14. Smile
It had been a long time since Sonic had seen Sally smile, and to put it simply, it was driving him insane. Losing Nicole had been really hard on her, and though their wedding had shed light on her difficult time, an unfortunate case of Appendicitis that she had been gifted with during their honeymoon had been enough to dampen her moods yet again (and he didn't blame her at all for that). Since then, only quiet, heart-broken frowns had graced her face. When he talked to her, her speech consisted of mostly sad, "Yeahs," and half-hearted, "Ah-huhs," and it had reached the point where Sonic was ready to beat his head on the wall.
And no, it wasn't because it made him mad, but rather because he didn't know what to do about it. The usual things that had ever cheered her up weren't working anymore, and even his most full-proof plans had failed him on every occasion. He had actually found himself in a slump on several days because of it, but being who he was, it didn't last for long. No matter what, he always picked himself up and did his best to spread a good mood, and though he didn't know how to at first, he knew he was going to be able to cheer Sally up eventually.
Eventually, the idea came to him, and it happened to pop into his head on the best day possible. How long had it been since they had had something sweet to eat? As soon as the question ran through his mind, a smile lit up his face and he dashed to the kitchen. Though it was a silly idea, Sonic knew for a fact that sometimes, something as simple as a tasty treat was enough to brighten one's day. And since Sal had left for a boring old meeting (she had told him that she didn't want to go), it had left him with an empty house and a bunch of cooking supplies begging to be used. How could he refuse?
When he was in there, though, he realized how little he knew about cooking. What exactly was the difference between baking soda and baking powder? A tablespoon and a teaspoon? He thought about asking Tails for help since he was visiting Knothole at the time, but he quickly pushed the idea away. It was going to be his way of cheering up the princess—not Tails's, not Bunnie's, not his mother's—and he was going to do it right. With that thought in mind, Sonic grabbed the apron (ignoring the fact that it felt girly to wear it), grabbed the cook-book, began gathering ingredients, and got to work.
He learned very quickly, though, what a lack of experience in the kitchen did. A mess followed him wherever he went (how did that sack of flower rip at the bottom?), he constantly mixed up ingredients (I'm sure it will do the same thing as that other stuff), and after putting his creation in the oven and laying down for a moment to rest, he found himself rushing for the fire extinguisher. After somehow—amazingly—setting the fire extinguisher itself on fire (I swear, I have no idea how it happened!), Sonic had to rush out to the nearest river and gather as much water as he could via chaos powers and run back to the house. And as luck would have it, he happened to run right past Sal (crap, crap, CRAP)!
Though he was able to kill the fire with a swift motion of his hands, making all the water fling itself onto the flames, he knew that he was really in for it. Especially since the moment he ran out of the house—smoke and steam causing him to choke and wheeze—he nearly ran right into Sally. And as he had been expecting (and fearing), she was wearing a wide, wordless, awe-struck gap. What on Mobius?
For a long time, Sonic didn't know what to say as they stared at one another. Then, knowing that there was better option, he told her the truth. It was a long story, and for most of if, he felt like hitting himself with the nearest heavy object. How could have been so stupid? Why on Mobius had he tried to cheer her up with cooking of all things? Cooking! When he finished recounting his sad, sad tale, he shrunk back in his spot, expecting the scolding of a lifetime.
But then—to his shock—he saw a smile grace her lips. And then she laughed. And she laughed, and she laughed, and she laughed… and he just stood there in shock, wondering how on Mobius he had done it. He was going to ask her, but just as he was about to say it, she took him by the hand. Her smile said a thousand things, and so did the tears that were glistening in her eyes. Somehow, even though he had messed up big time, he had made her smile. And that was all that mattered.
This one was another personal favorite. :) I love feel good stories like this one! ^^
Thanks to ShadowEmpress76 and The Dark Omega for reviewing! :D It means a lot! ^^