Stormy Weather
The soft pitter patter of rain.
That was the only sound the pink hedgehog could hear as droplets of water splashed against her window and echoed around the small but comfy living room. Amy was perched on her window ledge, her vibrant green eyes scanning the puddle ridden footpath situated at the front of her house.
Every now and then, a streak of water ran down the cold glass pane, the culmination of earlier droplets. The pink hedgehog gazed at the dull scene a few moments longer, her eyes searching for a hint of navy blue in the distance. Her hope flickered as she noticed something moving in the distance, but it was extinguished just as fast as she realised it had been nothing but a broken tree branch being pushed around by the wind.
A quick glance at the clock told her that it was now six o'clock. 'Six already? He was supposed to be here by four.' She thought sadly. A piercing white light flashed in the distance, and a few seconds later a thunderous roar echoed outside. 'Well, looks like the news actually got the forecast right for once. I can't walk in that storm so it looks like I'm stuck alone till the weather dies down.'
Amy grabbed the phone off its stand and quickly punched in her best friend's number, hoping that Cream wouldn't be too upset at Amy missing her birthday party.
Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ri –
"Hello?" A soft voice echoed down the line.
"Tails?" Amy asked questioningly.
"Amy! Hey, where are you? Everyone's waiting on you and Sonic?" The kitsune replied frantically.
"I'm really sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to make it. Sonic was supposed to pick me up earlier but I guess he just got caught out in the rain...or forgot. One or the other." Amy answered, faking an air of cheeriness. "But it's alright. I'll just try and catch you all tomorrow."
"I can pick you up in the Tornado if you like; I know it would make Cream really happy for you to be here." Tails asked politely.
"Thanks for the offer Tails, but the weather is really bad. I can't make you fly through this storm. But there is one thing you can do for me."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Is there any way you could contact Sonic. I tried calling him earlier but his phones turned off or something. Could you try and find out if he's okay, I'm kinda worried about him?" Amy asked, glancing nervously out the window.
"I'll do what I can but, you know, you shouldn't worry too much. He's Sonic. He's probably just napping on top of a mountain or hiding in a cave, he's not stupid enough to be out in this weather."
"Thanks Tails. Where is Cream by the way?"
"She is currently in a very heated game of ping pong with Knuckles, who just can't seem to face the fact he's currently seven points behind, and being beaten by a girl." Tails said with a hint of laughter.
"Typical. Could you let her know that I hope she has an amazing party and that I'll call back later." Tails assured her he would and they both said their goodbyes. A soft click resonated from the receiver as Amy hit the end call button and replaced the phone on its stand.
She let out a deep breath and lifted herself off the window ledge and wandered lazily over to the living room couch. Her eyes flicked over to the photo resting on the coffee table. With a soft smile, the hedgehog picked up the photo and cradled it in her hands.
It was a photo of her and Sonic on one of their first dates, when Sonic had taken her hiking in the mountains to the north. A single tear escaped from her emerald eyes and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.
A deafening crash of thunder rocked the house and in her alarm, the frame slipped out of Amy's gloved fingers and tumbled to the floor. She heard the distinct crack of shattering glass. Staring at the frame on the floor, another tear trickled down her cheek. The glass had cracked, leaving webbed lines over Sonic's face.
She turned away from the photo, not bothering to replace it as the tears she'd been stemming fell freely. She didn't care that she'd left the photo on the floor. All she cared about was the fact that Sonic had gotten so caught up in something else that he'd forgotten her again. Now she was stuck at home and would have to weather the storm alone.
'If I hadn't waited for him, I'd at least have Cream and the guys to keep me company'. As soon as she'd thought it, she almost immediately felt guilty. 'What if he really is in trouble? He's never just ditched me without a good reason.'
It took her a few minutes, but she finally calmed down and wiped the wetness off of her cheeks and lashes, smudging her mascara. 'Come on Amy, get a grip. Sonic's fine. He always is.' She straightened out her dress and put on a brave face as she scanned the view from the window one last time.
When she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, the pink hedgehog quietly slipped up the stairs and headed for her bedroom. She let herself fall backwards onto her bed and closed her eyes, the rain outside creating an oddly soothing rhythm. Another crash of thunder broke her from her rhythmic lull and she jerked back to full consciousness.
