, feeling around on her dresser for the bottle of sleeping pills, he found it, took it, and tucked it into his sock. Then he walked to the door, slipped on his sneakers, and went out, quiet as a mouse, into the night.
Ugh, sorry it took so long, Skye! If you're still following me, here it is after so long! :D I haven't forgotten you!