Amy plopped carefully down on a bench and took a long drag from the little device. She rubbed her belly while catching her breath and thought about her situation. It was hardly ideal. She had always wanted children, lots and lots of children, preferably with Sonic, but she never wanted to start a family so soon, and certainly not by the method that had occured. Quite understandably, she was a little scared. Still, she was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her babies. Amy giggled with delight. Being a mother was one of her greatest dreams, second only to marrying Sonic. She tried to hold back her excitement. She had to stay calm for her own health.
Groaning softly as she lifted herself out of her seat, Amy continued down the walk to the mall. Her lot in life wasn't going to stop her from having fun, and looking good doing it!
At the mall, Amy was having lots of fun just watching the people around her. Many of them smiled warmly at her and moved out of her way. One sweet little girl even stopped her to ask if it was a boy or a girl. She had walked away a little shocked when Amy had said there were three of them. The pink hedgehog giggled softly to herself. Being pregnant had its advantages.
Finally finding a clothing store, she waddled slowly in, panting softly. She'd had to learn a whole new way to walk already. She kept her shoulders back and hips forward to balance the awkward weight of her belly. All that mass in front of her made her back really sore, but there wasn't anything she could do about it, so she tried to ignore the discomfort as much as she could.
Amy made her way to the maternity department, taking a stop to rest on a handy bench just outside the changing rooms. When she got there, she happily picked through the items on the rack, her face beaming with the radiance of a young girl enjoying one of her favourite things. One of the first things she picked out was a lovely blue dress with a knee-length hem and an adorable sewn-on vest made of white lace. She tried it on in the changing rooms and noticed the skirt was set much higher than normal, just under the bust, and it draped over her belly. The layers of fluffy fabric actually made her look a little rounder, but she didn't seem to stick out so much, and the vest accentuated her rather average bust, making her chest look almost big. Deciding she liked it, she changed back to her old clothes went back to grab three more. "Mmf, a girl can't have too many of one thing!" Amy giggled in delight and went prowling for more.
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Back at her apartment, Amy plopped down on the couch and took in a long, strained breath. She had bought so much at the mall she could barely carry it all home. Her life had been like that alot lately. Just doing normal things was becoming difficult. A light went on in her head and she giggled happily. "I'll call Sonic! He said I could call if I needed help!" So she did.
13.395 seconds after Amy hung up the phone, she hauled herself up to answer the door. She threw her arms around him and nuzzled his cheek. "Hi Sonic! I missed you!"
Sonic gagged and wheezed, trying to pry her off him. "Gah, hrr-rr, A-Amy...I like breathing..." She let go, blushing.
"Heh, sorry. I didn't hurt you I hope."
He grinned. "Nah. Hey, whadja want on the phone?"
She blushed a little more and gave her round tummy a little pat on it's side. "Um, well I'm having some problems getting around and doing stuff around the house." She giggled and blushed even more, her cheeks turning almost as pink as her fur. "I guess I'm getting too big for my own good."
Sonic laughed and patted her tummy too. "Nah, ya still look good." She giggled and looked away, cheeks burning. He continued, "So, ya want me to move in with you or something and play helpful husband until ya squirt the kids out?" He chuckled jokingly, making a pushing motion with his hands.
Amy giggled at his crude humour. She loved all his flaws just as much as the rest of him, even if he did do stupid things and annoy her sometimes. "Oh, would you?! That would be perfect!"
Sonic sputtered and cleared his throat. "Um, I was only jokin', Ames. About the movin' in part anyway. I'll still help ya out though." His heart-melting grin and a thumbs up followed.
She pouted for a moment, then grinned. "I have lots of stuff for you to do! Come on in!" She waddled away, assuming he would follow her. He did, shutting the door behind him.
"No girly stuff, I hope. I don't do all that 'housework' business so good."
Amy giggled and eased down onto a chair at her kitchen table. "Sorry, Sonic. Mostly 'girly' stuff." She did the quotation fingers on the word 'girly,' and pointed to the sink full of dishes. "My tummy's almost too big for me to reach in the sink anymore. Not with out giving me a killer backache, anyway."
