002. Lesson
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"I'm gonna teach you how to swim."
The horror on Sonic's face explained it all.
"You're gonna what?" the blue hedgehog had to ask, not sure if he heard correctly.
Amy just smiled. "Swim!"
Sonic didn't move. "...And when will that be?"
"Today!" the pink hedgehog said happily making him flinch, "We're going to the beach!"
No, no, no.
Hell no.
That won't be happening.
"Oh," his voice croaked out. He let out a forced smile. "Well... have fun, Ames!"
He quickly stood up and tried to make a hasty run for it. But Amy knew him all too well and gripped onto his arm just in time before he could make his rapid escape.
"Oh, no! You are not dodging out of this one!" Amy yelled as she tackled him down onto the couch.
"Yes, I am!" Sonic barked back at her, struggling to get out of her strong hold, "I'm not going in that water, Amy! Not in a million years!"
"Quit acting like baby!" she told him, "You're Station Square's hero!"
"That still won't change the fact I'll die in that blue sea of death!" he retorted, "And I'm not acting like a baby! I'm being reasonable!"
Amy just had to roll her eyes. "You won't die!"
"Says you!" Sonic sneered.
Their bickering continued on for another few minutes before Amy finally had enough.
"Fine!" she huffed, letting go of him as she crossed her arms against her chest, "Guess I won't bother making chilli dogs for dinner ever again!"
His eyes widened, almost petrified. "You wouldn't..."
Amy stared down at him, a wicked grin forming her lips. "Watch me."
Sonic groaned. Okay, it may not have seemed like a big deal and he could always go to the chilli dog stand and eat there. But they weren't Amy's chilli dogs. Amy's cooking was absolute perfection and there was nothing more better than actual homemade food... and chilli dogs.
Why did fate put him in this situation?
"Fine," he grimaced whilst saying, "I'll do it."
"You will?!" Amy was surprised but she did smile nonetheless, "Really?"
Sonic was dead inside. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. "Yeah..."
"Aw, Sonic!" she straddled his waist and leaned down to peck him on the lips, "Don't worry, your fear of water will be gone by the end of today!"
"I sure hope so..." he muttered, already unenthusiastic about the whole thing.
...
"Amy..." he started off, looking around the empty area of the beach, "Are you sure no one's gonna be here?"
"I'm positive!" his girlfriend told him, bringing out the inflatable float ring. She threw it at him, "Here, catch!"
Sonic caught it with ease before looking at it. "You want me to wear this?"
She nodded. "Yup."
"But I'll look ridiculous!" he complained, glaring at the blue ring.
Amy sighed and walked to him, taking the float ring from him before squeezing it down his head until it was placed on his waist. "If you're gonna learn, then you'll have to wear it!"
"Oh god," he mumbled as she dragged him along to the water. He had to cover his eyes though. Even looking at the blue thing would make him shiver down his spine.
"Sonic, open your eyes," Amy strictly demanded when they stopped walking. Making Amy angry was never his intention but honestly! She was making him do something he'd never, ever, EVER do.
But... Amy's wrath was never to be tested with.
So like the good boyfriend he was, Sonic opened one eye before slowly opening the other. The first thing he felt was the water beneath his feet. He almost bounced off his feet but Amy held him still.
"It's shallow, you idiot," she laughed out.
"I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this!" Sonic panicked stepping out of the water and back onto the sand, "I am not going in there!"
"You're wearing a float, Sonic!" Amy pointed out, already annoyed, "It means you won't drown!"
"That's not the point!" he argued back, "I'm water phobic!"
"You drink water and you take a shower in it," the pink hedgehog bluntly said, hands on her hips.
He squinted at her. "It's not the same!"
Amy's eyes suddenly softened, arms dropping to her side. "Come on, Sonic," she pleaded him in a more gentler tone, "Please?"
"Amy, don't make that face," he said, feeling weakened by her look.
She smiled, leaning up against his face. "Please, for me?"
Chaos, no matter how hard he tried, there was literally never a way to ignore Amy when it came to situations like this. He'd feel bad and terrible and then he'd have to make it up for her by doing something out of this world.
And it was this.
Wow, what a man would do for a woman.
He let out a longing sigh, bringing out his hand for her to take. Amy grinned, taking it once again and walked them to the shore.
"Okay," she said as their feet touched the water, "We're gonna walk further in, all right?"
The blue speedster didn't say a word, but as the water felt deeper against his skin, Sonic's grip on Amy's hand grew tighter.
"Amy..." he nervously trailed off, eyes googling at the level of the water.
"Just relax," she told him softly, laying him down, "You've got your float on so nothing's gonna happen."
She was right. Because once she let go, he wasn't drowning, or dying, or drifting off.
He was floating.
And he was going absolutely insane.
"See? This isn't so bad, is it?" Amy said, as if doing all of this was no big deal and that it was the easiest thing in the world.
"I'm not answering that," Sonic hesitantly glanced around him, "Now what?"
