What's Your Hero Like?

"Have we met?"

His voice was a mesmerising drawl accompanied with eyes that flashed with intrigue. Sonic lay sprawled on the sofa, a cold compress pressed up against his left cheek. It took all of Amy's self control to not roll her eyes at how ridiculous he looked.

"More times than I can recall," she said sweetly, leaning against the doorway between the hallway and the living room. "Amy Rose at your service." She waved lightly as she pushed herself away from the frame and into the room. Tails followed in after her.

The kitsune skirted between both hedgehogs and rushed into the kitchen. He called out to her as he filled his bag with snacks. "Thanks for watching him Amy." His voice was muffled. "They only called the meeting a few hours ago, otherwise I would have been more prepared." His voice cleared as he emerged, snapping the clasp shut on his bag and flinging it over his shoulder.

"That's alright Tails. I'm happy to help," she said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Tails blue eyes shone with gratitude. "You're a life saver Amy," he said before turning his attention to the blue hedgehog. "Amy's going to keep an eye on you until the anaesthetic wears off Sonic. I'll be gone till tomorrow so don't wait up."

Sonic nodded slowly, letting the cold compress drop to his side. He gave him a smile but Amy wasn't convinced he really understood any of what was happening at that moment. She pulled Tails into a quick hug. "Have fun," she said. "And don't worry, I'll make sure you come back to a perfectly normal Sonic and tray full of cookies." She turned to see Sonic's gaze drifting over her lazily and ignored the way her heart rate spiked.

Tails thanked her one last time as he bustled out of the house, the door shutting after him with a sharp click. An odd silence settled around the house, broken only by the roaring of the X Tornado firing up.

It would take Tails at least a few hours to reach the summit meeting and it made sense for him to stay overnight. On any other day that wouldn't have even been an issue. Today however just so happened to be the day that Sonic had scheduled his wisdom teeth removal surgery.

She shrugged off her coat and hung it up, pulling a book out of her bag before hanging that up too. She returned to the living room to see Sonic laying on his side, head hovering over the edge precariously. He tilted to the side as he watched her, eyes squinted in worry.

"You disappeared," he mumbled simply.

Amy's nerves were on edge. She was in unfamiliar territory. Sure, she'd been prepared to meet a 'different' version of him, but the reality was nothing like she'd expected. If she was honest, the whole situation was quite disorientating.

"I'm back now," she replied with a reassuring smile.

"You went..." He paused, eyes squinting into a frown as he struggled to find the right words in his drowsy state. He lifted his hands and made a 'poof' motion with his fingers. "And now you're back." His face suddenly turned serious. "Are you magic?" he said quietly, eyes wide in awe.

Her smile widened. Of course he'd come up with some outlandish reason to explain her momentary absence. She seated herself on the sofa opposite, unable to resist the desire to play along.

She leaned forward slowly, his gaze clutching at her in anticipation. "Shh, it's a secret," she whispered softly. She held back a giggle as his face exploded with understanding. She leaned back into the sofa, shaking her head at how simple it had been to convince Sonic she had magic.

She flicked open the book in her lap as Sonic's attention was grabbed by something on the ceiling. She'd barely read a page when she noticed him sit up on the sofa opposite. She glanced over her book and was surprised to see him studying her carefully.

His head tilted in thought and he blinked slowly. "You're a girl," he said, words slightly slurred from the drug running through his system. Or maybe it was from the slight swelling of his cheeks.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," she responded with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you need a new ice pack?" she asked with a frown. Sonic had let his drop to the sofa and she was suddenly worried he was in pain.

"I noticed," he said blankly.

She was completely blindsided by the response. She opened her mouth to reply but wasn't sure what to say. "I-i-icepack..." she stuttered, wondering if he could see just how much of a hopeless fool she was.

Trying to keep from looking at him was easier said than done. Especially when she could feel his gaze burning into her like a flame. He didn't know what he was saying right now she reminded herself. Even if he did, he definitely didn't mean it the way she wanted him to.

She risked a peek over the top of her book. The rolling hills of his eyes swept over her and towards the kitchen and he shook his head. "No ice," he said simply. He lay down and closed his eyes, the surgery clearly taking its toll.

The room drifted into a comfortable silence and Amy returned her attention to her current read. As she drank in the words, the story played out in her head and she could almost forget that Sonic was opposite her. Or she might have been able to if he hadn't kept shooting his hand up and poking the air above him every minute or so.