Sonic put on an expression of mock-disappointment. "Aww, man! I thought ya needed a couch moved 'r somethin'." He flexed an arm in a playful macho fashion. "Ya know, stuff ya need a guy for." He suddenly looked around warily. "Hey...you're not plannin ta capture me an' tie me up and stuff, are ya?" His eyes darted around for sudden traps.
Amy giggled heartily, then coughed. "Ghhm, hehee, no." Sonic sighed with relief. She continued, "That comes later."
Sonic jumped slightly and fumbled with a plate he'd picked up, his hands waving wildly as he tried not to drop it. Amy laughed so hard tears sprang from her eyes. She wheezed a little and took a hit from her inhaler. The blue hedgehog managed to save the plate, and set it back down. He ran some water until it got hot and began scrubbing dishes under it.
Amy scoffed. "That's not how you do it. You have to fill the sink with water and let the dishes soak in it." She hefted herself up and waddled over to him, leaning percariously over the sink and plugging the drain, letting the water rise. "Mmph, then you put the scrubbed dishes in the other side of the sink, drain the water, then rinse, ok?" She pointed to the strainer on one side of the sink. "Then put the dishes in there so they can dry." She plopped back down in her chair, resing a hand on her tummy. "And make sure you clean up any water you spill."
Sonic boggled. "All that just for some plates an' junk? Why don'cha just use paper plates?"
Amy stamped her foot in mild frustration. "Because I'm not a lazy pig like you Sonic! How can you have so much energy and still be such a layabout?"She paused for a moment to take a breath. "And you know how wasteful using paper plates all the time would be?" She almost growled under her breath. "Sometimes you're just so stupid I could slap you!"
Sonic cringed. "Hey, woah woah, Ames! Easy with the mood swings!" He put his hands in front of him defensively. "I'll do it your way. Just don't hurt me!" He stared at her a minute. Her hammer was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if she could even use it with only one lung and a bellyfull of babies. He didn't want to test it. He turned around and began doing the dishes.
Amy smiled and rested her head on her palm, pleased to get her way. She watched him from behind, admiring some of his physical attributes. The sweep of his headquills, his shoulders, his adorable (in her opinion, at least) butt. She giggled lightly. He turned.
"What's so funny?" He figured she was laughing at him doing 'girly' things.
"Mmm, just admiring the view." She cooed and kept right on looking.
He raised an eyebrow and his lips curled into a sort of half smile, half frown. "Hey, what can I say? I'm irresistable." A pause. "But I thought pregnant ladies don't have that kinda thoughts. Somethin' about hormones."
Amy sighed softly and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I'm not quite as pregnant as I look." She thought for a moment. "'Pregnant LADIES?' Are you saying I'm a lady, and not just a little girl?" She winked.
Sonic sputtered. He'd never known her to be quite so witty before. He looked down at himself to make sure he was still blue and not red. The way she was teasing him, it was almost like she was Rouge and he was Knuckles. "Er, um...Well you ARE 17. I mean, that's almost a lady, right?" He had to step cautiously now. "And..being pregnant does make you look a little...um..." He cringed, praying his choice of words was right. "More...mature?"
She giggled softly. "Aww, you're sweet." He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to continue his work.
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Sonic fell onto Amy's couch and let out a tired sigh. After the dishes, he had, for some rediulous reason unknown even to him, volunteered to scrub her floors. Luckily he had just strapped some brushes on his feet and made the linoleum sparkle in about 2.031 seconds. Then she'd made him dust the living room, vaccum the floors, (she had been adamant that the dusting be done BEFORE the vacuuming) and make her bed, which she'd been unable to do because of back pain. He'd broken a sweat during the vacuuming, and now, despite posessing what he had thought to be nigh-unlimited stamina, he was pooped.
He turned his head to look at her. She was sitting next to him, beating the most sickeningly sugary smile at him. He had to ask. "You do all this stuff yourself? How the heck do you keep from passing out?" He never knew housework could be so much...well, WORK! And she just HAD to tell him every little detail on exactly how to do each thing. Come to think of it, she was alot smarter than he gave her credit for. Her advice had probably saved him alot of work.