The plum coloured waves of her dress crumpled together as she leaned across to tap on her stereo. The intro music echoed softly around the room, partially blocking out the sound of the rainstorm outside.
'You should've been there,
Should've burst through the door,
With that 'baby I'm right here' smile,
And it would've felt like,
A million little shining stars had just aligned,
And I would've been so happy.'
Amy let her eyes slide shut as the irony of her situation hit her. She felt a soft wisp of wind brush over her, reminding her that her window was still open a crack, sending cold shivers down her spine.
'Christmas lights glisten,
I've got my eye on the door,
Just waiting for you to walk in,
But the time is ticking,
People ask me how I've been
As I comb back through my memory,
How you said you'd be here,
You said you'd be here.'
The young hedgehog lifted herself off the bed, headed over to the window and pulled it shut. She watched as the wind battered the rain onto the glass, blurring the image outside. In the distance.
'And it was like slow motion,
Standing there in my party dress,
In red lipstick,
With no one to impress,
And they're all laughing,
As I'm looking around the room,
But there's one thing missing,
And that was the moment I knew.'
She watched with intrigue as the trees were forced in the direction of the gales, subdued by the sheer force of the winds.
CRASH!
A loud noise made Amy jump as she spun around to face her bedroom door. "What in the..." she whispered incredulously. Surely the wind couldn't have knocked her front door down, could it?
'And the hours pass by,
Now I just wanna be alone,
But your close friends always seem to know
When there's something really wrong,'
She stood staring at her bedroom door, half expecting one of Eggman's robots to jump out from the hallway and attack her. Her right hand was held out to her side, ready to whip out her hammer at the slightest indication of movement.
'So they follow me down the hall,
And there in the bathroom,
I try not to fall apart,
And the sinking feeling starts,'
The landing remained movement free as the music continued to play behind her. When she was sure that nothing was going to jump out, Amy let her arm drop. She regained her senses and decided to investigate where the noise had originated from.
'As I say hopelessly,
"He said he'd be here."
And it was like slow motion,
Standing there in –'
With a soft click, the music stopped. Despite the sound of the storm outside, the house seemed eerily quiet without the music in the background. Amy brushed off her fears as she bravely started to make her way downstairs.
"Well, the front doors still intact." Amy said thankfully as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She could barely stand the thought of all her hard work decorating the hallway going to waste. 'That just leaves the back door.'
Amy cautiously entered her kitchen, and was almost immediately hit with a blast of cold wind and spray. Shielding her eyes, she could just about make out her door lying on the floor, surrounded by a puddle of rain water. Fighting the ferocious wind, Amy rushed over and attempted to lift her door back into place.
It took a few attempts, but her years of hammer wielding paid off and she managed to lift the door back into the wall. The young hedgehog stood with her back against the door, scanning the kitchen for the damage that had been caused. Despite the darkness, she could just make out the mess in her kitchen.
'Just water puddles' she thought with an air of relief. Gently, Amy started to take pressure off the door until it stood on its own. Before the wind had a chance to knock it down again, the hedgehog grabbed a heavy chair from the kitchen table and pushed it up against the door to keep it stable. 'That ought to hold it for now. I just have to get someone in to fix it after the weather dies down.'
The rose hedgehog let out a soft sigh as she turned back to face her kitchen. She started to head towards the light switch to the left of the room but stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the shadow of a person enter the kitchen from the hallway.
Amy's trusty piko piko hammer materialised in her hand automatically as she kept her eyes locked on the intruder. Her eyes grew wide as the shape moved closer and closer. She gripped the hammer tightly and braced herself for an attack.
The hedgehog waited with the silent gait of a predator for the trespasser to come into range before unleashing the wrath of her hammer.
'This is it...2...1...'
She lifted the hammer above her head with years of expertise, releasing her grip on it slightly as she brought it crashing down in front of her.
Amy felt the vibrations of the impact quake up her arms and echo throughout her petite form. She opened her eyes cautiously, not realising she'd impulsively clenched them shut. She couldn't quite make out where her target was, but she had definitely hit it.