He'd noticed. She loosed a breath, slow and careful. What did he mean? Was he simply observing or was it something more. It was the first, it had to be. Why would he mean anything else by it, she told herself. This was Sonic after all and he had always been blissfully oblivious when it came to her feelings.

Sonic's hand shot up into the air again, curling around empty air before he snatched it back. Amy did her best to ignore it but the next time he did it, he turned his attention to her.

"I like you," he said slowly. Voice small and honest.

Amy couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face, the edges of it tugging on her heart strings. How was it that Sonic could be so incredibly sweet when he wasn't quite himself.

He turned away from her again, examining something she couldn't see. The soft mumblings of his voice floated over to her but try as she might, even with her hedgehog hearing, she was unable to make it out.

She sighed softly. "You're not going to remember any of this are you?"

His green eyes locked onto hers. "I will remember." He paused, eyes glazing over. " I remember everything... in here." He tapped his temple clumsily, barely avoiding poking himself in the eye.

"Yeah, everything."

She didn't mention that he barely even knew who she was right then. She would have taken offence had it not been for the fact that he barely even remembered himself either.

Sonic studied her carefully, his eyes roving over her, trying to place her whilst simultaneously dusting off the cobwebs in his mind. He started excitedly. "You're my friend," he said triumphantly, as if only just realising the fact.

"I am," she said, ignoring the twinge of hurt that the phrase wrought. "And you're Mobius' greatest hero," she added. Try as she might, with his wide eyes full of fascination and his voice a calm lull, there was no way she could deny that this version of Sonic was endearing.

"I am the greatest," he said proudly, a light pout forming on his lips.

"You're modest too," she replied, not missing a beat.

Sonic looked at her intensely. "Am I your hero?"

Her brows dipped in surprise. She was getting used to his strange responses, but she hadn't expected this to be one of them. Sonic seemed to take that as his answer and his eyes flashed with disappointment before he looked away.

Amy slid to the floor and shuffled over to him. She dropped the book to the ground beside her as she turned to face Sonic. She'd felt his eye on her the whole time but seeing the endless green forests up close made her forget her words and regret moving.

She swallowed hard and struggled to hold his gaze. "You've never really..." She paused. Never really what? There were so many ways she could finish that sentence, but was she prepared to deal with the outcome.

She turned away him so quickly that her speed rivalled that of his own. "Never mind," she bumbled, quickly retrieving her book. She was doing anything other than reading it, but she hoped the pretence would keep him from asking her anything else.

Her back was still pressed up against the sofa and she was painfully aware of any movements he made. He didn't say anything for a long time and she wondered if the clutches of sleep had gotten too hard to fight off. She risked a peek behind her and found him staring at the book in her lap. His eyes flicked up as she turned.

"What's that about?"

"Oh, this?" she asked, lifting up the book.

He nodded.

"It's uh, about a young boy. He's a dreamer and a librarian but he's also the hero of the story. I uh, I don't know how it ends yet but I'm sure it'll something fantastic."

"Who's hero is he?" he asked innocently.

"The people's I guess."

"Oh." He was quiet for a moment and she turned to face him. He was staring at the book again, a look of childish concentration in his eyes. "What is your hero like?"

His words were so unknowingly casual and off hand that Amy was sure that she hadn't heard him properly, especially after he was so disappointed before. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your hero," he said plainly. "What is he like?"

She shrugged. "Tall, dark and handsome, I guess."

He attempted to raise his eyebrows, but the sluggishness of his movements just made it look as if he was really surprised by her response. "You're lying," he said. "I mean, what's he really like."

What was she supposed to say. 'My hero is blue and runs like the wind. Oh look at that, so do you. What an incredibly convenient coincidence.' She cringed just thinking about it. No. She was going to have to find another way around this if she wanted to avoid lying outright.

"Fine," she said, relenting. "My hero is caring," she started, voice soft. "He's selfless and brave, with just a little sprinkling of impatience." She paused, wondering if maybe it was best to stop there.

"That's it?" He curled up so he could see her more clearly. His gaze was warm and inviting and she realised that he was not going to give up until he got a full answer. To heck with it, she thought. It wasn't like he'd remember any of what she said so what did it hurt.

"My hero is kind. The sort of person who puts others needs before their own. The type who will kiss my forehead just because he wants to, who will lift me up when I'm too tired to do it myself. He's just and courageous, making the impossible possible day after day. He makes mistakes, but that's okay because he has a good heart and does everything in his power to make things right."