She laughed it off lightly. "Uhm-hmm. It's usually not quite so bad though. I've been neglecting the housework for a couple weeks, mostly." She gave her round abdomen a soft pat.
There was a few moments of silence. She noticed how tired he looked. "I have some lemonade if you want a glass."
He nodded, and was about to get up, but she had already lifted herself up and began waddling to the kitchen. "Be right back then." She gave him an adorable (she hoped, anyway) smile.
Sonic watched her leave. He noticed the way she waddled so heavily, with her shoulders back and her great big belly sticking out in front of her. It was sort of silly. He winced, realising how uncomfortable it must be, and she was only about half the size she was going to get. He began to really feel sorry for her. She could barely manage things by herself, and she never even complained once. She'd only asked him for help for one day.
Amy returned, handing him the glass with a smile. She had one of her own as well. She was out of breath, her chest heaving noticably, and though she was trying to hide it, Sonic could see the pained look on her face. It hurt her to move. It was almost enough to make him scold her for getting up at all. Amy eased carefully down next to him, letting herself fall the last eight inches or so. She let out a soft 'umph' as her behind hit the cushions.
He spoke up. "Amy, you're exhausted. All you did was go to the next room and back!" Now he REALLY didn't know how she'd managed the housework until just two weeks ago.
Amy blushed softly and took a sip from her lemonade, letting out a soft 'ah.' afterwards. "It's alright Sonic. I've been on my feet most of the day. I needed some new clothes. I'm fine."
Sonic looked her over. Her dress was fairly snug, and he noticed she had begun to widen at the sides, her womb rising even more into her ribs and broadening until her lower ribs began to move, widening slightly, to make room. He reached out and gently touched her side, his fingers pressing the cartilage attatched to her lower ribs under her skin.
She winced. "Ouch!" Her noise of pain was loud enough to convince him it had hurt more than a little. He couldn't believe he was about to suggest this...
"That's it, Ames." He shook his head. "I..." What an idiot he was for thinking this. "I'm moving in to take care of you. You can't keep working yourself like this in your condition." Sonic slapped himself mentally. He knew this couldn't end well.
Amy gasped and beamed at him. "Oh! You really mean it?" She lifted her fists in front of her and shook them ecstatically. "Eeeeeee!" She heaved a deep breath and moved herself with some difficulty and a few strained noises closer to him. "Hehee, this'll be so much fun! You can get to know me, and maybe..." She giggled with delight at the only possibility that formed in her head. Sonic in love with her.
Sonic put his face in his hands. This would not end well.
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It wasn't hard for Sonic to move in. He didn't really have a home to speak of. If he needed a place to stay, he usually just crashed at Tails' place. Other than his gloves and shoes, he only had a few meager posessions, barely enough to fill a small backpack. So it was that he stood before Amy's apartment door, said backpack in hand. He knocked. He didn't want Amy to get up, so immediately after knocking he called through the door, "Hey Ames? It's me."
There was a faint giggle on the other side. "Come on in, silly! It's open!"
Sonic entered to find the pink hedgehog on the couch, watching a soap opera and eating a bowl of ice cream. The bowl sat on her protruding belly, which she rubbed continuously with her free hand while spooning the gooey stuff into her mouth with the other. Sonic conceded that it was sort of cute in an odd way.
He sat down next to her. "What flavour ya got?"
Amy let out a soft 'mmmm' as she swallowed a glob of ice cream. "Peanut butter vanilla. I only have vanilla ice cream, so I put some peanut butter in it." She giggled hard enough to force her eyes shut. "I've been having weird cravings lately."
Sonic laughed lightly. "Actually that combination doesn't sound half bad." She offered him a bite.
"It's good. Want a taste?"
He raised an eyebrow. He wasn't keen on eating off her spoon she'd just licked. Not that he thought Amy had any bad germs, it was just common sense not to share to that degree. Of course Amy didn't mind. If she had her way, his tongue would probably be in her mouth right now. He pulled off a glove and scooped a little glob out with his finger. His gloves kept his hands clean.