As Amy leant forwards to pick up her hammer properly, the kitchen light suddenly burst into existence forcing the pink hedgehog to shield her eyes. She heard something shuffle in front of her and attempted to swing out but whoever was there had seen her attack coming and grabbed the other end of her hammer firmly, preventing her from causing any damage.
Her eyes adjusted to the light quickly, but not quickly enough for Amy's liking. As far as she was concerned, she was temporarily blinded in battle. She was just about to scream in panic when she heard a familiar voice float through the air.
"Jeez Ames. I know I'm late but aren't you overreacting just a little."
Amy visibly relaxed and shook her head to clear her vision. She squinted at the light and was just able to make out the toned figure of the famous blue hedgehog. "When I can see clearly again, I am gonna kill you Hedgehog!" she shouted furiously.
Sonic smiled sheepishly at her and a held up a hand to stop her when she opened her mouth to speak, or more likely, yell at him.
"Before you say anything, if you kill me you won't have any company in the storm." Sonic spat out quickly. "Also, it'll kinda be painful." He stated coolly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. He grinned and sent a quick wink in his girlfriends direction.
Amy watched him irritably, before catching a glimpse of a small pile of wood lying scattered on the floor between the two of them. "Sonic...?" Amy said questioningly as she eyed the floor.
"Hey, I'm just saying." Sonic said nonchalantly, lifting both hands up in front of him defensively. "You might wanna keep me around a bi-"
"Forget that. What did you do to my chair!?" Amy cut in incredulously, her eyes wide in disbelief. Sonic looked at the dark oak wood that lay splintered and crushed on the tiled floor.
"Me?" He said, pointing to himself in disbelief."You're the one who bashed it into a trillion pieces with that deadly hammer of yours." His words held a hint of amusement as he leaned down to examine the pieces.
"It's not my fault!" Amy protested. "I thought it was one of Eggman's goons or something!" She took a seat on the table and quickly scanned the rest of the kitchen to make sure she hadn't damaged anything else. Her eyes fell on the door, still being propped up by a chair, when a thought occurred to her.
"Wait a minute, Sonic. You broke my door too!" Amy said accusingly, jabbing a finger on the blue hero's direction to emphasise her point. Sonic however was too preoccupied to notice as he dropped the pieces of the chair and was now shifting them to the side to get a better look at the tiles underneath.
"You know, if I was anyone else, I'd be in a lot of pain right now." He pondered as he observed the area where the hammer had hit and mentally compared it to how fast he'd gotten out of the way.
"Sonic..." Amy groaned in annoyance as she got up and stood next to him.
"You know, it's a really good thing you have a strong floor or you'd have a really annoying hole in here as well as a broken chair."
"Sonic, are you even listening to me?" She complained, Sonic however was lost in his own thoughts. 'Tail's is really rubbing off on him' she thought, slightly bemused by the prospect.
"I feel for anyone that ever tries to break into your house sweetie." Sonic said with a chuckle as he got to his feet, leaving the wreckage in the middle of the kitchen. He turned to face Amy and gave a quick grin before holding up his arms invitingly.
"Don't I get a welcome hug?"
When he received nothing but a cold glare, he gave the rose hedgehog an apologetic look.
"Considering you just broke my door, chair, and then totally ignored me, I don't think you deserve one" Amy replied, crossing her arms and turning away from him. She wasn't mad at him anymore, but there was no reason to give in to him so easily.
"Aw come on Ames. I didn't mean to upset you." He stated, slowly creeping up behind her.
"Nope." Amy said stubbornly, a smile playing at her lips. She was about to turn around to face the hedgehog when she felt two cold arms slither around her waist and pull her backwards into a hard chest.
"Sonic, you're soaking wet!" Amy exclaimed, as she felt the water from his damp fur seep into the back of her dress. "You're going to ruin my dress!" She giggled while attempting to struggle out of his grip but her efforts were futile as Sonic just pulled her back and held her tighter.
A sudden crack of thunder startled both hedgehogs into a still silence and Amy felt Sonic's grip loosen. She pulled away and turned to face him as a harsh wind howled through the cracks in the side of her door. She reached out to grab his hand when she realised that he was shaking.
"Sonic? Oh my god, you're gonna get sick if you don't dry off soon." She exclaimed in worry. No sooner had she uttered the words, she disappeared into the hallway and returned a few moments later with a towel and a spare.