She took a slow breath. Once she'd gotten started, she hadn't know when to stop. Sonic hadn't seemed to mind, listening intently throughout her whole speech. Now that she was done, the room seemed strangely quiet.

Sonic had turned his attention to his fingers, moving them up and down as if calculating something. His lips moved methodically, as if keeping track of a list as he worked out some unknown calculation.

He shook his head and took a deep breath. His eyes met hers again, as unreadable as a blank slate. "I'm tired," he announced, before rolling over so that he faced the back of the sofa.

Amy took the cue to leave him alone and stood without a word, picking up her book as she did so. She dropped it onto the sofa she had occupied earlier and paused to look back at him. She couldn't be sure what he'd been doing with his fingers but she was sure that he didn't like whatever conclusion he had come to.

She grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the sofa and shook it out, returning to gently drape it over the sleeping hedgehog. Well, if you could call laying down with your eyes scrunched up tightly sleeping.

She bit her lip to hold back a giggle at his attempt to fall asleep as she made her way to the kitchen. Sonic could fall asleep anywhere, so she didn't doubt that even this method would work for him eventually. He'd wake in a few hours, and by then the effects of the anaesthesia would have worn off. Alongside his memories of the past few hours.

She knew he'd forget. It was inevitable. Part of her wanted him to remember, but an bigger part of her reminded her that most of what he'd said had been senseless muttering anyway. And most of what she'd said would be better off forgotten.

She resigned herself to the fact that for now, she had a promise of cookies to follow through on. "Sweet dreams," she sighed, glancing back at him. "You'll be my hero when you wake," she added in a secret whisper.

"Thank you for looking after me Ames," Sonic said brightly. He'd awoken as his normal self and Amy had never been happier to see him as his usual, if maybe a little cocky, self.

"Don't mention it," she smiled, shrugging on her coat and bag.

"I hope I didn't do anything too stupid," he said, scratching at the back of his head awkwardly. She'd been right about him forgetting everything she noted.

"Of course you didn't." Amy paused for effect. "I mean, you did say some pretty strange things, but nothing more stupid than normal," she teased.

"I hope you're telling the truth because I can't remember a thing," he said, sheepishly. "I remember that weird doctor staring at me and then there's this big blank space. The next thing I remember is waking up here to the smell of cookies." He smiled uneasily, unconvinced of his own innocence.

"You didn't do anything stupid," she assured him. "I promise," she added when he flashed a look of scepticism. She shifted past him into the hallway and made her way to the front door. Sonic's face transformed into a frown as she passed him.

"Wait," he said, darting after her.

"What is it?" she asked, worry creeping into her tone.

"You have a little something..." He lifted a hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb gently across her cheek. "Sugar maybe?" he said, examining the white powder on his finger. He touched the tip of his tongue to it. "Flour," he deduced, face screwed up in distaste.

A breathy laugh escaped her lips as she thanked him.

"You're welcome," he said, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he repeated, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss on her brow.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Amy could pinpoint the exact moment he realised what he'd done. He looked momentarily lost, as if he had acted without thinking and didn't know why. She didn't wait to find out if he knew the significance behind his actions.

The pink hedgehog brushed past him. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, pulsing out the rhythm of some strange new beat. She paused only when she reached the end of the garden pathway, turning to catch a last glimpse of the unwitting man she had given her heart away to.

Sonic stood in the doorway with a crooked grin. He still looked stunned. No, that wasn't quite the right word. He looked dumbstruck.

Amy had turned on the lights a little while before Sonic had awoken. Now, backlit with the golden aura, he looked like one of the heroes from all those stories she'd read.

Like her hero.

Sonic lifted a hand in a slow wave and Amy returned the gesture with a secretive smile. As she turned away, she couldn't resist touching a hand to where his lips had connected with her forehead. His kiss had brought a calming warmth to her and her heart fluttered at the memory. She bit her lip and sighed into the brisk evening air.

Maybe he hadn't forgotten everything after all.

Thank you so much for reading lovelies. I can't believe this is my first update in over a year for this collection (and the first of 2017!) I got really inspired for Flipswitch last year so most of my time went towards completing that.

Apologies if there's anything incorrect regarding the after effects of tooth removals in this, I did the best I could considering all I had to go on were boring health articles and those incredibly hilarious videos on youtube (which were absolutely the inspiration behind this oneshot).

Thanks again for reading and let me know what your thoughts are if you can. Aside from that, I hope you're all having a great 2017 so far and I'll see you next time. Chao for now :)