"It's not bad." he decided after trying it. Even if he'd liked it, he wasn't going to take food out of a pregnant woman's mouth. He kept the conversation up. "How're ya feelin' Ames?"
Amy yawned and stretched slightly, wincing. "About the same as yesterday." She hiccupped, then stifled a giggle. "I felt a kick for the first time this morning." She gave the drum-tight skin of her tummy a soft pat.
Sonic nodded, looking down at the large bulge that indicated her condition. "What's it feel like?"
She beamed at him, stuffing another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. Gulp. "Just a little poke. It doesn't hurt. Oh!" She looked down suddenly and smiled, rubbing the side of her tummy. "Settle down in there, hehee!"
He reached a hand out. "Can I feel?"
She nodded, lifting the bowl out of the way. Sonic put his hand gently on her belly. It was slightly cold where the bowl had been sitting, but very warm everywhere else. Even through her clothing he could feel the firmness of it. Amy's tummy was about as hard as a basketball. Her skin was very tight too, stretched over the slowly expanding globe as taut as the skein of a drum, or a trampoline. He winced at the thought. "Doesn't it hurt?"
Amy looked at him quizzically. "Does what hurt?"
Sonic pointed to her stomach. "Your skin is so tight. That's gotta be uncomfortable." He wondered if the stretching of her womb hurt too, but that was sort of a personall issue for her. No need to pry.
She nodded. "A little bit, sometimes. It's not too bad. It's mostly the weight of it that gets me." She placed the bowl back upon her belly and resumed eating. "Mmmm, I love ice cream." Soon the bowl was empty, and she lighted her hand on the underside of her stomach. "Mmph." A few soft rubs. She handed him the bowl. "Can I convince you to get me some more?" She blushed. "My appetite's been out of control lately."
The blue hedgehog just laughed. "Don't worry about it, Amy. You're pregnant. You're supposed to be hungry all the time." He got up and zipped to the kitchen as fast as he dared. It wouldn't do to knock over anything with his backdraft. He scooped up a big helping of ice cream and stirred up a good glob of peanut butter in it.
Sonic returned to find Amy sucking on her fingers. He chuckled and raised any eyebrow. She blushed hotly.
"I had to have something in my mouth. I'm starving!" She reached out for the bowl he held, wiggling her fingers like a child. He smirked and obliged.
Amy placed the bowl on her belly once more and practically devoured it's contents. Sonic put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, take it easy, Ames. You're gonna make yourself sick."
She giggled and blushed hotly. "Hee, sorry. My brain's been a little fuzzed up lately." She gulped down a glob of ice cream. "Sometimes I feel like there's an alien in my belly and it's taking over my body. I'm even having bladder troubles." More blushing, this time in her ears too."
He gave her an odd look. "Bladder troubles?"
She nodded. "My womb is pressing on my bladder. Makes it a bit hard to erm, hold my water?" She nodded in affirmation. "Sometimes, anyway."
Sonic's eyes bulged slighlty. "Woah. Erm, ok. Don't expect me to let ya sit in my lap any time soon."
Amy just laughed. A bit of wheezing followed, and she pawed the table next to her for her inhaler. The girl stuck it in her mouth and drew in a breath, coughing slightly for a moment. "Mmmph. Been having to use that more and more." She rubbed the side of her tummy. "Not as much room to go around in me as there used to be, hee!"
They just watched the television for a while after that. Sonic rested his chin in his hand. It was pretty boring. Amy seemed entertained enough though. Suddenly, she pulled herself to her feet with a strained 'uhf.' Sonic started to get up. She waved him off.
"It's ok. Just need to, um, 'powder my nose'." He nodded and sat back down.
Ten minutes passed. Amy didn't come back. Sonic got up and wandered into her room, pressing his ear to the bathroom door. "Amy? You ok in there?"
"Sonic, can you help me?"
His ear twitched. "Um, Help? Are you decent?" Seeing Amy naked was not on his list of things to do today. In his mind, he knew she'd either scream and smack the hooey out of him or pose and ask if he found her attractive, though the former was more likely.