Sonic barely had time to realise that she'd left before she was wrapping a cream towel around his muscular shoulders and handing him a second. He took it gladly and began to dry himself off.
"You know, I don't think the weather likes Cream's birthday very much." Sonic stated as the wind whipped the rain onto the window in sharp plinks.
"I don't think that Mother Nature wants her to grow up." Amy mused with a soft smile. "We're not gonna get to her party in this weather are we?" She continued with a hint of disappointment.
"Sorry Ames. If there was some way I could get you there, you know I would. Anyone willing to go out in that clearly has a death wish." Sonic stated, pointing over the kitchen window. "I'm lucky I made it here without getting stuck up a tree." Sonic said as he attempted to knock the water out of his ear.
"There were storm warnings on the news earlier. You really should have just stayed at home instead of risking that. I'd be happier knowing that you couldn't make it but you were safe, rather than..." Amy trailed off, not quite wanting to accept the other option as a possibility.
"Come on Ames, you know I love a good challenge. Besides, I couldn't leave you stuck at home alone could I?"
Amy felt the butterflies that resided in her stomach flutter collectively as Sonic grinned at her. Even after nearly a year together, Sonic could still make her cheeks burn like the setting sun.
"Thank you." She said with genuine gratitude. "Thank you for coming."
Sonic fluffed the newly dried fur on his chest and left the towel on the radiator to dry off.
"Well, the good news is this weather equals no Egghead. Bad news is it looks like you're stuck with me."
Amy repressed the urge to squeal out loud. Instead, she skipped over to Sonic. "In which dimension is that considered bad news" she questioned playfully before gently pressing her lips to his cheek.
"I just ran through a ruthless storm to be with you, the least you could do is aim right." he joked as he leaned in to her lips. Sonic felt a familiar spark jolt his insides, spreading through him like wildfire, leaving him tingling from head to foot. He reluctantly pulled away from her as he remembered the flowers he'd tucked into his quills before he'd left, and his eyes locked onto her own emerald gaze.
He was just about to tell her about them when he noticed a light black smudge across her cheek. He frowned lightly in thought before using his thumb to wipe it away. Amy immediately backed away from his touch and seemed panicky about something.
"Amy, were you crying?" Sonic asked bluntly, his brow creased in worry.
Amy quickly turned away from him and wiped her cheeks just in case anything else gave her away. 'So much for it being waterproof...' she muttered mentally. "No, of course not. I was doing my make-up when you banged the door down and made me jump." She said nervously, refusing to turn and look him in the eye.
Sonic sceptically cocked an eyebrow but didn't press her further. Instead he decided to change the subject. "Well I uh- I got you these." He said as he pulled out the flowers he'd picked on his run earlier, trying to dissolve the tension that had built up in the room.
Amy looked wide-eyed at the flowers and Sonic's smiled dropped into a scowl as he examined the flora in his hand. He half laughed as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "For the record, they had all the petals when I picked them."
Amy couldn't help but laugh at the dishevelled state of the flowers but she loved them anyway. She accepted the tattered flowers and placed them into an empty vase. "They're beautiful Sonic." She filled up the vase with water before placing it on her dining table and carefully rearranging the flowers.
"You still look freezing cold." Amy commented as Sonic made himself comfortable on one of the chairs. "Would you like something warm to drink?"
"Sure, that'd be great." Sonic replied with a smile.
"You can go inside you know. You'll have to relight the fire but it'll at least heat you up until you're drinks done. Besides, there is a very cosy blanket in there." Amy tempted playfully as Sonic contemplated the offer.
"You gonna be alright here?" He asked, and Amy nodded in response. "In that case, I'm sold. See ya in a few." Sonic stated, as he made his way to Amy's living room.
He flicked the switch as he entered the living room, his green eyes scanning the upholstered sofas for the blanket. He spotted it on the far side of the room and began to make his way over to it. That's when he heard the infamous crunch of broken glass. Sonic's eyes opened wide as he realised the noise had come from beneath his shoes.
'Ames is gonna kill me!'
The blue hedgehog carefully lifted his foot up and bent down to examine what he'd smashed. He picked up the broken picture frame from the floor and was surprised that the none of the glass had fallen out. It had however cracked in webbed spirals.