Her next words were terrifying. "I'm going to take the float off of you."
Sonic's eyes widened and he immediately shook his head. "Nope, nope, nope!" He tried making his way to the shore but Amy only pulled him back.
"Sonic!" she yelled at him, "You need to calm down!"
The blue hedgehog couldn't believe his ears. "How can I calm down when you're gonna take off the only thing that's gonna keep me alive?!"
Maybe words couldn't get across to him but her actions could. Amy caught his face in her hands, framing it gently. "Sonic, look at me."
He slowly stopped his squirming and grudgingly obeyed.
"You're going to be fine," she left a soft kiss on his lips, "I'm here with you, okay? I won't let anything happen."
"Y-You sure?" he couldn't help but stammer.
"Mhm!" Amy giggled, leaving another gentle kiss on his cheek before loosening the float off of him.
Once she did so, Sonic immediately held onto her shoulders. He remembered what she said and took a few deep breaths, calming himself and his stomach down.
"Good!" his girlfriend praised him, "You can let go of my shoulders now."
Sonic frantically shook his head.
"Don't worry," Amy held his cheek, "I'm here, remember?"
He stared at her, emerald eyes quivering. Right. Your girlfriend's here, your girlfriend's here! Stop being such a wuss, Sonic! He gulped, his hands pulling away from her shoulders.
She smiled at his efforts. "Are you drowning?"
He felt like a kid. "I'm... I'm floating!"
"You are!" Amy laughed out, "And you're not dying."
Sonic sheepishly grinned at her. "I-I'm not..."
"I'm so proud of you!" the pink hedgehog was excited, "Come on, let's start moving along the water so you can get used to it."
She took a hold of his arm again and pulled him. However, he didn't move. Confused, she looked back at the blue hedgehog. "Sonic?"
His smile was crooked. "What are you waiting for?"
Amy tried pulling him again but he just wouldn't budge. It was then she realised that he was still holding back. "You're kidding me, right?"
The speedster broke a sweat. "Huh?"
"My god, Sonic!" Amy let go of him, feeling aggravated, "What if I was thrown into the ocean by Eggman's robots, would you save me then?"
He didn't reply.
Amy was taken aback by his quietness. "Wow," she rolled her eyes, "You know what? You can go right on home! I can't believe you're willing to risk your life when fighting Eggman but when it comes to this sort of thing, it's like you're a whole different person!" Amy shook her head and began to swim off before muttering, "This was such a waste of time..."
When she swam off, Sonic was gobsmacked. It had been a while since Amy said those sorts of words to him. He immediately felt bad. She had gone her way just to teach him the basics of not fearing water. Gosh, she even bought him a pair of swimming trunks. And safety equipment just for him! If that wasn't being a dedicated partner, that he didn't know what was.
Snapping out of his trance, he called out for her. "Amy?"
But there was no response.
His eyes widened as he quickly scanned the area, trying to find pink. "Ames?!"
Oh crap! Oh crap! Where's Amy?! He panicked.
"Sonic!"
He snapped his head towards the voice. He saw the pink hedgehog struggling as she tried to swim back up from the water, gasping for breath and gurgling.
Was she going to drown? She was going to drown!
Not thinking twice, Sonic took a deep breath and dived into the water. Of course, he struggled to move but Amy was in danger! Using his arms, he paddled his way across so he could quickly get to her. Water splashed into his ears and eyes but none of that mattered when his focus was to save his girlfriend!
Once he neared her Sonic splashed out of the water, gasping for air as he rapidly lifted Amy up from the water and into his arms. He trod along the water and then jogged when it became shallow.
"Amy!" he sat her down against a rock. He rubbed her back as she coughed. "Are you okay?!"
"Y-Yeah," she coughed out, her voice rough.
The blue worriedly stared at her. "Jeez, Ames! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
She suddenly smiled at him. "I know..."
Sonic felt skeptical until he finally caught on. "You didn't..."
Amy let out the laughter she had been holding. "I did!"
"You risked your life just to teach me a lesson?!" his shoulders slumped, "Amy, I can't believe you!"
"Oh hush!" She stood up, wrapping her arms around him, "I just made you prove to yourself that you can do it."
"I can?" Sonic blinked.
"Mhm!" the pink hedgehog nodded, "Even though you were scared, you still saved me," her smile softened, "I was wrong to say all of that to you."
A tint of red filtered his cheeks, which made him look away. "It's no big deal..." he told her as he scratched the back of his head.
She rubbed his wet spikes with a giggle, turning his face back to her as she gave him another smooch on his lips. Her smile widened when he became flustered. "Come on, let's finish up for today."
Sonic was confused. "But I haven't learned how to swim yet."
"I got you into the water, that's all that counts," Amy shrugged before raising an eye, "Why? Do you want to stay in there for longer?"
He immediately deflated the idea. "No!"
Feeling amused, Amy just shook her head. "There's a chilli dog stand nearby."
Sonic's green eyes beamed. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" he cheered, picking her up before dashing off.