The reply came. "As decent as I can be." Was that good or bad? He opened the door a tiny crack, peeking in. "Amy?" She was seated on the toilet, but fortunately her dress was long enough to hide anything He may have been adverse to seeing.
Her cheeks flushed bright red. "Sonic, help me." She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I can't get up."
The blue boy chuckled nervously. "Oh. Is that all? Sheesh ya had me worried." He grasped her hands, then, looking away as best he could, helped her to her feet. There wasn't anything to see, but he wasn't taking chances. He kept his eyes averted as he made his way out the door, closing it behind him.
Once the door was closed, he breathed a sigh. "That was nuts." He muttered as quietly as he could.
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Amelia Rose was a smart girl. She knew a good thing when she saw it, and made sure to put Sonic's abilities to good use. In fact, she'd been running him around the apartment all day, only removing her rear end from the sofa a few times, on her insistence. Sonic hadn't wanted her to get up at all.
"Relax, Sonic! I'm not some, umph, old person in a nursing home!" She'd had to get up. There was no way she was going to let Sonic do her laundry by himself. The very idea of what his inexperienced hands could do to her clothes... She shuddered.
So it was that, despite the size of Amy's belly, despite the supreme effort needed just to move herself around, despite how difficult it was to breathe, she had hauled herself down to the apartment building's laundry room. She had seated herself in a small, cheap plastic patio chair the landlord kept down there. It was sort of embarrassing...the poor thing almost buckled under her.
"Now, Sonic, be careful." Her face twisted into a look of worry, yet at the same time she was fighting back laughter. "No, only use a little bit of soap! You're going to make the washer overflow! No!" Amy pulled herself up as fast as she could, bringing up a strained groan, and waddled equally fast to prevent disaster from befalling her poor innocent clothes. She pulled on his arm that held up the whole box of soap, ready to pour it in. "Sonic! I have to wear those!"
She took the box from him and poured some into a small cup that just happened to be glued to the side of the box. "That's what this is, mmph, for." She was out of breath again. It was hard enough to breathe just sitting down.
Sonic just grinned sheepishly. "Heh, sorry Ames."
She sighed. "Why do I love you so much, you stupid boy?" She winced and her back spasmed. "Ouch!" Her hand flew to the body of the washing machine for support. "Uhmph, I think I just got kicked in the spine!"
Sonic's hands took her arms and led her back to her chair. She was glad there was no-one else there. Independence was something she valued, and relying so heavily on someone else was a little embarrassing, even if it was her hero. Still, it felt good to be held by him, even if it was only in friendship and not something more.
Amy put a hand to her chest as she sat down, panting. "Guh." She winced and shifted her body a little, then giggled despite herself. "Oof, somebody in there's got a good pair of legs. I thought my back suddenly snapped for a second there."
Sonic placed a hand on her belly and rubbed it gently. The girl's eyes closed and she let out a pleased groan. "Mmm, a little lower. And to the left just a hair." He obeyed. "Mm-hmm, that's it. Oooooohhh..."
Sonic was glad the place was empty too. He had a reputation to uphold. He gave her abdomen a soft pat. "There's really little lives growing in there..." He smiled. "I love kids." Her hand raised, and she suddenly slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side from the impact and he recoiled.
"What the heck was that for?!?" He noticed there were tears in her eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?!" Sonic cringed. Amy Rose was angry indeed if she was angry enough to swear. Even a mild word like that. "All of a sudden you just decide to move in, and you act like you care about me! You almost act like my babies are yours!" She rubbed her belly gently to calm them down. They could feel her rage and were dancing about inside her overcrowded abdomen. She sighed, trying to calm herself, then looked down, weeping silently. "You ran away so many times. I just wanted to spend time with you..." She broke down, sobbing hard, tears falling from her face onto her stomach and staining her flimsy t-shirt. It, and a mid-length skirt were all she had clean that would fit. That's why they were down here. "You said such hurtful things, Sonic." More sobbing, even harder now. "You teased me. You led me on. You agreed to go out with me, and stood me up every time! All I wanted was your love!" Her hand came up again and he cringed. It fell back down, limply. Her voice grew soft again. "Do you know how...how many times I cried myself to sleep?" Amy sniffled sadly. "I gave my heart to you..." Her rage built up again so rapidly even Sonic couldn't dodge the fist that smashed onto his face. "And you squashed it under those stupid red shoes!" Her anger died again just as suddenly. Sonic clamped a hand over his nose, stopping the flow of blood that now oozed from it. Amy slouched in her chair, her adrenaline dissapating, leaving her exhausted. Her chest heaved as she struggled to draw a breath. A hit from her inhaler and more soft sobbing. "You hurt me so bad."