Sonic felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he stared at the photo of him and Amy. He felt a small smile creep onto his lips as the memories of that hiking weekend flooded his mind. It was the first time he'd taken her on a date outside of the city and he'd spent a whole week fretting over it.
Sonic was knocked out of his reminiscing only when Amy entered the room with their hot chocolate. He looked at her sheepishly as he held the cracked photo frame in his hands and uttered an apology. Amy glanced at it with a frown and shook her head.
"It's okay, I broke it earlier. You breaking it more doesn't make a difference." She smiled as she put the tray she was holding down on the coffee table and grabbed the blanket. She took a seat on the sofa and covered herself with the blanket.
"Hey. I thought I was supposed to get the blanket?" Sonic grumbled as he joined her on the sofa spreading the blanket out so it covered the pair of them. He leaned forward and handed Amy her cup of hot chocolate before grabbing his own and settling back into to sofa.
"Thanks Amy. I really appreciate it." He slipped his free hand into hers and gave it a quick squeeze before sipping his drink.
A thunderous holler echoed around the house and the lights flickered dangerously before turning off altogether, plunging the two hedgehogs into complete darkness.
"Well... this sucks." Sonic stated simply. He was rewarded with the sweet giggle of his girlfriend next to him. "Guess this is as good a time as any to light that fireplace huh."
It took nearly five minutes of muttering and fumbling before Sonic finally got the fire going. He sat on the hearth and prodded it with a poker to make sure it was lit properly before heading back to the sofa. He finished his hot chocolate in one big gulp, to the wide eyed amazement of the pink hedgehog, before slipping back under the blanket.
He felt Amy curl into him and put an arm around her to pull her closer. They sat quietly together, just enjoying each other's company in the warmth of the fire.
Sonic was the first to break the content silence. "You thought I wasn't coming because I'd forgotten didn't you. That's why you were crying earlier." Sonic stated. He felt Amy take a deep breath next to him and he pulled her closer to him. "Amy. I know it was because of me, and I'm sorry for that." He said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Amy turned to face Sonic, his face illuminated by the warm glow of the fireplace. She locked onto his forest green gaze before speaking. "It's not you Sonic. I was just... Sometimes I think it's just not fair. Why can't we just have a normal life."
"I know Amy." He whispered as he brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It's not fair, but that's just life. I know I've missed a couple of dates and been a bit distracted with everything going on lately but I swear, if I could have been here with you then I would." Sonic said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Amy closed her eyes and leaned into Sonic's chest, resting her cheek on his soft fur and focusing on the faint, steady beat of his heart.
"I know you would." She whispered with a small smile. "Besides, I knew what I'd signed up for when I started chasing you all those years ago."
"Really!? You expected to be blown off on a regular basis by a guy who couldn't even admit his own feelings to himself and that you'd spend years helping that crazy idiot of a guy stop a mad scientist hell bent on building an 'Eggman Empire' with his barmy schemes." Sonic teased in a hushed tone. There was no one around but the two of them, but it felt strange to talk loudly when they were so close together.
"Something like that." Amy giggled, lifting her head to place a quick kiss on his lips. Sonic couldn't help but grin as he adjusted the blanket on Amy and pulled her close and she rested her head on his shoulder.
Outside, the wind buffeted the rain and the thunder continued to echo threateningly. The two hedgehogs however we're too lost in each other's stories and light-hearted jokes to pay any attention to what was going on around them.
...xxx...
No relationship is all sunshine, but two people can share one umbrella and survive the storm together.
I guess the above quote was kind of the central inspiration for this one-shot. I started this back in January 2013 and it's been sitting in my laptop since then and I was never really satisfied with it. I think it's a bit more melancholy than what I was used to writing and that sort of intimidated me at that point. Also the lack of an actual plot bugged me for a really long time. Anyway, I thought it was about time I finished and posted this.
Quick thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate it greatly, you guys are awesome.
Please excuse the lack of an imaginative title. It's 3am and I am severely under caffeinated to be up at this time. I hope you guys enjoyed it, drop me a review to let me know what you thought of it.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have an amazingly spectacular 2015! x