She found his strong arms around her, holding her tight. "I'm sorry, Amy. I'm so sorry." He was apologising? She shouldn't accept it. She shouldn't, but...
She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. She just cried. She just wept, soaking his chest with her tears. So many tears she had shed for him, yet there were ten times as many she had held back, and these she unloaded on him now, her shoulders wracked with shuddering sobs as she wailed with pent up sorrow against his warm fur. He had never apologised before. Not for anything. Not seriously. Never with sincerity. Amy poured out her sadness and frustration on the very source of her feelings, Sonic's chest. His chest which contained his heart, the one thing in her life she had wanted so badly but had never attained. She cried until her eyes ran dry, until her nose ran and dirtied her face with sticky mucus. She cried until her throat was raw from her pitiful wailing, until the ache in her back had turned to stabbing pain from sitting so awkwardly. And when she was done, the sun had long since gone down outside the window, and she still felt the need to cry. But there were no more tears, and she hadn't the energy.
Sonic pushed her head away from him and wiped her eyes and face with a tissue. "Feel better?"
Amy nodded slightly. It was a lie. She didn't feel better at all. She felt worse. She felt...
Sonic kissing her. She let out a tiny squeak of shock. It hadn't been her lips he had kissed. She would have died of excitement if he'd done that. It wasn't even her cheek that had felt the touch of his lips. She would have adored that, would have felt hope if that was where his kiss had been. No. He'd kissed her forehead. Her forehead, just under the three wild bangs of quills she could never manage to tame. Her forehead, right between her large eyes, with their irises of light emerald. Was it a gesture of love? Or only friendship? Amy's brain crackled, wrestling with this unanswerable question. There was only one way to answer it.
"There's so much room in my heart for you, Sonic. My heart is so small, so fragile, but I found room in it to love you. Not just a little room, but so much room there's barely anything left for myself, barely any for my unborn children, and still I have so much love for you I feel like my heart is going to explode and kill me right here. Can't you find any room for me in yours?" Amy shook her head sadly, and her voice cracked, but she didn't cry. "I refuse to believe that your heart is so small you can't find love for anyone but yourself." Her hands came up and pressed into her temples and she shook her head, as if she felt it was about to burst. "Please, Sonic. Tell me you love me. Or tell me you don't. Tell me you hate me if you want, I don't care! Just tell me! Tell me! I can't stand it anymore! I can't stand it!" Her fists pounded weakly against his chest until the last of her energy was spent, and she slouched in the small chair, panting heavily. Her vision blurred. The room spun. She felt her inhaler being pushed into her mouth just as she passed out.
Sonic brushed a stray quill out of her face as he looked down at her. She was breathing alright. She'd worn herself out with her rage and frustration until her body and mind had simply given up. He pulled her up to a more comfortable looking position, then took her clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer. When that was done, he lifted her small, yet slightly heavy body into his arms and carried her back to her apartment. He laid her down on her soft bed. She'd let out a strangled 'hhrr' sound as her belly shifted and put pressure on her lung, forcing some air out of her. He patted her head and pulled the covers over her.
'Tell me,' she'd said. She'd cried it to him, screamed it to him as hard as she could. She'd soaked him with her tears, assaulted him with her fists to get the answer. He had one. He'd been about to give it to her when she fell unconscious.
Sonic turned off the light and left, going back downstairs to get Amy's clothes when they were done drying.
He'd had an answer, and he still did. But it would have to wait until she woke up.
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Are you crying right now? I know I was when I wrote it. :')